loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him (14)."

"Judas, not the Iscariot," but he who was otherwise called Thaddeus, the brother of James, and cousin of the Lord, "saith to him: Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself to us, and not to the world?" The reason is, because they loved him, whereas the world hated him. For such is the sense comprised in these words, which Jesus again repeated: "If any one love me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and will make our abode with him (15). He that loveth me not keepeth not my words." But if he have not love for me, neither hath he any love for my Father, and he should no longer expect to be loved either by Him or by Me. For "the word which you have heard is not mine, but the Father's who sent me."

All this contains a profound meaning, which the apostles were not as yet capable of penetrating. Jesus, who spoke it, however, that it might be understood, promised them that they should yet understand it, in the following words: "These things have I spoken to you, abiding with you. But the Paraclete, the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things (16), and bring all things to your mind whatsoever I shall have said to you (17)."

(14) In order to love God, we must know him. God makes himself more fully known to those who love him. Greater knowledge produces greater love, which, in its turn, is rewarded by a fresh increase of knowledge. The tree springs from the sced thereof, and both one and the other, by their mutual reproduction, increase and multiply almost infinitely.

(15) God is everywhere, but he has three special dwellings: heaven, where he shows himself unveiled; the temples, wherein he receives our homage; and the souls of the just, wherein he continually operates by grace. The latter may well be termed his temples: "Ye are the temples of the living God," said Saint Paul. Well might they sometimes be called heaven also, on account of the wondrous light which God vouchsafes to shed upon them. Saint Paul leaves it doubtful whether it was not during one of these interior illuminations that he was carried in spirit to the third heaven, and there"heard sacred words, which it is not granted to man to utter."-II. Cor. xii. 4. (16) Jesus Christ might confer the Holy Ghost upon the apostles at the same time that he instructed them; he did not choose to do so, in order that they might learn that exterior preaching produces no effect except by the interior action of the Holy Ghost, and that they might not be tempted to attribute to their preaching the fruits which it was soon to produce.

(17) See page 236, Part I.

Being so near his departure from them, he once more bids them farewell in these terins: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you." It is thought that this was very nearly the usual form of farewell amongst the Jews. It was only a civil expression with them; but, on the part of the Saviour, it was a real present. He actually gave what they could merely wish; and the peace which he gave was much more genuine and precious than that which they wished each other. It is on this account that he adds: Not as the world giveth do I give unto you."

But the apostles were not then in a condition to relish the sweetness of that peace. The idea of the separation-which separation these words forcibly recalled to their mind-caused them at this moment a sadness and trouble which the Saviour condescended to soothe by these words: "Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. You have heard that I said to you, I go away, and I come unto you." The assurance of my return should enable you to bear my absence. You would even desire it if you were more enlightened than you are, and if you had for me the love which you ought to have. Yes, "if you loved me, you would indeed be glad, because I go to the Father; for the Father is greater than I (18)," and he calls me to himself solely for the purpose of associating me in his dominion, and sharing with me his power. If he wishes that I should reach it by the way of sufferings and opprobrium, far from being scandalized thereat, remember ye that "now I have told ye before it come to pass, that when it shall come to pass, you may believe. I will not now speak many things to you; for the prince of this world cometh, and in me he hath not any thing (19). But that

(18) Jesus Christ spoke thus because of his humanity, according to the common explanation, which is quite sufficient to silence Arians. The ancient fathers, and especially the Greck fathers, thought that the Saviour might have also said this with reference to his divinity, on account of a certain superiority, which we fancy to ourselves, according to our own conceptions, in him who is the principle, over him who proceeds from him, in him who engenders, over him who is engendered, in the Father, over the Son. This was, as we see, without prejudice to the equality and identity of nature, so that heresy could derive no advantage from this explanation; but heresy might make a bad use of it, and it is always safe to confine ourselves to the former. (19) It is sin which has given to the devil the empire of death; he therefore had no right over him who never sinned, who could only die voluntarily and of his own free-will.

the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father hath given me the commandment, so do I: Arise let us go hence (20)."

CHAPTER LXI.

SEQUEL OF THE DISCOURSE.-JESUS CHRIST IS THE TRUE VINE. WE ARE TO PERSEVERE IN CHARITY. PERSECUTIONS FORETOLD.-TESTIMONY OF THE HOLY GHOST.

Ir is not easy to say very exactly in what place Jesus Christ spoke, and from whence he then departed. Many think that he was still in the supper chamber, where he had eaten the paschal lamb, and that it was from it he now went forth. Others think that he did not leave it at this moment; and although he had said, "Arise, let us go hence," that he remained there, notwithstanding, until he had concluded the long discourse which he had commenced, and a great part of which was yet unspoken: this supposition is very improbable. As for us, confining ourselves to the letter, we have already stated that, immediately after the supper, they all joined in the canticle of thanksgiving, and that they immediately set out, taking the way towards Mount Olivet. We must, therefore, infer that the discourse was pronounced upon the way, partly while walking on, and partly whilst stopping, either upon the road itself, or under some shelter which they met. We shall find no difficulty here if we remember that they walked outside of the city, and during nightthat is to say, in a time and in a place where the Saviour could not

(20) There is a colon in the text after these words: "But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father hath given me commandment, so do I." This colon in the place where it is renders the phrase imperfect, and has caused some to think that there was a deficiency here; but by changing this punctuation, and joining what precedes to these latter words," arise, let us go hence," we have this natural sense, so conformable to the Saviour's mode of thinking and of speaking: "But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father hath given me commandment, so do I arise: let us go hence," in order to proceed to that death to which he sends me. However, we would not have taken this liberty, had we not been authorized to do so by the example of skilful interpreters.--(Père De Ligny.)

be interrupted by the throng of passers-by. Wherefore, after having stopped a while, he arose with his disciples, and resumed his journey and his discourse.

Nothing had greater interest for them than the new mystery which he was about to disclose to them. It is that of the union, and, if we may dare to use the expression, of the incorporation of all the faithful with the Man-God, by which he makes himself their head, and they become his members, constituting but one body with him, animated by the same spirit, and living by the same life. Thus is formed the entire Christ, composed of the head and members, as branches, attached to the trunk, springing from the same root, and nourished by the same sap, form with it but one and the same tree, for such is the comparison which the Saviour makes, pursuing thus his discourse:

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman (1). Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he will take away (2); and every one that beareth fruit, he will purge it (3), that it may bring forth more fruit. Now you are clean by reason of the word which I have spoken to you (4). Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit; for without me you can do nothing (5). If any one remain

(1) Jesus Christ is also the husbandman, but he speaks of this with reference to his Father only, because it was proper that, in the parable, the vine-dresser should be distinguished from the vine. He calls himself the true vine, in order to signify that the union of the vine with the branches is still but an imperfect figure of the union of Jesus Christ with his members, and of the admirable manner in which he communicates to them life and fecundity.

(2) It shall be separated, in this life, from my mystic body, by heresy or by excommunication; or, if it still remain attached by faith, it shall be separated in the other life at least by reprobation.

(3) He will prune them. If the branch were sensitive, what would it not say against the hand who prunes it without mercy? But if it were rational, could it complain of those salutary wounds which procure for it glory and fruitfulness, and which preserve it from the fire to which it had been justly condemned on account of its sterility? (4) We have in the text, by reason of the word which I have spoken to you. This is the evangelical word, the preaching of which produced faith which was followed. by justification.

(5) This expression, and we might, indeed, say the whole of this parable, gives a mortal blow to Pelagianism; it was the fundamental dogma of that heresy that graco

eth not in me, he shall be cast forth as a branch, and shall wither. They shall gather him up, and cast him into the fire, and he burneth (6). If remain in you words remain in you, you my shall ask whatever you will, and it shall be done to you. In this is my Father glorified, that you bring forth very much fruit, and become my disciples."

and me,

This parable could not have a more suitable place than that wherein Jesus Christ proposed it. His disciples, who were upon the point of being deprived of his sensible presence, might easily forget him, and detach themselves from him. It was, therefore, necessary that they should be aware how closely it concerned their own interest to remain always united to him by faith and charity. This is the import of the parable, in which, besides several incidental truths, we find associated all the motives capable of inducing the apostles to rivet as closely as they can the bonds which unite them to their Divine Master-to wit, that of honor; it concerns them to avoid the shame of sterility, and to procure for themselves the glory of a happy fecundity: that of fear; if they detach themselves from this mystic vine, or if they deserve to be cut off therefrom, fire shall be their inevitable lot and their eternal punishment: that of self-interest; for the Saviour, being sensible of their attachment, makes them depositaries of his power and arbiters of his graces; all they require is, to

is not necessary in order to perform good actions, and that at most it only facilitates the performance thereof. No, says Jesus Christ, without me, that is to say, without my grace, you can absolutely do nothing; and, in point of fact, it is not in order to fructify more casily or more abundantly that the sapling is attached to the vineit is simply in order that it may fructify; without this union it would be equally impossible for it to bear fruit, either more or less.

This expression, you can do nothing, does not exclude all actions, but only such as are conducive to salvation. It would be an abuse of the expression to conclude therefrom that all the acts of the unfaithful are sins. Between sins and actions meriting eternal life there exists a medium, viz., actions morally good, but which, in the order of salvation, have neither value nor merit. Saint Paul said well, that all that he could do without charity would profit him nothing, but he does not say that it would be hurtful to him.

(6) In the text it is in the present, and he burneth (P. De Ligny translates the phrase into the future of the French verb bruler," et il brulera); this is in order to signify the incredible activity of this devouring fire, which burns in an instant all that it touches. We also find its infinite duration expressed here by this present, always to come and always present, and he burneth.