XXXVIII.

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Progress of Discontent, and of Patience.

HOMIL. Wretched man, that he is not one of the highest officers of state. And when he hath obtained this honour, he will mourn that he is not ruler; and when he shall be ruler, that it is not of a whole nation; and when of a whole nation, that it is not of many nations; and when of many nations, that it is not of all. When he becomes a deputy, he will vex himself again, that he is not a king; and if a king, that he is not so alone; and if alone, that he is not also of barbarous nations, and of the whole world even: and when of the whole world, why not likewise of another world? And so his course of thought going on without end, suffers him not ever to be really (7.) delighted at any time. Seest thou, how even if from being

mean and poor thou shouldest make a man a king, thou dost not remove his dejection, without first correcting his turn of thought, enamoured as it is of unfair gain?

Come, let me shew thee the contrary too, that even if from a higher station thou shouldest bring down to a lower one that hath consideration, thou wilt not cast him into dejection and grief. And if thou wilt, let us descend the same ladder, and do thou bring down the satrap from his throne, and in supposition deprive him of that dignity. I say, that he will not on this account vex himself, if he choose to bear in mind the things, of which I have spoken. For he will not reckon up the things of which he hath been deprived, but what he hath still, the glory arising from his office. But if thou take away this also, he will reckon up them who are in private stations, and have never ascended to such sway, and for consolation his riches will suffice him. And if thou also cast him out again from this, he will look to them that have a moderate estate. And if thou shouldest take away even moderate wealth, and shouldest allow him to partake only of necessary food, he may think upon them that have not even this, but wrestle with incessant hunger, and live in prison. And even if thou shouldest bring him into that prison-house, when he reflects on them that lie under incurable diseases, and irremediable pains, he will see himself to be in much better circumstances. And as the scavenger before mentioned, not even on being made a king will reap any cheerfulness, so neither will this man ever vex himself, no not if he become a prisoner. It is not then wealth that is

A cheerful Heart, how to be cherished.

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15.11.

the foundation of pleasure, nor poverty of sadness, but our own 1 Cor. determination, and the fact, that the eyes of our mind are not pure, nor are fixed any where and abide, but without limit they flutter abroad. And as healthy bodies, if they be nourished with bread alone, are in good and vigorous condition: but those that are sickly, even if they enjoy a plentiful and varied diet, become so much the weaker; so also it is wont to happen in regard of the soul. The mean spirited, not even in a diadem and unspeakable honours can they find pleasure; but the self-denying, even in bonds, and fetters, and poverty, will enjoy a pure pleasure.

[10.] These things then bearing in mind, let us ever look to them that are beneath us. There is indeed, I grant, another consolation, but of a high strain in morality, and mounting above the grossness of the multitude. What is this? That wealth is nought, poverty is nought, disgrace is nought, honour is nought, but in brief time they come to differ from each other in mere words. And along with this there is another soothing topic also, greater than it; the consideration of the things to come, both evil and good, the things which are really evil and really good, and the being comforted by them. But since many, as I said, stand aloof from these doctrines, therefore were we compelled to dwell on those topics, that in course we might lead on to them the receivers of what had been said before.

Let us then, taking all these things into account, by every means frame ourselves aright, and we shall never grieve at these unexpected things. For neither if we should see men rich in a picture, should we say they were to be envied, any more than on seeing poor men there depicted, we should call them wretched and pitiable: although those are surely more abiding than they whom we reckon wealthy. Since one abides rich in the picture longer than in the nature itself of things. For the one often lasts, appearing such, even to a hundred years, but the other sometimes, not having had so much as a year to live at his ease in his possessions, hath been suddenly stripped of all. Meditating then on all these things, let us from all quarters build up cheerfulness, as an outwork against our irrational sorrow, that we may both pass the present life with pleasure, and obtain the good

N n

546

Christian Cheerfulness prepares for Heaven.

HOMIL. things to come, through the grace and mercy of our Lord XXXVIII. Jesus Christ, with Whom to the Father with the Holy Ghost, be glory, power, honour, now and for ever, and world without end.

Amen.

HOMILY XXXIX.

1 COR. XV. 11.

Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.

HAVING exalted the Apostles, and abased himself, then again having exalted himself above them, that he might make out an equality: (and we see that equality is what he hath made out:) having intimated that he had advantages over them as well as they over him, and thereby proved himself worthy of credit; neither so doth he dismiss them, but again ranks himself with them, pointing out their concord in Christ. Nevertheless he doth it not so as that it should seem to have been cast at them' in the way of reproach, but gooopas himself also to appear in the same rank. For so it was ίφθαι. profitable for the Gospel. Wherefore also he was equally earnest, on the one hand, that he might not seem to overlook them, on the other, that he might not be, on account of the honour paid to them, held cheap by those that were under his authority. Therefore he also now makes himself equal again, saying,

Whether therefore it were I or they, so we preach. "From whomsoever," saith he, "ye choose to learn, learn; there is no difference at all between us." And he said not, "if ye will not believe me, believe them;" but while he makes himself worthy of credit, and saith that he is of himself sufficient, he affirms the same also of them by themselves. For the difference of persons took no effect, their dignities being equal. And in the Epistle to the Galatians also he doth this, taking them with him, not as standing in need of them, but saying indeed that even himself was sufficient: For they

1

548

Five-fold Proof of Christ's Resurrection.

HOMIL. who seemed to be somewhat added nothing to me1: nevertheXXXIX. less even so I follow after agreement with them. For Gal. 2. 6. they gave unto me, saith he, their right hands2.

9.

For

2 Gal. 2. if the credit of Paul were always to depend on others, and to be confirmed by testimony from others, the disciples would hence have received infinite injury. It is not therefore to exalt himself that he doeth this, but fearing for the Gospel. Wherefore also he here saith, making himself equal, Whether it were I or they, so we preach.

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Well did he say, we preach, indicating his great boldness 3 of speech. For we speak not secretly 3, nor in private, but we ραβύστῳ. utter a voice clearer than a trumpet. And he said not, we preached," but " even now so we preach. And so ye believed. Here he said not, "ye believe," but, ye believed. Because they were shaken in mind, therefore he ran back to the former times, and proceeds to add the witness from themselves.

[2.] Ver. 12. Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?

Seest thou how excellently he reasons, and proves the resurrection from the fact of Christ's being raised, having first established the former in many ways? "For both the prophets spake of it," saith he, "and the Lord Himself shewed it by His appearing, and we preach, and ye believed;" weaving thus his fourfold testimony; the witness of the prophets, the witness of the issue of events, the witness of the apostles, the witness of the disciples; or rather a fivefold. For this very cause too itself implies the resurrection; viz. his dying for others' sins. If therefore this be proved, it is evident that the other also follows, viz. that the other dead likewise are raised. And this is why, as concerning an admitted fact, he challenges and questions them, saying, Now if Christ be raised, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?

Hereby also again abating the boldness of the gainsayers:

* The παραβύστον was one of the inferior courts at Athens, so called because it had cognizance only of trivial and obscure matters, and because it was

situate ἐν ἀφανεῖ τόπῳ τῆς πόλεως, in an obscure part of the city. Hence the phrase. Pausan. Attic. c. 28; Demosth. cont. Timocr. p. 715. Ed. Reiske.