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good things are poured forth from his storehouses. When he spends, when he expends, then he is rich, then he is prosperous. Great is the mouth of that spring; its stream is pure and transparent. If you do not block this one, you will not block that one either. Let no unfruitful tree stand beside it, that it may not consume its moisture. Do you have money? Do not plant poplars there; for such is luxury; it consumes much, and shows nothing in itself, but destroys the fruit. Do not plant a pine, or a fir, or any other of such things which consume, but are in no way useful; for such is the luxury of garments, beautiful only to look at, but in no way useful. Fill it with vines; plant all the fruit-bearing trees in the hands of the poor, whatever you wish. No land is more fertile than this; and though the space of the hand is small, yet the tree that is planted reaches to heaven itself, and stands firm. This is to plant. For that which is planted in the earth, if not now, after a hundred years will perish. Why do you plant trees which you will not enjoy, but before you enjoy them, death comes and snatches you away? This tree, when you die, then gives you its fruit. If you plant, do not plant in the belly of gluttony, lest the fruit come out into the draught; but plant in the afflicted womb, that the fruit may leap up to heaven. Give rest to the straitened soul of the poor man, that you may not afflict your own which is in a large room. Do you not see that the trees which are watered immoderately rot from the root; but those with moderation grow? So also you, do not water your own belly immoderately, lest the root of the tree rot; water the thirsty, that it may bear fruit. The things that are watered moderately the sun does not rot, but those that are watered immoderately, it rots; for such is the nature of the sun. Everywhere immoderation is an evil; therefore let us cut it off, that we also may obtain what we ask. In the highest places springs are said to be born. Therefore let us also become lofty in soul, and quickly almsgiving will flow; for it is not possible for the lofty soul not to be merciful, nor for the merciful not to be lofty. He who despises money is superior to the root of evils. Springs are for the most part in desert places; let us also lead our soul out of the crowd, and almsgiving will spring forth from us. Springs, the more they are cleared, the more abundant they become; so also we, the more we spend, the more good things sprout. He who has a spring does not fear; if then we also have almsgiving as a spring, we shall not be afraid. For for drink, for irrigation, for building, for all things this spring is useful to us. Nothing is better than this drink; it does not know how to produce drunkenness; it is better to have such a spring, than to have springs of gold flowing in. Better than any gold-bearing land is the soul that bears this gold. For it does not yield to us these kingdoms, but those above. Gold becomes an ornament to the Church of God; from this gold the sword 60.177 of the Spirit is made, the sword by which the dragon is cut off. From this spring come the precious stones which are about the head of the king. Let us not then neglect so great a wealth, but let us bring in 60.178 almsgiving with abundance, that we may be deemed worthy of the philanthropy of God, by the grace and compassions of His only-begotten Son, to whom be all glory, honor, and power, together with the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.

60.177 HOMILY 23. But on the morrow, he says, Peter arose and went with them; and some of the brethren from Joppa went with him to Caesarea. And Cornelius was expecting them, having called together

his kinsmen and his intimate friends.

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προχεῖται ἐκ τῶν ταμείων αὐτοῦ τὰ ἀγαθά. Ὅταν ἀναλίσκῃ, ὅταν δαπανᾷ, τότε πλουτεῖ, τότε εὐπορεῖ. Μέγα ἐκείνης τὸ στόμα τῆς πηγῆς· καθαρὸν τὸ αὐτῆς νᾶμα καὶ διειδές. Ἂν μὴ ταύτην ἀποφράξῃς, οὐδὲ ἐκείνην. Μηδὲν ἄκαρπον στηκέτω παρ' αὐτὴν δένδρον, ἵνα μὴ τὴν νοτίδα αὐτῆς καταναλώσῃ. Ἔχεις χρήματα; Μὴ φύτευε αἰγείρους ἐκεῖ· τοιοῦτον γὰρ ἡ τρυφή· πολλὰ ἀναλίσκει, καὶ οὐδὲν δείκνυσιν ἐν ἑαυτῇ, ἀλλὰ ἀπόλλυσι τὸν καρπόν. Μὴ φυτεύσῃς πεύκην, μὴ πίτυν, μηδὲ ἄλλο τι τῶν τοιούτων τῶν ἀναλισκόντων μὲν, οὐδαμοῦ δὲ χρησίμων· τοιοῦτο γὰρ ἡ τῶν ἱματίων τρυφὴ, ἰδεῖν μόνον καλὸν, οὐδαμοῦ δὲ χρήσιμον. Ἀναδενδράδων πλήρωσον· πάντα τὰ κάρπιμα φύτευσον ἐν ταῖς τῶν πενήτων χερσὶν, ἅπερ ἂν θέλῃς. Οὐδὲν ταύτης λιπαρώτερον τῆς γῆς· καίτοι μικρόν ἐστι τὸ διάστημα τῆς χειρὸς, ἀλλ' ὅμως πρὸς αὐτὸν φθάνει τὸν οὐρανὸν τὸ φυτευόμενον δένδρον, καὶ βέβαιον ἕστηκε. Τοῦτό ἐστι φυτεῦσαι. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ φυτευόμενον ἐν τῇ γῇ, κἂν μὴ νῦν, μετὰ ἑκατὸν ἔτη ἀπολεῖται. Τί φυτεύεις δένδρα, ὧν οὐκ ἀπολαύσῃ, ἀλλὰ πρὶν ἢ ἀπολαύσεις, ὁ θάνατος ἐπελθὼν προαρπάζει σε; Τοῦτο τὸ δένδρον, ὅταν ἀποθάνῃς, τότε σοι δίδωσι τὸν καρπόν. Εἰ φυτεύεις, μὴ ἐν τῇ τῆς γαστριμαργίας φυτεύσῃς κοιλίᾳ, ἵνα μὴ εἰς ἀφεδρῶνα ὁ καρπὸς ἐκβῇ· ἀλλὰ φύτευσον ἐν τεθλιμμένῃ νηδύϊ, ἵνα πηδήσῃ πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν ὁ καρπός. Ἀνάπαυσον τὴν στενοχωρουμένην ψυχὴν τὴν τοῦ πένητος, ἵνα μὴ τὴν εὐρύχωρον θλίψῃς τὴν σήν. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς, ὅτι τὰ ποτιζόμενα τῶν δένδρων ἀμέτρως, ἀπὸ τῆς ῥίζης σήπεται· τὰ δὲ μετὰ συμμετρίας, αὔξεται; Οὕτω δὴ καὶ σὺ μὴ τὴν σαυτοῦ ποτίσῃς ἀμέτρως γαστέρα, ἵνα μὴ σαπῇ ἡ ῥίζα τοῦ δένδρου· πότισον τὴν διψῶσαν, ἵνα καρπὸν ἐνέγκῃ. Τὰ συμμέτρως ποτιζόμενα οὐ σήπει ὁ ἥλιος, τὰ δὲ ἀμέτρως, σήπει· τοιαύτη γὰρ ἡ τοῦ ἡλίου φύσις. Πανταχοῦ ἡ ἀμετρία κακόν· διὸ περικόψωμεν αὐτὴν, ἵνα καὶ ἡμεῖς τύχωμεν ὧν αἰτοῦμεν. Ἐν τοῖς ὑψηλοτάτοις χωρίοις αἱ πηγαὶ λέγονται τίκτεσθαι. Οὐκοῦν γενώμεθα ὑψηλοὶ καὶ ἡμεῖς τὴν ψυχὴν, καὶ ταχέως ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη ῥεύσει· οὐ γὰρ ἔστι τὴν ὑψηλὴν ψυχὴν μὴ καὶ ἐλεήμονα εἶναι, καὶ τὴν ἐλεήμονα μὴ καὶ ὑψηλήν. Ὁ γοῦν χρημάτων ὑπερορῶν, τῆς ῥίζης ἀνώτερός ἐστι τῶν κακῶν. Αἱ πηγαὶ ἐν ἐρημίαις εἰσὶν ὡς τὰ πολλά· καὶ ἡμεῖς τὴν ψυχὴν τῆς πολυοχλίας ἐξαγάγωμεν, καὶ πηγάσει παρ' ἡμῖν ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη. Αἱ πηγαὶ, ὅσῳ ἂν καθαίρωνται, ἀφθονώτεραι γίνονται· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς, ὅσῳ ἂν ἀναλώσωμεν, τοσούτῳ βλαστάνει τὰ καλά. Ὁ πηγὴν ἔχων, οὐ δέδοικεν· ἂν τοίνυν καὶ ἡμεῖς ἔχωμεν τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην πηγὴν, οὐ φοβηθησόμεθα. Καὶ γὰρ πρὸς ποτὸν, πρὸς ἀρδείαν, πρὸς οἰκοδομὴν, πρὸς πάντα ἡμῖν χρήσιμος αὕτη ἡ πηγή. Οὐδὲν τοῦ πόματος τούτου βέλτιον· οὐκ οἶδεν αὕτη μέθην ἐργάσασθαι· βέλτιον τοιαύτην ἔχειν πηγὴν, ἢ χρυσοῦ πηγὰς ἐπιῤῥεῖν. Πάσης χρυσίτιδος γῆς βελτίων ἡ τοῦτον φέρουσα τὸν χρυσὸν ψυχή. Οὐ γὰρ εἰς ταῦτα τὰ βασίλεια, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἄνω ἡμῖν συνεκχωρεῖ. Ὁ χρυσὸς, κόσμος γίνεται τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἀπὸ τούτου τοῦ χρυσοῦ ἡ μάχαιρα 60.177 κατασκευάζεται τοῦ Πνεύματος, ἡ μάχαιρα δι' ἧς ὁ δράκων ἀποτέμνεται. Ἀπὸ ταύτης τῆς πηγῆς οἱ λίθοι προέρχονται οἱ τίμιοι, οἱ περὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν τοῦ βασιλέως. Μὴ δὴ ἀμελῶμεν τοσούτου πλούτου, ἀλλ' εἰσφέρωμεν 60.178 τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην μετὰ δαψιλείας, ἵνα τῆς παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας ἀξιωθῶμεν, χάριτι καὶ οἰκτιρμοῖς τοῦ μονογενοῦς αὐτοῦ Υἱοῦ, ᾧ πᾶσα δόξα, τιμὴ καὶ κράτος, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

60.177 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΚΓʹ. Τῇ δὲ ἐπαύριον ἀναστὰς, φησὶν, ὁ Πέτρος, ἦλθε σὺν αὐτοῖς· καί τινες τῶν ἀδελφῶν τῶν ἀπὸ Ἰόππης συνῆλθον εἰς τὴν Καισάρειαν. Ὁ δὲ Κορνήλιος ἦν προσδοκῶν αὐτοὺς, συγκαλεσάμενος

τοὺς συγγενεῖς αὐτοῦ καὶ τοὺς ἀναγκαίους φίλους.