6. After that, they start again, as it were, again, but, in fact, they continue the same. In like manner Paul ended the beginning of his epistle with a doxology, saying, "By the will of God and our Father; To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen" (Galatians 1:4-5), then begins to reveal the content of his epistle. In the same way, in another place, having said: "They worshipped and served the creature instead of the Creator, Who is blessed for ever, Amen" (Rom. 1:25), he did not end the speech, but continues it further. And so, let us not blame these angels for not keeping order, when, having concluded their speech with a doxology, they again continue the sacred songs. They follow the example of the apostles, when they begin with a doxology and end with the same thing, and at that end they begin again. And so, they say: "Glory to Thee, O Lord, glory to Thee, Holy One, glory to Thee, O King, that Thou hast given us a brush for joy"! One should give thanks not only for great blessings, but also for small ones. Thanking and for the little, they denounce the heresy of the Manichaeans and all those who say that the real life is evil. In order that you, judging by their lofty wisdom and their neglect of the belly, should not conclude that they abhor brushes like suicides, they teach you by their prayer that they abstain from many things, not out of aversion to the creatures of God, but out of love for asceticism. And see how they, having given thanks for the blessings that have already been bestowed, ask for other greater ones, and do not stop at worldly things, but are lifted up above the heavens, and say: "Fill us with the Holy Spirit!" Without being filled with the grace of the Spirit, it is impossible to have proper success in anything, just as it is impossible to accomplish anything valiant and great without the help of Christ. And as they add to the words, "That we may abound in every good work," so here they say, Fill us with the Holy Spirit, that we may be found acceptable before Thee. Do you see that they do not pray for worldly things, but only give thanks, and for spiritual things they give thanks and pray? "Seek," said Christ, "first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matt. 6:33). Take note of their wisdom further. "May we find ourselves," they say, "acceptable before Thee, that we may not be ashamed." We do not fear, they say, the shame of men; Whatever people say about us in mockery and reproach, we do not pay any attention to it. We only take care of this, so that then we will not be ashamed. And when they say this, they think of the river of fire, of reward, of honors. They did not say, "That we may not suffer punishment; but: so as not to be ashamed. To appear as offenders of the Lord is more terrible for us than hell. But since many of the careless are not frightened by this, they add: "Then you will repay each one according to his deeds." You see how much benefit these wanderers and strangers, desert dwellers, or better - celestials, bring us. We are pilgrims of heaven, and inhabitants of the earth; And they are the opposite. After such a song, filled with tenderness, with hot and abundant tears, they go to sleep and sleep as long as is necessary for a little rest. And again night is turned into day, spending time in thanksgiving and psalmody. And not only men, but also women exercise themselves in such wisdom, overcoming the weakness of nature with an excess of diligence. So we, men, will be ashamed of the strength of women and will cease to care about the present - about the shadow, about the dream, about the smoke. Most of our life is spent in insensibility. In youth we are almost completely unreasonable; when old age comes, every sense in us is blunted. There remains a small interval in which we can enjoy pleasure with full feeling; and even at this time we do not fully enjoy, because of innumerable cares and labors. That is why I urge you to seek unchangeable, incorruptible blessings, and a life that never ages. After all, it is possible, living in the city, to imitate the wisdom of the desert dwellers; Both the married and the married can pray, fast, and come to tenderness. Thus, the first Christians, taught by the apostles, lived in cities, but showed the piety characteristic of the desert dwellers; others were also engaged in needlework, such as Priscilla and Aquila. And all the prophets had wives and houses, such as Isaiah, Ezekiel, the great Moses; However, this did not prevent them from being virtuous.

Amen.

DISCOURSE 56

"Verily I say unto you, there are some of them standing here that shall not taste death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom" (Matt. 16:28).

1.

And notice how He acts. Having spoken of hell and the kingdom [namely, in the words: "Whoever will save his life will lose it," and if anyone destroys "it for my sake, he will find it," and "He will repay each one according to his works" (John 12:25; Matt. 16:27) He meant both], having spoken of both, He places the kingdom before His very eyes, and puts Gehenna away from His sight. Why is that? Because for the coarser people it was necessary to speak of Gehenna; and since His disciples were experienced and knowledgeable, He convinces them with that which could give them great consolation. Moreover, it was more fitting for Jesus Christ to speak in this way. However, He does not completely abandon Gehenna, but sometimes He presents it before His eyes, when, for example, He cites the image of Lazarus (Luke 16), or the lender, or the man who demanded a hundred denarii (Matt. 18), clothed in dirty clothes, and many others (Matt. 22). "And it came to pass, after six days, that Jesus took Peter, and James, and John" (Matt. 17:1). If another Evangelist says: "after eight days" (Luke 9:28), then there is no contradiction here, on the contrary, there is agreement. One understood both the day on which Jesus spoke, and the day on which He led His disciples into the mountain; and the other counts only those days that have passed between these days. See how impartial Matthew is: he does not hide those that were preferred to him. John often does the same, describing with complete accuracy the excellent praise given to Peter. Thus, all these holy men have always been strangers to envy and vanity.

And so, having taken the chief apostles, "He led them up to a high mountain alone, and was transfigured before them: and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with Him" (Matt. 17:1-3). Why does Christ take only these disciples? Because they were superior to the rest: Peter by his strong love for Jesus, John by the special love of Jesus for him, and James by the answer which he gave with his brother: "We may drink the cup" (Matt. 20:22), and not only by the answer, but also by the works, both by others and by those by which he justified his words. And indeed, he was so hostile and hateful to the Jews, that Herod also thought to make a great gift to the Jews by killing him. Why does Jesus not immediately raise them up? So that the other disciples would not be confused. That is why He does not even speak of the names of those who will ascend the mountain with Him. Otherwise, the other disciples would have greatly desired to follow Him, in order to see the image of the future glory, and would have grieved as if they had been despised. Although Christ intended to show His glory in a sensual way, nevertheless, this was desirable for them. But why did He speak of this before? In order that they, having heard of it earlier, might become more capable of contemplation, and that the number of days, having kindled in them a strong desire, might compel them to approach with a thought that was awake and anxious. Why do Moses and Elijah appear here? There are many reasons for this. And, in the first place, since some of the people revered Christ for Elijah, others for Jeremiah, and others for one of the ancient prophets, the chief prophets appear, so that the difference between the servants and the Lord may be seen, and that Peter is justly commended, for confessing Christ to be the Son of God. Further, the second reason can be indicated. The Jews often accused Christ of breaking the law and blasphemy, as if He were stealing away the glory of the Father, which did not belong to Him, and said: "This man is not of God, for he does not keep the Sabbath" (John 9:16); and again: "We do not want to stone Thee for a good deed, but for blasphemy, and because Thou art a man, making Thyself God" (John 10:33); therefore, in order to show that both accusations arose from envy, and that He is free from both, that is, that He did not transgress the law, nor did He appropriate the glory that did not belong to Him, calling Himself equal to the Father, He presents men who are glorified both for the fulfillment of the law and for zeal for the glory of God. If Moses had given the law, the Jews might have concluded that he would not have tolerated the contempt of the law, as they had thought, and would not have served the transgressor of it, who was hostile to him. In the same way, Elijah, out of zeal for the glory of God, would not have stood before and obeyed Christ, if He had been an adversary of God, and called Himself God and equal with the Father, without really being such.

2. Along with the above, another reason can be cited. Which one? By this appearance, Jesus Christ wanted to teach His disciples that He has power over life and death, and has dominion over heaven and earth. For this reason both the dead and the one who has not yet experienced death appear here. The fifth reason (and this is indeed the fifth) was presented by the evangelist himself. It is to show the glory of the cross, to comfort Peter and the other disciples who feared suffering, and to encourage their hearts. In fact, the two men who appeared were not silent, but spoke of the glory which he intended to manifest in Jerusalem, that is, of suffering and of the cross, because suffering and the cross are always called glory. Further, the reason for the election of these men was their very virtue, which He chiefly demanded of His disciples. Since Christ has always taught: "If any man will come after me, let him take up his cross, and follow me," He now brings into the midst those who have died a thousand times for the glory of God and for the people entrusted to them. Verily, each of them, having lost his soul, gained it; each spoke boldly against tyrants, one against Pharaoh, another against Ahab, and moreover for ungrateful and disobedient people, who paid them for their salvation with ingratitude, plunging them into extreme dangers; everyone wanted to distract the people from idolatry. Both were simple people, and moreover, one was tongue-tied and thin-minded, and the other led a harsh life. Both were distinguished by non-acquisitiveness, because neither Moses had anything, nor Elijah had anything but a mantle. And moreover, all this was in the Old Testament, when there was not yet such an abundant gift of miracles. True, Moses also divided the sea, but Peter walked on the waters, could move mountains, healed various bodily diseases, cast out cruel demons, performed great miracles with his very shadow, and converted the whole universe. Likewise, Elijah, although he raised the dead, the disciples of Christ raised up thousands, and moreover, when they had not yet been vouchsafed to receive the Spirit into themselves. Christ converses with Moses and Elijah also in order to induce His disciples to imitate their love for their people, their constancy and firmness, so that they may be meek like Moses, zealous like Elijah, and equally solicitous. In fact, one of them endured a famine for the Jewish people for three years, and the other says: "Forgive them their sin, and if not, blot me also out of Thy book, in which Thou hast written" (Exodus 32:32). Christ reminded His disciples of all this by the appearance of Moses and Elijah. And in glory He brought them out, not only that the disciples might be such, but that they might surpass them. That is why, when one day they said: "Let us say that fire should come down from heaven" (Luke 9:54), and mentioned Elijah, who did the same, He said to them: "You do not know what kind of spirit you are", persuading them to endure offenses by the superiority of the gift. But let no one think that we condemn Elijah as imperfect; We don't say that. He was very perfect, but only in his own time, when the minds of people were still in infancy, and when they had need of such guidance. In the same way, Moses was perfect; but more perfection is required of Christ's disciples: "Except your righteousness surpass the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:20). And this is because the disciples were not sent to Egypt, but to the whole world, which was in a worse condition than Egypt, and they did not have to talk to Pharaoh, but to fight with the very author of evil, the devil. Their feat was to bind him and plunder all his vessels; and this they did not do by dividing the sea, but by cutting with the rod of Jesse the abyss of wickedness, which was raised up by stormy waves. Imagine what did not frighten these men: death, poverty, infamy, countless sufferings. All this was more terrible to them than the sea was to the Jews. And yet Christ persuaded them to despise all these things, and to go with perfect safety, as it were by land. Preparing them for all this, He also set before them men who had been glorified in the Old Testament. What about the fiery Peter? "It is good for us to be here" (Matt. 17:4), he says. Since he heard that Christ must go to Jerusalem and suffer, then, fearing and trembling for Him, after the reproach made to him, he does not dare to approach and repeat the same thing: "Be merciful to Thyself" (Matt. 16:22), but out of fear he expresses the same idea in other, but not so clear words. Now, seeing the mountain and the solitary wilderness, he thought that the very place provided security, and not only did he hope for the safety of the place, but he also thought that Jesus would not go to Jerusalem again. Peter wants Christ to remain here forever, which is why he reminds us of tents. If, he thought, this should happen, we will not go to Jerusalem; and if we do not go, then Christ will not die, because there, said Jesus, the scribes will attack Him. But not daring to say it in this way, but wishing it to happen, Peter said without any fear: "It is good for us to be here!" Here are Moses and Elijah, Elijah - who brought fire down from heaven to the mountain, Moses - who entered the darkness and conversed with God; And no one will know that we are here.

3. Do you see how ardently Peter loves Christ? Do not think that the conviction he offers was not thought through; but consider how ardent he was, and how his love for Christ burned him. And that Peter did not say this out of fear for himself, is evident from his words, which he uttered when Christ foretold His future death and His exodus, from the words: "I will give my life for Thee; though I ought to die with Thee, I will not deny Thee" (Mark 14:31). Notice how for Christ's sake he was exposed to dangers, when he not only did not flee from the crowd of people that attacked Christ, but, drawing another sword, cut off the ear of the bishop's servant. Thus, he did not care for himself, but trembled for his Teacher. Further, since his words were decisive, he now comes to his senses, and in order not to incur reproach again, he continues: "If you will, let us make three tabernacles here: one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah"? What do you say, Peter? Did you not shortly before distinguish Him from the slaves, and now you again confuse Him with the slaves? This is how imperfect the disciples were before the cross! Though Peter had a revelation from the Father, he did not hold it back constantly, but was troubled by fear, not only that of which I have spoken, but also by the fear that was born in him at the very vision. For this reason the other Evangelists, speaking of this and showing that the cause of the confusion with which he pronounced these words was precisely that fear, said: Mark "did not know what to say; for they were afraid" (Mark 9:6); and Luke, having said, "Let us make three tabernacles," added, "not knowing what he spoke" (Luke 9:33). Moreover, showing that both Peter and the other disciples were stricken with great fear, Luke says of them: "They were weighed down with sleep; but when they awoke, they saw his glory" (Luke 9:32). By sleep here the Evangelist means the great aggravation that occurred in them from the vision. As excessive brilliance blinds the eyes, so they were struck by the light of that time. This light appeared not by night, but by day, and their feeble eyesight was weighed down by the greatness of the brilliance. What next? Neither Christ Himself says anything, nor Moses, nor Elijah; but the Father, who is greater than all and more worthy of faith, speaks from the cloud. Why from the cloud? This is how God always appears. "Cloud and darkness are round about Him" (Psalm 96:2); again: "He will sit on a light cloud" (Isa. 19:1); again: "Thou makest the clouds Thy chariot" (Psalm 103:3); also: "A cloud took Him out of their sight" (Acts 1:9); again: "With the clouds of heaven went as the Son of man" (Dan. 7:13). Therefore, in order for the disciples to verify that this voice is the voice of God Himself, a cloud appears, and a bright one at that. "While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; Hear Him" (Matt. 17:5)! When God utters threats, then He shows a dark cloud, as for example on Mount Sinai: "Moses entered into the midst of the cloud, and ascended into the mountain" (Exodus 24:18), "smoke ascended from it like smoke from a furnace" (Exodus 19:18). In the same way, the prophet, speaking of threats, said: "Darkness of the waters, clouds of the air" (Psalm 17:12). Here, since He did not intend to frighten, but to teach, a bright cloud appears. And while Peter said, "Let us make three tabernacles," He Himself showed the canopy not made with hands. That is why there is smoking and stove smoke, here is ineffable light and voice. Then, in order to show that he was not merely speaking of one of the three, but of Christ, the other two, when the voice was heard, withdrew, because if it had been spoken simply of one of them, then after the departure of the two, Jesus alone would not have remained. Why did the cloud overshadow not only Christ, but all? If it had overshadowed Christ alone, one might have thought that the voice had come from Christ Himself. That is why the Evangelist, preventing this from happening, says that the voice was from the cloud, that is, from God. What does this voice say? "This is My beloved Son"! But if Jesus is the beloved Son, then fear not, Peter! You had to know His power and be convinced of His resurrection. If you do not know, at least be encouraged by the voice of the Father. If God is omnipotent, as He really is, then the Son is omnipotent. Therefore, do not be afraid of threatening dangers. If you still do not agree, then at least consider that He is the Son, and the Beloved Son: "This is My beloved Son"! But if He is beloved, then do not be afraid. Who will destroy the one he loves? Therefore, do not be dismayed; though your love for Him be immeasurable, yet you do not love Him as He who begat Him, Who is well pleased with Him, loveth Him. He loves Him not only because He begat Him, but also because He is equal to Him in all things, and has one will with Him. Therefore the cause of His love is twofold, or even threefold, that is, that He is His Son, that He is beloved, that in Him is all His good pleasure. What does it mean, "In Whom I am well pleased"? It is as if the Father says thus: In Him is My rest and delight; and this is because He is perfectly equal to the Father in all things; His will is one with the will of the Father, and, being the Son, He is in all things one with Him who begat Him. "Hear Him," so if He wanted to be crucified on the cross, you would not resist it. "And when the disciples heard, they fell on their faces, and were very afraid. But Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and do not be afraid. And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw none but Jesus alone" (Matt. 17:6-8).

4. Why were they so amazed when they heard these words? And before there was such a voice on the Jordan, in the presence of the people, but no one experienced anything like it; and afterwards, again, when there was thunder, as they said, no one experienced such a thing. Why did they prostrate themselves on the mountain? The reasons for this: the solitude and height of the place, the deep silence, the transfiguration combined with terror, the extraordinary light and the outstretched cloud - all this plunged them into great trembling. Amazing things surrounded them everywhere, and they fell down in terror and bowed. But so that fear, acting too long, does not deprive them of their memory, Christ immediately dispels their terror and appears to their eyes alone; and commands them not to speak of the event to anyone until He rises from the dead. "And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus rebuked them, saying, Tell no man of this vision, until the Son of Man rises from the dead" (Matt. 17:9). Indeed, the more miraculous things were told about Him, the more difficult it would be for many to believe it. Moreover, the temptation of the cross increased even more because of this. Wherefore He commands them to be silent, and not merely commands, but reminds them again of His sufferings, as if giving the reason why He commanded them to be silent, forbidding them not always to reveal it, but only until He rises from the dead. Keeping silent about what was very unpleasant, He says only one consoling thing. What after that? Could they not be offended? Nohow. It was only necessary to pass time before the cross; and afterwards they were filled with the Spirit, and in the signs they found a voice to follow them. Truly, nothing can be more blessed than the apostles, and especially the three of them, who were vouchsafed to be with the Lord under the cover of one cloud. However, we, too, if we wish, can see Christ – not in the form in which they saw Him on the mountain, but in a much better form, because later He will not come in the same form. Then He, sparing the disciples, showed them as much glory as they could bear; after that He will come in the glory of His Father, not only with Moses and Elijah, but with innumerable hosts of angels, with archangels, with cherubim, with all their innumerable hosts; not one cloud will be over His head, but the whole heaven will be centered upon Him. As judges, when they execute their judgment publicly, take away the curtains and show themselves to all, so then all will see Christ seated, and all people will stand before Him, and He Himself will answer them with His mouth. And to some he will say, "Good and faithful servant! in a few things thou hast been faithful, I will set thee over much" (Matt. 25:21). And to others, defining otherwise, He will say: "Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matt. 25:41); and to some, "a wicked servant and a slothful one" (Matt. 25:26). He will cut some and deliver them over to tormentors; and the others, having bound their hands and feet, commanded to be cast into utter darkness. And after the axe, the furnace will receive them, into which everything that is thrown out of the net will be thrown. "then the righteous shall shine like the sun" (Matt. 13:43), and even more than the sun; but if it is said so, it is not because their brightness is exactly the same as that of the sun, but because we do not know of any other luminary more brilliant than the sun. Christ, by means of the object known to us, wanted only to depict the future glory of the saints. In the same way, the Evangelist, when he says that Jesus shone like the sun on the mountain, says so for the same reason; And that the light was greater than that which is compared (sunlight), this was proved by the disciples by prostrating themselves. If this light had not been extraordinary, but had been like the sun, they would not have fallen, but easily carried it away. Therefore the righteous at that time will shine like the sun, and even more; but sinners will experience extreme calamities. Then there will be no need for evidence, denunciations, witnesses. He who judges is at once a witness, a rebuke, and a judge. He knows everything clearly: "all things are naked and open in His sight" (Hebrews 4:13). No one will appear there rich or poor, strong or weak, wise or foolish, slave or free; All these differences will disappear, and only cases will be sorted out. If in the courts a person convicted of mismanagement or murder, whoever he may be, prefect or consul, or the like, is deprived of all dignity and accepts a worthy execution, how much more so will it be there.

5. Therefore, in order that this may not happen to us, let us take off our unclean garments, let us put on the armor of light, and the glory of God will overshadow us. Which of the commandments, in fact, is inconvenient to fulfill, which is difficult? Listen to what the prophet says, and then you will know that they are easy. "Does a man torment his soul, when he bends his head like a reed, and lays rags and ashes under him? This is the fast which I have chosen: loose the fetters of iniquity, loose the bands of the yoke" (Isa. 58:5-6). Consider the wisdom of the prophet! Having offered first and then, rejecting the difficult means, he presents the easy way of salvation, showing that God does not require labor, but obedience. Then, proving that virtue is easy and vice is burdensome, he depicts this in the simplest words. Vice, he says, is bondage and slavery, and virtue is liberation and release from all this. "Break every yoke," meaning receipts for debts and loans. "Let the oppressed go free," i.e., the poor, because the debtor, as soon as he sees the lender, is troubled in spirit and fears him more than the beast. "Bring the wandering poor into the house; when thou seest the naked, clothe him, and hide not thyself from thy kinsman" (Isaiah 58:7). In the previous discourse, when discussing rewards, we called them the source of wealth. Now let us see if there is anything difficult in the commandments that transcends our nature. No, we will not find anything of the kind in them; we will even find the opposite. They are as easy as vice is difficult. In fact, what can be more difficult - to lend, to take care of profits, to conclude transactions, to demand guarantees, to be afraid and trembling for mortgages, for money given on interest, for receipts, for profits, for the fulfillment of promises? Such is all worldly! Apparently, the most refined foresight in everything is unreliable and unstable. On the contrary, it is easy to be merciful, and it frees you from all worries. Therefore, let us not profit from the misfortunes of others, and trade in mercy. I know that for many people it is unpleasant to listen to these words; But what is the benefit of keeping silent? If I remain silent and do not bother with my words, then not only can I not deliver you from punishment by this silence, but on the contrary, the punishment will increase from this, and not only for you, but even for myself this silence will bring punishment. So, what is the use of flattering words, when they do not help in practice, but still harm? What profit is there to cheer with words and sorrow in fact, to soothe the ear and subject the soul to punishment? Therefore, it is necessary to grieve here, so as not to be punished there. A terrible, my dears, a terrible illness that requires great healing has crept into the church! Those who are not even commanded to accumulate wealth by righteous labors, but are commanded to open their houses to the poor, derive their own benefit from the poverty of others, inventing a plausible image of theft, skillfully covering up covetousness. Don't tell me about external laws. And the publican fulfills the external law, but in spite of this he is guilty of punishment. We will have to experience the same if we do not cease to oppress the poor in need and misery, and to take advantage of this opportunity for shameful gain. You have money to alleviate poverty, and not to appease it; but you, under the guise of generosity, only increase poverty, and sell mercy for money. Sell, I don't forbid it; but only for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. For this deed you will receive a considerable reward - but a hundredfold reward, immortal life. Why are you poor and needy? Why do you, faint-hearted, sell great things for a small price, for money that is perishing, when this should be done for the sake of the kingdom that endures forever? Why, having forsaken God, do you strive for the benefits of men? Why, running around the Rich, do you annoy the poor, and, leaving the generous Giver, enter into relations with the ungrateful? He himself wants to give, but this one gives with difficulty. This one gives hardly a hundredth part, but He gives eternal life more than a hundredfold. This one with resentment and abuse, That one with love and favor. One arouses hatred in you, the other weaves crowns for you. One is with you just here, the other is both here and there. Is it not the utmost folly, then, not to know even one's own usefulness? How many people lost their money in the pursuit of profits! How many people, for the sake of gain, have been exposed to dangers! How many people have plunged themselves and others into extreme poverty from unheard-of covetousness!

6. Do not tell me that he who borrows rejoices and gives thanks for what has been given to him; it comes from your cruelty. And Abraham, having given his wife to the barbarians, himself showed that their evil intentions were pleasing to him; However, he did this not out of good will, but out of fear of Pharaoh. So it is with the poor man: since you do not consider him worthy to lend him, I am forced to thank you for your cruelty. It seems to me that even if you free someone from danger, you will demand a reward for it. No, you will say, this will not happen! What are you saying? In saving you from a great misfortune, you do not want to take money for it, while with a small service you show such inhumanity? Do you not see what punishment such an act deserves? Do you not know that this was forbidden in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 15)? But what else do many say, 'I will take the interest, and give to the poor?' Don't be cunning with the law. It is better not to give to a beggar at all than to give what is acquired by such means. By unrighteous bribery you often make unlawful the wealth that you have gathered by honest labors, just as if someone forced a healthy belly to give birth to scorpions. And what do I say about the law of God? Do you not call it unclean yourselves? If you, greedy people, think about it in this way, then imagine what judgment God will pronounce on you? If you want to know how the earthly legislators thought about this, then in their opinion such actions were a sign of extreme shamelessness. Those who were honored and belonged to the great council, called the senate, were forbidden to dishonor themselves with such gains. They had a law that forbade such gains. How can you not feel horror when you do not give such honor to the heavenly state as the legislators give to the Roman senate, even revere the heavens below the earth? And you are not ashamed of such madness? For it is as senseless as if someone thought to sow without earth, rain and a plow. Those who would invent such a ridiculous image of agriculture should expect nothing from it except tares doomed to fire.

Are there not many honest ways to acquire, for example: meadows, flocks, fields, cattle, needlework, care for property? Why then do you go mad and, sowing for good fortune, get thorns? The fruits of the earth, you will say, suffer much harm, for example: from hail, drought, torrential rains. But everything is not the same as the percentages. In fact, only the fruits of those accidents are suffered, and the capital, that is, the field, remains. Here, on the contrary, many people often ruin capital itself, and even before this misfortune they are constantly disturbed.

Such are the percentages! More than these poisonous animals, they torment and devour the souls of the unfortunate. Here is the "union of unrighteousness"! This is the "bondage of the yoke"! A man says: I give not so that you may have anything, but that you may return it with interest. And God, on the contrary, does not command to receive back what is given. "Lend," He says, "to those from whom you do not expect to receive (Luke 6:35); but you demand even more than you have given, and you compel your debtor to consider as a duty even that which you have not given. Through this you think to increase your possessions; but instead of this, you prepare for yourself an unquenchable fire. In order that this may not happen to us, let us cut off the unrighteous offspring of gain, let us destroy lawless desires, let us dry up this pernicious belly, and let us strive for only true and great gains. And what are these benefits? Listen to what Paul says: "It is a great gain to be godly and content" (1 Tim. 6:6). It is with this one wealth that we may be enriched, so that here too we may enjoy tranquility, and attain future blessings, through the grace and love of mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and dominion, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.