LVIII.

1 al.

desire'

506

Theatres attended to: religion neglected.

HOMIL. hold back instead of running together; and this too, when the gain is that of their own souls. How is this tolerable, tell me? Thus it happens, that while we are more skilled than any in those matters, in things necessary we are more ignorant than children. If a man call you a charioteer, or a dancer, you say that you have been insulted, and use every means to wipe off the affront; but if he draw you to be a spectator of the action, you do not start away, and the art whose name you shun, you almost in every case pursue. But where you ought' to have both the action and the name, both to be and to be called a Christian, you do not even know what kind of thing the action is. What can be worse than this folly 2? These things I have desired lessness' continually to say to you, but I fear lest I gain hatred in vain and unprofitably. For I perceive that not only the young are mad, but the old also; about whom I am especially ashamed, when I see a man venerable from his white hairs, disgracing those white hairs, and drawing a child after him. What is worse than this mockery? What more shameful than this conduct? The child is taught by the father to act unseemly.

2 al. 'law

k

[5.] Do the words sting? This is what I desire, that you should suffer the pain caused by the words, in order to be delivered from the disgrace caused by the actions. For there are some too far colder than these, who are not even ashamed at the things spoken of, nay, who even put together a long argument in defence of the action. If you ask them who was Amos or Obadiah, or what is the number of the Prophets or Apostles, they cannot even open their mouth; but for horses and charioteers, they compose excuses more cleverly than sophists or rhetoricians, and after all this, they say, "What is the harm? what is the loss?" This is what I groan for, that ye do not so much as know that the action is a loss, nor have a sense of its evils. God hath given to thee an appointed space of life for serving Him, and dost thou while thou spendest it vainly, and at random, and on nothing useful, still ask, "What loss is there?" If thou hast spent a little money to no purpose, thou callest it a loss: when thou spendest whole days of thine upon the devil's kal.' are not even ashamed at what takes place at the theatres, but raise'

The sin and loss of wasting time.

2

507

IX. 34.

2 βίον.

pageants, thinkest thou that thou art doing nothing wrong? JOHN
Thou oughtest to spend all thy life in supplications' and 1 al.
prayers, whereas thou wastest thy life and substance heed- alms-
lessly, and to thine own hurt, on shouts, and uproar, and
shameful words, and fighting, and unseasonable pleasure, and
actions performed by trickery, and after all this thou askest,
'What is the loss?" not knowing thou shouldest be lavish of
any thing rather than time'. Gold, if thou shalt have spent,
thou mayest get again; but if thou lose time, thou shalt
hardly recover that. Little is dealt out to us in this present
life; if therefore we employ it not as we ought, what shall we
say when we depart there? For tell me, if thou hadst com-
manded one of thy sons to learn some art, and then he had
continually stayed at home, or even passed his time some-
where else, would not the teacher reject him? Would he
not say to thee, "Thou hast made an agreement with me,
and appointed a time; if now thy son will not spend this
time with me but in other places, how shall I produce him
to thee as a scholar 3?" Thus also we must speak. For3 al. ‘an
God will say also to us, "I gave you time to learn this art of
piety, wherefore have ye foolishly and uselessly wasted that
time? Why did ye neither go constantly to the teacher, nor
give heed to his words?" For to shew that piety is an art,
hear what the Prophet saith, Come, ye children, hearken Ps. 34,
unto me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. And again,
Blessed is the man whom Thou instructest, Lord, and teachest Ps. 94,
him out of Thy Law. When therefore thou hast spent this
time in vain, what excuse wilt thou have?
"And why,"

saith some one,
"did He deal out to us but little time?"
O senselessness and ingratitude! That for which thou wert.
most bounden to give thanks to Him, for that He hath cut
short thy labours and abridged thy toils, and made the rest
long and everlasting, for this dost thou find fault, and art
discontented?

But I know not how we have brought our discourse to this point, and have made it so long; we must therefore shorten

artist.'

11.

12.

it now. For this too is a part of our wretchedness, that here if the discourse be long, we all become careless, while therei. e. in

al. that thou wilt rather have than any other thing.' required of thee the husbandry of time

the theatre.

508

Virtue rewarded here and hereafter.

HOMIL. they begin at noon, and retire by torch and lamp light. LVIII. However, that we be not always chiding, we now entreat

6

both to

1 al. or and beseech you, grant this favour to us and1 to yourselves; rather, and getting free from all other matters, to these let us us and' rivet ourselves. So shall we gain from you joy and gladness, and honour on your account, and a recompense for these labours; while ye will reap all the reward, because having been aforetime so madly riveted to the stage, ye tore yourselves away, through fear of God, and by our exhortations, from that malady, and brake your bonds, and hastened unto God. Nor is it there alone that ye shall receive your reward, but here also ye shall enjoy pure pleasure. Such a thing is virtue; besides giving us crowns in heaven, even here it maketh life pleasant to us. Let us then be persuaded by what has been said, that we may obtain the blessings both here and hereafter, through the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom and with Whom, to the Father and the Holy Ghost be glory, now and ever and world without end. Amen.

HOMILY LIX.

JOHN ix. 34-36.

And they cast him out. And Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is He, Lord, that I might believe on Him? And the rest.

THEY who for the sake of the truth and the confession of '1 lit. 'to' Christ suffer any thing terrible and are insulted, these are especially honoured. For as he who loseth his possessions for His sake, the same it is who most findeth them; as he who hateth his own life, the same it is who most loveth it; so too he who is insulted, is the same who is most honoured. As fell out in the case of the blind man. The Jews cast him out from the Temple, and the Lord of the Temple found him; he was separated from that pestilent company, and met with the Fountain of salvation; he was dishonoured by those who dishonoured Christ, and was honoured by the Lord of Angels. Such are the prizes of truth. And so we, if we leave our possessions in this world, find confidence in the next; if here we give to the afflicted, we shall have rest in heaven; if we be insulted for the sake of God, we are honoured both here and there.

When they had cast him out from the Temple, Jesus found him. The Evangelist shews, that He came for the And observe how He recompurpose of meeting him. penseth him, by that which is the chiefest of blessings.

510

The blind led to confess Christ.

HOMI. For He made Himself known to him who before knew Him LIX. not, and enrolled him into the company of His own disciples. Observe also how the Evangelist describes the exact circumstances; for when Christ had said, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? the man replied, Lord, who is He? For as yet he knew Him not, although he had been healed; because he was blind before he came to his Benefactor, and after the cure, he was being worried by those dogs. Therefore, like some judge at the games, He receiveth the champion who had toiled much, and gained the crown. And what saith He? Dost thou believe on the Son of God? What is this, after so much arguing against the Jews, after so many words, He asketh him, Dost thou believe? He spake it not from ignorance, but desiring to make Himself known, and shewing that He greatly valued the man's faith. "This great multitude," He saith, "bath insulted Me, but of them I make no account; for one thing I care, that thou shouldest believe. For better is one who doeth the will of God, than ten thousand transgressors." Dost thou believe on the Son of God? As having both been present, and as approving what had been said by him, He asketh this question; and 1i.e. be- first1, He brought him to a state of longing for Himself. vealing For He said not directly," Believe," but in the way of an Himself enquiry. What then said the man? Lord, who is He, that

fore re

2 μέσως,

al. μέσος

I might beliere on Him? The expression is that of a longing and enquiring soul. He knoweth not Him in Whose defence he had spoken so much, that thou mayest learn his love of truth. For he had not yet seen Him.

Ver. 37. Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast both seen Him, and it is He that talketh with thee.

He said not," I am He," but as yet in an intermediate2 and reserved manner, Thou hast both seen Him. This was still uncertain; therefore He addeth more clearly, It is He that talketh with thee.

Ver. 38. He saith, Lord, I believe; and he worshipped 3 not in Him (straightway 3).

G. T.

He said not, "I am He that healed thee, that bade thee, Go, wash in Siloam;" but keeping silence on all these points, He saith, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? and then the man, shewing his great earnestness, straightway