Chapter XXV.
82. But seeing that, however pure an eye one may have, i.e. with however single and sincere a heart one may live, he yet cannot look into the heart of another: whatever things could not have become apparent in deeds or words, are disclosed by trials. Now trial is twofold; either in the hope of obtaining some temporal advantage, or in the terror of losing it. And especially must we be on our guard, lest, when striving after wisdom, which can be found in
Christ alone, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge;470
—we must be on our
guard, I say, lest, under the very name of
Christ, we be
deceived by
heretics, or by any parties whatever defective in intelligence, and
lovers of this
world. For on this account He adds a warning, saying, “Not every one that saith unto Me,
Lord,
Lord,
471
| 471 Many called Him Lord, but He never called any one Lord (ipsum multi, etiam amplissimi viri,—ipse neminem ne Pilatum quidem, dominum vocavit.—Bengel).
|
shall enter into the
kingdom of
heaven; but he that doeth the will of My
Father which is in
heaven, he shall enter into the
kingdom of
heaven:” lest we should think that the mere fact of one saying to our
Lord, “
Lord,
Lord,”
belongs to those fruits; and from that he should seem to us to be a good
tree. But those are the fruits, to do the will of the
Father who is in
heaven, in the doing of which He has condescended to exhibit Himself as an example.
83. But the question may fairly be started, how with this sentence the statement of the apostle is to be reconciled, where he says, “No man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed; and no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost:”472
for neither can we say that any who have the
Holy Spirit will not enter into the
kingdom of
heaven, if they persevere onwards to the end; nor can we
affirm that those who say, “
Lord,
Lord,” and yet do not enter into the
kingdom of
heaven, have the
Holy Spirit. How then does no one say “that
Jesus is the
Lord, but by the Holy
Ghost,” unless it is because the
apostle has used the word “say” here in a
strict and proper sense, so that it implies the will and
understanding of him who says? But the
Lord has used the word which He employs in a general sense: “Not every one that saith unto Me,
Lord,
Lord, shall enter into the
kingdom of
heaven.” For he also who neither wishes nor understands what he says, seems to say it; but he properly says it, who gives expression to his will and
mind by the sound of his voice: just as, a little before, what is called “
joy” among the fruits of the Spirit is called so in a
strict and proper sense, not in the
way in which the same
apostle elsewhere uses the expression, “Rejoiceth not in
iniquity:”
473
as if any one could
rejoice in
iniquity: for that transport of a
mind making confused and
boisterous demonstrations of
joy is not
joy; for this latter is
possessed by the good alone. Hence those also seem to say it, who neither perceive with the understanding nor engage with the deliberate consent of the will in this which they utter, but utter it with the voice merely; and after this manner the
Lord says, “Not every one that saith unto Me,
Lord,
Lord, shall enter into the
kingdom of
heaven.” But truly and properly those parties say it whose utterance in
speech really represents their will and intention; and it is in accordance with this signification that the
apostle has said, “No one can say that
Jesus is the
Lord, but by the Holy
Ghost.”
84. And besides, it belongs especially to the matter in hand, that, in striving after the contemplation of the truth, we should not only not be deceived by the name of Christ, by means of those who have the name and have not the deeds; but also not by certain deeds and miracles, for when the Lord performed of the same kind for the sake of unbelievers, He has warned us not to be deceived by such things, thinking that an invisible wisdom is present where we see a
visible miracle. Hence He annexes the statement: “Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name, and in Thy name have cast out devils, and in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I say474
| 474 Dicam; Vulgate, confitebor; Greek, ὁμολογήσω. Meyer says, “It is the conscious dignity of the future Judge of the world.” Bengel calls attention to the great power of the word (magna potestas hujus dicti). In this action Christ lays the most confident claim to functions not imparted to any human being.
|
unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that
work iniquity.” He will not, therefore, recognise any but the man that worketh
righteousness. For He forbade also His own
disciples themselves to
rejoice in such things, viz. that the spirits were subject unto them: “But
rejoice,” says He, “because your names are written in
heaven;”
475
I suppose, in that city of
Jerusalem which is in
heaven, in which only the
righteous and holy shall
reign. “Know ye not,” says the
apostle, “that the
unrighteous shall not
inherit the
kingdom of
God?”
476
85. But perhaps some one may say that the unrighteous cannot perform those visible miracles, and may believe rather that those parties are telling a lie, who will be found saying, “We have prophesied in Thy name, and have cast out devils in Thy name, and have done many wonderful works.” Let him therefore read what great things the magi of the Egyptians did who resisted Moses, the servant of God;477
or if he will not read this, because they did not do them in the name of
Christ, let him read what the
Lord Himself says of the false
prophets, speaking thus: “Then, if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is
Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false
prophets, and shall show great
signs and
wonders, insomuch that the very
elect shall be
deceived.
478
| 478 Inducantur etiam electi; Vulgate, inducantur, si fieri potest, etiam electi.
|
Behold, I have told you before.”
479
86. How much need, therefore, is there of the pure and single eye, in order that the way of wisdom may be found, against which there is the clamour of so great deceptions and errors on the part of wicked and perverse men, to escape from all of which is indeed to arrive at the most certain peace, and the immoveable stability of wisdom! For it is greatly to be feared, lest, by eagerness in quarrelling and controversy, one should not see what can be seen by few, that
small is the disturbance of gainsayers, unless one also disturbs himself. And in this direction, too, runs that statement of the apostle: “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle480
| 480 Mitem…diversa sentientes; Vulgate, mansuetum…resistunt veritati.
|
unto all men, apt to
teach,
patient, in
meekness instructing those that think differently;
481
| 481 Mitem…diversa sentientes; Vulgate, mansuetum…resistunt veritati.
|
if
God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the
truth.”
482
“
Blessed,” therefore, “are the
peacemakers: for they shall be called the
children of
God.”
483
87. Hence we must take special notice how terribly the conclusion of the whole sermon is introduced: “Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them, is like484
| 484 Similis est…; Vulgate, assimilabitur. Meyer, Tholuck, etc, refer this to the future judgment, “I will make him like,” etc., when Christ will establish those who keep His sayings for ever (opposed by Alford etc.).
|
unto a
wise man, which built his
house upon the
rock.” For no one confirms what he hears or understands, unless by doing. And if
Christ is the
rock, as many Scripture
testimonies proclaim485
| 485 1 Cor. x. 4. So Alford, who thinks this signification too plain to be overlooked.
|
that man builds in
Christ who does what he hears from Him. “The rain descended, and the
floods came, and the
winds blew, and beat
486
| 486 Offenderunt; Vulgate, irruerunt.
|
upon that
house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a
rock.” Such an one, therefore, is not afraid of any gloomy
superstitions (for what else is understood by rain, when it is put in the sense of anything bad?), or of turnouts of men, which I think are compared to
winds; or of the
river of this
life, as it were flowing over the
earth in
carnal lusts. For it is the man who is
seduced by the prosperity that is broken down by the
adversities arising from these three
things; none of which is
feared by him who has his
house founded upon a
rock,
i.e. who not only hears, but also does, the
Lord’s commands. And the man who hears and does them not is in
dangerous proximity to all these, for he has no stable
foundation; but by hearing and not doing, he builds a
ruin. For He goes on to say: “And every one that heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them not, shall be like unto a foolish man, which built his
house upon the
sand:
487
| 487 The transitory teachings and institutions of men as opposed to Christ’s own word.
|
and the rain descended, and the
floods came, and the
winds blew, and beat
488
| 488 Offenderunt; Vulgate, irruerunt.
|
upon that
house; and it fell: and great was
489
| 489 Facta est; Vulgate, fuit.
|
the fall of it. And it came to pass, when
Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were
astonished at His
doctrine: for He taught them as one having
authority, and not as their
scribes.”
490
This is what I said before was meant by the
prophet in the Psalms, when he says: “I will act confidently in regard of him. The words of the
Lord are pure words: as
silver tried and
proved in a
furnace of
earth,
purified seven times.”
491
And from this number, I am
admonished to trace back those
precepts also to the seven sentences which He has placed in the beginning of this sermon, when He was speaking of those who are
blessed; and to those seven operations of the Holy Spirit, which the prophet Isaiah mentions;
492
but whether the order before us, or some other, is to be considered in these, the things we have heard from the Lord are to be done, if we wish to build upon a rock.
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