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| All Wish to Rejoice in the Truth.
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Chapter XXIII.—All Wish to
Rejoice in the Truth.
33. It is not, then, certain that all men wish
to be happy, since those who wish not to rejoice in Thee, which is
the only happy life, do not verily desire the happy life. Or do all
desire this, but because “the flesh lusteth against the spirit,
and the spirit against the flesh,” so that they “cannot do the
things that they would,”861
they fall upon that which they are
able to do, and with that are content; because that which they are
not able to do, they do not so will as to make them able?862
| 862 See viii. sec. 20, above. | For I ask of
every man, whether he would rather rejoice in truth or in
falsehood. They will no more hesitate to say, “in truth,” than
to say, “that they wish to be happy.” For a happy life is joy
in the truth. For this is joy in Thee, who art “the truth,”863
O God, “my
light,”864
“the
health of my countenance, and my God.”865
All wish for this happy life; this
life do all wish for, which is the only happy one; joy in the truth
do all wish for.866
I have had
experience of many who wished to deceive, but not one who wished to
be deceived. Where, then, did they know this happy life, save where
they knew also the truth? For they love it, too, since they would
not be deceived. And when they love a happy life, which is naught
else but joy in the truth, assuredly they love also the truth;
which yet they would not love were there not some knowledge of it
in the memory. Wherefore, then, do they not rejoice in it? Why are
they not happy? Because they are more entirely occupied with other
things which rather make them miserable, than that which would make
them happy, which they remember so little of. For there is yet a
little light in men; let them walk—let them “walk,” that the
“darkness” seize them not.867
34. Why, then, doth truth beget hatred868
| 868 “Veritas parit odium.” Compare Terence,
Andria, i. 1, 41: “Obsequiam amicos, veritas odium
parit.” | and that man
of thine,869
preaching
the truth become an enemy unto them, whereas a happy life is loved,
which is naught else but joy in the truth; unless that truth is
loved in such a sort as that those who love aught else wish that to
be the truth which they love, and, as they are willing to be
deceived, are unwilling to be convinced that they are so? Therefore
do they hate the truth for the sake of that thing which they love
instead of the truth. They love truth when she shines on them, and
hate her when she rebukes them. For, because they are not willing
to be deceived, and wish to deceive, they love her when she reveals
herself, and hate her when she reveals them. On that account shall
she so requite them, that those who were unwilling to be discovered
by her she both discovers against their will, and discovers not
herself unto them. Thus, thus, truly thus doth the human mind, so
blind and sick, so base and unseemly, desire to lie concealed, but
wishes not that anything should be concealed from it. But the
opposite is rendered unto it,—that itself is not concealed from
the truth, but the truth is concealed from it. Yet, even while thus
wretched, it prefers to rejoice in truth rather than in falsehood.
Happy then will it be, when, no trouble intervening, it shall
rejoice in that only truth by whom all things else are
true.
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