fered it at the hand of Sarah; "return to thy mistress." A point which it was indeed necessary to discuss has detained us somewhat too long to be at all able to expound the whole text of the Gospel Lesson. Let this suffice you in the meantime, beloved brethren, lest,

by speaking of other matters, what has been spoken might be shut out from your hearts. Hold fast these things, declare such things; and while yourselves are inflamed, go your way thither, and set on fire them that are cold.

TRACTATE XII.
CHAPTER III, 6-21.

1. We observe, beloved, that the intimation | the figure of the future people was made up with which we yesterday excited your atten- in its completeness. For we find one born tion has brought you together with more alac- of a bond woman disinherited, one born of rity, and in greater number than usual; but a free woman made heir: again, we find one meanwhile let us, if you please, pay our debt born of a free woman disinherited, one born of a discourse on the Gospel Lesson, which of a bond woman made heir. Ishmael, born comes in due course. You shall then hear, of a bond woman, disinherited; Isaac, born beloved, as well what we have already effected of a free woman, made heir: Esau, born of a concerning the peace of the Church, and free woman, disinherited; the sons of Jacob, what we hope yet further to accomplish. born of bond women, made heirs. Thus, in For the present, then, let the whole attention these three fathers the figure of the whole of your hearts be given to the gospel; let future people is seen: and not without reason none be thinking of anything else. For if God saith, "I am the God of Abraham, and he who attends to it wholly apprehends with the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob: difficulty, must not he who divides himself by this," saith He, is my name for ever." diverse thoughts let go what he has received? Rather let us remember what was promised Moreover, you remember, beloved, that on the to Abraham himself: for this was promised Cast Lord's day, as the Lord deigned to help to Isaac, and also to Jacob. What do we find? us, we discoursed of spiritual regeneration."In thy seed shall all nations be blessed.”2 That lesson we have caused to be read to At that time the one man believed what as you again, so that what was then left unspoken, we may now, by the aid of your prayers in the name of Christ, fulfill.

2. Spiritual regeneration is one, just as the generation of the flesh is one. And Nicodemus said the truth when he said to the Lord that a man cannot, when he is old, return again into his mother's womb and be born. He indeed said that a man cannot do this when he is old, as if he could do it even were he an infant. But be he fresh from the womb, or now in years, he cannot possibly return again into the mother's boweis and be born. But just as for the birth of the flesh, the bowels of woman avail to bring forth the child only once, so for the spiritual birth the bowels of the Church avail that a man be baptized only once. Therefore, in case one should say, "Well, but this man was born in heresy, and this in schism: " all that was cut away, if you remember what was debated to you about our three fathers, of whom God willed to be called the God, not that they were thus alone, but because in them alone

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yet he saw not: men now see, and are blinded. What was promised to the one man is fulfilled in the nations; and they who will not see what is already fulfilled, are separating themselves from the communion of the nations. But what avails it them that they will not see? See they do, whether they will or no, the open truth strikes against their closed eyes.

3. It was in answer to Nicodemus, who was of them that had believed on Jesus, that it was said, And Jesus did not trust Himself to them. To certain men, indeed, He did not trust Himself, though they had already believed on Him. Thus it is written, "Many believed in His name, seeing the signs which He did. But Jesus did not trust Himself to them. For He needed not that any should testify of man; for Himself knew what was in man. Behold, they already believed on Jesus, and yet Jesus did not trust Himself to them. Why? because they were not yet born again of water and of the Spirit. From this have we ex

Some.

horted and do exhort our brethren the cate- not they who have sons like to see them playchumens. For if you ask them, they have ing? She saw and disapproved it. already believed in Jesus; but because they thing or other she saw in their play; she saw have not yet received His flesh and blood, mockery in it, observed the pride of the slave; Jesus has not yet trusted Himself to them. she was displeased with it, and she cast him What must they do that Jesus may trust Him- out. The children of bond women, when self to them? They must be born again of wicked, are cast out; and the child of the free water and of the Spirit; the Church that is in woman, when an Esau, is cast out. Let none, travail with them must bring them forth. therefore, presume on his birth of good They have been conceived; they must be parents; let none presume on his being bapbrought forth to the light: they have breasts tized by holy men. Let him that is baptized to be nourished at; let them not fear lest, by holy men still beware lest he be not a being born, they may be smothered; let them Jacob, but an Esau. This would I say then, not depart from the mother's breasts. brethren, it is better to be baptized by men 4. No man can return into his mother's that seek their own and love the world, which bowels and be born again. But some one is is what the name of bond woman imports, born of a bond woman? Well, did they who and to be spiritually seeking the inheritance of were born of bond women at the former time, Christ, so as to be as it were a son of Jacob return into the wombs of the free to be born by a bond woman, than to be baptized by anew? The seed of Abraham was in Ishmael holy men and to become proud, so as to be also; but that Abraham might have a son of an Esau to be cast out, though born of a free the bond maid, it was at the advice of his wife. woman. Hold ye this fast, brethren. We are The child was of the husband's seed, not of not coaxing you, let none of your hope be in the womb, but at the sole pleasure of the us; we flatter neither ourselves nor you; wife. Was his birth of a bond woman the every man bears his own burden. It is our reason why he was disinherited? Then, if duty to speak, that we be not judged unhe was disinherited because he was the son happily: yours to hear, and that with the of a bond woman, no sons of bond women heart, lest what we give be required of you; would be admitted to the inheritance. The nay, that when it is required, it may be sons of Jacob were admitted to the inheritance; but Ishmael was put out of it, not because 5. The Lord says to Nicodemus, and exborn of a bond woman, but because he was plains to him: "Verily, verily, I say unto proud to his mother, proud to his mother's thee, Except a man be born again of water son; for his mother was Sarah rather than and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Hagar. The one gave her womb, the other's kingdom of God." Thou, says He, underwill was added: Abraham would not have standest a carnal generation, when thou saydone what Sarah willed not: therefore was he est, Can a man return into his mother's bowSarah's son rather. But because he was proud els? The birth for the kingdom of God must to his brother, proud in playing, that is, in be of water and of the Spirit. If one is born mocking him; what said Sarah? Cast out to the temporal inheritance of a human the bond woman and her son; for the son of father, be he born of the bowels of a carnal the bond woman shall not be heir with my mother; if one is born to the everlasting inson Isaac." It was not, therefore, the bow-heritance of God as his Father, be he born of

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found a gain, not a loss.

els of the bond woman that caused his rejec- the bowels of the Church. A father, as one tion, but the slave's neck. For the free-born that will die, begets a son by his wife to sucis a slave if he is proud, and, what is worse, ceed him; but God begets of the Church the slave of a bad mistress, of pride itself. sons, not to succeed Him, but to abide with Thus, my brethren, answer the man, that a Himself. And He goes on: "That which is man cannot be born a second time; answer born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is fearlessly, that a man cannot be born a second born of the Spirit is spirit." We are born time. Whatever is done a second time is spiritually then, and in spirit we are born mockery, whatever is done a second time is by the word and sacrament. The Spirit is play. It is Ishmael playing, let him be cast present that we may be born; the Spirit is out. For Sarah observed them playing, saith invisibly present whereof thou art born, for the Scripture, and said to Abraham," Cast thou too must be invisibly born. For He out the bond woman and her son.' The goes on to say: "Marvel not that I said unto playing of the boys displeased Sarah. She thee, Ye must be born again. The Spirit saw something strange in their play. bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest its voice, but knowest not whence it cometh, or whither it goeth." None sees the Spirit; and

I Gen. xxi. 9, 10.

Do

how do we hear the Spirit's voice? There sounds a psalm, it is the Spirit's voice; the gospel sounds, it is the Spirit's voice; the divine word sounds, it is the Spirit's voice. "Thou hearest its voice, and knowest not whence it cometh, and whither it goeth." But if thou art born of the Spirit, thou too shalt be so, that one who is not born of the Spirit knows not, as for thee, whence thou comest, or whither thou goest. For He said, as He went on, "So is also every one that is born of the Spirit."

3'

down from the cross; but He deferred, that He might rise again from the tomb. He, the Lord, bore with proud slaves; the physician with the sick. If He did this, how ought they to act whom it behoves to be born of the Spirit !-if He did this, He who is the true Master in heaven, not of men only, but also of angels. For if the angels are learned, they are so by the Word of God. If they are learned by the Word of God, ask of what they are learned; and you shall find, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." The neck of man is done away with, only the hard and stiff neck, that it may be gentle to bear the yoke of Christ, of which it is said, "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light." 3

6. "Nicodemus answered and said unto Him, How can these things be?" And, in fact, in the carnal sense, he knew not how. In him occurred what the Lord had said; the Spirit's voice he heard, but knew not whence it came, and whither it was going. "Jesus 7. And He goes on, "If I have told you answered and said unto him, Art thou a mas earthly things, and ye believe not; how shall ter in Israel, and knowest not these things?” ye believe, if I tell you heavenly things?" Oh, brethren! what? do we think that the What earthly things did He tell, brethren? Lord meant to taunt scornfully this master of "Except a man be born again;" is that an the Jews? The Lord knew what He was do- earthly thing? "The Spirit bloweth where it ing; He wished the man to be born of the listeth, and thou hearest its voice, and knowSpirit. No man is born of the Spirit if he be est not whence it cometh, or whither it not humble, for humility itself makes us to goeth;" is that earthly? For if He spoke it be born of the Spirit; "for the Lord is nigh of the wind, as some have understood it, to them that are of broken heart." The when they were asked what earthly thing the man was puffed up with his mastership, and Lord meant, when He said, "If I told you it appeared of some importance to himself earthly things, and ye believe not; how shall that he was a teacher of the Jews. Jesus ye believe, if I tell you heavenly things?"— pulled down his pride, that he might be born when, I say, it was asked of certain men what of the Spirit: He taunted him as an un-"earthly thing" the Lord meant, being in learned man; not that the Lord wished to difficulty, they said, What He said, "The appear his superior. What comparison can Spirit bloweth where it listeth," and "its there be, God compared to man, truth to voice thou hearest, and knowest not whence falsehood? Christ greater than Nicodemus! it cometh, or whither it goeth," He said Ought this to be said, can it be said, is it to concerning the wind. Now what did He be thought? If it were said, "Christ is name earthly? He was speaking of the spirgreater than angels," it were ridiculous: for itual birth; and going on, saith, So is every incomparably greater than every creature is one that is born of the Spirit." Then, He by whom every creature was made. But brethren, which of us does not see, for exyet He rallies the man on his pride: "Art ample, the south wind going from south to thou a master in Israel, and knowest not these north, or another wind coming from east to things?" As if He said, Behold, thou know-west? How, then, know we not whence it est nothing, thou art a proud chief; be thou cometh and whither it goeth? What earthly born of the Spirit: for if thou be born of the thing, then, did He tell, which men did not Spirit, thou wilt keep the ways of God, so as to believe? Was it that which He had said follow Christ's humility. So, indeed, is He about raising the temple again? Surely, for high above all angels, that, "being in the He had received His body of the earth, and form of God, He thought it not robbery to be that earth taken of the earthly body He was equal with God, but emptied Himself, taking preparing to raise up. They did not believe upon Him the form of a servant, being made Him as about to raise up earth. "If I told into the likeness of men, and found in fashion you earthly things," saith He, and ye beas a man: He humbled Himself, being made lieve not; how shall ye believe if I tell you obedient unto death" (and lest any kind of heavenly things?" That is, if ye believe not death should please thee), I even the death that I can raise up the temple cast down by of the cross. "2 He hung on the cross, and you, how shall ye believe that men can be they scoffed at Him. He could have come regenerated by the Spirit?

1 Ps. xxxiv. 18.

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6.

parties among men! Let them hear him who wished to make them one, in one, for one: let them hear him who says, Be not ye making many: "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. But neither he that planteth is anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.' They were saying, “I am of Paul, I of Apollos, I of Cephas." And he says, “Is Christ divided?" Be ye in one, be one thing, be one person: "No man hath ascended into heaven, but He who came down from heaven." Lo! we wish to be thine, they said to Paul. And he said to them, I will not that ye be Paul's, but be ye His whose is Paul together with you.

8. And He goes on: "And no man hath Hence, in the Psalms, many sometimes sing, ascended into heaven, but He that came to show that one is made of many; sometimes down from heaven, the Son of man who is in one sings, to show what is made of many. heaven." Behold, He was here, and was Therefore was it only one that was healed in also in heaven; was here in His flesh, in the pool; and whoever else went down into it heaven by His divinity; yea, everywhere by was not healed. Now this one shows forth His divinity. Born of a mother, not quitting the oneness of the Church. Woe to them the Father. Two nativities of Christ are who hate unity, and make to themselves understood: one divine, the other human: one, that by which we were to be made; the other, that by which we were to be made anew: both marvellous; that without mother, this without father. But because He had taken a body of Adam,-for Mary was of Adam,and was about to raise that same body again, it was an earthly thing He had said in saying, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." But this was a heavenly thing, when He said, "Except a man be born again of water and of the Spirit, he shall not see the kingdom of God." Come then, brethren! God has willed to be the Son of man, and willed men to be sons of God. He came down for our sakes; let us ascend for His sake. For He alone descended and ascended, He who saith, "No man hath ascended into heaven, but He who came down from heaven." Are they not therefore to ascend into heaven whom He makes sons of God? Certainly they are: this is the promise to us, "They shall be equal to the angels of God." Then how is it that no man ascends, but He that descended? Because one only descended, only one ascends. What of the rest? What are we to understand, but that they shall be His members, that one may ascend? Therefore it follows that "no man hath ascended into heaven, but He who came down from heaven, the Son of man who is in heaven." Dost thou marvel that IIe was both here and in heaven? Such He made His disciples. Hear the Apostle Paul saying, "But our conversation is in heaven.”2 If the Apostle Paul, a man, walked in the flesh on earth, and yet had his conversation in heaven, was the God of heaven and earth not able to be both in heaven and on earth?

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9. Therefore, if none but He descended and ascended, what hope is there for the rest? The hope for the rest is this, that He came down in order that in Him and with Him they might be one, who should ascend through Him. 'He saith not, And to seeds," saith the apostle, as in many; but as in one, And to thy seed, which is Christ."' And to believers he saith, "And ye are Christ's; and if Christ's, then are Abraham's seed."3 What he said to be one, that he said that we all are.

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10. For He came down and died, and by that death delivered us from death: being slain by death, He slew death. And you know, brethren, that this death entered into the world through the devil's envy. "God made not death," saith the Scripture, "nor delights He in the destruction of the living; but He created all things to be." But what saith it here? "But by the devil's envy, death entered into the whole world." To the death offered for our entertainment by the devil, man would not come by constraint; for the devil had not the power of forcing, but only cunning to persuade. Hadst thou not consented, the devil had brought in nothing: thy own consenting, O man, led thee to death. Of the mortal are mortals born; from immortals we are become mortals. From Adam all men are mortal; but Jesus the Son of God, the Word of God, by which all things were made, the only Son equal with the Father, was made mortal: for the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us."

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11. He endured death, then; but death He hanged on the cross, and mortal men are delivered from death. The Lord calls to mind a great matter, which was done in a figure with them of old: "And as Moses,' saith He, "lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up; that every one who believeth on Him may not perish, but have everlasting life." A great mystery is here, as they who read know. Again, let them hear, as well they who have

1 Matt. xxii. 30.

2 Phil. iii. 20.

3 Gal. iii. 16, 29.

4 1 Cor. ii. 6, 7.

5 Wisd. i. 2.

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not read as they who have forgotten what 12. "For God sent not His Son into the perhaps they had heard or read. The people world to judge the world, but that the world Israel were fallen helplessly in the wilderness through Him may be saved." So far, then, by the bite of serpents; they suffered a great as it lies in the physician, He is come to heal calamity by many deaths: for it was the the sick. He that will not observe the orders stroke of God correcting and scourging them of the physician destroys himself. that He might instruct them. In this was come a Saviour to the world: why is he called shown a great mystery, the figure of a thing the Saviour of the world, but that He is come to come: the Lord Himself testifies in this to save the world, not to judge the world? passage, so that no man can give another in- Thou wilt not be saved by Him; thou shalt terpretation than that which the truth indi- be judged of thyself. And why do I say, cates concerning itself. Now Moses was shalt be judged"? See what He says: ordered by the Lord to make a brazen ser- "He that believeth on Him is not judged, pent, and to raise it on a pole in the wilder- but he that believeth not." What dost thou ness, and to admonish the people Israel, that, expect He is going to say, but "is judged"? when any had been bitten by a serpent, he "Already," saith He, "has been judged.' should look to that serpent raised up on the The judgment has not yet appeared, but pole. This was done: men were bitten; they already it has taken place. For the Lord looked and were healed.' What are the bit- knoweth them that are His: He knows who ing serpents? Sins, from the mortality of the are persevering for the crown, and who for flesh. What is the serpent lifted up? The the flame; knows the wheat on His threshingLord's death on the cross. For as death floor, and knows the chaff; knows the good came by the serpent, it was figured by the corn, and knows the tares. He that believeth image of a serpent. The serpent's bite was not is already judged. Why judged? "Bedeadly, the Lord's death is life-giving. A cause he has not believed in the name of the serpent is gazed on that the serpent may only-begotten Son of God." have no power. What is this? A death is 13. "And this is the judgment, that light gazed on, that death may have no power. is come into the world, and men loved darkBut whose death? The death of life: if it ness rather than light, because their deeds were may be said, the death of life; ay, for it may evil." My brethren, whose works does the be said, but said wonderfully. But should it Lord find to be good? The works of none: not be spoken, seeing it was a thing to be He finds the works of all evil. How is it, done? Shall I hesitate to utter that which then, that some have done the truth, and are the Lord has deigned to do for me? Is not come to the light? For this is what follows: Christ the life? And yet Christ hung on the" But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, cross. Is not Christ life? And yet Christ that his deeds may be made manifest, that was dead. But in Christ's death, death died. they are wrought in God." In what way Life dead slew death; the fullness of life swal- have some done a good work to come to the lowed up death; death was absorbed in the light, namely, to Christ? And how have body of Christ. So also shall we say in the some loved darkness? For if He finds all resurrection, when now triumphant we shall men sinners, and healeth all of sin, and that sing, "Where, O death, is thy contest? serpent in which the Lord's death was figured Where, O death, is thy sting?" Meanwhile, healed them that were bitten, and on account brethren, that we may be healed from sin, let of the serpent's bite the serpent was set up, us now gaze on Christ crucified; for "as namely, the Lord's death on account of morMoses," saith He, "lifted up the serpent in tal men, whom He finds unrighteous; how the wilderness, so must the Son of man be are we to understand that "this is the judglifted up; that whosoever believeth on Him ment, that light is come into the world, and may not perish, but have everlasting life." men loved darkness rather than light, because Just as they who looked on that serpent per- their deeds were evil"? How is this? ished not by the serpent's bites, so they who Whose works, in fact, are good? Hast Thou look in faith on Christ's death are healed from not come to justify the ungodly?"But they the bites of sins. But those were healed from loved," saith He, darkness rather than death to temporal life; whilst here He saith, light." There He laid the emphasis: for "that they may have everlasting life." Now many loved their sins; many confessed their there is this difference between the figurative sins; and he who confesses his sins, and acimage and the real thing: the figure procured cuses them, doth now work with God. God temporal life; the reality, of which that was accuses thy sins: and if thou also accusest, the figure, procures eternal life. thou art united to God. There are, as it That thou were, two things, man and sinner.

1 Num. xxi. 6-9.

2

21 Cor. xv. 54.

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