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is concerned with the release of the arrows, so you too, when about to shoot at the wicked head of the devil, first take care of the stability of your thoughts, so that, having established a correct and unimpeded stance for yourself, you may release your arrows accurately against him. So much for prayer; but since, in addition to the slothfulness in prayers, the devil has devised something else full of much despondency, we must also fortify ourselves against this attack of his. What then is it that that wicked demon has done wickedly? Seeing you so bound together like one body and with great precision riveted to what is being said, he did not dare to send some of his ministers to lead you away from the hearing by counsel and advice; for he knew that none of you would tolerate those who advise such things; but mixing in some robbers and cutpurses among the crowd, he arranged for them to snatch from many of those gathered here, on many occasions, the gold which they had tied up; and this has happened often and to many people here. Therefore, so that this may not happen, nor the zeal for hearing be extinguished over time by the loss of money, since many are suffering this, I exhort and advise all of you, that no one enter here carrying gold, so that your eagerness for hearing may not become a resource for their wickedness, nor the pleasure that comes to you from spending time here be overshadowed by the theft of your money. For the devil has contrived this, not to make you poorer, but so that the loss of money, casting you into much displeasure, might lead you away from your zeal for hearing. For he also stripped Job of all his money, not to make him poorer, but to strip him of his piety. For his endeavor is not to take away money—for he knows this is nothing—but that through the removal of money he might cast a soul into sin; and if he is not strong enough to do this, he will consider that he has accomplished nothing at all. Knowing his mind, therefore, beloved, whenever your gold is taken away, whether through robbers or by some other pretext, glorify the Lord, and you will have gained more and you will give a double blow to the enemy, both because you were not distressed and because you gave thanks. For if he sees that the loss of money humbles you and persuades you to be distressed against the Lord, he will never cease from doing this; but if he sees that not only do you not blaspheme the God who made you, but you also give thanks to him for each of the terrible things that happen, he will cease from bringing on temptations, knowing that the experience of terrible things becomes an occasion for thanksgiving for you, and it makes your crowns more splendid and your rewards greater. Which is what also happened in the case of Job. For when, having taken away his money and struck his body, he saw him become thankful, he no longer dared to approach, but went away having suffered a shameful and inexcusable defeat, having made God's athlete more glorious. Knowing these things, therefore, let us fear one thing only, sin, and let us bear all other things nobly, whether loss of money, or sickness of body, or difficult circumstances, or insolence, or slander, or whatever other terrible thing may be brought upon us; for the nature of these things will not only not harm us, but will also be able to benefit us greatly, if we bear them with thanksgiving, and will produce greater wages for us. You see, then, that Job, after he had bound on all the crowns of patience and courage, received back double all that he had lost. But you will receive not double or triple, but a hundredfold of everything, if you bear it nobly, and you will inherit eternal life, which may it be for all of us to attain, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

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τῆς ἀφέσεως ἔχεται τῶν βελῶν, οὕτω καὶ σὺ μέλλων τοξεύειν τὴν πονηρὰν τοῦ διαβόλου κεφαλήν, τῆς στάσεως τῶν λογισμῶν ἐπιμελοῦ πρότερον, ἵν' ὀρθήν τινα καὶ ἀπαρεμπόδιστον σαυτοῦ στηρίξας τὴν στάσιν εὔστοχα ἀφῇς κατ' ἐκείνου τὰ βέλη. Καὶ περὶ μὲν τῆς εὐχῆς ταῦτα· ἐπειδὴ δὲ πρὸς τῇ ῥᾳθυμίᾳ τῇ κατὰ τὰς εὐχὰς καὶ ἕτερόν τι πολλῆς ἀθυμίας γέμον ἐπενόησεν ὁ διάβολος, καὶ ταύτην ἀποτειχιστέον αὐτοῦ τὴν ἔφοδον. Τί τοίνυν ἐστὶν ὅπερ ἐκακούργησεν ὁ πονηρὸς δαίμων ἐκεῖνος; Ἰδὼν ὑμᾶς οὕτω καθάπερ ἓν σῶμα συνεσφιγμένους καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἀκριβείας τοῖς λεγομένοις προσηλωμένους, καθεῖναι μέν τινας τῶν αὐτοῦ διακόνων τοὺς διὰ συμβουλῆς καὶ παραινέσεως ἀπάξοντας ὑμᾶς τῆς ἀκροάσεως οὐκ ἐτόλμησεν· ᾔδει γὰρ ὡς οὐδεὶς ὑμῶν ἀνέξεται τῶν ταῦτα συμβουλευόντων· λῃστὰς δέ τινας καὶ βαλαντιοτόμους ἐγκαταμίξας τῷ πλήθει, παρεσκεύασε παρὰ πολλῶν πολλάκις τῶν ἐνταῦθα συλλεγομένων χρυσίον, ὅπερ εἶχον ἀποδεδεμένον, ὑφελέσθαι· καὶ τοῦτο πολλάκις καὶ ἐπὶ πολλῶν ἐνταῦθα συνέβη. Ἵν' οὖν μηδὲ τοῦτο γίνηται, μηδὲ τὴν περὶ τὴν ἀκρόασιν προθυμίαν ἡ τῶν χρημάτων ζημία κατασβέσῃ τῷ χρόνῳ, πολλῶν τοῦτο πασχόντων, παραινῶ καὶ συμβουλεύω πᾶσιν ὑμῖν, μηδένα χρυσίον ἐπιφερόμενον ἐσιέναι ἐνταῦθα, ὥστε μὴ τὴν ὑμετέραν σπουδήν, τὴν περὶ τὴν ἀκρόασιν, ἐφόδιον ἐκείνοις γενέσθαι τῆς κακουργίας, μηδὲ τὴν ἡδονὴν τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἐνταῦθα διατριβῆς ἐγγινομένην ὑμῖν, τῇ τῶν χρημάτων ἀμαυρωθῆναι κλοπῇ. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ διάβολος τοῦτο κατεσκεύασεν, οὐχ ἵνα ὑμᾶς πενεστέρους ἐργάσηται, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἡ τῶν χρημάτων ἀπώλεια, εἰς ἀηδίαν ὑμᾶς ἐμβαλοῦσα πολλήν, τῆς προθυμίας ἀπαγάγῃ τῆς περὶ τὴν ἀκρόασιν. Ἐπεὶ καὶ τὸν Ἰὼβ τῶν χρημάτων ἐγύμνωσεν ἁπάντων, οὐχ ἵνα πενέστερον ἐργάσηται, ἀλλ' ἵνα γυμνώσῃ τῆς εὐσεβείας. Τὸ γὰρ σπουδαζόμενον ἐκείνῳ, οὐχὶ χρήματα ἀφελέσθαι-οἶδε γὰρ οὐδὲν τοῦτο ὄν-, ἀλλ' ἵνα διὰ τῆς τῶν χρημάτων ἀφαιρέσεως εἰς ἁμαρτίαν ψυχῆς ἐμβάλῃ· κἂν μὴ τοῦτο ἰσχύσῃ ποιῆσαι, οὐδὲν ἡγήσεται κατωρθωκέναι ποτέ. Εἰδὼς τοίνυν αὐτοῦ τὴν γνώμην, ἀγαπητέ, ὅταν ἀφέληταί σου χρυσίον, ἢ διὰ λῃστῶν, ἢ δι' ἑτέρας τινὸς προφάσεως, δόξασον τὸν ∆εσπότην, καὶ πλέον ἔσῃ κεκερδηκὼς καὶ διπλῆν δώσεις τῷ ἐχθρῷ τὴν πληγήν, ὅτι τε οὐκ ἐδυσχέρανας καὶ ὅτι ηὐχαρίστησας. Ἂν μὲν γὰρ ἴδῃ ὅτι σε ταπεινοῖ τῶν χρημάτων ἡ ζημία καὶ πείθει κατὰ τοῦ ∆εσπότου δυσχερᾶναι, οὐδέποτε ἀποστήσεται τοῦτο ἐργαζόμενος· ἂν δὲ θεάσηται ὅτι οὐ μόνον οὐ βλασφημεῖς τὸν πεποιηκότα σε Θεόν, ἀλλὰ καὶ εὐχαριστεῖς αὐτῷ ἐφ' ἑκάστῳ τῶν συμβαινόντων δεινῶν, ἀποστήσεται ἐπάγων τοὺς πειρασμούς, εἰδὼς ὅτι εὐχαριστίας σοι ὑπόθεσις γίνεται τῶν δεινῶν ἡ πεῖρα, καὶ λαμπροτέρους ἐργάζεταί σοι τοὺς στεφάνους καὶ πλείονα τὰ βραβεῖα. Ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰὼβ γέγονεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἀφελόμενοςαὐτοῦ τὰ χρήματα καὶ τὸ σῶμα πατάξας, εἶδεν εὐχάριστον γενόμενον, οὐκέτι προσελθεῖν ἐτόλμησεν, ἀλλ' αἰσχρὰν καὶ ἀσύγγνωστον ὑπομείνας ἧτταν ἀπῄει, λαμπρότερον ἐργασάμενος τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν ἀθλητήν. Ταῦτα οὖν καὶ ἡμεῖς εἰδότες ἓν μόνον φοβώμεθα, τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, τὰ δὲ ἄλλα γενναίως φέρωμεν, κἂν χρημάτων ζημία, κἂν νόσος σωμάτων, κἂν περιστάσεις πραγμάτων, κἂν ἐπήρεια, κἂν συκοφαντία, κἂν ἄλλο ὁτιοῦν ἐπάγηται δεινὸν ἡμῖν· τούτων γὰρ ἡ φύσις οὐ μόνον ἡμᾶς οὐ παραβλάψει, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ μέγιστα ὠφελῆσαι δυνήσεται, ἂν μετ' εὐχαριστίας αὐτὰ φέρωμεν, καὶ πλείονας ἡμῖν ἐργάσεται τοὺς μισθούς. Ὁρᾷς γοῦν καὶ τὸν Ἰὼβ μετὰ τὸ τοὺς στεφάνους τῆς ὑπομονῆς καὶ τῆς ἀνδρείας ἅπαντας ἀναδήσασθαι, διπλᾶ τὰ ἀπολωλότα ἀπειληφότα ἅπαντα. Σὺ δὲ οὐχὶ διπλᾶ καὶ τριπλᾶ, ἀλλ' ἑκατονταπλασίονα ἅπαντα ἀπολήψῃ, ἂν φέρῃς γενναίως καὶ ζωὴν αἰώνιον κληρονομήσεις ἧς γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.