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For they do not need the praise from men; but those living in wickedness need their praises, so that from the praise of the good deeds of others 55.297 they might become more earnest, and be freed from wickedness at some point. Where, then, are those who build costly tombs, and erect splendid houses? Let them hear what makes an everlasting memorial. Not the building of stones, nor the enclosure of walls and towers, but a display of good works. And he says these things on account of those who are very unbelieving and pay no attention to the things to come, so that by drawing them in by things present and visible, he might also lead them by the hand to the things to come; and besides, he also shows that virtue, as I have often said, has its reward in itself even before those prizes. He will not be afraid of an evil report. Another, He will not fear evil tidings. Just as above he did not say, that he will not be plotted against, but that when he is plotted against he will not be shaken; so also here he did not say, that he will not hear an evil report, but that hearing it he will not be afraid. 5. And how will he not be afraid? Even if he sees war approaching, or an earthquake destroying cities, or robbers and burglars stealing everything, or barbarians overrunning, or a disease threatening death, or a judge's anger, or anything else whatever, he is not afraid. For he has stored up his wealth beforehand in an inviolable place, and not only does he not tremble when death approaches, but he even hastens to arrive quickly where his merchandise is. For where a man's treasure is, there his heart is also. For if merchants of money, having sent many cargoes home ahead of them, hasten each day to see their wealth; much more will this one, who has stored up all his substance beforehand in the heavens, wish to be torn away from present things and to hasten on to the things to come. Therefore, nothing could cast him into fear. His heart is ready to hope in the Lord. Another says, His heart is firm, signifying the same thing, and interpreting "ready." What he says, therefore, is this: There is nothing that shakes him and nails him to present things, but he is wholly and entirely stretched out toward God, and he awaits that hope, and is fixed, continually supported by this expectation, and not softened or distracted by any of the things at hand. For such are the cares of affairs that split the mind and cut the will in two. It is necessary, therefore, to say again that gospel saying: Where a man's treasure is, there his heart is also. His heart is established, it shall not be shaken. Have you seen the one building his house upon the rock? For what can the one who is naked and well-girded fear, who offers no one a handle? what can the one who has God gracious and well-disposed fear? So that from both sides he has security, both from the inclination from above and the facility from below; and nothing can shake him, not loss of money, not insults, not slanders. For he has nowhere to be harmed, having moved his anchorage from here to heaven, to a place inaccessible to all wickedness and plotting. For you know clearly that all plots concern money and are for the sake of money, and all the diligence of men is about these things. Until he looks upon his enemies. And who is the enemy of such a one, but the wicked 55.298 demons, and the devil himself? He has scattered abroad, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever. For since he made mention of almsgiving and of lending and of showing pity; and of almsgiving there are many measures; for one gives less, another more; let us see what sort of merciful man he means, the one providing from his surplus, or the one emptying out his possessions. It is evident that he means the one emptying out his possessions, the one who has engaged in the matter unsparingly;

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Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ οὐ δέονται τῆς παρὰ ἀνθρώπων εὐφημίας· οἱ δὲ ἐν κακίᾳ ζῶντες δέονται τῶν ἐκείνων ἐγκωμίων, ὥστε ἀπὸ τῆς εὐφημίας τῶν ἑτέροις κατορθουμένων 55.297 σπουδαιότεροι γενέσθαι, καὶ τῆς κακίας ἀπαλλαγῆναί ποτε. Ποῦ τοίνυν εἰσὶν οἱ τοὺς τάφους τοὺς πολυτελεῖς οἰκοδομοῦντες, καὶ τὰς λαμπρὰς οἰκίας ἐγείροντες; Ἀκουέτωσαν τί ποιεῖ μνημόσυνον διηνεκές. Οὐ λίθων οἰκοδομὴ, οὐδὲ περιβολὴ τοίχων καὶ πύργοι, ἀλλ' ἔργων ἀγαθῶν ἐπίδειξις. Ταῦτα δὲ τίθησι διὰ τοὺς σφόδρα ἀπίστους καὶ τοῖς μέλλουσιν οὐ προσέχοντας, ἵνα ἀπὸ τῶν παρόντων καὶ φαινομένων ἐπισπασάμενος αὐτοὺς, καὶ πρὸς τὰ μέλλοντα χειραγωγήσῃ· ἄλλως τε καὶ δείκνυσιν ὅτι ἡ ἀρετὴ, ὃ πολλάκις εἶπον, καὶ πρὸ τῶν ἐπάθλων ἐκείνων ἐν ἑαυτῇ τὴν ἀμοιβὴν ἔχει. Ἀπὸ ἀκοῆς πονηρᾶς οὐ φοβηθήσεται. Ἄλλος, Ἀγγελίαν κακὴν οὐ φοβηθήσεται. Ὥσπερ ἄνω οὐκ εἶπεν, ὅτι οὐκ ἐπιβουλει θήσεται, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἐπιβουλευόμενος οὐ σαλευθήσεται· οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα οὐκ εἶπεν, ὅτι οὐκ ἀκούσεται πονηρὰν ἀγγελίαν, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἀκούων οὐ φοβηθήσεται. εʹ. Καὶ πῶς οὐ φοβηθήσεται; Κἂν πόλεμον ἴδῃ προσιόντα, κἂν σεισμὸν τὰς πόλεις καταλύοντα, κἂν λῃστὰς καὶ τοιχωρύχους τὰ πάντα ὑφαιρουμένους, κἂν βαρβάρους ἐπιτρέχοντας, κἂν νόσον θάνατον ἀπειλοῦσαν, κἂν δικαστοῦ θυμὸν, κἂν ὁτιοῦν ἕτερον, οὐ δέδοικε. Προαπέθηκε γὰρ αὑτοῦ τὸν πλοῦτον ἐν ἀσύλῳ χωρίῳ, καὶ οὐ μόνον οὐ τρέμει τελευτῆς ἐπιούσης, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπείγεται ταχέως ἐπιδημῆσαι, ἔνθα τὰ τῆς ἐμπορίας αὐτῷ. Ὅπου γὰρ ὁ θησαυρὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, ἐκεῖ καὶ ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ. Εἰ γὰρ ἔμποροι χρημάτων, πολλὰ προπέμψαντες οἴκαδε φορτία, καθ' ἑκάστην ἐπείγονται τὴν ἡμέραν ἰδεῖν τὸν αὑτῶν πλοῦτον· πολλῷ μᾶλλον οὗτος, ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς τὴν περιουσίαν προαποθέμενος ἅπασαν, θελήσει τῶν παρόντων ἀποῤῥαγεὶς πρὸς τὰ μέλλοντα κατεπείξεσθαι. Οὐδὲν τοίνυν αὐτὸν εἰς φόβον ἐμβαλεῖν δύναιτ' ἄν. Ἑτοίμη ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ ἐλπίζειν ἐπὶ Κύριον. Ἕτερός φησιν, Ἑδραία καρδία αὐτοῦ, ταὐτὸ δηλῶν, καὶ ἑρμηνεύων τὸ ἕτοιμον. Ὃ οὖν λέγει τοῦτό ἐστιν· Οὐδέν ἐστι τὸ παρασαλεῦον αὐτὸν, καὶ τοῖς παροῦσι προσηλοῦν, ἀλλ' ὅλος δι' ὅλου πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἀνατέταται, καὶ τὴν ἐλπίδα ἀναμένει ἐκείνην, καὶ πέπηγε τῇ προσδοκίᾳ ταύτῃ διηνεκῶς ἐρηρεισμένος, καὶ οὐδενὶ τῶν παρόντων μαλακιζόμενος, ἢ περισπώμενος. Τοιαῦται γὰρ αἱ τῶν πραγμάτων φροντίδες σχίζουσι τὴν διάνοιαν, καὶ διατέμνουσι τὴν γνώμην. Ἀναγκαῖον τοίνυν πάλιν εἰπεῖν ἐκεῖνο τὸ εὐαγγελικόν· Ὅπου ὁ θησαυρὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, ἐκεῖ καὶ ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ. Ἐστήρικται ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ, οὐ μὴ σαλευθῇ. Εἶδες τὸν οἰκοδομοῦντα τὴν οἰκίαν ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν; Τί γὰρ δύναται δεδοικέναι ὁ γυμνὸς καὶ εὔζωνος, καὶ μηδεμίαν μηδενὶ παρέχων λαβήν; τί δύναται δεδοικέναι ὁ τὸν Θεὸν ἵλεω ἔχων καὶ εὐμενῆ; Ὥστε ἑκατέρωθεν αὐτῷ τὰ τῆς ἀσφαλείας, ἔκ τε τῆς ἄνωθεν ῥοπῆς καὶ τῆς κάτωθεν εὐκολίας· καὶ οὐδὲν αὐτὸν παρασαλεῦσαι δύναται, οὐ ζημία χρημάτων, οὐκ ἐπήρειαι, οὐ συκοφαντίαι. Οὐ γὰρ ἔχει ἔνθα βλαβῇ, ἐντεῦθεν μεθορμισάμενος εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν, εἰς χωρίον πονηρίᾳ πάσῃ καὶ ἐπιβουλῇ ἄβατον. Καὶ γὰρ ἴστε σαφῶς, ὅτι πᾶσαι αἱ ἐπιβουλαὶ περὶ χρήματα καὶ χρημάτων ἕνεκεν, καὶ περὶ ταῦτα τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἡ πᾶσα σπουδή. Ἕως οὗ ἐπίδῃ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτοῦ, Τίς δὲ τοῦ τοιούτου ὁ ἐχθρὸς, ἀλλ' ἢ οἱ πονηροὶ 55.298 δαίμονες, καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ διάβολος; Ἐσκόρπισεν, ἔδωκε τοῖς πένησιν· ἡ δικαιοσύνη αὐτοῦ μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐλεημοσύνης ἐμνήσθη καὶ τοῦ κιχρᾷν καὶ τοῦ οἰκτείρειν· ἐλεημοσύνης δὲ μέτρα πολλά· ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἔλαττον, ὁ δὲ πλεῖον δίδωσιν· ἴδωμεν ποῖον ἐλεήμονά φησι, τὸν ἐκ τοῦ περισσεύματος παρέχοντα, ἢ τὸν τὰ ὄντα κενοῦντα. Εὔδηλον ὅτι τὸν τὰ ὄντα κενοῦντα, τὸν ἀφειδῶς κεχρημένον τῷ πράγματι·