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12. Let no one say, I do not know what I love. Let him love his
brother, and he will love the same love. For he knows the love with
which he loves, more than the brother whom he loves. So now he can
know God more than he knows his brother: clearly known more, because
more present; known more, because more within him; known more,
because more certain. Embrace the love of God, and by love embrace
God. That is love itself, which associates together all good angels
and all the servants of God by the bond of sanctity, and joins
together us and them mutually with ourselves, and joins. us
subordinately to Himself. In proportion, therefore, as we are
healed from the swelling of pride, in such proportion are we more
filled with love; and with what is he fall, who is full of love,
except with God? Well, but you will say, I see love, and, as far
as I am able, I gaze upon it with my mind, and I believe the
Scripture, saying, that "God is love; and he that dwelleth in
love, dwelleth in God;" but when I see love, I do not see in it
the Trinity. Nay, but thou dost see the Trinity if thou seest
love. But if I can I will put you in mind, that thou mayest see
that thou seest it; only let itself be present, that we may be moved
by love to something good. Since, when we love love, we love one who
loves something, and that on account of this very thing, that he does
love something; therefore what does love love, that love itself also
may be loved? For that is not love which loves nothing. But if it
loves itself it must love something, that it may love itself as love.
For as a word indicates something, and indicates also itself, but
does not indicate itself to be a word, unless it indicates that it does
indicate something; so love also loves indeed itself, but except it
love itself as loving something, it loves itself not as love. What
therefore does love love, except that which we love with love? But
this, to begin from that which is nearest to us, is our brother. And
listen how greatly the Apostle John commends brotherly love: "He
that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none
occasion of stumbling in him." It is manifest that he placed the
perfection of righteousness in the love of our brother; for he
certainly is perfect in whom "there is no occasion of stumbling."
And yet he seems to have passed by the love of God in silence; which
he never would have done, unless because he intends God to be
understood in brotherly love itself. For in this same epistle, a
little further on, he says most plainly thus: "Beloved, let us love
one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of
God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for
God is love." And this passage declares sufficiently and plainly,
that this same brotherly love itself (for that is brotherly love by
which we love each other) is set forth by so great authority, not only
to be from God, but also to be God. When, therefore, we love our
brother from love, we love our brother from God; neither can it be
that we do not love above all else that same love by which we love our
brother: whence it may be gathered that these two commandments cannot
exist unless interchangeably. For since "God is love," he who
loves love certainly loves God; but he must needs love love, who
loves his brother. And so a little after he says, "For he that
loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he
hath not seen"? because the reason that he does not see God is, that
he does not love his brother. For he who does not love his brother,
abideth not in love; and he who abideth not in love, abideth not in
God, because God is love. Further, he who abideth not in God,
abideth not in light; for "God is light, and in Him is no darkness
at all." He therefore who abideth not in light, what wonder is it if
he does not see light, that is, does not see God, because he is in
darkness? But he sees his brother with human sight, with which God
cannot be seen. But if he loved with spiritual love him whom he sees
with human sight, he would see God, who is love itself, with the
inner sight by which He can be seen. Therefore he who does not love
his brother whom he sees, how can he love God, whom on that account
he does not see, because God is love, which he has not who does not
love his brother? Neither let that further question disturb us, how
much of love we ought to spend upon our brother, and how much upon
God: incomparably more upon God than upon ourselves, but upon our
brother as much as upon ourselves; and we love ourselves so much the
more, the more we love God. Therefore we love God and our neighbor
from one and the same love; but we love God for the sake of God, and
ourselves and our neighbors for the sake of God.
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