But the natural ' nian perceiveth not the things of the Spirit of God." And thus the natural man, perceiving not the things of the Spirit of God, hears in such a way whatever is told him of the nature of God, that he can conceive of nothing else but some bodily form, however spacious or immense, however lustrous and magnificent, yet still a body: and therefore he holds as proverbs all that is said of the incorporeal and immutable substance of wisdom; not that he accounts them as proverbs, but that his thoughts follow the same direction as those who habitually listen to proverbs v/ithout understanding them. But when the spiritual man begins to discern all things, and he himself is discerned by no man, he perceives, even though in this life it still be through a glass and in part, not by any bodily sense, and not by any imaginative conception which catches at or devises the likenesses of all sorts of bodies, but by the clearest understanding of the mind, that God is not material, but spiritual: in such a way does the Son show us openly of the Father, that He, who thus shows, is also Himself seen to be of the same substance. And then it is that those who ask, ask in His name; for in the sound of that name they understand 6 Ps. xvii. 15. So the Septuagint translate T^P^ITiri Vpil?
nrSii'N- The ///>/«// intransitive form V*'?'"' '^ used, however, only of "awaking " out of sleep, not of "appearing, ' or " being manifested;" and HiTOP properly means, appearance, forjii, T; likeness, although " ^/orj' " may in the present connection be implied: so that while the rendering of the Septuagint may be grammatically defensible, " I shall be satisfied when Thy glory is manifested," yet the strict meaning of the words, the context, and the accentuation, favor that of the Enj^lish version, " I shall be satisfied, on awaking, with Thy likeness."— Tr.
K Tractate CI II.]
)9i nothing else than what the reaHty is that is called by that name, and harbor not, in vanity or infirmity of mind, the fiction of the Father being in one place, and the Son in another, standing before the Father and making request in our behalf, with the material substances of both occupying each its own place, and the Word pleading verbally for us with Him whose Word He is, while a definite space interposes between the mouth of the speaker and the ears of the hearer; and other such absurdities which those who are natural, and at the same time carnal, fabricate for themselves in their hearts. For any such thing, suggested by the experience of bodily habits, as occurs to spiritual men when thinking of God, they deny and reject, and drive away, like troublesome insects, from the eyes of their mind; and resign themselves to the purity of that light by whose testimony and judgment they prove these bodily images that thrust themselves on their inward vision to be altogether false. These are able to a certain extent to think of our Lord Jesus Christ, in respect of His manhood, as addressing the Father on our behalf; but in respect to His Godhead, as hearing [and answering] us along with the Father, And this I am of opinion that He indicated, when He said, "And I say not that I will pray the Father for you." But the intuitive perception of this, how it is that the Son asketh not the Father, but that Father and Son alike listen to those who ask, is a height that can be reached only by the spiritual eye of the mind.
For the Father Himself," He says, " loveth you, because ye have loved me." Is it the case, then, that He loveth, because we love; or rather, that we love, because He loveth? Let this same evangelist give us the answer out of his own epistle: "We love Him," he says, "because He first loved us,"' This, then, was the efficient cause of our lovins:, that we were loved.
the to love God is that gave the while still unloved Him we were loved gift of God.
grace John iv. 19.
And certainly He it was to love Him, who loved Even when displeasing that there might be that in us whereby we should become pleasing in His sight. For we could not love the Son unless we loved the Father also. The Father loveth us, because we love the Son; seeing it is of the Father and Son we have received [the power] to love both the Father and the Son: for love is shed abroad in our hearts by the Spirit of both,- by which Spirit we love both the Father and the Son, and whom we love along with the Father and the Son. God, therefore, it was that wrought this religious love of ours whereby we worship God; and He saw that it is good, and on that account He Himself loved that which He had made. But He would not have wrought in us something He could love, were it not that He loved ourselves before He wrought it.
6. "And ye have believed," He adds, I came out from God. I came forth the Father, and am come into the again I leave the world, and go to the Father." Clearly we have believed. For surely it ought not to be accounted a thing incredible because of this, that in coming to the world He came forth in such a sense from the Father that He did not leave the Father behind; and that, on leaving the world. He goes to the Father in such a sense that He does not actually forsake the world. For He came forth from the Father because He is of the Father; and He came into the world, in showing to the world His bodily form, which He had received of the Virgin. He left the world by a bodily withdrawal, He proceeded to the Father by His ascension as man, but He forsook not the world in the ruling activity of His presence.
= Rom. V. 5.
"that from world TRACTATE CIII, Chaptkr XVI. 29-33.
I. Thk inward state of Christ's disciples, tlicm, or by descent from above, they had a when before His passion He talked with them as with children of great things, but in such a way as befitted the great things to be spoken mental capacity for the human rather than the divine, — is everywhere declared through the Gospel l)y numerous testimonies; and of a to children, because, having not yet received \ piece therewitii, is what they said in the lesthe Holy Spirit, as they did after His resur-ison before us. For, says the evangelist.
His disciples say unto Him: Lo, now rection, either by His own breathing upon [Tractate CIII.
speakest Thou plainly, and utterest no proverb. Now we are sure that Thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask Thee: by this we believe that Thou earnest forth from God." The Lord Himself had said shortly before, "These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: the hour cometh, when I shall no more speak to you in proverbs." How, then, say they, " Lo, now speakest Thou plainly, and utterest no proverb "? Was the hour, indeed, already come, when He had promised that He would no more speak unto them in proverbs? Certainly that such an hour had not yet come, is shown by the continuation of His words, which run in this way: "These things," said He, " have I spoken unto you in proverbs: the hour cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shov/ you plainly of my Father. At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: for the Father Himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. I came forth from the Father, and have come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father" (vers. 25-28). Seeing that throughout all these words He is still promising that hour when He shall no more speak in proverbs, but shall show them openly of the Father; the hour, when He says that they will ask in His name, and that He will not pray the Father for them, on the ground that the Father Himself loveth them, and that they also have loved Christ, and have believed that He came forth from the Father, and was come into the world, and was again about to leave the world and go to the Father: when thus that hour is still the subject of promise when He was to speak without proverbs, why say they, " Lo, now speakest Thou plainly, and utterest no proverb;" but just because those things, which He knows to be proverbs to those who have no understanding, they are still so far from understanding, that they do not even understand that they do not understand them? For they were babes, and had as yet no spiritual discernment of what they heard regarding things that had to do not with the body, but with the spirit.
2. And still further admonishing them of their age as still small and infirm in regard to the inner man, "Jesus answered them: Do ye now believe? Behold the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered every man to his own, and shall leave me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me." He had said shortly before, " I leave the world, and go to the Father; " now He says, " The Father is with me." Who goes to him who is with him? This is a word to him that understandeth, a proverb to him that understandeth not: and yet in such way that what at present is unintelligible to babes, is in some sort sucked in; and even though it yield them not solid food, which they cannot as yet receive, it denies them not at least a milky diet. It was from this diet that they drew the knowledge that He knew all things, and needed not that any one should ask Him: and, indeed, why they said this, is a topic worthy of inquiry. For one would think they ought rather to have said. Thou needest not to ask any one; not, "That any one should ask Thee." They had just said, " We are sure that Thou knowest all things:" and surely He that knoweth all things is accustomed rather to be questioned by those who do not know, that in reply to their questions they may hear what they wish from Him who knoweth all things; and not to be Himself the questioner, as if wishing to know something, when He knoweth all things. What, then, are we to understand by this, that, when apparently they ought to have said to Him, whom they knew to be omniscient. Thou needest not to ask any man, they considered it more befitting to say, " Thou needest not that any man sho'uld ask Thee "? Yea, is it not the case that we read of both being done; to wit, that the Lord both asked, and was asked questions? But this latter is speedily answered: for this was needful not for Him, but for those rather whom He questioned, or by whom He was questioned. For He never questioned any for the purpose of learning anything from them, but for the purpose rather of teaching them. And for those who put questions to Him, as desirous of learning something of Him, it was assuredly needful to be made acquainted with some things by I^ira who knew everything. And doubtless on the same account also it was that He needed not that any man should ask Him. As it is the case that we, when questioned by those who wish to get some information from us, discover by their very questionings what it is that they wish to know, we therefore need to be questioned by those whom we wish to teach, in order that we may be acquainted with their inquiries that call for an answer: but He, who knew all things, had no need even of that, and as little need had He of discovering by their questions what it was that any one desired to know of Him, for before a question was put. He knew the intention of him who was to put it. But He suffered Himself to be questioned on this account, that He might Tractate CIV.]
show to those who were then present, or to those who should either hear the things that were to be spoken or read them when written, wiiat was the character of those by whom He was questioned; and in this way we might come to know both the frauds that were powerless to impose upon Him, and the ways of approach that would turn to our profit in His sight. But to foresee the thoughts of men, and thus to have no need that any one should ask Him, was no great matter for God, but great enough for the babes, who said to Him, " By this we believe that Thou camest forth from God." A much greater thing it was, for the understanding of which He wished to have their minds expanded and enlarged, that, on their saying, and saying truly, " Thou camest forth from God," He replied, " The Father is with me; " in order that they should not think that the Son had come forth from the Father in any sense that would lead them to suppose that He had also withdrawn from His presence, 3. And then, in bringing to a close this weighty and protracted discourse, He said, " These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." The beginning of such tribulation was to be found in that whereof, in order to show that they were infants, to whom, as still wanting in intelligence, and mistaking one thing for another, all the great and divine things He had said were little better than proverbs. He had previously said, "Do ye now believe? Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own." Such, I say, was the beginning of the tribulation, but not in the same measure of their perseverance. For in adding, " and ye shall leave me alone," He did not mean that they would be of such a character in the subsequent tribulation, which they should have to endure in the world after His ascension, as thus to desert Him; but that in Him they should have peace by still abiding in Him. But on the occasion of His appreaension, not only did they outwardly abandon His bodily presence, but they mentally abandoned their faith. And to tliis it is that His words have reference, " Do ye now believe? Behold, the hour cometh, that ye shall be scattered to your own, and shall leave me: " as if He had said, You will then be so confounded as to leave behind you even what you now believe. For they fell into such despair and such a death, so to speak, of their old faith, as was apparent in the case of Cleophas, who, after His resurrection, unaware that he was speaking with Himself, and narrating what had befallen Him, said, " We trusted that it had been He who should have redeemed Israel." ' That was the way in which they then left Him, abandoning even the very faith wherewith they had formerly believed in Him. But in that tribulation, which they encountered after His glorification and they themselves had received the Holy Spirit, they did not leave Him: and though they fled from city to city, from Himself they did not flee; but in order that, while having tribulation in the world, they might have peace in Him, instead of being fugitives from Him, it was rather Himself that they made their refuge. For in receiving the Holy Spirit, there was wrought in them the very state described to them now in the words, " Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." They were of good cheer, and they conquered. But in whom, save in Him? For He had not overcome the world, were it still to overcome His members. Hence said the apostle, " Thanks be unto God, who giveth us the victory; '' and immediately added, " through our Lord Jesus Christ: " - through Him who had said to His own, " Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.''
' Luke.\xiv. 21.
I Cor. XV. 57 TRACTATE CIV.
Chai'tkr X\TI, I.
I. Before these words, which we are now, with the Lord's help, to make the subject of discourse, Jesus had said, " These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace; " which we are to consider as referring, not to the later words uttered by Him immediately before, but to all that He had addressed to them, whether from the time that He began to account them disciples, or at least from the time after sui)per when He commenced this admirable and lengthened discourse. He gave them, iiuleed, such a reason [Tractate CIV.
for speaking to them, that either all He ever spake to them may with the utmost propriety be referred to that end, or those especially, as His last words, which He now spake when on the eve of dying for them, after that he who was to betray Him had quitted their company. For He gave this as the cause of His discourse, that in Him they might have peace, just as it is wholly on this account that we are Christians. For this peace will have no temporal end, but will itself be the end of every pious intention and action that are ours at present. For its sake we are endowed with His sacraments, for its sake we are instructed by His works and sayings, for its sake we have received the earnest of the Spirit, for its sake we believe and hope in Him, and according to His gracious giving are enkindled with His love: by this peace we are comforted in all our distresses, by it we are delivered from them all: for its sake we endure with fortitude every tribulation, that in it we may reign in happiness without any tribulation. Fitly therewith did He bring His words to a close, which were proverbs to the disciples, who as yet had little understanding, but would afterwards understand them, when He had given them the Holy Spirit of promise, of whom He had said before: These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name. He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.''' Such, doubtless, was to be the hour, wherein He promised that He would no more speak unto them in proverbs, but show them openly of the Father. For these same words of His, when revealed by the Holy Spirit, were no more to be proverbs to those who had understanding. For when the Holy Spirit was speaking in their hearts, there was not to be silence on the part of the only-begotten Son, who had said that in that hour He would show them plainly of the Father, which, of course, would no longer be a proverb to them when now endowed with understanding. But even this also, how it is that both the Son of God and the Holy Spirit speak at once in the hearts of their spiritual ones, yea the Trinity itself, which is ever inseparably at work, is a word to those who have, but a proverb to those who are without, understanding.
2. When, therefore, He had told them on what account He had spoken all things, namely, that in Him they might have peace while having distress in the world, and had exhorted them to be of good cheer, because He had overcome the world; having thus finished His discourse to them. He then directed His words to the Father, and began to pray. For so the evangelist proceeds to say: " These things spake Jesus, and lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: Father, the hour is come; glorify Thy Son." The Lord, the Only-begotten and co-eternal with the Father, could in the form of a servant and out of the form of a servant, if such were needful, pray in silence; but in this other way He wished to show Himself as one who prayed to the Father, that He might remember that He was still our Teacher. Accordingly, the prayer which He offered for us. He made also known to us; seeing that it is not only the delivering of discourses to them by so great a Master, but also the praying for them to the Father, that is a means of edification to disciples. And if so to those who were present to hear what was said, it is certainly so also to us who were to have the reading of it when written. Wherefore in saying this, "Father, the hour is come; glorify Thy Son," He showed that all time, and every occasion when He did anything or suffered anything to be done, were arranged by Him who was subject to no time: since those things, which were individually future in point of time, have their efficient causes in the wisdom of God, wherein there are no distinctions of time. Let it not, then, be supposed that this hour came through any urgency of fate, but rather by the divine appointment. It was no necessary law of the heavenly bodies that tied to its time the passion of Christ; for we may well shrink from the thought that the stars should compel their own Maker to die. It was not the time, therefore, that drove Christ to His death, but Christ who selected the time to die: who also fixed the time, when He was born of the Virgin, with the Father, of whom He was born independently of time. And in accordance with this true and salutary doctrine, the Apostle Paul also says, "But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son; "^ and God declares by the prophet, " In an acceptable time have I heard Thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee; " ^ and yet again the apostle, " Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. "'* He then may say, " Father, the hour is come," who has arranged every hour with the Father: saying, as it were, " Father, the hour,'' which we fixed together for the sake of men and of my glorification among them, " is come, glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee."
3. The glorification of the Son by the 2 Gal. iv. 4.
3 Isa. xlix. 8.
4 2 Cor. vi.: Tractate CV.]
Father is understood by some to consist in this, that He spared Him not, but dehvered Him up for us all.' But if we say that He was glorified by His passion, how much more was He so by His resurrection! For in His passion our attention is directed more to His humility than to His glory, in accordance with the testimony of the apostle, who says, " He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross:" and then he goes on to say of His glorification, " Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father." This is the glorification of our Lord Jesus Christ, that took its commelicement from His resurrection. His humility accordingly begins in the apostle's discourse with the passage where he says, " He emptied Himself, and took upon Him the form of a servant;'' and reaches " even to the death of the cross.'' But His glory begins with the clause where he says, " Wherefore God also hath exalted Him; " and reaches on to the words, " is in the glory of God the Father. "=" For even the noun itself, if the language of the Greek codices be examined, from which the apostolic epistles have been translated into Latin, which in the latter is read, glory, is in the former read, oo^a: whence we have the verb derived in Greek for the purpose of saying here, du^atrir^ (glorify), which the Latin translator renders by " clarifica '' (make illus- I Rom. viii. 32.
-Phil. ii. 7-11. So Augustin, with a few others of the early fathers, incorrectly renders the last clause instead of that given by our English version, which is alone grammatically and textually correct: "That Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory {i\.<i ho^av) of God the Father."-TR.
trious), although he might as well have said '''glorified'' (glorify), which is the same in meaning. And for the same reason, in the apostle's epistle where we find ''gloria," " <:/a;7/a.y " might have been used; for by so doing, the meaning would have been equally preserved. But not to depart from the sound of the words, just as " clarificatio'' (the making lustrous) is derived from " claritas" (lustre), so is " glorijicatio" (the making glorious) from "gloria'' (glory). In order, then, that the Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, might be made lustrous or glorious by His resurrection, He was first humbled by suffering; for had He not died. He would not have risen from the dead. Humility is the earning of glory; glory, the reward of humility. This, however, was done in the form of a servant; but He was always in the form of God, and always shall His glory continue: yea, it was not in the past as if it were no more so in the present, nor shall it be, as if it did not yet exist; but without beginning and without end. His glory is everlasting. Accordingly, when He says, " Father, the hour is come; glorify Thy Son," it is to be understood as if He said. The hour is come for sowing the seed-corn of humility, delay not the fruit of my glory. But what is the meaning of the words that follow: " That Thy Son may glorify Thee"? Was it that God the Father likewise endured the humiliation of the body or of suffering, out of which He must needs be raised to glory? If not, how then was the Son to j glorify Him, whose eternal glory could neither appear diminished through human form, nor be enlarged in the divine? JJut I will not confine such a question within the present discourse, or draw the latter out to greater length by such a discussion.
TRACTATE CV.
Chapter XVII. 1-5.
I. THATtheSon was glorified by the Father I was that the Son glorified the Father, sey-'ing in His form of a servant, wliicii the Father I that the eternal glory of the Father neither raised from the dead and set at His own right sufferctl diminution in any human form, nor hand, is indicated by the event itself, and is could be increased in respect of its own divine nowhere doubted by the Christian. But as perfection. In itself, indeed, the glory of He not only said, " Father, glorify Thy Son," the Father could neither be diminished nor but likewise added, "that Thy Son may glorify Thee," it is worthy of inquiry how it enlarged; but without any doubt it was less among men when God was known only in [Tractate CV,