Homilies on Romans 10 part 2/2

Let us therefore run to the perils undertaken for His sake as to the greatest crowns, and let us count neither poverty nor sickness nor insult, nor false accusation, nor even death itself, to be grievous and burdensome, when we endure these things for His sake.

For if we are sober and vigilant, we shall gain the greatest advantages through all these things;

just as, if we are not vigilant, we shall reap nothing good even from what is contrary.

Does someone insult and war against you? Then he is preparing you to be watchful, and he affords you occasion to become like God.

For if you love the one who plots against you, you will be like Him who maketh His sun to rise on the evil and the good.

Does another take away your goods? If you bear it nobly, you will receive the same reward as those who have spent all upon the poor.

For 'ye took joyfully,' he says, 'the spoiling of your goods, knowing that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.'

Has someone spoken ill of you and reproached you? Whether these things be true or false, he has woven for you a very great crown, if you bear the reviling meekly.

For the one who falsely accuses procures for us much reward ('Rejoice,' He says, 'and be exceeding glad, when they say all manner of evil against you falsely, for great is your reward in heaven'), and the one who speaks the truth again benefits us greatly, only if we bear meekly what is said.

For the Pharisee too, speaking truly, spoke ill of the publican, yet nonetheless he made him righteous instead of a publican.

And what need is there to speak of each case? For one may, by going through the contests of Job, learn all these things with exactness.

Wherefore Paul also said:

'If God be for us, who can be against us?' Just as, then, by being diligent we gain even from what grieves us, so by being slothful we become no better even from what benefits us.

For what, tell me, did the company of Christ profit Judas? And what did the Law profit the Jews? And what did Paradise profit Adam? And what did Moses profit those in the wilderness? Therefore, letting all else go, we must look to one thing alone: how we may order well the things that concern ourselves;

and if we do this, not even the devil himself will ever prevail over us, but he will even benefit us the more, by preparing us to be vigilant.

In this way, at any rate, Paul also roused the Ephesians, by recounting that one's ferocity.

But we sleep and snore, and that too when we have so wicked an enemy against us.

And if indeed we knew that a serpent was lurking beside our bed, we would take great pains to destroy it;

but when the devil lurks in our souls, we think we suffer nothing dreadful, but we lie supine.

And the reason is that we do not see him with the eyes of the body;

yet for this very reason we ought rather to be watchful and vigilant.

For a sensible enemy one may easily guard against, but the invisible one, unless we are armed at all times, we shall not be able easily to escape;

and especially because he does not even know how to war straightforwardly;

but often under the guise of friendship he injects the venom of his cruelty.

In this way, at least, he prepared even Job's wife, having her put on the mask of tender affection to bring in that wicked counsel;

in this way too, conversing with Adam, he feigned solicitude and protectiveness, saying that 'Your eyes shall be opened in the day that ye eat of the tree.'

In this way too he persuaded Jephthah, under the pretext of piety, to slay his daughter and offer up that lawless sacrifice.

Do you see his stratagems? Do you see the manifold warfare? Guard yourself, then, and fortify yourself on every side with the spiritual weapons, and learn his contrivances with exactness, that you may be both invincible and may take him easily;

since Paul also thus got the better of him, learning these things with exactness;

for 'we are not ignorant of his devices.'

Let us therefore also be diligent both to learn

and to flee his plots, that having lifted up the victory over him, we may be proclaimed both in the present life and in the age to come, and may attain the incorruptible good things, by the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom, to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, might, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.