of Israel."

But the Son of God is not " King seed into fertile ground, He then leaves it to of Israel" only, but of all the world. shoot at leisure. And this He has shown in another place, where He saith, "The kingdom of heaven is like to a man that soweth good seed, but while he slept, his enemy cometh, and soweth tares among the wheat.""

And what I say is clear, not from this only, but also from what follows. For Christ added nothing more to Peter, but as though his faith were perfect, said, that upon this confession of his He would build the Church; but in the other case He did nothing like this, but the contrary. For as though some large, and that the better, part were wanting to his confession, He added what follows. For what saith He? Ver. 51. "Verily, verily I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the Angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

Seest thou how He leads him up by little and little from the earth, and causes him no longer to imagine Him a man merely? for One to whom Angels minister, and on whom Angels ascend and descend, how could He be man? For this reason He said, "Thou shalt see greater things than these." And in proof of this, He introduces the ministry of Angels. And what He means is something of this kind: "Doth this, O Nathanael, seem to thee a great matter, and hast thou for this confessed me to be King of Israel? What then wilt thou say, when thou seest the Angels ascending and descending upon Me?" Persuading him by these words to own Him Lord also of the Angels. For on Him as on the King's own Son, the royal ministers ascended and descended, once at the season of the Crucifixion, again at the time of the Resurrection and the Ascension, and before this also, when they 'came and ministered unto Him" (Matt. iv. 11), when they proclaimed the glad tidings of His birth, and cried, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace (Luke ii. 14), when they came to Mary, when they came to Joseph.

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Chap. ii. ver. 1, 2. "On the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee. And Jesus was called to the marriage. And the mother of Jesus was there, and His brethren."

I said before that He was best known in Galilee; therefore they invite Him to the marriage, and He comes; for He looked not to His own honor, but to our benefit. He who disdained not to "take upon Him the form of a servant (Phil. ii. 7), would much less disdain to be present at the marriage of servants; He who sat down "with publicans and sinners" (Matt. ix. 13), would much less refuse to sit down with those present at the marriage. Assuredly they who invited Him had not formed a proper judgment of Him, nor did they invite Him as some great one, but merely as an ordinary acquaintance; and this the Evangelist has hinted at, when he says, "The mother of Jesus was there, and His brethren." Just as they invited her and His brethren, they invited Jesus.

Ver. 3. "And when they wanted wine, His mother saith unto Him, They have no wine." Here it is worth while to enquire whence it came into His mother's mind to imagine anything great of her Son; for He had as yet done no miracle, since the Evangelist saith, "This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee." (c. ii. 11.)

[2.] Now if any say that this is not a sufficient proof that it was the "beginning of His miracles," because there is added simply "in Cana of Galilee," as allowing it to have been the first done there, but not altogether and absoAnd He does now what He has done in many lutely the first, for He probably might have done instances; He utters two predictions, gives pres-others elsewhere, we will make answer to him of ent proof of the one, and confirms that which that which we have said before. And of what has to be accomplished by that which is so kind? The words of John (the Baptist); "And already. For of His sayings some had been I knew Him not; but that He should be made proved, such as, "Before Philip called thee, under the fig-tree I saw thee"; others had yet to come to pass, and had partly done so, namely, the descending and ascending of the Angels, at the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, and the Ascension; and this He renders credible by His words even before the event. For one who had known His power by what had gone before, and heard from Him of things to come, would more readily receive this prediction too.

What then does Nathanael? To this he makes no reply. And therefore at this point Christ stopped His discourse with him, allowing him to consider in private what had been said; and not choosing to pour forth all at once, having cast

manifest to Israel, therefore am I come, baptiz-
ing with water." Now if He had wrought mira-
cles in early age, the Israelites would not have
needed another to declare Him. For He who
came among men, and by His miracles was so
made known, not to those only in Judæa, but
also to those in Syria and beyond, and who did
this in three years only, or rather who did not
need even these three years to manifest Himself
(Matt. iv. 24), for immediately and from the
first His fame went abroad everywhere; He, I
say, who in a short time so shone forth by the
multitude of His miracles, that His name was
1 Matt. xiii. 24, 25, slightly varying from G. T.
The reading is different in G. T.

well known to all, was much less likely, if while a child He had from an early age wrought miracles, to escape notice so long. For what was done would have seemed stranger as done by a boy, and there would have been time for twice or thrice as many, and much more. But in fact He did nothing while He was a child, save only that one thing to which Luke has testified (Luke ii. 46), that at the age of twelve years He sat hearing the doctors, and was thought admirable for His questioning. Besides, it was in accordance with likelihood and reason that He did not begin His signs at once from an early age; for they would have deemed the thing a delusion. For if when He was of full age many suspected this, much more, if while quite young He had wrought miracles, would they have hurried Him sooner and before the proper time to the Cross, in the venom of their malice; and the very facts of the Dispensation would have been discredited.

very season of the Crucifixion. For where parents cause no impediment or hindrance in things belonging to God, it is our bounden duty to give way to them, and there is great danger. in not doing so; but when they require anything unseasonably, and cause hindrance in any spiritual matter, it is unsafe to obey. And therefore He answered thus in this place, and again elsewhere, "Who is My mother, and who are My brethren?" (Matt. xii. 48), because they did not yet think rightly of Him; and she, because she had borne Him, claimed, according to the custom of other mothers, to direct Him in all things, when she ought to have reverenced and worshiped Him. This then was the reason why He answered as He did on that occasion. For consider what a thing it was, that when all the people high and low were standing round Him, when the multitude was intent on hearing Him, and His doctrine had begun to be set forth, she should come into the midst and take Him away "How then," asks some one, "came it into from the work of exhortation, and converse with the mind of His mother to imagine anything Him apart, and not even endure to come within, great of Him?" He was now beginning to but draw Him outside merely to herself. This reveal Himself, and was plainly discovered by is why He said, "Who is My mother and My the witness of John, and by what He had said brethren?" Not to insult her who had borne to His disciples. And before all this, the Conception itself and all its attending circumstances' had inspired her with a very great opinion of the Child; "for," said Luke, "she heard all the sayings concerning the Child, and kept them in her heart."2 "Why then," says one, "did not she speak this before? Because, as I said, it was now at last that He was beginning to manifest Himself. Before this time He lived as one of the many, and therefore His mother had not confidence to say any such thing to Him; but when she heard that John had come on His account, and that he had borne such witness to Him as he did, and that He had disciples, after that she took confidence, and called Him, and said, when they wanted wine, "They have no wine." For she desired both to do them a favor, and through her Son to render herself more conspicuous; perhaps too she had some human feelings, like His brethren, when they said, "Show thyself to the world" (c. xvii. 4), desiring to gain credit from His miracles. Therefore He answered somewhat vehemently, saying,

Ver. 4. "Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come."

To prove that He greatly respected His mother, hear Luke relate how He was "subject to" His parents (Luke ii. 51), and our own Evangelist declare how He had forethought for her at the

1 al. " and all that took place after His birth."

Him, (away with the thought!) but to procure her the greatest benefit, and not to let her think meanly of Him. For if He cared for others, and used every means to implant in them a becoming opinion of Himself, much more would He do so in the case of His mother. And since it was probable that if these words had been addressed to her by her Son, she would not readily have chosen even then to be convinced, but would in all cases have claimed the superiority as being His mother, therefore He replied as He did to them who spake to Him; otherwise He could not have led up her thoughts from His present lowliness to His future exaltation, had she expected that she should always be honored by Him as by a son, and not that He should come as her Master.

[3] It was then from this motive that He said in this place, "Woman, what have I to do with thee?" and also for another reason not less pressing. What was that? It was, that His miracles might not be suspected. The request ought to have come from those who needed, not from His mother. And why so? Because what is done at the request of one's friends, great though it be, often causes offense to the spectators; but when they make the request who have the need, the miracle is free from suspicion, the praise unmixed, the benefit great. some excellent physician should enter a house where there were many sick, and be spoken to

So if

2 This is the common reading, but the passage (Luke ii. 51) is by none of the patients or their relations, but be

not so found in G. T.; Morel. and MS. in Bodleian read: TOUTO Kai

ὁ Λουκᾶς ἡμῖν δείκνυσι λέγων· ἡ δὲ Μαριάμ συνετήρει τὰ ῥήματα

πάντα συμβάλλουσα ἐν τῇ κ.

3 i.e. as she spoke at the marriage.

directed only by his own mother, he would be nothing towards being saved from their relationsuspected and disliked by the sufferers, nor ship to Him, because they had not the defense would any of the patients or their attendants of virtue. The Apostles, on the contrary, apdeem him able to exhibit anything great or re-peared greater than any, because they followed markable. And so this was a reason why He the true and excellent way of gaining relationrebuked her on that occasion, saying, "Woman, ship with Him, that by obedience. And from what have I to do with thee?" instructing her this we learn that we have always need of faith, for the future not to do the like; because, and a life shining and bright, since this alone though He was careful to honor His mother, yet will have power to save us. For though His He cared much more for the salvation of her relations were for a long time everywhere held soul, and for the doing good to the many, for in honor, being called the Lord's kinsmen, yet which He took upon Him the flesh. now we do not even know their names, while the lives and names of the Apostles are everywhere celebrated.

6

These then were the words, not of one speaking rudely to his mother, but belonging to a wise dispensation, which brought her into a right Let us then not be proud of nobleness of frame of mind, and provided that the miracles birth according to the flesh, but though we have should be attended with that honor which was ten thousand famous ancestors, let us use dilimeet. And setting other things aside, this very gence ourselves to go beyond their excellences, appearance which these words have of having knowing that we shall gain nothing from the been spoken chidingly, is amply enough to show diligence of others to help us in the judgment. that He held her in high honor, for by His dis- that is to come; nay, this will be the more pleasure He showed that He reverenced her grievous condemnation, that though born of greatly; in what manner, we will say in the next righteous parents and having an example at discourse. Think of this then, and when you home, we do not, even thus, imitate our teachers. hear a certain woman saying, "Blessed is the And this I say now, because I see many heathens, womb that bare Thee, and the paps which Thou when we lead them to the faith and exhort them hast sucked," and Him answering, "rather to become Christians, flying to their kinsmen blessed are they that do the will of my Father" and ancestors and house, and saying, "All my (Luke xi. 27), suppose that those other words relations and friends and companions are faithful also were said with the same intention. For the Christians." What is that to thee, thou wretched answer was not that of one rejecting his mother, and miserable? This very thing will be especbut of One who would show that her having ially thy ruin, that thou didst not respect the borne Him would have nothing availed her, had number of those around thee, and run to the she not been very good and faithful. Now if, truth. Others again who are believers but live setting aside the excellence of her soul, it prof- a careless life, when exhorted to virtue make ited Mary nothing that the Christ was born of the very same defense, and say, my father and her, much less will it be able to avail us to have my grandfather and my great-grandfather were a father or a brother, or a child of virtuous and very pious and good men." But this will assurnoble disposition, if we ourselves be far removed edly most condemn thee, that being descended from his virtue. "A brother," saith David, from such men, thou hast acted unworthily of "doth not redeem, shall man redeem?" (Ps. the root from whence thou art sprung. For xlix. 7, LXX.) We must place our hopes of hear what the Prophet says to the Jews, Israel salvation in nothing else, but only in our own served for a wife, and for a wife he kept righteous deeds (done) after 3 the grace of God. (sheep)" (Hos. xii. 12); and again Christ, For if this by itself could have availed, it would "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, have availed the Jews, (for Christ was their kins- and he saw it, and was glad." (c. viii. 56.) And man according to the flesh,) it would have everywhere they bring forward to them the availed the town in which He was born, it would righteous acts of their fathers, not only to praise have availed His brethren. But as long as His them, but also to make the charge against their brethren cared not for themselves, the honor of descendants more heavy. Knowing then this, their kindred availed them nothing, but they let us use every means that we may be saved by were condemned with the rest of the world, and our own works, lest having deceived ourselves then only were approved, when they shone by by vain trusting on others, we learn that we have their own virtue; and the city fell, and was been deceived when the knowledge of it will burnt, having gained nothing from this; and His profit us nothing. "In the grave," saith David, kinsmen according to the flesh were slaughtered" who shall give thee thanks?" (Ps. vi. 5.) Let and perished very miserably, having gained

3

us then repent here, that we
everlasting goods, which may

5 Δεσπόσυνοι, Eus. Η. Ε. 1. 7.
6 al. "relationship."

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may obtain the God grant we all

lit. "Greeks." 8 al. " apply."

do, through the grace and lovingkindness of and the Holy Ghost be glory, for ever and ever. our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father | Amen.

HOMILY XXII.

JOHN ii. 4.

"Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come."

2

6

"hour"; how can He be so, who is Maker of seasons, and Creator of the times and the ages? To what else then did He allude? He desires [1.] IN preaching the word there is some toil, to show this; that He works all things at their and this Paul declares when he says, "Let the convenient season, not doing all at once; beelders that rule well be counted worthy of cause a kind of confusion and disorder would double honor, especially they who labor in the have ensued, if, instead of working all at their word and doctrine." (1 Tim. v. 17.) Yet it is in proper seasons, He had mixed all together, His your power to make this labor light or heavy; Birth, His Resurrection, and His coming to for if you reject our words, or if without actu- Judgment. Observe this; creation was to be, ally rejecting them you do not show them forth yet not all at once; man and woman were to be in your works, our toil will be heavy, because created, yet not even these together; mankind we labor uselessly and in vain: while if ye heed were to be condemned to death, and there was them and give proof of it by your works, we to be a resurrection, yet the interval between shall not even feel the toil, because the fruit the two was to be great; the law was to be produced by our labor will not suffer the great- given, but not grace with it, each was to be ness of that labor to appear. So that if you dispensed at its proper time. Now Christ was would rouse our zeal, and not quench or weaken not subject to the necessity of seasons, but it, show us, I beseech you, your fruit, that we rather settled their order, since He is their may behold the fields waving with corn, and Creator; and therefore He saith in this place, being supported by hopes of an abundant crop," Mine hour is not yet come." And His meanand reckoning up your riches, may not be ing is, that as yet He was not manifest to the slothful in carrying on this good traffic. many, nor had He even His whole company of disciples; Andrew followed Him, and next to him Philip, but no one else. And moreover, none of these, not even His mother nor His brethren, knew Him as they ought; for after His many miracles, the Evangelist says of His brethren, " For neither did His brethren believe in Him." (c. vii. 5.) And those at the wedding did not know Him either, for in their need they would certainly have come to and entreated Him. Therefore He saith, "Mine hour is not The words are not used in this place only, yet come"; that is, "I am not yet known to but in others also; for the same Evangelist says, the company, nor are they even aware that the "They could not lay hands on Him, because wine has failed; let them first be sensible of His hour was not yet come (c. viii. 20); and this. I ought not to have been told it from again, "No man laid hands on Him, because thee; thou art My mother, and renderest the His hour was not yet come" (c. vii. 30); and miracle suspicious. They who wanted the wine again, "The hour is come, glorify Thy Son." (c. xvii. 1.) What then do the words mean? I have brought together more instances, that I may give one explanation of all. And what is that explanation? Christ did not say, "Mine hour is not yet come," as being subject to the necessity of seasons, or the observance of an

It is no slight question which is proposed to us also to-day. For first, when the mother of Jesus says, "They have no wine," Christ replies, "Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come." And then, having thus spoken, He did as His mother had said; an action which needs enquiry no less than the words. Let us then, after calling upon Him who wrought the miracle, proceed to the explanation.

should have come and besought Me, not that I need this, but that they might with an entire assent accept the miracle. For one who knows that he is in need, is very grateful when he obtains assistance; but one who has not a sense

5 Ben. Morel. and MS. in Bodl. read: àààà dìà tŵy outws eipnμένων τοῦτο δηλῶσαι κ.τ.λ. Morel. and MS. in Bodl. read: àλλà 'Iwávvns èvravla tò Ούπω ήκει ἡ ὥρα μου εἰσάγει τὸν Χριστὸν λέγοντα δεικνὺς ὅτι κ.τ.λ. 7 al. "beside."

of his need, will never have a plain and clear hasten to the rivers if at any time they were desense of the benefit." filed, but might have the means of purification at hand.

It is not without a reason that the Evangelist says, "After the manner of the purifying of the Jews," but in order that none of the unbelievers might suspect that lees having been left in the vessels, and water having been poured upon and mixed with them, a very weak wine had been made. Therefore he says, "after the manner of the purifying of the Jews," to show that those Here again some mock,' saying, “this was an vessels were never receptacles for wine. For assembly of drunken men, the sense of the judges because Palestine is a country with but little water, and brooks and fountains were not everywhere to be found, they always used to fill waterpots with water, so that they might not have to