meats, of holy baptism, of praise, and of tliis our own exposition, — that this longing may not only be implanted and germinate, but also expand to such a measure of capacity as to be fit to take in what eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor hath en- tered into the heart of man. But love with me. He who loves God is not much in love with money. And I have but touched on this infirmity, not venturing to say. He loves not money at all, but, He loves not money much; as if money were to be loved, but not in a great degree. Oh, were we loving God worthily, we should have no love at all for money! Money then will be thy means ot pilgrimage, not the stimulant of lust; some- thing to use for necessity, not to joy over as a means of delight. Love God, if He has wrought in thee somewhat of that which thou hearest and praisest. Use the world: let not the world hold thee captive. Thou art pass- ing on the journey thou hast begun; thou hast come, again to depart, not to abide. Thou art passing on thy journey, and this life is but a wayside inn. Use money as the traveller at an inn uses table, cup, pitcher, and couch, with the purpose not of remaining, but of leaving them behind. If such you w^ould be, you, who can stir up your hearts and hear me; if such you would be, you will attain to His promises. It is not too much for your strength, for mighty is the hand of Him who hath called you. He hath called you. Call upon Him, say to Him, Thou hast called us, we call upon Thee; see, we have { heard Thee calling us, hear us calling upon Thee: lead us whither Thou hast promised; perfect what Thou hast begun; forsake not Thine own gifts; leave not Thine own field; let Thy tender shoots yet be gathered into Thy barn. Temptations abound in the world, but greater is He wlio made the world. Temptations abound, but he fails not whose hope reposes in Him in whom there is no de- ficiency.
II. I have been exhorting you, brethren, to this in such words, because the freedorn of which our Lord Jesus Christ speaks belongs not to this present time. Look at what He added: "Ye shall be my disciples indeed; and ve shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." What means that — " shall set you free "? It shall make you freemen. In a word, the carnal, and fleshly- minded Jews — not those who had believed, but those in the crowd who believed not — ■ thought that an injury was done them, be- cause He said to them, " The truth shall make you free." They were indignant at being designated as slaves. And slaves truly they were; and He explains to them what slavery it is, and what is that future freedom which is promised by Himself. But of this liberty and of that slavery it were too long to speak to-day.
TRACTATE XLI.
Chapter VIII. x\-\().
j'-j^ I. Of what follows of the previous lesson, and has been read publicly to us to-day from the holy Ciospel, I then deferred speaking, because I had already said much, and of that liberty into which the grace of the Saviour calieth us it was needful to treat in no cursory or negligent way. Of this, by the Lord's help, we purpose speaking to you to-day. For those to whom the Lord Jesus Christ was speaking were Jews, in a large measure indeed His enemies, but also in some meas- ure already become, and yet to be. His friends; for some He saw there, as we have already said, who should yet believe after His passion. Looking to these, He had said, "When ye liave lifted uji the Sun of man, then shall ye know that I am [He]." ' There also were those who, when He so spake, straightway believed. To them He spake what we have heard to-day: " Then said Jesus to those Jews who believed on Him, If ye continue in my word, ye shall be my tlisci|)les intleed." By continuing ye shall be so; for as now ye are believers, by so continuing ye shall be beholders. Hence there follows, "And ye shall know the truth." The truth is unchangeable. The truth is bread, which refreshes our minds and fails not; changes the eater, and is not itself changeil into the eater. The truth itself is the Word of God, ' Ihiip. vili. 28.
230 THE WORKS OF ST. AUGUSTIN.
[Tractate XLI.
God with God, the only-begotten Son. This Truth was for our sake clothed with flesh, that He might be born of the V^irgin Mary, and the prophecy fulfilled, " Truth has sprung from the earth. ' ' ' This Truth then, when speaking to the Jews, lay hid in the flesh. But He lay hid not in order to be denied, but to be de- ferred [in His manifestation]; to be deferred, in order to suffer in the flesh; and to suffer in the flesh, in order that flesh might be redeemed from sin. And so our Lord Jesus Christ, standing full in sight as regards the infirmity of flesh, but hid as regards the ma- jesty of Godhead, said to those who had be- lieved on Him, when He so spake, " If ye continue in my word, ye shall be my disciples indeed." For he that endureth to the end shall be saved.- "And ye shall know the truth," which now is hid from you, and speaks to you. "And the truth shall free you." This word, liber abit [shall free], the Lord hath taken from libertas [freedom]. For liberat [frees, delivers] is properly noth- ing else but Ubennn facit [makes free]. As salvat [he saves] is nothing else but salvum facit [he makes safe]; as he heals is nothing else but he makes whole; he enriches is nothing else but he makes rich; so liberat [he frees] is nothing else but liberuvi facit [he makes free]. This is clearer in the Greek word.^ For in Latin usage we commonly say that a man is delivered [liberari), in regard not to liberty, but only to safety, just as one is said to l)e delivered from some infirmity. So is it said customarily, but not properly. But the Lord made such use of this word in saying, "And the truth shall make you free [liber abit),'' that in the Greek tongue no one could doubt that He spake of freedom.
2. Li short, the Jews also so understood and "answered Him;" not those who had already believed, but those in that crowd who were not yet believers. " They answered Him, We are Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be free? " But the Lord had not said, "Ye shall be free," but, "The truth shall make you free." That word, however, they, because, as I have said, it is clearly so in the Greek, understood as pointing only to free- dom, and puffed themselves up as Abraham's seed, and said, " We are Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how say- est thou. Ye shall be free?" 0 inflated skin! such is not magnanimity, but windy swelling. For even as regards freedom in this life, how was that the truth when you said, " We were never in bondage to any man"? Was not Joseph sold?"* Were not the holy prophets led into captivity? ^ And again, did not that very nation, when making bricks in Egypt, also serve hard rulers, not only in gold and silver, but also in clay?^ If you were never in bondage to any man, un- grateful people, why is it that God is contin- ually reminding you that He delivered you from the house of bondage V Or mean you, perchance, that your fathers were in bondage, but you who speak were never in bondage to any man? How then were you now paying tribute to the Romans, out of which also you formed a trap for the Truth Himself, as if to ensnare Him, when you said, " Is it lawful to give tribute to Csesar? " in order that, had He said. It is lawful, you might fasten on Him as one ill-disposed to the liberty of Abraham's seed; and if He said, It is not lawful, you might slander Him before the kings of the earth, as forbidding the payment of tribute to such? Deservedly were you defeated on producing the money, and compelled your- selves to concur in your own capture. For there it was told you, " Render to C^sar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's," after your own reply, that the money-piece bore the image of Caesar.^ For as Caesar looks for his own im- age on the coin, so God looks for His in man. Thus, then, did He answer the Jews. I am moved, brethren, by the hollow pride of men, because even of that very freedom of theirs, which they understood carnally, they lied when they said, " We were never in bondage to any man."
3. But to the Lord's own answer, let us give better and more earnest heed, lest we ourselves be also found bondmen. For "Jesus answered them. Verily, verily, I say unto you, that every one who committeth sin is the servant of sin." He is the servant — would that it were of man, and not of sin! Who will not tremble at sii^h words? The Lord our God grant us, that is, both you and me, that I may speak in fitting terms of this freedom to be sought, and of that bondage to be avoided. "Amen, amen [verily, ver- ily], I say unto you.'' The Truth speaks: and in what sense does the Lord our God claim it as His to say, "Amen, amen, I say unto you "? His charge is weighty in so an- nouncing it. In some sort, if lawful to be said. His form of swearing is, "Amen, amen, I say unto you." Ameti in a way may be in- terpreted, [it is] true [truly, verily]; and yet it is not interpreted, though it might have ' Ps, IXXXV. II.
Matt. X. 22.
3 e'AeuSepuJaei.
4 Gen. xxxvii. 28.
6 Ex. i. 14.
8 Miiii. xxii. 15-21.
Tractate XLI.]
ON THE GOSPEL OF ST. JOHN.
231 been said, What is true [verily] I say unto you. Neither the Greek translator nor the Latin has dared to do so; tor this word Amen is neither Greek nor Latin, but Hebrew. So it has remained without interpretation, to pos- sess honor as the covering of something hid- den; not in order to be disowned, but that it might not, as a thing laid bare to the eye, fall into disrepute. And yet it is not once, but twice uttered by the Lord, "Amen, amen, I say unto you." And now learn from the very doubling, how much was implied in the charge before us.
4. What, then, is the charge given? Ver- ily, veril}^ I say unto you, saith the Truth, who surely, though He had not said, A^erily, I say, could not possibly lie. Yet [thereby] He impresses, inculcates His charge, arouses in a way the sleeping, makes them attentive, and would not be contemned. What does He say? "Verily, verily, I say unto you, that every one who committeth sin is the ser- vant of sin.'' Miserable slavery! Men fre- quently, when they suffer under wicked mas- ters, demand to get themselves sold, not seeking to be without a master, but at all events to change him. What can the servant of sin do? To whom can he make his de- mand? To whom apply for redress? Of whom require himself to be sold? And then at times a man's slave, worn out by the com- mands of an unfeeling master, finds rest in flight. Whither can the servant of sin flee? Himself he carries with him wherever he flees. An evil conscience flees not from itself; it has no place to go to; it follows itself. Yen, he cannot withdraw from himself, for the sin he commits is within. He has committed sin to obtain some bodily pleasure. The pleas- ure passes away; the sin remains. What de- lighted is gone; the sting has remained be- hind. Evil bondage! Sometimes men flee to the Church, and we generally permit them, uninstructed as they are men, wishing to be rid of their master, who are unwilling to be rid of their sins. But sometimes also those subjected to an unlawful and wicked yoke flee for refuge to the Church; for, though free-born men, they are retained in bondage: and an appeal is made to the bishop. And unless he care to put forth every effort to save free-birth from oppression, he is ac- counted unmerciful. Let us all flee to Clirist, and appeal against sin to God as our deliv- erer. I.et us seek to get ourselves sold, that we may be redeemed by His!)lood. l*'or the Lord says, "Ye were sold for nought, and ye shall be redeemed without money." ' Without price, that is, of your own; because of mine. So saith the Lord; for He Himself has paid the price, not in money, but His own blood. Otherwise we had remained both bondmen and indigent.
5. From this bondage, then, we are set free by the Lord alone. He who had it not. Himself delivers us from it; for He alone came without sin in the flesh. For the little ones whom you see carried in their mothers' hands cannot yet walk, and are already in fetters; for they have received from Adam what they are loosened from by Christ. To them also, when baptized, pertains tiiat grace which is promised by the Lord; for He only can deliver from sin who came without sin, and was made a sacrifice for sin. For you heard when the apostle was read: "We are ambassadors," he says, " for Christ, as though God were exhorting you by us; we beseech you in Christ's stead," — that is, as if Christ were beseeching you, and for what? — " to be reconciled unto God." If the apos- tle exhorts and beseeches us to be reconciled unto God, then were we enemies to God. For no one is reconciled unless from a state of enmity. And we have become enemies not by nature, Init by sin. From the same source are we the servants of sin, that we are the enemies of God. God has no enemies in a state of freedom. They must he slaves; and slaves will the}'' remain unless delivered by Him to whom they unshed by their sins to be enemies. Therefore, says he, " We beseech you in Christ's stead to be reconciled unto God." But how are we reconciled, save bv the removal of that which separates between us and Himself? For He says by the pro- phet, " He hath not made the ear heavy that it should not hear; but your iniquities have separated between you and your God." = And so, then, we are not reconciled, unless that which is in the mitlst is taken away, and something else is jnit in its place. For there is a separating medium, and, on tiie other hand, there is a reconciling Mediator. The sejiarating mcilium is sin, the reconciling Metliator is the Loril Jesus Christ: "For there is one God and Meiliator between God anil men, the mnn Christ Jesus."' To take then away the sciiarating wall, which is sin, that Mediator has come, ami the priest has Hmisclf become the sacrifice..And bciause He was made a sacrifice for sin, offering Himself as a whole burnt offering on the cross of His passion, the apostle, after saying, ** We beseech you in Christ's stc.ul to be rcconcded inito God,"- -as if we had said, How shall • Isa. lii. 3.
' Isu. lix. I, 2.
3 1 Tim. ii. 5.
-o- TEiE WORKS OF ST AUGUSTIN.
[Tkactate XLI.
we be able to be reconciled? — goes on to say, "He hath made Him," that is, Christ Him- self, "who knew no sin, [to be] sin for us, that we may be the righteousness of God in Him:" ' " Him," he says, Christ Himself our God, "who knew no sin." For He came in the flesh, that is, in the likeness of sinful flesh, = but not in sinful flesh, because He had no sin at all; and therefore became a true sacri- fice for sin, because He Himself had no sin, 6. But perhaps, through some special per- ception of my own, I have said that sm is a sacrifice for sin. Let those who have read it be free to acknowledge it; let not those who have not read it be backward; let them not, I say, be backward to read, that they may be truthful in judging. For when God gave commandment about the offering of sacrifices for sin, in which sacrifices there was no expi- ation of sins, but the shadow of things to come, the self-same sacrifices, the self-same offerings, the self-same victims, the self-same animals, which were brought forward to be slain for sins, and in whose blood that [true] blood was prefigured, are themselves called sins^ by the law; and that to such an extent that in certain passages it is written in these terms, that the priests, when about to sacri- fice, were to lay their hands on the head of the sin, that is, on the head of the victim about to be sacrificed for sin. Such sin, then, that is, such a sacrifice for sin, was our Lord Jesus Cljrist made, " who knew no sin."
7. With efficacious merit does He deliver from this bondage of sin, who saith in the psalms: "I am become as a man without help, free among the dead."' For He only was free, because He had no sin. For He Himself says in the Gospel, "" Behold, the prince of this world cometh," meaning the devil about to come in the persons of the per- secuting Jews; — "behold," He says, "he cometh, and snail find nothing in me."^ Not as he found some measure of sin in those whom he also slew as righteous; in me he shall find nothing. And just as if He were asked, If he shall find nothing in Thee, wherefore will he slay Thee? He further said, " But that all may know that I do the will of my Father, rise and let us go lience." I do not, He says, pay the penalty of death as a necessity of my sinfulness; but in the death I die, I do the will of my Father. And in this, I am doing rather than enduring it; for, were I unwilling, I should not have had 3 That is, " sin-offering^s." Peccata is here used to correspond to the Hebrew C'ilI'S ^"d nXtiHi which signify, the one, both T T T - trespass and tresfiass-ojfering, and the other, sin and sin-offer- ing: indicating the thoroughness of the substitutionary idea. — Tr.
the suffering to endure. You have Him say- ing in another place, " I have power to lay down my life, and I have power to take it up agam >' 6 Here surely is one " free among the dead."
8. Since, then, every one that committeth sin is the servant of sin, listen to what is our hope of liberty. "And the servant," He says, " abideth not in the house for ever." The church is the house, the servant is the sinner. Many sinners enter the church. Accordingly He has not said, " The servant " is not in the house, but "abideth not in the house for ever." If, then, there shall be no servant there, who will be there? For "when" as the Scripture speaketh, "the righteous king sitteth on the throne, who will boast of having a clean heart? or who will boast that he is pure from his sin?" ^ He has greatly alarmed us, my brethren, by saying, "The servant abideth not in the house for ever." But He further adds, " But the Son abideth ever." Will Christ, then, be alone in His house? Will no people remain at His side? Whose head wall He be, if there shall be no body? Or is the Son all this, both the head and the body? For it is not without cause that He has inspired both" terror and hope: terror, in order that we should not love sin; and hope, that we should not be distrustful of the remission of sin. " Every one," He says, "that committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever." What hope, then, have we, who are not without sin? Listen to thy hope: "The Son abideth for ever. If the Son, therefore, shall make you free, then shall ye be free indeed." Our hope is this, brethren, to be made free by the free One; and that, in setting us free. He may make us His ser- vants. For we were the servants of lust; but being set free, we are made the servants of love. This also the apostle says: "For, brethren, ye have been calj^d unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another."^ Let not then the Christian say, I am free; I have been called unto liberty: I was a slave, but have been redeemed, and by my very redemp- tion have been made free, I shall do what I please: no one may balk me of my will, if I am free. But if thou committest sin with such a will, thou art the servant of sin. Do not then abuse your liberty for freedom in sinning, but use it for the purpose of sinning not. For only if thy will is pious, will it be free. Thou wilt be free, if thou art a servant still, — free from sin, the servant of righteousfi Chap. X. iS.
7Pr 3 Gal. V.
Tractate XL I.J ON THE GOSPEL OE ST. JOHN.
-oo ness: as the apostle says, " When ye were the servants of shi, ye were free from righteous- ness. But now, beuig made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life."' Let us be striving after the latter, and be doing the other.
9. The first stage of liberty is to be free from crimes. Give heed, my brethren, give heed, that I may not by any means mislead your understanding as to the nature of tiiat liberty at present, and what it will be. Sift any one soever of the highest integrity in this life, and however worthy he may already be of the name of upright, yet is he not without sin. Listen to Saint John himself, the author of the Gospel before us, when he says in his epistle, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." - He alone could say this who was " free among the dead:" of Him only could it be said, who knew no sin. It could be said only of Him, for He also "was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." ^ He alone could say, " Behold, the prince of this world cometh, and shall find nothmg in me." Sift any one else, who is accounted righteous, yet is he not in all respects without sin; not even such as was Job, to whom the Lord bore such testi- mony, that the devil was filled with envy, and demanded that he should be tempted, and was himself defeated in the temptation, to the end that Job might be proved.* And he was proved for this reason, not that the certainty of his carrying off the conqueror's wreath was unknown to God, but that he might be- come known as an object of imitation to others. And what says Job himself? " For who is clean? not even the infant whose life is but a day's span upon the earth.'' ^ But it is plain that many are called righteous with- out opposition, because the term is under- stood as meaning, free from crime; for in human affairs there is no just ground of com- plaint attaching to those who are free from criminal conduct. But crime is grievous sin, deserving in the highest measure to be de- nounced and condemned. Not, however, that God condemns certain sins, and justifies and praises certain others. He approves of none. He hates them all. As the physician dislikes the ailment of the ailing, and works by liis healing measures to get the ailment removed and the ailing relieved; so God by his grace worketh in us, that sin may be con- sumed, and man made free, liut when, you will be saying, is it consumed? If it is les- 5 Job xiv. 4, 5; according to a reading of the Septuagint.
sened, why is it not consumed? That is grow- ing less in the life of those who are advancing onwards, which is consumed in the life of those who have attained to perfection.