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

NPNF (V1-14)St. Chrysostom75an example at home, we do not, even thus, imitate our teachers. And this I say now, because I seemany heathens, 555 when we lead them to the faith and exhort them to become Christians, flying totheir kinsmen and ancestors and house, and saying, “All my relations and friends and companionsare faithful Christians.” What is that to thee, thou wretched and miserable? This very thing will beespecially thy ruin, that thou didst not respect the number of those around thee, and run to the truth.Others again who are believers but live a careless life, when exhorted to virtue make the very samedefense, and say, “my father and my grandfather and my great-grandfather were very pious andgood men.” But this will assuredly most condemn thee, that being descended from such men, thouhast acted unworthily of the root from whence thou art sprung. For hear what the Prophet says tothe Jews, “Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept (sheep)” ( Hos. xii. 12 ); and againChrist, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it, and was glad.” ( c. viii. 56.) And everywhere they bring forward 556 to them the righteous acts of their fathers, not only topraise them, but also to make the charge against their descendants more heavy. Knowing then this,let us use every means that we may be saved by our own works, lest having deceived ourselves byvain trusting on others, we learn that we have been deceived when the knowledge of it will profitus nothing. “In the grave,” saith David, “who shall give thee thanks?” ( Ps. vi. 5 .) Let us thenrepent here, that we may obtain the everlasting goods, which may God grant we all do, throughthe grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father and the Holy Ghostbe glory, for ever and ever. Amen.Homily XXII.John ii. 4“Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come.”[1.] In preaching the word there is some toil, and this Paul declares when he says, “Let theelders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labor in the word anddoctrine.” ( 1 Tim. v. 17 .) Yet it is in your power to make this labor light or heavy; for if youreject our words, or if without actually rejecting them you do not show them forth in your works,our toil will be heavy, because we labor uselessly and in vain: while if ye heed them and give proofof it by your works, we shall not even feel the toil, because the fruit produced by our labor will notsuffer the greatness of that labor to appear. So that if you would rouse our zeal, and not quench orweaken it, show us, I beseech you, your fruit, that we may behold the fields waving 557 with corn,555 lit. “Greeks.”556 al. “apply.”557κομῶντα .117