11. And first of all, let us discipline our tongue to be the minister of the grace of the Spirit, expelling from the mouth all virulence and malignity, and the practice of using disgraceful words. For it is in our power to make each one of our members an instrument of wickedness, or of righteousness. Hear then how men make the tongue an instrument, some of sin, others of righteousness! "Their tongue is a sharp sword." [1212] But another speaks thus of his own tongue: "My tongue [1213] is the pen of a ready writer." [1214] The former wrought destruction; the latter wrote the divine law. Thus was one a sword, the other a pen, not according to its own nature, but according to the choice of those who employed it. For the nature of this tongue and of that was the same, but the operation was not the same. And again, as to the mouth likewise, we may see this same thing. For these had a mouth full of filth and of wickedness, therefore against such it is said by way of accusation, "Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness;" [1215] not such was his, but "My mouth shall speak of wisdom, and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding." [1216] Again, there were others who had their hands full of iniquity, and accusing these he said, "Iniquities are in their hands, and their right hand is filled with gifts." [1217] But he himself had hands practised in nothing but in being stretched out towards heaven. Therefore he said of these too, "The lifting up of my hands (let it be) an evening sacrifice." [1218] The same may also be perceived with reference to the heart; for their heart indeed was foolish, but this man's was true; hence he speaks of them thus, "Their heart is vain;" but of his own, "My heart is inditing of a good matter." [1219] And as to the ear, one may see that the case is the same; for some have a sense of hearing like that of beasts, which is not to be charmed or moved to pity; and reproaching such the Psalmist says, "They are like the deaf adder, that stoppeth her ears." [1220] But his ear was the receptacle of the divine words, and this he again makes manifest, when he says, "I will incline mine ear to a parable, I will open my dark speech upon the harp." [1221]
12. Knowing these things then, let us fortify ourselves with virtue on all sides, and thus we shall avert the wrath of God, and let us make the members of the body instruments of righteousness; and let us discipline eyes, and mouth, and hands, and feet, and heart, and tongue, and the [1222] whole body, to be employed only in the service of virtue. And let us remember those three precepts, of which I discoursed [1223] to your Charity, exhorting you to consider no one as an enemy, nor to speak evil of any one of those who have aggrieved you; and to expel from your mouth the evil custom of oaths. And with respect to the two former precepts, we will discourse to you on another occasion; but we shall speak to you during the whole of the present week respecting oaths; thus beginning with the easier precept. For it is no labour at all to overcome the habit of swearing, if we would but apply a little endeavour, by reminding each other; by advising; by observing; and by requiring those who thus forget themselves, to render an account, and to pay the penalty. For what advantage shall we gain by abstinence from meats, if we do not also expel the evil habits of the soul? Lo, we have spent the whole of this day fasting; and in the evening we shall spread a table, not such as we did on yester-eve, but one of an altered and more solemn kind. [1224] Can any one of us then say that he has changed his life too this day; that he has altered his ill custom, as well as his food? Truly, I suppose not! Of what advantage then is our fasting? Wherefore I exhort, [1225] and I will not cease to exhort, that undertaking each precept separately, you should spend two or three days in the attainment of it; and just as there are some who rival one another in fasting, and shew a marvellous emulation in it; (some indeed who spend two whole days without food; and others who, rejecting from their tables not only the use of wine, and of oil, but of every dish, and taking only bread and water, persevere in this practice during the whole of Lent); so, indeed, let us also contend mutually with one another in abolishing the frequency [1226] of oaths. For this is more useful than any fasting; this is more profitable than any austerity. And this same care which we display in abstaining from food, let us exhibit with respect to abstinence from oaths; since we shall be chargeable with the reproach of extreme folly, while we regard not things that are forbidden, and expend all our care upon things indifferent; for to eat is not forbidden, but to swear is forbidden; we, however, abstaining from those things that are permitted, daringly venture upon those things that are forbidden! On this account I beseech your Charity to make some change, and to let the beginning of it be visible from this day. For if we spend the whole of the present fast with such zeal, having in this week attained the practice of not swearing at all; and in the following having extinguished wrath; and in that which succeeds it, having pulled up evil-speaking by the roots; and after that, having amended what yet remains; thus going forward in our course, we shall come by little and little to the very summit of virtue; and we shall escape the present danger; and shall make God propitious; and the multitude will come back again to our city; and we shall teach the fugitives that we are to place our hopes of safety neither in security of place, nor in flight and retirement; but in piety of soul, and in virtue of manners. And thus shall we obtain the good things of this and of the future life; which, God grant! we may all be found worthy of, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom be glory to the Father, together with the Holy Ghost, now and for ever and ever. Amen.
[1189] sk?mmata, elsewhere translated "arena," see Fabr. Ag. ii. 7. Græv. viii. 1963, he quotes St. Ephraim De Luctâ Spirituali. In luctaminibus hujus sæculi, &c. Ed. Rom. Gr. Lat. iii. 577, Voss. p. 371. "The most perfect combatants are ever to be found fearless and active within the lines (scamma), but the timid and feeble fly this way and that before they begin to strive, and for their great softness and laziness will not exert themselves in the scamma. Now the scamma, beloved brethren, is the central place in which the wrestlers strive;" this may explain oelkontai, p. 18; see also Voss's note, p. 123.
[1190] Ps. cxxv. 5.
[1191] Jer. iv. 3.
[1192] Joel ii. 13.
[1193] ?martias. This seems from the contrast to mean "sinful habits," which trouble affords facilities for amending. Had he meant removing guilt, he would probably have said ?martemata, or kelidas, as Hom. I. 22. See also Hom. III. 21, where he speaks of the removal of guilt as depending on the use made of chastisement. Also on Rom. v. 11; Hom. IX .; see also Hom. V. (5), Hom. VI. (5), and Hom. VII. (1).
[1194] Matt. vii. 24-27.
[1195] Job ii. 9.
[1196] Job i. 21.
[1197] Rom. v. 3, 4.
[1198] St. Chrysostom refers to the Benedicite, or "Song of the Three Children." In his book Quod nemo læditur nisi a seipso, he calls it "That admirable and marvellous song, which from that day to this hath been sung every where throughout the world, and shall yet be sung in future generations." Ben. t. iii. 464; E. quoted by Bingham, b. xiv. c. ii., sec. 6, New Ed., vol. iv., p. 461.
[1199] Acts xix. 12.
[1200] So. Sav. and M. Ben. skiai.
[1201] Acts v. 15.
[1202] Dan. iii. 25.
[1203] tes ?sebeias, used especially of Heathenism, as "ungodliness." Hom. I. 15, so eusebeia perhaps; Tit. i. 1, for right religion, but this use of the words belongs rather to the Fathers than to the New Testament.
[1204] Dan. iii. 2.
[1205] Dan. iii. 4, 6.
[1206] ptomata, usually of fallen carcases.
[1207] Or princes, pur?nnon.
[1208] Dan. iii. 12.
[1209] Dan. iii. 18.
[1210] Matt. x. 16.
[1211] So St. Jerome, Cat. Aur., St. Aug., Doct. Christ. II. xvi. (24); Comp. Gen. iii. 15. Luc. xvi. 8, 9; Origen on Prov. i. 2.
[1212] Ps. lvii. 4.
[1213] The references in the Psalms are made to the English version, which is divided as the Hebrew, except that it sometimes varies a verse or two. LXX. and Vulg. annex Ps. x. to ix., and call Ps. xi. Ps. x., and so on till Ps. cxlvii., which they divide, beginning their Ps. cxlvii. at v. 12.
[1214] Ps. xlv. 1.
[1215] Ps. xiv. 6.
[1216] Ps. xlix. 3.
[1217] Ps. xxvi. 10. Or, more perspicuously, according to the usual sense of the Hebrew, bribes.
[1218] Ps. cxli. 2.
[1219] Ps. v. 9, LXX.; Ps. xlv. 1.
[1220] Ps. lviii. 4.
[1221] Ps. xlix. 4.
[1222] Sav. our.
[1223] i.e., at the close of the last Homily.
[1224] semnot?ran. Tillemont supposes as well as Montfaucon, that the preceding Homily (the 3d) was delivered on Quinquagesima Sunday, and that this (the 4th) was preached on the Monday, which explains this allusion, Tr. The Lent fast began with that Monday. During Lent the Greek Church allows the use of fish on Sundays.
[1225] Or, beseech.
[1226] niph?das, lit. snowflakes. Comp. Il. iii. 222.