III. 11. 31. kind of drunkenness, or rather it is more grievous than JOHN drunkenness, and more pitiable than (possession of) a dæmon. But if we be careful not to be loud in speech', we shall find1kpáŠeiv this the best path to sobriety of conduct. And therefore 2 piλoPaul would take away clamour as well as anger, when he play says, Let all anger and clamour be put away from you. Eph. 4, Let us then obey this teacher of all wisdom, and when we are wroth with our servants, let us consider our own trespasses, and be ashamed at their forbearance. For when thou art insolent, and thy servant bears thy insults in silence, when thou actest unseemly, he like a wise man, take this instead of any other warning. Though he is thy servant, he is still a man, has an immortal soul, and has been honoured with the same gifts as thee by your common Lord. And if he who is our equal in more important and more spiritual things, on account of some poor and trifling human superiority so meekly bears our injuries, what pardon can we deserve, what excuse can we make, who cannot, or rather will not, be as wise through fear of God, as he is through fear of us? Considering then all these things, and calling to mind our own transgressions, and the common nature of man, let us be careful at all times to speak gently, that being humble in heart we may find rest for our souls, both that which now is, and that which is to come; which may we all attain, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom to the Father and the Holy Ghost be glory, for ever and ever. Amen. HOMILY XXVII. 1 al. touch' JOHN iii. 12, 13. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but He that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man Which is in heaven. WHAT I have often said I shall now repeat, and shall not cease to say. What is that? It is that Jesus, when about to touch on sublime doctrines, often contains Himself by reason of the infirmity of His hearers, and dwells not for a continuance on subjects worthy of His greatness, but rather on those which partake of condescension. For the sublime and great, being but once uttered, is sufficient to establish that character, as far as we are able to hear it; but unless more lowly sayings, and such as are nigh to the comprehension of the hearers, were continually uttered, the more sublime would not readily take hold on a grovelling listener. And therefore of the sayings of Christ more are lowly than sublime. But yet that this again may not work another mischief, by detaining the disciple here below, He does not merely set before men His inferior sayings without first telling them why He utters them; as, in fact, He has done in this place. For when He had said what He did concerning Baptism, and the Generation by grace which takes 2κaleivaι place on earth, being desirous to admit them to that His own mysterious and incomprehensible Generation, He holds it in suspense for a while, and admits them not, and then tells them His reason for not admitting them. What is that? It is, the dulness and infirmity of His hearers. And referring The teaching of Christ received by faith. 223 III. to this He added the words, If I have told you earthly JOHN things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you 12. 13. of heavenly things? so that wherever He saith any thing ordinary and humble, we must attribute this to the infirmity of His audience. The expression earthly things, some say is here used of the wind; that is, "If I have given you an example from earthly things, and ye did not even so believe, how shall ye be able to learn sublimer things?" And wonder not if He here call Baptism an earthly thing, for He calls it so, either from its being performed on earth, or so naming it in comparison with that His own most awful Generation. For though this Generation of ours is heavenly, yet compared with that true GENERATION which is from the Substance of the Father, it is earthly. He does not say, "Ye have not understood," but, Ye have not believed; for when a man is ill disposed towards those things which it is possible to apprehend by the intellect, and will not readily receive them, he may justly be charged with want of understanding; but when he receives not things which cannot be apprehended by reasoning, but only by faith, the charge against him is no longer want of understanding, but unbelief. Leading him therefore away from enquiring by reasonings into what had been said, He touches him more severely by charging him with want of faith. If now we must receive our own Generation1 by faith, what do1i.e.the they deserve who are busy with their reasonings about That new of the Only-Begotten? But perhaps some may ask, "And if the hearers were not to believe these sayings, wherefore were they uttered?" Because though they believed not, those who came after would believe and profit by them. Touching him therefore very severely, Christ goes on to shew that He knoweth not these things only, but others also, far more and greater than these. And this He declared by what follows, when He said, And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but He that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man Which is in heaven. "And what manner of sequel is this?" asks one. The very a i. e. how is this connected with what has gone before? Birth XXVII. 224 Connection of Baptism with the Cross. HOMIL. closest, and entirely in unison with what has gone before. For since Nicodemus had said, We know that Thou art a teacher come from God, on this very point He sets him right, all but saying, "Think Me not a teacher in such manner as were the many of the prophets who were of earth, for I am come from heaven (but) now. None of the prophets hath ascended up thither, but I dwell there." Seest thou how even that which appears very exalted is utterly unworthy of His greatness? For not in heaven only is He, but every where, and He fills all things; but yet He speaks according to the infirmity of His hearer, desiring to lead him up little by little. And in this place He called not the flesh Son of Man, but He now named, so to speak, His entire Self from the inferior substance; indeed this is His wont, to call His ITÒ Tây whole Person' often from His Divinity, and often from His humanity. Ver. 14. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. This again seems to depend upon what has gone before, and this too has a very close connection with it. For after having spoken of the very great benefaction that had come to man by Baptism, He proceeds to mention another benefaction, which was the cause of this, and not inferior to it; namely, that by the Cross. As also Paul arguing with the Corinthians sets down these benefits together, when he says, Was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized into the name of Paul? for these two things most of all declare His unspeakable love, that He both suffered for His enemies, and that having died for His enemies, He freely gave to them by Baptism entire remission of their sins. [2.] But wherefore did He not say plainly, "I am about to be crucified," instead of referring His hearers to the ancient type? First, that you may learn that old things are akin to new, and that the one are not alien to the other; next, that you may know that He came not unwillingly to His Passion; and again, besides these reasons, that you may 2 i. e. of learn that no harm arises to Him from the Fact, and that to many there springs from it salvation. For, that none may say, "And how is it possible that they who believe on one crucified should be saved, when he himself is holden of the Pas sion Christ compared to the brazen serpent. 225 III. 15, 16. death?" He leads us to the ancient story. Now if the Jews, JOHN by looking to the brazen image of a serpent, escaped death, much rather will they who believe on the Crucified, with good reason enjoy a far greater benefit. For this takes 'i. e. place, not through the weakness of the Crucified, or because cifixion the Jews are stronger than He, but because God loved the world, therefore is His living Temple fastened to the Cross. Ver. 15. That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. the Cru Seest thou the cause of the Crucifixion, and the salvation which is by it? Seest thou the relationship of the type to the reality? there the Jews escaped death, but the temporal, here believers the eternal; there the hanging serpent healed the bites of serpents, here the Crucified Jesus cured the wounds inflicted by the spiritual dragon; there he who2 voŋToû looked with his bodily eyes was healed, here he who beholds with the eyes of his understanding puts off all his sins; there that which hung was brass fashioned into the likeness of a serpent, here it was the Lord's Body, builded by the Spirit; there a serpent bit and a serpent healed, here death destroyed and a Death saved. But the snake which destroyed had venom, that which saved was free from venom; and so again was it here, for the death which slew us had sin with it, as the serpent had venom; but the Lord's Death was free from all sin, as the brazen serpent from venom. For, saith Peter, He did no sin, neither was guile 1 Pet. 2, found in His mouth. And this is what Paul also declares, And Col. 2, having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a shew 16. of them openly, triumphing over them in it. For as some noble champion by lifting on high and dashing down his antagonist, renders his victory more glorious, so Christ, in the sight of all the world, cast down the adverse powers, and having healed those who were smitten in the wilderness, delivered them from all venomous beasts that vexed them, 3 Onpiwv by being hung upon the Cross. Yet He did not say "must hang", but, must be lifted up; for He used this which seemed the milder term, on account of His hearer, and because it was proper to the type1. Ver. 16. God, He saith, so loved the world, that He gave Q 22. 3 (Acts 28, 4.) ἐγγὺς τοῦ |