WORKS OF ST. CHRYSOSTOM. [HOMILY 1. love alone, it would follow that all must be saved ; whereas again were it the result of our virtue alone, then were His coming needless, and the whole dispensation. But it is the re sult neither of His love alone, nor yet of our virtue, but of both. " He chose us," saith the Apostle; and He that chooseth, knoweth what it is that He chooseth. "In love," 1 he adds, "having foreordained us;" for virtue would never have saved any one, had there not been love. For tell me, what would Paul have profited, how would he have exhibited what he has exhibited, if God had not both called him from the beginning, and, in that He loved him, drawn him to Himself? But besides, His vouchsafing us so great privileges, was the ef fect of His love, not of our virtue. Because our being rendered virtuous, and believing, and coming nigh unto Him, even this again was the work of Him that called us Himself, and yet, notwithstanding, it is ours also. But that on our coming nigh unto Him, He should vouchsafe us so high privileges, as to bring us at once from a state of enmity, to the adoption of children, this is indeed the work of a really transcendent love. Ver. 4, 5. "In love," 1 saith he, "having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto Himself." Do you observe how that nothing is done without Christ ? Nothing without the Father ? The one hath predestinated, the other hath brought us near. And these words he adds by way of heightening the things which have been done, in the same way as he says also elsewhere, "And not only so, but we also rejoice in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ." (Rom. v: n.) For great indeed are the blessings be stowed, yet are they made far greater in being bestowed through Christ ; because He sent not any servant, though it was to servants He sent, but the Only-begotten Son Himself. Ver. 5. "According to the good pleasure," he continues, " of His will." That is to say, because He earnestly willed it. This is, as one might say, His earnest de sire.2 For the word "good pleasure" every where means the precedent will, for there is also another will. As for example, the first will is that sinners should not perish ; the second will is, that, if men become wicked, they shall per ish. For surely it is not by necessity that He punishes them, but because He wills it. You may see something of the sort even in the words of Paul, where he says, " I would that all men were even as I myself." (i Cor. vii : 7.) And [These words, ev aydirfi, are in the Revised Version and in the text of Westcott and Hort joined with what precedes, dyious /cai d|ua>nous. So also Alford. Meyer and Ellicott, however, are in accord with Chrysostom and probably right in joining ev d-yin-fl with rrpoopicras, following. G. A.] J [The good pleasure of His will means, " God s free self-deter mination, independent of ail human desert, as regulative of the Trpoopi^jetc." Meyer. G. A.] again, "I desire that the younger widows marry, bear children." (i Tim. v: 14.) By "good pleasure" then he means the first will, the earnest will, the will accompanied with earnest desire, as in case of us, for I shall not refuse to employ even a somewhat familiar ex pression, in order to sper.k with clearness to the simpler sort ; for thus we ourselves, to express the intentness of the will, speak of acting ac cording to our resolve. What he means to say then is this, God earnestly aims at, earnestly desires, our salvation. Wherefore then is it that He so loveth us, whence hath He such affection ? It is of His goodness alone. For grace itself is the fruit of goodness. And for this cause, he saith, hath He predestinated us to the adoption of children ; this being His will, and the object of His earnest wish, that the glory of His grace may be displayed. "According to the good pleasure of His will," he proceeds, Ver. 6. "To the praise of the glory of His grace, 3 which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved." That the glory of His gracemay be displayed, he saith, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. Now then if for this He hath shown grace to us, to the praise of the glory of His grace, and that He may display His grace, let us abide therein. " To the praise of His glory." "What is this? that who should praise Him? that who should glorify Him? that we, that Angels, that Archangels, yea, or the whole creation? And what were that? Nothing. The Divine nature knoweth no want. And wherefore then would He have us praise and glorify Him ? It is that our love towards Him may be kindled more fervently within us. He desireth nothingwe can render ; not our service, not our praise, nor any thing else, nothing but our salvation ; this is His object in every thing He does. And he who praises and marvels at the grace displayed towards himself will thus be more devoted and more earnest. "Which He freely bestowed on us," he saith. He does not say, " Which He hath graciously given us," (^a/nVaro) but, "where in He hath shown grace to us." (lyapiriuffev} That is to say, He hath not only released us from our sins, but hath also made us meet ob jects 4 of His love. It is as though one were to take a leper, wasted by distemper, and disease, by age, and poverty, and famine, and were to turn him all at once into a graceful youth, sur passing all mankind in beauty, shedding a bright lustre from his cheeks, and eclipsing the * [" As love was the motive for the divine predestination, so is the glorifying of the divine love, here designated grace, its divinely conceived ultimate aim." Meyer. G. A.]4 ["The word does not here mean to make love worthy, as Chrys., referring to inherent righteousness, but to grant grace, just as ver. 7 sets forth simply the work of pardoning grace. " Meyer. G. A.]