Charity enhanced by our taking Trouble. 519 X. 42. [7.] Let us not then be savage, nor cruel, not without natural MATT. feeling, not implacable, not worse than wild beasts. For I know many to have gone even so far in brutishness, as for a little trouble to slight famishing persons, and to say these words: "I have no servant now with me; we are far from home; there is no money-changer that I know." Oh cruelty! Didst thou promise the greater, and dost thou not fulfil the less? To save thy walking a little way, doth he perish with hunger? Oh insolence! Oh pride! Why, if it were ten furlongs to be walked, oughtest thou to be backward? Doth it not even come into thy mind that so thy reward is made greater? For whereas, when thou givest, thou receivest reward for the gift only: when thou thyself also goest, for this again is appointed thee a recompense. Gen. 14, 14. Yea, the Patriarch himself we admire for this, that in his own person be ran to the herd, and snatched the calf', up 18, 7. and that, when he had three hundred and eighteen servants born in his house 2. But now some are filled with so much? Gen. pride, as to do these things by servants, and not to be ashamed. "But dost thou require me to do these things myself?" one may say. "How then shall I not seem to be vain-glorious?" Nay, but as it is, thou art led by another kind of vain-glory to do this, being ashamed to be seen talking with a poor man. But I am in no respect strict about this; only give, whether by thyself or by another thou art minded to do so; and do not accuse, do not smite, do not revile. For medicines, not wounds, doth he need who comes unto thee; mercy, not a sword. For tell me, if any one who had been smitten with a stone, and had received a wound in his head, were to let go all others, and run unto thy knees, drenched in his blood; wouldest thou indeed smite him with another stone, and add unto him another wound? I, for my part, think not; but even as it was, thou wouldest endeavour to cure it. Why then doest thou the contrary with respect to the poor? Knowest thou not how much power a word hath, both to raise up, and to cast down? For a word, it is said, is better than a gift3. c. 9. 3 Ecclus. 18, 16. Dost thou not consider that thou art thrusting the sword into thyself, and art receiving a more grievous wound, XXXV. 520 We should regard the Poor as being sent to us from God. HOMIL. When he, being reviled, silently withdraws, with groans and 7. many tears? Since indeed of God he is sent unto thee. Consider then, in insulting him, upon whom thou art causing the insult to pass; when God indeed sends him unto thee, and commands thee to give, but thou, so far from giving, dost even insult him on his coming. And if thou art not aware how exceedingly amiss this is, look at it as among men, and then thou wilt fully know the greatness of the sin. As thus: if a servant of thine had been commanded by thee to go to another servant, who had money of thine, to receive it, and were to come back not only with empty hands, but also with despiteful usage; what wouldest thou not do to him that had wrought the insult? What penalty wouldest thou not exact, as though, after this, it were thyself that had been ill used? This reckoning do thou make in regard of God also; for truly it is He that sends the poor to us, and of His we give, if indeed we do give. But if, besides not giving, we also send them away insulted, consider how many bolts, how many thunders, that which we are doing deserves. Duly considering then all these things, let us both bridle our tongue, and put away inhumanity, and let us stretch forth the hand to give alms, and not with money only, but with words also, let us relieve such as are in need; that we may both escape the punishment for reviling, and may inherit the kingdom which is for blessing and almsgiving, by the grace and love towards man of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory and might for ever and ever. Amen, HOMILY XXXVI. MATT. xi. 1. And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding His twelve disciples, He departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities. THAT is, after He had sent them, He proceeded to withdraw Himself, to give them room and opportunity to do what He had enjoined. For while He was present and healing, no one would be willing to approach them. Now when John had heard in the prison the works of v. 2. 3. Jesus, he sent two of his disciples, and asked Him, saying, Art thou He that should come, or do we look for another? But Luke saith, they also told John of the miracles, and then he sent them'. However, this contains no matter of Luke difficulty, but of consideration only; for this, among other things, indicates their jealousy towards Him. But what follows is completely among the controverted points. Of what nature then is this? Their saying, Art Thou He that should come, or do we look for another? That is, he that knew Him before His miracles, he that had learned it of the Spirit, he that heard it of the Father, he who had proclaimed Him before all men; doth he now send to learn of Him, whether it be Himself or no? And yet if thou didst not know that it is surely He, how thinkest thou thyself credible, affirming as thou dost concerning things, whereof thou art ignorant? For he that is to bear witness to others, must be first worthy of credit himself. Didst thou XXXVI. 27. 3, 14. 522 On the Drift of S. John's Message to Christ. HOMIL. not say, I am not meet to loose the latchet of His shoe1? Didst 1,2. thou not say, I knew Him not, but He that sent me to baptize 1John 1, with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and resting upon Him, the same 2 John 1, is He which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost?? Didst thou 33. not see the Spirit in form of a dove? didst thou not hear the Voice? Didst thou not utterly forbid Him, saying, I have 3 Matt. need to be baptized of Thee? Didst thou not say even to John 3, thy disciples, He must increase, I must decrease? Didst thou not teach all the people, that He should baptize them with 5 Matt. the Holy Ghost and with fire"? and that He is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world? Didst thou not before His signs and miracles proclaim all these things? How then now, when He hath been made manifest to all, and the fame of Him hath gone out every where, and dead men have been raised, and devils driven away, and a display made of so great miracles, dost thou after this send to learn of Him? 30. 3, 11. 6 John 1, 29. What then is the fact? Were all these sayings a kind of fraud: a stage play and fables? Nay, who that hath any understanding would say so? I say not, John, who leaped in the womb, who before his own birth proclaimed Him, the citizen of the wilderness, the exhibitor of the conversation of Angels; but even though he were one of the common sort, and of them that are utterly outcast, he would not have hesitated, after so many testimonies, both on his own part and on the part of others. Whence it is evident, that neither did he send as being himself in doubt, nor did he ask in ignorance. Since no one surely could say this, that though he knew it fully, yet on account of his prison he was become rather timid: for neither was he looking to be delivered therefrom, nor if he did look for it, would he have betrayed his duty to God, armed as he was against various kinds of death. For unless he had been prepared for this, he would not have evinced so great courage towards a whole people, practised in shedding blood of prophets; nor would he have rebuked that savage tyrant with so much boldness in the midst of the city and the forum, severely chiding him, as though he were a little child, in hearing of all men. And even if he were grown His Disciples were jealous of Christ. 523 more timid, how was he not ashamed before his own disciples, MATT. in whose presence he had so often borne witness unto Him, but XI. 3. asked his question by them, which he should have done by others? And yet surely he knew full well, that they too were jealous of Christ, and desired to find some handle against Him. And how could he but be abashed before the Jewish people, in whose presence he had proclaimed such high things? Or what advantage accrued to him thereby, towards deliverance from his bonds? For not for Christ's sake had he been cast into prison, nor for having proclaimed His power, but for his own rebuke touching the unlawful marriage. And what child so silly, what person so frantic, but that so he would have put on himself their character ? [2.] What then is it which he is bringing about? For that it belongs not to John to have doubt hereupon, no nor to any ordinary person, nor even to one extremely foolish and frenzied; so much is evident from what we have said. we have only to add the solution. And now 26. For what intent then did he send to ask? John's disciples were starting aside from Jesus, and this surely any one may see, and they had always a jealous feeling towards Him. And it is plain, from what they said to their master: He that was with thee, it is said, beyond Jordan, to Whom thou barest witness, behold, the Same baptizeth, and all men come unto Him1. And again, There arose a question between John's John 3, disciples and the Jews about purifying. And again they ibid.25. came unto Him, and said, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but Thy disciples fast not? For as yet they knew not3 Matt. who Christ was, but imagining Jesus to be a mere man, but 9, 14. John greater than after the manner of man, were vexed at seeing the former held in estimation, but the latter, as he had said, now ceasing. And this hindered them from coming unto Him, their jealousy quite blocking up the access. Now so long as John was with them, he was exhorting them continually and instructing them, and not even so did he persuade them; but when he was now on the point of dying, he uses the more diligence: fearing as he did lest he might leave a foundation for bad doctrine, and they continue broken off from Christ. For as he was diligent even at first to bring to Christ all that pertained to himself; so on his failing to |