88 WORKS OF ST. CHRYSOSTOM. [HOMILY VIII the thing to be the work of witchcraft and of sorcery, and confine them the more closely, and cry out ?" Many things conspired to prevent this ; first, that he heard them singing praises to God. And sorcerers never would have been singing such hymns as those, for he heard them, it is said, singing praises untoGod. Secondly, the fact, that they themselves didnot take flight, but even withheld him irom killing himself. Now had they done it for their own sake, they never would have remained still within ; they would themselves have escaped first of all. Great again was their kindness also ; they with held themanfrom killing himself, even him who had bound them, thus all but saying unto him, " Truly, thou didst bind us with all safety, and most cruelly, that thou thyselfmightest beloosed from the most cruel of all bonds." For every one is shackled with the chains of his own sins ; and those bonds are accursed, whereas these for Christ s sake are blessed, and worth many an earnest prayer. For that these bonds can loose those other bonds of sin, he showed to us by things which are matters of sense. Didst thou behold them released, who had been bound with iron ? Thou shalt see thyself also delivered from other galling bonds. These bonds, the prisoners bonds, not those of Paul, I mean, are the effect of those other bonds, the bonds of sins. They who were confined within, were doubly prisoners, and the jailer himself was a prisoner. They indeed were bound both with iron and with sins, he with sins only. Them did Paul loose to assure the faith of him, for the chains which he loosed were visible. And thus too did Christ Himself; but rather in the inverse order. In that instance, there was a double palsy. What was it ? There was that of the soul by sins, and also that of the body. What then did the Lord do? "Son," saith He, "be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven." (Matt, ix: 3-6.) He first loosed the bonds of the real and true palsy, and then proceeds to the other: for when "certain of the Scribes said within themselves, Thisman blasphemeth ; Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins are forgiven, or to say, Arise, and walk ? But, that ye may know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sickofthe palsy,) Arise, and take up thfy bed, and go unto thy house." Having wrought the invisible miracle, He con firmed it by the visible, the spiritual by the bodily cure. And why did He do thus? That it might be fulfilled, which is spoken, (Luke xix : 22.) " Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant." For what said they? "None can forgive sins, but God alone " Ofcourse, therefore, no Angel, norArch angel , norany other created power. Thisyehave yourselves confessed. Andwhat then ought to be said ? If I shall be shown to have forgiven sins, it is fully evident that I am God. However, He said it not thus, but what said He? "But that ye may know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins ; then saith He to the sick of the palsy, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go unto thy house." (Matt, ix: 6.) When therefore, He would say, I work the more difficult miracle, it is plain that there is no pretext left you, no room for gainsaying about the easier one. 1 Hence it was that He wrought the invisible miracle first, because there were manygainsayers; and then He led them from the invisible to the visible itself. Surely then the faith of the jailer was no light or hasty faith. He saw the prisoners. And he saw nothing, he heard nothing wrong ; he saw that nothing was done by sorcery, for they were singing hymns unto God. He saw that every thing done proceeded from over flowing kindness, for they did not avenge themselves against him, although they had it in their power ; for it was in their power to rescue both themselves and the prisoners, and escape ; and if not the prisoners, at all events themselves; but they did not do this. Thus did they challenge his reverence, not only by the miracle, but also by their behavior. For how did Paul cry out? "He cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm, for we are all here." Thou seest at once his freedom from vain-glory and arrogance, and his fellow-feeling. He said not, " It is forus thesewonders havebeen wrought," but as though he were merely one of the prisoners, he said, "For we are all here." And yet, even though they had not before this loosed themselves, nor had done so by means of the miracle, still theymight have been silent, and have set all that were bound at liberty. For had they held their peace, and had they not with their loud crying stayed his hand, he would have thrust the sword through his throat. Wherefore also Paul cried out, because he had been cast into the inner ward : as though he had said, " To thine own injury hast thou done this, that thou hast thrust in so far those that could deliver thee from the danger." However they imitated not the treatment they had re ceived at his hands; though, had he died, all would have escaped. Thou seest thatthey chose rather to remain in bonds, than to suffer him to perish. Hence too might he reason within himself, "Had they been sorcerers, doubtless 1 [" The one requires no less power than the other, the same di vine efovcria enables both to be done. But that ye may know that I was entitled to say the one, I will prove to you that I have power to say the other." Meyer. Since neither is easier but each alike requires divine power, if I can prove to you that I have this divine power to do one, that will prove to you that I have power to do the other. G. A.]