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1. You remember, my beloved, that in the last discourse, by
occasion of the passage of the Gospel read, we spoke to you concerning
the Holy Spirit. When the Lord had invited those that believe on
Him to this drinking, speaking among those who meditated to lay hold
of Him, and sought to kill Him, and were not able, because it was
not His will: well, when He had spoken these things, there arose a
dissension among the multitude concerning Him; some thinking that He
was the very Christ, others saying that Christ shall not arise from
Galilee. But they who had been sent to take Him returned clear of
the crime and full of admiration. For they even gave witness to His
divine doctrine, when those by whom they had been sent asked, "Why
have ye not brought him?" They answered that they had never heard a
man so speak: "For not any man so speaks." But He spoke thus,
because He was God and man. But the Pharisees, repelling their
testimony, said to them: "Are ye also deceived?" We see,
indeed, that you also have been charmed by his discourses. "Hath any
one of the rulers or the Pharisees believed on him? But this
multitude who know not the law are cursed." They who knew not the law
believed on Him who had sent the law; and those men who were teaching
the law despised Him, that it; might be fulfilled which the Lord
Himself had said, "I am come that they who see not may see, and
they that see may be made blind." For the Pharisees, the teachers
of the law, were made blind, and the people that knew not the law,
and yet believed on the author of the law, were enlightened.
2. "Nicodemus," however, "one of the Pharisees, who had come
to the Lord by night," not indeed as being himself unbelieving, but
timid; for therefore he came by night to the light, because he wished
to be enlightened and feared to be known; Nicodemus, I say,
answered the Jews, "Doth our law judge a man before it hear him,
and know what he doeth?" For they perversely wished to condemn before
they examined. Nicodemus indeed knew, or rather believed, that if
only they were willing to give Him a patient hearing, they would
perhaps become like those who were sent to take Him, but preferred to
believe. They answered, from the prejudice of their heart, what they
had answered to those officers, "Art thou also a Galilean?" That
is, one seduced as it were by the Galilean. For the Lord was said
to be a Galilean, because His parents were from the city of
Nazareth. I have said "His parents" in regard to Mary, not as
regards the seed of man; for on earth He sought but a mother, He had
already a Father on high. For His nativity on both sides was
marvellous: divine without mother, human without father. What,
then, said those would-be doctors of the law to Nicodemus? "Search
the Scriptures, and see that out of Galilee ariseth no prophet."
Yet the Lord of the prophets arose thence. "They returned," saith
the evangelist, "every man to his own house."
3. "Thence Jesus went unto the mount;" namely, to mount
"Olivet," unto the fruitful mount, unto the mount of ointment,
unto the mount of chrism. For where, indeed, but on mount Olivet
did it become the Christ to teach? For the name of Christ is from
chrism; lrisma in the Greek, is called in Latin unctio, an
anointing. And He has anointed us for this reason, because He has
made us wrestlers against the devil. "And early in the morning He
came again into the temple, and all the people came unto Him; and He
sat down and taught them." And He was not taken, for He did not
yet deign to suffer.
4. And now observe wherein the Lord's gentleness was tempted by
His enemies. "And the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman
just taken in adultery: and they set her in the midst, and said to
Him, Master, this woman has just been taken in adultery. Now
Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what
sayest thou? But this they said, tempting Him, that they might
accuse Him." Why accuse Him? Had they detected Himself in any
misdeed; or was that woman said to have been concerned with Him in any
manner? What, then, is the meaning of "tempting Him, that they
might accuse Him"? We understand, brethren, that a wonderful
gentleness shone out pre-eminently in the Lord. They observed that
He was very meek, very gentle: for of Him it had been previously
foretold, "Gird Thy sword upon Thy thigh, O most Mighty; in
Thy splendor and beauty urge on, march on prosperously, and reign,
because of truth, and meekness, and righteousness." Accordingly,
as a teacher, He brought truth; as a deliverer, He brought
gentleness; as a protector, He brought righteousness.
That He was to reign on account of these things, the prophet had by
the Holy Spirit foretold. When He spoke His truth was
acknowledged; when He was not provoked to anger against His enemies,
His meekness was praised. Whilst, therefore, in respect of these
two, namely, His truth and meekness, His enemies were tormented
with malice and envy; in respect of the third, namely,
righteousness, they laid a stumbling-block for Him. In what way?
Because the law had commanded the adulterers to be stoned, and surely
the law could not command what was unjust: if any man should say other
than the law had commanded, he would be detected as unjust. Therefore
they said among themselves, "He is accounted true, he appears to be
gentle; an accusation must be sought against him in respect of
righteousness. Let us bring before him a woman taken in adultery; let
us say to him what is ordered in the law concerning such: if he shall
approve her being stoned, he will not show his gentleness; if he
consent to let her go, he will not keep righteousness. But, say
they, that he may not lose the reputation of gentleness, for which he
is become an object of love to the people, without doubt he will say
that she must be let go. Hence we find an opportunity of accusing
him, and we charge him as being a transgressor of the law: saying to
him, Thou art an enemy to the law; thou answerest against Moses,
nay, against Him who gave the law through Moses; thou art worthy of
death: thou too must be stoned with this woman." By these words and
sentiments they might possibly be able to inflame envy against Him, to
urge accusation, and cause His condemnation to be eagerly demanded.
But this against whom? It was perversity against rectitude,
falsehood against the truth, the corrupt heart against the upright
heart, folly against wisdom. When did such men prepare snares, into
which they did not first thrust their own heads? Behold, the Lord in
answering them will both keep righteousness, and will not depart from
gentleness. He was not taken for whom the snare was laid, but rather
they were taken who laid it, because they believed not on Him who
could pull them out of the net.
5. What answer, then, did the Lord Jesus make? How answered the
Truth? How answered Wisdom? How answered that Righteousness
against which a false accusation was ready? He did not say, Let her
not be stoned; lest He should seem to speak against the law. But
God forbid that He should say, Let her be stoned: for He came not
to lose, what He had found, but to seek what was lost. What then
did He answer? See you how full it is of righteousness, how full of
meekness and truth! "He that is without sin of you," saith He,
"let him first cast a stone at her." O answer of Wisdom! How He
sent them unto themselves! For without they stood to accuse and
censure, themselves they examined not inwardly: they saw the
adulteress, they looked not into themselves. Transgressors of the
law, they wished the law to be fulfilled, and this by heedlessly
accusing; not really fulfilling it, as if condemning adulteries by
chastity. You have heard, O Jews, you have heard, O Pharisees,
you have heard, O teachers of the law, the guardian of the law, but
have not yet understood Him as the Lawgiver. What else does He
signify to you when He writes with His finger on the ground? For the
law was written with the finger of God; but written on stone because
of the hard-hearted. The Lord now wrote on the ground, because He
was seeking fruit. You have heard then, Let the law be fulfilled,
let the adulteress be stoned. But is it by punishing her that the law
is to be fulfilled by those that ought to be punished? Let each of you
consider himself, let him enter into himself, ascend the
judgment-seat of his own mind, place himself at the bar of his own
conscience, oblige himself to confess. For he knows what he is: for
"no man knoweth the things of a man, but the spirit of man which is in
him." Each looking carefully into himself, finds himself a sinner.
Yes, indeed. Hence, either let this woman go, or together with her
receive ye the penalty of the law. Had He said, Let not the
adulteress be stoned, He would be proved unjust: had He said, Let
her be stoned, He would not appear gentle: let Him say what it
became Him to say, both the gentle and the just, "Whoso is without
sin of you, let him first cast a stone at her." This is the voice of
Justice: Let her, the sinner, be punished, but not by sinners:
let the law be fulfilled, but not by the transgressors of the law.
This certainly is the voice of justice: by which justice, those men
pierced through as if by a dart, looking into themselves and finding
themselves guilty, "one after another all withdrew." The two were
left alone, the wretched woman and Mercy. But the Lord, having
struck them through with that dart of justice, deigned not to heed
their fall, but, turning away His look from them, "again He wrote
with His finger on the ground."
6. But when that woman was left alone, and all they were gone out,
He raised His eyes to the woman. We have heard the voice of
justice, let us also hear the voice of clemency. For I suppose that
woman was the more terrified when she had heard it said by the Lord,
"He that is without sin of you, let him first cast a stone at her."
But they, turning their thought to themselves, and by that very
withdrawal having confessed concerning themselves, had left the woman
with her great sin to Him who was without sin. And because she had
heard this, "He that is without sin. let him first cast a stone at
her," she expected to be punished by Him in whom sin could not be
found. But He, who had driven back her adversaries with the tongue
of justice, raising the eyes of clemency towards her, asked her,
"Hath no man condemned thee?" She answered, "No man, Lord."
And He said, "Neither do I condemn thee;" by whom, perhaps,
thou didst fear to be condemned, because in me thou hast not found
sin. "Neither will I condemn thee." What is this, O Lord?
Dost Thou therefore favor sins? Not so, evidently. Mark what
follows: "Go, henceforth sin no more." Therefore the Lord did
also condemn, but condemned sins, not man. For if He were a patron
of sin, He would say, Neither will I condemn thee; go, live as
thou wilt: be secure in my deliverance; how much soever thou wilt
sin, I will deliver thee from all punishment even of hell, and from
the tormentors of the infernal world. He said not this.
7. Let them take heed, then, who love His gentleness in the
Lord, and let them fear His truth. For" The Lord is sweet and
right." Thou lovest Him in that He is sweet; fear Him in that He
is right. As the meek, He said, "I held my peace;" but as the
just, He said, "Shall I always be silent?" "The Lord is
merciful and pitiful." So He is, certainly. Add yet further,
"Long-suffering;" add yet further, "And very pitiful:" but
fear what comes last, "And true." For those whom He now bears
with as sinners, He will judge as despisers. "Or despisest thou the
riches of His long-suffering and gentleness; not knowing that the
forbearance of God leadeth thee to repentance? But thou, after thy
hardness and impenitent heart, treasurest up for thyself wrath against
the day of wrath and the revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
who will render to every man according to his deeds. The Lord is
gentle, the Lord is long-suffering, the Lord is pitiful; but the
Lord is also just, the Lord is also true. He bestows on thee space
for correction; but thou lovest the delay of judgment more than the
amendment of thy ways.
Hast thou been a bad man yesterday? Today be a good man. Hast thou
gone on in thy wickedness today? At any rate change tomorrow. Thou
art always expecting, and from the mercy of God makest exceeding great
promises to thyself. As if He, who has promised thee pardon through
repentance, promised thee also a longer life. How knowest thou what
tomorrow may bring forth?
Rightly thou sayest in thy heart: When I shall have corrected my
ways, God will put all my sins away. We cannot deny that God has
promised pardon to those that have amended their ways and are
converted. For in what prophet thou readest to me that God has
promised pardon to him that amends, thou dost not read to me that God
has promised thee a long life.
8. From both, then, men are in danger; both from hoping and
despairing, from contrary things, from contrary affections. Who is
deceived by hoping? He who says, God is good, God is merciful,
let me do what I please, what I like; let me give loose reins to my
lusts, let me gratify the desires of my soul. Why this? Because
God is merciful, God is good, God is kind. These men are in
danger by hope. And those are in danger from despair, who, having
fallen into grievous sins, fancying that they can no more be pardoned
upon repentance, and believing that they are without doubt doomed to
damnation, do say with themselves, We are already destined to be
damned, why not do what we please? with the disposition of gladiators
destined to the sword. This is the reason that desperate men are
dangerous: for, having no longer aught to fear, they are to be feared
exceedingly. Despair kills these; hope, those. The mind is tossed
to and fro between hope and despair. Thou hast to fear lest hope slay
thee; and, when thou hopest much from mercy, test thou fall into
judgment: again, thou hast to fear lest despair slay thee, and, when
thou thinkest that the grievous sins which thou hast committed cannot be
forgiven thee, thou dost not repent, and thou incurrest the sentence
of Wisdom, which says, "I also will laugh at your perdition."
How then does the Lord treat those who are in danger from both these
maladies? To those who are in danger from hope, He says, "Be not
slow to be converted to the Lord, neither put it off from day to day;
for suddenly His anger will come, and in the time of vengeance, will
utterly destroy thee. To those who are in danger from despair, what
does He say? "In what day soever the wicked man shall be converted,
I will forget all his iniquities." Accordingly, for the sake of
those who are in danger by despair, He has offered us a refuge of
pardon; and because of those who are in danger by hope, and are
deluded by delays, He has made the day of death uncertain. Thou
knowest not when thy last day may come. Art thou ungrateful because
thou hast today on which thou mayest be improved? Thus therefore said
He to the woman, "Neither will I condemn thee;" but, being made
secure concerning the past, beware of the future. "Neither will I
condemn thee:" I have blotted out what thou hast done; keep what I
have commanded thee, that thou mayest find what I have promised.
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