HOMILY VII.] HOMILIES ON TIMOTHY. 501 to advantage, so he that looks down upon his neighbor s concerns will neglect his own. For ifwe are members one of another, the welfare of our neighbor is not his concern only, but that of the whole body, and the injury of our neigh bor is not confined to him, but distracts with pains all else as well. 1 If we are a building, whatever part is weakened, it affects the whole, whilst that which is solid gives strength and support to the rest. So also in the Church, if thou hast slighted thy neighbor, thou has in jured thyself. How? In that one of thy own members hath suffered no small hurt. And if he, who does not impart of his possessions, goes into Hell, much more will he be condemned, who sees a neighbor suffering severer evils, and does not stretch out his hand, since in this case the loss is more grievous. " Formen shall be lovers of their own selves." He that loves himselfmay be said not to love himself, but he that loves his brother, loves him self in the truest sense. From self-love springs covetousness. For the wretched niggardly tem per of self-love contracts that love which should be widely extended, and diffused on every side. " Covetous." From covetousness springs boast- fulness, from boastfulness pride, from pride blas phemy, from blasphemy defiance and disobe dience. Forhe who exalts himself against men, will easily do it against God. Thus sins are pro duced. Often they ascend from below. He that is pioustowardsmen, is stillmorepioustowardsGod. He who is meek to his fellow-servants, is more meek to his Master. He that despises his fellow- servants, will end with despising God Himself. MORAL. Let us not then despise one another, for that is an evil training which teaches us to despise God. And indeed to despise one an other is in effect to despise God, Who com manded us to show all regard to one another. And this may be otherwise manifested by an example. Cain despised his brother, and so, immediately after, he despised God. How de spised Him? Mark his insolent answer to God ; "Am I my brother s keeper?" (Gen. iv. 9.) Again, Esau despised his brother, and he too despised God. Wherefore God said, " Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated." (Rom. ix. 13 ; Mai. i. 2, 3.) Hence Paul says, " Lest there be any fornicator or profane person as Esau." (Heb. xii. 16.) The brethren of Joseph despised him, and they also despised God. The Israelites despised Moses, and they also despised God. So too the sons of Eli despised the people, and they too despised God. Would you see it also from the contrary ? Abraham, who was tender of his brother s son, was obedient to God, as is manifest in his conduct with re- AOITTOI , qu.? airav TO Aoiirdv, "all the rest of the spect to his son Isaac, and in all his other vir tues. Again, Abel was meek to his brother, and he also was pious towards God. Let us not therefore despise one another, lest we learn also to despise God. Let us honor one another, that we may learn also to honor God. He that is insolent with respect to men, will also be inso lent with respect to God. But when covetous- ness and selfishness and insolence meet together, what is wanting to complete destruction? Every thing is corrupted, and a foul flood of sins bursts in. " Unthankful," he says. For how can the covetous man be thankful? To whom will he feel gratitude? To no one. He considers all men his enemies, and desires the goods of all. Though you spend your whole substance upon him, he will feel no gratitude. He is angry that you have not more, that you might bestow it upon him. And if you made him master of the whole world, he would still be unthankful, and think that he had received nothing. This desire is insatiable. It is the craving of disease ; and such is the nature of the cravings of disease. He who has a fever can never be satisfied, but with constant desire of drinking, is never filled, but suffers a continual thirst ; so he who is mad after wealth never knows the fulfillment of his desire ; whatever is bestowed upon him, he is still unsatisfied, and will therefore never be thankful. For he will feel no gratitude to him, who does not give him as much as he wishes, and this no one can ever do. And as there is no limit to his wishes, he will feel no gratitude. Thus no one is so unthankful as the covetous, so insensible as the lover of money. He is the enemy of all the world. He is indignant that there are men. He would have all one vast desert, that he might have the property of all. And many wild imaginations does he form. " O that there were an earthquake," he says, "in the city, that all the rest being swallowed up, I might be left alone, to have, if possible, the possessions of all ! O that a pestilence would come and destroy everything but gold ! O that there might be a submersion, or an eruption of the sea ! " Such are his imaginations. He prays for nothing good, but for earthquakes, and thunderbolts, for wars, and plagues, and the like. Well, tell me now, thou wretched man, more servile than any slave, if all things were gold, wouldest thou not be destroyed by thy gold, 2 and perish with hunger? If the world were swallowed up by an earthquake, thou also wouldest perish by thy fatal desire. For if there were no other men than thyself, the necessaries of life would fail thee. For suppose that the other inhabitants of the earth were destroyed at once, and that their gold and silver came of its 2 Al. " be parted from thy gold."