9 Conclusion
(56)
ere, then, Macarius, is our offering to you who love Christ, a brief
statement of the faith of Christ and of the manifestation of His Godhead to us. This will give you a beginning, and
you must go on to prove its truth by the study of the Scriptures. They were written and inspired by God; and we,
who have learned from inspired teachers who read the Scriptures and became martyrs for the Godhead of Christ,
make further contribution to your eagerness to learn. From the Scriptures you will learn also of His second
manifestation to us, glorious and divine indeed, when He shall come not in lowliness but in His proper glory, no
longer in humiliation but in majesty, no longer to suffer but to bestow on us all the fruit of His cross— the
resurrection and incorruptibility. No longer will He then be judged, but rather will Himself be Judge, judging each
and all according to their deeds done in the body, whether good or ill. Then for the good is laid up the heavenly
kingdom, but for those that practice evil outer darkness and the eternal fire. So also the Lord Himself says, "I say
unto you, hereafter ye shall see the Son of Man seated on the right hand of power, coming on the clouds of heaven
in the glory of the Father."[1] For that Day we have one of His own
sayings to prepare us, "Get ready and watch, for ye know not the hour in which He cometh"[2] And blessed Paul says, "We must all stand before the judgment seat
of Christ, that each one may receive according as he practiced in the body, whether good or ill."[3]
(57) But for the searching and right understanding of the Scriptures there is need of a good life and a pure
soul, and for Christian virtue to guide the mind to grasp, so far as human nature can, the truth concerning God the
Word. One cannot possibly understand the teaching of the saints unless one has a pure mind and is trying to imitate
their life. Anyone who wants to look at sunlight naturally wipes his eye clear first, in order to make, at any rate, some
approximation to the purity of that on which he looks; and a person wishing to see a city or country goes to the place
in order to do so. Similarly, anyone who wishes to understand the mind of the sacred writers must first cleanse his
own life, and approach the saints by copying their deeds. Thus united to them in the fellowship of life, he will both
understand the things revealed to them by God and, thenceforth escaping the peril that threatens sinners in the
judgment, will receive that which is laid up for the saints in the kingdom of heaven. Of that reward it is written: "Eye
hath not seen nor ear heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared"[4] for them that live a godly life and love the God and Father in Christ
Jesus our Lord, through Whom and with Whom be to the Father Himself, with the Son Himself, in the Holy Spirit,
honor and might and glory to ages of ages. Amen.
Chapter 9 Notes
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