His Arguments in Reply to her.

393

11. 34.

introduce the deadly counsel, but having first pitifully related 1 COR. her misfortunes, and having drawn out the tragedy at length, she couches in few words what she would recommend, and doth not even declare it plainly, but throwing a shade over that, she holds out to him the deliverance which he greatly longed for, and promises death, the thing which he then most of all desired.

And mark from this also the malice of the devil: that because he knew the desire of Job towards God, he suffers not his wife to accuse God, lest he should at once turn away from her as an enemy. For this cause she no where mentions Him, but the actual calamities she is continually harping on.

And do thou, besides what hath been said, add the circumstance, that it was a woman who gave this counsel, a wonderful orator to beguile the heedless. Many at least even without external accidents, have been cast down by the counsel of women alone.

[6.] What then did this blessed saint, and firmer than adamant? Looking bitterly upon her, by his aspect even before he spake, he repelled her devices: since she no doubt expected that she should excite fountains of tears; but he became fiercer than a lion, full of wrath and indignation, not on account of his sufferings, but on account of her diabolical suggestions; and having signified his anger by his looks, in a subdued tone he gives his rebuke; for even in misfortunes he kept his self-command. And what saith he? Why speakest thou as one of the foolish women? "I have not so taught thee," saith he, "I did not so nurture thee; and this is why I do not now recognize even mine own consort. For these words are the counsel of a foolish woman, and of one beside herself.” Seest thou not here an instance of wounding in moderation, and inflicting a blow just sufficient to cure the disease?

Then, after the infliction, he brings in advice sufficient on the other hand to console her, and very rational, thus speaking; if we have received our good things at the hand of the Lord, shall we not endure our evils? "For remember," saith he," those former things, and make account of the Author of them, and thou wilt bear even these nobly." Seest thou the chastened spirit of the man? that he doth not at all impute his

394 Job's 's Example, a Refuge in desponding Thoughts. HOMIL. patience to his own courage, but saith it was part of the XXVIII. natural result of what happened. "For in return for what

μάτων,

Bened.

did God give us these former things? What recompense did he repay? None, but from mere goodness. For they were a gift, not a recompense; a grace, not a reward. Well then, let us bear these also nobly."

This discourse let us, both men and women, have written on our hearts, and let us engrave the words in our minds, 1 an- both these and those before them: and by sketching upon Savile : our minds as in picture the history of his sufferings1, I mean para, the loss of his wealth, the bereavement of his children, the disease of his body, the reproaches, the mockings, the devices of his wife, the snare of the devil, in a word, all the calamities of that righteous man, and that with exactness, let us provide ourselves with a most ample port of refuge: that, enduring all things nobly and thankfully, we may both in the present life cast off all despondency, and receive the rewards that belong to this good way of taking things; by the grace and mercy sinuías of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom, to the Father, with "this the Holy Ghost, be glory, power, and honour, now and for way of using ever, and world without end.

ταύτης.

well

Amen.

omened

words."

HOMILY XXIX.

1 COR. xii. 1, 2.

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led.

THIS whole place is very obscure: but the obscurity is produced by our ignorance of the facts referred to, and by their cessation, being such as then used to occur, but now no longer take place. And why do they not happen now? Why look now, the cause too of the obscurity hath produced us again another question: namely, why did they then happen, and now do so no more?

This however let us defer to another time, but for the present let us state what things were occurring then. what did happen then? Whoever was baptized, he straightway spake with tongues, and not with tongues only, but many also prophesied, and some also performed many other wonderful works. For since on their coming over from idols, without any clear knowledge, or training in the ancient Scriptures, they at once on their baptism received the Spirit, yet the Spirit they saw not, for It is invisible; therefore God's grace bestowed some sensible proof of that energy. And one straightway spake in the Persian, another in the Roman, another in the Indian, another in some other such tongue: and this made manifest to them that were without that it is the Spirit in the very person speaking. Wherefore also he so calls it, saying, 'But the Manifestation of the1v.7. Spirit is given to every man to profit withal; calling the gifts a manifestation of the Spirit. For as the Apostles themselves had received this sign first, so also the faithful went on receiving it, I mean the gift of tongues; yet not this only, but also many others: inasmuch as many used even to raise the dead, and to cast out devils, and to perform many

396 The Corinthians disturbed by Abuse of Gifts;

HOMIL. other such wonders: and they had gifts too, some less, and

XXIX.

some more. But more abundant than all was the gift of tongues among them: and this became to them a cause of division; not from its own nature, but from the perverseness of them that had received it: in that on the one hand the possessors of the greater gifts were lifted up against them that had the lesser: and these again were grieved, and envied the owners of the greater. And Paul himself as he proceeds intimates this.

Since then herefrom they were receiving a fatal blow, in the dissolution of their charity, he takes great care to correct it. For this happened indeed in Rome also, but not in the same way. And this is why in the Epistle to the Romans also he moots it indeed, but obscurely and briefly, saying thus: For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office; so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; or ministry, let us wait on our ministering; or he 1 Rom. that teacheth, on teaching'. And that the Romans also were 12.4-8. falling into wilfulness hereby, this he intimates in the begin

ning of that discourse, thus saying: For I say through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. With these, however, (for the disease of division and pride had not proceeded to any length,) he thus discoursed: but here with great anxiety; for the distemper had greatly spread.

And this was not the only thing to disturb them, but there were also in the place many soothsayers, inasmuch as the city was more than usually addicted to Grecian customs, and this with the rest was tending to offence and disturbance among them. This is the reason why he begins by first stating the difference between soothsaying and prophecy. For this cause also they received discerning of spirits, so as to discern and know, which is he that speaketh by a pure spirit, and which by an impure.

For because it was not possible to supply the evidence of

and by the Confusion between Soothsaying and Prophecy. 397

the things uttered from within themselves at the moment; (for 1 Cor. prophecy supplies the proof of its own truth not at the time 12. 2. when it is spoken, but at the time of the event;) and it was not easy to distinguish it, and to discern the true prophesier from the pretender; (for the devil himself, accursed as he is, had entered into them that prophesied', bringing in false See 1 Kings prophets, as if forsooth they also could foretel things to come; 22. 23. and further, found it moreover easy to deceive them, because the things spoken could not for the present be brought to trial, ere yet the events had come to pass concerning which the prophecy was; (for it was the end that proved the false prophet and the true:)-in order that the hearers might not be deceived, no, not before the end, he gives them a sign, which even before the event served to indicate the one and the other. And hence taking his order and beginning, he thus goes on also to the discourse concerning the gifts, and corrects the contentiousness that arose from hence likewise. For the present however he begins the discourse concerning the soothsayers, thus saying,

[2.] Now concerning the spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant; calling the signs spiritual, because they are the works of the Spirit alone, human care contributing nothing to the working such wonders. And intending to discourse concerning them, first, as I said, he lays down the difference between soothsaying and prophecy, thus saying,

μενοι,

properly

ged to

prison or

tion."

Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were dragged away. Now what he sayómeans is this: "In the idol-temples," saith he, " if any were at any time possessed by an unclean spirit and began to divine," drageven as one dragged away, so was he drawn by that spirit in chains; knowing nothing of the things which he utters. For executhis is peculiar to the soothsayer, to be beside himself, to be under compulsion, to be pushed, dragged, haled as a madman. But the prophet not so, but with sober mind, and composed temper, and knowing what he is saying, he uttereth all things. Therefore even before the event do thou first from this distinguish the soothsayer and the prophet. And consider how he frees his discourse of all suspicion; calling themselves to witness who had made trial of the matter. As if he had said, "that I lie not, nor rashly traduce the religion of the