But if thou sayest that thou burnest with the memory of the insult; call to mind if any good hath been done thee by him that hath offended thee, and how many ills thou hast occasioned to others.
Hath he spoken ill of thee, and disgraced thee? Consider also that thou hast spoken thus of others. How then wilt thou obtain pardon, which thou bestowest not on others? But hast thou spoken ill of no one? But thou hast heard men so speaking, and allowed it. Neither is this guiltless.
Wilt thou learn how good a thing it is not to remember injuries, and how this more than anything pleases God? Them that exult over persons, justly chastised by Himself, He punishes. And yet they are justly chastised; but thou shouldest not rejoice over them. So the prophet having brought many accusations, added this also, saying, "They felt nothing for the affliction of Joseph;" [2895] and again, "She that inhabiteth Enan, came not forth to lament for the place near her." [2896] And yet both Joseph (that is, the tribes that were sprung from him), and the neighbors of these others, were punished according to the purpose of God; nevertheless, it is His will that we sympathize even with these. For if we, being evil, when we are punishing a servant, if we should see one of his fellow slaves laughing, we at the same time are provoked the more, and turn our anger against him; much more will God punish them that exult over those whom He chastises. But if upon them that are chastised by God it is not right to trample, but to grieve with them, much more with them that have sinned against us. For this is love's sign; love God prefers to all things. For as in the royal purple, those are precious amongst the flowers and dyes, which make up this robing; so here too, these virtues are the precious ones, which preserve love. But nothing maintains love so much as the not remembering them that have sinned against us.
"Why? did not God guard the other side also? Why? did He not drive him that hath done the wrong to him that is wronged? Doth He not send him from the altar to the other, and so after the reconciliation invite him to the table?" But do not therefore wait for the other to come, since thus thou hast lost all. For to this intent most especially doth He appoint unto thee an unspeaka ble reward, that thou mayest prevent the other, since, if thou art reconciled by his entreaties, the amity is no longer the result of the divine command, but of the other party's diligence. Wherefore also thou goest away uncrowned, while he receives the rewards.
What sayest thou? Hast thou an enemy, and art thou not ashamed? Why is not the devil enough for us, that we bring upon ourselves those of our own race also? Would that not even he had been minded to war against us; would that not even he were a devil!
Knowest thou not how great the pleasure after reconciliation? For what, though in our enmity it appear not great? For that it is sweeter to love him that doth us wrong than to hate him, after the enmity is done away thou shalt be able to learn full well.
5. Why then do we imitate the mad, devouring one another, warring against our own flesh?
Hear even under the Old Testament, how great regard there was for this, "The ways of revengeful men are unto death. [2897] One man keepeth anger against another, and doth he seek healing of God?" [2898] "And yet He allowed, eye for eye,' and tooth for tooth,' how then doth He find fault?" Because He allowed even those things, not that we should do them one to another, but that through the fear of suffering, we might abstain from the commission of crime. And besides, those acts are the fruits of a short-lived anger, but to remember injuries is the part of a soul that practises itself in evil.
But hast thou suffered evil? yet nothing so great, as thou wilt do to thyself by remembering injuries. And besides, it is not so much as possible for a good man to suffer any evil. For suppose there to be any man, having both children and a wife, and let him practise virtue, and let him have moreover many occasions of being injured, as well abundance of possessions, as sovereign power, and many friends, and let him enjoy honor; only let him practise virtue, for this must be added, and let us in supposition lay plagues upon him. And let some wicked man come unto him, and involve him in losses. What then is that to him who accounts money nothing? Let him kill his children. What this to him, who learns to be wise touching the resurrection? Let him slay his wife; what is this to him who is instructed not to sorrow for them that are fallen asleep? let him cast him into dishonor. What this to him who accounts the things present, the flower of the grass? If thou wilt, let him also torture his body, and cast him into prison, what this to him that hath learnt, "Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed;" [2899] and that "tribulation worketh approval?" [2900]
Now I had undertaken that he should receive no harm; but the account as it proceeded hath shown that he is even advantaged, being renewed, and becoming approved.
Let us not then vex ourselves with others, injuring ourselves, and rendering our soul weak. For the vexation is not so much from our neighbors' wickedness, as from our weakness. Because of this, should any one insult us, we weep, and frown; should any one rob us, we suffer the same like those little children, which the more clever of their companions provoke for nothing, grieving them for small causes; but nevertheless these too, if they should see them vexed, continue to tease them, but if laughing, they on the contrary leave off. But we are more foolish even than these, lamenting for these things, about which we ought to laugh.
Wherefore I entreat, let us let go this childish mind, and lay hold of Heaven. For indeed, Christ willeth us to be men, perfect men. On this wise did Paul also command, "Brethren, be not children in understanding," he saith, "howbeit in malice be ye children." [2901]
Let us therefore be children [2902] in malice, and flee wickedness, and lay hold on virtue, that we may attain also to the good things eternal, by the grace and love towards man of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and might, world without end. Amen.
[2855] [The passage, as here given, corresponds with that prefixed to the Homily in Field's text. There are some omissions, and some variations from the received text. It seemed unnecessary to annotate it to any extent, since the variations appear in the rendering. In Migne's edition, the citation ends with the words, "while the bridegroom tarried."--R.]
[2856] Matt. xix. 12.
[2857] 1 Cor. vii. 25.
[2858] a d.
[2859] a nikethesai.
[2860] 1 Thess. iv. 16 (comp. 1 Cor. xv. 52).
[2861] Luke xvi. 26.
[2862] Matt. xxv. 12.
[2863] See Matt. vii. 23.
[2864] Matt. xxv. 13.
[2865] 1 Cor. vii. 34, 35.
[2866] Matt. xxv. 23.
[2867] Matt. xxv. 24, 25.
[2868] Matt. xxv. 27. [R.V., "bankers."]
[2869] [R.V., "the ten talents."]
[2870] Matt. xxv. 28, 29.
[2871] Matt. xxv. 30. [R.V., "cast ye out," etc.]
[2872] prostasan .
[2873] Acts iv. 13.
[2874] Matt. ix. 5.
[2875] Acts ix. 40.
[2876] John viii. 49. [Greek, "demon."]
[2877] John xviii. 23.
[2878] Jer. xv. 19.
[2879] kat tn t okonoma lgonerphia, hædos, not capras; St. Jerome.
[2880] eripho.
[2881] Hosea vi. 6.
[2882] Matt. xxv. 45; comp. verse 40. ["My brethren" is added here from verse 40. The order of words varies from that found in that verse.--R.]
[2883] Matt. xxv. 34-40.
[2884] Matt. xii. 41, 42.
[2885] Matt. xii. 27.
[2886] 1 Cor. vi. 3.
[2887] [R.V., "words;" the word "all" is omitted.--R.]
[2888] Matt. xxvi. 1, 2.
[2889] [A clause is omitted here: "and then He brings in is delivered up to be crucified.'" But some editors read: "And the Son of Man is delivered up,' and then He brings in to be crucified.'" For the latter reading there is no good authority.--R.]
[2890] Matt. xxvi. 3-5. [This passage contains some peculiar variations: in verse 3, "in the palace" (court) is substituted for "unto;" in verse 4, the more probable reading should be rendered, "were consulting" (or taking counsel together). Verse 5 shows no variations but should be rendered as in the R.V., "Not during the feast, lest a tumult arise among the people." The comments show that Chrysostom understood the verse as referring to the entire festival.--R.]
[2891] ["Not during the feast."]
[2892] [The words in italics are not sustained by the mss. collated by Field.--R.]
[2893] 2 Cor. v. 20. [R.V., "on behalf of Christ."]
[2894] Luke xxiii. 34. [Freely cited.]
[2895] Amos vi. 6.
[2896] Micah i. 11, LXX.
[2897] Prov. xii. 28, LXX.
[2898] Ecclus. xxviii. 3.
[2899] 2 Cor. iv. 16. [R.V., "our outward man is decaying."]
[2900] Rom. v. 4. [R.V., "probation;" dokimn cannot be accurately rendered by any single English term.--R.]
[2901] 1 Cor. xiv. 20. [R.V., "be not children in mind; howbeit in malice be ye babes."]
[2902] ["babes."]