14. For all these things then let us give thanks to God who loveth man; and for His tender care over us, render Him a recompense, that will also be profitable to ourselves; and as regards the commandment which I so frequently discourse of to you, let us use our utmost diligence! For I will not desist from the exhortation until ye are amended: seeing that what we aim at is not that we may address you seldom or frequently, but that we may continue speaking till we have persuaded you. To the Jews when God said by the prophet, "If ye fast for strife and debate, to what purpose do ye fast for me?" [1494] And by us He saith to you, "If ye fast unto oaths and perjuries, to what purpose do ye fast? For how shall we behold the sacred Passover? How shall we receive the holy Sacrifice? How shall we be partakers of those wonderful mysteries by means of the same tongue with which we have trampled upon God's law, the same tongue with which we have contaminated the soul? For if no one would dare to receive the royal purple with filthy hands, how shall we receive the Lord's Body with a tongue that has become polluted! For the oath is of the wicked one, but the Sacrifice is of the Lord. "What communion then hath light with darkness, and what concord hath Christ with Belial?" [1495]
15. That ye are desirous, indeed, to be rid of this impiety, I know well; but since each man may not be able easily to accomplish this by himself, let us enter into fraternities and partnerships in this matter; and as the poor do in their feasts, [1496] when each one alone would not be able to furnish a complete banquet; when they all meet together, they each bring their contribution to the feast; so also let us act. Inasmuch as we are of ourselves too listless, let us make partnerships with each other, and pledge ourselves to contribute counsel, and admonition, and exhortation, and rebuke and reminiscence, and threatening; in order that from the diligence of each we may all be amended. For seeing that we observe the affairs of our neighbour more sharply than we do our own, let us be watchful of the safety of others, and commit the guardianship of ourselves to them; and let us engage in this pious rivalry, to the end that thus becoming superior to such an evil habit, we may come with boldness to this holy feast; and be partakers of the holy Sacrifice, with a favourable hope and a good conscience; through the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom and with whom, be glory to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.
[1475] Amos v. 8; Job xxxvii. 15; 1 Sam. ii. 6; 2 Cor. vi. 19.
[1476] Literally "camp," stratop?dou.
[1477] Sav. eskotosthai. Ben. kekakosthai, "were distressed."
[1478] Or, "had" (labon, which may refer to Judas' going out). John xiii. 31. For it is plain they did not go out until the end of the discourse. John xviii. 1.
[1479] Plato, in his Timæus, 40, d. 42e., makes the human body the work of (good) demons, or created gods, because it would have been of a more perfect nature if the Supreme God had made it. Of heretics who held such opinions as are here mentioned, see Rom. viii. 5-7, Hom. XIII. Valentinus, Marcion, Basilides, and other early heretics of the Gnostic school, held matter to be evil, and the world made by evil beings.
[1480] Gen. iii. 5.
[1481] sunesin.
[1482] philosophia.
[1483] Isa. xiv. 13, 14.
[1484] Isa. xiv. 11.
[1485] Ezek. xxviii. 9.
[1486] This is an unfounded notion. What follows is true, since a fracture usually stops at a suture (or joining) of the skull, as a crack in glass does at a cross cut of the diamond. to br?gma, above, is strictly the parietal bone. See also Hom. V. fin. on Ep. to Heb.
[1487] thorakos.
[1488] omopl?tais.
[1489] He must mean for a continuance, as the stadium was rather less than our furlong. The word harnessing, hupozeuxas, seems to imply a vehicle. It is very likely that the persons mentioned had not the advantage of relays of draught horses. Some read here "a thousand," for "two thousand;" see note of Ducæus.
[1490] Col. iii. 1. So again Hom. XV. (3). Compare the lines in one of Wesley's hymns, "And on the eagle wings of love, To joys celestial rise."
[1491] 1 Cor. xii. 21.
[1492] See Hom. VIII. 1.
[1493] Or, take thee up.
[1494] Isa. lviii. 4, 5.
[1495] 1 Cor. vi. 14, 15.
[1496] See on Rom. xiii. 14, Hom. XXIV., where St. Chrysostom recommends sober conversation at such meetings.