XX.  What sayest thou?  Thus it hath pleased Him that thou shouldest come forth52    ἐξελθεῖν c. acc. loci; a very rare use, but found in classical authors. out of Egypt, the iron furnace; that thou shouldest leave behind the idolatry of that country, and be led by Moses and his lawgiving and martial rule.  I give thee a piece of advice which is not my own, or rather which is very much my own, if thou consider the matter spiritually.  Borrow from the Egyptians vessels of gold and silver;53    Exod. xi. 2. with these take thy journey; supply thyself for the road with the goods of strangers, or rather with thine own.  There is money owing to thee, the wages of thy bondage and of thy brickmaking; be clever on thy side too in asking retribution; be an honest robber.  Thou didst suffer wrong there whilst thou wast fighting with the clay (that is, this troublesome and filthy body) and wast building cities foreign and unsafe, whose memorial perishes with a cry.54    Ps. ix. 6.  What then?  Dost thou come out for nothing and without wages?  But why wilt thou leave to the Egyptians and to the powers of thine adversaries that which they have gained by wickedness, and will spend with yet greater wickedness?  It does not belong to them:  they have ravished it, and have sacrilegiously taken it as plunder from Him who saith, The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine,55    Hag. ii. 8. and I give it to whom I will.  Yesterday it was theirs, for it was permitted to be so; to-day the Master takes it and gives it to thee,56    Matt. xx. 14. that thou mayest make a good and saving use of it.  Let us make to ourselves friends of the Mammon of unrighteousness,57    Luke xvi. 9. that when we fail, they may receive us in the time of judgment.

Κʹ. Τί φῄς; Οὕτω ταῦτα ἔδοξεν, Αἴγυπτον ἐξελθεῖν, τὴν σιδηρᾶν κάμινον, καταλιπεῖν σε τὴν ἐκεῖσε πολυθεΐαν, καὶ ὑπὸ Μωϋσέως ἀχθῆναι, καὶ τῆς ἐκείνου νομοθεσίας καὶ στρατηγίας; Εἰσηγοῦμαι τι καὶ τῶν οὐκ ἐμῶν, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ λίαν ἐμῶν, ἂν πνευματικῶς θεωρῇς. Χρῆσαι παρ' Αἰγυπτίων σκεύη χρυσᾶ καὶ ἀργυρᾶ: μετὰ τούτων ὅδευσον: ἐκ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ἐφοδιάσθητι, μᾶλλον δὲ τῶν σῶν: χρεωστεῖταί σοι μισθὸς τῆς δουλείας καὶ τῆς πλινθείας: σόφισαί τι καὶ σὺ περὶ τὴν ἀπαίτησιν: καλῶς ἀποστέρησον. Ἔστω, τεταλαιπώρηκας ἐνταῦθα, τῷ πηλῷ μαχόμενος, τῷ μοχθηρῷ τούτῳ καὶ ῥυπαρῷ σώματι, καὶ πόλεις οἰκοδομῶν ἀλλοτρίας καὶ σφαλερὰς, ὧν ἀπολεῖται τὸ μνημόσυνον μετ' ἤχου. Τί δαί; προῖκα ἐξέρχῃ καὶ ἀμισθί; Τί δαί; καταλείψεις Αἰγυπτίοις καὶ ταῖς ἀντικειμέναις δυνάμεσιν, ἃ κακῶς ἐκτήσαντο, καὶ χεῖρον δαπανήσουσιν; Οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκείνων: ἐσύλησαν, ἥρπασαν τοῦ εἰπόντος: Ἐμόν ἐστι τὸ ἀργύριον, καὶ ἐμόν ἐστι τὸ χρυσίον, καὶ δώσω αὐτὸ ᾧ βούλομαι. Χθὲς ἦν ἐκείνων: συνεχωρεῖτο γάρ. Σήμερον σοὶ προσάγει καὶ δίδωσιν ὁ Δεσπότης, καλῶς χρησομένῳ καὶ σωτηρίως. Κτησώμεθα ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς φίλους ἐκ τοῦ μαμμωνᾶ τῆς ἀδικίας, ἵν' ὅταν ἐκλίπωμεν, ἀντιλάβωμεν ἐν καιρῷ κρίσεως.