{"author":null,"canonical_references":[],"database_sha256":"8cfbe7284c6936871d57c02dc6aa63ebbdfd4722422d539dd9f716e46e91112e","date_end":null,"date_start":null,"edition_year":null,"id":"sermonindex-ecf-3496","native_reference":{"book_number":580,"chapter_from":4,"chapter_to":4,"system":"MyBible module coordinates (mapping unverified)","verse_from":3,"verse_to":3},"public_import_allowed":false,"record_kind":"verse-keyed-module-record","review_required":["English edition and exact text","author/work attribution","dating","verse mapping and citation kind","reuse and attribution","split author quotations and deduplicate"],"review_status":"unreviewed","source_html":"<p><b>Augustine of Hippo</b>: This whoso hath held fast, hath made no heresy; this whoso hath held fast, hath made no schism. For whence came schisms? When men say, \"we\" are righteous, when men say, \"we\" sanctify the unclean, \"we\" justify the ungodly; \"we\" ask, \"we\" obtain. But what saith John? \"And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.\" But some man will say: then do the saints not ask for us? Then do bishops and rulers not ask for the people? Yea, but mark the Scriptures, and see that rulers also commend themselves to the prayers of the people. Thus the apostle saith to the congregation, \"Praying withal for us also.\" The apostle prayeth for the people, the people prayeth for the apostle. We pray for you, brethren: but do ye also pray for us. Let all the members pray one for another, let the Head intercede for all.<br/><i>— Ten Homilies on the First Epistle of John, Homily 1</i></p><p><b>Clement of Alexandria</b>: For that the knowledge does not appertain to all, he expressly adds: \"Being knit together in love, and unto all the riches of the full assurance of knowledge, to the acknowledgment of the mystery of God in Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and of knowledge.\" \"Continue in prayer, watching therein with thanksgiving.\" And thanksgiving has place not for the soul and spiritual blessings alone, but also for the body, and for the good things of the body. And he still more clearly reveals that knowledge belongs not to all, by adding: \"Praying at the same time for you, that God would open to us a door to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am bound; that I may make it known as I ought to speak.\" For there were certainly, among the Hebrews, some things delivered unwritten.<br/><i>— The Stromata Book 5</i></p><p><b>John Chrysostom</b>: See his lowlymindedness; he sets himself after them.</p><p>\"That God may open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ.\" He means an entrance, and boldness in speaking. Wonderful! The great athlete said not \"that I may be freed from my bonds,\" but being in bonds he exhorted others; and exhorted them for a great object, that himself might get boldness in speaking. Both the two are great, both the quality of the person, and of the thing. Wonderful! how great is the dignity! \"The mystery,\" he saith, \"of Christ.\" He shows that nothing was more dearly desired by him than this, to speak. \"For which I am also in bonds; that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.\" He means with much boldness of speech, and withholding nothing. His bonds display, not obscure him. With much boldness he means. Tell me, art thou in bonds, and dost thou exhort others? Yea, my bonds give me the greater boldness; but I pray for God's furtherance, for I have heard the voice of Christ saying, \"When they deliver you up, be not anxious how or what ye shall speak.\" (Matt. x. 19.) And see, how he has expressed himself in metaphor, \"that God may open to us a door for the word\"; (see, how unassuming he is; even in his bonds, how he expresses himself;) that is, that He would soften their hearts. Still he said not so; but, \"that He would give us boldness\"; out of lowlymindedness he thus spoke, and that which he had, he asks to receive.<br/><i>— Homily on Colossians 10</i></p>","source_html_sha256":"05a36c861e6d53f137d20b39b06377904240310297c4d8dd650493b2ff907651","source_module":"ECF","source_row_id":3496,"source_url":"https://www.sermonindex.net/commentary/ecf/","text_sha256":"35e6169765f52360e95bd7ae41fbba9cb713476bc981245c8c2b17a6906a13d0","translator":null,"work":null}