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ARG.

468

Weakness and littleness of human nature.

2 THES. will, every day you may find examples of these things-the successions of rulers,-the confiscations of rich men's goods. Many tyrants have sat upon the ground-and he who was never thought on, has worn a diadem. Do not these things happen every day? Do not our affairs resemble a kind of wheel? Read, if you will, both our own (books), and those without: for they also abound in such examples. If from pride you despise ours; if you admire the works of philosophers, go even to them. They will instruct thee, relating ancient calamities, as will poets, and orators, and sophists, and all historians. From every side, if you will, you may find examples.

But if you will none of these things, reflect upon our very nature, of what it consists, and wherein it ends. Consider, when you sleep, of what worth are you? Is not even a little beast able to destroy thee? For often a little animal falling from the roof has deprived many persons of sight, or has been the cause of some other danger. But what? art thou not less than all beasts? But what sayest thou? [that thou excellest in reason? But behold, thou hast not reason: for pride is a sign of the want of reason. And for what, tell me, art thou high-minded after all? Is it upon the good constitution of thy body? But the prize of victory here is with the irrational creatures; and this is possessed by robbers and murderers, and violators of the tombs. But art thou proud of thine understanding. It is no proof of understanding to be proud. By this then first thou deprivest thyself of becoming intelligent. Let us bring down our high thoughts. Let us be moderate, and lowly, and meek. For such even Christ Mat. 5, has pronounced blessed above all, saying, Blessed are the Mat.11, poor in spirit. And again, He cried, saying, Learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart. For this reason He washed the feet of His disciples, affording us an example of humility. From all these things let us be diligent to profit, that we may be able to obtain the blessings promised to those who love Him, by the grace and lovingkindness, &c.

3.

29.

f The sequel clearly shews, that he means Christian and Heathen books, and so the words themselves mean rather

than domestic and foreign history.

B. and L. place as in this clause before tiri μοι.

HOMILY II.

2 THESS. i. 1, 2.

Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the Church of the
Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ; Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.

THE greater part of men do and devise all things with a view to ingratiate themselves with rulers, and with those who are greater than themselves; and they account it a great thing, and think themselves happy, if they can obtain that object. But if to obtain favour with men is so great an advantage, how great must it be to find favour with God? On this account he always thus prefaces his Epistle, and invokes this upon them, knowing that if this be granted, there will be nothing afterwards grievous, but whatever troubles there may be, all will be done away. And that you may learn this, Joseph was a slave, a young man, inexperienced, unformed, and suddenly the direction of a house was committed to his hands, and he had to render an account to an Egyptian master. And you know how prone to anger and unforgiving that people is, and when authority and power is added, their rage is greater, being inflamed by power. this too is manifest from what he did afterwards. For (Joseph's) mistress accusing him, he1 bore with it. And yet it 1 Potiwas not the part of those who held the garment, but of him who phar. was stripped, to have suffered violence. For he ought to have

And

1, 2. 3.

470

the man.

Grace of God our support in trials.

2 THES. said, If thou hadst raised thy voice he would have fled, and if he had been guilty, he would not have waited for the coming of his master. But nevertheless he took nothing of this sort into consideration, but unreasonably giving way altogether to anger, he cast him into prison. So thoughtless a person was he, and yet even from other things he might have conjectured the good disposition and the intelligence of But nevertheless, because he was unreasonable, he never considered any such thing. He therefore who had to do with such a harsh master, and who was intrusted with the administration of his whole house, being a stranger, and solitary, and inexperienced; when God shed abundant grace upon him, passed through all, as if his temptations had been nothing, the false accusation of his mistress, and the danger of death, and the prison, and at last came to the royal throne.

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πρὸς δεσπότην

ἔχων

a

This blessed man therefore saw how great is the grace of God, and on this account he invokes it upon them. And another thing also he effects. For wishing to render them well-disposed to the remaining part of the Epistle, that, though he should reprove and rebuke them, they might not fall off from him, for this reason he reminds them before all things of the grace of God, mollifying their hearts, that, even if there be affliction, being reminded of the grace by which they were saved from the greater evil, they may not despair at the less, but may thence derive consolation. As also elsewhere in an Rom. 5, Epistle he has said, For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more being reconciled we shall be saved by His life.

10.

Grace unto you, and peace, he says, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ver. 3. We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet.

Observe the excess of humility; having said, We are bound to give thanks, he leads them to reflect and consider, that if for our good actions others do not admire us first, but God, much more also ought we. And in other respects too

a B. and L. αὐτοὺς for αὐτὸς.

b Ed. Par. reads Your' and You' from one Ms, but without necessity.

b

At the end of the sentence B. and Cat. have huis, which Downes conjectured for Яuas.

Faith and Love increased by bearing temptations.

471

II.

he raises up their spirits, because they suffer such things as Hoм. are not worthy of tears and lamentations, but of thanksgiving to God. But if Paul is thankful for the good of others, what will they suffer, who not only are not thankful, but even pine at it?

Because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth.

And how, you say, can faith increase? How? When we suffer something dreadful for it. It is a great thing for it to be established, and not to be carried away by reasonings. But when both the winds assail us, and the rains burst upon us, when a violent storm is raised on every side, and the waves succeed each other-then that we are not shaken, is a proof of no less than this, that it grows, and is exceedingly increased, and become loftier. For as in the case of a flood all the stony and lower parts are soon hidden, but as many things as are above, it reaches not them, so also the faith that is become lofty, is not drawn downwards. For this reason he does not say your faith increaseth, but groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth. Seest thou how this contributes for the ease of affliction, to be in close guard together, and to adhere to one another? From this also arose much consolation. The love and faith, therefore, that is weak, afflictions shake, but that which is strong they render stronger. For a soul that is in grief, when it is weak, can add nothing to itself; but that which is strong doth it then most. And observe their love. They did not love one indeed, and not love another, but it was equal on the part of all. For this he has intimated, by saying, of every one of you all toward each other. For it was equally poised, as that of one body. Since even now we find love existing among many, but this love becoming the cause of division. For when we are knit together in parties of two or three, and the two indeed, or three or four, are closely bound to one another, but draw themselves off from the rest, because they can have recourse to these, and in all things confide in these; this is the division of love-not love. For tell me, if the eye should

Awon Ed. Par. conj. 2on, level.

1

1, 4.

472

Christian love, if genuine, extends to all.

2 THES. bestow upon the hand the foresight which it has for the whole body, and withdrawing itself from the other members, should attend to that alone, would it not injure the whole? Assuredly. So also if we confine to one or two the love which ought to be extended to the whole Church of God, we injure both ourselves and them, and the whole. For these things are not of love, but of division; schisms, and distracting rents. Since even if I separate and take a member from the whole man, the part separated indeed is united in itself, is continuous, and compacted together, but even so it is a separation, since it is not united to the rest of the body.

(2)

For what advantage is it, that thou lovest a certain person exceedingly? It is a human love. But if it is not a human love, but thou lovest for God's sake, then love all. For so God hath commanded to love even our enemies. And if He hath commanded to love our enemies, how much more those who have never offended us? But, sayest thou, I love, but not in that way. Rather, thou dost not love at all. For when thou accusest, when thou enviest, when thou layest snares, how dost thou love? But,' sayest thou, 'I do none of these things.' But when a man is ill spoken of, and thou dost not shut the mouth of the speaker, dost not disbelieve his sayings, dost not check him, of what love is this the sign? And the charity, he says, of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth.

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Ver. 4. So that we ourselves glory in you in the Churches of God.

Indeed in the first Epistle he says, that all the Churches of Macedonia and Achaia resounded, having heard of their 1 Thes. faith. So that we need not, he says, to speak any thing. 1, 8. For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you. But here he says, so that we glory. What then is it that is said? There he says that they need not instruction from him, but here he has not said that we teach them, but we glory, and are proud' of you. If therefore we both give thanks to God for you, and glory among men, much more ought you to do so for your own good deeds. For if your good actions are worthy of boasting from

νόμεθα.

d Edd. our, L. and Cat. your.

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