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DISCOURSE 22.

On covetousness. Luke 12. Take heed and beware of covetousness: for not in the abundance for someone

is his life from his possessions.

1 Cor. 6. Why do you not rather suffer wrong? Why are you not rather defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud, and that your brothers. Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?

Solomon 1. The eye will not be satisfied with seeing, nor will the ear be filled with hearing.

Sirach 4. Let not your hand be stretched out to receive, and drawn back when it is time to give.

Sirach 40. The riches of the unjust will be dried up like a river, and like great thunder in a rainstorm will resound.

Sirach 5. Do not rejoice in unjust riches; for they will not profit at all in the day of calamity.

Sirach 14. The eye of the covetous is not satisfied with his portion.

Sirach 21. He who builds his house with other people's money is like one who gathers his stones into the winter torrent.

(856) Of Basil. He who loves what belongs to others will not long after lament being deprived of his own.

As many things as the eye sees, so many does the covetous man desire. Hades has not said, It is enough; nor has the covetous man ever said, It is enough. A wicked neighbor in the city, wicked in the fields. The sea knows its boundaries; the night does not transgress the ancient landmarks. The covetous man does not respect time, does not recognize a limit, does not permit the sequence of succession; but he imitates the violence of fire; he seizes everything, he consumes everything. What is to be after these things? Do not all people await you for three cubits? Will not the weight of a few stones suffice to guard your wretched flesh? For what then do you toil? For what do you transgress the law?

It is better to relieve one's need by small contrivances, than, having been suddenly exalted by what belongs to others, to be later stripped bare of all things at once.

He who takes from his companion and gives to others has not shown mercy, but has committed the ultimate injustice. For if you show mercy from what you unjustly acquire, show mercy to those whom you wrong. For that man is pious, not who shows mercy to many, but who wrongs no one.

Of the Theologian. The hire of a harlot is not chastely distributed. For it is the height of misfortune, not to have security in one's own strong things, but in the decaying things of others.

Chrysost. For he who does not need what belongs to others, but considers himself to be self-sufficient, is wealthier than all.

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ΛΟΓΟΣ ΚΒ´.

Περί πλεονεξίας. Λουκ. ιβ´. Ὁρᾶτε καί φυλάσσεσθε ἀπό τῆς πλεονεξίας· ὅτι οὐκ ἐν τῷ περισσεύειν τινί

ἡ ζωή αὐτῷ ἐστιν ἐκ τῶν ὑπαρχόντων αὐτῷ.

Α´ Κορ. στ´. ∆ιατί οὐχί μᾶλλον ἀδικεῖσθε; ∆ιατί οὐχί μᾶλλον ἀποστερεῖσθε; Ἀλλ᾿ ὑμεῖς ἀδικεῖτε καί ἀποστερεῖτε, καί ταῦτα ἀδελφούς· ἤ οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι ἄδικοι βασιλείαν Θεοῦ οὐ κληρονομήσουσιν;

Σολμ. α´. Οὐκ ἐμπλησθήσεται ὀφθαλμός τοῦ ὁρᾷν, καί οὐ πληρωθήσεται οὖς ἀπό ἀκροάσεως.

Σιράχ δ´. Μή ἔστω ἡ χείρ σου ἐκτεταμένη εἰς τό λαβεῖν, καί ἐν τῷ ἀποδιδόναι συνεσταλμένη.

Σιράχ μ´. Χρήματα ἀδίκων, ὡς ποταμός ξηρανθήσονται, καί ὡς βροντή μεγάλη ἐν ὑετῷ ἐξηχήσει.

Σιράχ ε. Μή ἐπίχαιρε ἐπί χρήμασιν ἀδίκοις· οὐδέν γάρ ὠφελήσουσιν ἐν ἡμέρα ἐπαγωγῆς.

Σιράχ ιδ΄ . Πλεονέκτου ὀφθαλμός οὐκ ἐμπιπλᾶται ἐν μερίδι.

Σιράχ κα´. Ὁ οἰκοδομῶν τήν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ ἐν χρήμασιν ἀλλοτρίοις, ὡς ὁ συνάγων τούς λίθους αὐτοῦ εἰς τόν χειμάῤῥουν.

(856) Βασιλείου. Ὁ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ἐρῶν, μετ᾿ οὐ πολύ θρηνήσει τῶν ἰδίων ἀποστερούμενος.

Ὅσα βλέπει ὀφθαλμός, τοσαῦτα ἐπιθυμεῖ ὁ πλεονέκτης. Ὁ ᾅδης οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἀρκεῖ· οὐδέ ὁ πλεονέκτης εἶπέ ποτε, Ἀρκεῖ. Πονηρός ἐν πόλει σύνοικος, πονηρός ἐν ἀγροῖς. Ἡ θάλασσα οἶδεν τά ὅρια αὐτῆς· ἡ νῦξ οὐχ ὑπερβαίνει ὁροθεσίας ἀρχαίας. Ὁ πλεονέκτης οὐκ αἰδεῖται χρόνον, οὐ γνωρίζει ὅρον, οὐ συγχωρεῖ ἀκολουθίᾳ διαδοχῆς· ἀλλά μιμεῖται τοῦ πυρός τήν βίαν· πάντα ἐπιλαμβάνεται, πάντα ἐπινέμεται. Τί εἶναι μετά ταῦτα; Οὐχί τρεῖς σε πήχεις ἀναμένουσιν οἱ πάντες; οὐχί λίθων ὀλίγων βάρος ἀρκέσει πρός φυλακήν δυστήνῳ σαρκί; ὑπέρ τίνος οὖν μοχθεῖς; ὑπέρ τίνος παρανομεῖς;

Βέλτιον ταῖς κατά μικρόν ἐπινοίαις τήν χρείαν παραμυθήσασθαι, ἤ ἀθρόως ἐπαρθέντα τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις ὕστερον πάντων ὁμοῦ προσόντων ἀπογυμνοῦσθαι.

Ὁ τά ἑταίρου λαμβάνων, καί ἑτέροις διδούς, οὐκ ἠλέησεν, ἀλλ᾿ ἠδίκησεν ἀδικίαν τήν ἐσχάτην. Εἰ μέν γάρ ἐλεεῖς ἐξ ὧν ἀδικεῖς, ἐλέησον οὕς ἀδικεῖς. Εὐσεβής γάρ ἐκεῖνος, οὐχ ὁ πολλούς ἐλεῶν, ἀλλ᾿ ὁ μηδένα ἀδικῶν.

Θεολόγου. Μίσθωμα πόρνης ἀγνῶς οὐ μερίζεται. Ἔστι γάρ τῆς ἄκρας κακοδαιμονίας, μή ἐν τοῖς ἰδίοις ἰσχυροῖς τό ἀσφαλές ἔχειν, ἀλλ᾿ ἐν τοῖς ἀλλοτρίων σαθροῖς.

Χρυσοστ. Ὁ γάρ μή δεόμενος τῶν ἀλλοτρίων, ἀλλ᾿ ἐν αὐταρκείᾳ νομίζων εἶναι, πάντων ἐστίν εὐπορώτερος.