帖撒羅尼迦後書講道集 第 2 章

Paul, and Silvanus, and Timothy, unto the Church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The greater part of men do and contrive everything, so as to obtain some favour both with rulers and with those who are greater than themselves;

and they count this a great thing, and think themselves blessed, if they attain what they earnestly seek.

But if to obtain favour with men is so great a thing, to find grace with God—how great would that be? For this reason he always sets this at the forefront of his epistle, and this he prays for, knowing that if this be present, nothing henceforth will be grievous, but whatever things are hard, all will be dissolved.

And that you may learn: Joseph was a slave, young, inexperienced, artless, and suddenly he was entrusted with the management of a house, and rendered account to an Egyptian man.

And you know somewhat how irascible and unforgiving that nation is;

and when authority and power are added besides, the wrath is the greater, being raised up by the power.

This is clear also from what he did afterwards.

For when his mistress accused him, he endured it;

and yet it was not the part of those who held the garments to be doing violence, but of the one who had been stripped.

For she ought to have said that, if you had raised your voice, he would have fled; and if he had been conscious of guilt in himself, he would not have awaited the master's coming.

But nevertheless that man reasoned nothing of the sort, but, having irrationally surrendered the whole matter to his wrath, cast him into prison.

And yet it was possible, even from the other circumstances, to conjecture the man's goodwill and his prudence;

but nevertheless, since he was exceedingly irrational, he reasoned nothing of the sort.

This man then, who had so wicked a master, and was entrusted with the service of a whole household, and was a stranger and desolate and inexperienced—since God poured out upon him abundant grace, so that the temptations were as nothing—thus he passed through all things: the slander of his mistress, and the peril of death, and the prison, and at last came to the royal throne.

This blessed man therefore saw how great is the grace of God;

and for this reason he prays that this may be theirs.

And he contrives yet another thing besides;

for wishing himself to render them well-disposed toward the matters to follow in the epistle,

so that, even if he rebuke, even if he chide, they may not start away;

for this reason he reminds them, before all else, of the grace of God, softening their hearts, so that, even if affliction come, they, calling to mind the grace by which they were saved from the greater dangers, may not despair in the lesser, but may have from thence their consolation;

just as also, writing elsewhere, he said:

'For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, shall we be saved by His life.'

'Grace unto you,' he says, 'and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.'

'We are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting.'

Behold the surpassing measure of his humility!

Having said, 'We are bound to give thanks,' he leads them to reason and to consider that if others do not first marvel at you for your good deeds, but at God, then much more do we.

He praises their disposition, that in suffering such things they are worthy not of tears nor of lamentations, but of thanksgiving to God.

But if Paul gives thanks over the good things of others, what shall be the lot of those who not only give no thanks, but even pine away with envy? 'Because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all toward each other abounds.'

And how is it possible for faith to grow? he asks. How? When we suffer something grievous on its behalf.

It is indeed a great thing to be firmly established, and not to be carried away by one's reasonings;

but when the winds also dash against us, when the rains burst down, when a fierce storm rises from every side, when wave upon wave presses on, and then we are not shaken, this is a proof of nothing else but that faith has grown, and grown exceedingly, and become loftier.

For just as in the flood all things stony and low were quickly hidden, but whatever stood high the waters did not reach;

so also faith, when it has become lofty, is no longer dragged down.

For this reason he did not say, 'grows,' but 'Your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all toward each other abounds.'

Do you see that this too contributes toward enduring afflictions—the being closely knit together, the holding fast to one another? From this also came much consolation.

Now afflictions shake a weak love and faith, but they make a strong one stronger.

For the soul in pain, when it is weak, could add nothing; but the strong soul does so then most of all.

They did not love this one but not that one, but their love was equal toward all;

for this he hinted at by saying, 'of every one of you all toward each other';

namely, that it is something evenly balanced, as of one body.

Since even now we find love existing among many, but this love becomes a cause of division.

For when we are joined together by twos and threes, and the two are very closely bound to each other, or three or four, but withdraw themselves from the rest—having their refuge in resorting to those few and confiding everything to them—this is a division of love, not love.

If the eye should transfer to the hand the care which it has for the whole body, and turning itself away from the other members should attend to that alone, does it not injure the whole? Naturally so.

So we too, if the love which ought to be extended to the whole Church of God we confine to one or two, injure ourselves and them and the whole.

For these things are not of love, but schisms of division, and rents torn asunder.

Since even if I take a part torn away from the whole man, that very fragment is indeed united to itself, and is continuous and cemented together;

yet even so it is a schism, since it is not united to the rest of the body.

For what profit is it that you love such a one vehemently? That is a merely human love;

but if it is not human, but you love for God's sake, then love all;

for God commanded us thus to love even our enemies.

But if He commanded us to love our enemies, how much more those who have done us no harm? But 'I do love,' he says.

For when you speak evil, when you envy, when you plot mischief, how do you love? 'But I do none of these things,' he says.

But when someone is being slandered, if you do not stop the mouth of the one speaking, if you do not disbelieve what is said, if you do not check it—of what kind of friendship is that a proof? 'And the love of every one of you all toward each other abounds,' he says, 'so that we ourselves boast of you in the Churches of God.'

In the former epistle, at any rate, he says that all the Churches of Macedonia and of Achaia resounded with the report, having learned of the state of their faith;

'So that,' he says, 'we have no need to speak anything;

for they themselves report concerning you what kind of entrance we had unto you.'

But here he says, 'So that you yourselves boast.'

What then is the meaning of what is said? There he says that they need no teaching;

but here he does not say that we teach them, but that we boast and take pride in them.

If therefore we both give thanks to God for you and boast of you before men, much more ought you to do this over our good things.

For if your good deeds are worthy of boasting to others, how could they be worthy of lamentation to us? It cannot be said.

'So that we ourselves,' he says, 'boast of you in the Churches of God, for your patience and faith.'

Here he shows that a long time also had passed;

for patience is manifested from a long period, not in two or three days.

And he does not speak of patience simply.

For, above all, even the not yet enjoying the promised good things is a matter of patience;

but now he speaks of a still greater patience.

What kind of patience is this? That which is exercised through persecutions.

And that he hints at this is clear from what he adds and says:

'In all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure.'

For they lived continually among enemies who from every side attempted to harm them, and they displayed a firm and unshakable patience.

Let them be ashamed, as many as go over to certain doctrines for the sake of human patronage.

For while the preaching was still at its beginning, poor men who lived from their daily labor took upon themselves the hostility of men who held public office and were foremost in the city, when neither emperor nor ruler anywhere was a believer, and they underwent a war without truce, and not even so did they give way.

'A manifest token of the righteous judgment of God.'

See how he gathers up consolation for them.

He said, 'We give thanks to God'; he said, 'We boast among men';

but what the one in pain most seeks is this—deliverance from evils, and the punishment of those who ill-treat them.

For when the soul is weak, it seeks these things most of all;

but the philosophic soul does not even seek this.

What then is it that he says, 'A token of the righteous judgment of God'? He has already hinted at both recompenses—both that of those who do evil, and that of those who suffer;

so that, when He crowns you but punishes them, the righteousness of God may be displayed.

At the same time he also comforts them, showing that from their own toils and sweat, and according to the principle of righteousness, they are crowned.

But first he sets down what concerns themselves.

For even if one greatly desires vengeance, yet he first longs for the prizes.

For this reason he also adds, saying:

'That you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer.'

So then this comes about not because the wrongdoers are more powerful, but because one must enter the kingdom in this way.

'For through many afflictions,' he says, 'we must enter into the kingdom of God.'

'If indeed it is a righteous thing with God to recompense affliction to those who afflict you, and to you who are afflicted rest with us, at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of his power.'

The word 'if indeed' here stands in the sense of 'since';

which we too employ in the case of things very fully agreed upon and beyond dispute.

'If it is a righteous thing with God,' he says, 'to requite these men, He will surely requite them;'

if things are of concern to God, if God takes thought.

So he too puts down this 'if indeed,' as of things agreed upon.

whether God hates the wicked.

He speaks thus for this reason, that He may compel those men to admit that He does hate them;

for verdicts of this kind are especially beyond dispute,

since even those very men know that it is just.

For if this is just in the eyes of men, much more is it so with God.

He says, 'To recompense tribulation to them that afflict you, and to you who are afflicted rest with us.'

What then? Is the recompense equal? By no means;

but observe from what follows how he shows it to be more intense, and the rest to be far greater.

Behold yet another consolation:

for he says that they who are partakers of the afflictions shall also have them as partakers in the recompense (this

joining them together in the crowns, together with those who have accomplished ten thousand and greater deeds.

Then he adds also the time, and by the description he lifts up their minds, all but opening the heavens to them already by his word, and setting them before their very eyes, and encircling Him with the angelic host; and both from the place and from those who are with Him he makes the image more expansive, so that they may breathe again a little.

'And to you,' he says, 'who are afflicted, rest with us, at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of His power, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.'

If they that obey not the Gospel suffer punishment, then they who, besides not obeying, also afflict you—what shall they not suffer? But mark for me his discernment:

he did not say here 'to them that afflict you,' but 'to them that obey not.'

So that even if not for your sake, yet for His own sake, he says, He must needs punish them.

This then was said for the sake of full assurance, that they must by all means be punished;

but the former was for the sake of showing that they too are honoured.

The assurance concerning the punishment produces belief;

but the being gladdened comes from this, that they suffer these things on account of what was done against them.

These things then were spoken with reference to those men.

When therefore we are in afflictions, let us reason thus.

Let us not rejoice at the punishment of others as though we were being avenged, but as being ourselves delivered from such chastisement and punishment.

For what profit is it to us when others are punished? Let us not have such souls, I beseech you; let us be urged on to virtue by the kingdom.

For he who is exceedingly virtuous is led on neither by fear nor by the kingdom, but for Christ's own sake;

nevertheless let us think upon the good things in the kingdom and the evils in hell, and even so let us order and discipline ourselves, and even so let us urge ourselves on to the things that must be done.

When you see anything pleasant and great in the present life, think upon the kingdom, and you will count it as nothing;

when you see anything fearful, think upon hell, and you will laugh it to scorn;

when you are held fast by bodily desire, reckon up the fire, reckon up also the very pleasure of sin, that it is worth nothing, that it does not even possess pleasure.

For if the fear of the laws that are laid down here has such power as even to draw us away from wicked deeds, much more the remembrance of things to come—the punishment that is immortal, the chastisement that is everlasting;

if the fear of the king who is upon earth draws us away from so many evils, how much more that of the eternal King? Whence then are we able to have this fear continually? If we listen constantly to the Scriptures.

For if the mere sight of a corpse so restrains our mind, how much more hell and the unquenchable fire? How much more the worm that never dies? If we always ponder hell, we shall not quickly fall into it.

For this reason God threatened chastisement;

for if to reflect upon it had no great gain, God would not have threatened it beforehand;

but since the remembrance of it has power to accomplish great things, therefore, like some saving medicine, He has laid up the threat of it in our souls.

Let us not then despise so great a gain as that which is born from this, but let us continually revolve it in our minds—at our best meals, at our banquets.

For conversation about pleasant things profits the soul nothing, but rather makes it more enfeebled;

whereas conversation about painful and gloomy things cuts away all that is dissipated and dissolute in it, and turns it back and gathers it in when it has been let loose.

He who discourses about theatres and stage-players profits it nothing, but rather inflames it more and makes it more headlong;

he who is anxious and busies himself about other men's affairs has often through this meddlesomeness brought dangers also upon it.

But he who discourses about hell will incur no danger, and makes it more temperate.

Is the subject of these words burdensome? For, pray, if you keep silent, have you quenched hell? or if you speak of it, have you kindled it? Whether you speak of it or do not speak of it, the fire will boil up.

Let it be spoken of continually, that you may never fall into it.

It is not possible for a soul that is anxious about hell to sin quickly;

for hear the excellent exhortation:

'Remember,' it says, 'thy last end, and thou shalt never sin.'

It is not possible for a soul that dreads the giving of account to be careless about its transgressions;

for fear, when it is in its full vigour in the mind, leaves nothing worldly to be in it.

For if a discourse merely stirred up about it thus humbles and gathers in the soul, will not a reflection dwelling in our souls perpetually cleanse the soul more than any fire? Let us not remember the kingdom so much as hell;

for fear has more power than the promise.

And I know that many would have despised ten thousand good things, had they been released from the chastisement;

since even now it suffices for me not to be punished, not to be chastised.

No one of those who have hell before their eyes will fall into hell;

no one of those who despise hell will escape hell.

For just as among us those who fear the tribunals will not be caught by the tribunals, but those who despise them are especially the ones who fall into them;

If the Ninevites had not feared the overthrow, they would have been overthrown;

but because they feared, they were not overthrown.

If they in the days of Noah had feared the flood, they would not have been overwhelmed by it;

and the men of Sodom, if they had feared, would not have been burned up.

It is a great evil to despise a threat;

he who despises a threat will quickly come to feel the trial of it through the reality itself.

Nothing is so profitable as to discourse about hell;

it renders our souls purer than any silver.

For hear the Prophet saying, 'Thy judgments are ever before me.'

And Christ also discourses continually about it.

For even if it grieves the hearer, yet it profits him in the greatest degree.

For such are all things that profit;

for medicines too, and food, though at first they grieve the sick man, then bring the benefit.

But if we cannot endure the weightiness of words, it is plain that we shall not endure the affliction that comes through deeds;

if no one can endure the discourses about hell, it is plain that, if persecution came upon us, no one would ever stand firm against fire, against the sword.

Let us train our hearing not to grow soft and effeminate; for from this we shall come also to actual deeds.

For from this we shall pass on also to the practice of deeds.

If we accustom ourselves to hear fearful things, we shall accustom ourselves also to endure fearful things;

but if we are so enervated that we cannot bear even words, when shall we ever stand firm against the realities themselves? Do you see how the blessed Paul despised all things here below, and the perils that came one upon another? Why so? Because he had schooled himself to despise even hell for the sake of what seemed good to God.

That man, because of his longing for Christ, did not consider even the experience of hell to be anything;

yet we, for the sake of the things that profit us, cannot endure even the mere words about it.

For now, then, having heard a little, you depart;

but I beseech you, if there is any love in you, to be forever turning over among yourselves the discourses concerning these matters.

They will be able to do no harm, even if they bring no benefit;

but assuredly they will indeed bring benefit;

for the soul is fashioned in accordance with its conversations.

'Evil communications,' it says, 'corrupt good manners.'

Therefore good conversations are of benefit;

therefore fearful conversations also bring us to sober-mindedness.

For the soul is like a kind of wax;

for if you apply cold conversations to it, you harden it and make it callous;

but if you apply warm and fiery ones, you soften it;

and having softened it, you mould it into whatever shape you wish, and you engrave upon it the royal image.

Let us therefore stop up our ears against idle conversations;

the evil is no small one;

from this arise all evils.

If our mind had been practised in attending to divine words, it would not have attended to others;

and not attending to others, it would not have gone on to wicked deeds either.

For the word is the road to deeds;

first we conceive a thought, then we speak, then we act.

Often even sober men have gone from shameful words to shameful deeds.

For our soul is neither good by nature nor evil, but it becomes this or that by deliberate choice.

Just as, then, the sail carries the ship wherever the wind may blow;

or rather, just as the rudder carries the ship, when the wind is favourable;

so too the reasoning faculty: if fair words are borne along with a favourable wind, it will sail without danger;

but if the opposite, they will often even sink the reasoning faculty.

For what the winds are to ships, that words are to souls;

wherever you wish, you lead it and turn it about.

For this reason someone, exhorting, says:

'Let all your discourse be in the law of the Most High.'

Wherefore I exhort you, when you take your little children from the nurse, let us not accustom them to old wives' tales, but from the earliest age let each learn that there is a judgement;

let it be fixed fast in their mind that there is punishment;

this fear, once rooted deep, works great good.

For a soul that has learned from the earliest age to be shaken by this expectation will not quickly shake off this dread;

but like some well-broken horse, having the thought of hell seated upon it, walking in good order it will speak and utter useful things;

and neither youth, nor wealth, nor orphanhood, nor anything else will be able to harm it, since it has its reasoning so firm and able to withstand all things.

With these words let us order aright both our own selves, and our wives, and servants, and children, and friends, and, if possible, our enemies too.

For with these words we can cut short the great mass of our sins, and it is better to spend our time amid things sorrowful than amid things pleasant.

For tell me: if you go into a house where a wedding is being celebrated, for a moment you take pleasure in the spectacle, but afterwards, when you have departed, you waste yourself away with grief, because you do not possess such things.

But if you enter a house of mourners, even though they be exceedingly rich, when you depart you will rather be at rest;

for from thence you received no envy, but consolation and comfort concerning your own poverty.

You have seen, by means of the facts themselves, how wealth is no good thing, and poverty no evil, but they are matters indifferent.

So too now: if you discourse about luxury, you rather wound the soul that perhaps has no means to indulge in luxury;

but when, against luxury, you throw into the midst also the words about hell, the thing gladdens you, and will bring forth much pleasure.

For when you consider that luxury will be able to avail us nothing against that fire, you will not seek after it;

but if you reckon that it is even wont to kindle it the more, you will not only not seek after it, but will even turn away from it and thrust it off.

Let us not then flee the discourses about hell, that we may flee hell itself;

let us not flee the remembrance of punishment, that we may not be punished.

If that rich man had pondered upon that fire, he would not have sinned;

but since he never called it to mind, for this reason he fell into it.

Tell me, O man: about to stand before the judgement-seat of Christ, you speak of everything rather than of this? And when you have a lawsuit before a judge, over mere words, often neither night nor day, nor occasion, nor hour, do you speak of anything else, but continually about that matter;

yet when you are about to give account for your whole life and to render your reckoning, you cannot endure to hear about the trial even when others remind you of it? Therefore, for this very reason, all is ruined and corrupted, because when we are about to stand before a human tribunal over worldly matters we move every stone, we entreat everyone, we are perpetually anxious about it, we do everything for the sake of it; but when we are about to come, before long, to the judgement-seat of Christ, we do nothing either by ourselves or through others, we do not entreat the Judge.

And yet He gives us a long respite, and does not snatch us away in the midst of our sins, but suffers us to put them off; and that goodness and love toward mankind of His omits nothing that pertains to Him.

But nothing more comes of it;

Wherefore, I beseech you, let us at least now come to our senses; let us keep hell before our eyes; let us ponder those inexorable reckonings;

that, considering these things, we may both flee vice and choose virtue, and may be able to attain the good things promised to those who love Him, by grace and love toward mankind.