HOMILY VII.] HOMILIES ON EPKESIANS. that hates thee. I wish to give you some ex ample, (pardon me,) and since I find it not among them that are spiritual, I shall quote an instance from them that are without. See ye not those lovers? How many insults are wreaked upon them by their mistresses, how many artifices practised, how many punishments inflicted : yet they are enchained to them, they burn for them, and love them better than their own souls, passing whole nights before their thresholds. From them let us take our example, not indeed to love such as those, women, I mean, that are harlots; no, but thus to love our enemies. For tell me, do not harlots treat their lovers with greater insolence than all the ene mies in the world, and squanderaway their sub stance, and cast insult in their face, and impose upon them more servile tasks than upon their own menials ? And yet still they desist not, though no one hath so great an enemy in any one, as the lover in his mistress. Yea, this be loved one disdains, and reviles, and oftentimes maltreats him, and the more she is loved, the more she scorns him. And what can be more brutal than a spirit like this? Yet notwith standing he loves her still. But possibly we shall find love like this in spiritual characters also, not in those of our day, (for it has "waxed cold,") (Matt, xxiv : 12.) but in those great and glorious men of old. Moses, the blessed Moses, surpassed even those that love with human passion. How, and in what way? First, he gave up the court, and the luxury, and the retinue, and the glory at tending it, and chose rather to be with the Israelites. Yet is this not only what no one else would ever have done, but would haveeven been ashamed, were another to have discovered him, of being found to be a kinsman of men, who were slaves and not only slaves, but were looked upon as even execrable. Yet was he not only not ashamed of his kindred, but with all his spirit defended them, and threw himself into dangers for their sake. (Acts, vii : 24.) How? Seeing, it is said, one doing an injury to one of them, he defended him that suffered the injury, and slew him that inflicted it. But this is not as yet for the sake of enemies. Great indeed is this act of itself, but not so great as what comes afterwards. The next day, then, he saw the same thing taking place, and when he saw him whom he had defended 1 doing his neighbor wrong, he admonished him to desist from his wrong-doing. But he said, with great ingratitude, "Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us?" (Acts, vii : 27.) Who would not have taken fire at these words? Had then the 1 [It does not appear from the account in Exodus ii : n ff. orfrom that in Acts vii : 24 ff. that the Hebrew who did his brother wrong was the same that Moses had defended on the preceeding day, as Chrysostom here lakes for granted. G. A.] former act been that of passion and frenzy, then would he have smitten and killed thisman also; for surely he on whose behalf it wasdone, never would have informed against him. But because they were brethren, it is said, he spoke thus. When he [the Hebrew] was being wronged, he uttered no such word " Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us?" "Wherefore saidst thou not this yesterday?" Moses would say, "Thy injustice, and thy cruelty, these makeme a ruler and a judge." But now, mark, how that some, in fact, say as much even to God Himself. Whenever they are wronged indeed, they would have Him a God of vengeance, and complain of His long suffering; but when themselves do wrong, not for a moment. However, what could be more bitter than words like these? And yet notwithstanding, after this, when he was sent to that ungrateful, to that thankless race, he went, and shrunk not back. Yea, and after those miracles, and after the wonders wrought by his hand, oftentimes they sought to stone him to death and he es caped out of their hands. They kept murmur ing too incessantly, and yet still, notwithstand ing, so passionately did he love them, as to say unto God, when they committed that heinous sin, "Yet now if Thou wilt forgive, forgive their sin ; and if not, blot even me also out of the book whichThou hast written." (Ex. xxxii : 32.) Fain would I perish, saith he, with them, rather than without them be saved. Here, verily, is love even to madness, verily, un bounded love. What sayest thou, Moses? Art thou regardless of Heaven? I am, saith he, for I love those who have wronged me. Prayest thou to be blotted out ? Yea, saith he, what can I do, for it is love? And what again after these things? Hear what the Scripture saith elsewhere ; And it went ill with Moses for their sakes." (Ps. cvi : 32.) How often did they wax wanton ? How often did they reject both himself and his brother ? How often did they seek to return back to Egypt? and yet after all these things did he burn, yea, was be side himself with love for them, and was ready to suffer for their sakes. Thus ought a man to love his enemies ; by lamentation, by unwearied endurance, by doing everything, by showing all favor, to aim at their salvation. And what again, tell me, did Paul? did he notask even tobe accursed in their stead ? (Rom. ix : 3.) But the great pattern we must of ne cessity derive from the Lord, for thus doth He also Himself, where he saith, " For He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and the good." (Matt, v : 45.) adducing the example from His Father ; but we from Christ Himself. He came unto