XXIII. φωτισ κόντες 338 Is God's service so hard or unreasonable? HOMIL. upright life: and those who have been baptized', whether it be because they received it as children, or whether it be that Béres having received it in sickness, and afterwards recovered, avevey- they had no hearty desire to live on (to the glory of God), so it is, that neither do these make an earnest business of it: nay, even such as received it in health, have little enough to shew of any good impression, and warmly affected for the time, these also presently let the fire go out. Why do you flee? why do you tremble? what is it you are afraid of? You do not mean to say that you are not permitted to follow your business? I do not part you from your wife? No, it is from fornication that I bar you. I do not debar you from the enjoyment of your wealth? No, but from covetousness and rapacity. I do not oblige you to empty out all your coffers? No, but to give some small matter according to your means to them that lack, your superfluities to their need, and not even this unrewarded. We do not urge you to fast? We do but forbid you to besot yourselves with drunkenness and gormandizing. The things we would retrench are but the very things which bring you disgrace: things which even here, on this side of hell-fire, you yourselves confess to be things to be shunned and hated. We do not forbid you to be glad and to rejoice? Nay, only rejoice not with a disgraceful and unbecoming merriment. [4.] What is it you dread, why are you afraid, why do you tremble? Where marriage is, where enjoyment of wealth, where food in moderation, what matter of sin is there in these things? And yet, they that are without enjoin the opposites to these, and are obeyed. For they demand not according to thy means, but they say, Thou must give thus much: and if thou allege poverty, they will make no account of that. Not so Christ: Give, saith He, of what thou hast, and I inscribe thee in the first rank. Again those say, If thou wilt distinguish thyself, forsake father, mother, kindred, friends, and keep close attendance • οὐδὲν προσποιήσονται, meaning perhaps, "they will pretend to make no account of that: they will say that that makes no difference." Edd. from E. only, οὐδὲ οὕτως ἀφίστανται, “ they do not desist for all that."-Below: kal avтà Taûta diátλaттekal súlμice: i. e. Christ does not require you to abandon your calling in life, but these same occupations and duties of your station He bids you to mould and bring into entire conformity with His commandments:-Tòv angáyμova Blov Syv καὶ ἀκίνδυνον : something is wanting, the sense being, "making it your object (not to obtain distinction, wealth, &c. but) to lead a quiet life in godlines and honesty." Savile reads Co. Or is the world's service so easy? 339 33. X. on the Palace, labouring, toiling, slaving, distracted, suffering ACTS miseries without number. Not so Christ: but keep thou, 34-43. saith He, at home with thy wife, with thy children, and as for thy daily occupations reform and regulate them on the plan of leading a peaceable life, free from cares and from perils. True, say you, but the other promises wealth. Aye, but Christ a kingdom, and more, He promises wealth also with it. For, Seek ye, saith He, the kingdom of Heaven, and Matt. 6, all these things shall be added unto you: throwing in', by way of additional boon, what the other holds out as the main thing and the Psalmist says, he has never seen the righteous Ps. 37, forsaken, nor his seed begging their bread. Let us set 25. about practising virtue, let us make a beginning: let us only lay hold on it, and you shall see what the good will be. For surely in these (worldly) objects you do not succeed so without labour, that you should be so faint-hearted for these (higher) objects-that you should say, Those are to be had without labour, these only with toil? Nay,-what need to tell you what is the true state of the case?-those are had only with greater labour. Let us not recoil from the Divine Mysteries, I beseech you. Look not at this, that one who was baptized before thee, has turned out ill, and has fallen from his hope: since among soldiers also we see some not doing their duty by the service, while we see others distinguishing themselves, and we do not look only at the idle ones, but we emulate these, the men who are successful. But besides, consider how many, after their baptism, have of men become angels! Fear the uncertainty of the future. As a thief in the night, so death comes: and not merely as a thief, but while we sleep it sets upon us, and carries us off while we are idling. To this end has God made the future uncertain, that we may spend our time in the practice of virtue, because of the uncertainty of expect Psalmist), for indeed I am become • Καὶ ἐπὶ προσθήκης μέρει, ἃ προηγουμένως ἐκεῖνος· καὶ οὐκ εἶδεν, φησί, δίκαιον κ. τ. λ. The modern text (E. D. F. Edd.) inverts the meaning: Kal ἐκεῖνος μὲν οὐδὲ ἐν προσθήκης μέρει, οὗτος δὲ καὶ προηγουμένως. "And the former does not even by way of additional boon (hold out this), the latter (Christ) as the main thing." Adding, "I have been young, saith (the 9 E. D. F. Edd. "Yes,' say you, 'those (are to be had) without labour, these with labour. Away with (such talk): it is not, no it is not so, but if one must say the truth, those (objects) are more yoked with toils, and are achieved with greater toil; but these, if we choose, easily." XXIII. φαντι 'Ele sis.' τας. 340 "God is merciful," but in afflicting also. HOMIL. ation. But He is merciful, say you. How long shall we hear this senseless, ridiculous talk? I affirm not only that God is merciful, but that nothing can be more merciful than He, and that He orders all things concerning us for our good. How many all their life do you see 1 év é afflicted with the worst form of leprosy! how many blind Bidyov. from their earliest youth even to old age! others who have τας, lost their eyesight, others in poverty, others in bonds, others phantia-again in the mines, others entombed together, others 2 κατα- (slaughtered) in wars! These things, say you, do not look xwooév like mercy. Say, could He not have prevented these things had He wished, yet He permits them? True, say you. Say, those who are blind from their infancy, why are they so? I will not tell you, until you promise me to receive Baptism, and, being baptized, to live aright. It is not right to give you the solution of these questions. The preaching is not meant just for amusement. For even if I solve this, on the back of this follows another question: of such questions there is a bottomless deep. Therefore do not get into a habit of looking to have them solved for you: else we shall never stop questioning. For look, if I solve this, I do but lead the way to question upon question, numberless as the snow flakes. So that this is what we learn, rather to raise questions, not to solve the questions that are raised. For even if we do solve them, we have not solved them altogether, but (only) as far as man's reasoning goes. The proper solution of such questions is faith: the knowing that God does all things justly and mercifully and for the best: that to comprehend the reason of them is impossible. This is the one solution, and another better than this exists not. For say, what is the use of having a question solved? This, that one needs no longer to make a question of the thing which is solved. And if thou get thyself to believe this, that all things are ordered by the Providence of God, Who, for reasons known to Himself, permits some things and actively works others, thou art rid - "Ωστε μὴ πρὸς τοῦτο ἐθίζετε ἑαυτοὺς, πρὸς τὸ λύσιν ζητεῖν. Α. Β. C. Sav. But the modern text bas póvov for πρὸς τοῦτο, and adds ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τὸ μὴ ζητεῖν: “ therefore accustom yourselves not only to seek the solution (of the questions), but also not to raise the questions.”Below : ὥστε τοῦτο μαν0ávoμev (so A. D. F. Sav. the rest, μανθάνωμεν) μᾶλλον ζητεῖν, οὐχὶ (Edd. ἢ τὰ ζητηθέντα λύειν. Seek not only to be saved, but to fight the good fight. 341 X. 34-43. of the need of questioning, and hast gotten the gain of the Acrs solution. But let us come back to our subject. Do you not see such numbers of men suffering chastisements? God (say you) permits these things to be. Make the right use of the health of the body, in order to the health of the soul. But you will say, What is the use to me of labours and toil, when it is in my power to get quit of all (my sins) without labour? In the first place, this is not certain. It may happen, that a person not only does not get quit of his sins without labour, but that he departs hence with all his sins upon him. However, even if this were certain, still your argument is not to be tolerated. He has drawn thee to the contests: the golden arms lie there. When you ought to take them, and to handle them, you wish to be ingloriously saved, and to do no good work! Say, if war broke out, and the Emperor were here, and you saw some charging into the midst of the phalanxes of the enemy, hewing them down, dealing wounds by thousands, others thrusting (with the sword's point), others bounding (now here, now there), others dashing on horseback, and these praised by the Emperor, admired, applauded, crowned: others on the contrary thinking themselves well off if they take no harm, and keeping in the hindmost ranks, and sitting idly there; then after the close of the war, the former sort summoned, honoured with the greatest gifts, their names proclaimed by the heralds: while of the latter, not even the name becomes known, and their reward of the good obtained is only that they are safe: which sort would you wish to belong to? Why, if you were made of stone, if you were more stupid even than senseless and lifeless things, would you not ten thousand times rather belong to the former? Yea, I beseech and implore you. For if need were to fall fighting, ought you not eagerly to choose this? See you not how it is with them that have fallen in the wars, how illustrious they are, how glorious? And yet they die a death, after which there is no getting honour from the emperor. But in that other war, there is nothing of the kind, but thou shalt in any wise be presented with thy scars. Which scars, even without persecutions, may it be granted all us to have to exhibit, through Jesus Christ our Lord, with Whom to the Father and the Holy Ghost together be glory, dominion, honour, now and ever, and world without end. Amen. HOMILY XXIV. ACTS x. 44-46. While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. OBSERVE God's providential management. He does not suffer the speech to be finished, nor the baptism to take place upon a command of Peter, but, when He has made it evident how admirable their state of mind is, and a beginning is made of the work of teaching, and they have believed that assuredly Baptism is the remission of sins, then forthwith comes the Spirit upon them. Now this is done by God's so disposing it as to provide for Peter a mighty ground of justification. And it is not simply that the Spirit came upon them, but, they spake with tongues: which was the thing that astonished those who had come together. They altogether misliked the matter, wherefore it is that the whole is of God; and as for Peter, it may almost be said, that he is present only to be taught (with them) the lesson, that they must take the Gentiles in hand, and that they themselves are the persons by whom this must be done. For whereas after all these great events, still both in Cæsarea and in • καὶ ὁ Πέτρος σχεδὸν ἁπλῶς πάρεστι Taidevóuevos. Erasm. fere simpliciter adest ut discat." Not meaning that St. Peter needed to be taught, (see above p. 321. note t.) but that such is the oikovoula for his exculpation-it is made to appear as if he needed the lesson and was now taught it, and had his misapprehensions rectified in common with them. Ben., entirely mistaking the meaning, has 'quasi fortuito adest docens,' |