4. Ye know it, dearly Beloved; call to mind the parable of the Gospel, how that the Lord came in to inspect the guests at a certain feast of His. The Master of the house who had invited them, as it is written, "found there a man which had not on a wedding garment." [3143] For to the marriage had that Bridegroom invited them who is "fair in beauty above the children of men." That Bridegroom became deformed because of His deformed spouse, that he might make her fair. How did the Fair One become deformed? If I do not prove it, I am blaspheming. The testimony of his fair beauty the Prophet gives me, who saith, "Thou art fair in beauty above the children of men." [3144] The testimony of his deformity another Prophet gives me, who saith, "We saw Him, and He had no grace, nor beauty; but His countenance was marred, and His whole look [3145] deformed." [3146] O Prophet, who saidst, "Thou art fair in beauty above the children of men;" thou art contradicted; another Prophet cometh out against thee, and saith, "Thou speakest falsely. We have seen Him. What is this that thou sayest, Thou art fair in beauty above the children of men? We have seen Him, and He had no grace nor beauty.'" Are then these two Prophets at disagreement in the Corner-stone of peace? Both spake of Christ, both spake of the Cornerstone. In the corner the walls unite. If they do not unite, it is not a building, but a ruin. No, the Prophets agree, let us not leave them in strife. Yea, rather let us understand their peace; for they know not how to strive. O Prophet, who saidst, "Thou art fair in beauty above the children of men;" where didst thou see Him? Answer me, answer where didst thou see Him? "Being in the form of God, He thought it not robbery to be equal with God." [3147] There I saw Him. Dost thou doubt that He who is "equal with God" is "fair in beauty above the children of men"? Thou hast answered; now let him answer who said, "We saw Him, and He had no grace, nor beauty." Thou hast said so; tell us where didst thou see Him? He begins from the other's words; where the other ended, there he begins. Where did he end? "Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God." Lo, where he saw Him who was "fair in beauty above the children of men;" do thou tell us, where thou sawest that "He had no grace nor beauty. But He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and found in fashion as a man." [3148] Of His deformity he still further says; "He humbled Himself, having become obedient unto death even the death of the cross." Lo, where I saw Him. Therefore are they both in peaceful concord, both are at peace together. What is more "fair" than God? What more "deformed" than the Crucified?
5. So then this Bridegroom, "fair in beauty above the children of men," became deformed that He might make His Spouse fair to whom it is said, "O thou beauteous among women," [3149] of whom it is said, "Who is this that cometh up, whitened" [3150] with the brightness of light, not the colouring of falsehood! He then who called them to the wedding, found a man who had not a wedding garment, and He said unto him, "Friend, how camest thou in hither, not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless." For he found not what to answer. And the Master of the house Who had invited him said, "Bind him hands and feet, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." [3151] For so small a fault, so great a punishment? For great it is. It is called a small fault not to have "the wedding garment;" small, but only by those who do not understand. How would He have been so incensed, how would He have so judged, to cast him, on account of the wedding garment which he had not, "bound hands and feet into outer darkness, where was weeping and gnashing of teeth," unless it had been a very grievous fault, not to have "the wedding garment"? I say this; seeing ye have been invited through me; for though He invited you, He invited you by my ministry. Ye are all at the feast, have the wedding garment. I will explain what it is, that ye may all have it, and if any one now hears me who has it not, let him, before the Master of the house comes and inspects His guests, be changed for the better, let him receive "the wedding garment," and so sit down in all assurance.
6. For in truth, dearly Beloved, he who was cast forth from the feast, does not signify one man; far from it. They are many. And the Lord Himself who put forth this parable, the Bridegroom Himself, who calleth together to the feast, and quickeneth whom He calleth, He hath Himself explained to us, that that man does not denote one man, but many, there, in that very place, in the same parable. I do not go far for this, I find the explanation there, there I break the bread, and set it before you to be eaten. For He said, when he who had not "the wedding garment was cast out thence into outer darkness," He said and added immediately, "for many are called, but few chosen." [3152] Thou hast cast forth one man from hence, and Thou sayest, "for many are called, but few chosen." Without doubt the chosen are not cast forth; and they were the few guests who remained; and the "many" were represented in that one, because that one who hath not "the wedding garment" is the body of the wicked.
7. What is "the wedding garment"? Let us search for it in the Holy Scriptures. What is "the wedding garment"? Without doubt it is something which the bad and good have not in common; let us discover this, and we shall discover "the wedding garment." Among the gifts of God, what have not the good and bad in common? [3153] That we are men and not beasts, is a gift of God; but this is common to good and bad. That the light from heaven rises upon us, that the rain descends from the cloud, the fountains flow, the fields yield their fruit; these are gifts, but common to the good and bad. Let us go to the marriage feast, let us leave the others without, who being called come not. Let us consider the guests themselves, that is, Christians. Baptism is a gift of God, the good and bad have it. The Sacraments of the Altar the good and bad receive together. Saul prophesied for all his wickedness, and in his rage against a holy and most righteous man, even while he was persecuting him, he prophesied. Are the good only said to believe? "The devils also believe and tremble." [3154] What shall I do? I have sifted all, and have not yet come to "the wedding garment." I have unfolded my envelopings, I have considered all, or almost all, and have not yet come to that garment. The Apostle Paul in a certain place has brought me a great collection [3155] of excellent things; he has laid them open before me, and I have said to him, "Show me, if so be thou hast found among them that wedding garment.'" He begins to unfold them one by one, and to say, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of Angels, though I have all knowledge, and the gift of prophecy, and all faith, so that I could remove mountains; though I distribute all my goods to the poor, and give my body to be burned." [3156] Precious garments! nevertheless, there is not yet here that "wedding garment." Now bring out to us "the wedding garment." Why dost thou keep us in suspense, O Apostle? Peradventure prophecy is a gift of God which both good and bad have not. "If," says He, "I have not charity, nothing profiteth me." See "the wedding garment;" put it on, ye guests, that ye may sit down securely. Do not say; "we are too poor to have that garment." Clothe others, and ye are clothed yourselves. It is winter, clothe the naked. Christ is naked; and He will give you that "wedding garment" whosoever have it not. Run to Him, beseech Him; He knoweth how to sanctify His faithful ones, He knoweth how to clothe His naked ones. That ye may be able as having "the wedding garment" to be free from the fear of the outer darkness, and the binding of your members and hands and feet; let not your works fail. If they fail, with hands bound what canst thou do? with feet bound, whither wilt thou fly? Keep then that "wedding garment," put it on, and so sit down in security, when He comes to inspect. The Day of Judgment will come; He is now giving a long space, let him who erewhile was naked now be clothed.
[3135] Saginam laudis eructuate.
[3136] Mark viii. 6.
[3137] Ps. cxix. 164.
[3138] Ps. xxxiv. 1.
[3139] Rev. i. 4.
[3140] Voraces, Edd. ant.; veraces, B from 1Ms. 2da manu.
[3141] Mark viii. 6.
[3142] Matt. xv. 38.
[3143] Matt. xxii. 11.
[3144] Ps. xliv. 3 (xlv. 2, English version).
[3145] Positio.
[3146] Isa. liii. 2, Sept.
[3147] Phil. ii. 6.
[3148] Phil. ii. 7, 8.
[3149] Cant. i. 8.
[3150] Cant. viii. 5, Sept. Dealbata, "not as women whiten themselves, who would appear what they are not; not as a whitened wall,--not thus whitened, but enlightened, because not of itself white.--Grace came illumining and whitening; first thou wert black, but hast been made white by His grace. For ye were darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord." St. Aug. In Ps. 103, s. 1, § 6.
[3151] Matt. xxii. 12, etc.
[3152] Matt. xxii. 14.
[3153] Vid. Serm. xl. (xc. Ben.) 5, etc.
[3154] Jas. ii. 19.
[3155] Involucrum.
[3156] 1 Cor. xiii. 1, etc.
Sermon XLVI.
[XCVI. Ben.]
On the words of the Gospel, Mark viii. 34, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself," etc. And on the words 1 John ii. 15, "if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."
1. Hard and grievous does that appear which the Lord hath enjoined, that "whosoever will come after Him, must deny himself." [3157] But what He enjoineth is not hard or grievous, who aideth us that what He enjoineth may be done. For both is that true which is said to Him in the Psalm, "Because of the words of Thy lips I have kept hard ways." [3158] And that is true which He said Himself, "My yoke is easy, and My burden is light." [3159] For whatsoever is hard in what is enjoined us, charity makes easy. We know what great things love itself can do. Very often is this love even abominable and impure; but how great hardships have men suffered, what indignities and intolerable things have they endured, to attain to the object of their love? whether it be a lover of money who is called covetous; or a lover of honour, who is called ambitious; or a lover of beautiful women, who is called voluptuous. And who could enumerate all sorts of loves? Yet consider what labour all lovers undergo, and are not conscious of their labours; and then does any such one most feel labour, when he is hindered from labour. Since then the majority of men are such as their loves are, and that there ought to be no other care for the regulation of our lives, than the choice of that which we ought to love; why dost thou wonder, if he who loves Christ, and who wishes to follow Christ, for the love of Him denies himself? For if by loving himself man is lost, surely by denying himself he is found.
2. The first destruction of man, was the love of himself. For if he had not loved himself, if he had preferred God to himself, he would have been willing to be ever subject unto God; and would not have been turned to the neglect of His will, and the doing his own will. For this is to love one's self, to wish to do one's own will. Prefer to this God's will; learn to love thyself by not loving thyself. For that ye may know that it is a vice to love one's self, the Apostle speaks thus, "For men shall be lovers of their own selves." [3160] And can he who loves himself have any sure trust in himself? No; for he begins to love himself by forsaking God, and is driven away from himself to love those things which are beyond himself; to such a degree that when the aforesaid Apostle had said," Men shall be lovers of their own selves," he subjoined immediately, "lovers of money." Already thou seest that thou art without. Thou hast begun to love thyself: stand in thyself if thou canst. Why goest thou without? Hast thou, as being rich in money, become a lover of money? Thou hast begun to love what is without thee, thou hast lost thyself. When a man's love then goes even away from himself to those things which are without, he begins to share the vanity of his vain desires, and prodigal as it were to spend his strength. He is dissipated, exhausted, without resource or strength, he feeds swine; and wearied with this office of feeding swine, he at last remembers what he was, and says, "How many hired servants of my Father's are eating bread, and I here perish with hunger!" [3161] But when the son in the parable says this, what is said of him, who had squandered all he had on harlots, who wished to have in his own power what was being well kept for him with his father; he wished to have it at his own disposal, he squandered all, he was reduced to indigence: what is said of him? "And when he returned to himself." If "he returned to himself," he had gone away from himself. Because he had fallen from himself, had gone away from himself, he returns first to himself, that he may return to that state from which he had fallen away by falling from himself. For as by falling away from himself, he remained in himself; so by returning to himself, he ought not to remain in himself, lest he again go away from himself. Returning then to himself, that he might not remain in himself, what did he say? "I will arise and go to my Father." [3162] See, whence he had fallen away from himself, he had fallen away from his Father; he had fallen away from himself, he had gone away from himself to those things which are without. He returns to himself, and goes to his Father, where he may keep himself in all security. If then he had gone away from himself, let him also in returning to himself, from whom he had gone away, that he may "go to his Father," deny himself. What is "deny himself"? Let him not trust in himself, let him feel that he is a man, and have respect to the words of the prophet, "Cursed is every one that putteth his hope in man." [3163] Let him withdraw himself from himself, but not towards things below. Let him withdraw himself from himself, that he may cleave unto God. Whatever of good he has, let him commit to Him by whom he was made; whatever of evil he has, he has made it for himself. The evil that is in him God made not; let him destroy what himself has done, who has been thereby undone. "Let him deny himself," He saith, "and take up his cross, and follow Me."