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God's natural Works point to the future Life.

HOMIL. neighbour thou knowest not, nor the things in it; but He XVII. knoweth all. If then, because of thy not knowing how God

1 S.Mat. 22.29.

raiseth men up, thou believest not that He doth raise them, wilt thou disbelieve that He knoweth also what is in thy mind? for neither is that obvious to view. And yet in the body it is visible matter, though it be dissolved: but those thoughts are invisible. Shall He then who knoweth with all certainty the invisible things, not see the things which be visible, and easily detach the scattered parts of the body? I suppose this is plain to every one.

Do not then disbelieve the Resurrection; for this is a doctrine of the Devil. This is what the Devil is earnest for, not only that the Resurrection may be disbelieved, but good works also may be done away with. For the man who does not expect that he shall rise again, and give an account of the things which he has done, will not quickly apply himself to virtue; and from not applying himself to virtue, will in turn come to disbelieve the Resurrection entirely: for both these are established by each other; vice by unbelief, and unbelief by vice. For the conscience filled with many wickednesses, fearing and trembling for the recompense to come, and not willing to provide itself with comfort by changing to what is most excellent, is fain to repose in unbelief. Thus, when thou deniest resurrection and judgment, the other for his part will say, "Then shall I also not have to render account of my bold deeds."

[4.] But what saith Christ? Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God. For God would not have wrought so many things, had He not intended to raise us up again, but to dissolve and blot us out in annihilation. He would not have spread out this heaven, He would not have stretched the earth beneath, He would not have made all the rest of the universe only for this short life. But if all these are for the present, what will He not do for that which is to come? If, on the contrary, there is to be no future life, we are in this respect of far meaner account than the things which have been made for our sakes. For both the heaven, and the earth, and the sea, and the rivers, are more lasting than we are: and some even of the brutes; since the raven, and the race of elephants, and many other

The Fall, and our Bodies, no Excuse for Sin.

creatures, have a longer enjoyment of the present life. moreover, life is short and toilsome, but not to them. is both long, and freer from grief and cares.

"What then? tell me: hath He made the slaves better than the masters?" Do not, I beseech thee, do not reason thus, Oman, nor be so poverty stricken in mind, nor be ignorant of the riches of God, having such a Master. For even from the beginning God desired to make thee immortal, but thou wert not willing. Since the things also of that time were dark hints of immortality: the converse with God; the absence of uneasiness from life; the freedom from grief, and cares, and toils, and other things which belong to a temporary existence. For Adam had no need either of a garment or a shelter, or any other provision of this sort; but rather was like to the Angels; and many of the things to come he foreknew, and was filled with great wisdom. Even what God did in secret, he knew, I mean with regard to the woman: wherefore also he said, This is now bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh1.1 Gen.2. Labour came into being afterwards: so did sweat, so did shame, and cowardice, and want of confidence. But on that day there was no grief, nor pain, nor lamentation. But he abode not in that dignity.

23.

What then, saith one, am I to do? must I perish on his account? I reply, first, It is not on his account: for neither hast thou remained without sin: though it be not the same sin, at least there is some other which thou hast committed. And again, you have not been injured by his (4.) punishment, but rather have been a gainer. For if you had been to remain altogether mortal, perchance what is said would have had some reason in it. But now thou art immortal, and if thou wilt, thou mayest shine brighter than the sun itself.

[5.] "But," says one," had I not received a mortal body, I had not sinned." Tell me then, had he a mortal body when he sinned? Surely not: for if it had been mortal before, it would not have undergone death as a punishment. afterwards. And that a mortal body is no hindrance to virtue, but that it keeps men in order, and is of the greatest service, is plain from what follows. If the expectation of immortality alone so lifted up Adam; had he been even immortal in reality, to

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How bodily Frailty may help towards Salvation.

HOMIL. what a pitch of arrogance would he not have proceeded? XVII. And as things are, after sinning you may do away with your

sins, the body being abject, falling away, and subject to dissolution for these thoughts are sufficient to sober a man. But if you had sinned in an immortal body, your sins were likely to have been more lasting.

"But it tempts

Not the body, For all these things, which I

Mortality then is not the cause of sin: accuse it not: but the wicked will is the root of all the mischief. For why was not Abel at all the worse for his body? Why are the devils not at all the better for being incorporeal? Wilt thou hear why the body's becoming mortal, so far from hurting, has been positively useful? Mark how much thou gainest thereby, if thou art sober. It drags thee back and pulls thee off from wickedness, by griefs and pains, and labours, and all other such things. men out to uncleanness," perhaps you will say. but incontinence, doth this. was mentioning, certainly do belong to the body: on which account it is impossible that a man who has entered into this life should escape disease and pain, and lowness of spirits: but that he commit no uncleanness is possible. Thus it appears that if the affections of vice were part of the nature of the body, they would be universal: since all things natural are so; but to commit fornication is not so. Pain indeed cometh of nature: but to commit fornication proceeds from deliberate purpose.

Blame not the body then let not the Devil take away thine honour, which God hath given thee. For if we choose, the body is an excellent bridle to curb the wanton sallies of the soul, to pull down haughtiness, to repress arrogance, to minister to us in the greatest achievements of virtue. For tell me not of those who have lost their senses: since we often see horses, after they have thrown out their drivers, dashing with their reins over the precipices, and yet we do not blame the rein. For it is not the breaking of that which caused it all, but the driver not holding them in was the ruin of every thing. Just so do thou reason in this case. If thou seest a young person living in orphanhood and doing innumerable evil things, blame not the body, but the charioteer who is dragged on, I mean, the man's faculty of reasoning. For as the reins give no trouble to the charioteer,

The Mind, not the Body, to blame for dissolute Conduct. 238

14.

but the charioteer is the cause of all the mischief through his 1COR.6. not holding them properly: (and therefore do they often exact a penalty of him, entangling themselves about him, and dragging him on, and compelling him to partake in their own mishap:) so is it also in the case before us. "I," say the reins," kept in the horse's mouth, as long as you held me: but since you threw me away, I require for satisfaction your contempt, and I entwine myself about you, and drag you along, so as not to incur the same usage again." Let no one then blame the reins, but himself and his own corrupt mind. For over us too is a charioteer, even reason: and the reins are the body, connecting the horses with the charioteer: if then these be in good condition, you will suffer no harm: but if you let them go, you have annihilated and ruined every thing. Let us be temperate then, and lay all blame not on the body, but on the evil mind. For this is the Devil's special work, to make foolish men accuse the body, and God, and their neighbour, rather than their own perverted minds; lest, having discovered the cause, they get free from the root of the evils.

But do ye, being aware of his design, direct your wrath against him and having set the charioteer upon the car, bend the eye of your minds towards God. For in all other instances, he that appoints the games contributes nothing, but only awaits the end. But in this case, He is all in all, who appointed the contest, even God. Him therefore let us render propitious, and surely we shall obtain the blessings in store; through the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom, with the Father, and the Holy Spirit, be glory, power, honour, now, henceforth, and for evermore. Amen.

HOMILY XVIII.

1 COR. vi. 15.

Know ye not that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.

HAVING passed on from the fornicator to the covetous person, he comes back to the former from the latter, no longer henceforth discoursing with him, but with the others who had not committed fornication. And in the act of securing them, lest they fall into the same sins, he assails him again. For he that has committed sin, though you direct your words to another, is stung even in that way; his conscience being thoroughly awakened and scourging him.

Now the fear of punishment indeed was enough to keep them in chastity. But seeing that he does not wish by fear alone to set these matters right, he also adds threatenings and reasons.

Now upon that other occasion, having stated the sin, and prescribed the punishment, and pointed out the harm which intercourse with the fornicator brought upon all, he left off, and passed to the subject of covetousness: and having threatened the covetous and all the rest whom he numbered with expulsion from the kingdom, he so concluded his discourse. But here he takes in hand the work of admonition in a yet more terrific manner. For as he that only punishes a sin, and does nothing to point out its most extreme lawlessness, produces no such great effect by his chastisement: so again, he who only abashes, and fails to terrify by his mode of punishing, does not very keenly hit men of hardened minds. Wherefore Paul does both: here he abashes, saying, Know ye not that we shall judge angels? there again he