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Preface
1. They that are spectators of the heathen games, when they have
learned that a distinguished athlete and winner of crowns is come from
any quarter, run all together to view his wrestling, and all his skill
and strength; and you may see the whole theater of many ten thousands,
all there straining their eyes both of body and mind, that nothing of
what is done may escape them. So again these same persons, if any
admirable musician come amongst them, leave all that they had in hand,
which often is necessary and pressing business, and mount the steps,
and sit listening very attentively to the words and the accompaniments,
and criticising the agreement of the two. This is what the many do.
Again; those who are skilled in rhetoric do just the same with respect
to the sophists, for they too have their theaters, and their
audience, and clappings of hands, and noise, and closest criticism of
what is said.
And if in the case of rhetoricians, musicians, and athletes, people
sit in the one case to look on, in the other to see at once and to
listen with such earnest attention; what zeal, what earnestness ought
ye in reason to display, when it is no musician or debater who now
comes forward to a trial of skill, but when a man is speaking from
heaven, and utters a voice plainer than thunder? for he has pervaded
the whole earth with the sound; and occupied and filled it, not by the
loudness of the cry, but by moving his tongue with the grace of God.
And what is wonderful, this sound, great as it is, is neither a
harsh nor an unpleasant one, but sweeter and more delightful than all
harmony of music, and with more skill to soothe; and besides all
this, most holy, and most awful, and full of mysteries so great, and
bringing with it goods so great, that if men were exactly and with
ready mind to receive and keep them, they could no longer be mere men
nor remain upon the earth, but would take their stand above all the
things of this life, and having adapted themselves to the condition of
angels, would dwell on earth just as if it were heaven.
2. For the son of thunder, the beloved of Christ, the pillar of
the Churches throughout the world, who holds the keys of heaven, who
drank the cup of Christ, and was baptized with His baptism, who lay
upon his Master's bosom with much confidence, this man comes forward
to us now; not as an actor of a play, not hiding his head with a
mask, (for he hath another sort of words to speak,) nor mounting a
platform, nor striking the stage with his foot, nor dressed out with
apparel of gold, but he enters wearing a robe of inconceivable beauty.
For he will appear before us having "put on Christ" (Rom. xiii.
14; Gal. iii. 27), having his beautiful "feet shod with the
preparation of the Gospel of peace" (Eph. vi. 15); wearing a
girdle not about his waist, but about his loins, not made of scarlet
leather nor daubed outside with gold, but woven and composed of truth
itself. Now will he appear before us, not acting a part, (for with
him there is nothing counterfeit, nor fiction, nor fable,) but with
unmasked head he proclaims to us the truth unmasked; not making the
audience believe him other than he is by carriage, by look, by voice,
needing for the delivery of his message no instruments of music, as
harp, lyre, or any other the like, for he effects all with his
tongue, uttering a voice which is sweeter and more profitable than that
of any harper or any music. All heaven is his stage his theater, the
habitable world; his audience, all angels; and of men as many as are
angels already, or desire to become so, for none but these can hear
that harmony aright, and show it forth by their works; all the rest,
like little children who hear, but what they hear understand not, from
their anxiety about sweetmeats and childish playthings; so they too,
being in mirth and luxury, and living only for wealth and power and
sensuality, hear sometimes what is said, it is true, but show forth
nothing great or noble in their actions through fastening themselves for
good to the clay of the brickmaking. By this Apostle stand the powers
from above, marveling at the beauty of his soul, and his
understanding, and the bloom of that virtue by which he drew unto him
Christ Himself, and obtained the grace of the Spirit. For he hath
made ready his soul, as some well-fashioned and jeweled lyre with
strings of gold, and yielded it for the utterance of something great
and sublime to the Spirit.
3. Seeing then it is no longer the fisherman the son of Zebedee,
but He who knoweth "the deep things of God" (1 Cor. ii.
10), the Holy Spirit I mean, that striketh this lyre, let us
hearken accordingly. For he will say nothing to us as a man, but what
he saith, he will say from the depths of the Spirit, from those
secret things which before they came to pass the very Angels knew not;
since they too have learned by the voice of John with us, and by us,
the things which we know. And this hath another Apostle declared,
saying, "To the intent that unto the principalities and powers might
be known by the Church the manifold wisdom of God." (Eph. iii.
10.) If then principalities, and powers, and Cherubim, and
Seraphim, learned these things by the Church, it is very clear that
they were exceedingly earnest in listening to this teaching; and even
in this we have been not a little honored, that the Angels learned
things which before they knew not with us; I do not at present speak
of their learning by us also. Let us then show much silence and
orderly behavior; not today only, nor during the day on which we are
hearers, but during all our life, since it is at all times good to
hear Him. For if we long to know what is going on in the palace,
what, for instance, the king has said, what he has done, what
counsel he is taking concerning his subjects, though in truth these
things are for the most part nothing to us; much more is it desirable
to hear what God hath said, especially when all concerns us. And all
this will this man tell us exactly, as being a friend of the King
Himself, or rather, as having Him speaking within himself, and from
Him hearing all things which He heareth from the Father. "I have
called you friends," He saith, "for all things that I have heard
of My Father, I have made known unto you." (John xv. 15.)
4. As then we should all run together if we saw one from above bend
down "on a sudden " from the height of heaven, promising to describe
exactly all things there, even so let us be disposed now. It is from
thence that this Man speaketh to us; He is not of this world, as
Christ Himself declareth, "Ye are not of the world" (John xv.
19), and He hath speaking within him the Comforter, the
Omnipresent, who knoweth the things of God as exactly as the soul of
man knoweth what belongs to herself, the Spirit of holiness, the
righteous Spirit, the guiding Spirit, which leads men by the hand to
heaven, which gives them other eyes, fitting them to see things to
come as though present, and giving them even in the flesh to look into
things heavenly. To Him then let us yield ourselves during all our
life in much tranquillity.
Let none dull, none sleepy, none sordid, enter here and tarry; but
let us remove ourselves to heaven, for there He speaketh these things
to those who are citizens there. And if we tarry on earth, we shall
gain nothing great from thence. For the words of John are nothing to
those who do not desire to be freed from this swinish life, just as the
things of this world to him are nothing. The thunder amazes our
souls, having sound without significance; but this man's voice
troubles none of the faithful, yea, rather releases them from trouble
and confusion; it amazes the devils only, and those who are their
slaves. Therefore that we may know how it amazes them, let us
preserve deep silence, both external and mental, but especially the
latter; for what advantage is it that the mouth be hushed, if the soul
is disturbed and full of tossing? I look for that calm which is of the
mind, of the soul, since it is the hearing of the soul which I
require. Let then no desire of riches trouble us, no lust of glory,
no tyranny of anger, nor the crowd of other passions besides these;
for it is not possible for the ear, except it be cleansed, to perceive
as it ought the sublimity of the things spoken; nor rightly to
understand the awful and unutterable nature of these mysteries, and all
other virtue which is in these divine oracles. If a man cannot learn
well a melody on pipe or harp, unless he in every way strain his
attention; how shall one, who sits as a listener to sounds mystical,
be able to hear with a careless soul?
5. Wherefore Christ Himself exhorted, saying, "Give not that
which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before
swine." (Matt. vii. 6.) He called these words "pearls,"
though in truth they be much more precious than they, because we have
no substance more precious than that. For this reason too He is wont
often to compare their sweetness to honey, not that so much only is the
measure of their sweetness, but because amongst us there is nothing
sweeter. Now, to show that they very exceedingly surpass the nature
of precious stones, and the sweetness of any honey, hear the prophet
speaking concerning them, and declaring this superiority; "More to
be desired are they," he saith "than gold and much precious stone;
sweeter are they also than honey and the honeycomb." (Ps. xix.
10.) But to those (only) who are in health; wherefore he has
added, "For thy servant keepeth them." And again in another place
calling them sweet he has added, "to my throat." For he saith,
"How sweet are thy words unto my throat." (Ps. cxix. 103.)
And again he insisteth on the superiority, saying, "Above honey and
the honeycomb to my mouth." For he was in very sound health. And
let not us either come nigh to these while we are sick, but when we
have healed our soul, so receive the food that is offered us.
It is for this reason that, after so long a preface, I have not yet
attempted to fathom these expressions (of St. John), in order that
every one having laid aside all manner of infirmity, as though he were
entering into heaven itself, so may enter here pure, and freed from
wrath and carefulness and anxiety of this life, of all other passions.
For it is not otherwise possible for a man to gain from hence anything
great, except he have first so cleansed anew his soul. And let no one
say that the time to the coming communion is short, for it is
possible, not only in five days, but in one moment, to change the
whole course of life. Tell me what is worse than a robber and a
murderer, is not this the extremest kind of wickedness? Yet such an
one arrived straight at the summit of excellence, and passed into
Paradise itself, not needing days, nor half a day, but one little
moment. So that a man may change suddenly, and become gold instead of
clay. For since what belongs to virtue and to vice is not by nature,
the change is easy, as being independent of any necessity. "If ye be
willing and obedient," He saith, "ye shall eat the good of the
land." (Isa. i. 19.) Seest thou that there needs the will
only? will--not the common wishing of the multitude--but earnest
will. For I know that all are wishing to fly up to heaven even now;
but it is necessary to show forth the wish by works. The merchant too
wishes to get rich; but he doth not allow his wish to stop with the
thought of it; no, he fits out a ship, and gets together sailors,
and engages a pilot, and furnishes the vessel with all other stores,
and borrows money, and crosses the sea, and goes away into a strange
land, and endures many dangers, and all the rest which they know who
sail the sea. So too must we show our will; for we also sail a
voyage, not from land to land, but from earth to heaven. Let us then
so order our reason, that it be serviceable to steer our upward
course, and our sailors that they be obedient to it, and let our
vessel be stout, that it be not swamped amidst the reverses and
despondencies of this life, nor be lifted up by the blasts of
vainglory, but be a fast and easy vessel. If So we order our ship,
and so our pilot and our crew, we shall sail with a fair wind, and we
shall draw down to ourselves the Son of God, the true Pilot, who
will not leave our bark to be engulfed, but, though ten thousand winds
may blow, will rebuke the winds and the sea, and instead of raging
waves, make a great calm.
6. Having therefore ordered yourselves, so come to our next
assembly, if at least it be at all an object of desire to you to hear
somewhat to your advantage, and lay up what is said in your souls.
But let not one of you be the "wayside," none the "stony ground,"
none the "full of thorns." (Matt. xiii. 4, 5, 7.) Let us
make ourselves fallow lands. For so shall we (the preachers) put in
the seed with gladness, when we see the land clean, but if stony or
rough, pardon us if we like not to labor in vain. For if we shall
leave off sowing and begin to cut up thorns, surely to cast seed into
ground unwrought were extreme folly.
It is not meet that he who has the advantage of such hearing be
partaker of the table of devils. "For what fellowship hath
righteousness with unrighteousness?" (2 Cor, vi. 14.) Thou
standest listening to John, and learning the things of the Spirit by
him; and dost thou after this depart to listen to harlots speaking vile
things, and acting viler, and to effeminates cuffing one another?
How wilt thou be able to be fairly cleansed, if thou wallowest in such
mire? Why need I reckon in detail all the indecency that is there?
All there is laughter, all is shame, all disgrace, revilings and
mockings, all abandonment, all destruction, See, I forewarn and
charge you all. Let none of those who enjoy the blessings of this
table destroy his own soul by those pernicious spectacles. All that is
said and done there is a pageant of Satan. But ye who have been
initiated know what manner of covenants ye made with us, or rather ye
made with Christ when He guided you into His mysteries, what ye
spoke to Him, what speech ye had with Him concerning Satan's
pageant; how with Satan and his angels ye renounced this also, and
promised that you would not so much as cast a glance that way. There
is then no slight ground for fear, lest, by becoming careless of such
promises, one should render himself unworthy of these mysteries.
7. Seest thou not how in king's palaces it is not those who have
offended, but those who have been honorably distinguished, that are
called to share especial favor, and are numbered among the king's
friends. A messenger has come to us from heaven, sent by God
Himself, to speak with us on certain necessary matters, and you leave
hearing His will, and the message He sends to you, and sit listening
to stage-players. What thunderings, what bolts from heaven, does
not this conduct deserve! For as it is not meet to partake of the
table of devils, so neither is it of the listening to devils; nor to
be present with filthy raiment at that glorious Table, loaded with so
many good things, which God Himself hath provided. Such is its
power, that it can raise us at once to heaven, if only we approach it
with a sober mind. For it is not possible that he who is continually
under the influence of the words of God, can remain in this present
low condition, but he needs must presently take wing, and fly away to
the land which is above, and light on the infinite treasures of good
things; which may it be that we all attain to, through the grace and
lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom
be glory to the Father and the All-holy Spirit, now and ever, and
world without end. Amen.
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