166 WORKS OF ST. CHRYSOSTOM. [HOMILY XXIII. "They despised the pleasant land." (Ps. cvi. 24.) "How despised it? Surely they prized it highly." By becoming indolent and cow ardly, and not choosing to undergo any labors to obtain it. Let not us then " despise " Heaven ! This is what is meant by " despis ing." Again, among us also has fruit been brought, fruit from Heaven, not the cluster of grapes borne upon the staff (Num. xiii. 23), but the "earnest of the Spirit" (2 Cor. i. 22), " the citizenship which is in Heaven" (Phil. iii. 20), which Paul and the whole company of the Apostles, those marvelous husbandmen, have taught us. It is not Caleb the son ofJephunneh, nor Jesus the son of Nun, that hath brought these fruits ; but Jesus the Son of " the Father of mercies" (2 Cor. i. 3), the Son of the Very God, hath brought every virtue, hath brought down from Heaven all the fruits that are from thence, the songs of heaven hath He brought. For the words which the Cherubim above say, these hath He charged us to say also, " Holy, Holy, Holy." 1 He hath brought to us the virtue of the Angels. " The Angels marry not, neither are given in marriage " (Matt. xxii. 30) ; this fair plant hath He planted here also. They love not money, nor anything like it ; and this too hath He sown amongst us. They never die ; and this hath He freely given us also, for death is no longer death, but sleep. For hearken to what He saith, " Our friend Lazarus is fallen asleep." (John xi. n.) Seest thou then the fruits of " Jerusalem that is above "? (Gal. iv. 26.) And what is indeed more stupendous than all is this, that our war fare is not decided, but all these things are given us before the attainment of the promise ! For they indeed toiled even after they had entered into the land of promise ; rather, they toiled not, for had they chosen to obey God, they might have taken all the cities, without either arms or array. Jericho, we know, they overturned, more after the fashion of dancers than of warriors. We however have no warfare after we have entered into the land of promise, that is, into Heaven, but only so long as we are in the wilderness, that is, in the present life. " For he that is entered into his rest hath him self also rested from his works as God did from His." (Heb. iv. 10.) "Let us not then be weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, ifwe faint not." (Gal. vi. 9.) Seest thou how that just as He led them, so also He leads us ? In their case, touching the manna and the 1 [For the use of these words in the church service, see Ringham, Antiquities-, xv. 3, 10, and Horn. III. on Ephesians. G. A.J wilderness, it is said, " He that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack." (Ex. xvi. 18.) And we have this charge given us, " not to lay up treasure upon the earth." (Matt. vi. 19.) But if we do lay up treasure, it is no longer the earthly worm that corrupts it, as was the case with the manna, but that which dwelleth eternally with fire.2 Let us then " subdue all things," that we furnish not food to this worm. For " he," it is said, " who gathered much had nothing over." For this too happens with ourselves also every day. We all of us have but the same capacity of hun ger to satisfy. And that which is more than this, is but an addition of cares. For what He intended in after-times to deliver, saying, " Suffi cient unto the day is the evil thereof" (Matt, vi. 34), this had He thus been teaching even from the very beginning,3 and not even thus did they receive it. But as to us, let us not be insatiable, let us not be discontented, let us not be seeking out for splendid houses ; for we are on our pilgrimage, not at home ; so that if there be any that knows that the present life is a sort of journey, and expedition, and, as one might say, it is what they call an entrenched camp,4 he will not be seeking for splendid buildings. For who, tell me, be he ever so rich, would choose to build a splendid house in an encamp ment? No one ; he would be a laughing stock, he would be building for his enemies, and would the more effectually invite them on ; and so then, if we be in our senses, neither shall we. The present life is nothing else than a march and an encampment. Wherefore, I beseech you, let us do all we can, so as to lay up no treasure here ; for if the thief should come, we must in a moment arise and depart. " Watch," saith He, " for ye know not at what hour the thiefcometh " (Matt. xxiv. 42, 43), thus naming death. O then, before he cometh, let us send away everything before us to our native country ; but here let us be " well girded," that we may be enabled to overcome our enemies, whom God grant that we may overcome, through the grace and lovingkind- ness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom to gether with the Holy Ghost, be unto the Father glory, strength, honor forever and ever. Amen. 2 [The text in this passage is very corrupt. ^Three MSS. have OVKfTl <7KtuAT) 6 GUOT^IJTOS Av/AatVeTOt . . . aAAd O TT)? SlKatOCTVl TJS. But, as Field says, 6 o-/cu>Ar; rijs Sucaioo-vi i)? (" the worm of right eousness ") seems " absurdissimiim." Three other MSS. give the reading which we have adopted: "No longer the earthly worm," &c., "but that which dwelleth eternally with fire," <1AA o T<Z -nvpi. o-vvSiauavi&v r)/ua? Auftaiverai. Field, in his text, follows a single MS., and emends even that. G. A.] 3 a.vw8ev, * <j>ui<r<Ta.Tov,fi>ssaium.