158 WORKS OF ST. CHRYSOSTOM. [HOMILY XXII. servant. It is no sign of low birth, rather it is the truest nobility, to understand how to lower ourselves, to be modest and unassuming, and to give way to our neighbor. And the free have served the free with much fear and trembling. " In singleness of heart," he says. And it is well said, since it is possible to serve with fear and trembling, and yet not of good will, but in just any way that may be possible. Many servants in many instances secretly cheat their masters. And this cheating accordingly he does away, by saying, " in singleness of your heart as unto Christ, not in the way of eye-ser vice as men-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart ; with good-will doing service, as unto the Lord, and not unto men." Seest thou how many words he requires, in order to implant this good principle, " with good-will," I mean, and " from the heart " ? That other service, " with fear and trembling " I mean, we see many rendering to their mas ters, and the master s threat goes far to secure that. But show, saith he, that thou servest as " the servant of Christ," not of man. Make the right action your own, not one of compulsion. Just as in the words which follow, he persuades and instructs the man who is ill-treated by another to make the right action his own, and the work of his own free choice. Because inas much as the man that smites the cheek, is not supposed to come to that act in consequence of any intention in the person struck, but only of his own individual malice, what saith He? "Turn to him the other also " (Matt. v. 39) ; to show him that in submitting to the first thou wert not unwilling. For he that is lavish in suffering wrong, makes that his own which is not his own act, by suffering himself to be smitten on the other cheek also, and not merely by enduring the first blow. For this latter will have perhaps the appearance even of cowardice ; but that of a high philosophy. Thus thou wilt show that it was for the sake of wisdom that thou didst bear the first blow also. And so in the present case, show here too, that thou bearest this slavery also willingly. The man-pleaser then is no servant of Christ. The servant of Christ is not a man-pleaser. (Gal. i. 10.) For who that is the servant of God, makes it his object to please men ? And who that pleases men, can be a servant of God ? " From the heart," l saith he, " with good-will doing service." For since it is possible to do service even with singleness of heart and not wrongfully, and yet not with all one s might, but only so far as fulfilling one s bounden duty, there- 1 [" From the heart" (KK \|/vx7Js) is joined by Chrysostom with what follows. (So Westcott and Hort.) But as iJ.fr evvoias expresses the well-meaning disposition, it already includes the sense of e \t/v\r)<;. So that ex ^u\>)s belongs to what precedes. So Meyer, Ellicott, and Rev. Ver. G. A.] fore he says, do it with alacrity, not of necessity, upon principle, not upon constraint. If thus thou do service, thou art no slave ; if thou do it upon principle, if with good-will, if from the heart, and if for Christ s sake. For this is the servitude that even Paul, the free man, serves, and exclaims, " For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus, as Lord, and ourselves as your ser vants for Jesus sake." (2 Cor. iv. 5.) Look how he divests thy slavery of its meanness. For just in the same way as the man who has been robbed, if he gives still more to him who has taken, is not ranked among those robbed, but rather amongst liberal givers ; not amongst those who suffer evil, but amongst those who do good ; and rather clothes the other with disgrace by his liberality, than is clothed with disgrace by being robbed, so, I say, in this case, by his gener osity he will appear at once more high-minded, and by showing that he does not feel the wrong,2 will put the other to shame. Let us then do service to our masters for Christ s sake, " knowing," he continues, " that whatsoever good thing each one doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free." For inasmuch as it was probable that many masters, as being unbelievers, would have no sense of shame, and would make no re turn to their slaves for their obedience, observe how he has given them encouragement, so that they may have no misgiving about the remunera tion, but may have full confidence respecting the recompense. For as they who receive a benefit, when theymake no return, make God a debtor to their benefactors ; so, I say, do masters also, if, when well-treated by thee, they fail to requite thee, requite thee the more, by render ing God thy debtor. Ver. 9. " And ye masters," he continues, " do the same things unto them." The same things. What are these ? " With good-will do service." However he does not actually say, " do service," though by saying, " the same things," he plainly shows this to be his meaning. For the master himself is a ser vant. " Not as men-pleasers," he means, "and with fear and trembling " : that is, toward God, fearing lest He one day accuse you for your negligence toward your slaves. " And forbear threatening ; " be not irritating, he means, nor oppressive. " Knowing that both their Master and 3 yours is in Heaven." 4 Ah ! How mighty a Master does he hint at . 3 [The second (cat (/ecu avrtav KOL UJU.OH ) is omitted in Chrysos- tom s text of this passage, and in the tcxtus receptus, so that il does not appear in the Authorized English Version. The Revised Version has it, however, and correctly so. G. A.] * [Meyer quotes Seneca, Tltyest. 607: Quicquid a vobis minor extimescit Major hoc vobis dominus minatur. Omne sub regno graviore regnum est. G. A.]