Doctrine without Practice censured.

365

HOMILY XXIV.

MATT. vii. 21.

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven, but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in Heaven.

VII.22.

WHEREFORE said He not, "But he that doeth My will?" MATT. Because for the time it was a great gain for them to receive even this first; yea it was very great, considering their weakAnd moreover He intimated the one also by the other. And withal this may be mentioned, that in fact there is no other will of the Son besides that of the Father.

ness.

And here He seems to me to be censuring the Jews chiefly, laying as they did the whole stress upon the doctrines, and taking no care of practice. For which Paul also blames them, saying, 'Behold thou art called a Jew, and 1Rom.2, restest in the Law, and makest thy boast of God, and 17. 18. knowest His will: but thou art nothing advantaged thereby, so long as the manifestation by life and by works is not there.

But He Himself staid not at this, but said also what was much more: that is,

Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we v. 22. not prophesied in Thy name? For "not only," saith He, "is he that hath faith, if his life be neglected, cast out of Heaven, but though, besides his faith, he have wrought many signs, yet if he have done nothing good, even this man is equally shut out from that sacred porch." For many will say unto Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? Seest thou how He secretly brings in Himself also

XXIV.

366

Some, after real Miracles, rejected.

HOMIL. here and afterwards, having now finished His whole exhort1,2. ation? how He implies Himself to be judge? For that punishment awaits such as sin, He hath signified in what precedes; and now Who it is That punishes, He here proceeds to unfold.

v. 23.

And He said not openly, I am He, but, Many will say unto Me; making out again the same thing. Since were He not the judge, how could He have told them,

And then will I profess unto them, depart from Me, I never knew you?

66

Not only in the time of the judgment, but not even then, when ye were working miracles," saith He. Therefore He Luke said also to His disciples, Rejoice not, that the devils are 10, 20. subject unto you, but because your names are written in

Heaven. And every where He bids us practise great care of our way of life. For it is not possible for one living rightly, and freed from all the passions, ever to be overlooked; but though he chance to be in error, God will quickly draw him over to the truth.

But there are some who say, "they made this assertion falsely;" and this is their account why such men are not saved. Nay then it follows that His conclusion is the contrary of what He intends. For surely His intention is to make out that faith is of no avail without works. Then, enhancing it, He added miracles also, declaring that not only faith, but the exhibiting even of miracles, avails nothing for him who works such wonders without virtue. Now if they had not wrought them, how could this point have been made out here? And besides, they would not have dared, when the judgment was come, to say these things to His face: and the very reply too, and their speaking in the way of question, implies their having wrought them: I mean, that they, having seen the end contrary to their expectation, and after they had been here admired among all for their miracles, beholding themselves there with nothing but punishment awaiting them ;-as amazed and marvelling they say, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? how then dost thou turn from us now? What means this strange and unlooked-for end?"

[2.] But though they marvel, because they are punished after working such miracles, yet do not thou marvel. For all the

Miraculous Gifts without Holiness.

367

VII.23.

grace was of the free gift of Him that gave it, but they con- MATT. tributed nothing on their part; wherefore also they are justly punished, as having been ungrateful and without feeling towards Him that had so honoured them, as to bestow His grace upon them though unworthy.

"What then," saith one, "did they perform such things while working iniquity?" Some indeed say that it was not at the time when they did these miracles that they also committed iniquity, but that they changed afterwards, and wrought their iniquity. But if this be so, a second time the point at which He is labouring fails to be established. For what He took pains to point out is this; that neither faith nor miracles avail where practice is not: to which effect Paul also said, Though I have faith, so that I could remove mountains, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge, and have not charity, I am nothing1. "Who then are these1 Cor. 13, 2. men?" you ask. Many of them that believed received gifts such as He that was casting out devils2, and was not with 2 Mark Him; such as Judas; for even he too, wicked as he was, 9, 38. had a gift. And in the Old Testament also this may be 9, 49. found, in that Grace hath oftentimes wrought upon unworthy persons, that it might do good to others. That is, since all men were not meet for all things, but some were of a pure life, not having so great faith, and others just the contrary; by these sayings, while He urges the one to shew forth much faith, the others too He was summoning by this His unspeakable Gift to become better men. Wherefore also with great abundance did He bestow that grace. For we wrought, it is said, many mighty works. But then will I profess unto them, I knew you not. For "now indeed they suppose they are my friends; but then shall they know, that not as to friends did I give to them."

Luke

And why marvel if He hath bestowed gifts on men that have believed on Him, though without life suitable to their faith, when even on those who have fallen from both these, He is unquestionably found working? For so Balaam was an alien both from faith and from a truly good life; nevertheless Grace wrought on him for the service3 of other men. And Pharaoh 3 oixovotoo was of the same sort: yet for all that even to him He μív. signified the things to come. And Nebuchadnezzar was very

XXIV.

368 Our Lord's Repetition of the Need of Practice.

HOMIL. full of iniquity; yet to him again He revealed what was to 2, 3. follow after many generations'. And again to the son of this 'Dan. 3. last, though surpassing his father in iniquity, He signified

the things to come, ordering a marvellous and great dispens2Dan. 5. ation2. Accordingly because then also the beginnings of the Gospel were taking place, and it was requisite that the manifestation of its power should be abundant, many even of the unworthy used to receive gifts. Howbeit, from those miracles no gain accrued to them; rather they are the more punished. Wherefore unto them did He utter even that fearful saying, I never knew you: there being many for whom His hatred begins already even here; whom He turns away from, even before the judgment.

v. 24.

Let us fear therefore, beloved; and let us take great heed to our life, neither let us account ourselves worse off, in that we do not work miracles now. For that will never be any advantage to us, as neither any disadvantage in our not working them, if we take heed to all virtue. Because for the miracles we ourselves are debtors, but for our life and our doings we have God our debtor.

[3.] Having now, you see, finished all, having discoursed accurately of all virtue, and pointed out the pretenders to it, of divers kinds, both such as for display fast and make prayers, and such as come in the sheep's hide; and them too that spoil it, whom He also called swine and dogs: He proceeds to signify how great is the profit of virtue even here, and how great the mischief of wickedness, by saying,

Whosoever therefore heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them, shall be likened unto a wise man.

As thus: What they shall suffer who do not, (although they work miracles,) ye have heard; but ye should know also what such as obey all these sayings shall enjoy; not in the world to come only, but even here. For whosoever, saith He, heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, shall be likened to a wise man.

Seest thou how He varies His discourse; at one time saying, Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, and revealing Himself; at another time, He that doeth the will of My Father; and again, bringing in Himself as Judge, For many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we

Sanctions of Christ's Law even in this Life.

VII.25.

369 not prophesied in Thy name, and I will say, I know you not. And MATT. here again He indicates Himself to have the power over all, this being why He said, Whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine. Thus whereas all His discourse had been touching the future; of a kingdom, and an unspeakable reward and consolation, and the like; His will is, out of things here also to give them their fruits, and to signify how great is the strength of virtue even in the present life. What then is this her strength? To live in safety, to be easily subdued by no terror, to stand superior to all that despitefully use us. To this what can be equal? For this, not even he that wears the diadem can provide for himself, but that man who follows after virtue. For he alone is possessed of it in full abundance: in the ebb and flow of the things present he enjoys a great calm. The truly marvellous thing being this, that not in fair weather, but when the storm is vehement, and the turmoil great, and the temptations continual, he cannot be shaken ever so little.

For the rain descended, saith He, the floods came, the v. 25. winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded upon the rock.

By rain here, and floods, and winds, He is expressing metaphorically the calamities and afflictions that befal men; such as false accusations, plots, bereavements, deaths, loss of friends, vexations from strangers, all the ills in our life that any one could mention. "But to none of these," saith He, "doth such a soul give way; and the cause is, it is founded on the rock." He calls the stedfastness of His doctrine a rock; because in truth His commands are stronger than any rock, setting one above all the waves of human affairs. For he who keeps these things strictly, will not have the advantage of men only when they are vexing him, but even of the very devils plotting against him. And that it is not vain boasting so to speak, Job is our witness, who received all the assaults of the Devil, and stood unmoveable; and the Apostles too are our witnesses, for that when the waves of the whole world were beating against them, when both nations and princes, both their own people and strangers, both the evil spirits, and the Devil, and every engine was set in motion, they stood firmer than a rock, and dispersed it all.

And now, what can be happier than this kind of life?