82. Hence it is that all the Saints, when they advance in the vision of God, the more they view the interior depths of the Divine Nature, see so much the more that they themselves are nothing. For it is no where read that Abraham confessed that he was dust and ashes except when he obtained to enjoy the converse of God. For he 382 Oar Lord is Wisdom essentially and unchangeably. Job 28, says, / have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes. For he would perchance have Proph Gen. 18 <^^iought that he was something, if he had not perceived ^'^' at all the true Essence that is above himself. But when for the contemplating of the Unchangeable One he was transported above himself, being filled with so mighty a power of contemplation, when he saw Him, he saw that he himself was nought but ^ dust.' Hence it is that the Prophet Ps. 103, being filled with the same Wisdom ciieth out, Remember, 14. ixx. ^ Lord, that we are but dust; who again viewing the Ps. 102, unchangeableness of that Essence, saith. Yea, all of them ^'' shall wax old as doth a garme7it, and as a vesture shall Thou change them, and they shall be changed; but Thou art the same, and Thy years shall not fail. Hence it is said to Ex.3, Moses, / AM THAT I AM: Thus shall thou say unto the children of Israel, HE THA T IS hath sent me unto you. For He alone truly IS, Who alone unchangeably continues. For every thing that now is after this way, and now after another way, is near to not being. For to continue in its standing, it is not able. And in some manner there is a going on not to be, whilst from that which was, it is by the enfarings of time ever being led away to some other thing. In order then that in the partaliing of His Body we may be something, let us know and see our own selves, that we are well nigh nothing. Therefore it is well said, Nor shall they be made mention of in com- parison with her; because vessels of gold high and over- topping, which by participation of Wisdom are fit objects of reverence to us, in comparison of Wisdom are not even fit to be made mention of. But because this Wisdom is by secret means poured into the hearts of men, (as it is John 3 likewise said of the Holy Spirit, The wind bloueth where ^' it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell ivhence it cometh, and whither it goeth;) for this reason it is added.
For wisdom is drawn from out of sight.
li. 8;i. ' Wisdom is drawn from out of sight;' because whereas She is invisible, She cannot be found saving in an invisible way. And She is rightly said to be ' drawn' also, because like as we draw the breath, that the body may Error of those who think Christ once mere Mau. 383 live, so from the interior depths of Wisdom the Spirit is Book derived, that the soul may hold on to life. Whence the p — —^ Psalmist says, / opened my inouth, and drew in the spirit. 131. Which very Wisdom, taking human flesh together with^^^^'^^J a rational soul, when It had presented Itself from thediumof.' interior depths close at hand, because this world could not behold its invisible Maker, Him Whom it saw visible Man, it also knew as invisible God as well. The Gentile world was converted from the darkness of its unbelief, being before full of pride by its avertedness; signs and wonders being exhibited, faith gained ground; and the faith being spread abroad, the summit of Holy Church shone forth in reverence with all men. To which same when there were wanting open adversaries, she began to be tried by her own members. For numberless heresies springing up in her, they arrayed against her wars of cruel conflict. For she must be exercised at this time by toiling, who is on the way to her recompensing in that which follows. Whereby it has come to pass that some in her should come forth who should call the Mediator between God and man, the Man Christ Jesus, created mere man, but one by grace made God, and should attribute so much of holiness to him as they knew in the rest of the Saints, the same being His servants. Which persons blessed Job being inspired with the spirit of prophecy, reproves by the laying out of his sentence, saying, Ver. 1 9. The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it.
84. What do we take ' Ethiopia' for, save the present Hi. world, which same by darkness of hue denotes a sinning people in the foulness of its merits. But sometimes by the name of Ethiopia the Gentile world in a special manner is used to be denoted, as being before black by the sins of unbelief Which same on the Lord's coming, the Prophet Habakkuk beheld aflVighted with fear, and says. The tents Hab. 3, of the Ethiopians tremble with dread, the tents of the land '^' of 3Iadian. David also, the Prophet, seeing that the Lord should come for the redeeming of Judfca, but that first the Gentile world should believe, and afterwards Judaea should follow, (as it is written, U7itil the ficlness of the Rom. Gentiles be come in, and so all Israel shall be saved,) says, ]}.' ^^' 384 Manhood in Christ never apart from Godhead.
Job 28, Ethiopia, her hand shall be first to God; i, c. * before that tV— — Judaea believes, the Gentile world beinff black with sins Proph. ' ° Ps. 68, offers itself to Almighty God to be saved.' Now the topaz is a precious stone, and because in the Greek tongue to pan is the word for ' every thing,' on this account, that it shines bright with every colour, it is called * topaz ium,' as if * to- pantium.' But when the Gentile world being turned to God believed^ numbers from out thereof were so enriched with the gift of His Spirit, that as with many colours, so with many virtues they shone bright. But lest any man be lifted up by the virtues he has received, it is now said by the holy man, The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it. As though he said in plain words; ' No one of the Saints, with however many virtues he may be filled, yet as being gathered out of this blackness of the world can equal Him, Lukei, concerning Whom it is written. That holy Thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. For we, though we are made holy, yet are not born holy, because by the mere constitution of a corruptible nature we are tied and bound, that we should say with the Prophet, Behold, I was shapen in wickedness, and in sin hath my mother con- ceived me. But He only is truly born holy, Who in order that He might get the better of that same constitution of a corruptible nature, was not conceived by the combining of carnal conjunction.
85. To this Wisdom as it were a kind of ^ topaz from 1 Nes- Ethiopia wished to equal itself,' when a certain heresiarch ^ ^nus, gaid, ' I do not envy Christ being made God, because, if I wish even I myself may be made so.' Who imagined our Lord Jesus Christ to be God, not by the mystery of His conception, but by the promotion of grace, arguing by mis- construed proofs that He was born simple man, but in order to be God that He had advanced by merit, and on this account reckoning that both himself and any others might be made coequal with Him, which same are made the children of God by grace, not understanding nor minding that the topaz from Ethiopia is not equal to Him. For it is one thing for those born men to receive the grace of adoption, and another for one by the power of Godhead pre- eminently to have come forth God from the very conception.
Our Lord One Person in Two distinct Natures. 385 Neither is it possible that to the glory of the Only-begotten, Book possessed by nature, another glory should be equal, received ' by grace. For the Mediator between God and tnan, the i Tim. Man Christ Jesus, is not as this one raves one person in His ' ' human nature, and another person in the Divine nature. Not conceived and brought forth simple man, did he after- wards obtain of merit that He should be God. But the Angel announcing it, and the Spirit coming, at once the Word in the womb, at once within the womb the Word made flesh, (that unchangeable Essence likewise remaining to Him which He has coeternal together with the Father and the Holy Spirit,) did take upon Him within the bowels of the Virgin that whereby He might both being Impassible suffer passion, and Undying suffer death, and whilst Eternal before the world be a temporal being in the end of the world, that through an unutterable mystery, by a holy conception and an inviolate birth, in accordance with the verity of both natures, the same Virgin should be at once the handmaid and mother of the Lord. For so is it said to her by Elisabeth; Whence is this to me that the mother o/" W2?/ Luke i, Ij)rd should come to me? And the Virgin herself at her con-^^* ception said. Behold the handmaid of the JLord. Be it unto v. 38. me according to thy word. And though He the same Being is one thing from the Father, and another thing from the Virgin, yet He is not one Person from the Father, and another Person from the Virgin. But the same Person is Eternal from the Father and the same a temporal being from the Mother, the same Who made is the same That was made, the same beautiful in form above the children of men in Ps.45,2. respect of the Divine nature, and the same of whom it is written; We saw Him, and there was no shew, and He hath Is. 53, 2. not form nor comeliness, in respect of the human nature. The same before the world from the Father without mother, and the same at the end of the world from the Mother with- out father. The same a Temple, the same the Builder of the Temple. The same the Maker of the work, and the same the Work of the Maker, remaining one Person from both and in both natures, neither being confounded by the conjunction of natures, nor doubled by the distinctness of natures. But because it is not these points that we have VOL. II. c c ^%Q None may CO mfare with Christ. Virtue not man^ shy nature.
Job 28, taken upon us to treat of, let us return to our course of 86. We are to take note that the holy man, in order to shew that the Angels are widely distant from this Wisdom, says, Fine gold shall not he given for it. Which same that he might exhibit the ancient Fathers likewise, dealers with sacred Revelation, as inferior, added. Nor shall silver he weighed in eocchange thereof. Moreover that he might point out that the wisdom of the philosopher is far beneath this Wisdom, he brought in; Nor shall it he compared to the d])ed colours of India* And he subjoined. Nor to the most precious sardonyx stone, nor to the sapphire. Further- more in order that he might shew that in that city Above no one attains to equality with the Only-begotten, he added; The gold or the glass cannot equal it. That he might make it appear that the Prophets likewise were beneath It, he added; Neither shall vessels of gold high and overtopping he exchanged instead of it. Nor shall they he mentioned in comparison with her. For Wisdom is drawn from out of sight. Whilst at the last, that he might rebuke the very heretics in the Church themselves as well, who on coming from the error of,the Gentile world, split through pride the faith which they receive, he added; The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it. As though he taught in plain words, saying; These, who from the blackness of sin come to con- version, cannot equal God-Man, though they may seem to shine bright with many virtues for colours. And that their pride might be thrown over, it is fitly added, Neither shall the purest dyes he hrought into compariso7i. liii. '' ^^- ^^^' t^os^ ^^6 called ' tlie purest dyes' who are genuinely humble, and genuinely holy, who know that from themselves indeed they have not the shew of virtuous attain- ments, but that they hold this by the gift of accessory grace. For they would not be ' dyed,' if they had possessed holiness by nature. But they are ' the purest dyes' because they keep in themselves with humility the superinduced grace of virtues which they have been vouchsafed. Hence it is that it is said by the voice of the Spouse concerning Holy Church; Cant. 6, Who is this that corneth up hlanched? For because Holy ^^' Church has not a heavenly life by nature, but on the Spirit Baptism dyes us bright. God, how seen, how not seen, 387 adding Itself is arrayed with beautifulness of gifts, she is ^5*^, described not as white but as ' blanched.' And observe, that when he said above, Nor shall it he compared to the dyed colours of India, those same colours he did not bring in ' pure;' but in this place that he might distinguish the dye of true virtues from that staining of the philosophers, whilst spealiing of dyes, he added ' the purest.' For those are rightly called ' the purest dyes,' who were aforetime foul through wicked deeds, yet, the Spirit coming upon them, are clothed with the brilliancy of grace, that they should appear to be far other than they were. Whence also * Baptism,' i. e. ' dyeing ^' is the name given to our own descending into the \' tine- water itself. Since we are dyed, and we, who were before unsightly by the deformity of bad habits, on the faith being received are rendered beautiful by grace and the adornment of virtues. It goes on; Ver. 20, 21. Wlience then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding? Seeing that it is hid from the eyes of all living.
88. It deserves to be especially considered, that it is asked liv. by the holy man, whence Wisdom cometh. For It ' comes' from Him from Whom It sprung. Now because It is born of the Invisible and Coeternal Father, the way thereof is hidden. Whence too it is said by the Prophet, And ichol^.^^^^. shall declare His generations? Now ' the place of the un- derstanding of her' is the mind of man, which mind the Wisdom of God when it has filled makes holy. And so because both He is invisible, from Whom It came forth, and it is doubtful to us in whose mind It rests as being under- stood, it is rightly said now. Whence then cometh wisdom"? and ivhere is the place of understanding? But this is very wonderful that it is directly brought in; seeing that it is hidden from the eyes of all living. For if the Wisdom, which is God, had been ' hidden from the eyes of all living,' then surely this Wisdom no one of the Saints would have seen. But see, I hear John agreeing with this sentence, who says. No man hath seen Qod at any time. And again, when 1 1 John look at the Fathers of the Old Testament, I learn that^' ^^' many of those, as the very history of the Sacred Reading is ^.witness, did see God. Thus Jacob saw the Lord, who says, L 388 Moses mid others satv God only hy a semblance.
Job 28, For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. —-—- Moses likewise saw God, of whom it is written, And the 30. Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto ^ X. 33, Jiis friend. This very Job saw the Lord, who says, I have Job 42, heard of Thee hy the hearing of the ear; hut now mine eye Is. 6 \,^f^^l^^ Thee. Isaiah saw the Lord, who saith, In the year that king XJzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne 1 Y^\^^,%high and lifted up. Michaiah saw the Lord, who saith, / ' * saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right hand and on His left. What does it mean then that so many Fathers of the Old Testament have vvitnessed that they have seen God, and yet concerning this Wisdom, which is God, it is said. Seeing that it is hid. from the eyes of all living? And John saith. No man hath seen God at any time. Seeing this, which is plainly given us to understand, that so long as we live here a mortal life, God may be seen by certain semblances, but by the actual appearance of His Nature He cannot be seen, so that the soul being inspired with the grace of the Spirit should by certain figures behold God, but not attain to the actual power of His Essence? For hence it is that Jacob, who bears witness that he had seen God, saw Him not save in an Angel. Hence it is that Moses who ' talked with God face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend,' Ex. 33, ii^ the midst of the very words of his speaking, says, If, ^- / have found grace in Thy sight, shew Thyself manifestly ' Shew to me, that I may see Thee. For assuredly if it were not me 'Lhy Q_^^ ^\\h whom he was talkino^, he would have said, ' Shew me God,' and not ' Shew^ me Thyself.' But if it was God, with Whom he was speaking ' face to face,' wherefore did he pray to see Him, Whom he was seeing } But from this requesting of his, it is inferred that Him he was athirst to perceive in the brightness of His Incomprehensible nature, Whom he had already begun to see by certain semblances, that so the heavenly Essence might be present to the eyes of his mind, in order that for the vision of Eternity there might not be interposed to him any created semblance with the circumstances of time. And so the Fathers of the Old Testament saw the Lord, and yet according to the voice of John, No man hath seen God at any time; and according God never seen by arty that live to the world. 389 to the sentence of blessed Job, the Wisdom Which is God Book XVIII. is ' hid from the eyes of all living,' because by persons ' settled in this mortal life He was both able to be seen in certain comprehensible images, and not able to be seen in ' the Incomprehensible Light of Eternity.
89. But if it is so, that by some while still living in this corruptible flesh, yet growing in incalculable power by a certain piercingness of contemplation, the Eternal Brightness is able to be seen, this too is not at variance with the sentence of blessed Job, who says, Seeing that it is hid from the eyes of all living; because he that sees ' Wisdom,' Which is God, wholly and entirely dies to this life, that henceforth he should not be held by the love thereof. For no one has seen Her, who still lives in a carnal way, because no man can embrace God and the world at one and the same time. He who sees God dies by the mere circumstance alone, that either by the bent of the interior, or by the carrying out of practice, he is separated with all his mind from the gratifications of this life. Hence yet further it is said to that same Moses too; For there shall no man see Ex. 33, 20 20 Me, and live. As though it were plainly expressed, ' No man ever at any time sees God spiritually and lives to the world carnally.' Hence Paul the Apostle too, w^ho as yet had learnt the invisible things of God, as he himself testifies, in part, related that henceforth he was dead all over to this i Cor. world, saying. By Whom the world is crucified unto me, and ^ \ ^ I unto the world. For as we have already said far above, it 14. is not enough for him to say, / am crucified to the world, except he also first out with, The world is crucified to me, that he might not only bear witness that he was dead to the world, but also that the world was dead to himself, so that neither he himself should covet the world, nor the world henceforth covet him. For if perchance there be two in one place, of whom one is alive, and the other dead, though the dead person does not see the living, yet the live one does see the dead. Now the Preacher of God, in order that he might shew that by the abasement whereby he had cast himself down in humbling himself he was now become such, that neither he himself longed after the world, nor the world after him; not only says that he was crucified 390 God seen in His Essence by Saints and An (/els. Job 28, to the world, that he himself as one dead should not see PRoii' *^® g^<^^y of the world, that he might long after, but likewise declared the world crucified to him, wherein he had cast himself down to the ground with such humility, that the world itself likewise, as if dead to him, could not now at all see Paul as being humble and despised.
90. But we are to know that there were some persons, who said that even in that region of blessedness God is beheld indeed in His Brightness, but far from beheld in His Nature. Which persons surely too little exactness of enquiry deceived. For not to that simple and unchangeable Essence is Brightness one thing, and Nature another; but Its very Nature is to It Brightness, and the very Bright- ness is Nature. For that to Its votaries the Wisdom of God should one day display Itself, He Himself pledges Johni4, His word, saying. He that loveth 3Ie, shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him. As though He said in plain terms, ' Ye who see Me in your nature, it remains that ye should see Me in Matt 6, ]\j^ine own nature.' Hence He says again; Blessed are iCor. the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Hence Paul 13, 12. says. For now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face; now I know in part, then shall I know even as also I am known.
91. But because it is said concerning God by the first 1 Pet. 1, preacher of the Church, Whom the Angels desire to look upon, there are some who imagine that even the Angels never see God; and yet we know that it is spoken by a Mat. 18, sentence of Truth, In heaven their Angels do always behold ^^' the face of My Father, Which is in heaven. Does, then. Truth sound one thing and the preacher of truth another? But if both sentences be compared together, it is ascertained, that they are not at all at variance with one another. For the Angels at once see and desire to see God, and thirst to behold and do behold. For if they so desire to see Him that they never at all enjoy the carrying out of their desire, desire has anxiety without fruit, and anxiety has punishment. But the blessed Angels are far removed from all punishment of anxiety, because never can punishment and blessedness meet in one. Again, when we say that these Angels are Desire and satisfaction abide together in Heaven. 391 satisfied vvitli the vision of God, because the Psahiiist too Book says, / shall he satisfied ichen I awake with Thy likeness,^ --' we are to consider that upon satisfying there follows dis- 15. gust. So then, that the two may rightly agree together, let Truth say, that they aUcays see; and let the excellent Preacher say, that they always desire to see. For that there be not anxiety in desire, in desiring they are satisfied, and that there be not disgust in their satisfying, whilst being satisfied they desire. And therefore they desire without suffering, because desire is accompanied by satisfying. And they are satisfied without disgust, because the very satisfying itself is ever being inflamed by desire. So also shall we too one day be, when w^e shall come to the fountain of life. There shall be delightfully stamped upon us at one and the same time a thirsting and a satisfying. But from the thirsting necessity is far absent, and disgust far from that satisfying, because at once in thirsting we shall be satisfied, and in being satisfied we shall thirst. Therefore we shall see God, and it shall be the very reward of our labour, that after the darkness of this mortal state we should be made glad by His light being approached unto.
92. But when we talk of His light being approached, that presents itself to the mind which Paul says, Dwelling 1 Tim. in the light which no man can approach unto, Whom?io man ' ' hath seen, nor can see. And again, I hear what the Psahnist says; Approach unto Him, and be enlightened. How thenPs.34,5. by approaching are we enlightened, if we see not the very Light by which we are able to be enlightened? But if by approaching to Him we see the very Light w^hereby we are enlightened, how is it declared to be unapproachable? Wherein it deserves to be considered that he called it unap- proachable, but to every man that minds the things of men. Since sacred Scripture is used to mark all the followers of carnal things with the designation of the being ' men.' Whence the same Apostle says to certain persons at strife. For 1 Cor. wJiereas there is among you envying and strife and divisions,^ ^' ^' are ye not carnal, and walk as men? To which he soon afterwards appends, Are ye not men i And hence he else- where brought forward the testimony; Eye hath not seen,^ Cor.
392 God revealed to those who * walk'' not ^ as men.'' Job 28, 7Wr ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man p-^ — - the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. And when he had described this as hidden from ' men,' he 1 Cor. 2,21 j(je(^ directly, But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit; separating his own self from the designation of ' man' in that having been transported above man he now tasted what is divine. So also in this place, when he told of the light of God being unapproachable, that he might shew to what persons unapproachable, he added. Whom 7io man hath seen, no nor can see. After his manner calling * men' all whose taste is for things of man. Because they who have a taste for what is divine, are doubtless above men. Therefore we shall see God, if by a heavenly conver- sation we obtain to be above men. Not yet that we shall so see Him as He Himself sees His very own Self. For the Creator sees Himself in a way far unlike to that in which the creature sees the Creator. For as to the unmeasurableness of God there is a certain measure of contemplation set to us, because we are limited by the mere weight that we are a creature.