The Bishop God's Ambassador.

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1

III.

BUYOU

society with Christ, the other good things, which neither we Hoм. are able to tell to you, nor you to hear, so long as we are in this flesh, and the present life. Ambassadors then we are, ia and we wish to enjoy honour, not for our own sakes, God forbid, for we know its worthlessness, but for yours; that ye may hear with earnestness the things we say; that ye may be profited, that not with listlessness or indifference ye may attend to what is spoken. See ye not ambassadors, how all pay court to them? We are God's ambassadors to men; regićbut, if this offend you, not we, but the Episcopate itself, not this man or that, but the Bishop. Let no one hear me, but the dignity. Let us then do every thing according to the will of God, that we may live to the glory of God, and be counted worthy of the good things promised to those that love Him, through the grace and lovingkindness, &c. &c.

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σουσιν.

HOMILY IV.

v. 13.

COL. i. 21, 22.

And you, that were sometimes enemies and alienated in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and unblameable, and unreproveable in His sight.

HERE he goes on to shew that He reconciled those even who were unworthy of reconciliation. For the saying that they were under the power of darkness, shews the calamity in which they were. But lest, on hearing of the power of darkness, thou shouldest consider it Necessity, he adds, And you that were alienated, so that though it appear to be the same thing that he says, yet it is not so; for it is not the same thing to deliver out of the evils him that through necessity came to suffer, and him that of his own will endures. For the former indeed is worthy to be pitied, but the latter hated. But nevertheless, he saith, you that not against your wills, nor from compulsion, but with your wills, and wishes, sprang away from Him, and are unworthy of it, He hath reconciled. And seeing he had made mention of the things in heaven, he shews, that all the enmity had its origin from hence, not thence. For they indeed were long ago desirous, and God also, but ye were not willing.

Man's great alienation, and wonderful reconciliation. 225

IV.

And throughout he is shewing that the Angels had no power HoM. in the successive times; forasmuch as men continued ene-mies, and they could neither persuade them, nor, if persuaded, could they deliver them from the devil. For neither would persuading them be any gain, except he that held them were bound; nor would binding him have been of any service, except they whom he detained were willing to return. But both of these were needed, and they could do neither of them, but Christ did both. So that even more marvellous than loosing death, is the persuading them. For the former was wholly of Himself, and the power lay wholly in Himself, but of the latter, not in Himself alone, but in us also; but we accomplish those things more easily of which the power lies in ourselves. Therefore, as being the greater, he puts it last. And he said not simply were at enmity, but were alienated, which denotes great enmity, nor yet' alienated' [only], but without any expectation even of returning. And enemies in your mind', he says, hereby shewing that their alienation' diaνοίᾳ. had not proceeded so far as purpose only-but what? by wicked works also. Ye were both enemies, he saith, and ye did the works of enemies.

Yet now hath He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death to present you holy, and unblameable, and unreproveable in His sight. Here he lays down also the manner of the reconciliation, that it was in the Body, and not by being merely beaten, nor scourged, nor sold, but even by dying a death the most shameful. Again he makes mention of the Cross, and again lays down another benefit. For He did not only deliver, but, as he says above, Who hath made v. 12. us meet, to the same he alludes here also. Through His death, he says, to present you holy, and unblameable, and unreproveable in His sight. For truly, He hath not only delivered from sins, but hath also placed amongst the approved. For, not that He might deliver us from evils only, did He suffer so great things, but that also we might obtain the first rewards; as if one should not only free a condemned

ο τοῖς κάτω χρόνοις, usually latter times;' here it seems to be down the stream of time.' One suspects av, but it may be reckoned from the Fall.

Q

· ἐχθραίνοντας, which is less than ixgous.

© Here ηλλοτριωμένου;, not ἀπηλλοτριωμένους, as above.

1, 23.

226 Need of stedfastness in the faith already received.

COLOS. criminal from his punishment, but also advance him to honour. And he hath ranked you with those who have not sinned, yea rather not with those who have done no sin only, but even with those who have wrought the greatest righteousness; and, what truly is greater, hath given the holiness 1ányzań which is in His sight. Unreproveable1 now is an advance charge- upon unblameable, for unreproveable is then used, when able. we have done nothing either to be condemned for, or charged with. But, since he ascribed the whole to Him, in saying that by His death He achieved these things; lest any should say,' We then need nothing,' he therefore added,

τους, un

πίτασις

Ver. 23. If at least ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and not moved away from the hope of the Gospel.

Here he strikes a blow at their listlessness. And he said not simply continue, for it is possible to continue wavering, and vacillating; it is possible to stand, and continue, though turned this way and that. If at least ye continue, he saith, grounded and settled, and not moved away. Wonderful! 3 rgory. What a forcible metaphor3 he uses; he says not only not

tossed to and fro, but not even moved. And observe, he Apogrino lays down so far nothing burdensome1, nor toilsome, but faith

5 He

and hope; that is, if ye continue believing, that the hope of the things to come is true. For this indeed is possible; but, as regards virtuous living, it is not possible to avoid being shaken about, though it be but a little; so (what he enjoins) is not grievous'.

From the hope, he saith, of the Gospel, which ye have heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven. omits But what is the hope of the Gospel, except Christ? For rec. text He Himself is our peace, that hath wrought all these things:

has

which

so that he who ascribes them to others is moved away: for he has lost all, unless he believe in Christ. Ye have heard, he saith. Again he brings themselves as witnesses, then the whole world. He saith not, which is being preached,' but hath already been believed and preached. As he did also 6 ver. 6. at the outset, being desirous by the witness of the many to establish these also. Whereof I Paul am made a minister.

Sav. mar. For it is possible to be shaken away from virtue by little and little, but there one cannot suffer this,

so is he not over-burdensome in his injunction.'

Christ still suffering in His Ministers for the Church. 227

IV.

This also contributes to make it credible; I, saith he, Paul Hoм. a minister. For great was his authority, as being now every where celebrated, and the teacher of the world.

Ver. 24. I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the sufferings of Christ in my flesh for His Body's sake, which is the Church.

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σαι.

And what is the connexion of this? It seems indeed not (2) to be connected, but it is even closely so. And minister, he says, that is, bringing in nothing from myself, but announcing what is from another. And I so believe, that I suffer even for His sake, and not suffer only, but even rejoice in suffering, looking stedfastly unto the hope which is to come, and I suffer not for myself, but for you. And fill up, he saith, that which is behind of the sufferings of Christ in my flesh. It seems indeed to be a great thing he has said; but it is not of arrogancy, God forbid, but even of much tender love' towards Christ; for he will not have the sufferings to 'ino στοργίας. be his own, but His. And he spoke thus, through desire of conciliating these persons to Him. And what things I dixuwsuffer, I suffer, he saith, on His account: not to me, therefore, express your gratitude, but to Him, for it is He Himself who suffers. Just as if one, when sent to a person, should make request to another, saying, I beseech thee, go for me to this person, then the other should say, it is on his account I am doing it.' So that He is not ashamed to call these sufferings also His own3. For He did not only die for us, 3 as Acts but even after His death He is ready to be afflicted for our sakes. He is eagerly and vehemently set upon shewing that He is even now exposed to peril in His own Body for the Church's sake, and he aims at this point, namely, ye are not brought unto God by us, but by Him, even though we do these things, for we have not undertaken a work of our own, but His. And it is the same as if there were a band' which had its allotted leader to protect it3, and rážis. it should stand in battle, and then when he was gone, his Εὑπερασ

lieutenant should succeed to his wounds until the battle were brought to a close.

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9, 5.

πίζοντα.

Next, that for His sake also he docth these things, hearken: For His Body's sake, he saith, meaning to say this: "I pleasure not you, but Christ: for what things He should xaçíçı