Chapter 54.—By the Sacrifices of the Old Testament, Men Were Convinced of Sins and Led to the Saviour.

And yet it is perhaps better to advance a few testimonies out of the Old Testament also, which ought to have a supplementary, or rather a cumulative value. The Lord Himself, speaking by the Psalmist, says: “As for my saints which are upon earth, He hath caused all my purposes to be admired in them.”184    Ps. xvi. 3. Not their merits, but “my purposes.” For what is theirs except that which is afterwards mentioned,—“their weaknesses are multiplied,”185    Ps. xvi. 4.—above the weakness that they had? Moreover, the law also entered, that the offence might abound. But why does the Psalmist immediately add: “They hastened after?”186    Ps. xvi. 4. When their sorrows and infirmities multiplied (that is, when their offence abounded), they then sought the Physician more eagerly, in order that, where sin abounded, grace might much more abound. He then says: “I will not gather their assemblies together [with their offerings] of blood;” for by their many sacrifices of blood, when they gathered their assemblies into the tabernacle at first, and then into the temple, they were rather convicted as sinners than cleansed. I shall no longer, He says, gather their assemblies of blood-offerings together; because there is one blood-shedding given for many, whereby they may be truly cleansed. Then it follows: “Neither will I make mention of their names with my lips,” as if they were the names of renewed ones. For these were their names at first: children of the flesh, children of the world, children of wrath, children of the devil, unclean, sinners, impious; but afterwards, children of God,—a new name to the new man, a new song to the singer of what is new, by means of the New Testament. Men must not be ungracious with God’s grace, mean with great things; [but be ever rising] from the less to the greater. The cry of the whole Church is, “I have gone astray like a lost sheep.”187    Ps. cxix. 176. From all the members of Christ the voice is heard: “All we, as sheep, have gone astray; and He hath Himself been delivered up for our sins.”188    Isa. liii. 6. The whole of this passage of prophecy is that famous one in Isaiah which was expounded by Philip to the eunuch of Queen Candace, and he believed in Jesus.189    Acts viii. 30–37. See how often he commends this very subject, and, as it were, inculcates it again and again on proud and contentious men: “He was a man under misfortune, and one who well knows to bear infirmities; wherefore also He turned away His face, He was dishonoured, and was not much esteemed. He it is that bears our weaknesses, and for us is involved in pains: and we accounted Him to be in pains, and in misfortune, and in punishment. But it was He who was wounded for our sins, was weakened for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and by His bruise we are healed. All we, as sheep, have gone astray; and the Lord delivered Him up for our sins. And although He was evilly entreated, yet He opened not His mouth: as a sheep was He led to the slaughter, and as a lamb is dumb before the shearer, so He opened not His mouth. In His humiliation His judgment was taken away: His generation who shall declare? For His life shall be taken away from the earth, and for the iniquities of my people was He led to death. Therefore I will give the wicked for His burial, and the rich for His death; because He did no iniquity, nor deceit with His mouth. The Lord is pleased to purge Him from misfortune. If you could yourselves have given your soul on account of your sins, ye should see a seed of a long life. And the Lord is pleased to rescue His soul from pains, to show Him light, and to form it through His understanding; to justify the Just One, who serves many well; and He shall Himself bear their sins. Therefore He shall inherit many, and He shall divide the spoils of the mighty; and He was numbered amongst the transgressors; and Himself bare the sins of many, and He was delivered for their iniquities.”190    Isa. liii. 3–12. Consider also that passage of this same prophet which Christ actually declared to be fulfilled in Himself, when He recited it in the synagogue, in discharging the function of the reader:191    See Luke iv. 16–21. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me: to preach glad tidings to the poor hath He sent me, that so I may refresh all who are broken-hearted,—to preach deliverance to the captives, and to the blind sight.”192    Isa. lxi. 1. Let us then all acknowledge Him; nor should there be one exception among persons like ourselves, who wish to cleave to His body, to enter through Him into the sheepfold, and to attain to that life and eternal salvation which He has promised to His own.—Let us, I repeat, all of us acknowledge Him who did no sin, who bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we might live with righteousness separate from sins; by whose scars we are healed, when we were weak 193    There seems to be here some omission.—Benedictine Note.—like wandering sheep.

0139 54. Verumtamen commodius est, etiam ex ipso Vetere Testamento testimonia pauca depromere, quae vel ad supplementum, vel potius ad cumulum valere debebunt. Ipse Dominus per prophetam in Psalmo loquens ait: Sanctis qui sunt in terra ejus, mirificavit omnes voluntates meas in illis. Non merita illorum, sed voluntates meas. Nam illorum quid, nisi quod sequitur? Multiplicatae sunt infirmitates eorum: supra quod infirmi erant . Ad hoc et lex subintravit, ut abundaret delictum. Sed quid adjungit? Postea acceleraverunt: multiplicatis infirmitatibus, hoc est, abundante delicto, alacrius medicum quaesierunt, ut ubi abundavit peccatum, superabundaret gratia (Rom. V, 20). Denique, Non congregabo, inquit, conventicula eorum de sanguinibus: quoniam multis sacrificiorum sanguinibus, cum primum in tabernaculum vel in templum congregarentur, convincebantur potius peccatores, quam mundabantur. Non ergo jam, inquit, de sanguinibus congregabo conventicula eorum. Unus enim sanguis pro multis datus est, quo veraciter mundarentur. Denique sequitur, Nec memor ero nominum illorum per labia mea (Psal. XV, 3, 4): tanquam innovatorum . Nam nomina eorum erant prius, filii carnis, filii saeculi, filii irae, filii diaboli, immundi, peccatores, impii: postea vero, filii Dei, homini novo nomen novum, canticum novum cantanti novum , per Testamentum Novum. Non sint ingrati homines gratiae Dei, pusilli cum magnis, a minore usque ad majorem. Totius Ecclesiae vox est: Erravi sicut ovis, perdita (Psal. CXVIII, 176). Omnium membrorum Christi vox est: Omnes ut oves erravimus, et ipse traditus est pro peccatis nostris. Qui totus prophetiae locus apud Isaiam est, quo per Philippum sibi exposito, spado ille Candacis reginae in eum credidit (Act. VIII, 27-39). Vide quoties hoc ipsum commendet, et tanquam superbis nescio quibus, vel contentiosis identidem inculcet: Homo, inquit, in plaga, et qui sciat ferre infirmitates; propter quod et avertit se facies ejus, injuriata est, nec magni aestimata est. Hic infirmitates nostras portat, et pro nobis in doloribus est; et nos existimavimus illum in doloribus esse, et in plaga, et in poena: ipse autem vulneratus est propter peccata nostra, infirmatus est propter iniquitates nostras. Eruditio pacis nostrae super eum, in livore ejus sanati sumus. Omnes ut oves erravimus, et Dominus tradidit illum pro peccatis nostris. Et ipse quoniam male tractatus est, non aperuit os; ut ovis ad immolandum ductus est, et ut agnus ante eum qui se tonderet fuit sine voce, sic non aperuit os suum. In humilitate sublatum est judicium ejus: generationem ejus quis enarrabit? quoniam tolletur de terra vita ejus, ab iniquitatibus populi mei ductus est ad mortem. Dabo ergo malos propter sepulturam ejus, et divites propter mortem ejus, ob hoc quod iniquitatem 0140 non fecerit, nec dolum ore suo, Dominus vult purgare illum de plaga. Si dederitis vos ob delicta vestra animam vestram, videbitis semen longae vitae . Et vult Dominus auferre a doloribus animam ejus, ostendere illi lucem, et figurare per sensum, justificare justum bene servientem pluribus, et peccata illorum ipse sustinebit. Propterea ipse haereditabit complures, et fortium partietur spolia, propter quod tradita est anima ejus ad mortem, et inter iniquos aestimatus est, et ipse peccata multorum sustinuit, et propter iniquitates eorum traditus est (Isai. LIII, 3-12). Attende etiam illud ejusdem prophetae, quod de se completum, lectoris etiam functus officio in synagoga ipse recitavit: Spiritus Domini super me, propter quod unxit me, evangelizare pauperibus misit me, ut refrigerem qui in pressura cordis sunt, praedicare captivis remissionem, et caecis visum (Id. LXI, 1; Luc. IV, 16-21). Omnes ergo agnoscamus, nec ullus exceptus sit eorum, qui volumus corpori ejus haerere, per eum in ovile ejus intrare, ad vitam et salutem, quam suis promisit, perpetuam pervenire : omnes, inquam, agnoscamus eum, qui peccatum non fecit, et peccata nostra pertulit in corpore suo super lignum, ut a peccatis separati cum justitia vivamus; cujus cicatricibus sanati sumus, infirmi cum essemus , tanquam pecora errantia (I Petr. II, 22, 24, 25).