Ho.MIl.Y IY.J HOMILIES ON TIMOTHY. 491 conquered one in so exalted a condition. For I say, and will not cease to repeat it, though bound with a chain, yet he smote him that was invested with a diadem. Such is the power of Christ. The chain sur passed the kingly crown, and this apparel was shown more brilliant than that. Clothed in filthy rags, as the inhabitant of a prison, he turned all eyes upon the chains that hung on him, rather than on the purple robe. He stood on earth bound down and stooping low, and all left the tyrant mounted on a golden chariot to gaze on him. And well they might. For it was customary to see a king with white horses, but it was a strange and unwonted sight to behold a prisoner conversing with a king with as much confidence as a king would converse with a piti ful and wretched slave. The surrounding multi tude were all slaves of the king, yet they admired not their lord, but him who was superior to their lord. And he before whom all feared and trembled, was trampled upon by one solitary man. See then how great was the brightness of these very chains ! And what need to mention what followed after these things? The tomb of the one is no where to be seen ; but the other lies in the royal city itself, in greater splendor than any king, even there where he conquered, where he raised his trophy. If mention is made of the one, it is with reproach, even among his kindred, for he is said to have been profligate. But the memory of the other is everywhere accompanied with a good report, not among 1 us only, but among his enemies. For when truth shines forth, it puts to shame even one s enemies, and if theyadmire him not for his faith, yet they admire him for his boldness and his manly freedom. The one is proclaimed by all mouths, as one that is crowned, the other is loaded with reproaches and accusations. Which then is the real splendor? And yet I am but praising the lion for his talons, when I ought to be speaking of his real honors. And what are these? Those in the heavens. How will he come in a shining vesture with the King of Heaven ! How will Nero stand then, mournful and dejected ! And if what I say seems to thee incredible and ridicu lous, thou art ridiculous for deriding that which is no subject for laughter. For if thou dis believes! the future, be convinced from what is past. The season for being crowned is not yet come, and yet how great honor has the combat ant gained ! What honor then will he not ob tain, when the Distributor of the prizes shall come ! He was among foreigners, " a stranger and a sojourner " (Heb. xi. 13), and thus is he admired : what good will he not enjoy, when he 1 B. reads Trap for yap, as the sense requires. Perhaps oiicfiiav (rendered " kindred " just before) may mean " fellow-idolaters. " is amongst his own ? Now " our life is hid with Christ in God " (Col. iii. 3) ; yet he who is dead worketh more and is more honored than the living. When that our life shall come, what will he not participate ? What will he not attain ? On this account God made him enjoy these honors, not because he wanted them. For if when in the body he despised popular glory, much more will he despise it now that he is delivered from the body. Nor only on this ac count has He caused him to enjoy honor, but that those who disbelieve the future may be convinced from the present. I say that when the Resurrection shall be, Paul will come with the King of Heaven, and will enjoy infinite blessings. But the unbeliever will not be con vinced. Let him believe then from the present. The tent-maker is more illustrious, more hon ored than the king. No emperor ofRome ever enjoyed so great honor. The emperor is cast out, and lies, no one knows where. The tent- maker occupies the midst of the city, as if he were a king, and living. From these things believe, even with respect to the future. If he enjoys so great honor here, where he was per secuted and banished, what will he not be when he shall come hereafter? If when he was a tent-maker, he was so illustrious, what will he be when he shall come rivaling the beams of the sun? If in so much meanness he overcame such magnificence, to whom, at his coming, will he not be superior ? Can we avoid the conclu sion? Who is not moved by the fact, that a tent-maker became more honorable than the most honored of kings? If here things happen so beyond the course of nature, much more will it be so hereafter. If thou wilt not believe the future, O man, believe the present. If thou wilt not believe invisible things, believe things that are seen : or rather believe things which are seen, for so thou wilt believe things which are invisible. But if thou wilt not, we may fitly say with the Apostle, "We are pure from your blood " (Acts xx. 26) : for we have testified to you of all things, and have left out nothing that we should have said. Blame yourselves there fore, and to yourselves 2 will ye impute the pun ishment of Hell. But let us, my beloved chil dren, be imitators of Paul, not in his faith only, but in his life, that we may attain to heavenly glory, and trample upon that glory that is here. Let not any things present attract us. Let us despise visible things, that we may obtain heav enly things, or rather may 15 through these obtain the others, but let it be our aim preeminently to obtain those, of which God grant that we may be all accounted worthy, through the grace and lovingkindness, &c. 2 Such must be the meaning, though the construction seems to require filling up. The change of tense may be rhetorical. 3 B. " rather we shall."