422 WORKS OF ST. CHRYSOSTOM. [HOMILY IV. in the body and in the spirit ? He glorifies Him in the body, who does not commit adultery or fornication,who avoids gluttonyand drunkenness, who does not affect a showy exterior, who makes such provision for himself as is sufficient for health only : and so the woman, who does not perfume nor paint her person, but is satisfied to be such as God made her, and adds no device of her own. For why dost thou add thy own embellishments to the work which God made ? Is nqt His workmanship sufficient for thee ? or dost thou endeavor to add grace to it, as if for sooth thou wert the better artist ? * It is not for thyself, but to attract crowds of lovers, that thou thus adornest thy person, and insultest thy Crea tor. And do not say, " What can I do ? It is no wish ofmy own, but I must do it for my husband. I cannot win his love except I consent to this." God made thee beautiful, that He might be admired even in thy beauty, and not that He might be insulted. Do not therefore make Him so ill a return, but requite Him with modesty and chastity. God made thee beautiful, that He might increase the trials of thy modesty. For it is much harder for one that is lovely to be modest, than for one who has no such attractions, for which to be courted. Why does the Scripture tell us, that " Joseph was a goodly person, and well favored" (Gen. xxxix. 6), but that we might the more admire his modesty coupled with beauty? Has God made thee beautiful? Why dost thou make thyselfotherwise ? For as though one should overlay a golden statue with a daub ing of mire, so it is with those women that use paints. Thou besmearest thyself with red and white earth ! But the homely, you say, may fairly have recourse to this. And why? To hide their ugliness ? It is a vain attempt. For when was the natural appearance improved upon by that which is studied and artificial? And why shouldest thou be troubled at thy want of beauty, since it is no reproach? For hear the saying of the Wise Man, " Commend not a man for his beauty, neither abhor a man for his out ward appearance." (Ecclus. xi. 2.) Let God be rather admired, the best Artificer, and not man, who has no merit in being made such as he is. What are the advantages, tell me, of beauty? None. It exposes its possessor to greater trials, mishaps, perils, and suspicions. She that wants it escapes suspicion ; she that possesses it, except she practice a great and extraordinary reserve, incurs an evil report, and what is worse than all, the suspicion of her husband, who takes less pleasure in beholding her beauty, than he suffers pain from jealousy. And her beauty fades in his sight from familiarity, whilst she suffers in her character from the imputation of weakness, dis- 1 " God never made his work for man to mend." Dryden. sipation, and wantonness, and her very soul - becomes degraded and full of haughtiness. To these evils personal beauty is exposed. But she who has not this attraction, escapes unmolested. The dogs do not assail her ; she is like a lamb, reposing in a secure pasture, where no wolf intrudes to harass her, because the shepherd is at hand to protect her. The real superiority 3 is, not that one is fair, and the other homely, but it is a superiority that one, even if she is not fair, is unchaste, and the other is not wicked. Tell me wherein is the perfection of eyes ? Is it in their being soft, and rolling, and round, and dark, or in their clearness and quicksightedness. Is it the per fection of a lamp to be elegantly formed, and finely turned, or to shine brightly, and to en lighten the whole house? We cannot say it is not this, for the other is indifferent, and this the real object. Accordingly we often say to the maid whose charge it is, " You have made a bad lamp of it." So entirely is it the use of a lamp to give light. So it matters not what is the appearance of the eye, whilst it performs its office with full efficiency. We call the eye bad, which is dim or disordered, and which, when open, does not see. For that is bad, which does not perform its proper office and this is the fault of eyes. And for a nose, tell me, when is it a good one ? When it is straight, and pol ished on either side, and finely proportioned ? or when it is quick to receive odors, and trans mit them to the brain ? Any one can answer this. Come now, let us illustrate this by an example as of gripers, I mean the instruments so called ; we say those are well-made, which are able to take up and hold things, not those which are only handsomely and elegantly shaped. So those are good teeth which are fit for the ser vice of dividing and chewing our food, not those which are beautifully set. And applying the same reasoning to other parts of the body, we shall call those members beautiful, which are sound, and perform their proper functions aright. So we think any instrument, or plant, or. animal good, not because of its form or color, but because it answers its purpose. And he is thought a good 4 servant, who is useful and ready for our service, not one who is comely but dis solute. I trust ye now understand how it is in your power to be beautiful. And since the greatest and most important benefits are equally enjoyed by all, we are under no disadvantage. Whether we are beautiful or not, we alike behold this universe, the sun, the 2 Stopping the passage thus, the present reading may stand.3 Tr\eove(i.a seems here to be used for " superiority," if the read ing of B. (not wicked) is correct; and this makes the best sense. Otherwise, it must stand for " excess."