366 WORKS OF ST. CHRYSOSTOM. [HOMILY X. HOMILY X. i THESSALONIANS v. 12, 13. " But we beseech you, brethren, to know them that labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; and to esteem them exceeding highly in love for their work s sake. Be at peace among yourselves." IT must needs happen that a ruler should have many occasions of enmities. 1 As physi cians 2 are compelled to give much trouble to the sick, preparing for them both diet and medicines, that are not pleasant indeed, but attended with benefit ; and as fathers are often annoying to their children : so also are teachers, and much more. For the physician, though he be odious to the sick man, yet has the relations and friends on good terms with him,3 nay, and often the sick man himself. And a father also, both from the force of nature and from external laws, ex ercises his dominion over his son with great ease ; and if he should chastise and chide his son against his will, there is no one to prevent him, nor will the son himself be able to raise a look against him. But in the case of the Priest there is a great difficulty. For in the first place, he ought to be ruling people willing to obey, and thankful to him for his rule ; but it is not possi ble that this should soon come to pass. For he who is convicted and reproved, be he what he may, is sure to cease from being thankful, and to become an enemy. In like manner he will act who is advised, and he who is admonished and he who is exhorted. If therefore I should say, empty out wealth on the needy, I say what is offensive and burdensome. If I say, chastise thine anger, quench thy wrath, check thine in ordinate desire, cut off a small portion of thy luxury, all is burdensome and offensive. And if I should punish one who is slothful, or should remove him from the Church, or exclude him from the public prayers, he grieves, not because he is deprived of these things, but because of the public disgrace. For this is an aggravation of the evil, that, being interdicted from spiritual things, we grieve not on account of our depriva tion of these great blessings, but because of our disgrace in the sight of others. We do not shudder at, do not dread, the thing itself. For this reason Paul from one end to the other discourses largely concerning these per- 1 MiKpoiI/vxiW, Montf. here remarks that this word has often led to mistranslations, being used for any result of litdemindedness. 2 [Literally, " physicians boys," apparently a familiar phrase for physicians, employed also by Lucian. It perhaps originally denoted medical students, a sense possible here also, and in Lucian (On Writing History, ch. vii.)- J- A. B.] 3 B. and L. e\ei Trpbs O.VTOV rjfieuj? c^opras. sons. And Christ indeed has subjected them with so strict a necessity, that He says, " The Scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses seat. All things therefore whatsoever they bid you, these do and observe : but do not ye after their works." (Matt, xxiii. 2, 3.) And again, when He healed the leper, He said, " Go thy way, show thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded for a testimony unto them." (Matt. viii. 4.) And yet Thou sayest, "Ye make him twofold more a son of hell than your selves." (Matt, xxiii. 15.) For this reason I said, answers He, " Do not the things which they do." Therefore he hath shut out all ex cuse from him that is under rule. In his Epis tle to Timothy also this Apostle said, " Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor." (i Tim. v. 17.) And in his Epistle to the Hebrews also he said, " Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit to them." (Heb. xiii. 17.) And here again, " But we beseech you, brethren, to know them that labor among you, and are over you in the Lord." For since he had said, " build each other up," lest they should think that he raised them to the rank of teachers, he has added, See, however, that I gave leave to you also to edify one another, for it is not possible for a teacher to say everything. "Them that labor among you," he says, "and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you." And how, he says, is it not absurd ? If a man stand up for thee before a man, thou doest anything, thou confesses! thyself much indebted ; but he stands up for thee before God, and thou dost not own the favor. And how does he stand up for me ? thou sayest. Because he prays for thee, be cause he ministers to thee the spiritual gift that is by Baptism, he visits, he advises and admon ishes thee, he comes at midnight if thou callest for him ; he is nothing else than the constant subject of thy mouth, and he bears thy injurious speeches. What necessity had he? Has he done well or ill? Thou indeed hast a wife, and livest luxuriously, and choosest a life of com merce. But from this the Priest has hindered himself by his occupation ; his life is no other than to be employed about the Church. " And to esteem them," he says, " exceeding highly in love for their work s sake ; be at peace with them." 4 Seest thou how well he is aware 4 i aurois, and so several MSS.: Rec. t. eV eavTois, "among yourselves," and so L. [I. Cat.] here, but thecomment hardlybears it.