What then can be less trustworthy than Mammon, seeing that for his sake one travels, and ventures, and is slain? "But who," it is said, "will pity a charmer that is bitten with a serpent?" [405] For we ought, knowing its cruel tyranny, to flee that slavery, and destroy that grievous longing. "But how," saith one, "is this possible?" By introducing another longing, the longing for Heaven. Since he that desires the kingdom will laugh covetousness to scorn; he that is become Christ's slave is no slave of mammon, but rather his lord; for him that flieth from him, he is wont to follow, and to fly from him that pursues. He honors not so much his pursuer as his despiser; no one doth he so laugh to scorn, as them that desire him; nor doth he only laugh them to scorn, but wraps round them also innumerable bonds.
Be it ours then, however late, to loose these grievous chains. Why bring thy reasonable soul into bondage to brute matter, to the mother of those untold evils? But, oh the absurdity! that while we are warring against it in words, it makes war with us by deeds, and leads and carries us everywhere about, insulting us as purchased with money, and meet for the lash; and what can be more disgraceful and dishonorable than this?
Again: if we do not get the better of senseless forms of matter, how shall we have the advantage of the incorporeal powers? If we despise not vile earth and abject stones, how shall we bring into subjection the principalities and authorities? How shall we practise temperance? I mean, if silver dazzle and overpower us, when shall we be able to hurry by a fair face? For, in fact, some are so sold under this tyranny, as be moved somehow even at the mere show of the gold, and in playfulness to say, that the very eyes are the better for a gold coin coming in sight. But make not such jests, whoever thou art; [406] for nothing so injures the eyes, both those of the body and those of the soul, as the lust of these things. For instance; it was this grievous longing that put out the lamps of those virgins, and cast them out of the bride chamber. This sight, which (as thou saidst) "doeth good to the eyes," suffered not the wretched Judas to hearken unto the Lord's voice, but led him even to the halter, made him burst asunder in the midst; and, after all that, conducted him on to hell.
What then can be more lawless than this? what more horrible? I do not mean the substance of riches, but the unseasonable and frantic desire of them? Why, it even drops human gore, and looks murder, and is fiercer than any wild beast, tearing in pieces them that fall in its way, and what is much worse, it suffers them not even to have any sense of being so mangled. For reason would that those who are so treated should stretch forth their hand to them that pass by, and call them to their assistance, but these are even thankful for such rendings of their flesh, than which what can be more wretched?
Let us then, bearing in mind all these things, flee the incurable disease; let us heal the wounds it hath made, and withdraw ourselves from such a pest: in order that both here we may live a secure and untroubled life, and attain to the future treasure; unto which God grant that we may all attain, [407] by the grace and love towards man of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom unto the Father together with the Holy Ghost be glory, might, honor, now and ever, and world without end. Amen.
[363] to protroi pagonizmenon. Comp. Jude 3.
[364] Acts xii. 19.
[365] ep schmato.
[366] [t prs, "what is that to," as in following paragraph.--R.]
[367] [t prs.]
[368] 1 Cor. v. 5.
[369] [Mlista mn odn t mson.]
[370] 2 Sam. xvi. 11, 12. [The citation varies from the LXX., and the latter from the Hebrew: comp. R.V. in loco, where the LXX. is represented in the marginal note.--R.]
[371] Ps. xxv. 18, 17.
[372] See Josephus, A.J. xvii. 6, 5.
[373] Jer. xxxi. 15.
[374] Matt. ii. 17, 18.
[375] [proanakerttonto, "proclaiming beforehand," a technical term of ecclesiastical Greek.--R.]
[376] Matt. x. 29.
[377] Gen. xxxv. 19, LXX. and xlviii. 7.
[378] ["He calls the young children who were massacred hers," i.e., Rachel's.--R.]
[379] Matt. ii. 19, 20.
[380] sphagiasthnta. ["Massacred," a bold figure of speech.--R.]
[381] Luke ii. 39.
[382] [Of this there is no hint in the narrative; it is a harmonistic conjecture, with little to recommend it.--R.]
[383] Matt. ii. 23.
[384] See 2 Chron. ix. 29, where it is said that certain of the acts of Solomon were written in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite; and in the visions of Iddo the Seer against Jeroboam the son of Nebat. See also ibid. xii. 15, and xiii. 22. [The explanation given above is as bold as it is ingenious.--R.]
[385] [The Oxford edition reads "brought up;" evidently a misprint for "burnt up" (katkaion ).--R.]
[386] Jer. xxxvi. 23.
[387] 2 Kings xxii. 8, etc.
[388] See Acts iii. 22, iii. 6, iv. 10, vi. 14, etc.
[389] John i. 46.
[390] John vii. 52. [R.V. text: "Search, and see that out of Galilee ariseth no prophet."--R.]
[391] Matt. viii. 20.
[392] Rom. xi. 28. [The Oxford edition reads: "for the Fathers sake;" a misprint, conveying an incorrect sense.--R.]
[393] Heb. xi. 14, 15.
[394] Heb. xi. 13. [R.V., more correctly: "having seen them and greeted them from afar."--R.]
[395] Matt. iii. 9.
[396] Rom. ix. 6-8.
[397] [akrbeian, "strictness."--R.]
[398] [prostasan, "advancement."--R.]
[399] skao.
[400] [t palai, without a substantive, the technical term in ecclesiastical Greek for the Old Testament.--R.]
[401] John i. 12.
[402] Gal. v. 2.
[403] Luke xvi. 24.
[404] The words in italics are omitted in several mss. [In four mss and two versions the clause is wanting; see note at close of this Homily.--R.]
[405] Ecclus. xii. 13.
[406] [anthrope.]
[407] Om. in one or two mss. [The clause in brackets is wanting in four mss. and in two versions; the identical authorities which omit the clause in sec. 8. The Oxford editor estimates the facts differently in the two instances, without any adequate reason.--R.]