FEB 2 3 1971 BR 60 .L52 V.29 Augustine, Homilies on the Gospel according to St. John //' LIBRARY OF FATHERS OF THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH, ANTERIOR TO THE DIVISION OF THE EAST AND WEST TRANSLATED BY MEMBERS OF THE ENGLISH CHURCH. Yfc:T SHALL NOT THV TEACHERS BE REJIOVED INTO A CORNER ANV MORE, BUT THINE EVES SilALL SEE THV TEACHERS. Isdidh XSX, 20. OXFORD, JOHN HENRY PARKER ; F. AND J. RIVINGTON, LONDON. MDCCCXLIX. TO THE MEMORY (IF THK ?.IOST KEVEREXD FATHER IX GOD WILLIAM LORD ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, PRIMATE OF ALL ENGLAND, FORMERLY REGIUS I'ROFESSOR OF DIVINITY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORP, THIS LIBRARY OF AXCIENT BISHOPS, FATHERS, DOCTORS, MARTYRS, CONFESSORS, OF CHRIST'S HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH, UNDERTAKEN AMID HIS ENCOURAGEMENT, AND CARRIED ON FOR TWELVE YEARS UNDER HIS SANCTION, UNTIL HIS DEPARTURE HENCE IN PEACE, IS GRATEFULLY AND REVERENTLY INSCRIBED. HOMILIES ' ("EBESlyZl ON THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN, AND HIS FIRST EPISTLE, BY S. AUGUSTINE, BISHOP OF HIPPO, TRANSLATED, WITH NOTES AND INDICES. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. II. HOM. XLIV.— CXXIV. S. JOHN IX.— XXI. AND HOM. I X. 1 S. JOHN. OXFORD, JOHN HENRY PARKER ; F. AND J. RIVINGTON, LONDON. 1849. BAXTER, PRINTER, OXFORD. --^u CONTENTS OF VOL. II. Horn. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. 56, 57. 58. 59. 60. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. 66. 67. 68. 69. 70. 71. 72. 73. John ix. 1—41. X. 1—10. X. 11— 13. X. 14—21. X. 22—42. xi. 1 — 54. xi. 55, xii. 11, xii. 12—26. xii. 27—36. xii. 37— 43. xii. 44 — 50. xiii. 1 — 5. xiii. 6—10. xiii. 6— 10. xiii. 10—15. xui. 16—20. xiii. 21. xiii. 21—27. xiii. 26—31. xiii. 31, 32. xiii. 3S. xiii. 34, 35. xiii. 36—38. xiv. 1—3. xiv. 1—3. xiv. 4 — 6. xiv. 7—10. xiv. 10—14. xiv. 10—14. xiv. 10—14. Page 588 599 613 623 636 646 669 679 688 698 708 716 722 726 731 736 740 744 748 753 757 761 765 769 774 778 783 788 792 796 Horn. 74. Jolin 75. 76. 77. 78. 79. 80. 81. 82. 83. 84. 85. 86. 87. 88. 89. 90. 91. 92. 93. 94. 95. 96. — - 97. 98. 99. 100. 101. 102. 103. xiv. 15—17. xiv. 18— 21. xiv. 22—24. xiv. 25—27. xiv. 27, 28. xiv. 29—31. XV. 1—3. XV. 4 — 7. XV. 8— 10. XV. 11, 12. XV. 13. XV. 14, 15. XV. 15, 16. XV. 17—19. XV. 21, 22. XV. 22, 23. XV. 23. XV. 24, 25. XV. 26, 27. xvi. 1 — 4. xvi. 4 — 7. xvi. 8— 11. xvi. 12, 13. xvi. 12, 13. xvi. 12, 13. xvi. 13. xvi. 13—15. xvi. 16—23. xvi. 23—28. xvi. 29—33. Page 800 805 809 813 817 821 825 829 837 841 845 849 853 857 861 865 869 873 877 883 888 894 900 905 914 924 929 935 941 IV CONTENTS OF VOL. II. Horn, Page 104. John xvii. 1. 946 105. xvii. 1—5. 951 106. xvii. 6—8. 961 107. xvii. 9—13. 968 108. xvii. 14—19. 974 109. x\ii. 20. 978 110. xvii. 21— 23. 983 111. xvii . 24—26 . 992 112. xviii. 1— 12. JOOO 113. xviii. 13— 27. 1005 114. xviii.28— 32. 1012 Horn. Page 115. John xviii. 33— 40.1017 116. xix. 1— 16. 1023 117. xix. 17— 22. 1029 118. xix. 23, 24. 1034 119. xix. 24— 30. 1040 120. xix.31.xx.9. 1045 121. XX. 10—29. 1051 122. XX. 30,31, xxi. 1- 123. xxi. 12— 19. 1070 124. xxi. 19—25. 1078 31.1 llj 1059 FIRST EPISTLE OF ST. JOHN. Horn. 1. 1 Johni. 1. ii. 11. 2. ii. 12—17. 3. ii. 18— 27. 4. ii. 27. iii. 8. 5. iii. 9—11. Page Horn. Page 1093 6. 1 John iii. 19. iv. 3. 1162 1110 7. iv.4— 12. 1179 1125 8. iv.l2— 16. 1189 1138 9. iv. 17—21. 1204 1150 10. V. 1—3. 1218 CONTENTS OF VOL. I. Horn. Page 1. John i. 1 — 5. 3 2. i.6— 14. 19 3. i. 15— 28. 33 4. i. 19—33. 48 5. i. 33. 62 6. i. 33. 80 7. i.34— 51. 101 8. ii. 1— 4. 123 9. ii.l— 11. 137 10. ii.l2— 21. 151 11. ii.23.m. 5. 164 12. iii.6— 21. 181 13. iii.22— 29. 196 14. iii.29— 36. 214 15. iv. 1—42. 228 16. iv.43— 54. 250 17. V. 1—18. 258 18. V. 19. 273 19. V. 19— 30. 287 20. V. 19. 309 21. V. 20—23. 323 2-2. V. 24—30. 340 Horn. 23. John V. 31—40. 24. vi. 1—14. 25. vi. 15— 40. 26. vi.4]— 59. 27. vi. 59—71. 28. vii. 1—13. 29. vii. 14—18. 30. vii. 19—24. 31. vii. 25— 36. 32. vii. 37— 39. 33. vii. 40— 53. viii. 1— 11. 34. viii. 12. 35. viii. 13, 14. 36. viii. 15—18, 37. viii. 19, 20. 38. viii. 21—25. 39. viii. 26, 27. 40. viii. 28—32. 41. viii. 31— 36. 42. viii. 37— 47. 43. viii. 48— 59. Page 354 372 379 398 415 426 437 444 452 463 472 481 491 500 513 522 533 540 551 564 576 John ix. And as He passed hy^ He saw a man which was blind from his birth. And His disciples ashed Him, saying ^ Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered. Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents : but that the worhs of God should be made manifest in him, I must work the works of Him that sent Me, while it is day : the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the Light of the world. When He had thus spoken, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, and said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, [which is by interpretation^ Sent,) He went his way there- fore, and washed, and came seeing. The neighbours there- fore, and they which before had seen him that he was a beggar, said, Is not this he that sat and begged ? Some said. This is he: others. No, but he is like him : but he said, I am he, Tlierefore said they unto him, How id ere thine eyes opened ? He answered and said, TJiat man ijoho is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me. Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight. Then said they unto him. Where is he ? He said, I know not. They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind. Now it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes. Then again the Pharisees asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see. Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, who keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And R r 588 HoMiL. there was a division among tliem. Theij say unto the blind •^^^^- man again, What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes ? He said. He is a prophet. But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been bliyid, and re- ceived his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight. And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was borii blind ? how then doth he now see ? His parents ansivered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind : but by what means he now seeth, ive know not ; or ivho hath opened his eyes, we know not : he is of age; ask him: let him speak for himself These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that He was Christ, he should be fut out of the synagogue. Therefore said his parents. He is of age ; ask him. Then again called they the man that ivas blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise : we know that this man is a sinner. He answered and said. Whether He be a sinner or no, I know 7iot ; one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see. Then said they to him again, What did He to thee ? how opened He thine eyes ? He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again ? will ye also be His disciples ? Then they cursed him, and said. Be thou his disciple ! But we are Moses' disciples. We know that God spake unto Moses : as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is. The man answered and said unto them. Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence He is, and yet He hath ojjened mime eyes. Now ive know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth His ivill, him He heareth. Since the icorld began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. If this Man were not of God, He could do nothing. They answered and said unto him. Thou wast altogether bor7i in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out, Jesus heard that they had cast him out ; and when He had found him. He said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God ? He answered and said. Who is He, Lord, that I might believe on Him? And Jesus said unto him. Thou hast both seen Him, and it is He that talketh with thee. All are horn blind by Original Sin. 589 jind he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped Him. John And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, - - that they which see not might see ; and that they ivhich see might be made blind. And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto Him, Are we blind also ? Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin : but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth, 1. This, which has been recited, concerning the man Comp. born blind, whom the Lord Jesus enlightened, is a longfssjsg, lesson, and should we attempt to handle the whole narrative with a fulness answerable to its dignity, by giving to each part in detail such consideration as we are able, the whole day would not suffice. Therefore, my beloved, I beg and advise that in those parts which are open, ye require no discourse of ours, for it will take too long to dwell upon all the circumstances one by one. Briefly, then, I bespeak your attention to the mystery of this blind man's enlight- ening. For so it is, that those acts of our Lord Jesus Christ which are astonishing and marvellous, are both works and words : works, because they were things done ; words, because they are signs. If then we consider what is signified by this thing done, this blind man is mankind in general: for this blindness took place in the first man through sin, of whom we all have derived the origin not only of death, but also of iniquity. For if blindness is unbelief, and enlightenment faith, whom will Christ find a believer at His coming ? Since indeed the Apostle, born as he was in the nation of the Prophets, saith. We too Eph. 2, were sometime by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. ^' If children of ivrath, children of vengeance, children of punishment, children of hell. How by nature^ unless as by the sin of the first man, the Uaint has grown into us to be as ' vitium nature ? If the taint has grown into us to be as nature, then, in respect of the mind, every man is born blind. For if he seeth, he needeth not one to lead him; if he needeth one to lead and to enlighten him, it follows that he is blind from his birth. 2. The Lord came: what did He? A great mystery hath He R r 2 590 Anointing and enlightenment; conversion ixnd baptism, HoMiL. intimated. He spat upon the ground; of His spittle He made ^r-g — -clay, — because the Word was ynade flesh"" ; — and anointed John 1, the eyes of the blind man. He was anointed, and still did V. '7. not yet see. He sent him to the pool which is called Siloe. It concerned the Evangelist, however, to call our attention to the name of this pool ; and he saith. Which is by inter- 2Jretation, Sent, Who was the Sent, of course ye know: had not He been Sent with that mission, none of us should have had remission of our iniquity. Well, he washed his eyes in that pool which is by inter jjr elation, Sent; he was baptized in Christ. If therefore when Christ in some sort baptized the man in Himself, He then enhghtened him; when He anointed him, belike He made him a catechumen. There may indeed be various other ways of expounding this so great sign in its depth of spiritual meaning, and setting it forth fully ; but let this suffice, my beloved ; ye have heard a grand mystery. Ask a man, ' Art thou Christian V He answercth, * I am not,' if he be Pagan or Jew. But should he say, ' I am;' thou goest on to question him, ' Catechumen, or believer?' Should he reply, ' Catechumen;' he is anointed, not yet washed. But wherewith anointed ? Ask, and he answereth ; ask him, in Whom he believeth ? in the very fact of his being a catechumen, he saith, ' In Christ.' Lo, I am now speaking both to believers and to catechumens. What said I of the spittle and the clay ? That the Word wa^ made flesh. This the catechumens do also hear; but that is not enough for them whereunto they are anointed : let them haste unto the laver, if they seek light. 3. Now then, because of certain questions in this same lesson, let us take the words of the Lord and of the whole lesson, rather in a cursory recital than to handle them in exposition. Going forth, He saw a man who was blind, not indifferently in what manner blind, hut fj'om his birth. And His disciples asked Him, Rabbi — Ye know that Rabbi is. Master. They addressed Him as Master, because they desired to learn: namely, they put a question to the Lord, as to a Master, — who did sin, this ma7i, or his parents, that he should be born blind? Jesus aiisuered, Neither hath this man si^med, nor his parents, that he should be born blind. What is this that » Saliva quasi Verbum est, terra caro est. Serm. 135, 1. V. 1. The night comeih when none can work. 591 He hath said ? If there be no man without sin, were the parents John of this blind man without sin ? Can it be, that this man 2—4. himself, either was born without original sin, or by his life had added nothing of sin thereto ? Because he had his eyes closed, were the lusts not at all awake ? What great evils do blind men commit ! What evil does an evil mind abstain from, even when the eyes are closed ? He had not power to see, but he knew how to think, and haply to lust after somewhat which a blind man had not power to accomplish, but for which he might in heart be judged by the Searcher of the heart. If then his parents had sin and the man had sin, wherefore did the Lord say. Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents, but in reference to the matter about which He was questioned, that he should be born blind? For his parents had sin, but it was not caused by their sin that he was born blind. If then it was not caused by the parents' sin that he was born blind, why was he born blind } Hear the Master teaching : He requireth a man to believe, that He may make him to understand: Neither hath this y. 3. man sinned, saith He, nor his parents : but that the works of God may be manifested in him. 4. Thereupon what follows ? / 7niist work the works ofy. 4. Him that sent Me. Lo, this is that Sent, in Whom the blind man washed his face. And observe what He saith : I must work the works of Him, that sent Me, icldle it is day. Remember how He giveth all the glory to Him, of Whom He is : because it is of the Father that the Son hath His being, but the Father Himself hath His being of none. But wherefore saidst Thou, Lord, while it is day ? Hear where- fore. Tlie night cometh, when no man can work. Not even Thou, Lord ? Yea, and shall the force of that night be so great, that not even Thou shalt be able to work in it. Thou Whose work the night is ? For 1 suppose, O Lord Jesu, nay, not suppose, but believe and hold firm, that Thou wast there, when God said. Let there be light, and there was Gen. i, light. If with His Word He made, by Thee He made it;"^' and therefore it is said, All things were made by Him, and John i, tvithout Him was nothing made. — God divided between the^ light and the darkness: the light He called day, and the ^-5. darkness called He night. 592 Chrht, the Lifjht of the ivorld, the true Bay. HoMiL, 5. What is that night, in which, when it is come, none ' shall have power to work ? Hear what the day is, and then shalt thou understand what night is. Of whom shall we T. 5. hear what this Day is? Let Himself tell us: As long as I am in this world, I am the Light of the world. Lo He is the Day. Let the blind wash his eyes in the Day, that he may see the Day ! So long, saith He, as I am in the world, 1 am the Ligltt of the world. Therefore, it will be a night, when Christ shall not be there ; that is the reason why none will have power to work. It remains to inquire, my brethren ; do ye patiently receive me as one inquiring : together with you I seek : together with you let me find Him of Whom I seek. It is on all hands sure, it is an expressed and definite truth, that the Lord in this place has called Himself, ' the Day, i. e. the Light of the world : as long, saith He, as L am in this world, I am the Light of this world. Therefore, Himself doth work. But how long is He in this world? Suppose we Him, my brethren, to have been here then, and now to be not here ? If we suppose this, it follows that straightway after the Lord's ascension came this fearful night, when none can work: if after the Lord's ascension this night came, whence came it that the Apostles did so great works ? Was this night come, when the Holy Spirit Acts 2, came, and filled all who were in one place, and gave to ~" ' them to speak with tongues of all nations ? Was it night, lb. 3, when that lame man was at Peter's word made whole, nay, rather at the word of the Lord Who dwelt in Peter? Was Ib.5,i5.it night, when, as the disciples passed by, the sick were placed with their beds so that they might be touched if only by the shadow of them as they passed ? Now while the Lord was here, there was none whom His passing shadow John 14, made whole: but then He had said to His disciples, Ye shall do greater works than these. The Lord indeed had said. Ye shall do greater works than these; but let not flesh lb. 15,5. and blood extol itself; let it hear Him saying, Without 3Ie ye can do notJring. 6. What then? what shall we say of this night? When will be the time that none shall have power to work ? This will be the night of the ungodly : it will be the night of them Mat. 26, to whom it will be said in the end of the world, Go into The night of hell, where Christ is not. 593 everlasting Jire, which is prepared for the devil and his John angels. But then it is called night, not flame, not fire. — '-^-^ Hear that it is niyjht. Of a certain servant He saith, Bind^^^t.22, . 13. him hand and foot, and cast him into outer darkness. Then let a man work while he liveth, lest he be prevented by that night wherein none can work. Now is the time that faith should work by love ; and if we now work, this is the Day, this is Christ. Hear Him promising, and do not imagine Him to be absent. Himself hath said, Lo, I a7n \h.28,20. with you aluay. How long? Let there be no solicitude in us which live : if it were possible, we would make even those also who shall be after us to be fully assured as concerning this saying, Lo, saith He, / am with you, even unto the end of the world. The day which is completed by the circuit of this sun of ours, hath few hours : the day of the presence of Christ stretches out even unto the end of the world. But after the resurrection of quick and dead, when to them that are on His right hand He shall have said, Come, ye blessed of My Father, receioe the kingdom; andib-25,34. to them on His left hand shall have said. Go into everlasting ib. 41. fire, ivhich is prepared for the devil and his angels ; there will be the night when none can work, but only receive what he hath wrought. One is the time of work ; other, the time of receiving: for the Lord will render unto every 7nan'^^.lQ,27» according to his works. While thou livest, do, if thou wilt do: for there will then be a mighty night, to wrap up the ungodly. Howbeit even now, every unbeliever, when he dies, is received by that night : there is no doing any thing there 1 In that night Dives burned, and sought a drop of water from the poor man's finger : he was in pain, he was in anguish, he confessed, yet was he not succoured ; yea, he essayed even to do good. For he said to Abraham ; Father Abraham, send Lazarus to my brethren, to telll^ukeie, them what is doing here", lest they also come into this place ~ * of torments. O unhappy one ! when thou livedst, then was the time for working ; now thou art already in the night, in which none can work. * Ut dicat illis quid hie agatur. So from Methodius: '6ti Trevre aSeA^ous Serro. 41, 4. (Vet. Lat. and Vulg. nt ex. TJtey cursed him, and said. Be thou His disciple I Such a curse be upon us and upon our children ! For it is a curse, if thou scan the heart of the speakers, not if thou weigh well the words themselves. But we are 3Ioses' dis- ciples. We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is. Oh, that ye did know that God spake unto 3Ioses ! then would ye know that through Moses was God preached. For ye have the Lord Johns, saying. If ye believed Moses, ye would believe 3Ie also, for of 3Ie he wrote. Is it thus ye follow the servant, and set your back against the Lord ? Nay, ye do not even follow the servant : for through him ye would be led to the Lord. v.30,31. 13. The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence He is, and yet He hath opened mine eyes. Now we know that God heareth not simmers : but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth His will, him He heareth. Still he Serm. speaks as one only anointed. For God does hear sinners I36'2.c. ^^^^* Were it so, that God heareth not sinners, in vain Parmen. would that publican, casting his eyes down to the ground Lukei8, and smiting his breast, say, God be merciful to me a sinner ! ^'^' Even tliis confession obtained justification, just as this blind V. 32,33. man obtained enlightening. Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one born blind. If this 3Ian were not from God, He could do nothing. Frankly, firmly, truly spoken ! For these things which were done by the Lord, by whom should they be done but by God ? Or how should such things be done by the disciples, unless the Lord dwelt in them .? Christ, the Day to divide between light and darkness. 597 14. They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether John horn in sins. What meaneth, altogetJier ? With closed eyes. 34—3*9. But He Who opened the eyes, saveth the whole man alto- gether : the Same will give resurrection at His right hand, Who gave enhghtenment to the face. Tlioii wast altogether'^' 34. horn in sins, and dost thou teach us ? And they cast him out. Of their own accord they made him their master, of their own accord, that they should learn, they questioned him so oft, and yet ungratefully cast him forth for teaching them ! 15. But, as I have already said, my brethren, they cast out, the Lord receiveth ; for the man all the more for being expelled became a Christian. Jesus heard that they hady^^^-^^* cast him out ; and when He had found him, He said unto him. Dost thou believe on the Son of Qodf Now He is washing the face of the heart. He answered and said, as one at present anointed. Who is He, Lord, that I might believe on Him ? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen Him, and He that talketh with thee is He. He is that Sent, even He here that washeth the face in Siloe, which is by interpretation. Sent. In fine, having now the face of the heart washed and the conscience cleansed, acknowledging Him to be not only Son of Man, which thing he before believed, but now Son of God Who had taken flesh, he said, I believe. Lord. It is a small matter to say, / believe ; wouldest thou see what manner of Person he believeth ^ Falling down, he worshipped Him. 16. And Jesus said to him. Here now is that Day, v. 39. dividing between the light and the darkness ! For Judg- ment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see ; and that they which see might be made blind. What meaneth this, O Lord } A mighty question hast Thou put upon us, and we are even now weary : but raise Thou up our strength, that we may be able to understand what Thou hast said. Thou art come, that they which see 7iot, may see: rightly, for Thou art Light; rightly, for Thou art Day ; rightly, for Thou deliverest from darkness : this, every soul receiveth, every soul understandeth. What is this that follows. And they which see, may he made blind f Then, because Thou art come, shall they which saw be 598 Light for the humble, night for the proud. HoMiL. made blind? Hear what follows, and belike thou shalt ' understand. v.40,41. 17. Startled, then, by these words, some of the Pharisees said, Are ive blind also ? Hear now what that meaneth which startled them. And they which see may be made blind. Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should not have sin. AVhereas the blindness itself is sin. If ye were blind: that is, if ye perceived that ye were blind, if ye owned your- selves to be blind, and ran to the Physician : if then ye were thus blind, ye should not have sin: because I am come to take away sin. But now ye say. We see: your sin re- maineth. Wherefore ? Because by saying, We see, ye seek not the Physician, ye remain in your blindness. This then is that which just now we did not understand; that He saith, / am come, that they which see not, may see: what meaneth this, that they which see not, may see ? Those who confess that they do not see, and seek the Physician that they may see. And they which see, may be made blind: what meaneth this, they which see, may be made blind? They ■who think they see, and seek not the Physician, may remain in their blindness. This woik of discrimination, therefore, He hath here caMed judgment, when He saith. For judgment I am come into this world; by which judgment He dis- cernelh the cause of them which believe and confess Him, from the proud, who think they see, and are therefore worse blinded ; as if it should be said unto Him by a sinner who P8.43,i. confesseth himself and seeketh the Physician, Judge me, O God, and discern my cause from an unholy nation ; to wit, of them which say. We see, and their sin remaineth. The judgment, however, which He hath brought into the world, is not now that wherewith He shall judge the quick and dead in the end of the world. For in this regard. He Johns, had said, I judge no man; seeing He first came, not to Id.3,i7.y^^.^^ ^^^^ "^orldy but that the world may be saved through Him. HOMILY XLV. John x. 1 — 10. Verily f verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not hy the door into the sheepfold, hut climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber : but he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth ; and the sheep hear his voice : and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him : for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him : for they know not the voice of strangers. This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which He spake unto them. Then said Jesus unto them again. Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that have come^ are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear^vid.^.S, them. I am the Door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall^^ he saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief Cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy : I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. 1. It was from the enlightening of the man who was bom blind, that the Lord's discourse to the Jews took its rise. Therefore, my beloved, ye ought to know and be put in mind of the connexion between that lesson and the lesson of to-day. Namely, when the Lord had said, For judgment jdhn 9, lam come into this world, that they which see not might^^' see ; and that they which see might he made blind: which, 600 -M? good life out of Christ the Life. HoMTL.when it was read, we expounded as we were able, then some ^^^' of the Pharisees said, Are we blind also ? To whom He answered : If ye were blind, ye should have no sin : but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth. To these words He hath subjoined these which we heard when they were read to us to-day. V. 1. o. Verily, verily, I sny unto you, He that eniereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other ivay, the same is a thief and a robber. For they said that they were not blind ; now they would have power to see, only if they were Christ's sheep. What right had they to claim to themselves light, these men who raged against the Day ? It was, then, because of their vain and proud and incurable arrogance, that the Lord Jesus added the present discourse ; in which, if we mark it well, He hath wholsomely admonished us also. For there are many, who, according to a certain common usage of this life, are called good people, good men, good women, harmless, and, so to say, observing the duties enjoined in the Law; honouring their parents, not com- mitting adultery, doing no murder, not stealing, not bearing false witness against any, and, in a sort, observing the other duties commanded in the Law ; and yet are not Christians : and these commonly give themselves airs, like the Pharisees here, Are we blind also ? But because in all these things that they do, while they know not to what end they refer them, they do them to no purpose, the Lord hath pro- pounded in the lesson of to-day a similitude concerning His flock and the Door by which is the entering into the sheepfold. Then let the Pagans say : We lead good lives. If they enter not by the door, what profiteth them that whereof they glory ? To each individual who leads a good life, the profit of it ought to be this, that it should be given him to live for ever: if it be not given a man to live for ever, what doth his good life profit him } Because they cannot be said even to live well, who either through bUndness know not, or throuf^h inflation of mind despise that which is the end of good living. Now no man has a true and sure hope of living for ever, unless he acknowledge the Life, which is Christ ; and enter by the door into the sheep- fold. Heathen and Jeios vainly pretend goodness without Christ. GO I 3. Now it is the aim, generally, of such persons, to persuade John other men to lead good lives, and yet not to be Christians. They wish to climb over by another side, to plunder and to till ; not, as the Shepherd, to preserve and to save. So there have been certain, philosophers, holding much fine- spun discourse of virtues and vices, dividing, defining, reasoning out most acute conclusions, filling whole books, loud-mouthed in the parade of their ovrn wisdom ; who even dared to say to men. Follow us ; hold our sect, if ye would live happily. But they entered not by the door : what they wished was, to undo men, to slaughter and to kill. 4. What should I say of them ? Lo, the Pharisees them- selves read, and in that which they read, sounded the name of Christ, hoped for Christ to come, and, when He was come, acknowledged Him not : they too boasted that they were among the seeing, that is, the wise, and denied Christ, and entered not by the door. Therefore they too, if haply they did draw any after them, it was to slaughter and kill, not to deliver, that they would draw them. Let us leave these also : let us look to those, whether haply they enter in by the door, who glory in the name of Christ Him- self. 5. For there are innumerable, who not only boast that they see, but wish to be thought to have been enlightened by Christ: but they are heretics. Haply they entered by the door } God forbid we should say so ! Sabellius says, " He that is the Son, the Same is the Father." But if Son, He is not Father. That man enters not in by the door, who says that the Son is the Father. Arius says, " One Thing the Father, another Thing the Son." He would say rightly, if he said Another Perscm {alius); not, " Another Thing" (aliud). For when he saith, " Another Thing," he contradicts Him by Whom he is told, I and the Father «/'^Johnio, one (Substance). Consequently, neither does he enter in by * the door : for he preaches a Christ such as he makes for himself, not such as the Truth declares. Thou hast the name, the thing thou hast not. Christ is the name of a thing : hold thou the thing itself, if thou wouldest have the name to profit thee. Another, I know not whence, as Photinus, says, Christ is man, not God. Neither does 602 Heretics falsely pretend goodness through Christ, HoMiL. he enter in by the door: for Christ is both Man and God. XT V ^ And what need to run through many names, and enu- merate the many vanities of heresies? Hold ye this, that Christ's fold is the Catholic Church. Whoso would enter in to the fold, let him enter in by the door, let him preach very Christ. Not only preach very Christ, but seek Christ's glory, not his own: for many, by seeking their own glory, have rather scattered Christ's sheep than gathered them. For the door is lowly, even Christ the Lord : he that enters in by this door, must needs stoop and humble himself, that he may be able to enter in with a whole head. But he that does not humble, but extols himself, will needs climb over the wall : now he that climbs over the wall, is exalted only to fall. 6. Thus far, however, the Lord Jesus speaks covertly, and is not yet understood : He names the door, names the fold, names the sheep; He gives us to think of all these, but not yet expounds them. Let us read then, because He is coming to the words in which He may deign to expound to us some of the things which He hath said: from the expo- sition of which it may be that He will give us to understand those also which He hath not expounded. For He feedeth V. 21. us by what is clear, exerciseth by what is obscure. He that enter eth not in by the door into the sheep/old, but climbeth up some other way. Woe to the miserable man, for he shall fall ! Then let him be humble, let him enter in by the door : let him come with his foot planted on the level ground, and he shall not stumble. The same, saith He, is a thief and a robber. He will needs call another's sheep his own: his own, i. e. made his by theft, not to save, but to kill. So he is a thief, because he calls the property of another his own : a V. 2, 3. robber, because what he has stolen, he kills. But he that cntereth in by the door, is the shepherd of the sheep : to him the porter npeneth. Concerning this porter it will be time for us to enquire when we shall have heard from the Lord Himself what the door is, and who the shepherd. And the sheep hear his roice, and he calleth his own sheep by name. For He hath their names written in the book of life. His own sheep he calleth by name. — Hence the Apostle saith, 2 Tim. The Tord hiouelh them that are His. — And leadeth them v.'Ti. ^"'' "^"^ ^^"^'^'^ ^'^ putteih forth his own sheep, he goeth Voluntary and involuntary ignorance. 603 before them, and the sheep follow Him : for they knoiv His John voice. And a stranger will they not follow, hut ivill flee ^'^' '' from him : for they know not the voice of strangers. These things are covert, full of questions, big with spiritual mean- ings. Let us go on then, and hear the Master, whik from these dark matters He openeth somewhat, perchance by that which He openeth, making us to enter in. 7. This proverb spake Jesus unto them; but they icnder-^^'Q- stood nut the things which He spake unto them. As neither, perchance, do we. Then what difference is there between them and us, before we come to know these words ourselves ? This ; we knock, that it may be opened to us ; but they, by denying Christ, would not enter in to be saved, but chose to stay without to be lost. Therefore, in that we hear these words piously, in that we believe them, before we understand them, to be true and divine words, in this we stand apart from them by a great diversity. For, when two men hear the words of the Gospel, the one ungodly, the other godly, and the words are such that haply both alike understand them not, the one saith, ' There is nothing in itf the other, ' It is a truth, and good is that which it hath said, only we do not understand it:' the one, in the very fact of believing is already knocking, and is worthy that it should be opened to him if he persist in knocking ; but the other is still one to whom it is said, Except ye believe, ye shall not understand. Ts. 7, 9. Why do I insist upon these points ? Because, even when ^^^' I shall have expounded these obscure words, as I may have ability ; or, for that their sense is very much hidden, shall have either failed to apprehend it, or lacked the ability to explain what I myself do understand ; or should any of you be so slow as not to be able to follow me while I expound it; — I would say, Let him not despair of himself: let him abide in the faith, let him walk in the way, let him hear the Apostle saying. And if in any thing ye be other- phii.s wise minded, God shall reveal to you this also : houbeit, ^^' whereunto ice have attained, therein let us icalk. 8. Let us begin, then, to hear Him expounding. Whom we have heard propounding. Then said Jesus again toy^l- them. Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the Door of the sheep. Lo, the very door which He had put closed, He s s 604 Faith of old Saints perceived what ice perceive : HoMii.hath opened. He is the Door. We know it now; let us ^^^- enter, or rejoice that we have entered. All that have '^*^' come" are thieves and robbers. What is this, Lord, All that have come ? For hast not Thou come ? Yea, but un- derstand. " All that have come,'' I said : meaning, of course, 1 prseterall beside and apart from Me^ Then let us recollect. ^^^' Before His advent the Prophets came; what, were they thieves and robbers ? God forbid ! They came not beside or apart from Him, for they came vvilh Him. Himself about to come. He sent heralds; but ihey whom He sent were men whose hearts He Himself possessed. Would ye know that ihey came v/ith Him Who is always the same? The flesh, ye know. He took unto Him in time. Then what is He always ? In the beginning was the Word. Con- sequently, they came with Him, in that they came with John 14, the Word of God. I am., sailh He, the Way, and the Truth, ^' and the Life. If He is the Truth, they came with Him, in that they were men of truth. All, then, beside or apart from Him, thieves and robbers ; that is, to steal and to kill. 9. But the sheep did not hear them. A greater question this, the sheep did not hear them ! Before the advent of our Lord Jesus Christ, wherein He came humble in the flesh, there were just men preceding, believing on Him that was to come, just as we believe on Him that is come. The times varied, not the faith. Thus the very words vary according to tense, i. e. time, when they are variously declined : " is to come" hath one sound, " is come" another: there is a change of the sound ; " is to come," and " is come ;" yet the same faith conjoineth both them, who believed that He was to * Omnes qxiotquot venerunt fures the Demiurgus opposed to the True sunt et latrones. Vet. Lat. and Vulg. God. To obviate this impiety, the The words Trpb eVoO are wanting in a words irpb efx.ov were struck out. (So con.siderable number of Mss. mostly Mill, in 1.) St. Aug. c. Faustum xvi. 12. recent ones: also in Syr. Purs. Chrj's. takes the text as cited by the Manichean, Ba-sil. Cyrill. Al. Euthym. On the and explains it thus: " That they other band, they are supported by the came, He would have to be understood, best IVIss. and attested by Clem. Alex., that they were not sent : for those who Origen, and in the Latin, by Cypr. were sent, as Moses and the holy and Lucif. The intention of the Prophets, cauie not be/ore Hi?>i, (ante omission is sufliciently explained by Ipsum) but with Him: in that they the fact, that the Gnostics and Mani- did not wish through pride to precede cheans interpreted the words '6 the voice of Christ was not; men erring, saying false things, babbling empty things, feigning vain things, leading miserable men stray. 10. What is it, then, that I said. This is a greater question ? What hath it obscure and hard to understand } Hear, I beseech you. Behold, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself came, and preaclied: of course that is much more the voice of the Shepherd, which was uttered by the Shepherd's own lips. If, spoken by the Prophets, it was the voice of the Shepherd, how much more was that the voice of the Shepherd which the Shepherd's own tongue did utter? Not all heard. True, but what think we ? because they heard, were they sheep ? Behold, Judas heard, yet he was a wolf: he followed, but clad in sheep's clothing he plotted against the Shepherd. Some, however, of them which crucified Christ, did not hear, yet w^ere they sheep : for they were the persons whom He John 8, saw in the multitude, when He said, When ye shall have lifted np the Son of Man, then shall ye know that I am. Well, how is this question to be solved ? Some that are not sheep, hear ; and some that are sheep, do not hear ; some wolves follow the voice of the Shepherd, and some sheep gainsay it: in fine, sheep kill the Shepherd. The question is to be solved : thus, one may answer, and say : " True, but when they did not hear, they were not yet sheep ; then, they were wolves ; the voice being heard changed them, and of wolves Some that are not sJieep, i. e. not predestinate, do now hear; 607 made them sheep : so when they became sheep, they heard, John and found the Shepherd, and followed the Shepherd: they — — hoped for the Shepherd's promises, because they did His commands." 11. The question is to a certain extent solved, and perhaps any one may find this sufficient. But to my mind, there is still a difficulty : and what my difficulty is, I impart to you, that in some sort seeking with you, I may by His revelation obtain mercy together with you to find. By the prophet Ezekiel, the Lord reproves the shepherds, and says among other things about His sheep. The sheep that wenfEzek. astray, ye have not recovered. He bath says that it went ' astray, and calls it sheep. If it was a sheep when it went astray, whose voice did it hear that it should go astray ? For doubtless it would not have gone astray, if it had been the Shepherd's voice that it heard: but the cause that it went astray, was, that it heard the voice of a stranger; the voice it heard was the voice of a thief and a robber. Now certainly the sheep hear not the voice of robbers : Those who came, saith He, (and we understand, Beside Me,) i. e. those who came beside Me, are thieves and robbers, and the sheep did not hear them. Lord, if the sheep did not hear them, how is it that the sheep go astray ? If the sheep hear not any save Thee ; and Thou art Truth : whoso heareth Truth does not, of course, go astray. Now those do go astray, and yet are called sheep. For if in the midst of their straying they were not called sheep, it would not be said by Ezekiel, T}ie sheep which went astray ye have not recovered. How does it both go astray, and yet is a sheep ? Has it heard the voice of a stranger ? Assuredly the sheep did not hear them. Besides, at the present time many are gathered to the fold of Christ, and of heretics become catholics ; they are carried otF from the thieves, are restored to the Shepherd : and sometimes they murmur, they are annoyed with him that would recover them, and do not understand that there is one cutting their throats ; but however, when, even with resistance, they which are sheep have come, they know the Shepherd's voice, and are glad that they have come, and are ashamed that they went astray. Well then ; when in their straying they gloried in their very error as in the truth, and of course heard not ihe voice of 608 And some thai are such, hear not yet Chrisfs voice : HoMiL. the Shepherd, and therefore followed the stranger, were they sheep or were they not ? If they were sheep, how is it said that the sheep hear not strangers ? If they were not sheep, why are those reproved to whom it is said, The sheep which went astray ye have not recovered'^ Nay, even in those who are now become Catholic Christians, hopeful believers, evil things sometimes have place : they are seduced into error, and after error are recovered : when they were seduced into error and were rebaptized, or, after the fellowship of the Lord's fold, fell back into their old error, were they sheep or were they not ? Of course, they were catholics. If they were catholic believers, they were sheep. If they were sheep, how could they hear the voice of a stranger, when the Lord saith, Tlie sheep did not J tear them ? 12. Ye have heard, my brethren, the height of the 2Tim.2, question. I say then: The Lord knoweth them that are His. Knoweth the foreknown, knoweth the predestinate : Kom. 8, for of Him it is said. For whom He did foreknow. He also 29 33 , J ' ' did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might he the first-horn among many brethren: moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified : and whom He justified, them He also glorified. If God he for us, who can be against us? Add yet : He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how hath He not with Him 1 donavit also freely given ^ us all things ? Yea, but whom does he mean &Vulg!"^^ «5.^ The foreknown, predestinate, justified, glorified: of whom it follows, Who shall lay any tiling to the charge of God's elect ? The Lord, then, knoweth them that are His : these are the sheep. Sometimes they do not know them- selves: but the Shepherd knows them, in respect of this predestination, in respect of this foreknowledge of God, in respect of the election of the sheep before the foundation Eph. 1, of the world: for this too saith the Apostle, As He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world. In respect, then, of this foreknowledge and predestination of God, how many sheep there are without, how many wolves within ! and, how many sheep within, and how many wolves without ! What is this that I have said. How many sheep without ! How many are now wantoning who shall one day be chaste ! how many blaspheming Christ, that shall believe But the voice of the Shepherd, " Persevere unto the end,'"'* 609 in Christ! how many drinking themselves drunken, that John shall be sober ! how many plundering other men's goods, ^' ^' who shall give away their own ! but at present they hear the voice of a stranger, they follow strangers. Again, how many that are within do now praise, who shall one day blaspheme; are chaste, that will commit fornication ; sober, that will hereafter bury themselves in wine ; stand, that shall fall ! They are not sheep. (For we speak of the predestinate ; we speak of these whom the Lord knoweth, who are His.) And yet even they, so long as they are in their right mind, hear the voice of Christ. Lo, these hear, and those do not hear; and yetj in respect of predestination, these are not sheep, those are. 13. Still the question remains ; and, methinks, it may now be thus completely solved. There is a voice, there is, I say, some certain voice of the Shepherd, in regard of which they that are sheep do not hear the strangers, they that are not sheep do not hear Christ. What is this voice ? Mat. lo, He that shall persevere unto the end, the same shall he saved. ^^' This voice, he that is the Shepherd's own neglecteth not, he that is not the Shepherd's own heareth not ; for the Shepherd preacheth this also to him, that he should per- severe with Him unto the end, but, by not persevering ivith Him, he doth not hear this voice. He hath come to Christ, hath heard sundry and several words, now these, now those, all true, all sound : among which is also that voice, He that shall persevere unto the end, the same shall be saved. This voice whoso hears, that person is a sheep. But this or that person did hear that voice, and he lost his right mind, waxed cold again, heard the voice of a stranger : if he was predestinated, he went astray for a time, was not lost for ever : he returns, to hear that which he neglected, to do that which he hath heard. For, if he is of these which are pre- destinated, both his going astray was foreknown to God, and his future conversion ; if he have strayed away, he returns to hear that voice of the Shepherd, and to follow Him Who saith, He that shall persevere unto the end, the same shall be saved. A good voice, my brethren, and a true; a Shepherd's voice indeed! yea, the very i;oz>(? of salvation which is ^V^Ps.ll8, the tents of the righteous! For it is an easy matter to hear GIO IS heard and fulfilled only hy the predestinate. HoMTL. Christ, easy to praise the Gospel, easy to shout applause to ^^^' the preacher who reasons thereof: to persevere unto the end, this is the character of sheep which hear the voice of the Shepherd. Temptation befals thee; persevere unto the end: for the temptation does not persevere unto the end. Unto what end wilt thou persevere? Until thou end thy life. For, so long as thou dost not hear Christ, thine adversary is in this way^ i. e. in this mortal life. But what saith the Lord ? iviatt. 5, Agree with thine adversary quickly^ whiles thou art in the ^^' way with him. Thou hast heard, hast believed, hast agreed. If thou wast sometime adverse, agree now. If it have been granted thee to agree, do not wrangle any longer. For thou knowest not how soon the way shall be ended, but yet He knoweth. If thou art a sheep, and if thou persevere unto the end, thou shalt be saved : and for this cause they that are His despise not, and they that are not His hear not, this voice. As I had ability, as He hath bestowed the same, I have either expounded to you, or handled with you, this very deep question. If any have failed to understand, let but piety remain, and truth shall be revealed : but those who have understood, let them not extol themselves as persons of quicker wit above them that are slower, lest by extolling themselves they start aside from the course, and the slower come more easily than they to the goal. And may He bring Ps. 86, all to the goal, to Whom we say: Lead me, 0 Lord, in Thy way, and L shall walk in Thy truth. 14. Through this, then, which the Lord hath expounded, to wit, that He is the Door, let us enter in to those things which He hath here propounded and not expounded. And as for the Shepherd, Who He is, albeit He hath not said it in this lesson which has been recited to-day, yet in that which follows He saith it most openly, / am the good Shejjherd. Nay, if He had not said it, yet what other than Him ought w^e to under- V.2— 4, stand in those words where He saith: LLe that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep : to him the porter b Or, " He (i. e. Christ) is thine ture, which is given to be with us in adversary." But the other translation the way, during this life, and which it seems preferable, because in St. Au- behoves us not to gainsay, lest it deliver gustine's interpretation of this passage us to the Judge, but to consent unto it " the Judge" means Christ, therefore without delay." De Serm. Dom. in "the Adversary" some other: viz. Monte 1,32. And more fully Serm, ^' God's commandment, or Holy Scrip- 251 ; also Serm. 109. and 387. Christ gives life to His sheep, at their coming in, 611 openeth ; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleih his John- own sheep by name, and leadeth them out: and when he^'^'^^' putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him : for they know his voice ? For what other calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them hence to eternal life, but He Who knowelh the names of the pre- destinate ? Whence He sailh to His disciples, i?^'6>2ce, Lukeio, because your names are written in heaven : for it is from hence that He calleth them by name. And what other putteth them forth, but He Which putteth away their sins, that they may be delivered from their hard bonds, and be able to follow Him ? And Who liath gone Tyefore them to that place whither they are to follow Him, but He Who rising from the dead now dieth no more, and death shall Rom. ff, no more have dominion over Him : and, while He was here conspicuous in the flesh, said. Father, they whom Thou hast ^ohniT, given Me, I will that where I am, they also be with Me? Whereof also is that which He saith, I am the Door : by Me v. 9. if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. In this He evidently sheweth that not only the Shepherd, but the sheep likewise enter in by the door. 15. But what meaneth, Sliall go in and out, and shall find pasture ? For to come into the Church through Christ the Door, is a great good : but to go out from the Church, as saith this same John the Evangelist in his Epistle, They^"^^^^ went out from us, but tltey were not of us ; is clearly no good thing. Consequently such a going out could not be praised by the good Shepherd, that He should say. Shall go in and out, and find pasture. There is, therefore, not only a coming in, but a going out, that is good, through the good Door, which is Christ. But what is this laudable and blessed going out ? I might indeed say, that we go in, when we inwardly think some thought ; and go out, when we outwardly work some work : and since, as the Apostle saith, ^ph. 3, Christ dwelleth in our hearts by faith, that, to go in through Christ, is, to think according to the faith : and to go out through Christ, is, to work by faith abroad also, i. e. in the sight of men. Whence we read in the Psalm, 3Ian shall go^^'^^^^ forth to his ii)ork : and the Lord Himself saith, Ze/ yoi/r Matt.5, 612 And ^' more ahundavtiy'' at their going out, i. e. after death. HomJ.. tvorks shine before men. But it delighteth me more, that ■ ^^^' Truth Itself, as a good Shepherd, and therefore good Teacher, hath in some sort admonished us how we ought to ^- 10. understand what He saith, in that He goes on to say, The thief comeih not, hut for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. For methinks He meant, 77/«^ they may have life when coming in, and have it more abundantly when going out. Now a man cannot go out by the Door, which is Christ, unto eternal life, which will be in the reality, unless by that very Door, i.e. by the same Christ, he have entered into His Church, which is His fold, unto temporal life, which is in faith. Accordingly He saith, Gal. 5, / (ijji come, that they may have life, i. e. faith which workeih by love, by which faith they enter into the fold "Rom. \ , iji^ii ij^gy ^jidy ii^Q^ fQf t]-jg j^g(; ^qi^i^ liyg \yj fai til I aud may have it rnore abundantly, who, by persevering unto the end, go out by that door, i. e. by the faith of Christ, seeing they die true believers ; and shall have life more abundantly, by coming to that place whither that Shepherd is gone before, where they shall never thenceforth die. Albeit then here also, in the fold itself, there lacks not pasture, since we may understand that which is said, shall find pasture, of both, i. e. both at the coming in and at the going out : yet there shall they find true pasture, where they Matt. 5, shall be satisfied, who hunger and thirst after righteousness : Luke23, such pasture as he found, to whom it was said. To-day shalt ^'^' thou be with 3Ie in Paradise. But how He is at once Door and Shepherd, insomuch that even He must in some sort be understood to go in and out through Himself; and Who is the Porter; it would take too long to enquire to-day, and by discoursing, as He shall bestow the ability, to unfold the same. HOMILY XLVI. John x. 11 — 13. I am the good Shepherd: the good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling^ and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and Jleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scatter eth the sheep. The hireling jleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep, 1. The Lord Jesus is speaking to His sheep, both present Comp. and future, which were then on the spot : for as some there ^^J^' were akeady sheep, so were there some that would become sheep : and again, present and future, that is, them and us and all as many as after us shall become His sheep : and sheweth Who it was that was sent unto them. All, then, hear the voice of their Shepherd, saying, / am the good Shepherd» He would not have added, the good, were there not bad shepherds too. But the bad shepherds, the same are thieves and robbers: or at best, hirelings. For we must look into, and distinguish, and know all the characters which the Lord has here put forth. He has already opened two matters which were in some sort shut up as He pro- pounded them : we know now that He is Himself the Door, know that He is Himself the Shepherd. Who the thieves and robbers are, was laid open in the lesson of yesterday ; but to-day we have heard of the hireling, heard also of the wolf: yesterday there was mention likewise of the Porter. We reckon then, as good, the Door, the Porter, the Shep- herd and the sheep : as bad, thieves and robbers, hirelings, the wolf. 614 As the Door and the Shepherd, so the Porter, is Christ, HoMiL. 2. The Door, we are given to understand, is the Lord ^^-^^i^* Christ ; the Shepherd, the Same: the Porter, who? The two He hath Himself expounded : concerning the Porter He hath left us to seek. And what saith He of the Porter ? To Him, saith He, the porter openeth. Openeth to whom? To the Shepherd. Openeth what to the Shepherd ? The Door. And who is this same Door ? None other than the Shepherd. Now, if the Lord Christ had not expounded, had not Him- self said, / am the Shepherd, and, / am the Door, would any of us dare to say that Christ is at once both Shepherd and Door? Had He said, I am the Shepherd, and not said, / am the Door, we should have been to seek what the Door is, and perchance thinking it to be other than it is, we should be left standing before the door still. His grace and mercy hath expounded to us the Shepherd, hath told us that it is Himself: concerning the Porter, He hath left us to seek. Whom shall we affirm to be the Porter ? Whomsoever we may find, we must beware that he be not accounted greater than the Door, just because in the houses of men the porter is greater than the door: for the porter is preferred to the door, not the door to the porter, because the porter keeps the door, not the door the porter. — I dare not affirm any to be greater than the Door, for I have now heard what the Door is : it is not hidden from me, I am not sent abroad to mine own con- jecture, it is not for me to give a loose to human surmise; God hath said it. Truth hath said it, and that cannot change which the Unchangeable hath spoken. 3. I will say then what appears to me in the depth of this question : let each choose what pleases him ; only let "Wisd.ijhim think piously, as it is written, Think ye of the Lord in goodness, and in simplicity of heart seek ye Him. By the Porter, perchance we must understand the Lord Himself. For in human life, shepherd and door are things much wider apart than porter and door : and yet the Lord hath called Himself both Shepherd and Door. Why then may we not understand Him to be Porter too ? For if we look at the things as they are in themselves, the Lord Christ is neither shepherd, such as we are used to see and know shepherds to be ; nor is He door, for no carpenter made Him ; but if we take them in respect of a certain likeness, He is both Door Or, the Porter may he the Holy Spirit. 615 and Shepherd ; nay, I dare to say it, He is Sheep also : true, john the sheep is under the shepherd, but for all that Christ is both ^^ Shepherd and Sheep. Where is He Shepherd ? Lo, thou —^ — ' hast it here : read the Gospel : / am the good Shepherd. Where is He Sheep ? Ask the Prophet : As a sheep ivas He Ih.53,7. led to he imwolated. Ask the friend of the Bridegroom: Behold the Lamh of God, behold Him Who taketh away the John i, sin of the world ! Nay, in regard of these similitudes, I will^^' say what is more marvellous still. For lamb and sheep and shepherd are friendly together; lions, the sheep use to be guarded against by their shepherds : and yet of Christ, being, as He is. Sheep and Shepherd, we read, The Lion of Rev. 5, the tribe of Judah hath prevailed. All these things, my^* brethren, ye must take by way of similitudes, not as the things are in themselves. We use to see shepherds sitting upon a rock, and thence keeping the flocks entrusted to their care : now of course the shepherd is better than the rock on which the shepherd sits, and yet Christ is both Shepherd and Rock. All this in regard of similitude. If thou ask me what He is in Himself: — In the bey inniny was john i, the Word, aud the Word was wiih God, and the Word was ^' God. If thou ask me what He is in Himself; He is the Only Son, begotten of the Father for everlasting from ever- lasting : Equal with the Father begetting : by Whom all things were made : Unchangeable with the Father, and unchanged by taking the form of Man : from His Incarna- tion, Man : Son of Man and Son of God. All this that I have said, is not similitude but reality. 4. Then let us not be loath, my brethren, to take it, that in respect of certain resemblances. He is at once Door and Porter. For what is a door? That by which we enter. Who is the porter ? He that openeth. Now who openeth himself, but he that expoundeth himself? Lo, the Lord spake of the Door, and we understood Him not: when we did not understand, it was shut: He that opened it, the same is the Porter. There is then no necessity to seek some other meaning: no necessity, but perchance there is the will. If there is the will, do not start aside from the track, quit not the Trinity. If thou seek some other person to be the Porter, let the Holy Spirit occur to thee: the Holy Spirit 616 Hirelings^ pastors who seek their own ; HoMiL. will not disdain to be the Door-keeper, when the Son disdained ^not to be even the Door. See how the Porter perchance may be the Holy Spirit: the Lord Himself saith to His disciples Johnie, concerning the Holy Spirit, He shaH teach you all truth, ^- The Door, what is it? Christ. What is Christ? Truth. Who opens the door, but He Who teacheth all truth ? 5. But what say we of the hireling? Not among the good V. 11,12. is he mentioned. The good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep» But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd^ ivhose own the sheep are not, seeth the uolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and Jleeth: and the wolf cat cheth them, and scattereth the sheep. It is no good character that the hireling bears here, and yet he is in some regard useful : nor would he be called hireling, did he not receive hire from an employer. Who then is this hireling, at once culpable and needful ? Here indeed, my brethren, let the Lord Himself shine upon us, that we may both understand the hirelings, and not be hirelings ourselves. Who then is the hireling ? There are in the Church certain overseers, of whom the Phil. 2, Apostle Paul saith, Seeking their own, not the things of Jesus Christ. What meaneth, Seeking their own? Not loving Christ freel}-, not seeking God for His own sake; men pursuing temporal advantages, men open-mouthed for gain, seeking honours of men. When these things are loved by one who is set over others, and when for these things' sake one serves God ; whoso is such, is an hireling, let him not reckon himself among the sons. Of such, namely, saith the Matt. 6, Lord also: Verily I say unto you. They have received their reward. Hear concerning holy Timothy, what the Apostle Phil. 2, Paul saith : But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheiis ]9 21 ' shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state. For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's. In the midst of hirelings the shepherd groaned: he sought some one who would sincerely love the flock of Christ; and about him, among those who at that time were with him, he found none. Not that in the Church of Christ there was then, save Paul the Apostle and Timothy, no man who would naturally care for the flock : but it so fell out, that at the time when he But the Shepherd's voice speaks even hy such, 617 sent Timothy, he had not about him any other of his sons; Jc>hn only hirelings were with him, men seeking their own, not the n^ 12. things which are Jesus Chrisfs. And yet he, naturally caring for the flock, chose rather to send his son, and to be left in the midst of hirelings. We too find hirelings : it is only the Lord Who knows them thoroughly: He Who looketh into the heart. He sees through them : yet some- times they are understood by us. For it is not for nothing that the Lord hath said concerning wolves likewise, By Mat. 7, their fruits ye shall know them. Temptations question many, and then the thoughts appear : but many also remain hidden. Let the Lord's fold have its overseers, both sons and hirelings. Now overseers who are sons, are shepherds. If they be shepherds, how is there but One Shepherd, save as all those are members of the One Shepherd, W^hose own the sheep are ? For the same are members of Him Who is also the One Sheep; since He was led as a sheep to bel3.53,7. immolated. 6. But hear that hirelings also are necessary. Many in Serm. the Church, pursuing earthly advantages, do yet preach g_j^ Christ, and through them the voice of Christ is heard : and the sheep follow, not the hireling, but the voice of the Shepherd through the hireling. Hear the hirelings pointed out by the Lord Himself. The Scribes and the Pharisees u^t.^s^ sit in Moses' chair: what they say, do ye ; but what they"' ' do, do not ye. What other hath He said, but. Through hirelings hear ye the voice of the Shepherd ? For as sitting in the chair of Moses, they teach God's Law : therefore by them God doth teach. But if those men want to teach their de own, hear it not, do it not. For though it be true that such qjjj.. i*v. do seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's, ^^* yet no hireling ever dared to say to the people of Christ, Seek thine own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's. The evils which the hireling does, he does not preach from the chair of Christ: he hurts by the evil that he does, not by the good he speaks. Pluck the grape, beware the thorn. 'Tis well, that ye have understood me : yet for the sake of them who are slower of understanding, let me say the same thing more plainly. How said I, Pluck the grape, beware the thorn, when the Lord saith, Z)<9 wze^iMatt. r, 618 so hwg as they preach Christ, hoicever insincerely. UoMiL. gather grapes of thorns, or Jigs of thistles ? This is quite true : ^^^' yet is that true also which I said, Phick the grape, beware the thorn. For now and then a bunch of grapes, springing from the root of the vine, hangs upon a hedge, the vine- branch grows, becomes entwined among the thorns, and the thorn bears fruit not its own. It was not that the vine produced tlie thorn, but that the fruit-bearing branch over- hung the thorns. Ask thou only what be the roots: seek the root of the thorn ; thou findest it outside, away from the vine: seek the origin of the grape ; the vine bore this from its root. So then, the chair of Moses was the vine ; the manners of the Pharisees, the thorns. True doctrine by bad men ; the vine-branch on the hedge, the cluster among thorns. Gather it cautiously, lest while thou seekest fruit thou tear thine hand : and when thou hearest the good words he says, do not imitate the evil things he does. What they say, do ye, but uhat they do, do iiot ye: beware the thorns! Even through hirelings, hear ye the voice of the Shepherd, but be not ye hirelings, seeing ye are members of the Shepherd. But as for Paul the holy Apostle, who said, / Jiaie no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state; for all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Chrisfs; hear what the same hath said in another place, making distinction between hirelings and sons : So7ne of Enarr. envy and strife ; hut some even of good will do preach Christ; 115 1. some'' out of charity, knowing that I am set for the defence of the Gospel; but some even of contumacy do preach Christ, not chastely, thinking that tribulation is thereby raised up^ for my bonds. These were hirelings; they envied the Apostle Paul. Wherefore envied, but because they sought temporal things ? But mark what he adds : What then ? so in every way, whetJier for occasion sake or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yea, and will rejoice, Christ is Truth : let Truth be preached by a Text, recept. transpopes the two ^ S?/5c?Var/, Vulg. i^e suscitare: the latter members {n\z. some preach Christ best authorities have iyeipetv, which is o/ contention some, of love, fyc, received by Griesbach, Lachmann, and as in E. V.) obviously for the sake of others: text, recept. iirKpepeiu (Theo- conformity with V. 15. but against deei- phyl. Trpo(T(l)epeiy) is only a marginal sive authority of Mss., versions, and gloss. Fathers. Chris fs disciples are allowed to flee from persecution. 619 hirelings for occasion sake, let Truth be preached by sons John in truth : the sons patiently look for the eternal inheritance — ^ — - of the Father; the hirehngs eagerly long for the temporal wages of the Employer that hired them : for me, let man's glory, which I see the hirehngs envy me, be diminished ; and yet by the tongues both of hirelings and of sons let the divine glory of Christ be spread abroad, while, whether for occasion sake, or in truth, Christ is preached, 7. We have seen who is the hireling likewise. Who is the wolf, but the devil? And what is said of the hireling? When he seeth the wolf coming, he fleeth, because ///(?ver. 12. sheep are not his oivn, and he careth not for the sheep. Was such the Apostle Paul? God forbid! Such Peter? God forbid ! Such the other Apostles, save Judas the son of perdition? God forbid! Then were they shepherds? As- suredly shepherds. And how then is there One Shepherd? I have already said, ^ Shepherds, because members of the Shepherd.' In that Head they rejoiced, under that Head they were of one heart, by one spirit they lived in the compactness of one body : and hereby all appertained to the One Shepherd. If then they were shepherds, not hirelings, wherefore did they flee when they suffered per- secution ? Expound to us, O Lord. I have seen Paul fleeing, in his epistle : he was let down by the wall in a 2 Cor. basket, that he might escape the hands of the persecutor. ^^'^^' Then say we that he cared not for the sheep, which he deserted when the wolf came ? He did care for them, assuredly ; but he commended them by his prayers to the Shepherd Who sitteth in heaven, while by fleeing he pre- served himself for their good, as he saith in a certain place, To remain in the flesh is necessary for your sakes. ForPhii. i, from the Shepherd Himself they had all heard, If they per -"^^^^^ ^^ secute you in one city, flee ye to another. This question let the 23. Lord deign to expound to us. Lord, Thou hast said to them concerning whom doubtless it was Thy will that they should be faithful shepherds, to them whom Thou wast forming to be Thy members, If they per secute you^flee. Then Thou wrongest them, when Thou reprovest the hirelings, who see the wolf coming, and flee. We beseech Thee, shew us what the height of the question hath in it. Let us knock: He will be T t 620 Unfaithful pastors flee as hirelings, HcMiL. present to open Himself, Who is the Porter of the Door, ^Himself the Door. 8. Who is the hireling that seeth the wolf coming, and fleeth ? The man who seeks his own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's, that man does not frankly reprove him that sinneth. Lo, some man hath sinned, hath grievously sinned : he must be rebuked, be excommunicated : yea, but excommunicated, he will be an enemy, will plot, will do a mischief when he can. Now the man who seeks his own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's, this man that he may not lose that which he follows after, to wit, the advantage of men's friendship, and incur the annoyance of men's enmity, holds his peace, does not rebuke. Lo, the wolf is griping the sheep by the throat: the devil hath seduced a believer into adultery; thou boldest thy peace, rebukest not: O hireling, thou sawest the wolf coming, and fleddest ! Perchance he answers, and says: Lo, here I am; I have not fled. Thou hast fled, bee u e t) ou hast held thy peace; thou didst hold thy peace, because thou wast afraid. Fear is the flight of the mind. In body, thou stoodest; in spirit, thou fleddest: which thing 1 Cor. did not he who said. Though I he absent in body, in spirit I am ^' ^' with you. For how could he be said to have fled in spirit, who, even being absent in the body, rebuked fornicators by his epistle ? Our affections are the motions of our minds. Joy, is a diffusion of the mind ; sorrow, a contraction of the mind ; desire, a progression of the mind ; fear, a flight of the mind. For thou art diffused abroad in thy mind when thou art dehghted; contracted in mind, when thou art in trouble: thou goest forth in the mind, when thou desirest ought; fleest in mind, when thou art afraid. Lo, how it is that the hireling is said to flee at sight of the wolf. Why ? Because he careth not for the sheep. Why careth not for the sheep ? Because he is an hireling. How is an hireling? Is one John 8, seeking temporal hire, and shall not dwell in the house ^^- for ever. 'J 'here are questions here yet to be asked and discussed with you, but it is not our purpose to burden you. For we minister the viands of the Lord to our fellow- servants; in the Lord's pasture we feed the sheep, and ourselves feed with them. As that ought not to be denied you which is needful, so the weak heart must not be weighed down with when they are afraid to rehuhe and punish sin. 6'2l the quantity of food. Then take it not amiss, beloved, that John I do not to-day discuss all that is here still to be discussed ; ^^' but on the Sermon-day the same Lesson shall, in the name of the Lord, be read to us a second time, and by His aid, more diligently handled. T t 2 HOMILY XL VII. John x. 14 — 21. / am the good Shepherd, and know My sheep, and am known of Mine. As the Father knoweth Me, even so know I the Father : and I la.y down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold : them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice ; and there shall he one fold, and one Shepherd. Therefore doth My Father love Me, because I lay down My life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from Ale, but I lay it down of Myself I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of My Father. There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings. And many of them said. He hath a devil, and is mad ; why hear ye him ? Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind '^ \. Ye who hear the word of our God not only willingly but diligently, are doubtless mindful of our promise. For the same Gospel Lesson has been read to-day, which was read on the last Lord's day : because, having had our time taken up with certain necessary matters, vve were not able to discuss all that is due to your understandings. Therefore, what has been already said and handled, we do not to-day bring in question ; lest, by still repeating the same things we be not permitted to come to that which has not been said. Ye now know in the name of the Lord, Who is the Good Shepherd, How ChristtheGoodShejjherdentersthrough Christ theDoor: 623 "and how good shepherds are members of Him, and so the John Shepherd is One : ye know who is the hireling that we must — '- — ^ bear; who the v^olf, and thieves, and robbers of whom we must beware ; what the sheep, what the Door by which both sheep and Shepherd enter in ; how the Porter is to be under- stood : ye know too, that whoso entereth not in by the Door, is a thief and a robber, and cometh not but for to steal and to kill and to destroy. All these sayings have, I suppose, been sufficiently handled. To-day we owe it you to say, as the Lord aideth, — since Jesus Christ Himself our Saviour hath said that He is both Shepherd and Door, and hath said that the Good Shepherd entereth in by the Door, — how He entereth in through Himself. For if none is a good shep- herd but he who enters in by the Door, and He is pre- eminently the Good Shepherd, and Plimself the Door. I cannot understand otherwise than that He doth through Himself enter in unto His sheep, and givelh them His voice that they may follow Him, and they entering in and going out find pasture, which is everlasting life. 2. Quickly then T say it. I, seeking to enter in unto you, that is unto your heart, preach Christ: if I preach other than that, I shall be striving to climb in at some other side. Christ then is my door unto you : through Christ I enter in, not to your chambers, but to your hearts. Through Christ I enter, Christ in me ye have willingly heard. Why have ye wiUingly heard Christ in me ? Because ye are Christ's sheep, have been purchased with Christ's blood. Ye know the price paid for you : which not by me is given but through me is preached. He bought you. Who shed precious blood: precious is the blood of Him Who is without sin. Yet hath He made the blood of His own for whom He gave the price of His blood, to be also precious : for did He not make the blood of His own to be precious, it would not be said. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. Ps. 116, Accordingly in this also that He saith, The Good Shepherd^^' laijeth down His life for the sheep, it is not He alone that hath done thus : and yet if they who are His members have done this, it is He alone that hath done it. For He had power to do it without them : but how should they have power to do it without Him, seeing Himself hath said, 624 i. e. in the person of His true pastors: HoMiL. Without Me ye can do 7fothing ? Now we shew that others J ^^ ^^_ have done it, by this, namely, that the same Evangelist John, 6. 'who preached this Gospel which ye have heard, hath said in 1 John his Epistle, Like as Christ laid down His life for ifs, so ' * ought we to lay down our lives for the brethren. We ought, he saith ; He Who did it first, hath made us debtors thereto. Prov. Accordingly in a certain place it is written : If thou sit to LXX. sup at the table of the mighty, wisely understand what is set before thee: and put forth thine hand, knowing that it heJioveth thee to prepare the like. What is the table of the Mighty, ye know: on it is the body and blood of Christ: whoso Cometh to such a table, let him prepare the like. And how " prepare the like ?" As He laid down His life for us, so we might — for edifying of the people, and assertion of the faith — to lay down our lives for the brethren. Accordingly, speaking to Peter, when it was His will to make him a good shepherd, not in Peter himself, but in His body. He said, John2i, Peter, lovest thou Me? Feed My sheep. This once, this "~ ' twice, this a third time, even to Peter's grief. And when He had questioned Peter as much as He judged him meet to be questioned, that he might thrice confess, who had thrice denied, and when He had a third time given him charge to feed His sheep. He said to him, Wlien thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest : but wJien thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. And the Evangelist hath expounded what the Lord meant, saying: This spake He, signifying by what death he should glorify God, That charge, then. Feed 3Iy sheep, comes to this — that thou lay down thy life for My sheep. T. 15. 8. This now that He saith. As the Father knoweth Me, even so know I the Father, who but knows it ? He, namely, knoweth the Father by Himself, we by Him. That He hath this knowledge by Himself, we know: that we have it by Him, this also we know: because in fact we have the knowledge of this very thing by Him. For Himself John 1, hath said: No man hath seen God at any time, but the Only-Begotten Son, Who is in the bosom- of the Father, He hath declared Him. Therefore we know the Father by Him, being they to whom He hath declared Him. and Christ the Word enters in hy the Word. Q^^ Again, elsewhere He saith, None knoweth the Son, save the John Father; neither knoweth ami the Father, save the Son, ^' ^^' Mat 11 and he to whom the Son shall be pleased to reveal Him, As 27. ' then He by Himself knoweth the Father, but we by Him know the Father ; so He entereth in to the sheepfold through Himself, and we through Him. We said that we have a door through Christ unto you ; why ? because we preach Christ. We preach Christ, and therefore enter in by the Door. But Christ preacheth Christ, in that He preacheth Himself; and therefore the Shepherd entereth in through Himself. Light, while it sheweth other things which are seen in light — hatli it need of somewhat beside itself that it may be shewn ? Light, then, shews other things, and itself. Whatever we i aderstand, it is by our understanding that we understand ; r.nd our understanding itself, by what but by the understanding itself, do we understand it? Dost thou thus with the eye of flesh perceive other things and the eye itself? Nay, for though men see by their eyes, yet they do not see their own eyes. The eye of flesh sees other things, itself it cannot see : but the understanding understands both other things, and itself. Like as the understanding sees itself, so Christ preacheth Himself If He preacheth Him- self, and by preaching entereth in to thee, by Himself entereth He in to thee. Also to the Father He is the Door, because there is no way of coming to the Father, but through Him. For there is One God, and One 3Iediator between 1 Tim. God and man, the 3Ian Christ Jesus. By a word many^'^* things are said : the very things I have been saying, why, it was by word I said them. If I would needs speak of the w^ord itself, wherewith should I speak of it but by a word ? And consequently by the word there are other things said, which are not what the word is, and the word itself cannot be spoken but by the word. By the Lord's assistance, we have abounded in examples. Hold ye then, how the Lord Jesus Christ is both Door and Shepherd : Door, by opening Himself: Shepherd, by entering in through Himself And indeed, my brethren, that He is Shepherd, He hath given to His members also : thus Peter too is shepherd, and Paul shepherd, and the other Apostles shepherds, and good bishops shepherds. But Door, none of us calleth himself: 0*26 To Israel, Christ sent and came; HoMiL.this He hath kept proper to Himself, that the sheep may ^^^^^' enter in. In fine, Paul the Apostle was fulfilling the office of a good shepherd, when he preached Christ, because he entered in by the door. But when undisciplined sheep began to make schisms, and to sot themselves other doors, not that they might enter in to be gathered together, but 1 Cor. 1, that they might go astray to be divided, saying, some, / am of Paul ; others, / am of Cephas ; others, / of A polios ; others, I of Christ ; taking fright at them who said, I am of Paul, as if he were crying out to the sheep, Unhap])y creatures, where are ye going } I am not the Door ! he saith; Was Paul crucified for you ? either were ye baptized in the name of Paul? But those who said, / am of Christy had found the Door. 4. But concerning the one fold and one Shepherd, ye are wont to hear full oft: for we have much and earnestly spoken to you of the one fold, preaching unity, that through Christ all the sheep might enter in, and none should follow Donatus. Of what, however, the Lord said this in the proper sense, is sufficiently apparent. He was speaking, namely, among the Jews, not with a view to certain who pertinaciously held to their fell hatred and persevered in darkness, but vvith a view to some in that same nation whom He calls His sheep : of INIat.iOjwhom He saith, / am not sent hut unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. He knew^ them also in the crowd of them that raged against Him, and foresaw them in the unity of them that should believe on Him. What meaneth then, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel, but this, that Flis bodily presence He exhibited not but unto the people Israel.? To the Gentiles He went not in His own Person, but sent : to the people Israel Pie both sent and came in His own Person ; that they which despised, might receive greater judgment, because His very Presence was exhibited to them. The Lord Himself was there, there chose He a mother; there He willed to be conceived, there to be born, there to shed His blood; there are the prints of His footsteps, they are even now adored, where He last stood, whence He ascended into heaven": but to the Gentiles He sent. ^ Of the foot-prinls shewn on the Hieronym., Beda de nom. loc. in Act. Mount of Olives, as Christ's, there is Apost., Sulpicius Severus Hist. Sacr. mention in Lib. de locis Hebraicis ap. ii. Ben. To the Gentiles He sent, hut is in His messengers. 6*27 5. But haply some man deems, because He came not John personally to us, but sent to us, that we have not heard His — '- — - voice, but only the voice of them whom He sent. God forbid! be that thought driven from your hearts: in these whom He sent. Himself was also present. Hear Paul him- self, whom He sent : for to the Gentiles He specially sent Paul as an Apostle : and Paul himself saith, putting men in fear not of himself, but of Him, Would ye receive a proof of '^. Cor. Him Who speaketh in me^ even Christ ? Hear also the ' Lord Himself: And other sheep I have, that is, in the Gentiles: ichich are not of this fold, i. e. of the people Israel : them also must I bring. Therefore by the ministry of His servants it is none other than He that bringeth. Hear further: They shall hear My voice. Lo, by the ministry of His servants it is He that speaketh, and through them whom He sendeth. His voice is heard. That there may he one fold, and one Shepherd. To those two flocks, as it were to two walls. He was made the Corner-Stone. Eph. 2, So then He is both Door and Corner-Stone : all these by ~ ^* way of similitude, nothing of these as the things are in themselves. 6. For I have already said, and earnestly insisted upon it, and they who take it are wise, nay rather they who are wise take it ; and those who are not wise in the under- standing, let them by faith hold that which they are not yet able to understand :— By way of similitude, Christ is many things which He is not in the nature of the things themselves. By similitude, both is Christ a Rock, and Christ a Door, and Christ a Corner-stone, and Christ a Shepherd, and Christ a Lamb, and Christ a Lion. How many things is He by similitudes ! beside others which it would take too long to mention. But if thou take strictly the things as they are in themselves, which thou art used to see ; neither is He rock, because He is not hard and devoid of feeling; nor door, because not made by a carpenter; nor corner-stone, because not fitted by a builder; nor shepherd, because not a keeper of four-footed sheep; nor lion, because not a wild-beast ; nor lamb, because not a beast of the field. All these then He is only by way of similitude. What is He then as He is in Himself.'^ In the beginning was the John \, 628 Christ^ s poiver to lay doivn and tale again His soul. HoMiL. Word, and the Woi'd was with God, and the Word was ^±^God. What of the Man Who appeared? And the Word John 1, . ^^ 14. was madejlesh, and dwelt in us. V. 17. 7. Hear also the rest. Therefore doth the Father love 3Ie, saith He, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. What saith He? Therefore doth 3Iy Father love Me; because I die, that I may rise again. For with great weight it is said, /; Because I, saith He, lay down My lifo: I lay down. How, / lay doivn? It is I Myself that lay it down : let not the Jews glory ; to rage they were able, to have power they were not able: let them rage as much as they are able ; if I be not willing to lay down My life, what will they do by their raging? By one single answer they Johnis, w^ere laid prostrate : when it was said to them, Whom seek yef " ' they said, Jesus; and He said to them, I am He: they went backwards, and foil. They that fell at one utterance of the voice of Christ when He was about to die, what shall they do beneath His voice when He is about to judge ? /, /, saith He, lay down My lifo, that I may take it again. Let not the Jews glory, as though they have prevailed ; Himself hath laid Ps. 3, 5. down His life. / slept, saith He, — ye know the Psalm, — / 305™ 3 ^^^P^f ^'^^ '^^^ -^^^ ^'^^^' ^'^^ ^ '^'^^^ ^^Pi ^(^cciuse the Lord will take Me up. What meaneth, /.s/^/>/ ? Because I would, I slept. What meaneth, slept ? Died. Did not He sleep, Who, when He would, rose from the sepulchre as from a bed? But He loveth to give glory to His Father, that He may edify us to give glory to our Creator. For, that He hath added, / rose up, because the Lord will take Me up, suppose ye that here His virtue did as it were fail, so that by His own power He was able to die, by His own power not able to rise again? For so the words seem to sound when they are not attentively understood : / slept^ i. e. because I would, I slept: and rose, why? because the Lord will take Me up. What? Thou not of Thyself able to rise? Wert Thou not able. Thou wouldest not say, / have power to lay down 3Iy lifo, and power to take it again. Hear in another place in the Gospel, that not only the Father raised the Son, John 2, but the Son raised Himself. Destroy, saith He, this Temple, ' ' and in three days I icill raise it up. And the Evangelist saith, But this He spake of the Temple of His Body. That The absurd heresy of the Apollinarists, 6W which was raised was that which died. For the Word did John not die: that Soul did not die : if not even thy soul dieth, J^ii^ should the Lord's die ? 8. How know I, sayest thou, if my soul does not die ? By thyself let it not be slain, and it dieth not. How, sayest thou, have I power to slay my soul ? To say nothing now of other sins, Vie mouth that lieth, slayeth the soul. WhatWisd.j, assurance, sayest thou, have I, that it dieth not ? Hear the ^^* Lord Himself giving His servant assurance: Fear not them'^^t.io, which kill the body, and after that have no more that they ' can do. Aye, but what saith He ? Fear Him Who hath power to kill both body and soul in hell. Lo, that it dieth; lo, that it dieth not. What is its dying ? What is it for thy flesh to die ? For thy flesh to die, is, to lose its life : for thy soul to die, is to lose its life. The life of thy flesh is thy soul : the life of thy soul, thy God. As the flesh dies by losing the soul which is its life, so the soul dies by losing God, Who is its life. Certainly then, the soul is immortal. Clearly immortal, because it liveth even when dead. For what the Apostle hath said of the widow living in delights, may also be said of the soul if it have lost its God, Is dead while she i Tim. liveth. ^' "^* 9. How then doth the Lord lay down His life' (or soul).?» anU Brethren, let us enquire here rather more attentively. We°^^°^ are not put to straits for time, as is usual on the Lord's day": we have leisure : let this be their gain who come together to-day likewise to the word of God. / lay dow?i, saith He, My life. Who layeth down, layeth do\^nwhat? What is Christ ? Word and man. And not in such sort man as to be flesh only : but because man. He consisteth of flesh and soul, but there is whole man in Christ. For He would not have taken the worser part, and left the better; and the soul is a better part of man than the body. Then since whole man is in Christ, what is Christ ; Word, I say, and man. * Non nos arctat hora quse solet die statement in the Benedictine * Admo- Dominico: vacat nobis. In the earlier nitio' should be corrected; "in xlvii editions, die Dominico is joined with quem die Dominico habuit." The vacat nobis : " On the Lord's day we former Homily was preached on the have leisure" for fuller preaching. Sunday, (xlvii. I.) and for that reason, Wrongly, for the next sentence shews because of the longer service, the that this Homily was not preached on Sermon was shortened, the Lord's day. Ben. Hence the 630 It ivas the Flesh that laid dotvn the Soul, HoMii.What is Word and man ? Word, soul and flesh. Hold this; ^^^^^' for there have not lacked heretics even on this point ; driven off indeed of old from the Catholic Truth, but yet, as thieves and robbers not entering in by the Door, they cease not to plot against the sheepfold. These heretics are called Apol- linarists, who have dared to assert the dogma, that Christ is only Word and flesh : they maintain that He did not take Lib. de miio Him a human soul. For indeed some of them could qusest. not deny that there was a soul in Christ. See the unbear- 80.de ^|^]g absurdity and madness of the men! An irrational soul, persev. they were willing He should have, the rational soul they imp. c!* denied : they gave Him the soul of a beast, withdrew from Jul. 4, Him the soul of a man! But those men have taken away 47. de . . Aiiima reason from Christ, by not keeping reason themselves. Far 1, 31. )jQ ti^ig fi'om us, who have been nurtured and grounded in the Catholic faith. Hence then let me take occasion to admonish you, my beloved, that, as in the former lessons we have sufliciently instructed you against Sabellians and Arians ; Sabellians, who say. The Father is the same Person as the Son; Arians, who say. One is the Father, other the Son, meaning that Father and Son are not of the same Substance : we have instructed you also, as ye remember, and ought to remember against Photinian heretics, who have affirmed that Christ is only man without God : against Manicheans, wdio affirm Him to be only God without man : that I say, taking this occasion, we may instruct you also concerning His soul against the Apollinarists, who say that our Lord Jesus Christ had not a human soul, i. e. rational soul, intelligent soul, the soul, I say, in which we differ from the beast, because we are men. 10. How then said the Lord here, / have power to lay down My life, or, soul.? Who putteih down his soul and taketh it again.? Doth Christ, for that He is the Word, put down His soul and take it again.? Or, for that He is a human soul, doth that soul lay itself down and again take itself.? Or, for that He is flesh, doth the flesh lay down the soul and take it again .? I have propounded three things; let us thoroughly handle them all, and choose that which suits the rule of Truth. For, should we say that the Word of God laid down His soul and took it again, it is to be The fVord, once hicarnate, never forsook either, G31 feared lest a wrono^ notion should enter in, and it should be John . X 17 said to us, There was a time, then, when that soul was — '- — ^ separated from the Word, and there was a time Avhen that Word, after that It had taken unto It that soul, was without the soul. For I see that the Word has been without the human soul, but this, when in the begimiing was the Word, and the Word tvas with God, and the Word was God. For, after that the Word was made flesh that It might dwell in us, and the Word took unto It man, that is, whole man, soul and flesh, what did the passion, what did death, but separate body from soul? But the soul from tlie Word it separated not. For, if the Lord died, yea rather, because the Lord died, for He died for us on the Cross, doubtless His flesh expired or breathed out the soul: for a little time the soul left the flesh, but that on the soul's return it should rise again. But that the soul was separated from the Word I do not affirm. He said to the soul of the thief. To-day shalt thou be ivith Me Luke23, in Paradise. He abandoned not the believing soul of the^^* thief, and did He abandon His own ? God forbid ! But that man's soul He, as Lord, kept in His custody, His own soul, however. He had with Him inseparably. But should we say, that the soul laid itself down, and again took itself, the sense is most absurd: for that which was not separated from the Word could not be separated from itself. 11. Let us say, then, both what is true, and what can be easily understood. Take any human being, not consisting of Word and soul and flesh, but of soul and flesh : in the case of this man let us ask how any man soever lays down his soul. Or haply is it so that no man lays down his soul ? Thou mayest say to me. No man hath power to lay down his soul and to take it again. If to lay down his soul were not in man's power, John the Apostle would not say. As Christ i John laid down His soul for us, so we ought to lag down our souls^' ^^' for the brethren. Consequently it is permitted us also (if we also be filled with His virtue, because without Him we can do nothing.) to lay down our souls for the brethren. When any holy martyr hath laid down his soul for the brethren, who laid down, and wdiat laid he down? This if we understand, there we shall see how it is said of Christ, / have power to lay down My soul. O man. art thou prepared to 632 The Word is Christ, the Soul Christy the Flesh Christ, HoMiL.die for Christ? I am prepared, saith he. I will say it in ^^^^^' other words : Art thou prepared to lay down thy soul for Christ? To these words also he makes me this answer, I am prepared ; just as he answered me when T said, Art thou prepared to die ? Consequently, to lay down the soul is the same as, to die. But for whom is the encounter there ^ ? For all men when they die, lay down their life, or soul; but not all lay it down for Christ. And no man hath power to take what he has laid down ; but Christ, both for us laid it down ; and when He would, laid it down ; and when He would, took it up. Well then, to lay down the soul, is, to Johnis, die. Thus also the Apostle Peter said to the Lord, / will lay down my life, or, soul, for Thee : i. e. I will die for Thee. Attribute this to the flesh : the flesh layeth down its soul, and the flesh taketh it again, only, not by its own power as flesh, but by the power of Him that inhabiteth that flesh : the flesh then layeth down the soul by expiring Johni9,it. See the Lord Himself on the Cross. I thirst, said He: 28—30 ' those who stood by, dipped a sponge in vinegar, fastened it upon a reed, and put it to His mouth : which when He had received, He said, It is finished. What meaneth, It is finished? Fulfilled are all things which were prophesied of Me to be before My death. And, because He had power to lay down His soul when He would, after He had said, It is finished, then, what saith the Evangelist ? And he honed His head, and gave up the ghost. This it is to lay down the soul. Now mark here, beloved. Bowed the head, and gave up the ghost. Who gave up ? gave up what ? Gave up the ghost — the flesh gave it up. How, The flesh gave it up ? The flesh sent it forth, the flesh expired or breathed it out. For that is the meaning of the word ' expire' — exspirare, i. e. extra spiritum fieri, to be out of the spirit (or breath of life). Just as the word ' exulare' (to be an exile) is ' extra solum fieri' (to be out of the soil of one's country) ; ' exorbitare,' * extra orbitam fieri' (to be out of the round or orbit) : so •j Sed pro quo ibi est certamen ? Such a death answers to Christ's ponere The meaning seems to be, that, though anwiam pro ovibus : but still with this ponere animani is " to die," and there- difference, that no man has power fore all men ponunt anhnam when they sumere animam when he has laid it die, yet not every death is denoted by down ; but Christ had this power, and this phrase, but only that which is fro both laid down His life and took it aliquo, i. e.pro Chrido^ pro fratrihus. again when He would. yet One Christy as body and soul is one man, 633 * exspirare' is ' extra spiritum fieri,' which spirit (or, ghost) John is the soul. When therefore the soul goes out from the — *—-— flesh, and the flesh remains without the soul, then the man is said to lay down the soul, or, life. When did Christ lay down His soul ? When the Word willed so to do. For the rule^ was in the Word ; therein was the power when the flesh ^ princi- should lay down the soul, and when take it. ^^ "'^ 12. If then it was the flesh that laid down the soul, how is it that Christ laid down His soul, for the flesh is not Christ.? Yes assuredly: both the flesh is Christ, and the soul is Christ, and the Word is Christ : and yet are these three not three Christs, but one Christ. Interrogate man, and make of thyself a step to the things that are above thee, although not yet to be understood at least to be believed. For as soul and body is one man, so Word and man is one Christ. See what I have said, and understand. Soul and body are two things, but one man : Word and man are two things, but one Christ. Ask then concerning man. Where is Paul the Apostle at this present time ? If one answer, * In rest with Christ,' he says true. Again, if one answer, 'At Rome in the sepulchre,' he also says true. The former answer tells me of his soul, the latter of his flesh. But for all that, we do not affirm two Apostle Pauls, one, who rests in Christ, another, who is in the sepulchre : albeit we affirm that the Apostle Paul liveth in Christ, and affirm the same Apostle Paul to be lying dead in the sepulchre. A person dies ; we say, ' A good man, a true believer ; he is in peace wdth the Lord :' and straightway, ' Let us go to his funeral, and huYj him.' The man thou art going to bury is the same whom thou didst affirm to be in peace wath God : seeing the soul which is quick with immortality is one thing, the body which lieth lifeless in corruptibihty another. But since the partnership of flesh and soul hath received the name of man, thence also singly and severally either of the two hath gotten the name of man. 13. Let none therefore stumble when he hears the Lord to have said; I lay down My soul, and take it again. It is the flesh that lays it down, but by power of the Word : it is the flesh that takes it, but by power of the Word. Nay, even the flesh by itself is called the Lord Christ. How, say you, dost 634 The Flesh laid down the Soul hy power of the JVord. HoMiL. thou prove that? I dare to affirm it: even the flesh by itself ' '- is called Christ. We believe, you know, not in God the Father only, but in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord : here now I have said the whole, * In Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord.' Understand there the whole, both Word and soul and flesh. But of course thou confessest also as the same Creed hath it, namely, that the Christ thou believest in was crucified and buried. Consequently, that Christ was even buried thou dost not deny : and yet only the flesh was buried. For if the soul was there, He was not dead: but if it was a true death, that His may be a true resurrection, He was without the soul in the sepulchre ; and yet was Christ buried. Consequently, even the flesh without the soul was Christ, for only the flesh was buried. Learn this also in the Phil. 2, Apostolic words. Let this mind, saith he, he in you, which ~ ' was also in Christ Jesus : TVho, being in the form of God, thought it not rohhery to he equal with God, Who, but Christ Jesus, in regard that He is the Word, God with God .? But see what follows : But made Himself of no reputation, taking upon Him the form of a servant ; made in the likeness of men, and found in fashion as a man. And who did this, but the selfsame Christ Jesus .? But here now are all these — both the Word, in the form of God which took the form of a servant ; and soul and flesh in the form of a servant which was taken by the form of God. He humbled Himself, being made obedient unto death. Well now, in death, it was the flesh alone that was killed Mat.10, bv the Jews. For, if He said to the disciples, Fear not them which kill the body, but cannot kill the soul ; had they power in Him to kill more than the body } And yet when the flesh was killed, Christ was killed. So, when the flesh laid down the soul, Christ laid down His soul ; and when the flesh, that it might rise again, took the soul, Christ took His soul. Yet not by power of the flesh was this done, but by power of Him Who took unto Him both soul and flesh wherein these things should be fulfilled. V. 18. 14. Jliis commandment, saith He, have I received of My c.Maxi- Father. He, the Word, not by a word received command- u'^'y]'' ment, but in the Only-Begolten Word of the Father is all commandment. But when the Son is said to receive from The Son " receives*'' by Eternal Generation. 635 the Father that which He substantially hath, as it is said, John As the Father hath life In Himself, so hath He given to the ^q 21 Son to have life in Himself, in this is no lessening of power, Jotm 5, but a betokening of His Generation. For it is not that the^^* Father hath, as unto the Son begotten imperfect, added somewhat, but, to the Son, begotten perfect, hath in begetting given all things. So He gave Equality with Himself to Him Whom He begat not unequal. But when the Lord spake these things. There was a division again among the Jews for ^^\^-l\» these sayings. And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye Him ? This was most thick dark- ness ! Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind? Now had these men's eyes begun to be opened ! u u HOMILY XLVIII. 1 JopiN X. 22—42. ^nd it ivas at Jerusalpjn the Enccsnia [or feast of the dedica- tion'], and it was winter. And Jesus was walking in the temple in Solomons porch. Then came the Jews round about Him, and said unto Him, How long dost Thou make us to doubt ? If Thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus loquor, answered them, I tell^ you, and ye believe not: the works that I do in My Father s name, they bear witness of Me, But ye believe not, because ye are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them^ and they follow Me: and I give unto them eternal life ; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. What My Father gave Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck out of My Father'' s hand. I and My Father are One. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them. Many good works have I shewed you from My Father; for which of those works do ye stone Me ? The Jews answered Him,, saying. For a good work we stone thee not ; but for blasphemy ; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. Jesus answered them. Is it not written in your laiv, I said. Ye are gods ? 2 Sermo Jf He called them gods, unto whom the word of God came ^, tuslst.' ^^^ ^'^^^ Scripture cannot he broken: say ye of Him, Whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest ; because I said, I am the Son of God ? If I do not the works of My Father, believe Me not. But if I do, thmgli ye believe not Me, believe the works: that ye Faith, the way to insight. 637 may know, and believe, that the Father is in Me, and I in J^^hn Him. Therefore they sought again to take Him : hut He 22—24. escaped out of their hand, and went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there He abode. And many resorted unto Him, and said, John did no miracle : but all things that John spake of this Man were true. And many believed on Him. 1. As I have already told you, my beloved, ye ought to bear it steadily in mind, that the holy Evangelist John would not have us to be always nourished with milk, but to feed upon solid meat. But whoso is at present not strong enough to take the solid meat of the word of God, let him be nourished with the milk of faith, and the word which he is not able to understand, let him not be slow to believe. For faith is the merit, understanding the prize. The eye of our mind does, by very dint of exerting itself to see, work itself clear from the tarnish of our human fogginess, to look unclouded upon the Word of God. Then let there be no shrinking from labour, if love is present: for ye know that he who loves makes nothing of labour: all labour is grievous to them that love not. If lust helps the avaricious to bear so great labours, shall not love help us ? 2. Mark the Gospel: And it was the Enccenia at Jeru-y.^^- salem. The Encsenia was the feast of the dedication of the Temple. For xaivov {c€sno?i) is Greek for " new." When- ever any thing new is dedicated, they call it encwnia. In fact, the word is now in common use : when a man puts on a new coat, he is said encceniare (to handsel it). The day, namely, on which the Temple was dedicated, the Jews kept as an annual solemnity : this same holy-day they were keeping at the time when the Lord spake what has been read. 3. // was winter, and Jesus walked in the temple 2>2v.23.24. Solomons porch. Then came the Jews round about Him, and said unto Him, How long dost Thou make us to doubt? If Thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Not that they desired tiiith; they wanted only to get matter of accusation. Winter it was, and cold they were : for they had no mind to come to that Divine fire. But to come is to believe : he that u u 2 638 That the Son of David is Son of God, the Jews knew not, HoMTL. believes, draws near and comes; he that denies, turns bis back. The soul moves not with feet, but with its affections. They were chilled from the charity of loving, and were burning with the lust of doing harm. They were far away, and yet were there : they did not draw near by believing, and yet they pressed close by persecuting. They wanted to hear the Lord say, ' I am Christ:' and belike they conceived of Christ only as man. The Prophets preached Christ: but the Godhead of Christ both in the Prophets and in the 2 Cor. Gospel itself not even heretics believe, how much less Jews, ' ^' so long as the veil is upon their hearts ! Accordingly, in a certain place, the Lord Jesus, knowing that they conceived of Christ as man, not as God ; as He was man, not as He was still God after taking our flesh; said to them, M2.i.22, What think ye of Chrisl? Whose Son is He? They ' answered, in accordance with their way of thinking. The Sou of David. For so they had read, and this alone they held : because His Godhead they read indeed, but under- stood not. But the Lord, that He might put them in suspense unto seeking after the Divinity of Him Whose weakness they despised, answered them : How tlien doth David in spirit call Him J.ord, saying, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit Thou on my right Jiand, till L make Tliine enemies TJty footstool? Lf David then call Him Lord, how is Lie his son? He did not deny; He only interrogated. Let no man, at hearing this, imagine that the Lord Jesus denied Himself to be David's Son. Had the Lord Christ denied Himself to be Son of David, He would not have enlightened the blind, who invoked Him by this name. For He was passing by, upon a time, and two blind men sitting Id. 20, by the way-side, cried out, Llave mercy on us, Thou Son of ^~ " LJavid. At hearing which word, He had compassion; He stood still, healed, gave sight; to shew that He acknowledged Rom. ], that Name. The Apostle Paul also says, WJio was made unto Him * of the seed of David according to thejiesh : and 2 Tim. to Timothy, Rememher that Jesus Chrisl rose from the dead, ' ' of the seed of David, according to my gospel. Because it was from the seed of David that the Virgin Mary derived * Qui factus est ei. Iren. Ambro^. Hieron. and Vulg. but ci cm. c. Faust, xi. 4. Iron. iii. 32. The Sheep ^ and they ortly^ believe unto salvation. 639 hev origin, thence comes it that the Lord is of the seed of John David. 25—28. 4. This, as a great matter, the Jews enquired of Christ; in order that if He should say, I am Christ, then, upon the con- ception which alone they entertained of the Seed of David, they might accuse Him of arrogating to Himself kingly power. What He told them in reply is more than that: they wished to make matter of accusation out of the Son of David: He told them that He was the Son of God. And how.? Hear. Jesus answered them, I tell yoUy and ?/ev.25,26. believe not : the tcorks that I do in My Father's Name, they hear witness of Me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of My sheep. Ye have already learned above which are the sheep. Be ye sheep. Sheep are such in believing, sheep in following the Shepherd, sheep in not despising the Redeemer, sheep in entering in by the door, sheep in going out and finding pasture, sheep in enjoying eternal 'eempa- life. How then said He to these, Ye are not of My sheepf^^^^^' Because He saw them predestinated to everlasting destruc- Note A, . . at the tion, not purchased^ by the price of His blood unto eternal end of life. fh^ ^°" lume. 5. My sheep hear 31y voice, and I know them, and theyy.27^2S, follow Me: and I give unto them eternal life. Lo, here is the pasture. If ye recollect. He had said above, And shally-^- go in and out and find pasture. We came in by believing, go out by dying. But as believing was the door we came in by, so let us go out from the body believers ; for so we go out by the Door itself, that we may be able to find pasture. That good pasture is here called eternal life: there, no herb withers; there, it is all green, all flourishing: a herb there is which we use to call * ever-living' '': there, life alone is found. Life eternal, saith He, will I give them, my sheep. Ye seek matter of accusation, only because ye are thinking of the life present. 6. And they shall not perish for ever : v.hich you v/ill understand as if it had been said to them. Ye shall perish for ever, because ye are not of My sheep. Neither shall any 'pluck them out of My hand. — Receive it more ^ ^Ael^cioi', sedum, sempervivuin, Dioscorid. iv. 89. Theophr. Hist. Plant. i. 16. 640 The Gift ^'greater than all^'' is the Eternal Generation^ HoMiL. attentively : That which My Father hath given Me is greater than all\ What can the wolf do? What can the thief and the robber? They destroy only them that are predestined to destruction. But those sheep of which the Apostle saith, 2 Tim. The Lord knoweth them that are His: and, Whom He did -^iom'.^foreloioiv, He also did predestinate, and ivhom He did pre- 29.30. destinate, them He also called: and whom He called^ them He also justijied : and whom He justified, them He also glorified: of these sheep neither wolf seizeth, nor thief stealeth, nor robber Idlleth, He is sure of their number, Who knoweth what He gave for them. And this it is that He saith, None shall pluck them out of My hand; and again, 1 ad Pa- with regard to the Father*, That which My Father hath given trem. jj^ ^^ greater than all. What is that greater than all, that the Father hath given to the Son? That He should be His Only- begotten Son. Then what meaneth, hath given? Was He already in being to Whom the Father should give, or did the Father give by begetting ? For if He was in being, to Whom the Father should give that He should be Son, there was a time when He was in being and yet was not Son : but far be it from us to imagine, that the Lord Christ was ever in being, yet was not Son. Of us this may be said : once we were sons of men, not sons of God. Us, grace made sons of God; Him nature, because He was begotten so. And thou mayest not say, He w^as not in being, before He was begotten: for there never was a time when He was not begotten, W^ho was coeternal with the Father. Whoso is wise, let him take it ; whoso takes it not, let him believe ; let him be nourished, and he shall take it. The Word of God ever with the Father and ever Word: and because Word, therefore Son. Consequently, ever Son, and ever Equal. For not by growing, but by being begotten, is He Equal,Who was Ever-begotten, Son of the Father, God of God, of Eternal Coeternal. Howbeit, that the Father is God, is not of the Son: that the Son is God, is of the Father; there- fore the Father hath by begetting given to the Son that He should be God ; by begetting given that He should be Co- eternal with Himself; by begetting given that He shoidd be «= Pater mens quod dedit mihi niajns dedit mihi majus est omnibus.) Cyril, omnibus est. Vulg. (Hilar. Pater (juod Al. & SeSw/ce ^loi jx^l^ov. hy which the Son is God of God from everlasting. 641 Equal. This it is that is greater than all. How is the Son John Life, and yet the Son One that hath Hfe ? What He hath, ^' ^^' that He is: what thou art is one thing, what thou hast another. For example ; thou hast wisdom ; but art thou Wisdom itself? Accordingly, because thou art not thyself the thing thou hast, if thou lose what thou hast, thou goest back to not-having : and at one time resumest, at another time losest. Just as our eye hath not in itself inseparable light; it opens and takes, shuts and loses. Not so God the Son of God ; not so the Word of the Father ; not so the Word which not by sounding passeth away, but by being begotten abideth. So hath Me wisdom that He is Himself Wisdom and maketh wise ; so hath Life, that He is Himself Life and maketh alive. This it is that is greater than all. John the Evangelist himself took note of heaven and earth, when he would speak of the Son of God; took note of them, and mounted beyond them. He thought of the things above the heaven, the thousands of armies of angels ; he thought of these, and as an eagle soars above the clouds, so mounted he in his mind beyond the universe of creation : mounted beyond all that is great, came at last to That Which is greater than all ; and said, In the beginning was John i, the Word. But because He Whose is the Word, is not of ^* the Word, but the Word is of Him Whose is the Word, therefore saith He, What the Father hath given Me, that is, that I should be His Word, that I should be His Only- Begotten Son, that I should be the Brightness of His Light, is greater than all. Therefore, None pliicketh, saith He, My sheep out of My hand. None is able to pluck out of My Father'' s hand. 1 . Out of My hand, and, out of My Father'' s hand: what is this, None plucketh out of My hand, and. None plucketh out of My Father'' s hand? Is the hand of the Father and the Son one, or haply is the Son Himself the Hand of His Father? If by ' hand' we understand power, the power of the Father and the Son is one, because one their Godhead: but if we understand the expression, ' hand,^ as it is said by the Prophet, And to whom is the Ann of the Lord revealed? Is.53,i. the Hand of the Father is none other than the Son. Which is not so meant as though God had a human form and 642 Chrisfs Hand and the Father' s. One, because one Power. HoMiL. members as it were of a body, but, that by the Son were all - '- things made. Thus men also use to call other men their hands, namely, those by whom they do what they will. Sometimes also a man's work is called the man's hand, because made by his hand : as one is said to acknowledge his own hand when he acknowledges what he has written. Since then there are many ways of speaking of the hand even of a man, who hath, hterally, a hand among the members of his body, how much rather is it to be taken not merely in one way when we read of the hand of God, Who hath no form of body ? And consequently, we do better in this place to understand by the hand of the Father and the Sou the power of the Father and the Son ; lest haply when we have taken the hand of the Father here to mean the Son, the carnal thought begin to seek even of the Son Himself a Son, whom it may in like manner believe to be the hand of Christ. Therefore, No man phicketh out of My Father's hand, is thisj No man plucketh from Me. 8. But lest haply thou yet stumble, hear what follows; V. 30. I and 3Iy Father are One. Thus far the Jews were able to tolerate : they heard, / and My Father are One, and they could not bear it ; and as usual, stony-hearted, flew to the Y. 31. stones. They took up stones to stone Him, The Lord, because it was not for Him to suffer what He was unwilling to suffer, and He did not suffer save what He willed to suffer"^, still speaks Y.31-33. to them while they are desiring to stone Him. The Jews took up stones to stone Him. Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from My Father ; for which of those works do ye stone 3Ie ? The Jews answered Him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blas- phemy ; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. This they said in answer to that He had said, / and My Father are one. Lo, the Jews understood what Arians understand not ! For that they were wroth, it was because they felt that it could not be said, / and 3Iy Father are One, unless where is equality of the Father and the Son. 9. But see how the Lord answered these men of slow hearts. He saw that they could not bear the brightness of V. 34. Truth, and He tempered it in words. Is it not written in ^ Quia noD patiebatur quod nolebat pati, et uon est passus nisi quod voluit pati. The Deity of the Word sheivn by Its deifying Power. 643 your Law, i. e. in the Law given to yon, / have said, Ye are John Gods? God speaking by the Prophet in the Psahn, saith to 35 gg^ men, / have said, Ye are Gods. And by the appellation, Ps^82,6. Law, the Lord denoted generally all the old Scriptures, although elsewhere He speaks of the Law specially, distin- guishing it from the Prophets; as is that saying. The iaz^Lukeie, and the Prophets until John; and, On these two command- ^'^^^^^ merits hang all the Law and the Prophets. Sometimes, 40. however, He distributes the same Scriptures into three, where He saith. Needs miLst all things he fulfilled which areLuke24, written in the Law and Prophets and Psalms concerning Me.^^' But now He has named even the Psalms by the term, Law, where it is written, I have said, Ye are Gods. If he called y.S5,36, them Gods, unto whom the speech^ of God was made, and^sermo the Scripture cannot he broken ; say ye of Him, Whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou bias- phemesi ; because I said, I am the Son of God ? If the speech of God was made unto men, that they should be called Gods, the Very Word of God Which is with God, how should It not be God ? If by the speech of God men are made gods, if by participating they are made gods, shall not That whereof they participate be God? If lights lighted are gods, shall not the Light that lighteth be God ? If they that are in some sort warmed by the Fire of Salvation are made gods, shall that whereby they are warmed be not God ? Thou comest to the Light and art enlightened, and thou art numbered among the sons of God : if thou turnest back from the Light, thou becomest dark, and art reckoned among the darkness : whereas that Light goeth not back from Itself, and therefore neither cometh It to Itself. If then the speech of God makes even you gods, how shall the Word of God not be God? The Father, then, sanctified His own Son, and sent Him into the world. Perhaps some one may say : If the Father sanctified, i. e. made Him holy, was there then a time when He was not holy ? So ' sancti- fied,' as He begat. For by begetting, He gave to Him that He should be holy, because He begat Him holy. If because a thing is ' sanctified,' it follows that it was not holy before, in what sense say we to God the Father, Hallowed (or, Matt, 6, sanctified) be Thy Name ? 644 TheFatheriii the Son, the Soni?i the Father, hi/Equal Godhead: HoMiL. 10. If I do not the works of My Father, believe Me not. ^^^"^' But if I do, though ye believe not 3Ie, believe the works : ' that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in Ble, and I in Him. Not in such sort saithr the Son, The Father is in Me, and I in Him, as men may say it. Namely, if we think good thoughts, we are in God, and if we live good lives, God is in us : as believers, participating His grace, enlightened by Him, we are in Him and He is in us. But not so the Ouly-begotten Son: He is in the Father and the Father is in Him, as the Equal in Him to Whom He is Equal. In short, we are sometimes able to say, We are in God, and God in us : but are we able to say, I and God are one.? Thou art in God, because God containeth thee; God is in thee, because thou art made a temple of God : but because thou art in God and God in thee, canst thou say, Johni4, Whoso seeth me, seeth God, as the Only-Begotten said, He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father also; and, I and 3Iy Father are one? Acknowledge the property of the Lord, and the boon bestowed upon the servant. The property of the Lord is. Equality with the Father: the boon bestowed upon the servant is, participation of the Saviour. V. 39. 11. They sought therefore to apprehend Him. Oh that they would apprehend, but with believing and understanding, not raging and killing ! For at this moment, my brethren, while 1 speak such things — weak as I am, and small, and frail, and the things so strong, and great, and solid ! — both ye, as being of the same lump that I am of, and I myself who speak to you, do together all of us wish to apprehend Christ. What is it to ' apprehend?' Thou hast understood ; thou hast apprehended. But not so the Jews. Thou hast apprehended that thou may est have, they wished to appre- hend that they might not have. And because they wished thus to apprehend, what did He to them ? He escaped out of their hands. They did not apprehend Him, because they had not hands of faith. The Word was made flesh: but it was no great matter for the Word to rescue His flesh from hands of flesh. To apprehend the Word with the mind, this it is to apprehend Christ aright. v.40,41. 12. And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized ; and there He abode. And God in us, we in God, by grace, 645 many resorted unto Him, and said, John did no sign. Ye John remember it was told you concerning John, that he was a 41^ 42. lamp, and bare witness to the Day. Then how said these among themselves, John did no sign? No miracle, they John 5, mean, was shewn by John : he did not put demons to flight, ^^* ^^* not cast out fever, not give sight to the blind, not raise the dead, not feed so many thousands of men with five or with seven loaves, not walk upon the sea, not command the winds and waves : none of these did John : and in all that he said, he did but bear witness to this Man. By means of the lamp let us come to the Day. John did no sign. But all things that John spake of this Man ivere true. Lo here men who have apprehended, not as the Jews ! The Jews wished to apprehend Him while departing, these apprehended Him while abiding. In fine, what follows? And many believed \. 42. on Him. HOMILY XLIX. John xi. 1 — 54. Now a cet'tain man nas sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. It was that Mary which anointed the Lord nith ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus ivas sick. Therefore his sisters sent unto Him, saying. Lord, behold, he whom Thou lovest is sick. When Jesus heard that, He said. This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified. Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. When He had heard therefore that he was sick, then indeed He abode tivo days still in the same place. Then after that saith He to His disciples, Let us go into Judea again. His disciples say unto Him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone Thee ; and goest Thou thither again ? Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day ? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him. These things said He : aiid after that He saith unto them. Our friend Lazarus sleepeth ; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. TJien said His disciples. Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Hoivbeit Jesus spake of his death : but they thought that He had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then therefore said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe: nevertheless let us go unto him. Then said Thomas, which is called Hidymus, imto his The Resurrection of Lazarus, 647 fellow -disciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him. John Then Jesus came, and found that he had lain in the grave 1-54. four days already. Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off : and many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus uas coming, w^nt and met Him : but Mary sat still in the house. Then said Martha unto Jesus, L.ord, if Thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, what- soever Thou wilt ask of God, God will give it Thee. Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again, Martha said unto Him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrectio?i at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the Resurrection, and the Life : he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live : and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this ? She saith unto Him, Yea, Lord : I have believed that Thou art the Christ, the Son of God, Which art come into the world. And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister in silence, saying. The Master is come, and calleth for thee. As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came U7ito Llim. Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met Him. The Jews then which were ivith her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and weiit out, followed her, saying. She goeth unto the grave to weep there. Then when Mary was come ivhere Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying unto Him, Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jeivs also weeping which came ivith her. He groaned ^ in the spi^^it, and troid)led Himself, and said, ^fremuit Where have ye laid him ? They said unto Him, Lord, cojne^[ ^gj® a7id see. Jesus tvept. Then said the Jews, Behold how He loved him ! But some of them said. Could not this Man, Which opejied the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died? Jesus therefore again groaning in Himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. Jesus said. Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto Him, Lord, by this time he stinketh : for he hath been dead 648 accounted the greatest of Chrisfs miracles. HoMiL. four days. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, ^ if thou ivouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God ? Then they took awat/ the stone. And Jesus lifted up His eyes, and said. Father, I thank Thee that Thou hast heard Me, And I knew that Thou hearest Me always: hut because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that Thou hast sent Me. And when He thus had spoken. He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, hound hand and foot ivith graveclothes : and his face tvas bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. Then many of the Jews which came to 3Iary, and had seen the things ivhich Jesus did, believed on Him. But some of them ivent their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done. Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said. What do we ? for this man doeth many miracles. Lf we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him : and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation. And one of them, named Caiphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them. Ye know nothing at all, nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. And this spake he not of himself : but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation ; and not for that nation only, but that also He should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put Him to death. Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephrem^ and there continued with His disciples, 1. Among all the miracles wrought by our Lord Jesus Christ, the raising of Lazarus is held to be the most wonderful. But, if we mark Whose work it was, deliglit ought to be our feeliug, rather than wonder. He raised a man to life again, Who made man : for this is none other than the Only-Begotten of the Father, by Whom, as ye know, all things were made. If then by Him were all things made, what wonder is it if one was raised to life by Him, when so The mystery of the three miracles of resurrection, 649 many are every day brought into existence l)y Him ? It is John more, to create men than to resuscitate. Yet He deigned i_54, both to create and to resuscitate: to create all, to resuscitate some. For, albeit the Lord Jesus did many things, not all are written : as this same Saint John the Evangelist testifies, that the Lord Christ both said and did many things which are not written : only those were selected to be written, which were seen to suffice for the salvation of them that John 20, believe. Thus thou hast heard that the Lord Jesus raised*'^' a dead man to life again : this sufficeth to let thee know, that if He would. He could raise all the dead. And this, in fact, He hath reserved for Himself unto the end of the world. For whereas ye have heard, how by a great miracle He raised from the tomb one who had been four days dead, tlie hour will come, as Himself saith, when all John 5, that are in ihe graves shall hear His voice, and shall come^^' ^^* forth. He raised to life one that already stank ; yet in the carcase, albeit stinking, there was still the form of the members: but He in the last day will at one word make ashes start into flesh. It was meet, how^ever, that He should even now do some works, by which, as given tokens of His power, we may be brought to believe on Him, and be prepared for that resurrection which shall be unto life, and not unto judgment. For so He saith; The hour shall come, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that hare done good, unto the resurrection of life ; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment, •2. But we read in the Gospel, of three dead persons raised to life by our Lord: and perhaps not without a meaning. For the Lord's deeds are not only deeds, but signs. If then they be signs, beside being wonderful, they are doubtless significant of something: and to find out the signification of these deeds, requires much more pains than to read or hear them. With wonder we heard, just as if the spectacle of the mighty miracle were before our eyes, while the Gospel was read, how Lazarus came to life again. If we mark well what are more wonderful works of Christ, — every one who believes undergoes a resurrection : if we mark well, all of us, and understand, what are more dreadful deaths, — 650 AH fear death of the body, few the death of the souL HoMTL. every one who sins dies". But the death of the flesh every XLIX '- man fears, few the death of the soul. Though the death of the flesh without doubt must come at last, all men have a care that it may not come: this it is that they take pains for. Man, destined to die, takes pains that he may not die, and yet man destined to live for ever, takes no pains that he may not sin ! And when he takes pains that he may not die, he takes them to no purpose; for his aim is, that death may be a long while deferred, not that it may be escaped from : whereas, if he refuse to sin, he will have no pains, and will Serra. live for ever. Oh that we could rouse men, and with them ' ' be alike roused, to be such lovers of the life that abideth, as men are of the life that fleeteth ! What is there that a man wdll not do in peril of death ? With the sword hanging over their necks, men have given up what they kept secret in store for their own living. What man ever refused to give up his secret straightway, that he might not be put to death.'' And yet perhaps after giving it up, he was still put to death. What man ever refused to lose straightway, for the sake of living, all that he had for his living, choosing a life of beggary rather than a speedy death ? To whom was it ever said, Go to sea, that thou mayest not die, and he delayed to do it ? To whom was it ever said. Labour, that thou mayest not die, and he was idle ? They be easy things that God bids us do, that we may live for ever, and yet we neglect to obey. God saith not to thee. Lose whatever thou hast, that thou mayest live a poor brief space in labour, full of care ; but, Give to the poor of what thou hast, that thou mayest live for ever without labour, free from care. They that are enamoured of this temporal life accuse us, albeit they have it neither when they would, nor for so long as they would : and yet we do not accuse ourselves, so sluggish as we are, so lukewarm * Si atiendaraus mirabiliora opera more detestable death, every one who Christi, omnis qui credit rrsurgit: si sius, dies." But the plural expression attendaraus omnes, et intelligaraus de- opera, mortes, is explained by the con- testabiliores mortes, omnis qui peccat text in §. 3. where the thread of the moritur. The Benedictine editors sug- discourse is resumed after the practical gest as an emendation, mirabiliore reflections interposed. " Those three opere Christi omnis qui ci edit resurgit: miracles of resurrection are signs of and, detestabiliore morte omnis qui more uwiderful works of C/irist taking peccat moritur. " By a more wonder- place every day, as those three dead ful work of Christ, every one who be- are signs of deaths viore to he dreaded lieves, is raised to life again by a than the death of the body." T^hree degrees of spiritual death. 651 in layiDg hold of life eternal, which, if we be willing, we shall '^^^ have, and having, shall not lose: whereas this death which we i— 3. dread, although we be unwilling, we shall have. 3. If then the Lord by His great grace and His great mercy raiseth souls to life again, that we may not die eternally, we do well to understand those three dead persons ^ ^^^' whom He raised to life again in their bodies, to be signs and 98. figures of something concerning the resurrections of souls, which are effected by faith. He raised the daughter of the^j^^^^^' ruler of the synagogue, while yet she lay in the house : Luke 7, raised the young man, the widow's son, as he was carried ^^* * out at the gates of the city ; raised Lazarus, when he had been four days buried. Let each look into his own soul : if it sins, it dies : sin is a death of the soul. But sometimes the sin is in thought. That which is evil hath delighted thee: thou hast consented thereto, hast sinned^ that con- senting slew thee: but the death is within, because the evil conceived in thy thonght has not yet come forth into a deed. To signify His raising a soul in this condition, the Lord raised that girl who was not yet carried out to her burial, but lay dead in the house : that was, so to say, sin latent. If, however, thou hast not only consented to evil delight, but also done the evil itself; thou hast, as it were, carried thy dead out at the gate : now art thou abroad, and art the dead man carried out to burial. Yet even him the Lord raised, and restored to the widow his mother. If thou hast sinned, repent: and the Lord raiseth thee up, and will restore thee to the Church thy mother. The third dead is Lazarus. There is a dreadful kind of death, it is called evil custom. For it is one thing to sin, another to make a custom of sinning. He that sins and is forthwith corrected, soon comes to life again ; because he is not yet entangled with custom, he is not buried. But he that has accustomed himself to sin, is buried, and it is well said of him. He stinketh : for he is beginning to have a very ill report, which is as a most noisome odour. Such are all that are inured to crimes, men of abandoned manners. Thou sayest to him, Do not so 1 How should he hear thee, while the earth lies so heavy upon him, and he is rotting away in corruption, and weighed down by the load of custom ? And yet was X X 65*2 Lazarus denotes an habitual sinner. HoMiL. there no less virtue in Christ even to raise him. We have ^ known, have seen, do daily see, men brought by thorough De change from most evil custom, to live better lives than they Doin,*indid who reproved them. Thou didst once detest the man. Monte, Lo, the very sister of Lazarus (if indeed it was she that i. 35. ' ./ V Luke 7, anointed the Lord's feet with ointment, and wiped with her ^^* hair what she had washed with her tears) was raised by a better resurrection than her brother: from a huge load of evil custom was she delivered. For she was once a notorious ib. 47. sinner: yet of her it was said, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven her, for she loved much. We see many, we know many. Let none despair, none be self-confident. It is evil both to despair and to be self-confident. Despair not, but so that thou make Him thy choice in Whom thou oughtest to be confident. 4. Well, even Lazarus the Lord raised. Ye have heard what sort of person He raised; i, e. what is signified by the raising of Lazarus. Then let us read now : and since many things in this Lesson are plain, let us not require exposition in every single point, that we may fully handle what is necessary. In the former Lesson, ye remember, the Lord escaped from the hands of them who wished to stone Him : and went Johnio, away beyond Jordan, where John was once baptizino-. Well, the Lord being there, Lazarus was taken sick at Bethany which was a town very near Jerusalem. V. 2. 3. 5. It teas that Mary which anointed the Lord icith oint- ment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. Therefore his sisters sent unto Him^ saying — We already understand to what place they sent, the place where the Lord was: because He was absent, beyond Jordan, to wit. They sent to the Lord, to announce the illness of their brother: in order that, if He should vouchsafe, He should come and release him of his sickness. The Lord delayed to heal, that He might raise to life again. Well, what was the message the sisters sent? — Lord^ behold lie whom Thou loves t is sick. They said not, Come : to one that loved, it needed but to send tidings. They durst not say, Come and heal : durst not say, Command there, and it shall be done here. For why should not these women have Christ waited until the completion of four days. 653 said this, if the faith of that Centurion is praised on this very John account? For he said, I am not laorthy that Thou shouldest 4_7^ come under my roof, hut only say the word, and my servant Matt. 8, shall be healed. Nothing of the sort did these women say, ^'""^^* but only, Lord, behold, he whom Thou lovest is sick. Enough that Thou know it : for Thou dost not love and forsake. Some man will say : How should it be that by Lazarus a sinner was denoted, and yet he was so loved by the Lord ? Let him hear Him saying, / am not come to call the just, ^^-^j^^- but sinners. For if God loved not sinners, He had not descended from heaven to earth. 6. When Jesus heard that, He said, This sickness is not^-^- unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Sou of God might be glorified thereby. That He should be thus glori- fied, was no gain to Him, but only for our good. That He saith then, Is not unto death, is this, that the death itself was not for death, but rather for a miracle, which being wrought, men should believe in Christ, and avoid the true death. See, withal, how, by a kind of side hint, the Lord hath intimated that He is God : because of certain who deny the Son to be God. For there are heretics who deny this, that the Son of God is God. Lo, let them hear : This sickness, He saith, is not unto death, but for the glory of God. What glory? of what God ? Hear what follows : that the Son of God may be glorified. This sickness then. He saith, is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God 7nay be glorified thereby. Whereby ? By that sickness. 17. Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister Mary, aiid^-^» Lazarus. He sick, they sorrowful, all beloved : but He that loved them was both Saviour of the sick, nay, even Raiser of the dead, and Comforter of the sorrowful. TF//e;^v. 6. therefore He heard that he was sick, then indeed He remained in the same place two days. So then, they brought the tidings, and yet He remained there still: the time was drawn on until the space of four days should be completed. Not without a meaning, but because perchance, nay, because certainly, the very number of days hath a certain* inward and spiritual meanins^. Then, after this. He ^ ^acra- • 7 ^ TT ,..77 . X 7 . 7 mentum. sailli to His disciples, let us go into Juacea again: where v. 7. He had been well nigh stoned. He Who, as it seemed, had X X 2 654 The Day loith its ticelve hours^ Christ and His Apostles : HoMiL. departed thence on purpose that He might not be stoned. -'For He departed, as Man; but in returning, as it were forgetting His weakness. He shewed His power. Let us go, saith He, iiito Judcea. 8. Then at this saying, see how the disciples were put in V. 8. 9. fear. His disciples say U)do Him, Blaster, the Jeivs of late sought to stone Tliee ; and goest Thou thither again? Jesus answered^ Are there not twelve hours in the day? What meaneth this answer ? They have said, The Jews of late sought to stone Thee, and goest Thou thither again, \hdX they V. 9. lO.ii^ay stone Thee? And the Lord: Are there not twelve hours in the day ? If any man walk in the day, he stum- hleth not, because lie seeth the light of this world. But if a man walk in the night, he stumhlelh, because there is no light in him. Of day indeed He hath spoken, but in our understanding it is (so to say) yet night. Let us invoke the Day, to expel the night, and make it light in our heart. For what would the Lord say ? In so far as it appears to me, in so far as T have a glimmering perception of the height and depth of His meaning, He was minded to reprove their doubting and unbelief. For they would needs give counsel to their Lord that He should not die, He, Who was come to die that they might not die ! So too in a certain other place, vSaint Peter, loving the Lord, but not yet fully understanding wherefore He was come, feared lest He should die, and so displeased the Life, that is to say, the Lord Himself. For, when He was pointing out to the disciples what He was about to suffer at Jerusalem under the hands of the Jews, Peter made answer among the rest, Mat.16, and said; Be it far from. Thee, Lord: be propitious to 16—23. Xhyselp: this shall not be ! And forthwith the Lord answers : Get thee behind Me, Satan ; for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the tilings that be of men. Yet, * Absit a tc, Domine, propitius tibi remarking, " non dixisset, propitius esto: so Serm. 29G, 2. Hil. de Trin. vi. tibiesto, nisi agnosceret verum Deum :" 38. and Cod. Vercellens. propitius tibi but Origen in Matt. t. xii. 21. renders Domine : but id. Comm. in M.2Xt. absit it in the third person; '' As though a te Domine, and so Cod. Colbertin. the Lord needed propitiation — for The two renderings of 'iKews (rot are Peter knew not yet that God hath combined in Cod. Veronensis, as in set Wnn Jorth as a propitiation throttgh Augustine's copy. St. Aug. u.s. takes faith in His blood — he said, [God] be propitius tibi esto in the second person, propitious to Thee, Lord, They must not counsel Him, hut follow Him, 655 a little while before, confessing Him to be Son of God, he John had obtained praise : for it was said to him. Blessed art q -^q^ thou, Simon Bcw Jona, because not flesh and blood Jiath revealed it to thee, but My Father Which is in heaven. Lo, what it is whereof thou art blessed ! not of that which is thine, but of that which is Mine. Not that I am the Father, but because all things that the Father hath are JohnlGy Mine. If that he is blessed is of that which is the Lord's; * that he is Satan, of whose is it? He says it there: for He hath assigned the reason of the blessedness, in saying, Not flesh and blood hath revealed this to thee, but My Father Which is in heaven : this is the cause of thy blessedness. But, that I said, Get thee behind Me, Srttan, hear thou the cause of this : /or thou savourest not the things that be God^s, but the things that be of man. Then let no man flatter himself; of his own, he is Satan; it is of that which is God's, that he is blessed. For what hath he ' of his own,' but what he hath of sin ? Take away sin, and what is tliine ? " Righte- ousness," saith He, " is Mine^." For, what hast thou, thati Cor. thou hast not received? When therefore they would needs ^' ^' be tendering counsel to Him, men to God, disciples to their Master, servants to their Lord, sick folk to their Physician, He rebuked them, and said. Are there not twelve hours in the Day ? If any icalk in the Day, he shimhleth not. Follow Me, if ye would not stumble: do not give counsel to Me, ye whom it behoveth to receive counsel of Me. Then what meaneth. Are there not twelve hours in the Day? Because, that He might shew Himself to be the Day, there- Enarr. fore He chose twelve disciples. If I, saith He, am the^'^^g• Day, and ye the hours, do the hours give counsel to the Day? The hours follow the day, not the day the hours. But then if those were the hours, what did Judas there ? Was he one of the twelve hours ? If he was an hour, he shone ; if he shone, how was it that he delivered up the Day unto death } True, but the Lord in this word looked not to Judas himself, but looked forward to his successor. For upon the fall of Judas, Matthias succeeded, and the number b Tolle peccatum, quod est tuum ? away (or, take to thyself, tolle tibi ?) justitia, inquit, de meo est. The earlier sin which is thine own : righteousness, editions, Tolle peccatum quod est tuum: saith (the Lord), is Mine." justitia inquit de meo est: "Take 656 Death is called sleep because of the Resurrection. HoMiL. twelve remained. So then it was not without a meaniner that XLIX ^'the Lord elected twelve disciples, but because He is Him- self the spiritual Day. Then let the hours follow the Day, the hours preach the Day, the hours be shone upon by the Day, the hours be enlightened by the Day, and by the preaching of the hours let the world believe on the Day. What He saith then is briefly this, Follow Me, if ye would not stumble. V. 11. 9. And after that He saith unto tJiem, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; hut 1 go, that I may awake him out of sleep. He said true. To the sisters, Lazarus w^as dead ; to the Lord, he was asleep. To men he was dead, seeing they could not raise him. For the Lord waked him from the grave with as great ease as thou wakest a sleeping man from his bed. Therefore in respect of His powder He spoke of Lazarus as sleeping, as indeed other dead are often in the Scriptures ] Thess. spoken of as sleeping; as the Apostle says. But concerning ' * tJteni that sleep I would not have you ignorant, hrethren, that ye sorrow net, even as the rest ivho have no hope. And in fact the Apostle too spoke of them by the term, them that sleep, as foretelling their rising again. Con- sequently, every dead person sleepeth, both good and bad. But just as in our daily sleeping and rising from sleep, it makes a difference, what one sees in his sleep : some have joyful dreams, some tormenting, so that, on awaking, the man fears to go to sleep lest he fall back upon the same dreams : 1 causa so every man sleeps with his 'account which he must render, and with his account rises. It makes a difference too, into what sort of custody the man is taken, to be after produced before the Judge. For the bestowal of persons to be tried varies according to the merits of the causes for which they are to be tried : some are ordered into custody of the lictors, whose business is to treat their prisoners humanely and mildly and as citizens; others are handed over to the bailiffs ' ; others are sent to prison : and even in the prison not all fare alike, but some, as the graver complexion of the charges against them may require, are thrust into the «= Optiones, originally a military carceris, which is the expression used terra, denoting the deputies chosen by in Comment, in Ephes. c. iv. ap. centurions and other officers to assist S. Ambros. opp. as equivalent to custos them in their duties, in later times has carceris, Acts IC, 27. " ueque Paulus a more extended signification ; as optio et Silas tempus distulerunt quo optio- fabxicsp, " overseer of works;'' optio nem carceris baptizarent." Souls of the departed fare not all alike, 657 lowest dungeons. As then the descriptions of custody exer- John cised by* officers are diverse, so there are diverse sorts ofu^j'- custody into which the dead are taken, and diverse the merits i agen- of them that rise again. The poor man was taken into*'-!i"^. ^^ custody, the rich man was also taken; but the one into Abra- Lukeie, ham's bosom, the other into a place where he shoidd thirst, "^"^^* and find not a drop of water. 10. All souls then, my beloved, — that I may take this occasion to instruct you, — all souls, I say, when they depart this life, have their diverse receptions. The good souls have joy, the bad have torments. But when the resurrection shall take place, both good men''s joy shall be more ample, and bad men's torments more grievous; when they shall be tormented with the body. Received in peace were holy Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, good believers ; all however yet waiting to receive in the end that which God hath promised : for the promise is resurrection of the flesh also, the destruction of death, eternal life with the Angels. This we shall all receive together: but that rest which is given immediately after Comp. death, if a man is worthy of it, each receives just when he J^ ^JJj* dies. First the Patriarchs received it ; see what a time it is 13. since they have been at rest : afterward the Prophets : more recently the Apostles, much more recent the holy Martyrs, every day good believers. And some have now been long in this rest, others not so long, others a few years, others scarce any w hile ^. But when from this sleep they shall awake, they shall all together receive that which is promised. 11. Our friend Lazarus sleej^eth; but I go, that I may y.U-\ 5. awake him out of sleep. Then said His disciples — as they understood, so they answered — Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. For the sleep of the sick is a symptom of recovery. Hoivbeit Jesus spake of his death : but they thought that Lie had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly: — for He had said somewhat darkly, Sleepeih: He said therefore plainly, — Lazarus is dead. And L am glad for your sakes that L teas not there, to the intent ye may believe. I both know that he is dead, and ^ Alii nee recenti tempore : the * alii recenti.' Recens, non quod nunc earlier editions omit wee, Vor which primum ; sed quod nuper. Manutius some Mss. have iii. Ben. Bodl. e Mus. ad Cic. Famm. xi. 21. 6, has ' alii nee recenti ;' Laud. 143, 658 The four days of death : sin original, HoMiL. I was not there : for he had been reported sick, not dead. But ^^what should be hidden from Him Who had created, and to Whose hands the soul of the dying had gone forth ? This it is that He saith, / a?n glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe ; that they should now begin to wonder that the Lord was able to affirm him to be dead, which thing He had neither seen nor heard. Where, however, we ought to bear in mind, that as yet, even for the disciples who had already believed on Him, their faith was built up by miracles : not so, that the faith which was not, should begin to be, but that the failh which had already begun to be, should grow ; although the word He used was such as if they were but then beginning to believe. For He does not say, / am glad for your sakes, that your faith may be increased or strengthened ; but He saith, that ye may believe: which must be understood to mean, that ye may more fully and stoutly believe. V.I 5-1 7. 12. Nevertheless let us go unto him. Then said Thomas, whieh is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples. Let us also go, that ice may die icilh Htm. TJien when Jesus came, He found that he had lain in the grave four days already, Qusest. Concerning the four days, many things, indeed, may be said, nJ G5 " such being the case with the dark sayings of the Scripture, that, according to the diversity of the persons understanding them, they beget many senses. Let us also say what seems to us to be signified by the circumstance, that he had been four days dead. For, as in that blind man we understand, in some sort, all mankind, so perchance also in this dead man we are to understand many : for it is possible for one thing to be signified in diverse ways. Man, when he is born, is born straightway with death; for he contracts sin from Adam. Rom. 5, Whence the Apostle says; By one man sin entered into the ^^' world, and death by sin : and so [the sin] passed through unto all 7nen, [the sin of him] in whom all sinned\ Lo, e The words inserted in the brackets the latter construction. " In the words are necessary to convey St. Angus- in oymies homines pertransiit, the Pela- tine's rendering of this text. In the gians will have it, that not siti is treatise de Peccatorum Meritis et meant, but death. At that rate, what Remissione i. 11. he leaves it open, is the meaning of the following words, whether the antecedent of in quo be in quo omncs peccaverunt? For the peccatuvi or nmts homo: but Contra Apostle must mean, either that all duas Epist. Pelagianorum, he rests in " ' ' " ' sin against natural Laiv, revealed Laiv, Gospel. 659 there hast thou one day of death : that which man contracts John of the stock of death. Then he grows, he begins t0jj-_22 come to years of discretion, so as to have a sense of the natural law, which is fixed in all men's hearts, ' What thou likest not to be done to thee, do not thou to another.' Is this learnt from pages of books, and not, in a sort, read in nature itself? Dost thou like to be robbed ? Of course thou dost not. Behold, the law in thy heart : What thou dost not like to suffer, that do not. And this law, too, men transgress. Behold, a second day of death. Then further was the Law given from God through Moses the servant of God : it was said there, Thou shall not kill; Thou shall vot commit E-^od. adultery; Thou shall not hear false witness; Honour t]ty^^'^'^~ father and mother; Thou shall not covet thy neighhour'' s goods; Thou shall not covet thy neighbour'' s wife. Lo, the Law is written : and even this is despised. Behold, a third day of death. What remains? There comes also the Gospel, the Kingdom of Heaven is preached, Christ is every where noised abroad. He threatens hell, promises eternal life : and even this is despised : men transgress the Gospel. Behold, a fourth day of death. Well may the corpse now stink. Even then, shall mercy be denied to such ? God forbid ! The Lord disdaineth not to draw near for the raising of even such as these. 13. And many of the Jews tcere come to Martha and Mary, \.]9-22. to comfort them concerning their brother. Then Martha, as ssiy s J bi/ one jnan sin entered into the introisse ; mortem vero non in mun- world; or, in that sin ; or, in death : dum sed in omnes homines, et non in- which last is grammatically possihle, troisse, sed pertransisse." Comment, because " death" in Greek is masculine, in ep. ad Rom. lib. v. The Latin But how this last can be his meaning, 1 rendering of icp' ^ by in quo is also re- cannot see : for all men die in sin, not raarkable: for i(f ^ (aurl rov diori, sin in death And if sin cannot be Phavorin. Thom. Mag.') is " for that," meant, because in the Gr^k the word E. V. and so Syr. Pesh., Theodoret. " sin" is feminine, it remains that we propterea quod Pelag. Origen u. s. (in should understand it to be said, that in the Latin of S. Jerome), " In omnes that first man all men sinned, because pertransiit mors ; in quo omnes pec- all men were in him when he sinned," caverunt. Absoluta sententia prc- &c. Comp. Op. Imperf. c. Julian, ii. nuntiavit Apostolus in omnes homines 50. 63. Hence it appears that Vet. mortem pertransisse peccati, in eo in Lat. omitted the second mors; so y?/o omnes peecaverunt:" where Origen several Mss. Gr. and Lat. ; Syr. Pesh. probably wrote e(^' ^ in the sense ''for has it with an asterisk; but most of that:" for he proceeds, " sicut alibi the authorities are for it, among these dictum est, Omnes enim peccaverunty Origen, though Mill cites him for the ^-c." which he expounds of actiml sins omission : " Peccatum quidem non and imperfections, citing Abel, Enoch, dixit in omnes homines sed in mvndum Noah, &c. as examples^ 660 Renewal of wicked Christians, a Lazarus-resurrection, HoMiL. soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met " " ' • Him : but Mary sat still in the house. Tlten said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if Thou hadst been here, 7ny brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever Tliou wilt ask of God, God will give it Tiiee. She said not, But now I ask Thee that Thou wouldest raise my brother to life again : for how knew she whether it would be expedient for her brother to rise again ? This only she said, 1 know that Thou art able; if Thou wilt, Thou doest it: for whether Thou shouldest do it, is for Thee to judge, not for me to ])resume. But even now I know, that ivhatever Thou shalt ask of God, God will give it Tltee. V. 23. 14. Jesus saith to Iter, Tliy brother shall rise again. This was ambiguous. For He saith not. Even now I do raise thy brother to life again; but, Thy brother shall rise V. 24. again. Martlta saith unto Him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection, at the last day. Of that resur- rection I am sure, of this I am uncertain. Jesus saith unto her, I am the Resurrection. Thou sayest, My brother shall rise again at the last day : it is true ; but He by Whom he will then be raised, can do this even now, because / am, saith He, tJte Resurrection and the Life. Hear, my brethren, hear what He saith ! Doubtless the whole ex])ectation of the by-standers was only the revival of Lazarus, a single in- dividual four days dead. Let us hear and rise to life again ! How many there are in this people, who are pressed down by the load of custom ! Perchance some hear Eph. 5, n]e, to whom it is said. Be not drunk with wine, in ivhich is ^^' excess. They say, We cannot help it. Perchance some hear me, unclean, polluted with lascivious and wicked deeds, to whom it is said. Do not this, that ye perish not. And they answer. We cannot part with our custom. O Lord, raise these men to life ! / am, saith He, the Resurrection and the Life. The Resurrection, because The Life. V. 25.26. 1^- ^^ tJtat believeth in 3Ie, though he be dead, yet shall he live ; and every one that liveth and believeth in Me shall 7iot die for ever. What is this .^ He that believeth in Me, though he be dead, as Lazarus is dead, shall live ; because God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. Concerning the fathers that were dead of old, that is, Abraham, Isaac, and Faith the life of the soul. 661 Jacob, He gave this answer to the Jews : / ajti the God of John Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob : ^o^sy God is not the God of the dead, but of the living : for all ^1^22^ live unto Him. Believe therefore; and if thou be dead,?^\ „^ ' _ ' Luke20 thou shalt live: but if thou believest not, even while thou37. 38. ' livest thou art dead. To one who deferred to follow the Lord, saying, Let me first go and bury my father, the Lord Matt. 8, said, Leave the dead to bury their dead; come thou, follow Me. A dead man was there to be buried, and dead men too were there to bury that dead : he, dead in the flesh, they, dead in soul. Whence death in the soul ? Because there is no faith. Whence death in the body ? Because there is no life in it. Consequently, the life* of thy soul is faith. //,? 1 anima, tJiat believeth in Me, saith He, though he be dead in the flesh, shall live in the soul : until the flesh also rise again never afterward to die. This is the meaning of. He that believeth in Me, albeit he die, shall live» And every one that liveih in the flesh, and believeth in Me, though he shall die for a time by reason of the death of the flesh, shall not die for ever, by reason of the life of the Spirit, and immortality of the Resurrection. This it isv.26.27. that He saith, And ichosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou iliis? She saitJt tinto Him, Yea, Lord : I have believe,d^ that Thou art the Christ, the Son'^ tt^ttI- of God, Who art come ^ into the world. When 1 believed this, llenidi: I believed that Thou art the Resurrection, I believed thatsoHilar. Thou art the Life ; I believed that whoso believeth in Thee, though He die, shall live; and whoso liveth and believeth in Thee, shall not die for ever. 16. And when she had so said, she went her way, andr-^s. called 3Iary Iter sister in silence, saying. The Master is come, and calleth for thee. It is to be remarked that by silence the Evangelist meant a low voice. For how should she be said to have been silent, i. e. to have held her peace, who said, The Master is come, and calleth for thee ? It is to be remarked also, that he has not told us where, or when, or how, the Lord called for Mary, choosing rather to leave this circumstance to be gathered from Martha's words, so as to preserve the brevity of the narrative. 17. As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came v.29-3i. unto Him. Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but 66*2 Christ " troubled Himself;''^ the Godhead willed the emotion, 'RoM^i-L. was in that place where MartKa met Him. The Jews then XLIX — - — -which were with her in the house ^ and comforted her, when they satv Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there. To what purpose has the Evangelist related this ? That we may see what brought it about that there were many there when Lazarus was raised. The Jews, namely, thinking that she went forth in haste to seek solace of her grief in tears, followed her: that so great a miracle, of one who had been four days dead rising to life again, might have very many witnesses. 18. 77/^/? when Mary was come where Jesus was, and y.32.34,saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying unto Him, Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came iviih her, He groaned in the spirit, and troubled Himself, and said. Where have ye laid him f Something He hath intimated to us, by groaning in spirit and troubling Himself. For who indeed could trouble Him, but Himself.? Therefore, my brethren, in the first place mark here His power, and then enquire the significa- tion. Thou art troubled, against thy will ; Christ, because He willed to be troubled. Jesus hungered, it is true, but because He willed it : Jesus slept, it is true, but because He willed it : Jesus was sorrowful, it is true, but because He willed it : Jesus died, it is true, but because He willed it : it rested in His power to be thus or thus afiected or not aff'ected. For the Word took soul and flesh, fitting to Itself the nature of whole Man in the Unity of Person. Thus the Apostle's soul also was enlightened by the Word, Peter's soul was enlightened by the Word, Paul's soul, the souls of Johnl, the other Apostles, of the holy Prophets, all were by the lb! 10, Word enlightened : but of none of them is it said, The 30. Word was made flesh ; of none is it said, I and the Father are One. Soul and Flesh of Christ with the Word of God is One Person, is one Christ. And consequently, where supreme Power is, there the weakness is handled'' according to the sovereign pleasure of the Will : this is the meaning of, Troubled Himself. 19. I have spoken of the Power, now mark the signification. d One Ms. and cit. ap. Alcuin tnr- e Mus. 6, 'tractatur;' Laud 143, ^«^wr instead of tractatur. Ben. Bodl. ' turbatur.' Christ groans and is troubled in the heart of the penitent^ 663 That person is an heinous sinner, whom the four clays John death and that burial betoken. What meaneth it then, that3.2_34. Christ troubleth Himself, but to betoken to thee how thou oughtest to be troubled when thou art weighed and pressed down by so huge a load of sin ? For thou hast taken note of thyself, hast seen thyself to be guilty, hast taken account with thyself: ' This have I done, and God spared me: this have I committed, and He forbore me: I heard the Gospel, and despised it : I was baptized, and fell back again to the same wdckedness : what am I to do ? whither to go ? which way to escape ?' While thou thus speakest, it is even Christ that groans in indignation within thee, because it is the groan of faith. In that groan of displeasure it is shewn that there is hope of resurrection ^ If faith itself be within, in it Christ groaneth : if faith in us, Christ in us. For what else saith the Apostle, That Christ may dicell by faith in your heartsf^-v^- 3, Consequently, thy faith concerning Christ is Christ in thy heart. Of a piece with this, is that incident of His sleeping in the ship : when the disciples were in jeopardy, at the very point of being shipwrecked, they came to Him and awaked Him : Christ arose and rebuked the winds and the waves, Mat. 8, and there was a great calm. So fares it also with thee. ^^"~^^* The winds enter thy heart, wherein thou art on a voyage, wherein thou art passing this life, like as it were a stormy and perilous sea : the winds enter, they stir up the waves, they trouble the ship. What are the winds? Thou hast been reproached, thou art angry ; the reproach is the wind, thine anger the waves : thou art in jeopardy, ait setting thyself to answer, setting thyself to render railing for railing; even e In voce frementis apparet spes re- See Suicer Thes. s. v. iiJ.$pifxdo/LLai. St. surgentis. — The word iv^^piiJ.-r](Taro, Augustine seems to understand this fremebat, constantly denotes indigna- ' fremitus' as the expression of Christ's tion or displeasure, not sorrow, and so indignation at sin : viz. When Hb saw it seems to have been generally under- the women weeping &c. He groaned stood by the ancients. The Greek indignantly in His Spirit because of expositors take it to mean that Christ man's sin which brought death into the by His Godhead (t^ Trj/eu/LtaTt) sternly world. This interpretation of the rebuked the natural ensiotion of His matter of fact is not expressed in words, human feelings: thus Cyril. e7rt7rA7]TT€i but is implied in the spiritual ex- T^ Ma. (xapKl, " He chides His own position : fremat Christus, increpet se flesh." Euthym. Zigab. eVertjaTja-e to? homo: fremuit (Christus), quia fides irdO^i, ayaxaiTL^ctit/ avrh, SpL/xv tl koX hominis (and faith in the heart is av