HOMII.Y XI.] HOMILIES ON TIMOTHY. 443 has taken it, or moth devoured it. He repays a hundred-fold here, and eternal life is superadded hereafter, yet do we not lay up our treasure there ! " But," you say, " He repays slowly." Well this too is a proof of the greatness of His gift, that He does not repay here in this mortal life ; or rather He does repay even here a hun dred-fold. For did not Paul leave here his tools, 1 Peter his rod and hook, and Matthew his seat of custom? and was not the whole world opened to them more than to kings? Were not all things laid at their feet? Were they not ap pointed rulers, 2 and lords ? Did not men com mit their lives into their hands? suspend them selves wholly upon their counsel, and enlist in their service ? And do we not see many similar occurrences even now? Many men of poor and humble means, who did but handle the spade, and had hardly a sufficiency of necessary food, having but the character of monks, have been celebrated above all men, and honored of kings. Are these things inconsiderable? Well, con sider that these are but additions, the principal sum is stored up for the life to come. Despise riches, if thou wouldest have riches. If thou wouldest be truly rich, become poor. For such are the paradoxes of God. He would not have thee rich from thy own care, but from His grace. Leave these things to Me, He says ; make spiritual things thy concern, that thou mayest know My power. Flee from that yoke of slav ery, which riches impose. As long as thou cleavest to them, thou art poor. When thou despisest them, thou art doubly rich, in that such things shall flow in upon thee from, every side, and in that thou shalt want none of those things, which the multitude want. For not to possess much, but to need little, is to be rich in deed. The king, so long as he wants aught, differs not from the poor man. For this is pov erty, to stand in need of others ; and by this argument the king is poor, in so far as he stands in need of his subjects. But he that is crucified to the world is not so ; he wants for nothing ; for his hands are sufficient for his subsistence, as Paul said, " These hands have ministered to my necessities, and to them that were with me." (Acts xx. 34.) These are his words who says, "As having nothing, yet possessing all things." (2 Cor. vi. 20.) This is he who was thought a God by the inhabitants of Lystra. If thou wouldest obtain worldly things, seek Heaven ; if you wouldest enjoy things here, despise them. For, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God," He saith, " and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matt. vi. 33.) Why dost thou admire these trifles ? Why long for things of no real worth ? How long is one poor? 3 how long a beggar? Raise thine eyes to heaven, think of the riches there, and smile at gold ; think of how little use it is ; that the enjoyment of it lasts but for the present life, and that compared with eternity, the present life is as a grain of sand, or as a drop of water to the boundless ocean. This wealth is not a pos session, it is not property, it is a loan for use. For when thou diest, willingly or unwillingly, all that thou hast goes to others, and they again give it up to others, and they again to others. For we are all sojourners ; and the tenant of the house is more truly perchance the owner of it, for the owner dies, and the tenant lives, and still enjoys the house. And if the latter hires it, the other might be said to hire it too : for he built it, and was at pains with it, and fitted it up. Property, in fact, is but a word : we are all owners in fact but of other men s possessions. Those things only are our own, which we have sent before us to the other world. Our goods here are not our own ; we have only a life interest in them ; or rather they fail us during our lives. Only the vir tues of the soul are properly our own, as alms giving and charity. Worldly goods, even by those without, were called external things, because they are without us. But let us make them internal. For we cannot take our wealth with us, when we depart hence, but we can take our charities. But let us rather send them before us, that they may prepare for us an abode in the eternal man sions. (Luke xvi. 9.) Goods 4 are named from use,5 not from lord ship, and are not our own, and possessions are not a property but a loan. For how many masters has every estate had, and how many will it have ! There is a sensible proverb, (and popular proverbs, when they contain any wis dom, are not to be despised,) " O field, how many men s hast thou been, and how many men s wilt thou be?" This we should say to our houses and all our goods. Virtue alone is able to depart with us, and to accompany us to the world above. Let us then give up and ex tinguish that love of wealth, that we may kindle in us an affection for heavenly things. These two affections cannot possess one soul. For it is said, " Either he will hate the one, and love the other ; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other." (Matt. vi. 24.) Seest thou a man with a long train of attendants, clearing a way 6 along the streets, clothed in silken gar ments, riding aloft, and stiffening his neck ? Be not overawed, but smile. As we laugh when we see children playing at kings, so laugh at his state, for it is no better than theirs, nor indeed so pleasant, for there is not the same innocence See on Phil. i. 19, Horn. ii.