62 WORKS OF ST. CHRYSOSTOM. [HOMILY III. subjection, that below which there can be none. Therefore he adds, " under His feet." " And gave Him to be Head over all things to the Church." Amazing again, whither hath He raised the Church? as though he were lifting it up by some engine, he hath raised it up to a vast height, and set it on yonder throne ; for where the Head is, there is the body also. There is no interval to separate between the Head and the body; for were there a separation, then were it no longer a body, then were it no longer a head. " Over all things," he says. What is meant by " over all things? " He hath suffered neither Angel nor Archangel nor any other being to be above Him. But not only in this way hath He honored us, in exalting that which is of ourselves, but also in that He hath pre pared the whole race in common to follow Him, to cling to Him, to accompany His train. "Which is His body." In order then that when you hear of the Head you may not conceive the notion of supremacy only, but also of consolidation, and that you may behold Him not as supreme Ruler only, but as Head of a body. " The fulness of Him that filleth all in all " he says. As though this were not sufficient to show the close connection and relationship, what does he add? " The fullness of Christ is the Church." And rightly, for the complement of the head is the body, and the complement of the body is the head. Mark what great arrangement Paul observes, how he spares not a single word, that he may represent the glory of God. "The complement," he says, i. e., the head is, as it were, filled up by the body, because the body is composed and made up of all its several parts, and he introduces Him as having need of each single one and not only of all in common and together; for unless we be many, and one be the hand, and another the foot, and another some other member, the whole body is not filled up. It is by all then that His body is filled up. Then is the head filled up, then is the body rendered perfect, when we are all knit together and united. Perceivest thou then the "riches of the glory of His inheritance? the exceeding greatness of His power towards them that be lieve? the hope of your calling? " MORAL. Let us reverence our Head, let us reflect of what a Head we are the body, a Head, to whom all things are put in subjection. According to this representation we ought to be better, yea, than the very angels, and greater than the Archangels, in that we have been hon ored above them all. God "took not hold of Angels," as he says in writing to the Hebrews, " but He took hold of the seed of Abraham." (Heb. ii : 16.) He took hold of neither princi pality, nor power, nor dominion, nor any other authority, but He took up our nature, and made it to sit on His right hand. And why do I say, hath made it sit ? He hath made it His gar ment1 , and not only so, but hath put all things in subjection under His feet. How many sorts of death supposes! thou ? How many souls ? ten thousand ? yea, and ten thousand times told, but nothing equal to it wilt thou mention. Two things He hath done, the greatest things. He hath both Himself descended to the lowest depth of humiliation, and hath raised up man to the height of exaltation. He saved him by His blood. He spoke of the former first, how that He so greatly humbled Himself. He speaks now of what is stronger than that a great thing, the crown of all. Surely, even had we been counted worthy of nothing, it were enough. Or, had we been counted worthy even of this honor, it were enough, without the slaying of the Son. But where there are the two, what power of language must it not trans cend and surpass? The very resurrection is not great, when I reflect on these things. It is of Him that he says, "The God of our Lord Jesus Christ," not of God the Word. Let us feel awed at the closeness of our rela tion, let us dread lest any one should be cut off from this body, lest any one should fall from it, lest any one should appear unworthy of it. If any one were to place a diadem about our head , a crown of gold, should we not do every thing that we might seem worthy of the lifeless jewels? But now it is not a diadem that is placed about our head, but, what is far greater, Christ is made our very Head, and yet we pay no regard to it. Yet Angels reverence that Head, and Archangels, and all those powers above. And shall we, which are His body, be awed neither on the one account nor the other ? And what then shall be our hope of salvation ? Conceive to yourself the royal throne, conceive the excess of the honor. This, at least if we chose, might more avail to startle us, yea, even than hell itself. For, even though hell were not, that we having been honored with such an honor, should be found base and unworthy of it, what punishment, what vengeance must not this carry with it ? Think nearwhom thyHead is seated, (this single consideration is amply sufficient for any purpose whatever,) on whose right hand He is placed, far above all princi pality, and power, and might. Yet is the body of this Head trampled on by the very devils. 1 I/JLO.TIOV. Thus Cyril Alex, speaks of Christ as clothed about with our nature. / Success. 2 p. 142. Vid. also Epiph. Ancor. 6. 95. Augustine in Psalm 130. 10. This, as well as other theo logical terms, was abused by heretical disputants; as if it implied either that the manhood of Christ might be put off from His divine nature, or that it was a mere accidental and unsubstantial medium of manifesting it.