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he asks the reason for their arrival, so that he might not be thought to be asking for this reason, as if wishing to hide himself. And he asks, so that if there is immediate urgency, he may go out with them; but if not, so that he may entertain them as guests. But why do they say, 60.175 He sends for you to his house? Because this is what he commanded them. And perhaps, as if making an apology for him, they all but say: Do not condemn him; he did not send out of contempt, but was commanded thus. But Cornelius was expecting them, it says, having called together his kinsmen and his close friends. Reasonably so; for it was not right not to bring his kinsmen and friends along; and besides, being present there, they would have heard him better. Do you see how great is the power of almsgiving, both in the former discourse and here? That one delivered from temporal death, this one from eternal; this one also opened the gates of heaven. See, how great a matter it was for Cornelius to believe, that an angel was sent, and the Spirit worked, and the chief of the apostles was sent for, and such a vision appeared, and nothing at all was left lacking. How many centurions were there, and military tribunes, and kings, and none of them attained what this man did? Hear this, all you who are in the military, all you who stand by kings. He was a devout man, it says, and one who feared God; and what is greater, that he was such with all his house. So well-ordered and disposed was he to this, as not only to set his own affairs in order, but also to do the same for his household. For not like us, who do everything to make our servants fearful of us, but no longer to make them reverent. But this man was not so, but with his whole house he feared God, not only as a common father of all who were with him, but also of the soldiers under him. But hear what else they say; for it is necessarily added, Being well spoken of by the whole nation; so that no one may say: What if he were uncircumcised? Even they, it says, bear witness to him. Therefore nothing is equal to almsgiving; or rather, so great is the strength of the matter, when it is poured out from pure treasuries, whereas what is poured out from unjust sources is like a spring sending forth mire; but what comes from just gains, is like a stream, translucent and pure in paradise, pleasant to see, pleasant to touch, light and cool given at midday. Such is almsgiving. By this spring there are no poplars and pines, nor cypresses, but other plants, far better and taller than these: friendship with God, praise of men, glory to God, goodwill from all, disappearance of sins, great boldness, contempt of money, almsgiving, through which the plant of love is nourished. For nothing is so accustomed to nourish love as being merciful. This makes the branches to rise on high; this spring is better than the one in paradise, not being divided into four heads, but reaching to heaven itself; this brings forth that river leaping up into eternal life; death falling into this, like a spark, is consumed by the spring; so, wherever it may drop, it works great good. This quenches the river of fire as if it were a spark; this so chokes the worm, as if it were nothing. He who has this, does not gnash his teeth. If water from this should drop upon bonds, it breaks them; and if it should fall into the furnaces, it quenches them all. 4. As then the spring in paradise does not now pour forth streams, and now run dry (since then it would no longer be a spring), but always gushes forth; so also let our 60.176 spring always pour forth its stream more abundantly to those most in need of mercy, so that it may remain a spring. This makes the receiver cheerful; this is almsgiving, for the stream to be poured forth not only vehemently, but also continuously. If you wish God’s mercy to rain down on you as from springs, you too must have a spring. Nothing is equal to this. If you open the mouths of this spring, the mouths of God's spring will be such as to overcome every abyss. God seeks only to receive a starting-point from us, and

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αἰτίαν πυνθάνεται τῆς ἀφίξεως, ἵνα μὴ νομισθῇ διὰ τοῦτο πυνθάνεσθαι, ὡς δὴ θέλων ἑαυτὸν κατακρύψαι. Καὶ πυνθάνεται, ἵνα, ἂν μὲν εὐθέως κατεπείγῃ, καὶ συνεξέλθῃ· ἂν δὲ μὴ, ἵνα ξενίσῃ. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν ἐκεῖνοι λέγουσι, 60.175 Μεταπέμπεταί σε εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ; Ὅτι τοῦτο αὐτοῖς ἐκέλευσε. Τάχα δὲ καὶ ὡς ἀπολογούμενοι ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ μονονουχὶ λέγουσι· Μηδὲν καταγνῷς· οὐχ ὡς καταφρονῶν ἔπεμψεν, ἀλλ' ἐκελεύσθη οὕτως. Ὁ δὲ Κορνήλιος ἦν προσδοκῶν αὐτοὺς, φησὶ, προσκαλεσάμενος τοὺς συγγενεῖς αὐτοῦ, καὶ τοὺς ἀναγκαίους φίλους. Εἰκότως· οὐ γὰρ δίκαιον ἦν καὶ τοὺς συγγενεῖς καὶ τοὺς φίλους μὴ συνεπάγεσθαι· ἄλλως δὲ καὶ ἐκεῖ παρόντες μᾶλλον αὐτοῦ ἤκουσαν ἄν. Εἴδετε, πόση τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης ἡ δύναμις, καὶ ἐν τῇ προτέρᾳ διαλέξει καὶ ἐνταῦθα; Ἐκείνη θανάτου ἀπήλλαξε τοῦ προσκαίρου, αὕτη τοῦ αἰωνίου· αὕτη καὶ θύρας ἀνέῳξεν οὐρανοῦ. Ὅρα δὲ, πῶς περὶ πολλοῦ γεγένηται τὸ πιστεῦσαι Κορνήλιον, ὡς καὶ ἄγγελον πεμφθῆναι, καὶ Πνεῦμα ἐνεργῆσαι, καὶ τὸν κορυφαῖον μεταπεμφθῆναι τῶν ἀποστόλων, καὶ ὄψιν φανῆναι τοιαύτην, καὶ μηδὲν ὅλως ἐλλειφθῆναι. Πόσοι ἦσαν ἑκατόνταρχοι, καὶ χιλίαρχοι, καὶ βασιλεῖς, καὶ οὐδεὶς τούτων ἐπέτυχεν ὧν οὗτος; Ἀκούσατε πάντες, ὅσοι ἐν στρατείαις ἐστὲ, ὅσοι βασιλεῦσι παρεστήκατε. Εὐσεβὴς ἦν, φησὶ, καὶ φοβούμενος τὸν Θεόν· καὶ τὸ μεῖζον, ὅτι τοιοῦτος ἦν Μετὰ παντὸς τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ. Οὕτως ἦν συγκεκροτημένος πρὸς τοῦτο καὶ διακείμενος, ὡς μὴ μόνον εὖ τίθεσθαι τὰ οἰκεῖα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκετείας τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο ποιεῖν. Οὐ γὰρ ὡς ἡμεῖς, οἳ, ὅπως μὲν ἡμῖν φοβεροὶ οἱ ὑπηρετοῦντες ἔσονται, πάντα ποιοῦμεν, ὅπως δὲ εὐλαβεῖς, οὐκέτι. Ἀλλ' οὗτος οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τῆς οἰκίας ἁπάσης τὸν Θεὸν ἐφοβεῖτο, οὐ μόνον ὥσπερ κοινὸς πατὴρ πάντων τῶν μετ' αὐτοῦ ὢν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ὑπ' αὐτὸν στρατιωτῶν. Ἄκουε δὲ καὶ τί φασιν ἕτερον· ἀναγκαίως γὰρ προστέθειται τὸ, Μαρτυρούμενος ὑπὸ ὅλου τοῦ ἔθνους· ἵνα μηδεὶς εἴπῃ· Τί γὰρ, εἰ ἀκρόβυστος ἦν; Καὶ ἐκεῖνοι, φησὶ, μαρτυροῦσιν αὐτῷ. Ἄρα οὐδὲν ἐλεημοσύνης ἴσον· μᾶλλον δὲ οὕτω μεγάλη τοῦ πράγματος ἡ ἰσχὺς, ὅταν ἐκ καθαρῶν προχέηται ταμείων, ὡς τά γε προχεόμενα ἐξ ἀδίκων βόρβορον ἔοικεν ἀφιείσῃ πηγῇ· τὰ δὲ ἐκ δικαίων κερδῶν, καθάπερ νᾶμα διειδές τε καὶ καθαρὸν ἐν παραδείσῳ, ἡδὺ μὲν ἰδεῖν, ἡδὺ δὲ ἅψασθαι, κοῦφόν τε καὶ ψυχρὸν ἐν μεσημβρίᾳ διδόμενον. Οὕτως ἐστὶν ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη. Παρὰ ταύτην τὴν πηγὴν οὐκ αἴγειροι καὶ πεῦκαι, οὐδὲ κυπάρισσοι, ἀλλ' ἕτερα τούτων πολλῷ βελτίω φυτὰ εὐμήκη εἰσί· φιλία Θεοῦ, ἔπαινος ἀνθρώπων, δόξα ἡ εἰς Θεὸν, εὔνοια παρὰ πάντων, ἁμαρτημάτων ἀφανισμὸς, παῤῥησία πολλὴ, χρημάτων ὑπεροψία, ἐλεημοσύνη, δι' ἧς τῆς ἀγάπης τὸ φυτὸν τρέφεται. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως ἀγάπην τρέφειν εἴωθεν, ὡς τὸ ἐλεήμονα εἶναί τινα. Αὕτη τοὺς κλάδους εἰς ὕψος αἴρεσθαι ποιεῖ· αὕτη βελτίων ἡ πηγὴ τῆς ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ, οὐκ εἰς τέσσαρας ἀρχὰς διαιρο[υ]μένη, ἀλλ' εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν αὐτὸν ἀφικνουμένη· αὕτη τίκτει τὸν ποταμὸν ἐκεῖνον τὸν ἁλλόμενον εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον· εἰς ταύτην θάνατος ἐμπεσὼν, καθάπερ σπινθὴρ ἀναλίσκεται ἀπὸ τῆς πηγῆς· οὕτως, ὅπουπερ ἂν ἐπιστάξῃ, μεγάλα ἐργάζεται ἀγαθά. Αὕτη τοῦ πυρὸς τὸν ποταμὸν σβέννυσιν ὡς σπινθῆρα· αὕτη τὸν σκώληκα οὕτως ἀποπνίγει, ὡς οὐδέν. Ὁ ταύτην ἔχων, οὐ βρύχει τοὺς ὀδόντας. Ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕδατος ταύτης ἂν ἐπιστάξῃ εἰς τὰ δεσμὰ, διαιρεῖ αὐτά· κἂν εἰς τὰς καμίνους ἐμπέσῃ, πάσας σβέννυσιν. δʹ. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἡ ἐν παραδείσῳ πηγὴ οὐ νῦν μὲν προχέει νάματα, νῦν δὲ ξηραίνεται (ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἂν εἴη λοιπὸν πηγὴ), ἀλλ' ἀεὶ ἀναβλύζει· οὕτω καὶ ἡ ἡμετέρα 60.176 ἀεὶ δαψιλέστερον προχείτω τὸ νᾶμα πρὸς τοὺς μάλιστα ἐπιδεομένους ἐλέους, ἵνα μένῃ πηγή. Τοῦτο ἱλαρὸν ποιεῖ τὸν λαμβάνοντα· τοῦτο ἐλεημοσύνη, μὴ σφοδρὸν μόνον προχεῖσθαι τὸ νᾶμα, ἀλλὰ καὶ διηνεκές. Εἰ βούλει, ὥσπερ ἐκ πηγῶν σοι ἐπομβρεῖν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν ἔλεον, καὶ σὺ πηγὴν ἔχε. Οὐδὲν ταύτης ἴσον. Ἂν σὺ ταύτης τῆς πηγῆς ἀνοίξῃς τὰ στόματα, τῆς πηγῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοιαῦτα ἔσται τὰ στόματα, ὥστε πᾶσαν ἄβυσσον νικῆσαι. Ἀφορμὴν ζητεῖ μόνον παρ' ἡμῶν λαβεῖν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ