faith what is spoken. For it was as easy for Him to do whatever He would, as it is for us to speak, or rather much easier; for it sufficed that He should will only, and all followed.

[3] Let us then give exact heed to the words, and let us not cease to unfold and search them through, for it is from continual application that we get some advantage. So shall we be able to cleanse our life, so to cut up the thorns; for such

Why is it, that then, when none of the others do so, he alone uses these words, and that for the second time, witnessing to himself? for it seems to be offensive to the hearers. What then is the cause? He is said to have been a thing is sin and worldly care, fruitless and painthe last who came to writing, Christ' having moved and roused him to the work; and on this account he continually sets forth his love, alluding to the cause by which he was impelled to write. Therefore also he continually makes mention of it, to make his record trustworthy, and to show, that, moved from thence, he came to this work. "And I know," he saith, "that the things are true which he saith. And if the many believe not, it is permitted them to believe from this." "From what?" From that which is said next.

Ver. 25. "There are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written."

As

ful. And as the thorn whatever way it is held pricks the holder, so the things of this life, on whatever side they be laid hold of, give pain to him who hugs and cherishes them. Not such are spiritual things; they resemble a pearl, whichever way thou turn it, it delights the eyes. thus. A man hath done a deed of mercy; he not only is fed with hopes of the future, but also is cheered by the good things here, being everywhere full of confidence, and doing all with much boldness. He hath got the better of an evil desire; even before obtaining the Kingdom, he hath already received the fruit here, being praised and approved, before all others, by his own conscience. And every good work is of this nature; just as conscience also punishes wicked deeds here, even before the pit. For if, after "Whence it is clear that I could not have sinning, thou considerest the future, thou becomwritten to court favor; for I who, when the mir- est afraid and tremblest, though no man punish acles were so many, have not even related so thee; if the present, thou hast many enemies, many as the others have, but omitting most of and livest in suspicion, and canst not henceforth them, have brought forward the plots of the Jews, even look in the face those who have wronged the stonings, the hatred, the insults, the revilings, thee, or rather, those who have not wronged and have shown how they called Him a de- thee. For we do not in the case of those evil moniac and a deceiver, certainly could not have deeds reap so much pleasure, as we do desponacted to gain favor. For it behooved one who dency, when conscience cries out against us, men, courted favor to do the contrary, to reject the without, condemn us, God is angered, the pit reproachful, to set forth the glorious." Since travailing to receive us, our thoughts not at rest. then he wrote what he did from full assurance, A heavy, a heavy and a burdensome thing is sin, he does not decline to produce his own testi- harder to bear than any lead. He at least who mony, challenging men separately to enquire hath any sense of it will not be able to look up into and scrutinize the circumstances. For it is ever so little, though he be very dull. Thus, for a custom with us, when we think that we are instance, Ahab, though very impious, when speaking exactly true, never to refuse our testi- he felt this, walked bending downwards, crushed mony; and if we do this, much more would he and afflicted. On this account he clothed himwho wrote by the Spirit. What then the other self in sackcloth, and shed fountains of tears. Apostles when they preached declared, he also (1 Kings xxi. 27.) If we do this, and grieve as saith; "We are witnesses of the things spoken, he did, we shall put off our faults as did Zacchæus, and the Spirit which He hath given to them and we too shall obtain some pardon. (Luke that obey Him." (Acts v. 32.) And besides, he xix. 9.) For as in the case of tumors, and fiswas present at all, and did not desert Him even tulous ulcers,10 if one stay not first the discharge when being crucified, and had His mother en- which runs over and inflames the wound, how trusted to him; all which things are signs of his many soever remedies he applies, while the love for Him, and of his knowing all things ex-source of the evil is not stopped, he doth all in actly. And if he has said that so many miracles vain; so too if we stay not our hand from covhad taken place, marvel thou not, but, consider-etousness, and check not that evil afflux of ing the ineffable power of the Doer, receive with wealth, although we give alms, we do all to no

1 al. "God."

2i.e. by his love.

4

5 44 Holy Spirit which God hath given."

10 συρίγγων.

3

purpose. For that which was healed by it,' cov- this, nor, while covetousness weighs us down etousness coming after is wont to overwhelm2 from below, alms-doing depart and leave us, and spoil, and to make harder to heal than be- let us lighten ourselves, and spread our wings, fore. Let us then cease from rapine, and so do that having been perfected by the riddance of alms. But if we betake ourselves to precipices, evil things, and the practice of good, we may how shall we be able to recover ourselves? obtain the goods everlasting, through the grace for if one party (that is, alms-doing) were to and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, pull at a falling man from above, while another with whom to the Father and the Holy Ghost was forcibly dragging him from below, the only be glory, dominion, and honor, now and ever result of such a struggle would be, that the man and world without end. Amen. would be torn asunder. That we may not suffer

4 lit. "expand ourselves."

5 Sav, and Ben, "everlasting goods." But MSS. omit aiwviwv.

THE HOMILIES OF ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM,

ARCHBISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE,

ON THE

EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS.

The Oxford Translation Revised, with Introduction and Notes, by

REV. FREDERIC GARDINER, D.D.,

LATE PROFESSOR IN THE BERKELEY DIVINITY SCHOOL, MIDDLETOWN, CONN.

PREFACE.

THIS Volume completes the series of St. Chrysostom's Homilies on the New Testament. Translated a quarter of a century ago by the Rev. T. Keble, Vicar of Bisley, and revised with great labor in the use of the then existing editions by his brother, the Vicar of Hursley, it was thought best to delay the publication until Dr. Field had completed the long-delayed publication of the Greek Text. This appeared in 1862.

The editing of the text of St. Chrysostom's Homilies is attended with peculiar difficulties. Written sermons,' if ever preached in those days, were the exception. Those which have been preserved to us have been generally taken down by some hearer. St. Augustine afterwards revised his, when brought to him for the purpose. In the case of St. Chrysostom's Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles, as well as of the present volume, there are two distinct texts still extant: that originally taken down by the short-hand writer, and another, when this had been polished and made neat at a subsequent time. Dr. Field's great labor then in the Greek Text of the present volume had been to restore the older form of these Homilies. He had ample material, both in Greek MSS., in a Catena published not many years ago by our Dr. CRAMER, Principal of New Inn Hall, which exhibit the older text (the former half of a second Catena, compiled by Niketas, Archbishop of Heraclea in Thrace in the eleventh century, and published by the same Dr. Cramer, appears to use both); and, of yet more importance, in Latin versions.

Cassiodorus, an Italian, who lived about 150 years after St. Chrysostom, in the earlier part of his treatise, de Institutione Divinarum Litterarum, cap. 8. (opp. t. ii. p. 543, ed. Rotom. 1679) in describing a volume of St. Paul's Epistles, in which 13 of the Epistles had a good commentary, goes on, "But in regard to the Epistle to the Hebrews which St. John Bishop of Constantinople treated of in Greek in 34 homilies, we have caused Mutianus, a most eloquent man, to translate them into Latin, that the order of the Epistles might not be unduly broken off."

To Cassiodorus then we owe the Latin version of Mutianus which has come down to us, and which, translated from the older form of text, has been a great assistance in the editing. It is often quoted in the foot-notes. In p. 167 there is also given an extract from the 13th Homily by Facundus, an African Bishop, who lived about the same time with Mutianus, but who apparently translated the passage into Latin for himself.

The short-hand writer, who took down these Homilies and thus preserved them to us, is not unknown to us. It is St. Chrysostom's dearly-loved friend the Priest Constantine or Constantius.3 For the title is, "Homilies of St. John Chrysostom Archbishop of Constantinople on the Epistle to the Hebrews, published after his decease, from notes by Constantine, Presbyter of Antioch."

1 See an animadversion of St. Cyril Alex. on those who committed to writing other people's sermons and thus preserved what might have been less deliberately uttered as though it had been thoroughly well weighed. De Ador. viii. t. i. 267. See also the constantly occurring expressions in St. Augustine, which belong to the natural extemporaneous delivery, but which would be untrue in the delivery of written sermons. The Preface to the first volume of St. Augustine on St. John, in this Library, written by the Rev. H. Browne, contains interesting details of St. Augustine's preaching. Fleury remarks of Atticus, Archbishop of Constantinople, in the beginning of the fifth century, just after St. Chrysostom's decease, "His sermons were indifferent, so that no one took the trouble to take them down in writing." Fleury, Eccles. Hist. xxii. 9, p. 133, Oxford translation. The extract, however, which St. Cyril has preserved of Atticus (de recta fide ad Arcadiam Marinamque, repeated in his Apol. adv. Episcopos Orientales, cap. 4) is eloquent and pious.

2 Dr. Cramer had published this from the Paris MS. Cod. Reg. 238, which contains the first half only: but the whole catena is extant in the Library of St. Ambrose at Milan (E. 63 part inf.).

3 Montfaucon observes that the Manuscripts frequently interchange the name.