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diff --git a/old/62447-0.txt b/old/62447-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 87d51a7..0000000 --- a/old/62447-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8404 +0,0 @@ -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 62447 *** - LEAVES - FROM - ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM. - - - SELECTED AND TRANSLATED BY - MARY H. ALLIES. - - - Edited with a Preface by T. W. ALLIES, K.C.S.G. - - - Μεγάλης δυνάµεως ἀπόδειξις τὸ διὰ τῶν ἐναντίων πείθειν. - - _Hom. iv. on 1st Epistle to Corinthians._ - - - LONDON: BURNS & OATES, Limited. - NEW YORK: CATHOLIC PUBLICATION SOCIETY CO. - 1889. - - _Imprimatur._ - Henricus Eduardus, - _Cardinalis Archiepiscopus_. - Westmonasterii, - _Die 28 Novembris, 1888_. - - - - - CONTENTS. - - - PREFACE.—ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM. - - PAGE - Birth and Parentage, 1 - Named Preacher at Antioch, 3 - Archbishop of Constantinople, 5 - State of Constantinople, 7 - Enmity of Eudoxia, 9 - Synod of the Oak, 10 - Exile at Kucusus, 11 - Judgment of Pope Innocent I., 12 - Comana, 13 - His Death, 14 - Translation of his Body, 15 - Final Burial at St. Peter’s, 16 - Summary of his Works, 17 - - - PART I. - THE KING’S HIGHWAY. - - 1. The Way, the Truth, and the Life, 23 - 2. Who is the Greater? 26 - 3. The First are Last and the Last First, 29 - 4. Variety of Human Lot, 34 - 5. Whence the Rich? 38 - 6. The Rich Young Man, 41 - 7. Different Kinds of Friendship, 46 - 8. The Buyers and Sellers in the Temple, 49 - 9. The Voice of Good Deeds, 51 - 10. The Best Controversy, 55 - 11. The Tongue a Royal Power, 63 - 12. Golden Vessels and Golden Hearts, 66 - 13. True Almsgiving, 70 - 14. I was hungry and you gave Me to eat, 73 - 15. The Archetype and the Type, 77 - 16. The Weak Things of God, 83 - 17. The Secret of our Faith, 94 - 18. The Victory of our Faith, 100 - 19. Marriages as they were and as they are, 105 - 20. ‘Use a little Wine,’ 109 - 21. Possessing the Land, 118 - 22. The Word of Praise, 125 - 23. Sufferings of the Just, 130 - 24. The Folly of the Cross, 141 - 25. The Abode of the Humble, 148 - 26. The Prisoner of Jesus Christ, 152 - 27. The Seed not vivified unless it dies, 157 - 28. The Resurrection in Creation, 163 - 29. Resurrection confirmed by Signs which followed, 169 - - - PART II. - THE KING’S HOUSE. - - 1. ‘Thou art Peter,’ 183 - 2. ‘Peter rose up,’ 188 - 3. Built upon the Rock, 189 - 4. The Priest a Man, not an Angel, 193 - 5. The Authority of the Priest, 198 - 6. The Priest a Shepherd of Souls, 204 - 7. One Sacrifice, 212 - 8. The New Pasch, 217 - 9. The ‘Eyes of Rome,’ 221 - 10. ‘This is My Body,’ 228 - 11. The Union of the Holy Eucharist, 237 - 12. Bone of our Bone, Flesh of our Flesh, 241 - 13. Remembrance of the Dead, 248 - 14. The Departed at the Sacred Mysteries, 252 - 15. The Tombs of the Martyrs, 256 - 16. The Bodies of the Martyrs, 259 - 17. The Tombs of the Servants, 266 - - - PART III. - PERSONAL. - - 1. Letter to Pope Innocent, A.D. 404, 272 - 2. Letter to some Imprisoned Bishops and Priests (404), 282 - 3. To the Priests and Monks Nicholas, Theodotus, &c. (405), 283 - 4. To some Priests and Monks in Phœnicia (405), 284 - 5. To Studius the Prefect of the City, on the Death of his Brother - (404), 286 - 6. To Malchus on the Death of his Daughter, 288 - 7. To Olympias. The Virginal Life, 288 - 8. To Olympias. The Blessedness of Suffering, 290 - 9. To Olympias (406), 293 - 10. To Pœanius. ‘Glory be to God in all things,’ 295 - 11. Vanity of Vanities 296 - - - ERRATA. - -Page 16, _for_ “surrounded” _read_ surrounds. - -Page 21, _for_ “Nirockl” _read_ Nirschl. - -{_These are corrected in this electronic edition._} - - - - - ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM. - - - Birth and Parentage - -John of Antioch was born about the year 347, of a noble family. His -father, Secundus, held a high rank in the imperial army; he died early, -and left a very young widow, in the bloom of age and beauty, and amply -endowed with wealth. Many suitors sought to obtain the hand of St. -Anthusa. She remained faithful to the memory of her husband, and devoted -to the education of her only son. She brought him up in all the -knowledge of the age and in strict piety, which she enforced by her -example. St. Anthusa, amid all the perils of Antioch, guarded her son -John with the same care which her contemporary, St. Monica, bestowed in -the small circle of an African town on her Augustine. She was happier in -one thing. The heathen charms of Antioch exerted no such power over her -son John as the like seductive beauty of Carthage exerted over the young -Augustine. The prayers and the care of St. Monica and St. Anthusa were -equally zealous. In the one case, after the most terrible fall, lasting -over a period of at least fourteen years, the African mother had the -unspeakable joy of seeing her son’s mind delivered from the most -dangerous heresy of the day, and was allowed to die in the arms of the -new-born Christian, who could share all her hopes of eternal life, which -are recorded in the beautiful dialogue between mother and son preserved -for us by that son, who was to be the greatest doctor of the Church. In -the other case, the Antiochene parent to whom was applied that -expression of the admiring heathen, ‘See what mothers these Christians -have,’ had the still rarer gift of rearing a son who never fell, who -pursued from beginning to end a holy life, who was crowned with a -confessorship exceeding the glory of many martyrs, and whose least merit -is that he was the greatest preacher of the Eastern Church, and gave to -the language of Plato, eight hundred years after him, in its decline, a -glory equal to that which the Athenian gave to it in its prime. - -Two men—I know not if there be any others in all history—have had their -personal name merged by posterity in the name which expressed their -special qualities. As the son of Pepin is for ever Charlemagne, so John, -the son of St. Anthusa, is for ever Chrysostom, the Golden Mouth. It is -thus the world calls the one great and the other eloquent. - -To return to the facts of John of Antioch’s life. As he grew up he had -lessons from the renowned heathen rhetorician Libanius. He studied -philosophy, and distinguished himself, at twenty years of age, in -preparation for the bar. Libanius considered him the best scholar he -had, and even wished to be succeeded by him in his office. - - - Named Preacher at Antioch - -But John speedily renounced this and all worldly renown. He practised a -most strictly ascetic life, and gave himself up to the study of the -Christian religion. He was a pupil of that Diodorus, afterwards bishop -of Tarsus, who was then held in high repute as a Scripture commentator. -He was also under St. Meletius, patriarch of Antioch. From him he -received baptism in 369, at the age, therefore, of twenty-two years; and -the minor order of Lector three years later. The bishops who met at -Antioch in 373 designated him, with his friend Basil, for the episcopal -dignity. In his humility he took flight to the anchorets who dwelt in -the mountains near Antioch. With them he spent four years, and two years -after that in a cavern, until his health failed, and he was obliged to -return to Antioch. Here the patriarch Meletius made him a deacon in 380; -and his successor Flavian gave him the priesthood in 386, in his -fortieth year, and named him to be preacher in the cathedral. - -Then during ten years the great see of the East wondered at the -eloquence, the teaching, and the zeal of the greatest preacher it had -known. In her sorest time of need he was at hand to comfort and support -the city of his birth. When a great riot broke out, and led the citizens -in their haste and anger to insult the statues of the emperor Theodosius -and his wife, the most pious Flaccilla, and Antioch trembled lest this -act of treason should be followed by summary destruction; when her -patriarch Flavian hurried across the five hundred miles to -Constantinople, that if possible he might soften the wrath of the -emperor before the bolt was launched, St. Chrysostom preached some of -his most famous sermons, those entitled, ‘On the Statues’. He kept up -the courage of the fainting people, and when Flavian returned with a -pardon which left untouched the privileges of the city, the preacher -shared with the patriarch the gratitude of those who were saved. - -After ten years of incessant labours by the preacher, which form a large -part of the writings preserved to us, the see of Constantinople fell -vacant by the death of the patriarch Nectarius. Theodosius had died in -395, leaving the great eastern empire in the hands of his elder son -Arcadius, scarcely out of his boyhood. The young emperor was unwilling -to trust the see of his capital to any one of his clergy, and he -listened to the advice given to him to call from Antioch the man whose -genius was as great as his character was stainless. The great officer -who carried out the imperial invitation, or command, at Antioch, was -obliged to use artifice for the purpose of securing the preacher. His -people would not knowingly have suffered him to leave them. He was taken -out of the city under a plausible pretence. ‘Asterius, count of the -East, had orders to send for him and ask his company to a church without -the city. Having got him into his carriage, he drove off with him to the -first station on the high road to Constantinople, where imperial -officers were in readiness to convey him thither.’[1] Thus he was -carried across Asia with all possible speed. Upon his arrival at -Constantinople he was chosen bishop with one voice, and consecrated on -the 26th February, 398. His consecrator was Theophilus, patriarch of -Alexandria, who very unwillingly performed this office. He had striven -to get a certain priest who was devoted to himself appointed. His -subsequent enmity to St. Chrysostom was a main cause of the banishment -and death which befel the man whom he had consecrated. - - - Archbishop of Constantinople - -Thus, at fifty years of age, St. Chrysostom was placed, not only without -seeking for it, but against his wishes, upon that see which, through the -residence of the emperor, was already become the most conspicuous of -episcopal thrones in the East. From the moment that Constantine, -sixty-seven years before, had made Byzantium Nova Roma, and founded, in -fact, a new empire, all the ambitious spirits among the prelates of the -East sought to seat themselves on that perilous height. This new centre -of temporal power was from that time forth the centre of trouble, -heresy, and disaster to the Church. Eusebius left his former see, -Nicomedia, to possess it, and to be the emperor’s bishop. One after -another Arian heretics succeeded. In 379, when the small number of -Catholics remaining in the new capital invited St. Gregory Nazienzen to -come to their aid, he could only open in a private room a small church, -which he called by the significant name of Anastasia, the Resurrection. -In that year Theodosius was promoted by the young Gratian to share his -throne, upon the destruction of his uncle Valens by the Goths. Valens -had all but destroyed both empire and Church in the East. It was the -great effort of Theodosius to restore both. In fifteen years of -unexampled energy, terrible trials, and almost miraculous success, he -did what valour, piety, and prudence could do. These years were all that -the Divine Providence had allowed him for a work almost transcending -human power; and when he died, not yet fifty years old, in 395, the -great empire of Rome, both in East and West, may be said to have fallen -into orphanage. His two sons, Arcadius and Honorius, one a youth of -nineteen and the other a boy of eleven, proved to be utterly -incompetent. Even Theodosius had failed to overcome the deep degeneracy -and rooted party spirit to which the Arian heresy had reduced the -eastern episcopate when St. Athanasius and St. Basil had been freshly -laid in their tombs. The council called by Theodosius at Constantinople -in 381 suffered St. Gregory to give up the see, which was surrounded by -envious rivals. For when Meletius, the patriarch of Antioch, died, in -presiding over that council, instead of extinguishing the Antiochene -schism by the election of Paulinus, the bishop who was already in -communion with Rome and Alexandria, according to an actual agreement, -they suffered the schism to be prolonged by the election of Flavian. -Nectarius took the place which St. Gregory had vacated, and St. -Chrysostom was called after about fifteen years to succeed to his -patriarchate. - - - State of Constantinople - -Such was the state of things when, in 398, he began the charge of a city -which, in corruption, party spirit, and unquenched enmities of -long-standing, surpassed, if it were possible, his own native Antioch. -It is true, that instead of the small remnant who listened to St. -Gregory eighteen years before in the Church of the Resurrection, the -whole city was, in name at least, Catholic. Its bishop was seated in a -magnificent church, with a clergy more numerous, perhaps, than in any -episcopal see in the world: with vast revenues, and a position second -only to that of the emperor. But the court of the East was the focus of -endless rivalries: of eunuchs who were ministers of state exercising the -terrible autocratic powers of an emperor scarcely of age, and dominated -by an imperious empress, whose splendid beauty held him in thraldom, -while her lust of power was endless and her vanity excessive. And then -there were foreign and barbarian generals, whose struggle with each -other for mastery was always keeping the empire in disquietude. And -lastly, the rivalry of the Gallic Rufinus, whom Theodosius had left to -advise his son in the East with the semi-barbarian Stilicho, to whom he -had given both his favourite niece Serena for wife, and his younger son -Honorius for pupil in the West, was preparing the ruin of Constantine’s -empire by its own hands. - -In such an atmosphere the preacher and the saint was placed to struggle -as he might against court intrigues, and to correct and purify a clergy -whose conduct left much to be desired. He showed himself throughout an -admirable bishop. Pursuing himself the most simple and ascetic life, he -bestowed his whole great income as patriarch on the poor. He founded -hospitals and homes. He celebrated the divine service with the utmost -care and splendour. He watched over discipline among his clergy. He was -unwearied in preaching. Nor did his vigilance end with the limits of his -own see. He sent missionaries to Phœnicia and Palestine; to the -Scythians, also, and the Goths. For the latter he established a special -service of their own—he did all he could to deliver them from the fatal -error which the deceit of the emperor Valens had infected them with, in -presenting them with Arianism instead of the Christian faith. He exerted -also the very questionable claim of his see—which the council of 381 had -attempted to exalt to the utmost—by judging the case of the Exarch of -Ephesus, and removing several faulty bishops from their seats in that -exarchate. - - - Enmity of Eudoxia - -But the ‘Court’s stern martyr-guest,’ who was also ‘the glorious -preacher with soul of zeal and lips of flame,’ could not go on long -practising the life of a saint with the power of a patriarch under such -sovereigns as the weak Arcadius and the imperious Eudoxia. His virtues -offended many in a city of intense worldliness. His censures, delivered -with his wonted eloquence from the pulpit of the cathedral, roused great -enmities. In Theophilus, patriarch of Alexandria, he had a watchful -enemy, eager to punish, in the person of Chrysostom, the new rank which -his see arrogated of being the second in the Church, as the see of Nova -Roma. By that arrogation, the see of St. Mark at Alexandria was degraded -from a rank which it had held since the beginning of the Christian -hierarchy. Not only among the magnates of the court, but among his -brother bishops, Chrysostom found much opposition: and at last the -empress set herself at the head of his opponents. While he was absent in -Asia Minor, restoring to order the exarchate of Ephesus, Severian, -bishop of Gabala in Syria, sought, by sermons delivered in the cathedral -itself, to take from him the favour of the people. But it received him -with acclamation on his return, and drove Severian out of the city. - - - Synod of the Oak - -But certain disturbances about the doctrine of Origen which had broken -out among the monks in Egypt involved him in unfortunate difficulties. -Among many monks who fled to Constantinople from the desert of Nitria in -Egypt, under excommunication from Theophilus, were the ‘four tall -brothers’. They came to accuse their patriarch before the emperor and -Chrysostom. He took them up, showing kindness and sympathy, though he -did not admit them to communion. Theophilus was summoned to -Constantinople by the emperor, to answer for his conduct before a synod. -To escape this humiliation he used every effort to ruin Chrysostom, whom -he took to be his own opponent. He accused Chrysostom himself of -Origenism. This scheme of the Egyptian patriarch brought over to his -side all the opponents of Chrysostom at the court. Theophilus even -ventured to appear as the accuser and judge of the patriarch in the -capital itself. He was able to draw together a synod of thirty-six -bishops at the Oak, a country-house near Chalcedon, and to summon the -bishop of Constantinople to appear before it. Chrysostom, on the double -ground of his own rank and his innocence, refused to appear. The -unlawful synod ‘of the Oak’ condemned him, supported by the influence of -the empress. Forty bishops around him in Constantinople attested his -innocence, and objected to a proceeding utterly unlawful and, until -then, unknown. Chrysostom was willing to obey a command of the emperor -that he should cross the Bosphorus and attend; but the people threatened -insurrection if the command were not withdrawn. Chrysostom had to -return, and was reseated in his church with the joyful acclamation of -his people. - - - Exile at Kucusus - -Not long did the peace last. A statue of the empress had been -inaugurated before the cathedral. The crowd indulged in most intemperate -rejoicings, and paid almost idolatrous homage to the statue. This -Chrysostom, in preaching, censured. The empress took the blame to -herself: it kindled her wrath afresh. It was whispered to her that the -great preacher had alluded to her under the name of Herodias. A new -synod of the patriarch’s opponents was convoked. It issued, in the year -404, a second sentence of deposition against him. It alleged that -Chrysostom, after being deposed by a synod, had, contrary to the law of -the Church, resumed his see without being restored by another synod. The -emperor Arcadius confirmed the decision, and subscribed a decree of -banishment. This time Chrysostom waited for force to be used. Soldiers -were sent into the church: they pushed aside the people who were -protecting their bishop. Blood flowed, and the church was desecrated. - -Chrysostom was carried away to Nicæa in Bithynia, and was ordered, in -the midst of the summer heats, to go thence on foot, amid the greatest -privations and hardships, to Kucusus in Armenia. The journey brought on -him a grievous illness. Thus he was detained for some time at Cæsarea in -Cappadocia. He was scarcely recovered when he was driven further on. In -406, he reached Kucusus. But he kept up intercourse by letter with his -friends in the capital. Arsacius, in the meantime, had been intruded by -the emperor’s power into his see; and a grievous persecution was -instituted against those who would not recognise the intruder. -Chrysostom consoled them in many letters. Banished as he was, he -concerned himself for the spread of the faith among Persians and Goths. -His sufferings, and the magnanimity with which he bore them, won for him -sympathy far and wide. But his enemies remained unmoved. He besought the -intercession of Pope Innocent I., describing to him, in a letter which -is translated in this volume, the utter illegality of the violence which -he was suffering. The Pope applied to the emperor Honorius for succour, -and was supported by him in sending a solemn deputation to the emperor -Arcadius; but he was under the dominion of the offended Eudoxia, and -refused to listen either to his brother emperor or the Pope. - - - Judgment of Pope Innocent I. - -The Pope withdrew his communion from the intruder Arsacius, who had been -put unlawfully in the see of Chrysostom, and from his successor Atticus; -and for many years this mark of reprobation was all that the Pope could -do in the difficult circumstances of the times. It lasted until the name -of Chrysostom was replaced in the diptychs of the Church at -Constantinople. - - - Comana - -But Arcadius went further, and condemned Chrysostom to a more distant -and ruder exile at Pityus, a seaport on the most desolate eastern coast -of the Euxine. In the utmost summer heat, with exhausted strength, the -deposed patriarch had to undertake this journey. He never reached the -end. His merciless guards pressed his weakness to the utmost. When at -Comana he thought his end was near; but the guards urged him on. For an -hour he could drag himself along; then his strength utterly failed. He -was taken into the small church of the Martyr Basiliscus, which was -near. His friend and biographer, the Bishop Palladius, thus describes -the last scene: - - - His Death - -‘In that very night (that is, at Comana) the martyr of the place stood -before him, Basiliscus by name, who had been bishop of Comana, and died -by martyrdom in Nicomedia in the reign of Maximinus, together with -Lucian of Bithynia, who had been a priest of Antioch. And he said, “Be -of good heart, brother John, for to-morrow we shall be together”. It is -said that the martyr had already made the same announcement to the -priest of the place: “Prepare the place for brother John, for he is -coming”. And John, believing the divine oracle, upon the morrow besought -his guards to remain there until the fifth hour. They refused, and set -forward; but, when they had proceeded about thirty stadia, he was so ill -that they returned back to the martyr’s shrine whence they had started. - -‘When he got there, he asked for white vestments suitable to the tenor -of his past life; and taking off his clothes of travel, he clad himself -in them from head to foot, being still fasting, and then gave away his -old ones to them about him. Then, having communicated in the symbols of -the Lord, he made the closing prayer “on present needs”. He said his -customary words, “Glory be to God for all things,” and having concluded -it with his last Amen, he stretched forth those feet of his which had -been so beautiful in their running, whether to convey salvation to the -penitent or reproof to the hardened in sin. And being gathered to his -fathers, and shaking off this mortal dust, he passed to Christ, as it is -written, “Thou shalt come to thy burial like full wheat that is -harvested in season, but the souls of transgressors shall die -prematurely”. But so great a crowd of virgins, ascetics, and those who -had the witness of sanctity in their life were present from Syria, -Cilicia, Pontus, and Armenia, that many thought they had come by -agreement. With these solemn rites, like a victorious athlete, he was -buried in the same shrine with Basiliscus.’[2] - -In the meantime, the empress Eudoxia had passed away in child-bed before -her victim. In the undimmed lustre of her beauty, and the undiminished -power of her will over her husband, she had been called to her account. -Her husband, the emperor Arcadius, died not long after. He finished an -utterly inglorious reign of twelve years at the age of thirty-one. His -miserable government had gone near to destroy the empire which his -father saved, and had actually thrown Alaric with his Goths upon Rome -and Italy. He was succeeded by Theodosius II., a boy eight years old. - - - Translation of his Body - -Thirty years after, a disciple and friend of Chrysostom sat in the see -of Nova Roma, the orthodox Proclus, who was a theologian and a saint. He -moved the emperor Theodosius II. to bring back the body of Chrysostom to -its place among the bishops in the Church of the Apostles, where only -the bishops and the emperors were buried—the former in the church, the -latter in the vestibule. Theodoret, bishop of Cyrus at the time, says: -‘A great multitude of the faithful crowded the sea in vessels, and -lighted up a part of the Bosphorus near the mouth of the Propontis with -torches. These sacred treasures were brought to the city by the present -emperor. He laid his face upon the coffin, and entreated that his -parents might be forgiven for having so unadvisedly persecuted the -bishop.’ - - - Final Burial at St. Peter’s - -Those remains now rest in a fitter place. St. Chrysostom, in words -quoted further on, when dilating as a fervent lover of St. Paul upon his -praise, cried out: ‘Rome, for this do I love, although having reason -otherwise to praise her, both for her size, and her antiquity, and her -beauty, and her multitude, and her power, and her wealth, and her -victories in war. But passing by all these things, for this I count her -blessed: because, when alive, Paul wrote to them, and loved them so -much, and went and conversed with them, and there finished his life. -Wherefore the city is on that account more remarkable than for all other -things together, and like a great and strong body, it has two shining -eyes—the bodies of these saints. Not so bright is the heaven when the -sun sends forth his beams, as is the city of the Romans sending forth -everywhere over the world these two lights. Thence shall Paul, thence -shall Peter, be caught up. Think, and tremble, what a sight shall Rome -behold, when Paul suddenly rises from that resting-place with Peter, and -is carried up to meet the Lord. What a rose doth Rome offer to Christ! -with what two garlands is that city crowned! with what golden fetters is -she girdled! what fountains does she possess! Therefore do I admire that -city, not for the multitude of its gold, nor for its columns, nor for -its other splendours, but for these, the pillars of the Church.’ - -The body, therefore, of him who spoke these words, while a preacher at -Antioch, rests more fitly than in any other place amid that matchless -group of apostles, saints, and martyrs which surrounds the body of the -Fisherman, in the central shrine of Christendom. There he awaits the -sight which he anticipated with so much joy. - -I must notice one more fact of the eight great brethren, the chief -doctors of the East and West. St. Ambrose, St. Jerome, St. Augustine, -St. Gregory the Great, St. Athanasius, St. Basil, St. Gregory Nazianzen, -and himself, all suffered persecution; the life of St. Athanasius was -for years in danger from the bitter hatred of the emperor Constantius, -and the emperor Valens would have destroyed St. Basil, had he dared. But -to Chrysostom alone was given actually to lay down his life itself for -justice’ sake, and to follow St. John the Baptist not only in sanctity -of life and preaching the cross of Christ, but in his death through the -persecution of a woman, and the blinded tyranny of a king devoted to her -will. - - - Summary of his Works - -It may be well to give here a summary of St. Chrysostom’s works. Very -much of his labour he spent in commenting upon Scripture. This took the -form of homilies, of which the larger part was delivered before the -people in Antioch. He belongs to the Antiochene school of literal -explanation. He was a fellow-pupil under Diodorus of Tarsus, with that -Theodorus, afterwards bishop of Mopsuestia, whose writings were the -fountain-head of what was afterwards called Nestorianism. They were -composed exactly at the same time as those of St. Augustine, and were as -prolific for evil as those of St. Augustine for good. But the piety and -accurate doctrine of St. Chrysostom preserved him from the errors of his -early comrade and friend. His homilies in their structure may be divided -into the careful expounding of the text, even to its particles, and then -the moral application, both in popular yet scientific form, finished -with such skill that the art of eloquence seems blended with that of -exposition in the fairest union. - -He thus expounded the whole of Genesis in sixty-seven homilies; the -Psalms in sixty homilies; the prophet Isaias, but only to the middle of -the 8th chapter, according to both the historical and the mystical -sense. There are five discourses on St. Anne, the mother of Samuel; -three on David and Saul; two on the obscurity of the prophets; six upon -the seraphim, in which he speaks on the incomprehensibility of the -Divine Being. To the gospel of St. Matthew he has given ninety homilies, -so skilfully interweaving Christian doctrine with literal exposition -that, in Montfaucon’s opinion, no such work exists elsewhere; and St. -Thomas Aquinas is reported to have said that he would rather have it -than the city of Paris. He has given seven homilies to the history of -Lazarus and Dives in St. Luke; and eighty-eight homilies to the gospel -of St. John, shorter, however, than those on St. Matthew. To the Acts of -the Apostles he has given fifty-five homilies, delivered at -Constantinople, and written down by shorthand. To the epistles of St. -Paul he has given two hundred and forty-six homilies; which make up the -number of four hundred and eighty-six on the whole New Testament. - -All these are counted among his best works: but the best of all, those -on the Pauline epistles, particularly that to the Romans. St. Isidore of -Pelusium says: ‘I believe if Paul had interpreted himself in Attic -phrase, he would have done it no otherwise than this distinguished holy -teacher. So admirable is his exposition in meaning, elegance, and choice -of words.’ - -Besides biblical exposition, St. Chrysostom has left a great number of -other discourses on various occasions. - -Such are eight homilies against the Jews; twelve against the Anomæans, -the worst branch of the Arians. Discourses on the great festivals; -panegyrics on saints, among them on bishops of Antioch, Ignatius, -Babylas, Philogonius, Eustathius, and Meletius. Seven on the Apostle -Paul, held at Antioch, whom he seems to have chosen for his model: to -have read perpetually, and, as it were, to have seen at his side. - -Of occasional discourses, there are twenty-one ‘On the Statues’ held at -Antioch in the Lent of 387, full of tenderness and the most stirring -eloquence. Of moral discourses, there are two to ‘those about to be -illuminated,’ that is, baptised: nine upon penance. Eleven at -Constantinople in 398 and 399, one of these in praise of the empress -Eudoxia when she came at night to Sancta Sophia to venerate the relics -of the martyrs; nine others on various subjects. - -Among his dogmatic works are the demonstration against the Jews that -Christ is God, proving the divine dignity of the Messias from the -fulfilment of Old Testament prophecies, from the wonderful spread of the -Christian faith, from the fulfilment of the prophecies of Christ, -especially on the temple and the Jewish people: the writing on St. -Babylas, and against Julian and the heathen. He points out how the -miracles worked at Antioch in Julian’s attack on Daphne were a warning -to the restorer of heathenism, disregarding which, he was punished by an -early death. A treatise on two books to Theodorus, when he lapsed, the -Theodorus mentioned above: on compunction, two books: on Providence, -three books, to a friend grievously troubled. To the opposers of the -monastic life, three books: the comparison between a monk and a king: on -the priesthood, six books, written in solitude, in 376. It dwells on the -holiness and exalted character of the New Testament priesthood: on its -divine powers in offering the sacrifice and forgiving sins; on the -difficulty and the dangers of preaching; on the great qualities required -by a priest and a bishop. So he excuses himself to his friend Basil for -recommending him to an office which he fled from himself. A treatise on -the virginal life, which he gives only as a counsel, not as a precept, -recognising the honour due to marriage. Two books to a young widow, -advising her not to remarry. Against the prohibited dwelling of -unmarried women in the same house with priests, and a most beautiful -treatise upon ‘No one can be hurt except by himself,’ written in the -last moments of his own banishment, of which his own life and death is -the best assurance; and a like one ‘on those who are scandalised at -misfortunes’. - -Lastly, we possess 238 letters, all but one called forth by the -incidents of his own banishment. These show the holy confessor in the -whole beauty of his magnanimous life. They are instinct throughout with -trust in the Divine Providence, like the last words which he uttered -when he lay down to die. - -Out of this vast mass of works, the largest left to us by any Greek -Father, the Translator has ventured to make a small selection, which, -together with the translation itself, is entirely her own; and for which -her excuse is the desire to bring in the easiest form specimens of so -great a writer, and of one greater yet in deed than in writing, greatest -of all in his death, before some who know him rather by the reputation -he has left in the Church than by his actual words.[3] - - THOS. W. ALLIES. - -_11th July, 1888._ - - - - - PART I. - THE KING’S HIGHWAY. - - - The Way, the Truth, and the Life. - (_Homilies on St. Matthew_,[4] lxxvi., vol. ii., p. 395.) - - · · · · · · · - -Is not it with justice, then, that He turns away from us and chastises -us, since in everything He is offering us Himself, and we are resisting -Him? This is clear to all. ‘For,’ He says, ‘if you wish to adorn -yourself you have My adornment, or to arm yourself you have My arms, or -to dress yourself you have My clothing, or to eat you have My table, or -to walk you have My road, or to inherit you have My inheritance, or to -go into your own country you have that city of which I am the Builder -and the Architect, or to build a house you have My tents. I do not -demand of you a reward for the things which I give, but I owe interest -to you besides for that reward if you are willing to make use of all -that is Mine.’ What could equal this munificence? ‘I am father, I am -brother, I am bridegroom, I am dwelling-place; I am food, I am clothing, -I am root and foundation; I am all things whatsoever you desire: stand -in need of no man. I will also be a slave, for I came to minister, not -to be ministered to. I am a friend too; I am member and head, and -brother, and sister, and mother; I am all things; only hold Me for your -own. I am poor for you, and a wanderer for you; I was on the cross for -you, and in the tomb for you; I intercede with the Father for you up -above, and I came down to earth as a messenger to you from the Father. -You are all things to Me—brother and co-heir, and friend and member.’ -What more do you ask? Why do you turn away from Him, your Lover? Why do -you labour for the world? Why do you pour water into a broken pitcher? -For this is to toil for the life which now is. Why do you spin a web for -burning? Why beat the air? Why run at random? Has not every art an -object? This is clear to everyone. Show me, then, you also, the object -of your labour in life. You have none. - -_Vanity of vanities, and all is vanity._ Let us go into a churchyard; -show me now your father, show me your wife. Where is he who was clothed -in gold? Where is he who rode in his chariot? Where is he who had an -army at his command, he who had a treasury, and he who held a public -office? Where is he who killed some and cast others into prison, who -slew whom he pleased and acquitted whom he pleased? I see nothing except -bones, and the moth and the cobweb; all those things were dust and -fable, and dream and shadow, and idle talk and an epitaph—indeed, not -even an epitaph, for we see an epitaph on a figure, but in this place -not even a figure. And would that evils ended here! Now, that which -pertains to honour and feasting and great name is like a shadow and idle -talk, but that which they produce is by no means a shadow or idle talk. -Their effects remain, and will abide with us there and be evident to -all—rapacity and selfishness, fornication, adultery, and a thousand -vices of the same kind. These are not in the image nor in the ashes, but -both words and deeds are written above. With what eyes, then, shall we -look upon Christ? For if a man would not venture to see his father if he -were conscious in his own mind of sinning against him, how shall we in -that hour confront Him Who is infinitely gentler than a father? How -shall we bear Him? For we shall stand before the tribunal of Christ, and -there will be a strict scrutiny of all things. But if anyone disbelieve -in that future judgment, let him consider things as they are on -earth—those in prisons, for instance, those in mines and on dung-hills, -possessed men, madmen, those who are fighting with incurable disease, -those who are pinched by persistent poverty, those who are mated with -hunger, those who are given over to unhealable sorrow, those who are in -captivity. Men, indeed, would not now suffer these things if He did not -ordain that reward and punishment should await all those who have been -guilty of the like transgressions. And if these men incur no penalty in -this world, you must take this to yourself as a sign that there is to be -something in the next after our departure hence. For He Who is the Lord -of all would not chastise some and leave others, who had been guilty of -the same or of worse things, unchastised, if He did not reserve a -punishment for them in the next world. - - · · · · · · · - - - Who is the Greater? - (_Homilies on St. Matthew_, lviii., vol. ii., p. 167.) - - · · · · · · · - -_At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying: Who, then, is the -greater in the kingdom of heaven?_ The disciples had a human feeling, -this is why the Evangelist lays special stress upon it, saying, _at that -time_—that is, when He had singled out Peter for special honour. For in -the case of James and John one was the first-born, but He did nothing of -the kind for them. As, then, they are ashamed to own to their annoyance, -they do not say openly: ‘Why hast Thou honoured Peter more than us?’ or, -‘Is he greater than we?’ they would not say this, but ask indefinitely: -_Who is the greater?_ When they saw the three singled out for special -honour, they had felt nothing of the kind; they _were_ grieved, however, -when so great a distinction was conferred upon one. This was not all, -for their feeling was intensified by putting many other favours -together. For Our Lord said to him: _I will give thee the keys, and, -Blessed art thou, Simon Bar Jona_, and again, _Give it to them for Me -and thee_; and, seeing Peter’s great fearlessness, they were irritated. -And if Mark says that they did not put their question, but thought it in -their own minds, this is not in any way contrary to Matthew’s account. -For it is probable that they did both one and the other, both that they -felt this at one time, and that at another they spoke out, and also had -their own thoughts about it. Now, do not look merely at the accusation, -but consider further, first, that they are not seeking earthly things, -and secondly, that they afterwards overcame this feeling, and ceded the -first places to each other. We, on the contrary, are neither able to -reach their defects, nor do we seek who is the greater in the kingdom of -heaven, but who is the greater in the kingdom of the world, who is the -richer and the more powerful. - -Now, what does Christ say? He reveals their conscience to them, and -answers this feeling rather than their mere words. _Calling unto Him a -little child, He said: Unless you be converted and become as little -children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven._ ‘You, indeed, -enquire who is the greater, and dispute about the first places; _I_ tell -you that he who has not become meeker than all the rest is not worthy -even to enter into that kingdom.’ And He brings the example before them -in a beautiful way; and not only does He bring it before them, but He -sets the child in the midst of them, admonishing them by the sight, and -urging them to be both humble and unaffected. For a child is free from -envy and from vainglory, and from the love of the first places, and he -possesses the greatest virtue—simplicity, and unaffectedness and -humility. It is not sufficient to have courage and prudence, but this -virtue also: I mean humility and simplicity. For with the greatest, our -salvation will be at fault, if we have not these. Contempt, blows, -honour, or praise cause a child neither annoyance nor envy, nor is he -thereby inflated. Do you see again how He excites us to natural -qualities, showing us that these may be rightly directed by a free -choice, and how He thus condemns the wretched fury of the Manicheans? -For if nature be bad, why does He take from nature illustrations in -favour of asceticism? The child seems to me most truly a child standing -in the midst of them, free from all these passions. Such a child, -indeed, is without folly, and the love of reputation, without jealousy -and envy, and every affection of the kind; and having many -virtues—simplicity, humility, unmeddlesomeness—he is not puffed up by -any one of them; it is doubly wise to possess these things and not to be -vain of them. This is why Our Lord called the child and set him in the -midst of them; nor did He close His argument here, but He adds this -further exhortation, saying: _He who shall receive one of these children -in My name receives Me_. ‘Not only if you have become like to them shall -you have a great reward, but also if you honour those like them for My -sake, I will give you a kingdom as a reward for your honour of them.’ He -says, indeed, more than this in the words _receives Me_. Thus, ardently -am I to desire meekness and unaffectedness. Hence He calls men who ate -thus simple and humble, and cast off by the multitude, and despised, -children. - - · · · · · · · - - - The First are Last and the Last First. - (_Homilies on St. Matthew_, lxvii., vol. ii., p. 285.) - - · · · · · · · - -Let no sinner despair: let no just man give way to sloth. Neither let -the just be presumptuous, for it often happens that the harlot outstrips -him; nor let the sinner be downcast, for he may overtake those who are -first. - -Listen to what God says to Jerusalem: _I said all these things after her -adultery, Turn to Me, and she did not turn_. As often as we return to -the burning charity of God, He no longer remembers our former sins. God -is not as man: He does not reproach those who come to Him, or say, if we -be really changed, ‘Why hast thou wasted so much time?’ but He loves us -whenever we go to Him. Let us only go to Him in the right way. Let us -cling fast to Him, and nail our hearts to His fear. These things have -taken place not only recently, but they happened also of old. What was -worse than Manasses? Yet he was able to appease God. Who was more -blessed than Solomon? But torpor made him fall. Indeed, I can show the -two things happening in one man; in Solomon’s father, for he himself was -just and became wicked. Who was more blessed than Judas? Yet Judas -became a traitor. What could be more miserable than Matthew? But he -became an evangelist. What was worse than Paul? Still, Paul became an -apostle. Who was more zealous than Simon? And yet Simon himself became -the most wretched of all. How many more of the same vicissitudes would -you contemplate—those both of the past and those which are taking place -every day? So I say, neither let the man who is on the stage despair, -nor let the man who is in the Church make too bold. To the latter it was -said: _He who seems to stand, let him be careful lest he fall_, and to -the former: _Does the fallen man not rise up again?_ and, _Restore -languid hands and disabled knees_. Again, to the just it was said: -_Watch_, but to sinners: _Arise, thou who sleepest, and rise from the -dead_. The former have need to watch over what they possess, and the -latter to become that which they are not as yet: the just to preserve -their health, sinners to put off their sickness. For they _are_ sick, -but many of the sick are sound, and some of the sound, by their -carelessness, become sick. For it was to these that Our Lord said, _Go, -thou art sound: sin no more, lest something worse should befal thee_; -but to sinners, _Wilt thou be made sound? Take up thy bed and walk, and -go into thy house._ Sin is indeed a dire paralysis, or, rather, it is -not only a paralysis, but something more fearful. For a paralysed man is -not only lacking good things, but is also a prey to bad ones. Still, if -you are even in this state, and are willing to make a small effort to -rise, all sins are remitted. Even if your sickness has lasted -thirty-eight years, yet you strive to become sound: there is no one to -prevent you. Christ is at hand now as then, and He says, _Take up thy -bed_. Only be willing to rise; do not lose heart. Have you no man? You -have God. Have you no one to put you into the pool? But you have One Who -will not allow you to require the pool in vain. Have you no one to hold -you in it? You have One Who commands you to take up your bed. You have -not to say, _When I come, another gets down before me_. For if you wish -to go down to the fountain no man hinders you. Charity is not spent nor -consumed: it is a source which is always flowing upwards: out of His -fulness we are all cured as to our soul and as to our body. Now, -therefore, also, let us approach Him. Rahab was a harlot, yet she was -saved; and the thief was a murderer, but he became a citizen of -paradise; and Judas, being in the society of the Master, was lost, -whilst the thief on the cross became a disciple. These are God’s -paradoxes. Thus it was that the Magi found favour, that a publican -became an evangelist, and a blasphemer an apostle. - -Consider these things, and never despair, but be of good heart always, -and raise yourself up. Keep to that path alone which leads above, and -you will make rapid progress. Close not the doors nor block up the -entrance. This time is short and the labour small. And if it were heavy, -even then we should not refuse it. For if you are not weary with this -most delicious weariness of wisdom and virtue, you will be weary with -the weariness of the world, and will be worn out in another way. But if -there be weariness here too, why do we not choose for ourselves that -other which is so productive of fruit and has so great a reward? And yet -this last weariness is not as the former. For in worldly things there -are always risks and continuous penalties: hope is uncertain, much -slavery of spirit is required, and there is expenditure of money, and of -strength of body and of mind, and even then the compensation of results -is far below the expectation, if there be any results at all. The sweat -and toil of worldly business do not, indeed, in all cases produce fruit. -Even in those instances in which they are not fruitless, but rich in -results, these are short-lived. For it is when you grow old, and have no -longer an acute sense of enjoyment that your labour yields its fruit. -The hard work falls to the lot of the body at its prime, whereas the -fruit and its enjoyment come when it is worn and aged, and time has -dulled its perceptions, or, if it has not dulled them, the prospect of -an approaching end forbids enjoyment. It is not so in the other case, -but labour is the part of a mortal and corruptible body, and the crown -belongs to a glorified and immortal one which is eternal. The labour -comes first and is slight, but the reward comes last and is infinite, so -that you may rest with security and be untroubled as to the future. -There is no fear of change or of misfortune as there is here on earth. -What goods, then, are these—insecure, slight, and earthly, which -disappear before they appear, and are possessed with so much toil? How -are they equal to those immutable, undecaying good things which are free -from all hardships, and crown you in the time of warfare? The man who -despises money receives his reward even on earth: he is free from care -and envy, slander, treachery, and heart-burnings. The wise man, he who -lives decorously, is crowned and in luxury before his flight hence, in -his freedom from unseemliness and senseless laughter, and dangers and -accusations, and all evils. In the same way, virtue, of whatever other -kind, puts us already in possession of our reward. Let us then, fly from -evil and choose the good, so that we may arrive at both present and -future rewards. Thus we shall both enjoy our lives here and possess our -crowns in heaven, which may it be given to us all to do through the love -and mercy of Our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory and power for ever -and ever. Amen. - - - Variety of Human Lot. -(_Homilies on the First Epistle to the Corinthians_,[5] xxix., vol. ii., - p. 359.) - - · · · · · · · - -_One and the same Spirit worketh all things, distributing to each his -own gifts according to His pleasure._ Therefore he says, let us not be -troubled or grieved, thinking to ourselves, ‘Why have I received this -and not received that?’ Neither must we scrutinise the doings of the -Holy Spirit. For if you know that He has shown you favour out of -kindness, considering that out of the same kindness He has also put a -limit to His gift, acquiesce and rejoice in what you have received, and -be not down-hearted about what you have not received, but rather give -thanks that your gift is not beyond your power. If it behoves us not to -be over-eager in spiritual things, how much less in those of the flesh; -but we should be at ease, and not be disturbed because one man is rich -and another poor. In the first place, not every rich man gets his wealth -from God, but many become rich through injustice and avarice and -graspingness. For how could He, Who commands us not to lay up riches, -have given that which He prohibited our taking? Now, in order that I may -silence those who differ from us in this with the more authority, let us -go deeper into the argument. Tell me why were riches given by God? Why -was it that Abraham was rich, and that Jacob even wanted bread? Were not -both righteous men? Had not God said equally of the three, _I am the God -of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob_? Why then was the one rich and -the other in poverty? Or, rather, why was Esau, the unjust and -fratricidal man, rich, and Jacob in servitude for so long? Again, why -did Isaac pass his whole life in ease, and Jacob in toils and hardships, -so that he said, _My days are short and miserable_? Why did David, too, -being both prophet and king, as he was, live his life in labour, whilst -his son Solomon was, during forty years, the richest of men, in the -enjoyment of enduring peace, glory, and honour, and every possible -luxury? Why, in short, amongst the prophets was one tried more and -another less? Because thus it was profitable to each. Therefore, every -man should say, _Thy judgments are a deep abyss_. For if God exercised -those great and admirable men in different ways—one through poverty, -another through riches; one by a life of ease, another by tribulation—it -behoves us all the more to take the same lesson now to heart. Together -with these considerations, we must admit that many things happen to us, -which are not according to His judgment, but the result of our own -wickedness. Say not, then, ‘Why is it that a man is rich, being bad, and -another man is poor, being just?’ We may easily explain this, and say -that neither does the just man suffer any harm from his poverty, which -is a source of greater merit to him, and that the unjust man, unless he -be converted, possesses in his riches a store of wrath, and that, in -place of chastisement, the riches of many men have often been the cause -of evil to them, and led them into a thousand abysses. But God leaves -them these riches, showing everywhere the free action of divine choice, -everywhere teaching other men not to fight nor to strive for money. -‘What, then,’ you say, ‘if a bad man becomes rich, and suffers no harm? -If a righteous man were to become rich, it would be just, but what are -we to say when a bad man does?’ That on this account he is to be pitied. -For wealth added to wickedness increases the intensity of passions. But -a man is just, and he is starving. Well, it does him no harm. But he is -bad, and starving. Well, he has his just deserts, or, rather, what is -for his good. ‘But so and so,’ you say, ‘received his wealth from -ancestors, and has squandered it on bad women and parasites, and he is -none the worse.’ How is this? Will you call him a dissolute man, and say -he is none the worse? He is a drunkard, and do you call it enjoyment? He -wastes for no good purpose, and do you look upon him as enviable? What -could a man do worse than to be making his soul an ignominy? If a body -were to be distorted or maimed, you would think it the saddest matter in -the world; yet, contemplating that man’s soul wholly maimed, do you -consider him a happy man? ‘But,’ you say, ‘he does not feel it.’ And for -this very reason he is the more to be pitied, just as men who lose their -wits are. For he who knows that he is ill will seek the physician -honestly and apply remedies; whereas he who does not know it will be -beyond cure. Tell me, then, is this the man you consider happy? But this -is not astonishing, for the majority of men are devoid of a right -estimate of things. So it is that, when chastised, we pay the extreme -penalty, and are not freed from wrath; hence come desires and -despondencies and perpetual anxieties, since, when God shows us a -painless life, that of goodness, by removing ourselves from it, we -choose another road, the way of riches and money, which is productive of -a thousand evils. We act as a man would act, who, not being able to -judge of physical beauty, but, ascribing everything to clothes and -adornment, should pass over a young woman, possessing comeliness of -body, and take to himself an ugly one, deformed and crippled, merely for -her fine dress. The great mass of men now do something of this kind in -the matter of goodness and badness, by following their bad nature on -account of its outward attraction, and by turning away from the good -nature, which is blooming and beautiful, on account of its unadorned -comeliness, the very reason why they should have chosen it. - - · · · · · · · - - - Whence the Rich? -(_Homilies on First Epistle to Corinthians_, xxxiv., vol. ii., p. 430.) - - · · · · · · · - -You ask, ‘Whence come the rich?’ for it is written, _Riches and poverty -are from the Lord_. Now let us ask those who urge this upon us, ‘Then is -all wealth and all poverty from the Lord?’ Who would say as much? For we -see many laying up riches for themselves through rapacity, through the -spoliation of tombs, through sorcery, and other means of the same kind, -and that those who possess these riches are unworthy even of living. -Now, tell me, is this the wealth we recognise as from God? No, far from -it. Whence, then, does it come? From sin. For a bad woman grows rich by -misusing her body, and the handsome youth often bartering the flower of -his years possesses his money in ignominy, and the invader of graves who -unearths tombs amasses the wealth of unrighteousness, just as the thief -does by breaking down walls. Therefore not all wealth is from God. How -then, you ask, shall we answer this argument? In the first place, -understand that poverty was not made by God either, and then we will -examine our argument. When a licentious youth either spends his riches -upon bad women, or upon magical arts, or upon any other lusts of the -same nature, and thus becomes poor, is it not evident that it is brought -about not by God, but by his own riotousness? Again, if a man were to -become poor through sloth, or to fall into poverty because of his want -of sense, or to engage in perilous and unlawful pursuits, is it not -evident once more that no one of these or those like them would be -thrust into this want by God? Then, is the Scripture false? God forbid, -but those who lay down the law on all the Scripture with insufficient -discernment are wanting in sense. For if it be asserted that the -Scripture is trustworthy, and it be proved that not all wealth is from -God, then the difficulty lies in the weakness of those who put an -inconsiderate construction upon such things. I ought indeed to have let -you alone on this point, having first cleared the Scripture of blame, in -order to make you pay a penalty for your carelessness concerning it; yet -since I have great pity on you, and cannot bear to see you more troubled -and confounded, let me add the explanation, considering in the first -place who said it, then when it was said, and to whom. - -For God does not speak in the same way to all, just as we ourselves do -not use children as we use men. Now, when is it said, and by whom, and -to whom? By Solomon of old to the Jews, who were familiar with sensible -things only, and measured God’s power by these. It is they who say, _Is -He not able to give us bread_? and, _What sign dost Thou show us? Our -fathers ate manna in the desert, whose belly is their God_. Since they -estimated Him by these things, he tells them that God is also able to -make men rich and poor, not that He Himself does it altogether, but that -He can do it if He choose, as when He says, _He rebuketh the sea, and -drieth it up, and bringeth all the rivers to be a desert_, although this -never happened at all. How, then, does the prophet say that it did? Not -as really taking place, but implying His power to do it. Now, what sort -of poverty does He give and what sort of wealth? Call to mind the -patriarch, and you will see what the riches are which God bestows. For -it was He Who made Abraham rich, and Job after him, as Job admitted in -the words: _If we have received good things from the Lord, shall we not -endure the bad things as well?_ And later on their twofold increase was -His gift. And Jacob’s riches began from the same source. There is a -poverty which is praised by Him, that which He proposed to that rich -young man, saying, _If thou wilt be perfect, go sell what thou hast, and -give to the poor, and come and follow Me_; and again, when legislating -for the disciples, He said, _Ye shall not possess gold nor silver nor -two cloaks_. Therefore, do not say that He gives wealth to all without -exception, for I have shown you that it is put together by murders and -covetousness and a thousand other like causes. - - · · · · · · · - - - The Rich Young Man. - (_Homilies on St. Matthew_, lxiii., vol. ii., p. 227.) - -_And behold one came and said to Him: Good Master, what shall I do that -I may inherit eternal life?_ Some reject this young man as insidious and -bad. I, however, would not deny that he was a lover of money, and unable -to resist it, since Christ convicted him of this; but I should not admit -that he was insidious, because it is not safe to make a venture upon -what is unknown, especially in accusations, and because St. Mark has -removed this doubt. For he says _that running up and kneeling before_ -Him, he asked Him a question, and again, that _Jesus, looking upon him, -loved him_. But great is the tyranny of money as we gather from this; -for even if we be quite faultless as to other things, it alone spoils -everything else. St. Paul too justly called it the root of all evils. -_The love of money_, he says, _is the root of all evils_. Now, why did -Our Lord answer him by saying, _No man is good_. Because the youth -approached Him as a mere man, as one of many, and a Jewish teacher: on -this account Our Lord spoke as man to man with him. For He frequently -answers according to the secret mind of those who come to Him, as, for -instance, when He says, _We adore what we know_, and, _If I bear witness -to Myself, My witness is not true_. When, then, He says, _No man is -good_, He does not say it to repudiate His own goodness—far from it; for -He does not say, ‘Why do you call _Me_ good? I am not good,’ but, _No -man is good_, that is, no man at all. - -When He speaks in this way, He is not defrauding men of all goodness, -but making a distinction as to God’s goodness. So He added: _Only God is -good_. And He did not say, ‘Only my Father,’ that you may know that He -did not disclose Himself to the youth. Thus, higher up, He called all -men bad, saying, _But if you who are bad know how to give good gifts to -your children_. And if He called them wicked in this place, He did not -condemn human nature as altogether bad (for He says _you_, not ‘you, the -human race’). He so called them, because He was putting the goodness of -man by the side of the goodness of God, and therefore He added, _How -much more will your Father give good gifts to those who ask Him_. And, -you may say, what necessity or advantage was there that He should answer -the young man in this way? He leads him up by degrees, teaches him to -put off all deception, withdraws him from the things of earth, nailing -him to God, inducing him to seek the things to come, to know the good, -the root and foundation of all things, and to refer honour back to Him. -And thus when He says, _You shall call no man master upon earth_, He -said it to make a distinction as to Himself, that they might learn Who -was the first Beginning of all things. For, so far, the young man had -shown no slight willingness by rushing eagerly to embrace this love; and -whilst others had come, some to tempt, others for the curing of disease, -whether it was their own or their neighbours’, he had come and had -spoken for the sake of eternal life. The soil indeed was rich and moist, -but the brambles overpowered and stifled the seed. For consider how far -up to this point he is disposed to obey commands. _What shall I do_, he -says, _that I may inherit eternal life?_ Thus ready was he to accomplish -what he should be told. But if he had come to Our Lord to tempt Him, the -Evangelist would have told us so, as he does in other instances, and in -that of the advocate. But if the young man was silent, Christ would not -have allowed him to escape unknown, but would have convicted him wisely, -or have hinted at his meaning, so that the youth should not think he had -deceived and escaped without recognition, and so have been misled. If he -had come to tempt, he would not have gone away sad, because of what he -heard. This, at least, was not what any one of the Pharisees of the day -did; but when they were silenced, they were angry. It was not so with -the young man: _he_ went away cast-down, which was no small proof that -he had come with a weak rather than a bad intention, with the desire of -life, but weighed down by another and a stronger passion. - -Therefore, when Our Lord said, _If thou wilt enter into life, keep the -commandments_, he asks, _Which commandments?_ This was not said -tempting—far from it—but thinking that he was to know of other -commandments besides those of the Law, which would help him to life. -This showed a great desire on his part. Then, when Jesus enumerated -those of the Law, he said, _All these have I kept from my youth_. And he -did not stop his enquiry here, but asked further, _What is yet wanting -to me?_ which in itself was a proof of his eagerness. His thinking -himself to be still wanting in something, and his deeming that the -things already specified were not sufficient, was no small step towards -gaining what he desired. What does Christ say? As He was about to -accomplish a great work, He put the prize before the youth and said, _If -thou wouldst be perfect, go, sell what thou hast and give to the poor, -and thou shalt have a treasure in heaven, and come and follow Me_. Do -you see what rewards and crowns He sets for this career? If the young -man had been tempting, he would not have spoken these things to Him. But -now He does speak, and, as it were, draws him to Himself, shows him the -reward to be exceedingly great, and unfolds the whole before his mind, -hiding throughout the semblance of irksomeness in the advice. Therefore, -before speaking of the combat and the labour, He shows him the reward, -saying, _If thou wilt be perfect_; then He adds, _Go, sell what thou -hast and give to the poor, and_, again returning to the rewards, _thou -shalt have a treasure in heaven, and come and follow Me_. For the -following Him is a great compensation. _And thou shalt have a treasure -in heaven._ Hence, as the matter turned on money, and He was exhorting -the young man to strip himself of everything, He points out that He does -not take away possessions, but adds to them, and that He gives more -things than those of which He commanded the sacrifice; and not merely -are they more, but they are as much greater as heaven is than earth, and -even more. He spoke of a treasure which is double the thing given, -showing it to be abiding and secure, intimating thus through human -things what His listener was to understand. Indeed, it is not enough to -despise money, but a man must also feed the poor and follow Christ above -all things; that is, he must carry out all His commandments, hold -himself in readiness to be slaughtered and to suffer death any day. _If -any man wish to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his -cross and follow Me._ As this command was a much higher one than the -giving up of money—even the shedding of blood—so the giving up of money -is no slight help towards its fulfilment. And when the young man had -heard this word, _he went away sad_. Then, as if to show that he had -felt nothing unreasonable, the Evangelist said, _for he was very rich_. -Those who possess a little and those who are steeped in abundance are -not equally restrained; then it is that love becomes more tyrannical. So -I will not cease to say that the addition of superfluities is fuel to -the fire, that it makes their possessors poorer, that it increases, -indeed, their desires, and makes them conscious of greater needs. See -how, in this case, passion showed its strength. For when Our Lord -commanded the man, who came to him with joyful readiness, to renounce -his money, he was so cast down and perturbed as to go away without -giving any answer at all; and having become silent and sad and gloomy, -he thus departed. - - · · · · · · · - - - Different Kinds of Friendship. - (_Homilies on St. Matthew_, lx., vol. ii., p. 199.) - - · · · · · · · - -Let us now consider the various forms which friendship takes with the -majority of men. One man loves because he is loved; another because he -has been honoured; another shows a liking for a man who has been of use -to him in some practical matter or other; another, again, for some such -similar reason; but it is difficult, indeed, to find a man who loves his -neighbour thoroughly and as he ought for Christ’s sake. For in most -cases it is temporal business which brings men together. St. Paul did -not love in this way: he loved for Christ’s sake, so that he loved -others whether he was loved by them or not, and did not break charity, -since he had laid a strong foundation for his love-charm. It is not so -now; indeed, if we search diligently, we shall find in most men a -fictitious friendship rather than this. And if anyone gave me power to -enquire into the matter in so great a multitude, I could show that the -majority are bound to each other for worldly reasons. This is apparent -from the causes which produce enmity. Since, then, men are bound to each -other for motives so paltry, there is neither warmth nor fidelity in -their mutual dealings; but contempt, and money losses, and jealousy, the -love of honour, or any similar thing showing itself, destroys the -love-charm. It rests not upon a spiritual foundation. If it were so, -worldly things would never break up spiritual things. The love, indeed, -which is born of Christ is strong and enduring and invincible, and -nothing has power to dissolve it—neither calumnies, nor dangers, nor -death, nor any other of these things whatsoever. If a man who thus loves -should suffer in a thousand ways, contemplating that on which love -rests, he stands unmoved. But the man who loves because he is loved, if -he should suffer some foolish thing or other, breaks up his friendship, -whilst the former is firm to the end. This is why St. Paul said, -_Charity never falleth away_. What answer would you make? That the man -whom you have honoured is a reviler? or that the one whom you have -benefited would wish to put you to death? But if you love for Our Lord’s -sake, this encourages you to love all the more. For those things which -are destructive to love in other cases become productive of it in this -particular one. How so? In the first place, because the man so loved is -the cause of your reward; secondly, because one thus situated requires -special help and much care. On this account a man who loves for Our -Lord’s sake does not enquire about family, or country, or riches, or -demand love in return: he concerns himself about none of these things, -but even if he be hated, or despised, or destroyed, he still loves, -because his affection is built on a strong foundation—Christ. Hence he -stands firm, steadfast, immutable, with his eyes on Our Lord. So it was -that Christ loved His enemies—harsh men, scoffers, blasphemers, haters, -those who wished not even to see Him, those who preferred stones and -wood to His love, and He loved them with the charity from above, in -comparison with which there is no other charity to be found. _For_, He -says, _no man hath greater charity than this, that he giveth his life -for his friends_. See how loving He ceases not to be towards the very -men who crucified Him and reviled Him. He even spoke for them to His -Father, saying, _Forgive them, for they know not what they do_. And, -later on, He charged His disciples with those same men. Let us, then, be -zealous for this same charity, and strive to possess it, that, being -made the imitators of Christ, we may enjoy both present and future good -things by the grace and tenderness of Our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be -honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. - - - The Buyers and Sellers in the Temple. - (_Homilies on St. Matthew_, lxvii., vol. ii., p. 277.) - -_And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold -and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the -money-changers, and the chairs of them that sold doves. And He saith to -them: It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but -you have made it a den of thieves._ John says the same thing, but he -says it in the beginning of his gospel, whereas Matthew says it towards -the end. Hence it is evident that the thing recounted took place twice -and at different times. This is clear from the time and from the answer. -In St. Matthew it happened at the very time of the Pasch; in St. John a -good deal before it. In the latter the Jews say, _What sign dost Thou -show us?_ but in the former they are silent as if rebuked, because He -was an object of wonder to all men. His doing the same action twice, and -this in an authoritative way, strengthens the charge against the Jews, -for they remained at their traffic, and called Him God’s enemy, when -they should have learnt from this His action how much He honoured His -Father and what His own power was. For He was working wonders, and they -saw a correspondence between His words and His deeds. Still they were -unmoved and discontented, and this in the face of the loud testimony of -the Prophet and of children witnessing to Him, with a wisdom beyond -their years. This is why He Himself uses as an arm against them the -accusing words of Isaias: _My house shall be called the house of -prayer_. He shows His power not only in this way, but in the curing of -many kinds of diseases; for the lame and the blind came to Him and He -cured them, and He shows forth His power and His authority. They, -however, were not persuaded in this way; but after seeing these wonders, -and listening to children bearing witness to Him, they say, _Dost Thou -not hear what these say?_ This was what Christ might have said to -_them_: ‘Do you not hear what these say?’ for they sang to Him as to -God. What does He do? Since they spoke against visible signs, He makes -use of a stronger correction, saying, _Have you never read, Out of the -mouths of infants and of sucklings Thou hast perfected praise?_ He said -well, _out of the mouths_. For that which they said did not come from -themselves, but from that power of His which controlled the words of -their tongues. This indeed was a type amongst the nations of those who -faltered and cried out confusedly, speaking great things with -discernment and faith. Hence it was no small encouragement to the -Apostles also. In order that they should not be perplexed as to how -they, being unlearned, are to announce the Gospel tidings, these -children by anticipation have cast out their fear, because He who has -caused the children to sing will give them also reasoning powers. This -was not all that the wonder made manifest: it showed Him to be the Lord -of creation. These children of unripe age, on the one hand, gave voice -to words of good omen which were in harmony with the things above; but -men, on the contrary, to outbursts of folly and madness. Such was their -badness. Whilst then, they had many incitements to anger, the attitude -of the crowd, the throwing over of the tables of the buyers, the voice -of His wonders, that of the children, He again leaves them, allowing -their passion to cool, and not wishing to begin His teaching lest, -boiling over with jealousy, they should be still more angered at what -had been said. - - · · · · · · · - - - The Voice of Good Deeds. - (_Homilies on St. Matthew_, xlvi., vol. ii., p. 14.) - - · · · · · · · - -If twelve men leavened the whole world, consider what _our_ wickedness -must be, inasmuch as we, being so many, are unable to convert the -remainder, when we ought to suffice for the leavening of a thousand -worlds. ‘But,’ some one says, ‘they were apostles.’ What does this -matter? Had not they the same surroundings as you? Were they not reared -in cities? Did they not lead the same sort of life? Did they not follow -a trade? Were they angels? Did they come down from heaven? ‘But,’ you -say, ‘they worked wonders.’ It was not the wonders which made them -famous. How long shall we use our own softness as a pretext for not -considering those wonders? For many who cast out devils, since they -afterwards worked iniquity, did not become renowned, but were even -chastised. And what is it, you ask, which pointed them out as great? The -despising of money and of reputation, and the withdrawal from worldly -business. If they had been without these things, and had been slaves to -their passions, even if they had raised up a thousand dead men, not only -they would have done no good, but they would have been looked upon as -deceivers. Thus, it is the life in every case which is resplendent, and -which draws upon itself the unction of the Spirit. Did not John work a -sign when he made so many cities hang upon his words? Yet listen to the -Evangelist saying that he worked no wonder: _John did no wonder_. How -did Elias become renowned? Was it not by his outspokenness with the -king—by his zeal for God’s service—by his possessing nothing—by his -sheep-skin, and his cavern, and his mountains? For he worked his wonders -after all these things. What sign did the devil see Job doing when he -was struck with amazement? Not any at all, but he found him leading a -resplendent life, which showed forth an endurance firmer than adamant. -What sign had David accomplished for God to say of him, when still a -youth, _I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart_? -What dead man did Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob raise to life? What leper -did they cleanse? Do you not know that, if we are not watchful, -wonder-working is often harmful? Thus it was that many of the -Corinthians fell into schism and many Romans lost their right mind. -Thus, too, that Simon was cast out, and that the man who desired to -follow Christ refused the call when he heard that _foxes have holes, and -birds of the air have nests_. Each of these, the one seeking money, and -the other glory from the working of signs, fell away and were lost. But -purity of life and the love of goodness not only do not produce this -desire, but they take it away where it exists. And what did He Himself -say when He was laying down the law to His disciples? Did He say, ‘You -shall do signs in order that men may see’? Not at all, but, rather, _Let -your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and -glorify your Father Who is in heaven_. Nor did He say to Peter, ‘If thou -lovest Me, work wonders,’ but, _Feed My sheep_. And, honouring Peter, -with James and John, in every instance more than the rest, how does He -show this honour, tell me? Is it in the doing of wonders? No; for they -all cleansed lepers, and raised the dead to life, and to all He gave -authority in equal measure. How then were those three distinguished? By -interior virtue. Do you see that, everywhere, life is the need, and the -manifestation of works? _By their fruits_, He said, _you shall know -them_. What is it which approves our life? Is it the manifestation of -wonders or an irreproachable conduct? Clearly it is the latter; for the -reason which calls forth signs belongs to this world, and they cease in -the next. The man who gives an example of a good life draws this charity -upon himself; and he who shines by charity shines in this way, in order -that he may correct the life of others. Since Christ also worked those -wonders in order that He might appear worthy of confidence in this -world, and, drawing men to Himself, might introduce virtue into life; -therefore, more stress is laid upon this point. For He is not contented -with signs alone, but He threatens hell, and He preaches the kingdom, -and He enacts those marvellous laws, and everything is done with a view -to His making men like to angels. But why do I say that Christ does -everything unto this end? Tell me, if anyone gave _you_ your choice -either to raise up the dead in His name or to die for His name’s sake, -which would you choose? The latter surely; for the one is a sign and the -other is a deed. Again, if anyone offered you the power of turning grass -into gold, or that of looking down upon all gold as if it were grass, -would you not rather choose the latter, and with good reason? It would -be this which would attract men. For if they were to see food turned -into gold, and were even desirous of taking the same power into their -own hands, as Simon was, the love of money would be increased in them; -but if they were to see all men looking down upon money as upon grass, -and making little of it, they would be cured of this disease. - - · · · · · · · - - - The Best Controversy. - (_Homilies on St. Matthew_, xv., vol. i., p. 201.) - - · · · · · · · - -Then He goes on to a higher example—_You are the light of the world_. It -is again _of the world_; not of one people, nor of twenty cities, but of -the whole world; and it is a reasonable light, far superior to this -physical light, just as spiritual salt is to material salt. And first -they are salt, and afterwards light, in order that you may learn the -force of strong words and the advantage of this holy teaching. For it is -urgent and will not be diverted from its aim, and, leading us by the -hand, makes us look towards goodness. _A city seated on a mountain -cannot be hidden. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a -bushel._ He leads them once more through these things to purity of life, -teaching them to be soldiers, as if before the eyes of all men and -wrestling in the midst of the arena of the whole world. ‘Look not,’ He -said, ‘to rest now whilst you are in a small corner; for you are to be -visible to all men, like a city seated on a mountain, and like a candle -shining upon all those in the house.’ Where, now, are they who have -distrusted the power of Christ? Let them listen to these things, and, -being frightened by the might of the prophecy, let them fall down and -adore His almightiness. Think what great things He promised to those who -were not known even in their native place: that they are to go over land -and sea, and to lift up their voice against the temptations of the -world, or rather not their voice, but the force of their goodness. For -it was not their universal fame which made them conspicuous: it was the -manifestation of works. As if they had had wings, they spread over the -whole earth quicker than light, sowing the light of piety. Hence, it -seems to me that He stimulates them unto fearlessness, for His saying, -_A city seated on the mountain cannot be hidden_, was the manifestation -of His own power; for, if it were useless to hide that, so neither could -the Gospel tidings be hushed or concealed. And to prevent them from -thinking that persecutions, and accusations, and plots, and wars, since -He spoke of these things, would have power to check them, He encourages -them by saying that not only these persecutions will not pass unnoticed, -but that they will shine forth to the whole world, and that through this -very fact they themselves were to be renowned and famous. In this, then, -His own power is manifested; but He furthermore requires fortitude from -each one of them, saying, _Men do not light a candle and put it under a -bushel, but upon a candlestick, and it gives light to all in the house. -So may your light shine before men, that they may see your good works -and glorify your Father Who is in heaven._ ‘For it is I Who have -enkindled the light,’ He says. Whether, however, it remains lighted or -not must depend upon your zeal, not on your own account alone, but for -the sake of those who are to enjoy this beacon, and whom it is to lead -to the truth. For the slanderings of men will not be able to veil your -brightness if you yourselves are leading strict lives, and thus are -preparing to convert the whole world. Show forth, therefore, a life -worthy of grace, that, as the truth is preached everywhere, so your life -may harmonise with it. And, again, He holds out another advantage -besides the salvation of men, which is capable of firing them with -courage and making all zealous. Not only will you reform the world, He -says, by living upright lives, but you will also prepare the glory of -God; just as by the contrary course you destroy men, and cause the name -of God to be blasphemed. ‘And how,’ you ask, ‘is God to be glorified -through us if men are to slander us?’ Not all men are to do this; but -those who do so hypocritically will wonder and admire you in secret, -just as outward flatterers of those who are living in wickedness despise -them in their own minds. ‘How, then, would you have us live for show and -vainglory? No, indeed, I said nothing of the kind. I did not say, Make -haste to bring forth your good deeds before men; nor did I say, Point -them out; but, _Let your light shine_; that is, let your virtue be -solid, and the fire plentiful, and the light undimmed.’ Whenever virtue -is thus great, it cannot possibly be hidden, even if he who pursues it -conceal it in a thousand ways. Show forth a spotless life and let them -have no real ground of accusation, and then, even if accusers be -numbered by hundreds, no man shall have power to overcloud you. And His -expression, _the light_, was pertinent. For nothing distinguishes a man -so much, even if he wish to be hidden a thousand times over, as an -example of goodness. Just as physical light envelops a man, so does he -shine forth with greater brightness, not letting his rays sink into the -earth, but directing them beyond heaven itself. So He encourages them -the more. ‘If,’ He says, ‘you are grieved at being reviled, many men -through you will be in admiration of God.’ He lays both wages to your -account—God’s glorification through you, and your being blasphemed for -God’s sake. In order, therefore, that we should not give heed to evil -speaking, knowing that it procures us a reward, He did not simply -mention the thing itself, but made two distinctions—that of calumny and -that of calumny for God’s sake; and He shows, moreover, that patience -under it bears much fruit, by referring the glory back to God; and He -holds out pleasant hopes to them. The accusation of the wicked, He says, -is in nothing so powerful as in helping others to see your light. When -you act foolishly, then only it is that they will trample you down, not -when, doing what is right, you are cast aside. Then many will be in -astonishment, not at you alone, but, through you, at our common Father. -He said the Father, not God, laying already the seeds of the spiritual -birth which He was to give them. Then, showing His equality with the -Father, He said higher up, ‘Grieve not for evil report; for it is -sufficient for you that it is on My account’. Thereupon He speaks of the -Father, manifesting their equality everywhere. - -Recognising, therefore, our gain from this zeal and the danger of our -negligence (for it is much worse that our Master should be blasphemed -because of us than that we should be lost), _Let us not give offence to -the Jews, or to heathens, or to the Church of God_; and, showing forth a -life more shining than the sun, even if anyone should wish to accuse us, -not grieving at evil report, but at hearing a just report unworthily. -For if we are living in wickedness and there be no accuser, we are the -most miserable of men, but if we are practising virtue, even if the -whole world should speak ill of us, we shall be the most enviable of -all, and we shall draw all those who are called to be saved to -ourselves; for it is not by the accusation of the wicked but by a good -life that they will cleave to us. And a good example speaks louder than -any trumpet, and a pure life is more resplendent than the very light, -even if there be a thousand adversaries. If we are all that I have -specified—if we are meek and humble and merciful, and clean of heart and -lovers of peace, and when we are slandered do not repine but rejoice—we -shall draw those who look upon us to ourselves no less than by signs, -and every man will deal kindly with us, whether he be a wild beast or a -demon, or anything else whatsoever. Still, if there should be -calumniators, do not be troubled at this, nor at seeing yourself -publicly accused, but examine their inmost heart, and you will find that -they applaud and admire you, and are loud in your praises. Just consider -how Nabuchodonosor praised the children in the furnace, although he was -their declared enemy; and when he saw their brave endurance, he -acclaimed and acknowledged them for nothing else whatever than for -turning away from his commands to listen to those of God. For when the -devil sees that he is accomplishing nothing, he desists, fearing lest he -should be the means of increasing our crowns; and when he is gone, -however bad and depraved a man may be, he recognises virtue, that mist -being removed from before his eyes. And if men should form a wrong -judgment, you will have greater praise and admiration from God. -Therefore, be not sorrowful or wavering, since the Apostles themselves -were an odour of death to some and of life to others. If you have -offered no offence to any man, and have kept free from all reproach, you -are blessed indeed. Shine, then, by your life, and make no account of -slandering words. For it is quite impossible that a man who cultivates -goodness should not have many enemies; but this is nothing to him, for -through these very enemies his life will shine the more. Taking these -things to heart, let us seek for one thing—to order our own life with -purity, for in this way we shall lead those who sit in darkness to that -future life. Such, indeed, is the power of this light, that it not only -shines here, but it escorts those who follow it to that heavenly -country. Whenever men see you looking down upon all present things, and -holding yourselves in readiness for eternal ones, your works will -convince them better than any argument. Who so foolish as not to deduce -a clear proof of the future life when he sees a man, thinking yesterday -only of luxury and money-making, giving up everything, freeing himself -from all cares, and stretching out his hand towards hunger, and poverty, -and hardship, and dangers, and blood-shedding, and a violent death, -towards everything which seems an evil? But if we are wholly engrossed -with present things, and plunge into them deeper and deeper, how are men -to be persuaded that we are looking for another home? What excuse shall -we have if the fear of God cannot do among us that which human fame did -amongst Greek philosophers? Some of them also gave up money and despised -death, in order to be a spectacle to men, and so their hopes were vain. -What can be said for us with these things before us, and so great a -philosophy being unfolded, that we cannot do even what they did, but are -destroying ourselves and others too? For a heathen who acts against his -conscience does not do the same harm as a Christian who thus acts, and -most justly. Their reputation is corrupt, whereas ours, through God’s -goodness, is sacred and manifest even amongst impious men. Consequently, -whenever they want particularly to reproach us, and to make their -accusation more telling, they bring this additional charge against us: -‘So and so is a Christian,’ which they would not do if they had not a -great opinion of Christian teaching. Have you not heard how many and -what great things Christ enjoined? Now, how can you observe one of those -commandments when, forgetting the rest, you go about investing your -money, looking greedily after interest, involving yourself in lawsuits, -buying herds of slaves, preparing silver plate, laying up stores of -fields and houses, and quantities of furniture? And would that this were -all! When you add iniquity to these inopportune pursuits—encroaching -upon the land of others, pulling down houses, aggravating poverty, -increasing hunger—how will you be able to mount up to those gates? But -supposing that you are merciful to the poor, I know what this means, and -it again will call for a great expiation hereafter. For if you are -merciful through conceit or vainglory, so that you gain no merit even -from good works, what could be more wretched than to be shipwrecked in -harbour? In order to prevent this from happening, seek not a reward from -me when you have done a good action, so that God may be your debtor. -_Lend_, He says, _to him from whom you expect no return_. - - · · · · · · · - - - The Tongue a Royal Power. - (_Homilies on St. Matthew_, li., p. 76.) - - · · · · · · · - -Let us understand what those things are which sully a man, and when we -have understood let us shun them. In the church we see a certain habit -prevailing amongst the majority of men—how they are eager to come in -with spotless clothes and clean hands, whilst they do not trouble -themselves about how they are to offer up a pure heart to God. I say -this, not forbidding men to wash their hands or their mouths; my wish, -however, is that they should wash them in the right way, not with water -alone, but rather with virtues. For slandering, blasphemy, foul -language, bad words, laughter at low jokes, are the mouth’s defilement. -If, then, you perceive that you are not dwelling on any of these things, -nor guilty of this uncleanness, approach with good heart; if, on the -contrary, you have laid yourself open to these numerous stains, why are -you so foolish as to rinse your tongue with water whilst you carry in it -this pernicious and destructive impurity? Tell me, now, if you had dirt -or dung in your hands, would you dare to utter a prayer? Certainly not. -Yet one is not at all harmful, and the other is perdition. How comes it -that you are particular in things of no consequence, and negligent about -the prohibited ones? ‘What, then,’ you ask, ‘are we not to go on -praying?’ Certainly you are, but not in this filthy condition, nor with -this dirt upon you. ‘What am I to do,’ you ask, ‘if I fall by accident?’ -Then, purify yourself. How, and in what manner? Be in mourning and -groaning, give alms, apologise to the man you have insulted, and -reconcile him to yourself by these things; purify your tongue in order -that you may incite the less the anger of God. For if anyone with his -hands full of mud were to grasp your feet in supplication, not only -would you not listen to him, but you would kick him away; how, then, are -you so bold as to approach God in this way? The tongue of those who pray -is a hand, and through it we touch the knees of God.[6] Therefore do not -defile that tongue, lest He should say to you, _And when you multiply -your prayer I will not hear_. For, _in the hand of the tongue are life -and death_; and, again, _By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by -thy words thou shalt be condemned_. Therefore guard the tongue more -carefully than the pupil of the eye. The tongue is the horse of a king. -If you put a bridle upon him and teach him to walk at a measured pace, -the king will rest and lean upon him; but if you allow him to be at -large unbridled, and to be unmanageable, he becomes the vehicle of the -devil and his angels.... Dishonour not the tongue, for how will it pray -for you when it has lost its proper confidence? Adorn it rather with -mildness and humility; make it worthy of the God Whom you are invoking; -fill it with words of kindness and much almsgiving. For there is an alms -which is to be given by words: _The good word is better than the gift_; -and, again, _Answer the poor man in mildness and gentleness_. And make -the rest of your time profitable by dwelling on the divine laws._ Let -all thy conversation be on the law of the Most High._ Thus adorning -ourselves, let us go forth to the King and fall at His feet, not with -the body only, but with our mind. Let us consider Whom we go to, for -what purpose, and what it is we wish to accomplish. We go to that God -from Whom the seraphim turned away their gaze, unable to bear His -splendour, on Whom the earth trembles to look. We go to God, Who is in -the region of light inaccessible. And we are going to Him in order to -escape hell, for the remission of our sins, to deliver ourselves from -those overwhelming penalties, for the winning of heaven and the goods -which are there. - - · · · · · · · - - - Golden Vessels and Golden Hearts. - (_Homilies on St. Matthew_, l., p. 62.) - - · · · · · · · - -Let us then, too, touch the hem of His garment, or rather, if we please, -we have Himself whole and entire. For His body too is now put before us, -not His garment only, but His very body, not to be merely touched, but -to be eaten and taken away. Let us therefore approach with faith, each -one with his own infirmity. For if those who touched the hem of His -garment drew forth so much strength, how much more those who possess the -whole of Him? Approaching with faith is not only taking what is there -before us, but touching with a pure heart, and being so disposed as if -we were going to meet Christ Himself. What matters it if you hear no -voice? You see Him before you, or rather you _do_ hear a voice, that of -Himself speaking through the Evangelists. Believe, therefore, that even -now there is that banquet at which He Himself sat. Nor is this banquet -different from that; nor is ours the work of a man, and that the work of -God, but God is the worker now as He was then. When, then, you see the -priest offering it to you, think that it is not the priest who is doing -this, but that it is the hand of Christ which is presenting it. Just as, -when he baptises, it is not he who is baptising you, but it is God Who -is holding your head with an invisible power, and neither angel nor -archangel nor anyone else whatsoever presumes to approach and touch you; -so it is now. For whenever God generates, it is His gift alone. Do you -not know how those who adopt sons in this world do not entrust their -adoption to servants, but appear themselves in the court? In like manner -God has not entrusted His gift to angels, but He is Himself present, -commanding, and saying, _You shall call no man your father upon earth_, -not wishing you to dishonour your natural parents, but that before all -the rest you may prefer Him Who created you, and Who wrote your name -amongst His children. For He Who gives more, that is, Who gives Himself, -will all the more certainly not disdain to make over His body to you. -Let us then, both priests and laity, consider what that is of which we -have been made worthy; let us consider and be in awe. He gave us to be -filled with His sacred flesh, and placed before us Himself offered up in -sacrifice. Now, what will our excuse be, if feeding on such food we -commit such sins; when we eat the Lamb and are become wolves; when we -eat the sheep and ravage like lions? For this mystery obliges us to -purify ourselves not only from robbery but from the merest enmity. This -mystery is indeed a mystery of peace; it cannot be conciliated with a -struggle for money. For if He did not spare Himself for our sakes, what -should we deserve for hoarding up money and neglecting our soul, on -which account He did not spare _Himself_? God indeed bound the Jews to a -remembrance of their domestic blessings every year at the feasts, but -you He has bound to a daily remembrance, so to say, through these -mysteries. Be not, then, ashamed of the cross, for these are our august -things, these are _our_ mysteries, we are adorned with this gift, and it -is our beauty. Even when I say that He stretched the firmament overhead, -and unfolded earth and sea, that He sent forth prophets and angels, I -speak of nothing equal to this. This is the fountain-head of all good, -that He did not spare His only Son in order to save alienated servants. -Therefore, let neither Judas nor Simon approach this table, for avarice -destroyed both one and the other. Let us avoid this abyss, and think not -that it is sufficient for our salvation, if, after stripping widows and -orphans, we offer a cup of gold and precious stones for this table. If -you wish to show honour to the sacrifice, offer your soul for whose sake -it was sacrificed. Make this golden, for if _it_ should be inferior to -lead and potsherd, what is the gain of the vessel being of gold? Then, -do not let us be concerned only about how we are to offer a vessel of -gold, but let it be also a vessel of honest labours, for that which is -without avarice is more precious than gold. The church is neither a gold -nor a silver-smith’s shop, but an assembly of angels, therefore souls -are what we want, and these things are acceptable to God through souls. -The table which He then used was not of silver, nor was the chalice a -golden one out of which Christ gave His own blood to His disciples; but -all those things were sacred and terrible, since He filled them with the -Spirit. Would you honour the body of Christ? Leave Him not naked, nor -honour Him _there_ with silk coverings, passing Him by outside in cold -and nakedness. He who said, _This is My body_, ratifying the deed by His -word, said likewise, _You saw Me in want and did not feed Me_, and, -again, _Inasmuch as you did not do it for one of the least of these, you -did it not for Me_. For the former does not require the giving of -garments but a pure heart, whereas the latter demands great attention. -Let us, then, learn to be wise and to honour Christ as He Himself -wishes, for to Him Who is honoured, that honour is the sweetest which He -chooses for Himself, not that which may be according to our judgment. -Since Peter, too, thought to honour Him by forbidding Him to wash his -feet, he was not showing honour, but the reverse. So in your case do you -honour Him with the honour which He Himself laid down, by giving your -riches to the poor. God has no need of golden vessels, but of golden -hearts. - - - True Almsgiving. -(_Homilies on St. Paul’s Second Epistle to the Corinthians_, xvi., vol. - iii., p. 182.) - - · · · · · · · - -Charity is, indeed, a great thing, and a gift of God, and when it is -rightly ordered, likens us to God Himself as far as that is possible; -for it is charity which makes the man. Some one, at least, wishing to -characterise man, did it in these words: _Man is great, and the merciful -man is honourable_. Kindness is better than raising up the dead. For it -is a much greater thing to feed Christ in His hunger than to raise the -dead in the name of Jesus. By feeding Christ you confer a benefit upon -Him; in the other case He is benefiting you. And the reward is for -doing, not for receiving. As to the signs, you are under an obligation -to God, but with regard to the almsgiving, you put God under an -obligation to you. It is an alms when you give willingly, generously, -thinking that you are rather taking than giving; when you give as if you -were receiving something, as gaining rather than losing, otherwise there -would be no thanks in it. He who helps his neighbour should be in -gladness, not in gloom. In truth, is it not foolish that in removing the -despondency of another you yourself should be despondent? You will not -suffer it to be a real alms. If you are sad because you are taking away -another man’s sadness, you are giving a proof of extreme unkindness and -inhumanity; it is better to leave it undone than to do it in this way. -Why are you sad at all? Is it for fear of diminishing your money? If -this is your motive, then do not give; if you are not encouraged by the -thought that it will be made up to you over and above in heaven, do not -put out your hand in alms-giving. Perhaps you look for a compensation in -this world. What is the good of this? Let your alms be alms and not -traffic. Now, many have received their due here on earth, yet not so -that they will be on this account much better than those who have not; -these have been a few of the weaker, since they did not go vigorously -after the things above. And like greedy and common people, slaves of -their belly, who, called to a royal table, and not waiting for the right -time, do as children do, spoil their own mirth by snatching up and -satiating themselves with inferior food: so, indeed, is it that they who -seek and receive temporal good things lessen the reward above. Again, in -lending your money, you become desirous of securing the capital after a -time, or, perhaps, of not spending it, so that you may lay up more for -the future, whereas in this case you demand it at once, although you are -not always to be here, but for ever there. Nor are you to be judged -here, but to give an account there. Supposing that a man prepared houses -for you where you did not mean to stay, you would view his act as a -penalty; and would you wish to grow rich in a place from which you may -be called away before the evening? Know you not that we are spending our -time in a foreign land, like sojourners and strangers, and that -sojourners may be cast out when they are not thinking of it or expecting -it. And this is our case. So it is that we leave behind us whatever we -may have busied ourselves with on earth. Our Master does not allow us to -take our labours with us, whether it is that we build houses, or buy -estates, or slaves, or furniture, or anything else of the kind. Not only -He does not allow us to go away with them, but He refuses you a reward -for them. He told you beforehand that you should not build or spend with -the property of others, but with your own. Why, then, leaving your own, -do you labour with what is not yours, and squander it so that you will -lose both your labour and your reward, and endure the extremity of -punishment? Do not so act, I beseech you; but, as we are sojourners by -nature, let us become so by choice, so that we may not be aliens there, -rejected without honour. If we wish to be citizens in this world we -shall be so neither here nor there, but if we remain sojourners, and -spend our time after the fashion of sojourners, we shall receive the -assurance of being citizens both here and there. For the just man, even -with nothing, will be as free on earth with the common property of all -as if it were his own, and when he departs hence to heaven he will look -upon the eternal dwelling-places; he will neither suffer any -unpleasantness in this world, nor will any man be able to make him a -sojourner, who has the whole world for his city; and in taking -possession of his country, he will, moreover, receive true riches. In -order, then, that we may gain both the things of time and the things of -eternity, let us use present goods in the right way. Thus we shall -become citizens of heaven, and enjoy much consolation. May this be the -portion of us all, through the love and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, -to Whom, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, be glory and power for -ever. Amen. - - - I was hungry and you gave Me to eat. - (_Homilies on St. Matthew_, xlv., vol. ii., p. 5.) - - · · · · · · · - -Are you unable to practise the virginal life? Then make a prudent -marriage. Are you unable to do without possessions? Give, then, of what -you possess. Is such a burden too heavy for you? Divide your goods with -Christ. Are you not willing to cede Him everything? Make over to Him at -least the half or the third part. He is your brother and co-heir; make -Him your co-heir even on earth. How much soever you give to Him you give -that to yourself. Do you not listen to the Prophet’s words, _Despise not -thy own flesh_? But if we may not despise relations, how much less the -Master, Who, besides His superiority, has the rights of relationship on -His side, and many other stronger claims? He has made you a partaker of -His own possessions, taking nothing from you, but being the first to -give to you out of His unspeakable mercy. Then, is not it extreme folly -neither to grow kind by this gift, nor to return a reward for a favour, -and to give less instead of more? For He has made you heir to the -kingdom of heaven, but you have not even given Him a share of the things -of earth. You He reconciled without any merit of your own, when you were -even His enemy; will you not make any return to your lover and -benefactor, although, over and above the kingdom and all His other -gifts, it was just that you should feel grateful to Him for the giving -itself? Servants, indeed, when they call their masters to dinner, deem -not that they are offering, but receiving; here, however, it was just -the contrary. It was not the servant who first called the Lord, but the -Lord Who first called the servant to His own table; and will you not -call Him even after this? He was the first to bring you under His own -roof; can you not even follow His example? He covered you in your -nakedness, and in the face of this do you refuse to bring in a stranger? -It was He Who first gave you to drink of His own cup, and will you not -offer Him even cold water? He gave you the Holy Spirit to drink, and -will you not relieve bodily thirst? He gave you the Spirit to drink, who -were worthy of chastisement, but do you disregard a thirsty man whilst -you are about to do all this out of what is His? Do you not consider it -a great honour to hold the cup out of which Christ is about to drink, -and to approach it to His mouth? Do you not see that the priest alone -may give the chalice with the Blood? ‘I go into none of these -particulars.’ Our Lord says: ‘If you yourself give it I receive it; even -if you are a layman I do not refuse it. I do not require what I have -given, for I seek not blood but cold water.’ Consider, then, _Whose_ -thirst you are relieving, and be in awe. Consider that _you_ have become -Christ’s priest, giving with your own hands not flesh but bread, not -blood but a drink of cold water. He has put on you the robe of -salvation, and has clothed you through Himself; do you also clothe _Him_ -in the person of a child. He has made you a name in heaven; do you drive -away cold, and nakedness, and unseemliness. He has made you a citizen of -the angels; if you can bear it, give Him a portion only, give Him -house-room as you would your servant. He says, ‘I will not turn away -from this refuge, and that when I have opened all heaven to you. I have -delivered you,’ He says, ‘from the bitterest captivity: _I_ do not -require this, nor do I say, Deliver Me; but if you only see Me in -chains, this is sufficient to console Me. I raised you from the dead: -this I do not require from you; but I say, only visit Me when I am -sick.’ Since, then, the gifts given to us are thus great, and the things -demanded of us so very small, and we do not offer even these, what sort -of hell should we not deserve? It is just that we should go down into -the fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels, since we are -harder than a rock. For, tell me, what insensibility is this, receiving -gifts so great with the prospect of the same hereafter, to be the slaves -of money, which in a little while we shall have to give up, and to give -up unwillingly? Others have laid down their lives and shed their blood, -but you have not hazarded the smallest thing for heaven or for those -unfading crowns. What sort of excuse or pardon would you deserve for -enjoying all things with the fat of the earth, neglecting nothing for -putting your money out to interest, and yet being cruel and inhuman in -feeding your Lord in the person of the indigent? Pondering all this in -our minds, and considering what we have received, and what we are going -to receive, and what we are asking for, let us show forth all our zeal -in spiritual things. Let us, then, become gentle and kind, so that we -may escape the weight of that tremendous judgment. What is there which -is not sufficient to condemn us?—the enjoyment of things so wonderful, -the being asked for nothing great, the fact that we shall have to give -up what we are asked for in spite of ourselves when we leave this world, -the ostentation of great ambition in worldly things. Each one of these -is by itself sufficient to condemn us, but when they are all combined, -what hope will there be of salvation? In order, then, that we may escape -this great condemnation, let us show ourselves kind towards the poor. - - · · · · · · · - - - The Archetype and the Type. -(_Homilies on the Epistle to the Philippians_, xiii., vol. v., p. 136.) - - · · · · · · · - -The Apostles presented a type, maintaining in their own persons a -certain archetype. Consider how austere their life was, as if offering -an archetype, and example, and living laws. For they set forth to all, -through their deeds, that which the Scripture said. This is the best -teaching, which has power to lead the disciple. You may talk and use -fine words, but if your actions do the contrary you are no teacher. The -disciple thinks very little of fine words; they should be accompanied by -the teaching and leading of works: this makes both the master venerable, -and disposes the disciple to agree with him. How so? When he hears a man -making a display of words, he says that he has enjoined what is -impossible, and that he who is not a doer is the first to prove their -impracticability. Now, if he saw a man practising goodness in deed, he -would not be able to say this. Moreover, supposing the master’s life be -careless, let us rouse ourselves, and listen to the Prophet, saying, -_All shall be taught by God_, and again, _They shall teach_ _no more -every man his brother, saying: Know the Lord; for all shall know Me, -from the least of them even to the greatest_. Have you no righteous -teacher? You have the real Master, Him Whom alone you may call Master, -learn of Him. _He_ said, _Learn of Me, for I am meek_. Cleave, then, to -no teacher, but to Him and to His teaching. Take your model from Him; -you have a most excellent one; fashion yourself after it. The Scripture -offers us numberless examples of a holy life; choose which you will, and -follow the Master with His disciples. One shone by poverty, another -through riches; for instance, Elias by poverty, Abraham by his wealth; -choose whichever you think the easier and securer. Again, the one was -holy through marriage, the other through virginity, as Abraham and -Elias: choose your road, for each leads to heaven. John was holy by -fasting, and Job without it. Job, moreover, was what he was by despising -wife, and sons, and daughters, and house, having great wealth, whilst -John possessed nothing except his sheep-skin. And why do I speak of -house and abundance and money, since a king has it in his power to win -goodness for himself. A royal palace would be found to be far more -troublesome than any private house. David, then, shone in his royalty, -and his purple and his crown impeded him in nothing: another was -entrusted with the leadership of a whole people—I mean Moses—which is a -more difficult thing. In the latter, power was greater, therefore the -difficulty was greater. Do you see men who gained a good name both in -riches and in poverty, in marriage and in continency? Now look, on the -other hand, at those who were lost both in marriage and in continency, -in riches and in poverty. For instance, many men, living in the married -state, have been lost, like Samson, not because of marriage, but through -their own will; in virginity, too, as the five virgins; in abundance, as -the rich man who despised Lazarus; in poverty, for thousands of poor are -lost every day. I can show you many men lost in monarchy, many in -leading the people. Would you like to know of some in armies who have -been saved? There is Cornelius. And of some in stewardships? There is -the eunuch of the Ethiopian. Thus, if everywhere we use wealth as we -should, it does us no harm; if we do not, everything harms us—royalty -and poverty and riches. Nothing can hurt the man who is watching. Tell -me, has captivity ever harmed anyone? No, never. Think of Joseph in -servitude, bearing goodness in his mind; think of Daniel and the three -children taken captive, how they shone the more. Everywhere goodness is -resplendent and invulnerable, and nothing can master it. Why do I speak -of poverty and captivity and slavery? I may add hunger and ulceration -and a painful illness, for this is worse than slavery. Lazarus suffered -this, and Job, and Timothy with his frequent infirmities. Do you see how -nothing can overcome goodness? Neither wealth, nor poverty, nor power, -nor leadership, nor being at the head of affairs, nor illness, nor being -unknown, nor cast aside: disregarding all these things on the earth, it -makes its way to heaven. Only have a brave spirit, and there is no -obstacle against goodness. When the labourer is strong, no external -thing hinders him. And so, in the case of handicrafts, when a mechanic -is experienced and steadfast, and possesses all his art, even if illness -should come, he has it still; or if he should be in poverty, he has it; -and whether he has the instrument in his hands or not, whether he works -or not, it is not diminished, because the science is in himself. So is -it with God’s servant: even if you throw him into riches, his art is -shown forth; or into poverty, or disease, or health, or contempt, or -fame, it is all the same. Did not the Apostles work through everything? -_Through honour and dishonour, and evil report and good report._ This -shows the soldier, the being invulnerable against everything. For this -is the nature of virtue. If you say, ‘I am unable to be set over many, I -do best alone,’ you insult virtue, for it can benefit all, and show -itself, let it only be in the mind. Has hunger to be endured? or is -there abundance? Virtue, again, shows its own strength; as Paul said: _I -know both how to be brought low, and I know how to abound_. Was it -necessary to work? He was not ashamed, but laboured for two years. Was -hunger to be borne? He neither pined nor doubted. Had he to die? He did -not lose heart, but showed in all things a brave soul and his skill. Now -let us emulate him, and we shall have no cause for sorrow. For, tell me, -what is capable of grieving such a man? Nothing. As long as no one robs -us of virtue, the man who possesses it is the happiest of creatures even -here—not only there. Supposing there is a holy man, with wife and -children, and money, and a great name, and he still remains holy in -spite of them: take them away, and he will still be holy: neither -dejected by tribulation, nor elated by his righteousness, but like a -rock which stands immovable whether the sea rages or whether it is calm, -not troubled by the waves nor affected by the calm, so does the -steadfast soul stand bravely both with calm, and with foaming waves. -And, as children sailing on the sea are frightened whilst the pilot sits -still and laughs at them, sees their trouble and is of good cheer, so -does the mortified soul recline as if on some land or oasis of -contentment, whilst all men are troubled, and laughing in an untimely -way at the vicissitudes of things. For what can disturb the soul of a -peaceful man? Death? But this is the beginning of a better life. Or -poverty? This helps that soul on to virtue. Or illness? It accounts both -refreshment and suffering as nothing, for it punished itself beforehand. -Or being defamed? But the world is crucified to it. Or the loss of -children? It had no fear if fully convinced of the resurrection. What, -then, can make it miserable? Nothing whatever. If this man be rich, is -he puffed up? By no means, for he knows that money is nothing. What of -fame, then? He has been taught that _all human glory is like the flower -of the field_. Or luxury, again? He has listened to Paul’s words: _She -that liveth in pleasure is dead while she is living_. Now, since this -soul is neither lifted up nor dejected, what could come up to this -well-being? Not all souls are so disposed, but they are more changeable -than wind or weather, so that it is most ludicrous to see the same man -now laughing, now weeping, now buried in thought, now loquacious beyond -measure. Therefore he said: _Be not conformed to this world_: our -citizenship is in heaven, where there is no change. Immutable rewards -are offered to us: let us show forth that citizenship whence we have -already received good things. But what if we cast ourselves into -uncertainty and a surging sea, into a storm or a hurricane? Let us be at -peace. The point lies not in riches or poverty, or glory or dishonour, -or sickness or health, or weakness, but in our own soul. If this be -steadfast and well-grounded in goodness, all things will be easy to it, -and even here it will behold its rest, and the peaceful harbour, and -departing hence it will gain endless goods. May it be granted to us all -through the love and kindness of Our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom, with -the Father and the Holy Spirit, be glory, power, and praise now and for -ever. Amen. - - - The Weak Things of God. - (_Homilies on First Epistle to Corinthians_, vi., vol. ii., p. 59.) - - · · · · · · · - -_And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling._ -Here, again, is another point. Not only are those who believe -illiterate, not only is the teacher illiterate, not only is the mode of -teaching replete with illiterateness, not only is the teaching itself -qualified to terrify—for it was the Cross and death—but together with -these there were other obstacles: dangers and plottings, and daily -anguish, and harassing pursuit. For he often calls persecution weakness, -as he does in another place: _Ye have not spurned the weakness in my -flesh_; and again: _If it behoves me to glory, I will glory in my -weakness_. What weaknesses are these? _The governor of king Areta was -keeping the city of Damascus, wishing to take me._ And again: _Therefore -I rejoice in my infirmities_. Then, going on to distinguish what -infirmities, he added: _In contumely, in want, in persecutions_. So here -he speaks in the same way; for, saying, _And I was in weakness_, he -added, _and I was with you in fear and in much trembling_. What is this? -Did Paul himself fear dangers? He did indeed, and greatly too; for, if -he was Paul, he was also a man. This is no accusation against Paul, but -a weakness of nature, and an encomium of his choice, that whereas he -_did_ fear stripes and death, this fear did not lead him to do any -unworthy action; so that those who say he did _not_ fear stripes not -only do not exalt him, but take much away from his praises. If, indeed, -he did _not_ fear, where is the fortitude and where is the merit of -braving dangers? For my own part, this is what I admire in him, that, -fearful as he was, and not only fearful, but trembling at dangers, he -came out victorious through everything, and in no case surrendered, -cleansing the world, and sowing the Gospel all over the earth and sea. -_And my speech and my preaching was not in the persuasive words of human -wisdom_—that is, it has not outward wisdom. If, therefore, his preaching -had no subtlety about it, and those who were called were uncultured as -well as the preacher, and there was, besides, persecution, and fear, and -trembling, tell me, how did they gain the mastery without divine power? -So, in saying, _That which I say and preach does not consist in the -persuasive words of wisdom_, he added, _but in the manifestation of the -Spirit and of power_. Do you see how the folly of God is wiser than man, -and how the weakness is stronger? Illiterate as they were who preached -these things, in chains and imprisoned, they overcame those who bound -them. How? Was it not through showing the faith which is of the Spirit? -This, indeed, was an irrefutable argument. For, tell me, what man, -seeing the dead arise and devils put forth, would not have received -their teaching? Since, however, there are powers of deception, such as -those of magicians, he removed this ambiguity. He did not speak of power -only, but first of the Spirit and then of power, thus showing that what -had taken place was spiritual. Consequently, there having been no -learning about the preaching of the Gospel is no lessening of its value, -but its greatest glory. This, at least, shows it to be divine, and to -have had its root above, in heaven. On this account he continued: _That -your faith may not be in the wisdom of man, but in the power of God_. Do -you see how clearly in everything he pointed out the gain of -illiterateness and the harm of culture? While human wisdom made the -Cross vain, ignorance proclaimed the power of God: the one disposed men -not to find the necessaries of life, and so to glory in themselves; the -other, to receive the truth and to glory in God. Again, wisdom persuaded -many men to regard dogma suspiciously as human; ignorance pointed it out -clearly as divine, and coming down from heaven. Now, whenever a proof is -arrived at by word-wisdom, it is very often the bad men who get the -better of the more moderate, being the more skilful in their arguments, -and falsehood outwits the truth. It is not so here: for neither does the -Holy Spirit take possession of an unclean soul, nor when He has taken -possession can He be ever lessened, even if all the clever words in the -world be used. A manifestation through works and signs is much clearer -than that of words. - -But some one might reasonably say that, if the Gospel is bound to -conquer, and the Cross needs no eloquence, that it may not be proved -vain, why is it that miracles have now ceased? Why is it? Do you speak -as an unbeliever, and not receive those which took place in the case of -the Apostles, or do you honestly seek to learn? If as an unbeliever, -then I will first direct myself to this. Now, if miracles did _not_ take -place then, how did they make themselves heard, standing up against -whole peoples and speaking such things, driven about as they were, -pursued, in fear, in chains; one and all an object of hatred to the -world; at the mercy of everyone’s ill-treatment; having nothing -attractive of their own—neither eloquence, nor fame, nor riches, nor -city, nor nationality, nor family, nor career, nor reputation, nor any -one of these things, but just the reverse of them all, an illiterate and -sorry condition, poverty, hatred, and enmity? Their injunctions also -entailed much hardship and their teaching many dangers, and the hearers -too who were to be persuaded were given up to much feasting and -drunkenness and vice. Now, tell me, whence their power of persuasion, -whence their titles of credence? As I was saying, if they _did_ gain men -without miracles, the wonder appears very much greater. Therefore do not -conclude that because there are no miracles now there were none then. It -was to the point, both that they took place then and that they do not -take place now. Persuasion by word alone now is no security that the -Gospel lies in the possession of wisdom. For they who in the beginning -were sowers of the Word were uncultured and ignorant, and they spoke -nothing of themselves, but they gave to the world that which they had -received from God; now, we also spread abroad not our own inventions, -but we speak to all what we have received from them. We do not persuade -by arguments now but by Holy Scripture, and the signs which then took -place inspire us with confidence in what we say. Neither did they -persuade by signs alone, but also by discoursing, whilst the signs made -their words appear the more powerful together with the testimony of the -Old Testament, not the cleverness of what was said. ‘Why,’ you ask, -‘were miracles good then and not now?’ Let us suppose a case, for so far -my contest has been directed against a heathen, and therefore I will -suppose something that must undoubtedly happen; let us then suppose a -case, and let the unbeliever submit to believe, for instance, that -Christ will come, even if he take my word for it; well, then, when -Christ shall come and all the angels with Him, and He is shown to be -God, and all things are under His dominion, will not the heathen too -believe? It is evident that he will fall down in adoration and confess -Him to be God, however stubborn he may be. Who, indeed, seeing the -heavens opened and Christ Himself seated on the clouds, with all the -heavenly host surrounding Him, the rivers running fire, all men standing -by in great fear, would not worship Him and acknowledge Him as God? Tell -me now, shall that worship and knowledge be accounted to the heathen as -faith? By no means. For it is _not_ faith; sheer force produces it, and -the manifestation of visible things. It is not a matter of choice, but -reason is constrained by the greatness of the vision. Therefore, the -more evident and undeniable that which happens is, by so much is faith -diminished, and this is why miracles are not worked now. And that it is -so, listen to Our Lord’s words to St. Thomas: _Blessed are they who have -not seen yet have believed_. Therefore the reward of faith is diminished -just in proportion to the greater evidence of the sign, so that if signs -took place now the same would follow. In the words, _Now we walk through -faith, not through sight_, Paul made it clear that then we shall no -longer know Him by faith. Thus, if you believe then, you will not be -convinced by the wonder of the thing, so neither would you be now if the -same signs took place as of old. Whenever we receive things which are in -no sort of way discoverable to anyone by reasoning, that is faith. On -this account, too, hell is threatened, but is not apparent, for if it -were, the same would be the case here also. Still, if you seek for -miracles, you will see them even now, though they are not the same kind -of miracles. You will see a thousand prophecies concerning a thousand -things, the conversion of the world, the holy life of barbarians, the -change of cruel habits, the increase of piety. - -‘What prophecies are these?’ you ask. ‘For all that was foretold was -written down after the event.’ Tell me when, and where, and by whom, and -how long ago? Shall we say it was fifty years ago or a hundred? -Therefore a hundred years ago there was nothing at all written down. -Then how did the world receive the teaching and all other things, as -memory did not suffice? How did they know that Peter was crucified? How -after this did it occur to men to foretell such things, for instance, as -that the Gospel should be preached in the whole world, that the Jewish -dispensation should stop and not come back again? How would those who -had staked their lives for the Gospel have borne to see it -counterfeited? How were the writers trusted when there were no more -miracles? How did those writings penetrate into uncivilised lands, and -into India, and even unto the farthest extremities of the ocean, if the -speakers were not worthy of faith? Now, who were the writers? When and -where did they write? Why did they write? Was it to make themselves -famous? Why did they ascribe the Scriptures to others? Were they -desirous of embodying a system of doctrine? Then was it true or false? -For if they looked upon it as false, there was no pretext for their -coming forward at all; but if as true, there was no need of -counterfeits, as you truly say. Moreover, the prophecies are such that -up to the present day what has been said cannot be restricted by time. -If, on the one hand, the destruction of Jerusalem took place many years -ago, there are other prophecies dating from the same time which reach up -to His coming. Examine these, if you like—as, for instance, _I am with -you always, even unto the consummation of time_, and, _Upon this rock I -will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against -it_; again, _This Gospel shall be preached to all nations_, and the deed -of the woman who was a sinner, and many more than these. Now, whence -comes the truth of this prophecy if it was an invention? How have the -gates of hell not prevailed against the Church? How is Christ always -with us? If He were not with us, the Church would not have conquered. -How has the Gospel been spread about the whole world? Our adversaries -are able to bear witness to the antiquity of our Scriptures—I mean -Celsus and his party, and the man of Batavia after him—for they did not -contradict what those who came after them put together; moreover, the -whole world with one voice has received it. For if it was not the grace -of the Spirit, there could not have been so great an unity from end to -end of the earth, but the inventors would speedily have been convicted, -nor would successes so great have been produced by forgeries and -falsehood. Do you not see the whole world coming to meet it, and error -extinguished?—the mortification of monks shining brighter than the sun? -Do you not see bands of virgins, the piety of barbarians, men all -serving under one yoke? Nor are these things foretold by us alone, but -first by the prophets. You must not overlook those prophecies of theirs -either, for our Scriptures are present to our enemies, and Greeks have -set themselves eagerly to translate them into the language of Greece. -These prophecies foretell many things, and show that He Who was to come -is God. - -Now, why do not all men now believe? Because things have been going to -the bad, and it is we who are the cause of it. The rest of my discourse -is for your benefit. It was not, indeed, through signs only that they -then believed, but many were led on by an example of life. _Let your -light shine before men_, Our Lord says, _that they may see your good -works and glorify your Father Who is in heaven_. And, again, _They all -had one heart and one mind, and no man among them called anything his -own, but they had all things in common, and to each man was given -according to his need_, and their life was an angelical one. And if this -were to take place now, we should convert the whole world even without -wonder-working. In the meantime, let those who wish to be saved follow -the Scriptures: there they will find both these successes and many more -besides. For the teachers themselves surpassed those deeds, living their -lives in hunger and thirst and nakedness; we, on the contrary, wish to -enjoy much feasting, and refreshment, and security. Not so those men who -cried out: _Up to the present hour we are in hunger and thirst and -nakedness, and are homeless and beaten about_. Some went out from -Jerusalem as far as Illyria, one to the Indies, one to the Moors, -another to all parts of the earth; we, on the other hand, have not -courage to leave even our own country, but seek for luxury, and splendid -households, and abundance of every kind. Which of us ever suffered -hunger for God’s Word, or went into the desert, or took a long journey -for it? What teacher living by his hands has come to the help of others? -Who has encountered death day after day? Hence our people are growing -softer. For if anyone were to see soldiers and generals wrestling with -hunger and thirst, and death, and every possible evil, and bearing cold -and dangers with the fortitude of lions, and conquering; and if, after -this, he were to see them giving up their life of heroism, becoming -faint-hearted, loving money, absorbed in their own affairs and business, -and then defeated by their enemies, it would be extreme folly to seek -for the reason. Let us apply this to ourselves and our forefathers, for -we have grown weaker than anyone else, and we are nailed to this present -life. Even if a man be found with a trace of the old mortification, who -leaves the city and the market-place, and the thick of the fray, and the -ordering of others, and flies to the mountain, and if anyone ask why he -retires, he will discover no sound reason for it. He says: ‘I withdraw -that I may not perish, and that I may not become weak in goodness’. How -much better it would be that you _should_ grow weaker and gain others, -than remain on the heights and see your brethren perishing. Now, when -some neglect goodness, and others who _do_ care for it are withdrawn -from their rank in the fight, how shall we gain our enemies? If signs -took place now, who would be convinced? Or who of those without would -attach himself to us whilst vice is so apparent? An upright life on our -part seems to the multitude more convincing. For signs from shameless -and bad men arouse a suspicion of evil, but a pure life is able to shut -the devil’s mouth with great force. These things I say both to rulers -and ruled, and to myself, before all, in order that we may show forth an -admirable life, and, forming ourselves into battle array, may disregard -all present things. Let us despise money, and not despise hell; think -little of fame, but not little of our salvation; let us endure struggles -and labours here, that there we may not encounter chastisement. Thus let -us fight the heathen, thus let us take them prisoners in a captivity -which is better than freedom. But we talk persistently and often about -these things, and scarcely ever do them. However, whether we do them or -not, it is right always to insist upon them. For if some cheat through -fine words, how much more should those who are leading others to the -truth not weary of speaking what is due. For if cheaters make use of -these tactics—for they lay up money, and bring arguments to bear, and -encounter dangers, and make their power felt—how much more should we, -who lead men away from deceit, endure dangers, and death, and all -things, so that, gaining ourselves and others, and standing invincibly -against our adversaries, we may arrive at the promised goods in Christ -Jesus our Lord, to Whom be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen. - - - The Secret of our Faith. - (_Homilies on First Epistle to Corinthians_, iii., vol. ii., p. 27.) - - · · · · · · · - -Show me, if you can, whether Peter and Paul were scholars. But you -cannot; for they were ordinary men and unlettered.[7] Just as Christ, -when He sent His disciples out into the world, showed His power first to -them in Palestine, saying, _When I sent you without purse, and scrip, -and shoes, did you want anything?_ Afterwards He charged them to have a -scrip and a purse, and so He did in this case. For that which was aimed -at was to show the power of Christ, not that the lack of external -accomplishments should cause those who approached to be rejected from -the faith. Now, whenever heathens accuse the disciples of being -unlearned, let us be even louder than they in our accusations. Let no -one say that Paul was skilful, but praising great men amongst them for -their skill, and those remarkable for their clever speeches, let us say -that all of ours are unlearned. We shall not a little overthrow them on -this side too, so brilliant will be the victory. I have said these -things because I once heard a Christian making himself ridiculous in -discussion with a heathen, and each in their fight against the other -destroying his own side. That which the Christian should have said the -heathen said, and that which it would have been natural for the heathen -to say the Christian put forward. For, Paul and Plato forming the -subject of dispute, the heathen, on the one hand, tried to show that -Paul was uneducated and unlearned, and, on the other, the Christian, out -of simplicity, was all eager to prove that Paul was a better reasoner -than Plato. Thus the heathen gained the victory, as this consideration -prevailed. For, if Paul _had_ been a better dialectician than Plato, -many would naturally have used the argument that he succeeded through -his skilful speech rather than by grace. So the Christian’s argument -told for the heathen, and the heathen’s for the Christian. For if Paul -was untaught and still conquered Plato, as I have said, it was a -triumphant victory. The unlearned Paul, taking Plato’s disciples, -convinced them and drew them to himself. Hence, it is evident that the -Gospel was not preached by human wisdom, but by the grace of God. In -order, then, that we may not encounter the same defeat, nor make -ourselves ridiculous when we are thus in discussion with heathens, let -us condemn the Apostles as unlearned: this very condemnation is praise. -And when they tell us that the Apostles were rustic, let us admit and -confess that they were untaught, and unlearned, and poor, and needy, and -unintelligent, and obscure. This is no blasphemy of the Apostles, but -their glory, that, being what they were, they appeared more famous than -the whole world. Those very unlearned, rustic, untaught men beat down -men wise in their conceits, powerful men, tyrants, men who were enjoying -riches and glory and all outward goods, as if they had not been men at -all. Whence it is clear that the power of the Cross was great, and that -it was not through human strength that these things took place. They do -not, indeed, come from nature at all, but that which was accomplished -was above nature. Whenever something takes place which is above nature, -and very much above it, and is also opportune and good, it is evident -that it happens by a certain divine power and co-operation. For, -consider—a fisherman, a tent-maker, a publican, an unlearned man, and an -untaught man, coming from their outlandish province of Palestine, drove -out from their own stronghold philosophers, and orators, and -rhetoricians, and overcame them in a short time in the midst of many -dangers, peoples and kings resisting them, nature itself being adverse: -inveterate custom, force of habit, fighting them to the teeth: evil -spirits armed against them: the devil in agitation setting all things in -motion—monarchies, and rulers, and democracies, and nations, and cities, -barbarians, heathens, philosophers, orators, sophists, lawmakers, laws, -tribunals, every sort of chastisement, and manifold deaths. And yet all -these things were overcome, and gave way at the voice of fishermen, just -as a little dust which is unable to resist the force of strong winds. -Let us learn, therefore, so to speak with the heathens as not to be like -a herd of sheep or cattle, but let us be prepared to prove the hope -which is in us. And, meanwhile, let us insist on the chief point, which -is no small one, and say to them, How was it that the weak circumvented -the strong, that twelve men conquered the world, not in the strength of -their own weapons, but in their nakedness fighting armed men? For, say, -if twelve men, inexperienced in war, breaking in upon a huge array of -armed warriors, not only weaponless themselves, but feeble in body, were -to suffer nothing at their hands, and were to escape scatheless from a -thousand missiles, and, standing in their midst with unprotected bodies, -were to put them all to flight, not using weapons, but fighting with -their hands, slaying some and taking others into captivity, and not -receiving a scratch themselves, nor reached by a thousand blows aimed at -them—who would ascribe this to man alone? Yet the victory of the -Apostles was far more wonderful than this. For it is much more -stupendous that an unlearned man, an untaught man, and a fisherman -should circumvent so much cleverness, than that an unarmed man should -come scatheless out of the fight: that they should be held back neither -by their small numbers nor their poverty, nor by dangers, nor by force -of habit, nor by the difficulty of the enterprise which they had -undertaken, nor by death looking them daily in the face, nor by the -multitude of those deceived, nor by the fame of deceivers. - -In like manner, then, let us overthrow them, and fight against them, and -let us strike them down rather by our life than by arguments. For this -is the great strife, and the most unanswerable argument is that of -works, since we may philosophise with our tongues in a thousand ways, -and yet if we show not forth a better life than theirs, we gain nothing -whatever. They do not give heed to our reasonings, but take note of what -we do, and they say, ‘First yield obedience to your own words, and then -advise others. If you speak of the innumerable goods of the next world, -and yet seem to be given up to present ones, as if those others did not -exist, your deeds are more convincing to me than your words. For when I -see you seizing others’ property, grieving inordinately over the dead, -committing many other sins, how can I believe you when you tell me that -there is a resurrection?’ Even if they do not put this into words, they -think it, and bear it in their minds. And this it is which prevents -infidels from becoming Christians. Let us, then, lead them by our life. -Many illiterate men have thus struck down the mind of philosophers, by -showing them the philosophy of works, sending forth a voice louder than -a trumpet through their own manner of life and conduct: this voice is -indeed much more powerful than the tongue. Whenever I say that it is not -lawful to bear malice to anyone, and then injure a heathen in a thousand -ways, how shall I be able to persuade him by my words since I frighten -him away by my deeds? Let us, therefore, catch them by our daily life, -and build up the Church through these souls, and collect this wealth. -Nothing whatsoever is of so much worth as a soul, not even the whole -world. If you should give thousands of pounds to the poor, you do -nothing in comparison to the one who converts a soul. _He who makes an -honourable man out of a worthless one shall be as My mouth_, God says. -Compassion for the poor is also a great good, but it is nothing compared -to withdrawing a soul from error; the man who does this becomes like -Peter and Paul. For we may point out the Gospel which they preached; not -that we be imperilled as they were, and have hunger and pestilence and -other evils to endure, for this is a time of peace, but so that we may -show forth the zeal of a willing spirit. _This_ fishing may, indeed, be -carried out by those who sit at home. If any man have a friend, or -relation, or servant, this let him do and say, and he will become like -Peter and Paul. And why do I say Peter and Paul? He will be the mouth of -Christ. For _he who makes an honourable_ _man out of a worthless one -shall be as My mouth_, He says. If you should not persuade to-day, you -will to-morrow, and, even if you never persuade at all, you will have -the full reward. And if you cannot persuade all, you can persuade a few -out of many, since the Apostles themselves did not convince all the men -of their day; but still they conversed with them all, and have the -reward for all. For God is wont to bestow His crowns, not according to -what is accomplished by good deeds, but according to the intention of -those who do them. If you put down only two mites He receives them, and -He will do for those who teach what He did for the widow. Therefore, -because you are not able to save the world, do not despise the few, nor -turn away from small things in your desire for great things. If you -cannot give a hundred, look after the ten; and if you cannot give ten, -do not despise the five; and if five are beyond you, do not overlook the -one; and if you cannot even give the one, do not lose courage, and do -not neglect your part. - - · · · · · · · - - - The Victory of Our Faith. - (_Homilies on St. Matthew_, lxxv., vol. ii., p. 376.) - - · · · · · · · - -We may wonder the more at the power of Christ, and at the courage of the -Apostles, because they were announcing the Gospel at the very time when -everything Jewish was particularly attacked, and the Jews were -proscribed as seditious, and the Roman emperor commanded their total -dispersion. And this happened in a state of things which we may describe -in this way. There is a great tempest at sea, the whole atmosphere is -wrapped in darkness, wreck follows upon wreck, on board all the sailors -are in open rebellion, and from below monsters are darting up, and -together with the waves are destroying the men; thunderbolts are -falling, pirates attacking, and on board all is mutiny. Suppose that in -this extremity anyone should order men who were ignorant of nautical -matters, nor even knew the sea, to sit at the rudder, to guide the helm, -and to fight their way. And then, in the face of an experienced crew -equipped with much labour suppose that these men should use a light -boat, in the state of tumult which I have described, and overcome and -master it. For as Jews they were hated by the Gentile world, and as the -enemies of their own laws they were stoned by the Jews; nowhere was -there any standing-ground. Thus, on all sides there were precipices, -chasms, and rocks; cities, country-places, dwelling-houses, offered them -nothing else; one and all opposed them—commander, and magistrate, and -the man in private life, all races and all peoples—and there was a -disturbance with which men could not reason. For, indeed, the Jewish -race was exceedingly hateful to the Roman rulers, inasmuch as it had -caused them trouble in a thousand ways, and yet the Gospel tidings were -not prejudiced thereby, but the city itself was ravaged and set on fire, -and numberless ills fell upon its inhabitants. Nevertheless the -Apostles, going forth from that city, bringing in new laws, mastered -even the Romans. Oh, what new and wonderful deeds are these! The Romans -at that time subdued countless thousands of Jews, and they did _not_ -circumvent twelve poor unarmed men. What words can adequately express -this wonder? For there are two things which teachers should possess—the -being worthy of confidence and the love of their disciples; and over and -above these, that what they say should be well received, and the time in -which they say it free from agitation and fear. But then everything was -just the reverse. For neither did they appear to be worthy of -confidence, and yet they were to detach those whom men, apparently thus -worthy, had deceived. They were not loved, but even hated, and they drew -men off from those things which they clung to, from habits of life, and -from country, and from laws. Moreover, their injunctions were -exceedingly hard, but those from which they took men were most pleasant. -Many were the dangers and the deaths to be encountered both by them -themselves and by those who listened to them; and with all this, the -time itself was a time of great trouble, fruitful in wars, tumults, and -agitation, so that if there had been no one of the things which we have -enumerated, it alone might have upset everything. We may say, -pertinently: _Who shall declare the powers of the Lord? who shall set -forth all His praises?_ For if the friends of Moses did not listen to -him when he spoke with miraculous signs simply because of bricks and -clay, who was able to withdraw from an idle life men who day after day -are killed and slaughtered, and are suffering intolerable evils? Who was -able to make them prefer this insecure life of blood-shedding and death -even to the other, the heralds of these tidings being of another race, -and on all accounts most hostile? Let a man bring in, not to a race, or -city, or people, but into one small household, one who is hated by -everybody in it, and let him try hard through that person to withdraw -men from those he loves, from father and wife and children, will he not -be seen torn to pieces before he opens his mouth? And if he bring to the -house contention and strife between husband and wife, will they not take -and stone him before he again crosses the threshold? If besides he is -contemptible, and yet enjoins disagreeable things, ordering luxurious -men to practise an ascetic life; and with all this, if the combat be -against men much more numerous and powerful than himself, is it not -evident that he is wholly undone? And yet this very thing which it was -impossible to do in one household is what Christ has done in the whole -world, through precipice and fire, and chasm and rock, with earth and -sea fighting against Him, by introducing the healers of the world. And -if you wish to learn these things more accurately,—I mean famines, and -plagues, and earthquakes, and other visitations,—go over the history of -these things as it is contained in Josephus, and you will see it all -most clearly. This is why He Himself said: _Be not disturbed, for all -things must come about_; and _He who perseveres unto the end shall be -saved_; and again, _This Gospel shall be preached throughout the whole -world_. For He revives those who are discouraged and drooping for fear -at what He has told them, by saying, that whatever happens, the Gospel -must be preached in every part of the world, and that then the end will -come. Do you see what a state things were in at that time, and how war -was everywhere? And this at the outset, when that which is established -most especially requires much peace. Now, what was this state? There is -no reason why we should not recapitulate the same things. The first war -was that of deceivers, for He said: _There shall arise false Christs and -false prophets_; the second, that of the Romans: _You are about to hear -wars_; the third was that which was to bring in famine; the fourth, that -of plagues and earthquakes; the fifth, _They shall give you up to fear_; -the sixth, _You shall be hated by all_; the seventh, _They shall traduce -and hate each other_; hence clearly civil war; hence false Christs and -false brethren; hence _Charity shall grow cold_, which is the cause of -all evils without exception. Do you see how war was there in every -shape, both novel and marvellous? Still, with all this and much more -(for war amongst kindred was added to civil discord), the Gospel tidings -took possession of the whole world. _For_, He said, _the Gospel shall be -preached in the whole world_. - - · · · · · · · - - - Marriages as they were and as they are. - (_Homilies on St. Matthew_, lxxiii., vol. ii., p. 355.) - - · · · · · · · - -Have you not heard that men and women were assembled together in the -upper room, and that that gathering was worthy of heaven? And with -reason. The women of those days put in practice a high ascetic life, and -men were grave and wise. Listen at least to the seller of purple saying: -_If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come unto my house -and abide there_. Listen to the women who followed the Apostles about -from place to place with the spirit of true men—a Priscilla, and a -Persis, and the others—from whom the women of to-day are as far removed -as the men are from the men. For then even when going about they gave no -scandal, but now, delicately nurtured in their houses, they hardly avoid -this suspicion. These scandals arise from people decking themselves out -and from luxury. Those women of old made it their business to spread -abroad the Gospel tidings: _now_ women’s anxiety is to have fine figures -and comely faces. They care no more for their good name than for their -salvation; and as to high and great deeds of goodness, they do not even -dream of them. What woman shows eagerness to make her husband better? -What man is anxious to bring his wife to amendment? Not one; but the -wife’s whole anxiety is about jewels and clothes, and the other -adornments of the body, and how she may increase her substance; and the -husband’s is the same, except that he has many more cares, and they are -all worldly cares. Who that is about to marry would inquire into the -girl’s manners and education? No one; but he would be particular enough -about money and land, and the accurate estimate of her fortune, as if he -were going to buy something, or to carry out some low contract. This is -why they speak of marriage as a contract. For I have heard many say, -‘Such a man has made a contract with such a girl; that is, he has -married’. They trample upon the very gifts of God, and marry and are -married, as if they were buyers and sellers. Indeed, deeds require more -accuracy than the business of buying and selling. Consider how men -married of old, and emulate their example. Now, _how_ did they marry? -They enquired about the ways and habits of their bride, and about her -goodness of heart. Therefore they had no need of contracts, nor of -pen-and-ink settlements; the bride’s character was everything to them. -So I admonish you, too, not to look for money and wealth, but for -disposition and goodness. Seek out a virtuous and earnest girl, and she -will be of more worth to you than thousands of pounds. If you look for -the things of God, the other things will come of themselves; but if you -pass over the former and insist on the latter, you will not gain even -these. But you will say, ‘Such a man became rich through his wife’. Are -you not ashamed to bring forward such instances? I have heard many say, -‘I would rather be poor a thousand times over than grow wealthy through -my wife’. For what is more unacceptable than that wealth? What is more -pungent than that abundance? What is more humiliating than to be the man -thus noted and pointed at by everyone as the ‘man who became rich -through his wife’. I would set forth the domestic vexations which would -of necessity befal this man from his act, viz., his wife’s temper, his -state of slavery, their contentions, the scoffs of servants who call him -‘a poor beggar, a nobody sprung from nowhere, for what had he to offer? -Did not everything belong to the lady?’ But these words make no -impression on you, for you have not an independent spirit. Since -toad-eaters, too, have to hear what is still more outrageous, and do not -care, so neither are these men troubled, but they glory in their -shamelessness, and when we talk to them about it, one of them answers, -‘Let me alone, it is very pleasant; and it can put an end to me for all -I care’. Oh! the malice of the devil for making certain sayings -commonplaces in life, which are capable of poisoning the whole existence -of such men. See, at least, what deadly havoc this one diabolical phrase -works; for it says in so many words, ‘Have no care for sobriety or for -justice: let everything of the kind be thrown aside, and look only for -one thing—pleasure’. Even if this pursuit oppress you, choose it; even -if all who meet you spit upon you, and throw mud in your eyes, and drive -you about like a dog, bear it. What else could swine say if they had a -voice? or unclean dogs? Indeed, often _they_ would not give voice to -those things which the devil has induced men to rave about. Therefore I -strongly advise those who know the heartlessness of these words to fly -from such proverbial sayings, and to confute them by the contrary ones -of Holy Scripture. Which are they? _Go not after thy lusts, and turn -away from thy own will._ And, again, concerning the harlot, its words -are opposed to that other phrase: _Mind not the deceit of a woman. For -the lips of a harlot are like a honeycomb dropping, and her throat is -smoother than oil. But her end is bitter as wormwood, and sharp as a -two-edged sword._ Let us listen to these, and not to those words. For on -the latter base-minded and servile men ground their sophistry; hence, in -this, men become unreasoning things, in that they elect to seek pleasure -everywhere according to the world’s standard, which is despicable even -apart from our showing. For after the surfeiting, what is the gain of a -sweet taste? Cease, then, from this mirth, and from committing -yourselves to hell and the unquenchable fire, and let us look forward as -we ought to the things to come, putting off the scales from our eyes, so -that we may reach that future life in due time in great piety and -contentment, and may gain its good things through the love and kindness -of Our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be power for ever and ever. Amen. - - - “Use a Little Wine.” -(_Homilies de Statuis_,[8] xxi., _preached at Antioch_, tom. ii., p. 2.) - - · · · · · · · - -Since, therefore, we melt down the gold of the Apostle’s mines, not -throwing it into the furnace, but putting it by in the understanding of -our soul, not enkindling a flame, but the fire of the Spirit, let us -pick up diligently even the tiny shavings. For if the word is brief, its -power is great. If the special worth of pearls lies not in their bulk -but in their beauty, so is it in the reading of the Divine Scriptures. -On the one hand, secular education has a care for much that is trifling, -is full of silly talk to its pupils, and sends them away empty-handed, -without gain small or great. It is not so with the grace of the Spirit, -but just the contrary. By a few words it brings asceticism before all, -and often one word is sufficient for the provision of a whole lifetime. - -Since we have this wealth before us, let us rouse ourselves, and receive -these words with a pure mind. And I am prepared to show that this word -(of St. Paul to St. Timothy) contains a great deal. This advice has -seemed to many superfluous and trifling, and they make some such remark -as, ‘Might not Timothy have known himself how much wine he was to take, -without waiting to be told it by his master?’ Now, as the master not -only gave the order, but enforced it by letter, as on a metal slab, in -the epistle which he wrote to him, was he not ashamed to establish a -rule for such things in writing to his disciple? Learn, then, that this -advice, far from being superfluous, was necessary and most useful. It is -not Paul’s doing, but the grace of the Spirit. I am speaking not only of -its having been said, but also of its having been made emphatic in -writing, and published by this same epistle to all future generations. I -shall come presently to this proof. Together with the remarks I have -noted, some people question another and a not less important point, -asking themselves why God allowed a man of so great courage, whose bones -and body put forth devils, to fall into this great bodily weakness; for -he was not merely ill, he was always and persistently ill with illnesses -following close upon each other, so as to leave him no breathing time. -How do we know this? From Paul’s own words; for he did not say, _because -of thy infirmity_, nor thy infirmities alone, but to show that they were -constant he said, _thy frequent infirmities_. Let as many as are given -up to a long sickness, and are in great distress and weariness, listen -to this. Our enquiry does not concern itself only with the fact that, -being a holy man, he was sick, or that he was so thus constantly, but -that he was entrusted with the concerns of the world. If he had been one -of those dwellers on the mountain heights, or bound fast to a tent in -the desert, and thus leading a life without business, the question would -be less puzzling; but exposed to view as he was, with the cares of -churches so great upon him, traversing entire cities and countries, and -the whole world itself, with so much readiness, that _he_ should have -been given up to the powerlessness of illness, this it is which is the -most perplexing of all to a man without reflection; for if not for -himself, he wanted his health for others. He was an excellent general: -he had waged war, he said, not against unbelievers only, but against -demons and the devil himself. All his enemies were fiercely assailing -him, dispersing his army, and taking it captive. This man could lead -thousands to the truth, and he was sick. If no further harm than this -had been done to our work by that illness, a man says, that alone was -sufficient to make believers grow more careless and negligent. If -soldiers see their general confined to bed, they grow careless and less -eager for battle; so it was much more natural that the faithful of those -days, seeing the master who worked signs so great constantly ill and -weak in his body, should suffer, humanly speaking, at the sight. This is -not all; but enquiries go on to something else, and ask again why -neither he cured himself, nor his master, who saw him thus prostrated, -cured him either; whereas they were raising the dead, and casting out -demons, and conquering death with authority, they did _not_ cure this -one sick body; and whilst in life and in death they were showing forth a -wonderful power in other bodies, they did _not_ restore this ailing -stomach. And, what is more, Paul was not ashamed, after wonders so great -as he had shown forth, by a mere word writing to Timothy, of advising -him to try the remedy of wine-drinking. Not that drinking wine is bad. -Far from it. This is what heretics assert; but that he deemed it not -beneath him that the cure of one sick member could not be affected -without this help. He was so far from being ashamed of this that he made -it clear to all succeeding generations. Do you see how deeply we have -gone into the matter: how that which appears a small thing gives rise to -endless questions? Let us, then, add the explanation, for we _have_ gone -into it thus deeply in order to rouse your minds and establish them in -security. - -You must allow me, before coming to the explanation in question, to say -something about Timothy’s goodness and Paul’s care for him. What was -kinder than he, who at so great a distance, and in a round of so much -business, made the well-being of his disciple’s stomach his care, and -told him clearly what to do for his restoration to health? And what -could equal Timothy’s virtue? He so looked down on luxury and scorned a -rich table as to grow weak from his extreme severity and excessive -fasting. Listen to Paul’s words plainly showing that he was not this by -nature, but that he had lost his strength of stomach through fasting and -water drinking; for he did not merely say, _Use a little wine_, but -saying in the first place, _Do not still drink water_, he added his -counsel about drinking wine. The _still_ was a proof that until then he -had drunk water, and had so become weak. Who would not be struck with -his mortification and severity of life? Timothy was taking heaven itself -by storm, and pressing on to the height of virtue, and to this his -master bears witness in the words: _I have sent you Timothy, who is my -beloved child and faithful in the Lord_. Now, when Paul calls him his -child, and his faithful and beloved child, these words sufficiently show -all his worth; for the judgments of the saints are not given either out -of love or hatred, but are free from all prejudice. If Timothy had been -Paul’s child according to nature, he would not have been as enviable as -he is now renowned, for whereas Timothy was nothing to him according to -the flesh, through the attraction of piety he drew him into his sonship, -preserving carefully in all things the characteristics of Timothy’s -asceticism. Just as a calf yoked with a bull, so did Timothy bear the -yoke with him all over the world, and made no difference as he grew -older, but his ardour induced him to vie with the labours of his master. -Paul, again, witnesses to this, saying: _Let no one set him at nought, -for he is doing the Lord’s work as I am myself_. Do you see how he -proclaims Timothy’s zeal as equal to his own? And that you may not think -that favouring prompted him so to speak, he makes his listeners -themselves witnesses of his child’s goodness, saying: _You know what his -test has been; how he has served with me in the Gospel as a child his -father. You have had a proof by this of his virtue and of his tried -spirit._ Yet whilst Timothy was rising to these great heights of -goodness, he did not presume of himself. On the contrary, he was in -wrestling and fear. On this account he was diligent in fasting, and did -not act as the majority of men do, who, having given themselves up to -fasting, some for ten months only, others for twenty, suddenly break up -everything. He did not suffer this, nor did he say anything of this kind -within himself: ‘Why should I go on fasting? I have got the better of -myself: I have conquered my desires, I have mortified my body, I have -terrified demons, I have cast out the devil, I have raised the dead, I -have cleansed lepers, the opposing powers hold me in fear, what further -need have I of fasting and of the weakness which it brings?’ He said -none of these things, nor were they in his mind; but the greater his -abundance of good deeds, the more he feared and trembled, and this -asceticism he had learnt from his master; for he who had been rapt into -the third heaven and taken into paradise, who had heard ineffable words -and had participated in mysteries so high, who had traversed the whole -world as if with wings, said, in writing to the Corinthians: _I fear -lest, having preached to others, I myself should be cast out_. Now, if -Paul, who was able to say, _The world is crucified to me and I to the -world_, is in fear after all these his wonderful deeds, how much more -should _we_ fear, and this should increase in proportion to the number -of our good actions. For the devil storms and rages the more when he -sees us ordering our lives with care. When he sees much goodness pressed -together and an accumulation of merits, then it is that he sets himself -to bring about a completer shipwreck. For a poor and abject man, even if -he be supplanted and fall, does not so injure the common good. Now, when -he who stands, as it were, gloriously on the heights of virtue, seen and -known to all, the object of general admiration, falls into temptation, -he effects great ruin and havoc, not only because he fell from a high -place, but also because he made those who looked up to him more -slothful. Just as in the body, when a member withers up, the harm is not -great, yet, if the eyes fail or the head is injured, the whole body -becomes useless, so is it with the saints and with those who do great -things. When these are extinguished, when they admit any stain, they -work immense harm to the whole body. - -Now, Timothy had all this before him, and he fortified himself on all -sides; for he knew that youth is hard to manage: unstable, easily -deceived, unsteady, and that it needs a strong bridle; for it is a pyre -which embraces all external things and is easily ignited. Therefore, he -was careful to put a check upon it on all sides, and he tried in every -way to quench this fire, and he drove the horse, which was unruly and -refractory, with much spirit, until he had broken him in and made him -obedient, and brought a strong hand to bear upon him, so that he -listened to reason’s word of command: ‘Let my body be weak but not my -soul,’ he said. ‘Let the flesh be bridled, and my soul in its course -heavenwards not be impeded.’ Together with this, what we should -especially wonder at in him was, that weakened down as he thus was, and -fighting with weakness, he did not neglect God’s work, but was more -active than those in full and robust health. He was seen with his -master, now at Ephesus, now at Corinth, often in Macedonia, in Italy, -everywhere by land and by sea, ever taking part in his toils and in his -continual dangers, nor did his weakness of body get the better of his -asceticism of spirit. This is zeal according to God, which makes -high-soaring easy. Thus, they who are in good case and sound in body -will gain nothing by it if their soul be cast down, and soft, and -slothful; so the weak will not be harmed by their want of health if -their soul be strong and alert. Now, this advice and counsel seem to -some to warrant unlimited wine-drinking, which is by no means the case. -If anyone would weigh the word carefully, he would find it is rather an -exhortation to fasting. For consider, this advice of Paul’s was given -not from the first and at the outset. It was given when he knew that -Timothy’s whole strength was broken, and even then not unrestrictedly, -but with a condition. He did not merely say, _Use wine_, but, _a little -wine_, and this not because Timothy required the advice, but because -_we_ do. Therefore, in writing to him, he limits and restricts -wine-drinking, telling him to drink as much as would overcome weakness, -and restore health to the body; not what would encourage another -complaint. Immoderate wine-drinking breeds complaints no less than -excessive water-drinking, or rather much worse ones, both in soul and -body. It incites the war of passions, and leads a tempest of foolish -fancies into the mind, weakens and enervates strength of body. An -abundance of water falling on the earth does not more persistently break -up the soil than constant wine-drinking does bodily strength by -weakening and wasting it. Let us, therefore, avoid both extremes, and -take care of our health, whilst we keep it within due bounds. For wine -was given us by God, not that we should be drunk with it, but that we -should be temperate, that we should be made glad and not sorry. _Wine -rejoices the heart of man_, the Scripture says. Now, you turn it into a -course for despondency. Those who drink too much are sullen, and their -reason is overclouded. Used with moderation, it is the best medicine. -This will be a useful argument against heretics who attack what God has -made. If it had been forbidden, Paul would not have counselled it, nor -have said, _Use wine_. And not against heretics only is it good, but -against our own simpler brethren, who, when they see certain men -degrading themselves by drink, instead of blaming _them_, attack God’s -gift, saying, _Let there be no wine_. Then we may answer them: ‘Let -there be no drunkenness’. For wine is God’s, whilst drunkenness is the -devil’s. It is not wine which makes inebriety, but intemperance. Do not -slander God’s creature, but the madness of your fellow-man. Will you -neglect to punish and correct the sinner whilst you despise the -Benefactor? - - · · · · · · · - - - Possessing the Land. - (_Homilies on Second Epistle to Corinthians_, ix., vol. iii., p. 110.) - - · · · · · · · - -Since, then, the things which we see are temporary, but the things which -we do not see eternal, let us turn our minds to these. For what excuse -should we have for choosing passing things instead of eternal ones? If -the present time be indeed pleasant, it does not last, whilst the pain -which it produces endures relentlessly. - -How will those who have been made worthy of the Spirit be justified, -enjoying so great a gift, if they remain crawling upon the earth and -clinging to it? For I hear many men making use of foolish speeches, such -as: ‘Give me to-day and take to-morrow; for, if things are what you -pretend hereafter, it is one thing against another; but, supposing there -is no hereafter at all, it is two things instead of nothing’. What is -more senseless or more idle than such words? We are talking about heaven -and the ineffable goods of eternity, and you bring before us the -arguments of a racing-course, and are not ashamed to speak words worthy -of madmen. Do you not blush so to cleave to present things? Will you not -desist from madness and foolishness, and from wasting your youth? That -heathens should speak in this way is not astonishing, but what will -believing men who so rave have to say for themselves? Would you call in -question those immortal hopes or doubt them altogether? - -And what is your excuse? ‘Who has ever come,’ you say, ‘and told us -about the next world?’ No man ever did; but God, Who is the most worthy -of belief, has revealed these things. ‘But we cannot see them.’ Neither -can you see God; and do you doubt His existence because you cannot see -Him?’ ‘I believe in it most thoroughly,’ you say. Now, then, if an -unbeliever ask you, ‘Who has ever come from heaven and told us these -things?’ what will you answer? How do you know that there is a God? -‘From visible things,’ you reply; ‘from the order which is in the whole -creation; from the fact that this is evident to all.’ Therefore, apply -the same argument to that which concerns judgment. ‘How am I to do -this?’ you ask. I will tell you, and you will say if I am right. Is God -just, and does He give to each one according to his works, or, on the -contrary, is it His wish that the wicked should do well and feast, and -the good be in trouble and want? ‘Certainly not,’ you say; ‘for not even -a man would suffer this.’ Then where are those who are upright here to -enjoy good things? Where are the wicked to suffer, if there is to be no -future life and no retribution after this world? Do you see that so far -it is one against one, and not two things instead of one? I am showing -you that the just will have not one thing rather than another, but two -things rather than nothing, and that with sinners and those who feast -here just the reverse is the case. For those who feast in this world -have not even one thing against another, but those who persevere in -virtue have two things instead of nothing. Who will be in -refreshment—those who misuse this present life or those who lead an -ascetic one? You say the former, but I point out the latter, and call in -as witnesses those very people who have enjoyed present things, and they -will not be ashamed of what I am going to say. For they have often -cursed match-makers and the day on which the marriage-tie was completed, -and have envied the unmarried. Many young men, who could easily have -married, have desisted for no other reason except its irksomeness. I say -this, not in disparagement of marriage—for it is honourable—but against -those who misuse it. For if married people have often called their life -insupportable, what shall we say of those who have fallen into the -abysses of lust, and who have led a life more slavish and miserable than -any captivity?—of those who have rotted in luxury, and drawn down a -hundred disorders upon their body? ‘Still,’ you answer, ‘it is pleasant -to be somebody.’ Nothing in the world is bitterer than this servitude. -The vain man and he who wishes to please all-comers is more servile than -any slave; whereas he who looks down upon vainglory is exalted above -all, and troubles himself not with what others say. ‘But having money is -delightful.’ We have often shown you that those are in greater plenty -and refreshment who have given up these things and are rather possessors -of nothing. ‘But drunkenness is pleasant.’ Who would say so? Therefore, -if poverty is pleasanter than riches, the unmarried rather than the -married life, obscurity rather than reputation, fasting than feasting, -it follows that those have the most who do not cleave to present things. -I mean that the one, although he may be torn with numberless cares, -rests on a good hope; whereas the other, even if he enjoy luxury a -thousand times over, has fear of the future to spoil and mar his -pleasure. And this is indeed not a slight punishment, as it is -destructive to feasting and enjoyment. Together with these there is a -third sort of punishment. What is this? That earthly feasting is seen to -have no real existence, since nature and the action of time disprove it; -whereas eternal things not only do exist, but remain unchanged. Do you -see that it is not only two things against nothing, but three, five, -ten, twenty, or a thousand against nothing. In order to teach you this -from an example, take the case of Dives and Lazarus: the one enjoyed the -present life and the other eternal life. Now, does it seem to you that -you can set the one thing against the other: to be chastised for ever -and to suffer hunger for a short time; to be sick in a perishing body, -and to be burnt in a fierce fire with an immortal body; to be crowned, -and to feed on eternal goods after short suffering, and to be tortured -endlessly after a brief enjoyment of temporal things? Who would say so? -What would you have me reckon? Quantity, quality, order, God’s -determination respecting each of us? How long will you speak as an -insect might who is always wallowing in the mire? - -It does not belong to consistent men to throw away so precious a soul -for anything whatsoever, when a little labour is required to conquer -heaven. Shall I show you by another example that a formidable tribunal -is awaiting us there? Open the door of your conscience and see the judge -who is sitting in your mind. If you exercise judgment upon yourself, -selfish as you are, and could not bear the judgment not to be just, how -much more will God have a care for the righteous, and judge every man -impartially rather than allow all things to be carried out for nothing -and in vain! Who, indeed, would say this? No man whatsoever, but -heathens, barbarians, poets, philosophers, and all the human race will -agree with us in these matters, if not in the same way, and will admit -that there is some kind of tribunal in hell, because the thing is so -clear and evident. - -‘And why,’ you ask, ‘does He not chastise in this world?’ In order that -He may show forth His own long-suffering, and give us an opportunity of -salvation by contrition; that He may not use harshness with our race, -nor deprive of salvation those who may be saved by a perfect conversion. -If He immediately chastised sins and destroyed sinners, how would Paul -have been saved or Peter, the chief teachers of the world (οἱ κορυφαῖοι -τῆς οἰκουµένης διδάσκαλοι)? How would David have reaped salvation from -his repentance? or the Galatians? or many others? This is why He does -not demand the payment of every penalty here, but some of the whole -number, nor all there, but one man pays in this world and another in the -next, in order that He may arouse the most insensible through those whom -He chastises, and prove the future state through those whom He does not -chastise. See you not how many men have received their punishment -here—those, for instance, who were buried by the tower, those whose -blood Pilate used for the sacrifices, those amongst the Corinthians who -died a premature death for partaking unworthily of the mysteries; or -again, Pharaoh, or those amongst the Jews who were slaughtered by the -Gentiles, or so many others then, and now, and at all times? And, again, -many great sinners have departed hence without paying any penalty here, -like the rich man in Lazarus’ case, and numerous others. This he does, -and so leads unbelievers to future things, and makes believers more -fervent. _For God is a just, and a strong, and a long-suffering judge, -and remembers not His anger day by day._ Yet, if we misuse His -long-suffering, a time will come when He will be patient no more, and -will instantly apply the penalty. Let us not then encounter chastisement -during endless ages for the enjoyment of one moment, which is our -present life, but let us labour during this critical moment that we may -be crowned for ever. Do you not see that this is how the majority of men -act in worldly things? And they choose a short labour in preference to a -long rest, even if the issue be unfavourable to them. Here there is -equality of labour and gain, or, on the other hand, there is often -endless labour and a small harvest, or none at all; whereas in the case -of the kingdom the travail is little, and the pleasure great and -never-ending. For consider, the husbandman toils all the year round, and -towards the end of it he is often defrauded of the fruits of his many -labours. Again, the sailor and the soldier are in wars and toils till -extreme old age, and it often chances that each dies, the one without -his wealth of cargoes, the other losing his life as well as victory on -the battlefield. Now, tell me what excuse shall we have if we choose -labours in worldly things, that we may rest for a while, or not even -that, because hope is uncertain, whereas in spiritual things we do the -very contrary, and draw down upon us an unspeakable chastisement for the -sake of short ease? - - · · · · · · · - - - The Word of Praise. - (_Homilies on Second Epistle to Corinthians_, i., vol. iii., p. 8.) - - · · · · · · · - -Let us not lose heart in temptation. For no man that feasts, and -slumbers, and flags, is united to Christ, nor any of those who lead this -soft and dissolute life; but the man in tribulation and temptation, he -who walks on the narrow path, is near to Christ. For this was His path, -and so He said: _The Son of man hath not whereon to lay His Head_. -Therefore do not grieve that you are tried, seeing Whom you are like in -this, how you are purified by temptations, and what great things you -gain. Nothing is grievous except falling out with God. Short of this -neither tribulation, nor snares, nor anything else, has power to afflict -the wisely-tempered soul; but just as a small spark falling into a deep -abyss goes out at once, so the force of despondency sinking into a good -conscience is destroyed and quickly disappears. Thus it was that Paul -always rejoiced, since he drew his courage from the things of God, and -did not even perceive human evils: he was grieved as a man, but did not -fall. Thus, too, that patriarch of old was in gladness whilst suffering -many painful things. For consider: he was exiled from his country, he -went through long and grievous journeys, and coming to a foreign land, -he had not a place for the sole of his foot. After that he was a prey to -hunger, and it made him a wanderer, and his hunger was followed by the -taking of his wife, by the fear of death, by childlessness, and war, and -dangers, and plottings, and at last by the crowning and most bitter -grief of all, the slaughtering of his only son, the heir. - -Do not think that, because he had so much endurance, he went through -these things without suffering. For if he was just a thousand times -over, as indeed he was, he was still a man, and he had the feelings of a -man. Yet no one of these things overthrew him, but he stood like a -valiant combatant with the laurel wreath, acclaimed with applause in -each race. Thus, too, blessed Paul, exposed day by day to the snowstorms -of temptation, as if feasting in the midst of paradise, rejoiced and -exulted. Now, just as a man who is glad with this gladness does not fall -a prey to despondency, so one who is not glad in this way is easily -overcome by everything, and he suffers as a man would, who having -insufficient armour should be wounded by a chance shot. Not so the man -who is safely armed from head to foot: he wards off every assailing -dart. For, indeed, joy, according to God, is stronger than any armour, -and nothing can make such a man downcast or sad, but he bears all things -with fortitude. What is more destructive than fire, or more painful than -constant tortures? Even if a man lose a hundred possessions and -children, and anything else, this is the sharpest suffering: _Skin for -skin, and all that a man hath he will give for his life_. Nothing could -be harder to bear than pain. Still, that which men deem unbearable -becomes tolerable and desirable through the gladness coming from God. If -you lead the martyr whilst still alive away from the cross or the -cauldron you will find this same joy within his breast, which is not -even to be described. - -‘And why should I suffer,’ you ask, ‘since this is no age for -martyrdom?’ What are you saying, ‘This is no age for martyrdom’? It has -never ceased, but is always before our eyes if we will be on the -look-out. It is not only hanging on the wood which makes a martyr, for -if this were the case, Job would be deprived of this particular crown. -He neither appeared at a judgment-seat, nor heard the voice of a judge, -nor saw an executioner, nor raised in the air and disjointed on the -cross, were his ribs worn away. Yet he bore stripes harder than many -martyrs did, and the voices of ceaseless messengers urged and tormented -him more sharply than any stripes, and those worms devoured his flesh -more rapidly than countless executioners. Was he then not fully equal to -a martyr? He _was_ a thousand times a martyr. He wrestled in every -single way, and was crowned; he was tried by money losses, and by -children, and bodily sickness, and wife, and friends, and enemies, and -servants, for they also insulted him to his face; by hunger, and curses, -and pains, and stench. On this account I should say that he would equal -not one, or two, or three, but many martyrs. Besides all this, the time -added greatly to his crowns: for instance, it was before the law and the -dispensation of grace, and he suffered during many months and with -intensity, and all his misfortunes were laid upon him at once, although -each was in itself overwhelming, and that which seemed the most grievous -of all, the loss of his wealth. Many at least have borne stripes but -have not borne the loss of property, and have chosen to be scourged for -it, and would rather have endured a thousand other evils than any -diminution of it, as the loss of money appeared to them the greater -stripe. So this constitutes another kind of martyrdom for the man who -bears its loss with endurance. And how shall we be sure of the -endurance, you ask? By understanding that you gain more than you have -lost by a single word, that of thanksgiving. If, when we hear of our -loss, we are not agitated, but say, ‘Praised be God,’ we have found -something of much greater worth. Indeed, you could not gain rewards so -high by distributing your riches to the poor, nor by going about to seek -out the needy, and by lavishing your good things upon them, as you gain -by this one word. Hence, I admire Job not so much when he opens his -house to the poor, as I proclaim and wonder at him for bearing the loss -of his wealth with thanksgiving. The same is evident in the case of his -children’s death. You will receive a reward not less than his was who -led out his son to sacrifice him, if seeing _yours_ dead, you give -thanks to the God of mercy. How is such a man less than Abraham? He did -not see _his_ son lying dead, but only expected it; so that if he -carries off the palm for his readiness to sacrifice, and for putting out -his hand to seize the knife, he is surpassed by the fact of _your_ son -being actually a corpse before your eyes. And, besides, the inward -consciousness of his good deed bore him up with consolation, that heroic -action being produced by his own fortitude, and the listening to the -voice from above increased his readiness; in this case there is nothing -of this kind. Thus it requires a most steadfast soul in the man who -looks upon his only son, brought up in wealth and giving much promise, -lying stretched across the threshold, in order to bear it meekly. He who -can do this has overcome the tempest of natural emotion, and is able to -speak tearlessly those words of Job: _The Lord has given, the Lord has -taken away_; he will take his place even with Abraham, and be proclaimed -with Job for this one word alone. And if you put a stop to the wailing -of women and break up the bands of weepers, and lead them to the voice -of praise, numberless rewards will follow both from above and below; men -will be in admiration, angels will applaud, God will be your crown. - - · · · · · · · - - - Sufferings of the Just. - (_Homilies de Statuis_, xxi., _preached at Antioch_, t. ii., p. 13, - _Benedictine Edition_.) - - · · · · · · · - -_Blessed are ye when men reproach you, and pursue you, and say every -evil thing against you, lying. Rejoice and be glad, because your reward -is very great in heaven; for this is what their fathers did to the -prophets._ And again, Paul, wishing to encourage the Macedonians, said: -_You, brethren, are become the imitators of the churches of God in -Judea, because you have suffered from your own countrymen the same -things as they suffered from the Jews._ And again, exhorting the Hebrews -in the same way, he enumerates all the just; those who were in furnaces, -in water, in deserts, in mountains, in caves, in hunger, those living in -anguish; as a community of suffering is in itself some consolation to -its victims. And listen again to Paul urging the same thing when -speaking of the resurrection: _If as a man I fought with the wild beasts -at Ephesus, what do I gain by it if the dead are not to rise again?_ And -again: If we hope in Christ in this life only, we are more miserable -than all men. We suffer a thousand evils according to this world, he -says; if then we may hope for no other life, what can be more wretched -than we? Whence it is clear that our lives do not end here, and this is -evident from temptations, for God would never allow those who have -suffered so much and so greatly, and have passed their whole lives in -temptations and numberless dangers, not to be rewarded with gifts much -greater. And if this be the case, it is evident that He has prepared -another life which is happier and more glorious, in which He means to -crown and to proclaim the champions of piety in the face of the whole -world. Therefore, when you see a just man spending this present life in -great trouble, when you see him ill-treated, in sickness, poverty, and -enduring all sorts of misfortunes, say to yourself, that if there were -no resurrection and no judgment, God would not allow him to leave this -world after suffering so many evils and enjoying no good. Hence it is -evident that He holds in reserve for them another life far pleasanter -and higher than this. If this were not the case He would not allow so -many sinners to feast in this life, nor so many just to be in a sea of -troubles. But since there _is_ another life, in which He designs to give -to every man according to his deserts, whether they be those of -wickedness or those of goodness, He suffers the one to be persecuted and -the other to enjoy himself. I will endeavour to prove another reason -(why suffering is tolerated) from the Scriptures. And what is it? That -we who are called to the same virtue may not say that _they_ had a -different nature to ours and were not men. So in speaking of the great -Elias it is said that Elias was a man of like feelings to ourselves. Do -you see that he is shown to be a man like to us from similarity of -feelings? And again: _For I am a man of like nature to yourselves_. This -is a pledge of similarity. Clearly He is teaching you here the lesson -that He makes us happy in the right way. When you hear Paul saying, _Up -to the present time we are in hunger, and thirst, and nakedness, and we -are chastised, and homeless, and weary_; and again: _that the Lord -chastises the one He loves, and scourges every son He receives_, it is -evident that we should exalt not those who are enjoying rest, but those -who are tried and afflicted for God, and that we should emulate those -who live holily, and care for piety. So spoke the prophet: _Their right -hand is the right hand of iniquity. Their daughters decked out, adorned -round about after the similitude of a temple. Their store-houses full, -flowing out of this into that. Their sheep fruitful in young, abounding -in their goings forth; their oxen fat. There is no breach of wall, nor -passage, nor crying out in their streets. They have called the people -happy that hath these things._ What do you say, O prophet? _Happy_, he -says, _is that people whose God is the Lord_. I call blessed, not the -man who abounds in money, but him who lives for piety, even if he suffer -a thousand evils. And if we ought to speak of another[9] reason, I -should say that tribulation increases the worth of the tried. -_Tribulation worketh patience, and patience probation, probation hope, -and hope is not shamed_: see you how the probation produced by -tribulation makes us hopeful concerning the future, and how remaining in -temptations puts us in good hope of what is to come? Therefore, I said, -not unadvisedly, that tribulations themselves strengthen the -resurrection in our hearts, and make those who are tried better. For as, -he says, gold is tried in the fire, so is an acceptable man in the fire -of humiliation. There is yet another[10] reason. What is this? One which -I have often spoken of already: that, if we have any stains, we may put -them off in this world. The Patriarch clearly said to the rich man that -Lazarus had received his bad things, and was therefore consoled. And, -added to this, we may find another reason. What is it? The strengthening -of our crowns and rewards, for the more searching the tribulation, the -greater will be the rewards, or, rather, they will far surpass the -comparison. _The sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared -to the glory to come, which shall be revealed in us._ Having, then, all -these reasons to give for the affliction of the saints, let us not be -cast down in temptations, nor distressed, nor harassed, but let us -instruct our own souls, and teach these things to others. Even if you -see a man leading a good life, practising asceticism, pleasing God, and -he be suffering a thousand evils, be not scandalised, O beloved. Again, -if you see some one overthrown who is engaged in spiritual works and -about to complete something useful, be not troubled. For I have often -heard many men remark upon it in this way: ‘So and so,’ they say, ‘went -to a shrine, taking all his money to the poor, and he was shipwrecked, -and lost everything; another, again, did the same and fell among -thieves, and barely escaping with his life, he got away in nakedness’. -What should we say? That none of these things need trouble us. For if he -_did_ perish by shipwreck, the fruit of justice is perfect above: he had -done his part, he had put together his possessions, given them up, and -taking them, had set out. He had begun his journey, but the shipwreck -was not of his own making. Why, then, did God allow it? That it might -prove him. Still the poor were deprived of their money, you say: you do -not care for the poor as God their maker does. If they were indeed -deprived of this money, He is able to offer them an opportunity of a -much greater treasure. - -Therefore, do not let us call Him to account for what has happened, but -glorify Him in all things. For not by chance, or in vain, does He allow -such things often to come about, nor does He despise those who are to -enjoy solace from money, but instead of this He puts another means of -support in their way, and, besides the trial, gives the shipwrecked man -a greater reward. Indeed, giving thanks to God in trials of this kind is -much higher than alms, for we do not give by alms alone, but if we bear -bravely the losses inflicted by others, we shall gain immense fruit from -it. In order to prove this to you I will make it clear to you from what -happened to Job that patience is better than alms-giving. When Job was -rich, he opened his house to the poor and gave away all that he -possessed, but he was not so magnificent at the time he was opening his -house to the needy, as when he heard unmoved that it had fallen to the -ground: he was not so renowned when he covered the naked with the fleece -of his sheep as when, hearing that fire had broken out and consumed all -his cattle, he gave thanks. _Then_ he was kind, now he became mortified: -_then_ he had compassion on the poor, now he gave thanks to his Lord. -Nor did he say to himself: ‘What is the meaning of this? The sheep, from -which thousands of poor were fed, are destroyed: for if _I_ was unworthy -to enjoy this abundance, I should have been spared, at least, for the -sake of those who shared it.’ He neither said nor thought anything of -the sort, but he knew that God was ordering it all for the best. And to -show you that he beat the devil more effectually by giving thanks when -despoiled than by showing mercy when rich, consider that, at the time of -his wealth, the devil had some reason, even if falsely, for saying, -_Does Job worship Thee for nothing?_ Now when God took away everything, -and stripped him completely, and Job kept his good-will towards God, -then was that shameless mouth stopped, and he had nothing more to say: -that just man was more glorious than before. To bear with fortitude and -thanksgiving the being despoiled is a much greater thing than for a rich -man to give alms, as has been shown in the case of this just man. Then -his kindness to his fellow-man was overflowing, now he proved his -exceeding love for God. I insist on this, not without reason, but -because many men by frequent alms have supported widows, and then been -deprived of their substance. Others have lost everything through a fire -breaking out; others have encountered shipwreck; others through -slanderings and abuse have, after generous alms-giving, fallen into the -extreme of poverty, and into weakness and disease, and have been helped -by no one in any way. In order, therefore, that we should not say, as -many often do, ‘No man knows anything,’ what I have said will suffice to -put an end to this difficulty. ‘So and so, who gave so much in alms,’ -you say, ‘lost everything.’ And what if he did? For, if he give thanks -for this great loss of his, he will propitiate God’s good-will the more, -and reap not double riches, as Job did, but the hundred-fold in eternal -life. If he _does_ suffer here, the very fact of his bearing it all -bravely will increase his reward. God, in calling him to greater trials -and struggles, allowed him to fall from abundance into poverty. Has fire -perchance often broken out in your house and destroyed your substance? -Remember what happened to Job, give thanks to the Lord, Who was able to -stop it and did not stop it, and you will receive a reward as great as -if you had poured forth all those things into the hands of the poor. Or, -are you living in poverty and hunger, and a thousand dangers? Call to -mind Lazarus, who was hard pressed by sickness, and poverty, and -solitude, and numberless things of the kind, and all this after so much -goodness; call to mind the Apostles, who passed their lives in hunger -and thirst and nakedness; and the prophets, and patriarchs, and just, -and you will find them one and all, not amongst the rich, not amongst -those who feast, but amongst those suffering hunger and affliction and -anguish. - -Pondering on these things, give thanks to God for the share He has -allotted to you, not in hatred, but in tender love, since He would not -have allowed those men to suffer evils so great, if He had not loved -them dearly, because He made them more illustrious through these evils. -No good is so great as thanksgiving, as nothing is worse than blasphemy. -Let us not be astonished that, when we are paying much attention to -spiritual things, we suffer a great deal. It is as with thieves, who do -not break into places where mud and chaff and reeds are, but where gold -and silver are, and are ever on the watch. Thus the devil gives his -special attention to those who are taken up with spiritual things. -Snares are numerous where goodness exists, and envy is to be found where -there is alms-giving. But we have one great weapon by which we may -resist all these machinations, the giving thanks to God in all things. -Tell me, did not Abel, who reserved the first-fruits for God, fall by -his brother’s hand? Yet God allowed it, not hating the man who had -honoured him, but loving him much, and adding to the crown of Abel’s -beautiful sacrifice the further crown of martyrdom. Moses wished to -succour some one who had been wronged, and he confronted the greatest -dangers on this account, and fled from his country, and God allowed it, -to teach you what the patience of the saints is. If, knowing beforehand -that we should suffer no evil, we were thus to give ourselves up to -spiritual things, we should not appear to be doing a great thing, -possessing this pledge of security. Now, it so happens that those who do -this are chiefly admirable because, foreseeing dangers, and penalties, -and deaths, and a thousand evils, they have still neither desisted from -their good deeds nor grown faint-hearted through fear of the terrors to -come. As the three children said, _There is a God in heaven Who can -deliver us, and even if He do not, know, O king, that we do not worship -thy gods, and do not adore the golden statue which thou hast set up_, so -when you are about to do something for God, expect many dangers, many -penalties, many deaths, and wonder not nor fear at them. _Son_, he says, -_when thou comest to serve_ _God, prepare thy soul for temptation_. For -no one who has chosen a hand-to-hand fight may expect to bear off the -crown without wounds. And you who are to wrestle with the devil in every -possible way, live not a life of ease and luxury. Your rewards and -promises are not here, but God promises you all glory in the world to -come. When, therefore, either you yourself do a good action and reap -contrary effects, or you see another enduring them, rejoice and be glad, -for the deed becomes a source of greater reward to you; only be not cast -down, do not lose your fervour, grow not faint-hearted, but rather go on -your way with greater readiness. Since the Apostles, also, were scourged -and stoned and perpetually in prison for what they preached, not only -after their liberation from dangers, but in the very midst of them, they -announced the tidings with all the more willingness. We may see Paul -catechising and instructing even in prison, even in his chains, and -again before the tribunal, and in the shipwreck, and the storm, and in a -thousand dangers. Do you also emulate these saints, and, as long as you -can, hold to good works. Even if you see the devil assailing you on a -thousand sides, never turn away. In distributing your money, you may -perhaps have suffered shipwreck, yet Paul, who was more precious than -any money, in preaching the word, went to Rome, suffered shipwreck, and -endured numberless evils. And this he clearly says in the words: _We -have often wished to come to you, but Satan has prevented us_. And God -allowed it by an abundant manifestation of His power, showing that, in -spite of the devil’s making and unmaking in a thousand ways, the Gospel -was by no means lessened or impeded thereby. So Paul gave thanks to God -in everything, knowing that God was proving him by these things; and he -showed his burning zeal everywhere by allowing no obstacle to stand in -his way. Now, the more we meet with failure, the greater will be our -hold of spiritual works; and do not let us say, ‘Why did God allow there -to be impediments?’ He allowed them that He may prove your zeal the more -to the multitude, and your true love. For lovers are remarkable for -never departing from the good pleasure of the beloved one. He who is -remiss and luxurious is prostrated by the first touch of tribulation; -but the fervent and watchful man, even if he be impeded in a thousand -ways, sets himself the more to work at God’s business, doing his part -perfectly, and giving thanks in every thing. This let us also do. -Thanksgiving is an immense treasure, great riches, an inexhaustible -good, a strong weapon. Blasphemy has a present penalty, and causes our -destruction over and above what we have suffered. Have you lost money? -If you have given thanks, you have gained your soul and won greater -riches for yourself, and propitiated God the more; but, if you have -blasphemed, you have destroyed your own salvation without gaining any of -those things, and have slain your own soul. - - - The Folly of the Cross. - (_Homilies on First Epistle to Corinthians_, xiv., vol. ii., p. 36.) - - · · · · · · · - -Showing the power of the Cross, St. Paul says: _The Jews too ask for -signs, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: but we preach Christ crucified, -a scandal to the Jews, a folly to the Gentiles, but to those who are -called, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ the power of God and the wisdom -of God_. There is a deep meaning in these words. For he wishes to say -how God conquered by contraries, and that the promulgation of the Gospel -does not come from man. What he says amounts to this. When we say to the -Jews, ‘Believe,’ they reply, ‘Raise up the dead, cure those who are -possessed, show us signs’. How do we answer these things? By saying, -that He Whom we preach was crucified and died. This was sufficient not -only not to move those who did not wish to be moved, but also to repulse -those who had the will; yet still He is not repulsed, but draws men -after Him, and conquers and gets the better of them. Again, the Gentiles -demand of us eloquent discourses and elaborate reasonings, and we reply -to them also by preaching the Cross, and that which seems to be weakness -to the Jews, the Gentiles consider folly. Now, when we not only do not -offer them what they ask for, but the very contrary, for the Cross not -only does not seem to be a sign tested, according to human reason, but -the destruction of signs: not only not a manifestation of power, but a -proof of weakness: not only not an embodiment of wisdom, but a -personification of folly; when, then, those who look for signs and -wisdom not only do not receive what they seek, but listen to things -which are the exact contrary of their desires, and, furthermore, are -persuaded by them, is not the power of Him Who is preached beyond words? -It is as if some one were to show those who are tossed on the waves and -longing for harbour, not the land, but a more angry sea, would he induce -them to follow him? Or if a physician were to tell a man broken by pain -and desiring remedies that he will restore health, not by medicine but -by again using the knife, would his patient yield himself to his -guidance? This implies very great power. So the Apostles made their way -not only by signs, but by a line of action seemingly in opposition with -signs, as Christ had done in the case of the blind man. For wishing to -cure him, He used a course which increased the affliction, as He put -clay upon his eyes. Just, then, as He cured the blind man by putting -clay upon him, so he drew the world to Himself through the Cross, which -indeed was an increase, not a removal of scandal. So He acted in the -Creation, preparing contraries by contraries. He built up with sand the -limits of the sea, curbing the strong with the weak; He placed the earth -upon the water, causing that which was hard and firm to be upborne by -flowing and liquid matter. Again, through the prophets He made iron -float with a little wood. Thus He drew the world after Himself through -His Cross. For as water supports the earth, so the Cross supports the -world. Therefore it is a great proof of power and wisdom to persuade by -contraries. And if the Cross seems to be a subject of scandal, still not -only it does _not_ scandalise, but it draws to itself. St. Paul had all -these things in his mind and was struck with astonishment when he said -that _the folly of God is wiser than man, and the weakness of God is -stronger than man_, applying this folly and this weakness to the Cross, -not that it was really foolish and weak but that it seemed so: for he -answers them according to _their_ estimate. That, in fact, which -philosophers had been unable to do by their reasonings was effected by -this apparent folly. Now who was the wiser? He Who persuaded many, or he -who persuaded a few—or rather no one? He Who convinced man of the -greatest things, or he who used his powers of persuasion about things -which do not exist at all? How Plato and his school laboured about the -line, the angle, and the point, and about even numbers and odd numbers, -and about their being equal and unequal, discoursing to us about such -like cobwebs, for such things are less profitable to our life than even -cobwebs, and so helping us neither much nor little, he came to the end -of his life. - -How he wearied himself to show that the spirit is immortal, and did he -not die without making any clear statement or convincing a single man -amongst his disciples? But it was through unlearned men that the Cross -brought conviction, and drew the world to itself. It spoke to men, not -of chance things, but of God, and of piety in the truth, of the Gospel -polity, of future judgment, and it made uncouth men and unlearned men -philosophers. - -This is how the folly of God is wiser than man, and His weakness -stronger. How is it stronger? It is stronger in that it spread over the -whole earth and seized all men by force, and whereas thousands and -thousands did their utmost to stamp out the name of the Crucified One, -just the contrary came to pass. For this name took root and was -propagated all the more, whereas _they_ were destroyed and consumed, and -living men fighting a dead One, gained not a stroke. Consequently when a -heathen tells me that I am a fool, he proves that he himself is doubly -one; inasmuch as considered by him to be a fool, I appear wiser than the -wise; and when he calls me weak, he shows himself to be weaker. For -publicans and fishermen set up those very things by the goodness of God -which philosophers, and orators, and despots, and the whole world vainly -striving with all its might could not even devise. - -What, indeed, has the Cross not introduced? The belief concerning the -immortality of the soul, and the resurrection of the body, the despising -of present things, the desire of eternal. And it made angels out of men, -who practise everywhere the philosophy of all endurance. But amongst -heathens, too, you say, ‘There have been many who have despised death’. -Tell me who they are. Do you allude perchance to the drinker of hemlock? -But, if you like, I will show you thousands of such men in the Church. -For if, when a persecution came, all men could get off by taking -hemlock, they would all have been more illustrious than he was. Besides, -he drained the cup, not being free to drink or not to drink: willing or -unwilling, he had to suffer, which was not courage, but necessity. -Thieves and murderers under sentence of their judges have suffered -harder things. It is just the very contrary amongst us; for the martyrs -endured, not in spite of themselves, but willingly, and having it in -their power not to suffer, showed forth a fortitude beyond all proof. -Therefore it is not surprising if Socrates drank hemlock, both because -he could not do otherwise, and because he had reached extreme old age, -for he said that he was seventy years old when he despised life, if this -be indeed despising it; _I_ should not say so, nor would anyone else. -But show me a man rejoicing in torments for his belief, as I can show -_you_ thousands all over the world. Who bore bravely the tearing out of -his nails, the racking of his joints, the hacking asunder of his -members, one after the other, the stretching upon a gridiron, or -plunging into a caldron? Show me this. For death by hemlock is -equivalent to slumbering quietly away, as it is said to be an end which -is sweeter than sleep. And if certain men have even endured torments, -they have forfeited the praise due to them by dying for criminal causes: -some for betraying secret things, others for aiming at domination, -others for being taken in the most shameful deeds; others, again, either -vainly or foolishly, without any cause, have destroyed themselves. But -it is not so with us. And this is why their deeds have been hushed in -silence, whilst ours are flowering and increasing day by day. This was -in Paul’s mind when he said: ‘The weakness of God is stronger than all -men put together’. For the divinity that was in the tidings is clear -from this. How, indeed, was it that twelve unlettered men attempted -things of this importance, twelve men, whose life was spent on seas and -rivers and in deserts, who scarcely entered city or marketplace? How did -they manage to set themselves in battle array over the whole world? The -recorder of their deeds shows them to have been faint-hearted and -unmanly, and himself to have no desire to conceal their shortcomings, -which were themselves the greatest proof of the truth. Now, what does he -say about them? That when Christ was taken, after seeing Him work -countless wonders, some fled, and the one who remained, the chief of -all, denied Him. How was it, then, that those who, whilst Christ lived, -could not endure Jewish anger, should have been able to range themselves -against the whole earth after He was dead and buried, if, as heathens -say, He did not rise from the dead, nor have any communication with -them, nor infuse courage into them? Would they not have said to -themselves, ‘How is this? He was not powerful enough to save Himself, -and will He help us? He did not help Himself whilst alive, and will He, -now that He is dead, put out His hand to us? In life He did not gain -over even one people, and shall we persuade the whole world by speaking -His name?’ And, indeed, how would it be reasonable not only to do these -things, but even to conceive the doing? Whence it is evident that if -they had not seen His resurrection, and had not witnessed a very great -proof of His power, they would not have made such a venture. For if they -had, indeed, numberless friends, would they not have made enemies of -them all by disturbing ancient customs and removing ancestral landmarks? -Now, they had all for enemies both at home and abroad. But if they had -been in universal veneration on account of outward gifts, would not all -men have detested them for introducing a new manner of life? Seeing, -however, that they were without all these things, this in itself would -have been enough to make them hated and despised by all. - - · · · · · · · - - - The Abode of the Humble. - (_Homilies on St. Matthew_, lxxii., vol. ii., p. 344.) - - · · · · · · · - -_He who humbleth himself shall be exalted._ Where shall we find this -humility? Would you like to go once more to the abode of goodness, to -the tents of the blessed, I mean, to the mountains and forests? For it -is there that we shall see this perfection of humility. They are men, -some famous for outward position, some for wealth, who humble themselves -in every particular, in their food, in their dwelling, in their -servants, and so in all their life they are writing the word _humility_ -as if with pen and ink. Just as smart dressing and a fine house and a -large establishment are incentives to vainglory, which thrust men into -it, often in spite of themselves, all these things are cut off in the -desert. Those men light their own fire, hew their wood, do their own -cooking, and themselves wait upon guests. Insult is neither given nor -taken, no man is ruled, no man rules, but all are ministering. Each man -washes the stranger’s feet, and there is much contention as to who shall -do it. This he does, not seeking to find out who the stranger is, -whether a slave or a free man; in each case he carries out this service. -No man is either great or small. Is there confusion then? God forbid, it -is rather the perfection of harmony. If, indeed, a man there be of small -account, he who is great does not regard it, but deems himself inferior, -and so becomes greater. - -Both servers and served eat at one and the same table, have the same -food, the same clothes, the same lodging, the same rule of life. He is -great there who is eager over a lowly task. Mine and thine do not exist, -and the thing itself, the cause of endless strife, has been banished. -And why do you wonder that there is one rule, one table, and one dress -for all, where there is one spirit in all, not according to the body -only (for this is the case with all men), but according to charity? For -how could charity ever be set against itself? Neither poverty nor riches -are to be found there, neither fame nor disgrace. How, then, could folly -or vainglory creep in? Some are great, some are little amongst the -number according to a moral reckoning, but as I was saying, no one takes -note of it. The weak man does not grieve as being despised, for there is -no one to despise him. Even should anyone insult another, this is their -principal training, bearing contempt and contumely and shabby treatment -both in word and act; they live with the lowly and the maimed, for these -are the guests of their repasts, and thus they are worthy of heaven. One -dresses sores, another leads the blind, another supports the lame. There -are neither flatterers nor parasites, or rather they do not even -apprehend what flattery is. How, then, could they ever be puffed up? For -a great equality reigns among them, consequently the contentedness -produced by goodness. In this way the most wretched are better taught -than by being obliged to give them the first places. Just as a meek man -schools an impetuous man to lowliness, so does a man who makes no -account of reputation, but despises it, teach the ambitious. This they -do lavishly, for, in proportion as we fight over the first places, do -they wrestle not to have them, but to be hindered; and their burning -zeal is, not who shall be honoured, but who shall not be honoured. -Moreover, their very works incline them to moderation, and do not -tolerate vanity. For, tell me, how can a man who is tilling and watering -and planting the earth, or plaiting baskets, or weaving a sack, or doing -any other manual labour, ever think great things of himself? Who, that -is living in poverty, and struggling with hunger, will be sick with this -complaint? No man. Therefore their lowliness is well contented. And just -as moderation is difficult here, through the crowd of flatterers and -admirers, so is it perfectly easy _there_. They have only the desert -before them: they see birds flying, and the breeze through the trees, -and the soft wind blowing, and streams flowing through ravines. How, -then, could a man living in so great a solitude be puffed up? Neither -can _we_ find any excuse, that, being in the thick of the fight, we -think great things of ourselves. For Abraham, when in company of the -Chananæns, said, _I am dust and ashes_, and David, in the din of arms, -_I am a worm and no man_, and the Apostle in the midst of the world, _I -am not_ _worthy to be called an apostle_. Therefore, what shall we have -to say for ourselves, if, even with these great examples before us, we -are not sober? As _they_ are worthy of a thousand crowns for being the -first to walk upon the path of goodness, so do we deserve as many -chastisements for not arriving at a like zeal, neither for the example -of those who have departed hence and lie in their sepulchres, nor for -the living who are wonderful through their deeds. What could you allege -for not being converted? Are you unlettered, and have you not read the -epitaphs so as to know the goodness of those men of old? This is indeed -the chief point of accusation, the church being ever open, not to go in -and partake of those pure waters. Besides, if you did not know the dead -through their epitaphs, you should have had these living men before your -eyes. ‘But if there was no one to point them out to us?’ Come with me -and I will show you the dwelling-places of these holy ones: come and -learn a useful lesson from them. They are shining lights throughout the -world, they surround cities like strong walls. They have taken -possession of deserts in order to teach you to look down upon worldly -agitations. They, then, in this strength of theirs, are able to enjoy -peace in the midst of the tempest: you, who are tossed about on all -sides, should be at rest, and have a short breathing time from the ever -rolling waves. - - · · · · · · · - - - The Prisoner of Jesus Christ. - (_Homilies on Epistle to the Ephesians_, viii., vol. iv., p. 175.) - -It is the virtue of teachers to seek not honour nor glory from their -disciples, but their salvation, and to do all things unto that end; for -he who seeks the former would be a tyrant, not a teacher. It was not for -your greater personal glorification that God set you over them, but that -your business should be forgotten whilst theirs is strengthened. This is -a teacher’s part; this was what blessed Paul did, who was removed from -vanity and considered himself as one of the multitude, or rather as the -least of all. Thus he calls himself their slave, and generally speaks in -the attitude of a suppliant. Look at him, at least in this instance, -writing nothing imperiously, nothing authoritatively, but mild, -conciliating words. _I, a prisoner in the Lord, beseech you that you -walk worthy of the vocation in which you are called_, he says. Tell me, -what do you beseech, O Paul? That you may get something for yourself? -‘Certainly not,’ he answers, ‘but that I may save others.’ Yet they who -beseech do it for what concerns themselves. ‘And this does concern me,’ -he says, ‘as I have written distinctly in another place: _Now we live, -if you stand in the Lord_.’ He was always most eager for the salvation -of his disciples. _I, the prisoner in the Lord._ Great and wonderful -dignity, surpassing consulships, and kingdoms, and all things else. This -he wrote also to Philemon, saying: _As Paul, an old man, and_ _now a -prisoner also of Jesus Christ_. Nothing is so glorious as a chain for -Christ’s sake, as the fetters which hang round those hallowed hands. -Better than being an apostle, or a teacher, or an evangelist, is it to -be a prisoner for Christ’s sake. If there be a lover of Christ, he will -know what I say;[11] if any man be foolish and on fire for his Lord, he -understands the power of chains, he would choose to be a prisoner for -Christ rather than to dwell in paradise. Paul has shown us those hands -of his more glittering than gold or than any royal crown. A band of -precious stones does not ennoble a head as iron chains for Christ’s -sake. _His_ prison was more glorious than kingly palaces, or than heaven -itself. Why do I say ‘than palaces’? That place contained Christ’s -prisoner. A lover of Christ knows what this privilege is, he is -acquainted with this virtue, he knows what a gain the being in chains -for His sake has been to the human race. More glorious far than sitting -on His right hand, more solemn than sitting on one of the twelve -thrones, is the being imprisoned for His sake. And why do I speak of -human things? I shame to put riches and golden ornament in comparison -with those chains, but with regard to those great ones, if their deed -had no reward, this alone is a great reward and a powerful antidote, the -suffering these evils on account of the Beloved. Lovers, I say not of -God but of man, know the proverb which speaks of those who take pleasure -rather in suffering evils from the loved ones than in being honoured by -them. This is seen only in the case of the holy band: I mean the -Apostles. Listen to what blessed Luke says: _They went from the council -rejoicing that they were accounted worthy to suffer reproach for His -Name_. Now to others it seems ridiculous that dishonour should be -accounted honour and a joy, but to those who follow Christ this desire -is held to be most blessed of all. If anyone would give me all heaven or -those chains, I would choose the chains. If anyone were to place me with -the angels above or with Paul in chains, I would choose his prison. If -anyone were to make me one of those heavenly Powers or Thrones, or a -prisoner as Paul was, I would choose to be a prisoner. Nothing is more -blessed than those chains. Would that I could now be in those regions; -for it is said that the chains are preserved, as well they may be, and I -am in admiration of those men full of desire for Christ; would that I -could see those chains, which devils have feared and trembled at, which -angels reverence. Nothing is better than suffering some adversity for -the sake of Christ. I deem Paul blessed not so much because he was -ravished into paradise as for being thrown into prison. I call him -blessed not so much because he heard ineffable words as for enduring -chains. I hold him blessed not so much for being carried into the third -heaven as for his chains. That these were greater than those things, -understand what he himself thought of them. He did not say, ‘I, who have -heard mysterious words, beseech you,’ but what? _I, the prisoner in the -Lord, beseech you._ And if he did not use the expression in all his -epistles, it is not astonishing, for he was not always in chains, only -at certain times. I would choose rather to suffer adversity for Christ -than to be honoured by Christ. This is true honour and glory, higher -than any other. If he became a servant for my sake and divested Himself -of His praise, nor deemed that He was glorified except in being -crucified for me, what ought I not to suffer? Listen to Him as He says, -_Glorify Me, O Father_. What sayest Thou, Lord? Thou art led to the -cross between thieves and malefactors, to suffer the most shameful -death; Thou art to be spit upon and struck, and this Thou callest glory? -‘Yea,’ He answers, ‘I suffer these things for those whom I love, and -account them a glory indeed.’ If He Who loves the wretched and miserable -calls this glory, if He finds His glory, not in being on His Father’s -throne, nor in honour, but in being dishonoured, and prefers it, how -much more am _I_ bound to hold these things a glory! O happy chains, O -blessed hands which those chains adorned! Those hands of Paul’s which -raised up the lame man in Lystra and made him walk were less honourable -than when covered with chains. If I had been living in those days, it is -then that I would have embraced them and placed them on my eyes; I would -not have ceased caressing the hands which had been found worthy to wear -chains for my Lord’s sake. Do you wonder at Paul because the serpent -fastened upon his hand and did no harm? Wonder not: the serpent -reverenced the chains, and so did the ocean, for then he was in fetters. -If anyone were to give me now the power of raising the dead I would not -have it, but I would have those chains. If I were free from the cares of -the Church, and were sound in body, I would go that long journey only to -look at those chains, to see the prison in which he was bound. Although -amongst his wonderful deeds there are many signs everywhere, they are -not so enviable as the marks of Christ. And in the Scripture he does not -encourage me so much by wonder-working as he does when he is suffering -persecution, being scourged, and dragged away. _So that_, he says, _they -brought handkerchiefs and aprons from his body to the sick_. These were -truly wonders, but not so great as those others: _They scourged him and -laid many stripes upon him, they cast them into prison_; and again: -_They gave praise to God in their chains_; and again: _They stoned him -and drew him out of the city, thinking him to be dead_. Would you know -what a privilege it is for the body of a servant to wear an iron chain -for Christ’s sake? Then listen to Christ’s words: _Blessed are ye_. Why -blessed, O Lord? When you raise the dead? No, not for this. When you -cure the blind? Not at all. Then why? _When they shall reproach you, and -pursue you, and say every evil against you, lying, for My sake._ And if -evil report makes men so blessed, what will suffering evil not do for -them? Listen to that holy one who says this in another place: _For the -rest a crown of justice awaits me_. Yet the chains are brighter than -this crown; they will make me worthy of it, he says, and I value nothing -so much. Suffering for Christ’s sake is a perpetual remedy to me. May it -be given to me to utter those words, _I make up in my flesh what is -wanting to the sufferings of Christ_: and I shall want nothing more. - - · · · · · · · - - - The Seed not vivified unless it dies. - (_Homilies on First Epistle to Corinthians_, xli., vol. ii., p. 517.) - - · · · · · · · - -_But some one asks, how are the dead to be raised to life? With what -sort of body will they come? Senseless man, that which thou sowest is -not quickened, except it die first._ Whereas the Apostle is everywhere -so gentle and humble, he makes use of stronger language in this place on -account of the adversaries’ unreasonableness. Nor is this enough but he -adds arguments and examples, and in this way gets the better even of the -most contentious. He had already said: _Whereas by man came death, by -man came also the resurrection from the dead_; and now he dissipates an -opinion prevalent amongst heathens. And consider again how he cuts away -that which is most plausible about it. He did not say, ‘_you_ ask,’ but -made the adversary indefinite, that, using strong language with effect, -he might not unduly crush his hearers. He stated two difficulties: the -manner of the resurrection and the quality of bodies. And indeed they -were in doubt concerning both points by their words: ‘How can that which -is dissolved rise again?’ and, ‘With what sort of body will they come?’ -How, _with what sort of body_? Will it be like this corruptible mortal -body, or like some other? Then, to show that they are not seeking to -clear up doubtful points but to dispute what is indisputable, he uses -still stronger language, saying, _Foolish man, that which thou sowest is -not vivified unless it dieth_. - -This is also our way of answering those who call in question what is -indisputable. Why, for instance, does he not at once take refuge in the -power of God? Because he is talking to unbelievers. Whenever he has to -deal with believers he is in no great need of arguments. For instance, -saying in another place that _He shall transform the body of your -humility into becoming conformed to the body of His glory_, and showing -forth something further than the resurrection, he made use of no -examples, but, instead of any proof, brought forward the power of God, -adding, _according to the efficacy of His power and to bring all things -into subjection to Him_. Here, however, he sets arguments in motion. For -since he provided this one from Scripture, he used the same with -authority against those who did not believe in the Scriptures, and said: -_Foolish man, that which thou sowest_; that is, you see from what you -yourself do day after day the proof of these things, and do you still -doubt? This is why I call you foolish, that you ignore what happens -every day to yourself, and that whereas _you_ can work a resurrection, -you doubt concerning God; therefore he said most emphatically: _That -which thou sowest_; you, that is, who are a mortal and corruptible man. - -And see how the words he uses bring home the point in question. _It is -not vivified_, he says, _unless it dieth_. Passing over the terms which -are proper to seeds, such as the sprouting and growth and rotting and -withering, he takes those points which correspond to our flesh, the -‘vivifying’ and ‘death,’ which belong properly not to seeds but to -bodies. And he does not say that it is vivified after dying, but what is -more, that it is quickened _because_ it has died. You see how, as I am -always saying, he brings his argument as a proof against itself. That -which they made out as conclusive against the resurrection _he_ makes an -earnest of it, for they said, ‘He will not rise because he is dead’. -Now, how can you meet this? If, indeed, he had not died, neither would -he rise again, and _because_ he has died, therefore he rises again. In -the same way Christ points this out still more clearly, saying: _If the -grain of wheat, falling into the earth, doth not die, it remaineth -alone, but if it dieth, it beareth much fruit_; so here, in illustrating -this example, Paul does not say that it does not live, but that it is -not ‘quickened,’ making again the power of God his theme, and showing -that it is He Who does all, not the properties of the soil. And why did -he not at once speak of something more personal—I mean of human seed? -For our coming into the world also begins in corruption just as that of -the corn does. It was because it was still stronger in our case than in -the latter. What he wants is something quite perishable: the corn was -partially so, and that is why he introduced it. Besides, the human seed -proceeds from a living person, and falls into a living womb, but here -the seed is cast into the earth, not into a living body, and becomes -dissolved in it, just as in the case of the mortal body. Thus the -example was the more pertinent. - -_And the sower does not sow the body which shall be._ That which has -been said so far is to answer the objection, ‘How shall they rise -again?’ this is directed to the question, ‘What sort of body will they -have?’ Now what is, _Thou sowest not the body which shall be_?—not a -full ear of corn, nor new grain. For here they were not disputing the -resurrection, but the manner of the resurrection, what sort of body the -risen one should be, whether like our present one, or more perfect and -splendid, and he embraces both points in the same example, and shows -that it is a much more perfect one. But heretics, admitting none of -these things, retort by saying that it is one body which is sown and -another which is risen. How, then, could it be a resurrection since a -resurrection refers to something sown? What is there wonderful or awful -about the victory over death, if one thing is sown and another thing -rises again? Death would not seem to be giving back the trophy which he -took. How would the illustration be carried out in what they say? Not -one substance is sown and another raised up, but the same substance in -an improved condition. Supposing that Christ did not resume the same -body when He became the first fruits of the risen; but according to you -He cast off His former body although it was without sin, and took -another. Whence, then, did this other come from? The first was from the -Virgin. Whence the second? Do you see what an unnatural argument it is? -Why did He show the marks of the nails? Was it not because He wished to -prove that the same body which was crucified had also risen again? How -does the sign of Jonas affect him? I presume that it was not one Jonas -who was swallowed up, and another who was washed to land again? And what -were His words? _Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it -up again._ It is plain that He _did_ raise up this temple when -destroyed. Therefore, the Evangelist went on to say that _He was -speaking of the temple of His body_. Now, what does St. Paul say? _Thou -sowest not the body which shall be_; that is, not the ear of corn, which -is the same and not the same: the same as being the same substance, and -not the same inasmuch as it is perfected, and whereas the same substance -remains, it rises in renewed vigour. If this were not the case, He would -not have required a resurrection at all, unless He had meant to raise up -something better. Why, indeed, should He dissolve the house if He did -not intend to make it a more striking dwelling-place? This, therefore, -St. Paul said in answer to those who look upon it as corruptible. -Moreover, lest any man should imagine that he means another body, he -softens the difficulty, and himself interprets it so that his hearer -should not in any way bring the wisdom of the world to bear upon the -point. What need is there, then, of our arguments? Listen to his -interpretation of the words, _Thou sowest not the body which shall be_, -to which he added pertinently, _but bare grain, as of wheat, or of some -of the rest_. That is to say, _thou sowest not the body which shall be_: -the corn, for instance, as we look upon it, with stalk and ear, _but -bare grain, as of wheat, or of some of the rest. And God giveth it a -body as He wills._ ‘Granted,’ you say, ‘but in that case the work of -nature comes in.’ Tell me, what sort of nature? Here it is God Who works -everything, not nature, nor soil, nor rain. Hence He makes this clear, -and leaving earth, rain, air, sun, and the labour of the agriculturist -out of the question, adds: _God giveth it a body as He willeth_. Seek -not, therefore, to understand or to scrutinise the why and the how, when -you hear that God’s power and good pleasure come into play. _And to each -of the seeds its own body._ Why then another? He gives each his own. So -that when St. Paul says, _Thou sowest not the body which shall be_, he -does not mean that He raises up something else of a different substance, -but something better and more splendid: _To each one of the seeds its -own substance_. - - · · · · · · · - - - The Resurrection in Creation. - (_Homilies on First Epistle to Corinthians_, xvii., vol. ii., p. 199.) - - · · · · · · · - -Let no man disbelieve in the Resurrection, but if any man be in doubt, -let him consider what great and wondrous things God made out of nothing, -and receive _them_ as a pledge of _it_. That, indeed, which has already -taken place is much more marvellous and awe-inspiring. For, consider, He -took the earth and moulded it, and made man and earth which was not -before. How, then, did earth become man? How did the earth come out of -nothing? How all those things proceeding from the earth, the endless -families of unreasoning animals, of seeds and plants, which came forth -without travail, without rains falling upon them, with no apparent -cultivation, neither oxen nor plough nor anything else contributing -towards their production. On this account He brought forth in the -beginning, from that which was without life and without substance, such -great things, both of the physical and animal creation, in order that He -might teach you from the first the doctrine of the Resurrection. For -this is far more difficult than the Resurrection. It is not indeed an -equivalent proof of power to rekindle a smouldering flame and to light a -fire by invisible means; it is not the same thing to restore a -dilapidated house and to build one from the foundations. In the one -case, if there was nothing else, there was material to work from; but in -the other not even that. Consequently, He began by the more difficult -thing, in order that you might receive that which was easier. I say -_more difficult_, not that it was so to God, but according to our manner -of reasoning. For nothing is hard to God; and just as the sculptor who -makes one statue can as easily produce a thousand, so it is as easy to -God to create a thousand endless worlds, or, rather, as easy as it is to -you to _think_ of a city or countless worlds, and indeed much more so. -_You_ spend a little time upon the thought, but it is not so with God. -In the same proportion as stones are heavier than the swiftest birds, or -rather than this mind of ours, so much is our mind removed from God’s -swiftness of action. Have you wondered at His power with regard to the -earth? Consider again how the heavens were made from nothing, the -countless stars, the sun and moon: none of these things were previously -in being. Again, tell me how, after they were made, they remained in -place, and on what they rested? What was their basis, and what is the -earth’s basis? And what comes after the earth? What is that something? -Do you see to what a giddy height the light of your reason leads you if -you do not hold eagerly to the faith and to the inscrutable power of the -Creator? If you will make a guess from human things, you will shortly be -able to give wings to your reason. ‘What human things?’ you ask. See you -not what potters do? How they remould a broken and shapeless thing into -a vessel; how melters make gold and iron and brass out of earth? Again, -how others who manipulate glass transform sand into one compact and -transparent body? Let me mention dyers of leather, who dress garments: -they produce one piece after the other, which they have received, with -the dye. Again, as to our own generation: is not the seed, formless and -shapeless at first, implanted in the mother’s womb? Whence, then, comes -so wonderful a formation of the living man? And what about wheat? Is not -a mere seed put into the ground? And does it not rot after it has been -put there? Whence come the ear of corn and the stalk and all the rest? -Does not a small grain of fig, which is often scattered into the earth, -take root and put forth branches and fruit? You receive each one of -these things, and do not trouble yourself about them, but would subject -God alone, Who disposes of our bodies, to scrutiny! What can justify -such a demand? - -These and such like things are what we say to heathens, for I need no -argument with those who are convinced of the Scriptures. For if you were -able to understand all that He does, how would God be more than a man? -Indeed there are many men whom we fail to understand. But if this -happens to us in the case of men, and we do not grasp them, how much -more are we to abstain from scrutinising the wisdom of God and from -fathoming His reasons—the former, because He Who acts is worthy of -confidence; the latter, because the acts themselves are above -reasonings. God is not so abject as to do only those things which _you_, -in the weakness of your reasonings, are able to encompass. For, if you -cannot grasp a mechanic’s work, how much less that of God the Sovereign -Architect! Therefore, do not disbelieve the Resurrection, for you will -be so much the further away from the future hope. But what clever thing -do opponents say, or rather what exceedingly foolish thing? ‘How,’ they -ask, ‘when the body has been mixed with earth, and become earth, and it -again has been changed into something else, can it rise again?’ This -seems to _you_ to be impracticable, but not so to the Eye which never -sleeps, for to It all things are laid bare. In that corruption _you_ see -no distinction, but He knows everything; you, again, are ignorant -concerning your neighbour’s heart: He is familiar with all. Since, then, -you do not know how God raises from the dead, you doubt that He _does_ -raise, and will doubt that He knows what is in the human mind; for -neither are these things apparent to our bodily eyes. If, indeed, in the -case of the body, matter is visible even if it be dissolved—but those -conceptions are invisible—therefore, shall He Who is perfectly cognisant -of invisible things not see the visible ones and not easily raise up the -body? No one will say so! Do not disbelieve in the Resurrection, for -this disbelief is in truth a diabolical temptation, and the devil urges -it, not only that the Resurrection may be doubted, but also that he may -dissolve and destroy virtuous actions. For if a man imagines that he is -not to rise again, and not to give an account of his works, he will not -easily be righteous, and not being righteous, he will thoroughly -mistrust the Resurrection. Each paves the way for the other: wickedness -comes from want of faith, and want of faith from wickedness. For when a -conscience has burdened itself with much wickedness, and since it is not -willing to provide itself with consolation by change to a better course, -in fear and anguish at the future punishment, it seeks to ease itself in -unbelief. If you say there is neither Resurrection nor Judgment, another -man’s comment is: ‘Then I shall give no account of my actions’. But what -are Christ’s words? _You err, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power -of God._ In truth, God would not have worked things so great if He had -intended not to raise us up again, but to dissolve and annihilate us: He -would not have stretched the heavens above our heads, nor the earth -under our feet, nor have made all other things for this brief period of -life only. But if He has done this for the life which now is, what will -He not do for the life to come? If there is to be no future life, then -are we far less considered, according to our present condition, than -those things which were called into existence for our sakes. For -heavens, and earth, and ocean, and rivers are more abiding than we, as -also some unreasoning animals: the crow, the elephant, and many others -are much longer lived than we. _Our_ life is short and full of labour: -it is not so with them, but they have a long life free from despondency -and care. Tell me, how is this?—has He made the servants happier than -their masters? I repeat it, do not reason in this way, nor humble your -intellect, nor disregard the riches of God, having so great a Master. It -was God’s design from the beginning to make you immortal, but you were -not willing. The being with God, the living a life without suffering, or -grief, or care, or labour, or any other anxiety,—all this pointed to -immortality. Adam had no need of clothes, nor of shelter, nor of any -other protection, but he was more like an angel, and he had a -fore-knowledge of many things to come, and was endued with much wisdom. -He knew what God had done in secret, as to the creation of woman, and so -he said, _This is bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh_. Afterwards -came labour, and sweat, and shame, and cowardice, and bondage: _then_ -there was neither grief nor pain, nor effort. But he did not remain in -this high state. - - · · · · · · · - - - Resurrection confirmed by Signs which followed. - (_Homilies on the New Testament_,[12] viii., t. iii., p. 89.) - - · · · · · · · - -The reason, beloved brethren, why we read immediately after the -Crucifixion and the Resurrection of the wonders worked by the Apostles -is that we may have a clear and unambiguous proof of the Resurrection. -You did not look upon Him rising from the dead with your bodily eyes, -but you see Him rising with the eyes of faith. You did not look upon Him -rising with this physical eyesight of yours, but you will see Him rising -through those signs. For their manifestation will lead you to faith’s -contemplation. Hence the working of signs in His name was a much greater -and stronger testimony than seeing Him as He rose from the dead. Would -you know how this establishes the Resurrection more firmly than if it -had been seen by all men with their bodily eyes? Listen with attention, -for many men make this objection and say, ‘Why, when rising from the -dead, did He not show Himself immediately to the Jews?’ But this -argument is trifling and vain. If He had meant to enforce faith upon -them, He would not have omitted to appear to all men after the -Resurrection. Now He showed that He did _not_ mean to put force upon -them by appearing after the Resurrection: in the case of Lazarus, He -raised up this man, who had been four days dead, and was corrupt and -stinking, and He made him, who was bound, come forth before all; and not -only He did not induce them to believe, but He provoked them to anger. -When they came they wished to put Him to death on this account. Now, if -they were faithless when He raised up another, would they not also have -been mad with Him if He had shown them Himself risen from the dead? If -they had not been able to accomplish anything, they would still have -been guilty of impiety. Thus, wishing to save them from a useless -madness, He concealed Himself. For He would have made them deserving of -chastisement if He had appeared to them after the Cross. Consequently, -to spare them, He hid Himself from their eyes, but manifested Himself -through signs. Hearing Peter say, _In the Name of Jesus Christ arise and -walk_, was not a less thing than seeing Him rise again. And that this -_was_ a great proof of the Resurrection, and more conducive to faith -than the first, that seeing signs taking place in His Name was better -able to persuade the minds of men than the sight of Him risen is evident -from what I am going to say. Christ rose and showed Himself to the -disciples. Yet one of their number, Thomas, who was called Didymus, was -unbelieving, and he demanded to put his hands into the marks of the -nails. Now, if that disciple, who had spent three years with Him, who -had partaken of his Lord’s table, witnessed great signs and wonders, and -heard his Lord’s words, did not at first believe when he even beheld Him -risen, until he felt the marks of the nails and of the wounds, tell me -how would the whole world have believed it if it had seen Him risen? Who -would say as much? But I will give you further proof than this that -signs were more persuasive than the physical sight of the risen Lord. -The crowd hearing Peter’s words to the lame man, _In the Name of Jesus -Christ arise and walk_, three thousand, and five thousand believed in -Christ; on the other hand, the single disciple seeing Christ risen was -unbelieving. Do you see that the signs much more furthered faith in the -Resurrection? In presence of the one His own disciple doubted, whereas -in contemplating the signs even enemies were persuaded. Hence they were -more powerful and clearer; they attracted men and won them over to the -Resurrection. And why do I speak of Thomas? For understand fully that -neither were the other disciples persuaded by their first sight of Jesus -risen; but condemn them not, dear brethren. If Christ did not reproach -them, neither should you, for the disciples saw a strange and wonderful -thing; they saw Him rising the First-Born from the dead. Signs so great -as this are wont at first to stupify, until in process of time they take -root in the souls of the faithful. Now, this is what happened to the -disciples. Whilst Christ risen from the dead spoke to them the words, -_Peace be to you_, the Evangelist says they were troubled and -frightened, imagining they saw a spirit, and Jesus said to them, _Why -are ye fearful?_ And after that He showed them His Hands and Feet, and -He said to them, whom joy and wonder made unbelieving, _Have you -anything to eat?_ wishing to convince them through these material things -of the Resurrection. ‘Do neither My Side nor My Wounds persuade you, -then let even food persuade you.’ That you may clearly understand that -He said, _Have you anything to eat here?_ in order to show them they -beheld not a vision, nor a spirit, nor a phantom, but a true and -substantial resurrection, consider how Peter is convinced of it in this -very way. For in saying that _God had raised Him from the dead and had -given Him to appear in a glorious form to us His preordained witnesses_, -he added, as a proof of the Resurrection: _we who ate and drank with -Him_. This was why whenever Christ raised anyone from the dead, in order -to prove the Resurrection, He said: _Give him to eat_. When, therefore, -you hear that He offered Himself to them in the body during forty days, -appearing to them and living with them, understand His reason for eating -with them. It was not that He required food, but He wished to strengthen -the weakness of the disciples; whence it is plain that the signs and -wonders of the Apostles were the greatest proof of the Resurrection. -Therefore, His own words were: _Amen, Amen, I say to you, he who -believeth in Me shall do the works which I do, and greater works than I -do_. For since the Cross coming between had scandalised many, He -required even greater signs after it. If, indeed, Christ in ending His -life had remained in death and the tomb, and had not risen, as the Jews -pretend, nor ascended into heaven, not only were greater signs not -required to come after the cross, but even the former ones should have -been blotted out. Follow my argument attentively, as what I have said is -an irrefutable proof of the Resurrection, and therefore I repeat it. -First, Christ did wonders, He raised the dead and cleansed lepers, and -cast out devils: after this He was crucified, and, as the lawless Jews -assert, He did not rise from the dead. Now, how are we to answer them? -That if He did _not_ rise, how after this did greater signs take place -in His Name? No living man at his death ever worked greater wonders -after it, but in this case they _were_ greater after it, both in manner -and in matter. They were greater in matter, for never had the shadow of -Christ raised from the dead, yet the shadows of the Apostles did many -things of this kind. And they were greater in manner when at His command -signs took place; but after the crucifixion His servants, using His -awful and all-holy Name, did greater and more wonderful things, so that -their power shone forth more conspicuously than His. For it was much -more striking that another should do these things by invoking His Name -than that He should command them to be done. See you, dear brethren, how -the signs of the Apostles after Christ’s Resurrection were greater both -in manner and in matter? Therefore, the proof of the Resurrection is -irrefutable. As I was saying, and now repeat, if Christ had died and not -risen again, wonders also should have ceased and been extinguished: now, -not only were they not quenched, but they became more evident and more -glorious after these things. And if Christ had not risen, others would -not have worked signs so great in His Name. One and the same power did -wonders both before and after the Cross, first through Himself and -afterwards through His disciples; but the greater and more wonderful -signs took place after the Cross in order that the proof of the -Resurrection might be the clearer and more renowned. ‘And how,’ the -unbeliever asks, ‘is it certain that signs _did_ take place?’ ‘How is it -certain that Christ was crucified?’ ‘From Holy Scripture,’ you answer. -And it is also evident from Holy Scripture both that signs took place -then and that Christ was crucified, for they say one and the other. And -if the adversary assert that the Apostles did no signs, he shows their -power and divine grace to have been the greater, inasmuch as without -wonders they were able to win such a world to the service of God.[13] -For this is the greatest sign and the crowning wonder of all, that the -lowly, and poor, and despised, and ignorant, and unlearned, and needy, -twelve men in number, seem without signs to drag in their train cities -so great, and races and peoples, kings, tyrants, philosophers, and -orators, and, so to speak, the whole world. Would you like to see signs -taking place now? Then I will show you signs more striking than the -former ones—not one dead man raised to life, not one blind man restored -to sight, but the whole world freed from the darkness of error; not one -leper cleansed, but entire nations washed from the leprosy of sin and -purified through baptism to regeneration. What greater signs than these -would you have, O man, contemplating so radical a change over the face -of the earth? - -Would you know how Christ restored sight to the world? Men began by -looking at wood and stone, not as wood and stone, but were so blinded as -to invoke material things as gods: now, however, that they have seen -what wood is and what stone is, they believe what God is, for that high -and blessed nature is contemplated by faith alone. Would you have -another sign of the Resurrection? You will find it in the knowledge of -the disciples, which was increased after the Resurrection. For it is -admitted by all that one who is well-disposed towards a living man -thinks no more of him when he is dead, but if he dislikes the living -man, and if he deserts him whilst present, much more will he forget him -when dead. Hence, no one who neglected a friend and counsellor when -living will make much of him when dead, especially when he finds a -thousand dangers threatening himself if he should be so minded. Yet, -what took place in the case of no other man _did_ take place with Christ -and His Apostles and those who had denied and forsaken Him during His -life, who had left Him when apprehended, and turned their backs upon Him -after numberless reproaches, made so much of the Cross, as to give up -their own lives for their testimony and for their faith in Him. If -Christ did not die and did not rise again, what reason was there that -those who had fled from Him when living, on account of impending danger, -should have encountered a thousand dangers for Him when dead? Now they -all fled from Him, and Peter, besides, denied Him thrice with an oath, -and he who denied Him thrice with an oath, and was frightened at a poor -maid-servant, after His death, wishing to persuade us through their acts -that he had seen Him risen, became so thoroughly changed that he defied -all the people, and went out into the midst of the Jews and proclaimed -that He Who was crucified and buried had risen from the dead on the -third day, and had ascended into heaven, and that he himself feared no -evil. Whence came this courage of his? Whence, if not from his -conviction of the Resurrection? For since he had seen Christ, and spoken -with Him, and had heard future things foretold, risking the rest of his -life as if for a living man, he so confronted all adverse things that he -took fresh strength and courage, so as to die for Him, and to be -crucified with his head downwards. Therefore when you see greater signs -taking place, and the disciples showing more feeling for Him Whom they -at first deserted, and a bolder fearlessness, and the change in morals -becoming everywhere more marked, and bringing everything into a secure -and happy state, learn through practical experience that the personal -history of Christ did not stop at the death of Christ, but a -Resurrection received Him, and He lives and remains immutably the -crucified God for ever. If He had not risen and were not living, the -disciples would not have worked greater wonders than had taken place -before the Cross. _Then_ the disciples even had left Him: _now_ the -whole world seeks Him out, and not Peter alone, but thousands of others; -and after Peter many more, who never saw Him, have given up their lives -for Him. They have lost their heads and suffered numberless evils in -order to maintain a pure and entire belief in Him until their death. How -then could a dead man lying in his tomb, as you say, O Jew, have shown -forth so great a strength and power even in those coming after Him, -persuading them to adore Him alone, and to be willing to endure and -suffer anything rather than to give up their faith in Him? Do you not -see this clear proof of the Resurrection in every particular? Through -the signs then and now, through the affection of the disciples then and -now, through the perils in which believers passed their lives? Would you -see His enemies too fearing His strength and His power, and in much -greater straits after His crucifixion? Give your minds, then, to this -also. The Jews seeing the courage of Peter and John, the Scripture says, -and considering that they were ignorant and untaught men, wondered and -were dismayed, not that they were illiterate, but that, being -illiterate, they got the better of all the wise, and seeing the man who -had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it, -although before this they _had_ had something to say against it when -they saw signs taking place. Now, why had they nothing to say then? The -invisible power of the Crucified had sealed their tongues. He it was Who -had silenced their mouths and put down their boldness, so that they -stood there, and could not gainsay them. And when they _did_ speak, see -how they admit their own cowardice. _Would you draw down upon us the -blood of this man?_ For if He be a mere man, why fear His blood? How -many prophets have you removed, O Jew, how many just have you slain, and -have you feared the blood of any one of them? Why, then, did you fear in -this case? The Crucified awed their conscience; and not being able to -conceal their struggle, they reveal their own weakness towards their -enemies in spite of themselves. And when they crucified Him, they cried -out, saying, _His blood be upon us and upon our children_. Thus did they -despise His blood. But after the Cross, seeing His power shine forth, -they are afraid and distressed, and say, _Would you draw down_ _the -blood of this man upon us?_ If indeed he was a deceiver, and impious, as -you false Jews say, why did you fear His blood? If He were this you -should have prided yourselves on putting Him to death, but because He -was not this, therefore, are you in fear. - -Do you see how everywhere His enemies are distressed and afraid? Do you -see their anguish? Learn, too, the kindness of the Crucified. They said, -_His blood be upon us and upon our children_. Not so Christ, but, -supplicating the Father, He said, _Father, forgive them, for they know -not what they do_. For, if His blood had indeed fallen upon them and -upon their children, the Apostles would not have been made out of their -children; neither three thousand nor five thousand would have believed -on the spot. See you how barbarous and cruel as they were towards their -descendants, they ignored even nature itself, whilst God was more loving -than all fathers put together and tenderer than any mother? Still His -blood _was_ upon them and upon their children, though not upon all their -children, but on those alone who emulated the impiety and -unrighteousness of their fathers. Those alone were liable to the evils -who were sons, not according to nature, but through their own foolish -choice. Look with me at another side of the goodness and lovingness of -God. He did not at once let the chastisement and penalty fall upon them, -but He allowed forty years and more to pass after the Cross. Our Lord -Himself was crucified under Tiberius, and their city was destroyed under -Vespasian and Titus. Now, why did He allow so long a time to elapse -after these things? Because He wished to give them time for repentance, -so that they might put off their iniquities and be quit of their crimes. -As, having a respite for conversion, they remained in their impenitence, -He at last inflicted punishment upon them, and, destroying their city, -sent them out wanderers over the face of the earth. And this He did -through love. He dispersed them that they might everywhere see that -Christ Whom they had crucified adored, and that, seeing Him adored by -all, they might learn His power and acknowledge their own exceeding -wickedness, and in acknowledging it might come to the truth. And indeed -their humiliation became a teaching to them and their chastisement a -remedy, for, if they had remained in the country of the Jews, they would -not have recognised the truth of the prophets. What had the prophets -said? _Ask of me and I will give you the gentiles for your inheritance -and the ends of the earth as your possession._ Thus it behoved them to -go out to the ends of the earth that they might see with their own eyes -that Christ reigns even there. Again, another prophet says, _Each one -shall adore Him from his own place_. Therefore it was necessary that -they should be dispersed into every corner of the earth, that with their -very eyes they might see every man adoring Him from his own place. -Again, another says, _The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of -the Lord as the waters cover the sea_. Therefore, it was fitting that -they should go forth unto all the earth, that they might see it all -filled with the knowledge of God, and _seas_, that is, these spiritual -churches, with His fear. On this account God dispersed them throughout -the earth. If they had established themselves in Judæa, they would not -have known these things. He wishes too that they should experience with -their eyes both the truth of the prophets and His own power, so that, if -they be right-minded, they may be thus led to the truth, whilst, if they -follow impiety, they may have no excuse in the terrible day of judgment. -Therefore, God dispersed them over the earth that we too may draw profit -hence, that, seeing the prophecies concerning their dispersion and the -destruction of Jerusalem, which Daniel, in recalling the abomination of -desolation, and Malachias, in saying, _The gates shall be shut in you_, -and David and Isaias and many other prophets have foretold, and how -those are chastised who did not receive their Lord, cut off from their -national liberty, from all their domestic ties and hereditary customs, -may understand the power which accomplishes and works these things, and -that enemies may see His strength through our gain. May we indeed learn -through their chastisement His infinite kindness and power, and may we -be constant in giving Him praise, so that we may arrive at eternal and -unspeakable goods by the grace and goodness of Our Lord Jesus Christ, to -Whom, with the Father and the Son, be honour and power, now and for -ever. Amen. - - - - - PART II. - THE KING’S HOUSE. - - - “Thou art Peter.” - (_Homilies on St. Matthew_, liv., vol. ii., p. 108.) - - · · · · · · · - -... _Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas._ Since -thou hast proclaimed _My_ Father, He says, so will I name _thy_ father -to thee: which was almost saying, ‘As thou art the son of Jona, so am I -the Son of My Father’. For it was superfluous to say, ‘Thou art the son -of Jona’; but as He had spoken of the Son of God, in order to show that -as Peter is the son of Jona so He is the Son of God, of the same -substance as the Begetter, He added further: _And I say to thee thou art -Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church_—that is, on the faith -of this confession. Then He shows him many men who are ready to believe, -and He strengthens Peter’s will and makes him pastor. _And the gates of -hell shall not prevail against it._ ‘If they shall not prevail against -_it_, how much less against Me. So be not troubled, for thou art soon to -hear that I am to be betrayed and crucified.’ He goes on to speak of -another honour: _And I will give thee the keys of the kingdom of -heaven_. What does _And I will give thee_ signify? As the Father gave -thee to know Me, so do _I_ also give it to thee. He did not say: ‘I will -invoke the Father,’ although the power shown forth was so great and the -gift was so unutterably magnificent, but _I will give thee_. Tell me -what hast Thou given? The keys of the kingdom of heaven, that whatsoever -thou dost bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou -dost loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. How, then, was it not His -to give to sit on His right and on His left Who said, _I will give_? Do -you see how He leads Peter up to the most ineffable knowledge, how He -reveals Himself, and shows Himself to be the Son of God, through that -double promise? For that which belongs only to God, namely, the -remission of sins, the setting up of an immutable Church in the midst of -waves, and making a fisherman more enduring than the hardest rock, with -the whole world against him, these are the things which He promises to -give, as the Father said to Jeremias: _I have made thee a pillar of iron -and a wall of brass_; but Jeremias was commissioned for one people, -whilst Peter is charged with the whole universe. I would ask those who -wish to depreciate the dignity of the Son, which were the greater gifts -to Peter, those of the Father or those of the Son? The Father vouchsafed -to Peter the manifestation of the Son, but the Son’s gift it was to make -known that manifestation of the Father and of Himself throughout all the -world, and He entrusted to a mortal man authority over the whole kingdom -of heaven, giving those keys to him who propagated the Church in all -parts of the earth and showed it forth more powerful than heaven. _For -heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away._ -How, then, was the Giver of such gifts, the Worker of such triumphs, in -any way less than the Father? I speak of them, not separating the works -of the Father from the Son, _for all things were made through Him, and -without Him nothing was made_, but in order to silence the shameless -tongue of those who would so venture. Consider the authority which He -manifests here throughout all He says. _I say to thee, thou art Peter: I -will build My Church: I will give thee the keys of the kingdom of -heaven._ And at the time when He said these things, He charged them to -tell no man that He was the Christ. Why did He thus charge them? That -when those who took scandal were removed, the work of the Cross over, -and all His other sufferings completed, when there was no man left to -disturb or trouble the faith of the multitude in Him, His worship, -undefiled and immutable, might be grafted on the minds of those who -listened. For it was clear that His power had not yet shone forth. On -this account He willed to be preached by them at a time when the -unerring truth of deeds and the strength of things accomplished should -support the testimony of the Apostles. For there was a difference -between seeing Him, now working wonders in Palestine, now despised, now -driven about (more especially at the time when the Cross was about to -follow the wonders accomplished), and seeing Him adored and trusted by -the whole world, His former suffering no more. This is why He enjoined -them to tell no man. For that which has once been rooted and is then -torn up, would with difficulty, if planted again, be received by the -many, but that which has once been secured, and which remains immutable, -and is not threatened from any quarter, is in easy progress and gives -good promise of growth. If, indeed, those who enjoyed many signs, and -who took part in these ineffable mysteries, were scandalised by merely -being told of the Cross, and not those only, but Peter too, the head of -all,[14] consider what the multitude were likely to suffer when they -learnt that He was the Son of God, and saw Him spit upon and crucified, -and yet did not know the sacred nature of these high mysteries, and had -not received the Holy Ghost. If He said even to the disciples, _I have -many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now_, how much more -would the rest of the people have fallen if He had revealed to them the -secret of these hidden things before the due time. On this account, -then, He orders them to be silent. And that you may see how much there -was to be learnt after these things to complete the teaching, when those -who offered scandal were removed, consider the behaviour of Peter, the -chief of all. For this very Peter, after wonders so great, showed -himself weak enough to deny Our Lord and to fear a poor maid-servant. -Then, when the crucifixion was accomplished, and he had received clear -proof of the resurrection, and there remained nothing to scandalise or -terrify him, he embraced the unspeakable teaching of the Spirit in order -to leap with greater eagerness than a lion upon the Jewish people, -although he was threatened by a thousand dangers and deaths. It was -reasonable, therefore, that He bade them not to tell the multitude -before the Cross, since He did not venture to impart everything before -the Cross even to those who were to teach. _I have many things to say, -but you cannot bear them now._ And they were ignorant concerning many -things spoken by Him which He did not clearly explain before the Cross. -But when He rose from the dead, then they came to a knowledge of some of -the things which He had said. - - · · · · · · · - - - “Peter Rose Up.” -(_Homilies on Acts of Apostles_, _Benedictine Edition_, iii., tom. ix., - p. 23.) - - · · · · · · · - -_And in those days Peter rose up in the midst of the disciples and -said._ As one eager and as entrusted by Christ with the flock, and as -the first of the choir, he ever first begins to speak. _And the number -of names together was_, he says, _about a hundred and twenty_. _Men and -brethren, this Scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy -Ghost spake before._ Why then did he not singly ask of Christ to give -him some one in the place of Judas? And why do they not make the -election of themselves? Peter had now become better than his old self. -This is what we may say on the subject. We will give two reasons why -their asking for one to fill up their band was no chance but a matter of -revelation: the first, that they were engaged about other things; the -second, that this was the greatest proof of Christ’s presence with them. -For being absent He made the election as He would have done if present. -And this was no small matter of consolation. But observe Peter doing -this with common consent; nothing authoritatively, nothing arbitrarily. -And he did not say simply thus: ‘Instead of Judas we elect this man,’ -but consoling them about what had passed, see how he manages his -discourse. For what had happened had caused no small distress. And do -not wonder at this. For if many at present twist about this fact, what -may we expect that they said? _Men and brethren_, he says: if the Lord -called them brethren, how much more he?... This is why he began by -saying, _Men and brethren, we must choose one of us_. He commits the -judgment to the multitude, both to invest with respect those who were -chosen, and to escape himself odium from the rest.... What, then, might -not Peter himself have elected? Certainly. But he does not do so, that -he might not seem partial. Moreover, he had not as yet received the -Spirit. _And they appointed two, Joseph that is called Barsabas and -Matthias._ He did not appoint them, but all. He introduced the matter, -showing that it was not even his own, but from above, according to -prophecy. So that he was an interpreter, not a master. - - · · · · · · · - - - Built upon the Rock. - (_Homily before he went into exile_,[15] tom. iii., p. 415.) - -Numerous are the waves, and great the tossing of the sea, but we have no -fear of going down, for we stand upon the rock. Let the ocean rage as it -will, it is powerless to break the rock. Let the waves roll, they cannot -sink the bark of Jesus. Tell me, what should we fear? Death? _To me to -live is Christ and to die gain._ Is it exile perchance? _The earth is -the Lord’s, and the fulness of it._ Is it confiscation of property? We -brought nothing with us into the world, and it is clear that we can take -nothing away with us. I despise what the world fears, and hold its good -things in derision. I do not fear poverty, nor do I desire riches. I am -not afraid of death; I do not pray to live, if it be not for your good. -This is why I speak of what is now taking place, and exhort your charity -to be of good cheer. For no man shall be able to separate us. No man can -part that which God has joined together. If, speaking of man and wife, -He says: _On this account a man shall leave his father and his mother -and shall cleave to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh; for that -which God has joined together man shall not separate_; if you cannot -dissolve marriage, how much less shall you be able to break up the -Church of God. You may fight her, you will not be able to harm the -object of your attack. ‘But whilst you make me more illustrious, you are -undermining your own strength by fighting against me.’ It is hard for -you to kick against a sharp goad. You do not take the edge off it, but -you make your own feet bloody; and the waves do not break through the -rock, but are dissolved in foam. There is nothing more powerful than the -Church, O man; give up fighting her, lest she overpower your strength. -Wage not war against heaven. If you fight a man, you conquer or are -conquered. But if you fight the Church, you cannot conquer. For God is -stronger than all. _Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy?_ Are we stronger -than He? Who will venture to subvert the order which God has -established? You know not His power. He looks down upon the earth and -causes it to tremble. He commands, and that which was shaken becomes -firm. If He can establish in peace a city torn by factions, how much -more is He able to establish the Church! The Church is stronger than -heaven. _Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass -away._ What words? _Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My -Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it._ - -If you distrust words, believe in facts. How many tyrants have wished to -get the better of the Church! How many frying-pans, and furnaces, and -fangs of wild animals, and sharp swords have there not been! Yet they -have not succeeded. Where are the oppressors? Silence and oblivion have -passed over them. But where is the Church? It is more dazzling than the -sun. _Their_ deeds are no more, hers are immortal. Now, if being few -they were not conquered, how will you get the better of them, now that -the world is filled with the service of God? _Heaven and earth shall -pass away, but My word shall not pass_; and with good reason. The Church -is more pleasing to God than heaven; He did not take a body from heaven, -but He _did_ take flesh of the Church.[16] Heaven is made for the -Church, not the Church for heaven. Be not disturbed by anything which -has taken place. Gain me the grace of an immutable faith. See you not -Peter walking upon the waters, beginning to doubt and being on the point -of drowning, not through the surging waves, but through the weakness of -his faith? Did we come here by vote of man? Did a man bring us in, that -a man might displace us? I say this, not out of pride, nor to boast—God -forbid!—but wishing to give courage to what is faint in you. Since the -city has become quiet, the devil aimed at disturbing the Church. -Wretched and most wicked demon, you could not master walls, and do you -think to shake the Church? Is the Church made up of walls? The Church is -in the multitude of the faithful. What an array of immutable pillars, -not clasped by iron, but bound by faith! I say not that so vast a -multitude is more ardent than fire, but if it consisted of one, you -would not overcome that one. You know what wounds the martyrs inflicted -on you. Many a time a tender maiden has been brought into court; she was -softer than wax, and she became harder than a rock. You tore her sides, -yet you took not her faith. The flesh languished whilst the strength of -faith was not weakened: the body was being spent, the spirit was -renewed: the physical frame was perishing, yet piety endured. You have -not conquered a single woman, and do you hope to conquer so numerous a -people? _Do you not hear the Lord saying, Wherever two or three are -gathered together in My name, there I am in the midst of them_. Where is -_not_ this people whom charity binds? I have a proof of it. Am I in good -heart by my own strength? I hold His written word. This is my staff, -this is my courage, this is to me a calm harbour. Even if the world be -troubled, I hold that written word; I look up to those words, they are a -wall of strength to me. What are they? _I am with you always until the -consummation of the world._ Christ is with me, what shall I fear? If -waves are raging against me, and the fountains of the deep and the -passions of princes, all these things are more insignificant than a -cobweb. And if it were not for your charity, I would not refuse to -depart to-morrow, for I always say, ‘Lord, may Thy will be done’; not -what this man or that man wishes, but as Thou wilt. This is my tower of -defence, this is my immutable rock, this is my sure staff. If this be -God’s will, so be it. If He wish me to remain here, I am grateful to -Him. Wherever it may be, I give Him thanks. - - · · · · · · · - - - The Priest a Man, not an Angel. -(_Homily on Peter and Elias_, _Benedictine Edition_, tom. ii., p. 730.) - -Why is it that so few are here to day? We commemorate the martyrs, and -no one comes; the distance has made man soft, or rather not the -distance, but their softness has been the impediment. Just as nothing -can hinder readiness and alertness of will, so everything serves as a -hindrance to an irresolute and desponding man. The martyrs shed their -blood for the truth: can _you_ not make light even of a long way? They -laid down their head for Christ: will _you_ not even come out of the -city for your Lord? He died for you, and are you lukewarm in His -service? You are commemorating the martyrs, and are you discouraged and -remiss? You should come and see the devil humbled, and the martyr -triumphing, God glorified, and the Church crowned. What is your excuse? -‘I am a sinner and I cannot come.’ That is the very reason why you -should come so that you may not be quite lost. Tell me what man is -without sin? This is why there is a sacrifice, and a Church, and prayer, -and fasting. Because the soul has many wounds, therefore remedies have -been devised for them, and for every single wound of the soul a -corresponding medicine has been prepared. You have the Church offering -sacrifices, the prayers of the fathers, the administration of the Holy -Spirit, the memory of the martyrs, the assembly of the faithful, and -many things of the kind which have power to recall you from iniquity -unto justice. If you do not come to invoke the martyrs, what excuse have -you got?... You say, ‘I am a sinner and cannot come’. _Because_ you are -a sinner, come. Or do you not know that those very men who stand before -the altar have contracted sins? They are clothed in flesh and blood, yet -we do not refuse to teach when we cast our eyes on the ocean of God’s -goodness. If you enter in, you have not this against you, for you are -subject to teaching. As for us, the higher our dignity, the greater is -our guilt. It is one thing for the man, who is subject to teaching, to -sin, and another for the teacher. Nevertheless, we do not refuse to -impart discipline, or fall into negligence under pretext of humility. It -was a divine ordering that priests themselves should fall into sin. Now -listen to what I mean. If the teachers themselves, if priests had not -sinned and been subjected to the ordinary passions of life, they would -have become inhuman and relentless towards others. Therefore, He -designed that priests, too, and rulers should be under the dominion of -their feelings, so that from what they themselves experience they should -extend pardon to others. God has always pursued this course, not only -now but of old: He allowed those to whom He was going to entrust His -Church and His people to fall into sin, so that on account of their own -shortcomings they might become merciful to others. If they had _not_ -sinned, they would not have made a single excuse for sinners, but, -wholly merciless, would have excluded all from the Church. Let me show -you by an example that it _is_ so, and that I do not speak from -conjecture. Peter was to be entrusted with the keys of heaven and with -the multitude of the people. For what were the Lord’s words to him? -_Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall_ _be bound in heaven, and -whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven._ For -Peter was somewhat severe, and if he had been faultless how would he -have excused his disciples? This was why the Divine Goodness brought -about a certain fall on his part, that from what he himself experienced, -he might become kind to others. And consider the man who is allowed to -fall into sin,—Peter, the chief of the Apostles, the irremovable -foundation, the immutable rock, the leader of the Church, the sure -harbour, the invincible pillar. Peter it was who had said to Christ, -_Even if I should die with Thee I will not desert Thee_; Peter who had -confessed the truth by divine revelation: _Thou art Christ the Son of -the living God_: this Peter going in on the night of Christ’s betrayal -and standing by the fire to warm himself, a certain maid-servant went up -to him and said, _Yesterday thou wert with this man_, and Peter -answered, _I know not the man_. Just before he had said, _Even if I -should die with Thee_; now he denies Him and says, _I know not the man_. -O Peter! is this thy promise? Thou hast not endured torments nor -stripes, but at a single word from a maid-servant—thou hast denied. Wilt -thou deny, Peter? As yet there are neither torments, nor stripes, nor -blows, nor angry passions, nor princes, nor outstretched swords, neither -edicts, nor threatening emperors, nor sentence to death, neither -prisons, nor precipices, nor seas. There are none of these things, yet -thou hast already denied Him: _I know not the man_. Again the maid said -to him, _Yesterday thou wert with this man._ And he answered her: _I -know not the man_. Who is making thee deny? No one in authority, but a -woman, and she a poor doorkeeper, a captive unworthy of an answer: at -_her_ word thou deniest! This is wonderful indeed! A maid-servant, a -harlot going up to Peter disturbed his faith. Peter, the pillar, -suffered no temptation: she only opened her mouth and that pillar was -shaken, that bulwark was moved. What seest thou before thee, Peter, -whilst thou deniest? A miserable maid-servant, a wretched doorkeeper. -This is what thou seest, and dost thou deny? Now for the third time she -says: _Yesterday thou too wert with this man_, and he denied for the -third time. And Jesus looking at him, recalled his own words to his -mind, and he began to weep tears of contrition for his sin. Still Jesus -pardoned him, knowing that as a man he had had a human weakness. But as -I have said, on this account He was about to entrust him with a whole -people, so that, not being hard or without sin, he might not be without -mercy for his own brethren. He fell into sin, that, considering his own -fault and his Lord’s pardon, he also might extend a merciful forgiveness -to others, which, according to divine dispensation should reconcile them -to God. He who was to be entrusted with the Church was allowed to sin; -the pillar of the churches, the harbour of faith, Peter the teacher of -the world, was allowed to sin in order that his forgiveness might become -the basis of mercy for others. Why do I say these things? Because we -priests who sit upon a throne and teach are fettered by sins. This is -why neither angel nor archangel has been entrusted with the priesthood, -for _they_ are without sin, in order that they should not through -severity at once strike down sinners amongst the people. A man born of -man was entrusted with this throne, a man held subject himself to -pleasure and to sin, so that in receiving a sinner, mindful of his own -failings, he might be gentler to that sinner. For if the priest were an -angel and were to receive a dissolute man, he would kill him on the -spot, not being acquainted with this passion. On this account if an -angel had the sacerdotal authority, he would not teach, but he would -kill the man in anger through his not being an angel: for this reason it -was a man with the knowledge and experience of his own faults, that he -might pardon sinners, and not be moved by anger, that the Church might -not be vacant through the Synagogue. - - · · · · · · · - - - The Authority of the Priest. - (_On the Priesthood_,[17] b. iii., c. iv., p. 24.) - -The priesthood performs its functions on earth but ranks with heavenly -things. And indeed most rightly, for neither man, nor angel, nor -archangel, nor any other created power has ordained this series of -actions, but the Paraclete Himself, and He it is Who has inspired those -still in the flesh to represent visibly the ministry of angels. -Therefore, since the priest stands in the very heavens in the midst of -those powers, he should be as pure as they. The ordinances before the -law of grace, such as bells and fringes, and precious stones on the -breast, those on the shoulders, the mitre, the girdle, the long garment, -the gold plate, the holy of holies, the intense quiet of the holy place, -were awful and sacred, but if anyone would examine those of the law of -grace, he would find the former terrible ordinances were as nothing, and -that what was then said concerning the law was in this also true, that -_even that which was glorious in this part was not glorified by reason -of the glory that excelleth_. For when you see the Lord sacrificed and -lying before you, and the priest standing over the sacrifice making -supplication, and all present dyed in the precious Blood, do you feel as -if you were still amongst men and on earth, and not rather transported -straight into heaven? Casting aside from your mind every carnal thought, -do you not consider the things of heaven with a naked soul and a pure -heart? Oh, what a wonder this is! What man-loving kindness of God! He -Who is sitting with the Father above is received in that hour into the -hands of all men. And He gives Himself to those who wish to hold Him to -their hearts in close embrace, and all do this through their eyes. Now -would these things appear to you worthy of contempt, as if a man could -possibly feel anger against them? Would you like to realise the -surpassing sacredness of this holy place through another wonder? Picture -Elias to yourselves, an immense crowd surrounding him, the sacrifice -lying upon stones, all men holding their breath, and the prophet alone -in prayer, then fire coming swiftly from heaven upon the offering. This -is a marvel which is most awe-inspiring. Pass on from this to the rites -which are now being carried out, and you will see not marvels alone but -things beyond awe itself. For the priest is standing there, not bringing -down fire but the Holy Spirit: and he makes a long prayer of -supplication, not that fire from above may consume the offering, but in -order that grace, coming down upon the sacrifice, may through it -enkindle all souls, and make them purer than silver purified in the -fire. Now, such being this most tremendous rite, who that is not utterly -mad and out of his mind will be able to show contempt for it? Do you not -know that never could soul of man have borne that fire of the sacrifice, -but all would have been consumed if it had not been for an abundant -assistance of God’s grace? If, indeed, anyone would consider what a -great thing it is for a man still clothed in flesh and blood to be able -to approach nearer to that high and perfect nature, he would then -clearly see what honour the grace of the Spirit has vouchsafed to confer -upon the priest. For through his ministry both these things are -accomplished and other things which, in regard to our dignity and -salvation, are in no way inferior. Dwellers on the earth, sojourners -here, are entrusted with the things of heaven, and have received an -authority which God has given neither to angels nor to archangels. Not -to them are those words said: _Whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall -be bound in heaven, and whatsoever you shall loose shall be loosed_. It -is true that those in power on earth have authority to bind, but in the -case of bodies only: now _that_ chain affects the soul, and penetrates -into heaven, so that whatsoever the priest does here below, God ratifies -it above; the Lord of all sanctions the action of His servants. What -indeed did He give to them if not all authority in heaven? _Whose sins_, -He says, _you shall forgive they are forgiven, and whose sins you shall -retain they are retained_. What could be greater than this authority? -The Father has given all judgment to the Son: now I see them set over -all judgment by the Son as if they were already in heaven, and had -passed beyond nature, and had thrown off our passions also, to so great -an authority have they been raised. Thus, if a king entrusts to one of -his subjects power to throw into prison those whom he chooses, and to -release them, that man will be an object of singular distinction to all. -He who receives from God an authority greater in proportion as heaven -surpasses earth and souls bodies, has seemed to some to be favoured with -an honour so small as to make it credible that some one might look down -upon the gift of men so trusted. God forbid such unreason, for it _is_ a -consummate unreason to despise so exalted an authority, without which we -can arrive neither at salvation nor at the promised goods. If a man -cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven unless he be born again of water -and the Spirit, and if he who does not eat the Flesh of Christ and does -not drink His Blood shall have no part in eternal life, and all these -things are brought about by no one else, but only by those sacred hands, -those of the priest, I mean, how without them will it be possible for a -man either to escape hell-fire or to reach the crowns which are laid up -for us? For priests are those who have been trusted with throes of the -Spirit, and they generate through baptism: through them we put on Christ -and unite ourselves to the Son of God, and become members of that august -Head. Hence they might justly be held by us in greater veneration than -not rulers and kings only, but than our own fathers. These have -generated us by ties of the flesh and of inclination: priests are the -authors of our birth from God, of that blessed regeneration of our true -liberty, and of our adoption according to grace. Priests amongst the -Jews had power to cleanse the leprosy of the body, or rather not at all -to cleanse it, but only to proclaim who _were_ cleansed, and you know -how sought after the priestly office then was. Now these have received -power with regard to, not the leprosy of the body, but impurity of the -soul, not to examine it when cleansed but to entirely effect the -cleansing. Hence, those who hold them in contempt would be under a worse -curse and would deserve a greater chastisement than Dathan and his -companions. The latter, indeed, even if they claimed an authority which -did not belong to them, were still impressed with its being something -extraordinary, and showed this by desiring it with great warmth; but the -former, since a better order has been brought about and divine worship -has received so wonderful an increase, have ventured on a deed the -opposite to that of the others, of much greater audacity. To desire -undue honour and to disregard it are not forms of showing contempt; but -the one is as far removed from the other as is the measure of contempt -from admiration. What soul so unhappy as to disregard goods so great? I -cannot say, unless anyone should be goaded on to it by a demon. Now I -will go back to my starting-point. God has given greater power to -priests than to parents, according to nature, not only for chastising -but also for conferring benefits, and there is as great a difference -between the two as between this present life and the life to come. -Earthly parents generate for this present life, priests for the life to -come: the former are unable to preserve their children from death even -of the body or to ward off illness from them; but the latter have often -saved a soul which was sick and about to be lost, procuring for some a -milder chastisement, and keeping others out of trouble from the first, -not only by teaching and advising, but also by helping them with prayer. -Not only do they generate us anew, but after this they have authority to -remit sins. _Is any man sick among you_, the Apostle says, _let him call -in the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him -with oil in the Name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the -sick man, and the Lord shall raise him up, and whatever sins he may have -committed shall be forgiven him_. So parents in the order of nature can -do nothing to help their children if these should chance to offend -people in high places; but priests have reconciled them not to rulers or -kings only, but to God Himself, Who was angered against them. After this -will anyone venture to accuse us of folly? For my part I conceive that -what has been said will inspire the souls of hearers with such respect -that they will no longer charge with folly and audacity those who shrink -from acquiring this honour for themselves, but those who seek and pursue -it. - - · · · · · · · - - - The Priest a Shepherd of Souls. - (_On the Priesthood_, b. vi., c. i.) - -You have heard what is to be expected here on earth, but how shall we -bear what is to come hereafter, when we shall be compelled to answer for -everyone who has been entrusted to us? The punishment there does not -stop with shame, but is a chastisement which never ends. If I began by -quoting the words, _Render obedience and submission to those who are -over you, and who are responsible for your souls, as giving an account -for them_, I will not now withhold them. Fear of this judgment keeps me -in a state of perpetual trembling. If, indeed, for scandalising one, and -that one the least of all, it is better for a man to have a millstone -about his neck and to be cast into the sea; and if all who inflict a -blow upon the conscience of their brethren sin against Christ Himself, -what will be the suffering on their account of those who destroy not -one, or two, or three, but so great a multitude? It will not do to throw -the blame on want of practice or to take refuge in ignorance, or to -allege necessity or main force: it would be easier for a subject, if he -required it, to make use of this excuse for his own sins than for rulers -in those of others. What is meant by this? That he whose part it is to -correct the ignorance of others, and to guard against the devil’s coming -attack, may not allege his own ignorance, or say, ‘I did not hear the -trumpet,’ or ‘I did not foresee war’. As Ezechiel said, this is the very -reason why he is seated in his place, that he may sound the trumpet to -others and warn them of coming troubles. On this account the -chastisement is inexorable, even if only one be lost. For if, when the -sword is brandished, the watchman does not sound the trumpet to the -people, nor signal to them (he says), and the sword appearing destroys a -life, that life has been lost through the man’s own lawlessness, but I -will require his blood at the watchman’s hand.[18] Cease, then, to push -us into that inevitable judgment. _We_ have to do, not with armies and -kingdoms, but with an action which requires angelical goodness. The soul -of a priest should be purer than the very rays of the sun, so that the -Holy Spirit may never leave him to himself, that he may be able to say: -_I live, not I, but Christ liveth in me_. If dwellers in the desert, who -are removed from the cares of city, market-place, and all that these -entail, and are ever in rest and peace, are unwilling to presume of -their security in such a life, but add numberless cautions, fortifying -themselves on all sides, ardent to do and to speak with much care, so -that they may approach God as fearlessly and purely as it lies in human -capacity to do, what think you the power and strength of the priest -should be, to enable him to put off all defilement from his soul and to -preserve spiritual beauty undamaged? For he ought to be much purer than -they, and the more so as he incurs greater necessities than they, which -may sully his purity, unless by constant watchfulness and strenuous -effort he makes his soul inaccessible to their influence. Thus, there -are fair faces, and luxurious movements, and a studied walk, and a -mincing tone of voice, and painted eyes, and rouged cheeks, beautiful -plaits, dyed hair, rich clothes, variegated golden ornaments, fine -precious stones, the perfume of scents, and all other things of the -kind, dear to the female sex, which are calculated to upset a soul that -is not armed in the austerity of wisdom. It is no wonder if a man be -troubled by _these_ things; but that the devil should be able by the -contrary things to wage war against the souls of men and to wound -them,—_this_ is most surprising and embarrassing. Already some who have -escaped the former snares have allowed themselves to be taken by that -which was so different. For an unstudied address, neglected hair, a -dirty garment, a disordered appearance, a careless demeanour, a natural -manner, frank language, an unartificial gait, an artless voice, a life -of poverty, the being despised, and unprotected, and in solitude, have -inspired a man at first with pity, and from that have led him to utter -destruction. And many who have escaped the former snares, the snares of -gold, and perfume, and clothes, and the rest which go with them, as I -said, have fallen into these so far removed from those, and have been -lost. Now, when the battle strikes on the spectator’s soul, and weapons -of war surround him on all sides, whether by poverty or by riches, by -adornment or by simplicity, by a studied manner or by unaffectedness, or -in any other of the ways which I have enumerated, whence is refreshment -to come to him who is thus hemmed in? How are we to meet the case, not -of being taken by force, for this is not so very difficult, but of -keeping our mind in tranquillity from impure thoughts? I pass over -honours, which are the causes of a thousand evils. Those which come from -women lower the tone of the tempered mind, and often work ruin whenever -a man is not wholly on his guard against such plottings. And as to -honours coming from men; if they be not received with much -high-mindedness, they involve a man in two opposite sufferings—the -slavishness of flattery and the foolishness of boasting. On the one -hand, he is forced to stoop to those who serve him; on the other, he is -puffed up against his inferiors through these honours of theirs, and -thrust into an abyss of folly. _We_ say this, but the harm of it can -only be properly ascertained by experience. And, necessarily, things -much worse and more dangerous than these would happen to those who are -in the midst of the fight. The lover of the desert is exempted from all -this, for if a foolish thought _did_ suggest something of the kind to -him, this imagination is weak and easily overcome, because the flame of -the eyes is not fed by outward things. Now the monk fears for himself -alone: even if he were obliged to think of others, these would be very -few. Or if they were many, they would be fewer than those in churches, -and give their superior little anxiety, not through their small numbers -alone, but because they are removed from worldly business, and have -neither children, nor wife, nor anything else of the kind to trouble -about. It is this and the common life which have made them disposed to -obey their rulers. Thus they are able to see and to correct their -faults, for the constant watchfulness of the teacher is no slight thing -towards increase of virtue. Now, the majority of men under the priest’s -charge are taken up with worldly cares, and this makes them slack in the -fulfilment of their spiritual duties. Hence the teacher should scatter -the seed, so to speak, day by day, in order that the teaching by -constantly falling should take root in the listener’s mind. For -superfluous wealth, and great power, and the softness arising from -luxury, and many other things joined to these, suffocate the seeds, and -often the density of thorns does not allow the seed to shoot forth so as -to be seen. Moreover, excessive tribulation, the necessities of poverty, -constant reproaches, and everything else of the kind which is opposed to -the former things, lead a man away from a holy zeal. Not even the -smallest part of sins incurred can become manifest to them. How should -it not be so when they know not the greater number even by sight? Thus -onerous are a priest’s duties towards the people. But if anyone would -consider duties towards God, he will find the others nothing at all, so -much more careful and diligent a zeal do these require. For what sort of -man should he be who rules an entire city—and why do I say a city?—the -whole world rather—and has to propitiate God for the sins of all—not the -sins of the living only, but those of the dead also. I hold that the -courage of Moses and Elias is all insufficient for this ministry. -Entrusted as if with the world itself, and the father of all, the priest -thus approaches God in order to extinguish wars in every place and to -appease strife, to bring about peace and plenty, and to ask both -privately and publicly a speedy deliverance from the evils which are -pressing upon every man. He himself ought to be as much above what he -asks for as the ruler should be in everything above the ruled. Now, what -place are we to assign to him when he calls down the Holy Spirit, and -offers up the most tremendous Sacrifice, and continually holds in his -grasp the common Lord of all? What purity shall we not expect him to -have, what piety? Think what the hands should be which thus minister! -What the tongue which utters those words! What should be purer or holier -than the soul which receives so great a Spirit? Then angels surround the -priest, and the sanctuary and all the place about the Sacrifice are -filled with heavenly powers in honour of Him Who is lying there. And -this can be sufficiently believed from the rites. But I once heard some -one say that an old man, who was held in veneration and accustomed to -revelations, told him he himself had been made worthy of this vision. At -the time of the sacrifice he had suddenly seen a multitude of angels, as -many as his eye could grasp, in shining garments surrounding the altar, -bending low, as a man might see soldiers in the presence of the king, -and this I believe. And another man told me, not what he had learnt from -a third person, but what he himself had been allowed to see and to hear. -This was it. When the departing, who have chanced to partake of the -mysteries with a pure conscience, draw their last breath, angels, -serving them as a body-guard for the sake of what they have received, -lead them out of this world. Do you not tremble to come with this soul -to this holy sacrifice, and to be at these solemn rites the man in -soiled garments whom Christ cast out from the rest of the guests? The -soul of the priest should be a light of justice to the world, but ours -is so surrounded with the darkness of an evil conscience as to be always -overclouded and unable to look fearlessly at its Lord. Priests are the -salt of the earth; who could bear easily with our folly and our -ignorance in everything if you were not accustomed to give us an -exaggerated love? And it is not enough that he who has been entrusted -with so wonderful a ministry should be pure; he should also be wise and -experienced in many things; he should know worldly business not less -than those engaged in the midst of it, and still be further removed from -all things than monks in their desert. As he must come into contact with -men who are married and have children to bring up, and keep servants and -have much wealth, who are engaged in public business, who are in power, -he should be many-sided. I say many-sided, not a schemer, neither a -flatterer nor a hypocrite, but made up of much liberality and fortitude, -knowing how to lend a useful hand whenever circumstances demand it, at -once kind and austere. All subjects are not to be used in the same way, -since the children of physicians deem it not good to apply one treatment -to all the sick, nor has the pilot only one course at his command -against the wind. Storms are ever hanging over _this_ bark, and these -storms assail not only from without, but arise also within, and we need -to have much condescension and much care. All these things which are -different in themselves have one end in view—the glory of God and the -strengthening of the Church. - - · · · · · · · - - - One Sacrifice. - (_Homilies on Epistle to the Hebrews_,[19] xvii.) - - · · · · · · · - -Tell me what need was there of having many sacrifices when one is -sufficient? That there being many which were constantly offered might -show their inefficacy for purification. Just as a powerful remedy, which -is productive of health and able to remove all the malady, does -everything by one application, and when this one application does -everything, it shows its strength in not being applied again; and this -is also its work, for if it be always used it is a sign that it has no -efficacy. The merit of a remedy consists in being applied once and not -often. And so it is here. Why, then, are they always cured by the same -sacrifices? If they had been free from all sin, sacrifices would not -have been offered up every day. Therefore, they were fixed things, so as -to be invariably offered up for all the people both in the evening and -in the morning. Thus, it was a confession of sins, not a remission of -sins; a confession of weakness, not a manifestation of strength. Since -the first sacrifice availed nothing the second was offered up, and that -also proving ineffectual another followed, so that it was an -acknowledgment of guilt. On the one hand, the act of offering was a -confession of sin, and the ever-recurring offering was a confession of -weakness. Now, with Christ it was the contrary. He was once offered up, -and His one oblation sufficed for all time. He expressed it well by -calling them images, for they present the figure only and not the -strength of the reality. Just as an image represents the likeness of a -man but not his power, so the truth and the figure have something in -common with each other. The likeness is the same but not the living -power. So it was in the matter of heaven and the tabernacle. The figure -was equal, for it was holy; but the power and the other qualities were -not the same. What is the meaning of _He hath appeared for the putting -away of sin by the sacrifice of Himself_? What is the _putting away_? -Contempt; for sin has no longer any assurance. It has been put away. -How? Whereas it should have paid a penalty it did not, that is, force -was put upon it; for just when it was likely to destroy all men it was -itself taken away. _He hath been made manifest_, he says, _by the -sacrifice of Himself_; that is, He was manifested to God and went to -God. Now, because the priest did this many times in the year, do not -think that this has taken place by chance and not through weakness. If -not through weakness, why then did it take place? If there are no -wounds, then neither are remedies necessary. Therefore, He enjoined that -the sacrifice should be always offered up on account of weakness, and -that it should take place as a commemoration of sins. What then? Do we -not offer up sacrifice day by day? We do indeed, but we commemorate His -death. This sacrifice is one, not many. How one and not many? Because it -was once offered up, just as that one sacrifice in the holy of holies. -This is a type of that, and that of the other. We are ever offering up -the same Person. Not one sheep to-day and another to-morrow, but ever -the same sheep, so that the sacrifice is one. Now, in virtue of this -argument, since the sacrifice is offered up in many places, are there -many Christs? By no means, but there is everywhere one Christ, as -perfect in one place as in another, one body. Therefore, as He Who is -offered up in many places is one Body and not many bodies, so is it one -Sacrifice. He is our High Priest Who offered up the sacrifice which -purifies us. This is that which now also we offer up; the One then -offered up, the Inconsumable. This is done in commemoration of what was -then done, for He says, _This do in commemoration of Me_. We are ever -offering not another sacrifice, as the high priest then did, but always -the same; or rather we make a commemoration of a sacrifice. And since I -have spoken of this sacrifice, I would say a few things to you who are -initiated, a few things in volume though possessing great power and -help. What we speak is not ours but the Divine Spirit’s. What, then, is -it? Many partake of this sacrifice once in the whole year, some twice, -some often. Now, we speak to all, not only to those who are here, but to -those who dwell in the desert. For they receive once a year, often, -indeed, once in two years. Well, then, whom shall we prefer? Those who -receive once, or those who receive twice, or those who receive often? -Neither those who receive once, nor those who receive often, nor those -who receive seldom, but those who receive with a pure conscience, and an -undefiled heart, and an irreproachable life. Let such as these ever -approach, and those who are not so not even once. Why? Because they take -judgment to themselves, and condemnation, and chastisement, and penalty. -Wonder not at this. For just as food, which by its nature is nourishing, -if taken by a diseased stomach, destroys and withers up everything and -prepares disease, so is it with this case of the tremendous mysteries. -You are partaking of a spiritual table, of a royal table, and do you -again fill your mouth with mud? You use perfumes, and do you again fill -yourself with ill odours? Tell me, I beseech you, if you receive -communion once a year, will forty days suffice you for the atonement of -your sins during all that time? Again, at the end of a week perhaps, you -return to your former ways. Now, tell me, if you were to enjoy good -health for forty days after a long illness, and then were to go back to -unwholesome food productive of disease, would you not waste your -trouble? Evidently you would. If physical things are so changed, how -much more those which belong to the will. Thus for instance, we see by -nature, and we have naturally a healthy sight. But often our eyes fail -from disease. If, therefore, natural things are so mutable, how much -more that which is a matter of free-will! You give up forty days to the -care of your soul’s health, often not even that, and you think to have -appeased God? You are trifling, man! I say this, not forbidding you the -one communion in the year, but wishing rather that you should always -approach the holy things. So it is that the deacon raises his voice to -call the holy, and, in doing this, scrutinises all, so that no one -should approach unprepared. As with a flock of sheep, where many of them -are sound and many are diseased, these latter have to be separated from -the sound ones, so is it in the Church. Since here, too, some sheep are -sound and some diseased, through this cry which is everywhere heard, -this most awful voice, the priest separates the one from the other, -invites and urges the holy to approach. As, however, man cannot know his -fellow-man—for _what man has known that which is in man, if not the -spirit of man that is in him_?—this cry he raises after the sacrifice is -completed, so that no one should approach the spiritual fountain -negligently or as if by chance. In the case of the flock—for there is no -reason why we should not again make use of the same illustration—we shut -up the sick ones within the fold, and keep them in a dark place, and -give them different food. We allow them neither fresh air, nor pure -grass, nor water in the open. Hence that voice is instead of a chain. -You will not be able to say, ‘I was in ignorance of any danger following -upon this act’. We have, too, the special witness of Paul in the matter. -But you say, perhaps, ‘I have not read about it’. This is an accusation -rather than an excuse. You are coming into the church every day and -still do not know these things. - - · · · · · · · - - - The new Pasch. - (_31st Homily on St. Matthew_, lxxxi., vol. ii., p. 459.) - - · · · · · · · - -_And whilst they were at supper, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and -broke, and gave to His disciples, and said: Take ye and eat: this is My -Body. And taking the chalice, He gave thanks, and gave to them, saying: -Drink_ _ye all of this; for this is my Blood of the new testament, which -shall be shed for many unto remission of sins._ Consider what great -hardness of heart the traitor showed. Partaking of the mysteries, he -remained the same, and enjoying that most tremendous Banquet, he was not -converted. This Luke plainly intimates when he says that after these -things the devil entered into him, not despising the Lord’s Body, but -scorning the traitor’s shamelessness. For his sin was the greater for -two reasons: that he approached the mysteries with such a mind, and -that, approaching them, he grew no better. Neither fear, nor gratitude, -nor the honour received, had any influence over him. And although Christ -knew all things, He did not forbid his approach in order to show you -that He leaves no means of conversion untried. Therefore, both before -this and after this, He continued to exhort and to check Judas both by -actions and words, by fear and by kindness, by threat and by benefit. -But nothing availed against that grievous sickness of his. Hence, -leaving Judas to himself, He again reminds the disciples through the -mysteries of His death as victim, and during the progress of the table -discourses about the Cross, seeking, by His insistence in foretelling -His passion, to find an entrance for it in their minds. If, with all -that was done and foretold, they were troubled, what would they have -suffered if they had heard none of these things? _Whilst they were -eating, He took bread and broke it._ Why did he carry out this mystery -at the time of the Pasch? In order to teach you everywhere that He is -Himself the Lawgiver of the old dispensation, also, and that its -ordinances were made to foreshadow these things. On this account He adds -the reality to the type. The evening signified the fulness of time, and -the end itself to which things were coming. He gives thanks, teaching us -how we are to carry out this mystery, and showing us that He goes not -unwillingly to the Cross. And He instructs us that, whatever we may -suffer, we should bear it with thanksgiving, and opens out from this -good hopes for us. For if the type released men from so grievous a -slavery, how much more will the reality set the world free, and be -bestowed for the blessing of our nature. For this reason He did not -institute this mystery until the enactments of the Law were to cease, -and He brings to a conclusion the chief of their feasts by translating -them to another and a most awful Table, and says: _Take and eat, this is -My Body which is broken for many_. How should they not have feared when -they heard this? He had spoken to them often and much before on the same -subject. Therefore, He no longer prepares them for it, for they had -heard of it sufficiently; but He tells them the reason why He -suffers—the remission of sins. He calls His Blood the Blood of the new -Testament, that is, of the promise, of the gospel, and of the new law. -For this both had been promised of old, and is the bond of the new -Covenant. And as the old Covenant had sheep and heifers, so the new -Covenant had the Lord’s Blood. Then He goes on to show them that He is -about to die, and therefore He commemorates the Covenant, and recalls -the old Covenant to their minds, for that too was consecrated through -blood! And again He tells them why He is to die, _which is shed for many -unto the remission of sins_, and He says: _Do this for a commemoration -of Me_. Do you see how He leads them away and withdraws them from Jewish -customs. ‘As you did that,’ He says, ‘for a commemoration of the wonders -in Egypt, so do this for a commemoration of Me.’ That blood was shed to -save the first-born sons: _this_ Blood for the remission of the sins of -the whole world. _This is My Blood_, He says, _which is shed for the -remission of sins_. He said this to show by this also that His -sufferings and His cross are a mystery, and again, to comfort His -disciples through it. And as Moses had said: _Let this be to you a -perpetual memorial_, so _He_ said, _For a commemoration of Me_, until I -come. And again, _With desire I have desired to eat this Pasch_, that -is, ‘to give you the new gifts, that Pasch by which I intend to make you -spiritual’. And He Himself drank of it. In order that men, hearing this, -might not say: ‘How is this? Are we drinking blood and eating flesh?’ -and then be troubled (for words of His on this subject had already -disturbed them, and many had been scandalised by them); to remove, I -say, their trouble, then also He did it first Himself, and led them -gently to a participation of the mysteries. Therefore, He drank His own -Blood. ‘How is this?’ you ask. ‘Did men of old do it?’ Certainly not. -Therefore, He says: _Do this_, that He may draw them away from the -other. For if this work the remission of sins, as indeed it does, the -other is superfluous for the future. Now, as in the case of the Jews, so -was it here. He bound up the commemoration of the benefit with the -mystery, thereby stopping the mouths of heretics. For when they say, -‘How do we know that Christ suffered?’ amongst other arguments, we -silence them also with the mysteries. If, indeed, Jesus did not die, -what do the things involved in the rites symbolise? - - · · · · · · · - - - The ‘Eyes of Rome’. - (_Homilies on Epistle to the Romans_,[20] xxxiii., vol. i., p. 489.) - - · · · · · · · - -A good teacher makes it his special duty to help those he is teaching, -not by word only, but by prayer also. Hence Paul’s words: _Let us give -ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word_. Who -will pray for us now that Paul has departed? Those who emulate Paul: let -us only show ourselves worthy of so great an advocacy, that we may not -alone hear Paul’s voice in this world, but when we depart hence may -deserve to look upon that soldier of Christ. Or rather, if we listen to -him here we are sure to see him there, and if we are not near to him we -shall undoubtedly see him resplendent in glory close to the King’s -throne, where the cherubim give praise, where the seraphim unfold their -wings. There with Peter we shall see Paul, the head and leader of the -choir of the saints, and we shall be in possession of true charity. For -if in this world he so loved men as when he might have been dissolved -and with Christ he chose to be here, how much more potently will he show -forth the love-charm in that place. This is why I cherish Rome, although -I have other grounds for my admiration in its size, and age, and beauty, -and population, and power, and wealth, and its successes in wars; apart -from all these things, I hold it blessed because Paul wrote to the -Romans in his lifetime and loved them so much, because he spoke to them -in person, and there finished his life. This is why that city is famous -rather than for all other reasons put together: it is like a strong and -beautiful human body with two shining eyes, which are the bodies of -these two saints. The heavens are not so splendid when the sun is -sending forth its rays as the city of Rome transmitting these two lights -of hers to the whole world. Rome will yield up Paul; Rome will yield up -Peter. Consider in awe what a sight Rome will witness when Paul rises in -a moment from that tomb, together with Peter, and is borne away to meet -Christ. Think what roses Rome presents to Christ, what a double crown -surrounds the city, how it is girt with golden chains, and what the -fountains of its being are. This is why I am in admiration at that city, -not for its abundance of gold, not for its columns, nor for any other -beauty it has, but for these pillars of the Church. - -Who could now give me to embrace Paul’s body, to be nailed to his tomb, -and to see the dust of him who completed what was wanting to the -sufferings of Christ, who bore His marks, and sowed the earth with the -Gospel? Who could give me to see the dust of that body in which he went -over the world, through which Christ spoke, through which a light shone -forth brighter than any lightning, and a voice arose more terrible to -the devils than loudest thunder, through which he gave utterance to -those blessed words: _Would that I could be anathema for my brethren_, -which he used before kings and was not ashamed, through which we have -known Paul and Paul’s Lord? We do not dread the thunderbolt as devils -dread that voice. For if they trembled at his garments, how much more at -his voice. This voice led them in chains, purified the world, cured -diseases, put forth evil, set up truth, had the indwelling Christ, and -with Him made itself everywhere heard. That voice of Paul’s was like the -cherubim. As God took up His seat on those powers, so did He on the -tongue of Paul. It became worthy to receive Christ, speaking those -things which were dear to Christ, and soaring to an unspeakable height -like the seraphim. For what is beyond those words of his: _I am sure -that neither angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor present, nor -future, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to -separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus_? How many wings does -that voice seem to you to have? How many eyes? Therefore he said: _We -are not ignorant of his devices_; and so the devils fled, not merely -when they heard his voice, but when they saw his cloak from a distance. -Would that I could see the dust of this mouth in which Christ did great -and unspeakable things, and even greater things than by Himself—for that -He _did_ work greater things by His disciples was what He said—through -which the Spirit gave those wonderful oracles to the world. For what -good thing did that mouth not accomplish? It put forth demons, remitted -sins, curbed tyrants, silenced the tongues of philosophers, led the -world to God, induced barbarians to be ascetic, and changed all things -on earth; nay, in heaven too he did his will, binding and loosing those -whom he chose to bind and to loose there, according to the power which -was given to him. Would that I could look upon not only the dust of his -mouth, but of that heart, which we might not wrongly call the heart of -the world, the source of endless good, the beginning, fountainhead of -our own life. From thence the spirit of life was poured out upon all, -and was diffused amongst the members of Christ. It was sent forth, not -through arteries, but through the free choice of good. That heart was so -broad that it could embrace whole cities, and peoples, and nations. _My -heart is enlarged_, he says. Yet, large as it was, his all-embracing -love often urged and troubled it. _For out of much affliction and -anguish of heart I wrote to you_, he says. This heart, even dissolved in -dust, is what I long to see—the heart which was consumed for each -individual sinner, suffering afresh the agony of child-birth over every -abortive child, the heart which sees God: _For the clean of heart shall -see God_: the heart which has become a sacrifice: _An afflicted spirit -is a sacrifice to God_: that heart higher than the firmament, wider than -the universe, brighter than sunshine, hotter than fire, stronger than -adamant, giving forth fruitful streams: _For_, he says, _out of his -belly shall flow rivers of living water_: hence arose the fresh spring -which watered not the face of the earth, but the souls of men; hence -sprung forth not rivers alone, but fountains of tears by day and by -night: that heart which lived a new life, not this physical life of -ours: _I live_, he says, _not I, but Christ liveth in me_. So that -Paul’s heart was His heart—a tablet of the Holy Spirit, a book of -charity, a heart in anguish over the sins of men: _I am afraid of you_, -he says, _lest perhaps I have laboured in vain among you, and as the -serpent seduced Eve, lest coming I should not find you as I wish_: a -heart fearful about itself whilst full of courage: _I am afraid_, he -says, _that after preaching to others I myself shall be cast out_; and, -again: _I am sure that neither angels nor archangels shall_ _be able to -separate us_: the heart which was made worthy to love Christ as no one -else has loved Him, despising death and hell, and torn by the tears of -his brethren. _What are you doing_, he says, _weeping and filling my -heart with anguish_?—that strongest of hearts, which could not endure -for a moment to be away from the Thessalonians. Would that I could see -the dust of those fettered hands through which the imposition of the -Spirit was given and the divine words were written: _See what a letter I -have written to you with my own hand_; and, again: _A greeting from the -hand of Paul_, of those hands at sight of which the viper fell into the -fire. Would that I could look upon the dust of those gloriously-blinded -eyes which saw the light again for the world’s salvation and were made -worthy in the body to behold Christ, and saw earthly things without -seeing them, those eyes which looked upon unseen things, which knew not -sleep, which were watching in the midst of night, and which did not -suffer what other eyes suffer. Would that I could see the dust of those -feet which toiled over the world and wearied not, which were chained to -a pillory when he was imprisoned, of those feet which traversed known -and unknown regions and were often on the way. And why should I speak of -each member separately? Would that I could see that tomb in which the -armour of justice is stored up, the armour of light, those members which -are now in life, which were dead whilst living, in all of which Christ -lived, which were crucified to the world, those members of Christ which -had put on Christ, the temple of the Spirit, the dwelling-place of -holiness, which were chained to the Spirit and nailed to the fear of -God, bearing the marks of Christ. This is the body which protects that -city and is stronger than any tower of defence or any number of -fortifications, and with it is that of Peter, whom he honoured in life, -_for he went up to consult Peter_. In death, therefore, charity made him -worthy to be Peter’s companion. Would that I could see this lion -according to the Spirit. For like a lion breathing fire on troops of -foxes so did he spring upon the tribe of devils and philosophers and -fall like a heavy thunderbolt upon the devil’s ranks. Nor did the devil -stand against Paul in battle, but so great was his fear and trembling -that he retreated from his shadow or his voice. So it was that, being -far off, Paul gave the fornicator up to him and again snatched him from -his hands, and so he did others too, that they might be taught not to -blaspheme. Consider how he ranges against the foe those who are under -his own command, rousing and spurring them on. Thus, when he said to the -Ephesians, _Our warfare is not against flesh and blood, but against -principalities and powers_, he added the reward also, by the words _in -heavenly things_. _For_, he said, _our warfare is not for earthly -things, but for heaven and heavenly things_. And to others his words -were: _Know you not that we shall judge angels, how much more things of -this world?_ Taking all this to heart, let us stand bravely. For Paul -was also a man and of the same nature as we are, having everything else -in common with us; but because he showed a great love for Christ he -scaled the heavens and found his place with the angels. If, then, we -wish to rouse ourselves a little and to kindle that fire within us, we -should emulate that holy one. He tells us himself that this is not -impossible: _Be imitators of me as I am of Christ_. Therefore let us not -only admire him and wonder at him, let us also imitate him, that at our -departure hence we may be made worthy to see him and to share that -unspeakable glory. May this be granted to all of us through the grace -and love of Our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom, with the Father and the Holy -Ghost, be praise for ever and ever. Amen. - - · · · · · · · - - - ‘This is My Body.’ - (_1st Homily on the Betrayal of Judas_, _Benedictine Edition_, t. ii., - p. 381.) - - · · · · · · · - -Then the disciples came to Him. _Then._ When? When these things were -taking place, and the betrayal was effected, and Judas destroyed -himself, the disciples came to Him, saying, _Where wilt Thou that we -prepare to eat the Pasch_? Mark you the difference between disciple and -disciples? The one betrays his Lord, the others busy themselves with -preparing the Pasch; the one makes a bargain, the others minister for -His table: both the one and the others had enjoyed the same miracles, -the same teaching, the same authority. Now, how do they differ? In the -will: this is everywhere the cause, both of all good and all evil. -_Where wilt Thou that we prepare to eat the Pasch?_ _Then_ was that same -evening. As Our Lord had no house of His own, they said to Him, _Where -wilt Thou that we prepare to eat the Pasch?_ We have no settled -dwelling-place, neither tent nor house. Let those who dwell in splendid -houses, and spacious courts, and large precincts be taught that Christ -had not where to lay His head. Therefore they asked, _Where wilt Thou -that we prepare to eat the Pasch?_ What Pasch? This was not our Pasch, -but still the Jews’ Pasch; it was this Jewish Pasch which _they_ -prepared; Our Lord Himself prepared ours. Not only did He prepare it -Himself, but He became our Pasch. _Where wilt Thou that we prepare for -Thee to eat the Pasch?_ This was the Jewish Pasch which had begun in -Egypt. Now, why did Christ partake of it? Because He accomplished all -the observances of the law. At His baptism He said: _Thus it becomes us -to fulfil all justice_. I came to redeem man from the malediction of the -law. For God sent His own Son, made of woman, made under the law, that -He might redeem those who were bound by it, and might put an end to the -law. Now, to prevent anyone from saying that He abolished the law -because He was unable to fulfil it, as being burdensome, and hard, and -oppressive, having first Himself carried it out, He then dissolved it. -On this account He held the Pasch also, for the Pasch was an ordinance -of the law. And why did the law order the eating of the Pasch? The Jews -were ungrateful towards their benefactor, and so immediately after the -benefits they forgot God’s precepts. When they came out of Egypt, and -saw the waters parted, and again closed, and a thousand other wonders, -they said, _Let us make to ourselves gods who may go before us_. What -say you? You still touch the wonders with your hands, and have you -forgotten the benefactor? Since, therefore, they were thus without -feeling or understanding, God kept alive the memory of His gifts by the -ordinance of feasts, and He commanded the Pasch to be sacrificed, so -that if your son ask you, ‘What is this Pasch?’ you may answer, ‘Our -forefathers in Egypt sprinkled their doors with the blood of the lamb, -lest the angel of destruction, when he came, should enter in and smite -with the plague’. Thus the feast was a perpetual memorial of salvation. -Moreover, not only did these feasts benefit them by keeping fresh the -memory of graces in the past, but something much more, for they -foreshadowed what was to come. That lamb, indeed, was the figure of -another Lamb, a spiritual Lamb, and that sheep of another Sheep. The one -was a shadow, the other the reality. When the Sun of Justice appeared, -the shadow forthwith ceased, for at sunrise the shadows depart. -Consequently, at that table itself, each Pasch takes place—the Pasch of -the figure and the Pasch of the reality. Just as painters use one and -the same canvas for outlining their subject and depicting shadow, and -then add colouring to make it life-like, so did Christ act. At one and -the same table He showed forth the typical Pasch, and set up the true -Pasch. _Where wilt Thou that we prepare for Thee to eat the Pasch?_ It -was then the Jewish Pasch, but when the sun appears let the lamp be -extinguished; with the advent of truth let the shadow languish. - -I say these things to the Jews since they seem to celebrate a Pasch, -since the uncircumcised in heart put forward their unleavened bread with -a gross mind. Tell me, O Jew, how do you sacrifice the Pasch? The temple -is destroyed, the altar has been taken away, the holy of holies has been -trampled under foot, all show of sacrifice has ceased. Wherefore, then, -do you venture to carry out practices so illegal? You went out once into -Babylon, and there those who had taken you captive said, _Sing us a song -of Sion_, and you would not. And David spoke with the same intent: _We -sat beside the waters of Babylon and wept; we hung up our organs on the -willows in the midst of it_, that is, our instruments, harps, lyres, and -the rest. Men of old used these things, and thus sung hymns, and when -they went into captivity took them so as to have a reminder of their -life in their own country, not to use them. _For there_, he says, _they -who held us captive asked us for words of songs, and we said, How shall -we sing the song of the Lord in a strange land?_ What! you will not sing -the song of the Lord in a strange land, and yet will you celebrate the -Pasch of the Lord in a strange land! What ingratitude and iniquity! -Because those who constrained them were enemies, they dared not even -sing a psalm in a strange land. And now of themselves, whereas no man -puts force upon them, they wage war against God. Do you see how their -unleavened bread is unclean and their feast illegal? Now there is no -Jewish Pasch. There was one then, but it is dissolved now, and the -spiritual Pasch came, which was given then by Christ. For as they were -eating and drinking, the Evangelist says, taking bread, He broke and -said: _This is My body, which is broken for you unto the remission of -sins_. The initiated understand these words. Then, taking the chalice, -He said: _This is My Blood, which is shed for many unto the remission of -sins_. And Judas was present as Christ spoke thus. This is the very Body -which you have sold for thirty pieces of silver, O Judas; this is the -very Blood which you have just shamefully bartered to the unfeeling -Pharisees. O loving kindness of Christ! O foolish madness of Judas! On -the one hand Judas sold Him for thirty pieces of silver, whilst Christ -even after this did not refuse to give that Blood, which had been -betrayed, to the traitor for the remission of his sins, if he had so -willed. And Judas was there, and he partook of the sacred table. For, as -Our Lord had washed his feet, together with the other disciples’, so did -he eat with them of the sacred table, in order that he might have no -excuse for remaining obdurate. Our Lord did everything in His power, yet -Judas persisted in his wickedness. - -But it is now time for us to approach that tremendous table. Let us, -therefore, all go to it with becoming sobriety and watchfulness. Let -there be no Judas here, no guilty man, no one infected with poison, no -man with one thing in his mouth and another in his mind. The same Christ -is now here Who prepared that table. And He it is Who is now preparing -it. For it is not a man who makes the offerings become the Body and -Blood of Christ, but the very Christ for us crucified.[21] Fulfilling -what he represents, the priest stands there, speaking those words; the -power and grace of them are God’s. _This is My Body_, he says, and this -word transforms what lies before him;[22] and just as the words, -_Increase and multiply and fill the earth_, were once spoken and endue -our nature through all time with fruitfulness, so those other words once -spoken from that time till to-day and until His coming, make the -sacrifice over each table in the churches complete. Therefore, let no -hypocrite approach, no one filled with sin, no one with poison in his -mind, that he may not receive judgment to himself, for then, too, Judas -had partaken of the oblation when the devil leapt into him; not that the -devil despised the Lord’s Body, but Judas for his shameful conduct. This -was to teach you that the devil continually attacks and assails those -who unworthily partake of the divine mysteries, as he did Judas. For -honourable things profit the good, but inflict a greater punishment on -those who abuse the use of them. I say this not to terrify but to -fortify you. Let there be no Judas, then; let no one enter in poisoned -with evil. For the sacrifice is spiritual food; and just as bodily food, -when received by a stomach which has bad humours, strengthens disease, -not from its own nature but because of that stomach’s weakness, so does -it usually happen with the spiritual mysteries. They, too, when received -by a soul full of wickedness, wither it up and corrupt it the more, not -by their own nature, but through the weakness of the participating soul. -Let no one, therefore, indulge in bad thoughts; let us rather cleanse -our mind, for we are approaching an immaculate sacrifice; let us make -our souls holy. This may be done even in one day. How? If you have -anything against an enemy cast out your anger, cure your wound, give up -your enmity, in order that you may receive a healing from that table, -for you are approaching a tremendous and all-holy sacrifice. Reverence -the reason which prompts this offering. Christ lies slain before you. -Why was He slain, and on what account? That He might bring about peace -between the things of heaven and the things of earth; that He might make -you the friend of angels, and reconcile you to the God of all; and that, -whereas you were a foe and an enemy, He might transform you into His -friend. _He_ gave up His own life for those who hated Him. _You_ -continue in enmity with your fellow-servant, and how will you be able to -approach the table of peace? He did not refuse even to die for you. Will -you not put away for your own sake your anger against your -fellow-servant? What excuse has this conduct? ‘He has treated me badly,’ -you say, ‘and has been most grasping.’ What is this? It was a sheer -money loss, but he was far from wounding you as Judas did Our Lord. Yet -_He_ gave that very blood which poured from Him for the salvation of -those who shed it. What have you to put against this? If you do not -forgive your enemy you have wounded not him but yourself. You have often -done him some harm in this life, but you have prepared for yourself a -relentless sentence in the enduring day of eternity. For nothing is so -hateful to God as a revengeful man, an unforgiving heart, and an angered -mind. Listen to what He says: _When thou offerest thy gift at the altar, -and as thou standest there, rememberest that thy brother hath anything -against thee, take thy gift from the altar, and going away, be -reconciled to thy brother, and then offer thy gift_. What? Do you tell -me that I must forgive? ‘I do, indeed,’ He says; ‘this sacrifice was -instituted in order that you and your brother should be at peace.’ If, -therefore, it was instituted that you might be at peace with your -brother, and you do not enjoy peace, it is idle for you to take part in -the sacrifice, and it has been instituted in vain as far as you are -concerned. Do, then, in the first place, that for which the sacrifice is -offered, and then you will enjoy its full benefit. The Son of God came -down from heaven that He might reconcile our nature to its Lord, and on -this account not only did He come, but wished also to make us who should -do the same things participators of His Name. _Blessed are the -peacemakers_, He says, _for they shall be called the sons of God_. That -which the only begotten Son of God did, do you also according to your -human power, by becoming a bond of peace to yourself and to others. This -is why He calls you who are a peacemaker a son of God; this is why, in -the time of sacrifice, He is mindful of no other commandment than that -of reconciliation with a brother, showing that it is the greatest of -all. Would that I could go on with the argument, but what I have said is -sufficient for those who are here present, if they will lay it to heart. -Let us always be mindful of these words, beloved brethren, and of the -holy kiss of peace, and of the most sacred embrace which we give to each -other. For this it is which holds our minds together, and makes us all -one body, since we all partake of one Body. Let us then blend ourselves -into one body, not mixing our bodies, but uniting our souls in the bond -of charity; thus we shall be able to enjoy the table set before us with -confidence. For even if we should be righteous a thousand times over, -and yet have revengeful spirits, all is vanity and deception, and we -shall be powerless to gain fruits of salvation here. Recognising this, -let us put off all anger, and, purifying our conscience, let us with all -meekness and humility approach the table of Christ, to Whom, with the -Father and the Holy Ghost, be all glory, honour, and power, now and for -ever! Amen. - - - The Union of the Holy Eucharist. - (_Homilies on St. Matthew_, lxxxii., vol. ii., p. 468.) - - · · · · · · · - -Let us then trust in God under all circumstances, and never gainsay Him, -even when what He says seems contrary to our reasonings and to our -sight; but let His word be more powerful than our reasoning and our -sight. So let us act in regard to the mysteries, not seeing only that -which is before us, but also embracing His words. _His_ word is not to -be set aside, whereas our senses are easily deceived. _It_ has never -failed, but our senses have erred over and over again. Since, then, the -word is, _This is My Body_, let us trust and believe in it, and gaze at -it with our mind’s eyes. For Christ delivered to us nothing that is the -object of sense, but objects all of the mind, yet dealing with sensible -things. Thus, too, in baptism, the gift is made through an object of -sense—the water, and that which is accomplished, is an object of mind, -viz., birth and renewal. For, if you were bodiless, He would have given -you bodiless gifts in their nakedness; but, since the soul is -encompassed by the body, He gives you objects of mind, under the -appearance of sensible things. How many men say, ‘I should like to see -His form and features, His garments and His shoes? Well, you see Him, -and touch Him, and eat Him. You desire to see what He wore, and He gives -you Himself, not to see only, but to touch, and to eat, and to receive -within you. Therefore, let no man approach with disgust or carelessness, -but all with fire, and zeal, and watchfulness. For, if the Jews ate -their Pasch in haste, standing, and holding their sandals and staffs in -their hands, how much more should you be wary. _They_ were about to go -out to Palestine, and so they had the outward signs of travellers, and -_you_ are going forth to heaven. Hence we must be ever on the watch, for -not a small punishment is reserved to those who eat unworthily. Think -what your anger is against the traitor, and those who crucified Him, and -see if you are not yourself guilty of the Body and Blood of Christ. They -slaughtered the all-holy Body, and you receive it with a foul soul after -so many loving benefits. He deemed it not sufficient to become man, to -be scourged, and put to death, He also blends Himself with us, not by -faith only, but in very deed makes us His Body. What, then, should be -the purity of him who partakes of this sacrifice? How spotlessly white -should not the hand be which divides this Flesh, or the mouth which is -filled with spiritual fire, or the tongue which is purpled with that -tremendous Blood? Consider what honour has been shown to you, and what -that feast is which you enjoy. The angels gaze and tremble, and dare not -look back again, because of the lightning which flashes from it; and -this is what we feed upon, this is blended with us, and we ourselves -become one body and one flesh with Christ. _Who shall declare the powers -of the Lord? Who shall set forth all His praises?_ Where is the shepherd -who feeds his sheep with his own members? And why do I talk of a -shepherd? There are many mothers who, after the pains of childbirth, -give up their children to be nursed by others. This He would not suffer, -but He Himself feeds us with His own Blood, and in everything unites us -to Himself. For consider: He was born of our substance. ‘Not for all -men,’ you say. Yes, for all. For, if He came to our nature, it is -evident that He came to all, and if He came to all, then He came to each -one of us. And why is it, you ask, that all men have not profited by -this gift? This was not the fault of Him Who took that nature for all, -but of those who had not the will. He unites Himself to each one of the -faithful, through the mysteries, and those whom He brought forth He -rears through Himself, and gives Himself to no other, persuading you -again thereby that it was that very flesh of yours which He took. -Therefore, let us not grow negligent who have been made worthy of so -great charity and honour. Do you not see how eagerly babies grasp their -mother’s breast, and how they press their lips upon it. Just so let _us_ -approach this table and the breast of spiritual drink; or rather, with -much more impatience, let us draw near to the kindness of the Spirit, as -children to their mother’s breast, and let us know one only pain, that -of not participating in this food. That which lies before us is no work -of human power. He Who did these things at that supper is He Who is now -doing them. Our part is to furnish the ranks of servers. He Who -sanctifies and prepares these gifts is Himself. Therefore let there be -no Judas, no money-lover. If a man be not a disciple, let him withdraw: -this table is not prepared for such as he. _I will eat the Pasch_, He -says, _with My disciples_. This is that same table, and it offers no -less. It was not that Christ instituted the one and a man the other, but -He instituted both one and the other. This is that upper chamber in -which they were assembled; thence they went forth into the Garden of -Olives. Let us also go forth to minister to the poor, for this is our -mountain of olives. The multitude of the poor, who are planted in God’s -house, are olives, dropping upon us the oil that is to be useful to us, -which the five virgins had, and the five who did not take it perished -for want of it. Possessing it, let us go in, that we may all meet the -Bridegroom, with bright lamps: with it, let us go forth from this world. - - - Bone of our Bone, Flesh of our Flesh. - (_Homilies on First Epistle to Corinthians_, xxiv., vol. ii., pp. 287, - 295.) - - · · · · · · · - -_The chalice of benediction which we bless, is it not the communion of -the Blood of Christ?_ What do you say, blessed Paul? Wishing to engage -your hearers’ attention and commemorating the tremendous mysteries, do -you call that awful and most tremendous chalice a chalice of -benediction? ‘Yes,’ he says, ‘since what I have said is no slight thing. -For when I speak of benediction I speak of the Eucharist, and when I -speak of the Eucharist I unfold all the treasure of God’s munificence -and commemorate His greatest gifts.’ And we, recounting over the chalice -the unspeakable benefits of God and what mercies we have enjoyed, thus -worship Him and hold communion with Him, giving thanks that He has freed -the human race from error, that whereas we were far off from Him He drew -us near, that when we were without hope and without God in the world He -made us His brethren and co-heirs. Thus, in thanking Him for these and -all His gifts, we approach Him. How, then, O Corinthians, are you not -doing the opposite to this when praising God for turning you away from -idols you hasten back to their tables? _Is not the chalice of -benediction which we bless the communion of the Blood of Christ?_ He -spoke these words with an awful assurance. For this is what he says: -that which is in the chalice is what flowed from His side, and of that -we partake. But He called it a chalice of thanksgiving, since we, -holding it in our hands, thus praise Him, wondering and being -overwhelmed with this ineffable gift, magnifying Him for pouring out -this very Blood of His that we might not remain in error, and not only -that He poured it out, but that He has given to each one of us to -partake of it. So, He says, if you desire blood, do not dye the altar of -idols with the slaughter of unreasoning animals, but dye My altar with -_My_ Blood.[23] Tell me what is more tremendous, what is tenderer than -this? For this is what lovers do: when they see the loved ones longing -for what others have and despising what they themselves have, they give -their own gifts, and so induce the beloved to turn away from the things -of others. But lovers show this affection of theirs by money, and -clothes, and chattels, no one of them ever by his blood; yet Christ gave -us even this proof of His solicitude and His burning love for us. Thus, -in the old Law, as men were in an imperfect state and offered blood to -idols, it remained for Him to receive this (the chalice of the Pasch) -that He might turn them away from idols, which, again, was an ineffable -tenderness. But here He led them up to a far more awful and magnificent -worship of God, and changed the sacrifice itself, and instead of the -slaughtering of unreasoning animals, He commanded them to offer up -Himself. _Is not the bread which we break the communion of the Body of -Christ?_ Why did he not say a participation? Because he wished to set -forth something more and to show the closeness of that union. For we -communicate not only by receiving and participating, but by being made -one with Him. For just as that body is united to Christ, so are we made -one with Him through this bread. Why did he add, _which we break_? This -is seen to take place in the case of the Eucharist, though not at the -Cross, but the contrary. _Not a bone of Him shall be broken_, the -Scripture says. That which He did not suffer on the cross He suffers in -the Eucharist for your sake, and He endures being broken that He may -fill all. - -Then after saying _the communion of the body_—for that which -communicates is something distinct from the thing communicated—he -removed even this seemingly slight difference. For in the words -_communion of the body_ he sought to say something closer, and therefore -added, _That we, being many, are one bread and one body_. ‘Why do I -speak of communion?’ he says; ‘we are that very Body itself. For what is -the bread? The Body of Christ. What do partakers of it become? The Body -of Christ: not many bodies, but one body.’ Just as bread is composed of -many grains of wheat which are nowhere apparent in it, but still there, -presenting no difference by reason of the kneading, so are we joined -together with each other and with Christ. You are not nourished by one -body and another man by another, but all by the same; therefore he -added, ‘We are all participators of the same bread’. But if we _are_ of -the same, and become the same, why do we not all show forth the same -charity and become one in this respect also? For this was so formerly in -our progenitors. _There was one heart and one mind in the gathering of -the faithful._ This is not the case now, but very much the reverse. -Dissensions are many and various and well-nigh everywhere, and we show -ourselves fiercer than wild beasts towards our members. Christ united -you to Himself when you were so distant, and you will not deign to be -united with your brother as you ought to be, but thrust yourself away -from him, whilst enjoying so great a love and life from your Master. It -was not for no purpose that He gave His Body, but as the first human -nature, which was made from the earth, became by sin subject to death -and to be deprived of life, He introduced, as we might say, another -bread and leaven—His own Flesh—in nature, indeed the same, but free from -sin and full of life; and He gave to all men to eat of it, that, -nourished by it and putting off the old dead nature, we may at this -table be blended with the living and immortal nature. - - · · · · · · · - -This Body He gave to us to take and eat, which was an act of exceeding -love.[24] For it often happens that we bite those whom we love. Thus, -when Job pointed out the affection of his household for himself, he -quoted those who loved him specially as often saying, _Who will give us -to be filled with his flesh?_ So it is that Christ has given us to be -filled with His Flesh, drawing us to greater love. Let us, therefore, -approach Him with fervour and burning love, that we may not encounter -the harder chastisement. For the more we are benefitted, the greater -will be our punishment whenever we show ourselves unworthy of His -generosity. This Body, even lying in the manger, the Magi reverenced: -untutored and uncivilised men, leaving their country and their home, -undertook a long journey, they came and adored, full of awe and fear. -Let us, citizens of heaven, emulate even uncivilised men, if necessary. -_They_, seeing Him in a manger, and in a hut, and not seeing Him as you -see Him, approached Him with deep reverence: you see Him not in the -crib, but on the altar: you see Him not held by a woman, but the priest -standing there, and the Spirit hovering with abundant blessings over -what is lying there. Nor do you merely see this Body as they did: _you_ -know His power and all the economy of His providence, nor are you -ignorant of anything accomplished through Him, initiated as you are into -all His mysteries. Let us therefore rouse ourselves, and tremble, and -show forth so much the greater reverence than those men from afar, in -order that we may not approach Him heedlessly or casually, and so heap -coals of fire upon our heads. This I say, not that we may not approach -Him, but that we may not approach Him carelessly. For just as going to -Him in a chance way is a danger, so the non-participation in that -mystical Banquet is hunger and death. This Feast is the sinew of our -soul, the bond of intellect, the basis of fortitude; it is hope, -salvation, light, life. With this sacrifice, at our departure from this -world to the next, we shall pass through those sacred portals in great -fearlessness, as if encompassed with an armour of gold. And why do I -speak of the future? Even here this mystery makes the earth a heaven for -you. At least unfold the gates of heaven and look through them, or -rather not only the gates of heaven, but of the heaven of heavens, and -then you will see what I say. For that which is the most precious of all -things there, is what I will show you lying on earth. Just as in royal -palaces it is not the walls which strike men with the most awe, nor the -golden ceilings, but the person of the king sitting on his throne, so in -heaven is it the King’s Body. Yet this is what you may now see on earth. -I am showing you not angels, nor archangels, nor the heavens, nor the -heaven of heavens, but the Lord of all these Himself. Do you understand -how it is that you see the most precious thing of all upon earth? And -not only do you see it, but you also touch it? And not only touch it, -but you eat it, and, receiving it, you take it away with you? Cleanse, -therefore, your soul; prepare your mind for the reception of these -mysteries. If, now, you were judged worthy to carry a royal child in -state, with his kingly robes and his diadem, you would give up -everything on earth for it. And, here, receiving not a royal child of -man, but the very only begotten Son of God, tell me, do you not tremble, -and renounce the love of all earthly things, and adorn yourself only for -that world to come, or have you still your eyes fixed on the earth, do -you still love money, and anxiously crave for gold? What pardon could -you look for, or what excuse would you have? Know you not how Our Lord -turns His back upon all worldly luxury? Was not this His reason for -being born and laid in a manger, and for choosing a mother who was poor? -Was it not for this that He said to the man who looked to worldly -traffic: _The Son of man has not whereon to lay His head_? And what of -His disciples? Did not they carry out the same law, lodging at the -houses of the poor, one going to a tanner’s, another to a tent-maker’s, -another to the woman selling purple? They did not seek for illustrious -houses, but for upright minds. Let us then emulate their example; -looking beyond the beauty of pillars and marbles, seeking only for the -mansions above, let us trample under foot all vanities here below, -together with the lust for money, and take up a lofty mind. For if we be -sober and watchful, the world itself will not be worthy of us, much less -the Stoic portico or the Peripatetic walk. Therefore, I repeat, let us -adorn our souls, let us prepare this dwelling-place, which we shall take -with us when we depart, so that we may possess the eternal tents through -the grace and love of Our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory for ever -and ever. Amen. - - - Remembrance of the Dead. - (_Homilies on Epistle to the Philippians_, iv., vol. v., p. 36.) - - · · · · · · · - -Let us, then, not simply grieve for the dead, nor simply rejoice in the -living. Then what shall we do? Let us grieve for sinners not when dead -alone, but when living also; and let us be glad over the just not in -their lifetime only, but when they have departed hence. Sinners even -living are dead, whilst the just, who are dead, live: sinners are an -object of pity to all men even here because they have quarrelled with -God, so are the just blessed in that place, since they have gone to -Christ. Sinners, wherever they are, are far from the King, and therefore -deserve tears, but the just, whether here or there, are with the King; -_there_ they are more with Him and nearer to Him, not by their going in, -nor by faith, but face to face. Let us, then, not weep simply for the -dead but for those in sin: these call for tears, for lamentation and -weeping. For, tell me, what hope is there of those who depart in sins to -that place where sins are not put off? As long as they were here, the -probability was great that they might be converted and become better. -But if they go to the other world, there is nothing to be gained from -contrition. _In hell_, he says, _who shall give praise to Thee_? Let us -weep for those who thus depart. I do not forbid it, only not in an -unseemly fashion, not plucking out our hair, nor baring our arms, nor -tearing our face, nor wearing black, but only in shedding a bitter tear -according to the spirit in secret. Without these accompaniments we may -weep bitterly, and not be contented with a show, for what some people -have done differs in nothing from a show. For instance, those who beat -themselves at the market-place do it not from sympathy, but for display -and for self-seeking and vainglory, and many women so treat themselves -as a business speculation. Weep bitterly, groan at home when no one is -looking: this is sympathy, and this will be helpful to you also. For, in -grieving for another, you will be all the more zealous never to fall in -the same way, and you will tremble at sin ever afterwards. Weep for -unbelievers, for those who are not different from unbelievers, who -depart hence without baptism, without being signed with the seal: these -should have tears and wailings, they are outside the royal palace with -those awaiting judgment and with the condemned. _Amen, I say to you, -unless a man be born of water and the Spirit, he shall not enter into -the kingdom of heaven._ Weep for those who have died in riches, and have -devised no comfort for their own souls out of their wealth, who have -received power to wash away their sins, and have not willed to do it. -Weep all of you for these both in secret and in public, but with decorum -and reverence, not making a show of yourselves. Let us shed tears over -these not for one day, nor two, but during our whole life. This is no -foolish weeping, but the weeping of affection; the other is senseless, -and therefore it soon spends itself. Grief which is born of the fear of -God endures for ever. Let us weep for these and help them as much as we -can. Let us devise some succour for them; it may be a slight thing, but -let us somehow do it. How and in what manner? By praying and inviting -others to pray for them, by constantly giving alms to the poor for them. -This deed has its consolation. Listen to God’s words: _I will protect -this city for Myself and for David, My servant_. If the mere remembrance -of a just man could do so much, what will works done for him not be able -to accomplish? Not in vain was it ordained by the Apostles that the dead -should be commemorated at the tremendous mysteries: they knew what a -great gain and benefit it would be to the dead. For when a whole people -stands with uplifted hands in full and sacred assembly, and the awful -sacrifice is lying before us, how shall we not reach God in our prayer -for them? But this applies to those who have died in the faith. With -regard to catechumens they are not deemed worthy of this consolation; -they lack all such succour, save in one particular. What is this? We may -give alms for them to the poor, and the action brings them a certain -refreshment, because God wills us to be of use to each other. For why -did He command us to pray for the peace and well-being of the world, or, -again, for all men? Although there are thieves, and tomb-despoilers, and -plunderers, and men full of every sort of evil amongst the whole number, -yet we still pray for them all. Perhaps there may be a conversion of -some. Now, as we pray for the living who do not differ from the dead, so -we may pray for the departed. Job offered sacrifices for his children, -and freed them from their sins. _Lest perhaps_, he said, _they have -sinned in their hearts_. Thus is a man provident for his children. He -did not say, as the multitude of men _do_ say, ‘I will leave them -possessions,’ nor a fine name, nor, ‘I will buy an office,’ nor fields, -but what, _Lest perhaps they have sinned in their hearts_. For what is -the profit of those things? None, of things that remain here below. _I -will make_, he says, _the King of all propitious to them: and then -nothing is wanting to them_. _The Lord is my Shepherd, and I shall lack -for nothing._ Here are great riches, here are treasures. If we have the -fear of God we want nothing, but without it, even if we have a kingdom, -we are the poorest of men. A God-fearing man has no equal. The fear of -the Lord exceeds all things. This let us possess, and let us do all -things unto this end: even if we have to give up our life, or our body -to be cut in pieces, let us not fear: let us do all our actions in order -to gain this fear. Thus shall we become richer than all, and arrive at -the goods to come in Christ Jesus Our Lord, to Whom, with the Father and -the Holy Spirit, be honour, power, and glory, now and for ever. Amen. - - - The Departed at the Sacred Mysteries. - (_Homilies on First Epistle to Corinthians_, xli., vol. ii., p. 524.) - - · · · · · · · - -Since, then, we are to enjoy goods so great, let us join ourselves to -that company which is as bright as the sun, and let us not weep for -those who depart hence, but for those who make a bad end. For, as the -husbandman does not grieve over his seed dissolved, but is in fear and -anxiety as long as it remains solid, so he rejoices when he sees that it -_is_ dissolved. For dissolution is the beginning of the future -generating. So let us also rejoice when the corruptible habitation -perishes, and man is generated. And wonder not if Paul called the -burying a generating, for this is the better generating of the two. -Death, labours, dangers, cares, succeed the one; whilst for the other, -if we have lived righteously, we receive crowns and rewards: corruption -and death succeed the one; incorruption, immortality, and a thousand -goods succeed the other. In the one generating there is embracing, -pleasure, sleep; in the other there is only the voice coming down from -heaven, and all things accomplished in the twinkling of an eye. And he -who rises is no more driven to a laborious life, but he will be where -pain and sorrow and lamentation have fled away. If, however, you are -seeking for a protector, and weep over the man on this account, fly for -refuge to God, the common Protector, and Saviour, and Benefactor of all: -to the almighty Friend, to the never-failing Succour, to the lasting -Shelter, Who is everywhere and always holding us up. ‘But,’ you say, -‘the intercourse was pleasant and fascinating.’ I know it was. Still, if -you meet your suffering with your reason, and consider in yourself who -it is that has taken him, and that if you bear it bravely, you offer up -your wish as a sacrifice to God, you will be borne aloft even over this -wave, and Christian principle will effect what the action of time does; -but if you are pusillanimous, time will weaken your passion without -bringing you a reward. Together with these recollections, ponder on the -examples offered both in this present life and in Holy Scripture. -Consider how Abraham slaughtered his own son, neither shedding tears nor -uttering a bitter word. ‘But _he_ was Abraham,’ you say. Yet you are -called to greater conflicts. Job, indeed, showed sorrow as a loving -father would who mourns over those departing from him. Now _we_ show the -grief of foes and enemies. For if a man were summoned to a palace and -crowned, and you were to beat your breast and be in sorrow at it, I -should say you were not a friend to the man crowned, but a determined -adversary and hater. ‘I am not weeping for him,’ you say, ‘but for -myself.’ Neither is this the part of a lover—the wishing him to be still -in conflict on your account, to be left in uncertainty as to the future, -instead of being crowned, or to be tossing on the sea when he might be -resting in harbour. ‘But,’ you say, ‘I know not where he has gone.’ How -is it that you do not know? This will be evident from the fact of his -having lived righteously or the reverse. ‘And as he departed in sin, -this is the very reason why I am tormented.’ What you say is a mere -pretext. If this is why you mourn over a dead man, you should have taken -pains with the living one and set him right. You are throughout thinking -of your own interests, not of his. If, indeed, he departed hence in sin, -you should rejoice that his sins were stopped and that he did not -continue in evil, and you should help him by those means which are in -your power: not by tears, but by prayers, and supplications, and -alms-giving, and offerings. It is not by chance that these things have -been ordered, nor is it due to haphazard that we commemorate the dead at -the sacred mysteries, and that we succour them by supplication to the -Lamb, Who is lying there, Who takes away the sins of the world, but that -they may derive hence some consolation. Nor is it without reason that he -who is standing by the altar, as the sacred mysteries are performed, -utters this cry: for all those who have fallen asleep in Christ, and for -those who make commemoration in their behalf. For if commemoration were -not made for them, this would not be said. Our mysteries are no -theatrical display. God forbid! These things take place by the -disposition of the Spirit. Therefore, let us help them, and make -commemoration in their behalf. For if Job’s sacrifice purified his -children, why do you doubt that the departed receive comfort when we too -offer sacrifice for them? God is wont to give graces to some on behalf -of others. And this Paul also showed, saying _that for this gift -obtained for us, by the means of many persons, thanks may be given by -many in our behalf_. Let us not weary of helping the departed, both by -offering sacrifice and claiming intercession for them. For the sacrifice -which saves the whole world is before us. Therefore we pray confidently -at it for what concerns the world, and we name them with martyrs, and -confessors, and pontiffs. For we are all one body, even if certain -members be more resplendent than others; and everywhere we may be -gaining forgiveness for them, by prayers, by offerings made for them, by -those who are named with them. Why, then, do you grieve and weep, when -you are able to apply so great a forgiveness to him who has departed? Is -it because you have become lonely, and have lost your protector? But you -ought never to say this, because you have not lost God. As long as you -possess Him, He will be more to you than any man, be he father, child, -or near relation; for even when these were living, it was He in reality -Who did everything. - - - The Tombs of the Martyrs. - (_Homily on the Martyrs, Benedictine Edition_, t. ii., p. 667.) - -The feasts of the martyrs are not according to the course of days only, -but they are reckoned also by the disposition of those who celebrate -them. For instance, have you imitated a martyr, have you emulated his -goodness, have you pressed on in the footsteps of his ascetic life? -Then, though it is not a martyr’s day, you have celebrated a martyr’s -feast. For to honour a martyr is to imitate him. Just as evil-doers are -feastless in the midst of feasts, so the righteous, even if there be no -solemnity, have carried out one. The feast is characterised by purity of -conscience. This Paul expressed clearly: _Therefore, let us keep the -feast not in the old leaven of evil and wickedness, but in the -unleavened bread of purity and truth_. There is, then, unleavened bread -amongst the Jews, and so there is amongst us; but with them it consists -of wheaten flour, with us in a pure life and in remaining spotless. -Thus, he who wards off every stain keeps a feast every day, is ever -celebrating a solemnity not only on the feast of the martyr or at his -shrine, but also sitting at home. Every man can keep the martyr’s feast -by himself. In saying this I do not mean that we should _not_ go to the -tombs of the martyrs. I mean that, being there, we should frequent these -places with befitting devotion, not only on their days, but that we -should show the same piety out of their days. Who would not revere this -gathering of ours to-day, this splendid sight, the fervent charity and -glowing spirit, the boundless love, which are here manifested? Nearly -all the city has been eager to come; fear of his master has not withheld -the servant; no straits of poverty, no feebleness of age, have kept the -poor or the old away; no tenderness of sex in women, no extreme of -luxury has hindered the rich, no folly of power the ruler. But a longing -for the martyrs vanquishing all such disparity, both the weakness of -nature and the stress of poverty hold together by one bond the vast -multitude gathered here, who are moved by the wings of this desire to -live the life of the heavenly citizens. For, treading under foot all -allurements to excess and wickedness, you are consumed with longing for -the martyrs. As with the dawn of day wild animals flee away and take -shelter in their own holes, so when the light of the martyrs bursts upon -our minds all diseases are put to flight and the bright flame of -mortification is enkindled. And let us keep this fire alive not now -only, but always, when this spiritual spectacle has been broken up; let -us retire to our own homes with the same fervour, not giving ourselves -up to taverns, or dissoluteness, or drunkenness, or feastings. You have -made night into day through these sacred vigils: do not again make day -into night through inebriation, and gluttony, and meretricious songs. -You have honoured the martyrs by your presence, your attention, and your -fervour: honour them by going modestly home, lest anyone seeing you -taking your ease in a low place should say that you came not on account -of the martyrs, but to increase your passion and to incite your bad -desires. This I say, prohibiting not feasting but sin, prohibiting not -wine but drunkenness. It is not the wine which is evil, it is -intemperance. Wine is the gift of God, intemperance is the devil’s -invention.... Intemperance is ever an evil, beloved brethren, and most -of all on the feast day of the martyrs. Together with the sin, it is a -most open contempt and folly and putting aside of the divine words; -hence the chastisement would be double. If, therefore, you have come to -the martyrs and mean afterwards to drink, you had better remain at home -and not shame nor insult the martyrs’ feast, nor scandalise your -neighbour, nor distort your understanding, nor add to your sins. You -came to look upon men who were racked with torments, covered with blood, -and adorned with wounds, who gave up this present life and took their -flight to the life above. Show yourself worthy of those wrestlers. -_They_ despised life, do _you_ despise luxury; they renounced their life -in this world, do you renounce the craving for drink. Do you wish for -feasting? Remain by the martyr’s tomb, weep there a fountain of tears, -grieve in your mind, take a blessing from that tomb. Let it assist you -in your prayers; make the account of his fight your constant reading; -embrace the coffin; nail yourself to the shrine. Not only the bones of -the martyrs, but their tombs also and their coffins, produce an abundant -blessing. Take holy oil and sign your whole body with it, your tongue, -your lips, your throat and eyes, and you will avoid the abyss of -drunkenness. - - · · · · · · · - - - The Bodies of the Martyrs. - (_Homily on the Martyrs, Benedictine Edition_, t. ii., p. 650.) - - · · · · · · · - -Yesterday was the martyrs’ feast, and so is to-day. Would that we could -be always keeping the feast of the martyrs! For if those who are mad -after theatres, and who gape open-mouthed at horses racing, cannot have -enough of those foolish spectacles, how much more should we be -insatiable for the feasts of the saints. In the one place there is a -diabolical pomp, in the other a Christian feast: in the one place devils -are revelling, in the other angelic choirs are singing: in the one place -souls are lost, in the other there is salvation for all who are gathered -together. Do not theatres offer any pleasure at all? If they do, not -such as the other. What pleasure, indeed, is there in seeing horses -running senselessly to and fro? In the other case, you see, not brute -animals yoked together, but countless chariots of martyrs, and God as -charioteer in the midst of them, leading the way to heaven. Listen to -the prophet saying that the souls of the saints are God’s chariot: -_God’s chariots are ten thousand fold, and thousands those who rejoice_. -That which He has made a gift to the powers above, He has granted to our -nature also. He sits upon the cherubim, as the psalm says: _He ascended -upon the cherubim, and He flew_; and again: _He who sitteth upon the -cherubim and looketh into the abysses_. This He has given to us also. He -sits on them, He dwells in us. _I will abide in you and will walk in -you_, He says. They have become His chariot, let us become His temple. -See you how these honours are akin? See you how He has reconciled the -things above and the things below? Therefore, if we choose, we are in -nothing removed from the angels! As I began by saying, yesterday was the -martyrs’ feast, and to-day is the martyrs’ feast: not the martyrs who -are amongst us here, but those who are in the country, or rather, they -also are with us. Town and country, in the business of this life, are -distinct from each other, but as far as piety is concerned, they meet on -the same ground. Tell me not, then, that they have the tongue of -barbarians: look rather at their mortified minds. How does unity of -language serve me where the spirit is not one? How does a different -speech hurt me where there is harmony in the things of faith? According -to this reasoning, the country is in no sort of way worse off than the -town: they enjoy equality of privileges in the head and chief of good -things. So it was that Our Lord Jesus Christ did not confine Himself to -cities, and leave country places empty and deserted, but He went about -through cities and villages, preaching the Gospel, and curing every -sickness and disease.... This is why God sowed martyrs not in cities -alone, but in the country too, so that we may use their feasts as a -necessary opportunity of meeting each other, and oftener in the country -than in the city. For God gave the greater honour to the inferior, as -this member is weaker, and therefore enjoyed more attention. Dwellers in -towns always have the benefit of teaching at their command, but not so -those who live in remote places. God, therefore, comforting the poverty -of the teachers in the fruitfulness of the martyrs, has ordained that -the greater number should be buried in the country. They have not always -the voice of teachers, but the voice of the martyr speaking to them from -his tomb, and with more force. And that you may know that the martyrs -speak more powerfully in their silence than we by our voice, it has -often happened that many have discoursed to multitudes concerning -goodness, and have effected nothing; whilst others, who said no word, -have done wonders through the shining example of their life. Much more -have the martyrs effected this, not raising the voice of their body, but -the voice of their deeds, which is far louder than the voice of the -mouth. Through this voice they speak to everyone of the human race in -these words: ‘Look at us, and see what evils we have endured. What have -we suffered in being condemned to death, and finding eternal life? We -have been made worthy to lay down our bodies for Christ. If we had not -offered them up then for Christ, in a little while we should have been -obliged to put off this temporary life of theirs in spite of -ourselves.[25] If martyrdom had not come upon us, the common death of -nature would have dissolved our bodies. On this account we give thanks -to God without ceasing for making us worthy to use inevitable death for -the salvation of our souls, and for receiving as a gift from us, and -with the greatest honour, that which was a matter of necessity. Are the -torments oppressive and painful? If they are, they pass away in a moment -of time, whilst the refreshment lasts during eternal ages. Nor are the -torments painful even for one moment to those who have their eyes on -what is to come, and who gaze intently upon the Judge. Because blessed -Stephen saw Christ with the eyes of faith, he was not conscious of the -volley of stones, but instead of the stones he was counting the rewards -and crowns. So do you rise above present things to the contemplation of -the future, and you will be insensible to even a brief consciousness of -pain. This and much more is what the martyrs say, and they are far more -persuasive than we are. For if I tell you that torment is not torment, -my words are not to be trusted, for there is no difficulty about talking -wisely. But the martyr, who speaks by his deeds, cannot be gainsaid. -And, as with ordinary baths, when they are bubbling over with hot water, -no one has the courage to jump in, as long as those who are sitting by -the bath invite each other to enter by word only, they induce nobody to -try. But as soon as one of them puts in either his hand or his foot, -and, encouraged by the attempt, plunges in his whole body, by his -silence he persuades those outside, more than the others by all they -say, to try the bath; and so it is with the martyrs. In their case we -have the stake instead of the bath. Those outside, by all their talk, do -not carry much weight; yet, if a single martyr plunge in, not his foot -nor his hand alone, but his whole body, he offers by his action -something more forcible than any advice or preaching, and he stops the -anxiety of those standing round. See you how the voice of the martyr is -more powerful even in its silence? This is why God has left us their -bodies. This is why, victorious of old, they have not yet risen. -Combats, indeed, they endured not long ago, but they have not yet -enjoyed the resurrection, and this for your greater benefit, that you, -pondering that fight of theirs, may be incited to carry out your own -race. They do not suffer in the least from the delay, whilst _your_ -profit is immense. After these things they will receive their reward, -even if they do not now. If God were to take them away from us at this -present time, He would cut off much strength and consolation; because -true strength and consolation come to all men from the tombs of the -saints, and you are witnesses of what I say. For often when we have used -threats, kindness, tears, and exhortations, you were not moved to -fervour in prayer, but going to the shrine, without any sermon, and -merely seeing the tombs of the saints, you shed a fountain of tears, and -warmed to your prayer although the martyr is lying there voiceless in a -deep silence. Whence, then, comes the good to the conscience, which -opens, as it were, the floodgates of tears? It is the sight of the -martyr and the remembrance of all his good deeds. Just as when the poor -see other men who are rich and in high offices attended by body-guards, -and enjoying great honour from the king, learn to feel their poverty -more keenly in the prosperity of others, so is it with us when we call -to mind the fortitude which the martyrs showed towards God, the King of -all their shining example and their glory, and remember our own sins. -Their abundance makes our grief and sorrow at our poverty more poignant, -and this consciousness shows us how far we are left behind them: hence -come our tears. Again, God left us their bodies, so that whenever the -pressure of earthly business and cares should shroud our minds in -darkness,—for private and public affairs are full of this,—we should -leave our house, go out of the city, bid farewell to these harassing -thoughts, and seek out the shrine. We may enjoy the spiritual atmosphere -there, forget our business, feed on peace, have the companionship of the -saints, pray to Him Who is their judge for our own salvation, pour forth -many supplications, and through all these means, lightening our -conscience, may return home in much sweetness of spirit. The biers of -the martyrs are nothing else than secure harbours, the sources of -spiritual streams, inexhaustible treasures of wealth which are never -consumed. And just as harbours receive vessels which have been much -tossed by the waves, and place them in safety, so the biers of the -martyrs receiving these spirits of ours, which are absorbed by the cares -of life, establish them in great peace and security. Just as streams of -cold water revive failing and scorched bodies, so do those -resting-places calm souls which are burnt up with foul passions. The -mere sight of them quenches evil cupidity, and wasting envy, and burning -desires, and any other trouble of the same kind, and they are superior -to treasures of great wealth. For treasures of money present many -dangers to those who find them, and when divided into many parts become -less in the distribution. Here there is nothing of this sort, for the -attainment is without dangers. Contrary to what happens in material -treasures, this division does not diminish _this_ treasure. The former, -as I said, are lessened by being divided. Now, when these are -distributed amongst many, then it is that they most of all show what -their riches are. For such is the nature of spiritual things that they -are increased by distribution, and become greater by division. Meadows -with their sight of roses and violets are not so delightful as the tombs -of the martyrs which offer to souls who gaze upon them an indestructible -and undying delight. - - · · · · · · · - - - The Tombs of the Servants. - (Οἱ τάφοι τῶν δοὺλων.) -(_Homilies on Second Epistle to Corinthians_, xxvi., vol. iii., p. 273.) - - · · · · · · · - -Thus God has led all the saints through tribulation and distress, -helping them on the one hand whilst securing the rest against conceiving -an unduly high opinion of their merits. Thus it was in the beginning -that idolatries prevailed by the excessive admiration lavished upon men, -and in this way the Roman Senate decreed Alexander to be the thirteenth -god. For it had this authority of electing and making gods. When the -whole work of Christ became known the provincial ruler sent to enquire -whether they thought He too should be a god. They would not agree to -that, and were impatient and angry that the power of the Crucified, -bursting forth before their vote and decree, had attracted the whole -world to its own majesty. This was ordained even against their will, so -that the divinity of Christ might not be preached by vote of man, and -that He should not be looked upon as one of the many decreed by them to -be divine. For they made pugilists gods, and the creatures of Hadrian’s -infamous lust, whence, too, the city of Antinoos derives its name. For, -since death bears witness against mortal nature, the devil lighted upon -another way—the immortality of the soul, to which he joined gross -flattery, and led many into impiety. What malice! Whenever _we_ bring -forward this argument in its proper place, he destroys it; but when he -wishes to make an injurious use of it himself, he sets it up most -zealously. If anyone should ask, ‘How is Alexander a god? Did he not die -and die miserably?’ He answers, ‘But his spirit is immortal’. Then you -think over in your mind the argument for immortality, and play the -philosopher in order that you may turn men away from the God of all; but -when _we_ say that this is the greatest gift of God, you persuade those -whom you cheat that we are low-minded and cringing, and nothing better -than unreasoning animals. And if we were to say that the Crucified -lives, they would indulge in great laughter at us, although the whole -universe is crying out that He does live, and did cry out of old, then -by signs, now by converts, for these successes do not belong to a dead -man; but if some one declares that Alexander lives, you believe him, -although he has no wonder whatever to bring forward in proof of it. -‘Yes, he has,’ you reply; ‘in his lifetime Alexander did many and great -deeds, for he subdued peoples and cities, and made many victorious wars, -and set up trophies.’ Now, if I am able to show you things which neither -Alexander nor any other man of his day contemplated in his lifetime, -what further proof of the resurrection do you require? That a living -man, being a king, and having an army, should carry out wars and -victories is neither astonishing nor wonderful; but to do things so -great after crucifixion and the tomb, to do them over land and sea, this -is truly awe-inspiring, and proclaims divine and infinite power. After -his death Alexander did not hinder his empire from dissolution, and when -it had disappeared did not bring it back again. How should a dead man do -this? Now, Christ set up His kingdom in dying. And why do I speak of -Christ, since He gave to His disciples also to become famous after -death? Tell me, where is Alexander’s tomb? Show it to me and say what -day he died. But the tombs of Christ’s servants are famous; they have -taken possession of the most royal city, and their days are solemnly -kept as a feast for the world. Whilst the one is unknown amongst his own -countrymen, even barbarians are familiar with the other. And the tombs -of the servants of the Crucified are more splendid than the courts of -kings, not in the greatness and beauty of the monument, though in this, -too, they are remarkable, but, what is far more, through the devotion of -those who frequent them. And he who is clothed in the royal purple -leaves his throne to embrace those tombs, and, putting off the garb of -vanity, stands as a suppliant of the saints in order to make them his -intercessors with God, and the crowned king has need of a dead -tent-maker and a fisherman as patrons. I ask you, would you dare to call -the Lord of these a dead man, Whose servants, though no longer here, are -the protectors of the kings of the earth? And you may see this happening -not in Rome alone, but also in Constantinople. For here, too, the son -thought his father, Constantine the Great, most highly honoured if he -might be buried in the vestibule of the Fisherman. What door-keepers in -palaces are to kings, this kings are at the tombs of fishermen. The -fishermen, like lords of the spot, have taken possession of what is -within; the kings, like sojourners and neighbours, have been contented -to have a separate place in the doorway, thus proving to unbelievers -that pre-eminence in the resurrection will belong to fishermen. For if -it be so here in the matter of tombs, how much more in the resurrection. -And the order is reversed: kings become servants and subjects, whilst -subjects are invested with regal dignity, or rather with something even -greater. The truth itself shows that there is no flattery in the matter, -for kings have become famous through these subjects of theirs. Their -tombs are far more awe-inspiring than those of all kings put together; -there is great solitude in the one and a great crowd at the other. If -you wish to compare these tombs with royal courts, here again they carry -off the palm. Many are the bustling people at the court, but at the tomb -many are they who call and attract rich and poor, men and women, slaves -and freemen. There is great fear at the one, and an unspeakable delight -at the other. But it is a pleasant sight to look upon the king with his -golden sceptre and his crown on his head, his guards standing near, and -princes, and generals, and commanders, and officers high and low. Yet -the spectacle presented by the other is so much more magnificent and -ineffable, that, compared to it, the court would seem to be a puppet -show and child’s play. You have hardly crossed the threshold when the -place carries your mind up to heaven, to the King above, to the army of -the angels, to the throne of the Most High, to glory unspeakable. At -court it falls to the ruler’s part to release one man and to put another -in chains; now, the bones of the saints have not this poor and miserable -authority, but a power far greater. For they call forth demons and -torture them, and release from their sharpest chains those who are -bound. What is more awful than this tribunal? Whilst no one is seen and -no one appears by the devil’s side, there are voices and convulsions, -and blows and torments, and angry tongues, the devil not bearing that -wonderful power. And they who carry those bodies have dominion over -bodiless spirits: dust, and bones, and ashes, tear those invisible -beings into pieces. So it is that no man would ever go a long journey to -see royal palaces, whilst many kings have often travelled far for this -spectacle. For the testimony of the saints furnishes a likeness and a -symbol of the judgment to come, devils are punished, men are chastised -and set free. See you the power of the saints even when they are dead, -and the weakness of sinners even whilst living? Fly therefore from evil, -that you may have dominion over these, and pursue goodness with all -zeal. For, if things so wonderful take place here, judge what it will be -like hereafter. - - · · · · · · · - - - - - PART III. - PERSONAL. - - - To Innocent, Bishop of Rome.[26] - -To my most reverend Lord, and the most religious Bishop Innocent, John -sends greeting in the Lord. - -I think that before the reception of our letters your Piety will have -heard of the iniquitous deed which has been attempted here; for the -enormity of the evil has allowed scarcely a part of the world to be in -ignorance of this direful tragedy. Report, carrying news of what has -taken place to the farthest extremities of the earth, has everywhere -called forth much wailing and lamentation. Since, however, it is not a -question of tears alone, but of setting things straight and trying to -find out how this most cruel tempest inflicted on the Church is to be -stayed, I deem it necessary to urge my most honoured and reverend lords -and bishops Demetrius, Pansophius, Pappo, and Eugenius to give up their -own affairs, to brave the seas, and to set out on a long journey, and to -hasten to your Charity, so that, when you have been clearly informed of -all things, a remedy may be more speedily applied. With these we shall -send the most esteemed and beloved of the deacons, Paul and Cyriacus. -And I myself in the shape of a letter will inform your Charity briefly -of what has taken place. Theophilus, being bishop of Alexandria, and -certain men setting our most religious emperor against him, he was -ordered to come here alone. Accompanied by not a few Egyptian bishops, -he makes his appearance, as if wishing from the first to show that he -comes to war and to fight us. Then, when he had arrived at great and -heaven-favoured Constantinople, he did not come to the cathedral -according to custom and old-established usage, nor did he visit us, nor -did he take part in sermon, prayer, or communion, but on disembarking he -passed by the vestibule of the church and established himself at a -distance from the city, although we repeatedly invited him and those -with him to stay with us, for lodgings and everything else needful for -him were in readiness; neither they nor he would hear of it. Seeing -this, I was much perplexed, not being able to imagine the cause of this -unjust enmity. Still, we did our part and what was incumbent on us for -them, and continually invited him to meet us and to say why he had thus -made a quarrel with us from the very first and brought discord into so -great a city. As he would not explain the reason, and as his accusers -were urgent, our most religious emperor summoned us. He ordered me -forthwith to go to the place where Theophilus was, and to hear the case -against him. His accusers were urging assaults, and slaughterings, and -numberless other things. We, however, who know the laws of our fathers, -and reverence and honour the man, and having his own letters, too, to -show that causes should not be carried out of their proper jurisdiction, -but that matters concerning the province should be concluded in the -province, did not accept the task of judging him, but declined with much -firmness. He, on the contrary, adding to his previous conduct, summoned -our archdeacon most peremptorily, as if the church were already widowed -and without a bishop, and through him gained all the clergy to his side. -So the churches became deserted, abandoned in each case by the clergy, -who were preparing to take action against us and to accuse us. This -done, he sent to summon us into court, though he had not cleared himself -from the charges made against him, which was manifestly against every -canon and every law. Now, we, knowing perfectly well that we were -invited, not to a court of justice, or we would have gone a thousand -times over, but to a foe and an enemy, as subsequent events, no less -than what had already taken place, have proved, sent to him Demetrius, -bishop of Pessinus, Eulysius, bishop of Apamea, and Lupicinus, bishop of -Appiaria, and the priests Germanus and Severus, who made careful answer -as befitting us, saying that we refused not judgment, but an outspoken -enemy and a declared foe. For how is the man who, without receiving a -charge against me, has so acted from the first, and held himself aloof -from church communion and prayers, and incited accusers, who has gained -the clergy to himself and emptied the cathedral, how is he fit to mount -the judge’s throne which is not his in any sort of way? For it does not -belong to Egypt to sit in judgment on Thrace, when, too, he of Egypt is -under accusation and a declared enemy. Yet he showed no regard to us, -being bent on carrying out his own purposes, though we showed that we -were equal to defend ourself before a hundred or a thousand bishops, and -to prove ourself innocent, as we are; but he would not abide it. Now, in -our absence, while we were demanding a synod and seeking judgment, not -avoiding a hearing but open enmity, he received accusers, absolved those -excommunicated by me, and took information from those very men who had -not cleared themselves of charges, and had it written down officially, -all which acts are against the ordinary course of custom and canon law. -Why need I go on? He left nothing untried until he had cast us out with -a high hand both from the city and the Church, and this late in the -evening, all the people pressing after us. I was taken and carried off -by the _curiosus_[27] in the midst of the city, thrown into a ship, and -I sailed through the night, all this because I had demanded a synod for -my just hearing. Who could listen to all this with dry eyes, however -stony his heart? But, as I said, we need not only to grieve for the evil -accomplished, we must also remedy it, and therefore I appeal to your -Charity to stand by us and sorrow with us, and to do everything you can -that it may go no further. For their illegal proceedings did not stop -here, but were aggravated by others besides their former ones. When our -most religious emperor turned them out of the church which they had -shamefully usurped, and many bishops present seeing their iniquity, and -flying from their approach as from a fire consuming everything, retired -into their own dioceses, we at last were recalled to the city, and to -the church from which we had been impiously cast out: more than thirty -bishops brought us back, our most religious emperor sending a notary for -the purpose, but he (Theophilus) took immediate flight. For what reason? -Because, when we came back, we entreated our most religious emperor to -call a synod to avenge what had taken place. Conscious, therefore, of -his deeds, and fearing to be convicted, the imperial letters having been -sent to all parts, calling all together, he threw himself in the dead of -the night into a little boat, and thus escaped, taking all his party -with him. But we in the security of our conscience did not desist from -entreating our most religious emperor as before, who with a kindness -worthy of him sent for him again from Egypt, and for those with him, -that they might give an account of what had taken place, and that he -might not suppose the iniquitous attempt made by a party in our absence, -in the face of all canon law, should be a sufficient excuse for himself. -Yet he did not heed the imperial letters, but stayed at home, alleging -the sedition of the people, and the untimely zeal of some who, forsooth, -were opposing him, although before the imperial letters this same people -had rained down accusations against him. However, we will not now enter -into these things, but we have said this much, wishing to show that he -was caught in the act of plotting. Moreover, after this, we did not -rest, but demanded a judgment founded on enquiry and answer, for I said -we were prepared to show ourself free from blame, and them most guilty. -For certain Syrians who had been with him at that time were left here, -and they had taken part in all his proceedings. These we approached in -our readiness for judgment, and often repeated our demand, asking for -the documents or heads of accusation, or to be told the nature of the -grievance against us, or who the accusers are. We could obtain none of -these things, and again we were thrust out of the see. How shall I -narrate what then happened—an unequalled tragedy? What words will -suffice? What ear will listen untroubled? Whilst we made the same offer, -as I was saying, a great military force collected on the great -Sabbath[28] itself, and we going into the church as the evening was -drawing on, they tore by force all our clergy from our side, and -surrounded the sanctuary with armed men. The women in the sacred -building, who had undressed for baptism at that very time, fled away -without their clothes in fear at this terrible invasion. Nor were they -allowed to cover themselves as much as womanly decency would require, -but many of them were wounded and thrust outside, the fonts were filled -with blood, and the sacred waters polluted. Yet the evil did not stop -even here. Proceeding to where the holy elements were reserved, the -soldiers, amongst whom some were known to me as not Christians,[29] -looked at everything within the veil (τὰ ἔνδον), and as it happens in a -great tumult, the most sacred Blood of Christ was spilt upon those -soldiers, and as in a barbarian captivity, everything was dared. The -people fled into solitude, and the multitude passed their time outside -the city, and the churches at so great a feast became empty, and more -than forty bishops, our companions, with people and clergy, went into -hiding for no cause. The sighs and groans and bitter tears called forth -by these misfortunes filled marketplaces, and houses, and deserts, and -every part of the city. Through the extreme wickedness of the deed, not -the sufferers alone, but also those who were not sufferers in this way, -sympathised with us: not the orthodox alone, but heretics, and Jews, and -heathens. There was everywhere trouble, and agitation, and grief, as if -the city had been taken by storm. And these things were attempted -against the intention of our most religious emperor, at nightfall, by -the machinations of bishops, who, in many instances, led the troops, and -were not ashamed to have the attendance of civil officers instead of -deacons. When day came the whole city was transported beyond the walls, -under trees, and in valleys, finishing the feast like straying sheep. - -You will be able to surmise the rest, for, as I said, it is impossible -to repeat word for word what has taken place in each case. What is so -grievous is that evils so great and crying have not yet come to an end, -and that there is no hope of liberation. On the contrary, they increase -day by day, and we have become a laughing-stock to many. Or rather, no -man laughs, however unrighteous he may be, for all men are in tears, as -I have said, at this recent iniquity, which is the climax of misfortune. -What if we were to speak of the troubles of the other churches?—for the -evil was not restricted to Constantinople, but spread to the East. For -just as inflammation which begins in the head corrupts all the members, -so now iniquities arising from the fountainhead, as it were, of this -great city, have opened the door to a general agitation. Everywhere -priests are against bishops, bishops against bishops, and people divided -against themselves, whilst others are brooding sedition: badness is -growing apace, and the whole world is overturned. When you learn all -this, my most honoured and religious Lord, show forth a courage and zeal -befitting you, that so great a flood of iniquity against the churches -may be stemmed. For if this custom should obtain, and anyone who wishes -it should be allowed free ingress into the dioceses of others at so -great a distance, to thrust out those whom he chooses, to act on his own -authority, as it pleases himself, understand that all things will be -dissolved, that the whole world will be involved in irremediable war, -every man fighting everyone else. Now, in order that so great a -destruction should not overwhelm all things under the sun, I beseech you -to enjoin by letter that what has been iniquitously perpetrated against -us in our absence, and by one party, whilst we did not refuse judgment, -may have no force, as indeed it has none by its very nature, and that -those who are thus convicted may be subjected to the penalty of -ecclesiastical laws. With regard to ourself, who have been neither -condemned nor convicted, we ask you for the continued benefit of your -letters and of your charity, and of everything else which we previously -enjoyed. If they who have been so guilty would even now allege charges -by reason of which they iniquitously cast us out, not telling us of the -accusations nor making charges against us, the accusers not appearing, -let us have an impartial judge, and we will submit ourselves to his -sentence and prove ourself guiltless of what is brought against us, as -indeed we are. Their recent deeds are against all propriety and every -law and ecclesiastical canon. And why do I speak of ecclesiastical -canon? Not even in secular tribunals have such things been ever -attempted, nay, not amongst barbarians: neither Scythians nor Sauromites -have ever given sentence for one party alone, in the absence of the -accused, who was refusing, not judgment, but hatred, demanding a -thousand judges, declaring himself innocent, ready to clear himself from -charges in the face of the world, and showing that he is blameless in -everything. Considering all this, and learning things more clearly from -my lords and most religious brethren, the bishops, I beseech you show us -that zeal which becomes your office. Thus you will rejoice not us alone, -but all churches in general, and you will be rewarded by God, Who does -all things for their peace. Farewell, and pray for me, most honoured and -holy Lord. - - - Letter addressed to some Imprisoned Bishops and Priests, a.d. 404. - (_Benedictine Edition_, cxviii., t. iii., p. 689.) - -You are dwelling in a prison and are in chains, and are shut up with -unclean and filthy men: who could be more blessed than you on this -account? Who wears on his head so noble a golden crown as he whose right -hand is fettered for God? What dwelling-place so vast and splendid as a -prison full of gloom, and dirt, and ill smells, and tribulation for the -same cause? Rejoice, therefore, exult, you are crowned, be glad that -these sad occurrences are the means of procuring you immense riches. -This is the seed full of unspeakable promise; this is the combat which -is secure of victory and reward; this is the voyage productive of a rich -return. With these things in your minds, my most honoured and religious -lords, rejoice and be of good cheer, cease not to give praise to God in -all circumstances. You are inflicting severe blows on the devil, and -laying up to yourselves a great reward in heaven. _For the sufferings of -this time are not worthy to be compared to the glory to come which shall -be revealed in you._ Pray write to me often. I desire most earnestly to -receive letters from men who are in chains for God’s sake, telling me of -your sufferings, and even in a strange land I shall be greatly consoled -by their perusal. - - - To the Priests and Monks Theodotus, Nicholas, and Cherea. Written from - his Exile at Kucusus, a.d. 405. - (_Benedictine Edition_, cxlvi., t. iii., p. 685.) - -You allege the incursion of the Isaurians as the cause of your absence, -but I look upon you as present and myself as with you, and see no -obstacle in this against your arrival. For such are the wings of charity -that they fly swiftly and with great alacrity in every direction, in -spite of a thousand impediments. But if I am deprived of your bodily -presence, cease not from prayer, and our merciful God will grant it us. -Since I too, bearing you constantly in my mind, long for a sight of you -in the flesh, and I know that I shall have this too, as you are -earnestly beseeching Him Who can do all things to break up the winter -and to establish peace everywhere. Now, to gladden you with news of -myself, I am enjoying much quiet and leisure. And although many things -disturb my health, as, for instance, the absence of physicians and the -want of necessaries (for there are no shops here and no drugs), a bad -climate (for the summer tries me no less than the winter, by its -excessive heat as opposed to the cold), a siege severe and constant, -with perpetual fears of incursions from the Isaurians,—in spite, I say, -of all this and much more which is undermining my strength whilst -recovering from that great danger and severe illness, I am fairly well. -Do not fail to write to me often, and to tell me how you yourselves are. -For I view your affection as a great consolation and encouragement, as a -treasure producing a multitude of good things. And whenever I think -about your own state, your steadfast heart, your strong and enduring -love, I cannot put it out of my mind. I take refuge in the thought as in -a spacious and calm harbour away from the surging waves of tribulation. - - - To some Priests and Monks in Phœnicia, who were Instructing Heathens. - (_From Kucusus_, A.D. 405. cxxiii., t. iii., p. 663.) - -Pilots, when they see the ocean stirred up from its depths, and a heavy -storm and disturbance, not only do not desert the vessel, but show -greater industry and more willingness by watching themselves and rousing -the others. And physicians, too, when they see that the fever is active -and very high, not only do not leave the sick man to himself, but then -especially do all they can, and show a greater diligence and readiness -both through others and through themselves so as to overcome the -disease. Why do I say this? That no one of you through the disturbance -which has taken place should desire to leave Phœnicia and to come here -for quiet. The more the trials, the angrier the waves, the heavier the -trouble, the greater the reason for your staying in readiness, and -watchfulness, and diligence, showing forth more eagerness, so that your -fine house may not fall, nor your labour be in vain, nor the fruits of -your agriculture disappear. For God is able to quell the disturbance and -to reward your patience. When things run smoothly our reward is not so -great as it is for you now when there is much difficulty, great -agitation, and when many are scandalised. Considering, therefore, the -work done, and the labour surmounted, and the good works which you have -accomplished, and that by the grace of God you have conquered impiety to -a certain extent, that things in Phœnicia had come to improve, that your -reward and crown are now greater, that God will remove obstacles before -long and give you many compensations for your patience, stand fast and -endure. Even now you should not want for anything, but it was my command -that you should have the same plenty and abundance, whether in clothes, -or shoes, or food, as the brethren. If I, who am in so much tribulation -and affliction in a solitude of Kucusus, take your good deeds so much to -heart, how much should you, who are enjoying great plenty, do your part, -as far as necessity allows you. I repeat, then, let no one frighten you, -for things gave good promise, and this you may ascertain from the -answers sent by his Reverence the priest Constantine. If you remain, be -there a thousand obstacles, you will overcome them all. There is nothing -equal to patience and endurance; it is like a rock. In truth, those -disturbances and plottings against Churches are like waves beating -against a rock, dissolving in their own foam. Consider what the blessed -Apostles suffered, both from their own people and from strangers; how -during all their time of preaching they passed through temptations, and -dangers, and plottings, and were consumed by prisons, and chains, and -stripes, and hunger, and nakedness. Still, dwelling in those very -prisons, they did not relinquish the stewardship entrusted to them. -Blessed Paul, in his prison, scourged, covered with blood, fastened to -the wood, in the midst of all this suffering, gave instruction, baptised -his jailor, and left nothing unturned. Pondering on all this, according -to my counsel, stand bravely and without flinching, with your hope on -God and on His help, which is before everything, and be careful to let -me have a detailed answer. On this account I have sent the priest John, -that he may quiet your minds, and not suffer you to be disturbed by -anyone. I have done my part, encouraging you by words, exhorting you by -advice, and offering you plenty of necessaries, so that you may want for -nothing. - - · · · · · · · - - - To Studius, the Prefect of the City, on the Death of his Brother. - (_From Kucusus_, A.D. 404. _Benedictine Edition_, cxcvii., t. iii., p. - 710.) - -I know that you have understanding and can reason, and that before my -letter reaches you you will have heard in meekness of your happy -brother’s departure, for I would not call it death. Now, since we, too, -must do our part, I invite you, my most honoured Lord, to show yourself -as you are at this time; not that you should not grieve, for this is -impossible, being a man clothed in flesh and looking in vain for such a -brother, but that you should restrain your sorrow. You know the -perishableness of human things, how worldly business is like flowing -rivers, and how we should call blessed only those who depart this life -with good hope. They go not to death, but from combat to rewards, from -wrestlings to crowns, from a storm-tossed sea to a calm harbour. -Pondering on these things, be consoled, since my own grief is not small, -and we have a sovereign consolation in it—his goodness, which, I think, -must offer you true solace. If the departed had been bad and full of -evil, we ought to weep and mourn for him; but being what he was, after a -life of mildness and goodness, as all the city knew it to be, fearing -what was just, showing a fitting courage, independence, and fortitude, -despising present things, a stranger to worldly cares, we should rejoice -with him and with you that you have sent before you _this_ brother, who -may place the treasure which was his on his departure in a sure and safe -place. Do not, then, my most honoured Lord, have any thoughts unworthy -of yourself, or be broken by grief, but show now what you are, and let -me see for my comfort that even _my_ letter has done something for you. -So, at our great distance from each other, I shall be proud to have -overcome much of your sadness by a mere letter. - - - To Malchus on the Death of his Daughter. - (Μαλχῳ, lxxi., t. iii., p. 632.) - -Do not be sad; do not put down the beautiful death of your happy -daughter to your sins. She has reached the waveless shore and come to -everlasting life. Removed from the troubled waters of this present life, -she stands upon the rock, and whatever good things she has gathered -together, those she holds as a most secure treasure. You should rejoice -and exult and be glad that, like an intelligent gardener gathering the -ripe fruit, you have offered her soul to the common Lord of all. -Applying the remedy of such thoughts as these to yourself and to my most -honoured lady, her mother, increase the reward reserved to you under -these circumstances, so that not only on account of her excellent early -training, but also for humbly and thankfully bearing her happy departure -hence, you may receive a great crown from our merciful God. - - - To Olympias, A.D. 404. - (_On the Virginal Life_, ii., t. iii., p. 542.) - - · · · · · · · - -Virginity is so great a thing, and requires so much labour, that when -Christ had come down from heaven in order to make men angels, and to sow -the heavenly life on earth, He did not venture even then to enjoin it or -to make a law of it, but He _did_ teach death to self, than which there -is nothing harder. He taught men to crucify themselves, always to do -good to their enemies, yet He did not make a law of virginity. He left -it to the free-will of His hearers, saying, _Let him who can, take it._ -It is a weighty undertaking: it has arduous wrestlings with the sweat of -combat, and its path is rugged and precipitous. This is plainly shown by -those in the Old Law, who were full of good deeds. For Moses, that great -man who summed up the prophets in his person, the intimate friend of -God, who enjoyed so much favour with Him as to be able to snatch six -hundred thousand from the chastisement of a divine stroke, and was so -great as to command the sea, who parted the ocean, drew water from the -rock, and transformed the atmosphere, who changed the Nile’s waters into -blood, who opposed Pharaoh with an army of frogs and locusts, and -changed the whole face of creation, and worked a thousand other wonders, -and many virtuous deeds,—for he was remarkable in every way,—yet he -could not even look at _these_ wrestlings, but needed marriage and the -society of his wife, with its security. He dared not launch himself on -the ocean of virginity fearing its waves. Then there was the patriarch -who immolated his son and was strong enough to tread upon the most -tyrannical of nature’s feelings. He had courage to sacrifice his son, -that son being Isaac, in the bloom of his age, in the very flower of his -youth, his own and only-begotten son, vouchsafed to him contrary to all -hope, and full of righteousness, his one stay in his old age. He it was -who led this son forth to the mountain for that consummation, and -prepared the altar and laid the wood upon it, who placed the victim in -readiness, and drew the sword and held it to his son’s neck. For he who -was of adamant, or rather harder than adamant, both held him for -slaughter and drew the knife. He who was thus firm by nature increased -his natural fortitude by the mortification of his will, and gave proof -of angelical calmness in his deeds. Yet the man who could encounter so -great a battle, and go beyond nature itself, dared not face the combats -of virginity. He also dreaded its wrestlings, and took to himself the -comfort of marriage. - - · · · · · · · - - - The Blessedness of Suffering. - (_To Olympias_, A.D. 404 or 405. Ὀλυµπίαδι, xvii., t. iii., p. 604.) - -Nothing strange or out of the way is happening to you, but it is -extremely fitting and proper that the strength of your spirit should be -increased by constant temptations, and your fervour and power in combat -become greater, and that you should reap therefrom much sweetness. It is -the nature of tribulation, when it encounters a brave and ardent soul, -to bring about these results. And as the fire refines gold by its -action, so does tribulation purify and refine golden souls. Therefore -Paul says, _Tribulation worketh patience and patience probation_. Hence, -I too am in joy and gladness, and in this vast solitude am consoled by -this fortitude of yours. Therefore, even if thousands of wolves hem you -in and endless evil plottings, I have no fear; but it is my prayer that -present temptation may pass away and that you may not encounter others, -thus fulfilling the divine law, which bids us pray not to fall into -temptation. And if, perchance, it should happen again, I have confidence -in your soul of gold, and in the great riches which you would gain for -yourself. With what threat will they who act against their own interests -be able to frighten you? By loss of money? But this, I know well, is -like smoke in your eyes, and is accounted more worthless than mud by the -way. Is it by exile from home and country? But you are able to live in -great and populous cities as well as in deserts, and to pass your time -in peace and quiet, and to put away worldly visions. Or do they threaten -you with death? This, too, has been always in your thoughts, and if they -should drag you to execution they will find a dead body in their hands. -Why need I say more? No one will be able to do anything to you which you -have not already borne with much patience. You, who have ever walked on -a steep and thorny path, have accustomed yourself to all these things; -you, who have shown consummate skill under training, now appear more -radiant in the combat: not only are you not troubled by what has taken -place, but you are soaring above the earth and rejoicing. You are glad -to have a part now in those combats for which you had prepared yourself, -and this in your woman’s body, which is weaker than a spider’s web. -Whilst men are raging and gnashing their teeth, you are treading their -madness under foot in much cheerfulness, and you would be ready to -suffer many more things than they could prepare against you. Blessed and -thrice-blessed are you by reason of the crowns to come, or rather by -those very wrestlings. For these struggles, even before the reward, and -in the oppression of the fight, have their present rewards, and -compensations, and sweetness; they have contentedness, and fortitude, -and steadfastness, and patience in making you invincible, unconquerable, -far above all; they so exercise you that you can suffer no evil from -anyone, and make you stand upon the rock in spite of angry waves, and -bear a furious ocean with great peacefulness. These are the rewards of -tribulation, even before the kingdom of heaven. I know that, already, -you account yourself divested of the body, on the wings of sweetness, -but that if called upon you would put it off more easily than others do -the clothes which they wear. Rejoice, then, and be glad both over -yourself and over those who die the blessed death, who die not in their -bed, not in their houses, but in prisons, and chains, and torments. -Grieve only for the doers of these things, and weep for them: this is -worthy of your virtue. Since you wish to hear about my bodily health, I -have so far got rid of the illness which troubled me and am better now, -if only winter when it comes does not affect my weakness of stomach. We -are also in perfect security from Isaurian invasions. - - - To Olympias. - (_From Arabissus_, A.D. 406. Ὀλυµπίαδι, xv., t. iii., p. 601.) - -Would you, who have given proof of so much mortification from your youth -upwards, and have trodden human pride under foot, expect to live a quiet -life without combat? How should this be? For if men who are fighting -other men receive a thousand wounds in combats and wars, you who have -been armed against principalities, and powers, and the lords of darkness -in this world, against spiritual forces of wickedness, who have fought -thus valiantly, and set up victorious trophies, and thus vexed the -devil,—how should you hope to lead a peaceful and untroubled life? -Therefore you should not be disquieted because battles, and agitation, -and fears assail you on every side. You should wonder, on the contrary, -if none of these things came to pass. Labour and peril are the lot of -goodness. You knew this well enough before my letter, and do not need to -learn it from others. I write this, then, since I am not instructing one -who is ignorant. For we know that neither banishment from our country -nor the loss of money, though insupportable to most men—neither contempt -nor any other suffering of the kind, will be able to disturb you. For if -the companions of those who have suffered these things have become -enviable, how much more those who are actually suffering them? -Therefore, on both accounts, Paul proclaims believers amongst the -Hebrews, saying: _Call to mind the former days, wherein, being -illuminated, you endured a great fight of afflictions, and on the one -hand, indeed, by reproaches and tribulations, were made a gazing-stock, -and on the other became companions of them that were used in such sort._ -Therefore, there is no need for _me_ to write a long letter. No man, -indeed, goes to offer assistance to a conqueror who holds a splendid -trophy of victory in his hands, but only praise. I, too, know how much -interior spirit you have shown in what has befallen you. I account you -blessed, and admire you for your patience in the present, as well as for -the rewards which it will bring to you. I am well aware, however, that -you wish to hear how I am getting on, for I have been silent for a very -long time. I have thrown off the violence of my illness, but still feel -its effects. I have had excellent physicians, yet the want of -necessaries destroys the good of my cure. For not only are there no -remedies here, and no one of the things required for a suffering body, -but both famine and pestilence are imminent. - - · · · · · · · - - - To Pœanius. ‘Glory be to God in all things.’ - (A.D. 404. Παιανιῳ, cxciii., tom. iii., p. 708.) - -You greatly refreshed me and made me rejoice, when, in telling me of -your misfortunes, you added the word, which we should always say in -everything befalling us: ‘Glory be to God in all things’. This is a -stroke which hits the devil in the right place; this is great security -and happiness in every danger to the man who utters it. In giving voice -to it, dark despondency vanishes. Cease not, then, from saying it and -from teaching it to others. Thus a destructive storm, even should it -increase in fury, will be changed into peace; thus the storm-tossed will -reap a greater reward, whilst they are also removed from evils. This it -was which crowned Job; this word overthrew the devil, and made him -retire in confusion; this removes all anxiety. Continue, therefore, to -use it on all occasions. Let no one be in trouble about this place. For -if Kucusus be indeed a solitude, I enjoy much quiet there, and I have -been able to cure a large part of the no small infirmity contracted -through weakness on my journey, by sitting constantly in the house. - - · · · · · · · - - - Vanity of Vanities. - (_Homily on Eutropius_,[30] _Benedictine Edition_, tom. iii., p. 381.) - -At all times, but especially now, it is pertinent to say, _Vanity of -vanities, and all is vanity_. Where is now that splendid consulship, -those magnificent torches and applauding assemblies, those balls and -banquets and stately feasts? Where are those crowns and curtains, those -gatherings of a whole city, the cheerings of amphitheatres, the -flatteries of crowded houses? All these things have vanished: a mighty -gale has blown down the leaves, and shown us a naked tree, one shaken -from its foundations. Such has been the force of the wind that, after -sapping the tree’s life, it threatens to tear it up by the roots. Where -are now those false friends, and those drinking parties and banquets? -Where are those swarms of parasites, that wine which never ceased -flowing all day long, those wonderful dishes produced by the cooks, -those servants of the consulate,—all those who spoke and acted to curry -favour? They were a night’s dream, and they vanished with the daylight; -they were spring blossoms scorched by summer heat: they were passing -shadows, dissolving smoke, bubbles which have burst, a cobweb torn away. -Therefore I would put before you the frequent use of those spiritual -words: _Vanity of vanities, all is vanity_. - -These are words which should be engraved on walls, on clothes, on the -market-place, in dwelling-houses, by the wayside, on doors and -thresholds, and, most of all, in the conscience of each one of us, which -we should regard through everything, since trickery and masks and -hypocrisy seem to be truth amongst the majority of men. These are words -which every man should speak to his neighbour both at the morning and -the evening meal, and at meetings, and which he should hear from others: -_Vanity of vanities, and all is vanity_. Was I not always telling you -that riches are fleeting? You would not believe me. Did I not tell you -that wealth is an arrogant companion? You would not be persuaded. Now, a -personal experience has shown you that it is not only fleeting, not only -arrogant, but also murderous, for it has caused your fear and trembling -at this hour. Did I not tell you, when you so often reproached me for -speaking the truth to your face, that I loved you better than your -flatterers? Am not I, your reprover, in greater trouble about you than -those who fawned upon you? Did I not add to these words that the wounds -inflicted by a friend are more to be trusted than the kisses of enemies? -If you had borne my wounds those kisses of theirs would not now have -brought forth death, for _my_ wounds work health, whereas their kisses -prepared a fatal disease! Where are now your cup-bearers? Where are -those who cleared the market-place before you, and who were full of your -praises in the crowd? They have fled, and given up your friendship; they -provide for their own safety at the cost of your agony. It is not so -with us, but we would not be rebuffed even when you did not want us, and -now that you have fallen we stand by you and protect you. That Church, -which was warred upon by you, has opened her heart to receive you; -whereas those fostered theatres, which you often fought us about, have -delivered you up to destruction. Still we ceased not to say, ‘Why do you -act thus? You rage against the Church and are walking towards a -precipice,’ and you heeded nothing. Yet the races, those squanderers of -your wealth, have sharpened their sword against you, whilst the Church, -the object of your unseemly wrath, hastens to meet you, wishing to -rescue you from their wiles. - -I say these things now, not desiring to insult the fallen, but in order -to increase the security of those who have not fallen: not to tear open -the sores of the wounded, but to maintain in sound health those who are -not wounded: not to shipwreck the man tossed by the waves, but to warn -those who are sailing in calm seas so that they may avoid sinking. How -can this be done? By taking to heart the vicissitudes of human things. -For if _this_ man had feared a change of fortune, it would not have come -upon him, but neither his own lot nor that of others improved him: now -do you who are nursing your riches gather your lesson from this man’s -misfortune, for nothing is more insecure than human things. -Consequently, if a man were to call them neediness itself, he would say -less than the truth, whether he liken them to smoke or mire, or a dream, -or spring blossoms, or anything else, so perishable are they, and so -less than nothing. That nothingness has indeed much that is insecure is -evident from this: who was ever a mightier man than he? Did he not -surpass the whole world by his wealth? Did he not rise to the height of -honours? Did not all men hold him in fear and awe? Yet see, he is more -miserable than slaves, and more to be pitied than menials, in greater -want than the poor who are pinched with hunger, having before his eyes -day by day swords pointed at him, and dungeons and executioners, and the -road leading to death. Nor does he enjoy the memory of his past -pleasure, nor is he conscious even of the light; but in the midst of -day, as if in darkest night, encompassed by anguish, he is deprived of -his sight. Try as I will, however, I cannot measure that suffering by -words, which delivers him up to an hourly expectation of death. But what -need is there of our words since he bears them distinctly written on -himself for us, as if engraven on a statue? For yesterday men came to -him from the imperial court, wishing to drag him away by force, and he -took refuge amongst the sacred vessels: he looked already nothing better -than a dead man, his teeth were chattering, his whole body shivering and -trembling, his voice was broken, his tongue faltering, and he himself as -if the life in him had turned to stone. - -I say these things, not in scorn nor in reproach at his misfortune, but -in the wish to soften your judgment, and to enkindle your pity, and to -persuade you to be satisfied with the chastisement already inflicted. -For there are amongst you many inhuman men who would even reproach me -for receiving him at the sanctuary. I should desire to soften their -cruelty by dwelling on the sufferings of this man. Why do you reproach -me, beloved brethren? Because, you say, he who warred incessantly -against the Church has found shelter in it. For this very reason you -should have praised God the more for allowing him to fall into a need so -great as to learn both the power and the kindness of the Church: the -power, on the one hand, to outlive so overwhelming a reverse inflicted -by his enemies, and the kindness with which she who was persecuted -extends her shield, and covers him with her own wings, putting him in -perfect security, and bearing no memory of former things, but opening -her heart to him with the most tender love. This is more wonderful than -any trophy, this is a magnificent victory: by this the heathen is -converted and even the Jew put to shame: this it is which shows forth -the brightness of her countenance; that, taking her foe captive, she -spares him; that whereas all men forsake him, she alone, as a tender -mother, hides him in her own sanctuary curtains, and encounters imperial -wrath, an angry populace, a boundless hatred, on his account. This is -the altar’s adornment. What adornment is it, you ask, that the man who -is abominable, and avaricious, and cursed, should touch the altar? Speak -not thus, since the harlot too touched the feet of Christ, and she was -indeed full of sin and impurity, yet it was no reproach to Jesus, but a -great wonder and song of praise, for she who was unclean did not defile -the Holy One; on the contrary, He, the Good and the Pure, made that -abandoned harlot clean through His touch. Do not bear malice, O man. We -are servants of Him Who was crucified, and Who said, _Forgive them, for -they know not what they do_. ‘But,’ you say, ‘it was he who, by various -laws and regulations, cut off flight to the altar.’ Consider, then, that -experience has taught him the value of his own action, and he himself -has been the first to break the law which he made. He has become a -spectacle to the world, and in his silence he raises a voice of warning -to all men, ‘Do not likewise, that you may not suffer in like manner’. -Through his misfortune he has become a teacher, and through it the altar -sends forth a great radiance. It is now especially terrible, and evident -to all men, because it holds the lion in chains. The royal statue would -be greatly adorned, not so much by depicting the king as he sits on the -throne, clothed in purple, and wearing his crown, as by barbarians under -the royal feet, with their hands tied behind them and their faces to the -ground. You yourselves, in your eagerness to come here, can testify that -he has spoken no word, for indeed the spectacle before us to-day is -noteworthy, and I see here as many people collected together as in the -holy Easter festival. He in his silence has called them; his deeds have -spoken louder than the voice of a trumpet. You have come here, virgins -from your chambers, women from your drawing-rooms, men leaving the -marketplace deserted, that you may contemplate human nature convicted, -and see the perishableness of earthly things laid bare, the shameful -spectacle of that which was yesterday, and but lately so brilliant. So -much for the success born of avarice, which is more shamefaced than any -old woman’s blotches: the change of fortune has passed over it like a -sponge, and wiped away both paint and titles. - -Such is the power of this catastrophe: it has made him who was -conspicuous and illustrious now appear more miserable than all. If the -rich man come in, he will be taught much, for, contemplating him, who -had the whole world at his command, thrown down from so mighty a height, -trodden under foot, fallen lower than a hare or a frog, fastened without -chains to this pillar, and done to death by fear in his anguish though -unfettered, he restrains his wrath, humbles his pride, and draws that -lesson of wisdom which it behoves him to draw, from human things, and so -goes away, learning by facts what the Scripture speaks of in the words, -_All flesh is grass, and all human glory as the flower of the field_, -that the grass has been burnt up and the flower thrown away: that man -shall be burnt up as swiftly as grass, and trodden under foot as quickly -as the flower of the field: that our days are like smoke, and so on. In -his turn, the poor man comes in, and, gazing at this spectacle, he does -not despair of himself, nor is he afflicted at his own poverty, but he -is thankful to his neediness for providing him with a place of refuge, -and a calm harbour, and a wall of strength. And often, seeing these -things, he would prefer to remain where he is, rather than to have all -things for a short time, and then to be in danger of his life. See you -how this man’s flight hither is no small advantage to the rich and poor -alike, to small people and great people, to bondsmen and freemen? See -how each one has gone away with his own lesson drawn from the sight -alone? Now, have I succeeded in softening your passion and putting an -end to your anger? Have I extinguished your inhumanity and enkindled -sympathy within you? Indeed, I think so, for your faces show it, and -your tears. If, then, your stony hearts have been softened and mellowed, -put forth also the fruit of alms-giving, and, showing the ear of -sympathy, let us solicit the emperor, or rather let us call upon our -merciful God to mitigate the emperor’s wrath, and to make him kind, so -that he may grant us a full pardon. Already, indeed, since the day of -his flight, there has been no small change; for when the emperor learnt -that he had taken refuge in this place, in the presence of the soldiers -who were incited against his crimes and preparing to put him to death, -he made a long speech. In it he quieted their anger, alleging not only -this man’s delinquencies, but giving him credit for whatever good he had -done, and calling upon them to show him mercy in the one case, and in -the other to pardon him as a man. Upon their again urging him to avenge -the insulter of the emperor, crying out, stamping with their feet, -threatening him with death, and brandishing their spears, he drew floods -of tears from the driest eyes, and, reminding them of the sacred table -to which he had fled, he put an end to their anger. - -Let us, then, do our part also, for what excuse would you have if the -emperor, when insulted, bears no malice, and you who are not insulted -should be thus angry? How, when this spectacle is removed, would you -approach the mysteries and recite that prayer in which we are commanded -to say, ‘Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have -trespassed against us,’ whilst you are calling for revenge against -_your_ trespassers? Did he commit great injustice and look down upon -all? I do not deny it, but this is no time for judgment, this is the -time for mercy; not for chastisement, but for kindness; not for -examination, but for concession; not for strict justice, but for pity -and kindness. Therefore, let no man be wrathful nor discontented; rather -let us supplicate our merciful God to grant him a period of life, and to -snatch him from impending death, so that he may redeem his -transgressions. Let us go together to our merciful emperor, entreating -him, by the Church and by the altar, to release that one man who is -seeking refuge at the sacred table. If we do this, the emperor too will -approve, and God will ratify the emperor’s decision, and He will give us -a great reward for our mercy. For in proportion as He turns away from -the hard and inhuman man, and hates him, so does He protect and cherish -the kind and merciful man. If he be a just man also, God holds brighter -crowns in reserve for him: if he has sinned, He overlooks his -iniquities, and gives him this great reward for his kindness to his -fellow-man. _I desire mercy and not sacrifice_, He says. And everywhere -in the Scripture you find Him seeking for this and saying that it is the -remission of sins. So, then, we shall make Him merciful to ourselves, -and atone for our own sins. Thus we shall adorn the Church, and win the -applause of our merciful emperor, as I was saying, and all the people -will rejoice: the ends of the earth will be in admiration at the kind -and gentle spirit of our city, and throughout the whole world those who -hear what has taken place will sing our praises. In order that we may -enjoy these goods, let us fall down on our knees in supplication, -entreat, beseech; let us shield the captive from danger, from flight, -from death, so that we ourselves may enjoy lasting goods by the grace -and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory and might, now and -for ever and ever. Amen. - - - - - FOOTNOTES - - -[1]Card. Newman. - -[2]Palladius, _Life of St. Chrysostom_, in his works, vol. xiii., pp. - 39, 40. - -[3]In writing the above sketch, Nirschl’s _Lehrbuch der Patrologie und - Patristik_ has been used, and Cardinal Newman’s notice of the Saint - quoted once or twice, and everywhere borne in mind. - -[4]Translated from the Greek Oxford and Cambridge Edition - -[5]Translated from the Greek Oxford Edition. - -[6]Compare ἀλλ’ ἤτοι µὲν ταῦτα Θεῶν ἐν γούνασι κεῖται (Ἰλιαδος P. 514). - -[7]St. Chrysostom here refers from memory to the _Acts_, where Peter and - _John_ are spoken of as “illiterate and ignorant men” (c. iv., v. - 13). - -[8]Translated from Greek Benedictine Edition in folio, tom. ii., p. 2. - -[9]I have ventured to change ἐννατήν into _another_. It is part of a - long argument. - -[10]δεκάτην αἰτίαν. - -[11]Compare with St. Augustine, _Da amantem et sentit quod dico_. - -[12]Translated from the Greek Benedictine Edition in folio. - -[13]Compare with St. Augustine: Unde temporibus eruditis, et omne quod - fieri non potest respuentibus, sine ullis miraculis nimium - mirabiliter incredibilia credidit mundus?—_De Civitate Dei_, l. - xxii., c. viii. - -[14]Μὰλλον δὲ οὐκ αὐτοὶ µόνοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ πάντων κορυφαῖος Πέτρος. - -[15]Ὅµιλια προ τῆς ἐξορίας. Benedictine Edition. There is a doubt about - the authenticity of the latter part of this Homily, which has not - been translated. - -[16]Ἐκκλησίας δὲ σάρκα ἀνέλαβε. - -[17]Translated from the Greek German Edition, Περὶ Ἱερωσυνῆς. Leipzig, - 1872. - -[18]See Ezekiel, c. xxxiii., v. 6. - -[19]Benedictine Edition, t. xii., p. 167. - -[20]Greek Oxford Edition. - -[21]Ἀλλ’ αὐτὸς ὁ σταυρωθεὶς ὑπὲρ ἡµῶν Χριστός. - -[22]... µεταῤῥυθµίζει τὰ προκείµενα. - -[23]The single word _altar_ has to stand for the Greekβωµός and - θυσιαστήριον, the former meaning the altar on which a bloody - offering is made, the latter the altar on which the sacrifice after - the order of Melchisedec is offered. - -[24]P. 295 of the same Homily. - -[25]Blessed Thomas More’s words to his wife will here occur to many: - ‘How long, thinkest thou, I might still live?’ and when she replied, - ‘Full twenty years, if it so pleases God,’ answered, ‘Should I give - up eternity for twenty years?’ - -[26]Benedictine Edition, tom. iii., p. 515. St. Chrysostom wrote this - letter, A.D. 404, before his second exile, from which he never - returned. Copies of it were sent to the Archbishops of Milan and - Aquileia. - -[27]The _Curiosi_ were officers whose business it was to pursue crime - and treason of all kinds, and to summon and denounce the guilty to - the emperor.—_Benedictine’s note._ - -[28]Holy Saturday. - -[29]Uninitiated (ἀµύητοι ἦσαν), to speak the language of that day. - -[30]Eutropius, the eunuch, the unworthy minister of the emperor, who had - attempted to take away the right of asylum from the Church, fell - suddenly, and fled for refuge to the altar of the cathedral. On this - occasion Chrysostom defended him from the angry people and the - soldiers sent to apprehend him. - - - THE END. - - - - - INDEX. - - - A - Abraham, sacrifice of, 290. - Alexander, thirteenth god, 266; - his tomb obscure, 268. - Altar, radiance of, 301; - fruitfulness of, 233. - Almsgiving, by words, 65; - value of, 70; - interest of, 71. - Angels of the mysteries, 211. - Antioch, John of, 1; - surnamed Golden Mouth, 2. - Anthusa, St., mother of St. Chrysostom, 1. - Apostles, condition of, 102; - victory of, 103; - mines of, 109; - glory of, 96. - Arcadius, emperor, 6; - death of, 14. - Argument, an irrefutable, 98. - Arsacius, intruded into see of Constantinople, 12. - - - B - Basil, friend of Chrysostom, 3. - Bond of new Covenant, 219, 220. - Blood of Our Lord, 242; - drunk by Himself, 221. - Bread, one for all, 244. - - - C - Charity not consumed, 31. - Chastisement here, 123, 124. - Children, witness of, 50. - Christ, our High Priest, 214; - His Pasch, 229. - Christians, responsibility of, 62. - Chrysostom, government of, 8; - expulsion of, 11; - appeal to Pope, 12; - at Comana, 13; - death of, 14; - his body translated to Constantinople—to Rome, 15; - character of his works, 17; - summary of, 18, 19, 20; - his letter to Pope Innocent, 272; - unjustly summoned into court, 275; - thrust out of his see, 277; - in exile, 283. - Church, invincible, 90, 190; - brighter than sun, 190; - heaven made for it, 192; - soul’s remedies in, 194; - olives of, 240; - vengeance of, 298; - generosity of, 300. - Cities, strong walls of, 151. - Clothing Christ, 69. - Conquering by contraries, 141, 142. - Community life, 149. - Conscience, tribunal of, 122. - Constantine the Great, where buried, 269. - Crucified ever living, 267; - power of, 144. - - - D - Departed at the mysteries, 250, 254. - Diodorus, bishop of Tarsus, 3. - Dispositions for the mysteries, 215, 216, 238, 247. - - - E - Eucharist, union of, 243; - makes earth heaven, 246. - Eternity, proved by suffering, 131. - Eudoxia, empress, 9; - statue to, 11; - death of, 14. - Eusebius, bishop of Nicomedia, 5. - Eutropius, fall of, 296; - anguish of, 299; - spectacle to all men, 302. - - - F - Feast of the martyrs, what, 259. - Flavian, bishop of Antioch, 4; - election of, 7. - Forgiveness as we forgive, 304. - Friendships, spiritual, 48; - worldly, 47. - - - G - Gallic Rufinus, 8. - Gifts of God through senses, 237. - Gladness in tribulation, 126, 127. - God, good by essence, 42; - His instruments, 146; - His kindness, 179; - His paradoxes, 32; - in visible things, 120; - not to be encompassed, 166. - Golden heart, 68. - Goodness, a beacon, 58, 60; - voice of, 56, 57; - peace of, 81. - Gospel, propagation of, 89; - announcement of, 101, 104. - Gregory Nazienzen, St., 6. - - - H - Heathen, argument with, 97. - Holiness everywhere possible, 78, 80. - Holy Spirit, gifts of, 34. - Holy tears, 249. - Human glory, vanity of, 296, 297. - Humble, abode of, 148. - Humility in labour, 150. - - - I - In chains for Christ, 153, 154. - - - J - Jews, dispersion of, 181. - Jewish sacrifice ceased, 231. - Jona, son of, 183. - Joy for faithful departed, 287. - Judas, communion of, 218. - Judgment, proved by suffering, 25. - Jurisdiction, each province its own, 274. - - - K - Kindness, reward of, 305. - - - L - Loss of a daughter, 288. - Love, true, 46, 140. - - - M - Magi, faith of, 245. - Man made for eternity, 168; - the man not the state, 79, 82. - Marriages of old, 106; - money marriages, 107. - Martyrs, voice of, 261, 263; - shrines of, 264, 265. - Martyrdom, the blessed death, 293. - Matthias, election of, 189. - Meletius, bishop of Antioch, 3; - death of, 7. - Ministering to Christ, 75. - Miracles, spiritual, 86, 88, 175. - Mites, spiritual, 100. - Money, tyranny of, 41, 43. - More, Blessed Thomas, 262. - Mortification, happiness of, 121. - - - N - Nature, good, 28. - Nova Roma, see of, 9. - - - O - Oak, Synod of the, 10. - Olympias, 293; - fortitude of, 294. - - - P - Paschal Lamb, a figure, 230. - Patience, more than alms-giving, 135; - a rock of strength, 285. - Paul and Plato, 95. - Paul, humility of, 115; - chains of, 155; - voice of, 223; - heart of, 224, 225; - Peter’s companion, 227; - apostolate in prison, 286. - Persecution for justice, 282. - Peter’s prerogatives, 27, 184, 185; - Peter scandalised, 186; - before and after Resurrection, 176, 178, 187; - temptation of, 196; - sin of, 197; - at Jerusalem, 188. - Pilots, necessity of, in storm, 284. - Plato, achievements of, 143. - Pope Innocent, protest of, 12. - Poverty, 40; - voluntary, 44, 45. - Power of holy bodies, 270. - Priesthood, 202. - Priests, 195; - sinners not angels, 198; - spiritual generators, 201, 203; - responsibility of, 205; - purity required of, 206; - snares of, 207, 208; - rulers of the world, 209. - Priscilla and Persis, 105. - Privilege of servant, 156. - Probation, 133, 137. - Prosperity, vanity of, 303. - - - R - Resurrection, proved in nature, 159, 160; - by creation, 163; - by human things, 165; - confirmed by signs, 169, 170, 174; - by faith of world, 177; - same body in, 161, 162. - Riches and poverty, whence, 35, 39. - Rome, why blessed, 222. - - - S - Sacrifice of new law, 199, 200, 210; - for the dead, 251, 255. - Salt and light, 55. - Signs of Apostles, a testimony, 173; - greatest of, 52, 53. - Socrates, end of, 145. - Sojourners, 72. - Sorrow, false, 253. - Soul, worth of, 99. - Stilicho, 8. - Strength in weakness, 83. - Sufferings of just, 134, 137; - suffering its own reward, 292. - - - T - Table of peace, 235, 236. - Teacher’s example followed, 92. - Teaching by life, 77, 91, 93. - Temple, buyers and sellers in, 49. - Thanksgiving, 128, 129, 136, 138, 295. - The truth and the figure, 213. - Theodosius, death of, 4; - reign of, 6. - Theophilus, patriarch of Alexandria, 5, 273, 276; - enmity of, 9; - summoned to Constantinople, 10; - instigator of sacrilege, 278, 279. - Time and eternity, 33. - Timothy, 110; - infirmities of, 111; - advice to, 112, 113; - diligent in fasting, 114; - his zeal, 116. - Tongue, a hand, 64. - Touch of faith, 66. - - - U - Unleavened bread, 256. - - - V - Vespasian and Titus, 180. - Virginity not commanded, 289. - - - W - Way, truth, and life, 23. - Wickedness, way to unbelief, 167. - Why Our Lord ate after Resurrection, 172. - Wine, gift of God, 258; - drinking, 117, 118. - Working for eternity, 139. - - - Z - Zebedee, sons of, 26. - - - - - _SELECTION_ - FROM - BURNS & OATES’ - _Catalogue_ - OF - PUBLICATIONS. - - - LONDON: BURNS AND OATES, Ld. - ORCHARD ST., W., & 63 PATERNOSTER ROW, E.C. - NEW YORK: 9 BARCLAY STREET. - 1888. - - - - - NEW BOOKS. - - -The Holy See and the Wandering of the Nations. 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