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CHAPTER II. VERSES 1-3.
"And you did He quicken, when ye were dead
through your trespasses and sins, wherein
aforetime ye walked, according to the course of
this world, according to the prince of the power
of the air, of the spirit that now worketh in
the sons of disobedience; among whom we also all
once lived, in the lusts of our flesh, doing
the desires of the flesh, and of the mind; and
were by nature children of wrath even as the
rest."
There is, we know, a corporal, and there is
also a spiritual, dying. Of the first it is no
crime to partake, nor is there any peril in it,
inasmuch as there is no blame attached to it,
for it is a matter of nature, not of deliberate
choice It had its origin in the transgression of
the first-created man, and thenceforward in its
issue it passed into a nature, and, at all
events, will quickly be brought to a
termination; whereas this spiritual dying,
being a matter of deliberate choice, has
criminality, and has no termination. Observe
then how Paul, having already shown how
exceedingly great a thing it is, in so much that
to heal a deadened soul is a far greater thing
than to raise the dead, so now again lays it
down in all its real greatness.
"And you," saith he "when ye were dead
through your trespasses and sins, wherein
aforetime ye walked according to the course of
this world, according to the prince of the power
of the air, of the spirit that now worketh in
the sons of disobedience."' You observe the
gentleness of Paul, and how on all occasions he
encourages the hearer, not bearing too hard upon
him. For whereas he had said, Ye have arrived
at the very last degree of wickedness, (for
such is the meaning of becoming dead,) that he
may not excessively distress them, (because men
are put to shame when their former misdeeds are
brought forward, cancelled though they be, and
no longer attended with danger,) he gives
them, as it were, an accomplice, that it may
not be supposed that the work is all their own,
and that accomplice a powerful one. And who
then is this? The Devil. He does much the
same also in the Epistle to the Corinthians,
where, after saying, "Be not deceived,
neither fornicators, nor idolaters,"
(Cor. vi: 9) and after enumerating all the
other vices, and adding in conclusion, "shall
inherit the kingdom of God;" he then adds,
"and such were some of you;" he does not say
absolutely, "ye were," but "some of you
were," that is, thus in some sort were ye.
Here the heretics attack us. They tell us that
these expressions ("prince of all the power of
the air," etc.) are used with reference to
God, and letting loose their unbridled tongue,
they fit these things to God, which belong to
the Devil alone, How then are we to put them
to silence? By the very words they themselves
use; for, if He is righteous, as they
themselves allow, and yet hath done these
things, this is no longer the act of a righteous
being, but rather of a being most unrighteous
and corrupted; and corrupted God cannot
possibly be.
Further, why does he call the Devil "the
prince" of the world? Because nearly the whole
human race has surrendered itself to him and all
are willingly and of deliberate choice his
slaves. And to Christ, though He promises
unnumbered blessings, not any one so much as
gives any heed; whilst to the Devil, though
promising nothing of the sort, but sending them
on to hell, all yield themselves. His kingdom
then is in this world, and he has, with few
exceptions, more subjects and more obedient
subjects than God, in consequence of our
indolence.
"According to the power," saith he, "of the
sir, of the spirit."
Here again he means, that Satan occupies the
space under Heaven, and that the incorporeal
powers are spirits of the air, under his
operation. For that his kingdom is of this
age, i. e., will cease with the present age,
hear what he says at the end of the Epistle;
"Our wrestling is not against flesh and blood,
but against the principalities, against powers,
against the world rulers of this darkness;"
(Eph. vi: 12.) where, lest when you hear
of world-rulers you should therefore say that
the Devil is uncreated, he elsewhere (Gal.
i: 4.) calls a perverse time, "an evil
world," not of the creatures. For he seems to
me, having had dominion beneath the sky, not to
have fallen from his dominion, even after his
transgression.
"That now worketh," he says, "in the sons
of disobedience."
You observe that it is not by force, nor by
compulsion, but by persuasion, he wins us
over; "disobedience" or "untractableness" is
his word, as though one were to say, by guile
and persuasion he draws all his votaries to
himself. And not only does he give them a word
of encouragement by telling them they have an
associate, but also by ranking himself with
them, for he says, "Among whom we also all
once lived."
"All," because he cannot say that any one is
excepted.
"In the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires
of the flesh, and of the mind, and were by
nature children of wrath, even as the rest."
That is, having no spiritual affections.
Yet, lest he should slander the flesh, or lest
it should be supposed that the transgression was
not great, observe how he guards the matter,
"Doing," he says, "the desires of the flesh
and of the mind."
That is, the pleasurable passions. We
provoked God to anger, he saith, we provoked
Him to wrath, we were wrath, and nothing
else. For as he who is a child of man is by
nature man, so also were we children of wrath
even as others; i. e., no one was free, but
we all did things worthy of wrath. Ver. 4.
"But God, being rich in mercy." Not merely
merciful, but rich in mercy; as it is said also
in another place; "In the multitude of thy
mercies." (Ps. lxix:
17.) And again, "Have mercy upon me,
according to the multitude of thy tender
mercies." (Ps. li: 1.)
Ver. 4. "For His great love, wherewith
He loved us."
Why did He love us? For these things are not
deserving of love, but of the sorest wrath, and
punishment. And thus it was of great mercy.
Ver. 5. "Even when we were dead through our
trespasses He quickened us together with
Christ."
Again is Christ introduced, and it is a matter
well worthy of our belief, because if the
Firstfruits live, so do we also. He hath
quickened both Him, and us. Seest thou that
all this is said of Christ incarnate?
Beholdest thou "the exceeding greatness of His
power to us-ward who believe?" (Eph. i:
19.) Them that were dead, them that were
children of wrath, them hath he quickened.
Beholdest thou "the hope of his calling?"
Ver. 6. "He raised us up with Him and made
us sit with Him."
Beholdest thou the glory of His inheritance?
That "He hath raised us up together," is
plain. But that He "hath made us sit with
Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,"
how does this hold? It holds as truly, as that
He hath raised us together. For as yet no one
is actually raised, excepting that inasmuch as
as the Head hath risen, we also are raised,
just as in the history, when Jacob did
obeisance, his wife also did obeisance to
Joseph. (Gen. xxxvii: 9, 10.) And so
in the same way "hath He also made us to sit
with Him." For since the Head sitteth, the
body sitteth also with it, and therefore he adds
"in Christ Jesus." Or again, if it means,
not this, it means that by the layer of Baptism
He hath "raised us up with Him." How then
in that case hath He made "us to sit with
Him?" Because, saith he, "if we suffer we
shall also reign with Him," (2 Tim. ii:
12.) if we be dead with Him we shall also
live with Him. Truly there is need of the
Spirit and of revelation, in order to
understand the depth of these mysteries. And
then that ye may have no distrust about the
matter, observe what he adds further.
Ver. 7. "That in the ages to come, He
might show the exceeding riches of His grace,
in kindness towards us, in Christ Jesus."
Whereas he had been speaking of the things which
concerned Christ, and these might be nothing to
us, (for what, it might be said, is it to
us, that He rose) therefore he shows that they
do moreover extend to us, inasmuch as He is
made one with us. Only that our concern in the
matter he states separately. "Us," saith
he, "who were dead through our trespasses He
raised up with Him, and made us sit with
Him." Wherefore, as I was saying, be not
unbelieving, take the demonstration he adduces
both from former things, and from His
Headship, and also from His desire to show
forth His goodness. For how will He show it,
unless this come to pass? And He will show it
in the ages to come. What? that the blessings
are both great, and more certain than any
other. For now the things which are said may to
the unbelievers seem to be foolishness; but then
all shall know them. Wouldest thou understand
too, how He hath made us sit together with
Him? Hear what Christ Himself saith to the
disciples, "Ye also shall sit upon twelve
thrones, judging the twelve tribes of
Israel." (Matt. xix: 28.) And again,
"But to sit on My right hand and on My left
hand is not Mine to give, but it is for them
for whom it hath been prepared of My Father."
(Matt. xx: 23.) So that it hath been
prepared. And well saith he, "in kindness
towards us in Christ Jesus," for to sit on
His right hand is honor above all honor, it is
that beyond which there is none other. This
then he saith, that even we shall sit there.
Truly this is surpassing riches, truly
surpassing is the greatness of His power, to
make us sit down with Christ, Yea, hadst thou
ten thousand souls, wouldest thou not lose them
for His sake? Yea, hadst thou to enter the
flames, oughtest thou not readily to endure it?
And He Himself too saith again, "Where I
am, there shall also My servant be."
(John. xii: 26.) Why surely had ye to be
cut to pieces every day, ought ye not, for the
sake of these promises cheerfully to embrace it?
Think, where He sitteth? above all
principality and power. And with whom it is
that thou sittest? With Him. And who thou
art? One dead, by nature a child of wrath.
And what good hast thou done? None. Truly
now it is high time to exclaim, "Oh the depth
of the riches both of the wisdom and the
knowledge of God!" (Rom. xi:33.)
Ver. 8. "For by grace," saith he "have
ye been saved."
In order then that the greatness of the benefits
bestowed may not raise thee too high, observe
how he brings thee down: "by grace ye have been
saved," saith he, "Through faith;"
Then, that, on the other hand, our free-will
be not impaired, he adds also our part in the
work, and yet again cancels it, and adds,
"And that not of ourselves."
Neither is faith, he means, "of ourselves."
Because had He not come, had He not called
us, how had we been able to believe? for
"how," saith he, "shall they believe,
unless they hear?" (Rom. x: 14.) So
that the work of faith itself is not our own.
"It is the gift," said he, "of God," it
is "not of works."
Was faith then, you will say, enough to save
us? No; but God, saith he, hath required
this, lest He should save us, barren and
without work at all. His expression is, that
faith saveth, but it is because God so
willeth, that faith saveth. Since, how, tell
me, doth faith save, without works? This
itself is the gift of God.
Ver. 9. "That no man should glory."
That he may excite in us proper feeling touching
this gift of grace. "What then?" saith a
man, "Hath He Himself hindered our being
justified by works?" By no means. But no
one, he saith, is justified by works, in order
that the grace and loving-kindness of God may
be shown. He did not reject us as having
works, but as abandoned of works He hath saved
us by grace; so that no man henceforth may have
whereof to boast. And then, lest when thou
hearest that the whole work is accomplished not
of works but by faith, thou shouldest become
idle, observe how he continues, Ver. 10.
"For we are His workmanship, created in
Christ Jesus for good works, which God afore
prepared that we should walk in them."
Observe the words he uses. He here alludes to
the regeneration, which is m reality a second
creation. We have been brought from
non-existence into being. As to what we were
before, that is, the old man, we are dead.
What we are now become, before, we were not.
Truly then is this work a creation, yea, and
more noble than the first; for from that one,
we have our being; but from this last, we
have, over and above, our well being.
"For good works, which God afore prepared
that we should walk in them."
Not merely that we should begin, but that we
should walk in them, for we need a virtue which
shall last throughout, and be extended on to our
dying day. If we had to travel a road leading
to a royal city, and then when we had passed
over the greater part of it, were to flag and
sit down near the very close, it were of no use
to us. This is the hope of our calling; for
"for good works" he says. Otherwise it would
profit us nothing.
Moral. Thus here he rejoices not that we
should work one work, but all; for, as we have
five senses, and ought to make use of all in
their proper season, so ought we also the
several virtues. Now were a man to be temperate
and yet unmerciful, or were he to be merciful
and yet grasping, or were he to abstain indeed
from other people's goods, and yet not bestow
his own, it would be all in vain. For a single
virtue alone is not enough to present us with
boldness before the judgment-seat of Christ;
no, we require it to be great, and various,
and universal, and entire. Hear what Christ
saith to the disciples, "Go, ye and make
disciples of all the nations,-teaching them
to observe all things whatsoever I commanded
you." (Matt. xxviii: 19.) And again,
"Whosoever shall break one of these least
commandments, shall be called least in the
kingdom of Heaven," (Matt. v: 19.)
that is, in the resurrection; nay, he shall
not enter into the kingdom; for He is wont to
call the time also of the resurrection, the
kingdom. "If he break one," saith He, "he
shall be called least," so that we have need of
all. And observe how it is not possible to
enter without works of mercy; but if even this
alone be wanting, we shall depart into the
fire. For, saith He, "Depart, ye cursed,
into the eternal fire, which is prepared for the
Devil and his angels." Why and wherefore?
"For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no
meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no
drink." (Matt. xxv: 42.) Beholdest
thou, how without any other charge laid against
them, for this one alone they perished. And
for this reason alone too were the virgins also
excluded from the bride-chamber, though
sobriety surely they did possess. As the
Apostle saith "and the sanctification, without
which no man shall see the Lord." (Heb.
xii: 14.) Consider then, that without
sobriety, it is impossible to see the Lord;
yet it does not necessarily follow that with
sobriety it is possible to see Him, because
often-times something else stands in the way.
Again, if we do all things ever so rightly,
and yet do our neighbor no service, neither in
that case shall we enter into the kingdom.
Whence is this evident? From the parable of
the servants entrusted with the talents. For,
in that instance, the man's virtue was in every
point unimpaired, and there had been nothing
lacking, but forasmuch as he was slothful in his
business, he was rightly cast out. Nay, it is
possible, even by railing only, to fall into
Hell. "For whosoever" saith Christ,
"shall say to his brother, Thou fool, shall
be in danger of the hell of fire." (Matt.
v:
22.) And if a man be ever so right in all
things, and yet be injurious, he shall not
enter.
And let no one impute cruelty to God, in that
he excludes those who fail in this matter, from
the kingdom of Heaven. For even with men, if
any one do any thing whatsoever contrary to the
law, he is banished from the king's presence.
And if he transgresses so much as one of the
established laws, if he lays a false accusation
against another, he forfeits his office. And
if he commits adultery, and is detected, he is
disgraced, and even though he have done ten
thousand right acts, he is undone; and if he
commits murder, and is convicted, this again is
enough to destroy him. Now if the laws of men
are so carefully guarded, how much more should
those of God be. "But He is good," a man
says. How long are we to be uttering this
foolish talk? foolish, I say, not because He
is not good, but in that we keep thinking that
His goodness will be available to us for these
purposes, though I have again and again used
ten thousand arguments on this subject. Listen
to the Scripture, which saith, "Say not,
His mercy is great, He will be pacified for
the multitude of my sins." (Ecclus. v:
6.) He does not forbid us to say, "His
mercy is great." This is not what He
enjoins; rather he would have us constantly say
it, and with this object Paul raises all sorts
of arguments, but his object is what follows.
Do not, he means, admire the loving-kindness
of God with this view, with a view to sinning,
and saying, "His mercy will be pacified for
the multitude of my sins." For it is with this
object that I too discourse so much concerning
His goodness, not that we may presume upon it,
and do any thing we choose, because in that way
this goodness will be to the prejudice of our
salvation; but that we may not despair in our
sins, but may repent. For "the goodness of
God leadeth thee to repentance," (Rom. ii:
4.) not to greater wickedness. And if thou
become depraved, because of His goodness, thou
art rather belying Him before men. I see many
persons thus impugning the long-suffering of
God; so that if thou use it not aright, thou
shalt pay the penalty. Is God a God of
loving-kindness? Yes, but He is also a
righteous Judge. Is He one who maketh
allowance for sins? True, yet rendereth He to
every man according to his works. Doth He pass
by iniquity and blot out transgressions? True,
yet maketh He inquisition also. How then is
it, that these things are not contradictions?
Contradictions they are not, if we distinguish
them by their times. He doeth away iniquity
here, both by the laver of Baptism, and by
penitence. There He maketh inquisition of what
we have done by fire and torment. "If then,"
some man may say, "I am cast out, and forfeit
the kingdom, whether I have wrought ten
thousand evil deeds or only one, wherefore may
I not do all sorts of evil deeds?" This is
the argument of an ungrateful servant; still
nevertheless, we will proceed to solve even
this. Never do that which is evil in order to
do thyself good; for we shall, all alike fall
short of the kingdom, yet in Hell we shall not
all undergo the same punishment, but one a
severer, another a milder one. For now, if
thou and another have "despised God's
goodness," (Rom. ii: 4.) the one in many
instances, and the other in a few, ye will
alike forfeit the kingdom. But if ye have not
alike despised Him, but the one in a greater,
the other in a less degree, in Hell ye shall
feel the difference.
Now then, why, it may be said, doth He
threaten them who have not done works of mercy,
that they shall depart into the fire, and not
simply into the fire, but into that which is
"prepared for the devil and his angels?"
(Matt. xxv: 41.) Why and wherefore is
this? Because nothing so provokes God to
wrath. He puts this before all terrible
things; for if it is our duty to love our
enemies, of what punishment shall not he be
worthy, who turns away even from them that love
him, and is in this respect worse than the
heathen? So that in this case the greatness of
the sin will make such an one go away with the
devil. Woe to him, it is said, who doeth not
alms; and if this was the case under the Old
Covenant, much more is it under the New. if,
where the getting of wealth was allowed, and the
enjoyment of it, and the care of it, there was
such provision made for the succoring the poor,
how much more in that Dispensation, where we
are commanded to surrender all we have? For
what did not they of old do? They gave tithes,
and tithes again upon tithes for orphans,
widows, and strangers; whereas some one was
saying to me in astonishment at another,
"Why, such an one gives tithes." What a
load of disgrace does this expression imply,
since what was not a matter of wonder with the
Jews has come to be so in the case of the
Christians? If there was danger then in
omitting tithes, think how great it must be
now.
Again, drunkenness shall not inherit the
kingdom. Yet what is the language of most
people? "Well, if both I and he are in the
same case, that is no little comfort." What
then? First of all, that thou and he shall not
reap the same punishment; but were it
otherwise, neither is that any comfort.
Fellowship in sufferings has comfort in it,
when the miseries have any proportion in them;
but when they exceed all proportion, and carry
us beyond ourselves, no longer do they allow of
our receiving any comfort at all. For tell the
man that is being tortured, and has entered into
the flames, that such an one is undergoing the
same, still he will not feel the comfort. Did
not all the Israelites perish together? What
manner of comfort did that afford them?
Rather, did not this very thing distress them?
And this was why they kept saying, We are
lost, we are perished, we are wasted away.
What manner of comfort then is there here? In
vain do we comfort ourselves with such hopes as
these. There is but one only comfort, to avoid
falling into that unquenchable fire; but it is
not possible for one who has fallen into it to
find comfort, where there is the gnashing of
teeth, where there is the weeping, where is the
worm that dieth not, and the fire that is not
quenched. For shalt thou conceive any comfort
at all, tell me, when thou art in so great
tribulation and distress? Wilt thou then be any
longer thyself? Let us not, I pray and
entreat you, let us not vainly deceive ourselves
and comfort ourselves with arguments like these;
no, let us practise those virtues, which shall
avail to save us. The object before us is to
sit together with Christ, and art thou trifling
about such matters as these? Why, were there
no other sin at all, how great punishment ought
we not to suffer for these very speeches
themselves, because we are so insensate, so
wretched, and so indolent, as, even with so
vast a privilege before us, to talk thus? Oh!
how much shalt thou have to lament, when thou
shalt then consider them that have done good!
When thou shalt behold slaves and base-born who
have labored but a little here, there made
partakers of the royal throne, will not these
things be worse to thee than torment? For if
even now, when thou seest any in high
reputation, though thou art suffering no evil,
thou regardest this as worse than any
punishment, and by this alone art consumed, and
bemoanest thyself, and weepest, and judgest it
to be as bad as ten thousand deaths; what shalt
thou suffer then?
Why, even were there no hell at all, the very
thought of the kingdom, were it not enough to
destroy and consume thee? And that such will be
the case, we have enough in our own experience
of things to teach us. Let us not then vainly
flatter our own souls with speeches like these;
no, let us take heed, let us have a regard for
our own salvation, let us make virtue our care,
let us rouse ourselves to the practice of good
works, that we may be counted worthy to attain
to this exceeding glory, in Jesus Christ our
Lord with whom to the Father, together with
the Holy Spirit be glory, might, honor, now
and ever, and for ages of ages. Amen.
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