n which he
proves the consubstantiality of God the Son; subjoining exhortations to
prayer, humility, good works, &c. His sermon Upon not Anathematizing,
(t. 1, p. 691,) was the fruit of his pious zeal to induce the Meletians
and Paulinians to concord, and prevent private persons from
anathematizing or branding others with the crime of heresy or schism;
censures being reserved to the chief pastors, who are very sparing in
using them. The spirit of Christ is meekness, and compassion and
tenderness the means to gain souls. By this discourse he healed the
sores left in the church of Antioch by the late schism. The Jews and the
Gentiles shared in the fruits of his zeal and charity. Eight sermons
which he preached against the Jews, whom he proves to have been cast off
by God, and their ceremonial rites abolished, have reached us, and many
others are lost. In his book Against the Jews and Gentiles, he
demonstrates the Christian religion from the propagation of the gospel,
the martyrs, prophecies, and the triumph of the cross: this ensign now
adorns the crowns of emperors, is carried by every one on his forehead,
and placed everywhere with honor, in houses, market-places, deserts,
highways, mountains, hills, woods, ships, beds, clothes, arms, vessels,
jewels, and pictures; on the bodies of beasts when sick, on energumens,
&c. We are all more adorned with it than with crowns and a thousand
precious stones; all eagerly visit the wood on which the sacred body was
crucified; men and women have small particles of it set in gold, which
they hang about their necks. On the 20th of December, 386, our saint
pronounced his discourse on St. Philogonius, the twenty-fast bishop of
Antioch. who had zealously opposed the rising heresy of Arius, and died
on this day in 322. St. Chrysostom left the subject of the panegyric to
his bishop Flavian, who {260} was to speak after him, and entertained
his people with an exhortation to the holy communion on Christmas-day,
five days after. He tells them the Magi had the happiness only of
adoring Christ, but that they who should approach him with a pure
conscience, would receive him and carry him with them; that he whose
life is holy and free from crimes, may communicate every day; but he who
is guilty in the sight of God, not even on the greatest festival.
Nevertheless, the sinner ought to prepare himself, by a sincere
conversion and by good works, during the interval of five days, and then
communicate. T