sions of rest and glory, that "where he is, there they may be also." Shall we not revere the King of kings and Lord of lords? Shall we not love the Saviour who washed us from our sins in his blood; the Intercessor, who never ceases his merciful pleadings for us; the mighty Deliverer, who is preparing for us victory over death and the grave, eternal rest and felicity? Oh, let us not refuse him our reverence and homage, lest he avenge himself on us as adversaries. Let us not refuse him our warmest love, lest the sin of ingratitude weigh us to perdition. Contemplating habitually, his gracious character and offices; placing all our hopes of acceptance on his merits; and all our ability, to do that which is good, on his grace; invoking him for spiritual succour; imitating his example; governed by his laws; seeking his glory and honour; revering him as great and powerful, and loving him as merciful and good,-whatsoever we do in word, or in deed, let us do all things in his name.

It is a most important inquiry whether you thus do all things in the name of your Lord and Master. Is he, in his gracious character and offices, the object of your serious and devout contemplations? In the retirement of your closets, and in the midst of the necessary occupations of the world, do your hearts often turn to the view of your Saviour; of some excellence in his character, some endearing relation which he sustains towards you, some mournful scene in his humiliation, some deed of triumph and of glory? When your sins oppress you, do you ease your souls of the burden, by casting it on him, who came to bear the iniquities of his people? When temptations assail you; when the world, the flesh, and the devil, the enemies of your souls, encompass you; do you go forth to the contest in the strength of the Lord Jesus? As the author of illumination, of sanctification, of comfort, and of victory, do you

invoke his almighty "name?" The spotless example which he has set, do you imitate? the holy laws which he has prescribed, do you endeavour to obey? his honour do you seek to advance? supreme reverence and love do you render to him?

his

Alas-not to mention those who make light of, or, farther advanced in the career of impiety, blaspheme, that holy "name" whereby they are called, how many among those, who profess themselves Christians, fall short of the spirit of the injunction of doing all things in his name! In the thoughts of how many, occupied by worldly pursuits and pleasures, does he only occasionally find a place! How many fail in that lively faith in his merits, and dependence on grace, which are among the most important marks of doing all things in his name! Where is the heart, which fervently and supremely invokes him for illumination, sanctification, comfort, and strength? Where is the life which uniformly exhibits the lustre of his example, an entire conformity to his laws? Where is the Christian always devoted to his honour, and rendering him supreme reverence and love? Alas! we all fall short of the spirit of the precept of doing all things in the name of our Divine Lord and Master. And yet, were he some illustrious human personage, armed with power to punish, with honours to reward; elevated in talents, distinguished by virtue; how sedulous should we be in cultivating his favour, in imitating his virtues-how devoted to his service

how watchful of his fame-how grateful for his honours! "Above every name that is named in heaven and in earth," is the "name of Jesus;" above all human virtue, his spotless perfection; above all human rewards, the felicity which he dispenses-tremendous, beyond all human punishment, the vengeance which he inflicts on his adversaries. Act then consistently with your profession, and do all

things in his name. Habitually contemplate his character and offices; trust to his merits and his grace; invoke his power; follow his footsteps; obey his injunctions; seek supremely his honour; and revere and love him with your whole hearts. The vengeance, with which the Saviour will vindicate his insulted glories, you shall escape; the rewards of bliss and immortality shall be yours. Exalted to that "place whither he has gone before," you shall see him as he is. His name," his grace, his power, his mercy, his perfection, shall be the subject of your contemplation through eternal ages; and fill you with increasing and unspeakable rapture and joy*.

66

CHRYSOSTOM'S THIRD HOMILY, DE

STATUIS.

Upon the journey which Flavian, Bishop of Antioch, undertook, when he went as an ambassador for the city, to the Emperor Theodosius, respecting the insult offered to his statues; and that with God the priesthood is greater than the kingdom, for which reason they ought to be of good courage; also, wherein true fasting consists, and why the Ninevites made even the beasts to fast; also, that it is worse to accuse than to devour human flesh; concluding with observations respecting those who were put to death for this sedition, and those who complained that many of the innocent were condemned.

reverend father present among us. I rejoice, because he is gone for our preservation, to deliver so many people from the wrath of their sovereign. This is an honour both to you and to him: to you, it is an honour to have such a father: it is honourable to him that he is so affectionate towards his spiritual offspring, and has confirmed and exemplified those words of Christ, "The good shepherd layeth down his life for the sheep." He has heard those words, therefore he is gone to lay down his life for you all. Yet were there many impediments to obstruct his departure, many urgent reasons for remaining at home: in the first place, his years, fast verging to extreme old age, then his infirm health, the season of the year, the necessity of (his presence at) the (approaching) sacred festival, and, besides, his only sister lying at the point of death: nevertheless, he disregarded the ties of kindred, his own age and infirmities, the inconveniences of the season, and the hardships of a long journey: preferring you and your deliverance before all these considerations, he has broken through all difficulties, and, now, like a youth, this aged man starts forth, winged by his own alacrity and zeal.

He reasoned thus: Since Christ delivered himself up for us, what excuse for us can there be, what hope of pardon, if we that have been appointed to preside over such a (numerous) people, refuse to do or suffer aught for the security of those committed to our trust? For if, as he further observed, the patriarch Jacob, who was entrusted with flocks of sheep, and had to give an account of them to a man, passed sleepless nights, and endured the vicissitudes of extreme heat and cold in that unequal climate, in order that he might not lose any of his cattle, much less ought we, who have had sheep committed to our care, not devoid of reason, but, spiritual and immortal,-we, who have to render an account of our

charge, not to man, but to God, much less ought we to shrink from any service that might be beneficial to (our) flock. But by how much this flock is more excellent than the other, man than the brute creation, and God than man, by so much ought our zeal and forwardness to be more abundant and more vehement. He well knew that he had now to plead, not for one city only, but for all the East; for our city is the metropolis of the East: he there fore exposed himself to various dangers, and could by no considerations be prevailed on (to desist from his journey) and remain at home. Hence I augur well, and entertain favourable hopes; for God will not disregard such zeal as this, nor suffer his servant to return without effecting his purpose: I am assured, that merely by entering into the presence of this pious monarch, he will be able by his very appearance to avert his anger (from us); for not only the words of holy men, but the very sight of them, operates with a spiritual and gracious energy. Moreover, being endued with much wisdom, and well versed in the holy Scriptures, he will say to him what Moses said to God (Exod. xxxii. 32.) "If thou wilt forgive their sin; and if not, kill me also with them." Such is the strength of parental affection in holy men; they esteem it a greater pleasure to die with their children than to live without them. He will also deduce an argument in our favour from the season of the year: he will urge the Paschal solemnity, and remind him that this was the time when Christ remitted the sins of the whole world: he will exhort him to imitate the Lord. He will remind him also of the parable of the ten thousand talents, and the hundred pence. I know our father's boldness of spirit: he will not shrink from the task; he will alarm him by this pa

⚫ Blot me out of thy book which thou hast written so the Septuagint and our translators.

rable, and say, Beware, lest thou also in that day (of retribution) hear (such a sentence as this pronounced against thee), "O wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt because thou desirest me, and thou also shouldest have forgiven thy fellowservants." Remember also, that thou wilt confer a greater benefit on thyself than on them; for in forgiving a few, thou receivest an amnesty for many offences. In addition to these considerations, he will urge upon him that prayer which he was taught to offer up when (first admitted to the sacred mysteries of the Eucharist,) Matt. vi. 12. " Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." After this he will inform him that this sedition was not the act of the city at large, but of certain strangers who had no fixed and regular residence among us; audacious and lawless men, acting without any deliberate plan or purpose; and it were unjust, that so great a city should be razed for the folly of a few, and punishments inflicted on those who had committed no offence. Even if all had been guilty, they would have already suffered a sufficient punishment, having been harassed for so many days with constant alarms, and kept in continual expectation of death, (then) driven out (from their houses), become fugitives (and wanderers) more wretched even than men under sentence of death, being ever on the stretch to guard a life that is in eminent peril*, yet without

Το άιμα εν ταις χερσι βασαζοντες. Ι do not understand this phrase, unless it who is in imminent danger of losing his mean the anxious carefulness of a man life,as expressed in Psalm cxix. 109,xn με εν ταις χερσι με διαπαντος. The Sept. has

; Grotius observes, that they changed μs which is peculiar to the Hebrews; and into from not understanding this phrase Casaubon is cited in Poole's Syn. as having never met with any thing of the kind in Greek and Roman writers, one instance alone excepted (Athænio). Judges xii. 3. Jephtha says, nxx TY TN M εν χειρι με και παρήλθον προς ύιους Αμμον, as he went to fight: the meaning of this expression is clear,

the cheering hope that they shall be able to preserve it. Be content [will he say to our sovereign] with having already inflicted such a punishment as this; carry your resentment no further; make the Supreme Judge propitious to yourself by gentleness to your fellow-servants. Consider the magnitude of the city; that we are not now deliberating about one, or two, or three, or ten souls, but many myriads, about the principal city of the whole world: this is the city in which men were first called Christians; do homage to Christ; respect a city which was the first to proclaim [to the Gentile world] that venerated name so dear to us all. Apostles dwelt there; here was the abode of the just; this is the first and only offence she ever committed against her rulers; past ages bear testimony to the pacific temper of this city. If, indeed, tumults had frequently occurred, the inhabitants would have been condemned justly for such flagitious disorder, but since this has happened but once in many ages, it is manifestly to be imputed not to any fault in the habitual disposition of the city itself, but to the illegal proceedings and blind temerity of mere intruders.

These things the priest will urge, and more than these, with a (temperate) boldness of speech; these things our sovereign will hear: the former eminent for philanthropy, the latter also of a beneficent disposition; so that on both sides there are grounds for indulging favourable hopes: yet not so much in the faith of our father and teacher, not so much in the beneficence of our sovereign, do we trust, as in the mercy of our God. We trust in this, above and before (all things), that when the emperor receives our supplication, and the priest presents it, and intercedes for us, God will himself be present to soften the prince's heart, and wake the tongue of the priest to give him a ready utterance, and prepare the mind of the other to receive

his words, and grant the petition with an indulgent facility. For of all cities, ours is the most beloved by Christ, both for the virtue of your ancestors and your own; and as Peter was the first of the Apostles who preached Christ, so, as I before observed, ours was the first city that assumed the Christian name, and planted it on his brow as a crown of glory. And if where there should be only ten righteous persons, God promised that he would for their sakes spare all the rest of the inhabitants, where there are not only ten, or twenty, or twice that number, but many more who serve God faithfully, may we not expect a happy issue out of our afflictions, and look for the preservation of all our lives with confidence?

I have heard many say with a sorrowful and dejected air, "The threatening of a king is like the rage of a lion." [So the Septuagint, Prov. xx. 2; but in our translation, "The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion;" see also Prov. xix. 12.] What answer shall we give then? that he who has said, (Isaiah xi. 7.) "Wolves and lambs shall feed together, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox," will be able to make this lion also become a gentle lamb. To him therefore let us offer supplications, to him let us resort as (our own ambassadors), and he will entirely extinguish the king's wrath, and deliver us from the impending calamity. Yonder our spiritual father is our ambassador; here let us be ambassadors ourselves unto the King of heaven; let us assist him by our prayers: great will be the force of our united supplications, if we offer them with an afflicted soul, and a contrite heart: there is no occasion to cross the sea, or undertake a long journey; every man and every woman among us can call fervently upon God, both in our public assemblies and in domestic retirement, and he will assuredly assent to our peti

tions. How, you will say, does this appear? Because he greatly desires that we should be continually flying to him, should in all affairs make our requests to him, and neither do nor say any thing without him. If indeed we are continually troubling men with our own private affairs, they grow weary, draw back, and are out of humour with us; but with God it is altogether the contrary he takes it ill, not when we apply to him continually about our affairs, but when we neglect to do 50. Observe how he complains of the Jews on this account, (Isaiah xxx. 1.) "Ye have taken counsel, but not of me," and have made "alliances (so the Septuagint), but not by my Spirit :" and this is always the way with affectionate friends; they will bear an active part in the pursuits of those whom they love, and not even let them do or say any thing, without having some share in it themselves. Wherefore God also makes the same complaint in other parts of the Scriptures. Hosea viii. 4: "They have set up kings, but not by me; they have acted as sovereigns, or performed acts of sovereignty, and have not made it known to me." Let us not then be backward to take refuge with him; let us continually (resort to him); and whatever the calamity be, he will assuredly provide a suitable remedy. Has any man threatened and alarmed you ?* Hasten for shelter to

This whole passage, supposes that Chrysostom considered private prayer as being a most confidential and minute exposure of all our affairs, our necessities, dangers, and sufferings, both mental and corporeal, to God as to an affectionate Friend; which accords with the sentiments and practice of pious persons in our own day, who are generally esteemed enthusiasts by those who neglect this confidential opening of the heart to God, which no book can adequately effect, but extemLet them bear this porary prayer only. eensure with the more patience, now they see how particularly this holy father describes their case: συνεχως εντυγχάνωμεν αυτώ περί των ημετερον πραγμάτων. This one point of difference in private practice, is the real root of the most important differ

the Lord of all, and you shall suffer no harm. In this manner did the ancients deliver themselves from their troubles, both men and women: there was a Hebrew woman named Esther, who by these means delivered the whole Jewish nation when devoted to utter destruction: for when the king of Persia had issued orders for putting them all to death, and no one was able to stem this torrent of indignation, she laid aside her robes, and being clothed in sackcloth, with ashes spread under her, besought the most merciful God to go in with her unto the king, and thus she prayed: Make my words acceptable, O Lord,' "give me eloquent speech in my mouth." [Apochryphal Esth. xiv. 13; but the former clause I cannot find there.] The same petition let us now offer to our God on behalf of our bishop; and if this patroness of the Jewish nation was able to repress the wrath of a barbarian (monarch), much more will our pastor, who intercedes for such a city, and so great a congregation of believers, prevail with a mild and merciful prince; for if he has received authority to remit sins against God, much more will he be able to cancel those which are committed against a man. And he also is a ruler [as well as the emperor]; and the more venerable of the two, for into his hands the Divine laws have transferred a paramount authority, even over the sovereign* himself; and whenever any good thing is to be done, the prince (descending) from his high tion, has recourse to the priest, not

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