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Luxury the Cause of a Worldly Mind.

XXXIX..

HOMIL. not allowing the fruits of the earth to keep any long time, in order that out of mere dread of the damage from their spoiling, they may expose for sale to the needy, even against their will, such things as they wickedly bury at home and keep. However, after all this, some are so insatiable, as not even thereby to be corrected. Many, for example, have gone so far as to empty whole casks, not giving even a cup-full to the poor man, nor a piece of silver's worth to the needy, but after it hath become vinegar, they dash it all upon the ground, and destroy besides their casks together with the fruit. Others again who would not give a part of a single cake to the hungry, have thrown whole granaries into some river; and because they listened not to God, who bade them give to the needy, at the bidding of the moth, even unwillingly, they exhausted all they had in their houses in most utter destruction and waste; drawing down upon their own heads, together with this loss, much scorn, and many a curse.

And such is the course of their affairs here; but the hereafter, what words shall set before us? For as these men in this world cast their moth-eaten grain, become useless, into rivers; even so the doers of such things, on this very account become useless, God casts into the river of fire. Because, as the grain by the moth and the worm, so are their souls devoured by cruelty and inhumanity. And the reason of these things is, their being nailed to things present, and gaping after this life only. Whence also such men are full of infinite sadness; for name whatever pleasure thou wilt, the fear of their end is enough to annihilate all, and such an one is dead, while he 11 Tim. is yet alive1.

5. 6.

Now then, that unbelievers should have these feelings, is no marvel; but when they who have partaken of so great mysteries, and learned such high rules of self-denial concerning things to come, delight to dwell in things present, what indulgence do they deserve?

[16.] Whence then arises their loving to dwell in present things? From giving their mind to luxury, and fattening their flesh, and making their soul delicate, and rendering their burden heavy, and their darkness great, and their veil thick. For in all luxury, the better part is enslaved, but the worse prevails; and the former is blinded on every side, and dragged on in its maimed condition; while the other draws and leads men

Our Bodies not in fault, but our lawless Souls. 567

about every where, though it ought to be in the rank of things 1 Cor. that are led.

1

15.27.

Since great indeed is the bond between the soul and the body; the Maker having contrived this, lest any should induce us to abhor it as alien. For God indeed bade us love our enemies; (9.) but the devil hath so far prevailed, as to induce some even to hate their own body. Since, when a man saith that it is of the devil, he proves nothing else than this; which is the extreme of dotage. For if it be of the devil, what is this so perfect harmony, such as to render it meet in every way for the energies of the self-controlling soul? "Nay," saith one, “if it be meet, how doth the body blind it?" It is not the body which blinds the soul; far from it, O man; but the luxury. But whence do we desire the luxury? Not from our having a body, by no means; but from an evil choice. For the body requires feeding, not high feeding1, the body needs nourishing, reopñs not breaking up and falling apart. You see that not to the org pus. soul only, but to the very body also, which receives the nourishment, the luxury is hostile. For it becomes weaker instead of strong, and softer instead of firm, and sickly instead of healthful, and heavier instead of light, and slighter instead of compact, and illfavoured instead of handsome, and unsavoury instead of fragrant, and impure instead of clean, and full of pain instead of being at ease, and useless instead of useful, and old instead of young, and decaying instead of strong, and slow and dull instead of quick, and maimed instead of whole. Whereas if it were of the devil, it ought not to receive injury from the things of the devil, I mean, from sin.

to

οὐ

[17.] But neither is the body, nor meats, of the devil, but luxury alone. For by means of it that malignant fiend brings pass his innumerable evils. Thus did he make victims of a 2 ergawhole people. For the beloved waxed fat, saith one, and grew thick, and was enlarged, and kicked. And thence 3 Deut. was the beginning of those thunderbolts also on Sodom. And to declare this, Ezekiel said, But this was the iniquity sinvíœıs of Sodom, in pride, and fulness of bread, and refinements* they 5 Ezek. waxed wanton5. Therefore also Paul said, She that liveth 16. 4. « in pleasure", is dead while she liveth. How should this be? 5. 6.

d The Manichæans, and Gnostic sects.

6

32. 15.

LXX.

61 Tim.

7 σπατα

λῶσα.

XXXIX.

568

Effects of Gluttony, Excess of Wine,

HOMIL. Because as a sepulchre she bears about her body, bound close to innumerable evils. And if the body so perish, how will the soul be affected; what disorder, what waves, what a tempest will she be filled with? Hereby, you see, she becomes unfitted for every duty, and will have no power easily to speak, nor hear, nor take counsel, nor do any thing that is needful. But as a pilot, when the storm hath got the better of his skill, is plunged into the deep, vessel and sailors and all so also the soul together with the body is drowned in the grievous abyss of insensibility.

For, in fact, God hath set the stomach in our bodies as a kind of mill, giving it a proportionate power, and appointing a set measure, which it ought to grind every day. If therefore one cast in more, remaining unground it doth injury to the whole body. Hence diseases, and weaknesses, and deformities: since in truth luxury makes the beautiful woman not only sickly, but also foul to look upon. For when she is continually breathing out foul exhalations, and out of her mouth come fumes of stale wine, and her countenance is more florid than it ought to be, and she tramples on the order that beseems a woman, and loses all her seemliness, and her body becomes flabby, her eyelids bloodshot and distended, and her bulk unduly great, and her flesh an useless load; consider what a disgust it all produces.

Moreover, I have heard physicians say, that many have been hindered from reaching their proper height by nothing so much as luxurious living. For the breath being obstructed by the multitude of things which are cast in, and being occupied in the digestion of such things, that which ought to serve for growth, is spent on this digestion of superfluities. Why need one speak of gout, rheum dispersed every where, the other diseases hence arising, the whole abomination? For nothing is so disgusting, as a woman pampering herself with much food. Therefore among the poorer women one may see more of beauty: the superfluities being consumed, and not cleaving to them, like some superfluous clay, of no use and benefit. For their daily exercise, and labours, and

e "It is thy own soul, wretched woman, that thou hast lost; the spiritual life gone, thou for a while leadest on a life

of thine own, and movest about, wearing thy death upon thee." S. Cypr. of the Lapsed, c. 19.

and Wantonness: Praise of Moderation.

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15. 27.

hardships, and their frugal table, and spare diet, minister 1 Cor. unto them much soundness of body, and thence also much bloom.

[18.] But if thou talkest of the pleasure of luxury, thou wilt find it to go no farther than the throat: since as soon as it hath passed the tongue, it is flown away, leaving behind in the body much that is disgusting. For do not I pray look on the voluptuaries at table only, but when you see them rise up, then follow them, and you will see bodies rather of wild beasts and irrational creatures, than of human beings. You will see them with headache, distended, bound up, needing a bed, and a couch, and plenty of rest, and like men who are tossed in a great tempest, and require others to save them, and long for that condition in which they were before they were swelled even to bursting': they carrying their in bellies about with a burden like that of women with child, διαῤῥα and can scarce step forward, and scarce see, and scarce speak, and scarce do any thing. But if it should chance. that they sleep a little, they see again strange dreams, and full of all manner of fancies.

What should one say of that other madness of theirs? the madness of lust, I mean, for this also hath its fountains from hence. Yea, as horses wild after the female, so they, goaded on by the sting of their drunkenness, leap upon all, more irrational than they, and more frantic in their boundings; and committing many more unseemlinesses, which but to name is unlawful. For they know not in fact any longer what they suffer, nor what they do.

But not so he that keeps from luxury: rather he sits in harbour, beholding other men's shipwrecks, and enjoys a pleasure pure and lasting, following after that life which becomes him that is free. Knowing therefore these things, let us flee from the evil banquets of luxury, and cleave to a spare table; that being of a good habit both of soul and body, we may both practise all virtue, and attain the good things to come, through the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom to the Father, with the Holy Ghost, be glory, power, and honour, now and ever, and world without end. Amen.

HOMILY XL.

σουσι.

1 COR. XV. 29.

Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead? if the dead rise not at all, why are they then baptized for the dead?

He takes in hand again another topic, establishing what 1.... he said at one time from what God doeth', and at another 2gár from the very things which they practise. And this also is no small plea for the defence of any cause, when a man brings forward the gainsayers themselves as witnessing by their own actions what he affirms. What then is that which he means? Or will ye that I should first mention, how they who are infected with the Marcionite heresy pervert this expression? And I know indeed that I shall excite much laughter; nevertheless, even on this account most of all I will mention it, that you may the more completely avoid this disease: viz. when any Catechumen departs among them, having concealed the living man under the couch of the dead, they approach the corpse, and talk with him, and ask him if he wishes to receive baptism; then, when he makes no answer, he that is concealed underneath saith in his stead, that of course he should wish to be baptized; and so they baptize him instead of the departed, like men jesting upon the stage. So great power hath the devil over the souls of careless sinners. Then being called to account, they allege this expression, saying, that even the apostle hath said, They who are baptized for the dead. Seest thou their extreme ridiculousness? Is it meet then to answer

Epiphanius relates the same thing of the followers of Cerinthus, another section of the Gnostics, and says it was

continued in his time by a kind of tradition in Asia Minor and in Galatia. Hær. 28. §. 6.