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

NPNF (V1-14)St. Chrysostom456What is “and having our bodies washed with pure water”? With water which makes pure; orwhich has no blood.Then he adds the perfect thing, love. “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together,”which some (he says) do, and divide the assemblies. 3158 For “a brother helped by a brother is asa strong city.” ( Prov. xviii. 19 , LXX.)“But let us consider one another to provoke unto love.” What is, “let us consider one another”?For instance if any be virtuous, let us imitate him, let us look on him so as to love and to be loved.For from Love good works proceed. For the assembling is a great good: since it makes love morewarm; and out of love all good things arise. For nothing is good which is not done through love.[4.] This then let us “confirm” 3159 towards each other. “For love is the fulfilling of the law.” (Rom. xiii. 10 .) We have no need of labors or of sweatings if we love one another. It is a pathwayleading of itself towards virtue. For as on the highway, if any man find the beginning, he is guidedby it, and has no need of one to take him by the hand; so is it also in regard to Love: only lay holdon the beginning, and at once thou art guided and directed by it. “Love worketh no ill to hisneighbor” ( Rom. xiii. 10 ); “thinketh no evil.” ( 1 Cor. xiii. 5 .) Let each man consider withhimself, how he is disposed toward himself. He does not envy himself; he wishes all good thingsfor himself; he prefers himself before all; he is willing to do all things for himself. If then we wereso disposed towards others also, all grievous things are brought to an end; there is no enmity; thereis no covetousness: for who would choose to overreach himself? No man; but on the contrary weshall possess all things in common, and shall not cease assembling ourselves together. And if wedo this, the remembrance of injuries would have no place: for who would choose to rememberinjuries against himself? Who would choose to be angry with himself? Do we not make allowancesfor ourselves most of all? If we were thus disposed towards our neighbors also, there will never beany remembrance of injuries.And how is it possible (you say) that one should so love his neighbor as himself? If others hadnot done this, you might well think it impossible: but if they have done it, it is plain that fromindolence it is not done by ourselves.And besides, Christ enjoins nothing impossible, seeing that many have even gone beyond Hiscommands. Who has done this? Paul, Peter, all the company of the Saints. Nay, indeed if I say thatthey loved their neighbors, I say no great matter: they so loved their enemies as no man would lovethose who were likeminded with himself. For who would choose for the sake of those likeminded,to go away into Hell. when he was about to depart unto a kingdom? No man. But Paul chose thisfor the sake of his enemies, for those who stoned him, those who scourged him. What pardon thenwill there be for us, what excuse, if we shall not show towards our friends even the very smallestportion of that love which Paul showed towards his enemies?And before him too, the blessed Moses was willing to be blotted out of God’s book for the sakeof his enemies who had stoned him. David also when he saw those who had stood up against himslain, saith, “I, the shepherd, have sinned, but these, what have they done?” (See 2 Sam. xxiv. 17.) And when he had Saul in his hands, he would not slay him, but saved him; and this when hehimself would be in danger. But if these things were done under the Old [Covenant] what excuse3158[The English edition here inserts, “ This he forbids them [to do], ” from τοῦτο αὐτοῖς ἀπαγορεύει of the Benedictinetext, supported by some mss. , but omitted by Mr. Field.—F.G.]3159See 2 Cor. ii. 8660