Violence of carnal attachments.

701

For this reason let JOHN

And

XVI.

touch'

your members servants to righteousness. us confidently keep hold of the illustration. Now dost thou 32. not observe lovers, what miseries these suffer when inflamed ' al. ‘we with desire for harlots, cuffed, beaten, and laughed at, enduring a harlot, who turns away from and insults them in ten thousand ways; yet if they see but once any thing sweet or gentle, all is well to do with them, all former things are gone, all goes on with a fair wind, be it poverty, be it sickness, be it any thing else besides these. For they count their own life as miserable or blessed, according as they may have her whom they love disposed towards them. They know nothing of mortal honour or disgrace, but even if one insult, they bear all easily through the great pleasure and delight which they receive from her; and though she revile, though she spit in their face, they think, when they are enduring this, that they are being pelted with roses. what wonder, if such are their feelings as to her person? for her very house they think to be more splendid than any, though it be but of mud, though it be falling down. But why speak I of walls? when they even see the places which they frequent in the evening, they are excited. Allow me now for what follows to speak the word of the Apostle. As he saith, As ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness, so yield your members servants unto righteousness; so in like manner now I say, as we have loved these women, let us love one another, and we shall not think that we suffer any thing terrible"." And why say I, "one another ?" Let us 2 i. e. in so love God. Do ye shudder, when ye hear that I require insulted as much love in the case of God, as we have shewn towards a harlot? But I shudder that we do not shew even thus much. And, if you will, let us go on with the argument, though what is said be very painful. The woman beloved promises her lovers nothing good, but dishonour, shame, and insolence. For this is what the waiting upon a harlot makes a man, ridiculous, shameful, dishonoured. But God promiseth us heaven, and the good things which are in heaven; He hath made us sons, and brethren of the Only-begotten, and hath given thee ten thousand things while living, and when thou diest, resurrection, and promiseth that He will give us such good things as it is not possible even to imagine,

being

LXXIX.

1 al. thence.

702

We love God less than some love harlots.

HOMIL. and maketh us honoured and revered. Again, that woman compels her lovers to spend all their substance for the pit and for destruction; but God biddeth us sow the heaven, and giveth us an hundred-fold, and eternal life. Again, she uses her lover like a slave, giving commands more hardly c. 15,15. than any tyrant; but God saith, I no longer call you ser[5.] vants, but friends. Have ye seen the excess both of the evils here and the blessings there? What then comes next? For this woman's sake, many lie awake, and whatever she commands, readily obey; give up house, and father, and mother, and friends, and money, and patronage, and leave all that belongs to them in want and desolation; but for the sake of God, or rather for the sake of ourselves, we often do not choose to expend even the third portion of our substance, but we look on the hungry, we overlook him, and run past the naked, and do not even bestow a word upon him. But the lovers, if they see but a little servant girl of their mistress, and her a barbarian, they stand in the middle of the market-place, and talk with her, as if they were proud and glad to do so, unrolling an interminable round of words P; and for her sake they count all their living as nothing, deem rulers and rule nothing, (they know it, all who have had experience of the malady,) and thank her more when she commands, than others when they serve. Is there not with good reason a hell? Are there not with good reason ten thousand punishments? Let us then become sober, let us apply to the service of God as much, or half, or even the third part of what others supply to the harlot. Perhaps again ye shudder; for so do I myself. But I would not that ye should shudder at words 2 al. only, but at the actions; as it is, here indeed our 2 hearts are 'your.' made orderly, but we go forth and cast all away. What

then is the gain? For there, if it be required to spend money, no one laments his poverty, but even borrows it to give, perchance, when smitten. But here, if we do but mention almsgiving, they pretend to us children, and wife, and house, and patronage, and ten thousand excuses. "But," saith some one, "the pleasure is great there." This it is that

Ρ μακρῶν λόγων ἀνελίττοντες διαύλους. The δίαυλος was the double course, which ended where it began.

Pleasures of a good life: sinners should not despair. 703

are

XVI.

32.

I lament and mourn. What if I shew that the pleasure here JoHN is greater? For there shame, and insult, and expense, cut away no little of the pleasure, and after these the quarrelling and enmity; but here there is nothing of the kind. What is there, tell me, equal to this pleasure, to sit expecting heaven and the kingdom there, and the glory of the saints, and the life that is endless? "But these things," saith some one, in expectation, the others in experience." What kind of experience? Wilt thou that I tell thee the pleasures which are here also by experience? Consider what freedom thou enjoyest, and how thou fearest and tremblest at no man when thou livest in company with virtue, neither enemy, nor plotter, nor informer, nor rival in credit or in love, nor envious person, nor poverty, nor sickness, nor any other human thing. But there, although ten thousand things be according to thy mind, though riches flow in as from a fountain, yet the war with rivals, and the plots, and ambuscades, will make more miserable than any the life of him who wallows with those women. For when that abominable one is haughty, and insolent, you needs must kindle quarrel to flatter her. This therefore is more grievous than ten thousand deaths, more intolerable than any punishment. But here there is nothing of the kind. For the fruit, It Gal. 5, saith, of the Spirit is love, joy, peace. Here is no quarrel-22. ling, nor unseasonable pecuniary expense, nor disgrace and expense too; and if thou give but a farthing, or a loaf, or a cup of cold water, He will be much beholden to thee, and He doth nothing to pain or grieve thee, but all so as to make thee glorious, and free thee from all shame. What defence therefore shall we have, what pardon shall we gain, if, leaving these things, we give ourselves up to the contrary, and voluntarily cast ourselves into the furnace that burns with fire? Wherefore I exhort those who are sick of this malady, to recover themselves, and return to health, and not allow themselves to fall into despair. Since that son' also the was in a far more grievous state than this, yet when he prodigal, returned to his father's house, he came to his former honour, Luke15. and appeared more glorious than him who had ever been well-pleasing. Let us also imitate him, and returning to our

4 This seems to be the meaning of τοῦ μετ ̓ ἐκείνων πλυνομένου.

704

There is hope in a late returning to God.

HOMIL. Father, even though it be late, let us depart from that LXXIX. captivity, and transfer ourselves to freedom, that we may

enjoy the Kingdom of heaven, through the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

HOMILY

HOMILY LXXX.

JOHN xvii. 1.

These words spake Jesus, and lifted up His eyes to heaven, and saith, Father, the hour is come; glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee.

N. T.

HE that hath done and taught1, It saith, the same shall be Whosocalled great in the Kingdom of heaven. And with much ever shall do, reason; for to shew true wisdom in words, is easy, but the &c. proof which is by works is the part of some noble and great one. Wherefore also Christ, speaking of the endurance of evil, putteth Himself forth, bidding us take example from Him. On this account too, after this admonition, He betaketh Himself to prayer, teaching us in our temptations to leave all things, and flee to God. For because He had said, In the world ye shall have tribulation, and had shaken their souls, by the prayer He raiseth them again. As yet they gave heed unto Him as to a man; and for their sake He acteth thus, just as He did in the case of Lazarus, and there telleth the reason; Because of the people that stand by I said it, that c.11,42. they might believe that Thou hast sent Me. "Yea," saith "this took place with good cause in the case of the Jews; but wherefore in that of the disciples?" With good cause in the case of the disciples also. For they who, after all that had been said and done, said, Now we know c. 16,30. that Thou knowest, most of all needed to be established. Besides, the Evangelist doth not even call the action prayer; but what saith he? He lifted up His eyes to heaven,

some one,