368

Conjugal Peace may be an earnest of Eternal.

HOMIL. done all things well, we shall obtain the blessings laid up

XXVI..

in store; unto which may we all attain, through the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom to the Father, with the Holy Ghost, be glory, power, and honour, now and ever, and world without end. Amen.

HOMILY XXVII.

1 Cor. xi. 17.

Now in this that I declare unto you, I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse.

It is necessary in considering the present charge, to state also first the occasion of it. For thus again will our discourse be more intelligible. What then is this occasion?

As in the case of the three thousand who believed in the beginning, all had eaten their meals in common, and had all things common; such also was the practice at the time when the Apostle wrote this: not such indeed exactly; but as it were a certain outflowing of that communion abiding among them, descended also to them that came after. And because of course some were poor, but others rich, they laid not down all their goods in the midst, but made the tables open on stated days, as it should seem; and when the solemn service11ñs œuvάξεως. was completed, after the communion of the mysteries, they all went to a common entertainment, the rich bringing their provisions with them, and the poor and destitute being invited by them, and all feasting in common. But afterward this custom also became corrupt. And the reason was, their being divided, and addicting themselves, some to this party, and others to that, and saying, "I am of such a one,” and “I of such a one;" which thing also to correct he said, in the beginning of the Epistle, For it hath been declared to me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. every one of you saith, I am of Paul; I of Cephas. Not that Paul was the B b

Now this I say, that and I of Apollos; and person to whom they

XXVII.

370

St. Paul's Complaint about the Feasts of Charity. HOMIL. were attaching themselves: for he would not have borne it: but wishing, by doing more than was required, to tear up this custom from the root, he introduced himself, indicating that if any one had inscribed upon himself even his name, when breaking off from the common body, even so the thing done was profane, and extreme wickedness. And if in his case it were wickedness, much more in the case of those others, inferior to him.

[2.] Since therefore this custom was broken through, a custom most excellent, and most useful; (for it was a foundation of love, and a comfort to poverty, and a corrective of riches, and an occasion of the highest philosophy, and an instruction of humility:) since however he saw so great advantages in a way to be destroyed, he naturally addresses them with severity, thus saying: Now in this that I declare unto you, I praise you not. For in the former charge, as there were many who kept (the ordinances), he began otherwise, saying thus: Now I praise you, that ye remember me in all things: but here contrariwise, Now in this that I declare unto you, I praise you not. And here is the reason why he placed it not after the rebuke of them that eat the idol-sacrifices. But because that was unusually harsh, he inserts by the way the discourse about wearing of long hair, that he might not have to pass from one set of vehement reproofs to others again of an invidious kind, and so appear too harsh: and then he returns to the more vehement tone, and says, Now in this that I declare unto you, I praise you not. What is this? That which I am about to tell you of. What is, declaring unto you, I praise you not? "I do not approve you," saith he, "because ye have reduced me to the necessity of giving advice: I do not praise you, because ye have required instruction in regard to this, because ye have need of an admonition from me." Dost thou perceive how from his beginning he signifieth that what was done was very profane? For when he that errs ought not to require so much as a hint to prevent his erring, the error would seem to be unpardonable.

And why dost thou not praise? saith he, not for the better, but for ye do not go forward unto virtue.

Because ye come together, the worse; i. e. because For it were meet that

Prophecies about Heresy leave the will free.

371

11. 19. φιλοτι

your liberality1 should increase and become manifold, but ye 1 Cor. have taken rather from the custom which already prevailed, and have so taken from it, as even to need warning from me, μíav. in order that ye may return to the former order.

Further, that he might not seem to say these things on account of the poor only, he doth not at once strike in to the discourse concerning the tables, lest he render his rebuke such as they might easily come to think slightly of, but he searches for an expression most confounding, and very fearful. For what saith he?

ο σχίσ

ματα.

sions."

Ver. 18. For first of all, when ye come together in the Church, I hear that there be schisms among you. And he saith not, "For I hear that you do not sup rec. vers. together in common;"" for I hear that you feast in private, "diviand not with the poor:" but what was most calculated thoroughly to shake their minds, that he set down, the name of schism, which was the cause of this mischief also: and so he reminded them again of that which was said in the beginning of the Epistle, and was declared by them of the house of Chloe3.

And I partly believe it.

Thus, lest they should say, "But what if the accusers speak falsely?" he neither saith, "I believe it," lest he should rather make them reckless; nor again, on the other hand, "I disbelieve it," lest he should seem to reprove without cause, but, I partly believe it, saith he, i. e. "I believe it in a small part;" making them anxious, and inviting them to return to correction.

3 c. i. 11.

[3.] Ver. 19. For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. By heresies, here, he means those which concern not the (2.) great doctrines, but these present divisions. But even if he had spoken of the doctrinal heresies, not even thus did he give them any handle. For Christ Himself said, it must needs be that offences come1, not destroying the liberty of the Mat. will, nor appointing any necessity and compulsion over man's life, but foretelling what would certainly ensue from the evil mind of men; which would take place, not because of his prediction, but because the incurably disposed are so minded. For not because he foretold them did these things happen:

18.7.

372

Doctrinal Heresy worse than mere Schism.

HOMIL. but because they were certainly about to happen, therefore XXVII. he foretold them. Since, if the offences were of necessity,

and not of the mind of them that bring them in, it was superfluous His saying, Woe to that man by whom the offence cometh. But these things we discussed more at 1 vid. S. length when we were upon the passage itself'; now we must Chrys. proceed to what is before us.

on S.

Hom.59.

Matth. Now that he said these things of these heresies relating to 'the tables, and that contention and division, he made manifest also from what follows. For having said, I hear that there are schisms among you, he stopped not here, but signifying what schisms he means, he goes on to say, every one taketh before other his own supper, and again, What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the Church of God? However, that of these he was speaking, is evident. And if he call them schisms, marvel not. For, as I said, he wishes to touch them by the expression: whereas, had they been schisms of doctrine, he would not have discoursed with them thus mildly. Hear him, for instance, when he speaks of any such thing, how vehement he is, both in assertion, and in reproof: in assertion, as when he says, If even an angel preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, Gal. 1. let him be accursed; but in reproof, as when he says, Whosoever of you are justified by the law, ye are fallen from Gal. 5. grace3. And at one time he calls the corrupters dogs, saying, Beware of dogs: at another, having their consciences seared 2. with a hot iron5. And again, angels of Satan: but here he said no such thing, but spake in a gentle and subdued tone.

8.

4.

4 Phil.3.

51 Tim.

4. 2.

6 2 Cor.

11. 14,

15.

7iva.

But what is, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you? That they may shine the more: And what he intends to say is this, that those who are unchangeable and firm are so far from being at all injured hereby, but even shews them the more, and declares them more glorious. For the word, that', is not every where indicative of the cause, but frequently also of the event, of things. Thus Christ Himself uses it, when He saith, For judgment I am come into this world; that they which see not might see, and that 8 John they which see might be made blinds. So likewise Paul in 9.39. another place, when discoursing of the law, he writes, 9 Rom. Moreover, the Law entered, that the offence might abound.