Even bad men pay love for wrongs to their haughty mistresses. 175

VII.

understand the love of God. A great thing indeed is this; HOMII.. nothing is so beneficial to us, nothing so deeply touches us: more availing this to convince our souls than the fear of hell itself. Whence then shall we understand it? Both from the sources now mentioned, and from the things which happen every day. For from what motive have these things been done for us? from what necessity on His part? None whatever. Over and over again he lays down love as the motive. But in the highest degree is that love, when men receive a benefit, without any prior service on their part to call for it.

And let us then be followers of Him; let us do good MORAL. to our enemies, to them that hate us, let us draw near to those who turn their backs upon us. This renders us like unto God. For if thou shalt love thy friend, v. Mat. saith Christ, what profit is there? This even the heathen 5, 46. do. But what is the sure proof of love? To love him that hates thee. I wish to give you some example, and, (pardon me,) since I find it not among them that are spiritual, I shall quote an instance from them that are without. See ye not these lovers? How many insults are wreaked upon them by their beloved ones, how many artifices practised, how many injuries inflicted: yet they are rivetted to them, they burn for them, and love them better than their own souls, and pass whole nights before their thresholds. From them let us take our example, not indeed to love such as those, women, I mean, that are harlots; no, but thus to love our enemies. For tell me, do they not treat them with greater insolence than all the enemies in the world, and squander away their substance, and cast insult in their face, and impose upon them more servile tasks than upon their own menials? And yet still they desist not, though no one hath so great an enemy in any one, as the lover in his mistress. Yea, this beloved one disdains, and reviles, and oftentimes maltreats him, and the more she is loved, the more she scorns him. brutal than a spirit like this? loves her still.

And what can be more
Yet notwithstanding he

But possibly we shall find love like this in spiritual

III. 21.

Mat. 24,

12.

v. Acts

7, 24.

176 Moses an example of love of enemies by offering to perish for them.

EPHES. characters also, not in those of our day, (for it has waxed cold,) but in those great and glorious men of old. Moses, the blessed Moses, surpassed even those that love with human passion. How, and in what respect? First, in that he gave up the court, and the luxury, and the retinue, and the renown attending it, and chose rather to be with the Israelites. Yet is this not only what no one else would ever have done, but would have even been ashamed, were another to have discovered him, of being found to be a kinsman of men, who were not only slaves, but were looked upon as even execrable. Yet was he not only not ashamed of his kindred, but with all his spirit defended them, and exposed himself to perils for their sake. How? Seeing, it is said, one doing an injury to one of them, he defended him that suffered the wrong, and slew him that inflicted it. But this is not as yet for the sake of enemies. Great indeed is this act then of itself, but not so great as what comes afterwards. The next day, then, he saw the same thing taking place, and when he saw him whom he had defended doing his neighbour wrong, he admonished him to desist from his oppression. But he said, with great ingratitude, ib. 7,27. Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? Who would not have taken fire at these words? Had then the former act been that of passion and frenzy, then would he have smitten and killed this man also; for surely he on whose behalf it was done, never would have informed against him. But because they were brethren, it is said, he spoke thus. When he [the Hebrew] was being wronged, he uttered not a word like it, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? Wherefore saidst thou not this yesterday? Thy injustice, and thy cruelty, he would say, this makes me a ruler and a judge.

But now, mark, how that some, in fact, say as much even to God Himself. Whenever they are wronged indeed, they would have Him a God of vengeance, and complain of His long suffering; but when themselves do wrong, not for a moment.

However, what could be more painful than words like these? And yet notwithstanding after this, when he was sent to that ungrateful, to that thankless race, he went, and

Christ the chief example of love of enemies by dying for them. 177

shrunk not back. Yea, and after those miracles, and after HOMIL. VII. the wonders wrought by his hand, oftentimes they sought to stone him, and he escaped out of their hands. They kept murmuring too incessantly, and yet still, notwithstanding, so passionately did he love them, as to say unto God, when they committed that heinous sin, Yet now if Thou wilt for- Exod. give, forgive their sin; and if not, blot even me also out of 32, 32. the book which Thou hast written. Fain would I perish, saith he, with them, rather than without them be saved. Here, verily, is love even to madness, verily, unbounded love. What sayest thou? Art thou regardless of Heaven? I am, saith he, for I love those who have wronged me. Prayest thou to be blotted out? Yea, saith he, what can I do? Yes, it is love commends it. And what again shall be said of what comes afterwards? Hear what the Scripture saith elsewhere; And it went ill with Moses for their sakes. How Ps. 106, often did they wax wanton? How often did they reject both himself and his brother? How often did they seek to return back to Egypt? and yet after all these things did he burn, yea, was beside himself with love for them, and was ready to suffer for their sakes.

Thus ought a man to love his enemies; by strong lamentation, by unwearied endurance, by every method in his power, yea, even to being cut off, to aim at their salvation.

32.

3.

45.

οίκονο

And what again, tell me, did Paul? did he not ask even to Rom. 9, be accursed in their stead. But the great pattern we must of necessity derive from the Lord, for so doth He also Himself, where he saith, For He maketh His sun to rise on the Mat. 5, evil and on the good: adducing His Father as the exemplar, as we do Christ Himself. He came unto them, in His Incarnation, I mean, He became a servant for their sakes, arà ràv He humbled Himself, He made Himself of no reputation. μíav He took upon Him the form of a servant. And when He Phil. 2, came unto them, He went not Himself aside into the way of 1.8. Mat. 10, the Gentiles, and gave the same charge to His disciples, and 5. not only so, but He went about healing all manner of sick- Mat. 4, ness, and all manner of disease. And what then? All the rest indeed were astonished, and marvelled, and said, ib. 13, Whence hath this man these things? But these, the objects 56. John 10, of His beneficence, these said, He hath a devil, and 20. 36.

N

7.

23.

7, 12.

Matt.

178 S. Paul an example of love by offering to be accursed.

EPHES. blasphemeth, and is mad, and is a deceiver. Did He III. 21. therefore cast them away? No, in no wise, yea, when He 27, 63. heard these sayings, He even yet more signally bestowed His benefits upon them, and went straightway to them that were about to crucify Him, to the intent that He might but only save them. And after He was crucified, what were His Luke23, words? Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Both cruelly treated from the first, and cruelly treated to the last, even to the very latest breath, for them He did every thing, in their behalf He prayed. Yea, and after the Cross itself, what did He not do for their sakes? Did He not send Apostles? Did He not work miracles? Did He not shake the whole world?

34.

Roni.

Thus is it we ought to love our enemies, thus to imitate Christ. Thus did Paul. Stoned, suffering unnumbered cruelties, yet did he all things for their good. Hear his Rom.10, own words. My heart's desire and prayer for them is that 1. 2. they may be saved. And again; For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God. And again; If thou being a wild olive tree wert graffed in, how much more shall these be graffed into their own olive tree? How tender, thinkest thou, must be the affection from which these expressions proceed, how vast the benevolence? it is impossible to express it, impossible.

11, 24.

Thus is it we ought to love our enemies. This is to love God, Who hath enjoined it, Who hath given it as His law. To imitate Him is to love our enemy. Consider it is not thine enemy only thou art benefiting, but thyself; thou art not only loving him, but art obeying God. Knowing therefore these things, let us confirm our love one to another, that we may perform this duty perfectly, and attain those good things that are promised in Christ Jesus our Lord, with Whom to the Father, together with the Holy Ghost, be glory, might, and honour, now, and for ever and ever. Amen.

HOMILY VIII.

VIII.

CHAP. iv. 1, 2. I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, HOMIL. beseech you, that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, in all lowliness and meekness.

IT is the virtue of masters to aim not at praise, nor at esteem at the hands of those under their authority, but at their salvation, and to do every thing with this object; since the man who should make the other end his aim, would not be a master but a tyrant. Surely it is not for this that God set thee over them, that thou shouldest enjoy greater court and service, but that thine own interests should be disregarded, and every one of theirs advanced. This is a master's duty: such an one was the blessed Paul, a man who was free from all manner of vanity, and was contented to be but one of the many, nay more, to be the very least even of them. Hence he even calls himself their servant, and so generally speaks in a tone of supplication. Observe him then even now how he is writing; nothing dictatorial, nothing imperious, but all chastised and subdued.

I therefore, saith he, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called. What is it, tell me, thou art beseeching? Is it that thou mayest gain any end for thyself? No, saith he, in no wise; it is that I may be the saving of others. And yet surely they who beseech, do so for things which are of importance to themselves. True; and this, saith he, is of importance to myself, according to what he says also elsewhere in his writings, Now we live, if ye stand fast in the 1 Thess. Lord; for he ever earnestly desired the salvation of those 3, 8. whom he was instructing.