Lament the sin, not the punishment.

Our many medicines. 65

So do thou too: and if any one revile thee, wax not fierce, 2 Cor. but groan, not for the insult, but for that sin which cast thee ——— into disgrace. Groan when thou hast sinned, not because thou art to be punished, (for this is nothing,) but because thou hast offended thy Master, one so gentle, one so kind, one that so loveth thee and hangeth upon the hope of thy salvation, as to have given even His Son for thee. For this groan, and do this continually: for this is confession. Be not to-day of a cheerful, to-morrow of a sad, countenance, then again of a cheerful; but continue ever in mourning and self contrition. For, Blessed, saith he, are they that mourn, that is, they that do this perpetually. Continue then to do this perpetually, and to take heed to thyself, and to afflict thine heart; as one who had lost a beloved son might mourn. Rend, saith he, your hearts, and not your garments. ThatJoel 2, which is rent, will not lift itself on high; that which hath 13' been broken, cannot rise up again. Hence one saith, Rend, and another, a broken and an humbled heart GodP»-W, will not despise. Yea, though thou be wise, or wealthy, or a' ruler, rend thine heart. Suffer it not to have high thoughts, nor to be inflated. For that which is rent is not inflated, and even if there be ought to make it rise, from being rent it cannot retain the inflation. So also do thou be humbleminded. Consider that the publican was justified by one word, although that was not humbleness, but a true confession. Now if this hath power so great,how much more humbleness. Remit offences to those who have transgressed against thee, for this too remitteth sins. And concerning the former He saith, I saw that he went sorrowful, and I healed his uays; andIs-67, in Ahab's case, this appeased the wrath of God: concerning ixxf' the latter, Remit, and it shall be remitted unto you. There i Kings is also again another way which bringeth us this medicine;21'29condemning what we have done amiss; for„ Declare thou^-tz, first thy transgressions, that thou mayest be justified. And x" for one in afflictions to give thanks, looseth his sins; and almsgiving, which is greater than all.

Reckon up therefore the medicines which heal thy wounds, and apply all unremittingly1, humbleness, confession, for-1'*"getting wrongs, giving thanks in afflictions, shewing mercy' both in alms and actions, persevering in prayer. So did the

F

66 Inexcusable, having them, if we do not amend.

Homil. widow propitiate the cruel and unyielding judge. And if she the unjust, much more thou the gentle. There is yet another way along with these, defending the oppressed;

Ts. 1,17.for, He saith, judge the fatherless, and plead for the widow; and come, and let us reason together, and though your sins be as scarlet, I will make them white as snow. What excuse then can we deserve to have made for us, if with so many ways leading us up to heaven, and so many medicines to heal our wounds, even after the Laver we continue where we were. Let us then not only continue so, but let those indeed who have never yet fallen abide in their proper loveliness; yea, rather let them cultivate it more and more, (for these good works, where they find not sins, make the beauty greater:) and let us, who in many things have done amiss, in order to the correction of our sins use the means mentioned: that we may stand at the tribunal of Christ with much boldness, whereunto may all we attain through the grace and love towards men of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, and power, and honour, now and ever, world without end. Amen.

St. Pauli's words here, first, how connected with the context. 67

HOMILY V.

2 Cor. ii. 12, 13.

Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ's Gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord, I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother.

These words seem on the one hand to be unworthy of Paul, if because of a brother's absence, he threw away so great an opportunity of saving; and on the other, to hang apart from the context. What then? Will ye that we should first prove that they hang upon the context, or, that he hath said nothing unworthy of himself? As I think, the second*, for so the other point also will be easier and clearer.

How then do these [words] hang upon those before them? Let us recall to mind what those were, and so we shall perceive this. What then were those before? What he said at the beginning. I would not have you, saith he, ignorant of our 2 Cor. l, trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out8" of measure above strength. Now having shewn the manner of his deliverance, and inserted the intermediate matter, he is of necessity led to teach them again, that, in yet another way he had been troubled. How, and in what way? In not finding Titus. Fearful indeed, and enough to prostrate the soul, is it, even to endure trials; but when there is none to comfort, and that can help to bear the burden, the tempest becometh greater. Now Titus, is he, whom further 7, 6.

68 Next, how not unworthy of him. He means not to complain.

Homil. on he speaks of as having come to him from them, and of ———whom he runs through many and great praises, and whom he said he had sent. With the view then of shewing that in this point also he had been afflicted for their sakes, he said these things.

That the words then in question hang on what went before, is from all this plain. And I will attempt to prove also that they are not unworthy of Paul. For He doth not say, that the absence of Titus impeded the salvation of those who were about to come over, nor yet that he neglected those that believed on this account, but that he had no rest, that is, 'I was troubled, I was distressed for the absence of my brother;' shewing how great a matter a brother's absence is; and therefore he departed thence. But what means, when I had come to Troas to preach the Gospel? he saith not simply ' I arrived,' but, 'so as to preach. But still, though I had both come for that, and found very much, to do, (for a door was opened unto me of the Lord,) I had, saith he, no rest? not that for this he impeded the work. How then saith he,

Ver. 13. Taking my leave of them, I went from thence?

That is, ' I spent no longer time, being straitened and distressed.' And perhaps the work was even impeded by his absence. And this was no light consolation to them too. For if when a door was opened there, and for this purpose he had come; yet because he found not the brother, he quickly started away; much more, he saith, ought ye to make allowance for the compulsion of those affairs, which lead us and lead us about every where, and suffer us not according as we wish either to journey, or tarry amongst those, with whom we may wish, a longer time. Whence also he proceeds in this place again to refer his jouraeyings to God, as he did above to the Spirit, saying,

Ver. 14. Now thanks be to God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of His knowledge by us in every place.

For that he may not seem as though in sorrow to be lamenting these things, he sendeth up thanks to God. Now what he saith is this: 'Every where is trouble, every where straitness. I came into Asia, I was burthened beyond Persecutions made trophies. Present knowledge but a savour. 69

strength. I came to Troas, I found not the brother. I came 2 Cor. not to you; this too bred in me no slight, yea rather, ex

ceeding great dejection, both because many among you had sinned, and because on this account I see you not. For, To spare you, he saith, I came not as yet unto Corinth.

That then he may not seem to be complaining in so speaking, he adds, 'We not only do not grieve in these afflictions, but we even rejoice; and, what is still greater, not for the sake of the rewards to come only, but those too even which are present For even here we are by these things made glorious and conspicuous. So far then are we from lamenting, that we even call the thing a triumph ; and glory in what happeneth.' For which cause also he said, Now. thanks be unto God, Which always causeth us to triumph, that is, 'Who maketh us renowned unto all. For what seemeth to be matter of disgrace, being persecuted from every quarter, this appeareth to us to be matter of very great honour.' Wherefore he said not, " Which maketh us seen of all," but, Which causeth us to triumph: shewing that these persecutions set up a series1 of trophies against the 1««£;. devil in every part of the world. Then having mentioned along with the author, the subject also of the triumph, he thereby also raiseth up the hearer. 'For not only are we made to triumph by God, but also in Christ;' that is, on account of Christ and the Gospel. 'For seeing it behoveth to triumph, all need is that we also who carry the trophy, are seen of all, because we bear Him. For this reason we become observed and conspicuous.'

[2.] Ver. 14. And which maketh manifest the savour of His knowledge by us in every place.

He said above, Which always causeth us to triumph. (2.) Here he saith in every place, shewing that every, both place and time, is full of the Apostles' labours. And he uses yet another metaphor, that of the sweet savour. For' like as those who bear ointment, so are we,' saith he,' manifest to all;' calling the knowledge a very precious ointment. Moreover, he said not,' the knowledge;' but the savour of the knowledge; for such is the nature of the present knowledge, not very clear, nor uncovered. Whence also he said in the former Epistle, For now we see through a glass darkly. And here he calls i Cor.