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| Chapter XV. Of the manifold grace of men's calls.
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Chapter XV.
Of the manifold grace of men’s calls.
And by this it is clearly
shown that God’s “judgments are inscrutable and His ways
past finding out,”1843
by which He
draws mankind to salvation. And this too we can prove by the instances
of calls in the gospels. For He chose Andrew and Peter and the rest of
the apostles by the free compassion of His grace when they were
thinking nothing of their healing and salvation. Zacchæus, when in
his faithfulness he was struggling to see the Lord, and making up for
his littleness of stature by the height of the sycamore tree, He not
only received, but actually honoured by the blessing of His dwelling
with him. Paul even against his will and resisting He drew to Him.
Another He charged to cleave to Him so closely that when he asked for
the shortest possible delay in order to bury his father He did not
grant it. To Cornelius when constantly attending to prayers and alms
the way of salvation was shown by way of recompense, and by the
visitation of an angel he was bidden to summon Peter, and learn from
him the words of salvation, whereby he might be saved with all his. And
so the manifold wisdom of God grants with manifold and inscrutable
kindness salvation to men; and imparts to each one according to his
capacity the grace of His bounty, so that He wills to grant His healing
not according to the uniform power of His Majesty but according to the
measure of the faith in which He finds each one, or as He Himself has
imparted it to each one. For when one believed that for the cure of his
leprosy the will of Christ alone was sufficient He healed him by the
simple consent of His will, saying: “I will, be thou
clean.”1844
When another
prayed that He would come and raise his dead daughter by laying His
hands on her, He entered his house as he had hoped, and granted what
was asked of Him. When another believed that what was essential for his
salvation depended on His command, and answered: “Speak the word
only, and my servant shall be healed,”1845
He restored to their former strength the
limbs that were relaxed, by the power of a word, saying: “Go thy
way, and as thou hast believed so be it unto thee.”1846
To others hoping for restoration from
the touch of His hem, He granted rich gifts of healing. To some, when
asked, He bestowed remedies for their diseases. To others He afforded
the means of healing unasked: others He urged on to hope, saying:
“Willest thou to be made whole?”1847
to others when they were without hope
He brought help spontaneously. The desires of some He searched out
before satisfying their wants, saying: “What will ye that I
should do for you?”1848
To another
who knew not the way to obtain what he desired, He showed it in His
kindness, saying: “If thou believest thou shalt see the glory of
God.”1849
Among some so
richly did He pour
forth the mighty works of His cures that
of them the Evangelist says: “And He healed all their
sick.”1850
But among others
the unfathomable depth of Christ’s beneficence was so stopped up,
that it was said: “And Jesus could do there no mighty works
because of their unbelief.”1851
And so the
bounty of God is actually shaped according to the capacity of
man’s faith, so that to one it is said: “According to thy
faith be it unto thee:”1852
and to another:
“Go thy way, and as thou hast believed so be it unto
thee;”1853
to another
“Be it unto thee according as thou wilt,”1854
and again to another: “Thy faith
hath made thee whole.”1855
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