432 WORKS OF ST. CHRYSOSTOM. [HOMILY VIII. have done so. Quench this flame, and thou wilt see that these things are of less worth than flowers. Is gold good ? Yes, it is good for almsgiving, for the relief of the poor ; it is good, not for unprofitable use, to be hoarded up or buried in the earth, to be worn on the hands or the feet or the head. It was discovered for this end, that with it we should loose the captives, not form it into a chain for the image of God. Use thy gold for this, to loose him that is bound, not to chain her that is free. Tell me, why dost thou value above all things what is of so little worth ? Is it the less a chain, because it is of gold ? does the material make any difference ? l whether it be gold or iron, it is still a chain ; nay the gold is the heavier. What then makes it light, but vainglory, and the pleasure of being seen to wear a chain, of which you ought rather to be ashamed? To make this evident, fasten it, and place the wearer in a wilderness or where there is no one to see, and the chain will at once be felt heavy, and thought burdensome. Beloved, let us fear, lest we be doomed to hear those terrible words, " Bind him hand and foot." (Matt. xxii. 13.) And why, O woman, dost thou now do so to thyself? No prisoner has both his hands and his feet bound. Why bindest thou thy head too? For thou art not content with hands and feet, but bindest thy head and thy neck with many chains. I pass over the care that comes of these things, the fear, the alarm, the strife occasioned by them with thy husband if ever he wants them, the death it is to people when they lose any of them. Canst thou call this a pleasure? To gratify the eyes of others, dost thou subject thyself to chains, and cares, and perils, and uneasiness, and daily quarrels ? This is deserving of every censure and condemnation. Nay, I entreat you, let us not do thus, let us burst every " bond of iniquity " (Acts viii. 23) ; let us break our bread to the hungry, and let us do all other things, which may ensure to us confidence before God, that we may obtain the blessings promised through Jesus Christ our Lord, with whom, &c. HOMILY VIM i TIMOTHY ii. 8-10. " I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broidered hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; but (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works." "WHEN thou prayest," saith Christ, "thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are ; for they love ! to pray standing in the synagogues and in the ; corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their re ward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father, which is in secret ; and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly." (Matt. vi. 5, 6.) What then says Paul? "I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting." This is not contrary to the other, God forbid, but quite in harmony with it. But how, and in what way ? We must first consider what means, " enter into thy closet," and why Christ commands this, if we are to pray in every place? or whether we may not pray in the church, nor in any other part of the house, but the closet? What then means that saying? Christ is recommending us to avoid ostenta tion, when He bids us offer our prayers not only privately, but secretly. For, when He says, " Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth " (Matt. vi. 3), it is not the hands that He considers, but He is bidding them use the utmost caution against ostentation : and He is doing the like here ; He did not limit prayer to one place, but required one thing alone, the absence of vainglory. The object of Paul is to distinguish the Christian from the Jewish prayers, therefore observe what he says : In every place lifting up holy hands," which was not permitted the Jews, for they were not allowed to approach God, to sacrifice and per form their services, elsewhere, but assembling from all parts of the world in one place, they were bound to perform all their worship ~ in the temple. In opposition to this he introduces his precept, and freeing them from this necessity, he says in effect, Our ways are not like the Jewish ; for as Christ commanded us to pray for all men because He died for all men, and I preach these things for all men, so it is good to " pray everywhere." Henceforth the consider- 1 L.it. " Is it the material that makes (an iron chain) a chain? "