And who is so wretched and miserable, one may say, as not to become gentle in prayer? He that prays with an imprecation, and fills himself with wrath, and cries out against his enemies.
6. Nay, if thou wilt accuse, accuse thyself. If thou wilt whet and sharpen thy tongue, let it be against thine own sins. And tell not what evil another hath done to thee, but what thou hast done to thyself; for this is most truly an evil; since no other will really be able to injure thee, unless thou injure thyself. Wherefore, if thou desire to be against them that wrong thee, approach as against thyself first; there is no one to hinder; since by coming into court against another, thou hast but the greater injury to go away with.
And what injury at all hast thou really to mention? That such an one insulted and spoiled thee by violence, and encompassed thee with dangers? Nay, this is receiving not injury, but if we be sober, the very greatest benefit; the injured being he that did such things, not he that suffered them. And this is more than any one thing the cause of all our evils, that we do not so much as know at all who is the injured, and who the injurious person. Since if we knew this well, we should not ever injure ourselves, we should not pray against another, having learnt that it is impossible to suffer ill of another. For not to be spoiled, but to spoil, is an evil. Wherefore, if thou hast spoiled, accuse thyself; but if thou hast been spoiled, rather pray for him that spoiled thee, because he hath done thee the greatest good. For although the intent of the doer was not such, yet thou hast received the greatest benefit, if thou hast endured it nobly. For him, both men, and the laws of God declare to be wretched, but thee, the injured party, they crown, and proclaim thy praise.
For so if any one sick of a fever had violently taken from any other a vessel containing water, and had had his fill of his pernicious desire, we should not say that the despoiled had been injured, but the spoiler; for he has aggravated his fever, and made his disease more grievous. Now in this way I bid thee reason concerning him also that loves wealth and money. For he too, having a far worse fever than the other, has by this rapine fanned the flame in himself.
Again, were some madman to snatch a sword from any one, and destroy himself, which again is the injured? He that hath been robbed, or the robber? It is quite clear, he that did the robbery.
Well then, in the case of seizing property also, let us give the same suffrage. For what a sword is to a madman, much the same is wealth to a covetous man; nay, it is even a worse thing. For the madman, when he has taken the sword, and thrust it through himself, is both delivered from his madness, and hath no second blow to receive; but the lover of money receives daily ten thousand wounds more grievous than his, without delivering himself from his madness, but aggravating it more exceedingly: and the more wounds he receives, the more doth he give occasion for other more grievous blows.
Reflecting then on these things, let us flee this sword; let us flee the madness; though late, let us become temperate. For this virtue too ought to be called temperance, not less than that which is used to be so called among all men. For whereas there the dominion of one lust is to be struggled against, here we have to master many lusts, and those of all kinds.
Yea, nothing, nothing is more foolish [2017] than the slave of wealth. He thinks he overcomes when he is overcome. He thinks he is master, when he is a slave, and putting bonds on himself, he rejoices; making the wild beast fiercer, he is pleased; and becoming a captive, he prides himself, and leaps for joy; and seeing a dog rabid and flying at his soul, when he ought to bind him and weaken him by hunger, he actually supplies him with abundance of food, that he may leap upon him more fiercely, and be more formidable.
Reflecting then on all these things, let us loose the bonds, let us slay the monster, let us drive away the disease, let us cast out this madness; that we may enjoy a calm and pure health, and having with much pleasure sailed into the serene haven, may attain unto the eternal blessings; unto which may we all attain, by the grace and love towards man of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and might, now and always, and world without end. Amen.
[1978] [In the Oxford edition verses 3-6 are printed here in full from the A.V. But in the Greek text of the Homily only the first part of ver. 1 appears. As the larger part of the other verses is given below, and as several questions of text and interpretation arise, the passage has been printed here to correspond with the Greek.--R.]
[1979] [R.V., "from Jerusalem Pharisees and Scribes." But Chrysostom's text is as above, agreeing with the received. The omission of the article affects the sense, as indicated in the R.V.--R.]
[1980] Deut. iv. 2.
[1981] [R.V., "because of."]
[1982] [Chrysostom read ka, with the rec. text, thus making the sentence break off. The A.V. supplies "he shall be free." R.V., omitting "and," with the best authorities, makes this clause the conclusion: "he shall not honor," etc.--R.]
[1983] [R.V. text omits "and his mother."]
[1984] [So rec. text, but R.V. reads "word" in the text, with "law" in the margin.--R.]
[1985] Matt. xv. 3-6. [R.V., "because of your tradition."]
[1986] Exod. xx. 12. See also Ephes. vi. 1, 2.
[1987] Exod. xxi. 17.
[1988] Mark vii. 11.
[1989] Matt. xv. 8, 9. See Is. xxix. 13. [R.V., "teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men."]
[1990] Acts xvi. 3.
[1991] Matt. xv. 11.
[1992] Matt. xv. 11.
[1993] Acts x. 14.
[1994] Matt. xv. 20.
[1995] Matt. xv. 12.
[1996] Matt. xv. 13.
[1997] Matt. xvii. 27.
[1998] Matt. xv. 14. [So rec. text. The R.V. follows a briefer reading, but properly substitutes "a pit" for "the ditch."--R.]
[1999] Matt. xv. 15.
[2000] Matt. xv. 16.
[2001] Matt. xv. 15.
[2002] Matt. xv. 17-20.
[2003] Lev. xi. 24, 25.
[2004] [tktetai; the Oxford edition has "bad," which is probably a misprint for "bred."--R.]
[2005] Mark vii. 19. Origen in his commentary on this passage of St. Matthew, refers also to St. Mark, where he reads as St. Chrysostom here, katharzon instead of katharzon. The word "cleansing" or "purging" is therefore referred to our Lord, and our Saviour's words will stand as a parenthesis. See Field in loc. [The translator doubtless means that this view makes our Lord's own words a parenthetical explanation of the evangelist. So the R.V. gives the clause. That katharzon is the correct reading is quite certain, but German commentators refer it to aphdrna, accepting a change of construction. The evangelist Mark rarely inserts explanations. The citation from Origen will be found in Tischendorf, VIII., note on Mark vii. 19. Despite the authority of Origen and Chrysostom, the rendering of the R.V. is of doubtful propriety.--R.]
[2006] Matt. xv. 20.
[2007] Is. i. 15.
[2008] Prov. xviii. 21.
[2009] Matt. xii. 37.
[2010] Heb. xiii. 4.
[2011] 1 Tim. ii. 8.
[2012] Ecclus. xviii. 16.
[2013] Ecclus. iv. 8.
[2014] Ecclus. ix. 15.
[2015] [pptomen p gnata, "fall on our knees" seems to be the more probable sense, as the context indicates. Compare the last sentence in the paragraph.--R.]
[2016] 1 Tim. vi. 16.
[2017] aphronsteron opposed to sophrosne.