Now see how he was drawn, and drawn, what is more, by the Father: Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona, because it is not flesh and blood that has revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.(Mt16:16-17)
This revelation is the same as attraction. You show a bunch of green leaves to a sheep, and you draw her. Nuts are shown to a small boy, and he is drawn; and he runs where he is drawn to, he is drawn by love, drawn without any harm to his body,drawn by accord of the heart. So, if these things, which are revealed to their lovers among earthly delights and pleasures, draw, how true it is that each one is by his pleasure drawn.Will not Christ draw us, when revealed by the Father?After all, what can the soul desire more eagerly than Truth?
What ought to make its mouth water more, what better reason could it have for wanting a healthy inner palate, sensitive enough to judge the truth of things, than the prospect of eating and drinking Wisdom, Justice,Truth,Eternity?- St Augustine
#St_Augustine
#Soteriology
This revelation is the same as attraction. You show a bunch of green leaves to a sheep, and you draw her. Nuts are shown to a small boy, and he is drawn; and he runs where he is drawn to, he is drawn by love, drawn without any harm to his body,drawn by accord of the heart. So, if these things, which are revealed to their lovers among earthly delights and pleasures, draw, how true it is that each one is by his pleasure drawn.Will not Christ draw us, when revealed by the Father?After all, what can the soul desire more eagerly than Truth?
What ought to make its mouth water more, what better reason could it have for wanting a healthy inner palate, sensitive enough to judge the truth of things, than the prospect of eating and drinking Wisdom, Justice,Truth,Eternity?- St Augustine
#St_Augustine
#Soteriology
"With respect to divine order, in infants, baptism and justification and regeneration happen together, from the nature of the covenant, "I will be your God and [the God] of your Seed; but the effects are made known eventually in their own time." -Lawrence Fogg (1712)
#Anglican
#Baptism
#Soteriology
#Anglican
#Baptism
#Soteriology
How good it is that the members of our body are disposed in a way only a divine craftsman could have done!And yet what bad use wantonness makes of the eyes!
What bad use deceitfulness makes of the tongue!
Does a false witness not first butcher his own soul with his tongue, and having done for himself then make every effort to injure another?
He is making bad use of the tongue, but that does not mean the tongue is bad; the tongue is a work of God, but that evil malice is making bad use of God's good work.- St Augustine
#St_Augustine
What bad use deceitfulness makes of the tongue!
Does a false witness not first butcher his own soul with his tongue, and having done for himself then make every effort to injure another?
He is making bad use of the tongue, but that does not mean the tongue is bad; the tongue is a work of God, but that evil malice is making bad use of God's good work.- St Augustine
#St_Augustine
The magi adored him, but that was all. If your conscience is without stain when you come forward, we shall allow you even to receive that body and then to go off to your home.
Do you, therefore, come forward and bring your gifts, not such gifts as the magi brought, but gifts which are far holier and more august. The magi brought gold; you bring a temperate and virtuous spirit. They brought incense; you must offer pure prayers, which are the incense of the soul. They brought myrrh; you must bring a humble and contrite heart along with alms. If you come forward with these gifts, you will enjoy and share in this sacred table with great trust and confidence.
Why do I speak these words at this time?
I know for sure that on that day many will come forward and lay hostile hands on that spiritual sacrifice. We must not do this to the harm and condemnation of our souls. We must approach the altar to win salvation for ourselves.- St John Chrysostom, Homily VI
#St_John_Chrysostom
#Eucharist
Do you, therefore, come forward and bring your gifts, not such gifts as the magi brought, but gifts which are far holier and more august. The magi brought gold; you bring a temperate and virtuous spirit. They brought incense; you must offer pure prayers, which are the incense of the soul. They brought myrrh; you must bring a humble and contrite heart along with alms. If you come forward with these gifts, you will enjoy and share in this sacred table with great trust and confidence.
Why do I speak these words at this time?
I know for sure that on that day many will come forward and lay hostile hands on that spiritual sacrifice. We must not do this to the harm and condemnation of our souls. We must approach the altar to win salvation for ourselves.- St John Chrysostom, Homily VI
#St_John_Chrysostom
#Eucharist
For to invoke angels without having obtained a knowledge of their nature greater than is possessed by men, would be contrary to reason. But, conformably to our hypothesis, let this knowledge of them, which is something wonderful and mysterious, be obtained. Then this knowledge, making known to us their nature, and the offices to which they are severally appointed, will not permit us to pray with confidence to any other than to the Supreme God, who is sufficient for all things, and that through our Saviour the Son of God, who is the Word, and Wisdom, and Truth, and everything else which the writings of God's prophets and the apostles of Jesus entitle Him.
And it is enough to secure that the holy angels of God be propitious to us, and that they do all things on our behalf, that our disposition of mind towards God should imitate as far as it is within the power of human nature the example of these holy angels, who again follow the example of their God- Origen, Contra Celsium V,V
#Origen
#veneration_saints
And it is enough to secure that the holy angels of God be propitious to us, and that they do all things on our behalf, that our disposition of mind towards God should imitate as far as it is within the power of human nature the example of these holy angels, who again follow the example of their God- Origen, Contra Celsium V,V
#Origen
#veneration_saints
What is Faith?
Now this is faith: when a person believes in God, the Lord of all, who made heaven and earth, and the seas and all that is in them, and who made Adam in his image. He gave the Torah to Moses, sent [a portion] of his Spirit into the prophets, and sent his Annointed One into the world.
Such a person also believes in the resurrection of the dead and the mystery of baptism. This is the faith of the Church of God. [It is also necessary that] a person separate himself from the observation of hours, Sabbaths, moons and seasons, from oracles, divinations, astrology and magic, from fornication and reveling, from empty teachings (which are the instruments of the Evil One), from the flattery of sweet words, from blasphemy, and from adultery.
And he must not bear false witness, nor speak with a double tongue. These are the works of the faith that is placed on the firm rock, which is Christ, upon whom the whole building rises. - St Aphrahat the Persian Sage, Demonstrations I
#St_Aphrahat
Now this is faith: when a person believes in God, the Lord of all, who made heaven and earth, and the seas and all that is in them, and who made Adam in his image. He gave the Torah to Moses, sent [a portion] of his Spirit into the prophets, and sent his Annointed One into the world.
Such a person also believes in the resurrection of the dead and the mystery of baptism. This is the faith of the Church of God. [It is also necessary that] a person separate himself from the observation of hours, Sabbaths, moons and seasons, from oracles, divinations, astrology and magic, from fornication and reveling, from empty teachings (which are the instruments of the Evil One), from the flattery of sweet words, from blasphemy, and from adultery.
And he must not bear false witness, nor speak with a double tongue. These are the works of the faith that is placed on the firm rock, which is Christ, upon whom the whole building rises. - St Aphrahat the Persian Sage, Demonstrations I
#St_Aphrahat
Moses carried his staff on his shoulder and went in front of the people that he was leading, and he tended them for forty years. He kept watch and he worked hard on behalf of his sheep; [he was] a diligent and good shepherd.
When his Lord wanted to annihilate them because of their sins(they worshipped the calf), Moses prayed and made a request of his Lord: “Either forgive the sins of the people, or erase me from your book that you have written!”
This is the attentive shepherd who gives himself on behalf of his sheep. This is the heroic leader who gives himself on behalf of his sheep. This is the compassionate father who cherishes and raises his children.- Aphrahat the Persian Sage, Demonstration 10, On Shepherds
#St_Aphrahat
#Syrian
#Biblical_Commentary
#Exodus
#Moses
When his Lord wanted to annihilate them because of their sins(they worshipped the calf), Moses prayed and made a request of his Lord: “Either forgive the sins of the people, or erase me from your book that you have written!”
This is the attentive shepherd who gives himself on behalf of his sheep. This is the heroic leader who gives himself on behalf of his sheep. This is the compassionate father who cherishes and raises his children.- Aphrahat the Persian Sage, Demonstration 10, On Shepherds
#St_Aphrahat
#Syrian
#Biblical_Commentary
#Exodus
#Moses
We never doubted of the necessity of good works, without which faith is but a fiction. We are not so stupid to imagine that Christ did wash us from our sins, that we might wallow more securely in sin, but that ‘we might serve him in holiness and righteousness all the days of our life.’
We never doubted the reward of good works; ‘Come, ye blessed of my Father, ‘& ’for I was hungry, and ye fed me’, nor whether reward be due to them in justice;-“Henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord the just Judge shall give me in that day;” faithful promise makes due debt.
This was all that the Ancient Church did ever understand by the name of Merits. Let Petavius bear witness; “All the ancient Fathers, especially St. Austin, and the Roman and Catholic Faith consenting with them, do acknowledge Merits in this sense, that no Merits go before the grace of God, and that these very Merits do depend wholly on grace and on the free promise of God.”- Archbishop Bramhall
#Anglican
#Soteriology
We never doubted the reward of good works; ‘Come, ye blessed of my Father, ‘& ’for I was hungry, and ye fed me’, nor whether reward be due to them in justice;-“Henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord the just Judge shall give me in that day;” faithful promise makes due debt.
This was all that the Ancient Church did ever understand by the name of Merits. Let Petavius bear witness; “All the ancient Fathers, especially St. Austin, and the Roman and Catholic Faith consenting with them, do acknowledge Merits in this sense, that no Merits go before the grace of God, and that these very Merits do depend wholly on grace and on the free promise of God.”- Archbishop Bramhall
#Anglican
#Soteriology
The Miracle of King Charles' blood
It hapned, by Gods appointment, that one Master, John Lane; now living in London in the old Change, a Woollen Draper by profession, hearing of the misery that Mrss Baylies daughter was in, he having a Handkircher about him which had been dipped in the Kinds blood on the day that he was beheaded.
This Mr. Lane gave her a piece of the same Handkircher, which the mayd tooke, and applied to her sores, and wiping her eyes with the bloody side of the Handkircher, hath through Heavens providence recovered her eyesight; and is become lusty and strong, and able to doe any thing both abroad and at home, as is fitting for one of her age and growth to doe, and many hundreds of people come daily to see her both from London and other places; and all that ever saw her in her sicknesse, and sees her now in health, do confesse that it is a work the Lord hath done; whereby, his Name might be glorified, and the Kings death thought upon.
http://anglicanhistory.org/charles/miracle.html
It hapned, by Gods appointment, that one Master, John Lane; now living in London in the old Change, a Woollen Draper by profession, hearing of the misery that Mrss Baylies daughter was in, he having a Handkircher about him which had been dipped in the Kinds blood on the day that he was beheaded.
This Mr. Lane gave her a piece of the same Handkircher, which the mayd tooke, and applied to her sores, and wiping her eyes with the bloody side of the Handkircher, hath through Heavens providence recovered her eyesight; and is become lusty and strong, and able to doe any thing both abroad and at home, as is fitting for one of her age and growth to doe, and many hundreds of people come daily to see her both from London and other places; and all that ever saw her in her sicknesse, and sees her now in health, do confesse that it is a work the Lord hath done; whereby, his Name might be glorified, and the Kings death thought upon.
http://anglicanhistory.org/charles/miracle.html