{"collection":"chr","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/chr/ecf/106/1060264.htm","path":"chr/ecf/106/1060264.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/chr/ecf/106/1060264.htm","text":"On the words of the Gospel, Mark viii. 5, etc., where the miracle of the seven loaves is related.\n1. In expounding to you the Holy Scriptures, I as it were break bread for you. Do ye in hunger receive it, and break 3135 forth with a fulness of phrase from the heart; and ye who are rich in your banquet, be not meagre in good works and deeds. What I deal out to you is not mine own. What ye eat, I eat; what ye live upon, I live upon. We have in heaven a common store-house; for from thence comes the Word of God.\n2. The \u201cseven loaves\u201d 3136 signify the seven-fold operation of the Holy Spirit; the \u201cfour thousand men,\u201d the Church established on the four Gospels; \u201cthe seven baskets of fragments,\u201d the perfection of the Church. For by this number very constantly is perfection figured. For whence is that which is said, \u201cseven times in a day will I praise thee\u201d? 3137 Does a man sin who does not praise the Lord so often? What then is \u201cseven times will I praise,\u201d but \u201cI will never cease from praise\u201d? For he who says \u201cseven times,\u201d signifies all time. Whence in this world there are continual revolutions of seven days. What then is \u201cseven times in a day will I praise Thee,\u201d but what is said in another place, \u201cHis praise shall always be in my mouth\u201d? 3138 With reference to this perfection, John writes to seven Churches. The Apocalypse is a book of St. John the Evangelist; and he writes \u201cto seven Churches.\u201d 3139 Be ye hungered; 3140 own ye these baskets. For those fragments were not lost; but seeing that ye too belong to the Church, they have surely profited you. In that I explain this to you, I minister to Christ; and when ye hear peaceably, ye \u201csit down.\u201d 3141 I in my body sit, but in my heart I am standing, and ministering to you in anxiety; lest peradventure, not the food, but the vessel offend any of you. Ye know the feast of God, ye have often heard it, that it is for the heart, not for the belly.\n3. Of a truth four thousand men were filled by seven loaves; what is more wonderful than this! Yet even this were not enough, had not seven baskets also been filled with the fragments that remained. O great mysteries! they were works, and the works spake. If thou understand these doings, they are words. And ye too belong to the four thousand, because ye live under the fourfold Gospel. To this number the children and women did not belong. For so it is said, \u201cAnd they that did eat were four thousand men, excepting women and children.\u201d 3142 As though the void of understanding, and the effeminate were without number. Yet let even these eat. Let them eat: it may be the children will grow, and will be children no more; it may be the effeminate will be amended, and become chaste. Let them eat; we dispense, we deal out to them. But who these are, God inspecteth His feast, and if they do not amend themselves, He who knew how to invite them thither, knoweth also how to separate them from the rest.\n4. Ye know it, dearly Beloved; call to mind the parable of the Gospel, how that the Lord came in to inspect the guests at a certain feast of His. The Master of the house who had invited them, as it is written, \u201cfound there a man which had not on a wedding garment.\u201d 3143 For to the marriage had that Bridegroom invited them who is \u201cfair in beauty above the children of men.\u201d That Bridegroom became deformed because of His deformed spouse, that he might make her fair. How did the Fair One become deformed? If I do not prove it, I am blaspheming. The testimony of his fair beauty the Prophet gives me, who saith, \u201cThou art fair in beauty above the children of men.\u201d 3144 The testimony of his deformity another Prophet gives me, who saith, \u201cWe saw Him, and He had no grace, nor beauty; but His countenance was p. 407 marred, and His whole look 3145 deformed.\u201d 3146 O Prophet, who saidst, \u201cThou art fair in beauty above the children of men;\u201d thou art contradicted; another Prophet cometh out against thee, and saith, \u201cThou speakest falsely. We have seen Him. What is this that thou sayest, \u2018Thou art fair in beauty above the children of men? We have seen Him, and He had no grace nor beauty.\u2019\u201d Are then these two Prophets at disagreement in the Corner-stone of peace? Both spake of Christ, both spake of the Cornerstone. In the corner the walls unite. If they do not unite, it is not a building, but a ruin. No, the Prophets agree, let us not leave them in strife. Yea, rather let us understand their peace; for they know not how to strive. O Prophet, who saidst, \u201cThou art fair in beauty above the children of men;\u201d where didst thou see Him? Answer me, answer where didst thou see Him? \u201cBeing in the form of God, He thought it not robbery to be equal with God.\u201d 3147 There I saw Him. Dost thou doubt that He who is \u201cequal with God\u201d is \u201cfair in beauty above the children of men\u201d? Thou hast answered; now let him answer who said, \u201cWe saw Him, and He had no grace, nor beauty.\u201d Thou hast said so; tell us where didst thou see Him? He begins from the other\u2019s words; where the other ended, there he begins. Where did he end? \u201cWho being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God.\u201d Lo, where he saw Him who was \u201cfair in beauty above the children of men;\u201d do thou tell us,where thou sawest that \u201cHe had no grace nor beauty. But He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and found in fashion as a man.\u201d 3148 Of His deformity he still further says; \u201cHe humbled Himself, having become obedient unto death even the death of the cross.\u201d Lo, where I saw Him. Therefore are they both in peaceful concord, both are at peace together. What is more \u201cfair\u201d than God? What more \u201cdeformed\u201d than the Crucified?\n5. So then this Bridegroom, \u201cfair in beauty above the children of men,\u201d became deformed that He might make His Spouse fair to whom it is said, \u201cO thou beauteous among women,\u201d 3149 of whom it is said, \u201cWho is this that cometh up, whitened\u201d 3150 with the brightness of light, not the colouring of falsehood! He then who called them to the wedding, found a man who had not a wedding garment, and He said unto him, \u201cFriend, how camest thou in hither, not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.\u201d For he found not what to answer. And the Master of the house Who had invited him said, \u201cBind him hands and feet, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.\u201d 3151 For so small a fault, so great a punishment? For great it is. It is called a small fault not to have \u201cthe wedding garment;\u201d small, but only by those who do not understand. How would He have been so incensed, how would He have so judged, to cast him, on account of the wedding garment which he had not, \u201cbound hands and feet into outer darkness, where was weeping and gnashing of teeth,\u201d unless it had been a very grievous fault, not to have \u201cthe wedding garment\u201d? I say this; seeing ye have been invited through me; for though He invited you, He invited you by my ministry. Ye are all at the feast, have the wedding garment. I will explain what it is, that ye may all have it, and if any one now hears me who has it not, let him, before the Master of the house comes and inspects His guests, be changed for the better, let him receive \u201cthe wedding garment,\u201d and so sit down in all assurance.\n6. For in truth, dearly Beloved, he who was cast forth from the feast, does not signify one man; far from it. They are many. And the Lord Himself who put forth this parable, the Bridegroom Himself, who calleth together to the feast, and quickeneth whom He calleth, He hath Himself explained to us, that that man does not denote one man, but many, there, in that very place, in the same parable. I do not go far for this, I find the explanation there, there I break the bread, and set it before you to be eaten. For He said, when he who had not \u201cthe wedding garment was cast out thence into outer darkness,\u201d He said and added immediately, \u201cfor many are called, but few chosen.\u201d 3152 Thou hast cast forth one man from hence, and Thou sayest, \u201cfor many are called, but few chosen.\u201d Without doubt the chosen are not cast forth; and they were the few guests who remained; and the \u201cmany\u201d were represented in that one, because that one who hath not \u201cthe wedding garment\u201d is the body of the wicked.\n7. What is \u201cthe wedding garment\u201d? Let us search for it in the Holy Scriptures. What is \u201cthe wedding garment\u201d? Without doubt it is something which the bad and good have not in common; let us discover this, and we shall discover \u201cthe wedding garment.\u201d Among the gifts of God, what have not the good and bad in common? 3153 That we are men and not beasts, is a gift of God; but this is common to good p. 408 and bad. That the light from heaven rises upon us, that the rain descends from the cloud, the fountains flow, the fields yield their fruit; these are gifts, but common to the good and bad. Let us go to the marriage feast, let us leave the others without, who being called come not. Let us consider the guests themselves, that is, Christians. Baptism is a gift of God, the good and bad have it. The Sacraments of the Altar the good and bad receive together. Saul prophesied for all his wickedness, and in his rage against a holy and most righteous man, even while he was persecuting him, he prophesied. Are the good only said to believe? \u201cThe devils also believe and tremble.\u201d 3154 What shall I do? I have sifted all, and have not yet come to \u201cthe wedding garment.\u201d I have unfolded my envelopings, I have considered all, or almost all, and have not yet come to that garment. The Apostle Paul in a certain place has brought me a great collection 3155 of excellent things; he has laid them open before me, and I have said to him, \u201cShow me, if so be thou hast found among them that \u2018wedding garment.\u2019\u201d He begins to unfold them one by one, and to say, \u201cThough I speak with the tongues of men and of Angels, though I have all knowledge, and the gift of prophecy, and all faith, so that I could remove mountains; though I distribute all my goods to the poor, and give my body to be burned.\u201d 3156 Precious garments! nevertheless, there is not yet here that \u201cwedding garment.\u201d Now bring out to us \u201cthe wedding garment.\u201d Why dost thou keep us in suspense, O Apostle? Peradventure prophecy is a gift of God which both good and bad have not. \u201cIf,\u201d says He, \u201cI have not charity, nothing profiteth me.\u201d See \u201cthe wedding garment;\u201d put it on, ye guests, that ye may sit down securely. Do not say; \u201cwe are too poor to have that garment.\u201d Clothe others, and ye are clothed yourselves. It is winter, clothe the naked. Christ is naked; and He will give you that \u201cwedding garment\u201d whosoever have it not. Run to Him, beseech Him; He knoweth how to sanctify His faithful ones, He knoweth how to clothe His naked ones. That ye may be able as having \u201cthe wedding garment\u201d to be free from the fear of the outer darkness, and the binding of your members and hands and feet; let not your works fail. If they fail, with hands bound what canst thou do? with feet bound, whither wilt thou fly? Keep then that \u201cwedding garment,\u201d put it on, and so sit down in security, when He comes to inspect. The Day of Judgment will come; He is now giving a long space, let him who erewhile was naked now be clothed.\nVoraces, Edd. ant.; veraces, B from 1Ms. 2da manu.\n406:3141 406:3142 406:3143 406:3144\nPs. 44.3 (xlv. 2, English version).\n407:3145 407:3146\nIsa. liii. 2, Sept.\n407:3147 407:3148 407:3149 407:3150\nSong of Sol. 8.5, Sept. Dealbata, \u201cnot as women whiten themselves, who would appear what they are not; not as a whitened wall,\u2014not thus whitened, but enlightened, because not of itself white.\u2014Grace came illumining and whitening; first thou wert black, but hast been made white by His grace. For ye were darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord.\u201d St. Aug. In Ps. 103, s. 1, \u00a7 6.\n407:3151\nMatt. xxii. 12, etc.\n407:3152 407:3153\nVid. Serm. xl. (xc. Ben.) 5, etc.\n408:3154 408:3155 408:3156\n1 Cor. xiii. 1, etc.","title":"Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Vol. VI: Sermons on Selec...","type":"page"}