370 For they are made partakers of the Eternal Light. HOMIL. Which sent Him. The Son was sent only as He was made XXIII. v. 24. man. 14. Verily, verily I say unto you. Again He cometh back to resurrection of souls, that by dint of assiduous repetition, we may take it in: because, while His word flew as on wings, we could not follow it; lo, the word of God doth make long stay with us; lo, it doth, as it were, dwell with our infirmities: He cometh back to the mention of the resurrection of souls. Verily, verily I say unto you, that whoso heareth My word, and believeth Him Which sent Me, hath eternal life: howbeit, as from the Father: that whoso heareth My word, and believeth Him Which sent Me, from the Father hath eternal life, by believing on Him Which sent Him: and shall not come into judgment, but is passed from death to life: howbeit, of the Father is He quickened, Whom He believeth. How? Dost Thou not quicken? See here that the Son also quickeneth whom He will. Verily, verily I say unto you, the hour cometh, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live. Here, He hath not said, They shall believe Him that sent Me, and therefore shall live; but, by hearing the voice of the Son of God, they that hear, that is, hear and obey, shall live. Therefore, shall both live from the Father, when they shall believe the Father; and shall live from the Son, when they shall hear the voice of the Son of God. Why shall they both live from the Father, and live from the Son? For, as the Father hath life in Himself, so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself. 15. He hath spoken to the full concerning resurrection of souls it remaineth to speak more evidently concerning resurrection of bodies. And hath given Him power also to execute judgment: not only to raise up souls by faith and wisdom, but also to execute judgment. And wherefore these? Because He is the Son of Man. Consequently, the Father doeth somewhat by the Son of Man, which He doeth not from His Substance to Which the Son is equal; as, that He should be born, that He should be crucified, that He should die, that He should rise again: for not any of these hath had place in the Father. So too, the raising again of bodies. For, the raising of souls the Father doth make from Resurrection of bodies is by Christ Incarnate. 371 V: His own Substance by the Substance of the Son, in which JOHN He is equal to the Father: souls, namely, not bodies, are 31-40. made partakers of that unchangeable Light: but, the raising again of bodies the Father doth make by the Son of Man. For, He hath given Him power to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man; according to that which He said above, For the Father judgeth not any. And, to shew that He spake this of the resurrection of bodies, He adds, Marvel not at this, for the hour cometh: not, now is, but, the hour cometh, in which all that are in the graves (ye have already heard this also most abundantly expounded yesterday) shall hear His voice, and shall come forth. And where? Into judgment: they that have done well, to resurrection of life; they that have done evil, to resurrection of judgment. And doest Thou this, Thou only, because the Father hath given all judgment to the Son, and judgeth not any? I, saith He, do this. But in what manner doest Thou it? I cannot of Myself do any thing; as I hear, I judge, and My judgment is just. While the matter in hand was concerning resurrection of souls, He said not, I hear; but, I see. For I hear, implies a command of the Father giving order. Consequently, now as Man, as that than which the Father is greater; now, from the form of a servant, not from the form of God; as I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just. What makes man's judgment just? My brethren, mark! Because I seek not Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me. HOMILY XXIV. JOHN vi. 1-14. After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. And a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His miracles which He did on them that were diseased. And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there He sat with His disciples. And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh. When Jesus then lifted up His eyes, and saw a great company come unto Him, He saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this He said to prove him: for He Himself knew what He would do. Philip answered Him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto Him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves; and when He had given thanks, He distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled, He said unto His disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten. Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that Prophet that should come into the world. Christ's Miracles, signs of creative Power. 373 VI. Hom. 8, sages cited. 1. THE miracles wrought by our Lord Jesus Christ are JOHN indeed Divine works, and admonitions of God to the human 1-14. mind, that it should rise to the understanding of Him by the things that are seen. For because He is not such a substance as can be seen with eyes, and His miracles, or marvellous Comp. works, in His governing the whole world and administering 1. and universal creation, have by their very constancy become cheap the pasin our regard, so that almost no man deigns to mark the there marvellous and stupendous works of God exhibited in any grain of seed; in His mercy He hath reserved to Himself certain works, which He should do at suitable time, beside the usual course and order of nature, that so they in whose regard His daily works have become cheap, might be amazed at the sight of works, not greater indeed, but unwonted. Truly, the government of the whole world is a greater miracle than the satisfying of five thousand men with five loaves: and yet no man marvels at the one; the other, men marvel at, not because it is greater, but because it is rare. For who is He that doth even now feed the whole world, but He that of a few grains creates whole harvests? He wrought therefore as God worketh. For whence He multiplieth a few grains into harvests, thence in His hands He multiplied the five loaves. The power was in the hands of Christ; but those five loaves were as seed, not indeed committed to the earth, but multiplied by Him that made the earth. Here then was something brought near to the senses, that by it the mind should be lifted up, and exhibited to the eyes, that upon it the understanding should be exercised: that the invisible God might through visible works be admired by us, and we, being lifted up to faith and purged by faith, might desire to have vision invisibly of Him, even of Whom, Invisible, we by visible things had knowledge. 2. Yet it is not enough that we fix our regard upon these points in the miracles of Christ. Let us interrogate the miracles themselves, what they speak to us concerning Christ for they have their tongue, if they be understood. Since Christ is the Word of God, every deed of that Word is to us a word. Therefore, as concerning this miracle, since we have heard how great it is, let us search how profound it is: let us not delight ourselves with the mere 374 Every deed of the Word is a word of teaching. HOMIL. Outside, but also explore its depth. This, which we admire XXIV. on its outer side, hath something within. We have seen, Serm. lum we have beheld, a great, a glorious, an altogether Divine work, which could not be wrought save only by God: from the thing done we have praised the Doer. But in like Comp. manner as, if we were any where inspecting a fair piece of 98, 3. writing, it would not be enough that we should praise the 1 articu- writer's skilful hand', that he formed the letters even, equal and graceful, unless we should also read what he by them would make known to us; so, he who does but look at the thing done in this miracle, is delighted by the beauty of the deed, and moved to admiration of the Artificer; but he who understands does, as it were, read it. It is one way in which we look at a picture: another, at a writing. When thou seest a picture, this is all, to see, to praise: when thou seest a writing, this is not all: thou art put in mind also to read it. For when thou seest a writing, if it chance thou knowest not how to read it, thou sayest, What think we is this that is here written? Thou askest what it is, when already thou seest somewhat that it is. Somewhat else he will shew thee, of whom thou seekest to be informed what it is that thou hast seen. He has one sort of eyes, thou another. Do ye not alike see the strokes of the pen ? Yes, but ye do not in like manner know the signs. Thou seest and praisest: the other sees, praises, reads, and understands. Then as we have seen, as we have praised, let us read and understand. Lib. de div. 3. The Lord on the mount: let us understand much Quæst. more, that the Lord on the mount is the Word on high. §. 61. Then that doth not as it were lie low on the ground, which Serm. 130. was done on the mount; nor is it to be transiently passed by; it must be looked up to. He saw the multitudes, knew them hungering, mercifully fed them: not only according to His goodness, but also according to His power. What would goodness of itself avail, where was no bread whereby a hungry crowd should be fed? Unless with the goodness there were also power, that crowd must remain fasting and hungry. In short, the disciples also who were with the Lord, in hunger; they too wished to feed the crowds of people, that they should not remain empty; only they had |