his good deeds, and contents himself with the suffrage of God; neither will he take account of them in matters of the contrary sort.

"And how can this be?" You will say, Consider what man is, what God, Whom thou desertest, and unto Whom thou fliest for refuge; and thou wilt soon be right altogether. Man lieth under the same sin as thyself, and the same condemnation, and the same punishment. "Man is like to vanity," and hath not true judgment, and needs the correction from above. "Man is dust and ashes," and if he bestow praise, he will often bestow it at random, or out of favour or ill will. And if he calumniate and accuse, this again will he do out of the same kind of purpose. But God doeth not so: rather irreprovable is His sentence, and pure His judgment. Wherefore we must always flee to Him for refuge, and not for these reasons alone, but because He both made, and more than all spares thee, and loves thee better than thou dost thyself.

Why then, neglecting to have so awful an approver, betake we ourselves unto man, who is nothing, all rashness, all at random? Doth he call thee wicked and polluted when thou art not so? So much the more do thou pity him, and weep because he is corrupt and despise his opinion, because the eyes of his understanding are darkened. For even the apostles were thus evil reported of, and they laughed to scorn their calumniators. But doth he call thee good or kind? If such indeed thou art, yet be not at all puffed up by the opinion; but if thou art not

D

such, despise it the more, and esteem the thing to be mockery.

What can it be but the extreme of folly to seek earnestly the praise of men, so corrupt in their ideas, men whose conduct is all at random, when we ought always to resort to the Unsleeping Eye, and look to His sentence in all that we do and speak? For these, even if they approve, will have no power to profit us. But He, should He accept our doings, will both here make us glorious, and in the future day will impart to us of the unspeakable good things, which may it be the lot of us all to obtain, through the Grace and Loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit be glory, honour, power, now and always, and unto everlasting ages. Amen.

In 1 Cor. Hom. xii.

First Tuesday in Lent.

GOOD USE OF TIME. S. CHRYSOSTOM.

To be supported by continual hard work is a sort of asceticism. The souls of such men are clearer and their minds better strung. For the man who has nothing to do is apter to say many things at random, and do many things at random; and he is busy all day long about nothing, a huge lethargy

taking him up entirely. But he that is employed will not lightly entertain in himself anything useless, in deeds, in words, or in thoughts; for his whole soul is altogether intent upon his laborious way of livelihood. Let us not therefore despise those who support themselves by the labour of their own hands; but let us rather call them happy on this account. For tell me, what thanks are due unto thee, when, after having received thy portion from thy father, thou goest not on in any calling, but lavishing away the whole of it at random? Knowest thou not that we shall not all have to render the same account, but those who have enjoyed greater licence here, a more exact one; those who were afflicted with labour, or poverty, or any thing else of this kind, one not so severe ? And this is plain from Lazarus and the rich For as thou for neglecting the right use of thy leisure art justly accused; so the poor man, who having full employment hath spent his remnant of time upon right objects, great will be the crowns which he shall receive. But dost thou urge that a soldier's duties should at least excuse thee; and dost thou charge them with thy want of leisure? The excuse cannot be founded in reason. For Cornelius was a centurion, yet in no way did the soldier's belt impair his strict rule of life. But thou, when thou art keeping holiday with idle companions, and making entire waste of thy life, never thinkest of excusing thyself by the necessity of military service, or the fear of rulers, but when it is the Church to which we call you, then occur these endless impediments.

man.

And what wilt thou say in that day, when thou seest the flame, and the rivers of fire, and the chains never to be broken, and shalt hear the gnashing of teeth? Who shall stand up for thee in that day, when thou shalt see him that hath laboured with his own hands and hath lived uprightly, enjoying all glory; but thyself, who art now in silken robes and steaming with perfumes, in incurable woe? What good will thy wealth and superfluity do thee? And the poor man, what harm will his poverty do him?

Therefore that we may not suffer then, let us fear what is said now, and let all our time of occupation be spent in employment on things which are really indispensable. For so, having propitiated God in regard of our past sins, and adding good deeds for the future, we shall be able to attain unto the kingdom of heaven: through the favour and loving-kindness of God.

In 1 Cor. Hom. v.

Second Wednesday in Lent.

ALMSGIVING. S. AUGUSTINE.

"Go, sell all that thou hast, and give to the poor."

Our God hath not, as unbelieving covetous men suppose, wished us to lose what we have: if what

hath been enjoined us be properly understood, and piously believed, and devoutly received, He hath not enjoined us to lose, but rather shewn a place where we may lay up. For no man can help thinking of his treasure, and following his riches in a kind of journeying of the heart. If then they are buried in the earth, his heart will seek the lowest earth; but if they are reserved in heaven, his heart will be above. If Christians therefore have the will to do what they know, that they also make open profession ofa, if they have the will to "lift up the heart" above, let them lay up there what they love; and though yet in the flesh on earth, let them dwell with Christ in heart; and as her Head went before the Church, so let the heart of the Christian go before him. As the members are to go where Christ the Head hath gone before, so shall each man at his rising again go where his heart hath now gone before. Let us go hence then by that part of us which we may; our whole man will follow whither one part of us is gone before. Our earthly house must fall to ruin, our heavenly house is eternal. Let us move our goods beforehand, whither we are ourselves getting ready to come.

We have just heard a certain rich man seeking counsel from the Good Master as to the means of obtaining eternal life. Great was the thing he loved, and of little value was that he was unwilling

a S. Augustine here alludes to the Sursum Corda of the communicants. "Lift up your hearts." "We lift them up unto

the Lord."