[6.] But what, tell me? Art thou anxious about the end? It indeed is itself near, but each man's life and death is nearer. [3194] For it is said, "the days of our years are seventy years; but if [one be] in strength, fourscore years." ( Ps. xc. 10 ; [LXX. lxxxix. 10].) The day of judgment is near. Let us fear. "A brother doth not redeem; shall man redeem?" ( Ps. xlix. 7 ; [LXX. xlviii. 8].) There we shall repent much, "but in death no man shall praise Him." ( Ps. vi. 5 ; [LXX. 6].) Wherefore he saith, "Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving" ( Ps. xcv. 2 ; [LXX. Ps. xciv.]), that is, his coming. For here [in this life] indeed, whatever we do has efficacy; but there, no longer. Tell me, if a man placed us for a little while in a flaming furnace, should we not submit to anything in order to escape, even were it necessary to part with our money, nay to undergo slavery? How many have fallen into grievous diseases, and would gladly give up all, to be delivered from them, if the choice were offered them? If in this world then, a disease of short duration so afflicts us, what shall we do yonder, when repentance will be of no avail?
[7.] Of how many evils are we now full, without being conscious of them? We bite one another, we devour one another, in wronging, accusing, calumniating, being vexed by the credit of our neighbors. (Cf. Gal. v. 15.)
And see the difficulty. [3195] When a man wishes to undermine the reputation of a neighbor, he says, Such an one said this of him; O God, forgive me, do not examine me strictly, I must give account of what I have heard.' [3196] Why then dost thou speak of it at all, if thou dost not believe it? Why dost thou speak of it? Why dost thou make it credible by much reporting? Why dost thou pass on the story which is not true? Thou dost not believe it, and thou entreatest God not to call thee to strict account? Do not say it then, but keep silence, and free thyself from all fear.
But I know not from whence this disease has fallen upon men. We have become tattlers, nothing remains [3197] in our mind. Hear the exhortation of a wise man who says, "Hast thou heard a word? Let it die in [3198] thee, be bold; it will not burst thee." ( Ecclus. xix. 10.) And again, "A fool heareth a word, and travaileth, as a women in labor of a child." ( Ecclus. xix. 11.) We are ready to make accusations, prepared for condemning. Even if no other evil thing had been done by us, this were sufficient to ruin us, and to carry us away to Hell, this involves us in ten thousand evils. And that thou mayest know this certainly, hear what the prophet says, "Thou satest and spakest against thy brother." ( Ps. l. 20.)
But it is not I, you say, but the other [who told me]. Nay rather, it is thyself; for if thou hadst not spoken, another would not have heard: or even if he should hear it, yet thou wouldest not have been to blame for the sin. We ought to shade over and conceal the failings of neighbors, but thou paradest them under a cloak of zeal for goodness. Thou becomest, not an accuser, but a gossip, a trifler, a fool. O what cleverness! Without being aware of it, thou bringest disgrace upon thyself as well as on him.
And see what great evils which arise from this. Thou provokest the wrath of God. Dost thou not hear Paul saying about widows, "they not only" (these are his words) "learn to be idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, wandering about from house to house, and speaking things which they ought not." ( 1 Tim. v. 13.) So that even when thou believest the things which are said against thy brother, thou oughtest not even in that case to speak of them; much less, when thou dost not believe them.
But thou [forsooth] lookest to thine own interest? Thou fearest to be called to account by God? Fear then, lest even for thy tattling thou be called to account. For here, thou canst not say, O God, call me not to account for light talking': for the whole matter is light talking. Why didst thou publish it? Why didst thou increase the evil? This is sufficient to destroy us. On this account Christ said, "Judge not, that ye be not judged." ( Matt. vii. 1.)
But we pay no regard to this, neither are we brought to our senses by what happened to the Pharisee. He said what was true, "I am not as this Publican" ( Luke xviii. 11 ), he said it too in no man's hearing; yet was he condemned. If he were condemned when he said what was true, and uttered it in no man's hearing, what fearful [punishment] shall not they suffer, who like gossiping women, carry about everywhere lies which they do not even themselves believe? What shall they not endure?
[8.] Henceforward let us set "a door and a bolt before the mouth." ( Ecclus. xxviii. 25.) For innumerable evils have arisen from tattling; families have been ruined, friendships torn asunder, innumerable other miseries have happened. Busy not thyself, O man, about the affairs of thy neighbor.
But thou art talkative and hast a weakness. Talk of thine own [faults] to God: thus the weakness will be no longer a weakness, but an advantage. Talk of thy own [faults] to thy friends, those who are thorough friends and righteous men, and in whom thou hast confidence, that so they may pray for thy sins. If thou speak of the [sins] of others, thou art nowise profited, neither hast thou gained anything, but hast ruined thyself. If thou confessest thy own [sins] to the Lord, thou hast great reward: for one says, "I said, I will confess against myself mine iniquity to the Lord, and Thou forgavest the impiety of my heart." ( Ps. xxxii. 5.)
Dost thou wish to judge? Judge thine own [sins]. No one will accuse [3199] thee, if thou condemn thyself: but he will accuse if thou do not condemn; he will accuse thee, unless thou convict thyself; will accuse thee of insensibility. Thou hast seen such an one angry, irritated, doing something else out of place? Think at once, even thou on thy own [faults]: and thus thou wilt not greatly condemn him, and wilt free thyself from the load of thy past transgressions. If we thus regulate our own conduct, if we thus manage our own life, if we condemn ourselves, we shall probably not commit many sins, and we shall do many good things, being fair and moderate; and shall enjoy all the promises to them that love God: to which may all attain, by the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father together with the Holy Ghost, be glory, power, honor, now and for ever and world with end. Amen.
[3175] pathematon
[3176] thlipsesi
[3177] tois desmiois. This is held to be the true reading of the sacred text: tois desmois mou was substituted here, but not in the body of the Homily, in some mss. and in the editions of St. Chrys. before the Benedictine.
[3178] he autois without e n is the approved reading of the sacred text, and is found in all the mss. and Edd. of St. Chrys. [It is the reading in the margin of the A.V. and of the R.V. There is but slight authority for the e n. "In heaven" is also omitted by the more important authorities, the critical editors, and by the R.V.--F.G.]
[3179] e negesthe
[3180] a thlesin, a contest, as that of wrestlers.
[3181] The common editions have the entire text, "My tears have been my meat day and night, while," &c.
[3182] theatrizomenoi
[3183] A catena, the Verona editions, and perhaps one ms. have "with my bonds."
[3184] katexiothesan huper tou onomatos atimasthenai. The common editions of St. Chrys. as the common text of the New Testament, add autou, " His Name," in this and in other places.
[3185] prosedexasthe
[3186] It is to be observed that the words "He that cometh will come and will not tarry," are from the prophet Habakkuk ii. 3 : where the LXX. has, e a n husterese hupomeinon auton ( "Him" not "it." ) ho ti erchomenos hexei, kai ou me chronise, &c. The Apostle interprets this by adding the article: ho erchomenos, the well-known designation of the Messiah.
[3187] "substantiality."
[3188] delon. Savile and Morell following some mss. read a delon, "obscure" : but St. Chrys. means that we use the word e lenchos of a proof which makes things most certain and evident [and so Mutianus read.--F.G.].
[3189] hu postasin
[3190] housia
[3191] or, "righteous."
[3192] ta tes a
[3193] a pithanon
[3194] he de hekastou zoe engutera pollo kai he teleute. But Mut. "sed et vitæ finis uniuscujuscunque prope est."
[3195] to chalepon
[3196] Or might it be read, a koes logon opheilo ; "am I responsible for what I hear, for common reports?"
[3197] e napomenei
[3198] e napothaneto
[3199] e nkalei