God kinder than any husband. 405 VI. 15. 22. but thou hast thy Lord. When thou prayest, tell me, dost Hoм. thou not converse with God? When thou readest, hear Him conversing with thee. And what does He say to thee? Much kinder words than thy hushand. For though indeed thy husband should flatter thee, the honour is not great, for he is thy fellow-servant. But when thy Lord flatters the slave, then is the courtship great. How then does He court gawría. θεραπεία. us? Hear by what means he does it. Come, He says, unto Matt. 11, 28. Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. And again by the Prophet He calls, saying, Can Is. 49, a woman forget her child, that she should not have com- LXX. passion on the offspring of her womb? But even if a woman should forget, yet will I not forget thee, saith the Lord. Of how great a love are these words? And again, Turn unto Is. 45, Me; and again elsewhere, Turn unto Me, and thou shalt be saved. And if one was willing to select too from the Can- 22. ticles, taking them in the more mystical way', he will hear Him conversing and saying to every soul that is fitted for Him, My fair one, my dove. What is sweeter than these Cant. 2, words? Seest thou the conversation of God with men? But what? tell me, seest thou not how many children of those blessed women are gone, and are in their tombs; so many as have suffered more severely, and with their husbands have lost also their children? To these things let us attend; let us be anxious about these things, and nothing will be grievous to us, but we shall continue passing all our time in spiritual joy; and we shall enjoy the eternal blessings, of which God grant we may all be partakers, by the grace and lovingkindness, &c. &c. So B. L. and 1 Paris, Edd.' more desirable.' 1 B. μvorinárigov for μvorixáriga, Is. 44, 10. HOMILY VII. 1 THESS. iv. 13. But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not even as others which have no hope. THERE are many things which from ignorance alone cause us sorrow, so that if we come to understand them well, we banish our grief. This therefore Paul also shewing, says, I would not have you to be ignorant, that ye sorrow not even as others which have no hope. Of what wouldest thou not have them ignorant? The doctrine, he says, of the Resurrection. But wherefore dost thou not speak of the punishment laid up for being ignorant of the doctrine of the Resurrection? Because this is manifest from the other, and is admitted. But meanwhile, together with that, there will also be this not inconsiderable gain. For since they did not disbelieve the Resurrection, but nevertheless bewailed, on this account he thus speaks. And he discourses indeed with those who disbelieve the Resurrection in one way, but with these in another. For it is manifest that they knew, who 1 Thess, were inquiring about the times and seasons. 5, 1. Ver. 14. For if we believe, he says, that Jesus died and rose again, [and lived,] even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. a This word seems to come from Rom. 14, 9. B. and L. omit it. Christians really sleep in death like Christ. 407 VII. · ἀθετοῦν. rss. Where are they who deny the Flesh? For if He did not Hoм. assume Flesh, neither did He die. And if He did not die, How then does he exhort us Was he not then according to neither did He rise again. from these things to faith? them a trifler and a deceiver? For if to die proceeds from sin, and Christ did not sin, how does he now encourage us ? And wherefore does he also say, Even as others which have no hope? As if he had said, O men, for whom do ye mourn? For whom do ye sorrow? for sinners, or simply for the dead? Therefore for whom do they mourn? But to them all these things are vapid. The firstborn from the dead, Col. 1, he says, that is, the first-fruits. Therefore there must also 18. be others left. And see how here he introduces nothing from reasonings, because they were docile. But in writing to the Corinthians, he first broached many things also from reasonings, and then he added, Thou fool, that which thou1 Cor. 15, 36. sowest is not quickened. For this is more authoritative, but it is when he converses with the faithful. But with him who is without, what authority would this have? Even so, he says, them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. Again, which sleep: he no where says, the dead. But with respect to Christ, his words are, He died, because he also spake of the Resurrection, but here of them which sleep in Jesus, saying this, either that they slept in the faith of Jesus, or that through Jesus will He bring them that had fallen asleep, that is, the faithful. Here the heretics say, that he is speaking of the baptized. What place then is there for even so? For Jesus did not sleep by Baptism. But on what account does he say, them which sleep? So that he is discoursing not of the general Resurrection, but of a particular one. Them which sleep in Jesus He will bring, he says, and thus he speaks in many places. Ver. 15. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them which are asleep. Speaking concerning the faithful, and them which sleep bi. e. the Incarnation, as the Docetæ, and in a manner the Marcionites, see p. 62. note d. and the Manichees. S. Aug. Conf. v. Tr. p. 76. and Note at the end, p. 325. He means to those who deny the Incarnation. d Sav. 408 St. Paul's object is to help weak faith. 1THES. in Christ. And again, the dead shall rise. Then his 4, 15. discourse is not concerning the Resurrection only, but concerning both the Resurrection and the honour in glory. Therefore all shall partake of a Resurrection, he says, but all shall not be in glory, only those in Christ. Since therefore he wishes to comfort them, he comforts them not with this only, but also with the abundant honour, and with its speedy arrival. For in proof that he wishes to comfort them with the honour, as he goes on, he says, And we shall be ever with the Lord; and we shall be caught up in the clouds. 1 Cor. 15, 52. 'B.'For' But how do the faithful sleep in Jesus? Manifestly as having Christ within themselves. But the expression, He shall bring with Him, shews that they are brought from many places. For this, he says, we say to you by the word of the Lord. He was about to tell them something strange. On this account he also adds what makes it worthy of credit; By the word of the Lord, he says, that is, we speak not of ourselves, but having learnt from the Lord, That we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. Which also he says in his Epistle to the Corinthians; In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. Here he gives a credibility to the Resurrection by the manner also. And because the matter seems to be difficult, he shews of (2) himself that as it is easy for the living to be taken up, so also for the departed. But in saying we, he does not speak of himself, for he indeed was not about to remain until the Resurrection, but he speaks of the faithful. On this account he has added, We who remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. As if he had said, Think not that there is any difficulty, hearing that they who are alive shall not anticipate those who are dissolved, who are rotted, who have been dead ten thousand years. It is God Who does it. But as it is easy for Him to bring those who are entire, so is it also those who are dissolved. MORAL. But there are some who disbelieve the matter, because they know not God. For, tell me, which is the more easy, to bring one into being out of nothing, or to raise up again him that was dissolved? But what say they? A certain one Mechanical objections to the Resurrection. 409 suffered shipwreck and was drowned in the sea, and having Hoм. fallen many fishes caught him, and each of the fishes devoured some member. Then of these very fishes, one was caught in this gulph, and one in that, and this was eaten by one man, and that by another. And again, those who ate the fishes, that had eaten the man, died in different places, and were themselves perhaps devoured by wild beasts. Andwhen there has been so great a confusion and dispersionhow shall the man rise again? Who shall collect the dust? But wherefore dost thou say this, O man, and weavest strings of trifles, and makest it a matter of perplexity? For tell me, if the man had not fallen into the sea, if the fish had not eaten him, nor the fish again been devoured by numberless men-but he had been preserved with care in a coffin, and neither worms nor any thing else had disturbed him, how shall that which is dissolved rise again? How shall the dust and ashes be again conglutinated'? Whence shall there be any more its bloom for the body? But is not this a difficulty? If indeed they be Greeks who raise these doubts, we shall have numberless. things to say to them. What then? For there are among them those who convey souls into plants, and shrubs, and dogs. Tell me, which is more easy, to resume one's own body, or that of another? Others again say that they are consumed by fire, and that there is a resurrection of garments and of shoes, and they are not ridiculed. Others introduce atoms. But our argument is not with those, but to the faithful, (if we ought to call them faithful who raise questions,) we will still say what the Apostle See has said, that all life springs from corruption, all plants, all 15, 36. seeds. Seest thou not the fig tree, what a trunk it has, what stems, how many leaves, and branches, stalks, and roots, occupying so much ground and embosomed therein. This then, such and so great as it is, springs from that grain which was thrown into the ground and itself first corrupted. And if it be not rotted and dissolved, there will be none of these things. Tell me, whence does this happen? And the vine 1 Cor. |