sentiment of
complaint at the sickness and death of her dearest child, thanks God
with perfect submission to his will, will receive a recompense equal to
that of martyrs. After condemning the use of all superstitious practices
for the cure of distempers, he strongly exhorts mothers rather to suffer
their children to die, than ever to have recourse to such sacrilegious
methods; and contenting themselves with making the sign of the cross
upon their sick children to answer those who suggested any superstitious
remedy: "These are my only arms; I am utterly a stranger to other
methods of treating this distemper." The tenth homily (p. 395) contains
a strong invective against the excessive luxury and immodesty of ladies
in their dress, and their vanity, pride, and extravagance. The empress
Eudoxia, who was at the head of these scandalous customs, and the
mistress of court fashions and vices, could not but be highly offended
at this zealous discourse. The saint says, that many ladies used vessels
of silver for the very meanest uses, and that the king of Persia wore a
golden beard.

The eleven homilies On the First Epistle to the Thessalonians, were also
part of the fruit of his episcopal labors at Constantinople. (T. 11.) In
the second he shows the excellency of fraternal love and friendship, by
which every thing is, as it were, possessed in common, and those cold
words mine and thine, the seed of all discords, are banished as they
were from the primitive Christians. In the third, he doubts not but
perfect patience, under grievous sicknesses, may equal the merit of
martyrdom. In the fifth, he speaks incomparably on the virtue of purity,
and against occasions which may kindle in the heart the contrary
passion, which, with St. Paul, he will not have so much as earned,
especially against the stage, and all assemblies where women make their
appearance dressed out to please the eyes and wound the hearts of
others. In Hom. 6, he condemns excessive grief for the death of friends.
To indulge this sorrow for their sake, he calls want of faith: to grieve
for our own sake because we are deprived of a comfort and support in
them, he says, must proceed from a want of confidence in God; as if any
friend on earth could be our safeguard, but God alone. God took this
friend away, because he is jealous of our hearts and will have us love
him without a rival, (p. 479.) In Hom. 10, we are instructed, that {273}
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