Ps 54, 13

17

Ps 30, 12

16

and the mouth of the de- My lots are in Thy Hands.
ceitful man is opened against Deliver me out of the hands
me.-They have spoken of my enemies; and from
against me with deceitful them that persecute me.
tongues: and they have com-
passed me about with words
of hatred; and have fought rounded me: fat bulls have
against me without cause.- besieged me.

(6) On the Cross. Many calves have

sur- Ps 21, 13

They have
Instead of making me a re-
turn of love, they detracted opened their mouths against
me: but I gave myself to me, as a lion ravening and
roaring. I am poured out
prayer. And they repaid me like water; and all my bones
evil for good and hatred for
my love.

(4) In His Agony in the
Garden.

are scattered. My heart is
become like wax melting in
the midst of my bowels.-My
strength is dried up like a
If my enemy had reviled potsherd, and my tongue hath
me, I would verily have cleaved to my jaws and
borne with it. And if he Thou hast brought me down
that hated me had spoken into the dust of death.-For
great things against me: many dogs have encompassed
would perhaps have hidden me: the council of the
myself from him. -But thou malignant hath besieged me.
a man of one mind, my guide, They have dug my hands and
and my familiar.-Who didst feet. They have numbered
take sweet meats together all my bones. And they
with me in the House of have looked and stared upon
God we walked with con- me.- They parted my gar-
sent. Let death come upon ments amongst them; and
them, and let them go down upon my vesture they cast
alive into hell. For there is lots.
wickedness in their dwellings:
in the midst of them.-But I
have cried to God and the
Lord will save me.

:

(7) In Death.

19

Save me, O God: for the Ps 68,2-5, waters are come in even unto 22, 10 my soul.-I am come into the (5) In Abandonment. depth of the sea and a temThey that saw me fled pest hath overwhelmed me.without from me.-I am for-I have laboured with crying; gotten as one dead from the my jaws are become hoarse: heart. I am become as a my eyes have failed, whilst I vessel that is destroyed.-hope in my God.-They are For I have heard the blame multiplied above the hairs of of many that dwell round my head, who hate me withabout. While they assembled out cause.e.-They gave Me together against me, they gall for My food. The zeal consulted to take away my of Thy House hath eaten me life. But I have put my up: and the reproaches of trust in Thee, O Lord: I them that reproached Thee said: Thou art my God.-are fallen upon me.

BOOK IV.

ON THE WORD OF GOD.

THE "Word of God" in its first and original sense is the personal and proper name of the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity-the Art and Wisdom of the Father. In a secondary sense the 'Word of God" signifies every external manifestation of the wisdom of God. Thus ancient Greek writers call creation "the external generation of the Word." By generation they mean manifestation. God's wisdom is so manifest throughout creation that they who fail to perceive it are condemned by the "Wise Man " as "vain" and by S. Paul as "inexcusable." But God deigned to make a yet fuller manifestation of Himself. He had destined man for a higher vision of Himself than that which is "through a glass, in a dark manner." Man was to see Him "face to face" and "as He is." Such was to be the end and beatitude of man-a supernatural end and beatitude. The manifestation of God by the light of Nature could convey no knowledge of this supernatural end. Yet the end must be known. Man must press onward to that end, direct all his actions to it. So God manifested this design of His wisdom and goodness by that fuller manifestation of Himself which is by the light of Faith. The "Word of God" in the sense in which we here employ the term is the manifestation of God which is by Faith. The truths of Faith are contained equally in the Sacred Scriptures and in Divine Tradition. The difference between the Sacred Scriptures and Divine Tradition is not a difference of substance, but only a difference of mode. The Sacred Scriptures are the written word of God; the truths contained in Divine Tradition are the unwritten word of God.

Dt 8, 3

He 4, 12

Je 23, 29

Is 55, 1011

2 Ti 1,13

14

PART I.

ON THE WORD OF GOD.

1.- -THE WORD OF GOD IN GENERAL.

Not in bread alone doth whatsoever I please, and
man live, but in every word shall prosper in the things
that proceedeth from the for which I sent it.
mouth of God.

14, 17

I have manifested Thy Jn 17, 6, The word of God is living Name to men whom Thou and effectual, and more hast given me out of the piercing than any two-world. Thine they were, edged sword and reaching and to Me Thou gavest them. unto the division of the soul And they have kept Thy and the marrow, and is a word.-I have given them discerner of the thoughts and Thy word.-Sanctify them intents of the heart. in truth. Thy word is truth. Are not My words as a Be strengthened in the Ep 6, 10, fire? saith the Lord; and Lord and in the might of 16-17 as a hammer that breaketh His power,-In all things the rock in pieces ? taking the shield of faith, As the rain and the snow wherewith you may be able come down from Heaven, and to extinguish all the fiery return no more thither, but darts of the most wicked one. soak the earth, and water it,-And take unto you the and make it to spring, and helmet of salvation, and the give seed to the sower, and sword of the Spirit, which bread to the eater :- So is the word of God,

shall My word be, which Faith cometh by hearing, Ro 10, 17 shall go forth from My and hearing by the word of

Mouth; it shall not return Christ.

to Me void, but it shall do Thy words is truth.

2. THE UNWRITTEN WORD OF GOD.

Hold the form of sound took bread.-And the rest I words which thou hast heard will put in order when I of me in faith and in the come.

Ps 118, 160

love which is in Christ [Pray] withal for us also Cl 4, 3-4 Jesus. Keep the good thing that God may open unto us committed to thy trust by a door to speak the mystery the Holy Ghost, Who of Christ, for which also I dwelleth in us. am bound, that I may make 1C11, 23- I have received of the it manifest, as I ought to Lord that which also I de

24

speak.

livered unto you, that the Remove not the ancient Pv 23, 28 Lord Jesus, the same night landmarks which thy fathers

in which He was betrayed, set.

Mt 20, 19

Mk 15, 16

2 T 2, 14

1 C11, 2

1 C11,16

2 T 2, 6

5

Going, nations.

all soever you shall loose upon
earth, shall be loosed also in

teach ye
Go ye into the whole world, Heaven.
and preach the Gospel to
every creature.

He that heareth you hear- Lu 10, 16 eth Me: and he that despis

Brethren, stand fast and eth you despiseth Me.

hold the traditions which It is not you that speak, Mt 10, 20
you have learned, whether but the Spirit of your
by word or by our Epistle. Father that speaketh in

:

Now I praise you, brethren, you.
that in all things you are Some coming down from Ac 15, 1,
mindful of Me and keep Judea [to Antioch] taught 22-23, 28-
My ordinances as I have the brethren: that except you 29, 41
delivered them unto you. be circumcised after the
If any man seem to be manner of Moses you cannot
contentious: he hath no be saved.-Then it pleased
such custom, nor the Church the Apostles and ancients
of God.
with the whole Church to
Remember you not that choose men of their own
when I was yet with you I company, and to send them
told you these things?-And to Antioch with Paul and
now you know what with- Barnabas. Writing by
holdeth, that He may be their hands:-It hath seemed
revealed in His time.
good to the Holy Ghost and

1 Ti, 6, 20 O Timothy, keep that to us, to lay no further bur-
which is committed to thy den upon you than these
trust, avoiding the profane necessary things :-That you
novelties of words, and oppo-abstain from things strangled
sitions of knowledge falsely and from fornication.-And
so-called.
he [Paul] went through Syria

2 Ti 2, 2

Lu 11, 28

Mt 18, 18

Ex 24, 12

The things which thou and Cilicia, confirming the hast heard of Me by many Churches, commanding them witnesses, the same commend to keep the precepts of the to faithful men, who shall Apostles and the ancients. be fit to teach others also. I have yet many things to Jn 16, 12Blessed are they who hear say to you; but you cannot the Word of God and keep it. bear them now.-But when Whatsoever you shall bind He, the Spirit of Truth, is upon earth, shall be bound come, He will teach you all also in Heaven: and what- truth.

3.—THE WRITTEN WORD OF GOD; ITS ORIGIN;

WHERE PRESERVED.

The Lord said to Moses :mandments

which I have

Come up to Me into the written: that thou mayst
Mount and be there; and I teach them.

13

will give thee tables of stone, The Lord said to Moses: Ex 17, 14 and the law and the com-Write this for a memorial in

K K

Dt 17, 18

Dt 10, 1-5

:

a Book, and deliver it to the taining all the words that ears of Josue. He spoke to you in the Ex 34, 27 The Lord said to Moses: Mount from the midst of the Write thee these words, by fire, when the people were which I have made a cove- assembled together. - And nant, both with thee and when forty days were passed, with Israel. and as many nights, the Lord Taking the copy of the gave me the two tables of Law from the Priests of the stone, the tables of the coveLevitical tribe, he [the king] nant. Ishall have it with him, and You came to the foot of the Dt 4, 11shall read it all the days of Mount, which burned even 14 his life, that he may learn to unto Heaven, and there was fear the Lord, and keep darkness and a cloud and His words and ceremonies obscurity in it. And the that are commanded in the Lord spoke to you from the Law. midst of the fire. You heard At that time the Lord said the voice of His words, but to me Hew the two tables you saw not any form at all. of stone like the former, and -And He showed you His come up to Me unto the Covenant, which He comMount and thou shalt make manded you to do, and the an Ark of wood.-And I will Ten Words that He wrote in write on the tables the two tables of stone.-And He words that were in them, commanded me at that time which thou brokest before, that I should teach you the and thou shalt put them in ceremonies and judgments the Ark. And I made an which you shall do in the Ark of setim-wood. And land that you shall possess. when I had hewn two tables These words the Lord Dt 5, 22 of stone like the former, I spoke to all the multiwent up into the Mount, tude of you in the mountain, having them in my hands.-out of the midst of the fire And he wrote in the tables, and the cloud, and the darkaccording as he had written ness, with a loud voice, addbefore, the ten words, which ing nothing more: and He the Lord spoke to you in the wrote them in two tables of Mount from the midst of the stone, which He delivered fire, when the people were unto me. assembled: and he gave Moses returned from the Dt 32, 15them to me. And returning Mount, carrying the two 16, 19 from the Mount, I came down tables of the testimony in and put the tables into the his hand, written on both Ark that I had made, and sides. And made by the they are there till this pre-work of God: the writing of sent, as the Lord commanded God was also graven in the tables.-And when he came

Dt 9, 10

11

me.

The Lord gave me two nigh to the camp he saw the tables of stone written with calf and the dances: and the finger of God, and con- being very angry, he threw