554 WORKS OF ST. CHRYSOSTOM. [HOMILY III. much more must it be so with Him, who brought us out of nothing into being, who after this bought us with His precious Blood, who paid down such a price for us as no one would en dure to pay for his own son, who shed His own Blood for us ? If thereforewe had ten thousand souls, and should lay them all down for Him, should we make Him an equal return? By no means. Andwhy ? Because He did this, owing us nothing, but the whole was a matter of grace. But we henceforth are debtors : and being God Himself, He became a servant, and not being subject to death, subjected Himself to death in the flesh. We, if we do not lay down our lives for Him, by the law of nature must certainly lay them down, and a little later shall be sepa rated from it, 1 however unwillingly. So also in the case of riches, if we do not bestow them for His sake, we shall render them up from neces sity at our end. So it is also with humility. Although we are not humble for His sake, we shall be made humble by tribulations, by calami ties, by over-ruling powers. Seest thou there fore how great is the grace ! He hath not said, "What great things do the Martyrs do? Although they die not for Me, they certainly will die." ButHe owns Himselfmuch indebted to them, because they voluntarily resign that which in the course of nature they were about to resign shortly against their will. He hath not said, "What great thing do they, who give away their riches ? Even against their will they will have to surrender them." But He owns Himselfmuch indebted to them too, and is not ashamed to confess before all that He, the Mas ter, is nourished by His slaves. For this also is the glory of a Master, to have grateful slaves. And this is the glory of a Mas ter, that He should thus love His slaves. And this is the glory of a Master, to claim for His own what is theirs. And this is the glory of a Master, not to be ashamed to confess them before all. Let us therefore be stricken with awe at this so great love of Christ. Let us be inflamed with this love-potion. Though a man be low and mean, yet if we hear that he loves us, we are above all things warmed with love towards him, and honor him exceedingly. And do we then love ? and when our Master loveth us so much, we are not excited ? Let us not, I beseech you, let us not be so indifferent with regard to the salvation of our souls, but let us love Him according to our power, and let us spend all upon His love, our life, our riches, our glory, everything, with delight, with joy, with alacrity, not as rendering anything to Him, but to ourselves. For such is the law of those who love. They think that they are receiving favors, when they are suffering wrong for the sake of their beloved. Therefore let us be so affected towards our Lord, that we 3 also may partake of the good things to come in Christ Jesus our Lord. HOMILY III. PHILEMON i. 17-19. " If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself. If he hath wronged thee at all, or oweth thee aught, put that to mine account; I Paul write it with mine own hand, I will repay it : that I say not to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self besides." No procedure is so apt to gain a hearing,2 as not to ask for everything at once. For see after how many praises, after how much prepara tion he hath introduced this great matter. After having said that he is " my son," that he is a partaker of the Gospel, that he is " my bowels," that thou receivest him back "as a brother," and "hold him as a brother," then he has added "as myself." And Paul was not ashamed to do 1 The sense naturally leads to this transition to the singular, which is not uncommon in St. Chrysostom. this. For he who was not ashamed to be called the servant of the faithful, but confesses that he was such, much more would he not refuse this. But what he says is to this effect. If thou art of the same mind with me, if thou runnest upon the same terms,4 if thou considerest me a friend, receive him as myself. " If he hath wronged thee at all." See where and when he has introduced the mention of the injury; last, after having said so many things in his behalf. For since the loss of money is particularly apt to annoy men, that he might not accuse him of this, (for it was most likely that it was spent,) then he brings in this, and says, " If he hath wronged thee." He does not say, If he has stolen anything ; but what ? " If 3 B. and Ven. add, " May both obtain His help here, and." 4 cjri TOIS avroii, perhaps " for the same prize."