pecially by these passages that we meet withal in the sermons of St. Chrysostom:
"This man hath spent his whole life in vain, neither hath lived one day to himself, but to voluptuousness, to luxury, to covetousness, to sin, to the devil. Tell me, therefore, shall we not mourn for him? shall we not endeavour to pull him out of these dangers? For there be means, if we will, whereby his punishment may be made light unto him. If, then, we do make continual prayers for him, if we bestow alms, although he be unworthy, God will respect us." For "many have received benefit by the alms that have been given by others for them; and found thereby, although not a perfect, yet some consolation."
"This, therefore, is done, that although we ourselves be not virtuous, we may be careful to get virtuous companions, and friends, and wife, and son, aa looking to reap some fruit even by them also; reaping, indeed, but little, yet reaping some fruit notwithstanding."
"Let us not, therefore, simply weep for the dead, but for such as are dead in their sins; these be worthy of lamentations and bewailings and tears. For what hope is there, tell me, for men to depart with their sins, where they cannot put off their sins? For as long as they were here, there was, peradventure, great expectation that they would be altered, that they would be bettered: but being gone unto hell, where there is no gaining any thing by repentance, (for in hell, saith he, who shall confess unto thee?) how are they not worthy of lamentations?"
"Let us, therefore, weep for such, let us succour them to our power, let us find out some help for them, little indeed, but yet such as may relieve them. How, and after what manner? both praying ourselves, and entreating others to make prayers for them, and giving continually unto the poor, for them; for this thing bringeth some consolation."
5. The like doctrine is delivered by Andrew, Archbishop of Crete, in his sermon of the Life of Man, and of the Dead; and by John Damascen, or whosoever else was author of the book ascribed unto him, concerning them that are departed in the faith; where three notable tales are told of the benefit that even infidels, and idolaters themselves, should receive by such prayers as these. One touching the soul of the Emperor Trajan, delivered from hell by the prayers of Pope Gregory; of the truth whereof lest any man should make question, he affirmeth very roundly that no less than
"the whole east and west will witness that this is true and uncontrollable."
And, indeed, in the east this fable seemeth first to have arisen, where it obtained such credit that the Grecians to this day do still use this form of prayer:
