408

Misery of a bad Man's Riches.

HOMIL. the same time to signify the free choice of the will, and also XXIX. to teach all others not to be mad nor rave after money.

"How is it then, when a man being wicked is rich, and suffers nothing dreadful?" say you. "Since if being good he hath wealth, he hath it justly: but if bad, what shall we say?" That even therein he is to be pitied. For wealth added to wickedness aggravates the mischief. But is he a good man, and poor? Yet is he nothing injured. Is he then a bad man, and poor? Then is he so justly and by desert, or rather even with advantage to himself. "But such an one,” say you, received his riches from his ancestors, and lavishes it upon harlots and parasites, and suffers no evil." What sayest thou? Doth he commit whoredom, and sayest thou, "he suffers no evil?" Is he drunken, and thinkest thou that he is in luxury? Doth he spend for no good, and judgest thou that he is to be envied? Nay what can be worse than this wealth which destroys the very soul? But thou, if the body were distorted and maimed, wouldest say that his was a case for great lamentation; and seest thou his whole soul mutilated, yet countest him even happy? "But he doth not perceive it," say you. Well then, for this very reason again is he to be pitied, as all frantic persons are. For he that knows he is sick, will of course both seek the physician, and submit to remedies; but he that is ignorant of it will have no chance at all of deliverance. Dost thou call such an one happy, tell me?

But it is no marvel: for the more part are ignorant of the true love of wisdom. Therefore do we suffer the extremest penalty, being chastised, and not even withdrawing ourselves from the punishment. For this cause are angers, dejections, and continual tumults; because when God hath shewn us a life without sorrow, the life of virtue, we leave this, and mark out another way, the way of riches and money, full of infinite evils. And we do the same, as if one, not knowing how to discern the beauty of men's bodies, but attributing the whole to the clothes and the ornaments worn, when he saw a handsome woman, and possessed of natural beauty, should pass quickly by her, but when he beheld one ugly, illshaped, and deformed, but clothed in beautiful garments, should take her

Most Men ignorant of the Chief Good.

409

12. 11.

for his wife. Now also in some such way are the multitude 1 Cor. affected about virtue and vice. They admit the one that is deformed by nature on account of her external ornaments, but turn away from her that is fair and lovely, on account of her unadorned beauty, for which cause they ought especially to choose her.

(6.)

1 Ps. 15.

Sirach

25. 14. !!

12. 13.

[9.] Therefore am I ashamed, that among the foolish heathen there are those that practise this philosophy, if not in deeds, yet so far at least as judgment goes; and who know the perishable nature of things present: whereas amongst us some do not even understand these things, but have their very judgment corrupted: and this while the Scripture is ever and anon sounding in our ears, and saying, In his sight the vile person is contemned, but he honoureth them that fear the Lord': the fear of the Lord excelleth every thing; fear 4. God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole of of Or, Love of man3: be not thou envious of evil men1; all flesh is grass, the Lord. and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. For these and such-like things though we hear every day, we are yet nailed to 3 Eccles. earth. And as ignorant children, who learn their letters ones. 49. after another, if they be examined after they are disarranged 16. 5 Isa.40. concerning their order, naming one instead of another, make. much laughter: so also ye, when here we recount them in order, follow us in a manner; but when we ask you out of doors, and in no set order, what we ought to place first and what next among things, and which after which; not knowing how to answer, ye become ridiculous. Is it not a matter of great laughter, tell me, that they who expect immortality, and the good things which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, should strive about things which linger here, and count them enviable? For if thou hast need yet to learn these things, that riches are no great thing, that things present are a shadow and a dream, that like smoke they are dissolved and fly away: stand for the present without the sanctuary: abide in the vestibule: since thou art not yet worthy of the entrance to the palace-courts on high. For if thou knowest not to discern their nature, which is unstable and continually passing away, when wilt thou be able to despise them?

But if thou say, thou knowest, cease curiously to inquire and

410

Why most Men know not true Happiness.

XXIX.

HOMIL. busy thyself, what can be the reason why such an one is rich, and such an one poor: for thou doest the same, when thou askest these questions, as if thou didst go round and enquire, why one is fair and another black, or one hook-nosed and another flat-nosed. For as these things make no difference to us, whether it be thus, or thus; so neither poverty and riches, and much less than they. But the whole ensues from the way in which we use them. Whether thou art poor, thou mayest live cheerfully denying thyself; or rich, thou art most miserable of all men if thou fliest from virtue. For these are what really concern us, the things of virtue. And if these things be not added, the rest are useless. For this cause also are those continual questions, because the most think that indifferent things are of importance to them, but of the important things they make no account: since that which is of importance to us, is virtue and love of wisdom.

Because then ye stand I know not where, at some far distance from her, therefore is there confusion of thoughts, therefore the many waves, therefore the tempest. For when men have fallen from heavenly glory and the love of heaven, they desire present glory, and become slaves and captives. "And how is it that we desire this," say you? From the not greatly desiring that. And this very thing, whence happens it? From negligence. And whence the negligence? From contempt. And whence the contempt? From folly, and cleaving to things present, and unwillingness to investigate accurately the nature of things. And whence again doth this latter arise? From the neither giving heed to the reading of the Scriptures, nor conversing with holy men, and from following the assemblies of the wicked.

That this therefore may not always be so, and lest wave after wave receiving us should carry us out into the deep of miseries, and altogether drown and destroy us; while there is time, let us bear up, and standing upon the rock, I mean of the divine doctrines and words, let us look down upon the surge of this present life. For thus shall we both ourselves escape the same, and having drawn up others who are making shipwreck, we shall obtain the blessings which are to come, through the grace and mercy, &c.

HOMILY XXX.

1 COR. xii. 12.

For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ.

AFTER Soothing them from the considerations, that the thing given was of free favour; that they received all from one and the self-same Spirit; that it was given to profit withal, that even by the lesser gifts a manifestation was made; and withal having also stopped their mouth from the duty of yielding to the authority of the Spirit: (for all these, saith he, worketh that one and the self-same Spirit, dividing to each man severally as he will; wherefore it is not right so much as to be over-curious:) he proceeds now to soothe them in like manner from another common example, and betakes himself to nature itself, as was his use to do.

15.

For so when he was discoursing about the hair of the men and the women, after all the rest, he drew matter thence also to correct them, saying, Doth not even nature itself teach you, that if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her1? And when 1 Cor. he spake concerning the idol-sacrifices, forbidding to touch 11. 14, them, he took up the discourse from the examples also of them that are without, both making mention of the Olympic games, where he saith, they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize: and confirming these views 1 Cor. from shepherds, and soldiers, and husbandmen: on just the same ground he brings forward here also a common example, by which he presses on and fights hard to prove that no one was really put in a worse condition: a thing which was mar

9.24.

412

How the Church is both One and Many.

HOMIL. vellous and surprising to be able to shew, and calculated to reXXX. fresh the weaker sort, I mean the example of the body. For nothing so consoles the person of too tender spirit, and of inferior gifts, or so persuades him not to grieve, as the being convinced that he is not left with less than his share. Wherefore also Paul making out this point, thus expresses himself: for as the body is one, and hath many members.

Seest thou his exact consideration? He is pointing out the same thing to be both one and many. Wherefore also he adds, pressing more vigorously on his proposed subject, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body. He said not, "being many, are of one body," but "the one body itself is many:" and those so many members, are this one thing. If therefore one is many, and many are one, where is the difference? where the superiority? where the disadvantage? For all, saith he, are one: and not simply one, but being strictly considered in respect of that even which is most principal, i. e. their being a body, they are found all to be one: but when considered as to their particular natures, then the difference comes out, and the difference is in all alike. For none of them by itself can make a body, but each is alike deficient in the making a body, and there is need of our being regularly assembled: since, when the many become one, then and not till then is there one body. Wherefore also covertly intimating this very thing, he said, But all the members of that one body, being many, are one body. And he said not," the superior, and the inferior," but being many, which is common to all.

And how is it possible that they should be one? When, throwing out the difference of the members, thou considerest the body. For the same thing which the eye is, this also is the foot, in regard of its being a member, and constituting a body. For there is no difference in this respect. Nor canst thou say, that one of the members makes a body of itself, but another does not. For they are all equal in this, for this very reason, that they are all one body.

But having said this, and having shewn it clearly from the common judgment of all, he added, so also is Christ. And when he should have said, " so also is the Church," for this came next in order, this he doth not say, but instead of it he places the