Form of God, saith to him, “Have I been so long time with you, and have ye not known Me?
He that seeth Me, seeth the Father also.” Thou askest to see the Father; see Me, thou seest
Me, and dost not see Me. Thou seest what for thee I have assumed, thou dost not see What
I have reserved for thee. Give ear to My commandments, purify thine eyes. “For whoso
486
loveth Me, keepeth My commandments, and I will love him.” To him as keeping My com-
mandments, and by My commandments made whole will I manifest Myself.
15. If then, Brethren, we are not able to see what the “Seeing” of the Word is, whither
are we going? what Vision it may be with too great haste are we requiring? why are we
wishing to have shown us what we are not able to see? These things accordingly are spoken
of which we desire to see, not as what we are able already to comprehend. For if thou seest
the “Seeing” of the Word, peradventure in that thou seest the “Seeing” of the Word, thou
wilt see the Word Himself; that the Word may not be one thing, the “Seeing” of the Word
another, lest there be Therein anything joined, and coupled, and double, and compacted.
For It is something Simple, of a Simplicity ineffable. Not as with a man, the man is one thing,
the man’s seeing another. For sometimes a man’s seeing is extinguished, and the man remains.
This it is of which I said that I was about to say something which all would not be able to
understand; the Lord even grant that some may have understood. My Brethren, to this end
doth He exhort us, that we may see, that the “Seeing” of the Word is beyond our powers;
for they are small; be they nourished, perfected. Whereby? By the commandments. What
commandments? “He that loveth Me, keepeth My commandments.”3784 What command-
ments? For already do we wish to increase, to be strengthened, perfected, that we may see
the “Seeing” of the Word. Tell us, Lord, now what commandments? “A new commandment
I give unto you, that ye love one another.”3785 This charity then, Brethren, let us draw from
the plentifulness of the Fountain, let us receive it; be nourished by it. Receive thou3786 that
whereby thou mayest be able to receive. Let charity give thee birth, let charity nourish thee;
charity bring thee to perfection, charity strengthen thee; that thou mayest see this “Seeing”
of the Word, that the Word is not one thing and His “Seeing” another, but that the “Seeing”
of the Word is the Very Word Himself; and so perhaps thou wilt soon understand that that
which is said, “The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do,” is as
if He had said, “The Son would not be, if He had not been born of the Father.” Let this suffice,
Brethren; I know that I have said that which perhaps, if meditated upon, may develop itself
to many, which oftentimes when expressed in words may chance to be obscured.3787
3784 John xiv. 21.
3785 John xiii. 34.
3786 Cape per quod sis capax.
3787 See Tract. 18 and 20 in Joh.
1008
On the words of the Gospel, John v. 19, ‘The Son can do nothing of Himself,…