HOMILY V.] HOMILIES ON EPHESIANS. 73 became a Gentile without the law, and was over both Gentiles and Jews. "One new man," saith he, "so making peace." Peace for them both towards God, and towards each other. For so long as they con tinued still Jews and Gentiles, they could not have been reconciled. And had they not been delivered each from his own peculiar condition, they would not have arrived at another and a higher one. For the Jew is then united to the Gentile when he becomes a believer. It is like persons being in a house, with two chambers below, and one large and grand one above: they would not be able to see each other, till they had got above. "Making peace," more especially towards God ; for this the context shows, for what saith he? Ver. 1 6. " And might reconcile them both in one body unto God through the Cross." He saith, not merely "might reconcile," (xaraAA|>?) but " might reconcile thoroughly " (d-uxa-a/Uac^indicating that heretofore human nature had been easily reconciled, as, e. g., in the case of the saints and before the time of theLaw. " In one body," saith he, and that His own, "unto God." How is this effected ? By Him self, he means, suffering the due penalty. " Through the cross having slain the enmity thereby." 2 Nothing can be more decisive, nothing more expressive than these words. His death, saith the Apostle, hath "slain" the enmity. He hath wounded and killed it, notbygiving charge to another, nor by what He wrought only, but also by what He suffered. He does not say " having dissolved," he does say "hav ing cancelled," but what is stronger than all, "having slain," so that it never should rise again. How then is it that it does rise again ? From our exceeding depravity. For as long as we abide in the body of Christ, as long as we are united, it rises not again, but lies dead ; or rather that former enmity never rises again at all. But if we breed another, it is no longer because of Him, who hath destroyed and put to death the former one. It is thou, forsooth, that travailest with a fresh one. " For the mind of the flesh," saith he, " isenmityagainstGod ;" (Rom. viii : 6.) if we are in nothing carnally- minded, there will beno fresh enmity produced, but that " peace " shall remain. MORAL. Thinkthen,howvastan evil is it, when God hath employed somanymethods toreconcile 1 [Meyer says the airo strengthens the notion of reconciliation. Ellicott that it not only strengthens but hints at a restoration to primal unity, the OTTO meaning again. G. A.] *[" After he shall have slain the enmity &c. ; for it is inserted in the second half of the affirmation of design and is correlative to rorJJf tip^vTjv. Meyer. G. A.] us, and hath effected it, that we should again fall back into enmity I This enmity no fresh Bap tism, but hell itself awaits ; no fresh remission, but searching trial. The mind of the flesh is luxury and indolence, the "mind of the flesh " is covetousnessand all kinds ofsin. Why is it said the mind of the flesh? While yet the flesh could do nothing without the soul. He does not say this to the disparagement of the flesh, anymore than when he says the " natural man," (i Cor. ii : 14.) he uses that expression to the disparagement of the soul, for neither body nor soul in itself, if it receive not the impulse which is far above, is able to achieve any thing great or noble. Hence he calls those acts which the soul performs of herself, "natural; v;w/a" and those which the body performs of itself "car nal." Not because these are natural, but because, inasmuch as they receive not that direction from heaven, they perish. So the eyes are good, but without light, will commit innumerable errors ; this, however, is the fault of their weakness, not of nature. Were the errors natural, then should we never be able to use them aright at all. For nothing that is natural is evil. Why then does he call carnal affections sins ? Because when ever the flesh exalts herself, and gets the mastery over her charioteer, she produces ten thousand mischiefs. The virtue of the flesh is, her sub jection to the soul. It is her vice to govern the soul. As the horse then maybe good and nim ble, and yet this is not shown without a rider ; so also the flesh will then show her goodness, when we cut off her prancings. But neither again is the rider shown, if he have not skill. Nay he himself will do mischief .yet more fear ful than that before named. So that on all hands we must have the Spirit at hand. This being at hand will impart new strength to the rider; this will give beauty both to body and soul. For just as the soul, while dwelling in the body, makes it beautiful, but when she leaves it destitute of her own native energy and departs, like a painter confounding his colors together, the greatest loathsomeness ensues, every one of the several parts hastening to cor ruption, and dissolution : so is it also when the Spirit forsakes the body and the soul, the loathsomenesswhich ensues is worseand greater. Do not then, because the body is inferior to the soul, revile it, for neither do I endure to revile the soul because it hath no strength without the Spirit. If one need say anything at all, the soul is deserving of the greater censure than the body ; for the body indeed can do no grevious harm without the soul, whereas the soul can do much without the body. Because, we know, when the one is even wasting away, and has no wantonness, the soul is busily em ployed. Even as those sorcerers, magicians,