HOMILY II.] HOMILIES ON PHILEMON. 553 it. (Luke xviii. 12.) But not so the publican. Hear Paul again saying, " I know nothing by myself, yet am I not hereby justified." (i Cor. iv. 4.) Seest thou that he does not exalt him self, but by every means abases and humbles himself, and that too when he had arrived at the very summit. And the Three Children were in the fire, and in the midst of the furnace, and what said they ? " We have sinned and com mitted iniquity with our fathers." (Song, v. 6, in Sept. ; Dan. iii. 29, 30 ; v. 16.) This it is to have a contrite heart ; on this account they could say, " Nevertheless in a contrite heart and a humble spirit let us be accepted." Thus even after they had fallen into the furnace they were exceedingly humbled, even more so than they were before. For when they saw the miracle that was wrought, thinking themselves unworthy of that deliverance, they were brought lower in humility. For when we are persuaded that we have received great benefits beyond our desert, then we are particularly grieved. And yet what benefit had they received beyond their desert ? They had given themselves up to the furnace ; theyhad been taken captive for the sins ofothers ; fortheywere still young ; and they murmured not, nor were indignant, nor did they say, What good is it to us that we serve God, or what advantage have we in worshiping Him? This man is impious, and is become our lord. We are punished with the idolatrous by an idolatrous king. We have been led into captivity. We are deprived of our country, our freedom, all our paternal goods, we are become prisoners and slaves, we are enslaved to a barbarous king. None of these things did they say. But what ? " We have sinned and committed iniquity." And not for themselves but for others they offer prayers. Because, say they, "Thou hast deliv ered us to a hateful and a wicked king." Again, Daniel, being a second time cast into the pit, said, " For God hath remembered me." Where fore should He not remember l thee, O Daniel, when thou didst glorify Him before the king, say ing, "Not for any wisdom that I have"? (Dan. ii. 30.) But when thou wast cast into the den of lions, because thou didst not obey that most wicked decree, wherefore should He not remem ber thee? For this very reason surely should He. 2 Wast thou not cast into it on His account? "Yea truly," he says, "but I am a debtor for many things." And if he said such things after having displayed so great virtue, what should we say after this ? But hear what David says, " If He thus say, I have no delight in thee, be hold here am I, let Him do to me as seemeth good unto Him." (2 Sam. xv. 26.) And yet 1 B. " didst thou not remember," and presently, " did I not re member." The construction in either case is so elliptical as to be difficult. 2 Bel and Drr-.gon, verse 38 [6 Se iciipio? 6 0eos efivrivdri -rov AavirjA.. P. S.] he had an infinite number of good things to speak of. And Eli also says, "It is the Lord : let Him do what seemeth Him good." (i Sam. iii. 18.) This is the part of well-disposed servants, not only in His mercies, but in His corrections, and in punishments wholly to submit to Him. For how is it not absurd, 3 if we bear with masters beating their servants, knowing that they will spare them, because they are their own ; 4 and yet suppose that God in punishing will not spare? This also Paul has intimated, saying, " Whether we live or die, we are the Lord s." (Rom. xiv. 8.) A man, we say, wishes not his property to be diminished, he knows how he punishes, he is punishing his own servants. But surely no one of us spares more than He Who brought us into being out of nothing, Who mak- eth the sun to rise, Who causeth rain; Who breathed our life into us, Who gave His own Son for us. But as I said before, and on which account I have said all that I have said, let us be humble- minded as we ought, let us be moderate as we ought. Let it not be to us an occasion of being puffed up. Art thou humble, and humbler than all men? Be not high-minded on that account, neither reproach others, lest thou lose thy boast. For this very cause thou art humble, that thou mayest be delivered from the madness of pride ; if therefore through thy humility thou fallest into that madness, it were better for thee not to be humble. For hear Paul saying, " Sin work- eth death in me by that which is good, that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful." (Rom. vii. 13.) When it enters into thy thought to admire thyself because thou art humble, consider thy Master, to what He de scended, and thou wilt no longer admire thy self, nor praise thyself, but wilt deride thyself as having done nothing. Consider thyself alto gether to be a debtor. Whatever thou hast done, remember that parable, " Which of you having a servant . . . will say unto him, when he is come in, Sit down to meat ? . . . I say unto you, Nay . . . but stay and serve me." (From Luke xvii. 7, 8.) Do we return thanks to our servants, for waiting upon us ? By no means. Yet God is thankful to us, who serve not Him, but do that which is expedient for ourselves. But let not us be so affected, as if He owed us thanks, that He may owe us the more, but as if we were discharging a debt. For the matter truly is a debt, and all that we do is of debt. For ifwhen we purchase slaves with our money, we wish them to live altogether for us, and what ever they have to have it for ourselves, how 3 B. and Ven. add, " for us to be well disposed while we are favored, but discontented when we are chastised; tell me now." 4 Such seems the principle in Ex. xxi. 21.