Danger of omitting alms and tithes, and of drunkenness. 145

IV.

fore is this? Because nothing so provokes God to wrath as to HOMIL. injure friends; for if it is our duty to love our enemies, of what punishment shall not he be worthy, who turns away even from them that love him, and is in this respect worse than the heathen? So that in this case the greatness of the sin will rightly make such an one depart, and have his portion with the devil. Woe to him, it is said, who doeth not alms; and if this was the case under the Old Covenant, much more is it under the New. If, where the getting of wealth was allowed, and the enjoyment of it, and the care of it, there was such provision made for the succouring the poor, how much more in that Dispensation, where we are bidden to give up all? For what did not they of old do? They gave tithes, and tithes again upon tithes. They supported orphans, widows, and strangers; whereas some one was saying to me in astonishment at another, "Why, such an one gives tithes." What a load of disgrace does this expression imply, that a matter which with the Jews were no matter of surprise, that this should have been surprising with Christians! If there was danger then in omitting tithes, think how great it must be now.

Again, drunkenness shall not inherit the kingdom. Yet what is the language of the generality? “Well, if both I and he are in the same case, that is some comfort.' What then are we to say? First of all, that thou and he shall not reap the same punishment; but were it otherwise, neither is that any comfort. Fellowship in sufferings has then comfort in it, when the miseries have any proportion in them; but when they exceed all proportion, and carry us beyond ourselves, they no longer allow of our receiving any comfort at all. For tell the man that is being tortured, and has entered into the flames, that such an one is undergoing the same, still he will be none the more sensible of the comfort. Did not all the Israelites perish together? What manner of comfort did that afford them? Was it not rather this very thing that distressed them? And this was why they kept saying, We are lost, we perish, we are consumed. What manner of comfort then is there here? In vain do we comfort ourselves with such hopes as these. There is but one only comfort, to

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I. 10.

146 Misery hereafter to the rich of seeing the poor in heaven.

EPHES. avoid falling into that unquenchable fire; but it is not in the nature of things for one who has fallen into it to find comfort, where there is gnashing of teeth, where there is weeping, where is the worm that dieth not, and the fire that is not quenched. For shalt thou conceive any comfort at all, tell me, when thou art in so great tribulation and distress? Wilt thou then be any longer thyself? Let us not, I pray and entreat you, let us not vainly deceive ourselves and comfort ourselves with arguments like these; no, let us practise those virtues, which shall avail to save us. The object before us is to sit together with Christ, and art thou trifling about such matters as these? Why, were there no other sin at all, how great punishment ought we not to suffer for these very speeches themselves, because we are so insensate, so wretched, and so indolent, as, even with so vast a privilege before us, to talk thus? Oh! how much shalt thou have to lament, when thou shalt hear them that have done good called to the kingdom and rewarded! when thou shalt behold slaves and base-born who have laboured but a little here, there made for ever partakers of the royal throne! Will not these things be worse to thee than torment? For if even now, when thou seest any in high reputation, though thou art suffering no one evil, thou regardest this as worse than any punishment, and by this alone art consumed, and bemoanest thyself, and weepest, and judgest it to be as bad as ten thousand deaths; what shalt thou suffer then? Why, even were there no hell at all, the very idea of the kingdom, were it not enough to destroy and consume thee? And that such will be the case, we have enough in our own experience of things to teach us. Let us not then vainly flatter our own souls with speeches like these; no, let us be in earnest, let us have a regard for our own salvation, let us make virtue our care, let us rouse ourselves to the practice of good works, that we may be counted worthy to attain to this exceeding glory, in Jesus Christ our Lord.

HOMILY V.

V.

CHAP. ii. v. 11, 12. Wherefore remember, that ye being in HOMIL. time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by that which is called the circumcision in the flesh made by hands. That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.

There are many things to shew the loving-kindness of God towards us men. First, the fact, that by Himself He hath saved us, and by Himself through such a method as this. Secondly, that He hath saved us, considering what we were. Thirdly, that He hath exalted us to the place where we are. For all these things both contain in themselves the greatest demonstration of His loving-kindness, and they are the very subjects which Paul is now agitating in his Epistle. He had been saying, that when we were dead in trespasses and sins, He saved us; He is now telling us further, to whom He hath made us equal. Wherefore, saith he, remember, because it is usual with us, one and all, when we are raised from a state of great meanness to corresponding, or perhaps a greater, dignity, not so much as even to retain any recollection of our former condition, as though we had been brought up in this our new glory. On this account it is he says, Wherefore remember.—Wherefore. Why," wherefore?" Because we have been created unto good works, and this were sufficient to induce us to cultivate and practise virtue; remember, for that remembrance is sufficient to make us grateful to our Benefactor, that ye were in time past Gentiles. Observe how he lowers the superior advantages of the Jews and enhances the inferiority of the Gentiles; inferiority indeed it was not, but he is arguing with each respectively from their character and manner of life.

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II. 11.

148 Privilege of being Christians greater than the loss of not being Jews.

Who are called the uncircumcision.

The honour then of the Jews is in names, their prerogative is in the flesh. For the uncircumcision is nothing, and the circumcision is nothing.

By that which is called, saith he, the circumcision made with hands in the flesh, that at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.

Ye, saith he, who were thus called by the Jews. But why then is it that now he is about to shew that the benefit bestowed upon them consisted in this, in their having fellowship with Israel, he, on the other hand, not only does not disparage the Israelitish prerogative, but rather enhances it by these particulars? In essential points he enhances it, but in these points, in which they had no fellowship, he disparages it. For he goes on to say, Ye are fellow-citizens, and of the household of God. Mark, how far he is from disparaging it. These other points, saith he, are indifferent. Never think, saith he, that because ye happen not to be circumcised, and are now in uncircumcision, that there is any difference in this. No, the hardship was this, the being without Christ, the being aliens from the commonwealth, that is, the conversation of Israel. Whereas this circumcision is not conversation. Again, the being strangers from the covenants of promise, the having no hope to come, the being without God in this world, all these were parts of their condition. He was speaking of heavenly things, he speaks also of those which are upon earth; since the Jews had a great opinion of these. Thus also Christ in Mat. 5, comforting His disciples, after saying, Blessed are they that are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, adds the lesser point of consolation, for so, saith He, persecuted they the prophets that were before you. For this, compared with the greatness of the other, is far less, yet in regard to the being nigh, and believing, it is ample and sufficient, and has considerable force. This then was the having conversation. His word is not, "separated," but" alienated from the commonwealth." His word is not, "ye took no interest in," but," ye had not so much as any part

10. 12.

Gentiles not raised to Jews, but Jews and Gentiles raised to Christ. 149

V.

in, and were strangers." The expressions are most emphatic, HOMIL. and indicate the separation to be very wide. Because the Israelites themselves were without this conversation, not however as aliens, but as indifferent to it, and they fell from is. the covenants, not however as strangers.

8.

But what were the covenants of the promise? To thee and Gen. 17, to thy seed, saith He, will I give this land, and whatever else He promised.

Having no hope, he adds, and without God. Though gods indeed they worshipped, but they were no gods: for an idol 1 Cor. is not any thing.

Ver. 13-15. But now, in Christ Jesus, ye, who sometimes were far off, are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us, the enmity in His flesh.

10, 19.

Is this then the great privilege, it may be said, that we are admitted into the conversation of the Jews? What art thou saying? He hath gathered together into one all things that are in heaven, and that are in earth, and now dost thou tell 'us about Israelites? Yes, he would say. Those higher privileges we must apprehend by faith; these, by actual nai Tois experience. But now, saith he, in Christ Jesus, ye who αὐτοῖς. were some time far off, are made nigh. For the far off, and the nigh, are matters of will and choice.

For He is our peace, Who hath made both one.

προαιρί

σεως.

What is this, both one? He does not mean this, that He hath raised us to that high dignity of theirs, but that He hath raised both us and them to a yet higher. Only that the blessing to us is greater, because to these it had been promised, and they were nearer than we; to us it had not been promised, and we were farther off than they. Therefore it is that he says, And that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy. The Rom. promise indeed He gave to the Israelites, but they were 15, 9. unworthy; to us He gave no promise, nay, we were even strangers, we had nothing in common with them; yet hath He made us one, not by attaching us to them, but by knitting both them and us together into one. I will give you an illustration. Let us suppose there to be two statues, the one of silver, the other of lead, and then that both shall be