466 WORKS OF ST. CHRYSOSTOM. [HOMILY XVL servants render it to us. Do not they order their whole lives to afford rest to their masters, and is it not their work and their life to take care of their concerns? Are they not all day long engaged in their masters work, and only a small portion of the evening in their own ? But we, on the contrary, are everengaged in ourown affairs, in our Master s hardly at all, and that too, though He needs not our services, as mas ters need those of their servants, but those very acts redound to our own benefit. In their case the master is benefited by the ministry of the servant, but in ours the ministry of the servant profits not the Master, but is beneficial on the other hand to the servant. As the Psalmist says, "My goods are nothing unto Thee." (Ps. xvi. 2.) For say, what advantage is it to God, that I am just, or what injury, that I am unjust? Is not His nature incorruptible, incapable of injury, superior to all suffering ? Servants having noth ing of their own, all is their masters , however rich they may be. But we have many things of our own. And it is not merely so great honor, 1 that we enjoy from the King of the universe. What master ever gave his own son for his servant? No one, but all would rather choose to give their servants for their sons. Here on the contrary, " He spared not His own Son, but gave Him up .for us all," for His enemies who hated Him. Servants, though very hard service is exacted of them, are not impatient ; at least, not the well- disposed. But how many times do we utter discontent? 2 The master promises to his ser vants nothing like what God promises to us ; but what? Freedom here, which is often worse than bondage ; for it is often embittered by famine beyond slavery itself. 3 Yet this is their greatest boon. But with God there is nothing temporal, nothing mortal ; but what ? wouldest thou learn ? Listen then, He says, " Henceforth I call you not servants. Ye are my friends." (John xv. 13, 14.) Beloved, let us be ashamed, let us fear. Let us only serve our Master, as our servants serve us. Rather not even 4 the smallest portion of service do we render ! Necessity makes them philosophers. They have only food and lodg ing ; but we, possessing much and expecting more, insult our Benefactor with our luxury. If from nothing else, from them at least let us learn the rules of philosophy. The Scripture is wont to send men not even to servants, but to irra- 1 Or, " and it is not without reason that we enjoy so great hoii.ir": and so Old Lat. and Ben. that in the text seems more in telligible. The other might be explained by the sequel. See Rom. viii. 32. 2 a7ro6u<r7reTOU|ULei>. 3 The slaves, as he had said before, were wholly provided for by their masters, and so suffer less in a. scarcity than if they had been independent. 4 The negative is added in Colb. and B. The sense requires it. tional creatures, as when it bids us imitate the bee and the ant. But I advise you but to imi tate servants : only so much as they do from fear of their masters, let us do from the fear of God ; for I cannot find that you do even this. They receive many insults from fear of us, and endure them in silence with the patience of philosophers. Justly or unjustly they are ex posed to our violence, and they do not resist, but entreat us, though often they have done nothing wrong. They are contented to receive no more and often less than they need ; with straw 5 for their bed, and only bread for their food, they do not complain or murmur at their hard living, but through fear of us are restrained from impatience. When they are intrusted with money, they restore it all. For I am not speak ing of the worthless, but of the moderately good. Ifwe threaten them, they are at once awed. Is not this philosophy ? For say not they are under necessity, when thou too art under a neces sity in the fear of hell. And yet dost thou not learnwisdom, nor render to God as much honor, as thou receivest from thy servants. Of thy servants each has the apartment assigned to him by thy rules, and he does not invade that of his neighbor, nor do any injury from a desire of more than he has. This forbearance the fear of their master enforces among domestics, and sel dom will you see a servant robbing or injuring a fellow-servant. But among free men it is quite the reverse. We bite and devour one another. We fear not our Master : we rob and plunder our fellow-servants, we strike them in His very sight. This the servant will not do ; if he strikes, it is not when his master sees him ; if he reviles, it is not when his master hears him. But we dare do anything, though God sees and hears it all. The fear of their master is ever before their eyes, the fear of our Master never before ours. Hence the subversion of all order, hence all is confusion and destruction. And we never take into consideration the offenses we have com mitted, but if our servants do amiss, we call them to a rigorous account for everything, even to the least misdemeanor. I say not this to make servants remiss, but to chide our supine- ness, to rouse us from our sloth, that we may serve our God with as much zeal as servants do their master ; our Maker, as faithfully as our fellow-creatures 6 serve us, from whom they have received no such gift. For they too are free by nature. To them also it was said, " Let them have dominion over the fishes." (Gen. i. 26.) For this slavery is not from nature : it is the result of some particular cause, or circumstances. Yet, notwithstanding, they pay us great honor ;