HOMILY XIII.] HOMILIES ON EPHESIANS. for." Thus it is usual for us to say, " I have acquitted myself of all obligations," 1 and the like, meaning, " I owe nothing more." MORAL. Our part then is, never to put off the garment of righteousness, which also the Prophet calls, "the garment of salvation" (Isa. Ixi. 10), that so we may be made like unto God. For He indeed hath put on righteousness. This garment let us put on. Now the word, "put on," plainly declares nothing else, than that we should never at all put it off. For hear the Prophet, where he saith, " He clothed himself also with cursing as with his garment, and it came into his inward parts." (Ps. cix. 18.) And again, "Who coverest Thyself with light as with a garment." (Ps. civ. 2.) And again, it is usual with us to speak concerning men, such an one has " put on " such an one. So then it is not for one day, nor for two, nor for three, but he would have us ever arrayed in virtue, and never stripped of this garment. For a man is not so disfigured when he is stripped of his clothing, as when he is stripped of his virtue. In the former case his fellow-servants behold his nakedness, in the latter his Lord and the Angels. If ever thou happen to see any one going out naked through the public square, tell me, art thou not distressed? When then thou goest about stripped of this garment, what shall we say? Seest not those beggarswhom we are wont to call strollers,2 how they roam about, how we pity even them ? And yet nevertheless they are without excuse. We do not excuse them when they have lost their clothes by gaming; and how then, if we lose this garment, shall God pardon us ? For when ever the devil sees a man stripped of his virtue, he straightway disguises and disfigures his face, and wounds him, and drives him to great straits. Let us strip ourselves of our riches, that we be not stripped of righteousness. The garb of wealth mars this garment. It is a robe of thorns. Thorns are of this nature ; and the more closely they are wrapped around us, the more naked are we made. Lasciviousness strips us of this garment ; for it is a fire, and the fire will consume this garment. Wealth is a moth ; and as the moth eats through all things alike, and spares not even silken garments, so does this also. All these therefore let us put off, that we may become righteous, that we may " put on the new man." Let us keep nothing old, nothing outward, nothing that is "corrupt." Virtue is . 2 Acurayas. The word occurs also in the Constit. Apost. viii. 32 [along with such words as ^Aaf , " dolt " ; fid-yos, " sorcerer " ; iiiv- TIS, "soothsayer"; 8i)pejreu5os, "beast-charmer"; 6\Aayo)-yos, "mob- leader"; Treptaju/iara TToiui , " amulet-maker." G. A.I. Its deri vation is somewhat uncertain. [Zonaras (Constantinople, 12 cent.), in his Lexicon, gives among other definitions, aiiArjTJJs, "flute- player"; so also Eustathius (Constantinople, d. 1198), in his famous commentary on Homer, II. 2, 776, defines it, from the fact that AWTOS sometimes means a "flute." But this derivation is questioned. G. A.] The persons denoted by it were wandering musicians or buffoons. not toilsome, she is not difficult to attain. Dost thou not see them that are in the mountains? They forsake both houses, and wives, and chil dren, and all preeminence, and shut themselves away from the world, and clothe themselves in sackcloth, and strew ashes beneath them ; theywear collars hung about their necks, and have pent themselves up in a narrow cell.3 Nor do they stop here, but torture themselves with fast ings and continual hunger. Did I now enjoin you to do the like, would ye not all start away?Would ye not say, it is intolerable ? But no, I say not that we must needs do anything like this : I would fain indeed that it were so, still I lay down no law. What then? Enjoy thy baths, take care of thy body, and throw thyself freely into the world, and keep a household, have thy servants to wait on thee, and make free use of thy meats and drinks ! But everywhere drive out excess, for that it is which causes sin, and the same thing, whatever it be, if it becomes excessive, becomes a sin ; so that excess is noth ing else than sin. For observe, when anger is excited above what is meet, then it rushes out into insult, then it commits every sort of injury ; so does inordinate passion for beauty, for riches, for glory, or for anything else. And tell me not, that indeed, those of whom I spoke were strong ; for many far weaker and richer, and more luxu rious than thou art, have taken upon them that austere and rugged life. And why speak I of men? Damsels not yet twenty years old, who have spent their whole time in inner chambers, and in a delicate and effeminate mode of life, in inner chambers full of sweet ointments and perfumes, reclining on soft couches, themselves soft in their nature, and rendered yet more ten der by their over indulgence, who all the day long have had no other business than to adorn themselves, to wear jewels, and to enjoy every luxury, who never waited on themselves, but had numerous handmaids standing beside them, who wore soft raiment softer than their skin, fine linen and delicate, who reveled continually in roses and such like sweet odors, yea, these very ones, in a moment, seized with Christ s flame, have put off all that indolence and even their very nature, have forgotten their delicateness and youth, and like so many noble wrestlers, have stripped themselves of that soft clothing, and rushed into the midst of the contest. And per haps I shall appear to be telling things incredi ble, yet nevertheless are they true. These then, these very tender damsels, as I myself have heard, have brought themselves to such a degree of severe training, that they will wrap the coars- 1 [This reference to the Monks in the mountains (in the neighbor hood ofAntioch) is one of the indications that these Homilies on Kphesians were delivered while Chrysostom was still at Antioch, and before his elevation to the archbishopric of Constantinople. Com pare also Horn. vi. on Ephesians. G. A.]