The Son "receives" by Eternal Generation.

X.

20, 21.

635 the Father that which He substantially hath, as it is said, JOHN As the Father hath life in Himself, so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself, in this is no lessening of power, John 5, but a betokening of His Generation. For it is not that the 26. Father hath, as unto the Son begotten imperfect, added somewhat, but, to the Son, begotten perfect, hath in begetting given all things. So He gave Equality with Himself to Him Whom He begat not unequal. But when the Lord spake these things, There was a division again among the Jews for v. 19-21. these sayings. And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye Him? This was most thick darkness! Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind? Now had these men's eyes begun to be opened!

U u

HOMILY XLVIII.

1 loquor,

λαλῶ,

JOHN X. 22—42.

And it was at Jerusalem the Encania [or feast of the dedication], and it was winter. And Jesus was walking in the temple in Solomon's porch. Then came the Jews round about Him, and said unto Him, How long dost Thou make us to doubt? If Thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I tell you, and ye believe not: the works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. What My Father gave Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are One. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from My Father; for which of those works do ye stone Me? The Jews answered Him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If He called them gods, unto whom the word of God came2, and the Scripture cannot be broken: say ye of Him, Whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God? If I do not the works of My Father, believe Me not. But if I do, though ye believe not Me, believe the works: that ye

2 Sermo Dei fac

tus est.

X.

may know, and believe, that the Father is in Me, and I in JOHN Him. Therefore they sought again to take Him: but He 22—24. escaped out of their hand, and went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there He abode. And many resorted unto Him, and said, John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this Man were true. And many believed on Him.

1. As I have already told you, my beloved, ye ought to bear it steadily in mind, that the holy Evangelist John would not have us to be always nourished with milk, but to feed upon solid meat. But whoso is at present not strong enough to take the solid meat of the word of God, let him be nourished with the milk of faith, and the word which he is not able to understand, let him not be slow to believe. For faith is the merit, understanding the prize. The eye of our mind does, by very dint of exerting itself to see, work itself clear from the tarnish of our human fogginess, to look unclouded upon the Word of God. Then let there be no shrinking from labour, if love is present: for ye know that he who loves makes nothing of labour: all labour is grievous to them that love not. If lust helps the avaricious to bear so great labours, shall not love help us?

2. Mark the Gospel: And it was the Encania at Jeru- v. 22. salem. The Encænia was the feast of the dedication of the Temple. For xavov (cænon) is Greek for "new." Whenever any thing new is dedicated, they call it encania. In fact, the word is now in common use: when a man puts on a new coat, he is said encæniare (to handsel it). The day, namely, on which the Temple was dedicated, the Jews kept as an annual solemnity: this same holy-day they were keeping at the time when the Lord spake what has been read.

3. It was winter, and Jesus walked in the temple in v.23.24. Solomon's porch. Then came the Jews round about Him, and said unto Him, How long dost Thou make us to doubt? If Thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Not that they desired truth; they wanted only to get matter of accusation. Winter it was, and cold they were: for they had no mind to come to that Divine fire. But to come is to believe: he that

XLVIII.

2 Cor. 3, 15.

42-45.

638 That the Son of David is Son of God, the Jews knew not.

HOMIL. believes, draws near and comes; he that denies, turns his back. The soul moves not with feet, but with its affections. They were chilled from the charity of loving, and were burning with the lust of doing harm. They were far away, and yet were there: they did not draw near by believing, and yet they pressed close by persecuting. They wanted to hear the Lord say, 'I am Christ:' and belike they conceived of Christ only as man. The Prophets preached Christ: but the Godhead of Christ both in the Prophets and in the Gospel itself not even heretics believe, how much less Jews, so long as the veil is upon their hearts! Accordingly, in a certain place, the Lord Jesus, knowing that they conceived. of Christ as man, not as God; as He was man, not as He was still God after taking our flesh; said to them, Mat. 22, What think ye of Christ? Whose Son is He? They answered, in accordance with their way of thinking, The Son of David. For so they had read, and this alone they held because His Godhead they read indeed, but understood not. But the Lord, that He might put them in suspense unto seeking after the Divinity of Him Whose weakness they despised, answered them: How then doth David in spirit cull Him Lord, saying, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit Thou on my right hand, till I make Thine enemies Thy footstool? If David then call Him Lord, how is He his son? He did not deny; He only interrogated. Let no man, at hearing this, imagine that the Lord Jesus denied Himself to be David's Son. Had the Lord Christ denied Himself to be Son of David, He would not have enlightened the blind, who invoked Him by this name. He was passing by, upon a time, and two blind men sitting Id. 20, by the way-side, cried out, Have mercy on us, Thou Son of 30-34. David. At hearing which word, He had compassion; He stood still, healed, gave sight; to shew that He acknowledged Rom. 1, that Name. The Apostle Paul also says, Who was made unto Him of the seed of David according to the flesh and

3.

2, 8.

a

For

2 Tim. to Timothy, Remember that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, of the seed of David, according to my gospel. Because it was from the seed of David that the Virgin Mary derived

a Qui factus est ei. Iren. Ambros. Hieron. and Vulg. but ei om. c. Faust. xi. 4. Iren. iii. 32.

The Sheep, and they only, believe unto salvation.

639

her origin, thence comes it that the Lord is of the seed of JOHN David.

X. 25-28.

4. This, as a great matter, the Jews enquired of Christ; in order that if He should say, I am Christ, then, upon the conception which alone they entertained of the Seed of David, they might accuse Him of arrogating to Himself kingly power. What He told them in reply is more than that: they wished to make matter of accusation out of the Son of David: He told them that He was the Son of God. And how? Hear. Jesus answered them, I tell you, and ye v.25,26. believe not the works that I do in My Father's Name, they bear witness of Me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of My sheep. Ye have already learned above which are the sheep. Be ye sheep. Sheep are such in believing, sheep in following the Shepherd, sheep in not despising the Redeemer, sheep in entering in by the door, sheep in going out and finding pasture, sheep in enjoying eternal compalife. How then said He to these, Ye are not of My sheep? See Because He saw them predestinated to everlasting destruc- Note A, tion, not purchased' by the price of His blood unto eternal end of life.

ratos.

at the

the volume.

5. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they v.27,28. follow Me: and I give unto them eternal life. Lo, here is the pasture. If ye recollect, He had said above, And shall v. 9. go in and out and find pasture. We came in by believing, go out by dying. But as believing was the door we came in by, so let us go out from the body believers; for so we go out by the Door itself, that we may be able to find pasture. That good pasture is here called eternal life: there, no herb withers; there, it is all green, all flourishing: a herb there is which we use to call 'ever-living': there, life alone is found. Life eternal, saith He, will I give them, my sheep. Ye seek matter of accusation, only because ye are thinking of the life present.

6. And they shall not perish for ever: which you will understand as if it had been said to them, Ye shall perish for ever, because ye are not of My sheep. Neither shall any pluck them out of My hand.-Receive it more

i. 16.

'Ací(wov, sedum, sempervivum, Dioscorid. iv. 89. Theophr. Hist. Plant.