104 Cure of Envy, Thought of our debt to Christ's love. HOMIL. mature and violent slaughter. See you what great service VII. envy hath done him? how it hath filled the insatiate spirit of the devil, and hath prepared for him a table great as he desired to see? 34. Let us then escape from the disease; for it is not possible, indeed it is not, to escape from the fire prepared for the devil, unless we get free from this sickness. But free we shall get to be if we lay to mind how Christ loved us, and also how He bade us love one another. Now what love did He shew for us? His precious Blood did He shed for us when we were enemies, and had done the greatest wrong to Him. This do thou also do in thy brother's case, (for this John 13, is the end of His saying, A new commandment I give unto you, That ye so love one another as I have loved you ;) or rather even so the measure does not come to a stand. For it was in behalf of His enemies that He did this. And are you unwilling to shed your blood for your brother? Why then dost thou even shed His blood, disobeying the commandment even to contradiction? Yet what He did was not as a due but you, if you do it, are but fulfilling a debt. Since he too, who, after receiving the ten thousand talents, demanded the hundred pence, was punished not merely for the fact that he demanded them, but because even by the kindness done him he had not become any better, and did not even follow where his Lord had begun, or remit the debt. For that on the part of the servant was but a debt after all, if it had been done. For all things that we do, we do towards the payment of a debt. And this is why HimLuke 17, self said, When ye have done all, say, We are unprofitable servants, we have done that which was our duty to do. If then we display charity, if we give our goods to them that need, we are fulfilling a debt; and that' not only in that it was He who first began the acts of goodness, but because it is His goods that we are distributing if we ever" do give. Why then deprive thyself of what He willeth thee to have 10. He gave His Blood for us, He keeps for us whatever we give. 105 and bids the right of. For the reason why He bade thee give them Roм. to another was that thou mightest have them thyself. For 3, 31. so long as thou hast them to thyself even thou thyself hast them not. But when thou hast given to another, then hast thou gotten them thyself. What charm then will do as much as this? Himself poured forth His Blood for His enemies. But we not even our money for our benefactor! He did so with His1 Blood that was His own: we will not '4 Mss. precious even with money that is not ours. He did it before us, we not even after His example. He did it for our salvation, we will not do it even for our own advantage. For He is not to have any advantage from our love toward man, but the whole gain accrueth unto us. And this is the very reason why we are bidden to give away our goods, that we may not be thrown out of them. For as a person who gives a little child money, bids him hold it fast, or give it the 26 Mss. servant to keep, that it may not be for whoever will to snatch it away, so also doth God. For He says, give to him that needeth, lest some one should snatch it away from thee, as an informer, for instance, or a calumniator, or a thief, or, after all these are avoided, death. For so long as thou holdest it thyself, thou hast no safe hold of it. But if thou givest it Me through the poor, I keep it all for thee exactly, and in fit season will return it with great increase. For it is not to take it away that I receive it, but to make it a larger amount, and to keep it more exactly, that I may have it preserved for you against that time, in which there is no one to lend or to pity. What then can be more hard-hearted, than if we, after such promises, cannot make up our minds to lend to Him? Yes, it is for this that we go before Him destitute and naked and poor, not having the things committed to our charge, because we do not deposit them with Him who keepeth them more exactly than any. And for this we shall be most severely punished. For when we are charged with it, what shall we be able to say about the loss of them? what pretext to put forward? what defence? γ μὴ ἀνεχομένων, 3 Mss. omit the negative, in which case it must be rendered if we forbear, but the other sense is at once more forcible and more agreeable to usage. z Savile, about our own self-destruction, igì rñs áxwλcías iaur@v, but 6 Mss. auTay, which makes better sense. VII. Sav T5 M ss. om. r 106 The rich beset by innumerable temptations to waste. HOMIL. For what reason is there why you did not give? Do you disbelieve that you will receive it again? And how can this be reasonable? For He that giveth to one that hath not' given, how shall He not much rather give after he has received? But the sight of them pleases you. Well then give much the more for this reason, that you may there be the more delighted, when no one can take them from you. Since now if you keep them, you will even suffer countless evils. For as a dog, so doth the devil leap upon them that are rich, wishing to snatch from them, as from a child that holdeth a sippet or a cake. Let us then give them to our Father, and if the devil see this done he will certainly withdraw and when he has withdrawn, then will the Father safely give them all to thee, when he cannot trouble, in that world to come. For now surely they that be rich differ not from little children that are troubled by dogs, while all are barking round them, tearing and pulling, and these not men only, but ignoble affections; as gluttony, drunkenness, flattery, uncleanness of every kind. And when we have to lend, we are very anxious about those that give much, and look particularly for those that are frank dealers. But here we do the opposite. For God, who dealeth frankly, and giveth not the ordinary interest, but an hundredfold greater, we desert, and those who will not return us even the capital, these we seek after. For what return will our belly make us, that consumeth the larger share of our goods? Dung and corruption. Or what will vainglory? Envy and grudging. Or what nearness? Care and anxiety. Or what uncleanness? Hell and the venomous worm! For these are the debtors of 25 Mss. them that be rich, who pay this interest upon the capital, Báλor- evils at present, and dreadful things in expectation. Shall we then lend to these, pray, with such punishment for 33 Mss. interest, and shall we not trust the same to Christ when3 om. τῷ He holdeth forth unto us heaven, immortal life, blessings unutterable? And what excuse wilt thou have? For how comest thou not to give to Him, who will assuredly return, and return in greater abundance. Perhaps it is because it is so long before He repays. Yet surely He repays even here. Matt. 6, For He is true which saith, Seek the kingdom of heaven, and all these things shall be added to you. Seest thou this κατα τις 33. 2 God's recompense the greater if it is delayed. 107 extreme munificence? Those goods, He says, have been Rom. stored up for thee, and are not diminishing: but these here 3, 31. I give by way of increase and surplus. But, besides all this, the very fact of its being so long before thou wilt receive it, does but make thy riches the greater: since the interest is more. For in the case of those who have money lent them, we see that this is what the lenders do, lending, that is, with greater readiness to those who refund a long time after. For he that straightway repays the whole, cuts off the progression of the interest. But he that keeps possession of it for a longer time, makes also the gain from it greater. So then in man's case we are not offended at the delay, but even use artifices to make it greater; but in the case of God shall we be so little-minded, as on this very ground to be backward and to retract? And yet, as I said, He both giveth here, and along with the reason mentioned, as planning also some other greater advantage to us, He there keepeth the whole in store. For the abundance of what is given, and the excellency of that gift, transcends this present worthless life. Since in this perishable and doomed body there is not even the possibility of receiving those unfading crowns; nor in our present state, perturbed and full of trouble, and liable to many changes as it is, of attaining to that unchangeable unperturbed lot. Now you, if any one were to owe you gold, and while you were staying in a foreign country, and had neither servants, nor any one to convey it across to the place of your abode, were to promise to pay you the loan, would beseech him in countless ways to have it paid down not in the foreign land, but at home rather. But do you think right to receive those spiritual and unutterable things in this world? Now what madness this would shew! For if you receive them here, you must have them corruptible to a certainty; but if you wait for that time, He will repay you them incorruptible and unalloyed. If you receive here, you have gotten lead; but if there, tried gold. Still He does not even deprive thee of the goods of this life. For along with that promise He has placed another also, to the following effect. That every one that loveth the things ban, which may mean rest.' but tautology after åráşuxrOV. 5 Mss, omit καὶ ἀτάραχον, which seems VII. Mat. 19, 29. 108 St. Peter's Gain. God's care the best provision for a family. C HOMIL. of the world to come, shall receive an hundred-fold in this life present, and shall inherit eternal life. If then we do not receive the hundredfold, it is ourselves that are to blame for not lending to Him who can give so much, for all who have given have received much; even though they gave but little. For what great thing, tell me, did Peter give? was it not a net that was broken, and a rod and a hook only? Yet still God opened to him the houses of the world, and spread before him land and sea, and all men invited him to their possessions. Or rather they sold what was their own, and brought it to his feet, not so much as putting it into his hands, for they dared not, so great was the honour they paid him, as well as their profuseness. But he was Peter, you will say! Aud what of this? O man! For it was not Peter only to whom He made this promise, neither said He, Thou, O Peter, only art to receive an hundredfold, but every one whosoever hath left houses or brethren shall receive an hundred fold. For it is not distinction of persons that He recognises, but actions that are rightly done. But a circle of little ones is round about me, one will say, and I am desirous of leaving them with a good fortune. Why then do we make them paupers? For if you leave them every thing, you are still committing your goods to a trust that may deceive you. But if you leave God their joint-heir and guardian, you have left them countless treasures. For as when we avenge ourselves God assisteth us not, but when we leave it to Him, more than we expect comes about; so in the case of goods, if we take thought about them ourselves, He will withdraw from any providence over them. But if we rather cast our care upon Him, He will place both them and the children in safety. And why art thou amazed that this should be so with God; for even with men one may see this happening. For if you do not when dying invite any of your relatives to the care of your children, it often happens, that one who is abundantly willing feels reluctancy, and is too modest to spring to the task of his own accord. But if you cast the care upon him, as having had a very great honour shewn him, he will 6 Mss. their,' i. e. the Apostles'. Oxf. Trans. Treatises, p. 244. e 6 Mss. if we cast all on Him. |