558 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. XVI.
Dent thatthe peoplewhom he ruled,ifthey followedtheLaw,
' shouldaboundin allearthlygoods.ThesetheLord answers
by shewing that between the Law and the Gospel,as in
thesepromisesso alsoin the commands, thereisnot the
slightestdifference.Hence He adds,The Law and thePro
phetswereuntilJohn. AMBROSE. Not thatthe Law failed
but thatthe preachingoftheGospelbegan; forthatwhich
isinferiorseems to be completedwhen a bettersucceeds.
Chrys. CnKYS. He hereby disposesthem readilyto believeon
in°MatLHim, becauseif as far as John's time all thingswere
Pseudo-complete,I am He who am come. For the Prophets
Hom.8'l9.had not ceasedunlessI had come ; but you willsay,
op.imp. "how" were the ProphetsuntilJohn, sincethere have
been many more Prophetsin the New than the Old Tes
tament? But He spoke of those prophetswho foretold
Christ'scoming.
EUSEB.Now the ancientprophetsknew the preachingof
the kingdom of heaven,but none of them had expressly
announceditto the Jewishpeople,becausetheJews having
a childishunderstandingwere unequalto the preachingof
what isinfinite.But John firstopenlypreachedthatthe
kingdom of heavenwas at hand,as wellas alsothe remis
sionofsinsby the laverof regeneration.Hence itfollows
Sincethattimethekingdomofheavenispreached,and every
onepressethintoit. AMBROSE. For theLaw deliveredmany
thingsaccordingto nature,as being more indulgentto
our naturaldesires,thatitmight callus to the pursuitof
righteousness.Christbreaks through nature,as cutting
offeven our naturalpleasures.But thereforewe keep
under nature,thatitshouldnot sinkus down to earthly
things,but raiseus to heavenly.EUSEB. A greatstruggle
befalsmen intheirascenttoheaven. For thatmen clothed
with mortal fleshshouldbe ableto subdue pleasureaiid
everyunlawfulappetite,desiringtoimitatethelifeofangels,
must be compassedwith violence.But who thatlooking
upon thosewho labourearnestlyin the serviceofGod,and
almostput to deaththeirflesh,willnot in realityconfess
Aug.de thattheydo violencetothekingdom ofheaven.AUG. They
EvT'ii also^o violenceto tne kingdom of heaven,in thattheynot
q.87. onlydespisealltemporalthings,but alsothetonguesofthose