thing, thou wouldest get ready gold, or silver, or money, or any increase of cattle, or fruits,
which might be produced in thy possessions, to buy this I know not what great and excellent
thing, whereby to live in this earth happily. Buy this too, if thou wilt. Do not look for what
thou hast, but for what thou art. The price of this thing is thyself. Its price is what thou art
thyself. Give thine own self, and thou shalt have it. Why art thou troubled? why disquieted?
What? Art thou going to seek for thine own self, or to buy thyself? Lo, give thine own self
as thou art, such as thou art to that thing, and thou shalt have it. But you will say, “I am
wicked, and perhaps it will not accept me.” By giving thyself to it, thou wilt be good. The
giving thyself to this faith and promise, this is to be good. And when thou shalt be good,
thou wilt be the price of this thing; and shalt have, not only what I have mentioned, health,
safety, life, and life without end; thou shalt not only have this, I will take away other things
yet. There shall there be no weariness, and sleeping; there shall there be no hunger, and
thirst; there shall there be no growing, and growing old; because there shall be no birth
either where the numbers remain entire. The number that is there is entire; nor is there any
need for it to be increased, seeing there is no chance of diminution there. Lo, how many
things have I taken away, and I have not yet said what shall be there. Lo, already there is life,
and safety; no scourge, no hunger, no thirst, no failing, none of these; and yet I have not
said, “what eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor hath ascended into the heart of man.” For
if I have said it, it is false that is written, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it
ascended into the heart of man.” For whence should it ascend into my heart, that I should
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say “that which hath not ascended into the heart of man”? It is believed, and not seen; not
only not seen, but not even expressed. How then is it believed, if it is not expressed? Who
believes what he doth not hear? But if he hear it that he may believe, it is expressed; if ex-
pressed, it is thought of; if thought of and expressed, then it entereth into the ears of men.
And because it would not be expressed if it were not thought of, it hath ascended also into
the heart of man. Lo, already the mere proposing of so great a thing disturbs us, that we
cannot put it forth clearly in words. Who then can explain the thing itself?
4. Let us attend to the Gospel; just now the Lord was speaking, and let us do what He
said. “He that believeth in Me,” saith He, “passeth from death unto life, and cometh not into
judgment. Verily I say unto you, that the hour shall come, and now is, when the dead shall
hear the Voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in
Himself, so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself.”3793 By begetting Him He gave
it; in that He begat, He gave it. For the Son is of the Father, not the Father of the Son; but
the Father is the Father of the Son, and the Son is the Son of the Father. I say the Son is be-
gotten of the Father, not the Father of the Son; and the Son was always, always therefore
begotten. Who can comprehend this “always begotten”? For when any man hears of one
3793 John v. 24–26.
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On the words of the Gospel, John v. 25,’Verily, verily, I say unto you,…