fruit of itself, after saying, “the same bringeth forth much fruit," His next words are not, Without me ye can do but little, but "ye can do nothing." Whether then it be little or much, without Him it is impracticable; for without Him nothing can be done. For although, when the branch beareth little fruit, the husbandman purgeth it that it may bring forth more; yet if it abide not in the vine, and draw its life from the root, it can bear no fruit whatever of itself. And although Christ would not have been the vine had He not been man, yet He could not have supplied such grace to the branches had He not also been God. And just because such grace is so essential to life, that even death itself ceases to be at the disposal of free-will, He adds, "If any one abide not in me, he shall be cast forth as a branch, and wither; and they shall gather him, and cast him into the fire, and he is burned." The wood of the vine, therefore, is in the same proportion the more contemptible if it abide not in the vine, as it is glorious while so abiding; in fine, as the Lord likewise says of them in the prophet Ezekiel, when cut off, they are of no use for any purpose of the husbandman, and can be applied to no labor of the mechanic. The branch is suitable only for one of two things, either the vine or the fire: if it is not in the vine, its place will be in the fire; and that it may escape the latter, may it have its place in the vine. 4. "If ye abide in me," He says, "and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." For abiding thus in Christ, is there aught they can wish but what will be agreeable to Christ? So abiding in the Saviour, can they wish anything that is inconsistent with salvation? Some things, indeed, we wish because we are 1 Ezek. xv. 5. in Christ, and other things we desire because still in this world. For at times, in connection with this our present abode, we are inwardly prompted to ask what we know not it would be inexpedient for us to receive. But God forbid that such should be given us if we abide in Christ, who, when we ask, only does what will be for our advantage. Abiding, therefore, ourselves in Him, when His words abide in us we shall ask what we will, and it shall be done unto us. For if we ask, and the doing follows not, what we ask is not connected with our abiding in Him, nor with His words which abide in us, but with that craving and infirmity of the flesh which are not in Him, and have not His words abiding in them. For to His words, at all events, belongs that prayer which He taught, and in which we say, 'Our Father, who art in heaven."" Let us only not fall away from the words and meaning of this prayer in our petitions, and whatever we ask, it shall be done unto us. For then only may His words be said to abide in us, when we do what He has commanded us, and love what He has promised. But when His words abide only in the memory, and have no place in the life, the branch is not to be accounted as in the vine, because it draws not its life from the root. It is to this distinction that the word of Scripture has respect," and to those that remember His commandments to do them."3 For many retain them in their memory only to treat them with contempt, or even to mock at and assail them. It is not in such as have only some kind of contact, but no connection, that the words of Christ abide; and to them, therefore, they will not be a blessing, but a testimony against them; and because they are present in them without abiding in them, they are held fast by them for the very purpose of being judged according to them at last. 1. THE Saviour, in thus speaking to the disciples, commends still more and more the grace whereby we are saved, when He says, "Herein is my Father glorified,' that ye bear very much fruit, and be made my disciples." Whether we say glorified, or made bright, both Clarificatus, literally, "clarified," or made bright, clear, to men's eyes. See immediately afterwards in text. are the rendering given us of one Greek verb, namely doxazein (ôvžážetv). For what is doxa (665) in Greek, is in Latin glory. I have thought it worth while to mention this, because the apostle says, "If Abraham was justified by works, he hath glory, but not before God." For this is the glory before God, 2 Rom. iv. 2. 2 16 66 whereby God, and not man, is glorified, when ye abide in my love if ye keep not my comhe is justified, not by works, but by faith, so mandments; for it is only if ye have kept them that even his doing well is imparted to him that ye shall abide. In other words, it will by God; just as the branch, as I have stated thus be made apparent that ye shall abide in above,' cannot bear fruit of itself. For if my love if ye keep my commandments. So herein God the Father is glorified, that we that no one need deceive himself by saying bear much fruit, and be made the disciples of that he loveth Him, if he keepeth not His Christ, let us not credit our own glory there- commandments. For we love Him just in with, as if we had it of ourselves. For of the same measure as we keep His commandHim is such a grace, and accordingly therein ments; and the less we keep them, the less the glory is not ours, but His. Hence also, we love. And although, when He saith, in another passage, after saying, Let your Continue ye in my love," it is not apparent light so shine before men that they may see what love He spake of; whether the love we your good works;" to keep them from the bear to Him, or that which He bears to us: thought that such good works were of them- yet it is seen at once in the previous clause. selves, He immediately added, "and may For He had there said, "So have I loved glorify your Father who is in heaven." 2 For you;" and to these words He immediately herein is the Father glorified, that we bear adds, "Continue ye in my love:" accordmuch fruit, and be made the disciples of ingly, it is that love which He bears to us. Christ. And by whom are we so made, but What, then, do the words mean," Continue ye by Him whose mercy hath forestalled us? in my love," but just, continue ye in my For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works.3 66 grace? And what do these mean, "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love," but, hereby shall ye know that ye shall abide in the love which I bear to you, if ye keep my commandments? It is not, then, for the purpose of awakening His love to us that we first keep His commandments; but this, that unless He loves us, we cannot keep His commandments. This is a grace which lies all disclosed to the humble, but is hid from the proud. 2. "As the Father hath loved me," He says, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love." Here, then, you see, is the source of our good works. For whence should we have them, were it not that faith worketh by love? And how should we love, were it not that we were first loved? With striking clearness is this declared by the same evangelist in his epistle: "We love God because He first loved us." But when He says, "As the Father 4. But what are we to make of that which hath loved me, so have I loved you," He in- follows: "Even as I have kept my Father's dicates no such equality between our nature commandments, and abide in His love"? and His as there is between Himself and the Here also He certainly intended us to underFather, but the grace whereby the Mediator stand that fatherly love wherewith He was between God and men is the man Christ loved of the Father. For this was what He Jesus." For He is pointed out as Mediator when He says, "The Father-me, and I-you." For the Father, indeed, also loveth us, but in Him; for herein is the Father glorified, that we bear fruit in the vine, that is, in the Son, and so be made His disciples. 66 has just said, "As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you; and then to these He added the words, "Continue ye in my love;" in that, doubtless, wherewith I have loved you. Accordingly, when He says also of the Father, "I abide in His love," we are to un3. Continue ye," He says, “in my love. derstand it of that love which was borne Him How shall we continue? Listen to what fol- by the Father. But then, in this case also, is lows: "If ye keep my commandments, ye that love which the Father bears to the Son shall abide in my love." Love brings about referable to the same grace as that wherewith the keeping of His commandments; but does we are loved of the Son: seeing that we on the keeping of His commandments bring our part are sons, not by nature, but by about love? Who can doubt that it is love grace; while the Only-begotten is so by nature which precedes? For he has no true ground for keeping the commandments who is destitute of love. And so, in saying, "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love," He shows not the source from which love springs, but the means whereby it is manifested. As if He said, Think not that and not by grace? Or is this even in the Son Himself to be referred to His condition as man? Certainly so. For in saying, “As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you,” He pointed to the grace that was His as Mediator. For Christ Jesus is the Mediator between God and men, not in respect to His Godhead, but in respect to His manhood, 7 7 Non in quantum Deus, sed in quantum homo est. ceded that assumption of humanity, but all His merits began with that very assumption. The Son, therefore, abideth in the love wherewith the Father hath loved Him, and so hath kept His commandments. For what are we And certainly it is in reference to this His human nature that we read, "And Jesus increased in wisdom and age, and in favor [grace] with God and men."í In harmony, therefore, with this, we may rightly, say that while human nature belongs not to the nature to think of Him even as man, but that God is of God, yet such human nature does by grace His lifter up? for the Word was God, the belong to the person of the only-begotten Son Only-begotten, co-eternal with Him that beof God; and that by grace so great, that there gat; but that He might be given to us as is none greater, yea, none that even approaches Mediator, by grace ineffable, the Word was equality. For there were no merits that pre-made flesh, and dwelt among us. 3 1 Luke ii. 52. 2 Ps. iii. 3. 3 Chap. i. 1, 14. TRACTATE LXXXIII. CHAPTER XV. 11, 12. 1. You have just heard, beloved, the Lord saying to His disciples, "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might be in you, and that your joy might be full." And what else is Christ's joy in us, save that He is pleased to rejoice over us? And what is this joy of ours which He says is to be made full, but our having fellowship with Him? On this account He had said to the blessed Peter, “If I wash thee not, thou shalt have no part with me." His joy, therefore, in us is the grace He hath bestowed upon us: and that is also our joy. But over it He rejoiced even from eternity, when He chose us before the foundation of the world. Nor can we rightly say that His joy was not full; for God's joy was never at any time imperfect. But that joy of His was not in us: for we, in whom it could be, had as yet no existence; and even when our existence commenced, it began not to be in Him. But in Him it always was, who in the infallible truth of His own foreknowledge rejoiced that we should yet be His own. Accordingly, He had a joy over us that was already full, when He rejoiced in foreknowing and foreordaining us: and as little could there be any fear intermingling in that joy of His, lest there should be any possible failure in what He foreknew would be done by Himself. Nor, when He began to do what He foreknew that He would do, was there any increase to His joy as the expression of His blessedness; otherwise His making of us must have added to His blessedness. Be such a supposition, brethren, far from our thoughts; for the blessedness of God was neither less without us, nor became greater because of us. His joy, therefore, over our salvation, which was always in Him, when He foreknew and foreordained us, began to be in us when He called us; and this joy we properly call our own, as by it we, too, shall yet be blessed: but this joy, as it is ours, increases and advances, and presses onward perseveringly to its own completion. Accordingly, it has its beginning in the faith of the regenerate, and its completion in the reward when they rise again. Such is my opinion of the purport of the words, "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might be in you, and that your joy might be made full:" that mine "might be in you;" that yours "might be made full.” For mine was always full, even before ye were called, when ye were foreknown as those whom I was afterwards to call; but it finds its place in you also, when ye are transformed into that which I have foreknown regarding you. And that yours may be full:" for ye shall be blessed, what ye are not as yet; just as ye are now created, who had no existence before. 2. "This," He says, "is my injunction, that ye love one another, as I have loved you.' Whether we call it injunction or commandment,3 both are the rendering of the same Greek word, entolé (švzoký). But He had already made this same announcement on a former occasion, when, as ye ought to remember, I repounded it to you to the best of my ability." For this is what He says there, "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." And so the repetition of this commandment is its commendation: only that there He said, "A new commandment I give unto you;" and here, "This is my commandment:" there, as if there had been no such commandment before; and here, as if He had no other commandment to give them. But there it is spoken of as "new," to keep us from persevering in our old courses; here, it is called "mine," to keep us from treating it with contempt. 3. But when He said in this way here, "This is my commandment," as if there were none else, what are we to think, my brethren? Is, then, the commandment about that love, wherewith we love one another, His only one? Is there not also another that is still greater, -that we should love God? Or has God in very truth given us such a charge about love alone, that we have no need of searching for others? There are three things at least that the apostle commends when he says, "But now abide faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." And although in charity, that is, in love, are comprehended the two commandments; yet it is here declared to be the greatest only, and not the sole one. Accordingly, what a host of commandments are given us about faith, what a multitude about hope! who is there that could collect them together, or suffice to number them? But let us ponder the words of the same apostle: "Love is the fullness of the law." And so, where there is love, what can be wanting? and where it is not, what is there that can possibly be profitable? The devil believes, but does not love: no one in foveth who doth not believe. One may, deed, hope for pardon who does not love, but he hopes in vain; but no one can despair who loves. Therefore, where there is love, there of necessity will there be faith and hope; and where there is the love of our neighbor, there also of necessity will be the love of God. For he that loveth not God, how loveth he his neighbour as himself, seeing that he loveth not even himself? Such an one is both impious and iniquitous; and he that loveth iniquity, manifestly loveth not, but hateth his own soul.5 Let us, therefore, be holding fast to this precept of the Lord, to love one another; and then all else that is commanded we shall do, for all else we have contained in this. But this love is distinguished from that which men bear to one another as such; for in order to mark the distinction, it is added, " as I have loved you." And wherefore is it that Christ loveth us, but that we may be fitted to reign with Christ? With this aim, therefore, let us also be loving one another, that we may manifest the difference of our love from that of others, who have no such motive in loving one another, because the love itself is wanting. But those whose mutual love has the possession of God Himself for its object, will truly love one another; and, therefore, even for the very purpose of loving one another, they love God. There is no such love as this in all men; for few have this motive for their love one to another, that God may be all in all. “ 66 6 follows the Septuagint in what is clearly a mistranslation of the 5 Ps. xi. 5. Augustin here, as usual, along with the Vulgate, Hebrew text,which is correctly rendered grammatically in our English version, though not exactly according to the Masoretic punctuation. (fem.) shows that "his soul" is the subject, and not the object of the hatred.-TR. 61 Cor. xv. 28. TRACTATE LXXXIV. CHAPTER XV. 13. 1. THE Lord, beloved brethren, hath de- follows from this as a consequence, what this fined that fullness of love which we ought to same Evangelist John says in his epistle, bear to one another, when He said: "Greater"That as Christ laid down His life for us, love hath no man than this, that a man lay even so we also ought to lay down our lives down his life for his friends." Inasmuch, for the brethren;" loving one another in then, as He had said before, "This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you;" and appended to these words what you have just been hearing, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends;" there truth, as He hath loved us, who laid down His life for us. Such also is doubtless the meaning of what we read in the Proverbs of Solomon: "If thou sittest down to supper at 1 1 John iii. 16. the table of a ruler, consider wisely what is the case in what He did for us; and in this set before thee; and so put to thy hand, know- respect He bestowed not on us aught for imiing that thou art bound to make similar prep- tation, but something for congratulation. In arations." For what is the table of the as far, then, as the martyrs have shed their ruler, but that from which we take the body blood for the brethren, so far have they exand blood of Him who laid down His life for hibited such tokens of love as they themselves us? And what is it to sit thereat, but to ap- perceived at the table of the Lord. (One proach in humility? And what is it to con- might imitate Him in dying, but no one could, sider intelligently what is set before thee, but in redeeming.) In all else, then, that I have worthily to reflect on the magnitude of the said, although it is out of my power to menfavor? And what is it, so to put to thy hand, tion everything, the martyr of Christ is far inas knowing that thou art bound to make simi- ferior to Christ Himself. But if any one shall lar preparations, but as I have already said, set himself in comparison, I say, not with the that, as Christ laid down His life for us, so power, but with the innocence of Christ, and we also ought to lay down our lives for the (I would not say) in thinking that he is healbrethren? For as the Apostle Peter also ing the sins of others, but at least that he has says, "Christ suffered for us, leaving us an no sins of his own, even so far is his avidity example, that we should follow His steps."2 overstepping the requirements of the method This is to make similar preparations. This of salvation; it is a matter of considerable it was that the blessed martyrs did in their burning love; and if we celebrate their memories in no mere empty form,and, in the banquet whereat they themselves were filled to the full, approach the table of the Lord, we must, as they did, be also ourselves making similar preparations. For on these very grounds we do not commemorate them at that table in the same way, as we do others who now rest in peace, as that we should also pray for them, but rather that they should do so for us, that we may cleave to their footsteps; because they have actually attained that fullness of love, than which, our Lord hath told us, there cannot be a greater. For such tokens of love they exhibited for their brethren, as they themselves had equally received at the table of the Lord. moment for him, only he attains not his desire. And well it is that he is admonished in that passage of the Proverbs, which immediately goes on to say, "But if thy greed is too great, be not desirous of his dainties; for it is better that thou take nothing thereof, than that thou shouldst take more than is befitting. For such things," it is added, "have a life of deceit," that is, of hypocrisy. For in asserting his own sinlessness, he cannot prove, but only pretend, that he is righteous. And so it is said," For such have a deceiving life." There is only One who could at once have human flesh and be free from sin. Appropriately are we commanded that which follows; and such a word and proverb is well adapted to human weakness, when it is said, "Lay not thyself out, seeing thou art poor, 2. But let us not be supposed to have so against him that is rich." For the rich man spoken as if on such grounds we might pos- is Christ, who was never obnoxious to punishsibly arrive at an equality with Christ the ment either through hereditary or personal Lord, if for His sake we have undergone wit- debt and is righteous Himself, and justifies ness-bearing even unto blood. He had others. Lay not thyself out against Him, power to lay down His life, and to take it thou who art so poor, that thou art manifestly again; but we have no power to live as long to the eyes of all the daily beggar that thou as we wish; and die we must, however unwill-art in thy prayer for the remission of sins. ing: He, by dying, straightway slew death in Himself; we, by His death, are delivered from death: His flesh saw no corruption; ours, after corruption, shall in the end of the world be clothed by Him with incorruption: He had no need of us, in order to work out our salvation; we, without Him, can do nothing: He gave Himself as the vine, to us the branches; we, apart from Him, can have no life. Lastly, although brethren die for brethren, yet no martyr's blood is ever shed for the remission of the sins of brethren, as was 1 Prov. xxiii. 1, 2: note 4. 21 Pet. ii. 21. "But keep thyself," he says, "from thine own counsel''['cease from thine own wisdom "-E. V.]. From what, but from this delusive presumption? For He, indeed, inasmuch as He is not only man but also God, can never be chargeable with evil. "For if thou turn thine eye upon Him, He will nowhere be visible.' "Thine eye," that is, the human eye, wherewith thou distinguishest that which is human; "if thou turn it upon Him, He will nowhere be visible," because 5 This parenthesized sentence is found,, according to Migne, inserted here in six MSS. In three others it occurs immediately besee below, and also Tract. XLVII. sec. 2, fore the second following sentence, beginning, "But if any one," etc. In other MSS. it is wanting; and Migne omits it from the text. 3 Chap. x. 18. 4 Acts ii. 31. --TR. |