Widowhood honourable and powerful. 403 VI. in that? Thy widowhood suffers thee not to be despised by Hoм. devils. Then thou ruledst over thy servants, if at least thou didst at all rule over them. But now, instead of thy servants, thou hast mastery over unbodied powers, principalities, authorities, the ruler of this world. And thou dost not mention the troubles, in which thou sharedst with him, sometimes the fear of magistrates, sometimes the preference given to neighbours. From all these things thou art now delivered, from dread and fear. But art thou solicitous who will support the children that are left thee? The Father of the fatherless. For tell me, who gave them? Dost thou not hear Christ in the Gospel saying, Is not the life more than Mat. 6, meat, and the body than raiment? 25. (4) Seest thou, that thy lamentation is not from loss of his society, but from want of faith. But the children of a father that is dead are not equally illustrious. Wherefore? Have they God for their Father, and are they not illustrious? How many can I shew you brought up by widows, who have become famous, how many who have been under their fathers, and have been undone! For if thou bringest them up from their first youth, as they ought to be brought up, they will enjoy an advantage much greater than a father's protection-for that it is the business of widows. I speak of the bringing up of children; hear Paul saying, If she have 1 Tim. brought up children; and again, She shall be saved by child5, 10. bearing, (he has not said by her husband,) if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety. Instil into 2, them the fear of God from their first youth, and He will protect them better than any father; this will be a wall not to be broken. For when there is a guard seated within, we have no need of machinations without: but where he is not, all our outward contrivances are vain. This will be to them wealth and glory too and ornament. This will make them illustrious, not upon earth, but even in heaven. For do not look to those who are begirt with the golden girdles, nor those who are borne on horses, nor those who shine in kings' palaces on account of their fathers, nor those who have footmen and attendants. For these things perhaps cause widows to bewail over their orphans, thinking that this my son also, if his father at least were living, would JE.V.in 1 Tim. 15. 4, 12. 404 Orphans God's children, and great in heaven. 1 THES. have enjoyed so much happiness; but now he is in a stateof depression and dishonour, and worthy of no consideration. Think not of these things, O woman, but open to thee in thought the gates of heaven, consider the palace there, behold the King Who is there seated. Consider if those who are upon the earth can be more illustrious than thy son there and then groan. But if some are of good repute on earth, this is not worth any consideration. It is allowed him, if thou wilt, to be a soldier in heaven, to enlist him in the ranks of that army. For those who are enlisted there are not borne on horses, but in the clouds. They walk not upon earth, but are caught up into heaven. They have not slaves to go before them, but the Angels themselves. stand not in the presence of a mortal king, but of Him Who is immortal, the King of kings and Lord of lords. They have not a leathern girdle about their loins, but that glory which is unspeakable, through which they are more splendid even than kings, or whoever have been most illustrious. For in those royal courts not wealth is required, nor noble birth, nor any other thing than virtue alone, and where that is present, nothing is wanting to their obtaining the chief place. They Nothing is painful to us, if we are willing to cultivate Q.or wisdom. Look up to heaven, and see how much more splendid it is than the roofs of palaces. And if the pavement. of the palaces above is so much more grand than those below, that the one may be considered as dirt in comparison with the other; if any one should be thought worthy to see those palaces perfectly, what blessedness will not be his! 1 Tím. 5, 5. But she, he says, that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusteth in God. To whom is this said? To those who have no children, because they are more highly approved, and have a greater opportunity of pleasing God, because all their chains are loosened to them. There is no one to hold them fast, no one to compel them to drag their chains after them. Thou art separated from thy husband, but art united to God. Thou hast not a fellow-servant for thy associate So B. and L. Edd. Who have children,' which is so contrary to St. Paul's sense, that Hervetus has trans-lated by me,' to get over the diffi culty. The transition to the other case is however very easy and well marked, and even eloquent, if we take the negative. God kinder than any husband. 405 15. VI. but thou hast thy Lord. When thou prayest, tell me, dost Hoм. thou not converse with God? When thou readest, hear Him conversing with thee. And what does He say to thee? Much kinder words than thy hushand. For though indeed thy husband should flatter thee, the honour is not great, for he is thy fellow-servant. But when thy Lord flatters the slave, then is the courtship great. How then does He court θεραπεία. us? Hear by what means he does it. Come, He says, unto Matt. 11, 28. Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. And again by the Prophet He calls, saying, Can Is. 49, a woman forget her child, that she should not have com- LXX. passion on the offspring of her womb? But even if a woman should forget, yet will I not forget thee, saith the Lord. Of how great a love are these words? And again, Turn unto Is. 45, Me; and again elsewhere, Turn unto Me, and thou shalt be 22. Is. 44, saved. And if one was willing to select too from the Can- 22. ticles, taking them in the more mystical way', he will hear Him conversing and saying to every soul that is fitted for Him, My fair one, my dove. What is sweeter than these Cant. 2, words? Seest thou the conversation of God with men? But what? tell me, seest thou not how many children of those blessed women are gone, and are in their tombs; so many as have suffered more severely, and with their husbands have lost also their children? To these things let us attend; let us be anxious about these things, and nothing will be grievous to us, but we shall continue passing all our time in spiritual joy; and we shall enjoy the eternal blessings, of which God grant we may all be partakers, by the grace and lovingkindness, &c. &c. * So B. L. and I Paris, Edd. ' more desirable.' 1 B. μvst.xársgov for μvOTIKŃTICα, 10. HOMILY VII. 1 THESS. iv. 13. But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not even as others which have no hope. THERE are many things which from ignorance alone cause us sorrow, so that if we come to understand them well, we banish our grief. This therefore Paul also shewing, says, I would not have you to be ignorant, that ye sorrow not even as others which have no hope. Of what wouldest thou not have them ignorant? The doctrine, he says, of the Resurrection. But wherefore dost thou not speak of the punishment laid up for being ignorant of the doctrine of the Resurrection? Because this is manifest from the other, and is admitted. But meanwhile, together with that, there will also be this not inconsiderable gain. For since they did not disbelieve the Resurrection, but nevertheless bewailed, on this account he thus speaks. And he discourses indeed with those who disbelieve the Resurrection in one way, but with these in another. For it is manifest that they knew, who 1 Thess. were inquiring about the times and seasons. 5, 1. Ver. 14. For if we believe, he says, that Jesus died and rose again, [and lived",] even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. a This word seems to come from Rom. 14, 9. B. and L. omit it. Christians really sleep in death like Christ. 407 VII. ἀθετοῦν· 18. 15, 36. Where are they who deny the Flesh? For if He did not Hoм. assume Flesh, neither did He die. And if He did not die, neither did He rise again. How then does he exhort us. from these things to faith? Was he not then according to them a trifler and a deceiver? For if to die proceeds from sin, and Christ did not sin, how does he now encourage us? And wherefore does he also say, Even as others which have no hope? As if he had said, O men, for whom do ye mourn? For whom do ye sorrow? for sinners, or simply for the dead? Therefore for whom do they mourn? But to them all these things are vapid. The firstborn from the dead, Col. 1, he says, that is, the first-fruits. Therefore there must also be others left. And see how here he introduces nothing from reasonings, because they were docile. But in writing to the Corinthians, he first broached many things also from reasonings, and then he added, Thou fool, that which thou! Cor. sowest is not quickened. For this is more authoritative, but it is when he converses with the faithful. But with him who is without, what authority would this have? Even so, he says, them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. Again, which sleep: he no where says, the dead. But with respect to Christ, his words are, He died, because he also spake of the Resurrection, but here of them which sleep in Jesus, saying this, either that they slept in the faith of Jesus, or that through Jesus will He bring them that had fallen asleep, that is, the faithful. Here the heretics say, that he is speaking of the baptized. What place then is there for even so? For Jesus did not sleep by Baptism. But on what account does he say, them which sleep? So that he is discoursing not of the general Resurrection, but of a particular one. Them which sleep in Jesus He will bring, he says, and thus he speaks in many places. Ver. 15. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them which are asleep. Speaking concerning the faithful, and them which sleep bi. e. the Incarnation, as the Docetæ, and in a manner the Marcionites, see p. 62. note d. and the Manichees. S. Aug. Conf. v. Tr. p. 76. and Note at the end, p. 325. ch. He means to those who deny the Incarnation. d Sav. Would the words, Thus saith God, have,' omitting part of the quotation. |