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oppressing us more than masters. These things alone it is possible to gain from wealth, and nothing else, since we are not willing; since if we were willing, we would have inherited heaven itself from wealth. "Therefore wealth is a good thing," he says. It is not wealth that does this, but the choice of the one who possesses it; for that it is choice that does this, consider this: it is possible for the poor man also to inherit heaven. For as I have often said, God does not look to the measure of what is given, but to the choice of those who provide. It is possible even for one who is in poverty, and who has given little, to carry away the whole prize. For God requires what is according to our ability; neither does wealth procure heaven, nor poverty hell, but a good and a wicked choice do both. Let us then correct this, let us recover this, let us regulate this, and all things will be easy for us. For just as the craftsman, whether he has an iron or a golden adze, works the wood similarly, or rather, more so with the iron one; so also here, virtue is more easily achieved through poverty. For concerning wealth Christ says, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven." But concerning poverty He declared no such thing, but even the opposite: "Sell what you have, and give to the poor, and come, follow me," as the following comes from choice. e. Therefore, let us not flee poverty, as if it were an evil thing; for it is a procurer of the kingdom; and again, let us not pursue wealth, as if it were a good thing; for it destroys those who are not careful; but everywhere lifting up our eye to God, let us use for its proper purpose what has been given to us by Him, both strength of body, and abundance of money, and all other things. For it is absurd that having been made by Him, we should offer these things as useful to others, but not to the one who made us. He made you eyes; offer them as useful to Him, not to the devil. And how will you offer them to Him? By beholding His creatures, and glorifying Him, and turning them away from the sight of women. But did He make you hands? Possess these for Him, not for the devil, not for robberies and covetousness, but for commandments and good works, and for stretching them out in earnest prayers, for giving a hand to the fallen. He made you ears? Offer these to Him, but not to effeminate melodies, nor to shameful reports; "For let all your discourse," he says, "be in the law of the Most High;" and again, "Stand in the multitude of the elders," he says, "and whoever is wise, cleave to him." He made you a mouth? Let it do nothing of the things that do not please Him, 62.262 but let it sing psalms, hymns, spiritual songs; "That it may give grace," he says, "to the hearers," for edification, and not for destruction, for praise, and not for accusation, not for plots, but all the contrary. He made you feet, not that you might run to evil, but to good things; He made you a stomach, not that you might burst it, but that you might practice self-control; He placed desire for the procreation of children, but not for fornication, and adultery; He gave you a mind, not that you might blaspheme Him, not that you might be a reviler, but that you might speak well of Him; and He gave money, that we might use it for what is needful; and strength, that in this also we might be employed for what is needful. He made arts, that life might be sustained, not that we might separate ourselves from spiritual things, not that we might apply ourselves to mechanical arts, but to the necessary ones; that we might serve one another, not that we might plot against one another. He gave a roof, that it might keep out the rain, this only, not that this one might be adorned with gold, while the poor man perishes with hunger; He gave garments, that we might be covered, not that we might show off, not that these should have much gold, while Christ perishes naked; He gave a roof, not that you alone should have it, but that

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δεσποτῶν μᾶλλον ἡμᾶς κατατείνουσαι. Ταῦτα ἀπὸ τοῦ πλούτου κερδαίνειν ἔστι μόνον, ἕτερον δὲ οὐδὲν, ἐπειδὴ οὐ βουλόμεθα· ἐπεὶ εἴ γε ἠθέλομεν, τὸν οὐρανὸν ἂν αὐτὸν ἐκληρονομήσαμεν ἀπὸ πλούτου. Οὐκοῦν καλὸν ὁ πλοῦτος, φησίν. Οὐχ ὁ πλοῦτος τοῦτο ποιεῖ, ἀλλ' ἡ τοῦ κεκτημένου προαίρεσις· ὅτι γὰρ προαίρεσις τοῦτο ποιεῖ, σκόπει ἐντεῦθεν· ἔνεστι καὶ τὸν πένητα κατακληρονομῆσαι τὸν οὐρανόν. Ὅπερ γὰρ πολλάκις εἶπον οὐ τῷ μέτρῳ τῶν διδομένων ὁ Θεὸς προσέχει, ἀλλὰ τῇ προαιρέσει τῶν παρεχόντων. Ἔνεστι καὶ ἐν πενίᾳ ὄντα, καὶ ὀλίγα δόντα, τὸ πᾶν ἀπενέγκασθαι. Τὰ γὰρ κατὰ δύναμιν ὁ Θεὸς ἀπαιτεῖ· οὔτε πλοῦτος προξενεῖ τὸν οὐρανὸν, οὔτε πενία τὴν γέενναν, ἀλλ' ἑκάτερα προαίρεσις ἀγαθὴ καὶ μοχθηρά. Ταύτην οὖν διορθώσωμεν, ταύτην ἀνακτησώμεθα, ταύτην ῥυθμίσωμεν, καὶ πάντα ἡμῖν ἔσται εὔκολα. Καθάπερ γὰρ ὁ τεχνίτης, ἄν τε σιδηροῦν, ἄν τε χρυσοῦν σκέπαρνον ἔχῃ, ὁμοίως ἐργάζεται τὰ ξύλα, μᾶλλον δὲ ἐν τῷ σιδηρῷ πλέον· οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα, εὐκολώτερον μᾶλλον διὰ τῆς πενίας ἡ ἀρετὴ κατορθοῦται. Περὶ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ πλούτου φησὶν ὁ Χριστὸς, Εὐκολώτερον κάμηλον διὰ τρυμαλιᾶς ῥαφίδος εἰσελθεῖν, ἢ πλούσιον εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν. Περὶ δὲ τῆς πενίας οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον ἀπεφήνατο, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὐναντίον· Πώλησον τὰ ὑπάρχοντα, καὶ δὸς πτωχοῖς, καὶ δεῦρο ἀκολούθει μοι, ὡς ἐκ τῆς προαιρέσεως τῆς ἀκολουθήσεως οὔσης. εʹ. Μὴ τοίνυν φεύγωμεν τὴν πενίαν, ὡς πονηρόν· βασιλείας γάρ ἐστι πρόξενος· καὶ πάλιν μὴ διώκωμεν τὸν πλοῦτον, ὡς ἀγαθόν· τοὺς γὰρ μὴ προσέχοντας ἀπόλλυσιν· ἀλλὰ πανταχοῦ τὸ ὄμμα πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἀνατείνοντες, χρώμεθα εἰς δέον τοῖς ὑπηργμένοις ἡμῖν παρ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ δυνάμει σώματος, καὶ περιουσίᾳ χρημάτων, καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασιν. Ἄτοπον γὰρ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ γενομένους, ἑτέροις ταῦτα παρέχειν χρήσιμα, ἀλλὰ μὴ τῷ πεποιηκότι ἡμᾶς. Ἐποίησέ σοι ὀφθαλμούς· τούτους αὐτῷ πάρεχε χρησίμους, μὴ τῷ διαβόλῳ. Πῶς δὲ αὐτῷ παρέξεις; Τὰ κτίσματα αὐτοῦ θεωρῶν, καὶ δοξάζων αὐτὸν, καὶ ἀπάγων τῆς τῶν γυναικῶν ὄψεως. Ἀλλ' ἐποίησέ σοι χεῖρας; Ταύτας αὐτῷ κέκτησο, μὴ τῷ διαβόλῳ, μὴ εἰς ἁρπαγὰς καὶ πλεονεξίας, ἀλλ' εἰς ἐντολὰς καὶ εὐποιίας, καὶ εἰς εὐχὰς ἐκτενεῖς ἀνατείνων αὐτὰς, εἰς τὸ τοῖς πεπτωκόσιν ὀρέγειν χεῖρα. Ἐποίησέ σοι ὦτα; Ταῦτα αὐτῷ πάρεχε, ἀλλὰ μὴ τοῖς διακεκλασμένοις μέλεσι, μηδὲ ταῖς αἰσχραῖς ἀκοαῖς· Πᾶσα γὰρ διήγησίς σου, φησὶν, ἐν νόμῳ Ὑψίστου ἔστω· καὶ πάλιν, Ἐν πλήθει, φησὶ, πρεσβυτέρων στῆθι, καὶ εἴ τις σοφὸς, αὐτῷ προσκολλήθητι. Ἐποίησέ σοι στόμα; Τοῦτο μηδὲν πραττέτω τῶν μὴ δοκούντων αὐτῷ, 62.262 ἀλλὰ ψαλμῳδίας, ὕμνους, ᾠδὰς πνευματικὰς ᾀδέτω· Ἵνα δῷ χάριν, φησὶ, τοῖς ἀκούουσιν, εἰς οἰκοδομὴν, καὶ μὴ εἰς καταστροφὴν, εἰς εὐφημίαν, καὶ μὴ εἰς κατηγορίαν, μὴ εἰς ἐπιβουλὰς, ἀλλὰ πᾶν τοὐναντίον. Ἐποίησέ σοι πόδας, οὐχ ἵνα τρέχῃς ἐπὶ κακίαν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ ἀγαθά· ἐποίησέ σοι γαστέρα, οὐχ ἵνα διαῤῥηγνύῃς αὑτὴν, ἀλλ' ἵνα φιλοσοφῇς· ἔθηκεν ἐπιθυμίαν πρὸς παιδοποιίαν, ἀλλ' οὐ πρὸς πορνείαν, καὶ μοιχείαν· ἔδωκέ σοι νοῦν, οὐχ ἵνα αὐτὸν βλασφημῇς, οὐχ ἵνα λοίδορος ᾖς, ἀλλ' ἵνα εὐφημῇς· ἔδωκε καὶ χρήματα, ἵνα εἰς δέον αὐτοῖς χρώμεθα· καὶ ἰσχὺν, ἵνα καὶ ταύτῃ εἰς δέον ὦμεν κεχρημένοι. Ἐποίησε τέχνας, ἵνα βίος συνεστήκῃ, οὐχ ἵνα τῶν πνευματικῶν ἀποχωρίσωμεν ἑαυτοὺς, οὐχ ἵνα ταῖς βαναύσοις προσέχωμεν τέχναις, ἀλλὰ ταῖς ἀναγκαίαις· ἵνα ἀλλήλοις ὑπηρετῶμεν, οὐχ ἵνα ἀλλήλοις ἐπιβουλεύωμεν. Ἔδωκεν ὄροφον, ἵνα στέγῃ τὸν ὑετὸν τοσοῦτον μόνον, οὐχ ἵνα καλλωπίζηται οὗτος μὲν τῷ χρυσῷ, ὁ δὲ πένης διαφθείρηται τῷ λιμῷ· ἔδωκεν ἱμάτια, ἵνα σκεπώμεθα, οὐχ ἵνα ἐπιδεικνυώμεθα, οὐχ ἵνα ταῦτα μὲν ᾖ πολὺ ἔχοντα χρυσίον, ὁ δὲ Χριστὸς γυμνὸς ἀπολλύηται· ἔδωκε στέγην, οὐχ ἵνα μόνος ἔχῃς, ἀλλ' ἵνα