understanding that they might understand the Scriptures, and said to them, Thus it is
written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise again from the dead the third day.”
Thus for the Head; let Him speak for the Body too; “And that repentance and remission of
sins should be preached in His Name throughout all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”3873
Let the Church then speak to her enemies, let her speak. She does speak clearly, she is not
silent: only let them give ear. Brethren, ye have heard the testimonies, now acknowledge
me. “Search the Scriptures, in which ye hope ye have eternal life: they testify of me.” What
I have said is not of mine own, but of my Lord’s; and notwithstanding, ye still turn away,
still turn your backs. “How can ye believe me, who look for glory one from another, and
seek not the glory which is of God only? For being ignorant of God’s righteousness, ye have
a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For being ignorant of God’s righteousness,
and wishing to establish your own, ye have not submitted yourselves to the righteousness
of God.”3874 What else is it to be ignorant of God’s righteousness, and to wish to establish
your own, but to say, “It is I who sanctify, it is I who justify; what I may have given is holy”?
Leave to God what is God’s; recognise, O man, what is man’s. Thou art ignorant of God’s
righteousness, and wishest to establish thine own. Thou dost wish to justify me; it is enough
for thee that thou be justified with me.
7. It is said of Antichrist, and all understand of him what the Lord said, “I am come in
My Father’s Name, and ye have not received Me; if another shall come in his own name,
him ye will receive.”3875 But let us hear John too; “Ye have heard that Antichrist cometh,
and even now are there many Antichrists.”3876 What is it in Antichrist that we are in horror
of, but that he is to honour his own name, and to despise the Name of the Lord? What else
doeth he that saith, “It is I that justify”? We answer him, “I came to Christ, not with my feet,
but with my heart I came; where I heard the Gospel, there did I believe, there was I baptized;
because I believed on Christ, I believed on God.” Yet says he, “Thou art not clean.” “Why?”
“Because I was not there.” “Tell me why am not I cleansed, a man who was baptized in Jer-
usalem, who was baptized, for instance, among the Ephesians, to whom an Epistle you read
was written, and whose peace you despise? Lo, to the Ephesians the Apostle wrote; a Church
was founded, and remains even to this day; yea, remains in greater fruitfulness, remains in
greater numbers, holds fast that which it received of the Apostle, ‘If any man preach ought
3873 Luke xxiv. 45–47.
3874 Rom. x. 2, 3.
3875 John v. 43.
3876 1 John ii. 18.
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On the words of the Gospel, John v. 39, ‘Ye search the Scriptures, because…