October 23

He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief: but was strong in faith, giving glory to God: and being fully persuaded, that what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.—Romans 4:20, 21, 22.

“But he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief.” For God neither gave any proof, nor made any sign, but there were only bare words promising such things as nature did not hold out any hopes of. Yet still he says, “he staggered not.” He does not say, he did not disbelieve, but, “he staggered not,” that is, he neither doubted nor hesitated, though the hindrances were so great. From this we learn, that if God promise even countless impossibilities, and he that heareth, doth not receive them, it is not the nature of things that is to blame, but the unreasonableness of him who receiveth them not. But was “strong in faith.” See the pertinacity of Paul. For since the discourse was about them that work and them that believe, he shows that the believer works more than the other, and requires more power, and great strength, and sustains no common degree of labor. For they counted faith worthless, as having no labor in it. Insisting then upon this, he shows that it is not only he that succeeds in temperance, or any other virtue of this sort, but he that displays faith also, who requires even greater power. For as one needs strength to beat off the reasonings of intemperance, so hath the faithful also need of a soul endued with much power, that he may thrust aside the suggestions of unbelief. How then did he become strong? By trusting the matter, he replies, to faith and not to reasonings: else he had fallen. But how came he to thrive in faith itself? By giving glory to God, he says.

"And being fully persuaded that what he had promised, he was able also to perform." Abstaining then from curious questionings is glorifying God, as indulging in them is transgressing. But if by entering into curious questions, and searching out things below, we fail to glorify him, much more if we be overcurious in the matter of the Lord's generation, shall we suffer to the utmost for our insolence. For if the type of the resurrection is not to be searched into, much less those unutterable and awestriking subjects. And he does not use the word "believed," merely, but, "being fully persuaded." For such a thing is faith, it is clearer than any demonstration by reasons, and persuades more fully. For it is not possible for another reasoning succeeding to it to shake it afterwards. He indeed that is persuaded by words, may have his persuasion altered too by them. But he that stays himself upon faith, hath henceforward fortified his hearing against words that may do hurt to it. Having said, then, that he was justified by faith, he shows that he glorified God by that faith; which is a thing specially belonging to a good life. "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." But lo! this is shown also to belong to faith! And, again, as works need power, so doth faith. For in their case the body often showeth the toil, but in faith the well-doing belongeth to the soul alone. And so the labor is greater, since it has no one to share the struggles with it. Do you observe how he shows that all that belonged to works attached to faith in a far greater degree, as having whereof to glory before God,—requiring power and labor,—and again glorifying God? And after saying, that "what he had promised, he is able also to perform," he seems to me to speak beforehand of things to come. For it is not things present merely that he promises, but also things to come. For the present are a type of the other. It is then a sign of a weak, little, and pitiful mind not to believe. And so when any make faith a charge against us, let us make want of faith a charge against them in return, as pitiful, and little-minded, and foolish, and weak, and no better in disposition than unreasoning creatures. For as believing belongs to a lofty and high-born soul, so disbelieving doth to a most unreasonable and worthless one, and such as is sunken drowsily into the senselessness of brutes. Therefore having left these, let us imitate the patriarch, and glorify God as he gave him glory. He held in mind his righteousness, his boundless power. And having formed a just conception of him, he was also fully persuaded about his promises.

Let us, then, also glorify him by faith as well as works, that we may also attain to the reward of being glorified by him. For them that glorify me, I will glorify, he says: and indeed, if there were no reward, the very privilege of glorifying God were itself a glory. For if men take a pride in the mere fact of speaking eulogies of kings, even if there be no other fruit of it; consider how glorious it must be, that our Lord is glorified by us: as again how great a punishment to cause him to be by our means blasphemed. And yet this very being glorified, he wisheth to be brought about for our sakes, since he doth not need it himself. For what distance dost thou suppose to be between God and man? as great as that between men and worms? But when I have mentioned a distance even thus great, I have not at all expressed it: since to express its greatness is impossible. Would you, now, wish to have a great and marked reputation among worms? Surely not. If then thou that lovest glory, wouldst not wish for this, how should he who is far removed from this passion, and so much further above us, stand in need of glory from thee? Nevertheless, free from the want of it as he is, still he saith that he desireth it for thy sake. Yet if he endured for thy sake to become a slave, why wonder that he upon the same ground layeth claim to the other particulars also? He accounts nothing unworthy of himself which may be conducive to our salvation. Since, then, we are aware of this, let us shun sin altogether, because by reason of it he is blasphemed. For one hath said, "Flee from sin, as from before a serpent." If thou goest near unto it, it will bite thee: for it is not it that comes to us, but we that desert to it. God has so ordered things that the devil should not prevail over us by compulsion: since else none would have stood against his might. And on this account he set him at a distant abode, as a kind of robber and tyrant. And unless he find a person unarmed and solitary for his assaults, he doth not venture to attack him. Except he see us travelling by the desert, he has not the courage to come near us. Now the devil's desert place is nothing else than sin. We then have need of the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, not only that we may not get evil entreated, but that even should he be minded to leap upon us, we may cut off his head. Need we have of continual prayer, that he may be bruised under our feet.

Let us allow Christ to speak through us. He desires it more than we do: and by reason of this, he prepared this instrument, and would not have it remain useless and idle, but wisheth to keep it ever in hand. Why, then, dost thou not make it serviceable for the Maker's hand, but lettest it become unstrung, and makest it relaxed through luxury, and unfittest the whole harp for its use, when thou oughtest to keep the members of it in full stretch, and well strung, and braced with spiritual salt? For if Christ see our soul thus attuned, he will send forth his sounds even by it. And when this taketh place, then shalt thou see angels leaping for joy, and archangels too, and the cherubim. Let us then become worthy of his spotless hands. Let us invite him to strike even upon our hearts. Or rather he needeth not any inviting. Only make it worthy of that touch, and he will be foremost in running unto thee. For if in consideration of their attainments not yet reached, he runneth to them, when he seeth one fully furnished, what is there that he will not do? But if Christ shall shine forth, and the Spirit shall indeed light upon us, we shall be better than the heaven, having not the sun and the moon fixed in our body, but the Lord of both sun and moon and angels dwelling in us and walking in us.