262 WORKS OF ST. CHRYSOSTOM. [HOMILY I. and exults more than they that are gorged with their excess of wine. For nothing doth so nourish the soul as a virtuous hope, and the ex pectation of good things. But now let us consider what follows. There indeed are flutes, and harps, and pipes ; but here is no music of sounds unsuitable ; but what ? hymns, singing of psalms. There indeed the Demons are hymned ; but here, the Lord of all, God. Seest thou with what gratitude this one aboundeth, with what ingratitude and insensi bility that? For, tell me, when God hath nour ished thee with His good things, and when thou oughtest to give Him thanks after being fed, dost thou even introduce the Demons? For these songs to the lyre, are none other than songs to Demons. When thou oughtest to say, " Blessed art Thou, O Lord, that Thou hast nourished me with Thy good things," dost thou like a worthless dog not even so much as re member Him, but, over and above, introducest the Demons? Nay rather, dog.s, whether they receive anything or not, fawn upon those they know, but thou dost not even this. The dog, although he receives nothing, fawns upon his master ; but thou, even when thou hast received, barkest at Him. Again, the dog, even though he be well treated by a stranger, not even so will be reconciled of his hatred of him, nor be en ticed on to be friends with him : but thou, even though suffering mischief incalculable from the Demons, introducest them at thy feasts. So that, in two ways, thou art worse than the dog. And the mention I have now made of dogs is happy, in regard of those who give thanks then only when they receive a benefit. Take shame, I pray you, at the dogs, which when famishing still fawn upon their masters. But thou, if thou hast haply heard that the Demon has cured any one, straightway forsakest thy Master ; O more unreasoning than the dogs ! But, saith one, the harlots are a pleasure to look upon. What sort of pleasure are they? yea rather what infamy are they not? Thy house has become a brothel, madness, and fury ; and art thou not ashamed to call this pleasure ? If then it be allowed to use them, 1 greater than all pleasure is the shame, and the discomfort which arises from the shame, to make one s house a brothel, like hogs in wallowing in the mire? But if so far only be allowed as to see them, lo ! again the pain is greater. For to see is no pleasure, where to use is not allowed, but the lust becomes only the greater, and the flame the fiercer. But wouldest thou learn the end? Those, indeed, when they rise up from the table, are like the madmen and those that have lost their 1 [The text is confused, but the reading adopted by Field, and here given, accounts for the others. J. A. 15.] wits ; foolhardy, quarrelsome, laughing-stocks for the very slaves ; and the servants indeed retire sober, but these, drunk. O the shame ! But with the other is nothing of this sort ; but closing the table with thanksgiving, they so retire to their homes, with pleasure sleeping, with pleas ure waking, free from all shame and accusation. If thou wilt consider also the guests them selves, thou wilt see that the one are within just what the others are without ; blind, maimed, lame ; and as are the bodies of these, such are the souls of those, laboring under dropsy and inflammation. For of such sort is pride ; for after the luxurious gratification a maiming takes place ; of such sort is surfeiting and drunken ness, making men lame and maimed. And thou wilt see too that these have souls like the bodies of the others, brilliant, ornamented. For they who live in giving of thanks, who seek nothing beyond a sufficiency, they whose philosophy is of this sort are in all brightness. But let us see the end both here and there. There, indeed, is unchaste pleasure, loose laugh ter, drunkenness, buffoonery, filthy language ; (for since they in their own persons are ashamed to talk filthily, this is brought about by means of the harlots ;) but here is love of mankind, gen tleness. Near to him who invites those stands vainglory arming him, but near the other, love of man, and gentleness. For the one table, love ofman prepareth, but the other, vainglory, and cruelty, out of injustice and grasping. And that one ends in what I have said, in loss of wits, in delirium, in madness ; (for such are the offshoots of vainglory ;) but this one in thanksgiving and the glory of God. And the praise too, which cometh of men, attendeth more abundantly upon this ; for that man is even regarded with an envious eye, but this all men regard as their common father, even they who have received no benefit at his hands. And as with the injured even they who have not been injured sympa thize, and all become in common enemies (to the injurer) : so too, when some receive kind ness, they also who have not received any, not less than they who have, praise and admire him that conferred it. And there indeed is much envy, but here much tender solicitude, many prayers from all. And so much indeed here ; but There, when Christ is come, this one indeed shall stand with much boldness, and shall hear before the whole world, " Thou sawestMe an hungered, and didst feed Me ; naked, and didst clothe Me ; a stranger, and didst take Me in" (Matt. xxv. 35) ; and all the like words : but the other shall hear the contrary ; " Wicked and slothful servant " (Matt. xxv. 26) ; and again, "Woe unto them that luxuriate upon their couches, and sleep upon beds of ivory, and drink the refined wine,