XLVII.

644

The Body of Virtue delineated.

HOMIL. real practice of virtue, who do not so much as know the very 4, 5. laws according to which our practice should be guided? But while the rich, those who are mad about wealth, are constantly shaking out their garments, that they may not become moth-eaten; dost thou, seeing forgetfulness worse than any moth wasting thy soul, neglect conversing with books? dost thou not thrust away from thee the pest, adorn thy soul, look continually upon the image of virtue, and acquaint thyself with her members and her head? For she too hath a head and members more seemly than any graceful and beautiful body.

5, 3.

20.

2.

What then, saith one, is the head of Virtue? Humility. Wherefore Christ also begins with it, saying, Blessed are Matt. the poor'. This head hath not locks and ringlets, but Luke 6, beauty, such as to gain God's favour. For, Unto whom shall I look, saith He, but unto him that is meek and 2 Is. 66, humble, and trembleth at My words?? And, Mine eyes are 3Ps. 101, upon the meek of the earth3. And, The Lord is nigh unto 6. comp them that are of a contrite heart. This head, instead of Ps 76,9. Ps. 34, locks, and flowing hair, bears sacrifices acceptable to God. It is a golden altar, and a spiritual place of sacrifice'; 5 Ps. 51, For a contrite spirit is a sacrifice to God5. This is the mother of wisdom. If a man have this, he will have the rest also.

18.

17.

Hast thou seen a head such as thou hadst never seen? Wilt thou see the face too, or rather mark it? Mark then for the present its colour, how ruddy, and blooming, and very engaging; and observe what are its ingredients. "Well, and what are they?" Shamefacedness and blushing. Wherefore also some one saith, Before a shamefaced man shall go Ecclus. favour. This sheds much beauty over the other members also. Though thou mix ten thousand colours, thou wilt not produce such a bloom.

And if thou wilt see the eyes also, behold them exactly

Ο βῶμος, θυσιαστήριον. These two words are commonly used, the former in a bad, the other in a good sense, of Heathen, and Christian, or Jewish, altars respectively. This seems to be an invariable rule, as to the word Baues, in the Greek Bible, except that it is

used of the Jewish altar in the following places of the Apocrypha: Ecclus. 50, 12. 14. 2 Macc. 2, 19; 13, 8. which may suffice to shew that it was occasionally employed, as by St. Chrysostom here, with no unholy association.

XIII.

Example of St. Matthew. Praise of Almsgiving. 645 delineated with decency and temperance. Wherefore they MATT. become also so beautiful and sharp-sighted, as to behold 52. even the Lord Himself. For, Blessed, saith He, are the pure in heart, for they shall see God'.

And her mouth is wisdom and understanding, and the knowledge of spiritual hymns. And her heart, acquaintance with Scripture, and maintenance of sound doctrines, and benevolence, and kindness. And as without this last there is no living, so without that other is never any salvation. Yea, for from that all her excellencies have birth. She hath also for feet and hands the manifestations of her good works. She hath a soul too, godliness. She hath likewise a bosom of gold, and firmer than adamant, even fortitude; and all may be taken captive more easily than that bosom may be riven asunder. And the spirit that is in the brain and heart, is charity.

[5.] Wilt thou that in her actual deeds also I shew thee her image? Consider, I pray thee, this very Evangelist: although we have not his whole life in writing, nevertheless even from a few facts one may see his image shine forth.

1 Matt.

5, 8.

First, as to his having been lowly and contrite, hear him, after his Gospel, calling himself a publican; for his being also merciful, see him stripping himself of all and following Jesus; and as to his piety, it is evident from his doctrines. And his wisdom again it is easy to see from the Gospel which he composed, and his charity, (for he cared for the whole world); and the manifestation of his good works, from the throne on which he is to sit; and his courage too, by his departing with 2 Luke 22, 30. joy from the presence of the council3. 3 Acts

Let us imitate then this virtue, and most of all his humility 5, 41. and almsgiving, without which one cannot be saved. And this is shewn by the five virgins, and together with them by the Pharisee. For without virginity indeed it is possible to see the Kingdom, but without almsgiving it cannot be. For this is among the things that are essential, and hold all together. Not unnaturally then have we called it the heart of virtue. But this heart, unless it supply breath to all, is soon extinguished. In the same way then as the fountain also, if it confine its streams to itself, grows putrid; so it is with the rich also, when they keep their possessions to

646

HOMIL. themselves.

XLVII.

5. we say,

66

Voluntary Poverty :

Wherefore even in our common conversation great is the consumption' of wealth with such a , man;" instead of saying, "great is the abundance, great the q.d." the treasure." For in truth there is a consumption, not of the possessors only, but of the riches themselves. Since both garments laid by spoil, and gold is cankered, and corn is eaten up, and the soul too of their owner is more than they all cankered and corrupted by the cares of them.

wear and tear."

And if thou be willing to produce in the midst a miser's soul; like a garment eaten by innumerable worms, and not having any sound part, even so wilt thou find it, perforated on all sides by cares; rotted, cankered by sins.

But not such the poor man's soul, the soul of him, I mean, that is voluntarily poor; but it is resplendent as gold, it shines like a pearl, and it blooms like a rose. For no moth is there, no thief is there, no worldly care, but as Angels converse, so do they.

Wouldest thou see the beauty of this soul? Wouldest thou acquaint thyself with the riches of poverty? He commands not men, but he commands evil spirits. He stands not at a king's side, but he hath taken his staud near to God. He is the comrade, not of men, but of angels. He hath not chests, two, or three, or twenty, but such an abundance as to account the whole world as nothing. He hath not a treasure, but heaven. He needs not slaves, or rather hath his passions for slaves, hath for slaves the motives that rule over kings. For that which commands him who wears the purple, that motive shrinks before him. And royalty, and gold, and all such things, he laughs at, as at children's toys; and like hoops, and dice, and heads, and balls, so doth he count all these to be contemptible. For he hath an adorning, which they who play with these things cannot

even see.

What then can be superior to this poor man? He hath at least heaven for his pavement; but if the pavement be like this, imagine the roof! But hath he not horses and chariots? Why, what need hath he of these, who is to be borne upon the clouds, and to be with Christ?

Having these things then impressed on our minds, let us, both men and women, scek after that wealth, and the plenty

XIII. 52.

that cannot be rifled; that we may attain also unto the MATT. Kingdom of heaven, by the grace and love towards man of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory and might for ever and ever.

Amen.

HOMILY XLVIII.

v. 54.

v. 58.

1 Matt. 11, 23.

MATT. xiii. 53.

And it came to pass, that, when Jesus had finished these parables, He departed thence.

WHEREFORE said He, these? Because He was to speak others besides. And wherefore, again, doth He depart? Desiring to sow the word every where.

And when He was come into His own country, He taught them in their synagogue.

And what doth he now call His country? As it seems to me, Nazareth. For He did not many mighty works there, it is said, but in Capernaum He did miracles: wherefore He said also, And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto Heaven, shalt be brought down to hell; for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day1.

But having come there, while He slackens somewhat in His miracles; so as not to inflame them unto more envy, nor to condemn them more grievously, by the aggravation of their unbelief: He yet puts forth a doctrine, having no less of wonder in it than the miracles. For these utterly senseless men, when they ought to have marvelled, and to have been amazed at the power of His words, they on the contrary hold Him cheap, because of him who seemed to be His father; yet we know they had many examples of these things in the former times, and from fathers of no note had seen illustrious children. For so David was the son of a certain mean husbandman, Jesse; and Amos, the child of a goatherd, and himself