the plural number implies. The words were, however, easily turned in translation so as to bear another sense. St. Augustine quotes on the other side his Letter to Olympias, that Adam by his sin condemned the whole race of men.' And Hom. 9. in Gen. c. 1. v. 28. where he speaks of the loss of command over the creation, as a penalty of the Fall. And finally, a passage from the Homily before quoted, (as ad Neophytos,) in which he speaks of our Lord finding us 'bound by a hereditary debt;' and one in Hom. 10. of this Commentary, viz. that on Rom. v. 14. These are sufficient to make it clear, that St. Chrysostom did not hold any Pelagian doctrine on this point. With respect to Free-will, he has one or two passages, as in Hom. on the words of St. Paul, 2 Cor. iv. 13. Ben. t. iii. p. 264. 'That first believing, and obeying when called, is of our good will; but when the foundation of faith is laid, we need the assistance of the Spirit.' And on John i. 38. Ben. 8. p. 107. 'that God does not prevent our wills with His gifts; but when we have begun, when we have sent our will before, then He gives us abundant opportunities of salvation.' However, in Hom. 58. in Gen. he says, though he received help from above, yet he first did his own part. So let us persuade ourselves, that though we strive ever so much, we can do no good thing at all, except we are aided by help from above. For as we can never do any thing aright without that help, so, unless we contribute our own share, we shall not be able to obtain help from above.' This illustrates his meaning about doing our own part first, and shews that he does not mean to exclude Divine aid in the very beginning of good actions, only not superseding the motion of our will. The word gifts is also to be observed. He probably did not think of its being applicable to the first motions of preventing grace, intending himself the Evangelical gifts. This view of his meaning seems to solve the difficulties of his expressions, so far as is necessary in a writer more rhetorical than logical. Some passages in this Commentary bear on the point, as on Rom. ii. 16. p. 66. and viii. 26. p. 250. In a Letter to Olympias, shortly before his death, he laments the errors of a 'Monk Pelagius,' and it is supposed that he means the well-known heretic. The present Translation is from the text of Savile, except where otherwise noted. For the first sixteen Homilies, several Mss. have been collated in Paris, with a view to an Edition of the original, the rest of the collation is not yet come to hand. Four contain nearly the whole of the Commentary, and three more several parts of it: two of these were partially used by the Benedictine Editors, and supply some valuable readings in the latter Homilies. There is also one Ms. in the Bodleian Library, which has many mistakes, but agrees in general with the best readings in those which have been collated. It contains nearly the whole text as far as Hom. 30. and has been entirely collated after Hom. 16. and for a great part of the earlier Homilies. The Editors are indebted for the Translation, and much of the matter contained in the Notes, to the Reverend J. B. MORRIS, M.A. of Exeter College, as well as for the Index. A few oversights on the part of the Editor have occurred, which are noticed among the Errata. C. M. p. Note. The Homily which is found in Morel's edition, vol. 2. App. 51. beginning Benedictus Deus,' and purporting to be that ad Neophytos' quoted by St. Augustine, is rejected by the Benedictine Editors as spurious. See alphabetical Index of works, Eiλoynrès i Osòs, ἰδοὺ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς. CONTENTS. Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an Apostle, Even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the Law, and makest thy boast of God, and knowest His will, and What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin. As it is written, There is none righte- ous, no, not one: there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues have they used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: their feet are swift to shed blood: destruction and misery are in their ways: and the Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; but for us also, to whom it shall be Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world, and |