And if he have a munificent father, his thraldom becomes worse, his absurd fancy more intense; but if a parsimonious one, he is driven to other unseemliness, by way of getting together a little money for such expenses.
Hence many young men have even sold their manhood, and have become parasites to the rich, and have undertaken other servile offices, purchasing thereby the fulfillment of such desires.
So then, that this man is sure to be at once fond of money, and a trifler, and about important things the most indolent of all men, and that he will be forced to commit many sins, is hereby evident. And that he is cruel and vainglorious, neither this will any one gainsay: cruel, in that when he sees a poor man, through the love of finery he makes as though he did not even see him, but while he is decking out these things with gold, overlooks him perishing of hunger; vainglorious, since even in such little matters he trains himself to hunt after the admiration of the beholders. For I suppose no general prides himself so much on his legions and trophies, as our profligate youths on the decking out of their shoes, on their trailing garments, on the dressing of their hair; yet surely all these are works of other persons, in their trades. But if men do not cease from vain boasting in the works of others, when will they cease from it in their own?
8. Shall I mention yet other things more grievous than these? or are even these enough for you? Well then; I must end my speech here; since even this have I said, because of the disputatious, who maintain the thing not to be so very wrong.
And although I know that many of the young will not so much as attend to what I have said, being once for all intoxicated with this fancy, I yet ought not therefore to keep silence. For such fathers as have understanding, and are as yet sound, will be able to force them, even against their will, to a becoming decency.
Say not then, "this is of no consequence, that is of no consequence;" for this, this hath ruined all. For even hereby ought you to train them, and by the things which seem trifling to make them grave, great of soul, superior to outward habiliments; so shall we find them approved in the great things also. For what is more ordinary than the learning of letters? nevertheless thereby do men become rhetoricians, [1951] and sophists, and philosophers, and if they know not their letters, neither will they ever have that knowledge.
And this we have spoken not to young men only, but to women also, and to young damsels. For these too are liable to the like charges, and much more, inasmuch as seemliness is a thing appropriate to a virgin.
What has been said therefore to the others; do ye account to have been said to you also, that we may not repeat again the same things.
For it is full time now to close our discourse with prayer. All of you then pray with us, that the young men of the church above all things may be enabled to live orderly, and to attain an old age becoming them. Since for those surely who do not so live, it were well not to come to old age at all. But for them that have grown old even in youth, I pray that they may attain also to the very deep of gray hairs, and become fathers of approved children, and may be a joy to them that gave them birth, and above all surely to the God that made them, and may exterminate every distempered fancy, not that about their shoes, nor about their clothes only, but every other kind also.
For as untilled land, such is also youth neglected, bringing forth many thorns from many quarters. Let us then send forth on them the fire of the Spirit, and burn up these wicked desires, and let us break up our fields, and make them ready for the reception of the seed, and the young men amongst us let us exhibit with soberer minds than the old elsewhere. For this in fact is the marvellous thing, when temperance shines forth in youth; since he surely that is temperate in old age cannot have a great reward, having in perfection the security from his age. But what is wonderful, is to enjoy a calm amidst waves, and in a furnace not to be burnt, and in youth not to run wanton.
With these things then in our minds, let us emulate that blessed Joseph, who shone through all these trials, that we may attain unto the same crowns with him; unto which may we all attain, by the grace and love towards man of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom be glory unto the Father, together with the Holy Ghost, now and always, and world without end. Amen.
[1919] [R.V., "from the cities;" the word "all" is not found in the text of Matthew, but in Mark vi. 33.--R.]
[1920] ["withdrawing;" so the R.V. properly renders anachorenokonoma, that is, of His incarnation and manhood.
[1921] Matt. xiv. 14.
[1922] [t m prtero pipedn to thamasin, ll kalomeno.]
[1923] Matt. xiv. 15.
[1924] Matt. xvi. 6.
[1925] Matt. xiv. 16.
[1926] Matt. xiv. 17.
[1927] Matt. vi. 52. [Slightly altered.]
[1928] John vi. 9.
[1929] See 2 Kings iv. 42; v. 19-21.
[1930] [In verse 19 tonun is inserted; the order of the clauses changed, and to rtou omitted.--R.]
[1931] Verses 20, 21 are verbally exact. The R.V. renders more accurately the last clause of ver. 20, "that which remained over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full."--R.]
[1932] Gen. l. 11, 20. [LXX., erpet psuchn zosn.]
[1933] Ps. lxxviii. 20.
[1934] In these and other places of this Homily there may be perhaps a tacit reference to the Holy Eucharist, and to the aptitude of the miracle of the loaves as a preparation of the apostles for it.
[1935] In these and other places of this Homily there may be perhaps a tacit reference to the Holy Eucharist, and to the aptitude of the miracle of the loaves as a preparation of the apostles for it.
[1936] In these and other places of this Homily there may be perhaps a tacit reference to the Holy Eucharist, and to the aptitude of the miracle of the loaves as a preparation of the apostles for it.
[1937] In these and other places of this Homily there may be perhaps a tacit reference to the Holy Eucharist, and to the aptitude of the miracle of the loaves as a preparation of the apostles for it.
[1938] Matt. xvi. 9.
[1939] 1 Kings xvii. 16.
[1940] John vi. 15.
[1941] epgazon.
[1942] Matt. xiv. 22. [R.V., "till he should send," etc.]
[1943] [R.V., "ye saw signs."]
[1944] John vi. 26.
[1945] That is, "things for use."
[1946] Luke vi. 36.
[1947] philotima.
[1948] zodon. See Herod. i. 70, and Schweighæuser's note, as quoted here by Mr. Field.
[1949] t bnauson.
[1950] 1 Tim. ii. 9.
[1951] [rhetore.]