[506] Luke x. 18.
[507] Literally, "its old age" (to geras). Compare iii. 7, and Dict. Chr. Biogr., Macarius, p. 770 a.
[508] Ps. xxxi. 20.
[509] Ps. xxxii. 5.
[510] This is the reading of the Septuagint instead of--"He placed at the east of the garden of Eden."
[511] Gen. iv. 12: "A fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be upon the earth."
[512] Josh. ii. 11.
[513] Ps. lxxxvii. 4. "Rahab" is there a poetical name of Egypt, and the passage has nothing to do with Rahab the harlot. The Benedictine Editor rightly disregards S. Jerome's suggestion, that Rahab is, like Egypt, a type of the Gentile Church.
[514] 2 Tim. ii. 13.
[515] Ex. xxxii. 4.
[516] Deut. ix. 20.
[517] For "all time," the reading of the best mss., the Benedictine text has "all mankind."
[518] The Benedictine has, "But if thou wilt I will set before thee other examples also of our state? Come on to the blessed David."
[519] 2 Sam. xii.
[520] Bened. "The king, the wearer of the purple."
[521] Bened. "blinded."
[522] Heb. xi. 27.
[523] 2 Sam. xii. 13.
[524] Ps. cii. 10.
[525] Ib. vii. 7.
[526] 2 Sam. xvi. 10, 11.
[527] Resch. (Agrapha, p. 137) quotes various forms of this saying from early writers, and regards it as a fragment of an extracanonical Gospel. But see Lightfoot, Clem. Rom. c. xiii.
[528] Prov. xxiv. 32, Sept. Heb. "Set my heart." The passage has no reference to repentance: it means, "I considered the field of the slothful." Hilary, Ps. lii.; Ambrose, Apolog. 1, Prophetæ David, c. iii. and other Fathers affirm the repentance of Solomon. Augustine (c. Faustum, Lib. xxii. c. 88) maintains that Scripture says nothing of his repentance or forgiveness. See Dante, Paradiso, Canto x. 109.
[529] 1 Kings xviii. 4.
[530] Ib. xxi. 29.
[531] 1 Kings xiii. 6.
[532] Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, § 120 charges the Jews with having cut out a passage referring to the death of Isaiah. Theophylact commenting on Heb. xi. 37, says: "They were sawn asunder, as Isaiah by Manasses: and they say that he was sawn with a wooden saw, that his punishment might be the more painful to him from being prolonged." Jerome on Is. i. 10, says that he was slain because of his calling the Jews "princes of Sodom and people of Gomorra," and because he said, "I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up."
[533] 2 Chron. xxxiii. 12, 13.
[534] 2 Kings xx. 1.
[535] Is. xxx. 15.
[536] Isaiah xxxviii. 8.
[537] From this point the mss. differ so widely that the Benedictine Editor gives two complete recensions of the whole Lecture. The Codd. Coislin, Ottob. 2, and Grodec, with the editions of Prevot and Milles, forming as it were one family of mss., constitute the received text. On the other hand the older Munich Codex, with Codd. Roe and Casaubon, exhibit a recension of the Lecture differing from the editions. Reischl wishing to retain the received text unaltered, though preferring the other in particular passages, intended to append the other recension complete, but having left his work half finished, failed to do so. The chief variations are given in the following notes.
[538] Roe and Casaubon (R.C.) add: "into the furnace of fire."
[539] R.C. "What measure."
[540] Song of the Three Children, v. 24.
[541] R.C. "Much."
[542] R.C. "A great stream of repentance was poured forth, when they said, For Thou art righteous," &c.
[543] Song of the Three Children, v. 4.
[544] R.C. "Did then repentance quench the flames of the furnace, and dost thou disbelieve that it is able also to quench the fire of hell?"
[545] The Gospel only says, "There was darkness over all the land." An eclipse of the sun was impossible at the time of the Paschal full moon.
[546] R.C. "That the narrative is not appropriate to those who are here present. For it was because Ananias and his companions refused to worship the idol, that God gave them that marvellous power. Adapting myself, therefore, to such a hearer, and looking to the profusion of instances, I come next to a different example of repentance."
[547] R.C. "most impious, and most fierce in temper."
[548] Jer. viii. 1; Baruch ii. 25.
[549] "Knowest thou not..."
[550] 2 Kings xxv. 7.
[551] R.C. "carried off."
[552] noeta. R.C. add "and heavenly."
[553] Omitted by R.C.
[554] R.C. "But those which had been constructed in the Temple, which were over the mercy-seat of the Ark." Besides the two Cherubim of solid gold which Moses placed on the two ends of the Mercy-seat (Ex. xxxvii. 7 ff.), Solomon set "within the oracle" two Cherubim of olive wood overlaid with gold, ten feet high with outstretched wings overshadowing the Ark (1 Kings vi. 23-26; viii. 6, 7). All these were either carried off or destroyed, when Nebuchadnezzar took away "all the treasures of the house of the Lord" and "cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon, King of Israel, had made in the Temple of the Lord" (2 Kings xxiv. 13; 1 Esdras i. 54; 2 Esdras x. 22). The Benedictine editor is concerned because Cyril has paid no attention to the strange fiction in 2 Maccabees ii. 4 that Jeremy the Prophet "commanded the Tabernacle and the Ark to go with him" to Mount Horeb, and there hid them, with the Altar of Incense, in a hollow cave, to remain "unknown until the time that God gathers His people again together."
[555] The Greek word rendered "Sanctuary" is he hagiosune, literally "the holiness."
[556] 2 Chron. xxxvi. 7.
[557] R.C. "The veil of the Sanctuary he tore down, he overturned the altar, and took all the vessels and carried them away to an idol temple. The Temple itself he burned."
[558] R.C. Afterwards he was turned into a wild beast: "he who was like a wild beast and most cruel in disposition; but he was turned into a wild beast, not that he might perish, but that by repentance he might be saved."
[559] R.C. "of birds." See Dan. iv. 33.
[560] R.C. "after the midst of the furnace had become to Ananias and his companions as the tinkling breath of rain, he saw and believed not."
[561] R.C. "But afterwards he came to his senses and repented, as he says himself."
[562] Dan. iv. 34.
[563] R.C. "And after he had been scourged many years, he gave praise to Him that liveth for ever, and acknowledged Him that had given him the kingdom, and recognised the King of kings. And though he had often sinned in deeds, on making confession only in words, he received the benefit of God's unspeakable loving kindness. He who was of all men most wicked, by the Divine judgment and loving-kindness of God who chastised him, crowned himself again with the royal diadem, and recovered his imperial throne."
[564] R.C. "If then there is present among you any from among the Heathen who has ever spoken evil against Christians, or in times of persecution plotted against the Holy Churches, let him take Nabuchodonsor as an example of salvation: let him confess in like manner, that he may also find the like forgiveness. If any has been defiled by lust and passions, let him take up the repentance of the blessed David: if any has denied like Peter, let him die like him for the sake of the Lord Jesus. For He who to his tears begrudged not the Apostleship, will not refuse thee the gospel mysteries. And for women let Rahab be a pattern unto salvation, and for men the manifold examples mentioned of the men of old times.
[565] R.C. "And be ye all of good hope, having regard to the lovingkindness of God; not that we may fall back into the same sins, but that having had the benefit of redemption, and lived in a manner worthy of His grace, we may be able to blot out the handwriting that is against us by good works; in the power of the Only-begotten, the Son of God, and our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom be glory to the Father, with the Holy Ghost, both now and ever, and unto all the ages of eternity. Amen."
Lecture III.
On Baptism.
Romans vi. 3, 4
Or know ye not that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? were buried therefore with Him by our baptism into death, &c.
1. Rejoice, ye heavens, and let the earth be glad [566] , for those who are to be sprinkled with hyssop, and cleansed with the spiritual [567] hyssop, the power of Him to whom at His Passion drink was offered on hyssop and a reed [568] . And while the Heavenly Powers rejoice, let the souls that are to be united to the spiritual Bridegroom make themselves ready. For the voice is heard of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord [569] . For this is no light matter, no ordinary and indiscriminate union according to the flesh [570] , but the All-searching Spirit's election according to faith. For the inter-marriages and contracts of the world are not made altogether with judgment: but wherever there is wealth or beauty, there the bridegroom speedily approves: but here it is not beauty of person, but the soul's clear conscience; not the condemned Mammon, but the wealth of the soul in godliness.
2. Listen then, O ye children of righteousness, to John's exhortation when he says, Make straight the way of the Lord. Take away all obstacles and stumbling-blocks, that ye may walk straight onward to eternal life. Make ready the vessels [571] of the soul, cleansed by unfeigned faith, for reception of the Holy Ghost. Begin at once to wash your robes in repentance, that when called to the bride-chamber ye may be found clean. For the Bridegroom invites all without distinction, because His grace is bounteous; and the cry of loud-voiced heralds assembles them all: but the same Bridegroom afterwards separates those who have come in to the figurative marriage. O may none of those whose names have now been enrolled hear the words, Friend, how camest thou in hither, not having a wedding garment [572] ? But may you all hear, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou wast faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord [573] .
For now meanwhile thou standest outside the door: but God grant that you all may say, The King hath brought me into His chamber [574] . Let my soul rejoice in the Lord: for He hath clothed me with a garment of salvation, and a robe of gladness: He hath crowned me with a garland as a bridegroom [575] , and decked me with ornaments as a bride: that the soul of every one of you may be found not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing [576] ; I do not mean before you have received the grace, for how could that be? since it is for remission of sins that ye have been called; but that, when the grace is to be given, your conscience being found uncondemned may concur with the grace.
3. This is in truth a serious matter, brethren, and you must approach it with good heed. Each one of you is about to be presented to God before tens of thousands of the Angelic Hosts: the Holy Ghost is about to seal [577] your souls: ye are to be enrolled in the army of the Great King. Therefore make you ready, and equip yourselves, by putting on I mean, not bright apparel [578] , but piety of soul with a good conscience. Regard not the Laver as simple water, but rather regard the spiritual grace that is given with the water. For just as the offerings brought to the heathen altars [579] , though simple in their nature, become defiled by the invocation of the idols [580] , so contrariwise the simple water having received the invocation of the Holy Ghost, and of Christ, and of the Father, acquires a new power of holiness.
4. For since man is of twofold nature, soul and body, the purification also is twofold, the one incorporeal for the incorporeal part, and the other bodily for the body: the water cleanses the body, and the Spirit seals the soul; that we may draw near unto God, having our heart sprinkled by the Spirit, and our body washed with pure water [581] . When going down, therefore, into the water, think not of the bare element, but look for salvation by the power of the Holy Ghost: for without both thou canst not possibly be made perfect [582] . It is not I that say this, but the Lord Jesus Christ, who has the power in this matter: for He saith, Except a man be born anew (and He adds the words) of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God [583] . Neither doth he that is baptized with water, but not found worthy of the Spirit, receive the grace in perfection; nor if a man be virtuous in his deeds, but receive not the seal by water, shall he enter into the kingdom of heaven. A bold saying, but not mine, for it is Jesus who hath declared it: and here is the proof of the statement from Holy Scripture. Cornelius was a just man, who was honoured with a vision of Angels, and had set up his prayers and alms-deeds as a good memorial [584] before God in heaven. Peter came, and the Spirit was poured out upon them that believed, and they spake with other tongues, and prophesied: and after the grace of the Spirit the Scripture saith that Peter commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ [585] ; in order that, the soul having been born again by faith [586] , the body also might by the water partake of the grace.