Tractates on the Gospel of John
206 ST. AUGUSTINE
1 2. As for the third jar, it already was said to Abraham himself, as I have mentioned,^^ "In your seed all the nations shall be blessed"; and who would not see whose figure his only son represented, who carried wood for himself to the sacrifice where he was being led to be sacrificed himself? For the Lord carried his own cross, as the gospel says.^' It should suffice to have mentioned this about the third jar.
13. Now about David, why shall I say that his prophecy pertained to all the nations when we have just heard the Psalm — and it is difficult to mention a Psalm where this does not resound? But, to be sure, as I have said, we have just sung, "Arise, O God, judge the earth; for you inherit among all the nations." ^'^ And for this reason the Donatists are like those who were cast forth from the wedding, just as that man, who did not have a wedding garment, was invited and came, but was cast forth from the number of the guests because he was not dressed in honor of the bridegroom.^^ (2) For he who seeks his own honor, not Christ's, has no wedding garment; for they are unwilling to agree with the word of that one who was the bridegroom's friend and said, "He it is who baptizes." And not unjustly that which he was not was voiced as a rebuke against the man who had no wedding garment: "Friend, how have you come here?"^^ And as he stood speechless, so, too, did they. For what good is the noise of the mouth if the heart is dumb. They know, of course, that inside themselves they have nothing to say. Inside they are speechless; outside they make a lot of noise. Whether they want to or not, they hear it sung even amongst themselves: "Arise, O God, judge the earth; for you inherit among all the nations." And by not being in communion with all the nations,
40. In section 9; cf. Gn 22. 18. 41. Cf. Jn 19.17. 42. Cf. Ps 81.8. Augustine knows two readings of this verse, hereditabis, as here, and dispendes, "you will destroy"; he cites both as providing sound meanings in En in Ps 81.7 (CCL 39. 11 40). Berrouard, Homelies I -XVI, 534, suggests that he chooses hereditabis here as better suited to his anti-donatist argument.
43. Cf. Mt 22.1 1-13. 44. Cf. Jn 1.33; see also Tractate 6.23. 45. Cf. Mt 22.12.