HOMILY XVI.] HOMILIES ON EPHESIANS. 127 are habits and dispositions. And our abandon ment of the one thing is not sufficient to settle us in the habitual practice of the other, but there is need again of some fresh impulse, and of an effort not less than that made in our avoid ance of evil dispositions, in order to our acquir ing good ones. For so in the case of the body, the black man, if he gets rid of this complexion, does not straightway become white. Or rather let us not conduct our discourse with an argu ment from physical subjects, but draw our ex ample from those which concern moral choice. He who is not our enemy, is not necessarily our friend ; but there is an intermediate state, neither of enmity nor of friendship, which is perhaps that in which the greater part of mankind stand toward us. He that is not crying is not there fore necessarily also laughing, but there is a state between the two. And so, I say, is the case here. He that is not " bitter " is not necessarily " kind," neither is he that is not "wrathful" necessarily " tender-hearted " ; but there is need of a distinct effort, in order to acquire this ex cellence. And now look how the blessed Paul, according to the rules of the best husbandry, thoroughly cleans and works the land entrusted to him by the Husbandman. He has taken away the bad seeds ; he now exhorts us to retain the good plants. " Be ye kind," saith he, for if, when the thorns are plucked up, the field re mains idle, it will again bear unprofitable weeds. And therefore there is need to preoccupy its un occupied and fallow state by the setting of good seeds and plants. He takes away " anger," he puts in " kindness " ; he takes away "bitterness," he puts in " tender-heartedness " ; he extirpates " malice " and " railing," he plants " forgive ness " in their stead. For the expression, "for giving one another," is this ; be disposed, he means, to forgive one another. And this for giveness is greater than that which is shown in money-matters. For he indeed who forgives a debt of money to him that has borrowed of him, does, it is true, a noble and admirable deed, but then the kindness is confined to the body, though to himself indeed he repays a full recompense by that benefit which is spiritual and concerns the soul ; whereas he who forgives trespasses will be benefiting alike his own soul, and the soul of him who receives the forgiveness. For by this way of acting, he not only renders him self, but the other also, more charitable. Be cause we do not so deeply touch the souls of those who have wronged us by revenging our selves, as by pardoning them, and thus shaming them and putting them out of countenance. For by the other course we shall be doing no good, either to ourselves or to them, but shall be doing harm to both by seeking ourselves for retaliation, like the rulers of the Jews, and by kindling up the wrath that is in them ; but if we return injus tice with gentleness, we shall disarm all his anger, and shall be setting up in his breast a tribunal which will give a verdict in our favor, and will condemn him more severely than we ourselves could. For he will convict and will pass sen tence upon himself, and will look for every pre text for repaying the share of long-suffering granted him with fuller measure, knowing that, if he repay it in equal measure, he is thus at a disadvantage, in not having himself made the beginning, but received the example from us. He will strive accordingly to exceed in meas ure, in order to eclipse, by the excess of his recompense, the disadvantage he himself sus tains in having been second in making advances towards requital ; and the disadvantage again which accrues to the other from the time, if he was the first sufferer, this he will make up by excess of kindness. For men, if they are right- minded, are not so affected by evil as by the good treatment they may receive at the hands of those whom they have injured. For it is a base sin, and it is matter of reproach and scorn for a man who is well-treated not to return it ; whilst for a man who is ill-treated, not to go about to resent it, this has the praise and ap plause, and the good word of all. And there fore they are more deeply touched by this conduct than any. So that if thou hast a wish to revenge thyself, revenge thyself in this manner. Return good for evil, that thou mayest render him even thy debtor, and achieve a glorious victory. Hast thou suffered evil ? Do good ; thus avenge thee of thine enemy. For if thou shall go about to resent it, all will blame both thee and him alike. Whereas if thou shalt endure it, it will be other wise. Thee they will applaud and admire ; but him they will reproach. And what greater pun ishment can there be to an enemy, than to be hold his enemy admired and applauded by all men? What more bitter to an enemy, than to behold himself reproached by all before his ene my s face ? If thou shalt avenge thee on him, thou wilt both be condemned perhaps thyself, and wilt be the sole avenger ; whereas, if thou shalt forgive him, all will be avengers in thy stead. And this will be far more severe than any evil he can suffer, that his enemy should have so many to avenge him. If thou openest thy mouth, they will be silent ; but if thou art silent, not with one tongue only, but with ten thousand tongues of others, thou smitest him, and art the more avenged. And on thee in deed, if thou shalt reproach him, many again will cast imputations (for they will say that thy words are those of passion) ; but when others who have suffered no wrong from him thus over whelm him with reproaches, then is the revenge