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DISCOURSE 12.

Concerning wealth, and poverty, and avarice. Matt. 19. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than

for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven.

1 Tim. 6. Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in (793) uncertain riches, but in the God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy.

James 20. Wealth unjustly gathered will be vomited out.

Prov. 19. Better a righteous poor man, than a rich liar.

Eccles. 10. All things obey money.

Sirach 31. The wakefulness of wealth will waste the flesh, and the care thereof driveth away sleep.

Sirach 33. When a rich man falleth, he hath many helpers: he speaketh things not to be spoken, and yet men justify him.

A rich man spake, and all held their tongue, and they extolled his word to the clouds.

Basil. Poverty with truth, is more to be preferred than all enjoyment by the prudent.

It is not being poor that is shameful, but not bearing poverty with good grace.

For a mind preoccupied with avarice, is a scale that brings the balance down on the heavy side of the rule.

Of the Theologian. Nothing is safer than a poor man. He inclines toward God, and looks to Him alone. May wealth perish, if it does not help the poor; Poverty is better than unjust possession, For indeed sickness is better than evil well-being. It is terrible to be poor, but worse to be wealthy wickedly.

Chrysostom. O what a great dignity of poverty. It becomes the mask of God. He is hidden in

poverty, God; and a poor man, is the one stretching out his hand; but God, is the one receiving.

For just as in the case of bodies there is inflammation, and from inflammation a fever is born, and then often death from there; so also from the excess of things and from the excess of wealth, recklessness comes to be. For just as in the case of bodies there is inflammation, so also in the case of the soul there is recklessness. Then from recklessness, the desire for what is not fitting is accustomed to follow.

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ΛΟΓΟΣ ΙΒ´.

Περί πλούτου, καί πενίας, καί φιλαργυρίας. Ματθ. ιθ´. Εὐκοπώτερόν ἐστι κάμηλον διά τρυπήματος ῥαφίδος διελθεῖν, ἤ

πλούσιον εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τήν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν.

Α´ Τιμ. στ΄. Τοῖς πλουσίοις ἐν τῷ νῦν αἰῶνι παράγγελλε μή ὑψηλοφρονεῖν, μηδέ ἠλπικέναι ἐπί (793) πλούτου ἀδηλότητι, ἐλλ' ἐπί τῷ Θεῷ, τῷ παρέχοντι ἡμῖν πάντα πλουσίως εἰς ἀπόλαυσιν.

Ἰακώβ κ´.Πλοῦτος ἀδίκως συναγόμενος ἐξεμεθήσεται.

Παροιμ. ιθ´. Κρεῖσσον πτωχός δίκαιος, ἤ πλούσιος ψεύστης.

Ἐκκλη. ι´. Τῷ ἀργυρίῳ ὑπακούσεται τά σύμπαντα.

Σιράχ λα´. Ἀγρυπνία πλούτου ἐκτήσει σάρκας, καί ἡ μέριμνα αὐτοῦ ἀφιστᾷ ὕπνον.

Σιράχ λγ´. Πλούτου σφαλέντος πολλοί ἀντιλήπτορες · ἐλάλησεν ἀπόῤῥητα, καί ἐδικαίωσαν αὐτόν.

Πλούσιος ἐλάλησε, καί πάντες ἐσίγησαν, καί τόν λόγον αὐτοῦ ἀνύψωσαν ἕως τῶν νεφελῶν.

Βασιλ. Πενία μετ᾿ ἀληθείας, πάσης ἀπολαύσεως τοῖς σωφρονοῦσι προτιμοτέρα.

Οὐ τό πένεσθαι ἐπονείδιστον, ἀλλά τό μή φέρειν εὐγνωμόνως τήν πενίαν.

Λογισμός γάρ φυλαργυρίᾳ προειλημμένος, τρυτάνη ἐστίν ἐπί τό βαρύ τοῦ κανόνος τήν ῥοπήν καταφέρουσα.

Θεολόγου. Πένητος ἀνδρός οὐδέν ἀσφαλέστερον. Πρός τόν Θεόν νένευκε, καί μόνον βλέπει. Ὡς ἀπόλοιτο πλοῦτος, εἰ μή βοηθεῖ πένησιν· Κρεῖσσον πενία, μή δικαίας κτήσεως, Καί γάρ νόσος γε, τῆς κακῆς εὐεξίας. ∆εινόν πένεσθαι, χεῖρον δ' εὐπορεῖν κακῶς.

Χρυσόστ. Ὦ πηλίκον ἀξίωμα τῆς πενίας. Θεοῦ γίνεται προσωπεῖον. Κρύπτεται ἐν

πενίᾳ Θεός· καί πένης μέν, ὁ τήν χεῖρα προτείνων· Θεός δέ, ὁ δεχόμενος.

Ὥσπερ γάρ ἐπί τῶν σωμάτων φλεγμονή, ἐκ δέ φλεγμονῆς τίκτεται πυρετός, εἶτα θάνατος ἐκεῖθεν πολλάκις· οὕτω καί ἀπό τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων καί ἀπό τῆς τοῦ πλούτου ὑπερβολῆς, ἀπόνοια γίνεται. Ὥσπερ γάρ ἐπί τῶν σωμάτων φλεγμονή, οὕτω καί ἐπί τῆς ψυχῆς ἀπόνοια. Εἶτα ἐξ ἀπονοίας ἐπιθυμία τῶν οὐ προσηκόντων ἐπακολουθεῖν εἴωθεν.