HOMILY XI. EPHES. CHAP. iv. 4—7. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as IV. 7. ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one is given grace, according to the measure of the gift of Christ. The love Paul requires of us is no common love, but that which cements us together, and makes us cleave inseparably to one another, and effects as great and as perfect an union, as though it were between limb and limb. For this is that love which produces great and glorious fruits. Hence he saith, there is one body, one, both by sympathy, and by not being vexed at other's good, and by sharing their joy. And thus having expressed all these at once by this figure, he then beautifully adds, and one Spirit; shewing that from the one body, there will be one Spirit: or, that it is possible that there may be indeed one body, and yet not one Spirit; as, for instance, if any member of it should be a friend of heretics: or else he is, by this expression, shaming them into unanimity, saying as it were, 'Ye who have received one Spirit, and have been made to drink at one fountain, ought not to be divided in mind;' or else by spirit here he means their zeal. Then in connection he adds, Even as ye have been called in one hope of your calling, that is, God hath called you all on the same terms. He hath bestowed nothing upon one more than upon another. To all He hath freely given immortality, to all eternal life, to all immortal glory, to all brotherhood, to all inheritance. He is the common Head of ch. 2, 6. all; He hath raised all up, and made them sit together with Him. Ye then who in the spiritual world have so great XI. We are all equal in Christ through faith and baptism. 221 equality of privileges, why are ye high-minded? Is it that HOMIL. one is wealthy and another strong? How ridiculous must this be? For tell me, if the emperor some day were to take ten persons, and to array them all in purple, and seat them on the royal throne, and to bestow upon all the same honour, would any one of these, think ye, venture to taunt another, as though he were himself more wealthy or more illustrious than he? Surely never. And I have not yet said all; for the difference is not so great as this. In Heaven then are we equal, and do we differ here below? There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism. Behold the hope of your calling. One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in all, one and the same. For can it be, that thou art called by the name of a greater, another, of a lesser God? That thou art saved by faith, and another by works? That thou hast received remission in baptism, whilst another has not? Away with such a thought. There is one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. Who is above all, that is, above and over all; and through all, that is, providing for, ordering all; and in you all, that is, who dwelleth in you all. Now this they own to be an attribute of the Son; so that were it an argument of inferiority, it never would have been said of the Father. But unto every one of us is given grace. What then, he saith, and whence are those diverse spiritual gifts? For this subject was continually carrying away both the Ephesians themselves, and the Corinthians, and many others, some into vain arrogance, and others into despondency or envy. Hence he every where takes along with him this idea of the body. Hence it is that now also he has proposed it, inasmuch as he was about to make mention of these diversities of gifts. He enters indeed into the subject more fully in the Epistle to the Corinthians, because it was among them that this malady most especially reigned: here however he has only alluded to it. And mark what he says: he does not say, according to the faith of each, lest he should throw those who have no large attainments into despondency. But what saith he? According to the measure of the gift of Christ. The chief and principal 222 We are alike in grace, but differ in gifts. EPHES. points of all, he saith,-Baptism, the being saved by faith, the IV. 10. having God for our Father, our all partaking of the same Spirit, these are common to all. If then this or that man possesses any superiority in any spiritual gift, grieve not at it; since his toil also is greater. He that had received the five talents, had five required of him; whilst he that had received the two, brought only two, and yet received no less a reward than the other. And therefore the Apostle here also encourages the hearer on the same ground. 1 Cor. For the perfecting of the saints, he says, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Hence it is that even he himself saith, Woe is unto me, if 9, 16. I preach not the Gospel. For example: A man, suppose, has received the grace of Apostleship, but for this very reason, woe unto him, because he has received it: whereas thou art free from the danger. According to the measure. What is meant by, according to the measure? It means, not according to our merit,' for then would no one have received what he has received: but of the free gift we have all received. And why then one more, and another less? There is nothing to cause this, he would say, but the matter itself is indifferent; for every one contributes towards the edifying. And by this too he shews, that it is not of his own intrinsic merit that one has received more and another less, but that it is for the sake of others, as God Him1 Cor. self hath measured it; since he saith also elsewhere, But 12, 18. now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased Him. And he mentions not the proportion, lest he should deject or dispirit the hearers. Ver. 8. Wherefore he saith, When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. As though he had said, Why art thou high-minded? The Ps. 68, whole is of God. The Prophet saith in the Psalm, Thou 18.Sept. hast received gifts among men, whereas the Apostle saith, Comp. The one is the same as the other. John 3, He gave gifts unto men. 35; 13, Of this kind also is the expression, 3; 16, 15. Ver. 9, 10. Now that He ascended, what is it, but that He also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? Christ's greatness not impaired by His humiliation. 223 that descended, is the same also that ascended up far above HOMIL. all Heavens, that He might fill all things. XI. John 3, 1. 3; 16, 28. 8. When thou hearest these words, think not of a mere departure; for what Paul establishes in the Epistle to the Comp. Philippians, that very argument is he also insisting upon 13; 13, here. In the same way as he there, exhorting them concerning lowliness, brings forward Christ as an example, so does he here also, saying, He descended into the lower parts of the earth. For were not this so, this expression which he uses, He became obedient unto death, were superfluous; Phil. 2, whereas from His ascending, he implies His descent, and by the lower parts of the earth, he means' death,' according to the notions of men; as Jacob also said, Then shall ye bring Gen. 42, down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. And again as it is in the Psalm, Lest I be like unto them that go down into Ps. 143, the pit. Why does he descant upon this region here? And of' what captivity does he speak? Of that of the devil; for He took the tyrant captive, the devil, I mean, and death, and the curse, and sin. Behold His spoils and His trophies. Now that He ascended, what is it but that He also descended? This strikes at Paul of Samosata and his schoola. He that descended, is the same also that ascended up far above all Heavens, that He might fill all things. He descended, saith he, into the lower parts of the earth, beyond which there are none other: and He ascended up far above all things, to that place, beyond which there is none other. This is to shew His divine energy, and supreme dominion. For indeed even of old had all things been filled. Ver. 11, 12. And He Himself gave some, Apostles; and some, Prophets; and some, Evangelists; and some, Pastors and Teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. 38. 7. 9. What he saith elsewhere, Wherefore also God hath highly Phil. 2, exalted Him, that saith he also here. He that descended, is the same also that ascended. It did Him no injury that He a Paul was Bishop of Antioch A D. 260-269, when he was deposed for heresy. Very different accounts are given of his particular doctrines; S. Athanasius may be securely followed, however, who says, that he denied the doctrine of our Lord's pre-existence, IV. 12. 28. 224 Various offices, as there are various gifts. EPHES. came down into the lower parts of the earth, nor was it any hindrance to His becoming far higher than the Heavens. So that the more a man is humbled, so much the more is he exalted. For as in the case of water, the more a man presses it downwards, the more he forces it up; and the further a man retires to hurl a javelin, the surer his aim; so is it also with humility. However, when we speak of ascents with reference to God, we must needs conceive a descent first; but when with reference to man, not at all so. Then he goes on to shew further His providential care, and His wisdom, and seems to say, "He who hath wrought such things as these, who had such might, and who refused not to go down even to those lower parts for our sakes, never would He have made these distributions of spiritual gifts without a purpose." Now elsewhere he tells us that this was the work of the Spirit, in the words, Acts 20, Over whom the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers to of God, feed the Church of the Lord. And here he saith that it E. V. is the Son; and elsewhere that it is God. And again, He gave to the Church some Apostles, and some Prophets. But in the Epistle to the Corinthians, he saith, 1 Cor. 3, I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. And again, Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every one shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. So is it also here; for what if thou bring in but little? Thou hast received thy certain portion. First, he says, Apostles; for these had all gifts; secondarily, Prophets, for there were some who were not indeed Apostles, but Prophets, as Agabus; thirdly, Evangelists, who did not go about every where, but only preached the Gospel, as Priscilla and Aquila; Pastors and Teachers, those who were entrusted with the charge of a whole nation. What then? are the pastors and the teachers inferior? Yes, surely; those who were settled and employed about one spot, as Timothy and Titus, were inferior to those who went about the world and preached the Gospel. However, it is not possible from this passage to frame the subordination and precedence, but from another Epistle. He gave, saith he; thou must not say a word to gainsay it. Or perhaps by evangelists he means those who wrote the Gospel. 6. 8. |