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LIBRARY OF FATHERS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH, 
 
 ANTERIOR TO THE DIVISION OF THE EAST AND WEST; 
 
 TRANSLATED BY MEMBERS OF THE ENGLISH CHURCH. 
 
 YET SHALL NOT THY TEACHERS BE REMOVED INTO A CORNER ANV MORE, HUT 
 THINE EYES SHALL SEE THY TEACHERS. Isaiah XXX. 20. ■ 
 
 OXFORD, 
 
 JOHN HENRY PARKER j 
 r. AND J. RIVINGTON, LONDON. 
 
 MDCCCXLVIII. 
 
TO THE MEMORY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 MOST REVEREND FATHER IN GOD 
 
 WILLIAM 
 
 LORD ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, 
 
 PRIMATE OF ALL ENGLAND, 
 
 FOHMERLY REGIUS PROFESSOR OF DIVINITY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD, 
 
 THIS LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 ANCIENT BISHOPS, FATHERS, DOCTORS, MARTYRS, CONFESSORS, 
 OF CHRIST'S HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH, 
 
 UNDERTAKEN AMID HIS ENCOURAGEMENT, 
 
 AND 
 
 CARRIED ON FOR TWELVE YEARS UNDER HIS SANCTION, 
 
 UNTIL HIS DEPARTURE HENCE IN PEACE, 
 
 IS 
 
 GRATEFULLY AND REVERENTLY 
 
 INSCRIBED. 
 
THE 
 
 HOMILIES 
 
 OF 
 
 S. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, 
 
 AI^BISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE, 
 
 ON THE 
 
 GOSPEL OF ST. JOHN, 
 
 TRANSLATED, 
 
 WITH NOTES AND INDICES. 
 
 PART I. HOM. I.— XLI. 
 
 OXFORD, 
 
 JOHN HENRY PARKER ; 
 
 F. AND J. RIVINGTON, LONDON. 
 
 MDCCCXLVIII. 
 
BAXTER, PRINTER, OXFORD. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The Benedictine Editor has already noticed the principal 
 points in which these Homilies differ from others in which 
 St. Chrysostom comments upon Holy Scripture. They are 
 far more controversial than is usual with him, and the part 
 devoted to moral exhortation is shorter. This may be partly 
 owing to the number of passages in St. John which bear on 
 the doctrine of our Lord's Person and His Divine and Human 
 Natures. But it seems further that they were delivered to a 
 select audience at an early hour of the day. For toward the 
 latter part of Hom. xxxi. he contrasts the coolness of the 
 morning, in which they were assembled, with the mid-day 
 heat, in which the woman of Samaria listened to our Lord. 
 And the character of the instruction given almost unques- 
 tionably marks the hearers as having been less miscellaneous, 
 and less liable to be supposed wanting in points of common 
 duty, than those whom he generally addressed. 
 
 They do not give their own date, but are referred to by the 
 Author, while still at Antioch, as already published, in Hom^ 
 vii. on 1 Cor. ii. 8. Tr. p. 82. ' However, the manner of this 
 way of knowledge and of that hath already been declared in 
 the Gospel; and, not to be continually handling the same 
 topic, thither do we refer our readers.' The place is St. John 
 viii. 19. treated in Hom. xlix. 
 
IV PREFACE. 
 
 And since the three first years after St. Chrysostom was 
 ordained Priest, A. D. 386-8, seem completely filled up, and 
 the Homilies in St. Matthew were probably prior to these, 
 it is most likely that they were not begun before A. D. 390, 
 while those on some of the Epistles of St. Paul seem to 
 have come after them, and still before the year 398, in 
 which he was removed to Constantinople. 
 
 In either city there were numerous heretics of the sect 
 against which he is most careful to supply arguments, the 
 Anomoeans, who held that the Son is not even of like 
 Substance with the Father. And even in his less generally 
 controversial works, we often meet with discussions of their 
 tenets. But in these Homilies he is continually meeting 
 with texts which they perverted to the maintenance of their 
 heresy, and turning them into weapons for its confutation. 
 And this he usually does with great success, since the 
 Catholic Doctrine of the true and perfect Godhead, united 
 in One Person with true and perfect Manhood, affords a key 
 that easily opens texts which most stubbornly resist any 
 confused notion of an inferior Divinity, or an unreal 
 Humanity. The texts urged by the heretic, put to this 
 test, are found not really to belong to him. They are not 
 even arguments so far for his view of the case, but perfectly 
 consistent with the truth always held by the Church. There 
 may remain a few cases, after attentive study, in which it is 
 difiicult to be sure what is the exact meaning, or even 
 whether a given text speaks of the Godhead or of the 
 Manhood, but as to the general doctrine of the whole Scrip- 
 ture, or the consistency of that doctrine with any and every 
 text therein contained, there is no reasonable doubt. There 
 are those whose faith seems to tremble on the balance when 
 such a passage of Scripture is under discussion, but this 
 must be either from an inveterate habit of doubting, or an 
 imperfect apprehension of the real meaning of the Catholic 
 doctrine. The most skilful commentator may occasionally 
 fall into a critical error, but no one who has ever fairly 
 
PREFACE. V 
 
 entered into the sense of Holy Scripture will dream of the 
 alternative being between such and such an exposition and 
 the acceptance of heresy. Enough is clear to make us very 
 sure what will be the doctrine of any difficult passage, 
 though we may be in doubt of its interpretation. St. Ghry- 
 sostom is usually right, and not only so, but most ingenious 
 in detecting the rhetorical connection of sentiments and 
 arguments. If any where he fails, it is from some over- 
 refinement in rhetorical analysis, and not from any want of 
 apprehension of the main truths concerned. 
 
 In the first volume of the Benedictine Edition there is a 
 series of Homilies against the Anomceans, in the first of 
 which he states that he had been unwilling for some time to 
 enter on the controversy, for fear of dri^dng away hearers 
 who held those opinions, but that he had now taken it up at 
 their earnest request. These Homilies were delivered some 
 time before those on St. John, beginning in the first year 
 after his ordination with those ' On the Incomprehensible 
 Nature of God,' in opposition to the pretensions of that sect 
 to perfect knowledge of Divine things. And the Benedictine 
 editor refers to them as containing a more complete array of 
 the positive evidence of St. John to the Catholic doctrines 
 than even this commentary affords. 
 
 The history of the woman taken in adultery is omitted in 
 this Commentary, and the Benedictine Editor was not able 
 to trace it in any of the Works of St. Chrysostom. It is 
 suggested that his copies may have wanted the passage, or 
 that he may have omitted it for fear it should be taken as an 
 encouragement to vice. But he was not the man to shrink 
 from so slight a difficulty, nor would he have failed, in com- 
 menting on it, to leave an impression on the hearer by no 
 means calculated to lessen his dread of sin. Such a reason 
 may have prevailed ydth some copyists to suppress the 
 passage, and it is probable that it was not found in the copy 
 which he used. It is omitted in like manner by St. Cyril of 
 Alexandria. 
 
VI PREFACE. 
 
 The Text of Savile has been followed, except where 
 the Benedictine Edition has supplied improvements. The 
 Benedictine sections are numbered throughout: where the 
 division seemed to be inconvenient, the number is given in 
 the margin. In the earlier Homilies a second series of 
 numbers is employed to mark the sections in the translation ; 
 this was discontinued as unnecessary, and the Benedictine 
 only retained. In some of the references to the Psabns, 
 where the Septuagint differs much from the Hebrew, the 
 numbers given are those of the Greek. Care will be taken 
 in the Index of Texts to give always the reference to the 
 Psalm and Verse according to the Hebrew reckoning followed 
 in our own Version. 
 
 The Editors are indebted for the present Translation to 
 the Rev. G. T. Stupart, M.A. late Fellow of Exeter 
 College. It has been kindly carried through the Press by 
 the Rev. J. G. Hickley, B.D. Fellow of Trinity College, 
 Oxford. The translation of the remaining Homilies is com- 
 pleted, and vnll shortly be in the Press. 
 
 C. M. 
 
 Oeiel College, 
 Feast of St. Andrew, 1848, 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 HOMILY I. 
 
 Page ]. 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 HOMILY II. 
 
 John i. 1. 
 /// the beginning wm the Word. 
 
 HOMILY III. 
 
 Page 22. 
 
 John i. 1. 
 
 In the beginning tvas tlie Word, 
 
 HOMILY IV. 
 
 Page 37. 
 
 John i. 1. 
 
 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God. 
 
 HOMILY V. 
 
 Page 48. 
 
 John i. 3. 
 
 All things were made by Him; and without Him was not 
 
 any thing made that was made. 
 
Vlll CONTENTS. 
 
 HOMILY VI. 
 
 Page 59. 
 
 John i. 6. 
 
 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 
 
 HOMILY VII. 
 
 Page 63. 
 
 John i. 9. 
 
 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that 
 
 Cometh into the world. 
 
 HOMILY VIII. 
 
 Page 68. 
 
 John i. 9. 
 
 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that 
 Cometh into the world. 
 
 HOMILY IX. 
 
 Page 74. 
 
 John i. II. 
 
 He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. 
 
 HOMILY X. 
 
 Page 81. 
 
 John i. II. 
 
 He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. 
 
 HOMILY XI. 
 
 Page 88. 
 
 John i. 14. 
 
 And the Word was made Flesh, and dwelt among us. 
 
CONTENTS. IX 
 
 HOMILY XII. 
 
 Page 94. 
 
 John i. 14. 
 
 And we beheld His glory, the glory as of the Only-Begolteti 
 of the Father, fall of grace and truth. 
 
 HOMILY XIII. 
 
 Page 102. 
 
 John i. 15. 
 
 John beareth witness of Him, andcrieth, saying. This is He 
 of Whom I spake, saying. He that cometh after me is pre- 
 ferred before me, for He was before me. 
 
 HOMILY XIV. 
 
 Page 111. 
 
 John i. 16. 
 
 And of His fulness have ail we received, and grace for 
 grace. 
 
 HOMILY XV. 
 
 Page 120. 
 
 John i. 18. 
 
 No man hath seen God at any time; the Only-begotten Son, 
 which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared 
 Him. 
 
 HOMILY XVI. 
 
 Page 128. 
 
 John i. 19. 
 
 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests 
 
 and Levilesfrom Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? 
 
X CONTENTS. 
 
 IJOMILY XVII. 
 
 Page 138. 
 
 John i. 28, 29. 
 
 These things were done in Bethany beyond Jordan, where 
 John was baptizing. The next day he seeth Jesus coming 
 unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, Which 
 taketh away the sin of the world. 
 
 HOMILY XVIII. 
 
 Page 148. 
 
 John i. 35, 36, 37. 
 
 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; 
 and looking upon Jesus as He zealked, he saith. Behold 
 the Lamb of God. And the two disciples heard him speak, 
 and they followed Jesus. 
 
 HOMILY XIX. 
 
 Page 159. 
 
 John i. 41, 42. 
 
 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him. 
 We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, 
 the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus. 
 
 HOMILY XX. 
 
 Page 166. 
 
 John i. 43, 44. 
 
 The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and 
 Jindeth Philip, and saith unto him. Follow Me. Now 
 Philip was of Belhsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 
 
CONTENTS. XI 
 
 HOMILY XXI. 
 
 . Page 173. 
 John i. 49, 50. 
 Nathanael answered and said unto Him, Rabbi, Thou art 
 the Son of God, Thou art the King of Israel. Jesus 
 answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, 
 I saw thee under the Jiff-tree, believest thou ? Thou shalt 
 see greater things than these. 
 
 HOMILY XXII. 
 
 Page 182. 
 
 John ii. 4. 
 
 Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not 
 yet come, 
 
 HOMILY XXIII. 
 
 Page 190. 
 
 John ii. II, 
 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Oalilee. 
 
 HOMILY XXIV. 
 
 Page 199. 
 
 John ii. 23. 
 
 Now when He was iti Jerusalem at tJie Passover, in the 
 feast, many believed on Him. 
 
 HOMILY XXV. 
 
 Page 307. 
 
 John iii. 5. 
 
 Verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and 
 of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. 
 
XU CONTENTS. 
 
 HOMILY XXVI. 
 
 Page 215. 
 
 John iii. 6. 
 
 That which is born ofthejlesh is flesh: and that which is 
 born of the Spirit is spirit. 
 
 HOMILY XXril. 
 
 Page 222. 
 John iii. 12, 13. 
 
 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how 
 shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things ? And no 
 man hath ascended up to heaven, but He that came doion 
 from heaven, even the Son of Man Which is in heaven. 
 
 HOMILY XXVIII. 
 
 Page 329. 
 
 John iii. 17. 
 
 For God sent not His Son to condemn the world, but to 
 save the world. 
 
 HOMILY XXIX. 
 
 Page 2-37. 
 
 Jehu iii. 22. 
 
 And He came and His disciples into the land of Jiidaa,and 
 
 there He tarried icith them {and baptized). 
 
 HOMILY XXX. 
 
 Page 2i6. 
 
 John iii. 31. 
 
 He that comelhfrom above Is above all; he that is of the 
 
 earth is earthly, and speakelh of the earth. 
 
CONTENTS. XIU 
 
 HOMILY XXXI. 
 
 Page 353. 
 
 John iii. 35, 36. 
 
 The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into 
 His hand. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting 
 life, and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life ,- 
 but the wrath of God abideth oti him. 
 
 HOMILY XXXII. 
 
 Page 266. 
 
 John iv. 13, 14. 
 
 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this 
 water shall thirst again: but whosoever drinketh of the 
 Water that I shall give him, shall never thirst ; but the 
 Water that I shall give him, shall be in him a well of 
 water springing up into everlasting Life. 
 
 HOMILY XXXIII. 
 
 Page 273. 
 
 John iv. 21, 22. 
 
 Jesus sailh unto her. Woman, believe Me, the hour cometh, 
 when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jeru- 
 salem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not 
 what; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the 
 Jews. 
 
 HOMILY XXXIV. 
 
 Page 283. 
 
 John iv. 28, 29. 
 The woman then left her water pot, and went her way into 
 the cily, and sniih to the men. Come, see a Man which told 
 me all things that ever I did; is not this the Christ? 
 
XIV CONTENTS. 
 
 HOMILY XXXV. 
 
 Page 292. 
 
 John iv. 40—43. 
 
 So when the Samaritans were come unto Him, they besought 
 Him that He would tarry with them: and He abode there 
 two days. And many more believed because of His own 
 Word; and said unto the woman, Now we believe, not 
 because of thy saying : for we have heard Him ourselves, 
 and know that This is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the 
 ivorld. Now after two days He departed thence, and went 
 into Galilee. 
 
 HOMILY XXXVI. 
 
 Page 30n. 
 
 John iv. 54. v. ]. 
 
 Tliis is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when He 
 was come out of Jud<Ba into Galilee. After this there was 
 a feast of the Jews ; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 
 
 HOMILY XXXVII. 
 
 Page 307. 
 
 John V. 6, 7. 
 
 Jesus sailh unto him, Wilt thou be made whole ? The im- 
 potent man answered Him, fea. Sir, but I have no man, 
 when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool. 
 
 HOMILY XXXVIII. 
 Page 314. 
 
 John V. 14. 
 
 Afterward Jesus flndeth him in the Temple, and said unto 
 him, Behold, thou art made whole ; sin no more, lest a 
 worse thing come unto thee. 
 
CONTENTS. XV 
 
 HOMILY XXXIX. 
 
 Page 838. 
 
 John V. 28, 24. 
 
 For My Father judgeth no man, hut hath committed all judg- 
 ment to the Son ; that all men should honour the Son, even 
 as they honour the Father. 
 
 HOMILY XL. 
 
 Page 343. 
 
 John V, 31, 32. 
 
 If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true ; there is 
 another that beareth witness of Me, and I know that the 
 witness which he witnesseth of Me is true. 
 
 HOMILY XLI. 
 
 Page 3S4. 
 John V. 39, 40. 
 
 Search the Scriptures ; for in them ye think ye have eternal 
 life; and they are they which testify of Me. And ye will 
 not come to Me that ye might have [eternal] life. 
 
HOMILIES 
 
 OF 
 
 a JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, 
 
 ARCHBISHOP OP CONSTANTINOPLE, 
 
 ON THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO 
 
 ST. JOHN. 
 
 HOMILY I. 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 1. They that are spectators of the heathen games, when 
 they have learned that a distinguished athlete and winner of 
 crowns is come from any quarter, run all together to view his 
 wrestling, and all his skill and strength; and you may see 
 the whole theatre of many ten thousands, all there straining 
 their eyes both of body and mind, that nothing of what 
 is done may escape them. So again these same persons, if 
 any admirable musician come amongst them, leave all that 
 they had in hand, which often is necessary and pressing 
 business, and mount the steps, and sit listening very atten- 
 tively to the words and the accompaniments, and criticising 
 the agreement of the two. This is what the many do. 
 
 Again ; those who are skilled in rhetoric do just the same 
 with respect to the sophists, for they too have their theatres, 
 and their audience, and clappings of hands, and noise, and 
 closest criticism of what is said. 
 
 And if in the case of rhetoricians, musicians, and athletes, 
 people sit in the one case to look on, in the other to see at 
 once and to listen with such earnest attention; what zeal, 
 what earnestness ought ye in reason to display, when it is no 
 musician or debater who now comes forward to a trial of 
 skill, but when a man is speaking from heaven, and utters a 
 
 B 
 
2 Of the manner of St. John's appearing. 
 
 HoMTL. yoice plainer than thunder? for he has pervaded the whole earth 
 — '■ — with the sound; and occupied anl filled it, not by the loud- 
 ness of the cry, but by moving his tongue with the grace of 
 God. 
 
 And what is wonderful, this sound, great as it is, is neither 
 a harsh nor an unpleasant one, but sweeter and more delightful 
 than all harmony of music, and with more skill to soothe ; 
 and besides all this, most holy, and most awful, and full of 
 mysteries so great, and bringing with it goods so gi'eat, that 
 if men were exactly and with ready miud to receive and 
 keep them, they could no longer be mere men nor remain 
 upon the earth, but would take their stand above all the 
 things of this life, and having adapted themselves to the 
 condition of angels; would dwell on earth just as if it were 
 heaven. 
 
 •2. For the son of thunder, the beloved of Christ, the pillar of 
 
 the Churches throughout the world, who holds the kejs of 
 
 heaven, who drank the cup of Christ, and was baptized with 
 
 His baptism, who lay upon his Master's bosom with much 
 
 ' sraf/x- confidence', this man comes forward to us now; not as an 
 
 ^TxA." actor of a play, not hiding his head with a mask, (for he hath 
 
 •o)!{;/3a»- another sort of words to speak,) nor mounting a platform^, 
 
 ""' nor striking the stage with his foot, nor dressed out with 
 
 apparel of gold, but he enters wearing a robe of incon- 
 
 Bom. ceivable beauty. For he will appear before us having jjm< on 
 
 Gal. 3 C^r/rf, having his beautiful /ee< «AocZ with the preparation of 
 
 27- the Gospel of peace; wearing a girdle not about his waist, 
 
 15. ' but about his loins, not made of scarlet leather nor daubed 
 
 Lt^X °"'^^'^'^^ "'^^^ gold, but woven and composed of truth itself. 
 
 n. Now will he appear before us, not acting a part, (for with 
 
 him there is nothing counterfeit, nor fiction, nor fable,) but 
 
 with unmasked head he proclaims to us the truth unmasked; 
 
 not making the audience believe him other than he is by 
 
 carriage, by look, by voice, needing for the deUvery of his 
 
 message no instruments of music, as harp, lyre, or any other 
 
 the like, for he effects all with his tongue, uttering a voice 
 
 which is sweeter and more profitable than that of any 
 
 harper or any music. All heaven is his stage ; his theatre, 
 
 the habitable world; his audience, all angels ; and of men as 
 
 many as are angels already, or desire to become so, for none 
 
JVfiy men should be earnest hearers. 3 
 
 but these can hear that harmony aright, and shew it forth by Prep. 
 their works; all the rest, like little children who hear, but 
 what they hear understand not, from their anxiety about 
 sweetmeats and childish playthings ; so they too, being in 
 mirth and luxury, and living only for wealth and power and 
 sensuality, hear sometimes what is said, it is true, but shew 
 forth nothing great or noble in their actions through fasten- 
 ing' themselves for good to the clay of the brickmaking.' *«»«■ 
 By this Apostle stand the powers from above, marvelling at 
 the beauty of his soul, and his understanding, and the bloom 
 of that virtue by which he drew unto him Christ Himself, 
 and obtained the grace of the Spirit. For he hath made 
 ready his soul, as some well-fashioned and jewelled lyre 
 with strings of gold, and yielded it for the utterance of 
 something great and sublime to the Spirit. 
 
 [3.] Seeing then it is no longer the fisherman the son of (2-) 
 Zebedee, but He who knoweth the deep' tilings of God,,^ jg.' 
 the Holy Ghost 1 mean, that striketh this lyre, let us 
 hearken accordingly. For he will say nothing to us as a 
 man, but what he saith, he will say from the depths of the 
 Spirit, from those secret things which before they came to pass 
 the very Angels knew not ; since they too have learned by 
 the voice of John with us, and by us, the things which we 
 know. And this hath another Apostle declared, saying, T'o Eph. 3, 
 the intent that unto the principalities and powers might he 
 known by the Church the manifold wisdom of God. If then 
 principalities, and powers, and Cherubim, and Seraphim, 
 learned these things by the Church, it is very clear that they 
 were exceedingly earnest in listening to this teaching ; and 
 even in this we have been nofa little honoured, that the 
 Angels learned things which before they knew not with us ; 
 I do not at present speak of their learning by us also. Let 
 us then shew much silence and orderly behaviour; not to- 
 day only, nor during the day on which we are hearers, but 
 during all our life, since it is at all times good to hear Him. 
 For if we long to know what is going on in the palace, what, 
 for instance, the king has said, what he has done, what 
 counsel he is taking concerning his subjects, though in 
 truth these things are for the most part nothing to us ; much 
 more is it desirable to hear what God hath said, especially 
 
 B 2 
 
4 That it is Tlie Holy Spirit Who speaketh. 
 
 HoMiL.when all concerns us. And all this will this man tell us 
 
 '■ — exactly, as being a friend of the King Himself, or rather, as 
 
 having Him speaking within himself, and from Him hearing 
 John 15, all things which He heareth from the Father. I have called 
 "■ you friends, He saith,/o?" all things that I have heard of My 
 Father, I have made known unto you. 
 
 [4.] As then we should all run together if we saw one 
 ' cie^Mt, from above bend down on a sudden ' from the height of 
 £°™Pg heaven, promising to describe exactl}' all things there, even 
 E. V. i. so let us be disijosed now. It is from thence that this Man 
 
 29 . i 
 
 speaketh to us; He is not of this world, as Christ Himself 
 
 Johni5, declareth. Ye are not of the world, and He hath speaking 
 
 within him the Comforter, the Omnipresent, Who knoweth 
 
 the things of God as exactly as the soul of man knoweth 
 
 what belongs to herself, the Spirit of holiness, the righteous 
 
 Spirit, the guiding Spirit, which leads men by the hand to 
 
 heaven, which gives them other eyes, fitting them to see 
 
 things to come as though present, and giving them even in 
 
 the flesh to look into things heavenly. To Him then let us 
 
 2«xx»« yield ourselves during all our life^ in much tranquillity. 
 
 ^TrC ^^^ "°"° *^"^^' °°"® sleepy, none sordid, enter here and 
 
 hu^lm. tarry; but let us remove ourselves to heaven, for there He 
 
 speaketh these things to those who are citizens there. And 
 
 if we tarry on earth, we shall gain nothing great from thence. 
 
 For the words of John are nothing to those who do not 
 
 desire to be freed from this swinish life, just as the things of 
 
 this world to him are nothing. The thunder amazes our 
 
 '""i""- souls, having sound without significance^; but this man's 
 
 voice troubles none of the faithful, yea, rather releases them 
 
 from trouble and confusion ; it amazes the devils only, and 
 
 those who are their slaves. Therefore that we may know 
 
 how it amazes them, let us preserve deep silence, both 
 
 external and mental, but especially the latter; for what 
 
 advantage is it that the mouth be hushed, if the soul is 
 
 disturbed and full of tossing ? I look for that calm which is 
 
 of the mind, of the soul, since it is the hearing of the soul 
 
 which I require. Let then no desire of riches trouble us, 
 
 no lust of glory, no tyranny of anger, nor the crowd of other 
 
 passions besides these; for it is not possible for the ear 
 
 except it be cleansed, to perceive as it ought the sublimity 
 
The necessity of preparation for hearing. 5 
 
 of the things spoken; nor rightly to understand the awful Pref. 
 and unutterable nature of these mysteries, and all other 
 virtue which is in these divine oracles. If a man cannot 
 learn well a melody on pipe or harp, unless he in every way 
 strain his attention ; how shall one, who sits as a listener to 
 sounds mystical, be able to hear with a careless soul? 
 
 [5.] Wherefore Christ Himself exhorted, saying. Give (3.) 
 not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your^^^^-'^' 
 pearls before swine. He called these words pearls, though 
 in truth they be much more precious than they, because 
 ... we have no substance more precious than that. For this 
 reason too He is wont often to compare their sweet- 
 ness to honey, not that so much only is the measure of their 
 sweetness, but because amongst us there is nothing sweeter. 
 Now, to shew that they very exceedingly surpass the nature 
 of precious stones, and the sweetness of any honey, hear the 
 prophet speaking concerning them, and declaring this supe- 
 riority; More to be desired are they, he saith, than gold atidPs. ]9, 
 much precious stone ; sweeter are they also than honey and ' 
 the honeycomb. But to those (only) who are in health; 
 wherefore he has added. For thy servant keepeth them. 
 And again in another place calling them sweet he has 
 added, to my throat. For he saith. How sweet are thy words Ps. ii9, 
 unto my throat. And again he insisteth on the superiority, 
 saying. Above honey and the honeycomb to my mouth. For 
 he was in very sound health. And let not us either come nigh 
 to these while we are sick, but when we have healed our soul, 
 so receive the food that is offered us. 
 
 It is for this reason that, after so long a preface, I have 
 not yet attempted to fathom' these expressions (of St. John),' xxSma 
 in order that every one having laid aside all manner of in- 
 firmity, as though he were entering into heaven itself, so 
 may enter here pure, and freed from wrath and carefulness 
 and anxiety of this life, of all other passions. For it is not 
 otherwise possible for a man to gain from hence any thing 
 great, except lie have first so cleansed anew his soul. And 
 let no one say that the time to the coming communion ^ is Vw^ia* 
 short, for it is possible, not only in five days, but in one 
 moment, to change the whole course of life. Tell me what 
 is worse than a robber and a murderer, is not this the ex- 
 
6 The need of an earnest Will. 
 
 HoMiL.tremest kind of wickedness? Yet such an one arrived 
 _I^_ straight at the summit of excellence, and passed into Para- 
 dise itself, not needing days, nor half a day, but one little 
 moment. So that a man may change suddenly, and become 
 gold instead of clay. For since what belongs to virtue and 
 to vice is not by nature, the change is easy, as being m- 
 Is. 1,19. dependent of any necessity. If ye be ivilling and obedient, 
 He saith, ye shall eat Ihe good of the land. Seest thou that 
 there needs the will only .? will— not the common wishing of 
 the multitude — but earnest will. For I know that all are 
 wishing to fly up to heaven even now; but it is neces- 
 sary to shew forth the wish by works. The merchant too 
 wishes to get rich ; but he doth not allow his wish to stop 
 with the thought of it; no, he fits out a ship, and gets 
 together sailors, and engages a pilot, and furnishes the vessel 
 with all other stores, and borrows money, and crosses the 
 sea, and goes away into a strange land, and endures many 
 dangers, and all the rest which they know who sail the sea. 
 So too must we shew our will ; for we also sail a voyage, not 
 from land to land, but from earth to heaven. Let us then so 
 order our reason, that it be serviceable to steer our upward 
 course, and our sailors that they be obedient to it, and let 
 our vessel be stout, that it be not swamped amidst the 
 reverses and despondencies of this life, nor be lifted up by 
 the blasts of vainglory, but be a fast and easy vessel. If so 
 we order our ship, and so our pilot and our crew, we shall 
 sail with a fair wind, and we shall draw down to ourselves 
 the Son of God, the true Pilot, Who will not leave our bark 
 to be engulphed, but, though ten thousand winds may blow, 
 will rebuke the winds and the sea, and instead of raging 
 waves, make a great calm. 
 (4.) [6.] Having therefore ordered yourselves, so come to 
 our next assembly, if at least it be at all an object of desire 
 to you to hear somewhat to your advantage, and lay up what 
 Mat.13, is said in your souls. But let not one of you be the way- 
 *■ side, none the stony ground, none the full of thorns. Let 
 
 us make ourselves fallow lands. For so shall we (the 
 preachers) put in the seed with gladness, when we see the 
 land clean, but if stony or rough, pardon us if we like not to 
 labour in vain. For if we shall leave off' sowing and begin to 
 
Heathen spectacles to be avoided. 7 
 
 cut up thorns, surely to cast seed into ground unwrought were Pref. 
 extreme folly. 
 
 It is not meet that he who has the advantage of such 
 hearing be partaker of the table of devils. For what ^^or. 
 fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? Thou 
 standest listening to John, and learning the things of the 
 Spirit by him; and dost thou after this depart to listen to 
 harlots speaking vile things, and acting viler, and to effemi- 
 nates cuffing one another ? How wilt thou be able to be fairly 
 cleansed, if thou wallowest in such mire ? Why need I reckon 
 in detail all the indecency that is there? All there is laughter, 
 all is shame, all disgrace, revilings and mockings, all 
 abandonment, all destruction. See, I forewarn and charge 
 you all. Let none of those who enjoy the blessings of this 
 table destroy his own soul by those pernicious spectacles. 
 All that is said and done there is a pageant of Satan. But 
 ye who have been initiated know what manner of covenants 
 ye made with us, or rather ye made with Christ when He 
 guided you into His mysteries, what ye spoke to Him, what 
 speech ye had with Him concerning Satan's pageant'; how' tro^™ 
 with Satan and his angels ye renounced this also, and 
 promised that you would not so much as cast a glance^ that^ Safe- 
 way. There is then no slight ground for fear, lest, by*" 
 becoming careless of such promises, one should render him- 
 self unworthy of these mysteries. 
 
 [7.] Seest thou not how in kings' palaces it is not those 
 who have offended, but those who have been honourably 
 distinguished^, that are called to share especial favour*, and^«T//t«- 
 are numbered among the king's friends. A messenger has f^""^,,^'. 
 come to us from heaven, sent by God Himself, to speak withA"i; 
 us on certain necessary matters, and you leave hearing His""" 
 will, and the message He sends to you, and sit listening to 
 stage-players. What thunderings, what bolts from heaven, 
 does not this conduct deserve ! For as it is not meet to 
 partake of the table of devils, so neither is it of the listening 
 to devils ; nor to be present with filthy raiment at that 
 glorious Table, loaded with so many good things, which God 
 Himself hath provided. Such is its power, that it can raise 
 us at once to heaven, if only we approach it with a sober 
 mind. For it is not possible that he who is continually 
 
8 The power of the word of God. 
 
 HoMiL, under the influence of the words of God, can remain in this 
 , , ' present low condition, but he needs must presently take 
 /iitn wing, and fly away to the land which is above, and light on 
 the infinite treasures of good things ; which may it be that 
 we all attain to, through the grace and lovingkindness of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom and with Whom be glory 
 to the Father and the All-holy Spirit, now and ever, and 
 world without end. Amen. 
 
HOMILY II. 
 
 John i. 1. 
 In the beginning was tfie Word. 
 
 Were John about to converse with us, and to say to us 
 words of his own, we needs must describe his family, his 
 country, and his education. But since it is not he, but God 
 by him, that speats to mantind, it seems to me superfluous 
 and distracting to enquire into these matters. And yet even 
 thus it is not superfluous, but even very necessary. For 
 when you have learned who he was, and from whence, who 
 his parents, and what his character, and then hear his voice 
 and all his heavenly wisdom^, then you shall know right '?'ji»- 
 well that these (doctrines) belong not to him, but to the" 
 Divine power stirring his soul. 
 
 From what country ° then was he ? From no country ; but ^ "■«'{'- 
 from a poor village, and from a land little esteemed, and 
 producing no good thing. For the Scribes speak evil of 
 Galilee, saying. Search and look, for out of Galilee ariseth'>°^a 7, 
 no prophet. And " the Israelite indeed" speaks ill of it, 
 saying, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth ? And 
 being of this land, he was not even of any remarkable place in 
 it, but of one not even distinguished by name. Of this he was", 
 and his father a poor fisherman, so poor that he took his sons 
 to the same employment. Now you all know that no workman 
 will choose to bring up his son to succeed him in his trade, 
 unless poverty press him very hard, especially where the 
 trade is a mean one. But nothing can be poorer, meaner, 
 no, nor more ignorant, than fishermen. Yet even among 
 them there are some greater, some less; and even there our 
 Apostle occupied the lower rank, for he did not take his prey 
 
 • One Ms. ' not even distinguished ty name had he not been of it. His, &c.' 
 
10 Of the marvellous nature of St. John's teaching. 
 
 HoMiL.fi-oni the sea, but passed his time on a certain little lake. 
 
 '■ — And as he was engaged by it with his father and .his brother 
 
 James, and they mending their broken nets, a thing which 
 of itself marked extreme poverty, so Christ called him. 
 
 As for worldly instruction, we may learn from these facts 
 that he had none at all of it. Besides, Luke testifies this 
 
 Acts 4, when he writes not only that he was ignorant', but that he 
 
 I (JiaTJis was absolutely unlettered ^ As was likely.' For one who 
 "''?''''■ was so poor, never coming into the public assemblies, nor 
 falling in with men of respectabilitj', but as it were nailed to 
 his fishing, or even if he ever did meet any one, conversing 
 with fishmongers and cooks, how, I say, was he likely to be 
 in a state better than that of the irrational animals ? hovv 
 could he help imitating the very dumbness of his fishes .'' 
 
 [•2.] This fisherman then, whose business was about lakes, 
 and nets, and fish; this native of Bethsaida of Galilee; this son 
 of a poor fisherman, yes, aud poor to the last degree ; this 
 man ignorant, and to the last degree of ignorance too, who 
 never learned letters either before or after he accompanied 
 Christ ; let us see what he utters, and on what matters he 
 converses with us. Is it of things in the field ? Is it of 
 things in rivers .? On the trade in fish ? For these things, 
 perhaps, one expects to hear from a fisherman. But fear ye 
 not; we shall hear nought of these; but we shall hear of 
 things in heaven, and what no one ever learned before this 
 man. For, as might be expected of one who speaks from the 
 very treasures of the Spirit, he is come bringing to us sublime 
 doctrines, and the best way of life and wisdom, [as though 
 just arrived from the very heavens ; yea, rather such as it 
 was not likely that all even there should know, as I said 
 
 3 p. 3. before ^] Do these things belong to a fisherman ? Tell me. 
 
 oneMs. ^o they belong to a rhetorician at all ? To a sophist 
 
 Ben:\ or philosopher ? To every one trained in the vv-isdom of 
 the Gentiles.? By no means. The human soul is simply 
 unable thus to philosophise on that pure and blessed 
 nature ; on the powers that come next to it ; on immor- 
 tality and endless life ; on the nature of mortal bodies 
 which shall hereafter be immortal ; on punishment and 
 the judgment to come ; on the enquiries that shall be as 
 to deeds and words, as to thoughts and imaginations. It 
 
The follies of the ancient philosophers. 1 1 
 
 cannot tell what is man, what the world ; what is man John 
 indeed, and what he who seems to be man, but is not ; what ^'^' ■- 
 is the nature of virtue, what of vice. 
 
 [3.] Some of these things indeed the disciples of Plato (2.) 
 and Pythagoras enquired into. Of the other philosophers 
 we need make no mention at all ; they have all on this point 
 been so excessively ridiculous ; and those who have been 
 among them in greater esteem than the rest, and who have 
 been considered the leading men in this science, are so more 
 than the others ; and they have composed and written some- 
 what on the subject of polity and doctrines, and in all have 
 been more shamefully ridiculous than children. For they 
 have spent their whole life in making women common to all, 
 in overthrowing the very order of life', in doing away the'^'" 
 honour of marriage, and in making other the like ridiculous 
 laws. As for doctrines on the soul, there is nothing 
 excessively shameful that they have left unsaid ; asserting 
 that the souls of men become flies, and gnats, and bushes", 
 and that God Himself is a soul ; with some other the like 
 indecencies. 
 
 And not this alone in them is worthy of blame, but so is 
 also their ever-shifting current of words ; for siuce they 
 assert every thing on uncertain and fallacious arguments, 
 they are like men carried hither and thither in Euripus, and 
 never remain in the same place. 
 
 Not so this fisherman ; for all he saith is infallible ; and 
 standing as it were upon a rock, he never shifts his ground. 
 For since he has been thought worthy to be in the most 
 secret places, and has the Lord of all speaking within him, 
 he is subject to nothing that is human. But they, like persons 
 who are not held worthy even in a dream ^ to set foot in thet"''^' 
 king's palace, but who pass their time in the forum with 
 other men, guessing from their own imagination at what they 
 cannot see, have erred a great error, and, like blind or 
 drunken men in their wandering, have dashed against each 
 other ; and not only against each other, but against them- 
 selves, by continually changing their opinion, and that ever 
 on the same matters. 
 
 = Empedocles said this. Vid. Diog. Qufctss r o'lmis 71 xa} I'i «A.o; 'i/iTtu^as 
 Laert. -viii. 2. ix^"s- 
 
12 Of Plato and Pythagoras. 
 
 HoMiL. [4.] But this uulettered man, the ignorant, the native of 
 ^^' Bethsaida, the son of Zcbedee, (though the Greeks mock ten 
 thousand times at the rusticity of the names, I shall not the 
 less speak them with the greater boldness.) For the more 
 barbarous his nation seems to them, and the more he seems 
 removed from Grecian discipline, so much the brighter does 
 what we have with us appear. For when a barbarian and 
 an untaught person utters things which no man on earth 
 ever knew, and does not only utter, (though if this were 
 the only thing it were a gi'eat marvel,) but besides this, 
 affords another and a stronger proof that what he says is 
 divinely inspired, namely, the convincing- all his hearers 
 through all time : who will noi wonder at the power that 
 dwells in him ? Since this is, as I said, the strongest proof 
 that he lays down no laws of his own. This barbarian then, 
 with his writing of the Gospel, has occupied all the habitable 
 world. With his body he has taken possession of the centre 
 of Asia, where of old philosophised all of the Grecian party, 
 
 ' lit- shining forth in the midst of his foes, dispersing^ their dark- 
 
 ing' ness, and breaking down the stronghold of devils : but in 
 soul he has retired to that place which is fit for one who has 
 done such things. 
 
 [5.] And as for the writings of the Greeks, they are all 
 put out and vanished, but this man's shine brighter day by 
 day. For from the time that he (was) and the other fishermen, 
 since then the (doctrines) of Pythagoras and of Plato, which 
 seemed before to prevail, have ceased to be spoken of, and 
 most men do not know them even by name. Yet Plato was, 
 they say, the invited companion of kings, had many friends, 
 and sailed to Sicily. And Pythagoras occupied Magna 
 
 » T*. |K.- Qraecia ', and practised there ten thousand kinds of sorcery. 
 
 "Exlls« For to converse with oxen, (which they say he did,) was 
 nothing else but a piece of sorcery. As is most clear from 
 this. He that so conversed with brutes did not in any thing 
 benefit the race of men, but even did them the greatest wrong. 
 Yet surely, the nature of men was better adapted for the 
 reasoning of philosophy ; still he did, as they say, converse 
 with eagles and oxen, using sorceries. For he did not make 
 their irrational nature rational, (this was impossible to man,) 
 but by his magic tricks he deceived the foolish. And 
 
Why the doctrines of St. John are more lasting. 13 
 
 neglecting to teach men any thing useful, he taught that John 
 they might as well eat the heads of those who begot them, as ' ' 
 
 beans. And he yjersuaded those who associated with him, 
 that the soul of their teacher had actually been at one time a 
 bush, at another a girl, at another a fish. 
 
 Are not these things with good cause extinct, and vanished 
 utterly? With good cause, and reasonably. But not so the 
 words of him who was ignorant and unlettered ; for Syrians, 
 and Egyptians, and Indians, and Persians, and Ethiopians, 
 and ten thousand other nations, translating into their own 
 tongues the doctrines introduced by him, barbarians though 
 they be, have learned to philosophise. I did not therefore W-) 
 idly say that all the world has become his theatre. For he 
 did not leave those of his own kind, and waste his labour ou 
 the irrational creatures, (an act of excessive vainglory and 
 extreme folly,) but being clear of this as well as of other 
 passions, he was earnest on one point only, that all the 
 world might learn somewhat of the things which might 
 profit it, and be able to translate it from earth to heaven. 
 
 For this reason too, he did not hide his teaching in mist 
 and darkness, as they did who threw obscurity of speech, 
 like a kind of veil, around the mischiefs laid up within. 
 But this man's doctrines are clearer than the sunbeams, 
 wherefore they have been unfolded' to all men throughout'"''"''^*'* 
 the world. For he did not teach as Pythagoras did, com- 
 manding those who came to him to be silent for five years, 
 or to sit like senseless stones ; neither did he invent fables 
 defining the universe to consist of numbers ; but casting 
 away all this devilish trash and mischief, he diffused such 
 simplicity through his words, that all he said was plain, not 
 only to wise men, but also to women and j^ouths. For he 
 was persuaded that the words were true and profitable to all 
 that should hearken to them. And all time after him is his 
 witness; since he has drawn to him all the world, and has 
 freed our life when we have listened to these words from all 
 monstrous display of wisdom ; wherefore we who hear them 
 would prefer rather to give up our Uves, than the doctrines 
 by him delivered to us. 
 
 [6.] From this then, and from every other circumstance, 
 it is plain, that nothing of this man's is human, but divine 
 
14 That the old philosophy was mere vainglory. 
 
 HoMiL. and heavenly are the lessons which come to us by this divine 
 
 ^-soul. For we shall observe not sounding sentences, nor 
 
 magnificent diction, nor excessive and useless order and 
 arrangement of words and sentences, (these things are far 
 from all true wisdom,) but strength invincible and divine, 
 and irresistible force of right doctrines, and a rich supply of 
 unnumbered good things. For their over-care about expres- 
 sion was so excessive, so worthy of mere sophists, or rather 
 not even of sophists, but of silly striplings, that even their 
 own chief philosopher introduces his own master as greatly 
 ashamed of this art, and as saying to the judges, that what they 
 hear from him shall be spoken plainly and without premedi- 
 tation, not tricked out rhetorically nor ornamented with (fine) 
 sentences and words ; since, says he, it cannot surely be 
 becoming, O men, that one at my age should come before you 
 'Plat, like a lad inventing speeches ^ And observe the extreme 
 Socr. absurdity of the thing; what he has described his master 
 §.1. in avoiding as disgraceful, unworthy of philosophy and work 
 for lads, this above all he himself has cultivated. So entirely 
 were they given up to mere love of distinction. 
 
 And as, if you uncover those sepulchres which are whitened 
 without you will find them full of corruption, and stench, 
 and rotten bones ; so too the doctrines of the philosopher, if 
 you strip them of their flowery diction, you will see to be 
 full of much abomination, especially when he philosophises 
 on the soul, which he both honours and speaks ill of without 
 measure. And this is the snare of the devil, never to keep 
 due proportion, but by excess on either hand to lead aside 
 those who are entangled by it into evil speaking. At one 
 time he says, that the soul is of the substance of God ; at 
 another, after having exalted it thus immoderately and im- 
 piously, he exceeds again in a different way, and treats it 
 with insult, making it pass into swine and asses, and other 
 animals of yet less esteem than these. 
 
 But enough of this ; or rather even this is out of measure. 
 For if it were possible to learn any thing profitable from 
 these things, we must have been longer occupied with them ; 
 but if it be only to observe their indecency and absurdity, 
 more than requisite has been said by us already. We will 
 therefore leave their fables, and attach ourselves to our own 
 
Why it is said that the Word was in the beginning. 15 
 
 doctrines, which have been brought to us from above by John 
 the tongue of this fisherman, and which have nothing human — '—^ 
 in them. 
 
 [7.] Let us then bring forward the words, having reminded 
 you now, as I exhorted you at the first, earnestly to attend 
 to what is said. What then does this Evangelist say im- 
 mediately on bis outset ? 
 
 /«. the beginning was the Word,, and the Word was with^^''- '• 
 God. Seest thou the great boldness and power of the words, 
 how he speaks nothing doubting nor conjecturing, but de- 
 claring all things plainly.? For this is the teacher's part, not 
 to waver in any thing that he says, since if he who is to be a 
 guide to the rest require another person who shall be able to 
 establish him with certainty, he would be rightly ranked not 
 among teachers, but among disciples. 
 
 But if any one say, " What can be the reason that he has neg- 
 lected the first cause, and spoken to us at once concerning the 
 second?" we shall decline to speak oi first and secowtZ, for 
 the Divinity is above number, and the succession of times. 
 Wherefore we decline these expressions ; but we confess that 
 the Father is from none, and that the Son is begotten of the 
 Father. Yes, it may be said, but why then does he leave (4.) 
 the Father, and speak concerning the Son.? Why? because 
 the former was manifest to all, if not as Father, at least as 
 God; but the Only-Begotten was not known; and there- 
 fore with reason did he immediately from the very beginning 
 hasten to implant the knowledge of Him in those who knew 
 Him not. 
 
 Besides, he has not been silent as to the Father in his 
 writings on these points. And observe, I beg of you, his 
 spiritual wisdom. He knows that men most honour the 
 eldest of beings Which was before all, and account this to be 
 God. Wherefore from this point first he makes his begin- 
 ning, arid as he advances, declares that God is, and does not 
 like Plato assert, sometimes that He is intellect, sometimes 
 that He is soul; for these things are far removed from that 
 divine and unmixed Nature which has nothing common with 
 us, but is separated from any fellowship with created things, 
 I mean as to substance, though not as to relation. 
 
 And for this reason he calls Him The Word. For since 
 
16 How in speaking of The Word,he speaksofThe Father also. 
 
 HoMiL.he is about to teach that this Word is the only-begotten Son 
 — H: — of God, in order that no one may imagine that His gene- 
 ration is passible, by giving Him the appellation of The 
 Word, he anticipates and i-emoves beforehand the evil sus- 
 picion, shewing that the Son is fi:om the Father, and that 
 without His suffering (change). 
 
 [8.] Seest thou then that as T said, he has not been silent as 
 to the Father in his words concerning the Son? And if these 
 instances are not sufBcient fully to explain the whole matter, 
 marvel not, for our argument is God, Whom it is impossible 
 to describe, or to imagine worthily; hence this man no where 
 assigns the name of His essence, (for it is not possible to say 
 what God is, as to essence,) but every where he declares 
 Him to us by His workings. For this Word one may see 
 shortly after called Light, and the Light in turn named Life. 
 Although not for this reason only did he so name Him ; 
 this was the first reason, and the second was because He was 
 John 15, about to declare to us the things of the Father. For all 
 
 15 • 
 
 things. He saith, tJtat I have heard from My Father, L have 
 made known unto you. He calls Him both Light and Life, 
 for He hath freely given to us the light which proceeds from 
 knowledge, and the life which follows it. In short, one 
 name is not sufficient, nor two, nor three, nor more, to teach 
 us what belongs to God. Bui we must be content to be 
 able even by means of many to apprehend, though but 
 obscurely. His attributes. 
 
 And he has not called Him simply Word, but with the 
 addition of the article, distinguishing Him from the rest in 
 this way also. Seest thou then that I said not without cause 
 that this P>angelist speaks to us from heaven.? Only see 
 from the very beginning whither he has drawn up the soul, 
 having given it wings, and has carried up with him the mind 
 of his hearers. For having set it higher than all the things 
 of sense, than earth, than sea, than heaven, he leads it by the 
 hand above the very angels, above cherubim and seraphim, 
 above thrones and principalities and powers; in a word] 
 persuades it to journey beyond all created things. 
 
 [9.] What then? when he has brought us to such a height 
 as this, is he in sooth able to stop us there ? By no means • 
 but just as one by transporting into the midst of the sea a 
 
Whence arises in a hearer confusion of mind. J 7 
 
 person who was standing on the beach, and looking on cities, John 
 and beaches, and havens, removes him indeed from the - ^' ^' 
 former objects, yet does not stay his sight any where, but 
 brings him to a view without bound; so this Evangelist, 
 having brought us above all creation, and escorted us towards 
 the eternal periods which lie beyond it, leaves the sight 
 suspended', not allowing it to arrive at any limit upwards^ as V'^i- 
 indeed there is none. '"^°' 
 
 For the intellect, having ascended to the beginning, en- 
 quires what beginning ; and then finding the ' was' always 
 outstripping its imagination, has no point at which to 
 stay its thought; but looking intently onwards, and being 
 unable to. cease at any point, it becomes wearied out, 
 and turns back to things below. For this, was in the 
 beginning, is nothing else than expressive of ever being and 
 being infinitely. 
 
 Seest thou true philosophy and divine doctrines ? Not like 
 those of the Greeks, who assign times, and say that some 
 indeed of the gods are younger, some elder. There is 
 nothing of this with us. For if God Is, as certainly He 
 Is, then nothing was before Him. If He is Creator of all 
 things, He must be first ; if Master and Lord of all, then all, 
 both creatures and ages, are after Him. 
 
 [10.] I had desired to enter the lists yet on other difficulties, 
 but perhaps our minds are wearied out ; when therefore I have 
 advised you on those points which are useful ^ to us for the ^ al. ' to 
 hearing, both of what has been said, and of what is yei to ^°" 
 be said, I again will hold my peace. What then are these 
 points ? I know that many have become confused^ by reason ^ '^/y 
 of the length of what has been spoken. Now this takes J^^J,"""' 
 place when the soul is heavy laden with many burdens of 
 this life. For as the eye when it is clear and transparent is 
 keen-sighted also, and will not easily be tired in making out 
 even the minutest bodies ; but when from some bad humour 
 from the head having pom'ed into it, or some smoke-like 
 fumes having ascended to it from beneath, a kind of thick 
 cloud is formed before the ball, this does not allow it clearly 
 to perceive even any larger object'; so is naturally the 
 case with the soul. For when it is purified, and has no 
 passion to disturb it, it looks stedfastly to the fit objects of 
 
18 The soul being one has not room for many desires. 
 
 HoMiL. its regard ; but when, darkened by many passions, it loses 
 — its proper excellence, then it is not easily able to be suf- 
 ficient for any high thing, but soon is wearied, and falls 
 back ; and turning aside to sleep and slolh, lets pass things 
 that concern it with a view to excellence and the life thence 
 arising, instead of receiving them with much readiness. 
 
 [5.] And that you may not suffer (his, (I shall not cease con- 
 tinually thus to warn you,) strengthen your minds, that ye 
 may not hear what the faithful among the Hebrews heard 
 Heb. 5, from Paul. For to them he said that he had many things 
 to say, and hard to be uttered ; not as though they were by 
 nature such, but because, says he, ye are dull of hearing. 
 For it is the nature of the weak and infirm man to be 
 confused even by iew words as by many, and what is clear 
 and easy he thinks hard to be comprehended. Let not 
 any here be such an one, but having chased from him all 
 worldly care, so let him hear these doctrines. 
 
 For when the desire of money possesses the hearer, the 
 desire of hearing cannot possess him as well ; since the 
 soul, being one, cannot suffice for many desires ; but one 
 of the two is injured by the other, and, from division, 
 becomes weaker as its rival prevails, and expends all upon 
 itself. 
 
 And this is wont to happen in the case of children. 
 When a man has only one, he loves that one exceedingly. 
 But when he has become father of many, then also his 
 dispositions of affection being divided become weaker. 
 
 If this happens where there is the absolute rule and power 
 of nature, and the objects beloved are akin one with another, 
 what can we say as to that desire and disposition which is 
 according to deliberate choice ; especially where these desires 
 lie directly opposed to each other ; for the love of wealth is 
 a thing opposed to the love of this kind of hearing. We 
 enter heaven when we enter here ; not in place, I mean, 
 but in disposition ; for it is possible for one who is on earth 
 to stand in heaven, and to have vision of the things that 
 are there, and to hear the words from thence. 
 
 [11.] Let none then introduce the things of earth into 
 heaven ; let no one standing here be careful about what is 
 at his house. For he ought to bear with him, and to pre- 
 
Worldly thoughts must be excluded. 19 
 
 serve, both at home and in his business, what he gains from Johk 
 this place, not to allow it to be loaded with the burdens of-iii:_ 
 house and market. Our reason for entering in to the chair 
 of instruction is, that thence we may cleanse ourselves from' 'al.'iub 
 the filth of the outer world ; but if we are likely even in this °^' 
 little space to be injured by things said or done without, it 
 is better for us not to enter at all. Let no one then in the 
 assembly be thinking about domestic matters, but let him at 
 home be stirring with what he heard in the assembly. Let 
 these things be more precious to us than any. These 
 concern the soul, but those the body ; or rather what is said 
 here concerns both body and soul. Wherefore let these 
 things be our leading business, and all others but occasional 
 employments ; for these belong both to the future and the 
 present life, but the rest neither to the one nor the other, 
 unless they be managed according to the law laid down for 
 these. Since from these it is possible to learn not only 
 what we shall hereafter be, and how we shall then live, but 
 how we shall rightly direct this present life also. 
 
 For this house is^ a spiritual surgery, that whatever wounds^ al. ' is 
 we may have received without, here^ we may heal, not that 3^1. 
 we may gather fresh ones to take with us hence. Yet if'tenoe' 
 we do not give heed to the Spirit speaking to us, we shall 
 not only fail to clear ourselves of our former hurts, but shall 
 get others in addition. 
 
 Let us then with much earnestness attend to the book 
 as it is being unfolded to us ; since if we learn exactly its 
 first principles and fundamental doctrines*, we shall not*,"'''' 
 afterwards require much close study, but after labouring a 
 little at the beginning, shall be able, as Paul says, to instruct Eom.l5, 
 others also. For this Apostle is very sublime, abounding in 
 many doctrines, and on these he dwells more than on other 
 matters. 
 
 Let us not then be careless hearers. And this is the 
 reason why we set them forth to you by little and little, so 
 that all may be easily intelligible to you, and may not escape 
 your memory. Let us fear then lest we come under the 
 condemnation of that word which says, If I had not comeJohnis, 
 and spoken unto them, they had not had sin. For what 
 shall we be profited more than those who have not heard, 
 
 c2 
 
20 The careless hearer icorse than a beast. 
 
 HoMiL.jf gyen after hearing we go our way home bearing nothing 
 
 '- — with us, but only wondering at what has been said. 
 
 Allow us then to sow in good ground ; allow us, that you 
 may dravt^ us the more to you. If any man hath thorns, let 
 him cast the fire of the Spirit amongst them. If any hath 
 a hard and stubborn heart, let him by employing the same 
 fire make it soft and yielding. If any by the wayside is 
 trodden down by all kind of thoughts, let him enter into 
 more sheltered places, and not lie exposed for those that 
 will to invade for plunder : that so we may see your corn- 
 fields waving with com. Besides, if we exercise such care 
 as this over ourselves, and apply ourselves industriously to 
 this spiritual hearing, if not at once yet by degrees, we shall 
 ■surely be freed from all the cares of life. 
 
 Let us therefore take heed that it be not said of us, that 
 Pe.54,8, our ' ears are those of a deaf adder. For tell me, in what 
 ' their' <loes a hearer of this kind differ from a beast ? and how 
 could he be otherwise than more irrational than any ir- 
 rational animal, who does not attend when God is speaking? 
 2ai. ' to^^fj if to be well-pleasing^ to God is really to be a man, 
 thant- what else but a beast can he be who will not even hear 
 ^"'' how he may succeed in this.' Consider then what a mis- 
 3 al. ' to fortune it would be for us to fall down ' of our own accord 
 ange fy^j^ ^^■j^Q nature of) men to (that of) beasts, when Christ is 
 willing of men to make us equal to Angels. For to serve 
 the belly, to be possessed by the desire of riches, to be 
 given to anger, to bite, to kick, become not men, but beasts. 
 Nay, even the beasts have each, as one may say, one single 
 passion, and that by nature. But man, when he has cast 
 away the dominion of reason, and torn himself from the 
 eommonwealth of God's devising, gives himself up to all the 
 passions, is no longer merely a beast, but a kind of many- 
 formed motley monster; nor has he even the excuse from 
 nature, for all his wickedness proceeds from deliberate choice 
 and determination. 
 
 May we never have cause to suspect this of the Church of 
 Christ. Indeed, we are concerning you persuaded of better 
 things, and such as belong to salvation ; but the more we 
 are so persuaded, the more careful we will be not to desist 
 ii-om words of caution. In order that having mounted to 
 
Better hopes for tlie audience. 21 
 
 the summit of excellencies, we may obtain the promised >foHN 
 goods. Which may it come to pass that we all attain to, — '—^ 
 through the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, by Whom and with Whom, to the Father and the 
 Holy Ghost, be glory world without end. Amen. 
 
H O M I L Y III. 
 
 John i. I. 
 In the beginning was the Word. 
 
 On the subject of attention in hearkening it is superfluous 
 to exhort you any more, so quicMy have you shewn by your 
 actions the effects of my advice. For your manner of 
 running together, j'our attentive postures, the thrusting one 
 another in your eagerness to get the inner places, where my 
 voice may more clearly be heard by you, your unwillingness 
 to retire from the press until this spiritual assembly be 
 dissolved, the clapping of hands, the murmurs of applause ; 
 in a word, all things of this kind may be considered proofs 
 of the fervour of your souls, and of your desire to hear. So 
 that on this point it is superfluous to exhort you. One 
 thing, however, it is necessary for us to bid and entreat, that 
 you continue to have the same zeal, and manifest it not here 
 only, but that also when you are at home, you converse man 
 with wife, and father with son, concerning these matters. 
 And say somewhat of yourselves, and require somewhat in 
 return fi:om them ; and so all contribute to this excellent 
 banquet". 
 
 For let no one tell me that our children ought not to be 
 occupied with these things; they ought not only to be 
 occupied with them, but to be zealous about them only. And 
 although on account of your infirmity I do not assert this, 
 I ai. nor take them away from their worldly learning', just as I do 
 ' study' not draw you either from your civil business ; yet of these 
 seven days I claim that you dedicate one to the common 
 Lord of us all. For is it not a strange thing that we should 
 bid our domestics slave for us all their time, and ourselves 
 apportion not even a little of our leisure to God ; and this 
 
 • i^arn, a feast to which all the guests contributed. 
 
Children especially need spiritual instruction. 23 
 
 too when all our service adds nothing to Him, (for the John 
 Godhead is incapable of want,) but turns out to our own — '—^— 
 advantage ? And yet when you take your children into the 
 theatres, you allege neither their mathematical lessons, nor 
 any thing of the kind; but if it be required to gain or collect 
 any thing spiritual, you call the matter a waste of time. 
 And how shall you not anger God, if you find leisure and 
 assign a season for every thing else, and yet think it a 
 troublesome and unseasonable thing for your children to 
 take in hand what relates to Plim ? 
 
 Do not so, brethren, do not so. It is this very age that 
 most of all needs the hearing these things ; for from its 
 tenderness it readily stores up what is said ; and what 
 children hear is impressed as a seal on the wax of their 
 minds. Be'sides, it is then that their life begins to incline to 
 vice or virtue; and if from the very gates' and portals one'al. 'be- 
 lead them away from iniquity, and guide them by the hand to S'"""'^ 
 the best road, he will fix them for the time to come in a sort 
 of habit and nature, and they will not, even if they be 
 willing, easily change for the worse, since this force of 
 custom draws them to the performance of good actions. So 
 that we shall see them become more worthy of respect than 
 those who have grown old, and they will be more useful in 
 civil matters, displaying in youth the qualities of the aged. 
 
 For, as I before said, it cannot be that they who enjoy the 
 hearing of such things as these, and who are in the company 
 of such an Apostle, should depart without receiving some 
 great and remarkable advantage, be it man, woman, or 
 youth, that partakes of this table. If we train by words 
 the animals which we have, and so tame them, how much 
 more shall we eifect this with men by this spiritual teach- 
 ing, when there is a wide difference between the remedy 
 in each case, and the subject healed as well. For neither 
 is there so much fierceness in us as in the brutes, since 
 theirs is from nature, ours from choice ; nor is the 
 power of the words the same, for the power of the first 
 is that of the human intellect, the power of the second is 
 that of the might and grace of the Spirit. Let then the man 
 
 " i. e. Man is more tractable than brutes, the words of the Spirit more powerful 
 than words of reason. 
 
24 The word of God the safeguard of the soul. 
 
 HoMiL.who despairs of himself consider the tame animals, and he 
 
 '— shall DO longer be thus affected ; let him come continually 
 
 to this house of healing, let him hear at all times the laws of 
 the Spirit, and on retiring home let him write down in his 
 mind the things which he has heard ; so shall his hopes be 
 good and his confidence great, as he feels his progress by 
 experience. For when the devil sees the law of God written 
 in the soul, and the heart become tablets to write it on, he 
 will not approach any more. Since wherever the king's 
 writing is, not engi-aved on a pillar of brass, but stamped by 
 the Holy Ghost on a mind loving God, and bright with 
 abundant grace, that (evil one) will not be able even to look at 
 it, but from afar will turn his back upon us. For nothing is so 
 terrible to him and to the thoughts which are suggested by 
 him as a mind careful about Divine matters, and a soul which 
 ever hangs over this fountain. Such an one can nothing 
 present annoy, even though it be displeasing ; nothing puff 
 up or make proud, even though it be favourable ; but amidst 
 all this storm and surge it will even enjoy a great calm. 
 
 [2.] For confusion arises within us, not from the nature of 
 circumstances, but from the infirmity of our minds; for if we 
 were thus affected by reason of what befals us, then, (as we 
 all sail the same sea, and it is impossible to escape waves 
 and spray,) all men must needs be troubled ; but if there are 
 some who stand beyond the influence of the storm and the 
 raging sea, then it is clear that it is not circumstances which 
 make the storm, but the condition of our own mind. If 
 therefore we so order the mind that it may bear all things 
 contentedly, we shall have no storm nor even a ripple, but 
 always a clear calm. 
 
 After professing that I should say nothing on these points, 
 I know not how I have been carried away into such a length 
 of exhortation. Pardon my prolixity; for I fear, yes, I 
 greatly fear lest this zeal of ours should ever become weaker. 
 Did I feel confident respecting it, I would not now have said 
 to you any thing on these matters, since it is sufficient to 
 make all things easy to you. But it is time in what follows 
 to proceed to the matters proposed for consideration to-day ; 
 that you may not come weary to the contest. For we have con- 
 tests against the enemies of the truth, against those who use 
 
Against those who denied the Eternity of the Word. 25 
 
 every artifice to destroy the honour of the Son of God, or John 
 rather their own. This remains for ever as it now is, nothing — '—^— 
 lessened by the blaspheming tongue, but they, by seeking 
 eagerly to pull down Him Whom they say they worship, fill 
 their faces with shame and their souls with punishment. 
 
 What then do they say when we assert what we have 
 asserted? " That the words. In the beginning was the Word, 
 do not denote eternity absolutely, for that this same expres- 
 sion was used also concerning heaven and earth." What 
 enormous shamelessness and irreverence ! I speak to thee 
 concerning God, and dost thou bring the earth into the 
 argument, and men who ai'e of the earth ? At this rate, since 
 Christ is called Son of God, and God, Man who is called 
 Son of God must be God also. For, / have said. Ye araPs.82,6. 
 Gods, and all of you are children of the Most High. 
 Wilt thou contend with the Only-Begotten concerning 
 Sonship, and assert that in that respect He enjoys nothing 
 more than thou ? " By no means," is the reply. And 
 yet thou doest this even though thou say not so in words. 
 " How ?" Because thou sayest that thou by grace art par- 
 taker of the adoption, and He in like manner. For by 
 saying that He is not Son by nature, thou only makest Him 
 to be so by grace. 
 
 However, let us see the proofs which they produce to us. 
 In the beginning, it is said, God made the heaven and Geo, i, 
 the earth, and the earth was invisible and unformed. And, 
 There ' was' a man of Raniathaim Zophim. These are i Sam. 
 what they think strong arguments, and they are strong; but 
 it is to prove the correctness of the doctrines asserted by us, 
 while they are utterly powerless to establish their blasphemy. 
 For tell me, what has the word " was" in common with 
 the word " made ?" What hath God in common with man ? 
 Why dost thou mix what may not be mixed? Why con- 
 found things which are distinct, why bring low what is above? 
 In that place it is not the expression wa^ only which 
 denotes eternity, but that One was in the beginning. And 
 that other. The Word was; for as the word " being," when 
 used concerning man, only distinguishes present time, but^ 
 when concerning God, denotes eternity', so "was," when ever and 
 used respecting our nature, signifies to us past time, and^'j™|'gh 
 
26 All created things have had a beginning. 
 
 HoMiL. that too limited, but when respecting God it declares eternity. 
 
 -^2L_ It would have been enough then when one had heard the 
 words " earth" and " man," to imagine nothing more con- 
 cerning them than what one may fitly think of a nature that 
 came into being", for that which came to be, be it what it may, 
 hath come to be either in time, or the age before time was, but 
 the Son of God is above not only times, but all ages which were 
 before, for He is the Creator and Maker of them, as the Apostle 
 says, by Whom also He made the ages. Now the Maker 
 necessarily is, before the thing made. Yet since some are so 
 senseless, as even after this to have higher notions concern- 
 ing creatures than is their due, by the expression He made, 
 and by that other, " there was a man," he lays hold before- 
 hand of the mind of his hearer, and cuts up all shameless- 
 ness by the roots. For all that has been made, both heaven 
 and earth, has been made in time, and has its beginning in 
 time, and none of them is without beginning, as having been 
 made : so that when you hear that " he made the earth," 
 
 ' al; and that " there was a man," you are trifling ' to no purpose, 
 
 not' and weaving a tissue of useless folly. 
 
 For I can mention even another thing by way of going 
 further. What is it ? It is, that if it had been said of the 
 earth, " In the beginning was the earth," and of man, " In 
 the beginning was the man," we must not even then have 
 imagined any greater things concerning them than what we 
 
 2 al. ' is have now determined '. For the terms " earth" and " man," 
 
 tai^e™' ^® ^^^y ^''® presupposed, whatever may be said concerning 
 
 in them' them, do not allow the mind to imagine to itself any thing 
 greater concerning them than what we know at present. 
 Just as " the Word," although but little be said of It, does 
 not allow us to think (respecting It) any thing low or poor. 
 Since in proceeding he says of the earth, " The earth was 
 invisible and unformed." For having said that " He made" 
 it, and having settled its proper limit, he afterwards declares 
 fearlessly what follows, as knowing that there is no one so 
 silly as to suppose that it is without beginning and un- 
 created, since the word " earth," and that other " made," 
 
 « Ta oWot are opposed to rk ym/^tm »»Tp, as in the MS. Baroo. no. 210. 
 in the Platonic philosophy. The in the Bodl. Library. Our Lord is 
 reading here should be ytvtir^ for ytt- ytvvyiros eeysvviTus. 
 
Of the Eternal and Relative Being of the Word. 27 
 
 are enough to convince even a very simple person that it is John 
 not eternal nor increate, but one of those things created in ^' ^' 
 time. 
 
 [3.] Besides, the expression " was," applied to the earth 
 
 and to man, is not indicative of absolute existence. But in 
 
 the case of a man (it denotes) his being of a certain place, 
 
 in that of the earth its being in a certain way. For he has 
 
 not said absolutely " the earth was," and then held his 
 
 peace, but has taught how it was even after its creation, as 
 
 that it was " invisible and unformed," as yet covered by the 
 
 waters and in confusion. So in the case of Elkanah he does 
 
 not merely say that " there was a man," but adds also 
 
 whence he was, " of Armathaim Zophim." But in the case 
 
 of " the Word," it is not so. I am ashamed to try these 
 
 cases, one against the other, for if we find fault with those 
 
 who do so in the case of men, when there is a great difier- 
 
 ence in the virtue of those who are so tried, though in truth 
 
 their substance be one ; where the difference both of nature 
 
 and of every thing else is so infinite, is it not the extremest 
 
 madness to raise such questions ? But may He Who is 
 
 blasphemed by them be merciful to us. For it was not we 
 
 who invented the necessity of such discussions, but they 
 
 who war against their own salvation laid it on us. 
 
 What then do 1 say ? That this first " was," applied to 
 " the Word," is only indicative of His eternal Being, (for In 
 the beginning, he saith, was the Word,) and that the second 
 " was," [and the Word was with God,) denotes His relative 
 Being. For since to be eternal and without beginning is 
 most peculiar to God, this he puts first ; and then, lest any 
 one hearing that He was in the beginning, should assert, that 
 He was " unbegotten" also, he immediately remedies this by 
 saying, before he declares what He was, that He was with 
 God. And he has prevented any one fi'om supposing, that 
 this " Word" is simply such a one as is either uttered ■ or '(rj»j«{i. 
 conceived ^, by the addition, as I beforesaid, of the article, asf j"s,^^i- 
 well as by this second expression. For he does not say,"' 
 was " in God," but was with God ; declaring to us His 
 eternity as to person ^ Then, as he advances, he has more3i»i- 
 clearly revealed it, by adding, that this Word also was God. 
 
28 That if the Son were created, St. John would have declared it, 
 
 HoMiL. « But yet created," it may be said. What then hiudered 
 
 ^him from saying, that " In the beginning God made the 
 
 Word ?" at least Moses speating of the earth says, not that 
 " in the beginning was the earth," but that " He made 
 it," and then it was. What now hindered John from saying 
 in like manner, that " In the beginning God made the 
 Word ?" For if Moses feared lest any one should assert 
 
 ' dyitn- that the earth was uncreated ', much more ought John to have 
 feared this respecting the Son, if He was indeed created. 
 The world being visible, by this very circumstance proclaims 
 
 Ps.i9,i.its Maker, {the heavens, says the Psalmist, declare the glory 
 of God,) but the Son is invisible, and is greatly, infinitely, 
 higher than all creation. If now, in the one instance, where 
 we needed neither argument nor teaching to know that 
 
 Oyitnnc. the world is created % yet the Prophet sets down this fact 
 clearly and before all others ; much more should John have 
 declared the same concerning the Son, if He had really 
 
 3 KTirlsit been created '. 
 
 " Yes," it may be said, " but Peter has asserted this clearly 
 and openly." Where and when ? " When speaking to the 
 
 Acts 2, Jews he said, that God hath made Him loth Lord and 
 Christ. Why dost thou not add whg.t follows, 77ta< same 
 Jesus Whom ye have crucified ? or dost thou not know that 
 of the words, part relate to His unmixed Nature, part to His 
 Incarnation''? But if this be not the case, and thou wilt ab- 
 solutely understand all as referring to the Godhead, then 
 thou wilt make the Godhead capable of suffering ; but if not 
 capable of suffering, then not created. For if blood had 
 flowed from that divine and ineffable Nature, and if that 
 Nature, and not the flesh, had been torn and cut by the nails 
 upon the cross, on this supposition your quibbling would 
 have had reason ; but if not even the devil himself could 
 utter such a blasphemy, why dost thou feign to be 
 ignorant with ignorance so unpardonable, and such as not 
 the evil spirits themselves could pretend? Besides the 
 expressions Lord and Christ belong not to His Essence, but 
 
 * ilctij'm. to His dignity ; for the one refers to His Power *, the other 
 
 "i itxmn'm, signifies all that Christ tion of mankind. Vide. Euseb. Hist, 
 did and safiFered on earth for the salva- Ecc. i. 1. Not. 11, ed. Heiniohen. 
 
 atxtm- 
 filas. 
 
St. Peter and St. Paul taught first our Lord's Manhood. 29 
 
 to His having been anointed. What then wouldest thou say John 
 concerning the Son of God ? for if He were even, as you ^'^' 
 assert, created, this argument could not have place. For He 
 vyas not first created and afterwards God chose Him, nor 
 does He hold a kingdom which could be thrown aside, but 
 one which belongs by nature to His Essence ; since, when 
 asked if He were a King, He answers, To this end was o. 18,37. 
 / horn. But Peter speaks as concerning one chosen, 
 because his argument wholly refers to the Dispensation. 
 
 [4.] And why dost thou wonder if Peter says this? for 
 Paul, reasoning with the Athenians, calls Him " Man" only, 
 saying, By that Man whom He hath ordained, whereof He Acts 17, 
 hath given assurance to all men, in that He hath raised^^' 
 Him from the dead. He speaks nothing concerning " the Phil. 2 
 form of God," nor that He was " equal to Him," nor that^' 
 He was the " brightness of His glory." And with reason. Heb. i, 
 The time for words like "these was not yet come; but it^" 
 would have contented him that they should in the mean 
 while admit that He was Man, and that He rose again from 
 the dead. Christ Himself acted in the same manner, from 
 Whom Paul having learned, used this reserve, {ovroo to. irqoiy- 
 ILona. rnxovofx-ei.) For He did not at once reveal to us His 
 Divinity, but was at first held to be a Prophet and a good 
 Man'; but afterwards His real Nature was shewn by His 'al. 'and 
 works and words. On this account Peter too at first used this simply a 
 method, (for this was the first sermon that he made to the Man.' 
 Jews ;) and because they were not yet able clearly to under- 
 stand any thing respecting His Godhead, he dwelt on the 
 arguments relating to His Incarnation ; that their ears being 
 exercised in these, might open a way to the rest of his 
 teaching. And if any one will go through all the sermon 
 from the beginning, he will find what 1 say very observable, 
 for he (Peter) calls Him " Man," and dwells on the accounts 
 of His Passion, His Resurrection, and His generation ac- 
 cording to the flesh. Paul too when he says. Who was bornUom. i, 
 of the seed of David according to thefiesh, only teaches us that, "^g^j^ , 
 the word " made," is taken with a view ' to His Incarnation, E. V. 
 as we allow. But the son of thunder is now speaking to us 
 
 f i!-B{£(Aii3-T«i Js-J T?f shmfiias, " adopted in reference to." 
 
30 That if the Son were created, He would have declared it. 
 
 HoMiL. concerning His Ineffable and Eternal' Existence, and there- 
 - fore he leaves the word " made," and puts " was ;" yet if He 
 were created, this point he needs must most especially have 
 determined. For if Paul feared that some foolish persons 
 might suppose that He shall be greater than the Father, and 
 have Him Who begat Him made subject to Him, (for this is 
 the reason why the Apostle in sending to the Corinthians 
 writes, But when He saith. All things are put under Him, 
 it is manifest that He is excepted which did put all things 
 under Him, yet who could possibly imagine that the 
 Father, even in common with all things, will be subject 
 to the Son ?) if, I say, he nevertheless feared these foolish 
 imaginations, and says, He is excepted that did put all 
 things under Him; much more if the Son of God were 
 indeed created, ought John to have feared lest any one 
 should suppose Him uncreated, and to have taught on this 
 point before any other. 
 
 But now, since He was Begotten, with good reason neither 
 John nor any other, whether apostle or prophet, hath asserted 
 that He was created. Neither had it been sO would the 
 Only-Begotten Himself have let it pass unmentioned. 
 For He who spoke of Himself so humbly from condescen- 
 
 2 aoyxn.- sion'' would certainly not have been silent on this matter. 
 
 And I think it not unreasonable to suppose, that He would 
 be more likely to have the higher Nature, and say nothing 
 of it, than not having it to pass by this omission, and fail to 
 make known that He had it not. For in the first case there 
 was a good excuse for silence, namely. His desire to teach 
 mankind humility by being silent as to the greatness of His 
 attributes ; but in the second case you can find no just 
 excuse for silence. For why should He who declined many 
 of His real attributes have been, if He were created, silent as 
 to His having been made ? He Who, in order to teach humility, 
 often uttered expressions of lowliness, such as did not 
 properly belong to Him, much more if He had been 
 indeed created, would not have failed to speak of this. 
 Do you not see Him, in order that none may imagine Him 
 
 3 Jiyinti- not to have been begotten ', doing and saying every thing 
 "'■ to shew that He was so, uttering words unworthy both 
 
 of His dignity and His essence, and descending to the 
 
The Son lias declared His Perfect Likeness to the Father. 31 
 
 humble character of a Prophet ? For the expression, As John 
 / hear, I judge ; and that other, He hath told Me what ^- '• 
 / should say, and what I shoidd speak, and the like, belong 12,^49. 
 merely to a prophet. If now, from His desire to remove 
 this suspicion, He did not disdain to utter words thus lowly, 
 much more if He were created would He have said many 
 like words, that none might suppose Him to be uncreated; as, 
 " Think not that I am begotten of the Father ; I am created, 
 not begotten, nor do I share His essence." But as it is, He 
 does the very contrary, and utters words which compel men, 
 even against their will and desire, to admit the opposite 
 opinion. As, / am in the Father, and the Father in Me ; 14, 11. 
 and. Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou u, 9. 
 not known Me, Philip ? he that hath seen Me, hath seen the 
 Father. And, That aU men should honour the Son, even as 5, 23. 
 they honour the Father. As the Father raiseth up the deadb, 21. 
 and quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth whom He 
 will. My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. As the5,\7. 
 Father knoweth Me, even so know I the Father. I and My }"' g^' 
 Father are One. And every where by putting the " as," 
 and the " so," and the " being with the Father," He declares 
 His undeviating likeness to Him '. His power in Himself He 1 rhv^is 
 manifests by these, as well as by many other words ; as when """* 
 He says. Peace, be still. I will, be thou clean. Thou dumb xa|/av. 
 and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him. And again, ^^^ *' 
 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time. Thou Matt. 8, 
 shall not kill ; but I say unto you. That whosoever is angry jj^rk 9 
 with his brother without a cause, shall be in danger. And 25- 
 
 . Mate. 5, 
 
 all the other laws which He gave, and wonders which He 21. 22. 
 worked, are snfficient to shew His power, or rather, I should 
 say, a very small part of them is enough to bring over and 
 convince any, except the utterly insensate. 
 
 [5.] But vainglory^ is a thing powerful to blind even to very 2 al. 
 evident truths the minds of those ensnared by it, and to per-^^j°T®°^ 
 suade them to dispute against what is allowed by others; nay, 
 it instigates ^ some who know and are persuaded of the truth to 3 ix,i<pu 
 pretended ignorance and opposition. As took place in the 
 case of the Jews, for they did not through ignorance deny 
 the Son of God, but that they might obtain honour 
 from the multitude; "they believed," says the Evangelist, 
 
32 The strange tyranny of vainglory. 
 
 HoMiL. but were afraid, lest they should be put out of the synagogue. 
 — —^ Aud so they gave up ' their salvation to others ^. For it can- 
 'jrjMT.i-not be that he who is so zealous a slave to the glory of this 
 **' present world can obtain the glory which is from God. 
 5, 44. Wherefore He rebuked them, saying. How can ye believe, 
 which receive honour of men, and seek not the honour which 
 Cometh from God? This passion is a sort of deep intoxi- 
 cation, and makes him who is subdued by it hard to recover. 
 And having detached the souls of its captives from heavenly 
 things, it nails them to earth, and lets them not look up to 
 the true light, but persuades them ever to wallow in the mire, 
 giving them masters so powerfiil, that they have the rule over 
 them without needing to use commands. For the man who 
 is sick of this disease, does of his own accord, and without 
 bidding, all that he thinks will be agreeable to his masters. 
 On their account he clothes himself in rich apparel, and 
 beautifies his face, taking these pains not for himself but for 
 others ; and he leads about a train of followers through the 
 market-place, that others may admire him, and all that he 
 does he goes through, merely out of obsequiousness to the 
 rest of the world. Can any state of mind be more wretched 
 than this ? That others may admire him, he is ever being 
 
 2 xxTo.- precipitated ° to ruin. 
 
 'ziJai' Would you learn what a tyrannous sway it exercises? 
 Why surely, the words of Christ are sufficient to shew it all. 
 
 3 al.' but But yet listen to these further remarks'. If you will ask any 
 be™^Jn °f those men who mingle in state afi'airs and incur great 
 from expenses, why they lavish so much gold, and what their so 
 
 this' - . 
 
 vast expenditure means ; you will hear from them, that it is 
 for nothing else but to gratify the people. If again you ask 
 what the people may be; they will say, that it is a thing full 
 of confusion and turbulent, made up for the most part of 
 folly, tossed blindly to and fro like the waves of the sea, and 
 often composed of varying and adverse opinions. Must not 
 the man who has such a master be more pitiable thau any 
 one ? And yet strange though it be, it is not so strange that 
 worldly men should be eager about these things ; but that 
 those who say that they have started away from the world 
 should be sick of this same disease, or rather of one more 
 
 B i. e. gave up their salvation rather than offend others. 
 
The desire of human glory empty and unreasonable. 33 
 
 grievous still, this is the strangest thing of all. For with the John 
 first the loss extends only to money, but in the last case the ^" '" 
 danger reaches to the soul. For when men alter a right 
 faith for reputation's sake, and dishonour God that they may 
 be in high repute themselves, tell me, what excess of stupidity 
 and madness must there not be in what they do ? Other 
 passions, even if they are very hurtful, at least bring some 
 pleasure vrith them, though it be but for a time and fleeting ; 
 those who love money, or wine, or women, have, with their 
 hurt, a pleasure, though a brief oue. But those who are 
 taken captives by this passion, live a life continually em- 
 bittered arid stripped of enjoyment, for they do not obtain 
 what they earnestly desire, glory, I mean, from the many. 
 They think they enjoy it, but do not really, because the 
 thing they aim at is not glory at all. And therefore their 
 state of mind is not called glory', but a something void of' SsS* 
 glory, vaingloriousness", so have all the ancients named it, ^ *;»»-. 
 and with good reason ; inasmuch as it is quite empty, and ■ empty' 
 contains nothing bright or glorious within it, but as players' S^°'y-' 
 masks seem to be bright and lovely, but are hollow within, 
 (for which cause, though they be more beautiful than natural 
 faces, yet they never draw any to love them,) even so, or 
 rather yet more wretchedly, has the applause of the multitude 
 tricked out for us this passion, dangerous as an antagonist, 
 and cruel as a master. Its countenance alone is bright, but 
 within it is no more like the mask's mere emptiness, but 
 crammed with dishonour, and full of savage tyranny. Whence 
 then, it may be asked, has this passion, so unreasonable, so 
 devoid of pleasure, its birth ? Whence else but from a low, 
 mean soul ? It cannot be that one who is captivated by love 
 of applause should imagine readily anything great or noble ; 
 he needs must be base, mean, dishonourable, little. He 
 who does nothing for virtue's sake, but to please men worthy 
 of no consideration, and who ever makes account of their 
 mistaken and erring opinions, how can he be worth any 
 thing ? Consider ; if any one should ask him, What do you 
 think of the many ? he clearly would say, " that they are 
 thoughtless, and not to be regarded." Then if any one again 
 should ask him, " Would you choose to be like them ?" I do 
 not suppose he could possibly desire to be like them. Must 
 
 D 
 
34 The evils arising from the desire of human glory. 
 
 HoMiL.it not then be excessively ridiculous to seek the good opinion 
 
 '— of those whom you never would choose to resemble ? 
 
 [6.] Do you say that they are many and a sort of col- 
 lective body? this is the very reason why you ought most to 
 despise them. If when taken singly they are contemptible, 
 still more will this be the case when they are many ; for 
 when they are assembled together, their individual folly is 
 increased by numbers, and becomes greater. So that a man 
 might possibly take a single one of them and set him right, 
 but could not do so with them when together, because then 
 their folly becomes intense, and they are led like sheep, and 
 follow in every direction the opinions of one another. Tell 
 me, will you seek to obtain this vulgar glory ? Do not, I 
 beg and entreat you. It turns every thing upside down ; it is 
 the mother of avarice, of slander, of false witness, of trea- 
 cheries : it arms and exasperates those who have received 
 no injury against those who have inflicted none. He who 
 has fallen into this disease neither knows friendship nor 
 remembers old companionship, and knows not how to re- 
 spect any one at all; he has cast away from his soul all 
 goodness, and is at war with every one, unstable, without 
 natural affection. 
 
 Again, the passion of anger, tyrannical though it be and 
 hard to bear, still is not wont always to disturb, but only 
 when it has persons that excite it; but that of vainglory is 
 ever active, and there is no time, as one may say, when 
 it can cease, since reason neither hinders nor restrains it, 
 but it is always with us not only persuading us to sin, but 
 snatching from our hands any thing which we may chance 
 to do aright, or sometimes not allowing us to do right at 
 all. If Paul calls covetousness idolatry, what ought we to 
 name that which is mother, and root, and source of it, I 
 mean, vainglory ? We cannot possibly find any term such 
 as its wickedness deserves. Beloved, let us now return to 
 our senses ; let us put off this filthy garment, let us rend 
 and cut it off from us, let us at some time or other become 
 1 i^5yE«;« free with true freedom, and be sensible of the nobility' 
 birth.' which has been given to us by God ; let us despise vulgar 
 applause. For nothing is so ridiculous and disgraceful 
 as this passion, nothing so full of shame and dishonour. 
 
Men ought to seek the honour which comethfrom God. 35 
 
 One may in many ways see, that to love honour, is dishonour; John 
 and that true honour consists in neglecting honour, in making— ti— 
 no account of it, but in saying and doing every thing accord- 
 ing to what seems good to God. In this way we shall be 
 able to receive a reward from Him who sees exactly all our 
 doings, if we are content to have Him only for a spectator. 
 What need we other eyes, when He who shall confer the 
 prize is ever beholding our actions ? Is it not a strange 
 thing that, whatever a servant does, he should do to please 
 his master, should seek nothing more than his master's 
 observation, desire not to attract other eyes (though they be 
 great men who are looking on) to his conduct, but aim at one 
 thing only, that his master may observe him ; while we who 
 have a Lord so great, seek other spectators who can nothing 
 profit, but rather hurt us by their observation, and make all 
 our labour vain ? Not so, I beseech you. Let us call Him 
 to applaud and view our actions from whom we shall receive 
 our rewards. Let us have nothing to do with human eyes. 
 For if we should even desire to attain this honour, we shall 
 then attain to it, when we seek that which cometh from God 
 alone. For, He saith. Them that honour Me, I will honour, i S^™* 
 
 2 30 
 
 And even as we are best supplied with riches when we 
 despise them, and seek only the wealth which cometh from 
 God; {Seek, He saith, the kingdom of God, and all <^eseMatt.6, 
 things shall be added to you;) so it is in the case of honour. 
 When the granting either of riches or honour is no longer 
 attended with danger to us, then God gives them freely; 
 and it is then unattended with danger, when they have not 
 the rule or power over us, do not command us as slaves, 
 but belong to us as masters and free men. For the reason 
 that He wishes us not to love them is, that we may not be 
 ruled by them ; and if we succeed in this respect, He gives 
 us them with great liberality. Tell me, what is brighter than 
 Paul, when he says, We seek not honour of men, neither ^ '^}'^^- 
 of you, nor yet of others. What then is richer than him ' 
 who hath nothing, and yet possesseth all things ? for as I 
 said, when we are not mastered by them, then we shall 
 master them, then we shall receive them. If then we desire 
 to obtain honour, let us shun honour, so shall we be enabled 
 
 d2 
 
36 
 
 HoMiL. after accomplishing the laws of God to obtain both the good 
 
 '— things which are here, and those which are promised, by the 
 
 grace of Christ, with Whom, to the Father and the Holy- 
 Ghost, be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 
 
HOMILY IV. 
 
 John i. 1. 
 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God. 
 
 When children are just brought to their learning, their 
 teachers do not give them many tasks in succession, nor do 
 they set them once for all, but they often repeat to them the 
 same short ones, so that what is said may be easily implanted 
 in their minds, and they may not be vexed at the first onset 
 with the quantity, and with finding it hard to remember, and 
 become less active in picking up what is given them, a kind 
 of sluggishness arising from the difficulty. And I, who wish 
 to efiect the same with you, and to render your labour easy, 
 take by little and little the food which lies on this Divine 
 table, and instil it into your souls. On this account I shall 
 handle again the same words, not so as to say again the 
 same things, but to set before you only what yet remains. 
 Come, then, let us again apply our discourse to the intro- 
 duction. 
 
 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with 
 God. Why, when all the other Evangelists had begun with 
 the Dispensation ' ; (for Matthew says, The Book of the ' «'«»»- 
 generation of Jesus Christ, the Son of David ; and Luke'""' 
 too relates to us in the beginning of his Gospel the events 
 relating to Mary ; and in like manner Mark dwells on the 
 same narratives, from that point detailing to us the history 
 of the Baptist ;) why, when they began with these matters, 
 
38 Why St. John speah immediately of the Eternal Subsistence. 
 
 HoMiL. did John briefly and in a later place hint at them, saying, the 
 -ill- Word teas made Flesh ; and, passing by every thing else, 
 ■ His conception, His birth, His bringing up. His growth, 
 at once discourse to us concerning His Eternal Generation ? 
 I will now tell you what the reason of this is. Because 
 the other Evangelists had dwelt most on the accounts of His 
 coming in the Flesh, there was fear lest some, being of 
 grovelling minds, might for this reason rest in these doc- 
 trines alone, as indeed was tlje case with Paul of Samosata. 
 In order, therefore, to lead away from this fondness for earth 
 those who were like to fall into it, and to draw them up 
 towai-ds heaven, with good reason he commences his nar- 
 rative from above, and from the eternal subsistence. For 
 while Matthew enters upon his relation from Herod the 
 Mng, Luke from Tiberius Caesar, Mark from the Baptism of 
 John, this Apostle, leaving alone all these things, ascends 
 1 xlZm beyond all time or age '. Thither darting forward the 
 imagination of his hearers to the " was in the beginning," 
 not allowing it to stay at any point, nor setting any limit, as 
 they did in Herod, and Tiberius, and John. 
 
 And what we may mention besides as especially deserving 
 our admiration is, that John, though he gave himself up to 
 ' xoV the higher doctrine *, yet did not neglect the Dispensation ; 
 nor were the others, though intent upon the relation of this, 
 silent as to the subsistence before the ages. With good cause; 
 for One Spirit It was that moved the souls of all ; and there- 
 fore they have shewn great unanimity in their narrative. But 
 thou, beloved, when thou hast heard of The Word, do not 
 endure those who say, that He is a work ; nor those even 
 who think, that He is simply a word. For many are the 
 words of God which angels execute, but of those words none 
 is God ; they all are prophecies or commands, (for in Scrip- 
 ture it is usual to call the laws of God His commands, and 
 prophecies, words ; wherefore in speaking of the angels, he 
 Ps. 103, says. Mighty in strength, fulfilling His word,) but this 
 Tmx Word is a Being with subsistence ^ proceeding* without 
 i.i/jro- affection* from the Father Himself. For this, as I before 
 '™j"L said, he has shewn by the term Word. As therefore the 
 luMa expression, In the beginning was the Word, shews His 
 
 ^ altuSats ^T , .77.. 
 
 Eternity, so ic-as m the beginning with God, has declared to 
 
The Word Co-eternal with the Father. 39 
 
 us His Co-eternity. For that you may not, when you hear John 
 In the beginning was the Word, suppose Him to be Eternal, — '—^ 
 
 and yet imagine the life of the Father to differ from His by 
 some interval and longer duration, and so assign a beginning 
 to the Only-Begotten, he adds, was in the beginning with 
 God; so eternally even as the Father Himself, for the Father 
 was never without the Word, but He was always God with 
 God, yet Each in His proper Person'. ^i«<i(tTa- 
 
 How then, one says, does John assert, that He was in the 
 world, if He was with God? Because He was both^ with ''=^^-'<^°'l 
 God and in the world also. For neither Father nor Son are God' 
 limited in any way. Since, if there is no end of His great- Fs.U5, 
 ness, and if of His wisdom there is no number, it is clear p^ ^^^7 
 that there cannot be any beginning in time^ to His Essence. S- 
 
 5, 
 
 vTartaic 
 
 Thou hast heard, that In the beginning God made the Gen. 1 
 heaven and the earth; what dost thou understand from this^* 
 beginning ? clearly, that they were created before all visible 
 things. So, respecting the Only-Begotten, when you hear 
 that He was in the beginning, conceive of Him as before 
 all intelligible things *, and before the ages. '' mnrSt 
 
 But if any one say, " How can it be that He is a Son, and 
 yet not younger than the Father ? since that which proceeds 
 from something else needs must be later than that from 
 which it proceeds;" we vvill say that, properly speaking, 
 these are human reasonings ; that he who questions on this 
 matter will question on others yet more improper ° ; and that ' '','" 
 to such we ought not even to give ear. For our speech is 
 now concerning God, not concerning the nature of men, 
 which is subject to the sequence and necessary conclusions 
 of these reasonings. Still, for the assurance of the weaker 
 sort, we will speak even to these points. 
 
 [2.] Tell me, then, does the radiance of the sun proceed 
 from the substance ° itself of the sun, or from some other *j)b«»5 
 source ? Any one not deprived of his very senses needs must 
 confess, that it proceeds from the substance itself. Yet, 
 although the radiance proceeds from the sun itself, we 
 cannot say that it is later in point of time than the substance 
 of that body, since the sun has never appeared without its 
 rays. Now if in the case of these visible and sensible bodies 
 there has been shewn to be somelliing which proceeds from 
 
40 If the Son he not without a beginning, neither is the Father. 
 
 HoMit,. something else, and yet is not, after that from whence it 
 
 ^proceeds; why are you incredulous in the case of the 
 
 invisible and ineffable Nature ? This same thing there takes 
 
 place, but in a manner suitable to That Substance °. For it 
 
 Heb. 1, is for this reason that Paul too calls Him Brightness; setting 
 
 forth thereby His being from Him and His Co-eternity. 
 
 iji». Again, tell me, were not all the ages, and every interval' 
 
 '"■"'"" created by Him ? Any man not deprived of his senses must 
 
 2|«5«« necessarily confess this. There is no interval ° therefore 
 
 between the Son and the Father ; and if there be none, then 
 
 He is not after, but Co-eternal with Him. For " before" 
 
 and " after" are notions implying time, since, without age or 
 
 time, no man could possibly imagine these words j but God 
 
 is above times and ages. 
 
 But if in any case you say that you have found a begin- 
 ning to the Son, see whether by the same reason and argu- 
 ment you are' not compelled to reduce the Father also to 
 a beginning, earlier indeed, but still a beginning. For when 
 you have assigned to the Son a limit and beginning of 
 existence, do you not proceed upwards from that point, and 
 say, that the Father was before it ? Clearly you do. Tell me 
 then, what is the extent of the Father's prior subsistence .? 
 For whether you say that the interval is little, or whether 
 you say it is great, you equally have brought the Father to 
 a beginning. For it is clear, that it is by measuring the 
 space that you say whether it is little or great; yet it would 
 not be possible to measure it, unless there were a beginning 
 on either side ; so that as far as you are concerned you have 
 given the Father a beginning, and henceforth, according to 
 your argument, not even the Father will be without begin- 
 ning. See you that the word spoken by the Saviour is true, 
 and the saying every where discovers its force .? And what 
 John 5, is that word? It is. He that honour eth not the Son, honoureth 
 ^^" not the Father. 
 
 And I know indeed that what now has been said cannot 
 
 by many be comprehended, and therefore it is that in many 
 
 3i»- places we avoid' agitating questions of human reasonings, 
 
 ^ia!' because the rest of the people cannot follow such arguments, 
 
 'put off' and if they could, still they have nothing firm or sure in 
 
 " n airh Jn nmt litTit curus as ixtlty rfi tlirlf ft^itroy h. 
 
The Son Co-eternal and of one Essence with the Father. 41 
 
 them. For the thoughts of mortal men are miserable, and John 
 our devices are but uncertain. Still I should like to ask our —^ 
 objectors, what means that which is said by the Prophet, 9, 14.' 
 . .. Before Me there was no God formed, nor is there any after Is. ia, 
 Me. For if the Son is younger than the Father, how, says ' 
 He, Nor is there^ any after Me? Will you take away the'LXX 
 being of the Only-Begotten Himself? You either must dare'''"'" 
 this, or admit One Godhead with distinct Persons of the 
 Father and the Son. 
 
 Finalh", how could the expression. All things were made 
 by Him, be true ? For if there is an age older than He, how 
 can that^ which was before Him have been made by Him?2«,al.o 
 See ye to what daring the argument has carried them, when 
 once the truth has been unsettled ? Why did not the 
 Evangelist say, that He was made from things that were not, 
 as Paul declares of all things, when he says, Who calleth Rom. 4, 
 those things which be not as though they were; but says, Was 
 in the beginning f This is contrary to that; and with good 
 reason. For God neither is made ', nor has any thing older ; 3 ySnriu 
 these are words of the Greeks *. Tell me this too : Would * Hea- 
 you not say, that the Creator beyond all comparison excels 
 His works ? Yet since that which is from things that were 
 not is similar to them, where is the superiority not admitting 
 of comparison? And what mean the expressions, I am the^a.ii,6. 
 first and I am the last ; and, before Me was no other Godla'.i3, 
 formed? For if the Son be not of the same Essence, there is ' 
 another God ; and if He be not Co-eternal, He is after Him ; 
 and if He did not proceed from His Essence, clear it is that 
 He was made. But if they assert, that these things were 
 said to distinguish Him from idols, why do they not allow 
 that it is to distinguish Him from idols that he says, theSohiiit, 
 Only True God ? Besides, if this was said to distinguish Him ^' 
 from idols, how would you interpret the whole sentence.? 
 After Me, He says, is no other God. In saying this, He 
 does not exclude the Son, but that " After Me there is no 
 idol God," not that " there is no Son." Allowed, says he ; 
 what then ? and the expression. Before Me was no otlier 
 God formed, will you so understand, as that no idol God 
 indeed was formed before Him, but yet a Son was formed 
 
42 The Son Infinite and Eternal. 
 
 HoMiL. before Him? What evil spirit would assert this? I do not 
 
 — - suppose that even Satan himself would do so. 
 
 Moreover, if He be not Co-eternal with the Father, how 
 
 can you say that His Life is infinite ? For if it have a 
 
 • Urnkv, beginning from before ', although it be endless, yet it is not 
 
 ante.' infinite; for the infinite must be infinite in both directions. 
 
 Heb. 7, As Paul also declared, when he said, Having neither hegin- 
 
 ning of day!^, nor end of life; by this expression shewing 
 
 that He is both without beginning and without end. For 
 
 as the one has no limit, so neither has the other. In one 
 
 direction there is no end, in the other no beginning. 
 
 [3.] And how again, since He is Life, was there ever 
 when He was not ? For all must allow, that Life both 
 is always, and is without beginning and without end, if 
 It be indeed Life, as indeed It is. For if there be when 
 It is not, how can It be the life of others, when It even 
 Itself is not ? 
 
 ' How then,' says one, ' does John lay down a beginning 
 
 by saying. In the beginning was? Tell me, have you 
 
 attended to the In the beginning, and to the was, and do 
 
 you not understand the expression, the Word was ? What ! 
 
 Ps.90,2.when the Prophet says. From, everlasting^ and to everlasting 
 
 Tliou art, does he say this to assign Him limits ? No, but to 
 
 declare His Eternity. Consider now that the case is the 
 
 same in this place. He did not use the expression as 
 
 assigning limits, since he did not say, " had a beginning," 
 
 but, was in the beginning; by the word was can-ying thee 
 
 forward to the idea that the Son is without beginning. ' Yet 
 
 observe,' says he, ' the Father is named with the addition of 
 
 the article, but the Son without it.' What then, when the 
 
 Tit. 2, Apostle says. The Great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 
 
 Kom.g.an'J again, Who is above all, God? It is true that here he 
 
 6- has mentioned the Son, without the article ; but he does the 
 
 same with the Father also, at least in his Epistle to the 
 
 c. 2, 6. Philippians, he says, Who being in the form of God, thought 
 
 it not robbery to be equal ivith Qod ; and again to the 
 
 Rom. 1, Romans, Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father, 
 
 ''• and the Lord Jesus Christ. Besides, it was superfluous for 
 
 ^conzSiii to be attached in that place, when close' above it was 
 
 2 
 
 Kimss 
 
Attributas of the Godhead ascribed to the Son. 43 
 
 continually attached to " the Word." For as in speaking John 
 concerning the Father, he says, Qod is a Spirit, and we do -iiii- 
 not, because the article is not joined to Spirit, yet deny the 24.''°*' 
 Spiritual Nature of God; so here, although the article is not 
 annexed to the Son, the Son is not on that account a less 
 God. Why so? Because in saying God, and again Qod, he 
 does not reveal to us any difference in this Godhead, but the 
 contrary; for having before said, and the Word was Qod; 
 that no one might suppose the Godhead of the Son to be 
 inferior, he immediately adds the characteristics of genuine 
 Godhead, including Eternity, (for He was, says he, in the 
 beginning with God,) and attributing to Him the office of 
 Creator. For by Him were all things made, and without 
 Him was not any thing made that was made; which His 
 Father also every where by the Prophets declares to be 
 especially characteristic of His own Essence. And the 
 Prophets are continually busy on this kind of demonstration, 
 not only of itself, but when they contend against the honour 
 shewn to idols ; Let the gods perish, says one, who have not Jen. 10, 
 made heaven and earth : and again, / have stretched out the is\i 
 heaven with My hand; and it is as declaring it to be indi-24. 
 cative of Divinity, that He every where puts it. And the 
 Evangelist himself was not satisfied with these words, but 
 calls Him Life too and Light. If now He was ever with 
 the Father, if He Himself created all things, if He brought 
 all things into existence, and keeps together all things, (for ' »i/j,«{s- 
 this he meant by Life,) if He enlightens all things, who so "'' ^'" 
 senseless as to say, that the Evangelist desired to teach ani-ir 
 inferiority of Divinity by those very expressions, by which, 
 rather than by any others, it is possible to express its equality 
 and not differing ? Let us not then confound the creation 
 with the Creator, lest we too hear it said of us, that they'S.om.l, 
 served the creature rather than the Creator; for although it 
 be asserted that this is said of the heavens, still in speaking 
 of the heavens he positively says, that we must not serve^ the ^^ar^iu- 
 creature, for it is a heathenish ^ thing. '''e^.;!.)!, 
 
 [4.] Let us therefore not lay ourselves under this curse. ""'' 
 For this the Son of God came, that He might rid us from 
 this service ; for this He took the form of a slave, that He 
 might free us from this slavery; for this He was spit upon. 
 
44 Anger to be quenched betimes. 
 
 HoMiL. for this He was buffeted, for this He endured the shameful 
 
 '— death. Let us not, I entreat you, make all these things of 
 
 none effect, let us not go back to our former unrighteousness, 
 or rather to unrighteousness much more grievous; for to 
 serve the creature is not the same thing as to bring down the 
 Creator, as far at least as in us lies, to the meanness of the 
 creature. For He continues being such as He is ; as says 
 
 Ps. 102, the Psalmist, Thou art the same, and Thy years shall not 
 fail. Let us then glorify Him as we have received from our 
 fathers, let us glorify Him both by our faith and by our 
 works ; for sound doctrines avail us nothing to salvation, if 
 our life is corrupt. Let us then order it according to what 
 is well-pleasing to God, setting ourselves far from all filthi- 
 ness, unrighteousness, and covetousness, as strangers and 
 foreigners and aliens to the things here on earth. If any 
 have much wealth and possessions, let him so use them as 
 one who is a sojourner, and who, whether he will or not, 
 shall shortly pass from them. If one be injured by another, 
 let him not be angry for ever, nay rather not even for a time. 
 For the Apostle has not allowed us more than a single day 
 for the venting of anger. 
 
 Eph. 4, Let not, says he, the sun go down upon your wrath ; and 
 with reason ; for it is matter for contentment that even iu 
 so short a time nothing unpleasant take place; but if night 
 also overtake us, what has happened becomes more grievous, 
 because the fire of our wrath is increased ten thousand times 
 by memory, and we at our leisure enquire into it more 
 bitterly. Before therefore we obtain this pernicious leisure 
 and kindle a hotter fire, he bids us arrest beforehand and 
 quench the mischief For the passion of wrath is fierce, 
 fiercer than any flame; and so we need much haste to pre- 
 vent the flame, and not allow it to blaze up high, for so this 
 disease becomes a cause of many evils. It has overturned 
 whole houses, it has dissolved old companionships, and has 
 worked tragedies not to be remedied in a short moment of 
 
 Eoolos. time. For, saith one, the sicay of Ids fury shall he his 
 ' ■ destruction. Let us not then leave such a wild beast un- 
 bridled, but put upon him a muzzle in all ways strong, the 
 fear of the judgment to come. Whenever a friend grieves 
 thee, or one of thine own family exasperates thee, think of 
 
The victory over self. 46 
 
 the sins thou hast committed against God, and that by kind- John 
 ness towards him thou makest that judgment more lenient to ■^•'' 
 thyself, [Forgive, saith He, and ye shall be forgiven^ and Lute 6, 
 thy passion shall quickly skulk away*. i ?{««■•- 
 
 And besides, consider this, whether there has been a time '"'■'"' 
 when thou wert being carried away into ferocity, and didst 
 control thyself, and another time when thou hast been 
 dragged along by the passion. Compare the two seasons, 
 and thou shall gain thence great improvement, For tell me, 
 when didst thou praise thyself? Was it when thou wast 
 worsted, or when thou hadst the mastery? Do we not in 
 the first case vehemently blame ourselves, and feel ashamed 
 even when none reproves us, and do not many feelings of 
 repentance come over us, both for what we have said and 
 done ; but when we gain the mastery, then are we not proud, 
 and exult as conquerors.'' For victory in the case of anger 
 is, not the requiting evil with the like, (that is utter defeat,) 
 but the bearing meekly to be ill treated and ill spoken of. 
 To get the better is not to inflict but to suffer evil. There- 
 fore when angry do not say, " certainly I will retaliate," 
 " certainly I will be revenged ;" do not persist in saying to 
 those who exliort you to gain a victory, " I will not endure 
 that the man mock me, and escape clear." He will never 
 mock thee except when thou avengest thyself; or if he even 
 should mock thee, he will do so as a fool. Seek not when 
 thou conquerest honour from fools, but consider that suffi- 
 cient which comes from men of understanding. Nay, why do 
 I set before thee a small and mean body of spectators, when 
 I make it up of men ? Look up straight to God : He will 
 praise thee, and the man who is approved by Him must not 
 seek honour from mortals. Mortal honour often arises from 
 flattery or hatred of others, and brings no profit; but the 
 decision of God is fi-ee firom this inequality, and brings great 
 advantage to the man whom He approves. This praise then 
 let us follow after. 
 
 Will you learn what an evil is anger? Stand by while 
 others are quarrelling in the forum. In yourself you cannot 
 easily see the disgrace of the thing, because your reason is 
 darkened and drunken; but when you are clear from the 
 passion, and while your judgment is sound, view your own 
 
46 Anger ridiculous, and followed hy remorse. 
 
 HoMiL. case in ofhers. Observe, I pray you, the crowds collecting 
 
 ^ round, and the angry men like maniacs acting shamefully in 
 
 the midst. For when the passion boils up within the breast, 
 and becomes excited and savage, the mouth breathes fire, 
 the eyes emit fire, all the face becomes swollen, the hands 
 are extended disorderly, the feet dance ridiculously, and 
 they spring at those who restrain them, and differ nothing 
 from madmen in their insensibility to all these things; nay, 
 differ not from wild asses, kicking and biting. Truly a 
 passionate man is not a graceful one. 
 
 And then, when after this exceedingly ridiculous conduct, 
 they return home and come to themselves, they have the 
 greater pain, and much fear, thinking who were present when 
 they were angry. For like raving men, they did not then 
 knovv the standers by, but when they have returned to their 
 right mind, then they consider, were they friends .' were they 
 foes and enemies that looked on ? And they fear alike about 
 both; the first because they will condemn them and give them 
 more shame; the others because they will rejoice at it And 
 if they have even exchanged blows, then their fear is the 
 more pressing; for instance, lest any thing very grievous 
 happen to the sufferer; a fever follow and bring on death, 
 or a troublesome swelling rise and place him in danger of 
 the worst. And, " what need" (say they) " had I of fight- 
 ing, and violence, and quarrelling ? Perish such things." 
 And then they curse the ill-fiited business which caused 
 them to begin, and the more foolish lay on " wicked spirits," 
 and " an evil hour," the blame of what has been done ; but 
 these things are not from an evil hour, (for there is no such 
 thing as an evil hour,) nor from a wicked spirit, but from the 
 wickedness of those captured by the passion ; they draw the 
 spirits to them, and bring upon themselves all things terri- 
 ble. " But the heart swells," says one, " and is stung by 
 insults." I know it; and that is the reason why I admire 
 those who master this dreadful wild beast ; yet it is possible 
 if We will, to beat off the passion. For why when our rulers 
 insult us do we not feel it? It is because fear counter- 
 balances the passion, and frightens us from it, and does not 
 allow it to spring up at all. And why too do our servants, 
 though insulted by us in ten thousand ways, bear all in 
 
Patient enduring for Ood's sake. 47 
 
 silence ? Because they too have the same restraint laid upon John 
 them. And think thou not merely of the fear of God, but ^- ^- 
 that it is even God Himself Who then insults thee, Who 
 bids thee be silent, and then thou wWi bear all things meekly, 
 and say to the aggressor. How can I be angvy with thee ? 
 there is another that restrains both my hand and my tongue; 
 and the saying will be a suggestion of sound wisdom, both 
 to thyself and to him. Even now we bear unbearable things 
 on account of men, and often say to those who have insulted 
 us, " Such an one insulted me, not you." Shall we not use 
 the same caution in the case of God.? How else can we 
 hope for pardon.? Let us say to our soul, "It is God Who 
 holds our hands, Who now insults us; let us not be restive, 
 let not God be less honoured by us than mSn." Did ye 
 shudder at the word .? I wish you would shudder not at the word 
 only, but at the deed. For God hath commanded us when 
 buffeted not only to endure it, but even to offer ourselves to 
 suffer something worse; and we withstand Him with such 
 vehemence, that we not only refuse to offer ourselves to 
 suffer evil, but even avenge ourselves, nay often are the first 
 to act on the offensive ", and think we are disgraced if we do ' Hi^"' 
 not the same in return. Yes, and the mischief is, that when -^i',^"" 
 utterly worsted we think ourselves conquerors, and when 
 lying undermost and receiving ten thousand blows from the 
 devil, then we imagine that we are mastering him. Let us 
 then, I exhort you, understand what is the nature^ of this "'•«»*« 
 victory, and this kind of nature' let us follow after. To ^'■e;^" 
 suffer evil is to get the crown. If then we wish to be pro- 
 claimed victors by God, let us not in these contests observe 
 the laws of heathen, games, but those of God, and learn to 
 bear all things with longsuffering; for so we may get the belter 
 of our antagonists, and obtain both present and promised 
 goods, through the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ, through Whom and with Whom to the Father 
 and the Holy Spirit be glory, power, and honour, now and 
 ever, and world without end. Amen. 
 
HOMILY V. 
 
 John i. 3. 
 
 All things were made hy Him; and without Him was not 
 any thing made that was made. 
 
 Moses in tjie beginning of the history and writings of the 
 Old Testament speaks to us of the objects of sense, and 
 enumerates them to us at length. For, In the beginning, he 
 says, God made the heaven and the earth, and then he adds, 
 that light was created, and a second heaven and the stars, 
 the various kinds of living creatures, and, that we may not 
 delay by going through particulars, every thing else. But 
 this Evangelist, cutting all short, includes both these things 
 and the things which are above these in a single sentence ; 
 with reason, because they were known to his hearers, and 
 because he is hastening to a greater subject, and has in- 
 stituted all his treatise, that he might speak not of the works 
 but of the Creator, and Him Who produced them all. And 
 therefore Moses, though he has selected the smaller portion 
 of the creation, (for he has spoken nothing to us concerning 
 1 i.e. the the invisible powers,) dwells on these things'; while John, as 
 CTeation hastening to ascend to the Creator Himself, runs by both 
 these things, and those on which Moses was silent, having 
 comprised them in one little saying, All things were made by 
 Him. And that you may not think that he merely speaks of 
 all the things mentioned by Moses, he adds, that without 
 Him was not any thing made that was made. That is to 
 2ij».T.\ say, that of created things, not one, whether it be visible^' or 
 3 v„w, intelligible' was brought into being without the power of the 
 Son. 
 
 For we will not put the full stop after not any thing, as 
 the heretics do. They, because they wish to make the Spnit 
 
Absurdities arising from the heretical reading. 49 
 
 created, say, "What was made, in Him was Life ;" yet so what John 
 is said becomes unintelligible. First, it was not the time here ^'^' ■ 
 to make mention of the Spirit, and if he desired to do so, why 
 did he state it so indistinctly? For how is it clear that this 
 saying relates to the Spirit ? Besides, we shall find by this 
 argument, not that the Spirit, but that the Son Himself, is 
 created by Himself. But rouse yourselves, that what is said 
 may not escape yon; and come, let us read for a while after 
 their fashion, for so its absurdity will be clearer to us. 
 " What was made, in Him was Life." They say that the Spirit 
 is called " Life." But this " Life" is found to be also " Light," 
 for he adds, And tJie Life was the Light of men. Therefore, v. 4. 
 according to them the Light of men here means the Spirit. 
 Well, but when he goes on to say, that " There was a man v. 6, 7. 
 sent from God, to bear witness of that Light," they needs 
 must assert, that this too is spoken of the Spirit; for Whom he 
 above called Word, Him as he proceeds he calls God, and 
 Life, and Light. This Word he says was Life, and this Life 
 was Light. If now this Word was Life, and if this Word 
 and this Life became flesh, then the Life, that is to say, the 
 Word, was made flesh, and we beheld Its glory, the glory as 
 of the Only-Begotten of the Father. If then they say that 
 the Spirit is here called Life, consider what strange con- 
 sequences will follow. It will be the Spirit, not the Son, that 
 was made flesh ; the^Spirit will be the Only-Begotten Son. 
 
 And those who read the passage so will fall, if not into this, 
 yet in avoiding this into another most strange conclusion. 
 If they allow that the words are spoken of the Son, and yet 
 do not stop or read as we do, then they will assert that the 
 Son is created by Himself. Since, if " the Word was Life," 
 and "what was made in Him was Life ;" according to this 
 reading He is created in Himself and through Himself. 
 Then after some words between, he has added. And we beheld v. 14. 
 His glory, the glory as of the Only-Begotten of the Father. 
 See, the Holy Spiiit is found, according to the reading of 
 those who assert these things, to be also an only-begotten 
 Son, for it is concerning Him that all this declaration is 
 Uttered by him. See when the word has swerved ' from the ^^**jj-/' 
 truth, whither it is perverted, and what strange consequences ' been 
 
 .. T , rolled 
 
 it produces ! away' 
 
 E 
 
50 The Son the true Life. 
 
 HoMtL. What then, says one, is not the Spirit Light? It is Light: 
 
 ^ — but in this place there is no mention of the Spirit. Since 
 
 even God (the Father) is called " Spirit," that is to say, in- 
 corporeal, yet God (the Father) is not absolutely meant 
 wherever "Spirit" is mentioned. And why do you wonder 
 if we say this of the Father ? We could not even say of the 
 Comfbrter, that wherever "Spirit" (is mentioned), the Com- 
 forter is absolutely meant, and yet this is His most distinctive 
 name; still not always where Spirit (is mentioned is) the 
 
 1 Cor. Comforter (meant). Thus Christ is called the power of God, 
 ' ' and the wisdom of God; yet not always where the power 
 
 and the wisdom of God are mentioned is Christ meant; so in 
 this passage, although the Spirit does give Light, yet the 
 Evangelist is not now speaking of the Spirit. 
 
 When we have shut them out from these strange opinions, 
 they who take all manner of pains to withstand the truth, 
 say, (still clinging to the same reading,) " Whatever came 
 ' yiym into existence ', by him was life, because," says one, " what- 
 ever came into existence was life." What then do you say 
 of the punishment of the men of Sodom, and the flood, and 
 hell fire, and ten thousand like things? "But," says one, 
 
 2 iniii- " we are speaking of the material creation^." Well, these too 
 ""£»"«« belong entirely to the material creation. But that we may 
 5|x«- out of our abundance^ refute their argument, we will ask 
 {Mw,«!c them, "Is wood, life," tell me? " Is stone, life ?" these things 
 
 that are lifeless and motionless? Nay, is man absolutely 
 """"I"'' life ? Who would say so? he is not pure life% but is capable 
 of receiving life. 
 
 [2.] See here again, an absurdity; by the same succession 
 of consequences we will bring the argument to such a point, 
 that even hence you may learn their folly. In this way they 
 assert things by no means befitting of the Spirit. Being 
 driven from their other ground, they apply those things to men, 
 which they before thought to be spoken worthily of the Spirit. 
 However, let us examine the reading itself this way also. The 
 creature is now called " life," therefore, the same is " light," 
 and John came to witness concerning it. Why then is not 
 
 V. 8. he also "light?" He says that he was not that light, a.nd 
 yet he belonged to created things? How then is he not 
 
 V. 10. "light?" How was he in the world, and the world was 
 
AH created things made by the Son. 51 
 
 made hy him? Was the creature in the creature, and was John 
 the creature made by the creature? But how did the world- ^' ^ ' 
 know him not? How did the creature not know the crea- 
 ture ? But as many as received him, to them gave he power v. 12. 
 to become the sons of God- But enough of laughter. For 
 the rest I leave it to you to attack these monstrous reasonings, 
 that we may not seem to have chosen' to raise a laugh for its ' Sav. 
 own sake, and waste the time without cause. For if these 5"^] 
 things are neither said of the Spirit, (and it has been shewn *«»?{?»•- 
 that they are not,) nor of any thing created, and yet they 
 still hold to the same reading, that stranger conclusion than 
 any which we before mentioned, will follow, that the Son was 
 made by Himself. For if the Son is the true Light, and this 
 Light was Life, and this Life was made in Him, this must 
 needs be the result according to their own reading. Let us 
 then relinquish this reading, and come to the recognised 
 reading and explanation^. "il^ynnt 
 
 And what is that? It is to make the sentence end at was 
 made, and to begin the next sentence with. In Him was Life. 
 What (the Evangelist) says is this, Without Him was not 
 any thing made that was made ; whatever created thing was 
 made, says he, was not made without Him. See you how by 
 this short addition he has rectified all the besetting ^ difficul- ' "*»e- 
 ties; for the saying, that without Him was not any thing^^""' 
 made, and then the adding, which was made, includes things ' ^}°o^; 
 cognizable by the intellect % but excludes the Spirit. For 
 after he had said that all things were made by Him, and 
 without Him was not any thing made, he needed this addi- 
 tion, lest some one should say, " If all things were made by 
 Him, then the Spirit also was made." " I," he replies, " as- 
 serted that whatever was made was made by Him, even though 
 it be invisible, or incorporeal, or in the heavens. For this 
 reason, I did not say absolutely, ' all things,' but ' whatever 
 was made,' that is, ' created things,' but the Spirit is un- 
 created.' " 
 
 Do you see the precision of his teaching ? He has alluded 
 to the creation of material things, (for concerning these 
 Moses had taught before him,) and after bringing us to 
 advance from thence to higher things, I mean the immaterial 
 
 > i. e. the things of the invisible world, opposed to ojari. 
 E 2 
 
^0. 
 
 52 The Son as Creator not inferior to the Father. 
 
 HoMiL. and the invisible, he excepts the Holy Spirit from all creation. 
 qpI \ And so Paul, inspired by the same grace, said, For by Him 
 16. were all things created. Observe too here again the same 
 exactness. For the same Spirit moved this soul also. That 
 no one should except any created things from the works of 
 God because of their being invisible, nor yet should confound 
 the Comforter with them, after running through the objects 
 of sense which are known to all, he enumerates also things 
 in the heavens, saying, Whether they be thrones, or do- 
 minions, or principalities, or powers ; for the expression 
 " whether" subjoined to each, shews to us nothing else 
 but this, that by Him all things were made, and without 
 Him was not any thing made that was made. 
 ' <"", But if you think that the expression " by ' " is a mark 
 
 S,i of inferiority, (as making Christ an instrument,) hear him 
 Ps. 102, say, Thou, Lord, in the beginning, hast laid the foundation 
 of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Thy hands. 
 He says of the Son what is said of the Father in His 
 character of Creator ; which he would not have said, unless 
 he had deemed of Him as of a Creator, and yet not sub- 
 servient to any. And if the expression " by Him" is here 
 used, it is put for no other reason but to prevent any one 
 from supposing the Son to be Unbegotten. For that in 
 respect of the title of Creator He is nothing inferior to the 
 c. 5, 21. Father; hear from Himself, where He saith. As the Father 
 raiseth up the dead and quickeneth them, even so the Son 
 quickeiieth whom He will. If now in the Old Testament it 
 is said of the Son, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the 
 foundation of the earth. His title of Creator is plain. But 
 if you say that the Prophet spoke this of the Father, and 
 that Paul attributed to the Son what was said of the Father, 
 even so the conclusion is the same. For Paul would not 
 have decided that the same expression suited the Son, unless 
 he had been very confident that between Father and Son 
 there was an equality of honour ; since it would have been 
 an act of extremest rashness to refer what suited an in- 
 comparable Nature to a nature inferior to, and falling short 
 (3.) of it. But the Son is not inferior to, nor falls' short of, 
 the Essence of the Father ; and therefore Paul has not only 
 dared to use these expressions concerning Him, but also 
 
The same expressions used of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. 53 
 
 others like them. For the expression " from Whom," which John 
 you decide to belong properly to the Father alone, he uses ^" ^' 
 
 also concerning the Son, when he says, from which all the Col. 2, 
 body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, ^^" 
 and knit together, increaseth with the increase of Ood. 
 
 And he is not content with this only, he stops your mouths 
 in another way also, by applying to the Father the expres- 
 sion " by Whom," which you say is a mark of inferiority. 
 For he says, God is faithful, by Whom ye were called unto i Cor. 
 the fellowship of His Son: and again, " By His will:" and|'cor_ 
 in another place. For of Him, and through Him, and tol-^-^o- 
 Him, are all things. Neither is the expression "from '11,26. 
 Whom," assigned to the Son only, but also to the Spirit; for' ^* 
 the angel said to Joseph, Fear not to take unto thee Mary ^VTatt. 1, 
 thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy 
 Ghost. As also the Prophet does not deem it improper to 
 apply to the Father the expression " in WhomV' which be- 2 i, f 
 longs to the Spirit, when he says, In^ Qod we shall do ^^ ' 
 valiantly. And Paul, Making request, if by any means tww^i» ' 
 at length I might have a prosperous journey, in the will of^Q^ ' ' 
 God, to come unto you. And again he uses it of Christ, 
 saying. In Christ Jesus. In short, we may often and Rom. 6, 
 continually find these expressions interchanged '' ; now this ^^ 
 would not have taken place, had not the same Essence been 
 in every instance their subject. And that you may not 
 imagine that the words. All things were made by Him, are 
 in this case used concerning His miracles, (for the other 
 Evangelists have discoursed concerning these;) he farther 
 goes on to say, He was in the world, and the world was 
 made by Him; (but not the Spirit, for This is not of the 
 number of created things, but of those above all creation.) 
 
 Let us now attend to what follows. John having spoken 
 of the work of creation, that All things were made by Him, 
 and tcithout Him was not any thing made that was 
 made, goes on to speak concerning His Providence, where 
 he saith. In Him was Life. That no one may doubt 
 how so many and so great things were made by Him, he 
 adds, that In Him was Life. For as with the fountain which 
 is the mother of the great deeps, however much you take 
 away you nothing lessen the fountain; so with the energy of 
 " i, e. applied alike to the different Persons in the Holy Trinity. 
 
54 The Life implies God's Providence and the Resurrection. 
 
 HoMiL. the Ouly-Begotten, however much you believe has been pro- 
 
 '- — duced and made by it, it has become no whit the less. Or, 
 
 to use a more familiar example, I will instance that of hght, 
 which the Apostle himself added immediately, saying. And 
 the Life was the Light. As then light, however many my- 
 riads it may enlighten, suffers no diminution of its own bright- 
 ness ; so also God, before commencing His work and after 
 completing it, remains alike indefectible, nothing diminished, 
 nor wearied by the greatness of the creation. Nay, if need 
 were that ten thousand, or even an infinite number of such 
 worlds be created, He remains the same, sufficient for them 
 all not merely to produce, but also to control them after 
 their creation. For the word Life here refers not merely to 
 the act of creation, but also to the providence (engaged) 
 about the permanence of the things created; it also lays 
 down beforehand the doctrine of the resurrection, and is the 
 ' ^iX'- beginning' of these marvellous good tidings^. Since when 
 "Vqosj. " life" has come to be with us, the power of death is dissolved; 
 peia' and when " light" has shone upon us, there is no longer 
 28, 'darkness, but life ever abides within us, and death cannot 
 overcome it. So that what is asserted of the Father might 
 Col, 1, be asserted absolutely of Him (Christ) also, that In Him we 
 live and move and have our being. As Paul has shewn when 
 he says. By Him were all things created, and by Him all 
 things consist; for which reason He has been called also 
 
 3 Is. 11, Root 3 and Foundation*. 
 
 10. as 
 
 quoted But when you hear that In Him was Life, do not imagine 
 ^°™2 Him a compound Being, since farther on he says of the 
 KeT.22, Father also, As the Father hath Life in Himself, so hath 
 
 4 i Qoj.He given to the Son also to have Life; now as you would 
 3, 11. not on account of this expression say that the Father is 
 
 compounded, so neither can you say so of the Son. Thus 
 1 John in another place he says, that God is Light, and elsewhere 
 iTim. (it is said), that He dwelleth in light unapproachable; yet 
 ^' ^®* these expressions are used not that we may suppose a com- 
 
 5 ,Mitt, pounded nature^ but that by little and little we may be led 
 
 up to the highest doctrines. For since one of the multitude 
 could not easily have understood how His life was Life 
 
 e^.wl- Impersonate^, he first used that humbler expression, and 
 afterwards leads them (thus) trained to the higher doctrine. 
 
 e. 5, 26. poj jje -^Ijq J^J^d g^i^ ^\^g^ jj^ J^^^J^ gi^^^ jj^^ i^^^ ^^^ ^^ 
 
Death and error overcome by the preaching of Christ. 55 
 
 have life; the Same saith in another place, / am the Life ; John 
 and in another, lam the Light. And what, tell me, is the ^'^' 
 nature of this "hght?" This kind (of light) is the object o! 8^12! 
 not of the senses, but of the intellect, enlightening the soul 
 herself. And since Christ should hereafter say, that None o- 6, 44. 
 can come unto Me except the Father draw him; the Apostle 
 has in this place anticipated an objection, and declared that 
 it is He (the Son) Who giveth light ; that although you hear a v. 9. 
 saying like this concerning the Father, you may not say that 
 it belongs to the Father only, but also to the Son. For, All c.i6,l5. 
 things, He saith, which the Father hath are Mine. 
 
 First then, the Evangelist hath instructed us respecting 
 the creation, after that he tells us of the goods relating to the 
 soul which He supplied to us by His coming; and these he 
 has darkly described in one sentence, when he says. And ike v. 4. 
 Life was the Light of men. He does not say, " was the 
 light of the Jews," but universally of men: nor did the Jews 
 only, but the Greeks also, come to this knowledge, and this 
 light was a common proffer made' to all. " Why did he not ' »«>^» 
 add ' Angels,' but said, of men ?" Because at present his *|'"*"' 
 discourse is of the nature of men, and to them he came 
 bearing glad tidings of good things, 
 
 And the Light shineth in darkness. He calls death and v. 5. 
 error, darkness. For the light which is the object of our 
 senses does not shine in darkness, but apart from it; but the 
 preaching of Christ hath shone forth in the midst of prevail- 
 ing error, and made it to disappear. And He by enduring 
 death " hath so overcome death, that He hath recovered those ' lit- . 
 already held by it. Since then neither death overcame it, ^eeum 
 nor error, since- it is bright every where, and shines by its*^*'^' 
 proper strength, therefore he says. 
 
 And the darkness comprehended it not. For it cannot be 
 overcome, and will not dwell in souls which wish not to be 
 enlightened. 
 
 [4.] But let it not trouble thee that It took not all, 
 for not by necessity and force, but by will and consent ^ M»"^»i- 
 does God bring us to Himself. Therefore do not thou shut "'J^^ 
 thy doors against this light, and thou shalt enjoy great * tjb^iJs 
 happiness ^ But this light cometh by faith, and when it is|„^J";. 
 come, it lighteth abundantly him that has received it; and if joy- ^ 
 
66 Sin is darkness. 
 
 HoMiL.thou displayest a pure life (meet) for it, remains indwelling 
 within continually. For, He saith, he that loveth Me, will 
 
 Johnl4, 
 
 23. keep My commandments ; and I and My Father will come 
 Taned/*"*'" ^^'"^y ^^'^ make Our abode with him. As then one 
 cannot rightly enjoy the sun-light, unless he open his eyes; 
 so neither can one largely share this splendour, unless he 
 have expanded the eye of the soul, and rendered it in every 
 veay keen of sight. 
 
 But how is this effected ? Then, when we have cleansed 
 the soul from all the passions. For sin is darkness, and 
 a deep darkness ; as is clear, because men do it uncon- 
 c. 3, 20. sciously and secretly. For, every one that doeth evil hateth 
 Eph. 5, the light, neither cometh to the light. And, It is a shame 
 even to speak of those things which are done of them in 
 secret. For, as in darkness a man knows neither friend 
 nor foe, but cannot perceive any of the properties of 
 objects; so too is it in sin. For he who desires to get more 
 gain, makes no difference between friend and enemy ; and 
 the envious regards with hostile eyes the man with whom he 
 is very intimate ; and the plotter is at mortal quarrel with all 
 alike. In short, as to distinguishing the nature of objects, 
 he who commits sin is no better than men who are drunk or 
 mad. And as in the night, wood, lead, iron, silver, gold, 
 precious stones, seem to us all alike on account of the 
 absence of the light which shews their distinctions ; so he 
 who leads an impure life knows neither the excellence of 
 temperance nor the beauty of philosophy. For in darkness, 
 as I said before, even precious stones if they be displayed do 
 not shew their lustre, not by reason of their own nature, but 
 because of the want of discernment in the beholders. Nor 
 is this the only evil which happens to us who are in sin, but 
 this also, that we live in constant fear : and as men walking 
 in a moonless night tremble, though none be by to frighten 
 them; so those who work iniquity cannot have confidence, 
 though there be none to accuse them ; but they are afraid of 
 every thing, and are suspicious, being pricked by their- 
 I iy«„'«( conscience: all to them is full of fear and distress', they 
 look about them at every thing, are terrified at every thing. 
 Let us then flee a life so painful, especially since after this 
 painfulness shall follow death ; a deathless death, for of the' 
 
Indecency of sin not perceived from habit. 57 
 
 punishment in that place there will be no end ; and in this John 
 life they (who sin) are no better than madmen, in that they _ii:_ 
 are dreaming of things that have no existence. They think 
 they are rich when they are not rich, that they enjoy when 
 they are not enjoying, nor do they properly perceive the 
 cheat until they are freed from the madness and have shaken 
 off the sleep. Wherefore Paul exhorts all to be sober, and 
 to watch ; and Christ also commands the same. For he who 
 is sober and awake, although he be captured by sin, quickly 
 beats it off; while he who sleeps and is beside himself, 
 perceives not how he is held prisoner of it. 
 
 Let us then not sleep. This is not the season of night, 
 but of day. Let us therefore walk honestly^ as in the day ;'Rom. 
 and nothing is more indecent than sin. In point of indecency 1%,^^. 
 it is not so bad to go about naked, as in sin and wrong ik^i""?. 
 doing. That is not so great matter of blame, since it might jy^^ 
 even be caused by poverty; but nothing has more shame and 
 less honour than the sinner. Let us think of those who come 
 to the justice-hall on some account of extortion, or overreach- 
 ing^; how base and ridiculous they appear to all by their utter 2 b-xuh- 
 shamelessness, their lies, and audacity'. But we are suchf'f 
 pitiable and wretched beings, that we cannot bear ourselves i/^sm 
 to put on a garment awkwardly or awry; nay, if we see 
 another person in this state, we set him right; and yet 
 though we and all our neighbours are walking on our heads, 
 we do not even perceive it. For what, say, can be more 
 shameful than a man who goes in to a harlot ? what more 
 contemptible than an insolent, a foul-tongued, or an envious 
 man ? Whence then is it that these things do not seem so 
 disgraceful as to walk naked ? Merely from habit. To go 
 naked no one has ever willingly endured; but all men are 
 continually venturing on the others without any fear. Yet if 
 one came into an assembly of angels, among whom nothing 
 of the sort has ever taken place, there he would clearly see 
 the great ridicule (of such conduct). And why do I say an 
 assembly of angels ? Even in the very palaces among us, 
 should one introduce a harlot and enjoy her, or be oppressed 
 by excess of wine, or commit any other like indecency, he 
 would suffer extreme punishment. But if it be intolerable 
 that men should dare such things in palaces, much more 
 
58 God Omnipresent, and Allseeing. 
 
 HoMiL. when the King is every where present, and observes what is 
 '■ — done, shall we if we dare them undergo severest chastise- 
 ment. Wherefore let us, I exhort you, shew forth in our 
 life much gentleness, much purity, for we have a King Who 
 beholds all our actions continually. In order then that this 
 n^itfra- light may ever richly enlighten us, let us gladly accept' these 
 2a»Tnr« bright beams', for so shall we enjoy both the good things 
 present and those to come, through the grace and loving- 
 kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom, and with 
 Whom, to the Father, and the Holy Spirit, be glory for ever 
 and ever. Amen. 
 
HOMILY VI. 
 
 * ret KK- 
 
 Tlini- 
 
 y§frm 
 
 John i. 6. 
 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 
 
 Having in the introduction spoken to us things of urgent 
 importance' concerning God the Word, (the Evangelist) 
 proceeding on his road, and in order, afterwards comes to 
 the herald of the Word, his namesake John. And now that 
 thou hearest that he was sent from Qod, do not for the 
 future imagine that any of the words spoken by him are 
 mere man's words ; for all that he utters is not his own, but 
 is of Him Who sent him. Wherefore he is called' messenger, Mai. 3, 
 for the excellence of a messenger is, that he say nothing of ^' 
 his own. But the expression was, in this place is not 
 significative of his coming into existence, but refers to his 
 office of messenger; for " there was" a rrum sent from Ood, 
 is used instead of a man " was sent^^ from God. 
 
 How then do some say"", that the expression, being in ^AePWi. 2, 
 form of God, '\% not used of His invariable likeness" to the 
 Father, because no article is added' ? For observe, that the = i. e. to 
 article is no where added here. Are these words then not ®'"'' 
 spoken of the Father ? What then shall we say to the 
 prophet who says, that, Behold, I send My messenger before Mai. 3, 
 Thy face, who shall prepare Thy way ? for the expressions \o^i jq 
 My and Thy declare two Persons. Mark 1, 
 
 Ver. 7. The sam£ came for a witness, to bear witness of ' 
 that Light. 
 
 ^ al. v^cnySiturai, ' is foretold.' " aTK(aXA.aS<«, vid. supra, Horn, iii. 
 
 ^ Vid. supra, Horn. iv. 3. p. 42. 4. ad fin. 
 
60 Why our Ijyrd had the witness of the Baptist: 
 
 HoMiL. What is this, perhaps one may say, the servant bear 
 —^i— witness to his Master? When then you see Him not only 
 witnessed to by His servant, but even coming to him, and 
 with Jews baptized by him, will you not be still more 
 astonished and perplexed ? Yet you ought not to be 
 troubled nor confused, but amazed at such unspeakable 
 1 1'xiy goodness. Though if any still continue bewildered" and 
 ^dizzy' confused, He will say to such an one what He said to 
 Matt. 3, John, Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfil 
 ^ ■ all righteousness ; and, if any be still further troubled, again 
 c. 5, 34. He will say to him too '' what He said to the Jews, But I receive 
 not testimony from man. If now he needs not this witness, 
 why was John sent from God ? Not as though He required 
 his testimony — ^this were extremest blasphemy. Why then ? 
 John himself informs us, when he says. 
 That all men through him might believe. 
 ibia. And Christ also, after having said that / receive not testi- 
 
 mony from man, in order that He may not seem to the foolish 
 ' iriji- to clash with' Himself, by declaring at one time. There is 
 c.' T'32. another that beareth witness of Me, and I know that his ° 
 witness is true, (for He pointed to John ;) and at another, 
 c. 5, 34. / receive not testimony from man ; He immediately adds 
 the solution of the doubt. But these things I say for your 
 sake^, that ye might be saved. As though He had said, that 
 " I am God, and the really-Begotten « Son of God, and am 
 of that Simple and Blessed Essence, I need none to witness 
 to Me ; and even though none would do so, yet am not I by 
 this any thing diminished in My Essence ; but because I 
 3 rm _ care for the salvation of the many', I have descended to such 
 „\\m jj^jjjjjj^y g^g jq commit the witness of Me to a man." For 
 by reason of the grovelling nature and infirmity of the Jews, 
 the faith in Him would in this way be more easily received, 
 <iSx.x».and more palatable*. As then He clothed Himself with 
 '■'«" flesh, that He might not, by encountering men with the 
 unveiled Godhead, destroy them all ; so He sent forth a man 
 for His herald, that those who heard might at the hearing 
 of a kindred voice approach more readily. For (to prove) 
 
 ^ [xai iTfjf airh,] perhaps ' and with = but.S. Ji', /m^Tvm rtei iutd. G. T. 
 reference to him (the Baptist),' Sav. < V i/txe, (not in G. T.) 
 al. XXI irjof irl. 5 yvirits, ' eenuine .' 
 
to whom He loas incomparably superior. 61 
 
 that He had no need of that (herald's) testimony, it would John 
 have sufficed that He should only have shewn Himself Who -i^ 
 He was in His unveiled Essence, and have confounded them 
 all. But this He did not for the reason I have before men- 
 tioned. He would have annihilated^ all, since none could' ««>«»"• 
 have endured the encounter of that unapproachable light ■". 
 Wherefore, as 1 said He put on flesh, and entrusted the 
 witness (of Himself) to one of our fellow-servants, since He 
 arranged^ all for the salvation of men, looking not only to ° '*e«y- 
 His own honour, but also to what might be readily received ^27"' 
 by, and be profitable to, His hearers. Which He glanced at 
 when He said. These things I say for your sake, that ye c 5,34. 
 might be saved. And the Evangelist using the same language 
 as his Master, after saying, to bear witness of that Light, 
 adds. 
 
 That all men through Him might believe. All but saying, 
 Think not that the reason why John the Baptist came to 
 bear witness, was that he might add aught to the trustworthi- 
 ness of his Master. No ; (He came,) that by his means beings 
 of his own class * might believe. For it is clear from what * '/*'"(>>• 
 follows, that he used this expression in his anxiety to re- 
 move this suspicion beforehand, since he adds, 
 Ver. 8. He was not that Light. 
 
 Now if he did not introduce this as setting himself against 
 this suspicion, then the expression is absolutely superfluous, 
 and tautology rather than elucidation of his teaching. For 
 why, after having said that he was sent to bear witness of 
 that Light, does he again say. He was not that Light? (He 
 says it,) not loosely or without reason; but, because, for the 
 most part, among ourselves, the person witnessing is held to 
 be greater, and generally more trustworthy than the person 
 witnessed of ; therefore, that none might suspect this in the 
 case of John, at once from the very beginning he removes 
 this evil suspicion, and having torn it up by the roots, shews 
 who this is that bears witness, and Who is He who is 
 witnessed of, and what an interval there is between the 
 witnessed of, and the bearer of witness. And after having 
 done this, and shewn His incomparable superiority, he after- 
 wards proceeds fearlessly to the narrative which remains; 
 
 h Lit. ' unapproachable encounter of that light.' 
 
62 A right faith unprqfitahle without a holy life. 
 
 HoMiL. and after carefully removing whatever strange (ideas) might 
 ^^" secretly harbour' in the minds of the simpler sort, so instils 
 
 ^ai.'goes into alP easily and without impediment the word of doctrine 
 Zm.' i° its proper order. 
 
 Let us pray then, that henceforth with the revelation of 
 these thoughts and Tightness of doctrine, we may have also 
 '«»./«<« a pure life and bright conversation', since these things profit 
 nothing unless good works be present with us. For though 
 we have all faith and all knowledge of the Scriptures, yet if 
 we be naked and destitute of the protection derived from 
 (holy) living, there is nothing to hinder us from being hurried 
 into the fire of hell, and burning for ever in the unquench- 
 able flame. For as they who have done good shall rise to 
 life everlasting, so they who have dared the contrary shall 
 rise to everlasting punishment, which never has an end. 
 Let us then manifest all eagerness not to mar the gain which 
 accrues to us from a right faith by the vileness of our actions, 
 but becoming well-pleasing to Him by these also, boldly to 
 look on Christ. No happiness can be equal to this. And 
 J al-. may it come to pass, that we all having obtained* what has 
 worthily been mentioned, may do all to the glory of God ; to Whom, 
 °^' with the Only-Begotten Son and the Holy Ghost, be glory 
 for ever and ever. Amen. 
 
HOMILY VII. 
 
 John i. 9. 
 
 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that 
 Cometh into the world. 
 
 The reason, O children greatly beloved, why we enter- 
 tain you portion by portion with the thoughts taken from 
 the Scriptures, and do not at once pour all forth to you, is, 
 that the retaining what is successively set before you may 
 be easy. For even in building, one who before the first 
 stones are settled lays on others, constructs ' a rotten wall ' »?«/»« 
 altogether, and easily thrown down : while one who waits 
 that the mortar may first get hard, and so adds what remains 
 little by little, finishes the whole house firmly, and makes it 
 strong, not one to last for a short time, or easily to fall to 
 pieces. These builders we imitate", and in like manner" al.' let 
 build up your souls. For we fear lest, while the first "^j™'" 
 foundation is but newly laid, the addition of the succeeding 
 speculations' may do harm to the former, through the in-' (luin- 
 sufficiency of the intellect to contain them all at once. i«»™» 
 
 What now is it that has been read to us to-day ? 
 
 That was the true lAijht, which lighteth every man that 
 Cometh into the world. For since above in speaking of 
 John he said, that he came to bear witness of that Light ; 
 and that he was sent in these our days * ; lest any one at ■• »b» 
 hearing this should, on account of the recent coming of the 
 witness, conceive some like suspicion concerning Him, Who 
 is witnessed of, he has carried up the imagination, and 
 
64 Danger of presumptuous enquiry. 
 
 HoMiL. transported it to that existence which is before all beginning, 
 ^— which has neither end nor commencement. 
 
 TltVTK 
 
 XBVTlffm 
 
 " And how is it possible," says one, " that being a Son, 
 He should possess this (nature) ?" We are speaking of God, 
 and do you ask how ? And do you not fear nor shudder ? 
 Yet should any one ask you, " How should our souls and 
 I""" bodies have endless life in the world to come', you will laugh 
 at the question, on the ground that it does not belong to the 
 intellect of man to search into such questions, but that he 
 ought only to believe, and not to be over curious on the 
 subject mentioned, since he has a sufficient proof of the 
 saying, in the power of Him who spake it. And if we say, 
 that He, Who created our souls and bodies, and Who 
 incomparably excels all created things, is without beginning, 
 will you require us to say " How?" Who could assert this 
 to be the act of a well-ordered soul, or of sound reason ? 
 you have heard that That was the true Light : why are you 
 vainly and rashly striving to overshoot^ by force of reasoning 
 this Life which is unlimited ? You cannot do it. Why seek 
 what may not be sought ? Why be curious about what is 
 incomprehensible? Why search what is unsearchable? Gaze 
 upon the very source of the sun-beams. You cannot; yet 
 you are neither vexed nor impatient at your weakness ; how 
 then have you become so daring and headlong in greater 
 3 al. matters ? The son of thunder, John who sounds ^ the spiritual 
 
 ( holds' 
 
 trumpet, when he had heard from the Spirit the was, 
 enquired no farther. And are you, who share not in his 
 grace, but speak from your own wretched reasonings, ambi- 
 tious to exceed the measure of his knowledge? Then for 
 this very reason you will never be able even to reach to the 
 measure of his knowledge. For this is the craft of the devil: 
 he leads away those who obey him from the limits assigned by 
 God, as though to things much greater; but when, having 
 enticed us by these hopes, he has cast us out of the grace of 
 God, he not only gives nothing more, (how can he, devil as he 
 is ?) but does not even allow us to return again to our former 
 situation, where we dwelt safely and surely, but leads us 
 about in all directions wandering and not having any stand- 
 ing ground. So he caused the first created man to be 
 banished from the abode of Paradise. Having pufied him 
 
Presumption the cause of Adam's fall. 65 
 
 up with the expectation of greater knowledge and honour, John 
 he expelled him from what he already possessed in security. ^'^' 
 For he not only did not become like a god as (the devil) 
 promised him, but even fell beneath the dominion of death ; 
 having not only gained no further advantage by eating of the 
 tree, but having lost no small portion of the knowledge 
 which he possessed, through hope of greater knowledge. 
 For the sense of shame, and the desire to hide himself 
 because of his nakedness, then came upon him, who before 
 the cheat was superior to all such shame; and this very 
 seeing himself to be naked, and the need for the future of 
 the covering of garments, and many other infirmities ',' ira^o 
 became thenceforth natural to him. That this be not our 
 case, let us obey God, continue in His commandments, 
 and not be busy about any thing beyond them, that we may 
 not be cast out from the good things already given us. 
 Thus they have fared (of whom we speak). For seeking to 
 find a beginning of the Life which has no beginning, they 
 lost what they might have retained. They found not what 
 they sought, (this is impossible,) and they fell away from the 
 true faith concerning the Only-Begotten. 
 
 Let us not then remove the eternal bounds which our 
 fathers set, but let us ever yield to the laws of the Spirit; 
 and when we hear that That was the true Light, let us seek 
 to discover nothing more. For it is not possible to pass 
 beyond this saying. Had His generation been like that of 
 a man, needs must there have been an interval between the 
 begetter and the begotten ; but since it is in a manner 
 ineffable and becoming God, give up the " before" and the 
 " after," for these are the names of points in time, but the 
 Son is the Creator even of all ages ^. " «'">«'> 
 
 [2.] " Then," says one, " He is not Father, but brother." 
 What need, pray ? Tf we had asserted that the Father and 
 the Son were from a different root, you might have then 
 spoken this well. But, if we flee this impiety, and say that 
 the Father, besides being without beginning, is Unbegotten 
 also, while the Son, though without beginning, is Begotten of 
 the Father, what kind of need that as a consequence of this 
 idea, that unholy assertion should be introduced ? None at 
 all. For He is an Effulgence : but an effulgence is included 
 
 F 
 
66 The evils attending curiosity. 
 
 HoMii,.in the idea of the nature whose effulgence it is. For this 
 
 jjSL-i-eason Paul has called Him so, that you may imagine no 
 
 3/ ■^' interval between the Father and the Son. This expression' 
 
 ' "*""'■ therefore is declaratory of the point ; but the following part 
 
 of the proof quoted, corrects an erroneous opinion wtucti 
 
 might beset simple men. For, says the Apostle, do not, 
 
 because you have heard that He is an Effulgence, suppose 
 
 that He is deprived of His proper person; this is impious, 
 
 and belongs to the madness of the SabeUians, and of Mar- 
 
 cellus' followers. We say not so, but that He is also in 
 
 His proper Person. And for this reason, after having called 
 
 Heb. 1, Him " Effulgence," Paul has added that He is the express 
 
 ^' image of His Person, in order to make evident His proper 
 
 Personality, and that He belongs to the same Essence of which 
 
 I Horn. He i« also the express image. For, as I before^ said, it is not 
 
 "■^' sufficient by a single expression to set before men the 
 
 doctrines concerning God, but it is desirable that we bring 
 
 many together, and choose from each what is suitable. So 
 
 shall we be able to attain to a worthy telling of His glory, 
 
 worthy, 1 mean, as regards our power; for if any should 
 
 deem himself able to speak words suitable to His essential 
 
 worthiness, and be ambitious to do so, saying, that he knows 
 
 God as God knows Himself, he it is who is most ignorant of 
 
 God. 
 
 Knowing therefore this, let us continue stedfastly to hold 
 
 Lute 1, what they have delivered unto us, which from the beginning 
 
 were eye-witnesses, and ministers of the word. And let us 
 
 not be curious beyond : for two evils will attend those who 
 
 are sick of this disease, (curiosity) the wearying themselves 
 
 in vain by seeking what it is impossible to find, and the 
 
 provoking God by their endeavours to overturn the bounds 
 
 set by Him. Now what anger this excites, it needs not that 
 
 you who know should learn from us. Abstaining therefore 
 
 from their madness, let us tremble at His words, that He 
 
 Is. 66,2. may continually build us up. For, upon whom shall Hook, 
 
 ^^^- saith He, but upon the lowly, and quiet, and who feareth my 
 
 words? Let us then leave this pernicious curiosity, and 
 
 bruise our hearts, let us mourn for our sins as Christ com- 
 
 " y-xTx.- manded, let us be pricked at heart' for our transgressions, let 
 
 vvyui/ii, ^^ reckon up exactly all the wicked deeds, which in time 
 
JVai/s appointed of God for the wiping away of sins. 67 
 
 past we have dared, and let us earnestly strive to wipe ihem John 
 off in all kinds of ways. ^-^^ 
 
 Now to this end God hath opened to us many ways. For, 
 Tell thou first, saith He, thy sins, that thou mayest 6eis.43, 
 Justified; and again, I said, I have declared mine iniquiiy^y'^^] 
 unto Thee, and Thou hast taken^ away the unrighteousness ^^■^'^^^ 
 of my heart; since a continual accusation and remembrance lxx. 
 of sins contributes not a little to lessen their magnitude. £^^i'^* 
 But there is another more prevailing way than this ; to bear'al.'fo'r- 
 malice against none of those who have offended against us,^'™"' 
 to forgive their trespasses to all those who have trespassed 
 against us. Will you learn a third ? Hear Daniel, saying, 
 Redeem thy sins by almsdeeds, and thine iniquities by shew- Dan. 4, 
 ing mercy to the poor. And there is another besides this;^^-^jj 
 constancy in prayer, and persevering attendance on the inter- 
 cessions' made with God. In like manner fasting brings io-^hr^i- 
 us some, and that not small comfort and release from sinsf^S^ 
 committed', provided it be attended with kindness to others, 2, 1, 
 and quenches the vehemence of the wrath of God. For ^"°i"' 
 waier will quench a blazing fire, and by almsdeeds sins are f-apTri- 
 purgedaway. "^^s. 
 
 Let us then travel along all these ways; for if we give •') 3*'- 
 ourselves wholly to these employments, if on them we spend 
 our time, not only shall we wash off our bygone transgres- 
 sions, but shall gain very great profit for the future. For we 
 shall not allow the devil to assault us with leisure either for 
 slothful living, or for pernicious curiosity, since by these 
 among other means, and in consequence of these, he leads 
 us to foolish questions and hurtful disputations, from seeing 
 us at leisure, and idle, and taking no forethought for excel- 
 lency of living. But let us block up this approach against 
 him, let us watch, let us be sober, that having in this short 
 time toiled a little, we may obtain eternal goods in endless 
 ages, by the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ; by Whom and with Whom to the Father and the 
 Holy Ghost, be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 
 
 f2 
 
HOMILY VIII. 
 
 John i. 9. 
 
 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that 
 Cometh into the world. 
 
 Nothing hinders us from handling to-day also the same 
 words, since before we were prevented by the setting forth of 
 doctrines, from considering all that was read. Where now 
 are those who deny that He is true God ? for here He is 
 c. 14, 6. called the true Light, and elsewhere very Truth, and very 
 Life. That saying we will discuss more clearly when we 
 come to the place ; but at present we must for a while be 
 speaking to your Charity of that other matter. 
 
 If He lighteth every man that cometh into the world, how 
 is it that so many continue unenlightened ? for not all have 
 known the majesty of Christ. How then doth He light every 
 man ? He lighteth all as far as in Him lies. But if some, 
 wilfully closing the eyes of their mind, would not receive the 
 rays of that Light, their darkness arises not from the nature 
 of the Light, but from their own wickedness, who wilfully 
 deprive themselves of the gift. For the grace is shed forth 
 upon all, turning itself back neither from Jew, nor Greek, 
 nor Barbarian, nor Scythian, nor free, nor bond, nor malC) 
 nor female, nor old, nor young, but admitting all alike, and 
 inviting with an equal regard. And those who are not 
 willing to enjoy this gift, ought in justice to impute their 
 1 blindness to themselves ; for if when the gate is opened to 
 
 KaKow- all, and there is none to hinder, any being wilfully evil' 
 
Wilful madness of Paul of Samosata. 69 
 
 remain without, they perish through none other, but only John 
 ■through their own wickedness. ^'^^' 
 
 Ver. 10. He was in the world. 
 
 But not as of equal duration with the world. Away with 
 •the thought. Wherefore he adds. And the world was made 
 hy Him; thus leading thee up again to the eternal' existence' wpom- 
 of the Only-Begotten. For he who has heard that this uni- '"°'' 
 verse is His work, though he be very dull, though he be a 
 hater, though he be an enemy of the glory of God, will 
 certainly, willing or unwilling, be forced to confess that the 
 maker is before his works. Whence wonder always comes 
 over me at the madness of Paul of Samosata, who dared to 
 look in the face so manifest a truth, and voluntarily threw 
 himself down the precipice''. For he erred not ignorantly 
 but with full knowledge, being in the same case as the Jews. 
 For as they, looking to men, gave up sound faith, knowing 
 that He was the only-begotten Son of God, but not con- 
 fessing Him, because of their rulers, lest they should be cast 
 out of the synagogue ; so it is said that he, to gratify a 
 certain woman % sold his own salvation. A powerful thing, 
 powerful indeed, is the tyranny of vainglory ; it is able to 
 make blind the eyes even of the wise, except they be sober; 
 for if the taking of gifts can effect this, much more will the 
 yet more violent feeling of this passion. Wherefore Jesus 
 said to the Jews, How can ye believe, which receive hortour c. 6, 44. 
 one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from 
 God only ? 
 
 And the world knew Him not. By the world he here 
 iueans the multitude, which is corrupt, and closely attached^ V""- 
 ,to earthly things, the common^, turbulent, silly people. ^orJ'^J^^^ 
 the friends and favourites'' of God all knew Him, even before to' 
 His coming in the flesh. Concerning the Patriarch Christ o^" "' 
 Himself speaks by name, that your father Abraham rejoiced'^ ^"■''' 
 to see My day, and he saw it, and was glad. And con- c. s, 66. 
 corning David, confuting the Jews He said. How then doth^^-'^'^' 
 David in spirit call Him Lord, saying. The Lord said unto Mark 
 
 12,36. 
 
 ^ Paul of Samosata, Bishop of Council of Antioeh, A.D. 270. ^g ' 
 
 Aatiooh, denied the Personality of our " Zenobia, queen of Palmyra, who 
 
 Lord hefore His Birth of the Virgin supported Paul against the Catholics 
 
 Mary. His opinions were condemned, after his deposition, 
 aad himself deposed, at the second 
 
70 Christ seen and heard by the Patriarchs, but not in the Fiesh. 
 
 SoMih. my Lo7d, Sit Thou on My right hand. And in many places, 
 
 ^^"' disputing with them, He mentions Moses ; and the Apostle 
 
 (mentions) the rest of the prophets ; for Peter declares, that 
 
 all the prophets from Samuel knew Him, and proclaimed 
 
 Acts 3, beforehand His coining afar off, when he says, All the 
 
 prophets from Samuel and thone that follow after, as many 
 
 as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. But 
 
 Jacob and his father, as well as his grandfather. He both 
 
 appeared to and talked with, and promised that He would 
 
 give them many and gi-eat blessings, which also He brought 
 
 to pass. 
 
 Lule " How then," says one, " did He say Himself, Many 
 
 ' ' prophets have desired to see those things which ye see, and 
 
 have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, 
 
 and have not heard them? Did they then not share in the 
 
 knowledge of Him?" Surely they did; and I will endeavour 
 
 to make this plain from this very saying, by which some 
 
 think that they are deprived of it. For many. He saith, 
 
 have desired to see the things which ye see. So that 
 
 they knew that He would come [to men] from heaven, and 
 
 ' oiVoi/o- would live and teach' as He lived and taught; for had they 
 
 jxr^aovTo. jj^j. ]jj^Q^^,j,^ they could have not desired, since no one can 
 
 'would conceive desire for things of which he has no idea; therefore 
 
 as He they knew the Son of Man, and that He would come among 
 
 diddis- men. What then are the things which they did not hear? 
 
 What those which they did not know ? The things which ye 
 
 now see and hear. For if they did hear His voice and did 
 
 see Him, it was not in the Flesh, not among men; nor when 
 
 He was living so familiarly, and conversing so frankly with 
 
 2;h€t" them^. And indeed He to shew this said not simply, to 
 
 see " Me:" but what? the things which ye see ; nor to hear 
 
 " Me:" but what? the things lohich ye hear^. So that if 
 
 they did not behold His coming in the Flesh, still they 
 
 knew that it would be, and they desired it, and believed on 
 
 Him without having seen Him in the Flesh. 
 
 When therefore the Greeks bring charges such as these 
 against us, and say; " What then did Christ in former time, 
 that He did not look upon the race of men ? And for what 
 
 ■1 al. for they had both heard His voice, and seen Him, but not in the Flesh, 
 
 hUias 
 
All men know not the Father. 71 
 
 possible reason did He come at last to assist in our salvation, John 
 after neglecting us so long ?" we will reply, that before this ^' '°' 
 He was in the world, and took thought for His works, and 
 was known to all who were worthy. But if ye should say, 
 that, because all did not then know Him, because He was 
 only known by those noble and excellent persons, therefore 
 He was not acknowledged ; at this rate you will not allow 
 that He is worshipped even now, since even now all men do 
 not know Him. But as at present no one, because of those 
 who do not know Him, would refuse credit to those who do, 
 so as regards former times, we must not doubt that He was 
 known to many, or rather to all of those noble and admirable 
 persons. 
 
 [2.] And if any one say, " Why did not all men give heed to 
 Him ? nor all worship Him, but the just only ?" I also will 
 ask, why even now do not all men know Him t But why do 
 I speak of Christ, when not all men knew His Father then, 
 or know Him now? For some say, that all things are borne 
 along by chance, while others commit the providence of the 
 universe to devils. Others invent another God besides Him, 
 and some blasphemously assert, that His is an opposing 
 power", and think that His laws are the lavvs of a wicked 
 daemon. What then? Shall we say that He is not God because 
 there are some who say so ? And shall we confess Him to be 
 evil ? for there are some who even so blaspheme Him. Away 
 with such mental wandering, such utter insanity. If we 
 should delineate' doctrines according to the judgment ofi;j;agax- 
 madmen, there is nothing to hinder us from being mad ''"S''"* 
 ourselves with most grievous madness. No one will assert, 
 looking to those who have weak vision, that the sun is 
 injurious to the eyes, but he will say that it is fitted to give 
 light, drawing his judgments from persons in health. And 
 no one will call honey bitter, because it seems so to the 
 sense of the sick. And will any, from the imaginations of 
 men diseased (in mind), decide that God either is not, or is 
 evil ; or that He sometimes indeed exerts His Providence, 
 
 « i.e. that the power which maintains buted the creation and support of the 
 
 the universe is a power opposed to the material world. The opinions here 
 
 True God. The Gnostics accounted spoken of were maintained by Basilides, 
 
 for the existence of evil, by supposing Valentinus, Marcion, Manes, and other 
 
 an evil Principle, to which they attri- supporters of that heresy. 
 
72 Men cannot serve two masters. 
 
 HoMiL. sometimes doth not so at all ? Who can say that such men 
 
 ^ are of sound mind, or deny that they are beside themselves, 
 
 delirious, utterly mad? 
 
 The world, he says, knew Him not; but they of whom the 
 
 world was not worthy knew Him. And having spoken of 
 
 those who knew Him not, he in a short time puts the cause 
 
 of their ignorance ; for he does not absolutely say, that no 
 
 one knew Him, but that the world knew Him not ; that is, 
 
 those persons who are as it were nailed to the world alone, 
 
 and who mind the things of the world. For so Christ was 
 
 c. 17,25. wont to call them; as when He says, O Holy^ Father, the 
 
 (iUan '"'orld hath not known Thee. The world then was ignorant, 
 
 G. T.) not only of Him, but also of His Father, as we have said ; 
 
 2 «■{•»■«- for nothing so darkens 'the mind as to be closely attached' 
 
 "*'"" to present things. 
 
 Knowing therefore this, remove yourselves from the world, 
 and tear yourselves as much as possible from carnal things, 
 for the loss which comes to yon from these lies not in 
 common matters, but in what is the chief of goods. For it 
 is not possible for the man who clings strongly to the things 
 of the present life really ^ to lay hold on those in heaven, but 
 he who is earnest about the one must needs lose the other. 
 Matt. 6, Ye cannot, He says, serve God and Mammon, for you must 
 hold to the one and hate the other. And this too the very 
 experience of the things proclaims aloud. Those, for instance, 
 who deride the lust of money, are especially the persons who 
 love God as they ought, just as those who respect that 
 sovereignty (of Mammon), are the men who above all others 
 3ai.i^-have the slackest love for Him. For the soul when made 
 ' duller.' captive once for all* by covetousness, will not easily or 
 <^jMi«- readily refuse doing or saying any of the things which anger 
 God, as being the slave of another master, and one who 
 gives all his commands in direct opposition to God. Return 
 then at length to your sober senses, and rouse yourselves, 
 and calling to mind whose servants we are, let us love His 
 kingdom only ; let us weep, let us wail for the times past in 
 which we were servants of Mammon; let us cast off once for 
 all his yoke so intolerable, so heavy, and continue to bear 
 
 ' iAiT from icX.it, ' the ink of the e y,w'm;, perhaps ' as befits a right- 
 cuttle fish.' fill heir.' 
 
The service of Mammon hard and thankless. 73 
 
 the. light and easy yoke of Christ. For He lays no such John 
 commands upon us as Mammon does. Mammon bids us be ^' '"' 
 enemies to all men, but Christ, on the contrary, to embrace 
 and to love all. The one having nailed us* to the clay and' »■{.»■,- 
 the brickmaking, (for gold is this,) allows us not even at"""" 
 night to take breath a little ; the other releases us from this 
 excessive and insensate care, and bids us gather treasures in 
 heaven, not by injustice towards others, but by our own 
 righteousness. The one after our many toils and sufferings 
 is not able to assist us when we are punished in that placets ixir 
 and suffer because of his laws, nay, he increases the flame; 
 the other, though He command us to give but a cup of cold 
 water, never allows us to lose our reward and recompense 
 even for this, but repays us with great abundance. How 
 then is it not extremest folly to slight a rule so mild, so full 
 of all good things, and to serve a thankless ungrateful tyrant, 
 and one who neither in this world nor in the world to come 
 is able to help those who obey and give heed to him. Nor 
 is this the only dreadful thing, nor is this only the penalty, 
 that he does not defend them when they are being punished; 
 but that besides this, he, as I before said, surrounds those 
 who obey him vyith ten thousand evils. For of those who 
 are punished in that place, one may see that the greater part 
 are punished for this cause, that they were slaves to money, 
 that they loved gold, and would not assist those who needed. 
 That we be not in this case, let us scatter, let us give to the 
 poor, let us deliver our souls from hurtful cares in this world, 
 and from the vengeance, which because of these things is 
 appointed for us in that place. Let us store up righteous- 
 ness in the heavens. Instead of riches upon earth, let us 
 collect treasures impregnable, treasures which can accompany 
 us on our journey to heaven, which can assist us in our peril, 
 and make the Judge propitious at that hour. Whom may we 
 all have gracious unto us, both now and at that day, and 
 enjoy with much confidence ^ the goods things prepared in 
 the heavens for those who love Him as they ought, through 
 the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with 
 Whom, to the Father and the Holy Ghost, be glory, now and 
 ever, and world without end. Amen. 
 
 e or ' with much openness, i. e. before angels and men. 
 
HOMILY IX. 
 
 John i. U. 
 He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. 
 
 If ye remember our former reflections, we shall the more 
 'al.' the zealously proceed with the building up' of what remains, as 
 dispens- jQJjjg go for gi'eat gain. For so will our discourse be more 
 intelligible to you who remember what has been already 
 said, and we shall not need much labour, because you are 
 able through your gi'eat love of learning to see more clearly 
 into what remains. The man who is always losing what is 
 given to him will always need a teacher, and will never know 
 any thing j but he who retains what he has received, and so 
 receives in addition what remains, will quietly be a teacher 
 instead of a learner, and useful not only to himself, but to 
 all others also ; as, conjecturing from their great readiness 
 to hear, I anticipate that this assembly will specially be. 
 Come then, let us lay up in your souls, as in a safe treasury, 
 the Lord's money, and unfold, as far as the grace of the 
 Spirit may afford us power, the words this day set before us. 
 He (St. John) had said, speaking of the old times, that 
 vei. 10. the world knew Him not ; aftei-wards he comes down in his 
 narrative to the times of the proclamation (of the Gospel), 
 and says. He came to His own, and His own received Him 
 not, now calling the Jews His own, as His peculiar people, 
 or perhaps even all mankind, as created by Him. And as 
 above, when perplexed at the folly of the many, and ashamed 
 of our common nature, he said that the world by Him was 
 made, and having been made, did not recognise its Maker; so 
 n«ra.«-here again, being troubled beyond bearing = at the stupidity 
 'X""'- of tije Jews and the many, he sets forth the charge in a yet 
 more striking manner, saying, that His own received Him 
 
Amazing blindness of (he Jews. 75 
 
 not, and that too wlien He came to them. And not only he, John 
 but the prophets also, wondering, said the very same, as did ^' ^^' 
 afterwards Paul, amazed at the very same things. Thus 
 did the prophets cry aloud in the person of Christ, saying, 
 A people whom I have not known, have served Me ; as soon pg, ]§ 
 as they heard Me, they obeyed Me; the strange children have *3-*s- 
 dealt falsely with Me^. The strange children have waxed aged, i < lied" 
 and have halted from their paths. And again, They <o™'° 
 whom it had not been told concerning Him, shall see, andl^'^X. 
 they which had not heard, shall understand. And, / waSj 
 
 AS. OZy 
 
 found of them that sought Me not ; I was made manifest 15. 
 unto them that asked not after Me. And Paul, in his is. 65, 
 Epistle to the Romans, has said. What then? Israel hath^'^^ 
 not obtained that which he seeketh for: but the election B-ota. 
 hath obtained it. And again ; What shall we say then ? ^^om.' 
 That the Gentiles which followed not after i-ighteousness,^^, 7. 
 A^ve attained unto righteousness : but Israel which followed sOi ' ' 
 after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law 
 of righteousness. 
 
 For it is a thing indeed worthy of our amazement, how 
 they who were nurtured in (knowledge of) the prophetical 
 books, who heard Moses every day telling them ten thou- 
 sand things concerning the coming of the Christ, and the 
 other Prophets afterwards, who moreover themselves beheld 
 Christ Himself daily working miracles among them, giving 
 up His time^ to them alone, neither as yet allowing Hissg^j 
 disciples to depart into the way of the Gentiles, or to enter' con- 
 into a city of Samaritans, nor doing so Himself, but every ™,th.'^ 
 where' declaring that He was sent to the lost sheep of the ^l^^'- ^o, 
 house of Israel: how, (I say,) while they saw the signs, and s'si/wcai 
 heard the Prophets, and had Christ Himself continually^**' 
 putting them in remembrance, they yet made themselves once 24. 
 for all so blind and dull, as by none of these things to be 
 brought to faith in Christ. While they of the Gentiles, who 
 had enjoyed none of these things, who had never heard the 
 oracles of God, not, as one may say, so much as in a dream, 
 but ever ranging among the fables of madmen, (for he&ihen i i,y^xlr- 
 philosophy is this,) having ever in their hands* the sillinesses y""^'* 
 of their poets, nailed to stocks and stones, and neither in ing.' 
 doctrines nor in conversation* possessing any thing good or^J^"'^'" 
 
76 The Jews fell through unbelief and -pride r 
 
 HoMiL. sound. (For their way of life was more impure and more 
 
 '— accursed than their doctrine. As was likely ; for when they 
 
 saw their gods delighting in all wickedness, worshipped by 
 shameful words, and more shameful deeds, reckoning this 
 festivity and praise, and moreover honoured by foul murders, 
 and child-slaughters, how should not they emulate these 
 things?) Still, fallen as they were as low as the very depth of 
 wickedness, on a sudden, as by the agency of some machine, 
 they have appeared to us shining from on high, and from 
 the very summit of heaven. 
 
 How then and whence came it to pass ? Hear Paul telling 
 you. For that blessed person searching exactly into these 
 things, ceased not until he had found the cause, and had 
 declared it to all others. What then is it? and whence 
 came such blindness upon the Jews? Hear him who was 
 1 Cor. entrusted with this stewardship declare. What then does he 
 
 9 17. . 
 
 Eom.' S3.y in resolving this doubt of the many ? For they, says he, 
 
 10, 3. being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to 
 establish their own righteousness, have not submitted therri' 
 selves unto the righteousness of God. Wherefore they have 
 suffered this. And again, explaining the same matter in 
 
 Rom. 9, other terms, he says. What shall we say then ? That the 
 Gentiles which followed not after righteousness, have attained 
 unto righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith; 
 hut Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, 
 hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? 
 Because they sought it not by faith. For they stumbled at 
 that stumbling stone. His meaning is this : " These men's 
 unbelief has been the cause of their misfortunes, and their 
 haughtiness was parent of their unbelief." For when having 
 
 ' 'EAA^j- before enjoyed greater privileges than the heathen^, through 
 having received the law, through knowing God, and the rest 
 which Paul enumerates, they after the coming of Christ 
 saw the heathen and themselves called on equal terms 
 through faith, and after faith received one of the circumcision 
 in nothing preferred to the Gentile, they came to envy and 
 were stung by their haughtiness, and could not endure the 
 unspeakable and exceeding lovingkindness of the Lord. 
 So this has happened to them from nothing else but pride, 
 and wickedness, and unkindness. 
 
Their disconteni unreasonable, 77 
 
 [2.] For in what, O most foolish of men, are ye injured by John 
 the care' bestowed on others ? How are your blessings made ^^^ ^^' 
 
 less through having others to share the same ? But of a truth w«i 
 wickedness is blind, and cannot readily perceive any thing 
 that it ought. Being therefore stung by the prospect of 
 having others to share the same confidence^, they thrust a^ira^^- 
 sword against themselves, and cast themselves out from the ''''''■ 
 lovingkindness of God. And with good reason. For He 
 saith, Friend, I do thee no wrong, I will give to these also Mat. 20, 
 even as unto thee. Or rather, these Jews aie not deserving ^^' 
 even of these words. For the man in the parable if he was 
 discontented, could yet speak of the labours and weariness, 
 the heat and sweat, of a whole day. But what could these 
 men have to tell ? nothing like this, but slothfulness and 
 profligacy and ten thousand evil things of which all the 
 prophets continued ever to accuse them, and by which they 
 like the Gentiles had offended against God. And Paul 
 declaring this says. For there is no difference between theUom. 
 Jew and the Greek: For all have sinned, and come short o/nom^s 
 the glory of God: being justified freely by His grace. And 22— 24. 
 on this head he treats profitably and very wisely throughout 
 that Epistle. But in a former part of it he proves that they 
 are worthy of still greater punishment. For as many as Rom. 2, 
 have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law ; that is 
 to say, more severely, as having for their accuser the law as 
 well as nature. And not for this only, but for that they have 
 been the cause that God is blasphemed among the Gentiles : 
 My^ Name, He saith, is blasphemed among the Gentiles^ toS 
 through you, G^x. 
 
 Since now this it was that stung them most, (for the thing Kom. 2, 
 appeared incredible even to those of the circumcision who is.'62, 5. 
 believed, and therefore they brought it as a charge against 
 Peter, when he was come up to them from Cesarea, that he Acts 11, 
 went in to men uncircumcised, and did eat with them; and * 
 after that they had learned the dispensation of God, even so 
 still ■* thev wondered how on the Gentiles also was poured^ ai. 
 out the gift of the Holy Ghost : shewing by their astonish- ^l^^ {^^ 
 ment that they could never have expected so incredible a 45. 
 thing,) since then he knew that ■ this touched them nearest, 
 
78 Tlie call qf the Gentles no loss to the Jews. 
 
 HoMiL.see how he has emptied' their pride, and relaxed = their 
 Y^rr highly swelling insolence. For after having discoursed on 
 does air the case of the h.^athen.', and shewn that they had not from 
 thaThe *°y quarter any excuse, or hope of salvation, and after 
 may having definitely charged them both with the perversion^ of 
 sSi-may their doctrines and the uncleanness of their lives, he shifts 
 relax.' jj^g argument to the Jews; and* after recounting all the 
 •i.\xt]vi- expressions of the Prophet, in which he had said that they 
 Kwv ^gj.g polluted, treacherous, hypocritical persons, and had 
 ffTpoipii. altogether become mtprojitable, that there was none among 
 ' then.' them that seekeih after God, that they had all gone out of 
 Kom. 3, the way, and the like, he adds, Now we know that what 
 Kom. 3, things soever the law saith, it sailh to them who are under 
 ^^- the law: that every mouth may he stopped, and all the world 
 Rom. 3, rnay become guilly before God. For all have sinned, and 
 come short of the glory of God. 
 
 Why then exaltest thou thyself, O Jew? why art thou 
 high minded ? for thy mouth also is stopped, thy boldness 
 also is taten away, thou also with all the world art become 
 guilty, and, like others, art placed in need of being justified 
 fireely. Thou oughtest surely even if thou hadst stood 
 upright and hadst had great boldness with God, not even so 
 to have envied those who should be pitied and saved through 
 His lovingkindness. This is the extreme of wickedness, to 
 pine at the blessings of others ; especially when this was to 
 be eflFected without any loss of thine. If indeed the salva- 
 tion of others had been prejudicial to thy advantages, thy 
 grieving might have been reasonable ; though not even then 
 6(;>i\oiro- would it have been so to one who had learned true wisdom*. 
 '^'"' But if thy reward is not increased by the punishment of 
 another, nor diminished by his welfare, why dost thou 
 bewail thyself because that other is freely saved ? As I said, 
 thou oughtest not, even wert thou (one) of the approved, 
 to be pained at the salvation which comeih to the Gentiles 
 through grace. But when thou, who art guilty before thy 
 Lord of the same things as they, and hast thyself oflFended, 
 art displeased at the good of others, and thinkest great 
 things, as if thou alone oughtest to be partaker of the 
 grace, thou art guilty not only of envy and insolence, but 
 
The evils of pride, and how to avoid it. 79 
 
 of extreme folly, and mayest be liable to all the severest John 
 torments; for thou hast planted within thyself the root of all ^-"v 
 evils, pride. 
 
 Wherefore a wise man has said, Pride is the beginning o/'EooIus. 
 sin: that is, its root, its source, its mother. By this the first ^"j '^• 
 created was banished from that happy abode : by this the 
 devil vrho deceived him had fallen from that height of 
 dignity; from which that accursed one, knowing that the 
 nature of the sin was sufficient to cast down even from 
 heaven itself, came this way when he laboured to bring 
 down Adam from such high honour. For having puffed him 
 up with the promise that he should be as a God, so he broke 
 him down, and cast him down into the very gulphs of hell '. ■ ?3»« 
 Because nothing so alienates men from the loving-kindness 
 of God, and gives them over to the fire of the pit^, as Xhe^yiinm 
 tyranny of pride. For when this is present with us, our 
 whole life becomes impure, even though we fulfil tem- 
 perance, chastity, fasting, prayer, almsgiving, any thing. 
 For, Every one^ saith the wise man, that is proud in heart Prov. 
 is an abomination^ to the Lord. Let us then restrain thissi'un", 
 swelling of the soul, let us cut up by the roots this lump of ^^!?°' 
 pride, if at least we would wish to be clean, and to escape the 
 punishment appointed for the devil. For that the proud 
 must fall under the same punishment as that (wicked) one, 
 hear Paul declare ; Not a novice, lest being lifted up with i Tim. 
 pride, he fall into the judgment, and the snare of the devil. fl^^:^^i^_ 
 WhaXis the judgment*? He mea.ns,intothe sa,me condemnation,^y<P°^ 
 the same punishment. How then does he say, that a man may j x^ift„^ 
 avoid this dreadful thing ? By reflecting upon = his own nature, ^J^™- 
 upon the number of his sins, upon the greatness of thetion,' 
 torments in that place, upon the transitory nature of thcg^j ' 
 things which seem bright in this world, differing in nothing ' calcu- 
 from grass, and more fading than the flowers of spring. If 
 we continually stir within ourselves these considerations, and 
 keep in mind those who have walked most upright, the devil, 
 though he strive ten thousand ways, will not be able to lift<i''i!r«««' 
 us up, nor even to trip ^ us at all. May the God Who is 
 the God of the humble, the good and merciful God, grant 
 both to you and me a broken and humbled heart, so shall 
 
 ■t ImirxtXiirm, (a gymnastic term, like the preceding). 
 
80 
 
 HoMiL. we be enabled easily to order the rest aright, to the glory 
 
 ^^^of our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom and with Whom, to 
 
 the Father and the Holy Ghost, be glory for ever and ever. 
 
 Amen. 
 
HOMILY X. 
 
 John i. II. 
 He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. 
 
 Beloved, God being loving towards man and beneficent, 
 does and contrives all things in order that we may shine in 
 virtue, and as desSring that we be well approved by Him. 
 And to this end He draws no one by force or compulsion ; 
 but by persuasion and benefits He draws all that will, and 
 wins them to Himself. Wherefore when He came, some 
 received Him, and others received Him not. For He will 
 have no unwilling, no forced domestic, but all of their own 
 will and choice, and grateful to Him for their service. Men, 
 as needing the ministry of servants, keep many in that state 
 even against their will, by the law of ownership''; but God, 
 being without wants, and not standing in need of any thing 
 of ours, but doing all only for our salvation, makes us 
 absolute' in this matter, and therefore lays neither force ' Kv^icus 
 nor compulsion on any of those who are unwilling. For He 
 looks only to our advantage : and to be drawn unwilling to 
 a service like this is the same as not serving at all. 
 
 " Why then," says one, " does He punish those who will 
 not listen^ to Him, and why hath He threatened hell to those 2 al. 
 who endure^ not His commands?" Because, being Good 3^^ ™' 
 exceedingly, He cares even for those who obey Him not, ' bear' 
 and withdraws not from them who start back and flee from 
 Him. But when we* had rejected the first way of His^al. 
 beneficence, and had refused to come by the path of per- ®^ 
 suasion and kind treatment, then He brought in upon us 
 
 » lurtrort'ms, i. e. ' the law of master and slave.' 
 G 
 
82 OoiTs great care for man. 
 
 HoMiL. the other way, that of correction and punishments ; most bitter 
 ^' indeed, but still necessary, when the former is disregarded ''. 
 Now lawgivers also appoint many and grievous penalties 
 against offenders, and yet we feel no aversion to them for 
 this ; we even honour them the more on account of the 
 punishments they have enacted, and because though not 
 needing a single thing that we have, and often not knowing 
 who they should be that should enjoy the help afforded by 
 
 1 ' writ- their written laws', they still took care for the good ordering 
 'trouWe' °^ °"'' li^^S) rewarding those who live virtuously, and check- 
 
 2 ai. ' as i°g t)y punishments the intemperate, and those ^ who would 
 those' mar the repose^ of others. And if we admire and love these 
 
 3 al. 
 
 ' settled men, ought we not much more to marvel at and love God on 
 "'^f'^' account of His so great care ? For the difference between 
 their and His forethought regarding us is infinite. Unspeak- 
 able of a truth are the riches of the goodness of God, and 
 ''al.' be- passing all excess*. Consider; He came to His own, not 
 thought' fo'" His personal need, (for, as I said, the Divinity is without 
 wants,) but to do good unto His own people. Yet not even 
 so did His own receive Him, when He came to His own for 
 their advantage, but repelled Him, and not this only, but 
 they even cast Him out of the vineyard, and slew Him. Yet 
 not for this even did He shut them out from repentance, but 
 granted them, if they had been willing, after such wickedness 
 as this, to wash off all their transgressions by faith in Him, and 
 to be made equal to those who had done no such thing, but 
 are His especial friends. And that I say not this at random, 
 or for persuasion's sake, all the history of the blessed 
 Paul loudly declares. For when he, who after the Cross 
 persecuted Christ, and had stoned His martyr Stephen by 
 those many hands, repented, and condemned his former sins, 
 and ran to Him Whom he had persecuted. He immediately 
 enrolled him among His friends, and the chiefest of them, 
 having appointed him a herald and teacher of all the world, 
 ; Tim. who had been a blasphemer, and persecutor, and injurious. 
 ^''^' Even as he rejoicing at the loving-kindness of God, has 
 proclaimed aloud, and has not been ashamed, but having 
 recorded in his writings, as on a pillar, the deeds formerly 
 
 '' al. ' For when the former way is disregarded, the introduction of the second 
 jy necessary.' Ben. 
 
St. Paul an instance of the long-suffering of God. 83 
 
 dared by him, has exhibited them to all ; thinking it belter John 
 that his former hfe should be placarded" in sight of all, so ^' "' 
 that the greatness of the free gift of God might appear, than 
 that he should obscure His ineflFable and indescribable 
 loving-kindness by hesitating to parade' before all men his' Ur.^- 
 own error. Wherefore continually^ he treats of his persecu- T^'^^"'^^) 
 tion, his plottings, his wars against the Church, at one time «»™ 
 saying, I am not meet to be called an Apostle, because /i Cor. 
 persecuted the Church of God; at another, Jesus came into ^ xim. 
 the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. And^ji^- 
 again, Ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Gal. i, 
 Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the 
 church' of God, and wasted it. 
 
 [2.] For making as it were a kind of return to Christ for 
 His Ion g-suflfe ring towards him, by shewing who it was, what 
 a hater and enemy that He saved, he declared with much 
 openness the warfare which at the first with all zeal he 
 warred against Christ; and with this he holds forth good 
 hopes to those who despaired of their condition. For he 
 says, that Christ accepted him, in order that in him first He 
 might shew forth all long-suffering, and the abundant riches i Tim. 
 of His goodness, ybr a pattern to them that should hereafter ' " 
 believe in Him to life everlasting. Because the things which 
 they had dared were too great for any pardon ; which the 
 Evangelist declaring, said. 
 
 He came to His own, and His own received Him not. 
 Whence came He, Who filleth all things, and Who is every 
 where present? What place did He empty of His presence. 
 Who holdeth and graspeth all things in His hand? He 
 exchanged not one place for another; how should He? But 
 by His. coming down to us, He effected this. For since, 
 though being in the world, He did not seem to be there, 
 because He was not yet known, but afterwards manifested 
 Himself by deigning to take upon Him our flesh, he (St. 
 John) calls this manifestation and descent, " a coming''." 
 One might wonder at " the disciple who is not ashamed of the 
 dishonour of his Teacher, but even records the insolence 
 
 ' vTYiXfniiirlxi. lit. ' set on a pillar.' N. T. ^ . 
 
 al. criiuS^,, ' be branded.' ■= al. • there is reasoa to wonder 
 
 4 ■rajaBj-ia commonly so used in that.' 
 
 g2 
 
84 The pimishment of those who received not Christ. 
 
 HoMiL. which was used towards Him : yet this is no small proof of 
 — 2:^ his truth-loving disposition. And besides, lie who feels 
 shame should feel it for those who have offered an insult, 
 not for tlie person outraged '. Indeed He by this very 
 thing shone the brighter, as taking, even after the 
 insult, so much care for those who had offered it; while 
 they appeared ungrateful and accursed in tiie eyes of all 
 men, for having rejected Him Who came to bring tliem 
 so great goods, as hateful to them, and an enemy. And 
 not only in this were they hurt, but also in not obtaining 
 what they obtained who received Him. What did these 
 obtain ? 
 
 Ver. 12. As many as received Him, to them gUve He 
 power to become sons of Qod, says the Evangelist. " Why 
 then, O blessed one, dost thou not also tell us the punish- 
 ment of them who received Him not } Thou hast said 
 that they were His own, and that when He came to His 
 own, they received Him not; but what they shall suffer for 
 this, what punishment they shall undergo, thou hast not 
 gone on to add. Yet so thou wouldest the more have 
 terrified them, and have softened the hardness of their in- 
 sanity by threatening. Wherefore then ' hast thou been 
 silent ?" " And what other punishment," he would say, " can 
 be greater than this, that when power is offered them to 
 become sons of God, they do not become so, but willingly 
 deprive themselves of such nobility and honour as this ?" 
 Although their punishment shall not even stop at this point, 
 that they gain no good, but moreover the unquenchable fire 
 shall receive them, as in going on he has more plainly 
 revealed. But for the present he speaks of the unutterable 
 goods of those who received Him, and sets these words in 
 brief before us^, saying. As many as received Him, to them 
 gave He power to become sons of Qod. Whether bond or 
 free, whether Greeks or barbarians or Scythians, unlearned 
 or learned, female or male, children or old men, in honour 
 or dishonour, rich or poor, rulers or private persons, all, he 
 saith, are deemed worthy the same privilege ; for faith and 
 the grace of the Spirit, removing the inequality caused by 
 
 ' tru^uifihiTK , 'insulted by men i al. ' sets them in brief before us in 
 heated with wine.' these words,' 
 
The great Gift of Baptism : mati's duty to guard it. 85 
 
 worldly things, hath moulded all to one fashion, and stamped John 
 them with one impress, the King's. What can equal this-^^-- 
 loving-kindness ? A king, who is framed of the same clay 
 with us, does not deign to enrol among the royal host his 
 fellow- servants, who share the same nature with himself, and 
 in character often are better than he, if they chance to be 
 slaves ; but the Only-Begotten Son of God did not disdain 
 to reckon among the company of His children both publicans, 
 sorcerers, and slaves, nay, men of less repute and greater ' 
 poverty than these, maimed in body, and suffering from ten 
 thousand ills. Such is the power of faith in Him, such the 
 excess of His grace. And as the element of fire, when it 
 meets with ore from the mine, straightway of earth makes 
 it gold, even so and much more Baptism makes those who 
 are washed to be of gold instead of clay, the Spirit at that 
 time falling like fire into our souls, burning up the image ofi Cor. 
 the earthy, and producing the image of the heavenly, fi-esh ' ' 
 coined, bright and glittering, as from the furnace-mould. 
 
 Why then did he say not that " He made them sons of 
 God," but that He gave them power to become sons of Ood ? 
 To shew that we need much zeal to keep the image of 
 sonship impressed on us at Baptism, all through without spot 
 or soil'; and at the same time to shew that no one shall be'«'''^*- 
 able to take this power from us, unless we are the first to 
 deprive ourselves of it. For if among men, those who have 
 received the absolute control of any matters have well-nigh 
 as much power as those who gave them the charge ; much 
 more shall we, who have obtained such honour from God, be, 
 if we do nothing unworthy of this power, stronger than all; 
 because He Who put this honour in our hands is greater and 
 better than all. At the same time too he wishes to shew, 
 that not even does grace come upon man irrespectively ^,''aTA.£« 
 but upon those who desire and take pains for it. For it lies 
 in the power of these to become (His) children ; since if they 
 do not themselves first make the choice, the gift does not 
 come upon them, nor have any effect. 
 
 [3.] Having therefore every where excluded compulsion, 
 and pointing to (man's) voluntary choice and free power, 
 he has said the same now. For even in these mystical 
 blessings^ it is, on the one hand, God's part, to give the'i-e.of 
 
 ° Baptism 
 
86 Faith unavailing without a holy life: 
 
 HoMiL. grace, on the other, man's, to supply faith; and in after time 
 
 '- — there needs for what remains much earnestness. In order to 
 
 preserve our purity, it is not sufficient for us merelj' to have 
 been baptized and to have believed, but we must, if we will 
 contiimaliy enjoy this brightness, display a life worthy of it. 
 This then is God's work in us. To have been born ths 
 mystical Birth, and to have been cleansed from all our 
 former sins, comes from Baptism; but to remain for the 
 future pure, never again after this to admit any stain, belongs 
 to our own power and diligence. And this is the reason why 
 he reminds us of the manner of the birth, and by comparison 
 with fleshly pangs shews its excellence, when he says, 
 •lit. Ver. 13. Who were born, not of blood ^, nor of the icill of 
 
 bloods' fjigjiesh, but of God. This he has done, in order that, con- 
 sidering the vileness and lowness of the first birth, which is 
 of blood, and the will of the flesh, and perceiving the high- 
 ness and nobleness of the second, which is by grace, we may 
 form from thence some great opinion of it, and one worthy 
 of the gift of Him Who hath begotten us, and for the future 
 exhibit much earnestness. 
 
 For there is no small fear, lest, having sometime defiled 
 
 that beautiful robe by our after sloth and transgressions, we 
 
 ^a-tc^To-bg cast out from the inner room' and bridal chamber, like 
 
 Mat.25. the five foolish virgins, or him who had not on a wedding 
 
 ^''^•'--- garment. He too was one of the guests, for he had been 
 
 invited; but because, after the invitation and so great an 
 
 honour, he behaved with insolence towards Him Who had 
 
 invited him, hear what punishment he suffers, how pitiable, 
 
 fit subject for many tears. For when he comes to partake of 
 
 that splendid table, not only is he forbidden the feast, but 
 
 bound hand and foot alike, is can-ied into outer darkness, to 
 
 undergo eternal and endless wailing and gnashing of teeth. 
 
 ' *' ■• v ^^^*'®^°^®» beloved, let not as either expect = that faith is 
 
 sufiicient to us for salvation ; for if we do not shew forth 
 
 a pure life, but come clothed with garments unworthy of this 
 
 blessed calling, nothing hinders us from suffering the same 
 
 as that wretched one. It is strange that He, Who is God 
 
 and King, is not ashamed of men who are vile, beggars, and 
 
 of no repute, but brings even them of the cross ways to that 
 
 table ; while we manifest so much insensibility, as not even 
 
which is the wedding garment required. 87 
 
 to be made better by so great an honour, but even after the John 
 call remain in our old wickedness, insolently abusing' the ^- '^- 
 unspeakable loving-kindness of Him Who hath called us. ' ^t"'i' 
 ror it was not for this that He called us to the spiritual and 
 awful communion of His mysteries, that we should enter 
 with our former wickedness ; but that, putting off our filthi- 
 ness, we should change our raiment to such as becomes those 
 who are entertained in palaces. But if we will not act 
 worthily of that calling, this no longer rests with Him Who 
 hath honoured us, but with ourselves; it is not He that casts 
 us out from that admirable company of guests, but we cast 
 out ourselves. 
 
 He has done all His part. He has made the marriage. 
 He has provided the table. He has sent men to call us, has 
 received us when we came, and honoured us with all other 
 honour; but we, when we have offered insult to Him, to the 
 company, and to the wedding, by our filthy garments, that 
 is, our impure actions, are then with good cause cast out. 
 It is to honour the marriage and the guests, that He drives 
 off those bold^ and shameless persons; for were He to suffer ^ /t«^sw 
 those clothed in such a garment. He would seem to be 
 offering insult to the rest. But may it never be that one, 
 either of us or of others, find this of Him Who has called 
 us! For to this end have all these things been written before 
 they come to pass, that we, being sobered by the threats of 
 the Scriptures, may not suffer this disgrace and punishment 
 to go on to the deed, but stop it at the word only, and each 
 with bright apparel come to that call ; which may it come 
 to pass that we all enjoy, through the grace and loving- 
 kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom and with Whom, 
 to the Father and the Holy Ghost, be glory for ever and ever. 
 Amen. 
 
HOMILY XL 
 
 John i. 14. 
 And the Word was made Flesh, and dwelt among lis. 
 
 I DESIRE to ask one favour of you all, before I touch on 
 the words of the Gospel ; do not you refuse my request, for 
 I ask nothing heavy or burthensome, nor, if granted, will 
 it be useful only to me who receive, but also to you who 
 grant it, and perhaps far more so to you. What then is it 
 that I require of you ? That each of you take in hand that 
 section of the Gospels which is to be read among you on 
 the first day of the week, or even on the Sabbath, and before 
 the day arrive, that he sit down at home and read it through, 
 and often carefully consider its contents, and examine all its 
 lal.jvery parts Well, what" is clear, what obscure', what seems to 
 '' ^'°' make for the adversaries '', but does not really so ; and when 
 si«-x«f.you have tried', in a word'', every point, so go to hear it 
 read. For from zeal like this will be no small gain both to 
 you and to us. We shall not need much labour to render 
 clear the meaning of what is said, because your minds will 
 be already made familiar with the sense of the words, and 
 you will become keener and more clearsighted not for hearing 
 only, nor for learning, but also for the teaching of others. 
 Since, in the way that now most of those who come hither 
 hear, compelled to take in the meaning of all at once, both 
 the words, and the remarks we make upon them, they will 
 not, though we should go on doing this for a whole year, 
 reap any great gain. How can they, when they have leisure 
 
 =• al. ' let him mark what is clear ^ imxaiSatitatTis , ' having tried by 
 &c.' ringing.' 
 
 ' al. ' to be contradictory.' 
 
Excuses of the negligent. 89 
 
 for what is said as a byework', and only in this place, and John 
 for this short time ? If any lay the fault on business, and ,4^^ 
 cares, and constant occupation m public and private matters, i^yiu. 
 in the first place, this is no slight charge in itself, that they 
 are surrounded with such a multitude of business, are so 
 continually nailed to the things of this life, that they cannot 
 find even a little leisure for what is more needful than all. 
 Besides, that this is a mere pretext and excuse, their meetings 
 with friends would prove against them, their loitering in the 
 theatres, and the parties" they make to see horse races, atV"wJ«'«- 
 which they often spend whole days, yet never in that case 
 does one of them complain of the pressure of business. For 
 trifles then you can without making any excuses, always find 
 abundant leisure ; but when you ought to attend to the 
 things of God, do these seem to you so utterly superfluous 
 and mean, that you think you need not assign even a little 
 leisure to them ? How do men of such disposition deserve 
 to breathe or to look upon this sun ? 
 
 There is another most foolish excuse of these sluggards ; 
 that they have not the books in their possession. Now as 
 to the rich, it is ludicrous that we should take our aim at' this ' atirtl- 
 excuse ; but because I imagine that many of the poorer sort "' *'' 
 continually use it, I would gladly ask, if every one of them 
 does not have all the instruments of the trade which he 
 works at, full and complete, though infinite* poverty stand * /""sf*' 
 in his way ? Is it not then a strange thing, in that case to 
 throw no blame on poverty, but to use every means that 
 there be no obstacle from any quarter, but, when we might 
 gain such great advantage, to lament our want of leisure and 
 our poverty ? 
 
 Besides, even if any should be so poor, it is in their power, 
 by means of the continual reading of the holy Scriptures 
 which takes place here, to be ignorant of nothing contained 
 in them. Or if this seems to you impossible, it seems so with 
 reason ; for many do not come with fervent zeal to hearken 
 to what is said, but having done this oiie thing ^ for form's 
 sake^ on our account^, immediately return home. Or if a,n J ^ if arm- 
 should stay, they are no better disposed than those who have J'^'^'^'"^^^ 
 retired, since they are only present here with us in body, the day.' 
 
 * i. e. having come to the assembly. 
 
90 Greatness not lessened by condescension. 
 
 HoMiL. But that we may not overload you with accusations, and 
 
 ^ spend all the time in finding fault, let us proceed to the 
 
 words of the Gospel, for it is time to direct the remainder of 
 our discourse to what is set before us. Rouse yourselves 
 therefore, that nothing of what is said escape you. 
 
 And the TVo7'd was made Flesh, he saith, and dwelt among 
 us. 
 
 Having declared that they who received Him were horn 
 of God, and had become sons of God, he adds the cause and 
 reason of this unspeakable honour. It is that the Word 
 became Flesh, that the Master took on Him the form of a 
 
 • ynnas. servant. For He became Son of man. Who was God's own ' 
 
 Son, in order that He might make the sons of men to be 
 children of God. For the high when it associates with the 
 low touches not at all its own honour, while it raises up the 
 other from its excessive lowness ; and even thus it was with 
 the Lord. He in nothing diminished His own Nature by 
 2al. 'de-this condescension^, but raised us, who had always sat in 
 scent, (jjggrace and darkness, to glory unspeakable. Thus it may 
 be, a king, conversing with interest and kindness with a poor 
 mean man, does not at all shame himself, yet makes the other 
 observed by all and illustrious. Now if in the case of the 
 adventitious dignity of men, intercourse with the humbler 
 person in nothing injures the more honourable, much less 
 can it do so in the case of that simple and blessed Essence, 
 which has nothing adventitious, or subject to growth or decay, 
 3'al.pos- but has' all good things immoveable, and fixed for ever. 
 So that when you hear that the Word became Flesh, be not 
 
 * fiiT- disturbed nor cast down. For that Essence did not change ■* 
 ''Si' *° flesh, (it is impiety * to imagine this,) but continuing what 
 from It is, It so took upon It the form of a servant. 
 
 was ["2] Wherefore then does he use the expression, was 
 
 1°^-' made? To stop the mouths of the heretics. For since 
 
 ' truly there are some ' who say that all the circumstances of the 
 
 impious Dispensation were an appearance, a piece of acting, an 
 
 allegory, at once to remove beforehand their blasphemy, he 
 
 has put was made; desiring to shew thereby not a change of 
 
 substance, (away with the thought,) but the assumption of 
 
 " The DocetJE, who maintained that was a phantom. Perhaps they are the 
 our Lord appeared only to act and heretics specially alluded to by St. John, 
 suffer in the Flesh, and that His Body 1 Ep. iv. 2, aud 2 Ep. 7. 
 
Tfie unchangeable Nature of God. 91 
 
 very flesh. For as when (Paul) says, Christ hath redeemed John 
 us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us, he — ^ — '- 
 does not mean that His essence removing from Its proper 
 glory took upon It the being ' of an accursed thing, (this not ' timuh- 
 even devils could imagine, nor even the very foolish, nor 
 those deprived of their natural understanding, such impiety 
 as well as madness does it contain,) as (St. Paul) does not 
 say this, but that He, taking upon Himself the curse pro- 
 nounced against us, leaves us no more under the curse ; so 
 also here he (St. John) says that He was made Flesh, not by 
 changing His Essence to flesh, but by taking flesh to Him- 
 self, His Essence remained untouched. 
 
 If they say that being God, He is Omnipotent, so that He 
 could lower Himself* to the substance of flesh, we will reply °i"'™- 
 lo them, that He is Omnipotent as long as He continues to 
 be God. But if He admit of change, change for the worse, 
 how could He be God } for change is far from that simple 
 Nature. Wherefore the Prophet saith. They all shall wax^^'^^^^ 
 old as doth a garment, and as a vesture shalt Thou roll them LXX. 
 up, and they shall be changed; but Thou art the same, and 
 Thy years shall not fail. For that Essence is superior to all 
 change. There is nothing better than He, to which He 
 might advance and reach. Better do I say ? No, nor equal 
 to, nor the least approaching Him. It remains, therefore, 
 that if He change. He must admit a change for the worse ; 
 and this would not be God. But let the blasphemy return 
 upon the heads of those who utter it. Nay, to shew that he 
 uses the expression, was made, only that you should not 
 suppose a mere appearance, hear from what follows how he 
 clears the argument, and overthrows that wicked suggestion. 
 For what does he add ? And dwelt among us. All but say- 
 ing, " Imagine nothing improper from the word teas made ; 
 I spoke not of any change of that unchangeable Nature, but 
 of Its dwelling^ and inhabiting. But that which dwells ^ ^ J^j^^ 
 cannot be the same with that in which it dwells, but difierent; nacling' 
 one thing dwells in a difierent thing, otherwise it would not^'^^.^j^ 
 be dwelling; for nothing can inhabit itself. I mean, different tabema- 
 as to essence; for by an Union ^ and Conjoining « God thcsf^^, 
 Word and the Flesh are One, not by any confusion or obli- "^ -T""- 
 
92 Man's nature hopelessly fallen, how raised; 
 
 HoMiL. teration of substances, but by a certain union ineffable, and 
 r^ — ~ past' understanding. Ask not how'; for It m'as made, so 
 
 o-Tou as He knovreth. 
 
 notaT-^ What then was the tabernacle in which He dwelt? Hear 
 
 curate- the Prophet say ; / will raise up the tabernacle of David 
 
 Amos9, that is fallen. It was fallen indeed, our nature had fallen 
 
 ^^" an incurable fall, and needed only that mighty Hand. There 
 
 was no possibility of raising it again, had not He who 
 
 fashioned it at first stretched forth to it His Hand, and 
 
 stamped it anew with His Image, by the regeneration of 
 
 water and the Spirit. And observe, I pray you, the awful 
 
 3 al.' in- and ineffable nature^ of the mystery. He inhabits this 
 
 mystery' tabernacle for ever, for He clothed Himself with our flesh, 
 
 not as again to leave it, but always to have it with Him. Had 
 
 not this been the case. He would not have deemed it worthy 
 
 of the royal throne, nor would He while wearing it have been 
 
 worshipped by all the host of heaven, angels, archangels, 
 
 thrones, principalities, dominions, powers. What word, what 
 
 thought can represent such great honour done to our race, so 
 
 truly marvellous and awfiil? What angel, what archangel? 
 
 Not one in any place, whether in heaven, or upon eai'th. For 
 
 < xxTt^- such are the mighty works* of God, so great and marvellous 
 
 m/tani ^^^ j^.^^ benefits, that a right description of them exceeds not 
 
 only the tongue of men, but even the power of Angels. 
 
 sai.'iet Wherefore we will* for a while close our discourse, and be 
 
 6^ .silent; only delivering to you this charge^, that you repay 
 
 yuirxv- this our so great Benefactor by a return which again shall 
 
 bring round to us all profit. The return is, that we look 
 
 with all carefulness to the state of our souls. For this too is 
 
 the work of His loving-kindness, that He Who stands in no 
 
 need of any thing of ours, says that He is repaid when we 
 
 take care of our own souls. It is therefore an act of extremest 
 
 folly, and one deserving ten thousand chastisements, if we, 
 
 when such honour has been lavished upon us, will not even 
 
 contribute what we can, and that too when profit comes 
 
 round to us again by these means, and ten thousand blessings 
 
 are laid before us on these conditions. For all these things 
 
 'imri/i-let us return' glory to our merciful God, not by words only, 
 
 '*"''"' but much more by works, that we may obtain the good things 
 
the return to be made by him. 93 
 
 hereafter, which may it be that we all attain to, through the John 
 
 1. 14. 
 
 grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom 
 and with Whom, to the Father and the Holy Ghost, be glory 
 for ever and ever. Amen. 
 
HOMILY XII. 
 
 John i. 14. 
 
 And we beheld His glory, the glory as of Ike Only- Begotten 
 of the Father, full of grace and truth. 
 
 ' a-jaixv Perhaps we seemed to you the other day' needlessly hard 
 
 Ujjon you and burdensome, using too sharp language, and 
 
 extending too far our reproaches against the sluggishness of 
 
 the many. Now if we had done this merely from a desire 
 
 to vex you, each of you would with cause have been angry; 
 
 but if, looking to your advantage, we neglected in our speech 
 
 what might gratify you, if ye will not give us credit for our 
 
 forethought, you should at least pardon us on account of 
 
 2 j/x«; such tender love^. For in truth we greatly fear, lest, if we 
 
 ^rc^yi s ^^^ taking pains', and you are not willing to manifest the 
 
 'speak- same diligence in listening, your future reckoning may be 
 
 the more severe. Wherefore we are compelled continually 
 
 to arouse and waken you, that nothing of what is said may 
 
 4 arafaj. escape * you. For so you will be enabled to live for the 
 
 j».jv<ti pj.gggjjj. ^j^]^ much confidence, and to exhibit it at that Day 
 
 before the judgment-seat of Christ. Since then we have 
 
 lately sufficiently touched you, let us to-day at the outset 
 
 enter on the expressions themselves. 
 
 We beheld, he says, His glory, the glory as of the Only- 
 Begotten of the Father. 
 
 Having declared that we were made sons of Ood, and 
 5 al.' that having shewn in what manner^, namely, by the ^Forri having 
 \,^^ been made Flesh, he again mentions another advantage 
 other- which we gain from this same circumstance. What is it ? 
 than by' We beheld His glory, the glory as of the Only-Begotten qf 
 the Father; which we could not have beheld, had it not 
 
The surpassing Glory of the Only -beg often Son. 95 
 
 been shewn to us, by means of a body like to our own'. John 
 For if the men of old time could not even bear to look upon ^' '^' 
 the glorified countenance of Moses, who pai-took of the same ,^,1"'^°' 
 nature with us, if that just man needed a veil which might 
 shade over the purity' of his glory, and shew to them the'a«eaT« 
 face of their prophet mild and gentle"; how could we 
 creatures of clay and earth have endured the unveiled God- 
 head, which is unapproachable even by the powers above ? 
 Wherefore He tabernacled ^ among us, that we might be able ^ '""'i- 
 with much fearlessness to approach Him, speak to, and 
 converse with Him. 
 
 But what means the glory as of the Only-Begotten of the 
 Father? Since many of the Prophets too were glorified, as 
 this Moses himself, Elijah, and Elisha, the one encircled by 
 the fiery chariot, the other taken up by it ; and after them, 2 Kings 
 Daniel and the Three Children, and the many others who ' '" 
 shewed forth wonders^; and angels who have appeared 4 [were 
 among men, and partly disclosed ^ to beholders the flashing ^°^ 
 light of their proper nature; and since not angels only, but'Tae«»- 
 even the Cherubim were seen by the Prophet in great glory," "'"' 
 and the Seraphim also : the Evangelist leading us away 
 from all these, and removing our thoughts from created 
 things, and from the brightness of our fellow-servants, sets 
 us at the very summit of good. For, " not of prophet," says* '' al. ' all 
 he, " nor angel, nor archangel, nor of the higher powers, norjng'^''^" 
 of any other created nature, if other there be, but of the 
 Master Himself, the King Himself, the true Only-begotten 
 Son Himself, of the Very Lord' of all, did we behold ^/je'al.'and 
 
 „ Master' 
 
 glory. 
 
 For the expression as, does not in this place belong 
 to similarity or comparison, but to confirmation and un- 
 questionable definition ; as though he said, " We beheld 
 glory, such as it was becoming, and likely that He should 
 possess, Who is the Only-begotten and true Son of God, 
 the King of all." The habit (of so speaking) is general, for 
 I shall not refuse to strengthen my argument even from 
 common custom, since it is not now my object to speak 
 with any reference to beauty of words, or elegance of 
 
 s Morel. ' make the intolerable (brightness) of his countenance bearable to 
 them.' 
 
96 Christ acknowledged by the whole Creation. 
 
 HoMTL. composition, but only for your advantage; and therefore 
 ^ • there is nothing to prevent my establishing my argument by 
 
 the instance of a common practice. What then is the habit 
 of most persons ? Often when any have seen a king richly 
 decked, and glittering on all sides with precious stones, and 
 are afterwards describing to others the beauty, the orna- 
 ments, the splendour, they enumerate as much as they can, 
 the glowing tint of the purple robe, the size of the jewels, 
 the whiteness of the mules, the gold about the yoke, the soft 
 and shining couch. But when after enumerating these 
 things, and other things besides these, they cannot, say what 
 1 ra.fi.- they will, give a full idea of the splendour, they immediately 
 ■"■""■'" bring in; " But why say much about it; once for all, he 
 was like a king ;" not desiring by the expression " like," 
 to shew that he, of whom they say this, resembles a king, 
 but that he is a real king. Just so now the Evangelist has 
 put the word as, desiring to represent the transcendent 
 nature and incomparable excellence of His glory. 
 
 For indeed all others, both angels and archangels and pro- 
 phets, did every thing as under command ; but He with the 
 authority which becomes a King and Master; at which even the 
 Matt. 7, multitudes wondered, that He taught as one having authority. 
 ^^' Even angels, as I said, have appeared with great glory upon 
 the earth ; as in the case of Daniel, of David, of Moses, but 
 they did all as servants who have a Master. But He as 
 Lord and Ruler of all, and this when He appeared in poor 
 and humble form ; but even so creation recognised her Lord. 
 Now the star from heaven which called the wise men to 
 worship Flim, the vast throng pouring every where of angels 
 attending the Lord', and hymning His praise, and besides 
 them, many other heralds sprang up on a sudden, and all, as 
 2al. they met% declared to one another the glad tidings of this 
 ^coming jneffable mystery; the angels to the shepherds; the shepherds 
 ther' to those of the city ; Gabriel to Mary and Elisabeth ; Anna 
 and Simeon to those who came to the Temple. Nor were 
 H'TT^i-vcien and women only hfted up' with pleasure, but the very 
 ''made infant who had not yet come forth to light, I mean the 
 winged' citizen of the wilderness, the namesake of this Evangelist, 
 V«Tf«e« leaped while yet in his mother's womb, and all were soaring* 
 
 " Morel. ' and heavenly multitudes appearing on earth of Angels ministering.' 
 
Mail's nature repaired by Christ. 97 
 
 with hopes for the future. This too immediately after the John 
 Birth. But when He had manifested Himself still farther, -J^il^ 
 other wonders, yet greater than the first, were seen. For it 
 was no more star, or sky, no more angels, or archangels, 
 not Gabriel, or Michael, but the Father Himself from heaven 
 above, Who proclaimed Him, and with the Father the 
 Comforter, flying down at the uttering of the Voice and 
 resting on Him. Truly therefore did he say, We beheld His 
 glory, the glory as of the Only-Begotten of the Father. 
 
 Yet he says it not only on account of these things, but 
 also on account of what followed them ; for no longer do 
 shepherds only, and widow women, and aged men, declare 
 to us the good tidings, but the very voice' of the things lal. 
 themselves, sounding clearer than any trumpet, and so °^"^''® 
 loudly, that the sound was straightway heard even in this 
 land. For, says one. His fame went into'' all Syria; and Matt. 4, 
 He revealed Himself to all, and all things every where 
 exclaimed, that the King of Heaven was come. Evil spirits 
 every where fled and started away from Him, Satan covered 
 his face" and retired, death" at that time retreated before Himj'al.'and 
 and afterwards disappeared altogether ; every kind of in- uself.' 
 firmity was loosed, the graves let free the dead, the devils 
 those whom they had maddened^, and diseases the sick. '"« 
 And one might see things strange and wonderful, such,a.j 
 as with good cause the prophets desired to see, and saw 
 not. One might see eyes fashioned, (might see) Him shew- Jotn 9, 
 ing to all in short space, and on the more noble portion 
 of the body, that admirable thing which all would have 
 desired to see, how God formed Adam from the earth; 
 palsied and distorted limbs fastened and adapted to each 
 other, dead hands moving, palsied feet leaping amain, ears 
 that were stopped re-opened, and the tongue sounding aloud 
 which before was tied by speechlessness. For having taken in 
 hand the common nature of men, as some excellent workman 
 might take a house decayed by time. He filled up what was 
 broken off", banded together its crevices and shaken portions, 
 and raised up again what was entirely fallen down. 
 
 And what should one say of the fashioning of the soul, so 
 much more admirable than that of the body ? The health of 
 
 •> 'throughout.' E.V. ■= iyicxJ^u-iifims. 
 
 H 
 
98 Soitls healed by Christ 
 
 HoMiL. our bodies is a great thing, but that of our souls is as much 
 " ■ -greater as the soul is better than the body. And not on this 
 
 account only, but because our bodily nature follows whither- 
 soever the Creator will lead it, and there is nothing to resist, 
 but the soul being its own mistress, and possessing power 
 over its acts, does not in all things obey God, unless it will 
 to do so. For God will not make it beautiful and excellent, 
 if it be reluctant and in a manner constrained by force, for 
 this is not virtue at all ; but He must persuade it to become 
 so of its own will and choice. And so this cure is more 
 difficult than the other ; yet even this succeeded, and every 
 kind of wickedness was banished. And as He re-ordered 
 the bodies which He cured, not to health only, but to the 
 highest vigour, so did He not merely deliver the souls from 
 extremest wickedness, but brought them to the very summit 
 of excellence. A publican became an Apostle, and a pei- 
 secutor, blasphemer, and injurious, appeared as herald to the 
 world, and the Magi became teachers of the Jews, and a thief 
 was declared a citizen of Paradise, and a harlot shone forth 
 by the greatness of her faith, and of the two women, of 
 Canaan and Samaria, the latter who was another harlot, 
 undertook to preach the Gospel to her countrymen, and 
 having inclosed a whole city in her nef", so brought them ' 
 to Christ; while the former, by faith and perseverance, pro- 
 cured the expulsion of an evil spirit from her daughter's 
 soul ; aud many others much worse than these were straight- 
 way^ numbered in the rank of disciples, and at once all the 
 
 ^ rifyi infirmities' of their bodies and diseases of their souls were 
 transformed, and they were fashioned anew to health and 
 exactest virtue. And of these, not two or three men, not 
 five, or ten, or twenty, or an hundred only, but entire cities 
 and nations, were very easily remodelled. Why should one 
 speak of the wisdom of the commands, the excellency of the 
 heavenly laws, the good ordering of the angelic polity? 
 For such a life hath He proposed to us, such laws appointed 
 for us, such a polity established, that those who put these 
 things into practice, immediately become angels and like to 
 
 = al.Ve'God, as far as is in our power, even though they- may have 
 been worse than all men. 
 
 <i rayr,nvmrx from irayriYti, ' a seine net.' ' al. ' brought them out.' 
 
The glory of the Crucifixion. 99 
 
 [3.] The Evangelist therefore having brought together all John 
 these things, the marvels in our bodies, in our souls, in the J^iiL 
 elements» (of our faith), the commandments, those gifts i^™- 
 ineffable and higher than the heavens, the laws, the polity, *"'"'« 
 the persuasion, the future promises, His sufferings, uttered 
 that voice so wonderful and full of exalted doctrine, saying, 
 We beheld His glory, the glory as of the Only^Begotten of 
 the Father, full of grace and truth. For we admire Him 
 not only on account of the miracles, but also by reason of 
 the suflFerings; as that He was nailed upon the Cross, that 
 He was scourged, that He was buflFeted, that He was spit upon, 
 that He received blows on the cheek from those to whom He 
 had done good. For even of those very things which seem to 
 be shameful, it is proper to repeat the same expression, since 
 He Himself called that action ^ " glory." For what then took =i.e.His 
 place was (proof) not only of kindness and love, but also of g^J'o"" 
 unspeakable power. At that time death was abolished, the 
 curse was loosed, devils were shamed and led in triumph and 
 made a show of, and the handwriting of our sins was nailed to 
 the Cross. And then, since these wonders were doing invisibly, 
 others took place visibly, shewing that He was of a truth the 
 Only-begotten Son of God, the Lord of all creation. For while 
 yet that blessed Body hung upon the tree, the sun turned 
 away his rays, the whole earth was troubled and became 
 dark, the graves were opened, the ground quaked, and an 
 innumerable multitude of dead leaped forth, and went into 
 the city. And while the stones of His tomb were fast^ed 
 upon the vault, and the seals yet upon them, the Dead 
 arose, the Crucified, the nail-pierced One, and' having 'al.<then 
 filled His eleven disciples with His mighty^ power, Hef^i)"^ 
 sent them to men throughout all the world, to be the pertain 
 
 irrssisti" 
 
 common healers of all their kind *, to correct their way bie and 
 of living, to spread through every part of the earth the^'"°®' 
 knowledge of their heavenly doctrines, to break down the their 
 tyranny of devils, to teach those great and ineffable blessings, ^^^i^^^g. 
 to bring to us the glad tidings of the soul's immortality, and 
 the eternal life of the body, and rewards which are beyond 
 conception, and shall never have an end. These things 
 then, and yet more than these, the blessed Evangelist having 
 in mind, things which though he knew, he was not able to 
 
 h2 
 
100 The greatness of the glory to come. 
 
 HoMiL. write, because the world could not have contained them, 
 
 "^ • (for if all things should be written every one, I suppose that 
 
 ' even the world itself could not contain the hooks that should 
 
 be written,) reflecting therefore on all these, he cries out, We 
 
 beheld His glory, the glory as of the Only-Begotlen of the 
 
 Father, full of grace and truth. 
 
 It behoves therefore those who have been deemed worthy to 
 see and to hear such things, and who have enjoyed so great 
 a gift, to display also a life worthy of the doctrines, that they 
 may enjoy also the good things which are (laid up) there. 
 For our Lord Jesus Christ came, not only that we might 
 behold His glory here, but also that which shall be. For 
 c. 17,24. therefore He saith, / will that these ' also be with Me where 
 
 fxi"r» / ^ '^"*' *''^^ ^''^^ '"'^'^y behold My glory. Now if the glory 
 G. T.) here was so bright and splendid, what can one say of that 
 (which shall be) ? for it shall appear not on this corruptible 
 earth, nor while we are in perishable bodies, but in a creation 
 which is imperishable, and waxes not old, and with such 
 brightness as it is not possible even to represent in words. 
 2 al. O - blessed, thrice blessed, yea many times so, they who are 
 deemed worthy to be beholders of that glory! It is concern- 
 Is. 26, ing this that the prophet says, Let the unrighteous he taken 
 LXX. o.way, that he behold not the glory of the Lord. God 
 grant that not one of us be taken away nor excluded ever 
 from beholding it. For if we shall not hereafter enjoy it, 
 then it is time to say of ourselves, Good were it for us, if we 
 had^ never been born. For why do we live and breathe ? 
 What are we, if we fail of that spectacle, if no one grant us 
 then to behold our Lord } If those who see not the light of 
 the sun endure a life more bitter than any death, what is it 
 likely that they who are deprived of that light must suiFer ? 
 For in the one case the loss is confined to this one privation; 
 but in the other it does not rest here, (though if this were 
 the only thing to be dreaded, even then the degrees of 
 punishment would not be equal, but one would be as much 
 severer than the other, as that sun is incomparably superior 
 to this,) but now we must look also for other vengeance; for 
 he who beholds not that light must not onlj' be led into 
 darkness, but must be burned continually, and waste away, 
 and gnash his teeth, and suffer ten thousand other dreadful 
 
No safety but in good works. 101 
 
 things. Let us then not permit ourselves by making this John 
 brief time a time of carelessness and remissness, to fall into— ^ — '— 
 everlasting punishment, but let us watch and be sober, let us 
 do all things, and make it all our business to attain to that 
 felicity, and to keep far from that river of fire, which rushes 
 with a loud roaring before the terrible judgment seat. For 
 he who has once been cast in there, must remain for ever ; 
 there is no one to deliver him from his punishment, not 
 father, not mother, not brother. And this the prophets them- 
 selves declare aloud; one saying, -Bro^/ier delivers not brother. ?!i*^'''' 
 Shall man deliver? And Ezekiel has declared somewhat 
 more than this, saying. Though Noah, Daniel, and Job leereEz. 14, 
 in it, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters. For one 
 defence ' only, that through works ^j is there, and he who is ' «■«»- 
 deprived of that cannot be saved by any other means. Re- 
 volving these things, then, and reflecting upon them con- 
 tinually, let us cleanse our life and make it lustrous, that we 
 may see the Lord with boldness, and obtain the promised 
 good things ; through the gface and loving-kindness of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom and with Whom, to the Father 
 and the Holy Spirit, be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 
 
 f There are places where he allows the oonseq^uence of his good deeds. See 
 that the prayers of others may avail on Statues, Horn. ii. §. 17. Tr. p, 46, 
 a man ia the Judgment, when they are and note d. 
 
HOMILY XIIL 
 
 John i. 15. 
 
 John heareth witness of Him, and crieth, saying, This is He 
 of Whom I spake, saying. He that comelh after me is pre- 
 ferred before me, for He was before me. 
 
 Do we then run and labour in vain ? Are we sowing upon 
 the rocks ? Does the seed fall without our knowing it by the 
 way side, and among thorns ? I am greatly troubled and 
 'al.' no- fear, lest our husbandry be unprofitable; not' as though I 
 ""^ shall be a loser as well as you, touching the reward of this 
 labour. For it is not with those who teach as it is with hus- 
 bandmen. Oftentimes the husbandman after his year's toil, his 
 hard work and sweat, if the earth produce no suitable return 
 »al. 'is'for his pains, will be' able to find comfort for his labours 
 from none else, but returns ashamed and downcast from his 
 bam to his dwelling, his wife and children, unable to require 
 of any man a reward for his lengthened toil. But in our 
 ' ai- case there is ' nothing like this. For even though the soil 
 be' which we cultivate bring forth no fruit, if we have shewn all 
 industry, the Lord of it and of us will not suffer us to depart 
 with disappointed hopes, but will give us a recompense; for, 
 1 Cor. says St. Paul, Every man shall receive his own reward 
 e'z.'2 5. according to his own labour, not according to the event 
 notfrom of things. And that it is so, hearken : And Thou, he saith, 
 <al.'thia Son of man, testify unto this people, 'if they will hear, and 
 learut^ if Ihey will understand. And Ezekiel says S If the watch- 
 
 from man give warning what it behoves to fiee from, and what to 
 
 Ezekiel' 
 
Character of the true pantor. 103 
 
 choose, he hath delivered his own soul, although there be John 
 none that will take heed. Yet although we have this strong^ ' '^' 
 
 'Ez.3,]8. 
 
 consolation, and are confident of the recompense that shall and 33, 
 be made us, still when we see that the work in you does not ^^^0°^^ 
 go forward, our state is not better than the state of those fr"™ 
 husbandmen who lament and mourn, who hide their faces 
 and are ashamed. This is the sympathy of a teacher, this 
 is the natural care of a father. For Moses too, when it was in 
 his power to have been delivered from the ingratitude of the 
 Jews, and to have laid the more glorious foundation of an- 
 other and far greater ■ people, {Let Me alone, said God, that i al. ' in 
 I may consume them^, and make of thee a nation mightier ^^^'^ 
 than this,) because he was a holy man, the servant of God, way' 
 
 Ex 32 
 
 and a friend' very true and generous, he did not endure even iq. ' 
 to hearken to this word, but chose rather to perish with'^''.- 
 
 Wlp6 
 
 those who had been once allotted to him, than without them out' 
 to be saved and be in greater honour. Such ought he to be '^[^'^^^^^^ 
 who has the charge of souls. For it is a strange thing that servant' 
 any one who has weak children, will not be called the father 
 of any others than those who are sprung from him, but that 
 he who has had disciples placed in his hands should be 
 continually changing one flock for another, that we should 
 be catching at the charge now of these, then of those, then 
 again of others*, having no real affection for any one. May "al. 'and 
 we never have cause to suspect this of you. We trust that again 
 ve abound more in faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and in ^■''^ 
 
 tllPSfi' 
 
 love to one another and towards all men. And this we say 
 as desiring that your zeal may be increased, and the excel- 
 lence of your conversation = farther advanced. For it is^'^«'>-'- 
 thus that you will be able to bring your understandings 
 down to the very depth of the words set before us, if no 
 film^ of wickedness darken the eyes of your intellect, and ° ,'*-''i"''' 
 
 af. ^vfittt, 
 
 disturb its clearsightedness and acuteness. ' defile- 
 
 What then is it which is set before' us to-day? Johnf^^' 
 bare witness of Him, and cried, saying. This was He o/' said to' 
 Whom I spake. He that cometh after me is preferred before 
 me, for He was before me. The Evangelist is very full in 
 making frequent mention of John, and often bearing about 
 his testimony. And this he does not without a reason, but 
 very wisely ; for all the Jews held the man in great admira- 
 
104 Why St. John dwells on the testimony of the Baptist. 
 
 HoMiL. tion, (even Joseplms imputes the war to his death"; and 
 
 '- shews, that, on his account, what once was the mother city, 
 
 ' al. is now no city at all'", and continues' the words of his 
 ■ encomium to great length,) and therefore desiring by his 
 means to make the Jews ashamed, he continually reminds 
 them of the testimony of the forerunner. The other Evan- 
 gelists make mention of the older prophets, and at each 
 successive thing that took place respecting Him refer the 
 hearer to them. Thus wlien the Child is born, they say, 
 Matt. 1, iVozf all this was done, that it might he fulfilled which was 
 Is.'? 14. spoken hy Esaias the prophet, saying. Behold, a virgin shall 
 be with Child, and shall bring forth a Son; and when He is 
 plotted against and sought for every where so diligently, that 
 even tender infancy is slaughtered by° Herod, they bring in 
 Matt. 2, Jeremy, saying. In Ramah was there a voice heard, lament- 
 Je'r. 31 cttion, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping 
 IS- for her children; and again, when He comes up out of 
 2al.' pro- Egypt, they mention^ Hosea, saying. Out of Egypt have I 
 Matt 2 f^^^^^d, My Son ; and this they do every where. But John 
 15. providing testimony more clear and fresh, and uttering a 
 i_ ■ ' voice more glorious than the others, brings continually for- 
 ward not those only who had departed and were dead, but 
 one also who was alive and present, who pointed Him out 
 and baptized Him, him he continually introduces, not 
 3 Morel, desiring to gain credit for the master^ through the servant, 
 ' heace ^ut condescending to the infirmity of his hearers^. For as 
 away unless He had taken the form of a servant. He would not 
 
 with the 
 
 thought' have been easily received, so had He not by the voice of a 
 bates °^ servant prepared the ears of his fellow-servants, the many (at 
 
 5 al. any rate) of the Jews would not^ have received the Word. 
 
 noffso'^ [2.] But besides this, there was another great and won- 
 derful provision. For because to speak any great words 
 concerning himself, makes a man's witness to be suspected, 
 and is often an obstacle to many hearers, another comes to 
 
 6 al. be- testify of Him. And besides this, the many* are in a 
 
 cause 
 
 the 
 
 many. „ -^^ ^^^-^ passage is extant in i" Ben. ' the war through which the 
 
 Josephus. Probably the place alluded city of the Jews, which was once the 
 
 to is Antiq. b. xviii. c. 5. §. 2. where mother city, is no city." 
 the destruction of the troops of Herod "= Morell »«! ratra ra airdii Strut 
 
 the tetrareh by Aretas is attributed to i»i|)iT>i, is xm »■•{} T«f Sui^m hJ^ixms 
 
 the death of John the Baptist. rm npaTTo/iitni , 
 
Infirmity of the Jews, 105 
 
 manner wont to run more readily to a voice which is more John 
 familiar and natural to them, as recognising it more than ^' '^- 
 other voices; and therefore the Voice from heaven was 
 uttered' once or twice, but that of John oftentimes and con- ' yiym 
 tinually. For those" of the people who had surmounted the^ ?^- 
 infirmity of their nature, and had been released from all the there- 
 things of sense, could hear the Voice from heaven, and had*^°'^®* 
 no great need of that of man, but in all things obeyed'^ that 
 other, and were led by it; but they who yet moved below, 
 and were wrapt in many veils, needed that meaner (voice.) 
 In the same way John, because he had stripped himself in 
 every way of the' things of sense, needed no other instruc- ^.^^ , 
 tors*, but was taught from heaven. He that sent me, saith ''al.Jmen 
 he, to baptize with water, the Same said unto me, Upon^^^i^^^ 
 whom thou shall see the Spirit of God descending, the 
 same is He. But the Jews who still were children, and 
 could not as yet reach to that height, had a man for their 
 teacher, a man who did not speak to them words of his own, 
 but brought them a message from above. 
 
 What then saith he ? He beareth witness concerning Him, 
 and crieth, saying. What means that word CT«e</j.^ Boldly, 
 he means, and freely, without any reserve', he proclaims. ^5«»-«. 
 What does he proclaim? to what does he bear witness, and " 
 cry ? TJds is He of Whom I said. He that cometh after me is 
 preferred before me; for He was before me. The testimony 
 is dark ^ and contains besides much that is lowly. Forhe'l'*' 
 
 sn3>d6d 
 
 does not say, " This is the Son of God, the Only-begotten, over.' 
 the true Son; but what? He that cometh after me, is pre- 
 ferred before me; for He was before me. As the mother birds 
 do not teach their young all at ouce how to fly, nor finish their 
 teaching in a single day, but at first lead them forth so as to 
 be just outside the nest, then after first allowing them to 
 rest, set them again to flying', and on the next day continue 
 a flight much farther, and so gently, by little and little, bring 
 them to the proper height; just so the blessed John did not 
 immediately bring the Jews to high things, but taught them 
 
 "i Morel. 'as obeying it in all things: being wrapt.' 
 
 but they who yet moved below, needed ^ Morel, and MS. Savile reads *j«irT/- 
 
 also many other (things,) because of Sinn rlj vrfatu traXm xai . . . . st/imms 
 
 their grovelling on the ground, and rmirToant. 
 
106 The Jews prepared by the Baptist to receive Christ. 
 
 HoMiL.for a while to fly up a little above the earth, saying, that 
 
 ^^^^' Christ was greater than he. And yet this, even this, was for 
 
 1 ai. the time no small thing, to have been able to persuade' the 
 
 ' make hearers that one who had not yet appeared nor worked any 
 
 believe.' , , /r i t \ 
 
 wonders was greater than a man, (John, 1 mean,) so mar- 
 vellous, so famous, to whom all ran, and whom they thought 
 to be an angel. For a while therefore he laboured to esta- 
 blish this in the minds of his hearers, that He to Whom 
 testimony was borne was greater than he vs^ho bore it; He 
 that came after, than he that came before, He who had not 
 yet appeared, than he that was manifest and famous. And 
 observe bow prudently he introduces his testimony ; for he does 
 not only point Him out when He has appeared, but even before 
 He appears, proclaims Him. For the expression, This is 
 He of Whom I spake, is the expression of one declaring this. 
 As also Matthew says, that when all came to him, he said, 
 ^M.a.t.3,^ J indeed baptize you with water, but He that comeih after 
 T^'if°9 jwe is mightier than I, the latchet of Whose shoes I am not 
 16. worthy to unloose. Wherefore then even before His appear- 
 ance did he this ? In order that when He appeared, the 
 testimony might readily be received, the minds of the 
 hearers being already prepossessed by what was said con- 
 cerning Him, and the mean external appearance not vitiating 
 it \ For if without having heard any thing at all concerning 
 3 j^j_ Him they had seen the Lord% and as they beheld Him had 
 ' Christ at the same time received the testimony of John's words, so 
 self.' wonderful and great, the meanness of His appearance * would 
 < exntM ijave straightway been an objection to the grandeur of the 
 expressions. For Christ took on Him an appearance so 
 mean and ordinary, that even Samaritan women, and harlots, 
 and publicans, had confidence boldly to approach and 
 (.3.) converse with Him. As therefore, I said, if they had at 
 once heai-d these words and seen Himself, they might per- 
 haps have mocked at the testimony of John ; but now be- 
 cause even before Christ appeared, they had often heard and 
 s Ben. had been accustomed to ^ what was said concerning Him, 
 voked(to ^'^^y were affected in the opposite way, not rejecting the 
 curiosi- instruction of the words by reason of the appearance of Him 
 
 ty) by' ^^ 
 
 f Some Mss. add, ' but being able to possess the souls of the maoy with much 
 fearlessness.' 
 
How Christ was before the Baptist. 107 
 
 Who was witnessed of, but from their belief of what had John 
 been ah'eady told them, esteeming Him even more glorious. ^' ^^" 
 
 The phrase, that cometh after, means, that preachelh after 
 me, not that was born after me. And this Matthew glances 
 at when he says', After me cometh a man, not speaking of'^**-^; 
 His birth from Mary, but of His coming to preach (the verbally 
 Gospel), for had he been speaking of the birth, he would not l""'®'^- 
 have said, cometh, but " is come ;" since He was born when 
 John spake this. What then means, is before me ? Is more 
 glorious, more honourable. " Do not," he saith, " because 
 I came preaching first, from this suppose that I am greater 
 than He ; I am much inferior, so much inferior that T am 
 not worthy to be counted in the rank of a servant. This is 
 the sense of is before me, which Matthew shewing in a 
 difierent manner, saith % The latchet of whose shoes I am wo^^""* 
 worthy to unloose. Again, that the phrase, is before me, does in Matt. 
 not refer to His coming into Being, is plain from the sequel ; I'^^^^i 
 for had he meant to say this, what follows,ybr He was before 
 me, would be superfluous. For who so dull and foolish as 
 not to know that He who " was born before'" him " was ^ 3"»°i»«- 
 before*" him ? Or if the words refer to His subsistence^ before ^^arht 
 the ages, what is said is nothing else than that " He Who!,J'«'^"' 
 cometh after me came into being before me." Besides, such ^ oirafgi- 
 a thing as this is unintelligible, and the cause is thrown in "' 
 needlessly; for he ought to have said the contrary, if he had 
 wished to declare this, " that He Who cometh after me was 
 before me, since also He was born before me." For one 
 might with reason assign this, (the " being born before") as 
 the cause of " being before," but not the " being before" as 
 the cause of " being born." While what we assert is very 
 reasonable. Since you all at least know this, that they are 
 always things uncertain, not things evident, that require their 
 causes to be assigned. Now if the argument related to the 
 production of substance ", it could not have been uncertain e jj„jj. 
 that he who " was born" first must needs " be" first; but"« 
 because he is speaking concerning honour, he with reason 
 explains what seems to be a difficulty. For many might 
 well enquire, whence and on what pretext He Who came 
 after, became before, that is, appeared with greater honour ; 
 in reply to this question therefore, he immediately assigns the 
 
108 How to give glory to God. 
 
 HoMiL. reason ; and the reason is, His Being first. He does not 
 
 ■\r TTT 
 
 ^say, that " by some kind of advancement he cast me who 
 
 had been first behind him, and so became before me," but 
 that He was before me, even though He arrives after me. 
 •al.'the But how, savs one, if the Evangelist refers' to His mani- 
 
 refer™ • 
 
 ence is' festation to men, and to the glory which was to attend Him 
 
 from them, does he speak of what was not yet accomplished, 
 
 as having already taken place ? for he does not say, ' shall 
 
 be,' but was. Because this is a custom among the prophets 
 
 of old, to speak of the future as of the past. Thus Isaiah 
 
 speaking of His slaughter, does not say, " He shall be led 
 
 (which would have denoted fiiturity) as a sheep to the 
 
 Is. 53, 7. slaughter ;" but He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; yet 
 
 He was not yet Incarnate, but the Prophet speaks of what 
 
 should be as if it had come to pass. So David, pointing to 
 
 the Crucifixion, said not, " They shall pierce My hands and 
 
 Ps. 22, My feet," but They pierced My hands and My feet, and 
 
 ^ ■ ^^' parted My garments among them, and cast lots upon My 
 
 vesture; and discoursing of the traitor as yet unborn, he 
 
 Ps. 41, says, He which did eat of My bread, hath lifted up^ Ms 
 
 ^'al.'has ^^^' against Me ; and of the circumstances of the Crucifixion, 
 
 magni- They gave Me gall for meat, and in My thirst they gave Me 
 
 Ps. 69 vinegar to drink. 
 
 21- [4.] Do you desire that we adduce more examples, or do 
 
 these suifice ? For my part, I think they do ; for if we have 
 
 »al.'notnot dug over the ground in all its extent', we have at least 
 
 ^ound' ^^E down to its bottom ; and this last kind of work is not 
 
 less laborious than the former ; and we fear lest by straining 
 
 your attention immoderately we cause you to fall back. 
 
 Let us then give to our discourse a becoming conclusion. 
 
 And what conclusion is becoming? A suitable giving of 
 
 glory to God; and that is suitable which is given, not by 
 
 Mat. 5, words only, but much more by actions. For He saith. Let 
 
 ^^- your light so shine before men, that they may see your good 
 
 works, and glorify your Father Which is in Heaven. Now 
 
 nothing is more full of light, than a most excellent con- 
 
 Prov. versation. As one of the wise men has said. The paths of 
 
 LXX. t^e i««* ^hine like the light ; and they shine not for them 
 
 alone who kindle the flame by their works, and are guides in 
 
 the way of righteousness, but also for those who are their 
 
The lining and pure sacrifice accepted. 109 
 
 neighbours. Let us then pour oil into these lamps, that the John 
 flame become higher ', that rich light appear. For not only j-^^ — - 
 has this oil great strength now, but even when sacrifices ' more 
 were at their height', it was far more acceptable than theyTut.'"^ 
 could be. / will have mercy". He saith, and not sacrifice.^ ^°^- 
 And with good reason ; for that is a lifeless altar, this a Mat.i2, 
 living ; and all that is laid on that altar becomes the food of ^^ 
 fire, and ends in dust, and it is poured forth as ashes, and 6, 6. 
 the smoke of it is dissolved into the substance of the air; 
 but here there is nothing like this, the fruits which it bears 
 are different. As the words of Paul declare ; for in describing 
 the treasures of kindness to the poor laid up by the Corin- 
 thians, he writes, For the administration of this service not 2 Cor. 
 
 9 12. 
 only supplieth the want of the saints, hut is abundant also ' 
 
 hy many thanksgivings unto God. And again ; Whiles they 
 glorify God for your professed subjection unto the Gospel of 
 Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and 
 unto all men; and by their prayer for you, which long after 
 you. Dost thou behold it' resolving itself into thanksgiving 3 the 
 and praise of God, and continual prayers of those who have ^^^J^^^. 
 been benefited, and more fervent charity ? Let us then j"'« 
 sacrifice, beloved, let us sacrifice every day upon these altars. 
 For this sacrifice is greater than prayer and fasting, and 
 many things beside, if only it come from honest gain, and 
 honest toils, and be pure fi-om all covetousness, and rapine, 
 and violence. For God accepts such* off'erings as these, ^al.'ouly 
 but the others He turns away from and hates ; He will not ^"^^ 
 be honoured out of other men's calamities, such sacrifice is 
 unclean and profane, and would rather anger God than 
 appease Him. So that we must use all carefulness, that 
 we do not, in the place of service, insult Him Whom we 
 would honour. For if Cain for making a second-rate offer- 
 ing ", having done no other wrong, suffered extreme punish- 
 ment, how shall not we when we offer any thing gained by 
 rapine and covetousness, suffer yet more severely. It is for 
 this that God has shewn to us the pattern^ of this command- ^ '7J« 
 ment, that we might have mercy, not be severe to our 
 
 s ixtm. St. Chrysostom plays on ■" ra "iuin^iix o'^mnyxm. St. Chrys. 
 
 the word, which was pronounced implies, that the oiFering of Cain was 
 
 nearly as iXam, ' oil.' Thus on not of his best. 
 2 Tim. 2, 25. Horn, vi. Tr. p. 223. 
 
110 No alms of wealth ill-gotten. 
 
 HoMiL. fellow-servants ; but he who takes what belongs to one and 
 
 '- gives it to another, hath not shewn mercy, but inflicted hurt, 
 
 and done an extreme injustice. As then a stone cannot 
 yield oil, so neither can cruelty produce humanity; for 
 alms when it has such a root as this is alms'" no longer. 
 Therefore I exhort that we look not to this only, that we give 
 to those that need, but also that we give not from other 
 Ecolus. men's plunder. When one prayeth, and another curseth, 
 ' ' whose voice toill the Lord hear ? If we guide ourselves thus 
 strictly, we shall be able by the grace of God to obtain much 
 loving-kindness and mercy and pardon for what we Lave 
 done amiss during all this long time, and to escape the river 
 of fire ; from which may it come to pass that we be all 
 delivered, and' ascend to the Kingdom of Heaven, through 
 the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to 
 Whom, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, be glory for 
 ever and ever. Amen. 
 
 h iXtuftaritii, (lit. ' mercifulness,') ' Morel. ' sit down in the heavenly 
 whence our alms. bride-chamher.' 
 
HOMILY XIV. 
 
 John i. 16. 
 
 And of His fulness have all we received, and grace for 
 grace. 
 
 I SAID the other day, that John, to resolve the doubts of 
 those who should question with themselves how the Lord, 
 though He came after to the preaching, became before and 
 more glorious than he, added, for He was before me. And 
 this is indeed one reason. But not content with this, he 
 adds again a second, which now he declares. What is it ? 
 And of His fulness, says he, have all we received, and grace 
 for grace. With these again he mentions another. What 
 is this ? That 
 
 Ver. 17. The law was given iy Moses, but grace and truth 
 came by Jesus Christ. 
 
 And what means that, saith he, Of His fulness have all we 
 received? for to this we must for a while direct our discourse. 
 He possesseth not, says he, the gift by participation ', but is i ^,^,,. 
 Himself the very Fountain and very Root of all good, very "' ^"■ 
 Life, and very Light, and very Truth, not retaining within 
 Himself the riches of His good things, but overflowing with 
 them unto all others, and after the overflowing remaining 
 full, in nothing diminished by supplying others, but stream- 
 ing ever forth, and imparting to others a share of these 
 blessings. He remains in sameness of perfection. What 
 I possess is by participation, (for I received it from another,) 
 and is a small portion of the whole, as it were a poor ' rain 2 ^i. 
 drop compared with the untold abyss or the boundless sea ; ' l'"'*' 
 or rather not even can this instance fully express what we 
 
112 The Fulness of Christ. 
 
 HoMiL. attempt to say, for if you take a drop from the sea, you have 
 T ^lessened the sea itself, though the diminution be iraper- 
 
 ' ju^t so ceptible. But of that Fountain we cannot say this ; how 
 ™"°'^' much soever a man draw. It continues undiminished. We 
 therefore must needs proceed to another instance, a weak one 
 also, and not able to establish what we seek, but which guides 
 us better than the former one to the thought now proposed 
 to us. 
 
 Let us suppose that there is a fountain of fire ; that from 
 that fountain ten thousand lamps are kindled, twice as many, 
 Ihrice as many, ofttimes as many ; does not the fire remain 
 at the same degree of fulness even after its imparting of its 
 virtue to such numbers ? It is plain to every man that "it 
 does. Now if in the case of bodies which are made up 
 of parts, and are diminished by abstraction, one has been 
 found of such a nature, that after supplying to others some- 
 thing from itself it sustains no loss, much more will this take 
 place with that incorporeal and uncompounded Power. If 
 in the instance given, that which is communicated is sub- 
 stance and body, is divided yet does not suffer division, 
 when our discourse is concerning an energy, and an energy 
 too of an incorporeal substance, it is much more probable 
 that this will undergo nothing of the sort. And therefore 
 John said. Of His fulness have all ice received, and joins 
 his o^vn testimony to that of the Baptist; for the expression. 
 Of His fulness have we all received, belongs not to the fore- 
 runner but to the disciple ; and its meaning is something like 
 this : " Think not," he says, " that we, who long time com- 
 
 2 lit panied with Him, and partook of His food^ and table, bear 
 ' ^'^it' witness through favour, since even John, who did not even 
 
 know Him before, who had never even been with Him, but 
 merely saw Him in company with others when he was bap- 
 
 3 OT^ tizing, cried out, He was before me, having from that source' 
 I sight," received all ; and all we the twelve, the three hundred, the 
 
 three thousand, the five thousand, the many myriads of 
 Jews, all the fulness of the faithful who then were, and 
 now are, and hereafter shall be, have received of His fulness. 
 What have we received ? grace for grace, saith he. What 
 grace, for what? For the old, the new. For there was 
 Phil. 3, a righteousness, and again a righteousness, [Touching the 
 
Ttelation of types to realities. 113 
 
 righteousness which is in the law, saith Paul, blameless.) ^otni 
 There was a faith, there is a faith. (From faith tofaith.) There ^^ 
 was an adoption, there is an adoption. {To whom pertainelh li- 
 the adoption.) There was a glory, there is a glory. [For iff^"^' ^' 
 that which mas done away was glorious, much more that ^ Cor. 
 which remaineth is glorious.) There was a law, and there is Rom.'s, 
 a law. [For the law of the Spirit of life hath mademefree.)^^^ 
 There was a service, and there is a service. {To whom per-*- 
 tainelh the service : and again : Serving God in Vie Spirit.) 3. ' ' ' 
 There was a covenant, and th«re is a covenant. (/ will make Jer-3], 
 with you^ a new covenant, not according to the covenant ^inOrig. 
 which I made with your' fathers.) There was a sanctifica- ! J „ 
 tion, and there is a sanctification : there was a baptism, and Israel 
 there is a Baptism : there was a sacrifice, and there is a j^aah' 
 
 Sacrifice: there was a temple, and there is a temple: there f'°Orig. 
 
 , , . . . . ^ , 'their' 
 
 was a circumcision, and there is a circumcision ; and so too 
 
 there was a grace, and there is a grace. But the words in the 
 
 first case are used as types, in the second as realities, 
 
 preserving a sameness of sound, though not of sense. So 
 
 in patterns and figures, the shape of a man scratched with 
 
 white lines' upon a black ground is called a man as well as' *'; 
 
 that which has received the correct colouring; and in theblaoton 
 
 case of statues, the figure whether formed of gold or of"'¥'® , 
 
 plaster, is alike called a statue, though in the one case as a 
 
 model, in the other as a reality. 
 
 [2^] Do nBt then, because the same words are used, suppose 
 that the things are identical, nor yet diverse either; for in 
 that they were models they did not differ from the truth; but 
 in that they merely preserved the outline, they were less than 
 the truth; What is the difference in all these instances .? Will 
 you that we take in hand and proceed to examine one or 
 two of the cases mentioned ? thus the rest will be plain to 
 you; and we shall see that the first were lessons for children, 
 the last for high-minded full-grown men; that the first laws 
 were made as for mortals, the latter as for angels. 
 
 Whence then shall we begin? From the sonship itself? 
 What then is the distinction between the first and second ? 
 The first is the honour of a name, in the second the thing 
 goes with it. Of the first the Prophet says, I have said, FePs.82,6. 
 are Gods, and all of you are children of the Most High ; 
 
 I 
 
16 
 
 114 Christian sonship and holiness contrasted with Jewish. 
 
 HoMiL.but of the latter, that they were born of God. How, and in 
 
 '- what way ? By the washing of regeneration, and renewing 
 
 of the Holy Ghost. For they, even after they had received 
 the title of sons, retained the spirit of slavery, (for while they 
 remained slaves they were honoured with this appellation,) 
 but we being made free, received the honour, not in name, 
 Kom, 8, but in deed. And this Paul has declared and said, i^w ye 
 have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye 
 have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, 
 1 or, Father. For having been born again', and, as one may say, 
 a^ljo°" thoroughly remade % we so are called " sons." And if 
 one consider the character of the holiness, what the first was 
 and what the second, he will find there also great *■ difference. 
 They, when they did not worship idols, nor commit forni- 
 cation or adultery, were called by this name ; but we become 
 holy,not by refraining from these vices merely, but by acquiring 
 things greater. And this gift we obtain first by means of the 
 coming upon us of the Holy Ghost; and next, by a rule of life 
 2|Ki;?a- far more comprehensive '^ than that of the Jews. To prove 
 'rlut ' that these words are not mere boasting, hear what He saith 
 Perhaps to them, " Ye shall not use divination % nor make purification 
 from of yom- children, for ye are a holy people." So that holiness 
 18, 10. with them consisted in being free from the customs of idolatry ; 
 1 Cor. but it is not so with us. That she may be holy, saith Paul, 
 Hebia *'* body and in spirit. Follow peace, and holiness, without 
 14. which no man shall see the Lord : and. Perfecting holiness 
 7 1. ' in the fear of God. For the word holy has not force to give 
 the same meaning in every case to which it is applied ; since 
 God is called Holy, though not as we are. What, for 
 instance, does the Prophet say, when he heard that cry 
 3 al. raised^ by the flying Seraphim? Woe is me! because I am 
 Is™^5 ^ ''*'^" of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people 
 of unclean lips; though he was holy and clean; but if we 
 be compared with the holiness which is above, we are un- 
 clean. Angels are holy, Archangels are holy, the Cherubim 
 and Seraphim themselves are holy, but of this holiness again 
 there is a double difference ; that is, in relation to us, and to 
 
 " im(rToix'"i'i'>''T'i , maJe up of fresh leian. Savile reads oti raXXh: 
 elpments. ' Or, ' purify yourselves,' $«/!«- 
 
 '' So Morel. Bbd. and Ms. in Bod- tia-St. 
 
The various gifts of grace. 115 
 
 the higher powers*. We might proceed to all the other Jchn 
 points, but then the discussion would become too long, and — ^ — - 
 its extent too great. We will therefore desist from proceed- 
 ing farther, and leave it to you to take in hand the rest, for 
 it is in your power at home to put these things together, and 
 examine their difference, and in the same way to go over 
 what remains. Give, saith one, a starting-place to the wise, Prov. 9, 
 and he becometh wiser. The beginning is from us, but the 
 end will be from you. We must now resume the connection. 
 After having said, 0/ His fulness have all we received, he 
 adds, and grace for grace. For by grace the Jews were 
 saved ; / chose you, saith God, not because you were many jjeut. 7 
 in number, but because of your fathers. ] f now they were 7- lxx. 
 chosen by God not for their own good deeds', it is manifest' xavtc 
 that by grace they obtained this honour. And we too all are "'""■"' 
 saved by grace, but not in like manner; not for the same 
 objects, but for objects much greater and higher. The grace 
 then that is with us is not like theirs. For not only was 
 pardon of sins given to us, (since this we have in common 
 with them, for all have sinned,) but righteousness also, and 
 sanctification, and sonship, and the gift of the Spirit far more 
 glorious^ and more abundant. By this grace we have be-^al. 
 come the beloved of God, no longer as servants, but as sons * ''""S®"" 
 and friends. Wherefore he saith, grace for grace. Since 
 even the things of the law were of grace, and the very fact of 
 man' being created from nothing, (for we did not receive ' al.'our' 
 this as a recompense for past good deeds, how could 
 we, when we even were not? but from God Who is ever 
 the first to bestow His benefits,) and not only that we were 
 created from nothing, but that when created, we straightway 
 learned what we must and what we must not do, and that we 
 received this law in our very nature, and that our Creator 
 entrusted to us the impartial rule of conscience, these, I 
 say, are proofs of the greatest grace and unspeakable loving- 
 kindness. And the recovery of this law after it had become 
 corrupt, by means of the written (Law), this too was the 
 work of grace. For what might have been expected to 
 
 "l Morel, and Ms. in Bodleian read holiness, and surpassing, as in com- 
 
 the passage thus: ' are holy, but the parison with us, so also with the powers 
 
 (Holiness) of God is greater than their which are above us.' 
 
 1 2 
 
1 16 Mnses compared to Christ. 
 
 HoMiL. follow was, that they who falsified' the law once given 
 ^^^ should snflFer correction and punishments; but what actually 
 x''Tt- took place was not this, but, on the contrary, an amending of 
 '""^" our nature, and pardon, not of debt, but given through mercy 
 
 and gi-ace. For to shew that it was of grace and mercy, hear 
 Ps. 103, what David saith; The Lord executeth righteousness and 
 ®' ''■ judgment for all that are oppressed; He made known His 
 
 ways unto 3Ioses, His acts unto the children of Israel : and 
 Ps.25,8. again ; Good and upright is the Lord, therefore will He 
 
 give laws to them that are in the way. 
 
 [3.] Therefore that men received the law was of pity, 
 
 mercies, and grace; and for this reason he saith, Grace for 
 ^ ^'- , nrace. But striving yet more fervently^ to (express) the 
 
 'clearly'-' ° ■' 
 
 greatness of the gifts, he goes on to say, 
 
 Ver. 17. The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth 
 came by Jesus Christ. 
 
 See ye how gently, by a single word and by little and 
 little, both John the Baptist and John the Disciple lead up 
 their heavers to the highest knowledge, having first exercised 
 them in humbler things ? The former having compared to 
 himself Him Who is incomparably superior to all, thus after- 
 wards shews His superiority, by saying, is become before 
 me, and then adding the words, was before me: while the 
 latter has done much more than he, though too little for the 
 worthiness of the Only-Begotten, for he makes the com- 
 parison, not with John, but with one reverenced by the Jews 
 more than John, with Moses. For the law, saith he, was 
 given by Biases, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. 
 
 Observe his wisdom. He makes enquiry not concerning 
 the person, but the things ; for these being proved, it was 
 probable that even the senseless would of necessity receive 
 from them a much higher judgment and notion respecting 
 Christ. For when facts bear witness, which cannot be 
 3al.' ac-gygpgcted' of doing so either from favour to any, or from 
 malice, they afford a means of judging which cannot be 
 doubted even by the senseless; for they remain to open view 
 just as their actors may have arranged them, and therefore 
 their evidence is the least liable to suspicion of anj'. And 
 see how he makes the comparison easy even to the weaker 
 sort; for he does not prove the superiority by argument, but 
 
Types given by Moses, truth came by Christy 117 
 
 points out the difference by the bare words, opposing grace John 
 and truth to law, and came to was given. Betvveen each of -LiZ:_ 
 these there is a great diff'erence; for one, was given, be- 
 longs to something ministered, when one has recei\red from 
 another, and given to whom he was commanded to give ; but 
 the other, grace and truth came, befits a king forgiving 
 all offences, with authority, and himself furnishing the gift. 
 Wherefore He said, Thy sins be forgiven thee; and again ; Matt. 9, 
 But that ye may know that the Son of Man hath power on |;ij_ ^ g 
 earth to forgive sins, {He saith to the sick of the palsy ^ 
 Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. 
 
 Seest' thou how grace cometh by Him ? look also to ^/m^A. ' »!.' see' 
 His grace the instance just mentioned, and what happened 
 in the case of the thief, and the gift of Baptism, and the 
 grace of the Spirit given by Him° declare, and many other 
 things. But His truth we shall more clearly know, if we 
 understand the types. For the types like patterns anticipated 
 and sketched beforehand the dispensations ° which should^wxa- 
 be accomplished under the new covenant, and Christ came '"'"*' 
 and fulfilled them. Let us now consider the types in few 
 words, for we cannot at the present time go through all that 
 relates to them; but when you have learned some points 
 from .those (instances) which I shall set before you ^, you s ai. 
 will know the others also. 'having 
 
 trom a 
 
 Will you then that we begin with the Passion itself ? What few- 
 then saith the type ? " Take ye a lamb for an house, and j^g™^ 
 kill it, and do as he commanded and ordained." But it is whole' 
 not so with Christ. He doth not command this to be done, 12, 3.' 
 but Himself becomes If, by offering Himself a Sacrifice and * ^j^j^ 
 Oblation to His Father. "'"f" 
 
 [4.] See how the type was given by Moses, but the Truth'*"*^""' 
 came by Jesus Christ. 
 
 Again, when the Amalekites warred in Mount Sinai, theExod. 
 hands of Moses were supported, being stayed up by Aaron ' 
 and Hur standing on either side of him ; but when Christ 
 came, He of Himself stretched forth His Hands upon the 
 Cross. Hast thou observed how the type was given, but 
 the Truth came ? 
 
 e Morel, and MS. in Bodleian, read, ' and the adoption through the Spirit, 
 given, to us.' 
 
118 Zeal required of man in proportion to his privileges. 
 
 HoMit.. Again, the Law said, Cursed is every one that continueth 
 g — --—not in all things that are written in this book. But what 
 27, 26. saith grace ? Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are 
 Mat.ii '^^^'^y laden, and I will give you rest; and Paul, Christ hath 
 28- redeemed us from the curse of the law, beinq made a curse 
 
 Gal. 3, ^ ■' J ^ a 
 
 13. for us. 
 
 Since then we have enjoyed such grace and truth, I exhort 
 you that we be not more slothful by reason of the greatness 
 of the gift; for the greater the honour of which we have been 
 deemed worthy, the greater our debt of excellence ; for one 
 who has received but small benefits, even though he makes 
 
 ' al. ' so but small returns, does not deserve the same ' condemnation ; 
 but he who has been raised to the highest summit of honour, 
 and yet manifests grovelling and mean dispositions, will be 
 worthy of much greater punishment. May I never have to 
 suspect this of you.' For we trust in the Lord that you 
 have winged your souls for heaven, that you have removed 
 from earth, that being in the world ye handle not the 
 things of the world ; yet though so persuaded, we do not 
 cease thus continually to exhort you. In the games of the 
 heathen, they whom all the spectators encourage are not 
 those who have fallen and lie supine, but those who are 
 exerting themselves and running still ; of the others, (since 
 
 «ai. they would be doing what would be of no use^, and would 
 not be able to raise up by their encouragements men 
 once for all severed from victory,) they cease to take any 
 notice. But in this case some good may be expected, 
 not only of you who are sober, but even of those who have 
 fallen, if they would but be converted. Wherefore we use 
 every means, exhorting, reproving, encouraging, praising, in 
 order that we may bring about your salvation. Be not then 
 offended by our continual admonishing concerning the 
 Christian conversation, for the words are not the words of 
 one accusing you of sloth, but of one who has very excellent 
 hopes respecting you. And not to you alone, but to our- 
 selves who speak them, are these words said, yea, and shall 
 be said, for we too need the same teaching ; so though they 
 be spoken by us, yet nothing hinders their being spoken to 
 us, (for the Word, when it finds a man in fault, amends him, 
 when clear and free, sets him as far off from it as possible,) and 
 
 sense- 
 
Efficacy of the Gospel depends on its right application. 119 
 
 we ourselves are not pure from transgressions. The course of John 
 healing is the same for all, the medicines are set forth for ' 
 all, only the application is not the same, but is made 
 according to the choice of those who use the medicines ; for 
 one who will handle the remedy as he ought, gains some 
 benefit from the application, while he who does not place 
 it upon the wound, makes the evil greater, and brings it to 
 the most painful end. Let us then not fret when we are 
 being healed, but much rather rejoice, even though the 
 system of discipline bring bitter pains, for hereafter it will 
 shew to us fruit sweeter than any. Let us then do all to 
 this end, that we may depart to that world', cleared of theia/ara. 
 wounds and strokes which the teeth of sin make in the soul, 
 so that having become worthy to behold the countenance of 
 Christ, we may be delivered in that day, not to the avenging 
 and cruel powers, but to those who are able to bring us to 
 that inheritance of the heavens which is prepared for them 
 that love Him; to which may it come to pass that we all 
 attain, through the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory and dominion for ever and 
 ever. Amen. 
 
HOMILY XV. 
 
 John i. 18. 
 
 No man hath seen God at any time; the Only-begotten 
 Son, which is in the hosom of the Father, He hath 
 declared Him. 
 
 God will not have us listen to the words and sentences 
 contained in the Scriptures carelessly, but with much atten- 
 tion. This is why the blessed David hath prefixed in many 
 Ps. 32, places to his Psalms the title " for understanding*," and hath 
 I?' ^fq said, Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous 
 18. things out of Thy Law. And after him his sou again shews 
 Prov. 2 ^^^ ^^ ought to seek out wisdom as silver'^, and to make 
 4. and merchandize of her rather than of gold. And the Lord 
 [par- when He exhorts the Jews to search the Scriptures, the 
 quotedl ^o^e urges us to the enquiry, for He would not thus have 
 John 5, spoken if it were possible to comprehend them immediately 
 at the first reading. No one would ever search for what is 
 obvious and at hand, but for that which is wrapt in shadow, 
 and which must be found after much enquiry ; and so to 
 Prov. 2, arouse us to the search He calls them hidden treasure. 
 
 4. 
 
 Mat. 13, These words are said to us that we may not apply ourselves 
 ^*' to the words of the Scriptures carelessly or in a chance way, 
 but with great exactness. For if any one listen to what is 
 said in them without enquiring into the meaning, and receive 
 all so as it is spoken, according to the letter, he will suppose 
 many unseemly things of God, will admit of Him that He is. 
 
 > eif i^iHm ^?toO Maschil, rvvuns, ^ ^°"^ '^^^^ ^^^^ 'silver, and 
 
 intellectus, et ut liieron. reddit, erudi- ^'^^''c'l ^°^ '' =^ treasure; He would not 
 
 do, aliqui, erudiens, vel inteUectum l^'"'^ s*i<^ Search &c.' 
 prtestaus. Lorin. in tit. Ps. 31. (32.) 
 
No man hath seen God as He Is. 121 
 
 a man, that He is made of brass, is wratliful, is furious, and John 
 many opinions yet worse than these. But if he fully learn . ^- '^- 
 the sense that lies beneath, he will be freed from all thi8][^"''' 
 unseemliness. The very text which now lies before us says, 
 that God has a bosom, a thing proper to bodily substances, 
 yet no one is so insane as to imagine, that He Who is 
 without body is a body. In order then that we may pro- 
 perly interpret the entire passage according to its spiritual 
 meaning, let us search it through from its beginning. 
 
 No man hath seen God at any time. By what connec- 
 tion of thought does the Apostle come to say this ? After 
 shewing the exceeding greatness of the gifts of Christ, and 
 the infinite difference between them and those ministered by 
 Moses, he would add the reasonable cause of the difference. 
 Moses, as being a servant, was minister of lower things, but 
 Christ being Lord and King, and the King's Son, brought to 
 us things far greater, being ever with the Father, and behold- 
 ing Him continually; wherefore He saith, No man hath 
 seen God at any time. What then shall we answer to the 
 most mighty of voice, Esaias, when he says, / saw the Lord is. 6, i, 
 sitting upon a throne high and lifted up; and to John 
 himself testifying of Him, that he said these things when hech. 12, 
 Jiad seen His glory? What also to Ezekiel? for he toog^"^^ j 
 beheld Him sitting above the Cherubim. What to Daniel? and 10. 
 for he too saith, The Ancient of days did sit. Wliat to Dan. 7, 
 Moses himself, saying, (S/ieM? me Thy glory , that I may see ^^^^ 
 Thee so as to know Thee. And Jacob took his name from 13. 
 this very thing, being called Israel; for Israel is " one that fro" ^ 
 sees God V And others have seen Him. How then saith \^^-'\ 
 John, No man hath seen God at any time? It is to declare, ™j 
 that all these were instances of (His) condescension, notjj^"^"^*" 
 the vision of the Essence itself unveiled. For had they seen Dei, lib. 
 the very Nature, they would not have beheld It under ' 
 different forms, since That is simple, without form, or parts, 
 or bounding lines. It sits not, nor stands, nor walks : these 
 things belong all to bodies. But how He Is, He only, 
 knoweth. And this He hath declared by a certain prophet, 
 saying, / have multiplied visions, and used similitudes by the Hosea 
 hands of the prophets, that is, " I have condescended, I have iit.'< been 
 not appeared as I really was." For since His Son was about '''^s°«'*' 
 
122 ne Son alone hath seen God: 
 
 HoMiL. to appear in very flesh, He prepared them from' old time to 
 '— behold the substance of God, as far as it was possible for 
 
 them to see It ; but what God really is, not only have not 
 the prophets seen, but not even angels nor archangels. If 
 you ask them, you shall not hear them answering any thing 
 ' al. concerning His Essence, but sending up', Qlory to God 
 sieging' in the highest, on earth peace, good will towards men. If 
 Luke 2, yQ^ desire to learn something from Cherubim or Seraphim, 
 you shall hear the mystic song of His HoUness, and that 
 'Is .6, 3. "heaven and earth are fiill of His glory''." If you enquire of 
 ' al. the higher powers, you shall but find' that their one work is 
 shalT *^^ praise of God. Praise ye Him, saith David, all His 
 answer hosts. But the Son only beholds Him, and the Holy Ghost. 
 Ps. ]48, How can any created nature even see the Uncreated ? If we 
 ^" are absolutely unable clearly to discern any incorporeal 
 
 power whatsoever, even though created, as has been often 
 proved in the case of angels, much less can we discern the 
 Essence which is incorporeal and uncreated. Wherefore 
 1 Tim. Paul saith, Whom no man hath seen, nor can see. Does 
 <'f|«(- then this special attribute* belong to the Father only, not to 
 i""" the Son ? Away with the thought. It belongs also to the 
 Son ; and to shew that it does so, hear Paul declaring this 
 Col. 1, point, and saying, that He is the Image of the invisible God. 
 Now if He be the Image of the Invisible, He must be invisi- 
 ble Himself, for otherwise He would not be an image. And 
 1 Tim. wonder not that Paul saith in another place, God was mani- 
 ' ■ fested in the Flesh; because the manifestation " took place 
 by means of the flesh, not according to (His) Essence. Be- 
 sides, Paul shews that He is invisible, not only to men, but 
 also to the powers above, for after saying, was manifested in 
 the Flesh, he adds, was seen of angels. 
 
 [2.] So that even to angels He then became visible, when 
 He put on the Flesh j but before that time they did not 
 so behold Him, because even to them His Essence was 
 invisible. 
 Mat. 18, " How then," asks some one, " did Christ say. Despise not one 
 ^°- of these little ones, for I tell you, that their angels do always 
 behold the face of My Father Which is in heaven ? Hath then 
 
 « al. therefore saith (Paul), Who was manifested in the Flesh, for the mani- 
 festation, &c. 
 
and knoweth Him. 123 
 
 God a face, and is He bounded by the heavens ?" Who so John 
 
 mad as to assert this? What then is the meaning of the words? _Lii:_ 
 
 As when He saith, Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall Matt. 5, 
 
 see God, He means that intellectual vision which is possible 
 
 to us, and the having God in the thoughts; so in the case of 
 
 angels, we must understand ' that by reason of their pure i ^^^ 
 
 and sleepless^ nature they do nothing else, but always image ' ™any 
 
 to themselves God. Aud therefore Christ saith, that No mam^iy^^^. 
 
 knoweth the Father, save the Son. What then, are we all in '" ,„ 
 ' ' Mat. 10, 
 
 Ignorance? God forbid; but none knoweth Him as the Son 27. 
 
 knoweth Him. As then many ' have seen Him in the mode 3 al. 
 
 of vision permitted to them, but no one has beheld His "^^^ 
 
 Essence, so many of us know God, but what His substance phets' 
 
 can be none knoweth, save only He that was begotten of 
 
 Him. For by " knowledge" He here means an exact idea 
 
 and comprehension, such as the Father hath .of the Son. 
 
 As the Father knoweth Me, even so know I the Father. o.io,i5. 
 
 Observe, therefore, with what fulness'' the Evangelist 4 „j„^ 
 
 speaks; for haviug said that no man hath seen God at any "J"'' ^^• 
 
 time, he does not go on to say, " that the Son who hath seen, ness' 
 
 hath declared Him," but adds something beyond " seeing" 
 
 by the words. Who is in the bosom of the Father; because, 
 
 " to dwelP in the bosom" is far more than " to see." For he5i,s,«,. 
 
 that merely " seeth" hath not an in every way exact know-™"'"' 
 
 ledge of the object, but he that " dwelleth in the bosom" can 
 
 be ignorant of nothing. Now lest when thou hearest that 
 
 none knoweth the Father, save the Son, thou shouldest assert 
 
 that although He knoweth the Father more than all, yet He 
 
 knoweth not how great He is, the Evangelist says that He 
 
 dwells in the bosom of the Father ; and Christ Himself 
 
 declares, that He knoweth Him as much as the Father 
 
 knoweth the Son. Ask therefore the gainsayer, " Tell me, 
 
 doth the Father know the Son ? And if he be not mad, he 
 
 will certainly answer, "Yes." Then ask again ; " Doth He 
 
 see and know Him with exact vision and knowledge ? Doth 
 
 He know clearly what He Is ?" He will certainly confess 
 
 this also. From this next collect the exact comprehension 
 
 the Son has of the Father. For He saith. As the Father e-WA^- 
 
 knoweth Me, even so know I the Father; and in another 
 
 place, Not that any man hath seen the Father, save He<:.6,i6. 
 
1 24 Eternity of the Son. 
 
 HoMiL. Which is of God. Wherefore, as I said, the Evangelist 
 
 ^^- mentions " the bosom," to shew all this to us by that one 
 
 word; that great is the affinity and nearness of the Essence, 
 
 that the knowledge is nowise different, that the power is 
 
 equal. For the Father would not have in His bosom one of 
 
 another essence, nor would He have dared, had He been 
 
 one amongst many servants, to live ' in the bosom of his 
 
 , jj^ Lord, for this belongs only to a true Son, to one Who has' 
 
 ' uses.' much confidence towards His Father, and Who is in nothing 
 
 inferior to Him. 
 
 Wouldest thou learn also His eternity? Hear what Moses 
 saith concerning the Father. When he asked what he was 
 commanded to answer should the Jews enquire of him, 
 " Who it was that had sent him," he heard these words ; 
 Exod. ^'^V' ^ -^-^ hath sent me. Now the expression, / AM, is 
 3. 14. significative of Being ever, and Being without beginning, of 
 Being really and absolutely. And this also the expression, 
 Was in the beginning, declares, being indicative of Being 
 ever; so that John uses this word to shew that the Son Is 
 fi:om everlasting to everlasting' in the bosom of the Father. 
 
 4 * ' 
 
 *^\ For that you may not from the sameness of name, suppose 
 that He is some one of those who are made sons by grace, 
 first, the article is added, distinguishing Him from those by 
 grace. But if this does not content you, if you still look 
 earthwards, hear a name more absolute than this. Only- 
 begotten. If even after this you still look below, " I will 
 not refuse," says he, (St. John,) " to apply to God a term 
 belonging to man, I mean the word bosom, only suspect 
 nothing degi'ading." Dost thou see the loving-kindness and 
 carefulness of the Lord ? God applies ^ to Himself unworthy 
 expressions, that even so thou mayest see through them,, 
 and have some great and lofty thought of Him; and dost 
 thou tarry below ? For tell me, wherefore is that gross and 
 carnal word " bosom" employed in this place ? Is it that we 
 may suppose God to be a body ? Away, he by no means 
 saith so. Why then is it spoken ? for if by it neither the 
 genuineness of the Son is established, nor that God is not a 
 
 E v(iips(riiti, al. (rr(i(fttrlM , versari. and should answer, he is biddeB to say 
 
 1> lit. ' He Who Is.' Another reading that tfec' 
 of the passage is, ' if he were asked ... ' al. ' allows to be applied.' 
 
Clearness and power of our Lord's teaching . 1 25 
 
 body, the word, because it serves no purpose, is superfluously John 
 thrown in. Why then is it spoken ? For I shall not desist iii!:_ 
 from asking thee this question. Is it not very plain, that it 
 is for no other reason but that by it we might understand 
 the genuineness of the Only-Begotten, and His Coeternity 
 with the Father ? 
 
 He hath declared Him, saith John. What hath He 
 declared ? That no man hath seeri God at any time? That 
 God is one? But this all the other prophets testify, and 
 Moses conlinuallyi exclaims, The Lord thy God is One^ Sm 
 Lord; and Esaias, Before Me there was no God formed ^^^ifj^ 
 neither shall there he after Me. What more then have we 4. 
 learned from the Son Which is iti the bosom of the Father? lo. ' 
 What from the Only-Begotten? In the first place, these very [3.] 
 words were uttered by His working ; in the next place, we 
 lave received a teaching that is far clearer, and learned that 
 God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship oh.4,24. 
 Him in spirit and in truth; and again, that it is impossible 
 to see God; that no man knoweth Him, save the Son; thatMat.ii, 
 He is the Father of the true and Only-Begotten; and all^ 
 other things that are told us of Him. But the word hath 
 declared^ shews the plainer and clearer teaching which He ^ iliyv- 
 gave not to the Jews only but to all the world, and established. '"" 
 To the prophets not even all the Jews gave heed, but to 
 the Only-begotten Son of God all the world yielded and 
 obeyed. So the " declaration" in this place shews the 
 greater clearness of His teaching, and therefore also He 
 is called Word, and AngeP of great counsel^. ' or, 
 
 Since then we have been vouchsafed a larger and morcgenger' 
 perfect teaching, God having no longer spoken by the 
 prophets, but having in these last days spoken to us by His^^^- 1, 
 Son, let us shew forth a conversation far higher than theirs, 
 and suitable to the honour bestowed on us. Strange would 
 it be that He should have so far lowered Himself, as to 
 choose to speak to us no longer by His servants, but by His 
 own mouth, and yet we should shew forth nothing more 
 than those of old. They had Moses for their teacher, we, 
 Moses' Lord. Let us then exhibit a heavenly wisdom ^ 4 ^,a.,. 
 worthy of this honour, and let us have nothing to do with "^"" 
 
 fc lityil^m ^ti/Xm ayyiXct. The LXX version of the titles of Chri.«e, Isa. 9, 6. 
 
126 Christians members one of another, 
 
 HoMiL. earth. It was for this that He brought His teaching from 
 ^- heaven above, that He might remove our thoughts thither, 
 
 that we might be imitators of our Teacher according to our 
 
 power. But how may we become imitators of Christ? By 
 
 acting in every thing for the common good, and not merely 
 
 Eom. seeking our own. For even Christ, saith Paul, pleaded not 
 
 p^'lg g Himself, hut as it is written, The reproaches of them that 
 
 reproached Thee fell on Me. Let no one therefore seek his 
 
 own. In truth, a man (really) seeks his own good when he 
 
 looks to that of his neighbour. What is their good is ours; 
 
 we are one body, and parts and limbs one of another. Let 
 
 us not then be as though we were rent asunder. Let no one 
 
 say, " such a person is no friend of mine, nor relation, nor 
 
 neighbour, I have nought to do with him, how shall I 
 
 approach, how address him?" Though he be neither relation 
 
 nor friend, yet he is a man, who shares the same nature with 
 
 thee, owns the same Lord, is thy fellow servant, and fellow 
 
 1 i/ii- sojourner', for he is born in the same world. And if besides 
 
 ' tent- he partakes of the same faith, behold he hath also become a 
 
 fellow' member of thee : for what friendship could work such union, 
 
 as the relationship of faith? And our intimacy one with 
 
 another must not be such nearness only as friends ought to 
 
 shew to friends, but such as is between limb and limb, 
 
 because no man can possibly discover any intimacy greater 
 
 ° *'■ , than this sort of friendship and fellowship ^. As then you 
 
 cannot say, " Whence arises my intimacy and connection 
 
 with this limb ? (that would be ridiculous ;) so neither can 
 
 1 Cor. yo" say so in the case of your brother. We are all baptized 
 
 12, 13. into one body, saith Paul. Wherefore into one body ? That 
 
 we be not rent asunder, but preserve the just proportions of 
 
 that one body by our intercourse and friendship one with 
 
 another. 
 
 Let us not then despise one another, lest we be neglectful 
 Eph. 5, of ourselves'. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh, but 
 nourisheth and cherisheth it. And therefore God hath given 
 to us but one habitation, this earth, hath distributed all 
 things equally, hath lighted one sun for us all, hath spread 
 5i»n»f. above us one roof, the sky, made one table, the earth, bear' 
 food for us. And another table hath He given fai- better 
 
 ' al. let U8 then so care for our neighbours, as not neglecting each his own flesh. 
 
Pride and avarice separate, charity unites. 127 
 
 than this, yet that too is one, (those who share our mysteries Johm 
 understand my words,) one manner of Birth He hath bestowed -Iii£i- 
 on all, the spiritual, we all have one country, that in the 
 heavens, of the same cup drink we all. He hath not 
 bestowed on the rich man a gift more abundant and more 
 honourable, and on the poor one more mean and small, but 
 He hath called all alike. He hath given carnal things 
 with equal regard to all ', and spiritual in like manner. ' «>•- 
 Whence then proceeds the great inequality of conditions in "'"" 
 life ? From the avarice and pride of the wealthy. But let 
 not, brethren, let not this any longer be ; and when matters 
 of universal interest and more pressing necessity bring us 
 together, let us not be divided by things earthly and in- 
 significant: I mean, by wealth and poverty, by bodily rela- 
 tionship, by enmity and friendship ; for all these things are 
 a shadow, nay less substantial than a shadow, to those who 
 possess the bond of charity from above. Let us then pre- 
 serve this unbroken, and none of those evil spirits^ will be ^al. 
 able to enter in, who cause division in so perfect union'; tOgjo^gi 
 which may we all attain by the grace and loving-kindness of ^1. 
 our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom and with Whom, to the with 
 Father and the Holy Ghost, be glory, now and ever, and^""' 
 world without end. Amen. 
 
HOMILY XVi. 
 
 John i. 19. 
 
 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests 
 and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? 
 
 A DREADFDL thing IS envy, beloved, a dreadful thing and 
 a pernicious, to the enviers, not to the envied. For it harms 
 and wastes them first, like some mortal" venom deeply seated 
 in their souls; and if by chance it injure its objects, the 
 harm it does is small and trifling, and such as brings greater 
 gain than loss. Indeed not in the case of envy only, but in 
 every other, it is not he that has suffered, but he that has 
 done the wrong, who receives injury. For had not this 
 been so, Paul would not have enjoined the disciples rather 
 1 Cor. to endure wrong than to inflict it, when he says, Why do ye 
 ^' ^' not rather take wrong ? Why do ye not rather suffer your- 
 selves to he defrauded? Well he knew, that destruction ever 
 follows, not the injured party, but the injuring. All this 
 I have said, by reason of the envy of the Jews. Because 
 those who had flocked from the cities to John, and had 
 condemned their own sins, and caused themselves to be bap- 
 tized, repenting as it were after Baptism, send to ask him, 
 Who art thou? Of a truth they were the offspring of vipers, 
 serpents, and even worse if possible than this. O evil and 
 adulterous and perverse generation, after having been bap- 
 tized, do ye then become vainly curious, and question 
 about the Baptist? What folly can be greater than this of 
 yours? How was it that ye came forth? that ye confessed 
 your sins, that ye ran to the Baptist ? How was it that you 
 
Christ in outward appearance inferior to the Baptist. 129 
 
 asked him what you must do? when in all this you were John 
 acting unreasonably, since you knew not the principle and-^'^'^'- 
 purpose of his coming. Yet of this the blessed John said 
 nothing, nor does he charge or reproach them with it, but 
 answers them with all gentleness. 
 
 It is worth while to learn why he did thus. It was, that 
 their wickedness might be manifest and plain to all men. 
 Often did John testify of Christ to the Jews, and when he 
 baptized them he continually made mention of Him to his 
 company, and said, / indeed baptise you with water, hutM.&tt.a, 
 there cometh One after me Who is mightier than I; He^^' 
 shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and withjire. With 
 regard to him they were affected by a human feeling ; for, trem.- 
 hlingly attentive' to the opinion of the world, and looking to' Unn- 
 the outward appearance, they deemed it an unworthy thing f'cor. 
 that he should be subject to Christ. Since there were many lo, 7. 
 things that pointed out John for an illustrious person. In 
 the first place, his distinguished and noble descent ; for he 
 was the son of a chief priest. Then his conversation, his 
 austere mode of life, his contempt of all human things ; for 
 despising dress and table, and house and food itself, he had 
 passed his former time in the desert. In the case of Christ 
 all was the contrary of this. His family was mean, (as they 
 often objected to Him, saying, Is not this the carpenter's Mat. ^3, 
 son? Is not his moth'er called Mary? and his brethren ^^' 
 James and Joses?) and that which was supposed to be His 
 country was held in such evil repute, that even Nathanael 
 said. Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth ? c. i, 46. 
 His mode of living was ordinary, and His garments not 
 better than those of the many. For He was not girt with 
 a leathern girdle, not was His raiment of hair, nor did He 
 eat honey and locusts. But He fared like all others, and 
 was present at the feasts of wicked men and publicans, that 
 He might draw them to Him. Which thing the Jews not 
 understanding reproached Him with, as He also saith Him- 
 self, The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they Ma.t.U, 
 say. Behold a gluttonous man and a wine bibber, a friend ^* 
 of publicans and sinners. When then John continually sent 
 them from himself to Jesus, who seemed to them a meaner 
 person, being ashamed and vexed at this, and wishing rather 
 
 K 
 
130 Design of the Jews in qiieslioning the Baptist: 
 
 HoMiL.to have him for their teacher, they did not dare to say so 
 
 '- plainly, but send to him, thinking by their flattery to induce 
 
 him to confess that he was the Christ. They do not there- 
 fore send to him mean men, as in the case of Chiist, for 
 when they wished to lay hold on Him, they sent servants, 
 and then Herodians, and the like, but in this instance, priests 
 and Levites, and not merely priests, but those from Jeru- 
 salem, that is, the more honourable; for the Evangelist did not 
 notice this without a cause. And they send to ask, Who art 
 thou? Yet the manner of bis Sirth was well known to all, so 
 Lukei, that all said, What manner of child shall this be? and the 
 report had gone forth into all the hill country. And after- 
 wards when he came to Jordan, all the cities were set on the 
 wing, and came to him from .Jerusalem, and from all Judaea, 
 I ^i" ^ to be baptized. Why then do they ' now ask ? Not because 
 there- they did not know him, (how could that be, when he had 
 been made manifest in so many ways ?) but because they 
 wished to bring him to do that which I have mentioned. 
 
 [2.] Hear then how this blessed person answered to the 
 intention with which they asked -the question, not to the 
 question itself. When they said, Who art thou ? he did not 
 at once give them what would liave been the direct answer, 
 / am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. But what 
 did he .'' He removed the suspicion they had formed ; for, 
 sailh the Evangelist, being asked, Who art thou ? 
 
 Ver. 20. He confessed, and denied not; hut confessed, 
 I am not the Christ. 
 
 Observe the wisdom of the Evangelist. He mentions this 
 for the third time, to set forth the excellency of the Baptist, 
 and their wickedness and folly. And Luke also says, that 
 when the multitudes supposed him to be the Christ, he again 
 removes their suspicion ». This is the part of an honest 
 servant, not only not to take to himself his master's honour, 
 ^^^"^^'"'''but also to reject it' when given to him by the many. But 
 the multitudes arrived at this supposition from simplicity 
 and ignorance ; these questioned him from an ill intention, 
 
 =■ Morel. ' in like manner one may mightier than I cometh, and by his 
 
 see in Lule, (3, 16.) John saying to answer again removing such a sus- 
 
 those who reasoned concerning him picion.' 
 whether he '-vas the Christ, that One 
 
who replies to their intention. 131 
 
 which I have mentioned, expecting, as I said, to draw him John 
 over to their purpose by their flattery. Had they not expected IiElzHi- 
 this, they would not have proceeded immediately to another 
 question, but would have been angry with him for having 
 given them an answer foreign to their enquiry, and would 
 have said, " Why, did we suppose that? did we come to ask 
 thee that ?" But now as taken and detected in the fact, they 
 proceed to another question, and say, 
 
 Ver. 21. What then? art thou Elias? And he suith, I am 
 not. 
 
 For they expected that Elias also would come, as Christ 
 declares ; for when His disciples enquired, Horn then do Mat.l7, 
 the scribes say that Elias must first come? He replied, 
 Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. Then 
 they ask, Art thou that Prophet K and he answered, No. 
 Yet surely he was a prophet. Wherefore then doth he deny 
 it? Because again he looks to the intention of his ques- 
 tioners. For they expected that some especial prophet 
 should come, because Moses said. The Lord thy Qod willTievLt. 
 raise up unto thee a Prophet of thy brethren like unto me, ' 
 unto Him shall ye hearken. Now this was Christ. Where- 
 fore they do not say, " Art thou a prophet ?" meaning 
 thereby one of the ordinary prophets ; but the expression. 
 Art thou the Prophet? with the addition of the article, 
 means, " Art thou that Prophet who was foretold by Moses;" 
 and therefore he denied not that he was a prophet, but that 
 he was that Prophet. 
 
 Ver. 22. Then said they unto him. Who art thou ? that 
 we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest 
 thou of thyself ? 
 
 Observe them pressing him more vehemently, urging him, 
 repeating their questions, and not desisting; while he first 
 kindly removes false opinions concerning himself, and then 
 sets before them one which is true. For, saith he, 
 
 Ver. 23. / am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, 
 Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet 
 Esaias. 
 
 When he had spoken some high and lofty words con- 
 cerning Christ, as if (replying) to their opinion, he im- 
 
 k2 
 
132 Treachery of the Jews detected: 
 
 HoMiL. mediately betook himself to the Prophet to draw from thence 
 
 '- confirmation of his assertion. 
 
 Ver. 24, 25. And (saith the Evangelist) tliey which were 
 sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him, and said 
 unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that 
 Christ, neither Elias, neither that Prophet? 
 
 Seest thou that not without reason I said that they wished 
 
 to bring him to this ? and the reason why they did not at 
 
 first say so was, lest they should be detected by all men. 
 
 And then when he said, lam not the Christ, they, being 
 
 ' iTi!{i!«» desirous to conceal what they were plotting' within, go on 
 
 to Elias, and that Prophet. But when he said that he was 
 
 not one of these either, after that, in their perplexity, they 
 
 cast aside the mask, and without any disguise shew clearly 
 
 their treacherous intention, saying. Why baptizest thou .then, 
 
 if thou be not that Christ ? And then again, wishing to 
 
 throw some obscurity over the thing'', they add the others 
 
 also, Elias, and that Prophet. For when they were not able 
 
 'irwjtt- to trip^ him by their flattery, they thought that by an 
 
 ^'"" accusation they could compel him" to say the thing that was 
 
 not. 
 
 What folly, what insolence, what illtimed ofliciousness ! 
 sal.'willYe were sent to learn who and whence he might be, not to' 
 ^^ lay down laws for him also. This too was the conduct of 
 men who would compel him to confess himself to be the 
 Christ. Still not even now is he angry, nor does he, as 
 might have been expected, say to them any thing of this 
 sort, " Do you give orders and make laws for me ?" but 
 again shews great gentleness towards them. 
 
 Ver. 26, 27. I, saith he, baptize with water : but tJiere 
 standeth One among you, Whom ye know not; He it is. 
 Who coming after me is preferred before me, Whose shoe's 
 latchet I am not worthy to unloose, 
 
 [3.] What could the Jews have left to say to this? for 
 even from this the accusation against them cannot be evaded, 
 the decision against them admits not of pardon, they have 
 
 " Morel, and Ms. in Bodl. ' seest « Morel, and Ms. in Bodl. ' they 
 thou how, disguising what they had, attempt to involve him in an accu- 
 they add.' sation, compelling him.' 
 
what they ought to have done. 133 
 
 given sentence against themselves. How ? In what way ? John 
 They deemed John worthy of credit, and so truthful, that^"^^'^^' 
 they might believe him not only when he testified of others, 
 but also when he spoke concerning himself. For had they 
 not been so disposed, they would not have sent to learn 
 from him what related to himself. Because you know that 
 the only persons whom we believe, especially when speaking 
 of themselves, are those . whom we suppose to be more 
 veracious than any others. And it is not this alone which 
 closes their mouths, but also the disposition with which they 
 had approached him; for they came forth to him at first with 
 great eagerness, even though afterwards they altered. Both 
 which things Christ declared, when He said, He was a 
 hurning [and a shining') light, and ye were willing for 
 a season to rejoice in his light. Moreover, his answer 
 made him yet more worthy of credit. For (Christ) saith, 
 He that seeketh not his own glory ', the same is true, ' tS. 
 and no unrighteousness is in him. Now this man sought Jj^,^"" 
 it not, but refers the Jews to another. And those who were •■««""» 
 sent wore of the most trustworthy among them, and of 
 the highest rank, so that they could have in no way any 
 refuge or excuse, for the unbelief which they exhibited 
 towards Christ. Wherefore did ye not receive. the things 
 spoken concerning Him by John ? you sent men who held 
 the first rank among you, you enquired by them, you heard 
 what the Baptist answered, they manifested all possible 
 officiousness, sought into every point, named all the persons 
 you suspected him to be ; and yet most publicly and plainly 
 he confessed that he was neither Christ, nor Elias, nor that 
 Prophet. Nor did he stop even there, but also informed 
 them who he was, and spoke of the nature of his own 
 baptism, that it was but a slight and mean thing, nothing more 
 than some water, and told of the superiority of the Baptism 
 given by Christ ; he also cited Esaias the prophet, testifying 
 of old very long ago, and calling Christ, Lord, but giving is. 40,3. 
 him the names of " minister and servant." What after this 
 ought they to have done ? Ought they uot to have believed 
 on Him Who was witnessed of, to have worshipped Him, to 
 have confessed Him to be God? For the character and 
 heavenly wisdom of the witness shewed that his testimony 
 
134 Christ's dignity, marl's unworthitiess. 
 
 HnMiL. proceeded, not from flattery, but from trath ; which is plain 
 -•^^^•■also from this, that no man prefers his neighbour to himself, 
 nor, when he may lawfully give honour to himself, will yield 
 it up to another, especially when it is so great as that of 
 1 iSio-Tn which we speak. So that John would not have renounced ' 
 this testimony (as belonging) to Christ, had He not been 
 God. For though he might have rejected it for himself as 
 being loo great for his own nature, yet be would not have 
 assigned it to another nature that was beneath it. 
 
 But there standeth One among you. Whom ye know not. 
 Reasonable it was that Christ should mingle among the 
 people as one of the many, because every where He taught 
 men not to be puffed up and boastful. And in this place by 
 " knowledge" the Baptist means a perfect acquaintance with 
 Him, Who and Whence He was. And immediately next to 
 this He puts. Who cometh after me ; all but saying, " Think 
 not that all is contained in my baptism, for had that been 
 perfect, Another would not have arisen after me to offer you 
 a different One, but this of mine is a preparation and a 
 clearing the way for that other. Mine is but a shadow and 
 image, but One must come Who shall add to this the reality. 
 So that His very coming after me especially declares His 
 dignity : for had the first been perfect, no place would have 
 3'ispre-been required for a second." Is^ before me, is more honour- 
 e7v.' able, brighter. And then, lest they should imagine that His 
 superiority was found by comparison, desiring to establish 
 His incomparableness, he says. Whose shoe's latchet I am 
 not icorthy to unloose ; that is. Who is not simply before me, 
 but before me in such a way, that I am not worthy to be 
 numbered among the meanest of His servants. For to loose 
 the shoe is the office of humblest service. 
 Mat.ii, Now if John was not worthy to unloose the latchet, John, 
 ^^' than whom among them that are born of women there hath 
 not risen a greater, where shall we rank ourselves? If he 
 who was equal to, or rather greater than, all the world", (for 
 Heb.n,saith Paul, the world was not worthy of them,) declares 
 ^^- himself not worthy to be reckoned even among the meanest 
 of those who should minister unto Him, what shall we say, 
 
 <> Morel, and Ms. in Bodl. 'for cerning whom he writes, of whom, 
 thus Paul speaks of the saints con- &o.' 
 
Danger and folly of pride. 135 
 
 who are full of ten thousand sins, and are as far from the John 
 excellence of John, as earth from heaven. l-Wfii. 
 
 [4.] He then saith that he himself is not worthy so much 
 as to unloose the latchet of His shoe; while the enemies of 
 the truth are mad with such a madness, as to assert" that 
 they are worthy to know Him even as He knows Himself. 
 What is worse than such insanity, what more phrenzied 
 than such arrogance? Well hath a wise man said, The 
 beginning of pride is not to know the Lord'. 
 
 The devil would not have been brought down and become 
 a devil, not being a devil before, had he not been sick of 
 this disease. This it was that cast him out from that con- 
 fidence', this sent him to the pit of fire, this was the cause' va'ffn- 
 of all his woes. For it is enough of itself to destroy every '"" 
 excellence of the soul, whether it find almsgiving, or prayer, 
 or fasting, or any thing. For, saith the Evangelist, 7%a^Lukei6, 
 which is highly esteemed among men is impure before the quoted 
 Lord. Therefore it is not only fornication or adultery that ^^^"^'y) 
 are wont to defile those vvho practise them, but pride also, 
 and that far more than those vices. Why ? Because forni- 
 cation, though it is an unpardonable sin, yet a man may 
 plead the desire ; but pride cannot possibly find any cause 
 or pretext of any sort whatever by which to obtain so much 
 as a shadow of excuse ; it is nothing but a distortion and 
 most grievous disease of the soul, produced from no other 
 source but folly. For there is nothing more foolish than a 
 proud man, though he be surrounded with wealth, though he 
 possess much of the wisdom of this world, though he be set 
 in royal place, though he bear about with him all things 
 that among men appear desirable. 
 
 For if the man who is proud of things really good is 
 wretched and miserable, and loses the reward of all those 
 things, must not he who is exalted by things that are nought, 
 and puffs himself up because of a shadow or the flower of 
 the grass, (for such is this world's glory,) be more ridiculous 
 than any, when he does , a as some poor needy man might 
 
 « Morel, and Ms. in Bodl. ' boldly ' Ecolus. 10, 12. LXX. avi^anu 
 speaking out, {oi9uvliiiia,%t>ft,mus,) S&J aipwrue/tsuju airJ to!/ K, Eng. yer. ' when 
 that, &c.' one departeth.' 
 
136 Riches transitory: 
 
 HoMiL. do, pining all his time with hunger, yet if ever he should 
 
 ^ chance one night to see a dream of good fortune, filled with 
 
 conceit because of it ? 
 
 O wretched and miserable! when thy soul is perishing 
 by a most grievous disease, when thou art poor with utter 
 poverty, art thou high minded because thou hast such and 
 such a number of talents of gold ? because thou hast a mul- 
 titude of slaves and cattle ? Yet these are not thine ; and if 
 thou dost not believe my words, learn fi-om the experience of 
 > or 're- those who have gone before' thee. And if thou art so 
 
 C61V6U 
 
 them drunken, that thou canst not be instructed even from what 
 
 before' j^^^g befallen others, wait a little, and thou shalt know by 
 
 what befals thyself that these things avail thee nothing, 
 
 when gasping for life, and master not of a single hour, not 
 
 2 al. even of a little moment, thou shalt unwillingly leave them° to 
 
 th^mon' those who are about thee, and these perhaps those whom 
 
 thou wouldest not. For many have not been permitted even 
 
 to give directions concerning them, but have departed sud- 
 
 3ai«{M» denly'', desiring to enjoy them, but not permitted, dragged 
 
 from them, and forced to yield them up to others, giving 
 
 place by compulsion to those to whom they would not. 
 
 That this be not our case, let us, while we are yet in 
 
 strength and health, send forward our riches hence to our 
 
 own city, for thus only and in no other way shall we be able 
 
 to enjoy them; so shall we lay them up in a place inviolate 
 
 and safe. For there is nothing, there is nothing there that can 
 
 < dxnltTi take them from us; no death, no attested wills'*, no successors 
 
 ■,"^2ls' ^^ inheritances*, no false informations, no plottings against us, 
 
 x'i x\n- but he who has departed hence bearing away great wealth with 
 
 *"' him may enjoy it there for ever. Who then is so wretched 
 
 as not to desire to revel in riches which are his own 
 
 throughout ? Let us then transfer our wealth, and remove it 
 
 thither. We shall not need for such a removal asses, or 
 
 camels, or carriages, or ships, (God hath relieved even us 
 
 from this difficulty,) but we only want the poor, the lame, 
 
 the crippled, the infirm. These are entrusted with this 
 
 transfer, these convey our riches to heaven, these introduce 
 
 the masters of such wealth as this to the inheritance of 
 
 goods everlasting. Which may it be that we all attain 
 
and how to make them lasting. 137 
 
 through the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Johw 
 Christ, by Whom and with Whom, to the Father and the \12^ 
 Holy Ghost, be glory, now and ever, and world without end. 
 Amen. 
 
HOMILY XVII. 
 
 John i. 28, 29. 
 
 These things were done in Bethany beyond Jordan, where 
 John was baptizitig. The next day he seeth Jesus coming 
 unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, Which 
 taketh away the sin of the world. 
 
 A GREAT virtue is boldness and freedom of speech, and the 
 making all things second in importance to the confessing of 
 Christ ; so great and admirable, that the Only-begotten Son 
 Lukeia, of God proclaims such an one in the presence of the Father. 
 Yet the recompense is more than just, for thou coufessest 
 upon earth, He in heaven, thou in the presence of men, He 
 before the Father and all the Angels. 
 
 Such an one v?as John, who regarded not the multitude, 
 nor opinion, nor any thing else belonging to men, but trod 
 all this beneath his feet, and proclaimed to all with becoming 
 freedom the things respecting Christ, And therefore the 
 Evangelist marks the very place, to shew the boldness of the 
 loud-voiced herald. For it was not in a house, not in a 
 corner, not in the wilderness, but in the midst of the multi- 
 tude, after that he had occupied Jordan, when all that were 
 baptized by him were present, (for the Jews came upon him 
 as he was baptizing,) there it was that he proclaimed aloud 
 that wonderful confession concerning Christ, full of those 
 sublime and great and mysterious doctrines, aud that he was 
 not worthy to unloose the latchet of His shoe. Wherefore 
 he saith ', These things were done in Bethany, or, as all the 
 more correct copies have it, in Bethabara. For Bethany 
 
 » al. ' how then doth he this ? adding and saying.' 
 
Different periods dwelt on by the Evangelists. 139 
 
 was not beyond Jordan, nor bordering on the wilderness, but John 
 somewhere nigh to Jerusalem. — ^ — '— 
 
 He marks the places also for another reason. Since he 
 was not about to relate matters of old date, but such as had 
 come to pass but a little time before, he makes those who 
 were present and had beheld, witnesses of his words, and 
 supplies proof from the places themselves. For confident 
 that nothing was added by himself to what was said, but that 
 he simply and with truth described things as they were, 
 he draws a testimony from the places, which, as I said, would 
 be no common demonstration of his veracity. 
 
 The next day he seeth Jesus coming to him, and saith, 
 Behold the Jjimb of Qod, Which taketh away the sin of the 
 world. 
 
 The Evangelists distributed the periods amongst them ; 
 and Matthew having cut short his notice of the time before 
 John the Baptist was bound, hastens to that which follows, 
 while the Evangelist John not only does not cut short this 
 period, but dwells most on it. Matthew, after the return of 
 Jesus from the wilderness, saying nothing of the intermediate 
 circumstances, as what John spake, and what the Jews sent 
 and said, and having cut short all the rest, passes immediately 
 to the prison. For, saith he, Jesus having heard that JohnMat.l4, 
 was betrayed, departed thence. But John does not so. He 
 is silent as to the journey into the wilderness, as having been 
 described by Matthew; but he relates what followed the de- 
 scent from the mountain, and after having gone through many 
 circumstances, adds, Foi- John was not yet cast into prison, o. 3, 24. 
 
 And wherefore, says one, does Jesus now come to him? 
 why does He come not merely once, but this second time 
 also ? For Matthew says that His coming was necessary on 
 account of Baptism : since Jesus adds, that thus it becometh Matt. 3, 
 us to fulfil all righteousness. But John says that Jle came 
 again after Baptism, and declares it in this place, for, / saw, 
 saith he, the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and 
 It abode upon Him. Wherefore then did He come to John? 
 for He came not casually, but went expressly to him. John, 
 saith the Evangelist, seeth Jesus coming unto him. Then 
 wherefore cometh He ? In order that since John had 
 baptized Him with many (others), no one might suppose 
 
140 Why Christ came to be baptized. 
 
 HoMiL. that He had hastened to John for the same reason as the 
 
 • '- rest, to confess sins, and to wash in the river unto repentance. 
 
 For this He comes, to give John an opportunity of setting 
 this opinion right again, for by saying, Behold the Lamb of 
 God, that taketh away the sin of the world, he removes the 
 whole suspicion. For very plain it is that One so pure as to 
 ' al. ' to be able to wash away " the sins of others, does not come to 
 confess sins, but to give opportunity to that marvellous herald 
 to impress what he had said more definitely on those who 
 had heard his former words, and to add others besides. The 
 word Behold is used, because many had been seeking Him 
 by reason of what had been said, and for a long time. For 
 this cause, pointing Him out when present, he said, Behold, 
 this is He so long sought, this is the Lamb. He calls Him 
 Lamb, to remind the Jews of the prophecy of Isaiah, and of 
 the shadow under the law of Moses, that he may the better 
 lead them from the type to the reality. That lamb of Moses 
 took not at once away the sin of any one; but This took 
 away the sin of all the world ; for when it was in danger of 
 perishing. He quickly delivered it from the wrath of God. 
 
 Ver. 30. This is He of Whom I said. He that cometh 
 after me is preferred before me. 
 
 [2.] Seest thou here also how he interprets the word 
 before ? for having called Him Lamb, and that He taketh 
 away the sin of the world, then he saith that He is preferred 
 b(fore me, for He was before me; declaring that this is the 
 before, the taking upon Him the sins of the world, and the 
 baptizing with the Holy Ghost. " For my coming had no 
 farther object than to proclaim the common Benefactor of 
 the world, and to aiford the baptism of water; but His was 
 to cleanse all men, and to give them the power of the 
 Comforter." He is preferred before me, that is to say, has- 
 appeared brighter than I, because He was before me. Let 
 those who have admitted the madness of Paul of Samosata 
 be ashamed when they withstand so manifest a truth. 
 Ver. 31. And I knew Him not, he saith. 
 Here he renders his testimony free from suspicion, by 
 shewing that it was not from human friendship, but had been 
 caused by divine revelation. / knew Him not, he saith. 
 How then couldest thou be a trustworthy witness.'' How 
 
The descent of the Spirit was to declare Christ. 141 
 
 shalt thou teach others, while thou thyself art ignorant ? He John 
 did not say, " I laiow Him not," but, / knew Him not ; so ^•^'• - 
 that in this way he would be shewn most trustworthy; for 
 why should he have shewn favour to one of whom he was 
 ignorant? 
 
 But that He should be made manifest unto Israel, there- 
 fore am 1 come baptizing with water. 
 
 He then did not need Baptism, nor had that laver any other 
 object than to prepare for all others a way to faith on Christ. 
 For he did not say, " that I might cleanse those who are 
 baptized," or, " that I might deliver them from their sins," 
 biit, that He should be made manifest unto Israel. " And 
 why, tell me, could he not without Baptism have preached 
 and brought the multitudes to Him ?" But in this way it 
 would not have been by any means easy. For they would 
 not so all have run together, if the preaching had been 
 without the baptism ; they would not by the comparison 
 have learned His superiority. For the multitude came 
 together not to hear his words, but for what? To be bap- 
 tized, confessing their sins. But when they came, they 
 were taught the matters concerning Christ, and the differ- 
 ence of His Baptism. Yet even this of John was of greater 
 dignity than the Jewish, and therefore all ran to it; yet even 
 so it was imperfect. 
 
 " How then didst thou know Him ?" " By the descent of 
 the Spirit," he saith. But again, lest any one should 
 suppose that he was in need of the Spirit as we are, hear 
 how he removes the suspicion, by shewing that the descent 
 of the Spirit was only to declare Christ. For having said, 
 And I knew Him not, he adds, But He that sent me to v. 33. 
 baptize with water, the Same said unto me. Upon Whom 
 thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining on Him, 
 the same is He Which baptizeih with the Holy Ghost. 
 
 Seest thou that this was the work of the Spirit, to point 
 out Christ? The testimony of .fohn was indeed not to be 
 suspected, but wishing to make it yet more credible, he leads 
 it up» to God and the Holy Spirit. For when John had 
 testified to a thing so great and wonderful, so fit to astonish 
 all his hearers, that He alone took on Him the sins of all 
 the world, and that the gi-eatness of the gift sufiiced for so 
 
142 Christ atjirst unknown fo the Baptist: 
 
 HoMiL. great a ransom, afterwards he proves this assertion '. And 
 ■^^^^■-the proof is, that He is the Son of God, and that He needed 
 
 asTtf- 
 
 ipariti not baptism, and that the object of the descent of the Spirit 
 was only to make Him known. For it was not in the power 
 of John to give the Spirit, as those who were baptized by 
 Acts 19, him shew when they say, We have not so much as heard 
 ^" whether there be any Holy Ghost. In truth, Christ needed 
 
 2 or ' of not baptism, neither his nor any other^ ; but rather baptism 
 ^her needed the power of Christ. For that which was wanting was 
 ™*''' the crowning blessing of all, that he who was baptized 
 3;c»{i7 should be deemed worthy of the Spirit; this free gift ^ then 
 '"" of the Spirit He added when He came. 
 
 Ver. 32—34. And John hare record, saying, I saw the 
 
 Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and It abode 
 
 upon Him. And I knew Him not: but He that sent me to 
 
 baptize with water, the Same said unto me, Upon Whom 
 
 thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, 
 
 the same is He Which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And 
 
 I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God. 
 
 *nmxm He puts the I knew Him not repeatedly''. On what 
 
 account, and wherefore ? He was His kinsman according to 
 
 Luke 1, the flesh. Behold, saith the angel, thy cousin Elisabeth, she 
 
 3^- also hath conceived a son. That therefore he might not 
 
 seem to favour Him because of the relationship, he repeats the 
 
 / knew Him not. And this happened with good reason ; 
 
 for he had passed all his time in the wilderness away from 
 
 his father's house. 
 
 How then, if he knew Him not before the descent of the 
 Spirit, and if he then for the first time recognised Him, did 
 Matt. 3, he forbid Him before baptism, saying, / have need to be 
 baptized of Thee, and comest Thou to me ? since this was 
 a proof that he knew Him very well. Yet he knew Him 
 not before or for a long time, and with good cause ; for the 
 marvels which took place when He was a Child, as the 
 circumstances of the Magi and others the like, had happened 
 long before, while John himself was very young, and since 
 much time had elapsed in the interval, He was natwrally 
 unknown to all. For had He been known, John would not 
 have said. That He should be made manifest to Israel, 
 therefore am I come baptizing. 
 
hut known before His Baptism. 143 
 
 [3.] Hence it remains clear to us, that the miracles which John 
 
 they say belong to Christ's Childhood, are false, and the— -- 
 
 inventions of certain who bring them into notice. For if He 
 
 had begun from His early age to work wonders, neither 
 
 could John have been ignorant of Him, nor would the 
 
 multitude have needed a teacher to make Him known. But 
 
 now he says, that for this he is come, that He might be 
 
 made manifest to Israel ; and for this reason he said again, 
 
 1 have need to be baptized of Thee. Afterwards, as having 
 
 gained more exact knowledge of Him, he proclaimed Him 
 
 to the multitude, saying. This is He of Whom I said, After 
 
 me cometh a Man Which is preferred before me. For He 
 
 Who sent me to baptize with water, and sent me for this end, 
 
 that He should be made manifest to Israel, Himself revealed 
 
 Him even before the descent of the Spirit. Wherefore even 
 
 before He came, John said. One cometh after me Who is 
 
 preferred before me. He knew Him not before he came to 
 
 Jordan and baptized all men, but when He was about to be 
 
 baptized, then he knew Him ; and this from the Father 
 
 revealing Him to the Prophet, and the Spirit shewing 
 
 Him when He was being baptized to the Jews, for whose 
 
 sake indeed the descent of the Spirit took place. For that 
 
 the witness of John might not be despised who said, that 
 
 He was before me, and that He baptizeth with the Spirit, 
 
 and that " He judgeth the world," the Father utters a Voice 
 
 proclaiming the Son, and the Spirit descends, directing' that ' '^*'*""" 
 
 Voice to the Head of Jesus. For since one was baptizing, 
 
 the other receiving Baptism, the Spirit comes to correct the 
 
 idea which some of those present might form, that the words 
 
 were spoken of John. So that when he says, / knew Him 
 
 not, he speaks of former time, not that near to His Baptism. 
 
 Otherwise how could he have forbidden Him, saying, / 
 
 have need to be baptized of Thee? How could he have said 
 
 such words concerning Him? 
 
 "But," says one, "how then did not the Jews believe? for 
 it was not John only that saw the Spirit in the likeness of a 
 dove." It was, because, even if they did see, such things 
 require not only the eyes of the body, but more than these, 
 the vision of the understanding, to prevent men from sup- 
 posing the whole to be a vain illusion. For if when they 
 
144 Truth of the Evangelists shewn by their omissions. 
 
 Hgmil. saw Him working wonders, touching with His own Hands 
 
 ^the sick and the dead, and so bringing them back to life and 
 
 health, they were so diunk with malice as to declare the 
 
 contrary of what they saw ; how could they shake off their 
 
 unbelief by the descent of the Spirit only ? And some say, 
 
 that they did not all see it, but only John and those of them 
 
 F,jy,«. who were better' disposed. Because, even though it were 
 
 ''"'"■'" possible with fleshly eyes to see the Spirit descending as in 
 
 the likeness of a dove, still not for this was it absolutely 
 
 necessary that the circumstance should be visible to all. 
 
 For Zacharias saw many things in a sensible form, as did 
 
 Daniel and Ezekiel, and had none to share in what they 
 
 saw; Moses also saw many things such as none other hath 
 
 2al. seen; nor did all the disciples enjoy'' the view of the 
 
 'were Transfiguration on the mount, nor did they all alike behold 
 
 thought . ° •' . 
 
 worthy' Him at the time of the Resurrection. And this Luke plamly 
 Acts 10, shews, when he says, that He shewed Himself to witnesses 
 chosen be/ore of God. 
 
 And I saw, and bare record that This is the Son of God. 
 Where did he bear record that This is the Son of God ? 
 he called Him indeed Lamb, and said that He should 
 baptize with the Spirit, but no where did he say of Him, 
 Son of God. But the other Evangelists do not write that 
 He said any thing after the Baptism, but having been silent 
 as to the time intervening, they mention the miracles of 
 3" ffuxxu- Christ which were done after John's captivity ', whence we 
 ''"' may reasonably conjecture that these and many others are 
 omitted. And this our Evangelist himself has declai-ed, at 
 the end of his narrative. For they were so far from invent- 
 ing any thing great concerning Him, that the things which 
 
 * al; seem to bring reproach, these they have all with one voice * 
 
 mind' 
 
 and with all exactness set down, and you will not find one 
 of them omitting one of such circumstances ; but of the 
 
 * al. miracles, part some have left for the others to relate*, part all 
 
 ' have 1 J ■ -1 
 
 made have passed over in silence. 
 
 room for J gay not this without cause, but to answer the shameless- 
 others 
 6 lit. ness of the heathen ^. For this is a sufficient proof of their 
 
 'Greeks truth-loving disposition, and that they say nothing for 
 
 favour. And thus as well as in other ways you may arm 
 
 'x»ya/» yourselves for trial of argument' with them. But take heed.. 
 
Conversion of Heathen hinderedhj Christian indifference. 145 
 
 otrange were it that the physician, or the shoemaker, or the John 
 weaver, in short all artists, should be able each to contend -^in- 
 correctly for his own art, but that one calling himself 
 Christian should not be able to give a reason for his own 
 faith; yet those things if overlooked bring only loss to men's 
 property, these if neglected destroy our very souls. Yet 
 such is our wretched disposition, that we give all our care 
 to the former, and the things which are necessary, and 
 which are the groundwork' of our salvation, as though oi^i^iiun, 
 little worth, we despise. 
 
 [4.] This it is which prevents the heathen from quickly 
 deriding their own error. For when they, though established 
 in a lie, use every means to conceal the shamefulness of their 
 opinions, while we, the servants of the trath, cannot even 
 open our mouths, how can they help condemning the great 
 weakness of our doctrine ? how can they help suspecting 
 our religion to be fraud and folly? how shall they not 
 blaspheme Christ as a deceiver, and a cheat, who used the 
 folly of the many to further his fraud ? And we are to blame 
 for this blasphemy, because we will not be wakeful in argu- 
 ments for godliness, but deem these things superfluous, and 
 care only for the things of earth. He who admires a dancer 
 or a charioteer, or one who contends with beasts, uses every 
 exertion and contrivance not to come off worst in any dis- 
 putes concerning him, and they string together long pane- 
 gyrics, as they compose their defence against those who find 
 fault with them, and cast sneers without number at their 
 opponents: but when arguments for Christianity are pro- 
 posed, they all hang their heads, and scratch themselves, and 
 gape, and retire at length the objects of contempt. 
 
 Must not this deserve excessive wrath, when Christ is 
 shewn to be less honourable in your estimation than a 
 dancer.? since you have contrived ten thousand defences 
 for the things they have done, though more disgraceful than 
 any, but of the miracles of Christ, though they have drawn 
 to Him the world, you cannot bear even to think or care at 
 all. We believe in the Father, and the Son, and the Holy 
 Ghost, in the Resurrection of bodies, and in Life everlasting. 
 If now any heathen say, " What is this Father, what this 
 Son, what this Holy Ghost ? How do you who say that there 
 
 L 
 
146 Duty of Christians to defend their faith. 
 
 HoMiL. are three Gods, charge us with having many Gods ?" What 
 
 ^ will you say? What will you answer? How will you repel 
 
 the attack of these arguments ? But what if when you are 
 silent, the unbeliever should again propose this other ques- 
 tion, and ask, " What in a word is resurrection ? Shall we 
 rise again in this body? or in another, different from this ? 
 If in this, what need that it be dissolved ?'* What will you 
 answer ? And what, if he say, " Why did Christ come now 
 and not in old time ? Has it seemed good to Him now to 
 care for men, and did He despise us during all the years 
 that are past ?" Or if he ask other questions besides, more 
 than these ? for I must not propose many questions, and be 
 silent as to the answers to them, lest, in so doing, I harm the 
 simpler among you. What has been already said is sufficient 
 to shake ofFyour slumbers. Well then, if they ask these ques- 
 tions, and you absolutely cannot even listen to the words, 
 shall we, tell me, suffer trifling punishment only, when we have 
 been the cause of such error to those who sit in darkness ? I 
 wished, if you had sufficient leisure, to bring before you all 
 the book of a certain impure heathen philosopher written 
 against us, and that of another of earlier date, that so at least 
 I might have roused you, aud led you away from your 
 exceeding slothfulness. For if they were wakeful that they 
 might say these things against us, what pardon can we 
 deserve, if we do not even know how to repel the attacks 
 made upon us ? For what purpose have we been brought 
 ' ««•'- forward' ? Dost thou not hear the Apostle say, Be ready to 
 
 1 Peter fft^e an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the 
 3)^2- hope that is in you? And Paul exhorts in like manner. 
 Col. 3, saying. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly. What 
 
 2 al. ir- <io they who are more slothful = than drones reply to this ? 
 Mtional « Blessed is every simple soul," and. He that walketh simply^ 
 10, s! walketh surely. For this is the cause of all sorts of evil, 
 rightly,' ^^^'^ ^^ many do not know how to apply rightly even the 
 E. V. ' testimony of the Scriptures. Thus in this place, the writer 
 
 does not mean (by " simple") the man who is foolish, or who 
 
 knows nothing, but him who is free from wickedness, who is 
 
 no evil-doer, who is wise. If it were not so, it would have 
 
 w' '°^^^° useless to say*, Be ye wise as serpents, and harmless as 
 
 m.«.t.\o doves. But why should I name these things, when the 
 
 16. 
 
Need of general improvement. 147 
 
 discourse comes in quite out of place ? For besides the John 
 
 ^ ^ I. 34. 
 
 things already mentioned, other matters are not right with 
 us, those, I mean, which concern our life and conversation. 
 We are in every way wretched and ridiculous, ever ready to 
 find fault with each other, but slow to correct in ourselves 
 things for which we blame and accuse our neighbour. 
 Wherefore I exhort you, that now at least we attend to our- 
 selves, and stop not at the finding fault, (this is not enough 
 to appease God;) but that we shew forth a change in every 
 way most excellent, in order that having lived here to the 
 glory of God, we may enjoy the glory to come ; which may 
 it come to pass that we all attain, through the grace and 
 loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory 
 for ever and ever. Amen. 
 
 l2 
 
HOMILY XVm. 
 
 John i. 35, 36, 37. 
 
 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; 
 and looking upon Jesus as He walked, he saith. Behold 
 the Lamb of God. And the two disciples heard him speak, 
 and they followed Jesus. 
 
 The nature of man is somehow a thing slothful, and easily 
 dedining to perdition, not by reason of the constitution of the 
 nature itself, but by reason of that sloth which is of deliberate 
 choice. Wherefore it needs much reminding. And for this 
 Philip, cause Paul, writing to the Philippians, said. To write the 
 ' ^' same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for 
 you it is safe. 
 
 The earth when it has once received the seed, straightway 
 gives forth its fruits, and needs not a second sowing ; but 
 with our souls it is not so, and one must be content, after 
 having sown many times, and manifested much carefulness, 
 to be able once to receive fruit. For in the first place, what 
 is said settles in the mind with difficulty, because the ground 
 is very hard, and entangled with thorns innumerable, and 
 there are many which lay plots, and carry away the seed; 
 afterwards, when it has been fixed and has taken root, it still 
 needs the same attention, that it may come to maturity, and 
 having done so may remain uninjured, and take no harm 
 from any. For in the case of seeds, when the ear is fully 
 formed and has gained its proper strength, it easily despises 
 rust, and drought, and every other thing ; but it is not so 
 with doctrines; in their case after all the work has been 
 fully done, one storm and flood often comes on, and 
 either by the attack of unpleasant circumstances, or by the 
 
Desire of the Baptist to bring men to Christ. 149 
 
 plots of men skilled to deceive, or by various other tempt- John 
 ations brought against them, brings them to ruin. — — '- 
 
 I have not said this without cause, but that when you hear 
 John repeating the same words, you may not condemn him 
 for vain talking ', nor deem him impertinent or wearisome. ! '''• ^ 
 
 XT J • J 1 1 1 want of 
 
 He desired to have been heard by once speaking, but because taste' 
 not many gave heed to what was spoken from the first, by 
 reason of deep sleep, he again rouses them by this second 
 call. Now observe; \iLeha.6.SB.\d., He that comet h after me, is 
 preferred before me: and that / am not worthy to unloose 
 the latchet of His shoe ; and that He baptizeth with the 
 Holy Ghost, and with fire; and that he saw the Spirit 
 descending like a dove, and It abode upon Him., and he bare 
 record that This is the Son of God. No one gave heed, nor 
 asked, nor said, " Why sayest thou these thiugs? in whose 
 behalf? for what reason ?" Again he had said, Behold the 
 Lamb of God, Which taketh away the sin of the world; yet not 
 even so did he touch their insensibility. Therefore, after 
 this he is compelled to repeat the same words again, as if 
 softening by tillage^ some hard and stubborn soil, and by^vs^™ 
 his woi-d as by a' plough, disturbing the mind which hadagi. 'a 
 hardened into clods*, so as to put in the seed deep. ForJ™'*?^ 
 this reason he does not make his discourse a long one/tSw 
 either ; because he desired one thing only, to bring them 
 over and join them to Christ. He knew that as soon as 
 they had received this saying, and had been persuaded, 
 they would not afterwards need one to bear witness unto 
 Him. As also it came to pass. For, if the Samaritaus could 
 say to the woman after hearing Him, Now we believe, not 
 because of thy saying, for we know that this is indeed the 
 Christ, the Saviour of the world, the disciples would be 
 much more quickly subdued", as was the case. For when 
 they had come and heard Him but one evening, they re- 
 turned no more to John, but were so nailed to Him, that 
 they took upon them the ministry of John, and themselves 
 proclaimed Him. For, saith the Evangelist, He findeth 
 his own brother Simon, and saith unto him. We have 
 
 " Morel, and Ms. in Bodleian, 'much affected, and when they had come would 
 more would the disciples have been thus have been subdued by His words.' 
 
150 Men attracted most by tidings of mercy. 
 
 iSoM.n,.found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. 
 
 — ■ And observe, I pray you, this, how, when he said. He that 
 
 Cometh after me is preferred before me ; and that, / am not 
 worthy to unloose the latchet of His shoe ; he caught no 
 one, but when he spoke of' the Dispensation, and lowered 
 his discourse to a humbler tone, then the disciples followed 
 Him. 
 
 And we may remark this, not only in the instance of the 
 disciples, but that the many are not so much attracted when 
 some great and sublime thing is said concerning God, as 
 when some act of graciousness and loving-kindness, some- 
 thing pertaining to the salvation of the hearers, is spoken of. 
 They heard that He taketh away the sin of the world, and 
 straightway they ran to Him. For, said they, " if it is 
 
 1 al. ' to possible to wash away ' the charges that lie against us, why 
 
 our- do we delay ? here is One Who will deliver us without 
 
 selves labom- gf ours. Is it not extreme folly to put off accepting 
 the Gift ?" Let those hear who are Catechumens, and are 
 
 = i. e. putting off their salvation - to their latest breath. 
 
 g'^'^. Again, saith the Evangelist, John stood, and saith. Behold 
 the Lamh of God. Christ utters no word. His messenger 
 saith all. So it is with a bridegroom. He saith not for 
 a while any thing to the bride, but is there in silence, while 
 some shew him to the bride, and others give her into his 
 hands ; she merely appears, and he departs not having 
 taken her himself, but when he has received her from 
 another who gives her to him. And when he has received her 
 thus given, he so disposes her, that she no more remembers 
 those who betrothed her. So it was with Christ. He came 
 to join to Himself the Church; He said nothing, but merely 
 came. It was His friend, John, who put into His the bride's 
 right hand, when by his discourses he gave into His hand 
 the souls of men. He having received them, afterwards so 
 disposed them, that they departed no more to John who had 
 committed them to Him. 
 
 [2.] And here we may remark, not this only, but some- 
 thing besides. As at a marriage the maiden goes not to the 
 bridegroom, but he hastens to her, though he be a king's 
 son, and though he be about to espouse some poor and 
 
Christ's presence proclaimed by the Baptist. 151 
 
 abject person, or even a servant, so it was here. Man's John 
 nature did not go up ', but contemptible and poor as it was, j-^j — - 
 He came to it, and when the marriage had taken place. He 'depart' 
 suffered it no longer to tarry here, but having taken it to 
 Himself, transported it to the house of His Father. 
 
 " Why then doth not John take his disciples apart, and 
 converse with them on these matters, and so deliver them 
 over to Christ, instead of saying publicly to them in common 
 with all the people. Behold the Lamb of God?" That it may 
 not seem to be a matter of arrangement ; for had they gone 
 away from him to Christ after having been privately ad- 
 monished by him, and as though to do him a favour, they 
 would perhaps soon have started away again ; but now, 
 having taken upon them the following Him, from teaching 
 which had been general, they afterwards remained His 
 firm disciples, as not having followed Him in order to 
 gratify the teacher, but as looking purely to their own 
 advantage. 
 
 The Prophets and Apostles then all preached Him absent; 
 the Prophets before His coming according to the flesh, the 
 Apostles after He was taken up ; John alone proclaimed 
 Him present. Wherefore he calls himself the friend of the<i- 3) 29. 
 Bridegroom, since he alone was present at the marriage, he 
 it was that did and accomplished all, he made a begin- 
 ning of the work. And looking upon Jesus walking, he saith. 
 Behold the Lamb of God. Not by voice alone, but with 
 his eyes also he bore witness to, and expressed his ad- 
 miration of, Christ, rejoicing and glorying. Nor does he 
 for a while address any ^ word of exhortation to his followers, ^ ai. 
 but only shews wonder and astonishment at Him Who was any'^^ 
 present, and declares to all the Gift which He came to give, 
 and the manner of purification. For the Lamb declares both 
 these things. And he said not, " Who shall take," or " Who 
 hath taken ;" but. Who taketh away the sins of the world ; 
 because this He ever doth. He took them not then only 
 when He suffered, but from that time even to the present 
 doth He take them away, not being repeatedly' crucified, 3 ^t> 
 (for He offered One Sacrifice for sins,) but by that One 
 continually purging them. As then The Wokd shews us 
 His preeminence % and The Son His superiority in com-^^^'^ 
 
152 No time unseasonable for the Baptist's leaching. 
 
 HoMi^i.parisoti with others, so The Lamb, The Christ, that Prophet, 
 
 'the True Light, the Good Shepherd, and whatever other 
 
 names are applied to Him with the addition of the article, 
 mark a great difference. For there were many " Lambs," 
 and " Prophets," and " Christs," and " sons," but from all 
 these John separates Him by a wide interval. And this 
 he secured not by the article only, but by the addition 
 oi Only-begotten ; for He had nothing in common with the 
 creation. 
 
 If it seems to any unseasonable that these things should 
 be spoken at the tenth hour, (that was the time of day, for 
 
 V. 39. he says. It was about the tenth hour^ such an one seems to 
 me to be much mistaken. In the case indeed of the many, 
 and those who serve the flesh, the season after feasting is 
 not very suitable for any matters of pressing moment, 
 
 Jor'sto- ijecause their hearts' are burdened with meats : but here was 
 
 machs' 
 
 a man who did not even partake of common food, and who 
 
 at evening was as sober as we are at morning, (or rather 
 
 much more so ; for often the remains of our evening food 
 
 that are left within us, fill our souls with imaginations, but 
 
 he loaded his vessel with none of these things ;) he with 
 
 good reason spake late in the evening of these matters. 
 
 Besides, he was tarrying in the wilderness by Joidan, where 
 
 all came to his baptism with great fear, and caring little at 
 
 Mat. 15, that time for the things of this life; as also they continued 
 with Christ three days, and had nothing to eat. For this is 
 the part of a zealous herald and a careful husbandman, not 
 to desist before he see that the planted seed has got a firm 
 
 2ai. is hokP. " Whv then did he not go about all the parts- of 
 
 ' retain- /■ ^n ■ i , t , , . 
 
 ed' Juda3a preaching Lhrist, rather than stand by the river 
 waiting for Him to come, that he might point Him out when 
 He came ?" Because he wished that this should be effected 
 by His works ; his own object being in the mean time only 
 to make Him known, and to persuade some to hear of 
 eternal life. But to Him he leaves the greater testimony, 
 
 c. 5, 34. that of works, as also He saith, / receive not testimony of 
 men. The works which My Father hath given Me, the 
 same hear witness of Me. Observe how much more effectual 
 this was ; for when he had thrown in a little spark, at once 
 the blaze rose on high. For they who before had not even 
 
Zectl and modesty of the two disciples. 153 
 
 given heed to his words, afterwards say, All things which John 
 John spake were true. [3.] Besides, if he had gone about ^' ^^' 
 
 c. 10,41. 
 
 saying these things, what was being done would have seemed 
 to be done from some human motive, and the preaching to 
 be full of suspicion ". 
 
 And the two disciples heard him, and followed Jesus. 
 
 Yet John had other disciples, but they not only did not 
 follow Jesus, but were even jealously disposed towards 
 Him. Rabbi, says one, He that was with thee beyondc. 3, 26. 
 Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same 
 baptizeth, and all men come unto him. And again' they' ai. 
 appear bringing a charge against Him; Why do we fast, but^^^^, 
 thy disciples fast not? But those who were better than the Matt. 9, 
 rest had no such feeling, but heard, and at once followed; 
 followed, not as despising their teacher, but as being most 
 fully persuaded by him, and producing the strongest proof 
 that they acted thus from a right j udgment of his reasonings. 
 For they did not do so by his advice, that might have 
 appeared suspicious ; but when he merely foretold what was 
 to come to pass, that He should baptize with the Holy 
 Ghost, [and with fire,'] they followed. They did not then 
 desert their teacher, but rather desired to learn what Christ 
 brought with Him more than John. And observe zeal com- 
 bined with modesty. They did not at once approach and 
 question Jesus on necessary and most important matters, 
 nor were they desirous to converse with Him publicly while 
 all were present, at once and in an off-hand manner, but 
 privately; for they knew that the words of their teacher 
 proceeded not from humility, but from truth. 
 
 Ver. 40. One of the two which heard, and followed Him, 
 was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 
 
 Wherefore then has he not made known the name of the 
 other also ? Some say, because it was the writer himself that 
 followed; others, not so, but that he was not one of the 
 distinguished disciples ; it behoved not therefore to say 
 more than was necessary. For what would it have ad- 
 vantaged us to learn his name, when the writer does not 
 mention the names even of the seventy-two ? St. Paul also 
 
 ^ Morel, reads : »«) vyro^Mg tiv fitra to K^^vy/ia kat^iv. 
 
vtvatv 
 
 154 77^e two disciples questioned by Christ. 
 
 HoMiL. did the same*. We have sent, says he, with him the brother, 
 
 XVII' 7^7 7 
 
 ^^^ " (who has often in many things been forward,) whose praise 
 
 8, 18. is in the Gospel. Moreover, he mentions Andrew for 
 another reason. What is this ? It is, that when you are 
 informed that Simon having in company with him heard, 
 
 Matt. 4, Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men, was not 
 perplexed at so strange a promise, you may learn that his 
 brother had already laid down within him the beginnings 
 of the faith. 
 
 Ver. 38. Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and 
 saith unto them, What seek ye? 
 
 Hence we are taught, that God does not prevent our wills 
 by His gifts, but that when we begin, when we provide the 
 being willing, then He gives us many opportunities of 
 salvation. What seek ye? How is this.? HeWhoknoweth 
 
 ' i/i./3a- the hearts of men, Who dwelleth' in our thoughts, doth He 
 ask .'' He doth ; not that He may be informed ; how could 
 that be? but that by the question He may make them more 
 familiar, and impart to them greater boldness, and shew them 
 thai they are worthy to hear Him ; for it was probable that 
 they would blush and be afraid, as being unknown to Him, 
 and as having heard such accounts of Him from the testi- 
 mony of their teacher. Therefore to remove all this, their 
 shame and their fear, he questions them, and would not let 
 them come all the way to the house in silence. Yet the 
 event would have been the same had He not questioned 
 them; they would have remained by following Him, and 
 walking in His steps would have reached His dwelling. 
 Why then did He ask.? To effect that which I said, to 
 
 ^xiyic- calm their minds^, yet disturbed with shame and anxiety, 
 and to give them confidence. 
 
 Nor was it by their following only that they shewed their 
 earnest desire, but by their question also: for when they 
 had not as yet learned or even heard any thing from Him, 
 they call Him, Master; thrusting themselves as it were 
 among His disciples, and declaring what was the cause of 
 their following, that they might hear somewhat profitable. 
 Observe their wisdom also. They did not say, " Teach us 
 
 « Morel, and Ms, in Bodl. ' this also may be seen with Paul.' 
 
 ^«i 
 
All things secondai-y to the hearing of the Word. 155 
 
 of Thy doctrines, or some other thing that we need to know ;" John 
 but what? Where dwellest Thou? Because, as I before—^ — - 
 
 said, they wished in quiet to say somewhat to Him, and to 
 hear somewhat from Him, and to learn. Therefore they did 
 not defer the matter, nor say, " We will come to-morrow by 
 all means, and hear tliee speak in public ;" but shewed the 
 great eagerness they had to hear Him, by not being turned 
 back even by the hour, for the sun was already near its 
 setting, {it was, saith John, about the tenth hour.) And 
 therefore Christ does not tell them the marks of His abode, 
 nor its situation, but rather induces them to follow Him by 
 shewing them that He had accepted them. For this reason 
 He did not say any thing of this kind to them, " It is an 
 unseasonable time now for you to enter into the house, 
 to-morrow you shall hear if you have any wish, return home 
 now';" but converses with them as with friends, and those '»'•' ''or 
 who had long been with Him. sent' 
 
 How then saith He in another place, But the Son of Man Luke 9, 
 hath not where to lay His Head, while here He saith, Come ^ jjg^ 
 and see where I abide ? Because the expression hath not 
 where to lay His Head, signifies that He had no dwelling 
 place of His own, not that He did not abide in a house. 
 And this too is the meaning of the comparison °. The'*'.-^- 
 Evangelist has mentioned that they abode with Him thatf^j^^ 
 day, but has not added wherefore, because the reason was ?^\ 
 
 . birds. 
 
 plain ; for from no other motive did they follow Christ, and 
 
 He draw them to Him, but only that they might have 
 
 instruction; and this they enjoyed so abundantly and eagerly 
 
 even in a single night, that they both proceeded straightway 
 
 to the capture' of others. ^al.'the 
 
 . 1 . door 
 
 [4.] Let us then also learn hence to consider all things 
 
 secondary* to the hearing the word of God, and to deem no^s-ajij- 
 
 season unseasonable, and, though a man may even have to''" 
 
 go into another person's house, and being a person unknown 
 
 to make himself known to great men, though it be late in 
 
 the day, or at any time whatever, never to neglect this 
 
 traffic. Let food and baths and dinners and the other 
 
 things of this life have their appointed time; but let the 
 
 teaching of heavenly philosophy have no separate time, let 
 
 every season belong to it. For Paul saith, In season, out qf'i Tim. 
 
 4, ^a 
 
156 How to recover the appetite of spiritual food. 
 
 Tdom-L. season, reprove, rebuke, exhort; and the Prophet too saith', 
 X Yiii . j^^ jj^^ ^^^ ^^^ j^^ rneditate day and night; and Moses 
 
 ' 'commanded the Jews to do this always. For the things of 
 this life, baths, I mean, and dinners, even if they are necessary, 
 
 U|iV»Aoi.jg(; being continually repeated, render the body feeble'; 
 but the teaching of the soul the more it is prolonged, the 
 stronger it renders the soul which receives it. But now we 
 portion out all our time for trifles and unprofitable silly 
 talking, and we sit together idly during the morning and 
 
 ^Sfi'xs. afternoon^, midday and evening besides, and we have ap- 
 pointed places for this ; but hearing the divine doctrines 
 
 3 va»TO- twice or thrice in the week we become sick^, and thoroughly 
 
 '"' sated. What is the reason \ We are in a bad state of soul ; 
 its faculty of desiring and reaching after these things we 
 have relaxed altogether. And therefore it is not strong 
 enough to have an appetite for spiritual food. And this 
 among others is a great proof of weakness, not to hunger 
 nor thirst, but to be disinclined to both. Now if this, when 
 it takes place in our bodies, is a sure sign of grievous 
 disease, and productive of weakness, much more is it so 
 in the soul. 
 
 " How then," says one, " shall we be able to renew it, thus 
 fallen and relaxed, to strength ? what doing, what saying .?" 
 By applying ourselves to the divine words of the prophets, 
 of the Apostles, of the Gospels, and all the others ; then we 
 shall know that it is far better to feed on these than on 
 impure food, for so we must term our unseasonable idle 
 talking and assemblies. For which is best, tell me, to con- 
 verse on things relating to the market, or things in the law 
 courts, or in the camp, or on things in heaven, and on what 
 shall be after our departure hence } Which is best, to talk 
 about our neighbour and our neighbour's affairs, to busy our- 
 selves in what belongs to other people, or to enquire into 
 the things of angels, and into matters which concern our- 
 selves ? For a neighbour's affairs are not thine at all ; but 
 heavenly things are thine. " But," says some one, " a man 
 may by once speaking finish these subjects altogether." 
 Why do you not think this in matters on which you converse 
 uselessly and idly, why though ye waste your lives on this 
 
 f Morel, and Ms. in Bodl. ' and David also glances at this, saying.' 
 
Evils of idle talking. 1 57 
 
 have ye never exhausted the subject ? And I have not yet John 
 named what is far more vile than this. These are the things Jii2^ 
 about whicli the better sort converse one with the other ; but 
 the more indifferent and careless carry about in their talk 
 players and dancers and charioteers, defiling men's ears, 
 corrupting their souls, and driving their nature into mad 
 excesses by these narratives, and by means of this discourse 
 introducing every kind of wickedness into their own ima- 
 gination. For as soon as the tongue has uttered the name of 
 the dancer, immediately the soul has figured to itself his 
 looks, his hair, his delicate clothing, and himself more 
 efieminate than all. Another again fans the flame in another 
 way, by introducing some harlot into the conversation, with 
 her words, and attitudes, and glances, her languishing looks 
 and twisted locks, the smoothness of her cheeks, and her 
 painted eyelids'. Were you not somewhat affected when I • u«- 
 gave this description ? Yet be not ashamed, nor blush, for ''«"?"' 
 the very necessity of nature requires this, and so disposes 
 the soul according as the tendency of what is said may be. 
 But if, when it is I that speak, you, standing in the church, 
 and at a distance from these things, were somewhat affected 
 at the hearing, consider how it is likely that they are dis- 
 posed, who sit in the theatre itself, who are totally free from 
 dread, who are absent from this venerable and awful as- 
 sembly, who both see and hear those things with much 
 shamelessness. " And why then," perhaps one of those who 
 heed not may say, " if the necessity of nature so disposes the 
 soul, do you let go that, and blame us ?" Because, to be 
 softened^ when one hears these things, is nature's work; but V*'-"'' 
 to hear them is not a fault of nature, but of deliberate choice. ''"^'''" 
 For so he who meddles with fire must needs be injured, so 
 wills the weakness of our nature ; yet nature does not there- 
 fore draw us to the fire and to the injury thence arising ; this 
 can be only from deliberate perversity. I beseech you, 
 therefore, to remove and correct this fault, that you may not 
 of your own accord cast yourselves down the precipice, 
 nor thrust yourselves into the pits of wickedness, nor run 
 of yourselves to the blaze, lest we place ourselves in jeopardy 
 of the fire prepared for the devil. May it come to pass, 
 
158 Tlie twofold Jire, of sin and of hell. 
 
 HoMiL. that we all beinff delivered both from this fire and from that, 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 'may go to the very bosom of Abraham, through the grace 
 
 and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom 
 
 and with Whom, to the Father and the Holy Ghost, be glory 
 
 for ever and ever. Amen. 
 
HOMILY XIX. 
 
 John i. 41, 42. 
 
 He first Jindeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, 
 We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, 
 the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus. 
 
 When God in the beginning made man, He did not suffer 
 him to be alone, but gave him woman for a helpmate, and 
 made them to dwell together, knowing that great advantage 
 would result from this companionship. What though the 
 woman did not rightly employ this benefit ? still if any one 
 make himself fully acquainted with the nature of the matter, 
 he will see, that to the wise great advantage arises from this 
 dwelling together; not in the cause of wife or husband only, 
 but if brothers do this, they also shall enjoy the benefit. 
 Wherefore the Prophet hath said. What is good, what «sPs. I32j 
 pleasant, but that brethren should dwell together? And^" 
 Paul exhorted not to neglect the assembling of ourselves Heb.io, 
 together. In this it is that we differ from beasts, for this we ^^■ 
 have built cities, and markets, and houses, that we may be united 
 one with another, not in the place of our dwelling only, but by 
 the bond of love. For since our nature came imperfect ' from i j,j,^j 
 Him Who made it, and is not self-sufiicient^, God, for onx'^airi^- 
 advantage, ordained that the want hence existing should be ""^ 
 corrected by the assistance arising firom mutual intercourse; 
 so that what was lacking in one should be supplied by 
 another", and the defective nature thus be rendered self- 
 
 ' Ben. Morel, and Ms. in Bodl. also marriage is arranged, in order that 
 read the passage thus: ' For this cause what is wanting,' &e. 
 
160 Conversion of Andrew and Peter. 
 
 HoMiL. sufBcient ; as, for instance, that though made mortal ""j it 
 
 '- should by succession for a long time maintain immortality. 
 
 I might have gone into this argument at greater length, to 
 
 shew what advantages arise to those who come together from 
 
 ' iiA(«fi- genuine and pure' intercourse with each other: but there is 
 
 ""'' another thing which presses now, that on account of which 
 
 we have made these remarks. 
 
 Andrevi', after having tarried with Jesus and learned what 
 He did, kept not the treasure to himself, but hastens and 
 runs quickly to his brother, to impart to him of the good 
 
 2 ai. things which he had received^. "But whei-efore has not 
 'shared' JqJjq gajj qq yrijat matters Christ conversed with them? 
 
 Whence is it clear that it was for this that they abode with 
 Him"? It was proved by us the other day; but we may 
 learn it from what has been read to-day as well. Observe 
 what Andrew says to his brother ; We have found the Mes- 
 sias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. You see how, 
 as far as he had learned in a short time, he shewed'' the 
 wisdom of the teacher who persuaded them, and their own 
 
 3 Umiiv zeal, who cared for these things long ago ', and from the 
 
 beginning. For this word, we have found, is the expression 
 
 ^uSmi- of a soul which travails* for His presence, and looks for 
 
 His coming from above, and is made overjoyed when the 
 
 sal.'has looked for thing has happened^, and hastens to impart to 
 
 ed' others the good tidings. This is the part of brotherly affection, 
 
 of natural friendship, of a sincere disposition, to be eager to 
 
 stretch out the hand to each other in spiritual things. Hear 
 
 him besides speak with the addition of the article ; for he 
 
 does not say " Messias," but the Messias ; thus they were 
 
 ^Anoint- expecting some one Christ", having nothing in common with 
 
 ed one ^|jg others. And behold, I beg of you, the mind of Peter 
 
 obedient and tractable from the very beginning ; he ran to 
 
 Him without any delay ; He brought him, saith St. John, to 
 
 Jesus. Yet let no one blame his easy temper if he received 
 
 the word without much questioning, because it is probable 
 
 that his brother had told him these things more exactly and 
 
 ' xafx»ii CVS xa) ItyiTtit yivn/tiniv. way followed and abode with Him.' 
 Ben. and Ms. in Bodl. read, <S; aiVii» '^ Ben. Morel, and Ms. in Bodl. ' he 
 
 ix'" ""' ^- V- shewed hence, for he both establishes 
 
 '^ Morel, and Ms. in Bodl. ' con- the wisdom,' &c. 
 versed with them, when they straight- 
 
Divine foreknoifledge q/'CIirisi. 161 
 
 at length ; but the Evangelists from their care for concise- John 
 ness constantly cut many things short. Besides, it is not -•^^' 
 
 said absolutely that " he believed," but that he brought him 
 to Jesus, to give him up for Die future to Him, so that from 
 Him he might learn all ; for the other disciple also was with 
 him, and contributed to this. And if John the Baptist, when 
 he had said that He was the Lamb, and that He baptized 
 with the Spirit, gave them over to learn the clearer doctrine 
 concerning this thing from Him, much more would Andrew 
 have done this, not deeming himself sufficient to declare the 
 whole, but drawing him to the very fount of light with so 
 much zeal and joy, that the other' neither deferred norM/ceTyoi' 
 delayed at all^. sri 
 
 Ver. 42. And when Jestia beheld him, saith the Evangelist, ">''''' 
 He said. Thou art Simon, the son of Jonas ; thou shalt be 
 called Cephas, it hick is, by interpretation, a stone. 
 
 He begins from this time forth to reveal the things 
 belonging to His Divinity, and to open It out little by little 
 by predictions. So He did in the case of Nathaniel and the 
 Samaritan woman. For prophecies bring men over not less ("i.) 
 than miracles; and are free from the appearance of boasting. 
 Miracles may possibly be slandered among foolish men, 
 {He castelh out devils, said they, by Beelzebub^ but nothing Mat. 12, 
 of the kind has ever been said of prophecy. Now in the 
 case of Nathaniel and Simon He used this method of 
 teaching, but with Andrew and Philip He did not so. 
 Why was this? Because those"* (two) had the testimony of 
 John, no small preparation, and Philip received a credible 
 evidence of faith, when he saw those who had been present. 
 
 Thou art Simon, the son of Jonas. By the present, the 
 future is guaranteed ; for it is clear that He Who named 
 Peter's father foreknew the future also. And the prediction 
 is attended with praise ; but the object was not to flatter, 
 but to foretel something future. Hear' at least in the case' a], 
 of the Samaritan woman, how He utters a prediction withgjj°°r 
 severe reproofs"; Tliou hast had, He saith, ^'ae husbatids, c. i,\8. 
 and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband. So also 
 
 d i. e. those mentioned abo%'e, v. 40. Andrew, 
 who were present when St. John Baptist ' al. ' reproTing with earnestness.' 
 gave his testimony, one of whom was 
 
 M 
 
162 Of the names given by Christ. 
 
 HoMiL. His Father makes great account of prophecy, when He sets 
 J y ' Himself against the honour paid to idols: Let them declare 
 13. to you, saith He, irhat shall come upon, you; and again, / 
 12. ' hare declared, and have saved, and there was no foreign 
 LXX. Gg^ amongst you; and He brings this forward through all 
 prophecy. Because prophecy is especially the work of God, 
 which devils cannot even imitate, though they strive ex- 
 ceedingly. For in the case of miracles there may be delu- 
 sion ; but exactly to foretel the future belongs to that pure 
 Nature alone. Or if devils ever have done so, it was by 
 deceiving the simpler sort ; whence their oracles are always 
 easily detected. 
 
 But Peter makes no reply to these words j as yet he 
 knew nothing clearly, but still was learning. And observe, 
 that not even the prediction is fully set forth ; for Jesus did 
 not say, " I will change thy name to Peter, and upon this 
 rock I will build My Church," but, ITiou shall be called 
 Cephas. The former speech would have expressed too great 
 ' aieey- authority* and power; for Christ does not immediately nor 
 at first declare all His power, but speaks for a while in a 
 humbler tone ; and so, vvhen He had given the proof of His 
 Mat.16, Divinity, He puts it more authoritatively, saying'. Blessed 
 art thou, Simon, because My Father hath revealed it to 
 thee; and again, Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will 
 build My Church. Him therefore He so named, and James 
 Marks, and his brother He called sons of thunder. Why then doth 
 '''■ He this? To shew that it was He Who gave the old cove- 
 nant, that it was- He Who altered names. Who called Abram 
 Abraham, and Sarai Sarah, and Jacob Israel. To many He 
 assigned names even from their birth, as to Tsaac, and 
 Ts. 8, 3. Samson, and to those in Isaiah and Hosea ; but to others 
 ^g^9''He gave them after they had been named by their parents, 
 as to those we have mentioned, and to Joshua the son of 
 Nim. It was also a custom of the Ancients to give names 
 from things, which in fact Leah also has done*; and this 
 
 ' al. ' And I say unto thee, Thou 'H\la. We may venture to read " v 
 
 art Simon, thou shall be called Cephas, Asia," as lie praises her for this, Horn. 
 
 which is by interpretation a stone.' Ivi. on Genesis. ' Observe how she 
 
 S Sirep Sifirov Kol 'H\(os ircirofijKE. gave names to those she bore, not 
 
 and there are no various readings, lightly nor at random.' 
 SaTile has in the margin iirep oZv Kal 
 
Greatness of the Christian name. 168 
 
 takes place not without cause, but in order that men may John 
 have the appellation to remind them of the goodness of God,—: — i- 
 that a perpetual memory of the prophecy' conveyed by the 
 names may sound in the ears of those who receive it. Thus 
 too He named John early', because they whose virtue ■vf&s^t.vaBev. 
 to shine forth from their early youth, from that time received 
 their names ; while to those who were to become great ^ at a' inM- 
 later period, the title also was given later. *°'""' 
 
 [3.] But then they received each a different name, we now 
 have all one name, that which is greater than any, being 
 called ' « Christians," and " sons of God," and (Flis) " friends," 'al. ' the 
 and (His) " Body." For the very term itself is able more than called.' 
 all those others to rouse us, and make us more zealous* for* al. 
 the" practice of virtue. Let us not then act unworthily of the ready.' 
 honour belonging to the title, considering^ the excess of our sal.'con- 
 dignity, we who are called Christ's ; for so Paul hath named ig^st.* 
 us. Let us bear in mind and respect the grandeur of the i Cor.3, 
 appellation. For if one who is said to be descended from^ " 
 some famous general, or one otherwise distinguished, is 
 proud to be called this or that man's son, and deems the 
 name a great honour, and strives in every way so as not to 
 affix, by remissness of his own, reproach to him after whom 
 he is called ; shall not we who are called after the name, not 
 of a general, nor any of the princes upon earth, nor Angel, 
 nor Archangel, nor Seraphim, but of the King of these Him- 
 self, shall not we freely give even our very life, so as not to 
 insult Him Who has honoured us .'' Know ye not what 
 honour the royal bands of shield-bearers and spearmen that 
 are about the king enjoy .? So let us who have been deemed 
 worthy to be near Him, and much closer, and as much 
 nearer than those just named, as the body is closer to the 
 head than they, let us, I say, use every means to be imitators 
 of Christ. 
 
 What then saith Christ ? The foxes have holes, and birdsLviked, 
 of the air have nests ; but the Son of man hath not where to 
 lay His Head. Now if I demand this of you, it will seem 
 perhaps to most of you grievous and burdensome ; because 
 therefore of your infirmity I speak not of* such perfection, 6 d(()/i)/i£. 
 but desire you not to be nailed to riches ; and as I, because 
 of the infirmity of the many, retire somewhat from (demajiding) 
 
 M 2 
 
164 Riches to be used: 
 
 HoMiL.the excess of virtue, I desire that you do so and much more 
 
 ^^^' on the side of vice. I blame not those who have houses, 
 
 and lands, and wealth, and servants, but wish them to 
 
 ' al. ' to possess' these things in a safe and becoming way. And 
 what is " a becoming way ?" As masters, not as slaves ; so 
 that they rule them, be not ruled by them; that they use, not 
 abuse them. This is vvhy they are called, " things to be 
 
 ' xp'h- used^," that we may employ them on necessary services, not 
 
 '"'™' hoard them up ; this is a domestic's office, that a master's ; 
 it is for the slave to keep them, but for the lord and one who 
 has great authority to expend. Thou didst not receive thy 
 wealth to bury, but to distribute. Had God desired riches 
 to be hoarded, He would not have given them to men, but 
 would have let them remain as they were in the earth ; but 
 because He wishes them to be spent, therefore He has per- 
 mitted us to have them, that we may impart them to each 
 other. And if we keep them to ourselves, we are no longer 
 masters of them. But if you wish to make them greater and 
 therefore keep them shut up, even in this case the best plan 
 of all is to scatter and distribute them in all directions; 
 because there can be no revenue without an outlay, no wealth 
 without expenditure. One may see that it is so even in 
 worldly matters. So it is with the merchant, so with the 
 husbandman, who put forth the one his wealth, the other his 
 seed ; the one sails the sea to disperse his wares, the otlier 
 labours all the year putting in and tending his seed. But 
 here there is no need of any one of these things, neither to 
 equip a vessel, nor to yoke oxen, nor to plough land, nor to 
 be anxious about uncertain weather, nor to dread a fall of 
 hail ; here are neither waves nor rocks ; this voyage and this 
 sowing needs one thing only, that we cast forth our pos- 
 sessions ; all the rest will that Husbandman do, of Whom 
 
 c. 15, I.Christ saith, 3Iy Father is the Husbandman. Is it not 
 then absurd to be sluggish and slothful where we may gain 
 all without labour, and where there are many toils and 
 
 ' al. many'' troubles and cares, and after all, an uncertain hope, 
 there to display all eagerness ? Let us not, I beseech you, 
 let us not be to such a degree senseless about our own 
 salvation, but let us leave the more troublesome task, and 
 run to that which is most easy and more profitable, that we 
 
 more.' 
 
and thefoUy of hoarding them. 165 
 
 may obtain also the good things that are to come ; through John 
 the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, ' ^^' 
 with Whom to the Father and the Holy and quickening 
 Spirit be glory, now and ever, and world without end. 
 Amen. 
 
HOMILY XX. 
 
 John i. 43, 44. 
 The day following Jesus icould go forth into Galilee, and 
 findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow Me. Now 
 Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 
 
 Prov. To every careful thinker there is a gain ", saith the proverb ; 
 
 \%^^' and Christ implied more than this, when He said. He that 
 
 Matt. 7, seekelh findeth. Wherefore it does not occur to me anj' more 
 
 ^" to wonder how Philip followed Christ. Andrew was persuaded 
 
 whenhe had heard from John, andPeter the same from Andrew, 
 
 but Philip not having learned any thing from any but Christ 
 
 Who said to him only this, Follow Me, straightway obeyed, 
 
 and went not back, but even became a preacher to others. 
 
 For he ran to Nathanael and said to him, We have found 
 
 Him of Whom Moses in the Law and the Prophets did write. 
 
 ^ /ic/ie- Seestthou what a thoughtful' mind he had, how assiduously 
 
 pi/ivii- ijg meditated on the writings of Moses, and expected the 
 
 Advent .' for the expression, we have found, belongs always to 
 
 those who are in some way seeking. The day following 
 
 Jesus went forth into Galilee. Before any had joined Him, 
 
 He called no one ; and He acted thus not without cause, but 
 
 according to His own wisdom and intelligence. For if, 
 
 when no one came to Him spontaneously, He had Himself 
 
 drawn them, they might perhaps have started away; but 
 
 now, having chosen this of themselves, they afterwards 
 
 remained firm. He calls Philip, one who was better 
 
 acquainted with Him ; for he, as having been bom and bred 
 
 in Galilee, knew Him more than others. Having then 
 
 taken the disciples. He next goes to the capture of the 
 
 others, and draws to Him Philip and Nathanael. Now in 
 
 » iravrl t$ iifpifivavTi eycffr/ ti i-irtttri lioi. Savile '66. oirS^ ?ir. /u. 
 TTfpiaaiv. In the next sentence Morel, which seems the better reading. 
 Ben. and most Mas. read iStv roI 
 
Why Philip speaks of Moses and (he Prophets. 167 
 
 the case of Nathanael this was not so wonderful, because the John 
 fame of Jesus had gone forth into all Syria. But the '*^' 
 
 Matt. 4, 
 
 wonderful thing was respecting Peter and James and Philip, 24. 
 that they believed, not only before the miracles, but that 
 they did so being of Galilee, out of which ariselh 110 prophet, 
 nor can any good thing come; for the Galilaeans were 
 somehow of a more boorish and dull disposition than others; 
 but even in this Christ displayed forth His power, by 
 selecting from a land which bore no fruit His choicest 
 disciples. It is then probable that Philip having seen Peter 
 and Andrew, and having heard what John had said, followed ; 
 and it is probable also that the voice of Christ wrought in 
 him somewhat ; for He knew those who would be serviceable. 
 But all these points the Evangelist cuts short. That Christ 
 should come, he knew ; that this was Christ, he knew not, 
 and this I say that he heard either from Peter or John. But 
 John mentions his village also, that you may learn that GorfiCor. 1, 
 hath chosen the weak things of the world. 
 
 Ver. 45. Philip Jindeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, 
 We have found Him of Whom Moses in the Law and the 
 Prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. 
 
 He says this, to make his preaching credible, which it 
 must be if it rests on Moses and the Prophets besides, and 
 by this to abash his hearer. For since Nathanael was an 
 exact' man, and one who viewed all things with truth, as >ok|0i)3J)j 
 Christ also testified and the event shewed, Philip with reason 
 refers him to Moses and the Prophets, that so he might 
 receive Him Who was preached. And be not troubled 
 though he called Him the son of Joseph ; for still he was 
 supposed to be his son. "And whence, O Philip, is it plain 
 that this is He ? What proof dost thou mention to us ? for it 
 is not enough merely to assert this. What sign hast thou 
 seen, what miracle.'' Not without danger is it to believe 
 without cause in such matters. What proof then hast thou?" 
 " The same as Andrew," he replies ; for he though unable to 
 produce the wealth which he had found, or to describe his 
 treasure in words, when he had discovered it, led his brother 
 to it. So too did Philip. How this is the Christ, and how 
 ■the prophets proclaimed Him beforehand, he said not ; but 
 he draws him to Jesus, as knowing that he would not 
 
168 Exactness and candour of Nalhanael. 
 
 HoMiL. afterwards fall off, if he should once taste His words and 
 
 XX 
 
 - " teaching. 
 
 Ver. 46, 47. And Nathanael said unto him, Can there 
 any good thing come out of Nazareth ? Philip saith unto 
 him. Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, 
 and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no 
 guile. 
 
 He praises and approves the man, because he had said, 
 Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? and yet he 
 ought to have been blamed. Surely not ; for the words are 
 not those of an unbeliever, nor deserving blame, but praise. 
 " How so, and in what way .'" Because Nathanael had con- 
 sidered the writings of the Prophets more than Philip. For 
 he had heard from the Scriptures, that Christ must come 
 from Bethlehem, and from the village in which David was. 
 This belief at least prevailed amoug the Jews, and the 
 
 Matt.2, p^Qpl^gj jjj^fj proclaimed it of old, saying, And thou, Belh- 
 
 Micah lehem, art by no means the least among the princes of 
 ' Judah, for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall 
 
 ^ox'nihfeed'^ My people Israel. And so when he heard that He was 
 from Nazareth, he was confounded, and doabted, not finding 
 the announcemeut of Philip to agree with the prediction of 
 the Prophet. 
 
 But observe his wisdom and candour even in his doubt- 
 ing. He did not at once say, " Philip, thou deceivest 
 me, and speakest falsely, I believe thee not, I will not come; 
 I have learned from the prophets that Christ must come from 
 Bethlehem, thou sayest y"ro7n Nazareth; therefore this is not 
 that Christ." He said nothing like this; but what does he.? 
 He goes to Him himself; shewing, by not admitting that 
 Christ was of Nazareth, his accuracy respecting the Scrip- 
 tuies, and a character not easily deceived; and by not rejecting 
 him who brought the tidings, the great desire which he felt 
 for the coming of Christ For he thought within himself 
 that Pliihp was probably mistaken about the place. 
 
 [2.] And observe, I pray you, his manner of declining, 
 how gentle he has made it, and in the form of a question. 
 For he said not, " Galilee produces no good ;" but how said 
 he } " Can any good thing come out of Nazareth .^" Philip also 
 was very prudent; for he is not as one perplexed, angry, and 
 
Hisjudyment andjirmness. 169 
 
 annoyed, but perseveres, wishing to bring over the' man, John 
 and manifesting to us from the first of his preaching = thej-'*^' 
 
 firmness ' which becomes an Apostle. Wherefore also Christ ' this' 
 saith. Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. So ^3°' 
 that there is such a person as a false Israelite ; but this is ' e«to- 
 not such an one; for his judgment, Christ saith, is impartial,""" 
 he speaks nothing from favour, or from ill-feeling. Yet the 
 Jews, when they were asked where Christ should be born, 
 replied. In ^e^AfeAem, and produced the evidence, saying. Matt. 2, 
 And thou, Bethlehem, art by no means the least among the Micah 
 princes of Judah. Before they had seen Him they bore ^) ^■ 
 this witness, but when they saw Him in their malice they 
 concealed the testimony, saying. But as for this fellow, ztec. 9, 29. 
 know not whence He is. Nathanael did not so, but con- 
 tinued to retain the opinion which he had from the begin- 
 ning, that He was not " of Nazareth." 
 
 How then do the prophets call Him a Nazarene? From 
 His being brought up and abiding there. And He omits to 
 say, " I am not of Nazareth, as Philip hath told thee, but 
 of Bethlehem,''' that He may not at once make the account 
 seem questionable ; and besides this, because, even if He 
 had gained belief. He would not have given sufficient proof 
 that He was the Christ. For what hindered Him without 
 being Christ, from being of Bethlehem, like the others who 
 were born there ? This then He omits ; but He does that 
 which has most power to bring him over, for He shews that 
 He was present when they were conversing. For when 
 Nathanael had said, 
 
 Ver. 48. Whence knowest Thou me? He replies. Before 
 that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig-tree, 
 I saw thee. 
 
 Observe a man firm and steady*. When Christ had said, * fifpr,- 
 Behold an Israelite indeed, he was not made vain by tliis""'^" 
 approbation, he ran not after this open praise, but continues 
 seeking and searching more exactly, and desires to learn 
 something certain. He still enquired as of a man ", but 
 Jesus answered as God. For He said, " I have known thee 
 
 ' us Hvepamov e^raC^y. So Morel. Bened.read i>s Mpwvos, "he enq^uired 
 and Ms. in Bodleian. Savile and the as a man." 
 
170 Nathanael convinced by the foreknowledge of Christ. 
 
 HoMiL.from the first'," (him and the candour' of his character', this 
 ^^' He knew not as a man, from having closely followed him, but 
 
 a ^^"f'" as God from the first,) " and but now I saw thee by the fig- 
 
 tiKciaii tpgg ." ^hen there was no one present there but only Philip 
 and Nathanael who said all these things in private. It is 
 mentioned, that having seen him afar off. He said. Behold 
 an Israelite indeed; to shew ^, that before Philip came near, 
 Christ spoke these words, that the testimony might not be 
 suspected. For this reason also He named the time, the 
 place, and the tree ; because if He had only said, " Before 
 Philip came to thee, I saw thee," He might have been 
 suspected of having sent him, and of saying nothing 
 wonderful; but now, by mentioning both the place where 
 he was when addressed by Philip, and the name of the tree, 
 and the time of the conversation, He shewed that His fore- 
 
 'irp(i^fi)- knowledge'' was unquestionable. 
 
 And He did not merely shew to him His foreknowledge, 
 but instructed him also in another way. For He brought 
 him to a recollection of what they then had said ; as. 
 Can there any good . thing come out of Nazareth ? And 
 it was most especially on this account that Nathanael 
 received Him, because when he had uttered these words, 
 He did not condemn, but praised and approved him. There- 
 fore he was assured that this was indeed the Christ, both 
 from His foreknowledge, and from His having exactly 
 searched out his sentiments, which was the act of One 
 Who would shew that He knew what was in his mind ; and 
 besides, from His not having blamed, but rather praised him 
 when he had seemed to speak against Himself. He said 
 then, that Philip had called him ; but what Philip had said 
 to him or he to Philip, He omitted, leaving it to his own 
 conscience, and not desiring farther to rebuke him. 
 
 [3.] Was it then only before Philip called him that He 
 saw him ? did He not see him before this with His sleepless 
 Eye ? He saw him, and none could gainsay it ; but this is 
 what it was needful to say at the time. And what did 
 Nathanael ? When he had received an unquestionable proof 
 
 *= One Ms. reads, ou 7ckp clfjrej/, lam- ^ Iva /idSji. Savile conjectures Xva 
 9iv ire 0T80, Kal Tby rpdirov, Kul riiv iir. /jASjis, but without authority. 
 
Chi-istian joy shewn by obedience. 171 
 
 of His foreknowledge, he hastened to confess Him, shewing John 
 by his previous delay his caution ', and his fairness by his Jii^- 
 
 assent afterwards. For, saith the Evangelist, 3^,^^" 
 
 Ver. 49. He answered and saith unto Him, Rabbi, Thou 
 art the Son of Qod, Thou art the King of Israel. 
 
 Seest thou how his soul is filled at once with exceeding 
 joy, and embraces Jesus with words ? " Thou art," saith he, 
 " That Expected, That Sought for One." Seest thou how 
 he is amazed, how he marvels? how he leaps and dances 
 with delight ? 
 
 So ought we also to rejoice, who have been thought 
 worthy to know the Son of God; to rejoice, not in thought 
 alone, but to shew it also by our actions. And what must 
 they do who rejoice ? Obey Him Who has been made known 
 to them ; and they who obey, must do whatever He willeth. 
 For if we are going to do what angers Him, how shall we 
 shew that we rejoice ? See ye not in our houses when a man 
 entertains one whom he loves, how gladly he exerts himself, 
 running about in every direction, and though it be needful 
 to spend all that he has, sparing nothing so that he please his 
 visitor? But if one who invites should not attend to his 
 guest% and not do such things as would procure him ease, 
 though he should say ten thousand times that he rejoices at 
 his coming, he could never be believed by him. And justly; 
 for this should be shewn by actions. Let us then, since 
 Christ hath come to us, shew that we rejoice, and do nothing 
 that may anger Him ; let us garnish the abode to which He 
 has come, for this they do who rejoice; let us set before Him 
 the meaP which He desires to eat, for this they do who holdHpuxTov 
 festival. And what is this meal ? He saith Himself; My c. 4, 34. 
 meat is, that I may do the will of Him that sent Me. When 
 He is hungry, let us feed Him ; when He is thirsty, let us 
 give Him drink : though thou give Him but a cup of cold 
 water. He receives it ; for He loves thee, and to one who 
 loves, the offerings of the beloved, though they be small, 
 appear great. Only be not thou slothful ; though thou cast 
 in but two farthings. He refuses them not, but receives them 
 as great riches. For since He is without wants, and receives 
 these offerings, not because He needs them, it is reasonable 
 
 • 8 Ben. conj. koXowti for KoXSy tls. ' But if he mind not when he calls.' 
 
172 Confessing Christ by works. 
 
 HoMiL. that all distinction should be not in the quantity of the gifts, but 
 the intention' of the giver. Only shew that thou lovest Him 
 
 TTpO- 
 
 aip4<rei Who is come, that for His sake thou art giving all diligence, 
 that thou rejoicest at His coming. See how He is disposed 
 toward thee. He came for thee, He laid down His life for 
 thee, and after all this He doth not refuse even to entreat thee. 
 
 2 Cor. JYe are ambassadors, saith Paul, /or Christ, as though Ood 
 ' ' did beseech you by us. "And who is so mad," saith some 
 one, " as not to love his own Master ?" I say so too, and 
 I know that not one of us would deny this in words or 
 intention ; but one who is beloved desires love to be shewn, 
 not by words only, but by deeds also. For to say that we 
 love, and not to act like lovers, is ridiculous, not only before 
 God, but even in the sight of men. Since then to confess 
 Him in word only, while in deeds we oppose Him, is not 
 only unprofitable, but also hurtful to us; let us, I entreat 
 you, also make confession by our works ; that we also may 
 obtain a confession from Him in that day, when before His 
 Father He shall confess those who are worthy in Christ 
 Jesus our Lord, by Whom and with Whom, to the Father 
 and the Holy Ghost be glory, now and ever, and world 
 without end. Amen. 
 
HOMILY XXL 
 
 John i. 49, 50. 
 
 Nathanael answered and saith unto Him, Rahhi, Thou art 
 the Son of God, Thou art the King of Israel. Jesus 
 answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, 
 I saw thee under the fig-tree, believest thou ? Thou shalt 
 see greater things than these. 
 
 Beloved, we need much care, much watchfulness, to be 
 able to look into the depth of the Divine Scriptures. For it 
 is not possible to discover their meaning in a careless way, 
 or while we are asleep, but there needs close search, and 
 there needs earnest prayer, that we may be enabled to see 
 some little way into the secrets of the divine oracles. To-day, 
 for instance, here is no trifling question proposed to us, but 
 one which requires much zeal and enquiry. For when 
 Nathanael said. Thou art the Son of Ood, Christ replies, 
 Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig-tree, 
 believest thou ? Thou shalt see greater things than these. 
 
 Now what is the question arising from this passage ? Tt is 
 this". Peter, when after so many miracles and such high 
 doctrine he confessed that, Thou art the Son of Ood, isMat.ie, 
 called blessed, as having received the revelation from the ' 
 Father; while Nathanael, though he said the very same 
 thing before seeing or hearing either miracles or doctrine, 
 had no such word addressed to him, but as though he had 
 not said so much as he ought to have said, is brought' to lai.' led 
 things greater still. What can be the reason of this ? It is,^"'^"'^' 
 
 » Morel, and Ms. in Bodleian read ffKiuTwv -rh ^rirhy tovto Siawopovi'Tes 
 the passage thus ; iroA.A.ol tSj' avayiyw (jidirf rl S^irore Tlirpos k. t. A. 
 
174 Chnst shewn to be Ood by the tninislry of Angels. 
 
 HoMiL.that Peter and Nathanael both spoke the same words, but 
 ■^^^' not both with the same intention. Peter confessed Him to 
 be The Son of Qod, but as being Very God ; Nathanael, as 
 being mere man. And whence does this appear? From 
 what he said after these words ; for after, Thoii art the Son 
 of God, he adds, Thou art the King of Israel. But the Son 
 of God is not King of Israel only, but of all the world. 
 
 And what 1 say is clear, not from this only, but also from 
 what follows. For Christ added nothing more to Peter, but 
 as though his faith were perfect, said, that upon this con- 
 fession of his He would build the Church ; but iu the other 
 case He did nothing like this, but the contrary. For as 
 though some large, and that the better, part were wanting 
 to his confession, He added what follows. For what saith 
 He.? 
 
 Ver. 51. Verily, verily I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall 
 see heaven open, and the Angels of God ascending and 
 descending upon the Son of Man. 
 
 Seest thou how He leads him up by little and little from 
 the earth, and causes him no longer to imagine Him a man 
 merely? for One to Whom Angels minister, and on Whom 
 Angels ascend and descend, how could He be man ? For 
 this reason He said. Thou shall see greater things than 
 these. And in proof of this, He introduces the ministiy of 
 Angels. And what He means is something of this kind: 
 " Doth this, O Nathanael, seem to thee a great matter, and 
 hast thou for this confessed me to be King of Israel .? What 
 then wilt thou say, when thou seest the Angels ascending 
 and descending upon Me ?" Persuading him by these words 
 to own Him Lord also of the Angels. For on Him as on 
 the King's own Son, the royal ministers ascended and de- 
 scended, once at the season of the Crucifixion, again at the 
 time of the Resurrection and the Ascension, and before this 
 Matt. 4, also, when they came and ministered unto Him, when they 
 Luke 2 proclaimed the glad tidings of His birth, and cried, Glory 
 14. to God in the highest, and on earth peace, when they came 
 to Mary, when they came to Joseph. 
 
 And He does now what He has done in many instances; 
 He utters two predictions, gives present proof of the one, 
 and confirms that which has to be accomplished by that 
 
Christ at the marriage in Cana. 175 
 
 which is so ah-eady. For of His sayings some had been John 
 proved, such as. Before Philip called thee, under the Jig- -~il?' 
 tree I saw thee ; others had yet to come to pass, and had 
 partly done so, namely, the descending and ascending of the 
 Angels, at the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, and the Ascen- 
 sion ; and this He renders credible by His words even before 
 the event. For one who had known His power by what 
 had gone before, and heard from Him of things to come, 
 would more readily receive this prediction too. 
 
 What then does Nathanael ? To this he makes no reply. 
 And therefore at this point Christ stopped His discourse with 
 him, allowing him to consider in private what had been said; 
 and not choosing to pour forth all at once, having cast 
 seed into fertile ground, He then leaves it to shoot at 
 leisure. And this He has shewn in another place, where 
 He saith, The kingdom of heaven is like to a man that M.a.t.13, 
 sowed good seed, but while he slept, his enemy cometh, (md^^^^A 
 soweth tares among the wheat. varying 
 
 Chap. ii. ver. 1, 2. On the third day there was a marriage q. x. 
 in Cana of Galilee. And Jesus was called to the marriage. 
 And the mother of Jesus was there, and His brethren^. ' The 
 
 I said before that He was best known in Galilee; there- [g^if°^ 
 fore they invite Him to the marriage, and He comes; forferent 
 He looked not to His own honour, but to our benefit. He 
 who disdained not to take upon Him the form of a servant, PMl. 2, 
 would much less disdain to be present at the marriage of 
 servants : He who sat down uith publicans and sinners. Matt. 9, 
 
 13 
 
 would much less refuse to sit down with those present 
 at the marriage. Assuredly they who invited Him had not 
 formed a proper judgment of Him, nor did they invite Him 
 as some great one, but merely as an ordinary acquaintance ; 
 and this the Evangelist has hinted at, when he says, The 
 mother of Jesus was there, and His brethren. Just as they 
 invited her and His brethren, they invited Jesus. 
 
 Ver. .3. And when they wanted wine. His mother saith 
 unto Him, They have no wine. 
 
 Here it is worth while to enquire whence it came into 
 His mother's mind to imagine any thing great of her Son ; 
 for He had as yet done no miracle, since the Evangelist 
 
176 The beginning of Miracles. 
 
 HoMiL. saith. This beainning of miracles did Jesus in C'ana of 
 XXI ' J .' J 
 
 — „ . " Galilee. 
 
 c. 2, 11. 
 
 [2.] Now if any say that this is not a sufficient proof that 
 it was the beginning of His miracles, because there is added 
 simply in Cana of Galilee, as allowing it to have been the 
 first done there, but not altogether and absolutely the first, 
 for He probably might have done others elsewhere, we will 
 make answer to him of thai which we have said before. 
 And of what kind ? The words of John (the Baptist) ; 
 And I knew Him not ; but that He should be made manifest 
 to Israel, therefore am I come, baptizing uith water. Now 
 if He had wrought miiaclos in early age, the Israelites would 
 not have needed another to declare Him. For He who came 
 among men, and by His miracles was so made known, not to 
 those only in Judaea, but also to those in Syria and bej'ond, 
 and who did this in three years only, or rather who did not 
 Matt. 4, need even these three years to manifest Himself, for irame- 
 ^*' diatcly and from the first His fame went abroad every 
 where ; He, I say, Who in a short time so shone forth b}' 
 the multitude of His miracles, that His name was well known 
 to all, was much less likely, if while a child He had from an 
 early age wrought miracles, to escape notice so long. 
 For what was done would have seemed stranger as done by 
 a boy, and there would have been time for twice or thrice as 
 many, and much more. But in fact He did nothing while 
 He was a child, save only that one thing to which Luke has 
 Luke 2, testified, that at the age of twelve years He sat hearing the 
 doctors, and was thought admirable for His questioning. 
 Besides, it was in accordance with likelihood and reason 
 that He did not begin His signs at once from early age ; for 
 they would have deemed the thing a delusion. For if when 
 He was of full age many suspected this, much more, if while 
 quite young He had wrought miracles, would they have 
 hurried Him sooner and before the proper time to the Cross, 
 in the venom of their malice; and the very facts of the Dis- 
 pensation would have been discredited. 
 
 " How then," asks some one, " came it into the mind of 
 His mother to imagine any thing great of Him ?" He was 
 now beginning to reveal Himself, and was plainly discovered 
 
Parents to he obeyed in things lawful. 177 
 
 by the witness of John, and by what He had said to His John 
 disciples. And before all this, the Conception itself and all - ^^' *' 
 its attendant circumstances* had inspired her with a very>al.'and 
 great opinion of the Child; "for," sailh Luke, " she heard toik''" 
 all the sayings concerning the Child, and kept them in herPla«e 
 heart"." " Why then," says one, " did not she speak thisbirtii.'"* 
 before '' ?" Because, as I said, it was now at last that He was 
 beginning to manifest Himself. Before this time He lived as 
 one of the many, and therefore His mother had not confidence 
 to say any such thing to Him ; but when she heard that John 
 had come on His account, and that he had borne such 
 witness to Him as he did, and that He had disciples, after 
 that she took confidence, and called Him, and said, when 
 they wanted wine. They have no mine. For she desired both 
 to do them a favour, and through her Son to render herself 
 more conspicuous ; perhaps too she had some human feelings, 
 like His brethren, when they said. Shew thyself to the world, c. 17, 4. 
 desiring to gain credit from His miracles. Therefore He 
 answered somewhat vehemently^, saying, ' o-'^oS- 
 
 Ver. 4. Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine'' "'""' 
 hour is not yet come. 
 
 To prove that He greatly respected His mother, hear 
 Luke relate how He was subject to His parents, and our Lute 2, 
 own Evangelist declare how He had forethought for her at^'* 
 the yery season of the Crucifixion. For where parents cause 
 no impediment or hindrance in things belonging to God, 
 it is our bounden duty to give way to them, and there is 
 great danger in not doing so ; but when they require any 
 thing unseasonably, and cause hindrance in any spiritual 
 matter, it is unsafe to obey. And therefore He answered 
 thus in this place, and again elsewhere, Who is My mother. Mat. 12, 
 and who are My brethren? because they did not yet think ^^• 
 rightly of Him"; and she, because she had borne Him, claimed, 
 according to the custom of other mothers, to direct Him in 
 all things, when she ought to have reverenced and wor- 
 shipped Him. This then was the reason why He answered 
 
 » This is the common reading, but iifuv SeUmffi K4ya>v f/ Si Moptck/i ffw- 
 
 the passage (Luke 2, 51.) is not so eriipet rii P'tiiiara irdpra (rvfifiiWovira Iv 
 
 found in G. T. ; Morel, and Ms. in rp k. 
 Bodleian read : toBto koI 6 AovKas ^ i. e, as she spoke at the marriage. 
 
178 Tlie, Virgin instructed hy the answer of Christ. 
 
 HoMiL, as He did on that occasion. For consider what a thing it was, 
 
 ^ that when all the people high and low were standing round 
 
 I lit. Him, when the multitude was intent on hearing ' Him, and 
 hanging jjjg doctrine had begun to be set forth, she should come into 
 
 on the ° r ^ 1 o 1 ■ 
 
 hearing the midst and take Him away from the work of exhortation, 
 and converse with Him apart, and not even endure to come 
 within, but draw Him outside merely to herself. This is 
 why He said. Who is My mother and My brethren? Not 
 to insult her who had borne Him, (away with the thought !) 
 but to procure her the greatest benefit, and not to let her 
 think meanly of Him. For if He cared for others, and used 
 every means to implant in them a becoming opinion of Him- 
 self, much more would He do so in the case of His mother. 
 And since it was probable that if these words had been 
 addressed to her by her Son, she would not readily have 
 chosen even then to be convinced, but would in all cases have 
 claimed the superiority as being His mother, therefore He 
 replied as He did to them who spake to Him ; otherwise He 
 could not have led up her thoughts from His present lowli- 
 ness to His future exaltation, had she expected that she 
 should always be honoured by Him as by a son, and not 
 that He should come as her Master. 
 
 It was then from this motive that He said in this place, 
 Woman, what have I to do with thee ? and also for another 
 reason not less pressing. What was that.? It was, that His 
 miracles might not be suspected. The request ought to 
 have come from those who needed, not from His mother. 
 And why so ? Because what is done at the request of one's 
 friends, great though it be, often causes offence to the 
 spectators ; but when they make the request who have the 
 need, the miracle is free from suspicion, the praise unmixed, 
 [.3.] the benefit great. So if some excellent physician should 
 enter a house where there were many sick, and be spoken to 
 by none of the patients or their relations, but be directed 
 = [and only by his own moth.er, he would be suspected = and 
 Bome] disliked by the sufferers, nor would any of the patients or 
 Morel, their attendants deem him able to exhibit any thing great or 
 remaj-kable. And so this was a reason why He rebuked her 
 on that occasion, saying, TVotnan, what have I to do with 
 thee? instructing her for the future not to do the like; 
 
Relationship to Christ profited none but the faithful. 179 
 
 because, though He was careful to honour His mother, yet John 
 He cared much more for the salvation of her soul, and for— -^ — '- 
 the doing good to the many, for which He took upon Him 
 the flesh. 
 
 These then were the words, not of one speaking rudely to 
 his mother, but belonging to a wise dispensation, which 
 brought her into a right frame of mind, and provided that 
 the miracles should be attended with that honour which was 
 meet. And setting other things aside, this very appearance 
 which these words have of having been spoken chidingly, is 
 amply enough to shew that He held her in high honour, for by 
 His displeasure He shewed that He reverenced her greatly; 
 in what manner, we will say in the next discourse. Think of 
 this then, and when you hear a certain woman saying, 
 Blessed is the womb that bare Thee, and the paps which 'Lvkeu, 
 Thou hast sucked, and Him answering, rather blessed are 
 they that do the will of My Father^, suppose that those ' hnoi- 
 other words also were said with the same intention. For the^^"^^_ 
 answer was not that of one rejecting his mother, but of One7o>'To5 
 who would shew that her having borne Him would haveg.^Jjf 
 nothing availed her, had she not been very good and faithful. 
 Now if, setting aside the excellence of her soul, it profited 
 Mary nothing that the Christ was born of her, much less 
 will it be able to avail us to have a father or a brother, or a 
 child of virtuous and noble disposition, if we ourselves be far 
 removed from his virtue. A brother, saith David, doth not 
 redeem, shall man redeem ? We must place our hopes of Ps.48,8. 
 salvation in nothing else, but only in our own righteous '^^^• 
 deeds (done) after^ the grace of God. For if this by itself could 'or'next 
 have availed^ it would have availed the Jews, (for Christ ^ftiC^'^ 
 was their kinsman according to the flesh,) it would have^o^- 
 availed the town in which He was born, it would have virgin] 
 availed His brethren. But as long as His brethren cared ^"''^g 
 not for themselves, the honour of their kindred availed them 
 nothing, but they were condemned with the rest of the world, 
 and then only were approved, when they shone by their own 
 virtue; and the city fell, and was burnt, having gained 
 nothing fi-om this; and His kinsmen according to the flesh 
 were slaughtered and perished very miserably, having gained 
 nothing towards being saved from their relationship to Him, 
 
 N 2 
 
1 80 Good ancestors no protection. 
 
 HoMiL. because they had uot the defence of virtue. The Apostles, 
 
 ^on the contrary, appeared greater than any, because they 
 
 followed the true and excellent way of gaining relationship 
 
 with Him, that by obedience. And from this we learn that 
 
 we have always need of faith, and a life shining and bright, 
 
 since this alone will have power to save us. For though 
 
 His relations were for a long time every where held in 
 
 ' Aeowii- honour, being called the Lord's kinsmen', yet now we do 
 
 ^""'"'■■rj not even know their names, while the lives and names of the 
 
 E. 1. 7. Apostles are every where celebrated. 
 
 ^al. 're- Let US then not be proud of nobleness of birth' according 
 ship' to the flesh, but though we have ten thousand famous ances- 
 tors, let us use diligence ourselves to go beyond their excel- 
 lences, knowing that we shall gain nothing from the diligence 
 of others to help us in the judgment that is to come ; nay, 
 this will be the more grievous condemnation, that though bom 
 of righteous parents and having an example at home, we do 
 not, even thus, imitate our teachers. And this I say now, 
 3 lit. because I see many heathens^ when we lead them to the 
 
 'Greets' i 
 
 faith and exhort them to become Christians, flying to their 
 kinsmen and ancestors and house, and saying, " All my 
 relations and friends and companions are faithftil Christians." 
 What is that to thee, thou wretched and miserable? This 
 very thing will be especially thy ruin, that thou didst not 
 respect the number of those around thee, and run to the 
 truth. Others again who are believers but live a careless 
 life, when exhorted to virtue make the very same defence, 
 and say, " my father and my grandfather and my great 
 grandfather were very pious and good men." But this will 
 assuredly most condemn thee, that being descended from 
 such men, thou hast acted unworthily of the root from 
 whence thou art sprung. For hear what the Prophet says 
 Hosea to the Jews, Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept 
 c. 8, 56. {sheep;) and again Christ, Your father Abraham rejoiced to 
 see My day, and he saw it, and was glad. And every 
 < al. ^ where they bring forward * to them the righteous acts of their 
 ' ^PP^y fathers, not only to praise them, but also to make the charge 
 against their descendants more heavy. Knowing then this, 
 let us use every means that we may be saved by our own 
 works, lest having deceived ourselves by vain trusting on 
 
Danger of self-deceit. 181 
 
 others, we learn that we have been deceived when the know- John 
 ledge of it will profit us nothing. In the grave, saith David, 
 
 who shall give Thee thanks? Let us then repent here, that ' ' 
 we may obtain the everlasting goods, which may God grant 
 we all do, through the grace and loving-kindness of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom to the Father and the Holy 
 Ghost be glory, for ever and ever. Amen. 
 
HOMILY XXII. 
 
 John ii. 4. 
 
 Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not 
 yet come. 
 
 In preaching the word there is some toil, and this Paul 
 1 Tim. declares when he says, Let the elders that rule well be 
 ' ' cotcnted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour 
 in the word and doctrine. Yet it is in your power to make 
 this labour light or heavy; for if you reject our words, or if 
 without actually rejecting them you do not shew them forth 
 in your works, oui- toil will be heavy, because we labour 
 uselessly and in vain : while if ye heed them and give proof 
 of it by your works, we shall not even feel the toil, because 
 the fruit produced by our labour will not suffer the great- 
 ness of that labour to appear. So that if you would rouse 
 our zeal, and not quench or weaken it, shew us, 1 beseech 
 1 Ko/iuv- you, your fruit, that we may behold the fields waving ' with 
 '^" corn, and being supported by hopes of an abundant crop, 
 2 al.'our' j^jj(j reckoning up your" riches, may not be slothfiil' in 
 ' numb,' caiTying on this good traffic. 
 
 . ? It is no slight question which is proposed to us also 
 to-day. For first, when the mother of Jesus says, They have 
 710 icine, Christ replies. Woman, what have I to do with 
 thee? Mine hour is not yet come. And then, having thus 
 spoken, He did as His mother had said ; an action which 
 needs enquiry no less than the words. Let us then, after 
 calling upon Him Who wrought the miracle, proceed to the 
 explanation. 
 
 The words are not used in this place oulj', but in others 
 c. 8, 10. also; for the same Evangelist, says, Tliey could not lay 
 
All things ordered by Christ. 183 
 
 hands on Him^, because His hour was not yel come; and John 
 again, No man laid hands on Him, because His hour was ,- ' ' 
 
 not yet come; and again, The hour is come, glorify Thy Son. Mairev 
 What then do the words mean? I have brought together q*'^^* 
 more instances, that I may give one explanation of all. And c 7, 3o. 
 what is that explanation ? Christ did not say, Mine hour is ' ' ' 
 not yet come, as being subject to the necessity of seasons, or 
 the observance of an hour; how can He be so. Who is Maker 
 of seasons, and Creator of the times and the ages ? To what 
 else then did He allude? He desires to shew* this; that 
 He works all things at their convenient season, not doing all 
 at once ; because a kind of confusion and disorder would 
 have ensued, if, instead of working all at their proper seasons, 
 He had mixed all together. His Birth, His Resurrection, 
 and His coming to Judgment. Observe this ; creation was 
 to be, yet not all at once; man and woman were to be 
 created, yet not even these together; mankind were to be 
 condemned to death, and there was to be a resurrection, yet 
 the interval between the two was to be great ; the law was to 
 be given, but not grace with it, each was to be dispensed at its 
 proper time. Now Christ was not subject to the necessity 
 of seasons, but rather settled their order, since He is their 
 Creator ; and therefore He saith in this place. Mine hour is 
 not yet come. And His meaning is, that as yet He was not 
 manifest" to the many, nor had He even His whole company 
 of disciples ; Andrew followed Him, and next to^ him Philip, 2 al. be- 
 but no one else. And moreover, none of these, not even His^' ° 
 mother nor His brethren, knew Him as they ought; for after 
 His many miracles, the Evangelist says of His brethren. For 0. 7, 5. 
 neither did His brethren believe in Him. And those at the 
 wedding did not know Him either, for in their need they 
 would certainly have come to and entreated Him. Therefore 
 He saith. Mine hour is not yet come; that is, " I am not yet 
 known to the company, nor are they even aware that the 
 wine has failed; let them first be sensible of this. I ought 
 not to have been told it from thee ; thou art My mother, and 
 
 a Ben. Morel, and Ms. in Bodl. aXXit 'Iw&vvtjs ivTavBa rb OHira ^Kei v 
 
 read: aWci. 81& ray oSrus eifmiifvav &pa iiov eicrdysi riv Xpurrhv Xiyovra 
 
 rovTO dn\w<rai k. t. \. SeiKvbs 3ti k. t. \. 
 
 >> MoreL and Ms. in Bodl. read : 
 
184 Compliance of Christ with the request of the Virgin. 
 
 HoMiL. renderest the miracle suspicious. They who wanted the 
 
 wine should have come and besought Me, not that 1 need 
 
 this, but that they might with an entire assent accept the 
 miracle. For one who knows that he is in need, is very 
 grateful when he obtains assistance ; but one who has not a 
 sense of his need, will never have a plain and clear sense of 
 the benefit." 
 
 Why then after He had said, Mine hour is not yet come, 
 and given her a denial, did He what His mother desired ? 
 Chiefly it was, that they who opposed Him, and thought that 
 He was subject to the hour, might have sufficient proof that 
 He was subject to no hour; for had He been so, how could 
 He, before the proper hour was come, have done what He 
 did? And in the next place. He did it to honour His mother, 
 that He might not seem entirely to contradict and shame her 
 that bare Him in the presence of so many; and also, that 
 He might not be thought to want power ', for she brought 
 the servants to Him. 
 
 Mat.15, Besides, even while saying to the Canaanitish woman, It 
 
 1 fiaXitv is not meet to take the children's bread, and to give ' it unto 
 ■*■• dogs, He still gave the bread, as considering her perse- 
 verance; and though after His first reply. He said, lam not 
 sent save unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel, yet even 
 after saying this. He healed the woman's daughter. Hence 
 we learn, that although we be unworthy, we often by per- 
 severance make ourselves worthy to receive. And for this 
 
 ' fl- reason His mother remained by, and openly" brought to Him 
 the servants, that the request might be made by a greater 
 number ; and therefore she added, 
 
 Ver. 5. Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it. 
 For she knew that His refusal proceeded not from want of 
 power, but from humility, and that He might not seem with- 
 
 3 i7rA,£sout cause' to hurry to'' the miracle; and therefore she 
 
 rtiv. '' brought the servants ^. 
 
 Ver. 6,7. And there were set there six waterpots of stone, 
 after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing 
 two or three firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto them, Fill 
 
 ' This passage is wanting in the i Morel, and Ms. in Bodl. read: 
 Ms. in Bodleian. «,■ i koI tV imKoi,r iyapdwertu. 
 
JVater changed to wine without afresh Creation. 185 
 
 the waterpots with water ; and they filled them up to the John 
 brim. "■ 6, 7- 
 
 It is not without a reason that the Evangelist says, After 
 the manner of the purifying of the Jews, but in order that 
 none of the unbelievers might suspect that lees having been 
 left in the vessels, and water having been poured upon and 
 mixed with them, a very weak wine had been made. There- 
 fore he says, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, 
 to shew that those vessels were never receptacles for wine. 
 For because Palestine is a country with but little water, and 
 brooks and fountains were not every where to be found, they 
 always used to fill waterpots with water, so that they might 
 not have to hasten to the rivers if at any time they were 
 defiled, but might have the means of purification at hand. 
 
 " And why was it, that He did not the miracle before they 
 filled them, which would have been more marvellous by far ? 
 for it is one thing to change given matter to a different 
 quality, and another to create matter out of nothing." The 
 latter would indeed have been more wonderful, biit would 
 not have seemed so credible to the many. And therefore 
 He often purposely lessens ' the greatness of His miracles, « ut. 
 that it may be the more readily received. ' ''''^', 
 
 " But why," says one, " did not He Himself produce the 
 water which He afterwards shewed to be wine, instead of 
 bidding the servants bring it?" For the very same reason; 
 and also, that He might have those who drew it out to 
 witness that what had been effected was no delusion : since 
 if any had been inclined to be shameless, those who 
 ministered might have said to them, " We drew the water, 
 we filled the vessels." And besides what we have mentioned. 
 He thus overthrows those doctrines which spring up against 
 the Church. For since there are some who say that the 
 Creator of the world is another, and that the things which are 
 seen are not His works, but those of a certain other opposing 
 gqd, to curb these men's madness He doth most of His 
 miracles on matter found at hand^. Because, had the creator » imo- 
 of these been opposed to Him, He would riot have used what ""'' '""' 
 was another's to set forth His own power. But now to 
 shew that it is He Who transmutes water in the vine plants, 
 and Who converts the rain by its passage through the root 
 
186 Evidence given by the ruler of the feast. 
 
 HoMiL.into wine, He efiected that in a moment at the wedding 
 
 X \ TT 
 
 — ^ — ^ which in the plant is long in doing. When they had filled 
 the waterpots, He said, 
 
 Ver. 8 — 10. Draw out now, and bear unto the governor 
 of the feast ; and they bare it. When the ruler of the feast 
 had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not 
 whence it was, [but the servants which drew the water 
 knew,) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, and 
 saith unto him. Every man at the beginning doth set forth 
 good wine, and when men have well drunk, then that which 
 is worse ; but thou hast kept the good wine until now. 
 
 'ai.Mm- Here again some mock", saying, " this was an assembly of 
 drunken men, the sense of the judges was spoilt, and not 
 
 ' wTiA.t(- able to taste ^ what was made, or to decide on what was 
 
 ^^^ "' done, so that they did not know whether what was made was 
 water or wine ; for that they were drunk," it is alleged, " the 
 ruler himself has shewn by what he said." Now this is 
 most ridiculous, yet even this suspicion the Evangelist has 
 removed. For he does not say that the guests gave their 
 opinion on the matter, but the ruler of the feast, who was 
 sober, and had not as yet tasted any thing. For of course 
 you are aware, that those who are entrusted with the 
 
 'SioKo- management' of such banquets are the most sober, as 
 having this one business, to dispose all things in order 
 and regularity ; and therefore the Lord called such a man's 
 sober senses to testify to what was done. For He did not 
 say, " Pour forth for them that sit at meat," but, Bear unto 
 the governor of the feast. 
 
 And when the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that 
 was made wine, and knew not whence it was, (but the 
 servants knew,) the governor of the feast called the bride- 
 groom. " And why did he not call the servants ? for so the 
 miracle would have been revealed." Because Jesus had not 
 Himself revealed what had been done, but desired that the 
 power of His miracles should be known gently, httle by httle. 
 al.'ex- And suppose that it had then been mentioned*, the servants 
 who related it would never have been believed, but would have 
 been thought mad to bear such testimony to one who at that 
 time seemed to the many a mere man ; and although they 
 knew the certainty of the thing by experience, (for they were 
 
 viav 
 
 4 
 
 amined 
 
Excellence of the miraculous works of Christ. 187 
 
 uot likely to disbelieve their own hands,) yet they were not John 
 sufficient to convince others. And so He did not reveal itii^ll^: 
 to all, but to him who was best able to understand what was 
 done, reserving the clearer knowledge of it for a future time ; 
 since after the manifestation of other miracles this also would 
 be credible. Thus when He was about to heal the noble- 
 man's son, the Evangelist has shewn that it had already 
 become more clearly known ; for it was chiefly because the 
 nobleman had become acquainted with the miracle that he 
 called upon Him, as John incidentally shews when he says, 
 Jesus came into Cana of Galilee, where He made the water c. 4, 46. 
 wine. And not wine simply, but the best. 
 
 [3.] For such are the miraculous works of Christ, they are 
 far more perfect and better than the operations of nature. 
 This is seen also in other instances ; when He restored any 
 
 infinn member of the body. He made ' it better than the ' lit. 
 
 - 'shewed' 
 
 sound. 
 
 That it was wine then, and the best of wine, that had been 
 made, not the servants only, but the bridegroom and the 
 ruler of the feast would testify; and that it was made by 
 Christ, those who drew the water; so that although the 
 miracle were not then revealed, yet it could not in the 
 end be passed in silence, so many and constraining testi- 
 monies had He provided for the future. That He had made 
 the water wine, He had the servants for witnesses ; that the 
 wine was good that had been made, the ruler of the feast 
 and the bridegroom. 
 
 It might be expected that the bridegroom would reply 
 to this (the ruler's speech), and say something, but the 
 Evangelist, hastening to more pressing matters, has only 
 touched upon this miracle, and passed on. For what we 
 needed to learn was, that Christ made the water wine, and 
 that good wine ; but what the bridegroom said to the 
 governor he did not think it necessary to add. And many 
 miracles, at first somewhat obscure, have in process of time 
 become more plain, when reported more exactly by those 
 who knew them from the beginning. 
 
 At that time, then, Jesus made of water wine, and both 
 then and now He ceases not to change our weak and un-2i|f_ 
 stable = wills. For there are, yes, there are men who in 'flowing 
 
 •^ avray 
 
188 Earthly things fleeting and destructive. 
 
 HoMiL. nothing differ from water, so cold, and weak, and unsettled. 
 
 — ^ But let us bring those of such disposition to the Lord, that 
 
 He may change their will to the quality of wine, so that they 
 
 'Sio^^ciybe no longer washy', but have body^ and be the cause of 
 
 eVecr- gladness in themselves and others. But who can these cold 
 
 -rvfifie- oQgg bg ? They are those who give their minds to the fleeting 
 
 ' astrin- things of this present life, who despise not this world's luxury, 
 
 gency ^.jj^ j^^g lovers of glory and dominion ; for all these things 
 
 are flowing waters, never stable, but ever rushing violently 
 
 down the steep. The rich to-day is poor to-morrow, he who 
 
 one day appears with herald, and girdle, and chariot, and 
 
 numerous attendants, is often on the next the inhabitant of 
 
 a dungeon, having unwillingly quitted all that show to make 
 
 ^Siaairi-roovD. for another. Again, the gluttonous and dissipated' 
 
 '^'""^ man, when he has filled himself to bursting % cannot retain 
 
 *xopri- even for a single day the supply* conveyed by his delicacies, 
 
 ^ "''■ but when that is dispersed, in order to renew it he is obliged 
 
 to put in more, differing in nothing from a torrent. For as 
 
 in the torrent when the first body of water is gone, others in 
 
 turn succeed ; so in gluttony, when one repast is removed, 
 
 we again require another. And such is the nature and the 
 
 lot of earthly things, never to be stable, but to be always 
 
 pouring and hurrying by; but in the case of luxury, it is not 
 
 merely the flowing and hastening by, but many other things 
 
 «a7ro{iiei, that trouble us. By the violence of its course it wears away' 
 
 rades' the Strength of the body, and strips the soul of its manliness, 
 
 and the strongest currents of rivers do not so easily eat away 
 
 their banks and make them sink down, as do luxury and 
 
 wantonness sweep away all the bulwarks of our health ; and 
 
 if you enter a physician's house and ask him, you will find 
 
 that almost all the causes of diseases arise from this. For 
 
 6 xiTJ) frugality and a plain ^ table is the mother of health, and 
 
 'lit. therefore physicians' have thus named it; for they have 
 
 dren of called the not being satisfied " health," (because not to be 
 
 phys.' satisfied with food is health,) and they have spoken of sparing 
 
 diet as the " mother of health." Now if the condition of 
 
 « iviiU want ^ is the mother of health, it is clear that fulness is the 
 
 mother of sickness and debility, and produces attacks which 
 
 are beyond the skill even of physicians. For gout in the feet, 
 
 ' lit. ' has burst his stomach.' 
 
Evils of repletion and luxury. 189 
 
 apoplexy, dimness of sight, pains in the hands, tremors, John 
 paralytic attacks, jaundice, lingering and inflammatory "•^~^"' 
 fevers, and other diseases many more than these, (for we 
 have not time to go over them all,) are the natural offspring, 
 not of abstinence and moderate' diet, but of gluttony and^f''"'- 
 
 ii- At-/- o J <r6<bov 
 
 repletion. And if you will look to the diseases of the soul 
 that arise from them, you will see that feelings of coveting, 
 sloth, melancholy, dulness, impurity, and folly of all kinds, 
 have their origin here. For after such banquets the souls of 
 the luxurious become no better than asses, being torn to 
 pieces by such wild beasts as these (passions). Shall I say 
 also how many pains and displeasures they have who wait 
 upon luxury ? I could not enumerate them all, but by a 
 single principal point I will make the whole clear. At a 
 table such as I speak of, that is, a sumptuous one, men 
 never eat with pleasure ; for abstinence is the mother of 
 pleasure as well as health, while repletion is the source and 
 root not only of diseases, but of displeasure. For where 
 there is satiety there desire cannot be, and where there is no 
 desire, how can there be pleasure ? And therefore we should 
 find that the poor are not only of better understanding and 
 healthier than the rich, but also that they enjoy a greater 
 degree of pleasure. Let us, when we reflect on this, flee 
 drunkenness and luxury, not that of the table alone, but all 
 other which is found in the things of this life, and let us 
 take in exchange for it the pleasure arising from spiritual 
 things, and, as the Prophet says, delight ourselves in the 
 Lord; Delight thyself in the Lord, and He shall give iAeePs.37,4. 
 the desires of thine heart; that so that we may enjoy the 
 good things both here and hereafter, through the grace and 
 loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom and 
 with Whom, to the Father and the Holy Ghost, be glory, 
 world without end. Amen. 
 
HOMILY XXm. 
 
 John ii. 11. 
 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee. 
 
 Frequent and fierce is the devil in his attacks, on all 
 sides besieging our salvation ; we therefore must watch 
 and be sober, and every where fortify ourselves against his 
 ^hpop- assault, for if he but gain some slight vantage ground', he 
 '"'* goes on to make for himself a broad passage, and by degrees 
 introduces all his forces. If then we have any care at all for 
 our salvation, let us not allow him to make his approaches 
 even in trifles, that thus we may check him beforehand in 
 important matters ; for it would be the extreme of folly, if, 
 while he displays such eagerness to destroy our souls, we 
 should not bring even an equal amount in defence of our 
 own salvation. 
 
 I say not this without a cause, but because I fear lest that 
 
 wolf be even now standing unseen by us in the midst of the 
 
 2 or 'sa- fold', and some sheep'become a prey to him, being led astray 
 
 closure' from the flock and from hearkening by its own carelessness 
 
 fj" and his craft. Were the wounds' sensible, or did the body 
 
 'words' receive the blows, there would be no difiiculty in discerning 
 
 his plots; but since the soul is invisible, and since that it is 
 
 which receives the wounds, we need great watchfulness that 
 
 1 Cor. 2, each may prove himself; for none knoweth the things of a 
 
 man as the spirit of a man that is in him. The word is 
 
 spoken indeed to all, and is offered as a general remedy to 
 
 those who need it, but it is the business of every individual 
 
 hearer to take what is suited to his complaint. I know not 
 
 who are sick, I know not who are well. And therefore I use 
 
Variety of Holy Scripture. 191 
 
 every sort of argument, and introduce remedies suited to all John 
 maladies', at one time condemning covetousness, after that ^^'"' 
 touching on luxury, and again on impurity, then composing 
 something in praise of and exhortation to charity, and each 
 of the other virtues in their turn. For I fear lest when my 
 arguments are employed on any one subject, I may without 
 knowing it be treating you for one disease while you are ill 
 of others. So that if this congregation were but one person, 
 I should not have judged it so absolutely necessary to make 
 my discourse varied ; but since in such a multitude there 
 are probably also many maladies, I not unreasonably diversify 
 my teaching, since my discourse will be sure to attain its 
 object when it is made to embrace you all. For this cause 
 also Scripture is something multiform', and speaks on ten ' '"'>■''- 
 thousand matters, because it addresses itself to the nature of ^' ''' 
 mankind in common, and in such a multitude all the passions 
 of the soul must needs be; though all be not in each. Let 
 us then cleanse ourselves of these, and so listen to the divine 
 oracles, and with contrite heart' hear what has been this day 
 read to us. 
 
 And what is that ? This beginning of miracles did Jesus in 
 Cana of Galilee. I told you the other day, that there are 
 some who say that this is not the beginning. " For what," 
 says one, " if Cana of Galilee be added? This shews that 
 this was the beginning He made in Cana'^ Bat on these 
 points I would not venture to assert any thing exactly. I 
 before have shewn that He began His miracles after His 
 Baptism, and wrought no miracle before it ; but whether of 
 the miracles done after His Baptism, this or some other was 
 the first, it seems to me unnecessary to assert positively. 
 And manifested forth His glory. 
 
 "How?" asks one, "and in what way? For only the 
 servants, the ruler of the feast, and the bridegroom, not the 
 greater number of those present, gave heed to what was 
 done. How then did he " manifest forth His glory ?" He 
 
 >> Morel, and Ms. in Bodl. read the koL oStw /ieto avvrerfiii.ii.4vr\s (r<p 
 
 passage thus ; KtvUf iraa'Lv dySpd^ois r^s Stapotas ic. t. A. 
 
 i/iolas dpfL6{ovTa, Kol iraffu' ^iriT^Seioc ° Morel, and Ms. in Bodleian read : 
 
 •TTiideffiy. "ri y^p Arowop irpoffKeurQai iy Kav^, Kal 
 
 ^ Morel, and Ms. in Bodleian read : ju)j apy)iv eivai Tair7]v tSjv rod 'Ir^trow 
 
 oStoi toTs 0eiois K6yois TrpoafiiKKaiiey, iir\iieimv. 
 
192 Miracles withheld from the ill-disposed. 
 
 HoMiL. manifested it at least for His own part, and if all present heard 
 
 ^ not of the miracle at the time, they would hear of it afterwards, 
 
 for unto the present time it is celebrated, and has not been 
 unnoticed. That all did not know it on the same day is 
 clear from what follows, for after having said that He mani- 
 fested forth His glory, the Evangelist adds. 
 And His disciples believed on Him. 
 
 His disciples, who even before this regarded Him with 
 ' [ad- wonder'. Seest thou that it was especially necessary to 
 and be- work the miracles at times when men were present of honest 
 lieved] minds, and who would carefully give heed to what was done? 
 
 Morel. . , , , -., , .. , , , 
 
 and Ms. lor these would more readily believe, and attend more exactly 
 to the circumstances. " And how could He have become 
 known without miracles ?" Because His doctrine and pro- 
 phetic powers were sufficient to cause wonder in the souls 
 of His hearers, so that they took heed to what He did with 
 a right disposition, their minds being already well affected 
 towards Him. And therefore in many other places the 
 Mat. 12, Evangelists say, that He did no miracle on account of the 
 13' 68.' perversity of the men who dwelt there. 
 
 &o. Ver_ 12. After this He went down to Capernaum, He, 
 
 and His mother, and His brethren, and His disciples; and 
 they continued there not many days. 
 
 Wherefore comes He with His mother to Capernaumf for 
 He had done no miracle there, and the inhabitants of that 
 city were not of those who were rightminded towards Him, 
 but of the utterly corrupt. And this Christ declared when 
 Luteio, He said. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, 
 shall be thrust down to hell. Wherefore then goes He ? 
 I think it was, because He intended a little after to go up 
 to Jerusalem, that He then went to Capernaum, to avoid 
 2 4nai- leading about" every where with Him, His mother, and His 
 ''"' "' brethren. And so, having departed and tarried a little while 
 to honour His mother, He again commences His miracles 
 after restoring to her home her who had borne Him. There- 
 fore the Evangelist says, After not many days, 
 Ver. 13. He went up to Jerusalem. 
 
 He received Baptism then a few days before the Passover. 
 But on going up to Jerusalem, what did He ? a deed full of 
 high authority ; for He cast out of the Temple those dealers 
 
The Temple twice cle&nsed. 193 
 
 and money changers, and those who sold doves, and oxen, John 
 and sheep, and who passed their time there for t!^is pur- i6_'i8. 
 pose. 
 
 [2.] Another Evangelist writes, that as He cast them out. 
 He sai<i. Make not My Father's house' a den of thieves, but' Luke 
 this one, f '„^6. 
 
 Ver. 16. {Make net My Father's house) an house qfimiii- 
 merchandise. k"t\ 
 
 They do not in this contradict each other, but shew that^-T. 
 He did this a second time, and that both these expressions 
 were not used on the same occasion, but that He acted thus 
 once at the beginning of His ministry, and again when He 
 had come to the very time of His Passion. Therefore^ 
 (on the latter occasion,) employing more strong expressions, 
 He spoke of it as' (being made) a den of thieves, but here at 2 lit. 
 the commencement of His miracles He does not so, butj^f^^' 
 uses a more gentle rebuke ; from which it is probable that 
 this took place * a second time. 
 
 " And wherefore," says one, " did Christ do this same, 
 and use such severity against these men, a thing which He 
 is no where else seen to do, even when insulted and reviled, 
 and called by them ' Samaritan' and ' demoniac ?' for He 
 was not even satisfied with words only, but took a scoui-ge, 
 and so cast them out." Yes, but it was when others were 
 receiving benefit, that the Jews accused and raged against 
 Him ; when it was probable that they would have been made 
 savage by His rebukes, they shewed no such disposition 
 towards Him, for they neither accused nor reviled Him. 
 What say they ? 
 
 Ver. 18. What sign shewest Thou unto us, seeing that 
 Thou doest these things ? 
 
 Seest thou their excessive malice, and how the benefits 
 done to others incensed them more (than reproofs) ? 
 
 At one time then He said, that the Temple was made by 
 them a den of thieves, shewing that what they sold was 
 gotten by theft, and rapine, and covetousness, and that they 
 were rich through other men's calamities ; at another, a house 
 of merchandise, pointing to their shameless trafBckings., 
 " But wherefore did He this ?" Since he was about to heal 
 
 ■«' Or, ' that He did this.' Seec iiKbs Seirepov rovro yey^vrjiTdai. al. iremiijicivm. 
 
 O 
 
194 Zeal of Christ for His Father's House. 
 
 HoMiL. on the Sabbath day, and to do many such things which 
 ^ ^ • were thought by them transgressions of the Law, in order 
 that He might not seem to do this as though He had come 
 ' or ' ad- to be some rival God ' and opponent of His Father, He takes 
 of Go? occasion hence to correct any such suspicion of theirs. For 
 One who had exhibited so much zeal for the House was not 
 likely to oppose Him who was Lord of the House, and Who 
 was worshipped in it. No doubt even the former years 
 during which He lived according to the Law, were sufficient 
 to shew His reverence for the Legislator, and that He came 
 not to give contrary laws ; yet since it was likely that those 
 years were forgotten through lapse of time, as not having 
 been known to all because He was brought up in a poor and 
 mean dwelling, He afterwards does this in the presence of 
 all, (for many were present because the feast was nigh at 
 hand,) and at great risk. For He did not merely cast them 
 out, but also overturned the tables, and poured out the money, 
 giving them by this to understand, that He Who threw Him- 
 self into danger for the good order of the House could never 
 despise its Master. Had He acted as He did from hypocrisy, 
 He should only have advised them ; but to place Himself in 
 danger was very daring. For it was no light thing to offer 
 2 or'base Himself to the anger of so many market-folk^, to excite 
 Vyopai- against Himself a most brutal mob of petty dealers by His 
 <"" reproaches and His blows, this was not the action of a 
 pretender, but of one choosing to suffer every thing for the 
 order of the House. 
 
 And therefore not by His actions only, but by His words, 
 StV He shews His agreement with the Father'; for He saith not 
 ;?^^^ « the Holy House," but. My Fathers House. See, He even 
 aviKpa- calls Him, Father, and they are not wroth; they thought 
 '^ZkHs He spoke in a general way*; but when He went on and spoke 
 more plainly, so as to set before them the idea of His Equality, 
 then they become angry. 
 
 And what say they? What sign shewest Thou unto us, 
 seeing that Thou doest these things? Alas for their utter 
 madness! Was there need of a sign before they could cease 
 their evil doings, and free the house of God from such dis- 
 honour ? and was it not the greatest sign of His Excellence 
 that He had gotten such zeal for that House ? In fact, the 
 
Sign refused: dark sayings given. 195 
 
 well disposed' were distinguished by this very thing, for They, Jont* 
 His disciples, it says, 17^22^ 
 
 Ver. 17. Remembered that it is ivritten, The zeal of thine i ehyv^- 
 house hath eaten me up. '""'" 
 
 But the Jews did not remember the Prophecy, and said, 
 What sign shewest Thou unto us? both grieving that their ^61.69,9. 
 shameful traffic was cut off, and expecting by these means 
 to stop Him, and also desiring to challenge Him to a 
 miracle, and to find fault with what He was doing. Where- 
 fore He will not give them a sign ; and before, when they 
 came and asked Him, He made them the same answer, ^Mat.ie^ 
 wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign ; and 
 there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the 
 prophet Jonas. Only then the answer was clear, now it is 
 more ambiguous. This He doth on account of their extreme 
 insensibility; for He Who prevented'' them without their* al. 
 asking, and gave them signs, would never when they asked jj?^, 
 have turned away from themj had He not seen that their 
 minds were wicked and false, and their intention trea- 
 cherous'. Think how full of wickedness the question itself sSttouXoc 
 was at the outset. When they ought to have applauded Him 
 for His earnestness and zeal, when they ought to have been 
 astonished that' He cared so greatly for the House, they 
 reproach Him, saying, that it was lawful to traffic, and unlaw- 
 ful for any to stop their traffic, except he should shew them 
 a sign. What saith Christ ? 
 
 Ver. 19. Destroy this Temple, and in three days twill raise 
 it up. 
 
 Many such sayings He utters which were not intelligible 
 to His immediate hearers, but which were to be so to those 
 that should come after. And wherefore doth He this ? In 
 order that when the accomplishment of His prediction 
 should have come to pass. He might be seen to have 
 foreknown from the beginning what was to follow; which 
 indeed was the case with this prophecy. For, saith the 
 Evangelist, 
 
 Ver. 22. When He was risen from the dead. His disciples 
 remembered that He had said this ; and they believed the 
 Scripture, and the word which Jesus had said. 
 
 But at the time when this was spoken, the Jews were 
 
 o 2 
 
196 Sign of the Profhet Jonas. 
 
 HoMiL. perplexed as to what it might mean, and cast about to 
 
 "discover, saying, 
 
 Ver. 20. Forty and six years was this Temple in building, 
 and wilt thou rear it up in three days? 
 
 Forty and six years they said, referring to the latter 
 Ezra 6, building, for the former was finished in twenty years' time. 
 [3.] Wherefore then did He not resolve the difficulty and 
 say, " I speak not of that temple, but of My flesh ?" Why 
 does the Evangelist, writing the Gospel at a later period, 
 interpret the saying, and Jesus keep silence at the time ? 
 Why did He so keep silence ? Because they would not 
 have received His word ; for if not even the disciples were 
 able to understand the saying, much less were the multitudes. 
 When, saith the Evangelist, He was risen from the dead, 
 then they remembered, and believed the Scripture and His 
 1 al. word. There were two things that hindered' them for the 
 "■^■"^ time, one the fact of the Resurrection, the other, the greater 
 posed question whether He was God" that dwelt within; of both 
 which things He spake darkly when He said, Destroy this 
 Temple, and I will rear it up in three days. And this 
 St. Paul declares to be no small proof of His Godhead, when 
 Rom. 1, he writes. Declared to be the Son of God with power, according 
 to the Spirit of holiness, by the Resurrection from the dead. 
 But why doth He both there, and here, and every where, 
 ' [8toj/ give this for a sign, at one time saying^, When ye have lifted 
 Ben." f^P ^''^ ^on of Man, then ye shall know that I Am ; at 
 c. 8, 2S. another, Tliere shall no sign be given you' but the sign of 
 39. ' the prophet Jonas; and again in this place. In three days I 
 r ""'^f, will raise it up ? Because what especially shewed that He was 
 G. T.' not a mere man, was His being able to set up a trophy of 
 victory over death, and so quickly to abolish His long 
 endruing tyranny, and conclude that difficult war. Where- 
 fore He saith. Then ye shall know. Then. When ? When 
 after My Resurrection 1 shall draw (all) the world to Me, 
 then ye shall know that I did these things as God, and 
 Very Son of God, avenging the insult offered to My Father. 
 " Why then, instead of saying, ' What need is there of 
 signs to check evil deeds ?' did He promise that He would 
 
 « Sa-vile, 'O &ehs, ' whether He was the One God;' but the article is not 
 found in Ben, Morel, or Mss. . 
 
Why the Resurrection ioas not plainly foretold. 197 
 
 give them a sign?" Because by so doing He would have the Johnt 
 more exasperated them ; but in this way He rather astonished — ^ — '- 
 them. Still they made no answer to this, for He seemed to 
 them to say what was incredible, so that they did not stay 
 even to question Him upon it, but passed it by as impossible. 
 Yet bad tliey been wise, though it seemed to them at the 
 time incredible, still when He wrought His many miracles 
 they would then have come and questioned Him, would then 
 have intreated that the difficulty might be resolved to theni ; 
 but because they were foolish, they gave no heed at all to 
 part of what was said, and part they heard with evil frame 
 of mind. And therefore Christ spoke to them in an enig- 
 matical way. 
 
 The question still remains, " How was it that the disciples 
 did not know that He must rise from the dead ?" It was, 
 because they had not yet been vouchsafed the gift of the 
 Spirit; and therefore, though they constantly heard His 
 discourses concerning the Resurrection, they understood 
 them not, but reasoned with themselves what this might be. 
 For very strange and paradoxical was the assertion that one 
 could raise himself, and would raise himself in such wise; 
 And so Peter was rebuked, when, knowing nothing about 
 the Resurrection, he said. Be it far from Thee. And Christ Mat.16, 
 did not reveal it clearly to them before the event, that they^^" 
 might not be offended at the very outset, being led to 
 distrust His words on account of the great improbability of 
 the thing, and because they did not yet clearly know Him, 
 Who He was. For no one could help believing what was 
 proclaimed aloud by facts, while some would probably dis- 
 believe what was told to them in words. Therefore He at 
 first allowed the meaning of His words to be concealed ; but 
 when by their experience He had verified His sayings, He 
 after that gave them understanding of His words, and such 
 gifts of the Spirit that they received them all at once. He, 0.14,26. 
 saith Jesus, shall bring all things to your rememhrance. 
 For they who in a single night cast off all respect for Him, 
 and fled from and denied that they even knew Him, would 
 scarcely have remembered what He had done and said during 
 the whole time, unless they had enjoyed much grace of the 
 Spirit, 
 
1 98 Teaching of Christ brought to mind hy The Spirit. 
 
 HoMit. " But," says one, " if they were to hear from the Spirit, 
 
 — -■ why needed they to accompany Christ when they would not 
 
 retain His words ?" Because the Spirit taught them not, but 
 called to their mind what Christ had said before; and it 
 contributes not a little to the glory of Christ, that they 
 were referred to the remembrance of the words He had 
 spoken to them. At the first then it was of the gift of God 
 that the grace of the Spirit lighted upon them so largely and 
 abundantly ; but after that, it was of their own virtue that 
 they retained the Gift, For they displayed a shining life, 
 and much wisdom, and great labours, and despised this 
 present life, and thought nothing of earthly things, but were 
 above them all ; and like a sort of lightwinged eagle, soaring 
 lal.werejjiprij ijy their works, reached' to heaven itself, and by these 
 
 drawQ 1 
 
 away possessed the unspeakable grace of the Spirit. 
 
 Let us then imitate them, and not quench our lamps, but 
 keep them bright by alms-doing, for so is the light of this 
 fire preserved. Let us collect the oil into our vessels whilst 
 we are here, for we cannot buy it when we have departed to 
 that other place, nor can we procure it elsewhere, save only 
 at the hands of the poor. Let us therefore collect it thence 
 very abundantly, if, at least, we desire to enter in with the 
 Bridegroom. But if we do not this, we must remain without 
 the bridechamber, for it is impossible, it is impossible, though 
 we perform ten thousand other good deeds, to enter the 
 portals of the Kingdom without alms-doing. Let us then 
 shew forth this very abundantly, that we may enjoy those 
 ineffable blessings ; which may it come to pass that we all 
 attain, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, with Whom to the Father and the Holy Ghost be 
 glory, for ever and ever. Amen. 
 
HOMILY XXIV. 
 
 John ii, 23, 
 
 Now when He tvas in Jerusalem at the Passover, in the 
 feast, many believed on Him. 
 
 Of the men of that time some clung to their error, others 
 laid hold on the truth, while of these last, some having 
 retained it for a little while again fell off from it. Alluding to 
 these, Christ compared them to seeds not deeply sown, but 
 having their roots upon the surface of the earth ; and He 
 said that they should quickly perish. And these the Evan- 
 gelist has here pointed out to us, saying, 
 
 When He was in Jerusalem, at the Passover, in the feast, 
 many believed on Him^, when they saw the miracles which^ ^'^ "r^ 
 He did. '^^^^ 
 
 Ver. 24. But Jesus did not commit Himself unto them. ^- '^• 
 
 For they were the more perfect' among His disciples, '^ ««?'- 
 who came to Him not only because of His miracles, butah'^^''"' 
 through His teaching also. The grosser sort the miracles *'^'?"»'^- 
 attracted, but the better reasoners His prophecies and doc- ^^''" 
 trines ; and so they who were taken by His teaching were 
 more stedfast than those attracted by His miracles. And 
 Christ also called them blessed, saying. Blessed are they that<'-'^^fl^- 
 have not seen, and yet have believed. But that these here 
 mentioned were not real disciples, the following passage 
 shews, for it saith, Jesus did not commit Himself unto them. 
 Wherefore .? 
 
 Because He knew all things ', ' vivra 
 
 Ver. 25. And needed not that any should testify ofman,^_^T 
 for He knew what was in man. 
 
 The meaning is of this kind. " Pie who dwells in men's 
 hearts, and enters into their thoughts, took no heed of out- 
 
200 No need of signs to the faithful. 
 
 HoMiL. ward words; and knowing well that their warmth was but 
 
 /^^^^' for a season, He placed not confidence in them as in perfect 
 
 disciples, nor committed all His doctrines to them as though 
 
 they, had already become firm belierers." Now, to know 
 
 Ps.32, ^j]at is in the heart of men belongs to God alone. Who hath 
 
 1 iiags fashioned hearts one hy one, for, saith Solomon, Thou, even 
 
 8, 39. j'hoy, only, knowest the hearts; He therefore needed not 
 
 witnesses to learn the thoughts of His own creatures, and 
 
 so He felt no confidence in them because of their mere 
 
 temporary belief. Men, who know neither the present nor 
 
 the future, often tell and entrust all without any reserve to 
 
 persons who approach them deceitfully and who shortly will 
 
 fall off from them ; but Christ did not so, for well He knew 
 
 all their secret thoughts. 
 
 And many such now there are, who have indeed the name 
 J «4p(- of faith, but are unstable', and easily led away; wherefore 
 ■Kurroi neither now doth Christ commit Himself to them, but con- 
 cealeth from them many things ; and just as we do not place 
 confidence in mere acquaintances but in real friends, so also 
 «• 15, doth Christ. Hear what He saith to His disciples, Hence- 
 forth I call you not servants, ye are My friends. Whence 
 is this and why ? Because all things that I have heard of 
 My Father I have made known unto you. And therefore 
 He gave no signs to the Jews who asked for them, because 
 they asked tempting Him. Indeed the asking for signs is a 
 practice of tempters both then and now ; for even now there 
 are some that seek them and say, " Why do not miracles 
 take place also at this present time ?" If thou art faithful, 
 as thou oughtest to be, and lovest Christ as thou oughtest to 
 love Him, thou hast no need of signs, they are given to the 
 unbelievers, " How then," asks one, "were they not given 
 to the Jews ?" Given they certainly were ; and if there were 
 times when though they asked they did not receive them, 
 it was because they asked them not that they might be 
 delivered from their unbelief, but in order the more to 
 confirm their wickedness. 
 
 Chap. iii. 1, 2. And there was a man of the Pharisees, 
 named Nicodemus. The same came to Jesus hy night. 
 This man appears also in the middle of the Gospel, 
 c. 7, 61. making defence for Christ; for he saith. Our law judgeth no 
 
Infirmity of Nicademus. 201 
 
 maw before it hear him; and the Jews in anger replied to John 
 him, Search and look, for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet. — ^-^ 
 Again after the Crucifixion he bestowed great care upon the 
 Burial of the Lord's Body: There came also, saith thee. 19,39. 
 Evangelist, iVieodewiMs, w/iic/t came to the Lm-d^ by night, ^'U^ovv, 
 and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an 
 hundred pound weight. And even now he was disposed 
 towards Christ', but not as he ought, nor with proper' irepl 
 sentiments respecting Him, for he was as yet entangled in 
 Jewish infirmity. Wherefore he came by night, because he 
 feared to do so by day. Yet not for this did the merciful 
 God reject or rebuke him, or deprive him of His instruction, 
 but even with much kindness conversed with him, and dis- 
 closed to him very exalted doctrines, enigmatically indeed, 
 but nevertheless He disclosed them. For far more deserving 
 of pardon was he than those who acted thus through 
 wickedness. They are entirely without excuse; but he, 
 though he was liable to condemnation, yet was not so to 
 an equal degree. " How then does the Evangelist say 
 nothing of the kind concerning him ?" He has said in 
 another place, that of the rulers also many believed on Him, c.i2,4i. 
 but because of the Jews^ they did not confess (Him), lest 3 ^^pi- 
 they should be put out of the synagogue; but here he has"*^™^' 
 implied the whole by mentioning his coming by night. What 
 then saith Nicodemus ? 
 
 Rabbi, we know that Thou art a Teacher come from God: 
 for no man can do the miracles that Thou doest, except God 
 be with him. 
 
 [2.] Nicodemus yet lingers* below, has yet human thoughts ■• (rrpi- 
 concerning Him, and speaks of Him as of a Prophet,'''^™' 
 imagining nothing great from His miracles. We know, he 
 says, that Thou art a Teacher come from God. "Why then 
 comest thou by night and secretly, to Him that speaketh the 
 things of God, to Him Who cometh from God f Why con- 
 versest thou not with Him openly ?" But Jesus said nothing 
 like this to him, nor did He rebuke him; for, saith the 
 Prophet, A bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking Is. 42, 
 Jlax shall He not quench: He shall not strive nor cry: and quoted 
 
 ' ft}; 4 v6ii,os iiiiMV K. T.K. G.T. 1 9 20 ' 
 
202 Christ doth all with authority. 
 
 HoMiL. again He saith Himself, I came not to condemn the world, 
 
 XXIV 07 J 
 
 \, ]g ^-" but to save the world. 
 
 No man can do these miracles, except God be with him. 
 
 Still here Nicodemus speaks like the heretics, in saying, 
 
 ' ^^p- that He hath a power working within Him', and hath need of 
 
 voy ai- the aid of others to do as He did. What then saith Chiist? 
 
 '^'"' Obserre His exceeding condescension. He refrained for 
 
 a while from saying, " I need not the help of others, but do 
 
 all things with power, for I am the Very Son of God, and 
 
 have the same power as My Father," because this would 
 
 have been too hard for His hearer; for I say now what 
 
 I am always saying, that what Christ desired was, not so 
 
 much for a while to reveal His own Dignity, as to persuade 
 
 men that He did nothing contrary to His Father. And 
 
 therefore in many places He appears in words confined by 
 
 f^erpt- limits' but in His actions He doth not so. For when He 
 
 Matt. 8, worketli a miracle. He doth all with power, saying, / will, be 
 
 Mark 5 ^^^^ clean. Talitha, arise. Stretch forth thy hand. Thy 
 
 41. [not sins be forgiven thee. Peace, be still. Take up thy bed, 
 
 quotedj '^^^9'^ *"*^'' thine house. Thou foul spirit, I say unto thee, 
 
 Mark 3, come out of Mm. Be it unto thee even as thou wilt. If any 
 
 Matt. 9, one say {aught) unto you, ye shall say. The Lord hath need 
 
 Ma k4 ^f^^^' ^'^** ^^y shall thou be with Me in Paradise. Ye 
 
 39. have heard that it was said by them of old time. Thou 
 
 g_ ^ ■ ' shall not kill ; but I say unto you, that whosoever is angry 
 
 Mark 9, y^ufi fiig brother without a cause, shall be in danger of the 
 
 yerhaWy judgment. Come ye after Me, and I will make you fishers 
 
 Mat!i5 ^ '"^^^- -^^^ ®^®^y where we observe that His authority is 
 
 28. great ; for in His actions no one could find fault with what 
 
 12 3_ was done. How was it possible ? Had His words not come 
 
 Luke23, to pass, nor been accomplished as He commanded, any one 
 
 Matt. 5, might have said that they were the commands of a madman ; 
 
 Mkfk'i ^^^ ^'^''^ ^^^^ ^^^ come to pass, the reality of their ac- 
 
 17. complishment stopped men's mouths even against their will. 
 
 But with regard to His discourses, they might often in their 
 
 insolence charge Him with madness. Wherefore now in the 
 
 case of Nicodemus, He utters nothing openly, but by dark 
 
 sayings leads him up from his low thoughts, teaching him, 
 
 that He has sufficient power in Himself to shew forth 
 
Nicodemus led to enquiry. 203 
 
 miracles; for that His Father begat Him Perfect and All- John 
 sufficient, and without any imperfection. — ^^ 
 
 But let us see how He effects this. Nicodemus saith, 
 Rabbi, we know that Thou art a Teacher come from God, 
 for no man can do the miracles that Thou doest, except 
 God be with him. He thought he had said something great 
 when he had spoken thus of Christ. What then saith 
 Christ ? To shew that he had not yet set foot even on the 
 threshold of right knowledge, nor stood in the porch, but 
 was yet wandering somewhere without the palace, both he 
 and whoever else should say the like, and that he had not so 
 much as glanced towards true knowledge when he held such 
 an opinion of the Only-Begotten, what saith He? 
 
 Ver. 3. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be 
 horn again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God. 
 
 That is, " Unless thou art born again and receivest the 
 right doctrines, thou art wandering somewhere without, and 
 art far from the Kingdom of heaven." But He does not 
 speak so plainly as this. In order to make the saying less 
 hard to bear, He does not plainly direct it at him, but speaks 
 indefinitely. Except a man be born again: all but saying, 
 " both thou, and any other, who may have such opinions 
 concerning Me, art somewhere without the Kingdom." Had 
 He not spoken from a desire to establish this, His answer 
 would have been suitable to what had been said. Now the 
 Jews, if these words had been addressed to them, would have 
 derided Him and departed ; but Nicodemus shews here also 
 his desire of instruction ^. And this is why in many places ' al. ' of 
 Christ speaks obscurely, because He wishes to rouse His ^"' 
 hearers to ask questions, and to render them more attentive. 
 For that which is said plainly often escapes the hearer, but 
 what is obscure renders him more active and zealous. Now 
 what He saith, is something like this : " If thou art not born 
 again, if thou partakest not of the Spirit which is by the 
 washing' of Regeneration, thou canst not have a right J or, 
 opinion of Me, for the opinion which thou hast is not ij,jj'|'g_ 
 spiritual, but carnal *■." But He did not speak thus, as 
 refusing to confound^ one who had brought such as he had, 3 or, 
 and who had spoken to the best of his ability; and He leads' ^'"''®' 
 
 *> i//ux'K^>, ' belonging to the natural life,' opposed in N . T. to Trj/euftariK^. 
 
204 Perplexity of Nicodemus. 
 
 HoMiL.' him unsuspectedly up to greater knowledge, saying, Except 
 
 ^~&mefp^ »2are be born again. The word again^, in this place, 
 
 (' age in' some understand to mean " from heaven," others, " from the 
 
 atove°r beginning." " It is impossible," saith Christ, " for one not 
 
 so born to see the Kingdom of God ;" in this pointing to 
 
 Himself, and declaring that there is another beside the 
 
 natural sight, and that we have need of other eyes to behold 
 
 Christ. Having heard this, 
 
 Ver. 4. Nicodemus saith. How can a man be born when he 
 is old ? 
 
 Callest thou Him Master, sayest thou that He is come from 
 God, and yet receivest thou not His words, but usest to thy 
 ' lit. Teacher a manner of speaking which expresses ^ much per- 
 duces' plexity? For the How, is the doubting question of those 
 who have no strong belief, but wlio are yet of the earth. 
 Therefore Sarah laughed when she had said, Howf And 
 many others having asked this question, have fallen from the 
 faith. 
 
 [3.] And thus heretics continue in their heresy, because 
 
 they frequently make this enquiry, sayirtg, some of them» 
 
 Ben. " How was He begotten?" others, " How was He made 
 
 pokes' flesh?" and subjecting that Infinite Essence to the weak- 
 
 tte ness of their own reasonings. Knowing which, we ought to 
 
 avoid this unseasonable curiosity, for they who search into 
 
 these matters shall, without learning the " How," fall away 
 
 from the right faith. On this account Nicodemus, being in 
 
 doubt, enquires the manner in which this can be, (for he 
 
 understood that the words spoken referred to himself,) is 
 
 ' iAi77i? confused, and dizzy', and in perplexity, having come as to 
 
 a man, and hearing more than man's words, and such as no 
 
 one ever yet had heard ; and for a while he rouses himself 
 
 at the sublimity of the sayings, but yet is in darkness, and 
 
 unstable, borne about in every direction, and continually 
 
 falling away from the faith. And therefore he perseveres iu 
 
 proving the impossibility, so as to provoke Him to clearer 
 
 teaching. 
 
 Can a man, he saith, enter into his mother^s womb, and 
 be born ? 
 
 Seest thou how when one commits spiritual things to his 
 own reasonings, he speaks ridiculously, seems to be trifling, 
 
Evils of curiosity . 205 
 
 OT to be drunken, when he pries into what has been said John 
 beyond what seems good to God, and admits not the sub- iHiii 
 mission of faith ? Nicodemus heard of the spiritual Birth, 
 yet perceired it not as spiritual, but dragged down the 
 words to the lowness of the flesh, and made a doctrine so 
 great and high depend upon physical consequence. And so 
 he invents frivolities, and ridiculous difficulties. Wherefore 
 Paul said, TKe naiuraP man receiveth not the things of the iCor.2, 
 Spirit. Yet even in this he preserved his reverence foTj.'^^^ 
 Christ, for he did not mock at what had been said, but, 
 deeming it impossible, held his peace. There were two 
 difficulties; a Birth of this kind, and the Kingdom; for 
 neither had the name of the Kingdom ever been heard 
 among the Jews, nor of a Birth like this. But he stops for 
 a while at the first, which most astonished'' his mind. ant. 
 
 Let us then, knowing this, not enquire into things relating ^'''"'^' 
 to God by reasoning, nor bring heavenly matters under the 
 rale of earthly consequences, nor subject them to the neces- 
 sity of nature ; but let us think of all reverently, believing as 
 the Scriptures have said; for the busy and curious person 
 gains nothing, and besides not finding what he seeks, shall 
 suflFer extreme punishment. Thou hast heard, that (the 
 Father) begat (the Son): believe what thou hast heard; 
 but do ask not, " How," and so take away the Generation ; 
 to do so would be extreme folly. For if this man, because, on 
 hearing of a Generation, not that iueifable Generation, but 
 this which is by grace, he conceived nothing great concern- 
 ing it, but human and earthly thoughts, was therefore dark- 
 ened and in doubt, what punishment must they deserve, who 
 are busy and curious about that most awful Generation, 
 which transcends all reason and intellect? For nothing 
 causes such dizziness^ as human reasoning, all whose words 3 al. 
 are of earth, and which cannot endure to be enlightened from ^ 'j^f *!'_ 
 above. Earthly reasonings are full of mud, and therefore need ness' 
 we streams from heaven, that when the mud has settled, the 
 clearer portion may rise and mingle with the heavenly les- 
 sons ; and this comes to pass, when we present an honest 
 soul and an upright hfe. For certainly it is possible for the 
 intellect to be darkened, not only by unseasonable curiosity, 
 but also by corrupt manners ; wherefore Paul hath said to 
 
206 Riches like thorns. 
 
 HoMiL. the Corinthians, I have fed you with milk, and not with 
 
 — — ' meat ; for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet 
 
 3, 2. ' now are ye able, for ye are yet carnal; for whereas there is 
 
 among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not 
 
 carnal? And also in the Epistle to the Hebrews, and in 
 
 many places, one may see Paul asserting that this is the 
 
 cause of evil doctrines ; for that the soul possessed by 
 
 ' ^/iiraS? passions ■ cannot behold any thing great or noble, but as 
 
 2 A.^/J5)r if darkened by a sort of film ^ suffers most grievous dim- 
 
 sightedness. 
 
 Let us then cleanse ourselves, let us kindle the light of 
 knowledge, let us not sow among thorns. What the thorns 
 are, ye know, though we tell you not ; for often ye have 
 Mat.i3, heard Christ call the cares of this present life, and the 
 deceitfulness of riches, by this name. And with reason. 
 For as thorns are unfruitful, so are these things; as thorns 
 tear those that handle them, so do these passions ; as thorns 
 are readily caught by the fire, and hateful by the husband- 
 man, so too are the things of the world ; as in thorns, wild 
 beasts, and snakes, and scorpions hide themselves, so do they 
 in the deceitfulness of riches. But let us kindle the fire of 
 the Spirit, that we may consume the thorns, and drive away 
 the beasts, and make the field clear for the husbandman ; 
 and after cleansing it, let us water it with the streams of the 
 Spirit, let us plant the fruitful olive, that most kindly of 
 trees, the evergreen, the light-giving, the nutritious, the 
 wholesome. All these qualities hath almsgiving, which is, as 
 ' lit. it were, a seal on ' those that possess it. This plant not 
 "^^ even death when it comes causes to wither, but ever it 
 *vf\jpa stands enlightening the mind, feeding the sinews'* of the 
 soul, and rendering its strength mightier. And if we con- 
 stantly possess it, we shall be able with confidence to behold 
 the Bridegroom, and to enter into the bridal chamber ; to 
 which may we all attain, through the grace and loving- 
 kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom to the 
 Father and the Holy Ghost be glory, for ever and ever. 
 Amen. 
 
HOMILY XXV. 
 
 John iii. 5. 
 
 Verily I say unto thee. Except a man be born of water and 
 of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. 
 
 Little children who go daily to their teachers receive 
 their lessons, and repeat' them, and never cease from this i 4™- 
 kind of acquisition, but sometimes employ nights as well as ''^'"" 
 days, and this they are compelled^ to do for perishable and^al. [by 
 transient things. Now we do not ask of you who are come ^°"-' 
 to age such toil as you require of your children; for not 
 every day, but two days only in the week do we exhort you 
 to hearken to our words, and only for a short portion of the 
 day, that your task may be an easy one. For the same 
 reason also we divide^ to you in small portions what is3Sia|ot- 
 written in Scripture, that you may be able easily to receive '"''^^'' 
 and lay them up in the storehouses of your minds, and take 
 such pains to remember them all, as to be able exactly to 
 repeat them to others yourselves, unless any one be sleepy, 
 and dull, and more idle than a little child. 
 
 Let us now attend to the sequel of what has been before 
 said. When Nicodemus fell into error and wrested the words 
 of Christ to the earthly birth, and said that it was not possible 
 for an old man to be born again, observe how Christ in 
 answer more clearly reveals the manner of the Birth, which 
 even thus had difficulty for the carnal enquirer, yet still 
 was able to raise the hearer from his low opinion of it. 
 What saith He } Verily I say unto thee. Except a man be 
 born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the 
 kingdom ofOod. What He declares is this: " Thou sayest 
 that it is impossible, I say that it is so absolutely possible as 
 
208 Spiritual things objects of faith. 
 
 HoMiL.to be necessary, and that it is not even possible otherwise to 
 ^be saved." For necessary things God hath made exceed- 
 ingly easy also. The earthly birth which is according to the 
 'lit. flesh, is of the dust, and therefore heaven" is walled against 
 inhea-^ it, for what hath earth in common with heaven? But that 
 ■'en' other, which is of the Spirit, easily unfolds to us the arches' 
 3 i.e. 'above. Hear, ye as many as are unilluminated^ shudder, 
 unbap- aroan, fearful is the threat, fearful the sentence •*. " It is not 
 
 tized , 
 
 4 av6<j>a- (possible)," He saith, " for one not born of water and the 
 
 "^'^ Spirit, to enter into the Kingdom of heaven ;" because he 
 
 wears the raiment of death, of cursing, of perdition, he hath 
 
 ' o-ii/»^o- not yet received his Lord's token ^, he is a stranger and an 
 
 '^°'' alien, he hath not the royal watchword. Except, He saith, 
 
 a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter 
 
 into the Kingdom of heaven. 
 
 Yet even thus Nicodemus did not understand. Nothing is 
 worse than to commit spiritual things to argument; it was 
 this that would not suffer him to suppose any thing sublime 
 and great. This is why we are called faithful, that having 
 « or, left the weakness of human reasonings below ', we may 
 jg^g]'°^, ascend to the height of faith, and commit most of our bless- 
 'al.'this' i'lgs to her ' teaching '; and if Nicodemus had done this, the 
 thing would not have been thought by him impossible. 
 What then doth Christ.? To lead him away from his grovelling 
 imagination, and to shew that He speaks not of the earthly 
 birth, He saith. Except a man be born of water and of the 
 Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of heaven. This 
 He spoke, willing to di'aw him to the faith by the terror of 
 the threat, and to persuade him not to deem tne thing im- 
 possible, and taking pains to move him from his imagination 
 as to the carnal birth. " I mean," saith He, " another Birth, 
 O Nicodemus. Why drawest thou down the saying to 
 earth? Why subjectest thou the matter to the necessity of 
 nature ? This Birth is too high for such pangs as these ; it 
 hath nothing in common with you ; it is indeed called ' birth,' 
 but in name only has it aught in common, in reality it is 
 different. Remove thyself from that which is common and 
 famihar; a different kind of childbirth bring I into the world; 
 in another manner will I have men to be generated : I have 
 • i.e. submit to the teaching of faith ooncerning them. 
 
The old Creation an object of faith. 209 
 
 come to bring a new manner of Creation, I formed (man) John 
 of earth and water ; but that which was formed was unprofit- ^^^' ^" 
 
 able, the vessel was wrenched awry'; I will no more form'Sie- 
 them of earth and water, but of tvater and of the Spirit. '^''''^ 
 
 And if any one asks, " How of water?" I also will ask, How 
 of earth ? How was the clay separated into different parts ? 
 How was the material uniform, (it was earth only,) and the 
 things made from it, various and of every kind ? Whence 
 are the bones, and sinews, and arteries, and veins? Whence 
 the membranes, and vessels of the organs, the cartilages, the 
 tissues, the liver, spleen, and heart? whence the skin, and 
 blood, and mucus, and bile ? whence so great powers, whence 
 such varied colours? These belong not to earth or clay. 
 How does the earth, when it receives the seeds, cause them 
 to shoot, while the flesh receiving them wastes them ? How 
 does the earth nourish what is put into it, while the flesh is 
 nourished by these things, and does not nourish them } The 
 earth, for instance, receives water, and makes it wine ; the 
 flesh often receives wine, and changes it into water. Whence 
 then is it clear that these things are formed of earth, when 
 the nature of the earth is, according to what has been said *", 
 contrary to that of the body? I cannot discover by reason- 
 ing, I accept it by faith only. If then things which take 
 place daily, and which we handle, require faith, much more 
 do those which are more mysterious and more spiritual 
 than these. For as the earth, which is soulless and motion- 
 less, was empowered by the will of God, and such wonders 
 were worked in it; much more when the Spirit is present 
 with the water, do all those things so strange and transcend- 
 ing reason, easily take place. 
 
 £2.] Do not then disbelieve these things, because thou 
 seest them not; thou dost not see thy soul, and yet thou 
 believest that thou hast a soul, and that it is a something 
 different besides ^ the body. = Topi 
 
 But Christ led him not in by this example, but by another; 
 the instance of the soul, though it is incorporeal, He did not 
 adduce for that reason, because His hearer's disposition was 
 as yet too dull. He sets before him anolherj which has no 
 
 '■■ KOTct T& €lpnii4ya. This seems to the passage thus: tJi trana; t« ei'pT)- 
 be the best reading, and is found in /iiera Aoywyrn? /J-hv ivpilv, k.t.K. 
 Morel. Ben. and Mss. Savile reads 
 
 P 
 
210 Superiority of the new Creation, 
 
 HoMii. connection with the density of solid bodies, yet does not 
 breach so high as to the incorporeal natures; that is, the 
 
 movement of wind. He begins at first with water, which is 
 lighter than earth, but denser than air. And as in the 
 ' u7reK€7- beginning earth was the subject material', but the whole* 
 was of Him who moulded it; so also now water is the 
 
 2 
 
 hirav subject material, and the whole^ is of the grace of the Spirit: 
 fabric then, man became a living soul, now he becomes a quickening 
 of the Spirit. But great is the difference between the two. Soul 
 
 human '^ ° 
 
 body affords not life to any other than him in whom it is ; Spirit not 
 jjg^' '^only lives, but affords life to others also. Thus, for instance, 
 man. the Apostles even raised the dead. Then, man was formed 
 7. ' ' last, when the creation had been accomplished ; now, on the 
 }^°^' contrary, the new man is formed before the new creation ; he 
 is born firsts and then the world is fashioned anew. And as 
 in the beginning He formed him entire, so He creates him 
 Gen. 2, entire now. Then He said, Let un make for him a help, but 
 LXX. here He said nothing of the kind. What other help shall he 
 need, who has received the gift of the Spirit ? What further 
 * \ "-, need of assistance has he, who belongs to * the Body of 
 Th o-a/ia Christ? Then He made man in the image of God, now He 
 « Hivaxji hath united ° him with God Himself; then He bade him rule 
 over the fishes and beasts, now He hath exalted our first- 
 fruits above the heavens ; then He gave him a garden for 
 ^ iianav his abode *, now He hath opened heaven to us ; then man 
 ' aXiiv was formed on the sixth day, when the world ' was almost 
 finished ; but now on the first, at the very beginning, at the 
 time when light was made before. From all which it is plain, 
 'al. that the things accomplished belonged to' another and a 
 thefirst- better life, and to a condition' having no end. 
 fruits of The first creation then, that of Adam, was from earth; the 
 <rT(£(rc(os next, that of the woman, from his rib; the next, that of Abel, 
 10 i<^- from seed ; yet we cannot arrive at the comprehension of" 
 <Ke<r9ai ^^^ ^^^ ^^ these, nor prove the circumstances by argument, 
 " Trax.;- though they are of a most earthly nature " ; how then shall 
 ■■"ro^T^s^® be able to give account of the unseen"'' generation" by 
 ^y^vvi,. Baptism, which is far move exalted than these, or to require 
 
 „™„^ arguments'" for that strange and marvellous Birth"? Since 
 
 X^M b Morel, and Ms. in Bodl. ' but if it speak concerning the unseen and far 
 
 is impossible to reply to these questions, higher Generation ? or rather, how is it 
 how shall it not be more impossible to not superfluous to demand reasons, &c.' 
 
Baptism a Generation. 211 
 
 even Angels stand by while that Generation lakes place, John 
 but they could not tell the manner of that marvellous work- ^"' "' 
 ing, they stand by only, not performing any thing, but 
 beholding what takes place. The Father, the Son, and the 
 Holy Ghost, worketh all. Let us then believe the declaration 
 of God ; that is more trustworthy than actual seeing. The 
 sight often is in error, it is impossible that God's Word 
 should fail ; let us then believe it ; that which called the 
 things that were not into existence may well be trusted 
 when it speaks of their nature. What then says it ? That 
 what is effected is a Generation. If any ask, " How," 
 stop his mouth with the declaration of God', which is the'al.'of 
 strongest and a plain proof. If any enquire, " Why is water ™ 
 included ?" let us also in return ask, " Wherefore was earth 
 employed at the beginning in the creation of man ?" for that 
 it was possible for God to make man without earth, is quite 
 plain to every one. Be not then over curious. 
 
 That the need of water is absolute and indispensable", youa iyoy- 
 may learn in this way. On one occasion, when the Spirit 't''^" ""' 
 had flown down before the water was applied, the Apostle aWnTos 
 did not stay at this point, but, as though the water were 
 necessary and not superfluous, observe what he says; Caw^^tjlQ 
 any man forhid water, that these should not he baptized, *?• 
 which have received the Holy Qhost as well as we ? 
 
 What then is the use of the water ? This too I will tell 
 you hereafter, when I reveal to you the hidden mystery '. a [as it is 
 There are also other points of mystical teaching connected allowed 
 
 ^ •' ° me from 
 
 with the matter, but for the present I will mention to you one above] 
 out of many. What is this one? In Baptism are fulfilled °''^' 
 the pledges of our covenant with God ^ ; burial and death, 
 resurrection and life ; and these take place all at once. 
 For when we immerse our heads in the water, the old man 
 is buried as in a tomb below, and wholly sunk for ever ' ; then 
 as we raise them again, the new man rises in its stead *. 4 ^^j^ji, 
 As it is easy for us to dip and to lift our heads again, so 
 it is easy for God to bury the old man, and to shew forth the 
 new. And this is done thrice, that you may learn that the 
 
 * fleJi TeXEiToi iv air^ aifi^oXa. staiit. 9. 9. 
 
 SoinBuaeb. Hist.Eco.x.3. Baptism is « Morel. ' having been immersed 
 
 said to be aarripiov t&Sovs im6fiirira below, is hidden wholly once for all.' 
 ffi/i$o\tt. See also Eufinus. de Con- 
 
 p2 
 
212 Spiritual relationship. 
 
 HoMiL. power of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost fulfilleth 
 
 '- all this. To shew that what we say is no conjecture, hear 
 
 Kom. 6, Paul saying. We are hurled with Him by Baptism into 
 
 death : and again. Our old man is crucified with Him : and 
 
 again, We have been planted together in the likeness of His 
 
 death. And not only is Baptism called a " cross," but the 
 
 " cross" is called " Baptism." With the Baptism, saith 
 
 Mark Chn%t, that I aM baptized withal shall ye be baptized : and, 
 
 Lu'keib I hd've a Baptism to he baptized with (which ye know not); 
 
 50. for as we easily dip and lift our heads again, so He also 
 
 easily died and rose again when He willed, or rather much 
 
 more easily, though He tarried the three days for the 
 
 dispensation of a certain mystery. 
 
 [3.] Let us then who have been deemed worthy of such 
 ■mysteries shew forth a life worthy of the Gift, that is, a most 
 • iro\i- excellent conversation ' ; and do ye who have not yet been 
 "''' deemed worthy, do all things that you may be so, that we may 
 be one body, that we may be brethren. For as long as we are 
 divided in this respect, though a man be father, or son, or 
 brother, or aught else, he is no true kinsman, as being cut 
 off from that relationship which is from above. What 
 advantageth it to be bound by the ties of earthly family, if we 
 are not joined by those of the spiritual? what profits nearness 
 of kin on earth, if we are to be strangers in heaven? For the 
 Catechumen is a stranger to the Faithful. He hath not the 
 same Head, he hath not the same Father, he hath not the 
 same City, nor Food, nor Raiment, nor Table, nor House, 
 but all are different; all are on earth to the former, to the 
 latter all are in heaven. One has Christ for his King ; the 
 
 2 al.' the other, sin and the devil; the food' of one is Christ, of the 
 ® '^ other, that meat which decays and perishes ; one has 
 
 worms' work for his raiment, the other the Lord of angels ; 
 heaven is the city of one, earth of the other. Since then we 
 have nothing in common, in what, tell me, shall we hold 
 
 3 i. e. communion ? Did we remove the same pangs ^, did we come 
 j'^^^gT^ forth from the same womb? This has nothing to do with thai, 
 
 most perfect relationship. Let Us then give diligence that we 
 
 may become citizens of the city which is above. How long 
 
 ■" uiTEp- do we tarry over the border*, when we ought to reclaim our 
 
 "'"" ancient country ? We risk no common danger ; for if it 
 
Danger of delaying Baptism: Alms lent to Christ, 213 
 
 should come to pass, (which God forbid !) that through the Johk 
 sudden arrival of death we depart hence uninitiated', though p — '-^ 
 we have ten thousand virtues, our portion will be no other baptized 
 than hell, and the venomous worm, and fire unquenchable, 
 and bonds indissoluble. But God grant that none of those 
 who hear these words experience that punishment ! And 
 this will be, if having been deemed worthy of the sacred 
 mysteries, we build upon that foundation gold, and silver, 
 and precious stones ; for so after our departure hence we 
 shall be able to appear in that place rich, when we leave not 
 our riches here, but transport them to inviolable treasuries 
 by the hands of the poor, when we lend to Christ. Many 
 are our debts there, not of money, but of sins ; let us then 
 lend Him our riches, that we may receive pardon for our 
 sins; for He it is that judgeth. Let us not neglect Him here 
 when He hungereth, that He may ever feed us there. Here 
 let us clothe Him, that He leave us not bare of the safety 
 which is from Him. If here we give Him drink, we shall 
 not with the rich man say, " Send Lazarus, that with the tip 
 of his finger he may drop water on my broiling ^ tongue." *" oi-otji- 
 If here we receive Him into our house, there He will prepare '^"^'^''' 
 many mansions for us ; if we go to Him in prison, He too 
 will free us from our bonds ; if we take Him in when He is 
 a stranger, He will not suffer us to be strangers to the 
 Kingdom of heaven, but will give us a portion in the City 
 which is above ; if we visit Him when He is sick. He also 
 will quickly deliver us from our infirmities. 
 
 Let us then, as receiving great things though we give but 
 little, still give the little that we may gain the great. While 
 it is yet time, let us sow, that we may reap. When the 
 winter overtakes us, when the sea is no longer navigable, we 
 are no longer masters of this traffic. But when shall the 
 winter be ? When that great and manifest Day is at hand. 
 Then we shall cease to sail this great and broad sea, for such 
 the present life resembles. Now is the time of sowing, then 
 of harvest and of gain. If a man puts not in his seed at seed 
 time and sows in harvest, besides that he effects nothing, he 
 will be ridiculous. But if the present is seed time, it follows 
 that it is a time not for gathering together, but for scattering; 
 let us then scatter, that we may gather in, and not seek to 
 
214 Life a seed-time. 
 
 HoMiL. gather in now, lest we lose our harvest: for, as I said, this 
 XXV ^ ' 
 ^season summons us to sow, and spend, and lay out, not to 
 
 collect and lay by. Let us not then give up the opportunity, 
 
 biit let us put in abundant seed, and spare none of our 
 
 stores, that we may receive them again with abundant 
 
 recompense, through the grace and loving-kindness of our 
 
 Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom to the Father and the Holy 
 
 Ghost be glory, world without end. Amen. 
 
HOMILY XXVI. 
 
 John iii. 6. 
 
 That which is born of the jlesh is flesh: and that which is 
 born of the Spirit is spirit. 
 
 Great mysteries are they, of which the .Only-begotten 
 Son of God has counted us worthy ; great, and such as we 
 were not worthy of, but such as it was meet for Him to give. 
 For if one reckon our desert, we were not only unworthy of 
 the gift, but also liable to punishment and vengeance ; but 
 He, because He looked not to this, not only delivered us from 
 punishment, but freely gave us a life much more bright " f'-'pre- 
 than the first, introduced us into another world, made us 
 another creature ; If any man he in Christ, saith Paul, he is 2 Cor. 5, 
 a new creature. What kind of new creature? Hear Christ^ 
 Himself declare ; Except a man be born of water and of the 
 Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. Paradise 
 was entrusted to us, and we were shewn unworthy to dwell 
 even there, yet He hath exalted us to heaven. In the first 
 things we were found unfaithful, and He hath committed to 
 us greater ; we could not refrain from a single tree, and He 
 hath provided for us the delights^ above; we kept not our = rpucjiV 
 place in Paradise, and He hath opened to us the doors of 
 heaven. Well said Paul, O the depth of the riches, both ofRom. 
 the wisdom and knowledge of God! There is no longer ' 
 a, mother, or pangs, or sleep, or coming together, and em- 
 bracings of bodies ; henceforth all the fabric ^ of our nature ^ Kora- 
 
2 1 6 The Birth by water : 
 
 HoMiL.is framed above, of the Holy Ghost and water. The water 
 
 ^is employed, being made the Birth to him who is bom; what 
 
 the womb is to the embryo, the water is to the believer ; for 
 in the water he is fashioned and formed. At first it was said, 
 
 Gen. ij Let the waters bring forth the creeping things that have life; 
 
 LXX. tilt from the time that the Lord entered the streams of 
 Jordan, the water no longer gives forth the creeping thing 
 that hath life, but reasonable and Spirit-bearing souls ; and 
 
 Ps.l8,6.ijyl]at has been said of the sun, that he is as a bridegroom 
 coming out of his: chamber, we may now rather say of the 
 faithful, for they send forth rays far brighter than he. That 
 which is fashioned in the womb requires time, not so that in 
 water, but all is done in a single moment. Here our life is 
 perishable, and takes its origin from the decay of other 
 bodies ; that which is to be born comes slowly, (for such is 
 the nature of bodies, they acquire perfection by time,) but it 
 is not so with spiritual things. And why ? Because the 
 things made are formed perfect from the beginning. 
 
 When Nicodemus still hearing these things was troubled, 
 see how Christ partly opens to him the secret of this mystery, 
 and makes that clear which was for a while obscure to him. 
 That which is born, saith He, of the flesh is flesh; and that 
 which is born, of the Spirit is spirit. He leads him away 
 from all the things of sense, and suffers him not vainly to 
 pry into the mysteries revealed with his fleshly eyes ; " We 
 speak not," saith He, " of flesh, but of Spirit, O Nicodemus," 
 (by this word He dii-ects him heavenward for a while,) " seek 
 then nothing relating to things of sense ; never can the Spirit 
 appear to those eyes, think not that the Spirit bringeth forth 
 the flesh." " How then," perhaps one may ask, " was the 
 Flesh of the Lord brought forth ?" Not of the Spirit only. 
 
 Gal. 4, I'ut of flesh ; as Paul declares, when he says, Made of a 
 
 4- woman, made under the Law; for the Spirit fashioned Him 
 
 not indeed out of nothing, (for what need was there then of 
 a womb ?) but from the flesh of the Virgin. How, I cannot 
 explain unto you ; yet it was done, that no one might 
 suppose that what was born is alien to our nature. For if 
 even when this has taken place there are some who dis- 
 believe in such a birth, into what impiety would they not 
 have fallen had He not partaken of the Virgin's flesh. 
 
and of the Spirit. 217 
 
 That which is born* of the Spirit is spirit. Seest thou John- 
 tlie dignity of the Spirit ? It appears performing the work of^^'J- 
 God; for above he said of some, that they were begotten of gotten' 
 God, here He saith, that the Spirit begetteth them. "■ ^' ^^* 
 
 Tliat which is born of the Spirit is spirit. His meaning 
 is of this kind; " He that is born^ of the Spirit is spiritual." ^or/be- 
 For the Birth which He speaks of here is not that according^""™' 
 to essence ^ but according to honour and grace. Now if the ' oia-lav 
 Son is so born also, in what shall He be superior to men so 
 born ? And how is He, Only-begotten ? For I too am born 
 of God, though not of His Essence, and if He also is not of 
 His Essence, how in this respect does He differ from us? 
 Nay, He will then be found to be inferior to the Spirit; for 
 birth of this kind is by the grace of the Spirit. Needs He 
 then the help of the Spirit that He may continue a Son ? 
 And in what do these differ from Jewish doctrines ? 
 
 Christ then having said, He that is born of the Spirit is 
 spirit, when He saw him again confused, leads His discourse 
 to an example from sense, saying, 
 
 Ver. 7, 8. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be 
 born again*. The wind bloweth where it listeth. * ?''' 
 
 . ' from 
 
 For by saying. Marvel not. He indicates the confusion of above' 
 his soul, and leads him to something lighter than body.' He 
 had already led him away from fleshly things, by saying. 
 That which is born of the Spirit is spirit; but when 
 Nicodemus knew not what that which is born of the Spirit 
 is spirit meant. He next carries him to another figure, not 
 bringing him to the density of bodies, nor yet speaking of 
 things purely incorporeal, (for had he heard he could not 
 have received this,) but having found a something between 
 what is and what is not body, namely, the motion of the 
 wind, He brings him to that next. And He saith of it, 
 
 Thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence 
 it cometh, and whither it goeth. 
 
 Though He saith, it bloweth where it listeth. He saith it 
 not as if the wind had anj' power of choice, but declaring 
 . that its natural motion cannot be hindered, and is with 
 power. For Scripture knoweth how to speak thus of things 
 without life, as when it saith. The creature was ?nade subject Kom. 8, 
 to vanity, not willingly. The expression therefore, bloweth 
 
218 The Spirit compared to wind. 
 
 nomi.. where it Usteth, is that of one who would shew that it cannot 
 5^Zi"be restrained, that it is spread abroad every where, and that 
 none can hinder its passing hither and thither, but that it 
 goes abroad with great might, and none is able to turn aside 
 its violence. 
 » ^uyi,„ [2.] And thou hearest its voice^, (that is, its rustle, its 
 noise,) hut canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it 
 goeth ; so is every one that is born of the Spirit. 
 
 Here is the conclusion of the whole matter. " If," saith 
 He, " thou knowest not how to explain the motion nor the 
 'or, path of this wind" which thou perceivest by hearing and 
 ^^"' touch, why art thou over-anxious about the working of the 
 Divine Spirit, when thou understandest not that of the wind, 
 though thou hearest its voice ?" The expression, bloweth 
 where it listelh, is also used to establish the power of the 
 Comforter ; for if none can hold the wind, but it moveth 
 where it listeth, much less will the laws of nature, or limits 
 of bodily generation, or anything of the like kind, be able to 
 restrain the operations of the Spirit. 
 
 That the expression, thou hearest its voice, is used re- 
 specting the wind, is clear from this circumstance ; He 
 would not, when conversing with an unbeliever and one 
 unacquainted with the operation of the Spirit, have said, 
 Thou hearest its voice. As then the wind is not visible, 
 although it utters a sound, so neither is the birth of that 
 which is spiritual visible to our bodily eyes ; yet the wind 
 is a body, although a very subtle one ; for whatever is the 
 object of sense is body. If then you do not complain 
 because you cannot see this body, and do not on this 
 account disbelieve, why do you, when you hear of the Spirit, 
 hesitate, and demand such exact accounts, although you act 
 not so in the case of a body ? What then doth Nicodemus ? 
 still he continues in his low Jewish opinion, and that too 
 when so clear an example has been mentioned to him. 
 Wherefore when he again says doubtingly, 
 
 Ver. 9, 10. How can these things be? Christ now speaks 
 to him more chidingly ; Art thou a master in Israel, and 
 knowest not these things ? 
 
 Observe how He no where accuses the man of wickedness, 
 but only of weakness and simplicity. " And what," one may 
 
Types of the new Birth. 219 
 
 ask, " has this birth in common with Jewish matters ?" Tell John 
 me rather what has it that is not in common with them ? Uliil: 
 For the first-created man, and the woman formed from his 
 side, and the barren women, and the things accomplished by 
 water, I mean what relates to the fountain on which Elisha 
 made the iron tool to swim, to the Red Sea which the Jews 
 passed over, to the pool which the Angel troubled, to Naaman 
 the Syrian who was cleansed in Jordan, all these proclaimed 
 beforehand, as by a figure, the Birth and the purification 
 which were to be. And the words of the Prophet allude to 
 the manner of this Birth, as, It shall be announced unto theFs. 12, 
 
 31 32 
 
 Lord a generation, which cometh, and they shall announce lxx! 
 His righteousness unto a people that shall be horn, whom the 
 Lord hath made ; and. Thy youth shall he renewed as an Ps. 102, 
 eagle's ; and. Shine, O Jerusalem ; behold, Thy King cometh ! jj go i. 
 and. Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiten. Isaac ^^ 
 also was a type of this Birth. For tell me, Nicodemus, how see 
 was he bom ? was it according to the law of nature ? By no g " ^' 
 means ; the mode of his generation was midway between this P3.3],i. 
 of which we speak and the natural ; the natural, because he 
 was begotten by cohabitation ; the other, because he was 
 begotten not of blood', (but by the will of God.) I shall ' lit. ' of 
 shew that these figures' proclaimed beforehand not only this^g jq J_ 
 birth, but also That fi-om the Virgin. For, because no one^! ^^• 
 would easily have believed that a virgin could bear a child, 
 barren women first did so, then such as were not only barren, 
 but aged also. That a woman should be made from a rib was 
 indeed far more wonderful than that the barren should 
 conceive; but because that was of early and old time, 
 another figure, new and fresh, was given, that of the barren 
 women, to prepare the way for belief in the Virgin's travail. 
 To remind him then of these things, Jesus said. Art thou a 
 master in Israel, and knowest not these things ? 
 
 Ver. 11. We speak that We do know, and testify that We 
 have seen, and none receiveth^ Our witness. ^obxan- 
 
 This He added, making His words credible by another ^'*''^'■^■ 
 argument, and condescending in His speech to the other's 
 infirmity. 
 
 [3.] And what is this that He saith, We speak that We do 
 know, and testify that We have seen ? Because with us the 
 
220 Gentleness of Christ. 
 
 HoMiL. sight is the most trustworthy of the senses, and if we desire 
 ^-^iZi to gain a person's belief, we speat thus, that we saw it with out 
 eyes, not that we know it by hearsay ; Christ therefore speaks 
 to him rather after the manner of men, gaining behef for His, 
 words by this means also. And that this is so, and that He- 
 desires to establish nothing else, and refers not to sensual 
 vision, is clear from this ; after saying. That which is born of 
 the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is 
 spirit. He adds, We speak that we do know, and testify that 
 
 1 or ' be- u-e have seen. Now this (of the Spirit) was not yet born ' ; 
 gotten jjQ^ xhen saith He, what we have seen ? Is it not plain that, 
 
 He speaks of a knowledge not otherwise than exact ? 
 
 And none receiveth our witness. The expression we know. 
 He uses then either concerning Himself and His Father, or 
 concerning Himself alone ; and no man receiveth, is the 
 expression not of one displeased, but of one who declares a 
 fact : for He said not, " What can be more senseless thaa 
 you who receive not what is so exactly declared by us ?" but 
 displaying all gentleness, both by His works and His words. 
 He uttered nothing like this ; mildly and kindly He foretold 
 what should come to pass, so guiding us too to all gentleness, 
 and teaching us when we converse with any and do not 
 persuade them, not to be annoyed or made savage ; for it is 
 impossible for one out of temper to accomplish his purpose, 
 he must make him to whom he speaks still more incredulous. 
 Wherefore we must abstain from anger, and make our words 
 in every way credible by avoiding not only wrath, but also 
 
 2 lit. loud speaking^; for loud speaking is the fuel of passion, 
 shout- Lgj jjg. ^jjgjj bind ' the horse, that we may subdue the, 
 
 3 lit. ' tie rider ; let us'clip the wings of our wrath, so the evil shall no 
 (,f> more rise to a height. A keen passion is anger, keen, and 
 
 skilful to steal our souls ; therefore we must on all sides- 
 guard against its entrance. It were strange that we should 
 be able to tame wild beasts, and yet should neglect our own 
 savage minds. Wrath is a fierce fire, it devours all things ; 
 it harms the body, it destroys ihe soul, it makes a man 
 « or 'un- deformed ^ and ugly to look upon ; and if it were possible for 
 ing' an angry person to be visible to himself at the time of his 
 anger,, he would need no other admonition, for nothing is 
 more displeasing than an angry countenance. Anger is a 
 
JUvils of anger and clamour. 221 
 
 kind of drunkenness, or rather it is more grievous than John 
 drunkenness, and more pitiable than (possession of) a daemon. — '-^ 
 But if we be careful not to be loud in speech', we shall find ' Kpafeiv 
 this the best path to sobriety of conducts And therefore = ,|„ao- 
 Paul would take away clamour as well as anger, when he"'"*'"" 
 says, Let all anger and clamour he put away from you. Eph. i, 
 Let us then obey this teacher of all wisdom, and when we ^' 
 are wroth with our servants, let us consider our own tres- 
 passes, and be ashamed at their forbearance. For when thou 
 art insolent, and thy servant bears thy insults in silence, 
 when thou actest unseemly, he like a wise man, take this 
 instead of any other warning. Though he is thy servant, he 
 is still a man, has an immortal soul, and has been honoured 
 with the same gifts as thee by your common Lord. And if 
 he who is our equal in more important and more spiritual 
 things, on account of some poor and trifling human supe- 
 riority so meekly bears our injuries, what pardon can we 
 deserve, what excuse can we make, who cannot, or rather 
 will not, be as wise through fear of God, as he is through 
 fear of us? Considering then all these things, and calling to 
 mind our own transgressions, and the common nature of 
 man, let us be careful at all times to speak gently, that 
 being humble in heart we may find rest for our souls, both 
 that which now is, and that which is to come ; which may 
 we all attain, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord 
 •Jesus Christ, with Whom to the Father and the Holy Ghost 
 ■be glory, for ever and ever. Amen. 
 
HOMILY XXVII. 
 
 John iii. 12, 13. 
 
 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how 
 shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no 
 man hath ascended up to heaven, but He that came down 
 from heaven, even the Son of Man Which is in heaven. 
 
 What I have often said I shall now repeat, and shall not 
 cease to say. What is that? It is that Jesus, when about 
 to touch on sublime doctrines, often contains Himself by 
 reason of the infirmity of His hearers, and dwells not for a 
 continuance on subjects worthy of His greatness, but rather 
 on those which partake of condescension. For the sublime 
 and great, being but once uttered, is sufficient to establish 
 that character, as far as we are able to hear it; but unless 
 more lowly sayings, and such as are nigh to' the compre- 
 hension of the hearers, were continually uttered, the more 
 sublime would not readily tate hold on a grovelling listener. 
 And therefore of the sayings of Christ more are lowly than 
 sublime. But yet that this again may not work another 
 mischief, by detaining the disciple here below. He does not 
 merely set before men His inferior sayings without first 
 telling them why He utters them ; as, in fact. He has done 
 in this place. For when He had said what He did concern- 
 ing Baptism, and the Generation by grace which takes 
 «Koee?TOi place on earth, being desirous to admit Mhem to that His 
 own mysterious and incomprehensible Generation, He holds 
 it in suspense for a while, and admits them not, and then 
 tells them His reason for not admitting them. What is that? 
 It is, the dulness and infirmity of His hearers. And referring 
 
 J al. 
 touch 
 
The teaching of Christ received by faith. 223 
 
 to this He added the words, If I have told you earthly John 
 things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you \^}{i, 
 of heavenly things? so that p'herever He saith any thing 
 ordinary and humble, we must attribute this to the infirmity 
 of His audience. 
 
 The expression earthly things, some say is here used of 
 the wind ; that is, " If I have given you an example from 
 earthly things, and ye did not even so believe , how shall ye 
 be able to learn sublimer things ?" And wonder not if He 
 here call Baptism an earthly thing, for He calls it so, either 
 from its being performed on earth, or so naming it in com- 
 parison with that His own most awful Generation. For 
 though this Generation of ours is heavenly, yet compared 
 with that true Generation which is from the Substance of 
 the Father, it is earthly. 
 
 He does not say, " Ye have not understood," but. Ye have 
 not believed; for when a man is ill disposed towards those 
 things which it is possible to apprehend by the intellect, and 
 will not readily receive them, he may justly be charged with 
 want of understanding'; but when he receives not things 
 which cannot be apprehended by reasoning, but only by 
 faith, the charge against him is no longer want of under- 
 standing, but unbelief. Leading him therefore away from 
 enquiring by reasonings into what had been said. He touches 
 him more severely by charging him with want of faith. If 
 now we must receive our own Generation' by faith, what doij.e.the 
 they deserve who are busy with their reasonings about That"^"', 
 of the Only-Begotten ? 
 
 But perhaps some may ask, " And if the hearers were 
 not to believe these sayings, wherefore were they uttered?" 
 Because though they believed not, those who came after 
 would believe and profit by them. Touching him therefore 
 very severely, Christ goes on to shew that He knoweth not 
 these things only, but others also, far more and greater than 
 these. And this He declared by what follows, when He 
 said, And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but He that 
 came down from heaven, even the Son of Man Which is in 
 heaven. 
 • " And what manner of sequel is this ' ?" asks one. The very 
 
 • i. e. how is this connected with what has gone before ? 
 
224 Connection of Ba/ptism with the Cross. 
 
 HoMiL. closest, and entirely in unison with what has gone before. For 
 ^"^^•^" since Nicodemus had said, We know that Thou art a teacher 
 come from God, on this very jjoint He sets him right, all but 
 saying, " Think Me not a teacher in such manner as were 
 the many of the prophets who were of earth, for I am come 
 from heaven (but) now. None of the prophets hath ascended 
 up thither, but I dwell there." Seest thou how even that 
 which appears veiy exalted is utterly unworthy of His 
 greatness ? For not in heaven only is He, but every where, 
 and He fills all things ; but yet He speaks according to the 
 infirmity of His hearer, desiring to lead him up little by 
 little. And in this place He called not the flesh Son of Man, 
 but He now named, so to speak. His entire Self from the 
 inferior substance; indeed this is His wont, to call His 
 ' rh Trap whole Persou ' often from His Divinity, and often from His 
 humanity. 
 
 Ver. 14. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the leil- 
 derness, even so must the Son of Man he lifted up. 
 
 This again seems to depend upon what has gone before, 
 and this too has a very close connection with it. For after 
 having spoken of the very great benefaction that had come 
 •to man by Baptism, He proceeds to mention another bene- 
 faction, which was the cause of this, and not inferior to it ; 
 namely, that by the Cross. As also Paul arguing with the 
 Corinthians sets down these benefits together, when he says, 
 Was Paul crucified for you ? or were ye baptized into the 
 name of Paul ? for these two things most of all declare His 
 unspeakable love, that He both suffered for His enemies, and 
 that having died for His enemies, He freely gave to them by 
 Baptism entire remission of their sins. 
 
 [2.] But wherefore did He not say plainly, " I am about 
 to be crucified," instead of referring His hearers to the 
 ancient type ? First, that you may learn that old things are 
 akin to new, and that the one are not alien to the other; next, 
 that you may know that He came not unwillingly to His 
 Passion; and again, besides these reasons, that you mav 
 2 i.e. of learn that no harm arises to Him from the Fact', 'and that to 
 sion ^^"™^ny there springs from it salvation. For, that none may 
 say, " And how is it possible that they who believe on one 
 crucified should be saved, when he himself is holden of 
 
Christ compared to the brazen serpent. 225 
 
 death?" He leads us to the ancient story. Now if the Jews, John 
 by looking to the brazen image of a serpent, escaped death, 15^ jg_ 
 
 much rather will they who believe on the Crucified, with 
 good reason enjoy a far greater benefit. For this' takes 'i.e. 
 place, not through the weakness of the Crucified, or because cifixion 
 the Jews are stronger than He, but because God loved 
 the world, therefore is His living Temple fastened to the 
 Cross. 
 
 Ver. 15. That whosoever believelh in Him should not 
 perish, but have eternal life. 
 
 Seest thou the cause of the Crucifixion, and the salvation 
 which is by it? Seest thou the relationship of the type to 
 the reality ? there the Jews escaped death, but the temporal, 
 here believers the eternal; there the hanging serpent healed 
 the bites of serpents, here the Crucified Jesus cured the 
 wounds inflicted by the spirituaP dragon; there he who^wriToB 
 looked with his bodily eyes was healed, here he who 
 beholds with the eyes of his understanding puts off all his 
 sins ; there that which hung was brass fashioned into the 
 likeness of a serpent, here it was the Lord's Body, builded 
 by the Spirit; there a serpent bit and a serpent healed, here 
 death destroyed and a Death saved. But the snake 
 which destroyed had venom, that which saved was free from 
 venom ; and so again was it here, for the death which slew 
 us had sin with it, as the serpent had venom ; but the Lord's 
 Death was free from all sin, as the brazen serpent from 
 venom. For, saith Peter, He did no sin, neither was guile 1 Pet. 2, 
 
 22 
 
 found in His mouth. And this is what Paul also declares. And cJj_ 2 
 having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a shew ^^■ 
 of them openly, triumphing over them in it. For as some 
 noble champion by lifting on high and dashing down his 
 antagonist, renders his victory more glorious, so Christ, in 
 the sight of all the world, cast down the adverse powers, and 
 having healed those who were smitten in the wilderness, 
 delivered them from all venomous beasts^ that vexed them, 'fl?7/»W 
 by being hung upon the Cross. Yet He did not say " must gg,"^.) 
 hang", hiit,must be lifted up; for He used this which seemed 
 the milder term, on account of His hearer, and because it was 
 proper to the type*. * e77i's 
 
 Ver, 16. G&d, He saith^ so loved the world, that He gave"" 
 
 TOV 
 TUTTOV 
 
226 Marvellous love of God towards man. 
 
 HoMth.His Only-heqoiten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him 
 
 XXVII ^ ^ 
 
 ~ ' should not perish, but have everlasting life. 
 
 What He saith, is of this kind: Marvel not that I am to 
 be lifted up that ye may be saved, for this seemeth good to 
 the Father, and He teth so loved you as to give His Son for 
 slaves, and ungrateful slaves. Yet a man would not do this 
 even for a friend, nor readily even for a righteous man ; as 
 Kom. 5, Paul has declared when he said, Scarcely for a righteous man 
 will one die. Now he spoke at greater length, as speaking 
 to believers, but here Christ speaks concisely, because His 
 discourse was directed to Nicodemus, but still in a more 
 significant manner, for each word has much significance. 
 For by the expression, so loved, and that other, God the 
 world, He shews the great strength of His love. Large and 
 infinite was the interval between the two. He, the Immortal, 
 Who is without beginning, the Infinite Majesty, they but 
 dust and ashes, full of ten thousand sins, who, ungrateful, 
 have at all times offended Him ; and these He loved. Again, 
 the words which He added after these are alike significant, 
 when He saith, that He gave His Only-begoiien Son, not a 
 servant, not an Angel, not an Archangel. And yet no one 
 would shew such anxiety for his own child, as God did for 
 His ungrateful servants. 
 
 His Passion then He sets before him not very openly, but 
 
 rather darkly ; but the advantage of the Passion He adds in 
 
 ' al. a clearer manner', saying, that every one that believeth in 
 
 sll^^^ Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For when 
 
 openly' He had &B.id,must be lifted up,a,n& alluded to death, lest the 
 
 hearer should be made downcast by these words, forming 
 
 some mere human opinions concerning Him, and supposing 
 
 ^hvv- that His death was a ceasing to be^, observe how He sets 
 
 'TOM' " ^]^jg right, by saying, that He that was given was The Son of 
 
 God,SMd the causeof life, of everlasting life. He who procured 
 
 life for others by death, would not Himself be continually in 
 
 death; for if they who believe on the Crucified perish not, 
 
 much less doth He perish Who is Crucified. He Who 
 
 taketh away the destitution of others, much more is He free 
 
 from it; He Who giveth life to others, much more to Himself 
 
 di!rth He well forth life. Seest thou that every where there is 
 
 need of faith .? For He calls the Cross the fountain of life ; 
 
Man's ingratitude. 227 
 
 which reason cannot easily allow, as the heathens now by John 
 their mocking testify. But faith which goes beyond the "^' ^^' 
 weakness of reasoning, may easily receive and retain it. And 
 whence did God so love the worldi From no other source 
 but only from His goodness. 
 
 [3.] Let us now be abashed at His love, let us be ashamed 
 at the excess of His loving-^kindness, since He for our sakes 
 spared not His Only-begotten Sou, yet we spare our wealth 
 to our own injury ; He for us gave His Own Son, but we for 
 Him do not so much as despise money, nor even for our- 
 selves. And how can these things deserve pardon ? If we 
 see a man submitting to sufferings and death for us, we set 
 him before ail others, count him among our chief friends, 
 place in his hands all that is ours, and deem it rather his 
 than ours, and even so do not think that we give him the 
 return that he deserves. But towards Christ we do not 
 preserve even this degree of right feeling. He laid down 
 His life for us, and poured forth His precious Blood for our 
 sakes, who were neither well-disposed nor good, while we do 
 not pour out even our money for our own sakes, and neglect 
 Him Who died for us, when He is naked and a stranger; 
 and who shall deliver us from the punishment that is to 
 come ? For suppose that it were not God that punishes, but 
 that we punished ourselves; should we not give our vote 
 against ourselves ? should we not sentence ourselves to the 
 very fire of hell, for allowing Him Who laid down His life 
 for us, to pine with hunger? But why speak T of money.? 
 had we ten thousand lives, ought we not to lay them all 
 down for Him ? and yet not even so could we do what His 
 benefits deserve. For he who confers a benefit in the fir^ 
 instance, gives evident proof of his kindness, but he who has 
 received one, whatever return he makes, he repays as a debt, 
 and does not bestow as a favour ; especially when he who 
 did the fii'st good turn was benefiting his enemies. And he 
 who repays both bestows his gifts on a benefactor, and 
 himself reaps their fruit besides '. But not even this induces ' f"^^'" 
 us; more foolish are we than any, putting golden necklaces 
 about our servants and mules and horses, and neglecting our 
 Lord who goes about naked, and passes from door to door, 
 and ever stands at our outlets, and stretches forth His Hands 
 
 q2 
 
228 Folly of fine clothing. 
 
 HoMiL. to us, but often regarding Him with unpitying eye; yet 
 
 '~ — ^ these very things He uudergoeth for our sake. Gladly' 
 
 • sweet- doth He hunger that thou mayest be fed ; naked doth He 
 
 ^i-n-6ee- S° '^^.t He may provide for thee the materials^ for a garment 
 
 o-H- of incorraption, yet not even so do ye give up any of your 
 
 Own. Some of your garments are moth-eaten, others are a 
 
 load to your coffers, and a needless trouble to their possessors, 
 
 while He Who gave you these and all else that you possess 
 
 goeth naked. 
 
 But perhaps you do not lay them by in your coffers, but 
 wear them and make j^ourselves fine with them. And what 
 gain you by this ? Is it that the street people may see 
 you ? What then ? They will not admire thee who vvearest 
 such apparel, but the man who supplies garments to the 
 needy ; so if you desire to be admired, by clothing others, 
 you will the rather get infinite applause. Then too God as 
 well as man shall praise thee ; now none can praise, but all 
 will grudge at thee, seeing thee with a body well arrayed, 
 biit having a neglected soul. So harlots have adornment, 
 and their clothes are often more than usually expensive and 
 splendid ; but the adornment of the soul is with those only 
 who live in virtue. 
 
 These things 1 say continually, and I will not cease to 
 say them, not so much because £ care for the poor, as because 
 I care for your souls. For they will have some comfort, if 
 not from you, yet from some other quarter; or even if they 
 be not comforted, but perish by hunger, the harm to them 
 will be no great matter. What did poverty and wasting by 
 hunger injure Lazarus! But none can rescue you from 
 'ai.'thehell, if you obtain not the help of the poor''; we shall say to 
 you what was said to the rich man, who was continually 
 broiling, yet gained no comfort. God grant that none ever 
 hear those words, but that all may go into the bosom of 
 Abraham; by the grace and lovingkinduess of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, by W^hom and with Whom, to the Father and the 
 Holy Ghost, be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 
 
HOMILY XXVIII. 
 
 John iii. 17. 
 
 For God sent not His Son ' to condemn the world, but to V "'s 
 
 save the world^. ^„^ q"^' 
 
 T.] 
 
 Many of the more careless sort of persons, using the J^^^ ^ 
 lovingkindness of God to increase the magnitude of their K(((r|Hos 
 sins and the excess of their disregard, speak in this way, q..™"" 
 " There is no hell, there is no future punishment, God for- 
 gives us all sins." To stop whose mouths a wise man saj's, 
 Say not. His mercy is great, He will be pacified for MeEcolas. 
 multitude of my sins; for mercy and wrath come from Him, ^' ^• 
 and His indignation resteth upon sinners: and again, -4seco1us. 
 His mercy is great, so is His correction also. " Where ^^' ^^• 
 then," saith one, " is His lovingtindness, if we shall receive 
 for our sins according to our deserts P That we shall indeed 
 receive " according to our deserts," hear both the Prophet 
 and Paul declare; one says, Thou shalt render to every man p^ gj 
 according to his work ; the other, Who will render to every 12. 
 man according to his work. And yet we may see that even Kom. 2 
 so the lovingkindness of God is great; in dividing our^' 
 existence^ into two periods*, the present life and that whichsTct 
 is to come, and making the first to be an appointment of^^l'"'"' 
 trial, the second a place of crowning, even in this He hath 
 shewn great lovingkindness. 
 
 " How and in what way .''" Because when we had com- 
 mitted many and grievous sins, and had not ceased from 
 youth to extreme old age to defile our souls with ten thou- 
 sand evil deeds, for none of these sins did He demand from 
 us a reckoning, but granted us remission of them by the 
 
230 Sin after Baptism: the two Advents of Clirist. 
 
 HoMiL. washing' of Regeneration, aud freely gave us Righteousness 
 
 -, — q— "and Sanctification. "What then," says one, "if a man 
 
 ver' who from his earliest age has been deemed worthy of the 
 
 mysteries, after this commits ten thousand sins ?" Such au 
 
 one deserves a severer punishment. For we do not pay the 
 
 same penalties for the same sins, if we do wrong after 
 
 '^ ynuo-To- Initiation ^ And this Paul declares, saying, He that despised 
 
 g^b'To Moses" law died without mercy under two or three witnesses : 
 
 28.29. of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be 
 
 thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, 
 
 and hath counted the blood of the Covenant an unholy thing, 
 
 and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace ? Such an 
 
 one then is worthy of severer punishment". Yet even for 
 
 him God hath opened doors of repentance, and hath granted 
 
 him many means for the cashing away his transgressions, if 
 
 he will. Think then what proofs of lovingkindness these are; 
 
 by Grace to remit sins, and not to punish him who after grace 
 
 has sinned and deserves punishment, but to give him a season 
 
 and appointed space for his clearing'. For all these reasons 
 
 ^irpoffeo-- Christ said to Nicodemiis, God sent not His Son to condemn 
 
 tmTui- ^^ world, but to save the world. 
 
 yias For there are two Advents of Christ, that which has been, 
 
 and that which is to be; and the two are not for the same 
 
 pui-pose; the first came to pass not that He might search 
 
 into our actions, but tliat He might remit; the object of the 
 
 second will be not to remit, but to enquire. Therefore of the 
 
 c. 12, 17. first He saith, I came not to condemn the world, but to save 
 
 3i!'&46'. ^^^ world; but of the second. When the Son shall have come in 
 
 "rp Sojp the glory of His Father*, He shall set the sheep on His right 
 
 'gIt;, hand, and the goats on His left. And they shall go, these into 
 
 life; and these into eternal punishment. Yet His former 
 
 coming was for judgment, according to the rule of justice. 
 
 Why? Because before His coming there was a law of nature, 
 
 and the prophets, and moreover a written Law, and doctrine, 
 
 and ten thousand promises, and manifestations of signs, 
 
 and chastisements, and vengeances, and many other things 
 
 which might have set men right, and it followed that for all 
 
 these things He would demand account ; but, because He is 
 
 merciful, He for a while pardons instead of making enquiry. 
 
 » Morel. ' he then will be more severely punished who has sinned after grace.' 
 
Unbelievers condemned already. 231 
 
 For had He done so, all would at once have been hurried to John 
 perdition. For all, it sailh, have sinned, and come, short ^J^' ^^' 
 of the glory of God. Seest thou the unspeakable excess of 23. ' ' 
 His lovingkindncss? 
 
 Ver. 18. He that believeth on the Son^, is not judged^: biit^ fls au- 
 he that believeth not, is judged already. 2^or W- 
 
 Yet if He came not to Judge the world, how is he that demned' 
 believeth not judged already, if the time of "judgment" has 
 not yet arrived ? He either means this, that the very fact of 
 disbelieving without repentance is a punishment, (for to be 
 without the light, contains in itself a very severe punishment,) 
 or He announces beforehand what shall be. For as the 
 murderer, though he be not as yet condemned by the decision 
 of the judge, is still condemned by the nature of the thing, 
 so is it with the unbeliever. Since Adam also died on the 
 day that he ate of the tree; for so ran the decree, In the day Gen. 2, 
 that ye eat of the tree, ye shall die; yet he lived. How^xx 
 then died he ? By the decree ; by the very nature of the 
 thing; for he who has rendered himself liable to punish- 
 ment, is under its penalty, and if for a while not actually so, 
 yet he is by the sentence. 
 
 Lest any one on hearing, / came not to Judge the world, 
 should imagine that he might sin unpunished, and should so 
 become more careless, Christ stops ' such disregard by ' lit. 
 saying, is Judged already ; and because the " judgment" ^^>* ^ 
 was future and not yet at hand. He brings near the dread of 
 vengeance, and describes the punishment aS already come. 
 And this is itself a mark of great loving-kindness, that He 
 not only gives His Son, but even delays the time of judg- 
 ment, that they who have sinned, and they who believe not, 
 may have power to wash away their transgressions. 
 
 He that believeth on the Son, is not Judged. He that 
 believeth, not he that is over-curious ; he that believeth, not 
 the busy body. But what if his life be unclean, and his 
 deeds evil ? It is of such as these especially that Paul 
 declares, that they are not true believers at all: They profess Titus 1, 
 that they know God, but in works they deny Him. But here ^ " 
 Christ saith, that such an one is not Judged in this one 
 particular; for his works indeed he shall suffer a severer 
 
232 Darkness preferred to light. 
 
 HoMiL. punishment, but having believed once, he is not chastised 
 lor unbehet. 
 
 [2.] Seest thou how having commenced His discourse 
 with fearful things, He has concluded it again with the very 
 same ? for at first He saith, Except a man be born of Water 
 and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God: 
 and here again, He that believeth not on the Son, is judged 
 already. " Think not," He saith, " that the delay advan- 
 tageth at all the guilty, except he repent, for he that hath 
 not believed, shall be in no better stale than those who are 
 already condemned and under punishment." 
 
 Ver. 19. And this is the condemnation, that light is come 
 into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light. 
 
 What He saith, is of this kind: "they are punished, 
 because they would not leave the darkness, and hasten to 
 the light." And hence He goes on to deprive them of all 
 excuse for the future: " Had I come," saith He, " to punish 
 and to exact account of their deeds, they might have been 
 able to say, ' this is why we started away from thee,' but now 
 I am come to free them from darkness, and to bring them to 
 the light; who then could pity one who will not come from 
 darkness unto light? When they have no charge to bring 
 against us, but have received ten thousand benefits, they 
 start away from us." And this charge He hath brought in 
 Jolin 15, another place, where He saith. They hated Me without a 
 ^t' 11 ^'^''■'■^'^ ■ ^^d again, If I had not come and spoken unto them, 
 they had not had sin. For he who in the absence of light 
 sitteth in darkness, may perchance receive pardon ; but one 
 who after it is come abides by the darkness, produces against 
 himself a certain proof of a perverse and contentious dis- 
 position. Next, because His assertion would seem incredible 
 to most, (for none would prefer darkness to light,) He adds 
 the cause of such a feeling in them. What is that ? 
 
 Ver. 19, 20. Because, He saith, their deeds were evil. 
 For every one that doeth evil, hateth the light, neither cometh 
 to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 
 
 Yet He came not to judge or to enquire, but to pardon 
 and remit transgressions, and to grant salvation through 
 faith. How then fled they'.? Had He come and sat in His 
 
 » Morel. ' therefcre they fled to their own hurt.' 
 
Wilful continuance in evil. 233 
 
 Judgment seat, what He said might have seemed reasonable; John 
 for he that is conscious to himself of evil deeds, is wont to 19 go. 
 fly his judge. But, on the contrary, they who have trans- 
 gressed even run to one who is pardoning. If therefore He 
 came to pardon, those would naturally most hasten to Him 
 who were conscious to themselves of many transgressions ; 
 and indeed this was the case with many, for even publicans 
 and sinners sat at meat with Jesus. What then is this which 
 He saith ? He saith this of those who choose always to 
 remain in wickedness. He indeed came, that He might 
 forgive men's former sins, and secure them against those to 
 come; but since there are some so relaxed S so powerless ' tit. 
 for the toils of virtue, that they desire to abide by wicked- 
 ness till their latest breath, and never cease from it, He 
 Speaks in this place reflecting^ upon these. " For since,'" "imrx^ 
 He saith, " the profession of Christianity requires besides ''™'' 
 right doctrine a sound conversation also, they fear to come 
 over to us, because they like not to shew forth a righteous 
 life. Him that lives in heathenism none would blame, because 
 with gods such as he has, and with rites as foul and ridiculous 
 as his gods, he shews forth actions that suit his doctrines ; 
 but those who belong to the True God, if they live a careless 
 life, have all men to call them to account, and to accuse 
 them. So greatly do even its enemies admire the truth." 
 Observe, then, how exactly He layeth down what He saith. 
 His expression is, not " He that hath done evil cometh not 
 to the light," but " he that doeth it always, he that desireth 
 always to roll himself in the mire of sin, he will not subject 
 himself to My laws, but chooses to stay without, and to 
 commit fornication without fear, and to do all other forbidden 
 things. For if he comes to Me, he becomes manifest as a 
 thief in the light, and therefore he avoids My dominion." 
 For instance, even now one may hear many heathen say, 
 " that they cannot come to our faith, because they cannot 
 leave oflF drunkenness and fornication, and the like dis- 
 orders." 
 
 " Well," says some one, " but are there no Christians that 
 do evil, and heathens that live discreetly'?" That there a.ve^ii'<l>Aol 
 Christians who do evil, I know; but whether there are°'°'^' 
 heathens who live a righteous life, I do not yet know 
 
Q34 No belief without a pure intention. 
 
 HoMii,. assuredly. For do not speak to me of those who by nature 
 
 ' are good and orderly, (this is not virtue,) but tell nie of the 
 
 man who can endure the exceeding violence of his passions, 
 
 ><()i\o(ro-and (yet) be temperate'. You cannot. For if the promise 
 
 ^owra. ^^ ^ Kingdom, and the threat of hell, and so much other 
 
 %l.'doc. provision", can scarcely keep men in virtue, they vrill hardly 
 
 *"""* go after virtue who believe in none of these things. Or, if 
 
 any pretend to do so, they do it for show ; and he who doth 
 
 so for show, will not, when he may escape observation, 
 
 refrain from indulging his evil desires. However, that we 
 
 may not seem to any to be contentious, let us grant that 
 
 there are right livers among the heathen ; for neither doth 
 
 this go against my argument, since I spoke of that which 
 
 occurs in general, not of what happens rarely. 
 
 And observe how in another way He deprives them of all 
 
 excuse, when He saith that, the light came into the world. 
 
 " Did they seek it themselves," He saith, " did they toil, 
 
 did they labour to find it.? The light itself came to them, 
 
 and not even so would they hasten to it." And if there be 
 
 some Christians who live wickedly, I would argue that He 
 
 doth not say this of those who have been Christians from the 
 
 beginning, and who have inherited true religion from their 
 
 forefathers, (although even these for the most part have 
 
 >7rop€- been shaken from' right doctrine by their evil life,) yet still 
 
 e"™"" •'• ^^^^^ t^^* He doth not now speak concerning these, but 
 
 concerning the heathen and the Jews who ought to have 
 
 ■< al. come* to the right faith. For He shewetli that no man 
 
 them-^ living in error would choose to come to the truth unless he 
 
 selves'^ before had planned* for himself a righteous life, and that 
 
 iW. al. none would remain in unbelief unless he had- previously 
 
 iiriypd- chosen always to be wicked. 
 
 Do not tell me that a man is temperate, and does not rob ; 
 these things by themselves are not virtue. For what advan- 
 tageth it, if a man has these things, and yet is the slave of 
 vain-glory, and remains in his error, from fear of the 
 company of his friends ? This is not right living. The 
 6 or slave of a reputation^ is no less a sinner than the fornicator; 
 
 fflorv 
 
 nay, he worketh more and more grievous deeds than he. 
 But tell me of any one that is free from all passions and 
 from all iniquity, and who remains among the heathen. 
 
Nathanael compared with Nicodemus. 235 
 
 Thou canst not do so; for even those among them who Johw 
 have boasted great things, and who have, as they say', jg^'o. 
 mastered avarice or gluttony, have been, most of all men,'ar; 
 the slaves of reputation', and this is the cause of all evils, ^aym' 
 Thus it is that the Jews also have continued Jews; for'°^ , 
 which cause Christ rebuked them and said, How can yccfb^li. 
 believe, which receive honour from men? 
 
 " And why, pray, did He not speak on these matters with 
 Nathanael, to whom He testified of the truth, nor extend 
 His discourse to any length ?" Because even he came not 
 with such zeal as did Nicodemus. For Nicodemus made 
 this his work', and the season which others used for rest hesi. e. 
 made a season for hearing; but Nathanael came at the'^'^.g""® 
 instance of another. Yet not even him did Jesus entirely object, 
 pass by, for to him He saith. Hereafter ye shall see heaven c. i,5l. 
 open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon 
 the Son of Man. But to Nicodemus He spake not so, but 
 conversed with him on the Dispensation and on eternal life, 
 addressing each differently and suitably .to the condition of 
 his will. It was sufficient for Nathanael, because he knew 
 the writings of the prophets, and was not so timid either, to 
 hear only thus far; but because Nicodemus was as 3'et 
 possessed by fear, Christ did not indeed clearly reveal to him 
 the whole, but shook his mind so as to cast out fear by fear, 
 declaring that he who did not believe was being judged*, </cp/ve- 
 and that unbelief proceeded from an evil conscience. For "' 
 since he made great account of honour from men, more than 
 he did of the punishment; {Many, saith the Evangelist, o/'c. 12,42, 
 the rulers believed on Him, but because of the Jews they 
 did not confess ,•) on this point Christ toucheth him, saying, 
 " It cannot be that he who believeth not on Me disbelieveth 
 for any other cause save that he liveth an unclean life." 
 Farther on He saith, / am the Light, but here, the Light <'-^, iz< 
 came into the world; for at the beginning He spoke some- 
 what darkly, but afterwards more clearly. Yet even so the 
 man was kept back by regard for the opinion of the many, 
 and therefore could not endure to speak boldly as he ought. 
 
 Fly we then vain glory, for this is a passion more tyran- 
 nical than any. Hence spring covetousness and love of 
 wealth, hence hatred and wars and strifes; for he that 
 
236 How to obtain glory here and hereafter. 
 
 HoMiL. desires more than he has, will never be able to stop, and he 
 XXVIII 
 ■ , ' desires from no other cause, but only from his love of vain 
 
 glory. For tell me, why do so many encircle themselves with 
 
 multitudes of eunuchs, and herds of slaves, and much show? 
 
 Not because they need it, but that they may make those who 
 
 meet them witnesses of this unseasonable display. If then 
 
 we cut this off, we shall slay together with the head the 
 
 other members also of wickedness, and there will be nothing 
 
 to hinder us from dwelling on earth as though it were heaven. 
 
 Nor doth this vice merely thrust its captives into wickedness, 
 
 I vapv but is even co-existent' with their virtues, and when it is 
 
 tl>€<rrriK( unable entirely to cast us out of these, it still causeth us 
 
 much damage in the very exercise of them, forcing us to 
 
 undergo the toil and depriving us of the fruit. For he that 
 
 with an eye to this, fasts, and prays, and shews mercy, has 
 
 his reward. What can be more pitiable than a loss like 
 
 ^icSvTe- this, that it should befal man to bewaiP himself uselessly and 
 
 " "' in vain, and to become an object of ridicule, and to lose the 
 
 glory from above? Since he that aims at both can not 
 
 obtain both. It is indeed possible to obtain both, when we 
 
 desire not both, but one only, that from heaven; but he 
 
 cannot obtain both, who longs for both. Wherefore if we 
 
 wish to attain to glory, let us flee from human glory, and 
 
 desire that only which cometh from God ; so shall we obtain 
 
 both the one and the other; which may we all enjoy, through 
 
 the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, by 
 
 Whom and with Whom, to the Father and the Holy Ghost, 
 
 be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 
 
HOMILY XXIX. 
 
 John iii. 22. 
 
 And He came and His disciples into the landofJudaa, and 
 there He tarried with them [and baptized). 
 
 Nothing can be clearer or mightier than the truth, just as 
 nothing is weaker than falsehood, though it be shaded by ten 
 thousand veils. For even so it is easily detected, it easily 
 melts away. But truth stands forth unveiled for all that will 
 behold her beauty ; she seeks no concealment, dreads no 
 danger, trembles at no plots, desires not glory from the 
 many, is accountable to no mortal thing, but stands above 
 them all, is the object of ten thousand secret plots, yet 
 remaineth unconquerable, and guards as in a sure fortress 
 those who fly to her by her own exceeding might, who 
 avoids secret lurking places, and setteth what is hers before ■ 
 
 all men. And this Christ conversing with Pilate declared, 
 when He said, / ever taught openly, and in secret have 0.19,20. 
 I said nothing. As He spake then, so He acted now, for. 
 After this, sailh the Evangelist, He went forth and His 
 disciples in,to'ihe land ofJudcea, and there He tarried with 
 them, and baptized. At the feasts He went up to the 
 City to set forth in the midst of them His doctrines, and the 
 help of His miracles; but after the feasts were over. He often 
 went to Jordan, because many ran together there. For He 
 ever chose the most crowded places, not from any love of 
 show or vain-glory, but because He desired to afford His 
 help to the greatest number. 
 
238 Why Jesus baptized not, and John baptized. 
 
 HoMiL. Yet the Evangelist farther on says, that Jesus baptized 
 
 -not, hut His disciples; whence it is clear that this is his 
 
 meaning here also. And why did Jesus not baptize ? The 
 Baptist had said before, He shall baptize you with the Holy 
 Spirit and with fire. Now He had not yet given the Spirit, 
 and it was therefore with good cause that He did not baptize. 
 But His disciples did so, because they desired to bring many 
 to the saving doctrine. 
 
 " And why, when the disciples of Jesus were baptizing, 
 did not John cease to do so ? why did he continue to baptize, 
 and that even until he was led to prison ? for to say, 
 
 Ver. 23. John also was baptizing in j^non ; and to 
 add, 
 
 Ver. 24. John was not yet cast into prison, was to 
 declare that until that time he did not cease to baptize. 
 But wherefore did he baptize until then? For he would 
 have made the disciples of Jesus seem more reverend had 
 he desisted when they began. Why then did he baptize?" 
 It was that he might not excite his disciples to even stronger 
 rivalry, and mate them more contentious still. For if, 
 although he ten thousand times proclaimed Christ, yielded 
 to Him the chief place, and made himself so much inferior, 
 he still could not persuade them to run to Him ; he would, 
 had he added this also, have made them yet more hostile. 
 On this account it was that Christ began to preach more 
 constantly when John was removed. And moreover, I think 
 that the death of John was allowed, and that it happened 
 * Sieifle- very quickly, in order that the whole attention ' of the 
 '"'" multitude might be shifted to Christ, and that they might no 
 longer be divided in their opinions concerning the two. 
 
 Besides, even while he was baptizirig, he did not cease 
 continually to exhort them, and to shew them the high 
 and awful nature of Jesus. For he baptized them, and told 
 them no other thing than that they must believe on Him 
 that came after him. Now how would a man who acted 
 thus by desisting have made the disciples of Christ seem 
 worthy of reverence ? On the contrary, he would have been 
 thought to do so through envy and passion. But to continue 
 preaching gave a stronger proof j for he desired not glory for 
 himself, but sent on his hearers to Christ, and wrought with 
 
The object of the baptism of John and of the disciples. 239 
 
 Him not less, but rather much more than Christ's own dis- John 
 ciples, because his testimony was unsuspected and he was by IHl??.' 
 all men far more highly esteemed than they. And this the 
 Evangelist implies, when he says, that " all Judeea and the Matt. 3, 
 country round about Jordan went out to him, and were^" 
 baptized." Even when the Disciples were baptizing, yet 
 many did not cease to run to him. 
 
 If any one should enquire, " And in what was the baptism 
 of the disciples better than that of John ?" we will reply, 
 " in nothing;" both were alike without the gift of the Spirit, 
 both parties alike had one reason for baptizing, and that was, 
 to lead the baptized to Christ. For in order that they might 
 not be always running about to bring together those that 
 should believe, as in Simon's case his brother did, and Philip 
 to Nalhanael, they instituted baptism, in order by it to bring 
 all men to them easily, and to prepare a way for the faith which 
 was to be. But that the baptisms had no superiority one 
 over the other, is shewn by what follows. What is that ? 
 
 Ver. 25. There arose, saith the Evangelist, a question 
 {between some) of Johii's disciples and the Jews about 
 purifying. 
 
 For the disciples of John being ever jealously disposed 
 towards Christ's disciples and Christ Himself, when they saw 
 them baptizing, began to reason with those who were baptized, 
 as though their baptism vv-as in a manner superior to that of 
 Christ's disciples; and taking one of the baptized, they tried 
 to persuade him of this; but persuaded him not. Hear how 
 the Evangelist has given us to understand that it was they 
 who attacked him, not he who set on foot the question. He 
 doth not say, that " a certain Jew questioned with them," but 
 that there arose a questioning from the disciples of John 
 with a certain Jew ", concerning purification. 
 
 [2.] And observe, I pray you, the Evangelist's inoffensive' 
 ness. He does not speak in the way of invective, but as far 
 as he is able softens the charge, merely saying, that a question 
 arose; whereas the sequel (which he has also set down in an 
 inoffensive manner) makes it plain that what was said was 
 said from jealousy. 
 
 * 'louSaiou riv6s. This reading is of the Greek commentators : the plural 
 found in the Complut. and in most in G. T., Vulgate, and Latin writers. 
 
1 
 
 240 Jealousy of John's disciples. 
 
 HoMir.. Ver. 26. They came, sailh he, unto John, and said unto 
 
 XXIX J ' 
 
 ■ Mm, Rabbi., He that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom 
 
 thou barest witness, behold the same baptizeth, and all men 
 come to Him. 
 
 That is, " He whom thou didst baptize ;" for this they 
 imply when they say, " to whom thou barest witness," as 
 though they had said, " He whom thou didst point out as 
 illustrious, and make remarkable, dares to do the same as 
 thou." Yet they do not say, " He whom thou didst baptize" 
 baptizeth; (for then they would have been obliged to make 
 mention of the Voice that came down from heaven, and of 
 the descent of the Spirit ;) but what say they ? He that was 
 with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness; 
 that is, " He who held the rank of a disciple, who was 
 nothing more than we, this man hath separated himself, and 
 irapa- baptizeth." For they thought to make him jealous ', not 
 only by this, but by asserting that their own reputation was 
 now diminishing. All, say they, come to Him. Whence it 
 is evident, that they did not get the better of the Jew with 
 whom they disputed? but they spoke these words because 
 they were imperfect in disposition, and were not yet clear 
 from a feeling of rivalry. What then doth John ? He did 
 mot rebuke them severely, fearing lest they should separate 
 themselves again from him, and work some other mischief. 
 What are his words "" ? 
 
 Ver. 27. A man can receioe nothing, except it be given 
 him from above. 
 
 Marvel not, if he speak of Christ in a lowly strain ; it was 
 impossible to teach all at once, and from the very beginning, 
 men so preoccupied by passion. But he desires to strike 
 them for a while with awe and terror, and to shew them that 
 they warred against none other than God Himself, when they 
 warred against Christ. And here he secretly establishes 
 
 Acts 5, that truth, which Gamaliel asserted, Ye cannot overthrow it, 
 lest haply ye be found even to fight against God. For to 
 say, None can receive any thing, except it be given him 
 from heaven, was nothing else than declaring that they 
 were attempting impossibilities, and so would be found to 
 fight against God. " Well, but did not Theudas and his 
 
 1> Morel. ' but he speaks in a manner reservedly.' 
 
The witness of John to Christ. 241 
 
 followers ' receive' from themselves ?" They did, but they John- 
 - - III. 
 
 28, 29. 
 
 straightway were scattered and destroyed, not so what ^^^" 
 
 belonged to Christ. 
 
 By this also he gently consoles them, shewing them that it 
 was not a man, but God, Who surpassed them in honour; 
 and that therefore they must not wonder if what belonged to 
 Him was glorious, and if all men came unto Him ,• for that 
 this was the nature of divine things, and that it was God 
 Who brought them to pass, because no man ever yet 
 had power to do such deeds. All human things are easily 
 seen through, and rotten, and quietly melt away and perish ; 
 these were not such, therefore not human. Observe too 
 how when they said, to whom thou barest witness, he 
 turned against themselves that which they thought they had 
 put forward to lower Christ, and silences them after shewing 
 that Jesus' glory came not from his testimony ; A man cannot, 
 he saith, receive any thing of himself, except it be given him 
 from heaven. "If ye hold at all to my testimony, and 
 believe it to be true, know that by that testimony ye ought 
 to prefer not me to Him, but Him to me. For what was it 
 that I testified ? I call you yourselves to witness." 
 
 Ver. 28. Ve yourselves bear me witness that I said, I am 
 not the Christ, but that I am sent before Him. 
 
 " If then ye hold to my testimony, (and ye even now 
 produce it when ye say, to Whom thou barest witness^ He 
 is not only not diminished by receiving my witness, but 
 rather is increased by it; besides, the testimony was not 
 mine, but God's. So that if I seem to you to be trustworthy, 
 I said this among other things, that / am sent before Him.'" 
 Seest thou how he shews little by little that this Voice was 
 divine ? For what he saith is of this kind : "I am a servant, 
 and say the words of Him that sent me, not flattering Christ 
 through human favour, but serving His Father Who sent me. 
 I gave not the testimony as a gift', but what I was sent to' exoc- 
 speak, I spake. Do not then because of this suppose that I " '"'" 
 am great, for it shews that He is great. He is Lord of all 
 things." This he goes on to declare, and says, 
 
 Ver. 29. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom ; hut the 
 friend of the bridegroom which standeth and heareth him, 
 rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom^ s voice, 
 
 R 
 
242 The friend of the Bridegroom. 
 
 HoMii.. " But how doth he who said, whose shocks latchet I am not 
 
 ^^^^^ worthy to unloose, now call himself His friend?" It is not to 
 
 ' exalt himself, nor boastingly, that he saith this, but from 
 
 desire to shew that he too most forwards this, (i. e. the 
 
 exaltation of Christ,) and that these things come to pass not 
 
 against his will or to his grief, but that he desires and is 
 
 eager for them, and that it was with a special view to them 
 
 that all his actions had been performed ; and this he has 
 
 very wisely shewn by the term friend. For on occasions 
 
 like marriages, the servants of the bridegroom are not so 
 
 glad and joyful as \As friends. It was not from any desire to 
 
 prove equality of honour, (away with the thought,) but only 
 
 excess of pleasure, and moreover from condescensioB to 
 
 their weakness that he calleth hvaxseM friend. For his service 
 
 'al.'im-he before declared' by saying, / am sent before Him. On 
 
 ^ '° this account, and because they thought that he was vexed at 
 
 what had taken place, he called himself the friend of the 
 
 Bridegroom, to shew that he was not only not vexed, but that 
 
 he even greatly rejoiced. "For," saith he, "I came to 
 
 effect this, and am so far from grieving at what has been 
 
 done, that had it not come to pass, I should then have been 
 
 greatly grieved. Had the bride not come to the Bridegroom, 
 
 then I should have been grieved, but not now, since my task 
 
 - or, has been accomplished. When His servants'* are advancing, 
 
 * *'" we are they who gain the honour ; for that which we desired 
 
 hath come to pass, and the bride knoweth the Bridegroom, 
 
 and ye are witnesses of it when ye say. All men come unto 
 
 Him. This I earnestly desired, I did all to this iend ; and 
 
 now when I see that it has come to pass, I am glad, and 
 
 rejoice, and leap for joy." 
 
 [3.] But what meaneth. He which standeth and heareth 
 Him rejoiceth greatly, because of the BridegroonCs voice? 
 He transfers the expression from the parable to the subject 
 in hand ; for after mentioning the bridegroom and the bride, 
 he shews how the bride is brought home, that is, by a Voice 
 and teaching. For thus the Church is wedded to God; and 
 Eom.io, therefore Paul saith, Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by 
 ^'^- the Word of God. "At this Fm'ce," saith he," I rejoice." And 
 not without a cause doth he put who standeth, but to shew that 
 his office had ceased, that he had given over to Him the 
 
John a witness of the superiority of Christ. 243 
 
 Bride, and must for the future stand and hear Him ; that J"hn 
 he was a servant and minister; that his good hope and — '- — '- 
 his joy was now accomplished. Therefore he saith, 
 
 This my Joy therefore is fulfilled. 
 
 That is to say, " The work is finished which was to be 
 done by me, for the future I can do nothing more." Then, 
 to prevent increase of jealous feeling, not then only, but for the 
 future, he tells them also of what should come to pass, 
 confirming this too by what he had already said and done"". 
 Therefore he continues, 
 
 Ver. 30. He must increase, but I must decrease. 
 
 That is to say, " What is mine has now come to a stand, 
 and has henceforth ceased, but what is His increaseth; for 
 that which ye fear shall not be now only, but much more as 
 it advances. And it is this especially which shews what is 
 mine the brighter ; for this end I came, and I rejoice that 
 what is His hath made so great progress, and that those 
 things have come to pass on account of which all that I did 
 was done." Seest thou how gently and very wisely he 
 softened down their passion, quenched their envy, shewed 
 them that they were undertaking impossibilities, a method 
 by which wickedness is best checked ? For this purpose it 
 was ordained, that these things should take place while 
 John was yet alive and baptizing, in order that his disciples 
 might have him as a witness of the superiority of Christ, and 
 that if they should not believe^ they might be without '"r> 
 excuse. For John came not to say these words of his own 
 accord, nor in answer to other enquirers, but they asked the 
 question themselves, and heard the answer. For if he had 
 spoken of himself, their belief would not have been equal to 
 the self-condemning^ judgment which they received when'i. e. if 
 they heard him answer to their question ; just as the Jews iig^-|^|j ^' 
 also, in that they sent to him from their homes, heard whatnot- 
 they did, and yet would not believe, by this especially 
 deprived themselves of excuse. 
 
 What then are we taught by this ? That a mad desire of 
 glory' is the cause of all evils; this led them to jealousy, ^al. 
 and when they had ceased for a little, this roused them to it ^^^,' 
 
 •> So Savile and Mas. Morel's reading has the same sense, but is less clear 
 and concise. 
 
 r2 
 
244 The evils of vain-glory : 
 
 HoMiL. again. "Wherefore they come to Jesus, and say, Why do Thy 
 
 ^^^^ disciples fast not? Let us then, beloved, avoid this passion; 
 
 14. * 'for if we avoid this we shall escape hell. For this vice 
 specially kindles the fire of hell, and everywhere extends" its 
 
 ' iiiav rule, and tyrannically occupies every age and every rank'. 
 This hath turned churches upside down, this is mischievous 
 in state matters, hath subverted houses, and cities, and 
 peoples, and nations. Why marvellest thou ? It hath even 
 gone forth into the desert, and manifested even there its 
 great power. For men who have bidden an entire farewell 
 to riches and all the show of the world, who converse with 
 no one, who have gained the mastery over the more im- 
 perious desires after the flesh, these very men, made captives 
 by vain-glory, have often lost all. By reason of this passion, 
 one who had laboured much went away worse off than one who 
 had not laboured at all, but on the contrary had committed 
 ten thousand sins ; the Pharisee than the Publican. However, 
 to condemn the passion is easy enough, (all agree in doing 
 that,) but the question is, how to get the better of it. How 
 can we do this ? By setting honour against honour. For as 
 we despise the riches of earth when we look to the other 
 riches, as we contemn this life when we think of that far 
 better than this, so we shall be enabled to spit on this world's 
 glory, when we know of another far more august than it, 
 which is glory indeed. One is a thing vain and empty, has 
 the name without the reality ; but that other, which is from 
 heaven, is true, and has to give its praise Angels, and Arch- 
 angels, and the Lord of Archangels, or rather I should say 
 that it has men as well. Now if thou lookest to that theatre, 
 learnest what crowns are there, transportest thyself into the 
 applauses which come thence, never will earthly things be 
 able to hold thee, nor when they come wilt thou deem them 
 great, nor when they are away seek after them. For even in 
 earthly palaces none of the guards who stand around the 
 king, neglecting to please him that wears the diadem and 
 sits upon the throne, troubles himself about the voices of daws, 
 or the noise of flies and gnats flying and buzzing about him ; 
 and good report from men is no better than these. Knowing 
 
 « al. 'of then the worthlessness of human things', let us collect our 
 
 ■= Bon. ' so does it every where extend.' 
 
 men 
 
and how to avoid it. 245 
 
 all into treasuries that cannot be spoiled, let us seek that John 
 ■ glory which is abiding and immoveable ; which may we all mii£- 
 attain, through the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ, by Whom and with Whom to the Father and 
 the Holy Spirit be glory, now and ever, and world without 
 end. Amen. 
 
HOMILY XXX. 
 
 John iii. 31. 
 
 He that comethfrom above is above all; he that is of the 
 earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth. 
 
 A DREADFUL thing is the love of glory, dreadful and full of 
 
 many evils; it is a thorn hard to be extracted, a wild beast 
 
 iintameable and many headed, arming itself against those 
 
 that feed it ; for as the worm eats through the wood from 
 
 which it is born, as rust wastes the iron whence it comes 
 
 forth, and moths the fleeces, so vainglory destroys the soul 
 
 which nourishes it ; and therefore we need great diligence to 
 
 remove the passion. Observe here how long a charm John 
 
 1 Sira uses over ' the disciples affected by it, and can scarcely 
 
 ™hraii- pacify them. For he softens^ them with other words besides 
 
 T\6T. those already mentioned. And what are these others ? He 
 
 ments' that comeih from above, he saith, is above all; he that is of 
 
 the earth, is earthly, and speaketh of the earth. Since you 
 
 3 8j/u Ko! make much ado with my testimony ', and in this way say that 
 
 1Jp4. I am more worthy of credit than He, you needs must know 
 
 "f^'T^ this, that it is impossible for One Who cometh from heaven 
 
 to have His credit strengthened by one that inhabiteth 
 
 earth. 
 
 And what means, above all, what is the expression 
 intended to shew to us? That Christ hath need of nothing, 
 but is Himself sufficient for Himself, and incomparably 
 greater than all ; of himself John speaks as being of the earth, 
 and speaking of the earth. Not that he spake of his own 
 mind, but as Christ said, If I have told you of earthly things 
 and ye believe not, so calling Baptism, not because it was an 
 
The credibility of Christ. 247 
 
 earthly thing, but because He compared it when He spake John 
 with His own Ineffable Generation, so here John said that he ^HiH: 
 spake of earth, comparing his own with Christ's teaching. 
 For the speaking of earth means nothing else than this, 
 " My things are little and low and poor compared with His, 
 and such as it was probable that an earthly nature would 
 receive. In Him are hid all the treasures of wisdom." ThatCol.2,5. 
 he speaks not of human reasonings is plain from this. He 
 that is of the earth, saith he, is earthly. Yet not all in him 
 was earthly, but the higher parts were heavenly, for he had a 
 soul, and was partaker of a Spirit which was not of earth. How 
 then saith he that he is earthly? Seest thou not that he means 
 only, " I am small and of no esteem, going on the ground 
 and born in the earth; but Christ came to us from above." 
 Having by all these means quenched their passion, he after- 
 wards speaks more openly of Christ ; for before this it was 
 useless to utter words which could never have gained a 
 place in the understanding of his hearers : but when he hath 
 pulled up the thorns, he then boldly casts in the seed, 
 saying, 
 
 Ver. 31, 32. He that cometh from above is above all. And 
 what He hath heard He speaketh, and what He hath seen 
 He testifieth^ ; and no man receiveth His testimony. ^hkiip. 
 
 Having uttered something great and sublime concerning ""i**"- 
 Him, he again brings down his discourse to a humbler G. T. 
 strain. For the expression, what He hath heard and seen, 
 is suited rather to a mere man. What He knew He knew 
 not from having learned it by sight, or from having heard it, 
 but He included the whole in His Nature, having come forth 
 perfect from the Bosom of His Father, and needing none to 
 teach Him. For, As the Father, He saith, knoweth il!fe,c. 10,15. 
 even so know I the Father. What then means, He speaketh 
 that He hath heard, and testifieth that He hath seen ? Since 
 by these senses we gain correct knowledge of every thing, 
 and are deemed worthy of credit when we teach on matters 
 which our eyes have embraced and our ears have taken in, 
 as not in such cases inventing or speaking falsehoods, John 
 desiring here to establish this point S said, What He hath * i.e. the 
 heard and seen: that is, " nothing that cometh from Him isyfity of 
 false, but all is true." Thus we when we are making curious Christ. 
 
248 Christ refers to the Father. 
 
 HoMiL. enquiry into any thing, often ask, " Didst thou hear it ?" 
 
 ^ " Didst thou see it ?" And if this be proved, the testimony 
 
 c. 5, 30. is indubitable, and so when Christ Himself saith, As I hear, 
 c.i5,\o. I judge ; and. What I have heard from My Father, that I 
 Wyvtii- speak\- and, We speak" that We have seen; and whatsoever 
 6uiV other sayings He uttereth of the kind, are uttered not that we 
 G. T. might imagine that He saith what He doth being taught of 
 ' AuifiTu- any, (it were extreme folly to think this,) but in order that 
 pov/ifv nothing of what is said may be suspected by the shame- 
 less Jews. For because they had not yet a right opinion 
 concerning Him, He continually betakes Himself to His 
 Father, and hence makes His sayings credible. 
 
 [2.] And why wonderest thou if He betake Himself to the 
 Father, when He often resorts to the Prophets and the 
 c. 5, 39. Scriptures? as when He saith. They are they that testify of 
 Me. Shall we then say that He is inferior to the Prophets, 
 because He draws testimonies from them ? Away with the 
 thought. It is because of the infirmity of His hearers that 
 He so orders His discourse, and saith that He spake what 
 He spake having heard it from the Father, not because He 
 needed a teacher, but that they might believe that nothing 
 that He said was false. John's meaning is of this kind: " I 
 desire to hear what He saith, for He cometh from above, 
 bringing thence those tidings which none but He knoweth 
 rightly; for what He hath seen and heard, is the expression 
 of one who declareth this. 
 
 And no man receiveth His testimony. Yet He had dis- 
 ciples, and many besides gave heed to His words. How 
 then saith John, No man? He saith, no man, instead of 
 " few men," for had he meant " no man at all," how could he 
 have added, 
 
 Ver. 33. He that hath received His testimony, hath set to 
 his seal that God is true. 
 
 Here he touches his own disciples, as not being likely for 
 a time to be firm believers. And that they did not even 
 after this believe in Him, is clear from what is said afterwards; 
 for John even when dwelling in the prison sent them thence 
 to Christ, that he might the more bind them to Him. Yet 
 even then they scarcely believed, to which Christ alluded 
 Mat. n, when He said. And blessed is he whosoever shall not be 
 
 6. 
 
Belief in Christ is belief in the Father. 249 
 
 offended in Me. And therefore now he said, And no man John 
 
 receiveth His testimony, to make sure his own disciples ; all IHiii" 
 
 but saying, " Do not, because for a time few shall believe 
 
 on Him, therefore deem that His words are false ; for, He 
 
 speakeih that He hath seen. Moreover he saith this to 
 
 touch also the insensibility of the Jews. A charge which 
 
 the Evangelist at commencing' brought against them, say- 1 or, ' at 
 
 ing. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. 
 
 o' ' comm. 
 
 For this is no reproach against Him, but an accusation of of the 
 those who received Him not. o.*!^]!. 
 
 He that hath received His testimony hath set to his seal 
 that God is true. Here he terrifies them also by shewing 
 that he who believeth not on Him, disbelieveth not Him 
 alone, but the Father also ; wherefore he adds : 
 
 Ver. 34. He Whom God hath sent speaketh the words of 
 God. 
 
 Since then He speaketh His words, he that believeth and 
 he that believeth not, believeth or believeth not God. Hath 
 set to his seal, that is, " hath declared." Then, to increase 
 their dread, he saith, that God is true; thus shewing, that 
 no man could disbelieve Christ without making God Who 
 sent Him guilty of a falsehood. Because, since He saith 
 nothing save what is from The Father, but all that He saith 
 is His, he that heareth not Him, heareth not Him that sent 
 Him. See how by these words again he strikes them with 
 fear. As yet they thought it no great thing not to hearken 
 to Christ; and therefore he held so great a danger above 
 the heads of the unbelievers, that they might learn that they 
 hearken not to God Himself, who hearken not to Christ. 
 Then he proceeds with the discourse, descending to the 
 measure of their infirmity, and saying, 
 
 For God giveth not the Spirit by measure. 
 Again, as I said, he brings down his discourse to lower 
 ground, varying it and making it suitable to be received by 
 those who heard it then ; otherwise he could not have raised 
 them and increased their fear. For had he spoken any thing 
 great and sublime concerning Jesus Himself, they would not 
 have believed, but might even have despised Him. There- 
 fore he leads up all to the Father, speaking for a while of 
 Christ as of a man. But what is it that he saith, God giveth 
 
250 Reserve of John in speaking of Christ. 
 
 HoMiL.wo^ the Spirit by measure? He would shew that we all 
 
 '- have received the operation of the Spirit by measure, (for 
 
 in this place he means by Spirit the operation of the Spirit, 
 
 for this it is that is divided,) but that Christ hath all Its 
 
 operation unmeasured and entire. Now if His operations 
 
 be unmeasured, much more His Essence. Seest thou too 
 
 that the Spirit is Infinite? How then can He Who hath 
 
 received all the operation of the Spirit, Who knoweth the 
 
 c. 3, 11. things of God, Who saith, We speak that We have heard, 
 
 and testify that We have seen, be rightly suspected? He 
 
 saith nothing which is not of Qod, or which is not of the 
 
 Spirit. And for a while he uttereth nothing concerning 
 
 1 ToC God the Word', but maketh all his doctrine credible by 
 
 hlyov (reference to) the Father and the Spirit. For that there is 
 
 a God they knew, and that there is a Spirit they knew, (even 
 
 though they held not a right opinion concerning Him,) but 
 
 that there is a Son, they knew not. It is for this reason that 
 
 he ever has recourse to the Father and the Spirit, thence 
 
 confirming his words. For if any one should take no 
 
 account of this reason, and examine his language by itself, 
 
 = or ' he' it" would fall very far short of the Dignity of Christ. Christ 
 
 was not therefore worthy of their faith, because He had the 
 
 operation of the Spirit, (for He needeth not aid from thence,) 
 
 but is Himself Self-suflacient ; only for a while the Baptist 
 
 3 areXi- speaks to the understanding of the simpler' sort, desiring to 
 
 o-Tcpuv raise them up by degrees from their low notions. 
 
 And this I say, that we may not carelessly pass by what is 
 contained in the Scriptures, but may fully consider the 
 object of the speaker, and the infirmity of the hearers, and 
 many other points in them. For teachers do not say all as 
 they themselves would wish, but generally as the state of 
 1 Cor. their weak (hearers) requires. Wherefore Paul saith, I could 
 
 3 12 
 
 ' ■ ■ not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal : I 
 have fed you with milk, and not with meat. He means, " I 
 desired indeed to speak unto you as imto spiritual, but could 
 not;" not because he was unable, but because they were not 
 able so to hear. So too John desired to teach some great 
 things to the disciples, but they could not yet bear to receive 
 them, and therefore he dwells for the most part on that 
 which is lowlier. 
 
Serif ture useless unless carefully studied. 251 
 
 It behoves us therefore to explore all carefully. For the John 
 words of the Scriptures are our spiritual weapons; but if we^H^-^- 
 know not how to fit those weapons and to arm our scholars 
 rightly, they keep indeed their proper power, but cannot 
 help those who receive them. For let us suppose there to be 
 a strong corslet, and helm, and shield, and spear ; and let 
 one take this armour and put the corslet about his feet, the 
 helmet over his eyes instead of on his head, let him not put 
 the shield before his breast, but perversely tie it to his legs : 
 will he be able to gain any advantage from the armour? will he 
 not rather be harmed? It is plain to any one that he will. 
 Yet not on account of the weakness of the weapons, but on 
 account of the unskilfulness of the man who knows not how 
 to use them well. So with the Scriptures, if we confound 
 their order ; they will even so retain their proper force, yet 
 will do us no good. Although I am always telling you this 
 both in private and in public, I effect nothing, but see you 
 all your time nailed to the things of this life, and not so 
 much as dreaming ° of spiritual matters. Therefore our lives 
 are careless, and we who strive for truth have but little 
 power, and are become a laughing stock to Greeks and Jews 
 and Heretics. Had ye been careless in other matters, and 
 exhibited in this place the same indifference as elsewhere, 
 not even so could your doings have been defended ; but 
 now in matters of this life, every one of you, artizan and 
 politician alike, is keener than a sword, while in necessary 
 and spiritual things we are duller than any ; making by-work 
 business, and not deeming that which we ought to have 
 esteemed more pressing than any business, to be by-work 
 even. Know ye not that the Scriptures were written not for 
 the first of mankind alone, but for our sakes also? Hearest 
 thou not Paul say, that they are written for our admonition, i Cor. 
 upon whom the ends of the world are come; that we through ^a^^ ' 
 patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope?^^,*- 
 I know that I speak in vain, yet will I not cease to speak, 
 for thus I shall clear myself before God, though there be ' airo\o- 
 none to hear me. He that speaketh to them that give heed T^'^"'*"' 
 hath this at least to cheer his speech, the persuasion of his 
 hearers ; but he that speaks continually and is not listened 
 
 " ouSe ii/ap iieT4x9i'Tas, al, oUSeva Kiyov iroioviiivovs. 
 
252 No loss to the preacher from his hearers indifference. 
 
 HoMiL.to, and yet ceaseth not to speak, may be worthy of greater 
 ^^^' honour than the other, because he fulfils the will of God, 
 even though none give heed unto him, to the best of his 
 power. StUl, though our reward will be greater owing to 
 your disobedience, we rather desire that it be diminished, 
 and that your salvation be advanced, thinking that your 
 • €u5oKf- being well approved of is a great reward. And we now 
 '"'"'"' say this not to make our discourse painful and burden- 
 some to you, but to shew to you the grief which we feel by 
 reason of your indifference. God grant that we may be 
 all of us delivered from this, that we may cling to spiritual 
 zeal and obtain the blessings of heaven, through the grace 
 and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom 
 to the Father and the Holy Ghost be glory, for ever and 
 ever. Amen. 
 
HOMILY XXXI. 
 
 John iii. 35, 36. 
 
 The Father Imeih the Son, and hath given all things into 
 His hand. He that helieveth on the Son hath everlasting 
 life, atid he that helieveth not the Son shall not see life ; 
 but the wrath of God abideth on him. 
 
 Great is shewn to be in all things the gain of humility', i lit. 
 Thus it is that we have brought arts to perfection, not by ' "o"^^' 
 learning them all at once from our teachers ; it is thus that we sion.' 
 have built cities, putting them together slowly, little by 
 little ; it is thus that we maintain' our life. And marvel not if ^ Siawpa- 
 the thing has so much power in matters pertaining to this ""'''"'• 
 life, when in spiritual things one may find that great is the 
 power of this wisdom. For so the Jews were enabled to be 
 delivered from their idolatry, being led on gently and little 
 by little, and hearing from the first nothing sublime con- 
 cerning either doctrine or life. So after the coming of 
 Christ, when it was the time for higher doctrines, the Apo- 
 stles brought over all men without at first uttering any thing 
 sublime. And so Christ appears to have spoken to most at 
 the beginning, and so John did now, speaking of Him as of 
 some wonderful man, and darkly introducing high matter. 
 
 For instance, when commencing he spake thus: A man 
 cannot receive anything of himself^: then after adding a3c.3,2/'. 
 high expression, and saying, He that cometh from heaven * jTg 
 is above all, he again brings down his discourse to what is aw^.] 
 lowly, and besides many other things saith this, that Godi^^^^^^ 
 giveth not the Spirit by measure. Then he proceeds to say, <^- T. 
 The Father loveth the Son, and hath given, all things into 
 
254 Faith unavailing without a holy life. 
 
 HoMiL. His Hand. And after that, knowing that great is the force 
 
 ' al 'of °^ punishment', and that the many are not so much led by 
 
 themen- the promise of good things as by the threat of the terrible, 
 
 punish- ^^ concludes his discourse with these words ; He that 
 
 ment.' ielievefh on the Son hath everlasting life : hut he that 
 
 helieveth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of 
 
 God abideth on him. Here again he refers the account of 
 
 punishment to the Father, for he saith not " the wrath of 
 
 the Son," (yet He is the Judge,) but sets over them the 
 
 Father, desiring so the more to terrify them. 
 
 " Is it then enough," saith one, " to believe on the Son, 
 that one may have eternal life ?" By no means. And hear 
 Mat 7, Christ Himself declaring this, and saying. Not every one 
 that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom 
 of heaven; and the blasphemy against the Spirit is enough 
 of itself to cast a man into hell. But why speak I of a portion 
 of doctrine .? Though a. man believe rightly on the Father, 
 the Son, and the Holy Ghost, yet if he lead not a right life, 
 his faith will avail nothing towards his salvation. There- 
 c. 17, 3. fore when He saith, This is life eternal, that they may know 
 Thee the only true God, let us not suppose that the (know- 
 ledge) spoken of is sufficient for our salvation ; we need 
 besides this a most exact life and conversation. Since though 
 he has said here. He that believeth on tlie Son hath eternal 
 life, and in the same place something even stronger, 
 (for he weaves his discourse not of blessings only, but of 
 their contraries also, speaking thus : He that helieveth not the 
 Son shall not see life, hut the wrath of God ahideth on him ;) 
 yet not even from this do we assert that faith alone is 
 sufficient to salvation. And the directions for living given 
 in many places of the Gospels shew this. Therefore he did 
 not say, " This by itself is eternal life," nor, " He that doth 
 but believe on the Son hath eternal life," but by both 
 2 i.e. expressions he declared this, that the thing' doth contain 
 believ- i\{q^ yet that if a right conversation follow not, there will 
 follow a heavy punishment. And he did not say, " awaiteth 
 him," but, ahideth on him, that is, " shall never remove 
 from him." For that thou mayest not think that the 
 shall not see life, is a temporary death, but mayest believe 
 that the punishment is continual, he hath put this expression 
 
 IDg 
 
Importance of the doctrine of the Incarnation. 255 
 
 to shew that it rests' upon him continually. And this he John 
 has done, by these very words forcing them on= to Christ. iZi. 
 Therefore he gave not the admonition to them in particular, nui 
 but made it universal, the manner which best might bring \^^^, 
 them over. For he did not say, " if ye believe," and, " if ye ^ "S"" 
 believe not," but made his speech general, so that his words 
 might be free from suspicion. And this he has done yet 
 more strongly than Christ. For Christ saith, He that be- 
 Ueveth not is condemned already, but John saith, shall not 
 see life, hut the wrath of God abideth on him. With good 
 cause ; for it was a different thing for a man to speak . of 
 himself and for another to speak of him. They would have 
 thought that Christ spake often of these things from self love, 
 and that He was a boaster; but John was clear from all 
 suspicion. And if at a later time, Christ also used stronger 
 expressions, it was when they had begun to conceive an 
 exalted opinion of Him. 
 
 Chap. IV. Ver. I, 2, 8. When therefore Jesus" knew hotv^i^i. 
 the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptised'"" 
 more disciples than John, {though Jesus Himself baptised 
 not but His disciples,) He left Jud<Ba, and departed again 
 into Galilee. 
 
 He indeed baptized not, but they who carried the news, 
 desiring to excite their hearers to envy, so reported. 
 " Wherefore then departed He?" Not from fear, but to take 
 •away' their malice, and to soften their envy. He was indeed ^ut. 'cut 
 able to restrain them when they came against Him, but this °" 
 He would not do continually, that the Dispensation of the 
 Flesh might not be disbelieved. For had He often been 
 seized and escaped, this would have been suspected by many ; 
 therefore for the most part, He rather orders matters after 
 the manner of a man. And as He desired it to be believed 
 that He was God, so also that, being God, He bore the flesh; 
 therefore even after the Resurrection, He said to the disciple, 
 Handle Me and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bones ; l,nke2i, 
 therefore also He rebuked Peter when he said, Be it far from Mat.] 6, 
 Thee, this shall not be unto Thee. So much was this matter 22. 
 an obiect of care to Him. 
 
 [2.] For this is no small part of the doctrines of the^^r^p 
 Church; it is the chief point of the salvation wrought forus^jwo''' 
 
256 Christ, driven away by the Jews, cmnes to the Samaritans. 
 
 HoMiL.by which all has been brought to pass, and has had success, 
 XXXI. ^^^ .^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ bonds of death were loosed, sin 
 
 taken away, and the curse abolished, and ten thousand 
 blessings introduced into our life. And therefore He espe- 
 cially desired that the Dispensation should be believed, as 
 having been the root and fountain of innumerable goods 
 to us. 
 1 oIkovo- Yet while acting thus in regard of His Humanity', He 
 hveplmi- did not allow His Divinity to be overcast. And so, after His 
 •"^ departure He again employed the same language as before. 
 2 i.e. For He went not away into' Galilee simply^, but in order to 
 aa ob- effect certain important matters, those among the Samaritans; 
 jeot,^ nor did He dispense these matters simply, but with the 
 
 o.'k\S>s 
 
 3or 'be- wisdom that belonged to^ Him, and so as not to leave to the 
 came Jews any pretence even of a shameless excuse for them- 
 selves. And to this the Evangelist points when he says, 
 Ver. 4. And He must needs go through Samaria. 
 Shewing that He made this the bye-work of the journey. 
 Which also the Apostles did; for just as they, when persecuted 
 by the Jews, came to the Gentiles; so also Christ, when the 
 Jews drove Him out, then took the Samaritans in hand, as 
 He did also in the case of the Syrophenician woman. And 
 this was done that all defence might be cut away from the 
 Jews, and that they might not be able to say, " He left us, 
 and went to the uncircumcised." And therefore the disciples 
 Acts 13, excusing themselves said. It was necessary that the Word of 
 Mat. 15 God should first have been spoken unto you; but seeing ye 
 24.^ Judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn 
 air°^tJ- to the Gentiles. And He saith again Himself, / am not 
 xni/j G. come* but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel; and 
 « '\fiix- again. It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to 
 \fiv]G. gi^gs n fg fjQgg gyj when they drove Him away, they 
 opened a door to the Gentiles. Yet not so did He come to 
 the Gentiles expressly, but in passing °. In passing then, 
 
 Ver. 5, 6. He cometh to a city of Samaria, which is called 
 Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his 
 son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. 
 
 Why is the Evangelist exact about the place ? It is, that 
 
 * Morel. ' having thus hinted that which he wished, he again begins, saying, 
 Jesus therefore cometh, &c.' 
 
History of Samaria. 057 
 
 when thou hearest the woman say, " Jacob our father gave John 
 us this well," thou mayest not think it strange. For thisll±±- 
 was the place where Levi and Simeon, being angry because 
 of Dinah, wrought that cruel slaughter. And it may be worth 
 while to relate from what sources the Samaritans were made 
 np; since all this country is called Samaria. Whence then 
 did they receive their name? The mountain vras called l Kings 
 " Somor" from its owner: as also Esaias saith, and the head o/ig' 7 9_ 
 JEphraim is Somoron, but the inhabitants were termed not l'^^- 
 " Samaritans" but " Israelites." But as time went on, they 
 offended God, and in the reign of Pekah, Tiglath-Pileser2 Kings 
 came up, and took many cities, and set upon Elah, and having ' 
 slain him, gave the kingdom to Hoshea% Against him Shal-2 Kings 
 maneser came and took other cities, and made them subject ' 
 and tributary. At first he yielded, but afterwards he revolted 
 from the Assyrian rule, and betook himself to the alliance of 
 the Ethiopians '. The Assyrian learnt this, and having madfe M.e. 'the 
 war upon them and destroyed their cities, he no longer jj^J!" 
 allowed the nation to remain there, because he had such sus-2 Kings 
 picions that they would revolt. But he carried them to ' 
 Babylon and to the Medes, and having brought thence 
 nations from divers places, planted them in Samaria, that 
 his dominion for the future might be sm'e, his own people 
 occupying the place. After this, God, desiring to shew 
 that He had not given up the Jews through weakness, 
 but because of the sins of those who were given up, sent 
 lions against the foreigners'', who ravaged all their nation. 2 jSap^iJ. 
 These things were reported to the king, and he sent a*"""* 
 priest to deliver to them the laws of God. Still not even 
 so did they desist wholly from their impiety, but only by 
 halves. But as time went on, they in turn abandoned" ^ lit. 
 their idols, and worshipped God. And when things were in ^^'^y ^ 
 this state, the Jews having returned, ever after entertained a from' 
 iealous feeling towards them as strangers and enemies, and 
 called them from the name of the mountain, " Samaritans." 
 From this cause also there was no little rivalry between them. 
 The Samaritans did not use all the Scriptures, but received 
 the writings of Moses only, and made but little account of 
 
 a This account does not agree with the history, (2 Kings xt. 29, 30.) but there 
 is no other reading. 
 
 S 
 
258 Lahoriousness of Christ. 
 
 HoMiL. those of the Prophets. Yet they were eager to thrust them- 
 
 pp- ; selves into the noble Jewish stock, and prided themselves 
 
 ' regis- upon Abraham, and called' him their forefather, as being of 
 tered' chaldaea; and Jacob also they called their father, as being 
 his descendant. But the Jews abominated them as well as 
 all (other nations). Wherefore they reproached Christ with 
 c. 8, 48. this, saying. Thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil. And 
 for this reason in the parable of the man that went down 
 from Jerusalem to Jericho, Christ makes the man who shewed 
 Liikelo,pity upon him to have been a Samaritan, one who by them 
 ^^' was deemed mean, contemptible, and abominable. Aud in 
 the case of the ten lepers. He calls one a stranger on this 
 account, (for he was a Samaritan,) and He gave His charge 
 Mat. 10, to the disciples in these words, Go not into the way of 
 the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not. 
 [3.] Nor was it merely to describe the place that the 
 Evangelist has reminded us of Jacob, but to shew that the 
 I'ejection of the Jews had happened long ago. For during 
 the time of their forefathers these Jews possessed the land, 
 and not the Samaritans ; and the very possessions which not 
 being theirs, their forefathers had gotten, they being theirs, 
 ^al. had lost by their sloth and transgressions. So little^ is the 
 litSe' advantage of excellent ancestors, if their descendants be not 
 like them. Moreover, the foreigners when they had only 
 made trial of the lions, straightway returned to the right 
 3eu(r€- worship^ of the Jews, while they, after enduring such in- 
 flictions, were not even so brought to a sound mind. 
 
 To this place Christ now came, ever rejecting a sedentary 
 * ^avm- and soft* life, and exhibiting^ one laborious and active. He 
 iypbr 'iseth no beast to carry Him, but walketh so much on a 
 \ jit- Stretch, as even to be wearied with His journeying. And 
 dacing' this He ever leacheth, that a man should work for himself, 
 go without superfluities, and not have many wants. Nay, so 
 desirous is He that we should be alienated from superfluities, 
 that He abridgeth many even of necessary things. Where- 
 Mat. 8, fore He said. Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have 
 nests, hut the Son of Man hath not where to lay His Head. 
 Therefore He spent most of His time in the mountains, and 
 in the deserts, not by day only, but also by night. And this 
 Ps. no, David declared when he said, He shall drink of the brook 
 
His carelessness of food. 259 
 
 in the way: by this shewing His frugal' way of life. This John 
 too the Evangelist shews in this place. ly.e-s. 
 
 Ver. 6, 7, 8. Jesus therefore, being wearied with His ' active' 
 journey, sat thus by the well; and it teas about the sixth 
 hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water. 
 Jesus saith unto her, Give Me to drink. For His disciples 
 were gone away into the city to buy meat. 
 
 Hence we learn His activity in journeying, His careless- 
 ness about food, and how He treated it as a matter of minor 
 importance^ And so the disciples were taught to use the^'^p^p- 
 like disposition themselves; for they took with them no 
 provisions for the road. And this another Evangelist declares, 
 saying, that when He spake to them concerning the leavenM&t.ie, 
 of the Pharisees, they thought that it was because they ' 
 carried no bread; and when he introduces them plucking Mat. 12, 
 the ears of corn, and eating, and when he saith that Jesus 
 came to the fig-tree by reason of hunger, it is for nothing else Mat.2i, 
 but only to instruct us by all these to despise the belly, and 
 not to deem that its service is anxiously to be attended to. 
 Observe them, for instance, in this place neither bringing any 
 thing with them, nor because they brought not any thing, 
 caring for this at the very beginning and early part of the 
 day, but buying food at the time when all other people were 
 taking their meaP. Not like us, who the instant we -nse^ aptgio- 
 from our beds attend to this before any thing else, calling ^„|_ ggg 
 cooks and butlers, and giving our directions vvith all earnest- o? Stat. 
 
 Hom.ix. 
 
 ness, applying ourselves afterwards to other matters, pre- j. and 
 ferring temporal things to spiritual, valuing those things as°°'^" 
 necessary which we ought to have deemed of less importance^. * Trapep. 
 Therefore all things are in confusion. We ought, on the^"** 
 contrary, making much account of all spiritual things, after 
 having accomplished these, then to apply ourselves to the 
 others. 
 
 And in this place it is not His laboriousuess alone that is 
 shewn, but also His freedom from pride; not merely by 
 His being tired, nor by His sitting by the way-side, but by 
 His having been left alone, and His disciples having beeu 
 separated = from Him. And yet it was in His power if Hejai. 
 had willed it, either not to have sent them all away, or when dep^'a'n-^ 
 they had departed to have had other ministers. But He<"l' 
 
 s2 
 
260 Moderation of the Disciples. 
 
 HoMiL. would not; for so He aceustomed His disciples to tread all 
 
 — - — ^ pride beneath their feet. 
 
 " And what marvel," saith one, " if they were moderate in 
 their wishes, since they were fishermen and tentraakers?" 
 Yes ! Fishermen and tentmakers they were; but they had in 
 
 • i.epoov a moment' mounted even to the height of heaven, and had 
 
 become more honourable than all earthly kings, being 
 deemed worthy to become the companions of the Lord of 
 the world, and to follow Him whom all beheld with awe. 
 And ye know this too, that those men especially who are of 
 humble origin, whenever they gain distinction, are the more 
 easily lifted up to folly, because they are quite ignorant how 
 
 = al. 'soto bear their sudden^ honour. Restraining them therefore 
 in their present humblemindedness, He taught them always 
 
 ' avvea- to be moderate ', and never to require any to wait upon 
 
 TaKdai. T 
 
 them. 
 
 He therefore, saith the Evangelist, being wearied with 
 
 * ilea- His journey, sat* thus at the welP. 
 
 UKaSf- Seest thou that His sitting was because of weariness ? 
 i"'o] because of the heat ? because of His waiting for His dis- 
 5 iTrl TV ciples ? He knew indeed what should take place among the 
 '^yv Samaritans, but it was not for this that He came principally ; 
 yet, though He came not for this, it behoved not to reject 
 the woman who came to Him, when she manifested such a 
 desire to learn. The Jews, when He was even coming to 
 them, drove Him away ; they of the Gentiles, when He was 
 proceeding in another direction, drew Him to them. They 
 envied, these believed on Him. They were angry with, 
 these revered and worshipped Him. What then ? Was He 
 to overlook the salvation of so many, to send away such' 
 noble zeal ? This would have been unworthy of His loving- 
 kindness. Therefore He ordered all the matter in hand 
 with the Wisdom which became Him. He sat resting His 
 body and cooling It by the fountain ; for it was the very 
 middle of the day, as the Evangelist has declared, when he 
 says, 
 
 It was about the sixth hour. 
 
 He sat thus. What meaneth "thus?" Not upon a throne, 
 ^iis^rv-not upon a cushion, but simply, and as He was°, upon the 
 ground. 
 
Why Christ spoke with the Samaritan. 26 1 
 
 Ver. 7. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw John 
 water. 17.7-9. 
 
 [4.] Observe how he declarelh that the woman came 
 fortli for another purpose, in every way silencing the shame- 
 less gainsaying of the Jews, that none might say that He 
 acted in opposition to His own command, bidding (HisMat.io, 
 disciples) not to enter into any city of the Samaritans, yet^' 
 conversing with Samaritans. And therefore the Evangelist 
 has put, 
 
 Ver. 8. For His disciples were gone away into the city to 
 huy meat'. 
 
 Bringing in many reasons for His conversation with her. 
 What dolh the woman ? When she heard. Give Me to drink^, 
 she very wisely makes the speech of Christ an occasion for 
 a question, and saith, 
 
 Ver. 9. How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of 
 me, which am a Samaritan'^ For the Jews have no dealings 
 with the Samaritans. 
 
 And whence did she suppose Him to be a Jew? From His 
 dress, perhaps, and from His dialect. Observe, I pray you, 
 how considerate the woman was. If there was need of 
 caution, Jesus needed it, not she. For she doth not say, 
 " The Samaritans have no dealings with the Jews," but, 
 " The Jews do not admit the Samaritans." Yet still, although 
 free herself from blame^ when she supposed that another was lal.'sin' 
 falling into it she would not even so hold her peace, but 
 corrected, as she thought, what was done unlawfully. Per- 
 haps some one may ask how it was that Jesus asked drink of 
 her, when the law' did not permit it. If it be answered thats i. e. 
 it was because He knew beforehand that she would not give""^'""" 
 it, then for this very reason He ought not to have asked. What 
 then can we say ? That the rejecting such observances as 
 these was now a matter of indifference to Him ; for He Who 
 induced others to do them away, would much more Himself 
 pass them by. Not that which goeth in, saith He, defileth Mat.15, 
 a man, but that which goeth out. And this conversation^'^' 
 with the woman would be no slight charge against the Jews. 
 
 ' al. had not yet come. tells us, was what Christ said to her. 
 
 ^ al. being asked for water by Christ; What then saith she p Sow is it, 
 for, Give Me to drink, the Evangelist Sfc. 
 
262 Worthiness of the woman. 
 
 HoMiL. For often did He draw them to Himself, both by words and 
 55^* deeds, but they would not attend; while observe how she is 
 1 al. 'in detained by a simple request'. For He did not as yet enter 
 tion'"'' on the prosecution of this business^ nor the way% yet if any 
 2i.e.con- p^jjjg to Him He did not prevent them. And to the 
 
 version 
 
 3 i. e. of disciples also He said thus. Into any city of the Samaritans 
 
 tfir" ^"^^^ y^ "°^- He did not say, " And when they come to 
 
 you, reject them;" that would have been very unworthy 
 
 of His loving-kindness. And therefore He answered the 
 
 woman, and said, 
 
 Ver. 10. If thou knewest the gift of God, and Who it is that 
 saith to thee, Give Me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of 
 Him, and He would have given thee living water. 
 
 First, He sheweth that she is worthy to hear and not to be 
 overlooked, and then He revealeth Himself. For she, as 
 soon as she had learnt Who He was, would straightway 
 hearken and attend to Him ; which none can say of the 
 Jews, for they, when they had learned, asked nothing of 
 Him, nor did they desire to be informed on any profitable 
 matter, but insulted and drove Him away. But when the 
 woman had heard these words, observe how gently she 
 answers : 
 
 Ver. 11. Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well 
 is deep ; from whence then hast thou that living water ? 
 
 Already He hath raised her from her low opinion of 
 Him, and from deeming that He is a common man. For not 
 *Kvpie, without a reason doth she here call Him, "Lord*;" but 
 £ '^ assigning to Him high honour. That she spake these words 
 to honour Him, is plain from what is said afterwards, since 
 she did not laugh nor mock, but doubted for a while. And 
 wonder not if she did not at once perceive all, for neither 
 did Nicodemus. What saith he ? How can these things he? 
 and again. How can a man he horn when he is old? and 
 again, Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, 
 and he horn? But this woman more reverently: Sir, thou 
 hast nothing to draw vdth, and the well is deep; from 
 whence then hast thou that living water ? Christ said one 
 •thing, and she imagined another, hearing nothing beyond 
 the words, and as yet unable to form any lofty thought. 
 Yet, had she spoken hastily, she might have said, " If thou 
 
Her gentleness. 263 
 
 hadst had that living water, thou wouldest not have asked of John 
 me, but wouldest rather have provided for thyself. Thou — ^ — - 
 art but a boaster." But she said nothing like this; she 
 answers with much gentleness, both at first and afterwards. 
 For at first she saitb, How is it that thou, being a Jew, 
 askest drink of me? she saith not, as though speaking to an 
 alien and an enemy, " Far be it from me to give to thee, 
 who art a foe and a stranger to our nation." And afterwards 
 again, when she heard Him utter great words, a thing at 
 which enemies are most annoyed, she did not mock nor 
 deride' ; but what saith she .? " SieVupe 
 
 Ver. 12. Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which 
 gave us the well, and d/rank thereof himself, and Ms children, 
 and his cattle ? 
 
 Observe how she thrusts herself into the noble stock 
 of the Jews. For what she saith is somewhat of this kind : 
 " Jacob used this water, and had nothing better to give us." 
 And this she said shewing that from the first answer (of 
 Christ) she had conceived a great and sublime thought ; for 
 by the words, he drank thereof himself, and his children, 
 and his cattle, she implies nothing else, than that she had a 
 notion of a better Water, but that she" never found it, nor^ial.'not 
 clearly knew it. More clearly to explain what she means to 
 say, the sense of her words is this : " Thou canst not assert 
 that Jacob gave us this well, and used another himself; for 
 he and his children drank of this one, which they would not 
 have done if they had had another and a better. Now of 
 the water of this well it is not in thy power to give me, and 
 thou canst not have another and a better, unless thou dost 
 confess that thou art greater than Jacob. Whence then hast 
 thou that water which thou promisest that thou wilt give 
 us ?" The Jews did not converse with Him thus mildly, and 
 yet He spake to them on the same subject, making mention 
 of the like water, but they profited nothing ; and when He 
 made mention of Abraham, they even attempted to stone 
 Him. Not so does this woman approach Him; but with 
 much gentleness, in the midst of the heat, at noon, she with 
 much patience saith and hears all, and does not so much as 
 think of what the Jews most probably would have asserted, 
 that "This fellow is mad, and beside himself: he hath tied 
 
264 Life a time of preparation ; 
 
 HoMiL. me to this fount and well, giving me nothing, but using big 
 
 words ;" no, she endures and perseveres until she has found 
 
 what she seeks. 
 
 [5.] If now a woman of Samaria is so earnest to learn 
 something profitable, if she abides by Christ though not as 
 yet knowing Him, what pardon shall we obtain, who both 
 |al.'hav- knowing' Him, and being not by a well, nor in a desert 
 ingseen pj^^gg^ ^^^ ^^ noon-day, nor beneath the scorching sun- 
 beams, but at morning-tide, and beneath a roof like this, 
 ° <"", enjoying shade and comfort*, yet cannot endure to hear any 
 ness' thing that is said, but are wearied' by it. Not such was that 
 OTTO- woman ; so occupied was she by Jesus' words, that she even 
 T6J, al. called others to hear them. Tiie Jews, on the contrary, not 
 "■^"I only did not call, but even hindered and impeded those who 
 
 KVOVVTes . 
 
 ' al. 'to desired to come to HimS saying, See, have any of the rulers 
 ;nter in fjgHg^gd q^ /iijy^ ? f,ut this people, wMch knoweth not the 
 '^0.7,49. Law, are ciirsed^. Let us then imitate this woman of 
 not this Samaria; let us commune with Christ. For even now He 
 people, standeth in the midst of us, speaking to us by the Prophets 
 and Disciples ; let us hear and obey. How long shall we 
 live uselessly and in vain ? Because, not to do what is well- 
 pleasing to God is to live uselessly, or rather not merely 
 uselessly, but to our own hurt ; for when we have spent the 
 lime which has been given us on no good purpose, we shall 
 depart this life to suffer severest punishment for our un- 
 seasonable extravagance. For it can never be that a man 
 who has received money to trade with, and then has eaten it 
 6al.'anup, shall have it° required at his hands by the man who 
 entrusted it to him ; and that one who has spent such a life as 
 ours to no purpose shall escape punishment. It was not for this 
 that God brought us into this present life, and breathed into 
 ' ai.'live us a soul, that we should make use of the present time only', 
 the^pre^ but that we should do all our business with a regard to the 
 sent,' life which is to come. Things iiTationed only are useful for 
 ,r. the present life ; but we have an immortal soul, that we may 
 
 use every means to prepare ourselves for that other life. For 
 if one enquire the use of horses and asses and oxen, and 
 other such-like animals, we shall tell him that it is nothing 
 else but only to minister to the present life ; but this cannot 
 be said of us ; our best condition is that which follows on 
 
for an immortal state. 265 
 
 our departure hence ; and we must do all that we may shine John 
 there, that we may join the choir of Angels, and stand before the lll}^ 
 King continually, through endless' ages. And therefore the'ai. 'in- 
 soul is immortal, and the body shall be immortal too, that we <'°""P'' 
 may enjoy the never-ending blessings. But if, when heavenly 
 things are proffered thee, thou remainest nailed to earth, 
 consider what an insult is offered to thy Benefactor, when 
 He holdeth forth to thee things above, and thou, making no 
 great account of them, choosest earth instead. And there- 
 fore, as despised by thee, He hath threatened thee with hell, 
 that thou mayest learn hence of what great blessings thou 
 deprivest thyself. God grant that none make trial of that 
 punishment, but that having been well-pleasing to Christ, 
 we may obtain everlasting blessings, through the grace and 
 loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ ; to Whom with 
 the Father and the Holy Ghost be glory, now and ever, and 
 world without end. Amen. 
 
HOMILY XXXIL 
 
 John iv. 13, 14. 
 
 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this 
 water shall thirst again : but whosoever drinketh of the 
 Water that I shall give him, shall never thirst; hut the 
 Water that I shall give him, shall he in him a well of 
 water springing v/p into everlasting Life. 
 
 ScRiPTDEE calls the grace of the Spirit sometimes Fire, 
 sometimes Water, shewing that these names are not de- 
 scriptive of Its essence, but of Its operation ; for the Spirit, 
 being Invisible and Simple, cannot be made up of different 
 Mat. 3, substances. Now the one John declares, speaking thus, He 
 shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with Fire: the 
 John 7, other, Christ, Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living 
 '^^' Water. But this, saith John, spake He of the Spirit, Which 
 they should receive. So also conversing with the woman, 
 1 al. He calleth the Spirit Water ' ; for. Whosoever shall drink of 
 thesame '^'^ ?Fa<e»- which I shall give him, shall never thirst. So 
 now' also He calleth the Spirit by the name of fire, alluding to 
 the rousing and warming property of grace, and its power of 
 destroying transgressions ; but by that of water, to declare 
 the cleansing wrought by it, and the great refreshment which 
 5 ^j it affordeth to those minds which receive it. And with good 
 'some reason; for it makes the willing soul like some^ garden 
 ing"'*' thick with all manner of trees fruitful and ever-flourishing, 
 3 ai. ' as allowing it neither to feel despondency nor the plots of 
 ?n|"'^ Satan, and quenches ^ all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 
 Tt\^'^oi ^"^ observe, I pray you, the wisdom of Christ ^ how 
 God' gently He leads on» the woman ; for He did not say at first, 
 ' feads V thou hwwest Who it is that saith to thee, Give Me to 
 
Christ sheweth Himself greater than the Patriarch. 267 
 
 drink, but when He had given her an occasion of calling John 
 Him a Jew, and brought her beneath the charge of having ^.^^ j^ 
 done so, repelling the accusation He saith, If thou knewest 
 Who it is that saith to thee, Give Me to drink, thou wouldest 
 have asked of Him; and having compelled her by His great 
 promises to make mention' of the Patriarch, He thus alloweth ■ or, ' to 
 the woman to look through^, and then when she objects, ter' 
 Art thou greater than our father Jacob? He saith not, °°'''''^f 
 " Yea, I am greater," (for He would have seemed but to 
 boast, since the proof did not as yet appear,) but by what 
 He saith He effecteth this. For He said not simply, "I will 
 give thee water," but having first set that given by Jacob 
 aside, He exalteth that given by Himself, desiring to shew 
 from the nature of the things given, how great is the interval 
 and difference between the persons of the givers^, and His'al. 
 own superiority to the Patriarch. " If," saith He, "thou given' 
 admirest Jacob because he gave thee this water, what wilt 
 thou say if I give thee Water far better than this ? Thou 
 hast thyself been first to confess that I am greater than 
 Jacob, by arguing against Me, and asking, ' Art thou greater 
 than Jacob, that thou promisest to give me better water?' 
 If thou receivest that Water, certainly thou wilt confess that 
 I am greater." Seest thou the upright judgment of the 
 woman, giving her decision from facts, both as to the Patri- 
 arch, and as to Christ ? The Jews acted not thus ; when they 
 even saw Him casting out devils, they not only did not call 
 Him greater than the Patriarch, but even said that He had a 
 devil. Not so the woman, she draws her opinion whence 
 Christ would have her, from the demonstration aiforded by 
 His works. For by these He justifieth Himself, saying, Ife. lo, 
 I do not the works of My Father, believe Me not ; but if 
 I do, if ye believe not Me, believe the works. And thus the 
 woman is brought over to the faith. 
 
 Wherefore also He, having heard, Art thou greater than 
 our father Jacob, leaveth Jacob, and speaketh concerning 
 the water, saying, Whosoever shall drink of this water, shall 
 thirst again; and He maketh His comparison, not by depre- 
 ciating one, but by shewing the excellence of the other; 
 for He saith not, that " this water is naught," nor " that 
 it is inferior and contemptible," but what even nature 
 
268 The Samaritan preferred to Nicodemus. 
 
 HoMiL.testifi.es that He saith: Whosoever shall drink of this water 
 
 '-shall thirst again; but whosoever shall drink of the Water 
 
 which I shall give him, shall never thirst. The woman 
 
 V. 10. before this had heard of living Water, but had not known its 
 meaning. Since because that water is called " living" which 
 is perennial and bubbles up unceasingly from uninterrupted 
 springs, she thought that this was the water meant. Where- 
 fore He points out this more clearly by speaking thus, and 
 establishing by a comparison the superiority (of the Water 
 which He would give). What then saith He? Whosoever 
 shall drink of the Water that I shall give him, shall never 
 thirst. This and what was said next especially shewed the 
 superiority, for material water possesses none of these 
 qualities. And what is it that follows ? It shall be in him a 
 well of water springing up into everlasting life. For as 
 one that hath a well within him could never be seized by 
 thirst, so neither can he that hath this Water. 
 
 The woman straightway believed, shewing herself much wiser 
 than Nicodemus, and not only wiser, but more manly. For 
 he wlien he heard ten thousand such things neither invited 
 any others to this hearing, nor himself spake forth openly ; 
 but she exhibited the actions of an Apostle, preaching the 
 Gospel to all, and calling them to Jesus, and drawing a 
 whole city forth to Him. Nicodemus when he had heard 
 said. How can these things be? And when Christ set before 
 him a clear illustration, that of the wind, he did not even so 
 receive the Word. But the woman not so; at first she 
 doubted, but afterwards receiving the Word not by any 
 regular demonstration, but in the form of an assertion, she 
 straightway hastened to embrace it. For when Christ said, 
 It shall be in him a well of water springing up into ever- 
 lasting Life, immediately the woman saith, 
 
 Ver. 15. Give me this water, that I thirst not, neither 
 come hither to draw. 
 
 Seest thou how little by little she is led up to the highest 
 doctrines? First she thought Him some Jew who was 
 transgressing the Law; then when He had repelled that 
 accusation, (for it was necessary that the person who was to 
 
 »««!-■ teach' her such things should not be suspected,) having 
 
 ''^*"' heard of living water, she supposed that this was spoken of 
 
Her right jvd(jrr.ent. 269 
 
 material water; afterwards, having learnt that the words John 
 were spiritual, she believed that the water could remove ig_{9 
 
 the necessity caused by thirst, but knew not yet what this ' 
 could be; she still doubted, deeming it indeed to be 
 above material things, but not being exactly informed. But 
 here having gained a clearer insight, but not yet fully 
 perceiving the whole, (for she saith. Give me this water, that 
 I thirst not, neither come hither to draw^ she for the time 
 preferreth Him to Jacob. " For" (saith she) " I need not 
 this well if 1 receive from thee that water." Seest thou 
 how she setteth Him before the Patriarch .? This is the act 
 of a fairly -judging' soul. She had shewn how great a.n^ fvyv<i- 
 opinion she had of Jacob, she saw One better than he, and^""" 
 was not held back by her prepossession. Thus this woman 
 was neither of an easy temper, (she did not carelessly receive 
 what was said, how can she have done so when she enquired 
 with so great exactness ^ }) nor yet disobedient, nor disputa- ^ al. 
 tious, and this she shewed by her petition. Yet to the Jews „ll^^' 
 once He said. Whosoever shall eat of My Flesh" shall never a. 6, 35. 
 hunger, and he that helieveth on Me shall never thirst ; but 
 they not only did not believe, but were offended at Him. 
 The woman had no such feeling, she remains and petitions. 
 To the Jews He said. He that believeth on Me shall never 
 thirst ; not so to the woman, but more grossly. He that 
 drinketh of this Water shall never thirst. For the promise 
 referred to spiritual and unseen^ things. Wherefore having 'al.' not 
 raised her mind by His promises, He still lingers among " 
 expressions relating to sense, because she could not as yet 
 comprehend the exact expression of spiritual things. Since 
 had He said, " If thou believest in Me thou shalt not thirst," 
 she would not have understood His saying, not knowing 
 who it could be that spake to her, nor concerning what 
 kind of thirst He spake. Wherefore then did He not this 
 in the case of the Jews } Because they had seen many signs, 
 while she had seen no sign, but heard these words first. 
 For which reason He afterwards reveals His power by 
 prophecy, and does not directly introduce His reproofs, but * ^^ey- 
 what saith He? ^°'' 
 
 Ver. 16 — 19. Go, call thy husband, and come hither. 
 
 * b ipx^/^eyos Trpis fte Gr. T. 
 
270 Meekness of the Samaritan v>oman. 
 
 HoMiL. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus 
 
 XXXII 
 
 '- sailh unto her, Thou hast tcell said, J have no husband: 
 
 for thou hast had Jive husbands, and he whom thou now 
 hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly. The 
 woman saith unto Him, Sir, I perceive that Thou art a 
 Prophet. 
 
 O how great the wisdom of the woman ! how meekly doth 
 she receive the reproof! " How should she not," saith some 
 one ? Tell me, why should she ? Did He not often reprove 
 the Jews also, and with greater reproofs than these ? (for it 
 is not the same to bring forward the hidden thoughts of the 
 heart, as to make manifest a thing that was done in secret; 
 ' or, Ms the first are known to' God alone, and none other knoweth 
 off ""^ them but he who hath them in his heart; the second, all who 
 were sharers in it know;) but still they when reproved did 
 c. 7, 19. not bear it patiently. When He said, Why seek ye to Mil 
 Me? they not only did not admire as the woman did, but 
 even mocked at and insulted Him ; yet they had a demon- 
 stration from other miracles, she had only heard this speech. 
 Still they not only did not admire, but even insulted Him, 
 saying, Thou hast a devil, who seeketh to kill thee? While 
 she not only doth not insult but admires, and is astonished at 
 Him, and supposes Him to be a Prophet. Yet truly this 
 rebuke touched the woman more than the other touched 
 them ; for her fault was hers alone, theirs was a general one; 
 and we are not so much stung by what is general as by what 
 is particular. Besides they thought they should be gaining 
 a great object if they could slay Christ, but that which the 
 woman had done was allowed by all to be wicked ; yet was 
 she not indignant, but was astonished and wondered. And 
 Christ did this very same thing in the case of Nathanael. 
 He did not at first introduce the prophecy, nor say, /«aw 
 thee under the Jig-tree, but when Nathanael said, Whence 
 knowesl thou me? then He introduced this. For He 
 desired to take the beginnings of His signs and prophecies 
 from the very persons who came near to Him, so that they 
 3 oi/cei- might be more attached^ by what was done, and He might 
 owSoi. gggjjpg the suspicion of vain-glory. Now this He doth here 
 also ; for to have charged her first of all that, " Thou hast 
 no husband," would have seemed burdensome and super- 
 
Connection nf the discourse. 271 
 
 fluous, but to take the reason (for speaking) from herself, and John 
 then to set right all these points, was very consistent, and ^'^'^' 
 softened the disposition of the hearer. 
 
 " And what kind of connection," saith some one, "is there 
 in the saying, Go, call thy husband?" The discourse was 
 concerning a gift and grace surpassing mortal nature : the 
 woman was urgent in seeking to receive it. Christ saith, 
 Call thy husband, shewing that he also must share in these 
 things; but she eager to receive' (the gift), and concealing > al. ' to 
 the shamefulness of the circumstances, and supposing that ^^^^1 
 she was conversing with a man, said, / have no husband. 
 Christ having heard this, now seasonably introduces His 
 reproof, mentioning accurately both points ; for He enu- 
 merated all her former husbands, and reproved her for him 
 whom ^ she now would hide. What then did the woman ? 2 al. the 
 she was not annoyed, nor did she leave Him and fly, nor^]'^"^^jj 
 deem the thing an insult, but rather admired Him, and per- 
 severed the more. / perceive, saith she, that Thou art a 
 Prophet. Observe her prudence ; she did not straightway 
 run to Him, but still considers Him, and marvels at Him. 
 For, / perceive, means, " l^hou appearest to me to be a 
 Prophet." Then when she suspected this, she asks Him 
 nothing concerning this life, not concerning bodily health, 
 or possessions, or wealth, but at once concerning doctrines. 
 For what saith she ? 
 
 Ver. 20. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain, 
 (meaning Abraham and his family, for thither they say 3 km v/i. 
 that he led up his son,) and how say ye^ that in Jencsaletn'^''^^- 
 is the place where men ought to worship? 
 
 [3.] Seest thou how much more elevated in mind she 
 has become ? She who was anxious that she might not 
 be troubled for thirst, now questions concerning doctrines. 
 What then doth Christ \ He doth not resolve the question, 
 (for to answer simply to men's words was not His care, for 
 it was needless*,) but leads the woman on to the greater ■• 7rope'\- 
 height, and doth not converse with her on these matters,'""' 
 until she has confessed that He was a Prophet, so that 
 afterwards she might hear His Word with abundant belief; 
 for having been persuaded of this, she could no longer 
 doubt concerning what should be said to hev. 
 
272 Sanctipying effect of the Scriptures, 
 
 HoMiL. Let us now after this be ashamed, and blush. A woman 
 
 XXXII. 
 
 ~ who had had five husbands, and who was of Samaria, was so 
 
 eager concerning doctrines, that neither the time of day, nor 
 her having come for another purpose, nor any thing else, led 
 her away from enquiring on such matters; but we not only 
 do not enquire concerning doctrines, but towards them all 
 our dispositions are careless and indifferent. Therefore 
 every thing is neglected. For which of you when in his house 
 'jtuktW takes some Christian book' in hand, and goes over its 
 contents, and searches the Scriptures ? None can say that 
 he does so, but with most we shall find draughts and dice, 
 but books no where, except among a few. And even these 
 few have the same dispositions as the many ; for they tie up 
 their books, and keep them always put away in cases, and 
 all their care is for the fineness of the parchments, and 
 the beauty of the letters, not for reading them. For they 
 have not bought them to obtain advantage and benefit from 
 them, but take pains about such matters to shew their wealth 
 and pride. Such is the excess of vain-glory. I do not hear 
 any one glory that he knows the contents, but that he hath a 
 book written in letters of gold. And what gain, tell me, is 
 this ? The Scriptures were not given us for this only, that 
 we might have them in books, but that we might engrave 
 them on our hearts. For this kind of possession, the keeping 
 the commandments merely in letter, belongs to Jewish 
 »al.' this ambition; but to us the Law was not so given'' at all, but 
 waTnot ™ ^'^ fleshy tables of our hearts'. And this I say, not 
 given' to prevent you from procuring Bibles, on the contrary, 
 the Day I exhort and earnestly pray that you do this, but I desire 
 of PeD- tiiat from those books you convey the letters and sense 
 into your understanding, that so it may be purified when it 
 ■•al. 'thereceiveththe meaning of the writing''. For if the devil will not 
 of^the^ dare to approach a house where a Gospel is lying, much less 
 matters.' vvill any evil spirit, or any sinful nature', ever touch or enter 
 ture of a soul which bears about with it such sentiments as it con- 
 ^'°' tains. Sanctify then thy soul, sanctify thy body, by having 
 these ever in thy heart, and on thy tongue. For if foul 
 speech defiles and invites devils, it is clear that spiritual 
 «al.<theygg(j|Q„ sanctifies and draws down the grace of the Spirit. 
 
 actions,' '^ .. . , 
 
 i.e.oftheThe Scriptures" are divme charms, let us then apply to 
 
 Gospel 
 
spectacle of the spiritual combat. 273 
 
 ourselves and" to the passions of our souls the remedies to John 
 be derived from them. For if we understand what it is that }^^l{ 
 IS read, we shall hear it with much readiness. I am always [let usi ' 
 saying this, and will not cease to say it. Is it not strange f^P^^l 
 that those who sit by the market can tell the names, and 
 families, and cities of charioteers, and dancers, and the kinds 
 of power possessed by each, and can give exact account of 
 the good or bad qualities of the very horses, but that those 
 who come hither should know nothing of what is done here, 
 but should be ignorant of the number even of the sacred 
 Books? If thou pursuest those worldly things for pleasure, 
 I will shew thee that here is greater pleasure. Which is 
 sweeter, tell me, which more marvellous, to see a man 
 wrestling with a man, or a man buffeting with a devil, a 
 body closing with an incorporeal power, and him who is 
 of thy race victorious ? These wrestlings let us look on, 
 these, which also it is seemly and profitable to imitate, 
 and which imitating, we may be^ crowned; but not 2 al. 'it 
 those in which emulation brings shame to him who imitates "^''^ ^ 
 
 ° meet to 
 
 them. If thou beholdest the one kind of contest, thou be' 
 beholdest it with devils ; the other, with Angels and Arch- 
 angels, and the Lord of Archangels. Say now, if thou 
 wert allowed to sit with governors and kings, and to see and 
 enjoy the spectacle, wouldest thou not deem it to be a very 
 great honour? And here when thou art a spectator in 
 company with the King of Angels, when thou seest the devil 
 grasped by the middle of the back", striving much to have 
 the better, but powerless, dost thou not run and pursue after 
 such a sight as this ? " And how can this be ?" saith some 
 one. If thou keep the Bible in thy hands ; for in it thou 
 shall see the lists, and the long races, and his grasps ", and the 
 skill of the righteous one. For by beholding these things thou 
 shalt leam also hovv to wrestle so thyself, and shalt escape 
 clear of devils; the performances of the heathen are as- 
 
 » Morel. 'beholding the devil shamed place dug out for the exercise, hence 
 
 by means of the Divine oracles, and the exercise itself. Siav\os, the double 
 
 greatly striving.' Belovr Morel, reads, course. A.a/3J), the gripe of the wrestler. 
 
 ' run to such a sight.' Thus of Job, on Stat. Hom. i. 16 ; of 
 
 "> mdniiara, SiaiXovs, Ao^Aj, terms the Three Children, ib. Hom. iv. 8, 
 
 of the wrestling school. oKdjina, the Sec. 
 
274 Heathen spectacles to he avoided. 
 
 HoMiL. semblies of devils, not theatres of men. Wherefore I exhort 
 
 XXXII 
 
 '- you to abstahi from these Satanic assemblies" ; for if it is not 
 
 lawful to enter into an idol's house, much less to Satan's 
 festival. I shall not cease to say these things and weary 
 
 Phil. 3, you, Until I See some change; for to say these things, as 
 saith Paul, to me indeed is not grievous, hut for you it is 
 safe. Be not then offended at my exhortation. If any one 
 ought to be offended, it is I who often speak and am not 
 heard, not you who are always hearing and always disobeying. 
 God grant that you be not always liable to this charge, but 
 that freed from this shame you be deemed worthy to enjoy 
 the spiritual spectacle^, and the glory which is to come, 
 through the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, with Whom to the Father and the Holy Ghost be 
 glory, for ever and ever. Amen. 
 
 ' This clause is not found in Ben, <■ al. ' of the Eternal Goods.' 
 
HOMILY XXXilL 
 
 JoHNiv. 21, 22. 
 
 Jesus saith unto her. Woman, beliei)e Me, the hour cotneth, 
 when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jeru- 
 salem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not 
 what : ive know what we worship, for salvation is of the 
 Jews. 
 
 Every where, beloved, we have need of faith, faith the 
 mother of blessings, the medicine of salvation ; and without 
 this it is impossible to possess any one of the great doctrines. 
 Without this, men are like to those who attempt to cross" 
 the open sea without a ship, who for a little way hold out by 
 swimming, using both hands and feet, but when they have 
 advanced farther, are quickly swamped by the waves : in 
 like manner they who use their own reasonings, before they 
 have learnt any thing, suffer shipwreck ; as also Paul saith, 
 Who concerning faith have made shipwreck. That this be ' Tini- 
 not our case, let us hold fast the sacred anchor by which ' 
 Christ bringeth over the Samaritan woman now. For when 
 she had said. How say ye^ that Jerusalem is the place in'^ iiiSs 
 which men ought to worship? Christ replied, Believe Me,Qj^J' 
 woman, that the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in Jeru- 
 salem, nor yet in, this mountain, worship the Father. An ex- 
 ceedingly great^ doctrine He revealed to her, and one which ^ f°^* 
 He did not mention either to Nicodemus or Nathanael. 
 She was eager to prove her own privileges more honourable 
 than those of the Jews ; and this she subtly argued from the 
 Fathers, but Christ met not this question. For it was for 
 the time distracting' to speak on the matter, and to shew ' "'^/'•^■ 
 why the Fathers worshipped in the mountain, and why the 
 
 » Sia;8a\€Ti', al. Sui\a$itv, al. SioTrepS;'. 
 T 2 
 
276 Jewish worship preferred to Samaritan : 
 
 HoMii,. Jews at Jerusalem. Wherefore on this point He was silent, 
 
 XXXIII. . , . T . 
 
 and having taten away from both places priority m dignity, 
 
 rouses her soul by shewing that neither Jews nor Samaritans 
 possessed any thing great in comparison with that which 
 was to be given ; and then He introduceth the difference. 
 Yet even thus He declared that the Jews were more honour- 
 able, not preferring place to place, but giving them the pre- 
 cedence because of their intention. As though He had said, 
 " About the place of worship ye have no need henceforth 
 to dispute, but in the manner the Jews hare an advantage 
 over you Samaritans, for ye, He saith, worship ye know not 
 what ; we know what we worship." 
 
 How then did the Samaritans know not what they 
 worshipped ? Because they thought that God was local 
 and partial; so at least they served Him, and so they sent to 
 
 2 Kings the Persians, and reported that " the God of this place is 
 wroth with us," in this respect forming no higher opinion of 
 Him than of their idols. Wherefore they continued to serve 
 both Him and devils, joining things which ought not to be 
 joined. The Jews, on the contrary, were free from this 
 supposition, at least the greater part of them, and knew that 
 He was God of the world. Therefore He saith, Ye worship 
 ye know not what; we know what we worship. Do not 
 wonder that He numbereth Himself among Jews, for He 
 speaketh to the woman's opinion of Him as though He were 
 a Jewish Prophet, and therefore He putteth, we worship. 
 For that He is of the objects of worship is clear to every 
 one, because to worship belongs to the creature, but to be 
 worshipped to the Lord of the creature. But for a time He 
 speaketh as a Jew ; and the expression we in this place 
 meaneth " we Jews." Having then exalted what was Jewish, 
 He next maketh Himself credible, and persuadeth the woman 
 to give the greater heed to His words, by rendering His dis- 
 course above suspicion, and shewing that He doth not exalt 
 
 1 al.' fa- what belongs to them by reason of relationship' to those of 
 
 Tour' His own tribe. For it is clear, that one Who had made these 
 declarations concerning the place on which the Jews most 
 prided themselves, and thought that they were superior to all, 
 and Who had taken away their high claims, would not after 
 
 ',,^3 °^' this^ speak to get favour of any, but with truth and prophetic 
 
 rate' 
 
yet only a type of the true. 277 
 
 power. When therefore He had for a while removed her from John 
 such reasonings'", saying, Woman, believe Me, and what ^T' ^^ ■ ' 
 follows, then He addeth,/o»- salvation is of the Jews. What 
 He saith is of this kind : either, that blessings to the world 
 came from them, (for to know God and condemn idols had its 
 beginning from them, and with you the very act of worship, 
 although ye do it not rightly, yet received its origin from 
 them,) or else, He speaketh of His own Coming. Or rather, 
 one would not be wrong in calling both these things salvation 
 which He said was of the Jews ; which Paul implied when 
 he said. Of whom is Christ according to the flesh. Who is Bom. 9, 
 God over all. Seest thou how He commendeth' the oldi' . 
 Covenant, and sheweth that it is the root of blessings, and Kporei 
 that He is throughout not opposed to the Law, since He 
 maketh the groundwork^ of all good things to come from = im6- 
 the Jews ? ^"'"' 
 
 Ver. 23. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true 
 worshippers shall worship the Father. 
 
 " We, O woman," He saith, "excel you in the manner of 
 our worship, but even this shall henceforth have an end. 
 Not the places only, but even the manner of serving God 
 shall be changed. And this change is at your very doors. 
 For the hour cometh, and now is.'''' 
 
 [2.] For since what the Prophets said they said long 
 before the event, to shew that here it is not so% He saith, ^ut.'re- 
 And now is. " Think not," He saith, " that this is a pro- JJ°J.'°^ 
 phecy of such a kind as shall be accomplished after a long 
 time, the fiillilment is already at hand and at your very doors, 
 ■when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit 
 and in truth. In saying true*. He excludeth Jews as well-' al. 
 as Samaritans; for although the Jews be better than the'*™ 
 Samaritans, yet are they far inferior to those that shall come, 
 as inferior as is the type to the reality. But He speaketh of 
 the phurch, that she * is the true worship, and such as is s or, 
 meet for God. ' *'''' 
 
 For the Father seeketh such to worship Him. 
 
 If then He in times past sought such as these. He allowed 
 to those others their way of worship, not willingly ", but from 
 
 " al. ' removed (her) reasoning from the Ms. in Bodl. ' not willing them 
 such thiiigs.' to continue in those ancient (prac- 
 
 " The passage is read differently in tices).' 
 
278 True worship spirituat. 
 
 HoMiL. condescension, and for this reason', that He might bring- 
 
 SXXIII. 
 
 , ^, .^ them in also. Who then are the true worshippers? Those 
 these who confine not their service by place, and who serve God 
 "a^^fn i° spirit ; as Paul saith, Whom I serve in my apirit^ in the 
 spirit. Gospel of His Bon : and again, I beseech you that ye present 
 i^ &c.' yoitr bodies a living sacrifice, acceptable unto Qod, your 
 Kom. 1, reasonable service^ But when He saith, 
 
 9. ana 
 
 12, 1. Ver. 24. God is a Spirit^ 
 
 He declareth nothing else than His incorporeal Nature. 
 Now the service of that which is incorporeal must needs be 
 of the same character, and must be offered by that in us 
 which is incorporeal, to wit, the soul, and purity of mind. 
 Wherefore He saith, They that worship Him, must worship 
 Him in spirit and in truth. For because both Samaritans 
 and Jews were careless about the soul, but took great pains 
 about the body, cleansing it in divers ways, " it is not," He 
 saith, " by purity of body, but by that which is incorporeal 
 in us, namely the mind, that the Incorporeal One is served. 
 Sacrifice then not sheep and calves, but dedicate thyself to 
 the Lord ; make thyself a holocaust, this is to ofier a living 
 sacrifice. Ye must worship in truth ^ ; as former things 
 were types, such as circumcision, and whole burnt oiferings, 
 and victims, and incense, they novv no longer exist, but all 
 is truth. For a man must now circumcise not his flesh, but 
 his evil thoughts, and crucify himself, and remove and slay 
 his unreasonable desires." The woman was made dizzy by 
 ' a7n;yrf-His discourse, and fainted^ at the sublimity of what He said, 
 p&iffe Q^-^^^ j,-, }jgr trouble, hear what she saith : 
 
 Ver, 25, 26. / know that Messias cometh. Which is called 
 Christ, when He is come, He will tell us all things. Jesm 
 saith unto her, I am that speak unto thee. 
 
 And whence came the Samaritans to expect the coming of 
 Christ, seeing that they received Moses only ' ? From the 
 writings of Moses themselves. For even in the beginning 
 Gen. ], He revealed the Son. Let Us make man in Our Image, after 
 ^^' Our Likeness, was said to the Son. It was He Who talked 
 Gen 18. with Abraham in the tent. And Jacob prophesying con- 
 cerning Him said, A ruler shall not fail from Judah, nor a 
 
 "> Ms. in Bodl. ' this is to worship « Ms, in Bodl. ' the law of Moses.' 
 iw (ruth,' 
 
Why Christ revealed Himself to the woman. 279 
 
 leaderfrom his thighs, until He come for whom it is reserved^, John 
 ana He is the expectation of nations. And Moses himself , ^ ^ ,' 
 saith, The Lord thy God will raise up unto you a Prophet ofif^irai 
 your brethren like unto me, unto Him shall ye hearken. And ^g^°*-'^' 
 the circumstances attending the serpent, and the rod of 
 Moses, and Isaac, and the sheep, and many other things 
 they who chose might select as proclaiming His coming. 
 
 " And why, pray," saith one, " did not Christ lead on the 
 woman by these means f why did He instance the serpent 
 to Nicodemus, and mention prophecy to Nathanael, but to 
 her say nothing of the kind? For what reason, and why?" 
 Because they were men, and were versed in these things, 
 she a poor ignorant woman unpractised in the Scriptures. 
 Wherefore He doth not speak to her from them, but draweth 
 her on by the water and by prophecy, and bringeth her to 
 make mention of Christ, and then revealeth Himself; which 
 had He at first told the woman when she had not questioned 
 Him, He would have seemed to her to trifle and talk idly, 
 while as it is by bringing her little by little to mention Him, 
 at a fitting time He. revealed Hiipself. To the Jews, who 
 continually said. How long dost Thou make ns to doubt? feWo. 10,24. 
 MS if Thou art the Christ, to them'' He gave no clear answer, 2 al. 
 but to this woman He said plainly, that He is. For the ' '' 
 woman was more fairrminded than the Jews ; they did not 
 enquire to learn, but always to mock at Him, for had they 
 desired to learn, the teaching which was by His words, and 
 by the Scriptures, and by His miracles would have been 
 suflBcient. The woman, on the contrary, said what she said 
 from an impartial judgment and a simple mind, as is plain 
 from what she did afterwards; for she both heard and 
 believed, and netted^ others also, and in every circumstance' i<rti.yii- 
 we may observe the carefulness and faith of the woman, '^"'" 
 
 Ver. 27. And upon this came His disciples, (very season- 
 ably did they come when the teaching was finished,) and 
 marvelled that He talked with the woman, yet no man 
 said, What seekest Thou? or. Why talkest Thou with 
 her? 
 
 [3.] At what did they marvel? At His want of pride and 
 exceeding humihty, that looked upon as He was, He endured 
 with such lowliness of heart to talk with a woman poor, and 
 
280 The beloved disciple to be imitated. 
 
 HoMiL. a Samaritan. Still in their amazement they did not ask 
 
 '- -'Him the reason, so well were they taught to keep the station 
 
 of disciples, so much did they fear and reverence Him. 
 For although they did not as yet hold the right opinion 
 concerning Him, still they gave heed unto Him as to some 
 marvellous one, and paid Him much respect. Yet they fre- 
 quently are seen to act confidently; as when John lay upon 
 Mat.18, His bosom, v^hen they came to Him and said, Who is the 
 greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven, when the sons of 
 Zebedee entreated Him to set one of them on His right 
 hand, and the other on His left. Why then did they not 
 here question Him.? Because since all those instances 
 related to themselves, they had need to enquire into them, 
 while what here took place was of no such great importance 
 to them. And indeed John did that a long time after 
 towards the very end, when He enjoyed greater confi.dence, 
 and was bold in the love of Christ; for he it was', he saith, 
 whom Jesus loved. What could equal such blessedness ? 
 
 But, beloved, let us not stop at this, the calling the 
 Apostle blessed, but let us do all things that we also may be 
 of the blessed, let us imitate the Evangelist, and see what it 
 was that caused such great love. What then was it ? He 
 left his father, his ship, and his net, and followed Jesus. 
 Yet this he did in common with his brother, and Peter, and 
 Andrew, and the rest of the Apostles. What then was the 
 1 €|o(pe special ' thing which caused this great love? Shall we 
 '^'"' discover it ? He saith nothing of this kind about himself, 
 but only that he was beloved ; as to the righteous acts for 
 which he was beloved he has modestly been silent. That 
 Jesus loved him with an especial love was clear to every 
 one; yet John doth not appear conversing with or question- 
 ing Jesus privately, as Peter often did, and Philip, and 
 Judas, and Thomas, except only when he desired to shew 
 kindness and compliance to his fellow Apostle; for when 
 2„opu- the chief' of the Apostles by beckoning constrained him, 
 '''"'°* then he asked. For these two had great love each for the 
 other. Thus, for instance, they are seen going up together 
 into the Temple and speaking in common to the people. 
 
 ' Ms. in Bodleian, ' for, saith the Evangelist, Peter looks on the disciple.' 
 
Lowliness the chie/ virtue. ' 281 
 
 Yet Peter in many places ' is moved, and speaks more John 
 warmly than John. And at the end he hears Christ B&y,^^^- 
 Peter, lovest thou Me more than these? Now it is clear places^ 
 that he who loved more than these was also beloved. But 0.21,15. 
 this in his case was shewn by loving Jesus, in the case of?^'""'' 
 the other by being beloved by Jesus «. G. t. 
 
 What then was it which caused this especial love ? To 
 my thinking, it was that the man displaj^ed great gentleness 
 and meekness, for which reason he doth not appear in many 
 places speaking openly. And how great a thing this is, is 
 plain also from the case of Moses. It was this which made 
 him such and so great as he was. There is nothing equal 
 to lowliness of mind. For which cause Jesus with this 
 began the Beatitudes, and when about to lay as it were the 
 foundation and base of a mighty building, He placed first 
 lowliness of mind. Without this a man cannot possibly be 
 saved ; though he fast, though he pray, though he give 
 alms, if it be with a proud spirit, these'' things are abomi- 2 ai. 'all' 
 nable, if humility be not there; while if it be, all these things 
 are amiable and lovely, and are done with safety. Let us 
 then be modest', beloved, let us be modest ; success is easy, s^^Tpi. 
 if we be sober-minded. For after all what is it, O man, '^f"''*'' 
 that exciteth thee to pride ? Seest thou not the poverty of 
 thy nature ? the unsteadiness ■* of thy will ? Consider thine 4 ^^ ^j. 
 end, consider the multitude of thy sins. But perhaps ''^"'^ok 
 because thou doest many righteous deeds thou art proud. 
 By that very pride thou shall undo them all. Wherefore it 
 behoveth not so much him that has sinned^ as him that sal. 'that 
 doeth righteousness to take pains to be humble. Why so ? 8>''°etl'' 
 Because the sinner is constrained by conscience, while the 
 other, except he be very sober, soon caught up as by a 
 blast of wind is lifted on high, and made to vanish like the 
 Pharisee. Dost thou give to the poor ? What thou givest 
 is not thine, but thy Master's, common to thee and thy 
 fellow-servants- For which cause thou oughtest especially to 
 \e humbled, in the calamities of those who are thy kindred 
 foreseeing thine own, and taking knowledge of thine own 
 
 « i. e. St. Peter loved his Loid, speaka expressij, as being <Ae X>!4C<p& 
 and therefore we infer that he was whom Jesus loved. 
 loved of Him ; of St, John Scripture 
 
282 True honour gained by almsdoing. 
 
 HoMiL. nature in their cases. We ourselves perhaps are sprung 
 
 •- ■ from such ancestors ; and if wealth has shifted to you, it is 
 
 probable that it will leave you again. And after all, what is 
 
 io5pto/)js wealth ? A vain' shadow, dissolving smoke, a flower of the 
 grass, or ralher something meaner than a flower. Why 
 then art thou high-minded over grass? Doth not wealth 
 fall to thieves, and efi'eminates, and harlots, and tomb- 
 breakers ? Doth this puff thee up, that thou hast such as 
 these to share in thy possession ? or dost thou desire honour? 
 Towards gaining honour nothing is more serviceable than 
 almsgiving. For the honours arising from wealth and power 
 are compulsory, and attended with hatred, but these others 
 are from the free will and real feeling of the honourers; 
 and therefore those who pay them can never give them up. 
 Now if men shew such reverence for the merciful, and 
 invoke all blessings upon them, consider what return, what 
 recompense they shall receive from the merciful God. Let 
 us then seek this wealth which endureth for ever, and never 
 
 ' Sp<nr«- deserts ^ us, that, becoming great here and glorious there, we 
 may obtain everlasting blessings, through the grace and 
 lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom to 
 the Father and the Holy Spirit be glory, now and ever, 
 and world without end. Amen. 
 
HOMILY XXXIV. 
 
 John iv. 28, 29. 
 
 The woman then left her water pot, and went her way into 
 the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a Man which 
 told me alt things that ever I did; is not this the Christ? 
 
 We require much fervour and upronsed zeal, for without 
 these it is impossible to obtain the blessings promised to us. 
 And to shew this, Christ at one time saith. Except a man Mat. lo 
 take up his cross and follow Me, he is not worthy ofMe;'f^- 
 at another, / am come to send fire upon the earth, and what?Mn$d- 
 will I if it he already kindled? by both these desiring to"" 
 represent to us a disciple full of heat and fire, and prepared Gt. T. " 
 for every danger. Such an one was this woman. For so]^"''^^^' 
 kindled was she by His words, that she left her water pot 
 and the purpose for which she came, ran into the city, and 
 drew all the people to Jesus. Come, she saith, see a Man 
 which told me all things that ever I did. 
 
 Observe her zeal and wisdom. She came to draw water, 
 and when she had lighted upon the true Well, she after that 
 despised the material one ; teaching us even by this trifling 
 instance when we are listening to spiritual matters to over- 
 look the things of this life, and make no account of them. 
 For what the Apostles did, that, after her ability, did this 
 woman also^ They when they were called, left their nets; 2 Ben. 
 she of her own accord, without the command of any, leaves her ' '" » 
 
 . higher 
 
 water pot, and winged by joy^ performs the office of Evan- degree.' 
 
 gelists. And she calls not one or two, as did Andrew and'*''',''y 
 
 , . . . grace 
 
 Philip, but having aroused a whole city and people, so 
 
 brought them to Him. 
 
284 Prudence of the Samaritan woman. 
 
 HoMii. Observe too how prudently she speaks ; she said not, 
 
 ■ f.'^^'^' " Come, see the Christ," but with the same condescension ' 
 
 * 1. e. to 
 
 their in- by which Christ had netted her she draws the men to Him ; 
 
 firmity. (^^^^^ gjjg gaiih, see a Man Who told me all that ever I did. 
 She was not ashamed to say that He told me all that ever I 
 did. Yet she might have spoken otherwise, " Come, see 
 one that prophesieth ;" but when the soul is inflamed with 
 holy fire, it looks then to nothing earthly, neither to glory 
 nor to shame, but belongs to one thing alone, the flame 
 which occupieth it. 
 
 Is not this the Christ? Observe again here the great 
 wisdom of the woman ; she neither declared the fact plainly, 
 nor was she silent, for she desired not to bring them in 
 by her own assertion, but to make them to share in this 
 opinion by hearing Himj which rendered her words more 
 readily acceptable to them. Yet He had not told all her 
 life to her, only from what had been said she was persuaded 
 (that He was informed) as to the rest. Nor did she say, 
 
 ^&\. "Come, believe," but. Come, see; a gentler' expression 
 
 fearful' *^^° ^^^ Other, and one which more attracted them. Seest 
 thou the wisdom of the woman? She knew, she knew 
 certainly that having but tasted that Well, they would be 
 afiected in the same manner as herself. Yet any one of the 
 grosser sort would have concealed the reproof which Jesus 
 had given; but she parades her own life, and brings it 
 forward before all men, so as to attract and capture all. 
 
 Ver. 3). In the mean time His disciples asked" Him, 
 saying, Master, eat. Asked, here is ' besought,' in their 
 native language; for seeing Him wearied with the journey, 
 and the oppressive heat, they entreated Him ; for their request 
 concerning food proceeded not from hastiness, but from loving 
 affection for their Teacher. What then saith Christ ? 
 
 Ver. 32, 33. / have meat to eat that ye know not of. 
 Therefore (saith the Evangelist) said the disciples one to 
 another. Hath any man brought Him ought to eat? 
 
 Why now wonderest thou that the woman when she heard 
 of water, still imagined mere water to be meant, when even 
 the disciples are in the same case, and as yet suppose nothing 
 
 * ^p^wv. E. V, prayed; BeD. and \ovv iarX, rp iyx(iipi(fi avrav tpwvv. 
 Ms. in Bodl. ijp^ui/ imav6a vapcKa. 
 
Disciples led on to enquiry. 285 
 
 spiritual, but are perplexed? though they still shew their ac- John 
 customed modesty and reverence toward their Master, con- 34. 35. 
 versing one with the other, but not daring to put any question ~ 
 to Him. And this they do in other places, desiring to ask 
 Him, but not asking. What then saith Christ? 
 
 Ver. 34. My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, 
 and to finish His work. 
 
 He here calleth the salvation of men meat, shewing what 
 an earnest desire He hath of providing for us'; for as we 
 long for food, so He that we may be saved. And hear how 
 in all places He revealeth not all off-hand, but first throvveth 
 the hearer into perplexity, in order that having begun to 
 seek the meaning of what has beien said, and then being 
 perplexed and in difficulty, he may when what he sought 
 appears, receive it the more readily, and be made more 
 attentive to listening. For wherefore said He not at once, 
 " My meat is to do the will of My Father?" (though not even 
 this would have been clear, yet clearer than the other.) But 
 what saith He? / have meat to eat that ye know not of; 
 for He desireth, as I said, first to make them more attentive 
 through their uncertainty, and by dark sayings like these to 
 accustom them to listen to His words. But what is " the 
 will of the Father?" He next speaketh of this, and ex- 
 plaineth. 
 
 Ver. 35. Say ye not, that there are yet four months, and 
 then Cometh harvest? Behold, I say unto you. Lift up your 
 eyes, and look upon the fields, for they are white already to 
 harvest. 
 
 [2.] Behold, He again by familiar words leadeth them up 
 to the consideration of greater matters ; for when He spoke 
 of meat. He signified nothing else than the salvation of the 
 men who should come to Him; and again, the^e/c?and the 
 harvest signify the very same thing, the multitude of souls 
 prepared for the reception of the preaching; and the eyes 
 of which He speaketh are those both of the mind and of the 
 body; (for they now beheld the crowd of Samaritans ad- 
 vancing ;) and the readiness of their will He calleth, fields 
 already white. For as the ears of corn, when they have 
 
 •■ Ms in Bodl. ' our salvation.' 
 
S86 Iriie spiritual hardest, 
 
 HoMiL. become white are ready for reaping, so these, He sAith, are 
 '- prepared and fitted for salvation. 
 
 And wherefore instead of calling them fields and fiarvest, 
 did He not plainly say, that " the men were coming to 
 believe and were ready to receive the Word, having been 
 instructed by the Prophets, and now bringing forth fruit?" 
 What mean these figures used by Him ? for this He doth not 
 here only, but through all the Gospel ; and the Prophets also 
 employ the same method, saying many things in a meta- 
 phorical manner. What then may be the cause of this ? for 
 the grace of the Spirit did not ordain it to be so without 
 a reason, but why and wherefore ? On two accounts ; one, that 
 the discourse may be nio*e vivid, and bring what is said more 
 clearly before our eyes. For the mind when it has laid hold 
 on a familiar image of the matters in hand, is more aroused, 
 and beholding them as it were in a picture, is occupied by 
 them to a greater degree. This is one reason ; the other is, 
 that the statement may be sweetened, and that the memory 
 of what is said may be more lasting. For assertion does not 
 subdue and bring in an ordinary hearer so much as narration 
 by objects, and the representation of experience °. Which 
 one may here see most wisely effected by the parable. 
 
 Ver. 36. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gather- 
 eth fruit iinlo life eternal. 
 
 For the fniit of an earthly harvest profiteth not to life 
 eternal, but to this which is for a time ; but the spiritual fruit 
 to that which hath neither age nor death. Seest thou that 
 the expressions are of sense, but the thoughts spiritual, and 
 that by the very words themselves He dividcth things 
 earthly from heavenly ? For when in discoursing of water He 
 made this the peculiar property of the heavenly Water, that 
 " he who drinketh it shall never thirst," so He doth here 
 also when He saith, " that this fruit is gathered unto eternal 
 life." 
 
 Jliat both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice 
 together. 
 
 Who is he that soweth? Who he that reapeth? The Pro- 
 
 " i. e. given by means of things which are otyects of experience. Svoypaipii 
 irelpas, al, irelpa. 
 
One soweth and another reapeth. 28t 
 
 phets are they that sowed, but they reaped not, but the John 
 Apostles. " Yet not on this account are they deprived of the IXilZ; 
 pleasure and recompense of their labours, but they rejoice 
 and are glad with us, although they reap not with us. For 
 harvest is not such work as sowing. I therefore have kept 
 you for that in vrhich the toil is less and the pleasure greater, 
 and not for sowing because in that there is much hardship 
 and toil. In harvest the return is large, the labour not so 
 great ; nay there is much facility '." By these arguments He 'e"K»A.'a^ 
 here desireth to prove, that " the wish of the Prophets is, ^i^^"' 
 that all men should come to Me." This also the Law was 
 engaged in effecting; and for this they sowed, that they 
 might produce this fruits He she\veth moreover that He^al. 'by 
 sent them also, and that there was a very intimate connection * '^ 
 between the New Covenant and the Old, and all this He 
 effecteth at once by this parable. He maketh mention also 
 of a proverbial expression generally circulated. 
 
 Ver. 37. Herein, He saith, is that saying true, One 
 soweth and another reapeth. 
 
 These words the many used whenever one party had 
 supplied toil and another had reaped the fruits; and He 
 saith, " that the proverb is in this instance especially true, 
 for the Prophets laboured, and ye reap the fruits of their 
 labours." He said not " the rewards," (for neither did their 
 great labour go unrewarded,) but " the fruits." This also 
 Daniel did, for he too makes mention of a proverb. Wicked- 
 ness proceedeth from the ivicked; and David in his lament- 
 ing makes mention of a similar proverb''. Therefore He 
 said beforehand, that both he that soweth and he that 
 reapeth may rejoice together. For since He was about to 
 declare, that " one hath sowed and another reapeth," lest 
 any one should deem that the Prophets were deprived of 
 their reward, He asserteth something strange and para- 
 doxical, such as never chanceth in sensual things, but is 
 peculiar to spiritual only. For in things of sense, if it 
 chance that one sow and another reap, they do not rejoice 
 
 « There is no authority for a dififerent by David, 1 Sam. xxiv. 13. and the 
 
 reading, but it seems to be rightly con- other passage alluded to may be Dan. 
 
 jeotured by Savile and Ben. that the xii. 10. the wicked shall do wickedly. 
 
 names Daniel ziA David should be Ms. in Bodl. reads, ilvo/uia ^k /3a)3uAa)coi 
 
 transposed. The proverb is that used for ^| ij/Sfiav irK^fi/isXela, 
 
288 Reaping easier than sowing. 
 
 HoMiL. together, but those who sowed are sad, as having laboured 
 
 — for others, and those who reap alone rejoice. But here it is 
 
 not so, but those who reap not what they sowed rejoice alike 
 with those who reap ; whence it is clear that they too share 
 the reward. 
 
 Ver. 38. / sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no 
 labour; other men laboured, and ye are entered into their 
 labours. 
 
 By this He the more encourageth them; for when it 
 seemed a very hard matter to go through all the world 
 and preach the Gospel, He sheweth them that it is even 
 • al. most' easy. The very difficult work was that other, which 
 ^°^^ required great labour, the putting in the seed, and intro- 
 ducing the uninitiated soul to the knowledge of God. But 
 wherefore utterelh He these sayings ? It is that when He 
 sendeth them to preach they may not be confounded, as 
 though sent on a difficult task. " For that of the Prophets," 
 He saith, " was the more difficult, and the fact witnesseth to 
 My word, that ye are come to what is easy ; because as in 
 harvest time the fruits are collected with ease, and in one 
 » al. moment the floor is filled with sheaves, which await" not the 
 *^^' revolutions of the seasons, and winter, and spring, and rain, 
 so it is now. The facts proclaim it aloud." While He was 
 in the midst of saying these things, the Samaritans came 
 forth, and the fruit was at once gathered together. On this 
 account' He said, Z?!/5f up your eyes, and look on the fields, 
 that they are white. Thus He spake, and the fact was 
 clear, and the words seen (true) by the event. For saith 
 St. John, 
 
 Ver. 39. Many of the Samaritans of that city believed on 
 Him for the saying of the woman which testified. He told me 
 all that ever I did. 
 
 They perceived ' that the woman would not from favour 
 have admired One Who had rebuked her sins, nor to gratify 
 another have paraded her own course of life. 
 
 [3.] Let us then also imitate this woman, and in the case 
 of our own sins not be ashamed of men, but fear, as is meet, 
 God Who now beholdeth what is done, and Who hereafter 
 
 « Ms. in Bodl. ' alluding to these.' heard the woman they believed, for 
 f Ms. in Bodl. ' as soon as they they,' &c. 
 
Exhortation to self-judgment. 289 
 
 punisheth those who do not now repent. At present we do John 
 the opposite of this, for we fear not Him Who shall judge — '■ — - 
 us, but shudder at those who do not in any thing hurt us, 
 and tremble at the shame which comes from them. There- 
 fore in the very thing which we fear, in this do we incur 
 punishment. For he who now regards only the reproach 
 of men, but when God seeth is not ashamed to do any thing 
 unseemly, and who will not repent and be converted, in that 
 day will be made an example, not only before one or two, 
 but in the sight of the whole world. For that a vast 
 assembly is sealed there to behold righteous actions as well 
 as those which are not such, let the parable of the sheep and 
 the goats teach thee, as also the blessed Paul when he saith. 
 For we must all appear before the judgment-seat of Chris f,^^°^-^j 
 that every one may receive the things done in his body, 
 according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad; 
 and again, Who will bring to light the hidden things of dark- 1 Cor.4, 
 ness. Hast thou done or imagined any evil thing, and dost 
 thou hide it from man ? yet from God thou hidest it not. But 
 for this thou carest nothing ; the eyes of men, these are thy 
 fear. Think then that thou wilt not be able to escape the 
 sight even of men in that day ^ ; for all things as in a picture 
 shall then be set before our very eyes, so that each shall be 
 self-condemned. This is clear even from the instance of 
 Dives, for the poor man whom he had neglected, Lazarus 
 I mean, he saw standing before his eyes, and the finger 
 which he had often loathed, he intreats may become a 
 comfort to him then. I exhort you therefore, that although no 
 one see what we do, yet that each of us enter into his own 
 conscience, and set reason for his judge, and bring forward 
 his transgressions, and if he desire them not to be exposed 
 to public view then in that fearful day, let him now heal his 
 wounds, let him apply to them the medicines of repentance. 
 For it is in the power, yea, it is in the power of one full of 
 ten thousand wounds to go hence whole. For " if ye forgive," Mat. 6, 
 He saith, "your sins are forgiven unto youV For as sins^grbiuy 
 buried' in Baptism appear no more, so these' also shall quoted.] 
 
 B Ms. in Bodleian reads here, ' and Father will also forgive you, but if ye pe^ 
 be more careful than thy (present) self.' forgive not, neither will He forgive you, 
 •> Ms. in Bodl. reads, My Seavenly ' i. e. sins done after Baptism. 
 
 U 
 
290 Effectual repentance: the end is at hand. 
 
 HoMiL. disappear, if we be willing to repent. And repentance is 
 ^^^^^" the not doing th& same again ; for he that again puts his 
 hand to the same, is like the dog that retmueth to his own 
 vomit, and like him in the proverb who cards wool into 
 the fire"", and draws water into a cask full of holes. It 
 behoves therefore to depart both in action and in thought 
 from what we have dared to do, and having departed, 
 to apply to the wounds the remedies which are the con- 
 traries of our sins. For instance : hast thou been grasp- 
 ing and covetous ? Abstain from rapine, and apply alms- 
 giving to the wound. Hast thou been a fornicator? 
 Abstain from fornication, and apply chastitj- to the wound. 
 Hast thou spoken ill of thy brother, and injured him? Cease 
 1 al. finding fault ^, and apply kindness. Let us thus act with 
 ! ^P^*^, respect to each point in which we have offended, and let us 
 not carelessly pass by our sins, for there awaiteth us hereafter, 
 there awaiteth us a season of account. WTierefore also Paul 
 Phil. 4 said, The Lord is at hand: be careful for nothing. But we 
 5- 6. perhaps must add the contrary of this, " The Lord is at 
 hand, be careful." For they might well hear. Be careful for 
 nothing, living as they did in affliction, and labours, and 
 trials ; but they who live by rapine, or in luxury, and who 
 shall give a grievous reckoning, would in reason hear not 
 this, but that other, " The Lord is at hand, be carefiil." 
 Since no long time now remains until the consummation, 
 but the world is hastening to its end ; this the wars declare, 
 this the afflictions, this the earthquakes, this the love which 
 hath waxed cold. For as the body when in its last gasp 
 and near to death, draws to itself ten thousand sufferings; 
 and as \\hen a house is about to fall, many portions are wont 
 to fall beforehand from the roof and walls ; so is the end of 
 the world nigh and at the very doors, and therefore ten 
 thousand woes are every where scattered abroad. If the 
 Lord was then at hand, much more is He now at hand. 
 5 al. 'four If three hundred- years ago, when those words were used, 
 dred' Paul called that season " the fulness of time," much more 
 would he have called the present so. But perhaps for this 
 very reason some disbelieve, yet they ought on this account 
 
 i' Eis irvp tfl-ivovTi. Plat. LegET. vi. p. of Savile. 
 750. ' And like,' &c. is not in the text 
 
Suddenness of Christ's coming. 291 
 
 to believe the more. For whence knowest ihou, man, John 
 that the end is not at hand, and the words shortly to be — ^— " 
 accomplished ? For as we speak of the end of the year not 
 as being the last day, but also the last month, though it has 
 thirty days ; so if of so many years I call even four hundred 
 years " the end," I shall not be wrong ; and so at that time 
 Paul spokerof the end by anticipation. Let us then set 
 ourselves in order, let us delight in the fear of God ; for if 
 we live here without fear of Him, His Coming will surprise us 
 suddenly, when we are neither careful, nor looking for Him. 
 As Christ declared when He said, " For as in the days of Mat. 24, 
 Noah, and as in the days of Lot, so shall it be at the end of^J'[,^°j°' 
 this world." This also Paul declared when he said, For quoted.] 
 when they shall say, Peace and safety, then sudden cfe-g 3. 
 struction Cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with 
 <child. What means, as travail upon a woman with child ? 
 Often have pregnant women when sporting, or at their meals, 
 or in the bath or market-place, and foreseeing nothing of 
 what was coming, been seized in a moment by their pains. 
 Now since our case is like theirs, let us ever be prepared, 
 for we shall not always hear these things, we shall not always 
 have power to do them. In the grave, saith David, who'pa.Q,s^ 
 shall give Thee thanks ' ? Let us then repent here, that so » or, 
 we may find God merciful unto us in the day that is to com&,^l^ll% 
 and be enabled to enjoy abundant forgiveness ; which may 
 we all obtain, through the grace and lovingkindness of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory and dominion now and 
 ever, and world without end. Amen. 
 
 2 
 
HOMILY XXXV. 
 
 John iv. 40 — 48. 
 
 So when the Samaritans were come unto Him, they besought 
 Him that He would tarry with them : and He abode there 
 two days. And many more believed because of His own 
 Word; and said unto the woman, Now we believe, not 
 because of thy saying : for we have heard Him ourselves, 
 and know that This is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the 
 world. Now after two days He departed thence, and went 
 into Galilee. 
 
 Nothing is worse than envy and malice, nothing more 
 mischievous than vain-glory ; it is wont to mar ten thousand 
 good things. So the Jews, who excelled the Samaritans in 
 
 1 lit. knowledge, and had been always familiar with' the Prophets, 
 
 'brought •were shewn from this cause inferior to them. For these believed 
 even on the testimony of the woman, and without having 
 
 s^al. 'toseen any sign, came forth beseeching Christ to tarry ° with 
 
 ^' them ; but the Jews, when they had beheld His wonders, not 
 
 only did not detain Him among them, but even drove Him 
 
 away, and used every means to cast Him forth from their 
 
 3 Ben. land, although His very Coming ^ had been for their sake. 
 
 ' *''*' , The Jews expelled Him, but these even entreated Him to 
 
 coming '^ ' 
 
 tarry with them. Was it not then rather fitting, tell me, 
 
 that He should receive those who asked and besought Him, 
 
 than that He should wait upon those who plotted against 
 
 and repulsed Him, while to those who loved and desired to 
 
 retain Him He gave not Himself? Surely this would not have 
 
 « /o,5€- been worthy of His tender care*; He therefore both accepted* 
 
 ij.ovlas tijg^)^ and tarried with them two days. They desired to 
 
 'elected' keep Him among them continually, (for this the Evangehst 
 
Truth revealed to the honest soul. 293 
 
 has shewn by saying, that they besought Him that He would John 
 tarry with them,) but this He endured not, but stayed with 40—43. 
 them only two days; and in these many more believed on 
 Him. Yet there was no likelihood that these would have 
 believed, since they had seen no sign, and had hostile feelings 
 towards the Jews ; but still, inasmuch as they gave in 
 sincerity their judgment on His words, this stood not in 
 their way, but they received a notion which surmounted their 
 hindrances, and vied with each other to reverence Him the 
 more. For, saith the Evangelist, they said to the woman, 
 Now we believe, not because of thy saying : for we have heard 
 Him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the 
 Saviour of the world. The scholars overshot their instructress. 
 With good reason might they condemn the Jews, both by 
 their believing on, and their receiving Him. The Jews, for 
 whose sate He had contrived' the whole scheme', continually ' al. 'Id- 
 were for stoning Him"", but these, when He was not even in- ^'' " ^ 
 tending to come to them, drew Him to themselves. And they, 
 even with signs, remain uncorrected ; these, without signs, 
 manifested great faith respecting Him, and glory in this very 
 thing that they believe without them ; while the others 
 ceased not asking^ for signs and tempting Him. ^ al. 
 
 Such need is there every where of an honest soul ; and if ing' 
 truth lay hold on such an one, she easily masters it; or if 
 she master it not, this is owing not to any weakness of truth, 
 but to want of candour' in the soul itself. Since the sun too, 3o7j/s). 
 when he encounters clear eyes, easily enlightens them ; if he f^"""'^" 
 enlightens them not, it is the fault of their infirmity, not of 
 his weakness. 
 
 Hear then what these say ; We know that this is of a truth 
 the Christ, the Saviour of the world. Seest thou how they at 
 once understood that He should draw the world to Him, 
 that He came to order aright" our common salvation, that*^'^'*'- 
 He intended not to confine His care to the Jews, but to sow 
 His Word every where ? The Jews did not so, but going 
 about to establish their own righteousness, submitted not them- 
 selves to the righteousness of God ; while these confess that 
 all are deserving of punishment, declaring with the Apostle, 
 
 ' i. e. of Kedemption. Traffay riii/ ^ al. ' them,' i. e. the Prophets. 
 ^payficvreiav (Tvveo'T'tiffaTO. 
 
pose 
 
 294 Christ the True Saviour. 
 
 HoMiL.that all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 
 
 ^^- being justified freely hy His grace. For by saying that He 
 
 23.24. 'was the Saviour of the world, they shewed that it was of a 
 
 lost world", and He not simply a Saviour, but one of the very 
 
 mightiest. For many had come to "save," both Prophets 
 
 i^or'mes-and Angels'; but this, saith one, is the True Saviour, Who 
 
 sengers j^g-Q,.j{gt}j jj^g ^-^^q salvation, not that which is but for^a time. 
 
 This proceeded from pure faith. And in both ways are they 
 
 admirable ; because they believed, and because they did so 
 
 without signs, (whom Christ also calleth "blessed," saying, 
 
 c.Wfid. Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed,) 
 
 and because they did so sincerely. Though they had heard 
 
 the woman say doubtfully. Is not this the Christ ? they did 
 
 al.'sup-not a]so g^y^ "we too suspect," or, "we 'think V' but, we 
 
 know, and not merely, " we know," but, We know that This 
 
 is of a truth the Saviour of the world. They acknowledged 
 
 Christ not as one of the many*, but as the Saviour indeed. 
 
 Yet whom had they seen saved? They had but heard His 
 
 words, and yet they spake as they would have spoken had 
 
 they beheld many and great marvels. And why do not the 
 
 Evangelists tell us these words, and that He discoursed 
 
 admirably ? That thou mayest learn that they pass by many 
 
 important matters, and yet have declared the whole to us by 
 
 the event. For He persuaded an entire people and a whole 
 
 city by His words. When His hearers are not persuaded, 
 
 then the writers are constrained to mention what was said, 
 
 lest any one from the insensibility of the hearers should give 
 
 a judgment against Him Who addressed them. 
 
 Now after two days He departed thence and went into 
 Galilee. 
 
 Ver. 44. For Jesus Himself testified that a Propliet hath 
 no honour in his oion country. 
 
 Wherefore is this added ? Because He departed not untq 
 Capernaum, but into Galilee, and thence to Cana. For that 
 thou mayest not enquire why He tanied not with His own 
 people, but tarried with the Samaritans, the Evangelist puts 
 the cause ", saying that they gave no heed unto Him; on this 
 
 « Ms. id Bodl. reads, ' and why say e Mg. Jq ggji^ i ^„j f},;^ j^,^ ^^^^ ^ 
 
 I of a lost world ? of a world which prophet haih no honour in his o,m 
 
 was in evils great expeedingly.' eountrif.' 
 
 (i i e. who had wrought deliverances, 
 
Christ received hy the Galilceans. 295 
 
 account He went not thither, that their condemnation might John 
 not be the greater. For I suppose that in this place He ^^^ 
 speaketh of Capernaum as " His country." Now, to shew TgTp 
 that thei-e He received no honour, hear Plim say, And thou,M.&t.\\, 
 Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought ^' 
 down to hell. He calleth it His own country, because there 
 He set forth the Word of the Dispensation, and more espe- 
 cially dwelt upon it. " What then," saith some one, " do 
 we not see many admired among their kindred ?" In the 
 first place such judgments must not be formed from rare 
 instances; and again, if some have been honoured in their 
 own, they would have been much more honoured in a strange 
 country, for familiarity is wont to make men easily despised. 
 
 Ver. 45. Then when He was come into Galilee, the Gali- 
 IcBans received Him, having seen all the things that He did 
 at Jerusalem at the feast, for they also came unto the feast. 
 
 Seest thou that these men so ill spoken of are found most to 
 come to Him ? For one said. Can there any good thing come a. 1, 46. 
 out of Nazareth ? and another, Search and look, for out ofc. 7, 52. 
 Galilee ariseth no prophet. These things they said insulting 
 Him, because He was supposed by the many to be of 
 Nazareth, and they also reproached Him with being a 
 Samaritan ; Thou art a Samaritan, said one, and hast a o. », 48. 
 devil. Yet behold, both Samaritans and Galilseans believe, 
 to the shame of the Jews, and Samaritans are found better 
 than Galilajans, for the first received Him through the words 
 of the woman, the second when they had seen the miracles 
 which He did. 
 
 Ver. 46. So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where 
 He made the water wine. 
 
 The Evangelist reminds the hearer of the miracle to exalt 
 the praise of the Samaritans. The men of Cana received 
 Him by reason of the miracles which He had done in Jeru- 
 salem and in that place ; but not so the Samaritans, they 
 received Him through His teaching alone. 
 
 That He came then to Cana, the Evangelist has said, 
 but he has not added the cause why He came '. Into Galilee 
 He had come because of the envy of the Jews ; but where- 
 fore to Cana? At first He came, being invited to a marriage; 
 
 f Ms. in Bodl. reads, ' and why, saith some one, went He again to Cana ?' 
 
296 Request of the nobleman. 
 
 HoMiL. but wherefore now ? Methinks to confirm by His presence 
 
 '- the faith which had been implanted by His miracle, and to 
 
 draw them to Him the more by coming to them self invited, 
 by leaving His own country, and by preferring them. 
 
 And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at 
 Capernaum. 
 
 Ver. 47. When he heard that Jesus was come out of Jud<Ba 
 into Galilee, he went unto Him, and besought Him that He 
 would come down and heal his son. 
 
 This person certainly was of royal race, or possessed 
 
 some dignity from his office, to which the title " noble" 
 
 was attached. Some indeed think that this is the man 
 
 Matt. 8, mentioned by Matthew, but he is shewn to be a diflFerent 
 
 person, not only from his dignity, but also from his faith. 
 
 That other, even when Christ was willing to go to him, 
 
 entreats Him to tarry ; this one, when He had made no such 
 
 offer, draws Him to his house. The one saith, / am not 
 
 worthy that Thou shouldest come under my roof; but this 
 
 lal. other even urges' Him, saying, Come down ere my son die. 
 
 bringa j ^^^ instance He came down from the mountain, and 
 
 on ' 
 
 entered into Capernaum ; but here, as He came from Samaria, 
 and went not into Capernaum but into Cana, this person 
 met Him. The servant of the other was possessed by the 
 palsy, this one's son by a fever. 
 
 And he came and besought Him that He would heal his 
 son: for he was at the point of death. What saith Christ? 
 Ver. 48. Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not 
 believe. 
 
 Yet the very coming and beseeching Him was a mark of 
 
 faith. And besides, after this the Evangelist witnesses to 
 
 2al. him% declaring that when Jesus said, Go, thy son liveth, he 
 
 jj^gge'g believed His word, and went. What then is that which He 
 
 it-' saith here ? Either He useth the words as approving oP 
 
 (av the Samaritans because they believed without signs ; or, to 
 
 touch Capernaum which was thought to be His own city, 
 
 and of which this person was. Moreover, another man in 
 
 Luke, who says, Lord, I believe, said besides, help Thou 
 
 mine unbelief. And so if this ruler also believed, yet he 
 
 believed not entirely or soundly, as is clear from his enquiring 
 
 f Mark 9, 24. [not found in St. Luke.] 
 
His faith imperfect, 297 
 
 at what hour the fever left him, since he desired to know John 
 whether it did so of its own accord, or at the bidding of — '■ — - 
 Christ. When therefore he knew that it was yesterday at 
 the seventh hour, then himself believed and his whole house. 
 Seest thou that he believed when his servants, not when 
 Christ spake ? Therefore He rebuketh the state of mind 
 with which he had come to Him, and spoken as he did, (thus 
 too He the more drew him on to belief,) because that before 
 the miracle he had not believed strongly. That he came and 
 entreated was nothing wonderful, for parents in their great 
 affection are also wont to resort not only to physicians in 
 whom they have confidence, but also to talk with those in 
 whom they have no confidence, desiring to omit nothing 
 whatever ^. Indeed, that he came without any strong pur- 
 pose ' appears from this, that when Christ was come into ' ^« »op- 
 Galilee, then he saw Him, whereas if he had firmly believed ''"''"' 
 in Him, he would not, when his child was on the point of 
 death, have hesitated to go into Judasa. Or if he was afraid, 
 this is not to be endured either ^. " i. e. in 
 
 Observe how the very words shew the weakness of the believer 
 man; when he ought, after Christ had rebuked his state of 
 mind, to have imagined something great concerning Him, 
 even if he did not so before, listen how he drags along the 
 ground. 
 
 Ver. 49. Sir, he saith, come down ere my child die. 
 
 As though He could not raise him after death, as though 
 He knew not what state the child was in. It is for this 
 that Christ rebuketh him and toucheth his conscience, to 
 shew that His miracles were wrought principally for the 
 sake of the soul. For here He healeih the father, sick in 
 mind, no less than the son, in order to persuade us to give 
 heed to Him, not by reason of His miracles, but of His 
 teaching. For miracles are not for the faithful, but for the 
 unbelieving and the grosser sort. At that time then, owing to (3.) 
 his emotion, the nobleman gave no great heed to the words, 
 or to those only which related to his son'', yet he would 
 afterwards recollect what had been said, and draw from 
 thence the greatest advantage. As indeed was the case. 
 
 B Ms. in Bodl. adds, ' of tilings be- * Morel. ' and regarded only what 
 longing to carefulness.' was taking place concerning his son.' 
 
298 Need of the miracle. 
 
 HoMiT.. But what can be the reason why in the case of the cen- 
 
 -^ ^turion He by a free offer undertook to come, while here 
 
 though invited, He goeth not? Because in the former case 
 faith had been perfected, and therefore He undertook to go, 
 that we might learn the right-mindedness of the man ; but 
 here the nobleman was imperfect. When therefore he 
 
 ' ica-ttol continually ' urged Him, saying, Come down, and knew not 
 j'et clearly that even when absent He could heal, He sheweth 
 that even this was possible unto Him in order that this man 
 might gain from Jesus not going, that knowledge which the 
 
 ^oittofley centurion had of himself'. And so when He saith. Except 
 ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe, His meaning is, 
 " Ye have not yet the right faith, but still feel towards Me as 
 towards a Prophet." Therefore to reveal Himself and to 
 shew that he ought to have believed even without miracles, 
 
 0.14,10. He said what He said also to Philip, Believest thou' that the 
 ' Father is in Me and I in the Father'^? Or if not, believe 
 Me for the very works' sake. 
 
 Ver. 51 — 53. And as he was now going down, his servants 
 met him, and told him, saying, Thy son livelh. Then 
 enquired he of them the hour irhen he began to amend. 
 And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the 
 fever left him. So the father knew that it was at the same 
 hour in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son livelh; and 
 himself believed, and his whole house. 
 
 Seest thou how evident the miracle was ? Not simply nor 
 in a common way was the child freed from danger, but all at 
 once, so that what took place was seen to be the consequence 
 
 Hv^jiyd- not of nature, but of the working^ of Christ. For when he had 
 reached the very gates of death, as his father shewed by 
 saying, Come down ere my child die; he was all at once 
 freed from the disease. A fact which roused the servants 
 also, for they perhaps came to meet their master, not only to 
 bring him the good news, but also deeming that the coming 
 of Jesus was now superfluous, (for they knew that their 
 master was gone there,) and so they met him even in the 
 
 < Si^Ku^f/E way. The man released from his fear, thenceforth escaped^ 
 
 "! Ms. in Bodl. reads, ' He said this <' iyii Iv t^ HoTpl koI 6 Uar'tip iv 
 as (He said) to the disciples, Believe iuol. G. T. and Btn 
 &c.' 
 
Affliction a trial of faith. 299 
 
 into faith, being desirous to shew that what had been Jobk 
 done was the result of his journey, and thenceforth he is ' 
 
 ambitious of appearing not to have exerted himself ' to noj''*- 
 purpose ; so he ascertained all things exactly, and himselfaroasei' 
 believed and his whole house. For the evidence was after 
 this unquestionable. For they who had not been present 
 nor had heard Christ speak nor known the time, when they had 
 heard from their master that such and such was the time, 
 had incontrovertible demonstration of His power. Where- 
 fore they also believed. 
 
 : What now are we taught by these things? Not to wait 
 for miracles, nor to seek pledges of the Power of God. 1 see 
 many persons even now become more pious ^, when during the"^ eix»- 
 sufferings of a child or the sickness of a wife they enjoy anyf^^"' 
 comfort, yet they ought even if they obtain it not, to persist 
 just the same in giving thanks, in glorifying God. Because 
 it is the part of right-minded servants, and of those who 
 feel such affection' and love as they ought for their Master, 'al.' are 
 not only when pardoned, but also when scourged, to run to 
 Him. For these also are effects of the tender care of God ; 
 Whom the Lord loveth He chasieneth, and scourgeth. It says, Heb.l2, 
 every son whom He receiveth. When therefore a man serves 
 Him only in the season of ease, he gives proofs of no great 
 love, and loves not Christ purely. And why speak I of health, 
 or abundant riches, or poverty, or disease ? Shouldest thou 
 hear of the fiery pit or of any other dreadful thing, not even 
 so must thou cease from speaking good of thy Master, but 
 suffer and do all things because of thy love for Him. For 
 this is the part of right-minded servants and of an unswerving 
 soul ; and he who is disposed after this sort will easily endure 
 the present, and obtain good^ things to come, and enjoy* "'•'^^^ 
 much confidence in the presence of^ God ; which maj' it be , ^^^^, 
 that we all obtain through the grace and lovingkindness of 
 our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom with the Father and the 
 Holy Ghost be glory, now and ever, and world without end. 
 Araen. 
 
HOMILY XXXVI. 
 
 John iv. 54. y. 1. 
 
 TTiis is again the second miracle that Jesxis did, when He 
 was come out of Judaa into Galilee. After this there 
 was a feast of the Jews ; and Jesus went up to Jeru- 
 salem. 
 
 As in gold mines one skilful in what relates to them 
 would not endure to overlook even the smallest vein as 
 producing much wealth, so in the Holy Scriptures it is 
 impossible without loss to pass by one jot or one tittle, we 
 must search into all. For they all are uttered by the Holy 
 
 Mit'dis- Spirit, and nothing useless' is written in them. 
 
 i"" Consider, for instance, what the Evangelist in this place 
 
 saith, This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when 
 He was come out of Judwa into Galilee. Even the word 
 " second" he has added not without cause, but to exalt yet 
 
 "lit. more the praise^ of the Samaritans, by shewing that even 
 when a second miracle had been wrought, they who beheld 
 it had not yet reached as high as those who had not seen 
 one. 
 
 After this there was a feast of the Jews. What feast ? 
 Methinks that of Pentecost. And Jesus went up to Jeru- 
 salem. Continually at the feasts He frequenteth the City, 
 partly that He might appear to feast with them, partly that 
 
 '^f- He might attract the multitude that was free from guile; 
 
 " 7r/)0;8o-for during these days^ especially, the more simply disposed 
 
 V al°' ran together more than at other times. 
 
 Bpa [^Tfi Ver. 2, 3. Now there is at Jerusalem a sheep pool*, called 
 
 ^ ^ 1 in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In 
 
 5[&(re6- these lay a great multitude of impotent folk^, of halt, blind, 
 
 e"^_ withered, waiting for the moving of the water. 
 
 andBen. 
 
Types of Baptism. 301 
 
 What manner of cure is this ? What mystery doth it John 
 signify to us ? For these things are not written carelessly, ^'^' 
 or without a purpose, but as by a figure and type they shew 
 in outline' things to come, in order that what was exceed- ^iTroypd- 
 ingly strange might not by coming unexpectedly harrn^^^'/;' 
 among the many the power of faith ». What then is it that 
 they shew in outline ? A Baptism was about to be given, 
 possessing much power, and the greatest of gifts, a Baptism 
 purging all sins, and making men alive instead of dead. 
 These things then are foreshewn as in a picture by the 
 pool, and by many other circumstances. And first is 
 given a water which purges the stains of our bodies, and 
 those defilements which are not, but seem to be, as those 
 from touching the dead"", those from leprosy, and other 
 similar causes ; under the old covenant one may see many 
 things done by water on this account. However, let us now 
 proceed to the matter in hand. 
 
 First then, as I before said. He causeth defilements of 
 our bodies, and afterwards infirmities of difierent kinds, 
 to be done away by water. Because God, desiring to bring 
 us nearer to faith in" Baptism, no longer healeth defile- 
 ments only, but diseases also. For those figures which came 
 nearer [in time] to the reality, both as regarded Baptism, 
 and the Passion, and the rest, were plainer than the more 
 ancient ^ ; and as the guards near the person of the prince are 
 more splendid than those before", so was it with the types. Sal. 
 And an Angel came down and troubled the water, and ^^^^ 
 endued it with a healing power, that the Jews might learn 
 that much more could the Lord of Angels heal the diseases' ^ai.'hin- 
 of the soul. Yet as here it was not simply the nature of the '■*"°^* 
 water that healed, (for then this would have always taken 
 place,) but water joined to the operation' of the Angel; so 
 in our case, it is not merely the water that worketh, but 
 when it hath received the grace of the Spirit, then it putteth 
 away* all our sins. Around this pool lay a great multitude * xi^^ 
 of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the 
 moving of the water ; but then infirmity was a hindrance to 
 
 » al. ' harm the faith of the hearers.' more power to lead by the hand than 
 
 * ctxi Kifisias, Numb. 5. the archetypes.' 
 
 " lit. ' faith of,' al. ' the gift of.' = iivl rft iyepyelif, al. ' at the coming 
 
 ■I Morel, and Ms. in Bodl. ' have down.' 
 
802 Perseverance of the pdtah/tic. 
 
 HoMiL.him who desired to be healed, now each hath power to 
 
 — approach, for now it is not an Angel that troubleth, it is the 
 
 Lord of Angels Who worketh all. The sick man cannot 
 now say, / have no man ; he cannot say, While I am coming 
 unother steppeth down before me ; though the whole world 
 should come, the grace is not spent, the power is not 
 exhausted, but remaineth equally great as it was before. 
 Just as the sun's beams give light every day, yet are not 
 exhausted, nor is their light made less by giving so abundant 
 a supply ; so, and much more, the power of the Spirit is in 
 no way lessened by the numbers of those who enjoy it. 
 And this miracle was done in order that men, learning that 
 it is possible by water to heal the diseases of the body, and 
 being exercised in this for a long time, might more easily 
 believe that it can also heal the diseases of the soul. 
 
 But why did Jesus, leaving the rest, come to one who was 
 of thirty-eight years standing? And why did He ask him, 
 Wilt thou he made whole? Not that He might learn, that was 
 lal. needless; but that He might shew' the man's perseverance, 
 and that we might know that it was on this account that 
 He left the others and came to him. What then saith he? 
 "Yea Lord," he saith, but I have no man when the water is 
 troubled to put me into the pool, but while I am coming another 
 steppeth down before me. 
 
 It was that we might learn these circumstances that Jesus 
 asked, Wilt thou be made whole ? and said not, " Wilt thou 
 that I heal thee ?" (for as yet the man had formed no exalted 
 notions concerning Him,) but Wilt thou be made whole? 
 Astonishing was the perseverance of the paralytic, he was 
 of thirty and eight years standing, and each year hoping to be 
 *al.'lay freed from his disease, he continued in attendance^ and with- 
 drew not. Had he not been very persevering, would not the 
 future', if not the past, have been sufficient to lead him from 
 the spot? Consider, I pray you, how watchful it was 
 likely that the other sick men there would be since the time 
 when the water was troubled was uncertain. The lame and 
 halt indeed might observe it, but how did the blind see ? 
 Perhaps they learnt it from the clamour which arose. 
 
 ' i. e. the manifest hopelessness of his being able to go down Jirst into the 
 pool. 
 
Labour an appdiniment of Gbdi 803 
 
 [2.] Let us be ashamed then, beloved, let us be ashamed, johb* 
 and groan over our excessive sloth. Thirty and eight years ^' ^' 
 had that man been waiting without obtaining what he 
 desired, and withdrew not. And he had failed not through 
 any carelessness of his own, but though being oppressed 
 and suffering violence from others, and not even thus did 
 he grow dull ' ; while we if we have persisted for ten days to ' hdpKa 
 pray for any thing and have not obtained it, are too slothful 
 afterwards to employ the same zeal. And on men we wait 
 for so long a time, warring and enduring hardships and per- 
 forming servile ministrations, and often at last failing in our 
 expectation, but on our ''Master, from Whom we ai"e sure to^'al. 'the 
 obtain a recompense greater than our labours, (for, saith the 
 Apostle, Hope maketh not ashamed,) on Him we endure not to Kom, 5, 
 wait with becoming diligence. What chastisement doth this 
 deserve ! For even though we could receive nothing from 
 Him, ought we not to deem the very conversing with Him 
 continually the cause of^ ten thousand blessings? "But'al. 
 continual prayer is a laborious thing." And what that 
 belongs to virtue is not laborious ? " In truth," says some 
 one, " this very point is full of great difficulty, that pleasure 
 is annexed to vice, and labour to virtue." And many, I think, 
 make this a question. What then can be the reason''? God 
 gave us at the beginning a life free from care and exempt 
 from labour. We used not the gift aright, but were perverted 
 by doing nothing'', and were banished from Paradise. On * apyias 
 which account He made our life for the future one of toil, 
 assigning as it were His reasons for this to mankind, and 
 saying, " I allowed you at the beginning to lead a life of 
 enjoyment^, but ye were rendered worse by liberty, where- ^Tp<^?>' 
 fore I commanded that henceforth labour and sweat be 
 laid upon you''." And when even this labour did uot restrain 
 us, He next gave us a law containing many commandments, 
 imposing it on us like bits and curbs placed upon an unruly 
 horse to restrain his prancings, just as horse breakers do. 
 This is why life is laborious, because not to labour is wont 
 to be our ruin. For our nature cannot bear to be doing 
 
 8 Morel, and Ma. in Bodl. ' but hear ^ M orel. and Ms. in Bodl. ' therefore 
 
 also the explanation, for this we will I have done that which rema'ined to do, 
 
 now say for love of you. What then, I have encompassed {or clothed) you 
 
 (fee' with labours and toils.' 
 
304 Labour inseparable from virtue : 
 
 HcMiL. nothing, but easily turns aside to wickedness. Let us sup- 
 ' pose that the man who is temperate, and he who rightly per- 
 forms the other virtues, has no need of labour, but that they 
 do all things in their sleep, still how should we have employed 
 our ease ? Would it not have been for pride and boastfulness ? 
 " But wherefore," saith some one, "has great pleasure been 
 attached to vice, great labour and toil to virtue ? " Why, what 
 thanks wouldest thou have had, and for what wouldest thou 
 have received a reward, if the matter had not been one of 
 difficulty ? Even now I can shew you many who naturally 
 hate intercourse with women, and avoid conversation with 
 them as impure; shall we then call these chaste, shall we 
 crown these, tell me, and proclaim them victors ? By no 
 means. Chastity is self-restraint, and the mastering pleasures 
 which fight, just as in war the trophies are most honourable 
 when the contest is violent, not when no one raises a hand 
 against us. Many are by their very nature passionless ; shall we 
 call these good tempered? Not at all. And so the Lord 
 Mat. 19, after naming three manners of the eunuch state, leaveth two 
 *2- of them uncrowned, and admitteth one into the kingdom of 
 heaven. " But what need," saith one, " was there of wicked- 
 ness ?" I say this too. " What is it then which made 
 wickedness to be ?" What but our wilful negligence ? 
 " But," saith one, " there ought to be only good men." 
 Well, what is proper to the good man ? Is it to watch and 
 be sober, or to sleep and snore ? " And why," saith one, 
 1 ai. " seemed ' it not good that a man should act rightly without 
 thought- labouring?" Thou speakest words which become the cattle 
 
 est thou 
 
 or gluttons, who make their belly their god. For to prove 
 that these are the words of folly, answer me this. Suppose 
 there were a king and a general, and while the king was 
 asleep or drunk, the general should endure hardship and 
 erect a trophy, whose would you count the victory to be? 
 who would enjoy the pleasure of what was done ? Seest 
 thou that the soul is more especially disposed towards those 
 things for which she hath laboured? and therefore God 
 hath joined labours to virtue, wishing to make us attached to 
 her. For this cause we admire virtue, even although we act 
 not rightly ourselves, while we condemn vice even though it 
 be very pleasant. And if thou sayest, " Why do we not 
 
its origin. 305 
 
 admire those who are good by nature more than those who John 
 are so by choice ?" We reply, Because it is just to prefer ^'*' 
 him that laboureth to him that laboureth not. For why is it 
 that we labour? It is because thou didst not bear with 
 moderation the not labouring. Nay more, if one enquire 
 exactly, in other ways also sloth is wont to undo us, and to 
 cause us much trouble. Let us, if you will, shut a man up, 
 only feeding and pampering him, not allowing him to walk 
 nor conducting him forth to work, but let him enjoy table 
 and bed, and be in luxury continually ; what could be more 
 wretched than such a life? " But," saith one, " to work is one 
 thing, to labour is another^." Yea, but it was in man's power 
 then' to work without labour. " And is this," saith he, " pos- ' '• e. 
 sible?" Yea, it is possible; God even desired it, but thouthe™^ 
 enduredst it not. Therefore He placed thee to work in the ^°^^ '" 
 garden, marking out employment, but joining with it no labour, dise " 
 For had man laboured at the beginning, God would not after- 
 wards hare put labour by way of punishment. For it is pos- 
 sible to work and not to be wearied, as do the angels. To 
 prove that they work, hear what David saith; Ye that excel Pa. loz 
 in strength, ye that do His word. Want of strength causethy^^ 
 much labour now, but then it was not so. For he that hath Heb. 4 
 entered into His rest, hath ceased, saith one, from his works,^'^- 
 as Godjrom His : not meaning here idleness, but the ceasing 
 from labour. For God worketh even now, as Christ saith, 
 My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. Wherefore 1 0.5, 17. 
 exhort you that, laying aside all carelessness, you be zealous 
 for virtue. For the pleasure of wickedness is short, but the 
 pain lasting ; of virtue, on the contrary, the joy grows not old, 
 the labour is but for a season. Virtue even before the crowns 
 are distributed animates^ her workman, and feeds him with 2 or 're- 
 hopes; vice even before the time of vengeance punishes ^^^^*'' 
 him who works for her, wringing and terrifying his conscience, 
 and making it apt to imagine all (evils). Are not these 
 things worse than any labours, than any toils ? And if these 
 things were not so, if there were pleasure, what could be 
 more worthless than that pleasure ? for as soon as it appears 
 it flies away, withering and escaping before it has been 
 grasped, whether you speak of the pleasure of beauty, or that of 
 
 If Some Mss. read, ' was it then meet to work without toil P yea &o.' 
 
 X 
 
306 Misery of sinful pleasures. 
 
 HoMiL. luxury, or that of wealth, for they cease not daily to decay. 
 
 '- But when there is besides (for this pleelsure) punishment and 
 
 vengeance, what can be more miserable than those who go 
 after it? Knowing then this, let us endure all for virtue, so 
 shall we enjoy true pleasure, through the grace and loving- 
 kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom to the Father 
 and the Holy Ghost be glory, now and ever, and world 
 without end. Amen. 
 
HOMILY XXXVII. 
 
 JoJHN V. 6, 7. 
 
 Jesus saith unto him, Wilt thou he made whole ? The impotent 
 man answered Him, Yea, Sir, but I have no man, when the 
 water is troubled, to put ine into the pool. 
 
 Great is the profit of the divine Scriptures, and all- 
 sufficient is the aid which comes from them. And Paul 
 declared this when he said, Whatsoever things were written'RomAb, 
 aforetime, were written aforetime for our admonition upon I'c"^ 
 whom the ends of the world are come, that we th/rough patience lo, H- 
 and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. For the 
 divine oracles are a treasury of all manner of medicines, 
 so that whether it be needful to quench pride, to lull 
 desire to sleep, to tread under foot the love of money, 
 to despise pain, to inspire confidence, to gain patience, from 
 them one may find abundant resource. For what man 
 of those who struggle with long poverty or who are nailed 
 to ' a grievous disease, will not, when he reads the passage ' »'■ 
 before us, receive much comfort ? Since this man who had * ^ 
 been paralytic for thirty aiid eight years, and who saw each 
 year others delivered, and himself bound by his diseasej 
 not even so fell back and despaired, though in truth not 
 merely despondency for the past, but also hopelessness 2 or 
 for the future, was sufficient to overstrain" him. Hear now'*™* 
 what he says, and learn the greatness of his sufferings', down' 
 For when Christ had said, Wilt thou be made whole? " Yea."''*-'*''^, 
 
 ' tragedy' 
 
308 Meekness of the paralytic. 
 
 HoMiL. Lord," he saith, " but / have no man, when the water is 
 "^^^ troubled, to put me into the pool." What can be more 
 pitiable than these words ? What more sad than these 
 >al.' en- circumstances? Seest thou a heart' crushed through long 
 ^ sickness ? Seest thou all violence subdued ? He uttered no 
 blasphemous word, nor such as we hear the many use 
 in reverses, he cursed not his day, he was not angry at the 
 question, nor did he say, " Art Thou come to make a mock 
 and a jest of us, that Thou askest whether 1 desire to be 
 made whole ?" but replied gently, and with great mild- 
 ness, "Yea, Lord;" yet he knew not Who it was that 
 asked him, nor that He would heal him, but still he mildly 
 relates all the circumstances and asks nothing further, as 
 though he were speaking to a physician, and desired merely 
 to tell the story of his sufferings. Perhaps he hoped that 
 Christ might be so far useful to him as to put him into the 
 water, and desired to attract Him by these words. What 
 then saith Jesus ? 
 'al.'and Ver. 8. Rise, take up thy bed, and walk''. 
 thine Now some suppose that this is the man in Matthew 
 
 house.' ^Ijo was lying on a bed ; but it is not so, as is clear in 
 2. ' many ways. First, from his wanting persons to stand for- 
 ward for him. That man had many to care for and to 
 carry him, this man not a single one; wherefore he said, 
 / have no man. Secondly, from the manner of answering ; 
 the other uttered no word, but this man relates his whole 
 case. Thirdly, from the season and the time ; this man was 
 healed at a feast, and on the Sabbath, that other on a 
 different day. The places too were different ; one was 
 cured in a house, the other by the pool. The manner also 
 of the cure was altered; there Christ said. Thy sins be 
 Ha<pqiie forgiven thee, but here He braced' the body first, and then 
 cared for the soul. In that case there was remission of sins, 
 (for He saith, Thy sins be forgiven thee,) but in this, warning 
 V- 14. and threats to strengthen the man for the future ; Sifi no 
 more, lest a worse thing come unto thee. The charges also 
 of the Jews are different ; here they object to Jesus His 
 working on the Sabbath, there they charge Him with blas- 
 phemy. 
 
 Consider now, I pray you, the exceeding wisdom of God, 
 
Completeness of the miracle. 309 
 
 He raised not up the man at once, but first maketh him John 
 
 familiar by questioning, making way for the coming faith ; — '-^- 
 
 nor doth He only raise, but biddeth him take up his bed, 
 
 so as to confirm the miracle that had been wrought, and 
 
 that none might suppose what was done to be illusion or a 
 
 piece of acting. For he would not, unless his limbs had been 
 
 firmly and thoroughly compacted, have been able to carry his 
 
 bed. And this Christ often doth, effectually silencing those who 
 
 would fain be insolent. So in the case of the loaves, that no 
 
 one might assert that the men had been merely" satisfied, 
 
 and that what was done was an illusion. He caused that 
 
 there should be many relics of the loaves. So to the leper that 
 
 was cleansed He said. Go, shew thyself to the priest ; at Matt. 8, 
 
 once providing most certain proof of the cleansing, and 
 
 stopping' the shameless mouths of those who asserted that 
 
 He was legislating in opposition to God. This also He did 
 
 in like manner in the case of the wine; for He did not 
 
 merely shew it to them, but also caused it to be borne to 
 
 the governor of the feast, in order that one who knew nothing 
 
 of what had been done, by his confession might bear to Him 
 
 unsuspected testimony ; wherefore the Evangelist saith, that 
 
 the ruler of the feast knew not whence it was, thus shewing 
 
 the impartiality of his testimony. And in another place, 
 
 when He raised the dead. He said, " Give ye him to eat" ;" 
 
 supplying this proof of a real resurrection, and by these 
 
 means persuading even the foolish that He was no deceiver, 
 
 no dealer in illusions', but that He had come for the salva- ' ^av- 
 
 tion of the common nature of mankind. raaioKi- 
 
 [2.] But why did not Jesus require faith of this man, as 
 He did in the case of others, saying, " Believest thou that I 
 am able to do this"?" It was because the man did not yet 
 clearly know Who He was ; and it is not before, but after the 
 working of miracles that He is seen so doing. For persons 
 who had beheld His power exerted on others would reasonably 
 have this said to them, while of those who had not yet 
 learned Who He was, but who were to know afterwards by 
 means of signs, it is after the miracles that faith is required. 
 
 ^ i. e. not by real eating, oir\5j. ■= Morel, and Mss. read, ' as He 
 
 ^ The reference seems to be to did ia the case of the blind men, 
 
 Luke 8, 55. (Matt. 9, 28.) saying, Believe ye, Sfc' 
 
 TTOS 
 
310 Faith of the paralytic. 
 
 HoMiL. And therefore Matthew doth not introduce Christ as having 
 '"•^''"' said this at the beginning of His miracles, but when He 
 had healed many, to the two blind men only. 
 
 Observe however in this way the faith of the paralytic. When 
 he had heard'', Take up thy bed, and walk, he did not mock, 
 nor say, " What can this mean ? An Angel cometh down 
 and troubleth the water, and healeth only one, and dost Thou, 
 a man, by a bare command and word hope to be able to do 
 greater things than Angels ? This is mere vanity, boasting, 
 mockery." But he neither said nor imagined any thing like 
 this, but at once he heard aud arose, and becoming whole, 
 was not disobedient to Him that gave the command"; for 
 immediately he was made whole, and took up his bed, and 
 ifialked. What followed was even far more admirable. 
 That he believed at first, when no one troubled him, was not 
 so marvellous, but that afterwards, when the Jews were full 
 of madness and pressed upon him on all sides, accusing ' 
 and besieging him and saying. It is not lawful for thee to 
 take up thy bed, that then he gave no heed to^ their madness, 
 ' ''*• _but most boldly in the midst of the assembly' proclaimed his 
 Benefactor and silenced their shameless tongue, this, I say,, 
 was an act of great courage. For when the Jews arose 
 against him, and said in a reproachful and insolent manner 
 to him, 
 
 Ver. 10. It is the Sabbath-day, it is not lawful for thee to 
 curry thy bed ; hear what he saith : 
 
 Ver. 11. He that made me whole, the Same said unto me. 
 Take up thy bed, and walk. 
 
 All but saying, " Ye are silly and mad who bid me not to 
 
 take Him for my Teacher Who has delivered me from a long 
 
 and grievous malady, and not to obey whatever He may 
 
 ?ee comrnand." Had he chosen to act in an unfair manner, he 
 
 ^' ' might have spoken diiferenlly, as thus, " I do not this of 
 
 my own will, but at the bidding of another; if this be a 
 
 •> Morel, and Ms. iq Bodl. read, Evangelist stews by what follows, 
 
 ' for ha,ving heard that with au(jhority, saying, And on the same day was the 
 
 and as one commanding, He said to Sabbath. The Jcivs therefore said 
 
 him, Arise, Sj-e.' unto him that u-as cured. It is the 
 
 <= Morel, and Ms. ' who had com- Sabbath-day, it is not lawful, Sfc' 
 
 iranded. Arise, SfC.' g aU ' not only disregarded.' 
 
 f Morel, and Ms. ' accusing, as the 
 
Why Christ concealed Himself. 311 
 
 matter of blame, blame him who gave the order, and I will John 
 set down the bed." And he might haye concealed the cure, ^J\g 
 for he well knew that they were vexed not so much at the — '' — ' 
 breaking of the sabbath, as at the curing of his infirmity. 
 Yet he neither concealed this, nor said that, nor asked for 
 pardon, but with loud voice confessed and proclaimed the 
 benefit. Thus did the paralytic ; but consider how unfairly 
 they acted. For they said not, " Who is it that hath made 
 thee whole ?" on this point they were silent, but kept on 
 bringing forward the seeming transgression, 
 
 Ver. 12, 13. What man is that which said unto thee. 
 Take up thy bed, and walk ? And he that was hetiled wist 
 not Who it was: for Jesus had conveyed Himself away ^, a' ^iixM- 
 tnultitude being in that place, Ttivev- 
 
 And why did Jesus conceal Himself? First, that while '^f" 
 He was absent, the testimony of the man might be un- anilMor. 
 suspected, for he who now felt himself whole was a credible 
 witness of the benefit. And in the next place, that He 
 might not cause the fury of the Jews to be yet more inflamed, 
 for the very sight of one whom they envy is wont to kindle 
 not a small spark in malicious persons. On this account He 
 retired, and left the deed by itself to plead its cause among 
 them, that He might not say any thing in person respecting 
 Himself, but that they might do so who had been healed, 
 and with them also the accusers. Even these last for 
 a while testify to the miracle, for they said not, " Wherefore 
 hast thou commanded these things to be done on the 
 sabbath day f " but, " Wherefore doest thou these things on 
 the sabbath day ?" not being displeased at the transgression, 
 but envious at the restoration of the paralytic. Yet in 
 respect of human labour, what the paralytic did was rather 
 a work, for the other ^ was a saying and a word. Here ^ i.e. 
 then He commandeth another to break the sabbath, but,rhich 
 elsewhere' He doth the same Himself, mixing clay and^^f"^ 
 anointing a man's eyes; yet He doth these things notsc. 9, 
 transgressing, but going beyond the Law. And on this we 
 shall hereafter speak. For He doth not, when accused by 
 the Jews respecting the sabbath, always defend Himself in 
 the same terms, and this we must carefully observe. 
 
 [3.] But let us consider awhile how great an evil is envy, 
 
312 Malice viithout excuse : 
 
 HoMiL.how it disables the eyes of the soul to the endangering his 
 ^^ salvation who is possessed by it. For as madmen often 
 thrust their swords against their own bodies, so also mali- 
 1 al. cious persons looking only to one thing, the injury ' of him 
 ' P*'"' they envy, care not for their own salvation. Men like these 
 are worse than wild beasts; they when wanting food, or 
 having first been provoked by us, arm themselves against us; 
 but these men when they have received kindness, have often 
 repaid their benefactors as though they had wronged them. 
 Worse than wild beasts are they, like the devils, or perhaps 
 worse than even those; for they against us indeed have 
 unceasing hostility, but do not plot against those of their own 
 nature, (and so by this Jesus silenced the Jews when they 
 said that He cast out devils by Beelzebub,) but these men 
 neither respect their common nature,norspare their own selves. 
 For before they vex those whom they envy they vex their own 
 souls, filling them with all manner of trouble and despond- 
 ency, fruitlessly and in vain. For wherefore grievest thou, 
 O man, at the prosperity of thy neighbour .? We ought to 
 grieve at the ills we suffer, not because we see others in good 
 repute. Wherefore this sin is stripped of all excuse. The 
 fornicator may allege his lust, the thief his poverty, the man- 
 slayer his passion, frigid excuses and unreasonable, still they 
 have these to allege. But what reason, tell me, wilt thou 
 name ? None other at all, but that of intense wickedness. 
 If we are commanded to love our enemies, what punishment 
 shall we sufier if we hate our very friends? And if he who 
 loveth those that love him will be in no better a state than 
 the heathen, what excuse, what palliation shall he have who 
 injures those that have done him no wrong ? Hear Paul what 
 1 Cor. he saith. Though I give my body to be burned, and have not 
 ' ■ charity, it prq/iteth me nothing; now it is clear to every one 
 that where envy and malice are, there charity is not. This 
 feeling is worse than fornication and adultery, for these 
 go no farther than him who doeth them, but the tyranny 
 of envy hath ovei-turned entire Churches, and hath de- 
 stroyed the whole world. Envy is the mother of murder. 
 Through this Cain slew Abel his brother; through this Esau 
 (would have slain) Jacob, and his brethren Joseph, through 
 this the devil all mankind. Thou indeed now killest not, 
 
and hard to heal. 313 
 
 but thou dost many things worse than murder, desiring that John 
 thy brother may act unseemly, laying snares for him on all jg {3 
 sides, paralysing his labours on the side of virtue, grieving 
 that he pleaseth the Master of the world. Yet thou warrest 
 not with thy brother, but with Him whom he serves, Him 
 thou insultest when thou preferrest thy glory to His. And 
 what is in truth worst of all, is that this sin seems to be an 
 unimportant one, while in fact it is more grievous than any 
 other; for though thou shewest mercy and watchest and 
 fastest, thou art more accursed than any if thou enviest thy 
 brother. As is clear from this circumstance also. A man of 
 the Corinthians was once guilty of adultery, yet he was charged 
 with his sin and soon restored to righteousness; Cain envied 
 Abel ; but he was not healed, and although God Himself 
 continually charmed' the wound, he became more pained andMir^Sox- 
 wave-tossed, and was hurried on to murder. Thus this passion'^" 
 is worse than that other, and doth not easily permit itself to 
 be cured except we give heed. Let us then by all means 
 tear it up by the roots, considering this, that as we oflFend 
 God when we waste with envy ' at other men's blessings, 
 so when we rejoice with them we are well pleasing to Him, 
 and render ourselves partakers of the good things laid up for 
 the righteous. Therefore Paul exhorteth us to Rejoice with Rom. 12, 
 them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep, that on 
 either hand we may reap great profit. 
 
 Considering then that even when we labour not, by rejoic- 
 ing with him that laboureth, we become sharers of his crown, 
 let us cast aside all envy, and implant charity in our souls, 
 that by applauding those of our brethren who are well 
 pleasing unto God, we may obtain both present and future 
 good things, through the grace and lovingkindness of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom and with Whom, to the Father 
 and the Holy Ghost, be glory, now and ever, and world 
 without end. Amen. 
 
HOMILY XXXVIII. 
 
 5,5. 
 
 John v. 14. 
 
 Afterward Jesus findelh him in the Temple, and said unto 
 him, Behold, thou art made whole; sin no more, lest a 
 worse thing come unto thee. 
 
 A FEARFUL thing is sin, fearful, and the ruin of the soul, 
 and the mischief oftentimes through its excess has over- 
 flowed and attacked men's bodies also. For since for the 
 most part when the soul is diseased we feel no pain, but if 
 the body receive though but a little hurt, we use every 
 exertion to free it from its infirmity, because we are 
 sensible of the infirmity ", therefore God oftentimes pu^ 
 nisheth the body for the transgressions of the soul, so that 
 bj' means of the scourging of the inferior part, the better 
 part also may receive some healing. Thus too among the 
 Corinthians Paul restored the adulterer, checking the disease 
 1 Coi. of the soul by the destruction of the flesh, and having 
 applied the knife to the body, so repressed the evil ; like 
 some excellent physician employing external cautery for 
 dropsy or spleen, when they refuse to yield to internal 
 remedies. This also Christ did in the case of the paralytic ; 
 as He shewed when He said. Behold, thou art made whole; 
 sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee- 
 
 Now what do we learn from this ? First, that his disease 
 had been produced by his sins ; secondly, that the accounts 
 of hell fire are to be believed ; thirdly, that the punishment 
 is long, nay endless. Where now are those who say, " I mur- 
 dered in an hour, I committed adultery in a little moment of 
 
 » Sav. omits ' because we are sensible of the infirmity.' 
 
Punishment of sin : danger of relapse. 315 
 
 time, and am I eternally punished ?" For behold this man john 
 had not sinned for so many years as he suffered, for he had ^- ^^- 
 spent a whole lifetime in the length of his punishment; and 
 sins are not judged by time, but by the nature of the trans- 
 gressions. Besides this, we may see' another thing, that though jai. 
 we have suffered severely for former sins, if we afterwards ' 1^3,m' 
 fall into the same, we shall suffer much more severely. And 
 with good reason ; for he who is not made better even by 
 punishment, is afterwards led as insensible and a despiser 
 to still heavier chastisement. The fault should of itself be 
 sufficient to check and to render more sober the man who 
 once has slipped, but when not even the addition of punish- 
 ment effects this, he naturally requires more bitter torments ''. 
 Now if even in this world when after punishment' we fallsai. 
 into the same sins, we are chastised yet more severely than'''*™ 
 
 , . , been pu- 
 
 before, ought we not when after sinning we have not beenniahed 
 punished at all, to be then' very exceedingly afraid and tOs^'^^j 
 tremble, as being about to endure something irreparable ? this' 
 " And wherefore," sailh some one, " are not all thus punished ? 
 for we see many bad men well in body, vigorous, and enjoy- 
 ing great prosperity." But let us not be confident, let us 
 mourn for them in this case most of all, since their having 
 suffered nothing here, helps them on ° to a severer vengeance 
 hereafter*. As Paul declares when he saith, But now thatiia. 
 we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should^^^^f 
 not be condemned with the world; for the punishments here n, 32. 
 are for warning, there for vengeance. 
 
 " What then," saith one, " do all diseases proceed from 
 sin?" Not all, but most of them; and some proceed from 
 different kinds of loose living', since gluttony, intemperance, 5 al. 
 and sloth, produce such like sufferings. But the one rulef™"" 
 we have to observe, is to bear every stroke thankfully; for they living, 
 are sent because of our sins, as in the Kings we see one attacked j gf^gg 
 by gout ; they are sent also to make us approved, as the is, 23. 
 Lord saith to Job, Thinkest thou that I have spoken to thee, job 40, 
 save that thou mightest appear righteous ? \\^ 
 
 ■> Ben. and Ms. in Bocli. read the things, such an one will reasonably 
 
 passage thus: For the chaiitisement was suffer some penalty, calling this as he 
 
 of Itself suf&oient .... but when not does upon his own self.' 
 being sobered by the application of pu- ' i<p6Swv yiyv^rai. so Euseb. H. E. 
 
 nishment, he again dares the same viii. 10. c<p. T^r eij ttjv fwV eiVrfSou. 
 
316 Of the sins of the paralytic. 
 
 HoMiL. But why is it that iu the case of these paralytics Christ 
 
 'bringeth forward their sins? For He saith also to him in 
 
 Matt. 9, Matthew who lay on a bed, Son, be of good cheer, thy sins 
 
 are forgiven thee : and to this man, Behold, thou art made 
 
 see p. whole ; sin no more. I know that some slander this 
 
 paralytic, asserting that he was an accuser of Christ, and 
 
 that therefore this speech was addressed to him ; what then 
 
 shall we say of the other in Matthew, who heard nearly the 
 
 same words ? for Christ saith to him also, Thy sins be 
 
 forgiven thee. Whence it is cleai-, that neither was this 
 
 man thus addressed on the account which they allege. 
 
 'al.'from And this we may see more clearly from what follows'; for, 
 
 reason' saith the Evangelist, Afterwards Jesus findeth him in the 
 
 Temple, which is an indication of his great piety; for he 
 
 departed not into the martet places and walks, nor gave 
 
 himself up to luxury and ease, but remained in the Temple, 
 
 although about to sustain so violent an attack and to be 
 
 2 al. harassed by all there^. Yet none of these things persuaded 
 
 thence ^i™ '■° depart from the Temple. Moreover Christ having 
 
 by a-l!.' found him, even after he had conversed with the Jews, 
 
 implied nothing of the kind. For had He desired to charge 
 
 him with this. He would have said to him, " Art thou again 
 
 attempting the same sins as before, art thou not made better 
 
 by thy cure ?" Yet He said nothing of the kind, but merely 
 
 secureth biin for the future. 
 
 [2.] Why then, when He had cured the halt and maimed, did 
 He not in any instance make mention of the like? Methinks 
 that the diseases of these (the paralytic) arose from acts of sin, 
 those of the others from natural infirmity. Or if this be not 
 so, then by means of these men, and by the words spoken 
 to them. He hath spoken to the rest also. For since this 
 disease is more grievous than any other, by the greater He 
 correcteth also the less. And as when He had healed a 
 certain other He charged him to give glory to God, 
 addressing this exhortation not to him only but through 
 him to all, so He addresseth to these, and by these to all 
 the rest of mankind, that exhortation and advice which was 
 given to them by word of mouth. Besides this we may also 
 say, that Jesus perceived great endurance in his soul, and 
 addressed the exhortation to him as to one who was able to 
 
Right use of chastisement, and of God's mercy. 317 
 
 receive His command, keeping him to health both by the John 
 benefit, and by the fear of future ills. — '- — - 
 
 And observe the absence of boasting. He said not, 
 " Behold, I have made thee whole," but. Thou art made 
 whole ; sin no more. And again, not, " lest I punish thee," 
 but, lest a worse thing come unto thee; putting both ex- 
 pressions not personally'', and shewing that the cure was 
 rather of grace than of merit. For He declared not to him 
 that he was delivered after suffering the deserved amount of 
 punishment, but that through lovingkindness he was made 
 whole. Had this not been the case. He would have said, 
 " Behold, thou hast suffered a sufficient punishment for thy 
 sins, be thou stedfast for the future." But now He spake 
 not so, but how? Behold, thou art made whole; sin no more. 
 Let us continually repeat these words to ourselves, and if 
 after having been chastised we have been delivered, let each 
 say to himself. Behold, thou art made whole; sin no more. 
 But if we suffer not punishment though continuing in the 
 same courses, let us use for our charm that word of the 
 Apostle, The goodness of God leadeth us to repentance, 6m; Rom. 2, 
 after our hardness and impenitent heart, we treasure up unto ' ' 
 ourselves wrath. 
 
 And not only by strengthening' the sick man's body, but'<"/>f7l=s 
 also in another way, did He afford him a strong proof of 
 His Divinity ; for by saying. Sin no more. He shewed that 
 He knew all the transgressions that had formerly been com- 
 mitted by him ; and by this He would gain his belief as to 
 the future. 
 
 Ver. 15. The man departed, and told the Jews that it was 
 Jesus that had made him whole. 
 
 Again observe him continuing in the same right feeling. 
 He saith not, " This is he who said. Take up thy bed," but 
 when they continually advanced this seeming charge, he 
 continually puts forward the defence, again declaring his 
 Healer, and seeking to attract and attach others to Him. 
 For he was not so unfeeling as after such a benefit and 
 charge to betray his Benefactor, and to speak as he did 
 with an evil intention. Had he been a wild beast, had he 
 been something unlike a man and of stone, the benefit and 
 
 ■J i.TrpoaiiTras, i. e. not referring to Himself. 
 
818 Christ declareth His Equality with the Father. 
 
 HoMiL. the fear would have been enough to restrain him, since, 
 
 ^^^'"i having the threat lodged within, he would have dreaded 
 lest he should suflFer a worse thing, having already receiyed 
 
 1 aL the greatest pledges' of the power of his Physician. Besides, 
 ^™° had he wished to slander Him, he would have said nothing 
 about his own cure, but would have mentioned and urged 
 against Him the breach of the Sabbath. But this is not the 
 case, surely it is not ; the words are words of great boldness 
 and candour ; he proclaims his Benefactor no less than the 
 
 c. 9, 6. blind man did. For what said he ? He made clay, and 
 anointed mine eyes; and so this man of whom we now 
 speak, " It is Jesus Who made mewhole." 
 
 Ver. 16. There/ore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and 
 sought to slay Him, because He had done these things on 
 the Sabbath-day. What then saith Christ ? 
 
 Ver. 17. My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. 
 When there was need to make excuse for the Disciples, 
 He brought forward David their fellow servant, saying, 
 
 MaLi2, Have ye not read what David did when he ivas an hun- 
 gered? But when excuse was to be made for Himself, He 
 betook Himself to the Father, shewing in two ways His 
 
 'iSiafov- Equality, by calling God His Father peculiarly^, and by 
 
 ^"^ doing the same things which He did. " And wherefore did 
 He not mention what took place at Jericho " ?" Because He 
 wished to raise them up from earth that they might no 
 longer attend to Him as to a man, but as to God, and as to 
 one Who ought to legislate: since had He not been The 
 Very Son and of the same Essence, the defence would have 
 been worse than the charge. For if a viceroy who had 
 altered a royal law should, when charged with so doing, 
 excuse himself in this manner, and say, " Yea, for the king 
 also has annulled laws," he would not be able to escape, but 
 would thus increase the weight of the charge. But in this 
 instance, since the dignity is equal, the defence is made 
 perfect on most secure grounds. " From the charges," saith 
 He, " from which ye absolve God, absolve Me also." And 
 therefore He said first, My Father, that He might persuade 
 them even against their will to allow to Him the same, 
 through reverence of His clearly asserted Sonship. 
 
 ' Jericho was taken on the seventh day by command of God. Josh, 6, 4. 15. 
 
Of the manner in which the Father worketh. 319 
 
 If any one say, " And how doth the Father work, Who John 
 ceased on the seventh day from all His works ?" let him ■ 
 
 learn the manner in which He worketh. What then is the 
 manner of His working? He careth for, He holdeth^ 
 together all that hath been made. Therefore when thou 
 beholdest the sun rising and the moon running in her path, 
 the lakes, and fountains, and rivers, and rains, the course of 
 nature in the seeds and in our own bodies and those of 
 irrational beings, and all the rest by means of which this 
 universe is made up, then learn the ceaseless working of the 
 Father. For He maketh His sun to rise upon the evil and Matt. 5, 
 
 7 .45 
 
 the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 
 And again ; If God so clothe the grass of the field, which Matt. 6, 
 to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into tJi^Jire^ ; and speaking i ^jj 
 of the birds He said, Your Heavenly Father feedeth them, "xtpa- 
 [3.] In that place ^ then He did all on the Sabbath day 2 Matt, 
 by words only, and added nothing more, but refuted their ^^• 
 charges by what was done in the temple and from their own 
 practice. But here where He commanded a work to be 
 done, the taking up a bed, (a thing of no great importance 
 as regarded the miracle ^ though by it He shewed one^irpay/ia 
 point, a manifest violation of the Sabbath,) He leads up 
 His discourse to something greater, desiring the more to awe 
 them by reference to the dignity of the Father, and to lead 
 them up to higher thought. Therefore when His discourse is 
 concerning the Sabbath, He maketh not His defence as man 
 only, or as God only, but sometimes in one way, some- 
 times in the other; because He desired to persuade them 
 both of the condescension of the Dispensation, and the 
 Dignity of His Godhead. Therefore He now defendeth 
 Himself as God, since had He always conversed with them 
 merely as a man, they would have continued in the same low 
 condition. Wherefore that this may not be. He bringeth 
 forward" the Father. Yet the creation itself worketh on the 
 Sabbath, (for the sun runneth, rivers flow, fountains bubble, 
 women bear,) but that thou mayest learn that He is not of 
 creation, He said not, " Yea, I work, for creation worketh," 
 but, " Yea, I work, for My Father worketh." 
 
 ' Lit. ' weldeth.' truy/cpoTei. Sav. not uncommon for holding together a 
 conjectures avyKparei, but the word is system. 
 
320 Christ truly made Hirriself Equal with the Father. 
 
 HoMiL. Ver. 1 8. Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill Him, 
 ''^^'"^- because He not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also 
 that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. 
 And this He asserted not by words merely, but by deeds, 
 for not in speech alone, but also yet oftener by actions He 
 declared it. Why so ? Because they might object to His 
 words and charge Him with arrogance, but when they saw 
 the truth of His actions proved by results, and His power 
 proclaimed by works, after that they could say nothing 
 against Him. 
 
 But they who will not receive these words in a right mind 
 assert, that " Christ made not Himself equal to God, but 
 that the Jews suspected this." Come then let us go over 
 what has been said from the beginning. Tell me, did the 
 Jews persecute Him, or did they not ? It is clear to every 
 one that they did. Did they persecute Him for this or for 
 something else .? It is again allowed that it was for this. 
 Did He then break the Sabbath, or did He not .' Against 
 the fact that He did, no one can have any thing to say. 
 Did He call God His Father, or did He not call Him so ? 
 This too is true. Then the rest also follows by the same 
 consequence ; for as to call God His Father, to break the 
 Sabbath, and to be persecuted by the Jews for the former 
 and more especially for the latter reason, belonged not to a 
 false imagination, but to actual fact, so to make Himself 
 equal to God was a declaration of the same meaning^. 
 
 And this one may see more clearly from what He had 
 before said, for My Father tvorheth, and I work, is the 
 expression of One declaring Himself equal to God. For in 
 1 ai. these words He has marked" no difference. He said not, 
 'given' «jjg ^vorteth, and I minister," but, "As He worketh, so 
 work I ;" and hath declared absolute Equality. But if He 
 had not wished to establish this, and the Jews had supposed 
 so without reason, He would not have allowed their minds 
 to be deceived, but would have corrected this. Besides, 
 the Evangelist would not have been silent on the subject, 
 but would have plainly said that the Jews ^supposed so, but 
 
 B Tijs avTris yvdiiris i.ir6<pa(ns, i. e. asserts a truth which had before been 
 m saying that He was mating Himself signiBed by Hia breaking the Sabbath, 
 eywal to the Father, the Evangelist and saying that God was His Tather. 
 
Misapprehensions often corrected. 321 
 
 that Jesus did not make Himself equal to God. As in John 
 another place he doth this very thing, when he perceiveth -Zii^i. 
 that something was said in one way, and understood in 
 another; as, Destroy this Temple, said Christ, and in three 0.2, \9. 
 days I will raise It up ; speaking of His Flesh. But the 
 Jews, not understanding this, and supposing that the words 
 were spoken of the Jewish temple, said. Forty and six year^ 
 was this temple in building, and will Thou rear it up in 
 three days ? Since then He said one thing, and they imagined 
 another, (for He spake of His Flesh, and they thought that 
 the words were spoken of their temple,) the Evangelist re- 
 marking on this, or rather correcting their imagination, goes 
 on to say. But He spake of the Temple of His Body. So 
 that here also, if Christ had not made Himself equal with 
 God, had not wished to establish this, and yet the Jews had 
 imagined that He did, the writer would here also ha^ 
 corrected their supposition, and would have said, "The 
 Jews thought that He made Himself equal to God, but 
 indeed He spake not of equality." And this is done not in 
 this place only, nor by this Evangelist only, but again 
 elsewhere another Evangelist is seen to do the same. For 
 when Christ warned His disciples, sayings Beware of the Mat.ie, 
 leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, and they reasoned 
 among themselves, saying, It is because wehave taken no bread, 
 and He spake of one thing, calling their doctrine leaven, but 
 the disciples imagined another, supposing that the words 
 were said of bread ; it is not now the Evangelist who setteth 
 them right, but Christ Himself, speaking thus, How is it 
 that ye do not understand, that I spake not to you concerning 
 bread? But here there is nothing of the kind. 
 
 " But," saith some one, " to remove this very thought 
 Clu-ist has added," 
 
 Ver. 19. The Son can do nothing of Himself . 
 
 Man ! He doth the contrary. He saith this not to take 
 away, but to confirm', His Equality. But attend carefully, ' lit. 'to 
 for this is no common question. The expression ofHim-''^^'' 
 self is found in many places of Scripture, with reference 
 both to Christ and to the Holy Ghost, and we must 
 learn the force of the expression, that we may not fall 
 into the greatest errors; for if one take it separately by 
 
 Y 
 
322 The Son not without power to act, but, 
 
 HoMiL. itself in the way in which it is obvious to take it, consider 
 
 vvvyiTj 
 
 — how great an absurdity will follow. He said not that He 
 
 could do some things of Himself and that others He could 
 not, but universally, 
 
 [4.] The Son can do nothing of Himself. 
 I ask then my opponent, " Can the Son do nothing of 
 Himself, tell me ?" If he reply, " that He can do nothing," 
 we will say, that He hath done of Himself the very greatest 
 
 Phil. 2, of all goods. As Paul cries aloud, saying, Who being in 
 the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with 
 God, but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon 
 Him the form of a servant. And again, Christ Himself in 
 
 c.10,18. another place saith, I have power to lay down Mtj life, and 
 I have power to take it again : and, No man taketh it from 
 Me, but I lay it down of Myself . Seest thou that He hath 
 power over life and death, and that He wrought of Himself 
 so mighty a Dispensation ? And why speak I concerning 
 Christ, when even we, than whom nothing can be meaner, 
 do many things of ourselves? Of ourselves we choose 
 vice, of ourselves we go after virtue, and if we do it 
 not of ourselves, and not having power, we shall neither 
 suffer hell if we do wrong, nor enjoy the Kingdom if we do 
 right. 
 
 What then meaneth. Can do nothing of Himself? That 
 He can do nothing in opposition to the Father, nothing 
 
 li.e. alien from, nothing strange to Him', which is especially 
 
 ^°'g"j^_the assertion of One declaring an Equality and entire 
 
 self. agreement. 
 
 But wherefore said He not, that " He doeth nothing 
 contrary," instead of, He cannot do ? It was that from this 
 again He might shew the invariableness and exactness of 
 the Equality, for the expression imputes not weakness to 
 
 ^al.'tes- Him, but even shews ^ His great power; since in another 
 
 ^eb.'e P^^*^^ ■'^^"^ ^^'^^^ °^ ^^® Father, That by two immutable 
 
 18. things in which it was impossible for God to lie: and again, 
 
 9,Ti-ai.2, Tf we deny Him — He abideth faithful, for He cannot deny 
 
 12. 13. Jiiyri^elf. And in truth this expression, " impossible," is not 
 
 declaratory of weakness, but power, power unspeakable. 
 
 For what He saith is of this kind, that " that Essence 
 
 admitteth not such things as these." For just as when 
 
inseparable in action from the Father. 323 
 
 we also say, " it is impossible for God to do wrong," we Johw 
 do not impute to Him any weakness, but confess in Him - 
 
 an unutterable power ; so when He also saith, I can qfv. 30. 
 Mine own Self do nothing, His meaning is, that " it is im- 
 possible, nature admits not ', that I should do any thing 1 dyg^. 
 contrary to the Father." And that you may learn that this ^'^'P'''''"' 
 is really what is said, let us, going over what follows, see 
 whether Christ agreeth with what is said by us, or among 
 you. Thou sayest, that the expression does away with His 
 Power and His proper Authority, and shews His might to be 
 but weak ; but I say, that this proves His Equality, His 
 unvarying Likeness =, (to the Father,) and the fact that all is^rb 
 done as it were bj' one Will' and Power and Might. Let"™'^^^' 
 us then enquire of Christ Himself, and see by what He ^yvii^yis 
 next saith whether He interpreteth these words accord- 
 ing to thy supposition or according to ours. What then 
 saith He ? 
 
 For v}hat things soever the Father* doeth, these also doeth * '^k^''- 
 the Son likewise. 
 
 Seest thou how He hath taken away your assertion by the 
 root, and confirmed what is said by us? since, if Christ doeth 
 nothing of Himself, neither will the Father do any thing of 
 Himself, if so be that Christ doeth all things in like manner 
 to Him"". If this be not the case, another strange conclusion 
 will follow. For He said not, that " whatsoever things He 
 saw the Father do. He did," but, " except He see the Father 
 doing any thing, He doeth it not;" extending His words to 
 all time ; now He will, according to you, be continually learn- 
 ing the same things. Seest thou how exalted is the idea, 
 and that the very humility of the expression compelleth even 
 the most shameless and unwilling to avoid grovelling thoughts, 
 and such as are unsuited to His dignity ? For who so 
 wretched and miserable as to assert, that the Son learneth 
 day by day what He must do ? and how can that be true, 
 Thou art the same, and Thy years shall not fail? or that Ps- 102, 
 other. All things were made by Him, and without Him was ^^ \ 3, 
 not any thing made ; if the Father doeth certain things, and 
 the Son seeth and imitateth Him ? Seest thou that from 
 
 •> Morel, and Ms. in Bodl. ' that t^le likewise (rh iiioias) may remain.' 
 
 y2 
 
fw(ri 
 
 324 Whi/ our Lord used lowly expressions. 
 
 HoMiL.what was asserted above, and from what was said afterwards, 
 
 XXXVUI. 
 
 — proof is given of His independent Power? and if He bringeth 
 
 forward some expressions in lowly manner, marvel not, for 
 since they persecuted Him when they had heard His exalted 
 "j"^"' sayings, and deemed Him to be an enemy of God, sinking' 
 a little in expression alone, He again leadeth His discourse 
 up to the sublimer doctrines, then in turn to the lower, 
 varying His teaching that it might be easy of acceptance 
 
 ^a^yi^- even to the indisposed '. Observe, after saying. My Father 
 worketh, and I work; and after declaring Himself equal with 
 God, He addeth, The Son can do nothing of Himself, but 
 what He seeth the Father do. Then again in a higher strain. 
 What things soever the Father doeth, these also doeth the Son 
 likewise. Then in a lower, 
 
 Ver. 20. The Father loveth the Son, and sheweth Him all 
 things that Himself doeth ; and He will shew Him greater 
 works than these. 
 
 Seest thou how great is the humility of this ? And with 
 reason ; for what I said before, what I shall not cease to say, 
 I will now repeat, that when He uttereth any thing low or 
 humble, He putteth it in excess, that the very poverty of the 
 -expression may persuade even the indisposed to receive the 
 notions with pious understanding. Since, if it be not so, see 
 how absurd a thing is asserted, making the trial from the 
 words themselves. For when He sailh. And shall shew Him 
 greater works than these. He will be found not to have yet 
 learned many things, which cannot be said even of the 
 Apostles; for they when they had once received the grace of 
 the Spirit, in a moment both knew and were able to do all 
 things which it was needful that they should know and have 
 power to do, while Christ will be found to have not yet 
 learned many things which He needed to know. And what 
 can be more absurd than this ? 
 
 What then is His meaning.!" It was because He had 
 strengthened the paralytic, and was about to raise the 
 dead, that He thus spake, all but saying, " Wonder ye that 
 I have strengthened the paralysed } Ye shall see greater 
 things than these." But He spake not thus, but proceeded 
 somehow in a humbler strain, in order that He might 
 
Rejoins toith them suck as imply His Godhead. 325 
 
 soothe ' their madness. And that thou mayest learn that John 
 shall shew is not used absolutely, listen again to what ,^,'^'' 
 foUoweth. t heal' 
 
 Ver. 21. For as the Father raiseth vp the dead, and 
 quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth whom He 
 will. 
 
 Yet can do nothing of Himself is opposed to whom He 
 will: since if He quickeneth whom He will. He can do 
 something of Himself, (for to will implies power,) but if He 
 can do nothing of Himself, then He cannot quicken whom 
 He will. For the expression, as the Father raiseth up, 
 sheweth unvarying resemblance in Power, and whom. He 
 will. Equality of Authority. Seest thou therefore that 
 cannot do any thing of Himself \s the expression of One not 
 taking away His (own) authority, but declaring the unvarying 
 resemblance of His Power and Will (to those of the Father)? 
 In this sense also understand the words, shall shew to Him; 
 for in another place He saith, / will raise him up at the «• 6, io. 
 last Hay. And again, to shew that He doth it not by 
 receiving an inward power' from above. He saith, I am the " Ivep- 
 Resm-rection and the Life. Then that thou mayest ■aot'^^v'^„. 
 assert that He raiseth what dead He will and quickeneth 
 them, but that He doth not other things in such manner, He 
 anticipateth and preventeth every objection of the kind by 
 saying. What things soever He doeth, these also doeth the 
 Son likewise, thus declaring that He doeth all things which 
 the Father doeth, and as the Father doeth them; whether 
 thou speakest of the raising of the dead, or the fashioning' 'S«£7rA.a- 
 of bodies, or the remission of sins, or any other matter"''" 
 whatever, He worketh in like manner to Him who begat 
 Him. 
 
 [5.] But men careless of their salvation give heed to none 
 of these things; so great an evil is it to be in love with 
 precedence. This has been the mother of heresies, this has 
 confirmed the impiety of the heathen*. For God desired* lit. 
 that His invisible things should be understood by the 
 creation of this world, but they having left these andEom. i, 
 refused to come by this mode of teaching, cut out for them- ^"^ 
 selves another way, and so were cast out from the true^sTiij 
 And the Jews believed not because they received honour "^^"f . 
 
326 Folly of seeking the praise of men. 
 
 HoMiL.from one another, and sought not the honour which is from 
 ™44| God. But let us, beloved, avoid this disease exceedingly 
 and with all earnestness ; for though we have ten thousand 
 good qualities, this plague of vain glory is sufficient to bring 
 them all to nought. If therefore vfe desire praise, let us 
 seek the praise which is from God, for the praise of men 
 of what kind soever it be, as soon as it has appeared has 
 perished, or if it perish not, brings to us no profit, and often 
 proceeds from a corrupt judgment. And what is there to 
 be admired in the honour which is from men ? which young 
 dancers enjoy, and abandoned women, and covetous and 
 rapacious men ? But he who is approved of God, is approved 
 not with these, but with those holy men the Prophets and 
 Apostles, who have shewn forth an angelic life. If we 
 feel any desire to lead multitudes about with us or be looked 
 at by thera, let us consider the matter apart by itself, and we 
 shall find that it is utterly worthless. In fine, if thou art fond 
 of crowds, draw to thyself the host of angels, and become 
 terrible to the devils, then shalt thou care nothing for mortal 
 things, but shalt tread all that is splendid underfoot as mire 
 and clay; and shalt clearly see that nothing so fits a soul 
 for shame as the passion for glory ; for it cannot, it cannot 
 be, that the man who desires this should live the crucified 
 life, as on the other hand it is not possible that the man who 
 hath trodden this underfoot should not tread down most 
 other passions ; for he who masters this will get the better 
 of envy and covetousness, and all the grievous maladies. 
 "And how," saith some one, " shall we get the better of it?" 
 If we look to the other glory which is from heaven, and from 
 which this kind strives to cast us out. For that heavenly glory 
 both makes us honoured here, and passes with us into the 
 life which is to come, and delivers us from all fleshly slavery 
 which we now most miserably serve, giving up ourselves 
 entirely to earth and the things of earth. For if you go into 
 the forum, if you enter into a house, into the streets, into the 
 soldiers' quarters, into inns, taverns, ships, islands, palaces, 
 courts of justice, council chambers, you shall every where 
 find anxiety for ihings present and belonging to this life, 
 and each man labouring for these things, whether gone or 
 coming, travelling or staying at home, voyaging, tilling 
 
Danger of Christians living for this world. 327 
 
 lands, in the fields, in the cities, in a word, all. What hope John 
 then of salvation have we, when inhabiting God's earth weJLlHl:- 
 care not for the things of God, when bidden to be aliens 
 from earthly things we are aliens from heaven and citizens 
 of earth ? What can be worse than this insensibility, when 
 hearing each day of the Judgment and of the Kingdom, we 
 imitate the men in the days of Noah, and those of Sodom, 
 waiting to learn all by actual experience? Yet for this 
 purpose were all those things written, th-at if any one believe 
 not that which is to come, he may, from what has already 
 been, get certain proof of what shall be. Considering there- 
 fore these things, both the past and the future, let us at least 
 take breath a little from this hard slavery, and make some 
 account of our souls also ', that we may obtain both present 
 and future blessings ; through the grace and lovingkindness 
 of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom, with the Father and the 
 Holy Ghost, be glory, now and ever, and world without end. 
 Amen. 
 
 ' i. e. as well as of earthly things. 
 
HOMILY XXXIX. 
 
 John v. 23, 24. 
 
 For My Father judgeth no man, hut hath committed all judg- 
 ment to the Son; that all men should honour tlie Son, even as 
 they Iwnour the Father. 
 
 Beloved, we need gi'eat diligence in all things, for we 
 
 shall render account of and undergo a strict enquiry both of 
 
 words and works. Our interests stop not with what now is, 
 
 but a certain other condition of life shall receive us after this, 
 
 2Cor.5, and we shall be brought before a fearful tribunal. For we 
 
 must appear before the Judgment-seat of Christ, that every one 
 
 may receive the things done in his hody, according to that he 
 
 hath done, whether it he good or had. Let us ever bear in 
 
 mind this tribunal, that we may thus be enabled at all times 
 
 to continue in virtue; for as he who has cast out from his 
 
 soul that day, rushes like a horse that has burst his bridle to 
 
 Ps. 10, precipices, (for his ways, are always defiled'^, and then assign- 
 
 i'/3ej3ri- i"g ^^ reason the Psa,lmist hath di,A&e&, He putleth Thyjudg- 
 
 xovvTOj. ments far away out of his sight ;) so he that always retains 
 
 Eoclus. this fear will walk soberly. Remember^ saith one, thy last 
 
 ' ' things, and thou shall never do amiss. For He who now hath 
 
 remitted our sins, will then sit in judgment; He who i^ath 
 
 died for our sake will thea appear again to judge all man-- 
 
 ^J^'" kind=. Unto them that look for Him, saith the Apostle, 
 
 airaaav. shall He appear the second time, without sin unto salvation. 
 
 Heb. 9, Wherefore in this place also He saith, My Father judgeth 
 
The Son is as the Father in all save in His being Son. 329 
 
 no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son ; John 
 
 V. 
 
 .24. 
 
 that all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the 23^' 
 
 Father. 
 
 " Shall we then," saith some one, " also call Him Father?" 
 Away with the thought. He useth the word Son that we 
 may honour Him still remaining a Son, as we honour the 
 Father ; but he who calleth Him " Father" doth not honour 
 the Son as the Father, but has confounded the whole. 
 Moreover as men are not so much brought to by being 
 benefitted as by being punished, on this account He hath 
 spoken thus terribly ", that even fear may draw them to 
 honour Him. And when He saith all, His meaning is this, 
 that He hath power to punish and to honour, and doeth 
 either as He will '. The expression hath given, is used that 
 thou mayest not suppose Him not to have been Begotten, and 
 so think that there are two Fathers. For all that the Father 
 is, this the Son is also% Begotten, and remaining a Son. 
 And that thou mayest learn that hath given is the same as 
 " hath begotten," hear this very thing declared by another 
 place. As, saith Christ, the Father hath life in Himself, so v. 26. 
 hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself. " What 
 then ? Did He first beget and then give Him life ? For he 
 who giveth, giveth to some thing which is. Was He then 
 begotten without life ?" Not even the devils could imagine 
 this, for it is very foolish as well as impious. As then " hath 
 given life" is " hath begotten Him Who is Life," so, " hath 
 given judgment" is " hath begotten Him Who shall be 
 Judge." 
 
 That thou mayest not when thou hearest that He hath the 
 Father for His cause imagine any difference ' of essence or 1 irapax. 
 inferiority of honour. He cometh to judge thee, by this '^'''^''* 
 proving His Equality ^. For He who hath authority to ^ al. 
 punish and to honour whom He will, hath the same Power -q^^^ , 
 with the Father. Since, if this be not the case, if having 
 been begotten He afterwards received the honour, how came 
 it that He was afterwards [thus] honoured, by what mode 
 
 * al. ' since men being benefitted a re •" al. to punish aid honour all whom- 
 
 not so sensible of it, He saith hath soever He will.'. 
 
 given alt Judgment to Him, in order " al. ' all things which belong to the 
 
 that,' &c. ra,theT, belong also to the Son.' 
 
330 The lower expressions were to avoid offence to the Jews, 
 
 HoMiL.of advancement reached He so far as to receive and be 
 
 XXXIX 
 
 ^ ■' appointed to this dignity ? Are ye not ashamed thus im- 
 
 ' aKi)pa-pudently to apply to that Pure' Nature which admitteth of 
 ^'^ no addition these carnal and mean imaginations ? 
 
 " Why then," saith some one, " doth Christ so speak ?" 
 That His words may be readily received, and to clear the 
 way for sublime sayings ; therefore He mixeth these with 
 those, and those with these. And observe how (He doth it) ; 
 ch. 5,17. for it is good to see this from the beginning. He said, My 
 Father worketh, and I work: declaring by this their Equality 
 and Equal honour. But ihey sought to kill Him. What 
 doth He then? He lowereth His form of speech indeed, 
 but putteth the same meaning when He saith, The Son can 
 do nothing of Himself. Then again He raiseth His discourse 
 to high matters, saying, What things soever the Father doeth, 
 these also doeth the Son likewise. Then He retumeth to 
 what is lower. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth 
 Him all things that Himself doeth ; and He will shew Him 
 greater things than these. Then He riseth higher. For as 
 the Father raiseth up the dead and quickeneth them, even so 
 the Son quickeneth whom He will. After this again He 
 joineth the high and the low together. For neither doth the 
 Father judge any one,- but hath given all Judgment to the 
 Son; then riseth again. That all men should honour the Son, 
 even as they honour the Father. Seest thou how He varieth 
 the discourse, weaving it both of high and low words and 
 expressions, in order that it might be acceptable to the men 
 of that time, and that those who should come after might 
 receive no injury, gaining from the higher part a right 
 opinion of the rest? For if this be not the case, if these 
 sayings were not uttered through condescension, wherefore 
 were the high expressions added? Because one who is 
 entitled to utter great words concerning himself, hath, 
 when he saith any thing mean and low, this reasonable 
 = oiKoj/o- excuse, that he doth it for some prudential purpose"; but 
 ii^as Ti- ^ ^^^ ^j^^ ought to speak meanly of himself saith any thing 
 great, on what account doth he utter words which surpass 
 his nature ? This is not for any purpose at all, but an act of 
 ' al. extreme impiety'. 
 
 ' folly.' 
 
 [2.] We are therefore able to assign a reason for the 
 
the higher to guard us from heresy. 331 
 
 lowly expressions, a reason sufficient, and becoming to God, John 
 namely, His condescension, His teaching us to be moderate, 23. 24. 
 
 and the salvation which is thus wrought for us. To declare ' 
 which He said Himself in another place, These things I say 
 that ye might be saved. For when He left His own witness, 
 and betook Himself to that of John, (a thing unworthy of 
 His greatness,) He putteth the reason of such lowliness of 
 language, and saith. These things I say that ye might be 
 saved. And ye who assert that He hath not the same 
 authority and power with Him Who begat Him, what can 
 ye say when ye hear Him utter words by which He declareth 
 His Authority and Power and Glory equal in respect of the 
 Father ? Wherefore, if He be as ye assert very inferior, 
 doth He claim the same honour ? Nor doth He stop even 
 here, but goeth on to say, 
 
 He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father 
 which hath sent Him. Seest thou how the honour of the 
 Son is connected with that of the Father? " What of that ?" 
 saith one. " We see the same in the case of the Apostles ; 
 He, saith Christ, who receiveth you receiveth Me." But in Mat. 10, 
 that place He speaketh so, because He maketh the concerns^"' 
 of His servants His own ; here, because the Essence and the 
 Glory is One (with that of the Father). Therefore' it is notial.'Be- 
 said of the Apostles " that they may honour," but rightly He 
 saith, He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the 
 Father, For where there are two kings, if one is insulted 
 the other is insulted also, and especially when he that is 
 insulted is a son. He is insulted even when one of his 
 soldiers is maltreated ; not in the same way as in this case, 
 but as it were in the person of another^, while here it is as its 5,^ ^5. 
 were in his own. Wherefore He beforehand said, Tlial they "^ 
 should honour the Son even as. they honour the Father, in 
 order that when He should say. He that honoureth not the 
 Son honoureth not the Father, thou mightest understand 
 that the honour is the same. For He saith not merely, " he 
 that honoureth not the Son," but " he that honoureth Him 
 not so as I have said" honoureth not the Father. 
 
 " And how," saith one, " can he that sendeth and he that 
 is sent be of the same essence ?" Again, thou bringest down 
 the argument to carnal things, and perceivest not that all 
 
332 Our Lordfs words adapted to earthly apprehensions. 
 
 HoMiL. this has been said for no other purpose, but that we might 
 5^^^^' know Him to be The Cause', and not fall into the error^ of 
 diriov Sabellius, and that in this manner the infii-mity of the Jews 
 2 v6aov ijjigjjt be healed, so that He might not be deemed an enemy 
 c. 9, 16. of God* ; for they said. This man is not of God, " This man 
 hath not come from God." Now to remove this suspicion, 
 high sayings did not contribute so much as the lowly, and 
 therefore continually aud every where He said that He had 
 been sent ; not that thou mightest suppose that expression to 
 be° any lessening of His greatness, but in order to stop their 
 mouths. And for this cause also He constantly betaketh 
 Himself to the Father, interposing moreover mention of His 
 'al.'ab-own high Parentage^ For had He said all in proportion to 
 power' H^® dignity, the Jews would not have received His words, 
 since because of a few such expressions they persecuted and 
 oftentimes stoned Him ; and if looking wholly to them He 
 had used none but low expressions, many in after times 
 might have been harmed. Wherefore He mingleth and 
 blendeth ' His teaching, both by these lowly sayings 
 stopping, as I said, the mouths of the Jews, and also by 
 ^al.'cor- expressions suited to His dignity banishing* from men of 
 recting ggjjgg j^jjy juean notion of what He had said, and proving 
 that such a notion did not in any wise apply to Him 
 at all. 
 
 The expression " having been sent" denoteth change of 
 
 place — but God is every where present. Wherefore then 
 
 ^iraxi- saith He that He was sent? He speaketh in an earthly^ 
 
 "''" way^, declaring His unanimity with the Father. At least 
 
 He shapeth His succeeding words with a desire to effect 
 
 this. 
 
 Ver. 24. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth 
 My word, and believeth on Him that sent 3Ie, hath ever- 
 lasting life. 
 
 Seest thou how continually He putteth the same thing to 
 cure that feeling of suspicion, both in this place and in what 
 follows by fear and by promises of blessings removing their 
 
 ■• For from their extreme senseless- f Ktpva, generally of mixing wine 
 
 ness He was counted among them an with water, 
 
 enemy of God. Morel. « Morel, reads: 'for this reason He 
 
 ^ al. ' not that He might by this shew doth not decline to use a more earthly 
 
 any lessening, &c.' expression, declaring, <feo.' 
 
Believers in Him are led on to the Father. 333 
 
 jealousy of Him, and then again condescending greatly in John 
 words ? For He said not, " he that heareth My words, and g^^^g 
 believeth on Me," since they would have certainly deemed 
 that to be pride, and a superfluous pomp of words ; because, 
 if after a very long time, and ten thousand miracles, they 
 suspected this when He spake after this manner, much more 
 would they have done so then. It was on this account that 
 at that later period' they said to Him, Abraham is dead, and^ '^''" 
 the prophets are dead, how say est Thou^, If a man keep My^'chxi- 
 saying, he shall never taste of death ? In order therefore )!,"'' 
 that they may not here also become furious, see what He 
 saith. He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that 
 sent Me, hath everlasting life. This had no small effect in 
 making His discourse acceptable, when they learned that 
 those who hear Him believe in the Father also ; for after 
 having received this with readiness, they would more easily 
 receive the rest. So that the very speaking in a humble 
 manner contributed aud led the way to higher things; for 
 after saying, hath everlasting life. He addeth, 
 
 And Cometh not into judgment, but is passed from death 
 unto life. 
 
 By these two things He maketh His discourse acceptable; 
 first, because it is the Father Who is believed on, and then, 
 because the believer enjoyeth many blessings. And the 
 Cometh not into judgment meaneth, " is not punished," for 
 He speaketh not of death here, but of death eternal, as also 
 of the other life which is deathless. 
 
 Ver. 25. Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour cometh, 
 and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of 
 God : and they that have heard shall live. 
 
 Having said the words. He speaketh also of the proof by 
 deeds'". For when He had said. As the Father raiseth up 
 the dead and quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth 
 whom He will, that the thing may not seem to be mere 
 boasting and pride, He affordeth proof by works, saying, s al. 
 The hour cometh; then, that thou mayest not deem that the *™"' 
 time is long, He addeth, and now is, when tlie dead shall 
 
 ^ Morel reads : ' He spate those desireth to prove them hy works also, 
 great thiogs in words, afterwards He 
 
334 Our Lord offered proof in what He would soon do. 
 
 HoMiL. hear the voice of the Son of God, and theu that have heard 
 
 XXXIX 
 
 'shall live. Seest thou here His absolute and unutterable 
 
 authority ? For as it shall be in the Resurrection, even so, 
 
 He saith, it shall be now. Then too when we hear His 
 
 voice commanding us we are raised ; for, saith the Apostle, 
 
 MThess." at the command of God the dead shall arise'." "And 
 
 4 16. 
 
 [not ver- whence," perhaps some one will ask, " is it clear that the 
 ^^"jjT words are not mere boast?" From what He hath added, 
 
 quoted] ' 
 
 and now is; because had His promises referred only to 
 some future time. His discourse would have been suspected 
 by them, but now He supplieth them with a proof: " While 
 I," saith He, " am tarrying among you, this thing shall 
 come to pass ;" and He would not, had He not possessed 
 the power, have promised for that time, lest through the 
 promise He should incur the greater ridicule. Then too 
 He addeth an argument demonstrative of His assertions, 
 saying, 
 
 Ver. 26. For as the Father hath life in Himself, so hath 
 He given to the Son to have life in Himself. 
 
 [3.] Seest thou that this declareth a perfect likeness save 
 in one' point, which is the One being a Father, and the 
 Other a Son ? for the expression hath given, merely intro- 
 duceth this distinction, but declareth that all the rest is 
 equal and exactly alike. Whence it is clear that the Son 
 doeth all things with as much authority and power as the 
 Father, and that He is not empowered from some other 
 source, for He hath life so as the Father hath. And on this 
 account, what comes after is straightway added, that from 
 this we may understand the other also. What is this then ? 
 It is, 
 
 Ver. 27. Hath given Him authority to execute judgment 
 also. 
 = Si/wKal And wherefore doth He continually" dwell upon resur- 
 rection axidi judgment? For He saith j As the Father raiselh 
 up the dead and quickeneth them, even so the Son quick- 
 eneth whom He will: and again, the Father judgeth no man, 
 hut hath committed all judgment to the Son: and again, As 
 the Father hath life in Himself so hath He given to the Son 
 to have life in Himself; and again, They that have heard 
 
He made way for the inference of His Godhead. 335 
 [the Voice of the Son of God] shall live; and here again, John 
 
 V. 
 
 8.29. 
 
 Hath given to Him authority to execute judgment. Where- 
 fore doth He dwell on these things continually? I mean, on 
 judgment, and life, and resurrection? It is because these 
 subjects are able most of any to attract even the obstinate 
 hearer. For the man who is persuaded that he shall both 
 rise again and shall give account to Christ' of his transgres- ' Toiir,); 
 sions, even though he have seen no other sign, yet having 
 admitted this, will surely run to Him to propitiate his Judge. 
 
 That He is the Son of Man, (v. 28.) marvel not at this. 
 
 Paul of Samosata rendereth it not so ; but how ? " Hath 
 given Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the 
 Son of Man ^." Now the passage thus read is inconsequent, 2 As in 
 for He did not receive judgment because He was man, Tuj], 
 (since then what hindered all men from being judges,) but Version, 
 because He is the Son of that Ineffable Essence, therefore 
 is He Judge. So we must read , That He is the Son of Man, 
 marvel not at this. For when what He said seemed to the 
 hearers inconsistent, and they deemed Him nothing more 
 than mere man, while His words were greater than suited 
 man, yea or even angel, and were proper to God only, to 
 solve this objection He addeth, 
 
 Ver. 28, 29. Marvel not [that He is the Son qf Man%] for ' ^oEto 
 the hour is coming in the which they * that are in the tombs * ^ivr^s 
 shall hear His voice and shall go forth, they that have done '^- '^• 
 good to the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil 
 to the resurrection of judgment. 
 
 And wherefore said He not, " Marvel not that He is the 
 Son of Man, for He is also the Son of God," but rather 
 mentioned the resurrection? He did indeed put this above, 
 by saying, shall hear the Voice of the Son of Qod. And if 
 here He is silent on the matter, wonder not ; for after men- 
 tioning a work which was proper to God, He then permitteth 
 His hearers to collect from it that He was God, and the Son 
 of God. For had this been continually asserted by Himself, 
 it would at that time have oflfended them, but when proved 
 by the argument of miracles, it rendered His doctrine less 
 burdensome. So they who put together syllogisms, when 
 having laid down their premises' they have fairly,^ proved ' rA/iepij 
 the point in question, frequently do not draw the conclusion ^J^""" ' 
 
336 The doctrine of Judgment carefully propounded. 
 
 HoMiL. themselves, but to render their hearers more fairly disposed, 
 ^ and tomake their victory more evident, cause the opponent him- 
 self to give the verdict, so that the by-standers may the rather 
 agree with them when their opponents decide in their favour. 
 When therefore He mentioned the resurrection -of Lazarus, 
 He spake not of the Judgment (for it was not for this 
 that Lazarus arose) ; but when He spake generally He also 
 added, that they that have done good shall go forth unto the 
 resurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the 
 resurrection of judgment. Thus also John led on his hearers 
 c. 3, 36. by speaking of the Judgment, and that he thatbelievethnoton 
 the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on 
 c. 3, is.fiim: so too Himself led on Nicodemus: He that believeth on 
 the Son, He said to him, is not judged, but he that believeth 
 not is judged already; and so here He mentioneth the 
 1 Si/tocr- Judgment-seat' and the punishment which shall follow upon 
 rvp'oy g^^j (jggjg_ Pqj because He had said above. He that 
 heareth My iiords and believeth on Him that sent Me, " is 
 not judged," lest any one should imagine that this alone is 
 sufficient for salvation, He addeth also the result of man's 
 " T(x iK life^, declaring that they which have done good shall come 
 "^"^ ^ "" forth unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done 
 evil unto the resurrection of judgment. Since then He had 
 said that all the world should render account to Him, and 
 that all at His Voice should rise again, a thing new and 
 strange and even now disbelieved by many who seem to 
 have believed, not to say by the Jews at that time, hear how 
 He goeth to prove it, again condescending to the infirmity of 
 His hearers. 
 
 Ver. 30. / can of Mine own self do nothing; as I hear I 
 judge, and My judgment is just, because I seek not Mine own 
 ^ '■"", will, but the will of Him' Which sent Me. 
 G. T. Although He had but lately given no trifling proof of the 
 ^°'''"'^^"' Kesurrection by bracing^ the paralytic; on which account 
 also He had not spoken of the Resurrection before He had 
 done what fell little short of resurrection. And the Judg- 
 ment He hinted at after He had braced the bodyj by saying. 
 Behold, thou art made whole, sin. no more, lest a worse thing 
 come unto thee; yet still He proclaimed beforehand the 
 resurrection of Lazarus and of the world. And when He 
 
Christ condescendeth to the toeahness of the Jews. 337 
 
 had spoken of these two, that of Lazarus which should come John 
 to pass almost immediately, and that of the inhabited world — : — '- 
 which should be long after, He confirmeth the first by the 
 paralytic and by the nearness of the time, saying, The hour 
 Cometh and now is; the other by the raising of Lazarus, by 
 what had already come to pass bringing before their sight 
 what had not yet done so. And this we may observe Him 
 do every where, putting (forth) two or three predictions, and 
 always confirming the future by the past. 
 
 [4.] Yet after saying and doing so much, since they still 
 were very weak ' He is not content, but by other expressions ' al. 
 calms their disputatious temper^, saying, I can of Myself do ^-^^^^^^ 
 nothing; as I hear I judge, and My judgment is just, because gross' 
 I seek not Mine own will, but the will of Him which sent Me. < shame- 
 For since He appeared to make some assertions strange and^^^^"^^^' 
 varying from those of the Prophets, (for they said that it is 
 (lod Who judgeth all the earth, that is, the human race; and 
 this truth David every where loudly proclaimed, He shall judge ^^; ^^' 
 the people in righteousness, and, God is a righteous Judge, strong f , 1 1. 
 and patient; as did all the Prophets and Moses; but Christ 
 said, The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all 
 mdament to the Son"; an expression which was sufficient to * »'• I 
 perplex a Jew who heard it, and to make him m turn suspect who 
 Christ of being an enemy of God,) He here greatly con-J"^g® 
 descendeth in His speech, and as far as their infirmity 
 requireth, in order to pluck up by the roots this per- 
 nicious opinion, and saith, I can of Myself do nothing; that 
 is, "nothing strange, or unlike^, or what the Father desireth ' fapijA.- 
 not will ye see done or hear said by Me." And having y"^''^ 
 before declared that He was the Son of Man, and because 
 they'' supposed Him to be a man at that time, so also He 
 putteth [His expressions] here. As then when He said 
 above. We speak that we have heard, and testify that we 
 have seen; and when John said. What He hath seen fieo-^, 32. 
 testifieth, and no man reeeiveth His testimony; both ex- 
 pressions are used respecting exact knowledge, not concern- 
 ing hearing and seeing merely ; so in this place when He 
 speaketh of hearing. He declareth nothing else than that it 
 is impossible for Him to desire any thing, save what the 
 
 " So Morel, and Ms. in Bodl. Sayile reads, ' having shewn that they &o.' 
 
 Z 
 
338 The Will of Christ one with that of the Father. 
 
 HoMiL. Father desireth. Still He said not so plainly, (for they 
 XXXIX • . , 
 "would not as yet have at once received it on hearing it thus 
 
 asserted ;) but how ? in a manner very condescending and 
 
 befitting a mere man, As I hear I judge. Again He useth 
 
 these words in this place, not with reference to instruction, 
 
 (for He said not, "as I am taught," but, as I hear ;) nor as 
 
 though He needed to listen, (for not only did He not require 
 
 to be taught, but He needed not even to listen;) but it was 
 
 to declare the Unanimity and Identity of [His and the 
 
 Father's] decision, as though He had said, " So I judge, as if 
 
 it were the Father Himself that judged." Then He addeth, 
 
 and I know that My judgment is Just, because I seek not 
 
 Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me. What 
 
 sayest Thou? Hast Thou a will different from that of the 
 
 c. 17,21. Father .? Yet in another place He saith. As I andTfwu are 
 
 baUy ^'^' One, (speaking of will and unanimity,) grant to these also 
 
 quoted] that they may be one ifi Us ; that is, " in faith concerning 
 
 Us." Seest thou that the words which seem most humble 
 
 are those which conceal a high meaning? For what He 
 
 implieth is of this kind : not that the will of the Father is 
 
 one, and His own another ; but that, " as one will in one 
 
 mind, so is Mine own will and My Father's." 
 
 And marvel not that He hath asserted so close a conjtmc- 
 
 tion ; for with reference to the Spirit also Paul hath used this 
 
 illustration: Whatman knoweth the things of a man, save 
 
 the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God 
 
 knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Thus Christ's 
 
 meaning is no other than this : " I have not a will different 
 
 and apart from that of the Father', but if He desireth any 
 
 thing, then I also; if I, then He also. As therefore none 
 
 could object to the Father judging, so neither may any to 
 
 1 al. Me, for the sentence of Each' is given from the same 
 
 sen- Mind." And if He uttereth these words rather as a man, 
 
 tence' marvel not, seeing that they still deemed Him to be mere 
 
 man. Therefore in passages like these it is necessary not 
 
 merely to enquire into the meaning of the words, but also to 
 
 take into account the suspicion of the hearers, and listen to 
 
 what is said as being addressed to that suspicion. Other- 
 
 ' According to Savile's conjectural iraph tou n, for which there is also Ms. 
 reading, iraph. t!i toS n, in place of authority. 
 
How Christ sought not His own Will. 339 
 
 wise many difficulties will follow. Consider for instance, John 
 He saith, T seek not Mine own will : according to this then — '- — - 
 His will is different (from that of the Father), is imperfect, 
 nay, not merely imperfect, but even unprofitable. " For if it 
 be saving, if it agree with that of the Father, wherefore dost 
 Thou not seek it ? Mortals might with reason say so because 
 they have many wills contrary to what seemeth good to the 
 Father, but Thou, wherefore sayest Thou this. Who art in all 
 things like the Father ? for this none would say is the language 
 even of a man made perfect and crucified. For if Paul so 
 blended himself with the will of God as to say, / live, yet ^Mpaae 
 no longer I, but Christ liveth in me, how saith the Lord of gg^ " ^' 
 all, I seek not Mine own tvill, but the will of Him that sent 
 Me, as though that will were different? What then is His 
 meaning? He applieth^ His discourse as if the case were ^ai. 
 that of a mere man, and suiteth His language to the sus- j^^^^"^^, 
 picion of His hearers. For when He had, by what had gone 
 before, given proof of His sayings, speaking partly as God, 
 partly as a mere man. He again as a man endeavoureth to 
 establish' the same, and saith. My judgment is just. And' Kara- 
 whence is this seen ? Because I seek not Mine own mil, •"'^""f" 
 but the will of Him that sent Me. " For as in the case of 
 men, he that is free from selfishness cannot be justly charged 
 with having given an unfair decision, so neither will ye now 
 be able to accuse Me. He that desireth to establish his 
 own, may perhaps by many be suspected of corrupting 
 justice with this intent ; but he that looketh not to his own, 
 what reason can he have for not deciding justly ? Apply 
 now this reasoning to My case. Had I said that I was not 
 sent by the Father, had I not referred to Him the glory of 
 what was done, some of you might perhaps have suspected 
 that desiring to gain honour for Myself, I said the thing that 
 is not; but if I impute and refer what is done to another, 
 wherefore and whence can ye have cause to suspect My 
 words ?" Seest thou how He confirmed His discourse, and 
 asserted that His judgment was just by an argument which 
 any common man might have used in defending himself? 
 Seest thou how what I have often said is clearly visible ? 
 What is that? It is that the exceeding humiUty of the 
 expressions most persuadeth men of sense not to receive the 
 
 z 2 
 
340 We must forgive that we may be forgiven. 
 
 HoMiL. words off hand' and then fall down [into low thoughts], but 
 XXXEL jj^^jjgj. ^.Q (.j^jjg pains that they reach to the height of their 
 Xffpou meaning ; this humility too with much ease then raiseth up 
 those who were once grovelling on the ground. 
 
 Now bearing all this in mind, let us not, I exhort you, 
 carelessly pass by Christ's words, but enquire closely into 
 them all, every where considering the reason of what has 
 been said ; and let us not deem that ignorance and sim- 
 plicity will be suflicient to excuse us, for He hath bidden 
 Mat. 10, us not merely to be harmless but wise. Let us therefore 
 practise wisdom with simplicity, both as to doctrines, and 
 ^KaTop- the right actions^ of our lives; let us judge ourselves here, 
 a/t ™''(;jja,t we be not condemned with the world hereafter'; let us 
 
 ** T0T6 ' 
 
 act towards our fellow-servants as we desire our Master to 
 Matt. 6, act towards us: for (we say), Forgive us our debts, as we 
 ^^' forgive our debtors. I know that the smitten soul endureth 
 not meekly, but if we consider that by so doing we do a 
 kindness not to him who hath grieved us but to ourselves, 
 we shall soon let go the venom of our wrath; for he who 
 Mat. 18, forgave not the hundred pence to him who had transgressed 
 30—34. against him, wronged not his fellow-servant but himself, 
 by rendering himself liable for the ten thousand talents of 
 which he had before received forgiveness. When therefore 
 we forgive not others, we forgive not ourselves. And so let 
 us not merely say to God, " remember not our offences ;" 
 but let each also say to himself, " let us not remember the 
 offences of our fellow-servants done against us." For thou 
 first givest judgment on thine own sins, and God judgeth 
 < eVerai after ■* ; thou proposes! the law concerning remission and 
 punishment, thou declarest thy decision on these matters, 
 and therefore whether God shall or shall not remember, 
 rests with thee. For which cause Paul biddeth us forgive, 
 <joi, 3, if any one hath cause of complaint against any, and not 
 ^^" simply forgive, but so that not even any remnants be left 
 behind. Since Christ not only did not publish our trans- 
 gressions, but did not put us the transgressors in mind of 
 them, nor say, " in such and such things hast thou offended," 
 Col. 2, but remitted and blotted out the handwriting, not reckoning 
 ^*- our offences, as Paul hath also declared. Let us too do this; 
 let us wipe away all [trespasses against us] from our minds ; 
 
Love of our neighbour the way to eternal life. 341 
 
 and if any good thing hath been done to us by him that hath John 
 grieved us, let us only reckon that; but if any thing grievous — '■ — '- 
 and hard to bear, let us cast it forth and blot it out, so that 
 not even a vestige of it remain. And if no good has been 
 done us by him, so much the greater recompense and higher 
 credit will be ours if we forgive. Others by watching, by 
 making the earth their bed, by ten thousand hardships, wipe 
 away their sins, but thou by an easier way, I mean by not 
 remembering wrongs, mayest cause all thy trespasses to 
 disappear. Why then thrustest thou the sword against 
 thyself, as do mad and frantic men, and banishest thyself 
 from the life which is to come, when thou oughtest to use 
 every means to attain unto it ? For if this present life be so 
 desirable, what can one say of that other from which pain, 
 and grief, and mourning, have fled away ? There it needs 
 not to fear death, nor imagine any end to those good things. 
 Blessed, thrice blessed, yea, and this many times over, are 
 they who enjoy that blessed rest, while they are miserable, 
 thrice miserable, yea, ten thousand times miserable, who 
 have cast themselves forth from that blessedness. " And 
 what," saith some one, " is it that maketh us to enjoy that 
 life?" Hear the Judge Himself conversing with a certain 
 young man on this matter. When the young man said. 
 What shall J do to inherit eternal life? Christ after Mat. 19, 
 repeating to him the other commandments, ended with the 
 love of his neighbour. Perhaps like that rich man some of 
 my hearers will say, " that we also have kept these, for we 
 neither have robbed, nor killed, nor committed adultery;" 
 yet assuredly thou wilt not be able to say this, that thou 
 hast loved thy neigbbour as thou oughtest to have loved 
 him. For if a man hath envied or spoken evil of another, 
 if he hath not helped him when injured, or not imparted 
 to him of his substance, then neither hath he loved him. 
 Now Christ hath commanded not only this, but something 
 besides. What then is this I Sell, He saith, thai thou hast,Ua.t.-i9, 
 and give to the poor; and come follow Me: terming the " 
 imitating Him in our actions following Him. What learn 
 we hence? First, that he who hath not all these things 
 cannot attain unto the chief places in that rest. For after 
 the young man had said, " All these things have I done," 
 
342 Abiding honour purchased by alms-doing. 
 
 HoMiL. Christ, as though some great thing were wanting to his being 
 
 ^■perfectly approved, replied. If thou wilt be perfect, sell 
 
 that thou hast, and give to the poor : and come, follow Me, 
 First then we may learn this; secondly, that Christ 
 rebuked the man for his vain boast; for one who lived in 
 such superfluity, and regarded not others living in poverty, 
 how could he love his neighbour ? So that neither in this 
 matter did he speak truly. But let us do both the one and 
 the other of these things ; let us be eager to empt out our 
 substance, and to purchase heaven. Since if for worldly 
 honour men have often expended their whole possessions, 
 an honour which was to stay here below, and even here not to 
 stay by us long, (for many even much before their deaths have 
 been stripped of their supremacy, and others because of it 
 have often lost their lives, and yet, although aware of this, 
 they expend all for its sake ;) if now they do so much for 
 this kind of honour, what can be more wretched than we if 
 for the sake of that honour which abideth and which cannot 
 be taken from us we will not give up even a little, nor 
 supply to others those things which in a short time while yet 
 here we shall leave ? What madness must it be, when it is 
 in our power voluntarily to give to others, and so to take 
 with us those things of which we shall even against our will 
 be deprived, to refuse to do so ? Yet if a man were being 
 led to death, and it were proposed to him to give up all his 
 goods and so go free, we should think a favour was conferred 
 upon him ; and shall we, who are being led on the way to 
 the pit, shall we, when it is allowed us to give up half and 
 be free, prefer to be punished, and uselessly to retain what is 
 not ours even to the losing what is so ? What excuse shall 
 we have, what claim for pardon, who, when so easy a road 
 has been cut for us unto life, rush down precipices, and 
 travel along an unprofitable path, depriving ourselves of all 
 things both here and hereafter, when we might enjoy both in 
 security ? If then we did not so before, let us at least stop 
 now; and coming to ourselves, let us rightly dispose of things 
 present, that we may easily receive those which are to come, 
 through the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, with Whom to the Father and the Holy Ghost be 
 glory, for ever and ever. Amen. 
 
HOMILY XL. 
 
 John v. 31,32. 
 
 If Hear witness of Myself, My witness is not true; there is 
 another that beareth witness of Me, and I know that the 
 witness which he witnesseth of Me is true. 
 
 If any one unpractised in the art undertake to work a 
 mine, he will get no gold, but confounding all aimlessly and 
 together, will undergo a labour unprofitable and pernicious : 
 so also they who understand not the method' of Holy Scrip- < lit. 
 ture, nor search out its peculiarities" and laws, but go over all quence. 
 its points carelessly and in one manner, will mix the gold^''"^/*"- 
 with earth, and never discover the treasure which is laid up 
 in it. I say this now because the passage before us con- 
 taineth much gold, not indeed manifest to view, but covered 
 over with much obscurity, and therefore by digging and 
 purifying we must arrive at the legitimate sense. For who 
 would not at once be troubled at hearing Christ say. If 
 I testify of Myself , My witness is not true ; inasmuch as He 
 often appeareth to have testified of Himself? For instance, 
 conversing with the Samaritan woman He said, / Am that 
 speak unto thee : and in like manner to the blind man. It is c 9, 37. 
 He that talketh with thee ; and rebuking the Jews, Ye say '■,o.io,SG. 
 thou ilasphemest, because I said I am the Son of God ? And 
 in many other places besides He doth this. If now all these 
 assertions be false, what hope of salvation shall we have ? 
 
 * Savile reada, ' and to the Jews, How say ye, &o.' 
 
344 The witness of Christ true though He spake of Himself . 
 
 HoMiL. And where shall we find truth when Truth Itself declareth, 
 '— My witness is not true ? Nor doth this appear to be the only 
 
 contradiction; there is another not less than this. He saith 
 c. 8, 14. farther on. Though 1 bear witness of Myself, yet My witness is 
 true; which then, tell me, am I to receive, and which deem 
 a falsehood ? If we take them out thus [from the context] 
 simply as they are said, without carefully considering the 
 person to whom nor the cause for which they are said, 
 nor any other like circumstances, they will both be false- 
 hoods. For if His witness be not true, then this asser- 
 tion is not true either, not merely the second, but the first 
 also. What then is the meaning } We need great watch- 
 fulness, or rather the grace of God, that we rest not in the 
 mere words ; for thus the heretics err, because they enquire 
 not into the object of the speaker nor the disposition of the 
 hearers. If we add not these and other points besides, as 
 times and places and the opinions of the listeners, many 
 absurd consequences will follow. 
 
 What then is the meaning''? The Jews were about to 
 c. 8, 13. object to Him, If thou bearest witness^ concerning thyself, 
 fiofiTu- '% witness is not true : therefore He spake these words in 
 P"s anticipation ; as though He had said, "ye will surely say to 
 Me, we believe thee not ; for no one that witnesseth of himself 
 ° al. is readily^ held trustworthy among men." So that the is not 
 true must not be read absolutely, but with reference to° their 
 suspicions, as though He had said, " to you it is not true ;" 
 and so He uttered the words not looking to His own dignity, 
 but to their secret thoughts. When He sailh. My witness is 
 not true, He rebuketh their opinion of Him, and the objection 
 about to be urged by them against Him; but when He saith, 
 c.s, a. Though I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, He 
 declareth the very nature of the thing itself, namely, that 
 as God they ought to deem Him trustworthy even when 
 speaking of Hhnself. For since He had spoken of the resur- 
 rection of the dead, and of the judgment, and that he that 
 beheveth on Him is not judged, but cometh unto life, and 
 that He shall sit to require account of all men, and that He 
 hath the same Authority and Power with the Father; and since 
 
 i" al. 'let us see then with what c al. with the addition 'to their 
 intent these words were said.' 3jc.' 
 
 ' ever.' 
 
Christ produceth threefold witness. 345 
 
 He was about again otherwise to prove these things, He neces- jqjjj, 
 sarily put their objection first. " I told you," He saith, " that v. 
 as the Father raiseth the dead and quickeneth them, so the 
 
 Son quickeneth whom He will ; I told you that the Father 
 judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the 
 Son; I told you that men must honour the Son as they honour 
 the Father; I told you that he that honoureth not the Son 
 honoureth not the Father; I told you that he that hearethx.ii. 
 My words and believeth them shall not see death, but hath^^°^^^' 
 passed from death unto life; that My voice shall raise the quoted] 
 dead, some now, some hereafter; that I shall demand account 
 from all men of their transgressions, that I shall judge righ- 
 teously, and recompense those who have walked uprightly." 
 Now since all these were assertions, since the things asserted 
 were important, and since no clear proof of them had as yet 
 been afforded to the Jews but one rather' indistinct, Heial. 'in 
 putteth their objection first when He is about to proceed ^*^®''y 
 to establish His assertions, speaking somewhat in this way if^ 6pii.av 
 not in these very words ^: "Perhaps ye will say, thou as-*'-^"' 
 sertest all this, but thou art not a credible witness, since thou 
 testifiest of thyself." First then checking their disputatious 
 spirit by setting forth what they would say, and shewing that 
 He knew the secrets of their hearts, and giving this first proof 
 of His power, after stating the objection He supplieth other 
 proofs clear and indisputable, producing three witnesses to 
 what He said, namely, the works wrought by Him, the wit- 
 ness of the Father, and the preaching of John. And He 
 putteth first the less important witness of John. For after 
 saying. There is another that heareth witness of Me, and 
 I know that his witness is true. He addeth, 
 
 Ver. 33. Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the 
 truth. 
 
 Yet if Thy witness be not true, how sayest Thou, " I know 
 that the testimony of John is true, and that he hath borne 
 witness to the truth ?" and seest thou (0 man) how clear it 
 hence is, that the expression. My witness is not true, was 
 addressed to their secret thoughts ? 
 
 [2.] " What then," saith some one, "if John bare witness 
 partially '." That the Jews might not assert this, see how He 3 y^p,Ti 
 d Morel, reads, ' all but conclusively refuting them by what He saith.' 
 
346 The Baptist's witness the witness of God. 
 
 HoMiL. removeth this ^''^mcion. For He said not, "John testified 
 ■ of Me," but, " ye firsi ■sent to John, and ye would not have 
 
 sent had ye not deemed him trustworthy." Nay, what is 
 more, they had sent not to ask him about Christ, but about 
 himself, and the man whom they deemed trustworthy in what 
 related to himself they would much more deem so in what 
 related to another. For it is, so to speak, the nature of us 
 all not to give so much credit to those who speak of them- 
 selves as to those who speak of others ; yet him they deemed 
 so trustworthy as not to require even concerning himself 
 any other testimony. For they who were sent said not, 
 " What sayest thou concerning Christ r" but, Who art 
 thou? What sayest thou of thyself ? So great admiration 
 felt they for the man. Now to all this Christ made allusion 
 by saying, Ye sent unto John. And on this account the 
 Evangelist hath not merely related that they sent, but is 
 ' al. exact as to the persons sent that ' they were Priests and of the 
 ing that' Pharisees, not common or abject persons, nor such as might 
 be corrupted or cheated, but men able to understand exactly 
 what he said. 
 
 Ver. 34. Bui I receive not testimony from man. 
 " Why then hast Thou brought forward that of John ?" 
 His testimony was not the testimony of man, for, saith he, 
 c. 1,33. He that sent me to baptize with water, He said unto me. 
 So that John's testimony was the testimony of God; for 
 having learned from Him he said what he did. But that 
 none should ask, " whence is it clear that he learnt from 
 God ?" and stop at this. He abundantly silences them by 
 still addressing Himself to their thoughts. For neither was 
 it likely that many would knovf these things; they had 
 hitherto given heed unto John as to one who spake of him- 
 self, and therefore Christ saith, I receive not testimony from 
 man. And that the Jews might not ask, " And if Thou wert 
 not about to receive the testimony of man, and by it to 
 strengthen Thyself, why hast Thou brought forward this 
 man's testimony ?" see how He correcteth this contradiction 
 by what He addeth. For after saying, I receive not testi- 
 mony from man. He hath added. 
 
 But these things I say, that ye may be saved. 
 
 What He saith is of this kind; " I, being God, needed not 
 
Inconstancy of the Jews shewn in the case of the Baptist. 347 
 
 the witness of John which is man's witness, yet because ye John 
 gave more heed to him, believe him more trustworthy thanH5£i- 
 any, ran to him as to a prophet, (for all the city was poured 
 forth to Jordan,) and have not believed on Me even when 
 working miracles, therefore I remind you of that witness of 
 his." 
 
 Ver. 35. He was a burning and a shining light, and ye 
 were willing for a season to rejoice in his light. 
 
 That they may not reply, " What if he did speak and we 
 received him not," He sheweth that they did receive John's 
 sayings: since they sent not common men, but priests and 
 
 Pharisees, and were willing to rejoice*; so much did they • clause 
 admire the man, and at the. time had nothing to say against j?"b*q^ 
 his words. But the for a season, is the expression of one 
 noting their levity^, and the fact that they soon started away " eitco- 
 from him. '*•''«' 
 
 Ver. 36. £ut I have greater witness than that of John. 
 
 " For had ye been willing to admit faith according to the 
 (natural) consequence of the facts, I would have brought you 
 over by My works more than he by his words. But since 
 ye will not, I bring you to John, not as needing his testi- 
 mony, but because I do all that ye may he saved. For I 
 have greater witness than that of John, namely, that from 
 My works; yet I do not merely consider how I may be 
 made acceptable to you by credible evidence, but how by 
 that (of persons) known ^ to and admired by you." Then ' al. 
 glancing at them and saying that they rejoiced for a season 
 in his (John's) light, He declared that their zeal was but 
 temporary and uncertain % 
 
 He called John a torch*, signifying that he had not light ''^'^X™'' 
 of himself, but by the grace of the Spirit ; but the circum- 
 stance which caused the absolute distinction ^ between Him- ° ojti- 
 self and John, namely, that He was the Sun of righteousness, ^j, "' 
 this He put not yet ; but merely hinting as yet at this He 
 touched ° them sharply, by shewing that from the same^al. 
 disposition which led them to despise John, neither could "^^^^ ®^ 
 they believe in Christ. Since it was but for a season that 
 they admired even the man whom they did admire, and who, 
 
 ^ This passage is read variously in Ben. and Ma. but without any variety of 
 meaning. 
 
348 The witness of the works, 
 
 HoMTL. had they not acted thus, would soon have led them by the hand 
 ^l^- to Jesus. Having then proved them altogether unworthy of 
 forgiveness, He went on to say, I have greater witness than, 
 that of John. " What is that ?" It is that from His works. 
 
 For the works, He saith, which the Father hath given Me 
 to finish, the same works that I do bear witness qf Me that 
 1 j,r^. the Father sent ■ Me. 
 erreiAt gy (.his He reminded them of the paralytic restored, and 
 
 tr^aKKe of many other things. The words perhaps one of them 
 
 ®- '^■^ might have asserted were mere boast, and said by reason of 
 
 John's friendship towards Him, (though indeed it was not in 
 
 their power to say even this of John, a man equal to the exact 
 
 2 <piKo- practice of wisdom ^, and on this account admired by them,) 
 
 iTOipCu' ■jjyf ^j]g ■^yorks could not even among the maddest of them admit 
 
 this suspicion ; therefore He added this second testimony, 
 
 saying, The works which the Father hath given Me to finish, 
 
 the same works that I do bear witness of Me that the 
 
 Father sent Me. 
 
 In this place He also meetetb the accusation respecting 
 the violation of the Sabbath. For since those persons 
 c. 9, 16. argued, " How can he be from God, seeing that he keepeth 
 not the Sabbath ?" therefore He saith, Which My Father 
 hath given unto Me. Yet in truth. He acted with absolute 
 power, but in order most abundantly to shew that He 
 doth nothing contrary to the Father, therefore He hath 
 rg -] put the expression of much inferiority. Since why did 
 He not say, "the works which the Father hath given Me 
 testify that 1 am equal to the Father ?" for both of these 
 truths were to be learned from the works, that He did 
 nothing contrary, and that He was equal to Him Who 
 begat Him ; a point which He is establishing elsewhere, 
 p_ J 38. where He saith, If ye believe not Me, believe the works: 
 that ye may know and believe that I am in the Father 
 and the Father in Me'. In both respects, therefore, the 
 works bare witness to Him, that He was equal to the 
 Father, and that He did nothing contrary to Him. Why 
 then said He not so, instead of leaving out the greater and 
 putting forward this? Because to establish this was His 
 first object. For although it was a far less thing to have it 
 
 f iv ifiol 6 JJariip, icayi) eV avT^ G, T. 
 
The loitness of the Father, 349 
 
 believed that He came from God, than to have it believed John 
 
 that God was equal with Him, (for that belonged to the ^' ^^' 
 
 Prophets also', but this never,) still He taketh much pains 'al.'the 
 
 as to the lesser point, as knowing that, this admitted^ thephets 
 
 other would afterwards be easily received. So that cpakingsaid' 
 
 no mention of the more important portion of the testimony, « said' 
 
 He putteth' its lesser office, that by this they may receive 'al. 
 
 the other also. Having effected this. He addeth, wort^^ 
 
 Ver. 37. And the Father Himself, Which hath sent ilfejOf™,™- 
 
 hath borne witness of Me. 
 
 Where did He bear witness of Him ? In Jordan : This is Matt. 3, 
 
 ifi 
 My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased; hear Him'. 
 
 Yet even this needed proof. The testimony of John 
 
 then was clear, for they themselves had sent to him, and 
 
 could not deny it. The testimony from miracles was in like 
 
 manner clear, for they had seen them wrought, and had 
 
 heard from him who was healed, and had believed ; whence 
 
 also they drew their accusation. It therefore remained to 
 
 give proof to the testimony of the Father. Next in order to 
 
 effect this, He added, 
 
 Ye have neither heard His voice at any time : 
 
 How then saith Moses, The Lord spake, and Moses ex. 19 
 answered ? and David, He heard a tongue which he knew p^* , , 
 not ; and Moses again, " Is there any such people which 
 hath heard the voice of God ?" Deut. 4, 
 
 Nor seen His shape. ^^' 
 
 Yet Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, are said to have seen 
 Him, and many others. What then is that which Christ 
 saith now ? He guideth them by degrees to a philosophical 
 doctrine, shewing that with God is neither voice nor shape, but 
 that He is higher than such forms or sounds like these. For 
 as when He saith. Ye have not heard His voice. He doth not 
 mean that God doth indeed utter a voice, but one which 
 cannot be heard ; so when He saith, Nor seen His shape. 
 He doth not mean that God hath a shape though one 
 invisible, but that neither of these things belongeth to God. 
 And in order that they might not say, " Thou art a boaster, 
 God spake to Moses only ;" (this at least they did say, We "• 9, 29. 
 know that God spake with Moses : as for this fellow, we 
 ' The latter words heard at the Transfiguration. 
 
350 Tlie witness of the Scriptures. 
 
 Houih.lcnow not whence He is;) on this account He spake as He 
 
 ^did, to shew that there is neither voice nor shape with God. 
 
 " But why," He saith, " name I these things ? Not only 
 have ye neither heard His voice nor seen His shape, but it 
 is not even in your power to assert that of which you most 
 boast and of which you are all most fully assured, namely, 
 that ye have received and keep His commandments." Where- 
 fore He addeth, 
 
 Ver. 38. And ye have not His word abiding in you. 
 
 That is, the ordinances, the commandments, the Law, and 
 
 the Prophets. For even if God ordained these, still they 
 
 are not with you, since ye believe not on Me. Because, if 
 
 ' al. the Scriptures every where say ' that it is necessary to give 
 
 'al.'be-^^sd to'' Me, and yet ye believe not, it is quite clear that 
 
 lieTe' jjis Yvord is removed from you. Wherefore again He 
 
 addeth, 
 
 For Whom He hath sent, Him ye believe not. 
 Then that they may not argue, " How, if we have not 
 heard His voice, hath He testified unto thee ?" He saith, 
 
 Ver. 39. Search the Scriptures, for they are they which 
 testify of Me. 
 
 Since by these the Father gave His testimony. He gave 
 it indeed by Jordan also and in the mount, but Christ 
 ' IvTii- bringeth not forward those voices ; perhaps by doing so' He 
 4ai. would have been disbelieved*; for one of them, that in the 
 ' they mount, they did not hear, and the other they heard indeed, 
 have but heeded not. For this reason He referreth them to the 
 fieved Scriptures, shewing that from them cometh the Father's* 
 them' testimony, having first removed the old grounds on which 
 
 5 q1 ' of 
 
 the' they used to boast, either as having seen God or as having 
 Spirit' heard His voice. For as it was likely that they would 
 disbelieve His voice, and picture to themselves what took 
 place on Sinai, after first correcting their suspicions on these 
 points, and shewing that what had been done was a conde- 
 scension, He then referreth them to the testimony of the 
 Scriptures. 
 
 [4.] And from these too let us also, when we war against 
 
 2Tim.3, heretics, arm and fortify ourselves. For all Scripture is 
 
 given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, 
 
 for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 
 
We must be perfect : love of money the root of evil. 351 
 
 that the man of Qod may be perfect, thoroughly furnished John 
 unto every good work; not that he may have some and not ^'^^' 
 others, for such a man is not perfect. For tell me what 
 profit is it, if a man pray continually, but give not liberal 
 alms ? or if he give liberal alms, but be covetous or violent ? 
 or if he be not covetous nor violent, but (is liberal) to make 
 a show before men, and to gain the praise of the beholders ? 
 or if he give alms with exactness and according to God's 
 pleasure, yet be lifted up by this very thing, and be high- 
 minded? or if he be humble and constant in fasting, but 
 covetous, greedy of gain ', and nailed to earth, and one who ' eiumpi- 
 introduceth into his soul the mother of mischief? for the"' 
 love of money is the root of all evils ^ Let us then shudder^al. for 
 at the action, let us flee the sin ; this hath made the world a hag" aid 
 waste', this hath brought all things into confusion, this*"- 
 seduceth us from the most blessed service of Christ. "It^.oit'ed'" 
 is not possible V' He saith, "to serve God and mammon." "'"^'^™- 
 
 TOVt 
 
 For mammon giveth commands contradictory to those of 4 gi 5^. 
 Christ. The one saith, "Give to them that need;" the^"'^' 
 other, " Plunder the goods of the needy." Christ saith, 
 " Forgive them that wrong thee;" the other, " Prepare snares 
 against those who do thee no wrong." Christ saith, " Be 
 merciful and kind ;" mammon saith, " Be savage and cruel, 
 and count the tears of the poor as nothing ;" to the intent 
 that he may render the Judge stern to us in that day. 
 For then all our actions shall come ' before our eyes, and ^ al. 
 those who have been injured and stripped by us, shutting us 
 out from all excuse. Since if Lazarus, who received no 
 wrong from Dives, but only did not enjoy any of his good 
 things, stood forth at that tirne^ as a bitter accuser and^Tiire. 
 allowed him not to obtain any pardon, what excuse, tell me, 
 shall they have, who, besides giving no alms of their own 
 substance, seize that of others, and overthrow orphans' 
 houses ? If they who have not fed Christ when He hungered 
 have drawn such fire upon their heads, what consolation 
 shall they enjoy who plunder what belongs not to them at 
 all, who weave ten thousand law-suits, who ujijustly grasp 
 the property of all men ? Let us then cast out this desire ; 
 and we shall cast it out if we think of those before us who 
 
 did wrongfully, who were covetous and are gone. Do'not'al- 
 
 ' shall.' 
 
352 Blessings gained by altnsdoing here and hereafter. 
 
 HoMiL. others enjoy their wealth and labours while they lie in 
 '~ punishment, and vengeance, and intolerable woes ? And 
 
 how can this be any thing but extreme folly, to weary and 
 vex ourselves, that living we may strain ourselves with labour, 
 and on our departure hence undergo intolerable punishments 
 and vengeances, when we might have enjoyed ourselves here, 
 (for nothing so much causeth pleasure as the consciousness 
 J aj- of almsgiving',) and departing to that place might have been 
 giving delivered from all our woes, and obtained ten thousand 
 and a blessJngs ? For as wickedness is wont to punish those who 
 con- go after it, even before (they arrive at) the pit, so also virtue, 
 """""^ even before the (gift of) the Kingdom, provides delights for 
 those who here practise it, making them to live in company 
 with good hopes and continual pleasure. Therefore that we 
 may obtain this, both here and in the life to come, let us 
 hold fast to good works, so shall we gain the future crown ; 
 to which may we all reach through the gi-ace and loving- 
 kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom and with 
 Whom, to the Father and the Holy Ghost, be glory, now 
 and ever, and world without end. Amen. 
 
 science 
 
HOMILY XLI. 
 
 John v. 39, 40. 
 
 Search the Scriptures ; for in them ye think ye have eternal 
 
 Ufe ; and they are they which testify of Me. And ye will 
 
 not come to Me that ye might have [eternaP'\ life. ' noi in 
 
 G. T. 
 
 Beloved, let us make great account of spiritual things, 
 and not think that it is sufficient for us to salvation to pursue 
 them any how. For if in things of this life a man can gain 
 no great profit if he conduct them in an indifferent and 
 chance way, much more will this be the case in spiritual 
 things, since these require yet greater attention. Wherefore 
 Christ when He referred the Jews to the Scriptures, sent 
 them not to a mere reading, but a careful and considerate °^ai. 
 search; for He said not, " Read the Scriptures," but, Search g\^^l^' 
 the Scriptures. Since the sayings relating to Him required 
 great attention, (for they had been concealed from the 
 beginning for the advantage of the men of that time,) He 
 biddeth them now dig down with care that they might be 
 able to discover what lay in the depth below. These sayings 
 were not on the surface, nor were they cast forth to open 
 view, but lay like some treasure hidden very deep. Now he 
 that searcheth for hidden things, except he seek them with 
 care and toil, will never find the object of his search. For 
 which cause He said, Search the Scriptures, because in 
 them ye think ye have eternal life. He said not, "Ye 
 have," but, ye think, shewing that they gained from them 
 nothing great or high, expecting as they did to be saved by 
 
 Aa 
 
354 The Jews convicted of not loving God. 
 
 HoMiii. the mere readinff, without the addition of faith. What He 
 saith therefore is of this kind : " Do ye not admire the 
 
 1 al. 
 
 < being Scriptures, do ye not think that they are the causes of all 
 t^r'of ^^^^ ' ^y these I confirm My claims now, for they are they 
 which testify of Me, yet ye will not come to Me that ye may 
 have eternal life." It was thus with good reason that He 
 said, ye think, because they would not obey, but merely 
 prided themselves on the bare reading. Then lest owing to 
 His very tender care He should incur among them the 
 suspicion of vain glory, and because He desired to be 
 believed by them, should be deemed (o be seeking His own ; 
 (for He reminded them of the words of John, and of the 
 witness of God, and of His own works, and said all He 
 could to draw them to Him, and promised them life' ;) 
 since, I say, it was likely that many would suspect that He 
 spake these things from a desire of glory, hear what He 
 saith : 
 
 Ver. 41. / receive not honour from men. 
 That is, " I need it not:" " My nature," He saith, " is not 
 of such a kind as to need the honour which is from men, for 
 if the sun can receive no addition from the light of a candle, 
 much farther am I from needing the honour which is from 
 men." " Why then," asks some one, " sayest thou these 
 things, if thou needest it not?" That ye may be saved. 
 This He positively asserted above, and the same He implied 
 here also, by saying, that ye might have life. Moreover, He 
 pulteth another reason : 
 
 Ver. 42. But I hnow you that ye have not the love of God 
 in you. 
 ^ al. For when under pretence of loving God they' persecuted 
 
 often^ Him because He made Himself equal with God, and He 
 knew that they would not believe Hira, lest any one should 
 ask, "why speakest thou these words ?" " 1 speak them," He 
 saith, " to convict you of this, that it is not for the love of 
 God that ye persecute Me, if it be so that He testifieth to 
 Me both by works and by the Scriptures. For as before 
 this when ye deemed Me an enemy of God ye drove Me 
 away, so now, since I have declared these things, ye ought to 
 have hastened to Me, if ye had really loved God. But ye 
 
 * al. ' and promised all those things so as to draw them to Himself,' 
 
Christ rejected and Antichrist received. 355 
 
 loTe Him not. And therefore have I spoken these words, John 
 to shew that you are possessed with excessive pride, that - ' ' 
 
 you are vainly boasting and shading over' your own en-ial. 
 viousness." And the same He prciveth not by these things '^^"^'"^ 
 only, but by those that should come to pass. 
 
 Ver. 43. / am come in My Father's name, and ye receive 
 Me not; if another shall come in his own name, him will ye 
 receive. 
 
 Seest thou that He every where declareth that He hath 
 been sent, that judgment hath been committed to Him by 
 the Father, that He can do nothing of Himself^ in order 
 that He may cut off all excuse for their unfairness? But 
 who is it that He here sailh shall come in his own name ? 
 He alludeth here to Antichrist, and putteth** an incon-2ai. 
 trOvertible proof of their unfairness. " For if as loving God 7^°^^ 
 ye persecute Me, much more ought this to have taken place' putteth' 
 in the case of Antichrist. For he will neither say that he is < ^ ' j^j 
 sent by the Father, nor that he cometh according to his ye to 
 
 .,, , . , . . . ..... do this' 
 
 Will, but m every thing contrariwise, seizing like a tyrant 
 what belongeth not to him, and asserting that he is the very 
 God over all, as Paul saith. Exalting himself above all that W2 Thees, 
 called God, or that is worshipped, shewing himstlf that Ae^'*" 
 is Ood. This is to ' come in his own name.' I do not so, 
 but am come in the Name of My Father." That they 
 received not One Who said that He was sent of God, was 
 a sufficient proof that they loved not God; but now from the 
 contrary of this fact, from their being about to receive Anti- 
 christ, He sheweth their shamelessness*. For when theyial.'en- 
 receive not One Who asserteth that He was sent by Gfod,^'g°"f' 
 and are about to worship one who knoweth Him not, and 
 who saith that he is God over all, it is clear that their 
 persecution proceeded from malice and from hating God. 
 On this account He putteth twq reasons for His words ; and 
 first the kinder one^. That ye may be saved; and, Thut ye^^x. 
 may have life : and when they Would have mocked at Him, '^^^- 
 He putteth the other which was more striking, shewing saying' 
 that even although His hearers should not believe, yet 
 that God was wont always to do His own works. Now 
 Paul speaking concerning Antichrist said prophetically, j-g-j 
 that God sfiall send them strong delusion, — that they all 2 Thess. 
 
 2<1 1* 12* 
 
356 Why the Jews believed not. 
 
 HoMiL. might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure 
 -in unrighteousness. Christ said not, " He shall, come ;" but. 
 
 if He come, from tenderness for His hearers; and because 
 
 ' al. all their obstinacy ' was not yet complete. He was silent as 
 
 nessf ' *■" *^^ reason of His coming ; but Paul, for those who can 
 
 understand, has particularly alluded to it. For it is he who 
 
 taketh away all excuse from them. 
 
 Christ then puttelh also the cause of their unbelief, 
 saying, 
 
 Ver. 44. How can ye believe, which receive honour one of 
 another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only ? 
 
 Hence again He sheweth that they looked not to the 
 things of God, but that under this pretence they desired to 
 gratify private feeling, and were so far from doing this on 
 account of His glory, that they preferred honour from men 
 to that which cometh from Him. How then were they 
 
 2 ovaSe- iiije]y to entertain'' such hostility towards Him' for a kind of 
 
 honour which they so despised, as to prefer to it the honour 
 which cometh from men } 
 
 Having told them that they had not the love of God, and 
 having proved it by what was doing in His case, and by what 
 should be in the case of Antichrist, and having demonstrated 
 that they were deprived of all excuse. He next bringeth 
 Moses to be their accuser, going on to say, 
 
 Ver. 45 — 47. Do not think that I will accuse you to the 
 Father; there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom 
 ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed 
 Me ; for he wrote of Me. But if ye believe not his writings, 
 how shall ye believe My words? 
 
 3 ^Retms What He saith is of this kind : " It is Mflses' who 
 ■lor, has been insulted more than I* by your conduct towards 
 M?"^* Me, for ye have disbelieved him rather than Me." See how 
 
 in every way He hath cast them out from all excuse. " Ye 
 said that ye loved God when ye persecuted Me; I have 
 
 * al. shewn that ye did so from hatred of Him: ye say° that 
 ^'^''" I break the Sabbath and annul the Law; I have rid Me 
 
 ^ al. of this slander also : ye maintain ^ that ye believe in Moses 
 by «hat ye dare to do against Me ; I on the contrary shew 
 that this is most to disbelieve in Moses; for so far am I from 
 
 '' or, ' to take on them such hostility as they would have incurred by following Him.' 
 
Moses mil be their accuser. 357 
 
 opposing the Law, that he who shall accuse you is none John 
 other than the man who gave you the Law." As then He — ^ — - 
 said of the Scriptures, in which ye think ye have eternal life, 
 so of Moses also He saith, in whom ye trust; every where 
 conquering them by their own weapons. 
 
 "And whence," saith some one, " is it clear that Moses 
 will accuse us, and that thou art not a boaster ? What hast 
 thou to do with Moses? Thou hast broken the Sabbath 
 which he ordained that we should keep ; how then should he 
 accuse us ? And how doth it appear that we shall believe 
 on another who cometh in his own name ? All these as- 
 sertions thou makest without evidence." Now in truth all 
 these points are proved above. " For" (Christ would reply) 
 " since it is acknowledged that I came from God, both by 
 the works, by the voice of John, and by the testimony of 
 the Father, it is evident that Moses will accuse the Jews." 
 For what saith he ? " If a man come doing miracles and 
 leading you to God and truly foretelling things future, ye 
 must hearken unto him with all readiness." Now Christ had 
 done all this. He wrought miracles in very truth. He drew i not in 
 all men to God, and (so that He ') caused accomplishment to ^opigg 
 follow His predictions ''. 
 
 " But whence doth it appear that they will believe 
 another?" From their hating Christ, since they who turn 
 aside from Him Who cometh according to the will of God 
 will, it is quite plain, receive the enemy of God. And 
 marvel not if He now putteth forward Moses, although He 
 said, / receive not witness from man, for He referreth them 
 not to Moses, but to the Scriptures of God. However, since 
 the Scriptures terrified them less, He bringeth round His 
 discourse to the very person (of Moses), setting over against 
 them their Lawgiver as their accuser, thus rendering the 
 terror more impressive^; and each of their assertions He^'al. 
 refuteth. Observe: they said that they persecuted Him jjorribie" 
 through love for God, He sheweth that they did so through 
 hating God; they said that they held fast to Moses, He 
 sheweth that they acted thus because they believed not 
 Moses. For had they been zealous for the law, they ought 
 
 I" Not found in so many words. The 18, 18— 22. see also Deut, 13, 1. 
 command is given with this test, Deut. . 
 
358 ITie great folly of wickedness. 
 
 HoMiL.to have received Him Who fulfilled it; if they loved God 
 ■-they ought to have believed One Who drew them to Him, 
 
 if they believed Moses they ought to have done homage to 
 One of Whom Moses prophesied. " But" (saith Christ) " if 
 Moses is disbelieved before My coming, it is nothing un- 
 likely that I, Who am heralded by him, should be driven 
 away by you." As then He had shewn from their conduct 
 towards Himself that they who admired John (really) 
 despised him, so now He sheweth that they who thought 
 that they believed Moses, believed him not, and turneth 
 back ou their own head all that they thought to put forward 
 in their own behalf. " So far," He saith, " am I from draw- 
 ing you away from the Law, that I call your Lawgiver him- 
 self to be your accuser." 
 
 That the Scriptures testified of Him He declared, but 
 wliere they testify He add-ed not ; desiring to inspire them 
 with greater awe, and to prompt them to search, and to 
 reduce them to the necessity of questioning. For had He 
 told them readily and without their questioning, they would 
 have rejected the testimony ; but now, if they gave any heed 
 to His words, they needed first of all to ask, and learn from 
 Him what that testimony was". On this account He dealeth 
 the more largely in assertions and threats, not in proofs 
 only, that even so He may bring them over by fear of what 
 He saith ; but they even so were silent. Such a thing is 
 wickedness ; Whatsoever a man say or do it is not stirred to 
 move, but remaineth keeping its peculiar venom. 
 
 Wherefore vre must cast out all wickedness from our 
 
 souls, and never more contrive any deceit ; for, saith one, 
 
 Prov. To the perverse God sendeth crooked paths; and. The holy 
 
 LXX. spirit of discipline^ will flee deceit, and remove from 
 
 J>isi.i, f,fiQiig/iig i/iat are without understanding. For nothing 
 
 1 aa^ias maketh men so foolish as wickedness ; since when a man 
 
 ">■ kyviii- is treacherous, unfair'', ungrateful, (these are different forms 
 
 '""" of wickedness,) when without having been wronged he 
 
 grieves another, when he weaves deceits, how shall he not 
 
 exhibit an example of excessive folly ? Again, nothing 
 
 maketh men so wise as virtue ; it rendereth them thankful 
 
 and fair-minded, merciful, mild, gentle, and candid; it is 
 
 = al. ' to enquire even if He held His peace.' 
 
Thef^ar ofOod true wisdom. 359 
 
 wont to be the mother of a]l other blessings. And what is John 
 more understanding than one so disposed ? for virtue is the ^•^'^•. 
 very spring and root of prudence, just as all wickedness hath 
 its beginning in folly. For the insolent man and the angry 
 become the prey of their respective passions from lack of 
 wisdom; on which account the prophet said, There is no'Ps.ss, 
 soundness in my flesh : my wounds stink and are corrupt ^' *' 
 because of my foolishness: shewing that all sin hath its 
 beginning in folly: and so the virtuous man who hath the 
 fear of God is more understanding than any; wherefore 
 a wise man hath said, The fear of the Lord is the beginning Prov. i, 
 of wisdom. If then to fear God is to have wisdom, and the 
 wicked man hath not that fear, he is deprived of that which 
 is wisdom indeed ; — and deprived of that which is wisdom 
 indeed, he is more foolish than any. And yet many admire 
 the wicked as being able to do injustice and harm, not 
 knowing that they ouj^ht to deem them wretched above all 
 men, who thinking to injure others thrust the sword against 
 themselves; — an act of extremest folly, that a man should 
 strike himself and not even know that he doth so, but 
 should think that he is injuring another while he is killing 
 himself. Wherefore Paul, knowing that we slay ourselves 
 when we smite others, saith, Why do ye not rather take\Cov.S, 
 wrong? Why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be 
 defrauded? For the not suffering wrong consists in doing 
 none, as also the not being ill-used in not using others ill ; 
 though this assertion may seem a riddle to the many, and to 
 those who will not learn true wisdom. Knowing this, let us 
 not call wretched or lament for those who suffer injury or 
 insult, but for such who inflict these things ; these are they 
 who have been most injured, who have made God to be at 
 war with them, and have opened the mouths of ten thousand 
 accusers, who are getting an evil reputation in the present 
 life, and drawing down on themselves severe punishment in 
 the life to come. While those who have been wronged by 
 them, and have nobly borne it all, have God favourable to 
 them, and all to condole with, and praise, and entertain 
 them. Such as these in the present life shall enjoy an 
 exceeding good report, as affording the strongest example of 
 true wisdom, and in the life to come shall share the good 
 
360 Future reward of true wisdom. 
 
 HcMiL. things everlasting; to which may we all attain through the 
 ^y^ grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with 
 
 Whom to the Father and the Holy Ghost be glory, now and 
 
 ever, and world without end. Amen.