212 WORKS OF ST. CHRYSOSTOM. [HOMILY VII. It is not possible to speak of honor to one that is brought to trial, for at that time his desire is that he be freed from judgment, and penalty, and punishment. If this be not effected, how shall the other be ? It is for this cause that I am continually speaking of these things, that we may the sooner pass over to those other. For this cause does God threaten hell, that nonemay fall into hell, that we all may obtain the king dom ; for this cause we too make mention con tinually of hell, that we may thrust you onward towards the kingdom, that when we have soft ened your minds by fear, we may bring you to act worthily of the kingdom. Be not then dis pleased at the heaviness of our words, for the heaviness of these words lightens our souls from sin. 1 Iron is heavy, and the hammer is heavy, but it forms vessels fit for use, both of gold and silver, and straightens things which are crooked ; and if it were not heavy, it would have no power to straighten the distorted substance. Thus too our heavy speech has power to bring the soul into its proper tone. Let us not then flee from heaviness of speech, nor the strokes it gives ; the stroke is not given that it may break in pieces or tear the soul, but to straighten it. We know how we strike, how by the grace of God we in flict the stroke, so as not to crush the vessel, but to polish it, to render it straight, and meet for the Master s use, to offer it glittering in soundness, skillfully wrought against that Day of the river of fire, to offer it having no need of that burning pile. For if we expose not our selves to fire here, we must needs be burned there, it cannot be otherwise ; " For the day of the Lord is revealed by fire." (i Cor. iii. 13.) Better is it that ye be burned for a little space by our words, than for ever in that flame. That this will indeed be so, is plain, and I have oft- times given you reasons 3 which cannot be gain said. We ought truly to be persuaded from the Scriptures, but forasmuch as some are conten tious, we have also brought forward many argu ments from reason. Nothing hinders that I now mention them, and what were they? God is just. We all acknowledge this, both Greeks and Jews, and Heretics, and Christians. But many sinners have had their departure without punishment, many righteous men have had their i departure after suffering ten thousand grievous I things. If then God be just, where will He re ward their good to the one, and their punish ment to the other, if there be no hell, if there ! be no resurrection? This reason then do ye I constantly repeat 4 to them and to yourselves, | and it will not suffer you to disbelieve the resur rection, and whoso disbelieves not the resurrec- ; tion will take care to live with all heed so as to obtain eternal happiness, of which may we all be counted worthy, by the grace and lovingkind- I ness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom, &c. HOMILY VII. PHILIPPIANS ii. 5-11. " Have this mind in you which was also in Christ Jesus : who, being in the form of God, counted it not a ; prize to be on an equality with God; but emptied Himself, taking upon Him the form of a servant, ! being made in the likeness of men : and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death, yea, the death of the cross. Wherefore also God highly exalted Him, and gave Him the Name which is above every I name : that in the Name of Jesus every knee should j bow, of things in heaven, and things on earth, and things under the earth ; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." I HAVE stated the views of 2 the heretics. It is befitting that I now speak of what is our own. They say that the words, " He counted it not a 1 Al. " is the very thing that gives occasion to our souls to fly from sins." 1 [So Field, after the Catena alone, instead of " I have said all that pertains to the heretics " (irapa, irepl). The text of Field looks strange at first, but well suits what follows, and so is probably correct. J. A. B.j prize," are of wrongfully seizing.5 We have proved, that this is altogether vapid and imper tinent, for no man would exhort another to humility on such grounds, nor in this sort does he praise God, or even man. W T hat is it then, beloved? Give heed to what I now say. Since many men think, that, when they are lowly, they are deprived of their proper right, and debased, Paul, to take away this fear, and to show that we must not be affected thus, says that God, the only begotten, who was in the form of God, who was no whit inferior to the Father, who was equal to Him, " counted it not a prize to be on an equality with God." Now learn what this meaneth. Whatsoever a man robs, ai\d takes contrary to his right, he 3 See on Rom. xvi. 16, Horn, xxxi., Tr. p. 556. 4 Ka.Tfirq&eTf, sing as a charm. 5 Meaning, " He thought it not a robbery for himself to commit." The phrase being always used in the sense of "a gain." Our lan guage does not seem capable of expressing it exactly.