The Forty-Eighth Sermon, which is the sixth and last upon the sixth Chapter - Ephesians 6:19-24
The Forty-Eighth Sermon, which is the sixth and last upon the sixth Chapter.
19 Praying also for me, that in opening my mouth, utterance may be given to me, with boldness to utter the secret of the Gospel.
20 For which I am an ambassador in chains, to the end (I say) that I may speak freely as it becomes me to speak.
21 But that you may also know of my state and what I do:
Tychicus, our dear brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall show you all things.
22 Whom I have sent to you for the same purpose, that you might know my state, and he may comfort your hearts.
23 Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith from God, and from our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Grace be with all them which love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.
We saw this morning how we ought to be careful in praying one for another, and the fruit that comes from it: namely, that every person who is a member of the Son of God must assure himself that the
whole Church labors for him, and that generally both Jesus Christ and all his must be refused if God does not have pity on us.
But we also need to note that Saint Paul, in commending himself to the prayers of the Church, is not as mindful of his body as he is of something far more excellent—namely, the proper execution of the charge and office committed to him. If a man is sick, in need, or troubled by his enemies, we tend to cry out for help and succor, wanting everyone to occupy themselves with us. And why? Because we are fleshly: as soon as we feel any disease in our bodies, we are sorrowful at heart. But in the meantime, we forget the chief point— namely, the things that concern the everlasting salvation of our souls.
Again, when it comes to serving God, every person thinks they are sufficient in themselves to do it without help from their neighbors.
But Saint Paul shows here that he does not consider himself sufficient to execute the charge committed to him of preaching the Gospel without help from above. Therefore, he requires the prayers of the Church.
Afterward, he shows that he values this more than his own life, despite the fact that he was held in prison and even chained. You see here that Saint Paul is held in strict confinement, like a miserable offender, and looks daily for nothing but death. And yet, for all that, he does not care as much for his life as for the advancement and promotion of God's word. Indeed, he would rather die than be slothful in doing the thing that was required of him. This is the key point we must remember from this text.
True it is that in the Epistle to the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 1:1), he also notes the reason why he desired to be delivered from the wicked and faithless, who ceased not to lay snares for him. And why?
It was lawful for him to set store by his life, but yet for all that, he did not set the cart before the horse, as they say. For we see by this text
(1 Thessalonians 1:2), and also by that which is written to the Colossians, that he always had more regard to discharge his duty towards God, especially in respect of the Church, by preaching the Gospel faithfully, than to ease himself or to escape the danger in which he saw he was.
First of all, if our Lord calls us to any charge whatsoever, let us learn to understand our own infirmity, that we may be succored by Him as we need, and not presume upon our own strength or cunning.
Rather, let us consider that God must be the one to hold us up by His strong hand, and that we have need to resort unto Him, even desiring (after the example of Saint Paul) to be commended to the prayers of all the members of our Lord Jesus Christ, as indeed it is good reason that we should pray mutually for them as well. That is the first point.
Secondly, although it be lawful for us to desire men to pray for us when we are sick, or when we are pinched with any other affliction, yet, like as we must above all things pray for the coming of God's kingdom and seek the advancing of His glory (Matthew 6:33), making an income of all other things, so in this case, we must learn not to be so wedded to the world and to this transitory life as to cry out for help when we are pinched with any adversity or need, while in the meantime forgetting the things that ought to be preferred before them.
Wherefore let us learn to be careful of our life in such a way that we may covet above all things that God should be glorified in our persons, whether it be by life or by death, as Saint Paul shows us by
his own example in the Epistle to the Philippians (Philippians 1:20).
And so you see what we have to remember in the first place.
He expressly says that utterance might be given him in the opening of his mouth (Ephesians 6:19). As if he should say that God might give him such courage and constancy that he might not speak faintly but freely preach the Gospel, not concealing anything that might serve to make known the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the infinite benefits that He has brought us. That is the thing which Saint
Paul meant by the opening of his mouth.
Now experience shows that he did not without cause desire of God that his mouth might be opened as a gate or door, for he uses the same term in the aforementioned place in the fourth chapter to the Colossians (Colossians 4:3). For such as shun death—that is to say, the most part of them that profess the preaching of the Gospel—will not hesitate to say something to the matter. But yet they do oftentimes so disguise the truth, or else speak it so fearfully, that the hearers do not know what they mean by it; their words shall be so entangled.
To be brief, whereas they should show with a loud and clear voice what our Lord Jesus Christ is, what God's service is, what true religion is, what faith and repentance are, they touch on these things only briefly. But to thoroughly delve into matters and search them to the bottom, they cannot bear it. And why? Because they see peril hanging over their heads if they should speak with such boldness.
However, God's true servants must practice what Saint Paul says to Timothy (2 Timothy 1:7), namely, that they have not a slavish and cowardly heart but march forth freely in their vocation, overcoming all the hostility of the world.
They must have a brazen forehead (Jeremiah 1:18), as it is said in Jeremiah. And although they may see many hard battles and realize that they cannot please the world in doing their duty—knowing that they shall face the enmity of many for exalting the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ as they ought to—yet, let them not cease to go forward and overcome all hindrances. Nevertheless, for as much as we are fearful and feeble, God must work in us and give us the boldness to speak as we ought to.
Then is it not enough for us to be warned of our duty, but we must also add this point of resorting unto God with acknowledgment of our wants and faults. Furthermore, let us all take notice in general that the preaching of the Gospel is too high and weighty a charge unless we are governed by God's Spirit, according also as Saint Paul cries out in the second letter to the Corinthians: "Who is sufficient for these things?" (2 Corinthians 2:16). When he speaks of the preaching whereby men should be reconciled unto God and certified of their salvation—whereby the kingdom of heaven is opened, whereby we have witness of the forgiveness of our sins, and whereby the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ is given forth to wash us from all our stains—who is able (says Saint Paul), except God makes us able by working in us? For we cannot so much as think to do good. Yes, we are so far from having power to do anything indeed that we cannot so much as think one good thought unless God gives it to us.
Now then, let such as are called to the office of teaching God's Church understand their own weakness and put themselves wholly into God's hand to be made able to discharge their duty, knowing that they shall never bring it to pass—not even the hundredth part of it—unless it is given to them from above. Therefore, let all men pray for those who are ordained to be teachers and ministers of the Word,
for it is a singular gift of God when we have such shepherds of our souls as are able to guide us well.
Wherefore, let it be known both to great and small that to maintain the Church in her perfect state and soundness, God must give power and strength to those who teach, and men must pray for them. For in so doing, every man procures his own welfare and salvation. If we are negligent in this, it is a token that we make no reckoning, neither of our spiritual life nor of the common welfare of the Church.
Herein we see what we ought to think of such as pretend to preach God's Word in these days, and in the meantime are so fearful that they dare not open their mouths until they have well thought about whether the things they intend to speak may offend or delight the ears of their listeners. What a sort do we see in the Papacy, which row between two streams, and would gladly have it known that they would like to preach purely? But yet, for all that, they paint over the doctrine they utter as crafty merchants, and there is nothing but falsehood in them, according also to what Saint Paul says, using the same comparison when speaking of such as abuse God's Word to purchase the favor of the world and to maintain it (2 Corinthians
2:17).
Now the saying of such men is that they must strike sail, hold with the hare, and hunt with the hound, avoid occasions of stumbling blocks, and that it is not for a man to strive against the stream. As if they were wiser than God, who, speaking by Saint Paul, tells us that Jesus Christ must be preached thoroughly and that men must not go about to bury Him any more. For seeing He is risen unto glory, He will have the voice of His Gospel ring loud and clear, without any dissimulation, as I said before.
Moreover, even where there is no persecution by sword or fire, the world sees that they who call themselves ministers of the Gospel would gladly curry favor in such a way that there is no shift but that our Lord Jesus Christ must stoop and twist His truth to suit men's pleasures. Nowadays, when the preachers perceive that it is not a pleasant thing for them to put men under the yoke of our Lord Jesus
Christ, what do they say? "Shall we offend great men and such as are in authority over us? Should we not rather win them by gentleness?"
Yes, but they are wild beasts tossing with their horns against our Lord Jesus Christ, and they cannot abide that there should be any discipline in the Church. Yet, for all that, men must preach to their liking. What treachery and villainy is that! Yet, a man need not go far to find such preachers of the Gospel, that is to say, lewd changers, who turn everything upside down, not knowing what their duty is.
The world sees such examples too plainly before their eyes.
Therefore, it stands us so much more to heed this text, where Saint Paul shows that the Gospel is not preached as God has commanded unless men go to it fully and openly, and with full mouth, as they say
(Ephesians 6:19).
Now he speaks of the secret of the Gospel to magnify this doctrine, which otherwise would be despised by many who fancy themselves subtle and sharp-witted fellows. You will see a sort of presumptuous people who think themselves so wise that the Gospel is not for them.
They find such simplicity in it that they cannot endure it. They wish to soar above the clouds and engage in speculations that might amaze them, yet neither they nor anyone else can understand them.
It is true that at first glance, when men read the Gospel, they see that God, in a way, plays the nurse there (as He Himself says) because He knows our rudeness and how we are like little children. He lispeth
with us. Yet, for all that, the doctrine surpasses all human wit. For even the very angels wonder at it (1 Peter 1:12) and are compelled to honor it, as it is said in another place (Ephesians 3:10).
Let us understand, then, that in the simplicity seen in the Gospel, there is such wisdom of God that it is incomprehensible unless it pleases Him to reveal it to us by His Holy Spirit. For even if we were the best-learned doctors in the world, we would grasp nothing unless
God enlightened our understanding, as is said in the first two chapters of the first Epistle to the Corinthians. That, therefore, is why Saint Paul tells us that there are great secrets in the Gospel, which we cannot understand beyond what God works in us. No human tongue is able to utter them unless God guides both those who hear and are taught, and also those who speak, so that all are governed by His Holy Spirit.
He adds, "as it becomes me to speak." In this, he shows again that it is not enough to preach by rote whatever comes to mind, but everything must be ruled by God's Word, so that it may pierce men's hearts and win them to His obedience. As is said in another place, there must not be only language or speech (1 Corinthians 4:20), for the kingdom of heaven does not consist in fine rhetoric but in the power of God.
To the end, then, that there may be such liveliness, and so that men may know that those who teach us are stirred up by God to be His instruments and to do Him service, Saint Paul desires men to pray for him. Therefore, let us learn that stepping into the pulpit to expound on some text of Scripture is not all that must be done. There must also be a special grace, which does not grow in the gardens of men but proceeds from the extraordinary goodness of God (James
1:17).
In this, he shows what he speaks of in another place, namely, that no man can perform the duty of a good and faithful teacher unless he is sent (Romans 10:15). Now, this sending implies that God gives men what is required for the execution of their charge, for they lack it of themselves.
There is yet further, that Saint Paul glories in his bearing of the ambassadorship of the Gospel, notwithstanding that he is a poor prisoner, even in chains, as if a man were now set in the stocks or fettered. Therefore, he uses the word "ambassador" to the intent that his imprisonment should not prejudice the doctrine of God. "No, no," says he, "God avows me as His ambassador." Although men scorn him, and though he is thus afflicted, and although men might loathe to look upon him, yet all this does not diminish the office in which God has placed him—that is, his ambassadorship of preaching the Gospel in God's name.
It is not only in this text that Saint Paul magnifies the honorable dignity given unto him, declaring that men cannot in any way diminish it. But even more, he greatly glories in that he was held in iron chains and strict prison. Surely, it served as a good testimony that he had preached earnestly and that men ought to receive his doctrine quietly and without contradiction.
It is true that if we follow through with our charge and pursue God's calling with a free heart, we will be His servants. But there is no better proof of us than when God sends some trial, so that we are sometimes in prison, driven from place to place, and troubled and vexed in various ways. If we endure that, and if we are wrongfully blamed, torn to pieces, yet continue to hold out without swerving one way or another despite anything that may befall us, then God ratifies and seals our calling and shows that He has made us His servants.
Now, since Saint Paul was in prison, tempted to deny himself, and could have escaped by forsaking the truth of the Gospel but remained steadfast so that his life meant nothing to him, and his continual pursuit was to magnify the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when such constancy was seen in Saint Paul, it could well be concluded that there had been no hypocrisy in him before. For when a man preaches but then, at the slightest pain, he draws back and wishes to save himself, does not the world see that he was but a pretender and a performer before?
If a man is a great writer and an excellent teacher, but will not shed one drop of blood when God calls him to it to show that the doctrine he carried abroad was not his own, it is clear that he was only a mocker and is worthy of having men spit in his face and more shame and reproach than if he had been an ignorant beast. So then, Saint
Paul glories in his chains, saying that although the world made no account of him and disdained him, yet nevertheless, God avows him as His ambassador.
Upon this, let us learn not to be so scornful as to despise God's servants when we see them held in prison, but let us understand that God exalts them to much greater dignity and honor than those who are mounted aloft in pulpits. He that is in prison and persists in the pure confession of the Gospel is in a much more honorable degree than all those who preach with free liberty. Mark that for one point.
Again, in the time that God spares us and gives us leisure, let us learn to fortify ourselves beforehand with courage and constancy so that we may be His ambassadors whenever it pleases Him, whether in prison, in the midst of the threats of enemies, or in all the rages of death that can be brought against us. That is what we must mark upon this point.
Let us not be dismayed, as a number of unsteady persons are, who, when they hear that many are imprisoned in one place and another burned in another place, are immediately discouraged, and the Gospel is no longer esteemed by them. Those who forge for themselves such stumbling blocks show well that they never had any living root in faith. But on the contrary, when we see that our Lord
Jesus Christ so uses those whom He calls to trial by putting them into the hands of tyrants and enemies of His truth, and yet gives them invincible constancy, it is a great strengthening of our faith, and we have reason to be all the more inflamed.
For unless God worked in them, it is certain that such strength would not be seen in any man living. Therefore, we must pray to God to arm us when we need it and also to show us that the doctrine of His
Gospel, which has sufficient authority in itself, must be further confirmed by a manner of provision. Yet the blood of the martyrs and of those whom God has sanctified to His glory must serve that purpose, for they are as it were His representatives before men.
Now hereupon Paul adds that he has sent Tychicus to Ephesus so that the Ephesians might know in what state he was. This is said for the common edification of the Church. For when Saint Paul speaks of his state and doings, he does not mean things concerning his body or his health, nor anything that belongs to this present life, but he refers especially to the confession of faith and his free maintaining of the Gospel.
We know that if a man is in prison, especially a man of renown, people will be concerned for him, saying, "Alas, will God give him constancy?" And again, the devil does not sleep at such a time. There shall never be a man of credit who has edified God's Church, who is cast in prison or impeached, without some slander or rumor being
spread abroad to disgrace him and undermine the work that God has done through him. That is one of Satan's strategies.
Therefore, Paul, knowing that men might spread many lies and say, "Oh, see? I guarantee you he would not have been tolerated in Rome for so long, especially with the Emperor and all the court against him, unless he had yielded. It may well be said that his case is not clear." And others might say, "Tush, no one makes any account of him; they see he is just a fool." Others might say one thing or another, each according to their own fancy. Paul, perceiving that many weak believers might be hindered by him and cast into confusion, and that others might be kept back from coming to the Gospel, wanted his state to be known. He intended to foil the devil with all his slanders, silence the mouths of all backbiters, and stop the tongues of all gossips who seek nothing but to create trouble in the Church.
Additionally, for fear that those who had begun to profit in the Gospel might be hindered and that this might be an occasion to shut the gate against those who had not yet come in, Paul, intending to prevent all such hindrances, says that he has sent Tychicus.
We see even better in this text what care Paul always had to ensure the Churches continued in goodness. For he could have argued that he had enough troubles for himself and that he was overwhelmed by enemies. He could have made them believe that he had no leisure to think of others and that, for his part, it was enough for him to do his duty in Rome without sending across the sea to confirm the Churches, especially since there were many others besides him.
Again, since God had shut him up, it would have been enough (as one might have judged by common opinion) that he did not waver even unto death.
But Paul was not content with merely being a faithful witness and martyr of our Lord Jesus Christ. He also believed it was his duty to prevent all the stumbling blocks that the devil stirred up in various ways to defame the Gospel. He applied himself to this task, as we see here by example.
Now then, let us learn to serve God in such a way, even to the last gasp of our life, that we may also care for our neighbors and seek their welfare as much as we can, according to the duty God has bound us to.
To ensure that Tychicus would be well received, Paul calls him a brother and faithful minister in Christ, intending to give him credibility so that people might trust his testimony. Indeed, we must strive to the utmost of our power to advance those who can serve the Church. Men need to know who they are, and they must be given a mark of sorts, granting them the authority they require. This is the example Saint Paul sets for us. It was not out of vanity or a desire for human approval that Paul commended Tychicus in this manner, but his desire was that men would recognize Christ's faithful minister for their own benefit, so that Tychicus might have access to them and not be rejected as unworthy, but that his words would be received as they deserved.
Thereupon, to conclude his epistle, Saint Paul prays that the brethren might have peace, love, and faith from God and from our
Lord Jesus Christ. The word "peace" is commonly used by Saint Paul to signify all well-being and prosperity. Indeed, it primarily means concord, but since the Apostles were accustomed to the Hebrew tongue, they used the word to imply both meanings. When Saint Paul says, "Grace and peace be given unto you," by grace, he wishes God's
favor and mercy, and by peace, he desires that God would prosper us in all goodness and blessings.
In this text, he shows that all the prosperity of the godly comes solely from God's goodness, not from elsewhere. He also adds faith and charity. Here we see that God reserves for Himself the task not only of providing us with outward goods that we lack but also, and especially, of giving us spiritual gifts, which we are entirely void and destitute of. However, it is hard to make people believe this because they are always drunk with pride, imagining themselves to have some ability of mind to believe the Gospel and to discern between good and evil. To their thinking, it seems unnecessary to pray for God's enlightenment.
Yet, we must be punished for our arrogance if we believe we have faith or charity of our own. Therefore, let us conclude that both faith and charity are the unique gifts of God, and let us confess that they come from Him alone. Moreover, we must acknowledge that we are blind, even when we have the Word preached to us and explained to us in the simplest terms, leaving us no more to do than to receive it.
Still, we remain dull, like blocks of wood, unless God enlightens us by His Holy Spirit and bends our hearts to His obedience.
If God does not work in this way, it is certain that, even if our ears have been filled with good doctrine throughout our entire lives, it will be to no avail. This is not only said in this text but can be found on nearly every page of Holy Scripture, where God reserves for Himself the giving of faith. Indeed, we ourselves see how Holy Scripture enlightens us and how utterly destitute we are without God's Spirit.
If we compare ourselves with faith and the blessings it brings, we will see clearly that there is just cause for us to give God homage for so great and excellent a gift.
As it is said, "God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, and He found them all given over to evil, steeped in their filthiness, so that there is none who seeks after goodness" (Psalm
14:2-3). Again, when there is any mention of our reason and wisdom, it is said to be sheer ignorance and that we are utterly brutish. We must become fools in ourselves if we wish to profit in God's school (1
Corinthians 1:21). As for our hearts, what are they? They are full of wickedness and stubbornness, even from our childhood, as the Holy
Scripture testifies everywhere.
Since we are blind in our understanding and perverse in our will, let us come now and see what faith is. It is the comprehension of God's secrets, so that we know the fatherly love He bears us and are assured of it. We take hold of the heavenly life, which is otherwise incomprehensible to human understanding. In short, faith allows us to be acquainted with the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, which extends high and low, deep and wide, as we have seen before (Ephesians 3:18).
Therefore, if on one side we consider what faith is, and on the other side we examine ourselves and find ourselves utterly destitute of all goodness, it is reasonable that we should confess that until God gives us faith, we have no faith at all. This is what we must take to heart from this text.
The same can be said of charity. For is it not apparent that every man is inclined to love himself, and that our affections carry us away so that we continually seek our own profit, often at the expense of others? Yet, in this selfishness and lust, we cannot truly love our neighbors but would rather oppress them. Therefore, we must receive charity from elsewhere, and God must break the cursed inclination in us, namely, the excessive love of ourselves.
Moreover, once we have renounced ourselves, we must understand that we are indebted to our neighbors and must endeavor to do our duty toward them. Thus, faith and charity are justly called the special gifts of God, and Saint Paul rightly says in this text: "Charity and faith be unto you from God our Father" (Ephesians 6:23). It is certain that this wish was not made in vain, but that in saying so, he makes us understand that we must receive these virtues from God's hand. Therefore, let us set aside all foolish pride and understand that all the spiritual benefits we have are the free gifts of God, through which He effectively shows and declares His liberality toward us.
It is certain that all the perfection of Christians consists in faith and charity. Therefore, let us conclude that whatever belongs to the salvation of our souls or is worthy to be esteemed and commended, we have none of it of our own making, but it comes to us from above, as it is said (James 1:17). Regarding the confession of our faith,
"flesh and blood did not reveal to us that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, but the Father" (Matthew 16:17). Likewise, our Lord Jesus
Christ says, "Father, I thank you that you have hidden these things from the wise and revealed them to little children" (Luke 10:21).
Therefore, let us learn to be as little children, that we may be God's pupils, and to become fools in ourselves, that we may be filled with His wisdom. Let us also give Him honor according to the measure of the gifts we have received from Him, and not be so wicked as to claim the praise for ourselves, which He rightly reserves for Himself.
However, Saint Paul mentions our Lord Jesus Christ alongside God the Father to help us understand that we can obtain nothing except through Him, who has reconciled us to God. For what is the reason that we are so corrupted in our nature, void of all goodness, and full of all vices? In short, why are we altogether abominable? It is because we are utterly estranged from our Lord Jesus Christ, who is
the fountain of all goodness (John 15:5). For this reason, He was endowed with all the fullness of grace, as it is said, "The Father gives the Spirit not in measure to Him" (John 3:34), but in such a way that all of us may draw from Him and lack nothing, for He is the fountain that can never run dry.
Thus, we cannot receive one drop of spiritual gifts except through the grace that flows down upon us through our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only conduit of these blessings. Our Lord Jesus Christ not only has the office of giving us whatever is necessary for our welfare as He sees fit, in His role as our mediator (as we have seen in chapter four), but also, Saint Paul affirms that He grants us faith and charity by His own authority and power. For he places Christ on an equal level with the Father.
Therefore, let us understand that our Lord Jesus Christ's role in enlightening us by faith and reforming our hearts belongs not only to Him as mediator and God's servant but is also His by right. Saint
Paul's manner of speaking would not make sense otherwise.
But here, by the way, a man might ask a question. For Saint Paul does not pray for God to give faith to the faithless and charity to the fleshly, but to the brethren—that is, to the body of the Church. Now, if they are of the Church, they are already God's children, begotten again by the Holy Ghost, and by that means, they have both faith and charity. But here, Saint Paul shows us that it is not enough for God to begin faith in us unless He continues it to the end. Just as we call faith the gift of God, He must also make it grow and increase day by day.
As it is written, "It is given unto us not only to believe in Jesus Christ but also to suffer for Him" (Philippians 1:29). Therefore, God's giving of faith to us is not in such a way that He merely prepares us to
believe the Gospel if we wish and then leaves us to bring our own consent and go forward by our own power. No, when God disposes us to believe, He must also give us such an affection that it touches us deeply, drives us forward, and gives us the ability to persevere, so that we may profit, grow, and be confirmed even to the end. That is why Saint Paul, speaking here of the faithful who were already brought into the good way and to whom the grace of God was manifested, says nonetheless that God must further them and give them the gift to hold out, growing more and more in both faith and love.
Therefore, we are warned to pray to God to increase and strengthen our faith, to inflame us with charity, and to make us aware of our imperfections. Even though we may see others who are not near us in their spiritual journey, we must not become proud and think we have already attained perfect faith. Let us assure ourselves that as long as we are in this world, we are still on our way, and thus we must press forward. For whatever perfection of faith we find among men, it is certain that God will find much lacking in it. No matter how far we have come or how much we have grown in charity, we all fall far short of forgetting ourselves, trampling underfoot covetousness, ambition, and all other things that keep us from seeking the benefit of our neighbor and dedicating ourselves to serving them.
Since this is the case, let us learn, as I said, to acknowledge our own imperfections in such a way that we may be dissatisfied with ourselves for them and be motivated to do better than we have done thus far. And although men may praise and commend us, let us learn to confess with all humility and meekness that we are still far from attaining our ultimate goal.
Now, upon this, Saint Paul adds again, "Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ incorruptly" (Ephesians 6:24). Here, he clarifies who the brethren are that he spoke of just now—not all those who profess to live according to the Gospel, but those who love our
Lord Jesus Christ. "Yes," says he, "with such soundness that their affection is not a fleeting one that soon fades away." And this is said for good reason. For we see how few there are who love Jesus Christ rightly and soundly. The number of those who pretend to follow the Gospel is large enough, but how many renounce God in their actions, even after they have confessed Him with their words?
Again, if a man carefully examines even those who show some good signs and live in a decent, blameless manner, so much so that it could be said there is no hypocrisy in them, he will find that they often stumble quickly. For example, we see how persecution nowadays reveals those who do not have a living root of faith, and temptations likewise expose them, to the point that those who once lived with a good reputation later turn aside and go astray. What is the cause of this? Some new stumbling block that Satan places in their path, or some other hindrance that causes them to turn out of the good way.
Therefore, when all is thoroughly considered, a man will find very few who love Jesus Christ incorruptly—that is to say, who possess true steadfastness and strength so that, even when they are tempted with the fear of death or poverty, they do not falter but continue in their calling, showing that the Holy Ghost reigns within them and possesses the depths of their hearts until they are entirely freed from all the imperfections of their flesh.
No doubt, even the most perfect have many imperfections. Just as a tree may appear withered outwardly by its branches, yet if its root
remains strong, the tree will survive. Though some superfluous branches are cut off, it will spring forth again, and it will become clear that life remained within it. In the same way, from day to day, we cut off the corruptions of our flesh, which still linger within us, until we attain the fullness of the incomprehensible perfection that we labor to reach.
Now let us fall down before the majesty of our good God, with acknowledgment of our faults, praying Him to vouchsafe to open our eyes more and more, that we may consider the infirmities and vices that are in us, and also those into which we would have been given if God had not delivered us from them and did not draw us away from them day by day.
Thereupon, let us mourn before Him, acknowledging ourselves to be wretched offenders, well worthy to be condemned if He did not pity us. And let us so profit from His Word that it may lead to the amendment of the things that are still amiss in us. For the accomplishment of this, let us call upon the grace of His Holy Spirit, for we know how needful it is for us, given the recklessness or rather rebelliousness that is in us.
Yet for all that, let us not cease to continue striving toward the heavenly perfection to which He calls us. May it please Him to grant this grace not only to us but also to all people and nations of the earth. Amen.
FINIS All glory, honor, and praise be to God alone, and to our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
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