seest there that displeases GOD, take away. R. CHRIST, going up. p. ccxxi. THIRD NOCTURN. Ry. For if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you: but if I depart, I will send Him unto you. When He is come, He will guide you into all truth. y. For Lesson of the Holy Gospel according He shall not speak of Himself; to S. John. A Homily of S. Augustine the Bishop. Tract 92 on S. John. The LORD JESUS, when He was now just about to go to His Passion, and to deprive His disciples of his bodily presence, although He was to be with all His own in spiritual presence unto the end of the world, exhorted them in the discourse which He spake to them after the supper, to endure the persecutions of the ungodly, whom He described under the name of the world. Out of which world, He nevertheless said that He had chosen the disciples themselves, that they might know that they are what they are by God's grace; but that what they were they were by their own sins. Ry. I will pray. p. ccxxi. THEN He plainly named the Jews, it might be quite clear they who but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak, and He will show you things to come. Lesson IX. AND then He added, as though the consequence of that, the passage whence we began our discussion: When the Comforter is come, Whom I will send you from the FATHER, even the Spirit of truth, Whom I will send you from the FATHER, He shall bear witness of me; and ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with Me from the beginning. What has this to do with that which He said: Now have they both seen and hated both Me and My FATHER? For the words should be fulfilled which are written in their law, They hated Me without a cause. Is it because, when the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, came, He convicted with clearer testimony, those who saw and hated? Nay, rather, that by manifesting Himself, He converted to the faith which worketh by love, some of those who had seen and yet hated. Te Deum. p. 15. MONDAY. FIRST NOCTURN. persecute the saints were included Of the 1st Epistle of S. John the under the name of the world which should be condemned. And when He was saying of them, that they were ignorant of Him by Whom He was sent, and nevertheless hated both the SON and the FATHER: that is, both Him Who was sent, and Him by Whom He was sent, of all which matters we have already treated in other discourses, He came to that place where He saith: That the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law: They hated Me without a cause. Apostle. Lesson I. Chap. iii. BEHOLD, what manner of love the FATHER hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of GOD: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. | how dwelleth the love of God in him? Whosoever committeth sin transgress- My little children, let us not love in eth also the law: for sin is the trans- word, neither in tongue; but in deed gression of the law. And ye know tha aud in truth. he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. Ry. After His Passion. p. ccxix. L1 Lesson II. Ry. Be thou. p. ccxx. SECOND NOCTURN. A Sermon of S. John Chrysostom. Sermon on the Ascension. CHRIST, ascending into heaven, offered to the FATHER the first ITTLE children, let no man fruits of our nature, and the FATHER deceive you: he that doeth righte-beheld the offered gift, noting that ousness is righteous, even as he is One of so high dignity was the offerer, righteous. He that committeth sin and the thing offered was defiled with is of the devil; for the devil sinneth no stain. For He received the offering from the beginning. For this purpose into His hands, and made Him to be the Son of GOD was manifested, that partaker of His throne, and, what is he might destroy the works of the more, set Him at His right hand. devil. Whosoever is born of GoD doth Let us consider Who He is, Who not commit sin; for his seed remain- heard said, Sit Thou upon My right eth in him ; and he cannot sin, hand; what nature that is to which because he is born of GOD. In this GOD said, Be partner of My Throne. the children of GoD are manifest, and It is that nature which heard: Dust the children of the devil: whosoever thou art, and unto dust thou shalt doeth not righteousness is not of GOD, neither he that loveth not his brother. For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should return. Ry. It is time. p. ccxx. love one another. Not as Cain, who FOR it was not enough for all His was of that wicked one, and slew his Ry. All the beauty. p. ccxix. MARVEL not, my brethren, if the glory to have passed into the heavens, nor to take His stand with the angels: but He passed through the heavens, He ascends above the cherubim, He was lifted higher than the seraphim, nor did He pause till He had attained the throne of the See how far the heaven is LORD. parted from the earth, nay, how far the earth is distant unto the depths beneath, and how far the very heaven is parted from the higher heaven: what a distance there is from the higher heaven to the angels, unto the greater powers, and also to the very throne of the LORD. Above all these our nature is lifted up; that man, who was held in so lowly a place that he could descend no further, should be lifted up to so lofty a seat that he could ascend no higher. Ry. Let not. p. ccxx. 1 Lesson VI. Lesson VIII. AND Paul explaining this, said, He IT is also to be observed, that Elijah that descended is the same that ascended, and again, He descended into the lower parts of the earth, and ascended above all heavens. Learn then Who ascended, and what nature was lifted up. For I wish to lay stress on this in my discourse, that, dwelling on human nature, we should with awe and wonder learn the mercy of GOD, which bestowed the highest honour and glory on our nature, which attained to-day a place higher than all | others. To-day the angels and arch- | angels beheld our nature radiant with everlasting glory upon the throne of the LORD. R7. Christ, going up. p. ccxxi. THIRD NOCTURN Lesson of the Holy Gospel according Lesson VII. Chap. xvi. And the LORD JESUS after that He had spoken unto them, was taken up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. We have learned in the Old Testament that Elijah was caught up into heaven; but the heaven of air is one thing, the heaven of æther is another. For the heaven of air is close to the earth; whence we speak of the birds of heaven, because we see them flying in the air. Therefore, Elijah was carried up into the heaven of air, that he might be secretly conveyed to some hidden region of the earth, to live there in great calm of body and spirit, till he should return at the end of the world, and pay the debt of death. For he postponed his death, and did not escape it; but our Redeemer, because He did not postpone it, overcame it, and destroyed it by rising again; and declared by His ascension the glory of His resurrection. Ry. I will pray. p. ccxxi. is said to have ascended in a chariot, doubtless that it might be plainly shewn that even a stainless man required some external help. For those aids were made and shown to him by the angels, since he, weighed down by the weakness of his nature, could not of himself even ascend into the heaven of air. But we do not read that our Redeemer was lifted up in a chariot or by angels; because He Who made all things, was doubtless carried by His own power above all things; for He was returning thither where He was, and was returning thence, where He still remained; because, while He was ascending in His Manhood up to heaven, He contained, by His Godhead, heaven and earth. Ry. Thou makest. p. ccxxi. Lesson IX. FOR as Joseph, sold by his brethren, was a type of the selling of our Redeemer, so Enoch, translated, and Elijah, carried up to the heaven of air, both typified the LORD's ascension. Therefore the LORD had, as heralds and witnesses of His ascension, one before the law, another under the law: to signify that He should at length come, Who could truly pass into the heavens. Wherefore the very order of events, in the taking up of these two, is marked by a certain progress. For Enoch is said to be translated; but Elijah to be carried up into heaven: to signify that He should afterwards come, Who, neither translated nor carried up, should, by His own might, enter the heaven of æther. Te Deum. p. 15. Of the 1st. Epistle of S. John the Lesson I. Chap. iv. BELOVED, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of GOD: because many false | And we have known and believed the prophets are gone out into the world. love that God hath to us. God is Hereby know ye the Spirit of GOD: love: and he that dwelleth in love every spirit that confesseth that JESUS dwelleth in GoD, and GOD in him. CHRIST is come in the flesh is of GOD: Herein is our love made perfect, that and every spirit that confesseth not we may have boldness in the day of that JESUS CHRIST is come in the flesh judgment: because as he is, so are we is not of GOD: and this is that spirit in this world. There is no fear in of antichrist, whereof ye have heard love; but perfect love casteth out fear: that it should come: and even now because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love GOD, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love GOD whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth GOD love his brother also. already is it in the world. Ye are of Ry. After His Passion. p. ccxix. BELOVED, let us love one another: for love is of GOD; and every one that loveth is born of GoD, and knoweth GOD. He that loveth not knoweth not GOD; for GOD is love. In this was manifested the love of GOD toward us, because that GOD sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. Herein is love, not that we loved GOD, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought No man If we also to love one another. Ry. All the beauty. p. ccxix. Lesson III. Ry. Be thou. p. ccxx. SECOND NOCTURN. A Sermon of S. Maximus the Bishop. Homily 13. YOU remember, holy brethren, that that eagle of the Psalter, of which we I have compared the Saviour to read that it renews its youth. For as the eagle quits the depths, and seeks the heights, and ascends nigh unto the heavens, so also the Saviour quitted the depths of the grave, sought the loftier places of Paradise, entered the summits of heaven. And as the eagle, leaving behind the filth of earth, flying on high, enjoys the freshness of hind the foulness of earthly sin, and a purer air, so the LORD, leaving bewinging His way in His Saints, delighteth in the saintliness of a pure life. Ry. It is time. p. ccxx. TE Lesson V. 'HEREFORE, comparison with an eagle is in all respects suitable to the Saviour. But how do we treat this? for the eagle often seizes on WHOSOEVER shall confess that prey, and carries off that which is JESUS is the Son of GOD, GOD another's. The Saviour is not unlike dwelleth in him and he in GOD. even in this. He did, in a fashion, carry off the prey, when He bore to heaven the human nature which He had assumed, torn from the jaws of the grave. And, delivering the bondslave from captivity to another rule, that is, from the power of the devil, led him captive to a higher place, as it is written in the prophet, When He went up on high, He led captivity captive, and received gifts for men. Ry. Let not. p. ccxx. Lesson VI. НЕ E went up on high, saith He, and led captivity captive. How well does the prophet describe the triumph of the LORD. A procession of captives was wont, as they tell us, to go before the chariots of triumph and kings. Behold, the glorious captivity does not go before the LORD as He ascends to heaven, but accompanies Him: is not led before His car, but itself carries the Saviour. In some mysterious way, while the Son of GOD took the Son of man up to heaven, captivity is at once borne, and is bearer. R. CHRIST. p. ccxxi. THIRD NOCTURN. Lesson of the Holy Gospel according to S. Mark. Lesson VII. Chap. xvi. As on Ascension Day. p. ccxxi. We have to consider what it is that Mark says: He sitteth on the right hand of GoD; and Stephen saith: I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of GOD. What is the reason that Mark saith He is sitting, and Stephen beareth witness that he beheld Him standing? But you know, my brethren, that sitting is the attitude of a judge standing, that of a combatant or a helper. Ry. I will pray. p. ccxxi. Lesson VIII. BECAUSE then our Redeemer, when taken up into heaven, both now judges all things, and at the end shall come as judge of all, Mark describes Him as sitting, after He was taken up; because after the glory of His ascension, He shall be seen at the last as judge. But Stephen, when in the struggle of his agony, saw his Helper standing; because His grace was fighting for him from heaven that he, on earth, might overcome the unbelief of his persecutors. Ry. Thou makest. p. ccxxi. IT follows: They went forth, and preached every where, the LORD working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. What have we to ponder in this? what to commit to memory? save that obedience followed on the precept, and signs followed obedience. But as, by GoD's help, we have been briefly going over the explanation of the gospel reading, it remains for us to say somewhat of the way we should think about so great a festival. Te Deum. p. 15. WEDNESDAY. FIRST NOCTURN. Here beginneth the 2nd Epistle of S. John the Apostle. Lesson I. THE elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth; for the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us, Grace and shall be with us for ever. be with you, mercy, and peace, from GOD the FATHER, and from, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, the Son of the FATHER, in truth and love. I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the FATHER. And now I beseech, thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. Ry. After His Passion. p. ccxix. |