laid aside, within three days, the whole of their evil customs. The fornicator became chaste; the bold man meek; the grasping and extortionate moderate and kind; the slothful industri- ous. They did not, indeed, reform one, or two, or three, or four vices by way of remedy, but the whole of their iniquity. But whence does this appear, says some one? From the words of the prophet; for the same who had been their accuser, and who had said, that “the cry of their wickedness hath ascended up even to heaven:”1835 himself again bears testimony of an opposite kind, by saying, “God saw that every one departed from their own evil ways.”1836 He does not say, from fornication, or adultery, or theft, but from their “own evil ways.” And how did they depart? As God knew, not as man judged of the matter. After this are we not ashamed, must we not blush, if it turns out that in three days only the barbarians laid aside all their wickedness, but that we, who have been urged and taught during so many days,1837 have not got the better of one bad habit? These men had, moreover, gone to the extreme of wickedness before; for when you hear it said, “The cry of their wickedness is come up before me;” you can understand nothing else than the excess of their wickedness. Nevertheless, within three days they were capable of being transformed to a state of complete1838 virtue. For where the fear of God is, there is no need of days, or of an interval of time; as likewise, on the contrary, days are of no service where there is a want of this fear. For just as in the case of rusted1839 implements, he that rubs them only with water, though he spend a long time on them, will not rid them of all that foulness; but he that puts them in a furnace, will make them presently brighter than even those newly fabricated: so too a soul, stained with the rust of sin, if it cleanse itself slightly, and in a negligent way, and be every day repenting, will gain no further advantage. But if it cast itself into the furnace, as it were, of the fear of God, it will in a very short time purge all away. 22. Let us not then be procrastinating till to-morrow. For we “know not what the next day may bring forth;”1840 nor let us say, “we shall conquer this habit by little and little;” since this little and little will never come to an end. Wherefore, dismissing that excuse, we should say, “If we do not reform the practice of swearing to-day, we will not leave off till we do,1841 though ten thousand things were to press us; though it were necessary to die, or to 1835 Jonah i. 5. 1836 Jonah iii. 10. St. Chrysostom here of course supposes Jonah to be the author of the book which bears his name. 1837 He refers to his own instructions during Lent: see the close of this Homily. 1838 ὁλόκληρον, wanting no constituent part. 1839 Or vessels, τὰ ἰωθ™ντα τῶν σκευῶν. 'Ιὸς also means “venom,” and stains are taken out of rough earthen- ware in the same manner. 1840 Prov. xxvii. 1. 1841 οὐκ ‡ποστησόμεθα πρότερον. i.e., will not leave off the plan proposed above, of attending to nothing else till this was accomplished. 712 Homily XX