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ST. AUGUSTINE

SERMONS (91-100) ON SELECTED LESSONS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.

[Translated by Rev. R. G. MacMullen.
Edited by Philip Schaff, D.D., LL.D.]

SERMON XLI.

[XCI. BENEDICTINE EDITION.]

ON THE WORDS OF THE GOSPEL, MATT. XXII. 42, WHERE THE LORD ASKS THE JEWS
WHOSE SON THEY SAID DAVID WAS.

 1. WHEN the Jews were asked (as we have just now heard out of the Gospel
when it was being read), how our Lord Jesus Christ, whom David himself
called his Lord was David's Son, they were not able to answer. For what
they saw in the Lord, that they knew. For He appeared to them as the Son of
man; but as the Son of God He was hidden. Hence it was, that they believed
that He could be overcome, and that they derided Him as He hung upon the
Tree, saying, "If He be the Son of God, let Him come down from the Cross,
and we will believe on Him."(6) They saw one part of what He was, they knew
not the other, "For had they known Him, they would not have crucified the
Lord of glory."(7) Yet they knew that the Christ was to be the Son of
David. For even now they hope that He will come. They know not that He is
come already, but this their ignorance is voluntary. For even if they did
not acknowledge Him on the tree, they ought not to have failed to
acknowledge Him on His Throne. For in whose Name are all nations called and
blessed, but in His whom they think not to have been the Christ? For this
Son of David, that is, "of the seed of David according to the flesh," is
the Son of Abraham. Now if it was said to Abraham, "In thy seed shall all
nations be blessed;"(8) and they see now that in our Christ are all nations
blessed, why wait they for what is already come, and fear not that which is
yet to come? for our Lord Jesus Christ, making use of a prophetic testimony
to assert His authority, called Himself "the Stone." Yea such a stone,
"that whosoever shall stumble against it shall be shaken; but on whomsoever
it shall fall, it shall grind him to powder."(9) For when this stone is
stumbled against, it lieth low; by lying low, it "shaketh" him that
stumbleth against it; being lifted on high, by its coming down it
"grindeth" the proud "to powder." Already therefore are the Jews "shaken"
by that stumbling; it yet remains that by His Glorious Advent they should
be "ground to powder" also, unless peradventure whilst they are yet alive,
they acknowledge Him that they die not. For God is patient, and inviteth
them day by day to the Faith.

 2. But when the Jews could not answer the Lord proposing a question, and
asking "whose Son they said Christ was;" and they answered, "the Son of
David;(10) He goes on with the further question put to them, "How then doth
David in spirit call Him Lord, saying, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou
on My right hand till I make Thine enemies My footstool. If David then," He
saith," in spirit call Him Lord, how is He his Son?"(11) He did not say,
"He is not his Son, but how is He his son?" When he saith "How," it is a
word not of negation, but of enquiry; as though He should say to them, "Ye
say well indeed that Christ is David's Son, but David himself doth call Him
Lord; whom he then calleth Lord, how is He his Son?" Had the Jews been
instructed in the Christian faith, which we hold; had they not closed their
hearts against the Gospel, had they wished to have spiritual life in them,
they would, as instructed in the faith of the Church, have made answer to
this question and said, "Because in the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God and the Word was God:"(1) see how He is David's Lord. But
because "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us;"(2) see how He is
David's Son. But as being ignorant, they were silent, nor when they shut
their mouths did they open their ears, that what they could not answer when
questioned, they might after instruction know.

 3. But seeing that is a great thing to know the mystery how He is David's
Son and David's Lord: how one Person is both Man and God; how in the forth
of Man He is less than the Father, in the form of God equal with the
Father; how again He saith, on the one hand, "The Father is greater than
I;"(3) and on the other, "I and My Father are one;"(4) seeing this is a
great mystery,(5) our conduct must be fashioned, that it may be
comprehended. For to the unworthy is it closed up, it is opened to those
who are meet for it. It is not with stones, or clubs, or the fist, or the
heel, that we knock unto the Lord. It is the life which knocks, it is to
the life that it is opened. The seeking is with the heart, the asking is
with the heart, the knocking is with the heart, the opening is to the
heart. Now that heart which asks rightly, and knocks and seeks rightly,
must be godly. Must first love God for His Own sake (for this is
godliness); and not propose to itself any reward which it looks for from
Him other than God Himself. For than Him is there nothing better. And what
precious thing can he ask of God, in whose sight God Himself is lightly
esteemed? He giveth earth, and thou rejoicest, thou lover of the earth, who
art thyself become earth. If when He giveth earthly goods, thou dost
rejoice, how much more oughtest thou to rejoice when He giveth thee
Himself, who made heaven and earth? So then God must be loved for His own
sake. For the Devil not knowing what was passing in the heart of holy Job,
brought this as a great charge against him, saying, "Doth Job worship God
for His Own sake."(6)

 4. So then if the adversary brought this charge, we ought to fear lest it
be brought against us. I For with a very slanderous accuser have we to
deal. If he seek to invent what is not, how much more will he seek to
object what really is. Nevertheless let us rejoice, that ours is such a
Judge, as cannot be deceived by our accuser. For if we had a man for our
judge, the enemy might invent for him what he would. For none is more
subtle in invention than the devil. For he it is who at this time also
invents all false accusations against the saints. He knows his accusations
can have no avail with God, and so He scatters them among men. Yet what
does this profit him, seeing the Apostle says, "Our glorying is this, the
testimony of our conscience?"(7) Yet think ye that he does not invent these
false charges with aught of subtlety? Yes, well he knows what evil he shall
work thereby, if the watchfulness of faith resist him not. For for this
reason scatters he his evil charges against the good, that the weak may
think that there are no good, and so may give themselves up to be hurried
along, and made a prey of by their lusts, whilst they say within
themselves, "For who is there that keeps the commandments of God, or who is
there that preserves chastity?" and whilst he thinks that no one does, he
himself becomes that no one. This then is the devil's art. But such a man
was Job, that he could not invent any such charge against him; for his life
was too well known and manifest. But because he had great riches, he
brought that against him, which if it had any existence, might lie in the
heart, and not appear in the conduct. He worshipped God, he gave alms; and
with what heart he did this none knew, no not the Devil himself; but God
had known. God giveth His testimony to His own servant; the Devil
calumniates the servant of God. He is allowed to be tried, Job is proved,
the Devil is confounded. Job is found to worship God for His Own sake, to
love Him for His Own sake; not because He gave him ought, but because He
did not take away Himself. For he said, "The Lord gave, the Lord hath taken
away; as it seemed good to the Lord, so is it done, blessed be the Name of
the Lord."(8) The fire of temptation approached him; but it found him gold,
not stubble; it cleared away the dross from it, but did not reduce it to
ashes.

 5. Because then, in order to understand the mystery(5) of God, how Christ
is both man and God, the heart must be cleansed: and it is cleansed by a
good conversation, by a pure life? by chastity, and sanctity, and love, and
by "faith, which worketh by love"(10) (now all this that I am speaking of,
is, as it were, the tree which hath its root in the heart; for it is only
from the root of the heart that actions proceed; in which if thou plant
desire, thorns spring forth; if thou plant charity, good fruit): the Lord,
after that question which He had proposed to the Jews, when they were not
able to answer it, immediately went on to speak of good actions, that He
might show why they were unworthy to understand what He asked them. For
when those proud and wretched men were not able to answer, they ought of
course to. have said, "we do not know; Master, tell us." But no: they were
speechless at the proposing of the question, and they opened not their
mouth to seek instruction. And so the Lord in reference to their pride said
immediately, "Beware of the Scribes which love the chief seats in the
synagogues, and the first rooms at feasts."(1) Not because they hold them,
but because they love them. For in these words he accused their heart. Now
none can accuse the heart, but He who can inspect it. For meet it is that
to the servant of God, who holds some post of honour in the Church, the
first place should be assigned; because if it were not given him, it were
evil for him who refuses to give it; but yet it is no good to him to whom
it is given. It is meet and right then that in the congregation of
Christians their Prelates(2) should sit in eminent place, that by their
very seat they may be distinguished, and that their office may be duly
marked; yet not so that they should be puffed up for their seat; but that
they should esteem it a burden, for which they are to render an account.
But who knows whether they love this, or do not love it? This is a matter
of the heart, it can have no other judge but God. Now the Lord Himself
warned His disciples, that they should not fall into this leaven; as He
calls it in another place, "Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees and of
the Sadducees."(3) And when they supposed that He said this to them because
they had brought no bread; He answered them, "Have ye forgotten how many
thousands were filled with the five loaves? Then understood they," it is
said, "that He called their doctrine leaven."(4) For these present temporal
good things they loved, but they neither feared the evil things eternal,
nor loved the good things eternal. And so their hearts being closed, they
could not understand what the Lord asked them.

 6. But what then has the Church of God to do, that it may be able to
understand what it has first obtained s grace to believe? It must make the
mind capacious for receiving what shall be given it. And that this may be
done, that the mind, that is, may be capacious, our Lord God suspends His
promises, He has not taken them away. Therefore does He suspend them, that
we may stretch out ourselves; and therefore do we stretch ourselves out,
that we may grow; and therefore do we grow, that we may reach them. Behold
the Apostle Paul stretching himself out unto these suspended promises: "Not
as though I had already attained, either were already perfect. Brethren, I
count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do; forgetting
those things which are behind, and stretching forth unto those things which
are before, I press earnestly toward the mark for the prize of the high
calling of God in Christ Jesus."(6) He was running on the earth; the prize
hung suspended from heaven. He ran then on the earth; but in spirit he
ascended. Behold him thus stretching himself out, behold him hanging forth
after the suspended prize. "I press on," he says, "for the prize of the
high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

 7. We must journey on then, yet for this no need of anointing the feet,
or looking out for beasts, or providing a vessel. Run with the heart's
affection, journey on with. love, ascend by charity. Why seekest thou for
the way? Cleave unto Christ, who by Descending and Ascending hath made
Himself the Way. Dost thou wish to ascend? Hold fast to Him that ascendeth.
For by thine own self thou canst not rise. "For no man hath ascended up to
heaven, but He that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man which is in
heaven."(7) If no one ascendeth but He that descended, that is, the Son of
Man, our Lord Jesus, dost thou wish to ascend also? Be then a member of Him
who Only hath ascended. For He the Head, with all the members, is but One
Man. And since no one can ascend, but he who in His Body is made a member
of Him; that is fulfilled, "that no man hath ascended, but He that
descended." For thou canst not say," Lo, why hath Peter, for instance,
ascended, why hath Paul ascended, why have the Apostles ascended, if no one
hath ascended, but He that descended?" The answer to this is, "What do
Peter, and Paul, and the rest of the Apostles, and all the faithful, what
do they hear from the Apostle? 'Now ye are the Body of Christ, and members
in particular.'(8) If then the Body of Christ and His members belong to
One, do not thou make two of them. For He left 'father and mother, and
clave to his wife, that two might be one flesh.'(9) He left His Father, in
that here He did not show Himself as equal with the Father; but 'emptied
Himself, taking the form of a servant.'(10) He left His mother also, the
synagogue of which He was born after the flesh. He clave to His Wife, that
is, to His Church. Now in the place where Christ Himself brought forward
this testimony, He showed that the marriage bond might not be dissolved:
'Have ye not read,' said He, 'that God which made them at the beginning,
made them male and female; and said, They twain shall be in one flesh? What
therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.'(11) And what
is the meaning of 'They twain shall be in one flesh'? He goes on to say;
'Wherefore they are no more twain but one flesh.' Thus 'no man hath
ascended, but He that descended.'"(7)

8. For that ye may know, that the Bridegroom and the Bride are One
according to the Flesh of Christ, not according to His Divinity (for
according to His Divinity we cannot be what He is; seeing that He is the
Creator, we the creature; He the Maker, we His work; He the Framer, we
framed by Him; but in order that we might be one with Him in Him, He
vouchsafed to be our Head, by taking of us flesh wherein to die for us);
that ye may know then that this whole is One Christ, He said by Isaiah, "He
hath bound a mitre on me as a bridegroom, and clothed me with ornaments as
a bride."(1) He is then at once the Bridegroom and the Bride. That is, the
Bridegroom in Himself as the Head, the Bride in the body. "For they twain,"
saith He, "shall be in one flesh; so now they are no more twain, but one
flesh."

 9. Seeing then that we are of His members, in order that we may
understand this mystery as I have said, Brethren, let us live holily, let
us love God for His Own sake. Now He who showeth to us while in our
pilgrimage the form of a servant, reserveth for those that reach their
country the form of God. With the form of a servant hath He laid down the
way, with the form of God He hath prepared the home. Seeing then that it is
a hard matter for us to comprehend this, but no hard matter to believe it;
for Isaiah says, "Unless ye believe ye shall not understand;"(2) let us
"walk by faith as long as we are in pilgrimage from the Lord, till we come
to sight where we shall see face to face."(3) As walking by faith, let us
do good works. In these good works, let there be a free love of God for His
Own sake, and an active(4) love of our neighbour. For we have nothing we
can do for God; but because we have something we may do for our neighbour,
we shall by our good offices to the needy, gain His favour who is the
source of all abundance.(5) Let every one then do what he can for others;
let him freely bestow upon the needy of his superfluity. One has money; let
him feed the poor, let him clothe the naked, let him build a church, let
him do with his money all the good he can. Another has good counsel; let
him guide his neighbour, let him by the light of holiness drive away the
darkness of doubting. Another has learning; let him draw out of this store
of the Lord, let him minister food to his fellow-servants, strengthen the
faithful, recall the wandering, seek the lost, do all the good he can.
Something there is, which even the poor may deal out to one another; let
one lend feet to the lame, another give his own eyes to guide the blind;
another visit the sick, another bury the dead. These are things which all
may do, so that in a word it would be hard  to find one who has not some
means of doing good to others. And last of all comes that important duty
which the Apostle speaks of; "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so shall
ye fulfil the law of Christ."(6)

SERMON XLII.

[XCII. BEN.]

ON THE SAME WORDS OF THE GOSPEL, MATT. XXII. 42.

 1. THE question which was proposed to the Jews, Christians ought to
solve. For the Lord  Jesus Christ, who proposed it to the Jews, did not
solve it Himself, to the Jews, I mean, He  did not, but to us He hath
solved it. I will put you in remembrance, Beloved, and ye will find that He
hath solved it. But first consider the knot of the question. He asked the
Jews what they "thought of Christ, whose Son He was to be;" for they too
look for the Christ. They read of Him in the Prophets, they expected Him to
come, when He was come they killed Him; for where they read that Christ
would come, there did they read that they should kill Christ. But His
future coming they hoped for in the Prophets; for they did not see their
future crime. He therefore so questioned them about the Christ, not as if
about One who was unknown to them, or whose Name they had never heard, or
whose coming they, had never hoped for. For they err in that even yet they
hope for Him. And we indeed hope for Him too; but we hope for Him as One
who is to come as Judge, not to be judged. For the Holy Prophets prophesied
both, that He should come first to be judged unrighteously, that He should
come afterwards to judge with righteousness. "What think ye," then, saith
he, "of Christ? whose Son is He? They answered Him, The Son of David."(7)
And this was entirely according to the Scriptures. But He said, "How then
doth David in spirit call Him Lord, saying, The Lord said unto My Lord, Sit
Thou on My right hand, till I make Thine enemies Thy footstool. If David
then in spirit call Him Lord, how is He his Son?"(8)

 2. Here then is need of a caution, lest Christ be thought to have denied
that He was the Son of David. He did not deny that He was the Son of David,
but He enquired the way. "Ye have said that Christ is the Son of David, I
do not deny it; but David calls Him Lord; tell me how is He his Son, who is
also his Lord; tell me how?" They did not tell Him, but were silent. Let us
then tell by the explanation of Christ Himself. Where? By His Apostle. But
first, whereby do we prove that Christ hath Himself explained it? The
Apostle says, "Would ye receive a proof of Christ who speaketh in me ?"(1)
So then in the Apostle hath He vouchsafed to solve this question. In the
first place, what said Christ speaking by the Apostle to Timothy? "Remember
that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according
to my Gospel."(2) See, Christ is the Son of David. How is He also David's
Lord? Tell us, O Apostle: "who being in the form of God, thought it not
robbery to be equal with God." Acknowledge David's Lord. If thou
acknowledge David's Lord, our Lord, the Lord of heaven and earth, the Lord
of the Angels, equal with God, in the form of God, how is He David's Son?
Mark what follows. The Apostle shows thee David's Lord by saying, "Who
being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God." And
how is He David's Son? "But He emptied Himself, taking the form of a
servant, being made in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a
man, He humbled Himself, having become obedient unto death, even the death
of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him."(3) Christ "of
the seed of David," the Son of David, rose again because "He emptied
Himself." How did He "empty Himself"? By taking that which He was not, not
by losing that which He was. He "emptied Himself," He "humbled himself."
Though He was God, He appeared as man. He was despised as He walked on
earth, He who made the heaven. He was despised as though a mere man, as
though of no power. Yea, not despised only, but slain moreover. He was that
stone that lay on the ground, the Jews stumbled against it, and were
shaken. And what doth He Himself say? "Whosoever shall fall on this stone
shall be shaken, but on whomsoever it shall fall, it shall grind him to
powder."(4) First, He lay low, and they stumbled against Him; He shall come
from above, and He will "grind" them that have been shaken "to powder."

 3. Thus have ye heard that Christ is both David's Son, and David's Lord:
David's Lord always, David's Son in time: David's Lord, born of the
substance of His Father, David's Son, born of the Virgin Mary, conceived by
the Holy Ghost. Let us hold fast both. The one of them will be our eternal
habitation, the other is our deliverance from our present exile. For unless
our Lord Jesus Christ had vouchsafed to become man, man had perished. He
was made that which He made, that what He made might not perish. Very Man,
Very God; God and man whole Christ. This is the Catholic faith. Whoso
denieth that Christ is God is a Photinian;(5) whoso denieth that Christ is
man is a Manichaean.(6) Whoso confesseth that Christ is God equal with the
Father and very man, that He truly suffered, truly shed His blood (for the
Truth would not have set us free, if He had given a false price for us);
whoso confesseth both, is a Catholic. He hath the country, he hath the way.
He hath the country, "In the beginning was the Word;"(7) He hath the
country, "Being in the form of God, He thought it not robbery to be equal
with God."(8) He hath the way, "The Word was made flesh;"(9) He hath the
way, "He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant."(10) He is the home
whither we are going, He is the way whereby we go. Let us by Him go unto
Him, and we shall not go astray.

SERMON XLIII.

[XCIII. BEN.]

ON THE WORDS OF THE GOSPEL, MATT. XXV. I, "THEN SHALL THE KINGDOMOF HEAVEN
BE LIKENED UNTO TEN VIRGINS."

 1. Ye who were present yesterday remember my promise; which with the
Lord's assistance is to be made good to-day, not to you only, but to the
many others also who have come together. It is no easy question, who the
ten virgins are, of whom five are wise, and five foolish. Nevertheless,
according to the context of this passage which i have wished should be read
again to you to-day, Beloved, I do not think, as far as the Lord vouchsafes
to give me understanding, that this parable or similitude relates to those
women only who by a peculiar and more excellent sanctity are called Virgins
in the Church, whom by a more usual term we are wont also to call, "The
Religious;"(11) but if I mistake not this parable relates to the whole
Church.(12) But though we should understand it of those only who are called
"the Religious," are they but ten? God forbid that so great a company of
virgins should be reduced to so small a number! But perhaps one may say,
"But what if though they be so many in outward profession, yet in truth
they are so few, that scarce ten can be found!" It is not so. For if he had
meant that the good virgins only should be understood by the ten, He would
not have represented five foolish ones among them. For if this is the
number of the virgins which are called, why are the doors of the great
house shut against five?

 2. So then let us understand, dearly Beloved, that this parable relates
to us all, that is, to the whole Church together, not to the Clergy only of
whom we spoke yesterday; nor to the laity only; but generally to all. Why
then are the Virgins five and five? These five and five virgins are all
Christian souls together. But that I may tell you what by the Lord's
inspiration I think, it is not souls of every sort, but such souls as have
the Catholic faith, and seem to have good works in the Church of God; and
yet even of them, "five are wise, and five are foolish." First then let us
see why they are called "five," and why "virgins," and then let us consider
the rest. Every soul in the body is therefore denoted(2) by the number
five, because it makes use of five senses. For there is nothing of which we
have perception by the body, but by the five folded gate, either by the
sight, or the hearing, or the smelling, or the tasting, or the touching.
Whoso then abstaineth from unlawful seeing, unlawful hearing, unlawful
smelling, unlawful tasting, and unlawful touching, by reason of his
uncorruptness(3) hath gotten the name of virgin.

 3. But if it be good to abstain from the unlawful excitements of the
senses, and on that account every Christian soul has gotten the name of
virgin why are five admitted and five rejected? They are both virgins, and
yet are rejected. It is not enough that they are virgins; and that they
have lamps. They are virgins, by reason of abstinence from unlawful
indulgence of the senses; they have lamps, by reason of good works. Of
which good works the Lord saith," Let your works shine before men, that
they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in
heaven."(4) Again He saith to His disciples, "Let your loins be girded and
your lamps burning."(5) In the "girded loins" is virginity; in the "burning
lamps" good works.

 4. The title of virginity is not usually applied to married persons: yet
even in them there is a virginity of faith, which produces wedded chastity.
For that you may know, Holy Brethren, that every one; every soul, as
touching the soul, and that uncorruptness of faith by which abstinence from
things unlawful is practised, and by which good works are done, is not
unsuitably called "a virgin;" the whole Church which consists of virgins,
and boys, and married men and married women, is by one name called a
Virgin. Whence prove we this? Hear the Apostle saying, not to the religious
women only but to the whole Church together; "I have espoused you to One
Husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ."(6) And
because the devil, the corrupter of this virginity, is to be guarded
against, after the Apostle had said, "I have espoused you to one husband,
that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ;"he subjoined, "But I
fear, lest as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds
should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ."(7) Few have
virginity in the body; in the heart all ought to have it. If then
abstinence from what is unlawful be good, whereby it has received the name
of virginity, and good works are praiseworthy, which are signified by the
lamps; why are five admitted and five rejected? If there be a virgin, and
one who carries lamps, who yet is not admitted; where shall he see himself,
who neither preserveth a virginity from things unlawful, and who not
wishing to have good works walketh in darkness?

 5. Of these then, my Brethren, yea, of these let us the rather treat. He
who will not see what is evil, he who will not hear what is evil, he that
turneth away his smell from the unlawful fumes, and his taste from the
unlawful food of the sacrifices, he who refuseth the embrace of another
man's wife, breaketh his bread to the hungry, bringeth the stranger into
his house, clotheth the naked, reconcileth the litigious, visiteth the
sick, burieth the dead;he surely is a virgin, surely he hath lamps. What
seek we more? Something yet I seek. What seekest thou yet, one will say?
Something yet I seek; the Holy Gospel hath set me on the search. It hath
said that even of these, virgins, and carrying lamps, some are wise and
some foolish. By what do we see this? By what make the distinction? By the
oil. Some great, some exceedingly great thing doth this oil signify.
Thinkest thou that it is not charity? This we say as searching out what it
is; we hazard no precipitate judgment. I will tell you why charity seems to
be signified by the oil. The Apostle says, "I show unto you a way above the
rest."(8) Though I speak with the tongues of men and of Angels, and have
not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal."(9) This,
that is "charity," is "that way above the rest," which is with good reason
signified by the oil. For oil swims above all liquids. Pour in water, and
pour in oil upon it, the oil will swim above. Pour in oil, pour in water
upon it, the oil will swim above. If you keep the usual order, it will be
uppermost;(10) if you change the order, it will be uppermost. "Charity
never falleth."(11)

 6. What is it then, Brethren? Let us treat now of the five wise and the
five foolish virgins. They wished to go to meet the Bridegroom. What is the
meaning of "to go and meet the Bridegroom"? To go with the heart, to be
waiting for his coming. But he tarried. "While he tarries, they all slept."
What is "all"? Both the foolish and the wise, "all slumbered and slept."
Think we is this sleep good? What is this sleep? Is it that at the tarrying
of the Bridegroom, "because iniquity aboundeth, the love of many waxeth
cold"? Are we to understand this sleep so? I like it not. I will tell you
why. Because among them are the wise virgins; and certainly when the Lord
said, "Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold;" He
went on to say, "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be
saved."(1) Where would ye have those wise virgins be? Are they not among
those that "shall endure unto the end"? They would not be admitted within
at all, Brethren, for any other reason, than because they have "endured
unto the end." No coldness of love then crept over them, in them love did
not wax cold; but preserves its glow even unto the end. And because it
glows even unto the end, therefore are the gates of the Bridegroom opened
to them; therefore are they told to enter in, as that excellent servant,
"Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."(2)What then is the meaning of they
"all slept"?(3) There is another sleep which no one escapes. Remember ye
not the Apostle saying, "But I would not have you to be ignorant. brethren,
concerning them which are asleep,"(4) that is, concerning them which are
dead? For why are they called "they which are asleep," but because they are
in their own day? Therefore "they all slept." Thinkest thou that because
one is wise, he has not therefore to die? Be the virgin foolish, or be she
wise, all suffer equally the sleep of death.

 7. But men continually say to themselves, "Lo, the day of judgment is
coming now, so many evils are happening, so many tribulations thicken;
behold all things which the Prophets have spoken, are well-nigh fulfilled;
the day of judgment is already at hand." They who speak thus, and speak in
faith, go out as it were with such thoughts to "meet the Bridegroom." But,
lo! war upon war, tribulation upon tribulation, earthquake upon earthquake,
famine upon famine, nation against nation, and still the Bridegroom comes
not yet. Whilst then He is expected to come, all they who are saying, "Lo,
He is coming, and the Day of Judgment will find us here," fall asleep.
Whilst they are saying this, they fall asleep. Let each one then have an
eye to this his sleep, and persevere even unto his sleep in love; let sleep
find him so waiting. For suppose that he has fallen asleep. "Will not He
who fails asleep afterwards rise again?"(5) Therefore "they all slept;"
both of the wise and the foolish virgins in the parable, it is said, "they
all slept."

8. "Lo, at midnight there was a cry made."(6) What is, "at midnight"? When
there is no expectation, no belief at all of it. Night is put for
ignorance. A man makes as it were a calculation with himself: "Lo, so many
years have passed since Adam, and the six thousand years are being
completed, and then immediately according to the computation of certain
expositors, the Day of Judgment will come;" yet these calculations come and
pass away, and still the coming of the Bridegroom is delayed, and the
virgins who had gone to meet him sleep. And, lo, when He is not looked for,
when men are saying, "The six thousand years were waited for, and, Io, they
are gone by, how then shall we know when He will come?" He will come at
midnight. What is, "will come at midnight"? Will come when thou art not
aware. Why will He come when thou art not aware of it? Hear the Lord
Himself, "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Lord
hath put in His own power."(7) "The day of the Lord," says the Apostle,
"will come as a thief in the night."(8) Therefore watch thou by night that
thou be not surprised by the thief. For the sleep of death--will ye, or
nill ye--it will come.

9. "But when that cry was made at midnight." What cry was this, but that
of which the Apostle says, "In the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump"?
"For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible,
and we shall be changed"?(9) And so when the cry was made at midnight,
"Behold, the Bridegroom cometh;" what follows? "Then all those virgins
arose." What is, "they" all arose? "The hour will come," said the Lord
Himself, "when all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall
come forth."(10) Therefore at the last trumpet they all arose. "Now those
wise virgins had brought oil with them in their vessels; but the foolish
brought no oil with them."(11) What is the meaning of "brought no oil with
them in their vessels"? What is "in their vessels"? In their hearts. Whence
the Apostle says, "Our glorying is this, the testimony of our
conscience."(12) There is the oil, the precious oil; this oil is of the
gift of God. Men can put oil into their vessels, but they cannot create the
olive. See, I have oil; but didst thou create the oil? It is of the gift of
God. Thou hast oil. Carry it with thee. What is "carry it with thee"? Have
it within, there please thou God.

 10. For, Io, those "foolish virgins, who brought no oil with them," wish
to please men by that abstinence of theirs whereby they are called virgins,
and by their good works, when they seem to carry lamps. And if they wish to
please men, and on that account do all these praiseworthy works, they do
not carry oil with them. Do you then carry it with thee, carry it within
where God seeth; there carry the testimony of thy conscience. For he who
walks to gain the testimony of another, does not carry oil with him. If
thou abstain from things unlawful, and doest good works to be praised of
men; there is no oil within. And so when men begin to leave off their
praises, the lamps fail. Observe then, Beloved, before those virgins slept,
it is not said that their lamps were extinguished. The lamps of the wise
virgins burned with an inward oil, with the assurance of a good conscience,
with an inner glory, with an inmost charity. Yet the lamps of the foolish
virgins burned also. Why burnt they then? Because there was yet no want of
the praises of men. But after that they arose, that is in the resurrection
from the dead, they began to trim their lamps, that is, began to prepare to
render unto God an account of their works. And because there is then no one
to praise, every man is wholly employed in his own cause, there is no one
then who is not thinking of himself, therefore were there none to sell them
oil; so their lamps began to fail, and the foolish betook themselves to the
five wise, "give us of your oil, for our lamps are going out."(1) They
sought for what they had been wont to seek for, to shine that is with
others' oil, to walk after others' praises. "Give us of your oil, for our
lamps are going out."

 11. But they say, "Not so, lest there be not enough for us and you, but
go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves."(2) This was not
the answer of those who give advice, but of those who mock. And why mock
they? Because they were wise, because wisdom was in them. For they were not
wise by ought of their own; but that wisdom was in them, of which it is
written in a certain book, she shall say to those that despised her, when
they have fallen upon the evils which she threatened them; "I will laugh
over your destruction."(3) What wonder then is it, that the wise mock the
foolish virgins? And what is this mocking?

 12. "Go ye to them that sell, and buy for yourselves:"(2) ye who never
were wont to live well, but because men praised you, who sold you oil. What
means this, "sold you oil"? "Sold praises." Who sell praises, but
flatterers? How much better had it been for you not to have acquiesced in
flatterers, and to have carried oil within, and for a good conscience-sake
to have done all good works; then might ye say, "The righteous shall
correct me in mercy, and reprove me, but the oil of the sinner shall not
fatten(4) my head."(5) Rather, he says, let the righteous correct me, let
the righteous reprove me, let the righteous buffet me, let the righteous
correct me, than the "oil of the sinner fatten mine head." What is the oil
of the sinner, but the blandishments of the flatterer?

 13. "Go ye" then "to them that sell," this have ye been accustomed to do.
But we will not give to you. Why? "Lest there be not enough for us and
you." What is, "lest there be not enough"? This was not spoken in any lack
of hope, but in a sober and godly humility. For though the good man have a
good conscience; how knows he, how He may judge who is deceived by no one?
He hath a good conscience, no sins conceived in the heart solicit(6) him,
yet, though his conscience be good, because of the daily sins of human
life, he saith to God, "forgive us our debts;" seeing he hath done what
comes next, "as we also forgive our debtors."(7) He hath broken his bread
to the hungry from the heart, from the heart hath clothed the naked; out of
that inward oil he hath done good works, and yet in that judgment even his
good conscience trembleth.

 14. See then what this, "Give us oil," is. They were told "Go ye rather
to them that sell." In that ye have been used to live upon the praises of
men, ye do not carry oil with you; but we can give you none; "lest there be
not enough for us and you." For scarcely do we judge of ourselves, how much
less can we judge of you? What is "scarcely do we judge of ourselves"?
Because, "When the righteous King sitteth on the throne, who will glory
that his heart is pure?"(8) It may be thou dost not discover anything in
thine own conscience; but He who seeth better, whose Divine glance
penetrateth into deeper things, discovereth it may be something, He seeth
it may be something, He discovereth something. How much better mayest thou
say to Him, "Enter not into judgment with Thy servant"?(9) Yea, how much
better, "Forgive us our debts"? Because it shall be also said to thee
because of those torches, because of those lamps; "I was hungry, and ye
gave Me meat." What then? did not the foolish virgins do so too? Yea, but
they did it not before Him. How then did they do it? As the Lord
forbiddeth, who said, "Take heed that ye do not your righteousness before
men to be seen of them, otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is
in heaven: and when ye pray, be not as the hypocrites, for they love to
pray, standing in the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say
unto you, they have received their reward."(10) They have bought oil, they
have given the price; they have bought it, they have not been defrauded of
men's praises, they have sought men's praises, and have had them. These
praises of men aid them not in the judgment day. But the other virgins, how
have they done? "Let your works shine before men, that they may see your
good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."(1) He did not say,
"may glorify you." For thou hast no oil of thine own self. Boast thyself
and say, I have it; but from Him, "for what hast thou that thou hast not
received?"(2) So then in this way acted the one, and in that the other.

 15. Now it is no wonder, that "while they are going to buy," while they
are seeking for persons by whom to be praised, and find none; while they
are seeking for persons by whom to be comforted, and find none; that the
door is opened, that "the Bridegroom cometh,"(3) and the Bride, the Church,
glorified then with Christ, that the several members may be gathered
together into their whole. "And they went in with Him into the marriage,
and the door was shut." Then the foolish virgins came afterwards; but had
they bought any oil, or found any from whom they might buy it? Therefore
they found the doors shut; they began to knock, but too late.

 16. It is said, and it is true, and no deceiving saying, "Knock, and it
shall be opened unto you;"(4) but now when it is the time of mercy, not
when it is the time of judgment. For these times cannot be confounded,
since the Church sings to her Lord of "mercy and judgment."(5) It is the
time of mercy; repent. Canst thou repent in the time of judgment? Thou wilt
be then as those virgins, against whom the door was shut. "Lord, Lord, open
to us." What! did they not repent, that they had brought no oil with them?
Yes, but what profiteth them their late repentance, when the true wisdom
mocked them? Therefore "the door was shut." And what was said to them? "I
know you not." Did not He know them, who knoweth all things? What then is,
"I know you not?"(6) I refuse, I reject you. In my art I do not acknowledge
you, my art knoweth not vice; now this is a marvellous thing, it doth not
know vice, and it judgeth vice. It doth not know it in the practice of it;
it judgeth by reproving it. Thus then, "I know you not."

 17. The five wise virgins came, and "went in." How many are ye, my
Brethren, in the profession of Christ's Name! let there be among you the
five wise, but be not five such persons only. Let there be among you the
five wise, belonging to this wisdom of the number five. For the hour will
come, and come when we know not. It will come at midnight, Watch ye. Thus
did the Gospel close; "Watch, for ye know neither the day nor the hour."(7)
But if we are all to sleep, how shall we watch? Watch with the heart, watch
with faith, watch with hope, watch with charity, watch with good works; and
then, when thou shalt sleep in thy body, the time will come that thou shalt
rise. And when thou shall have risen, make ready the lamps. Then shall they
go out no more, then shall they be renewed(8) with the inner oil of
conscience; then shall that Bridegroom fold thee in His spiritual(9)
embrace, then shall He bring thee into His House where thou shall never
sleep, where thy lamp can never be extinguished. But at present we are in
labour, and our lamps flicker(10) amid the winds and temptations of this
life; but only let our flame burn strongly, that the wind of temptation may
increase the fire, rather than put it out.

SERMON XLIV.

[XCIV. BEN.]

ON THE WORDS OF THE GOSPEL, MATT. XXV. 24, ETC., WHERE THE SLOTHFUL SERVANT
WHO WOULD NOT PUT OUT THE TALENT HE HAD RECEIVED, IS CONDEMNED.

 1. My lords, my brethren, and fellow bishops have deigned to visit us and
gladden us by their presence; but I know not why they are unwilling to
assist me, when wearied. I have said this to you, Beloved, in their
hearing, that your hearing may in a manner intercede for me with them, that
when I ask them they also may discourse unto you in their turn. Let them
dispense what they have received, let them vouchsafe to work rather than
excuse themselves. Be pleased, however, to hear from me, fatigued though I
be and have difficulty in speaking, a few words only. For we have besides a
record of God's mercies vouchsafed through a holy Martyr, which we must
give willing audience to altogether.(11) What is it then? what shall I say
unto you? Ye have heard in the Gospel both the due recompense(12) of the
good servants, and the punishment of the bad. And the whole wickedness of
that servant who was reprobate and severely condemned, was that he would
not put out his money to use. He kept the entire sum he had received; but
the Lord looked for profit from it. God is coveteous with regard to our
salvation. If he who did not put out to use is so condemned, what must they
look for who lose what they have received? We then are the dispensers, we
put out, ye receive. We look for profit; do ye live well. For this is the
profit in our dealings with you. But do not think that this office of
putting out to use does not belong to you also. Ye cannot execute it indeed
from this elevated seat, but ye can wherever ye chance to be. Wherever
Christ is attacked, defend Him; answer murmurers, rebuke blasphemers, from
their fellowship keep yourselves apart. So do ye put out to use, if ye make
gain of any. Discharge our office in your own houses. A bishop is called
from hence, because he super-intends, because he takes care and attends to
others. To every man then, if he is the head of his own house, ought the
office of the Episcopate to belong, to take care how his household believe,
that none of them fall into heresy, neither wife, nor son, nor daughter,
nor even his slave, because he has been bought at so great a price. The
Apostolic teaching has set the master over the slave, and put the slave
under the master;(1) nevertheless Christ gave the same price for both. Do
not neglect then the least of those belonging to you, look after the
salvation of all your household with all vigilance. This if ye do, ye put
out to use; ye will not be slothful servants, ye will not have to fear so
horrible a condemnation.

SERMON XLV.

[XCV. BEN.]

ON THE WORDS OF THE GOSPEL, MARK VIII. 5, ETC., WHERE THE MIRACLE OF THE
SEVEN LOAVES IS RELATED.

 1. IN expounding to you the Holy Scriptures, I as it were break bread for
you. Do ye in hunger receive it, and break(2) forth with a fulness of
phrase from the heart; and ye who are rich in your banquet, be not meagre
in good works and deeds. What I deal out to you is not mine own. What ye
eat, I eat; what ye live upon, I live upon. We have in heaven a common
store-house; for from thence comes, the Word of God.

 2. The "seven loaves"(3) signify the seven-fold operation of the Holy
Spirit; the "four thousand men," the Church established on the four
Gospels; "the seven baskets of fragments," the perfection of the Church.
For by this number very constantly is perfection figured. For whence is
that which is said, "seven times in a day will I praise thee"?(4) Does a
man sin who does not praise the Lord so often? What then is "seven times
will I praise," but "I will never cease from praise"? For he who says
"seven times," signifies all time. Whence in this world there are continual
revolutions of seven days. What then is "seven times in a day will I praise
Thee," but what is said in another place, "His praise shall always be in my
mouth"?(5) With reference to this perfection, John writes to seven
Churches. The Apocalypse is a book of St. John the Evangelist; and he
writes "to seven Churches."(6) Be ye hungered;(7) own ye these baskets. For
those fragments were not lost; but seeing that ye too belong to the Church,
they have surely profited you. In that I explain this to you, I minister to
Christ; and when ye hear peaceably, ye "sit down."(3) I in my body sit, but
in my heart I am standing, and ministering to you in anxiety; lest
peradventure, not the food, but the vessel offend any of you. Ye know the
feast of God, ye have often heard it, that it is for the heart, not for the
belly.

 3. Of a truth four thousand men were filled by seven loaves; what is more
wonderful than this! Yet even this were not enough, had not seven baskets
also been filled with the fragments that remained. O great mysteries! they
were works, and the works spake. If thou understand these doings, they are
words. And ye too belong to the four thousand, because ye live under the
fourfold Gospel. To this number the children and women did not belong. For
so it is said, "And they that did eat were four thousand men, excepting
women and children."(8) As though the void of understanding, and the
effeminate were without number. Yet let even these eat. Let them eat: it
may be the children will grow, and will be children no more; it may be the
effeminate will be amended, and become chaste. Let them eat; we dispense,
we deal out to them. But who these are, God inspecteth His feast, and if
they do not amend themselves, He who knew how to invite them thither,
knoweth also how to separate them from the rest.

 4. Ye know it, dearly Beloved; call to mind the parable of the Gospel,
how that the Lord came in to inspect the guests at a certain feast of His.
The Master of the house who had invited them, as it is written, "found
there a man which had not on a wedding garment."(9) For to the marriage had
that Bridegroom invited them who is "fair in beauty above the children of
men." That Bridegroom became deformed because of His deformed spouse, that
he might make her fair. How did the Fair One become deformed? If I do not
prove it, I am blaspheming. The testimony of his fair beauty the Prophet
gives me, who saith, "Thou art fair in beauty above the children of
men."(10) The testimony of his deformity another Prophet gives me, who
saith, "We saw Him, and He had no grace, nor beauty; but His countenance
was marred, and His whole look. deformed."(2) O Prophet, who saidst, "Thou
art fair in beauty above the children of men;" thou art contradicted;
another Prophet cometh out against thee, and saith, "Thou speakest falsely.
We have seen Him. What is this that thou sayest, 'Thou art fair in beauty
above the children of men? We have seen Him, and He had no grace nor
beauty.'" Are then these two Prophets at disagreement in the Corner-stone
of peace? Both spake of Christ, both spake of the Cornerstone. In the
corner the wails unite. If they do not unite, it is not a building, but a
ruin. No, the Prophets agree, let us not leave them in strife. Yea, rather
let us understand their peace; for they know not how to strive. O Prophet,
who saidst, "Thou art fair in beauty above the children of men;" where
didst thou see Him? Answer me, answer where didst thou see Him? "Being in
the form of God, He thought it not robbery to be equal with God."(3) There
I saw Him. Dost thou doubt that He who is "equal with God" is "fair in
beauty above the children of men"? Thou hast answered; now let him answer
who said, "We saw Him, and He had no grace, nor beauty." Thou hast said so;
tell us where didst thou see Him? He begins from the other's words; where
the other ended, there he begins. Where did he end? "Who being in the form
of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God." Lo, where he saw Him
who was "fair in beauty above the children of men;" do thou tell us,  where
thou sawest that "He had no grace nor  beauty. But He emptied Himself,
taking the  form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and found
in fashion as a man."(4) Of His deformity he still further says; "He
humbled  Himself, having become obedient unto death even the death of the
cross." Lo, where I saw Him. Therefore are they both in peaceful concord,
both are at peace together. What is more "fair" than God? What more
"deformed" than the Crucified?

 5. So then this Bridegroom, "fair in beauty above the children of men,"
became deformed that He might make His Spouse fair to whom it is said, "O
thou beauteous among women,"(5) of whom it is said, "Who is this that
cometh up, whitened"(6) with the brightness of light, not the colouring of
falsehood! He then who called them to the wedding, found a man who had not
a wedding garment, and He said unto him, "Friend, how camest thou in
hither, not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless." For he found
not what to answer. And the Master of the house Who had invited him said,
"Bind him hands and feet, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be
weeping and gnashing of teeth."(7) For so small a fault, so great a
punishment? For great it is. It is called a small fault not to have "the
wedding garment;" small, but only by those who do not understand. How would
He have been so incensed, how would He have so judged, to cast him, on
account of the wedding garment which he had not, "bound hands and feet into
outer darkness, where was weeping and gnashing of teeth," unless it had
been a very grievous fault, not to have "the wedding garment"? I say this;
seeing ye have been invited through me; for though He invited you, He
invited you by my ministry. Ye are all at the feast, have the wedding
garment. I will explain what it is, that ye may all have it, and if any one
now hears me who has it not, let him, before the Master of the house comes
and inspects His guests, be changed for the better, let him receive "the
wedding garment," and so sit down in all assurance.

 6. For in truth, dearly Beloved, he who was cast forth from the feast,
does not signify one man; far from it. They are many. And the Lord Himself
who put forth this parable, the Bridegroom Himself, who calleth together to
the feast, and quickeneth whom He calleth, He hath Himself explained to us,
that that man does not denote one man, but many, there, in that very place,
in the same parable. I do not go far for this, I find the explanation
there, there I break the bread, and set it before you to be eaten. For He
said, when he who had not "the wedding garment was cast out thence into
outer darkness," He said and added immediately, "for many are called, but
few chosen."(8) Thou hast cast forth one man from hence, and Thou sayest,
"for many are called, but few chosen." Without doubt the chosen are not
cast forth; and they were the few guests who remained; and the "many" were
represented in that one, because that one who hath not "the wedding
garment" is the body of the wicked.

 7. What is "the wedding garment"? Let us search for it in the Holy
Scriptures. What is "the wedding garment "? Without doubt it is something
which the bad and good have not in common; let us discover this, and we
shall discover "the wedding garment." Among the gifts of God, what have not
the good and bad in common?(9) That we are men and not beasts, is a gift of
God; but this is common to good and bad. That the light from heaven rises
upon us, that the rain descends from the cloud, the fountains flow, the
fields yield their fruit; these are gifts, but common to the good and bad.
Let us go to the marriage feast, let us leave the others without, who being
called come not. Let us consider the guests themselves, that is,
Christians. Baptism is a gift of God, the good and bad have it. The
Sacraments of the Altar the good and bad receive together. Saul prophesied
for all his wickedness, and in his rage against a holy and most righteous
man, even while he was persecuting him, he prophesied. Are the good only
said to believe? "The devils also believe and tremble."(1) What shall I do?
I have sifted all, and have not yet come to "the wedding garment." I have
unfolded my envelopings, I have considered all, or almost all, and have not
yet come to that garment. The Apostle Paul in a certain place has brought
me a great collection(2) of excellent things; he has laid them open before
me, and I have said to him, "Show me, if so be thou hast found among them
that 'wedding garment.'" He begins to unfold them one by one, and to say,
"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of Angels, though I have all
knowledge, and the gift of prophecy, and all faith, so that I could remove
mountains; though I distribute all my goods to the poor, and give my body
to be burned."(3) Precious garments! nevertheless, there is not yet here
that "wedding garment." Now bring out to us "the wedding garment." Why dost
thou keep us in suspense, O Apostle? Peradventure prophecy is a gift of God
which both good and bad have not. "If," says He, "I have not charity,
nothing profiteth me." See "the wedding garment;" put it on, ye guests,
that ye may sit down securely. Do not say; "we are too poor to have that
garment." Clothe others, and ye are clothed yourselves. It is winter,
clothe the naked. Christ is naked; and He will give you that "wedding
garment" whosoever have it not. Run to Him, beseech Him; He knoweth how to
sanctify His faithful ones, He knoweth how to clothe His naked ones. That
ye may be able as having "the wedding garment" to be free from. the fear of
the outer darkness, and the binding of your members and hands and feet; let
not your works fail. If they fail, with hands bound what canst thou do?
with feet bound, whither wilt thou fly? Keep then that "wedding garment,"
put it on, and so sit down in security, when He comes to inspect. The Day
of Judgment will come; He is now giving a long space, let him who erewhile
was naked now be clothed.

SERMON XLVI.

XCVI. BEN.]

ON THE WORDS OF THE GOSPEL, MARK VIII. 34, "IF ANY MAN WOULD COME AFTER ME,
LET HIM DENY HIMSELF," ETC. AND ON THE WORDS I JOHN II. 15, "IF ANY MAN
LOVE THE WORLD, THE LOVE OF THE FATHER IS NOT IN HIM."

 1. HARD and grievous does that appear which the Lord hath enjoined, that
"whosoever will come after Him, must deny himself."(4) But what He
enjoineth is not hard or grievous, who aideth us that what He enjoineth may
be done. For both is that true which is said to Him in the Psalm, "Because
of the words of Thy lips I have kept hard ways."(5) And that is true which
He said Himself, "My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."(6) For
whatsoever is hard in what is enjoined us, charity makes easy. We know what
great things love itself can do. Very often is this love even abominable
and impure; but how great hardships have men suffered, what indignities and
intolerable things have they endured, to attain to the object of their
love? whether it be a lover of money who is called covetous; or a lover of
honour, who is called ambitious; or a lover of beautiful women, who is
called voluptuous. And who could enumerate all sorts of loves? Yet consider
what labour all lovers undergo, and are not conscious of their labours; and
then does any such one most feel labour, when he is hindered from labour.
Since then the majority of men are such as their loves are, and that there
ought to be no other care for the regulation of our lives, than the choice
of that which we ought to love; why dost thou wonder, if he who loves
Christ, and who wishes to follow Christ, for the love of Him denies
himself? For if by loving himself man is lost, surely by denying himself be
is found.

 2. The first destruction of man, was the love of himself. For if he had
not loved himself, if he had preferred God to himself, he would have been
willing to be ever subject unto God; and would not have been turned to the
neglect of His will, and the doing his own will. For this is to love one's
self, to wish to do one's own will. Prefer to this God's will; learn to
love thyself by not loving thyself. For that ye may know that it is a vice
to love one's self, the Apostle speaks thus, "For men shall be lovers of
their own selves." (7) And can he who loves himself have any sure trust in
himself? No; for he begins to love himself by forsaking God, and is driven
away from himself to love those things which are beyond himself; to such a
degree that when the aforesaid Apostle had said," Men shall be lovers of
their own selves," he subjoined immediately, "lovers of money." Already
thou seest that thou art without. Thou hast begun to love thyself: stand in
thyself if thou canst. Why goest thou without? Hast thou, as being rich in
money, become a lover of money? Thou hast begun to love what is without
thee, thou hast lost thyself. When a man's love then goes even away froth
himself to those things which are without, he begins to share the vanity of
his vain desires, and prodigal as it were to spend his strength. He is
dissipated, exhausted, without resource or strength, he feeds swine; and
wearied with this office of feeding swine, he at last remembers what he
was, and says, "How many hired servants of my Father's are eating bread,
and I here perish with hunger!"(1) But when the son in the parable says
this, what is said of him, who had squandered all he had on harlots, who
wished to have in his own power what was being well kept for him with his
father; he wished to have it at his own disposal, he squandered all, he was
reduced to indigence: what is said of him? "And when he returned to
himself." If "he returned to himself," he had gone away from himself.
Because he had fallen from himself, had gone away from himself, he returns
first to himself, that he may return to that state from which he had fallen
away by falling from himself. For as by falling away from himself, he
remained in himself; so by returning to himself, he ought not to remain in
himself, lest he again go away from himself. Returning then to himself,
that he might not remain in himself, what did he say? "I will arise and go
to my Father."(2) See, whence he had fallen away from himself, he had
fallen away from his Father; he had fallen away from himself, he had gone
away from himself to those things which are without. He returns to himself,
and goes to his Father, where he may keep. himself in all security. If then
he had gone away  from himself, let him also in returning to himself,  from
whom he had gone away, that he may "go to his Father," deny himself. What
is "deny himself"? Let him not trust in himself, let him feel that he is a
man, and have respect to the words of the prophet, "Cursed is every one
that putteth his hope in than."(3) Let him withdraw himself from himself,
but not towards things below. Let him withdraw himself from himself, that
he may cleave unto God. Whatever of good he has, let him commit to Him by
whom he was made; whatever of evil he has, he has made it for himself.  The
evil that is in him God made not; let him  destroy what himself has done,
who has been  thereby undone. "Let him deny himself," He saith, "and take
up his cross, and follow Me."

 3. And whither must the Lord be followed? Whither He is gone, we know;
but a very few days since we celebrated the solemn memorial of it. For He
has risen again, and ascended into heaven; thither must He be followed.
Undoubtedly we must not despair of it, because He hath Himself promised us,
not because man can do anything. Heaven was far away from us, before that
our Head had gone into heaven. But now why should we despair, if we are
members of that Head? Thither then must He be followed. And who would be
unwilling to follow Him to such an abode? Especially seeing that we are in
so great travail on earth with fears and pains. Who would be unwilling to
follow Christ thither, where is supreme felicity, supreme peace, perpetual
security? Good is it to follow Him thither: but we must see by what way we
are to follow. For the Lord Jesus did not say the words we are engaged in,
when He had now risen from the dead. He had not yet suffered, He had still
to come to the Cross, had to come to His dishonouring, to the outrages, the
scourging, the thorns, the wounds, the mockeries, the insults, Death. Rough
as it were is the way; it makes thee to be slow; thou hast no mind to
follow. But follow on. Rough is the way which man has made for himself, but
what Christ hath trodden in His passage is worn smooth. For who would not
wish to go to exaltation? Elevation is pleasing to all; but humility is the
step to it. Why dost thou put out thy foot beyond thee? Thou hast a mind to
fall, not to ascend. Begin by the step, and so thou hast ascended. This
step of humility those two disciples were loth to have an eye to, who said,
"Lord, bid that one of us may sit at Thy right hand, and the other at the
left in Thy kingdom."(4) They sought for exaltation, they did not see the
step. But the Lord showed them the step. For what did He answer them? "Ye
who seek the hill of exaltation, can ye drink the cup of humiliation?" And
therefore He does not say simply, "Let him deny himself, and follow Me"
howsoever: but He said more, "Let him take up his cross, and follow Me."

 4. What is, "Let him take up his cross "? Let him bear whatever trouble
he has; so let him follow Me. For when he shall begin to follow Me in
conformity to My life and precepts, he will have many to contradict him, he
will have many to hinder him, he will have many to dissuade him, and that
from among those who are even as it were Christ's companions. They who
hindered the blind men from crying out were walking with Christ.(5) Whether
therefore they be threats or caresses, or whatsoever hindrances there be,
if thou wish to follow, turn them into thy cross, bear it, carry it, do not
give way beneath it. There seems to be an exhortation to martyrdom in these
words of the Lord. If there be persecution, ought not all things to be
despised in consideration of Christ? The world is loved; but let Him be
preferred by whom the world was made. Great is the world; but greater is He
by whom the world was made. Fair is the world; but fairer is He by whom the
world was made. Sweet is the world; but sweeter is He by whom the world was
made. Evil is the world; and good is He by whom the world was made. How
shall I be able to explain and unravel what I have said? May God help me?
For what have I said? what have ye applauded? See, it is but a question,
and yet ye have already applauded. How is the world evil, if He by whom the
world was made is good? Did not God make all things, "and behold they were
very good "? Does not Scripture at each several work of creation testify
that God made it good, by saying, "And God saw that it was good,"  and at
the end summed them all up together thus how that God had made them, "And
behold they were very good"?(1)

 5. How then is the world evil, and He good by whom the world was made?
How? "Since the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not."(2) The
world was made by Him, the heaven and earth and all things that are in
them: "the world knew Him not," the lovers of the world; the lovers of the
world and the despisers of God; this "world knew Him not." So then the
world is evil, because they are evil who prefer the world to God. And He is
good who made the world, the heaven, and earth, and sea, and themselves who
love the world. For this only, that they love the world and do not love
God, He made not in them. But themselves, all that appertains to their
nature He made; what appertains to guiltiness, He made not. This is that I
said a little while ago, "Let man efface what he has made, and so will he
be well-pleasing to Him who made Him."

 6. For there is among men themselves a good world also; but one that has
been made good from being evil. For the whole world if you take the word
"world" for men, putting aside (what we call the world) the heaven and
earth and all things that in them are; if you take the world for men, the
whole world did he who first sinned make evil. The whole mass was corrupted
in the root. God made man good; so runs the Scripture, "God made man
upright; and men themselves found out many cogitations."(3) Run from these
"many" to One, gather up thy scattered things into one: flow on together,
fence thyself in, abide with One; go not to many things. There is
blessedness. But we have flowed away, have gone on to perdition: we were
all born with sin, and to that sin wherein we were born have we too added
by our evil living, and the whole world has become evil. But Christ came,
and He chose that which He made, not what He found; for He found all evil,
and by His grace He made them good. And so was made another "world;" and
the "world" now persecutes the "world."

 7. What is the "world" which persecutes? That of which it is said to us,
"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man
love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in
the world, is the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the
pride of life, which is not of the Father, but of the world. And the world
passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God
abideth for ever,"(4) even as God abideth for ever. Lo! have spoken of two
"worlds," the "world" which persecutes, and that which it persecutes. What
is the "world" which persecutes? "All that is the world, the lust of the
flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, which is not of the
Father, but of the world;" and "the world passeth away." Lo, this is the
"world" which persecutes. What is the "world" which it persecutes? "He that
doeth the will of God abideth for ever," even as God abideth for ever.

 8. But see, that which persecutes is called the "world;" let us prove
whether that also which suffers persecution is called "the world." What
!Art thou deaf to the voice of Christ who speaketh, or rather to Holy
Scripture which testifieth, "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto
Himself."(5) "If the world hate you, know ye that it first hated Me."(6)
See, the "world" hates. What does it hate but the "world"? What "world"?
"God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself." The condemned
"world" persecutes; the reconciled "world" suffers persecution. The
condemned "world" is all that is without the Church; the reconciled "world"
is the Church. For He says, "The Son of Man came not to judge the world,
but that the world through Him may be saved."(7)

 9. Now in this world, holy, good, reconciled, saved, or rather to be
saved, and now saved in hope, "for we are saved in hope;"(8) in this world,
I say, that is in the Church which wholly follows Christ, He hath said as
of universal application, "Whosoever will follow Me, let him deny himself."
For it is not that the virgins ought to give ear to this, and the married
women ought not; or that the widows ought, and the women who still have
their husbands ought not; or that monks ought, and the married men ought
not; or that the clergy ought, and the laymen ought not: but let the whole
Church, the whole body, all the members, distinguished and distributed
throughout their several offices, follow Christ. Let the whole Church
follow Him, that only Church, let the dove follow Him, let the spouse
follow Him, let her who has been redeemed and endowed with the Bridegroom's
blood, follow Him. There virgin purity hath its place; there widowed
continence hath its place; married chastity there hath its place; but
adultery hath no place of its own there; and no place there hath
lasciviousness, unlawful and meet for punishment. But let these several
members which have their place there, in their kind and place and measure,
"follow Christ;" let them "deny themselves;" that is, let them presume
nothing of themselves: let them "take up their cross," that is, let them in
the world endure for Christ's sake whatever the world may bring upon them.
Let them love Him, who Alone doth not deceive, who Alone is not deceived,
Alone deceiveth not; let them love Him, for that is true which He doth
promise. But because He doth not give at once, faith wavers. Hold on,
persevere, endure, bear delay and thou hast borne the cross.

 10. Let not the virgin say, "I shall alone be there." For Mary shall not
be there alone but the widow Anna shall be there also. Let not the woman
which hath an husband say, "The widow will be there, not I;" for it is not
that Anna will be there, and Susanna not be there. But by all means let
them who would be there prove themselves hereby, that they who have here a
lower place envy not, but love in others the better place. For, for
instance, my Brethren, that ye may understand me; one man has chosen a
married life, another a life of continence; if he who has chosen the
married life, has adulterous lusts, he has "looked back;" he has lusted
after that which is unlawful. He too who would wish afterwards to return
from continence to a married life, has "looked back;" he has chosen what is
in itself lawful, yet he has "looked back." Is marriage then to be
condemned? No. Marriage is not to be condemned; but see whither he had come
who has chosen it. He had already got before it. When he was living as a
young man in voluptuousness, marriage was before him; he was making his way
towards it; but when he had chosen continence, marriage was behind him.
"Remember," saith the Lord, "Lot's wife."(1) Lot's wife, by looking behind,
remained motionless. To whatever point then any one has been able to reach,
let him fear to "look back" from thence; and let him walk in the way, let
him "follow Christ." "Forgetting those things which are behind, and
stretching forth unto those things which are before, let him by an earnest
inward intention press on toward the prize of the calling of God in Christ
Jesus."(2) Let those that are married regard the unmarried as above
themselves; let them acknowledge that they are better; let them in them
love what themselves have not; and let them in them love Christ.

SERMON XLVII.

[XCVII. BEN.]

ON THE WORDS OF THE GOSPEL, MARK XIII. 32, "BUT OF THAT DAY OR THAT HOUR
KNOWETH NO ONE, NOT EVEN THE ANGELS IN HEAVEN, NEITHER THE SON, BUT THE
FATHER.

 1. THE advice, Brethren, which ye have just heard Scripture give, when it
tells us to watch for the last day, every one should think of as concerning
his own last day; lest haply when ye judge or think the last day of the
world to be far distant, ye slumber with respect to your own last day. Ye
have heard what Jesus said concerning the last day of this world, "That
neither the Angels of heaven, nor the Son knew it, but the Father."(3)
Where indeed there is a great difficulty, lest understanding this in a
carnal way, we think that the Father knoweth anything which the Son knoweth
not. For indeed when He said, "the Father knoweth it;" He said this because
in the Father the Son also knoweth it. For what is there in a day which was
not made by the Word, by whom the day was made? Let no one then search out
for the last Day, when it is to be; but let us watch all by our good lives,
lest the last day of any one of us find us unprepared, and such as any one
shall depart hence on his last day, such he be found in the last day of the
world. Nothing will then assist thee which thou shalt not have done here.
His own works will succour, or his own works will overwhelm every one.

 2. And how have we in the Psalm sung unto the Lord, "Lord, have mercy on
me, for man hath trodden me down"?(4) He is called a man who lives after
the manner of men. For it is said to them who live after God, "Ye are gods,
and ye are all the children of the Most High."(5) But to the reprobate, who
were called to be the sons of God, and who wished rather to be men, that
is, to live after the manner of men, he says, "But ye shall die like men,
and fall as one of the princes."(1) For that man is mortal, ought to avail
for his instruction, not for boasting. Whereupon does a worm that is to die
on the morrow boast himself? I speak to your love, Brethren; proud mortals
ought to be made blush by the devil. For he, though proud, is yet immortal;
he is a spirit, though a malignant one. The last day is kept in store for
him at the end as his punishment; nevertheless he is not subject to the
death to which we are subject. But man heard the sentence, "Thou shalt
surely die."(2) Let him make a good use of his punishment. What is that I
have said, "Let him make a good use of his punishment"? Let him not by that
from which he received his punishment fall into pride; let him acknowledge
that he is mortal, and let it break down his elation. Let him hear it said
to him, "Why is earth and ashes proud?"(3) Even if the devil is proud, he
is not "earth and ashes." Therefore was it said, "But ye shall die like
men, and shall fall l as one of the princes."(1) Ye do not consider that ye
are mortals, and ye are proud as the devil. Let man then make a good use of
his punishment, Brethren; let him make a good use of his evil, that he may
make advancement to his good. Who does not know, that the necessity of our
dying is a punishment; and the more grievous, that we know not when? The
punishment is certain, the hour uncertain; and of that punishment alone are
we certain in the ordinary course of human affairs.

 3. All else of ours, both good and evil, is uncertain; death alone is
certain. What is this that I say? A child is conceived, perhaps it will be
born, perhaps it will be an untimely birth. So it is uncertain: Perhaps he
will grow up, perhaps he will not grow up; perhaps he will grow old,
perhaps he will not grow old; perhaps he will be rich, perhaps poor;
perhaps he will be distinguished, perhaps abased; perhaps he will have
children, perhaps he will not; perhaps he will marry, perhaps not; and so
on, whatever else among good things you may name. Now  look too at the
evils of life: Perhaps he will have  sickness, perhaps he will have not;
perhaps he will be stung by a serpent, perhaps not; perhaps  he will be
devoured by a wild beast, perhaps he will not. And so look at all evils;
everywhere is there a "perhaps it will be," and "perhaps it  will not." But
canst thou say, "Perhaps he will die," and "perhaps he will not die"?(4) As
when medical men examine an illness, and ascertain that it is fatal, they
make this announcement; "He will die, he will not get over this." So from
the moment of a man's birth, it may be said, "He will not get over this."
When he is born he begins to be ailing. When he dies, he ends indeed this
ailment: but he knows not whether he does not fall into a worse. The rich
man in the Gospel had ended his voluptuous ailment, he came to a tormenting
one. But the poor man ended his ailment, and arrived at perfect health.(5)
But he made choice in this life of what he was to have hereafter; and what
he reaped there, he sowed here. Therefore while we live we ought to watch,
and to make choice of that which we may possess in the world to come.

 4. Let us not love the world. It overwhelms its lovers, it conducts them
to no good. We must rather labour in it that it seduce us not, than fear
lest it should fall. Lo, the world falleth; the Christian standeth firm;
because Christ doth not fall. For wherefore saith the Lord, "Rejoice, for
that I have overcome the world"?(6) We might answer Him if we pleased,
"'Rejoice,' yes do Thou rejoice. If Thou 'hast overcome,' do thou rejoice.
Why should we?" Why doth He say to us, "Rejoice;" but because it is for us
that He hath overcome, for us hath fought? For wherein fought He? In that
He took man's nature upon Him. Take away His birth of a  virgin, take away
that He emptied Himself,  "taking the form of a servant, being made in the
likeness of men, and found in fashion as a man;"(7) take away this, and
where is the combat, where the contest? where the trial? where the victory,
which no battle has preceded? "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made by Him, and
without Him was nothing made."(8) Could the Jews have crucified this Word?
Could those impious men have mocked this Word? Could this Word have been
buffeted? Could this Word have been crowned with thorns? But that He might
suffer all this, "the Word was made flesh;"(9) and after He had suffered
all this, by rising again He "overcame." So then He hath "overcome" for us,
to whom He hath shown the assurance of His resurrection. Thou sayest then
to God, "Have mercy upon the, O Lord, for man hath trodden me down."(10) Do
not "tread down" thyself, and man will not overcome thee. For, lo, some
powerful man alarms thee. By what does he alarm thee? "I will spoil thee,
will condemn, will torture, will kill thee." And thou criest, "Have mercy
upon me, O Lord, for man hath trodden me down." If thou say the truth, and
mark thyself well, one dead "treads thee down," because thou art afraid of
the threats of a man; and man "treads thee down," because thou wouldest not
be afraid, unless thou wert a man. What is the remedy then? O man, cleave
to God, by whom thou wast made a man; cleave fast to Him, put thy affiance
in Him, call upon Him, let Him be thy strength. Say to Him, "In Thee, O
Lord, is my strength." And then thou shalt sing at the threatenings of men;
and what thou shalt sing hereafter, the Lord Himself telleth thee, "I will
hope in God, I will not fear what man can do unto me."(1)

SERMON XLVIII.

[XCVIII. BEN.]]

ON THE WORDS OF THE GOSPEL, LUKE VII. 2, ETC.; ON THE THREE DEAD PERSONS
WHOM THE LORD RAISED.

 1. THE miracles of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ make indeed an
impression on all who hear of, and believe them; but on different men in
different ways. For some amazed at His miracles done on the bodies of men,
have no knowledge to discern the greater; whereas some admire the more
ample fulfilment in the souls of men at the present time of those things
which they hear of as having been wrought on their bodies. The Lord Himself
saith, "For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so
the Son quickeneth whom He will."(2) Not of course that the Son
"quickeneth" some, the Father others; but the Father and the Son "quicken"
the same; for the Father doeth all things by the Son. Let no one then who
is a Christian doubt, that even at the present time the dead are raised.
Now all men have eyes, wherewith they can see the dead rise again in such
sort, as the son of that widow rose, of whom we have just read out of the
Gospel;(3) but those eyes wherewith men see the dead in heart rise again,
all men have not, save those who have risen already in heart themselves. It
is a greater miracle to raise again one who is to live for ever, than to
raise one who must die again.

 2. The widowed mother rejoiced at the raising again of that young man; of
men raised again in spirit day by day does Mother Church rejoice. He indeed
was dead in the body but they in soul His visible death was bewailed
visibly; their death invisible was neither enquired into nor perceived. He
sought them out who had known them to be dead; He Alone knew them to be
dead, who was able to make them alive. For if the Lord had not come to
raise the dead, the Apostle would not have said, "Rise, thou that sleepest,
and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light."(4) You hear of
one asleep in the words, "Rise, thou that sleepest;" but understand it of
one dead when you hear, "And arise from the dead." Thus they who are even
dead in the body s are often said to be asleep. And certainly they all are
but asleep, in respect of Him who is able to awaken them. For in respect of
thee, a dead man is dead indeed, seeing he will not awake, beat or prick or
tear him as thou wilt. But in respect of Christ, he was but asleep to whom
it was said, "Arise,"(6) and he arose forthwith. No one can as easily
awaken another in bed, as Christ can in the tomb.

 3. Now we find that three dead persons were raised by the Lord "visibly,"
thousands "invisibly." Nay, who knows even how many dead He raised visibly?
For all the things that He did are not written. John tells us this, "Many
other things Jesus did, the which if they should be written, I suppose that
the whole world could not contain the books."(7) So then there were without
doubt many others raised: but it is not without a meaning that the three
are expressly recorded. For our Lord Jesus Christ would that those things
which He did on the body should be also spiritually understood. For He did
not merely do miracles for the miracles' sake; but in order that the things
which He did should inspire wonder in those who saw them, and convey truth
to them who understand. As he who sees letters in an excellently written
manuscript, and knows not how to read, praises indeed the transcriber's(8)
hand, and admires the beauty of the characters;(9) but what those
characters mean or signify he does not know; and by the sight of his eyes
he is a praiser of the work, but in his mind has no comprehension of it;
whereas another man both praises the work, and is capable of understanding
it; such an one, I mean, who is not only able to see what is common to all,
but who can read also; which he who has never learned cannot. So they who
saw Christ's miracles, and understood not what they meant, and what they in
a manner conveyed to those who had understanding, wondered only at the
miracles themselves; whereas others both wondered at the miracles, and
attained to the meaning of them. Such ought we to be in the school of
Christ. For he who says that Christ only worked miracles, for the miracles'
sake, may say too that He was ignorant that it was not the thee for fruit,
when He sought figs upon the fig tree.(10) For it was not the time for that
fruit, as the Evangelist testifies; and yet being hungry He sought for
fruit upon the tree. Did not Christ know, what any peasant knew? What the
dresser of the tree knew, did not the tree's Creator know? So then when
being hungry He sought fruit on the tree, He signified that He was hungry,
and seeking after something else than this; and He found that tree without
fruit, but full of leaves, and He cursed it, and it withered away. What had
the tree done in not bearing fruit? What fault of the tree was its
fruitlessness? No; but there are those who through their own will are not
able to yield fruit. And barrenness is "their" fault, whose fruitfulness is
their will. The Jews then who had the words of the Law, and had not the
deeds, were full of leaves, and bare no fruit. This have I said to persuade
you, that our Lord Jesus Christ performed miracles with this view, that by
those miracles He might signify something further, that besides that they
were wonderful and great, and divine in themselves, we might learn also
something from them.

 4. Let us then see what He would have us learn in those three dead
persons whom He raised. He raised again the dead daughter of the ruler of
the synagogue, for whom when she was sick petition was made to Him, that He
would deliver her from her sickness. And as He is going, it is announced
that she is dead; and as though He would now be only wearying Himself in
vain, word was brought to her father, "Thy daughter is dead, why weariest
thou the Master any further?"(1) But He went on, and said to the father of
the damsel, "Be not afraid, only believe."(2) He comes to the house, and
finds the customary funeral obsequies already prepared, and He says to
them, "Weep not, for the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth."(3) He spake the
truth; she was asleep; asleep, that is, in respect of Him, by whom she
could be awakened. So awakening her, He restored her alive to her parents.
So again He awakened that young man, the widow's son,(4) by whose case I
have been now reminded to speak with you, Beloved, on this subject, as He
Himself shall vouchsafe to give me power. Ye have just heard how he was
awakened. The Lord "came nigh to the city; and behold there was a dead man
being carried out" already beyond the gate. Moved with compassion, for that
the mother, a widow and bereaved of her only son, was weeping, He did what
ye have heard, saying, "Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. He that was dead
arose, and began to speak, and He restored him to his mother."(5) He
awakened Lazarus likewise from the tomb. And in that case when the
disciples with whom He was speaking knew that he was sick, He said (now
"Jesus loved him"), "Our friend Lazarus sleepeth." They thinking of the
sick man's healthful sleep; say, "Lord, if he sleep he is well." "Then said
Jesus," speaking now more plainly, I tell you, "our friend Lazarus is
dead."(6) And in both He said the truth; "He is dead in respect of you, he
is asleep in respect of Me."

 5. These three kinds of dead persons, are three kinds of sinners whom
even at this day Christ doth raise. For that dead daughter of the ruler of
the synagogue was within in the house, she had not yet been carried out
from the secresy of its walls into public view. There within was she
raised, and restored alive to her parents. But the second was not now
indeed in the house, but still not yet in the tomb, he had been carried out
of the walls, but not committed to the ground. He who raised the dead
maiden who was not yet carried out, raised this dead man who was now
carried out, but not yet buried. There remained a third case, that He
should raise one who was also buried; and this He did in Lazarus. There are
then those who have sin inwardly in the heart, but have it not yet in overt
act. A man, for instance, is disturbed by any lust. For the Lord Himself
saith, "Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed
adultery with her already in his heart."(7) He has not yet in body
approached her, but in heart he has consented; he has one dead within, he
has not yet carried him out. And as it often happens, as we know, as men
daily experience in themselves, when they hear the word of God, as it were
the Lord saying, "Arise;" the consent unto sin is condemned, they breathe
again unto saving health and righteousness. The dead man in the house
arises, the heart revives in the secret of the thoughts. This resurrection
of a dead soul takes place within, in the retirement of the conscience, as
it were within the walls of the house. Others after consent proceed to
overt act, carrying out the dead as it were, that that which was concealed
in secret, may appear in public. Are these now, who have advanced to the
outward act, past hope? Was it not said to the young man in the Gospel
also, "I say unto thee, Arise"? Was he not also restored to his mother? So
then he too who has committed the open act, if haply admonished and aroused
by the word of truth, he rise again at the Voice of Christ, is restored
alive. Go so far he could, perish for ever he could not. But they who by
doing what is evil, involve themselves even in evil habit, so that this
very habit of evil suffers them not to see that it is evil, become
defenders of their evil deeds; are angry when they are found fault with; to
such a degree, that the men of Sodom of old said to the righteous man who
reproved their abominable design, "Thou art come to sojourn, not to give
laws."(8) So powerful in that place was the habit of abominable filthiness,
that profligacy now passed for righteousness, and the hinderer of it was
found fault with rather than the doer. Such as these pressed down by a
malignant habit, are as it were buried. Yea, what shall I say, Brethren? In
such sort buried, as was said of Lazarus, "By this time he stinketh."(1)
That heap placed upon the grave, is this stubborn force of habit, whereby
the soul is pressed down, and is not suffered either to rise, or breathe
again.

 6. Now it was said," He hath been dead four days."(1) So in truth the
soul arrives at that habit, of which I am speaking by a kind of four-fold
progress. For there is first the provocation as it were of pleasure in the
heart, secondly consent, thirdly the overt act, fourthly the habit. For
there are those who so entirely throw off things unlawful from their
thoughts, as not even to feel any pleasure in them. There are those who do
feel the pleasure, and do not consent to them; death is not yet perfected,
but in a certain sort begun. To the feeling of pleasure is added consent;
now at once is that condemnation incurred. After the consent, progress is
made unto the open act; the act changes into a habit; and a sort of
desperate condition is produced, so as that it may be said, "He hath been
dead four days, by this time he stinketh." Therefore, the Lord came, to
whom of course all things were easy; yet He found in that case as it were a
kind of difficulty. He "groaned "(2) in the spirit, He showed that there is
need of much and loud remonstrance to raise up those who have grown hard by
habit. Yet at the voice of the Lord's cry, the bands of necessity were
burst asunder. The powers of hell trembled, and Lazarus is restored alive.
For the Lord delivers even from evil habits those who "have been dead four
days;" for this man in the Gospel, "who had been dead four days," was
asleep only in respect of Christ whose will it was to raise him again. But
what said He? Observe the manner of his arising again. He came forth from
the tomb alive, but he could not walk. And the Lord said to the disciples;
"Loose him, and let him go."(3) "He" raised him from death, "they" loosed
him from his bonds. Observe how there is something which appertaineth to
the special Majesty of God who raiseth up. A man involved in an evil habit
is rebuked by the word of truth. How many are rebuked, and give no ear! Who
is it then who deals within with him who does give ear? Who breathes life
into him within? Who is it who drives away the unseen death, gives the life
unseen? After rebukes, after remonstrances, are not men left alone to their
own thoughts, do they not begin to turn over in their minds how evil a life
they are living, with how very bad a habit they are weighed down? Then
displeased with themselves, they determine to change their life. Such have
risen again; they to whom what they have been is displeasing have revived:
but though reviving, they are not able to walk. These are the bands of
their guilt. Need then there is, that whoso has returned to life should be
loosed, and let go. This office hath He given to the disciples to whom He
said, "Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven
also."(4)

 7. Let us then, dearly Beloved, in such wise hear these things, that they
who are alive may live; they who are dead may live again. Whether it be
that as yet the sin has been conceived in the heart, and not come forth
into open act; let the thought be repented of, and corrected, let the dead
within the house of conscience arise. Or whether he has actually committed
what he thought of; let not even thus his case be despaired of. The dead
within has not arisen, let him arise when "he is carried out." Let him
repent him of his deed, let him at once return to life; let him not go to
the depth of the grave, let him not receive the load of habit upon him. But
peradventure I am now speaking to one who is already pressed down by this
hard stone of his own habit, who is already laden with the weight of
custom, who "has been in the grave four days already, and who stinketh."
Yet let not even him despair; he is dead in the depth below, but Christ is
exalted on high. He knows how by His cry to burst asunder the burdens of
earth, He knows how to restore life within by Himself, and to deliver him
to the disciples to be loosed. Let even such as these repent. For when
Lazarus had been raised again after the four days, no foul smell remained
in him when he was alive. So then let them who are alive, still live; and
let them who are dead, whosoever they be, in which kind soever of these
three deaths they find themselves, see to it that they rise again at once
with all speed.

SERMON XLIX.

[XCIX. BEN.]

ON THE WORDS OF THE GOSPEL, LUKE VII. 37, "AND BEHOLD, A WOMAN WHO WAS IN
THE CITY, A SINNER," ETC. ON THE REMISSION OF SINS, AGAINST THE DONATISTS.

 1. SINCE I believe that it is the will of God that I should speak to you
on the subject whereof we are now reminded by the words of the Lord out of
the Holy Scriptures, I will by His assistance deliver to you, Beloved, a
Sermon touching the remission of sins. For when the Gospel was being read,
ye gave most earnest heed, and the story was reported, and represented
before the eyes of your heart. For ye saw, not with the body, but with the
mind, the Lord Jesus Christ" sitting at meat in the Pharisee's house,"(1)
and when invited by him, not disdaining to go. Ye saw too a "woman" famous
in the city, famous indeed in ill fame, "who was a sinner," without
invitation force her way into the feast, where her Physician was at meat,
and with an holy shamelessness seek for health. She forced her way then, as
it were unseasonably as regarded the feast, but seasonably as regarded her
expected blessing; for she well knew under how severe a disease she was
labouring, and she knew that He to whom she had come was able to make her
whole; she approached then, not to the Head of the Lord, but to His Feet;
and she who had walked long in evil, sought now the steps of Uprightness.
First she shed tears, the heart's blood; and washed the Lord's Feet with
the duty of confession. She wiped them with her hair, she kissed, she
anointed them: she spake by her silence; she uttered not a word, but she
manifested her devotion.

 2. So then because she touched the Lord, in watering, kissing, washing,
anointing His feet; the Pharisee who had invited the Lord Jesus  Christ,
seeing He was of that kind of proud men of whom the Prophet Isaiah says,
"Who say,  Depart far from me, touch me not, for I am clean;"(2) thought
that the Lord did not know the woman. This he was thinking with himself,
and saying in his heart, "This man if He were a prophet, would have known
what woman this is  that" hath approached His feet. He supposed, that He
did not know her, because He repelled her not, because He did not forbid
her to approach Him, because He suffered Himself to be touched by her,
sinner as she was. For whence knew he, that He did not know her? But what
if He did know, O thou Pharisee, inviter and yet derider of the Lord! Thou
dost feed the Lord, yet by whom thou art to be fed thyself, thou dost not
understand. Whereby knowest thou, that the Lord did not know what that
woman had been, save because she was permitted to approach Him, save
because by His sufferance she kissed His Feet, save because she washed,
save because she anointed them? For these things a woman unclean ought not
to be permitted to do with the Feet that are clean? So then had such a
woman approached that Pharisee's feet, he would have been sure to say what
Isaiah says of such; "Depart from me, touch me not, for I am clean." But
she approached the Lord in her uncleanness, that she might return clean:
she approached sick, that she might return whole: she approached Him,
confessing, that she might return professing Him.

 3. For the Lord heard the thoughts of the Pharisee. Let now the Pharisee
understand even by this, whether He was not able to see her sins, who could
hear his thoughts. So then He put forth to the man a parable concerning two
men, who owed to the same creditor. For He was desirous to heal the
Pharisee also, that He might not eat bread at his house for nought; He
hungered after him who was feeding Him, He wished to reform him, to slay,
to eat him, to pass him over into His Own Body; just as to that woman of
Samaria, He said, "I thirst." What is, "I thirst"? I long for thy faith.
Therefore are the words of the Lord in this parable(3) spoken; and there is
this double object in them, both that that inviter might be cured together
with those who ate at the table with Him, who alike saw the Lord Jesus
Christ, and were alike ignorant of Him, and that that woman might have the
assurance her confession merited, and not be pricked any more with the
stings of her conscience. "One," said He, "owed five hundred denarii, and
the other fifty; He forgave them both: which loved him most?" He to whom
the parable was proposed answered, what of course common reason obliged him
to answer. "I suppose, Lord, he to whom he forgave most. Then turning to
the woman he said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine
house, thou gavest Me no water for My feet: she hath washed My feet with
tears, and wiped them with her hairs. Thou gavest Me no kiss: this woman
since the time she came in, hath not ceased to kiss My feet. My head with
oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed My feet with
ointment. Therefore I say, her many sins are forgiven her, for she loved
much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little."(4)

 4. Here arises a difficulty which must in real truth be resolved, and
which requires your fixed attention, Beloved, lest haply my words may not
be equal to the removing and clearing of the whole obscurity of it by
reason of the stress of time; especially as this flesh of mine exhausted by
its heat, now longs to be recruited, and demanding its due, and clogging
the eagerness of the soul gives proof of that which is said, "The spirit
indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."(5) Cause there is for fear, yea
great cause for fear, lest by these words of the Lord, there steal over the
minds of those who understand them not aright, who indulge their fleshly
lusts, and are loth to be brought away from them into liberty, that
sentiment which, even as the Apostles preached, sprung up in the tongues of
slanderous men, of whom the Apostle Paul says, "And as some affirm that we
say, Let us do evil that good may come."(1) For a man may say, "If 'he to
whom little is forgiven, loveth little;' and he to whom more is forgiven,
loveth more; and it is better to love more, than to love less; it is right
that we should sin much, and owe much which we may desire to be forgiven
us, that so we may love Him the more who forgiveth us our large debts. For
that woman in the Gospel who was a sinner, in the same proportion as she
owed more, loved the more Him who forgave her her debts, as the Lord
Himself saith, 'Her many sins are forgiven her, for she loved much.' Now
why did she love much, but because she owed much? And afterwards He added
and subjoined, 'But to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.' Is
it not better," he may say, "that much should be forgiven me, than less,
that thereupon I may love my Lord the more"? Ye see no doubt the great
depth of this difficulty; ye see it, I am sure. Ye see too my stress of
time; yes, this also do ye see and feel.

 5. Accept then a few words. If I shall not do justice to the magnitude of
the question, lay up for a time(2) what I shall say at present, and hold me
a debtor for some future time. Suppose now two men, that by the clearer
force of examples ye may think upon what I have proposed to you. One of
them is full of sins, has lived most wickedly for a length of time; the
other of them has committed but few sins; they come both to grace, are both
baptized, they enter debtors, they go out free; more has been forgiven to
one, less to the other. I ask, how much does each love? If I shall find
that he loves most, to whom the most sins have been forgiven, it is to his
greater advantage that he has sinned much, his ranch iniquity was to his
greater advantage, that so his love might not be lukewarm. I ask the other
how much he loves, I find less; for if I find that he too loves, as much as
the other, to whom much has been forgiven, how shall I make answer to the
words of the Lord, how shall that be true which the Truth hath said, "To
whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little"? "See," a man says, "but
little has been forgiven me, I have not sinned much; yet I love as much as
he, to whom much has been forgiven." Dost thou speak truth, or Christ? Has
thy lie been forgiven thee to this end, that thou shouldest fix the charge
of lying on Him who forgave thee? If little has been forgiven thee, thou
lovest little. For if but little has been forgiven thee, and thou lovest
very much, thou contradictest Him who  said, "To whom little is forgiven,
the same loveth little." Therefore I give the more credit to Him, who
knoweth thee better than thou dost know thyself. If thou dost suppose that
but little hath been forgiven thee, it is certain that thou lovest but
little. "What then," says he, "ought I to do? Ought I to commit many sins,
that there may be many which He shall be able to forgive me, that I may be
able to love more?" It presses me sore, but may the Lord, who hath proposed
this saying of truth to us, deliver me out of this strait.

 6. This was spoken on account of that Pharisee who thought that he had
either no sins, or but few. Now unless he had had some love, he would not
have invited the Lord. But how little was it! He gave Him no kiss, not so
much as water for His Feet, much less tears; he did not honour Him with any
of those offices of respect, with which that woman did, who well knew what
need she had of being cured, and by whom she might be cured. O Pharisee,
therefore dost thou love but little, because thou dost fondly think that
but little is forgiven thee; not because little really is forgiven thee,
but because thou thinkest that that which is forgiven is but little. "What
then?" he says; "Am I who have never committed murder, to be reckoned a
murderer? Am I who have never been guilty of adultery, to be punished for
adultery? Or are these things to be forgiven me, which I have never
committed?" See: once more suppose two persons, and let us speak to them.
One comes with supplication, a sinner covered over with thorns as a
hedgehog, and timid exceedingly as a hare. But the rock is the hedgehog's
and the hare's refuge.(3) He comes then to the Rock, he finds refuge, he
receives succour. The other has not committed many sins; what shall we do
for him that he may love much? what shall we persuade him? Shall we go
against the words of the Lord, "To whom little is forgiven, the same loveth
little"? Yes, most truly so, to whom little is really forgiven. But O thou
who sayest that thou hast not committed many sins: why hast thou not? by
whose guidance? God be thanked, that by your movement and voice ye have
made signs that ye have understood me. Now then, as I think, the difficulty
has been solved. The one has committed many sins, and so is made a debtor
for many; the other through God's guidance has committed but few. To Him to
whom the one ascribes what He hath forgiven, does the other also ascribe
what he hath not committed. Thou hast not been an adulterer in that past
life of thine, which was full of ignorance, when as yet thou wast not
enlightened, as yet discerned not good and evil, as yet believed not on
Him, who was guiding thee though thou didst not know Him. Thus doth thy God
speak to thee: "I was guiding thee for Myself, I was keeping thee for
Myself. That thou mightest not commit adultery, no enticers were near thee;
that no enticers were near thee, was My doing. Place and time were wanting;
that they were wanting again, was My doing. Or enticers were nigh thee, and
neither place nor time was wanting; that thou mightest not consent, it was
I who alarmed thee. Acknowledge then His grace, to whom thou also owest it,
that thou hast not committed the sin. The other owes me what was done, and
thou hast seen forgiven him; and thou owest to me what thou hast not done."
For there is no sin which one man commits, which another man may not commit
also, if He be wanting as a Director, by whom man was made.

 7. Now then seeing I have resolved this profound difficulty, as best I
could in so short a space of time (or if I have not resolved it yet, let me
be held, as I have already said, a debtor for the rest); let us now rather
consider briefly that question of the remission of sins. Christ was
supposed to be but a man both by him who invited Him, and by them who sat
as guests at the table with Him. But that woman who was a sinner had seen
something more than this in the Lord. For why did she all those things, but
that her sins might be forgiven her? She knew then that He was able to
forgive sins; and they knew that no man was able to forgive them. And we
must believe that they all, they who were at the table, that is, and that
woman who approached to the Feet of the Lord, all knew that no man could
forgive sins. Forasmuch then as they all knew this; she who believed that
He could forgive sins, understood Him to be more than man. So when He had
said to the woman, "Thy sins are forgiven thee;" they immediately said,
"Who is this that forgiveth sins also?" Who is this, whom the woman who was
a sinner already knew? Thou who sittest at the table as if in sound health,
knowest not thy Physician; because it may be through a stronger fever thou
hast even lost thy reason. For thus the frantic patient as he laughs is
bewailed by those who are in health. Nevertheless, ye do well to know, and
hold fast that truth; yea, hold it fast, that no than is able to forgive
sins. This woman who believed that she could be forgiven by Christ,
believed Christ not to be man only, but God also. "Who," say they, "is this
that forgiveth sins also?" And the Lord did not tell them as they said,
"Who is this?" "It is the Son of God, the Word of God;" He did not tell
them this, but suffering them to abide for a while still in their former
opinion, He really solved the question which had excited them. For He who
saw them at the table, beard their thoughts, and turning to the woman, He
said, "Thy faith hath made thee whole." Let these who say, "Who is this
that forgiveth sins also?" who think me to be but a man, think me but a
man. For thee "thy faith hath made thee whole."

 8. The Good Physician not only cured the sick then present, but provided
also for them who were to be hereafter. There were to be men in after
times, who should say, "It is I(1) who forgive sins, I who justify, I who
sanctify, I who cure whomsoever I baptize." Of this number are they who
say, "Touch me not."(2) Yes, so thoroughly are they of this number, that
lately, in our conference,(3) as ye may read in the records of it, when a
place was offered them by the commissary,(4) that they should sit with us,
they thought it right to answer, "It is told us in Scripture with such not
to sit," lest of course by the contact of the seats, our contagion (as they
think) should reach to them. See if this is not, "Touch me not, for I am
clean." But on another day, when I had a better opportunity, I represented
to them this most wretched vanity, when there was a question concerning the
Church, how that the evil in it do not contaminate the good: I answered
them, because they would not on this account sit with us, and said that
they had been so advised by the Scripture of God, seeing forsooth that it
is written," I have not sat in the council of vanity;"(5) I said, "If ye
will not sit with us, because it is written, 'I have not sat in the council
of vanity;' why have ye entered this place with us, since it is written in
the following words, 'And with them that do iniquity I will not enter in'?"
So then in that they say, "Touch me not, for I am clean," they are like to
that Pharisee, who had invited the Lord, and who thought that He did not
know the woman, simply because He did not hinder her from touching His
Feet. But in another respect the Pharisee was better, because whereas he
supposed Christ to be but a man, he did not believe that by a man sins
could be forgiven. There was shown then a better understanding in Jews than
heretics. What said the Jews? "'Who is this that forgiveth sins also?' Does
any man dare to usurp this to himself?" What on the other hand says the
heretic? "It is I who forgive, I cleanse, I sanctify." Let not me, but
Christ, answer him: "O man, when I was thought by the Jews to be but a man,
I gave forgiveness of sins to faith. (It is not I, but Christ who answereth
thee.) And thou, O heretic, mere than as thou art, dost say, "Come, O
woman, I will make thee whole." Whereas when I was thought to be but a man,
I said," Go, woman, thy faith hath made thee whole."

 9. They answer, "knowing not," as the Apostle says, "either what they
speak, or whereof they affirm:"(1) they answer and say, "If men do not
forgive sins, then that is false which Christ saith, 'Whatsoever ye shall
loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven also.'"(2) But thou dost not know
why this is said, and in what sense this is said. The Lord was about to
give to men the Holy Spirit, and He wished it to be understood that sins
are forgiven to His faithful by His Holy Spirit, and not by men's deserts.
For what art thou, O man, but an invalid who hast need of healing. Wouldest
thou make thyself my physician? Together with me, seek the Physician. For
that the Lord might show this more plainly, that sins are forgiven by the
Holy Spirit, which He hath given to His faithful ones, and not by men's
deserts, after He had risen from the dead, He saith in a certain place,
"Receive ye the Holy Ghost;"(3) and when He had said, "Receive ye the Holy
Ghost," He subjoined immediately, "Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are
remitted unto them;"(4) that is, the Spirit remits them, not ye. Now the
Spirit is God. God therefore remits, not ye. But what are ye in regard to
the Spirit? "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and the Spirit of
God dwelleth in you?"(5) And again, "Know ye not that your bodies are the
temples of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God?"(6) So
then God dwelleth in His holy temple, that is in His holy faithful ones, in
His Church; by them doth He remit sins; because they are living temples.

 10. But He who remitteth by man, can also remit even without man. For He
who is able to give by another, hath no less the power to give by Himself.
To some He gave by the ministry of John. By whom did He give to John
himself? With good reason, as God wished to show this, and to attest this
truth, when certain in Samaria had had the Gospel preached to them? and had
been baptized, and baptized by Philip the Evangelist, one of the seven
deacons that were first chosen, they did not receive the Holy Ghost, though
they had been baptized. Tidings were brought to the disciples who were at
Jerusalem, and they came to Samaria,(8) in order that they who bad been
baptized, might by imposition of their hands receive the Holy Ghost. And so
it was; "They came and laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy
Ghost."(9) For the Holy Ghost was at that time given in such sort, that He
even visibly showed Himself to have been given. For they who received Him
spake with the tongues of all nations; to signify that the Church among the
nations was to speak in the tongues of all. So then they received the Holy
Ghost, and He appeared evidently to be in them. Which when Simon saw,
supposing that this power was of men, he wished it might be his also. What
he thought to be of men, he wished to buy of men. "How much money," says
he, "will ye take of me, that by imposition of my hands the Holy Ghost may
be given?" Then Peter says to him with execration, "Thou hast neither part
nor lot in this faith. For thou hast thought that the gift of God may be
purchased with money. Thy money perish with thee;(10) and the rest which he
spake in the same place suitably to the occasion.

  11. Now why I have wished to bring this subject before you, give heed,
Dearly Beloved. It was meet that God should first show that He worketh by
the ministry of men; but afterwards by Himself, lest men should think, as
Simon thought, that it was man's gift, and not God's. Though the disciples
themselves knew this well already. For there were one hundred and
twenty(11) men collected together, when without the imposition of any hand
the Holy Ghost came upon them. For who had laid hands on them at that time?
And yet He came, and filled them first. After that offence of Simon, what
did God do? See Him teaching, not by words but by things. That same Philip,
who had baptized the men, and the Holy Ghost had not come upon them, unless
the Apostles had met together and laid their hands upon them, baptized the
officer, that is, the eunuch of queen Candace, who had worshipped in
Jerusalem, and returning thence was reading in his chariot Isaiah the
Prophet,(12) and understood it not. Philip being admonished went up to his
chariot, explained the Scripture, unfolded the faith, preached Christ.(13)
The eunuch believed on Christ, and said when they came unto a certain
water, "See water, who doth hinder me to be baptized? Philip said to him,
Dost thou believe on Jesus Christ? He answered, I believe that Jesus Christ
is the Son of God. Immediately he went down with him into the water."(14)
When the mystery and sacrament of Baptism had been accomplished, that the
gift of the Holy Ghost might not be thought to be of men, there was no
waiting, as in the other case, for the Apostles to come, but the Holy
Ghost(15) came forthwith. Thus was Simon's thought destroyed, lest in such
a thought he might have followers.

 12. Again, another more wonderful example. Peter came to Cornelius the
centurion,(1) to a Gentile man, uncircumcised: he began to preach Christ
Jesus both to him, and to those who were with him. "While Peter was yet
speaking,"' I do not say, when as yet he had not laid on his hands, but
when he had not even yet baptized them, and when they who were with Peter
were in doubt whether the uncircumcised ought to be baptized (for there had
arisen an offence between the Jews who believed, and those who had been
brought to the faith from among the Gentiles, between the Jews, that is,
and the Christians who were baptized though uncircumcised), that God might
take away this question, "while Peter was speaking, the Holy Ghost came,"
filled Cornelius, filled them who were with him. And by this very
attestation of so great a thing, as it were a loud voice came to Peter,
"Why dost thou doubt of water? Already I am here."

 13. So then let every soul which is to be delivered from her manifold
wickedness by the grace of the Lord, to be cleansed as it were in the
Church from her filthy prostitution, believe with all assurance, approach
the Feet of the Lord, seek His Footsteps, confess in pouring out tears upon
them, and wipe them with her hair. The Feet of the Lord are the preachers
of the Gospel. The woman's hair is all superfluous possessions. Let her
wipe the Feet with her hair, yea by all means wipe them, let her do works
of mercy; and when she has wiped them, let her kiss them, let her receive
peace, that she may have love. She has approached to such an one, has been
baptized by such an one as the Apostle Paul: from him let her hear, "Be ye
followers of me, even as I also am of Christ."(3) But she has been baptized
by another, by one "who seeks his own things, not the things which are
Jesus Christ's:"(4) let her hear from the Lord, "Do what they say, but do
not what they do."(5) So let her assurance be in Him, whether she meet with
a good Evangelist, or with one who acts not as he speaks. For she hears
from the Lord with firm assurance, "O woman, go thy way, thy faith hath
made thee whole."

SERMON L.

[c. BEN.]

ON THE WORDS OF THE GOSPEL, LUKE IX. 57, ETC., WHERE THE CASE OF THE THREE
PERSONS IS TREATED OF, OF WHOM ONE SAID, "I WILL FOLLOW THEE WHITHERSOEVER
THOU GOEST," AND WAS DISALLOWED: ANOTHER DID NOT DARE TO OFFER HIMSELF, AND
WAS AROUSED; THE THIRD WISHED TO DELAY, AND WAS BLAMED.

  1. Give ye ear to that which the Lord hath given me to speak on the
lesson of the Gospel. For we have read, that the Lord Jesus acted
differently, when one man offered himself to follow Him, and was
disallowed; another did not dare this, and was aroused; a third put off,
and was blamed. For the words, "Lord, I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou
goest,"(6) what is so prompt, what so active, what so ready, and what so
filly disposed to so great a good, as this "following the Lord
whithersoever He should go"? Thou wonderest at this, saying, "How is this,
that one so ready found no favour with the Good Master and Lord Jesus
Christ, though He was inviting disciples to give them the kingdom of
Heaven?" But inasmuch as He was such a Master as could see beforehand
things to come, we understand, Brethren, that this man, if he had followed
Christ, would have been sure to "seek his own things, not the things which
are Jesus Christ's."(4) For He hath said Himself, "Not every one that saith
unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven."(7) And of
such was this man, nor did he know himself so well as the Physician knew
him. For if he saw himself to be a dissembler now, if he had known himself
at this time to be full of duplicity and guile, then he did not know with
Whom he was speaking. For He it is of whom the Evangelist says, "He had no
need that any one should testify to Him of man, for He Himself knew what
was in man."(8) What then did He answer?

"Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man
hath not where to lay His Head."(9) But where hath He not? In thy faith.
For in thy heart foxes have holes, thou art full of guile; in thy heart
birds of the air have nests; thou art lifted up. Full of guile and self-
elation as thou art, thou shalt not follow Me. How can a guileful man
follow Simplicity?

 2. And then forthwith to another who was silent, and said nothing, and
promised nothing, He saith," Follow Me!" As much evil as He saw in the
other, so much good saw He in this man. "Follow Me,"(10) Thou sayest to one
who hath no wish for it. Lo, here is a man quite ready, "I will follow Thee
whithersoever Thou goest;(11) and yet Thou sayest to another who hath no
such wish, "Follow thou Me." "The first," saith He, "I decline, because I
see in him holes, I see nests." "But then why dost Thou press this other,
whom Thou dost challenge to follow Thee, and he makes excuses? Lo, Thou
dost even force him, and he doth not come; Thou dost exhort him, and he
doth not follow. For what doth he say? 'I will go first to bury my
father.'" The faith of his heart showed itself to the Lord; but his dutiful
affection made him delay. But the Lord Christ when He is preparing men for
the Gospel, will have no excuse from this carnal and temporal affection
interfere. It is true that both the law of God prescribes these duties, and
the Lord Himself reproves the Jews, because they destroyed this very
commandment of God. And the Apostle Paul has in his Epistle laid it down,
and said, "This is the first commandment with promise." What? "Honour thy
father and thy mother."' God of a surety spake it. This young man then
wished to obey God, and to bury his father; but it is place, and time, and
circumstance, which is in this case to give way to place, and time, and
circumstance. A father must be honoured, but God must be obeyed. He that
begat us must be loved, but He that created us must be preferred. "I am
calling thee," saith He, "to My Gospel; I have need of thee for another
work: this is a greater work than that which thou wishest to be doing. 'Let
the dead bury their dead.'(2) Thy father is dead: there are other dead men
to bury the dead." Who are the dead who bury the dead? Can a dead man be
buried by dead men? How can they lay him out, if they are dead? How can
they carry him, if they are dead? How can they bewail him, if they are
dead? Yet they do lay him out, and carry, and bewail him, and they are
dead; because they are unbelievers. That which is written in the Song of
Songs is a lesson to us, when the Church says, "Set in order love in
me."(3) What is, "Set in order love in me"? Make the proper degrees, and
render to each what is his due. Do not put what should come before, below
that which should come after it. Love your parents, but prefer God to them.
Mark the mother of the Maccabees," ' My sons, I know not how ye appeared in
my womb.'(4) Conceive you I could, give you birth I could; but 'form you I
could not:' hear Him therefore, prefer Him to me: trouble not yourselves,
that I must remain here without you." Thus she commanded them, and they
followed her. What this mother taught her children, did the Lord Jesus
Christ teach him to whom He said, "Follow Me."

 3. See now how another disciple presented himself, to whom no one said
anything: he said, "Lord, I will follow Thee, but I will first go to bid
them farewell which are at my house."(5) I suppose this is his meaning,
"Let me tell my friends, lest haply they seek me as usual." And the Lord
said, "No man putting his hand on the plough, and looking back, is fit for
the kingdom of God."(6) The East calls thee, and thou art looking toward
the west. In this lesson we learn this, that the Lord chooses whom He will.
But He chooses them, as the Apostle says, both according to His Own grace,
and according to their righteousness. For such are the words of the
Apostle; "Attend," he says, "to what Elias saith: Lord, they have killed
Thy Prophets, they have overthrown Thine altars, and I am left alone, and
they seek my life. But what saith the answer of God to him? I have reserved
to Myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee before Baal."(7)
Thou thinkest that thou art the only servant who is working faithfully:
there are others too who fear Me, and they not few. For I have "seven
thousand" there. And then he added, "Even so then at this present time
also." For some Jews believed, though the most were reprobate; like him who
carried holes for foxes in his heart. "Even so then," saith he, "at this
present time also, there is a remnant saved through the election of grace:"
that is, there is the same Christ even now, as then, who also then said to
that Elias, "I have reserved to Myself." What is, "I have reserved to
Myself"? I have chosen them, because I saw their hearts that they trusted
in Me, and not in themselves,  nor in Baal. They are not changed, they are
as they were made by Me. And thou who art speaking, except thou hadst
placed thy trust in Me, where wouldest thou be? Except thou wert
replenished by My grace, wouldest not thou too be bowing the knee before
Baal? But thou art replenished by My grace; because thou hast not put thy
trust at all in thine own strength, but wholly in My grace. Do not
therefore glory in this, as to suppose thou hast no fellow-servants in thy
service; there are others whom I have chosen, as I have chosen thee, those,
namely, who put their trust in Me; as the Apostle says, "Even now also a
remnant is saved through the election of grace."

 4. Beware, O Christian, beware of pride. For though thou art a follower
of the saints, ascribe it always wholly to grace; for that there should be
any "remnant" in thee, the grace of God hath brought to pass, not thine own
deserts. For the Prophet Isaiah again having this remnant in view, had said
already, "Except the Lord of Hosts had left us a seed, we should have
become as Sodom, and should have been like unto Gomorrah."(8) "So then,"
says the Apostle, "at this present time also a remnant is saved through the
election of grace. But if by grace," says he, "then is it no more of works"
(that is, "be now no more lifted up upon thine own deserts");" otherwise
grace is no more grace."(9) For if thou dost build(10) on thine own work;
then is a reward rendered unto thee, not grace freely bestowed. But if it
be grace, it is gratuitously given. I ask thee then, O sinner, "Dost thou
believe in Christ?" Thou sayest, "I do believe." "What dost thou believe?
That all thy sins may be forgiven thee freely through Him?" Then hast thou
what thou hast believed. O grace gratuitously given! And thou, righteous
man, what dost thou believe, that thou canst not keep thy righteousness
without God? That thou art righteous then, impute it wholly to His mercy;
but that thou art a sinner, ascribe it to thine own iniquity. Be thou thine
own accuser, and He will be thy gracious Deliverer. For every crime,
wickedness, or sin comes of our own negligence, and all virtue and holiness
come of God's gracious goodness. "Let us turn to the Lord."


Taken from "The Early Church Fathers and Other Works" originally published
by Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co. in English in Edinburgh, Scotland, beginning in
1867. (LNPF I/VI, Schaff). The digital version is by The Electronic Bible
Society, P.O. Box 701356, Dallas, TX 75370, 214-407-WORD.

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