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

NPNF (V1-14)St. Chrysostom46supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God.” ( 2 Cor.ix. 12 .) And again; “Whiles they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the Gospel ofChrist, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men; and by their prayer for you,which long after you.” Dost thou behold it 359 resolving itself into thanksgiving and praise of God,and continual prayers of those who have been benefited, and more fervent charity? Let us thensacrifice, beloved, let us sacrifice every day upon these altars. For this sacrifice is greater thanprayer and fasting, and many things beside, if only it come from honest gain, and honest toils, andbe pure from all covetousness, and rapine, and violence. For God accepts such 360 offerings as these,but the others He turns away from and hates; He will not be honored out of other men’s calamities,such sacrifice is unclean and profane, and would rather anger God than appease Him. So that wemust use all carefulness, that we do not, in the place of service, insult Him whom we would honor.For if Cain for making a second-rate offering, 361 having done no other wrong, suffered extremepunishment, how shall not we when we offer anything gained by rapine and covetousness, sufferyet more severely. It is for this that God has shown to us the pattern 362 of this commandment, thatwe might have mercy, not be severe to our fellow-servants; but he who takes what belongs to oneand gives it to another, hath not shown mercy, but inflicted hurt, and done an extreme injustice. Asthen a stone cannot yield oil, so neither can cruelty produce humanity; for alms when it has sucha root as this is alms 363 no longer. Therefore I exhort that we look not to this only, that we give tothose that need, but also that we give not from other men’s plunder. “When one prayeth, and anothercurseth, whose voice will the Lord hear?” ( Ecclus. xxxiv. 24 .) If we guide ourselves thus strictly,we shall be able by the grace of God to obtain much lovingkindness and mercy and pardon for whatwe have done amiss during all this long time, and to escape the river of fire; from which may itcome to pass that we be all delivered, and 364 ascend to the Kingdom of Heaven, through the graceand lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, beglory for ever and ever. Amen.Homily XIV.John i. 16“And of His fullness have all we received, and grace for grace.”[1.] I said the other day, that John, to resolve the doubts of those who should question withthemselves how the Lord, though He came after to the preaching, became before and more glorious359the “service,” λειτουργία .360 al. “only such.”361τὰ δευτερεῖα προσενεγκών . St. Chrysostom implies, that the offering of Cain was not of his best.362εἶδος .363ἐ λεημοσύνη , (lit. “mercifulness,”) whence our alms .364 Morel. “sit down in the heavenly bride-chamber.”75