352 WORKS OF ST. CHRYSOSTOM. [HOMILY VII. (Isa. xlv. 22) ; and again elsewhere, "Turn unto Me, and them shalt be saved." (Isa. xliv. 22.) And if one was willing to select too from the Canticles, taking them in the more mystical way, he will hear Him conversing and saying to every soul that is fitted for Him, " My fair one, my dove." (Cant. ii. 10.) What is sweeter than these words? Seest thou the conversation of God with men ? But what ? tell me, seest thou not how many children of those blessed women are gone, and are in their tombs ; how many have suffered more severely, and with their hus bands have lost also their children ? To these things let us attend ; let us be anxious about these things, and nothing will be grievous to us, but we shall continue passing all our time in spiritual joy ; and we shall enjoy the eternal blessings, of which may we all be partakers, by the grace and lovingkindness, &c. HOMILY VII. i THESSALONIANS iv. 13. " But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concern ing them that are asleep; that ye sorrow not, even as the rest, which have no hope." THERE are many things which from ignorance alone cause us sorrow, so that if we come to understand them well, we banish our grief. This therefore Paul also showing, says, " I would not have you ignorant, that ye sorrow not, even as the rest, which have no hope." Is it on this account thou wouldest not have them ignorant? But wherefore dost thou not speak of the pun ishment that is laid up? Ignorant, says he, of the doctrine of the Resurrection. But why? This is manifest from the other, and is admitted. But meanwhile, together with that, there will also be this not inconsiderable gain. For since they did not disbelieve the Resurrection, but nevertheless bewailed, on this account he speaks. And he discourses indeed with those who dis believe the Resurrection in one way, but with these in another. For it is manifest that they knew, who were enquiring about the " times and seasons." (i Thess. v. i.) Ver. 14. "For if we believe," he says, "that Jesus died and rose again," and lived, 1 " even so them also that are fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with Him." Where are they who deny the Flesh? 2 For if He did not assume Flesh, neither did He die. If He did not die, neither did He rise again. How then does he exhort us from these things to faith? Was he not then according to them a trifler and a deceiver? For if to die proceeds from sin, and Christ did not sin, how does he now encourage us ? And now, concerningwhom does he say, O men, for whom do ye mourn? For whom do ye sorrow? for sinners, or simply 1 [This passage is here enlarged from Rom. xiv. 9, even as in many documents and Textus Receptus of N. T. that passage is en larged from this. J. A. B.] 2 i.e. the Incarnation, as the Docetse, and in a manner the Mar- cionites and the Manichees. St. Aug. Conf. for those who die? And why does he say, " Even as the rest, which have no hope " ? For whom do the rest mourn? so that to them all these things are vapid.3 "The firstborn from the dead" (Col. i. 18), he says, the first-fruits. Therefore there must also be others left. And see how here he introduces nothing from reason ings, because they were docile. For in writing to the Corinthians, he started many things also from reasonings, and then he added, " Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened." (i Cor. xv. 36.) For this is more authoritative, but it is when he converses with the believer. But with him who is without, what authority would this have? "Even so," he says, "them also that are fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with Him." Again, " fallen asleep " : he no where says, the dead. But with respect to Christ, his words are, " He died," because there followed mention of the Resurrection, but here " them that are fallen asleep." How " through Jesus"? 4 Either that they fell asleep through Jesus, or that through Jesus will He bring them. The phrase " that fell asleep through Jesus " means the faithful. Here the heretics say, that he is speaking of the baptized. What place then is there for " even so " ? For Jesus did not fall asleep through Baptism. But on what ac count does he say, "them that are fallen asleep " ? So that he is discoursing not of a general Res urrection, but of a partial one. Them that are fallen asleep through Jesus, he says, and thus he speaks in many places. Ver. 15. " For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we that are alive, that are 3 euiAa. He means to those who deny the Incarnation. 4 [The Greek rendered " in Jesus " is properly " through Jesus," and stands between " them that fell asleep " and " will bring," so that it may be understood as connected with either. Modern com mentators usually prefer to connect with the participle, and then thenatural meaning is that through Jesus death became to them a fall ing asleep. Comp. Ellicott. The amenders of Chrys. s text made it " them that fell asleep by faith in Jesus." J. A. B.]