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Paul a pattern of Christian love and zeal.

293

0

1x.

23.24.

10, 2.

Wherefore he thought it no great thing to die for the Acrs Gospel's sake, unless he should do this to great advantage: 20-25. willing not even to see Christ, Whom most of all he longed Phil. 1, to see, while the work of his stewardship among men was not yet complete. Such ought to be the soul of a Christian. From his first appearance, from the very outset, the cha- [4.] racter of Paul declared itself: nay, even before this, even in the things which he did not according to knowledge, Rom. it was not by man's reasoning that he was moved to act as he did. For if, so long afterwards, he was content not to depart, much more at the beginning of his tradingvoyage, when he had but just left the harbour. Many things Christ leaves to be done by (ordinary) human wisdom, that we may learn that (his disciples) were men, that it was not all everywhere to be done by grace: for otherwise, they would have been mere motionless logs: but in many things they managed matters themselves. This is not less than martyrdom,-to shrink from no suffering for the sake of the salvation of the many. Nothing so delights God. Again will I repeat what I have often said: and I repeat it, because I do exceedingly desire it: as Christ also did the same, when discoursing concerning forgiveness: When ye Mark pray, forgive if ye have aught against any man: and again 11, 25. to Peter He said, I say not unto thee, Forgive until seven Mat.18, times, but until seventy-times seven. And Himself in fact 22. forgives the transgressions against Him. So do we also, because we know that this is the very goal of Christianity, continually discourse thereof. Nothing is more frigid than a Christian, who cares not for the salvation of others. Thou canst not here plead poverty: for she that cast down the two Luke21, mites, shall be thine accuser. And Peter said, Silver and Acts 3, gold have I none. And Paul was so poor, that he was often 6. hungered, and wanted necessary food. Thou canst not plead lowness of birth: for they too were ignoble men, and of ignoble parents. Thou canst not allege want of education: for they

• Hom. xxvi. in 2 Cor. p. 617. В. • Μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ πρὸ τούτου, καὶ ἐν οἷς οὐ κατὰ γνῶσιν ἐποίει, οὐκ (Β. οὐδὲ, A. om.) ἀνθρωπίνῳ κινούμενος λογισμῷ διεπράττετο. i. e. "Even as a persecutor, he was not swayed by common

،،

worldly considerations." The mod. t. (Edd.) perverts the Author's meaning: nay even before this. For in the things, &c. he was moved by man's reasoning to act as he did."

1.

XX.

Acts 4, 13.

294

Nothing can excuse want of zeal.

HOMIL. too were unlearned men. Even if thou be a slave, therefore, and a runaway slave, thou canst perform thy part: for such was Onesimus: yet see to what Paul calls him, and to how great Philem. honour he advances him: that he may communicate with me, he says, in my bonds. Thou canst not plead infirmity:

ver. 13.

5, 23.

for such was Timothy, having often infirmities; for, says the 1 Tim. Apostle, Use a little wine for thy stomach's sake, and thine often infirmities. Every one can profit his neighbour, if he will fulfil his part. See ye not the unfruitful trees, how strong they are, how fair, how large also, and smooth, and of great height? But if we had a garden, we should much rather have pomegranates, or fruitful olive trees: for the others are for delight to the eye, not for profit, which in them is but small. Such are those men who only consider their own interest: nay, not such even, since these persons are fit only for burning: whereas those trees are useful both for building, and for the safety of those within. Such too Mat.25, were those Virgins, chaste indeed, and decent, and modest, but profitable to none: wherefore they are burned. Such are they who have not nourished Christ. For observe that none of those are charged with particular sins of their own, with fornication, for instance, or with perjury; in short, with no sin but the having been of no use to another. Such was

1.

ib. 25. he who buried his talent, shewing indeed a blameless life, but not being useful to another. How can such an one be a Christian? Say, if the leaven being mixed up with the flour did not change the whole into its own nature, would such a thing be leaven? Again, if a perfume shed no sweet odour on those who approach it, could we call it a perfume? Say not, 'It is impossible for me to induce others (to become Christians)'-for if thou art a Christian, it is impossible but that it should be so. For as the natural properties of things cannot be gainsaid, so it is here: the thing is part of the very nature of the Christian. Do not insult God. To say, that the sun cannot shine, would be to insult Him: to say that a Christian cannot do good, is to insult God, and call Him a liar. For it is easier for the sun not to give heat, nor to shine, than for the Christian not to send forth light: it is easier for the light to be darkness, than for this to be so. Tell not me that it is impossible: the contrary is the impossible.

A Christian without zeal is a contradiction.

295

IX.

Do not insult God. If we once get our own affairs in a right ACTS state, the other will certainly follow as a natural and necessary 23-25. consequence. It is not possible for the light of a Christian to be hid; not possible for a lamp so conspicuous as that to be concealed. Let us not be careless. For, as the profit from virtue reaches both to ourselves and to those who are benefited by it: so from vice there is a twofold loss, reaching both to ourselves, and to those who are injured by it. Let there be (if you will) some private man, who has suffered numberless ills from some one, and let no one take his part, yet let that man still return good offices; what teaching so mighty as this? What words, or what exhortations could equal it? What wrath were it not enough to extinguish and soften? Knowing therefore these things, let us hold fast to virtue, as knowing that it is not possible to be saved otherwise, than by passing through this present life in doing these good works, that we may also obtain the good things which are to come, through the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom to the Father together with the Holy Spirit be glory, might, honour, now and ever, world without end.

Amen.

HOMILY XXI.

17.

1 ίστο

Cat.

Acts ix. 26, 27.

And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the Apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way.

ONE may well be much at a loss here to understand how it is that, whereas in the Epistle to the Galatians Paul says, I went not to Jerusalem, but into Arabia and to Damascus, Gal. 1, and, After three years I went up to Jerusalem, and1 to see Peter, here the writer says the contrary. (There, Paul says,) ρῆσαι And none of the Apostles saw I; but here, it is said, (Barnabas) brought him to the Apostles.---Well then, either • ἀναθέσ- (Paul) means, "I went not up with intent to refer (or attach) myself to them-for what saith he? I referred not myself, neither went I to Jerusalem [to those who were Apostles before me]*: or else, that the laying await for him in Damascus was after his return from Arabia; or else, again, that the visit to Jerusalem was after he came from

θαι.

b

• St. Chrysostom's exposition cannot be correctly reported here. Perhaps what he did say, was in substance as follows: "but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus : whence we learn, that the plot against him at Damascus was after his return from Arabia, and then the visit (to Jerusalem), after the escape from Damascus. Certainly of his own accord he went not to the Apostles, &c." (So far, the first hypothesis, viz. that the visit, Acts ix. and the visit in Gal. are one ard the same. Then) "or else, Paul does not mean this visit (viz. after the flight from Damascus), but passes it by, so that the order (in his narration)

is as follows: I went to Arabia, then to Damascus, then [viz. at some time during the residence in Damascus] to Jerusalem (to see Peter), then to Syria [i. e. back to Damascus]: whereas, had he related matters fully, it should have been, that he went into Arabia, thence to Damascus, then to Jerusalem [to see Peter], thence to Damascus again, then again to Jerusalem [after the escape from D.], thence to Cæsarea."

* For ἡ εἰ μὴ τοῦτο, E. gives (as emendation) εἶτα πάλιν, and ἐκεῖθεν for ard ̓Αραβίας, but retains theἡ εἰ μὴ τοῦτο of the preceding clause, which equally needs correction.

St. Paul's movements after his conversion.

297

IX.

Arabia. Certainly of his own accord he went not to the ACTS Apostles, but assayed to join himself unto the disciples-as 26. 27. being a teacher, not a disciple-" I went not," he says, "for this purpose, that I should go to those who were Apostles before me: certainly, I learnt nothing from them." Ord, he does not speak of this visit, but passes it by, so that the order is, "I went into Arabia, then I came to Damascus, then to Jerusalem, then to Syria:" or else, again, that he went up to Jerusalem, then was sent to Damascus, then to Arabia, then again to Damascus, then to Cæsarea. Also, the visit after fourteen years, probably, was when he brought Gal. 2, up the [alms to the] brethren together with Barnabas: or Acts 11, else he means a different occasion. For the Historian for 30. conciseness, often omits incidents, and condenses the times. Observe how unambitious the writer is, and how he does not even relate1 that vision, but passes it by. He assayed, related it says, to join himself to the disciples. And they were 17-21. afraid of him. By this again is shewn the ardour of Paul's character: not (only) from the mouth of Ananias, and of those who wondered at him there, but also of those in Jerusalem: [they believed not that he was a disciple:] for truly that was beyond all human expectation. He was

1.

• E. F. D. Edd. "As not being a teacher, but a disciple:" the reading of A. B. C. N. is attested by Cat. Ec. but below it is said that he joined himself to the disciples, ἅτε μαθητὴν ὄντα. Infra, note e.

d Here should begin the alternative to the former hypothesis (beginning τοίνυν τοῦτο φησίν) perhaps, with ἢ, εἰ μὴ τοῦτο. Cat. has ἀπῆλθον, ἦλθον, which we adopt, as the mention of Syria shews that the narrative in Gal. i. 17-21. is referred to; the subject therefore of λέγει, ἀφίησινis Paul, andταύτην means the visit in Acts ix. The next sentence, for ἢ εἰ μὴ τοῦτο πάλιν κ. τ. λ. requires to be remodelled as above, e. g. δέον λέγειν ὅτι ἐξ ̓Αραβίας εἰς Δαμ. ὑποστρέψας, ἀνῆλθεν εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα, εἶτα εἰς Δαμ. ἀπῆλθε πάλιν, εἶτα πάλιν εἰς Ἱεροσ., εἶτα ἐξεπέμφθη εἰς Καισαρείαν. The reporter, or redactor, seems to have intended a recital of St. Paul's movements before as well as after his conversion: viz. (from Tarsus) he went up to Jerusalem, then was sent (by the high-priest) to Damascus: then (after

his conversion) went into Arabia: (the
mod.t.substitutes, Syria:) then returned
to Damascus: then (omitting all the
rest) to Cæsarea. In the Comment.
on Gal. i. t. x. 675. D. Chrys. expounds
thus: "Whereas he says, I went not
up, this also may be said, that he went
not up at the outset of his preaching,
and, when he did, it was not for the
purpose of learning. Heintimates both
these things, saying, Immediately 1
conferred not, etc. he does not say
simply, Οὐ προσαν., but, εὐθέως. And
if he did go up afterwards, it was not
for the purpose of getting additional
knowledge."

• Α. Β. C. ἐκεῖνο. Βαρνάβας δὲ ἄν-
θρωπος ἐπιεικὴς καὶ ἥμερος ἦν· καὶ ὅρα
κ.τ.λ. Cat. ἐκεῖ. Βαρνάβας ἄνθρωπος
ἐπιεικὴς ἦν· καὶ ὅρα. The epithet
ἥμερος, "tamed," was felt to be un-
suitable to Barnabas, hence Cat. omits
it, Fc. substitutes (from below) καὶ
χρηστός σφόδρα. The mod. t. trans-
poses the clause to the comment on
v. 27. The fact seems to be, that
Βαρνάβας δὲ is out of its place, and

in c. 22,

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