from His Disciples' casting out Devils.

579

XII.28.

also He added, They shall be your judges. For when per- MATT. sons from among you, and having been practised in these things, both believe Me and obey, it is most clear that they will also condemn those who are against Me both in deed and word.

But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the v. 28. Kingdom of God is come unto you.

What means the Kingdom? "My coming." See how again He conciliates and soothes them, and draws them to the knowledge of Himself, and signifies that they are warring with their own good, and contentious against their own salvation. "For whereas ye ought to rejoice," saith He," and leap for joy, that One is come bestowing those great and unutterable blessings, hymned of old by the Prophets, and that the time of your prosperity is at hand; ye do the contrary; so far from receiving the blessings, you do even speak ill of them, and frame accusations that have no real being."

Now Matthew indeed saith, If I by the Spirit of God cast out; but Luke, If I by the finger of God cast out the devils'; 1 Matt. implying that to cast out devils is a work of the greatest 11, 20. power, and not of any ordinary grace. And He means indeed that from these things they should

infer and say, If this be so, then the Son of God is come. This, however, He saith not, but in a reserved way, and so as not to be galling to them, He darkly intimates it by saying, Then the kingdom of God is come unto you.

Seest thou exceeding wisdom? By the very things which they were blaming, He shewed His Presence shining forth.

Then, to conciliate them, He said not simply, The Kingdom is come, but, unto you; as though He had said, To you the good things are come; wherefore then feel displeased at your proper blessings? why war against your own salvation? This is that time, which the Prophets long ago foretold: this, the sign of that Advent which was celebrated by them, even these things being wrought by Divine power. For the fact indeed, that they are wrought, yourselves know; but that they are wrought by Divine power, the deeds themselves cry out. Yea, and it is impossible that Satan should be stronger now; rather he must of absolute necessity be weak. But it

580

Our Lord's third Plea for His Miracles.

HOMIL. cannot be, that he who is weak should, as though he were

XLI.

2-5. strong, cast out the strong devil.

v. 29.

Now thus speaking He signified the power of charity, and the weakness of separation and contentiousness. Wherefore He was Himself also continually charging His disciples, on every occasion, concerning charity, and teaching them that the devil, to subvert it, leaves nothing undone.

[3.] Having then uttered His second refutation, He adds also a third, thus saying:

How can one enter into the strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man, and then spoil his goods?

For that Satan cannot possibly cast out Satan is evident from what hath been said; but that neither in any other way is it possible to cast him out, except one first get the better of him, this too is acknowledged by all.

66

What then is established hereby? The former statement, with more abundant evidence. Why, I am so far," saith He," from using the devil as an ally, that I make war upon him, and bind him; and an infallible proof thereof is the plundering of his goods." See how the contrary is proved, of what they were attempting to establish. For whereas they wished to shew, that not by His own power doth He cast out devils, He shews that not only the devils, but even their very chief leader is held by Him bound with all authority; and that over him, before them, did He prevail by His own power. And this is evident from the things that are done. For if he be the prince, and they subjects, how, except he were worsted, and made to bow down, could they have been spoiled?

And here His saying seems to me to be a prophecy likewise. For not only, I suppose, are the evil spirits the goods of the devil, but also the men that are doing his works. Therefore to declare that He doth not only cast out devils, but also will drive away all error from the world, and will put down his sorceries, and make all his arts useless, He said these things.

And He said not, He will take away, but He will spoil, to express what is done with authority. But He calls him strong, not because he is so by nature, God forbid, but

581

His fourth Plea. No Neutrality in His War. declaring his former tyranny, which arose from our remiss- Matt.

ness.

XII 30.

[4.] He that is not with Me is against Me, and he that v. 30. gathereth not with Me scattereth abroad.

Behold also a fourth refutation. For what is my desire? saith He. To bring men to God, to teach virtue, to proclaim the kingdom. What, that of the devil, and the evil spirits ? The contrary to these. How then should he that gathers not with Me, nor is at all with Me, be likely to cooperate with Me? And why do I say, cooperate? Nay, on the contrary, his desire is rather to scatter abroad My goods. He then who is so far from cooperating that he even scatters abroad, how should he have exhibited such unanimity with me, as with me to cast out the devils?

Now it is a natural surmise that He said this not of the devil only, but Himself also of Himself, as being for His part against the devil, and scattering abroad his goods. And how, one may say, is he that is not with me against me? By this very fact, of his not gathering. But if this be true, much more he that is against him. For if he that doth not cooperate is an enemy, much more he that wages war.

But all these things He saith, to indicate His enmity against the devil, how great and unspeakable it is. For tell me, if thou must go to war with any one, he that is not willing to fight on thy side, by this very fact is he not against thee? And if elsewhere He saith, He that is not against you is for you', it is not contrary to this. For here I Mark He signified one actually against them, but there He points, 40. to one who in part is on their side: For they cast out devils, 50. it is said, in Thy name?.

But to me He seems here to be hinting also at the Jews, setting them on the devil's side. For they too were against Him, and were scattering what He gathered. As to the fact that He was hinting at them also, He declared it by speaking thus,

Luke 9,

2 Mark

38. 49.

Luke 9,

Therefore I say unto you, that all manner of sin and v. 31, blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men.

[5.] Thus having defended Himself, and refuted their objection, and proved the vanity of their shameless dealings, He proceeds to alarm them. For this too is no small part of advice and

582

Of the unpardonable Blasphemy.

HOMIL. Correction, not only to plead and persuade, but to threaten

XLI.

5,6. also; which He doth in many passages, when making laws and giving counsel.

v.31,32.

And though the saying seem to have much obscurity, yet if we attend, its solution will prove easy.

First then it were well to listen to the very words: All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy of the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto them. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

What now is it that He affirms? Many things have ye spoken against Me; that I am a deceiver, an adversary of God. These things I forgive you on your repentance, and exact no penalty of you; but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven, no, not to those who repent. And how can this be right? For even this was forgiven upon repentance. Many at least of those who said these words believed afterwards, and all was forgiven them. What is it then that He saith? That this sin is above all things unpardonable. Why so? Because Himself indeed they knew not, who He might be, but of the Spirit they received ample experience. For the Prophets also by the Spirit said whatever they said; and indeed all in the Old Testament had a very high notion of Him.

What He saith, then, is this; Be it so: ye are offended at Me, because of the flesh with which I am encompassed: can ye say of the Spirit also, We know It not? And therefore is your blasphemy unpardonable, and both here and hereafter shall ye suffer punishment. For many indeed have been punished here only, (as he who had committed fornication1, as 1 Cor. 5. they who partook unworthily of the Mysteries', amongst the Corinthians;) but ye, both here and hereafter.

1 See

and 6.

Now as to your blasphemies against Me, before the Cross, I forgive them: and the daring crime too of the Cross itself; neither shall ye be condemned for your unbelief alone. (For neither had they, that believed before the Cross, perfect faith. And on many occasions He even charges them to make Him known to no man before the Passion; and on the Cross He

Distinction of God's penal Scourges.

583

XII.

31, 32.

said that this sin was forgiven them.) But as to your words MATT. touching the Spirit, they will have no excuse. For in proof that He is speaking of what was said of Him before the Crucifixion, He added, Whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever shall speak against the Holy Ghost, there is no more forgiveness. Wherefore? Because this is known to you; and the truths are notorious which you harden yourselves against. For though ye say that ye know not Me; yet of this surely ye are not ignorant, that to cast out devils, and to do cures, is a work of the Holy Ghost. It is not then I only Whom ye are insulting, but the Holy Ghost also. Wherefore your punishment can be averted by no prayers, neither here nor there.

For so of men, some are punished both here, and there, some here only, some there only, others neither here nor there. Here and there, as these very men, (for both here did they pay a penalty, when they suffered those incurable ills at the taking of their city, and there shall they undergo a very grievous one,) as the inhabitants of Sodom; as many others. Here only, as the rich man who endured the flames', 1 àæòrnγανιζό and had not at his command so much as a drop of water. Here, μενος, as he that had committed fornication amongst the Corinthians. was broiling. Neither here nor there, as the Apostles, as the Prophets, as the blessed Job; for their sufferings were not surely in the way of punishment, but as contests and wrestlings.

Let us labour therefore to be of the same part with these: or if not with these, at least with them that wash away their sins here. For fearful indeed is that other judgment, and inexorable the vengeance, and incurable the punishment.

[6.] But if thou desire not to be punished even here, pass judgment on thyself, exact thine own penalty. Listen to Paul, when he saith, If we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. If thou do this, proceeding in order thou shalt even 2 1 Cor. arrive at a crown.

But how are we to exact our own penalty? one may ask. Lament, groan bitterly, humble, afflict thyself, call to remembrance thy sins in their particulars. This thing is no small torture to a man's soul. If any man hath been in a state of contrition, he knows that the soul is punished by this

11, 13.