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Instructions may vary according to the Person taught. 517

X. 42.

to bear all that in mind, and he humble, we even trample MATT. on those miserable men, and when they ask medicines, we add to their wounds. I say, if thou wilt not give, yet why dost thou strike? If thou wilt not be bounteous, yet why be insolent?

way." Well

Answer him1 Ecclus.

"But he submits not to be put off in any other then, as that Wise Man commanded1, so do. peaceable words with meekness. For not of his own accord, surely, is he so very importunate. For there is not, there cannot be, any man desiring to be put to shame for its own sake. How much soever any may contend, I cannot yield ever to be convinced that a man who was living in plenty would choose to beg.

4, 8.

3, 10.

[6.] Let no man then beguile us with arguments. But although Paul saith, If any will not work, neither let him eat2, to 22 Thess. them he saith it; but to us he saith not this, but, on the contrary, Be not weary in well doing 3. Even thus do we at home; 3ibid.13. when any two are striving with each other, we take each apart, and give them the opposite advice. This did God also, and Moses. For while to God he said, If thou wilt forgive them their sin, forgive it; else blot me out also1; them on the contrary he commanded to slay one another, and all that pertained to them. Yet these things are contrary; nevertheless, both looked to one end.

4 Exod.

32, 32.

Again, God said to Moses in the hearing of the Jews, Let me alone, that I may consume the people 5, (for though they ibid.10. were not present when God was saying this, yet they were to hear it afterwards:) but privately He gives him directions of the opposite tenor. And this, Moses upon constraint revealed afterwards, thus saying, What? did I conceive them, that thou sayest to me, Carry them, as a nurse would carry the sucking child in her bosom ®?

These things are done also in houses, and often a father while he blames the tutor in private for having used his child reproachfully, saying, "Be not rough, nor hard," to the youth speaks in the contrary way, "Though thou be reproached unjustly, bear it;" out of those opposites making up some one wholesome result. Thus also Paul said to such as are in health and beg, If any man will not work, neither let him eat, that he may urge them into employment: but to such as

6 Numb.

11, 12.

518

Concerning the Importunity of the Poor.

HOMIL. can shew mercy, Ye, for your part, be not weary in well

XXXV.

6,7. doing: that he may lead them to give alms.

So also, when he was admonishing those of the Gentiles, in his Epistle to the Romans, not to be high minded against the Jews, he brought forward also the wild olive, and he seems Rom. to be saying one thing to these, another to those1.

11, 17.

Let us not therefore fall away into cruelty, but let us listen to Paul, saying, Be not weary in well doing; let us listen to the 2 Luke Lord, Who saith, Give to every man that asketh of thee, and, 6, 30. Be ye merciful as your Father3. And though He hath spoken of many things, He hath no where used this expression, but with regard to our deeds of mercy only. For nothing so equals us with God, as doing good.

3ibid.36.

"But nothing is more shameless," saith one," than a poor man." Why, I pray thee? Because he runs up, and cries out after thee? Wilt thou then let me point out, how we are more importunate than they, and very shameless? Remember, I say, now at the season of the fast, how often, when thy table was spread at eventide, and thou hadst called thy ministering servant; on his moving rather leisurely, thou hast overset every thing, kicking, insulting, reviling, merely about a little delay; although fully assured, that if not immediately, yet a little after thou shalt enjoy thy victuals. Upon which thou dost not call thyself impudent, changed as thou art into a wild beast for nothing; but the poor man, alarmed and trembling about his greater interests, (for not about delay, but about famine, is all his fear,) him dost thou call audacious, and shameless, and impudent, and all the most opprobrious names? Nay, how is this any thing but extreme impudence?

But these things we do not consider: therefore we account such men troublesome: since if we at all searched into our own doings, and compared them with theirs, we should not have thought them intolerable.

Be not then a severe judge. Why, if thou wert clear of all sins, not even then would the Law of God permit thee to be strict in searching out other men's sins. And if the Pharisee perished on this account, what defence are we to find? If He suffer not such as have done well to be bitter in searching out other men's doings, much less them that have offended.

Charity enhanced by our taking Trouble.

519

X. 42.

[7.] Let us not then be savage, nor cruel, not without natural MATT. feeling, not implacable, not worse than wild beasts. For I know many to have gone even so far in brutishness, as for a little trouble to slight famishing persons, and to say these words: "I have no servant now with me; we are far from home; there is no money-changer that I know." Oh cruelty! Didst thou promise the greater, and dost thou not fulfil the less? To save thy walking a little way, doth he perish with hunger? Oh insolence! Oh pride! Why, if it were ten furlongs to be walked, oughtest thou to be backward? Doth it not even come into thy mind that so thy reward is made greater? For whereas, when thou givest, thou receivest reward for the gift only when thou thyself also goest, for this again is appointed thee a recompense.

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up

I Gen.

9 18, 7.

Yea, the Patriarch himself we admire for this, that in his own person be ran to the herd, and snatched the calf', and that, when he had three hundred and eighteen servants born in his house. But now some are filled with so much? Gen. 14, 14. pride, as to do these things by servants, and not to be comp. ashamed. "But dost thou require me to do these things myself?" one may say. "How then shall I not seem to be vain-glorious?" Nay, but as it is, thou art led by another kind of vain-glory to do this, being ashamed to be seen talking with a poor man.

But I am in no respect strict about this; only give, whether by thyself or by another thou art minded to do so; and do not accuse, do not smite, do not revile. For medicines, not wounds, doth he need who comes unto thee; mercy, not a sword. For tell me, if any one who had been smitten with a stone, and had received a wound in his head, were to let go all others, and run unto thy knees, drenched in his blood; wouldest thou indeed smite him with another stone, and add unto him another wound? I, for my part, think not; but even as it was, thou wouldest endeavour to cure it. Why then doest thou the contrary with respect to the poor? Knowest thou not how much power a word hath, both to raise up, and to cast down? For a word, it is said, is better than a gift3.

S. Barn.

c. 9.

3 Ecclus.

Dost thou not consider that thou art thrusting the sword 18, 16. into thyself, and art receiving a more grievous wound,

XXXV.

520 We should regard the Poor as being sent to us from God.

HOMIL. When he, being reviled, silently withdraws, with groans and 7. many tears? Since indeed of God he is sent unto thee. Consider then, in insulting him, upon whom thou art causing the insult to pass; when God indeed sends him unto thee, and commands thee to give, but thou, so far from giving, dost even insult him on his coming.

And if thou art not aware how exceedingly amiss this is, look at it as among men, and then thou wilt fully know the greatness of the sin. As thus: if a servant of thine had been commanded by thee to go to another servant, who had money of thine, to receive it, and were to come back not only with empty hands, but also with despiteful usage; what wouldest thou not do to him that had wrought the insult? What penalty wouldest thou not exact, as though, after this, it were thyself that had been ill used?

This reckoning do thou make in regard of God also; for truly it is He that sends the poor to us, and of His we give, if indeed we do give. But if, besides not giving, we also send them away insulted, consider how many bolts, how many thunders, that which we are doing deserves.

Duly considering then all these things, let us both bridle our tongue, and put away inhumanity, and let us stretch forth the hand to give alms, and not with money only, but with words also, let us relieve such as are in need; that we may both escape the punishment for reviling, and may inherit the kingdom which is for blessing and almsgiving, by the grace and love towards man of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory and might for ever and ever. Amen,

HOMILY XXXVI.

MATT. xi. 1.

And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding His twelve disciples, He departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.

THAT is, after He had sent them, He proceeded to withdraw Himself, to give them room and opportunity to do what He had enjoined. For while He was present and healing, no one would be willing to approach them.

Now when John had heard in the prison the works of v. 2. 3. Jesus, he sent two of his disciples, and asked Him, saying, Art thou He that should come, or do we look for another?

But Luke saith, they also told John of the miracles, and then he sent them'. However, this contains no matter of Luke difficulty, but of consideration only; for this, among other 7, 18. things, indicates their jealousy towards Him.

But what follows is completely among the controverted points. Of what nature then is this? Their saying, Art Thou He that should come, or do we look for another? That is, he that knew Him before His miracles, he that had learned it of the Spirit, he that heard it of the Father, he who had proclaimed Him before all men; doth he now send to learn of Him, whether it be Himself or no? And yet if thou didst not know that it is surely He, how thinkest thou thyself credible, affirming as thou dost concerning things, whereof thou art ignorant? For he that is to bear witness to others, must be first worthy of credit himself. Didst thou

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