III.

For so we shall both easily repulse all hostile devices, and MATT. attain unto the incorruptible crowns: by the grace and 4-6. love towards man of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom be unto the Father glory, might, and honour, together with the Holy Ghost, now, and always, even for ever and ever. Amen.

L

146 Contrast of the Pharisees and People in respect of the Baptist.

HOMILY XI.

HOMII.

XI.

1 Luke 20, 5.

MATT. iii. 7.

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

How then doth Christ say, that they did not believe John1? Because this was not believing, to decline receiving Him whom he preached. For so they thought they regarded their Prophets and their Lawgiver, nevertheless He said they had not regarded them, forasmuch as they received not Him, that was foretold by them. For if ye had believed 2 John Moses, saith He, ye would have believed Me2. And after this again, being asked by Christ, The Baptism of John, 3 Matt. whence is it? they said, If we shall say, Of earth, we fear the people; if we shall say, From heaven, He will say unto us, How then did ye not believe him?

5, 46.

21, 25. 26.

So that from all these things it is manifest, that they came indeed and were baptized, yet they did not abide in the belief of that which was preached. For John also points out their wickedness, by their sending unto the Baptist, and saying, Art thou Elias? Art thou Christ? wherefore he also 4 John added, they which were sent were of the Pharisees*. "What then? were not the multitudes also of this same mind?" one may say. Nay, the multitudes in simplicity of mind had this suspicion, but the Pharisees, wishing to lay hold of Him. For since it was acknowledged that Christ comes out of the village of David, and this man was of the tribe of Levi, they laid a snare by the question, in order that

1, 24.

His Plainness: discerning of Spirits: mixture of Praise. 147

III. 7.

if he should say any such thing they might quickly come MATT. upon him. This at any rate he hath declared by what. follows; for on his not acknowledging any of the things which they expected, even so they take hold of him, saying, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not the Christ1?

1 John

1, 25.

And to convince thee that the Pharisees came with one mind, and the people with another, hear how the Evangelist hath declared this too; saying of the people, that they came v.6. and were baptized of him, confessing their sins; but concerning the Pharisees, no longer like that, but that when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming, he said, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? O greatness of mind! How doth he discourse unto men ever thirsting after the blood of the Prophets, and in disposition no better than serpents! how doth he disparage both themselves and their progenitors with all plainness!

[2.] "Yea," saith one; "he speaks plainly enough, but the question is if there be any reason in this plainness. For he did not see them sinning, but in the act of change; wherefore they did not deserve blame, but rather praise and approbation, for having left city and houses, and making haste to hear his preaching."

What then shall we say? That he had not things present, and even now doing, in his view, but he knew the secrets of their mind, God having revealed this. Since then they were priding themselves on their forefathers, and this was like to prove the cause of their destruction, and was casting them into a state of carelessness, he cuts away the roots of their pride. For this cause Isaiah also calls them, rulers of Sodom, and people of Gomorrah; and another Prophet 2 Is. 1, saith, Are ye not as children of the Ethiopians3; and all Amos withdraw them from this way of thinking, bringing down 9, 7. their pride, which had caused them unnumbered evils.

"But the Prophets," you will say, "naturally did so; for they saw them sinning: but in this case, with what view and for what cause doeth he the same, seeing them obey him?” To make them yet more tender-hearted.

But if one accurately mark his words, he hath also tempered his rebuke with commendation. For he spake

10.

XI.

2, 3.

148 The Baptist's Warnings: his Call to Repentance :

HOMIL.these things, as marvelling at them, that they were become able, however late, to do what seemed almost an impossibility for them. His rebuke, you see, is rather that of one bringing them over, and working upon them to arouse themselves. For in that he appears amazed, he implies both their former wickedness to be great, and their conversion marvellous and beyond expectation. Thus, "what hath come to pass," saith he, "that being children of those men, and brought up so badly, they have repented? Whence hath come so great a change? Who hath softened down the harshness of their spirit? Who corrected that which was incurable ?"

And see how straightway from the beginning he alarmed them, by laying first, for a foundation, his words concerning hell. For he spake not of the usual topics: "Who hath warned you to flee from wars, from the inroads of the barbarians, from captivities, from famines, from pestilences ?” but concerning another sort of punishment, never before made manifest to them, he was striking the first preparatory note, saying thus, Who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

And full well did he likewise call them, generation of vipers. For that animal too is said to destroy the mother that is in travail with her, and eating through her belly, thus to come forth unto light; which kind of thing these men also did, being murderers of fathers, and murderers of 11 Tim. mothers1, and destroying their instructors with their own 1, 9. hands.

[3.] However, he stops not at the rebuke, but introduces advice also.

For,

Bring forth, says he, fruits meet for repentance.

For to flee from wickedness is not enough, but you must shew forth also great virtue. For let me not have that contradictory yet ordinary case, that refraining yourselves for a little while, ye return unto the same wickedness. For we are not come for the same objects as the prophets before. Nay, the things that are now are changed, and are more exalted, forasmuch as the Judge henceforth is coming, His very Self, the very Lord of the kingdom, leading unto greater self-restraint, calling us to heaven, and drawing us upward to those abodes. For this cause do I unfold the doctrine

III. 9.

also touching hell, because both the good things and the Matt. painful are for ever. Do not therefore abide as ye are, neither bring forward the accustomed pleas, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the noble race of your ancestors."

And these things he said, not as forbidding them to say that they were sprung from those holy men, but as forbidding them to put confidence in this, while they were neglecting the virtue of the soul; at once bringing forward publicly what was in their minds, and foretelling things to come. Because after this they are found to say, We have Abraham to our father, and were never in bondage to any man1.1 John Since then it was this, which most of all lifted them up with 8, 33. pride and ruined them, he first puts it down.

And see how with his honour paid to the Patriarch he combines his correction touching these things. Namely, having said, Think not to say, We have Abraham to our father, he said not," for the Patriarch shall not be able to profit you any thing," but somehow in a more gentle and acceptable manner he intimated the selfsame thing, by saying,

For God is able of these stones to raise up children to v. 9. Abraham.

Now some say, that concerning the Gentiles he saith these things, calling them stones, metaphorically; but I say, that the expression hath also another meaning. But of what kind is this? Think not, saith he, that if you should perish, you would make the Patriarch childless. This is not, this is not so. For with God it is possible, both out of stones to give him men, and to bring them to that relationship; since at the beginning also it was so done, For it was like the birth of men out of stones, when a child came forth from that hardened womb.

This accordingly the Prophet also was intimating, when he said, Look unto the hard rock, whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit, whence ye are digged: look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you2. Now of this 2 Is. 51, prophecy, you see, he reminds them, shewing that if at the 1.2. beginning he made him a father, as marvellously as if he had made him so out of stones, it was possible for this now also to come to pass. And see how he both alarms them, and