Shocking levity of the young in Church.

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corrupt set, what a wretched time will he have of it! For ACTS him who has none, the hardship, it seems, amounts to 1-18. this, that he is not waited on: but where a person has bad servants, the evil is, that he is ruining himself withal, and the damage is greater, (the more there are of them.) For it is far worse than having to be one's own servant, to have to fight with others, and take up a (continual) warfare. These things I say, that none may admire the Church because of its numbers, but that we may study to make the multitude proof-worthy; that each may be earnest for his own share of the duty-not for his friends only, nor his kindred, as I am always saying, nor for his neighbours, but that he may attract the strangers also. For example, Prayer is going on; there they lie (on bended knees), all the young, 'stupidly unconcerned, (yes,) and old1 ʊxpol too: filthy nuisances rather than young men; giggling, laughing outright, talking-for I have heard even this going on-and jeering one another as they lie along on their knees: and there stand you, young man or elder: rebuke them, if you see them (behaving thus): if any will not refrain, chide him more severely: call the deacon, threaten, do what is in your power to do and if he dare do any thing to you, assuredly you shall have all to help you. For who is so irrational, as, when he sees you chiding for such conduct, and them chidden, not to take your part? Depart, having received your reward from the Prayer.—In a master's house, we count those his best-disposed servants, who cannot bear to see any part of his furniture in disorder. Answer me; if at home you should see the silver plate lie tossed out of doors, though it is not your business, you will pick it up and bring it into the house : if you see a garment flung out of its place, though you have not the care of it, though you be at enmity with him whose business it is, yet, out of good-will to the master, will you not put it right? So in the present case. These are part of

ο πάντες νέοι ψυχροὶ καὶ γέροντες. The last word must be corrupt, for he is speaking only of the young: perhaps it should be yéuμovTes with some genitive, e. g. "full of folly," or "evil thoughts." Then, καθάρματα μᾶλλον ἢ νέοι, more fit to be swept away from the floor as filthy litter than to be regarded as young men. But κάθαρμα, in the

A a

sense derived from the heathen ritual,
has no equivalent in our language: it
means, what remains of the sacrifice
used for lustration or atonement, which,
as having taken into itself the unclean-
ness or the guilt which was to be
removed, was regarded with the ut-
most abhorrence.

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Their elders in fault for tolerating this.

HOMIL.the furniture: if you see them lying about in disorder, put XXIV. them to rights: apply to me, I do not refuse the trouble:

inform me, make the offender known to me: it is not possible for me to see all: excuse me (in this). See, what wickedness overspreads the whole world! Said I without reason that we are (no better than) so much hay, (disorderly as) a troubled sea? I am not talking of those (young people), that they behave thus; (what I complain of, is) that such a sleepy indifference possesses those who come in here, that they do not even correct this misbehaviour. Again, I see others stand talking while Prayer is going on; while the more consistent of them (do this) not only during the Prayer, but even when the Priest is giving the Benediction. O, horror! When shall there be salvation? when shall it be possible for us to propitiate God?-Soldiers go to their

Poi de mieikéσTEpoi auT@v. Erasm., 'Et quidam ex illis, adhuc meliores scilicet.' Ben. alios modestiores scilicet. But the irony is not of this kind, and the word here has its proper sense: "men whose conduct is more of a piece, the more consistent of them." Some stand and talk during the prayers, yet kneel and are silent for the Benediction: but these make no such inconsistent pretence: they do not commit this absurdity at least. Comp. Hom. i. in Oziam, §. 4. t. vi. p. 101. "A grievous disease prevails in the Church: when we have purposed to hold converse with God, and are in the act of sending up the doxology to Him, we interrupt our business, and each takes his neighbour aside to talk with him about his domestic concerns, about the goings on in the agora, the public, the theatre, the army: how this was well managed, that neglected: what is the strong point, and what the weak point in this or that business: in short, about all sorts of public and private matters they talk here with one another. Is this pardonable? When a man speaks with the earthly sovereign, he speaks only on the subjects the sovereign chooses to speak and put questions about, and if against the will of the sovereign he should presume to start any other subject, he would bring upon himself the severest punishment. And you, who are speaking with the King of kings, to Whom the angels minister with dread reverence, do you leave your converse with Him to talk about mire, and dust, and

spiders-for that is what earthly things are? But you say, The public affairs are in such a bad way, and there is much to talk of, and much to be anxious about. And whose fault is that? They say, The blunders of our rulers are the cause. No, not the blunders of our rulers, but our sins: the punishment of our faults. It is these have ruined all, have brought upon us all our sufferings, wars, and defeats. Therefore if we had an Abraham, a Moses, a David, a Solomon, for our ruler, yea, the most righteous of men, it would signify nothing as far as the cause of all our evils is concerned... And if we have one of the most iniquitous of men, a blundering, ill managing person for our ruler, it is our own folly and wickedness that has brought this upon us, it is the punishment of our sins. Therefore let each when he comes here think of his own sins, and not complain of others." Hom. ix. in 1 Tim. he complains of the women talking in Church.

The illustration is taken from some kind of shield dance, which formed one of the amusements of the camp, skilfully executed by a large body of soldiers. The innovator, (E. D. F. Edd.) not understanding the allusion, substitutes: "If you go to a diversion, you will see all keeping time in the dance, and nothing done negligently. therefore in a well-harmonised and curiously wrought lyre, one well sounding symphony results from the orderly arrangement severally of the component

As

Such irreverence, an awful sin.

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diversion, and you shall see them all keeping time in the ACTS dance, and nothing done negligently, but, just as in embroi- 1-18. dery and painting, from the well-ordered arrangement in each individual part of the composition, there results at once an exceeding harmony and good keeping, so it is here we have one shield, one head, all of us (in common): and if but some casual point be deranged by negligence, the whole is deranged and is spoilt, and the good order of the many is defeated by the disorder of the one part. And, fearful indeed to think of, here you come, not to a diversion, not to act in a dance, and yet you stand disorderly. Know you not that you are standing in company with angels? with them you chant, with them sing hymns, and do you stand laughing? Is it not wonderful that a thunderbolt is not launched, not only at those (who behave thus), but at us? For such behaviour might well be visited with the thunderbolt. The Emperor is present, is reviewing the army: and do you, even with His eyes upon you, stand laughing, and endure to see another laughing? How long are we to go on chiding, how long complaining? Ought not such to be treated as very pests and nuisances; as abandoned, worthless reprobates, fraught with innumerable mischiefs, to be driven away from the Church? When will these forbear laughing, who laugh' in the hour of the 'pq φρίκης. dread Mystery? when refrain from their trifling, who talk at the instant of the Benediction? Have they no sense of shame before those who are present? have they no fear of God? Are our own idle thoughts not enough for us, is it not enough that in our prayers we rove hither and thither, but laughter also must needs intrude, and bursts of merriment? Is it a theatrical amusement, what is done here? Aye, but, methinks, it is the theatres that do this: to the theatres we owe it that the most of you so refuse to be curbed by us, and to be reformed. What we build up here, is thrown down there: and not only so, but the hearers themselves cannot help being filled with other filthinesses

parts, so here there ought to result from all one symphonious harmony. For we are become one Church, we count as members, "fitly joined together" of

one Head, we all make one Body: if
any carnal point be done negligently,
the whole &o. Thus the good order,
&c."

HOMIL. besides: so that the case is just the same as if one should want XXIV to clean out a place with a fountain above it discharging

mire; for however much you may clean out, more runs in. So it is here. For when we clean people out, as they come here from the theatres with their filthiness, thither they go again, and take in a larger stock of filthiness, as if they lived for the purpose of only giving us trouble, and then come back to us, laden with ordure, in their manners, in their movements, in their words, in their laughter, in their idleness. Then once more we begin shovelling it out afresh, as if we had to do this only on purpose that, having sent them away clean, we may again see them clogging themselves with filth. Therefore I solemnly protest to you, the sound members, that this will be to you judgment and condemnation, and I give you over to God from this time forth, if any having seen a person behaving disorderly, if any having seen any person talking, especially in that part (of the Service), shall not inform against him, not bring him round (to a better behaviour). To do this is better than prayer. Leave thy prayer and rebuke him, that thou mayest both do him good, and thyself get profit, and so we may be enabled all to be saved and to attain unto the Kingdom of Heaven, through the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom to the Father and the Holy Ghost together be glory, dominion, honour, now and ever, and world without end. Amen.

HOMILY XXV.

ACTS xi. 19.

Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that rose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only.

28.

THE persecution turned out to be no slight benefit, as to them that love God all things work together for good. If Rom. 8, they had made it their express study how best to establish the Church, they would have done no other thing than thisthey dispersed the teachers. Mark in what quarters the preaching was extended. They travelled, it says, as far as Phenice and Cyprus and Antioch; to none however did they preach the word but to Jews only. Dost thou mark with what wise purposes of Providence so much was done in the case of Cornelius? This serves both to justify Christ, and to impeach the Jews. When Stephen was slain, when Paul was twice in danger, when the Apostles were scourged, then the Gentiles received the word, then the Samaritans. Which Paul also declares: To you it was necessary that the Word of ch. 13, God should first be spoken; but since ye thrust it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy, lo, we turn unto the Gentiles. Accordingly they went about, preaching to Gentiles also. But some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who, v. 20. when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus: for it is likely both that they could now speak Greek, and that there were such men in Antioch. And the hand of the Lord, it says, was with them, that is, v. 21.

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