denial; wherefore, I say, being sad that he was asked repeatedly by Him who knew what He
was asking, and had given what He heard; wherefore being sad, did he return such an answer,
“Lord, Thou knowest all things, Thyself knowest that I love Thee”? What! in making such
a confession, such a profession rather, would he lie? In truth then, he made answer of his
love to Thee, and from his inmost heart he gave utterance to a lover’s words. Now Thou
hast said, “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things.”
4132 So then he is both a shepherd, and a good shepherd; nothing it is true to the power and
goodness of the Shepherd of shepherds; but nevertheless even he is both a shepherd, and a
good one; and all other such are good shepherds.
5. What means it then, that to good shepherds Thou dost set forth One Only Shepherd,
but that in One Shepherd Thou teachest unity? and the Lord Himself explains this more
clearly by my ministry, putting you, beloved, in remembrance by this Gospel, and saying,
“Hear ye what I have set forth; I have said, ‘I am the good Shepherd;’ because all the rest, all
the good shepherds, are My members.” One Head, One Body, One Christ. So then both the
Shepherd of shepherds, and the shepherds of the Shepherd, and the sheep with their shep-
herds under The Shepherd. What is all this, but what the Apostle says? “For as the body is
one, and hath many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body;
so also is Christ.”4133 Therefore if Christ be even so, with good reason doth Christ in Himself
containing all good shepherds, set forth One, saying, “‘I am the good Shepherd.’ ‘I am,’ I
Alone am, all the rest with Me are one in unity. Whoso feedeth without Me, feedeth against
Me. ‘He that gathereth not with Me, scattereth.’”4134 Hear then this unity more forcibly set
forth; “Other sheep,” saith He, “I have which are not of this fold.”4135 For He was speaking
to the first fold of the stock of the fleshly Israel. But there were others of the stock of the
faith of this Israel, and they were yet without, were among the Gentiles, predestinated, not
yet gathered in. These He knew who had predestinated them; He knew, who had come to
redeem them with the shedding of His Own Blood. He saw them who did not yet see Him;
He knew them who yet believed not on Him. “Other sheep,” saith He, “I have which are not
of this fold;” because they are not of the stock of the flesh of Israel. But nevertheless they
shall not be outside of this fold, “for them also I must bring, that there may be One Fold,
and One Shepherd.”
6. With good reason then to This Shepherd of shepherds, doth His Beloved, His Spouse,
His Fair One, but by Him made fair, before by sin deformed, beautiful afterward through
pardon and grace, speak in her love and ardour after Him, and say to Him, “Where feedest
4132 Matt. xii. 35.
4133 1 Cor. xii. 12.
4134 Matt. xii. 30.
4135 John x. 16.
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On the words of the Gospel, John x. 14, ‘I am the good shepherd,’ etc. Against…