Chapter XXVIII.  Argument.—He Proves Also that the Words Spoken to Philip Make Nothing for the Sabellians.

Hereto also I will add that view wherein the heretic, while he rejoices as if at the loss of some power of seeing special truth and light, acknowledges the total blindness of his error. For again and again, and frequently, he objects that it was said, “Have I been so long time with you, and do ye not know me, Philip? He who hath seen me, hath seen the Father also.”220    John xiv. 9. But let him learn what he does not understand. Philip is reproved, and rightly, and deservedly indeed, because he has said, “Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.”221    John xiv. 8. For when had he either heard from Christ, or learnt that Christ was the Father? although, on the other hand, he had frequently heard, and had often learned, rather that He was the Son, not that He was the Father. For what the Lord said, “If ye have known me, ye have known my Father also:  and henceforth ye have known Him, and have seen Him,”222    John xiv. 7. He said not as wishing to be understood Himself to be the Father, but implying that he who thoroughly, and fully, and with all faith and all religiousness, drew near to the Son of God, by all means shall attain, through the Son Himself, in whom he thus believes, to the Father, and shall see Him. “For no one,” says He, “can come to the Father, but by me.”223    John xiv. 6. And therefore he shall not only come to God the Father, and shall know the Father Himself; but, moreover, he ought thus to hold, and so to presume in mind and heart, that he has henceforth not only known, but seen the Father. For often the divine Scripture announces things that are not yet done as being done, because thus they shall be; and things which by all means have to happen, it does not predict as if they were future, but narrates as if they were done. And thus, although Christ had not been born as yet in the times of Isaiah the prophet, he said, “For unto us a child is born;”224    Isa. ix. 6. and although Mary had not yet been approached, he said, “And I approached unto the prophetess; and she conceived, and bare a son.”225    Isa. viii. 3. And when Christ had not yet made known the mind of the Father, it is said, “And His name shall be called the Angel of Great Counsel.”226    Isa. ix. 6, LXX. [See pp. 628, 632, supra.] And when He had not yet suffered, he declared, “He is as a sheep led to the slaughter.”227    Isa. liii. 7. And although the cross had never yet existed, He said, “All day long have I stretched out my hands to an unbelieving people.”228    Isa. lxv. 2. And although not yet had He been scornfully given to drink, the Scripture says, “In my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.”229    Ps. lxix. 21. And although He had not yet been stripped, He said, “Upon my vesture they did cast lots, and they numbered my bones: they pierced my hands and my feet.”230    Ps. xxii. 18, 17. For the divine Scripture, foreseeing, speaks of things which it knows shall be as being already done, and speaks of things as perfected which it regards as future, but which shall come to pass without any doubt. And thus the Lord in the present passage said, “Henceforth ye have known and have seen Him.” Now He said that the Father should be seen by whomsoever had followed the Son, not as if the Son Himself should be the Father seen, but that whosoever was willing to follow Him, and be His disciple, should obtain the reward of being able to see the Father. For He also is the image of God the Father; so that it is added, moreover, to these things, that “as the Father worketh, so also the Son worketh.”231    John v. 17. And the Son is an imitator232    [Cap. xxi. note 5, 632, supra.] of all the Father’s works, so that every one may regard it just as if he saw the Father, when he sees Him who always imitates the invisible Father in all His works.  But if Christ is the Father Himself, in what manner does He immediately add, and say, “Whosoever believeth in me, the works that I do he shall do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to my Father?”233    John xiv. 12. And He further subjoins, “If ye love me, keep my commandments; and I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter.”234    John xiv. 15, 16. After which also He adds this: “If any one loveth me, he shall keep my word:  and my Father will love him; and we will come unto him, and will make our abode with him.”235    John xiv. 23. Moreover, also, He added this too: “But the Advocate, that Holy Spirit whom the Father will send, He will teach you, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”236    John xiv. 26. He utters, further, that passage when He shows Himself to be the Son, and reasonably subjoins, and says, “If ye loved me, ye would rejoice because I go unto the Father: for the Father is greater than I.”237    John xiv. 28. But what shall we say when He also continues in these words:  “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit He taketh away; and every branch that beareth fruit He purgeth, that it may bring forth more fruit?”238    John xv. 1. Still He persists, and adds: “As the Father hath loved me, so also have I loved you: remain in my love. If ye have kept my commandments, ye shall remain in my love; even as I have kept the Father’s commandments, and remain in His love.”239    John xv. 9, 10.  Further, He says in addition: “But I have called you friends; for all things which I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.”240    John xv. 15. Moreover, He adds to all this: “But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not Him that sent me.”241    John xv. 21. These things then, after the former, evidently attesting Him to be not the Father but the Son, the Lord would never have added, if He had had it in mind, either that He was the Father, or wished Himself to be understood as the Father, except that He might declare this, that every man ought henceforth to consider, in seeing the image of God the Father through the Son, that it was as if he saw the Father; since every one believing on the Son may be exercised in the contemplation of the likeness, so that, being accustomed to seeing the divinity in likeness, he may go forward, and grow even to the perfect contemplation of God the Father Almighty. And since he who has imbibed this truth into his mind and soul, and has believed of all things that thus it shall be, he shall even now see, as it were, in some measure the Father whom he will see hereafter; and he may so regard it, as if he actually held, what he knows for certain that he shall one day hold. But if Christ Himself had been the Father, why did He promise as future, a reward which He had already granted and given? For that He says, “Blessed are they of a pure heart, for they shall see God,”242    Matt. v. 8. it is understood to promise the contemplation and vision of the Father; therefore He had not given this; for why should He promise if He had already given? For He had given if He was the Father: for He was seen, and He was touched. But since, when Christ Himself is seen and touched, He still promises, and says that he who is of a pure heart shall see God, He proves by this very saying that He who was then present was not the Father, seeing that He was seen, and yet promised that whoever should be of a pure heart should see the Father. It was therefore not the Father, but the Son, who promised this, because He who was the Son promised that which had yet to be seen; and His promise would have been superfluous unless He had been the Son. For why did He promise to the pure in heart that they should see the Father, if already they who were then present saw Christ as the Father? But because He was the Son, not the Father, rightly also He was then seen as the Son, because He was the image of God; and the Father, because He is invisible, is promised and pointed out as to be seen by the pure in heart. Let it then be enough to have suggested even these points against that heretic; a few words about many things. For a field which is indeed both wide and expansive would be laid open if we should desire to discuss that heretic more fully; seeing that bereaved, in these two particulars, as it were of his eyes plucked out, he is altogether overcome in the blindness of his doctrine.

CAPUT XXVIII. Pro Sabellianis etiam nihil facere illud: Qui videt me, videt et Patrem, probat.

Adhuc adjiciam illam quoque partem in qua dum haereticus quasi oculo quodam gaudet propriae 0940B veritatis et luminis amisso, totam caecitatem sui agnoscat erroris. Identidem enim et frequenter opponit quia dictum sit: Tanto tempore vobiscum sum, et non agnoscitis me? Philippe, qui vidit me, vidit et Patrem. (Joan. XIV, 9). Sed quod non intelligit, discat. Culpatur Philippus, et jure quidem meritoque, quia dixerit: Domine, ostende nobis Patrem, et sufficit nobis. (Ibid. v. 8). Quando enim ex Christo aut audierat istud, aut didicerat quasi esset Pater Christus? cum contra magis quod Filius esset, non quia Pater, frequenter audisset, et saepe didicisset. Quod enim dixit Dominus, si me cognovistis, et Patrem meum cognovistis, et amodo nostis illum, et vidistis illum, (Joan. XIV, 7), non sic dixerat ut se Patrem vellet intelligi; sed quoniam qui penitus et plene et cum tota 0940C fide et tota religione accessit ad Dei Filium, omnibus modis per ipsum Filium in quem sic credit, ad Patrem perventurus sit, eumdemque visurus. Nemo enim, inquit, potest venire ad Patrem nisi per me. (Ibid. v. 6). Et ideo ad Patrem Deum non tantum venturus est, et cogniturus ipsum Patrem; sed etiam sic tenere debet, atque ita animo ac mente praesumere, quasi jam noverit Patrem pariter et viderit. Saepe enim Scriptura divina quae nondum facta sunt pro factis annuntiat, quia sic futura sunt: et quae omnibus modis fieri habent, non quasi futura sint praedicat, sed quasi facta sint narrat. Denique cum nondum temporibus Isaiae prophetae Christus natus fuisset, quia puer, aiebat, natus est nobis (Isa. IX, 6); et cum nondum accessum esset ad Mariam 0941A (Isa. VIII, 3), et accessi ad prophetissam, dicebat, et concepit et peperit filium. Et cum nondum sinum Patris Christus exposuisset, referebat: Et vocabitur nomen ejus magni consilii Angelus (Ibid. IX, 6). Et cum nondum fuisset passus, quasi ovis, pronuntiabat, ad jugulationem adductus est (Ibid. LIII, 7). Et cum adhuc crux nusquam esset, aiebat: Tota die expandi manus meas ad populum non credentem (Ibid. LXV, 2). Et cum nondum injuriose potatus fuisset; in siti, ait, mea potaverunt me aceto (Psal. LXVIII, 22). Et cum spoliatus adhuc non fuisset, dicebat: Super vestem meam miserunt sortem: et dinumeraverunt ossa mea: effoderunt manus meas, et pedes (Psal. XXI, 19. 18. 17). Providens enim Scriptura divina pro factis dicit quae futura scit, et pro perfectis dicit 0941B quae futura habet, quae sine dubitatione ventura sunt. Et ideo Dominus in praesenti loco dicebat: Amodo nostis illum, et vidistis. Dicebat enim visum iri ab eo Patrem, quisquis Filium secutus fuisset; non quasi Filius ipse esset Pater visus, sed quod praemium consecuturus esset, quisquis illum sequi et discipulus ejus esse voluisset, ut videre Patrem posset: nam et imago est Dei Patris: ut his etiam illud accedat quoniam sicut Pater operatur, ita operatur et Filius, (Joan. V, 17). Et imitator est Filius omnium operum paternorum; ut perinde habeat unusquisque, quasi jam viderit Patrem, dum eum videt qui invisibilem Patrem in omnibus operibus semper imitatur. Caeterum si ipse Pater est Christus, quomodo confestim adjicit et dicit, Qui credit in me, opera quae ego facio 0941C et ipse faciet: et majora his faciet, quia ego ad Patrem vado? (Joan. XIV, 12.) Et adhuc subnectit: Si diligitis me, praecepta mea servate: et ego rogabo Patrem, et alium advocatum dabit vobis (Ibid. v. 15. 16). Post quae etiam illud subnectit: Si quis me diligit, sermonem meum custodiet: et Pater meus diliget illum, et ad eum veniemus, et mansionem apud illum faciemus (Ibid. v. 23). Nec non etiam subdidit illud quoque; Advocatus autem ille Spiritus sanctus quem missurus est Pater, ille vos docebit et commemorabit omnia quaecumque dixero (Ibid. v. 26). Praemittit adhuc istum locum, quo ostendat se esse Filium, et merito subdidit, et dicit: Si me diligeretis, gauderetis, quia eo ad Patrem: quia Pater major me est (Ibid. v. 28). Quid autem cum etiam illa subnectit; Ego sum 0941D vitis vera, et Pater meus agricola: omme sarmentum in me non afferens fructum tollit illud, et omne fructiferum purgat, ut fructum ampliorem ferat? (Joan. XV, 1, 2.) Instat adhuc et adjicit: Sicut dilexit me Pater, 0942A et ego dilexi vos: manete in mea charitate. Si mandata mea servaveritis, manebitis in mea charitate; sicut ego Patris mandata servavi, et maneo in ejus charitate (Joan. XV, 9, 10). Adhuc ingerit, et dicit: Dixi autem vos amicos, quia omnia quae audivi a Patre meo, nota vobis feci (Ibid. v. 15). Aggregat etiam hoc: Sed haec omnia facient vobis propter nomen meum, quia ignorant eum qui me misit (Ibid. v. 21). Haec ergo numquam post illa evidenter illum non Patrem, sed Filium esse testantia, Dominus subdidisset; si aut Patrem se esse meminisset, aut Patrem se vellet intelligi: nisi quoniam ut illud exprimeret, perinde unumquemque jam habere debere, dum imaginem Dei Patris per Filium videt, atque si viderit Patrem: quandoquidem unusquisque credens in Filium exerceatur 0942B in imaginis contemplatione, ut assuefactus ad divinitatem videndam in imagine, proficere possit et crescere usque ad Dei Patris omnipotentis perfectam contemplationem. Et quoniam qui hoc animo ac mente combiberit, et de omnibus sic futurum esse crediderit, Patrem quem visurus sit, quasi jam quodammodo viderit, et hic jam sic habeat, quasi teneat quod habiturum se pro certo sciat. Caeterum, si ipse Pater fuisset, quid quasi futurum praemium repromittebat quod jam praestiterat et dederat? Nam quoniam dicit: Beati mundo eorde, quia ipsi Deum videbunt (Matth. V, 8); polliceri deprehenditur contemplationem et aspectum Patris; ergo nondum dederat: cur enim repromitteret, si jam dedisset? Dederat enim si Pater esset; videbatur enim, et contingebatur. 0942C Quando autem dum contingitur ipse Christus et videtur, repromittit tamen et dicit, quoniam qui mundo fuerit corde, Deum videbit; hoc ipso probat Patrem se non esse, qui tunc praesens cum videretur repromittebat, quod Patrem visurus esset quisquis mundo corde fuisset. Erat ergo repromittens haec, non Pater, sed Filius: quia qui Filius erat, quod videri habebat repromittebat; cujus repromissio supervacua fuisset, nisi Filius fuisset. Cur enim repromittebat mundis corde ut viderent Patrem, si jam tunc qui praesentes erant, Patrem Christum videbant? Sed quia Filius erat, non Pater; merito et Filius, quia Imago Dei, tunc videbatur; et Pater, quia invisibilis, mundis corde, ut videretur, repromittitur et notatur. Haec igitur satis sit, etiam adversus 0942D istum haereticum dictasse, pauca de multis. Campus enim, et quidem latus ac fusus aperietur, plenius haereticum istum si agitare voluerimus; quandoquidem duobus istis locis, quibusdam effossis luminibus 0943A orbatus, totus sit in doctrinae suae caecitate superatus.