St. Paul provided for his proper clothing. 113 IX. but Christ liveth in me, concerning whom Christ testified, HOM. saying, He is a chosen vessel unto Me? I ought to leave this Acts 9, difficulty with you, without supplying any solution to the 15. question. I ought to exact of you this penalty for your negligence in the Scriptures, for this is the origin of all such difficulties. For we know not the Scriptures, we are not trained in the law of God, and so we become sharp inquirers into the faults of others, whilst we take no account of our own. I ought then to have exacted from you this penalty. But what shall I do? I am a father. Fathers freely give to their sons many things beyond what is fitting: when their fatherly compassion is kindled, on secing their child with downcast look, and wasted with grief, they feel sharper pangs than he, and rest not until they have removed the ground of his dejection. 22, 35. So be it at least here, be ye at least dejected at not receiving, that ye may receive well. What then shall I say? They opposed not, God forbid! but diligently followed the commands of Christ, for those commands were but for a season, and not enduring; and this I say not from conjecture, but from the divine Scriptures. And how? St. Luke relates that Christ said to His disciples,' When I sent you without Luke purse, and scrip, and girdle, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing. But for the future provide them.' But tell me, what could he do? could he have but one coat? How then? If need was that this be washed, should he because without it, stay at home? should he without it go abroad in an unbecoming manner, when need called? Consider what a thing it would have been that Paul, who made the circuit of the world with such great success, should remain at home for want of raiment, and thus hinder his noble work. And what if violent cold had set in, or rain had drenched it, or perhaps frozen in, how could he dry his raiment? must he again remain without it? And what if cold had deprived his body of strength? must he waste away with disease, and be unable to speak? For hear what he says to Timothy, to prove that they were not furnished with adamantine bodies, Use a little wine for thy stomach's sake, and 1 Tim. thine often infirmities. And again, when he speaks of another, I supposed it necessary to send to you your Phil. 2, I 5, 23. 2, 30. Phil. 2, 27. Deut. 29, 5. 114 Christ's Ministers why not clothed by miracle. even stones. PHIL. messenger, and him that ministered to my wants. For indeed he was sick, nigh unto death; but God had mercy on him, and not on him only, but on me also. So that they were subject to every sort of sickness. What then? must they die? By no means. For what cause then did Christ at that time give them that command? To shew His own power, and to prove that in after times He was able to do it, though He did it not. But wherefore did He not do it? They were much more admirable than the Israelites, whose shoes did not wax old, neither their garments, and that too whilst they were journeying through that desert where the glowing rays of the sun strike so hot, that they consume Why then did he order it thus? For thy sake. For since thou wouldest not remain in health, but be full of wounds, He gave you that which might serve for medicine. And this is hence manifest; for tell me, could He not Himself have fed them? If he gave to thee, who wast at enmity with Him, would He not much more have given to Paul? He who gave to the Israelites, those murmurers, those fornicators, those idolaters, would He not much more have given to Peter, who left all for His sake? He who suffered wicked men to possess ought, would He not much more have freely given to John, who for Him forsook his father? Yet He would not through your hands he feeds them, that you may be sanctified. And see the excess of His lovingkindness. He chose that His disciples should be in want, that thou mightest be a little refreshed. But you say, if He had freed them from all want, they would have been much more admirable, far more glorious. But then that which is to thee salvation would have been cut off. God willed not then that they should be admirable, but that they should rather be lowered, that thou mightest be saved. He hath suffered them to be less accounted of, that thou mightest be able to be saved. The Teacher who receiveth is not equally reverenced, but he who receives not is chiefly honoured. But then in the latter case the disciple is not benefitted, he is hindered of his fruit. Seest thou the wisdom of God who thus loveth man? For as He Himself sought not His own glory, nor had respect to Himself, but when He was in glory, chose to be dishonoured for thy sake, We should look to others' good deeds, and our own faults. 115 IX. thus too is it in the case of your Teachers. When He Hoм. might have made them highly reverenced, He preferred that they should be subject to contempt for thy sake, that thou mightest be able to profit, that thou mightest be able to be rich. He is in want of the things of this life, that you may abound in things spiritual. He hath shewn in many ways that He might have made them above all want. But that for thy sake He suffers them to be in want, this too He shews in like sort. Knowing then these things, let us turn ourselves to well doing, not to accusations. Let us not be over curious about the failings of others, but take account of our own; let us bear in mind the excellencies of other men, while we reckon up our own faults, for thus shall we be wellpleasing to God. For he who looks at the faults of others, and at his own excellencies, is injured in two ways; by the latter he is carried up to arrogance, through the former he falls into listlessness. For when he perceives that such an one hath sinned, very easily will he sin himself; when he perceives that he hath in ought excelled, very easily becometh he arrogant. He who consigns to oblivion his own excellencies, and looks at his failings only, whilst he is a curious enquirer of the excellencies, not the sins, of others, is profited in many ways. And how? I will tell you. When he sees that such an one hath done excellently, he is raised to emulate the same; when he sees that he himself hath sinned, he is rendered humble and modest. If we act thus, if we thus regulate ourselves, we shall be able to obtain the good things which are promised, through the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom, &c. HOMILY X. Gal. 4, 19. PHIL. iii. 1-3. Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe. Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. DEJECTION and care, whenever they strain the soul beyond due measure, bereave it of its native force. And therefore Paul raises up the Philippians, who were in great despondency, and they were in despondency because they did not know how matters were with Paul; they were in despondency, because they thought that it was already over with him, because of the preaching, because of Epaphroditus. It is in giving them assurance on all these points that he introduces the words, Finally, my brethren, rejoice. You no longer have,' he says,' cause for despondency. You have Epaphroditus, for whose sake you were grieved. You have Timothy; I am myself coming to you; the Gospel is gaining ground. What is henceforth wanting to you? Rejoice!" Now he calls the Galatians indeed children, but these brethren. For when he aims either to correct any thing or to shew his fondness, he calls them children;' but when he addresses them with greater honour, brethren' is the title. Finally, my brethren, he says, rejoice in the Lord. He said rightly in the Lord, not after the world,' for this is no rejoicing. These tribulations, he says, which are according Judaizing teachers why called dogs. 117 X. to Christ bring joy. To write the same things to you, to me Hoм. indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe. Beware of dogs. Dost thou mark how he forbears to bring in the exhortation at the beginning? But after he had given them much commendation, after he had shewn his admiration of them, then he does this, and again repeats his commendation. For this mode of speech seems to bear somewhat hard upon them. Wherefore he overshadows it on every side. But whom does he style' dogs?' There were at this place some of those, whom he hints at in all his Epistles, base and contemptible Jews, greedy of vile lucre and fond of power, who, desiring to draw aside many of the faithful, preached both Christianity and Judaism at the same time, corrupting the Gospel. As then they were not easily discernible, therefore he says, beware of dogs: the Jews are no longer children; once the Gentiles were so called, but now those. Wherefore? because as the Gentiles were strangers both to God and to Christ, even so are these become this now. And he thereby shews forth their shamelessness and violence, and their infinite distance from the relation of children, for that the Gentiles were once called' dogs,' hear what the Canaanitish woman says, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the Matt. 15, 27. crumbs which fall from their masters' table. But that they might not have this advantage, since even dogs are at the table, he adds that, whereby he makes them aliens also, saying, Beware of evil workers; and he admirably expressed himself, beware of evil workers, for they work, he means, but for a bad end, and a work that is much worse than idleness, plucking up what is laid in goodly order. Beware, he says, of the concision. The rite of circumcision was venerable in the Jews' account, forasmuch as the Law itself gave way thereto, and the Sabbath was less esteemed than it. For that circumcision might be performed the Sabbath was broken; but that the Sabbath might be kept, circumcision was never broken; and mark, I pray, the dispensation of God. This is found to be even more solemn than the Sabbath, as not being omitted at certain times". Sav. mar. might otherwise seem. b B. and Ven. omit, giving this sense. The common reading cannot possibly he construed. Hence Downes |