out an eye for an eye hath laid the fear as a kind of
strong chain upon the souls of the bad, and so
resembles him who detains those assassins in prison ;
whereas he who appoints no punishment for them,
doth all but arm them by such security, and acts the
part of that other, who was putting the swords in
their hands, and letting them loose over the whole
city." (" Homilies on the Gospel of St. Matthew,"
xvi.)

If Chrysostom had understood the law of Jesus,
he would have said. Who is it that strikes out
another's eyes ? who is it that casts men into prison ?
If God, who made the law, does this, then there is
no contradiction ; but it is men who earrj- out the
decrees, and the Son of God has said to men that
they must abstain from violence. God commanded
to strike out, and the Son of God commanded not to
strike out. We must accept one commandment or
the other ; and Chrysostom, like all the rest of the
Church, accepted the commandment of Moses and
denied that of the Christ, whose doctrine he never-
theless claims to believe.
Jesus abolished the Mosaic law, and gave his own
law in its place. To one who really believes in
Jesus there is not the slightest contradiction ; such
an one will pay no attention to the law of Moses,
but will practise the law of Jesus, which he believes.
