HOMILY XIV.

XIV.

CHAP. iv. 25-27. Wherefore, putting away lying, speak HOMIL. every man truth with his neighbour; for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not; let not the sun go down upon your wrath: neither give place to the devil.

Having spoken of the old man generally, he next draws him also in detail; for this kind of teaching, where we learn by particulars, is more instructive. And what saith he? Wherefore, putting away lying. What sort of lying? Idols does he mean? Surely not; not indeed but that they are lies' also. However, he is not now speaking of them, because these persons had nothing to do with them; but he is speaking of that which passes between one man and another, meaning, that which is guileful and hollow. Speak every man, saith he, truth with his neighbour; then what is more touching to the conscience still; because we are members one of another, let no man deceive his neighbour. As the Psalmist says here and there; With flattering lips and a Ps.12,2. double heart do they speak. For there is nothing, no, nothing so productive of enmity as deceit and guile.

Observe how every where he shames them by this similitude of the body. Let not the eye, saith he, lie to the foot, nor the foot to the eye. For example, if there shall be a deep pit, and then by having reeds laid across upon the mouth of it upon the earth, it shall on the surface present to the eye an appearance of solid ground, will not the eye use the foot, and discover whether it yields and is hollow underneath, or whether it is firm and resists? Will the foot tell a lie, and not report the truth as it is? And what again? If the eye were to spy a serpent or a wild beast, will it lie to the foot?

254 S. Paul prohibits us from sinning, advises us if we sin.

EPHES. Will it not at once inform it, and the foot thus informed by
IV. 27. it refrain from going on? And what again, when neither the

foot nor the eye shall know how to distinguish, but all shall
depend upon the smelling, as, for example, whether a drug
be deadly or not; will the smelling lie to the mouth? No.
And why not? Because it will be destroying itself also. But
it tells the truth as it appears to itself. And what again. Will
the tongue lie to the stomach? Does it not, when a thing is
bitter, reject it, and, if it is sweet, pass it on? Observe
ministration, and interchange of service; observe a pro-
vident care arising from truth, and, as one might say,
spontaneously from the heart. So surely should it be with
us also; let us not lie, since we are members one of another.
This is a sure token of friendship; whereas the contrary is
of enmity. What then, thou wilt ask, if a man shall use
treachery against thee? Hearken to the truth.
If he use
treachery, he is not a member; whereas he saith, lie not
towards the members.

Be ye angry, and sin not.

Observe his wisdom. He both speaks to prevent our sinning, and, if we do not listen, still does not forsake us; for he never suffers his spiritual yearnings to desert him. For just as the physician prescribes to the sick what he must do, and if he does not submit to it, still does not give him up notwithstanding, but proceeding to add what advice he can by persuasion, again goes on with the cure; so also does Paul. For he indeed who does otherwise, aims only at reputation, and is annoyed at being disregarded; whereas he who on all occasions aims at the recovery of the patient, has this single object in view, how he may restore the patient, and raise him up again. This then is what Paul is doing. He has said, Lie not. Yet if ever lying should produce anger, he goes on again to cure this also. For what saith he? Be ye angry, and sin not. It were good indeed never to be angry. Yet if ever any one should fall into passion, still let him not fall into so great a degree. For let not the sun, saith he, go down upon your wrath. Wouldest thou have thy fill of anger? One hour, or two, or three, is enough for thee; let not the sun depart, and leave you both at enmity. It was of

To quarrel with our brethren is to break rank and admit the Foe. 255

XIV.

God's goodness that he rose; let him not depart, having shone HoMIL. on men unworthy of it. For if the Lord of His great goodness sent him, and hath Himself forgiven thee thy sins, and yet thou forgivest not thy neighbour, look, how great an evil is this! And there is yet another besides this. Blessed Paul dreads the night, lest overtaking in solitude him that is wronged, still burning with anger, it should again kindle up the fire. For as long as there are many things in the day-time to banish it, thou art free to indulge it; but as soon as ever the evening comes on, be reconciled, extinguish the evil whilst it is yet fresh; for should night overtake it, the morrow will not avail to extinguish the further evil which will have been collected in the night. Nay, even though thou shouldest cut off the greater portion, and yet not be able to eradicate the whole, it will again supply a part of what is left for the following night, to make the blaze more violent. And just as, should the sun be unable by the heat of the day to soften and disperse those particles of air, which have been formed during the night and condensed into cloud, they afford material for a tempest, night overtaking the remainder, and feeding it again with fresh vapours: so also is it in the case of anger.

Neither give place to the devil.

So then to be at war with one another, is to give place to the devil; for, whereas we had need to be all in close array, and to make our stand against him, we have relaxed our enmity against him, and are giving the signal for turning against each other; for never has the devil such place as in our enmities. Numberless are the evils thence produced. And as stones in a building, so long as they are closely fitted together and leave no interstice, will stand firm, while if there is but a single needle's passage through, or a crevice no broader than a hair, this destroys and ruins all; so is it with us and the devil. So long indeed as we are closely set and compacted together, he cannot introduce one of his wiles; but the moment a gap is made, he rushes in like a torrent. In every case he needs only a beginning, and this is the thing which it is difficult to accomplish; but this done, he makes room on all sides himself. For henceforth he opens the ear to

256

Means of overcoming anger.

EPHES. slanders, and they who speak lies are the more trusted for

IV. 28.

:

they have enmity which plays the advocate, not truth which
judges. And as, where friendship is, even those evils which are
true appear false, so where there is enmity, even the false
appear true. There is a different judgment, a different
tribunal, which does not hear fairly, but with great bias and
partiality. As, in a balance, if lead is cast into the scale, it
will drag down the whole; so is it also here, only that the
weight of enmity is far heavier than any lead. Wherefore,
let us, I beseech you, do all we can to extinguish our
enmities before the going down of the sun. For if you fail to
master it on the very first day, both on the following, and
oftentimes even for a year, you will be protracting it, and the
enmity will thenceforward augment itself, and require nothing
to aid it. For by causing us to suspect that words spoken in
one sense were meant in another, and gestures also, and
every thing, it infuriates and exasperates us, and makes
us more distempered than madmen, not enduring either
to utter a name, or to hear it, but saying every thing in
invective and abuse. How then are we to allay this passion?
How shall we extinguish the flame? By reflecting on our
own sins, and how much we have to answer for to God; by
reflecting that we are wreaking vengeance, not on an enemy,
but on ourselves; by reflecting that we are delighting the
devil, delighting our enemy, our real enemy, and that for
him we are doing wrong to our own members. Wouldest
thou be revengeful and be at enmity? Bé at enmity, but be
so with the devil, and not with a member of thine own. For
this
it is that God hath armed us with anger, not
purpose
that we should thrust the sword against our own bodies, but
that we should plunge the whole blade in the devil's breast.
There bury the sword up to the hilt; yea, if thou wilt, hilt
and all, and never draw it out again, but add yet another
and another. And this we shall do by being merciful to
ourselves, by being peaceably disposed one towards another.
Perish money, perish glory and reputation; mine own
member is dearer to me than them all. Thus let us say to
ourselves; let us not do violence to our own nature to gain
wealth, to obtain glory.

Ver. 28. Let him that stole, saith he, steal no more.

Guilt of stealing washed away by charitable giving. 257

XIV.

Seest thou what are the members of the old man? Falsehood, HOMIL. revenge, theft. Why said he not, let him that stole be punished, be tortured, be racked; but, let him steal no more?

But rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

Where are they which are called pure", they that are full of xalagol. all defilement, and yet dare to give themselves a name like this? For it is possible, very possible, to put off the reproach, not only by ceasing from the sin, but by working some good thing also. Perceive ye how we ought to get quit of the sin? They stole. This is to commit the sin. They steal no more. This is not to do away the sin. But how shall they? If they labour, and charitably communicate to others, thus will they do away the sin. He does not simply desire that we should work, but so work as to labour, so as that we may communicate to others. For the thief indeed works, but it is that which is evil.

Ver. 29. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth.

36.

Col. 3,8.

What is corrupt speech? That which is said elsewhere to be also idle, backbiting, filthy communication, jesting, Mat.12, foolish talking. See ye how he is cutting up the very roots 2 Cor. of anger? Lying, theft, unseasonable conversation. The 12, 20. words, however, Let him steal no more, he does not say so Eph. 5, much excusing them, as to pacify the injured parties, and to recommend them to be content, if they never suffer the like again. And well too does he give advice concerning con

a The Cathari, or pure, was the title which the Novatians indirectly assumed by maintaining, that none were in God's favour but those who had not sinned after baptism, or who were pure as baptism made them, and by separating from the Church for granting absolution to penitents. The schism originated at Rome in the middle of the third century. Accordingly St. Chrysostom in the text says, that whereas all men need pardon continually, they who affected to be clean or pure without securing it, were, as being without it, of all men most unclean. In the sixth of eleven new Homilies edited by the Benedictines, t. xii. p. 355, he says, that we may as well talk of the sea being clear of waves

S

as any soul pure from daily sins, though
not from transgressing express com-
mandment, yet from vain-glory, wilful-
ness, impure thoughts, coveting, lying,
resentment, envy, &c. and he mentions
as means of washing away sins, coming
to Church, grieving for them, confessing
them, doing alms, praying, helping
the injured, and forgiving injuries.
"Let us provide ourselves with these,"
he proceeds, "every day, washing,
wiping ourselves clean, and withal
confessing ourselves unprofitable,"
," un-
like the Pharisee. "Thus ordering
ourselves, we shall be able to find
mercy and pardon in that fearful
day, &c." This Homily was delivered
at Constantinople.

4.