earth, and speaks of the earth? Is the whole testimony that he bears of Christ a speaking of the earth? Are they not voices of God that are heard from John, when he bears witness of Christ? Then how does he speak of the earth? He said this of man. So far as re- lates to man in himself, he is of earth, and speaks of the earth; and when he speaks some divine things, he is enlightened by God. For, were he not enlightened, he would be earth speaking of earth. God's grace is apart by itself, the nature of man apart by itself. Do but examine the nature of man: man is born and grows, he learns the customs of men. What does he know but earth, of earth'? He speaks the things of men, knows the things of men, minds tlie things of men; carnal, he judges carnally, conjectures car- nally: lo! it IS man all over. Let the grace of God come, and enlighten his darkness, as it saith, " Thou wilt lighten my candle, O Lord; my God, enlighten my darkness;" ^ let it take the mind of man, and turn it to its own light; immediately he begins to say, as the apostle says, " Yet not I, but the grace of God that is with me; "^ and, "Now I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me."^ That is to say, '■■ He must increase, but I must decrease.'' Thus John: as regards John, he is of the earth, and speaks of the earth; wliat- ever that is divine thou hast heard from John, is of Him that enlightens, not of him that receives.
7. " He that cometh from heaven is above all; and what He hath seen and heard, that He testifieth: and no man receiveth His testimony." Cometh from heaven, is above all, our Lord Jesus Christ; of whom it was said above, " No man hath ascended into heaven, but He that came down from heaven, the Son of man who is in heaven." And He is above all; " and what He hath seen and heard, that He speaks." Moreover, He hath a Father, being Himself the Son of God; He hath a Father, and He also hears of the Father. And what is that which He hears of the Father? Who can unfold this? When can my tongue, when can my heart be sufficient, either the heart to understand, or the tongue to utter, what that is which the Son hath heard from the Father? May it be the Son has heard the Word of the Father? Nay, the Son is the Word of the Father. You see how all human effort is here wearied out; you see how all guessing of our heart, all straining of our darkened mind, here fails. I hear the Scripture saying that the Son speaks that which He heareth from the Father; and again, I Ps.
2 I Cor. XV, 3 Gal. ii. 20.
I hear the Scripture saying that the Son is Himself the Word of the Father: " In the be- ginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." The words that we speak are fleeting and transient: as soon as thy word has sounded from thy mouth, it passeth away; it makes its noise, and passes away into silence. Canst thou follow thy sound, and hold it to make it stand? Thy thought, however, remains, and of that thought that remains thou utterest many words that pass away. What say we, brethren? When God spake, did He give out a voice, or sounds, or syllables? If He did, in what tongue spake He? In Hebrew, or in Greek, or in Latin? Tongues are necessary where there is a distinction of nations. But there none can say that God spake in this tongue, or in that. Observe thy own heart. When thou conceivest a word which, thou mayest utter, — For I will say, if I can, what we may note in ourselves, not whereby we may com- prehend that, — well, when thou conceivest a word to utter, thou meanest to utter a thing, and the very conception of the thing is already a word in thy heart: it has not vet come forth, but it is already born in the heart, and is waiting to come forth. But thou considerest the person to whom it is to come forth, with whom thou art to speak: if he is a Latin, thou seekest a Latin expression; if a Greek, thou thinkest of Greek words; if a Punic, thou considerest whether thou knowest the Punic language: for the diversity of hearers thou hast recourse to divers tongues to utter the word conceived; but the conception itself was bound by no tongue in particular. Whilst therefore God, when speaking, required not a language, nor took up any kind of speech, how was He heard by the Son, seeing that God's speaking is the Son Himself? As, in fact, thou hast in thy heart the word that thou speakest, and as it is with thee, and is none other than the spiritual conception itself (for just as thy soul is spirit, so also the word which thou hast conceived is spirit; for it has not yet received sound to be divided by syl- lables, but remains in the conception of thy heart, and in the mirror of the mind); so God gave out His Word, that is, begat the Son. And thou, indeed, begettest the word even in thy heart according to time; God with- out time begat the Son by whom He created all times. Whilst, therefore, the Son is the Word of God, and the Son spoke to us not His own word, but the word of the Father, He willed^to speak Himself to us when He was speaking the word of the Father. This it is that John said, as was fit and necessary; and we have expounded according to our ability.
Tractatk XIV.]
ON THE GOSPEL OF ST. JOHN.
97 He whose heart has not yet attained to a pro- per perception of so great a matter, has whither to turn himself, has where to knoclc, has from whom to ask, from whom to seek, of whom to receive.
8. " He that cometh from heaven is above all; and what He hath seen and heard, that testifieth He; and His testimony no man re- ceiveth." If no man, to what purpose came He? He means, no man of a certain class. There are some people prepared for the wrath of God, to be damned with the devil; of these, none receiveth the testimony of Christ. For if none at all, not any man, received, what could these words mean, " But he that received His testimony hath set to his seal that God is true " ''' Not certainly, then, no man, if thou sayest thyself, " He that received His testimony has set to his seal that God is true.^' Perhaps John, on being questioned, would answer and say, I know what I have said, in saying no man. There are, in fact, people born to God's wrath, and thereunto foreknown. For God knows who they are that will and that will not believe; He knows who they are that shall persevere in that in which they have believed, and who that shall fall away; and all that shall be for eternal life are numbered by God; and He knows already the people set apart. And if He knows this, and has given to the prophets by His Spirit to know it, He gave this also to John. Now John was observing, not with his eye, — for as regards himself he is earth, and speaketh of earth, — but with that grace of the Spirit which he received of God, he saw a certain people, ungodly, unbelieving. Contemplat- ing that people in its unbelief, he says, " His testimony, who came from heaven, no man receiveth." No man of whom? Of them who shall be on the left hand, of them to whom it shall be said, "Go into the everlast- ing fire, which is prepared for the devil and his angels.'' Who are they that do receive it? They who shall be at the right hand, they to whom it shall be said, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, receive tiie kingdom which is prepared for you from the beginning of the world." He observes, then, in the Spirit a dividing, but in the human race a mingling together; and that which is not yet separated locally, he separated in the understanding, in the view of the heart; and he saw two peoples, one of believers, one of unbelievers. Fixing his thought on the unbelievers, he says, "He that cometh from heaven is al)ove all; and what He hath seen and heard, that He testifieth, and no man receiveth His testimony." He then turned his thought from the' left hand, and looked at the right, and proceeded to say, " He that received His testimony has set to his seal that God is true." What means " has set to his seal that God is true,^' if it be not that man is a liar, and God is true? For no human being can speak any truth, un- less he be enlightened by Him who cannot lie. God, then, is true; but Christ is God. Would- est thou prove this? Receive His testimony and thou findest it. For " he that hath re- ceived His testimony has set to his seal that God is true." Who is true? The same who came from heaven, and is above all, is God, and true. But if thou dost not yet under- stand Him to be God, thou hast not yet re- ceived His testimony: receive it, and thou puttest thy seal to it; confidently thou under- standest, definitely thou acknowledgest, that God is true.
9. " For He whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God." Himself is the true God, and God sent Him: God sent God. Join both, one God, true God sent by God. Ask concerning them singly, He is God; ask con- cerning them both, they are God. Not indi- vidually God, and both Gods; but each individual God, and both God. For so great is the charity of the Holy Spirit there, so great the peace of unity, that when thou ques- tionest about them individually, the answer to thee is, God; when thou askest concerning the Trinity, thou gettest for answer, God. For if the spirit of man, when it cleaves to God, is one spirit, as the apostle openly declares, " He that is joined to the Lord is one spirit; " ^ how much more is the equal Son, joined to the Fatl\er, together with Him one God! Hear another testimony. You know how many believed, when they sold all they had and laid it at the apostles' feet, that it might be distributed to each according to his need; and what saith the Scripture of that gathering of the saints? " They had one soul and one heart in the Lord." - If charity made one soul of so many souls, and one heart of so many hearts, how great must be the charity between the Father and the Son! Surely it must be greater than that between those men who had one heart. If, then, the heart of many breth- ren was one by charity, if the soul of many brethren was one by charity, wouldst thou say that God the Fatlier and God the Son are two? If they are two Gods, there is not the highest charity between them. For if charity is here so great as to make thy soul antl thy friend's soul one soul, how can it be then tiiat the l''atlier and the Son is not one God? Far be unfeigned faith from this thought. In short, how e.xcellent that charity is, understand ' I Cor. vi. 17.
Acts iv. 33.
98 THE WORKS OF ST. AUGUSTIN.
[Tractate XIV.
hence:.the souls of many men are many, and if they love one another, it is one soul; still, in the case of men, they may be called many souls, because the union is not so strong. But there it is right for thee to say one God; two or three Gods it is not right for thee to say. From this, the supreme and surpassing excel- lency of charity is shown thee to be such, that a greater cannot be.
ic. " For He whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God." This, of course, he said of Christ, to distinguish himself from Christ. What then? Did not God send John him- self? Did he not say himself, "lam sent before Him"? and, "He that sent me to baptize with water"? And is it not of John that it is said, " Behold, I send my messenger before Thee, and he shall prepare Thy way"? ' Does he not himself speak the words of God, he of whom it is said that he is more than a prophet? Then, if God sent him too, and he speaks the words of God, how do we under- stand him to have distinctly said of Christ, " He whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God "? But see what he adds: "ForGod giveth not the Spirit by measure." What is this, " For God giveth not the Spirit by measure"? We find that God does give the Spirit by measure. Hear the apostle when he says, "According to the measure of the gift of Christ."- To men He gives by measure, to the only Son He gives not by measure. How does He give to men by measure? "To one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom: to another the word of wisdom according to the same Spirit; to an- other faith by the same Spirit; to anoLher prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another kinds of tongues; to another the gift of healing. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Have all the gift of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? "^ This man has one gift, that man another; and what that man has, this has not: there is a meas- ure, a certain division of gifts. To men, therefore, it is given by measure, and concord among them makes one body. As the hand receives one kind of gift to work, the eye an- other to see, the ear another to hear, the foot another to walk; nevertheless the soul that does all is one, in the hand to work, in the foot to walk, in the ear to hear, in the eye to see; so are also the gifts of believers diverse, distributed to them as to members, to each according to his proper measure. But Christ, who gives, receives not by measure.
II. Now hear further what follows: because I Mai. iii. i.
■ Eph. iv. 7.
3 I Cor. xii. 8-30.
He had said of the Son, " For God giveth not the Spirit by measure: the Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into His hand," He added, " hath given all things into His hands," that thou mightest know also here with what distinction it is said, " The Father loveth the Son." And why? Does the Father not love John? And yet He has not given all things into his hand. Does the Father not love Paul? And yet He has not given all things into his hand. " The Father loveth the Son: " but as father loveth, not as master loveth a servant; as the Only Son, not as an adopted son. And so " hath given all things into His hand." What means "all things"? That the Son should be such as the Father is. To equality with Himself He begat Him in whom it was no robbery to be in the form of God, equal to God. " The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into His hand." Therefore, having deigned to send us the Son, let us not imagine that it is something less than the Father that is sent to us. The Father, in sending the Son, sent His other self.
12. But the disciples, still thinking that the Father is something greater than the Son, seeing only the flesh, and not understanding His divinity, said to Him, " Lord, show us the Father and it sufificeth us." As much as to say, " We know Thee already, and bless Thee that we know Thee: for we thank Thee that Thou hast shown Thyself to us. But as yet we know not the Father: therefore our heart is inflamed, and occupied with a certain holy longing of seeing Thy Father who sent Thee. Show us Him, and we shall desire nothing more of Thee: for it sufficeth us when He has been shown, than whom none can be greater." A good longing, a good desire; but small intelligence. Now the Lord Jesus Himself, regarding them as small men seek- ing great things, and Himself great among the small, and yet small among the small, says to Philip, one of the disciples, who had said this: " Am I so long time with you, and ye have not known me, Philip? " Here Philip might have answered. Thee we have known, but did we say to Thee, Show us Thyself? We have known Thee, but it is the Father we seek to know. He immediately adds, " He that hath seen me, hath seen the Father also."* If, then. One equal with the Father has been sent, let us not estimate Him from the weakness of the flesh, but think of the majesty clothed in flesh, but not weighed down by the flesh. For, remaining God with the Father, He was made man among men.
4 John xiv. 8, 9.
Tractate XV.]
ON THE GOSPEL OF ST. JOHN.
99 that, through Him who was made man, thou mightest become such as to receive God. For man could not receive God. Man could see man; God he could not apprehend. Why could he not apprehend God? Because he had not the eye of the heart, by which to ap- prehend Him. There was something within disordered, something without sound: man had the eyes of the body sound, but the eyes of the heart sick. He was made man to the eye of the body; so that, believing on Him who •could be seen in bodily form, thou mightst be healed for seeing Him whom thou wast not able to see spiritually. " Am I so long time with you, and ye know me not, Philip? He that hath seen me, hath seen the Father also." Why did they not see Him? Lo, they ■did see Him, and yet saw not the Father: they saw the flesh, but the majesty was con- cealed. What the disciples who loved Him saw, saw also the Jews who crucified Him. Inwardly, then, was He all; and in such man- ner inwardly in the flesh, that He remained Avith the Father when He came to the flesh.
13. Carnal thought does not apprehend what I say: let it defer understanding, and begin by faith; let it hear what follows: " He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." He has not said, The wrath of God cometh to him; but, "The wrath of God abideth on him." All that are born mortals have the wrath of God with them. What wrath of God? That wrath which Adam first received. For if the first man sinned, and heard the sentence, "Thou shalt die ' the death," he became mortal, and we began to be born mortal; and we have been born with the wrath of God. From this stock came the Son, not having sin, and He was clothed with flesh and mortality. If He partook with us of the wrath of God, are we slow to partake with Him the grace of God? He, then, that will not believe the Son, on the same "the wrath of God ai)ideth." What wrath of God? That of which the apostle says, " We also were by nature the children of wrath, even as the rest." ' All are therefore children of wrath, because coming of the curse of death. Be- lieve on Christ, for thee made mortal, that thou mayest receive Him, the immortal; and when thou shalt have received His immor- tality, thou shalt no longer be mortal. He lived, thou wast dead; He died that thou shouldst live. He has brought us the grace of God, and has taken away the wrath of God, God has conquered death, lest death should conquer man.
I Eph. ii. 3.
TRACTATE XV.
Chapter IV. 1-42.
I. It is nothing new to your ears, beloved, that the Evangelist John, like an eagle, takes a loftier flight, and soars above the dark mist of earth, to gaze with steadier eyes upon the light of truth. From his Gospel much has alreadv been treated of and discussed throutrh our ministry, with the I>ord's help; and the passage which has been read to-day follows in due order. What I am about to say, with the Lord's permission, many of you will hear in such wise that you will be reviewing what you know, rather than learning what you know not. Yet, for all that, your attention ought not to be slack, because it is iu)t an acquir- ing, but a reviewing, of knowledge. This has been read, and we have in our hands to dis- course upon this passage — that wliich the Lord Jesus spoke with the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well. The things spoken there are great mysteries, and the similitudes of great things; feeding the hungry, and refreshing the weary soul.
2. Now when the Lord knew this, "when He had heard that the Pharisees had learned that He was making more discii:)les than John, and baptized more (though Jesus bap- tized not, but His disciples), He left Judea, and departed again into Galilee." We must not discourse of this too long, lest, by dwell- ing on what is manifest, we shall lack the time to investigate and lay open what is ob- scure. Certainly, if the Lord saw that the fact of their coming to know that He made mure disciples, and baptized more, would so avail to salvation to the Pharisees in follow- ing Him, as to become themselves His disci- ples, and to desire to be baptized by Him; rather would He not have left Judea, but would have remained there for their sakes. 15ut because He knew their knowledge of the lOO THE WORKS OF ST. AUGUSTIN.
[Tractatk XVv fact, and at the same time knew their envy, and that they learned this, not to follow, but to persecute him, He departed thence. He could, indeed, even when present, cause that He should not be taken of them, if He would not; He had it in His power not to be put to deatli, if He would not, since He had the power not to be born, if He would not. But because, in everything that He did as man, He was showing an example to them who were to believe on Him (that any one servant of God sinneth not if he retire into another place, when he sees, it may be, the rage of his persecutors, or of them that seek to bring his soul into evil; but if a servant of God did this he might appear to commit sin, had not the Lord led the way in doing it), that good Master did this to teach us, not because He feared it.
3. It may perhaps surprise you why it is said, that " Jesus baptized more than John; " and after this was said, it is subjoined, "al- though Jesus baptized not, but His disciples." AVhat then? Was the statement made false, and then corrected by this addition? Or are both true, viz. that Jesus both did and also did not baptize? He did in fact baptize, be- cause it was He that cleansed; and He did not baptize, because it was not He that touched. The disciples supplied the ministry of the body; He afforded the aid of His ma- jesty. Now, when could He cease from bap- tizing, so long as He ceased not from cleans- ing? Of Him it is said by the same John, in the person of the Baptist, who saith, " This is He that baptizeth." Jesus, therefore, is still baptizing; and so long as we continue to be baptized, Jesus baptizeth. Let a man come without fear to the minister below; for he has a Master above.
4. But it may be one saith, Christ does in- deed baptize, but in spirit, not in body. As if, indeed, it were by the gift of another than He that any is imbued even with the sacra- ment of corporal and visible baptism. Would- est thou know that it is He that baptizeth, not only with the Spirit, but also with water? Hear the apostle: " Even as Christ," saith he, " loved the Church, and gave Himself for it, purifying it with the washing of water by the Word, that He might present to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrin- kle, or any such thing." ' Purifying it. How? "With the washing of water by the Word." What is the baptism of Christ? The washing of water by the Word. Take away the water, it is no baptism; take away the Word, it is no baptism.
' Eph. V. 25-27.
' Eph. V. 25-27.
5. This much, then, on the preliminary circumstances, by occasion of which He came to a conversation with that woman, let us look at the matters that remain; matters full of mysteries and pregnant with sacraments. "And He must needs pass through Samaria. He cometh then to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground which Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's fountain was there." It was a well; but every well is a fountain, yet not every fountain a well. For where the water flows from the earth, and offers itself for use to them that draw it, it is called a fountain; but if accessible, and on the surface, it is called only a fountain: if, however, it be deep and far down, it is called a well, but in such wise as not to lose the name of fountain.
6. "Jesus therefore, being wearied \vith His journey, sat thus on the well. It was about the sixth hour." Now begin the mys- teries. For it is not without a purpose that Jesus is weary; not indeed without a purpose that the strength of God is weary; not with- out a purpose that He is weary, by whom the wearied are refreshed; not without a purpose is He weary, by whose absence we are wear- ied, by whose presence we are strengthened. Nevertheless Jesus is weary, and weary with His journey; and He sits down, and that, too, near a well; and it is at the sixth hour that, being wearied. He sits down. All these things hint something, are intended to inti- mate something, they make us eager, and en- courage us to knock. May Himself open to us and to you; He who has deigned to ex- hort us, so as to say, " Knock, and it shall be opened to you." It was for thee that Jesus was wearied with His journey. We find Jesus to be strength, and we find Jesus to be weak: we find a strong and a weak Jesus: strong, because " in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God: the same was in the begin- ning with God." Wouldest'thou see how this Son of God is strong? "All things were made by Him, and witnout Him was nothing made: " and without labor, too, were they made. Then what can be stronger than He, by whom all things were made without labor? Wouldest thou know Him weak? "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us." The strength of Christ created thee, the weakness of Christ created thee anew. The strength of Christ caused that to he which was not: the weakness of Christ caused that what was should not perish. He fashioned us by His strength, He sought us by His weakness.