12. Whence beginneth charity, brethren? Attend a little: to what it is perfected, ye have heard; the very end of it, and the very measure of it is what the Lord hath put before us in the Gospel: "Greater love hath no man," saith He, "than that one lay down his life for his friends." [2277] Its perfection, therefore, He hath put before us in the Gospel, and here also it is its perfection that is put before us: but ye ask yourselves, and say to yourselves, When shall it be possible for us to have "this" charity? Do not too soon despair of thyself. Haply, it is born and is not yet perfect; nourish it, that it be not choked. But thou wilt say to me, And by what am I to know it? For to what it is perfected, we have heard; whence it begins, let us hear. He goes on to say: "But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have hunger, [2278] and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how can the love of God dwell in him?" [2279] Lo, whence charity begins withal! [2280] If thou art not yet equal to the dying for thy brother, be thou even now equal to the giving of thy means to thy brother. Even now let charity smite thy bowels, that not of vainglory thou shouldest do it, but of the innermost [2281] marrow of mercy; that thou consider him, now in want. For if thy superfluities thou canst not give to thy brother, canst thou lay down thy life for thy brother? There lies thy money in thy bosom, which thieves may take from thee; and though thieves do not take it, by dying thou wilt leave it, even if it leave not thee while living: what wilt thou do with it? Thy brother hungers, he is in necessity: belike he is in suspense, is distressed by his creditor: he is thy brother, alike ye are bought, one is the price paid for you, ye are both redeemed by the blood of Christ: see whether thou have mercy, if thou have this world's means. Perchance thou sayest, "What concerns it me? Am I to give my money, that he may not suffer trouble?" If this be the answer thy heart makes to thee, the love of the Father abideth not in thee. If the love of the Father abide not in thee, thou art not born of God. How boastest thou to be a Christian? Thou hast the name, and hast not the deeds. But if the work shall follow the name, let any call thee pagan, show thou by deeds that thou art a Christian. For if by deeds thou dost not show thyself a Christian, all men may call thee a Christian yet; what doth the name profit thee where the thing is not forthcoming? "But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, [2282] and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how can the love of God dwell in him?" And then he goes on: "My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue but in deed and in truth." [2283]
13. I suppose the thing is now made manifest to you my brethren: this great and most concerning secret and mystery. [2284] What is the force of charity, all Scripture doth set forth; but I know not whether any where it be more largely set forth than in this Epistle. We pray you and beseech you in the Lord, that both what ye have heard ye will keep in memory, and to that which is yet to be said, until the epistle be finished, will come with earnestness, and with earnestness hear the same. But open ye your heart for the good seed: root out the thorns, that that which we are sowing in you be not choked, but rather that the harvest may grow, and that the Husbandman may rejoice and make ready the barn for you as for grain, not the fire as for the chaff.
[2237] 1 John iii. 9.
[2238] 1 John i. 8.
[2239] John xiii. 23.
[2240] Solvat. [Gr. Ause=solvat, meaning destroy in classical Latin; so here in Auth. V. and in Rev. V.--J.H.M.]
[2241] 1 John iii. 9.
[2242] ["Cannot sin," &c.--Augustin maintains that the one sin which the Christian cannot commit is violation of charity; he cannot do otherwise than love, and do acts that flow from love, if he be a Christian. No doubt this indicates a great truth, for love expresses the inner essence of the believer's life and character. But the strong language of the apostle is not met by this partial statement. Better acknowledge the apparent contradiction between "does not commit sin," "cannot sin," and "if we say, we have no sin, we deceive ourselves." The apostle does not solve the problem. Meyer, who discards many explanations of the first two phrases,--as, sinning knowingly and wilfully, committing mortal sins and many others specified by him, thinks that the solution lies in the fact simply that the apostle desires to emphasize the contrast between born of God and a sinner. He does not show how emphasizing a contrast explains a contradiction (which he discovers in the passage). Jonathan Edwards and Ezek. Hopkins, following many others with whom Westcott coincides, judge that the alleged impossibility of sinning relates to total character, or prevailing habit; the Christian may be surprised, overtaken, beguiled by sin, but fights against sin, does not consent to sin with his whole heart; "he does not wish sin." It has been added that as to his nature--renewed; as to the new life--life from the Spirit of God,--his divine sonship and sin are irreconcilable contraries. In part, these suggestions and definitions may meet the difficulty which the apostle, doubtless wishing to present a high ideal of the life of one born from above, leaves for practical solution by those who have passed from death unto life.--J.H.M.]
[2243] John xiii. 34.
[2244] [Translator here follows Eras.; Bened. (Migne) omits "of Christ, contrary to the New Testament," and omits "new" in next sentence.--J.H.M.]
[2245] John xiii. 34.
[2246] 1 Pet. iv. 8.
[2247] John xxi. 15-17.
[2248] Ps. cxvi. 12, 13.
[2249] Luke xxiii. 34.
[2250] Serm. clxxxiii. 3, 4.
[2251] Acts vii. 59.
[2252] 2 Cor. xii. 15.
[2253] Phil. i. 21-24.
[2254] Luke xix. 8.
[2255] 1 Kings xvii. 4-9.
[2256] Matt. x. 41, 42.
[2257] Ascensuro.--Ben.
[2258] Sacramenta.
[2259] 1 Cor. xiii. 2.
[2260] 1 John ii. 11.
[2261] 1 John iii. 9.
[2262] 1 Cor. iv. 15.
[2263] 1 John iii. 10.
[2264] Rom. xiii. 8, 10.
[2265] Matt. xiii. 46.
[2266] Cum specie.
[2267] 1 John iii. 10, 11.
[2268] 1 John iii. 12.
[2269] 1 Cor. xiii. 4.
[2270] 1 John iii. 13. Gr. humas; Vulg. vos.
[2271] John i. 10.
[2272] 1 John ii. 2.
[2273] 1 John iii. 14.
[2274] 1 John iii. 15.
[2275] 1 John iii. 16.
[2276] John xxi. 15-19.
[2277] John xv. 13.
[2278] Esurientem.
[2279] 1 John iii. 17.
[2280] [Love; beneficence.--Augustin throughout these homilies amply vindicates his own declaration that the epistle on which he is commenting relates largely to charity; and his glowing words not only exhibit love as one star in the constellation of Christian graces, but as a deep and joyous principle and centre of life, "a well of water" within, from which refreshing streams of beneficence will spontaneously gush forth. He controverts those in his day who taught that it was enough to have the truth, to possess right opinions, and that such need not be forward in sacrificing aught for the truth's sake, or to help their brethren. And in kindly reproof of such indolent and ignorant self seeking, he points the earnest believer to whom comes the lofty utterance of the apostle, lay down life, if need be, for thy brother, and who shrinks from such a test, to a lower evidence of the Christ-like mind, within the reach of all, and from which all may go up higher--"help thy brother in his necessity, relieve his wants; if not ready to do this for the brother before your eyes, how can you pretend love to the unseen Father and Friend?" As the apostle's reprehension of errorists in his day is applicable in refutation of many false opinions rife in our times, so his and Augustin's fervent commendation of the surpassing excellence of love, and the absolute need, for the believer, of uniformly and constantly manifesting it in act and life, can never be superfluous, can never grow old. Indifferentism as to doctrine, and careless coldness with respect to the sufferings of others, against both of which St. John lifts up his voice, if not peculiar to our day and nation, are yet deplorable evils among us, demanding energetic and practical protests from those who love the truth and love man.--J.H.M.]
[2281] Adipe.
[2282] Egentem.
[2283] 1 John iii. 18.
[2284] Sacramentum.