Denial of hell a device of the devil.

431

14, 13.

19.

in very deed. And if now what thou art told seems a fable Roм. to thee, it will not, however, seem so when the very things convince thee.-Then! Have you never noticed what He did even in this world? How when He met with two thieves, he counted them not worthy of the same estate, but one He led into the Kingdom, and the other He sent away into Hell? And why speak I of a robber and murderer? For even an Apostle He did not spare, when he had become a traitor, but even when He saw him rushing to the halter, and hanging, and bursting asunder in the midst, (for he did burst asunder, and all his bowels gushed out,) still when Acts 1, He foresaw all these things, He let him suffer all of the same, giving thee from the present a proof of all that is in the other world also. Do not then cheat yourselves, through being persuaded of the devil. These devices are his. For if both judges, and masters, and teachers, and savages, respect the good, and punish the evil, with what reason is the contrary to be the case with God, while the good man and he who is not so are deemed worthy of the same estate? And when will there be any release from wickedness? For they who now are expecting punishment, and are amongst so many terrors, those from the judges, those from the laws, and yet do not depart from iniquity; when on their departing this life they are to lay aside even this fear, and are not only not to be cast into hell, but are even to obtain a kingdom; when will they leave doing wickedly? Is this then mercy, pray? to add to wickedness, to set up rewards for iniquity, to count the sober and the unchastened, the faithful and the irreligious, Paul and the devil, to have the same deserts? But how long am I to be trifling? Wherefore I exhort you to get you free from this madness, and having grown to be your own masters, persuade your souls to fear and to tremble, that they may at once be saved from the hell to come, and may, after passing the life in this world soberly, attain unto the good things to come, by the grace and love towards man, &c.

HOMILY XXVI.

XXVI.

ROM. xiv. 14.

HOMIL. I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.

1 Gr. in

lieve,'

And then to saying, And for thou art no

AFTER first rebuking the person who judgeth his brother, and moving him to leave off this reproaching, he then explains himself further upon the doctrinal part, and instructs in a dispassionate tone the weaker sort, displaying in this case too a great deal of gentleness. For he does not say he shall be punished, nor any thing of the sort, but merely disburdens him of his fears in the matter, and that with a view to his being more easily persuaded with what he tells him; and he says, I know, and am persuaded. 2 or 'be- prevent any of those who did not trust him what is it to us if thou art persuaded? trustworthy evidence to set in competition with so great a law, and with oracles brought down from above, he proceeds, in the Lord. That is, as having learned from Him, as having my confidence from Him. The judgment then is not one of the mind of man. What is it that thou art persuaded of and knowest? Tell us. That there is nothing unclean of itself. By nature, he says, nothing is unclean, but it becomes so by the spirit in which a man uses it. Therefore it becomes so to himself only, and not to all. For to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is

τῶν οὗ

The weak to be treated gently for Christ's sake. 433

14, 15.

unclean. What then? Why not correct thy brother, that he ROM. may think it not unclean? Why not with full authority call him away from this habit of mind and conception of things, that he may never make it common? My reason is, he says, I am afraid to grieve him. Wherefore he proceeds,

Ver. 15. But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably.

You see how far he goes in affection for him, shewing that he makes so great account of him, that with a view not to grieve him he does not venture even to enjoin things of great urgency, but by yieldingness would rather draw him to himself, and by charity. For even when he has freed him of his fears, he does not drag him and force him, but leaves him his own master. For keeping a person from meats is no such matter as overwhelming him with grief". You see how much he insists upon charity. And this is because he is aware that it can do every thing. And on this ground he makes somewhat larger demand upon them. For so far he says from its being proper for them to distress you at all, they ought even, if need be, not to hesitate at condescending to you. Whence he proceeds to say, Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died. Or dost thou not value thy brother enough even to purchase his salvation at the price of abstinence from meats? And yet Christ refused not to become a slave, nor yet to die for him? but thou dost not despise even food for him', that thou mayest save him.' Ms. And yet it was not all that Christ was to gain, yet still He died for all; so fulfilling His own part. But art thou aware that by meat thou art overthrowing him in more important matters, and yet makest a disputing? And him who is the object of such care unto Christ, dost thou consider so contemptible, and dishonour one whom He loveth? Yet He died not for the weak only, but even for an enemy. And wilt not thou refrain from meats even, for him that is weak? Yet Christ did what was greatest even, but thou not even the less. And He was Master, thou a brother. These words then were enough to tongue-tie him. For they shew him to be of a little spirit, and after having the benefit of great things from God, not to give in return even little ones.

i.e. better deprive the strong of his meats, than deeply grieve the weak.'

Ff

adds for

him

HOMIL.

434

Charity above meats before God and man.

Ver. 16, 17. Let not then your good be evil spoken of. XXVI. For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink.

κείας

By their good, he means here either their faith, or the hope of rewards hereafter, or the perfectness of their religious state. For it is not only that you fail to profit your brother, he means, but the doctrine itself, and the grace of God, and His gift, you cause to be evil spoken of. Now when thou fightest, when thou quarrellest, when thou art vexatious, when thou makest schism in the Church, and reproachest thy brother, and art distant with him, those that are without will speak evil of you. And so good is so far from coming of this, that just the opposite is the case. For your good is charity, love of the brotherhood, being united, being bound together, living i at peace, living in gentleness1. He again, to put an end to his fears and the other's disputatiousness, says, For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink. Is it by these, he means, that we are to be approved? As he says in another passage too, Neither if we eat are we the better, neither if we eat not are we the worse. And he does not need any proof, but is content with stating it. And what he says is nearly this, If thou eatest, does this lead thee to the Kingdom? And this was why, by way of satirizing them as mightily pleased with themselves herein, he said, not meat only, but drink. What then are the things that do bring us there? Righteousness, and peace, and joy, and a virtuous life, and peace with our brethren, (where to this quarrelsomeness is opposed,) the joy from unanimity, which this rebuking puts an end to. But this he said not to one party only, but to both of them, it being a fit season for saying it to both. Then as he had mentioned peace and joy, but there is a peace and joy over bad actions also, he adds, in the Holy Ghost. Since he that ruins his brother, hath at once subverted peace and joy, and committed greater injustice than he that plunders money. And what is worse is, that Another saved him, and thou wrongest and ruinest him. Since then eating, and the supposed perfect state, does not bring in these virtues, but the things subversive of them it does bring in, how can it be else than right to make light of little things, in order to give firm

1 Cor. 8, 8 speaking of things offered to idols.

All meats clean, yet not to a weak conscience.

435

ness to great ones? Then since this rebuking took place in Rom. some degree out of vanity, he proceeds to say,

Ver. 18. For he that in these things serveth Christ, is acceptable to God, and approved of men.

For they will not admire thee so much for thy perfect. state, as all will for peace and amity. For this is a goodly thing, that all will have the benefit of, but of that not one even will.

Ver. 19. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify one another.

14, 21.

ἐκεῖνο

This applies to the other, that he may grow peaceable. But the other1 to the latter too, that he may not destroy his! Ms. brother. Still he has made both apply to either again, by saying, one another, and shewing that without peace it is not easy to edify.

Ver. 20. For meat destroy not the work of God.

Giving this name to the salvation of a brother, and adding to the fears, and shewing that he is doing the opposite of that he desires. For thou, he says, art so far from building up as thou intendest, that thou dost even destroy, and that a building too not of man but of God, and not for any great end either, but for a trivial thing. For it was for meat, he says. Then lest so many indulgences should confirm the weaker brother in his misconception, he again becomes doctrinal, as follows,

All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.

And so if

Who does it, that is, with a bad conscience. you should force him, and he should eat, there would be nothing gained. For it is not the eating that maketh unclean, but the intention with which a man eats. If then thou dost not set that aright, thou hast done all to no purpose, and hast made things worse: for thinking a thing unclean is not so bad as tasting it when one thinks it unclean. Here then you are committing two errors, one by increasing his prejudice through your quarrelsomeness, and another by getting him to taste of what is unclean. And so, as long as you do

not persuade him, do not force him.

Ver. 21. It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine,