IV. 32.

278 He who avenges not himself, makes all men his avengers.

If thou

EPHES. proached by all before his enemy's face? If thou shalt avenge thee on him, thou wilt both be condemned perhaps thyself, and wilt be the sole avenger; whereas if thou shalt forgive him, all will be avengers in thy stead. And this will be far more severe than any evil he can suffer, that his enemy should have so many to avenge him. openest thy mouth, they will be silent; but if thou art silent, thou art shooting at him, not with one tongue only, but with ten thousand tongues of others, and art the more avenged. And on thee indeed, if thou shalt reproach him, many again will cast imputations, (for they will say that thy words are those of passion;) but when he who has sustained no wrong, thus overwhelms him with reproaches, then is the revenge especially clear of all suspicion. For when they who have suffered no mischief, in consequence of thy excessive forbearance feel and sympathize with thee, as though they had been wronged themselves, this is a vengeance clear of all suspicion. But what then,' ye will say, if no man should take up our quarrel.' It cannot be that men will be such stones, as to behold such philosophy, and not admire it. And though they wreak not their vengeance on him at the time; still, afterwards, when they are in the mood, they will do so, by scoffing and ridicule. And if no one else admire thee, the man himself will most he may not own it. For our judgment of what is right, even though we be come to the very depth of wickedness, remains impartial and unbiassed. Why, suppose ye, did Matt. 5, our Lord Christ say, If a man smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also? Is it not because the more longsuffering a man is, the more signal the benefit he confers both on himself and on the other? For this cause He charges us to turn the other also, to satisfy the desire of the enraged. For who is such a monster as not to be at once put to shame? The very dogs are said to feel it; for if they bark and attack a man, and he throws himself on his back and does nothing, he puts a stop to all their wrath. If they then reverence the man who is ready to suffer evil from them, much more will the more rational race of man.

39.

surely admire thee, though

However, it is right not to overlook what a little before came into my recollection, and was brought forward for a

XVI.

24, 20.

We may act on the moment against an aggressor to check him. 279 testimony. And what then was this? We were speaking HOMIL. of the Jews, and of the chief rulers amongst them, how that they were blamed, as going after retaliation. And yet this the law permitted them; eye for eye, and tooth for tooth. Levit. True, but not to the intent that men should pluck out each others' eyes, but that they should check boldness in aggresion, by fear of suffering in return, and thus should neither do any evil to others, nor suffer any evil from others themselves. Therefore it was said, eye for eye, to tie the hands of the aggressor, not to let thine loose against him, and so not to ward off the hurt from thine eyes only, but also to preserve his eyes safe and sound.

12, 28.

But, as to what I was enquiring about,-why, if resentment was allowed, were they arraigned who adopted it in practice? What ever can this mean? He here speaks of vindictiveness; for on the spur of the moment he allows the sufferer to act, as I was saying, in order to check the aggressor; but further to bear a grudge he permits not; because the act then is no longer one of passion, nor of boiling rage, but of malice premeditated. Now God forgives those who may be carried away, perhaps upon a sense of outrage, and rush out to resent it. Hence He says, eye for eye; and yet again, the ways of the revenge- Prov. ful lead to death. Now, if, where it was permitted to put Sept. out eye for eye, so great a punishment is denounced against the revengeful, how much more will it, amongst those who are bidden even to expose themselves to ill-treatment. us not then be revengeful, but let us quench our anger, that we may be counted worthy of the loving-kindness, which comes from God. For with what measure, saith Christ, ye mete Mat.7,2. withal, it shall be measured unto you again, and with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; let us then be kind towards our fellow-servants, and compassionate, that we may both escape the snares of this present life, and in the day that is at hand, may obtain pardon at His hands, through His grace and loving-kindness.

Let

HOMILY XVII.

EPHES.

CHAP. iv. 32. and v. 1, 2. And be ye kind one to another, V. 1, 2. tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour.

v. Mat.

φους.

The events which are past, have greater force than those which are yet to come, and appear to be at once both more amazing, and more convincing. And hence accordingly Paul founds his exhortation upon the things which have been ingy advanced to us, inasmuch as they, on Christ's account, have μένων. a greater force. For to say, Forgive, and ye shall be 6,14. 15. forgiven, and, if ye forgive not, ye shall in no wise be pikori forgiven,-this addressed to men of understanding, and who are believers in the things to come, is of great weight; but Paul appeals to the conscience not by these arguments only, but also by things already advanced to us. In the former way we may escape punishment, whereas in this latter we have our share of some positive good. Imitate Christ, saith he. This alone is enough to recommend virtue, that it is to imitate God. This is a higher principle than the other, for Matt. 5, He maketh the sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. Because he does not merely say, that we are imitating God, but that, where we receive ourselves such benefits, he would have us cherish the tender heart of fathers towards each other. For by heart, here, is meant loving-kindness and compassion. For inasmuch as it cannot be that, as men, we shall avoid

45.

Motives for forgiveness of iniquities.

281

either giving pain or suffering it, he does the next thing, he HOMIL. devises a remedy,-that we should forgive one another. XVII. Forgiving, saith he, one another. And yet there is no comparison. For if thou indeed shouldest at this moment forgive any one, he will forgive thee again in return; whereas to God thou hast neither given nor forgiven any thing. And thou indeed art forgiving a fellow-servant; whereas God is forgiving a servant, and an enemy, and one that hates Him.

Even as God, saith he, for Christ's sake hath forgiven us. And this, moreover, contains a high allusion. What he means, however, is this; not merely, he would say, hath He forgiven us, and at no venture, but at the sacrifice of His Son; for that He might forgive thee, He sacrificed the Son; whereas thou, oftentimes, when thou seest pardon to be both without venture and without cost, yet dost not grant it.

Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour.

That thou mayest not then think it an act of necessity, hear how He saith, not simply that He died, but that He gave Himself. As though he were saying, Thy Master loved thee who wert an enemy; love thou thy friend. Nay but neither then wilt thou be able so to love; yet still do so as far as thou art able. Oh, what can be more blessed than a sound like this! Tell me of royalty or whatever else thou wilt, there is no comparison. Forgive another, and thou art imitating God, thou art made like unto God. It is more our duty to forgive trespasses than debts; for if thou shalt forgive debts, thou wilt not therefore be imitating God; whereas if thou shalt forgive trespasses, thou art imitating God. And yet how shalt thou be able to say, ' I am poor, and am not able to forgive it,' that is, a debt, when thou forgivest not that which thou art able to forgive, that is, a trespass? And dost thou deem that in this case there is any loss? Yea, is it not rather wealth, is it not abundance, is it not ample means? Be ye therefore followers of God.

And behold yet another and a nobler incitement:-as dear children, saith he. Ye have yet another cogent reason to imitate Him, not only in that ye have received such good at

V.1-3.

282

We must forgive as we have been forgiven.

EPHES. His hands, but also in that ye are made His children. And since not all children imitate their fathers, but those which are dear, therefore he saith, as dear children.

Ver. 2. Walk in love.

Behold, here, the groundwork of all! So then where this is, there is no wrath, no anger, no clamour, no evil-speaking, but all are done away. Accordingly he puts the chief point last. Whence wert thou made a child? Because thou wert forgiven. On the same ground on which thou hast had so vast a privilege vouchsafed thee, on that self-same ground forgive thy neighbour. Tell me, I say, if thou wert in prison, and hadst ten thousand misdeeds to answer for, and some one were to raise thee to the palace; or rather to pass over this argument, suppose thou wert in a fever and in the agonies of death, and some one were to benefit thee by some medicine, wouldest thou not value him more than all, yea and the very name of the medicine? For if we thus regard occasions and places by which we are benefitted, even as our own souls, much more shall we the things themselves. Let the object of thy passion then be love; for by this art thou saved, by this hast thou been made a son. And if thou shalt have it in thy power to save another, wilt thou not use the same remedy, and give the advice to all, Forgive, that ye may be forgiven?' Thus to incite one another, were the part of grateful, of generous, and noble spirits.

As Christ also, he adds, hath loved us.

Thou art only sparing friends, He enemies. So then far greater is that boon which cometh from our Master. For how in our case is the as preserved? Surely it is clear that it will be, by our doing good to our enemies.

And hath given Himself an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour.

Seest thou that to suffer for one's enemies, is a sweetsmelling savour, and an acceptable sacrifice? And if thou shalt die, then wilt thou be indeed a sacrifice. This it is to imitate God.

Ver.3. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named amongst you, as becometh saints.

He has spoken of the bitter passion of wrath; he now comes