“Sell thy goods, and give to the poor, and come follow Me” (v. 21.); as if the act of following
were to spring from the selling.
Never then let us flee from poverty as an evil, for it is the procurer of heaven. Again, let
us never follow riches as a good; for they are the ruin of such as walk unwarily, but in
everything directing our eyes to God, let us, as occasion requires, use those gifts which He
has vouchsafed us, both strength of body, and abundance of money, and every other gift;
for it is unnatural that we, who have our being for Him, should make these things serviceable
to others, yet not to Him who has made us. He formed thine eye: make it serviceable to Him,
not to the devil. But how serviceable to Him? By contemplating His creatures and praising
and glorifying Him, and by withdrawing it from all gaze at women. Did He make thy hands?
Preserve them for His use, not for the devil, not putting them out for robbery and rapine,
but for His commandments and for good deeds, for earnest prayers, for holding out help
to the fallen. Hath He made thine ears? Give these to Him, and not to effeminate654 strains
nor to disgraceful tales; but “let all thy communication be in the law of the Most High.”
(Ecclus. ix. 15.) For “stand,” he says, “in the multitude of the elders, and whoever is wise,
cleave unto him.” (Ecclus. vi. 34.) Did he make thy mouth? Let it do nought that is displeasing
to Him, but sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. “Let no corrupt speech proceed out of
your mouth,” says the Apostle, “but such as is good for edifying as the need may be, that it
may give grace to them that hear” (Eph. iv. 29.); for edification and not for subversion, for
fair words and not for evil speaking and plotting against other, but the very opposite. He
hath made thy feet, not that thou shouldest run to do evil, but to do good. He made thy
belly, not that thou shouldest cram it to bursting, but to practice lessons of wisdom. For the
production of children, He implanted desire in thy mind, not for fornication, nor for adultery.
He gave thee understanding, not to make of thee a blasphemer or a reviler, but that thou
mightest be without falsehood. He gave us both money to be used on fitting occasion, and
strength likewise to be used on fitting occasion. He instituted arts, that our present state of
existence might be held together by them, not that we should separate ourselves from spir-
itual things, not that we should devote ourselves to the base arts but to the necessary ones,
that we might minister to one another’s good, and not that we should plot one against an-
other. He gave us a roof, that it might afford shelter from the rain, and no more, not that it
should be decked out with gold, while the poor man perishes with hunger. He gave clothing
to cover us, not to make a display withal, not that things like these should have much gold
lavished upon them, and that Christ should perish naked. He gave you a place of shelter,
not that you should keep it to yourself, but to offer it to others also. He gave thee land, not
that, cutting off the chief portion of it, you should spend the good gifts of God upon harlots,
and dancers, and actors, and flute players, and harp players, but upon those that hunger
654 διακεκλασμέναις, “broken,” so called from using the chromatic scale to excess.
414
Philippians 3:1-3