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HEBREWS vi. 13-16.
"For when God made promise to Abraham, because lie could swear by
no greater, He sware by Himself, saying, Surely blessing I will
bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so after he
had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men verily swear
by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all
strife."
HAVING boldly reflected on the faults of the Hebrews, and
sufficiently alarmed them, he consoles them, first, by praises, and
secondly (which also is the stronger ground), by the [thought] that
they would certainly attain the object of their hope. Moreover he
draws his consolation, not from things future, but again from the
past, which indeed would the rather persuade them. For as in the case
of punishment, he alarms them rather by those [viz. things future],
so also in the case of the prizes [set before them], he encourages
them by these [viz. by things past], showing [herein]
God's way of dealing. And that is, not to bring in what has been
promised immediately, but after a long time. And this He does, both
to present the greatest proof of His power, and also to lead us to
Faith, that they who are living in tribulation without having received
the promises, or the rewards, may not faint under their troubles.
And omitting all [the rest], though he had many whom he might have
mentioned, he brought forward Abraham both on account of the dignity
of his person, and because this had occurred in a special way in his
case.
And yet at the end of the Epistle he says, that "all these, having
seen the promises afar off, and having embraced them, received them
not, that they without us should not be made perfect." (c. xi.
13.) "For when God made promise to Abraham" (he says)
"because He could swear by no greater, He sware by Himself,
saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will
multiply thee. And so after he had patiently endured, he obtained the
promise." (c. xi. 39, 40.) How then does he say at the end
[of the Epistle] that "he received not the promises," and here,
that "after he had patiently endured he obtained the promise"? How
did he not receive? How did he obtain? He is not speaking of the
same things in this place and in the other, but makes the consolation
twofold. God made promises to Abraham, and after a long space of
time He gave the things [spoken of] in this place, but those others
not yet.
"And so after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise."
Seest thou that the promise alone did not effect the whole, but the
patient waiting as well? Here he alarms them, showing that oftentimes
a promise is thwarted through faintheartedness. And this he had indeed
shown through [the instance of] the [Jewish] people: for since
they were faint-hearted, therefore they obtained not the promise.
But now he shows the contrary by means of Abraham. Afterwards near
the end [of the Epistle] he proves something more also: [viz.]
that even though they had patiently endured, they did not obtain; and
yet not even so are they grieved.
"For men verily swear by the greater, and an Oath for confirmation
is to them an end of all strife. But God because He could swear by
no greater, sware by Himself." Well, who then is He that sware
unto Abraham? Is it not the SON? No, one says. Certainly
indeed it was He: however, I shall not dispute [thereon]. So
when He [the Son] sweareth the same oath, "Verily, verily, I
say unto you," is it not plain that it was because He could not swear
by any greater? For as the Father sware, so also the Son sweareth
by Himself, saying, "Verily, verily, I say unto you." He here
reminds them also of the oaths of Christ, which He was constantly
uttering. "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, he that believeth on
Me shall never die." (John xi. 26.)
What is, "And an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all
strife"? it is instead of, "by this every doubtful question is
solved": not this, or this, but every one.
God, however, ought to have been believed even without an oath:
(ver. 17) "wherein" (he says) "God willing more abundantly to
show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel,
confirmed it [lit. "mediated" by an oath." In these words he
comprehends also the believers, and therefore mentions this "promise"
which was made to us in common [with them]. "He mediated" (he
says) "by an oath." Here again he says that the Son was mediator
between men and God.
Ver. 18. "That by two immutable things, in which it was
impossible that God should lie." What are these two? The speaking
and promising; and the adding an oath to the promise.
For since among men that which is [confirmed] by an oath is thought
more worthy of credit, on this account He added that also.
Seest thou that He regardeth not His own dignity, but how He may
persuade men, and endures to have unworthy things said concerning
Himself. That is He wishes to impart full assurance. And in the
case of Abraham indeed [the Apostle] shows that the whole was of
God, not of his patient endurance, since He was even willing to add
an oath, for He by whom men swear, by Him also God "sware," that
is "by Himself." They indeed as by one greater, but He not as by
one greater. And yet He did it. For it is not the same thing for
man to swear by himself, as for God. For man has no power over
himself. Thou seest then that this is said not more for Abraham than
for ourselves: "that we" (he says)
"might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold
on the hope set before us." Here too again, "after he had patiently
endured he obtained the promise."
"Now" he means, and he did not say "when He swore." But what
the oath is, he showed, by speaking of swearing by a greater. But
since the race of men is hard of belief, He condescends to the same
[things] with ourselves. As then for our sake He swears, although
it be unworthy of Him that He should not be believed, so also did
[the Apostle] make that other statement "He learned from the things
which He suffered" (c. v. 8), because men think the going
through experience more worthy of reliance.
What is "the hope set before us"? From these [past events] (he
says) we conjecture the future. For if these came to pass after so
long a time, so certainly the others will. So that the things which
happened in regard to Abraham give us confidence also concerning the
things to come.
(Ver. 19, 20) "Which [hope] we have as an anchor of the
soul both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the
veil: whither the forerunner is for us entered, even JESUS, made
High Priest forever after the order of Melchisedec." He shows,
that while we are still in the world, and not yet departed from
[this] life, we are already among the promises. For through hope we
are already in heaven. He said, "Wait; for it shall surely be."
Afterwards giving them full assurance, he says, "nay rather by
hope." And he said not, "We are within," but 'It hath entered
within,' which was more true and more persuasive. For as the
anchor, dropped from the vessel, does not allow it to be carried
about, even if ten thousand winds agitate it, but being depended upon
makes it steady, so also does hope.
And see how very suitable an image he has discovered: For he said
not, Foundation; which was not suitable; but, "Anchor." For
that which is on the tossing sea, and seems not to be very firmly
fixed, stands on the water as upon land, and is shaken and yet is not
shaken. For in regard to those who are very firm, and philosophic,
Christ with good reason made that statement, saying, "Whosoever
hath built his house on a rock." (Matt. vii. 24.) But in
respect of those who are giving way, and who ought to be carried
through by hope, Paul hath suitably set down this. For the surge and
the great storm toss the boat; but hope suffers it not to be carried
hither and thither, although winds innumerable agitate it: so that,
unless we had this [hope] we should long ago have been sunk. Nor is
it only in things spiritual, but also in the affairs of this life,
that one may find the power of hope great. Whatever it may be, in
merchandise, in husbandry, in a military expedition, unless one sets
this before him, he would not even touch the work. But he said not
simply "Anchor," but "sure and steadfast" [i.e.] not shaken.
"Which entereth into that within the veil"; instead of 'which
reacheth through even to heaven.'
Then after this he led on to Faith also, that there might not only be
hope, but a very true [hope]. For after the oath he lays down
another thing too, even proof by facts, because "the forerunner is
for us entered in, even JESUS." But a forerunner is a
forerunner of some one, as John was of Christ.
Now he did not simply say, "He is entered in," but "where He is
entered in a forerunner for us," as though we also ought to attain.
For there is no great interval between the forerunner and those who
follow: otherwise he would not be a forerunner; for the forerunner and
those who follow ought to be in the same road, and to arrive after
[each other].
"Being made an High Priest forever after the order," he says,
"of Melchisedec." Here is also another consolation, if our High
Priest is on high, and far better than those among the Jews, not in
the kind [of Priesthood] only, but also in the place, and the
tabernacle, and the covenant, and the person. And this also is
spoken according to the flesh.
Those then, whose High Priest He is, ought to be greatly
superior. And as great as the difference is between Aaron and
Christ, so great should it be between us and the Jews. For see, we
have our victim on high, our priest on high, our sacrifice on high:
let us bring such sacrifices as can be offered on that altar, no longer
sheep and oxen, no longer blood and fat. All these things have been
done away; and there has been brought in their stead "the reasonable
service." (Rom. xii. 1.) But what is "the reasonable
service"? The [offerings made] through the soul; those made
through the spirit. ("God," it is said, "is a Spirit, and they
that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth"--John
iv. 24); things which have no need of a body, no need of
instruments, nor of special places, whereof each one is himself the
Priest, such as, moderation, temperance, mercifulness, enduring
ill-treatment, long-suffering, humbleness of mind.
These sacrifices one may see in the Old [Testament] also, shadowed
out beforehand. "Offer to God," it is said, "a sacrifice of
righteousness" (Ps. iv. 5); "Offer a sacrifice of praise"
(Ps. 1. 14); and, "a sacrifice of praise shall glorify Me"
(Ps. 1. 23), and, "the sacrifice of God is a broken spirit"
(Ps. li. 17); and "what doth the Lord require of thee but" to
hearken to Him? (Mic. vi. 8.) "Burnt-offerings and
sacrifices for sin Thou hast had no pleasure in: then I said, Lo I
come to do Thy will, O God!" (Ps. xl. 6, 7), and again,
"To what purpose do ye bring the incense from Sheba?" (Jer. vi.
20.) "Take thou away from Me the noise of thy songs, for I will
not hear the melody of thy viols." (Amos v. 23.) But instead
of these "I will have mercy and not sacrifice." (Hosea vi. 6.)
Thou seest with what kind of "sacrifices God is well pleased."
(c. xiii. 16.) Thou seest also that already from the first the
one class have given place, and these have come in their stead.
These therefore let us bring, for the other indeed are [the
offerings] of wealth and of persons who have [possessions], but
these of virtue: those from without, these from within: those any
chance person even might perform; these only a few. And as much as a
man is superior to a sheep, so much is this sacrifice superior to
that; for here thou offerest thy soul as a victim.
And other sacrifices also there are, which are indeed whole
burnt-offerings, the bodies of the martyrs: there both soul and body
[are offered]. These have a great savor of a sweet smell. Thou
also art able, if thou wilt, to bring such a sacrifice.
For what, if thou dost not burn thy body in the fire? Yet in a
different fire thou canst; for instance, in that of voluntary
poverty, in that of affliction. For to have it in one's power to
spend one's days in luxury and expense, and yet to take up a life of
toil and bitterness, and to mortify the body, is not this a whole
burnt-offering? Mortify thy body, and crucify it, and thou shalt
thyself also receive the crown of this martyrdom. For what in the
other case the sword accomplishes, that in this case let a willing mind
effect. Let not the love of wealth burn, or possess you, but let
this unreasonable appetite itself be consumed and quenched by the fire
of the Spirit; let it be cut in pieces by the sword of the Spirit.
This is an excellent sacrifice, needing no priest but him who brings
it. This is an excellent sacrifice, performed indeed below but
forthwith taken up on high. Do we not wonder that of old time fire
came down and consumed all? It is possible now also that fire may come
down far more wonderful than that, and consume all the presented
offerings: nay rather, not consume, but bear them up to heaven. For
it does not reduce them to ashes, but offers them as gifts to God.
Such were the offerings of Cornelius. For (it is said) "thy
prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God."
(Acts x. 4.) Thou seest a most excellent union. Then are we
heard, when we ourselves also hear the poor who come to us. "He"
(it is said) "that stoppeth his ears that he may not hear the poor"
(Prov. xxi. 13), his prayer God will not hearken to.
"Blessed is he that considereth the poor and needy: the Lord will
deliver him in the evil day." (Ps. xl. 1.) But what day is
evil except that one which is evil to sinners?
What is meant by "he that considereth"? He that understandeth what
it is to be a poor man, that has thoroughly learned his affliction.
For he that has learned his affliction, will certainly and immediately
have compassion on him. When thou seest a poor man, do not hurry by,
but immediately reflect what thou wouldest have been, hadst thou been
he. What wouldest thou not have wished that all should do for thee?
"He that considereth" (he says). Reflect that he is a free-man
like thyself, and shares the same noble birth with thee, and possesses
all things in common with thee; and yet oftentimes he is not on a level
even with thy dogs. On the contrary, while they are satiated, he
oftentimes lies, sleeps, hungry, and the free-man is become less
honorable than thy slaves.
But they perform needful services for thee. What are these? Do they
serve thee well? Suppose then I show that this [poor man] too
performs needful services for thee far greater than they do. For he
will stand by thee in the Day of judgment, and will deliver thee from
the fire. What do all thy slaves do like this? When Tabitha died,
who raised her up? The slaves who stood around or the poor? But thou
art not even willing to put the free-man on an equality with thy
slaves. The frost is hard, and the poor man is cast out in rags,
well-nigh dead, with his teeth chattering, both by his looks and his
air fitted to move thee: and thou passeth by, warm and full of drink;
and how dost thou expect that God should deliver thee when in
misfortune?
And oftentimes thou sayest this too: 'If it had been myself, and I
had found one that had done man), wrong things, i would have forgiven
him; and does not God forgive?' Say not this. Him that has done
thee no wrong, whom thou art able to deliver, him thou neglectest.
How shall He forgive thee, who art sinning against Him? Is not
this deserving of hell?
And how amazing! Oftentimes thou adornest with vestments
innumerable, of varied colors and wrought with gold, a dead body,
insensible, no longer perceiving the honor; whilst that which is in
pain, and lamenting, and tormented, and racked by hunger and frost,
thou neglectest; and givest more to vainglory, than to the fear of
God.
And would that it stopped here; but immediately accusations are
brought against the applicant. For why does he not work (you say)?
And why is he to be maintained in idleness? But (tell me) is it by
working that thou hast what thou hast, didst thou not receive it as an
inheritance from thy fathers? And even if thou dost work, is this a
reason why thou shouldest reproach another? Hearest thou not what
Paul saith? For after saying, "He that worketh not, neither let
him eat" (2 Thess. iii. 10), he says, "But ye be not weary
in well doing." (2 Thess. iii. 13.)
But what say they? He is an impostor. What sayest thou, 0 man?
Callest thou him an impostor, for the sake of a single loaf or of a
garment? But (you say) he will sell it immediately. And dost thou
manage all thy affairs well? But what? Are all poor through
idleness? Is no one so from shipwreck? None from lawsuits? None
from being robbed? None from dangers? None from illness? None from
any other difficulties? If however we hear any, one bewailing such
evils, and crying out aloud, and looking up naked toward heaven, and
with long hair, and clad in rags, at once we call him, The
impostor! The deceiver! The swindler! Art thou not ashamed? Whom
dost thou call impostor? Give nothing, and do not accuse the man.
But (you say) he has means, and pretends. This is a charge against
thyself, not against him. He knows that he has to deal with the
cruel, with wild beasts rather than with men, and that, even if he
utter a pitiable story, he attracts no one's attention: and on this
account he is forced to assume also a more miserable guise, that he may
melt thy soul. If we see a person coming to beg in a respectable
dress, This is an impostor (you say), and he comes in this way that
he may be supposed to be of good birth. If we see one in the contrary
guise, him too we reproach. What then are they to do? O the
cruelty, O the inhumanity!
And why (you say) do they expose their maimed limbs? Because of
thee. If we were compassionate, they would have no need of these
artifices: if they persuaded us at the first application, they would
not have contrived these devices. Who is there so wretched, as to be
willing to cry out so much, as to be willing to behave in an unseemly
way, as to be willing to make public lamentations, with his wife
destitute of clothing, with his children, to sprinkle ashes on
[himself]. How much worse than poverty are these things? Yet on
account of them not only are they not pitied, but are even accused by
us.
Shall we then still be indignant, because when we pray to God, we
are not heard? Shall we then still be vexed, because when we entreat
we do not persuade? Do we not tremble for fear, my beloved?
But (you say) I have often given. But dost thou not always eat?
And dost thou drive away thy children often begging of thee? O the
shamelessness! Dost thou call a poor man shameless? And thou indeed
art not shameless when plundering, but he is shameless when begging for
bread! Considerest thou not how great are the necessities of the
belly? Dost not thou do all things for this? Dost thou not for this
neglect things spiritual? Is not heaven set before thee and the
kingdom of heaven? And thou fearing the tyranny of that [appetite]
endurest all things, and thinkest lightly of that [kingdom]. This
is shamelessness.
Seest thou not old men maimed? But O what trifling! 'Such an
one' (you say) 'lends out so many pieces of gold, and such an one
so many, and yet begs.' You repeat the stories and trifles of
children; for they too are always hearing such stories from their
nurses. I am not persuaded of it. I do not believe this. Far from
it. Does a man lend money, and beg when he has abundance? For what
purpose, tell me? And what is more disgraceful than begging? It
were better to die than to beg. Where does our in inhumanity stop?
What then? Do all lend money? Are all impostors? Is there no one
really poor? "Yea" (you say) "and many." Why then dost thou
not assist those persons, seeing thou art a strict enquirer into their
lives? This is an excuse and a pretense.
"Give to every one that asketh of thee, and from him that would
borrow of thee turn not thou away." (Matt. v. 42.) Stretch
out thy hand, let it not be closed up. We have not been constituted
examiners into men's lives, since so we should have compassion on no
one. When thou callest upon God why dost thou say, Remember not my
sins? So then, if that person even be a great sinner, make this
allowance in his case also, and do not remember his sins. It is the
season of kindness, not of strict enquiry; of mercy, not of account.
He wishes to be maintained: if thou art willing, give; but if not
willing, send him away without raising doubts. Why art thou wretched
and miserable? Why dost thou not even thyself pity him, and also
turnest away those who would? For when such an one hears from thee,
This [fellow] is a cheat; that a hypocrite; and the other lends out
money; he neither gives to the one nor to the other; for he syspects
all to be such. For you know that we easily suspect evil, but good,
not [so easily].
[10.] Let us "be merciful," not simply so, but "as our
heavenly Father is." (Luke vi. 36.) He feeds even
adulterers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and what shall I say?
Those having every kind of wickedness. For in so large a world there
must needs be many such. But nevertheless He feeds all; He clothes
all. No one ever perished of hunger, unless one did so of his own
choice. So let us be merciful. If one be in want and in necessity,
help him.
But now we are come to such a degree of unreasonableness, as to act
thus not only in regard to the poor who walk up and down the alleys,
but even in the case of men that live in [religious] solitude. Such
an one is an impostor, you say. Did I not say this at first, that
if we give to all indiscriminately, we shall always be compassionate;
but if we begin to make over-curious enquiries, we shall never be
compassionate? What dost thou mean? Is a man an impostor in order to
get a loaf? If indeed he asks for talents of gold and silver, or
costly clothes, or slaves, or anything else of this sort, one might
with good reason call him a swindler. But if he ask none of these
things, but only food and shelter, things which are suited to a
philosophic life, tell me, is this the part of a swindler? Cease we
from this unseasonable fondness for meddling, which is Satanic, which
is destructive.
For indeed, if a man say that he is on the list of the Clergy, or
calls himself a priest, then busy thyself [to enquire], make much
ado: since in that case the communicating without enquiry is not
without danger. For the danger is about matters of importance, for
thou dost not give but receivest. But if he want food, make no
enquiry.
Enquire, if thou wilt, how Abraham showed hospitality towards all
who came to him. If he had been over-curious about those who fled to
him for refuge, he would not have "entertained angels." (c. xiii.
2.) For perhaps not thinking them to be angels, he would have
thrust them too away with the rest. But since he used to receive all,
he received even angels.
What? Is it from the life of those that receive [thy bounty] that
God grants thee thy reward? Nay [it is] from thine own purpose,
from thy abundant liberality; from thy loving-kindness; from thy
goodness. Let this be [found], and thou shalt attain all good
things, which may we all attain, through the grace and lovingkindness
of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father and together with
the Holy Ghost, be glory, power, honor, now and for ever and world
without end. Amen.
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