CYTŁOKMY

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Double Caution of St. Paul about Idol-sacrifices.

HOMIL. but through the man's intention make him unclean. WhereXXV. fore he saith, asking no question.

Ver. 26. For to the Lord belongeth the earth, and the fulness thereof. Not to the devils. Now if the earth, and the fruits, and the beasts be all His, nothing is unclean: but it becomes unclean otherwise, from our intention and our disobedience. Wherefore he not only gave permission, but also,

Ver. 27. If any of them that believe not bid you, saith he, to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake.

See again his moderation. For he did not command, and make a law, that they should withdraw themselves, yet neither did he forbid it. And again, should they depart, he frees them from all suspicion. Now what may be the account of this? That so great curiousness might not seem to arise from any fear and cowardice. For he who makes scrupulous enquiry, doth so as being in dread: but he who, on hearing the fact, abstains, abstains as out of contempt, and hatred, and aversion. Wherefore Paul, purposing to establish both points, saith, Whatsoever is set before you, eat.

Ver. 28. But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols; eat not, for his sake that shewed it.

Thus it is not at all for any power that they have, but as accursed, that he bids abstain from them. Neither then, as though they could injure you, fly from them, (for they have no strength;) nor yet, because they have no strength, indifferently partake: for it is the table of beings hostile and degraded. Wherefore he said, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake. For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof.

Seest thou how both when he bids them eat, and when they must abstain, he brings forward the same testimony? "For I do not forbid," saith he, " for this cause, as though they belonged to others: (for the earth is the Lord's:) but for the reason I mentioned, for conscience sake; i. e. that it may not be injured." Ought one therefore to inquire scrupulously?"Nay," saith he: "for I said not thy conscience, but his. For I have already said, for his sake that shewed it." And again, v. 29. Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the others.

How the Greeks might be guarded against all offence. 339

10. 29.

[2.] But perhaps some one may say, The brethren indeed, 1 COR. as is natural, thou sparest, and dost not suffer us to taste for their sakes, lest their conscience being weak, might be drawn in to eat the idol sacrifices. But if it be some heathen, what is this man to thee? Was it not thine own word, What have I to do to judge them also that are without1? Where- 11 Cor. fore then dost thou on the contrary care for them?" "Not for him is my care," he replies, "but in this case also for thee." To which effect also he adds,

5. 12.

For why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience? meaning by liberty, that which is left without caution or prohibition. For this is liberty, freed from Jewish bondage. And what he means is this: "God hath made me free, and above all reach of injury, but the Gentile knoweth not how to judge of this high morality of mine, nor to see into the liberality of my Master, but will condemn and say to himself, Christianity is a fable; they abstain from the idols, they shun dæmons, and yet cleave to the things offered to them: great is their gluttony." "And what then?" it may be said. “What harm is it to us, should he judge us unfairly?" But how much better to give him no room to judge at all! For if thou abstain, he will not even say this. "How," say you, " will he not say it? For when he seeth me not making these enquiries, neither in the shambles, nor in the banquet; what should hinder him from using this language, and condemning me, as one who partakes without discrimination ?" It is not so at all. For thou partakest, not as of idol-sacrifices, but as of things clean. And if thou makest no nice enquiry, it is that thou mayest signify, that thou fearest not the things set before thee: this being the reason why, whether thou enterest a house of Gentiles, or goest into the market, I suffer thee not to ask questions; viz. lest thou become a startler at sounds 2, 24.40and entangled3, and shouldest occasion thyself needless dens. trouble.

Ver. 30. If I by grace be a partaker, why am I yet evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks? "Of what art thou by grace a partaker? tell me." Of the gifts of God.

boixovounty. qu. oixodounen, “might boldened." cf. c. viii. 10. be edified," or 66 instructed," or em

3 λινο

πλήξ.

XXV.

340 Scandal to be especially avoided on Occasions of Thanksgiving.

HOMIL. For His grace is so great, as to render my soul unstained, and above all pollution. For as the sun sending down his beams upon many spots of pollution, withdraws them again pure; so likewise we, and much more than so, having our conversation in the midst of the world, remain pure, if we will, by how much the power we have is even greater than his. (2.) "Why then abstain?" say you. Not as though I should become unclean, far from it; but for my brother's sake, and that I may not become a partaker with devils, and that I may not be judged by the unbeliever. For in this case it is not longer now the nature of the thing, but the disobedience, and the friendship with devils, which maketh me unclean, and the purpose of heart worketh the pollution.

But what is, why am I yet evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks? "I, for my part," saith he, " give thanks to God, that He hath thus set me on high, and above the low estate of the Jews, so that from no quarter am I injured. But the Gentiles, not knowing my high rule of life, will suspect the contrary, and will say, 'Here are Christians indulging a taste for our customs; they are a kind of hypocrites, abusing the dæmons, and loathing them, yet running to their tables; than which what can be more senseless? We conclude, that not for truth's sake, but through ambition and love of power they have betaken themselves to this doctrine.' What folly then would it be, that in respect of those things whereby I have. been so benefited, as even to give solemn thanks, in respect of these I should become the cause of evil-speaking?" "But these things, even as it is," say you, "will the Gentile allege, when he seeth me not making enquiry." In no wise. For all things are not full of idol-sacrifices, so that he should suspect this: nor dost thou thyself taste of them as idol-sacrifices. Be not then scrupulous overmuch, nor again, on the other hand, when any remark on its being an idol-sacrifice, do thou partake. For Christ gave thee grace, and set thee on high, and above all injury from that quarter, not that thou mightest be evil spoken of, nor that the circumstance, which hath been such a gain to thee as to be matter of special thanksgiving, should be a mean of thy so injuring others, that they should even blaspheme. "Nay, why," saith he, " do I not say to the Gentile,' I eat, I am no wise injured, and I do not this as

Duty of Christians to Unbelievers.

10. 32.

341 one in friendship with the dæmons?" Because thou canst not 1 COR. persuade him, even though thou shouldest say it ten thousand times weak as he is, and hostile. For if thy brother hath not yet been persuaded by thee, much less the enemy and the Gentile. If he is possessed by his consciousness of the idol-sacrifice, much more the unbeliever. And besides, what occasion have we for so great trouble?

"What then? whereas we have known Christ, and give thanks, while they blaspheme, shall we therefore abandon this custom also?" Far from it. For the thing is not the same. For in the one case, great is our gain from bearing the reproach; but in the other, there will be no advantage. Wherefore also he said before, for neither if we eat, are we the better; nor if we eat not, are we the worse1. And besides1 c.8.8. this too, he shewed that the thing was to be avoided, so that even on another ground ought they to be abstained from, not on this account only, but also for the other reasons which he hath assigned.

[3.] Ver. 31. Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

Perceivest thou how from the subject before him, he carried out the exhortation to what was general, giving us one, the most excellent of all rules, that God in all things should be glorified?

Ver. 32. Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the Church of God: i. e. give no handle to any one: since in the case supposed, both thy brother is offended, and the Jew will the more hate and condemn thee, and the Gentile in like manner deride thee even as a gluttonous man and a hypocrite.

Not only, however, should the brethren receive no hurt from us, but to the utmost of our power, not even those that are without. For if we are light, and leaven, and luminaries, and salt, we ought to enlighten, not to darken; to bind, not to loosen; to draw to ourselves the unbelievers, not to drive them away. Why then puttest thou to flight those whom thou oughtest to draw to thee? Since even some Gentiles are hurt, when they see us shaping our course back to such things; for they know not our mind, nor that our soul hath

342

How St. Paul pleased all Men in all Things.

HOMIL. come to be above all pollution of sense. And the Jews too, and the weaker brethren, will have the same feelings.

XXV.

Seest thou how many reasons he hath assigned, for which we ought to abstain from the idol-sacrifices? Because of their unprofitableness, because of their needlessness, because of the injury to our brother, because of the evil-speaking of the Jew, because of the reviling of the Gentile, because we ought not to be partakers with devils, because the thing is a kind of idolatry.

Further, because he had said, give none offence, and he made them responsible for the injury done, both to the Gentiles and to the Jews; and the saying was grievous; see how he renders it acceptable and light, putting himself forward, and saying,

Ver. 33. Even as I also please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.

Chap. 11. ver. 1. Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

This is a rule of the most perfect Christianity, this is a landmark exactly laid down, this the point which stands highest of all; viz. the seeking those things which are for the common profit: which also Paul himself declared, by adding, even as I also am of Christ. For nothing can so make a man a follower of Christ, as caring for his neighbours. Nay, though thou shouldest fast, though thou shouldest lie upon the ground, and even strangle thyself, but take no thought for thy neighbour; thou hast wrought nothing great; yet far from this Image is thy station, while thou art so doing.

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However, in the case before us, even the very thing itself is naturally useful, viz. the abstaining from idol-sacrifices. But I," saith he, "have done many things among those which were unprofitable also: e. g. when I used circumcision, when I offered sacrifice; for these, were any one to examine them in themselves, rather destroy those that follow after them, and cause them to fall from salvation: nevertheless I submitted even to these, on account of the advantage therefrom: but here is no such thing. For in that case, except there accrue a certain benefit, and except they be done for others'