466 WORKS OF ST. CHRYSOSTOM. [HOMILY XVL
servants render it to us. Do not they order
their whole lives to afford rest to their masters,
and is it not their work and their life to take
care of their concerns? Are they not all day
long engaged in their masters work, and only a
small portion of the evening in their own ? But
we, on the contrary, are everengaged in ourown
affairs, in our Master s hardly at all, and that
too, though He needs not our services, as mas
ters need those of their servants, but those very
acts redound to our own benefit. In their case
the master is benefited by the ministry of the
servant, but in ours the ministry of the servant
profits not the Master, but is beneficial on the
other hand to the servant. As the Psalmist says,
"My goods are nothing unto Thee." (Ps. xvi.
2.) For say, what advantage is it to God, that
I am just, or what injury, that I am unjust? Is
not His nature incorruptible, incapable of injury,
superior to all suffering ? Servants having noth
ing of their own, all is their masters , however
rich they may be. But we have many things
of our own.
And it is not merely so great honor,
1
that we
enjoy from the King of the universe. What
master ever gave his own son for his servant?
No one, but all would rather choose to give their
servants for their sons. Here on the contrary,
"
He spared not His own Son, but gave Him up
.for us all," for His enemies who hated Him.
Servants, though very hard service is exacted of
them, are not impatient ; at least, not the well-
disposed. But how many times do we utter
discontent?
2
The master promises to his ser
vants nothing like what God promises to us ;
but what? Freedom here, which is often worse
than bondage ; for it is often embittered by
famine beyond slavery itself.
3
Yet this is their
greatest boon. But with God there is nothing
temporal, nothing mortal ; but what ? wouldest
thou learn ? Listen then, He says,
"
Henceforth
I call you not servants. Ye are my friends."
(John xv. 13, 14.)
Beloved, let us be ashamed, let us fear. Let
us only serve our Master, as our servants serve
us. Rather not even 4 the smallest portion of
service do we render !
Necessity makes them
philosophers. They have only food and lodg
ing ; but we, possessing much and expecting
more, insult our Benefactor with our luxury. If
from nothing else, from them at least let us learn
the rules of philosophy. The Scripture is wont
to send men not even to servants, but to irra-
1
Or,
"
and it is not without reason that we enjoy so great
hoii.ir": and so Old Lat. and Ben. that in the text seems more in
telligible. The other might be explained by the sequel. See Rom.
viii. 32.
2
a7ro6u<r7reTOU|ULei>.
3 The slaves, as he had said before, were wholly provided for by
their masters, and so suffer less in a. scarcity than if they had been
independent.
4 The negative is added in Colb. and B. The sense requires it.
tional creatures, as when it bids us imitate the
bee and the ant. But I advise you but to imi
tate servants :
only so much as they do from
fear of their masters, let us do from the fear of
God ; for I cannot find that you do even this.
They receive many insults from fear of us, and
endure them in silence with the patience of
philosophers. Justly or unjustly they are ex
posed to our violence, and they do not resist,
but entreat us, though often they have done
nothing wrong. They are contented to receive
no more and often less than they need ; with
straw
5
for their bed, and only bread for their
food, they do not complain or murmur at their
hard living, but through fear of us are restrained
from impatience. When they are intrusted with
money, they restore it all. For I am not speak
ing of the worthless, but of the moderately good.
Ifwe threaten them, they are at once awed.
Is not this philosophy ? For say not they are
under necessity, when thou too art under a neces
sity in the fear of hell. And yet dost thou not
learnwisdom, nor render to God as much honor,
as thou receivest from thy servants. Of thy
servants each has the apartment assigned to him
by thy rules, and he does not invade that of his
neighbor, nor do any injury from a desire of
more than he has. This forbearance the fear of
their master enforces among domestics, and sel
dom will you see a servant robbing or injuring a
fellow-servant. But among free men it is quite
the reverse. We bite and devour one another.
We fear not our Master : we rob and plunder
our fellow-servants, we strike them in His very
sight. This the servant will not do ; if he
strikes, it is not when his master sees him ; if
he reviles, it is not when his master hears him.
But we dare do anything, though God sees and
hears it all.
The fear of their master is ever before their
eyes, the fear of our Master never before ours.
Hence the subversion of all order, hence all is
confusion and destruction. And we never take
into consideration the offenses we have com
mitted, but if our servants do amiss, we call
them to a rigorous account for everything, even
to the least misdemeanor. I say not this to
make servants remiss, but to chide our supine-
ness, to rouse us from our sloth, that we may
serve our God with as much zeal as servants do
their master ; our Maker, as faithfully as our
fellow-creatures 6 serve us, from whom they have
received no such gift. For they too are free by
nature. To them also it was said,
"
Let them
have dominion over the fishes." (Gen. i. 26.)
For this slavery is not from nature : it is the
result of some particular cause, or circumstances.
Yet, notwithstanding, they pay us great honor ;