Sermon 182

SERMO 182

ABOUT THE WORDS OF THE FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN (4:1-3):
"Beloved, do not believe every spirit;"
"But test the spirits, if they are from God."
AGAINST THE MANICHAEANS

Not every spirit is to be believed.

When John the Apostle was being read, we heard the Holy Spirit speaking through him, and saying: Beloved, do not believe every spirit; but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. I repeat, because it is necessary for me to repeat, and to strongly impress this upon your minds, as much as the Lord helps, Beloved, do not believe every spirit; but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into this world. The Holy Spirit commanded that we should not believe every spirit: and explained the reason why this command was given. What is that reason? For many, he says, false prophets have gone out into this world. Therefore, whoever despises these commands, and thinks to believe every spirit, must necessarily fall into the hands of false prophets, and what is worse, blaspheme the true Prophets.

He is not of God, who denies that Christ has come in the flesh.

Here already from this precept the cautious man, made alert, will say to me: I have heard, I understand, I desire to obey, because I also do not wish to encounter false prophets. For who indeed would want to be deceived by liars? Since a false prophet is a lying prophet. Give me a religious man; he does not wish to deceive. Give me a wicked, sacrilegious man; he wishes to deceive, but he does not wish to be deceived. Therefore, since good men do not wish to deceive and neither good nor bad wish to be deceived, who is there that would want to encounter a false prophet? These are the words of one consulting me: yet certainly, no one encounters a false prophet except unwillingly. I heard the precept of John, indeed of the Lord through John: Do not believe every spirit. Behold, I accept it, this is what I desire. He adds, and says: But test the spirits, whether they are from God. From where do I test? I would like to test if I could not err. Surely, unless I test the spirits which are from God, I must necessarily encounter spirits that are not from God, and from this I will be led astray by false prophets. What should I do? How should I proceed? Oh, if holy John, as he told us: Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are from God, would deign to tell us how the spirits from God are tested! Do not be anxious, and listen to this as well. By this the spirit of God is known: this surely you were expecting to hear, so that you may test the spirits which are from God. By this the spirit of God is known: John said it, not I; this follows in the reading I am discussing. For he made us anxious and cautious, so that we do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits which are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into this world; immediately he saw what we would desire, he met our expectation, and he penetrated our silent thought. Thanks to God, because even this He deigned to speak through him. By this the spirit of God is known. Ah, listen; listen, understand, discern; cling to the truth, resist falsehood. By this the spirit of God is known. From where, I ask you? This is what I was longing to hear. Every spirit that confesses Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God: and every spirit that does not confess Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not from God. Therefore in the meantime, dearest ones, reject from your ears every disputant, preacher, writer, whisperer, who denies that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. Therefore banish the Manicheans from your homes, from your ears, from your hearts. For the Manicheans openly deny that Christ has come in the flesh. Therefore their spirits are not from God.

"The Manichaeans' plot in the very place of John. The error concerning the two natures."

Here I see where the wolf intends to creep in; I recognize it and, as much as I can, I show that it must be avoided. Hence, in what I said, or rather what I recalled as said by the Apostle; because every spirit that denies Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not from God; the Manichean lies in wait in this word and says to me: Behold, the spirit that denies Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not from God; whence then is it? If it is not from God, he says, whence is it? For can it be, except from somewhere else? Therefore, he says, if it is not from God, and is from somewhere else, you see there are two natures. We have found the wolf: let us stretch healthy nets, hunt it, capture it, slaughter it when captured. Let us plainly slaughter it; let error die, let the man live. Behold in what I said: Let us capture it, let us slaughter it; let error die, let the man live; there the question is resolved. But recall what I proposed, lest having forgotten the question, you do not understand the solution. Every spirit that does not confess Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not from God.

And Manichaeus immediately responded: And from where is it? If it is not from God, then it is from elsewhere. If it is from elsewhere, I have taught that there are two natures. Hold onto this question, and recall my words, where I said: Let us seize, let us destroy; let error die, let man live. Error is not from God, man is from God. Return to the question: Every spirit that does not confess Jesus has come in the flesh is not from God. I also say: All things were made through Him. Let every spirit praise the Lord. But if not every spirit is from God, how can a spirit that is not from God praise the Lord? Surely, let every spirit praise the Lord. I see both, I understand the weakness; let the flaw be healed, let nature be freed. The flaw is not nature, but hostile to nature. Heal where you are weak, remain where you praise. Medicine pursues flaws, not nature. Every spirit that does not confess Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not from God. Inasmuch as it does not confess that Christ has come in the flesh, to that extent it is not from God; because this error, which does not confess that Christ has come in the flesh, is not from God. Brothers, what is it that we are reborn? If we were well-born, what is it that we are reborn? The nature that had been corrupted is restored; the nature that had fallen is raised; the nature that lay deformed is reformed by grace. For only the Creator, Father, Son and Holy Spirit; a threefold unity, one trinity; that alone is the immutable, unchangeable nature, neither subject to defect nor to progress, neither falling so as to be less, nor transcending so as to be more; perfect, eternal, in every way unchanging, that alone is nature. But the creature is good, yet greatly inferior to the Creator. If you wish to adhere to the devil, the deserter, you strive to make the created things equal to the Creator.

The error of the Manichaeans, that the soul is a part of God, is refuted.

Let the soul recognize its own condition: it is not God. When the soul thinks itself God, it offends God: it does not find a savior, but instead finds a judge. For when God condemns evil souls, He does not condemn Himself: but if the soul is what God is, it condemns itself. Let us give honor to our God, brothers, to whom we cry out: Deliver us from evil. And if it whispers to you, so that you find temptation in prayer, and says to you: What is it that you cried out: Deliver us from evil? Surely there is no evil? Respond to it: I am evil; and if He will have delivered me from evil, I will be good from evil: He will deliver me from myself, so that I do not fall into you. Say this to the Manichee: If God will have delivered me from myself, I will not fall into you; because if God will have delivered me from my evil self, I will be good; if I will be good, I will be wise; if I will be wise, I will not err; if I will not err, I will not be deceived by you. Therefore let God deliver me from myself, and I will not fall into you. For it is my fault that I err and believe you: because my soul is filled with illusions. I am not my own light: for if I were, I would never have erred. Therefore, I am not a part of God, because the substance of God, the nature of God, cannot err: but I err; for you yourself confess this, you say you are wise, you try to free me from error. From where then do I err, if I am the nature of God? Be ashamed, give honor to God. I say that you still err greatly: but as you yourself confess, you had erred. Therefore did the nature of God err? Did the nature of God go into impurity? Did the nature of God commit adulteries? Did the nature of God commit illicit acts? Did the nature of God walk blindly, not knowing where it was going? Was the nature of God overwhelmed by crimes and vices? Be ashamed, give honor to God.

A man cannot be a light unto himself. Evils are not from nature, but from the flaw of nature.

You cannot be a light to yourself; you cannot, you cannot. There was the true light. It was said in comparison to John: There was the true light. Was not John a lamp? He was a burning and shining lamp, the Lord said. Is not a lamp a light? But he was the true light. A lamp can be lit and can be extinguished: the true light can light and cannot be extinguished. Therefore, there was the true light, which illuminates every man coming into this world. We must be illuminated, we are not the light. Awaken, cry with me: The Lord is my illumination. What is it therefore that you say? So, are there no evils? There are evils, but they are changed; and they themselves will be good: because those evils, they are evils by fault, not by nature. What is it: Deliver us from evil? Could we not also say these words: Deliver us from darkness? From which darkness? From ourselves, if there are any remnants of darkness in us, until we are wholly made light, having nothing in us that resists charity, that opposes truth, that lies under infirmity, that fails by the condition of mortality. Then see what the whole will be when it will be: This corruptible shall put on incorruption, and this mortal shall put on immortality. Then it will happen, what is written: Death is swallowed up in victory. Where is your strife, death? Where is your sting, death? But the sting of death is sin. Where is evil?

The evils of man are two, error and weakness.

What are the evils of men? Error and weakness. Either you do not know what you are doing and err by wandering, or you know what ought to be done and are overcome by weakness. Therefore, every evil of man is error and weakness. Against error, cry out: The Lord is my light. Against weakness, add: And my salvation. Believe, be good; you are evil, you will be good. Do not divide. Nature in you is to be healed, not separated. Do you want to know what you are? Darkness. Why darkness? Man, do you say: God is corrupted, can anything be deeper than this darkness? Believe, acknowledge that Christ came in the flesh, took on what he was not, did not lose what he was; changed man in himself, was not changed into man. Acknowledge, and you yourself will be good from evil, light from darkness. Am I lying, and is there no way to prove it? You accept the Apostle, if you do not pretend to accept him; you read the Apostle and are deceived, and deceive. Whence are you deceived? By erring your own evil. But if you believe and dispel the error, you will hear from the Apostle: For you were once darkness; now, however, you are light. But he added: light; but where? In the Lord. Therefore, darkness in you, light in the Lord. Because you cannot shine by yourself, you are illuminated by approaching, darkened by receding; because you are not the light in yourself, you are illuminated from elsewhere. Draw near to him, and be illuminated.

The question on the same passage of John is deferred to another in the following sermon.

I know, dearest ones, that in this reading of Saint John, I have lingered much on one matter, and I do not see that you should be further fatigued or filled beyond capacity; and our frailty must be considered. For these words of Saint John still have their great depths. In the meantime, repel those who deny that Christ has come in the flesh. For it is certain that they are not of God. As much as they err, as much as they sin, as much as they blaspheme, they are not of God: let them be healed, and they will be of God; because they were also by nature from God. From here, however much I have disputed, heed the Scriptures. Do not believe those who deny that Christ has come in the flesh. But certainly you will say to me: Therefore, is everyone who says that Christ has come in the flesh, of God? Let us hear the Donatists, because they confess that Christ has come in the flesh; let us hear the Arians, because they confess that Christ has come in the flesh; let us hear the Eunomians, because they confess that Christ has come in the flesh; let us hear the Photinians, because they confess that Christ has come in the flesh. For if all spirits who confess that Christ has come in the flesh, are of God, how many lies, deceivers, and insane heresies are there, yet they still confess that Christ has come in the flesh. What then shall we say? How shall we resolve this question? However it must be resolved, it cannot be resolved today. Hold me in debt: but pray to God for help for me and for you. Turned towards the Lord, etc.