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upon the sons of disobedience. For these reasons either the heaven is shut, or it is opened for ill. What of this, you who worship gold and silver as they did Baal? You who are concerned with the costliness and transparency of stones, and with soft and flowing garments, the expense of moths and of robbers, and the treasures of tyrants and thieves? You who exult in the multitude of slaves and four-footed beasts? You who spread out over the plains and mountains, possessing some and acquiring more? And what of those who sit upon high thrones, and raise the tent of authority, and do not consider the God over all, and the unapproachable height of the true kingdom, so that they might rule their subjects as fellow-servants, they who need the same philanthropy? Consider for me also those who live luxuriously upon ivory beds, whom the divine Amos rightly rebukes, and those who anoint themselves with the finest myrrh. The harvest is worthy of your sowing. Did you sow bitterness? Reap the sheaves. Did you honor the merciless? Have what you loved. Did you flee mercy? Mercy will flee from you. Did you loathe the poor man? He who became poor for our sake loathes you. No one ever has a surfeit of gaining, but what is always being received becomes material and kindling for the desire of more. Do not reject the poor. The poor man enters your courtyard seeking alms, and spends two hours receiving nothing. And sometimes you order your slave to throw him out. Have you not heard Christ saying: 'Into whatever city or house you enter, say to that house: Peace be to you. And if the house is worthy of peace, your peace will be upon it; but if not, shake off even the dust from your feet. Amen I say to you: it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on that day than for that house'? A poor man enters your courtyard, and you order your slave to throw him out. But do you not know, that if you throw out the poor man, you have cast out Christ? For He Himself said: 'Whatever you did for one of these my brothers, you did for me.' Do you see that if you insult the poor man, you have dishonored Christ? These things I say, and in saying them I will not cease; for me to say them is not burdensome, but for you it is safe. I will not cease instructing you, until you become better. You see a poor man, and you do not have mercy? How do you enter the church and pray? How do you open your mouth and call upon your God? Do you not fear? Do you not tremble? Are you not afraid? Do you enter the church 95.1508 to pray? Give alms, so that your prayer may be signed. Sometimes some people submit a petition to the emperor and spend two or three hundred gold pieces. and often it profits them nothing, but they hold it as a mere scrap of paper; and you are not willing for your petition to be signed for two obols? Here, the earthly king signs, and often the signature is adverse; but if the King of kings signs, it is ratified and confirmed. Have you seen a petition signed for two obols? For this reason there are two basins before the doors of the church: one of water, in which you wash your hands, and the other the hand of the poor man, in which you wipe clean your soul. You enter the church, and you wash your hands; place an obol in the hand of the poor man, and you wipe clean your soul. If you enter, and pray, and wash, but do not give to the poor man, what is the benefit? You have wealth, and you hide it in the earth, and sometimes thieves come by night, and dig, and steal the treasure; and you rise in the morning, and see it plundered. Do you wish not to be plundered? What I say to you, do this, and you will never be plundered for eternity. Bury it in the belly of the poor at my risk, and it can never be plundered. But if you bury it in the earth, you will lose it. And if you lose it, it will be kept safe; and if after your death you are without it, what is the benefit to you? Why do you labor and grow rich? And others enter into your possessions, and live in luxury. Have you not heard the prophet saying: 'The rich man stores up treasure, and does not know for whom he will gather it'? And again elsewhere he says: 'The foolish and the senseless will perish, and they will leave their wealth to others.' Do you see what they suffer

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ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῆς ἀπειθείας. ∆ιὰ ταῦτα ἢ κλείεται ὁ οὐρανὸς, ἢ κακῶς ἀνοίγεται. Τί πρὸς ταῦτα οἱ προσκυνοῦντες τὸν χρυσὸν καὶ τὸν ἄργυρον ὡς τὴν Βαάλ; Οἱ περιέποντες τῶν λίθων τὰς πολυτελείας καὶ διαυγείας, καὶ τὴν ἐσθῆτα τὴν μαλακήν τε καὶ περιῤῥέουσαν, σητῶν δαπάνην καὶ λῃστῶν, καὶ τυράννων, καὶ κλεπτῶν θησαυρίσματα; οἱ πλήθει γαυριῶντες ἀνδραπόδων καὶ τετραπόδων; οἱ τοῖς πεδίοις ἐμπλατυνόμενοι, καὶ τοῖς ὄρεσι, καὶ τὰ μὲν ἔχοντες, τὰ δὲ προσλαμβάνοντες; Τί δὲ οἱ τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς θρόνοις ἐπικαθεζόμενοι, καὶ τὴν ἀρχικὴν σκηνὴν αἴροντες, καὶ μὴ λογιζόμενοι τὸν ἐπὶ πᾶσι Θεὸν, καὶ τὸ ἀπρόσιτον ὕψος τῆς ἀληθινῆς βασιλείας, ἵνα ὡς ὁμοδούλων τῶν ὑπηκόων ἄρχωσιν, οἱ τῆς ἴσης δεόμενοι φιλανθρωπίας; σκόπει δέ μοι καὶ τοὺς κατασπαταλῶντας ἐπὶ κλινῶν ἐλεφαντίνων, ὧν καλῶς ὁ θεῖος Ἀμὼς καθάπτεται, καὶ τὰ πρῶτα μύρα χριομένους. Ἄξιόν σοι τῆς σπορᾶς τὸ θέρος· Πικρίαν ἔσπειρας; δρέπου τὰ δράγματα· τὸ ἀνελεὲς ἐτίμησας; ἔχε ὅπερ ἠγάπησας. Ἔφυγες τὸν ἔλεον; φεύξεταί σε τὸ ἔλεος. Ἐβδελύξω τὸν πτωχόν; βδελύσσεταί σε ὁ δι' ἡμᾶς πτωχεύσας. Οὐδεὶς πότε κερδαίνειν γίνεται κόρος, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἀεὶ λαμβανόμενον, ὕλη καὶ ὑπέκκαυμα τῆς τοῦ πλείονος ἐπιθυμίας καθίσταται. Μὴ ἀπόρει τοὺς πένητας. Εἰσέρχεται ὁ πένης εἰς τὴν αὐλήν σου ζητῶν ἐντολὴν, καὶ ἀναλίσκει δύο ὥρας μηδὲν λαβών. Καὶ ἐνίοτε ἐπιτάττεις τῷ δούλῳ σου βαλεῖν αὐτὸν ἔξω. Οὐκ ἤκουσας τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγοντος· Εἰς ἣν δ' ἂν πόλιν εἰσέρχεσθε ἢ οἰκίαν, εἴπατε τῷ οἴκῳ ἐκείνῳ· Εἰρήνη ὑμῖν. Καὶ ἂν μὲν ᾖ ἡ οἰκία ἀξία εἰρήνης, ἡ εἰρήνη ὑμῶν ἐπ' αὐτήν· εἰ δὲ μὴ, ἐκτινάξατε καὶ τὸν κονιορτὸν τῶν ποδῶν ὑμῶν. Ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν· ἀνεκτότερον ἔσται γῇ Σοδόμων καὶ Γομόῤῥων ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, ἢ τῷ οἴκῳ ἐκείνῳ. Εἰσέρχεται πένης εἰς τὴν αὐλήν σου, καὶ ἐπιτάττεις τῷ δούλῳ σου βαλεῖν αὐτὸν ἔξω. Ἀλλ' οὐκ οἶδας, ὅτι ἐὰν βάλῃς τὸν πένητα ἔξω, τὸν Χριστὸν ἐδίωξας; Αὐτὸς γὰρ εἶπεν· Ὅ τι ἑνὶ τούτων τῶν ἀδελφῶν μου ἐποιήσατε, ἐμοὶ ἐποιήσατε. Ὁρᾷς, ὅτι ἐὰν ὑβρίσῃς τὸν πένητα, τὸν Χριστὸν ἠτίμασας; Ταῦτα λέγω, καὶ λέγων οὐ παύσομαι· ἐμοὶ μὲν τὸ λέγειν οὐκ ὀκνηρὸν, ὑμῖν δὲ ἀσφαλές. Οὐ παύσομαι ὑμᾶς παιδεύων, ἕως οὗ βελτίους γίνεσθε. Βλέπεις πένητα, καὶ οὐκ ἐλεεῖς; Πῶς εἰσέρχῃ εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ εὔχῃ; πῶς τὸ στόμα σου ἀνοίγεις, καὶ ἐπικαλῇ τὸν Θεόν σου; Οὐ φοβῇ; οὐ τρέμεις; οὐ δέδοικας; Εἰσέρχῃ εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν 95.1508 εὔξασθαι; ποίησον ἐλεημοσύνην, ἵνα ὑπογραφῇ σου ἡ δέησις. Ἐνίοτέ τινες εἰσβάλλουσι δέησιν βασιλέως καὶ ἀναλίσκουσι διακοσίους ἢ τριακοσίους χρυσίνους. καὶ πολλάκις εἰς οὐδὲν αὐτοῖς προχωρεῖ, ἀλλ' ὡς χιδάριον κατέχουσιν αὐτόν· καὶ σὺ δύο ὀβολῶν οὐ θέλεις ὑπογραφῆναι τὴν δέησίν σου; Ἐνταῦθα μὲν βασιλεὺς ὁ ἐπίγειος ὑπογράφε καὶ πολλάκις ἐναντία ἐστὶν ἡ ὑπογραφή· ὁ δὲ Βασιλεὺς τῶν βασιλευόντων ἐὰν ὑπογράψῃ, κεκύρωται καὶ βεβεβαίωται. Εἶδες δέησιν δύο ὀβόλων ὑπογραφομένην; διὰ τοῦτο δύο κρατῆρες πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν εἰσι τῆς ἐκκλησίας, μία τοῦ ὕδατος, ἐν ᾗ νίπτῃ τὰς χεῖρας, καὶ ἑτέρα ἡ χεὶρ τοῦ πένητος, ἐν ᾗ ἀποσμήχεις τὴν ψυχήν σου. Εἰσέρχῃ εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ νίπτῃ τὰς χεῖράς σου· ἐπίδος εἰς χεῖρα τοῦ πένητος ὀβολὸν, καὶ ἀποσμήχεις τὴν ψυχήν σου. Ἐὰν εἰσέλθῃς, καὶ εὔξῃ, καὶ νίψῃ, τῷ δὲ πένητι μὴ δῷς, τί ὄφελος; πλοῦτον ἔχεις, καὶ κρύπτεις αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἐνίοτε ἔρχονται νυκτὸς κλέπται, καὶ ὀρύσσουσι, καὶ κλέπτουσι τὸν θησαυρόν· καὶ ἀνίστασαι πρωῒ, καὶ βλέπεις αὐτὸν σεσυλημένον. Θέλεις μὴ συληθῆναι; ὃ λέγω σοι, τοῦτο ποίησον, καὶ οὐδέποτε συλᾶσαι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Χῶσον αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν κοιλίαν τῶν πτωχῶν τῷ κινδύνῳ μου, καὶ οὐδέποτε δύναται συληθῆναι. Ἐὰν δὲ χώσῃς αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν γῆν, ἀπολεῖς αὐτόν. Καὶ ἐὰν ἀπολέσῃς, φυλαχθήσεται· καὶ ἐὰν μετὰ τὴν τελευτήν σου ἐκτὸς αὐτοῦ ᾖς, τί σοι τὸ ὄφελος; τί κάμνεις καὶ πλουτεῖς; καὶ ἄλλοι εἰσέρχονται εἰς τὰ ὑπάρχοντά σου, καὶ κατατρυφῶσιν. Οὐκ ἤκουσας τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· Θησαυρίζει ὁ πλούσιος, καὶ οὐκ οἶδεν τίνι συνάξει αὐτά; Καὶ πάλιν ἀλλαχοῦ λέγει· Ἄφρων καὶ ἄνους ἀπολοῦνται· καὶ καταλείψουσιν ἀλλοτρίοις τὸν πλοῦτον αὐτῶν. Ὁρᾷς τί πάσχουσιν