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

NPNF (V1-14)St. Chrysostomfire. “But,” saith some one, “the bystanders accuse us of weakness if we hold our peace.” No, theywill not condemn your weakness, but admire you for your wisdom. Moreover, if you are stung byinsolence, you become insolent; and being stung, compel men to think that what hath been said ofyou is true. Wherefore, tell me, doth a rich man laugh when he is called poor? Is it not because heis conscious that he is not poor? if therefore 1368 we will laugh at insults, we shall afford the strongestproof that we are not conscious of the faults alleged. Besides, how long are we to dread the accountswe render to men? how long are we to despise our common Lord, and be nailed to the flesh? “Forwhereas there is among you strife, and envying, and divisions, are ye not carnal?” ( 1 Cor. iii. 3.) Let us then become spiritual, and bridle this dreadful wild beast. Anger differs nothing frommadness, it is a temporary devil, or rather it is a thing worse than having a devil; for one that hatha devil may be excused, but the angry man deserves ten thousand punishments, voluntarily castinghimself into the pit of destruction, and before the hell which is to come suffering punishment fromthis already, by bringing a certain restless turmoil and never silent 1369 storm of fury, through allthe night and through all the day, upon the reasonings of his soul. Let us therefore, that we maydeliver ourselves from the punishment here and the vengeance hereafter, cast out this passion, andshow forth all meekness and gentleness, that we may find rest for our souls both here and in theKingdom of Heaven. To which may we all attain, through the grace and lovingkindness of our LordJesus Christ, by whom and with whom, to the Father and the Holy Spirit be glory, now and everand world without end. Amen.174Homily XLIX.John vii. 9, 10“When He had said these words unto them, He abode still in Galilee. But when His brethren weregone up, then went He up also unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.” 1370[1.] The things done 1371 by Christ after the manner of men, are not so done only to establishthe Incarnation, but also to educate us for virtue. For had He done all as God, how could we haveknown, on falling in with such things as we wished not, what we must do? As, for instance, whenHe was in this very place, and the Jews would have killed Him, He came into the midst of them,and so appeased the tumult. Now had He done this continually, how should we, not being able todo so, and yet falling into the like case, have known in what way we ought to deal with the matter,whether to perish at once, or even to use some contrivance 1372 in order that the word might go1368al. “ so also do ye; if rather. ”1369al. “ unbearable. ”1370al. “ but secretly. ”1371lit. “ dispensed. ”1372lit. “ economize somewhat. ”266