XLII.

4.

594

Urgent Reasons for Self-Examination.

HOMIL. When to sow the seed? Knowest thou not that henceforth the time of harvest is at hand? But we have not yet so much as ploughed our fields. If then the Husbandman should come and find fault, what shall we say? and what answer shall we make? That no man gave us the seed? Nay, this is sown daily. That no man, then, hath cut up the thorns? Nay, every day we are sharpening the sickle. But do the necessary engagements of life distract thee? And why hast thou not crucified thyself to the world? For if he that repays that only, which is given him, is wicked, because he did not double it; he that hath wasted even this, what will be said to him? If that person was bound, and cast out where is gnashing of teeth, what shall we have to suffer, who, when numberless motives are drawing us toward virtue, shrink back and are unwilling?

For what is there, that hath not enough in it to persuade thee? Seest thou not the vileness of the world, the uncertainty of life, the toil, the sweat, for things present? What? is it the case that virtue must be toiled for, but may vice be had without toil? If then both in the one and in the other there is toil, why didst thou not choose this, which hath so great profit?

Or rather, there are some parts of virtue, which are free even from toil. For what kind of toil is it, not to calumniate, not to lie, not to swear, to lay aside our anger against our neighbour? Nay, on the contrary, to do these things is toilsome, and brings much anxiety.

What plea then shall we have, what excuse, not doing right even in these matters? For hereby it is plain, that out of remissness and sloth the more toilsome duties also altogether escape us.

All these things let us consider; let us flee vice, let us choose virtue, that we may attain both unto the good things that are present, and unto those that are to come, by the grace and love towards man of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory and might for ever and ever. Amen.

HOMILY XLIII.

MATT. xii. 38, 39.

Then certain of the Scribes and Pharisees answered Him, saying, Master, we would see a sign from Thee. But He answered and said, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign, and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the Prophet Jonas.

COULD then any thing be more foolish than these men, (not more impious only,) who after so many miracles, as though none had been wrought, say, We would see a sign from Thee? With what intent then did they so speak? That they might lay hold of Him again. For since by His words He had stopped their mouths, once and twice and often, and had checked their shameless tongue, they come to His works again. At which also the Evangelist marvelling again, said,

Then certain of the Scribes answered Him, asking a sign. Then, when? When they ought to be stooping before Him, to admire, to be amazed and give way, then they desist not from their wickedness.

And see their words too, teeming with flattery and dissimulation. For they thought to draw Him towards them in that way. And now they insult, now they flatter Him; now calling Him a demoniac, now again Master, both out of an evil mind, how contrary soever the words they speak.

Wherefore also He rebukes them severely. And when they were questioning Him roughly and insulting Him, He reasoned with them gently; when they were flattering,

XLIII.

596 How the Jews were an adulterous Generation :

HOMIL. reproachfully, and with great severity; implying that He is 1, 2. superior to either passion, and is neither at the one time moved to anger, nor at the other softened by flattery. And see His reproach, that it is not merely hard words, but contains a demonstration of their wickedness. For what saith He?

1 See Ezek. 16, 23. &c.

An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign. Now what He saith is to this effect: What marvel if ye behave so to Me, who have been hitherto unknown to you, when even to the Father, of whom ye have had so much experience, ye have done the very same? forsaking Him, ye have run unto the devils, drawing to yourselves wicked lovers. With this Ezekiel too was continually upbraiding

them'.

No wby these sayings He signified Himself to be of one accord with His Father, and them to be doing nothing new; He was also unfolding their secrets, how with hypocrisy and as enemies they were making their demand. Therefore He called them an evil generation, because they have been always ungrateful towards their benefactors; because upon favours they become worse, which belongs to extreme wickedness.

And He called it adulterous, declaring both their former and their present unbelief; whereby He implies Himself again to be equal to the Father, if at least the not believing Him makes it adulterous.

[2.] Then, after His reproach, what saith He? There shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of Jonas the Prophet. Now is He striking the first note of the doctrine of His resurrection, and confirming it by the type.

For

What then? one may say; was no sign given it? None was given to it on asking. For not to bring in them did He work His signs, (for He knew them to be hardened,) but in order to amend others. Either then this may be said, or that they were not to receive such a sign as that was. a sign did befal them, when by their own punishment they learnt His power. Here then He speaks as threatening, and with this very meaning obscurely conveyed: as if He said, Innumerable benefits have I shewed forth, none of these hath drawn you to Me, neither were ye willing to adore My power. Ye shall know therefore My might by the contrary tokens, when ye shall see your city cast down to the ground,

how they had no Sign but that of Jonas.

597.

XII.4

the walls also dismantled, the temple become a ruin; when ye MATT. shall be cast out both from your former citizenship and freedom, and shall again go about every where, houseless and in exile. (For all these things came to pass after the cross.) These things therefore shall be to you for great signs. And indeed it is an exceeding great sign, that their ills remain unchanged; that although ten thousand have attempted it, no one hath been able to reverse' the judgment once gone forth against deglã

them.

σαι

All this however He saith not, but leaves it to after time to make it clear to them, but for the present He is making trial of the doctrine of His resurrection, which they were to? yuvácome to know by the things which they should afterwards suffer. ζει

For as Jonas, saith He, was three days and three nights v. 40. in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Thus, He said not indeed openly that He should rise again, since they would have even laughed Him to scorn, but He intimated it in such manner, that they might believe Him to have foreknown it. For as to their being aware of it, they say to Pilate, That deceiver said, these are their words, while He was yet alive, After three days I will rise again3; and yet Matt. 27, 63. we know His disciples were ignorant of this; even as they had been beforehand more void of understanding than these: wherefore also these became self-condemned.

But see how exactly He expresses it, even though in a dark saying. For He said not, " In the earth," but, In the heart of the earth; that He might designate His very sepulchre, and that no one might suspect a mere semblance". And for this intent too did He allow three days, that the fact of His death might be believed. For not by the Cross only doth He make it certain, and by the sight of all men, but also by the time of those days. For to the Resurrection indeed all succeeding time was to bear witness; but the Cross, unless it had at the time many signs bearing witness to it, would have been disbelieved; and with this disbelief would have gone utter disbelief of the Resurrection also. Therefore He calls it also a sign. But had He not been

2 δόκησιν: το Δοκηταί was the name of those heretics who denied the reality of our Lord's incarnation and death.

XLIII.

598 Our Lord's Foresight of the Jews' Unbelief.

HOMIL. crucified, the sign would not have been given. For this 2,3. cause too He brings forward the Type, that the Truth may be

believed. For tell me, was Jonah in the whale's belly a mere appearance? Nay, thou canst not say so. Therefore neither was Christ in the heart of the earth such. For surely the Type is not in truth, and the Truth in mere appearance. For this cause we every where shew forth His death, both in the Mysteries, and in Baptism, and in all the rest. Therefore Paul also cries with a clear voice, God forbid that I should 1 Gal. 6, glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ1.

14.

2 John

2, 19.

9, 15.

Whence it is clear, that they who are diseased in Marcion's way are children of the devil, blotting out these truths, to avoid the annulling whereof Christ did so many things, while to have them annulled the devil took such manifold pains: I mean, His Cross and His Passion.

[3.] Therefore He said elsewhere also, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up2: and, The days will 3 Matt, come when the Bridegroom shall be taken away from them3: and here, There shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the Prophet: declaring both that He should die for them, and that they would profit nothing; for this He afterwards declared. Nevertheless, even with this knowledge He died: : so great was His tender care.

For to hinder thy supposing that the result would be such with the Jews as with the Ninevites; that they would be converted, and that as in their case He established the tottering city, and converted the barbarians, so these too should turn unto Him after His resurrection; hear how He declares altogether the contrary. For that they should reap no good from hence in respect of their own benefit, but rather suffer incurable ills, this too He went on to declare by the parable of the evil spirit.

But for the present He is justifying their future sufferings, signifying that they would suffer justly. For their calamities and their desolation He represents by that similitude; but up to this time He is indicating the justice of their having to suffer all these things: which also in the Old Testament was His wont. Thus when about to destroy Sodom, He first defended Himself to Abraham, by shewing the desolation and rareness of virtue, when indeed not even ten men were