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Chapter 71SermC.1.71

Sermo 71

The Lily Without Thorns

Christ the Bridegroom is the true lily without thorns, and only those who are without sin can rightly be called lilies.

The end of the previous sermon is the beginning of this one. So the bridegroom is a lily, but not a lily among thorns, because the one who has committed no sin has no thorns. In fact, he declared the bride to be a lily among thorns, because if she says—or even if she herself says—that she has no thorns, she deceives herself, and the truth isn't in her. But he professed himself to be truly a flower and a lily, yet not among thorns. Rather, as he himself says, 'I am the flower of the field and the lily of the valleys.' And there's no mention of thorns, because he alone among humans has no need to say, 'I am afflicted in my suffering while the thorn pierces me.' So whoever is without vices is never without lilies, because the one who is wholly and always radiant, beautiful in beauty beyond the sons of men. So you who hear or read these things, make sure you have lilies within you, if you want this dweller among lilies to make his home in you.

Color and Fragrance of Virtue

Virtue has both inner integrity and outward reputation, and a well-examined conscience discerns between them.

Your work, your zeal, your desire — let them be proclaimed as lilies, a kind of moral brightness and fragrance that belongs to the things themselves. They have their own manners and their own colors; they have their own fragrances too. For in spirits, color and fragrance aren't one and the same thing, any more than they are in bodies. So then, let conscience be the test of your color — your inner quality — and let your reputation be the test of your fragrance. You have made our fragrance stink before Pharaoh and his servants — that's what they say, speaking about their opinion of us.✦ Furthermore, the intention of the heart gives color to your work, and the judgment of conscience does too. Vices are black; virtue is bright white. Between this and that, a well-examined conscience discerns.

White and Black, Light and Darkness

Whatever flows from a pure heart is white as a lily, and when good reputation follows it becomes a lily with both brightness and fragrance.

The Lord's verdict stands concerning the wicked eye and the clear one, because between white and black he has set fixed boundaries and has separated light from darkness.✦ So whatever comes from a pure heart and a good conscience is white, and it is virtue; but if a good reputation has followed as well, then it is a lily—to be sure, one lacking neither the whiteness of the lily nor its fragrance.

A Flawed Conscience Defiles All

If the root of conscience is corrupt, every work is stained, and reputation cannot excuse vice where conscience has condemned it.

And yet virtue, even if it isn't greater on that account, is nevertheless made more beautiful and more striking. But if there's a flaw in your conscience, then whatever comes out of it will be flawed too. For if the root is in corruption, so is the branch.1 And through that root, whatever a corrupted root produces — not without the offspring of vice spreading from within itself — take speech, action, or prayer, for example: even if reputation seems to applaud it, it's not something that deserves to be called a lily, because even if the fragrance seems to look the other way, the color doesn't.234 For how can a lily exist alongside the stain of impurity? And certainly reputation won't be strong enough to defend virtue when conscience has convicted it of being vice. Virtue will indeed be content with the brightness of a good conscience, where the fragrance of reputation can't follow; but the fragrance of reputation won't even be enough to excuse the vice of a stained conscience. Still, a person of virtue will always live out what is good in themselves — not only before God, but also before others — so that they may truly be a lily.

The Brightness of Mercy and Gladness

God clothes the merciful in brightness and gladness, but sadness and envy turn away the gaze of God.

But there is also a brightness of the soul that comes from God's indulgence, with God himself speaking through the prophet: If your sins are like scarlet, they shall be made white as snow, and if they are red like crimson, they shall be white as wool.✦ And there is a brightness that the one who shows mercy clothes himself with, in gladness. Indeed, if you look closely at the person the Prophet portrays as cheerful — one who shows mercy and lends freely — won't it seem to him that from that very gladness of soul he has, as it were, put on a certain brightness, both in the expression of his face and in his very work? Just as, on the other hand, if someone gives out of sadness or as if out of necessity, the offering is not at all bright, but he presents a gloomy look with his hand and face. And that is why God loves a cheerful giver.✦ And the sad one? The one who looked with favor at Abel because of the brightness of his gladness turned his face away from Cain, because his countenance had fallen — surely from sadness and envy.✦ Notice what the color of sadness or envy is like — it turns the gaze of God away from itself.

Simplicity Radiance and the Stain of Duplicity

Cheerful giving and simplicity shine before God, but duplicity is a blemish and a stain that mars all brightness.

Beautifully and skillfully, in depicting the gift, the brightness of gladness was praised in that poet's phrase: 'Above all, good looks' [Ovid. Meta. lib. VIII).' And not only is the cheerful giver loved by God, but also the one who gives with simplicity. And simplicity is a brightness. We prove it from the opposite: for duplicity is a blemish. I've said too little: it is a stain.

Deceit, Sadness, and the Feeding of the Bridegroom

Deceit and sadness are stains that God rejects, and the Bridegroom delights in radiant virtues as he feeds among the lilies.

What is duplicity but deceit? But indeed, whoever has acted deceitfully in the sight of God—his wickedness is exposed and brings hatred.✦ . And therefore, blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will not count against them, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.✦ Beautifully, in just a few words, the Lord pointed out both stains—deceit and sadness—saying, "Don't become sad like the hypocrites."✦ And so the Bridegroom, since he is strength itself, takes pleasure in the virtues; since he is the lily, he gladly dwells among the lilies; and since he is radiance itself, he delights in what is radiant.✦

He Feeds Among the Lilies

Christ fed among the lilies both bodily in the home of Mary and Martha and spiritually through the virtues of the saints.

And perhaps this is what is meant by 'to feed among the lilies': to be delighted by the brightness and fragrance of virtues.✦ And indeed he was once fed bodily at the home of Mary and Martha, reclining also in body among the lilies (I mean those women, for they were lilies); nevertheless he refreshed his spirit with the devotion and virtues of the women.✦ But if at that hour a prophet had entered, or an angel, or any other spiritual being — not unaware, to be sure, of what majesty was reclining there — would he not, in amazement at the condescension and the familiarity that he could observe in him, with pure minds and chaste bodies, yet earthly and of the weaker sex, rightly bear witness: 'I saw him not only dwelling among the lilies, but even feeding among them'? So therefore, in both respects — I mean flesh and spirit — the bridegroom was found to feed among the lilies. But I think that he too, in turn, would feed — but in the spirit. By the very fact that he was being fed, how was he feeding? How, I say, did he strengthen the timidity of the women, gladden their humility, enrich their devotion? But if you have seen that to be fed by them was, for him, to feed; see now, too, lest perhaps, the other way around, to feed might also be, for him, to be fed.

The Good Head of Household and Mutual Feeding

The one who feeds others with spiritual bread is himself fed by their growth, for the joy of the Lord is our strength.

Lord, who have fed me from my youth — so says the holy patriarch Jacob. The good head of a household who cares for those of his own house, especially in evil days, will nourish them in famine, feeding them with the bread of life and of understanding, and so sustaining them toward eternal life. But the one who feeds others is himself, I think, also fed — and indeed fed with provisions he gladly partakes of: our spiritual progress. For the joy of the Lord is our strength.

He Eats Us and We Eat Him

Christ's food is our penitence and transformation, and only when we both eat him and are eaten by him is there complete union.

So then, when he feeds he is fed, and when he is fed he feeds — at once refreshing us with his spiritual joy, and rejoicing equally in our spiritual progress. His food is my penitence, his food is my salvation, his food is I myself. Doesn't he eat ashes as though they were bread?✦ But I, because I am a sinner, am ashes, so that I may be eaten by him. I am eaten when I am reproved; I am joined when I am instructed; I am refined when I am changed; I am digested when I am transformed; I am united when I am conformed. Don't be surprised at this: he eats us, and he is eaten by us, so that we may be bound more tightly to him. We are certainly not otherwise perfectly united to him. For if I eat and am not eaten, he will be seen to be in me, but not yet I in him.

Whole and Firm Union

Christ feeds on us so as to have us in himself and is fed by us so as to be in us, making the bond complete in both directions.

So if I'm fed but don't feed, he'll seem to have me in himself, but I won't yet be in him — and there won't be a complete union in either direction alone. But he feeds on me so that he may have me in himself, and in turn he is fed by me so that he may be in me — so that the bond between us may be whole and firm, since I am in him and he is no less in me.

The Unity of Father and Son

The Father and the Son are perfectly one because each is in the other, and the soul united to God must know that God is in it and it in God.

Do you want me to show you through a comparison what is being said? Lift your eyes now to a certain higher fittingness, yet one like this. If the Bridegroom were in the Father in such a way that the Father were not also in him, or if the Father were in him in such a way that he were not also in the Father, I dare to say that their unity would remain short of perfection, if unity existed at all.5 But in reality, since he both is in the Father and the Father is in him, there is no way the unity can fall short; instead, they truly and perfectly are one, he and the Father. So therefore a soul for which clinging to God is a good thing should not consider itself perfectly united to him until it has perceived that he remains both in it and it in him.6 Not because it would then be called one with God as the Father and the Son are one, though whoever clings to the Lord is one spirit with him.7 I have read this, but I have not read that. I do not say this of myself, who am nothing, but clearly no one except a fool, whether from earth or from heaven, would seize for himself that Only-Begotten's voice: 'I and the Father are one.'8

One Spirit with God

Whoever clings to God is one spirit with him, yet the unity of Father and Son far exceeds the unity of God and man.

And yet I, though dust and ashes, relying on the authority of Scripture, wouldn't fear to say this—that I am one spirit with God: if, however, I'm ever convinced by certain experiences that I cling to God like one of those who remain in love, and through this remain in God, and God in them, eating God and eaten by God.✦ For I think this was said about such a cleaving: 'Whoever clings to God is one spirit.'✦ What then? The Son says, 'I am in the Father, and the Father is in me, and we are one'; the human being says, 'I am in God, and God is in me, and we are one spirit.'✦✦✦

Two Different Unities

The Father and Son are one by substance, but the soul is one with God by the agreement of wills, not by confusion of natures.

But can the Father and the Son — so that they may be in one another, and so be one — actually feed on each other, in the same way that God and man pass into one another through a kind of mutual feeding, so that through this, even if they are not one, they are surely one spirit in their very existence? God forbid! For the Father and the Son don't exist in each other in just one way, and the two aren't united by a single unity. In short, the diversity of unities is intimated to you through 'one' (person) and 'one' (thing): for neither can the same 'one' apply to the Father and the Son, nor the same 'one' to man and God. If you are wise, seizing the occasion, you'll become wiser still, prudently noticing that there, through 'one' (thing), there is a unity of substance or nature; but here, through 'one' (person), there is an equal unity — yet a far different one, because between the substances and natures of man and God, each has its own nature and its own substance, since the Father and the Son together are entirely one. You see that it isn't even a unity, since it's compared to this singular and highest unity. For how can there be unity where there is a diversity of natures and a number of substances? And yet the soul that clings to God is called and truly is one spirit with God; and the plurality of things doesn't diminish this unity, which is brought about not by a confusion of natures but by an agreement of wills.

Many Hearts Made One

The unity of believers is also a real unity of hearts and souls, yet it differs utterly from the eternal unity of the divine persons.

Because of this, many hearts are also said to be one, and many souls to be one, as it is written: 'The multitude of believers had one heart and one soul.'✦ And so this, too, is unity.

The Eternal Unity That Simply Is

The unity of Father and Son does not arise from natures or wills but simply is, eternal and underived.

But what does any of that matter for the unity that doesn't consist in being joined together, but stands forth from eternity? No, it isn't some mutual feasting that produces that unity, after the manner of the one we've been discussing, because it isn't something that comes into being at all. It simply is. But neither is it a joining, or a kind of putting together, or anything of that sort that doesn't belong to a single being. For the Father and the Son share one nature, one essence, one will — not merely one, but truly one. That is, for them to be is what it is for nature to be; to will is what it is to be, or for nature to be. So then, the unity by which the Father and the Son are one cannot be said to arise from natures, or essences, or wills — because there aren't multiple ones. There's nothing to say it arises from or comes into being, because it simply is. It isn't something manufactured, but something born of their very nature.

Incomprehensible Mutual Indwelling

The Father and Son contain each other ineffably and incomprehensibly, while man and God dwell in each other through love.

In themselves, the Father and the Son are not only ineffably but also incomprehensibly able to contain one another and receive one another—yet able in such a way that they cannot be divided, and receptive in such a way that they cannot be made into sharers. For as the Church sings in the hymn: 'In the Father is the whole Son, and in the Word is the whole Father.'✦ The Father is in the Son, in whom he has always been well pleased; and the Son is in the Father, from whom he was never not begotten, and so has never been separated.✦ Moreover, through love man is in God and God is in man, as John says: 'Whoever remains in love remains in God, and God in him.'✦ This is a kind of consent, so that two may be in one spirit—indeed, that they may be one spirit.✦ Do you see the difference? Surely what is consubstantial is not the same as what is consentient. And yet, if you've noticed, enough is intimated to you through 'one' (masculine) and 'one' (neuter) about the difference between these unities as well: since plainly what is 'one' (masculine) cannot apply in the same way to the Father and the Son, nor what is 'one' (neuter) to man and God.

One Essence, One Spirit

Father and Son are one substance, but the soul is one spirit with God by the accord of wills, not by sharing one essence.

The Father and the Son cannot be called one, because one is the Father and the other is the Son; yet they are called and truly are one, because they share one substance entirely, not each having its own. It's the opposite with man and God, because they aren't of one substance or nature; so they indeed cannot be called one, yet by certain and absolute truth they are called one spirit, if they cling to each other by the bond of love. This unity is brought about not so much by the coherence of essences as by the accord of wills.

The Boundary Between Unities

There is a real difference between the unity of many and the unity of one, and the boundary between them distinguishes essence from harmony of affections.

It's clear — unless I'm quite mistaken — that there is not merely a variety but a real difference between these kinds of unity: one of them exists within a single being, the other among several distinct beings. What could be more different from each other than the unity of many and the unity of one? So, as I've said, between these kinds of unity there is a boundary that distinguishes the one from the One: through the One (the neuter) there is, in the Father and the Son, a unity of essence; but through the one (the masculine) between God and a human being there is designated not this same unity, but a certain reverent harmony of affections. Yet even with this added qualification, Father and Son are most properly called 'one' — for example, 'one God,' 'one Lord,' and whatever else is said of each in reference to himself and not to the other. Indeed, there is no diversity of divinity or majesty between them — no more than there is of substance, essence, or nature. Assuredly, all these very things, if you consider them faithfully, are not diverse or divided in them, but are one. I said less than the truth: they are one, and they are one with them. What is that unity by which many hearts are one, and many souls are spoken of as one?

The Unique and Supreme Unity

The unity of Father and Son is unique, eternal, and supreme, not produced by any joining of essences or agreement of wills.

And that name of unity, I think, shouldn't be reckoned as comparable to this other unity, which doesn't unite many things but points to one alone. So that unity is a unique and supreme unity, which doesn't consist in a uniting process but stands forth from eternity. Nor, truly, does that aforementioned spiritual feasting produce this unity, because it doesn't produce it at all. For it simply is. Much less, then, is any joining of essences, or any agreement of wills, to be thought of as producing it, since there aren't two. For in them, as was said, both the essence and the will are one; but in the one there is no agreement, no composition, no coupling, or anything of that kind. There must be at least two wills for there to be agreement, and likewise two essences for there to be a joining or union through agreement. But none of these things exists in the Father and the Son — assuredly not two essences, nor two wills in those who possess them.

Trinitarian and Human-Divine Indwelling

Father and Son remain in each other unchangeably and are truly one, while God and man dwell in each other through harmonious wills.

Each of these two is one in them; or rather, as I recall saying before, these two are one in them and are one with them; and so they themselves, just as they remain in each other incomprehensibly, so also remain unchangeably, and are truly and singularly one. If anyone, however, should speak of agreement between the Father and the Son, I don't object—provided that he understands it not as a union of wills but as a unity of will.

Blessed Union of Wills

The union of God and man is a communion of wills and agreement in love, blessed if experienced, and made perfect when each draws the other into mutual indwelling.

And so, when it comes to God and man — since they exist in their own distinct wills and substances, and stand apart in both — we see that they remain in one another in a very different way: that is, not with their substances confused, but with their wills in harmony. And this union is, for them, a communion of wills and an agreement in love. Blessed union, if you experience it; nothing, if you compare it. The voice of one who has experienced it: "But for me, to cling to God is good."✦ Clearly good, if you've clung to him from every side. Who clings perfectly to God, if not the one who, remaining in God as one beloved by God, has nonetheless drawn God into himself in return through love? Therefore, since man and God cling to each other on every side — and they cling on every side, inwardly united to one another by intimate and mutual love — I would confidently say, on this basis, that God is in man and man is in God. But man has been in God from eternity, as one beloved from eternity — that is, if he belongs to those who say that God loved us and graced us in his beloved Son before the foundation of the world; God, however, has been in man from the moment man loved him in return.✦

In God and God in Us

One who abides in love abides in God and God in him, yet the believer's union must not be equated with the Only-Begotten's unique sonship.

And if this is so, a human being is indeed in God even when God is not in that person; but God is not in the one who is not in God.✦✦ For no one can abide in love — even if, perhaps for a time, the one who is not loved may love — but the loved one cannot yet love in return.✦ Otherwise, how will it stand, since he first loved us?✦ Furthermore, when the one who was formerly loved now also loves in return, both the human being is in God and God is in the human being.✦ But the one who never loves — it is certain that such a person is never loved — and so that person is neither in God, nor is God in them.✦ Let these things be said to draw the distinction between the union by which the Father and the Son are one, and the union by which a soul that clings to God becomes one spirit — lest perhaps, because it is read about a person who abides in love that God abides in them and they in God, and likewise about the Son that he is nevertheless in the Father and the Father in him, the adopted son might be thought to have equal standing with the Only-Begotten.✦✦✦

Return to the Lilies

The Bridegroom is fed either by the virtues of the radiant or by sinners received into repentance through his body, the Church.

With these points settled, we need to go back to him who feeds among the lilies, since our digression has brought us this far. You'll judge whether it wasn't a waste of time.9 Now I had in fact proposed two interpretations of the very place: either that he is fed by the virtues of the radiant ones, since he is virtue and brightness; or that he receives sinners into repentance in his body, which is the Church. For their sake, to incorporate them into himself, he made himself sin who did not commit sin, so that the body of sin might be destroyed—the body to which sinners were once conformed—and that, by justice in him, they might be justified freely.✦✦✦✦10

The Word's Food Is Obedience

The Word of God is famished when heard without obedience but is filled and nourished when obeyed, returning with the fruits of justice.

I now put forward a third interpretation that presents itself, and I think it will suffice not only for explaining the passage but also for bringing the sermon to its conclusion. The Word of God is truth, and he is the Bridegroom. You know this; now hear the rest. When he is heard but not obeyed, he remains empty and, in a way, famished—altogether sad and complaining, because he has been brought forth into emptiness. But if he is obeyed, won't the word seem to you to have grown into a certain fullness, because action has been added to the word—nourished, as it is, by the fruits of obedience and the harvest of justice? That is why he says in the Apocalypse: Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door to me, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me.✦ This sense seems to be confirmed also by the prophet's saying of the Lord, where he says that his word will not return to him empty, but will prosper and accomplish what he sent it to do.✦ It will not return, he says, to me empty or famished, but, as though prospering in all things, it will be filled with the good works of those who yield to him in love.✦

My Food Is to Do the Will of the Father

In common speech a word is called filled only when it is completed by action, remaining empty and lean until fulfilled in work.

In everyday speech, a word is called 'filled' only when it's been carried out in action — because until it's completed by work, it stays empty and lean, and in a sense hungry.✦

He Rejects Thorny Offerings

The Bridegroom refuses gifts and prayers that lack purity, whether from plunderers, hypocrites, or those who love praise, and will not hear a prayer from an unreconciled heart.

But listen to what he himself says he feeds on.✦ My food, he says, is to do the will of my Father.✦ The Word of the Word makes it plain that his food becomes good only if it is found among lilies, that is, among virtues. Otherwise, if he finds it outside, the food, however good it may seem in itself, will not touch the one who feeds among lilies. For the Word's sake, he does not accept alms from the hand of a plunderer or a usurer, nor even from a hypocrite who, when he gives alms, has a trumpet sounded before him so that he may be glorified by others.✦ Nor will he in any way hear the prayer of the one who loves to pray on street corners in order to be seen by others.✦ Surely the prayer of a sinner will be accursed. It is also futile for anyone to offer his gift at the altar when he is aware that his brother has something against him.✦

Hands That Do Not Smell of Lilies

God rejected the bloody hands of Israel and excluded the hairy hands of Esau from ministry, because they did not bear the fragrance of lilies.

And so he did not look with favor on Cain's offerings, because Cain was not walking rightly with his brother.✦ As the holy prophet bore witness, God even detested the sabbaths, the new moons, and the sacrifices of the Jews, so that he openly declared he hated them in his soul, and he said: 'When you come before my sight, who has required these things from your hands?'✦ I believe those hands did not smell of lilies, and so he rejected the offering from those who were accustomed to feed among lilies, and not among thorns. Why shouldn't they have had thorny hands, of which it was said: 'Your hands are full of blood'? And the hands of Esau were hairy, like thorny ones; and so they were not admitted to minister to the Holy One.✦✦

The Lily of Obedience

Any observance stained by self-will rather than obedience is not a lily, and nothing stained can feed the one who feeds among lilies.

I'm afraid that even among us there may be some whose gifts the bridegroom won't accept, because they don't smell of lilies. For if, on the day I'm fasting, my own will is found at work, the bridegroom hasn't chosen that kind of fasting, and my fasting doesn't taste right to him — because it doesn't taste of the lily of obedience, but of the vice of my own will. But I feel this not only about fasting, but also about silence, about vigils, about prayer, about reading, about manual labor, and finally about every observance of the monk — wherever one's own will is found in it, and not the obedience of one's own master. Not at all — I wouldn't by any means consider those observances, even though good in themselves, to be counted among the lilies, that is, among the virtues. Instead, someone like this will hear from the prophet: 'Is this the submission I have chosen?' says the Lord. And it will add: 'On the day of your good things, your wills are found.' One's own will is a great evil, by which it happens that your good things are not good to you. Therefore they must become lilies — such as these are — because nothing at all that is stained by one's own will shall taste of the one who feeds among the lilies. Wisdom reaches everywhere because of its own cleanness, and nothing stained falls into it.

He Loves to Be Fed Among Lilies

The Bridegroom loves to be fed among clean and bright hearts, and the sermon now draws toward its close as the day declines and shadows lengthen.

So this is what the bridegroom loves: to be fed among lilies, that is, among hearts that are clean and bright. But how long? Until the day breathes and the shadows bend down.✦ This place is shady and thick: let us not tremble at this forest of the deep mystery, unless by the clear light of day. For now, as I discussed at greater length, the day has declined, while we are drawn away from these lilies against our will. Nor am I overcome by length, which would take away all weariness from the fragrance of the flowers. A small amount seems to remain from the present chapter. But that small portion is exceedingly hidden, just as the rest of this whole song is.

The Revealer of Mysteries

The one who reveals mysteries will open what is closed as we knock, and the sermon ends with praise to Christ, the bridegroom of the Church, God blessed forever.

But the one who reveals mysteries will be present, I trust, when we have begun to knock, and he will not shut the mouths of those speaking of him — for it is more familiar to him to open what is closed — the bridegroom of the Church, Jesus Christ our Lord, who is above all things, God blessed forever.✦✦11 Amen.

Read the original Latin

Finis praecedentis sermonis, principium huius. Est ergo lilium sponsus, sed non lilium inter spinas, quoniam non habet spinas qui peccatum non fecit. Denique sponsam protestatus est lilium inter spinas; quoniam si dixerit vel ipsa, quia spinas non habeat, se ipsam seducit, et veritas in ea non est. Se vero florem quidem et lilium professus est, non tamen inter spinas. Magis autem: Ego, inquit, flos campi et lilium convallium. Et non est spinarum mentio, quod solus sit hominum qui opus non habeat dicere: Conversus sum in aerumna mea, dum configitur spina. Ergo absque liliis nunquam est, qui absque vitiis semper est; quia totus et semper est candidus, speciosus forma prae filiis hominum. Tu ergo qui haec audis vel legis, cura habere lilia penes te, si vis habere hunc habitatorem liliorum habitantem in te.

Opus tuum, studium tuum, desiderium tuum: lilia esse protestetur moralis quidam rerum ipsarum candor, atque odor. Habent et mores colores suos, habent et odores. Neque enim in spiritibus id ipsum est color et odor, non magis quam in corporibus. Ergo de colore conscientia consultetur, de odore fama. Fetere fecistis odorem nostrum coram Pharaone et servis eius, aiunt illi, dicentes de opinione. Porro colorem operi tuo dat cordis intentio, et iudicium conscientiae. Nigra sunt vitia, virtus candida est. Inter hanc atque illa, conscientia consulta discernit.

Stat sententia Domini de oculo nequam et lucido, quia inter candidum et nigrum certos fixit limites, et divisit lucem a tenebris. Quod ergo de corde puro et conscientia bona egreditur candidum est, et est virtus; si autem et bona fama secuta fuerit, et lilium est, quippe cui nec candor lilii desit, nec odor.

Porro virtus, etsi non propterea maior, pulchrior tamen illustriorque efficitur. Quod si in conscientia naevus fuerit, nec quod ex ea prodierit, carebit naevo. Nam si radix in vitio, et ramus. Ac per hoc quidquid illud sit quod radix vitiata non absque traduce vitii ex se producat, verbi gratia, sermo, actio, oratio, etiamsi fama applaudere videatur, non est quod debeat lilium dici; quia etsi odor connivere videtur, sed non color. Quo pacto enim lilium cum impuritatis naevo? Nec sane fama valebit vindicare virtuti, quod esse vitium convicerit conscientia. Erit quidem virtus contenta candore conscientiae, ubi sequi non poterit odor famae: caeterum odor famae nec excusare sufficiet vitium conscientiae decoloris. Providebit tamen semper, quod in se est, homo virtutis bona, non tantum coram Deo, sed etiam coram hominibus, ut vere sit lilium.

Sed est etiam candor animae indulgentia Dei, ipso dicente per prophetam: Si fuerint peccata vestra ut coccinum, quasi nix dealbabuntur, et si fuerint rubra quasi vermiculus, velut lana alba erunt. Et est candor, quem sibi induit is qui miseretur in hilaritate. Etenim in intuearis illum, quem Propheta depingit iucundum hominem, qui miseretur et commodat, nonne is tibi videbitur de ipsa animi iucunditate indidisse candorem quemdam pietatis vultui pariter, et operi suo? Sicut e regione si ex tristitia et velut ex necessitate quis tribuat, non candidum plane, sed tetrum praefert manu et fronte colorem. Et ideo hilarem datorem diligit Deus. Nunquid et tristem? Profecto qui respexit ad Abel ob alacritatis candorem, avertit faciem a Cain, quia conciderat vultus eius, utique a tristitia et livore. Adverte qualis color tristitiae seu invidiae sit, qui Dei a se avertit aspectum.

Pulchre et eleganter in colorando beneficio candor iucunditatis laudatus est voce illa poetae: 'Super omnia vultus accessere boni (Ovid. Meta. lib. VIII).' Nec modo hilaris dator, sed et qui tribuit in simplicitate, diligitur a Deo. Et simplicitas candor est. Probamus a contrario: nam naevus duplicitas. Parum dixi, macula est.

Quid duplicitas nisi dolus. Sed enim qui dolose egit in conspectu Dei, inventa est iniquitas eius ad odium. . Et ideo beatus cui non imputabit Dominus peccatum, nec est in spiritu eius dolus. Pulchre Dominus paucis utramque notavit maculam, dolum, tristitiamque: Nolite, inquiens, fieri, sicut hypocritae, tristes. Sponsus itaque et cum sit virtus, in virtutibus complacet sibi; et cum sit lilium, libenter inter lilia commoratur; et cum sit candor, delectatur candidis.

Et fortassis hoc est quod dicitur pasci inter lilia, candore et odore virtutum delectari. Et quidem pascebatur olim corporaliter apud Mariam et Martham, recumbens etiam corpore inter lilia (Illas loquor, nam lilia erant), nihilominus spiritum refocillabat devotione et virtutibus mulierum. Quod si illa hora intrasset propheta, aut angelus, seu alius quivis spiritualis, tantum non ignorans quae maiestas recumberet; nonne stupens dignationem et familiaritatem, quam illi esse conspiceret cum puris animis pudicisque corporibus, tamen terrenis et sexus infirmioris; merito testaretur: Quia vidi illum non modo commorantem, sed et pascentem inter lilia? Ita ergo secundum utrumque, carnem dico et spiritum, pasci inter lilia sponsus inventus est. Puto autem quod et ipse vicissim pasceret, sed in spiritu. Hoc ipso quod pascebatur, quomodo pascebat? Quomodo, inquam, confortabat timiditatem feminarum, iucundabat humilitatem, impinguabat devotionem? Sed si vidisti, quod pasci illi sit pascere; vide etiam nunc, ne forte et e converso pascere sit ei pasci.

Domine, qui pascis me a iuventute mea; ait sanctus patriarcha Iacob. Bonus paterfamilias, qui suorum domesticorum curam gerit, maxime in diebus malis, ut alat eos in fame, cibans illos pane vitae et intellectus, et sic nutriens ad vitam aeternam. At pascens, ita puto, nihilominus pascitur ipse, et quidem escis quibus libenter vescitur, profectibus nostris. Etenim gaudium Domini, fortitudo nostra.

Ita ergo et cum pascit pascitur, et cum pascitur pascit, simul nos suo gaudio spirituali reficiens, et de nostro aeque spirituali profectu gaudens. Cibus eius poenitentia mea, cibus eius salus mea, cibus eius ego ipse. Annon cinerem tanquam panem manducat? Ego autem quia peccator sum, cinis sum, ut manducer ab eo. Mandor cum arguor, glutior cum instituor, decoquor cum immutor, digeror cum transformor, unior cum conformor. Nolite mirari hoc: manducat nos, et manducatur a nobis, quo arctius illi astringamur. Non sane alias perfecte unimur illi. Nam si manduco et non manducor, videbitur in me esse ille, sed nondum in illo ego.

Quod si manducor quidem, nec manduco; me in se habere ille, sed non etiam in me esse videbitur; nec erit perfecta unitio in uno quovis horum. Sed enim manducet me, ut habeat me in se; et a me vicissim manducetur ut sit in me: quatenus integra firmaque sit connexio, cum ego in eo et nihilominus in me ipse erit.

Vis tibi per simile ostendam quod dicitur? Attolle oculos nunc in quamdam sublimiorem quidem convenientiam, similem tamen huic. Si ipse sponsus in Patre ita esset, ut non tamen in ipso Pater; aut ita Pater in ipso esset, ut non esset ipse in Patre: audeo dicere, et ipsorum citra perfectum unitas remaneret, si tamen iam unitas esset. Nunc vero cum et ipse in Patre, et Pater in ipso sit; non est quo claudicet unitas, sed vere perfecteque unum sunt ipse et Pater. Sic igitur anima, cui adhaerere Deo bonum est, non ante se existimet ipsi perfecte unitam, nisi cum et illum in se, et se in illo manentem persenserit. Non quia vel tunc unum dicatur cum Deo, sicut unum sunt Pater et Filius: quamvis qui adhaeret Deo, unus spiritus est. Legi hoc, sed illud non legi. Non dico de me, qui nihil sum, sed plane nemo, nisi demens, sive de terra, sive de coelo usurpabit sibi illam Unigeniti vocem: Ego et Pater unum sumus.

Et tamen ego, licet pulvis et cinis, fretus quidem Scripturae auctoritate, minime istud dicere verear, quia unus cum Deo spiritus sum: si unquam tamen certis fuero persuasus experimentis, Deo me adhaerere ad instar unius illorum, qui in charitate manent, ac per hoc in Deo manent, et Deus in eis, manducantes Deum, et manducati a Deo. Nam de tali adhaesione puto dictum: Qui adhaeret Deo, unus spiritus est. Quid ergo? Dicit Filius: Ego in Patre, et Pater in me est, et unum sumus; dicit homo: Ego in Deo, et Deus in me est, et unus spiritus sumus.

Sed nunquid Pater et Filius ut sint in invicem, ac proinde unum, invicem se manducant, sicut Deus et homo mutua se quadam in sese manducatione traiiciunt, utique per hoc, etsi non unum, unus certe spiritus existentes? Absit! nec enim uno modo insunt sibi hi atque illi, sed neque una unitas utrorumque. Denique innuitur tibi unitatum diversitas per unus et unum; quoniam nec Patri et Filio unus, nec homini et Deo unum poterit convenire. Tu, si sapis, occasione accepta eris sapientior, prudenter advertens, illic quidem per unum unitatem substantiae vel naturae; hic vero per unus aeque unitatem, sed ideo longe alteram, quia inter substantias et naturas, homini nempe et Deo, sua cuique et natura, et substantia est, cum Patris Filiique constet penitus esse unam. Vides illam nec unitatem esse, siquidem huic singulari summaeque unitati comparetur. Nam quomodo unitas, ubi numerus naturarum, substantiarum diversitas? Et tamen unus spiritus dicitur, et est cum Deo, anima adhaerens Deo; nec praeiudicat rerum pluralitas unitati huic, quam facit non confusio naturarum, sed voluntatum consensio.

Propter hanc quoque multa corda unum, et multae animae una dicuntur, sicut scriptum est: Multitudinis credentium erat cor unum, et anima una. Et haec ergo unitas.

Caeterum quid ad illam, quae non unitione constat, sed exstat aeternitate? Non plane illam quaedam, instar huius, mutua manducatio facit, quia nec fit. Est enim. Sed nec coniunctio, vel quasi compositio, vel tale aliquid, quod unius non est. Est autem Patri Filioque natura, essentia, voluntas non modo una, sed unum. Hoc nempe est illis esse, quod naturam esse; hoc velle, quod esse, vel naturam esse. Non est itaque quod unitas, qua unum sunt Pater et Filius, dicatur fieri de naturis vel essentiis, vel voluntatibus, quia non sunt: non est quod dicatur vel fieri, quia est. Nec enim factitia est, sed nativa.

Sunt in sese Pater et Filius, non solum ineffabili, sed etiam incomprehensibili modo sui ipsorum capabiles pariter et capaces: sed sane ita capabiles, ut non partibiles; ita capaces ut non participes. Nam ut in hymno Ecclesia canit: 'in Patre totus Filius, et totus in Verbo Pater.' Est Pater in Filio, in quo sibi semper bene complacuit; et est Filius in Patre, a quo ut nunquam non natus, ita nunquam est separatus. Porro per charitatem homo in Deo, et Deus in homine est, dicente Ioanne, quia qui manet in charitate, in Deo manet, et Deus in eo. Consensio quaedam haec, ut sint duo in uno spiritu imo unus spiritus sint. Videsne diversitatem? Non est idem profecto consubstantiale et consentibile. Quanquam, si advertisti, satis tibi per unus et unum, ipsarum quoque innuitur differentia unitatum; quoniam quidem nec Patri et Filio unus, nec homini et Deo unum poterit convenire.

Non possunt dici unus Pater et Filius, quia ille Pater, et ille Filius est: unum tamen dicuntur et sunt, quod una omnino illis, et non cuique sua substantia est. Quo contra homo et Deus, quia unius non sunt substantiae vel naturae; unum quidem dici non possunt, unus tamen spiritus certa et absoluta veritate dicuntur, si sibi glutino amoris inhaereant. Quam quidem unitatem non tam essentiarum cohaerentia facit, quam conniventia voluntatum.

Patet, ni fallor, satis non modo diversitas, sed et disparitas unitatum, una in una, altera in diversis existente essentiis. Quid tam distans a se, quam unitas plurium et unius? Ita inter unitates, ut dixi, disterminat unus et unum, quod per unum quidem in Patre et Filio essentiae unitas, per unus vero inter Deum et hominem non haec, sed consentanea quaedam affectionum pietas designatur. Cum adiectione tamen etiam Pater et Filius sanissime dicuntur unus; verbi causa, unus Deus, unus Dominus, et quidquid aliud est, quod ad se quisque, et non ad alterum dicitur. Siquidem non est illis diversa divinitas sive maiestas, non magis quam substantia, vel essentia, vel natura. Nempe haec ipsa omnia, si pie consideres, non diversa seu divisa in illis, sed unum sunt. Minus dixi: unum sunt et cum illis. Quid illa unitas, qua multa corda unum, et multae animae una leguntur?

Nec censenda, ut reor, nomine unitatis, comparata huic, quae non multa unit, sed unum singulariter signat. Ergo singularis ac summa illa est unitas, quae non unitione constat, sed exstat aeternitate. Nec sane hanc spiritualis illa praefata manducatio facit, quia nec fit. Est enim. Multo minus eam facere putanda est essentiarum qualiscunque coniunctio, seu consensio voluntatum, quia non sunt. Una enim illis, ut dictum est, et essentia, et voluntas; uni vero non est consensus, non compositio, non copulatio, aut tale aliquid. Duas esse oportet ad minus voluntates, ut sit consensus; duas aeque essentias, ut sit coniunctio sive unitio per consensum. Horum nihil in Patre et Filio, quippe nec essentias duas, nec duas habentibus voluntates.

Una est utraque res illis; vel potius, ut praefatum me memini, unum duo ista in illis, unum et cum illis sunt; ac per hoc ipsi sicut incomprehensibiliter, ita incommutabiliter invicem in se manentes, vere et singulariter unum sunt. Si quis tamen inter Patrem et Filium dicat esse consensum, non contendo, dummodo non voluntatum unionem, sed unitatem intelligat voluntatis.

Atqui Deum et hominem, quia propriis exstant ac distant et voluntatibus et substantiis, longe aliter in se alterutrum manere sentimus, id est, non substantiis confusos, sed voluntatibus consentaneos. Et haec unio ipsis communio voluntatum, et consensus in charitate. Felix unio, si experiaris; nulla, si comparaveris. Vox experti: Mihi autem adhaerere Deo bonum est. Bonum plane, si omni ex parte adhaeseris. Quis est qui perfecte adhaeret Deo, nisi qui in Deo manens, tanquam dilectus a Deo, Deum nihilominus in se traxit vicissim diligendo? Ergo cum undique inhaerent sibi homo et Deus - inhaerent autem undique intima mutuaque dilectione inviscerati alterutrum sibi -, per hoc Deum in homine, et hominem in Deo esse haud dubie dixerim. Sed homo quidem ab aeterno in Deo, tanquam ab aeterno dilectus, si tamen ex illis sit qui dicunt quoniam dilexit et gratificavit nos in dilecto Filio suo ante mundi constitutionem; Deus vero in homine, ex quo dilectus ab homine est.

Et si ita est, homo quidem in Deo est et quando in homine Deus non est; Deus autem in homine non est qui non sit in Deo. Manere enim in dilectione non potest, etsi forsitan ad tempus diligat non dilectus; potest autem nondum diligere etiam dilectus. Alioquin quomodo stabit, quoniam ipse prior dilexit nos? Porro cum iam etiam diligit qui ante diligebatur, et homo in Deo, et Deus in homine est. Qui autem nunquam diligit, constat quod nunquam dilectus est; ac per hoc nec ipse in Deo, nec Deus in eo est. Haec dicta sint ad dandam differentiam inter illam connexionem, qua Pater et Filius unum sunt, et illam qua adhaerens Deo anima, unus spiritus est, ne forte quia legitur de homine manente in charitate, quia in Deo manet, et Deus in eo; et item de Filio, quod nihilominus in Patre sit, et Pater in ipso; par praerogativa adoptati putaretur, et Unici.

His ergo absolutis, recurrendum nobis ad illum qui pascitur inter lilia, quia inde excursus hic factus est usque huc: utrumnam non otiose, vos iudicabitis. Et iam quidem loci ipsius duos intellectus posueram, sive quod virtutibus pascitur candidatorum, qui virtus et candor est; sive quod peccatores recipit ad poenitentiam in corpore suo, quod est Ecclesia, pro quibus sibi incorporandis se ipsum fecit peccatum, qui peccatum non fecit, ut destrueretur corpus peccati, cui aliquando complantati fuere peccantes, essentque iustitia in ipso iustificati gratis.

Tertiam adhuc pono sententiam quae occurrit; et satis fore reor non modo pro loci explanatione, sed et pro fine sermonis. Sermo Dei veritas est, et ipse sponsus. Nostis hoc; audite caetera. Is cum auditur, et minime obeditur illi, vacuus interim et ieiunus quodam modo remanet, omnino tristis et querulus, quod prolatus in vacuum sit. Si autem obeditum fuerit, nonne tibi verbum videbitur in quamdam excrevisse corpulentiam, quia verbo opus accessit, utpote refectum quibusdam fructibus obedientiae, iustitiae frugibus? Inde est quod in Apocalypsi loquitur: Ecce sto ad ostium, et pulso: si quis audierit vocem meam, et aperuerit mihi ianuam, introibo ad illum, et coenabo cum eo, et ipse mecum. Videtur approbari hic sensus et apud prophetam sententia Domini, ubi dicit quod verbum suum non revertetur ad se vacuum, sed prosperabitur, et faciet ad quae misit illud. Non revertetur, inquit, ad me vacuum vel ieiunum, sed quasi prospere in omnibus agens, saturabitur bonis actibus eorum, qui in dilectione acquiescent illi.

Denique usu loquendi sermo impletus tunc dicitur, cum fuerit mancipatus effectui: quod videlicet tandiu inanis et macer, ac quodam modo famelicus sit, donec opere compleatur.

Sed audi ipsum quo se dicat cibo ali. Meus, inquit, cibus est, ut faciam voluntatem Patris mei. Verbum Verbi est aperte indicantis, esse suum cibum factum bonum; si tamen invenerit illud inter lilia, hoc est, inter virtutes. Alioquin si extra repererit, etsi bonus, quod in se est, videtur cibus, non tanget illum is, qui pascitur inter lilia. Verbi causa, non recipit eleemosynam de manu raptoris seu feneratoris; sed nec de hypocritae quidem, qui cum facit eleemosynam, facit tuba cani ante se, ut glorificetur ab hominibus. Sed nec illius orationem aliquo modo exaudiet, qui amat orare in angulis platearum, ut ab hominibus videatur. Nempe oratio peccatoris exsecrabilis erit. Frustra quoque offerat munus suum ad altare, qui conscius est sibi quod frater suus habet aliquid adversum se.

Denique non respexit ad Cain munera, eo quod non recte ambularet cum fratre suo. Teste sancto propheta, etiam abominabatur sabbata, et neomenias, et sacrificia Iudaeorum, ita ut manifeste protestaretur odisse ea animam suam, et dicebat: Cum veniretis ante conspectum meum, quis quaesivit ea de manibus vestris? Credo, non redolebant lilia manus illae et propterea respuebat munus ex illis qui pasci inter lilia consuevit, et non inter spinas. Quidni spinosas habebant manus, quibus aiebat: Manus vestrae sanguine plenae sunt Et manus Esau pilosae erant, spinosis similes; ideoque non sunt admissae, ut ministrarent Sancto.

Vereor ne et inter nos aliqui sint, quorum non acceptet munera sponsus, eo quod non redoleant lilia. Etenim si in die ieiunii mei inveniatur voluntas mea, non tale ieiunium elegit sponsus, nec sapit illi ieiunium meum, quod non lilium obedientiae, sed vitium propriae voluntatis sapit. Ego autem non solum de ieiunio, sed de silentio, de vigiliis, de oratione, de lectione, de opere manuum, postremo de omni observantia monachi, ubi invenitur voluntas sua in ea, et non obedientia magistri sui, id ipsum sentio. Minime prorsus observantias illas, etsi bonas in se, tamen inter lilia, id est inter virtutes, censuerim deputandas; sed audiet a propheta, qui eiusmodi est: Nunquid tale est obsequium quod elegi, dicit Dominus? et addet: In die bonorum tuorum inveniuntur voluntates tuae. Grande malum propria voluntas, qua fit ut bona tua tibi bona non sint. Oportet proinde lilia fiant, quae huiusmodi sunt, quia nihil omnino, quod propria inquinatum sit voluntate, gustabit is qui pascitur inter lilia. Sapientia est ubique attingens propter munditiam suam, et nil inquinatum in eam incurrit.

Ita ergo inter lilia pasci amat sponsus, id est apud munda et nitida corda. Sed quousque? Donec aspiret dies, et inclinentur umbrae. Umbrosus locus est hic et condensus: non intremus silvam hanc profundi sacramenti, nisi clara luce diei. Iam enim disputante me longius, inclinata est dies; dum inviti abstrahimur ab his liliis. Nec sum victus prolixitate, cui fastidium omne detraheret odor florum. Modicum quid restare videtur de praesenti capitulo. At istud modicum reconditum nimis, sicut et caetera universa carminis huius.

Sed qui revelat mysteria aderit, ut confido, cum pulsare coeperimus: et non claudet ora loquentium se, cui familiare magis est reserare clausa, sponsus Ecclesiae Iesus Christus Dominus noster, qui est super omnia Deus benedictus in saecula. Amen.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Exod.5.21 — And they said to them, "May the LORD look upon you and judge, for you have made us offensive in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants, putting a sword in their hands to kill us."
  2. ↩Gen.1.4 — And God saw the light, that it was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.
  3. ↩Isa.1.18 — Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.
  4. ↩2Cor.9.7 — Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
  5. ↩Gen.4.5-Gen.4.6 — but to Cain and to his offering he had no regard; and Cain was very angry, and his face fell. Gen.4.6 — Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen?"
  6. ↩Acts.8.23 — For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of unrighteousness.
  7. ↩Ps.32.2 — Blessed is the one to whom the LORD does not count iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
  8. ↩Matt.6.16 — And whenever you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with gloomy faces. For they disfigure their faces so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.
  9. ↩Song.2.16 — My beloved is mine, and I am his — the one who grazes among the lilies.
  10. ↩Song.2.16;Song.6.2-Song.6.3 — My beloved is mine, and I am his — the one who grazes among the lilies. Song.6.2 — My beloved has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spice, to pasture among the gardens, and to gather lilies. Song.6.3 — I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine — the one who grazes among the lilies.
  11. ↩Luke.10.38-Luke.10.42 — Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. Luke.10.39 — She had a sister called Mary, who also sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his word. Luke.10.40 — But Martha was distracted by much service. She came up and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me." Luke.10.41 — But the Lord answered her, 'Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.' Luke.10.42 — Few things are needed, or only one. For Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.
  12. ↩Gen.18.27 — Then Abraham answered and said, "Behold, I have now ventured to speak to the Lord, though I am but dust and ashes."
  13. ↩1Cor.6.17 — But the one who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.
  14. ↩1Cor.6.17 — But the one who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.
  15. ↩John.14.10-John.14.11 — Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. John.14.11 — Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you cannot, then believe because of the works themselves.
  16. ↩John.10.30 — I and the Father are one.
  17. ↩1Cor.6.17 — But the one who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.
  18. ↩Acts.4.32 — Now the great number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and not one of them claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but everything they had was held in common.
  19. ↩John.14.10-John.14.11 — Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. John.14.11 — Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you cannot, then believe because of the works themselves.
  20. ↩Matt.3.17;Matt.17.5 — And behold, a voice from the heavens said, 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.' Matt.17.5 — While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice from the cloud said, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.'
  21. ↩1John.4.16 — And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
  22. ↩1Cor.6.17 — But the one who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.
  23. ↩Ps.73.28 — But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may proclaim all your works.
  24. ↩Eph.1.4-Eph.1.5 — just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before him in love Eph.1.5 — He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,
  25. ↩John.15.4-John.15.5 — Remain in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you, unless you remain in me. John.15.5 — I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who abides in me, and I in him, this one bears much fruit; for apart from me you can do nothing.
  26. ↩1John.4.12-1John.4.16 — No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 1John.4.13 — By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 1John.4.14 — And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. 1John.4.15 — Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 1John.4.16 — And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
  27. ↩1John.4.19 — We love because he first loved us.
  28. ↩1John.4.19 — We love because he first loved us.
  29. ↩John.14.23 — Jesus answered him, 'If anyone loves me, he will keep my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.'
  30. ↩1John.4.8 — The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
  31. ↩John.17.21-John.17.23 — that they all may be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I am in you; that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me. John.17.22 — And the glory that you have given me I have given to them, so that they may be one, just as we are one. John.17.23 — I in them and you in me, so that they may be perfected into one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them just as you loved me.
  32. ↩John.14.10-John.14.11 — Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. John.14.11 — Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you cannot, then believe because of the works themselves.
  33. ↩1John.4.12-1John.4.13 — No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 1John.4.13 — By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.
  34. ↩2Cor.5.21 — God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
  35. ↩Rom.6.4-Rom.6.6 — Therefore we were buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so also we might walk in newness of life. Rom.6.5 — For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we shall also be united with him in the likeness of his resurrection. Rom.6.6 — We know this: our old self was crucified with him, so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we might no longer be enslaved to sin.
  36. ↩Rom.3.24 — being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
  37. ↩Col.1.18 — And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might have first place in everything.
  38. ↩Rev.3.20 — Look, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to them and eat with them, and they with me.
  39. ↩Isa.55.11 — So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
  40. ↩Isa.55.11 — So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
  41. ↩Isa.55.11 — So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
  42. ↩John.4.34 — Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to finish his work.
  43. ↩John.4.34 — Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to finish his work.
  44. ↩Matt.6.2 — So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by people. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.
  45. ↩Matt.6.5 — And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by people. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.
  46. ↩Matt.5.23-Matt.5.24 — So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, Matt.5.24 — leave your gift there before the altar, and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
  47. ↩Gen.4.3-Gen.4.5 — And it came about at the end of days that Cain brought, from the fruit of the ground, an offering to the LORD. Gen.4.4 — And Abel also brought some of the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions. And the LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering. Gen.4.5 — but to Cain and to his offering he had no regard; and Cain was very angry, and his face fell.
  48. ↩Isa.1.12 — When you come to appear before me, who has required this from your hand—trampling my courts?
  49. ↩Isa.1.15 — And when you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen—your hands are full of blood.
  50. ↩Gen.27.22 — And Jacob drew near to Isaac his father, and he felt him, and he said, 'The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.'
  51. ↩Song.2.17 — Until the day breathes and the shadows flee, turn, my beloved, be like a gazelle or a young stag upon the mountains of Bether.
  52. ↩Matt.7.7;Luke.11.9 — Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Luke.11.9 — And I tell you: ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.
  53. ↩Rom.9.5 — whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩The Latin is elliptical: 'et ramus' supplies no verb; the sense is completed from the preceding clause ('et ramus [in vitio]' or '[quoque in vitio est]').
  2. 2 ↩'tradux' (lit. 'offshoot/scion') rendered as 'offspring' to convey the image of vice propagating from the root; rare word, confidence 0.75.
  3. 3 ↩'verbi gratia' is a parenthetical idiom ('for example'); rendered naturally rather than literally.
  4. 4 ↩'odor connivere' — the fragrance 'winking' or 'turning a blind eye' — personifies reputation's pleasant smell as overlooking the flaw. Rendered as 'seems to look the other way' to preserve the metaphor's force in modern English.
  5. 5 ↩The Latin speaks of 'sponsus' (bridegroom) and 'Pater' (Father) in a way that evokes Christ and the Father; the analogy is explained through the mutual indwelling (John 14:10–11).
  6. 6 ↩anima rendered as 'soul' per lexeme policy; adhaerere rendered as 'clinging to' to convey the personal, devotional union.
  7. 7 ↩The distinction between the unity of the Father and the Son and the believer's unity with God is preserved; 'Lord' supplied for clarity where the Latin has Deo.
  8. 8 ↩Unigeniti rendered as 'Only-Begotten's' to preserve the traditional Johannine title; the quote is a direct echo of John 10:30.
  9. 9 ↩The rare interrogative utrumnam introduces a question expecting an affirmative answer; rendered as 'whether it wasn't' to capture the rhetorical force.
  10. 10 ↩The rare verb complantati (from complanto) is rendered as 'conformed' to capture the Pauline image of being planted or grown together with, reflecting the Vulgate's 'complantati' in Romans 6:5.
  11. 11 ↩The Latin 'ora loquentium se' is syntactically compressed; 'se' is taken as a reflexive referring back to the one who reveals mysteries (Christ), yielding 'those speaking of him.'

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