登陆注册
5214200000309

第309章

but let him that glorieth glory in this, to understand and know the Lord, and to do judgment and justice in the midst of the earth.The Lord hath ascended into the heavens, and hath thundered: He shall judge the ends of the earth, for He is righteous: and He giveth strength to our kings, and shall exalt the horn of His Christ." (3)Do you say that these are the words of a single weak woman giving thanks for the birth of a son? Can the mind of men be so much averse to the light of truth as not to perceive that the sayings this woman pours forth exceed her measure? Moreover, he who is suitably interested in these things which have already begun to be fulfilled even in this earthly pilgrimage also, does he not apply his: mind, and perceive, and acknowledge, that through this woman--whose very name, which is Hannah, means "His grace"--the very Christian religion, the very city of God, whose king and founder is Christ, in fine, the very grace of God, hath thus spoken by the prophetic Spirit, whereby the proud are cut off so that they fall, and the humble are filled so that they rise, which that hymn chiefly celebrates? Unless perchance any one will say that this woman prophesied nothing, but only lauded God with exulting praise on account of the son whom she had obtained in answer to prayer.What then does she mean when she says, "The bow of the mighty hath He made weak, and the weak are girded with strength; they that were full of bread are diminished, and the hungry have gone beyond the earth;for the barren hath born seven, and she that hath many children is waxed feeble?" Had she herself born seven, although she had been barren? She had only one when she said that; neither did she bear seven afterwards, nor six, with whom Samuel himself might be the seventh, but three males and two females.And then, when as yet no one was king over that people, whence, if she did not prophesy, did she say what she puts at the end, "He giveth strength to our kings, and shall exalt the horn of His Christ?"Therefore let the Church of Christ, the city of the great King, (2)full of grace, prolific of offspring, let her say what the prophecy uttered about her so long before by the mouth of this pious mother confesses, "My heart is made strong in the Lord, and my horn is exalted in my God." Her heart is truly made strong, and her horn is truly exalted, because not in herself, but in the Lord her God."My mouth is enlarged over mine enemies;" because even in pressing straits the word of God is not bound, not even in preachers who are bound.(3) "I am made glad," she says, "in Thy salvation." This is Christ Jesus Himself, whom old Simeon, as we read in the Gospel, embracing as a little one, yet recognizing as great, said," Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation." (4)Therefore may the Church say, "I am made glad in Thy salvation.For there is none holy as the Lord, and none is righteous as our God;" as holy and sanctifying, just and justifying.(5) "There is none holy beside Thee;"because no one becomes so except by reason of Thee.And then it follows, "Do not glory so proudly, and do not speak lofty things, neither let vaunting talk come out of your mouth.For a God of knowledge is the Lord." He knows you even when no one knows; for "he who thinketh himself to be something when he is nothing deceiveth himself." (6) These things are said to the adversaries of the city of God who belong to Babylon, who presume in their own strength, and glory in themselves, not in the Lord; of whom are also the carnal Israelites, the earth-born inhabitants of the earthly Jerusalem, who, as saith the apostle, "being ignorant of the righteousness of God,"(7) that is, which God, who alone is just, and the justifier, gives to man, "and wishing to establish their own," that is, which is as it were procured by their own selves, not bestowed by Him, "are not subject to the righteousness of God," just because they are proud, and think they are able to please God with their own, not with that which is of God, who is the God of knowledge, and therefore also takes the oversight of consciences, there beholding the thoughts of men that they are vain, (8) if they are of men, and are not from Him."And preparing," she says, "His curious designs."What curious designs do we think these are, save that the proud must fall, and the humble rise? These curious designs she recounts, saying, "The bow of the mighty is made weak, and the weak are girded with strength." The bow is made weak, that is, the intention of those who think themselves so powerful, that without the gift and help of God they are able by human sufficiency to fulfill the divine commandments; and those are girded with strength whose in ward cry is, "Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am weak."(1)

"They that were full of bread," she says, "are diminished, and the hungry have gone beyond the earth." Who are to be understood as full of bread except those same who were as if mighty, that is, the Israelites, to whom were committed the oracles of God? (2) But among that people the children of the bond maid were diminished,--by which word minus, although it is Latin, the idea is well expressed that from being greater they were made less,--because, even in the very bread, that is, the divine oracles, which the Israelites alone of all nations have received, they savor earthly things.

同类推荐
  • 四库辑本别集拾遗

    四库辑本别集拾遗

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 廿载繁华梦

    廿载繁华梦

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 息除中夭陀罗尼经

    息除中夭陀罗尼经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 相和歌辞·婕妤怨

    相和歌辞·婕妤怨

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 解蔽

    解蔽

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 个性的树立(大智慧成功方案教程)

    个性的树立(大智慧成功方案教程)

    “人之所以高贵只在于人能思考……人的职责就是要学会正确思考和运用它。”帕斯卡的这些话是发人深醒的。我们说的每一句话,做的每一件事,都是我们思想的外在表现。如果我们学会了正确思考,我们的生命就会像上帝的旨意那样高贵、幸福和美好,否则,等待我们的将是庸俗、痛苦和失败。达到完满的人生首先要有一个健康的身体,它包括充沛的精力、充足的元气和永久的活力,只有这样,人生才会快乐。然而,健康的身体又要依赖于正确的思想。思想支配着我们身体的每一项机能、每一个器官和每一个细胞。思想塑造了我们的身体,增加或削弱了身体的力量和活力,这是一条公认的法则。
  • 岭上一号

    岭上一号

    城与人都在时代的催促下向前奔去。老城、老厂、老人,都试图在这湍急的洪流里占领新位置,夺取新生活。而这份被定制和推送到每个老人面前的天伦之乐,又真的是他们想要的吗?商梅红是从绿化隔离带的零碎空间里看见他的。她刚刚从一场朋友的葬礼中脱身而来,满负行囊、气喘吁吁,不过这不妨碍她慧眼识珠。商梅红对自己的判断一向深信不疑。
  • 实验恋人

    实验恋人

    她,是DW星球派来的侵略实验者。他,是高级私人研究所的教授第一次见面,她就催眠了他“顾清越,若时间回到最开始,我还会选择催眠你。”跨越星球的爱恋,侵略地球的阴谋,会因为什么而结束呢?
  • 波澜世界

    波澜世界

    修仙者,食风饮露,以自身为容器,吞天地灵气,壮大己身,天灭我不灭,成仙者一怒,山崩地裂,日月倒悬,端的好威力……仙佛道兵血,妖魔鬼邪巫。十条长生途,任我逍遥游。
  • 99种最讨人喜欢的说话方式

    99种最讨人喜欢的说话方式

    学会用讨人喜欢的方式说话,是一件既容易又很不容易的事。说容易,是因为我们每个人都会说话,都知道说话要做到讨人喜欢。一语可以得福:一句话说对了,可以得到方便;一句话说对了,也许会成功迈进一步。
  • 上面有人

    上面有人

    作弄他人就是作弄自己。开春后,县委宣传部副部长汪品德的事情突然变得多了起来,经常加班,动不动还要下乡,一下去就是好几天,回家不光带回一身灰尘,还带回一身酒气。像汪品德这种挂个“副”字的部门领导,在一般职工的眼里是官,在领导的眼里就只是个兵,是代替领导领着大家干活的兵。妻子怀孕四个多月了,妻子怀孕以后,汪品德就一直无心工作,上班总是心不在焉。他计算着妻子预产期的日子,计算着孩子生下来后又要增加多少开支。
  • 修真无限浪

    修真无限浪

    苏小白普通的名字普通的人生普通的经历,可惜天有不测风云就在某一天他遇上一个整天逼着我搞事情的系统之后他的人生就变得奇怪了,系统教我搞事情、教我修真搞事情·······所以别人修真需要炼体练气,他居只需要搞事情就好。‘感觉自己药丸,我的人生还有救吗?’‘少年不要放弃你还有救’苏小白‘你又是谁’ 就这样修真界第一浪出现了。
  • 这样做事没压力

    这样做事没压力

    在我们身边,常常听到这样的感慨:唉,真累。确实,无论从事什么行业,无论年龄大小,也无论处于什么阶层,累,成了大多数人的生活常态。有人说:能不累吗?中小学生要应付学业,大学生愁于就业,工作的人谋求更高的工作岗位和更适合自己的职业,更别说复杂的人际关系带给我们的困扰。
  • 闪闪奇遇记六:草原土拨鼠小镇

    闪闪奇遇记六:草原土拨鼠小镇

    《闪闪奇遇记六:草原土拨鼠小镇》孩子的好奇心会带来无限可能,即使是一次平平常常的野餐也不例外。瞧,闪闪和胖胖就偶遇了草原土拨鼠,还跟着他们进行了一场草原土拨鼠小镇的人文之旅呢!
  • 古今名医汇粹

    古今名医汇粹

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。