馬太福音講道集 第 33 章 第 2/2 段

For if now, when a kingdom is looked for, and a resurrection is hoped for, and the unspeakable good things, and though conscious to themselves of ten thousand evils, and having so many examples, and partaking of so great a philosophy—if some men lose a little gold, and that too having often seized it by rapine, they think life not worth living; when no wife presses upon them, no children are taken away, no friends reproach them, no servants trample on them, but there are many to console them, some by words and some by deeds—

of how many crowns would that man be worthy, who saw the fruits gathered by righteous labours snatched away carelessly and by mere chance, and after all those things endured ten thousand snowstorms of temptations, and through all remained unmoved, and offered to the Master the fitting thanksgiving for these things? For even if no one should mention any of the rest, the words of his wife alone were enough to shatter even a rock.

See, then, her malice.

She makes no mention of his goods, nor of the camels and flocks and herds (for she knew her husband's philosophy in these matters), but rather of that which was more burdensome than all these—I mean the children—and she enlarges the tragedy, and adds her own touches. And if to men who are in prosperity and suffer nothing unpleasant, wives have often persuaded much—

consider how vigorous was that soul which, when she came against it with so many weapons, thrust her back, and trampled underfoot the two most tyrannical passions, desire and pity.

And yet many who have mastered desire have been bent by pity.

That noble Joseph, at any rate, restrained the most tyrannical of pleasures, and repelled that barbarian woman who brought against him ten thousand contrivances;

yet he did not restrain his tears, but on seeing the brothers who had wronged him, he was inflamed with feeling, and quickly casting off the mask, he disclosed the drama.

But when it is a wife, and she speaks piteous things, and has the moment working with her, and the wounds, and the bruises, and the ten thousand waves of calamities—how could one not justly declare that soul, which suffered nothing under so great a tempest, to be firmer than any adamant? Permit me to say with boldness that this blessed man was, if not greater than the apostles, yet certainly not less.

For those were comforted by suffering for Christ's sake;

and this remedy was so sufficient to raise them up day by day, that the Master set it everywhere before them, saying, 'For my sake,' and 'On account of me,' and, 'If they called me, the master of the house, Beelzebub.'

But that man was destitute of this comfort, and of the comfort from signs, and of that from grace.

For neither did he possess so great a power of the Spirit;

seeing that, brought up in much luxury—not from among fishermen and tax-collectors and those who had lived in mean estate, but having enjoyed so great honour—he suffered all that he suffered.

And that which seemed most burdensome in the case of the apostles, this same thing he too endured: being hated by friends, by servants, by enemies, by those to whom he had done good;

and the sacred anchor and the waveless harbour (this was what was said to the apostles, namely, 'For my sake')—this he could not see.

I marvel also at the three children, that they dared the furnace, that they rose up against the tyrant.

'We do not serve your gods, and we do not worship the image which you have set up.'

That which was the greatest comfort to them was to know clearly that for God's sake they suffered all whatever they might suffer.

But this man did not know that these were contests and wrestling;

for had he known, he would not have felt the things that were happening.

When at any rate he heard, 'Do you think that I have dealt with you for any other reason than that you might be shown to be righteous?'—consider how immediately, at a bare word, he took breath again;

how he considered that he had not even suffered the things he had suffered, saying thus:

'Why am I still judged, being admonished and reproved by the Lord, hearing such things, though I am nothing?' And again:

'Formerly I heard of you by the hearing of the ear;'

'but now my eye has seen you;'

'wherefore I have counted myself vile and have wasted away;'

'and I have esteemed myself dust and ashes.'

This manliness, then, and this forbearance let us also emulate—we who live after the law and grace—of him who lived before the law and grace, that we too may be able to share with him the eternal tabernacles;

which may it be granted to us all to attain, by the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and might unto the ages of ages. Amen.