I 12 WORKS OF ST. CHRYSOSTOM. [HOMILY XIII. cock should crow, or a man should sneeze, or whatever else may happen, like men bound with ten thousand chains, or, as I was saying, like men confined in the dark, they suspect every thing, and are more slavish than all the slaves in the world. 1 But let it not be so with us. But scorning all . these things, as men living in the light, and hav ing our citizenship in Heaven, and having noth ing in common with earth, let us regard but one thing as terrible, that is, sin, and offend ing against God. And if there be not this, let us scorn all the rest, and him that brought them in, the Devil. For these things let us give thanks to God. Let us be diligent, not only that we ourselves be never caught by this slavery, but if any of those who are dear to us have been caught, let us break his bonds asunder, let us release him from this most bitter and contemptible captivity, let us make him free and unshackled for his course toward Heaven, let us raise up his flagging wings, and teach him to be wise for life and doctrine s sake. Let us give thanks to God for all things. Let us be seech Him that He will not declare us unworthy of the gifts offered to us, and let us ourselves withal endeavor to contribute our own part, that we may teach not only by speaking, but by acting also. For thus shall we be able to attain His unnumbered blessings, of which God grant we may all be counted worthy, in Christ Jesus our Lord with whom, to the Father and the Holy Ghost together, be glory, might, and honor, now, henceforth, and for ever and ever. Amen. HOMILY XIII. EPHESIANS iv. 17-19. "This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye no longer walk as the Gentiles also walk, in the vanity of their mind, being darkened in their under standing, alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hard ening of their heart : who being past feeling, gave themselves up to lasciviousness, to work all unclean- ness with greediness." THESE words are not addressed to the Ephe- sians only, but are now addressed also to you ; and that, not from me, but from Paul ; or rather, neither from me nor from Paul, but from the grace of the Spirit. And we then ought so to feel, as though that grace itself were uttering them. And now hear what it saith. " This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye no longer walk as the Gentiles also walk, in the vanity of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their heart." If then it is ignorance, if it is hardening, why blame it? 2 if a man is ignorant, it were just, not that he should be ill-treated for it, nor be blamed, but that he should be informed of those things of which he is ignorant. But mark how at once he cuts them off from all excuse. " Who being past feeling," saith he, " gave themselves up to lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness ; but ye did not so learn Christ." * [Compare Chrysostom s Commentary on Gal. i. 7. G. A.] 2 [" The cause of this estrangement of the Gentiles from the life of God is the ignorance which is in them through hardeningof heart, consequently due to their own fault." Meyer. G. A.] Here he shows us, that the cause of their hard ening was their way of life, and that their life was the consequence of their own indolence and want of feeling. "Who being past feeling," 3 saith he, "gave themselves up." Whenever then ye hear, that " God gave them up unto a reprobate mind" (Rom. i. 28), remem ber this expression, that " they gave themselves up." If then they gave themselves over, how did God give them over ? and if again God gave them over, how did they give themselves over? Thou seest the seeming contradiction. The word, "gave them over," then, means this, He permitted 4 them to be given over. Seest thou, that the impure life is the ground for like doctrines also? "Every one," saith the Lord, " that doeth ill hateth the light, and cometh not to the light." (John iii. 20.) For how could a profligate man, one more immersed in the practice of indiscriminate lewdness than the swine 5 that wallow in the mire, and who is a lover of money, and has not so much as any desire after temperance, enter upon a life like this? They made the thing, saith he, their "work." 6 Hence their "hardening" (ver. 19), hence the "darkness of their understand- 3 ["The estrangement of the Gentiles from the divine life, indi cated in the preceding v.erse, is here proved in conformity with expe rience." Meyer. G. A.] 4 [" The word implies an active giving up, not mere permis sion. 1 Meyer, Ellicott. Thayer. G. A.] *> [The word " swine " (\oipiav) , though omitted from Field s text, is clearly attested, and cannot be omitted without leaving the sense difficult and obscure. G. A.] [Namely, " to work all uncleanness," &c. G. A.]