HOMILY VI.] HOMILIES ON TIMOTHY. 427 warks thrown up before us, within which those who are inclosed are in peace and safety. He says, " supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks." For we must give thanks to God for the good that befalls others, as that He maketh the sun to shine upon the evil and the good, and sendeth His rain both upon the just and the unjust. Observe how he would unite and bind us together, not only by prayer but by thanksgiving. For he who is urged to thank God for his neighbor s good, is also bound to love him, and be kindly disposed towards him. And if we must give thanks for our neighbor s good, much more for what happens to ourselves, and for what is unknown, and even for things against our will, and such as appear grievous to us, since God dispenses all things for our good. MORAL. Let every prayer of ours, then, be accompanied with thanksgiving. And if we are commanded to pray for our neighbors, not only for the faithful, but for the unbelieving also, con sider how wrong it is to pray against your breth ren. What ? Has He commanded you to pray for your enemies, and do you pray against your brother? But your prayer is not against him, but against yourself. For you provoke God by uttering those impious words, " Show him the same ! " " So do to him ! " " Smite him ! " " Recompense him ! " Far be such words from the disciple of Christ, who should be meek and mild. From the mouth that has been vouch safed such holy Mysteries, let nothing bitter pro ceed.- 1 Let not the tongue that has touched the Lord s Body utter anything offensive, let it be kept pure, let not curses be borne upon it. For if " revilers shall not inherit the kingdom of God" (i Cor. vi. 10), much less those who curse. For he that curses must be injurious ; and injuriousness and prayer are at variance with each other, cursing and praying are far apart, accusation and prayer are wide asunder. Do you propitiate God with prayer, and then utter imprecations ? If you forgive not, you will not be forgiven. (Matt. vi. 15.) But instead of forgiving, you beseech God not to forgive ; what excessive wickedness in this ! If the unforgiving is not forgiven, he that prays his Lord not to forgive, how shall he be forgiven? The harm is to yourself, not him. For though your prayers were on the point of being heard for yourself, they would never be accepted in such a case, as offered with a polluted mouth. For surely the mouth that curses is polluted with all that is offensive and unclean. When you ought to tremble for your own sins, to wrestle earnestly for the pardon of them, you come to move God against your brother do 1 See Jas. iii. n. you not fear, nor think of what concerns your self? do you not see what you are doing? Imi tate even the conduct of children at school. If they see their own class within giving account of their lessons, and all beaten for their idleness, and one by one severely examined and chastised with blows, they are frightened to death, and if one of their companions strikes them, and that severely, they cannot have while to be angry, nor complain to their master ; so is their soul possessed with fear. They only look to one thing, that they may go in and come out with out stripes, and their thoughts are on that time. And when they come out, whether beaten or not, the blows they have received from their play fellows never enter their minds for the delight. And you, when you stand anxiously concerned for your own sins, how can you but shudder at making mention of others faults? 2 How can you implore pardon of God? For your own case is made worse on the terms of your impre cations against another, and you forbid Him to make allowance for your own faults. Might He not say, " If thou wouldest have Me so severe in exacting offenses against thee, how canst thou expect Me to pardon thy offenses against Me ? " Let us learn at last to be Christians ! If we know not how to pray, which is a very simple and easy thing, what else shall we know ? Let us learn to pray like Christians. Those are the prayers of .Gentiles, the supplications of Jews. The Christian s are the reverse, for the forgive ness and forgetting of offenses against us. " Be ing reviled," it is said, " we bless ; being perse cuted, we suffer it ; being defamed, we entreat." (i Cor. iv. 12, 13.) Hear Stephen saying, " Lord, lay not this sin to their charge." (Acts vi. 60.) Instead of praying against them, he prayed for them. You, instead of praying for them, utter imprecations against them. You then are wicked in the degree that he was ex cellent. Whom do we admire, tell me ; those for whom he prayed, or him who prayed for them ? Him certainly ! and if we, much more then God. Would you have your enemy stricken ? pray for him : yet not with such intention, not to strike him. That will indeed be the effect, but let it not be your object. That blessed martyr suffered all unjustly, yet he prayed for them : we suffer many things justly from our enemies. And if he who suffered unjustly durst not forbear to pray for his enemies, what punish ment do we deserve, who suffer justly, and yet do not pray for them, nay, pray against them ? Thou thinkest indeed that thou art inflicting a blow upon another, but in truth thou art thrust- 2 In the Apostolical Constitutions, b. viii. c. 12, the Deacon says, just before the Offertory Prayer, " No man against another! no man in hypocrisy ! Upright before the Lord with fear and trembling let us stand to offer! " The first sentence shows that the like abuse was apprehended.