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NESTEROS: One who does not carefully weigh every word of the opinions
uttered cannot rightly discover the value of the assertion. For we said to
begin with that men of this sort only possess skill in disputation and
ornaments of speech; but cannot penetrate to the very heart of Scripture
and the mysteries of its spiritual meanings. For true knowledge is only
acquired by true worshippers of God; and certainly this people does not
possess it to whom it is said: "Hear, O, foolish people, thou who bast no
heart: ye who having eyes see not, and having ears, hear not." And again:
"Because thou hast rejected knowledge, I also will reject thee from acting
as My priest." For as it is said that in Christ "all the treasures of
wisdom and knowledge are hid," how can we hold that he who has scorned
to find Christ, or, when He is found blasphemes Him with impious lips, or
at least defiles the Catholic faith by his impure deeds, has acquired
spiritual knowledge? "For the Spirit of God will avoid deception, and
dwelleth not in a body that is subject to sin." There is then no way of
arriving at spiritual knowledge but this which one of the prophets has
finely described: "Sow to yourselves for righteousness: reap the hope of
life. Enlighten yourselves with the light of knowledge." First then we
must sow for righteousness, i.e., by works of righteousness we must extend
practical perfection; next we must reap the hope of life, i.e., by the
expulsion of carnal sins must gather the fruits of spiritual virtues: and
so we shall succeed in enlightening ourselves with the light of knowledge.
And the Psalmist also sees that this system ought to be followed, when he
says: "Blessed are they that are undefiled in the way: who walk in the law
of the Lord. Blessed are they that seek His testimonies." For he does
not say in the first place: "Blessed are they that seek His testimonies,
and afterwards add: Blessed are they that are undefiled in the way;" but he
begins by saying: "Blessed are they that are undefiled in the way;" and by
this clearly shows that no one can properly come to seek God's testimonies
unless he first walks undefiled in the way of Christ by his practical life.
Those therefore whom you mentioned do not possess that knowledge which the
impure cannot attain, but pseudw'numon, i.e., what is falsely so called, of
which the blessed Apostle speaks: "O Timothy, keep that which is committed
to thee, avoiding profane novelties of words, and oppositions of the
knowledge that is falsely so called;" which is in the Greek ta's
antithe'seis pseudwnu'mou gnw'sews. Of those then who seem to acquire some
show of knowledge or of those who while they devote themselves diligently
to reading the sacred volume and to committing the Scriptures to memory,
yet forsake not carnal sins, it is well said in Proverbs: "Like as a golden
ring in a swine's snout so is the beauty of an evil-disposed woman." For
what does it profit a man to gain the ornaments of heavenly eloquence and
the most precious beauty of the Scriptures if by clinging to filthy deeds
and thoughts he destroys it by burying it in the foulest ground, or defiles
it by the dirty wallowing of his own lusts? For the result will be that
which is an ornament to those who rightly use it, is not only unable to
adorn them, but actually becomes dirty by the increased filth and mud. For
"from the mouth of a sinner praise is not comely;" as to him it is said
by the prophet: "Wherefore dost thou declare My righteous acts, and takest
My covenant in thy lips?" of souls like this, who never possess in any
lasting fashion the fear of the Lord of which it is said: "the fear of the
Lord is instruction and wisdom," and yet try to get at the meaning of
Scripture by continual meditation on them, it is appropriately asked in
Proverbs: "What use are riches to a fool? For a senseless man cannot
possess wisdom." But so far is this true and spiritual knowledge
removed from that worldly erudition, which is defiled by the stains of
carnal sins, that we know that it has sometimes flourished most grandly in
some who were without eloquence and almost illiterate. And this is very
clearly shown by the case of the Apostles and many holy men, who did not
spread themselves out with an empty show of leaves, but were bowed down by
the weight of the true fruits of spiritual knowledge: of whom it is written
in the Acts of the Apostles: "But when they saw the boldness of Peter and
John, and perceived that they were ignorant and unlearned men, they were
astonished." And therefore if you are anxious to attain to that never-
failing fragrance, you must first strive with all your might to obtain from
the Lord the purity of chastity. For no one, in whom the love of carnal
passions and especially of fornication still holds sway, can acquire
spiritual knowledge. For "in a good heart wisdom will rest;" and: "He that
feareth the Lord shall find knowledge with righteousness." But that we
must attain to spiritual knowledge in the order of which we have already
spoken, we are taught also by the blessed Apostle. For when he wanted not
merely to draw up a list of all his own virtues, but rather to describe
their order, that he might explain which follows what, and which gives
birth to what, after some others he proceeds as follows: "In watchings, in
fastings, in chastity, in knowledge, in long suffering, in gentleness, in
the Holy Ghost, in love unfeigned." And by this enumeration of virtues
he evidently meant to teach us that we must come from watchings and
fastings to chastity, from chastity to knowledge, from knowledge to long
suffering, from long suffering to gentleness, from gentleness to the Holy
Ghost, from the Holy Ghost to the rewards of love unfeigned. When then by
this system and in this order you too have come to spiritual knowledge, you
will certainly have, as we said, not barren or idle learning but what is
vigorous and fruitful; and the seed of the word of salvation which has been
committed by you to the hearts of your hearers, will be watered by the
plentiful showers of the Holy Ghost that will follow; and, according to
this that the prophet promised, "the rain will be given to your seed,
wherever you shall sow in the land, and the bread of the corn of the land
shall be most plentiful and fat."
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