απελθης και καλεσης, ακούει. κ. τ. λ. Is the judge close upon you? you pity upon me." "Have Let us imi tate the woman of Canaan, I beseech you, &c. The meanest Christians have a ready access to God in their prayers. Chrys. Expos. in Ps. iv. tom. v. p. 10. Operâ et studio D. B. de Montfaucon, Monachi ordinis Benedicti e congregatione S. Mauri. (Parisiis, 1836.) Ουτω παρ' αυτον ισταται Χρονον βασιλικον και πένης, και οικέτης, και ιδιωτης, καν αμαθής. Ου γαρ γλωττης ζητει καλλος 0 Θεος, ουδε ρηματων συνθήκην, αλλα ψυχης ωραν. Καν εκείνη φθεγγεται Thus, although he be poor, or a servant, or a private individual, or unlearned, he stands near the royal throne itself. For God does not seek beauty of speech nor verbal composition, but the τα αυτω δοκουντα, το παν ανυσας απεισιν. Ορας ποση ευκολια; επι μεν γαρ των ανθρωπων, τον προσιόντα τινι και ρητορικόν ειναι χρη, και κολακευσαι τους περι τον αρχοντα παντας ικανόν, και πολλα ετερα επινοησαι, ωστε γενεσθαι ευπαραδεκτον. Ενταύθα δε ουδε νος δειται, αλλα γνωμης μόνης νήφουσης, και ουδεν το κωλύον ειναι εγγυς του Θεου. Θεος γαρ εγγίζων εγω ειμι, και ον Θεος πορρωθεν. Ωστε το μακραν γενεσθαι, αφ' ημών γίνεται. Αυτος γαρ αει πλησιον εστι. Και τι λεγω οτι ρητοριας ου δεόμεθα ; πολλακις γαρ ουδε φωνης δεόμεθα. Και γαρ εν τη καρδια φθεγξη, και καλεσης αυτον ως χρη, ραδίως επινεύσει και τότε. Ουτω και Μωυσέως ήκουσεν. Ουτω και Άννης. Ον παρεστηκε στρατιωτης αποσο γυν βων. Ου δορυφορος τον καιρον διακοπτων. Ουκ εστιν ειπειν, ου δυνατον προσελθειν, μετα ταυτα παραγινου. Αλλ' οταν έλθης εστηκεν ακούων, καν εν καιρω αριστου, καν εν καιρω δειπνου, καν εν αυτη τη αωρία, καν εν αγορα, καν εν οδώ, καν εν θαλάμω. Καν ενδον εν δικαστηρίω αρχοντι παραστης, και καλεσης αυτον, το κωλυον ουδεν επινεύσαι τη αιτησει, αν ως χρη καλεσης. Ουκ εστιν ειπειν, δεδοικα προσελθειν, και δεηθηναι. Ο εχθρός μου παρέστη beauty of the soul, and if the soul utters what is pleasing to him, it departs having accomplished every thing. Do you see what a facility there is? For with men it is needful that he who approaches any one should be a rhetorician, and should flatter sufficiently those who are about the ruler, and should devise many other things in order to be well received. But there nothing is needful but a sober mind, and there is nothing which hinders our being near God. "For I am a God that draws near, and not a God afar off." arises from ourselves ; for He So that the being afar off is always near. And why do I say that we need not eloquence, for frequently we need not even a voice. For if you speak to him in your heart, and call upon him as it is expedient to do, even then He will readily assent. Thus he heard Moses, and thus Hannah. There is no soldier present driving you away ; there is no spearsman depriving you of your oppor tunity. There is no one to say, now you cannot approach, come by-and-bye. But when you come He stands hearing, whether it be the hour of dinner, or supper-time, or in inclement weather, or in the market place, or on the road, or in bed. Even if you stand within IBRARY CALIFO ROMISH CONTROVERSY. say, you have before the magistrate at the seat of justice, and call upon him, nothing forbids his assenting to your request, if you call him upon as you ought to do. You cannot "I feared to enter and to petition; my enemy was present.” For this hindrance has been taken away. For he does not attend to your enemy, and cut of your request. But you may always and unceasingly meet Him, and there is no difficulty. For there no need of porters, stewards, prefects,guards, or friends to introduce you; but when you enter by yourself, then he chiefly hears you, then when petitioned nobody. Let us not, therefore, importune do so by others rather than him esteeming it better to by ourselves. For since he loves our friendship, he does every thing to give us confidence in him; and when he sees us doing this by ourselves, then he especially assents. He did thus with the woman of Canaan; and when Peter and John approached him for her, he did not assent. But when she remained, he quickly gave her what she asked. For if he appeared. for a short time to delay it, he did not do this in order that the woman should be passed over, but that she should be more highly crowned, and that he should more familiarize her attendance. Let us, therefore, be careful to meet God. Though Chrysostom urged that believers should chiefly rely upon their own prayers, like St. Paul, he valued the prayers of the saints, i.e. of God's people, upon earth. Paul asked his converts for their prayers. But this was a very different thing from offering a religious service to them; or from invoking the departed saints, who are not omnipresent or omniscient; a practice which must tend to superstition and idolatry. With Romanists the term "saintly" represents a chosen few of the highest order of Christians, such as the prophets, apostles, martyrs, and canonized saints. They have no idea of giving this term to true believers in general. But according to the language of the Apostles, every true believer is a saint and a temple of God, and if a man be not a saint when he dies, he is a castaway. Romanists will probably refer to the following quotation in favour of the invocation of the saints in heaven; but the prayers which Chrysostom referred to, those of Moses, Job, &c. were offered up by them when on earth. It is evident, from the language of Chrysostom, that in the fourth century much too great reliance was beginning to be placed by professing Christians upon the prayers of those who were eminent for their sanctity. S. J. Chrys. Arch. Const. in Matt. Hom. v. tom. vii. p. 91. Benedict. Édit. ut supra.-(Parisiis, 1836.) απωναντο συγγένειας, και οικου, και πατριας της αυτης οντες τω Χριστω, εως αρετην επεδείξαντο. Τινος δυνησομεθα απολαύσαι συγγνωνης ημεις, 66 μη συγγενεις και αδελφους δικαιους προβαλλομενοι, αν σφόδρα ωμεν επιεικείς, και εν αρετη βεβιωκότες; και γαρ ο προφητης αυτο τουτο αινιττομε νος ελεγεν “ Αδελφος ου λυτρούται, λυτρώσεται ανθρωπος;” καν Μωυσης η, καν και Σαμουηλ, καν Ιερεμίας. "Ακουσον γουν τι φησι προς αυτον ο Θεος. Μη προσευχον υπερ του λαου τούτου, οτι ουκ εισα ακουσομαι σου. Και τι θαυ μαζεις ει σου ουκ ακουω; Και γαρ αυτος ο Μωυσης, φησιν, ει παρην, και Σαμουήλ, ουκ αν αυτων εδεξαμην την υπερ του των ικετηρίαν. Καν Ιεζεκιηλ η ο παρακαλων, ακουσεται, οτι εαν στη Νωε, και Ιωβ, και Δανιηλ, υιους αυτών και θυγατερας ου μη εξελωντω. Καν Αβρααμ ο πατριαρχης η υπερ των σφοδρα ανιατα νοσούντων και μη μεταβαλλομένων δεομενος, απελεύσεται ο Θεος αυτον καταλιμπάνων, ώστε μη δεξασθαι την υπερ τουτων φωνην. Καν Σαμουηλ παλιν η τουτο ποιων, ερει προς αυτόν. Mn πενθει περι του Σαουλ. Καν υπερ αδελφης τις παρακαλη μη προσηκόντως, ακουσεται παλιν όπερ Μωυσης. Ει εμπτυων ενέπτυσεν ο πατηρ εις το προσωπον αυτης. Μη δη προς ετερους ωμεν κεχηνότες. Εχουσι but the mercy of God, and his own virtue. For if these derived no advantage from such a relationship, being of the family and of the same lineage as Christ, until they exhibited virtue; what pardon shall we obtain, who put forward righteous relatives and brothers, unless we are very meek, and live virtuously ? For the Prophet intimating this very thing, said, “ A brother shall not redeem, and shall a man redeem ?” (In the Douay version, No brother can redeem, nor shall man redeem,”) although he were Moses, or Samuel, or Jeremiah. Hear, therefore, what God says to him. Pray not for this people, for I will not hear you. ."And why do you σε wonder that I will not hear you 1? For he says, even if Moses were present, and Samuel, I would not receive their intercession for these. And if Jeremiah were the advocate, he would hear, that even if Noah, and Job and Daniel stood there, they should deliver neither their sons nor daughters.” Even if the patriarch Abraham were to pray for those who are incurably ill, and who do not turn, God would depart and leave him, so as not to receive what he uttered for them. And even if Samuel again do this, he would say |