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XIX

278 The Eunuch is called by man, Saul by Christ Himself.

HOMIL.easy; (but yet the Prophet) catechized him. For even now, if any of you would apply himself to the study of the Prophets, he would need no miracles. And, if you please, v.22.23.let us take in hand the prophecy itself. He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened He not His mouth: in His humiliation His judgment was taken away: and who shall declare His generation? for His life is taken from the earth. It is likely he had heard that He was crucified, [and now he learns] that His life is taken away from the earth, and the rest: that He did no sin, nor deceit in His mouth: that He prevailed to save others also: [and] who He is, Whose generation is unutterable. It is likely he had seen the riven rocks there (on the spot), and (had heard) how the veil was rent, and how there was darkness, and so forth: and all these things Philip mentioned, merely taking his text from the Prophet. It is a great thing, this reading of the Scriptures! That was fulfilled which was spoken by Deut. 6, Moses, Sitting, lying down, rising up, and walking, remember the Lord thy God. For the roads, especially when they are lonely, give us opportunity for reflection, there being none to disturb us. Both this man is on the road, and Paul on the road: howbeit the latter no man draws, but Christ alone. This was too great a work for the Apostles: and, greater still, in that, the Apostles being at Jerusalem, and no person of authority at Damascus, he nevertheless returned thence converted: yet those at Damascus knew that he did not come from Jerusalem converted, for he brought letters, that he might put the believers in bonds. Like a consummate Physician, when the fever was at its height, Christ brought help to him: for it was needful that he should be quelled in the midst of his frenzy. For then most of all would he be brought down, and condemn himself

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as one guilty of dreadful audacity. (a) For these things Paul 1 Tim.1, deplores himself, saying, Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew all His longsuffering. Verily one has reason to admire this eunuch.

13.16,

He did not see Christ, he saw no miracle: he beheld 1 συνε- Jerusalem 'standing yet entire: he believed Philip. How came he to behave thus? His soul was earnest. Yet the μνημένη· thief (on the cross) had seen miracles: the wise men had

στώτα. * μεμερι

The Scriptures sufficient to produce faith.

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VIII.

seen a star: but this man, nothing of the kind. So great a Acts thing is the careful reading of the Scriptures! What of Paul 26-40. then? did he not study the Law? But he, it seems to me, was specially reserved, for the purpose which I have already mentioned by anticipation, because Christ would fain draw to Himself the Jews by inducements from every quarter. For had they been in their right mind, nothing was so likely to do them good as this; for this, more than miracles and all else, was calculated to attract them: as", on the other hand, nothing is so apt to prove a stumblingblock to men of duller minds. See then how, after the Apostle, we have God also doing miracles. They accused the Apostles after these [miracles of theirs]; they cast them into prison: see thereupon God doing the miracles. For instance, the bringing them out of prison, was His miracle: the bringing Philip, His miracle: the bringing Paul over, was His.Observe in what way Paul is honoured, in what way the eunuch. There, Christ appears, probably because of his hardness, and because Ananias would not (else) have been persuaded. Conversant with these wonders, let us shew ourselves worthy. But many in these times, even when they come to church, do not know what is read; whereas the eunuch, even 'in public and riding in his chariot, applied himself to the reading of the Scriptures. Not so you: none ἀγορᾶς. takes the Bible in hand: nay, everything rather than the Bible.

Say, what are the Scriptures for? For as much as in you lies, it is all undone. What is the Church for? Tie up the Bibles: perhaps the judgment would not be such,

as

· ὥσπερ οὖν οὐδὲν οὕτω σκανδαλίζειν εἴωθε τοὺς παχυτέρους: i. e. Saul's conversion would have weighed with the Jews εἰ νοῦν εἶχον, but it was a great stumbling-block to them παχύτεροι: “as indeed nothing is so apt to prove a stumbling-block to men of duller minds," as this is viz. the sudden conversion of one of their own party to the opposite side.

· καὶ ὅτι οὐκ ἂν ἐπείσθη ̓Ανανίας, A. B. C. But Edd. omit Ananias:

"because he (Paul) would not other wise have been persuaded." In the next sentence, C. F. have Έντρε

φόμενοι, “nurtured :” Β. ἐντρυφώντες,
"luxuriating:" A. E. D. Edd. ἐν-
στρεφόμενοι.

ὁ δῆσον, i. e. tie them up, and keep
them shut. E. Edd. κατάχωσον, ‘Bury.'
Below, for καὶ μὴ ἀκούοι αὐτῶν, we
read ἵνα μὴ. C. however has ἀκούει,
which may imply that the sentence
should be joined to the preceding one,
οὐ τοιαύτη κόλασις, εἴ τις καταχώσειεν
αὐτὰ ἐν κόπρῳ, καὶ [εἰ] μὴ ἀκούει αὐτῶν:
"not such the punishment, were one
to bury, &c. as it is if he refuse to hear
them."

ΧΙΧ.

280

To slight the Scriptures is to insult God.

HOMIL. not such the punishment: if one were to bury them in dung, that he might not hear them, he would not so insult them as you do now. For say, what is the insult there? That the man has buried them. And what here? That we do not hear them. Say, when is a person most insultedwhen he is silent, and one makes no answer, or, when he does speak (and is unheeded)? So that the insult is greater

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in the present case, when He does speak and thou wilt not Is. 30, hear: greater the contempt. Speak not to us, we read, they said of old to the Prophets: but ye do worse, saying, Speak: we will not do. For there they turned them away that they should not even speak, as feeling that from the voice itself they got some sort of awe and obligation; whereas you, in the excess of your contempt, do not even this. Believe me, it you stopped our mouths by putting your hands over them, the insult would not be so great as it is now. For say, whether shews greater contempt, he that hears, even when

[5.] hindering by this action, or, he that will not even hear? Sayif we shall look at it as a case of an insult offered-suppose one person to check the party insulting him, and to stop his mouth, as being hurt by the insults, and another person to shew no concern, but pretend not even to hear them: whether will shew most contempt? Would you not say the latter? For the former shews that he feels himself hit: the latter all but stops the mouth of God. Did ye shudder at what was said? Why, the mouth by which God speaks, is the mouth of God. Just as our mouth is the mouth of our soul, though the soul has no mouth, so the mouth of the Prophets is the mouth of God. Hear, and shudder. There, common (to the whole congregation) stands the deacon crying aloud, and saying, Let us attend to the reading. It is the common voice of the whole Church, the voice which he utters, and yet none does attend. After him begins the Reader, "The Prophecy of Esaias," and still none attends, although Prophecy has nothing of man in it. Then after this, he says, Thus saith Profane inattention to the Lessons.

All the Mss. and Edd. Μὴ λαλεῖτε, 'Speak not.' But the context plainly requires the sense, "Speak on, if you will: we will not do what you bid us:" though it should rather be, Οὐκ ἀκούομεν. 4. Ε. ὑμῖν, " your mouths," so Edd.

except Sav. and below, ὁ ἀκούων καὶ μὴ πειθόμενος μειζόνως καταφρονεί, where the old text has, ὁ ἀκούων μειζ. κατ. καὶ διὰ τούτου κωλύων, “by this," viz. by putting his hand on the speaker's mouth.

281

,

VIII.

the Lord, and still none attends. Then after this, punish- ACTS ments and vengeances, and still even then none attends. 26-40. But what is the common excuse? 'It is always the same things over again.' This it is most of all, that ruins you. Suppose you knew the things, even so you certainly ought not to turn away: since in the theatres also, is it not always the same things acted over again, and still you take no disgust? How dare you talk about 'the same things, you who know not so much as the names of the Prophets ? Are you not ashamed to say, that this is why you do not listen, because it is 'the same things over again,' while you do not know the names of those who are read, and this, though always hearing the same things? You have yourself confessed that the same things are said. Were I to say this as a reason for finding fault with you, you would need to have recourse to quite a different excuse, instead of this which is the very thing you find fault with. -Do not you exhort your son? Now if he should say, "Always the same things!" would not you count it an insult? It would be time enough to talk of "the same things," when we both knew the things, and exhibited them in our practice. Or rather, even then, the reading of them would not be superfluous. What equal to Timothy? tell me that: and yet to him says Paul, Give 1 Tim.4, attention to reading, to exhortation. For it is not possible, I say not possible, ever to exhaust the mind of the Scriptures. It is a well which has no bottom. I said, saith the Eccles. Preacher, Iam become wise': and then it departed from me.— Shall I shew you that the things are not "the same?" How many persons, do you suppose, have spoken upon the Gospels? And yet all have spoken in a way which was new and fresh. For the more one dwells on them, the more insight does he get, the more does he behold the pure light. Look, what a number of things I am going to speak of:-say, what is

• When the Deacon had ordered silence by proclaiming, if need were, several times, Προσέχωμεν! the Reader commenced the Lesson, if from the Old Testament or the Gospels, with the formula, Τάδε λέγει Κύριος, "Thus saith the Lord:" (for the Epistles, with, "Dearly beloved Brethren.") See Hom. in 2 Thess. iii. §. 4. p. 527. D.

· Εἶπον, ἐσοφίσθην, φησί, καὶ τότε

ἀπέστη ἀπ ̓ ἐμοῦ. Ben. rendering the
passage with Erasmus, " Deceptus
sum, et tunc recessit a me," re-
marks, "I do not see how this agrees
with what precedes." The Paris Editor,
"Novi, inquiunt, et tum mihi effluxit,"
as if it were a proverb. In the LXX.
it is, Εἶσα, σοφισθήσομαι, καὶ αὕτη
ἐμακρύνθη ἀπ ̓ ἐμοῦ. Ε. V. I said, I will
be wise, but it was far from me.

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7,24.

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HOMIL. narrative? what is prophecy? what is parable? what is ΧΙΧ. type? what is allegory? what is symbol? what are Gospels? Answer me only to this one point, which is plain: why are they called Gospels, "good tidings?" And yet ye have often heard that good news ought to have nothing sad in it: yet Mark 9, this 'good news' has abundance of sadness in it. Their fire,

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it saith, shall never be quenched: their worm shall not die: Mat.24, Shall appoint his portion, it saith, with the hypocrites, with 51:7, 23. them that are cut asunder: then shall He say, I know you not: Depart from Me, ye that work iniquity. Surelys, we do not deceive ourselves, when we imagine that we tell you ''Έλλη- 'in your own mother-tongue these [good tidings]? You look downcast; you are stunned; you are struck all of a heap, unable to hold up your heads. 'Good news' should have nothing in it of a duty to be done, but rather should counsel what is good: whereas these 'Gospels' have endless duties

νιστί.

to be done. And again, to mention other things, as for Luke 14, instance, Except a man hate father and mother, he is not

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26. Mat.10, worthy of Me: and, I am not come to bring peace upon Luke12, earth, but a sword: and, In the world ye shall have tribu51. lation-excellent good tidings these, are they not! For John16, good news is such as this" You shall have this and that

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good thing:" as in common life men say one to another, "What shall I have for my good news? Your father is coming, or, your mother:" he does not say, "You must do this or that."-Again, tell me, how do the Gospels differ from the Prophets? Why are not the Prophecies

also called Gospels, good tidings? For they tell the same Is. 35,6. things: for instance, The lame shall leap as an hart. The

26-40.

g 8 ̓Αρα μὴ ἀπατῶμεν ἑαυτοὺς, νομίζοντες ταῦτα ἑλληνιστὶ ὑμῖν λέγειν; Mss. and Edd., ἄρα μὴ without the interrogation. Ben. 'Igitur ne decipiamus nosmetipsos hæc Græco more dici.' The meaning seems to be, "When we tell you these things as εὐαγγέλια, do we deceive ourselves in thinking that we are speaking Greekthat we are using the term aright?Yet to judge from your looks, one may see that they are anything but εὐαγγέλια το you. Ὑμεῖς κατηφεῖτε, ὑμεῖς κεκώφωσθε· ἀποπληκτοὶ τυγχάνετε κάτω κύπτοντες." The innovator (E.

Edd.) quite alters the meaning, as if it were, "You look as indifferent as if it were no concern of yours:" viz. "Or, have you nothing to do with these things? But you are struck deaf (κεκώφωσθε); and as if you were in a fit, hang down your heads."Below, for καὶ πάλιν ἕτερα ἐρῶ, οἷον, the same have, οἷαπέρ ἐστι καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα, " such as are also these."

Η Edd. Καλά γε· οὐ γὰρ ταῦτα εὐαγγέλια: read Καλάγε (οὐ γάρ;) ταῦτα εὐαγ γέλια. Supra, p. 65. note c. In the next sentence, Τί μοι τῶν εὐαγγελίων; Ben. Quid mihi est evangeliorum.'

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