He who came to be slain by the dead will come to judge the quick and the dead. "God," saith the psalm, "will come mani- fest, our God, and He will not be silent."'' What is "shall come manifest"? Because He came concealed. Then He will not be silent; for when He came concealed, " He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and as a lamb before its shearer. He opened not His mouth." ^ He shall come, and shall not keep silence. "I was silent," saith He, "shall I always be silent? " ' 7. But what is necessary at the present time for those who have righteousness? That which is read in that psa^: "Until right- eousness is turned into judgment, and they that have it are upright of heart." You ask, perhaps, who are the upright in heart? We find in Scripture those to be upright in heart who bear the evils of the world, and do not accuse God. See, brethren, an uncommon thing is that which I speak of. For I know not how it is that, when any evil befalls a man, he runs to accuse God, when he ought to accuse himself. When thou gettest any good, thou praisest thyself; when thou suf- ferest any evil, thou accusest God. This is then the crooked heart, not the upright. When thou art cured of this distorting and 5 Matt. xix. 8 Isa. liii. 7.
6 I Cor. vi. 3.
9 Isa. xlii. 14.
Tractatf, XXVIII.]
ON THE GOSPEL OF ST. JOHN.
l8l j:ierversity, what thou didst use to do will be turned into the contrary. For what didst thou use to do before? Thou didst praise thyself in the good things of God, and didst accuse God in thine own evil things; with thy heart converted and made right, thou wilt praise God in His good things, and accuse thyself in thy own evil things. These are the upright in heart. In short, that man, who was not yet right in heart when the success of the wicked and the distress of the good grieved him, says, when he is corrected: " How good is the God of Israel to the up- right in heart! But as for me," when I was not right in heart, " my feet were almost gone; my steps had well-nigh slipped." Why? " Because I was envious at sinners, beholding the peace of sinners." I saw, saith he, the wicked prosperous, and I was displeased at God; for I did wish that God should not permit the wicked to be happy. Let man understand: God never does permit this; but a bad man is thought to be happy, for this reason, because men are ignorant of what happiness is. Let us then be right in heart: the time of our glory is not yet come. Let it be told to the lovers of this world, such as the brethren of the Lord were, " your time is always ready; " our time " is not yet come." For let us, too, dare to say this. And since we are the body of our Lord Jesus Christ, since we are His members, since we joyfully acknowledge our head, let us say it without hesitation; since, for our sakes, He deigned also Himself to say this. And when the lovers of this world revile us, let us say to them, "Your time is always ready; our time is not yet come." For the apostle has "said to us, " For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." When will our time come? " When Christ," saith he, " your life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory." - 8. What said He further? "The world cannot hate you." What is this, but, The world cannot hate its lovers, the false wit- nesses? For you call the things that are evil, good; and the things that are good, evil. " But me it hateth, because I bear witness concerning it, that its works are evil. Go ye up to this feast." What means "to this"? Where ye seek human glory. What means " to this "? Where ye wish to prolong carnal joys, not to meditate on eternal joys. "I go not up to t'ais feast, because my time is not yet full come." On this feast-day you seek human glory; but my time, that is, the time of my glory, is not yet come. Tiiat will > I s. Ixxiii. 1-3.
'•' Col. iii. ^, 4.
be my feast-day, not running before and pass- ing over these days, but remaining for ever; that will be festivity, joy without end, eter- nity without a blot, serenity witliout a cloud. "When He had said these words unto them, He abode still in Galilee. But when His brethren were gone up, then went He also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret." Therefore "not to this feast-day," because His desire was not for temporal glory, but to teach somethmg to profit, to correct men, to admonish them of an.eternal feast- day, to turn away their love from this world, and to turn it to God. But what means this, " He went up as it were in secret to the feast "? This action of the Lord also is not without meaning. It appears to me that, even from this circumstance that Fle went up as it were in secret. He had intended to signify some- thing; for the things that follow will show that He thus went up on the middle of the feast, that is, when those days were half over, to teach even openly. But he said, ''As it were in secret," meaning, not to show Himself to men. It is not without meaning that Christ went up " as it were in secret " to that feast, because He Himself lay hid in that feast-day.
What I have said as yet is also under cover of secrecy. Let it be manifested then, let the veil be lifted, and let that which was secret appear.
9. All things that were spoken to the an- cient people Israel in the manifold Scripture of the holy law, what things they did, whether in sacrifices, or in priestly offices, or in feast- days, and, in a word, in what things soever they worshipped God, what things soever were spoken to and given them in precept, were shadows of things to come. Of what things to come? Things which find their fulfillment in Christ. AVhence the apostl esays, " For all the promises of God are in Him yea; '' ^ that is, they are fulfilled in Him. Again he says in another place, "All happened to them in a figure; but they were written for our sakes, upon whom the end of the ages is come."* And he said elsewhere, " For Christ is the end of the law;"^ likewise in another place, " Let no man judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of a new moon, or of Sabbath-days, which is a shadow of things to come."'^ If, therefore, al! these things were shadows of things to come, also the feast of tabernacles was a shadow of things to come. Let us examine, then, of what thing to come was this feast-day a shadow. I have explained what this feast of tabernacles was: it was a celebration of taberl82 THE WORKS OF ST. AUGUSTIN.
[Tractatk XXVI 11.
nacles, because the people, after their deliv- erance from Egypt, while directing their course through the wilderness to the land of promise, dwelt in tents. Let us observe what it is, and we shall be that thing; we, I say, who are members of Christ, if such we are; but we are. He having made us worthy, not we having earned it for ourselves. Let us then consider ourselves, brethren: we have been led out of Egypt, where we were slaves to the devil as to Pharaoh; where we applied ourselves to works of clay, engaged in earthly desires, and where we toiled exceedingly. And to us, while laboring, as it were, at the bricks, Christ cried aloud, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden." Thence we were led out by baptism as through the Red Sea. — red because consecrated by the blood of Christ. All our enemies that pursued us being dead, that is, all our sins being blotted out, we have been brought over to the other side. At the present time, then, before we come to the land of promise, namely, the eternal kingdom, we are in the wilderness in tabernacles. They who acknow- ledge these things are in tabernacles; for it was to be that some would acknowledge this. For that man, who understands that he is a sojourner in this world, is in tabernacles.
That man understands that he is travelling in a foreign country, when he sees himself sigh- ing for his native land. But whilst the body of Christ is in tabernacles, Christ is in taber- nacles; but at that time He was so, not evi- dently but secretly. For as yet the shadow obscured the light; when the light came, the shadow was removed. Christ was in secret: He was in the feast of tabernacles, but there hidden. At the present time, when these things are already made manifest, we acknow- ledge that we are journeying in the wilder- ness: for if we know it, we are in the wilder- ness. What is it to be in the wilderness? In the desert waste. Why in the desert waste? Because in this world, where we thirst in a way in which is no water. But yet, let us thirst that we may be filled. For, " Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. " ' And our thirst is quenched from the rock in the wilderness: for "the Rock was Christ," and it was smitten with a rod that the water might flow. But that it might flow, the rock was smitten twice: because there are two beams of the cross. "^ All these things, then, which were done in a figure, are made mani- fest to us. And it is not without meaning that it was said of the Lord, " He went up to the I JNIatt. V. 6.
I Cur, x. 4; Num, xx, ii.
feast-day, but not openly, but as it were in secret." For Himself in secret was the thing prefigured, because Christ was hid in that same festal- day; for that very festal-day sig- nified Christ's members that were to sojourn in a foreign land.
10. " Then the Jews sought Him on the feast-day: " before He went up. For His brethren went up before Him, and He went not up then when they supposed and wished: that this too might be fulfilled which He said, "Not to this,' that is, the first or second day, to which you wish me to go. But He went up afterwards, as the Gospel tells us, " on the middle of the feast; ' that is, when as many days of that feast had passed as there remained. For they celebrated that same festival, so far we can understand, on several successive days.
11, "They said, therefore, Where is he? And there was much murmuring among the people concerning Him." Whence the mur- muring? Of strife. What was the strife? "Some said. He is a good man; but others said, Nay; but he deceiveth the people." We must understand this of all His servants: this is said now of them. For whoever be- comes eminent in some spiritual grace, of him some will assuredly say, " He is a good man;" others, "Nay; but he deceiveth the people." Whence is this? "Because our life is hid with Christ in God,"^ Qn this ac- count people may say during the winter, This tree is dead; for example, a fig tree, pear tree, or some kind of fruit tree, it is like a withered tree, and so long as it is winter it does not appear whether it is so or not. But the 'summer proves, the judgment proves. Our summer is the appearing of Christ: "God shall come manifest, our God, and He will not be silent;""* "fire shall go before Him:" that fire "shall burn up His ene- mies:''^ that fire shall lav hold of the with- ered trees. For then sha/1 the dry trees be apparent, when it shall be said to them, " I was hungry, and ye gave me not to eat; " but on the other side, namely, on the right, will be seen abundance of fruit, and magnificence of leaves; the green will be eternity. To those, then, as witliered trees, it shall be said, " Go into everlasting fire. For behold," it saith, "the axe is laid to the root of the trees: every tree, therefore, that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be cut down, and cast into the fire. "^ Let them then say of thee, if thou art growing in Christ, let men say of thee, " He deceiveth the people." This is said of Christ Himself; it is said of the whole body 3 Col. lii. 3. 5 Ps. xcvii.
4 Ps. 1. 3.
6 iMatt.iii. 10.
Tractate XXIX.]
ON THE GOSPEL OF ST. lOHN.
IS of Christ. Think of the body of Christ still in the world, think of it still on the threshing- floor; see how it is blasphemed l)y the chaff. The chaff and the grain are, indeed, threshed together; but the chaff is consumed, the corn is purged. What was said of the Lord then, avails for consolation, whenever it will be said of any Christian.
12. " Howbeit no man spake openly of Him for fear of the Jews.'' But who were they that did not speak of Him for fear of the Jews? Undoubtedly they who said, ''He is a good man:" not they who said, "He deceiveth the people." As for them who said '*He deceiveth the people," their din was heard like the noise of dry leaves. " He deceiveth the people," they sounded more and more loudly: "He is a good man," they whispered more and more constrainedly. j But now, brethren, notwithstanding that glory I of Christ which is to make us immortal is not ' yet come, yet now, I say, His Church so in- creases, He has deigned to spread it abroad through the whole world, that it is now only whispered. " He deceiveth the people; " and more and more loudly it sounds forth, " He is a good man."
TRACTATE XXIX.
Chapter VH. 14-18.
1. What follows of the Gospel, and was read to-day, we must next in order look at, and speak from it as the Lord may grant us. Yesterday it was read thus far, that although they had not seen the Lord Jesus in the tem- ple on the feast-day, yet they were speaking about Him: "And some said, He is a good man: but others said, Nay; but he seduceth the people.'' For this was said for the com- fort of those who, afterwards preaching God's word, were to be seducers, and yet true men.' For if to seduce is to deceive, neither was Christ a seducer, nor His apostles, nor ought any Christian to be such; but if to seduce (to lead aside) is by persuading to lead one from something to something else, we ought to inquire into the 7vhence and the whither: if from evil to good, the seducer is a good man; if from good to evil, the seducer is a bad man. In that sense, then, in which men are seduced from evil to good, would ijiat all of us botli were called, and actually were se- ducers!
2. Then afterwards the Lord went up to the feast, "about the middle of the feast, and taught." "And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, hav- ing never learned?" He who was in secret taught. He was speaking openly and was not restrained. For that hiding of Himself was for the sake of example; this showing Him- self openly was an intimation of His power. But as He taught, " the Jews marvelled;" all indeed, so far as I think, marvelled, but all ' 2 Cor. vi. 8.
were not converted. And why this wonder- ing? Because all knew where He was born, where He had been brought up; they had never seen Him learning letters, but they heard Him disputing about the law, bringing forward testimonies of the law, which none could bring forward unless he had read, and none could read unless he had learned let- ters: and therefore they marvelled. But their marvelling was made an occasion to the Mas- ter of insinuating the truth more deeply into their minds. By reason, indeed of their wondering and words, the Lord said some- thing profound, and worthy of being more diligentlv looked into and discussed. On ac- count of which I would urge you, my beloved, to earnestness, not only in hearing for your- selves, but also in praying for us.
3. How then did the Lord answer those that were marvelling how He knew letters which He had not learned? " My doctrine," saith He, " is not mine, but His that sent me." This is the first profundity. For He seems as if in a few words He had spoken contraries. For He says not. This doctrine is not mine; but, " My doctrine is not mine." If not Thine, how Thine? If Thine, how not Thine? For Thou sayest both: both, "my doctrines;" and, "not mine." For if He had said, 'I'iiis doctrine is not mine, there would have been no (]uestion. But now. brethren, in the first place, consider well the question, and so in due order exjiect the so- lution. For he who sees not tlie question proposed, how can he understand what is ex- pounded? The subject of inquiry, then, is 1 84 THE WORKS OF ST. AUGUSTIN.
[Tractate XXIX.
that which He says, "My, not mhie-" this appears to be contrary; how " my," how "not mine"? If we carefully look at what the holy evangelist himself says in the begin- ning of his Gospel, " In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God;" thence hangs the so- lution of this question. What then is the doctrine of the Father, but the Father's Word? Therefore, Christ Himself is the doctrine of the Father, if He is the Word of the Father. But since the Word cannot be of none^ but of some one. He said both " His doctrine,"' namely. Himself, and also, "not His own," because He is the Word of the Father. For what is so much "Thine" as Thyself? And what so much not Thine as Thyself, if that Thou art is of another?
4. The Word then is God; and it is also the Word of a stable, unchangeable doctrine, not such as can be sounded by syllables and fleeting, but abiding with the Father, to which abiding doctrine let us be converted, being admonished by the transitory sounds of the voice. For that which is transitory does not so admonish us as to call us to transitory things. We are admonished to love God. All this that I have said were syllables; they smote through the air to reach your sense of hearing, and by sounding passed away: that, however, which I advise you ought not so to pass away, because He whom I exhort you to love passes not away; and when you, ex- horted in transient syllables, shall have been converted, you shall not pass away, but shall abide with Him who is abiding. There is therefore in the doctrine this great matter, this deep and eternal thing which is perma- nent: whither all things that pass away in time call us, when they mean well and are not falsely put forward. For, in fact, all the signs which we produce by sounds do signify some- thing which IS not sound. For God is not the two short syllables " Deus," and it is not the two short syllables that we worship, and it is not the two short syllables that we adore, nor is it to the two short syllables that we de- sire to come — two syllables which almost cease to sound before they have begun to sound; nor in sounding them is there room for the second until the first has passed away. There remains, then, something great which is called " God," although the sound does not remain when we say the word " God," Thus direct your thoughts to the doctrine of Christ, and ye shall arrive at the Word of God; and when you have arrived at the Word of God, consider this, "The Word was God," and you will see that it was said truly, " my doc- trine:" consider also whose the Word is, and you will see that it was rightly said, " is not mine."
5. Therefore, to speak briefly, beloved, it seems to me that the Lord Jesus Christ said, "My doctrine is not mine," meaning the same thing as if He said, " I am not from myself." For although we say and believe that the Son is equal to the Father, and that there is not any diversity of nature and sub- stance in them, that there has not intervened any interval of time between Him that begets and Him that is begotten, nevertheless we say these things, while keeping and guarding this, that the one is the Father, the other the Son. But Father He is not if He have not a Son, and Son He is not if He have not a Father: but yet the Son is God from the Father; and the Father is God, but not from the Son. The Father of the Son, not God from the Son: but the other is Son of the Father, and God from the Father. For the Lord Christ is called Light from Light. The Light then which is not from Light, and the equal Light which is not from Light, are together one Light not two Lights.
6. If we have understood this, thanks be to God; but if any has not sufficiently under- stood, man has done as far as he could: as for the rest, let him see whence he may hope to understand. As laborers outside, we can plant and water; but it is of God to give the increase. " My doctrine," saith He, " is not mine, but His that sent me." Let him who says he has not yet understood hear counsel. For since it was a great and profound matter that had been spoken, the Lord Christ Hmi- self did certainly see that all would not under- stand this so profound a matter, and He gave counsel in the sequel. Dost thou wish to un- derstand? Believe. For God has said by the prophet: " Except ye believe, ye shall not understand."' To the same purpose what the Lord here also added as He went on — " If any man is willing to do /His will, he shall know coiicerning the doctfine, whether it be of God, or wnether I speak from myself." What is the meaning of this, " If any man be willing to do His will"? But I had said, if any man believe; and I gave this counsel: If thou hast not understood, said I, believe. For understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore do not seek to understand in order to believe, but believe that thou mayest understand; since, "except ye believe, ye shall not understand." Therefore when I would counsel the obedience of believing toward the possibility of understanding, and say that our Lord Jesus Christ has added this very thing in I Isa.
vu. 9.
Tractate XXIX.]
ON THE GOSPEL OF ST. JOHN.
185 thing as to believe that " shall the following sentence, we find Him to have said, " If any man be willing to do His will, he shall know of the doctrine." What is " he shall know"? It is the same thing as "he shall understand." But what is "If any man be willing to do His will "? It is the same All men indeed perceive vuow " is the same thing as " shall ■understand:" but that the saying, "If any man be willing to do His will," refers to be- lieving, all do not perceive; to perceive this more accurately, we need the Lord Himself for expounder, to show us whether the doing of the Father's will does in reality refer to believing. But who does not know that this is to do the will of God, to work the work of God; that is, to work that work which is pleasing to Him? But the Lord Himself says openly in another place: "This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He has sent."' "That ye believe on Him," not, that ye believe Him. But if ye believe on Him, ye believe Him; yet he that believes Him does not necessarily believe on Him. For even the devils believed Him, but they did not believe on Him. Again, moreover, of His apostles we can say, we believe Paul; but not, we believe on Paul: we believe Peter; but not, we believe on Peter. For, "to him that believeth on Him that justifieth the un- godly, his faith is counted unto him for right- eousness." = What then is "to believe on Him''? By believing to love Him, by be- lieving to esteem highly, by believing to go into Him and to be incorporated in His members. It IS faith itself then that God exacts from us: and He finds not that which He exacts, unless He has bestowed what He may find. What faith, but that which the apostle has most amply defined in another place, say- ing, " Neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith that worketh by love? " 3 Not any faith of what kind soever, but "faith that worketh by love:" let this faith be in thee, and thou shalt understand concerning the doctrine. What indeed shalt thou understand? That " this doctrine \z not mine, but His that sent me;" tiiat is, thou shalt understand that Christ the Son of God, who is the doctrine of the Father, is not from Himself, but is the Son of the Father.
7. This sentence overthrows the Sabellian heresy. The Sabellians have dared to affirm that the Son is the very same as He who is also the Father: that the names are two, but the reality one. If the names were two and -eality one, it would not be said, " My doc- tiine is not mine." Anyhow, if Thy doctrine ye