Wrath is like the fit of a maniac. 243 VII. import, we look out for places free from noise, where all is AcTS stillness, all calm, that we may not be put out and dis- 36-53. composed? But if noise from without discomposes, much more disturbance from within. Whether one pray, to no purpose does he pray with wrath and disputings: whether 1 Tim. he speak, he will only make himself ridiculous: whether he hold his peace, so again it will be even then: whether he eat, he is hurt even then: whether he drink, or whether he drink not; whether he sit, or stand, or walk; whether he sleep for even in their dreams such fancies haunt them. For what is there in such men that is not disagreeable? Eyes unsightly, mouth distorted, limbs agitated and swollen, tongue foul and sparing no man, mind distraught, gestures uncomely much to disgust. Mark the eyes of demoniacs, and those of drunkards and madmen; in what do they differ from each other? Is not the whole madness? For what though it be but for the moment? The madman too is possessed for the moment: but what is worse than this? And they are not ashamed at that excuse; "I knew not (saith one) what I said." And how came it that thou didst not know this, thou the rational man, thou that hast the gift of reason, on purpose that thou mayest not act the part of the creatures without reason, just like a wild horse, hurried away by rage and passion? In truth, the very excuse is criminal. For thou oughtest to have known what thou saidst. "It was the passion," say you, "that spoke the words, not I." How should it be that? For passion has no power, except it get it from you. You might as well say, "It was my hand that inflicted the wounds, not I." What occasion, think you, most needs wrath? would you not say, war and battle? But even then, if any thing is done with wrath, the whole is spoiled and undone. For of all men, those who fight had best not be enraged: of all men, those had best not be enraged, who 'want to And how is it possible to fight then? you will ask. With reason, with self-command: since fighting is, to stand in eκεία. opposition. Seest thou not that even these (common) wars are regulated by definite law, and order, and times? For wrath is nothing but an irrational impulse: and an irrational creature cannot possibly perform aught rational. For in- [4.] hurt. TOUS ὑβρί 2 ζοντας. XVII. HOMIL. stance, the man here spoke such words, and did it without passion. And Elias said, How long will ye halt on both 18, 21. your knees? and spake it not in passion. And Phinees slew, and did it without passion. For passion suffers not a man to see, but, just as in a night-battle, it leads him, with eyes blindfolded and ears stopped up, where it will. Then let us rid ourselves of this demon, at its first beginning let us quell it, let us put the sign of the Cross on our breast, as it were a curb. Wrath is a shameless dog: but let it learn to hear the law. If there be in a sheep-fold a dog so savage as not to obey the command of the shepherd, nor to know his voice, all is lost and ruined. He is kept along with the sheep but if he makes a meal on the sheep, he is useless, and is put to death. If he has learnt to obey thee, feed thy dog: he is useful when it is against the wolves, against robbers, and against the captain of the robbers that he barks, not against the sheep, not against friends. If he does not obey, he ruins all: if he learns not to mind thee, he destroys all. The mildness in thee let not wrath consume, but let it guard it, and feed it up. And it will guard it, that it may feed in much security, if it destroy wicked and evil thoughts, if it chase away the devil from every side. So is gentleness preserved, when evil works are nowhere admitted: so we become worthy of respect, when we learn not to be shameless. For nothing renders a man so shameless, as an evil conscience. Why are harlots without shame? Why are virgins shamefaced? Is it not from their sin that the former, from their chastity that the latter, are such? For nothing makes a person so shameless, as sin. And yet on the contrary,' say you, it puts to shame.' Yes; him who condemns himself: but him that is past blushing, it renders even more reckless: for desperation makes daring. For the wicked, saith the Scripture, when he is come into the depths of evils, despiseth. But he that is shameless, will also be reckless, and he that is reckless, will be daring. See in what way gentleness is destroyed, when evil thoughts gnaw at it. This is why there is such a dog, barking mightily: we have also sling and stone (ye know what I mean): we have also spear and enclosure and cattle1 gain. fold let us guard our thoughts unhurt. If the dog' be Prov. 18, 3. μεν VII. gentle with the sheep, but savage against those without, and ACTS keep vigilant watch, this is the excellence of a dog: and, be 36-53. he ever so famished, not to devour the sheep; be he ever so full, not to spare the wolves. Such too is anger meant to be: however provoked, not to forsake gentleness; however at quiet, to be on the alert against evil thoughts: to acknowledge the friend, and not for any beating forsake him, and for all his caressing, to fly at the intruder. The devil uses caressing full oft: let the dog know at sight that he is an intruder. So also let us caress' Virtue, though she put us' raivato pain, and shew our aversion to Vice, though she give us pleasure. Let us not be worse than the dogs, which, even when whipped and throttled, do not desert their master: but if the stranger also feed them, even so they do hurt. There are times when anger is useful; but this is when it barks against strangers. What means it, Whosoever is angry with Matt. 5, his brother without a cause? It means, Stand not up in thine own quarrel, neither avenge thyself: if thou see another suffering deadly wrong, stretch out thy hand to help him. This is no longer passion, when thou art clear of all feeling for thyself alone. David had gotten Saul into his 1 Sam. power, and was not moved by passion, did not thrust the spear into him, the enemy he had in his power; but took his revenge upon the Devil. Moses, when he saw a stranger Exod. 2, doing an injury, even slew him: but when one of his own people, he did not so: them that were brethren he would have reconciled; the others, not so. That " most meek" Numb. Moses, as Scripture witnesseth of him, see how he was 1 Edd. from E. Zaível & didßoλos πολλάκις ὡς ὁ κύων, ἀλλὰ γνώτω πᾶς ὅτι "The devil fawns full oft as the dog, but let every man know that, &c. A. B. C. Ν. ὡς ὁ κύων εἰδέτω (ἰδέτω C.) ὅτι. We restore the true reading by omitting &s. The dog' is anger: the devil σαίνει, not as the dog, but upon the dog, as the dλλÓTPIOS in the preceding sentence. 'Let our faithful watch-dog see at once that he is an intruder.' In the following sentence the image is so far incongruous, as σalvouer here has a different refer ence: viz. as the dog fawns upon the friend though beaten, so let us, &c.' κ ἂν δὲ αὐτοὺς καὶ τρέφῃ ὁ ἀλλότριος καὶ οὕτω βλάπτουσιν (Α. βλάψουσιν), The antithesis seems to require the 22. 26, 7. 22. 12, 3. Hom.vi. ad fin. 246 Anger to be roused at others' wrongs, not our own. HOMIL.roused! But not so, we: on the contrary, where we ought to XVII. shew meekness, no wild beast so fierce as we: but where we de land. ought to be roused, none so dull and sluggish. On no Pauli, occasion do we use our faculties to the purpose they were meant for: and therefore it is that our life is spent to no purpose. For even in the case of implements; if one use them, one instead of other, all is spoilt: if one take his sword, and then, where he should use it and cut with it, uses only his hand, he does no good: again, where he should use his hand, by taking the sword in hand he spoils all. In like manner also the physician, if where he ought to cut, he cuts not, and where he ought not, he does cut, mars all. Wherefore, I beseech you, let us use the thing' at its proper time. The proper time for anger is never, where we Hom. in move in our own quarrel: but if it is our duty to correct Matt. others, then is the time to use it, that we may by force deliver others. So shall we both be like unto God, always keeping a spirit free from wrath, and shall attain unto the good things that are to come, through the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom, to the Father and the Holy Ghost together, be glory, dominion, and honour, now and evermore, world without end. 1 τῷ πράγο ματι. xvi. §. 7. Amen. HOMILY XVIII. ACTS vii. 54. When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. SEE", once more, the wrong-doers in trouble. Just as the Jews are perplexed, saying, What are we to do with these ch.4, 16. men? so these also are cut to the heart. And yet it was he that had good right to be incensed, who, having done no wrong, was treated like a criminal, and was spitefully calumniated. But the calumniators had the worst of it in the end. So true is that saying, which I am ever repeating, "Ill to do, is ill to fare." And yet he (in his charges against them) resorted to no calumny, but proved (what he said). So sure are we, when we are shamefully borne down in a matter wherein we have a clear conscience, to be none the worse for it. If they desired,' say you, 'to kill him, how a In our Mss. the Homily opens abruptly with the question, Пws ovк ἔλαβον ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων ἀφορμὴν εἰς τὸ μὴ Cat.] ἀνελεῖν αὐτόν; which is left unanswered, till some way further on. See note b.-Montf. notes, Unus, eis Tò μn åveλeîv.' But this reading does not appear in any of our Mss. though the Catena has it. Edd. from E. have: "How it was that they did not take occasion from what he had said to kill him, but are still mad, and seek an accusation, one may well wonder. So ever in trouble are the wrong-doers. Just then as the chief priests, in their perplexity, said, b οὐδὲν πάσχομεν. Καὶ ἐβούλοντο, |