nfaithful ministers who admit to it notorious
sinners. (Hom. 72, in Matt. t. 7, pp. 789, 790.) "Christ," says he,
"will demand of you an account of his blood, if you give it to those who
are unworthy. If any such person presents himself, though he were
general of the army, or emperor, drive him from the holy table. The
power with which you are invested is above that of an emperor. If you
dare not refuse to admit the unworthy, inform me. I will rather suffer
my blood to be spilt than offer this sacred blood to one who is
unworthy," &c. (Ib.) In this work of St. Chrysostom upon St. Matthew, we
meet with beautiful instructions on almost every Christian virtue. Read
Hom. 38, on humility, which he styles the queen of all virtues; Hom. 58,
where he calls it the beginning of a virtuous life; and Hom. 65, where
he shows that it exalts a man above the highest dignities. On the entire
contempt of the world as a nothing, Hom. 12, 33, &c. On the happiness of
him who serves God, whom the whole world cannot hurt, Hom. 24, 56, 90.
Against avarice, Hom. 28, 74, 63. Against drunkenness, Hom. 70. On
compunction, Hom. 41, where he proves it indispensable from the
continual necessity of penance for hidden sins, and for detraction,
vain-glory, avarice, &c. We ought also to weep continually for our
dangers. Speaking on the same virtue, Hom. 6, p. 94, he, teaches that
compunction is the daughter of divine love, which consumes in the heart
all affections for temporal things, so that a man is disposed with
pleasure to part with the whole world and life itself. A soul is by it
made light, and soaring above all things visible, despises them as
nothing. He who is penetrated with this spirit of love and compunction,
frequently breaks into floods of tears; but these tears afford him
incredible sweetness and pleasure. He lives in cities as if he were in a
wilderness; so little notice does he take of the things of this life. He
is never satiated with tears which he pours forth for his own sins and
those of others. Hence the saint takes occasion to launch forth into the
commendation of the gift of holy tears, pp. 96, 97. He inveighs against
stage entertainments, Hom. 6, 7, 17, 37, &c. See especially Hom. contra
ludos et theatra, t. 6, 274.

On Hell, he says (Hom. 23, in Matt.) that the loss of God is the
greatest of all the pains which the damned endure, nay, more grievous
than a thousand hells. Many tremble at the name of hell; but he much
more at the