Sermon XXXVII. On the Knowledge and the Ignorance of God and of Self

"If thou know not thyself, go forth."

I do not think, my brethren, that there is any necessity to warn you to-day against yielding to sleep, since, doubtless, the words of charitable reproof which I addressed to you so late as yesterday are still fresh in your memory, and have made you determined to keep wide awake. ( You recollect, then, that I obtained your assent to the proposition that no one is saved without self-knowledge. For it is, in fact, to this knowledge that we owe the virtue of humility — the mother of salvation — and also the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of salvation quite as much as it is the beginning of wisdom. But when I say that there can be no salvation without self-knowledge, I mean, of course, for those who are of the age and have the capacity for acquiring it. This limitation is necessary on account of infants and idiots whose case is completely different. But what if one has no knowledge of God? Can such ignorance consist with the hope of salvation? Surely not. For we can neither love God without the knowledge of Him, nor possess Him without the love of Him. Therefore, let us know ourselves that we may fear God, and let us know God that we may also love Him. The first of these virtues introduces us to wisdom, the second brings us to its perfection, because "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom," and "love is the fulfilling of the law." Consequently, it is as necessary to avoid ignorance of God and ignorance of self as it is certain that without the fear and the love of God we cannot save our souls. As regards the knowledge of other objects, that is a matter of indifference; we shall not be condemned for the want of it any more than its possession will save us.¹

I am far from saying, however, that the knowledge of letters is to be despised or neglected. Such learning furnishes and adorns the mind, and enables us to instruct others. But it is expedient and necessary to acquire, first of all, that twofold knowledge of God and self, in which, as I have already shown, our salvation essentially consists. And see if the Prophet had not this order of knowing in mind, and did not recommend it to us when he said, "Sow for yourselves unto justice, and reap the hope of life," after which he added, "and light for yourselves the lamp of knowledge."² He put the knowledge of letters in the last place, because, like a picture, it must rest upon something solid; and for this reason he would have it superimposed upon the knowledge of God and self as upon its proper basis and support. Securely may I apply myself to the acquisition of learning, if, through the grace of hope, I have first been rendered secure of the possession of life. Therefore, my brethren, you have sown "for yourselves unto justice,'* if by a true knowledge of yourselves you have been awakened to the fear of God, if you have humbled yourselves, poured out tears of contrition, given abundant alms, and devoted yourselves to all the other exercises of piety; if you have afflicted your bodies with fastings and watchings; if you have beaten your breasts with penitential blows and wearied heaven with your cries for mercy. This is what is meant by sowing "for yourselves unto justice." The seeds to be sown are good works, virtuous pursuits, holy tears. "Going they went and wept," says the Psalmist, "casting their seeds." But then shall they always weep? Certainly not. For, as the Prophet goes on to say, "coming they shall come with joyfulness, carrying their sheaves." Rightly does he represent them as coming "with joyfulness," since they carry the "sheaves "of immortal glory. But it may be objected that this joy is reserved for the Last Day, and that the wait is too long. Do not let such a thought discourage you; do not lose heart through "pusillanimity of spirit." You have meantime of the first-fruits of the Holy Ghost that which you may now reap "with joyfulness." "Sow for yourselves unto justice," urges the Prophet, "reap the hope of life." Mind, he does not tell us to wait until the Last Day, when we shall come into actual possession of what we now possess in hope. But he speaks of the present. The entrance into eternal life will assuredly fill us with immense happiness and a joy exceeding great. But is not the very hope of such a joy a joy in itself? "Rejoicing in hope," says the Apostle. And notice how David does not tell us that he will rejoice, but that he has rejoiced, in the hope of entering into the house of the Lord. He was not yet in actual enjoyment of life everlasting, but the hope of it he had already reaped. And he experienced in himself the truth of the words of Holy Scripture, where it is written that not alone the reward itself, but the mere "expectation of the just is joy." This joy is engendered in the heart of him who sows for himself unto justice, by the assurance of his pardon; provided, however, that such assurance is confirmed by the efficacy of the grace received in enabling him to live thereafter more holily. Everyone of you, my brethren, who is conscious of these operations in his interior, knows what the Spirit speaks, for His words and His works are ever in harmony. We therefore understand what is said, because what the ear hears exteriorly the heart feels within. For He Who speaks in us also works within us, "the same Spirit dividing to everyone according as He will," communicating to some the gift of speech, to others the grace of well-doing.

Every one of you, therefore, who, after passing beyond the first stage of his conversion, usually so painful and sorrowful, rejoices in the renewal of hope and in his elevation on the wings of grace to the more tranquil state of heavenly consolation — every such soul, I say, is in truth already reaping, enjoying the temporal fruit of her tears, She has both seen God and heard His voice saying to her, "Give her of the fruit of her hands." For how can it be doubted thai she has seen God, since she has even tasted and seen "that the Lord is sweet"? Oh, how sweet and savoury dost thou taste to him, Lord Jesus, who has obtained from Thee not only the pardon of his sins, but even the grace of sanctity, and not that alone, but, to crown Thy favours, the promise of eternal life as well! Happy he who has reaped so rich a harvest, having here his "fruit unto sanctification, and the end life everlasting"! Justly has he, who wept on discovering himself, rejoiced, like the apostles, on beholding the Lord, at the sight of Whose tender compassion he has already gathered such abundant sheaves, pardon, sanctification, and the hope of heaven. Oh, how true are those words which we read in the Psalmist, "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy"! Herein we find included both the knowledge of self and the knowledge of God, the former sowing in tears, and the latter reaping in joy.

Having first acquired this twofold knowledge of God and self, we are now in no danger of being "puffed up" by whatever learning we may add to it. For such learning can offer us nothing in the way of earthly honour or emolument, which is not so worthless in comparison with the hope we have conceived and the gladness of that hope, now deeply rooted in our soul, that it can no longer be a temptation to us. "And hope confoundeth not; because the charity of God is poured forth in our hearts by the Holy Ghost Who is given to us." Thus, the reason why hope "confoundeth not" is because charity infuses certitude. For it is by charity that "the Spirit Himself giveth testimony to our spirit that we are the sons of God." What advantage, therefore, can any learning of our own, however great, bring within our reach, which is not less than this glory whereby we are numbered amongst the children of God? But this is saying too little, since, in comparison with such and so great a dignity, the whole earth and the fulness thereof, although all that were offered to each one of us, would not be worthy of even a single thought. But if we are ignorant of God, how can we hope in One Whom we do not know? If we are ignorant of ourselves, how can we have humility, since we shall think ourselves to be something, whereas we are nothing, as the Apostle speaks? And we know that without humility and hope we can have neither lot nor fellowship in the inheritance of the saints.

Let us consider now, my brethren, with what care and solicitude we ought to guard against both these kinds of ignorance, one of which is the source of all sin and the other the consummation thereof; just as, on the other hand, the first of the two kinds of knowledge is the beginning, and the second the perfection, of wisdom. For self-knowledge begets the fear of the Lord, whilst from the knowledge of God we are led to the love of Him, as I have already sufficiently explained. It remains now to show how the twofold ignorance stands in the same relation to sin. As "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom," so "pride is the beginning of all sin w; and just as the love of God is the consummation of wisdom, in the same way is despair the consummation of sin. Agaia, just as the knowledge of self leads to the fear of the Lord, and the knowledge of God to the love of Him; so, on the contrary, ignorance of self is the mother of pride, and ignorance of God gives birth to despair. Pride is the daughter of ignorance of self, inasmuch as our thought, deceived itself and deceiving us, makes us believe ourselves to be better than we really are. Now this is pride, this "the beginning of all sin," to appear greater in one's own eyes than one is in truth, or in the eyes of God. And therefore it is said of him who first committed this most dreadful sin, the devil, namely, that "he stood not in the truth, but is a liar from the beginning."³ And the reason is because he was greater in his own thought than he was in truth. What then would be the consequence if one departed from truth, not by exaggerating his merit, but by esteeming himself less than he really is? Undoubtedly, his ignorance would excuse him, and he would not, at any rate, be reputed proud; and instead of his "iniquity being found unto hatred," his humility would rather be found unto grace and pardon. Had we a clear knowledge of how we stood, each of us, in the judgment of God, it would be our duty to place ourselves neither above nor below that level, but in all things to be conformed to truth. But now, since this judgment "hath made darkness its hiding-place," and the divine appraisement is concealed from our view, so that "no man knoweth whether he be worthy of love or hatred," in this uncertainty it is manifestly better and safer to act according to the counsel of Divine Truth, and to choose for ourselves the last place, whence we may afterwards be promoted with honour, than to usurp too high a position which we shall soon be compelled to resign in confusion.

We run no risk, consequently, however much we humble ourselves, no matter how much meaner we make ourselves than we really are, that is to say, than we are in the estimation of Infinite Wisdom. But it would be an immense evil and a fearful danger to exalt oneself, be it ever so little, above one's proper place, for instance, to prefer myself in thought even to one, since, perchance, in the eyes of God, he may be my equal or superior. Let me give you an example to illustrate my meaning. When I am passing through a very low doorway, it will do me no harm to stoop as much as I please. But if I raise myself too high, even by so much as a finger's breadth, I at once meet with obstruction, and experience the painful sensation of knocking my head against the lintel. It is the same in spiritual things. The soul has nothing to fear from humility, no matter how low she bends. But should she rashly presume to lift herself above her merit, even in the slightest degree, dreadful and exceedingly awful are the evils that threaten her. Wherefore, O man, beware of comparing thyself either with those who are greater than thee or with those who are less than thee, with many, or even with one. For how dost thou know whether he, who appears to thee the vilest and most miserable of all men, whom:e infamous and utterly abandoned life makes thee shudder with horror, whom thou regardest consequently as deserving of contempt, not only in comparison with thyself — who, in thine own judgment, art living soberly, justly, and piously — but even in comparison with all other criminals, as being the most criminal of all — how, I ask, dost thou know whether such a one may not become hereafter better than both they and thou by the "change of the right hand of the Most High," or whether he is not so even now in the sight of God? Therefore, the Master recommends us to sit down, not in an intermediate place, nor in the place next the last, nor in one of the last, but in the very last of all. "Go," says He, "sit down in the lowest place," so that, placed last and alone, thou mayest not presume, I do not say to prefer, but even to compare thyself to anyone. Behold, my brethren, how great an evil results from lack of self-knowledge, pride, namely, which is the sin of the devil, and the beginning of all sin. As regards the ill-consequences to which the ignorance of God gives rise, I reserve that subject for another occasion. This adjournment is necessitated by the lateness of the hour, for we were not assembled to-day as early as usual. And so let it suffice, meantime, that each of you has been admonished not to remain in ignorance of himself, not only by me, but also by the grace and inspiration of the Bridegroom of the Church, Jesus Christ, Our Lord, Who is over all things, God blessed for ever. Amen.

Footnotes

1. The Saint, of course, is here speaking of learning absolutely and in itself. But what is indifferent, when so considered, may, and often does, become matter of obligation in the concrete, by reason of particular circumstances. Thus priests, lawyers, medical doctors, etc., are strictly bound to possess the learning necessary for the proper discharge of their respective duties. — (Translator.) ↩

2. St. Bernard is here quoting not from the Vulgate but from the Septuagint, ΩΣΗΕ i. 12. "Σπείρατε ἑαυτοῖς εἰς δικαιοσύνην, τρυγήσατε εἰς καρπὸν ζωῆς, φωτίσατε ἑαυτοῖς φῶς γνώσεως." The Vulgate reading is altogether different, "Seminate vobis in justitia et metite in ore misericordiae, innovate vobis novale." — (Translator.) ↩

3. Quoted compendiously. St. John's words are, "He was a murderer from the beginning and he stood not in the truth; because truth is not in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar and the father thereof." — (Translator.) ↩