LECTURE VIII. ON THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD". LECT. JER. Xxxii. 18, 19. The Great, the Mighty God; the Lord of Hosts is His Name, great in counsel, and mighty in work. 1. By belief" in One God," we utterly eradicate the misbelief in many gods, using it as a weapon against the Greeks, and every opposing power of heretics: and by adding, "in One God the Father," we oppose those of the circumcision, who deny the Only-begotten Son of God. For, as I said yesterday, even before we speak plainly concerning our Lord Jesus Christ, yet by our speaking of God the Father, we have already implied that He is the Father of a Son; that as we understand that God is, so we may understand that He has a Son. Now we add to this, that He is also "Almighty;" and that, because of Greeks and Jews together, and all heretics. 2. For some of the Greeks have said that God is the soul of the world. Others again, that His power reaches only to heaven, but not to the earth as well. And some, going into Ps.36,5. the same error, and perverting the text which says, And Thy faithfulness unto the clouds, have dared to bound God's providence by the limits of the clouds and the heaven, and to despoil God of the things on earth; forgetting that Psalm Ps. 139, which saith, If I ascend into heaven, Thou art there; if I go down to hell, Thou art there. For if nothing is higher than heaven, and if hell is deeper than earth, He who is master of the lower regions, must reach the earth also. 8. a Eis Tò, Пarrongaróga, Omnipoten- and English versions of the Creed. tem, or Almighty, according to the Latin God has dominion over idolaters, heretics, and the devil. 87 3. And heretics again, as was said before, acknowledge not One Almighty God. For He is Almighty, whose might is over all things, who has power over all things. But they who say that there is one God, the Lord of the soul, and another the Lord of the body, make neither of them perfect, because each lacks what the other has. For how is he Almighty, who has power over the soul, but not over the body? or how is he Almighty, who being the Lord of bodies, has no power over spirits? But the Lord confutes these men, saying on the contrary, Rather fear ye Him which is able to destroy both body Mat. 10, and soul in hell: for unless the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ had power over both, how should He subject both to punishment? for how shall He be able to take what is another's, and cast it into hell, except He first bind the strong Mat. 12, man, and spoil his goods? 28. 29. 14.Sept. Vers. 4. But according to Holy Scripture, and the doctrines of (2.) truth, there is but One God, who has dominion over all things by His power, and suffers many things of His will. For He has dominion even over the idolaters, but He suffers them of His forbearance; and over even the heretics who deny Him, but He suffers them of His patience; over the devil too, but He suffers with him, of His patience, not from want of power, as if foiled. He is the commencement of the Lord's creation, Job 40, being made to be mocked, not by Himself, (that were unsuit- 40, 19. able,) but by the Angels whom He has made: and He has English permitted him to live, for two objects; that his defeat might increase his infamy, and that men might be crowned. Allwise providence of God! by which a wicked purpose is converted into a means of salvation for the faithful. For as He took the unbrotherly purpose of Joseph's brethren as the groundwork of His own scheme, and after suffering them to sell their brother, from hatred, took occasion thereby to give him the kingdom whom He would; so He suffers the devil to wrestle with us, that they who conquer him may be crowned, and that upon the victory, he may have worse shame, as conquered by the weaker, and men greater glory, as conquering one who was once Archangel. 5. Nothing then is excepted from the range of God's power, for Scripture says of Him, For all things serve Thee. Ps. 119, One and all serve Him; yet in this number His One Only 91. VIII. 88 Goods of this world are really good, only evil in their use. LECT. Son, and His One Holy Ghost, are not included; all things which are His servants, rather serve their Lord through the One Son and in the Holy Ghost. God therefore has dominion over all things, and endures of His long-suffering even murderers, robbers, and fornicators; having appointed a set day for recompensing every one, that they may incur heavier sentence, if after a longer respite they have still impenitent John 19, hearts. Earthly rulers are kings of men, yet not so without power from above. And this Nebuchadnezzar knew by Dan. 4, proof, when he said, His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation. 11. 34. but not MS. 8. (3.) 6. Riches, gold and silver, are not, as some think, the devil's Prov. 17, property; for the whole world of riches is the faithful man's, 6. Sept. but the unbelieving hath no peace: and nothing is more reaccord- moved from faith than the devil. Also God saith plainly by the ing to the Alex- Prophet, The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine; and his, to andrian whomsoever I will give it. Do thou but use it well, and Hag. 2, there will be nothing to condemn in silver; but when thou usest a good thing ill, then, not choosing to blame thy management of it, thou impiously blamest its Maker. A man Mat. 25, may even be justified by means of opulence. I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat; that is, from being opulent; I was naked, and ye clothed me; that is, by being opulent; Mat. 19, nay, wouldest thou be told that riches may become a door of the kingdom of heaven? Sell, He says, that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven. Luke 4, 6. 35. 21. 9. Luke 4, 6. 7. Now I have made these remarks because of those heretics, who lay possessions, and riches, and the body under a curse: for I wish thee neither to be a slave to riches, nor yet to treat as enemies what is given thee of God to use. Never then say, that riches are the devil's: for though he say, Mat 4, All these things will I give Thee, for they are delivered unto me, yet one may even deny the assumption; for we must not believe the lying spirit. Perhaps however, compelled by the power of His presence, he spake the truth; for he said not, "All these things will I give Thee, because they are mine," but "because they have been delivered unto me." For he grasped not at the lordship of them, but he professed to have them in a certain sense committed to him, and to dispense Heretics have denied God's omnipotence. 89 them. However, this point concerning his speaking truth or not, deserves consideration of expositors at a fit time". 8. There is then one God the Father, the Almighty, whom the tribe of heretics have dared to blaspheme; yea, they aïdes. have dared to blaspheme the Lord of Sabaoth, who sitteth above the Cherubim; they have dared to blaspheme the sovereign Lord; they have dared to blaspheme Him who rested on the Prophets, the Almighty God. But thou, worship One, the Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Fly from the error of many Gods; fly from all heresy, and say with Job, I will call upon the Almighty Job 5,8. Lord, who doeth great things and unsearchable, glorious 9. Sept. things and marvellous, without number; and For all these Job 37, things, is honour from the Almighty, to whom be glory for vid. MS. ever and ever. b The Fathers speak as if the Devil were originally the head of that order of Angels to whom the administration of this world was committed. On sinning, he made use of what power was left to him over it against his Maker, seducing 21. Sept. Alexan. LECTURE IX. ON GOD, THE CREATOR OF ALL THINGS. LECT. 18. 28. JOB XXXviii. 2, 3. Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man: for I will demand of thee, and answer thou Me. 1. WITH the eyes of the flesh it is impossible to behold God; for the incorporeal cannot be subject to fleshly sight, and the Only-begotten Son of God Himself hath testified, John 1, saying, No man hath seen God at any time. Should however any one, from a passage in Ezekiel, understand, that Ezekiel saw Him, let him inquire what that Scripture says; Ezek. 1, He saw the likeness of the glory of the Lord, not the Lord Himself; nay, the likeness of His glory, not the glory itself, as it is in truth; and beholding only the likeness of the glory, he fell to the earth with fear. But if the sight of the likeness of the glory, and not of the glory itself, wrought fear and distress in the prophets, any one who should attempt to behold God Himself, would to a certainty lose his life, Exod. according to the text, There shall no man see Me and live. Wherefore, of His exceeding loving-kindness, God has spread out the heaven to be the veil of His proper Godhead, Is. 64, 1. lest we perish: this is not my word, but the prophet's, If Sept. thou shouldest open the heavens, trembling would take hold of the mountains from thee, and they would melt away. And what wonder if Ezekiel, seeing the similitude of the Vid. glory, fell down? since Daniel, when Gabriel the servant of Dan. 10, the Lord appeared, straightway shuddered and fell on his face, and, prophet as he was, dared not answer him, until the Angel turned himself into the likeness of a son of man. For if the sight of Gabriel wrought trembling in the prophets, 33, 20. 5-18. |