HOMILY XV.] HOMILIES ON PHILIITIANS. 253 ing to His free gift, i.e. it is easy to Him, and possible, and quickly. And since I have spoken of need, do not think that he will drive you into straits. Wherefore he added, " according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." So shall all things abound to you, that you may have them to His glory. Or, ye are wanting in nothing ; (for it is written, " great grace was upon them all, neither was there any that lacked.") (Acts iv. 33.) Or, so as to do all things for His glory, as if he had said, that ye may use your abun dance to His glory. Ver. 20. " Now unto our God and Father be the glory for ever and ever. Amen." For the glory of which he speaks belongs not only to the Son, but to the Father too, for when the Son is glorified, then is the Father also. For when he said, This is done to the glory of Christ, lest any one should suppose that it is to His glory alone, he continued, " Unto our God and Father be the glory," that glory which is paid to the Son. Ver. 21. "Salute every saint in Christ Jesus." This also is no small thing. For it is a proof of great good will, to salute them through let ters. " The brethren which are with me salute you." And yet thou saidst that thou hast "no one like-minded, who will care truly for your state." How then sayest thou now, "The breth ren which are with me"? He either saith, " The brethren which are with me," because he hath no one like-minded of those who are with him, (where he doth not speak of those in the city, for how were they constrained to under take the affairs of the Apostles?) or that he did not refuse to call even those brethren. Ver. 22, 23. "All the saints salute you, es pecially they that are of Caesar s household. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit." He elevated them and strengthened them, by showing that his preaching had reached even to the king s 1 household. For if those who were in the king s palace despised all things for the sake of the King of Heaven, far more ought they to do this. And this too was a proof of the love of Paul, and that he had told many things of them, and said great things of them, whence he had even led those who were in the palace to a longing for them, so that those who had never seen them saluted them. Especially because the faithful were then in affliction, his love was great. And those who were absent from each other were closely conjoined together as if real limbs. And the poor man was similarly disposed toward the rich, and the rich toward the poor, and there was no preeminence, in that they were all equally hated and cast out, and [Tt must be remembered that " king " was the regular Greek term for the Roman impeiator (emperor). J. A. B.] that for the same cause. For as, if captives taken from divers cities should arise and come to the same towns, they eagerly embrace each other, their common calamity binding them together ; thus too at that time they had great love one toward another, the communion of their afflic tions and persecutions uniting them. MORAL. For affliction is an unbroken bond, the increase of love, the occasion of compunc tion and piety. Hear the words of David, " It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn Thy statutes." (Ps. cxix. 71.) And again another prophet, who saith, " It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth." (Lam. iii. 27.) And again, "Blessed is the man whom Thou chastenest, O Lord." (Ps. xciv. 12.) And another who saith, "De spise not the chastening of the Lord." (Prov. iii. n.) And "if thou come near to serve the Lord, prepare thy soul for temptation." (Ec- clus. xi. i.) And Christ also said to His dis ciples, " In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer." (John xvi. 33.) And again, " Ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice." (John xvi. 20.) And again, " Narrow and straitened is the way." (Matt, vii. 14.) Dost thou see how tribulation is every where lauded, everywhere assumed as needful for us ? For if in the contests of the world, no one without this receiveth the crown, unless he fortify himself by toil, by abstinence from deli cacies, by living according to rule, by watchings, and innumerable other things, much more so here. Forwhom wilt thou name as an instance ? The king? Not even he liveth a life free from care, but one burdened with much tribulation and anxiety. For look not to his diadem, but to his sea of cares, by which the crown is pro duced for him. Nor look to his purple robe, but to his soul, which is darker than that purple. His crown doth not so closely bind his brow, as care doth his soul. Nor look to the multitude of his spearmen, but to the multitude of his dis quietudes. For it is not possible to find a pri vate house laden with so many cares as a king s palace. Violent deaths are each day expected, and a vision of blood is seen as they sit down to eat and drink. Nor can we say how oft he is disturbed in the night season, and leaps up, haunted with visions. And all this in peace ; but if war should overtake him, what could be more piteous than such a life as this ! What evils has he from those that are his own, I mean, those who are under his dominion. Nay, and of a truth the pavement of a king s house is always full of blood, the blood of his own rela tions. And if ye will, I will also relate some instances, and ye will presently know; chiefly old occurrences but also some things that have happened in our own times yet still preserved