Hard sayings needful for Correction.

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VI.

and mad, and brutal things, is listened to rather than He who Hoм. bids us gentle and healthful things! For this is hell appointed; for this, fire; for this, that river of fire; for this, the worm that dieth not.

I know that many hear me say these things with pain, and indeed it is not without pain I say them. But why need I say these things? I could wish the things concerning the kingdom to be ever my discourse, of the rest', of the! B. enjoyment waters of rest, of the green pastures, as the Scripture says, He maketh me to lie down in green pastures, He leadeth me Ps. 23, beside the still waters, there He maketh me to dwell. I could wish to speak of the place, whence sorrow and mourn- Is. 51, ing shall flee away.

I could wish to discourse of the pleasures of being with Christ, though they pass all expression and all understanding. Yet would I speak of these things according to my power. But what shall I do? it is not possible to speak concerning a kingdom" to one that is diseased and in fever; then we must needs speak of health. It is not possible to speak of honour to one that is brought to trial, for at that time his desire is that he be freed from judgment, and penalty, and punishment. If this be not effected, how shall the other be? It is for this cause that I am continually speaking of these things, that we may the sooner pass over to those other. For this cause does God threaten hell, that none may fall into hell, that we all may obtain the kingdom; for this cause we too make mention continually of hell, that we may thrust you onward towards the kingdom, that when we have softened your minds by fear, we may bring you to act worthily of the kingdom. Be not then displeased at the heaviness of our words, for the heaviness of these words lightens our souls from sin. Iron is heavy, and the hammer is heavy, but it forms vessels fit for use, both of gold and silver, and straightens things which are crooked; and if it were not heavy, it would have no power to straighten the distorted substance. Thus too our heavy speech has power to bring the soul into its proper tone. Let us not then flee from heaviness of speech, nor the strokes it gives; the stroke

He means an earthly kingdom in

the first instance.

Al. is the very thing that gives occasion to our souls to fly from sins.'

2.

11.

2, 5-8.

3, 13.

be.

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Sinners must be pained to save them from Hell. PHIL. is not given that it may break in pieces or tear the soul, but to straighten it. We know how we strike, how by the grace of God we inflict the stroke, so as not to crush the vessel, but to polish it, to render it straight, and meet for the Master's use, to offer it glittering in soundness, and skilfully wrought against that Day of the river of fire, to offer it having no need of that burning pile. For if we expose not ourselves to fire here, we must needs be burned there, it 1 Cor. cannot be otherwise; For the day of the Lord is revealed by because fire. Better is it that ye be burned for a little space by our it shall words, than for ever in that flame. That this will indeed be so, is plain, and I have ofttimes given you reasons' which cannot be gainsaid. We ought truly to be persuaded from the Scriptures alone, but forasmuch as some are contentious, we have brought forward many arguments from reason. Nothing hinders that I now mention them, and what were they? God is just. We all acknowledge this, both Greeks and Jews, and Heretics, and Christians. But many sinners have had their departure without punishment, many righteous men have had their departure after suffering ten thousand grievous things. If then God be just, where will He reward their good to the one, and their punishment to the other, if there be no hell, if there be no resurrection? This reason then do ye constantly repeat' to them and to yourselves, and it will not suffer you to disbelieve the resurrection, and whoso disbelieves not the resurrection will take care to live with all heed so as to obtain eternal happiness, which God grant that we all do, by the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom, &c.

y See on Rom. 16, 16. Hom. xxxi. Moral. Tr. p. 494.

κατεπάδετε, sing as a charm.

HOMILY VII.

PHIL. ii. 5-11.

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: 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 was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a Name which is above every name: that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

I HAVE said all that pertains to the heretics. It is befitting (1) that I now speak of what is our own. They say, that the words, He thought it not robbery, are of wrongfully seizing". We have proved, that this is altogether vapid and impertinent, for no man would exhort another to humility on such grounds, nor in this sort does he praise God, or even man. What is it then, beloved? Give heed to what I now say. Since many men think, that, when they are lowly, they are deprived of their proper right, and debased. Paul, to take away this fear, and to shew that we must not be affected thus, says concerning God, that God, the only-begotten Son of the Father, Who was in the form of God, Who was no whit

a

Meaning,He thought it not a robbery for Himself to commit.' The phrase being always used in the sense

of a gain. Our language does not
seem capable of expressing it exactly.

76

Usurpers dare not lay their rank aside.

PHIL. inferior to the Father, Who was equal to Him, thought it 2, 5-11. not robbery to be equal with God.

Now learn what this meaneth. Whatsoever a man robs, and takes contrary to his right, he dares not lay aside, from fear lest it perish, and fall from his possession, but he keeps hold of it continually. He who possesses a dignity which is natural to him, fears not to descend from that dignity, being assured that nothing of this sort will happen to him. As for example, Absalom usurped the government, and dared not afterwards to lay it aside. We will go to another example, but if example cannot present the whole matter to you, take it not amiss, for this is the nature of examples, they leave the greater part for the imagination to reason out. A man rebels against his sovereign, and usurps the kingdom: he dares not lay aside or conceal the matter, for if he once put it away, straightway it is gone. Let us take another example; if a man takes any thing violently, he keeps firm hold of it continually, for if he lay it down, he straightway loses it; and generally speaking they who have ought by rapine, are afraid to lay it by, or put it away, or not to keep constantly in that state which they have assumed. Not so they, who have possessions not procured by rapine, as Man, who possesses the dignity of being a reasonable being. But here examples fail me, for there is no natural preeminence amongst us, for no good thing is naturally our own, since Uys they all are inherent in' the nature of God. What do we κλήρω. say then? That the Son of God feared not to descend from His right, for he thought not Deity a matter of robbery, He was not afraid that any would strip Him of that nature or that right, wherefore He laid it aside, being confident that He should take it up again. He hid it, knowing that He was not made inferior by so doing. For this cause, Paul says not, "He seized not," but He thought it not robbery, for He possessed not that estate by robbery, but it was natural, not conferred, it was enduring and safe. not to take the form of an inferior".

και.

Wherefore He refused The tyrant fears to lay

ὁ ὑπασπιστών, a soldier of the ranks, who attended on an officer. Herod. v.

111. Xen. Anab. iv. 2. 21.

VII.

aside the purple robe in war, while the king does it with HOM. much safety. Why so? because he holds his power not as a matter of robbery. He did not refuse to lay it aside, as one who had usurped it, but since He had it as His own by nature, since it could never be parted from Him, He concealed it.

This equality with God He had not by robbery, but as His own by nature. Wherefore He emptied Himself. Where be they who affirm, that He underwent constraint, that He was subjected? Scripture says, He emptied Himself, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death. How did He empty Himself? By taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and being found in fashion as a man. It is written, He emptied Himself in reference to the text, each esteeming other better than himself. Since had He been subjected, had He not chosen it of His own accord, and of His own free will, it would not have been an act of humility. For if He knew not that so it must be, He would have been imperfect. If, not knowing it, He had waited for the time of command, then would He not have known the season. But if He both knew that so it must be, and when it must be, wherefore should He submit to be subjected? To shew, they say, the superiority of the Father. But this shews not the superiority of the Father, but His own inferiority. For is not the name of the Father sufficient to shew the priority of the Father? For beside this, all the Father hath is the Son's; especially as this honour is not capable of passing from the Father to the Son, but beside this, all the Father hath is common to the Son.

man.

Here the Marcionites catch hold of the word, and say, See, He did not become man, but was made in the likeness of But how can one be made in the likeness of men? by putting on a shadow? But this is a phantom, not the likeness of a man, for the likeness of a man is another man. And what wilt thou answer to John, when he says, The Word John 1, was made flesh? But this same blessed one himself also says in another place, in the likeness of sinful flesh. And being found in fashion as a man. See, they say, both in fashion, and as a man. To be as a man, and to be a man in fashion, is not to be a man indeed.

To be a man

14.

Rom. 8,

3.