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007 - Homily 19 Part 1 - MT 61-8 On Practicing Righteousness Secretly · Sermon on the Mount - Commentary

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  Speaker 1: Homily nineteen Part one, Saint John Chrysostome Homilie's on the
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  Speaker 1: Gospel of Saint Matthew, translated by the Reverend Sir George
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  Speaker 1: Previst m A. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.
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  Speaker 1: Homily nineteen Part one, Matthew six one through eight. Take
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  Speaker 1: heed that ye do not you alms before men to
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  Speaker 1: be seen of them. He roots out in what remains
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  Speaker 1: the most tyrannical passion of all, the rage and madness
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  Speaker 1: with respect to vainglory which springs up in them that
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  Speaker 1: do right. For at first he had not at all
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  Speaker 1: discoursed about it, it being indeed superfluous, before he had
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  Speaker 1: persuaded them to do any of the things which they
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  Speaker 1: ought to teach, in which way they should practice and
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  Speaker 1: pursue them. But after he had led them on to
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  Speaker 1: self command, then he proceeds to purge away also the
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  Speaker 1: alloy which secretly subsist with it. For this disease is
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  Speaker 1: by no means of random birth. But when we have
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  Speaker 1: duly performed many of the commandments, it behooved therefore first
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  Speaker 1: to implant virtue, and then to remove the passion which
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  Speaker 1: mars its fruit. And see with what he begins with
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  Speaker 1: fasting and prayer and almsgiving. For in these good deeds,
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  Speaker 1: most especially, it is wont to make its haunt. The Pharisee,
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  Speaker 1: for instance, was hereby puffed up, who saith, I fast
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  Speaker 1: twice a week, I give tithes of my substance. And
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  Speaker 1: he was vainglorious too in his very prayer, making it
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  Speaker 1: for display. For since there was no one else present,
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  Speaker 1: he pointed to himself out to the publican, saying, I
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  Speaker 1: am not as the rest of men, nor even as
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  Speaker 1: this publican. And mark how Christ began as though he
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  Speaker 1: were speaking of some wild beast, hard to catch and
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  Speaker 1: crafty to deceive him, who was not very watchful. Thus
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  Speaker 1: take heed, saith he as to your alms. So Paul
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  Speaker 1: also speaks to the Philippians, beware of dogs, and with reason,
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  Speaker 1: for the evil beast comes in upon us secretly and
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  Speaker 1: without noise, puffs all away, and unobservedly carries out all
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  Speaker 1: that is within. For as much then as he had
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  Speaker 1: made much discourse about almsgiving and brought forward God who
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  Speaker 1: maketh his son to rise on the evil and the good,
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  Speaker 1: and by motives from all quarters had urged them on
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  Speaker 1: to this and had persuaded them to exult in the
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  Speaker 1: abundance of their giving. He finishes by taking away also
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  Speaker 1: all things that encumber this fair olive tree, for which
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  Speaker 1: same cause he saith take heed that he do not
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  Speaker 1: your alms before men, For that which was before mentioned
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  Speaker 1: is God's almsgiving. And when he had said not to
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  Speaker 1: do it before men, he added to be seen of them.
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  Speaker 1: And though it seems as if the same thing were
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  Speaker 1: said a second time, yet if any one give particular attention,
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  Speaker 1: it is not the same thing, but one is different
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  Speaker 1: from the other. And it hath great security and unspeakable
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  Speaker 1: care and tenderness. For it may be both that one
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  Speaker 1: doing alms before men may not do it to be
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  Speaker 1: seen of them, and again that one not doing it
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  Speaker 1: before men may do it to be seen of them. Wherefore,
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  Speaker 1: it is not simply the thing, but the intent, which
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  Speaker 1: he both punishes and rewards. And unless such exactness were employed,
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  Speaker 1: this would make many more backward about the giving of alms,
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  Speaker 1: because it is not, on every occasion altogether possible to
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  Speaker 1: do it secretly. For this cause, setting thee free from
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  Speaker 1: this restraint, he defines both the penalty and the reward
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  Speaker 1: not by the result of the action, but by the
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  Speaker 1: intention of the doer, that is that thou mayst not
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  Speaker 1: say what am I? Then the worst should another see.
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  Speaker 1: It is not this saith He that I am seeking,
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  Speaker 1: but the mind that is in thee and the tone
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  Speaker 1: of what thou doest for his will is to bring
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  Speaker 1: our soul altogether into frame, and to deliver it from
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  Speaker 1: every disease. Now, having, as you see, forbidden men's acting
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  Speaker 1: for display, and having taught them the penalty, thus ensuing,
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  Speaker 1: namely to do it vainly and for naught, he again
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  Speaker 1: rouses their spirits by putting them in mind of the
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  Speaker 1: Father and of Heaven, that not by the laws alone
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  Speaker 1: he might sting them, but also shame them by recollection
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  Speaker 1: of him who gave them, being, for ye have no
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  Speaker 1: reward saith He with your Father, which is in Heaven.
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  Speaker 1: Nor even at this did he stop, but proceeds yet
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  Speaker 1: further by other motives, also increasing their disgust. For as
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  Speaker 1: above he set forth publicans and heathens by the quality
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  Speaker 1: of the person, shaming their imitators, so also in this
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  Speaker 1: place the hypocrites. Therefore, when thou doest thine alms, saith he,
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  Speaker 1: do not sound a trumpet before thee as the hypocrites do,
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  Speaker 1: not that they had trumpets, but he means to display
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  Speaker 1: the greatness of their frenzy by the use of this
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  Speaker 1: figure of speech, deriding and making a show of them.
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  Speaker 1: Thereby and well hath he called them hypocrites, For the
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  Speaker 1: mask was of mercy, but the spirit of cruelty and inhumanity.
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  Speaker 1: For they do it not because they pity their neighbors,
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  Speaker 1: but that they themselves may enjoy credit. And this came
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  Speaker 1: of the utmost cruelty, while another was perishing with hunger,
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  Speaker 1: to be seeking vainglory and not putting an end to
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  Speaker 1: his suffering. It is not then the giving alms which
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  Speaker 1: is required, but the giving as one ought, the giving
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  Speaker 1: for such and such an end. Having then amply derided
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  Speaker 1: those men, having handled them so that the hearer should
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  Speaker 1: be even ashamed of them, he again corrects thoroughly the
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  Speaker 1: mind which is so distempered. And having said how we
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  Speaker 1: ought not to act, he signifies, on the other hand,
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  Speaker 1: how we ought to act, How then ought we to
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  Speaker 1: do our alms? Let not thy left hand know saith
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  Speaker 1: he what thy right hand doeth. Here again, his enigmatical
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  Speaker 1: meaning is not of the hands. But he hath put
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  Speaker 1: the thing hyperbolically, as thus, if it can be saith
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  Speaker 1: he for thyself not to know it. Let this be
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  Speaker 1: the object of thine endeavor, that, if it were possible,
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  Speaker 1: it may be concealed from the very hands that minister.
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  Speaker 1: It is not as some say that we should hide
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  Speaker 1: it from wrong headed men. For here he hath commanded
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  Speaker 1: that it should be concealed from all. And then the
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  Speaker 1: reward too, Consider how great it is. For after he
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  Speaker 1: had spoken of the punishment from the one, he points
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  Speaker 1: out also the honor derived from the other, from either side,
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  Speaker 1: urging them and leading them on to high lessons. Yea,
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  Speaker 1: for he is persuading them to know that God is
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  Speaker 1: everywhere present, and that not by our present life are
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  Speaker 1: our interests limited, But yet a more awful tribunal will
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  Speaker 1: receive us when we go hence in the account of
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  Speaker 1: all our doings and honors and punishments, and that no
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  Speaker 1: one will be hid in doing anything, either great or small.
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  Speaker 1: Though he seemed to be hid from men. For all
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  Speaker 1: this did he darkly signify when he said, thy Father,
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  Speaker 1: which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly, setting for
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  Speaker 1: him a great and august assemblage of space spectators, and
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  Speaker 1: what he desires, that very thing bestowing on him in
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  Speaker 1: great abundance. For what saith he dost thou wish, is
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  Speaker 1: it not to have some to be spectators of what
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  Speaker 1: is going on? Behold, then thou hast some, not angels
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  Speaker 1: nor archangels, but the God of all. And if thou
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  Speaker 1: desire to have men also as spectators, Neither of this
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  Speaker 1: desire doth He deprive THEE at the fitting season, but
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  Speaker 1: rather in greater abundance affords it unto THEE. For if
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  Speaker 1: thou shouldst now make a display, thou wilt be able
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  Speaker 1: to make it to ten only, or twenty, or we
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  Speaker 1: will say a hundred persons. But if thou take pains
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  Speaker 1: to lie hid now, God himself will then proclaim THEE
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  Speaker 1: in the presence of the whole universe. Wherefore, above all,
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  Speaker 1: if thou wilt have men and see thy good deeds,
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  Speaker 1: hide them now, that then all may look on them
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  Speaker 1: with the more honor God making them manifest and extolling
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  Speaker 1: them in proclaiming them before all again. Whereas now they
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  Speaker 1: that behold will rather condemn THEE as vainglorious when they
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  Speaker 1: see THEE crowned, so far from condemning, they will even
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  Speaker 1: admire thee all of them, When therefore, by waiting a
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  Speaker 1: little thou mayst both receive a reward and reap greater admiration.
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  Speaker 1: Consider what folly it is to cast thyself out of
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  Speaker 1: both these, And while thou art seeking thy reward from God,
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  Speaker 1: and while God is beholding to summon men for the
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  Speaker 1: display of what is going on, Why if display must
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  Speaker 1: be made of our love to our father above all,
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  Speaker 1: should we make it in this most especially when our
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  Speaker 1: father had the power both to crown and to punish.
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  Speaker 1: And let me add, even were there no penalty, it
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  Speaker 1: were not meet for him who desires glory to let
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  Speaker 1: go this our theater and take in exchange that of men.
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  Speaker 1: For who is there so wretched is that when the
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  Speaker 1: king was hastening to come and see his achievements, he
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  Speaker 1: would let him go and make up his assembly of spectators,
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  Speaker 1: of poor men and beggars. For this cause, then he
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  Speaker 1: not only commands to make no display, but even to
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  Speaker 1: take pains to be concealed, it not being at all
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  Speaker 1: the same not to strive for publicity and to strive
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  Speaker 1: for concealment. And when we pray saith. He ye shall
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  Speaker 1: not be as the hypocrites, for they love to pray
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  Speaker 1: standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets. Verily,
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  Speaker 1: I say unto you, they have their reward. But thou,
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  Speaker 1: when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou
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  Speaker 1: hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father, which is
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  Speaker 1: in secret. These two again he calls hypocrites, and very fitly,
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  Speaker 1: for while they are feigning to pray to God, they
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  Speaker 1: are looking round after men wearing the garb not of suppliants,
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  Speaker 1: but of ridiculous persons. For he who is to do
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  Speaker 1: a suppliant's office, letting go all other, looks to him alone,
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  Speaker 1: who hath power to grant his request. But if thou
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  Speaker 1: leave this one and go about wandering and casting around
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  Speaker 1: thine eyes everywhere, thou wilt depart with empty hands. For
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  Speaker 1: this was thine own will. Wherefore he said, not such
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  Speaker 1: shall not receive a reward, but they have it. At
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  Speaker 1: that is, they shall indeed receive one, but from those
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  Speaker 1: of whom they themselves desire to have it. For God
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  Speaker 1: wills not this. He rather, for his part, was willing
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  Speaker 1: to bestow on men the recompense that comes from himself.
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  Speaker 1: But they seeking that which is from men, can be
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  Speaker 1: no longer justly entitled to receive from Him for whom
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  Speaker 1: they have done nothing. But mark, I pray THEE the
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  Speaker 1: loving kindness of God, and that he promises to bestow
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  Speaker 1: on us a reward, even for those good things which
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  Speaker 1: we ask of him. Having then discredited them who order
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  Speaker 1: not this duty, as they ought both from the place
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  Speaker 1: and from their disposition of mind, and having shown that
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  Speaker 1: they are very ridiculous, he introduces the best manner of
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  Speaker 1: prayer and again gives the reward, saying, enter into thy closet.
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  Speaker 1: What then, it may be said, ought we not to
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  Speaker 1: pray in church? Indeed we ought by all means, but
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  Speaker 1: in such a spirit as this, Because everywhere God seeks
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  Speaker 1: the intention of all that is done. Since even if
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  Speaker 1: thou shouldst enter into thy closet, and having shut the door,
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  Speaker 1: should its do it for display, the doors will do
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  Speaker 1: THEE no good. It is worth observing in this case, also,
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  Speaker 1: how exact the definition which he made when he said
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  Speaker 1: that they may appear unto men, So that even if
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  Speaker 1: thou shut at the doors. This he desires THEE duly
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  Speaker 1: to perform, rather than the shutting of the doors, even
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  Speaker 1: to shut the doors of the mind. For as in
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  Speaker 1: everything it is good to be freed from vainglory, so
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  Speaker 1: most especially in prayer. For if even without this we
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  Speaker 1: wander and are distracted, when shall we attend under the
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  Speaker 1: things which we are saying? Should we enter in having
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  Speaker 1: this disease? Also, and if we who pray and beseech attend,
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  Speaker 1: not how do we expect God to attend. But yet
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  Speaker 1: some there are who, after such and so earnest charges
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  Speaker 1: behave themselves so unseemly in prayer, that even when their
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  Speaker 1: person is concealed, they make themselves manifest to all by
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  Speaker 1: their voice, crying out disorderly, and rendering themselves objects of ridicule,
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  Speaker 1: both by gesture and voice. Seeest thou not that even
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  Speaker 1: in a market place, should any one come up doing
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  Speaker 1: like this and begging clamorously, he will drive away him
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  Speaker 1: whom he is petitioning. But if quietly and with the
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  Speaker 1: proper gesture, then he rather wins over him that can
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  Speaker 1: grant the favor. Let us not then make our prayer
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  Speaker 1: by the gesture of our bible, nor by the loudness
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  Speaker 1: of our voice, but by the earnestness of our mind.
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  Speaker 1: Neither with noise and clamor, and for display, so as
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  Speaker 1: even to disturb those that are near us, but with
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  Speaker 1: all modesty, and with contrition in the mind, and with
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  Speaker 1: inward tears. But art thou pained in mind, and canst
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  Speaker 1: not help crying aloud? Yet surely it is the part
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  Speaker 1: of one exceedingly pained to pray and entreat, even as
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  Speaker 1: I have said, Since Moses too was pained and prayed
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  Speaker 1: in this way, and was heard. For this cause also
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  Speaker 1: God said unto him. Wherefore cryest thou unto me? And
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  Speaker 1: Hannah too, again, her voice not being heard, accomplished all
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  Speaker 1: she wished forasmuch as her heart cried out. But Abel
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  Speaker 1: prayed not only when silent, but even when dying, and
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  Speaker 1: his blood sent forth a cry more clear than a trumpet.
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  Speaker 1: Do thou also then groan? Even is that Holy one?
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  Speaker 1: I forbid it not rend as the prophet commanded, Thine heart,
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  Speaker 1: and not thy garments. Out of deeps, call upon God,
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  Speaker 1: For it is said, out of the depths have I
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  Speaker 1: cried to thee O Lord, from beneath, out of the heart,
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  Speaker 1: draw forth a voice, Make thy prayer A mystery seest
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  Speaker 1: thou not that even in the houses of kings, all
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  Speaker 1: tumult is put away, and great on all sides is
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  Speaker 1: the silence. Do thou also therefore, entering as into a palace,
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  Speaker 1: not that on the earth, but what is far more
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  Speaker 1: awesome than it, that which is in heaven. Show forth
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  Speaker 1: great seemliness. Yea, For thou art joined to the choirs
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  Speaker 1: of angels, and art in communion with archangels, and art
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  Speaker 1: singing with the said of Fhime. And all these tribes
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  Speaker 1: shaw forth much goodly order, singing with great awe that
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  Speaker 1: mystical strain, and their sacred hymns to God, the King
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  Speaker 1: of Awe. With these, then mingle thyself when thou art praying,
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  Speaker 1: and emulate their mystical order. For not unto men art
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  Speaker 1: thou praying, but to God, who is everywhere present, who
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  Speaker 1: hears even before the voice, who knows the secrets of
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  Speaker 1: the mind. If thou so pray, great is the reward
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  Speaker 1: thou shalt receive. For thy father saith, He who seeth
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  Speaker 1: in secret, shall reward thee openly. He said, naught shall
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  Speaker 1: freely give thee, but shall reward thee. YEA, For ye
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  Speaker 1: hath made himself a day utter to THEE. And even
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  Speaker 1: from this hath honored THEE with great honor, For because
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  Speaker 1: he himself is invisible, he would have thy prayer be so. Likewise,
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  Speaker 1: then he speaks even the very words of the prayer.
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  Speaker 1: When ye pray saith, he use no vain repetitions, even
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  Speaker 1: as the heathen. Do ye see that when he was
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  Speaker 1: discoursing of almsgiving, he removed only that mischief which comes
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  Speaker 1: a vain glory, and added nothing more. Neither did he
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  Speaker 1: say whence one should give alms as from honest labor,
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  Speaker 1: and not from rappin nor covetousness, this being abundantly acknowledged
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  Speaker 1: among all. And also before that he had thoroughly cleared
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  Speaker 1: up this point when he blessed them that hunger after righteousness.
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  Speaker 1: But touching prayer, he adds somewhat over and above not
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  Speaker 1: to use vain repetitions, And is there he derides the hypocrites.
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  Speaker 1: So here the heathen shaming the hearer everywhere, most of
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  Speaker 1: all by the vileness of the persons, For since this
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  Speaker 1: in most cases is especially biting and stinging, I mean
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  Speaker 1: our appearing to be likened to outcast persons. By this
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  Speaker 1: topic he dissuades them, calling frivolousness here by the name
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  Speaker 1: of vain repetition, as when we ask of God things unsuitable,
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  Speaker 1: kingdoms and glory, and to get the better of enemies,
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  Speaker 1: and abundance of wealth, and in general, what does not
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  Speaker 1: at all concern us? For He knoweth saith he what
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  Speaker 1: things she have need of. And herewith he seems to
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  Speaker 1: me to command in this place that neither should we
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  Speaker 1: make our prayers long long. I mean not in time,
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  Speaker 1: but in the number and length of the things mentioned.
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  Speaker 1: For perseverance, indeed, in the same requests is our duty,
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  Speaker 1: his word being continuing instant in prayer, and he himself
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  Speaker 1: too By that example of the widow who prevailed with
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  Speaker 1: the pitiless and cruel ruler, by the continuance of her intercession,
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  Speaker 1: and by that of the friend who came late at
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  Speaker 1: night time and roused the sleeper from his bed, not
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  Speaker 1: for his friendships, but for his importunity's sake. What did
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  Speaker 1: he but lay down a law that all should continually
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  Speaker 1: make supplication unto him He doth not, however, bid us
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  Speaker 1: compose a prayer of ten thousand clauses, and so come
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  Speaker 1: to him and merely repeat it. For this he obscurely
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  Speaker 1: signified when he said, they think that they shall be
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  Speaker 1: heard for their much speaking. For he knoweth saith he
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  Speaker 1: what things ye have need of? And if he know,
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  Speaker 1: one may say what we have need of. Wherefore must
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  Speaker 1: we pray not to instruct him, but to prevail with him,
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  Speaker 1: to be made intimate with him by continuance and supplication,
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  Speaker 1: to be humbled, to be reminded of thy sins. End
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  Speaker 1: of Homily nineteen, Part one,