October 7

But if the Spirit that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you; he that raised up Christ from the dead, shall also quicken your mortal bodies, by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.—Romans 8:11.

AGAIN, he touches the point of the Resurrection, since this was the most encouraging hope to the hearer, and gave him security from what had happened to Christ. Now be not thou afraid because thou art compassed about with a dead body. Have thou the Spirit, and it shall assuredly rise again. What, then, shall the bodies which have not the Spirit, not rise? How then must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ? or how shall the account of hell be trustworthy? For if they that have not the Spirit rise not, there will not be a hell at all. What, then, is it which is said? All shall rise, yet not all to life, but come to punishment and some to life. This is why he did not say, shall raise up, but shall quicken. And this is a greater thing than resurrection, and is given to the just only. And because of this honor he adds in the words, By his Spirit that dwelleth in you. And so, if while here thou drive away the grace of the Spirit, and do not depart with it still safe, thou wilt assuredly perish, though thou dost rise again. For as he will not endure then, if he see his Spirit shining in thee, to give thee up to punishment, so neither will he allow them if he see it quenched to bring thee into the Bribe-chamber, even as he admitted not the foolish virgins.

Suffer not thy body, then, to live in this world, that it may live then! Make it die, that it die not. For if it keep living, it will not live: but if it die, then shall it live. And this is the case with resurrection in general. For it must die first and be buried, and then become immortal. But this takes place in spiritual renovation. This has also happened with the Lord's body. For that also was crucified, and buried, and rose again. This, then, let us too be doing: let us keep continually mortifying it in actual works. I do not mean in its substance—far be it from me—but in its inclinations towards evil doings. For this is a life too, or rather this only is life, undergoing nothing that is common to man, nor being a slave to pleasures. For he who has set himself under the rule of these, has no power even to live, through the low spirits, the fears, and the dangers, and the countless throng of ills, that rise from them. For if death must be expected, he hath died, before death, of fear. And if it be disease he dreads, or affront, or poverty, or any of the other ills one can not anticipate, he is ruined and hath perished. What then can be more miserable than a life of this sort? But far otherwise is he that liveth to the Spirit, for he stands at once above fears, and griefs, and dangers, and every kind of change: and that not by undergoing no such thing, but, what is much greater, by thinking scorn of them when they assail him. And how is this to be? It will be if the Spirit dwell in us continually. For he does not speak of any short stay made thereby, but of a continual indwelling. Hence he does not say the Spirit which dwelt, but which dwelleth in us, so pointing to a continual abiding. He then is most truly alive, who is dead to this life. Hence he says, The Spirit is life, because of righteousness. And to make the thing clearer, let me bring before you two men, one who is given up to extravagances and pleasures, and the deceitfulness of this life; and the other made dead to all these; and let us see which is more really the living one. For let one of these two be very rich and much looked up to, keeping parasites and flatterers, and let us suppose him to spend the whole day upon this, in revelling and drunkenness; and let the other live in poverty, and fasting, and hard fare, and strict rules, and at evening partake of necessary food only; or to go further, let him pass two or three days without food. Which then of these two think we is most really alive? Men in general will, I know, reckon the former so, the man that takes his pleasure and squanders his goods. But we reckon the man that enjoys the moderate fare.