342 WORKS OF ST. CHRYSOSTOM. [HOMILY IV. you, but your hearts. " For out of the heart come forth evil thoughts." (Matt. xv. 19.) For it is possible, without doing anything, to be a bad man ; as for example, to have envy, un belief, deceit, to rejoice at evils, not to be lov ing, to hold perverted doctrines, all these things are of the heart ; and to be pure of these things is holiness. For indeed chastity is properly by preeminence called holiness, since fornication and adultery is also uncleanness. 1 But univer sally all sin is uncleanness, and every virtue is purity. For, "Blessed," it is said, "are the pure in heart." (Matt. v. 8.) By "the pure" He means those who are in every way pure. For other things also know how to pollute the soul, and no less. For that wickedness denies the soul, hear the prophet, saying, " O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness." (Jer. iv. 14.) And again, "Wash you, make you clean, put away the wickednesses from your souls." (Isa. i. 16, Sept.) He did not say " fornications," so that not only fornication, but other things also defile the soul. "To establish your hearts," he says, "unblam able in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints." Therefore Christ will then be a Judge, but not before Him (only), but also before the Father we shall stand to be judged. Or does he mean this, to be unblamable before God, as he always says, " in the sight of God," for this is sincere virtue not in the sight of men? It is love then that makes them unblamable. For it does make men really unblamable. And once when I was discoursing of this to a certain one, and saying, that love makes men unblam able, and that love to our neighbor does not surfer any entrance of transgression, and in my discourse going over, and pursuing all the rest some one of my acquaintance interposing himself said, What then of fornication, is it not possible both to love, and to commit fornication ? And it is indeed from love that this springs. Covetousness indeed, and adultery, and envy, and hostile designs, and everything of this sort can, from love of one s neighbor, be stopped ; but how fornication? he said. I therefore told him, that even this can love stop. For if a man should love a woman that commits fornication, he will endeavor both to draw her off from other men, and not himself also to add to her sin. So that to commit fornication with a woman is the part of one exceedingly hating her with whom he commits the fornication, but one who truly loved her would withdraw her from that abominable practice. And there is not, there is not any sin, which the power of love, like fire, cannot consume. For it is easier for a 1 This is legally opposed to holiness. vile faggot to resist a great pile of fire, than for the nature of sin to resist the power of love. This then let us plant in our own souls, that we may stand with all the Saints. For they all pleased God by their love to their neighbor. Whence was Abel slain, and did not slay? From his vehement love to his brother, he could not even admit such a thought. Whence was the destructive pest of envy received by Cain ? For I will no longer call him the brother of Abel ! Because the foundations of love had not been firmly fixed in him. Whence did the sons of Noah obtain a good report ? was it not because they vehemently loved their father, and did not endure to see his exposure ? Andwhence was the other cursed ? was it not from not loving him ? And whence did Abraham obtain a good report? was it not from love in doing what he did concerning his nephew? what he did as to his supplication for the Sodomites ? For strongly, strongly, were the Saints affected with love and with sympathy. For consider, I pray ; Paul, he that was bold in the face of fire, hard as adamant, firm and unshaken, on every side compact, riveted in the fear of God, and inflexible ; for, " who (said he) shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, orsword " ? (Rom. viii. 35) he that was bold in the face of all these things, and of earth and sea, he that laughed to scorn the adamantine gates of death,2 whom nothing ever withstood, he, when he saw the tears of some whom he loved, was so broken and crushed, the adamantine man, that he did not even conceal his feelings, but said straightway, "What do ye, weeping and breaking my heart?" (Acts xxi. 13.) What say- est thou, tell me? Had a tear the power to crush that soul of adamant? Yea, he says, for I hold out against all things except love. This prevails over me, and subdues me. This is the mind of God. An abyss of water 3 did not crush him, and a few tears crashed him. " What do ye, weeping and crushingmy heart ? " For great is the force of love. Dost thou not see him again weeping? Why weepest thou ? Tell me. " By the space of three years," he says, " I ceased not to admonish every one night and day with tears." (Acts xx. 31.) From his great love he feared, lest some plague should be intro duced among them. And again, " For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears." (2 Cor. ii. 4.) And what did Joseph ? tell me, that firm one, who stood up against so great a tyranny, who appears so noble against so great a flame of love, - [Field s MSS. all give "death"; the previous editions all had " Hades," a natural alteration. Cases are not very rare in which the editions were without known MS. support. J. A. B.] 3 Perhaps alluding to 2 Cor. xi. 25.