Bad Advertisement?
Are you a Christian?
Online Store:Visit Our Store
| Homily X
PREVIOUS SECTION - NEXT SECTION - HELP 
Homily X.
Commendation of those who came to hear after taking
a meal.—Observations on the physiology of the natural world; and
against those who deify the creation; and on the duty of not
swearing.
1. I joy, and rejoice
with you all, that ye have actually put in practice that admonition
of ours, which we lately made with respect to those who were
absent, for the reason that they were not fasting. For I think that
many of those who have dined1434
| 1434 ἠριστηκότων. Suidas, however, places this meal
about the third hour. | are to-day present; and go to fill
up this goodly assemblage; and that this is the fact, I conjecture
from the more brilliant spectacle that I see around me, and the
greater concourse of hearers. Not in vain, it seems, did I lately1435
| 1435 πρώην. Montfaucon
assumes that this word is never applied to the preceding day: if
so, τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν, Hom. IX. sec.
10, cannot be the morrow, unless some accident delayed the delivery
of this Homily. It may be the next Synaxis. | spend so
many words on their account, appealing to your Charity, to draw
them to their Mother;1436
and to persuade them that it is
lawful, even after bodily nourishment, to partake also of that
which is spiritual. And in which case, beloved, I ask, did ye act
for the better; at the time of the last assembly when after your
meal ye turned to your slumbers; or now, when after the meal ye
have presented yourselves at the hearing of the divine laws? Was it
best when ye loitered about in the forum, and took part in meetings
which were no wise profitable; or now, when ye stand with your own
brethren, and hear the prophetic oracles? It is no disgrace,
beloved, to have eaten, but after eating to remain at home, and so
to be deprived of this sacred banquet. For whilst thou remainest at
home, thou wilt be more slothful and supine; but coming here thou
wilt shake off all slumber and listlessness; and laying aside not
only listlessness,1437
| 1437 There is a play on the words
‡θυμία and
ῥ‹θυμία which it seems impossible to preserve. | but also all sadness, thou wilt be
more at ease, and in better heart in all the events that may
happen.
2. What need then is there to say more? Stand only
nigh the man who fasts, and thou wilt straightway partake of his
good odour; for fasting is a spiritual perfume; and through the
eyes, the tongue, and every part, it manifests the good disposition
of the soul. I have said this, not for the purpose of condemning
those who have dined, but that I may shew the advantage of fasting.
I do not, however, call mere abstinence from meats, fasting; but
even before this, abstinence from sin; since he who, after he has
taken a meal, has come hither with suitable sobriety, is not very
far behind the man who fasts; even as he who continues fasting, if
he does not give earnest and diligent heed to what is spoken, will
derive no great benefit from his fast. He who eats, and yet takes a
part in the sacred assembly with suitable earnestness, is in much
better case than he who eats not at all, and remains absent. This
abstinence will by no means be able to benefit us as much as the
participation in spiritual instruction conveyeth to us benefit and
advantage. Where indeed, besides, wilt thou hear the things upon
which thou meditatest here? Wert thou to go to the bench of
justice? quarrels and contentions are there! or into the
council-chamber? there is anxious thought about political matters!
or to thine home? solicitude on the subject of thy private affairs
afflicts thee in every direction! or wert thou to go to the
conferences and debates of the forum? every thing there is earthly
and corruptible! For all the words that pass among those assembled
there, are concerning merchandize, or taxes, or the sumptuous
table, or the sale of lands, or other contracts, or wills, or
inheritances, or some other things of that kind. And shouldest thou
enter even into the royal halls, there again thou wouldest hear in
the same way all discoursing of wealth, or power, or of the glory
which is held in honour here, but of nothing that is spiritual. But
here on the contrary everything relates to heaven, and heavenly
things; to our soul, to our life, the purpose for which we were
born, and why we spend an allotted time upon earth, and on what
terms we migrate from hence, and into what condition we shall enter
after these things, and why our body is of clay, what also is the
nature of death, what, in short, the present life is, and what the
future. The discourses that are here made by us contain nothing at
all of an earthly kind, but are all in reference to spiritual
things. Thus, then, it is that we shall have made great provision
for our salvation, and shall depart hence with a good hope.
3. Since, therefore, we did not scatter the seed in
vain, but ye hunted out all who were
absent, as I exhorted you; suffer us now to
return you a recompense; and having reminded you of a few things
that were said before, to repay you again what remains. What then
were those matters that were before treated of? We were enquiring
how, and in what manner, before the giving of the Scriptures, God
ordered His dispensation toward us; and we said, that by means of
the creation He instructed our race, stretching out the heavens,
and there openly unfolding a vast volume, useful alike to the
simple and the wise, to the poor and to the rich, to Scythians and
to barbarians, and to all in general who dwell upon the earth; a
volume which is much larger than the multitude of those instructed
by it. We discoursed also at length concerning the night, and the
day, and the order of these, as well as of the harmony which is
strictly preserved by them; and much was said respecting the
measured dance of the seasons of the year, and of their equality.
For just as the day defraudeth not the night even of half an hour
throughout the whole year, so also do these distribute all the days
among themselves equally. But, as I said before, not only does the
greatness and beauty of the creation shew forth the Divine
Architect, but the very manner likewise in which it is compacted
together, and the method of operation, transcending as it does, the
ordinary course of nature. For it would have been in accordance
with nature for water to be borne upon the earth; but now we see,
on the contrary, that the earth is supported by the waters. It
would have been in accordance with nature that fire should tend
upwards; but now on the contrary we see the beams of the sun
directed towards the earth; and the waters to be above the heavens,
yet not falling away;1438
and the sun running below them,
yet not quenched by the waters, nor dispelling their moisture.
Besides these things we said that this whole universe consists of
four elements, these being adverse to and at strife with one
another; yet one does not consume the other, although they are
mutually destructive. Whence it is evident that some invisible
power bridles them, and the will of God becomes their
bond.
4. To-day, I wish to dwell a little more on
this subject. Arouse yourselves, however, and give earnest heed
unto us! And that the wonder may appear more clearly, I will draw
the lesson concerning these things from our own bodies. This body
of ours, so short, and small, consists of four elements; viz. of
what is warm, that is, of blood; of what is dry, that is, of yellow
bile; of what is moist, that is, of phlegm; of what is cold, that
is, of black bile. And let no one think this subject foreign to
that which we have in hand. “For He that is spiritual judgeth all
things; yet He Himself is judged of no man.”1439
Thus also Paul touched upon
principles of agriculture, whilst discoursing to us of the
Resurrection; and said, “Thou fool; that which thou sowest is not
quickened, except it die.”1440
But if that blessed man brought
forward questions of agriculture, neither should any one blame us
if we handle matters pertaining to medical science. For our
discourse is now respecting the Creation of God; and this
ground-work of ideas will be necessary for our purpose. As,
therefore, I said before, this body of ours consists of four
elements; and if either revolts against the whole, death is the
result of this revolt. As for instance, by a superabundance “of
bile” fever is produced; and should this proceed beyond a certain
measure, it effects a rapid dissolution. Again, when there is an
excess of the cold element, paralyses, agues, apoplexies, and an
infinite number of other maladies are generated. And every form of
disease is the effect of an excess of these elements; when either
of them overpassing its own bounds, acts the part of a tyrant
against the rest, and mars the symmetry of the whole. Interrogate
then him who says, that all things are spontaneous and
self-produced. If this little and diminutive body, having the
advantage of medicines, and of medical skill, and of a soul within
which regulates it, and of much moral wisdom, as well as
innumerable other helps, be not always able to continue in a state
of order, but often perishes, and is destroyed, when some
disturbance takes place within it; how could a world like this,
containing substances of such vast bulk and compounded of those
same elements, remain during so long a time without any
disturbance, unless it enjoyed the advantage of a manifold
providence? Neither would it be reasonable to suppose that this
body, which has the benefit of superintendence both without and
within, should scarcely be sufficient for its own preservation; and
that a world such as this is, enjoying no such superintendence,
should during so many years suffer nothing of that sort which our
body suffers. For how, I ask, is it that not one of these elements
hath gone beyond its own boundaries, nor swallowed up all the rest?
Who hath brought them together from the beginning? Who hath bound?
Who hath bridled? Who
hath held them together during so long a period?
For if the body of the world were simple and uniform, what I speak
of would not have been so impossible. But when there hath been such
a strife between the elements, even from the beginning; who so
senseless as to think that these things would have come together,
and remained together when united, without One to effect this
conjunction? For if we who are evil-affected towards one another
not by nature, but by will, cannot come spontaneously to an
agreement as long as we remain at variance, and hold ourselves
ungraciously towards one another; if we have yet need of some one
else to bring us into a state of conjunction; and after this
conjunction further to clench us, and persuade us to abide by our
reconciliation, and not again to be at variance; how could the
elements, which neither partake of sense nor reason, and which are
naturally adverse, and inimical to each other, have come together,
and agreed and remained with one another, if there were not some
ineffable Power which effected this conjunction; and after this
conjunction, always restrained them by the same bond?
5. Dost thou not perceive how this body wastes
away, withers, and perishes after the secession of the soul, and
each of the elements thereof returns to its own appointed place?1441
This very
same thing, indeed, would also happen to the world, if the Power
which always governs it had left it devoid of Its own providence.
For if a ship does not hold together without a pilot, but soon
founders, how could the world have held together so long a time if
there was no one governing its course? And that I may not enlarge,
suppose the world to be a ship; the earth to be placed below as the
keel; the sky to be the sail; men to be the passengers;1442
the
subjacent abyss, the sea. How is it then that during so long a
time, no shipwreck has taken place? Now let a ship go one day
without a pilot and crew,1443
and thou wilt see it straightway
foundering! But the world, though subsisting now five thousand
years, and many more, hath suffered nothing of the kind. But why do
I talk of a ship? Suppose one hath pitched a small hut in the
vineyards; and when the fruit is gathered, leaves it vacant; it
stands, however, scarce two or three days, but soon goes to pieces,
and tumbles down! Could not a hut, forsooth, stand without
superintendence? How then could the workmanship of a world, so fair
and marvellous; the laws of the night and day; the interchanging
dances of the seasons; the course of nature chequered and varied as
it is in every way throughout the earth, the sea, the sky; in
plants, and in animals that fly, swim, walk, creep; and in the race
of men, far more dignified than any of these, continue yet
unbroken, during so long a period, without some kind of providence?
But in addition to what has been said, follow me whilst I enumerate
the meadows, the gardens, the various tribes of flowers; all sorts
of herbs, and their uses;1444
| 1444 χρ™ιας: others read
χροι€ς, “colours.” | their odours, forms, disposition,
yea, but their very names; the trees which are fruitful, and which
are barren; the nature of metals,—and of animals,—in the sea,
or on the land; of those that swim, and those that traverse the
air; the mountains, the forests, the groves; the meadow below, and
the meadow above; for there is a meadow on the earth, and a meadow
too in the sky; the various flowers of the stars; the rose below,
and the rainbow above! Would you have me point out also the meadow
of birds? Consider the variegated body of the peacock, surpassing
every dye, and the fowls of purple plumage.1445
| 1445 τοὺς πορφυρίζοντας
στρουθούς. Ælian, de Animalibus, iii. 42,
mentions a bird called Porphyrio, more esteemed even than the
peacock, so that none ever killed it for the table. See also Plin.
x. 46, but this expression may apply to various kinds. | Contemplate with me the beauty of
the sky; how it has been preserved so long without being dimmed;
and remains as bright and clear as if it had been only fabricated
to-day; moreover, the power of the earth, how its womb has not
become effete by bringing forth during so long a time! Contemplate
with me the fountains; how they burst forth and fail not, since the
time they were begotten, to flow forth continually throughout the
day and night! Contemplate with me the sea, receiving so many
rivers, yet never exceeding its measure! But how long shall we
pursue things unattainable! It is fit, indeed, that over every one
of these which has been spoken of, we should say, “O Lord, how
hast Thou magnified Thy works; in wisdom hast Thou made them
all.”1446
6. But what is the sapient argument of the
unbelievers, when we go over all these particulars with them; the
magnitude, the beauty of the creation, the prodigality, the
munificence everywhere displayed? This very thing, say they, is the
worst fault, that God hath made the world so beautiful and so vast.
For if He had not made it beautiful and vast, we should not have
made a god of it; but now being struck with its grandeur, and marvelling at its beauty, we
have thought it to be a deity.1447
| 1447 See the argument of Balbus (the Stoic), Cic.
de Nat. Deor. l. 2, c. 17, 34, &c. Seneca, Nat.
Quæst. ii. 45, says, that God may likewise be called
Mundus, or Fatum, or Providentia, or
Natura. | But such an argument is good for
nothing. For that neither the magnitude, nor beauty of the world is
the cause of this impiety, but their own want of understanding, is
what we are prepared to show, proved by the case of ourselves, who
have never been so affected. Why then have “we” not made a
deity of it? Do we not see it with the same eyes as themselves? Do
we not enjoy the same advantage from the creation with themselves?
Do we not possess the same soul? Have we not the same body? Do we
not tread the same earth? How comes it that this beauty and
magnitude hath not persuaded us to think the same as they do? But
this will be evident not from this proof only, but from another
besides. For as a proof that it is not for its beauty they have
made a deity of it, but by reason of their own folly, why do they
adore the ape, the crocodile, the dog, and the vilest of animals?
Truly, “they became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish
heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became
fools.”1448
7. Nevertheless, we will not frame our answer
from these things only, but will also say something yet further.
For God, foreseeing these things of old, destroyed, in His wisdom,
this plea of theirs. On this account He made the world not only
wonderful and vast, but also corruptible and perishable; and placed
therein many evidences of its weakness; and what He did with
respect to the Apostles,1449
He did with respect to the whole
world. What then did He with respect to the Apostles? Since they
used to perform many great and astonishing signs and wonders, He
suffered them constantly to be scourged, to be expelled, to inhabit
the dungeon, to encounter bodily infirmities, to be in continual
tribulations, lest the greatness of their miracles should make them
to be accounted as gods amongst mankind. Therefore when He had
bestowed so great favour upon them, He suffered their bodies to be
mortal, and in many cases obnoxious to disease; and did not remove
their infirmity, that He might give full proof of their nature. And
this is not merely my assertion, but that of Paul himself, who
says, “For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool;
but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which
he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.”1450
And again, “But we have this
treasure in earthen vessels.”1451
But what is meant by “earthen
vessels?” In this body, he means, which is mortal and perishable.
For just as the earthen vessel is formed from clay and fire, so
also the body of these saints being clay, and receiving the energy
of the spiritual fire, becomes an earthen vessel. But for what
reason was it thus constituted, and so great a treasure, and such a
plentitude of graces entrusted to a mortal and corruptible body?
“That the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of
us.” For when thou seest the Apostles raising the dead, yet
themselves sick, and unable to remove their own infirmities, thou
mayest clearly perceive, that the resurrection of the dead man was
not effected by the power of him who raised him, but by the energy
of the Spirit. For in proof, that they were frequently sick, hear
what Paul saith respecting Timothy, “Use a little wine for thy
stomach’s sake, and thine often infirmities.”1452
| 1452 1 Tim. v.
23. The subject of the
first of these Homilies. | And again,
of another he saith, “But Trophimus I have left at Miletus
sick.”1453
And
writing to the Philippians, he said, “Epaphroditus was sick nigh
unto death.”1454
For if,
when this was the case, they accounted them to be gods, and
prepared to do sacrifice unto them, saying, “The gods are come
down to us in the likeness of men;”1455
had such infirmities not existed,
to what extent of impiety might not men have proceeded, when they
beheld their miracles? As then in this case, because of the
greatness of these signs, He suffered their nature to remain in a
state of infirmity, and permitted those repeated trials, in order
that they might not be thought to be gods, thus likewise He did
with respect to the creation, a thing nearly parallel to this. For
He fashioned it beautiful and vast; but on the other hand
corruptible.
8. And both of these points the Scriptures
teach, for one in treating of the beauty of the heavens thus
speaks; “The heavens declare the glory of God.”1456
And again,
“Who hath placed the sky as a vault,1457
| 1457 The Hebrew קּר means something small or thin, the Vulgate has
nihilum. No ancient version has curtain. Perhaps the
word is an emphatic allusion to the exquisitely minute consistence
of the blue ether. The Hebrews say that by this word is signified
the finest dust. In the revised version “gauze” is
suggested in the margin. | and spread it out as a tent over
the earth.”1458
And again,
“Who holdeth the circle of heaven.”1459
But another writer, shewing that
although the world be great and fair, it is yet corruptible, thus
speaks; “Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of
the earth, and the
heavens are the works of Thine hands. They
shall perish, but Thou remainest, and they all shall wax old as
doth a garment, and as a vesture shalt Thou fold them up, and they
shall be changed.”1460
And again, David saith of the sun,
that “he is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and
rejoiceth as a giant to run his course.”1461
Seest thou how he places before
thee the beauty of this star, and its greatness? For even as a
bridegroom when he appears from some stately chamber,1462
so the sun
sends forth his rays under the East; and adorning the heaven as it
were with a saffron-coloured veil, and making the clouds like
roses, and running unimpeded all the day; he meets no obstacle to
interrupt his course. Beholdest thou, then, his beauty? Beholdest
thou his greatness? Look also at the proof of his weakness! For a
certain wise man, to make this plain, said, “What is brighter
than the sun, yet the light thereof suffers eclipse.”1463
Nor is it
only from this circumstance that his infirmity is to be perceived,
but also in the concourse of the clouds. Often, at least, when a
cloud passes underneath him, though emitting his beams, and
endeavouring to pierce through it, he has not strength to do so;
the cloud being too dense, and not suffering him to penetrate
through it. “He nourishes the seeds, however,”1464
replies
some one—Yes—still he does not nourish them by himself, but
requires the assistance of the earth, and of the dew, and of the
rains, and of the winds, and the right distribution of the seasons.
And unless all these things concur, the sun’s aid is but
superfluous. But this would not seem to be like a deity, to stand
in need of the assistance of others, for that which he wishes to
do; for it is a special attribute of God to want nothing; He
Himself at least did not in this manner bring forth the seeds from
the ground; He only commanded, and they all shot forth. And again,
that thou mayest learn that it is not the nature of the elements,
but His command which effects all things; He both brought into
being these very elements which before were not; and without the
need of any aid, He brought down the manna for the Jews. For it is
said, “He gave them bread from heaven.”1465
But why do I say, that in order to
the perfection of fruits, the sun requires the aid of other
elements for their sustenance; when he himself requires the
assistance of many things for his sustenance, and would not himself
be sufficient for himself. For in order that he may proceed on his
way, he needs the heaven as a kind of pavement spread out
underneath him; and that he may shine, he needs the clearness and
rarity of the air; since if even this become unusually dense, he is
not able to show his light; and, on the other hand, he requires
coolness and moisture, lest his rays should be intolerable to all,
and burn up everything. When, therefore, other elements overrule
him, and correct his weakness (overrule as for example, clouds, and
walls, and certain other bodies that intercept his light:—or
correct his excess, as the dews, and fountains, and cool air), how
can such a one be a Deity? For God must be independent, and not
stand in need of assistance, be the source of all good things to
all, and be hindered by nothing; even as Paul, as well as the
prophet Isaiah, saith of God; the latter1466
| 1466 St. Chrysostom here seems to have quoted from
memory, and to have mentioned Isaiah in mistake for Jeremiah, where
these passages occur, as above. | thus making Him speak in His own
Person, “I fill heaven and earth, saith the Lord.”1467
And again,
“Am I a God nigh at hand, and not a God afar off?”1468
And again,
David says, “I have said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord, for
Thou hast no need of my good things.”1469
But Paul, demonstrating this
independence of help, and shewing that both these things especially
belong to God; to stand in need of nothing, and of Himself to
supply all things to all; speaks on this wise, “God that made the
heaven, and the earth, and the sea, Himself needeth not any thing,
giving to all life and all things.”1470
| 1470 Acts
xvii. 25. Here also St.
Chrysostom quotes from memory, as the first clause shows. |
9. It would indeed be easy for us to take a survey
of the other elements, the heaven, the air, the earth, the sea, and
to shew the imbecility of these, and how each requires the
assistance of his neighbour, and without this assistance, is lost
and destroyed. For as it regards the earth, if the fountains fail
it, and the moisture infused from the sea and the rivers, it
quickly perishes by being parched. The remaining elements too stand
in need of one another, the air of the sun, as well as the sun of
the air. But not to protract this discourse; in what has been said,
having given a sufficient supply of reasons to start from for those
who are willing to receive them, we shall be content. For if the
sun, which is the most surprising part of the whole creation, hath
been proved to be so feeble and needy, how much more the other
parts of the universe? What then I have advanced (offering these
things for the consideration of the studious), I will myself again
shew you in discourse from the Scriptures; and prove, that not only the sun, but also the
whole universe is thus corruptible. For since the elements are
mutually destructive, and when much cold intervenes, it chastens
the force of the sun’s rays; and on the other hand, the heat
prevailing, consumes the cold; and since the elements are both the
causes and subjects of contrary qualities, and dispositions, in one
another; it is very evident that these things offer a proof of
great corruptibility; and of the fact, that all these things which
are visible, are a corporeal substance.
10. But since this subject is too lofty for
our simplicity, permit me now to lead you to the sweet fountain of
the Scriptures, that we may refresh your ears. For we will not
discourse to you of the heaven and the earth separately, but will
exhibit the Apostle declaring this very thing to us concerning the
whole creation, in these plain terms, that the whole creation is
now in bondage to corruption; and why it is thus in bondage, and at
what time it shall be delivered from it, and unto what condition it
shall be translated. For after he had said, “The sufferings of
this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that
shall be revealed in us;” he goes on to add; “For the earnest
expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the
sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not
willingly, but by reason of Him who hath subjected the same in
hope.”1471
But what
he intends is to this effect; “The creature,” he says, “was
made corruptible;” for this is implied in the expression,
“being made subject to vanity.” For it was made corruptible by
the command of God. But God so commanded it for the sake of our
race; for since it was to nurture a corruptible man, it was
necessary itself should also be of the same character; for of
course corruptible bodies were not to dwell in an incorruptible
creation. But, nevertheless, he tells us, it will not remain so.
“The creature1472
| 1472 κτίσις, rendered
here creature, would be in modern English, creation.
“Creature” is used by Wiclif even for the act of
creating, Rom. i.
20. “Creation”
properly means the act, “creature” an instance or effect of it,
general or particular, but of late the latter only. | also
itself shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption;” and
afterwards, for the purpose of shewing when this event shall take
place, and through whom, he adds, “Into the glorious liberty of
the sons of God.” For when we are raised, his meaning is, and
assume incorruptible bodies; then also this body of the heaven, the
earth, and the whole creation, shall be incorruptible, and
imperishable. When, therefore, thou beholdest the sun arising,
admire the Creator; when thou beholdest him hiding himself and
disappearing, learn the weakness of his nature, that thou mayest
not adore him as a Deity! For God hath not only implanted in the
nature of the elements this proof of their weakness, but hath also
bidden His servants, that were but men, command them; so that
although thou shouldest not know their servitude from their aspect,
thou mayest learn, from those who have commanded them, that they
are all thy fellow-servants. Therefore it was, that Joshua, the son
of Nave,1473
| 1473 Instead of Joshua, the son of Nun,
the Greek Fathers, following the Septuagint, read of Nave; a
mistake which originated evidently from the final n or ן of the Hebrew, so closely corresponding with
the ו or v. | said,
“Let the sun stand still in Gibeon, and the moon over against the
valley of Ajalon.” And again the prophet Isaiah made the sun to
retrace his steps, under the reign of Hezekiah; and Moses gave
orders to the air, and the sea, the earth, and the rocks. Elisha
changed the nature of the waters; the Three Children triumphed over
the fire. Thou seest how God hath provided for us on either hand;
leading us by the beauty of the elements to the knowledge of His
divinity; and, by their feebleness, not permitting us to lapse into
the worship of them.
11. For the sake of all these things then, let
us glorify Him, our Guardian; not only by words, but also by deeds;
and let us shew forth an excellent conversation, not only in
general, but in particular with regard to abstinence from oaths.
For not every sin brings the same penalty; but those which are
easiest to be amended, bring upon us the greatest punishment: which
indeed Solomon intimated, when he said, “It is not wonderful if
any one be taken stealing; for he stealeth that he may satisfy his
soul that is hungry; but the adulterer, by the lack of
understanding, destroyeth his own soul.”1474
But what he means is to this
effect. The thief is a grievous offender, but not so grievous a one
as the adulterer: for the former, though it be a sorry reason for
his conduct, yet at the same time has to plead the necessity
arising from indigence; but the latter, when no necessity compels
him, by his mere madness rushes into the gulph of iniquity. This
also may be said with regard to those who swear. For they have not
any pretext to allege, but merely their contempt.
12. I know, indeed, that I may seem to be too
tedious and burdensome; and that I may be thought to give annoyance
by continuing this admonition. But nevertheless, I do not desist,
in order that ye may even be shamed by my shamelessness to abstain
from the custom of oaths. For
if that unmerciful and cruel judge, paying respect to the
importunity of the widow, changed his custom, much more will ye do
this; and especially when he who is exhorting you, doth it not for
himself, but for your salvation. Or rather, indeed, I cannot deny
that I do this for myself; for I consider your benefit as my own
success. But I could wish that you, even as I labour, and weary
myself for your safety, would in like manner make your own souls a
matter of anxiety to yourselves; and then assuredly this work of
reformation would be perfected. And what need is there to multiply
words? For if there were no hell, neither punishment for the
contumacious, nor reward for the obedient; and I had come to you,
and asked this in the way of a favour, would ye not have consented?
would ye not have granted my petition, when I asked so trifling a
favour? But when it is God who asks this favour, and for the sake
of yourselves, who are to grant it, and not for Himself, Who is to
receive it; who is there so ungracious, who is there so miserable
and wretched, that he will not grant this favour to God, when He
asks it; and especially when he himself who grants it, is in future
to enjoy the benefit of it? Considering these things then, repeat
over to yourselves, when ye depart hence, all that has been said;
and correct in every way those who take no heed to it; to the end
that we may receive the recompense of other men’s good actions,
as well as our own, through the grace and lovingkindness of our
Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom, and with Whom be glory to the Father,
with the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever. Amen. E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
|
