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EPHESIANS iV. 4.
"There is one body, and one Spirit, even as
ye are called in one hope of your calling."
When the blessed Paul exhorts us to anything of
special importance, so truly wise and spiritual
as he is, he grounds his exhortation upon things
in Heaven: this itself being a lesson he had
learned from the Lord. Thus he saith also
elsewhere, "Walk in love, even as Christ
also hath loved us." (ch. v. 2.) And
again, "Have this mind in you, which was also
in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of
God, counted it not a prize to be on an
equality with God." (Phil. ii. 5, 6.)
This is what he is doing here also, for
whenever the examples he is setting before us are
great, he is intense in his zeal and feeling.
What then does he say, now he is inciting us to
unity? "There is one body, and one Spirit,
even as ye are called in one hope of your
calling:"
Ver. 5. "One Lord, one faith, one
baptism."
Now what is this one body? The faithful
throughout the whole world, both which are, and
which have been, and which shall be. And
again, they that before Christ's coming
pleased God, are "one body." How so?
Because they also knew Christ. Whence does
this appear? "Your father Abraham," saith
He, "rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it,
and was glad." (John viii. 56.) And
again, "If ye had believed Moses," He
saith, "ye would have believed Me, for he
wrote of Me." (John v. 46.) And the
prophets too would not have written of One, of
whom they knew not what they said; whereas they
both knew Him, and worshiped Him. Thus then
were they also "one body."
The body is not disjoined from the spirit, for
then would it not be a body. Thus it is
customary also with us, touching things which
are united, and which have any great consistency
or coherence, to say, they are one body. And
thus again, touching union, we take that to be
a body which is under one head. If there be one
head, then is there one body. The body is
composed of members both honorable and
dishonorable. Only the greater is not to rise
up even against the meanest, nor this latter to
envy the other. They do not all indeed
contribute the same share, but severally
according to the proportion of need. And
forasmuch as all are formed for necessary and for
different purposes, all are of equal honor.
Some indeed there are, which are more
especially principal members, others less so:
for example, the head is more a principal member
than all the rest of the body, as containing
within itself all the senses, and the governing
principle of the soul. And to live without the
head is impossible; whereas many persons have
lived for a long time with their feet cut off.
So that it is better than they, not only by its
position, but also by its very vital energy and
its function.
Now why am I saying this? There are great
numbers in the Church; there are those who,
like the head, are raised up to a height; who,
like the eyes that are in the head, survey
heavenly things, who stand far aloof from the
earth, and have nothing in common with it,
whilst others occupy the rank of feet, and tread
upon the earth; of healthy, feet indeed, for
to tread upon the earth is no crime in feet, but
to run to evil. "Their feet," saith the
Prophet, "run to evil." (Isa. lix.
7.) Neither then let these, the head, saith
he, be high-minded against the feet, nor the
feet look with evil eye at them. For thus the
peculiar beauty of each is destroyed, and the
perfectness of its function impeded. And
naturally enough; inasmuch as he who lays snares
for his neighbor will be laying snares first of
all for himself. And should the feet therefore
not choose to convey the head anywhere upon its
necessary journey, they will at the same time be
injuring themselves by their inactivity and
sloth. Or again, should the head not choose to
take any care of the feet, itself will be the
first to sustain the damage. However, those
members do not rise up one against the other; it
is not likely, for it has been so ordered by
nature that they should not. But with man, how
is it possible for him not to rise up against
man? No one, we know, ever rises up against
Angels; since neither do they rise against the
Archangels. Nor, on the other hand, can the
irrational creatures proudly exalt themselves
over us; but where the nature is equal in
dignity, and the gift one, and where one has no
more than another, how shall this be prevented?
And yet surely these are the very reasons why
thou oughtest not to rise up against thy
neighbors. For if all things are common, and
one has nothing more than another, whence this
mad folly? We partake of the same nature,
partake alike of soul and body, we breathe the
same air, we use the same food. Whence this
rebellious rising of one against another? And
yet truly the being able by one's virtue to
overcome the incorporeal powers, that were
enough to lead to arrogance; or rather arrogance
it would not be, for with good reason am I
high-minded, and exceedingly high-minded
against the evil spirit. And behold even
Paul, how high-minded he was against that evil
spirit. For when the evil spirit was speaking
great and marvelous things concerning him, he
made him hold his peace, and endured him not
even in his flattery. For when that damsel,
"who had the spirit of divination," cried,
saying, "These men are the servants of the
most high God, which show unto us the way of
salvation" (Acts xvi. 16, 17), he
rebuked him severely, and silenced his forward
tongue. And again he elsewhere writes, and
says, "God shall bruise Satan under your feet
shortly." (Rom. xvi. 20.) Will the
difference of nature have any effect?
Perceivest thou not that the difference between
natures has no effect whatever, but only the
difference of purpose? Because of their
principle therefore they are far worse than all.
Well, a man may say, but I am not rising up
against an Angel, because there is so vast a
distance between my nature and his. And yet
surely thou oughtest no more to rise up against a
mar than against an Angel, for the Angel
indeed differs from thee in nature, a matter
which can be neither an honor to him, nor a
disgrace to thee: whereas man differs from man
not at all in nature, but in principle; and
there is such a thing as an Angel too even
amongst men. So that if thou rise not up
against Angels, much more shouldest thou not
against men, against those who have become
angels in this our nature; for should any one
among men become as virtuous as an Angel, that
man is in a far higher degree superior to thee,
than an Angel is. And why so? Because what
the one possesses by nature, the other has
achieved of his own purpose. And again,
because the Angel has his home far from thee in
distance also, and dwelleth in Heaven; whereas
this man is living with thee, and giving an
impulse to thy emulation. And indeed he lives
farther apart from thee than the Angel. For
"our citizenship," saith the Apostle, "is
in Heaven." (Phil. iii. 20.) And to
show thee that this man hath his home still
farther distant, hear where his Head is
seated; upon the throne, saith he, the royal
throne! And the farther distant that throne is
from us, the farther is he also.
Well, but I see him, thou wilt say, in the
enjoyment of honor, and I am led to jealousy.
Why, this is the very thing which has turned
all things upside down, which has filled not the
world only, but the Church also, with
countless troubles. And just as fierce blasts
setting in across a calm harbor, render it more
dangerous than any rock, or than any strait
whatever; so the lust of glory entering in,
overturns and confounds everything.
Ye have oftentimes been present at the burning
of large houses. Ye have seen how the smoke
keeps rising up to Heaven; and if no one comes
near to put a stop to the mischief, but every
one keeps looking to himself, the flame spreads
freely on, and devours everything. And
oftentimes the whole city will stand around;
they will stand round indeed as spectators of the
evil, not to aid nor assist. And there you may
see them one and all standing round, and doing
nothing but each individual stretching out his
hand, and pointing out to some one who may be
just come to the spot, either a flaming brand
that moment flying through a window, or beams
hurled down, or the whole circuit of the walls
forced out, and tumbling violently to the
ground. Many too there are of the more daring
and venturesome, who will have the hardihood
even to come close to the very buildings
themselves whilst they are burning, not in order
to stretch forth a hand towards them, and to put
a stop to the mischief, but that they may the
more fully enjoy the sight, being able from the
nearer place to observe closely all that which
often escapes those at a distance. Then if the
house happen to be large and magnificent, it
appears to them a pitiable spectacle, and
deserving of many tears. And truly there is a
pitiable spectacle for us to behold; capitals of
columns crumbled to dust, and many columns
themselves shattered to pieces, some consumed by
the fire, others thrown down often by the very
hands which erected them, that they may not add
fuel to the flame. Statues again, which stood
with so much gracefulness, with the ceiling
resting on them, these you may see all exposed,
with the roof torn off, and themselves standing
hideously disfigured in the open air. And why
should one go on to describe the wealth stored up
within? the tissues of gold, and the vessels of
silver? And where the lord of the house and his
consort scarcely entered, where was the treasure
house of tissues and perfumes, and the caskets
of the costly jewels,-all has become one
blazing fire, and within now, are bath-men and
street-cleaners, and runaway slaves, and
everybody; and everything within is one mass of
fire and water, of mud, and dust, and
half-burnt beams!
Now why have I drawn out so full a picture as
this? Not simply because I wish to represent
to you the conflagration of a house, (for what
concern is that of mine?) but because I wish
to set before your eyes, as vividly as I can,
the calamities of the Church. For like a
conflagration indeed, or like a thunderbolt
hurled from on high, have they lighted upon the
roof of the Church, and yet they rouse up no
one; but whilst our Father's house is
burning, we are sleeping, as it were, a deep
and stupid sleep. And yet who is there whom
this fire does not touch? Which of the statues
that stand in the Church? for the Church is
nothing else than a house built of the souls of
us men. Now this house is not of equal honor
throughout, but of the stones which contribute
to it, some are bright and shining, whilst
others are smaller and more dull than they, and
yet superior again to others. There we may see
many who are in the place of gold also, the gold
which adorns the ceiling. Others again we may
see, who give the beauty and gracefulness
produced by statues. Many we may see, standing
like pillars. For he is accustomed to call men
also "pillars" (Gal. ii. 9), not only on
account of their strength but also on account of
their beauty, adding as they do, much grace,
and having their heads overlaid with gold. We
may see a multitude, forming generally the wide
middle space and the whole extent of the
circumference; for the body at large occupies
the place of those stones of which the outer
walls are built. Or rather we must go on to a
more splendid picture yet. This Church, of
which I speak, is not built of these stones,
such as we see around us, but of gold and
silver, and of precious stones, and there is
abundance of gold dispersed everywhere throughout
it. But, oh the bitter tears this calls
forth! For all these things hath the lawless
rule of vainglory consumed; that all-devouring
flame, which no one has yet got under. And we
stand gazing in amazement at the flames, but no
longer able to quench the evil: or if we do
quench it for a short time, yet after two or
three days as a spark blown up from a heap of
ashes overturns all, and consumes no less than
it did before, so it is here also: for this is
just what is wont to happen in such a
conflagration. And as to the cause, it has
devoured the supports of the very pillars of the
Church; those of us who supported the roof,
and who formerly held the whole building together
it has enveloped in the flame. Hence too was a
ready communication to the rest of the outer
walls: for so also in the case of buildings,
when the fire lays hold of the timbers, it is
better armed for its attack upon the stones; but
when it has brought down the pillars and leveled
them with the ground, nothing more is wanted to
consume all the rest in the flames. For when
the props and supports of the upper parts fall
down, those parts also themselves will speedily
enough follow them. Thus is it also at this
moment with the Church: the fire has laid hold
on every part. We seek the honors that come
from man, we burn for glory, and we hearken not
to Job when he saith, "If like Adam (or
after the manner of men) I covered my
transgressions By hiding mine iniquity in my
bosom, Because I feared the great
multitude." Behold yea virtuous spirit? I
was not ashamed, he saith, to own before the
whole multitude my involuntary sins: And if he
was not ashamed to confess, much more were it
our duty to do so. For saith the prophet,
"Set thou forth thy cause, that thou mayest be
justified." (Isa. xliii. 26.) Great is
the violence of this evil, everything is
overturned by it and annihilated. We have
forsaken the Lord, and are become slaves of
honor. We are no longer able to rebuke those
who are under our rule, because we ourselves
also are possessed with the same fever as they.
We who are appointed by God to heal others,
need the physician ourselves. What further hope
of recovery is there left, when even the very
physicians themselves need the healing hand of
others?
I have not said these things without an object,
nor am I making lamentations to no purpose, but
with the view that one and all, with our women
and children, having sprinkled ourselves with
ashes, and girded ourselves about with
sackcloth, may keep a long fast, may beseech
God Himself to stretch forth His hand to us,
and to stay the peril. For need is there indeed
of His hand, that mighty, that marvelous
hand. Greater things are required of us than of
the Ninevites. "Yet three days," said the
prophet, "and Nineveh shall be overthrown."
(Jonah iii. 4.) A fearful message, and
burdened with tremendous threat. And how should
it be otherwise? to expect that within three
days, the city should become their tomb, and
that all should perish in one common judgment.
For if, when it happens that two children die
at the same time in one house, the hardship
becomes intolerable, and if to Job this of all
things seemed the most intolerable, that the
roof fell in upon all his children, and they
were thus killed; what must it be to behold not
one house, nor two children, but a nation of a
hundred and twenty thousand buried beneath the
ruins!
Ye know how terrible a disaster is this, for
lately has this very warning happened to us, not
that any prophet uttered a voice, for we are not
worthy to hear such a voice, but the warning
crying aloud from on high more distinctly than
any trumpet. However, as I was saying,
"Yet three days," said the prophet, "and
Nineveh shall be overthrown." A terrible
warning indeed, but now we have nothing even
like that; no, there are no longer "three
days," nor is there a Nineveh to be
overthrown, but many days are already past since
the Church throughout all the world has been
overthrown, and leveled with the ground, and
all alike are overwhelmed in the evil; nay
more, of those that are in high places the
stress is so much the greater. Wonder not
therefore if I should exhort you to do greater
things than the Ninevites; and why? nay more,
I do not now proclaim a fast only, but I
suggest to you the remedy which raised up that
city also when falling. And what was that?
"God saw their works," saith the prophet,
"that they turned from their evil way, and God
repented of the evil which He said He would do
unto them." (Jonah iii. 10.) This let
us do, both we and you. Let us renounce the
passion for riches, the lust for glory,
beseeching God to stretch forth His hand, and
to raise up our fallen members. And well may
we, for our fear is not for the same objects as
theirs; for then indeed it was only 'stones and
timbers that were to fall, and bodies that were
to perish; but now it is none of these; no,
but souls are about to be delivered over to hell
fire. Let us implore, let us confess unto
Him, let us give thanks unto Him for what is
past, let us entreat Him for what is to come,
that we may be counted worthy to be delivered
from this fierce and most terrible monster, and
to lift up our thanksgivings to the loving God
and Father with whom, to the Son, together
with the Holy Ghost, be glory, might, and
honor, now, henceforth, and for ever and
ever. Amen.
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