298 WORKS OF ST. CHRYSOSTOM. [HOMILY VIII. thee with greater honor. And it is not possible, that a man, who giveth thanks for his evils, should be sensible of them. For his soul re- joiceth, as doing what is right ; forthwith his conscience is bright, it exults in its own com mendation ; and that soul which is bright, can not possibly be sad of countenance. But in the other case, along with the misfortune, conscience also assails him with her lash ; whilst in this, she crowns, and proclaims him. Nothing is holier than that tongue, which in evils giveth thanks to God ; truly in no respect doth it fall short of that of martyrs ; both are alike crowned, both this, and they. For over this one also stands the executioner to force it to deny God, by blasphemy ; the devil stands over it, torturing it with executioner thoughts, darkening it with despondencies. If then one bear his griefs, and give thanks, he hath gained a crown of martyrdom. For instance, is her little child sick, and doth she give God thanks? this is a crown to her. What torture so bad that despondency is not worse ? still it doth not force her to vent forth a bitter word. It dies : again she hath given thanks. She hath become the daughter of Abraham. For if she sacrificed not with her own hand, yet was she pleased with the sacrifice, which is the same ; she felt no indignation when the gift was taken away. Again, is her child sick? She hath made no amulets. 1 It is counted to her as martyrdom, for she sacrificed her son in her resolve. For what, even though those things are unavailing, and a mere cheat and mockery, still there were nevertheless those who persuaded her that they do avail : and she chose rather to see her child dead, than to put up with idolatry. As then she is a martyr, whether it be in her own case, or in her son s, that she hath thus acted ; or in her husband s, or in any other s of her dearest ; so is that other one an idolatress. For it is evi dent that she would have done sacrifice, had it been allowed her to do sacrifice ; yea, rather, she hath even now performed the act of sacri fice. For these amulets, though theywho make money by them are forever rationalizing about them, and saying, " we call upon God, and do nothing extraordinary," and the like ; and " the old woman is a Christian," says he, " and one of the faithful " ; the thing is idolatry. Art thou one of the faithful ? sign the Cross ; say, this I have for my only weapon ; this for my remedy ; and other I know none. Tell me, if a physician should come to one, and, neglecting the remedies belonging to his art, should use incantation, should we call that man a physi cian ? By no means : for we see not the medi- 1 Trepuurra. See on Stat. Horn. xix. p. 470 and note 4. Perhaps it should be eVeSr/c-f, " she hath tied on." cines of the healing art ; so neither, in this case, do we see those of Christianity. Otherwomen again tie about them 2 the names of rivers, and venture numberless things of like nature. Lo, I say, and forewarn you all, that if any be detected, I will not spare them again, whether they have made amulet, or incantation, or any other thing of such an art as this. What then, saith one, is the child to die ? If he have lived through this means, he did then die, but if he have died without this, he then lived. But now, if thou seest him attaching himself to har lots, thou wishest him buried, and sayest, " why, what good is it for him to live? " butwhen thou seest him in peril of his salvation, dost thou wish to see him live? Heardest thou not Christ say ing, " He that loseth his life, shall find it ; and he that findeth it, shall lose it"? (Matt. xvi. 25.) Believest thou these sayings, or do they seem to thee fables? Tell me now, should one say, " Take him away to an idol temple, and he will live " ; wouldest thou endure it? No ! she replies. Why? "Because," she saith, "he urges me to commit idolatry ; but here, there is no idolatry, but simple incantation : " this is the device of Satan, this is that wiliness of the devil to cloak over the deceit, and to give the deleterious drug in honey. After he found that he could not prevail with thee in the other way,3 he hath gone this way about, to stitched charms, and old wives fables ; and the Cross indeed is dishonored, and these charms preferred before it. Christ is cast out, and a drunken and silly old woman is brought in. That mystery of ours is trodden under foot, and the imposture of the devil dances. Wherefore then, saith one, doth not God re prove the aid from such sources ? He hath many times reproved, and yet hath not persuaded thee ; He now leaveth thee to thine error, for It saith, " God gave them up unto a reprobate mind." (Rom. i. 28.) These things, more over, not even a Greek who hath understanding could endure. A certain demagogue in Athens is reported once to have hung these things about him : when a philosopher who was his instruc tor, on beholding them, rebuked him, expostu lated, satirized, made sport of him. For in so wretched a plight are we, as even to believe in these things ! Why, saith one, are there not now those who raise the dead, and perform cures? Yes, then, why, I say : why are there not now those who have a contempt for this present life ? Do we serve God for hire? W T hen man s nature was weaker, when the Faith had to be planted, there were even many such ; but now he would 2 i.e. their children, 7repia;rrou<ri. In what he says presently after, he must be referring to the temporal ill effects of immorality. s i.e. of direct idolatry.