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- confessions
- text
- knew to abound, and to suffer want, in Thee Who strengthenest him.
For ye Philippians also know (saith he), that in the beginning of the
Gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no Church communicated with
me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. For even in
Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity. Unto these good
works, he now rejoiceth that they are returned; and is gladdened that
they flourished again, as when a fruitful field resumes its green.
Was it for his own necessities, because he said, Ye sent unto my
necessity? Rejoiceth he for that? Verily not for that. But how know we
this? Because himself says immediately, not because I desire a gift, but
I desire fruit. I have learned of Thee, my God, to distinguish betwixt
a gift, and fruit. A gift, is the thing itself which he gives, that
imparts these necessaries unto us; as money, meat, drink, clothing,
shelter, help: but the fruit, is the good and right will of the giver.
For the Good Master said not only, He that receiveth a prophet, but
added, in the name of a prophet: nor did He only say, He that receiveth
a righteous man, but added, in the name of a righteous man. So verily
shall the one receive the reward of a prophet, the other, the reward of
a righteous man: nor saith He only, He that shall give to drink a cup
of cold water to one of my little ones; but added, in the name of a
disciple: and so concludeth, Verily I say unto you, he shall not lose
his reward. The gift is, to receive a prophet, to receive a righteous
man, to give a cup of cold water to a disciple: but the fruit, to do
this in the name of a prophet, in the name of a righteous man, in the
name of a disciple. With fruit was Elijah fed by the widow that knew
she fed a man of God, and therefore fed him: but by the raven was he fed
with a gift. Nor was the inner man of Elijah so fed, but the outer only;
which might also for want of that food have perished.
I will then speak what is true in Thy sight, O Lord, that when carnal
men and infidels (for the gaining and initiating whom, the initiatory
Sacraments and the mighty workings of miracles are necessary, which we
suppose to be signified by the name of fishes and whales) undertake
the bodily refreshment, or otherwise succour Thy servant with something
useful for this present life; whereas they be ignorant, why this is to
be done, and to what end; neither do they feed these, nor are these
fed by them; because neither do the one do it out of an holy and right
intent; nor do the other rejoice at their gifts, whose fruit they as
yet behold not. For upon that is the mind fed, of which it is glad.
And therefore do not the fishes and whales feed upon such meats, as the
earth brings not forth until after it was separated and divided from the
bitterness of the waves of the sea.
And Thou, O God, sawest every thing that Thou hadst made, and, behold,
it was very good. Yea we also see the same, and behold, all things are
very good. Of the several kinds of Thy works, when Thou hadst said "let
them be," and they were, Thou sawest each that it was good. Seven times
have I counted it to be written, that Thou sawest that that which Thou
madest was good: and this is the eighth, that Thou sawest every thing
that Thou hadst made, and, behold, it was not only good, but also very
good, as being now altogether. For severally, they were only good; but
altogether, both good, and very good. All beautiful bodies express the
same; by reason that a body consisting of members all beautiful, is
far more beautiful than the same members by themselves are, by whose
well-ordered blending the whole is perfected; notwithstanding that the
members severally be also beautiful.
And I looked narrowly to find, whether seven, or eight times Thou sawest
that Thy works were good, when they pleased Thee; but in Thy seeing I
found no times, whereby I might understand that Thou sawest so often,
what Thou madest. And I said, "Lord, is not this Thy Scripture true,
since Thou art true, and being Truth, hast set it forth? why then dost
Thou say unto me, 'that in Thy seeing there be no times'; whereas this
Thy Scripture tells me, that what Thou madest each day, Thou sawest that
it was good: and when I counted them, I found how often." Unto this Thou
answerest me, for Thou art my God, and with a strong voice tellest Thy
servant in his inner ear, breaking through my deafness and crying, "O
man, that which My Scripture saith, I say: and yet doth that speak in
time; but time has no relation to My Word; because My Word exists
in equal eternity with Myself. So the things which ye see through My
Spirit, I see; like as what ye speak by My Spirit, I speak. And so when
ye see those things in time, I see them not in time; as when ye speak in
time, I speak them not in time."
And I heard, O Lord my God, and drank up a drop of sweetness out of Thy
truth, and understood, that certain men there be who mislike Thy works;
and say, that many of them Thou madest, compelled by necessity; such
as the fabric of the heavens, and harmony of the stars; and that Thou
madest them not of what was Thine, but that they were otherwhere and
from other sources created, for Thee to bring together and compact and
combine, when out of Thy conquered enemies Thou raisedst up the walls of
the universe; that they, bound down by the structure, might not again
be able to rebel against Thee. For other things, they say Thou neither
madest them, nor even compactedst them, such as all flesh and all very
minute creatures, and whatsoever hath its root in the earth; but that
a mind at enmity with Thee, and another nature not created by Thee, and
contrary unto Thee, did, in these lower stages of the world, beget and
frame these things. Frenzied are they who say thus, because they see not
Thy works by Thy Spirit, nor recognise Thee in them.
But they who by Thy Spirit see these things, Thou seest in them.
Therefore when they see that these things are good, Thou seest that they
are good; and whatsoever things for Thy sake please, Thou pleasest in
them, and what through Thy Spirit please us, they please Thee in us. For
what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of a man, which is
in him? even so the things of God knoweth no one, but the Spirit of God.
Now we (saith he) have received, not the spirit of this world, but the
Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely
given to us of God. And I am admonished, "Truly the things of God
knoweth no one, but the Spirit of God: how then do we also know, what
things are given us of God?" Answer is made me; "because the things
which we know by His Spirit, even these no one knoweth, but the Spirit
of God. For as it is rightly said unto those that were to speak by the
Spirit of God, it is not ye that speak: so is it rightly said to them
that know through the Spirit of God, 'It is not ye that know.' And no
less then is it rightly said to those that see through the Spirit of
God, 'It is not ye that see'; so whatsoever through the Spirit of God
they see to be good, it is not they, but God that sees that it is good."
It is one thing then for a man to think that to be ill which is good,
as the forenamed do; another, that that which is good, a man should see
that it is good (as Thy creatures be pleasing unto many, because they
be good, whom yet Thou pleasest not in them, when they prefer to enjoy
them, to Thee); and another, that when a man sees a thing that it is
good, God should in him see that it is good, so, namely, that He should
be loved in that which He made, Who cannot be loved, but by the Holy
Ghost which He hath given. Because the love of God is shed abroad in our
hearts by the Holy Ghost, Which is given unto us: by Whom we see that
whatsoever in any degree is, is good. For from Him it is, who Himself Is
not in degree, but what He Is, Is.
Thanks to Thee, O Lord.