VIII.

In Christ, Truth, Gentleness, Justice, meet together. 475 where did it become Christ to teach, if not in the mount JOHN of Olivet? Christ hath His name from chrism, xgioμa in 2-6. Greek meaning what we call unction,'' anointing.' And the reason why He hath anointed us, is, because He hath made us wrestlers against the devil. And at day- v. 2. break He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him, and He sat and taught them. And He was not laid hold upon, because He did not yet deign to suffer.

3. 4.

4. Now then mark, where the Lord's enemies tempted His gentleness. And the Scribes and Pharisees bring unto v. 3−6. Him a woman taken in adultery; and they set her in the midst, and said unto Him, Master, this woman has been even now taken in adultery. Now Moses in the Law commanded us to stone such: but what sayest Thou? This they said, tempting Him, that they might have to accuse Him. To accuse Him of what? Had they caught Him in the commission of any crime, or was that woman alleged to have been in some way concerned with Him? Then what is, Tempting Him that they might have to accuse Him? We understand, my brethren, the marvellous gentleness that was preeminently conspicuous in the Lord. They perceived Him to be exceeding meek, exceeding gentle. For of Him it had been foretold of old, Gird Thee with Thy sword upon Is. 45, Thy thigh, O Thou most mighty; with Thy comeliness and Thy beauty, go Thy way, march prosperously on, and reign, because of truth, and gentleness, and righteousness. So, He brought with Him truth as Teacher, gentleness as Deliverer, righteousness as One that taketh cognisance. That for these things' sake He should reign, this the Prophet had in the Holy Ghost foretold. When He spake, men felt His truth: when He stirred not against His enemies, men praised His gentleness. Since therefore by reason of these two, i. e. His truth and gentleness, his enemies were tormented by rankling malice and envy, they must needs make of the third, i. e. righteousness, a means of His falling. How? Because the Law had bidden that adulterers should be stoned; and the Law, of course, could not bid any thing that was unrighteous: if any man should speak other than the Law had bidden, he would be proved to be unrighteous. They said therefore in themselves,' He is

10.

XXXIII.

476

The tempters thought to set these at variance:

HOMIL. accounted true, He is seen to be gentle on the score of righteousness we must seek matter of accusation. Let us put before Him a woman caught in adultery; let us say what is ordered in the Law concerning her: if He shall bid stone her, He will not have the repute of gentleness: if He give sentence to let her go, He will not keep righteousness. But,' say they, that He may not lose the character of gentleness, for which He has now made Himself amiable to the people, without doubt He will say that she ought to be let go. Hence we find an occasion of accusing Him, and make Him guilty as a transgressor of the Law: saying to Him, Thou art an enemy to the Law, Thou answerest against Moses, nay, against Him, Who through Moses gave the Law: thou art guilty of death, together with her must Thou too be stoned.' By these words and these considerations it might be in their power to inflame resentment, to stir up hot accusation, to make people demand that He should be condemned. But against Whom was this plotted? It was perverseness plotting against Rectitude, falsehood against Truth, corruptness of heart against Right-heartedness, folly against Wisdom. When should those men ever set a snare, without first running their own heads into the noose? Behold, the Lord in answering will at once keep justice, and not forego gentleness. He was not caught, for Whom the snare was laid, but rather they were caught that laid it; because they believed not in Him Who was able to deliver them from snares.

5. Then what said the Lord Jesus in answer? What said the Truth? What said Wisdom? What said that very Righteousness Which they were plotting to accuse? He said not, Let her not be stoned: that He might not seem to gainsay the Law. But far be it from Him to say, Let Luke19, her be stoned: for He came not to lose what He had found, but to seck what was lost. Then what answered He? See how full it is of justice, full of gentleness and truth! He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. O answer of Wisdom! What an entrance hath She given them into Herself! For they stood there without to impeach other; they went not within, for self-scrutiny: the adulteress they saw, themselves they

v. 7.

VII. 6.

and were themselves smitten through by His Justice: 477 looked not into. Transgressors of the Law, they wished JOHN the Law to be fulfilled, and this by impeaching other; not truly fulfilled by keeping chastity themselves, and so condemning adulteries. Ye have heard, ye Jews: heard, ye Pharisees: heard, ye teachers of the Law, Him, the Keeper and Guardian of the Law: but ye have not yet understood that He is the Lawgiver. What else doth He signify to you, when with His finger He writeth on the ground? For with v. 6. the finger of God was the Law written; howbeit because. they were hard, it was written on stone. Now was the Lord there writing on the ground, because He was seeking fruit. Well, ye have heard, Let the Law be fulfilled, the adulteress be stoned: but is it in punishing her, that the Law is to be fulfilled by them that deserve to be punished? Let each one of you consider himself, enter into himself, ascend the judgment-seat of his own mind, set himself at the bar of his conscience, compel himself to confess. For it knows what he is; since no man knoweth the things of the man, but the 1 Cor. 2, spirit of man which is in him. Each fixing his regard upon himself, findeth himself a sinner. Even so. Therefore, either let this woman go, or together with her undergo ye the punishment of the Law. Should He say, Let not the adulteress be stoned, He were proved unjust: should He say, Let her be stoned, He should not seem gentle let Him say what it behoveth Him, the Gentle and the Just, to say, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. This is the voice of Justice, Let the sinner be punished, but not by sinners: let the Law be fulfilled, but not by transgressors of the Law. This is the voice assuredly of Justice by which Justice those men being', as by a dart, 1 trabali smitten through and pinned to the ground, looking into telo percussi themselves and finding themselves guilty, one by one all withdrew. There remained alone they two, a wretch and 2 misera Mercy. But the Lord, when He had smitten them through ricordia with that dart of justice, deigned not to note their overthrow,

Enarr. in Ps. 102. §. 11. "At the time when this woman was brought before Him, the Lord having stooped His head was writing upon the earth. He did then write upon the earth when He stooped to the earth: before He stooped to the earth, He wrote not

2

et mise

478

and the sinner restored by His Gentleness.

HOMIL. but turning away His regard from them, again wrote with xxxIII. His finger on the ground.

XXXIII.

v. 11.

Is. 42,

14. LXX.

6. But when that woman was left alone, and all they were gone, He lifted up His eyes to the woman. We have heard the voice of Justice, let us also hear the voice of Gentleness. For, methinks, that woman was the more terrified, when she heard it said by the Lord, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. They, then, taking note of themselves, and by their very withdrawal making confession concerning themselves, had left the woman with her great sin, to Him Who was without sin. And because she had heard this, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her, she looked to be punished by Him, in Whom could no sin be found. But He, Who had driven back her adversaries with the tongue of Justice, now lifting up on her the eyes of Gentleness, asked her, Hath no man condemned thee? She answered, No man, Lord. And He said, Neither will I condemn thee; I, by Whom perchance thou didst fear to be condemned, because in Me thou hast not found sin: Neither will I condemn thee. How, Lord? Dost Thou then favour sins? Not so, assuredly! Mark what follows: Go, henceforth sin no more. You see then, the Lord also condemned; but sin, not man. For were He a favourer of sins, He would say, Neither will I condemn thee: go, live as thou wilt: be sure of my deliverance, how much soever thou mayest sin. I will deliver thee from all punishment even of hell, and from the tormentors in the infernal world. Not this said He.

7. Then let them give good heed, who love in the Lord Ps. 25,8. His gentleness, and let them fear His truth. For the Lord is sweet and right. Thou lovest because He is sweet: fear, because He is right. As gentle, He said, I have held My peace: but as just, Shall I always hold My peace? The Lord is pitiful and merciful. Yea, doubtless. Add yet, Long suffering: add yet, and very pitiful: yea, but fear what comes last, and true. Those whom He now bears with Rom. 2, in their sins, He will judge for their contempt. Or despisest thou the riches of His longsuffering and gentleness; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardness and impenitent heart trea

Ps. 86,

15.

4-6.

Presumptuous hope, reckless desperation, both fatal.

479

Hast thou spent

surest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and JOHN revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds. He is a gentle Lord, a longsuffering Lord, a pitiful Lord: yea, but also a just Lord, and a true Lord. He giveth thee space to correct thy ways: but thou lovest the respite of thy punishment more than the amending of thy faults. Wast thou a bad man yesterday? be a good man to-day. to-day also in thy bad living? At least be changed tomorrow. Thou art ever expecting, and from the mercy of God dost promise Thyself very much as if He Who hath upon thy repentance promised thee pardon, hath promised thee also a longer life! How knowest thou what to-morrow may bring forth? Thou rightly sayest in thine heart, When I shall have corrected my ways, God will forgive me all my sins. We cannot deny, that to them who correct their faults and are converted, God hath promised pardon. For in what prophet thou readest me that God hath promised pardon to him that amendeth, thou readest me not that God hath promised thee a long life.

8. From both therefore men are in peril, both from hoping and from despairing; contrary things, contrary affections. Who is deceived by hoping? He that saith, God is good, God is pitiful: let me do what pleaseth me, what I list to do: let me throw loose the reins to my lusts, let me give the desires of my soul their fill. And why? Because God is pitiful, God is good, God is gentle. By hope these are put in peril. But by despair, they who when they have fallen into grievous sins, accounting that it is impossible they should henceforth be pardoned upon repentance, and settling it. with themselves that they are without doubt doomed to damnation, say in themselves, Already we are sure to be damned, why not do what we please?' in the temper of gladiators doomed to the sword. This it is that makes desperate men mischievous: they have nothing more to dread, and therefore are they very much to be dreaded. These despair killeth; hope, those. Between hope and despair the mind is tossed as on waves. There is reason to fear lest hope undo thee, and while thou hopest much of

So one Ms.: but the other copies, per patientiam,' through His patience.'