147

you may lose, from the anxiety of not losing you will never be free. But there you will suffer none of these things; and what is more, you not only bury your gold, but you also plant it. For it is both a treasure and a seed; or rather, it is more than both of these. For the seed does not remain forever, but this remains perpetually. Again, the treasure does not sprout, but this bears immortal fruits for you. But if you tell me of the time, and the delay of the repayment, I also can show and tell how much you receive here as well; but apart from these things, I will try to convict you from worldly things themselves, 57.294 that you are using these as a vain excuse. 2. For you prepare many things in the present life which you yourself are not going to enjoy; and if anyone reproaches you, by bringing forward your children and their children, you seem to have found sufficient comfort for your superfluous labors. For when, being in extreme old age, you build splendid houses, from which you will often depart before their completion, and you plant trees, which will bear their fruit after many years; [when you plant trees in a field, whose fruit will come after myriad years,] and you buy properties and estates, of which you will receive ownership after a long time, and you toil at many other such things, of which you will not reap the enjoyment; do you do it for yourself, or for those after you? How is it not then of the utmost folly, here to feel no distress at the delay of time, and this when you are about to lose all the reward of your labors because of this delay; but there to grow numb because of the delay, and this when it brings you more profit, and does not pass on the good things to others, but brings the gifts to you? But apart from these things, the delay is not even long. For the events are at the doors, and we do not know if perhaps even in our generation all our affairs will come to an end, and that dreadful day will arrive, showing us the horrifying and implacable judgment seat. For most of the signs have been fulfilled, and the Gospel has now been preached everywhere in the world, and the events of wars, and of earthquakes, and of famines have come to pass, and the interval is not long. But do you not see signs? This very thing is the greatest sign. For those in the time of Noah did not see the preludes of that utter destruction, but while playing, eating, marrying, doing all their usual things, they were thus overtaken by that terrible judgment. And those in Sodom likewise, living in luxury and suspecting nothing of what had happened, were consumed by the thunderbolts that were then sent down. Considering all these things, therefore, let us turn ourselves to the preparation for our departure from here. For even if the common day of the consummation never arrives, the end of each one is at the doors, whether one be old or young; and it is not possible for those who have departed from here either to buy oil anymore, or by begging to obtain forgiveness, even if Abraham be the one entreating, or Noah, or Job, or Daniel. While, therefore, we have time, let us lay up for ourselves much boldness, let us gather abundant oil, let us transfer all things to heaven, so that at the fitting time and when we most need them, we may enjoy them all, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the power, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

57.293.50 HOMILY 21. No one can serve two masters; for either he will

hate the one, and love the other; or he will be devoted to the one, and despise the other.

1. Do you see how little by little He detaches us from possessions, and 57.294 through many things introduces the discourse concerning having no possessions, and casts down the tyranny of avarice? For He was not content with what went before, although they were many and great; but He also adds other things, more numerous and more 57.295 fearful. For what is more fearful than the things now said, if indeed we are to fall away from the service of Christ on account of

147

ἀπολέσῃς, τοῦ φροντίζειν μὴ ἀπολέσῃς οὐδέποτε ἀπαλλαγήσῃ. Ἐκεῖ δὲ οὐδὲν ὑποστήσῃ τούτων· καὶ τὸ δὴ πλέον, ὅτι οὐ κατορύττεις τὸ χρυσίον μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ φυτεύεις. Τὸ γὰρ αὐτὸ καὶ θησαυρός ἐστι καὶ σπόρος· μᾶλλον δὲ ἑκατέρων τούτων πλέον. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ σπόρος οὐ μένει διαπαντὸς, τοῦτο δὲ μένει διηνεκῶς. Πάλιν ὁ θησαυρὸς οὐ βλαστάνει, οὗτος δὲ ἀθανάτους σοι φέρει καρπούς. Εἰ δὲ τὸν χρόνον μοι λέγεις, καὶ τὴν ἀναβολὴν τῆς ἀποδόσεως, ἔχω μὲν καὶ ἐγὼ δεῖξαι, καὶ εἰπεῖν ὅσα καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἀπολαμβάνεις· χωρὶς δὲ τούτων, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτῶν τῶν βιωτικῶν 57.294 σε ἐλέγξαι πειράσομαι μάτην ταῦτα προφασιζόμενον. ʹ. Πολλὰ γὰρ καὶ ἐν τῷ παρόντι βίῳ κατασκευάζεις, ὧν οὐ μέλλεις αὐτὸς ἀπολαύειν· κἂν ἐγκαλῇ τις, τοὺς παῖδας καὶ τοὺς ἐκείνων παῖδας προβαλλόμενος, ἱκανὴν δοκεῖς παραμυθίαν τῶν περιττῶν εὑρηκέναι πόνων. Ὅταν γὰρ ἐν ἐσχάτῳ γήρᾳ γενόμενος οἰκοδομῇς οἰκίας λαμπρὰς, ὧν πρὸ τοῦ τέλους ἀπελεύσῃ πολλάκις, καὶ δένδρα φυτεύῃς, ἃ μετὰ πολλὰ ἔτη τὸν καρπὸν οἴσει· [ὅταν φυτεύῃς ἐν χωρίῳ δένδρα, ὧν μετὰ μυρία ἔτη ὁ καρπὸς ἥξει,] καὶ οὐσίας ἀγοράζῃς καὶ κλήρους, ὧν μετὰ πολὺν δέξῃ χρόνον τὴν δεσποτείαν, καὶ ἕτερα πολλὰ τοιαῦτα φιλοπονῇς, ὧν οὐ καρπώσῃ τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν· ἆρα διὰ σεαυτὸν ἢ διὰ τοὺς μετὰ ταῦτα ποιεῖς; Πῶς οὖν οὐκ ἐσχάτης ἀνοίας, ἐνταῦθα μὲν μηδὲν ἀλύειν πρὸς τὴν τοῦ χρόνου μέλλησιν, καὶ ταῦτα μέλλοντα ἐκ τῆς μελλήσεως ταύτης ἁπάσης τῶν πόνων ἐκπίπτειν τῆς ἀμοιβῆς· ἐκεῖ δὲ διὰ τὴν ἀναβολὴν ναρκᾷν, καὶ ταῦτα πλέον σοι φερούσης τὸ κέρδος, καὶ οὐκ εἰς ἑτέρους παραπεμπούσης τὰ ἀγαθὰ, ἀλλὰ σοὶ κομιζούσης τὰς δωρεάς; Χωρὶς δὲ τούτων οὐδὲ ἡ ἀναβολὴ πολλή. Καὶ γὰρ ἐπὶ θύραις τὰ πράγματα, καὶ οὐκ ἴσμεν μή ποτε καὶ ἐν τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ γενεᾷ τέλος ἕξει τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς ἅπαντα, καὶ ἡ φοβερὰ παραγένηται ἡμέρα ἐκείνη. τὸ φρικῶδες ἡμῖν ἐνδεικνυμένη καὶ ἀδέκαστον δικαστήριον. Καὶ γὰρ τὰ πλείονα τῶν σημείων ἀπήρτισται, καὶ τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον λοιπὸν πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης κεκήρυκται, καὶ τὰ τῶν πολέμων, καὶ τὰ τῶν σεισμῶν, καὶ τὰ τῶν λιμῶν ἐξέβη, καὶ οὐ πολὺ τὸ μέσον. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁρᾷς σημεῖα; Καὶ τοῦτο αὐτὸ μέγιστον σημεῖον. Οὐδὲ γὰρ οἱ ἐπὶ Νῶε εἶδον προοίμια τῆς πανωλεθρίας ἐκείνης, ἀλλὰ μεταξὺ παίζοντες, ἐσθίοντες, γαμοῦντες, τὰ συνήθη πράττοντες ἅπαντα, οὕτω κατελήφθησαν ὑπὸ τῆς φοβερᾶς δίκης ἐκείνης. Καὶ οἱ ἐν Σοδόμοις δὲ ὁμοίως, τρυφῶντες καὶ οὐδὲν ὑφορώμενοι τῶν γεγενημένων, ὑπὸ τῶν κεραυνῶν κατεφλέχθησαν τῶν τότε κατενεχθέντων. Ἅπερ οὖν ἅπαντα ἐννοοῦντες, ἐπιστρέψωμεν ἑαυτοὺς πρὸς τὴν τῆς ἐντεῦθεν ἀποδημίας παρασκευήν. Κἂν γὰρ ἡ κοινὴ τῆς συντελείας ἡμέρα μηδέποτε ἐπιστῇ, τὸ ἑκάστου τέλος ἐπὶ θύραις, κἂν γεγηρακώς τις ᾖ, κἂν νέος· καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐντεῦθεν ἀπελθόντας οὔτε ἔλαιον πρίασθαι λοιπὸν, οὔτε δεηθέντας ἐπιτυχεῖν συγγνώμης, κἂν Ἀβραὰμ ὁ παρακαλῶν ᾖ, κἂν Νῶε, κἂν Ἰὼβ, κἂν ∆ανιήλ. Ἕως οὖν καιρὸν ἔχομεν, προαποθώμεθα ἑαυτοῖς πολλὴν τὴν παῤῥησίαν, συναγάγωμεν ἔλαιον δαψιλὲς, μεταθῶμεν ἅπαντα εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν, ἵνα ἐν καιρῷ τῷ προσήκοντι καὶ ᾧ μάλιστα αὐτῶν δεόμεθα, πάντων ἀπολαύσωμεν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

57.293.50 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΚΑʹ. Οὐδεὶς δύναται δυσὶ κυρίοις δουλεύειν· ἢ γὰρ τὸν ἔνα

μισήσει, καὶ τὸν ἕτερον ἀγαπήσει· ἢ ἑνὸς ἀνθέξεται, καὶ τοῦ ἑτέρου καταφρονήσει.

αʹ. Ὁρᾷς πῶς κατὰ μικρὸν τῶν ὄντων ἀφίστησι, καὶ 57.294 διὰ πλειόνων τὸν περὶ τῆς ἀκτημοσύνης εἰσάγει λόγον, καὶ τὴν τῆς φιλαργυρίας καταβάλλει τυραννίδα; Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἠρκέσθη τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν, καίτοι πολλοῖς καὶ μεγάλοις οὖσιν· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕτερα προστίθησι πλείονα καὶ φο 57.295 βερώτερα. Τί γὰρ τῶν νῦν εἰρημένων φοβερώτερον, εἴγε μέλλοιμεν τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ δουλείας ἐκπίπτειν διὰ τὰ