HOMIL.

IXXVIII.

1044 How the tongue is made like Satan's, how like Christ's.

Wherefore greater is he that thus speaks, than he that prophesies. For this is entirely a Gift, but in the other is also thy labour and toil. Teach thy soul to frame thee a mouth like to Christ's Mouth. For it can create such things, if it will; it knows the art, if it be not remiss. And how is such a mouth made? one may ask. By what kind of colourings? by what kind of material? By no colourings, indeed, or material; but by virtue only, and meekness, and humility.

For when any one speaks What kind of excuse then

Let us see also how a devil's mouth is made; that we How then is it made? By curses, may never frame that. by insults, by envy, by perjury. his words, he takes his tongue. shall we have; or rather, what manner of punishment shall we not undergo; when this our tongue, wherewith we are allowed to taste of the Lord's flesh, when this, I say, we overlook, speaking the devil's words?

Let us not overlook it, but let us use all diligence, in order to train it to imitate its Lord. For if we train it to this, it will place us with great confidence at Christ's Judgment seat. Unless any one know how to speak thus, the Judge will not so much as hear him. For like as when the judge chances to be a Roman, he will not hear the defence of one who knows not how to speak thus; so likewise Christ, unless thou speak after His fashion, will not hear thee, nor give heed.

Let us learn therefore to speak in such wise, as our Judge is wont to hear; let it be our endeavour to imitate that Tongue. And shouldest thou fall into grief, take heed lest the tyranny of despondency pervert thy tongue, but that thou speak like Christ. For He too mourned for Lazarus and Judas. Shouldest thou fall into fear, seek again to speak even as He. For He Himself fell into fear for thy Karà sake, with regard to His manhood'. Do thou also say, Nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt.

τὸν

Thy This

οίκονο

μίας

λόγον.

And if thou shouldest lament, weep calmly as He. Shouldest 2 Luke thou fall into plots and sorrows, treat these too as Christ. 22, 42. For indeed He had plots laid against Him, and was in 3 Matt. sorrow, and saith, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even 26, 38. unto death. And all the examples He presented to thee,

Imitate the meekness of Christ, and of Moses.

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XXV.

in order that thou shouldest continually observe the same MATT. measures, and not destroy the rules that have been given 30. thee. So shalt thou be able to have a mouth like His Mouth, so while treading on the earth, thou wilt shew forth a tongue like to that of Him, Who sits on high; thou wilt maintain the limits He observed in despondency, in anger, in suffering, in agony.

How many are they of you that desire to see His Form? Behold, it is possible, not to see Him only, but also to become like Him; if we are in earnest.

1 Matt.

7,22.23.

Let us not delay then. He doth not so readily accept prophets' lips, as those of meek and forbearing men. 1 For many will say unto Me, He saith, Have we not prophesied in Thy Name? And I will say unto them, I know you not. But the lips of Moses, because he was exceeding gentle and meek, for? Moses, it is said, was a meek man above allNumb. 12, 3. the men which were upon the face of the earth,) He so accepted and loved, as to say, Face3 to face, mouth to mouth, Exod. did He speak, as a man speaketh unto his friend.

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33, 11;

Numb.

12, 8.

Thou wilt not command devils now, but thou shalt then command the fire of hell, if thou keep thy mouth like to Christ's mouth. Thou shalt command the abyss of fire, and shalt say unto it, Peace', be still, and with great confidence shalt Mark 4, 39. set foot in the Heavens, and enjoy the Kingdom; unto which God grant all of us to attain, by the grace and love towards man of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom, be unto the Father, together with the Holy Ghost, glory, might, honour, now and always, and world without end. Amen.

HOMILY LXXIX.

MATT. XXV. 31-41.

When the Son of Man shall come in the glory of His Father, and all the holy Angels with Him, then shall He sit, saith He, upon the throne of His glory, and He shall divide the sheep from the kids; and the one He will accept, because they fed Him, when an hungred, and gave Him drink when thirsty, and took Him in when a stranger, and clothed Him when naked, and visited Him when sick, and came to see Him when in prison: and He will give the kingdom to them. But the others, accusing them for the opposite things, He will send into the eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.

UNTO this most delightful portion of Scripture, which we do not cease continually revolving, let us now listen with all earnestness and compunction, this wherewith His discourse ended, even as the last thing, reasonably; for great indeed was His regard for philanthropy and mercy. Wherefore in what precedes He had discoursed concerning this in a different way; and here now in some respects more clearly, and more earnestly, not setting forth two nor three nor five persons, but the whole world; although most assuredly the former places, which speak of two persons, meant not two persons, but two portions of mankind, one of them that disobey, the other of the obedient. But here He handleth the word more fearfully, and with fuller light. Wherefore neither doth He say, The kingdom is likened, any more, but openly shews Himself, saying, When the Son of Man shall come in

The sheep, how distinguished from the goats.

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His glory. For now is He come in dishonour, now in MATT. affronts and reproaches; but then shall He sit upon the 31-41. throne of His glory.

And continually doth He make mention of glory. For since the Cross was near, a thing that seemed to be matter of reproach, for this cause He raises up the hearer; and brings before his sight the Judgment seat, and setteth round him all the world.

And not in this way only doth He make His discourse awful, but also by shewing the Heavens opened. For all the Angels will be present with Him, He saith, themselves also to bear witness, in how many things they had ministered, when sent by the Lord for the salvation of men.

And every thing will help to render that day fearful. Then, shall be gathered together, He saith, all nations, that is, the whole race of men. And He shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd his sheep. For now they are not separated, but all mingled together, but the division then shall be made with all exactness. And for a while it is by their place that He divides them, and makes them manifest; afterwards by the names He indicates the dispositions of each, calling the one kids', the other sheep, that He might1èploia, hædos, indicate the unfruitfulness of the one, for no fruit will come from kids; and the great profit from the other, for indeed pras; from sheep great is the profit, as well from the milk, as rome. from the wool, and from the young, of all which things the kid is destitute.

not ca

St. Je

2 ἔριφος

But while the brutes have from nature their unfruitfulness, and fruitfulness, these have it from choice, wherefore some are punished, and the others crowned. And He doth not punish them, until He hath pleaded with them; wherefore also, when He hath put them in their place, He mentions the charges against them. And they speak with meekness, but they have no advantage from it now; and very reasonably, because they passed by a work so much to be desired. For indeed the Prophets are every where saying this, I3 will have 3 Hosea mercy and not sacrifice, and the Lawgiver by all means 6, 6. urged them to this, both by words, and by works; and nature herself taught it.

But mark them, how they are destitute not of one or two

LXXIX.

1048 Sin of refusing what Christ asks in His poor.

HOMIL. things only, but of all. For not only did they fail to feed the hungry, or clothe the naked; but not even did they visit the sick, which was an easier thing.

v. 45. comp. v. 40.

And mark how easy are His injunctions. He said not, "I was in prison, and ye set Me free; I was sick, and ye raised Me up again;" but, ye visited Me, and, ye came unto Me. And neither in hunger is the thing commanded grievous. For no costly table did He seek, but what is needful only, and His necessary food, and He sought in a suppliant's garb, so that all things were enough to bring punishment on them; the easiness of the request, for it was bread; the pitiable character of Him that requesteth, for He was poor; the sympathy of nature, for He was a man; the desirableness of the promise, for He promised a kingdom; the fearfulness of the punishment, for He threatened hell. The dignity of the one receiving, for it was God, Who was receiving by the poor; the surpassing nature of the honour, that He vouchsafed to condescend so far; His just claim for what they bestowed, for of His own was He receiving. But against all these things covetousness once for all blinded them that were seized by it; and this, though so great a threat was set against it.

For further back also He saith, that they who receive not such as these shall suffer more grievous things than Sodom; and here He saith, Inasmuch as ye did it not unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye did it not unto Me. What sayest Thou? they are Thy brethren; and how dost Thou call them least? Why, for this reason they are brethren, because they are lowly, because they are poor, because they are outcast. For such doth He most invite to brotherhood, the unknown, the contemptible, not meaning by these the monks only, and them that have occupied the mountains, but every believer; though he be a secular person, yet if he be hungry, and famishing, and naked, and a stranger, His will is he should have the benefit of all this care. For Baptism renders a man a brother, and the partaking of the divine Mysteries.

[2.] Then, in order that thou mayest see in another way also the justice of the sentence, He first praises them that have done right, and saith, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit