Earthly ornaments are chains of sin.

303

2

For

chain

X.

STOYTH

The 2 al. do not they' 3 Gr. Proclamation

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not giving way under his bonds, doth not behold a spectacle Hoм. of earth, but one worthy of the heavens. The soul that is in that way attired looks about,-who hath seen? who not seen?is filled with pride, is possessed with anxious thoughts, is bound with countless other passions: but he that hath these bonds on him, is without pride: his soul exulteth, is freed from every anxious care, is joyous, hath its gaze on heaven, is clad with wings. If any one were to give me the choice of seeing Paul either stooping' out of heaven, and uttering his 'xnúvoice, or out of the prison, I would choose the prison. they of heaven visit him when he is in the prison. bonds of Paul were the cementing of the Gospel3, that of his was its foundation. Long we for those bonds! And how, doth any say, may this be? If we break up and dash in pieces these. No good results to us from these bonds, but even harm. These will shew us as prisoners There; but the bonds of Paul will loose those bonds: she that is bound with these here, with those deathless bonds shall she also be bound There, both hands and feet; she that is bound with Paul's, shall have them in that day as it were an ornament about her. Free both thyself from thy bonds, and the poor man from his hunger. Why rivetest thou fast the chains of thy sins? Some one saith, How? When thou wearest gold whilst another is perishing, when thou, to get thee vainglory, takest so much gold, whilst another has not even what to eat, hast thou not wedged fast thy sins? Put Christ about thee, and not gold; where Mammon is, there Christ is not, where Christ is, there Mammon is not. Wouldest not thou put on the King of all Himself? If one had offered thee the purple, and the diadem, wouldest thou not have taken them before all the gold in the world? I give thee not the regal ornaments, but I offer thee to put on the King Himself. And how can one put Christ on, doth any say? Hear Paul saying, As many of you as have been baptized into Christ, Gal. 3, have put on Christ. Hear the Apostolical precept, Make not Rom.13, provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof. Thus doth 14. one put on Christ, if one provide not for the flesh unto its lust. If thou have put on Christ, even the devils will fear xiosòv thee, but if gold, even men will laugh thee to scorn: if thou xe have put on Christ, men also will reverence thee.

27.

COLOS.

4, 4.

304

Christ the Clothing of those who are His.

Wouldest thou appear fair and comely? Be content with the Creator's fashioning. Why dost thou overlay these bits of gold, as if about to put to rights God's creation? Wouldest thou appear comely? Clothe thee in alms; clothe thee in benevolence; clothe thee in modesty, humbleness. These are all more precious than gold; these make the beautiful even yet more comely; these make even the ill formed to be well formed. For when any one looks upon a countenance with good will, he gives his judgment from love; but an evil woman, even though she be beautiful, none can call beautiful; for the mind being wounded pronounceth not its sentence aright.

That Egyptian woman of old was adorned; Joseph too was adorned; which of them was the more beautiful? I say not when she was in the palace, and he in the prison. He was naked, but clothed in the garments of chastity; she was clothed, but more unseemly than if she had been naked; for she had not modesty. When thou hast excessively adorned thee, O woman, then thou art become more unseemly than a naked one; for thou hast stripped thee of thy fair adorning. Eve also was naked; but when she had clothed herself, then was she more unseemly, for when she was naked indeed, she was adorned with the glory of God; but when she had clothed herself with the garment of sin, then was she unseemly. And thou, when arrayed in the garment of studied 1 finery', dost then appear more unseemly: for that costliness availeth not to make any appear beautiful. But that it is possible even for one dressed out to be even more unseemly than if naked, I will tell you. If thou hadst ever put on the dresses of a piper or a flute-player, would it not have been unseemliness? And yet those dresses are of gold; but for this very reason it were unseemliness, because they are of gold. For the costliness of the stage suits well with tragedians, players, mimes, dancers, fighters with wild beasts; but to a woman that is a believer, there have been given other robes from God, the Only-Begotten Son of God Himself. Gal. 3, For, he saith, as many as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. Tell me, if one had given thee kingly

λοκοσμία

as.

27.

* Downes would remove the negative, but the meaning is not only when

&c. but even when he was exposed by the loss of his garment.'

Excessive ornament dangerous and unseemly.

305

X.

apparel, and thou hadst taken a helot's dress, and put this on Hoм. above it, wouldest thou not, besides the unseemliness, have also been punished for it? Thou hast put on the Lord of Heaven, and of the Angels, and art thou still busied about earth?

'mani

I have spoken thus, because love of ornament is of itself a great evil, even were no other gendered by it, and it were possible to hold it without peril, (for it inciteth' to vaingloryàsiqu. and to pride,) but now many other evils are gendered by 23 Mss. finery, manifest suspicions, unseasonable expenses, evil evil' for speakings, occasions of rapacity. For why dost thou adorn fest' thyself? Tell me. Is it that thou mayest please thy husband? Then do it at home. But here the reverse is the case. For if thou wouldest please thine own husband, please not others; but if thou please others, thou wilt not be able to please thine own. So that thou shouldest put away all thine ornaments, when thou goest to the forum or proceedest to the church. Besides, please not thy husband by those means which harlots use, but by those rather which wives of good condition employ. For wherein, tell me, doth a wife differ from a harlot? In that the one regardeth one thing only, namely, that by the beauty of her person she may attract to herself him whom she loves; whilst the other both ruleth the house, and shareth in the children, and in all other things.

Hast thou a little daughter? see that she inherit not the mischief, for they are wont to form their manners according to their nurture, and to imitate their mothers' characters. Be a pattern to thy daughter of modesty, deck thyself with that adorning, and see that thou despise the other; for that is in truth an ornament, the other a disfigurement. Enough has been said. Now God that made the world, and hath ró› xóc · given to us the ornament of the soul, adorn us, and clothe us with His own glory, that all shining brightly in good works, and living unto His glory, we may send up glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

μου

Ο κόσμου

X

HOMILY XI.

16.

COLOSS. iv. 5, 6.

Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every

man.

WHAT Christ said to His disciples, that doth Paul also now Mat. 10, advise. And what did Christ say? Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves; be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. That is, be upon your guard, giving them no handle against you. For therefore it is added, towards them that are without, in order that we may know that against our own members we have no need of so much caution as against those without. For where brethren are, there are both many allowances and kindnesses'. There is indeed need of caution even here; but much more without, for it is not the same to be amongst enemies and foes, and amongst friends.

λους .

Then because he had alarmed them, see how again he encourages them; Redeeming, he saith, the time: that is, the present time is short. Now this he said, not wishing them 2 axi- to be crafty 2, nor hypocrites, (for this is not a part of wisdom, but of senselessness,) but what? In matters wherein they harm you not, he means, give them no handle; as he says also, when writing to the Romans, Render to all their dues; tribute to whom tribute is due, custom to whom custom, honour to whom honour. On account of the Gospel alone have thou war, he saith, let this war have none other origin. For

Rom. 13, 7.

Christian forbearance. St. Paul's Messengers. 307

XI.

Procla

23.

though they were to become our foes for other causes besides, Hoм. yet neither shall we have a reward, and they will become worse, and will seem to have just complaints against us. For instance, if we pay not the tribute, if we render not the honours that are due, if we be not lowly. Seest thou not Paul, how submissive he is, where he was not likely to harm the Gospel? For hear him saying to Agrippa, I count1 Gr. myself happy, because I shall answer for myself this day mation. before thee, especially because I know thee to be expert in Acts 26, all customs and questions which are among the Jews. But had he thought it his duty to insult the ruler, he would have spoiled every thing. And hear too those of blessed Peter's company, how gently they answer the Jews, saying, we Acts 5, ought to obey God rather than men. And yet men who 29. had as they renounced their own lives, might both have insulted, and have done any thing whatever; but for this object they had renounced their lives, not that they might win vainglory, (for that way had been vain-glorious,) but that they might preach and speak all things with boldness. That other course marks want of moderation.

Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt; that is, let not this graciousness lapse into indifferentism. For it is possible to be simply agreeable, it is possible also? χαρτιν to be so with due seemliness3. That ye may know how ye ribs. ought to answer every man. So that one ought not to discourse alike to all, Greeks, I mean, and Brethren. By no means, for this were the very extreme of senselessness.

Ver. 7. All my state shall Tychicus declare unto you, the beloved brother, and faithful minister, and fellowservant in the Lord.

Admirable! how great is the wisdom of Paul! Observe, he doth not put every thing into his Epistles, but only things necessary and urgent. In the first place, being desirous of not drawing them out to a length; and secondly, to make his messenger more respected, by his having also somewhat to relate; thirdly, shewing his own affection towards him; for he would not else have entrusted these communications to him. Then, there were things which ought not to be declared in writing. The beloved brother, he saith. If beloved, he knew all, and he concealed nothing from him. And

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τητος