Homilies on the Gospel of St. John and the Epistle to the Hebrews

NPNF (V1-14)St. Chrysostomthem is not a fault of nature, but of deliberate choice. For so he who meddles with fire must needsbe injured, so wills the weakness of our nature; yet nature does not therefore draw us to the fireand to the injury thence arising; this can be only from deliberate perversity. I beseech you, therefore,to remove and correct this fault, that you may not of your own accord cast yourself down theprecipice, nor thrust yourselves into the pits of wickedness, nor run of yourselves to the blaze, lestwe place ourselves in jeopardy of the fire prepared for the devil. May it come to pass, that we allbeing delivered both from this fire and from that, may go to the very bosom of Abraham, throughthe grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom and with whom, to the Father andHoly Ghost, be glory for ever and ever. Amen.66Homily XIX.John i. 41, 42“ He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, whichis, being interpreted, the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus.”[1.] When God in the beginning made man, He did not suffer him to be alone, but gave himwoman for a helpmate, and made them to dwell together, knowing that great advantage wouldresult from this companionship. What though the woman did not rightly employ this benefit? stillif any one make himself fully acquainted with the nature of the matter, he will see, that to the wisegreat advantage arises from this dwelling together; not in the cause of wife or husband only, but ifbrothers do this, they also shall enjoy the benefit. Wherefore the Prophet hath said, “What is good,what is pleasant, but that brethren should dwell together?” ( Ps. cxxxiii. 1 , LXX.) And Paulexhorted not to neglect the assembling of ourselves together. ( Heb. x. 25 .) In this it is that wediffer from beasts, for this we have built cities, and markets, and houses, that we may be unitedone with another, not in the place of our dwelling only, but by the bond of love. For since our naturecame imperfect 493 from Him who made it, and is not self-sufficient, 494 God, for our advantage,ordained that the want hence existing should be corrected by the assistance arising from mutualintercourse; so that what was lacking in one should be supplied by another, 495 and the defectivenature thus be rendered self-sufficient; as, for instance, that though made mortal, 496 it should bysuccession for a long time maintain immortality. I might have gone into this argument at greaterlength, to show what advantages arise to those who come together from genuine and pure 497493ἐ νδεὴς .494αὐτάρκης .495 Ben. Morel. and ms. in Bodl. read the passage thus: “For this cause also marriage is arranged, in order that what iswanting,” &c.496καθάπερ οὖν καὶ θνητὴν γενομένην . Ben. and ms. in Bodl. read, ὡ ς αὔτην ἔχειν και θ. γ .497εἰλικρινοῦς .104