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Sybaritic, and all the other things that those who pursue a soft, and unrestrained, and luxurious life do. But each of those who are right-minded is accustomed to call all these things not only not happiness, but also extreme misery and misfortune. For the Ruler of all things has not given wealth to men for this reason, that they should spend it on licentiousness, and it should become a provision for wickedness; but so that having managed it well and properly, and having both partaken of what they need themselves and having shared the surplus with those in need, they might show it to be the material for self-control and righteousness. And not only has the God of all things Himself thus ordained these things, and the divine men, following the Lord, love the established boundaries, but even you, who are sick with the utmost ingratitude, are accustomed to accuse those who have thus used wealth badly; or rather, you deem these worthy of forgiveness, but you blaspheme the Ruler of all things, as having given the power of wealth to wicked men. Therefore it seems right even to you yourselves, not to define such luxury as well-doing, but that the just and temperate life is worthy of praise, and of the highest acclamation, and, whether it appear in poverty or in abundance, to deem it worthy of equal crowns. But I think that you too will adorn with double crowns those who cultivate virtue in poverty, as they demonstrate greater endurance. But those who have been eager to serve God do not have this as a reward, nor do those who have been zealous for the divine laws look to this recompense. For the praise of men has often ruined many. For it slackens zeal and injures the race; and someone, thinking he has reached the end of the race—for this is what praise implies—ceases from running and loses the victory. The God of all things, making this clear through the prophet, said: "My people, they who call you blessed lead you astray, and they confuse the path of your feet." 83.721 For with praises they dissolve the intensity of zeal, and do not allow one to reach the goal. Thus ran the blessed Paul, paying attention neither to those who praised nor to those who blasphemed, but forgetting what was behind, and stretching forward to what was ahead and pressing on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call. Therefore the guardians of the divine laws do not define the praise from men as the reward for their labors, but they await the divine promises, waiting for the judge of the contests, they await the incorruptible crowns, they look for the God-given prizes, they expect the verdict of the just judge, the resurrection of the bodies, the ascent into the heavens, the chorus with the angels, and before all these things, to see the beloved One continually, for whose sake, crossing the sea of life, they have sailed beyond the waves of wickedness, and swimming through with many labors, they were not willing to be submerged, but joining the desire for the harbors with their labors, they propped up their weakness. And those who have advanced to the height of virtue have as a harbor, not life, not resurrection, not any other of the admirable things, but the desired One Himself, for whose sake they consider hardship a luxury, and laborious work the sweetest sleep, and life in the deserts more pleasing than in the cities, and life in poverty more brilliant than with wealth, and bitter servitude, sweeter than any tyranny. This is the reward the workers of virtue await. "For there is an inheritance for those who serve the Lord," as the prophet Isaiah cries out. And the blessed David also bears witness, weaving a hymn of thanksgiving to the giver of good things, and saying: "You have given an inheritance to those who fear your name, O Lord." And how many such things the Lord Christ Himself goes through in the holy Gospels; saying, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs

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Συβαριτικὴν, καὶ τἄλλα ὅσα οἱ τὸν ὑγρὸν, καὶ ἀνείμενον, καὶ ἁβροδίαιτον ἐπι τηδεύουσι βίον. Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα τῶν εὖ φρονούντων ἕκαστος, οὐ μόνον οὐκ εὐδαιμονίαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ κακο δαιμονίαν ἐσχάτην, καὶ δυσπραξίαν εἴωθεν ὀνομάζειν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ διὰ τοῦτο δέδωκε τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὸν πλοῦ τον ὁ τῶν ὅλων Πρύτανις, ἵν' εἰς ἀκολασίαν αὐτὸν δαπανήσωσι, καὶ πονηρίας ἐφόδιον γένηται· ἀλλ' ὅπως αὐτὸν εὖ καὶ καλῶς οἰκονομήσαντες, καὶ αὐτοί τε ὧν δεῖ μεταλαβόντες, καὶ τοῖς δεομένοις τῶν περιττῶν μεταδιδόντες, σωφροσύνης αὐτὸν καὶ δι καιοσύνης ἀποφήνωσιν ὕλην. Οὐ μόνον δὲ αὐτὸς ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς οὕτω ταῦτα διέταξε, καὶ οἱ θεῖοι ἄν δρες, ἑπόμενοι τῷ ∆εσπότῃ, τοὺς κειμένους στέργου σιν ὅρους, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑμεῖς, οἱ τὴν ἐσχάτην ἀχαριστίαν νενοσηκότες, τῶν κακῶς οὕτω τῷ πλούτῳ κεχρημέ νων κατηγορεῖν εἰώθατε· μᾶλλον δὲ τούτους μὲν ἀξιοῦτε συγγνώμης, τὸν δὲ τῶν ὅλων Πρύτανιν βλασφημεῖτε, ὡς πονηροῖς ἀνθρώποις τοῦ πλούτου δεδωκότα τὴν ἐξουσίαν. Οὐκοῦν καὶ ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς συν δοκεῖ, μὴ τὴν τοιαύτην χλιδὴν εὐπραξίαν ὁρίζεσθαι, ἀλλὰ τὸν δίκαιον καὶ σώφρονα βίον ἐπαίνων ἄξιον εἶναι, καὶ εὐφημίας τῆς ἀνωτάτω, καὶ εἴτ' ἐν πενίᾳ, εἴτ' ἐν περιουσίᾳ φανείη τῶν ἴσων στεφάνων ἀξιοῦν. Ἡγοῦμαι δὲ, ὅτι τοὺς ἐν πενίᾳ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐπιμε λουμένους, ὡς μείζονα καρτερίαν ἐπιδεικνυμένους, διπλοῖς στεφάνοις καὶ ὑμεῖς ταινιώσετε. Ἀλλ' οὐ τοῦτον ἔχουσιν οἱ τὸν Θεὸν θεραπεύειν ἐσπουδακότες μισθὸν, οὐδ' εἰς ταύτην ὁρῶσι τὴν ἀντίδοσιν οἱ περὶ τοὺς θείους νόμους ἐσπουδακότες. Εἶδε γὰρ πολλοὺς πολλάκις καὶ λωβᾶσθαι τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὁ ἔπαινος. Χαυνοῖ γὰρ τὴν προθυμίαν, καὶ τῷ δρόμῳ λυμαίνε ται· καὶ ἡγούμενός τις αὐτὸ κατειληφέναι τοῦ δρόμου τὸ τέρμα, τοῦτο γὰρ ὁ ἔπαινος ὑπαινίττεται, παύεται τοῦ τρέχειν, καὶ τὴν νίκην ἀπόλλυσι. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς διὰ τοῦ προφήτου παραδηλῶν, ἔλεγε· «Λαός μου, οἱ μακαρίζοντες ὑμᾶς πλανῶσιν ὑμᾶς, καὶ τὴν τρίβον τῶν ποδῶν ὑμῶν ἐκταράττουσιν.» 83.721 ∆ιαλύουσι γὰρ τοῖς ἐπαίνοις τῆς προθυμίας τὸ σύν τονον, καὶ καταλαβεῖν οὐκ ἐῶσι τὴν νύσσαν. Οὕτως ὁ μακάριος ἔτρεχε Παῦλος, οὔτε τοῖς ἐπαινοῦσιν, οὔτε τοῖς βλασφημοῦσι προσέχων, ἀλλὰ τῶν ὄπισθεν μὲν ἐπιλανθανόμενος, τοῖς δὲ ἔμπροσθεν ἐπεκτεινό μενος καὶ κατὰ σκοπὸν διώκων ἐπὶ τὸ βρα βεῖον τῆς ἄνω κλήσεως. Οὐ τοίνυν μισθὸν ὁρίζονται τῶν πόνων τὸν παρὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἔπαινον τῶν θείων νόμων οἱ φύλακες, ἀλλὰ τὰς θείας ἀναμένου σιν ὑποσχέσεις, τὸν τῶν ἄθλων ἀγωνοθέτην προσμέ νοντες, τοὺς ἀκηράτους ἀναμένουσι στεφάνους, τὰ θεόσδοτα καραδοκοῦσι βραβεῖα, τοῦ δικαίου κριτοῦ τὴν ψῆφον προσδέχονται, τὴν τῶν σωμάτων ἀνάστα σιν, τὴν εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνάβασιν, τὴν μετ' ἀγγέλων χορείαν, καὶ πρὸ τούτων ἁπάντων, τὸ διηνεκῶς αὐτὸν ὁρᾷν τὸν ἐρώμενον, δι' ὃν τοῦ βίου τὸ πέλαγος διαπερῶντες, τῶν τῆς πονηρίας ὑπερέπλευσαν κυμά των, καὶ μετὰ πολλῶν διανηχόμενοι πόνων, οὐκ ἠθέ λησαν ὑποβρύχιοι γενέσθαι, ἀλλὰ τὴν τῶν λιμένων ἐπιθυμίαν τοῖς πόνοις συζεύξαντες, ὑπεστήριξαν τὴν ἀσθένειαν. Λιμένα δὲ ἔχουσιν οἱ τῆς ἀρετῆς εἰς ἄκρον ἐληλακότες, οὐ ζωὴν, οὐκ ἀνάστασιν, οὐκ ἄλλο τι τῶν ἀγαστῶν, ἀλλ' αὐτὸν τὸν ποθούμενον, δι' ὃν τρυφὴν ἡγοῦνται τὴν κακουχίαν, καὶ ὕπνον ἥδιστον τὴν ἐπίπονον ἐργασίαν, καὶ τὴν ἐν ἐρήμοις διατριβὴν τῆς ἐν πόλεσι θυμηρεστέραν, καὶ τὴν ἐν πενίᾳ ζωὴν, τῆς μετὰ πλούτου λαμπροτέραν, καὶ τὴν πικρὰν δουλείαν, πάσης τυραννίδος ἡδίω. Τοῦτον οἱ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐργάται προσμένουσι τὸν μισθόν. «Ἔστι γὰρ κληρονομία τοῖς θεραπεύουσι τὸν Κύριον,» ὡς ὁ προφήτης Ἡσαΐας βοᾷ. Μαρτυρεῖ δὲ καὶ ὁ μα κάριος ∆αβὶδ, εὐχαριστήριον ὕμνον ὑφαίνων τῷ δοτῆρι τῶν ἀγαθῶν, καὶ λέγων· «Ἔδωκας κληρονο μίαν τοῖς φοβουμένοις τὸ ὄνομά σου, Κύριε.» Ὁπόσα δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ ∆εσπότης Χριστὸς ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς Εὐ αγγελίοις τοιαῦτα διεξέρχεται· «Μακάριοι, λέγων, οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι, ὅτι αὐτῶν