173. Let not the fact that He is said to have been
made subject work against Him, Who receives no hurt from the fact that
He is called a servant, or is stated to have been crucified, or is
spoken of as dead. For when He died He lived; when He was made
subject He was reigning; when He was buried He revived again. He
offered Himself in subjection to human power, yet at another time He
declared He was the Lord of eternal glory. He was before the
judge, yet claimed for Himself a throne at the right hand of God, as
Judge forever. For thus it is written: “Hereafter ye
shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of the power of God,
and coming in the
clouds of
heaven.” S. Matt. xxvi. 64. He was
scourged by the Jews, and commanded the angels; He was born of Mary
under the law; Gal. iv. 4. He was before
Abraham above the law. On the cross He was revered by nature; the
sun fled; the earth trembled; the angels became silent. Could the
elements see the Generation of Him Whose Passion they feared to
see? And will they uphold the subjection of an adorable Nature in
Him, in Whom they could not endure the subjection of the
body?