Second Sermon for Low Sunday: On the Manner in Which the Triple Testimony in Heaven and on Earth Distinguishes the Good from the Bad Amongst Angels and Men

“ There ave Three Who give testimony in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost ; and there are three thai give testimony on earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood.” —John v. 7, 8.

To-day, my brethren, we have heard recited to us from the first Epistle of St. John, a lesson in which we are told of a threefold testimony given in heaven, and of a threefold testimony given on earth. And according to my own judgment, the former testimony signifies stability, the latter restoration; the former concerns the angels and distinguishes the blessed from the miserable, the latter relates to men and separates the just from the impious. For the angels who “stood in the truth”’ (John viii. 44) in that primeval violation of order when the proud Lucifer rebelled, receive testimony—as they deserve—from the vision of the Trinity; whilst the Spirit, the water, and the blood give testimony to men who are saved through the divine compassion. Why should not the Father render testimony to them by whom He is honoured as a Father? But to thee, O wicked one, He speaketh thus, “If I be a Father, where is My honour ? ” (Mal. i. 6). Thou must, therefore, be deprived altogether of the Father’s testimony, Whose glory thou endeavourest to appropriate, desiring, not to honour Him, but rather to make thyself His equal. ‘‘I will sit,” thou saidest,

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“in the mountain of the covenant, in the sides of the north. I will ascend above the height of the clouds, © I will be like the Most High ” (Is. xvi. 13, 14). So soon after thy creation, dost thou aspire to an equality with “the Father of spirits” (Heb. xii. 9) ? Certainly, He has not yet given thee the invitation, “ Sit thou at My right hand ” (Ps. cix. 1). If thou art ignorant ‘of the fact, O most impudent one, the Only-Begotten it is to Whom, in virtue of His eternal generation, belongs co-equality with the Father and the right to sit on His throne. But thou, knowing that for thee it is “robbery to be equal with God ” (Phil. ii. 6), enviest the glory of the Son, “ the glory as it were of the Only-Begotten of the Father” (John i. 14), so that from Him likewise thou deservest to have no testimony. As to the Holy Ghost, is it possible that one abhorred by the Father and the Son shall have testimony in his favour from Him Who is the Spirit of Both? No, undoubtedly not, He Who “‘resteth upon the humble and quiet ” (Is. lxvi. 2, juxta LXX) will spurn the proud and restless; the Lover of peace and the Preserver of concord will fight against thee in behalf of peace and concord.

Is it any wonder, my brethren, that I fear lest the “singular wild beast ” (Ps. xxix. 14) should begin to ravage this little vineyard of the Lord ? For how many vines of the heavenly vineyard have not been ruined by him who was the first to give an example of singularity! But perhaps you find it easier to detect his pride than to discover wherein he was singular. Listen to me, therefore, When all the angels were standing, was not he manifestly guilty of the sin of singularity who presumptuously determined to seat himself?

Perhaps you would like to ask me how I know that the angels were standing? I have the testimony of two credible witnesses, both of whom attest what they beheld with their own eyes. “I saw the Lord,” says Isaias, “sitting upon a throne high and elevated, and His train filled the temple. Upon it stood the seraphims ” (Is. vi. 1, 2). And Daniel, “ Thousands of thousands ministered to Him, and ten thousand times a hundred thousand stood before Him ”’ (Dan. vii. 10). Shall I bring forward even a third attester, ‘‘ that in the mouth of three witnesses every word may stand ” (Matt. xviii. 16)? Listen, then, to the Apostle, who was “ rapt even to the third heaven ”’ (2 Cor. xii. 2), and on his return said, “ Are they not all ministering spirits? ” (Heb. i. 14). And so whilst all the rest stand, whilst all minister, wilt thou alone, the enemy of peace, be seated? Evidently thou dost “ grieve the holy Spirit of God ” (Ephes. iv. 30), ““ Who maketh men of one manner to dwell in a house ” (Ps. lxvii. 7); thou sinnest against charity by dissolving unity and breaking ‘‘ the bond of peace ” (Ephes. iv. 3). Justly, therefore, does the Holy Spirit, whilst reprobating thy envy and singularity and turbulence, render testimony to the charity, unity, and peace of the angels who forsook neither their rank nor their dwelling. So much for the triple testimony which is given in heaven.

There is (as I have said) another triple testimony rendered on earth, to distinguish the exiles from the natives, that is to say, the citizens of heaven from the citizens of Babylon. For how could God ever leave His elect without testimony ? (Acts xiv. 16). Or what consolation could they have, wavering in anxious

ON THE TRIPLE TESTIMONY 221 solicitude between hope and fear, if they deserved to receive no assurance at all as to their election ? “The Lord knoweth who are His” (2 Tim. ii. 19), and He alone knoweth whom He hath elected from the beginning (Ephes. i. 4). But who amongst men “ knoweth whether he be worthy of love or hatred” (Eccles. ix. I)? But if absolute certitude in this matter is altogether denied us, as it unquestionably is, will not such probable signs of our election as we may be able to discover be all the more consoling for that very reason? For what rest can our spirits enjoy so long as we lack every testimony of our predestination ? “ A faithful saying, therefore, and worthy of all acceptation’ (x Tim. i. 15) is that which commends to us the testimonies of our salvation. That “saying” assuredly gives comfort to the elect and leaves no excuse to the reprobate. For now that the signs of life are known, whosoever neglects them is proved thereby to have “ taken his soul in vain ” (Ps. xxiii. 4), and stands convicted of “setting at nought the desirable land”’ (Ps. cv. 24).

“ There are three,” writes the Evangelist, “that give testimony on earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood.” You know, my brethren, that we all sinned in the first man, and that in his fall we all hada share. We fell into a prison, upon a place full of mud and stones. There we lay, captive, begrimed, and badly bruised, until “ the Desired of all nations ” (Agg. ii. 8) came to redeem, to cleanse, and to cure us. For it is He Who gave His own Blood for our redemption, Who poured out water from His side for our cleansing, and sent His Holy Spirit from on high to support our infirmity. Wouldst thou know, then, my brother, whether these three remedies have proved effective in thy case—lest perchance thou be found “guilty of the blood of the Lord ” (1 Cor. xi. 27) by doing what in thee lies to rob It of Its fruit—lest the water likewise, which should have cleansed thee, only makes still heavier the judgment of damnation reserved for one who perseveres in his filthiness, and lest the Spirit also Whom thou resistest ‘‘ will not acquit the evil speaker from his lips ’’(Wisdom i. 6)? For thou must be on thy guard to prevent them, viz., the Blood and the water and the Spirit, from being unprofitable in thy regard, since they cannot be rendered unprofitable without becoming also prejudicial.

Now, who is the man that has testimony that the Blood of Christ was not poured out for him in vain, but he who abandons his sins? For ‘“‘ whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin” (John x. 34). Consequently, he who is able to avoid sin for the future and to cast off the yoke of so miserable a servitude has a most reliable testimony of his redemption, which he owes beyond doubt to the efficacy of the Blood of Christ. But abstinence from sin in the future is not enough for the sinner, unless there is also penitence for the past. He requires, therefore, a second testimony from the water. And this he possesses if, like the Psalmist, he “labours in his groanings’”’ and “ every night washes his couch with his tears” (Ps. vi. 7). For as we have been redeemed by the Blood so that “sin might no longer reign in our mortal body ” (Rom. vi. 12), so must we be purified by the water from the sins we committed before. But what are we to do if, in consequence of our long endurance of chains and our cruel confinement in prison, our strength has been broken

ON THE TRIPLE TESTIMONY 223 and our health undermined, so that now we are unable to walk on in the way of life ? Let usinvoke our Helper, the vivifying Spirit, trusting that the “Father from heaven will give the good Spirit to them that ask Him ” (Luke xi. 13). Now, the surest sign we can possess of our having received the Holy Spirit is the beginning of a new life of fervour. To recapitulate in short what Ihave been saying : we have testimony from the Blood, from the water, and from the Spirit when we abstain from sin, when we “ bring forth fruit worthy of penance ” (Matt. ili. 8), when we do the works of life.