HOMILY XI.

PHIL. iii. 7-10.

But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God, by faith: That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection.

In our contests with heretics, we must make the attack with minds in vigour, and that incessantly, for thus giving them no leisure for taking breath, we can throw into confusion their array, and easily obtain the mastery. Wherefore, willing to prepare you, from the Scriptures, for such contests as these, that hence too ye may be able to put to silence the gainsayers, I will begin my present discourse where the last ended. And what was its end? one will say. Having enumerated every Jewish boast, both those from his birth, and those that were from choice, he added, But what things were gain to me, all these I count to be but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for Whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ. Here the heretics make their attack: for even this comes of the wisdom of the Spirit, to suggest to them hopes of victory, that they may undertake the fight.

For if it had been spoken plainly, they would have acted here as they have done in other places, they would have

Heretics entrapped by St. Paul's words on the Law. 129

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blotted out the words, they would have denied the Scripture, HOM. when they were unable at all to look it in the face. But as in the case of fishes, that which can take them is so concealed that they may swim up, and does not lie open to view; this in truth hath come to pass here too, in that the Law hath been called loss by Paul. The Law, they say, is called dung by Paul, it is called loss. It was not possible to gain Christ except I counted this as loss. All these things induced the heretics to accept this passage, thinking it to be favourable to them: but when they had taken it, then did he enclose them on all sides with his nets. Lo what? say they, when they make their attack. Lo! the Law is called loss, is called dung; how then do ye say, that it is of God?

But these very words are favourable to the Law, and how they are so, shall be hence manifest. Let us attend accurately to his very words. He said not, The Law is loss: but I counted it loss. But when he spake of gain, he said not, I counted them, but they were gain. But when he spake of loss he said, I counted: and this rightly; for the former was naturally so, but the latter became so, from my opinion. What then? Is not the Law loss?' It is: but for Christ.

'But now it hath become gain.' It was not counted gain, says he, but was so: as if he had said, Consider how great a thing it was to bring men, brutalized in their nature, to the shape of men. If the law had not been, grace would not have been given. 'Wherefore?' Because it became a sort of bridge; for when it was impossible to mount on high from. a state of great abasement, a ladder was formed. And if he who has ascended has no longer need of the ladder, he does not for this reason despise it, but is grateful to it. For it has placed him in such a position, as no longer to require it. And yet for this very reason, that he doth not require it, it is just, he means, that he should acknowledge his obligation, for without it he could not have ascended. And thus is it with the Law, it hath led us up on high; wherefore it was gain, but for the future we esteem it loss. How?' Not because it is loss, but because grace is far greater. For as a poor man, that was in hunger, as long as he has silver, escapes hunger, but when he finds gold, and is unable to keep both, considers

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The Law was gain as leading to Christ.

PHIL. it loss to retain the former, and having thrown it away, takes 3, 10. the gold coin; he throws it away, not because the silver is loss, for it is not; but because it was impossible to take both at once, he was compelled to leave one. Thus too is it here: the Law is not loss, but for a man to cleave to the Law, and desert Christ. Wherefore it is then loss when it leads us away from Christ. But if it sends us on to Him, it is no longer so. For this cause he saith it is loss, i. e. for Christ it is loss; if for Christ, it is not so naturally. But why doth not the Law suffer us to come to Christ? For this very cause, he tells us, was it given. And Christ is the fulfilling of the Law, and Christ is the end of the Law. It doth suffer us, if we will obey it; he then who obeyeth the Law, leaves that same Law. It suffers him, if we take heed to it, but if we do not take heed, it suffers him not. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss. Why, he means, do I say this of the Law? Is not the world good? Is not the present life good? but if they draw me away from Christ, I count these things loss. Why? for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord. For when the sun hath appeared, it is loss to sit by a candle; so that the loss comes by comparison, by the superiority of the other. You see that Paul makes a comparison from superiority, not from diversity of kind; for that which is superior, is superior to somewhat of like nature to itself. So that he shews the connection of that knowledge by the same means, by which he draws the superiority from the comparison. For Whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them dung, that I may win Christ. It is not yet manifest, whether he uses the word dung of the Law, for it is likely that he applies it to the things of this world. For when he says, the things which were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ; yea doubtless, he adds, I count all things loss; all things, he means, things past, and things present, and, if you wish, the Law too, it is not even so insulted. For dung comes from corn, and the strength of the corn is the dung, I mean, the chaff. Wherefore the dung was useful in its former state. For we pluck it together with the corn, and had there been no dung, there would have been no corn. Thus too is it with the Law.

The highest Righteousness comes by grace.

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Seest thou, how every where he calls it loss, not absolutely, Hoм. but for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but. loss: wherefore? Again he adds, for the excellency of the (2) knowledge (of Him), for Whom I have suffered the loss of all things. Then he adds, wherefore too I count all things to be loss, that I may gain Christ.

τος

See how, from every point, he lays hold of Christ as his foundation', and suffers not the Law to be any where exposed, 'is ρείσματ or receive a blow, but guards it on every side. And that I may be found in Him, not having my own righteousness which is of the Law. If he who had righteousness, ran to this other righteousness because his own was nothing, how much rather ought they, who have it not, to turn to Him? Well said he, Not having mine own righteousness, not that which I gained by labour and toil, but that which I found from grace. If then he who was so excellent is saved by grace, much more are you. For since it was likely they would say that the righteousness which comes from toil is the greater, he shews that it is dung in comparison with the other. For otherwise I, who was so excellent in it, would not have cast it away, and taken refuge with the other. But what is that other? That which is from the faith of God, i. e. it too is given by God. This is the righteousness of God, it is altogether a gift, and the gifts of God far exceed those worthless good deeds, which come from our own diligence.

But what is this faith? By faith, he says, that I may know Him; so then the knowledge is by faith, and without faith it is impossible to know Him. But how? Through it we must know the power of His resurrection. For what reasoning can demonstrate to us the Resurrection? None, but faith only. For if the resurrection of Christ, Who was according to the flesh, is known by faith, how can the generation of the Word of God be comprehended by reasoning? For the resurrection is less than the generation. And how? Of that there have been many examples, but of this not one: for many dead have arisen before Christ, though after their resurrection they die, but no one was ever born of a virgin. If then we must comprehend by faith that which is inferior to the generation according to the flesh, how can that which is far greater, immeasurably and incomparably greater, be

3, 7-10.

2, 12.

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Faith perfected by conformity to Christ.

PHIL. comprehended by reason. These things make the righteousness, for this must we believe that He was able, but how He was able we cannot prove. For from faith is the fellowship of His sufferings. But how? Had we not believed, neither 2 Tim. should we have suffered: had we not believed, that if we suffer with Him, we shall also reign with Him, we should not have endured the sufferings. Wherefore both the generation and resurrection is comprehended by faith. Seest thou, that faith must not be absolutely, but through good works, for he especially believes that Christ hath risen, who in like sort gives himself up to dangers, who hath fellowship with Him in His sufferings. For he hath fellowship with Him Who rose again, with Him Who liveth; wherefore he saith, And may be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death; if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. He saith, being made conformable unto His death, i. e. having fellowship; whereas He suffered from men, thus I too; wherefore he said, being made Col. 1, conformable, and again in another place, and I fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh, i. e. in persecutions. For these persecutions and sufferings work that image of His death, for He sought not His own, but the good of many.

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Therefore persecutions, and afflictions, and straits, ought not to disturb you, but even to make you glad, because through them we are conformed to His death. As if he had said, We are moulded to His likeness; as he says in another 2 Cor. 2, place, where he writeth, bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus. And this too comes from great faith. For we not only believe that He arose, but that after His resurrection also He hath great power: wherefore we travel the same road which He travelled, i. e. we become brethren to Him in this respect also. As if he had said, We become Christs in this respect. O how great is the dignity of sufferings! We believe that we are made conformable to His death through sufferings! For as in Baptism, we were buried in the