HOMILY VI.] HOMILIES ON TITUS. 543 afflicted and straitened, who bear along with them nothing but those burdens, which they can carry through it, as almsgiving, love for man kind, goodness, and meekness. These if thou bearest, thou wilt easily find entrance, but if thou takest with thee arrogance, a soul inflamed with passions, and that load of thorns, wealth, there is need of wide room for thee to pass, nor wilt thou well be able to enter into the crowd without striking others, and coming down upon them on thy way. In this case a wide distance from others is required. But he who carries gold and silver, I mean the achievements of virtue, does not cause his neighbors to flee from him, but brings men nearer to him, even to link themselves with him. 1 But if riches in them selves are thorns, what must covetousness be? Why dost thou take that away with thee ? Is it to make the flame greater by adding fuel to that fire? Is not the fire of hell sufficient? Con sider how the Three Children overcame the furnace. Imagine that to be hell. With tribu lation were they plunged into it, bound and fettered ; but within they found large room ; not so they that stood around without. Something of this kind even now will be ex perienced, if we will manfully resist the trials that encompass us. If we have hope in God, we shall be in security, and have ample room, and those who bring us into these straits shall perish. For it is written, "Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein." (Ecclus. xxvi. 27.) Though they bind our hands and our feet, the affliction will have power to set us loose. For observe this miracle. Those whom men had bound, the fire set free. As if certain persons were de livered up to the servants of their friends, and the servants, from regard to the friendship of their master, instead of injuring them, should treat them with much respect ; so the fire, when as it knew that the Three Children were the friends of its Lord, burst their fetters, set them free, and let them go, and became to them as a pavement, and was trodden under their feet. And justly, since they had been cast into it for the glory of God. Let us, as many of us as are afflicted, hold fast these examples. But behold, they were delivered from their affliction, you say, and we are not. True, they were delivered, and justly ; since they did not enter into that furnace expecting deliverance, but as if to die outright. For hear what they say : " There is a God in Heaven, Who will de liver us. But if not, be it known unto thee, O King, that we will not serve thy gods, nor wor ship the golden image which thou hast set up." (Dan. iii. 17, 18.) But we, as if bargaining on the chastisements of the Lord, even fix a time, saying, " If He does not show mercy till this time." Therefore it is that we are not deliv ered. Surely Abraham did not leave his home expecting again to receive his son, but as pre pared to sacrifice him ; and it was contrary to his expectation that he received him again safe. And thou, when thou fallest into tribulation, be not in haste to be delivered,2 prepare thy mind for all endurance, and speedily thou shalt be delivered from thy affliction. For God brings it upon thee for this end, that He may chasten thee. When therefore from the first we learn to bear it patiently, and do not sink into despair, He presently relieves us, as having effected the whole matter. I should like to tell you an instructive story, which has much of profit in it. What then is it? Once, when a persecution arose, and a severe war was raging against the Church, two men were apprehended. The one was ready to suffer anything whatever ; the other was pre pared to submit with firmness to be beheaded, but with fear and trembling shrunk from other tortures. Observe then the dispensation towards these men. When the judge was seated, he ordered the one who was ready to endure anything, to be beheaded. The other he caused to be hung up and tortured, and that not once or twice, but from city to city. Now why was this permitted ? That he might recover through torments that quality of mind which he had neglected, that he might shake off all cowardice, and be no longer afraid to endure anything. Joseph too, when he was urgent to escape from prison, was left to remain there. For hear him saying, " Indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews ; but do thou make mention of me to the king." (Gen. xl. 14; 15.) And for this he was suffered to remain, that he might learn not to place hope or confidence in men, but to cast all upon God. Knowing these things therefore let us give thanks to God, and let us do all things that are expe dient for us, that we may obtain the good things to come, through Jesus Christ our Lord, with whom to the Father be glory, with the Holy Ghost, now and ever, and world without end. Amen. - 1 Edd. <rvv5ia.u>vTa.<; , " to spend their lives with " ; but New Par. from Colb. <rvv&vdoi Ta.$, and so B. - Two MSS. quote Ecclus. ii. 2, "Make not haste in time trouble."