2 478 2 THES. Christ. 1, 8. Good discourses a great help to good thoughts. We do not even endure a discourse concerning it for our own advantage. Now therefore having heard a little, go your ways; but I beseech you if there is any love in you, constantly to revert to discourses concerning these things. They can do you no harm, even if they should not benefit, but assuredly they will benefit you too. For according to To our discourses, the soul is qualified'. Evil communications, he says, corrupt good manners. Therefore good communications improve it. Wherefore also fearful discourses make it sober. For the soul is like any wax. For if you apply cold discourses, you harden and make it callous; but if fiery ones, you melt it; and having melted it, you form it to what you will, and engrave the royal image upon it. Let us therefore stop up our cars to discourses that are vain. It is no little evil; for from it arise all evils. 20, 20. If our mind had been practised to apply to divine discourses, it would not apply to others. And not applying to others, neither would it betake itself to evil actions. For words are the road to works. First we think, then we speak, then we act. Many men, even when before sober, have often from disgraceful words gone on to disgraceful actions. For our soul is neither good nor evil by nature, but becomes both the one and the other from choice. As therefore the sail carries the ship wherever the wind may blow, or rather as the rudder moves the ship, if the wind be favourable, so also thought will sail without danger, if good words from a favourable quarter waft it. But if the contrary, often they For what winds are to ships, will even overwhelm the reason. that discourses are to souls. Wherever you will, you may Ecclus. move and turn it. For this reason one exhorting says, Let thy whole discourse be in the law of the Most High. Wherefore, I exhort you, when we receive children from the nurse, let us not accustom them to old wives' stories, but let them learn from their first youth that there is a Judgment, let it be infixed in their minds that there is a punishment. This fear being rooted in them produces great good effects. For a ara soul that has learnt from its first youth to be subdued by this expectation, will not soon shake off this fear. But like a horse obedient to the bridle, having the thought of hell scated upon it, walking orderly, it will both speak and utter σείεσθαι 479 House of Mourning best prepares for Judgment. things profitable, and neither youth nor riches, nor an orphan Hoм. state, nor any other thing, will be able to injure it, having' its reason g SO firm and able to hold out against every thing. h By these discourses let us regulate as well ourselves as our wives too, our servants, our children, our friends, and, if possible, our enemies. For with these discourses we are able to cut off the greater part of our sins, and it is better to dwell upon things grievous than upon things agreeable, and it is manifest from hence. For, tell me, if you should go into a house where a marriage is celebrated, for a season you are delighted at the spectacle, but afterwards having gone away, you pine with grief that you have not so much. But if you enter the house of mourners, even though they are very rich, when you go away you will be rather refreshed. For there you have not conceived envy, but comfort and consolation in your poverty. You have seen by facts, that riches are no good, poverty no evil, but they are things indifferent. So also now, if you talk about luxury, you the more vex your soul, that is not able perhaps to be luxurious. But if you are speaking against luxury, and introduce discourse by the way concerning hell, the thing will cheer you, and beget much pleasure. For when you consider that luxury will not be able to defend us at all against that fire, you will not seek after it; but if you reflect that it is wont to kindle it even more, you will not only not seek, but will turn from it and reject it. Let us not then avoid discourses concerning hell, that we may avoid hell. Let us not banish the remembrance of punishment, that we may escape punishment. If the rich man had reflected upon that fire, he would not have sinned; but because he never was mindful of it, therefore he fell into it. Tell me, O man, being about to stand before the Judgmentseat of Christ, dost thou speak of any thing rather than of that? And when you have a matter before a judge, perhaps only relating to words, neither day nor night, at no time or season dost thou talk of any thing else, but always of that f B. Ixovca, as Sav. conjectures. iHe makes this feeling in the parties themselves a reason against great dis play of borrowed things at weddings, * ῥημάτων. One can hardly fancy a II. 1, 8. 480 God bears with us that we may prepare. 2 THES. business, and when thou art about to give an account of thy whole life, and to submit to a trial, canst thou not bear even with others reminding thee of that Judgment? For this reason therefore all things are ruined and undone, because when we are about to stand before a human tribunal concerning matters of this life, we move every thing, we solicit all men, we are constantly anxious about it, we do every thing for the sake of it: but when we are about, after no long time, to come before the Judgment-seat of Christ, we do nothing either by ourselves, or by others; we do not intreat the Judge. And yet He grants to us a long season of forbearance', and does not snatch us away in the midst of our sins, but permits us to put them off, and that Goodness and Lovingkindness leaves nothing undone of all that belongs to Himself: but all is of no avail. On this account the punishment will be the heavier. But God forbid it should be so! Wherefore, I beseech you, let us even if but now become watchful. Let us keep hell before our eyes. Let us consider that inexorable Account, that, thinking of those things, we may both avoid vice, and choose virtue, and may be able to obtain the blessings promised to those who love Him, by the grace and lovingkindness, &c. 1 μίαν. HOMILY III. 2 THESS. i. 9, 10. Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power; When He shall come to be glorified in His Saints, and to be admired in all them that believe. THERE are many men, who form good hopes not by abstaining from their sins, but by thinking that hell is not so terrible as it is said to be, but milder than what is threatened, and temporary, not eternal; and about this they philosophise much. But I could shew from many reasons, and conclude from the very expressions concerning hell, that it is not only not milder, but much more terrible than is threatened. But I do not now intend to discourse concerning these things. For the fear even from bare words is sufficient, though we do not fully unfold their meaning. But that it is not temporary, hear Paul now saying, concerning those who know not God, and do not believe in the Gospel, that they shall be punished with everlasting1 Į air. destruction. How then is that temporary which is everlasting? From the presence of the Lord, he says. What is this? He wishes to say how easily it might be. For since. they were then much puffed up at being rich, there is no need, he says, of much trouble; it is enough that God comes and is seen, and all are involved in punishment and vengeance. His coming to some indeed will be Light, but to others vengeance. 2 THES. 482 God glorified in His Saints. Faith seen in the end. And from the glory of His power, he says, when He shall come to be glorified in His Saints, and to be admired in all 1- them that believe1. 1, 11. σασι. 3 бый What sayest thou? is God glorified in them? Yea, he says, in all His Saints. How? For when they that puff so greatly see those who were scourged by them, who were despised, who were derided, even those now near to Him, it is His glory, or rather it is the glory both of them and of Him. Of Him indeed, because He did not forsake them; of them, because they were thought worthy of so great honour. For as it is His riches, that there are faithful men, so also it is His glory that there are those who are to enjoy His blessings. It is the glory of Him that is good, to have those to whom He may impart of His beneficence. And to be admired, he says, in all them that believe, that is, through them that believe. See here again, in is used for through". For through them He is shewn to be admirable. For when He brings to so much splendour those who were pitiable and wretched, and who had suffered unnumbered ills, and had believed, then His power is shewn; because although they seem to be deserted here, yet nevertheless they there enjoy great glory. Then especially is shewn all the glory and the power of God. And how? Hear. For he subjoins, Because our testimony among you was believed in that day. That is, when those are brought into public view, who have suffered unnumbered ills, (done) that they might apostatize from the faith, and yet have not yielded, but have remained faithful; God is glorified. Then also is shewn the glory of these men. Since therefore many pretend faith, pronounce no one happy before the end. For in that day will be shewn those who believed. Wherefore also we pray, he says, always for you, that our God would count you worthy of His calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of His goodness, and the work of faith with power. That He may count you, he says, worthy of His calling, shewing that also have been cast away. many Therefore he has added, and fulfil all the good pleasure of His goodness. See p. 214, and note f. |