IV. 3. 208 Sin is ever a ground of discord between man and man. EPHES. if thou wouldest attach thyself to another, thou canst do it in no other way except by attaching him to thyself; and if thou shouldest wish to make the tie double, he must needs in turn attach himself to thee; so also here he would have us tied one to another; not simply that we be at peace, not simply that we love one another, but that there should be in all one soul. A glorious bond is this; with this bond let us bind ourselves together alike to one another and to God. This is a bond that bruises not, nor cramps the hands it binds, but it leaves them free, and gives them ample play, and greater energy than those which are at liberty. The strong if he be bound to the weak, will support him, and not suffer him to perish: and if again he be tied to the indolent, him he will rather rouse and animate. Brother helped by 18, 19. brother, it is said, is as a strong city. This chain no distance of place can interrupt, neither heaven, nor earth, nor death, nor any thing else, but it is more powerful and stronger than all things. This, though it issue from but one soul, is able to embrace numbers at once; for hear what Paul saith, 2 Cor. 6, Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels; be ye also enlarged. Prov. Sept. 12. 12. Now then, what impairs this bond? Love of money, passion for power, for glory, and the like, loosens them, and severs them asunder. How then are we to see that they be not cut asunder. By seeing that these tempers be got rid of, and that none of those things which destroy charity come in by Mat. 24, the way to trouble us. For hear what Christ saith, When iniquity shall abound, the love of the many shall wax cold. Nothing is so opposed to love as sin, and I mean not to love towards God, but to that towards our neighbour also. But how then, it may be peace? When are they, tell me? are acting in a spirit which is not fail to observe the rules of justice amongst those with whom they divide the spoil, and to render to every one his right, you will find them too in wars and broils. So that neither amongst the wicked is it possible to find peace: and where men are living in righteousness and virtue, you may find it every where. But again, are rivals ever at peace? Never. And whom then would ye have me mention? The covetous said, are even robbers at Doubtless then when they that of robbers; for if they Virtue promotes love and love virtue. 209 IX. man can never possibly be at peace with the covetous. So HOMIL. that were there not just and good persons to be wronged and to stand between them, the whole race would be torn to pieces. When two wild beasts are famished, if there be not something put between them to consume, they will devour one another. The same would be the case with the covetous and the vicious. So that it is not in nature that there should be peace where virtue is not strictly practised first. Let us form, if you please, a city entirely of covetous men, give them equal privileges, and let no one give his assent to be wronged, but let all wrong one another. Can that city possibly hold together? It is impossible. Again, is there peace amongst adulterers? No, not any two will you find of the same mind. So then, to return, there is no other reason for this, than that love hath waxed cold; and the cause again why love hath waxed cold, is that iniquity abounds. For this leads to selfishness, and divides and severs the body, and puffs it up, and rends it to pieces. Whereas where virtue is, it does the reverse. Because the man that is virtuous is also above money; so that were there ten thousand such in poverty they would still be peaceable; whilst the covetous, where there are but two, can never be at peace. Thus then if we are virtuous, love is never destroyed, for virtue springs from love, and love from virtue. And how this is, I will tell you. The virtuous man does not value money above friendship, nor does he remember injuries, nor does wrong to his neighbour; he is not insolent, he endures all things nobly. Of these things love consists. Again, he who loves will perform all these duties, and thus do they reciprocally produce one another. And this indeed, that love springs from virtue, appears from hence, because our Lord when He saith, because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold, plainly tells us this. And that virtue again is generated by love, Paul tells us, saying, He that loveth his neighbour Rom. hath fulfilled the law. So then a man must be one of the 13, 10. two, either very affectionate and much beloved, or else very virtuous; for he who has the one, of necessity possesses the other; and, on the contrary, he who knows not how to love, P 210 Love produces mutual confidence. EPHES. will therefore commit evil actions; and he who commits evil actions, knows not what it is to love. IV. 3. MORAL. 22, 21. 22. Let us therefore follow after charity; it is a safeguard which will not allow us to sustain any injury. Let us bind ourselves together. Let there be no deceit amongst us, no hollowness. For where friendship is, there nothing of this sort is found: Ecclus. This too another certain wise man tells us. Though thou drewest a sword at thy friend, yet despair not: for there may be a returning again to favour. If thou hast opened thy mouth against thy friend, fear not; for there may be a reconciliation: except for upbraiding, or disclosing of secrets, or a treacherous wound: for for these things a friend μvor will depart. For disclosing, saith he, of secrets. Now if we be all friends, there is no need of secrets; for as no mau has any secret with himself and cannot conceal any thing from himself, so neither will he from his friends. Where then no secrets exist, separation arising from this is impossible. For no other reason have we secrets, than because we have not confidence in all men. So then it is the waxing cold of love, which has produced secrets. For what secret hast thou? Dost thou desire to wrong thy neighbour? Or, art thou hindering him from sharing some benefit, and on this account concealest the matter? But, no, perhaps it is none of these things. What then, is it that thou art ashamed? If so, then is want of confidence a sure token of this. Now then if there be love, there will be no revealing of secrets, much less any upbraiding. For who, tell me, would ever upbraid his own soul? And suppose even such a thing were done, it would be for some good; for we upbraid children, we know, when we desire to make them feel. And so Christ too on that occasion Luke10, began to upbraid the cities, saying, Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! in order that He might deliver them from upbraidings. For nothing has such power to lay hold of the mind, or can more strongly arouse it, or brace it up when relaxed. Let us then never use mere upbraiding to one another. For what? Wilt thou upbraid thy friend on the score of money? Surely not, if at least thou possessest what thou hast in common. 3. Wilt thou then for his faults? No nor Love is with difficulty secured, and easily takes flight. 211 IX. this, but thou wilt rather in that case correct him. Or, as it HoмIL. goes on, for a treacherous wound; who in the world will kill himself, or who wound himself? No one. 14, 1. Let us then follow after love; he saith not simply let us 1 Cor. love; but let us follow after love. Great is the eagerness. required: she is soon out of sight, she is most rapid in her flight; so many things are there in life which injure her. If we follow her, she will not outstrip us and get away, but we shall speedily recover her. The love of God is that which united earth to Heaven. It was the love of God that seated man upon the kingly throne. It was the love of God that manifested God upon earth. It was the love of God that made the Lord a servant. It was the love of God that caused the Beloved to be delivered up for His enemies, the Son for them that hated Him, the Lord for His servants, God for men, the free for slaves. Nor did it stop here, but called us to yet greater things. Yes, not only did it release us from our former evils, but promised, moreover, to bestow upon us other and yet greater blessings. For these things then let us give thanks to God, and follow after every virtue; and before all things, let us with all strictness so perfectly order our charity, that we may be counted worthy to attain the promised blessings; through the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom, together with the Holy Ghost, be unto the Father glory, might, and honour, now and for ever and ever. Amen. HOMILY X. EPHES. IV. 4. 5. 6. CHAP. iv. 4. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling. When the blessed Paul exhorts us to any thing of special importance, so truly wise and spiritual as he is, he grounds his exhortation upon things in Heaven: this itself being a lesson he had learned from the Lord. Thus he saith also ch. 5, 2. elsewhere, Walk in love, even as Christ also hath loved us. Phil. 2, And again, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God. This is what he is doing here also, for whenever the examples he is setting before us are great, he is intense in his zeal and feeling. What then does he say, now he is inciting us to unity? There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling: Ver. 5. One Lord, one faith, one baptism. 56. Now what is this one body? The faithful throughout the whole world, both which are, and which have been, and which shall be, and again, they that before Christ's coming pleased God, are one body. How so? Because they also John 8, knew Christ. Whence does this appear? Your father Abraham, saith He, rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it, John 5, and was glad. And again, If ye had believed Moses, He saith, ye would have believed Me, for he wrote of Me. And the prophets too would not have written of One, of whom they knew not what they said; whereas they both knew Him, and worshipped Him. Thus then were they also one body. 46. The body is not disjoined from the spirit, for then would it not be a body. Thus it is customary also |