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he throws overboard what is left of his goods. A theft happened to you; give alms, and you lighten the ship. Have robbers plundered? 62.415 you give the remains to Christ; thus you will also console the poverty from your former losses. Lighten the ship, do not hold on to what remains, so that the vessel may not be swamped. They, in order to save their bodies, make a jettison of the goods, and do not wait for the wave to come and overturn the vessel; you, in order to save souls, will you not stop the shipwreck? Test it, if you disbelieve, I beseech you, test it, and you will see the glory of God. When something grievous happens to you, give alms immediately, give thanks that it happened, and you will see how much joy enters in. For the spiritual gain, even if it is small, is so great as to hide every bodily loss. As long as you have something to give to Christ, you are rich. Tell me, if the king, approaching you after you had been plundered, were to hold out his hand, deeming it worthy to receive something from you, would you not have considered yourself richer than all, if even after such poverty the king is not ashamed of you? Do not be carried away; only control yourself, and you will control the plotting of the devil. It is possible for you to gain great things. Let 62.416 us despise wealth, so that we may not despise the soul. But how might one despise it? Do you not see beautiful bodies, and those who love them; as long as they are in sight, the fire is kindled, the flame rises brightly; but when one takes them far away, is not everything extinguished, everything put to sleep? So it is also with wealth. Let no one make golden ornaments, no one precious stones, no one necklaces; when seen, they entice the eyes. But if you wish to be rich like the men of old, be rich not in gold, but in necessities, so that you may also readily provide for others; do not be a lover of worldly adornment; such wealth is both an easy target for robbers, and provides us with anxieties; do not acquire gold and silver vessels, but let there be storehouses of grain, wine, oil; let them be, not so that they may be sold again to make silver, but so that they may be supplied to those in need. If we lead ourselves away from those superfluous things, we shall attain the heavenly goods; which may we all be counted worthy to obtain, in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, dominion, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

HOMILY IV.

For this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I sent to learn your faith, lest by some means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor might be in vain. But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and brought us good tidings of your faith and love, and that you have good remembrance of us always, desiring greatly to see us, as we also to see you: therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your faith: for now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord. 1. A question is set before us today, one sought by many, and gathered from many places. And what is the question? For this reason, he says, when I could no longer endure it, I sent Timothy to learn your faith. What do you say? He who knew so many things, who heard unspeakable words, who ascended to the third heaven, did this man not know, and that while he was in Athens? And yet the distance was not great, nor had he been separated from them for long; For being taken from you, he says, for a short time. Did such a man therefore not know the affairs of the Thessalonians, but is forced to send Timothy to learn their faith; Lest by some means, he says, the tempter had tempted you, and our labor might be in vain? What then might one say? That the saints did not know all things? And that they did not know, one might from many places

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λείποντα τῶν χρημάτων ῥίπτει. Ἐγένετο κλοπή σοι, ποίησον ἐλεημοσύνην, καὶ κουφίζεις τὸ πλοῖον. Ἥρπασαν οἱ λῃσταί; 62.415 σὺ δὸς τὰ λείψανα τῷ Χριστῷ· οὕτω καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τοῖς προτέροις παραμυθήσῃ πενίαν. Κούφισον τὸ πλοῖον, μὴ κατάσχῃς τὰ μείναντα, ἵνα μὴ περιαντλῆται τὸ σκάφος. Ἐκεῖνοι, ἵνα σώματα φυλάξωσιν, ἐκβολὴν ποιοῦνται τῶν σκευῶν, καὶ οὐ περιμένουσι τὸ κῦμα ἐπελθὸν περιτρέψαι τὸ σκάφος· σὺ ἵνα ψυχὰς σώσῃ, οὐ παύσεις τὸ ναυάγιον; Πειράσατε, εἰ ἀπιστεῖτε, παρακαλῶ, πειράσατε, καὶ ὄψεσθε τὴν δόξαν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὅταν σοί τι λυπηρὸν συμβῇ, δὸς ἐλεημοσύνην εὐθέως, εὐχαρίστησον ὅτι συνέβη, καὶ ὄψει πόση χαρὰ ἐπεισέρχεται. Τὸ γὰρ κέρδος τὸ πνευματικὸν κἂν ὀλίγον ᾖ, τοσοῦτόν ἐστιν, ὡς πᾶσαν ἀποκρύψαι ζημίαν σωματικήν. Ἕως ἂν ἔχῃς διδόναι τῷ Χριστῷ, πλουτεῖς. Εἰπέ μοι, εἰ συληθέντι σοι προσελθὼν ὁ βασιλεὺς χεῖρα ὑπέτεινεν ἀξιῶν τι λαβεῖν παρὰ σοῦ, ἆρα οὐκ ἂν ἐνόμισας πάντων εἶναι πλουσιώτερος, εἰ μηδὲ μετὰ τοσαύτην πενίαν ἐπαισχύνεταί σε ὁ βασιλεύς; Μὴ συναρπαγῇς· μόνον κράτησον σαυτοῦ, καὶ κρατήσεις τῆς τοῦ διαβόλου ἐπιβουλῆς. Ἔξεστί σοι κερδᾶναι μεγάλα. Κα 62.416 ταφρονήσωμεν πλούτου, ἵνα μὴ καταφρονήσωμεν τῆς ψυχῆς, Πῶς δὲ ἄν τις καταφρονήσειεν; Οὐχ ὁρᾶτε τὰ λαμπρὰ τῶν σωμάτων, καὶ τοὺς ἐρῶντας αὐτῶν· ἕως μὲν ἂν ἐν ὄψεσιν ᾖ, ἐκκαίεται τὸ πῦρ, λαμπρὰ ἄνεισιν ἡ φλόξ· ἐπειδὰν δέ τις αὐτοὺς ἀπαγάγῃ πόῤῥω, πάντα ἔσβεσται, πάντα κεκοίμισται; Οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ πλούτου, μηδεὶς χρυσία κατασκευαζέτω, μηδεὶς λίθους τιμίους, μηδεὶς περιδέῤῥαια· δελεάζει τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὁρώμενα. Εἰ δὲ βούλει πλουτεῖν ὡς οἱ παλαιοὶ, πλούτει μὴ ἐν χρυσίῳ, ἀλλ' ἐν τοῖς ἀναγκαίοις, ἵνα καὶ ἐξ ἑτοίμου παρέχῃς τοῖς ἄλλοις· μὴ φιλόκοσμος ἔσο· ὁ τοιοῦτος πλοῦτος καὶ τοῖς λῃσταῖς ἐστιν εὐεπιβούλευτος, καὶ ἡμῖν παρέχει φροντίδας· μὴ σκεύη χρυσᾶ καὶ ἀργυρᾶ κτῶ, ἀλλ' ἔστωσαν ἀποθῆκαι σίτου, οἴνου, ἐλαίου· ἔστωσαν, οὐχ ἵνα πάλιν διαπραθεῖσαι ἄργυρον ἐργάσωνται, ἀλλ' ἵνα τοῖς δεομένοις χορηγῶνται. Ἂν ἀπάγωμεν ἑαυτοὺς ἐκείνων τῶν περιττῶν, ἐπιτευξόμεθα τῶν οὐρανίων ἀγαθῶν· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι δόξα, κράτος, τιμὴ, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ∆ʹ.

∆ιὰ τοῦτο κἀγὼ μηκέτι στέγων, ἔπεμψα εἰς τὸ γνῶναι τὴν πίστιν ὑμῶν, μή πως ἐπεί ρασεν ὑμᾶς ὁ πειράζων, καὶ εἰς κενὸν γένηται ὁ κόπος ἡμῶν. Ἄρτι δὲ ἐλθόντος Τιμοθέου πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀφ' ὑμῶν, καὶ εὐαγγελισαμένου ἡμῖν τὴν πίστιν καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην ὑμῶν, καὶ ὅτι ἔχετε μνείαν ἡμῶν πάντοτε ἀγαθὴν, ἐπιπο θοῦντες ἡμᾶς ἰδεῖν, καθάπερ καὶ ἡμεῖς ὑμᾶς· διὰ τοῦτο παρεκλήθημεν, ἀδελφοὶ, ἐφ' ὑμῖν ἐπὶ πάσῃ τῇ θλίψει καὶ ἀνάγκῃ ἡμῶν, διὰ τῆς ὑμῶν, πίστεως· ὅτι νῦν ζῶμεν, ἐὰν ὑμεῖς στήκητε ἐν Κυρίῳ. αʹ. Ζήτημα πρόκειται τήμερον ἡμῖν παρὰ πολλῶν ζητούμενον, καὶ πολλαχόθεν συλλεγόμενον. Τί δὲ τὸ ζήτημά ἐστι; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο, φησὶ, κἀγὼ μηκέτι στέγων, ἔπεμψα Τιμόθεον εἰς τὸ γνῶναι τὴν πίστιν ὑμῶν. Τί λέγεις; ὁ τοσαῦτα εἰδὼς, ὁ ἀπόῤῥητα ἀκούσας ῥήματα, ὁ μέχρι τρίτου ἀνελθὼν οὐρανοῦ, οὗτος οὐκ οἶδε, καὶ ἐν Ἀθήναις ὤν; καίτοι οὐ πολλοῦ ὄντος τοῦ διαστήματος, οὐδὲ πρὸ πολλοῦ χωρισθεὶς αὐτῶν· Ἀπορφανισθέντες γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀφ' ὑμῶν πρὸς καιρὸν ὥρας. Οὐκ οἶδε οὖν ὁ τοιοῦτος τὰ Θεσσαλονικέων, ἀλλ' ἀναγκάζεται πέμψαι Τιμόθεον εἰς τὸ γνῶναι τὴν πίστιν αὐτῶν· Μή πως ἐπείρασεν ὑμᾶς, φησὶν, ὁ πειράζων, καὶ εἰς κενὸν γένηται ὁ κόπος ἡμῶν; Τί οὖν ἄν τις εἴποι; ὅτι οὐ πάντα ᾔδεισαν οἱ ἅγιοι; Καὶ ὅτι οὐκ ᾔδεισαν, πολλαχόθεν ἄν τις