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sights? But many other things can delight more than these. For indeed flowers, and the clear air, and the sky, and the sun delight much more. For this has much tarnish, for which reason many have declared it to be black; and this is clear from the molds which are blackened; but in the sun there is nothing black, nor in the sky, nor in the stars. There is much enjoyment in these flowers, more than in that color. Therefore it is not the flower that delights, but covetousness, injustice; this delights souls, not silver. Cast this out from the soul, and you will see what seems to be precious as more worthless than mud; cast out the passion; since even those with a fever, if they should see mire, long for it as for springs; but those who are healthy as they should be, often do not even desire water. Cast out the disease, and you will see things as they are. And that you may learn that I am not lying, I can show many who have done this. Quench the fire, and you will see that these things are cheaper than flowers. Is gold beautiful? But it is beautiful for almsgiving, beautiful for the relief of the poor, not for unprofitable use, that it may be laid up within, that it may be buried in the earth, that it may be placed around hands and feet and 62.539 heads. For this it was discovered, not that we might bind the image of God with it, but that we might loose those who are bound; use gold for this; loose the one who is bound, do not bind the one who is free. For what reason, tell me, do you prefer this worthless thing to all others? Does it no longer make a bond because it is gold? Does the material not make the bond? Whether it be gold or iron, it is the same; and yet this is heavier than that. But what makes the thing light? Vainglory, and being seen by all as bound, for which one ought rather to be ashamed. For that this is true, bind her, and leave her in a desert place where no one is watching, and she will feel the weight of the bond and consider it burdensome. Let us fear, beloved, lest we hear those terrible words, "Bind his hands and feet." Why are you already doing this to yourself, O woman? No prisoner is bound hand and foot. Why do you also bind your head? Are not hands and 62.540 feet enough? Why do you also surround your neck with a thousand bonds? For I pass over the care resulting from these things, the fear, the anxiety, the fight for them with her husband if he should ever need them, the death they suffer if any of these things should be lost. Is this pleasure, then, tell me? So that another may delight his eyes, you subject yourself to bonds and cares and dangers and vexations and daily fights? Is this not worthy of all accusation and condemnation? Let us not, I beseech you, let us not do these things, but let us loose every bond of iniquity, let us break our bread for the hungry; let us do all other things which can procure for us boldness before God, that we may obtain the promised good things in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, power, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

HOMILY VIII. I desire therefore that the men pray in every place, lifting up holy

hands without wrath and doubting; in like manner also that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefastness and sobriety, not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array, but (which is proper

for women professing godliness) through good works. a'. 'When you pray,' says Christ, 'do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners,

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ὄψεις; Ἀλλὰ τούτων ἕτερα πολλὰ τέρπειν δύναται μᾶλλον. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τὰ ἄνθη, καὶ ὁ ἀὴρ καθαρὸς ὢν, καὶ ὁ οὐρανὸς, καὶ ὁ ἥλιος πολλῷ μᾶλλον τέρπει. Οὗτος μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἰὸν ἔχει πολὺν, ὅθεν πολλοὶ καὶ μέλανα αὐτὸν εἶναι ἀπεφήναντο· καὶ δῆλον ἀπὸ τῶν ἐκμαγείων τῶν μελαινομένων· ἐν δὲ ἡλίῳ μέλαν οὐδὲν, ἐν οὐρανῷ, ἐν ἄστροις. Πολλὴ ἐν τούτοις τοῖς ἄνθεσιν ἡ ἀπόλαυσις, ἢ ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ χρώματι. Οὐ τὸ ἄνθος τοίνυν ἐστὶ τὸ τέρπον, ἀλλ' ἡ πλεονεξία, ἡ ἀδικία· τοῦτο τέρπει τὰς ψυχὰς, οὐχ ὁ ἄργυρος. Ἔκβαλε ταύτην ἀπὸ τῆς ψυχῆς, καὶ ὄψει πηλοῦ τὸ δοκοῦν εἶναι τίμιον ἀτιμότερον· ἔκβαλε τὸ πάθος· ἐπεὶ καὶ οἱ πυρέττοντες, κἂν βόρβορον ἴδωσιν, ὡς πηγὰς ἐπιποθοῦσιν· οἱ ὑγιαίνοντες δὲ ὡς χρὴ, οὐδὲ ὕδατος ἐπιθυμοῦσι πολλάκις. Ἔκβαλε τὴν νόσον, καὶ ὄψει τὰ πράγματα ὡς ἔστι. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι οὐ ψεύδομαι, πολλοὺς ἔχω δεῖξαι τοῦτο πεποιηκότας. Σβέσον τὸ πῦρ, καὶ ὄψει ὅτι ἀνθέων ταῦτά ἐστιν εὐτελέστερα. Καλὸν τὸ χρυσίον; ἀλλ' εἰς ἐλεημοσύνην καλὸν, εἰς ἐπικουρίαν πενήτων καλὸν, οὐκ εἰς τὴν ἀνόνητον χρῆσιν, ἵνα ἔνδον ἀποκέηται, ἵνα εἰς γῆν κατορύττηται, ἵνα περὶ χεῖρας καὶ πόδας καὶ κεφα 62.539 λὰς περικέηται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εὑρέθη, οὐχ ἵνα τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ Θεοῦ καταδεσμῶμεν τούτῳ, ἀλλ' ἵνα λύωμεν τοὺς δεδεμένους· εἰς τοῦτο κέχρησο τῷ χρυσῷ· λῦσον τὸν δεδεμένον, μὴ δήσῃς τὴν λελυμένην. Τίνος γὰρ ἕνεκεν, εἰπέ μοι, τὴν οὐδαμινὴν πάντων προτίθης; μὴ γὰρ, ἐπειδὴ χρυσός ἐστιν, οὐκέτι δεσμὸν ποιεῖ; μὴ γὰρ ἡ ὕλη τὸν δεσμὸν ποιεῖ; Ἄν τε χρυσὸς ᾖ, ἄν τε σίδηρος, ταυτόν ἐστι· καίτοι τοῦτο ἐκείνου καὶ βαρύτερον. Ἀλλὰ τί ποιεῖ κοῦφον τὸ πρᾶγμα; Ἡ κενοδοξία, καὶ τὸ παρὰ πάντων ὁρᾶσθαι δεδεμένην, ἐφ' ᾧ ἐχρῆν μᾶλλον αἰσχύνεσθαι. Ὅτι γὰρ τοῦτο ἀληθές ἐστι, κατάδησον, καὶ ἄφες ἐν ἐρημίᾳ, ἔνθα οὐδεὶς ὁ θεωρῶν, καὶ βαρύνεται τὸν δεσμὸν καὶ ἐπαχθῆ νομίζει. Φοβηθῶμεν, ἀγαπητοὶ, μὴ ἀκούσωμεν ἐκεῖνα τὰ φοβερὰ ῥήματα, ∆ήσατε αὐτοῦ χεῖρας καὶ πόδας. Τί ἤδη τοῦτο σαυτῇ ποιεῖς, γύναι; οὐδεὶς δεσμώτης χεῖρας καὶ πόδας δέδεται. Τί καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν δεσμεῖς; οὐ γὰρ ἀρκεῖ χεῖρας καὶ 62.540 πόδας; τί καὶ τὸν τράχηλον μυρίοις δεσμοῖς περιβάλλεις; Τὴν γὰρ ἀπὸ τούτων φροντίδα παρίημι, τὸ δέος, τὴν ἀγωνίαν, τὴν μάχην τὴν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν πρὸς τὸν ἄνδρα, εἴ ποτε αὐτῶν δεηθείη, τὸν θάνατον ὃν ὑπομένουσιν, εἴ ποτε ἐκπέσοι τι τούτων. Ταῦτα οὖν ἡδονὴ, εἰπέ μοι; Ἵνα ἕτερος τέρπῃ τὰς ὄψεις, σαυτὴν καὶ δεσμοῖς καὶ φροντίσι καὶ κινδύνοις καὶ ἀηδίαις καὶ μάχαις καθημεριναῖς ὑποβάλλεις; ἆρ' οὐ πάσης κατηγορίας καὶ καταγνώσεως ἄξιον τοῦτο; Μὴ, παρακαλῶ, μὴ ταῦτα ποιῶμεν, ἀλλὰ λύωμεν πάντα σύνδεσμον ἀδικίας, διαθρύπτωμεν πεινῶντι τὸν ἄρτον· πάντα τὰ ἄλλα πράττωμεν, ἃ τὴν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἡμῖν παῤῥησίαν προξενῆσαι δύναται, ἵνα τύχωμεν τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων ἀγαθῶν 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 Ηʹ. Βούλομαι οὖν προσεύχεσθαι τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ, ἐπαίροντας ὁσίους

χεῖρας χωρὶς ὀργῆς καὶ διαλογισμοῦ· ὡσαύτως καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας ἐν καταστολῇ κοσμίῳ μετὰ αἰδοῦς καὶ σωφροσύνης κοσμεῖν ἑαυτὰς, μὴ ἐν πλέγμασιν, ἢ χρυσῷ, ἢ μαργαρίταις, ἢ ἱματισμῷ πολυτελεῖ, ἀλλ' ὃ πρέπει

γυναιξὶν ἐπαγγελλομέναις θεοσέβειαν, δι' ἔργων ἀγαθῶν. αʹ. Ὅταν προσεύχησθε, φησὶν ὁ Χριστὸς, μὴ γίνεσθε ὡς οἱ ὑποκριταὶ, ὅτι φιλοῦσιν ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς καὶ ἐν ταῖς γωνίαις τῶν πλατειῶν ἑστῶτες προσεύχεσθαι,