494 WORKS OF ST. CHRYSOSTOM. [HOMILY V would not have been overthrown at the first attack, as Adam * was firm before the command ment. For those who are fixed not only are not harmed through deceivers, but are even admired. And he calls it " sure," and a " foundation " ; so ought we to adhere to the faith ; " having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His." What is this? He has taken it from Deuter onomy;- that is, Firm souls stand fixed and immovable. But whence are they manifest? From having these characters inscribed upon their actions, from their being known by God, and not perishing with the world, and from their departing from iniquity. " Let every one," he says, " that nameth the name of the Lord depart from iniquity." These are the distinguishing marks of the foundation. As 3 a foundation is shown to be firm, and as letters are inscribed upon a stone that the letters may be significant. But these letters are shown by works, " Having," he says, " this seal " fixed thereon, " Let every one that nameth the name of the Lord depart from in iquity." Thus if any one is unrighteous, he is not of the foundation. So that this too is of the seal, not to do iniquity. MORAL. Let us not therefore put off from us the royal seal and token, that we may not be of those who are not sealed, that we may not be unsound, that we may be firmly grounded, that we may be of the foundation, and not car ried to and fro. This marks them that are of God, that they depart from iniquity. For how can any one be of God Who is just, if he does iniquity, if by his works he opposes Him, if he insults Him by his misdeeds? Again we are speaking against injustice, and again we have many that are hostile to us. For this affection, like a tyrant, has seized upon the souls of all, and, what is worse, not by necessity nor violence, but by persuasion and gentle insinuation, and they are grateful for their slavery. And this is indeed the misery ; for if they were held by con straint and not by love, they would soon depart. And whence is it, that a thing which is most bitter, appears to be sweet? whence is it that righteousness, which is a most sweet thing, be comes bitter? It is the fault of our senses. Thus some have thought honey bitter, and have taken with pleasure other things that were nox ious. And the cause is not in the nature of things, but in the perverseness of the sufferers. 1 So Sav., but B. and one Lat., "as neither Adam." Another Lat. has " neither wasAdam before the attack " ; as he says on Rom. vii. 9, Horn. xii. " neither was the Tree the cause." 2 Num. xvi. 5? 3 Downes prefers the reading of MS. Aug., " Such an one, as a foundation, is firmly fixed, having this seal stamped on him. Well said he, seal." For as when one writes on a stone, one writes that the characters may signify somewhat, so he that hath these charac ters in himself is made manifest by works. And let, " &c., whichseems better. The judging faculty of the soul 4 is disordered.5 Just as a balance, if its beam be unsteady,6 moves round, and does not show accurately the weight of things placed in it ; so the soul, if it has not the beam of its own thoughts fixed, and firmly riveted to the law of God, being carried round and drawn down, will not be able to judge aright of actions. For if any one will examine carefully, he will perceive the great bitterness of injustice, not to those who suffer it, but to those who practice it, and to these more than to the others. And let us not speak of things future, but for the present of things here. Hath it not battles, judgments, condemnation, ill will, abuse ? what is more bit ter than these? Hath it not enmities, and wars, and accusations ? what is more bitter than these ? Hath it not conscience continually scourging and gnawing us? If it were possible, I could wish to draw out from the body the soul of the unrighteous man, and you would see it pale and trembling, ashamed, hiding its head, anxiously fearful, and self-condemned. For should we sink down into the very depths of wickedness, the judging faculty of the mind 7 is not destroyed, but remains unbribed. And no one pursues injustice thinking it to be good, but he invents excuses, and has recourse to every artifice of words to shift off the accusa tion. But he cannot get it off his conscience. Here indeed the speciousness of words, the corruption of rulers, and multitudes of flat terers, is often able to throw justice into the shade, but within, the conscience 8 has nothing of this sort, there are no flatterers there, no wealth to corrupt the judge. For the faculty of judging is naturally implanted in us by God, and what comes from God cannot be so corrupted. But uneasy slumbers, thick-coming fancies, and the frequent recollections of guilt, destroy our repose. Has any one, for instance, unjustly de prived another of his house ? not only is he that is robbed rendered unhappy, but the man who robbed him. If he is persuaded of a future judgment, (if indeed any one is so persuaded.) he groans exceedingly, and is in misery. But if he believes not in futurity, yet he blushes for shame ; or rather there is no man, whether Greek, Jew, or heretic, who is not afraid of a judgment to come. 5 B. reads Notrei, which Hales had conjectured. Sav. has Kdei, " consider the judging faculty." 6 irapao-a.Aevoju.et/jjv. He seems to mean, " liable to slip toward one side." 7 TOV foG, which he seems to distinguish here from the soul. See Rom. vii. 23; i Cor. ii. 14. 8 " In the corrupted currents of this world Offense s gilded hand may shove by justice, And oft tis seen, the wicked prize itself Buys out the law : but tis not so above There is no shuffling there the action lies In its true nature and we ourselves compell d E en in the teeth and forehead of offense To give in evidence." Hamlet, Act iii. sc. 3.