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1 THESSALONIANS v. 12, 13.
"But we beseech you, brethren, to know them that labor among you,
and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; and to esteem them
exceeding highly in love for their work's sake. Be at peace among
yourselves."
IT must needs happen that a ruler should have many occasions of
enmities. As physicians are compelled to give much trouble to the
sick, preparing for them both diet and medicines that are not pleasant
indeed, but attended with benefit; and as fathers are often annoying
to their children: so also are teachers, and much more. For the
physician, though he be odious to the sick man, yet has the relations
and friends on good terms with him, nay, and often the sick man
himself. And a father also, both from the force of nature and from
external laws, exercises his dominion over his son with great ease;
and if he should chastise and chide his son against his will, there is
no one to prevent him, nor will the son himself be able to raise a look
against him. But in the case of the Priest there is a great
difficulty. For in the first place, he ought to be ruling people
willing to obey, and thankful to him for his rule; but it is not
possible that this should soon come to pass. For he who is convicted
and reproved, be he what he may, is sure to cease from being
thankful, and to become an enemy. In like manner he will act who is
advised, and he who is admonished and he who is exhorted. If
therefore I should say, empty out wealth on the needy, I say what is
offensive and burdensome. If I say, chastise thine anger, quench
thy wrath, check thine inordinate desire, cut off a small portion of
thy luxury, all is burdensome and offensive. And if I should punish
one who is slothful, or should remove him from the Church, or exclude
him from the public prayers, he grieves, not because he is deprived of
these things, but because of the public disgrace. For this is an
aggravation of the evil, that, being interdicted from spiritual
things, we grieve not on account of our deprivation of these great
blessings, but because of our disgrace in the sight of others. We do
not shudder at, do not dread, the thing itself.
For this reason Paul from one end to the other discourses largely
concerning these persons. And Christ indeed has subjected them with
so strict a necessity, that He says, "The Scribes and the
Pharisees sit on Moses' seat. All things therefore whatsoever they
bid you, these do and observe: but do not ye after their works."
(Matt. xxiii. 2, 3.) And again, when He healed the leper,
He said, "Go thy way, show thyself to the priest, and offer the
gift that Moses commanded for a testimony unto them." (Matt.
viii. 4.) And yet Thou sayest, "Ye make him twofold more a son
of hell than yourselves." (Matt. xxiii. 15.) For this reason
I said, answers He, "Do not the things which they do."
Therefore he hath shut out all excuse from him that is under rule. In
his Epistle to Timothy also this Apostle said, "Let the elders
that rule well be counted worthy of double honor." (1 Tim. v.
17.) And in his Epistle to the Hebrews also he said, "Obey
them that have the rule over you, and submit to them." (Heb.
xiii. 17.) And here again, "But we beseech you, brethren, to
know them that labor among you, and are over you in the Lord." For
since he had said, "build each other up," lest they should think
that he raised them to the rank of teachers, he has added, See,
however, that I gave leave to you also to edify one another, for it
is not possible for a teacher to say everything. "Them that labor
among you," he says, "and are over you in the Lord, and admonish
you." And how, he says, is it not absurd? If a man stand up for
thee before a man, thou doest anything, thou confessest thyself much
indebted; but he stands up for thee before God, and thou dost not own
the favor. And how does he stand up for me? thou sayest. Because he
prays for thee, because he ministers to thee the spiritual gift that is
by Baptism, he visits, he advises and admonishes thee, he comes at
midnight if thou callest for him; he is nothing else than the constant
subject of thy mouth, and he bears thy injurious speeches. What
necessity had he? Has he done well or ill? Thou indeed hast a wife,
and livest luxuriously, and choosest a life of commerce. But from
this the Priest has hindered himself by his occupation; his life is no
other than to be employed about the Church. "And to esteem them,"
he says, "exceeding highly in love for their work's sake; be at
peace with them." Seest thou how well he is aware that unpleasant
feelings arise? He does not merely say "love," but" very
highly," as children love their fathers. For through them ye were
begotten by that eternal generation: through them you have obtained the
kingdom: through their hands all things are done, through them the
gates of heaven are opened to you. Let no one raise divisions, let no
one be contentious. He who loves Christ, whatever the Priest may
be, will love him, because through him he has obtained the awful
Mysteries. Tell me, if wishing to see a palace resplendent with much
gold, and radiant with the brightness of precious stones, thou
couldest find him who had the key, and he being called upon immediately
opened it, and admitted thee within, wouldest thou not prefer him
above all men? Wouldest thou not love him as dearly as thine eyes?
Wouldest thou not kiss him? This man hath opened heaven to thee, and
thou dost not kiss him, nor pay him court. If thou hast a wife, dost
thou not love him above all, who procured her for thee? So if thou
lovest Christ, if thou lovest the kingdom of heaven, acknowledge
through whom thou obtainedst it. On this account he says, "for their
work's sake, be at peace with them."
Ver. 14. "And we exhort you, brethren, admonish the
disorderly, encourage the faint-hearted, support the weak, be long
suffering toward all."
Here he addresses those who have rule. Admonish, he says, "the
disorderly," not of imperiousness, he says, nor of self-will rebuke
them, but with admonition. "Encourage the fainthearted, support the
weak, be longsuffering toward all." For he who is rebuked with
harshness, despairing of himself, becomes more bold in contempt. On
this account it is necessary by admonition to render the medicine
sweet. But who are the disorderly? All those who do what is contrary
to the will of God. For this order of the Church is more harmonious
than the order of an army; so that the reviler is disorderly, the
drunkard is disorderly, and the covetous, and all who sin; for they
walk not orderly in their rank, but out of the line, wherefore also
they are overthrown? But there is also another kind of evils, not
such as this indeed, but itself also a vice, little mindedness. For
this is destructive equally with sloth. He who cannot bear an insult
is feeble-minded. He who cannot endure trial is feeble-minded.
This is he who is sown upon the rock. There is also another sort,
that of weakness. "Support the weak," he says; now weakness occurs
in regard to faith. But observe how he does not permit them to be
despised. And elsewhere also in his Epistles he says, "Them that
are weak in the faith receive ye." (Rom. xiv. 1.) For in our
bodies too we do not suffer the weak member to perish. "Be
longsuffering toward all," he says. Even toward the disorderly?
Yes, certainly. For there is no medicine equal to this, especially
for the teacher, none so suitable to those who are under rule. It can
quite shame and put out of countenance him that is fiercer and more
shameless than all men.
Ver. 15. "See that none render unto any one evil for evil."
If we ought not to render evil for evil, much less evil for good;
much less, when evil has not been previously done, to render evil,
Such an one, you say, is a bad man, and has aggrieved me, and done
me much injury. Do you wish to revenge yourself upon him? Do not
retaliate. Leave him unpunished. Well, is this the
stopping-place? By no means; "But alway follow after that which is
good, one toward another, and toward all."
This is the higher philosophy, not only not to requite evil with
evil, but to render good for evil. For this is truly revenge that
brings harm to him and advantage to thyself, or rather great advantage
even to him, if he will. And that thou mayest not think that this is
said with respect to the faithful, therefore he has said, "both one
toward another and toward all." Ver. 16. "Rejoice alway."
This is said with respect to the temptations that bring in affliction.
Hear ye, as many as have fallen into poverty, or into distressing
circumstances. For from these joy is engendered. For when we possess
such a soul that we take revenge on no one, but do good to all,
whence, tell me, will the sting of grief be able to enter into us?
For he who so rejoices in suffering evil, as to requite even with
benefits him that has done him evil, whence can he afterwards suffer
grief? And how, you say, is this possible? It is possible, if we
will. Then also he shows the way.
Ver. 17, 18. "Pray without ceasing; In every thing giving
thanks: for this is the will of God."
Always to give thanks, this is a mark of a philosophic soul. Hast
thou suffered any evil? But if thou wilt, it is no evil. Give
thanks to God, and the evil is changed into good. Say thou also as
Job said, "Blessed be the name of the Lord for ever." (Job i.
21.) For tell me, what such great thing hast thou suffered? Has
disease befallen thee? Yet it is nothing strange. For our body is
mortal, and liable to suffer. Has a want of possessions overtaken
thee? But these also are things to be acquired, and again to be
lost, and that abide here. But is it plots and false accusations of
enemies? But it is not we that are injured by these, but they who are
the authors of them. "For the soul," he says, "that sinneth,
itself shall also die." (Ezek. xviii. 4.) And he has not
sinned who suffers the evil, but he who has done the evil.
Upon him therefore that is dead you ought not to take revenge, but to
pray for him that you may deliver him from death. Do you not see how
the bee dies upon the sting? By that animal God instructs us not to
grieve our neighbors. For we ourselves receive death first. For by
striking them perhaps we have pained them for a little time, but we
ourselves shall not live any longer, even as that animal will not.
And yet the Scripture commends it, sating that it is a worker, whose
work kings and private men make use of for their health.
(Ecclus. xi. 3.) But this does not preserve it from dying, but
it must needs perish. And if its other excellence does not deliver it
when it does injury, much less will it us.
For indeed it is the part of the fiercest beasts, when no one has
injured thee, to begin the injury, or rather not even of beasts. For
they, if thou permittest them to feed in the wilderness, and dost not
by straitening them reduce them to necessity, will never harm thee,
nor come near thee, nor bite thee, but will go their own way.
But you being a rational man, honored with so much rule and honor and
glory, do not even imitate the beasts in your conduct to your
fellow-creature, but you injure your brother, and devour him. And
how will you be able to excuse yourself? Do you not hear Paul
saying, "Why not rather take wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?
Nay, but ye yourselves do wrong, and defraud, and that your
brethren." (1 Cor. vi. 7, 8.) Do you see that suffering
wrong consists in doing wrong, but that to suffer wrongfully is to
receive a benefit? For tell me, if any one were to revile his
rulers, if he were to insult those in power, whom does he injure?
Himself, or them? Clearly himself.
Then he who insults a ruler insults not him, but himself--and he
that insults a Christian does he not through him insult Christ? By
no means, thou sayest.
What sayest thou? He that casts a stone at the images of the king
(Emperor), at whom does he cast a stone? is it not at himself?
Then does he who casts a stone at the image of an earthly king, cast a
stone at himself, and does not he who insults the image of God (for
man is the image of God) injure himself?
How long shall we love riches? For I shall not cease exclaiming
against them: for they are the cause of everything. How long do we
not get our fill of this insatiable desire? What is the good of gold?
I am astonished at the thing! There is some enchantment in the
business, that gold and silver should be so highly valued among us.
For our own souls indeed we have no regard, but those lifeless images
engross much attention. Whence is it that this disease has invaded the
world? Who shall be able to effect its destruction? What reason can
cut off this evil beast, and destroy it with utter destruction? The
desire is deep sown in the minds of men, even of those who seem to be
religious. Let us be put to shame by the commands of the Gospel.
Words only lie there in Scripture, they are nowhere shown by works.
And what is the specious plea of the many? I have children, one
says, and I am afraid lest I myself be reduced to the extremity of
hunger and want, lest I should stand in need of others. I am ashamed
to beg. For that reason therefore do you cause others to beg? I
cannot, you say, endure hunger. For that reason do you expose others
to hunger? Do you know what a dreadful thing it is to beg, how
dreadful to be perishing by hunger? Spare also your brethren! Are
you ashamed, tell me, to be hungry, and are you not ashamed to rob?
Are you afraid to perish by hunger, and not afraid to destroy others?
And yet to be hungry is neither a disgrace nor a crime; but to cast
others into such a state brings not only disgrace, but extreme
punishment.
All these are pretenses, words, trifles. For that it is not on
account of your children that you act thus, they testify who indeed
have no children, nor will have, but who yet toil and harass
themselves, and are busy in acquiring wealth, as much as if they had
innumerable children to leave it to. It is not the care for his
children that makes a man covetous, but a disease of the soul. On
this account many even who have not children are mad about riches, and
others living with a great number of children even despise what they
have. They will accuse thee in that Day. For if the necessities of
children compelled men to accumulate riches, they also must necessarily
have the same longing, the same lust. And if they have not, it is
not from the number of children that we are thus mad, but from the love
of money. And who are they, you say, who having children, yet
despise riches? Many, and in many places. And if you will allow
me, I will speak also of instances among the ancients.
Had not Jacob twelve children? Did he not lead the life of a
hireling? Was he not wronged by his kinsman? and did he not often
disap point him? And did his number of children ever compel him to
have recourse to any dishonest counsel? What was the case with
Abraham? With Isaac, had he not also many other children? What
then? Did he not possess all he had for the benefit of strangers? Do
you see, how he not only did not do wrong, but even gave up his
possessions, not only doing good, but choosing to be wronged by his
nephew? For to endure being robbed for the sake of God is a much
greater thing than to do good. Why? Because the one is the fruit of
the soul and of free choice, whence also it is easily performed but the
other is injurious treatment and violence. And a man will more easily
throw away ten thousand talents voluntarily, and will not think that he
has suffered any harm, than he will bear meekly being robbed of three
pence against his will. So that this rather is philosophy of soul.
And this, we see, happened in the case of Abraham. "For Lot,"
it is said, "beheld all the plain; and it was well watered as the
garden of God, and he chose it." (Gen. xiii. 10, 11.)
And Abraham said nothing against it. Seest thou, that he not only
did not wrong him, but he was even wronged by him? Why, O man,
dost thou accuse thine own children? God did not give us children for
this end, that we should seize the possessions of others. Take care,
lest in saying this thou provoke God. For if thou sayest that thy
children are the causes of thy grasping and thine avarice, I fear lest
thou be deprived of them, as injuring and ensnaring thee. God hath
given thee children that they may support thine old age, that they may
learn virtue from thee.
For God on this account hath willed that mankind should thus be held
together, providing for two most important objects: on the one hand,
appointing fathers to be teachers, and on the other, implanting great
love. For if men were merely to come into being, no one would have
any relation towards any other. For if now, when there are the
relations of fathers, and children, and grandchildren, many do not
regard many, much more would it then be the case. On this account
God hath given thee children. Do not therefore accuse the children.
But if they who have children have no excuse, what can they say for
themselves, who having no children wear themselves out about the
acquisition of riches? But they have a saying for themselves, which
is destitute of all excuse. And what is this? That, instead of
children we may have, thor say, may have our riches as a memorial.
This is truly ridiculous. Instead of children, one says, my house
becomes the immortal memorial of my glory. Not of thy glory, O man,
will it be the memorial, but of thy covetousness. Dost thou not see
how many now as they pass the magnificent houses say one to another,
What frauds, what robberies such an one committed, that he might
build this house, and now he is become dust and ashes, and his house
has passed into the inheritance of others! It is not of thy glory then
that thou leavest a memorial, but of thy covetousness. And thy body
indeed is concealed in the earth, but thou dost not permit the memorial
of thy covetousness to be concealed, as it might have been by length of
time, but causest it to be turned up and disinterred through thy
house. For as long as this stands, bearing thy name, and called such
an one's, certainly the mouths of all too must needs be opened against
thee. Dost thou see that it is better to have nothing than to sustain
such an accusation?
And these things indeed here. But what shall we do There? tell me,
having so much at our disposal here, if we have imparted to no one of
our possessions, or at least very little; how shall we put off our
dishonest gains? For he that wishes to put off covetous gain, does
not give a little out of a great deal, but many times more than he has
robbed, and he ceases from robbing. Hear what Zacchaeus says,
"And for as many things as I have taken wrongfully, I restore
fourfold." (Luke xix. 8.) But thou, taking wrongfully ten
thousand talents, if thou give a few drachmas, thinkest thou hast
restored the whole, and art affected as if thou hadst given more. And
even this grudgingly. Why? Because thou oughtest both to have
restored these, and to have added other out of thine own private
possessions. For as the thief is not excused when he gives back only
what he has stolen, but often he has added even his life; and often he
compounds upon restoring many times as much: so also should the
covetous man. For the covetous man also is a thief and a robber, far
worse than the other, by how much he is also more tyrannical. He
indeed by being concealed, and by making his attack in the night, cuts
off much of the audacity of the attempt, as if he were ashamed, and
feared to sin.
But the other having no sense of shame, with open face in the middle
of the market-place steals the property of all, being at once a thief
and a tyrant.
He does not break through walls, nor extinguish the lamp, nor open a
chest, nor tear off seals. But what? He does things more insolent
than these, in the sight of those who are injured he carries things out
by the door, he with confidence opens everything, he compels them to
expose all their possessions themselves.
Such is the excess of his violence. This man is more wicked than
those, inasmuch as he is more shameless and tyrannical. For he that
has suffered by fraud is indeed grieved, but he has no small
consolation, that he who injured him was afraid of him. But he who
together with the injury he suffers is also despised, will not be able
to endure the violence. For the ridicule is greater. Tell me, if
one committed adultery with a woman in secret, and another committed it
in the sight of her husband, who grieved him the most, and was most
apt to wound him. For he indeed, together with the wrong he has
done, treated him also with contempt. But the former, if he did
nothing else, showed at least that he feared him whom he injured. So
also in the case of money. He that takes it secretly, does him honor
in this respect, that he does it secretly; but he who robs publicly
and openly, together with the loss adds also the shame.
Let us therefore, both poor and rich, cease from taking the property
of others. For m present discourse is not only to the rich, but to
the poor also. For they too rob those who are poorer than themselves.
And artisans who are better off, and more powerful, outsell the
poorer and more distressed, tradesmen outsell tradesmen, and so all
who are engaged in the market-place. So that I wish from every side
to take away injustice. For the injury consists not in the measure of
the things plundered and stolen, but in the purpose of him that
steals. And that these are more thieves and defrauders, who do not
despise little gains, I know and remember that I have before told
you, if you also remember it. But let us not be over exact. Let
them be equally bad with the rich. Let us instruct our mind not to
covet greater things, not to aim at more than we have. And in
heavenly things let our desire of more never be satiated, but let each
be ever coveting more. But upon earth let every one be for what is
needful and sufficient, and seek nothing more, that so he may be able
to obtain the real goods, by the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord
Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father, together with the Holy
Spirit, be glory, strength, honor, now and always, and world
without end. Amen.
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