20

The Word, as God, "That which Is."

II.

HOMIL. by Him, and without Him was nothing made. That which was made, in Him is life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. Thus much, I believe, was handled. Those of you who were here will all recollect; and those, who were not, take it on my word, and on the word of those whose will it was to be here. To-day, seeing that we cannot be continually reiterating every thing, (for it would be unfair to defraud those of the sequel who wish to hear it, by repeating what has gone before,) let those who were not here be pleased to forego the past, and, together with those who were, listen to what is now in hand.

v. 6.

2. It follows: There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The preceding words, dearly beloved, were spoken of the Divinity of Christ, an ineffable subject and well-nigh ineffably. For who shall comprehend, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God? And (which is added, lest through familiar association of the words we use every day, thou shouldest think the name "Word" a common thing,) And the Word was God? This is that self-same Word, on which we yesterday spoke at length may the Lord have caused that even by speaking only thus much, we may have brought something to your hearts. In the beginning was the Word. The self-same is, is in the self-same way; as It is, is always; cannot be changed; that is, Is". This His name, God declared to Exod.3, His servant Moses, I am that I am, and, He that Is hath sent me. Who then shall comprehend this, seeing, as ye do, that all mortal things are subject to change; seeing that not only bodies vary through their qualities, by birth, growth, decay, death; but even souls, acted upon by opposite wills, do, as it were, stretch and rend; seeing that men both can get Wisdom, if they approach His light and heat, and also can lose Wisdom, if, through an evil bias, they withdraw from Him seeing, I say, as ye do see, that these things are all subject to change, what is That which Is, but that which transcends all the things which in such sort are that they are not? Who then can comprehend this? Or, however he may

14.

:

Or, according to a very generally received reading, "is God," hoc est, Deus est.

The Cross bears us over the world's sea.

21

I. 6-14.

have strained the utmost powers of his mind to reach (how JOHN he may) to That which Is, for all he may with the mind have reached to what It is, yet who can get to It, where It is? It is as if a man should see his own country from afar, the sea meanwhile lying between. He sees whither he would go, but he has no way of going. So, since that which Is, alone always is, as it is, we long to arrive at our stay, where is that which Is. Between us and It, lies the sea of this world, over which is our way, even if we see already whither we go: for many see not even this. That we might have therefore a way of going, He came thence, to Whom we wished to go. And what did He? He appointed a plank on which to get over the sea. For none can get over the sea of this world, unless he be borne upon the Cross of Christ. Now and then, a man whose eyes are weak embraces this cross. Well; let him, who sees not afar off whither he is going, depart not from it, and it will bring him safe through.

3. I would fain, therefore, wind this into your hearts, brethren; that, if you would live godly and Christianly, you must cleave to Christ, such as He became for us, to the intent you may attain to Him, such as He is, and such as He was. He drew near to us on purpose that He might become this for us. For, for us He became that, whercon the weak may be borne, and may cross the world's sea, and reach their own land. There, a ship will no longer be needed, for there is no sea to cross. It is better, therefore, not to discern that which Is, and yet not depart from the cross of Christ, than to discern it, and yet despise the cross of Christ. Better beyond this, and best of all, if it may be, is it for a man both to discern whither he is to go, and to hold fast that on which he is to be borne. Of this those great minds were capable, which are called mountains, and which, above all others, are enlightened by the light of righteousness. They were capable of this; and they saw That which Is. For John saw and said, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. This they saw; and that they might reach that which they saw afar off, from the cross of Christ they did not depart, and the lowliness of Christ they did not despise. But" the little ones," who cannot understand this, so they

II.

22

Philosophy saw Divine Realities afar off,

HOMIL. depart not from the Cross, and Passion, and Resurrection of Christ, are brought safely to that which they see not, in the very same ship in which they also arrive who see.

4. But truly, there have risen up certain philosophers of this world, and they have sought the Creator through the creature for the Creator may be found through the creature, as the Apostle's words do manifestly shew: For the invisible things of Him from the constitution of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. Then follows, Because that when they knew God: he saith not," Because they knew not;" but, Because that when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Whence was it darkened? What follows, tells more plainly: Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. They saw whither they had to come; but, unthankful to Him, to Whom they owed it, that they saw, they ascribed it to themselves that they saw and they became proud, and lost what they saw, and turned from it to idols, and images, and to worshippings of dæmons, to adore the creature, and to despise the Creator. But their eyes were already put out when they did these things and that they should have their eyes put out, the reason was, they behaved themselves proudly: and behaving themselves proudly, they professed themselves to be wise. These then of whom he spake, Who when they knew God, saw that whereof John speaks, viz. that by the Word of God S. Aug. all things were made. For this is found also in the books of the philosophers: as likewise, that God has an onlyin Exod. n. 25. begotten Son, by Whom are all things. They could see That which Is, but they saw from afar. They would not hold Origen. to the humiliation of Christ, in which ship they would have c. Cels. arrived safely at that which they were able to see afar off; and the cross of Christ was vile in their eyes. The sea is to be crossed, and despisest thou the plank? O proud wisdom! Thou scornest a crucified Christ. He it is Whom thou sawest afar off: In the beginning was the Word, and sibilia enim ipsius a creatura mundi. Vulg.

ii. 31.

Rom. 1, 20 Invisibilia enim ejus constitutione mundi. August. Invi

but scorning the Cross, could not reach them.

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the Word was with God. But why was He crucified? JOHN Because thou didst need the plank of His humiliation. Thou I. 6-14. wast swollen with pride, and wast cast away far from that thine own land, and by the waves of this world the way thereto is cut off, and to cross to thy country there is no way, unless thou be borne upon the plank. Ungrateful man, thou scornest Him, Who came to thee that thou mightest come back. Himself became the way, and that through the sea. Thence He walked in the sea, to shew that there is a way in the sea. But thou, who canst not walk in the sea as He did, be borne in a ship, be borne on a plank-believe in the Crucified, and thou mayest arrive thither. For thee was He crucified, that He might teach thee humility; and because, if He should come as God, He would not be recognised. For if He should come as God, it were no coming, to those who could not see God. Indeed, as He is God, He neither comes nor goes: being present every where, and in no place contained. But how did He come? He appeared as man.

6-8.

5. Forasmuch then as He was in such sort Man, that in Him the Godhead lay concealed, there was sent before Him a great man, through whose testimony He might be found to be more than man. And who was this? There was a man. John 1, And how could this man declare the truth concerning God? he was sent from God. What was he called? Whose name was John. Wherefore came he? He came for a witness to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. What kind of person was this, who bore witness of the Light? This John was something great; great worth, great grace, great elevation. Admire, yes, quite admire him: yet, as a mountain. But the mountain is in darkness, unless it be arrayed in light. Wherefore, admire John, only so as to hearken to what follows; He was not that Light; lest, thinking the mountain to be light, thou make shipwreck on the mountain, not find consolation. But what shouldest thou admire? The mountain as a mountain. Yet raise thyself to Him Who enlightens the mountain, which mountain was raised up for this very end, that it might first receive the rays, and then reflect them to thine eyes. So then, He was not that light.

HOMIL.
II.

9.

24

John, a light, to witness of The Light.

6. Why then came he? But was sent to bear witness of that Light. Why so? That all through him might believe. John 1, Of what Light was he to bear witness? That was the true Light. Why is true added? Because even a man, who is enlightened, is called light, but the true Light is that which enlighteneth. Our eyes are called lights. And yet, unless we have a lamp at night, or the sun in the day-time, to no purpose are these lights open. Thus then John also was light, but not the true Light. For, unenlightened, he was darkness; enlightened, he became light. But unless he had been enlightened, he would have been darkness, as are all the ungodly; to whom, now become believers, the Apostle says, Ye were sometime darkness. But now, forasmuch as Ephes. they had believed, what? But now, saith he, light in the 5, 8. Lord. Unless he had added in the Lord, we should not have understood his meaning. Light, he says, in the Lord. Darkness ye were, not in the Lord. For ye were sometime darkness: here he does not add, in the Lord. So then darkness in yourselves; light in the Lord. In like manner, He was not the Light, but he came to bear witness of that Light.

John 1,

9.

7. But where is the Light Itself? That was the true Light, which enlighteneth every man that cometh into this world. If every man that cometh, then John himself also. Christ then enlightened him, by whom He would have Himself made known. Understand, beloved: for He was coming to feeble minds, to wounded hearts, to weak-sighted souls. For this end had He come. And how can the soul see That, which in perfection Is? In the same way, as ofttimes in some illumined object, we have notice that the sun is risen, which yet, with our eyes, we cannot behold. weak-sighted can bear to look on a wall, on shines, or a mountain, or a tree, or the like, on which his rays are shed, this they can bear to look upon. And thus, in another body made radiant with light, that sunrise, which, as yet, their eyes are unable to bear, is made known to them. In like manner, all they, to whom Christ came, were unequal to behold Him. He cast the bright beams of His light upon

For even the which the sun

"Nam et oculi nostri dicuntur word in English which admits equally lumina." We have no corresponding the double meaning of lumina.