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JOHN i. 9.
"That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into
the world,"
1. NOTHING hinders us from handling today also the same words,
since before we were prevented by the setting forth of doctrines, from
considering all that was read. Where now are those who deny that He
is true God? for here He is called" the true Light" (c. xiv.
6), and elsewhere very" Truth" and very "Life." That saying
we will discuss more clearly when we come to the place; but at present
we must for a while be speaking to your Charity of that other matter.
If He "lighteth every man that cometh into the world," how is it
that so many continue unenlightened? for not all have known the majesty
of Christ. How then doth He "light every man"? He lighteth all
as far as in Him lies. But if some, wilfully closing the eyes of
their mind, would not receive the rays of that Light, their darkness
arises not from the nature of the Light, but from their own
wickedness, who willfully deprive themselves of the gift. For the
grace is shed forth upon all, turning itself back neither from Jew,
nor Greek, nor Barbarian, nor Scythian, nor free, nor bond, nor
male, nor female, nor old, nor young, but admitting all alike, and
inviting with an equal regard. And those who are not willing to enjoy
this gift, ought in justice to impute their blindness to themselves;
for if when the gate is opened to all, and there is none to hinder,
any being willfully evil remain without, they perish through none
other, but only through their own wickedness.
Ver. 10. "He was in the world."
But not as of equal duration with the world. Away with the thought.
Wherefore he adds, "And the world was made by Him"; thus leading
thee up again to the eternal existence of the Only-Begotten. For he
who has heard that this universe is His work, though he be very dull,
though he be a hater, though he be an enemy of the glory of God, will
certainly, willing or unwilling, be forced to confess that the maker
is before his works. Whence wonder always comes over me at the madness
of Paul of Samosata, who dared to look in the face so manifest a
truth, and voluntarily threw himself down the preci pice. For he
erred not ignorantly but with full knowledge, being in the same case as
the Jews. For as they, looking to men, gave up sound faith,
knowing that he was the only-begotten Son of God, but not confessing
Him, because of their rulers, lest they should be cast out of the
synagogue; so it is said that he, to gratify a certain woman, sold
his own salvation. A powerful thing, powerful indeed, is the tyranny
of vainglory; it is able to make blind the eyes even of the wise,
except they be sober; for if the taking of gifts can effect this, much
more will the yet more violent feeling of this passion. Wherefore
Jesus said to the Jews, "How can ye believe, which receive honor
one of another, and seek not the honor that cometh from God only?"
(c. v. 44.)
"And the world knew Him not." By "the world" he here means the
multitude, which is corrupt, and closely attached to earthly things,
the common turbulent, silly people. For the friends and favorites of
God all knew Him, even before His coming in the flesh. Concerning
the Patriarch Christ Himself speaks by name, "that your father
Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it, and was glad."
(c. viii. 56.) And concerning David, confuting the Jews He
said, "How then doth David in spirit call Him Lord, saying, the
Lord said unto my Lord, Sit Thou on My right hand." (Matt.
xxii. 43; Mark xii. 36; Luke xx. 42.) And in many
places, disputing with them, He mentions Moses; and the Apostle
(mentions) the rest of the prophets; for Peter declares, that all
the prophets from Samuel knew Him, and proclaimed beforehand His
coming afar off, when he says, "All the prophets from Samuel and
those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise
foretold of these days." (Acts iii. 24.) But Jacob and his
father, as well as his grandfather, He both appeared to and talked
with, and promised that He would give them many and great blessings,
which also He brought to pass.
"How then," says one, "did He say Himself, 'Many prophets
have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them;
and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them'?
(Luke x. 24.) Did they then not share in the knowledge of
Him?" Surely they did; and I will endeavor to make this plain
from, this very saying, by which some think that they are deprived of
it. "For many," He saith, "have desired to see the things which
ye see." So that they knew that He would come [to men] from
heaven, and would live and teach as He lived and taught; for had they
not known, they could have not desired, since no one can conceive
desire for things of which he has no idea; therefore they knew the Son
of Man, and that He would come among men. What then are the things
which they did not hear? What those which they did not know? The
things which ye now see and hear. For if they did hear His voice and
did see Him, it was not in the Flesh, not among men; nor when He
was living so familiarly, and conversing so frankly with them? And
indeed He to show this said not simply, "to see" "Me": but
what? "the things which ye see"; nor "to hear" "Me": but
what? "the things which ye hear." So that if they did not behold
His coming in the Flesh, still they knew that it would be, and they
desired it, and believed on Him without having seen Him in the
Flesh.
When therefore the Greeks bring charges such as these against us, and
say; "What then did Christ in former time, that He did not look
upon the race of men? And for what possible reason did He come at
last to assist in our salvation, after neglecting us so long?" we
will reply, that before this He was in the world, and took thought
for His works, and was known to all who were worthy. But if ye
should say, that, because all did not then know Him, because He was
only known by those noble and excellent persons, therefore He was not
acknowledged; at this rate you will not allow that He is worshiped
even now, since even now all men do not know Him. But as at present
no one, because of those who do not know Him, would refuse credit to
those who do, so as regards former times, we must not doubt that He
was known to many, or rather to all of those noble and admirable
persons.
2. And if any one say, "Why did not all men give heed to Him?
nor all worship Him, but the just only?" I also will ask, why even
now do not all men know him? But why do I speak of Christ, when not
all men knew His Father then, or know Him now? For some say, that
all things are borne along by chance, while others commit the
providence of the universe to devils. Others invent another God
besides Him, and some blasphemously assert, that His is an opposing
power, and think that His laws are the laws of a wicked daemon. What
then? Shall we say that He is not God because their are some who say
so? And shall we confess Him to be evil? for there are some who even
so blaspheme Him. Away with such mental wandering, such utter
insanity. If we should delineate doctrines according to the judgment
of madmen, there is nothing to hinder us from being mad ourselves with
most grievous madness. No one will assert, looking to those who have
weak vision, that the sun is injurious to the eyes, but he will say
that it is fitted to give light, drawing his judgments from persons in
health. And no one will call honey bitter, because it seems so to the
sense of the sick. And will any, from the imaginations of men
diseased (in mind) decide that God either is not, or is evil; or
that He sometimes indeed exerts His Providence, sometimes doth not
so at all? Who can say that such men are of sound mind, or deny that
they are beside themselves, delirious, utterly mad?
"The world," he says, "knew Him not"; but they of whom the
world was not worthy knew Him. And having spoken of those who knew
Him not, he in a short time puts the cause of their ignorance; for he
does not absolutely say, that no one knew Him, but that "the world
knew him not"; that is, those persons who are as it were nailed to
the world alone, and who mind the things of the world. For so Christ
was wont to call them; as when He says, "O Holy
Father, the world hath not known Thee." (c. xvii. 25.) The
world then was ignorant, not only of Him, but also of His Father,
as we have said; for nothing so darkens the mind as to be closely
attached to present things.
Knowing therefore this, remove yourselves from the world, and tear
yourselves as much as possible from carnal things, for the loss which
comes to you from these lies not in common matters, but in what is the
chief of goods.
For it is not possible for the man who clings strongly to the things of
the present life really to lay hold on those in heaven, but he who is
earnest about the one must needs lose the other. "Ye cannot," He
says, "serve God and Mammon" (Matt. vi. 24), for you must
hold to the one and hate the other. And this too the very experience
of the things proclaims aloud. Those, for instance, who deride the
lust of money, are especially the persons who love God as they ought,
just as those who respect that sovereignty (of Mammon), are the men
who above all others have the slackest love for Him. For the soul
when made captive once for all by covetousness, will not easily or
readily refuse doing or saying any of the things which anger God, as
being the slave of another master, and one who gives all his commands
in direct opposition to God. Return then at length to your sober
senses, and rouse yourselves, and calling to mind whose servants we
are, let us love His kingdom only; let us weep, let us wail for the
times past in which we were servants of Mammon; let us cast off once
for all his yoke so intolerable, so heavy, and continue to bear the
light and easy yoke of Christ. For He lays no such commands upon us
as Mammon does. Mammon bids us be enemies to all men, but Christ,
on the contrary, to embrace and to love all. The one having nailed us
s to the clay and the brickmaking, (for gold is this,) allows us not
even at night to take breath a little; the other releases us from this
excessive and insensate care, and bids us gather treasures in heaven,
not by injustice towards others, but by our own righteousness. The
one after our many toils and sufferings is not able to assist us when we
are punished in that place? and suffer because of his laws, nay, he
increases the flame; the other, though He command us to give but a
cup of cold water, never allows us to lose our reward and recompense
even for this, but repays us with great abundance. How then is it not
extremest folly to slight a rule so mild, so full of all good things,
and to serve a thankless, ungrateful tyrant, and one who neither in
this world nor in the world to come is able to help those who obey and
give heed to him. Nor is this the only dreadful thing, nor is this
only the penalty, that he does not defend them when they are being
punished; but that besides this, he, as I before said, surrounds
those who obey him with ten thousand evils. For of those who are
punished in that place, one may see that the greater part are punished
for this cause, that they were slaves to money, that they loved gold,
and would not assist those who needed. That we be not in this case,
let us scatter, let us give to the poor, let us deliver our souls from
hurtful cares in this world, and from the vengeance, which because of
these things is appointed for us in that place. Let us store up
righteousness in the heavens.
Instead of riches upon earth, let us collect treasures impregnable,
treasures which can accompany us on our journey to heaven, which can
assist us in our peril, and make the Judge propitious at that hour.
Whom may we all have gracious unto us, both now and at that day, and
enjoy with much confidence the good things prepared in the heavens for
those who love Him as they ought, through the grace and lovingkindness
of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom, to the Father and the Holy
Ghost, be glory, now and ever, and world without end. Amen.
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