TRANSLATI ONS OF CHRISTIAN LITERATURE

GENERAL ED ITORS : W. J . SPARROW-S IMPSON ,D .D .

,

W. K . LOWTHER CLARKE ,B .D .

SERIES I

GRE E K TE XTS

FIFTY SPIRITUA L HOM IL IES OF

ST . MACARIUS THE EGYPTIAN

Consti tuenda est ergo nobis dom in ici schola. serui t i i in qua insti tu

t ione n ihi l asperum n ihi l graue n os const i tuturos speramus sed e t s i

quid paululum rest rictius propter emendat ionem u i t iorum ue l

consem at ion em car i tat is processeri t , non i lico panorc perterri tus

refugias u iam salut is, quae n on est n isi angusto in i t io i ncip ienda

p rocessu uero conuérsat ion is e t fidei dilatato corde inenarrabi li d ilcet ion is dulcedine curri tur u ia mandatorum dei .

BENEDICTVS .

if‘

ty

S t . Macarius Egypt ian

A . J . MASON,D .D .

LONDONS O C I E TY F O R P ROMO T I N GC H R I S T I A N K N OW L E D G ENORTHUMBERLAND AVENUE

,W .C.

NEW YORK : THE MACM I LLAN COMPAN Y1 9 2 1

THE INSTITUTEOF MEDIAEVAL STUDIESIO E L M S L EY P L A CE

TO RO NTO 5 , C A NADA.

OCT15(7 8 9

I SHOULD W ISH TO CONNECT TH IS VOLUMECONTA IN ING THOUGHTS BETTER THAN MY OWN

W ITH THE NAME OF

VINCENT HENRY STANTON

REG IUS PROFESSOR OF DIV IN ITY AT CAMBR IDGEWHOM FOR F I FTY YEARS I HAVE HADTHE PR IV I LEGE

OF COUNT ING MY CLOSEST FR I ENDIN A LI FE R ICH IN FR IENDSH IPS

INTRODUCTION

I . THE AUTHOR

THE name of Macarius “ Blessed was a common

one among the Christians Of the fourth and follow ing

centuries,especially in Egypt . Two men Of the name

stand out as twin giants of the ascetic life of that age andcountry . They are distinguished from each other asMacarius the Egyptian and Macarius the A lexandrian .

An “ Egyptian means one who belonged to the ancientrace of Egypt 1 —a

“Copt ” ; an Alexandrian means one

who belonged to the Greek colony planted in that c ity.The two were friends and nearly contemporaries , thoughthe A lexandrian was somewhat the younger . The EgyptianMacarius was born about the year 300 .

Palladins,Bishop ofHelenOpolis, friend of S t . Chrysostom ,

and historian of the religious life of the wilderness, beginshis account of the two by saying that he hesitates to relatewhat he has to say of them

,lest he should be thought a

liar, so great and wonderful was their history . Palladin s wasnot personally acquainted with the Egyptian . He says thathe knew the A lexandrian

,but that the other died a year

before his own entrance into the N itrian desert , which wasabout the year 390 . But he was familiar with the locality,and with the people who knew the great ascetic .First, he says, “ I wil l speak of the Egyptian, who

1 a‘3 a

S e e note In_

.Fe ltoe s D zony'

szus of A lex an a’r za

, p . 13.

vi INTRODUCTION

l ived to the age of ninety years . S ixty of these he spentin the desert

,having retired to i t as a young man of thirty .

He was gifted with such discernment as to be called‘ Age

-in -Youth,

’

becai Ise he made such swift progress . A t

the age of forty he received the grace of conquering evilspirits

,and of healings and predict ions . He was also

admitted to the priesthood .

”

Palladin s proceeds to relate instances of the exercise ofthese gifts .

“ Two disciples accompanied him into the inner desert,called Scet is . One of them served him close at hand ,because of those who came to be cured ; the other studiedin an adjoining cell. In process of time Macarius had aprophetic vision , and said to the man who served him ,

whose name was John, Hearken to me, brother John, andbear with my admonition . Thou art in temptation ; andthe spirit of covetousness tempts thee . I have seen i t ;and I know that i f thou bearest with . me, thou wilt beperfected in this place

,and wilt be glorified, neither shal l

any plague come nigh thy dwell ing. But if thou shaltneglect to hear me, upon thee shall come the end ofGehaz i , with whose disease thou art afflicted .

’ I t cameto pass after the death of Macarius, indeed fifteen ortwenty years after

,that he neglected the warning . He

used for himself what belonged to the poor,and was so

covered with elephantiasis that no whole spot could befound on his body on which a finger could be put. This wasthe prophecy of Macarius [Macarius] was said to becontinually in trance

,and to spend far more t ime with

God than in things below.

Pallad ius then tells a curious story of a man whose wifehad been bewitched and turned to all appearance into amare . The man bridled her and took her to Macarius .

The brethren standing near the cell rebuked him for bringing the animal but Macarius said to them ,

“ Horses you

INTRODUCTION

are , and have horses’ eyes . I t i s a woman, and only

transformed to the eyes of those who are deceived .

”

“And he blessed water ,” the narrative continues, andpoured it over the naked woman ’s head, and prayed overher

,and immediately made her appear a woman to every

body . Then he'

gave her some food, and made her eati t,and sent her away , thanking the Lord, in her own

husband ’s company . And he gave her this advice : Nevermiss going to church . . Never be away from communion .

This happened to you because for five weeks you had not

gone to the mysteries . ’“ Another feature of his asceticism . He made an under

ground passage from his cell, half a furlong in length, and constructed a cave at the end of it . This took him a long time .

I f too many people troubled him,he would slip secretly

out of the cell, and go in to the cave, where nobody couldfind him . One of his devoted disciples told me the story

,

and said that on the way to the cave he would say fourand- twenty prayers, and four-and-twenty on the way back .

”

Pallad ius adds that he was said to have brought a deadman back to life, in order to convince some one who wouldnot believe in the resurrection ; 1 and that on one occasionhe healed a boy of strangely disordered appetite

,which was

attributed to a particular species of devil . When the

affl iction stopped, Macarius asked the mother how muchshe wished the boy to eat . She answered, “ Ten poundsof bread .

” Macarius told her it was too much ; and, fasting and praying over him for a week, he allowed him to eatthree pounds, and sent him back to work .

2

Palladin s had been the disciple of Evagrius Pon tious,who had in turn been a disciple to the two Macari i . The

account of these two masters given by Evagrius himselfhas been in part incorporated by Socrates in the fourth

The story is told at great length by Cassian , Coll . XV . 3 .

2 H z‘

stor z’

a L ausz'

aca, ed . Butler, p. 43 ff.

vii i INTRODUCTION

book of his E cclesiastica l H istory . Socrates adds to whatwe have learned from Pallad ius that Macarius the Egyptianwas a native of “ Upper ” Egypt, and that with all his pietyhe was somewhat austere in his dealings with those whoresorted to him .

1 This is doubtless recorded on theauthority of Evagrius. Evagrius, in a fragment preservedby Socrates, relates one or two incidents in his intercoursewith the master . He says

“ That chosen vessel, the aged Macarius of Egypt, onceasked me how it is that in remembering the wrongs doneto us by men we ruin our powers of memory , but take noharm by remembering the wrongs done by devils . I wasat a loss for an answer

,and begged him to tell me the

reason. He answered, ‘ I t i s because the former is contrary to nature 5 the latter is in accordance with our mentalconstitution .

’ When I first met with this holy father,

Macarius, i t was the very height of noon , and I was burning with excessive heat

,and I asked for some water to

drink . He an swered , " Be content with the shade . Thereare many people travelling now

,by land or by sea

,who

have not even that . ’ Then,when I was discussing self

discipline with him,he said

,

‘ Be of good courage,my child .

For twenty years w ithout a break I have never had as muchfood, or drink, or Sleep, as I l iked . My bread I have eatenby weight, and my water by measure ; and I have snatcheda little sleep , leaning against the wall . ’

In the year 373— the year in which the great Athanasiusdied— this peaceful l ife of the wilderness was rudely invaded . The Emperor Valens knew that the ascetics of theN itrian desert formed a great stronghold of the A thanasianbelief, and determined to break it up . Orders were givenfor the expulsion of Macarius the Egyptian and Macarius

the Alexandrian , “ the fathers of the monks .“ These two were banished to an island which had no

1 E col . H i st . IV . 2 3, 3 1 IT.

INTRODUCTION ix

Chri stian inhabitant. In the island there happened to bea temple, and a priest in it whom all the people reveredas a god . When the two men of God came to the is land,all the demons there were in confusion and terror . The

following incident occurred at that very time . The priest’sdaughter was suddenly possessed by a devil and went mad.

She overthrew everything . She was uncontrollable, and

could not by any means be kept quiet,but shouted at the

top of her voice, and said to those men of God, Why haveyou come to drive us hence also P’

The men showed oncemore in that place the special work which they had receivedof the grace of God . They expelled the devil from themaiden, and gave her over to her father in good health ,and brought both the priest and all those who l ived therein ‘ the island to the faith of Christianity . They immediately cast out the images

,transformed the appearance of

the sanctuary into the character of a church,and were

baptiz ed and instructed in everything belonging to Christian i ty with rejoicing . Thus those wonderful men

,when

banished for the faith of the One Substance, were themselves the more approved , and saved others also, and madethe faith yet more sure .” 1A few more particulars about Macarius may be gatheredfrom the ancient collections of Apop/zt/zegms of Me fl amer s,printed by M igne in the same volume wi th the works ofMacarius

, but it is not always possible to be sure that theMacarius referred to is the great Egyptian

,nor whether the

anecdotes have any historical foundation .

One of them gives, as from Macarius himself, the accoun tof his withdrawal into the desert of Scet is. When he wasa young man, he had settled himself In a

’

cell in some partof Egyp t, and the people of the place seiz ed him and madehim their cler z'cus . Not w i shing to undertake the duty, heremoved to another spot, where a pious man, who had not

1 So crates, E col . H i st . IV . 24.

x INTRODUCTION

renounced the world,attached himself to him and helped

him in the basket-making by which he earned his livel ihood . I t happened that a girl in the village had falleninto sin

,and alleged that she had been seduced by “ the

anchorite . ” “ Then they came out and took me into thevillage

,and hung sooty kitchen pots round my neck, and

handles of broken wine-j ars , and paraded me round everyquarter of the village

,beating me and saying, ‘This monk

has seduced our girl . Have him,have him .

’They beat

me nearly to death . One of the old men came and said‘ How long wi l l you go on heat ing the strange monk ?The man who served me was following behind me withshame

,for they were insulting him much and saying

,Look

at this anchorite whose part you took what has he done ? ’

The girl’s parents said, ‘We shal l not let him off t ill hegives us a surety for her maintenance ’

; and I told myhelper

,and he became surety for me . When I got to my

cell,I gave him all the baskets I had, saying, Sell them,

and give my wife to eat . ’ And I said to my mind,Maca

rius,see

,thou hast found thyself a wife ; thou must work

a bit harder to support her ’ and I worked night and day,

and gave it her.” When the time came for the birth of thechild, the girl con fessed that She had been lying

,and

wanted all the village to go to him to make amends . And

when I heard that, not to be troubled with the men , I aroseand fled into the Scet is here . That was the original causeof my coming hither.”

Another anecdote relates that Macar ius one day camefrom Scetis to the N itrian hills

,to attend the celebration of

the eucharist by the abbot Pambo “ And the old mansaid , Speak a word to the brethren

,father . ’ He answered

,

‘ I have not yet become a monk,though I have seen

monks . Once as I was s itt ing in my cel l at Sce tis,my

thoughts troubled me, saying, Go into the desert, and seewhat you shall see there . I stayed fighting with the thought

INTRODUCTION x i

five years , saying, Perhaps it comes from demons . Butwhen the thought persisted

,I went into the desert, and

found there a lake of water,and an island in the middle of

it ; and the beasts of the desert came to drink of i t ; andamong them I saw two naked men ; and my body wasafraid , for I thought they were spirits . But when they sawme afraid

,they spoke to me : Fear not ; we too are men .

And I said to them ,Whence are ye

,and how Came ye into

this desert ? And they said, We belong to a convent , andwe made an agreement and came out hither, now fortyyears ago . One of us i s an Egyptian , the other a Libyan .

And they asked me,saying

,How is the world ? and does the

water [of the N i le] come in its season , and has the worldits plenty ? I said , Yes ; and I asked them,

How can Ibecome a monk ? and I said to them ,

I am weak,and can

not do like you . And they said to me, And if you cannotdo like us

,sit in your cell and weep for your S ins . And I

asked them,When winter comes

,are ye not cold ? and

when the hot weather comes,are not your bodies burned ?

But they said,I t was God who made this ord inance for us,

and we are neither cold in winter,nor does the heat in

summer hurt us . So,as I said

,I have not yet become a

monk, but I have seen monks . Forgive me, brethren .

’

Some of the fathers once asked the abbot Macarius theEgyptian, ‘How is it that whether you eat or whether youfast, your body is dry ? ’

The aged man answered, ‘The

stick which pokes the faggots in the fire gets eaten throughout with the fire ; so, i f a man cleanses his mind with thefear of God , the fear of God i tself eats up his body.

’

They said that the abbot Macarius the Egyptian,going

up from Scetis with a load of baskets , was so tired that hesat down and prayed , saying, ‘ O God , Thou knowest thatI cannot ’ and immediately he was found at the river .

“ I t i s said that two brethren at Scet is went wrong, andthe abbot Macarius the

’

Ci ty Man the A lexandrian]

x i i INTRODUCTION

expelled them . Certain men came and told the great abbot ,Macarius the Egyptian . He said, ‘They are not expelled ;i t is Macarius that is expelled .

’ For he loved him . The

abbot Macarius heard that he had been expelled by the oldman

, and fled to the marsh . So the great abbot Macarius

went out,and found him bi tten by the mosquitoes , and

said to him,

‘Thou didst expel the brethren, and they hadto retire to the village . I expelled thee , and thou fleddest

hither l ike a pretty maiden to her chamber . I called thebrethren

,and enquired of them

,and they assured me that

they had not done the thing . Take heed, brother, thatthou be not mocked of devils ; for thou sawest nothing .

DO penance for thy fault . ’ He answered, ‘ I f thou wilt,give me a penance .

’The old man

, seeing his humility ,said

,

‘ Go, and fast for three weeks , eating once a week ,’

knowing that this was his constant practice, to fast all theweek days .”

A brother once met abbot Macarius the Egyptian, andsaid to him

,

‘Abba, say Something to me that I may be

saved .

’The old man said, Go to the burying-ground and

revile the dead .

’The brother went, and reviled them ,

andthrew stones at them

,and came and reported to the old

man . He said to him,

‘D id they not answer thee ? ’ Hesaid

,

‘No .

’The old man said, ‘ Go again to morrow and

praise them .

’So the brother went, and praised them ,

calling them apostles , and saints , and righteous men , and cameto the old man

,and said, I praised them .

’And he said

to him ,Did they make no answer ? ’

The brother said,

No .

’The old man said, ‘Thou knowest how much thou

didst insult them , and they answered nothing, and howmuch thou didst praise them ,

and they spake nothing tothee . I f thou wouldest be saved

,become thou dead l ike

them . Reck nothing of the wrongs done by men , nor oftheir praise, any more than the dead do and thou mayes tbe saved.

’

INTRODUCTION x i i i

Once as the abbot Macarius was passing through Egyptwith some brethren , he heard a child say to his mother,Amma

,a rich man loves me

,and I hate him and a poor

man hates me,and I love him .

’The abbot Macarius won

dered when he heard it . The brethren said to him,What

was there to wonder at in the saying,father ? ’

The old

man said to them,

‘Truly, our Lord is rich and loves us ,

and we will not: listen to Him but our enemy the devil ispoor and hates us

,and we love his uncleanness .

“ Once upon a time,the abbot Macarius visited the abbot

Antony,and after conversing with him returned to Scetis.

The fathers came out to meet him, a nd as they talked , theold man said to them

,I told the abbot Antony that we

have no offering [of the eucharist] in our place .’And the

fathers began to talk of other things, and did not enquireof the old man what he had answered ; and the old mandid not tell them . One of the fathers has said that whenfathers see that the brethren do not ask them questionsabout a thing that would do them good

,they vcon strain

themselves to begin the subject, but i f the brethren thendo not constrain them [to continue] , they say no more, thatthey may not be found like those Who speak when no oneasks them , and the conversation is only froth .

The abbot V i timius related that the abbot said Once,

as I sat at Scet is, two young strangers came down there .One had a beard, the other the beginnings of a beard .

They came to me,saying, ‘Where is the cell of abbot

Macarius ?’And I said, ‘What do you want with him ? ’

They said , ‘We have heard of him and of Scet is, and wecame to see him .

’ I said,

‘ I am he . ’ And they beggedpardon, saying, ‘We w ish to stay here .

’

Seeing that theylooked delicately nurtured , and as if they came from ahome of wealth , I said to them ,

‘You cannot settle here . ’

The elder of them said , ‘ I f we cannot settle here,we must

go elsewhere . ’ I said to my own thoughts, Why should I

x iv INTRODUCTION

persecute them and be a cause of offence to them ? The

difficulties will soon make them run away of themselves . ’

And I said to them ,

‘ Come, make yourselves a cell , if youcan .

’They said, ‘ Show us a place, and we will make one .

’

The old man gave them a hatchet, and a wrap ful l of bread,and some salt

,and showed them a hard piece of rock ,

saying,

‘

Quarry here, and fetch yourselves wood from themarsh

,and make a thatch

,and settle . ’ I thought to myself,

he said,that they would take themselves off because of the

labour . But they asked me,what they Should work at

here . I said,

‘Plaiting,

’ and I took palm leaves from themarsh

,and showed them how to start a plait

,and how to

sew them up, and said , Make your baskets , and give themto the guards

,and they wil l bring you bread .

’Then I went

away . But they patiently did all that I had told them , andthey never came to me for three years . And I remainedwrestling with my thoughts

,saying , How then are they

getting on with their business,that they have not come to

ask advice ? Those from afar come to me,but these who

are near have never come . Nor did they go to others .They only went to church , in silence, to receive the offering .

And I prayed to God , with a week of fasting, to show me theirbusiness ; and after the week I arose and went to them ,

tosee how they were S i tuated . When I knocked

,they opened

,

and greeted me in silence, and I said a prayer and sat down .

A nd the elder beckoned to the younger to go out,and sat

down to weave his plait without saying a word .

i

And at thehour of none he knocked

,and the younger came

,and

made a little gruel , and at a sign from the elder he set atable, and put on it three biscuits, and stood in S ilence .

Then I said, R ise, let us eat ’ and we stood and ate andhe brought the water-bowl , and we drank . When eveningcame, they said to me, ‘Art thou going ? ’ I said

,

‘No,I

will sleep here . ’ And they laid me a mat by myself apart,

and another for themselves in a corner,and they took off

INTRODUCTION xv

their girdles,and their wrappers

,and laid themselves down

together on their mat before me . When they were laiddown

,I prayed to God to Show me their business and the

roof was opened , and it became as light as day, but theyd id not see the l ight . And when they thought that I wasasleep

,the elder touched the younger one on the s ide, and

they got up, and girded themselves, and stretched their handstowards heaven . And I saw them ,

without their seeing me .

And I beheld the devils coming at the younger one likefl ies : some attempted to settle on his mouth , and some onhis eyes ; and I beheld an angel Of the Lord holding asword of fire, and making a rampart round him ,

and drivingoff the devils . They could not get near the elder. Aboutdaybreak they lay 'down , and I made as though I awoke,and they likewise . The elder said to me this and no more

,

Wouldest thou that we should say the twelve psalms ? ’ Isaid , ‘Yes . ’ And the younger sang five psalms of six versesand an Alleluia, and at each verse a torch of fire came outof his mouth and went up to heaven . Likewise when t heelder opened his mouth to s ing

,there came out like a cable

of fire and reached to heaven . I also repeated a little byheart and as I went out I said

,

‘ Pray for me . ’ They bowedto me in s ilence . So I knew that the elder one was perfect

,

but that the enemy was still warring with the younger . A

few days later, the elder brother fel l asleep ; and on thethird day after, the younger ; and when some of the fathersvi sited the abbot Macarius, he took them to their cell, saying,Come, see the mar ty rdom 1 of the l ittle strangers . ’

“The abbot Paphnutius, the disciple of the abbot Ma

carius, related that the old man said , ‘When I was a boy,I

was tending calves with the other boys,and they went to

steal figs ; and as they ran, one of the figs dropped,and I

picked it up and ate it and when I remember it, I sit and

1 The name for a chapel bui lt ove r the rel ics of a martyr or other saint .

INTRODUCTION

They related of abbot Macarius the Egyptian , that oneday he was going up from Scet is to the N itrian hills , andwhen he drew near the place

,he said to his disciple, Go a

little in front . ’ And as he walked in front, he met a certainheathen priest

,and the brother called out to him, crying,

‘Aha, devil, Where art thou running ?’The man turned,

and beat him well,and left him half killed , and took up his

stick and ran . When he got a little further, the abbotMacarius met him

,and said to him

,

‘ Salvation to thee,weary one .

’Surprised at this , the man came to him and

said, What good sawest thou in me, that thou d idst accostme ? ’

The old man said to him,

‘ Because I saw theetired

,and thou knowest not that thy labour i s in vain .

’

The

other said to him,

‘And I was touched by thy salutation,

and saw that thou art on God ’s side ; but another bad monkmet me and insulted me

,and I beat him to death .

’And the

Old man knew that it was his disciple . Then the priestseiz ed him by the feet and said

,

‘ I will not leave thee tillthou makest a monk of me . ’ Then they went up to wherethe monk was

,and they carried him

,and brought him into

the church of the hill . And when they saw the priest withhim , they were astonished ; and they made him a monk,and many of the heathens became Christians because ofhim . Therefore the abbot Macarius said that a bad wordmakes even good people had , but a good word turns badpeople into good .

2 . H IS WR IT INGSSuch was the man . I t was hardly to be expected that he .

would prove to be a great writer . Neither Evagrius norPalladius makes mention of

[ any literary work of his . Gen

nad ius, who about a hundred years later composed a littlebook of biographical notices of Christian authors , kn ew ofon ly one epistle ” of Macarius

,addressed “ to younger

men of his profession,in which he taught that by

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

xviii INTRODUCTION

himself wrote the Homilies down in their present form .

That they represent addresses actually delivered appearsclearly . Passages from the Apophthegmata above quotedshow that Macarius was often invited to “

speak a word ,to “ say something

,

” to monks whom he vis ited . TheseHomilies are for the most part such as might well havebeen delivered on occasions of the kind . The fervourand directness of the appeal in most of them does notsuggest composition in the cell, with no concrete hearers inview . And many of them consist largely in questions andanswers . The questions are often only remotely connectedwith the subject with which the Homily begins . I t appearsas if the enquirer had long been bursting w ith his question ,and seiz ed the opportunity of the great teacher’s visit,irrespective of the matter in hand . Some disciple skilled inshorthand has taken notes of what passed, and thrown theminto the form of a “ Homily

,

” which means,strictly

,a

conversation . Yet, on the other hand, the last of the fiftyHomilies concludes by describing either that Homily itself orthe whole collection as being of the nature of an “ epistle

,

”

addressed to a body of well-disposed readers .1 In the Bodle ian MS .

, as a kind of ti tle to the collection , occur the words“ First Epistle of our holy father Macarius the Egyptian tothe Abbot Symeon of Mesopotamia of Syria,” and the sevenadditional Homilies, first printed by Mr. Marriott in 1 9 1 8 ,

are prefaced in that MS . and in its daughter a t Holkhamby the words , “ A Second Epistle of the same divine monkour father Macarius to the Abbot Symeon

,the ascetic of

Mesopotamia of Syria,and to the rest of the brethren that

are with him .

” I t has even been contended that the fiftyHomilies are the “ one epistle of which Gennad ius knew .

As the “ second epistle undoubtedly contains matterbelonging to a date later than the death of Macarius

,i t

might have been conjectured that both collections were putA A I A1 g s urr e IAa I 7 p BLaOca a 7 7's I

'

zjue'

r e'

pas eiAmpw eIas o

INTRODUCTION x ix

together in the fifth century by a d isciple of the great abbot,and sent

,with an interval of t ime between them , to the

Syrian ascetic . But the first Homily of the second collection begins in proper letter form

,

“ Macarius to thebeloved and like-minded brethren in the Lord . Peace bemultipl ied unto you exceeding abundantly from the Lord,

”

etc . Macarius must therefore himself have sent the Collections in some form or other to his correspondents . 1 Howthe later matter got into the second collection n eed notconcern us at present . The fifty Homilies contain no suchperplexing element . They are homogeneous in form ,

thought, and style, and there appears to be nothing inthem inconsistent with their attribution to the greatEgyptian . At the same time

,i t is possible that some Of

the prolixit ies and unnecessary repetitions Which occasionally mar the artis tic effect of the Homilies may be due tothe hand of Symeon Metaphrastes, or whoever i t was thatinserted into his collection the fourth of the seven newHomilies . 2 Perhaps it was the same hand which threwthe material which he found into the form of the presentfifty . Some of the fifty are so long that they could hardlyhave been delivered as they stand

,while others are so short

as to appear to be fragments . Some have so little internalcohesion that they might well have been made up of disj ointed pieces , or be the result of a success ion of questions

‘

which are not recorded in the MSS . as we now have them .

The headings of the Homilies may be the work of the sameeditor. But in spite of these defects of form the Homiliesas a whole bear the stamp of individuality

,and proceed

from a master mind .

1 Homi lies XV I I I and X IX answ e r well to Gennad ius ’s descri ption ofthe con ten ts of his one epist le .

”

2J . S t Iglmayr, in the S l immer: aus Mar z

'

a -L aaclr,19 1 1 , endeavours

to make out a series o f in terpolat ion s by some one acquainted wi th theMe of the Byzant i ne Court .

xx INTRODUCTION

3 . H IS TEACH ING

The Homilies are well described as spiritual Homilies .That is their purpose and their character. They are notdogmatic ; they are not controversial ; they are not expository ; they are not concerned with the politics or theexpansion of the church ; they have little to say about theChristian ’s duty to his fellow-men . There is a strangealoofness about them . The struggles of the N icen e faithagainst Arianism,

the last struggle of Paganism againstChristianity under Jul ian , the Meletian schism which rentthe church of Egypt in twain, wake no echo in them .

They have but one object, to help to bring individual soulsto God in perfect self-subdual and absolute devotion .

The persons to whom they are addressed are all monksMacarius can , indeed, contemplate the possibil ity of peoplein the world being saved . Saints of God, he says, maybe found sitting in the theatres , apparently looking on atthe performance, while their hearts are holding intercoursewith God (xv. 8 , cp . XXIX . I t i s part of Christianperfection to pass no judgment upon those who remain inthe world

,not even upon those whose l ives are notoriously

bad (XV I I I . 8 , cp . XLI I . But to Macarius and thoseto whom he speaks i t is the obvious and only natural’ thing

,

that when a man hears the word of God , he should forsakethe world as they themselves had done, and - withdraw tothe Wilderness . The call of the Gospel can scarcely takeany other form (x 1. 6 Christian and monk are almostconvertible terms (xxxvm . For a system of socialethics a man must go to some other teacher than Macarius .

God and the soul, the soul and God— this is his top ic.

Even about God Macarius does not give much directteaching .

_

He rather assumes that his hearers know thetruth, and only need to apply it . “ God i s infinite and incomprehensible (XV I . and is therefore even “ in ” hell

,

INTRODUCTION xx i

in Satan : to exclude Him would be to limit Him .

Macarius labours to explain , when questioned, how this canbe . His doctrine of the relation between the D ivinePersons is wholly that of Athanasius, though it is impliedrather than taught . Once the great key-word is used

,in

passing,in an ascription : “ G lory to the consubstantial

Trinity for ever (XV I I . That the Son i s all that thisword implies is seen from the way in which Macarius passesfrom the one Person to the other, so that sometimes i t i snot easy to say at once which he is speaking of. He dwellswith delight Upon the Incarnation , which brought Godwithin man’s reach .

“ The infinite,inaccessible

,uncreated

God,through His infinite and inconceivable kindness

,em

bodied Himself, and , i f I may say so, diminished Himselffrom His inaccessible glory, to make it possible for Him tobe united wi th His visible creatures (Iv. 9 I t wasthe outcome Of a charity and a compassion which extendsto all mankind . The Lord wills to beget all men anew ofthe seed of His Godhead, and is grieved if they will notcome to the new birth, after all that He suffered for them(xxx . 2

“ God and the holy angels are in tears oversuch souls (I I I ) . The mode of the Incarnation was full ofsignificance “ instead of bringing with Him a body fromheaven

,the Lord made a new thing from the Ever-V irgin

Mary,and put this on In it He endured unlimited

humiliation : “ the Lord Himself,who is the Way, and is

God, when He came for thy sake, not for His own seeto what humiliation He came . When they spat in Hisface, and put on Him the crown of thorns God forthy sake humbled Himself ” (XXV I . 2 5 His manhoodwas no fiction . I f at one time Macarius seems to attributeChrist’s overthrow of Satan to His divine immunity to evi l(XXV I . at another he takes a deeper view : as theserpent overcame Adam by pride and self-esteem

,so Christ

took upon Him the form of a servant and conquered the

xxn INTRODUCTION

devil by humility (XXV I I . Macarius makes no attemptto formulate a doctrine of the A tonement . I t i s enough forhim that Christ’s death is a conquest of death, becausedeath had no claim upon Him, as it has upon us (XI . 1 0)that we are saved by it like the bird in the Law which wasdipped in the blood of its fellow (XLV I I . or the Israeli teswhose houses were sealed by the blood of the Passover(XLV I I . There i s no salvation except in Christ . Thisis everywhere the doctrine of Macarius : with true evangelical fervour he returns again and again to the cry,Behold the Lamb of God , which taketh away the sin ofthe world ”

(ag . XXV I I I . Yet it is not to what Christonce did for us that Macarius most characteristically turns

,

but to what He Is, to what He is now . He exhausts thepower of language to set this forth “Himself in thee madeall things — Paradise, Tree of Life , pearl , crown , builder,husbandman

,sufferer, incapable of suffering, man , God ,

wine and living water, lamb, bridegroom ,warrior

,armour

,

Christ all in all ” (XXXI . His teaching of the personand work of the Spiri t i s rich and abundant, but presents nonovelty. Once there appears a trace of the primitive (butnot scriptural) iden tification of the Holy Spirit with the asyet nOt incarnate Word (XI I . 6 Frequently

,like the

New Testament itself, Macarius passes from the action ofthe Spirit to that of Christ, or from the action of Christ tothat of the Spirit, without noting the transition . I t i s notthat he i s unaware of the difference ; but for the momentthe mode of the divine operation does not concern him .

What the Spirit does , God does.The aloofness of these Homilies extends even to thechurch -and its ord inances . Not that Macarius despisesthem . In one place he speaks of Peter as having suc

ceeded Moses and Aaron— and Caiaphas — as trustee ofChrist’s new church and the true priesthood but i t i s in

order‘

to show that even such an one , so long as he i s in the

INTRODUCTION xx ii i

flesh,has reason to fear lest he should fail (XXV I .

Once he refers to resorting “ to the place of prayer buti t is to insist that the Christian ought to “ have the remembrance of God ” qu ite as much with him when walking, oreating, or talking (XLI I I . That he valued the receptionof the holy eucharist is certain from the story toldby Palladins of the woman who had laid herself open tobewitchmen t by going for five weeks without i t (p . vii) .When asked to explain what it was that eye had not seen ,nor ear heard

,t ill Christian ity came, he answers among

other things that the Old Testament saints never knew“ that in the church bread and wine should be offered , thesymbol of [the Redeemer

’s] flesh and blood, and thatthose who partake of the visible bread eat spiritually theflesh of the Lord (XXV I I . But there is nothing inthese Homi lies like the wonderful Fourth Book of theImz

’

ta tz'

o In general, when Macarius speaks o f

Christ as the bread of life,the reference is mystical , not

sacramental . “ The Lord,

” he says,

“ embodies Himselfeven in meat and drink ” but He makes Himself “ meatfor the refreshment of the faithful in the same sense as Hebecomes a well of water springing up within them (Iv.

Baptism , l ike the eucharist, is one of the pecul iar gloriesof Christianity ; but i t is the “ baptism of fire and of theHoly Ghost (XXV I I . of which the sacramen t ofbaptism — no doubt through the faul t of the recipien tsOften falls deplorably short . Here is the appeal to facts . “ I fyou say that after baptism evil i s no more at liberty toargue in the heart

,do you not know that from the advent

of the Lord to this day all that have been baptiz ed havehad bad thoughts at t imes ? All the worldly peopledwelling within the pale of the church, are their heartsSpotless and pure ? (XV . The seal , the unction ,which form a part of the initiatory sacrament of the church

,

are repre sen ted in these Homilies on ly by their spiritual

xx iv INTRODUCTION

counterparts . We must seek “ to have the brand and sealof the Lord upon us (XI I . I 3 ) . I f the anointing oilunder the Old Testament made men kings, how muchmore profit i s there in the only unction for which Macarius

seems to care,the unction of the inner man with the Holy

Ghost the Comforter (XV I I . 1,ep . xv. I t has been

well pointed out by a modern teacher of the religion Of

experience that S t . Paul nowhere appeals “ to the manalready in Christ to seek the baptism Of the Spirit .” 1 Butthi s is what Macarius does again and again . To find thenew birth

,to become a Christian, to be made a child of

God , to receive the gift of the Spirit , this i s the obj ect ofevery effort . I t is not the equipment with which a manunder the gospel starts on his career towards perfection ;i t i s the crowning grace which perfects him after he haspassed faithfully through a thousand temptations and yearsof self-mastery (e. g . 1x . 1 0 , 1 3 XI . to be sought byincessant prayer .In a life such as Macarius contemplates , Holy Scripturenaturally occupies an important place . He is not himselfone of the great interpreters of Scripture

,but he has a wide

range of acquaintance with it . “ Reading ” i s one of thenormal occupations of those whom he addresses ; i t i s ofcourse the reading of the Bible (I I I . I , 2 ; cp . XXIX .

The Bible i s given us by God , as a king may send a letter toinform his subjects of privileges to be had on application .

I t i s ill for those who know the offer and will not availthemselves of it (XXXIX . Macarius uses the promiseswith all the literal earnestness of a Bunyan or a JohnNewton . When Satan seeks to depress us by remindingus of our sins , we are to answer, I have the testimonies ofthe Lord in writing, that say, I desire not the death of thesinner ” (XI . B ut the true Christian will not rest hisassurance only upon the written word

,but will seek the im

1 Moule, Vem’

Cr ea tor, p . 2 22 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

xx vi INTRODUCTION

XXV I . I,XLV . The worth of the soul can only be

measured by the price which God was prepared to pay forit (xv . 43 I t i s akin to God , though with a follywhich the animals do not share i t does not recogn i se itskindred (XLV . 5, Its “ subtilty ” i s so great that earthlywisdom fails to comprehend it (XLIX . I t i s capable ofinfinite distention under the power of the Spiri t (XLV I .Even without the help of grace, i t moves at large throughoutall creation

,annihilating space in its fleetness and n imble ~

ness (XLV I . 4 ; cp . XI I . This bel ief must be borne inmind when we find Macar ius elsewhere asserting that souls,like the angels

,or the devils

,have a “ body ” of their own .

(Iv. 9 cp . V I I . I t is his way of asserting that each hasits special characterist ics

,l imitations, and idiosyncrasies ,

which give i t a kind of outline,and , in the case -of man ,

prescribe also the bodily configuration .

For soul is form, and doth the body make .

From the current psychology of the schools Macarius

borrows the word which describes the intel ligence as theguiding or ruling principle of the soul (fiyep omxév XXV . 3

cp . XL . But he has hardly made the definit ion his own .

He loves rather to dwell upon the complexity of man ’sinner constitution .

“ The soul has many members,in telli

gence, conscience, will , thoughts accusing and excusing ;but all these are dependent upon one factor (s is E

'

va Acyc

W ay”This “ factor ” i s what we should call the person

ality, or ego. Macarius call s it the soul . They aremembers of the soul , and the soul is one, the inward man(V I I . the mind is “ the eye of the soul ” (fold) . E lsewhere Macarius gives a different enumeration . The soul srul ing, or “ more kingly

,

” factors “ are the w ill , theconscience, the intelligence, and the facul ty of love ” (I .Elsewhere again he speaks of “ the five rational (orspiritual) senses of the soul, corresponding to the physical

INTRODUCTION XXV I I

senses of the body (IV. bu t without speci fying them .

1

In one place he seems to make conscience the supremegoverning power of the soul ; or perhaps he identifies itwith the intelligence when the intelligence i s brought tobear upon the moral aspects of conduct . The heart has acaptain in the intelligence, the conscience which is everjudging us . I t i s the intelligence and conscience thatchides and guides the heart

,and call s from

.

sleep thenatural faculties . For the soul has many members ,though it i s but one (XV . 33 , Macarius never tiresof impressing this unity of the soul in its multipl icityof “ members (e g. XV . 7, XLI . I , L .Such is the constitution of the soul but as things are, iti s all plunged into disorder. No one has ever taken moreseriously the doctrine of the Fall than Macarius does . I twould be scarcely an exaggeration to say that there is somereference to i t on every page . To

“ the transgression ofthe commandment ” all our disasters and our d i fficultiesare traced . I t has vitiated our moral nature .

“ One

thing foreign to our nature,the d isaster of the passion s , we

have received into ourselves through the first man ’s disobed ience

,and it has taken its place as almost a part of

our nature by long custom and propensity (Iv.

“ Fromthe time that Adam transgressed the commandment theserpent entered in and made h imself master of the house,and became like a second soul beside the soul (xv.

Through man,the m ischief penetrated to all creation .

When the evil word came to Adam he first receivedi t by the outward hearing

,then it penetrated through his

heart, and took possession of all his being. When he wasthus seiz ed, creation , which served him and ministered tohim , was seiz ed with him . Through him , death reignedover every soul

,and defaced every image of Adam ”

(XI .1 Possibly the fifth w as memory but Macarius does not often speak

of the function ofmemory .

xxviii INTRODUCTION

The taint has become hereditary . Macarius knows of somewho say that evil is not born and bred in man ”

(XV .

but they are mistaken We all fare his sons of that darkrace the malady from which he suffered, we all whoare of Adam ’s seed suffer from the same ”

(XXX. 8 , cp .

XXIV . I t rendered man liable to bodily disease(XLV I I I . I ts primary effect upon the soul

,from which

all flows,is to “ darken it. By this Macarius mean s that

the Fall has dulled all man’s perceptions , especially withregard to moral truth . Man has so lost this perceptionas to be unconscious of the loss . “ The world that yousee round you, from the king to the beggar, are all inconfusion and disorder and battle

,and none of them knows

the reason , or that it is the manifestation of the evil whichcrept in through Adam ’s disobedience

,the sting of death .

The s in that crept in works upon the inner manwithout being detected . Men are not aware that they aredoing these things at the instigation of a foreign force .

They think it all to be natural,and that they do these

things of their own determination,while [Christians] know

very well the source of these movements . The world i ssubject to the lust of evil

,and knows i t not (XV. 48

Macarius does not admit that the'

evil which has invaded us

' i s actually a substantive thing (e’

vmréa r ar ov)those who so affirm know nothing.

“To God there is no

substantive evil but in us i t works with full force andmakes itself felt, suggesting all foul concupiscence ” (XV I .It i s “ a kind of invisible power of Satan

,and a reality

(ofxn’

a ) (XV. 49) “ To us evil i s a real thing, because i tdwells and works in the heart

,suggesting wicked and

defiling thoughts, and n ot al lowing us to pray purely,but

bringing our mind into capt ivity to this world . I t hasclothed itself w ith our souls

,

1 and touched even our bonesand members ” (XV I . I t i s like a kind of evil leaven

1 For this metaphor of clo th ing, cp . I I . I If .

INTRODUCTION

which has grown and increased with the increase of therace to such an extent that they have come to think thatthere is no God , and to worship inanimate sto nes, and tobe unable so much as to take in the notion of a God

(XXIV .

The case was desperate ; but Macarius says that not al lwas lost . That could not be, so long as man “ l ives, anddiscerns

,and has the power of ‘will ” (XXV I . The

contest which gathers ,round the names of Augustine and

Pelagius had not begun ; but Macar ius had already heardof some who went too far in their depreciation of fallennature . “ I t i s not as some say

,who are led astray by

wrong teachings,that man is dead once for all, and cannot

accomplish anything good whatever ” (XLV I . WhatMacarius thought that man could stil l do we shall seepresently but meanwhile the utmost that he could do couldnot avail to restore or save him . No evangelical Christianof modern times can be more emphatic on the point thanhe “ Only the appearing of Christ i s able to cleanse souland body (XLV .

“ I f thou hadst been able to do it ,what need was there of the coming of the Lord ? As theeye cannot see without light, as a man cannot speak withouta tongue, or hear without ears so he cannot be savedwithout Jesus , nor enter into the kingdom of heaven (I I I .

“ I f any one takes his stand upon his own righteousn ess and redemption

,not looking for the righteousness of

God , which is the Lord (as the apostle says,‘Who i s made

to us righteousness and redemption ’

) he labours in vainand to no purpose . All the dream of a righteousness ofhis own i s at the last day manifested as nothing but fi l thyrags ” (XX. Man

“ was so sore wounded that nonecould cure him

,but the Lord only ” (are.

“Mosescame , but he could not bes tow a complete cure . Everyrighteousness of the soul [under the law] was unavailingto heal man , until the Saviour came, the true Physician ,

XXX INTRODUCTION

who cures without cost,who gave Himself a ransom for

mankind ”

(fold . 6 cp . XXX .

What , then , i s man’s part in ‘ the work

,and what, besides

the cost of the Incarnation and the Sacrifice, i s God’s ?

Where does grace come in,and where the will of man ?

I t must be remembered that the aim of Macarius i ss trictly practical

,that he is not setting forth a scheme of

Christian doctrine , but appealing to companies of menwhose temptation is to think that they have done all that isrequired of them in renouncing the world, and to becomeindolent and secure . This may he a reason why he doesnot make much of the ideas of predestination and election and vocation

,and of the initial grace which starts the

Christian on his distinguishing career . Such thoughts leadnaturally to complacency . His View is that all men wouldlike to be good (XV I I . though they will not take thetrouble to become so . Mere wishing will not do it . A manmay wish to fly

,but he cannot So the will is present

with a man to be pure and blameless and without spot ;but he has not the power ( I I . Some men, indeed,are bad because they choose to be bad but others are badin spite of themselves . They fight against it and resentit, but do not succeed in overcoming it . “ These are farnobler and more honourable in God ’s eyes than the other(XXV I I . and no doubt receive a better lot hereafter froma righteous Judge

,whose awards in heaven and hell admit

of infinite gradations (XL. 3 Even among those whohear the call of the gospel

,not all respond to it . “ If

merely hearing made a man to belong without more ado tothe good, then all the theatre-people and the whoremongerswill go into the kingdom and the li fe ” (XXV I I . The

call, then , goes out universally, but only particular soulsbenefi t by i t, namely those who choose to accept it .The freedom of the will i s a main article in the creed of

Macarius. Nothing takes i t away . God Himself respects

INTRODUCTION Xxx i

i t . He will do nothing to force it . The apostles wouldhave been glad to heal all the sick in the places that theycame to ; but they were not allowed, for i f they had doneso

,faith would have been extorted from everybody . “Men

and their free will would have been planted in God’s serviceby compulsory force ” (XXV I . I f Christians did notd ie , l ike others, “ the whole world would come over by akind of compulsion

,not by a voluntary decision .

”P rovi

dence orders things thus,

“ that the freedom of will whichGod gave man at the beginning might abide (XV . 39

I f it were possible to succeed without effort, Christianity

would no longer be a stone of stumbling and a rock ofoffence . There would be no faith and unbelief. You wouldmake man a creature of necessity,” l ike the sun and theearth

,for which there can be no praise or blame

,reward or

punishment (XXV I I . 2 1,cp . XV . From the outset to

the finish,all depends upon man ’s free will .

Macarius accordingly represents God as waiting uponthe movement of man ’s w il l. God and the devil bothdes ire to gain him .

“ The soul is in the middle betweenthe two subsistences

,and to whichever s ide the will of the

soul inclines,of that side it becomes a possession and a

son (XXV I . I t i s l ike a babe on the floor, whichcannot get up and go to its mother, but has j ust the powerto roll towards her and cry to her

,and when God sees that

movement of the soul, He comes to it and takes it up

(XLV I . Man cannot do a great deal,but what he can

do, he must. I t i s not possible or within a man’s competence to root out sin by his own power

, [but] to wrestleagainst it, to fight against it

,to give and receive blows , i s

thine ; to uproot is God’s ” (I I I . 4 , cp . XXV I I . “ That

the war comes upon you is not your doing ; but to hateit i s ; and then the Lord, seeing your mind, that you arestriving parts death from your “Whatis man ’s working ? To renounce, to go out of the world,

XXXII INTRODUCTION

to pray when i t i s hard, to be on the watch, to love Godand the brethren— thi s i s his own doing,” though he needsmuch in addition (told ,

1 9 , cp . XLV I . God thereforemeets man ’s natural efforts with a corresponding grace.“ The things which you do yourself are all very well , andacceptable to God, but they are not quite pure . Forin stance

,you love God , but not perfectly . The Lord

comes and gives a love which is unchangeable, the heavenlylove . You pray in the natural manner, with wandering anddoubt . God gives you the pure prayer, in spirit and intruth (XXV I . “ The man to whom He gives helpi s the one who turns away from material pleasures and fromhis former habits

,who drags his mind at al l t imes to the

Lord,whether i t will or no , who denies himself, and seeks

the Lord only . This is the man whom He keeps underHis care ” (Iv . Again and again Macarius speaks o fhelp coming “ when the Lord sees ” that the soul i s inearnest

,but He holds His hand t ill then;

I f it should seem that too much is thus left for man todo

,Macarius answers that nothing is required of him but

what lies within his power. He often uses the expressionthat man is a “ match ” for the power opposed to him .

“ The mind, as I have said many times, i s an even matchfor it, and possesses a power that is well balanced againsts in , to withstand and repel its suggestions . I f you say thatthe Opposing power is too strong, and that evil has complete . sovereignty over man

,you make God unrighteous

,

when He condemns man for submitting to Satan .

‘ I ti s as though a young man should wrestle with a little child

,

and the child , when he is worsted, i s condemned for gettingworsted . This i s a great injustice. ’ I tell you that thehuman mind is a good match for the enemy

,and evenly

balanced against him ; and a soul of that kind, when itseeks , finds help and succour, and redemption is vouchsafedto it . The con test and struggle is not an unequal one

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

INTRODUCTION

grace permits even perfect spiri tual persons to have theuse of their Will, and power to do what they choose, andto turn in which direction they like . And human nature,which i s weak

,has power to turn

,even when good i s present

with i t ” (XXV I I . 9 He tells many warning tales ofmen who had received high measures of grace , and fallenaway .

The purpose of thi s continual warfare is, of course, totest the sincerity and steadfastness of man ’s will . Thisthought recurs continually

,and hardly needs illustration .

“ Man’s resolution in combat and stri fe, and his genuineworth

,and his goodwill towards God , are then shown when

grace w ithdraws and he will still be brave and cry to God ”

(XV I . So Macarius interprets the story of Job.

“ So

i t is still with those who endure affl ictions and temptationsSatan is ashamed and sorry, because he has got nothingby it . The Lord begins to reason with him :

‘B ehold I

suffered thee to tempt him . Wast thou able to do anything ? (XXV I . I t seems to be God ’s way to givethe minimum of grace that will be effective . This is partlyto check spiritual pride .

“ The Lord knows the man ’sweakness, that he i s easily lifted up . Therefore He withdraws

,and permits the man to be exercised and put to

trouble ” (XXV I I . But i t has a more general purpose .In order that your free will and your liberty may be tested

,

which way it incl ines , grace makes way for s in ”

(th at ,“ G race purposely withdraws, for the man’s good, and heenters into training , and [eventually] becomes a Christian(XXV I I . To some, “ even when they have withdrawnfrom the world , — and pass their time in much perseverancein prayer and fasting God does not immediately grantthe grace and the refreshment and rejoicing of the Spirit,being patient with them

,

” in the sense of Luke xviii . 7,z'

. e.,being will ing to spend time over the business

,instead of

hurrying it on , and reserving the gift . This He does

INTRODUCTION xxxv

not idly,nor un seasonably, nor at random , but with un

speakable wisdom ,for the testing of their free will

,to see

whether they have counted God faithful and true whoprom ised (XXIX . 2 , cp . X LV I I .All this reserve on God ’s part, and laying so much uponthe will of man

,might seem to lead up to something like a

doctrine of human merit . Nothing could be further fromthe teaching of Macarius . All i s of God’s doing . Neverthink that you have been beforehand with the Lord in yourvirtue ; i t is He that worketh in you both to will and to do(XXXV I I . I s that not prevenient grace ? In a noblepassage Macarius speaks of the inconceivable minutenessof God , which goes into every particular to effect thesalvation of man . He arranges for the affl ictions whichmake a man think of giving up the world. Then He teacheshim that there is an inward renuntiation to be made

,

as well as the outward .

“ And when thou deemest thyselfto have done all by renouncing

,the Lord taketh account

with thee . ‘Why dost thou boast ? D id not I createthy body and thy soul ? D id not I make the gold andsilver ? What hast thou don e ? ’

The soul begins to makeconfession

,and to beseech the Lord and say

,

‘All thingsare Thine. The house I am in is Thine . My clothes are

Thine . From Thee is my food , and of Thee am I suppliedfor every need .

’

Then the Lord begins to reply,

‘ I thankthee . The goods are thine own . The goodwill i s thineown and because of thy love towards Me, s ince thou hastmade Me thy refuge

,come

,I will now give thee what

hitherto neither thou hast gained,nor do men have it upon

earth . Take Me , thy Lord, with thine own soul, that thoumayest ever be with Me in joy and gladness (XXXI I .Again

,

“ This is the part of man,that whether he fasts

,

or keeps watch,or prays

,or does some fine thing

,he should

ascribe all to the Lord and say,

‘ I f God had not enabledme, I could not have fasted , or prayed, or gone out of the

Xxxvi " INTRODUCTION

world .

’ In this way, God , seeing your intention , that youascribe to God the things that are yours , which you do ofyour own nature , bestows upon you in return the thingsthat are His

,the spiritual things

,the divine and heavenly

things ” (XXV I . Al though the language may not bequite that of S t . Augustine or of the Council of Orange,Macarius does not differ from them in meaning . The

Lord,he says

,

“ secretly helps ” the man in his striving(XXI . 5) “Whatever the soul may think fi t to do of i tself

,

whatever care and pains i t may take without the co

Operation of the Spirit i t i s of no use for the heavenlyplaces ” (XXIV. Indeed S t . Augustine ’s famous saying

,

Fae ouoa’

z'

uoes,i s almost verbally anticipated by Macarius

when he speaks of the man who comes at last to doing allthe commandments with ease, and then corrects himself,“ or rather

,the Lord in him does His own command

ments ” (XIX.

The result of this conception is a profound humility.The nearer a man approaches to perfection , the more heis conscious how ill he has corresponded to the divineinfluence

,and that whatever success may have been gained

is due to that influence,and not to himself. And the

humility thus formed combines with an ardent longing forbetter and better things . “ The soul that really loves Godand Christ esteems itself as having wrought nothing

,by

reason of its insatiable aspiration after God . Though i tshould exhaust the body with fastings

,with watchings

,its

attitude towards the virtues i s as if i t had not yet evenbegun to labour for them ”

(X .

“ Until a manmakes progress , he is not poor in spirit, but has someopinion of himself ; but grace itself teaches him tobe poor in spirit, which means that a man, being righteousand chosen of God , does not esteem himself to be anything, but holds his soul in abasement and disregard, as i fhe knew nothing and had nothing , though he knows and

INTRODUCTION XXXVI I

has (XI I . “ The sign of Chr is tianity i s th is tosay continually

,

‘ I t i s not mine ; another h as put thistreasure in my charg e . I am a poor man , and when Hepleases, He takes i t from me I am not fi t for this sunto shine upon me. ’ Thi s is the sign of Christianity, thishumility (xv. 3 7 ; cp . XXV I . 1 1

,XL I . “ Such an

one despises himself beyond all sinners,and holds this

notion implanted in him as if by nature,and the further he

advances in the knowledge of God,the more he considers

himself an ignoramus . I t i s grace which ministers thiseffect, and makes it l ike a part of nature in the soul

”

(XV I I . 1 2 ; cp . XXV I I . This was Christ’s way ofconquering the devil

,

“ and howsoever thou mayest'

be

humbled , thou wil t never do anything like thy Master”

(XXV I . The author of the P i lgr im’

s P rogress wasnot the first to teach that “ he that is down need fear nofall . Macarius had taught the safety of humili ty beforehim .

“ The humble never falls . Whence indeed could hefall, being lower than all ? A proud mind is a greathumiliation ; a humble mind is a great exaltation andhonour and dignity ” (X IX .

The Homilies contain some wonderful passages aboutthe measures of perfection

,

” which Macarius and hishearers were endeavouring to reach . The Eighth Homilyis given up to the subj ect . Macarius appears to be aboutto describe the various stages in the spiritual progress . Butif that was his intention he does not carry i t into effect .He leaves the “measures ” undefined

,but gives glimpses

of spiritual experience which surpass “measurement .” Yethe avows that he has never seen “ a perfect Christian, onecompletely free (V I I I . A daring disciple ventures to askMacarius in what “ measures ” he is himself. The replycan only be read with awe . There are other places

,how

ever , where Macarius defines the highest point as theattainment of “ charity or “ love . ” By it he mean s an

xxxviii INTRODUCTION

absolute and entire love of God for God’s own sake . I t i scharacteristic of him to regard it as a thing not of degreesor of progressive attainment

,but marking a positive and

well-ascertained position . Other gifts “ serve only as inducemen ts

” to attain it . “Those who are contented with

them are but children , though in the light . Many of thebrethren have come to such measures , and had gifts ofhealing and revelation and prophecy

,and because they did

not reach the perfect charity, wherein lies the bond of

perfectness,war came upon them and they fell . But

if any one reaches the perfect love,that man is from thence

forth fast bound,and is the captive of grace ” (XXV I . 1 6 ;

cp . XXV I I . As a bride is not satisfied with her bridegroom’s gifts

,but craves for the bridegroom himself

,

“ sothe soul receives as an earnest from the Spirit gifts ofhealings

,it may be, or of knowledge, or of revelation , but

it is not satisfied with these, until it attains the completeunion

,namely charity

,which can n ever change nor fail

,

and which sets those who have longed for i t free frompassion and from agitation (XLV .

Hard though it i s to attain these perfect measures,

Macarius will not let us be daunted by the difficulties . A

more encouraging teacher it would not be easy to find .

Every day a man should have the hope and the joy andthe expectation of the coming kingdom and deliverance

,

and to say,

‘ I f to day I have not been delivered,I shall

to-morrow.

’ I f a man does not keep before his eyesthe joy and the hope he cannot endure ” (XXV I .One great element of evangelical comfort is

,indeed , scarcely

mentioned by name in the Homilies— the forgiveness ofsins . But the substance of it i s always there

,implied in

the patient kindness and helpfulness of God towards thestriving soul . The striving i s everything . We must “ notdisbelieve that the grace of God has pleasure even ins inners when they repen t ; for that which is bestowed

INTRODUCTION Xxx ix

according to grace is not measured by comparison withprevious infirmity ; otherwise grace is no more grace(XXXV I I . By an anticipation of some of the mostencouraging passages of Robert Browning, Macarius

bids us think that the virtuous soul is accepted “ notbecause of what it has done

,but because of what it has

desired ”

(th at ,I t has been said above that Macarius in these Homilies

is not much concerned with what man owes to man . Hismain preoccupation is with the struggle of the solitary soulto find God and to love Him aright . But Macarius discloses

,if but incidentally

,the Christian ’s concern for other

men . His hearers , cut off from parents and kinsfolk, whomthe Homilies treat unsympathetically

,as only so many

encumbrances to be shaken off, l ive in some kind ofcommunity, sometimes thirty together under a governor(I I I . He encourages them to seek the judgment ofa spiritual man upon their state 1 (XLV I I I . I t i stheir duty to be considerate for each other— for instance

,not

to pray in such a manner as to disturb the brethren aroundthem (V I . To have an eye to the spiritual advantageof the brethren is better than to be wholly wrappedup in the pursuit of one’s own (fold , 4 ; cp . V I I I .Instead of judging or envying others

,we ought to feel that

all are contributing to the welfare of all,whatever the work

assigned to us and to them may be “ Thoughgrace works after a different manner in each individualChristian yet all are of one city

,of the same mind

,of

the same tongue, recognising one another ” (XI I . Thisfellowship extends beyond the visible world . As a merchantabroad sends word home to prepare for his return

,so “ if

any are making the heavenly wealth their merchandise,

their fellow citiz ens, the spirits of saints and angels, are1 The th ird

.

Hom ily of the second co llection is main ly on obed ienceto such a spi ri tual father — not necessari ly a pr iest.

1 INTRODUCTION

aware of it,and say with admiration Our brethren on the

earth have come into great wealth . SO they comewith mighty rejoicing to those above

,and those who belong

to the Lord receive them,having prepared for them there

houses,and gardens

,and clothes

,all bright and costly ”

(XV I . But it cannot be said that the relation of theChristian to his fellow creatures occupies a prominent partin the teaching of these Homilies . Macarius i s evenj ealous that i t should not become too prominent . “ Eventhe much - loved brethren , whom such a soul has under itseye

,if they hinder it from that love [of God], i t turn s from

them,in a sense . ” Here speaks that aloofness of spiri t

which allowed two “ l ittle strangers to l ive for three yearswithin a bowshot without once interfering in their inwardconcerns .1Enough has been said about the n ature of the teachingof these Homilies . They leave upon the reader an impress ion of the tremendous reality of the contest in whichthe Christian is engaged . Macarius insists frequently thatthese things are not to be regarded as matters of words

,or

doctrines,or systems

,but as practical truths of which the

force ought to be felt in experience ( I . 1 0,

I t isof comparatively l ittle account to have right theories onreligious subjects . “ I t i s one thing to give descriptiveaccounts with a certain head-knowledge and correct notions

,

and another,in substance and reality

,in full experience

,

and in the inward man,and in the mind

,to possess the

treasure and the . grace and the taste and the effectualworking of the Holy Ghost (XXV I I . As Bi shopGore has said , these Homilies constitute one of the bestguides to the Spiritual li fe that the church possesses . ” 2

1 S ee p . xi i i . ff. journ . of Theol . S tudi es , vol . vi i i . p . 89 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

Xli i INTRODUCTION

Chr i stian B iography i s l ittle short of a scandal . Even soadmirable and judicious a book as Dr. Swete ’s P atr isticS tudy makes no reference to him . No edition of any textof his had appeared by an English hand till Mr . G . L .

Marriot t in 1 9 1 8 published from the Harvard UniversityP ress the seven additional Homilies contained in theBodleian and Holkham MSS . The one happy exceptionto this conspiracy of neglect is the translation of the fi ftyHomilies “ by a Presbyter of the Church of England ,published in 1 72 1 . The “ Presbyter ” was Thomas Hay

wood,and he used the Bodleian MS . as the basis of his

translat ion . His book,entitled P r imi tive Morali ty ,

or,

The Sp i ri tual Homi li es of S t . Macar ius the Egyptian ,

i s now not often found . The copy which the presenttranslator is fortunate enough to possess was given to himby the late Bishop of Gibraltar, Wil liam Edward Collins,who picked it up on a bookstall . As long ago as 1 893 thetranslator had remarked

,in his book on The Relati on of

Confirmati on to Bap ti sm ,that “ i t seems strange that hi s

Homilies have never been brought to the knowledge of themodern church as a companion volume to the Imi tationof Chr i st. He did not then know the work of Haywood .

When he began the present translation he was in hopesthat he would not find it necessary to do more thanmodernise, with some correct ions , the translation of hispredecessor . The hope proved illusory ; and though hehas often borrowed a racy word or phrase from theP resbyter, he has been compelled to work independently.Perhaps some apology is needed for a certain freedom in the translation . No attempt has been made torepresent the same Greek word by the same English onethroughout. Certain words recur again and again

,such

as dva rra i ica fia t or i rrava rrarieo fla t , et’

idox ia , wknpocpojoia , voile,

a dfln, Aoy toyu i s. They bear various shades of meaning,

according to the context, and it has been felt useless,

INTRODUCTION Xlii i

to aim at a rigid uniformity of rendering. The translator has wished to make the meaning and spirit ofthe saint felt through the English sentences

,rather than

to secure a pedantic and tiresome literalness .God grant that those who read may be moved to thatinsatiable ” desire after H im which breathes in all theHomilies . “ I f you believe that these things are true, asindeed they are

,take heed to yourself

,whether your soul has

found the light to guide i t,and the true meat and drink

,which

is the Lord . I f you have not , seek night and day, that youmay receive (XXXI I I . 4)

ADDITIONAL NOTES ince this book w as set in type , tw o Fren ch scholars, Dom Ville

court and Dom W i lmart , have endeavoured to prove that these

Hom ilies are in fact a manual of the sect of the Massal ians or

Euchi tes, yvho were condemned by var ious coun cils of the fourth and

fi fth cen turies . The i r history may be seen in the D i ct ion ary ofChr i st ian B i ography , under the n ame E uchi tes . The w ork of these

tw o scholars i s no ticed , and accep ted as convincing, by the Rev. G . L .

Marrio tt in thejour nal of Theolog i cal S tud i es for April , 192 1 .

That certain proposi t ions taken from these Hom il ies , and from the

seven o thers referred to on p . xvi i i , were used by the Euch ites , and

(as used by them ) condemned , is certain . S t . John Damascene , in

his de Haer esibns (vol . I , p . 95 in L e Qu ien’

s ed i tion of his w orks ) ,gives e igh teen proposi tions of the Massalian s collected from a book

of the i rs.

” He does no t name the author of the book . I t w ould seem

likely that i t w as the book called A scet i cus , from which extracts wereread at the Counci l of Ephesus in 43 1. If so

,the A scet i cus must have

been largely based on these Hom ilie s .

The second of the p roposi t ions , for instance , is “ that Satan and the

devi ls have hold o f the m ind of men , and the nature of men is capableof commun ion w i th the spirits of wickedness .

”The first half of th is

sen tence , severed from i ts con text , is taken from Horn . XXVI I , 19 ;the second half occurs a few lines low er dow n in the same section .

The e igh teenth proposi t ion is based upon Horn . VII I , 3 : i t runs,

That the Saviour may be man i fested to those at prayer in l ight , andthat a man was found at a cer tain t ime stand ing by the altar and thatthree loaves w ere offered to h im , kneaded w i th o i l.

” Parallels to mostof the o ther propos i t ion s could be found in the Homilies.

N ot all of them , how ever , are taken from the Hom il ies , so that theHom il ies canno t themselves be the Euchi te book from wh ich S t . John

’

s

proposi tions are extracted . The origin of the Euchites, as known to

history , was in Mesopotam ia. Our Hom ilies were n ot composed in

Xl iv INTRODUCTION

that country. The words of the t i tle quoted on p . xvi i i , Epistleto the Abbot Symeon o f Mesopotam ia in Syr ia ,” are sufficient p roofthat they came from elsewhere . A certain S ymeon , accord ing to

Theodoret , w as among the founders of the sect. I t w as a common

name in the East , but the Symeon to whom the Homi lies w e re sentmay w ell have made a harmful use of them ,

in a heretical d irect ion .

Because they len t themselves to such treatm en t i s no t a suffi cientreason for doubt ing the au thorsh ip of Macarius , nor for ceas ing, as

Dom W i lmart regre tfully does, to regard the author as a doctor of theCatholic Church .

jzme I I,192 1 .

CONTENTS

INTRODUCT ION1 . THE AUTHOR2 . H IS WR IT INGS3 . H IS TEACH ING4 . THE TEXT AND TRAN SLAT ION

HOMILY I

An allegor i cal i n terpretati on of the vi s i on descr i bed i n the

prophet E z eki el

HOMILY I I

Concern i ng the ki ngdom of darkness , that i s , of s i n , and that

God a lone i s able to take away s i n from u s , and to del i ver

u s ou t of the bondage of the evi l pr i n ce

HOMILY I I I

That the brethren ought to l i ve i n s i n ceri ty , s impl i ci ty , love,and peace w i th each other

,and to carry on con test and war

i n thei r i nward thoughts

HOMILY IVChri sti ans ought to accompli sh thei r race i n thi s world w i th

heed and care,that they may ga i n heaven ly pra i ses from

God and angels

HOMILY VA great difi

i

erence between Chr i st i an s and the men of thi swor ld . Those who have the sp i r i t of the world are i n heart

an d m i n d boun d i n ear thly bonds , bu t the others 1

PAG E

x lv i CONTENTS

IIOMI L Y VI

Those who des i re to please God , ought'

to ofier thei r prayersi n peace and qu i etness , i n gen tlen ess and w i sdom

,an d

n ot to gi ve scan da l to others by the u se of loud ou tcr i es .

The Hom i ly also con ta i n s two questi ons , whether the

thrones and crown s are actual created things , an d con

cern i ng the twelve thrones of I srael

HOMILY VI I

Concern i ng the lovi ng-ki ndness of Chr i st towards men . The

Hom i ly also con ta i n s certa i n quest i ons and answers

HOMILY VI IIConcern i ng thi ngs whi ch befall Chr i st i an s at prayer , and

concern i ng the measures of perfect i on ,whether i t i s

possi ble for Chr i st i an s to reach the perfect measu re

HOMILY IX

That the prom i ses and propheci es of God are accompl i shedthrough man ifold tr ial an d temptat i on ,

an d that those who

cleave to God alon e are deli vered from the temptat i on of theevi l one

HOMILY XBy low l i n ess of m i nd and earn estness the gifts of the D i vine

grace are preserved , bu t by pr i de an d s loth they are

destroyed

HOMILY XI

That the power of the Holy Ghost i n man’

s heart i s l i ke firean d wha t thi ngs w e n eed , i n order to d i st i ngu i sh the

thoughts tha t spr i ng up i n the heart an d con cern i ng the

dead serpen t fixed by M oses a t the top of the pole , whi chwas a type of Chr i st . The H om i ly con ta i n s two d i a logues ,on e between Chr i st and the evi l one , S atan the otherbetween s inners and the same

HOMILY X II

Concern i ng the state of Adam before he transgressed God’

s

commandmen t,an d after he had lost both hi s own image

and the heaven ly . The Hom i ly con ta i n s some very profitable questi on s

HOMILY X I I IWhat fru i t God expects from Chr i st i an s

PAG E

CONTENTS

HOMILY X IV

Those who gi ve thei r thoughts and thei r m i nd to God do so

i n the hope tha t the eyes of the i r heart may be en l ighten ed ,

and God vou chsafes to them my ster i es i n the grea test’

san ct i ty and pur i ty ,and imparts to them of H i s grace .

What we who des i re to a tta i n the good thi ngs of heavenought to do . Then the apostles an d the prophets are com

pared to the sun’

s rays com i ng i n at a w i ndow . The

Hom i ly a lso teaches wha t i s S atan’

s“E arth

,an d what

that of the angels , and that both are i n tangi ble and

i n vi s ible

HOM ILY XVThis Hom i ly teaches at large how the soul ought to behave

herself i n hol in ess an d chast i ty and pur i ty towards her

Spouse Chr i st jesus , the S avi our of the world . I t con

ta i n s a lso certa i n d i scuss i on s fu ll of great i nstruct i on ,

vi z .

,Whether at the resurrect i on a ll the members are

ra i sed up, and a great many more concern i ng E vi l,and

Grace,and F ree Wi ll

,and the d ign i ty of human nature

HOMILY XVI

That sp i r i tual persons are subject to temptat ions and to the

adversi t i es whi ch spr i ngfrom the first s i n

HOMILY XVIIConcern ing the sp i r i tual unct i on of Chr i st i an s , and the i r

glory ,an d tha t w i thou t Chr i s t i t i s imposs i ble to be saved

or to become a partaker of etern al l ife

HOMILY XVIIIConcern i ng the Chr i st i an

’

s treasure,whi ch i s Chr i st and the

Holy Ghost , who pract i ses them i n var i ou s ways to cometo perfect i on

HOMILY X IX

Chr i st i an s who des i re to make progress and to grow ought to

force themselves to every good thi ng, so as to del i ver themselves from i ndwell ing s i n

, and to be filled w i th the HolyGhost

HOMILY xx

On ly Chr i st , the.

true P hys i c ian of the i n ner m an , can heal

the sou l , and array i t i n the garmen t of grace

x l vi i

PAGE

x lvii i CONTENTS

HOMILY XX I

A Chr i sti an man has a twofold w arfare set before him ,an

i nward and an ou tward,the latter

,i n w i thdraw i ng from

earthly d i stract i on s ; the former,i n the heart , aga i n st the

suggest i ons of the sp i r i ts of w i ckedness

HOMILY XXIICon cern i ng the twofold state of those who depart out of thi s

HOMILY XXI IIAs on ly those born of the seed royal can wear the costly roy al

pear l , so on ly the chi ldren of God are allowed to wear the

pearl of heaven

HOMILY XX IVThe state of Chr i st i an s i s l i ke merchand i se

,and l i ke leaven .

A s merchan ts amass ear thly ga i n s , so Chr i st i an s gather

together thei r thoughts tha t were scattered abou t the world .

As leaven turn s the whole lump i n to leaven ,so the leaven

of s i n permeates the whole race of Adam ; but Chr i st pu tsa heaven ly leaven of goodn ess i n fai thfu l sou ls

HOMILY XXVThi s Hom i ly teaches tha t n o man

,w i thou t bei ng strengthen ed

by Chri st , i s capable of overcom i ng the stumbli ng-blocks

of the evi l on e,an d what those who des i re the di vi n e glory

must do . I t teaches a lso that through Adam’

s di sobed i en ce

we came down i n to bon dage to carn al pass i on s , fromwhi ch we are del i vered by the my stery that i s i n the Cross .

I t i n structs us bes i des that the power of tears and of thedi vi ne fire i s great 0

HOM ILY XXVIConcern i ng the worth and value

,the power and efii ci ency of

the immorta l sou l,and how i t i s tempted by S a tan an d

obta i n s del i veran ce from the temp tati on s . I t con ta i n s also

some quest i on s fu ll of very great i n structi on

HOMILY XXVI IThi s Hom i ly ,

li ke the foregoi ng, descr i bes a t length the

d ign i ty and status of a Chr i st i an man . Then i t teaches

many usefu l things con cern i ng freew i ll , i n term i x ing some

quest i ons fu ll of.

d i vi ne w i sdom

PAG E

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

HOMILY xxxvm

Great exactness and i n tell i gen ce i s requ i red to d i scern true

Chri st i ans,an d who these are

HOMILY XXXIXWhy the Holy S cr ipture was gi ve n to us by God

HOMILY XLThat all the vi rtues an d all the vi ces are boun d each to other

,

an d l i ke a cha in are l i n ked one to another

HOMILY X L I

Very deep are the secret chambers of the soul,whi ch grows i n

proport i on w i th the grow th of grace or of w i ckedn esses

HOMILY XLIIN ot extern al thi ngs , bu t i n tern a l, advan ce or i nju re a man

,

n amely , the Spi r i t of grace or the sp i r i t of w i ckedn ess

HOMILY XLI I ICon cern i ng the progress of a Chr i st i an man

,the whole power

of whi ch depen ds upon the heart,as i s here descr i bed

i n vari ous ways

HOMILY XLIVWha t change an d ren ewal i s w rought i n a Chr i st i an man byChr i st

,who has healed the affl i ct i on s and d i seases of the

sou l

HOMILY XLVN o art , n o wealth of thi s wor ld , bu t on ly the appear i ng of

Chr i st,i s able to cure man

,whose great k i n ship w i th God

thi s Hom i ly sets forth

HOMILY XLVICon cern i ng the d ifieren ce between God

’

s word and the wor ld'

s,

an d between God’

s chi ldren and the chi ldren of thi s world

HOMILY XLVI IAn allegor i cal i n terpretat i on of the thi ngs done un der the L aw

PAGE

2 86

CONTENTS l i

PAGEHOMILY XLVII I

Concern i ng perfect fai th i n God

HOMILY XLIXI t i s not enough to have got r i d of the pleasu res of thi s world ,

un less a man gets the blessedness of the other

HOMILY L

I t i s God that works wonders through H i s sa i n ts

INDEX OF SCR IPTURE REFERENCES

F IFTY SPIRITUAL HOM I L IES OF

ST . MACARIO S THE EGYPTIAN

HOMILY I

A n a llegor i cal i n terpr eta tion of the vision descr ibed i n the

p rophet E z ekiel

I . THE blessed prophet Ez ekiel relates a glorious andinspired vision or apparit ion wh ich he saw

,and his descrip

tion i s that of a vision full of mysteries unspeakable . Hesaw in the plain a chariot of Cherubim , four spiritual l ivingcreatures . Each living creature had four faces, one the faceof a lion

,another the face of an eagle, another the face of a

calf,and the fourth the face of a human being . To every

face there were wings,so that there were no hinder parts to

any of them . Their backs were full of eyes ; their bel lieslikewise were thick set with eyes ; there was no part aboutthem that was not full of eyes . There were also wheels toevery face, wheel Within Wheel . In the wheels there was aSpirit . And Ez ekiel saw as i t were the likeness of a man , ~

and under his feet as it were a work of sapphire . The

Cherubim -chariot 1 and the living creatures bore the Masterwho rode upon them . Wheresoever He chose to go

,it was

with face forward . Beneath the Cherubim he saw as itwere a man’s hand Supporting and carrying .

2 . And this that the prophet saw was in substance true1 Ezek i el does not use the word chariot in ch . i .

,but i t occurs in

the LXX at ch . xlii i . 3 .

z FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

and certain, but i t signified and foreshadowed somethingelse

,mysterious and divine — a my stery hidden verily from

ages andfrom genera tions,1 but in the last times made man i

fest 2 at the appearing of Christ . The mystery which hebeheld was that of the soul, that was to receive her Lord,and to become a throne of glory

3 for Him . For the soulthat is privileged to be in communion with the Spirit ofHis light

,and i s irradiated by the beauty of the un speak

able glory of Him who has prepared her to be a seat and adwelling for Himself, becomes all l ight, al l face, all eye ;and there isno part of her that is not full of the spiritualeyes of light. That i s to say, there is no part of herdarkened

,but she i s all throughout wrought into l ight and

spirit,and is full of eyes all over, and has no such thing as

a back part,but in every direction is face forward

, w iththe unspeakable beauty of the glory of the light of Christmounted and riding upon her. As the sun is of one likeness all over , without any part behind or inferior, but i sall glorified with light throughout , and is, indeed, all light,with no difference between the parts, — or as fire, the veryl ight of the fire, i s alike all over, having in it no first or last,or greater or less

,—so also the soul that is perfectly irra

d iated by the unspeakable beauty of the glory of the light,

of the face of Christ, and is perfectly in commun ion withthe Holy Ghost, and is privileged to be the dwelling-placeand throne of God, becomes all eye , all l ight, all face, allglory

,all spirit, being made so by Christ, who drives, and

guides,and carries, and bears her about, and graces and

adorns her thus with spiritual beauty for it says, the hand

of a man w as under the Cherubim ,

4 because He it is that iscarried upon her and directs her .3 . The four l iving creatures which bore the chariot were1 Col . i . 2 6 .

2I Pet . i . 20 .

3 Matt . xxv . 3 1 .

4 In Ez ek . i . 8 the LXX has And the hand ofa man was under the i rw ings upon their four sides .

’

Christ.Macarius understands the ‘ f man to be

HOMILY I 3

a symbol of the ruling factors 1 of the soul . As theeagle is the king of birds

,and the lion of wild beasts, and

the bull of tame ones,and man of creatures in general , so

the soul al so has its ruling factors . They are the will, theconscience

,the intelligence

,and the faculty of love . By

these the chariot of the soul i s controlled, and upon theseGod rests . According to another interpretation the symbolism is applied to the church of the saints in heaven . As i ti s here said that the living creatures were exceeding high ,and full of eyes

,and it was not poss ible for any one to

apprehend the number of the eyes, or the height, becausethe knowledge of these was not given and as it i s with thestars in the sky

,to see and wonder at them was given to all

men, but to know and apprehend the number was notgiven and with the plants of the earth

,to enjoy them was

given to all, but i t is imposs ible for any one to know the

number of them ; so with regard to the church of thesain ts in heaven , to enter into i t and enjoy it was given toall who will but strive

,but how to see and apprehend the

number i s reserved for God alone to know.

The R ider, then, i s conveyed and carried by the chariotor thron e of the living creatures which are all eye

,or

,in

other words, by every soul that has become His throne andseat, and is now eye and light . He is mounted thereon,and governs her w ith the reins of the Spirit

,and guides her

according to His understanding . For as the Spiritual livingcreatures went not whither they were minded to go

,but

whither He that sat upon them and directed them knewand willed, so here it i s He that holds the reins and drivesby His Spirit, and they go accordingly, not by their ownwill when they are minded to go through heaven . Sometimes , discarding the body, He drives and takes the soul in

1 The w ord Aoyumbs m eans reckon ing ,”

con side rat ion , and so

seems here to be used in something l ike the sense of “ factor .

”In

XLVI I . 12 and I5 i t is translated “ faculties.”

4 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

thought through heaven ; sometimes , when so it pleasesHim

,He comes into the body and its affairs ; sometimes,

when so minded,to the ends of the earth , and discovers to

the soul mysteries revealed . Oh, the noble and good andonly true Charioteer ! In like manner shall our bodiesalso be privileged at the resurrection , the soul being thuspre-glorified even now, and mingled with the Spirit .4 . That the souls of the righteous become heavenly

light,the Lord Himself told the apostles , ivhen He said ,

Ye ar e the l ight of the w or ld .

1 He first wrought them intolight

,and ordained that through them the world should be

enlightened . Nei ther do men light a lamp , He says , andpu t i t under the bushel , but on the lampstand ,

and i t giveth

light to all that are i n the house.

2 L et your light so shin e

before men . In other words, Hide not the gift which yehave received from Me, but give to al l that are minded toreceive it . Again , The l ight of the body i s the eye ; if thin eeye be fu ll

'

of light, thy whole body i s en lighten ed , but ifthin e eye be evi l , thy whole body i s dark. If therefore thel ight that i s in thee be darkness , how great i s that darkn ess .

3

As the eyes are the light of the body, and , so long as theeyes are well

,the whole body is enlightened, but, i f any

accident befalls them and they are darkened,the whole

body is in darkness,so the apostles were set to be the eyes

and light of the whole world . The Lord therefore chargedthem by this sayi ng, I f ye who are the l ight

'

of the body,

stand fast and turn not aside,behold, the whole body of

the world is enlightened ; but if ye who are the light aredarkened

,how great is that darkness

,which is nothing less

than the world . So the apostles,being themselves light

,

administered light to those who believed , enlightening theirhearts w ith that heavenly light of the Spirit by which theywere themselves enlightened .

1 Matt. v . I 4 .

3 Matt . v. 15, I 6.

3 Matt. vi . 2 2 , 23 Luke x i . 34.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

6 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

then cut in pieces and salted , and then laid upon the fire .Unless the priest first slays the lamb, so that it dies , i t isneither salted nor brought to the Lord for a burnt odering .

Thus our soul also must come to Christ, the true Highpriest, and be slain by Him,

and die to its own mode ofthought

,and to the evil l ife of s in which it l ived before .

The l ife must go out of i t— that l ife of bad passions . . As

the body,when the soul goes out of it, i s dead, and lives

no longer with the life which it l ived before, and neitherhears nor walks, so when Christ, our heavenly Highpriest,by the grace of His power,slays our life to the world andputs i t to death

,it d ies to the l ife of evil which it lived, and

no longer hears, nor speaks, nor maintains any citiz enshipin the darkness of s in

,because the evil passions which were

i ts soul .have by grace gone out of it . The apostle cries,

The world i s cruci fied to me, and I un to the world .

1 The

soul which yet l ives in the world, and in the darkness ofsin , and has not been done to death by Him ,

but stil l hasthe soul of wickedness in i t, that is, the activity of thedarkness of the passions of evil, and i s governed by it, doesnot belong to the body of Christ, does not belong to thebody of light

,but is indeed the body of darkness

,and is

still part and parcel of the darkness while they who havethe soul of light, that is, the power of the Holy Ghost, formpart and parcel of the light .7. But some one may say, How is i t that you call the

soul the body of darkness, when it i s no creation ofthe darkness ? Attend

,and understand me aright . As

the coat or garment that you have on was made by another,

and you wear it, and your house was created or built byanother, and you l ive in it, so When Adam transgressed thecommandment of God , and hearkened to the wickedserpent

,he was sold, or sold himself, to the devil, and the

evil one put on his soul l ike a garment— his soul,that fair

1 Gal. vi . 14.

HOMILY 1 7

creation,which God had fashioned after His own image .

Thus the apostle says, Having str ipped the pr in cipali ti esand powers , He triumphed over them in the cross .

1 Thiswas the purpose of the Lord ’s coming, that He might castthem out, and recover His own house and temple, man .

For this reason,the soul i s called the body of the darkness

of wickedness, as long as the darkness of sin i s in it, becausethere it l ives to the evil world of darkness , and is there heldfast . So Paul calls i t the body of sin , the body of death ,saying, that the body of sin mi ght be destroyed, 2 and , Whoshall deliver me from the body of thi s death ? 3 On theother hand

,the soul which has believed God, and has been

rescued from sin,and done to death out of the life of

darkness,and has received the light of the Holy Ghost as

its l ife,and by that means has come to life indeed, spends

its exi stence in the same for ever after,because it i s there

held fast by the light of the Godhead . For the soul initself i s neither of the nature of the Godhead, nor of thenature of the darkness of wickedness, but i s a creatureintellectual

,beauteous

,great

,and wonderful, a fair likeness

and image of God . I t was through the transgression thatthe wickedness of the pass ions of darkness entered into i t .8 . Whichever the soul , then, i s mixed with, it i s thenceforward un ited w ith the same in the motions of the will .E ither i t has the light of God within i t, and lives in thesame, in all virtues, and belongs to the light of rest, or ithas the darkness of sin, and meets with condemnation .

The soul that desires to live with God in rest and eternallight must come

,as was said before, to Christ the true High

priest, and be slain, and die to the world , and to the formerlife of the darkness of wickedness, and be tran slated intoanother life and to a conversation that is divine. As whena man dies in some city, he neither hears the voice of thepeople there, nor their talking, nor the noise that they

1 Col . i i . 15.2 Rom . vi . 6.

3 Rom. vii . 24.

8 FIFTY SPIR ITUAL HOMILIES

make , but i s once for all dead, and is translated to anotherregion

,where there are no voices and none of the cries of

that city,even so the soul, when it i s once slain and dead to

that city of the evil passions in which i t dwells and l ives,hears no longer within itself the voice of the communings ofdarkness ; no longer is heard the talking and crying ofvain disputation , or of the hubbub of the spirits of darkn essbut it is translated into a city all full of goodness andpeace

,into the city of the light of the Godhead , and there

it l ives,and hears

,and there it has its citiz enship, and talks,

and communes , and there it works sp i ritual works , that areworthy of God .

9 . Let us therefore pray that we ourselves may be slainthrough His power, and die to the world of the wickednessof darkn ess, and that the spirit of sin may be destroyed inus, and that we may put on and receive the soul of theheavenly Spirit, and be translated from the wickedness ofdarkness into the light of Christ, and may rest in life throughworld after world . For as on the race-course the chariotsrun , and the one that gets the start of the other is a clog,and check, and hindrance to the other, so that it cannotmake progress and get to victory first, so do the thoughts ofthe soul and of sin run in man . If the thought of sinhappens to get the start

,i t clogs and checks and hampers

and hinders the soul, so that it cannot get near to God andcarry off the victory from it . But where the L ord mountsand takes the reins of the soul into His own hands

,He

always wins , skilfully managing and guiding the chariot ofthe soul into a heavenly and inspired mind for ever . Hedoes not war agains t wickedness ; having always supremepower and authority in Himself, He works Himself thevictory. 8 0 the Cherubim are driven, not where they areinclined of themselves to go

,but where the R ider or

Charioteer directs . Where He wills, they go ; and Hesupports them . The hand of a man , i t says, was under

HOMILY I 9

them . These holy souls are driven and guided by theSpirit of Chri st, who holds the reins , whithersoever He pleases

-when He pleases,in heavenly communings when He

pleases,that it should be in the body ; where He pleases,

there they minister . As the wings are the feet of the bird,so the heavenly light of the Spiri t takes up the w ings ofthe thoughts of worthy souls

,guiding and managing as He

knows best .1 0 . When thou hearest these things

,therefore, look to

thyself,whether thou art in deed and in truth possessed of

them in thine own soul . They are not mere words spokenit is a work of truth going on in thy soul . I f thou hast it not,but art destitute of such spiritual good things, thou oughtestto have continual grief and sorrow and trouble, as one stil ldead to the kingdom . Like one that is wounded, be alwayscrying to the Lord

,and ask in faith, that this true life may

be vouchsafed even to thee . When God made this body ofours, He did not grant to it that i t should have life eitherfrom His own nature or from the body itself, nor meat anddrink, raiment and shoes ; He appointed that i t shouldhave all the supplies of l ife from without

,making the body

in itself quite naked,and i t is impossible for the body to

live at all apart from things outs ide itself, without food anddrink and clothing . I f i t attempts to subsist upon its ownnature alone , taking nothing from without, i t wastes andperishes . In the same manner is i t with the soul also .

I t has not the divine l ight,though it is created after the

image of God . So has He ordered its conditions , and hasbeen pleased that it should not have eternal l ife of its ownnature ; bu t of His Godhead, of His Spirit, of His light, i thas Spiritual meat and drink

,and heavenly clothing, which

are the soul’s life , the life indeed .

1 1 . As, then, we have seen that the body’s l ife i s not

from itself, but from without, from the earth , and apartfrom the things without i t is imposs ible for i t to live, so

I O FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

also,unless th e soul be born now into that land of the

l iving1 and spiritually draw nourishment from it and make

increase,growing up unto the Lord , and be arrayed from

the Godhead with the ineffable raiment of heavenly beauty,without that sustenance i t i s impossible for i t to live, ofitself, in enjoyment and rest. The divine nature containsthe bread of life

,which said

,I am the bread of life 2 and

li ving water ,3 and w in e tha t maketh glad the heart of man ,

4

and the oi l of gladn ess,5 and the whole variety of the foodof the heavenly Spirit, and the heavenly raiment of l ightwhich comes from God . In these things the eternal life ofthe soul consists . Woe to the body when it stands Uponits own nature, because then it wastes and dies and woe tothe soul i f i t takes its s tand upon nothing bu t its own nature ,and puts its trust in nothing but its own works

,not having

the fellowship of the Spirit of God , because it dies, not

having the eternal life of the Godhead vouchsafed to i t .When men are sick

,as soon as the body is no longer able

to receive nourishment, all hopes of them are given over,and all true friends and kinsfolk and lovers are in tears .In the same way, God and the holy angels are in tears oversouls that are not nourished with the heavenly nourishmentof the Spirit

,and have not come to life in incorruption .

These things,I say again

,are not merely words that are

spoken, but the work of spiritual li fe, the work of truthaccomplished upon the soul that is worthy and faithful .

1 2 . I f then thou art become a throne of God , and theheaven ly Charioteer has mounted thee , and thy whole soulhas become a spiritual eye

,and thy whole soul l ight ; and

if thou hast been nourished with that nourishment of theSpirit, and if thou hast been made to drink of the LivingWater, and if thou hast put on the garments of the inefl

'

able

light ; i f thine inward man is established in the experience1 Ps . xxvn . 13 , and elsewhere .

2 John v i . 35.

3 John iv. 10.

4 Ps . civ. 15.

5 Ps . x lv. 7.

HOMILY I r r

and full assurance of all these things,behold

,thou l ivest,

thou livest the eternal life indeed,and thy soul from hence

forth is at rest with the Lord . Behold , thou hast receivedthese things from the Lord and possessest them in truth,that thou mayes t live the true life . But if thou art conscious that thou hast none of these things

,then weep, and

mourn, and lament, because even yet thou hast not foundthe eternal heavenly riches . Be in trouble therefore for thypenury, beseeching the Lord night and day, because thouhast stopped short in the dreadful poverty of sin. Wouldto God that a man had even gained as much as this troublebecause of his poverty — that we d id not go on without acare, as though we were full ! because one that is seriouslytroubled

,and seeks and asks of the Lord continually, will

soon find redemption and the heavenly riches,as the Lord

said at the conclusion of His discourse of the Unj ust Judgeand the Widow

, How much more shall God avenge themthat cry to Him n ight and day ? Y ea

,I say un to you ,

He sha ll avenge them speedi ly .

1 To whom he glory andpower for ever . Amen .

1 Luke xvi i i . 7.

HOMILY II

Concerni ng the kingdom of darkness , that i s , of s in ,and

that God alone i s able to take away sin from us , and

to deliver us out of the bondage of the evi l pr ince.

1 . THE kingdom of darkness, the evil prince, having takenman captive at the beginning, enveloped and clothed thesoul in the power of darkness, as a man might clotheanother . “And that they may make him king, and clothehim with royal garmen ts , so that from head to foot he maywear royal apparel .” 1 In thi s manner the evil prince clothedthe soul and all its substance with s in . He defiled i t all,and brought i t all into captivity to his kingdom ,

l eaving notone member of it free from him — not the thoughts

,not the

understanding, not the body ; he clothed it all with thepurple of darkness . For as it i s the body that suffers

,not

one part or member of it, but the whole is liable to suffertogether

,so the whole soul suffered the passions of un

happiness and sin . The evil one clothed the whole soul,

which is the indispensable part or member - of man , w ithhis own unhappiness, which is sin , and thus the bodybecame liable to suffering and decay .

2 . For when the apostle says , P ut 027 the old man,

2 hemeans a complete man, with eyes for eyes, ears for ears,hands for hands

,and feet for feet . For the evi l one has

defiled the entire man , soul and body, and dragged him1 The source of the quotation , i f i t i s one , seems not to be known . I t

is intended , apparently, to give the i dea of a complete envelopmen t .2 Col . i i i . 9 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

14 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

this mercy to those men who believe Him, redeeming themfrom sin ; and for those who are always waiting for Him ,

and hope,and seek without ceasing, He achieves this

unutterable salvation .

4 . As in a gloomy black night a fierce wind blows , andstirs and searches and shakes all the plants and seeds, sowhen man falls under the power of the darkness of thedevil ’s night

,and is in night and darkness, he is agitated

by that dreadful wind of sin that blows,and is shaken and

s tirred,and searched through all his nature, his soul, his

thoughts,his understanding ; and all the l imbs of his body

are shaken,and no member of either soul or body escapes

free and immune from the sin that dwelleth in us. In likemanner there is a day of light and a divine wind of theHoly Ghost

,which blows an d refreshes the souls that are

in the day of the light of God . I t penetrates all the substance of the soul and its thoughts

,and all the being and all

the members of the body,refreshing and resting them with

a divine,unspeakable rest . This is what the apostle de

clared when he said, We are not chi ldren of the n ight or of

darkness , for ye are all the son s of li ght and the sons ofday .

1 And as yonder,in the state of error

,the old man

put on man as a complete whole,and wears the garment of

the kingdom of darkness,the garment of blasphemy, unbelief,

unconcern , vainglory, pride, avarice, lust, and all the othertrappings of the kingdom of darkness

,ragged

,unclean

,and

abominable ; so here, all who have put off the old man,which i s from beneath the earth — all whom Jesus hasstripped of the clothing of the kingdom of darkness — haveput on the new and heavenly man

,Jesus Christ, once more

corresponding, eyes to eyes, ears to ears, head to head, tobe all pure

,and wearing the heavenly image .

5. The Lord has clothed them with the clothing of thekingdom of ineffable light

,the clothing of faith

,hope

,

1 1 Thess. v . 5.

HOMILY 11 15

charity,of joy

,peace

,goodness

,kindness

,and all the other

divine and living clothing of the l ight of life,of inexpressible

rest,that

,as God H imself is love

,and joy

,and peace, and

kindness,and goodness

,so the new man may be through

grace . And as the kingdom of darkness, and sin , arehidden in the soul until the day of resurrection , when thebodies also of s inners shall be covered with the darknessthat i s now hidden in the soul, so the kingdom of light ,and the heavenly Image, Jesus Christ, now mysticallyenlightens the soul

,and reigns in the soul of the saints

,but

is h idden from the eyes of men,and only with the eyes of the

soul i s Christ truly seen , until the day of resurrection butthen the body also shall be covered and glorified with thelight of the Lord

,which is now in the man’s soul

,that the

body also may reign with the soul which now receivesthe kingdom of Chri st and rests and i s enlightenedwith eternal light . Glory to His mercies and His tendercompassion , for that He has such pity on His servants, anden lightens them ,

and delivers them from the kingdom ofdarkness

,and bestows upon them His own light and His

own kingdom . To Him be glory and might for ever .Amen .

HOMILY I I I

That the brethren ought to live i n s in cer i ty , s impli ci ty ,

love , and peace w i th each other,and to carry on

con test and war i n thei r inward thoughts .

1 . THE brethren ought to dwell together in much charity,whether they are praying

,or reading the scriptures , or doing

some kind of work, that they may have the foundation ofmutual charity . In this way

,those various inclinations may

find favour,and those who pray , and those who read, and

those who work,can all live in s incerity and s implicity with

each other to their profit . What i s written ? Thy w i ll be

done, as in heaven , so on earth, 1 in order that as the angelsin heaven dwell together in great concord

,peace, and charity,

and there is no such thing there as pride, or as envy, butthey l ive together in charity and sincerity, so should thebrethren dwell together . Some thirty , perhaps, are underone government they cannot continue all day and night atone thing. Some give themselves up to

. prayer for six

hours, and then would like to read ; others are very readyto serve , while others work at sorne form of labour .

2 . Whatsoever they are about,the brethren ought to be

in charity and cheerfulness with each other . Let him whois at work say of him who is at prayer

,

“ The treasure thatmy brother gets is common , and therefore mine .” Let himwho prays say of the reader

,

“ The profit which he gets byreading is to my advantage .” Let him who is at work say

,

1 Matt. vi . 10.

16

HOMILY III 1 7

The service which I am doing is for the benefit o f all .As the members of the body ,

bei ng many ,are on e body ,

1

and help each other, and each performs its own funct i on ,but the eye sees on behalf of the whole body, and the handlabours for all the members

,and the foot , as i t walks ,

carries them all , and another member suffers with all al ike,so let the brethren be with one another. Let not him whoprays j udge the labouring brother because he is not atprayer . Let not him that is at work judge the one who i spraying, or say, “ He lies by

,while I am working .

” Letnot him who serves j udge some one else, but let each onedo whatever he is doing to the glory of God . Let him whore ads hold him who prays in charity and cheerfulness, w iththe thought, “ I t is for me that he prays ” and let him who

prays think of him who is at work,

“What he is doing i sdone for the benefit of us all .3 . Thus much concord and peace and unity in the bond

of peace 2 holds them all fast, and they are enabled to livetogether in s incerity and s implicity and the favour of God .

No doubt the principal thing among these is continuancein prayer ; but one thing is required, that a man shouldhave treasure in his soul

,and the life which is the Lord in

his m indf— that whether he is working, or praying, or readi ng, he should have that possess ion which passes not away,which is the Holy Ghost.There are some who say thus— that the Lord requires ofmen only the fruits that are visible

,and that it i s for God

to rectify the things that are hidden . That is not the case .As a man secures himself with regard to the outer man , soought he to carry on stri fe and war in his thoughts . The

Lord requires of thee to be angry with thyself,and to do

battle with thy mind,and neither to consent nor to take

pleasure in the thoughts of w ickedness .4 . Nevertheless , to root out s in and the evil that is ever

1 I Cor . x11. 12 .2 Eph . iv. 3 .

1 8 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

with us,this can only be accomplished by the divine power .

I t is not possible or within a man ’s competence to root outsin by his own power . To wrestle agains t i t, to fightagainst i t , to give and receive blows , i s thine ; to uproot isGod ’s . I f thou hadst been able to do it

,what need was

there of the coming of the Lord ? As the eye cannot seewithout light

,as a man cannot speak without a tongue

,or

hear without ears,or walk without feet

,or work without

hands, so he cannot be saved without Jesus , nor enter intothe kingdom of heaven . I f thou sayest

,

“ In outward conduct

,I do not commit fornication or adultery, I am not

covetous therefore I am righteous,

” thou art wrong in this ,thinking that thou hast fulfilled all . S in has not only threedepartments against which a man ought to ensure himself,but ten thousand . Arrogance , presumption , unbelief,hatred

,envy

,deceit

,hypocrisy

,whence are they ? Oughtest

thou not to wrestle and strive against these in the hiddenplaces in thy thoughts ? I f there is a robber in the house,at once thou art distressed ; he does not allow thee to beat ease thou beginnest to strike back blows are exchanged .

So ought the soul to strike back, to resist, to repel forceby force.5. What follows ? By resist ing and taking trouble andpains , the will begins to get the upper hand . I t falls ; i trecovers itself. Sin throws i t again in ten ,

in twentyconfl icts . I t conquers the soul and throws it ;

'

then the soulafter a time in one engagement conquers the sin . I f thesoul perseveres and in no direction flags

,i t begins to have

the best of i t, to see through the enemy, and to carry offthe trophies of victory from sin . But if the man is strictlyexamined even at this point

,sin still i s too hard for him

,

until he comes to a perfect man,to the measure of hi s

stature,1 and perfectly conquers death ; for i t i s written

The last en emy that shall be destroyed i s death.

2 Thus1 Eph . iv. 13.

21 Cor . xv. 26 ,

HOMILY 111 19

will they get the upper hand , and be the conquerors of thedevil .But if

,as we observed before

,a man should say, “ I do

not commit fornication or adultery ; I am no money-lover ;and that i s enough ,” in this reckoning he has contendedagainst three forces

,but against twenty others that sin can

employ upon the soul he has not contended,and i s there

fore beaten . He ought to contend against them all , and tostrive for the mind, as I have said many times, i s an evenmatch for i t

,and possesses a power that is well balanced

against sin,to withstand and repel its suggestions . 6 . I f

you say that the opposing power i s too strong, and thatevil has complete sovereignty over man , you make Godunrighteous when He condemns mankind for submitting to Satan , because Satan i s so strong, and wields apower which compels submission .

“ Thou makest Satangreater and stronger than the soul

,and then commandest

me, Do not submit . ’ I t i s as though a young man shouldwrestle with a little child, and the child, when he is worsted ,i s condemned for getting worsted . This is a great injustice . I tell you then that the human mind i s a goodmatch for the enemy and evenly balanced against him ;and a soul of that kind

,when it seeks

,finds help and

succour,and redemption is vouchsafed to it . The contes t

and struggle is not an unequal one . Let us glorify theFather, the Son , and the Holy Ghost for ever. Amen .

HOMILY IV

Chri stians ought to accompli sh thei r race i n thi s world

w i th heed and care, that they may gain heavenly

prai ses from God and angels .

1 . WE who wish to achieve the l ife of Christianity with anygreat thoroughness must before anything else cultivate withall our might that faculty of the soul which discerns anddiscriminates

,in order that

,having acquired a delicate sense

of the difference between good and evil,and always d is

t ingu ishing the things with which pure nature has beenunnaturally adulterated

,we may behave ourselves in a

straightforward manner,without offence . By using this

power of discernment as a kind of eye, we may keep freefrom any union or connexion with the suggestions of sin ,and thus the heavenly gift may be vouchsafed to us bywhich we become worthy of the Lord .

Let us take an illustration from the visible world ; forthere is a likeness between the body and the soul

,between

the things of the body and the things of the soul,and

between the obj ects of sense and those which are hidden .

2 . The body has the eye for i ts guide. The eye, by seeing,guides the whole body straight . Imagine a man goingthrough woody regions

,full of thorns and mi ry placesh

where fire also breaks out,and there are swords stuck in

the ground, and precipices and frequent waters are foundthere . The active

,heedful

,nimble traveller, using the

guidance of his eye,passes those difficult places with great

attention, gathering up his garment on every s ide with20

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

2 2 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

hinder the members of the body from base spectacles , andevil and shameful sounds

,and indecent words

,and worldly

and evil pursui ts . 4 . I t turns itsel f also from evil rovings,

keeping the heart fr'om letting th e members of its thoughtrove in the world . Thus striving

,and earnestly endeavour

ing, and with great heed restraining the members of thebody on every side from what is bad , it preserves that fairgarment of the body unrent

,unburned

,and unstained

,and

it will itself be preserved by means of a knowing, discerning

,discriminating will , and all by the power of the Lord,

while with all i ts might i t gathers itself in and turns awayfrom all worldly lusts

,and thus is helped by the Lord to be

truly preserved from the disasters that have been Spoken of.For when the Lord sees any one bravely turning his backon the pleasures and distractions of life

,and material cares

,

and earthly ties,and the rovings of vain thoughts

,He gives

the help of His own grace,and maintains that soul unfallen

,

as i t passes nobly through the presen t evi l world ; 1 and sothe soul wins heavenly praises from God and angels becauseit has preserved well the garment of its body and itsel f also

,

turning away,as far as lay in its power

,from all the lusts of

t he world , and with His help has run nobly the race of thi sworld’s course .5. But if a man goes his way in this l i fe with slackness

and'

carelessness, taking no heed , and , to please himself,will not turn away from all the lust of the world

,and will

not seek the Lord,and Him only

,with all desire

,he is

pierced on the thorns and thickets of this world , and thegarment of the body is burned here and there by the fire o flust , and soiled by the mire of pleasures and thus the souli s found without boldn ess i n the day of judgmen t,2 nothaving succeeded in keeping its raiment unspotted

,but

having corrupted it with the deceits of th is world ; and forthis reason i t is rej ected from the kingdom . What can God

1 Gal . i . 4 .

21 John iv . 17.

HOMILY IV 2 3

do with one who w i lfully gives himself over to the world ,and i s deceived by its pleasures

,or led astray by material

wanderings ? The man to whom He gives help i s the onewho turns away from material pleasures and from his formerhabits

,who drags his mind at all times to the Lord, whether

i t will or no,who denies himself and seeks the Lord only.

This is the man whom He keeps under His care , whoguards himself on every side from the snares and entanglements of the material world, who works ou t hi s own

salvati on w i th fear and trembling,1 who passes with a ll

heed amidst the snares and entanglements and lusts of thi sworld

,and seeks the help of the Lord , and hopes by His

mercy to be saved through grace .6 . Think ; the five wise virgins , who had been watchfuland alert

,and had taken in the vessels of their heart— that

which was no part of their own nature— the oil,which

means the grace of the Spirit from above, were enabledto enter with the Bridegroom into the heavenly bridechamber ; but the other, foolish five, who were contentwith their own nature

,would not watch nor busy themselves

to receive the oi l of gladn ess2 in their vessels while they

were sti ll in the flesh, but sank as it were to sleep throughcarelessness

,and slackness

,and idleness, and ignorance, or

fancied righteousness ; so they were shut out of the bridechamber of the kingdom

,being unable to give satisfaction

to the heavenly Bridegroom . Held fast by the tie of theworld

,and by some earthly affection, they did not give their

whole love or passionate devotion to the heavenly Bridegroom

,and were not provided with the oil . Souls who seek

the sanct ification of the Spirit, which is outside of nature,fasten all their affection upon the Lord, and there they walk,and there they pray

,and there they employ their thoughts

,

turning away from all else ; for which cause they are privilegedto receive the oil of heavenly grace

,and succeed in coming

1 Phil , n . 12 .

2 Ps . xlv . 7.

24 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

through un fallen,giving perfect satisfaction to the spiritual

Bridegroom while souls that are content with what belongsto their own nature creep in thought upon earth ; theyemploy their thoughts upon earth their mind has its wholeexi stence upon earth . In their own estimation they appearto belong to the Bridegroom

,and to be adorned with the

ordinances of the flesh ; but they have not been born ofthe Spirit from above, and have not received the oil ofgladness .7. The five rational 1 senses of the soul , i f they receive

grace from above and the san ctificat ion of the Spirit, arereally wise virgins

,receiving the wisdom of the grace from

above . But if they rest content with what is natural tothem

,they are found foolish

,and shown to be children of

the world . They have not put off the Spirit of the world ,although in their own estimation, because of some speciousappearances and outward form

,they take themselves for

brides of the Bridegroom . AS the souls which wholly anden tirely cleave to the Lord are there in thought, and therepray

,and there walk

,and there long after the love of the

Lord,so

,on the other hand

,those souls which are tied and

bound in the love of the world, and are will ing to spendtheir existence on the earth

,walk there, think there, their

mind passes its existence there . For this reason they areincapable of being converted to the good wisdom of theSpiri t, being a th ing foreign to our own n ature — theheavenly grace— which requires to be combined and compounded with our nature

,if we are to enter with the Lord

in to the heavenly bridechamber of the kingdom,and to find

eternal salvation .

8 . One thing fore ign to our nature, the disaster of thepassions

,we have received into ourselves through the first

1 The word Ao'yucal appears to be used here i n the same sense as inRom . x i i . 1

,1 Pe t . i i . 2 , as a practical synonym of wr evfi ar mal or

r oepaf, immateri al. ”

HOMILY IV 2 5

man ’s disobedience, and it has taken its place as almost apart of our nature by long custom and propensity and thismust be expelled again by that other thing foreign to ournature

,the heavenly gift of the Spirit, that the original

purity may be restored ; and unless we receive now thatlove of the Spirit from heaven by much entreaty, and supplication

,and faith

,and prayer, and turning from the world,

and unless Our nature, which has been pollu ted by wickedness

,cleaves to the love which is the Lord, and is sanctified

by that love of the Spirit, and un less we persevere to theend unfallen

,walking strictly in all His commandments

,we

cannot attain the heavenly kingdom .

9 . I desire to say a word that is deep and subtile, to thebest of my abil ity ; l isten to me, therefore, with intell igence .

The infinite,inaccess ible

,uncreated God , through His in

finite and inconceivable kindness,embodied Himself

,and

,

if I may say so , diminished Himself from His inaccessibleglory, to make it possible for Him to be united with Hisvis ible creatures

,such as the souls of saints and angels

,

that they might be enabled to partake of the life of Godhead . Fo'r each of these

,after its kind

,i s a body

,be it

angel , or soul , or devil . Subtile though they are,still in

substance, character, and image according to the subtilty oftheir respective natures they are subtile bodies, even as thisbody of ours is in substance a gross body. The soul

,more

over, which IS so subtile,has gathered to itself the eye to

see with,the ear to bear with likewise the tongue to speak

with , the hand, in fact the whole body and its members thesoul has gathered to i t and i s blended with the same

,and

accomplishes by means of it al l the offices of life .I O . In the same way

,the infinite and inconceivable God

in His kindness diminished Himself,and put on the mem

bers of this body,and gathered Himself in from the

inaccessible glory ; and through His clemency and loveof man transforms and embodies Himself

,and mixes with

2 6 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

and assumes holy,well-pleas ing, faithful souls, and becomes

one S p i r i t with them ,according to the saying of Paul , 1

soul in soul,i f I may put it so, substance ln ' substance,

that the soul may be enabled to live in newness,2 and tofeel immortal life

,and may become partaker of glory incor

ruptible— that is

,i f i t be worthy and well-pleasing. I f out

of things that were not He hath made the visible creatureto be, with such abundant diversity and variety, and beforei t came into existence it was not— if He willed, and easilymade

,of things that were not

,substances sol id and hard ,

l ike earth, mountains, trees — you see what hardness ofnature is— and again waters intermed iate, and commandedthat birds should be produced from them— and again moresubtle obj ects

,fire

,and winds

,and things too subtle to be

seen by the bodily eye ; 1 1 . how could the infinite andinexpress ible skill of the man ifold w isdom of God

3 create,out of things that were not

,grosser

,subtler

,and still finer

bodies,each in i ts own substance, by His will ; and how

much more cannot He,who i s as He will and what He

will, through His unspeakable kindness and inconceivablegoodness change and diminish and assimilate Himself

,

embodying Himself according to their capacity in holy andworthy faithful souls, that He, the invisible, might be seenby them , He, the impalpable, be felt, after the subtilty ofthe sou l ’s nature— and that they might feel His sweetness

,

and enjoy in real experience the goodness of the light ofthat ineffable enjoyment ? When He pleases

,he becomes

fire,which burns up every base pass ion that has been in

troduced into the soul ; for our God i s a consuming fire.

‘1

When He pleases, He is rest unspeakable, unutterable, thatthe soul may rest in the Godhead’s own rest ; when He

1I Cor . vi . 17.

2 The best MSS . , though they read “ in newness (veém fr i ) in the

text , have in the margin“ in oneness (érdr nn )— the transposi t ion of

tw o le t ters .

3 Eph . i i i . 10.

‘1 Heb. x i i . 29 , Deu t . iv. 24.

HOMILY IV 2 7

pleases, He is joy and peace, cherishing it and makingmuch of i t.

1 2 . Indeed,i f He should please to make Himself l ike to

one of the creatures for the delectation and rejoicing of theintelligences among them, as for instance Jerusalem thecity of light

,or the heavenly mountain of S ion, 1 He can do

all at will,according as it is written

, Y e are come to the

M oun t S ion,and to the ci ty of the livi ngGod ,

the heaven lyJ erusalem .

2 All things are facile and easy to Him , andHe transforms Himself into any shape He chooses for thebenefi t

“

of faithful souls that are worthy of Him . Only let aman strive to be a friend of His and well pleasing to Him ,

and in real experience and feeling he shall truly see thegood things of heaven

,and the inexpressible delights and

infinite riches of Godhead,which eye hath not seen ,

nor ear

heard, nei ther have en tered i n to the heart of man ,

3 even theSpirit of the Lord, making Himself for worthy souls theirrest

,thei r rejoicing

,their delight

,and their eternal l i fe.

For the Lord embodies Himself even in meat and drink,as i t i s written in the gospel

,He that eateth thi s bread shall

l ive for ever,

4 to give the soul res t unutterable , and fi l l i twith spiritual cheer ; for He says, I am the bread of life.

5

He embodies Himsel f in the drink of a Spring of heaven , asHe says, Whosoever dr i nketh of the water that I shall gi veh im , i t shall be i n him a well of water springing up i n to

eternal life , 6 and We have all,i t says, been made to drink

the same dr i nk.

7

1 3 . To each of the holy fathers He appeared in themanner that pleased Him and was bes t for them— in oneway to Abraham

,in another to I saac

,another to Jacob ,

another to Noe, to Daniel,to David

,to Solomon , to

l1 Macarius appears to mean that Jerusalem ,

”

S ion ,

’

in such

cases is a designat ion ofG od H imself. H e makes H imself the dwellingplace and fortress of the soul .

2 H eb. x i i . 2 2 .

3 1 Cor . 11. 9 .

4 John vi . 585 John vi . 35.

2 John iv . 14 .

71 Cor . x i i . 13 , W i th x . 4 .

2 8 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

Esaias, and each of the holy prophets — in one way toE lias, in another to Moses . My belief is that Moses ,every hour in the mountain , during the fas t of forty days,was admitted to that spiritual table

,and feasted at i t and

received enjoyment . To each of the saints He appeared asHe pleased, to give them rest and salvation and lead themto the knowledge of God . Everything is easy to Him thatHe chooses . As He pleases

,He diminishes Himself by

some embodiment, and transforms Himself to come underthe eyes of those who love Him

,manifesting Himself to

those who are worthy in an inaccessible glory of light,

according to His great and unspeakable love, and by Hisown power . The soul that has been privileged to receivewith great desire

,and waiting upon God , and faith , and

love,that power from on high

,the heavenly love of the

Spiri t, and has gained the heavenly fire of the li fe immortal,i s verily disengaged from every worldly affection, and set atl iberty from every bond of wickedness .

14 . As iron, lead, gold , or s ilver, when cast into the fire ,melts

,and changes from its natural hardness to a soft con

s istency,and so long as i t i s in the fire continues to be

molten and altered from that hard nature by the hot forceof the fire

,so the soul which has denied the world, and

fixed its longing upon the Lord alone, in much searching,and pains

,and confl ict of soul

,and maintains an un in ter

rupted waiting upon Him in hope and fa ith, and which hasreceived that heavenly fire of the Godhead and of the loveof the Spirit, this soul is then verily disengaged from allaffection of the world

,and set at liberty from all mischief

of the passions,and casts everything out of itself, and

is changed from the natural habit and hardness of sin,and considers all things indifferent in comparison with theheavenly Bridegroom whom it has received

,

’ at rest in H isfervent and ineffable love .

1 5.

‘I tell you , indeed, that even the much-loved brethren ,

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

30 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

suffers long till we shall repent and come to Him,and be

enlightened in our inward man,that our faces may not be

ashamed in the day of j udgment .1 7. I f it seems to us difficult

,because the practice of

virtue is hard,and stil l more because of the insid ious

counsel of the adversary,behold

,He is

,

pitiful and longsuffering

,waiting for our convers ion and when we sin

,He

holds His hand,in expectation of our repentance ; and

when we fall, He is not ashamed to take us back, as theprophet says, S hall they fall , and not ari se P shall he turnaway ,

and not return P 1 Only let us be on the watch, makingsure of a good intention

,and let us be converted straight

and fair, seeking help from Him ,and He is ready to save

us. He is looking for e ur will to turn to Him with afervent impulse

,to the best of our power

,and for faith and

z eal that springs from a good purpose ; the whole successof the endeavour is. His own work in us. Let us thenendeavour, beloved, l ike children of God , putting away allpreoccupation

,and carelessness

,and sloth

,to be courageous

and ready to follow after Him . Let us not put off from dayto day, without observing how

‘

S in is inj uring us. We dono t know when we are to depart out of the flesh . The

promises made to Christ ians are great and unspeakable,so

great, that all the glory and beauty of sky and earth , andall the other adornment and variety

,the wealth and comeli

ness and delight, of things visible, bear no‘ proportion to

the faith and wealth of a single soul .1 8 . How can we then refuse to accept heartily such

persuasions and promises of the Lord , and to yield our

selves over to Him, denying, as the Gospel says , all otherthings and our own souls also,

2 and to love Him only andnothing else besides Him ? But behold, in spite of all thesethings, and of the great glory that has been given, and

‘

of allthe dispensations of the Lord from the times of patriarchs

1Jer . vi i i . 4 .

2 Luke xiv. 26 .

HOMILY IV 3 1

and prophets— what great promises have been made, whatpersuasions offered, what compassion of the Master shownto us from the beginning ! and lastly, in His own sojournhere He displayed His inexpressible kindness towards us byHis crucifixion

,to convert us and bring us round to l ife

and we, we will not part with our own wills , and with thelove of the world, and with our bad inclinations andcustoms . Thus we prove ourselves men of little faith , orof none ; and yet for all this, He continues to be kind,invisibly protecting and cherishing, not giving us over,according to our iniquities, to the power of s in for ever, norletting us perish by the deceitfulness of the world, but inHis great kindness and longsuffering watching fixedly forthe moment when we Shall be converted to Him .

1 9 . I dread lest some day the words of the apostle shouldbe fulfilled in us, while we cling to our contemptuous ideasand follow out our inclinations, Or desp i sest thou the r i chesof Hi s ki ndn ess and forbearance and longsufier ing, not

knowing that the kindness ofGod leadeth thee to repen tance? 1But if to this longsuffering and kindness and forbearancewe make no return but to add further sins, and through ourcarelessness and contempt purchase to ourselves yet greaterjudgments , the saying will be fulfi lled, But after thy hardn ess and impen i ten t héart treasurest up un to thyself wrathagainst the day of wrath and revelati on of the righteous

judgmen t of God.

2 God has used great and indescribablegoodness in relation to mankind

,and longsuffering beyond

expression, i f only we are willing to recover ourselves, andendeavour to be wholly converted to Him

,that we may

find salvation .

2 0 . I f you Wl Sh to know the longsuffering of God andHis great kindness , let us learn it from the inspiredscriptures . Look at I srael

,of whom are the fathers

,to

whom the promises were directed, of whom i s Chri st1 Rom . i i . 4 .

2 Rom . i i . 5.

32 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

according to the flesh, to whom pertain ed the servi ces and

the covenan t ;1 how greatly they sinned

,how often they

turned out of the way,yet He did not altogether let them

go, but from time to time He gave them over to chastisements for a season for their profi t

,desiring to soften the

hardness of their heart through affl iction ; He convertedthem , encouraged them ,

sent prophets to them. How oftenthey sinned and offended Him

,and He was longsuffering

with them , and when they converted, He received themback with j oy, and when again they turned out of the way,He did not abandon them

,but through the prophets recalled

them to convers ion ; and when many times over theyturned away and came back

,He bore with them gently

,

and received them kindly back,until at last they were

found in the great transgression of all,when they laid hands

upon their own Master,whom the traditions of the holy

fathers and prophets taught them to expect as theirdel iverer and saviour

,king and prophet . When He came,

they did not welcome Him,but on the contrary

,after

offering Him indignity after indignity,they at last punished

Him with the cross of death ; and in this great offence,thi s surpassing transgression , their sins abounded beyondmeasure and were fi lle d Up and so they were left for goodand all, the Holy Spirit departing from thence when theveil o f the temple was rent . And so their temple wasgiven over to the heathen and destroyed and made desolate,according to that denun t iat ion of the Lord, There shall n otbe left one stone upon another here, that shall not be throwndown .

2 Thus were they finally given over to the heathen ,and were scattered over all the earth by the kings who thentook them captive, and were forbidden ever to return totheir own places .

2 1 . In this manner,even now, w i th each one of us, l ike

a kind, good God , He is longsuffering, seeing how often1 Rom. ix . 5.

2 Matt . xxiv. 2 .

HOMILY IV 33

each one offends,and holds His peace

,waiting till the man

shall recover himself and turn from offending further,and

welcoming the converted S inner w ith much love and joy .

That i s what He says, There i s joy over one sinn er that

repen teth 1 and again,I t i s not the w i ll of My Father that

one of the least of these li ttle ones should peri sh .

2 B ut if aman, under this great kindness and longsuffering of God,who will not proceed to requital for every offence

,secret

or open,as i t is committed

,but sees and holds His peace

,

as waiting for the sinner’s repentance— if,I say

,the man

so far despises that he adds s in to s in,and joins sloth to

sloth, and piles offence upon offence, he fil ls the limits ofhis S ins

,and comes in the end to an offence of such a

character that he can never get up from it again, but i scrushed to pieces, and delivered over to the evil one toperish utterly .

2 2 . Thus i t was with Sodom . Many times s inning,

without convers ion, at length they offended by their w ickeddesign upon the angel s, desiring to commit a criminaloutrage upon them

,so that they could no longer repent

,

but were finally rejected. They fi lled up the limit of theirsins

,and exceeded it ; and therefore they were consumed

with fire by the d ivine vengeance . So it was in the daysof Noah . Offending often without repenting, they reachedsins of such enormity, that the whole earth was utterly corrupted . So w i th the Egyptians ; they offended often, andsinned against God’s people, and God was kind and wouldnot infl ict upon them such plagues as to destroy themutterly ; but for their chastisement and conversion andrepentance He brought upon them the stripes of thosesmaller plagues

,bearing long with them

,and waiting for

them to repent . But they, s inning against God’s people ,and thinking better of it

,and then changing their minds again

and fixing themselves in the original unbel ief of their ev i1 Luke xv. 10.

2 Matt. xvi i i . 14.

34 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

purpose, and Oppressing the people of God , at last, whenGod with many wonders brought the people ou t of Egyptby Moses, they committed the great offence of pursuingafter God ’s people for which the divine vengeance utterlydestroyed and consumed them and overwhelmed them inthe waters

,j udging them unworthy even of this visible

ex istence .2 3 . In like manner, as was said before, I srael, often sin

n ing and offending, kill ing God’s prophets and doing manyother wicked things

,while God held His peace and was

patiently waiting for them to repent, ended by committingan offence for which they were crushed so that they couldnever rise again . They laid their own hands on the dign ityof the Lord Himself. For thi s they were utterly abandonedand rej ected . Prophecy, priesthood, the service, we re takenfrom them and given to the believing Gentiles , as the Lordsays

,The ki ngdom shall be taken from you ,

and given to a

nation bringi ng forth the fru i ts thereof.

1 Ti ll then , Godforbore and was patient with them

,and forsook them not

,

in compass ion for them but when they fi lled up the limitof their sins

,and overflowed it, laying hands upon the

dignity of their Lord, they were entirely deserted by God .

2 4 . We have treated of these things at some length,be

loved, proving from the ideas of scripture that we ought tomake a quick conversion , and hasten to the Lord, who inHis kindness waits for us to break off entirely from allw ickedness and evil propensity, and who welcomes us onour convers ion with much joy, and not to let our contemptincrease from day to day, and our offences be added andmultipl ied upon us , and thus we bring the wrath of Godupon ourselves . Let us earnestly endeavour to come toHim with a truly converted heart, not despairing of salvation ; for that of i tself is a wrong thing and an iniquity,when the remembrance of sins takes suchfpossess ion that

1 Matt . xx i . 43 .

HOMILY Iv 35

i t leads a man to despair, and to slackness and recklessnessand sloth

,that he may not be converted and come to the

Lord and find salvat ion , when the great kindness of theLord is over all the race of men .

25. I f it seems to us hard and impossible to be convertedfrom such a multi tude of sins , because we are in theirpossess ion — a thought which

,as I said

,i s a device of

wickedness and a hindrance to our salvation - let us

remember and cons ider how our Lord,when in His good

ness He sojoum ed here,made the blind to recover their

sight,healed the pals ied

,cured all manner of disease, raised

the dead when they were already in decay and dis integrat ion

,gave back hearing to the deaf, cast out a legion of

devil s from a single man,and restored him to 1118 senses ,

though he was so far gone in madness . How much ratherwill “ He not convert a soul which returns to Him ,

seekingmercy from Him

,and in need of His succour

,and bring it

into a happy release from pass ions, and the settled state ofall virtue , and renewal of the m i nd, and change it to healthand mental sight and thoughts of peace from the blindnessand deafness and deadness of unbel ief and ignorance andunconcern , bringing i t to the sobriety of virtue and to purityof heart ? He who created the body, made the soul also ;and as in His sojourn on earth, when men came to Himseeking help and healing

' from Him,He granted uh

grudgingly in His kindness according as their needs were,

l ike a good physician, the only true phys ician, so i s it withspiritual things .

2 6 . I f He was moved to such compassion over bodiesthat were to be dissolved and die again, and did with eagerkindness for each applicant the thing that he sought

,how

much more when an immortal,imperishable

,incorruptible

soul , labouring under the disease of ignorance, wickedness,unbelief, unconcern , and all the other maladies of s in ,comes nevertheless to the Lord, and seeks His help, and

36 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

fixes its eyes upon His mercy, and desires‘to receive of

Him the grace of the Spirit for i ts del iverance and salvationand riddance of all wickedness

,and all passion, will He not

grant more speedily and more readily His healing deliverance,according to His own word, How much more shall yourheaven ly Father avenge those that cry un to Him day and

n i ght 91 And He adds , Y ea ,

I say un to you ,Hew i ll avenge

them speedi ly ; and in another place He exhorts, Ask, andi t shall be given un to you ,for every on e that asketh,

receiveth,

and he that seeketh , findeth,and to him that knocketh i t

shall be open ed ; 2 and at the close He adds , How much

more shall your heaven ly Father give the Holy Sp i r i t tothem that ask Him. Veri ly I say un to you , though hew i ll n ot r i se and give him because he i s hi s fr i end , yet

because of hi s importun i ty he w i ll r i se and give him as

much as he n eedeth .

2

2 7. With importun ity then, without ceasing, without fainting

,He has admonished us in all these passages to ask for

the succour of His grace. I t was for the sake of sinnersthat He came

,that He might convert them to Himself

,and

heal those that believe Him . Only let us to the best of ourpower withdraw ourselves from evil preoccupations

,and hate

bad pursuits and the deceits of the world, and turn our backsupon wicked and vain thoughts, and ever cleave to Him withall our might, and He readily gives us His help . To thispurpose He is merciful

,and quickening, curing the maladies

that were incurable , working deliverance for those who callupon Him and turn to Him

,departing to the best of their

ability in will and intention from all worldly affection, andforcing their mind away from the earth

,and fastening it upon

Him with seeking and longing. To such a soul His help isvouchsafed, the soul that counts all things else unnecessary,and rests upon nothing in the world

,but looks to find rest

and rejoicing in the repose ofHis loving k indness, and thus1 Luke xvi i i . 7 cp . x i . 13 .

2 Luke xi . 9 , IO .

3 Luke Xi . 8 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

HOMILY V

A great difierence between Chri stians and the men of thi sworld . Those who have the sp i r i t of the world are inheart and mind bound i n earthly bonds , but the otherslong after the love of the heaven ly F ather , having Himonly before thei r eyes w i th much desi re .

1 . THE world of Christians i s one thing — their way ofl iving, their mind, and speech , and action , i s one - and theway of l iving

,and mind and speech and action of the men

of this world is another . Those are one thing, and these

another,and the difference between them is great . The

i nhabitants of the earth,the children of this age , are like

corn put in the sieve of this earth , s ifted by restles s thoughtsof this world, and by the ceaseles s tossing of earthly businesses and desires and of tangled material notions, whileSatan waves their soul s about, as he S ifts in this s ieve ofearthly businesses the whole S inful race of man , ever sinceAdam fell by transgressing the commandment and cameunder the power of the prince of wickedness . From thetime when he gained this power, he does nothing but siftwith thoughts of deceit and agitation all the sons of thisage, and dash them on the sieve of the earth .

2 . As the corn in the s ieve is knocked by the man whoS i fts , and constantly shaken and turned in it, so the princeof wickedness holds all men by means of earthly affairs,and through these he shakes them

,and agitates them , and

tosses them , and knocks them on vain l ines of thought,38

HOMILY V 39

and base desires , and earthly ties of the world, con stantlytaking captive and agitating and alluring all the sinful raceof Adam as the Lord forewarned the apostles how thewicked one would ri se up against them S atan hath desi redto have you that hemay sift you as wheat ; but I have prayedMy Father that your fai thfai l not .1 The word spoken toCain by the Creator, that sentence pronounced upon himw ith an outward mean ing, Groan ing and trembling and

tossed shalt thou be upon the earth,2 i s a type and likenessof what all s inner s undergo in secret . After fall ing fromthe commandment and en tering the s inful state, the race ofAdam has acquired that likeness in secret ; i t i s tossedabout with shifting thoughts of fear and terror and everyk ind of commotion ; the prince of this world keeps eachsoul on the waves of all sorts and varieties of pleasure andlust

,unless i t be begotten of God as corn is turned inces

san tly in the sieve, he keeps men’s thoughts rocking about

in various direction s , and shakes and entices them all byworldly lusts

,and pleasures of the flesh , and fears, and

commotions .3 . The Lord showed that those who follow the deceits

and desires of the wicked one bear the likeness of Cain’swickedness, when He reproved them and said, The lusts ofyour father ye w i ll do he was a murderer from the begin

n i ng and abode n ot in the truth .

3 So that the whole sinfulrace of Adam has acquired that condemnation in secret

,

Groan i ng and trembling shall ye be, and shaken in theS ieve of the earth , by Satan sifting you . For as from oneAdam all the race of men was spread over the earth

,so one

form of evil pass ion sank into the sinful race of men,and

the prince of evil suffi ces to sift them all with Shifting,

material,vain

,troublesome thoughts . As one wind is

1 Luke xxu . 3 1 , 32 .

2 G en . iv. 12 . This is the LXX render ing, but Macarius inserts thew o rd s and tossed .

3 John vi i i . 44 .

40 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

enough to shake and agitate all the plants and seeds, or asone darknes s of the night is spread over all the inhabitedearth, so the prince of wickedness, who is himself thespiritual darkness of s in and death

,and a wild though hidden

w ind, rocks the whole race of men upon earth, and carriesthem about w ith restless thoughts

,and entices the hearts of

men with the lusts of the world,and fills every soul with

the darkness of ignorance,blindness and forgetfulness, save

those which have been begotten from above,and have been

translated in disposition and mind to another world,accord

ing as it i s said,But our ci ti z en ship

,i s i n heaven .

1

4 . This constitutes the difference between true Christian sand the rest of mankind

,and the dis tance between the two

i s great,as we said before . The Christian mind and way of

thinking is always in the heavenly frame they behold as ina mirror the good things of eternity

,by reason of their par

taking and having the Holy Ghost, by being born of Godfrom a bove

,and being privileged to be children of God in

truth and effi cacy, and by having arrived, through manyconfl icts and labours spread over a long time, at a fixed andsettled condit ion of freedom from disturbance and of rest

,

no longer s ifted and wave-tossed by unqu iet and vainthoughts . By this they are greater and better than theworld

,because their mind and the frame of their soul i s in

the peace of Christ and the love of the Spirit. ‘ I t was ofsuch that the Lord spoke when He said that they hadpassed from death un to l ife.

2 Not in a form or in outwardfigures lies the distinguishing mark of Christians . Mostmen think that the difference which distinguishes themselvesfrom the world consists in a form and in figures ; and loin mind and frame they are like the world, undergoing thesame Shaking

,and inconstancy of thoughts

,and unbel ief,

and confusion,and helter-skelter as all other men . In out

ward form and appearance they differ from the world , and1 Phi l . i i i . 20.

2 John v. 24 .

“HOMILY V 41

in a few points of rel igious ordinance ; but in heart andmind they are bound with earthly bonds

,never having

acquired rest from God and the peace of the heavenlySpirit in their heart, because they never sought it fromGod, nor believed that He would vouchsafe these things tothem .

5. For it is in the renewing of the mind,and the peace

of the thoughts,and the love and heavenly passion for the

Lord, that the new creation of Christians distinguishes themfrom all the men of the world . This was the purpose ofthe Lord ’s coming

,to vouchsafe these spiritual blessings to

those who truly believe in Him . Christians have a gloryand a beauty and a heavenly wealth which is beyond words,and it is won with pains

,and sweat, and trials, and many

confl icts,and all by the grace of God . I f the S ight of

'

an

earthly king is an object of desire to all men,so that every

one who sojourns in the capital desires to catch even aglimpse of his beauty, the magnificence of his apparel ,the glory of his purple

,the beauty of his various pearls,

the comeliness of his diadem , the impress ive retinue ofdignities attending him— except that Spiritual men thinknothing of all this

,because they have had experience of

another glory,which is heavenly and out of the body, and

have been smitten with another beauty unspeakable, andhave an interest in another wealth , and have felt in theinward man and are partakers of another Spirit— when themen of this world

,who have the spirit of the world

,

are so keenly desirous to set eyes, i f no more , on theearthly king with all his comeliness and glory— becausein proportion as his share of visible advantages excels thatof other men , so even to have set eyes on him is a distinction and an object of desire to them all

,and each

man inwardly says , “ I wish that some one would give methat glory

,

“ and comeliness,and magnificence

,ascribing

happin ess to that man,l ike himself

,earthly

,of like passions ,

42 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMIL IES

and subject to death,though an object of desire for

hi s temporal comeliness and glory— 6 . if, I say, carnalmen thus desire the glory of the earthly king

,how much

more are those upon whom has dropped that dewdrop ofthe Spiri t of the life of the Godhead, and has smitten theirheart with a divine pass ion for Christ the heaven ly King ,bound fast to that beauty, to the unspeakable glory, theimmortal comeliness, the unimaginable wealth of Chris t,the true eternal King

,with desire and longing after whom

they are carried away captive,and have their whole being

d irected towards Him,and desire to obtain those unspeak

able blessings,which by the Spirit they see in a mirror ;

for whose sake they think nothing of all the beauties andcomelinesses and glories and honours and wealth of kingsand princes upon earth

,because they are smitten with a

divine beau ty,and the life o f immortality in heaven has

dropped upon their souls ? Therefore their longing istowards that love of the heaven ly King, and having Himonly before their eyes with great desire

,they detach them

selves for His sake from all worldly affection,and withdraw

from every earthly t ie,that they may be free always to

cherish in their hearts that one longing, and to mix nothingelse with i t .Very few, however, are they who supply a good

‘

beginn ing

with a good end,and come through to the end without

falling, w ith no love but one, for God only, and detachedfrom all else . 1 Many are pricked at heart, and manybecome partakers of heavenly grace

,and are smitten with

divine passion ; but because of the confl icts and strugglesand l abours and divers temptations of the devil to be borne

1 The long passage wh ich follows, down to the end of 6 , is prin ted

by F loss from a Berlin MS . The Bodle ian and the Holkham MS S . go

st raight on , w ithout a S ign of om ission , to the words of 7. Plainly ,how ever, those w ords are concerned w i th a different topic . S omethinghas , no doubt , fallen out . The passage supplied by the Berlin MS . i s

quite in Macarius’

s manner .

HOMILY V 43

on the way,they do not hold out , but are occupied w ith

divers and sundry worldly desires,because every one has

some worldly thing that he chooses to love,and has not

detached his affections all round, and so they have stoppedshort, and have been plunged in the deeps of the world,through the feebleness and slackness and

,cowardice of their

own wills, or through some worldly affection . For thosewho wish really to come through to the end in good livingmust not will ingly admit and combine any other love oraffection w ith that heavenly one, for fear of being hinderedfrom spiritual things

,and turning backward, and at las t

being exiled from life . Great and unspeakable and inestimable are the promises made by God ; and in proportionto them great fai th and hope and labours and confl icts arerequired

,and much trial . The blessings for w hich a seeker

of the kingdom . of heaven hopes are no trifle . Thoudesirest to reign w i th Christ through ages w ithout end ;w ilt thou not readily welcome the confl icts and labours andtemptations of this short span of life, even unto death ?The Lord cries , If any man w i ll come after M e

,let him

deny himself, and take up hi s cross dai ly rejoicing and

follow M e'

;1 and again

,If any man hate not father , mother

,

w ife, chi ldren ,

brethren ,si sters , yea and hi s own life also

,

he cannot be My di sciple.

2 But most men wish to attainthe kingdom

, and would l ike to inherit eternal li fe, but donot refuse to live to their own wills and to follow them out .Not denying themselves

,they wish to inherit eternal l ife ;

and this i s impossible .

3

The Lord’s saying is true . The men who come throughw ithout falling are those who according to the Lord’s commandment have wholly denied themselves, and have abhorred1 Rejoicing is Macar ius

’

s own addi tion , Luke ix . 23 .

2 Luke x iv. 26 .

2 The Berlin MS . i s eviden tly at fault here . In translat ion , a feww ords have been om itted before N ot deny ing,

”which only in terrupt

the sense .

44 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

all the desires,and entanglements

,and excitements, and

pleasures, and businesses of the world, and who keep Himonly before their eyes , and desire to do His commandments, so that each man by his own will turns away, evenfrom a kingdom , and posi tively would not wish to have i t , 1or to love anything along with that love

,by being pleased

with any pleasures or desires of this world,instead of keeping

his whole love, to the u tmost of his will and choice, fixedupon the Lord .

A single example will shew you all that I mean . Sometimes a man passes judgment on another . He knows thatwhat he is inclined to do is wrong , but because he lovesthe thing, and will not deny it, he is overcome . To beginwith, inwardly, in his heart, there is war, and conflict,weighing and balancing ; the love of God and the love ofthe world are in the scales and then the man comes forth,and passes judgment upon his brother

,perhaps even to

fighting and blows,saying within himself

,

“ Let me speak ;let me say it ; nay, let me not say it, because, whileremembering God , he ye t seeks to obtain his own glory,and will not deny himself

,but if the love of the world

for a moment outweighs the other and dips the scalein his heart

,at once the bad . word springs to his l ips .

Then the mind frdm within, l ike one who aims a missile,uses the tongue to shoot h is neighbour, discharging thevolley of unseemly words at his discretion ,

‘ in the desireto gain his own glory . Then this shooting with unseemlywords goes on and on

,until the sin i s diffused through

other members,and sometimes i t comes to blows and

wounds , body and members against body and members ,and sometimes the bad desire issues even in death andmurder. See the origin and the outcome of the love ofworldly glory

,when it has once turned the scale in the

balance of the heart in the way of self-will . The man1 Here again a few words are om itted which are man i festly corrupt .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

46 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

i s loving i t —another unseasonable conversat ions,another

j ealousy ; another amuses himself and seeks pleasure allday long ; another deceives himself with idle thoughts ;another loves to be a teacher of the law for the glory ofmen ; another finds pleasure in sloth and heedlessnes s ;another is absorbed in dress and clothes ; another giveshimself t o earthly cares ; another loves sleep and j estingand low talk . Whether it be a littl e thing of the world ora great that ties him

,the man is kept down by it

,and not

allowed to rise . Whatever pass ion a man does not bravelywar against

,i s an obj ect of his affection ; and i t holds him

fast, and weighs h im down , and becomes to him a hindranceand a fetter

,preventing his mind from going up to God

and pleasing Him,and from serving Him only and thereby

proving fit for the kingdom and obtaining eternal l ife .The Soul whose movement is truly towards the Lord,compels its affection wholly to Him

,and in will and in ten

tion binds itself with all its power to Him only, and fromthat quarter gains the help of grace

,and denies itself, and

refuses to follow the desires of its own mind,because the

mind deals,deceitfully with us through the evil that is

present with us and entices us ; but surrenders itself entirelyto the word of the Lord

,and detaches i tsel f from every ex

ternal bond,as far as lies in the power of the will

,and gives

i tsel f altogether to the Lord,and in this way will be en

abled to pass without difficulty through confl icts and troublesand afll ict ion s. Where the affection is en gaged, from thatquarter comes help or hindrance . I f a man loves something of the world

,that th ing becomes to him a burden and

bonds to drag him downward,not suffering him to go up

wards and Godwards . I f he loves the Lord and His commandmen ts, from thence comes his help , and from thencehe is buoyed up , and all the precepts of the Lord becomeeasy to him

,because his love for Him completely saves

him ; and i t weights his scale towards the good, or rather

HOMILY V 47

buoys him up and makes every battle and every affl ictionlight

, and through the power of God i t cuts through theworld and through the powers of evil which in the worldlay traps for the soul

,and which use all kinds of desires

to bind the soul in the depths of the world . In this waythe man is disentangled from them through his personalfaith and much earnestness and through the help thatcomes from above

,and is accounted worthy of the eternal

kingdom where his affection was set,and having truly loved

that kingdom with his personal wil l,and having received

help of the Lord,he does not fail of eternal life .

In order to see by plain illustrations how many men areruined by their own wills

,and are drowned in the sea

,and

are carried off into captivity,imagine a house on fire

,and

one man , wishing to save himself, as soon as he is aware o fthe fire

,flees out of i t naked

,leaving everything to its fate

,

and only caring to make sure of his own life is saved .

Another, wishing to take some of the furniture out of thehouse, or other articles , goes ins ide to get them ,

and just ashe takes them , the fire masters the house, and the man i scaught within and burned . You see that attaching himsel fby his personal will to some temporal object he perishes inthe fire . Or at sea, people are caught in a storm of wavesand shipwrecked . One strips himself naked

,and plunges

into the depth of the waters,caring only to save himself ;

and so, though buffeted by the billows , he emerges to thetop of them , because there is nothing about him to breakup,

‘ and thus manages to get through the bitter sea,and

purchases his own life . Another,desirous of saving some

of his clothes, fancies that he can dive and get throughwith what he has taken and all

,and the very things that he

got hold of weigh him down,and sink him in the depth o f

the sea, and for a trifl ing gain he loses himself, unable tosecure his own life . You see how his personal will causeshis death . Or suppose a rumour comes of the irrupt i on of

48 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

savage tribes. One man , the moment he hears of i t, makesoff

, without wasting time, and gets away with nothing buthis bare self. Another

,disbelieving that the enemy are

coming, or setting h is heart on some of his possessions andanxious to take them with him

,i s slow to flee, and the foes

come and catch him,and carry him captive in to the enemy

country,and there make a slave of him . You see how his

personal will is the cause of slackness, and want of energy,and attachment to some object or another , by which he i staken away into captivity . In like manner, those who donot follow the commandments of the Lord, and will notdeny themselves and set their affection on the Lord alone,but choose to be bound with earthly bonds, these, whenthe eternal fire comes

,being tied and bound with the love

of the world, 1 will find themselves burned, and sunk underthe bitter sea of wickedness , and carried captive by thesavage captors who are the Spirits of wickedness, andare lost .I f you please to learn from the holy in spired scripture

how straight a perfected love to the Lord can go, look atJob

,how he divested himself

,so to speak, of all that he

possessed— children,property , cattle, servants, and all that

he had— how be stripped them all off and escaped, andsaved himself

,even letting go his bodily clothing and

abandoning it to Satan , never blaspheming either in wordor in his heart

,nor uttering anything with hi s lips before

the Lord, but on the contrary blessed the Lord and said ,The L ord gave, and the L ord hath taken away ; as i t

seein ed good to the L ord , so hath He don e ; blessed be the

n ame of the L ord .

2 A lthough he was reputed to havegreat possessions, the testing which he received from theLord showed plainly that he had none but God . In likemanner Abraham

,being bidden by the Lord to leave his

country and his kindred and his father’s house,immediately

1 The text here i s corrupt . 2Job i . 20, LXX .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

50 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

keenness,and importunity, and discretion, and understanding

at al l t imes ; for most men wish to obtain the kingdomwithout trouble

,or pains

,or sweat

,and that i s a thing

impossible .As in the world men go to some rich person, to work atharvest or something else

,in order to gain what they need

for their sustenance,and some of them are sluggish and

idle, not working hard or labouring as they ought, and

these, who have not toiled at all nor exerted themselves forthe rich man ’s house

,wish to receive equal pay with those

who have manfully and vigorously exerted themselves withall their might, as i f they too had done their work ; sowhen we read in scripture how some righteous man pleasedGod , how he became a friend and companion of God, andhow all the fathers became friends and heirs of

,God , what

affl ictions they endured,how

'

much they suffered for God’ssake

,how they played the man and contended, we call

them blessed,and wish to obtain equal gifts and dignities !

with them , and covet earnestly those splendid endowments,without observing their pains and struggles and afflictionsand sufferings

,and earnestly wish to receive honours

and dignities l ike those which they have from God , buttheir labours and pains and struggles we will not accept .But I tell you , that everyone covets and desires thisharlots and publicans and unrighteous men and all— easilyand without labours or struggles to gain a kingdom . Butthis i s the reason why temptations l ie along the road, andmany trial s and affl ictions , and struggles, and exhaustinglabours

,to prove

,who have really loved the Lord and Him

only,with all their will and all their might, even to death ,

and have held nothing else desirable along with love toHim ; Justly therefore they enter into the k ingdom ofheaven

,having denied themselves according to the Lord ’s

word,and having loved the Lord , and Him alone, more

than their own breath ; and their surpassing love shall be

HOMILY V

requited with surpassing gi fts of heaven . In those affl ictionsand sufferings

,in that patience and faith

,are hidden the

promises,and the glory , and the restitution of the good

things of heaven , as the fruit i s in the seed when it i s sownin the earth

,or in the tree when a graft is inserted into it

and plastered with some degrading rotten stuff. Thenthey were proved to have in them the comeliness and theglory and the abounding fruit which clothes them ; as theapostl e says

,Through much tr i bu lati on w e may enter i n to

the kingdom of heaven ,

1and the Lord, In your pati en ce

possess ye your souls,2 and again , In the world ye shall

have tri bulation .

3 There i s need of pains,and diligence,

and watchfulness, and great heed , and of vigour andimportunity in prayer to the Lord , in order to pass throughthe traps of earthly desire

,and the snares of pleasure

,and

the pitfalls of the world,and to escape the assaults of evi l

spirits, and to know well by what watchfulness and alertness of faith and love the saints came to possess withintheir souls, even here, the heavenly treasure , that is, thepower of the Spirit

,which is the earnest of the kingdom .

The blessed apostle Paul,discoursing of thi s heavenly

treasure of the grace of the Spirit, and declaring the ex

ceed ing greatness of that tribulation , and at the sameindicating what each of us ought to strive to attain inthis life, says, We know that if our earthly house ofthi s tabernacle be di ssolved ,

we have a bu i lding of God ,

a house not made w i th hands , eternal i n the heaven s .

‘1

We ought all, therefore, to strive and endeavour by everykind of virtue, and to believe that we shall gain possessionof that house, even here . For if the house of our body isdissolved, we have no other house for the soul to turn into .

If, i t says , bei ng clothed , we shall n ot be found n aked 5

1 Acts x iv. 2 2 .

2 Luke x x i . 19 .

2 John xvi . 33 .

42 Cor v . 1 . It is at th is po in t that we meet again w i th the Bodle ian

and o ther MSS .

52 Cor . v. 3 .

52 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

naked, that is , of the communion and inblend ing of theHoly Ghost, in which alone the faithful soul can find rest .For this reason , Christians who are Christians in truth andefficacy are confident and glad at departure from the flesh,because they have that house made without hands, whichhouse is the power of the Spirit dwelling in them . Therefore

,even if the house of the body is dissolved

,they are in

no fear,because they have the heavenly house of the Spirit

and that incorruptible glory,which glory in the resurrection

day shall build up and glorify the house of the body aswell

,as the apostle tell s us He that rai sed up Chri st from

the dead shall qui cken also your mortal bodi es through H i s

Sp i r i t that dwelleth i n you ,

1,

and again , That the life also of

jesus m ight be made man ifest in our mortal flesh,

2 andThat mortali ty , i t says, may be swallowed up of life.

3

8 . Let us then strive by faith and virtuous l iving to gainhere that clothing, that when we put off the body we maynot be found naked

,and there be nothing in that day to

glorify our flesh . For in proportion as any one has beenpermitted to become through faith and diligence a partakerof the Holy Ghost

,his body also shall be glorified in that

day . What the soul has now stored up within , shall thenbe revealed and displayed outwardly in the body. As treesthat have got

,

over the winter,when warmed by the unseen

influence of sun and winds,put forth from within and shoot

out their clothing of leaves,and as at that season flowers of

the grass come forth from within the bosom of the earth ,and the earth i s covered and dressed

,and the grass i s l ike

those lil ies of which the Lord said that n ot even S olomon in

all hi s glary was arrayed like on e of them,

‘1 for these are allparables and types and figures of Christians at the resurrection .

-

9 . so to all God-loving souls,to true Christians,

there comes a first month,a Xan thicus, which is called

1 Rom . vi i i . 1 1 .

22 Cor. iv . 1 1 .

32 cor . v. 4.

4 Mat t . v1. 29 0

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

54 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

inward man, reflecting as i n a glass the glory of the L ord ,

are changed i n to the same image from glory to glory .

1

In l ike manner,for forty days and forty nights , as it i s

written,he did nei ther eat bread n or drink water .

2 I t wasnot poss ible for the nature of the body to live so longwithout bread

,unless he partook of some other spiritual

food ; of which food the souls of the saints even nowinvisibly partake by gift of the Spirit .

1 1 . In two ways,therefore

,the blessed Moses Showed

what glory of light and what immaterial dainties of theSpiri t true Christians Shal l have at the resurrection , whicheven now are vouchsafed to them in a hidden manner, andtherefore shall then be manifested also upon their bodies .The

‘ glory which the saints now have in their souls, thesame, as we said before, shall cover and clothe their nakedbodies, and catch them into heaven ; and thenceforward weShall rest

,in body and soul

,in the kingdom with the Lord

for ever. When God created Adam ,He did not provide

him with bodily wings,like the birds

,but He had designed

for him the wings of the Holy Ghost , those wings which Hepurposes to give him at the resurrection

,to l ift him up and

catch him away whithersoever the Spirit pleases— whichholy souls even now are privileged to have

,and fly up in

mind to the heavenly frame of thought . For Christianshave a different world of their own

,another table

,other

raiment , another sort of enjoyment, other fellowship, anotherframe of mind for which reason they are superior to othermen . The power of these things i t is their privilege tohave now within them in their souls

,through the Holy

Ghost ; therefore at the resurrection their bodies also willbe permitted to share those eternal blessings of the Spirit

,

and will be m ixed with that glory,which their souls in this

li fe had known by experience .1 2 . Every one of us therefore ought to strive

,and take

12 Cor . i i i . 18 .

2 Ex . xxx iv. 2 8 .

HOMILY V

pains,and be diligent in all virtues , and to believe , and to

seek from the Lord that the inward man may be madepartaker of that glory here and now

,and that the soul may

have fellowship in that sanctity of the Spirit,in order that

we may be cleansed from the defilemen ts of wickednessand may have at the resurrection wherewithal to clotheour bodies as they rise naked

,and to robe their uncome

l iness,and quicken them

,and refresh them for ever in the

kingdom of heaven . For Christ will come down fromheaven

,and raise up all the tribes of Adam

,those who

from the beginning have fallen asleep, according to theholy scriptures

,and will set them all in two divis ions

,and

those who bear His own S ign , that i s the seal of the Spirit,He will call to Him as His very own and set them on Hisright hand ; for Ady sheep , He says, hear My voi ce, and I

kn ow M in e own and am known of M i n e.

1 Then shallthe bodies of these be arrayed with divine glory from theirgood works

,and shall be ful l of the glory of the Spirit

,

which they had in their souls even here ; and thus beingglorified in the divine l ight

,and caught up into heaven

to meet the L ord i n the a i r,2 as it i s written , we shall ever

be w i th the L ord, rejoicing w i th Him to ages without end .

Amen .

1 John x . I4 , 2 7.

21 Thess . iv. 17.

HOMILY V I

Those who desi re to please God , ought to ofler their

prayers i n peace and qu i etness , i n gen tlen ess and

w i sdom ,and n ot to give . scandal to others by the

use of loud outcri es . The Homi ly also con tai n s two

questi on s , whether the thron es and crown s are actual

created thi ngs , and con cern ing the twelve thron es ofI srael .

1 . THOSE who draw near to the Lord ought to maketheir prayers in quietness and peace and great composure,and to fix their minds upon the Lord not with unseemlyand confused outcries

,but with effort of the heart and

vigilant thoughts . I f some one suffering from a maladyneeds to be cauteriz ed or to undergo a surgical Operation ,one man will bear the pain of i t with courage and patience,self-possessed, and making no noise or disturbance , whileothers undergoing the same infl iction give way under thefire or the knife to unseemly outcries

,and yet the pain of

the man who calls out i s exactly the same as that of theman who does not— of him who makes a disturbance asof h im who makes none . So are there some who underaffliction and travail of the soul submit to i t with dignityand make no disturbance, controlling themselves by mentalreflex ion , while others under the same affl iction lose theirpower of endurance

,and make their prayers with disorderly

noise, so as to give offence to those who hear them .

There are others again who are under no real concern,

56

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

58 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

deserts can they do i t . as they like . But those who prayquietly edify everybody everywhere . A man’s whole labourshould be employed upon his thoughts he must cut awaythe bush of evil thoughts which besets him

,and urge him

self to God , and not let h is thoughts carry him where theyl ike, but collect them when they wander in any direction ,distinguishing natural thoughts from bad ones . Beingunder sin , the soul comes near to being like a great woodupon a hill

,or the reeds in the river

,or thickets of thorns

and bushes . Those who wish to pass through'

the place,have to stretch out their hands

,and with force and laborious

effort to shove aside the bushes that beset them . So dothe thoughts that come from the adverse power beset thesoul like bushes . Much diligence and application of m i nd

,

therefore,i s required

,in order to distinguish the thoughts

which are not our own,but suggested by the adverse power .

4 . One man , trusting to his own abilities , thinks to fellthe hil ls round him by himself ; another, governing hismind with composure and discernment

,without great

trouble makes more of his work than the other. Thusthere are some who at prayer make use of unseemly ou tcries

,as if they rel ied upon their muscular strength , not

knowing how their thoughts deceive them, and fancyingthat they can achieve a perfect success by their own power .Others there are who pay attention to their thoughts, andexerc i se all their labour within . These by their understanding and discernment are enabled to reach success ,and to shake off the insurrection of the thoughts and towalk after the will of the Lord . And we find in theapostle that he calls the person who ed ifies others greaterthan he who does not . He says , He that speaketh w i th

tongues edifieth himself, but he that prophesi eth edifieth the

church. Greater i s he that prophesi eth than he that

speaketh w i th tougues .

1 Every one,therefore, will choose

1I Cor . x iv . 4, 5.

HOMILY VI 59

to edify others,and thus will have the kingdom of heaven

vouchsafed to him .

5. Question . Some“

people tell us that the thrones andcrowns are actual creatures

,not spiritual things . How

ought we to understand them ?An swer . The throne of the Godhead is our mind, andagain , the throne of our mind i s the Godhead and theSpirit. In like manner Satan also and the powers andrulers of darkness have

,ever s ince the transgression of the

commandment,seated themselves in the heart and mind

and body of Adam , as their own throne . That was whythe Lord came, and took His body of the V irgin . For ifHe had willed to come down in His uncovered Godhead,who would have been able to bear i t ? So He spoke tomen through the instrument of the body . By this meanshe put down the spiri ts of wickedness, which had theirseat in the body, from these thrones of mind and thought,wherein they dwelt

,and the Lord cleansed the conscience,

and made Himself a throne of the mind, the thoughts , andthe body .

6 . Question . What then is the meaning? of the text, Y eshall si t upon twelve thrones , judging the twelve tribes ofI srael ? 1

An swer . We find that thi s came to pass upon earth ,when the Lord had been taken up into heaven . For Hesent the Comforter Spirit upon the twelve apostles, andthat holy power which came and tabernacled and seateditself in the throne of their minds . When the bystanderssaid , These men are fu ll of n ew w in e,

2 Pe ter began atonce to judge them

,saying concerning Jesus

,

“ A

Man mi ghty i n words and signs ye crucified , hangingH im on a tree ,

“ 3 and behold,He there did wondrous

things, rending the graves of stone, and rais ing the dead .

1 Matt . x ix . 2 8 .

2 Act s i i . I 3 .

3 Acts 11. 2 2 ff. ; cp . v. 30 .

60 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

For it is written,I n the last days I w i ll pour out of My

Sp i ri t upon all flesh ,and your sons and your daughters

shall prophesy .

” 1 Many,therefore

,came to repentance

under Peter’s instruction , so that a new world, elect ofGod, came into being .

7. Do you see how the beginning of judgment appeared ?A new world appeared there . Authority was given themhere to sit and j udge even i n thi s world . No t but thatthey are to si t and give j udgment hereafter, at the adventof the Lord, at the resurrection of the dead . But i t cameto pass here also

,when the Holy Ghost seated Himself on

the thrones of their minds .The d iadems which Christian s receive in that age arenot creatures . Those who say so

,say amiss . The Spiri t

uses them as a suggestive figure . What does the apostlePaul say concerning the heavenly jerusalem ? Thi s i s the

mother of us all , 2 in whose confess ionwe agree . As for thegarment which Chri stians wear, i t is evidently the Spiri tHimsel f that clothes them

,in the name of the Father and

of the Son and of the Holy Ghost for ever . Amen .

1 Acts 11. I 7.

2 Gal . iv. 26 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

62 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

2 . Question . I s Satan in the same place as God, either inthe air, or in men ?An swer . The sun yonder is but a creature . When itshines upon miry places

,what harm does i t take ? How

much more can the D ivine Being be in the same place asSatan without being sullied or polluted ? Evil, however,i s darkened and bl inded

,and cannot see the purity and

fineness of God . I f any one says that Satan has his ownproper place

,and God His , he makes God to be circum

scribed with reference to the place where the wicked onedwells . How then can we say that the good is not circumscribed or comprehended

,and that all things are contained

within it,and yet that the good is not polluted by the evil ?

What then ? Because sky,and sun , and mountains are in

God , and have their consistency through Him , are theythen God ? Created things are established in their ownorder

,and the Creator, who is present with them all , i s

God .

3 . Question . When sin is transformed int o an angel ofl ight

,and comes to look like grace

,how is a man to detect

the wiles of the devil,and how shall he welcome and

di scern the things of grace ?An swer . The things of grace are attended by j oy

,peace,

love,and truth . Truth itsel f compels man to seek truth .

But the forms of s in are disordered,and have nothing of

love or joy towards God . Endive looks like lettuce ; butone is sweet, and the other, for all its l ikeness, i s bitter .Even in the realm of grace itself, there i s what looks liketruth, and there is the substance of truth itself. The rayof the sun is one thing

,and the orb itself i s another

,and

the ray does not give shine in the same sense m which thelight stored up in the orb does . A lamp is lighted in thehouse : the ray of it which beams all round is one thingand the light in the lamp itself i s another

,brighter and

clearer. In like manner there are things of grace,which

HOMILY VII 63

when a man sees them at a distance, as spectacles to belooked at

,give him joy even as spectacles bu t he becomes

another man when the power of God enters into him ,

and occupies his heart and h is members , and makes hismind captive to the love of God . When they seiz ed Peterand cast him into prison

,an angel of the Lord came, when

he was shut in,and broke his chains , and brought him

ou t ; and he, l ike one in a trance, thought he saw a vision .

4 . Questi on . And how comes it that people who areunder the influence of grace ever fall ?Answer . Even pure intell igences in their own nature are

liable to slip and fall . A man begins to be lifted up , tocensure

,to say

,

“Thou art a sinner,” while he considershimself righteous . Do you not know what S t . Paul says ,There was given un to me a thorn i n the flesh,

the messenger

of S atan to bufiet me,lest I shou ld be exalted above mea

sure ." 1 Even a pure nature is liable to be exalted above

measure.5. Questi on . Can a man , by means of light , see his own

soul ? There are some people who do away with revelat ion ,and affirm that it i s knowledge and sense which give vision .

An swer . Sense differs from vision , and vision from en

l ightenmen t and the man who has enlightenment is greaterthan the man who has only sense . His mind i s enlightened

,

inasmuch as he has received a greater portion than the man

who has but sense,as i s shown by his seeing within himsel f

visions which he cannot doubt . But revelation is a furtherthing . G reat things

,and mysteries of God

,are the subjects

of revelation to the soul .6 . Questi on . Does one by revelation and the divine ligh tsee the soul ?An swer . As these eyes of ours see the sun

,so those who

are enlightened see the image of the soul ; but not manyChristians have this sight.

12 Cor . x i i . 7.

64 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

7. Question . Has the soul any form ?Answer . I t has an image or form in the same way as anangel has . As the an gels have an image or form , and asthe outward man has his image

,so the inner man has an

image like an angel’s,and a form like that of the outward

man .

8 . Question . I s the mind one thing and the soul another ?An swer. As the members of the body, being many, arecalled one man

,so the soul has many members, mind, con

science, will, thoughts accusing and excusing,1 but all these

are dependen t upon one factor. They are members of thesoul, and the soul is one, the inward man . But as the outward eyes discover at a distance the thorns, precipices , andpitfalls , and give warning beforehand, so the mind, when i tis at al l alert

,discovers beforehand the crafts and devices

of the adverse power,and secures the soul in advance . I t i s

in fact the eye of the soul . Let us ascribe glory to theFather, Son , and Holy Ghost for ever and ever. Amen .

1 Rom . 11. 15.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

66 FIF’I‘

Y SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

different ways,after its own pleasure . Sometimes the fire

flames out and kindles more vehemently ; at other timesmore gently and mildly . The l ight that i t gives kindles upat times and shines with unusual brightness ; at others i tabates and burns low . The lamp is always burning andshining

,but when it is specially trimmed, i t kindles up with

intox ication of the love of God ; and then again by God ’sdispensation it gives in, and though the light is a lways there,i t i s comparatively dull .3 . To some

,however, the sign of the cross has appeared

in light and fastened itself upon the inward man . A t anothert ime a man at his prayers has fallen into a kind of trance

,

and found himself standing in the altar-space in church,

and three loaves were offered to such an one, leavened withoil

,and the more he ate of them , the more they increased

and grew . At another time there was brought as i t werea shining garment

,such as there is none on earth in the

course of this world,nor is it possible for human hands to

make the like ; for as when the Lord went up into themountain with Peter and john , He changed the fashion ofHis raiment and made it to flash with light, so was it with thi sgarment

,and the man who was clothed w ith it wondered

and was amaz ed . Another while, the light shining in theheart disclosed the inner

,deeper

,hidden light, so that the

man,swallowed Up in the sweetness of the contemplation

,

was no longer master of himsel f, but was like a fool or abarbarian to this world by reason of the surpassing loveand sweetness

,by reason of the hidden mysteries ; so that

the man for that season was set at liberty, and came toperfect measures, and was pure and free from sin yet afterwards grace retreated

, and the veil of the adverse powercame ; notwithstanding, grace still shews itself in part, andhe stands on the first and lowest step of perfection.

4 . There are twelve steps, we might say, which a manhas to pass before he reaches perfection . For a season that

HOMILY VIII 67

measure has been attained,and perfection entered upon ;

and then grace gives in , and he comes down by one step ,and stands on the eleventh . Here and there one man richin grace has stood always

,night and day

,in perfect measures

,

at liberty and in purity,always captive and aloft . Well

now, i f the man to whom those marvellous things wereshewn , of which he has had actual experience, were tohave them always present with him

,he would be unable

to undertake the d ispensation of the word and the burdenof i t, nor could he endure to listen to, or take any interestin, any ordinary thing, concerning himself, or concerningthe morrow

,but only to s it in a corner

,aloft and in tox i

cated . So the perfect measure has not been given,in order

that he may be free to take an interest in his brethren,

and in the ministry of the word . Nevertheless the middlewall of parti ti on has been broken through 1 and death isovercome .5. The case stands thus

,as if some foggy power hangs

over and forms a light screen,l ike a dense air

,though the

lamp is burning and shining all the while,even as a veil

hangs over yonder light . So this man confesses that he isnot perfect or altogether free from sin . He says that themiddle wall of partition has been broken through andshattered

,and yet

,at some point not wholly broken

,nor

at all t imes . There are moments when grace kindles up

and comforts and refreshes more fully ; there are momentswhen it retreats and clouds over, according as grace itselfmanages for the man’s advantage . But who is there thathas come to the perfect measure at particular seasons

,and

has tasted and had direct experience of that world ? A

perfect Christian man , one completely free, I have not yetseen . Although one and another is at rest in grace, andenters into mysteries and revelations and into much sweetness of grace

,still s in is yet present within . By reason of

1 Eph . 11. I4.

68 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

the exceeding grace and of the light that IS In them , men

con s ider themselves free and perfect but inexperience de v

ce ives them . They are under the influence of grace, but Ihave never yet seen a man that is free . I myself at timeshave in part come to that measure

,and I have learned to

know that it does no t constitute a perfect man .

6 . Questi on . Tell us, if thou wilt, what measures thouart in ?Answer . After the sign of the cross , 1 grace now acts thus .I t calms all the members and the heart

,so that the soul, for

much joy,appears like an innocent child

,and the man no

longer condemns Greek or jew,sinner or worldling . The

inner man regards all men with a pure eye, and the manrejoices over all the world

,and desires that all should

worship and love , Greeks and jews . At another moment,

l ike the king’s son,he is as hold in the Son of God as in a

father,and doors are Opened to him

,and he enters wi thin to

many man si on s,2 and the further he goes in

,doors are again

opened in progression,a hundred mansions leading to a

hundred beyond,and he is rich

,and the richer he i s

,other

new wonders are again disclosed to him , and he is entrusted,as a son and an heir

,with things that cannot be told by

mankind or put into syllables by mouth and tongue. Gloryto God . Amen .

1 The experience spoken of above, 3 .

2john x iv . 2 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

70 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

anointing ? Where was the promise,so far as the imme

diate future was concerned ? After his anointing,he was

grievously affl icted,wandering in desert places

,and destitute

even of bread,and taking refuge among the heathen

because of Saul’s designs against him . Such affl ictionsencompassed the man whom God had anointed to be king .

Then after long trial,and afll ict ion , and temptation

,and

patience, having once for all bel ieved God, and assuringhimself, “What God did for me by the prophet’s anointing,and what God said should come to pass concerning me

,

must without doubt come to pass , even though long patiencebe required

,at length the will of God was done, and David

reigned after all his trial s . Then the word of God wasmanifested, and the an ointing at the hands of the prophetwas shewn to be sure and true .4 . So with Moses . God having foreknown and predestined him to be the ruler and del iverer of the people,made him to become the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, andhe grew up to kingly fortune and splendour and luxury

,

being learn ed i n all the w i sdom of the Egyptian s 1 ; andwhen he reached man ’s estate, and was become great, herefused all those things

,choosing rather the suffering afflic

tion and the reproaches of the Christ , as the apostle says,than to en joy the fileasures of si n for a season .

2 Hebecame a fugitive from Egypt ; and how long did that sonof a king

,who was bred up to such enjoyment and royal

luxury,spend in the labours of a shepherd ! Then at

length,being approved to God and found faithful through

much patience,because he had endured many temptations ,

he became the deliverer,the ruler

,the king of I srael, and

was addressed by God as a God to P haraoh.

3 Throughh im God smote Egypt with plagues, and displayed throughhim great wonders upon Pharaoh, and finally drowned theEgyptians in the sea. See, after what length of t ime the

1 Acts VII . 2 2 .

2 Heb. x i . 24- 2 6.

3 Ex . vn . I .

HOMILY IX 71

w i ll and purpose of God was declared, and after how manytrials and affl ictions it was fulfilled .

5. So again w i th Abraham . How long beforehand Godpromised to bestow on him a son , and yet gave h im nonethere and then

,but for how many intervening years trials

and temptations befell him ! But Abraham patien tlyendured all that came upon him , and was fully persuadedby faith that He who had promised, and could not l ie,would fulfi l His own word

,and so being found faithful he

obtained his promise .6 . In like manner Noah , being commanded in his fivehundredth year by God to prepare the ark, and warnedthat He would bring a flood upon the world, which wasnot brought until his Six—hundredth year, waited patiently fora hundred years

,nothing doubt ing whether God would do

what He said or not,but being once for all fully persuaded

by faith that what God had spoken must assuredly come topass . So, being found approved by resolution and faithand endurance and much patience, he alone with his housewas saved

,having kept the commandment in purity .

7. We have alleged these scriptural grounds to show thatGod ’s grace in man

,and the gift of the Holy Ghost, which

is vouchsafed to a fai thful soul, proceeds with muchcontention

,with much endurance and longsuffering, and

temptations and trials,the man ’s free will being tried by all

manner of affl ictions . And when it does not grieve theSpirit in anything, but is agreeable to grace through allcommandments

,then it i s permitted to obtain freedom

from passions,and receives the fulfilment of the Spirit’s

adoption,spoken of in a mystery, and of the Spiritual

riches,and of the intelligence which is not of this world ,

whereof true Christians are made partakers . For thisreason they are for all purposes superior to all the men ofprudence

,intell igence

,and wisdom , who have the spirit of

the world .

72 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

8 . For such an one judgeth all men ,

1 as i t is written .

He knows each man , from whence he Speaks , and where hestands, and what measures he is in but not a man of thosethat have the spiri t of the world Is able to know and j udgehim,

but only he that has the like heavenly Spiri t of theGodhead knows his like, as the apostle says : Comparingsp i r i tual things w i th sp i ri tual but the n atural man

receiveth not the things of the Sp i ri t , for they are fooli shn ess un to him bu t he that i s sp i ri tual judgeth all men , yet

he h imself i s judged by n on e.

2 Such an one looks uponall things that the world holds glorious

,its riches

,its luxury

,

and all it s enjoyments — yea, and even its knowledge — and

all th ings belonging to this age,as loathsome and hateful .

9 . As one that is possessed and burning with a feverloathes and rejects the sweetes t food or drink that you offerhim

,because he burns with the fever and is vehemently

exercised by it, so those who burn with the heavenly, sacred,solemn longing of the Spirit

,and are smitten in soul with

love of the love of God, and are vehement ly exercised bythe divine and heavenly fire which the Lord came to send

upon the earth, and desire that i t should speedily bekindled,

3 and are aflame with the heavenly longing forChrist, these, as we said before , consider all the gloriousand precious things of th is age contemptible and hatefulby reason of the fire of the love of Christ, which holds themfast and inflames them and burns them with a Godwarddisposit ion and with the heavenly good things of love fromwhich love nothing of all that are in heaven and earth andunder the earth shall be able to separate them , as theapostle Paul testified

,saying

, Who shall separate u s fromthe love of Chri st ? and what follows .4

10 . But it i s not possible that any one should obtain thepossession of his own soul

,and of the heavenly love of the

1 I Cor . 11. I 5.

2 I Cor . i i . 13 ff.3 Luke x i i . 49.

4 Rom . vi i i . 35.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

74 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

Chri st 1 ; that by means of such striving and longing andseeking the mind may attain to become with the Lord on e

S p i r i t 2 of the gift and grace of Christ, resting in the vesselof the soul

,which has prepared herself for every good work ,

and which does no desp i te un to the S p i r i t of the Lord 3 byits own selfwill, and by the wanderings of this world, itsglories

,powers, self-determinations, or fl eshly indulgences,

and the companionships and society of evil men .

1 2 . Lovely it is,'

when the soul , devoting herself whollyto the Lord

,and cleaving to Him only

,and dwelling mind

fully in His commandments,and worthily honouring the

Spiri t of Christ which has come upon her and overshadowedher

,i s permitted to be one Spirit and one composition with

Him,as the apostle says

, He that i s join ed un to the L ord i s on eS p i r i t.4 But if a man gives himsel f away to cares

,or glory,

or power, or human honours , and seeks after these things ,and his soul is mixed Up and enters into composit ion withearthly consideration s

,or is bound and held by anything

belonging to this age,and if such a soul longs to tran sfer

itself and escape and get away from the darkness of passion s ,in which it i s held by the evi l powers , i t cannot do so,because it loves and does the will of darkness, and does notperfectly hate the practices of wickedness .

1 3 . Let us therefore prepare ourselves to travel to theLord with an undivided will and purpose, and to becomefollowers of Christ, to accomplish whatever He wills , and tothink upon Hi s commandmen ts to do them .

5 Let us s everourselves al together from the love of the world, and attachour soul s to Him only

,and keep in mind Him only as our

business and care and quest . I f we have to be somewhat busied also in body/w ith the business laid upon us,and with obedience for God’s sake, let not the mind heparted from its love and quest and longing after the Lord ;

12 Cor . x . 5.

2I Cor . vi . I 7.

3 Heb. x . 29 .

4I Cor . vi . I 7.

5 Ps. ci i i . I 8 .

HOMILY IX 75

so that striving in such a mind , and journeying along theway of righteousness with an upright intention

,and always

taking heed to ourselves, we may obtain the promise ofHis Spirit, and may through grace be delivered from theperdition of the darkness of the passions

,by which the soul

i s exercised , that we may be made meet for the eternalkingdom

,and permitted to enjoy all eternity with Ch ri st,

glorifying the Father,the Son

, and the Holy Spirit for ever .Amen .

HOMILY X

By lowliness of mind and earnestness the gifts of the

Divine grace are preserved, but by pr ide and sloth theyare destroyed .

I . SOULS that love truth and God, that long with muchhope and faith to put on Christ completely, do not need somuch to be put in remembrance by others , nor do theyendure

,even for a while

,to be deprived of the heavenly

desire and o f pass ionate aflect ion to the Lord ; but beingwholly and entirely nailed to the cross of Christ, theyperceive in themselves day by day a sense of spiritualadvance towards the spiritual Bridegroom . Being smittenwith the heavenly longing

,and hungering for the r ighteous

ness of the virtues,they have a great and insatiable desire

for the shining forth of the Spirit . Even if they are privileged through their faith to receive the knowledge of D ivinemysteries, or are made partakers of the gladness of heavenlygrace, they put no trust in themselves, thinking themselvesto be somewhat

,but the more they are permitted to receive

spiritual gifts , the more insatiable they are of the heavenlylonging, and the more they seek on with diligence . The

more they perceive in themselves a spiritual advance, themore hungry and thirsty they are for the participation andincrease of grace ; and the richer they spiritually are, themore do they esteem themselves to be poor

,being insatiable

in the spiritual longing for the heavenly Bridegroom,as the

scripture says , They that eat M e shall yet be hungry ,and

they that drink Me shall yet be thi rsty .

1

1 Ecclus . xx iv. 2 1 .

76

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

78 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

mysteries,should be vouchsafed to i t

,i t feels in itself to

have acquired nothing at all,by reason of i ts unlimited and

insatiable love to the Lord . All day long, hungering andthirsting through faith and love

,in persevering prayer, i t

continues to be insatiable for the mysteries of grace, andfor the accomplishment of every virtue . I t i s smitten withpassionate love of the heavenly Spirit, continually stirringup wi thin itself through grace an ardent aspiration for theheavenly Bridegroom

,desiring to be perfectly admitted to

the mystical,ineffable fellowship with Him in sanctificat ion

of the Spirit . The face of the soul is unve iled , and i t gaz esupon the heavenly Bridegroom face to face in a spirituallight that cannot be described

,mingling with Him in all

fulness of assurance,being conformed to His death

,ever

looking with great desire to d ie for Christ , and trustingwith assurance to receive by the Spirit a perfect del iverancefrom sin and from the darkness of the passions ; in orderthat having been cleansed by the Spiri t, sanctified insoul and body

,i t may be permitted to become a clean

vessel to receive the heavenly unction and to entertain thetrue King, even Christ ; and then i t i s made meet foreternal l ife , being henceforward a clean dwelling-place ofthe Holy Ghost.5. For a soul to reach these measures

,however

,does not

come all at once,or without trial. Through

,many labours

and struggles, and long time, and earnestness, with trialand manifold temptations

,it gains the spiritual increase and

advance, even to the perfect measure of freedom frompass i on, In order that willingly and bravely enduring everytemptation with which it is pl ied by evil , i t may then beprivileged to obtain the great honours

,and spiri tual gifts

,

and heavenly riches,and thus become an Inheritor of the

heavenly kingdom in Christ Jesus our L ord,’

to whom beglory and might for ever. Amen .

HOMILY XI

That the power of the Holy Ghost in man’

s heart i s l i ke

fire and what things w e n eed, in order to di stingu i sh

the thoughts that spr ing up in the heart and concern ing

the dead serpen t fixed by M oses at the top;of the pole ,which was a type of Chr i st . The Homi ly conta in s two

d ialogues, one between Chri st and the evi l on e, S atan

the other between sinn ers and the same.

I . THAT heavenly fire of the Godhead , which Christiansreceive in their hearts now in this present world

,that same

fire which now -ministers inwardly in the heart becomesoutward when the body is dissolved , and recomposes themembers , and causes a resurrection of the members thathad been dissolved . As the fire that ministered on thealtar at Jerusalem lay buried in a pit during the time ofthe captivity

,and the selfsame fire, when peace came and

the captives returned home,was renewed

,as i t were

,and

ministered in its accustomed manner, 1 so now the heavenlyfire works upon this body that is so near us, which after itsdissolution turns to mire

,and renews it

,and raises up the

bodies that had decayed . The inward fire that now dwellsIn the heart become s then external , and causes a resurrectionof the body .

2 . The fire in the furnace under Nabuchodonosor was nodivine fire

,but a creature ; but the Three Children, be

cause of their righteousness,while they Were in the visible

12 Macc. i . 19 .

79

80 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMIL IES

fire,had in their hearts the divine and heavenly fire

min istering within their thoughts and exerting its energyin them . That very fire showed itsel f outside them . I tstood between them and the vis ible fire

,and restrained i t,

that i t should not burn the righteous,nor do them any

manner of hurt . In like manner, when the mind of Israeland their thoughts were bent upon departing far from thel iving God and turning to idolatry, Aaron was compelledto tell them to bring their golden vessels and ornaments .Then the gold and the vessels , which they cast into thefire

,became an idol

,and the fire

,as i t were

,copied their

intention . That was a wonderful thing . They,secretly,

in purpose and thought, determined upon idolatry, and thefire accordingly fashioned the vessels thrown upon it intoan idol

,and then they committed idolatry openly .

1 As,

then,the Three Children, having thoughts of righteousness,

received in themselves the fire of God , and worshipped theLord in truth

,so now faithful souls receive that divine

and heavenly fire,in this world, in secret ; and that fire

forms a heavenly image upon their humanity. 3 . As thefi re formed the golden vessels, and they became an idol,so does the Lord

,who copies the intentions of faithful and

good souls,and forms an image even now in the soul

according to their desire,and at the resurrection it appears

external to them,and glorifies their bodies within and with

out . But as the bodies of some are at th is time decayedfor a season

,and dead

,and dissolved, So also are their

thoughts decayed by the action of Satan, and a re dead tothe life indeed

,and buried in mire and earth for their soul

i s perished . As,therefore

,the Israelites cast the golden

vessels into the fire,and they became an idol, so now the

man has given over his pure and good thoughts to evil , andthey have been buried in the mire of Sin ,

and are become1 Th is i s Macarius

’

interpretation of Ex . xxxn . 24 . He had

apparen tly forgo tten verse 4 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

82 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

bread, and wine, and oil ; and they set animal s upon thei raltars ; yea ,

they sacrificed thei r sons and their daughtersun to devi ls .

1

6 . At this point comes He in person, who fashionedbody and soul

,and undoes the whole business of the

wicked one,and his works accomplished in men’s thoughts,

and renews and forms a heavenly image,and makes a new

thing of the soul,that Adam may again be king over death

and lord of the creatures . In the shadow of the law,

Moses was called the Saviour of I srael, because he broughtthem out of Egypt . So now the true Redeemer, Christ,goes through into the hidden places of the soul

,and brings

it out of dark Egypt, and the heavy yoke, .and the bitterbondage . He commands us

,therefore

,to come out of the

world,and to become poor of all vis ible things, and to

have no earthly care,but night and day to stand at the

door,and wait for the time when the Lord shall open the

closed hearts,and shall pour upon us the gift of the Spirit .

7 . He told us therefore to leave gold, silver, kinsfolk,to sell that which we have and distribute to the poor, andto treasure i t up and seek it in heaven . F or where thy

treasure i s , there w i ll thy heart be als’

o.

2 The Lord knewthat in this quarter Satan prevails over the thoughts , todrag them down to anxiety for material , earthly things .For this reason God , in providential care for thy soul , toldthee to renounce all

,in order that even agains t thy will

thou mightest seek the heavenly riches, and keep thy heartGodwards ; for even if thou shouldest wish to return tothe creaturely things

,thou findest nothing vis ible in thy

possession . Willest thou , n illest thou , thou art compelledto send thy mind to heaven , where thou hast treasuredthese things and laid them up for where thy treasure i s ,

there w i ll thy heart be also.

8 . In the law God commanded Moses to make a serpent1 PS . cxxxvi . 37.

2 Matt . Vi 2 1

HOMILY XI 3

of brass,

1 and lift i t up , and fix i t upon the top of a pole,and as many as w ere stung by the serpents

,when they

fixed their attention upon the braz en serpent, obtainedhealing. This was done by way of a dispensation, in orderthat those who were held by earthly cares

,and the worship

of idols,and the pleasures of Satan , and all manner of

ungodliness, might by this means to some extent lookupward to things above, and gaining a respite from thingsbelow

,might give heed to higher things

,and again proceed

from these to that which is highest ; and thus advancinglittle by little to the higher and loftier kind

,might learn to

know that there is a Most Highest surpass ing all thecreation . So likewise He commanded thee also to makethyself poor

,and to sell all and give to the poor

,in order

that after that , even if thou shouldest wish to sink downupon the earth

,it might be impossible . Searching into

thy heart,thou beginnest to commune with thy thoughts,

Inasmuch as we have nothing upon earth,let us be get

ting heavenwards , where our treasure is, where we have setup a business .

”Thy mind begins to uplift an eye to the

height,to seek the things above, and in so doing to make

progress .9 . What, however, i s the dead serpen t ? The serpent

fixed upon the top of the pole healed those that werestung . The dead serpent overcame the live ones . Thusit is a figure of the body of the Lord . The body which Hetook of the ever Virgin Mary, He offered it up upon thecross, and hung it there, and fastened it upon the tree ;and the dead body overcame and slew the l ive serpentcreeping in the heart . Here was a great marvel

,how the

dead serpent slew the live one ; but as Moses made a newthing, when he made a likeness of the live serpent, soalso the Lord made a n ew thing from the V irgin Mary

,and

put this on , instead of bringing with H im a body from1 Num . xxi. 8 .

84 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

heaven . The heavenly Spirit entered in and wrought inAdam ,

1 and brought him into combination with the Godhead

,and put on human flesh

,and fashioned i t in the

womb . As no serpent of brass was ever commanded bythe Lord to be made in the world unt il Moses, so a newand sin less body was never seen in the world until theLord . For when the first Adam transgressed the commandment

,death

,

reigned over his children withoutexception . So a dead body overcame the live serpent .

I O . This wonderful thing is to the jews a stumbling

block,and to the Greeks fooli shn ess .

2 But what saysthe apostle ? But we preach jesus Chr i st , and Him

crucified , to the jews a stumbli ng-block, and to the

Greeks fooli shness ,but to us that are saved Chri st

the power of God and the w i sdom of God .

3 In thedead body is l ife . Here is redemption ; here is light .Here the Lord comes to death, and discourses with him ,

and bids him bring the souls out of hell and death,and

give them back to Him . Behold then, death, troubled atthese things , goes in to his ministers, and gathers togetherall his powers ; and the prince of wickedness produces thebond-deeds

,and says

,

“ See,these obeyed my words ; see

how men worshipped us . But God, who is a j ust j udge,displays His justice here also

,and says to him

,

“ Adamobeyed thee, and thou didst take possession of all thehearts of him . Humanity obeyed thee . What i s My bodydoing here ? This is without sin . That body of the firstAdam was under obligation to thee

,and thou hast a right

to keep the bond-deeds of it ; but to Me all bear witnessthat I n ever sinned . I owe thee nothing, and all bearw itness that I am the Son of God . Above the heavenscame a voice and bore witness upon the earth , Thi s i s Mybeloved S on hear Him .

4john witnesses, B ehold ,

the

1 By“Adam Macarius m eans human i ty .

2 I Co r . 1. 2 3 .

3I

"

Cor . i . 24 ; cp . i i . 2 .

4 Matt . i i i . 17 ; cp . xvn . 5.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

86 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

heart-hell,and there lays His command upon death , saying,

Bring out the imprisoned souls that are seeking after Me ,

which thou de tainest by force .” So He breaks throughthe heavy s tones that lie on the soul , opens the sepulchres,raises up the man that i s dead indeed, brings out of thedark jail the imprisoned soul .

1 2 . just as i f a man were bound hand and foot withchains , and some one came and loosed his bands, and lethim walk free without interference, so the Lord looses fromits bonds the soul that is bound with the chains of death ,and lets it go, and sets the mind free to walk at ease andunhindered into God ’s air . Suppose a man were in themiddle of a river in full flood , and overwhelmed by thewater lay lifeless

,drowned

,with dreadful monsters al l

round him . I f another man,who is not used to swimming,

should wish to save the one who fell in,he too i s lost

,and

is drowned with him . C learly there i s need of a skilledswimmer

,an expert

,to go out into the depth of the water

of the gulf,and dive

,and bring up the drowned man

there among the monsters . The water itself, when it seesa man skilled and knowing how to navigate i t

,helps such

a man,and bears him up to the surface. The soul

,in the

same way, has been plunged and drowned in the abyss ofdarkness and the deep of death , and is dead and partedfrom God among dreadful monsters ; and who i s able togo down into those secret chambers and the depths of helland death , except that expert Workman who fashioned thebody ? In His own person He enters into two quarters

,

into the depth of hell, and into the deep gulf of the heart ,where the soul with its thoughts is held fast by death

,and

brings up out of the darksome hole the Adam that laydead . And death itself

,through practice

,becomes an

assistance to man , l ike the water to the swimmer.1 3 . What difficulty is there to God in entering into death,or into the deep gulf of the heart either

,and calling up the

HOMILY XI 87

dead Adam from thence ? In the natural world there arehouses and tenements where mankind dwell, and there areplaces where wild beasts dwell

,l ions

,or dragons, or other

venomous beasts . I f the sun ,which is but a creature,

enters in every direction,through windows

,through doors,

and into the dens of lions,and into the holes of serpents ,

and comes out again without taking any harm ,how much

more does the God and Lord of all enter into the holesand dwelling-places where death pitched his tent, and intosouls, and rescue Adam from thence without being Injuredby death ? The rain

,too

,comes down from heaven , and

reaches down into the lower parts of the earth,and there

moistens and ren ews the dried roots , and makes there anew growth.

1 4 . One man maintains confl ict and hardship and waragainst Satan . This man’s heart i s contrite he is in careand mourning and tears . Such an one has come to standin two separate realms . I f

,then

,in thi s s tate of things he

perseveres, the Lord is with him for the battle, and protectshim ; for he seeks in earnest, and knocks at the door til lHe opens to him . Again

,i f you see here a good brother,

i t is grace which has established him . But the man without foundation has no such fear of God . His heart is notcontrite . He is in no fear

,nor does he secure his heart

and members, not to walk d isorderly . This man’s soul i saltogether free, for he has not yet entered into conflict. Thereis then a difference between the man in confl ict and hardship, and the man who does not know what battle is . 1

1 I t is no t easy to discern the order of thought in th is section of the

Hom ily . The contrast is between the man who has en tered upon the

spiri tual combat and the man who has n ot . The fi rst is in a d ivided

state of m ind , striving after sanctificat ion , but st ill conscious of con

t rary mo tions . The second has not even go t as far as that , but is in a

k ind of liberty . The clearn ess of the con t rast i s a l it tle blurred by thein t roduct ion of a th ird character , the good brother ,

”betw een the tw o .

H e is in t roduced to make st il l more v iv id the descr ip tion of the man

w ho has not yet begun the strife . Whi le the“

good brother i s

88 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

Even the seeds,when cast into the ground

,undergo hard

ship with the frosts,with the winter

,with the coldness of

the air, and in due season the growth is quickened .

15. I t sometimes happens that Satan talks in the ‘

heart ,

See how many wrong things thou has t done ! See howmany foll ies thy soul is fi lled with

,and thou art weighed

down with sins , that thou canst not be saved .

”This he

does,to reduce thee to despair

,and to make thee think

that thy repentance is not acceptable . For since by thetransgress ion wickedness entered in

,i t talks with the soul

every hour, l ike man with man . Answer him then thou ,“ I have the testimonies of the Lord in writing

,that say, I

desire not the death of the sinner,but his repentance, and that

he should turn from his wickedness and live .” 1 I t was forthis that He came down

,to save sinners

,to rais e the dead,

to quicken lost l ives, to give light to those in darkness . I ntruth He came, and called us to the adoption of sons , to aholy city which is ever at peace, to the l ife that never dies,to glory incorruptible . Only let us put a good ’fin ish to ourbeginning. Let us abide in poverty

,in the condition of

strangers,in suffering afll ict ion ,

in petition to God, knocking importunately at the door. Near as the body is tothe soul

,the Lord is nearer

,to come and open the locked

doors of the heart , and to bestow on us the riches ofheaven . He is good and kind to man

,and His promises

cannot lie, i f only we continue seeking Him to the end .

G lory be to the compassions of the Father and of the Sonand of the Holy Ghost for ever. Amen .

established by grace , and has go t beyond the state of division ,the

o ther has as ye t no foundat ion at all, and i s a mere co llect ion of

impulses . The m en t ion of the seeds at the end o f the sect ion connects

i t w i th the end of the sect ion before , an d shew s that the man w ho has

no t yet begun the combat is to be iden t ified w i th the “ d rowned ”man

i n the gulf of sin .

1 Ezek . xxx i i i . I I cp . xvi i i . 23.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

90 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

nothing that they think i s well-pleasing to God . I f thereare houses of promiscuous reception and of ill- fame , andplaces where disorders and debaucheries are carried on

godly people,as they pass

,loathe them , and seeing refuse

to see,for these things are to them dead . So God casts an

eye upon those who have revolted from His word and fromHis commandment

, but His eye passes on from them , andmakes no communion there

,nor can the Lord find a

resting-place in their thoughts.3 . Questi on . How can any one be poor in spirit, especially

when he is inwardly conscious that he is a changed man ,and has made progress

,and has come to a knowledge and

understanding which he did not possess before ?Answer . Until a man acquires these things and makesprogress

,he is not poor in spirit

,but has some opinion of

himself ; but when he comes to this understanding andpoint of progress

,grace itself teaches him to be poor in

spiri t, which means that a man being righteous and chosenof God does not esteem himself to be anything, but holdshis soul in abasement and disregard , as if he knew nothingand had nothing

,though he knows and ‘

has . This is a fixedthing

,l ike a law of nature, in the mind of men . Do you not

see how our forefather Abraham,elect as he was

,described

himself as dust and ashes,

1 and David,anointed to be king

,

had God with him ,and yet what does he say? I am a

worm and no man, a very scorn of men

,and the outcast

of the people.

2

4 . Those therefore who desire to be fellow-heirs withthese, and fellow—cit iz ens of the heavenly city

,and to be

glorified with them , ought to have this humility of mind,and not to think themselves to be anything

,but to keep

the heart contrite . Though grace works after a differentmanner in each individual Christian, and has a diversityof members, yet all are of one C i ty, of the same mind, of the

1 Gen . xvi i i . 2 7.

2 Ps . xxu . 6 .

HOMILY X II 9 1

same tongue,recognis ing one another . As there are many

members in the body,but one soul is in them all and

moves them,so one Spirit works differently in all, but they

are of one city,and of one way . All the righteous have

gone the straight and narrow way, being persecuted , torm en ted , reviled , l iving in goatski n s , i n dens , i n caves ofthe earth.

1 The apostles likewise say, Even un to thi s hourwe both hunger and thi rst , and are naked ,

and reviled ,and

have no certain dwelli ng-place .

2 Some of them werebeheaded

,some crucified

,others afflicted in various ways .

And the Lord of prophets and apostles Himself, how didHe fare

,as if He had forgotten His divine glory ? He was

made an example for us ; He wore in mockery a crown ofthorns upon His head ; He submitted to spitt ings, buffets,and the cross .5. I f God so fared on earth

,thou oughtest also to copy

Him . The apostles and the prophets fared thus , and we, i fwe would be built upon the foundation of the Lord and o fthe apostles, ought to copy them . The apostle says by theHoly Spirit, B e ye imi tators of me

,as I am of Chr i st.

3

But if thou lovest the glories of men,and desires t to be

worshipped, and seekest repose, thou art turned out of theway . I t behoves thee to be crucified with the Crucified , tosuffer with Him that suffered

,that so thou mayest be glorified

with Him that is glorified . The bride must needs sufferwith the Bridegroom

,and so become partner and fellow

heir with Christ . I t is not feas ible,without sufferings

,and

without the rough , straight, narrow way, to enter into thecity of the saints

,and be at rest

,and reign with the King

to ages without end .

6 . Questi on . You said that Adam"

lost both his ownimage and the heavenly one . I f then he partook of theheavenly image, had he the Holy Ghost ?Answer . So long as the Word of God was with him , and1 Heb. x i . 37 ff.

2I -Cor . iv. I I .

3 I Cor . x i . I .

92 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

the commandment,everything was his . The Word Himself

was to him an inheritance ; He was his clothing, and aglory that was his defence ; 1 He was his instruction . Hesuggested to him to give all things names : “ Call thisheaven , this sun, this moon , this earth , this a bird, thisa beast, this a tree ; ” as he was taught, so he namedthem .

7. Question . Had he the experience and fellowship ofthe Spirit ?An swer . The Word Himself being with him was everything to him

,whether knowledge

,or experience

,or inheri

tance, or instruction . What does john say of the Word ?I n the beginn ing was the Word .

2 You see that the Wordwas everything. I f there was also an outward glory withhim , let us take no offence at it for i t says that they werenaked, and that they did not look at each other ; and aftertransgress ing the commandment they saw that they werenaked, and were ashamed .

8 . Questi on . Then before this , were they clothed withthe glory of God for a cloak ?An swer . As in the case of the prophets , the Spirit wrought

in them and taught them,and was within them

,and appeared

to them outwardly,so with A dam . The Spirit, when it

pleased Him was with him,an d taught him ,

and suggested,Speak thus , and he said i t. For the Word was all thingsto him , and so long as he abode in the commandment hewas a fr iend of God . And yet why should we be surprisedif in spite of such conditions of existence he transgressedthe commandment ? Those who have been fil led with theHoly Ghost still have the thoughts of nature

,and have

the will to comply with them . Thus Adam,though pre

sent with God in paradise,transgressed of himself by his

own will, and obeyed the evil s ide . S till, even after thetransgression

,he had knowledge .

1 Cp . Is. iv. 5.

2john i , I .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

94 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

know the things that are under the earth , and that are abovethe heavens ?

1 1 . Let us then leave these things , and rather seek, l ikegood men of business

,to gain possession of a heavenly

inheritance and the things that are profitable to our souls .Let us learn to gain possess ions which wil l stay by us . I fyou , who are but human, begin to search the thoughts ofGod, and to say, “ I have found out something, and comprehend i t,” the human mind will be found surpassing thethoughts of G od . But in this you are much mistaken ;and the more you desire to search and get to the bottom ,

the more you get out of your depth,and fail to compre

hend anything . Those vis itations of His which happen toyou— what He works day by day in you , and how— theseare beyond expression or comprehension ; you can donothing but receive them with thankfulness

,and believe .

Have you been able to take cognisance of your own soulfrom the time when you were born til l now ? I f so, declareto me the thoughts that spring up in you from dawn todusk . Tell me the cogitations of three days . Nay, you

cannot . I f then you could not comprehend the thoughtsof your own soul

,how can you find out the thoughts and

mind of God ?1 2 . Nay, eat as much bread as you find , and leave the

wide earth to pursue its way ; go to the brink of the river,and drink as much as you need , and pass on, and seek notto know whence it comes

,or how it flows . Do your best to

have your foot cured, or the disease of your eye, that youmay see the l ight of the sun, but do not enquire how muchlight the sun has, or how high it rises . The animal whichis profitable for your use

,that take : why do you go off to

the hill s a nd try to discover how many wild asses and otherbeasts dwel l there ? The babe

, when it comes to it smother’s breast, takes the milk and thrives ; i t does notsearch for the root and well-spring from which it flows so . I t

HOMILY X II 95

sucks the milk,and empties the wholefmeasure and another

hour passes— the breast fills up . The babe knows nothingof it, nor the mother either, although the supply proceedsfrom all her members . I f then

,you seek the Lord in the

depth, there you find Him . I f you seek in the water, youfind Him there

, doing wonders .

1 I f you seek Him in theden

, there you find Him between two lions,guarding the

righteous Daniel . I f you seek Him in fire,there you find

Him , succouring His servants . I f you seek Him in themountain , there you find Him with E lias and Moses . Heis everywhere— beneath the earth

,and above the heavens ,

and within us as well ? He is everywhere . So too yourown soul is near you, and within you, and wi thout you ; forwherever you please, in countries far away, there your mind i s ,whether westward or eastward, or in the skies there it is found .

1 3 . Let us then seek above all things to have the brandand seal of the Lord upon us because in the day of j udgment

,when the sever i ty of God

3 i s shewn,and all the tribes

of the earth , even all Adam ,are gathered together, when

the good Shepherd calls His own flock,all those who have

the brand recognise their own Shepherd, and the Shepherdtakes knowledge of those who have His own seal , andgathers them together from all the nations . Those that areHis hear His voice

,and go behind Him . The world is

divided into two parts,and one flock is dark

, which goesinto eternal fire

,and one is full of light, which is led up to

the heavenly rest . What we now make our own , within oursouls , the same then shines and is manifested, and clothesour bodies with glory .

14 . As in the season of the month of Xan th icus,4 theroots buried in the earth put forth their own fruits, and

1 Ex. xv. I I .

2 Cp . G ren fell and Hunt , L og'ia jesu , p . 12 . I am w i th him .

Raise the stone and there thou shalt find Me ; cleave the w ood and

I am there .

”

3 Rom . x i . 2 2 .

4 It corresponded roughly wi th Apri l see Homily V .

96 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

their own blossoms and beauties,and bear fruit

,and the

good roots are manifested,and those that have thorns are

made manifest, so in that day each one makes evident byhis own body what he has done . The good things and thebad are al ike manifested . There lies all the judgmen t andthe retribution . There is another food besides th is visiblefood . When Moses went up into the mount, he fasted fortydays . He went up a man and no more ; he came downpossessed of God . Now see we behold in Ourselves thati f the body is not supported by victuals

,in a few days it is

worn out ; yet when Moses had fasted for forty days, hecame down more full of vigour than all of them . I t wasbecause he was fed by God, and his body was providedw i th another and a heavenly food . The Word of God wasmade food to him

,and he had a glory in his countenance .

What happened to him was an example . That glory nowshin es inwardly in the hearts of Christians at the resurrect ion , their bodies are covered, as they rise, with another, adivine

,raiment, and are fed with a heavenly meat.

1 5. Question . What is meant by a woman praying withher head uncovered ? 1An swer . Because in the apostles ’ t ime they wore theirhair loose for a covering . For this reason the Lord andthe apostles came into the world of creat ion , and taughti t sobriety . The woman, however, stands as a type of thechurch . Whereas in the visible world the women at thatt ime wore their hair undone for a covering, the churchclothes and wraps her children in divine and glorified garments . And in the old days of the church of Israel thecongregation was one

,and it was covered by the Spiri t , and

they were c lothed with the Spirit for a glory, although theythemselves did not correspond with i t. Well , the wordchurch ” i s used of the individual soul , as well as ofmany ; for the soul gathers together all her faculties and is

1 1 Cor . x i . 5.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

98 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

His power, when the apostles spoke the word , and theHoly Ghos t fell on those who bel ieved ? Corneliusreceived power from the word which he heard how muchmore , when the Lord spoke the word to Mary, or toZ acchaeus , or to the sin ful woman who let her hair downand wiped the Lord’s feet, or to the woman of Samaria, orto the robber, did power go out, and the Holy Ghost wasmingled with their souls ? And still those who love God ,and leave all things , and persevere in prayer, are taught insecret things that they knew not . The truth i tself is manifested to them , according to their choice, and teaches them ,

I am the truth .

1 The apostles themselves,before the

crucifixion , by continuing with the Lord, saw great signshow the lepers were cleansed and the dead raised up

,and

knew not how divine power goes up and down and ministersin the heart, and that they should be spiritually born again ,and mingled with the heavenly soul, and become a newcreation . Because of the signs which He did, they lovedthe Lord . But the Lord said to them ,

“Why marvel yeat the signs ? I give unto you a great inheritance, whichthe whole world hath not .”

1 8 . His words seemed strange to them ,unti l He rose

from the dead,and carried up His body on our behalf

above the heavens ; and then the Paraclete Spirit enteredinto their souls and was mingled with them

,and the Truth

in person manifests i tself in faithful souls,and the heavenly

Man comes to be with the man that thou art,and becomes

one communion with thee . AS many as give themselves toserve

,and eagerly do all things out of z eal and faith and

the love of God , that very service after a time brings theminto the knowledge of the truth itself. The Lord is manitested to their souls

,and teaches them the ways of the

Holy Ghost . G lory and worship to the Father, and to theSon , and to the Holy Ghost, for ever . Amen .

1john x iv. 6 .

HOMILY XII I

What fru i t God expects from Chri sti ans .

1 . A L L things that are seen were created by God, and Hegave them to men for refreshment and enjoyment

,and

He gave them also a law of righteousness . But from thetime of Christ’s coming God seeks other fruit , and anotherrighteousness

,purity of the heart, a good conscience, kind

words,holy and good thoughts

,and all the discipline of the

saints . The Lord says , “ Except your r ighteousn ess exceed

that of the scribes and Phari sees , ye cannot en ter i n to the

kingdom of heaven .

1 In the law it i s written,Thou shalt

not commit fornication ; but I say unto you , Thou shaltnot desire

,neither shalt thou be angry.” He who wishes

to be a friend of God , 2 and a brother and son of Christ,must do something more than other men , that is, to cou secrate heart and mind themselves

,and to stretch up his

thoughts towards God . In this way God secretly gives lifeand help to the heart

,and entrusts Himself to i t . When a

man gives God his secret things , that is , his mind andthoughts , not occupying himself elsewhere, nor wanderingaway

,but putting constraint upon himself

,then the Lord

deems him worthy of mysteries, in greater sanctity andpuri ty

,and gives him heavenly food and spiritual drink .

1 Matt . v. 20.

3 In the printed tex ts , the w ords that follow , down to“cleanses us

in 3 , have been erron eously t ran sferred to Hom i ly XIV . H e re the

order of the Bodle ian and H olkham MS S . has been restored , as w as

done in Hayw ood’

s translation .

I OO FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

2 . A man who is possessed of much substance , and hasboth servants and children , gives a different kind of food tothe servants from what he gives to his own born children ,because the children are their father’s heirs

,and eat with

him,being made like to their father. Even so Christ, the

true Master of the house, who created all things Himself,nourishe s the evil and the unthankful , but the childrenwhom He has begotten of His own substance, to whom Hehas imparted of His grace , in whom the Lord is formed ,these He provides beyond others with special refreshmentand diet and meat and drink . Going up and down withjesus thei r Father, they receive the gift of Himself, as theLord says , He that eateth M y flesh and dr i nketh M y blood

dwelleth i n Me,and I i n him

,and he shall not see death.

1

Those who possess the true inheritance have been begottenas sons of a heavenly Father, and pas s their time in theirFather’s house, as the Lord says, The servan t abi deth not

i n the house , but the son a‘

bidethfor ever?

3 . I f we then des ire to be born of the heavenly Father,

we ought to do something that exceeds the rest of mankind — diligence, effort, z eal, love, a

‘ good conversat ion,to

be in faith and fear, as desiring to attain good things ofsuch magnitude, and to inheri t God . The L ord

,i t says

,i s

the porti on of m i ne i nher i tance and of my cup.

3 Thusthe Lord, beholding our good purpose and our endurance,performs His mercy, and cleanses us from the

'

defilemen t ofsin, and from the eternal fire that is in us, and makes usmeet for the kingdom . G lory to His tender compassionand to the good pleasure shewn of the Father

,and of the

Son , and of the Holy Ghost. Amen .

1john vi . 56 ; cp . vi ii . 51 .

3john v ii i . 35.

3 PS . x vi . 5.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

102 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

2 . He puts no confidence,

1 however,in his labours and

manner of l ife, unti l he obtains the things hoped for, untilthe Lord comes and dwells in him in the full experienceand energy of the Spirit . And when he tastes the goodnessof the Lord

,and delights in the frui ts of the Spirit, and the

vei l of darkn ess is taken away, and the light of Christ shinesupon him and works in him in joy unspeakable

,then is he

fully satisfied,having the Lord with him in great affection

,

as the merchant in the illustration rejoices when he hasgained . But he stil l has confl ict and fear from the robberSpirits of wickedness, lest he should grow slack and lose hislabour

,before he i s accepted in the kingdom of heaven

,

in the jerusalem which is above .

3 . Let us then beseech God that He would put off fromus the old man, and put on us the heavenly Christ, hereand now, so that being in gladness, and thus being led byHim

,we shall be in great tranquill ity . The Lord

,who

desires to fi ll us with the taste of the kingdom,says

, Wi thout M e ye can do nothi ng

?

And yet He knew how to enlighten many by means ofthe apostles . They were but creatures

,but they nourished

their fellow servants . Thoughts that were dead and corrupted they quickened and restored to life by their goodconversation and instruction . I t i s possible for one creatureto nouri sh and quicken another. The clouds, the rain andthe sun , when so commanded, quicken the seeds of wheator barley

,though they are only creatures . Like light which

comes in through a window, while the sun sends out hisbeams upon all the world, so the prophets were the lightsof their own house of I srael

,and no more but the apostles

were suns,shooting out their beams into all the quarters of

the world .

1 The MSS . appear to read e’

i reA—rri

’

ge r wi thout var iation , and th is has

accord ingly been adop ted in the tran slat ion ; but i t would be more

natural to expect bureMrffer, nor does he despair of his labours .

”

2john xv. 5.

HOMILY X IV 6 3

4 . Well,there is an earth

,on which the beasts dwell ;

and there is an earth in the air, in which the birds walkand live . I f the birds wish to stand or walk on land

,there

are fowlers to catch them . The fishes too have an “ earth,

”

which is the water of the sea. Wherever anything is born,

on land or in the air,there i t has i ts existence

,its sustem

an ce,and its pleasure . In the same way there is a Satanic

“ earth ” and home, where the powers of darkness and thespirits of wickedness live and walk and take their pleasureand there i s a luminous “ earth ” of the Godhead, where thecamps of angels and of holy spirits walk and take pleasure .That darksome earth cannot be seen with the eyes of thi sbody, nor be felt ; neither i s the luminous earth of theGodhead felt, or seen by the fleshly eyes . But to thosewho are spiritual both are discernible to the heart’s eye

,

that Satanic earth of darkness and the luminous earth ofthe Godhead .

5. The fable of those without says that there are mountains, which are fiery

,because there is fire in them

,and

there are there animals like sheep . Those who hunt themmake iron wheels

,and cast hooks and throw them into the

fire, because those animals have fire for their meat, and firefor their drink

,their pleasure, their increase, and their li fe .

Fire i s everything to them . I f you bring them out intoanother air, they die . When their coats are dirtied

,they

are not washed in water,but in the fire , and they get

cleaner and whiter. Christians in l ike manner have thatheavenly fire for their meat . That i s their pleasure . Thatcleanses

,and washes

,and sanct ifies their heart . That

brings them to increase . That is their air and their l ife .If they go out of it

,they are destroyed by the evil spirit, as

the animals in the fable die when they leave the fire, asthe fish when they leave the waters . A s fourfooted beastscast into the sea are drowned , as birds walking on theground are taken by the fowlers, so the soul which will not

104 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

stay in that earth is stifled and perishes . I f i t has notthat divine fire for meat and drink and raiment, and cleansing of heart and sanctification of soul

,i t is taken by the

evil spirits and demolished . But as for us,let us enquire

in earnest whether we have been sown in that unseen“ earth

,

” and engrafted in the heavenly vine . G lory be toHis mercies . Amen .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

06 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

with Himself,and which has tasted of the heavenly riches

,

ought with great diligence sincerely to please Christ, herheavenly Wooer, and dutifully and properly to fulfi l theservice of the Spirit entrusted to her, to please God in allth ings

,and to grieve the Spirit in nothing, and duly to

preserve the modesty and love towards him in which beautyl ies

,and to behave herself well in the house of the heavenly

King in all benevolence for the grace given to her . Behold,

a.

soul l ike this i s made mistress of all the good things ofthe Lord, and even the glorious body of His Godheadbecomes hers . But i f she fail, and act contrary to duty inher service

,and do not the things that please Him

,and

follow not His will,nor co -operate w ith the grace of the

Spirit which is with'

her, then she i s deprived of herhonours with disgrace and indignity, and banished fromli fe

,as being unprofi table and unfit for the fellowship of the

heavenly King . Then over that soul there i s woe and

lamentat ion and weeping among all holy Spirits unseen .

Angels,powers, apostles , prophets , martyrs weep over her .

3 . For as there i s joy i n heaven , the Lord tells us, over ones i nner that repen teth, 1 so is there great woe and weepingin heaven over one soul that falls aw ay from the eternalli fe. As on earth

,when a rich man dies

,he is accompanied

out of life with music and dirge and wailing by his ownbrethren and kinsfolk ’

and friends and acquaintances, so overthat soul all the saints mourn with dirges and sad music .The Bible says the same thing elsewhere in figurativelanguage . The p i n e i s fallen , i t says , mourn , ye cedars ?

For as I srael, when he was thought to please the Lordthough he never pleased Him as he ought— had a pillar ofcloud to overshadow him

,and a pillar of fire to give him

shine ; saw the sea divide before him ,water clear pro

ceeding out of the rock but when the i r mind and intentionturned from God , then they were delivered to serpents, or

1 Luke x v. 7.

2 Z ech . x i . 2 .

HOMILY xv 1 6 7

to their enemies,being led away in sore captivities and

tormented with bitter bondage . This the Spirit mysticallydeclared in the prophet Ez ekiel also

,saying of such a soul,

as of jerusalem , I found thee naked in the w i lderness , and

I washed thee from the water of thine uncleanness , and I

clothed thee w i th raimen t , and put bracelets upon thy hands,and chain s about thy n eck, and earr ings in thine ears , and

thou becamest renowned among all the heathen . F in e flourand oi l and honey di dst thou eat

,and after all thou didst

forget My ben efits , and wen test after thy lovers , and didstcommi tforn icat ionw i th shame.

1

4 . So likewise the Spiri t utters warning to the soul whichthrough grace knows God , which after being cleansed fromits former sins and adorned with the ornaments of theHoly Ghost, and after partaking of the divine and heavenlyfood

,does not behave duti fully with much discretion, and

does not properly preserve benevolence and love’ for Christthe heavenly Bridegroom

,and so is rej ected and put away

from the life of which at one t ime it was a partaker. 2 ForSatan can raise and exalt himself even against those whohave reached such measures as these ; even against thosewho have known God in grace and power, Sin sti ll l iftsi tself up and strives to overthrow them . We must therefore strive, and watch over ourselves intel ligently, to workout our own salvation w i th fear and trembling, as i t i swritten ? As many as are made partakers of the Spirit ofChrist, see that you do not behave contemptuously in anything, small or great, and do no despite to the grace of theSpirit, that you may not be excluded from the life of whichyou have already been made partakers .

1 The passage is taken in substan ce from Ez ek . xvi .2 After these w ords the H olkham MS . has in the margin , pr ime

man u, the sen tence : Because even those w ho have tasted w i th all

assuran ce of the grace of the H oly Ghost are subject to fear ; for Satanhas pow er against them if on ly he sees them grow n egligen t or high

m inded .

3 Phil . 11. 12 .

108 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

5. I will repeat th is in a different character . I f aservant comes into a palace to be employed upon thevessels used there

,he takes of what belongs to the king

he himself has nothing to bring — and ministers to the kingwith the ki ng’s own vessels . Here he needs much in telligence and judgment

,that he may make no mistake in

serving,by bringing one dish to the royal table when he

should bring another, but should serve the courses, firs t andlast

,in the right succession . I f through ignorance and

want of judgment he does not serve the king in the rightorder, i t i s as much as his place and li fe are worth . In likemanner a soul which is serving God in grace and the Spiri trequires much discretion and knowledge

,that i t may

commit no fault with the vessels of God , that Is, In theservice of the Spirit

,by not keeping its own will in harmony

with grace . I t is possible in the servi ce of the Spiri t,

performed secretly by the inner man , for the soul toserve the Lord in vessels of its own

,that is , with its

own spirit ; but God cannot be served without God ’svessels

,that is

,without grace , so as to please Him in al l

His will .6 . And when grace is received , there is then great needof intelligence and discretion— which themselves are givenby God to the soul that seeks them from Him— in order toserve Him acceptably in the Spiri t which is received

,and

not to be surprised into a mistake by sin , led astray byignorance and presumption and carelessness

,and acting

contrary to what the Lord’s will demands because punishment and death and mourning will be to such a soul . The

holy apostle says, L est, when I have preached to others , I

myself shou ld be a castaway.

1 You see what fear he had,

though he was God ’s apostle . Let us then beseech Godthat we

,as many as have obtained the grace of God, may

min ister the service of the Spirit according to His will, in1 1 Cor. i x . 2 7.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 10 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

9 . Worldly people are under one influence from thespirit of error

,to mind earthly things ; Christians have

another purpose,another mind ; they are of another world ,

another city . The Spirit of God has fellowship with theirsouls

,and they tread down the adversary . I t is written ,

The last en emy that i s destroyed i s death .

1 The godlyare masters of all things but those w ho are slack in faithand s inners are the slaves of all , and the fi re burns them ,

and the stone and the sword slay them ,and in the end

devils have dominion over them .

1 0 . Questi on . In the resurrection do all the membersr ise again ?Answer . To God all things are easy ; and He has sopromised, though to human frailty and thought i t appearsimpossible . For as God took of the dust and the earth,and constituted the body as a d ifleren t kind of thing, notat all resembling the earth

,and made many sorts of

elements in i t, such as hair, and skin , and bones, andsinews ; or as a needle thrown into the fire changes i tscolour and i s converted into fire, although the nature ofiron i s not taken away

,but stil l subsists so in the resur

rection all the members are raised up, and not a hairperishes , as it i s written,2 and all become light-like, all areplunged in light and fi re

,and changed

,and yet are not

,

as some say, resolved and turned into fire,with nothing

of thei r natural substance left . Peter ‘ i s Peter,and

Paul is Paul , and Philip i s Philip . Each one remains inhis own nature and personality, though fi lled with theSpiri t . I f you say that the nature is resolved, then Peterand Paul are no more

,and God i s everywhere and in all

directions, and neither those who go away into hel l areconscious of their punishment, nor are those who go intothe kingdom conscious of the benefit . 1 1 . Suppose theree a garden

,planted with all sorts of fruit-trees

,and there

1I Cor . x v. 2 6 .

2 Luke xx i . 18 .

HOMILY XV 1 1 1

were in it pear,or apple

,and vine

,with fruit and leaves ;

and suppose the garden and all the trees and their leaveswere changed and altered into another nature

,and the

former ones became light— l ike so men are altered at theresurrection

,and their members become holy and light-like .

1 2 . The men of God , then, ought to prepare themselvesfor confl ict and combat . As a brave young man bears theblows that fall on him

,and the wrestling match , and hits

back, so Christians ought to put Up with afflict ions withoutand wars with in

,in order that

,though belaboured , they may

conquer by endurance . That i s the Christian’s road .

Where the Holy Ghost is , there follow, l ike a shadow,persecution and wrestl ing . You see the prophets , howthey were persecuted by their countrymen from first to las t

,

while the Holy Ghost worked upon them . You see howthe Lord, who is the Way and the Truth, was persecuted ,not by another nation , but by His own . By His own raceof Israel He was persecuted and crucified . So was it withthe apostles . The Paraclete Spirit removed from the

quarter whence the cross came,and passed to the Chris

tians . No jew was persecuted ; Christians were the onlymartyrs . For th is reason they ought not to be surprised .

The truth must needs be persecuted .

1 3 . Question . Some say that evil enters from without,and that i f a man pleases

,he does not adm i t it

,but sends it off.

An swer . A s the serpent spoke to Eve,and because of

her compliance gained admission within,so

’

to this days in

,which i s without

,gains admiss ion through man

’s compliance . S in has power and liberty to enter into the heart.For our thoughts are not external to us

,but from within ,

ou t of the heart . The apostle says , I w i ll that the men

pray ,w i thout wrath and evil di sputati on s .

1 For there

11 Tim . n . 8 . The w o rd fo r “ d isputat ions in the C reek i s the

same w h ich is used for “thoughts

”

in S t . Mat thew in the en s uing

passage .

1 1 2 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

are thoughts proceed i ng out of the heart, as the Gospelsays . 1 Go to prayer, and observe thy heart and mind , anddetermine to send Up thy prayer to God pure, and lookwell there, whether there be nothing to hinder it, whetherthe prayer be pure, whether thy mind is wholly Occupiedwith the Lord

,as the husbandman’s with h is husbandry,

the married man ’s with his wi fe,the merchant’s with hi s

merchand is e or whether thou bendest thy knees to prayer,while others pluck thy thoughts asunder .

14 . But you say that the Lord came and condemned

s i n 2 by the cross , and that i t i s now w i thin no longer .Suppose a soldier puts Up his chariot at some one’s house, hei s free when he pleases to go in and out of that house . So

sin is free to make its arguments heard in the heart . I t i swritten , S atan en tered i n to the heart of judas .3 But i fyou say that by Christ ’s coming s in was condemned , andthat after baptism evil i s no more at liberty to argue in theheart

,do you not know that from the advent of the Lord

to this day all that have been baptiz ed have had badthoughts at times ? Have not some of them turned tovainglory

,or to fornication, or to gluttony ? All the

worldly people dwell ing within the pale of the church, aretheir hearts Spotless and pure ? Or do we find that manys ins are committed after baptism , and that many l ive ins in ? So even after baptism the thief is free to enter,and to do what he likes .

1 5. I t i s wri tten, Thou shalt love the L ord thy God w i th

all thy heart .4 But thou sayest, I do love ; and I have the

Holy Spirit . Hast thou constant remembrance, andpassionate affection

,and burning ardour for the Lord ?

Art thou fast bound that way day and night ? I f thouhas t a love like that, thou art pure but if not, then searchthou still

,whether

,if earthly bus iness or foul and evil

1 Mat t . xv . 19 . Rom . vi i i . 3 .

3john xi i i . 2 7 ; cp . verse 2 .

4 D en t . v i . 5.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

114 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

An swer . The adversary never ceases from w arring .

Satan is merciless in his hatred of men therefore he nevershirks from warring against every man . But he i s not seento set Upon all to the same degree . Governors of provinces and counts at court pay tribute to the femperor ; butthe man in that position has such confidence in his wealthof gold and silver that he meets his taxes out of superfluon s income

,and feels no los s . A man who gives alms

never feels it a loss,and in the same way Satan considers

these things no part of his serious business .1 But takea poor man

,destitute even of daily food ; he is beaten

and tortured,because he cannot pay the tax ; he spends

his time in being scraped and harried,and cannot die ;

while another man i s commanded to lose his head,and

perishes at a moment’s notice . So i t i s among Christians .There are some who are vigorously warred upon andscraped by sin ; and yet they become the firmer and wiserfor the wars

,despising the power of the adversary , and they

are in no peril in that quarter, because they are unfallenand assured of their own salvation , because they have oftenpractised in the war with evil ‘, and have gained experience .

Having God with them ,they are led and are at rest . .

1 9 . Others,however

,who have not y e t had practice, i f

they fall into a s ingle difficulty,and war is stirred against

them,sink at once into destruction and perdition .

Like travellers in a city intending to see their dearones and acquaintances

,who meet many people in the

market-places,but are not stopped by them

,because their

aim i s to find their friends,and when they knock at the

door outs ide and call,their dear ones open to them with

j oy but if they loiter i n the market-places,and are deluded

or detained by those who encounter them,the door i s shut ,

1 Macarius m eans that S atan can afford to le t som e person s alon e .

Like the taxes o f the r ich, or the chari t ies of people in gen eral, theymean no loss to h im .

HOMILY xv 1 1 5

and no one opens to them so those who press forward toreach our Master, Christ the true Beloved , ought to lookdown upon all others and take no notice of them . Countsand governors,who have entrance into the palace to theking

,are in much fear, how they shall present their

accounts,and lest for some mistake in answering for them

selves they should be brought to trial and to punishmentbut s imple country folk, who have never set - eyes on aprince

,pass their days without anxiety . That is the way

with this world beneath the sky,from kings down to the

poor. Knowing nothing of the glory of Christ, theycare only about mat ters of this l ife . No t readily doesany one bethink him of the day of judgment . But thosewho in thought enter in before Christ’s judgment seat ,where His throne is

,and pass their l ives in His presence

,

are in fear and trembling continually,to make no mistake

concerningHis holy commandments .2 0 . When the rich men of the earth have brought much

fruit into their garners,they set to work again every day

to get more,in order to have plenty

,and no t run short .

I f they presume upon the wealth laid up in the garners, andtake things easily and add no more

,but use up what they

have stored already,they soon sink into want and poverty .

So they have to labour and add,enlarging their intake,

that they may not get behindhand . In Christian i ty, totaste of the grace of God i s l ike that. Taste, it says, andsee how gracious the L ord i s .

1 This tasting is an effectualpower of the Spiri t in full certainty

,ministering In the

heart . As many as are the sons of light,and of the

ministry of the New Covenant in the Holy Ghost, thesehave nothing to learn from men ; they are taught of God

?

Grace itsel f writes upon their hearts the laws of the Spiri t .They ought not therefore to rest their assurance only Uponthe scriptures that are w ritten in ink ; the grace of God

1 PS . xxx iv . 8 .

2I Thess . i v. 9 .

16 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

writes the laws of the Spirit and the mysteries of heavenupon the tables of the heart 1 as well . For the heartgoverns and reigns over the whole bodily organism ; andwhen grace possesses the ranges of the heart

,i t reigns over

all the members and the thoughts . For there,in the heart

,

i s the mind, and all ' the faculties of the soul , and itsexpectation ; therefore grace penetrates also to all themembers of the body .

2 1 . On the other hand, as many as are sons of darkness ,s in reigns over their heart

,and penetrates to all their

members , for ou t of thei r hearts proceed evi l thoughts , 2and thus diffused puts the man in darkness . Those whosay that evil i s not born and bred in man

,may have no

anxiety about to-morrow,nor any desire ei ther . For a

certain length of time,evil ceases to cause trouble in them

by suggesting some object of desire,so that a man will

affirm on oath , “ Such a pass ion no longer assails me .

A fter a short while he i s consumed with the desire, so thathe is found guilty of perj ury into the bargain . As waterruns through a pipe , so does sin through the heart andthoughts . As many as will not have thi s notion , arerefuted and mocked by sin i tself

,even if sin did not wish

to triumph ; for evi l endeavours to escape notice and tobe hidden in the mind of man .

2 2 . I f a man loves God , then God also mingles His lovewith him . Once trusted by man

,He adds to him the trust

of heaven,and the man becomes a twofold being. What

ever part of yourself you offer to Him,He mingles with your

soul a l ike part of His own,that all that you do may be

purely done,and your love pure and your prayer pure .

Great i s the dignity of man . See how mighty are theheaven and the earth

,the sun and the moon bu t

,.the Lord

was not pleased to rest in them,but in man only. Man ,

therefore,i s of more value than all created things — I may

12 Co r . i i i . 3 .

2 Matt . xv. 19 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 1 8 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

i s bitter and venomous ; therefore all serpents are such .

The wolf i s habitually ravenous all wolves are of the samenature . The lamb ’s gentleness makes it a prey ; all lambsare of the same nature . The dove is guileless and harmless ; all doves are of the same nature . But man is notlike that . One man is like a ravening wolf ; another, l ikethe lamb

,i s a prey. Both are of the stock of mankind .

2 5. One man is not satisfied with his own wife, but goes awhoring, while another does not so much as suffer a desire tori se in his heart . One man plunders his neighbour’s goodsanother

,i n piety towards God , gives away his own . You

see how alterable this nature is . You find it incl ining toevil , you find it inclining again to good . In both cases i ti s in a position to assent to such action as i t l ikes . Nature,then , i s susceptible both of good and evil , either of divinegrace or of the contrary power, but i s under no compulsion . Adam himself to begin with

,being in a state of

purity,was sovereign of h is own thoughts ; but from the

time that he transgressed the commandment, mountainsgrievous to be borne lie on his mind

,and the thoughts of

evi l mingl ing with i t are all made his own , and yet not oneof them is hi s own

,because they are under the dominion

of evil .2 6 . You ought then to seek for a lamp to be lighted ,that you may find pure thoughts . Those are the naturalthoughts

,which God made . People brought up at sea

learn to Swim,and when waves and bi llows ri se , they

'

are

not surprised at i t ; but those who are not used to thesethings

,when even a littl e sea comes up , take fright and go

under . So it i s with Christians . As the mind of a child ofthree cannot take in or understand the m ind of a grownup reasoner, because there i s a great difference of age

between them,so Christians contemplate the world like

infant children,with their eyes fixed upon the measure of

grace . They are strangers to this age . Their city and

HOMILY XV 1 1 9

their rest is elsewhere . Chris tians have the comfort of theSpirit

,tears

,and mourning

,and sighing ; and even the

tears are an enjoyment to them . They have fear also,in

the midst of j oy and rejoicing,and thus are they like men

carrying the ir blood in thei r hands, having no confidencein themselves , or th inking themselves to be anything, butdespised and rej ected above all men .

2 7. Suppose there were a king , who entrusted his treasureto some poor man . The man who received the charge ofit does not hold it for his own

,but always acknowledges

his poverty, not dari ng to squander out of another’streasure . He bears continually in mind , not only that thet reasure i s another’s

,but “ i t was a mighty king who

entrusted me with it,and whenever he pleases he takes i t

away from me .

”So ought those who have the grace of

God to esteem themselves,to be humble-minded and

to acknowledge their poverty . A s the poor man whoreceived the charge of the treasure from the king

,i f he

presumes Upon the treasure that is another’s,and is proud

as of wealth of his own,and his heart conceives arrogance,

the king takes away his treasure,and the man who had i t in

charge i s left poor as he was before ; so i f those who havegrace presume, and their hearts are puffed up , the Lordtakes His grace from them

,and they are left such as they

were before receiving the grace from the Lord .

2 8 . There are many,who

,in spite of grace being w ith

them , are cheated by sin without observing it . Supposethere i s a maid in a house

,and also a young man ; and she

i s wheedled into consenting to him,and falls

,and loses her

character. So the dreadful serpent of sin i s always with thesoul , tickling and enticing i t ; and if i t consents , the incorporeal soul

'

enters into connexion with the incorporealevi l of that spirit . Spiri t enters into connexion with spirit,and he who gives consent commits adultery in his heart,admitting the suggestion of the wicked one . This then is

1 20 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

the measure of your confl ict, not to commit this crime inyour thoughts

,but to resi st with your mind

,and do battle

and confl ict within,and not to comply

,and to take no

pleasure in the thought of what is wrong and if the Lordfinds in you this preparation , at the last day He takes you toHimself in His kingdom .

2 9 . For there are things which the Lord so orders thatHe may not leave Himself without testimony of His divinegrace and call ing ; and there are others which He orders inthe way of permission , that a man may be proved andexercised , that his sel f-determination may be made plain .

Those in affl ict ions and temptations,i f they endure

,do not

fail of the kingdom of heaven ; therefore Christians incircumstances of distress are not vexed or grieved . I f theyare tried by poverty or suffering

,they ought not to be sur

pri sed,but rather to take pleasure in poverty and reckon

i t as wealth,and fasting as feasting, and dishonour and

obscurity as glory . On the other hand,i f they should fall

into circumstances which in this li fe are glorious,which

incline them to worldly ease , or wealth, or glory, or luxury,they ought not to take pleasure in these things

,but to shun

them as they would shun fire .30 . In the world around us, if a very small nation isstir red to war against the emperor

,he is at no pains to go

to the front in person,but sends soldiers with their officers

,

and they carry on the war . But i f the nation.

in motionagainst him is a very great one, powerful enough to ravagehis empire

,the emperor himself i s compelled to take the

field,with those in the palace and in his camps

,and to join

in battle . Consider then your own dignity. God set Himsel f in motion

,in company with His camp— I mean the

angels and holy spirits— and came to your protection inperson

,to deliver you from death . Take good care of

yourself,then

,and bethink yourself what a provision has

been made for you . We use an illustration from this li fe,

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 2 2 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

l ike one man ; every' one of us bears the same character

of Adam . You see how different the invisible substance,

the inward man,i s from the outward

,when we all look like

one man , and yet some are with Christ and the angels ,and some with Satan and the unclean spirits . The heartcontains an unfathomable depth . In it are reception-rooms

,

and bedchambers, doors , and_ porches, and many offices

and passages . In it i s the workshop of righteousness orof unrighteousness . In it is death ; in i t is l i fe . In it isthe good traffic

,and the contrary .

33 . Suppose there were a very great palace, and thiswere deserted, and became full of every : evil smell

,and of

many dead bodies . Well,the heart i s Chris t’s palace, and

it i s full of all uncleanness, and of crowds of many wickedSpirits . I t must be refounded and rebuilt, and its storechambers and bedrooms put in order ; for there Christ theKing

,with the angels and holy spirits , comes to rest , and

to dwell,and to walk in it

,and to set His kingdom . I tell

you,it i s l ike a ship furnished with plenty of tackle, where

the captain disposes of all,and sets them their tasks

,finding

fault w i th some, and showing others their way about . The

heart has a captain in the mind, the conscience , which isever judging us, thoughts accus ing or else excusi ng one

another .

1

34 . You see that conscience will not slubber over suchthoughts, which comply with sin , but at once judges them .

I t tells no lies . I t attests what it must say before God inthe day of judgment

,as though judging US continually .

Suppose there be a chariot and reins ; the animals ahd allthe apparatus are under one driver ; so when he pleases , heis carried along by the chariot at a great rate, and when hepleases

,he stops it . Whichever way he pleases to turn it, there

i t goes along with him . The whole chariot is in the driver ’spower . I II l ike manner the heart contains many n atural

1 Rom . i i . 15.

HOMILY XV 1 2 3

faculties bound up with i t, and it is the mind and consciencewhich chides and guides the heart

,and calls from sleep the

natural faculties that spring in the heart . The soul hasmany members , though it i s but one .35. From the time that Adam transgressed the commandment

,the serpent entered in and made himself master

of the house, and became like a second soul bes ide thesoul . For the Lord says

, Whoso den i eth not himself, and

hateth not hi s own sou l,i s not M y di sciple ,1 and , He that

loveth hi s soul shall lose i t .2 S in entering into the soul hasbecome like a member of i t

,and is united with the bodily

man,and therefore many unclean thoughts Spring Up in the

heart . He who does the wishes of his soul,does the wishes

of evil,

3 because i t i s entwined and mingled w i th the soul .He who brings his soul into subj ection

,and is angry with

himself and with the des ires that beset him , is l ike one whosubdues an enemy ’s ci ty . This man is permitted to cometo good measures of the Spirit, and is rewarded through thepower of God with the pure man

,and i s made greater than

himself ; for such an one is deified , and made a son ofGod , receiving the heavenly stamp Upon his soul . For Hiselect are anointed with the oil of consecration , and aremade men of rank and kings .36 . Such is the nature that men have . In the depth ofwickedness and the bondage of sin

,a man is at liberty to

turn to what is good . A man bound over to the HolySpiri t, and inebriated with heavenly things, has power to

1 Luke x i v. 26 ; cp . ix . 2 3 . Matt . x . 393 I f the prin ted G reek text is r igh t , Macar ius i s labouri ng to d raw

a d i st i nct ion betw een soul ” and “ heart .”

But i t i s no t easy to

make out , and i t may w ell be S uspected that nas’

a s o f the hear t”is

an e rro r for Ka r la : “o f evi l .” I have t ran slated accord i ngly . The re

seems to be no MS . author i ty for h aulers , so that the e rro r , i f there i s

on e , must he pr im i t ive . In the last clause of the sen tence the Ho lkhamMS . r ightly reads 7 73 Il/vxjj i nstead o f ij tl/vxij. Th i s w ould exactlysu i t the suggest i on o f pand a s , repeat i ng, afte r Macari us

’

mann er, the

preced i ng statemen t about s i n .

1 24 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

turn to evil . A woman clothed in rags,famished

,and dirty

all over, i s with much labour brought to royal rank , andarrayed in purple and crown

,and made a king’s bride . She

remembers her former fi lthy cond ition , and is half—mindedto go back to her old state ; but she wil l not deliberatelyreturn to her former shame, for that would be folly . Yeteven those who have tasted of the grace of God , and arepartakers of the Spirit , i f they do not take heed to themselves , are extingui shed, and become worse than they werebefore, when they were in the world . No t that God i s liableto change , or impoten t, or that the Spirit is Himselfquenched but men do not correspond to grace

,and for

this reason miscarry, and fall into a thousand evils . Forthose who have tasted of that gift have both things presentwith them

,j oy and comfort

,fear and trembling, gladness and

mourning . They mourn for themselves and for all Adam ,

s ince mankind is al l one,and the tears of such pe rson s

are bread,and their mourning sweetness and refreshment .

3 7. I f you see a man proud and pufled up because hehas a Share of grace

,th is man

,even if he Should work

miracles and ra ise the dead,but does not hold his soul

worthles s and contemptible,and continue poor in spirit and

an obj ect of abhorrence to himself,i s cheated by sin with

out knowing i t . Even if he works S igns you cannot believehim

,for the Sign of Christianity i s this , to be approved of

God while earnestly shunning the notice of men , and eveni f a man has the entire treasures of the King, to concealthem

,and to say continually

,

“ I t i s not mine another hasput this treasure in my charge . I am a poor man , andwhen He pleases

,He takes it from me . ” I f any one says,

“ I am rich ; I have enough . I have gained ; I neednothing more

,he is no Christian ; he is a vessel of error

and of the devil . The enjoyment of God i s insatiable .The more any one tastes and eats of Him , the more he

11 Thess . v. 19 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 2 6 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

were incorruptible , would come over to the good by a kindof compulsion

,not by a voluntary decis ion. 40 . In order

that the freedom of will which God gave man at thebeginning might once for all be shewn and might abide ,providence orders these matters, and bodily dissolutiontakes place, that i t may be at the man ’s discretion to turnto the good or to the bad . For even one who is perfect inevil , deep in S in

,making himself a tool of the devil

,by

whom he is completely mastered,i s not bound by any

necess ity. He is at l iberty to become a chosen vessel,1 a

vessel of l ife . I n like manner on the other s ide those whoare drunk w i th the Godhead , although fi lled full wi th theHoly Ghost and under His dominion , are not held by anyn ecessity, but have thei r free choice to turn and do whatthey please In the present world .

4 1 . Questi on . I s i t by degrees that evil i s diminishedand rooted out, and a man advances in grace ? or is evi lrooted out at once, when he receives a vis itation ?An swer . AS the unborn babe in his mother’s womb is

not at once fashioned into a man, but the image is formedby degrees and born

,and even then is not fullgrown

,but takes

many years to develope,and become a man and again

, as

the seeds of barley or of wheat do not root the momentthey are put in the ground , but s torm and wind pass overthem

,and then in due time the ears form ; and the man

who plants a pear tree does not at once partake of thefruit so likewise in spiritual things , where there is so muchwisdom and delicacy employed, it i s only l ittle by little thata man grows and comes to a perfect man

,to the measure

of the stature,2 not

,as some say, “ Off with one coat, and

on with another . ”

4 2 . He who wishes to be a learned man goes and learnshis letters . When he has got to the top there, off he goesto the Latin school

,and is at the very bottom . When

1 Acts ix . 15.

2 Eph . iv. 13 .

HOMILY xv 1 2 7

he gets to be top there too,off he goes again to the ad

vanced school, 1 and is once more at the bottom, a freshman .

Then , when he becomes a scholast icus ,” he is a freshman

among the pleaders,and last of them all . When he once

more rises to the top,he is then made a governor, and when

he reaches the position of chief magistrate,he takes to him

the aid of the assessor . Well,i f the world of sense has

such a series of promotions,how much more have the

heavenly mysteries their promotions , and increase thenumber of grades

,and then

,through much practice and

many a testing, the man who gets through is made perfect .Christians wh o have truly tasted of grace, and have theS ign of the cross Upon their mind and heart

,these, from

the king to the beggar, consider all things but dung and illsavour ; and these are able to know that the whole worldof earth, and the treasures of the

’

emperor, and his riches,and his glory

,

‘and the discourses of wisdom are but avain Show, having no solid basis , bu t pass ing away ; andwhatever there is under the heaven

,to them is easily

contemned .

43 . Why so ? Because the things above the heavens areso strange and wonderful, which are not to be found inkings ’ treasures , nor in wisdom of words, nor in worldlyglory, and dignities, and wealth— such wealth they possess

,

who have the Lord and Creator of all things in their inmostman , a possess ion which does not pass away, but abides .Christians know the soul to be precious beyond all createdthings ; for man alone was made after the image and likeness of God . Behold the heaven

,how vas t i t is

,and the

earth ; and the creatures in them are valuable, and their

1 If ypapnafrmar i s the r ight read ing here , i t can hardly be used i n

the t echn ical sen se of “

grammari an ,as grammar must have been

taugh t at the earli er'

stages . I t probably denotes “ l i terary , ” corre

sponding w i th p aGeZu 7 pd,u ,ua'ra at the begi nn ing of the sect i on .

Eo acr frucbs just below i s an advocate .

”Hayw ood refers to Sui cer

'

s

n o te on the w ord , wh i ch w ell repays study .

1 2 8 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

bodies are great ; but man is valuable above all thosebodies , inasmuch as the Lord was well pleased in himalone . The whales of the sea also

,and the mountains

,and

the beas ts, in outward appearance are greater than man .

Behold then thy dignity, and of how great value thou art thatGod hath made thee above angels, because for thy helpand del iverance He came upon earth Himself in person .

44 . God and His angels came for thy salvation . The

King, the King’s Son , held council with His Father, andthe Word was sent , and put on the garment of flesh , andconcealed His own Godhead, that like might be saved bylike, and laid down His life upon the cross . So great is thelove of God towards man . The Immortal chose to becrucified for thee . Consider then how God loved the world,because He gave H i s on ly begotten S on for them .

1 How

shall He not w i th H im freely give us all thi ngs ?2 In

another place i t says, Ver i ty I say un to you that He shall

make him ru ler over all H i s goods? E lsewhere i t shews

the angels as ministers of the saints . When Elias was inthe mountain , and the foreigners came against him , theyoung servant said

,

“ There are many coming against us,and we are by ourselves . Then El ias answered , Do younot see camps and multitudes of angels with us round aboutsuccouring us P” 4 You see that the Master and the multitudes of the angels are w ith His servants . How great thenis the soul , and how much valued by God, that God andthe angels seek after i t for fellowship with themselves andfor a kingdom ! And Satan and his powers seek after itfor then own party .

45. For as in the natural world kings are not waited Uponby boori sh people, but by those who are go

‘od- looking andwell-educated

,so in the heavenly palace those who wait

1john i i i . 16 .

2 Rom . v i i i . 32 .

2 Mat t..

xx iv. 47.

42 K i ngs vi . 15 fl . Of course Macarius has forgo tten who the

prophet was.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 36 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

race of men . He washed their wounds,and healed them

,

and brought them into the heavenly bridechamber. Greatthen is the dignity of Christians

,s o great that there i s

nothing to compare with it . But if the Christian becomeshigh-minded and allows evil to s teal over him

,he i s like a

city without a wall, and the robbers come into i t from anyquarter they please, with nothing to hinder them ,

and lay itwaste and set i t on fire. Thus

,whilst thou art taking

things easily,and paying no heed to thyself

,the spirits of

wickedness come in Upon thee, and destroy and laywaste thy mind , dissipating thy thoughts upon this presentworld .

48 . Many people who are well informed about outwardthings

,and pursue knowledge , and take pains about the

correctness of their l ives,consider that thi s constitutes per

fect ion,not looking deep into their hearts

,or seeing the

bad things there which keep the soul in . According tothe inner meaning of evil, i t is a root in the members thethief is in the house

,that is, the opposing power . I t i s a

defiant and an invis ible force and unless a man sets himself to combat sin

,the inward evil gradually spreads

,and

by multiplying carries the man along into open sins , tocommit them . Evi l i s continually gushing up like the eyeof a well-spring . Be thou then busied Upon stopping thestreams of evil

,lest thou shouldest fall into a thousand

wrong things and be like one in stupor. Suppose there tobe a nobleman l iving at ease in affluence

,and the officers

of the governor and those who serve warrants arrest him,

carrying him off to the governor, saying, You are accusedon a serious charge

,and your head is in danger .” A t the

very tidings of such a fear,he loses all his ideas , and i s l ike

one in a stupor . 49 . Conceive, then , thab i t i s thus with thespirits of wickedness .The world that you see round you, from the king to thebeggar, are all in confusion and d isorder and battle, and

HOMIL Y XV 13 1

none of them knows the reason, or that i t is the man i festation of the evil which crept in through Adam ’s disobedience,the sti ng of death.

1 For the sin which crept in,being a

kind of invisible power of Satan , and a reality, implantedall evils . Without being detected it works upon the inne rman and upon the mind, and contends with the thoughtsbut men are not aware that they are doing these things atthe instigation of an alien force . They think it all to b enatural, and that they do these things of their own determination

,while those who have the peace of Christ in their minds ,

and His enlightenmen t,know very well the source of these

movements .50 . The world is subject to the lust of evil , and knows i t

not,and there is an unclean fire which kindles the hear t

,

and so spreads into all the members , and disposes men tolasciviousness and a thousand wrong things . Those who letthemselves be tickled and pleased with i t commit the S in

inwardly in the heart, and thus the evil gets room ,

and theyfall into open impurity . Mark that the same is true of the loveof money

,and of vain glory

,pride

,envy

,anger. A man is

invited to a dinner,and many meats are offered him ; sin

suggests that he should taste them all, and so his soul i spleased and becomes overloaded . Lusts are intolerablemountains, among which are rivers of dragons 2 and venomous beasts and serpents . AS i f a whale were to swallow up

a man in its belly,so sin swallows up souls . They are

burning flames of fire,and fiery darts of the wicked one .

The apostle says , That ye may be able to quench the fierydarts of the w i cked one.

3 The evi l got room,and has laid

its foundations around the soul .51 . But the pruden t

,when the passion s bestir themselves

,

1 I Cor . xv. 56.

2 The same phrase recurs in XVI . 13 and In XLI II . 3. It looks like a

rem in iscence of some bible text , but i t does no t appear to be taken

from any o f the G reek versions of the O .T.

3 Eph . vi . 16 .

1 32 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

will not comply, but are angry with the evil desi res, andmake themselves enemies to themselves . For Satan has agreat wish to rest and stretch himself in the soul

,and is

annoyed and cramped when the soul will not comply withhim . Some there are under the command of the divinepower

,who if they s ee a young man with a woman may

perhaps think a little, but their mind is not defiled , nor dothey inwardly commit sin ; but i t is not yet possible tobe confident in such a case. There are others in whom thething i s at an end

, quenched , and withered up ; but theseare the measures of the great ones . As men in the tradego down naked into the deep of the sea

,into the watery

death,to find there pearls that will do for a royal crown,

and purple dye,so those who embrace the s ingle life go

naked out of the world,and go down into the deep of the

sea of evil and into the gulf of darkness,and from those

depths they take and bring up precious stones suitable forthe crown of Chris t, for the heavenly church , for a new

world,and a city of light, and a people of angels .

52 . As in a net many kinds of fishes are included, andthey cast back the worse kinds at once into the sea, so thenet of grace is Spread over all , and seeks satis faction ; butmen will not consent

,therefore they are thrown back again

into the very pit of darkness . AS much sand is washedaway before the gold i s found, and that in very’

small grainslike millet

,so out of many there are few found to be

approved . Those who have the work of the kingdom aremade manifes t

,and those who only dress up the word of i t

appear . Those who are seasoned with the heavenly saltappear, and those who speak out of the treasures of the Spirit .The vessels in which God i s well pleased appear, and Hegives them His own grace while others with much patienceece i ve the hallowing power, in divers manners , as the Lordwills . So he who speaks

,unless he be guided by heavenly

l ight and wisdom,cannot satisfy the mind of every one

,

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

HOMILY XV I

That sp i ri tual persons are subject to temptati ons and tothe adversi ti es whi ch spri ngfrom the first si n .

1 . A L L Spiritual substances, that i s to say, of angels ,and human souls , and devils , were made by the Creatorinnocent and perfectly simple . The fact that some of themturned to evil was an after-effect of their free will . I t wasby their own choice that they departed from the right wayof thinking . If we say that they were so made by theCreator, we say that God i s an unjust judge for sendingSatan to the fire . There are certain heretics who say thatmatter i s wi thout beginning, and that matter is the root,and that the root i s power, and an evenly matched power.To this you may fairly reply, Which then is the conquering power ? Certainly that of God . Then the vanquishedi s no longer a match, either in duration or in power .Those who say that evil i s a substantive thing, knownothing. To God there is no substantive evil, according toHis divine freedom from passion but in us i t w orks w i thful l force and makes i tsel f felt, suggesting all foul concup iscenees . I t i s not mixed up with US , however, as somesay

,l ike the mixture of wine with water ; i t i s as corn by

itself and tares by themselves, though both in the samefield ; as in a house, the thief in one part, and the masterin another .

2 . Here is a well-spring running with clear water,and

there is mud under i t . When one stirs the mud , the wholewell- spring is fouled. Se the soul, when stirred , i s fouled

134

HOMILY XVI 135

and mingled with evil , and Satan becomes one thing withthe soul

,both being Spirits

,in the act of fornication or of

murder . For this reason , he that i s joi ned to the harlot i sone body.

1 But at another moment the soul subsists byitself

,penitent for what it has done

,and weeps and prays,

and remembers God . For if the soul were always plungedin evil, how could it act thus ? Since Satan is never willingthat men should come to repentance

,for he knows no

compassion . The wife according to agreement with herhusband becomes one with him ,

but at another momentthey are parted because i t often happen s that one of themdies and the other lives . Something of the same kind takesplace in the fellowship of the Holy Ghost. They becomeone Spirit, for he that i s joi n ed to the L ord i s one sp i r i t ?This takes place when the man is swallowed up in grace .3 . There are some

,however

,who have a taste of God

,but

are still subj ect to the influence of the enemy, and think i tstrange, in their lack of experience, that after the visitationof God they should still be subject to doubts about themysteries of Christianity . Those who have grown old inthem do not think i t strange . As skilled husbandmen ,from long experience

,in a season of plenty are not entirely

without care, but look forward to times ofd earth and shortsupplies, and, on the other hand, when those times of dearthand short supplies overtake them , are not very despondent,in view of changes for the better

,so in the spiritual realm

,

when the soul falls i n to di vers temptati on s, 3 i t neither considers it strange, nor i s despondent, because it knows thatit i s permitted on sufferance to be tested and disciplinedby evil . On the other hand

,when it i s in much wealth and

contentment i t i s not w ithout care, but looks forward to thecoming change .

The sun , which is a bodily and created thing, sh inesdown into unsavoury places

,where there are mud and

1 I Cor . vi . 16 .

21 Cor . vi . 17.

3

jas : i . 2 .

1 36 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

impurities , without being inj ured or defiled how muchrather does the pure and holy Spirit keep company with thesoul

,when still subj ect to influence from the wicked one

,

without contracting anything from them . The li ght shi n ethi n darkness , and the darkness comprehended i t not . 14 . When therefore a man is deep in

,and is rich in grace

,

there is stil l a remnant of evil with him . He has a helperat hand to succour him . So when one is in advers ities andin great bil lows of suffering, he ought not to despond fori f h e does , S in thrives and makes more way in him . Butwhen one has constant h0pe in God, the evil d iminishes an

'

ddries out . That some are palsied or maimed

,in fever or

sickness, this i s a consequence of sin. For sin is the rootof all evils , and the passions caused by the desires of thesoul and by evil thoughts are owing to it . If there is arunning spring, and the places about it are mois t andboggy

,yet when the weather gets hot

,the spring and the

places near it dry up . So with God’s servants , upon whomgrace abounds

,this grace dries up the des ire which comes

from the wicked one,and that which comes from nature

l ikewi se ; Si nce now the men of God are greater than thefirst Adam .

5. God i s infinite and incomprehensible . He ShowsHimself everywhere, in the mountains, and in the sea, andbeneath the deep ; yet not by change of place, l ike theangels who come down from heaven to the earth . He is inheaven

,and He is here . But you will say to me, “How can

God be in hell ? or how can He be in the darkness,or in

Satan,or in places that are unsavoury ? I answer that He

is impassible and contains all things,for He is infinite

,

while Satan, being His creature, i s tied . That which i sgood is not soiled, nor darkened . I f you say that He doesnot contain all things

,including hell and Satan , you make

Him limited with regard to that place where the wicked one1john i . 5.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3s FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

and s ilently makes them new,unti l they pass away from the

body, and then the beauty of the soul is shown . Thosewho wish to construct bowls

,and to depict animals Upon

them , firs t make the ir design in wax, and then cast themafter the l ikeness

,so that the work is finished in accordance

with that design . So S in , though i t i s a spirit, has an image,and assumes many forms ; and in the same manner theinner man is l ike one of these animals

,w i th an image and

a Shape , for the inner man is a l ikeness of the outer . Greatthen i s the vessel

,and precious , since in i t alone of all the

creatures the Lord was well pleased . And the good thoughtsof the soul are like precious stones and pearls

,and the

impure thoughts are fi lled with dead men ’

s bon es and all

uncleanness 1 and i ll-savour.8 . Chri stians then are of another world , sons of theheavenly Adam

,a new race, children of the Holy Ghost,

shining brethren of Christ, l ike their Father, the heavenlyShining Adam . Of that city, of that kindred, of that power,they are not of this world

,but of another world . He

Himself says,Ye are not of thi s world

,even as I am not

of thi s world? But as a merchant on a voyage of many

stages,in the multiplication of his merchandise

,sends to his

fri ends to procure him houses,gardens

,clothes that he

requires,and when he sets out for home

,brings with him

great wealth,and his friends and kinsfolk welcome him with

great rejoicing,so in spiritual things

,i f any aremaking the

heavenly wealth their merchandise,their fellow citiz ens,

the spirits of saints and angels, are aware of it, and say withadmiration

,Our brethren on the earth have come into great

wealth .

”So they

,having the Lord with them at their de

parture, come with mighty rejoicing to those above, and those

who belong to the Lord receive them,having prepared for

them there houses,and gardens

,and clothes all bright and

costly .

1 Matt , xxi i i . 2 7.

2john v i . 16 .

HOMIL Y XVI 139

9 . We need sobriety in all things,then

,in order that the

good things that we seem to have may not turn to our hurt .For those who are naturally kind

,unless they secure them

selves,are gradually drawn aside by their very kindness ;

and those who have wisdom are deceived by their wisdom .

A man must be well tempered together in all directions,kindness w ith severity

,wisdom with discretion , word with

deed, in everything to trust in the Lord , not in himself.For virtue is seasoned wi th many different spices , as anarticle of necessary diet i s seasoned with condiment ofsome kind — no t with honey only

,but with pepper some

t imes — and so is found good for food .

1 0 . Those who say that s in is not in man, are like peopleplunged under a deluge of many waters

,who will not

acknowledge it,but say

,

“We heard a sound of waters .”

P lunged under the depth of the waves of evil , they say thatS in i s no t in their mind or thoughts . There is a differencebetween those who have a theory and talk, but are notseasoned with the salt of heaven — who discourse of a royaltable, but have never eaten or enjoyed i t — and a man whohas had a sight of the king himself

,to whom the treasures

have been opened,and he has entered in, and inherited

them , and eaten and drunk of the costly viands .1 1 . If a mother has an only son

,very handsome

,wise ,

adorned w i th all things good, Upon whom She sets all herhopes, and it falls out that she buries him ,

then endles sdistress comes Upon her

,and mourning that cannot be

comforted . So ought the mind , when the soul has died toGod, to take up mourning and tears, endless distress, tohave a contrite heart, to be in fear and care, and at thesame time to have a hunger and thirst for what i s goodcontinually. Such an one passes into the hands of God ’sgrace and of hope

,and he no longer remains in that

mourning, bu t rejoices as one that finds a treasure, andagain trembles for fear he should lose i t

,for the thieves

140 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

are coming . Like a man who has suffered many losses bythieves, and has got away from them w ith much difficulty

,

and after this has come into great affluence and a largefortune, and has no more dread of loss because of hisabundan t wealth ; so spiri tual men, after firs t passingthrough many temptations and dreadful places

,and then

filled with grace and replete with good things,are no longer

in terror of those who would plunder them,s ince their

wealth is not small ; yet they fear , not with the beginner’sfear of evil spirits, but with fear and care how to employ theSpiri tual gi fts entrusted to them .

1 2 . Such an one despises himself beyond all s inners,and

holds thi s notion implanted in him as i f by nature,and the

farther he advances in the knowledge of God , the more heconsiders himself an ignoramus

,and the more he learns,

the les s he thinks he knows . I t i s grace which ministersthis effect

,and makes it l ike a part of nature in the soul .

As a l it tle child is carried by a strong young man,and he

who carries it takes i t about wherever he pleases,so the

grace that works in the deep carries the soul,and lifts i t up

to the heavens,to the perfect world

,to the everlasting rest .

But even in grace there are measures and degrees of rank .

The commander-ih -chief,who has access to the king

,differs

from the captain . As a house that is fi lled with smokedischarges i t also into the open air

,so the evil

,

compressedinto the soul is discharged without and produces fruits .As those to whom is committed the government of aprovince or of the royal treasury are all the time in anxietylest they should after all offend the king

,so those who have

been entrusted with a spiritual work are always in anxiety,and though they are at rest

,are as if they had n ever found

it . For the kingdom of darkness which had broken intothe city of the soul

,and the barbarous forces which keep

possess ion of its ranges,are in course of expulsion from i t .

1 3 . Christ the King sends to avenge the city, and throws

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

HOMI LY XVI I

Concern i ng the sp i r i tual uncti on of Chr i sti an s , and thei r

glory ,and that w i thout Chr i st i t i s impossi ble to be

saved or to become a partaker of eternal life.

1 . PER FECT Christians, who have been permitted to arriveat measures of perfection and to come very near the King,these are continually consecrated to the cros s of Christ .AS in the days of the prophets the unction was moreprecious than all things else, S ince unction made themkings and prophets , so now spiritual men, who are anoin tedwith the heavenly unction

,become Christs according to

grace,so that they too are kings, and prophets of heavenly

mysteries . These are sons , and lords , and gods, madeprisoners and captives,1 plunged deep, crucified, cousecrated . I f the anointing of oil , which came from a materialplant

,a vis ible tree, had such force that those who were

anointed received d ignity beyond dispute- for i t was a fixedrule

,so that they were appointed kings David

,for in stance

,

after being anointed , immediately fel l into per secutions andwas afli icted , and then after seven years became king— how

much more do all who are anointed in mind and the innerman with the hallowing and cheering oi l

’

of gladness,2 the

heavenly spiri tual oil, receive the s tamp of that kingdom ofthe imperishable and everlasting power

,the earnest of the

S p i r i t, 3 the Holy Ghost the Comforter. He is called theComforter, because He comforts and cheers those who arein affl iction s .

1 That is, to grace and to God 2 Heb. i . 9 .

2 2 Cor . v. 5.

HOMILY XVI I 143

2 . These, being anointed from the tree of life, jesusChrist, the heavenly plant, are privileged to come tomeasures of perfection , the measures of the kingdom and

the adoption , truly Sharers of the secrets of the heavenlyKing

,having free access to the A lmighty

,entering into His

palace,where the angels and the spirits of the saints are

,

even while they are still in this world . A lthough theyhave not yet received the perfect inheritance prepared forthem in that age, they are sure, from the earnest which

they have now received, as if already crowned and reigningand being about to reign with Christ, they are not surprisedat the abundance and freedom of the Spirit . Why ? Be

cause while s till in the flesh they had that relish ofsweetness

,and that effectual working of power .

3 . When a man is a friend of the emperor,employed

about the palace, acquainted with his secrets, and seeinghis purple, i f that man i s made emperor himself andcrowned

,he is not surprised or taken aback

,S ince he has

long been exercised in the secrets of the palace . No

boorish or uneducated person , or stranger to the secret,can go in and reign, bu t only those of experience andtraining . So Christians , who in that age are to reign

,are

no t surprised , having already learned the secrets of grace .When man first transgressed the commandment

,the devi l

covered the soul all over with a covering of darkness .Then grace comes, and wholly removes the veil, so thatthe soul

,now cleared , and regaining its proper nature,

created without blem ish and clear, continually beholdsclearly w ith its clear eyes the glory of the true light and thetrue sun of r ighteousness

1 beaming in the heart i tself.4 . AS at the

’

end of the world the firmamen t is removedand the righteous thenceforth l ive in the kingdom and thelight and the glory

,seeing nothing else but how Christ in

glory is always on the right hand of the Father, so these1 Mal . iv. 2 .

144 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

men even now are caught away into that age,and are taken

captive, and behold al l the beauties and the wonders thatare done there . On earth as we are

,we have our ci ti z en ~

shi p i n heaven ,

1Spending our time and activities in that

world, so far as the mind and the inner man are concerned .

As the vis ible eye, when clear, always clearly sees the sun ,

so the mind perfectly cleansed always sees the glory of thel ight of Christ, and is with the Lord night and day, in likemanner as the Lord’s body uni ted with the Godhead isalways with the Holy Ghost . Men

‘do not,however, attain

these measures in a moment,but with labour and pains

and much contention . Some there are who have gracewith them working and abiding, yet evil also is with theminwardly, and the two modes of citiz enship, of light and ofdarkness, are at work upon the same heart .5. But you wil l say to me

,

“ What commun i on hath

light w i th darkn ess P2 Where is the divine l ight darkened

or troubled ; and the undefiled and pure, where is i tdefiled ?

” I t is written, The light shi n eth i n darkness

,

and the darkness comprehended i t not. 3 We must nottherefore think of these things under a S ingle aspect andwithout dissection . So great is the repose of some menin God ’s grace that they become stronger than the evil thatis with them, and having a gift of prayer and muchrepose in God , at another moment they are under theinfluence of evil thoughts

,and are deceived by sin , though

they are still in the grace of God . Light-minded people,who have not learned the business

,when grace to some

extent works Upon them,imagine that there is no more

such a thing as sin . But those who have discretion andare prudent dare not deny that even when we have thegrace of God we are liable to the influence of foul andpolluting thoughts .

1 Phi l . i i i . 20.

22 Cor. vi . 14.

3john i . 5 ; cp . Hom ily XVI . 3 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

146 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

wearer’s body ; i t strikes and bounds back . So eventhough a fragment of evil ge t n ear the apostles , it did notinjure them , because they were clothed with the perfectpower of Chri st, and they , being themselves perfect, were atl iberty to work their righteousnesses .8 . S ince then some will have i t that after grace the souli s without anx iety

, God requires the will of the soul, eveni n the perfect

,for the service of the Spirit, that they may

act in agreement . The apostle says, Quench not the Sp ir i t.1Some among them were unwill ing to be burdensome toothers some walked for themselves ; others took from men

of the world and distributed to the poor. This was a

worthier part . Some who have grace care only about themselves, others endeavour to benefit their neighbour’s soulsalso. These are far superior to the others . Some whchave grace , for God’s name

’s sake del iver up their bodies tomockeries and sufferings . These again are above th’ose .

Some in the pursuit of virtue are disposed to boast and tbe honoured of men

,saying that they are Christians an

partake of the Holy Ghost. Others endeavour to hidthemselves even from meeting men . These are mucsuperior to those others . You see how even in perfect iogoodwill towarii s God completed hy ' the natural will ifound superior and in greater abundance .I f a man clothed in beggarly garments should see himsel

in a vision rich,and on waking from sleep Should see him

self again poor and naked , so those who utter a spiri tua

discourse seem to speak su itably ' enough , but if thehave not the thing they discourse about verified in theimind by tasting and power and personal experience, thestand in a vain Show . Or l ike a woman decked ou

in s ilks and arrayed in pearls,who offers herself in

place of i ll fame,the heart of these men is a resort 0

unclean spirits,while they set themselves Up to discours

1r Thess. v. 19.

HOMILY XVII 147

of righteousness, when they have never had a glimpse ofthe realities .

10 . A fish cannot l ive out of the water no one can walkwithout feet

,or see l ight withou t eyes, or speak without a ,

tongue,or hear without ears . So without the Lord jesus ,

and the working of d ivine power, no one can know themysteries and wisdom of God, or be rich an d a Christian .

The wise,the warriors , the brave men, the philosophers of

God , are those who are led and Shepherded in the innerman by the divine power . The philosophers of the Greekslearn to make speeches ; others are rude i n speech, 1 butrejoicing and exulting in the grace of God , men of piety.Let US j udge which are the better . The kingdom of God ,

it says, i s not i n word,but i n deed and i n power ?

1 1 . For a man to say, “This bread is made of corn , i seasy enough . He Should tell US how bread is preparedIn de tail, and baked . To talk of freedom from passions ,and of perfection

,i s easy ; but in experience to be brought

to perfection is the lot of few. The gospel says in shortcompass, “Thou shalt not be angry ; thou shalt not covet .I f any man smite thee on the cheek

,turn to him the other

also . I f any man j udge to take away thy cloak , give himthy coat also .

” 2 The apostle,tracing out how the work of

cleansing should be don e, l ittle by l ittle with patience andperseverance , teaches at large , first feeding w i th milk , l ikebabes, then carrying on to growth and to full age . The

gospel said that the garmen t was made of wool the apostledeclared in detail, how it i s made .

1 2 . So those who utter spiritual d iscourses, w ithouttasting what they discours e of, are like a man who travelson a desert plain

,assailed by burning heat

,and being

thirsty, draws a picture of a running stream of water, with asketch of himself drinking

,when all the while his lips are

parched, and his tongue also, by the thirs t that possesses12 Cor . x i . 6 .

2I Cor. iv. 20.

3 Matt. v. 39 ff.

148 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

him ; or as i f a man should discourse of honey, that it i ssweet

,though never having tasted it

,he does not know the

force of the sweetness . Such is the case with those whomake discourse about perfection , and rejoicing, or freedomfrom passions

,without having the effectual working and

personal knowledge of them . The things are not al l asthey describe them . When a man of t hat kind is oncepermitted to find himself in the reality

,he judges in his

own mind : “ I have not found it to be as I supposed . Idiscoursed in one way , and the Spirit works in another.

”

1 3 . For Christianity is indeed meat and drink ; and themore a man eats of it

,the more his mind is allured by

the sweetness,and is not to be restrained or satisfied

,but

asks for more,without ever being fi lled

,and goes on eating .

I f a man is thirsty,and there i s given him a pleasant

draught,then

,when he has begun to taste i t, he gets the

more eagerly close to the drink, more ardent for i t thanbefore . And indeed the tasting of the Spiri t is well-nighwithout a l imi t

,so that it is really l ike the supposed case .

And these are not mere words . This is the practicalworking of the Holy Ghost mysteriously ministering in themind .

Some imagine that because they abstain from marriageand other visible things

,they are already saints . That is

not so . Evil st ill l ives and lifts itself up in the mind andin the heart . The saint is one who is clean sed and sanctihed in the inner man . For where truth raises its head

,

there error attacks, endeavouring to conceal and obscure it .1 4 . When the jews possessed the priesthood, then those ofthat nation were persecuted and aflflicted

,because they stood

fi rm in the truth , E leaz ar and theMaccabees . Now that afterthe cross and the veil the Spirit has departed from them

,

the truth has been revealed here and work s here . So thoseof this nation are persecuted in turn . The persecution andaffliction which befell that nation was that the lovers of the

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

150 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

force of wordsi thou oughtest to cast all away, and to esteemthem as nothing

,that so thou mayest be buil t up by the

fooli shness of preachi ng,1 which preaching is the truewisdom ,

which has not the pride of words, but has a powerthat works effectually by means of the holy cross . G lorybe to the consubstan tial Trinity for ever . Amen .

1 I Cor. i . 2 1 .

HOMILY XV I I I

Concern i ng the Chri sti an s’

treasure,whi ch i s Chr i st and

the Holy Ghost , who practi ses them i n vari ous ways

to come to perfecti on .

1 . IF a man is very rich in this world, and possesses ahidden treasure, out of that treasure and wealth that he hashe purchases whatever he has a mind to purchase . Whatever rare articles in the world he fancies , he readily amassesthem

,relying Upon the treasure, because by means of it he

easi ly procures any piece of property he fanc i es . In l ikemanner those who seek at God ’s hand, and have found ,and have the heavenly treasure of the Spirit, which is th eLord Himself sh ining in their hea’rts, accomplish everyrighteousness of virtues , and every acquis ition of goodnesscommanded by the Lord, out of the treasure of Christ inthem ,

and by mean s of it they amass a yet more abundantheavenly wealth . By means of that heaven ly treasure theyeffect every virtue of righteousness, relying upon the mul titude of the spiritual riches within them

,and easily work

every righteousness and commandment of the Lord bymeans of the invis ible wealth of grace that is in them . The

apostle says , Havi ng thi s treasure i n earthen vessels,

1 thatis , the treasure which i t was granted to them in this l ife topossess w ithin themselves

,the sanctifying power of the

Spirit ; and again, Who was made to us w i sdom from God ,

and r ighteousn ess , and sanctificati on ,and redempti on ?

12 Cor . iv. 7.

21 Cor . i . 30.

152 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

2 . So one who has found and has within him thi s heavenlytreasure of the Spirit

,effects thereby every righteousness of

commandments and every accomplishment of virtues un

blameably and purely, without forcing and with ease . Letus therefore beseech God , and seek and beg of Him ,

to bestowon us the treasure of His Spirit, and that thus we may beable to walk in all His commandments unblameably andpurely

,and to fulfi l all the righteousness of the Spirit purely

and perfectly,by means of the heavenly treasure, which is

Christ . For he that is poor and naked and needy andfamished in the world can acquire nothing ; his povertyrestrains him but the possessor of treasure, as I said, easilyacquires such articles as he fancies , without painful effort .Thus the soul that is naked and destitute of the fellowshipof the Spirit

,and lies under the horrible poverty of sin ,

cannot,if i t would

,produce any of the fruits of the Spirit of

righteousness in truth, before partaking of the Spirit .3 . Nevertheless, every one should force himself to ask of

the Lord to be permitted to receive and find the heavenlytreasure of the Spirit

,so as to be able without difficulty and

with readiness to do all the commandments of the Lordunblameably and purely, which before he could not succeedin doing, whatever force he might use. Poor and naked ofthe fellowship of the Spirit , how could he acquire suchheavenly possessions

,without any spiritual treasure or

wealth ? But the soul which has found the Lord, the truetreasure, by seeking of the Spirit and faith and muchpatience, works out the fruits of the Spirit, as I said before,with ease ; and all righteousness and commandments of theLord, which the Spirit has commanded , she does, in herself,and by hersel f

,purely

,and perfectly

,and unblameably .

4 . Let us use another illustration . I f there is a richman, and he makes a costly repast, he spends out of hiswealth and the treasure that he has

,and is under no fear

that he will run short of anything, being so rich and so

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

154 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

poor,having no treasure of the Spiri t for his own , Upon

which he draws to entertain others,not being himself firs t

entertained , nor rejoicing in the Spirit .6 . For this reason we should fi rst seek from God w ith

labour of heart and in faith, that He would grant us to findHis wealth

,the true treasure of Christ, in our hearts , in the

power and effectual working of the Spirit. In this way,first finding in ourselves the Lord to be our profi t andsalvation and eternal l i fe, we may then profit others also, asi s possible and attainable

,drawing upon Christ, the treasure

within, for all goodness of spiritual words , and setting forthmysteries of heaven . For thus it pleased the goodness ofthe Father to dwell in every one who believes and asksof Him . He that loveth M e

,i t says

, shall be loved of M yF ather , and I w i ll love him and wi ll man ifest Myself tohim and again, We w i ll come

,I andM y F ather , and w i ll

make Our abode w i th him ? Thus the infinite kindness ofthe Father willed ; thus the inconceivable love of Chris twas pleased ; thus the un speakable goodness of the Spiritpromised . G lory to the unspeakable compassion of theHoly Trin ity .

7. For those to whom i t has been given to become childrenof God , and to be born from above of the Spirit, who havewithin them Christ Shin ing and refreshing them ,

are led inmany different ways of the Spirit, and acted upon by graceinvisibly in the heart

,in Spiritual rest . Let us employ

figures of tangible enjoyments in the world ,1

to s ignify insome measure the dealings of grace in the heart . Thereare times when they are as i f entertained at a royal banquet

,

and rejoicing with ‘ joy and gladness inexpress ible . A t

another moment they are like a bride reposing in communion with her bridegroom in a divine repose . Anothertime they become like angels without bodies , they are soli ght and unencumbered

,body and all . Another time they

1john x iv. 2 1 .

2john x iv . 23 .

HOMILY XVIII 155

are as i f drunken with strong drink , being exhi larated andintoxicated with the Spirit, with the intoxication of divineand Spiri tual mysteries . 8 . Another time they are as if inweeping’ and lamentat ion for the human race ; a nd in supplication for the whole Adam they take up a mourning anda weeping

,being consumed by the love of the Spirit towards

mankind . A t another they are fired by the Spirit with suchrejoicing and love, that if i t were possible they would takeevery man into their - own hearts, without d istinguishingbetween bad and good . Sometimes they are so humbledbeneath all others in the humili ty of the Spiri t, that theythink themselves to be the last and least of all . Sometimesthe Spirit keeps them in such joy unspeakable 1 that theyare wearied out . Another time they are l ike a mighty manwho has taken the king’s whole armour, and come downUpon his enemies to battle

,and fights against them power

fully,and has conquered ; for, like him , the spiritual man

takes the heavenly weapons of the Spirit , and comes downupon the enemies , and battles with them , and puts themunder his feet . 9 . At another time the soul reposes in acertain great quietness and calm and peace, with no senseof anything else but spiritual pleasure, and repose unspeakable

,and well-being . At another, i t is instructed by grace

in a kind of unspeakable understanding and wisdom,

and the knowledge of the unsearchable Spirit, in thingswhich it i s imposs ible to utter with tongue and speech .

So various are the dealings of grace in them, and inso many ways does i t lead the soul which it refreshesaccording to the wil l of God, and exercises i t In differentmanners

,in order to restore it to the heavenly Father

perfect and faultless and pure .1 0 . But the operations of the Spiri t of which I have

spoken belong to the great measures which are near perfect ion . For these various refreshings of grace, though they

11 Pet . i . 8 .

156 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

are expressed in different manners, are constantly broughtto bear upon such people

,one operation succeeding another .

For when the soul arrives at the perfection of the Spirit,

perfectly cleansed from passion,and united and m ingled

with the Spiri t Paraclete by that unspeakable communion ,and i s permitted to become spirit i tself in mixture with theSpirit

,then i t i s made all light, all eye, all spirit, all j oy, all

rest, all gladness , all love, all compassion , all goodness andloving-kindness . As in the bottom of the sea a stone isencompassed on every S ide by water, so these men, mingledin every way with the Spirit, are made like Christ , having inthemselves the virtues of the power of the Spirit unalterably,being faultles s and spotless and pure within and without .1 1 . Restored by the Spirit , how can they produce outwardlythe fruit of evil ? At all times and in all circumstances thefruits of the Spirit shine forth in them .

Let us then beseech God, and believe in love and muchhope

,that He may give us the heavenly grace of the gift of the

Spirit,that that Spirit Himself may govern us also, and gu ide

us into all the will of God, and refresh US in all the variety ofHis refreshing

,in order that through such governance and

exercise of grace, and Spiri tual improvement , we may beallowed to attain the perfection of the fulness of Christ, asthe apostle says, That ye may be filled w i th all the fu ln essof Christ, 1 and again, Ti ll we all come un to a perfect man

,

un to the measure of the stature of the fu ln ess of Chri st ?The Lord has promised to bestow on all that believe inHim and ask in truth the mysteries of the unspeakablecommunion of the Spirit . Let US therefore devote ourselvesentirely to the Lord , and hasten to obtain the good thingswe have spoken of. Dedicated in soul and body

,and nailed

to the cross of Christ, let US become fi t for the eternalkingdom , glorifying the Father, and the Son , and the HolyGhost, for ever . Amen .

1 Eph . i i i . 19 .

2 Eph . iv. 13 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

158 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

I am meek and low ly i n heart , and ye shall find rest unto

your souls?

2 . In like manner let him accustom himself to be merciful , kind, compassionate, good, to the utmost of his power,as the Lord says , B e ye good and ki nd ,

even as your

heaven ly F ather i s p i tifu l 2 and again He says, If ye loveMe

,keep M y commandments ;

3 and again, B e violen t , forthe violent take the kingdom of heaven by force,4 and,S trive to enter i n by the strai t gate.

5 Above all things lethim keep the humility and conduct of the Lord, and Hismeekness and behaviour

,as his pattern

,in al l never-forgetful

memory . Let him persevere in prayers , always beseech ingand believing

,that the Lord may come and dwell in him ,

and may perfect and strengthen him in all His commandments, and that the Lord Himself may become

’

the dwellingplace of his soul

,and thus one day

,what he now does by

force with a reluctant heart,he may do willingly, accustom

ing himself always to what i s good, and being ever mindfulof the Lord

,and in much love waiting for Him in the Holy

Spirit . Then the Lord,beholding such a purpose

,and his

good diligence,how he forces himsel f to the remembrance

of the Lord,and ever compels h is heart

, whether it will or no,to that which is good

,and to humili ty and meekness and

charity, and guides it to the best of hi s power by force, showsmercy Upon him

,and del ivers him from his enemies and

from indwelling sin,fi lling him with the Holy Ghost ; and

thus afterwards without force or labour he does all thecommandments of the Lord in truth

,or rather the Lord in

him does His own commandments,and then he brings forth

the fruits of the Spirit purely .

3 . But before this,in coming to the Lord

,a man must

thus force himself to that which is good,even against the

inclination of his heart,continually expecting His mercy

1 Matt x i . 29 .

2 Luke vi . 36 .

3john xiv. 15.

4 Matt. x i . 12 .5 Luke xi i i . 24.

HOMILY X IX 159

with no doubtful faith,and force himself to charity, when

he has no charity— force himself to meekness,when he has

no meekness — u force himself to p ity, and to have a mercifulheart— force himsel f to be looked down Upon , and when hei s looked down upon

,to bear i t patiently

,and when he is

made light of or put to shame,not to be angry, as i t is said,

Beloved,avenge not yourselves

1 - to force himself to prayer,when he has not spiritual prayer and thus God , beholdinghim thus striving

,and compelling himself by force

,in spite

of an unwilling heart,gives him the true prayer of the Spirit,

give s him true charity,meekness, bowels of merci es? true

kindness,and in Short fills him with the fruits of the Spiri t .

4 . But if a man forces himself only to prayer,when he

has no prayer,that he may obtain the grace of prayer, but

will not force himself to meekness and humility and charityand the res t of the Lord ’s commandments

,and takes no

pains or trouble or striving to succeed in these,as far as

purpose and freewill can go,sometimes a grace of prayer i s

given him,in part

,with refreshment and gladness from the

Spirit, according to his asking but in character he is likewhat he was before . He has no meekness

,because he did

not seek it with pains,or prepare himself beforehand to

become so . He has no humility,because he did not ask

for it, or force himself to i t . He has not charity towards allmen , because he had no concern or striving about i t in hisasking for prayer ; and in the accomplishment of his work ,he has no faith and trust in God , because he did not knowhimself, did not discover that he was without it, or taketrouble at any cost to himself

,seeking from the Lord to

obtain,

firm faith towards Him and a real trust .5. For as everyone forces and compels himself to prayer

in spite of the re luctance of the heart,so ought he to force

himself l ikewise to trust,and so to humil ity

,and so to

charity, and so to meekness, sincerity and simplicity, and1 Rom . x i i . 19.

2 Col. i i i . 12 .

160 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

so unto all pati ence and longsufleri ng (according to thatwhich is written) w i th joyfuln ess 1 and so to think l ittle ofhimself, and to esteem himself poor and last and so not toengage in conversation to no profit

,but always to meditate

and speak the things of God with mouth and heart so alsonot to be angry or clamorous, according to that which issaid, L et all bi tterness , and anger , and clamour

,be put

away from you ,w i th all mali ce ;

2— to all the ways of theLord, to all practice of virtue and of good and noble living,to all behaviour of goodness

,to all humili ty of meeknes s,

not to be proud, high-minded, or puffed up, or to speakagainst any one .6 . To all these things must a man force himself, who desiresto approve himself to Christ and to please H im in orderthat the Lord

,seeing his earnestness and purpose in com

pelling himself thus to all goodness and simplicity,and

kindness and humility,and charity and prayer

,and driving

himself to them by force,may give him His whole self— the

Lord Himself in truth doing all these things purely in himwithout labour or forcing, which before he could not doeven by force because of s in that was with him ; and allthe practices of virtue come to him like nature . For fromthat time onward

,the Lord coming and dwell ing in him ,

and he in Him,Himself performs in him His own com

mandmen ts, without eflort, fi ll ing him with the frui ts of the

Spirit . But if a man forces himself only to prayer,unt i l he

shall receive a gift of it from God, but does not in likemanner force and compel and accustom himself to theseother things, he cannot in truth perform them purely andfaul tlessly . He should prepare himself in this way to thatwhich is good to the best of his power ; for sometimes thedivine grace comes to him whi l e asking and praying. ForGod i s good and kind

,and to those who ask Him He gives

what they ask . But if a man has not the things of which we1 Col . i . 1 1 .

2 Eph . iv. 3 1 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

62 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

chari ty incessantly w ith such an expectancy and aim,that

He would send His Spirit into our hearts, that we may prayand worship God i n sp i r i t and i n truth,

19 . that the

Spirit Himself may pray in us , that the Spiri t Himself mayteach us true prayer, which now we have not, though we

force ourselves to it ; true humility, which now we cannotattain

,even by force ; may teach us to bring forth in truth

bowels of merci es,1 kindness, and all the commandments of

the Lord,without pain or forcing, as the Spirit Himself

knows how,filling us with His fruits ; and thus the com

mandmen ts of the Lord being fulfi lled by us through HisSpirit, who alone knows the will of the Lord, and the Spiri thaving perfected US in Himself and Himself perfected in us

,

when we are once cleansed from every defilemen t and spotof sin

,He will present our soul s pure and faultless, like fair

brides,to Christ, we resting in God in His kingdom ,

andGod resting in us world without end . G lory to His compassions and to His mercy and love

,that He has vouchsafed

such honour and glory to mankind, has vouchsafed to makethem sons of the heavenly Father

,and has called them

brethren of His own . To Him be glory for ever. Amen .

1john iv . 24 .

2 Col . i i i . 12 .

HOMILY XX

Only Chri st, the true Physi ci an of the i nner man ,can

heal the soul,and array i t i n the garmen t of grace.

I . IF any one is naked for wan t of the divine and

heavenly raiment, which is the power of the Holy Ghostas it is said

, If any man have n ot the Sp i ri t of Chri st, he i snone of Hi s

1— let him weep and beseech the Lord, that hemay receive the spiritual raiment from heaven , that his soul,now naked of the heavenly operation

,may be clothed

,

because the man who i s not clad in the raiment of the Spiritis covered with much shame of vi le aflecti ons

? In theoute r world, if any one is naked, he is in great Shame anddisgrace, and friends turn away from friends when they arenaked, and kinsfolk from those belonging to them ,

and

children , seeing their father stripped naked, have turned theirfaces away, not to look upon their father’s naked body, andhave gone backwards and covered him

,and have not til l

then turned their faces to h im . In the same way God ’sface i s turned away from soul s that are not clothed w ith theraiment of the Spiri t in full assurance, from men who havenot put on the L ord jesus Chri st 3 in power and real ity .

2 . The first man when he beheld himsel f naked was

ashamed, so great is the d isgrace attaching to nakedness .I f then in bodily things nakedness means so much Shame,how much more is the soul which is naked of divine power,and wears not, nor is clad with the unspeakable, incorruptible

1 Rom . vi i i . 9 .

2 Rom. i . 26 .

3 Rom . xi i i . I 4 .

163

1 64 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

heaven ly raiment,the Lord jesus Christ Himself, in reality,

covered with still greater shame and disgrace of vile affect ions ; and every one who is naked of that divine gloryought to be as much ashamed of himself and as niuchaware of his disgrace

,as Adam was when he was naked .

Al though he made himself an apron of fi g-leaves, hhis Shame and nakedness none the less,poverty . Let such a soul then ask ofglory and arrays therewith in light un speakablfor itsel f a cloak of vain thoughts

,deceiving

imagination of a righteousness of its own , or fancyit possesses the vesture of salvation .

3 . I f anyone takes his stand Upon a righteousn

redemption of his own,not looking for the righteou

God which is the Lord,as the apostle says , Who i s

us r ighteousn ess and redempti on ,

1 he labours inno purpose . For all the dream of a righteousnesi s at the las t day manifested as nothing but fithe prophet Esaias says, A ll our r ighteousness

rags? Let us then beg and implore God to clothe

the garmen t of salvation ,

3 our Lord jesus Christ, the‘

un

speakable light,which souls that have once worn it shal l

never put off again,but in the resurrection their bodies also

shall be glorified by the glory of the l ight,with which faith

ful and noble souls are even now clad,as the apostle says;

He that rai sed up Chr i st from the dead shall a lso qu i cken

your mortal bodi es by Hi s Sp i r i t that dwelleth i n you .

4

G lory to His unspeakable compassion and His inexpressiblemercy .

4 . And again , as the woman that was diseased with anissue of blood, on believing truly and touching the Lord’shem , at once found cure, and the flow of the uncleanfountain of her blood dried up , so every soul that has the

11 Cor . i . 30.

2 Isa . lxiv . 6 .

3 Isa. 1x1. 10.

4 Rom . vi i i , 1 1 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

166 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

up the fountain of unclean thoughts that was in it . B ehold ,

i t says, the L amb of God, that taketh away the sin'

of theworld ?

7. The earth could not be cured and healed of so greatan invi sible plague by any medicines of her own

,that is

,by

righteous actions proceed ing only from herself ; but by theheaven ly divine nature of the gift of the Holy Ghost. Onlyby this medicine could man find cure and attain life, beingcleansed in heart by the Holy Ghost . But as that woman

,

though she could not be cured, and remained undone,yet

had feet to come to the Lord, and coming to find cure ; andas that blind man

,though he could not pass over and come

to the Lord,because he could not see, yet sen t a swifter

messenger in his voice,saying Thou S on of David , have

mercy on me,2 and thus believed and found cure by the

Lord’s coming to him and making him to see clearly,so the

soul, though undone by vile affections, and blinded bythe darkness of sin

,yet has the power of will to cry out and

call to jesus, that He would come and work eternaldeliverance for the soul .8 . Had not that blind man cried out, had not that S ick

woman come to the Lord,they would not have found cure

so, unless a man comes to the Lord of his own free will andwith whole purpose of heart

,and petitions Him with assurance

of faith,he finds no cure . Why was i t that they were at once

cured on believing,while we have not yet seen truly clear

,

and have not been cured of the hidden affections ? And

yet the Lord takes more thought for the immortal soul thanfor the body

,— the soul which, i f i t once gains clear sight,

according to him who says, Open thou mine eyes

3 shal lnever again be blinded

,and once cured shall never have

wrecked health . I f the Lord came upon earth and tooksuch care of perishable bodies

,how much more of the

1john i . 29 .

2 Mark x . 47, 3 PS . cxix . 18 .

HOMILY XX 167

immortal soul, made after His own l ikeness ? I t is becauseof our unbelief, because of our divided mind, because we donot love Him with all the heart, nor really believe Him ,

that we have not yet found the spiritual cure and salvation .

Let us then bel ieve Him , and come to Him in reality, thatHe may speedily work in us the true cure. He haspromised to give the H oly Sp i r i t to them that ash ff im} andto open to them that knock

,and to be found of them that

seek,2 and He that has made the promise cannot lie . To

Him be glory and might for ever. Amen .

1 Luke x i . I 3 .

2 Mat t . V1] . 7.

HOMILY XXI

A Chri stian man has a twofold warfare set before him , an

inward and an outward , the latter , i n w i thdraw ingfromearthly di straction s theformer, in the heart, against thesuggestions of the sp i r i ts of w ickedness .

1 . THE man who wishes really to please God , and is intruth an enemy to the opposi te party of evil

,has to wrestle

in two confl icts and two contentions — one in thevis ible affairs of th is life, by withdrawing from earthlydistractions and from the love of worldly ties and fromaffections of sin— the other, in hidden things, by fightingagainst the spirits of wickedness themselves

,as the Apostle

said, We wrestle not again st flesh and blood , but again st

principali ti es , against powers , again st the ru lers of the darkn ess of thi s world , again st sp i r i tual w ickedness in highplaces.

1

2 . When man transgressed the commandment, and wasex i led from Paradise

,he was bound down in two ways and

with two different chains . One was in this l ife,in the affairs

of this li fe,and in the love of the world

,that i s to say

,the

love of fieshly pleasures and lusts, of wealth , and glory, andpossessions , of wife and children, of kinsfolk, of country, ofparticular places

,of clothes

,and of all other things of sense

,

from which the word of God bids him be loosed by his ownfree choice— since what binds every man to the things ofsen se is his own consent— in order that

,having loosed and

emancipated himself from all these,he may be able to

master the commandment perfectly . But besides this, inthe hidden region , the soul i s hedged and hemmed andwalled round , and bound with chains of darkness by the

1 Eph . v i . 12 .

168

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 70 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

and deny the world,and loose himself from earthly desires

with all his heart,and determine wholly and entirely to

cleave to the Lord, he does not d iscover the error of thehidden spirits of wickedness

, and the hidden passions ofevil

,but is a stranger to himself

,as one who knows not that

he is wounded,and has hidden passions without being

aware of them . He is still bound to the visible order, andentangled with the affairs of this world

,and does not mind i t .

5. The man who has really denied the world, and hasmade the effort and flung off the burden of the earth , andhas taken himself away from the vain desires of fleshlypleasures, and glory, and authority and human honours ,and has withdrawn from them with his whole heart— sincethe Lord secretly helps him in this open effort

,in proportion

to his denial of the will of the world— and has taken hisstand to serve the Lord, and attended constantly upon itwith his whole self, body and soul, this man, I say , findscontrariety

,and hidden passions

,and unseen bonds , and

secret battle and effort,and hidden striving ; and thus

beseeching the Lord,and receiving from heaven the armour

of the Spirit, which the blessed apostle reckons up , the

breastplate of r ighteousn ess and the helmet of salvati on ,and

the shield offa i th,and the sword of the Sp i r i t, 1 and arming

himself with these, he will be able to stand again st the hiddenw i les of the devi l amidst the wickednesses of the present .Having provided himself with this armour by all prayer andperseverance and supplication and fasting, and all by faith , ,

he will be able to fight out the battle against the principali ti es and the powers, and the world rulers and thushaving overcome the Opposing forces by the co-operation ofthe Spiri t and his own earnestness in all virtues

,he will

become meet for eternal life,glorifying the Father, the Son ,

and the Holy Ghost ; to whom be glory and might forever . Amen .

1 Eph . vi . I 4.

HOMILY XXI I

Concern ing the twofold state of those who depart out of thi s

I . WHEN the soul of a man departs out of the body , agreat mystery is there accomplished . I f i t is under theguilt of s ins

,there come bands of devils , and angels of the

left hand,and powers of darkness take over that soul

,and

hold i t fast on their s ide . No one ought . to be surprised atthi s . I f

,while al ive and in this world , the man was subject

and compliant to them,and made himself the ir bondman

,

how much more,when he departs out of this world, i s he

kept down and held fast by them . That this i s the case,

you ought to understand from what happens on the goods ide . God ’s holy servants even now have angels continuallybes ide them

,and holy spirits encompass ing and protecting

them 5 and when they depart out of the body,'

the bands ofangels take over their souls to their own side, into the pureworld , and so they bring them to the Lord ; to whom beglory and might for ever . Amen .

HOMILY XXII I

As only those born of the seed royal can wear the costly

royal pearl , so on ly the chi ldren of God are allowed to

wear the pearl of heaven .

I . THE great, costly, royal pearl , which serves for a king

’scrown

,i s su itable only for a king, and only a king can wear

i t. Another man i s not allowed to wear such a pearl . So

un less a man i s begotten by the royal Spiri t of God, and i smade to be of the royal family of heaven and a child ofGod , according as it i s wri tten, But as many as received

H im, to them gave He power to become chi ldren of God,1

he cannot wear the costly pearl of heaven,the image of the

inexpress ible light , which is the Lord, being no king’s son .

For those who possess and wear the pearl,l ive and reign

with Christ for ever . So said the apostle, As we have wornthe image of the earthy , we shall also wear the image of theheaven ly .

2

2 . As long as a horse graz es in the scrub among the wildanimals he is in no subj ection to men ; but when he iscaught for the purpose of taming

,they put on him a heavy

bridle, unti l he learns to walk properly and i n good order .Then he is exercised by a skilled rider

,that he may become

serviceable for war ; then they put armour on him , thebreastplate and the coat of mail

,and first they hang up a

bridle and shake it before the horse’s eyes,that he may get

accustomed to it and not shy at it and when thus taughtby his rider, he learn s to war with the enemy . Withoutrider and w ithout breastplate

,a horse is of no use for war .

But when he has been trained and i s accustomed to the1 John 1 . 12 .

2 1 Cor . x v. 49 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

HOMILY XXIV

The state of Chri stians i s like merchandi se, and like leaven .

A s merchan ts amass earthly gains , so Chr i stians gather

together thei r thoughts thatwere scattered about theworld .

A s leaven turn s thewhole lump in to leaven ,so the leaven

of sin permeates the whole race of Adam ; but Chri st

puts a heaven ly leaven of goodness i n fai thful souls .

r . CHR IST IANS are like merchants trading for very greatgains . As merchants amass out of the earth earthly gains,so Christians collect together out of all the earth, by meansof all virtues and the power of the Spirit, the thoughts oftheir own heart in this present age. This is the greates tand the true merchandise. For this world is opposed tothe world above

,and this present age to the eternity above .

The Christian therefore, according to holy scripture, mustdeny the world

,and be translated and pass in mind ou t of

this present age,in which the mind is placed and exposed

to allurements ever since the transgress ion of Adam,into

another age, and in frame of thought must l ive in the worldof the Godhead above

,as i t is said, But our conversation

i s in heaven .

1

2 . But there is no succeeding in this unless the soulwill deny this world and shall bel ieve in the Lord wholeheartedly, in which case the power of the Spirit of God i sable to gather in the heart

,now scattered over the whole

earth, to the love of the Lord, and to translate its frame of1 Phil. i i i . 20 .

174

HOMILY XXIV 1 75

mind into the eternal world . From the time of Adam ’stransgression the thoughts of the ' soul have been scatteredaway from the love of God to this present age, beingm ingled with material and earthly thoughts . But as Adam ,

when he transgressed,took into his system a leaven of evil

affections, so by participation all who were born of him ,

and the whole race of Adam ,partook of that leaven

,and

ever s ince it has grown and increased,until the affections of

sin have so developed in men that they have come tofornications and lasciviousnesses and idolatries a nd murdersand other wrong things, until humanity i s all leavened w ithevil . To such an extent has the evil developed amongmen

,that they have come to think that there is no God ,

and to worship inanimate stones instead , and to be unableso much as to take in the notion of a God . To such anextent has the leaven of wrong affections leavened the raceof the old Adam .

3 . In the same manner,the Lord

,when He came on

earth, was pleased to suffer on behalf of all , and to purchase them with His own blood

,and to put the heavenly

leaven of goodness in faithful souls,when they have been

humbled under sin , and then by a process of growth anddevelopment to fulfi l in them every righteousness enj oinedupon them and al l virtues, until they are l eavened intoone in that which is good

,and become with the Lord

one Sp i r i t, according to S t . Paul’s saying, 1 so that s in andwickedness cannot even in thought come into the soul socompletely and entirely leavened with the D ivine Spirit

,as

i t i s said, Char i ty thinketh no evi l, and the rest . 2 Butwithout the previous leavening from heaven

,which is the

power of the D ivine Spirit,i t is impossible for the soul to

be leavened with the goodness of the Lord,and to arr ive

at l ife, even as the race of Adam could never have beenperverted to such malice and wickedness

,if the previous

11 Cor . vi . 17.

21 Cor . x ii i . 5.

1 76 -FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

leavening of malice, which is S in , had not crept into h im ,

being, as it is, a power of Satan of a spiritual and immaterialnature .4 . I f a person were to knead flour without firs t putting

i n leaven, however much pains he may think good to take,turning i t over and over

,and working it up , the lump

remains unleavened and unfit for food ; but if leaven isput in, i t draws to itsel f the whole lump of flour,-and worksi t all to leaven

,as the Lord said in His comparison of the

kingdom , The kingdom of heaven i s like un to leaven ,

which a woman took and hid i n three measures of meal,un ti l the whole was leavened.

1 I f there were meat, anda person were to take all manner of care of it

,but did not

salt i t with the salt which destroys worms and prevents il lodour

,the meat s tinks and decays and becomes unservice

able to man . In the same way conceive of all mankind asbeing so much meat or dough, and imagine the sal t and theleaven to belong to another world, the d ivine nature of theHoly Ghost . Now i f this heavenly leaven of the Spirit,this good

,holy salt of the Godhead, from yonder age and

from yonder home,be not mixed and put into the human

nature of men ,there is no ridding the soul of the ill odour

of wickedness,there is no leavening it from the heaviness

and unleavened condition of evil .5. Whatever the soul may think fi t to do of itsel f, what

ever care and pains i t may take , relying only,

upon its ownpower, and thinking to be able to effect a perfect success byitself, without the co-operation of the Spiri t, i t i s greatlymistaken . I t is of no use for the heavenly places it i s ofno use for the kingdom— that soul which supposes that itcan achieve perfect purity of itself, and by itself alone,without the Spirit . Unles s the man who i s under theinfluence of passions w ill come to God, denying the world ,and will believe wi th patience and hope to receive a good

1 Matt. x i i i . 33.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

HOMILY XXV

Thi s Homi ly teaches that noman,w ithout being strengthened

by Chri st, i s capable of overcoming the stumbling-blocks

of the evi l one, and what those who desi re the divin eglory must do.

i

I t teaches also that through Adam’

s

di sobedi ence we came down in to bondage to carnal

passions , from which we are delivered by the ,

mystery

that i s i n the cross . I t i nstructs us besides that

the power of tears and of the divine fire i s great .

1 . Those upon whom the divine law is written, not w i think and letters

,but implanted in hearts of flesh, these,

having the eyes of their m ind enlightened,and reaching

after a hope,not tangible and seen, but invisible and

immaterial,have power to get the better of the stumbling

blocks of the evil one,not by themselves

, but from thepower that never can be defeated . But those who havenot been honoured with God ’s word, nor instructed bydivine law

,are va in ly pufied n ;o,

1 and fancy that by theirown free will they can bring to nought the resources ofs in— sin which is only condemn ed through the mysterycontained in the cross . I t l ies in the power of man’s freewill to resis t the devil

,but it does not extend to an abso

lute command over the passions . Except the L ord bu i ldthe house, it says, and keep the ci ty , the watchman wakethbu t in vain , and the builder laboureth in vain .

2

2 . You cannot go upon the as? and basi li sk,

3 and tread1 Co l . 11. 18 .

2 PS . cxxvn . I .3 This is the LXX version of PS . x ci . 13 .

178

HOMILY XXV 9

under your feet the l ion and the dragon, without firs tpurging yourself as far as human ability goes, and beingstrengthened by Him who said to the apostles, B ehold ,

I have given you power to tread on serpen ts and scorp i ons,and upon all the power of the enemy.

1 I f human naturehad had force, without the whole armour of the Holy Ghost,to stand against the w i les of the devi l ,

2 the apostle wouldnot have said

, The God of peace shall bru i se S atan under

your feet shortly,3 and again , Whom the L ord shall destroyw i th the Sp i r i t of H i s mouth.

4 That i s why we are biddenof the Lord to pray, L ead u s not in to temptation , but deliver

u s from the evi l on e.

5 I f we are not delivered by thesuperior power from the fiery darts of the w icked one andadmitted to the adoption of sons

,our social existence is in

vain we are far from the power of God .

3 . Accordingly, one who w i shes to be a partaker of thed ivine glory, and to see as in a glass the form of Christ inthe ruling faculty of hi s own soul, 6 ought w ith insatiableaffection and an incl ination which is never filled

,with all

his heart and all his might,by night and when it i s day

,to

seek the help which comes mightily from God , of which , asI have said before

,i t i s impossible to partake

,unless a man

first abstains from the luxury of the world, from the des iresof the opposing power

,which is alien to the light

,and is an

activity of wickedness with no kinship to a good activity,

but wholly estranged from it . Therefore,i f you wish to

know why we, who were created in honour and put to l ivein

'

paradise, came at last to be compared un to the beasts thathave no understanding and were made li ke to them,

7 havingfallen from the glory of innocence, understand that , havingbecome by the transgression the slaves of the fieshly

1 Luke x . 19 .2 Eph . vi . I I .

3 Rom . x vi . 20.

42 Thess. i i . 8 .

5 Matt. vi . I 3.

6Th iryquovucbv i s a techn ical w ord of the later G reek ph ilosophy .

I Iesychius gives 6 vofis (the in telligence ) as i ts equ ivalen t .7 So the LXX renders PS . xlix . 12 and 20.

1 80 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

passions, we shut ourselves out of the happy land of theli ving,

1 and being reduced to captivity we are still si ttingby the waters of Babylon

2; and because we are stil l held in

Egypt,we have not yet inherited the land of promise,

flowing w i th mi lk and hon ey .

3 We have not yet beenleavened with the leaven of s incerity,4 but are stil l in theleaven of w ickedness. Our heart is not yet sprinkled withthe blood of God ; for the snare of hell,

5 and the hook ofsin i s stil l fixed in it . 4 . We have not yet taken to ourselves the gladness of Christ’s salvation , for the sting ofdeath 6 is still rooted in us. We have not yet put on then ew man ,

which after God i s created i n holiness,7 since we

have not yet put off the old man which i s corrupt accordingto the sinfu l lusts.

8 We have not yet born e the image ofthe heaven ly,

9 nor been made conformed to H i s glory .

10

We have not yet worshipped God in sp i r i t and in tru th,

11

because sin reign s in our mortal body ,

12 We have not yetbeheld the glory of the i ncorruptible, 13 for we are stil l underthe Operation of the moon less n ight . 14 We have not yet pu ton the armour of light,

15 since we have not yet put off thearmour and the darts and the works of darkness . We

have not yet been transformed by the ren ew ing of the mind,for we are still conformed to thi s world 16 in the van i ty ofthe mind .

17 We are not yet glorified w i th Christ, becausewe have not sufiered w i th Him .

18 We do not yet bear'

in

our body the marks of Him,

19 and are not in_ the secret of

the cross of Christ, for we are sti ll in the afiections and

lusts of the flesh .

20 We are not yet hei rs of God and join t1 Ps . cxvi . 9 (LXX cxiv.

2 PS . cxxxvn . 1 .

3 Ex . i i i . 8 , etc .

4 A cur ious recollect ion of 1 Cor . v . 8 .

5 Prov. ix . 1 8 (LXX ). 6I Cor . x v. 55.

7 Eph . iv . 24 .

9 Eph . iv . 2 2 .

9I Cor . x v. 49 .

1° Phil . i i i . 2 1 .

11 John IV.

12 Rom . v i . 12 .

13 Rom . i . 2 3 .

14 A rem i n i scence of PS . x i . 2 “

pr i vi ly (LXX x .

15 Rom . x i i i . 12 .

16 Rom . x i i . 2 .

17 Eph . iv . 17.

1 8 Rom . vi i i . I 7.

19 Gal . vi . I 7.

2° Gal . v . 24.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 82 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

Egypt ? How can I cross the Red Sea ? how pass thegreat wilderness ? how escape perishing from the bite ofserpents ? how conquer the aliens ? How shall I utterlydestroy the heathen within me ? How shall I receive theoracles of the law of God upon these tables of m ine ? Howshall I see the true pillar of light, and of the cloud proceeding from the Holy Ghost ? How shall I enj oy themanna of eternal delight ? how drink the water from thelife-giving rock ? How am I to pass over Jordan

,entering

into the good land of promise ? How am I to see theCaptain of the Lord ’s host

,whom Joshua the son of Nun ,

when he saw Him,immediately fell down and worshipped ?

7. Unless I go through all this and destroy the heathenwithin me

,I cannot go i n to the sanctuary of God

1 and rest ,nor become a partaker of the glory of the King .

Therefore labour to become a child of God without fault,and to en ter in to that rest,

2 whi ther the forerunner i s for usen tered, even Christ . 3 Labour to be enrolled in the churchin heaven with the firstborn ,

4 that you may be found at the

r ight hand of the majesty 5 of the Most High . Labour toenter into the holy city, the Jerusalem that i s at peace, thatis above

,above all

,where also is Paradise . You have no

other way to be admitted to these wonderful and blessedtypes

,unless you pour out tears day and n ight

,l ike him

who says, Every n ight wash I my bed ,and water my couch

w i th my tears.

“ You know well that they that sow i n tearsshall reap i n joy .

7 The prophet says boldly, Hold not Thy

peace a t my tears ;8 and again , P u t my tears i n to Thy

bottle ; are not these things noted i n Thy book P9 and, My

1 Ps . lxx ii i . I7.

2 Heb. i v. I I .

2 H eb. vi . 20.

4 H eb. x i i . 2 3.

5 Heb. i . 3 . Ps . vi . 6 .

7 PS . cxxvi . 6 .

3 PS. xxxix . I 3.

9 Ps . lvi . 8 . Macar ius has, Thou d i dst set my tears as i n Thy

p rom i se. This follow s the LXX,except in om i t t ing befor e Thee after

tear s .

HOMILY XXV 1 83

tears have been my meat day and n ight ;1and in another

psalm,I have mingled my dr ink w i th weep ing.

2

8 . For the tear that i s really shed out of much afi icti onand angu i sh of heart 3 in the knowledge of the truth, w ithburning of the inward parts , i s indeed a food of the soul ,supplied from the heavenly bread, of which Mary preeminently partook

,when she sat at the feet of the Lord

and wept,after the testimony of the Saviour Himself. He

says,Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be

taken away from her .

‘1 0 those precious pearl s in the flowof blessed tears ! O that immediate and ready hearing !What a strong, wise mind What keen love of the Spirit ofthe Lord

,moving vehemently towards the unsull ied Bride

groom ! What a sting of desire in the soul for God theWord ! What swift commun ion o f the bride w i th theheavenly Bridegroom9 . Imitate her then, my child ; imitate her whose eyeswere fixed upon nothing but Him only, who said , I am

come to send fire upon the earth, and I would that i t were

already kindled .

5 There i s indeed a burning of the Spirit ,which burns hearts into flame . The immaterial d ivine firehas the effect of enlightening souls and ‘ trying them , l ikeunalloyed gold in the furnace

,but of consuming in iquity

,

l ike thorns or stubble ; for our God i s a con sumi ng fire,“

taking vengeance on them that know Him not i n flamingfire, and on them that obey not His gospel. 7 I t was thi sfire that worked in the apostles, when they spoke w ith fierytongues . I t was this fire which shone by the voice roundS t . Paul , enlightening his mind, but blinding his sense ofsight for not without the flesh did he see the power of thatlight. I t was this fire which appeared to Moses in the bush .

This fire, in the shape of a chariot, caught up El ias from the1 PS . xli i . 3.

2 PS . ci i . 9 .

32 Cor. i i . 4.

4 Luke x . 42 . Macarius seems to jo in this passage wi th LukeVI I . 38 .

5 Luke xu . 49 . Heb. xn . 2 9 .

7 2 Thess. i . 8 .

1 84 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

earth . The blessed David was seeking the operation ofthis fire when he said, Examine me, 0 L ord , and proveme : try out my reins and my heart. 1 I O . I t was this firewhich warmed the heart of Cleopas and those with himwhile the Saviour talked after His resurrection . So the

angels and ministering Spirits partake of the shining of thi sfire, according to what i s said, Who maketh H i s angels

spi r i ts, and H i s min i sters a flaming fire.

2 I t i s this firewhich burns up the beam that i s in the inward eye

,making

the mind clear,that

,recovering its natural power of penetra

tion,it may see without interruption the wonderful things of

God , according as one says , Open Thou mine eyes, that I

may see the wondrous things of Thy law .

3 This fire drivesaway devils, and destroys sin ; but i t is the power of resurrection , and the effectual working of immortality, theillumination of holy souls

,and the strengthening of rational

powers . Let us pray that this fire may reach u s also,that

always walking in l ight, we may never for a moment dashour feet against a stone ,

41 but shin ing as lights in the world,may hold forth the word of everlasting l ife ; 5 that enjoyingourselves among the good things of God we may rest withthe Lord in l ife

,glorifying the Father, and the Son , and the

Holy Ghost , to whom be glory for ever. Amen .

1 PS . xxvi . 2 .

2 Heb. i . 7.

3 PS . cx ix . 18 .

4 PS . xci . 12 .

5 Ph il . i i . 151.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 86 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

Answer. As for him,his attack is not directed only

against Christians, but agains t idolaters , and against al l theworld . I f therefore he were allowed to fight as he pleases,he would have demolished all . Why ? Because that i s hisobj ect and his wi ll . But as the potter puts hi s vessel s in ,and heats the furnace gradually by measure, not overmuch ,les t, i f they were baked too violently, they should crack,and not too little , les t they should be spoiled by being halfbaked and if the S ilversmith or goldsmith applies the fire bymeasure

,for if the fire is in excess

,the gold and the - silver

are melted, and get watery, and are Spoiled ; and if themind of man knows how to measure the burden to thebeast, to the camel or whatever animal i t is, according toi ts burden-bearing capacity ; how much rather does God ,

’

knowing what vessels men are, let loose the enemy poweraccordingly, in different degrees4 . And as the earth i s one

,but here i s rocky and there

rich , and one part is suitable for vine-culture , another forgrowing wheat or barley

,so do these fields of human hearts

and will s d ifl'

er from each other, and so are the gifts of gracefromabove bestowed . To one is given a ministry of theword

,to another di scernmen t, to a third gifts of healings .

1

God knows a man ’s capacity for stewardship, and distributesHis different gifts accordingly. I n the like manner withregard to warfare the enemy power is let loose upon men bya kind of measure

,accord ing as each man is able to receive

and bear the brunt5. Questi on . When a man has

,

received the d ivinepower, and is in some degree altered by it

,does he still

remain in the state of nature ?Answer. In order that the wil l may be tested, even aftergrace, to see what way it inclines and gives consent, natureremains as i t was before, the hard man in his hardness, andthe l ight-hearted in his l ight-heartednes s . I t sometimes

11 Cor. x i i . 9 .

HOMILY XXVI 1 87

happens that an unlearned person i s spiritually born again ,

and converted to a state of wisdom ,and hidden mysteries

are made known to him and yet he remains by nature anunlearned man . Another was made by n ature hard ; andhe gives up his will to godl iness , and God accepts him ;but the hardness of his nature remains

,though God i s satis

fied in him . Another is of kindly habits,gentle, and good

he gives himself to God, and God accepts him ; but if hedoes not continue in works of goodness, He is not satisfied .

The whole nature of Adam 1 i s l iable to change, for better orfor worse

,capable of what is wrong

,yet, if i t so pleases,

w ithout carrying it into effect .6 . I t i s l ike wri ting in a book . You write what you did

not mean to write,and you erase i t again . The book takes

any kind of writing . So the hard man gave his will to God ,was converted to what is good

,was accepted by God ; for

God, to Show His compassions,accepts men of all kinds

,

every sort of disposit ion . The apostles , when they cameinto a ci ty

,stayed there some time , and healed some of

those who were ill, and others not . The apostles themselves would have l iked to raise all their dead

,and bring to

health all who were ill,and they had not entirely their own

way : they were not permitted to do all that they liked . Inlike manner, when Paul was seiz ed by the ethnarch, i f thegrace that was with him had but willed it

,he would have

made ethnarch and wall to cleave asunder— and he a manpossessed of the Paraclete but the apostle was let downby means of a basket .2 Where then was the divine powerthat was with them ? These things happened providentially

,

that in some matters they did signs and wonderful works,

and in some were powerless,in order to Show the difference

of faith between those who believed not and those whobelieved , and to test and display the freedom of the w ill,whether some would take offence at their weaker side . I f

1 i . e. mank ind .

22 Cor . x i . 32 f.

1 88 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

the apostles had done every single thing that they liked,men and their free will would have been planted in God ’sservice by compul sory force because of the miracles, andi t would no longer have been the work of faith or ofunbelief. Christianity is a stone of stumbling and a rock

of oflence.

1

7. What is wri tteniof Job is not without s ignificance, howSatan desi red him .

2 He was not able to do anything ofhimself

,without leave . What does the devil say to the

Lord ? “ Give him into my hands : surely he w i ll bless Theeto Thy face.

” 3 Job is the same to-day, and God i s thesame, and the devil i s the same . In proportion as a manfinds the help of God , and is z ealous and fervent in grace,Satan desires him

,and says to the Lord, “ Because Thou

succourest him,and helpest him , he serves Thee : let him

go,and deliver him to me, surely he w i ll bless Thee to Thy

face.

”So , just because the soul is comforted, grace with

draws, and the soul is del ivered to temptations . The devilcomes

,bringing ten thousand evils to bear— despair

,giving

it up , wicked thoughts— afflicting the soul, to loosen it andestrange it from hope of God .

8 . But the prudent soul,when in miseries and afli ict ion ,

never despairs, but holds what i t holds , and whatever hemay bring to bear

,i t endures amidst ten thousand tempta

t ions , saying, I f I die for it, I will not let Him go . Then,

if the man endures to the end , the Lord begins to arguewith Satan, “ Thou seest how many miseries and affl ictionsthou hast brought to bear upon him ; and he has notlistened to thee

,but serves Me

,and fears Me. Then the

devil i s ashamed, and has noth ing more to say . In Job’scase, if he had known that in spite of fall ing into temp tat ions Job would dare and not be worsted, he would never

1 Rom . ix . 33 .

2 Luke xxu . 3 1 .

2 Th is i s the LXX rendering in Job . i . 1 1 , i i . 5. The translatorsseem to have unde rstood i t i ron ically ; or perhaps they intended a markof interrogation , “ Will he surely ?

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

190 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

needs rains and showers from above . If no moisture comesfrom above, the husbandman has no profi t from his t ill ingof the ground . So i s it with the spiritual world . There aretwo factors to be taken into consideration . The man mustcultivate with a w il l the ground of his heart, and labourupon i t — for God requires the man ’s labour and toil andtravail . But unless clouds of heaven make their appearance from above, and showers of grace, the husbandmandoes not profi t by his toil .

1 1 . This is the mark of Christianity— however much aman toils, and however many righteousnesses he performs ,to feel that he has done nothing

,and in fasting to say

This is not fasting, ” and in praying, “ This is not prayer,and in perseverance at prayer, “ I have shown no perseverance ; I am only j ust beginning to practise and to takepains and even if he is righteous before God, he shouldsay, “ I am not righteous, not I ; I do not take pains, butonly make a beginning every day . He should every dayhave the hOpe and the joy and the expectation of thecoming kingdom and deliverance, and to say, “ I f to-dayI have not been delivered

,I Shall to-morrow . AS the

man who plants a vine has the j oy and the hOpe in himself,before ever he embarks upon the toil, and Sketches outvineyards in his mind

,and reckons up the income, when

there has been no w ine yet, and so enters upon the toilfor the hope and expectation make him labour cheerfully,and for the time being he incurs many expenses out ofpocket ; and in like manner the man who builds a house,and the man who tills a field

,are at much expense to them

selves first,in hope of the advantage to come ; so it is

here . I f a man does not keep before his eyes the j oy andthe hope

,

“ I shall find deliverance and life,” he cannotendure the affl ictions

,or the burden, and adopt the narrow

way. I t i s the presence of hope and joy that make himlabour and endure the affl ictions .

HOMILY XXVI 19 1

1 2 . But as it is not easy for a brand to escape from thefire

,so neither can the soul escape out of the fire of death,

except w ith a great deal of trouble . For the most part, Satan ,under pretext of good thoughts

,that in such and such a

way you can please God , ofl'

ers suggestions to the soul , andunderhand seduces i t to subtle and specious notions, and itdoes not know how to discern that it i s being seduced, andthus it falls i n to the snare and perdition of the devi l .1 The

most deadly weapon of the combatant and champion is this ,to enter into the heart and make war there upon Satan ,and to hate himself and to deny his own soul, to be angrywith it and rebuke it

,and to

,

res is t the desires that dwellthere

,and grapple with his thoughts

,and fight with himself.

I 3 . I f outwardly you keep your body from corruption andfornication

,but inwardly commit adultery

,to God you are

an adulterer and a fornicator in your thoughts , and youhave gained nothing by the virginity of your body. I f therei s a young woman and a young man , and he by guilewheedles her til l she is corrupted

,she then becomes an

object of loathing to her spouse,because she has been

unfaithful . So the incorporeal soul, if i t holds fellowshipw ith the serpent that lurks w ithin, the wicked Spirit, goesa-whoring from God

,as it i s written

, Everyone that looketh

upon a woman to lust after her hath commi tted adultery

already i n hi s heart.2 There is a fornication effected in the

body, and there is a fornication of the soul, when it holdsfellowship with Satan . The s ame soul is partner and sistereither of devils, or of God and the angels ; and if it comm its adultery with the devil, it i s unfit for the heavenlyBridegroom .

14 . Questi on . I s Satan ever quiet, and a man s et freefrom warfare

,or has he war as long as he lives ?

Answer. Satan is never quiet from warring . As long asever a man lives in this world and wears the flesh, he has to

1 I Tim. vi . 9 , cp . i i i . 72 Matt. v. 2 8 .

192 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

war . But when all the fiery darts of the w i cked one are

quen ched,1 what harm does i t do the man , i f Satan does try

conclusion s w i th him ? A man is a friend of the king ’s,and an adversary brings a suit against him . When he hasthe king to favour and befriend him ,

and the king gives hima helping hand, he takes no harm . When any one succeedsin pass ing through all ranks and degrees and becomes afriend of the king’s

,no one then can do him any harm .

There are in the outward world ci ties which receive giftsand subsidies from the emperor. I f they do perform someservice

,they lose nothing by it, when they gain and get such

advantages from the emperor. So Christians, even if theenemy fights against them

,have taken up their quarters

with the Godhead, and have put on the power and rest fromon high , and do not mind the war .

15. As the Lord put on the body, l eaving beh ind allprincipality and power

,so Christians put on the Holy

Ghost, and are at rest . Even if war comes outwardly,Satan may knock , but they are secured w ithin by the powerof the Lord

,and do not mind Satan . He tempted the

Lord in the wilderness forty days , and what harm did it doHim , to approach His body outwardly ? Inwardly He wasGod . So Christians

,though outwardly tempted, are in

wardly fi lled with the Godhead, and are in nothing inj ured .

But if any one has reached these measures , be has arrivedat the perfect love of Christ, and at the fulness of theGodhead . One that i s not so, has s till war within . For anhour he i s at rest in prayer ; at another hour he stands inaffl iction and at war . Such is the w ill of the Lord . Becausehe is still a child

,He practises him in the wars and both

things spring up in him,l ight and darkness, rest and

afflict ion . They rest in prayer, and at another hour theyare in distress .

1 6 . Do you not hear what Paul says , “Though I have1 Eph . vi . 16 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

194 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

1 8 . Question . I f a man who is still at war, and whostill has both these things in his soul— sin and grace— i sremoved from this world

,where does he go, when both

sides have a hold upon him ?Answer . He goes where his mind aims, and where hislove is . Only if affl iction and war come upon you , youought to resist

,and to hate it . That the war comes upon

you i s not your doin g, but to hate i t, i s and then the Lord ,seeing your mind, that you are striving, and that you loveHim with your whole soul

,parts death from your soul in

one moment— which is not hard for Him to do — and takesyou to His bosom and into the light . In a moment of timeHe snatches you out of the mouth of darkness, and translates you at once into His kingdom . For to God allthings are easy to do in a moment of t ime

,i f only your love

i s set upon Him . God n eeds man’s working,because the

soul i s capable of fellowship with the Godhead .

1 9 . I have often already made use of the parable of thehusbandman , how after labouring and putting his seed in tothe ground he must wait for the rain from above . Unlessclouds appear and winds blow

,the labour of the husband

man is of no use . The seed lies bare . Apply this to thespiritual order . I f the man rests only upon his ownworking, and does not receive in addition something whichhis nature cannot supply, he cannot yield to the Lord fruitsworthy of Him . Now what isman’s working ? To renounce,to go out of the world, to pray when it is hard, to be on thewatch , to love God and the brethren . This is his owndoing. But if he rests upon this working of his own

,and

does not hope to receive anything else besides,and the

winds of the Holy Ghost do not blow upon the soul, andif clouds of heaven do not appear

,nor rain from heaven

fall and moisten the soul, the man cannot yield to the Lordfruits worthy of Him .

20 . I t is written that when the husbandman sees the

HOMILY XXVI 1 95

branch bearing fruit, he purgeth i t, that i t may bring forthmore frui t, but that which beareth not fruit he rooteth out,and giveth it to burning.

1 But this i s the part of man,that whether he fasts

,or keeps watch

,or prays

,or does

some fine thing,he Should ascribe all to the Lord , and say,

“ I f God had not enabled me, I could not have fasted, orprayed , or gone out of the world .

” In this way, God , seeingyour intention

,that you ascribe to God the things that are

yours,which you do of your own nature, bestows upon you

in return the things that are His— the Spiritual things , thedivine and heaven ly things . And what are they ? The

fruits of the Spirit , gladness and mirth .

2 1 . Questi on . But since there are natural fruits l ike these ,l ove

,faith, prayer, Show us the difference

,how the natural

things are, and how the spiritual .An swer . The things which you do of yourself are allvery well, and acceptable to God , but they are not quitepure . For instance, you love God, but not perfectly . The

Lord comes,and gives a love which is unchangeable , the

heavenly love . You pray in the natural manner w i thwandering and doubt ; God gives you the pure prayer, i nSp i ri t and in truth .

2 In the vis ible world,the soil of i tsel f

for the most part produces thorn s ; the husbandman digs,works it carefully, puts in seed, but the thorns which no onesowed

,spring up and multiply ; for after the transgression

it was said to Adam , Thi stles and thorns shall the earthbringforth un to thee.

3 The husbandman again takes trouble,digs up the thorn s, and yet they multiply. Apply thisSpiritually. S ince the transgression the ground of the heartbrings forth thorn s and thistles . The man works it

,takes

trouble, and still the thorns of the evil spirits spring up .

Then the Holy Ghost Himself helpeth the infirmi ti es of men, 4and the Lord puts heavenly seed in that ground of the

1John xv. 2 .

2John iv; 2 3.

3 Gen . in . 18 . 4 Rom . vi i i . 26 .

196 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

heart,and works i t and though the seed i s cast, the thistles

and thorns stil l Spring up . Again the Lord and the man

together work the ground of the soul, and yet the evilspirits and the thorns shoot up there and grow, until thesummer comes

,and grace abounds, and the thorns are

withered by the heat of the sun .

2 2 . For though evi l is present with nature, yet it nolonger has the same dominion over it, or the same range .The delicate blades of the wheat may be choked by thetares ; but when summer comes , after the drying off of thefruits

,the tares harm the wheat no more . I f there should

happen to be thirty peek of pure wheat, an d a mixture oftares of perhaps a quart 1 i s in i t, what comparison does itbear ? I t i s swamped in the abundance of the wheat . SO

in grace,when the gift of God and grace abounds in the

man,and he is rich in the Lord , and yet evil i s present to

some extent,i t cannot seriously harm the man, nor has i t

any force or range against him . The coming of the Lordand H is provis ion had this obj ect— to l iberate those whowere in bondage to evil

,and bound over

,and subject to it,

and to make them conquerors of the death of S in . Brethrentherefore ought not to think it strange

,i f some people give

them trouble,with a view to getting rid of evil .

2 3 . In the O ld Testament , Moses and Aaron, when theyheld the priesthood

,had much to suffer. Caiaphas, when

he occupied their seat,himself persecuted and condemned

the Lord ; yet the Lord, in respect for the priesthood,suffered him to execute the office . The prophets likewisewere persecuted by their own nation . Peter was the suc

cessor of Moses, entrusted with Christ’s new church andwith the true priesthood for we have now a baptism of fireand the Spirit, and

'

a circumcis ion in the heart . For thedivine and heavenly Spiri t lodges in the mind nevertheless

1 The choen ix , translated “a quart, ” i s the e ighth part of a modi us,

or peck .

”The m ixture therefore would be g13 th part .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

19s FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

who have fallen fell was that they did not believe that aftergrace smoke and s in could stil l be presen t with them .

But all the righteous have gone the straight and narrowway to please God, and gone on i t to the end . Abrahamwas rich toward God, as well as to the world, but he calledhimself dust and ashes .

1 David says, A very scorn of men ,

and the outcast of the people, a worm and no man .

2 In

like manner all the prophets and apostles were ill-treatedand reviled . The Lord Himself, who i s the Way, and isGod , when He came for thy sake, not for His own ,

to be apattern to thee of every good thing— see to what humiliat ion He came

,having taken the form of a servan t,

3 who isGod, the Son of God , King, the Son of the King, givinghealing remedies and curing those that are wounded , whenHe Himself appeared outwardly as one of the wounded.

4

2 6. But do not despise His d ivine dignity when thoubeholdest Him outwardly humbled as one like us . I t wasfor our sake that he appeared thus

,not for His own .

Consider, at the hour when they cried, Crucify Him,

crucify Him,

5 and the multitude came together,how He

was humbled beyond all men . In the ordinary world,i f

there be a malefactor,and he receives sen tence from the

magistrate,he is then abhorred by the whole people

,and

set at nought . So was the Lord at the hour of the cross .As a man that was going to die, He was held of no accountby the Pharisees . And when they spat in His face

,and

put on Him the crown of thorns,and buffeted Him

,what

further humiliation could He have undergone ? I t i s written ,I gave My back to the smi ters , and I hid not My facefromshame and sp i tting, and my cheeks from bufleting.

“ I fGod condescends to such insults and sufferingsand humiliation, thou, who art by nature clay and of mortal nature,

1 Gen . xvi i i . 27.

3 Phi l . i i . 7.

5 Luke xxi i i . 2 1 .

HOMILY XXVI 199

howsoever thou mayest be humbled, thou w ilt never doanything like Thy Master . God for thy sake humbledhimself

,and thou wilt not be humbled for thine own sake,

but art proud and puffed up . He came to take uponHim thy affl ictions and thy burdens

,and to give Thee

His own rest ; and thou art unwilling to bear troubles andto suffer in order to gain healing for thy wounds . G lorybe to His patience and long—suffering for ever . Amen .

HOMILY XXV I I

Thi s Homi ly , li ke the foregoing, descri bes at length the

dign i ty and status of a Chri sti an man . Then i t teaches

many usefu l things con cern ing free w i ll,i n termi xing

some questi onsfull of divine w i sdom .

I . KNOW, 0 man , thy nobility and thy dignity, howhonourable thou ar t, the brother of Chris t, the friend of theKing

,the bride of the heavenly Bridegroom . He who has

learned to know the dignity of his own soul, i s in a positionto know the power and the mysteries of the Godhead , andthereby to be the more humbled ; since by the power ofGod a man beholds the greatness of his own fall . But asHe passed through passion and cross before He was glorifiedand sat down on the Father’s right hand, so thou also mustsuffer with Him , be crucified with Him ,

and so ascend and

sit with Him,and be joined with the body of Christ, and

reign for ever with H im in that world— if so be that we

sufler w i th Him , that we may be also glorified together .

1

2 . For those who prove able to overcome and pass thefences of evil, enter into the heavenly city, which is atpeace, and is full of many good things , where the sp i ri ts ofjust men 2 are at rest . Therefore we ought to take greatpains and strive mightily for this ; for it is not right forthe Bridegroom

,who came for thy sake

,to suffer and be

crucified , whi le the bride , for whose sake the Bridegroomcame

,idles along and wanders . A harlot gives hersel f1 Rom . vi i i . I 7.

2 Heb. x i i . 2 3 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

202 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

Kings and lords they are, and gods for i t is written , K ingof kings , and L ord of lords .

1

4. Christianity, then , i s no ordinary thing . Th i s mysteryi s great.

2 Recognise therefore thy nobility, that thou artcalled to kingly dignity

, a chosen generation , a royal pri esthood

,and a holy nati on .

3 The mystery of Christianity isforeign to this world . The visible glory of the emperorand his wealth are earthly, and perishable , and passingaway ; but that kingdom and wealth are divine things,heavenly and glorious, never to pass away or be dissolved .

For they reign together with the heavenly King, in theheavenly church

,and He is the

Qfirstborn from the dead,

4

and they also are firstborn . And yet, though they are allthis

,chosen and approved before God , in their own eyes

they are the least,and highly disapproved ; and this i s

fixed in them like a part of nature, to esteem themselvesnothing .

5. Question . Are they then unaware that they havereceived something additional

,and have acquired what they

had not before,that was foreign to their n ature ?

An swer . What‘I say is that they are not approved,5 and

that they have made no progress, and they do not knowhow they acquired what they had not ; but while they ar eall this, grace itself comes and teaches them not to coun t

thei r soul dear,“ for all their progress , but to count themselves naturally the reverse of dear, and dear though theyare to God, to themselves they are not so . Wi th all theirprogress and knowledge of God, they are as if they knewnothing, and rich as they are before God , in their own eyesthey are poverty stricken . But as Christ took theform of aservan t,

7 and conquered the devil by humility, so at thebeginning it was by pride and self-esteem that the serpent

11 Tim . vi . 15.

2 Eph . v . 32 .

3 I Pe t . i i . 9 .

‘1 Col . i . 18 .

5 That i s, ‘

in the i r own estimation . Acts xx . 24 .

7 Phi l . i i . 7.

HOMILY XXVII 2 03

overthrew Adam ; and the same serpent, lurking in hearts,still casts down and destroys the race of Christians by selfesteem .

6 . If a man i s free and well born, according to the world,and possessed of much wealth, and continues to makemoney

, and increases his income, he loses his senses, andbecomes self-confiden t, and becomes unbearable, and kicksand cuffs everybody . That is the waywith some people ofno discretion , who , on finding some little enjoyment andpower of prayer

,began to be puffed up and to lose the i r

senses,and to pass sentence ; and so they fell to the lowes t

parts of the earth . The same serpent who threw Adam out

by pride, saying, Ye shall be as gods,1 still suggests pride

in men ’s hearts, saying, “ You are perfect ; you have

enough ; you have got rich ; you have no need ; you areblessed .

”There are others in the world, who have riches,

and improve upon them with large incomes, and yet holdwithin the bounds of discretion

,and neither boast nor are

l ifted up , but keep their level , because they know that afteraffluence comes dearth ; and again when loss and dearthbefal l them

,they are not dismayed , but still keep level ,

knowing that the turn of plenty will come back ; and bylong training in these matters

,they are never surprised

,and

in times of increase and plenty are not elated,and if loss

comes upon them,they are not surprised .

7. Christianity is in practice something like this— the

tasting of the truth , the eating and drinking of the truth , toeat and drink on and on in reality and to good effect .Suppose there to be a spring

,and some one that i s thirsty

begins to drink of it,and then before he has done some one

carries him off, and will not allow him to be as much fi lled

as he desires , that man is the more inflamed for havingtasted of the water , and he makes the more earnest effort toget it . So in the Spiritual order a man tastes and partakes

1 Gen . i i i . 5.

204 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

of heavenly sustenance, and then, before he has done, i twi thdraws, and no one enables him to take his fi ll .8 . Questi on . Why i s he not allowed to take his fi ll ?An swer . The Lord knows the man’s weakness, that heis easily lifted up . Therefore He withdraws, and permitsthe man to be exerci sed and put to trouble . I f you receivebut a little, and no one can put up w ith you

,you are SO

puffed up with it, how much more intolerable you wouldhave been if some one had given you your fi ll at once !But God , knowing that weakness, providentially brings youinto troubles , that you may be humble, and the moreearn est in seeking God. A poor man according to the'

world found a purse of gold, and was so light w ith pleasurethat he began to proclaim ,

“ I have found a purse ; I ama rich man ” then by the report the loser heard of i t

,and

recovered it. Another man, who was rich , los t his senses,and began to kick

,and to be insolent to everybody

,and to

exalt himself above certain persons , when the emperorheard of it

,and confiscated his property. So i t i s in the

Spiritual realm . I f some people taste but a li tt le refreshment, they do not know how to manage i t, but lose evenwhat they had received, for s in tempts them , and darkenstheir m ind .

9 . Questi on . How do some fall after the vis itation ofgrace ? I s not Satan shown to be much the weaker ?Where it is day

,how can there be night ?

An swer . I t i s not that grace is quenched or feeble ; butIn order that your free-will and your l iberty may be tested,which way it inclines

,grace makes way for Sin and then

you again draw nigh to the Lord with your will,and en

treat that grace may vis it you . How is i t written, Quenchnot the Sp i ri t ? 1 The Spirit cannot be quenched , but isalways light ; but you, i f you are careless and do not withyour own w ill correspond , are yoiIrself quenched and lose

1 I Thess . v. 19

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

206 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

Answer . They could not sin , because they could notchoose to sin

,being in light and in such grace. I do not

say that grace in them was weak . What I say i s that gracepermits even perfect spiritual persons to have the use oftheir will

,and power to do what they choose

,and to turn

in which direction they like . And human nature, which i s

weak,has power to turn , even when good is present w ith it .

I f there are people in full armour,with breastplate and

other arms,they are then well protected inside

,and the

enemies do not attack them or if they attack,i t i s within

the power of their wil l either to make use of those arms,

and to fight and struggle with the foe,and to carry off

the victory,or to take a liking to that foe

,and come to

terms with him,and refrain from fighting

,in spite of

the armour . In the same way, Christians, arrayed withperfect power, and possessed of the armour of heaven ,can

,if they are so minded, take a liking to Satan, and

come to terms with him , and desist from the war . Naturei s liable to change

,and a man can

,if he pleases

,become

a son of God or a son of perdition . H is freedom of willremains .

1 2 . I t i s one thing to give a description of bread andtable

,and another to eat and take the rel ish of that bread ,

and to be strengthened in all your members . I t i s onething to speak in words about a delicious drink

,and another

to go and draw from the very spring,and to take your

fill of the delicious drink . I t is one thing to discourse ofwar

,and of noble combatants and warriors

,and another to

go yourself into the fight ing-l ine

,and to close with the

enemy , and to go in and out, and to take and give, and tocarry off the victory . In spiritual things the same holdsgood . I t i s one thing to give descriptive accounts with acertain head-knowledge and correct notions

,and ano ther in

substance and real ity,in full experience

,and in the inward

man, and in the mind, to possess the treasure and the grace

HOMILY XXVII

and the taste and the effectual working of the Holy Ghost .Those who utter bare words , make a parade and are pufiedup by thei r mind.

1 Our speech, it says , and our preachingwas not w i th en ti cing words of man

’

s w i sdom , but in

demonstrati on of the Sp i ri t and of power ; 2 and againelsewhere , The end of the commandmen t i s love out of a

pure heart and a good consci ence and fai th unfeigned .

3

A man like that does not fall . To many who sought afterGod , the door has been opened, and they have seen atreasure

,and have entered in to i t ; and in the midst of

their j oy,while they were saying, “We have found a

treasure,

” He has shut the doors upon them . Then theybegan to cry aloud, and to mourn, and to seek the more .

We found a treasure and have lost i t .” G race withdrawsof set purpose

,that we may seek more earnestly . The

treasure is Shown,to encourage us to seek after it .

1 3 . Question . Some say that after grace a man haspassed from death unto life . Can then one who is in thelight have impure thoughts ?An swer . I t is written , Having begun in the Sp i r i t , do ye

n ow fin i sh in the flesh P4 I t says again, Put on the wholearmour of the Sp i r i t , that ye may be able to stand against

the w i les of the devi l .5 Naturally enough

,these are two

different places — one where he was when he put on thearmour

,and one where he is when he fights with the princi

pali t ies and powers — in the light,or in the darkness . Again ,

That ye may be able to quench the fiery darts of the w i ckedone,

“ and again, Gri eve not the Holy Sp i ri t of God,7 and

again , I t i s impossi ble for those who were once en lighten ed ,

and have tasted the gift of God ,and were made partakers

of the Holy Ghost , and fell away , to ren ew them again .

8

There ! those who were enlightened and have tasted fall1 Col . 11. 18 .

2I Cor . 11. 4 .

3I Tim . i . 5.

4 Gal . i i i . 3 .

5 Eph . v i . I I . Eph . vi . I 6 .

7 Eph . iv. 30.3 H eb. vi . 4 .

208 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

away . You see that a man has the power of will to agreewith the Spirit, or to grieve Him . Certainly he takes uparms with a view to going to battle and contending againstthe foe certainly he was enlightened

,in order to campaign

agains t the darkness.

14 . Questi on . What does the apostle mean by saying,

Though I have all knowledge and all prophecy ,and speak

w i th the tongues of angels , I am n othing ?1

Answer . We ought not to understand i t to mean that theapostle i s nothing ; but in comparison with that charitywhich is perfect

,these things are l ittle, and he who is in

these measures may fal l ; but he who has charity is beyondfalling . I can assure you

,that I have seen men who

had come by all the spiritual gifts and were partakers ofthe Spirit, who , not having attained perfect chari ty, fel l .One

,a nobleman by birth

,renounced the world , sold his

possessions, gave his slaves their liberty ; being a man ofprudence and understanding, he was renowned for his strictand holy l ife ; and meanwhile, conceiving an Opinionof himself and getting proud

,at last he came down to

debaucheries and a thousand bad things . 1 5. Another intime of persecution gave his own body

,and was a confessor .

When peace was res tored,he was s et free

,and had a great

name . His eyel ids were inj ured by having been smoked .

This man , being much glorified and called to prayers, tookvictuals, and gave to his servant, and his mind was as if hehad never heard the word of God . Another gave his bodyunder persecution

,and was hung up, and scraped, and then

flung into prison . There he was religiously served by oneof the sis ters- regular. He contracted a familiarity withher, while in prison , and fell into fornication . Observe thefall of the rich man who sold his possess ions, and of himwho gave his body to martyrdom . 1 6 . Another, a prudentascetic, who lived w ith me in the same dwelling and prayed

1 I Cor . xi i i. I ff.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

10 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

An swer . That they may make no m istake, but correspondwith grace . I t i s l ike a man possessed of treasures, who i sjourneying to places where there are robbers . He is gladof the riches and the treasure ; but he is in fear lest therobbers should set upon him and spoil him of them ; andas one who carries hi s blood in his hands

,so i s he . Look

,

so far as outward things go,we have all made our renun t ia

tion , and are strangers, without possessions, and deprived offleshly fellowship . Now, there lies the body in prayer ; thebrethren must say whether the mind is in correspondencewith the body. Artisans and foremen in the world usuallyapply their whole body to their business and their mindtoo, both night and day . Now look well to yourself.Your body is strange to this world is your mind alienatedfrom the age ? do you never wander into the world ? Everyman of the world

,soldier

,or merchant

,wherever his body

is, has his mind also there fixed,and there is his treasure .

I t is written , Where your treasure i s , there w i ll your hear tbe also.

11 9 . What treasure i s your mind after ? IS i t

wholly and entirely Godwards, or no t ? I f it i s not, youmust tell me what i t i s that hinders .

,Certainly they areevi l spirits

, Satan and the devils, who have hold of themind, and put fetters on the soul . The devil is very wily,and has many conj uring tri cks

,and loopholes

,and all

manner of Shifts,and keeps hold of the ranges and thoughts

of the soul,and will not allow it to pray properly and to

draw nigh to God . For nature itself i s capable of fellowship with the devils and spirits of wickedness

,and likewise

with angels and the Holy Ghost . I t i s the temple o fSatan

,or the temple of the Holy Ghost . Examine your

mind , brethren ; which are you in fellowship with ? angels,or devils ? Whose temple are you ? a habitation of God , orof the devil ? With what treasure is your heart filled ? grace ,or Satan ? L ike a house that has been fi lled with evil

1 Matt. Vi . 2 1 .

HOMILY XXVII 2 1 1

smells and filthiness, i t must be thoroughly cleansed , andset in order

,and fi lled with all fragrance and treasures, that

the Holy Ghost may come instead of Satan, and may restin the hearts of Christians .

2 0 . No t the moment, however, that he hears the word ofGod , does a man come to be of the good side . I f hearingmade him of the good side at once

,there would no longer

be confl icts,or critical battles

,or a race . Without further

ado,i f only he had heard , he would have come into peace

and to perfect measures . But the facts are otherwise .You take away the man ’s free will

,i f you say so, and deny

the existence of the opposite power,wrestling with the

mind . What we say is this,that the man who hears the

word comes to compunction , and after that, grace purposelywithdraws , for the man ’s good, and he enters into trainingand the discipline of battle, and engages in a struggle andcontest with Satan , and only after a long race and contestcarries off the priz es of victory

,and becomes a Christian .

If merely hearing made a man to belong without more adoto the good

,then al l the theatre—people and the whore

mongers will go into the kingdom and the life . N0 onew i ll give them this w ithout effort and striving, because iti s a straight and narrow way. By thi s rough way we haveto travel , and to endure, and bear affl iction , and so to enterinto life .

2 1 . I f it were possible to' succeed without effort, Christi

an ity would no longer be a ston e of stumbling and a rock

of oflen ce.

1 There would be no faith and unbelief. Youwould make man a creature of necess ity

, incapable of turning to good or evil . I t i s only to one who can turn t oeither s ide that a law is given — one who is at liberty to dobattle with the adverse power . No law i s laid down for anature that is under necessity. The sun , the heaven and theearth, call for no legislation such creatures are of a nature

1 Rom . i x . 33.

2 1 2 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

governed by necessity,and for this reason they are not

l iable to reward or punishment . Reward and glory areprepared for him who turns to the good ; hell and punishment are prepared for this convertible nature, capable offleeing from the evil and throwing its weight upon theright-hand S ide

,the side of good . I f you say that he is

not of an alterable nature, you make the good man un

deserving of praise . For one who is good and kind bynature does not deserve praise for i t, though he may bevery des irable . What is not good by choice is notpraiseworthy

,however desirable it may be . Praise is only

deserved by one who by his personal resolution with effortand struggle makes the good his own through free-will andchoice .

2 2 . AS i f when the Pers ians have a camp on one sideand the Romans a camp on the other, two winged youthsof equal powers should come forth from them and engagein a struggle

,so the opposing force and the mind are in

equipoise . Satan has power to influence and entice thesoul to his own will , and the soul has equal power to resistand to refuse any compliance with him . Both powers

,good

and evil,act by suasion

,not by compuls ion . A choice l ike

this may count upon divine assistance, and is able in itsstruggle to receive weapons from heaven, and by them to rootout evil and conquer i t . To resis t s in is in the power of thesoul, though without God i t cannot conquer the evil or rootit out. Those who say that s in i s like a mighty giant andthe soul like a lit tle child are wrong. I f things were soill-matched

,sin like a giant and the soul like a little ch ild

,

the Law-giver would be unjust,in having given man a law

to struggleagainst Satan .

2 3 . This i s the foundation of the way to God — m muchpatience

,in hope

,in humility

,in poverty of spirit

,in meek

ness to travel along the way of l ife ; and i t i s by thesethings that a man can come to have righteousness in himself.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

HOMILY XXV I I I

Thi s Homi ly descri bes and bewai ls the calami ty of the soul ,that by reason of sin the L ord does n ot dwell in i t ; and

concern ing john the Bapti st,that n one among those

born of women i s greater than he.

I . As once God was wroth with the Jews, and gaveJerusalem openly over to its enemies

, and they whi ch hated

them were lords over them}. and there was no longer anyfeast there

,or any offering ; so , being wroth with the

soul, He gave i t over to its enemies, both to devils and topassions ; and so, when these had seduced it, they ru i nedit utterly , and no longer was there any feast there, or anyincense or offering sent up by i t to God , it s tokens beingfi lled in the streets

,

2 dreadful beasts and serpent spirits ofwickedness making their domicile within it and as a house,i f i t has not the master resident in i t

,gets clothed with

darkness and shame and abuse, and fil led with dirt and

filth,so the soul which has not i ts Master with His angels

making merry in it,gets fi lled with the darkness of sin, and

the shame of pass ions,and all manner of disgrace .

1 PS . cvi . 4 1 .

2 Th is cur ious expression reads like a quotat ion or a reference to

some prophe t ic passage , bu t I am unable to t race i t . I f the tex t i sr igh t the soul ’s tok ens (y uwpfap a fra ) seem to an sw er to the éneéuar a , or

advertisemen ts , of Ez ek . x vi . 24 . The i r be i ngr fi lled in the stree ts

is perhaps a w ay of say ing that the stree ts are filled w i th them . O ther

t ranslators const ruct the sen tence d ifferently as Haywood , her token si n the publi c w ays be i ng filled w i th frightful beasts.

”The grammar

w ou ld adm i t of this, bu t i t makes l i t tle sen se . I suspec t , how ever ,that wAnJ OéI/r wv i s a pr im i ti ve error for Anafle

’

u'r a w or e

’

m Ana fi e'

wrw r ,

be i ng forgo tten .

"

HOMILY XXVIII 2 15

2 . Alas for the street,i f no one walks in it

,nor hears in

I t the voice of man,because i t becomes the habitation of

wild beasts . A las for the soul when the Lord takes notHis way in i t

,and drives not out of i t with His voice the

spiritual wild beasts of wickedness . Alas for the housewhen the master does not l ive in it . A las for the land wheni t has not the husbandman to till i t . A las for the Shipwhen it has not the steersman

,because i t i s carried along

by the waves and surges of the sea and is lost . A las forthe soul when it has not Chris t , the true steersman , in it,because finding itself in the sea of the bitterness of darkness

,

and tossed by the surge of passions,and storm-beaten by

the winds of evil Spirits,i t ends by gaining perdition . Alas

for the soul,when it has not Christ to til l i t carefully, that

i t may be able to bring forth good fruits of the Spiri t ;because left desolate, and fi lled wi th thorns and thistles , itsfrui t in the end is the burning of fire . A las for the soulwhen i t has not Christ, i ts Master, l iving in it ; because,left desolate

,and being fil led with the noisome odour of

passions,i t finds i tself the habitation of iniquity .

3 . As the husbandman,when he goes to t ill the ground,

must take the proper tools and clothing for till ing, so Chris t,the King

,the heavenly and true husbandman , in coming to

humanity,which had been laid desolate by sin

,put on the

body,and carried the cross for His tool , and so ti lled the

desolate soul , and took out of i t the thorns and thistles ofevi l spirits

,and plucked up the tares of sin , and burned up

with fire every weed of i ts s ins and thus ti lling it with thewood of the cross He planted in i t that fairest paradise ofthe Spirit, bearing every fruit that i s sweet and des irable forGod as its owner .4 . And as in Egypt

,during the three days’ darkness, the

son saw not his father,nor brother

,brother

,nor true friend

his friend,because the darkness hid them

,so when Adam

transgressed the commandment and fell from his former

2 16 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

glory, and came under the power of the spirit of the world ,and the veil of darkness fell upon his soul , from his timeand until the last Adam ,

the Lord , they saw not the trueFather in heaven

,or the good

,kind mother, the grace of

the Spirit, or the sweet and desired Brother , the Lord, orthe friends and kindred , the holy angels, with whom Herejoiced

,making merry and keeping festival . And i t was

not only until the last Adam ,but even to this day those

upon whom the Sun of r i ghteousn ess, 1 Chris t, has not arisen,and in whom the eyes of the soul have not been openedand enlightened by the true light

,are stil l under the same

darkness of sin,wrought upon by the same influence of

pleasures , subject to the same punishment, no t yet havingeyes to behold the Father.5. This is a thing which every one ought to know, thatthere are eyes deeper within than these eyes

,and a hearing

deeper w ithin than this hearing. As these eyes sensiblybehold and recognise the face of a friend or beloved one

,

so the eyes of the worthy and faithful soul, being spirituallyenlightened with the light of God , behold and recognisethe true Friend, the sweetest and greatly longed for Bridegroom, the Lord, while the soul is shone upon by theadorable Spirit ; and thus beholding with the mind thedesirable and only inexpressible beauty

,i t i s smitten w ith

pass ionate love of God,and is directed into all virtues of the

Spiri t, and thus possesses an unbounded, unfail ing love forthe Lord it longs for. What therefore is more

.

blessed thanthat everlasting voice of John

,when he Shows the Lord

before our eyes,saying

, Behold the L amb of God ,wh ich

taketh away the sin of the wor ld .

2

6 . Truly among them that are born of women there i sn one greater than J ohn the Bapti st . 3 He is the fulfilmentof all the prophets . A ll the prophets prophesied of theLord, showing His coming afar off : John prophesied of

1 Mal. iv. 2 .

2 John 1. 29 .

3 Matt. x i . I I .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

HOMILY . XXIX

God works the di spensati on s of grace upon mankind aftera twofold manner , i n tending to requ i re the fru i ts of i tby a just judgmen t .

1 . THE wisdom of God, being infinite and incompre

hen sible , works theadispen sat ion s of grace incomprehensiblyand unsearchably upon the human race in various fashionsfor the testing of our free will

,so that those who love Him

with their whole heart,and will endure every danger and toi l

for God ’s sake,may be made manifest. To some the g ifts

and endowments of the Holy Ghost come in advance, directlythey draw near in faith and prayer, without labour, or sweat,or toil . Sometimes , while they are still in the world , Godg i ves them grace

,not idly

,nor out of season

,nor at random

,

but in an unspeakable and incomprehensible wisdom , inorder to try the determination and free will of those whohave so quickly received the grace of God , whether they ,

were sensible of the benefit and of the kindness and sweetness of God that was shewn them , in proportion to thegrace received without pains of their own

,in return for

which they ought to Show diligence , and run well, and fighthard , and to bear the fruit of will and purpose and love,and to give back a requital for their spiritual gifts

,by yielding

themselves wholly Up to the love of the Lord,and aecom

plish ing His will alone, and perfectly withdrawing from allcarnal affection .

2 . To others,even when they have withdrawn from the

world , and have renounced this age, according to the2 18

HOMILY XXIX 2 19

gospel,and pass their t ime in much perseverance in prayer

and fasting and diligence and the other virtues , God doesnot immediately grant the grace and the refreshment andrejoicing of the Spiri t, being patient with them and reservingthe gift . And this He does , not idly, nor unreasonably, notat random

,but with unspeakable wisdom , for the testing

of their free will,to see whether they have coun ted God

fai thfu l and true who promi sed 1 to give to them that ask andto Open the door of life to them that knock, to see whetherafter believing His word in truth they continue to the endin full assurance of faith and diligence, asking and seeking,and will not prove faint-hearted , and draw back, and give up ,and in unbelief and hopelessness despise the quest, notpersevering to the end

,because of the putting off of the time

,

and because of the testing of their will and purpose .3 . For he who does not receive at once, i s the more

kindled through God ’s delay and patience, and the moredesirous of the good things of heaven, and every day addsto his longing and diligence, his running and striving, andevery disposition of virtue

,his hunger and thirst after that

which is good,not slacking for the sinful suggestions which

are present in the soul, or turning aside to despise or forgetor despair ; nor again under pretence of patience will hegive himself over to slackness, using this argument thatSome day or other I Shall receive the grace of God , andfrom this enticed by sin into carelessness . On the contrary

,

so long as the Lord Himself in His delay is patient overhim

,tes ting the faith and love of his will

,the man himself

ought the more keenly,the more laboriously

,without giving

in,without turning faint, to seek the gift of God, having once

for all believed and assured himself,that God i s true and

cannot lie,who has promised to give His grace to those who

ask with faith to the end,in all perseverance .

4 . For God i s faithful and true in His leading of faithful1 Heb . x i . I I .

2 20 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

souls, and they have set to thei r seal that He i s true,1 accord

ing to the true word . Therefore in accordance with thi sintuit ion of faith they examine themselves to see in whatrespects they on their part are lacking— in labour, in s triving,in d il igence, in faith , in love, or in the rest Of the disposit ionsof virtue ; and thus examining w ith all minute exactness ,they force and constrain themselves to the best of theirpower to please the Lord, having once for all

‘ believed thatGod, being true, wil l not cheat them of the gift of theSpirit, i f they continue to the end with all diligence servingHim and waiting upon Him

,but that they w il l have the

heavenly grace vouchsafed to them,while they are stil l i n

the flesh, and will obtain eternal life .

5. And so they set in motion all their love towards theLord, denying everything else, and looking only for Himwith much desire and hunger and thirs t

,and always waiting

for the refreshment and con solation of grace, and notwillingly finding consolation or refreshment or bindingattachment in anything of this world ; but always resistingmaterial at tractions they look only for the help and succourof God, when the Lord Himself i s secretly present alreadyto souls that take upon them this kind of diligence

,and

purpose of heart and endurance, and helps them , andpreserves them

,and confirms them unto every frui t of

virtue, even though they are in trouble and d istress, eventhough they have not yet in certainty of the truth and inmanifestation to the soul received the grace

’

of the Spiritand the refreshment of the heavenly gift, and have nothad experience of i t in full consciousness

,because of the

unspeakable wisdom of God , and His inexpress ible judgments

,in which Hetries believing souls in various ways, with

a view to a love which is of the will and of purpose . Forthere are bounds and measures and degrees of choice andpurpose

,and of the w il l to love, and of disposition to Obey

1 John i ii . 33 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

eternal bless ings laid up for the righteous, and to the

unspeakable benefit of the grace of God that i s to visi t i t,esteems i tself, and i ts d iligence and pains and labour, al lunworthy in comparison with the unspeakable promises ofthe Spiri t . This is the poor in sp i r i t , whom the Lordpronounced blessed ; this is he who hungers and thirstsafter r ighteousness ;

1 this i s he who is contrite in heart .Those who take Upon them this purpose and diligence andpains and longing after virtue, and continue therein to theend , will be enabled to ob tain li fe and the eternal kingdomin truth . Therefore let no brother be exalted against h isbrother

,or proceed to form an Opin ion of himself under the

cheat ing influence of sin to think,

“ Behold , I for my partpossess a spiritual gift . I t is not fi t that ChristiansShould have these notions . You know not what the morrowmay do for him ; you are ignoran t what his end will be,and what your own . Let each give heed to himself, andexamine his own conscience at all t imes

,and try the work

of hi s heart,what diligence and striving towards God his

mind has and looking towards the perfect mark,of liberty,

and of freedom from passions,and of the Spiri t’s rest , let .

h im run without stopping and w i thout'

sloth , never satisfiedwith any spiritual gift or with any righteous attainment.G lory and adoration to the Father, the Son , and the HolyGhost, for ever . Amen .

1 Matt . v . 3 , 6 .

HOMILY XXX

The soul that i s to en ter i n to the kingdom of God must

be born of the Holy Ghost ; and how thi s i s eflected .

I . THOSE who hear the word ought to give proof of thework of the word in their own souls . The word of God i sn o idle word

,but has its own work upon the soul . For

this reason it i s sometimes called a work,” with a view tothe “ work being found in the hearers . May the Lord ,then

,grant the work of the truth in the hearers, in order

that the word may be found fruitful in us. For as theshadow precedes the body

,but the shadow manifests the

body,while the truth is the body itself, so the word is like

a Shadow of the truth of Chris t . But the word precedesthe truth .

Fathers upon earth beget children of their own nature,

from their own body and soul,and when they are begotten

they educate them carefully with all diligence as their ownchildren , until they become full-grown men and successorsand heirs . For the aim and whole care of the fathers fromthe outset i s to beget children and to have heirs

,and if

they'

had not begotten them,they would have had great

sorrow and grief, and on the other'

hand they had corresponding j oy when they had begotten them . Their kinsfolkand neighbours likewise rejoice.

2 . In the same way our Lord Jesus Christ, taking thoughtfor the salvation of man

,employed from the outset all His pro

viden t ial care through the fathers and the patriarchs, through2 23

2 24 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

the law and the prophets,and in the end came Himself,

and despising the shame of the cross,endured death ; and

all thi s toi l and care of His was in order that He mightbeget children from Himself

,from His own nature, being

pleased that they should be begotten of the Spirit fromabove

,of His own Godhead . And as those fathers , i f they

have no children,are grieved, so the Lord, who loved

mankind as His own image,willed to beget them of the

seed of His own Godhead ; so , i f any of them will not cometo such a birth

,to be born of the womb of the Spirit of the

Godhead, Chris t i s submitted to great grief, after suffering

for them and enduring so much to save them .

3 . For the Lord wills all men to have the privilege ofthis birth . He died for all

,and called all to life . But life

is the birth from above of God . Without it the soul cannotl ive . The Lord says , Except a man be born from above ,

he cannot see the kingdom of God .

1 And so, on theother hand

,as many as believe the Lord, and come and

receive the privilege of this birth , cause joy and greatgladness in heaven to the parents that begat them and all

angels and holy powers rej oice over the soul that is born ofthe Spir it and has become Spirit it self. For this body is a ‘

S imilitude of the soul,and the soul is the image of the

Spirit ; and as the body without the soul i s dead , andunable to do anything at all

,so without the heavenly soul ,

that is,without the D ivine Spirit, the soul is dead from the

kingdom,being unable to do any of the things of God

without the Spirit .4 . As the portrait painter keeps an eye upon the king ’sface and draws

,and when the king’s face i s towards him ,

attending to him at his painting, he draws the portrai teasily and well

,bu t when he turns his face away, he cannot

draw,because the face is not gaz ing at the painter ; in like

manner Christ, the good artist, for those who believe Him1 John i i i . 3 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

2 26 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

D ivine Spirit ; for that Spirit i s the life of the soul, and forthis cause the Lord came

,that He might give life to the

soul here on earth, even His Spirit . For He says, Whi le yehave the light, beli eve in the light ; the n ight cometh,

whenye can no longer work.

1 Therefore i f any man has notsought

,while here

,and received life for his soul

,even the

divine light of the Spirit, when he departs out of the body,he is separated forthwith in the regions of darkness on theleft hand

,not entering into the kingdom of heaven

,having

his end in hell w ith the devi l and hi s angels .

2

As gold or s ilver, when cast into the fire,becomes purer

and better attested, and nothing can Impai r I t, such as wood

or hay— for it devours everything that comes n ear it,for

they also become fire — so the soul going up and down inthe fire of the Spirit and in the divine light will suffer noharm by any of the evil spirits . Even if anything Shall drawnigh it

,i t is consumed by the heavenly fire of the Spiri t .

Or as a bird,when aloft on the wing, i s in no anx iety, fear

ing not the bird-catchers nor evi l beasts,for up so high i t

derides them,so the soul, receiving the wings of the Spirit,

and flying into the heights of heaven,i s above everything

,

and derides them all .7. And I srael after the flesh , when Moses that day divided

the sea,went through i t below ; but these, being God’s

children,walk on the top over the sea of bitterness of the

evil powers . Their body and their soul have '

become thehouse of God .

In that day when Adam fell, God came walkihg in the

garden . He wept , as i t were, beholding Adam ,and said,

“After what good things

,what evi ls hast

,thou chosen !

A fter what glory, what shame dost thou wear ! How darkart thou now ! how ill— looking ! how corrupt ! After whatl ight

,what darkness hath covered thee And when Adam

fell and died from God , his Maker bewailed him ; angels,1 John xu . 36 ; ix . 4 .

2 Matt . x xv. 4 1 .

HOMILY XXX 2 2 7

and all the powers, the heavens, the earth , and all thecreatures mourned over his death and fall, for they saw himthat had been given them for their king become the servantof a hostile and evil power . Therefore he clothed himselfwith darkness in his own soul

,a bitter and an evil darkness,

for he was made a subject of the prince of darkness. Thiswas he who was wounded by the robbers, and becamehalf dead

,as he wen t down from jerusalem to ] eri cho.

1

8 . Laz arus also,whom the Lord raised

,who stank so

that no one could go near the sepulchre,was a symbol of

Adam whose soul had come to stink and was fi lled w i thblackness and darkness . But thou , when thou heares t ofAdam , and the wounded man , and Laz arus , let not thymind go off as i t were to the hills, but be thou within inthy soul

,for thou thyself bearest the same wounds, the

same stench , the same darkness . We all are his sons , ofthat dark race

,and all partake of the same stench . The

malady from which he suffered, we all , who are of Adam’s

seed, suffer from the same . Such a malady has befallenus , as Esaias says, I t i s n ot a wound , n or a brui se, n or

an inflamed sore ; i t i s n ot possible to apply a moll ify ingoin tmen t

,nor oi l

,nor to make bandages .

2 Thus were wewounded with an incurable wound ; the Lord alone couldheal i t. For this reason He came in His own person ;because none of the ancients

,nor the law i tself,

_

nor theprophets

,were able to heal this wound . He alone by His

coming healed that sore of the soul , that incurable sore .9 . Let us then welcome our God and Lord , the truehealer

,who alone is able to come and cure our souls

,after

He has laboured so much for our sake . He is alwaysknocking at the doors of our hearts

,that we may open to

Him,that He may enter in and rest in our souls , and we

may wash and anoint His feet, and He may make Hisabode with us. The Lord in that passage reproached the

1 Luke x . 30 .

2 Is. i . e, LXX .

2 2 8 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

man who did not wash His feet ; 1 and again He says elsewhere, B ehold ,

I stand at the door and knock,if any man

w i ll open un to M e, and I shall come i n un to him .

2 To thi send He endured to suffer many things

,giving His own body

unto death,and purchasing us out of bondage

,in order

that He might come to our' soul and make His abode withi t . For this cause the Lord says to those on the left handin the day of j udgment

,that are sent by H im to hell with

the devil , I was a stranger , and ye took M e not i n I was

an hungered ,and ye gave M e no meat ; I was thi rsty ,

and

ye gaveme no drink.

“ His food and His drink,His clothing

and shelter and rest i s in our souls . Therefore He,

i salways knocking, desiring to enter into us . Let us thenreceive Him

,and bring Him within into ourselves ; because

He is our food and our drink and our eternal l ife, and everysoul that has not now received Him within and given Himrest, or rather found rest in Him ,

has no inheritance in thekingdom of heaven with the saints

,and cannot enter into

the heavenly ci ty . But Thou,Lord Jesus Christ, bring us

thereunto,glorifying Thy name, with the Father and the

Holy Ghost for ever . Amen .

1 Luke v11. 44.

2 Rev . i i i . 20 .

3 Matt . xxv . 42 , 43 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

230 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

them godlike,heavenly

,good, and teaches the soul prayer

prayer true, undistracted , unwandering . F ear n ot , Hesays, I go before thee, and w i ll level the moun tains ; I

w i ll break i n pi eces the gates of brass and cut i n sunder

the bars of i ron .

1 And again , Beware, He says , that therebe n ot a secret thought of w i ckedn ess i n thy heart ; saynot in thy heart , Thi s nati on i s strong and powerful. 23 . I f we do not become slothful and give over the field

to the unruly thoughts of evil,but compel our minds to

obey our w ill,forcing our thoughts to the Lord

,assuredly

the Lord will come to us with His will and take us in untoHimself in truth . All well-pleasing and all service are inthe thoughts . Therefore endeavour to please the Lord

,

always looking for Him within , seeking Him in thy thoughts,and forcing and constraining thine own w i ll and purpose tostretch upwards continually towards Him . Then see howHe comes unto thee and makes His abode with thee . 3 Inproportion as thou gatherest up thy mind to seek Him ,

Heis far more constrained by His own tender compassionand kindness to come to thee and give thee rest. Hestands contemplating thy mind, thy thoughts, thy imtentions

,observing how thou seekest Him , whether w ith thy

whole soul,not indolently

,not carelessly .

4 . And when He Sees thy diligence to seek Him , thenHe manifests Himself and appears to thee

,and imparts to

thee of His own succour,and makes the victory thine,

delivering thee from thine enemies . Having first contemplated thy seeking unto H im, and how thy whole expectat ion is without ceasing fixed on Him ,

He then teaches andgives thee true prayer, true charity, which is Himself inthee made all things — paradise

,tree o f l ife

,pearl , crown,

builder,husbandman

,sufferer, incapable of suffering, man ,

God , wine and living water, lamb, bridegroom , warrior,armour

, Christ all in all .1 Is . x lv . 2 .

2 Dent . xv . 9 ; V II . 17.

3 John x iv . 23 .

HOMILY XXXI 2 31

And as the babe knows not how to take care of itself, ordo for itself

,but looks only to its mother

,waiting un til she

has pity on it and takes i t up , so faithful souls always hopeonly in the Lord

,ascribing all righteousness to Him . As

without the vine the branch is dried up, so is he whodesires to be j ustified without Christ . As is the robberand the thief

,who does not enter through the en trance ,

but climbeth up some other way , 1 so is he who is justifiedto himself without the Just ifier.

5. Let us therefore take this body of ours, and make analtar of it

,and lay upon it every intention of ours

,and

beseech the Lord that He would send from heaven the greatinvisible fire

,and consume the altar and everything upon

it,and that all the priests of Baal, which are the oppos ing

activities, may fall ; and then we shall see the spiritualrain coming in the soul l ike a man’s footprint

,

2 so that i tbecomes the promise of God in us, as it i s said in theprophet

,I w i ll rai se up and bu i ld again the tabernacle of

David whi ch i s fallen , and w i ll bu i ld again the ru in s

thereof,“ in order that the Lord with His own loving kindness may shine upon the soul which is dwelling in nightand darkness, in the drunkenness Of ignorance, so that itmay wake to soberness and walk without stumbling

,per

forming the works of day and of life . For where the soulfeeds

,thence is it nourished, either from the world, or from

the Spirit of God ; and God i s there nourished, and l ives,and rests

,and goes up and down .

6 . To conclude, every one, i f he will, shall prove himself,whence he i s nourished

,and where he lives

,and what con

dition he i s in , so that having thus perceived, and gainedan accurate estimate, he may give himself perfectly to themovement towards that which is good . Well

,in praying

,

take heed to yourself at prayer, observing your thoughts1 John x . I .

2 So the LXX has i t in I K ings xvi i i . 44.

3 Amos ix . I I cp . Acts xv . I6 .

2 32 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

and your motions,where they come from

,whether from

God or from the adversary,and who i t is that supplies

your heart with nourishment,the Lord

,or the world-rulers

of this age . And when, 0 soul , thou hast proved andknown

,ask the Lord with labour and longing for heavenly

nourishment and growth and the motions of Christ, according to the saying, Our conversati on i s in heaven ,

1 and not,

as some imagine, in a shape or fashion . Behold,the mind

and disposition of those who have only a form of godlinessis l ike the world . Behold their agitation

,and the fluctua

t ion of their purposes , their unstable judgment, theirtimidity and fear, according to that which is said, Groan ingand trembli ng shalt than be upon the earth .

2 Accordingto their unbelief and the confusion of their unstablethoughts

,they are tossed about every hour, l ike all the

rest of men . Such men only differ from the w orld infashion

,not in mind

,

“and only in bodily observances of

the outer man ; while in heart and mind they are pulledthi s way and that way in the world, and are involved inearthly ties and those of unprofitable cares , not havinggained the peace from heaven in their hearts

,as the

apostle says,L et the peace of God rule i n you r hearts 4

the peace which reigns and renews the minds of believersin the love Of God and of all the brotherhood . G lo ry andworship to the Father, and the Son , and the Holy Ghost,for ever . Amen .

1 Phil . i i i . 20 .

2 Gen . iv . 12 , LXX .

3 The MSS . usually followed in this translation om i t here the “n ot .

If that read ing is adopted , then the word t ran slated m ind must betaken to mean

“ in theory .

4 Col . i i i . 15.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

234 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

The l il ies themselves produce their raimen t from w i thin , andadorn the sward .

2 . Even so those Christians, to whom it has been gran tedto gain in thi s l ife the heavenly raiment, have that raimentdwelling in their souls ; and when it i s foreordained of Godthat this creation Should be dissolved, and that heaven and

earth should pass away, then the heavenly raimen t, whichhere and now had clothed and glorified their souls, andwhich they had possessed in their hearts, that same shallassuredly enrobe with glory their naked bodies also, whichrise from the tombs

,the bodies which awake in that day,

even with the invisible heavenly gift and raiment whichChristians receive even now .

But as the sheep or the camels, when they find grass,greed ily and hastily get to the food and store up provenderwithin themselves, and in time of hunger bring up the samefrom their maw

,and chew the end, and have for their food

what they had before laid in so in l ike manner those whohave now seiz ed the kingdom of heaven

,and living in Spirit

have tasted of the heavenly food, at the time of resurrectionhave that same to cover and to warm all their members .3 . AS then we spoke of the variety of seeds

,that many

are sown in the same ground and yield a d iversity of fruits,all unlike each other ; and l ikewise of trees, that some

'

are

bigger and some less, but one ground holds the roots ofthem all ; even so the heavenly church, being but one, i swithout number, and each is adorned by the glory of theSpiri t in a manner pecul iar to himself. For as the birdsproduce out of their own bodies the raiment of their feathers

,

and great i s the variety among them — for some fl i t alongnear the ground, while others soar in the air— or as theheaven is one, and contains in itself many stars, somebrighter, some greater, some smaller, but all are fixed in theheaven ; so the saints are in divers manners rooted in theone heaven of the Godhead and in the earth invis ible . So

HOMILY XXXII 35

also the thoughts which come to Adam 1 are different whenthey come

,but the Spirit coming into the heart makes one

thought and one heart,for both those above and those

below are governed by the same Spirit .4 . But what are the animals that divi de the hoof 2 S incewith their cloven hoof they make straight way

,they are set

for a figure of those who walk uprightly in the law . But asthe body ’s shadow is from the body itself

, but cannot fulfilany fleshly function— for a shadow cannot bind up wounds,or give food

,or speak— and yet i t i s from the body itsel f,

and shows in advance the coming of the body, so the ancientlaw is a Shadow of the new covenant . The shadow revealsthe truth beforehand, but it had no ministration of theSpirit . Moses,

'

clothed in flesh,could not enter into the

heart,and take away the fi lthy garments of darkness . Only

spiri t of spiri t and fire of fire dissolves the power of theevil darkness . C i rcumcision , in the shadow of the law,foreshows the true circumcision of the heart approaching .

The baptism of the law is a shadow of the true real ities . Thatbaptism washed the body ; but here a baptism of fire andSpiri t cleanses and washes the polluted mind . 5. Therea priest compassed w i th i nfirmi ty

“ entered into the holyplace offering sacrifice for himself and for the people herethe true High Priest, even Christ, entered once for all intothe tabernacle not made with hands and the altar above

,

ready to cleanse those who ask Him , and the consciencethat has been defiled . For He says, I w i ll be w i th you un ti l

the end of the world .

4 The high priest had on his breasttwo precious stones

,and they bore the names of the twelve

patriarchs . What was done there was a type . For in sucha manner the Lord put on the apostles and sent them asevangelists and heralds of the whole world . You see howthe shadow shows the approach of the real ity . Yet just as

1 Used collectively as elsewhere .

2 L ev . x i . 3 .

3 Heb. v. 2 .

‘1 Mat t . xxvi i i . 20 .

2 36 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

the Shadow has no function to perform,and heals no troubles

,

so neither could the ancient law heal the wounds or troublesof the soul ; for indeed it had no l ife .6 . The conjunction of two particular things makes aperfect whole— for example

,two covenants . Man was

made after the image and S imilitude of God : he has twoeyes, two eyebrows, two hands, two feet, and if he Shouldchance to have but one eye

,or one hand , or one foot, it is

something to find faul t with . I f a bird has but one wing,ir-cannot poss ibly fly with it . So the nature of mankind , i fi t remains naked and by itself

,and does not receive the

mixture and communion of the heavenly nature,has failed

to be put right . I t remains naked and deserving of blamein its own nature

,in great defilemen t . For the soul itself

was surnamed the temple and habitat ion of God,and the

King’s bride ; for i t says , I w i ll dwell i n them,and walk i n

them .

1 So i t pleased God ; because He came down fromholy heavens and embraced thy reasonable nature

,the flesh ,

which is of the earth,and mingled it with His divine Spirit,

in order that thou,the earthy

,mightest receive the heavenly

soul . And when thy soul has communion w ith the Spiri t,and the heavenly soul enters into thy soul

,then art thou a

perfect man in God , and an heir, and a son .

7. But as neither the ages above nor those below cantake in the greatness and incomprehensibleness of God, soneither the worlds above nor those on earth are able tocomprehend His minuteness

,and how He makes Himsel f

small to those who are minute and small . AS His greatnessis incomprehensible

,so also is His minuteness ; and it

comes to pass that He arranges for thee to be in affl ictions ,and sufferings

,and humiliations ; and the things which

thou deemest to be contrary to thee, these prove to be forthy soul’s good . I f thou desires t to be in the world, andto become rich

,misfortune meets thee . Thou beginnest to

12 Cor . v i . 16 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

2 38 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

communion w i th His Holy Spirit . But as He, when He cameupon earth

,suffered and was crucified , so i t behoves thee

also to sufler with Him . When thou withdrawest from theworld , and beginnest to seek God , and to discriminate, thenthou findest thyself at war with thine own nature in i ts oldhabits and the custom that thou hast grown up w ith ; andin warring agains t custom , thou discoverest thoughts thatoppose thee, and war against thy mind, and these thoughtsdrag thee and make thee stray into the material world fromwhich thou camest out . So thou beginnest to wage confl ictand battle

,setting in motion thought s against thoughts,

mind against mind,soul against soul, spirit again st spirit ;

and there the soul is in agony of fear. 1 0 . For there i srevealed a certain hidden

,subtle power of darkness seated

in the heart ; and the Lord is nigh thy soul and body,seeing thy battle

,and puts in thee secret heavenly thoughts ,

and begins to give thee rest in secret . But He suffers theeto be chastened for a while, and grace provides that thoushouldest come into these very afflict ions ; and when thoucomest into rest

,grace makes herself known to thee, and

shows thee that it was for thy benefit that she permittedthee to be exercised . I t i s as when a rich man has a child,and the child a tutor. For a while he makes him smartwith straps and the chastisement

,and the stripes

,and the

weals appear grievous,unti l the child becomes a man

,and

then he begins to thank the tutor . So does grace chastisethee by design

,until thou comest un to a perfect man .

1

1 1 . The husbandman fl ings the seed in every direction ;and he who plants a vine wishes that all of i t should bearfruit . So he applies the pruning-hook, and if he finds nofruit

,he is grieved . So the Lord wishes His word to be

sown in the hearts of men . But as the husbandman isgrieved at the unrepaying ground, so the Lord is grieved atthe unrepaying heart which bears no frui t. As the winds

1 Eph . iv. 13 .

HOMILY XXXII 2 39

blow everywhere,over al l creation

,and as the sun lightens

upon all the world,so the Godhead is everywhere, and is

everywhere found . I f thou seekest H im in heaven, He isfound there in the thoughts of the angels . I f thou seekes tHim upon earth

,He is found here also in the hearts of men .

But few out of many are found the Christian s who are wel lpleasing to Him . G lory and majesty to the Father, and tothe Son , and the Holy Ghost for ever. Amen .

HOMILY XXXI I I

We ought to pray to God con tinually and w i th atten tion !

1 . IT behoves us to pray, not by bodily habit, nor with ahabit of crying

,nor by a custom of s ilence, or of bending

the knees,but soberly

,taking heed to our minds, to wait

upon God , until He Shall come to us and visi t the soulthrough all i ts modes of egress and i ts paths and senses,and so to be silent when we ought, and to cry out when weought, and to pray with loud crying, so long as the mind isstrong towards God . As the body , when at work , i s entirelyoccupied w ith the work on which it i s engaged , and all themembers of it help one another

,so let the soul be entirely

given up to asking and love towards the Lord, not wandering and carried about with thoughts, but with al l its mightendeavouring and gathering itself up with all i ts thoughts,and bent upon waiting for Christ .

2 . And thu s will He lighten upon it, teaching it the trueasking

,giving i t the pure spiritual prayer

,which is worthy of

God, and the worship which is i n spi ri t and i n truth .

1 Butas one who has taken up the profession of merchandise isnot content w ith a single device for getting gain , but pressesforward to increase and multiply his gain in every direction ,after one device pursuing another

,and then running on to

another expedient,and always shying off from what is

unprofitable, runs to that which is more lucrative so let usalso fi t our soul s out w ith versatility and Skill

,to obtain the

1 John iv. 24.

240

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

242 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

the Lord . I f you have not, seek n ight and day, that youmay receive. When you see the sun

,seek the true Sun ,

for you are blind . When you behold the light, look intoyour soul

,whether you have found the true Light, the good

Light. All the things which meet the senses are a Shadowof the true real ities of the soul . There i s another manwithin

,besides the man who is seen and eyes, which Satan

has blinded,and ears, which he has deafened ; and Jesus

came to make th i s Inward man whole . To whom be theglory and the might, with the Father and the Holy Ghostfor ever. Amen .

HOMILY XXXIV

Concern i ng the glory ofChri stians which shall be vouchsafed

to thei r bodi es at the resurrecti on,and they shall be

enlightened together w i th the soul .

1 . As the bodily eyes see everything clearly, so to thesouls of the saints the beauties of the Godhead are manifes tand visible

,and Christians are mingled with them and think

upon them . To the bodily eyes that glory is hidden , bu tto the believing soul i t is clearly revealed— the soul whichwas dead, which the Lord rai ses ou t of sin, even as Hewakens the dead bodies also, and prepares for it a newheaven and a new earth

,and a sun of righteousness, giving

it all things out of His own Godhead . There is a true world,

and a living earth , and a fruitful vine, and a bread of life,and living water as it is written

,I beli eve to see the goodness

of the L ord i n the land of the livi ng,1 and again

,Un to them

that fear the L ord shall the sun of righteousness ar i se,w i th

heali ng i n hi s w ings and the Lord said , I am the true vine,

“

and again , I am the bread of life,‘1and again

,He that drinketh

of the water that I shall give him,there shall be i n him a well

ofwater spr inging up i n to everlasting life .

5

2 . For the whole coming of the Lord was for man ’s sakeman who lay dead in the grave of the darkness of sin , ofthe unclean spirit and of evil powers— that now in thisworld He might raise man up and qu icken him ,

and cleansehim from all blackness

,and enlighten him with His own

1 Ps. xxvi i . I 3 .

2 Mal. iv. 2 .

3 John xv. I .1 John vi . 35.

5John iv. I4.

243

244 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

l ight,and array him in His own garments, the heavenly

garments of His own Godhead . But at the resurrection ofthe bodies

,whose soul s were raised before and glorified

before,then the bodies also are glorified with them , and are

enlightened by the soul which had been enlightened and

glorified in this life . For the Lord is their home, theirtabernacle and their city . They are clothed with the hab itat ion from heaven, not made w i th hands,

1 the glory of thedivine light

,as being made children of light . They wil l

gaz e upon each other with no evil eye ; for evil has beentaken away . There i s there no male nor female, bond nor

free,2 for all alike are changed into a divine nature

,being

good,and Gods, and children of God . There brother will

then Speak peace to sister without confusion, for all are onething in Chris t, at rest in one light . One will gaz e uponanother

,and in the gaz ing will forthwith shine back in truth ,

at the true contemplation of light in express ible .3 . Thus in many shapes and many varying divine glori esthey look upon each other, and each is astonished andrejoice s w i th joy unspeakable,“ gaz ing upon the other’sglory. You see how the glories of God are beyond allutterance

,and are incomprehensible

,of light inexpress ible

,

and of mysteries eternal , and of good things without number .As

,in the world of sense, i t is impossible for any one to

comprehend in number the plants, or seeds, or vari ousblossoms of the earth

,and it i s out of the quest ion for any

one to measure or understand the entire wealth of theearth ; or as in the sea i t is impossible for a man to comprehend the l iving creatures in it , or their number, or theirkinds, or their d ifferences, or the measure o f its water orthe measure of i ts place or as in the air i t i s impossible toknow the number of the birds, or their kinds or variety oras it i s impossible to comprehend the greatness of the sky,or the positions of the stars , or their courses so is i t impos

12 Cor. v . I .

2 Gal . i ii . 2 8 .

31 Pet . i . 8 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

HOMILY XXXV

Concern ing the old Sabbath and the n ew .

1 . IN the shadow of the law given by Moses God com

manded that every man should rest on the sabbath and donothing . This was a type and Shadow of the true sabbathgiven to the soul from the Lord . For the soul to which ithas been granted to be set free from base and foul thoughtsboth keeps true sabbath and enjoys true rest , being idle andat leisure so far as the works of darkness are concerned .

There, in the typical sabbath , although they rested inbodily fashion

,their souls were in bondage to wickednesses

and sins . This,the true sabbath

,i s true rest, the soul

being idle and cleansed from the suggestions of Satan , andresting in the eternal res t and joy of the Lord .

2 . As then He enjoined that even the unreasoning animalsshould rest on the sabbath day

,that the ox should not be

forced under the yoke of necessity,and that they should

not lade the ass — for the animals also were to rest fromtheir heavy works— so when the Lord came and gave thetrue eternal sabbath , He gave rest to the soul which wasburdened and heavy laden with the burdens of the iniqu ityof unclean imaginat ions

,and labouring perforce at the

works of unrighteousness,as being in bondage to bitter

masters ; and He lightened it of the burdens, hard to beborne, of vain and impure imaginations ; and He tookaway the yoke , the bitter yoke, of the works of unrighteousness, and refreshed the soul when it was wearied with theimaginations of uncleanness .

246

HOMILY XXXV 247

3 . The Lord calls man to rest, saying, Come, all ye thatlabour and are heavy laden ,

and I w i ll give you rest ;1

and as many souls as are obedient and draw near, He makesthem res t from all these heavy, burdensome, uncleanthoughts

,and they are idle from all iniquity, keeping a true,

delicious,holy sabbath, and celebrate a festival of the

Spirit, a festival of joy and gladness un speakable and theyperform a pure service, well pleasing to God, out of a pureheart . This is the true and the holy sabbath . Let ustherefore beseech God that we also may en ter in to thi s

rest,

2 that we may be idle from base and evil and vainimaginations, that thus we may be able to serve God out ofa pure heart

,and celebrate the feast of the Holy Ghost .

Blessed is he who enters into that rest . G lory to Himwhose good pleasure i t i s

,Father

,Son , and Holy Ghost, for

ever . Amen .

1 Matt . x i . 28 .

2 Heb. iv. I I .

HOMILY XXXV I

Concern i ng the twofold resurrecti on of souls and bodi es ,and of the di vers glory of the ri sen .

1 . THE resurrection of dead souls i s even now . The

resurrection of bod ies i s in that day . But as the s tars ,though fixed in heaven

,are not all equal, but one diflers

from another 1 in brightn ess and magnitude, so in spiritualthings there are advances, according to themeasure offai th ,i n the S pi ri t Himself,“one man richer than another . The

scripture says, He that speaketh i n a tongue speaketh bythe Spiri t of God . He is a Spiritual man , speaking to God .

Bu t he that prophesi eth , edifieth the church .

“ The latterhad the greater abundance of grace . The one edifies

himself only ; the other his neighbour also .

This i s l ike a grain of corn sown in the earth ; the samegrain out of the same heart 4 produces many grain s differingfrom each other . And again the ears, some are larger,some smaller

,but al l are gathered into one threshing-floor

,

one barn ; though they differ, one bread is made of them .

2 . Or as in a city there are multitudes of people,and some

are infant children , some men, or young men but all drinkwater of one well, and all eat of one bread, and have oneair to breathe ; or as lamps are, one with two wicks andone with seven, but where the greater abundance of l ight

11 Cor. xv. 4 1 .

2 Rom. x 1i . 3 f. ; I Cor . xu . 9 .

3 I Cor . x iv. 2 ff.0

‘1 I t looks as i f the MSS . were at fault , and some word l ike ground

w ere wanted .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

HOMILY XXXV I I

Concerning Paradi se and the spi ri tual law .

1 . THE fri endship of the world ,according to that which

is written , i s enmi ty w i th God .

1 For which cause thescripture b ids every one to keep hi s own heart w i th all

di ligen ce ,2 that keeping in it the word, l ike a paradise, a

man may enjoy grace, not hearing the serpent that winds

w i thin, when he counsels the things that make for pleasure,whereby is engendered the wrath that slays a brother, andthe soul that brings it forth perishes

,but hearing the Lord

when He says,

“ Take heed to faith and hope,through which

is engendered love towards God and man , which gives eternallife .” Into this paradise Noe entered, keeping the commandment and working

,and through love was redeemed

from the wrath . Keeping this paradise, Abraham heardthe voice of God . Keeping this, Moses received glory inhis countenance . David likewise keeping this worked,from whence he gained the mastery of his enemies ; andSaul too, so long as he kept his heart, prospered, but whenat last he transgres sed

,at last he was forsaken . For the

word of God follows each man by measure according toproportion . So long as a man holds fast

,he is held fast ;

and so long as he guards,he is guarded .

2 . For this cause the whole company of holy prophets,apostles, martyrs, kept the word in their hearts, caring fornothing else, but despising earthly things , and abiding in

Jas . i v. 4.

2 Prov. iv. 2 3.

HOMILY XXXVII 251

the commandment of the Holy Ghost , and preferring beforeall things the Spirit’s love of God and the Spirit’s good ,not in word only or in mere knowledge

,but in word and

deed as well,by actual pract ice

,choosing poverty instead

of wealth, dishonour instead of glory, suffering instead ofpleasure, affl iction instead of enjoyment , and for that reasonlove instead of wrath . For as they hated the sweet thingsof life, they rather loved those who took them away, asworking with them to the purpose

,forbearing to know good

and evi l . 1 They neither denied those who were good , norblamed those who were / evil, esteeming all alike to beenvoys of the Master ’s dispensation . Therefore they hada well-disposed benevolence towards all . When they heardthe Lord say, Forgive, and ye shall beforgiven ,

2 then theyreckoned those who wronged them as benefactors, becausefrom them they received occas i on for their own forgiveness .When again they heard

, As ye wou ld that men should doun to you ,

do ye also un to them ,

“ then they began to lovegood men also according to conscience . Leaving theirown righteousness

,and seeking the righteousness of God,

they naturally found love also included in it .3 . For the Lord

,in giving many commandments concerning

love, bade us seek the ri ghteousn ess of God ,

‘1 for He knowsthat i t is the mother of love . There is no other way to besaved but through our neighbour according as He enjoined ,F orgive , and ye shall be forgi ven .

“ This is the spirituallaw, written in faithful hearts, thefulfilli ng of the first law .

“

I came not , He says , to destroy the law,but to fu lfil .

7

How is it fulfilled ? Let me tell you . The first law,by

reasonable occasion of him who sinned,condemned

,over

and above, him that was s inned against ; for wherein thoujudgest an other thou condemn est thyself.

“ So says the1 Gen . i i i . 5.

2 Luke vi . 37.

3 Matt. vi i . 12 .

1 Mat t . vi . 33 .

5 Luke vi . 37.

3 Rom . x i i i . I O .

7 Mat t . v . 17. Rom . i i . I .

252 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

law : In the midst of judgmen t , judgmen t ; i n the midst ofstri king, a strolee .

1

4 . Forgiveness i s the fulfi ll ing of the law. We havecalled it a “ firs t law ”

; not that God has set two lawsbefore men , but one law, which is spiritual in its nature,but in regard to retribution

,i t awards to each man the

retribution which is jus t,forgiving him that forgives

,and

contending with him that contends . Wi th the clean,i t

says, thou shalt be clean,and w i th the froward thou shalt

wrestle .

"a Therefore those who spiritually fulfi l i t,and are

favoured in proportion , came to love with a spiritual lovenot only those who did them good , bu t also those thatreproached themand persecuted them

,lookingifor a recom

pense of good things . Of good things, I say ; not becausethey acquiesced in the wrongs done to them

,but because

they did good to the souls of the wrongdoers. They comm it ted them to God as the means by which they obtainedthe beatitude as i t says, Blessed are ye, when they shallrevi le you , and persecute you .

3

5. I t was under a spiritual law that they were taught tobe thus m inded . While they endured, and preserved theirinward meekness, the Lord, looking upon the patience ofthe heart under attack and of the love that los t not its sel fcontrol, broke through the mi ddle wall of fiarti ti on ,

4 andthey cast away perfect hatred

,and their love was no longer

against the grain , but w i th rel ief. The Lord brought tonought the sword that turn ed every way ,

5 which s tirs thethoughts, and they en tered i n to that w i thin the vei l , whi thertheforerunn er i s for us en tered ,

even the Lord 6 and theyrevelled in the fruits of the Spirit, and having beheld things

1 The w ords are taken from the LXX version of Deut . xvn . 8 . I t

i s probable that Macarius, like some of h is copy ists, understoodthe w ord écpv

’

i , whi ch in the LXX renders “stroke,

”to be my, a

word not otherwi se found , but supposed to be equivalent to ti rpems ,

forgiveness.

a PS . xvi i i . 26 , LXX .

3 Matt. v . I I . Eph. 11. I 4.

5 Gen . i i i . 24 .

6 Heb. vi . 19 f.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

254 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

by compari son w i th previous infirmity ; otherwi se grace i sn o more grace but believing in the Almighty God may

come with simple and not over-anx ious heart to Him whothrough faith bestows the participation of the Spirit

,and

not through comparison of the works of nature ; for it says,Y e received not the Sp i ri t by the works of the law ,

but bythe hearing offai th.

2

8 . Questi on . What i s the meaning of the text, I hadrather speak five words i n the church w i th my under

standing .”

An swer . The word church is understood of two severalthings

,the assembly of the faithful

,and the compound

soul . When it i s taken spiritual ly, of the individual man ,the church denotes him as a compound whole . “ Fivewords ” mean the comprehens ive virtues which build up

the whole man in varying modes of distribution . As hewho spoke in the Lord comprehended all wisdom in hisfive words, so he who follows the Lord builds up godlines sto abundance through the five virtues . Five they are, andthey comprehend all ; firs t prayer, then temperance, alms ,poverty

,patience. These

,performed w ith longing desire

and set purpose, are words of the soul spoken by the Lordand heard by the heart . The Lord works, and then theSpiri t speaks without sound

,and the heart performs in

outward manifestation,i n proportion as it desires .

9 . And as these virtues contain all v irtues, so they areproductive of each other . I f the first i s wanting, there i san end of all . Likewise through the second come thosethat follow

,and so on . How shall any one pray except

under the operation of the Spirit ? And the scripture bearsme , out when i t says , No man can say that jesus i s theL ord ,

but by the Holy Ghost .4 And how w ill a man persevere who enters on a course of temperance without prayer

1 Rom . x i . 5.

2 Gal . i i i . 2 .

6I Cor. x iv. 19 .

4 I Cor . x11. 3.

HOMILY XXXVII 2 55

and with no assistance ? And he who i s ‘not temperate ineverything

,how shall he do alms to the hungry or the

wrongdoer ? And he who does no alms, will not himselfwillingly submit to poverty. And again , resentment is akinto the desire of money

,whether i t has or whether i t has

not. But the virtuous soul is thus built up into'

the church,not because of what i t has done, but because of what it hasdesired . I t i s not his own work that saves a man, but He

who bestows on him the power. I f any one thereforeendures the marks of the L ord ,

1 let him not pride himselfon anything

,even if he have done some ordinary thing, but

on ly on having loved and taken pains w i th a view to action .

Never think that you have been beforehand with the Lordin your virtue

,according to him who says

,I t i s He that

worketh i n you , both to wi ll and to do ofHi s good pleasure .

2

1 0 . Questi on . What then does the scripture charge aman to do ?An swer . We have already said that -a man has by naturethe power of taking pai ns

,and this i s what it demands . I t

charges therefore that a man should first consider,and that

‘

when he has considered,he should love, and should use his

will to take pains . But to have the mind influenced , or toendure the labour, or to accomplish the work, this the graceof the Lord bestows on the man who has willed and believed ,

Man ’s will therefore is like a material support . Where thewill is not present, even God Himself does nothing, thoughHe could, because of man

’s freedom . The effectual workingof God depends upon the will of man . On the other hand ,i f we give our whole w ill, He ascribes to us the whole work .

Wonderful is God in all things,and altogether beyond the

grasp of our understanding ; but we men endeavour to speaksome portion of His wonders

,relying upon the scripture ,

or rather made intelligent by it . F or who, i t says, hathknown the mind of the L ord 7 6 But He says Himself,

1 Gal . vi . 17.

2 Phi l . i i . 13 .

3 Rom . x i . 34 .

256 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

How often would I have gathered thy chi ldren together ,and ye would not,

1 so that we believe by this that i t i s Hewho gathers us, and demands of us nothing but the will .But what is i t that man ifests the w ill, except voluntarylabour ?

I I . For as iron when i t saws,and fells, and delves, and

plan ts , gets worn itself and fails but there i s another whosets i t in motion and appl ies it, and when it i s batteredmakes it red hot and renews it so although man becomesworn and wearied in working that which is good, yet theLord works secretly in him

,and when he is wearied and

battered, comforts and renews his heart, as the prophet says ,S hall the axe boast i tself apart from him that heweth ,

or

the saw exalt i tself apart from him that draws i t P2 8 0

i s i t also with regard to evil,when a man obeys i t and

makes himself ready for i t. Then Satan also draws andsharpens him , as the robber his sword . We have likenedthe heart to iron

,because of i ts insensibility to things

and i ts great hardness . But we ought not, l ike insensibleiron , to be ignorant of Him who holds us— otherwise weshould not change quickly from the word which is our

husbandman to the suggestion of the evil one— but rather,l ike the ox and ass,

'

to. know Him who drives and guides usaccording to disposi tion ; for i t says, The on knoweth hi sowner , and the ass hi s master

’

s cri b,but I srael knoweth

M e n ot.3 Let us therefore pray to receive the knowledgeof God, and to be instructed in the Spiritual law to theaccomplishment of His holy commandments

,glorifying the

Father and the Son and ‘ the Holy Ghost for ever . Amen .

1 Matt. xxii i . 37.

2 Is . x . 15.

3 I s. i . 3 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

25s FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

Him in truth, as He says, I w i ll man ifest Myself to him,

and wi ll make My abode w i th him .

1

3 . Let us endeavour then to come to Christ, who cannotl ie

,that we may obtain the promise

,and the new covenant

,

which the Lord has made new 2 through H is cross anddeath , having burs t the gates of hel l and sin and broughtout the faithful souls, and given them the Comforter w i thin,and brought them in to His kingdom . L et us reignthen w ith Him , even we, in Jeru salem ,

H is city, in theheavenly church , in the choir of the holy angels . The

brethren who have been long time exercised and tried ,these can succour the less experienced , and feel for them .

4 . For some who had made themselves sure, and hadbeen mightily worked upon by grace of God , have foundtheir members so sanct ified that they reckoned that concupiscence does not occur in Chri stianity, but that they hadacquired a sober and chaste mind, and that from henceforththe inward man was rai sed aloft to d ivin e and heavenlythings

,so that they really imagined such an one to have

come already'

to the perfect measures. And when the manimagined that he was already near the calm haven

,billows

rose up against him , so that he found himself again in themiddle of the ocean, and was carried where sea was skyand death was ready . Thus sin en tered after all

,and

wrought all manner of evil concupi scence.

3 And again acertain class of persons having some grace '

vouchsafed tothem , and having received a drop, so to speak, out of thewhole deep sea, find it hour by hour, and day by day, sucha work of wonder, that the man who is under its influenceis amaz ed and astounded at the strange

,surprising opera

t ion of God , to think that he should be given such wisdom .

After this,grace enlighten s him , gu ides him ,

gives him peace,

1 John x iv. 2 1 , 2 3 .

6 Perhaps dvexafma'

ev Is a m istake for évexa imaev inauguratedthe word used in Heb. x . 20.

3 Rom . vi i . 8 .

HOMILY XXXVIII 2 59

makes him good in every way, being itselfd ivine and heavenly,so that in comparison w ith that man kings and poten tates,w i se men and nobles are esteemed as least and worthless .After a time and season things change, so that of a truthsuch a man esteems himself a greater sinner than all othersand again at another season sees himself like a greatcolossal king, or a king

’s powerful friend ; again at anotherseason sees himself weak and a beggar . Then the mindfalls into perplex ity

,why things should be thu‘s and then

thus . Because Satan in his hatred of the good suggestsevil things to those who attain virtue, and strives tooverthrow them . That is his occupation .

5. But do not submit to him ,while you work at the

righ teousness that is accomplished in the inner man , wherestands the judgment seat of Christ, together with His undefiled sanctuary

,that the testimony of your conscience

may glory in the cross of Chris t, who has purged your consci ence from dead works,

1 that you may serve God w ithyour spirit, that you may know what you worship, according to Him who said

, We worship that whi ch we know .

2

Obey God who guides you . Let your soul have cornmunion with Christ, as bride with bridegroom . For thi smystery i s great, i t says ; but I speak concern ing Chri stand 3 the blameless soul . To Him be the glory for ever.Amen .

1 Heb . ix . I4 .

2 John iv . 2 2 .

3 Eph . v . 32 .

HOMILY XXXIX

Why the Holy S cripture was given to us by God.

I . As a king writes letters to those Upon whom he w i shesto confer patents and special gifts, and sign ifies to them all,“ endeavour to come quickly to me, that you may receivefrom me royal g ifts and i f they do not come and receivethem

,they w ill be none the better off for having read the

letters,but

,on the con trary, are liable to be put to death for

not choosing to go and be honoured by the king’ s hand ;so God, the King, has sent to men the holy scriptures asHis letters

,declaring by them that they Should pray to God

and believing should ask and receive a heavenly gift of thesubstance of His Godhead ; for it i s written , That weshould be made partakers of the divine nature.

1 But ifman will not come

,and ask, and receive

,he is none the

better off for having read the scriptures , but i s rather l iableto death , because he d id not choose to receive fromtheheavenly King the gift of life

,without which it is impossible

to obtain immortal l ife,which is Christ . whom be

glory for ever . Amen .

1 2 Pe t . i . 4 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

262 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

w i th d ivine affection and fiery longing by spir itual lovetowards God , and receives the grace of the sancti fyingperfection Of the Spirit.3 . Questi on . S ince there are some who sell their goods,

and emancipate their slaves, and perform commandments,yet do not seek to receive the Spirit in this world, l ivingthus, do they not go into the kingdom Of heaven ?Answer . This is a subtle matter. Some say that there

is one kingdom and one hell ; bu t we say that there aremany grades and differences and measures, both in thekingdom and in hell . As there is one soul in all themembers, which Operates aloft in the brain, and also movesthe feet beneath

,so the Godhead contains all creatures, the

heavenly, and those under the bottomless pit, and is everywhere fulfi lled in the creation

,although it transcends the

creatures, because it i s infinite and incomprehensible . ThisGodhead looks upon men

,and providen tially orders all

things according to reason ; and when some pray, not

know ing what they seek,and some fas t

,others con tinue in

service ; God being a just judge, gives to each a rewardaccording to the measure of faith . What they do

,they do

for the fear of God ; but not all these are son s , or kings,or heirs.4 . And in the world there are some who are murderers,

o thers fornicators, and others extortioners, while othersdistribute their own possess ions to the poor . Upon boththese classes the Lord keeps His eye, and to those who dogood He gives refreshment and reward . For there aresuperior measures, and there are l ittle measures, and inl ight and glory there are differences, and in hell itself andpunishmen t appear poisoners and robbers, as well as otherswho have committed only l ittle sins . Those who say thatthere is one kingdom and one hell, and that there are nodegrees

,say ill . How many worldly people there are who

are now con tinually at theatres and other disorderly things,

HOMILY X L 63

and how many there are nOw who pray and fear God ! On

these and those al ike God keeps an eye, and, like a justjudge, prepares refreshment for the one and pun ishmen t forthe other.5. As men harness horses and drive chariots and race

them against each other, while each struggles to overcomeand conquer his opponent, so is there a spectacle in theheart Of those who strive , the evil spirits wrestling w ith thesoul, and God and the angels beholding the con test . At

each hour many fresh devices are set on foot by the soul,and likew is e by iniquity w ithin . The soul has many secretdevices, and in due t ime produces them and gives thembirth . Iniqu ity likewise has many devices and inven tions,and gives birth hour by hour to fresh devices against thesoul . The m1nd i s Charioteer, and harnesses the chariot Ofthe soul, holding the reins of the thoughts and thus it run sagainst the chariot of Satan , where he too has harn essedagainst the soul .6 . Questi on . I f prayer is rest, how do some say

,

“We

cannot pray,” and will not continue in prayer ?An swer . Rest itself, when i t abounds, produces com

passion and other forms of service, such as to visit thebrethren, to serve them w ith the word . Nature itself desiresto go and see the brethren, to speak a word . Nothingthrown in the fire can remain in i ts own nature . I t cannothelp becoming fire. I f you throw pebbles in to the fire,they become a little lime .1 The man who w ishes toplunge at large into the sea, and to get in to the middle ofthe ocean, i s submerged and d isappears from sight, whilethe man who goes in step by step wishes to come up andfloat on the top and get “ out at the haven to see the peopleon shore . SO in the spiritual world a man enters into thedepth of grace, and again bethinks him of his compan ions,

1 Accordi ng to another reading, 6 M00: for bAf-yos,

“the stone

becomes lime .

”

264 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

and naturer i tself desires to go to one ’s brethren to fulfil

duties Of charity, and to prove the word .

7. Questi on . How can the two things be in the hearttogether

,grace and sin ?

An swer . As when there is fire outside a braz en vessel,then when you put fuel under, the vessel gets hot, and thein side of it boils and bubbles Up, because the fire outsideburns up beneath ; but if a man pays no atten tion, and putsno fuel under, the fire begins to get less hot, and almost togo out ; so grace, which is the heavenly fire, i s both insideyou and outside you . SO i f you pray, and give your thought sto the love of Christ, see how you supplied the fuel

,and

your thoughts become fire, and are plunged in longing afterGod and even if the Spirit withdraws a lit tle, as though I twere outside you, st ill I t i s within you, and Its sign s areseen outside“ you. But i f one is car eless, lending himself al ittle either to worldly affairs or to wandering, iniquity comesback and en ters in to the soul, and begins to afflict thewhole man . The soul therefore remembers i ts former rest

,

and begins to be afllicted, and to suffer wi thout in termission .

8 . The mind has again given heed to God . The formerrest has begun to draw near i t. I t begins to seek moreearnestly. “ I beseech Thee ,” it says, “ 0 Lord .

” Littleby little is added to it the fire which kindles and refreshesthe soul, as the hook lifts the fish out Of the depth by littleand little . I f thi s were not so, and he were not to taste o fbitterness and death, how could he have d i scerned thebitter from the sweet, and death from life, and given thanksto the l ife-giving Father and Son and Holy Ghost, forever ? Amen .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

2 66 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

the soul on ly in part,though it had power to clean se and

perfect the man in the turn of an hour, in order to test theman ’s purpose

,whether he preserves his love towards God

entire, not complying w i th the evil one in anything, butlending himself wholly to grace . In this way the soul,approving itself time after time, and grieving grace innothing, nor u sing it despitefully, i s helped by this methodof l ittle by l ittle ; and grace i tself finds range in the soul,and strikes root even to the deepest parts and reasonings ofi t, when the soul on many occas ions approves itself andcorresponds with grace, unti l the whole soul is embraced bythe heavenly grace

, which thenceforth reigns in the vesseli tself.3 . But i f any one is not very humble, he is del ivered to

Satan , and i s s tripped naked of the divine grace that was givenhim, and i s tempted w i th many affl ictions, and then hisself-esteem is shewn in i ts true colours, because in real ity heis naked and wretched . He who is rich in the grace ofGod ought to be very humble and contrite Of heart

,and to

consider himself as poor and having nothing. None of i t ishis own . Another gave it h im

,and takes i t away when He

pleases . He who humbles himself thus before God andmen is able to keep the grace that was given to him , as theLord says , He that humbleth himself shall be exalted .

1

Elect though he be of God, let him be reprobate to himself ; and being really faithful, let him consider himselfunworthy. Such souls are well pleasing to God , and arequickened in Christ, to whom be glory and might forever. Amen .

1 Luke x iv. I I .

HOMILY XLII

Not external things , but in tern al , advance or in jure a

man,namely the Spi ri t of grace or the spi ri t of

w i ckedn ess .

I . SUPPOSE there is a great city, and i t i s deserted, thewalls all broken down

,and it be taken by enemies, i ts

greatness i s of no use. Care then must be taken in proportion to its greatness that it should have strong walls, thatthe enemy may not come in . In l ike manner, souls adornedwith knowledge and intelligence and acuteness Of mind arelike great cities . But careful inquiry must be made whetherthey are fortified with the power of the Spirit

,lest the enemy

should get into them and lay them waste . The wise menOf the world , Aristotle, or P lato, or Socrates, 1 being pruden tin knowledge

,were l ike great cities, but they were made

waste by enemies,because the Spirit of God was not in

them .

2 . But as many simple folk as are partakers of grace arel ike l ittle cities fortified by the power of the cross . Theyonly fall from grace for two causes

,and perish either because

they cannot bear the affl ictions that are brought upon them ,

or because, having tasted the sweets of the pleasures of sin ,they continued in them . Those who tread the way cannotgo through without temptations . As in childbirth thebeggar and the queen have the same pangs

,and as the rich

man ’s land and the poor man’s al ike, i f they receive not the1 Some MSS . have Isocrates.

”

2 67

2 68 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

necessary culture, cannot bear worthy fru its , so in the cultureOf the soul not the w i se man

,not the rich man

,reigns in

grace, un less through endurance, and affl i ction s , and manya labour. The li fe o f Christians ought to be of that kind .

As honey,being sweet, does not admit of anything bitter or

poisonous, so Christian s are good to all who come nearthem, good or bad, as the Lord says , B e ye good , li ke yourheaven ly Father .

1 The thing that injures and pollutes aman is from w i thin . Out of the heart proceed evi l thoughts, 2as the Lord says because the things which defile the manare from within .

3 . From w ithin,creeping and advancing in the soul , i s

the spirit of wickedness , calculating, inciting, which is theveil Of darkness, the Old man, which those who flee to Godmus t put Off, and put on the heavenly, n ew man , which isChrist . 3 Nothing outside can hurt a man , only the spiritOf darkness dwelling in the heart, alive and active ; so thatevery one in his thoughts ought to possess the confl ict, thatChrist may shine upon his heart. To whom he glory forever. Amen .

1 Cp . Luke vi . 36 , Matt . v . 48 .

2 Matt . xv. 19 .

3 Cp . Eph . iv. 2 2 f. , Col . ii i . 8 f.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

2 70 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

outwardly painted and decorated,but w i thin full of dead

men’

s bon es,1 of much stench and unclean spirits . They

are dead from God, and clothed wi th all shame and filthi

n ess and w ith the darkness of the adversary.3 . The apostle says that the child, so long as he i s li ttle,

i s under tu tors and governors2 of evil Spirits

,which spirits

do not wish the child to grow up, lest he should becomea ful l-grown man , and begin to aim at the advantage Of thehouse, and to claim the lordship . The Christian oughtat all t imes to have God in remembrance ; for i t i s written ,Thou shalt love the L ord thy God w i th all thy heart ; 3that he may love the Lord not on ly when he goes into theplace of prayer, but that in walking, and talking, and eating,he may have the remembrance of God , and love and

dutiful affect ion for Him . I t says , Where thy mind i s ,there also i s thy treasure .

4 To whatever thing a man ’s hearti s tied

,and where his desire draws him

,that is his God .

I f the heart at all times desires God, He is the Lord of hisheart . But i f a man after renouncing and making himselfw i thout possess ions, and without home, and fasting— if th isone i s sti l l tied to the man that he is, or to worldly affairs,or to house, or to the charm of paren ts, where his heart i stied and his mind i s captive, that i s his God , and he is foundto have gone out of the world by the front door, but to haveentered and thrown himself into the world by the side door.As sticks thrown into the fire cannot resis t the power ofthe fire

,but are forthwith burned up, so the d evils desiring

to fight with a man to whom the Spiri t has been vouchsafedare burned and consumed by the divine power of the fi re,i f only the man is at all t imes cleaving to the Lord, andkeeping his trust and his hope towards Him . And even i fthe devils are strong as strong mountains, they are burnedby prayer

,l ike wax by fire . But mean time great is the

1 Matt . xxi i i . 27.

2 Gal . i v. 2 .

3 Den t . vi . 5.

4 Cp . Matt . vi . 2 1,Luke x i i . 34 .

HOMILY XLIII 2 71

struggle and the battle against them which awaits the soul .There are rivers of dragons

,

1 and mouths of lions . Thereis fire ‘ which flames into the soul . As the 'perfect evildoer

,

drunk with the spirit Of error,i s insatiable to evil, either

murdering,or committing adul tery , so Christians, when

they have been baptiz ed into the Holy Spirit, are withoutexperience of evil ; but those who have grace, but are stillmingled with sin

,these are subject to fear, and travel

through fearful places . 4 . For as merchan ts On a voyage,though they find a wind to suit them and the sea calm ,

buthave not yet reached the haven

,are always subj ect to fear

,

lest suddenly a contrary wind should stir and the sea ris einto billows

,and the ship be in peril, so Christian s, even i f

they have in themselves a favourable wind Of the HolySpirit blowing

,are nevertheless yet subject to fear, les t the

w ind of the adverse power should rise and blow on them, andst i r disturbance and billows for their soul s . There is needtherefore of great d iligence

,that we may arrive at the haven

of rest, at the perfect world , at the eternal life and pleasure,at the city of the saints

,at the heavenly jerusalem , at the

church of the firstborn ? Unless a man gets through thesemeasures , he is under much fear, les t in the meantime theevil power should effect some fall .5. As a woman who has conceived carries her babe within

in the dark, so to speak, and in covert ; but i f by and bythe child comes forth at the proper time

,i t sees a new

creation , which it never saw before, of sky and earth andsun, and immed iately ‘

friends and kinsfolk with cheerfu lcountenances receive i t into their arms ; but if throughsome derangement i t happens that the child is displaced ,then the surgeons whose business it i s are obliged to use

the knife, and the child is thus found to pass from deathto death, from darkness to darkness— so think of whathappens in the spiritual world . As many as have received

1 See Homily XV . 50 .

2 Heb. x i i . 23 .

2 72 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

the seed of the Godhead , these have it invisibly, andbecause of sin which dwells there also they conceal i t indark and Obscure places . I f therefore they make themselves sure

,and preserve the seed

,these in due time are

vis ibly born again,and then at the dissolution Of the body

the angels and all the companies above receive them withcheerful countenances . But if after receiving the weaponsof Christ to fight manfully a man grows slack , such a oneis immed iately delivered over to the enemies, and at thed issolution of the body passes from the darkness which n owencompasses him to another and a worse darkness , and toperd ition .

6 . Suppose there to be a garden with many fruit treesand other sweet- smelling plants

,and that i t were all well

t i lled and laid out for beauty , and that it had also a smallwall by way of hedge to preserve i t, and suppose that avehement stream goes through there

,though but a little of

the water dashes against the wal l and saps the foundation ,i t gets itself a course

,and l ittle by little breaks up the

foundation , and finds en trance and tears its way, and rootsup all the plants , and mars all the tilling, and makes i tfruitless . S O i s i t w ith man’s heart . I t has its goodthoughts ; but the streams Of evil also are always near theheart

,desiring to cast i t down , and to incl ine it to its own

side . Then i f the mind be ever so l ittle l ight,and yield

to unclean thoughts, behold, the spirits o f error have foundscope

,and have entered in

,and have overturned the

beauties that were there, and have destroyed the goodthoughts and laid the soul waste .

7. As the eye is little in comparison of all the members,and the pupil

,small as it is, i s a great vessel, because it

sees at one glance sky,star, sun, moon , cities and other

creatures, and l ikewise these things, seen at the glance, areformed and imaged in the little pupi l Of the eye ; so is themind in the heart, and the heart itself is but a little vessel,

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

2 74 FIFTY SPIR ITUAL HOMILIES

Like tax-collectors s itting in the narrow ways,and laying

hold upon the passers-by, and extorting from them ,so do

the devils spy upon souls , and lay hold of them and whenthey pass out of the body, i f they are not perfectlycleansed

,they do not suffer them to mount up to th e

mansions of heaven and to meet their Lord, and they aredriven down by the devils Of the air . But if whilst theyare yet in the flesh , they shall with much labour and effortObtain from the Lord the grace from on high , assuredlythese

,together with those who through virtuous l iving are

at rest,shall go to the Lord

,as He promised

, Where I am,

there shall also My servan t be,1 and to endless ages they

reign with the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost,now and ever and to the ages of ages . Amen .

1 John x 11 . 26 .

HOMILY XLIV

What change and renewal i s wrought in a Chri sti an manby Chri st, who has healed the afi i cti ons and di seases ofthe soul.

I . HE who comes to G od, and des i res to be in truth apartner of Christ’s throne, ought to come with a view tothis end, that he may be changed and altered from hisformer condition and conduct, and be made a good andnew man

,who brings nothing Of the Old man w ith him .

If any man be in Chri st , i t says, he i s a new creature.

1

This was t the very purpose of the coming Of our LordJesus Christ, to change and alter and renew nature, andto create afresh this soul that was overturned by passionsthrough the transgression

,mingling it with His own Spiri t,

the Spirit of Godhead . New mind, and new soul , and neweyes

,n ew ears, a new spiritual tongue, and in short new

men altogether— this was what He came to make of thosewho believe Him

,or let us say new bottles

,anoin t ing them

with His own light of knowledge, that He m ight changetheir wine into new wine

,which is His Spirit ; for new w ine,

He says, must be put in to new bottles ?2 . As the enemy, when he had got man in to subjection ,

made him n ew for himself, enveloping him in lusts Of

wickedness, and anointing him with the spirit of sin pouredinto him the wine Of all iniquity and evil doctrine so theLord, having delivered him from the enemy, made him

12 Cor. v . 17.

2 Matt . ix . I 7.

2 76 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

new,anointing him with His own Spirit

,and poured into

him the w ine of l ife,the new doctrine of the Spirit . He

who changed the nature Of the five loaves into the natureof a multitude

,and gave a voice to the irrational nature Of

an ass, and converted the harlot to chastity, and preparedthe nature of burn ing fire to bedew those who were in thefurnace

,and tamed for Daniel the nature of savage lions

He is able also to change the soul,which was waste and

had become savage, from sin into H is own goodness andloving-kindness and peace, by the holy and good Spi ri t ofpromi se.

1

3 . As a shepherd knows how to cure the scabby sheep,

and to protect i t from wolves, so Christ, the true shepherd,when He came, was alone able to cure and to convert man ,the lost and scabby sheep, from the scab and leprosy Of sin .

The priests and Levites and teachers b efore were unable tocure the soul by the oblations Of gifts and sacrifices

,and by

their sprinklings Of blood, wherewith indeed they '

were un

able even to cure themselves . For i t i s not possi ble, it says ,that the blood of bu lls and of goats shou ld take away sin ?

But the Lord said, showing the impotence of the physiciansof the t ime, Ye w i ll surely say un to me thi s parable

,

Physi ci an ,heal thyself ; 3 as much as to say, “ I am not

l ike them , who cannot so much as heal themselves . I amthe true physician

,and the good shepherd

,who lay down

My life for the sheep , ‘1 who am able to heal all mann er ofsi ckn ess and all mann er of di sease of the soul .5 I am thesheep without spot, that was Offered once, and that am ableto cure those that come to Me .

”The true healing Of the

soul i s from the Lord only. Behold,it says

, the L amb ofGod , that taketh away the sin of the world,

6 that i s to say,

of the soul that has believed Him , and that loves Him witha whole heart .

1 Eph . i . I 3 .

2 Heb. x . 4.

3 Luke iv . 2 3 .

1 John x . I S.

5 Mat t . iv . 23.

6 John i . 29 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

2 78 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

much more in thi s case will the Lord send forth His light,

buoyant,good, and heavenly Spirit, and by means Of Him

bring up the soul that is sunk in the waters of wickedness,and make it light

,and wing i t to the heights Of heaven, and

alter and change it out of i ts own nature .6 . In the visibl e world , no one can pass and get acrossthe sea of himself

,without having the light and buoyant

ship,built of wood, which alone i s able to walk over the

waters — for i f a man treads upon the sea,he is drowned

and perishes . In the same way no soul can of itsel f crossand pass over and get beyond the bitter ‘

sea of sin,and the

dangerous deep of the wicked powers Of the darkness Of

the passions , un less he shal l receive the buoyant, heavenly ,winged Spirit o f Christ, which walks over all w ickednessand passes on, whereby he shall be enabled to arrive by astraight, right cours e at the heavenly haven of res t, at thecity Of the kingdom . And as those who are in the shipdo not draw

,or drink Of the sea

,nor have their clothing or

their food from it, but bring these things w ith them fromabroad in the ship , so the souls of Christians do not takefrom this world

,but from above, out of heaven , heavenly

sustenance, and spiri tual clothing ; and living thereby,embarked in the ship of the good, life-giving Spirit, passbeyond the adverse evil powers of principalities anddominions . And as all ships are built o f one substanceOf wood

,that by means of them men may get over the

bitter sea,so from one Godhead’s heaven ly

i

light of thedivers gifts Of the one Spirit, all Christian souls receivepower and fly high over all wickedness .7. But s ince the ship needs also a pilot, and a sweet,

well-tempered wind to make a good passage,the Lord

Himself becomes all these in the faithful soul,carrying it

over the terrible storms and the wild waves Of wickedness ,and the blasts Of the violent winds of sin

,mightily and

skil fully and expertly,as He knows how

,dispersing their

HOMILY XLIV 2 79

tempest . Without Chris t, the heavenly pilot, i t i s impossible for any to pass the wicked sea Of the powers Of

darkness , and the gusts of bitter temptations . They go up,i t says, to the heaven s , and down again to the deep .

1 ButChrist possesses all a pilot’s knowledge, both Of wars andtemptations

,treading over the wild waves . For in that He

H imself,i t says, was tempted ,

He i s able to succour them

that are tempted ?

8 . So our souls must be altered and changed from theirpresent condition to another condition , and a divine nature,and be made new instead of Old — that is , good and kindand faithful

,instead Of bitter and faithless, and being thus

made fit,be restored to the heavenly kingdom . The

blessed Paul writes thus of his own change,and of the

apprehension‘ wherewith he was apprehended Of the LordI follow after , if that I may apprehend thatfor whi ch alsoI was apprehended by Chri st . 3 How then is he appre

hended Of God ? Like as if some usurper were to seiz eand carry Off a captivity, and it were then apprehended orcaught by its true sovereign

,so when Paul was under the

influence of the usurping spirit of sin, he persecuted thechurch and made havoc of it . But since he acted throughz eal for God according to ignorance, supposing himself tobe contending for truth, he was not disregarded, but theLord apprehended him ,

shining about him unspeakably,the heavenly King and true

,vouchsafing His own voice to

the man,and striking him like a slave

,

4set him free .

Behold the Master’s goodness and power of changing,how

He is able to change souls that were enveloped in sin andhad relapsed into wildness, and in a moment Of t ime toconvert them to His own goodness and peace9 . All things are possible with God as it proved in the1 Ps . cvi i . 2 6.

2 Heb. i i . 18 .

3 Phil . i i i . 1 2 .

4 This is perhaps a reference to the custom by which the lictortouched the head of a slave w i th a rod in the presence of the magistrate ,as an act of emancipat ion .

2 80 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

case of the robber. In a moment of time he was changedthrough faith , and restored to paradise . This was thepurpose Of the Lord ’s coming, to alter and create our soulsanew

,and make them , as it is written , partakers of the divin e

n ature,1 and to give into our soul a heavenly soul

,that i s

the Spirit Of Godhead leading us to all ‘

virtue , that we mightbe enabled to l ive eternal life . May i t be that with al l ourhearts we should believe His inexpress ibl e promises, because He i s true that promi sed ? We must love the Lord ,and be diligent every way in all virtues, and ask persistentlyand continually, so as to receive the promise of His Spiritcompletely and to perfection, that our soul s may be broughtto life while we are still in flesh . For if the soul shall notreceive in this world the hallowing Of the Spirit throughmuch faith and prayer, and be made partaker of the divin enature, being mingled with grace whereby i t shall be ableto fulfi l every commandment unblameably and purely, i t isnot made for the kingdom of heaven . What good thing aman has gained here

,the same in that day will be his l ife,

through the Father,and the Son , and th e Holy Ghost ,

for ever. Amen .

12 Pe t . 1. 4 .

2 Heb . x . 2 3 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

2 82 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

according to the world ; Of whom some have displayedexcellence by m eans of philosophy ; others have beenadmired for their expertness in Sophistry, others have displayed oratorical skill others have been men Of letters andpoets, and have composed histories according to the conven tional plan . There have also been different kinds ofartificers, who have practised the arts according to theworld . Some have carved in wood all kinds of birds andfishes, and figures of men

,and in those have endeavoured

to display their excellence . Some have taken in hand tofashion portraits

,statues in bronz e and the like others have

erected great and beautiful buildings ; others , mining theearth , bring up the si lver and gold that perishes, othersprecious stones . O thers, possessing personal beauties, wereelated by the comeliness Of their countenances and were themore enticed by Satan , and fell into sin . And all theseartificers of whom I have Spoken

,being held by the s erpent

who dw ells within,and not knowing the sin that abode

with them, have been captives and slaves to the evil power,gaining no advantage from their science and their art .3 . The world , then , which is fi lled with all varieties, i sl ike a rich man

,who possesses splendid great houses ,

and gold and silver, and divers properties, and serviceof all sorts in abundance ; and yet is oppressed bysufferings and sicknesses all at the same time, and al l hiskinsfolk stand beside him

,with al l his riches, unable to

relieve him Of his infirm i t ies . NO pursu i t belonging to thisl ife , not brethren, not wealth, not courage, nor all otherthings that we have mentioned, rel ieve of 5111 the soulwhich has been immersed by sin

,and cannot discern things

clearly . Only the appearing of Chris t is able to cleansesoul and body . Let us then rid

'

ourselves Of all temporalcare

,and devote ourselves to the Lord, crying to Him

night and day. This visible world,and the sat isfaction

found in it,appear to solace the body, but so much the

HOMILY X L V 83

more do they sharpen the maladies of the soul,and increase

the mischief from which i t suffers .4 . A certain prudent man ,1 d esiring to spare no pain s inthe inquiry

,made it his business to gain an experience of all

the things that come to pass in this world,i f he might by

chance profi t by them . He had recourse to kings, potentates

,rulers

,and found no saving cure from that quarter to

apply to h is soul,and after spending a long time with them

was none the better for it . He went again to the wise menof the world and the orators : he quitted them also in thesame way, having gained no benefi t from them . He madethe tour Of the painters

,and Of those who raise the gold

and silver from the earth,and Of all the artists

,and was

unable to discover any remedy for his own wounds . A t

last, taking leave Of them , he began to seek God for himsel f, God who h eals the diseases and maladies of the soul .But while he kept an eye upon himself and thought thesematters over, his mind was found wandering among thosevery things from which he had ostensibly withdrawn becausehe hated them .

5. As some woman who in the world is rich and possessesmuch money

,and a fine house, i s bereft of protection , and

those who set upon her to injure her and to lay her buildings waste are many ; and she, no t brooking the affront,goes about seeking a powerful man to marry her, wellsuited for the purpose and educated in all directions ; andwhen after much anxiety she gains such a husband , sherejoices over him

,and finds in him a strong wall ; in the

same way the soul , after the transgression , having been fora long time affl icted by the adverse power, and havingfallen into great isolation

, a w i dow and desolate,2 deserted

by the heavenly Husband because of the transgress ion ofthe commandment

,and made the sport of all the Opposing

1 Macarius appears to be summing up the experiences of Ecclesiastes .

2 I Tim . v . 5.

2 84 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

powers ; for they drove her out iof her w i ts, bewilderingher out of her heavenly understanding

,so that she does

not s ee what they have done to her,but thinks that she was

made like that from the beginning ; then , having learned,by being told, of her desolat ion and unprotected state, shegroaned before the clemency Of God, and found life andsalvation— why ? Because she returned to her kindred .

For there i s no tie Of blood or suitableness like thatbetween the soul and God , and between God and the soul .God made the various kinds Of birds — some to burrow

in the ground, and to have their sustenance and sat isfactionfrom thence ; for some He ordained that they should diveunder the waters, and have their l ife from thence . Hefashioned two worlds— one above, for the mi n i steri ngsp i ri ts, 1 and appointed that they should have their sociall i fe there the other below for men

,under this atmosphere.

He created also heaven and earth,sun and moon, waters,

trees that bear fruit,all manner Of races of animals . But

in none of them does God find rest . All the creation i sgovern ed by Him ; and yet He did not fix His throne inthem, or es tablish communion with them , but was wellpleased with man alone

,entering into communion w ith

him,and resting in him . S eest thou the kinship of God

w ith man,and of man with God ? Therefore the sagacious

and prudent soul,after going the round Of all created

things,found no rest for herself, except in the Lord ; and

the Lord was well pleased in nothing excep t inman alone.6 . I f youOpen your eyes towards the sun , you find hisorb in the sky

,but his l ight and his beams inclining

to the earth,and all the power of its l ight and its

radiance bearing down upon the earth . So also the Lordis seated at the right hand Of the Father above all pr incipali ty and power, 2 but He keeps His eye intent Upon thehearts of men on earth

,that He may bring those who wait

1 Heb. i . 14 .

2

Eph . i . 2 x.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

HOMILY XLV I

Concern ing the difierence between God’

s word and the

world’

s,and between God

’

s chi ldren and the chi ldrenof thi s world .

I . THE Word of God is God, and the word of the worldi s world ; and there is a great difference and d istancebetween the Word of God and the word of the world, andbetween the children of God and the children of the world .

Everything that i s begotten resembles i ts parents . I f thenthe Offspring of the Spirit shall choose to give itself up tothe word of the world and the things of the earth and theglory of the presen t order, i t i s mortified and perishes, beingunable to find the true satisfaction of l ife. I ts satisfactionis only there, whence i t was begotten . As the Lord says,he who is encompassed by cares of this l ife and bound byearthly bonds i s choked

,and becometh unfru i tful from the

Word of God .

1 In like manner also he who is possessedby a fleshly intention, who is a man of the world, i f heshould w i sh to l isten to the Word of GOd, - is choked, andbecomes like one devoid of reason ; for, being accustomedto the deceits Of evil, when such men hear about God, theyare as i t were oppressed by tiresome discourse, and thei rm inds are s ick of i t.

2 . Paul says, The natural man receiveth not the things

of the Sp i r i t ; for they are fooli shn ess un to him ? And

the prophet says, The word of God was to them as. vomi t. 3

1 Mark iv. 19 .

2I Cor . i i . 14 .

6 The referen ce is to Is. x xvi i i . I 3, in the version of Theodot i on .

286

HOMILY XLVI 2 87

You see that i t is not possible to live except according tothe word that each was born to . You must l isten toanother way of putting it . I f the carnal man gives himselfup to be changed, he begins by dying in that quarter, andbecoming unfru itful as regards that former li fe in wickedness . But as if a man i s subj ect to a disease or a fever,although his body i s prostrate upon the bed, unable toaccomplish any of the activities of the earth, his mind is notquiet

,but plucked this way and that, in concern about his

business,and seeks the physician

,sending his friends to

him so the soul,weak with pass ion from the transgression

of the commandmen t, and in a state of impotence, comesto the Lord and believes and finds His help ; and wheni t has denied its former evil l ife

,although it still l ies in

i ts Old weakness, unable to accomplish in truth the worksof life, yet to be z ealously concerned about the life, toask of the Lord

,to seek the true Physician— this i t has

and can .

3 . I t i s not as some say, who are led astray by wrongteachings , that man is dead once for all, and cannot accompl ish anything good whatsoever. A babe has no force toaccomplish anything, and is unable to go on its own feetto i ts mother ; but yet it rolls itsel f, and makes a noise,and cries, seeking after i ts mother. The mother meanwhile pities it, and rejoices that the l ittle one seeks afterher with pains and crying ; and though the babe cannotcome to her, yet because of the child

’s much seeking themother comes to it herself

,all over-mastered by love for

her babe, and takes i t up, and cherishes it, and nurses i twith great affection . This is what God does, in His kindness towards man , with the soul that comes to Him andlongs for Him . Nay, much more, impelled by charity, Heof His own accord, in the goodness which is inheren t inHim and is all His own

,cleaves to the intention of that

soul , and becomes one spi ri t with it,according to the

FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

apostolic saying.

1 When the soul cleaves to the Lord,and the Lord pit ies and loves

,coming to it and cleaving

to it,and the intention from that time remains continually

faithful to the grace of the Lord,they become one spi ri t,

one composite thing, one in tention, the soul and the Lordand while the body belonging to it is prostrate upon earth,the intention of the sou l has i ts conversation wholly in theheavenly Jerusalem

,mounting even to the third heaven

,

and cleaving to the Lord,and ministering to Him there .

4 . And He, while s itting in the throne of maj esty onhigh , in the heavenly city, is wholly in company with thesoul, in the body that belongs to i t . He has set her imageabove in Jerusalem

,the heavenly city of the saints

,and

has set His own image,the image of the unspeakable light

of His Godhead,in her body. He ministers to her in the

city of the body,while she ministers to Him in the heavenly

city . She has inherited Him in heaven,and He has

inherited her upon earth . The Lord becomes the soul ’sinheritance

,and the soul becomes the inheritance of the

Lord . I f the intention and mind of s inners in darknesscan be so far from the body

,and i s able to sojourn at

a distance, and to travel in a moment to distant countries ,and often t imes , while the body is prostrate on the earth,the mind is in another country

,in company with him or

her whom it loves,and sees itsel f living there — if

,I say,

the soul of the sinner is so light and volatil e that his mindis not debarred from places far away, much more does thesoul from whom the veil of darkness has been taken awayby the power of the Holy Ghost, and her mental eyes havebeen enlightened through the heavenly light, and she hasbeen perfectly delivered from the passions of shame, and

has been made pure through grace, serve the Lord whollyin heaven in the spirit

,and serve H im

’

wholly in thebody

,and find herself so expanded in thought as to be

1 I Cor. vi . I 7.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

HOMILY XLV I I

An allegori cal i n terpretation of the things done under the

L aw .

I . THE glory of Moses which he had upon his count enance was a figure of the true glory. For as in that casethe Jews were not able to look steadfastly upon the face ofMoses,

1 so now Christians receive that glory of light intheir souls, and the darkness , not bearing the radiance ofthe light , is bl inded and jban ished . They were madeknown to be the people of God by circumci sion : here,God’s pecul iar people receive the sign of circumcisioninwardly in their heart . The heavenly knife cuts awaythe unwanted port ion of the mind , which is the impureuncircumcision of sin . With them was a baptism sanctifying the flesh ; with us, a baptism of Holy Ghost andfire , for this i s what John preached ; He shall bapti z e youw i th Holy Ghost and fire .

2 . There they had an outer tabernacle and an inner,and

i n to the first the pri ests went con tinually ,accompli shing the

servi ces ; but i n to the second wen t the high pri est alone onceevery year , w i th blood ,

t he Holy Ghost thi s sign ifying, thatthe way in to the holi est was not yet made man i fest ? Here,on the other hand

,those who have the privilege enter into

the tabernacle not made w i th hands , whi ther the forerunn eri s for us en tered ,

even Christ , 1 I t is written in the law12 Cor i i i . 7.

2 Matt . i i i . 1 1 .

3 Heb . 1x . 6 ff. 4 Heb . vi . 20 .

HOMILY XLVII 2 9 1

that the priest should take two doves,and kill the one

,and

Sprinkle the living one with its blood,and loose i t and let

i t fly free . 1 That which was done was a figure and shadowOf the truth for Christ was slain

,and His blood sprinkling

us has made us to grow wings,for He has given us the wings

of the Holy Ghost, that we may fly w ithou t hindrance in tothe air of the Godhead .

3 . To them was given a law wri tten upon tables of stone ;but to us, spiritual laws, engraven upon fleshy tables of theheart? for i t says, I w i ll put My laws i n thei r hearts

,and

upon thei r minds w i ll I wri te them.

3 All those thingswere temporary and to be done away ; but now all areaccomplished in truth on the inner man . The covenant iswithin

,and the battle within . In short, whatsoever things

happened unto them were done i n a figure, and were

wri tten for our admon i ti on .

4

God foretold to Abraham the future, saying, Thy seed

shall be a stranger in a land that i s not thei rs,and they

shall afi i ct i t , and make i t to serve four hundred years.

5

This was fulfilled in the image Of the shadow . The peoplebecame a stranger

,and was enslaved by the Egyptians , and

was affl icted in clay and bri ck.

6 Pharaoh set over themsuperintendents and taskmasters

,that they should do their

works by compulsion ; and when the chi ldren of I srael

groaned un to God by reason of thei r tasks,7 then He

looked upon them through Moses ; 8 and having smittenthe Egyptians with many plagues, He brought them outof Egypt, in the month of flowers , when firs t the pleasantspring appears, and the gloom of winter is passing off.

4 . And the Lord spake unto Moses , to take a lamb without blemish

,and to slay it

,and to’ smear the blood of it upon

the doors and the lintels, that he that destroyed the firstborn1 A confused remembrance o f L ev . x iv. 4 ff. and 2 2 ff.22 Cor . i i i . 3 .

3 Heb. x . 16 .

‘1 I Cor . x . I I .5 Gen . xv. I 3 .

6 Ex . i . I4 .

7 Ex . 11. 2 3 .

6 Ex . 11. 25.

2 92 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

of the Egyptians might not touch them .

1 The angel thatwas sent saw the S ign of the blood from afar and removed ;but he entered into the houses that were not signed, andslew all the firstborn . Moreover He commanded leavento be put away out of every house, and enjoined that theyshould eat the lamb that was slain with unleavened breadand bitter herbs

,and that they should eat it with their loins

girt,and their shoes upon their feet, and with their staves

in their hands ; and thus He commanded them to eat theLord’s passover with all haste in the evening

,and not to

break a bone of the lamb . 5. He brought them forth alsow i th si lver and gold,

2 commanding them to borrow everyone Of his Egyptian neighbour vessels of gold and of silver ;and they came out of Egypt while the Egyptians wereburying their firs tborn, and joy was theirs for their riddanceOf the squalid bondage

,and grief and wailing to the others

for the destruction Of their children . Wherefore Moses says,Thi s i s the n ight i n whi ch God promi sed to deliver us .

3

All these things are a mystery of the soul , redeemed bythe coming of Chris t . For Israel i s in terpreted to be themind beholding God .

‘1 He is set free from the bondageof darkness

,from the Egyptian spirits . 6 . For since at

the transgression man died the dreadful death of the soul,

and received curse upon curse— Thi stles and thorn s shall

the ground bringforth un to thee,5 and again, Thou shalt ti ll

the ground ,and i t shall not henceforth yi eld un to thee her

fru i ts 6— thorns and thistles sprouted and sprang up in theground of his heart . His enemies by guile took away hisglory, and clothed him with shame . His light was takenaway

,and he was clothed in darkness . They murdered

his soul . They scattered and divided his faculties and1 Heb. x i . 2 8 .

2 Ps . cv. 37.

3 S ee no te below on 9 .

1 A similar in terpretat ion is found in an apocryphal work quo ted byO i igen injoan n . t . I I . 3 1 (in Brooke

’

s edi t ion,vo l . i . , p . Israel ,

the man behold ing G od .

”

Cp . above , H om . xx . § 4 .

5 G en . i i i . 18 .

6 Gen . i v. 12 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

294 FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

after the anointing,He bids to eat the lamb at even

,and

the unleavened bread, with bitter herbs , with loins girt andShoes on feet

,and staff in hand . Unless the soul be

prepared beforehand on every side, to the best of herpower, through good works , i t i s not given to her to eatof the lamb . And though the lamb be sweet, and theunleavened bread excellent, yet the bitter herbs are bitterand harsh for with much affl iction and

’

bi ttern ess the souleats of the lamb and Of the good unleavened bread

,while

the sin that is with her afl‘l icts her. 9 . And i t says that i tshall be eaten at even . The t ime of even is midway betweenl ight and darkness . So the soul being near this deliverance i s midway between light and darkness

,while the

power of God stands firm and will not suffer the darknessto come over the soul and swallow it up . And as Mosessaid

,Thi s i s the n ight of the promi se of God,

1so Christ,

when the book was given Him in the synagogue,as i t is

written , called it the acceptable year of the L ord , and theday of redempti on ? There it was a night of retribution ;here, a day of redemption . And rightly so ; for all thosethings were a figure and shadow of the truth

,and in a

mystical prefigurat ion sketched the true salvation of thesoul that has been shut up in darkness, and secretly boundwith fetters in the lowest pi t,

3 and shut in with gates ofbrass,

’1 and can not be set at l iberty without the redemptionof Chris t.

1 0 . So He brings the soul out of Egypt and the bondagein i t, the firs tborn of Egypt being destroyed at the exodus .A lready a part of the power Of the true Pharaoh falls .1 I t seems probable that Macarius had i n view the passage Ex. x i i . 42 ,

where , in the second half of the verse , Aqu i la and Symmachus used an

expression for a n ight of observat ion s wh ich m ight be understooda s“a n ight of expectat ion , and so

“of prom ise .

”

Above , in 5, thisi s still further paraph rased .

2 Luke iv . 19 . The second phrase seems to be taken from Eph .

Iv. 30 .

3 Ps . lxxx vi i i . 6 .

‘1 Ps . cvn . I 6 .

HOMILY XLVII 2 95

Mourning possesses the Egyptians . They groan for griefat the salvation of the captive . He commands them toborrow of the Egyptians vessels of gold and Of s ilver, and totake them and go out . The soul in going out of the darkness takes back her vessels of s ilver and gold

,namely her

own good faculties purified seven times in the fire,1 inwhich God i s served and satisfied . The devils that wereneighbours to her wasted and held and squandered herfaculties . Blessed is the soul that is redeemed out Of darkness

,and woe to the soul that does not cry and groan to

Him that is able to rescue her from those hard and bittertaskmasters .

I I . The children of I srael march away, when they havekept the passover. The soul moves onwards

,when i t has

received the life of the Holy Ghost, and has tasted of theLamb

,and been anointed with His blood

,and has eaten

the true bread, the l iving Word . A pillar of fire and apillar of cloud went before the Israelites

,protecting them

the Holy Ghost strengthens these, warming and guiding thesoul in a way that can be felt. When Pharaoh and theEgyptians knew of the people’s escape, and of their ownloss of their bondservice

,he took courage to pursue

,even

after the destruction of the firstborn . He hastily harnessedhis chariots

,and with all his people he made speed after

them to destroy them but when he was now on the pointof getting in among them , a cloud stood betwixt them ,

hindering and darkening the one, and guiding the otherwith light and protecting them . Not to prolong this discourse by developing the whole story, take the parable inall particulars as referring to spiritual things .

1 2 . When first the soul escapes from the Egyptians,

the power of God draws near and helps it, leading it tothe truth . But when the Spiritual Pharaoh, the king of thedarkness of sin , perceives that the soul is in revolt and

1 Ps. x i i . 6 .

FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

i s escaping from his kingdom,he catches up the faculties

so long held in possession— for these are his goods— and ,clever as he is

,hopes that the soul will come back to him .

But when he learns that i t i s fleeing from his tyranny forgood and all— a more audacious thing than the slaughterof the firstborn and the stealing of the faculti es— he dashesat it, fearing that i f the soul clean escapes, no one willbe found to fulfil his will and work . He pursues i t withaffl ictions and temptations and invisible wars . There i ti s tested ; there it is tried ; there appears its love towardsHim who brought i t out of Egypt . For it i s del iveredover to be tested and tried in all manner of ways . 1 3 . I tbeholds the power of the enemy desiring to get at it anddo it to death

,and not able to do so . Between it and

the Egyptian spirits the Lord stands . I t beholds beforei t a sea of bitterness and affliction or despair. I t can

neither w in its way back, seeing t he enemy ready for i t,nor move forward , for the terror of death, and afflict ion sgrievous and manifold encompassing it , make i t to seedeath . The soul therefore loses all opinion of i tsel f

,

having the sen ten ce of death in i tself,1 because of the

swarm of evil ones that surrounds i t . And when God seesthe soul fallen into the terror of death

,and the enemy

ready to swallow it up , then , then indeed He gives it a littlesuccour

,dealing patiently with the soul

,and testing it

,

whether it stands fast in faith, whether i t has love towardsHim . For so has God appointed the way that leadeth un tolife, 2 to be with affliction and distress , and much testing,and very bitter temptations

,that from thence

‘

the soul mayafterwards arrive at the true land of the glory of thechildren of God . When therefore the soul gives up allOpinion o f itself and renounces itself

,because of the

exceeding affliction and the death before Its eyes,in that

instant with a strong hand and an upl ifted arm He rends12 Cor . i . 9 .

2 Matt. vu . I4 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

2 9s FIFTY SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

bitterness became serviceable and fit for the people of Godto drink . In the same way the soul has been made bitterfrom drinking the poison Of the serpent and becoming liketo his bitter nature

,and made sinful . Wherefore God casts

the tree of l ife even into the bitter foun tain of the heart,and it i s converted from its bitterness and made sweet, beingmingled with the Spirit of Christ ; and thus being madegood for use it passes on to the service of its Master, for i tbecomes Spirit clothed in flesh . G lory to Him who converts our bitterness into the sweetness and goodness of theSpirit . Woe to him in whom the tree of l ife has not beencast He cannot obtain any change for the good .

1 6 . The rod of Moses bore two images. To enemies i tpresen ted itself as a serpent, biting and destroying to theIsrael ites as a staff, on which they found support. Thusthe true wood of the cross

,which is Christ

,i s the death of

the enemy,the spirit o f wickedness but to our souls, i t i s

a staff,and a sure prop

,and l ife

,upon which they rest .

There were formerly types and shadows’ of these truerealities . The ancient service i s a shadow and image of thepresent service . Ci rcumcision , the tabernacle, the ark, thepot and the manna

,the priesthood

,th’e incense

,the wash

ings, and, i n Short,all that was done in I srael, and in the

law of Moses,and in the prophets

,was done with reference

to this soul, made after the image of God , and fallen underthe yoke of bondage

,and under the kingdom Of the dark

ness of bitterness .1 7. For God desired to have communion with her, and

espoused her to Himself as the King’s bride, and Hecleanses her from pollution

, and washing her makes herbright from her blackness and her shame

,and quickens her

out of the state of death,and heals her of her shattered

condition,and

.

gives her peace , reconciling her enmity .

For creature though she is,she has been espoused as bride

to the King’s Son ; and by His own power God receives

HOMILY XLVII 299

her to Himself, gradually accommodating Himself to herchanges , until He has increased her with His own increase .For He stretches her out and lengthens her to an endlessand immeasurable increase

,until she becomes a bride

without blemish and worthy of Him . First he begets herwithin Himself

,and increases her through Himself

,until

she receives the full-grown measure of His love . For beingHimself a perfect Bridegroom , He takes her as a perfectbride into the holy

,mystical , undefiled fellowship of

marriage ; and then she reigns w i th Him to endless ages .Amen .

HOMILY XLV I I I

Concern ing perfect fai th in God .

I . THE Lord in the gospel,wishing to bring His own

disciples to a perfect faith , said , He that i s fai thfu l i n li ttle,i s fai thful also i n much ; and he that i s unfai thful in li ttle,i s unfai thful also in much .

1 What i s the little ? and whati s the much ? The l ittle are the promises of this world,which He has undertaken to supply to those who believeHim, such as food, raiment, and the other things which arefor the refreshment or health Of the body, and so on ;enjoining that we should not be anxious at all concerningthese, but with confidence in Him to trust that the Lord isalways a provider for those who take refuge in Him . The

much are the gifts of the eternal and imperishable world ,which He has undertaken to supply to those who believeHim , and who are incessantly anxious concerning thosethings, and who ask Him for them . Because He has givencommandment to that effect . S eek ye only ,

He says, Hi skingdom and righteousn ess ; and all these things shall be

added un to you ,

2 that in this way each one may be provedby these l ittle and temporal things

, whether he believesGod because He has undertaken to supply them , while weare free from anxiety about such things and are only concerned about eternal things to come .

2 . Then it i s manifest that he believes concerning thingsimperishable

,and is really seeking eternal good things, i f

1 Luke xvi . I o .

2 Matt. vi . 33 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

39 2 FIFTY SPIR ITUAL HOMILIES

receive the good things eternal,which are the kingdom of

heaven, although you imagine that you believe, while youare still found unfaithful in the small things that perish .

And again , as the body is of more value than raiment, sois the soul of more value than the body . Do you believe,then

,that your soul i s receiving healing at Chri st’s hand

from the eternal wounds which with men are incurable,the

wounds Of the passions of s in,for the sake of which healing

the Lord also came hither,that He might now cure the

souls of the faithful of those incurable wounds,and cleanse

them from the foulness of the leprosy Of evil, — He, the onlytrue phys ician and healer ? 4 . You will say, “ CertainlyI bel iev e it . For this I s tand, and this i s my expectation .

Know, then, after searching yourself, whether bodily ailmentsdo not carry you Off to earthly physicians

,as if Christ,

whom you believed, could not heal you ! See how youdeceive yourself, because you imagine that you believe,when you do not yet believe

,as you ought, in truth . For

if you believed the eternal,i rremediable wounds of the

immortal soul,and its disorders Of evil , to be cured by

Christ, you would have believed Him able to cure also thetemporary disorders and maladies of the body, and wouldhave had recourse to Him only

,to the neglect of medical

attentions and remedies . He who created the soul hasmade the body also and He who heals that immortal part,i s able to cure the body also of its temporary disorders andmaladies .5. B

’

ut you will say,no doubt

,

“ God has given to thebody for its healing the herbs of the earth and its drugs,and has prepared the appliances of physicians for thedisorders of the body

,ordaining that the body which is Of

the earth should be cured by the various specifics of theearth .

” I agree with you that thi s is so . But take heed ,and you will know how the matter stands

,— to whom these

things are given,and for whom God has ordained them ,

HOMILY XLVIII 59 3

according to His great and infinite k indness and lovetowards man . When man fell from the commandmentwhich he had received, and came under the sentence ofwrath, and was banished, as i t were, into captivity anddisgrace, or to toil in some mine , from the pleasure ofparad i se into this world

,and came under the power of

darkness , and was reduced to unbelief by the error of thepassions

,he fell thenceforward under the disorders and

maladies of the flesh,instead of being free from disorder

and malady,as before . And certainly all that are born of

him have fallen under the same disorders . 6 . God, therefore

,ordained these remedies for the weak and unbelieving,

not willing to destroy utterly the sinful race of men , becauseOf His great loving-kindness, but gave medicine to the menof the world

,and to all who are without, for solace, and

healing, and care of the body, and permitted them to beused by those who could not yet entrust themselves whollyto God . But you, a monk , who have come to Christ, anddesire to be a son of God, and to be born from on high Of

the Spirit, and are expecting promises higher and greaterthan the first man had

,for all his freedom from disorder,

even that God should please to give you the presence of theLord, — you , who are become a stranger to the world, oughtto possess a belief, and a con ception, and a manner of life,new and strange beyond all the men of the world . Gloryto the Father, and to the Son , and to the Holy Ghost, forever . Amen .

HOM ILY XLIX

I t i s not enough to have got r id of the pleasure of thi s world,un less a man gets the blessedness of the other .

I . WHEN a man has quitted his home, and renouncedthis world

,and has rid himsel f of the pleasure of the

world, and of possessions, and of father and mother, forthe Lord’s sake

,and has crucified himself, and made

himself a stranger and poor and needy,but does not find

in himself divine comfort instead of the comfort of theworld, nor feel the pleasure of the Spirit in his own soulinstead of the temporal pleasure

,and is not clothed in

the inward man with the garments of the light of theGodhead instead of those garments that perish, and doesnot know to satisfaction

,instead of this temporal and

carnal fellowship,the fellowship Of the heavenly Bride

groom in his own soul,and has not the joy of the Spirit

within instead of the tangible joy of this world,and does

not receive the solace of heavenly grace and a divine repletionin the soul i n the appearing to him of the glory Of theLord, as i t i s written ; 1 and, i n Short, instead of thistemporal enjoyment, does not Obtain even now in his ownsoul an enjoyment incorruptible

,greatly to be desired ;

this man is become salt without savour ; this man isbeyond all men mi serable ; this man has been deprivedof things here

,and failed to enjoy divine gifts . He does

1 The reference is to Ps . xvn . I5, where the LXX version of the

last clause is,I shall be filled to rep leti on i n the appear i ng of Thy

glory .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

306‘

FIF’

I‘

Y SPIRITUAL HOMILIES

i t has seemed good to God to make man partaker of thedivin e nature .

1

4 . I f,then

,you are going to withdraw from all the affairs

of thi s l ife,and if you persevere in your prayer, shall you

not esteem this labour rather to be full of rest,and shall

you not consider the l ittle affl iction and pain to be chargedwith joy and recreation exceeding great ? I f your bodyand your soul had been con sumed away hour after hourthroughout l ife for the sake of good things so great

,what

did that come to ? Oh, the unspeakable compassionof God , that He bestows Himself in free gift uponthose who believe

,that in a little space of time they

should inherit God , and God should dwell in man’s body,and that the Lord should find a fair home in man ! As

God created the heaven and the earth for man to dwellin

,so He created man ’s body and soul for a dwelling for

Himself,to inhabit and take His rest in the body as in

His own house,having for His fair bride the lovely soul

,

made after His own image . The apostle says, I have

espoused you to one husband, to presen t you as. a chaste

vi rgin to Chr i st2; and again , Whose house we are .

3

A s the husband with diligence treasures up all goodthings in his house

,so the Lord lays up and treasures in

the soul and body,which are His house

,the heavenly

wealth of the Spirit . Neither the wise by their wisdomnor the prudent by their prudence were able to comprehendthe subtilty of the soul, or to speak of i t as i t i s , but onlythose to whom through the Holy Ghost that comprehensionis revealed , and the exact knowledge concerning the souli s declared . Consider here

,and discern

,and understand

,

how. Listen . He is God ; the soul is not God . He isthe Lord ; i t i s a servant . He is Creator ; it i s a creature .He is the Maker ; i t the thing made . There i s -nothingcommon to His nature

,and to that of the soul . But by

1 2 Pet . i . 4.

22 Cor . x i . 2 .

3 Heb. i i i . 6.

HOMILY XLIX 59 7

reason of His infinite,unspeakable , inconceivable love and

compassion , i t pleased Him to dwell in this thing of Hismak ing, th is intell igent creature, this precious and extraord inary work, as the scripture says, that we should be a

kind of first/rui ts of Hi s creatures ,1 for His wisdom and

fellowsh ip, for His own habitation , for His own preciousand pure bride .

5. When such good things are set before us,and such

promises have been promised,and such has been the good

pleasure of the Lord towards u s, let us not neglect, O my

children,nor delay to press to the li fe eternal

,and to give

up ourselves entirely to pleasing the Lord . Let us,then ,

beseech the Lord that by His own power Of Godhead Hewould deliver us from the prison of the darkness of thepassions of shame

,and would cause His own image

and handiwork to shine up ,making the soul sound and

pure,and so we may be permitted to have the fellowship

Of the Spirit, glorifying the Father, the Son ,and the Holy

Ghost , for ever . Amen .

1Jas i . 18 .

HOMILY L

I t i s God that works wonders through Hi s sain ts .

1 . WHO was it that shut the doors of heaven ? El ias ?or was it God in him ,

who commanded the rain ? I trowthat He who wields power over heaven was Himself seatedin his mind

,and that by his tongue the Word of God

forbade rain to come down upon the earth,and Spake

again,and the gates of heaven were Opened

,and the rain

came down . Likewise also Moses put down a rod,and

it became a serpent, and he Spake again and it becamea rod ; and he took ashes of the furnace and sprinkled ,and it became boils ; and again he smote, and there camel ice and frogs . Could the nature of men do these things ?He spake to the sea

,and it was divided ; to the river, and

it was turned into blood . Well,it is plain that a heavenly

power was dwelling in his mind , and did these signsthrough Moses .

2 . David, how was he able, unarmed , to engage in battlewith such a giant ? And when he hurled the stone at thePhilistine

,by David ’s hand the hand of God guided the

stone,and i t was the d ivine power itself that slew him

and gained the victory . David could never have done ithe was too weak in body . Joshua, the son of Nun

, whenhe came to Jericho

,besieged it seven days

,unable to do

anything by his own nature ; but when God commanded,the walls fell down of themselves . An d when he enteredinto the land of promise , the Lord said to him,

“Go

308

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

31 9 FIFTY SPIR ITUAL HOMILIES

be w i th you un ti l the end of the world ? For every one that

seeketh, findeth

? If ye, being evi l,know how to give good

gi/ts un to your chi ldren ,how much more shall your heaven ly

Father give the Holy Spi ri t to them that ask Him 3w i th

pow er and much assurance,as the apostle says .4

Such things,then

,are found by measure

,and time, and

much labour, and patience,and affect ion towards Him ,

the senses of the soul bei ng exerci sed, as the scripture says, 5

through good and through evil,that is

,through the crafts

and plots and manifold besetments and lyings in wait ofevil on the one hand

,and on the other through the various

gifts and divers helps of the working and power of theSpirit . He who discovers the plotting of evil, defil ing theinward man by means of the passions

,and is not acquainted

himself with the help of the Holy Spirit of truth , strengthen ing his infirmity, and renewing his soul in gladness o fheart

,such an one goes his way without discernment, not

discovering as yet the manifold dispensation of the graceand peace of God . And on the other hand, he who i shelped by the Lord

,and is found in spiritual mirth and

heavenly gifts of grace,i f he should imagine that he i s

no longer liable to be injured by sin,i s deceived without

his knowing it,not discern ing the subt ilty of evil

,and not

understanding the gradual growth of infancy to maturityin Christ . For through the supply of the Holy and D ivineSpirit faith increases and makes progress , and at the sametime every stronghold of wicked thoughts passes graduallyto complete casti ng down .

6

Every one of us, therefore, ought to search whether hehas found the treasure i n this ear then vessel ,

7 whether hehas put on the purple of the Spirit

,whether he has seen

the King and found rest in His near presence, or still

1 Matt. xxvi i i . 20 .

2 Matt . vi i . 83 Luk e x i . I 3 .

4 I Thess . i . 5.

6 Heb. v . I 4 .

6 The re ference is to 2 Cor . x . 4 .

72 Cor . iv. 7.

HOMILY I. 3 1 I

serves in the outermost parts of the house . The soul hasmany members, and great depth ; and besides, s in hascome in and taken possession of all its members and of

the ranges of the heart . Then,when man seeks

,grace

comes to him , and takes possession, i t may be of twomembers of the soul . So the inexperienced man

,being

comforted by grace, imagines that grace has taken possess ion of all the members Of his soul

,and that s in i s rooted

out . But the greatest part is stil l under the power of sin,

and only one part under grace ; and he is cheated andknows it not.We might write at greater length concerning these thingsto your sincerity of disposition

,but we have given you thus

briefly a start ing~

po in t , that like men of understanding youmay go to work upon it and search out the power of thewords and become yet more understanding in the Lord,and increase your singleness of heart in His grace and in thepower of the truth, so that holding fast your own salvationwith all certainty

,and being delivered from all interference

of wickedness and craft of the adversary, you may havethe privilege to be found unfallen and uncondemned inthe day of judgment Of our Lord Jesus Christ ; to whombe glory for ever . Amen .

Gen . i . 26

i i . 24i i i . 5

1 i i i . 18

i i i . 24iv . 12

xv. 13xv i i i . 2 7

INDEX OF SCR IPTUREREFERENCES

Exod . i . 14i i . 2 3 f.

i i i . 8

vi i . I

x i i . 2

x i i . 42

XV. I Ixxxi i . 24xxxi i i . 15.

xxxiv . 2 8 .

L ev . i i . I 3x i . 3x iv . 4xx i . 17

N um . v . 2

x x i . 8

D eut. i v. 24v i . 5v ii . I 7xv . 9xvn 8

Josh . 11. 9v . 14

I K i ngs xvm . 44x i x . 12

2 K ings vi . 15

Job i . I I1. 20

xxxix . 25

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 14 INDEX

PAG E

42 2 1

1582 66

12 1

30

. 129106

33

300

1 10

51 2 73

198

209

9 2

136 I 44172

13, 84 f.

2 2412 8

2 20

10

272 243259

162, 180 ,195, 24O

40: 1251 3052 69

10

2 7100

39100

2 26

2 3 1

552 76

0 55

2 26

1 rh

68

98

. 158

Rom . x i i i . Io

i x . 10

INDEX 3 15

0

. 1356,

135.

101

108

2 729 1

9 1

96

254

I 72 7

. 192 15 208

I 7S253

INDEX

PA G EI 79.

Z O7168

170

2 32 1072551841 132 79193

I44 1 1742 2 32 2 305160

202

2

7178, 207

2 32

193

3 10

1 15

5514

24 1

204183I 792071 1 1

19 1

2 83

30519 1

202

2 17

PR INTED IN GREAT BR ITA IN BY R ICHARD C L AY SONS , L IMITED,

BUNGAY , S UF FOL K .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

ra n s la t ion s of Ea rly Documen tsA S e rie s o f t e x ts impor t an t fo r the s tudy of Chri s t iano r ig in s . Unde r the ]L

igh t Ed i t o r ship of the Rev .

W . O . E . O ESTER L EY, D .D . ,

and the Rev . C anonG . H . Box , D .D .

he object of thi s S er i es i s to provi de short , cheap and handytex tbooks for s tuden ts , ei ther work ing by themselves or i n

classes . The a im i s to furn i sh i n tran sla ti on s importan ttex ts un encumbered by commen tary or elaborate n otes

,w hich

can be had i n larger works .

FIRST SERIES— Palestinian=Jewish and

Cognate Texts (Pre=Rabbinic)

1. J ew ish Docum en t s of the Tim e of E z raTranslated from the A ramaic by A . E . COWLEY , L i t t .D . ,

Sub-Librarian of the Bodleian Library,Oxford .

4s . 6d . net.

2. The Wisdom of Ben -S ira (Eccle sias t icus)By the Rev . W . O . E . OESTER L EY

,D .D . ,

V icar ofS t . A lban’s , Bedford Park, W . ; Examining Chaplain tothe Bishop of London . 3s . 6d . net .

3 . The Book of En ochBy the Rev. R . H . CHARLES , D .D . , Canon of Westminster. 3s . 6d . net .

4. The Book of J ubi le e sBy the Rev. Canon CHARLES . 4s . 6d. net .

5. The Te stam en ts of the Tw e lve Patr iar chsBy the Rev. Canon CHARLES . 3s. 6d . net.

6. The Ode s and Psalm s of So lomon

By the Rev. G .

'

H . Box , D .D . ,Rector of Sutton ,

Beds . , Hon . Canon of S t . A lbans .

7. The Ascen s ion of IsaiahBy the R ev. Canon CHAR LES . Together with NO . 1 0

in one volume . 4s . 6d . net .

Translations of Early Documen ts (con tinued)

8 . The Apocalypse of Ez ra (11. Esdras)By the Rev. Canon Box . 3s. 6d . net .

9 . The Apocalyp se of BaruchBy the Rev. Canon CHARLES . Together with No .

in one volume. 3s . 6d . net.

10. The Apocalyp se of AbrahamBy the R ev. Canon Box . Together with NO . 7one volume . 4s . 6d . net.

The Te stamen ts of Abraham , Isaacan d J acobBy the Rev. Canon BOX and S . GASEL EE .

The Assump t ion of Mose s

By Rev. W. J . FERRAR ,M .A . Wi th No . 9 in one

volume . 3s . 6d. net.

The B iblical An t iqu i t ie s of Phi loBy M . R . JAMES , L i t t .D . ,

Hon . L i tt .D . ,

Dublin, Hon . L L .D . , S t . Andrews, Provost of King’s

College, Cambridge . 8 s . 6d . net.

The L ost Apocrypha of the O ld Te stam en t

By M. R . JAMES , L i t t .D . 5s . 6d . net .

SECOND SERIES — Hellenistic=Jewish Texts

l . The W isdom of Solomon

By W. O . E . OESTER L EY , D .D . 3s . 6d . net.

2. The S ibyllin e O racle s (Books i i i-V )By the Rev. H . N . BATE, M .A . ,

Examining Chaplainto the Bishop of London . 3s . 6d . net .

3 . The L e t te r of Ar is teasBy H . ST. JOHN THACKERAY, M .A King’s College,Cambridge . 3s . 6d . net .

4. S e lec t ion s from Phi lo

Transla tions of Early Documents (continued)

Se lec t ion s from J osephusBy H . ST. J. THACKERAY, M .A . 5s . net .

6. The Th ir d and Four th Booksof Maccabe esBy the Rev. C . W. EMMET, B .D . 3s. 6d . net.

The Book of J o seph and AsenathTranslated from the Greek text

‘

by E . W. BROOKS .

3s . 6d. net .

THIRD SERIES— Palestinian=Jewish and

Cognate Texts (Rabbinic)* l . The Say ings of the J ew ish Fathe r s (F irke

Abo th) .Translated from the Hebrew by W. O . E .

OESTER L EY ,D .D . 5s . net .

*2. Trac tat e Be rako th (Bened ic t ion s) . Translated with Introduction and Notes by A . L UKYN

W I LL IAMS,D .D .

*3 . Y oma . By the Rev. Canon Box .

*4. Shabbath . By W. O . E . OESTER L EY , D .D .

*5. Tractat e Sanhedr in . M ishnah and Tosefta .

The Judicial procedure of the Jews as codified towardsthe end of the second century A .D . Translated fromthe Hebrew

,with brief Annotations, by the Rev.

HER BERT DAN BY,M .A . 6s . net .

*6 . K imh i’

s C omm e n tary on the Psalm s

(Book'

I , Se lec t ion s) ,By the Rev. R . G . F INCH ,

B .D . 7s. 6d . net .

7. Tam id 11. Megi lla

8 . Aboda Z ara 12. Sukka9 . M iddo th 13 . Taan i th

10. Sophe r im 14. M egi llath Taan i th

I t is proposed to publish these texts fi rst by way of experimen t . If

the S eries should so far p rove successful the o thers w ill follow . N os. 1 ,

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

Transla tions of Christian L i tera ture (continued)

S ERIES l . — GREEK TEXTS (con tinued) .

Th e Doc t r i n e of t he Tw e l ve Apos t le s . By C . B IGG ,D .D . Revised by the R ight Rev. A . J . MACLEAN

,D .D .

3s . 6d . net.*Th e Ep i s t le t o Diog n e t us . By the R t . Rev. L. B .

RADFORD,D .D . 2 s. net .

S t . Dion y s iu s of A lexan d r i a . By C . L . FE L TOE,D .D .

4s. net .*Th e Epi s t le of t he Ga llican Chu rch e s : L ugdun um

a n d Vi en n a . W i th an Append ix containing Tertullian ’

s

Address to Martyrs and the Passion of S t . Perpetua . ByT . H . HINDLEY, D .D . 1 s. 9d. net .

* S t . G reg o ry of Ny s sa : The Ca t ech e t ica l Ora t ion .

By the Ven . J . H . S RAW L EY,D .D . 2 s . 6d . net.

*S t . G reg ory of Ny s s a : Th e L i fe of S t . Macr i na . ByW. K . LOWTHER CLARKE , B .D . 1s . 9d . net .

G reg ory Thaum a t u rgus (Or ig e n t he Teach e r) : t he

Add re ss of G reg ory t o Or i ge n , w i t h Or ig e n’

s

L e t t e r t o G regory . By W. METCALFE, B .D . 3s . 6d .

net . [R e-issue.

*Th e S h e ph e rd of He rm a s . By C . TAYLOR, D .D . 2 vols .2 s. 6d . each net .

Eu sebiu s : Th e P roof of t h e G osp e l . By W. J . FERRAR2 vols . gos . net . (ZVot sold

Hi pp oly t us : Ph i losoph um e n a . By F. LEGGE . 2 vols .30s . net . (ZVot sola

’

separa tely . )

Th e Ep i s t le s of S t . Ig n a t ius . By the Ven . J . H .

SRAW L EY,D .D. 4s . net .

*S t . Ire n aeu s : Ag a i n s t t h e He re s ie s . By F . R . M .

H ITCHCOCK,D .D . 2 vols . 2 s. 6d . each net.

Pa llad ius : Th e L au s i ac His t ory . By W . K . L OWTHERCLARKE, B .D . 5s . net.

S ERIES l . — GREEK TEXTS (con tinued) .

The Dia log u e of Pa llad i us con ce rn i ng t he L i fe of

Ch ry sos t om . By HERBERT MOORE .

Fi ft y S p i r i t ua l Hom i li e s of S t . Maca r ius t h e Egy p t ian .

By A . J . MASON ,D .D .

S ERIES II. — L ATIN TEXTS .

Te r t ullian’

s Tr ea t i s es con ce rn in g P ray e r , con ce rn ingBap t i sm . By A . SOUTER , D . L i t t . 3s . net .

Te r t u llian aga in st P raxeas . By A . SOUTER , D . L i tt .

5s. net .

Te r t u l l ian con ce rn ing t h e Re s u rrec t i on of t he Fles h .

By A . SOUTER , D . L i tt .

No va t ian on t he Tr i n i ty . By H . MOORE . 65 . net .*S t . Augus t in e : The C i ty of G od . By F . R . M . H ITCH

COCK , D .D . 2 5 . net .*S t . Cy p r ian : The L ord

’

s P ray e r . By T . H . B IND L EY ,D .D . 2 s . net .

M in uc ius Fe l ix : The Oc t a v i us . By J . H . FREESE .3s . 6d . net .

*Te r t u ll ia n : On t h e Te s t im on y of t h e S ou l a n d On

t h e P res cr i pt ion of He re t ics . By T . H . B IND L EY ,D .D . 2 s . 6d . net .

*S t . V in ce n t of L e r i n s : Th e Comm on i t ory . By T . H .

B IN UL EY,D .D . 2 s . 6d . net .

S t . B e rn a rd : Co n ce rn i n g G ra c e an d Fr e e W i ll . ByWATKIN W . WI LL IAMS . 7s . 6d . net .

The L i fe of Ot t o : Ap ost le of Pom eran ia , 1060 - 1 13 9 .

By Em and HERBORDUS . Translated by CHARLES H .

ROB IN SON,D .D . 85 . 6d . net .

An skar , t h e Apos t le of t h e Nor t h , 8 01 — 8 65 . ByCHARLES H . ROBIN SON , D .D . Translated from the V itaAn skari i by B ISHOP R IMBERT, his fellow -miss ionary andsuccessor. [Published by

7

Translations of Christian L i terature (con tinued)

S ERIES 11.— L ATIN TEXTS (con tinued) .

S e lect Ep is t le s of S t . Cy p r ian t rea t ing of t he

Ep i scopa t e . E dited with Introduct ion and Notes byT . A . LACEY, M .A .

S ERIES III. -L ITURG ICA L TEXTS .

EDITED BY C. L . FE L TOE ,D .D .

S t . Am brose : On t he My s t e r i es and on t h e S acra

m en t s . By T . THOMPSON ,B .D .

,and J . H . SRAW L EY ,

D .D . 4s . 6d . net .*Th e Apos t o l ic Con st i t ut ion an d Cogn at e Docum en t s ,

w i t h s p ec i a l refe re n ce t o t he i r L i t urg ica l e lem en ts .

By DE LACY O ’LEARY,D .D . 15. 9d . net .

*Th e L i t u rgy of t h e Eigh t h Book of t he Apos t o l ic

Con st i t u t ion , comm on ly ca lled t he C lem en t i n e

L i t urgy . By R . H . CRESSWELL . 2 s . net .The P i lg r im ag e of Et he r i a . By M . L . Mcc L URE . 6s . net .*B i shop S a rap ion

’s P ray e r -Book . By the R t . Rev . J .

WORDSWORTH,D .D . z s. net .

The Sw ed is h Ri t e . By E . E . YELVERTON . 8 s . 64. net .

Tw e n t y-fi ve Con secra t ion P ray e rs . Wi th Notes and

Introduction . By ARTHUR L INTON .

S ERIES IV.— ORIENTAL TEXTS .

Th e Et h iop ic Didasca l ia . By J . M . HARDEN ,B .D. os. net .

The Ap os t olic P reach i n g of Ire n aeus (Arm en ian ) . ByJ . A . ROB IN SON ,

D .D . 7s . 6d . net .

S ERIES V .— L IVES OF THE CE L TIC SA INTS .

EDITED BY ELEANOR HULL.

S t . Ma lachy of A rm agh (S t . Be rn ard ) . By H . J .

LAWLOR,D .D . 1 2s . net .

The L a t in an d Ir i s h L ives of C ia ra n . Translated andAnnotated by R . A . STEWART MACALISTER , L itt .D . , F .S .A .

S t . Pa t r i ck : L ife an d Work s . By N . J . D . WH ITE, D .D .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

Helps for S tuden ts of History (continued) .

The Ca re of Docum e n t s . By C . JOHNSON ,M .A . 6d . net.

The L og ic of His t ory . By C . G . CRUMP . 8d . net .

Docum en t s i n t he P ubl ic Record Office , Dub lin .

By R . H . MURRAY , L i t t .D . 8d . net .

8 . Th e Fren ch Wa rs of Re lig ion . By ARTHUR A . T I LLEY,M .A . 6d . net .

By S ir A . W . WARD, L IED F.B.A .

Th e P e r i od of Con g resses— I. In t roduc t ory . 8d . net .

. The Pe r iod of Cong res se s— II. Vi en na and t h e

S econ d Peace of Pa r i s . 1 5 . net .

The Pe r i od of Con g re s se s— III. A ix -la -Chape lle

t o Ve ron a . I s . net .Nos . 9 , 1 0

,and I I in one volume

,cloth

, 3s . 6d. net .

S ecu r i t ie s of Peace : A Ret ros p ect ( I S4S— 19 I4) .Paper

,z s . net ; cloth , 3s . net .

Th e Fren ch Ren a i s san ce . By A . A . T I LLEY, M .A .

8d . net .

Hi n t s on t h e S t udy of En g l ish Econ om ic His t ory .

By W . CUNN INGHAM, D .D . , P .S .A . 8d . net .

Pa r i s h Hi s t ory an d Record s . By A . HAM I LTONTHOMPSON ,

M .A . ,P .S .A . 8d . net .

A S ho r t In t rod uc t i on t o t he S t udy

.

of Co lon ia l

Hi s t ory . By A . P . NEWTON ,M .A . , D . L it t . net .

Th e Wa n de r i n g s a n d Hom es of Man us cr i p t s . ByM . R . JAMES , L i tt .D .

,E .B .A . Paper, 2 s . ; cloth, 3s . net.

Ecc le s ia s t ica l Record s . By the Rev . CLAUDE JENKIN S,

M .A . ,Librarian of Lambeth Palace . 1 s . 9d . net .

An In t roduc t ion t o t h e Hi s t ory of Am e r i can

Di p lomacy . By CARL RUSSELL F ISH, Ph .D . I s . not ,

Helps for S tudents of History (con tinued) .

Hi n t s on Tra n s la t ion from L a t i n i n t o En g li s h .

By ALEXANDER SOUTER , D . L i tt . 6d . net .

Hi n t s on t he S t udy of L a t i n (A .O . 12 5 ByALEXANDER SOUTER

,D . L i t t . 8d . net .

Report of t h e Hi s t or ica l MS S . Comm i s s ion . ByR . A . ROBERTS , 2s. 6d . net .

A G u ide t o Franc is can S t ud ies . By A . G . L ITTLE .

1s . 6d . net .

A G u id e to t he Hi s t ory of Educa t ion . By JOHNWI LLIAM ADAMSON . 8d . net .

In t roduct ion t o t h e S t udy of Rus s ian Hi s t ory .

By W. F . REDDAWAY . 6d . net .

2 6 . Mon um e n t s of En g l i sh Mun ic ipa l L ife . By W.

CUNN INGHAM , D .D F .E .A . I s . net .

2 7. L a G uy en n e Pen dan t la Dom in a t ion Ang la i s e ,

1 152= 1453 . Par CHARLES BEMONT. 1s . 4d . net.

2 8 . Th e Hi s t or ica l C r i t ic ism of Docum en t s . By R . L .

MARSHALL, M .A ., L L .D . I s . net .

2 9 . The French Re vo lu t ion . By G . P . GOOCH . 8d . net .

30 . S ea ls . By H . S . K INGSFORD . 1 s . 3d . net .

3 I . A S t uden t ’s G u i d e t o t h e Man u sc r i p t s of t h e B r i t i sh

Museum . By JUL IUS P . G ILSON , M .A . I s . net .

3 2 . A S ho r t Gu id e t o s om e Man usc r i p t s i n t h e L ibra ry

of Tr i n i t y Co lleg e , Dubli n . By ROBERT H . MURRAY,L i t t .D . 1 s . 9d .

33—

35. Ire lan d . NO . 33 , 1494— 1 603 ; NO . 34 , 1 603

- 1 7 14 ;

NO . 35, 1 714— 18 2 9 . By R . H . MURRAY, L i tt.D . Each ,

I s . net .Nos. 3 3

—

35 in one volume . 35. 6d. net.

36 . Co in s an d Meda ls . By G . F. H ILL,M .A .

, E. B .A .

1 5 . 6d . net .

Th e L a t i n Or i en t . By WI LL IAM M I LLER, M .A .

1s . 6d . net .

The Turk i s h Re s t orat ion i n G reece , I 7 18 - I 79 7 .

By WI LL IAM M I LLER,M .A . 1 s . 3d . net.

S ources for t h e His t o ry of Roman Cat ho lics i n

Eng lan d , Ire land a n d S cot lan d . From the Reformation period to that of the Emancipation

, 1533- 1 795.

By JOHN .HUNGER FORD POLLEN , S .J. I s . 3d . net.

En g li s h Tim e Book s .— Vo l . I. En g lish Regn a l

Yea rs an d Ti t le s , Hand - l i s t s , Eas t e r Da t e s , e t c .

Compiled by J . E . W. WALLI S, M .A . 1 0 2 pp . 4s . net .

Kn igh t s of Ma lt a , 152 3— 479 8 . By R . COHEN . 2 s . net .

Records for t he Ea r ly Hi s t ory of S out h Afr ica . ByC . GRAHAM BOTHA . 1 5. net .

The W e s t e rn Man uscr i p t s of t he Bod le ian L ibra ry .

By H . H . E . CRASTER , D . L i tt . 1 s . 3d . net .

The S to ry of the En g lish Town s

The Tim e s L i t e rary Supplem en t sa ys :“ This a ttra c t ive se r ie s .

The Bookman says :“ A s e r ie s tha t i s to be comm e nde d .

”

Popular but Scholarly Histories of English Towns , for thegeneral reader

,but suitable also for use in schools . With

Maps,P lans

,and Illustrations . Cloth boards . 4s . net .

B i rm ing ham . By J. H . B . MASTERMAN .

Harroga t e an d Kn a re s borough . By J . S . FLETCHER .

L e ed s . By J . S . FLETCHER .

Not t i n gham . By E . L . GU I LFORD , M.A .

Pe t e rborough . By K . and R . E . ROBERTS .

1 2

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

General Editors : CAROL INE A. J . SKEEL . D.L it . ; H. J. WHITE, DDJ. P. WHITNEY. D.D.. D.C.L .

I . S e lec t Passage s from J ose ph us , Tac i t u s , Sue t on ius ,Dio Cass iu s , i l lustrative of Chris tianity in the FirstCentury . Arranged by H . J . WH ITE, D .D . 3d . net .

2 . S e lect ion s from Ma t t hew Pa r i s . By C. A . J . SKEEL ,D .L i t . 9d . net .

3 . S e lect ion s from G i ra ldus Cam bre ns i s . By C . A . J .

SK EEL,D . L i t . 9d . net .

4 . L ibr i S an ct i Pa t r icn . The Latin Writ ings of S t .

Patrick,etc . By N EWPORT J . D .WH ITE

,D .D . 6d . n e t .

5. A Tran s la t ion of t he L a t i n W r i t i n g s of S t . Pa t r ick .

By NEWPORT J . D . WH ITE, D .D . 6d . net.

6 . S e lec t ion s from t he Vu lga t e . 9d . net.

7. The Ep is t le of S t . C lem e n t of Rom e . 6d . net .

8 . S e lect Ex t rac t s from Ch ron ic le s a n d Record s re

la t in g t o En g l ish Tow n s i n t he M id d le Ag e s .

Edited,with Introduction , Notes, and G lossary, by

F. J . C . HEARNSHAW,M .A .

,LL .D. 9d . net .

9 . The In s cr i p t ion on t he S t e le of MeSa . Commonlycalled the Moabite S tone . The tex t in Moabite andHebrew

,translated by the Rev. H . F . B . COMPSTON ,

M.A . 6d . net .

I o . Th e Ep i s t le s of S t . Ig n a t i us . Edited by T . W.

CRAFER , D .D . I s . net .

I I . Ch r i s t ian In sc r ip t ion s . By H . P . V . NUNN ,M .A .

With two I llustrations . I s . net .

1 2 . S e lect ion s from t he Hi s t or ia Re rum An g l ica rum

of W i lliam of New burg h . 1 s . 3d . net .

I 3 . Th e Teach i n g of t he Tw e lve Apos t le s . By T. W.

GRAPER , D .D . 4d . net .

I 4 . The Ep i s t le of Ba rn abas . Edited by T . W. CRAFER ,D .D . 6d . net .

15. The Cod e of Hamm u rabi . By PERCY HANDCOCK,M .A .

1 5 . net .

S e lect ion s from t h e Te ll El -Am a rn a L e t t e rs . ByPERCY HANDCOCK, M .A . 4d . net .

S e lect Pa ssag e s Illus t ra t ing Comm e rc ia l an d Di p lo

m a t ic Re la t i on s be t w ee n En g lan d an d Rus s ia .

By A . WEINER ,M .A . , 1 s . 6d . net .

Th e Ea rly Hi s t ory of t he S la von ic S e t t lem e n t s i n

Da lm at ia , Croa t ia an d S e rbia . By J . B . BURY,F .E .A . as. net .

S e lect Ex t ract s Illus t ra t i ng Flo ren t in e L ife i n t he

Th i r t e e n t h an d Fou r t ee n t h Cen t u r i es . By E . G .

ROPER ,B .A . I s . net .

S el ect Ex t rac t s Illus t ra t in g Floren t in e L ife i n t h e

F ift ee n t h Ce n t u ry . By ESTHER G . ROPER , B A .

1 5 . net .

2 1 . It in e ra r i um Reg i s Rica rd i . By M . T. STEAD . 15 . 9d .

2 2 . The S econ d Ep i s t le of Clem e n t t o t he Co r i n t h ian s .

Edited by T. W. GRAPER, D .D . 6d . n e t .

2 3 . S e lect Ex t ract s Illus t rat ing S por t s an d Pa s t im es

i n t h e M i d d le Ag es . By E . L . GU ILFORD , M .A .

1s . 9d . net.

24 . Baby lon ian Flood S t or i e s . By P . HANDCOCK , M .A .

6d . net .

2 5. Baby lon i an Pen i t e n t ia l Ps a lm s . By P . HANDCOCK ,M .A . 6d . net .

2 6 . The Hym n of C lean t h es . Greek text translated intoEngl ish , with brief Introduction and Notes by E . H .

B LAKENEY , M.A . 6d . net .

2 7. Th e Foun da t ion s of Mod ern Ire land . Part I . The

C ivil Policy of Henry V I I I . and the Reformat i on . ByCON STANT IA MAXWELL , M .A. 1 s . 6d . net .

l 5

The Man che s t e r G uardian sa y s :“ Adm i rable P io ne e rs

of Prog re s s ’

se r ie s .

MEN OF SCIENCE : Editedby S . CHAPMAN .M.A . , D.SC .

Each with a Portrait. Paper cover,1 s . 6d . cloth

,2 s . 6d . net .

Ga l i leo . By W. W. BRYANT,F

M ichae l Fa raday . By J . A. CROWTHER , D .Sc.

Alfred Rus s e l Wa llace . Th e S t o ry of a G rea t Di s

cov e re r . By LANCELOT T . HOGBEN , B .A.,B .Sc.

J os eph Pr i e s t ley . By D . H . PEACOCK , B .A .,M .Sc . , F . I .C .

J oseph Da lt on Hook e r , O .M C . B F .R. S

M .D . , e t c . By Professor F . O . BOWER,Sc .D .

,F .R .S .

He rs che l . By the Rev. HECTOR MACPHERSON,M .A

Arch im ed e s . By S ir THOMAS L . HEATH , F .R .S .

The Cope rn icus of An t iqu i t y (Ar i s t a rchus of S am os) .By S ir THOMAS L . HEATH , F .R S .

J ohn Da lt on . By L . J . NEV I LLE-POLLEY, B .Sc .

Kep le r . By WALTER W . BRYAN T,

EMPIRE BUIL DERS Edited by A . P . NEWTON, M.A . ,

D. L itt . , B.se . , and W . BA SI L WORSFO L D, M .A .

With Portrait . 7}X 5. Paper cover, 1 s . 6di cloth, 2 s . 6d . net .

S i r Fran c i s Drak e . By WALTER J . HARTE, .M .A .

S i r Robe rt S an d em an . By A . L . P . TUCKER , C . I .E .

WOMEN : Edited by ETHEL M. BARTON .

With Illustrations . Paper cover, 2 5. 6d . ; cloth , 3s. 6d .

Flo re n ce N igh t in ga le . By E . F . HALL .

Do rot h ea B ea le . By ELI Z ABETH H . SHILLITO, B .A .