COMMENTARIES ON SCRIPTURE.

[Of the sound and practical character of St. Chrysostom's Commentaries on the Books of the Sacred Scripture, we have already had occasion to speak. In the words of an eminent Critic; "He expounded the Holy Scriptures easily, because naturally, and according to their plain and obvious sense, a happy talent, almost peculiar to himself: the predominant taste, if we do not call it perversion, of that age, being to wire-draw Scripture into allegory, and to hunt for mystical and far-fetched allusions, which when found were of no practical value. St. Chrysostom takes the plain sense as it offers itself, carrying it out, and illustrating it by some short but pregnant remarks, and concluding with some exhortation adapted to the exigency of the time and the wants of his auditory. We give one or two short examples of his manner.]

CHRIST STILLING THE TEMPEST.

'And Jesus entering into the ship, his disciples followed him. And behold, a great tempest arose in the sea, so that the ship was covered with waves: and He was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awaked him, saying: Lord, save us, we perish !' (Matt. viii. 23, &c.) Before exerting his power in calming the tempest, he rebukes their want of faith. This storm was but a trial permitted by Him, as a proof of their virtue. It was to forewarn them of the temptations to which they would be exposed,

and to teach them a lesson as to the spirit with which they should encounter them. Desirous of teaching his disciples how they were to cast themselves upon His providence, at the moment the waves raged with the greatest fury, and that all was but part and portion of the divine economy, He begins by rebuking their want of faith. When the waves were raging with the greatest fury, and their fears were at the greatest height, He exhibits a striking testimony of his Omnipotence, calculated to produce an indelible impression upon their minds. It was only at the moment they were abandoning themselves to despair that he comes to their rescue. He did so, that they might feel more sensibly the benefit of their deliverance contrasted with the fearful peril they had escaped.

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And Jesus saith to them: Why are you fearful, O ye of little faith?' Let it not surprise you to see his disciples in need of such a rebuke; many will be the miracles performed by their Divine master, ere He obtain this last triumph over their weakness. On more than one occasion is He obliged to reprove them for a want of understanding. words they now utter, if a proof of their admiration, also bespeak their little faith: What manner of man is this; for even the winds and the sea obey Him?' They see Him enter into the ship, and fall asleep like any other man; and they might have come to the conclusion that He was nothing more. But on beholding Him command with such authority the angry sea, and calm the waves by a single word, they could do no other than conclude that he was God.

They might have compared the miracles of Jesus Christ to those of Moses; but, unlike the Jewish law

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giver, He has no need of stretching forth his rod, or of raising his hands to heaven in prayer. He speaks as a Sovereign intimating his will to his subject, as a Creator exacting obedience from his creature. At a word of His, the angry sea is appeased, and there is a great calm. It was said of the Eternal Father, to mark his omnipotence: He said the word, and there arose a storm, and the waves were lifted up.' The power manifested by the Son of God, is not less striking.

CHRIST AND THE CANAANITISH WOMAN.

If we ourselves be indolent, we cannot obtain salvation through the aid of others; but if we be watchful, we may obtain it, and through ourselves rather than through others. For God had rather bestow his grace upon ourselves, than upon others for us; that we, being desirous to appease his wrath, may have confidence in Him, and become amended. Thus had he compassion upon the woman of Canaan; thus did he forgive the sins of the woman, who washed his feet with her tears, thus did he accord salvation to the thief upon the cross, without any mediator or patron. I do not say these things, to prevent your supplicating the saints, but that ye may be neither negligent nor faint-hearted, nor, falling asleep, entrust to others the things which belong only to yourselves.'-In another discourse he says: "Ye need no mediator, with God; ye need not to run to and fro and flatter others. If ye even be deserted and have no intercessor, and only through yourselves call upon God, ye will be

surely heard. God is not wont to hear so readily, when He is invoked for us by others, as when ourselves invoke Him, though we should be weighed down by a heavy burden of sins. For though we should have wronged men ever so much, we easily soften their displeasure by appearing before them morning, noon, and evening; how much more then should we not act thus towards God? Ye say, that ye are unworthy; then become worthy by constant prayer. For that the unworthy man may by constant prayer become worthy; that God heareth sooner, when he is called upon by ourselves, than when he is called upon by others for us; and that he often delayeth the gift, not to make us despair, and to dismiss us with empty hands, but to accord to us still greater gifts ;-these three points I will endeavor to explain to you by the history of the Canaanitish woman, which has this day been read to you. A certain woman of Canaan came unto Christ, beseeching him to have compassion upon her daughter, crying aloud unto him: Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.' Behold a strange woman, a barbarian, without the kingdom of the Jews and yet by her continued entreaties she was made worthy. Christ not only bestowed upon her the kingdom of the children of God, after having shortly before likened her to a dog, but he dismissed her with much praise: Oh woman, great is thy faith be it unto thee even as thou wilt.' But if Christ say Great is thy faith;' seek no other I proof of the greatness of her soul. Secondly, let us learn hence, that we can effect more by prayer through ourselves, than through others. When she had cried out, the Apostles came and besought him

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saying: Send her away; for she crieth after us.' But he answered and said: I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the House of Israel.' But when she herself came, and persevered, saying: 'Yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master's table,' then he granted her request and said: 'Oh! woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt.' And, thirdly, he replied not to her request at first; but when she came a second and a third time, he granted her request, and thereby taught us, that he postponed the gift, not in order to refuse it her, but that the perseverance of the woman should be made known to us all. Ye only hear the words of Christ; I read his thoughts. I know what He might have said: I will not that the treasure within her soul be concealed. I wait and am silent, that it may be revealed, and made manifest to every one."

EXTRACTS FROM ST. CHRYSOSTOM'S LETTERS.

To Theodorus, Governor of Syria.

A good father, far from taking it amiss that his son applies his mind to the study of true wisdom, is filled with joy at beholding it. Far from regretting that your son is no longer under your eyes, that he is far from his country, and from the roof of his fathers, you have taught yourself to consider him as drawing nigher to you, in proportion as he advances in knowledge and virtue. You have my best acknowledgements for this. And yet I cannot withhold my surprise, that, after having presented