140 WORKS OF ST. CHRYSOSTOM. [HOMILY XIX.
dence? How then is it that ye reverence gods,
and worship genii and heroes? For if there is
a providence, some one or other superintends
the whole." But if any, whether Christians or
Heathen, should be impatient at this, and be
wavering, what shall we say to them ?
"
Why,
could so manygood things, tell me, arise ofthem
selves ? The daily light ? The beautiful order and
the forethought that exist in all things? The
mazy dances of the stars ? The equable course
of nights and days? The regular gradation of
nature in vegetables, and animals, and men?
Who, tell me, is it that ordereth these ? If there
were no superintending Being, but all things
combined together of themselves, who then was
it that made this vault revolve, so beautiful, so
vast, I mean the sky, and set it upon the earth,
nay more, upon the waters? Who is it that
gives the fruitful seasons? Who implanted so
great power in seeds and vegetables ? For that
which is accidental is necessarily disorderly ;
whereas that which is orderly implies design.
For which, tell me, of the things around us that
are accidental, is not full of great disorder, and
of great tumult and confusion? Nor do I speak
of things accidental only, but of those also which
imply some agent, but an unskillful agent. For
example, let there be timber and stone, and let
there be lime withal ; and let a man unskilled
in building take them, and begin building, and
set hard to work ; will he not spoil and destroy
everything? Again, take a vessel without a
pilot, containing everything which a vessel ought
to contain, without a shipwright ; I do not say
that it is unequipped and unfinished, but though
well equipped, it will not be able to sail. And
could the vast extent of earth standing on the
waters, tell me,, ever stand so firmly, and so
long a time, without some power to hold it
together ?
l
And can these views have any rea
son ? Is it not the extreme of absurdity to con
ceive such a notion ? And if the earth supports
the heaven, behold another burden still ; but if
the heaven also is borne upon the waters, there
arises again another question. Or rather not
another question, for it is the work of provi
dence. For things which are borne upon the
water ought not to be made convex, but con
cave. Wherefore ? Because the whole body of
anything which is concave is immersed in the
waters, as is the case with a ship ; whereas
of the convex the body is entirely above,
and only the rim rests upon the surface ; so
that it requires a resisting body, hard, and
able to sustain it, in order to bear the bur
den imposed. But does the atmosphere then
1
[On Chrysostom s geography and astronomy, see Homily IX.,
Concerning the Statues, Vol. IX. of this series, pp. 403, 404, with
notes by Rev. W. R. W. Stevens, M.A. Compare Ps. xxiv. 2.
-G. A.]
support the heaven? Why, that is far softer,
and more yielding even than water, and cannot
sustain anything, no, not the very lightest things,
much less so vast a bulk. In fine, if we chose
to follow out the argument of providence, both
generally and in detail, time itself would fail us.
For I will now ask him who would start those
questions above mentioned, are these things the
result of providence, or of the want of provi
dence ? And if he shall say, that they are not
from providence, then again I will ask, how then
did they arise ? But no, he will never be able
to give any account at all. And dost thou not
know that?
Much more then is it thy duty not to question,
not to be over curious, in those things which
concern man. And why not? Because man is
nobler than all these, and these were made for
his sake, not he for their sake. If then thou
knowest not so much as the skill and contrivance
that are visible in His providence, how shalt
thou be able to know the reasons, where he
himself is the subject? Tell me, I pray, why
did God form him so small, so far below the
height of heaven, as that he should even doubt
of the things which appear above him? Why
are the northern and southern climes uninhabit
able ? Tell me, I say, why is the night made
longer in winter and shorter in summer? Why
are the degrees of cold and heat such as they
are? Why is the body mortal? And ten thou
sand questions besides I will ask thee, and if
thou wilt, will never cease asking. And in one
and all thou wilt surely be at a loss to answer.
And thus is this of all things most providential,
that the reasons of things are kept secret from
us. For surely, one would have imagined man
to be the cause of all things, were there not
this to humble our understanding.
"
But such an one," you will say, "is poor, and
poverty is an evil. And what is it to be sick,
and what is it to be crippled?
"
Oh, man, they
are nothing.
2
One thing alone is evil, that is to
sin ; this is the only thing we ought to search to
the bottom. And yet we omit to search into the
causes ofwhat are really evils, and busy ourselves
about other things. Why is it that not one of us
ever examines why he has sinned ? To sin,
is it then in my power, or is it not in my power ?
And why need I go round about me for a num
ber of reasons ? I will seek for the matter within
myself. Now then did I ever master my wrath ?
Did I ever master my anger, either through-
shame, or through fear ofman ? Then whenever
1
[Compare what is said by Epictetus concerning his own lame
ness:
"
Shall I then, because of one miserable little leg, find fault
with the universe? Shall I not concede that accident to the exist
ence of general laws, and cheerfully assent to it for the sake of him
who gave it?" And again, concerning his slavery:
"
He is a slave
whose body is free, but whose soul is bound; and on the contrary,
he is free whose body is bound, but whose soul is free." G. A.]