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1. This lesson from the holy Gospel shows us the excellency of our
Lord Jesus Christ's divinity, and the humility of the man who
earned the title of the Bridegroom's friend; that we may distinguish
between the man who is man, and the Man who is God. For the Man
who is God is our Lord Jesus Christ, God before all ages, Man in
the age of our world: God of the Father, man of the Virgin, yet
one and the same Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Son of God, God
and man. But John, a man of distinguished grace, was sent before
Him, a man enlightened by Him who is the Light. For of John it is
said, "He was not the Light, but that he should bear witness of the
Light." He may himself be called a light indeed, and rightly so;
but an enlightened, not an enlightening light. The light that
enlightens, and that which is enlightened, are different things: for
even our eyes are called lights (lumina), and yet when we open them
in the dark, they do not see. But the light that enlightens is a
light both from itself and for itself, and does not need another light
for its shining; but all the rest need it, that they may shine.
2. Accordingly John confessed Him: as you have heard that when
Jesus was making many disciples, and they reported to John as if to
excite him to jealousy, for they told the matter as if moved by envy,
"Lo, he is making more disciples than thou," John confessed what
he was, and thereby merited to belong to Him, because he dared not
affirm himself to be that which Jesus is.
Now this is what John said: "A man cannot receive anything, except
it be given him from heaven." Therefore Christ gives, man
receives. "Ye yourselves bear me witness that I said, I am not the
Christ, but that I am sent before Him He that hath the bride is the
Bridegroom; but the friend of the Bridegroom, who standeth and
heareth Him, rejoiceth greatly because of the Bridegroom's voice."
Not of himself did he give himself joy. He that will have joy of
himself shall be sad; but he that will have his joy of God will ever
rejoice, because God is everlasting. Dost thou desire to have
everlasting joy? Cleave to Him who is everlasting. Such an one
John declared himself to be. "Because of the Bridegroom's voice,
the friend of the Bridegroom rejoiceth," not because of his own
voice, and "standeth and heareth." Therefore, if he falls, he
heareth Him not: for of a certain one who fell it is said, "And he
stood not in the truth;"' this is said of the devil. It behoves the
Bridegroom's friend, then, "to stand and to hear." What is it to
stand? It is to abide in His grace, which he received. And he
hears a voice at which he rejoices. Such was John: he knew whereof
he rejoiced; he did not arrogate to himself to be what he was not; he
knew himself as one enlightened, not the enlightener. "But that was
the true Light," saith the evangelist, "that lighteneth every man
coming into this world." If "every man," then also John himself;
for he too is of men. Moreover, although none hath arisen among them
that are born of women greater than John, yet he was himself one of
those that are born of women. Is he to be compared with Him who,
because He willed it, was born by a singular and extraordinary birth?
For both generations of the Lord are unexampled, both the divine and
the human: by the divine He has no mother; by the human, no father.
Therefore John was but one of the rest: of greater grace, however,
so that of those born of women none arose greater than he; so great a
testimony he gave to our Lord Jesus Christ as to call Him the
Bridegroom, and himself the Bridegroom's friend, not worthy however
to loose the latchet of the Bridegroom's shoe. You have already
heard much on this point, beloved: let us look to what follows; for
it is somewhat hard to understand. But as John himself says, that
"no man can receive anything, except it be given him from heaven,"
whatever we shall not have understood, let us ask Him who gives from
heaven: for we are men, and cannot receive anything, except He, who
is not man, give it us.
3. Now this is what follows: and John says, "This my joy
therefore is fulfilled." What is his joy? To rejoice at the
Bridegroom's voice. It is fulfilled in me, I bare my grace; more
I do not assume to myself, lest also I lose what I have received.
What is this joy? "With joy rejoiceth for the Bridegroom's
voice." A man may understand, then, that he ought not to rejoice of
his own wisdom, but of the wisdom which he has received from God.
Let him ask nothing more, and he loses not what he found. For many,
in that they affirmed themselves to be wise, became fools. The
apostle convicts them, and says of them, "Because that which is
known of God is manifest to them; for God has showed it unto them."
Hear ye what he says of certain unthankful, ungodly men: "For the
invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are seen, being
understood by the things that are made, His eternal power likewise,
and Godhead; so that they are without excuse." Why without excuse?
"Because, knowing God" (he said not, "because they knew Him not
"), "they glorified Him not as God, nor were thankful; but
became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was
darkened: professing themselves to be wise, they became fools." If
they had known God, they had known at the same time that God, and
none other, had made them wise; and they would not then attribute to
themselves that which they did not have from themselves, but to Him
from whom they had received it. But by their unthankfulness they
became fools. Therefore, what God gave freely, He took from the
unthankful. John would not be this; he would be thankful: he
confessed to have received, and declared that he rejoiced for the
Bridegroom's voice, saying, "Therefore this my joy is
fulfilled."
4. "He must increase, but I must decrease." What is this? He
must be exalted, but I must be humbled. How is Jesus to increase?
How is God to increase? The perfect does not increase. God neither
increases nor decreases. For if He increases, He is not perfect;
if He decreases, he is not God. And how can Jesus increase, being
God? If to man's estate, since He deigned to be man and was a
child; and, though the Word of God, lay an infant in a manger;
and, though His mother's Creator, yet sucked the milk of infancy of
her: then Jesus having grown in age of the flesh, that perhaps is the
reason why it is said, "He must increase, but I must decrease."
But why in this? As regards the flesh, John and Jesus were of the
same age, there being six months between them: they had grown up
together; and if our Lord Jesus Christ had willed to be here longer
before His death, and that John should be here with Him, then, as
they had grown up together, so would they have grown old together: in
what way, then, "He must increase but I must decrease"? Above
all, our Lord Jesus Christ being now thirty years old, does a man
who is already thirty years old still grow? From that same age, men
begin to go downward, and to decline to graver age, thence to old
age. Again, even had they both been lads, he would not have said.
"He must increase," but, We must increase together. But now each
is thirty years of age. The interval of six months makes no difference
in age; the difference is discovered by reading rather than by the look
of the persons.
5. What means, then, "He must increase, but I must decrease"?
This is a great mystery! Before the Lord Jesus came, men were
glorying of themselves; He came a man, to lessen man's glory, and
to increase the glory of God. Now He came without sin, and found
all men in sin. If thus He came to put away sin, God may freely
give, man may confess. For man's confession is man's lowliness:
God's pity is God's loftiness. Therefore, since He came to
forgive man his sins, let man acknowledge his own lowliness and let
God show His pity. "He must increase, but I must decrease:"
that is, He must give, but I must receive; He must be glorified,
but I must confess. Let man know his own condition, and confess to
God; and hear the apostle as he says to a proud, elated man, bent on
extolling himself: "What hast thou that thou didst not receive? And
if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory as if thou didst not
receive it?" Then let man understand that he has received; and when
he would call that his own which is not his, let him decrease: for it
is good for him that God be glorified in him. Let him decrease in
himself, that he may be increased in God. These testimonies and this
truth, Christ and John signified by their deaths. For John was
lessened by the Head: Christ was exalted on the cross; so that even
there it appeared what this is, "He must increase, but I must
decrease." Again, Christ was born when the days were just beginning
to lengthen; John was born when they began to shorten. Thus their
very creation and deaths testify to the words of John, when he says,
"He must increase, but I must decrease." May the glory of God
then increase in us, and our own glory decrease, that even ours may
increase in God! For this is what the apostle says, this is what
Holy Scripture says: "He that glorieth, let him glory in the
Lord." Wilt thou glory in thyself? Thou wilt grow; but grow worse
in thy evil. For whoso grows worse is justly decreased. Let God,
then, who is ever perfect, grow, and grow in thee. For the more
thou understandest God, and apprehendest Him, He seems to be
growing in thee; but in Himself He grows not, being ever perfect.
Thou didst understand a little yesterday; thou understandest more
today, wilt understand much more tomorrow: the very light of God
increases in thee: as if thus God increases, who remains ever
perfect. It is as if one's eyes were being cured of former
blindness, and he began to see a little glimmer of light, and the next
day he saw more, and the third day still more: to him the light would
seem to grow; yet the light is perfect, whether he see it or not.
Thus it is also with the inner man: he makes progress indeed in God,
and God seems to be increasing in him; yet man himself is decreasing,
that he may fall from his own glory, and rise into the glory of God.
6. What we have just heard, appears now distinctly and clearly.
"He that cometh from above, is above all." See what he says of
Christ. What of himself? "He that is of the earth, is of earth,
and speaketh of the earth. He that cometh from above is above
all"-this is Christ; and "he that is of the earth, is of earth,
and speaketh of the earth " this is John. And is this the whole:
John is of the earth, and speaks of the earth? Is the whole
testimony that he bears of Christ a speaking of the earth? Are they
not voices of God that are heard from John, when he bears witness of
Christ? Then how does he speak of the earth? He said this of man.
So far as relates to man in himself, he is of earth, and speaks of
the earth; and when he speaks some divine things, he is enlightened by
God. For, were he not enlightened, he would be earth speaking of
earth. God's grace is apart by itself, the nature of man apart by
itself. Do but examine the nature of man: man is born and grows, he
learns the customs of men. What does he know but earth, of earth?
He speaks the things of men, knows the things of men, minds the
things of men; carnal, he judges carnally, conjectures carnally:
lo! it is man all over. Let the grace of God come, and enlighten
his darkness, as it saith, "Thou wilt lighten my candle, O Lord;
my God, enlighten my darkness;" let it take the mind of man, and
turn it to its own light; immediately he begins to say, as the apostle
says, "Yet not I, but the grace of God that is with me;" and,
"Now I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." That is to
say, "He must increase, but I must decrease." Thus John: as
regards John, he is of the earth, and speaks of the earth; whatever
that is divine thou hast heard from John, is of Him that enlightens,
not of him that receives.
7. "He that cometh from heaven is above all; and what He hath seen
and heard, that He testifieth: and no man receiveth His
testimony." Cometh from heaven, is above all, our Lord Jesus
Christ; of whom it was said above, "No man hath ascended into
heaven, but He that came down from heaven, the Son of man who is in
heaven." And He is above all; "and what He hath seen and heard,
that He speaks." Moreover, He hath a Fathers being Himself the
Son of God; He hath a Father, and He also hears of the Father.
And what is that which He hears of the Father? Who can unfold
this? When can my tongue, when can my heart be sufficient, either
the heart to understand, or the tongue to utter, what that is which
the Son hath heard from the Father? May it be the Son has heard the
Word of the Father? Nay, the Son is the Word of the Father.
You see how all human effort is here wearied out; you see how all
guessing of our heart, all straining of our darkened mind, here
fails. I hear the Scripture saying that the Son speaks that which
He heareth from the Father; and again, I hear the Scripture saying
that the Son is Himself the Word of the Father: "In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
The words that we speak are fleeting and transient: as soon as thy
word has sounded from thy mouth, it passeth away; it makes its noise,
and passes away into silence. Canst thou follow thy sound, and hold
it to make it stand? Thy thought, however, remains, and of that
thought that remains thou utterest many words that pass away. What say
we, brethren? When God spoke, did He give out a voice, or
sounds, or syllables? If He did, in what tongue spoke He? In
Hebrew, or in Greek, or in Latin? Tongues are necessary where
there is a distinction of nations. But there none can say that God
spoke in this tongue, or in that. Observe thy own heart. When thou
conceivest a word which thou mayest utter, For I will say, if I
can, what we may note in ourselves, not whereby we may comprehend
that, well, when thou conceivest a word to utter, thou meanest to
utter a thing, and the very conception of the thing is already a word
in thy heart: it has not vet come forth, but it is already born in the
heart, and is waiting to come forth. But thou considerest the person
to whom it is to come forth, with whom thou art to speak: if he is a
Latin, thou seekest a Latin expression; if a Greek, thou thinkest
of Greek words; if a Punic, thou considerest whether thou knowest
the Punic language: for the diversity of hearers thou hast recourse to
divers tongues to utter the word conceived; but the conception itself
was bound by no tongue in particular. Whilst therefore God, when
speaking, required not a language, nor took up any kind of speech,
how was He heard by the Son, seeing that God's speaking is the Son
Himself? As, in fact, thou hast in thy heart the word that thou
speakest, and as it is with thee, and is none other than the spiritual
conception itself (for just as thy soul is spirit, so also the word
which thou hast conceived is spirit; for it has not yet received sound
to be divided by syllables, but remains in the conception of thy
heart, and in the mirror of the mind); so God gave out His Word,
that is, begat the Son. And thou, indeed, begettest the word even
in thy heart according to time; God without time begat the Son by
whom He created all times. Whilst, therefore, the Son is the Word
of God, and the Son spoke to us not His own word, but the word of
the Father, He willed to speak Himself to us when He was speaking
the word of the Father. This it is that John said, as was fit and
necessary; and we have expounded according to our ability. He whose
heart has not yet attained to a proper perception of so great a matter,
has whither to turn himself, has where to knock, has from whom to
ask, from whom to seek, of whom to receive.
8. "He that cometh from heaven is above all; and what He hath seen
and heard, that testifieth He; and His testimony no man
receiveth." If no man, to what purpose came He? He means, no man
of a certain class. There are some people prepared for the wrath of
God, to be damned with the devil; of these, none receiveth the
testimony of Christ. For if none at all, not any man, received,
what could these words mean, "But he that received His testimony
hath set to his seal that God is true"? Not certainly, then, no
man, if thou sayest thyself, "He that received His testimony has
set to his seal that God is true." Perhaps John, on being
questioned, would answer and say, I know what I have said, in
saying no man. There are, in fact, people born to God's wrath,
and thereunto foreknown. For God knows who they are that will and
that will not believe; He knows who they are that shall persevere in
that in which they have believed, and who that shall fall away; and
all that shall be for eternal life are numbered by God; and He knows
already the people set apart. And if He knows this, and has given to
the prophets by His Spirit to know it, He gave this also to John.
Now John was observing, not with his eye, for as regards himself he
is earth, and speaketh of earth, but with that grace of the Spirit
which he received of God, he saw a certain people, ungodly,
unbelieving. Contemplating that people in its unbelief, he says,
"His testimony, who came from heaven, no man receiveth." No man
of whom? Of them who shall be on the left hand, of them to whom it
shall be said, "Go into the everlasting fire, which is prepared for
the devil and his angels." Who are they that do receive it? They
who shall be at the right hand, they to whom it shall be said,
"Come, ye blessed of my Father, receive the kingdom which is
prepared for you from the beginning of the world." He observes,
then, in the Spirit a dividing, but in the human race a mingling
together; and that which is not yet separated locally, he separated in
the understanding, in the view of the heart; and he saw two peoples,
one of believers, one of unbelievers. Fixing his thought on the
unbelievers, he says, "He that cometh from heaven is above all; and
what He hath seen and heard, that He testifieth and no man receiveth
His testimony." He then turned his thought from the left hand, and
looked at the right, and proceeded to say, "He that received His
testimony has set to his seal that God is true." What means "has
set to his seal that God is true," if it be not that man is a liar,
and God is true? For no human being can speak any truth, unless he
be enlightened by Him who cannot lie. God, then, is true; but
Christ is God. Wouldest thou prove this? Receive His testimony
and thou findest it. For "he that hath received His testimony has
set to his seal that God is true." Who is true? The same who came
from heaven, and is above all, is God, and true. But if thou dost
not yet understand Him to be God, thou hast not yet received His
testimony: receive it, and thou puttest thy seal to it; confidently
thou understandest, definitely thou acknowledgest, that God is true.
9. "For He whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God."
Himself is the true God, and God sent Him: God sent God. Join
both, one God, true God sent by God. Ask concerning them singly,
He is God; ask concerning them both, they are God. Not
individually God, and both Gods; but each individual God, and both
God. For so great is the charity of the Holy Spirit-there, so
great the peace of unity, that when thou questionest about them
individually, the answer to thee is, God; when thou askest
concerning the Trinity, thou gettest for answer, God. For if the
spirit of man, when it cleaves to God, is one spirit, as the apostle
openly declares, "He that is joined to the Lord is one spirit;"
how much more is the equal Son, joined to the Father, together with
Him one God! Hear another testimony. You know how many believed,
when they sold all they had and laid it at the apostles' feet, that it
might be distributed to each according to his need; and what saith the
Scripture of that gathering of the saints? "They had one soul and
one heart in the Lord." If charity made one soul of so many souls,
and one heart of so many hearts, how great must be the charity between
the Father and the Son! Surely it must be greater than that between
those men who had one heart. If, then, the heart of many brethren
was one by charity, if the soul of many brethren was one by charity,
wouldst thou say that God the Father and God the Son are two? If
they are two Gods, there is not the highest charity between them.
For if charity is here so great as to make thy soul and thy friend's
soul one soul, how can it be then that the Father and the Son is not
one God? Far be unfeigned faith from this thought. In short, how
excellent that charity is, understand hence: the souls of many men are
many, and if they love one another, it is one soul; still, in the
case of men, they may be called many souls, because the union is not
so strong. But there it is right for thee to say one God; two or
three Gods it is not right for thee to say. From this, the supreme
and surpassing excellency of charity is shown thee to be such, that a
greater cannot be.
10. "For He whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God."
This, of course, he said of Christ, to distinguish himself from
Christ. What then? Did not God send John himself? Did he not
say himself, "I am sent before Him"? and, "He that sent me to
baptize with water"? And is it not of John that it is said,
"Behold, I send my messenger before Thee, and he shall prepare
Thy way"? Does he not himself speak the words of God, he of whom
it is said that he is more than a prophet? Then, if God sent him
too, and he speaks the words of God, how do we understand him to have
distinctly said of Christ, "He whom God hath sent speaketh the
words of God"? But see what he adds: "For God giveth not the
Spirit by measure." What is this, "For God giveth not the
Spirit by measure"? We find that God does give the Spirit by
measure. Hear the apostle when he says, "According to the measure
of the gift of Christ." To men He gives by measure, to the only
Son He gives not by measure. How does He give to men by measure?
"To one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom: to another the
word of wisdom according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the
same Spirit; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits;
to another kinds of tongues; to another the gift of healing. Are all
apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of
miracles? Have all the gift of healing? Do all speak with tongues?
Do all interpret?" This man has one gift, that man another; and
what that man has, this has not: there is a measure, a certain
division of gifts. To men, therefore, it is given by measure, and
concord among them makes one body. As the hand receives one kind of
gift to work, the eye another to see, the ear another to hear, the
foot another to walk; nevertheless the soul that does all is one, in
the hand to work, in the foot to walk, in the ear to hear, in the eye
to see; so are also the gifts of believers diverse, distributed to
them as to members, to each according to his proper measure. But
Christ, who gives, receives not by measure.
11. Now hear further what follows: because He had said of the
Son, "For God giveth not the Spirit by measure: the Father
loveth the Son, and hath given all things into His hand," He
added, "hath given all things into His hands," that thou mightest
know also here with what distinction it is said, "The Father loveth
the Son." And why? Does the Father not love John? And yet He
has not given all things into his hand. Does the Father not love
Paul? And yet He has not given all things into his hand. "The
Father loveth the Son:" but as father loveth, not as master loveth
a servant; as the Only Son, not as an adopted son. And so "hath
given all things into His hand." What means "all things"? That
the Son should be such as the Father is. To equality with Himself
He begat Him in whom it was no robbery to be in the form of God,
equal to God. "The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all
things into His hand." Therefore, having deigned to send us the
Son, let us not imagine that it is something less than the Father
that is sent to us. The Father, in sending the Son, sent His
other self.
12. But the disciples, still thinking that the Father is something
greater than the Son, seeing only the flesh, and not understanding
His divinity, said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father and it
sufficeth us." As much as to say, "We know Thee already, and
bless Thee that we know Thee: for we thank Thee that Thou hast
shown Thyself to us. But as yet we know not the Father: therefore
our heart is inflamed, and occupied with a certain holy longing of
seeing Thy Father who sent Thee. Show us Him, and we shall desire
nothing more of Thee: for it sufficeth us when He has been shown,
than whom none can be greater." A good longing, a good desire; but
small intelligence. Now the Lord Jesus Himself, regarding them as
small men seeking great things, and Himself great among the small,
and yet small among the small, says to Philip, one of the disciples,
who had said this: "Am I so long time with you, and ye have not
known me, Philip?" Here Philip might have answered, Thee we have
known, but did we say to Thee, Show us Thyself? We have known
Thee, but it is the Father we seek to know. He immediately adds,
"He that hath seen me, hath seen the Father also." If, then,
One equal with the Father has been sent, let us not estimate Him
from the weakness of the flesh, but think of the majesty clothed in
flesh, but not weighed down by the flesh. For, remaining God with
the Father, He was made man among men, that, through Him who was
made man, thou mightest become such as to receive God. For man could
not receive God. Man could see man; God he could not apprehend.
Why could he not apprehend God? Because he had not the eye of the
heart, by which to apprehend Him. There was something within
disordered, something without sound: man had the eyes of the body
sound, but the eyes of the heart sick. He was made man to the eye of
the body; so that, believing on Him who could be seen in bodily
form, thou mightst be healed for seeing Him whom thou wast not able to
see spiritually. "Am I so long time with you, and ye know me not,
Philip? He that hath seen me, hath seen the Father also." Why
did they not see Him? Lo, they did see Him, and yet saw not the
Father: they saw the flesh, but the majesty was concealed. What the
disciples who loved Him saw, saw also the Jews who crucified Him.
Inwardly, then, was He all; and in such manner inwardly in the
flesh, that He remained with the Father when He came to the flesh.
13. Carnal thought does not apprehend what I say: let it defer
understanding, and begin by faith; let it hear what follows: "He
that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth
not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on
him." He has not said, The wrath of God cometh to him; but,
"The wrath of God abideth on him." All that are born mortals have
the wrath of God with them. What wrath of God? That wrath which
Adam first received. For if the first man sinned, and heard the
sentence, "Thou shalt die the death," he became mortal, and we
began to be born mortal; and we have been born with the wrath of God.
From this stock came the Son, not having sin, and He was clothed
with flesh and mortality. If He partook with us of the wrath of
God, are we slow to partake with Him the grace of God? He, then,
that will not believe the Son, on the same "the wrath of God
abideth." What wrath of God? That of which the apostle says,
"We also were by nature the children of wrath, even as the rest."
All are therefore children of wrath, because coming of the curse of
death. Believe on Christ, for thee made mortal, that thou mayest
receive Him, the immortal; and when thou shalt have received His
immortality, thou shalt no longer be mortal. He lived, thou wast
dead; He died that thou shouldst live. He has brought us the grace
of God, and has taken away the wrath of God. God has conquered
death, lest death should conquer man.
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