pass from us to you, he cannot; nor also from you to us.' With great eagerness the wicked desire to pass from the torment in which they suffer, but the fastening of the hellish enclosure never allows them to break out. Also the holy are so filled with their Creator's righteousness, that they in no wise lament the misery of the wicked; because they see the fordone ones as greatly estranged from them, as they are thrust away from 10 'Gain to yourselves friends among God's their beloved Lord. the preachings of the prophets, they will not believe, though one arose from death.' Those who neglect the easy commandments of the old law, how will they obey the sub5 lime commandments of Christ's doctrine, who arose from death? When the rich man became hopeless of his own deliverance, the remembrance of his brothers entered into his mind; for I pray you, my brethren, that ye be mindful of Lazarus's rest and of the rich man's punishment, and do as Christ himself taught, poor, that they at your end may receive you into eternal dwelling-places.' Many Lazaruses ye have now lying at your gates, begging for your superfluity. Though they the punishment of the wicked very often 15 are esteemed as vile, they will, neverthe less, be hereafter your interceders with the Almighty. Verily we ought to enjoin the poor to pray for us, because they will be our protectors, who, now begging, desire sustenance of us. We should not despise their vileness, for Christ himself is served through reception of the poor, as he himself said, 'I was hungry, and ye fed me; I was thirsty, and ye gave me to drink; I was naked, and uselessly stimulates their minds to love, Now says the holy Gregory, there was a reverend monk in the country of Lycaonia, very pious, his name was Martyrius. He went by order of his abbot to some other The sinful will now sometimes see the chosen in glory, whom they in the world 30 monastery, on his errand, when he found a despised, that the affliction of their minds may be the greater: and the righteous will ever see the unrighteous suffering in their tor ments, that their bliss and love to their Lord leper lying by the way all chapped, and having no power of his feet: he said he wished to reach his hut, if he could. Then the monk was grieved for the helplessness may be the greater, who rescued them from 35 of the leper, and he wrapt him in his cloak and bare him towards his monastery. Then it was disclosed to his abbot whom he was bearing, and he cried with a loud voice, and said, 'Run, run, and undo the gate of the power of the devil, and from the wicked band. That spectacle will excite no terror to the righteous, nor will their glory wane; for there will be no sorrowing for the misery of the wicked, but their torments will turn 40 the monastery quickly, for our brother to the greater bliss of the chosen, as in a picture a dark likeness is provided, that the white may appear the brighter. The chosen will constantly see their Creator's brightness, and therefore there is nothing in creation 45 concealed from him. The rich man would not in life hear the teacher Moses, or God's prophets: then he thought that his brothers would also despise them as he did, and desired therefore that 50 Lazarus might warn them, so that they came not to his torment. The patriarch answered him, 'If they despise the law of Moses and Martyrius bears Jesus on his back.' When the monk had reached the gate of the monastery, he who seemed a leper quitted his neck, and appeared in the likeness of Christ. The monk then looked up, and beheld how he ascended to heaven. Then said Jesus, while ascending, 'Martyrius, thou wast not ashamed of me on earth, nor will I be ashamed of thee in heaven.' Then the abbot hastened towards the monk, and eagerly said, 'My brother, where is he whom thou didst carry?' He said, 'If I had known who he was, I would have lain at his feet. When I bore him I felt no heaviness of any burthen.' How could he feel the heaviness of any weight, when he carried one who bore him? Now says the holy Gregory, Jesus verified the saying which he himself said, 'That which ye do for the poor in my name, that ye do for myself.' What is there in human nature so glorious as the humanity of Christ, and what is es But what each is, separately, this is all the Trinity at once, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; seeing that each separately is none other than the supremely simple unity, and 5 the supremely unitary simplicity, which can neither be multiplied nor varied. Moreover, there is a single necessary Being. Now, this is that single, necessary Being, in which is every good; nay, which is every good. And now, my soul, arouse and lift up all thy understanding, and conceive, so far as thou canst, of what character and how great is that good. For, if individual goods are delectable, conceive in earnestness how delectable is that good which contains the pleasantness of all goods; and not such as we have experienced in created objects, but as teemed more foul in human nature than the 10 good, and a single entire good, and the only carcase of the leper, with tumours, and ulcers, and reeking stench? But he who is to be venerated above all creatures, vouchsafed to appear in that foul form, to the end that we might pity the misery of human 15 beings, and according to our power comfort them, for love of the merciful and humble Jesus; that he may grant us a dwelling in his kingdom to eternal life, who rescued us from the devil's thraldom; who reigneth 20 different as the Creator from the creature. to eternity with the Almighty Father and the Holy Ghost, those three existing in one Godhead, without beginning and end, ever to eternity. Amen. Ј Anselm (1033–1109) PROSLOGIUM, OR A DISCOURSE ON THE BEING OF GOD 1 This good thou art, thou, God the Father; this is thy Word, that is, thy Son. For nothing, other than what thou art, or For, if the created life is good, how good is the creative life! If the salvation given is delightful, how delightful is the salvation which has given all salvation! If wisdom in 25 the knowledge of the created world is lovely, how lovely is the wisdom which has created all things from nothing! Finally, if there are many great delights in delectable things, what and how great is the delight in him who 30 has made these delectable things! Who shall enjoy this good? And what shall belong to him, and what shall not belong to him? At any rate, whatever he shall wish shall be his, and whatever he goods of body and soul will be such as eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither has the heart of man conceived (Isaiah lxiv. 4; 1 Corinthians ii. 9). greater or less than thou, can be in the Word 35 shall not wish shall not be his. For, these by which thou dost express thyself; for thy Word is true, as thou art truthful. And hence it is truth itself, just as thou art; no other truth than thou; and thou art of so simple a nature, that of thee nothing can be 40 born other than what thou art. This very good is the one love common to thee and to thy Son, that is, the Holy Spirit proceeding from both. For this love is not unequal to Why, then, dost thou wander abroad, slight man, in thy search for the goods of thy soul and thy body? Love the one good in which are all goods, and it sufficeth. Desire the simple good which is every good, and it is thee or to thy Son; seeing that thou dost 45 enough. For, what dost thou love, my flesh? love thyself and him, and he, thee, and himself, to the whole extent of thy being and his. Nor is there aught else proceeding from thee and from him, which is not unequal What dost thou desire, my soul? There, there is whatever ye love, whatever ye desire. If beauty delights thee, there shall the righteous shine forth as the sun (Matthew to thee and to him. Nor can anything pro- 50 xiii. 43). If swiftness or endurance, or free ceed from the supreme simplicity, other than what this, from which it proceeds, is. dom of body, which naught can withstand, delight thee, they shall be as angels of God, 1 Translation by S. N. Deane (1903), by permission of the Open Court Publishing Co., Publishers. because it is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body (1 Corinthians xv. 44) -in power certainly, though not in nature. If it is a long and sound life that pleases thee, there a healthful eternity is, and an eternal health. For the righteous shall live forever (Wisdom v. 15), and the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord (Psalms xxxvii. 39). If it is satisfaction of hunger, they shall be satisfied when the glory of the Lord hath 10 because thou wouldst rejoice not less for him needy heart, heart acquainted with sorrows, nay, overwhelmed with sorrows, how greatly wouldst thou rejoice, if thou didst abound in all these things! Ask thy inmost mind 5 whether it could contain its joy over so great a blessedness of its own. appeared (Psalms xvii. 15). If it is quench- Yet assuredly, if any other whom thou didst love altogether as thyself possessed the same blessedness, thy joy would be doubled, than for thyself. But, if two, or three, or many more, had the same joy, thou wouldst rejoice as much for each one as for thyself, if thou didst love each as thyself. Hence, in that perfect love of innumerable blessed angels and sainted men, where none shall love another less than himself, every one shall rejoice for each of the others as for himself. If it is wisdom that delights thee, the very wisdom of God will reveal itself to them. 20 If, then, the heart of man will scarce If friendship, they shall love God more than themselves, and one another as themselves. And God shall love them more than they themselves; for they love him, and them contain his joy over his own so great good, how shall it contain so many and so great joys? And doubtless, seeing that every one loves another so far as he rejoices in the selves, and one another, through him, and he, 25 other's good, and as, in that perfect felicity, himself and them, through himself. If concord, they shall all have a single will. For, each one should love God beyond compare, more than himself and all the others with him; so he will rejoice beyond reckoning in the felicity of God, more than in his own and If power, they shall have all power to fulfil their will, as God to fulfil his. as God will have power to do what he wills, 30 that of all the others with him. through himself, so they will have power, through him, to do what they will. For, as they will not will aught else than he, he shall will whatever they will; and what he shall But if they shall so love God with all their heart, and all their mind, and all their soul, that still all the heart, and all the mind, and all the soul shall not suffice for the so rejoice with all their hearts, and all their mind, and all their soul, that all the heart, and all the mind, and all the soul shall not suffice for the fulness of their joy. will cannot fail to be. If honor and riches, 35 worthiness of this love; doubtless they will God shall make his good and faithful servants rulers over many things (Luke xii. 42); nay, they shall be called sons of God, and gods; and where his Son shall be, there they shall be also, heirs indeed of God, and joint-heirs 40 with Christ (Romans viii. 17). If true security delights thee, undoubtedly they shall be as sure that those goods, or rather that good, will never and in no wise My God and my Lord, my hope and the joy of my heart, speak unto my soul and tell me whether this is the joy of which thou tellest us through thy Son: Ask and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full (John fail them; as they shall be sure that they will 45 xvi. 24). For I have found a joy that is full, and more than full. For when heart, and mind, and soul, and all the man, are full of that joy, joy beyond measure will still remain. Hence, not all of that joy shall enter not lose it of their own accord; and that God, who loves them, will not take it away from those who love him against their will; and that nothing more powerful than God will separate him from them against his will 50 into those who rejoice; but they who rejoice and theirs. But what, or how great, is the joy, where such and so great is the good! Heart of man, shall wholly enter into that joy. Show me, O Lord, show thy servant in his heart whether this is the joy into which thy servants shall enter, who shall enter into the joy of their Lord. But that joy, surely, with which thy chosen ones shall rejoice, eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man (Isaiah lxiv. 4; 1 Corinthians ii. 9). Not yet, then, have I told or conceived, O Lord, how greatly those blessed ones of thine shall rejoice. Doubtless they shall rejoice according as they shall love; and they shall love according as they 10 through our wonderful Counsellor. I will come to the full. Let the knowledge of thee advance in me here, and there be made full. Let the love of thee increase, and there let it be full, that here my joy may be great in hope, 5 and there full in truth. Lord, through thy Son thou dost command, nay, thou dost counsel us to ask; and thou dost promise that we shall receive, that our joy may be full. I ask, O Lord, as thou dost counsel receive what thou dost promise by virtue of thy truth, that my joy may be full. Faithful God, I ask. I will receive, that my joy may be full. Meanwhile, let my mind shall know. How far they will know thee, Lord, then! and how much they will love thee! Truly, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man in this life, how far they shall know thee, 15 meditate upon it; let my tongue speak of it. and how much they shall love thee in that life. I pray, O God, to know thee, to love thee, that I may rejoice in thee. And if I cannot Let my heart love it; let my mouth talk of it. Let my soul hunger for it; let my flesh thirst for it; let my whole being desire it, until I enter into thy joy, O Lord, who art the attain to full joy in this life, may I at least 20 Three and the One God, blessed for ever and advance from day to day, until that joy shall ever. Amen. |