only good when He chastises, but also when He confers favours;983 and concludes by exhort- ing to avoid oaths. The eighth Homily Tillemont supposes to have been spoken on the day following the seventh Homily, that is, on the Friday. But Chrysostom disclaims it, who testifies at the outset that he discoursed on the passage, “In the beginning God made heaven and earth, lately” (πρῴην) not yesterday (χθšς), which without doubt belongs to the seventh Homily. Therefore the present Homily is to be assigned to the Saturday;984 which these words just immediately after the beginning would also incline us to think. “The week hath nearly arrived at its close with us.” The argument of the Homily he draws from these words, “God was walking in Paradise in the cool of the day.” On this he observes the wicked are always timid and fearful, but the godly full of confidence. Finally, he treats according to his custom of the avoiding of oaths, and says, that it is now the sixth day since he had been admonishing as to the observance of this law. The ninth Homily Tillemont with probability allots to the Monday of the second week in Lent. But as to this matter no indication presents itself by which we may lay down any thing certain or probable. This discourse was, however, delivered after a silence of one or more days, as Chrysostom expressly states985 at the beginning; contrary to which is the opinion of Tillemont, who, whilst he allots the eighth Homily to the Friday of one week, and the ninth to the Monday of the week following, says in the Life of Chrysostom, Art. (15.), that the intervening Sabbaths and Lord’s days were doubtless distinguished by dis- courses of Chrysostom, which discourses have been lost. Chrysostom, at the commencement of this, praises the people of Antioch, that yielding to his admonitions they were taking pains to expel the practice of oaths. On these words also, “The heavens declare the glory of God,” he speaks at length, and sets forth God’s providence in the order and harmony of the natural world, and at length he concludes the address by admonishing that oaths should be abstained from. The tenth Homily was not delivered on the day following the ninth, although it follows up the same argument, as is shewn by the word, πρῴην “lately.” But Chrysostom here con- gratulates his auditors that they had yielded to his admonitions. He declares it is far better 983 This must be a slip of the pen. [The sentences have clearly got transposed, and we should read “not only good when He confers favours, but also when He chastises.”—Ed.] 984 Both arguments may stand, as the common use of πρῴην is undoubted. 985 By using the word πρῷην. But this may be in anticipation of his reference to Hom. VII. But if this Homily were delivered on Monday, the first day of strict fasting, the scruples of the congregation would be accounted for. No difficulty remains but the use of πρῷην, in Hom. X., against which is ἐπιοῦσαν. Placing the trials, and Hom. XI.–XVIII. a week later throughout, seems less consistent. 446 Preface to the Benedictine Edition.