A away from the assembly of the Church, or by becoming an author of false gatherings and schisms—for that is not fitting. But just as one may prepare himself to be a house of the Lord, so that he may become a temple of God, so too he can put on the property of a court, if he surrounds himself with a life of conversation and divine thoughts, as if with a wall, adoring God within himself; for the Creator of him who knows him recognizes an occasion sufficient for adoration existing within him, both from the structure of the body and from the constitution of the soul. Now, indeed, the Lord also called the Jews a court, saying: *And other sheep I have which are not of this fold* (John x, 16). He shows, however, that another court is truly holy, which will gather the sheep of Christ, namely those from the nations who are predestined to salvation; this is this Church, in which true worshippers adore B in spirit and truth (John iv, 23). But no one who makes anything else besides God into a god can adore God in his holy court. Some make a god of their belly, of whom the God is the belly (Phil. iii, 19); others of silver; others are addicted to greed, which is idolatry (Col. iii, 5); and whatever each one honors more than all else, to that he attributes the glory of God. Such a one is not in the holy court, nor does he adore God, even if he may seem to be in no way separated from sensible assemblies.
2. VERSE 3. *Voice of the Lord upon the waters.* That we may understand what the voice of the Lord is, it is worth the labor to gather from the divine Scripture, as far as we are able, the things written concerning "voice." We found, C therefore, a word of the Lord to Abraham written in Genesis, saying in a vision: *Fear not, Abraham; I shield thee, thy reward is very great.* And Abraham replied: *Master, what wilt thou give me? I go away childless* (Gen. xv, 1-2). And a little later: *And immediately a voice was made to him* (Gen. xv, 4). And again in Exodus he says: *Be ye ready for the third day.* And: *When the voices and the trumpets and the clouds have departed from the mountain, then they shall go up to the mountain* (Exod. xix, 11-13). And after the Decalogue: *And all the people saw the voice and the lamps and the voice of the trumpet* (Exod. xx, 18). And in Isaiah it is written: *The voice of one saying: Cry* (Isa. xl, 6). A voice, therefore, is a striking of the air, or a certain kind of form impressed D upon the air, towards which he who speaks intends to shape the air. Those, therefore, who converse with one another by means of the flesh, by striking the air, and as it were impressing upon it a certain form and kind, impel this air with their breath, so that it may reach the ears of him to whom...
it is directed, and reach him. But the voice of the Lord is of a different kind, with God exciting the imagination of those whom He wishes to hear His voice, so that this imagination has an affinity with that which occurs in dreams. For there too, without the external air being struck, the perception of what is said does not glide through the ears, but the mind itself, receiving the thoughts, is wont to let them remain in the memory of those who have seen them. Thus a voice came to Abraham, because he had ears that could hear the commands of God, with the divine will itself sounding within him invisibly. B But the voice which came to the people was visible—that is to say, easy to understand and intelligible to all. It was not, in truth, colored by any hue or circumscribed, in such a way that a voice uttered by a mouth could be perceived by the eyes; but the people "saw" the voice, because the Lord's precept is lucid, enlightening the eyes, with all obscurity excluded from the words. Indeed, a voice also came to Isaiah, commanding: "Cry out"; that is, the mind of the prophet was informed by the power divinely imparted to him. "The voice of the Lord [is] upon the waters" (Ps. XXVIII, 3). Which voice? Upon what waters? It was said that we should receive it as a prophecy. Remember John, who, when he was asked by the Jews, "Who are you? What answer shall we give to those who sent us?" (Joan. I, 22), replied: "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness" (Joan. I, 23). John, therefore, is the voice of the Lord, an angel sent by God before the face of the Lord, to prepare for the Lord a ready people (Luc. I, 17). This voice, therefore, was upon the waters, in the Jordan, where he was baptizing, preaching a baptism of repentance; and not in the Jordan only, but also in Enon near Salim, because there were many waters there (Joan. III, 23). The voice of the Lord, therefore, upon the waters is John, who confers baptism. There, too, the God of majesty thundered. For a voice came from heaven, saying: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matth. III, 17). Then also the Lord was upon many waters, when, to fulfill all the righteousness of the law, He deigned to descend C to the baptism of John.
3. "The voice of the Lord in power" (Ps. XXVIII, 4). He removes the infirmities of the people through the baptism of repentance, baptizing through himself in water unto repentance. That "in power" is the voice saying: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matth. III, 2); also: "Bear fruits worthy of repentance" (Luc. III, 8). Or perhaps the voice is "in power" because John gives testimony to the Lord who is truly strong, saying: "I baptize with water; but He who is coming after me is stronger than I" (Matth. III, 11). This voice, therefore, was giving testimony to power. "The voice of the Lord in majesty" (Ps. XXVIII, 4). Naturally, when it narrated the great mysteries concerning Jesus. D
of John, saying: "I saw the Holy Spirit descending as a dove and remaining upon him" (John 1, 32); and again: "Of his fullness we have all received, and grace for grace" (John 1, 16). For these waters are high, and they bear witness to the magnitude of the glory regarding the Only-begotten. Therefore, "The voice of the Lord in majesty." It is also majestic to say: "No man has seen God at any time; the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has explained him" (John 1, 18). And many things are seen to be narrated majestically concerning the Lord in the saying: "A man cannot receive anything unless it has been given to him from heaven" (John III, 27). And also this: "He who comes from above is above all" (John III, 31). And this: "He who has received his testimony has set his seal to this, that God is true. For he whom God has sent speaks the words of God" (John III, 33, 34). And this: "He who believes in the Son has eternal life" (John III, 36); and as many things like these. There is nothing, therefore, base or petty, but all things have been spoken regarding the Lord by John B in a noble manner and with the magnitude that befits the subject. For this reason, "The voice of the Lord in majesty."
4. "The voice of the Lord that breaks the cedars" (Ps. XXVIII, 5). It is possible to say that one who was preparing a ready people for the Lord, breaking and destroying the impieties that were lifted up and exalted against the knowledge of God, was making the crooked paths straight. For he who was humbling every hill and every mountain was the one breaking the cedars and smoothing the way for the coming of the Lord, by leading to repentance the high and lifted up and unsubmissive heart of the people. C Whence, succeeding him in his preparation, the Lord breaks, by his own coming, the opposing powers, which are metaphorically called the cedars of Lebanon. For it is necessary for the Lord to reign until he has put his enemies under his feet. And he will thin out these cedars like the Lebanon calf. What, then, is the Lebanon calf? They say that those who worship idols, with great elaboration, fashion images of calves out of frankincense and then finally bring them to the fire. Thus, he says, the opposing powers are deservedly to vanish into destruction. Or [it is] the calf which is melted by fire through Lebanon according to what is said: "As wax melts before the face of fire, so D shall sinners perish" (Ps. LXVII, 3). Similarly, it is possible to understand both the cedars and Lebanon itself as an image of elation.
The calf in Exodus was once crushed, which had been made through Aaron, when the people, having apostatized from God and turned aside into idolatry, fashioned it; Moses taking this, ground it into small pieces and cast it into the water. Thus, therefore, the Lord shall crush the whole of Lebanon, that is, the primary root of evil, just as that calf was crushed by Moses. «And he shall crush them as the calf of Lebanon.»
5. «And the beloved as the son of the unicorns.» After the opposing powers have been removed, then the love toward the Lord shall shine forth, and His strength shall be manifest, with nothing of the adversaries obscuring it. Therefore He says, after being crushed: «The beloved shall be as the son of the unicorns.» Now the unicorn is a sovereign animal, not subject to man, having an untamable strength, ever dwelling in solitudes, and relying upon a single horn. For this reason the invincible nature of the Lord is compared to the unicorn, both on account of His sovereignty over all, and because He has one principle of Himself, the Father. For «the head of Christ is God» (I Cor. XI, 3). «The voice of the Lord cutting through the flame of fire.» John was cutting through sin, which was feeding upon Israel like fire, saying: «Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has drawn near» (Matth. III, 2). He was, therefore, cutting through the flame of the passions, which arises from sin in souls, by recounting to the Jews the matters concerning the eternal fire, in speaking of the severity of the judgment, that «the winnowing-fan is in the hand of the Lord, and he shall clear His threshing floor, and shall gather the wheat into the barns, but the chaff He shall burn with unquenchable fire» (Matth. III, 12). He was cutting through that flame by placing terrible things before the eyes of the people.
6. «And the Lord shall shake the desert of Kadesh.» For John was baptizing in the desert. He therefore shook that desert by the arrival of the peoples gathering from all sides; which, because of those who came to repent, was called a holy desert. For Kadesh is interpreted as "holy." This voice also perfects "harts," that is, holy souls, which seek after exalted things, which are devourers of serpents, and which make their abode upon the high mountains. These, then, would be great-souled individuals, who run up from lowly things to the heights of the citizenship of heaven, being light and elevated; having war against the opposing powers, as harts do against serpents. But He also reveals «the woods,» so that the serpents may be evident...
those who are hidden by the shade of the thickets are lured out, that they may be consumed by the stags with less effort. Perhaps, therefore, He who reproves the vices hidden in the secret place, reveals the thickets—that is, He brings into the open the sins lurking in the material nature, which are called snakes because of the variety of pleasure. B But He will reveal them on that day, when He will reveal the hidden things of darkness and the counsels of their hearts. Perhaps also John, being the voice of the Lord, spoke to Israel in a riddle, saying: "Already the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bring forth good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire." He was revealing the thickets—that is, He was making manifest the uselessness of their fruits; for a thicket is unfruitful matter. By showing them its harmfulness, He was calling them to the appropriate fruitfulness, saying: "Bring forth fruits worthy of repentance." From all these things there is one result: the building of the Lord's temple, where anyone who has become a part of it can truly bring glory to the Lord.
7. "But the Lord also dwells in the flood." For through baptism, the dwelling-place of the Lord is made in the souls of the sanctified. God, therefore, dwells in the soul that has been washed from sin. For this reason, it is said that He dwells in the flood. For that He called the forgiveness obtained through baptism a "flood," we have also learned from the thirty-first Psalm, in saying: "Nevertheless, in a flood of many waters they will not reach him." For the sins of sinners, in the redemption that comes through baptism, will no longer be allowed to approach. "And the Lord shall sit as King forever." In addition to all these things, it will be granted to us to recognize the lordship of the Master over all, who gives strength to His people, so that, having conquered the evil one, we may receive the blessing C which is given by the Lord in peace to those who are worthy of Him; for to Him be the glory unto the ages of ages. Amen.
UPON PSALM XXXVII
A teaching on confession. A Psalm of David for a reminder.1. The words of the divinely inspired Scripture shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ. D "For I will reprove thee," He says, "and will set thy sins before thy face." So let us also pay heed soberly to what is said according to Scripture, and let us strive to bring into practice the commandments of the Lord.