HOMILY II.] HOMILIES ON COLOSSIANS. 269 not have some forgiveness ? will he not bend and soften his master? But if, leaving so to speak, he shall say such words as these, that he i will not requite every one according to his deserts; that all things are jumbled together indiscrimi nately, both good and bad ; that there is no thanks in this house ; what thinkest thou will be the master s mind concerning him? will he not suffer a severer punishment for his own misdo ings ? Justly so ; for in the former case his feel ing will plead for him, though it be but weakly ; but in this, nobody. If no other then, yet imi tate at least that rich man in hell, 2 who said, " Father Abraham, send to my kinsmen, lest they come into this place," since he could not go him self, so that they might not fall into the same condemnation. Let us have done with such Satanical words. What then, saith he, when the Greeks put questions to us ; wouldest thou not that we should try to cure 3 them? But by casting the Christian into perplexity, under pretense of curing the Greek, thou aimest at establishing thy Satanical doctrine. For since, when com muning with thy soul alone of these things, thou persuadest her not ; thou desirest to bring forward others as witnesses. But if one must reason with a Greek, the discussion should not begin with this ; but whether Christ be God, and the Son of God ; whether those gods of theirs be demons. If these points be estab lished, all the others follow ; but, before making good the beginning, it is vain to dispute about the end ; before learning the first elements, it is superfluous and unprofitable to come to the conclusion. The Greek disbelieves the Judg ment, and he is in the same case with thyself, seeing that he too hath many who have treated these things in their philosophy; and albeit when they so spoke they held the soul as sepa rated from the body, still they set up a seat of judgment. And the thing is so very clear, that no one scarcely is ignorant of it, but both poets and all are agreed among themselves that there is both a Tribunal and a Judgment. So that the Greek also disbelieves 4 his own authorities; and the Jew doth not doubt about these things, nor in a word doth any man. Why then deceive we ourselves? See, thou sayest these things to me. What wilt thou say to God, " that fashioned our hearts one by one " 5 (Ps. xxxiii. 15) ; that knoweth everything that is in the mind ; " that is living and active, 1 The master. * yeevvy. 3 Ofpa-jreveiv, As we say, familiarly, " doctor them." ^The termwas commonly used. Theodoret has a treatise called, " The Rem edy of Greekish affections." Here it is " humor them" by palata ble doctrine. 4 [Various documents have " does not disbelieve," through failing to observe that it means the Greek above mentioned, and that the expression changes with the next clause as to the Jew. J. A. B.j 5 KaTafiova.*; , Sept. E. V. "alike." and sharper than any two-edged sword " ? (Heb. iv. 12.) For tell me with truth; Dost thou not condemn thyself? And how should wisdom so great, as that one who sins should condemn himself, come by chance, for this is a work of mighty wisdom. Thou condemnest thyself. And will he who giveth thee such thoughts leave everything to go on at hazard ? The following rule then will hold universally and strictly. Not one of those who live in virtue wholly disbe lieves the doctrine of the Judgment, even though he be Greek or heretic. None, save a few, of those who live in great wickedness, receives the doctrine of the Resurrection. And this is what the Psalmist says, " Thy judgments are taken away from before his face." (Ps. x. 5.) Wherefore ? Because " his ways are always pro fane " ; for he saith, " Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die." Seest thou that thus to speak is the mark of the grovelling? Of eating and drinking come these sayings which are subversive of the Resur rection. For the soul endures not, I say, it en dures not the tribunal which the conscience supplieth, and so it is with it, as with a mur derer, who firsts suggests to himself that he shall not be detected, and so goes on to slay ; for had his conscience been his judge, he would not hastily have come to that daring wickedness. And still he knows, and pretends not to know, lest he should be tortured by conscience and fear, for, certainly, in that case, he would have been less resolute for the daring deed. So too, assuredly, they who sin, and day by day wallow in the same wickedness, are unwilling to know it, although their consciences pluck at them. But let us give no heed to such persons, for there will be, there will assuredly be, a Judg ment and a Resurrection, and God will not leave so great works without direction. Wherefore, I beseech you, let us leave off wickedness, and lay fast hold on virtue, that we may receive the true doctrine in Christ Jesus our Lord. And yet, which is easier to receive ? the doctrine of the Resurrection, or that of Fate ? The latter is full of injustice, of absurdity, of cruelty, of in humanity ; the other of righteousness, awarding according to desert ; and still men do not re ceive it. But the fault is, indolence, for no one that hath understanding receives the other. For amongst the Greeks even, they who did receive that doctrine, were those who in their definition of pleasure affirmed it to be the " end," but they who loved virtue, would not receive it, but they cast it out as absurd. But if among the Greeks this were so, much more will it hold good with the doctrine of the Resurrection. And observe, I pray you, how the devil hath estab lished two contrary things : for in order that we may neglect virtue ; and pay honor to demons,