Lesser Wonders prepare the way for greater. 243 The wheat in the Behold marvels, HOM. V. in its belly, without his perishing? Is it not void of reason, and its motions without control? How spared it the righteous man? How was it that the heat did not suffocate him? How was it that it putrefied him not? For if to be in the deep only, is past contriving, to be both in the creature's bowels, and in that heat, is very far more unaccountable. For how breathed he the air in that place? How did the respiration suffice for two animals? And how did it also vomit him forth unharmed? And how too did he speak? And how too was he self-possessed, and prayed? Are not these things incredible? If we test them by reasonings, they are incredible, if by faith, they are exceeding credible. Shall I say something more than this? earth's bosom decays, and rises again. opposite, and each surpassing the other; marvellous is the not becoming corrupted, marvellous, after becoming so, is the rising again. Where are they that disbelieve the Resurrection and say, This bone how shall it be cemented to that? and introduce such like silly tales. Tell me, how did Elias ascend in a chariot of fire? Fire is wont to burn, not to carry aloft. How lives he so long a time? In what place is he? Why was this done? Whither was Enoch translated? Lives he on like food with us? and what is it hinders him from being here? Nay, but does he not eat? And wherefore was he translated? Behold how God schooleth us by little and little. He translated Enoch; no very great thing that. This instructed us for the taking up of Elias. Again, He shut in Noe Gen. 7, into the ark; nor is this either any very great thing. This instructed us for the shutting up of the prophet within the whale. Thus even the things of old stood in need of forerunners and types. For as in a ladder the first step sends on to the second, and from the first it is not possible to step to the fourth, and this sends one on to that, that that may be the way to the next; and as it is not possible either to get to the second before the first; so also is it here. 16. 13. And observe the signs of signs, and thou wilt discern this in the ladder which Jacob saw. Above, it is said, the Lord Gen. 28, stood fast', and underneath Angels were ascending and de-iorý· scending. It was prophesied that the Father hath a Son; it exTo. was necessary this should be believed. Whence wouldest 2, 5. 244 Types of the Eternal Generation of the Son. k COLOS. thou that I shew thee the signs of this? from above, downward, or from beneath, upward? It was necessary to be known that He begetteth without passion'; for this reason did she that was barren first bear. Let us rather, however, carry our discourse higher. It was necessary to be believed, that He begat of Himself. What then? The thing happens obscurely indeed, as in type and shadow, but still it doth happen, and as it goes on it becomes somehow clearer. A woman is formed out of man alone, and he remains whole and entire. Again, it was necessary there should be some sure sign of the Conception of a Virgin. So the barren beareth, not once only, but a second time and a third, and many times. Of His birth then of a Virgin, the barren is a type, and she sends the mind forward to faith. Again, this was a type of God being able to beget alone. For if man is the chief agent', and birth takes place without him, in a more excellent way, much rather, is One begotten 1 TX- of the Chiefest Agent'. There is still another generation, grigo. which is a type of the Truth. I mean, ours by the Spirit. John 1, Of this again the barren is a type, in that it is not of blood; this itself of the generation above. The one shews that Christ is with impassibility, the other that He could be generated from God alone. τοῦ κυ 13. 26. Christ is above ruling over all things: it was necessary this should be believed. The same takes place in the earth Gen. 1, with respect to man. For, saith He, Let Us make man after Our image and likeness, and he is appointed to the dominion of all the brutes. Thus He instructed us, not by words, but by actions. Paradise shewed the separateness of his nature, and that man was the best thing of all. Christ was to rise again; see now how many sure signs there were of this; Enoch, Elias, Jonas, the fiery furnace, the baptism that happened in Noah's day, the seeds, the plants, our own generation, that of all animals. For since on this every thing was at stake, it, more than any other, had abundance of types. i aratas, i. e. without being changed. This refers to the Eternal Generation, as the sequel shews. Compare St. Athanasius against Arianism. Disc. 1. c. 8. Tr. p. 218 sqq. 1 k Sav. Doth the thing happen? It doth: κυριώτερον ἄνθρωπος. One would have expected ang but ävlęwños has just been opposed to yun. Signs of Providence. Types of holy Baptism. 245 V. That the Universe is not without a Providence we may Hoм. conjecture from things amongst ourselves, for nothing will Ιτὰ πάν continue to exist, if not provided for; but even herds, and a. all other things stand in need of governance. And that the Universe was not made by chance, Hell is a proof, and so was the deluge in Noah's day, the fire, the overwhelming of i. e. of the Egyptians in the sea, the things which happened in the wilderness. It was necessary too that many things should prepare the way for Baptism; therefore was done all that was done in water, and thousands of things besides; those, for instance, in the Old Testament, those in the Pool", the cleansing of him that was not sound in health, the deluge itself, the baptism of John. It was necessary to be believed that God giveth up His Son; a man did this by anticipation. Who was he? Abraham the Patriarch. Types then of all these things, if we are so inclined, we shall find by searching in the Scriptures. But let us not be weary, but attune ourselves by these things. Let us hold the faith stedfastly, and shew forth strictness of life that having in all things returned thanks to God, we may be counted worthy of the good things promised to them that love Him, through the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom, &c. m Hales suggests that this may be the Laver in the Temple, but it is not called xoλvußilga in LXX. The pool of Bethesda is meant, as is evident from the like mention of types increasing in clearness on John 5, 2. Hom. xxxvi. Sodom. HOMILY VI. τις. COL. ii. 6, 7. As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him: Rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. AGAIN, he takes hold on them beforehand with their own testimony, saying, As ye have therefore received. We introduce no strange addition, he saith, therefore neither do ye. Walk ye in Him, for He is the Way that leadeth to the Father: not in the Angels; this way leadeth not thither. Rooted, that is, fixed; not one while going this, another, that, but rooted: but that which is rooted, never can remove. 1xugías. Observe how appropriate' are the expressions he employs. 2 lávov- And built up, he saith, that is, in thought attaining unto Him. And stablished in Him, that is, holding Him, and built as on a foundation. He shews that they had fallen 3present down, for the word built has this force. For the faith is in partici- truth a building; and needs both a strong foundation, and ple. secure construction. For both if any one build not upon a secure foundation it will shake, and even though he do, if it be not firm, it will not stand. As ye have been taught. Again the word As declares that he said not any thing novel. Abounding, he saith, therein with thanksgiving, for this is the part of well-disposed persons. I say not simply to give thanks, but with great abundance, more than ye learned, if possible, with much ambition. Warning against deceivers. Elements of the world, what. 247 Ver. 8. Beware lest any man spoil you. Seest thou how he shews him to be a thief, and an alien, and one that enters in softly? For he has already represented him to be entering in. And he well said spoil. As one digging away a mound from underneath, may give no perceptible sign, yet it gradually settles, so also doeth he. Beware therefore; for this is his main point, not even to let himself be perceived". 7. 2 Ном. VI. χεῖα, ments. 9. Through philosophy. Then because the term 'philosophy' has an appearance of dignity, he added, and vain deceit. For there is also a good' deceit; such as many have been1 deceived by, which one ought not even to call a deceit at all. Whereof Jeremiah speaks; O Lord, Thou hast deceived Jer. 20, me, and I was deceived; for such as this one ought not to call a deceit at all; for Jacob also deceived his father, but that was not a deceit, but an economy. Through philosophy, he saith, and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. Now he'σTsets about to reprove their observance of particular days, elemeaning by elements of the world the sun and moon; as he also said in the Epistle to the Galatians, How turn ye again Gal. 4, to the weak and beggarly elements? And he said not observances of days, but in general' of the present world, to shew 3d its worthlessness: for if the world be nothing, much more Sav. then its elements. Having then first shewn how great bene- omits. fits and kindnesses they had received, he afterwards brings on his accusation, thereby to shew its greater seriousness, and to convict his hearers. Thus too the Prophets do. They always first point out the benefits, and then they magnify their accusations; as Esaias saith, I have begotten chil- Is. 1, 2. LXX. dren, and exalted them, but they have rejected me; and again, O my people, what have I done unto thee, or wherein Mic. 6, have I grieved thee, or wherein have I wearied thee? and David; as when he says, I heard thee in the secret place of Ps.80,7, a Some copies add, as if one were robbed daily, and were told, 'see that there is not some one.' And he shews the way; it is by this way, as if one should say through this outhouse, through philosophy. bang. Montfaucon refers to his Suppl. de l'Ant. Expl. 1. iii. vol. 1. which 3. LXX. |