But in Heaven there is nothing of this to fear,--lest after a man is dead, his enemy should come, and succeed to his inheritance. For there there is neither death nor enmity; the tabernacles of the saints are permanent abodes; and among those saints is exultation, joy, gladness. For "the voice of rejoicing" (it is said) is "in the tabernacles of the righteous." ( Ps. cxviii. 15.) They are eternal, having no end. They do not fall down through age, they do not change their owners, but stand continually in their best estate. With good reason. For there is nothing corruptible, nor perishable there, but all is immortal, and undefiled. On this building let us exhaust all our wealth. We have no need of carpenters nor of laborers. The hands of the poor build such houses; the lame, the blind, the maimed, they build those houses. And wonder not, since they procure even a kingdom for us, and give us confidence towards God.
[7.] For mercifulness [3445] is as it were a most excellent art, and a protector of those who labor at it. For it is dear to God, and ever stands near Him readily asking favor for whomsoever it will, if only it be not wronged by us; And it is wronged, when we do it by extortion. (See p. 481.) So, if it be pure, it gives great confidence to those who offer it up. It intercedes even for those who have offended, so great is its power, even for those who have sinned. It breaks the chains, disperses the darkness, quenches the fire, kills the worm, drives away the gnashing of teeth. The gates of heaven open to it with great security: And as when a Queen is entering, no one of the guards stationed at the doors dares to inquire who she is, and whence, but all straightway receive her; so also indeed with mercifulness. For she is truly a queen indeed, making men like God. For, he says, "ye shall be merciful, as your Heavenly Father is merciful." ( Luke vi. 36 .)
She is winged and buoyant, having golden pinions, with a flight which greatly delights the angels. There, it is said, are "the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her back with the yellowness of gold." ( Ps. lxviii. 13.) As some dove golden and living, she flies, with gentle look, and mild eye. Nothing is better than that eye. The peacock is beautiful, but in comparison of her, is a jackdaw. So beautiful and worthy of admiration is this bird. She continually looks upwards; she is surrounded abundantly with God's glory: she is a virgin with golden wings, decked out, with a fair and mild countenance. She is winged, and buoyant, standing by the royal throne. When we are judged, she suddenly flies in, and shows herself, and rescues us from punishment, sheltering us with her own wings.
God would have her rather than sacrifices. Much does He discourse concerning her: so He loves her. "He will relieve" (it is said) "the widow" and "the fatherless" ( Ps. cxlvi. 9 ) and the poor. God wishes to be called from her. "The Lord is pitiful and merciful, [3446] long-suffering, and of great mercy" ( Ps. cxlv. 8 ), and true. The mercy of God is over all the earth. She hath saved the race of mankind (see Ps. cxlv. 9 ): For unless she had pitied us, all things would have perished. "When we were enemies" (see Rom. v. 10 ), she "reconciled" us, she wrought innumerable blessings; she persuaded the Son of God to become a slave, and to empty Himself [of His glory]. [3447] ( Phil. ii. 7.)
Let us earnestly emulate her by whom we have been saved; let us love her, let us prize her before wealth, and apart from wealth, let us have a merciful soul. Nothing is so characteristic of a Christian, as mercy. There is nothing which both unbelievers and all men so admire, as when we are merciful. For oftentimes we are ourselves also in need of this mercy, and say to God "Have mercy upon us, after Thy great goodness." ( Ps. li. 1.) Let us begin first ourselves: or rather it is not we that begin first. For He has Himself already shown His mercy towards us: yet at least let us follow second. For if men have mercy on a merciful man, even if he has done innumerable wrongs, much more does God.
[8.] Hear the prophet saying, "But I" (his words are) "am like a fruitful olive tree in the house of God." ( Ps. lii. 8.) Let us become such: let us become "as an olive tree": let us be laden on every side with the commandments. For it is not enough to be as an olive tree, but also to be fruitful. For there are persons who in doing alms give little, [only once] in the course of the whole year, or in each week, or who give away a mere chance matter. These are indeed olive trees, but not fruitful ones, but even withered. For because they show compassion they are olive trees, but because they do it not liberally, they are not fruitful olive trees. But let us be fruitful.
I have often said and I say now also: the greatness of the charity [3448] is not shown by the measure of what is given, but by the disposition of the giver. You know the case of the widow. It is well continually to bring this example [forward], that not even the poor man may despair of himself, when he looks on her who threw in the two mites. Some contributed even hair in the fitting up of the temple, and not even these were rejected. ( Ex. xxxv. 23.) But if when they had gold, they had brought hair, they [would have been] accursed: but if, having this only, they brought it, they were accepted. For this cause Cain also was blamed, not because he offered worthless things, but because they were the most worthless he had. "Accursed" (it is said) "is he which hath a male, and sacrificeth unto God a corrupt thing." ( Mal. i. 14.) He did not speak absolutely, but, "he that hath" (he says) and spareth [it]. If then a man have nothing, he is freed from blame, or rather he has a reward. For what is of less value than two farthings, or more worthless than hair? What than a pint of meal? But nevertheless these were approved equally with the calves and the gold. For "a man is accepted according to that he hath, not according to that he hath not." ( 2 Cor. viii. 12.) And, it says, "according as thy hand hath, do good." ( Prov. iii. 27.)
Wherefore, I entreat you, let us readily empty out what we have for the poor. Even if it be little we shall receive the same reward with them who have cast the most; or rather, more than those who cast in ten thousand talents. If we do these things we shall obtain the unspeakable treasures of God; if we not only hear, but practice also, if we do not praise [charity], but also show [it] by our deeds. Which may we all attain, in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom to the Father together with the Holy Ghost, be glory, might, honor, now and for ever and world without end. Amen.
[3422] o rei is omitted in Mr. Field's text, as by some [all--F.G.] critical editors of the New Test. It is not referred to by St. Chrys.
[3423] "that not a word more should be spoken to them."
[3424] [The words e bolodi katatoxeuthesetai are omitted by St. Chrys., as by all critical editors of the N.T., and are not given in the R.V.--F.G.]
[3425] panegurei. See next column. This word is connected with the preceding muriasin angelon by St. Chrys. as appears from his interpretation. So the Latin Vulgate has et multorum millium angelorum frequentiam, et ecclesiam primitivorum, &c. [The English edition translates " to myriads of angels in festive gathering." Whether panegurei should be connected with the preceding or following clause is merely a question of punctuation. It is joined to the latter both in the A.V. and the R.V.--F.G.]
[3426] "in comparison of."
[3427] edeto, e.g. Ps. xviii., lxviii., Habak. iii. as well as Ex. xix
[3428] para Theou. The reading of the common edition is: Christou : which was that of Mutianus.
[3429] ta meta tauta
[3430] chrematizonta, "that made a revelation" : see above, p. 469.
[3431] [The reading of St. Chrys. here and below (Hom. xxxiii.) is latreuomen, but elsewhere he concurs with nearly all the critical editors, the A.V. and the R.V. in reading latreuomen.--F.G.]
[3432] to suneskiasmenon kai sunkekalummenon
[3433] nomothetoumenon
[3434] St. Chrys. says this referring to, without expressly citing, the phone rhematon of the text.
[3435] demegoron
[3436] a ll onoma autou kalesetai. Mr. Field with hesitation adopts here the reading of the Catena kalesetai, in the sense here given. The mss. have kalesai and (excepting one) not any stop after it. St. Chrys. probably has in view the fact of Moses being called up to the top of the Mount, Ex. xix. 20
[3437] "that not a word more should be spoken to them."
[3438] phanenai dia tes s
[3439] ta hemetera
[3440] to aoraton
[3441] This passage, Mr. Field observes, is difficult and probably corrupt. St. Chrysostom seems to mean, that we are like the people in that we are still here below, not in heaven: for they were "below" only in the sense of being below in reference to the mountain and heaven to which Moses had been called up. At the same time as being sons of God we are near to Him with a special nearness--a spiritual and so most intimate nearness--of the soul, not like that bodily nearness with which Moses was called to draw near. If, however, "the Son" be understood of the Only-Begotten, it may be supposed that there is some latent connection of thought, as, that in His nearness His people also are brought near to the Father in a manner far more intimate than was granted to Moses.
[3442] a pognote
[3443] chrematizonta. The word is used of God's speaking. See above, Hom. xxiii. [1], p. 469. St. Chrysostom's argument seems to oblige us to understand in the next clause something equivalent to "you say," which words have been inserted for clearness' sake. The supposition that Moses was meant by ton chrematizonta is mentioned only to be rejected. [The words "you say" are omitted in this edition as unnecessary. chrematizonta does not refer so much to God's speaking as to Moses' speaking by God's direction.--F.G.]
[3444] Comp. St. Iren. pp. 330, 338, 403, O.T.
[3445] or, "charity," e leemosune. See above, p. 509.
[3446] [e leemon akin to e leemosune, which St. Chrysostom is here describing.]
[3447] kenosai heauton
[3448] e leemosunes