Homily XXIX.
2 Cor. xiii. 1
This is the third time I am coming to you. At the
mouth of two witnesses or three shall every word be
established.
The wisdom1029
of
Paul
and his much tender affection, one may observe in many other
circumstances, but especially in this, his being so
abundant and
vehement in his admonitions, but so tardy and procrastinating in
his punishments. For he did not chastise them immediately on
their
sinning, but
warned them once and again; and not even so,
upon their paying no attention, does he exact
punishment, but
warns
again, saying, “This is the third time I am coming to you;” and
‘before I come I
write again.’ Then, that his procrastinating
may not produce indifference,
1030
see how he corrects this result
also, by threatening continually and holding the blow suspended
over them, and saying, “If I come again I will not spare;” and
“lest when I come again I should
mourn for many.” These
things, then, he doeth and speaketh, in this too imitating the
Lord
of all: because that
God also threateneth indeed continually and
warneth often, but not often chastiseth and punisheth. And so in
truth also doth
Paul, and therefore he said also before, “To
spare you I came not as yet to
Corinth.” What is, “to spare
you?” Lest finding you to have
sinned and to continue
unamended, I should
visit with
chastisement and
punishment. And
here, “This is the third time I am coming to you. At the mouth
of two witnesses or three shall every word be established.” He
joins the unwritten to the written, as he has done also in another
place, saying, “He that is joined to an
harlot is one body; for
the twain,” saith He, “shall become one
flesh.”
(
1 Cor. vi. 16.) Howbeit, this was
spoken of
lawful marriage; but he diverted its application
1031
unto this
thing
1032
conveniently, so as to
terrify them the more. And so he doth here
also, setting his comings and his warnings in the place of
witnesses. And what he says is
this: ‘I spoke once and again when I was with
you; I speak also now by letter. And if indeed ye attend to me,
what I desired is accomplished; but if ye pay no attention, it is
necessary henceforth to stop speaking, and to
inflict the
punishment.’ Wherefore he says,
Ver. 2.
“I have said beforehand, and I do say beforehand when I was
present the second time; so now being absent I write to them that
sinned heretofore and to all the rest, that if I come again, I will
not spare.”
‘For if at the mouth of two witnesses or
three every word shall be established, and I have come twice and
spoken, and speak now also by this Epistle; it follows, I must
after this keep my word.1033
For think not, I
pray you, that
my writing is of less account than my coming; for as I spoke when
present, so now I
write also when absent.’ Seest thou his
fraternal solicitude? Seest thou forethought becoming a
teacher? He neither kept
silence nor
punished, but he both
foretells often, and continues ever threatening, and puts off the
punishment, and if they should continue unamended, then he
threatens to bring it to the
proof. ‘But what didst thou tell
them before when present, and when absent writest?’ “That if
I come again, I will not spare.” Having showed before that he
is unable to do this unless he is compelled, and having called the
thing a mourning, and a humbling; (for he saith, “lest my
God
should
humble me before you, and I should
mourn for them that have
sinned heretofore, and not
repented;—
Chap.
xii. 21.) and having made
his excuse unto them, namely, that he had told them before, once
and twice and thrice, and that he does and contrives all he can so
as to hold back the
punishment, and by the
fear of his words to
make them better, he then used this unpleasing and terrifying
expression, “If I come again, I will not spare.” He did not
say, ‘I will
avenge and
punish and exact satisfaction:’ but
again expresses even
punishment itself in paternal
language;
showing his tender affection, and his
heart to be
grieved along
with them; because that he always to “spare” them put off.
Then that they may not think now also that there will be again a
putting off, and merely a
threat in words, therefore he both said
before, “At the mouth of two witnesses or three shall every word
be established;” and [now], “If I come again, I will not
spare.” Now what he means is this: ‘I will no longer put
off, if (which
God forbid) I find you unamended; but will certainly
visit it, and make good what I have said.’
[2.] Then with much anger and vehement indignation
against those who make a mock of him as weak, and ridicule his
presence, and say, “his presence is weak, and his speech of no
account;” (Chap. x. 10.) aiming his efforts1034
at these
men, he says,
Ver. 3.
“Seeing that ye seek a proof of Christ that speaketh in
me.”
For he said this, dealing at once a blow at
these, and at the same time lashing those1035
| 1035 i.e. the Corinthians themselves. |
also. Now what he means is this;
‘Since ye are desirous of proving whether
Christ dwelleth in me,
and call me to an account, and on this score make a
mock of me as
mean and despicable, as if I were
destitute of that
Power; ye shall
know that we are not
destitute, if ye give us occasion, which
God
forbid.’ What then? tell me. Dost thou therefore
punish,
because they
seek a
proof? ‘No,’ he says; for had he sought
this, he would have
punished them at the first on their
sinning,
and would not have put off. But that he does not
seek this, he
has shown more clearly as he proceeds, saying, “Now I
pray that
ye do no
evil, not that we may appear approved, but that ye may be
approved, though we be as
reprobates.” (
Ver.
7.)
He doth not employ those words then as
assigning a reason,1036
but rather in indignation, rather
as attacking those that
despise him. ‘For,’ he says, ‘I
have no desire indeed to give you such a
proof, but if you
yourselves should furnish cause and should choose to challenge me,
ye shall know by very
deeds.’ And observe how grievous he makes
what he says. For he said not, ‘Since ye
seek a
proof of me,’
but “of
Christ that speakest in me, showing that it was against
Him they
sinned.” And he did not say merely, ‘dwelling in
me,’ but “speaking in me,” showing that his words are
spiritual. But if he doth not display His
power nor
punish, (for
thenceforward the
Apostle transferred what he said from himself to
Christ, thus making his
threat more fearful,) it is not from
weakness; for He can do it: but from long suffering. Let none
then think His forbearance to be
weakness. For why marvellest
thou that He doth not now proceed against
sinners, nor in his
forbearance and long suffering exacts satisfaction, seeing that He
endured even to be crucified, and though suffering such things
punished not? Wherefore also he added,
Ver. 3, 4. “Who to you-ward is not
weak, but is mighty in you. For though He was crucified through
weakness, yet He liveth through the Power of God.”
These words have much obscurity and give disturbance
to the weaker sort. Wherefore it is necessary to unfold them more
clearly, and to explain the signification of the expression as to
which the obscurity exists, that no one may be offended, even of
the simpler sort. What
then, at all, is that which is here said, and what the term
“weakness” designates, and in what signification it is used, it
is necessary to learn. For the term is indeed one, but it has
many meanings. For bodily sickness is termed ‘weakness:’
whence it is even said in the Gospel, “Behold, he whom Thou
lovest is weak,”1037
| 1037 ἀσθενεῖ, A.V. is sick. |
(
John xi. 3, 4.) concerning
Lazarus; and He
Himself said, “This
weakness is not unto
death;” and
Paul,
speaking of Epaphras, “For indeed he was
weak nigh unto
death,
but
God had
mercy on him;” (
Philip. ii. 57.) and of Timothy, “Use a
little
wine for thy
stomach’s sake and thine often
weaknesses.” (
1 Tim.
v. 23.) For all these
denote bodily sickness. Again, the not being established firmly
in the
faith is called ‘
weakness;’ the not being
perfect and
complete. And denoting this
Paul said, “Him that is
weak in the
faith receive ye but not to doubtful disputations:” (
Rom. xiv. 1, 2.) and again, “One believeth
that he may eat all things; another, who is
weak, eateth
herbs,”
denoting him who is
weak in the
faith. Here then are two
significations of the term ‘
weakness;’ there is yet a third
thing which is called ‘
weakness.’ What then is this?
Persecutions, plottings, insults,
trials,
assaults. And denoting
this
Paul said, “For this thing I besought the
Lord thrice. And
He said unto me, My
grace is sufficient for thee: for My
power is
made
perfect in
weakness.” (
Chap. xii. 8, 9.) What is “in
weakness?” In persecutions, in
dangers, in
trials, in
plottings, in
deaths. And denoting this he said, Wherefore, I
take
pleasure in
weakness.
1038
Then showing what
kind of
weakness he means, he spake not of
fever, nor of doubt about the
faith; but what? “in injuries, in necessities, in
distresses, in
stripes, in imprisonments, that the
power of
Christ may
rest upon
me. For when I am
weak, then am I
strong.” (
Chap.
xii. 10.) That is
to say ‘when I am
persecuted, when I am driven up and down, when
I am plotted against, then am I
strong, then the rather I
prevail
over, and get the better of them that plot against me, because that
grace resteth upon
1039
me, more largely. It is then in
this third sense that
Paul useth “
weakness;” and this is what
he means by it; aiming again, as I said also before, at that point,
his seeming to them to be mean and contemptible. For indeed he
had no desire to
boast, nor to seem to be what he really was, nor
yet to display the
power which he
possessed of
punishing and
revenging; whence also he was accounted to be mean. When then as
so accounting they were going on in great indifference and
insensibility, and
repented not of their
sins, he
seizes a
favorable opportunity, discourses with much vigor upon these points
also, and shows that it was not from
weakness he did nothing, but
from long-suffering.
[3.] Then, as I said, by transferring the argument
from himself to Christ, he enhances their fear, he increases his
threat. And what he says is this; ‘for even supposing I should
do something and chastise and take vengeance on the guilty ones, is
it I that chastise and take vengeance? it is He that dwelleth in
me, Christ Himself. But if ye do not believe this, but are
desirous of receiving a proof by deeds of Him that dwelleth in me,
ye shall know presently; “For he is not weak to you-ward, but is
even powerful.”’ And wherefore added he “to you-ward,”
seeing He is mighty everywhere? for should He be minded to punish
unbelievers, He is able; or demons, or anything whatsoever. What
then is the import of the addition? The expression is either as
shaming them exceedingly by remembrance of the proofs they have
already received; or else as declaring this, that meanwhile He
shows His power in you who ought to be corrected. As he said also
in another place, “For what have I to do to judge them also that
are without?” (1 Cor.
v. 12.) ‘For those
that are without,’ he says, ‘He will then call to account in
the day of judgment, but you even now, so as to rescue you from
that punishment.’ But nevertheless even this instance of his
solicitude, although arising from tender affection, observe how he
combines with fear and much anger, saying, “Who to you-ward is
not weak, but is powerful in you.”
Ver. 4.
“For though He was crucified through weakness, yet He liveth
through the Power of God.”
What is, “though He was crucified through
weakness?” ‘For though He chose,’ he says, ‘to endure a
thing which seems to carry a notion of weakness, still this in no
way breaks in upon1040
His
Power. That still remains
invincible, and that thing which seemeth to be of
weakness, hath
nothing harmed it, nay this very thing itself shows His
Power most
of all, in that He
endured even such a thing, and yet His
Power was
not mutilated.’
1041
Let not then the expression
“
weakness” disturb thee; for elsewhere also he says, “The
foolishness of
God is wiser than men, and the
weakness of
God is
stronger than men;” (
1 Cor. i. 55.) although in
God is nothing
either foolish or
weak: but he called the
Cross so, as setting
forth the conception of the unbelieving regarding it. Hear him,
at least, interpreting himself. “For the
preaching of the
Cross
is to them that
perish foolishness, but unto us which are
saved it
is the
power of
God.”
(
Ib.
18.) And again; “But
we
preach Christ crucified, unto the
Jews a stumbling-block, and
unto the
Greeks foolishness; but unto them which are called, both
Jews and
Greeks,
Christ the
power of
God and the
wisdom of
God.” (
Ib. 23, 24.) And again; “But the
natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit, for they are
foolishness unto him.” (
1 Cor. ii. 14.) Observe, how in
every place he expresseth the conception of the unbelieving, who
look upon the
Cross as foolishness and
weakness. And so, in
truth, here also he means not “
weakness” really such, but what
was suspected to be such with the unbelieving. He doth not then
say this, that because He was
weak He was crucified. Away with
the thought! For that He had it in His
power not to have been
crucified He showed throughout; when He now cast men down
prostrate, now turned back the beams of the sun, and withered a
fig-
tree, and
blinded their
eyes that came against Him, and
wrought
ten
thousand other things. What then is this which he says,
“through
weakness!” That even although He was crucified after
enduring
peril and treachery, (for we have showed that
peril and
treachery are called
weakness,) yet still He was nothing harmed
thereby. And he said this to draw the example unto his own
case. For since the Corinthians beheld them
persecuted, driven
about,
despised, and not avenging nor visiting it, in order to
teach them that neither do they so
suffer from want of
power,
1042
nor from
being unable to
visit it, he leads on the argument up to The
Master, because ‘He too,’ saith he, ‘was crucified, was
bound,
suffered ten
thousand things, and He visited them not, but
continued to
endure things which appeared to argue
weakness, and in
this way displaying His
Power, in that although He
punishes not nor
requites, He is not
injured any thing at all. For instance, the
Cross did not
cut asunder His
life, nor yet impeded His
resurrection, but He both rose again and liveth.’ And when thou
hearest of the
Cross and of
life, expect to find the
doctrine
concerning the
Incarnation,
1043
for all that is said here hath
reference to that. And if he says “though the
Power of
God,”
it is not as though He were Himself
void of
strength to
quicken His
flesh; but it was indifferent with him to mention either
Father or
Son. For when he said, “the
Power of
God,” he said by His own
Power. For that both He Himself
raised it up and sustains it,
hear Him saying, “
Destroy this
temple, and in three days I will
raise it up.” (
John ii. 19.) But if that which is
His, this he
1044
saith to
be the
Father’s, be not disturbed; “For,” He saith, “all My
Father’s things are Mine.” (
John xvi. 15.) And again, “All Mine are
Thine, and Thine are Mine.” (
Ib. xvii. 10.) ‘As then He that was
crucified was nothing harmed,’ he says, ‘so neither are we when
persecuted and warred against;’ wherefore also he adds,
“For even we also if1045
we are
weak in Him, yet we shall
live with Him through the
Power of
God.”
1046
What is the meaning of “we are weak in Him?”
We are persecuted, are driven here and there, suffer extremity.
But what is “with Him?” ‘Because of the preaching,’ he
says, ‘and our faith in Him. But if for His sake we undergo
what is sad and disagreeable, it is quite plain that we shall what
is pleasant also:’ and so he added, “but we are saved with
Him by the Power of God.”
[4.] Ver. 5, 6. “Try your own selves,
whether ye be in the faith, prove your own selves. Know ye not as
to your own selves, that Christ is in you, unless indeed ye be
reprobate? But I hope that ye shall know that we are not
reprobate.”
For since by what he has said he hath shown
that even if he does not punish, it is not because he hath not
Christ in himself, but because he intimates His long-suffering, Who
was crucified and yet avenged not Himself; he again, in another
manner, produces the same effect, and still more irrefragably,1047
| 1047 ἐκ
πλείονος περιουσίας. |
establishing his argument by the
disciples. ‘For why speak I of
myself,’ he says ‘the
teacher, who have so much care upon me
and am entrusted with the whole
world and have done such great
miracles. For if ye will but
examine yourselves who are in the
rank of
disciples, ye will see that
Christ is in you also. But if
in you, then much more in your
teacher. For if ye have
faith,
Christ is in you also.’ For they who then believed
wrought
miracles. Wherefore also he added, “Try your own selves,
prove
your own selves, whether ye be in the
faith. Know ye not as to
your own selves, unless indeed that
Christ is in you, ye be
reprobate?” ‘But if in you, much more in your
teacher?’
He seems to me here to speak of the “
faith” which relates to
miracles. ‘For if ye have
faith,’ he says, “
Christ is in
you, except ye have become
reprobates.” Seest thou how again he
terrifies them, and shows even to superfluity that
Christ is with
Him. For he seems to me to be here alluding to them, even as to
their lives. For since
faith is not enough [by itself] to draw
down the energy of the Spirit, and he had said that ‘“if ye are
in the
faith” ye have
Christ in you,’ and it happened that many
who had
faith were
destitute of that energy; in order to solve the difficulty, he
says, “except ye be
reprobate,” except [that is] ye are
corrupt
in
life. “But I
hope that ye shall know that we are not
reprobate.” What followed naturally was to have said, “but if
ye have become
reprobate, yet we have not.” He doth not,
however, say so, for
fear of wounding them, but he hints it in an
obscure manner, without either making the assertion thus, ‘ye are
reprobate,’ or proceeding by
question and saying, ‘But if ye
are
reprobate,’ but leaving out even this way of putting it by
question, he indicates it obscurely by adding, “But I
hope that
ye shall know that we are not
reprobate.” Here also again,
great is the
threat, great the alarm. ‘For since ye desire,’
he says, ‘in this way, by your own
punishment to receive the
proof, we shall have no difficulty in giving you that
demonstration.’ But he does not indeed so express himself, but
with more weight and threatening. “But I
hope that ye shall
know that we are not
reprobate.” ‘For ye ought indeed,’ he
saith, ‘to have known even without this what we are,
1048
and that
we have
Christ speaking and working in us; but since ye desire to
receive the
proof of it by
deeds also, ye shall know that we are
not
reprobate.’ Then when he has held the
threat suspended over
their heads, and brought the
punishment now up to their
doors, and
has set them a trembling, and made them look for
vengeance; see how
again he sweetens down his words and soothes their
fear, and shows
his unambitious temper, his tender solicitude towards his
disciples, his high-principledness of purpose, his loftiness and
freedom from
vain-
glory. For he exhibits all these qualities in
what he adds, saying,
Ver. 7, 8, 9. “Now I pray to God that
ye do no evil, not that we may appear approved, but that ye may do
that which is honorable, though we be as reprobate. For we can do
nothing against the truth but for the truth. For we rejoice when
we are weak, and ye are strong. For this also we pray for even
your perfecting.
[5.] What can be equal to this soul? He was
despised, he was spit upon, he was ridiculed, he was mocked, as
mean, as contemptible, as a braggart, as boastful in his words but
in his deeds unable to make even a little show; and although seeing
so great a necessity for showing his own power, he not only puts
off, not only shrinks back, but even prays that he may not fall
into such a position. For he says, “I pray that ye do no evil,
not that we may appear approved, but that ye may do that which is
honorable, though we be as reprobate.” What is it he says?
‘I entreat God. I beseech Him,’ he says, ‘that I may find
no one unreformed, may find no one’ that has not repented? yea,
rather, not this alone, but that none may have sinned at all.
For,’ he says, ‘that ye have done no [evil], but if ye have
perchance sinned, then that ye may have changed your conduct, and
been beforehand with me in reforming, and arresting all wrath.
For this is not what I am eager about, that we should be approved
in this way, but clean the contrary, that we should not appear
approved. For if ye should continue,’ he says, ‘sinning and
not repenting, it will be necessary for us to chastise, to punish,
to maim your bodies; (as happened in the case of Sapphira and of
Magus;) and we have given proof of our power. But we pray not for
this, but the contrary, that we may not be shown to be approved in
this way, that we may not in this way exhibit the proof of the
power which is in us, by chastising you and punishing you as
sinning and as incurably diseased, but what? “That ye should do
that which is honorable,” we pray for this, that ye should ever
live in virtue, ever in amendment; “and we should be as
reprobate,” not displaying our power of punishing.’ And he
said not, “reprobate” for he would not “be” reprobate, even
though he did not punish, nay rather for this very reason he would
be “approved;” ‘but even if some suspect us,’ he says,
‘on account of our not displaying our power, to be contemptible
and cast away, we care nothing for this. Better we should be so
deemed of by those, than display the power which God hath given to
us in those stripes, and in that unreformedness of heart.’
“For we can do nothing against the truth,
but for the truth.” For that he may not seem [merely] to be
gratifying them, (for this is what one who was void of vain-glory
might do,) but to be doing what the nature of the thing demanded,
he added this, “for we can do nothing against the truth.”
‘For if we find you,’ he says, ‘in good repute, having driven
away your sins by repentance and having boldness towards God; we
shall not be able thereafter, were we never so willing, to punish
you, but should we attempt it even, God will not work with us.
For to this end gave He us our power that the judgment we give
should be true and righteous, not contrary to the truth.’ Seest
thou how in every way he can, he makes what he says void of
offensiveness, and softens the harshness of his menace? Moreover
as he has eagerly endeavored this, so is he desirous also to show
that his mind was quite joined1049
to them; wherefore also he added,
“For we
rejoice when we are
weak and ye are
strong, and this also
we
pray for even your perfecting.” ‘For most certainly,’ he
says, ‘we cannot do any thing against the
truth, that is,
punish
you if you are well pleasing [to
God]; besides, because we
cannot, we therefore do not
wish it, and even desire the contrary. Nay, we are particularly
glad of this very thing, when we find you giving us no occasion to
show that
power of ours for
punishment. For even if the doing of
such things shows men glorious and approved and
strong; still we
desire the contrary, that ye should be approved and unblamable, and
that we should never at any time
reap the
glory thence
arising.’ Wherefore he says, “For we are
glad when we are
weak.” What is, “are
weak?” ‘When we may be thought
weak.’ Not when we are
weak, but when we are thought
weak; for
they were thought so by their
enemies, because they displayed not
their
power of
punishing. ‘But still we are
glad, when your
behavior is of such a sort as to give us no pretence for
punishing
you. And it is a
pleasure to us to be in this way considered
weak, so that only ye be blameless;’ wherefore he adds, “and ye
are
strong,” that is, ‘are approved, are virtuous. And we do
not only wish for this, but we
pray for this, that ye may be
blameless,
perfect, and afford us no handle.’
[6.] This is paternal affection, to prefer
the salvation of the disciples before his own good name. This is
the part of a soul free from vainglory; this best releaseth from
the bonds of the body and makes one to rise aloft from earth to
heaven, the being pure from vain-glory; just as therefore the
contrary leadeth unto many sins. For it is impossible that one
who is not pure from vain-glory, should be lofty and great and
noble; but he must needs grovel on the ground, and do much damage,
whilst the slave of a polluted mistress, more cruel than any
barbarian. For what can be fiercer than she who, when most
courted, is then most savage? Even wild beasts are not this, but
are tamed by much attention. But vain-glory is quite the
contrary, by being contemned she is made tame, by being honored she
is made savage and is armed against her honorer. The Jews honored
her and were punished with exceeding severity; the disciples
slighted her and were crowned. And why speak I of punishment and
crowns? for to this very point of being seen to be glorious, it
contributes more than any thing, to spit upon vainglory. And thou
shalt see even in this world that they who honor it are damaged,
whilst those who slight it are benefited. For the disciples who
slighted it, (for there is no obstacle to our using the same
example again,) and preferred the things of God, outshine the sun,
having gained themselves an immortal memory even after their death;
whilst the Jews who crouched1050
to it are become cityless,
heartless, degraded, fugitives, exiles, mean, contemptible. Do
thou, therefore, if thou desirest to receive
glory, repel
glory;
but if thou pursuest
glory, thou shalt miss
glory. And, if ye
will, let us also try this
doctrine in
worldly matters. For whom
do we make sport of in our jests? Is it not of those whose minds
are set upon it? Certainly then, these men are the most entirely
destitute of it, having countless accusers and being slighted by
all. And whom do we admire, tell me; is it not those who
despise
it? Certainly then, these are they that are
glorified. For as
he is
rich, not who is in need of many things, but who is in need
of nothing; so he is glorious, not who loveth
glory, but who
despiseth it; for this
glory is but a
shadow of
glory. No one
having seen a
loaf painted, though he should be pressed with
hunger
ever so much, will attack the picture. Neither then do thou
pursue these
shadows, for this is a
shadow of
glory, not
glory.
And that thou mayest know that this is the manner of it and that it
is a
shadow, consider this that it must be so, when the thing hath
a bad name amongst men, when all consider it a thing to be
avoided,
they even who desire it; and when he who hath it and he
covets it
are
ashamed to be called after it. ‘Whence then is this
desire,’ saith one, ‘and how is the passion engendered?’ By
littleness of
soul, (for one ought not only to
accuse it, but also
to correct it,) by an imperfect
mind, by a childish
judgment. Let
us then cease to be
children, and let us become men: and let us
every where
pursue the reality, not the
shadows, both in
wealth,
and in
pleasure, and in luxury, and in
glory, and in
power; and
this
disease will cease, and many others also. For to
pursue
shadows is a madman’s part. Wherefore also
Paul said, “
Awake
up righteously and
sin not.” (
1 Cor. xv. 34.) For there is yet
another madness, sorer than that caused by
devils, than that from
frenzy. For that admits of
forgiveness, but this is
destitute of
excuse, seeing the
soul itself is
corrupted and its right
judgment
lost; and that of frenzy indeed is an affection of the body, but
this madness hath its seat in the artificer
mind. As then of
fevers those are sorer, yea incurable, which
seize upon firm bodies
and lurk in the recesses
1051
of the nerves and are hidden away
in the veins, so truly is this madness also, seeing it lurks in the
recesses of the
mind itself, perverting and destroying it. For
how is it not clear and evident madness, yea, a distemper sorer
than any madness, to
despise the things which
abide forever, and to
cling with great eagerness to those which
perish? For, tell me,
if one were to chase the
wind or try to hold it, should we not say
that he was
mad? And what? if one should grasp a
shadow and
neglect the reality;
1052
if one
should
hate his own
wife and embrace her
shadow;
or loathe his son and again
love his
shadow, wouldest thou
seek any
other clearer sign in
proof of madness? Such are they also who
greedily follow the present things. For they are all
shadow, yea,
whether thou mention
glory, or
power, or good
report, or
wealth, or
luxury, or any other thing of this
life. And therefore truly it
is that the
prophet said, “Surely man walketh in a
shadow, yea,
he disquieth himself in
vain;” (
Ps. xxxix. 6.) and again, “Our days
decline like a
shadow.” (
Ps. cii. 11.) And in another place, he
calls human things
smoke and the
flower of
grass. But it is not
only his good things which are
shadow, but his evils also, whether
it be
death thou mention, or
poverty, or
disease, or any other
thing. What then are those things which
abide, both good and
evil? The
eternal kingdom and the
everlasting hell. For
“neither shall the
worm die, nor shall the
fire be quenched:”
(
Mark ix. 44.) and “these shall rise
again to
everlasting life: and these to
everlasting
punishment.” (
Mark
xxv. 46.) That then we
may
escape the one and
enjoy the other, letting go the
shadow, let
us cling to the real things with all earnestness, for so shall we
obtain the
kingdom of
heaven, which may we all obtain though the
grace and
love towards men of our
Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be
glory and might for ever and ever. Amen.
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