Who is a good husband. Wedding-feast, and guests. 333 σθαι 2 ἐκδοῦναι be so great as will be the annoyance that comes of her Hoм. slavery. I pray thee, seek not these things, but most of all, XII. one of equal condition; if however this cannot be, rather one poorer than in better circumstances; if at least thou be desirous not of selling' thy daughter to a master, but of1drodígiving her to a husband. When thou hast thoroughly in- 2 vestigated the virtue of the man, and art about to give her to him, beseech Christ to be present: for He will not be ashamed to be so; it is the mystery of His presence. Yea rather beseech Him even in the first instance, to grant her such a suitor. Be not worse than the servant of Abraham, who, when sent on a pilgrimage so important, knew whither he ought to have recourse; wherefore also he obtained every thing. When thou art taking anxious pains, and seeking a husband for her, pray; say unto God, 'whomsoever Thou wilt do Thou provide:' into His hands commit the matter; and He, honoured in this way by thee, will requite thee with honour. Two things indeed it is necessary to do; to commit the thing into His hands, and to seek such a person as He Himself would approve, one that is orderly and chaste. d 45. When then thou makest a marriage, go not round from house to house borrowing mirrors and dresses; for the matter is not one of display, nor dost thou lead thy daughter to a pageant; but decking out thine house with what is in it, invite thy neighbours, and friends, and kindred. As many as thou knowest to be of a good character, those invite, and bid them be content with what there is. Let no one from the orchestra be present, for such expense is superfluous, and unbecoming. Before all the rest, invite Christ. Knowest thou whereby to invite Him? Whosoever, saith He, hath Mat. 25, done it to one of these least, hath done it to Me. And think it not an annoying thing3 to invite the poor for Christ's sake ; 3 duráto invite harlots is an annoyance. For to invite the poor is a means of wealth, the other of ruin. Adorn the bride not with these ornaments that are made of gold, but with gentleness and modesty, and the customary robes; in place of all golden ornament and braiding, arraying her in blushes, and shamefacedness, and the not desiring such things. Let there be no uproar, no confusion; let the bridegroom be called, let d Here he addresses the mother, all the participles being feminine. 4, 18. 334 An orderly feast is found best in the end. COLOS. him receive the virgin. The dinners and suppers, let them not be full of drunkenness, but of spiritual pleasure. For from such a marriage there will spring good things innumerable, and the things of this life will be in security; but from the marriages that now are celebrated, (if at least one ought to call them marriages and not pageants,) how many are the evils! The banquet hall is no sooner broken up, than straightway comes care and fear, lest aught that is borrowed should have been lost, and there succeeds to the pleasure melancholy intolerable. But this distress belongs to the mother-in-law',nay, rather not even is the bride herself free; all that follows at least belongs to the bride herself. For to see all broken up, is a ground for sadness; to see the house desolate, is an occasion for dejection. 1 undeστρία. There is Christ, here is Satan; there is cheerfulness, here anxious care; there pleasure, here pain; there expense, here nothing of the kind; there indecency, here modesty; there envy, here no envy; there drunkenness, here soberness, health, temperance. Bearing in mind all these things, let us stay the evil at this point, that we may please God, and be counted worthy to obtain the good things promised to them that love Him, through the grace and love toward man of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom, to the Father, together with the Holy Ghost, be glory, power, honour, now and for ever, and world without end. Amen. HOMILIES OF S. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, ARCHBISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE, ON THE FIRST EPISTLE OF S. PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. HOMILY I. 1 THESS. i. 1, 2, 3. Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the Church of the WHEREFORE then, when writing to the Ephesians", and having Timothy with him, did he not include him with himself (in his salutation), known as he was to them and admired. For he says, Ye know the proof of him, that as a son with Phil. 4, the father, he hath served with me in the Gospel; and again, 22. I have no man like-minded who will naturally care for your V. 20. state; but here he does associate him with himself. It seems to me, that he was about to send him immediately, and it a This mistake cannot be charged on the transcribers, as Timothy is mentioned in Phil. 1, 1. 23. 1 iriστελλεν. 336 Special intent of the words, ' Church,' and 'in God.' 1 THES. was superfluous for him to write, who would almost overtake 1,2 3. the letter. For he says, Him therefore I hope to send prePhil. 2, sently. But here it was not so; but he had just returned to him, so that he naturally joined in the letter'. For he says, Now when Timotheus came from you unto us. But 1 Thess. why does he place Silvanus before him, though he testifies to his numberless good qualities, and prefers him above all? Perhaps Timothy wished and requested him to do so from his great humility; for when he saw his master so humbleminded, as to associate his disciple with himself, he would much the more have desired this. For he says, 3, 6. Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the Church of the Thessalonians. Here he gives himself no title-not an Apo' stle,' not 'a Servant,' I suppose, because the men were newly instructed, and had not yet had any experience of him, he does not mention his rank; and at any rate, it was as yet the beginning of his preaching to them. To the Church of the Thessalonians, he says. And well. For since it is probable there were few, and they not yet formed into a body, on this account he consoles them with the name of the Church. For where much time had passed, and the congregation of the Church was large, he does not apply this term. But because the name of the Church is a name of multitude, and of a system now compacted, on this account he calls them by that name. In God the Father, he says, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Unto the Church of the Thessalonians, he says, which is in God. Behold again the expression, in, applied both to the Father and to the Son. But he says, in God, because there were many assemblies, both Jewish and Grecian. It is a great dignity, and to which there is nothing equal, that it is in God. God grant therefore that this Church may be so addressed! But I fear that it is far from that appellation. For if any one is the servant of sin, he cannot be said to be in God, (if any one walks not according to God, he cannot be said to be in God.) St. Paul's thanks and prayers for the Faithful. 337 I. Grace be unto you, and peace. Do you perceive his Hoм. encomiums at the very commencement of his Epistle? We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers. For to give thanks to God for them is the act of one testifying to their great advancement, when they are not only praised themselves, but God also is thanked for them, as Himself having done it all. He teaches them also to be moderate, all but saying, that' it is all of the power of God. That he gives thanks for them, therefore, he declares on account of their good conduct, but that he remembers them in his prayers, proceeds from his love towards them. Then shewing them that he not only remembers them in his prayers, but apart from his prayers, he says, what he often. does, Remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father. What is remembering without ceasing? Either remembering before God and the Father, or remembering your labour of love that is in sight of God and the Father. But he has not said merely, Remembering without ceasing; but, you. Then again, that you may not think that this you is said simply, he has added, in the sight of God and the Father. For because no one amongst men was praising their actions, no one giving them any reward, he adds also this, all but saying, 'Be of good cheer; you labour in the sight of God.' What is the work of faith? That nothing has turned aside your stedfastness'. 'votariv For this is the work of faith. If thou believest, suffer all things; if thou dost not suffer, thou dost not believe. For are not the things promised such, that he who believes would choose to suffer even ten thousand deaths? The kingdom of heaven is set before him, and immortality, and eternal life. He therefore who believes will suffer all things. Faith then is shewn through his works. Justly therefore hath he spoken thus, shewing that hot lightly, but by your works, have you manifested it, by your stedfastness, by your zeal. And your labour of love. Why? what labour is it to love?? so B. Merely to love is none at all. But to love sincerely is great |