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He did not say, But you, O Peter, will receive a hundredfold alone, but, Everyone who has left a house or brothers, will receive a hundredfold. For he knows no distinction of persons, but of right actions. But a chorus of children surrounds me, he says, and I desire to leave them rich. For what reason then do we make them poor? For if you leave everything to them, you have entrusted all your things to a precarious guardianship; but if you leave God to them as co-heir and guardian, you have left ten thousand treasures, For just as when we avenge ourselves, God does not defend us, but when we yield to him, more than we expect happens; so also with money, if we are anxious about it, he will withdraw from providence for it; but if we cast the whole thing upon him, he will establish both it and the children in all security. And why are you amazed, if this happens with God? For one might see this happening also among men. For if, when you are dying, you call upon none of your relatives for the care of your children, even one who strongly wishes to undertake this of his own accord is often ashamed and blushes; but if you cast the care upon him, since he has been honored with the greatest honor, he himself will also render the greatest return. 60.453 IX. If, therefore, you wish to leave much wealth to your children, leave the providence of God. For He who, when you had done nothing, both gave a soul and formed a body and granted life, when he sees you showing such generosity, and distributing their things to him with them, how will he not open up all wealth to them? For if Elijah, having been fed with a little flour, when he saw that woman preferring him to her children, revealed threshing-floors and wine-presses in the widow's chamber; consider how much kindness the Master of Elijah will show. Let us not then consider this, how we may leave our children rich, but how we may leave them virtuous. For if they trust in wealth, they will care for nothing else, as having the means to overshadow the wickedness of their character by the abundance of their money; but if they see themselves as being destitute of the consolation from that source, they will do everything so as to find much consolation for their poverty through virtue. Therefore do not leave wealth, that you may leave virtue. For it is of the utmost irrationality while living not to make them masters of all one's possessions, but when one has died to provide great license to the pliability of youth. And yet while living we will be able both to demand an account, and to correct and restrain those who use their possessions badly; but when we have died, if along with our own absence and their youth we also provide the power that comes from wealth, we will push those wretched and miserable ones into ten thousand precipices, throwing fire upon fire, and dripping oil on a fierce furnace. So that, if you wish to leave them rich with security, leave God as a debtor to them, and entrust their bond to him. For they themselves, if they receive the money, do not even know to whom they will give it, but will fall in with many flatterers and ungrateful men; but if you beforehand lend it to God, the treasure then remains inviolate, and the repayment will be with great ease. For even God, in paying us what he owes, is grateful, and he looks upon his own lenders more gladly than those who have not lent, and those to whom he owes the most, these he loves the most. So that if you wish to have him as a friend continually, make him your debtor for much. For a lender does not so rejoice in having debtors, as Christ is glad in having lenders; and those to whom he owes nothing, these he even avoids, 60.454 but those to whom he owes, these he even runs to. Let us therefore do everything, so as to have him as a debtor; for this is the time for lending, and now he is in need. If therefore you do not give to him now, he will not need you after the departure from here. For here he thirsts, here he hungers; and he thirsts, because he thirsts for your salvation; for on this account he also begs, on this account he also goes about naked,

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εἶπε, Σὺ δὲ, ὦ Πέτρε, ἑκατονταπλασίονα λήψῃ μόνος, ἀλλὰ, Πᾶς ὅστις ἀφῆκεν οἰκίαν ἢ ἀδελφοὺς, ἑκατονταπλασίονα λήψεται. Οὐδὲ γὰρ προσώπων οἶδε διαφορὰν, ἀλλὰ πραγμάτων κατορθώματα. Ἀλλὰ παιδίων με χορὸς περιέστηκε, φησὶ, καὶ ἐπιθυμῶ πλουτοῦντας αὐτοὺς καταλιπεῖν. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν πένητας αὐτοὺς ποιοῦμεν; Ἂν μὲν γὰρ αὐτοῖς τὰ πάντα ἀφῇς, πάλιν ἐπισφαλεῖ φυλακῇ τὰ σὰ πάντα ἐπέτρεψας· ἂν δὲ τὸν Θεὸν αὐτοῖς καταλίπῃς συγκληρονόμον καὶ ἐπίτροπον, θησαυροὺς μυρίους κατέλιπες, Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὅταν ἑαυτοὺς ἐκδικῶμεν, ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῖν οὐκ ἀμύνει, ὅταν δὲ αὐτῷ παραχωρῶμεν, πλεῖον ἢ προσδοκῶμεν γίνεται· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν χρημάτων, ἂν ἡμεῖς αὐτὰ μεριμνῶμεν, ἐκεῖνος ἀποστήσεται τῆς ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν προνοίας· ἂν δὲ αὐτῷ τὸ πᾶν ἐπιῤῥίψωμεν, καὶ αὐτὰ καὶ τοὺς παῖδας ἐν πάσῃ καταστήσει τῇ ἀσφαλείᾳ. Καὶ τί θαυμάζεις, εἰ ἐπὶ Θεοῦ τοῦτο γίνεται; καὶ γὰρ ἐπὶ ἀνθρώπων τοῦτο συμβαῖνον ἴδοι τις ἄν. Ἂν μὲν γὰρ μηδένα παρακαλέσῃς τῶν προσηκόντων τελευτῶν ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν παίδων πρόνοιαν, αἰσχύνεται καὶ ἐρυθριᾷ πολλάκις καὶ ὁ σφόδρα βουλόμενος αὐτομάτως ἐπιπηδῆσαι τούτῳ· ἂν δὲ ῥίψῃς ἐπ' αὐτὸν τὴν φροντίδα, ἅτε τιμηθεὶς μεγίστῃ τιμῇ, μεγίστην καὶ αὐτὸς ἀποδώσει τὴν ἀμοιβήν. 60.453 θʹ. Εἰ τοίνυν βούλει καταλιπεῖν πλοῦτον τοῖς παιδίοις σου πολὺν, κατάλιπε τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν πρόνοιαν. Ὁ γὰρ, μηδὲν σοῦ ποιήσαντος, καὶ ψυχὴν δοὺς καὶ σῶμα διαπλάσας καὶ ζωὴν χαρισάμενος, ὅταν ἴδῃ τοσαύτην ἐπιδεικνύμενον φιλοτιμίαν, καὶ τὰ ἐκείνων αὐτῷ διανέμοντα μετ' ἐκείνων, πῶς οὐ πάντα αὐτοῖς ἀνοίξει πλοῦτον; Εἰ γὰρ Ἠλίας ὀλίγῳ τραφεὶς ἀλεύρῳ, ἐπειδὴ εἶδε τὴν γυναῖκα ἐκείνην τῶν παιδίων αὐτὸν προτιμήσασαν, ἅλωνας καὶ ληνοὺς ἐπὶ τοῦ δωματίου τῆς χήρας ἔδειξεν· ἐννόησον ὁ τοῦ Ἠλία ∆εσπότης πόσην ἐπιδείξεται φιλοφροσύνην. Μὴ τοίνυν τοῦτο σκοπῶμεν, ὅπως πλουσίους καταλίπωμεν τοὺς παῖδας, ἀλλ' ὅπως ἐναρέτους. Ἂν μὲν γὰρ τῷ πλούτῳ θαῤῥῶσιν, οὐδενὸς ἐπιμελήσονται ἄλλου, ὡς ἔχοντες συσκιάσαι τὴν τῶν τρόπων κακίαν ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν χρημάτων περιουσίας· ἂν δὲ ἴδωσιν ἑαυτοὺς τῆς ἐκεῖθεν παραμυθίας ὄντας ἐρήμους, πάντα ἐργάσονται ὥστε διὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς πολλὴν τῇ πενίᾳ τὴν παραμυθίαν εὑρέσθαι. Μὴ τοίνυν καταλίπῃς πλοῦτον, ἵνα καταλίπῃς ἀρετήν. Καὶ γὰρ ἐσχάτης ἀλογίας ζῶντας μὲν μὴ ποιεῖν κυρίους αὐτοὺς ἁπάντων τῶν ὄντων, τελευτήσαντας δὲ πολλὴν τῇ τῆς νεότητος εὐκολίᾳ παρέχειν τὴν ἄδειαν. Καίτοι γε ζῶντες μὲν δυνησόμεθα καὶ εὐθύνας ἀπαιτεῖν, καὶ κακῶς τοῖς οὖσι κεχρημένους σωφρονίζειν καὶ χαλινοῦν· τελευτήσαντες δὲ ἂν μετὰ τῆς ἡμετέρας ἐρημίας καὶ τῆς νεότητος καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ πλούτου παράσχωμεν ἐξουσίαν, εἰς μυρίους ὠθήσομεν κρημνοὺς τοὺς ἀθλίους καὶ ταλαιπώρους ἐκείνους, πῦρ ἐπεμβάλλοντες πυρὶ, καὶ ἔλαιον ἐπιστάζοντες καμίνῳ χαλεπῇ. Ὥστε, εἰ βούλει μετὰ ἀσφαλείας καταλιπεῖν πλουσίους, κατάλιπε τὸν Θεὸν ὀφειλέτην αὐτοῖς, καὶ αὐτῷ ἐγχείρισον τὸ γραμματεῖον αὐτῶν. Αὐτοὶ μὲν γὰρ τὰ χρήματα ἂν λάβωσιν, οὐδὲ ὅτῳ δώσουσιν ἴσασιν, ἀλλὰ πολλοῖς περιτεύξονται καὶ συκοφάνταις καὶ ἀγνώμοσιν· ἂν δὲ σὺ προλαβὼν αὐτὰ τῷ Θεῷ δανείσῃς, ἄσυλος μένει λοιπὸν ὁ θησαυρὸς, καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς ἔσται τῆς εὐκολίας ἡ ἀπόδοσις. Καὶ γὰρ χάριν ἔχει καὶ ὃ ὀφείλει καταβάλλων ἡμῖν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ τοὺς δανειστὰς τοὺς αὑτοῦ καὶ τῶν οὐ δεδανεικότων ἥδιον ὁρᾷ, καὶ οἷς μάλιστα ὀφείλει, τούτους μάλιστα φιλεῖ. Ὥστε εἰ βούλει φίλον αὐτὸν ἔχειν διηνεκῶς, πολλῶν αὐτὸν κατάστησον χρεώστην. Οὐδὲ γὰρ οὕτω χαίρει δανειστὴς ὀφειλέτας ἔχων, ὡς ὁ Χριστὸς εὐφραίνεται δανειστὰς ἔχων· καὶ οἷς μὲν μηδὲν ὀφείλει, τούτους καὶ ἀποφεύγει, 60.454 οἷς δὲ ὀφείλει, τούτοις καὶ ἐπιτρέχει. Πάντα τοίνυν ποιῶμεν, ὥστε αὐτὸν χρεώστην ἔχειν· ὁ γὰρ καιρὸς οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τῶν δανεισμάτων, καὶ νῦν ἐν χρείᾳ καθέστηκεν. Ἂν τοίνυν μὴ δῷς αὐτῷ νῦν, οὐ δεήσεταί σου μετὰ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἀποδημίαν. Ἐνταῦθα γὰρ διψῇ, ἐνταῦθα πεινᾷ· διψῇ δὲ, ἐπειδὴ τὴν σὴν διψῇ σωτηρίαν· διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ προσαιτεῖ, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ γυμνὸς περιέρχεται,