to renounce.

And so in perverseness of heart, on hearing Him Whom he had but now called " Good Master," through the overpowering love of what was valueless, he lost the possession of what was of great price. If he had not wished to obtain eternal life, he would not have asked counsel how to obtain it. How is it then, brethren, that he rejected the words of Him Whom he had called Good Master, drawn out for him as they were from the doctrine of the faith? What? Is He a good Master before He teacheth, and when He hath taught a bad one? He did not hear what he wished, but he did hear what was proper for him; he had come with longing, but he went away in sadness. What if He had told him, "Lose what thou hast," when he went away sad because it was said, "Keep what thou hast securely?" “Go,” saith He, "sell all that thou hast and give to the poor." Art thou afraid, it may be, lest thou shouldest lose it? See what follows; " and thou shalt have treasure in heaven."

Before now, it may be, thou hast set some young slave to guard thy treasures; thy God will be the Guardian of thy gold. He Who gave them on earth will Himself keep them in heaven. Perhaps he would not have hesitated to commit what he had to Christ, and was only sad because it was told him, "give to the poor;" as though he would say in his heart, "Hadst Thou said, Give it to Me, I will keep it in heaven for thee; I would not hesitate to give it to my Lord, the Good Master; but now Thou hast said, Give to the poor."

Let no one fear to lay out upon the poor, let no

one think that he is the receiver whose hand he sees. He receives it Who hath made it. And this I say not out of mine own heart, or by any human conjecture; hear Him Himself Who at once exhorteth thee, and giveth thee a title of security. "I was an hungred," saith He, "and ye gave Me meat.' And when after the enumeration of all their kind offices they answered, When saw we Thee an hungred?" He answered, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these of Mine, ye have done it unto Me." It is the poor man who begs, but He that is rich receives. Thou givest it to one who will make away with it, He receiveth it Who will restore it. Nor will He restore only what He receiveth; He is pleased to borrow upon interest, He promiseth more than thou hast given. Give the rein now to thy avarice, imagine thyself an usurer. If thou wert an usurer indeed thou wouldst be rebuked by the Church, confuted by the Word of God, all thy brethren would execrate thee, as a cruel man, desiring to wring gain from others' tears. be a usurer, no one will hinder thee. willing to lend to a poor man, who whenever he may repay thee will do it with grief, but lend now to a debtor who is well able to pay, and who even exhorteth thee to receive what He promiseth.

But now Thou art

Give to God, and press God for payment. Yea rather give to God and thou wilt be pressed to receive payment. On earth indeed thou hadst to seek thy debtor; and he sought too, but only to find where he might hide himself from thy face. Thou

"Bid that my

hadst gone to the judge and said, debtor be summoned;" and he on hearing this gets away, and cares not even to wish thee well, though to him perhaps in his need thou hadst given wealth by thy loan. Thou hast One then on whom thou mayest well lay out thy money. Give to Christ; He will of His own accord press thee to receive, whilst thou wilt even wonder that He hath received aught of thee. For to them who are placed on His Right Hand He will first say, "Come ye blessed of My Father." Come whither? "Receive the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." For what? For I was an hungred, and ye gave Me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took Me in; naked, and ye clothed Me; I was sick and in prison, and ye visited Me." And they will say, Lord, when saw we Thee?" What doth this mean? The debtor presses to pay, and the creditors make excuses. But the trusty debtor will not let them suffer loss thereby. hesitate to receive? I have received, and are ye ignorant of it? And He makes answer how He has received; Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these of Mine, ye have done it unto Me." I received it not by Myself, but by Mine; what was given to them, came to Me; be secure, ye have not lost it. Ye looked to those who were little able to pay on earth, ye have One Who is well able to pay in heaven. "I," He saith, "have received, and I will repay."

""

Do ye

And what have I received, and what do I repay?

"I was an hungred," He saith, "and ye gave Me meat;" I received earth, I will give heaven; I received temporal things, I will restore eternal; I received bread, I will give life. Yea, we may even say thus, I have received bread, I will give Bread; I have received drink, I will give Drink; I have received house-room, I will give a House; I was visited in sickness, I will give Health; I was visited in prison, I will give Liberty. The bread which ye gave to My poor is consumed; the Bread which I will give both recruiteth the failing and doth not itself fail. May He then give us Bread, He Who is the Living Bread which came down from heaven. When He shall give Bread, He will give Himself. For what didst thou intend when thou didst lend on usury? To give money, and to receive money, but to give a smaller sum, and to receive a larger. "I," saith God, "will give thee an exchange for the better for all that thou hast given Me. For if thou wert to give a pound of silver, and receive a pound of gold, with how great joy wouldest thou be possessed? What proportion is there between silver and gold! Much more then, what proportion is there between earth and heaven! And thy silver and gold thou wert to leave here below; whereas thou wilt not abide thyself for ever here. And I will give thee something else, and I will give thee something more, and I will give thee something better, I will give thee even that which will last for ever."

Homil. on the New Test., xxxvi.

Second Thursday in Lent.

DANGER OF EVIL WORDS. S. CHRYSOSTOM.

"WHOSOEVER shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire."

To many this commandment hath appeared grievous and galling, if for a mere word we are really to pay so great a penalty. And some even say that it was spoken rather hyperbolically. But I fear lest, when we have deceived ourselves with words here, we may in deeds there suffer that extreme punishment. For wherefore, tell me, doth the commandment seem over-burdensome? Knowest thou not that most punishments and most sins have their beginnings from words? Yea, for by words are blasphemies, and denials are by words, and revilings and reproaches, and perjuries, and bearing false witness. Regard not then its being a mere word, but whether it have not much danger, this do thou enquire. Art thou ignorant that in the season of enmity, when wrath is inflamed, and the soul kindled, even the least thing appears great, and what is not very reproachful is counted intolerable? And often these little things have given birth even to murder, and overthrown whole cities. For just as where friendship is, even grievous things are light, so where enmity lies beneath, very trifles appear intolerable, and however simply a