HOMILY XXXII.

1 COR. xii. 27.

Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

FOR lest any should say, What is the example of the . body to us? since the body is a slave to nature, but our good deeds are of choice;" he applies it to our own concerns; and to signify that we ought to have the same concord of design, as they have from nature, he saith, Now ye are the body of Christ. But if our body ought not to be divided, much less the body of Christ, and so much less, as grace is more powerful than nature.

"not only," saith For of both these

And members in particular. That is, he," are we a body, but members also." he had before discoursed, bringing the many together into one, and implying that all become some one thing after the image of the body, and that this one thing is made up of the many, and is in the many, and that the many by this are held together, and are capable of being many.

But what is the expression, in particular? "So far at least as appertaineth to you; and so far as naturally should receive edification from you." For because he had said, the body, whereas the whole body was not the Corinthian Church, but the Church in every part of the world, therefore he said, in particular: i. e. the Church amongst you is a part of the Church existing every where, and of the body which is made up of all the Churches: so that not only with yourselves alone, but also with the whole Church throughout the world, ye ought to be at peace, if at least ye be members of the whole body.

Order of the Gifts: Apostles, Prophets, Teachers. 437

12. 28.

[2.] Ver. 28. And God hath set some in the Church; first, 1 COR. apostles; secondarily, prophets; thirdly, teachers; after that, miracles; then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

Thus what I spake of before, this also he now doth. Because they thought highly of themselves in respect of the tongues, he sets it last every where. For the terms, "first" and "second" are not used by him here at random, but in order to set first the more honourable, and to point out the inferior. Wherefore also he set the apostles first, who had all the gifts in themselves. And he said not, " God hath set certain in the Church, apostles" simply," or prophets," but he employs first, second, and third, signifying that same thing which I told you of.

29.

4. 14.

Secondarily, prophets. For they used to prophesy, as the daughters of Philip, as Agabus, as these very persons among the Corinthians, of whom he saith, Let the prophets speak, two or three1. And writing also to Timothy, he said, c. 14. Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy2. And they were much more numerous then, than 21 Tim. under the old covenant: the gift not having devolved on some ten, and twenty, and fifty, and an hundred, but this grace was poured out abundantly, and every Church had many that prophesied. And if Christ saith, The Law and the Prophets prophesied until John3, he saith it of those prophets who S.Mat. before proclaimed his coming.

11. 13.

Thirdly, teachers. For he that prophesieth, speaks all things from the Spirit; but he that teacheth, sometimes discourses also out of his own mind. Wherefore also he said, Let the Elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine*: whereas he that speaks all things by the Spirit,41 Tim. doth not labour. This accordingly is the reason why he set him after the prophet, because the one is wholly a gift, but the other is also man's labour. For he speaks many things of his own mind, agreeing however with the sacred Scriptures also.

[3.] After that, miracles; then, gifts of healings.

Seest thou how he again divides the healings from the power, which also he did before. For the power is more

5. 17.

XXXII.

438

Miracles inferior to Prophecy and Teaching.

HOMIL. than the healing: since he that hath power, both punishes and heals, but he that hath the gift of healings, doeth cures only. And observe how excellent the order he made use of, when he set the prophecy before the miracles and the healings. For above, when he said, To one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom, and to another the word of knowledge, he spake, not setting them in order, but indifferently. Here on the other hand he sets a first, and a second rank. Wherefore then doth he set prophecy first? Because even in the old covenant the matter hath this order. For example, when Esaias was discoursing with the Jews, and exhibiting a demonstration of the power of God, and bringing forward the evidence of the worthlessness of the demons, he stated this also as the greatest evidence of his divinity, his foretelling 1 Is. 41. things to come1. And Christ Himself, after working so many 22, 23. signs, saith, that this was no small sign of His divinity: and continually adds, But these things have I told you, that when 2 S.John it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am He2.

13. 19;

14.29;

"Well then; the gifts of healings are justly inferior to 16. 4. prophecy. But why likewise to teaching?" Because it is

not the same thing, to declare the word of preaching, and sow piety in the hearts of the hearers, as it is to work miracles: (2.) since these are done merely for the sake of that. When therefore any one teaches both by word and life, he is greater than all. For those he calls emphatically teachers, who both teach by deeds, and instruct in word. For instance: this made the Apostles themselves to become Apostles. And those gifts certain others also, of no great worth, received in the beginning, as those who said, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy Name, and done many wonderful works? and after this were told, 3 S.Mat. I never knew you; depart from Me, ye that work iniquity3. But this twofold word of doctrine, I mean that by deeds and by words, no bad man would ever undertake. As to his setting the prophets first, marvel not at it. For he is not speaking of prophets simply, but of those who by prophecy do also teach, and say every thing to the common benefit: which in proceeding he makes more clear to us.

7.22.

Helps, governments. What is, helps? To help the weak. Is this then a gift, tell me? In the first place, this too is of STATIXÒ the Gift of God, aptness for a patron's office1; the dispensing

4

εἶναι.

12, 28.

Collection of Topics to content Men in lower Stations. 489 spiritual things; besides which he calls many even of our 1 COR. own good deeds, " gifts," not meaning us to be dispirited, but intimating that in every case we need God's help, and preparing them to be thankful, and thereby making them more forward, and stirring up their minds.

Diversities of tongues. Seest thou where he hath set this gift, and how he every where assigns it the last rank ?

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[4.] Further, since again by this catalogue he had pointed out a great difference, and stirred up the afore-mentioned distemper of those that had lesser gifts, he darts upon them in what follows with great vehemence, because he had already given them those many proofs of their not being left much inferior. What I mean is; because it was likely that on hearing these things they would say, And why were we not all made Apostles?"-whereas above he had made use of a more soothing tone of discourse, proving at length the necessity of this result, both from the image of the body; for the body, saith he, is not one member; and again, but if all were one member, where were the body? and from the fact of their being given as was expedient; for the manifestation of the Spirit is given, saith he, to every man, to profit withal: and from all being watered from the same Spirit: and from what is bestowed being a free gift, and not a debt; for there are, saith he, diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit: and from the manifestation of the Spirit being made alike through all; for to every man, saith he, is given his own manifestation through the Spirit: and from the fact that these things were moulded according to the pleasure of the Spirit and of God; for all these, saith he, worketh that one and the self-same Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will; and, God hath set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him: and from the inferior members also being necessary; for those which seem, saith he, to be more feeble, are necessary: from their being alike necessary, in that they constitute the body equally with the greater; for the body, saith he, is not one member, but many: from the greater too needing the less; for the head, saith he, cannot say to the feet, I have no need of you: from these latter enjoying even more honour; for to that which lacketh, saith he, He hath given more abundant honour: from the care of them being common and equal; for all the members have

440 God's Economy extends to the least Gifts as to the greatest.

HOMIL. the same care one for another: and from there being one XXXII. honour and one grief of them all; for whether, saith he, one

(3.)

member suffer, all the members suffer with it, or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it:—whereas, I say, he had above exhorted them by these topics, here and henceforth he uses language so as to bear them down and rebuke them. For, as I said, it behoves us neither always to exhort people, nor always to silence them. Therefore also Paul himself, because he at length exhorted them, doth henceforth vehemently attack them, saying,

Ver. 29. Are all apostles? are all prophets? have all the gifts of healing?

And he doth not stop at the first and the second gift, but proceeds to the last, either meaning this, that all cannot be all things, (even as he there saith, if all were one member, where were the body?) or establishing some other point also along with these, which may tell in the way of consolation again. What then is this? His signifying that even the lesser gifts are objects of contention, contended for equally with the greater, from the circumstance, that not even these were given absolutely to all? For "why," saith he, "dost thou grieve, that thou hast not gifts of healing? consider that what thou hast, even though it be less, is oftentimes not possessed by him that hath the greater." Wherefore he saith,

men,

Ver. 30. Do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? For even as the great gifts God hath not vouchsafed all to all but to some this, and to others that, so also did He in respect of the less, not setting these either before all. And this he did, building up thereby great abundance of harmony and love, that each one standing in need of the other might be brought close to his brother. This economy He established also in the arts, this also in the elements, this also in the plants, and in our members, and absolutely in all things.

[5.] Then he subjoins further the most powerful consolation, and sufficient to recover them and quiet their vexed souls. And what is this?

Ver. 31. Covet earnestly, saith he, the best gifts, and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.

Now by saying this, he gently hinted that they were the causes of their own receiving the lesser gifts, and had it in their