For righteousness is from God, it is a perfect gift.-On Epist. to Philip. ch. 3, Hom. 11.

Commentary on the words "Only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way." That is, when the Roman empire shall be taken from the midst, then he will come.-On the 2nd Epist. to Thess. ch. 2, hom. 4.

No need of any minor intercessors with God.

When we want any thing from men, we have need of cost and money, and servile adulation, and much going up and down, and great ado. For it falleth out oftentimes that we cannot go straight unto the lords themselves and present our gifts unto them and speak with them, but it is necessary for us first to procure the favour of their ministers and stewards and officers, both by payments and words, and all other means; and then by their mediation to obtain our request. But with God it is not thus, for there is no need of intercessors for the petitioners, neither is he so ready to give a gracious answer, when intreated by others, as by ourselves praying unto him.-Chrys. on Matt. cited by Theodorus in his Eclogues, and quoted by Årchb. Usher in his answer to a Jesuit.

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God is always nigh, but if thou wilt entreat man, thou askest what he is doing, and he is asleep, he is not at leisure, or the servant giveth thee no answer. But with God there are none of these things. Whithersoever thou goest and callest, he heareth, there is no need of leisure, nor of a mediator, nor of a servant to keep thee off. Say, have mercy upon me, and presently God is with thee. For while thou art yet speaking, he saith, I will say, Behold here I am.* And mark the philosophy of the woman of Canaan. She entreats not James, she beseeches not John, neither does she come to Peter, but she breaks through the whole company of them saying, I have no need of a mediator, but taking repentance with me for a spokeswoman, I come to the fountain itself. For this cause did he descend, for this cause did he take flesh, that I might have boldness to speak unto him. I have no need of a mediator; have thou mercy upon me.— Upon the sending away of the woman of Canaan.—Printed at Paris, 1621. Trin. Coll. Lib. Dublin.

On reading the Scriptures, and their Sufficiency as a Rule of Faith.

What need is there of a sermon? All things are intelligible and straight in the divine Scriptures. All things that are necessary are clear.-Hom. 3, on 2 Thess. ch. 2.-Printed at Mentz.

Μονον ο κατεχων αρτι εως, εκ μέσε γενηται] Τουτέσιν, η αρχη η Ρωμαικη οταν αρθή εκ μέσω, τότε εκείνος ηξει. Chrys. in 2 Epist. ad Thess. ch. 2, Hom. 4.

Ανθρωπων μεν γαρ δεομενοι και δαπανης χρηματων δεομεθα, και κολακείας δουλοπρεπους, και πόλλης περιοδο, και πραγματειας. Ου γαρ εξ ευθειας αυτοις τοις κυριοις δούναι την χαριν ενι και διαλεχθηναι πολλακις, αλλ' αναγκε προτερον διακονους και οικονομους αυτων και επιτρόπους, και χρημασι, και ρημασι και παντί θεραπεύσαι τροπω, και τοτε δι' εκεινων δυνηθηναι την αιτησιν λαβειν. Επι δε του θεα ουκ εσιν ουτως. Ου γαρ δειται μεσιτων επι των αξιοντων, εδε ετω δι' ετέρων παρ ακαλομενος, ως δι' ημων, αυτών δεομενων επιπνευει τη χαριτι— Chrys. in Matt. citat. a Theodoro in Eclogis, (Usher.)

Θεος αει εγγύς εςι, εαν θελης παρακαλεσαι ανθρωπον, ερωτας τι ποιεί, καθεύδει, ασχολείται, ο διακονών ουκ αποκρίνεται σοι. Επι δε τω Θεω, ουδεν τουτων· όπου εαν καλεσης, ακέει. Ουκ ασχολία, ου μεσιτης, ου διακονος διατειχίζει. Ειπε, ελεησον με, και παρευθυ θεος παραγινεται. Ετι γαρ, φησι, λάλοντος σου, ερω, ιδε εγω

παρειμι

Και ορα γυναικος φιλοσοφίαν. Ου παρακαλει Ιακωβον, ου δεεται Ιωαννε, ουδε προσέρχεται Πετρω; αλλα διατεμετον χορον ουκ εχω μεσιτε χρειαν, αλλα λαβουσα την μετάνοιαν συνηγορον, αυτη τη πηγη προσερχομαι· Δια τετο κατεβη, δια τετο σαρκα ανελαβεν, ινα καγω αυτω διαλεχθώ. Ου χρειαν εχω μεσιτε, ελεησον με.-In dimiss. Chananeæ, tom. 5, Ed. Sav. p. 195. Usher. Verif. Trin. Coll. Lib. Parisiis, 1621.

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Δια τι ομιλιας χρεια ;

Παντα σαφη και ώθεα τα παρα ταις θειαις γραφαις. Παντα τα αναγκαια δηλα. -Hom. 3 in 2 Thess. ch. 2. Moguntiæ.

On the words, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly."

Hear, ye who are men of the world and govern a wife and children, how he enjoins you in particular to know the Scriptures, and not lightly, nor as it may be, but with great diligence.

Hear, I exhort you, all men engaged in the affairs of life, and obtain for yourselves books, the medicine of the soul. If you will have nothing else, get the New Testament, the Acts of the Apostles, and the Gospels, as your constant teachers.

Ignorance of the Scriptures is the cause of all evils. We go unarmed to the battle.-On Epist. to Coloss. ch. 3, Hom. 9. (Printed at Mentz.)

And this I always exhort, and will not cease to exhort, that you not only attend to the things that are spoken, but also that when you are at home, you apply diligently to the knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, and I have never omitted constantly to inculcate this upon those who come to me in private. And let no one repeat those stale and much to be censured words, I am engaged in the forum, I have public business, I have a trade, I am a married man, I support a family, I am engaged in domestic affairs, I am a man engaged in the things of this life, it is not for me to read the Scriptures, but for those who have taken a farewell of the world, who dwell on the tops of mountains, and constanly live after that fashion. What sayest thou, O man? Is it not thy business to study the Scriptures because thou art distracted with a thousand cares? It is thine much more than it is theirs.-3rd Sermon on Lazarus.

For he did not say Read, but Search the Scriptures, since the things that are said of him require much research. For this reason he commands them to dig with diligence, that they may discover the things that lie deep.-Hom. 40, on the 5th chap. of the Gospel of John.

And that you may know that the Scriptures were spread everywhere over the earth, listen to the prophet, saying, Their sound is gone forth into all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. Whether you go to the Indies, whom the rising sun first beholds, or to the ocean, or to the British Isles, or if you sail to the Black Sea or go to the western regions, you will hear all persons, every-where philosophizing from the Scriptures; there is a difference of speech, but not a different faith, they have a different tongue, but they have one mind.-Sermon 53rd on the usefulness of reading the Scriptures.

On the words, all Scripture inspired of God, &c.] That the man of God may be perfect. He could not, therefore, be perfect without this. In the place of me, he says, you have the Scriptures; if you desire to learn any thing, you may therein do so. But if he wrote this to Timotheus who was filled with the Holy Spirit, how much more did he write this to us!—On the 2nd Epist. to Tim. ch. 4, hom. 9.-Printed at Mentz.

This interpretation is important, since Romanists constantly assert that EpevvaTE ought to be translated ye do search, and not “search," the imperative mood.

Ο λόγος το χριστος ενοικείτω εν υμιν πλεσίως.

ακέσατε όσοι εσε κοσμικός και γυναικος και παιδων προιτασθε, πως και ύμιν επιτρέπει μαλισα τας γραφας αναγινωσκειν. Και εκ απλως, εδε ως έτυχεν, αλλα μετα πολλης της σπεδης.

• • • Ακάσατε, παρακαλω, παντες οι βιωτικοί, και κτασθε βιβλια, φάρμακα της ψυχης. Ει μηδεν ετερον βέλεσθε, την γουν καινην κτήσασθε, των αποτόλων τας πράξεις, τα ευαγγελια διδασκαλος διηνεκείς.

Τετο παντων αιτιον των κακών, το μη ειδεναι τας γραφας. Χωρις οπλων εις πολεμον βαδιζομεν.-In Epist, ad Coloss. ch. 3, Hom. 9. Moguntia, tom. G.

Τετα αει παρακαλω, και παρακολων ου παυσομαι, ινα μη μόνον ενταυθα τοις λεγομενοις προσεχητε, αλλα και οικοι γενόμενοι, τη των θείων γραφων αναγνώσει συνεχως ενδιατρίβητε. Τετο και τοις ιδια συγγινομενοις ημιν ου διέλιπον αει παρεγγυων. Μη γαρ μοι λεγετω τις τα ψυχρα ρήματα εκείνα, και πολλής καταγνώσεως αξία, ότι δικαστηρίω προς ηλωμαι, τα της πόλεως πραττω πραγματα, τεχνην μετερ χομαι, γυναικα εχω, παιδια τρεφω, οικίας προισαμαι, ανηρ ειμι βιωτικός, εκ εσιν έμοι γραφας αναγινωσκειν, αλλ' εκείνων αποταξάμενων, των τας κορυφας των ορέων κατεί ληφότων, των τέτον τον βιον εχοντων διηνεκώς. Τι λέγεις, ανθρωπε; εκ επι σου εργον γραφαις προσεχειν, επειδη μυρίαις περιελκη φροντισι; σον μεν ουν μαλλον εστιν η εκεινων -Chrys. de Laz. Cone. 3.

Ου γαρ ειπεν αναγινώσκετε τας γραφας, αλλ' ερευνάτε τας γραφας. Επειδη γαρ τα περι αυτο λεγομενα πολλης εδείτο της επιμελειας. Δια τετο και διασκάπτειν αυτες μετα ακριβειας κελεύει νυν, ίνα τα εν τω βάθει κειμενα δυνηθώσι ευρειν. Chrys. in cap. 5 Evang. Joan. Hom. 40.

Και οτι πανταχε της οικομενης τας γραφας ηπλωσεν, ακεσον τε προφητε λεγοντος, εις πάσαν την εξηλθεν ο φθογγος αυτών, και εις τα πέρατα της οικουμενης τα ρήματα αυτων. Κ' αν προς Ινδες απέλθης, ες, πρωτες ανίσχων ο ηλιος ορα, κ' αν εις τον ωκεανόν απέλθης, κ' αν προς τας βρεταννικους νήσους εκείνας, κ' αν εις τον Ενξινον πλευσης ποντον, και προς τα νότια απέλθης μερη, παντων ακέση πανταχε Τα απο της γραφης φιλοσοφέντων, φωνη μεν ετέρα, πιςει δε εχ ετερα, και γλώσση μεν διαφόρω, διάνοια δε συμφωνω De Utilitate lect. Scrip. Serm. 53.

Πασα γραφη θεοπνευτος κ, τ, λ.

Ινα αρτιος η ο τε θες ανθρωπος. Ουκ αρα, χωρις αυτης, αρτιον ενι γενεσθαι. Αντ' εμε, φησι, τας γραφεις εχεις, ει τι βέλει μαθειν, εκείθεν δυνηση. Ει δε Τιμωθεω ταύτα έγραφε τω πνεύματος εμπεπλησμένω, ποσω μαλλον ημιν.—Chrys. in 2 Epist. ad Timoth. ch. 4, Hom. 9, Moguntia, tom. 12, p. 602.

In his third sermon on Lazarus, Chrysostom introduces a person inquiring respecting the Scriptures, "But what if we should not know the things that are contained in them? Well, even if you should not know them, great advantage would be derived from the very reading, because it is impossible that you alone should be ignorant of every thing; for this cause the grace of the Spirit has arranged that publicans and fishermen, and tent makers, and shepherds, and goat-herds, and, common and unlearned men, should compose these books, in order that no one of the common people may be able to fly to this pretence, and that the things which are declared may be understood by all, so that the artisan and servant and poor widow and the most unlearned of all men may be profited by the hearing.-3rd Serm. on Lazarus, (Paris.)

Who when he hears, Blessed are the meek, Blessed are the merciful, Blessed are the pure in heart, and such-like, thinks he requires a master to make him understand them? And may not the signs, and miracles, and histories, be known and understood by any one?

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The knowledge of the Holy Scriptures is a powerful defence against sin, whilst an ignorance of them is a deep precipice, a profound gulf. It is a great betraying of salvation to know nothing of the divine laws. This it is which has given birth to heresies, has occasioned a corruption of manners, and confounded and disordered all things. For it is impossible, I assure you, it is impossible, for any one to read the Scriptures constantly and diligently without deriving profit from it.-3rd Sermon on Laz. (Edit. as above.)

Behold the sign of the thief, that he entereth first, not openly, and secondly, not by the testimony of the Scriptures, which are signified by the door: by this he distinguishes those who are against him, and those who would personify him, viz. antichrists and false Christs. But he fitly calls the Scriptures a door. For they bring us to God, and open to us the knowledge of God. They make the sheep, and guard them, and do not suffer the wolves to enter. For like a safe door, they deny an entrance to heretics, keeping us in safety respecting those things which we seek, and not permitting us to err. He therefore who does not use the Scriptures, but entereth some other way, cutting out for himself a way contrary to the prescribed way, he is the thief.-3rd Sermon on Lazarus.

The Church of Christ a Spiritual Church.

For behold the church is what I said, for sometimes she is a bride, sometimes she is a daughter, sometimes a virgin, sometimes a handmaid, sometimes a queen; sometimes she is barren, sometimes she is a mountain, sometimes a garden, sometimes she is fruitful, sometimes a lily, sometimes a fountain, in fine, she is all things. Wherefore, when you hear these things, do not think, I pray you, that they are corporeal, but rather apply your mind to their meaning. These