442 WORKS OF ST. CHRYSOSTOM. [HOMILY XI. who have been found vigilant in the lower degree * will soon ascend to the higher. Ver. 14, 15. "These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly. But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." That he may not plunge Timothy into dejec tion by giving him orders about such matters, he says, I write thus not as though I were not coming, but I will indeed come, still in case I should be delayed, that thou mayest not be dis tressed. And this he writes to him to prevent his being dejected, but to others in order to rouse them to greater earnestness. For his presence, though only promised, would have great effect. Nor let it seem strange that, though foreseeing everything through the Spirit, he was yet ignorant of this, and only says, I hope to come, but if I tarry, which implies uncertainty. For since he was led by the Spirit, and did not act from his own inclination, he was naturally uncertain about this matter. "That thou mayest know," he says, "how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." Not like that Jewish house. For it is this that maintains the faith and the preaching of the Word. For the truth is the pillar and the ground of the Church. 2 Ver. 16. "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness ; God [He who] 3 was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit." Here he speaks of the Dispensation in our behalf. Tell me not of the bells, nor of the holy of holies, nor of the high priest. The Church is the pillar of the world. Consider this mystery, and thou mayest be struck with awe : for it is indeed "a great mystery," and " a mys tery of godliness," and that " without contro versy " or question, for it is beyond all doubt. Since in his directions to the Priests he had re quired nothing like what is found in Leviticus, he refers the whole matter to Another, saying, " God was manifest in the flesh." The Creator was seen incarnate. " He was justified in the Spirit." As it is said, " Wisdom is justified of her children," or because He practiced no guile, as the Prophet says, " Because he had done no violence, neither was guile found in his mouth." (Isa. liii. 9 ; i Pet. ii. 22.) " Seen of Angels." So that Angels together with us saw the Son of God, not having before seen Him. Great, truly great, was this mystery ! " Preached unto the 1 Or, " in things below." He may refer to the Deacon s tem poral ministry. 2 i.e. the truth in itself supports the Church, the Church through it supports the world. 3 [6s is better attested than fleds, and has been adopted in the R. V. P. S.] Gentiles, believed on in the world." He was heard of and believed in through all parts of the world, as the Prophet foreshowed, saying, " Their sound is gone out into all the world." (Ps. xix. 4.) Think not that these things are mere words, for they are not, but full of hidden realities. " Received up into glory." He ascended upon clouds. " This Jesus," it is said, " Who is taken up from you, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven." (Acts i. n.) The discretion of the blessed Paul is observ able. When he would exhort the Deacons to avoid excess in wine, he does not say, " Be not drunken," but "not" even "given to much wine." A proper caution ; for if those who served in the Temple did not taste wine at all, much more should not these. For wine pro duces disorder of mind, and where it does not cause drunkenness, it destroys the energies and relaxes the firmness of the soul. The dispensation in our behalf he calls a " mystery," and well may it be so called, since it is not manifest to all, nay, it was not manifest to the Angels, for how could it, when it was "made known by the Church"? (Eph. iii. 10.) Therefore he says, " without controversy great is the mystery." Great indeed was it. For God became Man, and Man became God. A Man was seen without sin ! A Man was received up, was preached in the world ! Together with us the Angels saw Him. This is indeed a mystery ! Let us not then expose 4 this mystery. Let us not lay it forth everywhere, but let us live in a manner worthy of the mystery. They to whom a mystery is intrusted are great persons. We account it a mark of favor, if a king intrusts a secret to us. But God has committed His mys tery to us, yet are we ungrateful to our Bene factor, as if we had not received the greatest benefits. Our insensibility to such a kindness should strike us with horror. And how is that a mystery which all know ? In the first place all do not know it, and before then too they knew it not, but now it is made manifest. 3 MORAL. In keeping this mystery, then, let us be faithful to our trust. So great a mystery has He intrusted to us, and we do not trust Him even with our money, though He has bid us lay up our wealth with Him, where none can take it away, neither can moth nor thief waste it. And He promises to pay us a hundred-fold, yet we obey Him not. Yet here ifwe intrust any with a deposit, we receive nothing back in addition, but are thankful if that is restored which we de posited. If a thief steals it there, He saith, set that to My account ; I say not to thee, a thief 4 The word tKirofJ-Trevtanfv seems to be used in a bad sense, as of disgracing, or irreverently handling, the sacred doctrine. 6 So B. Sav. mar. and Old Lat. The printed text is, " It is a mystery which all know, yea, rather, which all knew not before, but which is now made manifest to all."