HOMIL." and I have made My victory glorious, and all hath been achieved," (then He saith afterwards,)

LXXXVI.

Ver. 21. As My Father hath sent Me, so send I you.

"Ye have no difficulty, owing to what hath already come to pass, and to the dignity of Me Who send you." Here He lifteth up their souls, and sheweth them their great cause of confidence, if so be that they were about to undertake His work. And no longer is an appeal made to the Father, but with authority He giveth to them the power. For,

Ver. 22, 23. He breathed on them, and said', Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them, and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

As a king sending forth governors, gives power to cast' into prison and to deliver from it, so in sending these forth, Christ investeth them with the same power. But how saith c. 16, 7. He, If I go not away, He' will not come, and yet giveth 1 The them the Spirit? Some say that He gave not the Spirit, but

Com

forter, N. T.

rendered them fit to receive It, by breathing on them. For if Daniel when he saw an Angel was afraid, what would not they have suffered when they received that unspeakable Gift, unless He had first made them learners? Wherefore He said not, "Ye have received the Holy Ghost," but, Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Yet one will not be wrong in asserting that they then also received some spiritual power and grace; not so as to raise the dead, or to work miracles, but so as to remit sins. For the gifts of the Spirit are of different kinds; wherefore He added, Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them, shewing what kind of power He was 2 Ke giving. But in the other case, after forty days, they received the power of working miracles. Wherefore He Acts 1, saith, Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa. And witnesses they became by means of miracles, for unspeakable is the grace of the

8.

u

Dignity and danger of the priest's office.

777

XX.

Spirit and multiform the gift. But this comes to pass, that JOHN thou mayest learn that the gift and the power of the Father, 30. 31. the Son, and the Holy Ghost, is One. For things which appear to be peculiar to the Father, these are seen also to belong to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. "How then," saith some one, 66 doth none come to the Son, except the c. 6, 44. Father draw him?" Why, this very thing is shewn to belong to the Son also. I, He saith, am the Way: no man cometh c. 14, 6. unto the Father but by Me. And observe that it belongeth

to the Spirit also; for, No man can call Jesus Christ Lord', 1 Cor. 12, 3. but by the Holy Ghost. Again, we see that the Apostles were call given to the Church at one time by the Father, at another Jesus Lord, by the Son, at another by the Holy Ghost, and that the N. T. diversities of gifts belong to the Father, the Son, and the 1 Cor. Holy Ghost.

12, 4.

17.

[4.] Let us then do all we can to have the Holy Spirit with ourselves, and let us treat with much honour those into whose hands Its operation hath been committed. For great is the dignity of the priests. Whose soever sins, It saith, ye remit, they are remitted unto them; wherefore also Paul saith, Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit Heb.31, yourselves. And hold them very exceedingly in honour; for thou indeed carest about thine own affairs, and if thou orderest them well, thou givest no account for others, 2 al. wilt but the priest even if he rightly order his own life, if he give have not an anxious care for thine, yea and that of all those around him, will depart with the wicked into hell; and often when not betrayed by his own conduct, he perishes by yours, if he have not rightly performed all his part. Knowing therefore the greatness of the danger, give them a large share of your good-will; which Paul also implied when he said, For they watch for your souls, and not simply so, Ibid. but, as they that shall give account. They ought therefore to receive great attention from you; but if you join with the rest in trampling upon them, then neither shall your affairs be in a good condition. For while the steersman continues in good courage, the crew also will be in safety; but if he be tired out by their reviling him and shewing ill-will against him, he cannot watch equally well, or retain his skill, and without intending it, throws them into ten thousand mis

778

Priests to be honoured though unworthy.

LXXXVI.

1 al.'at

HOMIL. chiefs. And so too the priest, if he enjoy honour' from you, will be able well to order your affairs; but if ye throw them tention' into despondency, ye weaken their hands, and render them, as well as yourselves, an easy prey to the waves, although they be very courageous. Consider what Christ saith concerning Mat. 23, the Jews. The Scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; all therefore whatsoever they bid you to do, do ye. Now we have not to say, "the priests sit on Moses' seat," but on that of Christ;" for they have successively received His doctrine.

2.3.

20.

2 Cor.5, Wherefore also Paul saith, We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us. See ye not that in the case of Gentile rulers, all bow to them, and oftentimes even persons superior in family, in life, in intelligence, to those who judge them? yet still because of him who hath given them, they consider none of these things, but respect the decision of their governor, whosoever he be that receives the rule over them. Is there then such fear when man appoints, but when God appointeth do we despise him who is appointed, and abuse him, and besmirch him with ten thousand reproaches, and though forbidden to judge our brethren, do we sharpen our tongue against our priests? And how can this deserve excuse, when we see not the beam in our own eye, but are bitterly over-curious about the mote in another's? Knowest thou not that by so judging thou makest thine own judgment the harder? And this I say not as approving of those who exercise their priesthood unworthily, but as greatly pitying and weeping for them; yet do I not on this account allow that it is right that they should be judged by those over whom they are set'. And although their life be very much spoken against, thou, if thou take heed to thyself, wilt not be harmed at all2 in 2Sav. 'to respect of the things committed to them by God. For if He caused a voice to be uttered by an ass, and bestowed spiritual blessings by a diviner, working by the foolish mouth and impure tongue of Balaam, in behalf of the offending Jews, much more for the sake of you the right-minded' will He, though the priests be exceedingly vile, work all the

him'

God giveth what the priest dispenses.

779

XX.

1 is

N. T.

things that are His, and will send the Holy Ghost. For JOHN neither doth the pure draw down that Spirit by his own 30. 31. purity, but it is grace that worketh all. For all, It saith, is 1 Cor. for your sake', whether it be Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas. 3,22.23. For the things which are placed in the hands of the priest it yours, is with God alone to give; and however far human wisdom may reach, it will appear inferior to that grace. And this I say, not in order that we may order our own life carelessly, but that when some of those set over you are careless livers, you the ruled may not often heap up evil for yourselves. But why speak I of priests? Neither Angel nor Archangel can do any thing with regard to what is given from God; but the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, dispenseth all, while the priest lends his tongue and affords his hand. For neither would it be just that through the wickedness of another, those who come in faith to the symbols of their salvation should be harmed. Knowing all these things, let us fear God, and hold His priests in honour, paying them all reverence; that both for our own good deeds, and the attention shewn to them, we may receive a great return from God, through the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom to the Father and the Holy Ghost be glory, dominion, and honour, now and ever, and world without end. Amen.

HOMILY LXXXVII.

I will

JOHN XX. 24, 25.

But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said, Except I shall see in His Hands"—I will not believe.

As to believe carelessly and in a random way, comes of an over-easy temper; so to be beyond measure curious and meddlesome, marks a most gross understanding. On this account Thomas is held to blame. For he believed not the Apostles when they said, We have seen the Lord; not so much mistrusting them, as deeming the thing to be impossible, that is to say, the resurrection from the dead. Since he saith not, "I do not believe you," but, Except I put my hand-I do not believe. But how was it, that when all were N. T. collected together, he alone was absent? Probably after the dispersion which had lately taken place, he had not returned even then. But do thou, when thou seest the unbelief of the disciple, consider the lovingkindness of the Lord, how for the sake of a single soul He sheweth Himself with His Wounds, and cometh in order to save even the one, though he was grosser than the rest; on which account indeed he sought proof from the grossest of the senses, and

not,

a But he said unto them, Except I shall see in His Hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of

the nails, and thrust my hand into His Side. N. T.