Christ he knew not after the flesh, but after the Spirit, who, not by touching in curiosity,
but in believing assured, acknowledgeth the power of His Resurrection; not saying in his
heart, “Who hath ascended into heaven? that is, to bring Christ down; or, Who hath descen-
ded into the deep? that is, to bring back Christ from the dead.” “But,” saith he, “the word is
nigh thee, in thy mouth, that Jesus is the Lord; and if thou shalt believe in thine heart that
God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth
unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”4252 These,
Brethren, are the words of the Apostle, pouring them forth with the holy inebriation of the
Holy Ghost Himself.
4. Forasmuch then as we could in no way have had this blessedness by which we see not
and yet believe, unless we received it of the Holy Ghost; it is with good reason said, “It is
expedient for you that I go away. For if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto
you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you.”4253 By His Divinity indeed He is with us al-
ways; but unless He had in Body gone away from us, we had always seen His Body after the
flesh. and never believed after a spiritual sort; by the which belief justified and blessed we
might attain4254 with cleansed hearts to contemplate the Very Word, God with God, “by
whom all things were made,” and “who was made Flesh, that He might dwell among us.”
And if not with the contact of the hand, but “with the heart man believeth unto righteous-
ness;” with good reason is the world, which will not believe save what it sees, convinced of
our righteousness. Now that we might have that righteousness of faith of which the unbe-
lieving world should be convinced, therefore said the Lord, “Of righteousness, because I go
to the Father, and ye shall see Me no more.” As if He had said, “This shall be your righteous-
ness, that ye believe on Me, the Mediator, of whom ye shall be most fully assured that He
is risen again and gone to the Father, though ye see Him not after the Flesh; that by Him
reconciled, ye may be able to see God after the Spirit.” Whence He saith to the woman who
represents the Church, when she fell at His Feet after His Resurrection, “Touch Me not, for
I am not yet ascended to the Father.”4255 Which expression is understood mystically, thus.
“Believe not in Me after a carnal manner by means of bodily contact; but thou shalt believe
after a spiritual manner; that is, with a spiritual faith shalt touch Me, when I shall have as-
cended to the Father.” For, “blessed are they who do not see, and believe.” And this is the
righteousness of faith, of which the world, which hath it not, is convinced of us who are not
without it; for “the just liveth by faith.” 4256 Whether it be then that as rising again in Him,
4252 Rom. x. 6, etc.
4253 John xvi. 7.
4254 Mereremur.
4255 John xx. 17.
4256 Hab. ii. 4; Rom. i. 17.
1110
On the words of the Gospel, John xvi. 7, ‘I tell you the truth; it is expedient…