How is it then that Paul says, "not of him that willeth," if it depend on ourselves also "nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy." ( Rom. ix. 16.)
In the first place, he did not introduce it as his own opinion, but inferred it from what was before him and from what had been put forward [2942] [in the discussion]. For after saying, "It is written, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion" ( Rom. ix. 15 ), he says, "It follows then [2943] that it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy." "Thou wilt say then unto me, why doth He yet find fault?" ( Rom. ix. 16, 19.)
And secondly the other explanation may be given, that he speaks of all as His, whose the greater part is. For it is ours to choose [2944] and to wish; but God's to complete and to bring to an end. Since therefore the greater part is of Him, he says all is of Him, speaking according to the custom of men. For so we ourselves also do. I mean for instance: we see a house well built, and we say the whole is the Architect's [doing], and yet certainly it is not all his, but the workmen's also, and the owner's, who supplies the materials, and many others', but nevertheless since he contributed the greatest share, we call the whole his. So then [it is] in this case also. Again, with respect to a number of people, where the many are, we say All are: where few, nobody. So also Paul says, "not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy."
And herein he establishes two great truths: one, that we should not be lifted up: [2945] even shouldst thou run (he would say), even shouldst thou be very earnest, do not consider that the well doing [2946] is thine own. For if thou obtain not the impulse [2947] that is from above, all is to no purpose. Nevertheless that thou wilt attain that which thou earnestly strivest after is very evident; so long as thou runnest, so long as thou willest.
He did not then assert this, that we run in vain, but that, if we think the whole to be our own, if we do not assign the greater part to God, we run in vain. For neither hath God willed that the whole should be His, lest He should appear to be crowning us without cause: nor again our's, lest we should fall away to pride. For if when we have the smaller [share], we think much of ourselves, what should we do if the whole depended on us?
[6.] Indeed God hath done away many things for the purpose of cutting away our boastfulness, and still there is the [2948] high hand. With how many afflictions hath He encompassed us, so as to cut away our proud spirit! With how many wild beasts hath He encircled us! For indeed when some say, why is this?' Of what use is this?' They utter these things against the will of God. He hath placed thee in the midst of so great fear, and yet not even so art thou lowly-minded; but if thou ever attain a little success, thou reachest to Heaven itself in pride.
For this cause [come] rapid changes and reverses; and yet not even so are we instructed. For this cause are there continual and untimely deaths, but are minded as if we were immortal, as if we should never die. We plunder, we over-reach, as though we were never to give account. We build as if we were to abide here always. And not even the word of God daily sounded into our ears, nor the events themselves instruct us. Not a day, not an hour can be mentioned, in which we may not see continual funerals. But all in vain: and nothing reaches our hardness [of heart]: nor are we even able to become better by the calamities of others; or rather, we are not willing. When we ourselves only are afflicted, then we are subdued, and yet if God take off His hand, we again lift up our hand: no one considers what is proper for man, [2949] no one despises the things on earth; no one looks to Heaven. But as swine turn their heads downwards, stooping towards their belly, wallowing in the mire; so too the great body of mankind defile themselves with the most intolerable filth, without being conscious of it.
[7.] For better were it to be defiled with unclean mud than with sins; for he who is defiled with the one, washes it off in a little time, and becomes like one who had never from the first fallen into that slough; but he who has fallen into the deep pit of sin has contracted a defilement that is not cleansed by water, but needs long time, and strict repentance, and tears and lamentations, and more wailing, and that more fervent, than we show over the dearest friends. For this defilement attaches to us from without, wherefore we also speedily put it away; but the other is generated from within, wherefore also we wash it off with difficulty, and cleanse ourselves from it. "For from the heart" (it is said) "proceed evil thoughts, fornications, adulteries, thefts, false witnesses." ( Matt. xv. 19.) Wherefore also the Prophet said, "Create in me a clean heart, O God." ( Ps. li. 10.) And another, "Wash thine heart from wickedness, O Jerusalem." ( Jer. iv. 14.) (Thou seest that it is both our [work] and God's.) And again, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." ( Matt. v. 8.)
Let us become clean to the utmost of our power. Let us wipe away our sins. And how to wipe them away, the prophet teaches, saying, "Wash you, make you clean, put away your wickedness from your souls, before Mine eyes." ( Isa. i. 16.) What is "before Mine eyes"? Because some seem to be free from wickedness, but only to men, while to God they are manifest as being "whited sepulchers." Therefore He says, so put them away as I see. "Learn to do well, seek judgment, do justice for the poor and lowly." "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: and though your sins be as scarlet, I will make you white as snow, and if they be as crimson, I will make you white as wool." ( Isa. i. 17, 18.) Thou seest that we must first cleanse ourselves, and then God cleanses us. For having said first, "Wash you, make you clean," He then added "I will make you white."
Let no one then, [even] of those who are come to the extremest wickedness, despair of himself. For (He says) even if thou hast passed into the habit, yea and almost into the nature of wickedness itself, be not afraid. Therefore taking [the instance of] colors that are not superficial but almost of the substance of the materials, He said that He would bring them into the opposite state. For He did not simply say that He would "wash" us, but that He would "make" us "white, as snow and as wool," in order to hold out good hopes before us. Great then is the power of repentance, at least if it makes us as snow, and whitens us as wool, even if sin have first got possession and dyed our souls.
Let us labor earnestly then to become clean; He has enjoined nothing burdensome. "Judge the fatherless, and do justice for the widow." ( Isa. i. 17.) Thou seest everywhere how great account God makes of mercy, and of standing forward in behalf of those that are wronged. These good deeds let us pursue after, and we shall be able also, by the grace of God, to attain to the blessings to come: which may we all be counted worthy of, in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom to the Father together with the Holy Ghost, be glory, power, honor, now and for ever and world without end. Amen.
[2925] diakodonizei
[2926] o ligopsuchian, "faint-heartedness."
[2927] e theorese, "drew out the mystical senses."
[2928] Mr. Field reads pote, making a double question. The other editions have pote, "at all."
[2929] e mpheresthai
[2930] tupos
[2931] a letheia
[2932] a narchon
[2933] aition
[2934] eikosin. The comparison is not between the living object and the picture, but between representations in drawing and in painting; the word eikon, as our "likeness," being applicable to both. The passage is considerably altered in the common editions so as to avoid an apparent difficulty.
[2935] charakteron
[2936] "choice portions."
[2937] a krothinia
[2938] e mballei
[2939] In Psalm cxxi. 3 (cxx. 3, LXX.) where we have "He shall not suffer," &c., the LXX. have, me does eis salon ton poda son, mede nustaxe (Vat.) ho phulasson se, "Lest thou suffer," &c., and "lest he that keepeth thee slumber." St. Chrys. substitutes dos for does, making the sense, "Do not suffer," &c., "and let not him that keepeth thee slumber." This he applies to the Christian keeping guard over himself (his words are chre pantote phulattein heautous, mepote aponustaxomen): and so he seems to have understood ver. 4 , of the Christian: that a watchman of Israel ought not to slumber or sleep. The Alex. ms. has nustaxei in the third verse.
[2940] eisagei ta par heautou, His part.
[2941] bouleseis. Those acts of the soul whereby we desire and aim at what is good.
[2942] prokeimenou ... problethentos. The former word is used by St. Chrys. to express the portion of Scripture on which he is treating: the latter is a received term in the dialectical method of the Greeks to express a proposition put forward to be argued from, to see what consequences follow from it, with a view of showing it to be untrue, or determining the sense in which it is true. St. Chrys. means to say that this proposition was only thus argumentatively inferred by St. Paul.
[2943] Ara oun
[2944] or, "purpose and will," proelesthai kai boulethenai
[2945] In the genuine text here as in some other places, there is no mention of the second point. The longer text has "one that we should not be lifted up by what we do well: the other that when we do well, we should attribute to God the cause of our well-doing. Therefore," &c. Mr. Field thinks that either the thread of the discourse is broken, and the second point not mentioned, or (which seems more probable) that it is contained in the words "Nevertheless," &c.
[2946] katorthoma
[2947] rh ope : "The inclining of the balance" ; or, "the weight which makes it turn."
[2948] Sav. and Ben. add autou, "His hand is high" ; but the reference is to our sinning "with a high hand," as appears from what follows in the next paragraph.
[2949] oudeis anthropina phronei. This is the reading also of Savile and Morell. It is supported by one ms. and the pr. m. of another: which had been corrected to oud. ourania ph., the reading of the Verona edition. Mutianus has nemo divina sapit ; and the later translator cælestia. The other mss. have a nthropina periphronei. tapeina phronei, tapeinophronei. Montfaucon conjectured ta ano phronei