{"author":null,"canonical_references":[],"database_sha256":"8cfbe7284c6936871d57c02dc6aa63ebbdfd4722422d539dd9f716e46e91112e","date_end":null,"date_start":null,"edition_year":null,"id":"sermonindex-ecf-6976","native_reference":{"book_number":290,"chapter_from":11,"chapter_to":11,"system":"MyBible module coordinates (mapping unverified)","verse_from":2,"verse_to":2},"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>Ambrose of Milan</b>: Therefore, the fear of the just is the tribunal of Christ's speech and the golden foundation of full prudence. But the good image, like the likeness of truth, is the word of the saints. And see how the fear of the saints is like a golden foundation. Read Isaiah: see how much fear he has subjected, in order to make it blameless and good fear: the spirit, he says, of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and power, the spirit of knowledge and piety, the spirit of holy fear. By how much fear did he subject, so that he might have something to follow? He is informed through wisdom, instructed through understanding, guided by counsel, strengthened by virtue, governed by knowledge, adorned by piety. Take away from fear of the Lord those things, and it is an irrational and foolish fear, one of those: \"Outside are battles, inside are fears,\" by which even Paul would have been afflicted if he did not have the Lord as his comforter.<br/><i>— Exposition on Psalms 118, 5.39</i></p><p><b>Ambrose of Milan</b>: So, then, the Holy Spirit is the river, and the abundant river, which according to the Hebrews flowed from Jesus in the lands, as we have received it prophesied by the mouth of Isaiah. This is the great river that flows always and never fails. And not only a river, but also one of copious stream and overflowing greatness, as also David said: \"The stream of the river makes glad the city of God.\"60For neither is that city, the heavenly Jerusalem, watered by the channel of any earthly river, but that Holy Spirit, proceeding from the fount of life, by a short draught of whom we are satiated, seems to flow more abundantly among those celestial thrones, dominions and powers, angels and archangels, rushing in the full course of the seven virtues of the Spirit. For if a river rising above its banks overflows, how much more does the Spirit, rising above every creature, when he touches the low-lying fields of our minds, as it were, make glad that heavenly nature of the creatures with the larger fertility of his sanctification.<br/>And let it not trouble you that either here it is said \"rivers\" or elsewhere \"seven Spirits,\" for by the sanctification of these seven gifts of the Spirit, as Isaiah said, is signified the fullness of all virtue; the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and godliness, and the Spirit of the fear of God. One, then is the river, but many the channels of the gifts of the Spirit. This river, then, goes forth from the fount of life.<br/><i>— On the Holy Spirit 1.16</i></p><p><b>Ambrose of Milan</b>: And as the Son is the Angel of great counsel, so, too, is the Holy Spirit the Spirit of Counsel, that you may know that the Counsel of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is One. Counsel, not concerning any doubtful matters, but concerning those foreknown and determined.<br/><i>— On the Holy Spirit, Book 2.2.20</i></p><p><b>Augustine of Hippo</b>: A person would not have wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of God unless, according to the prophet's words, he had received \"the spirit of wisdom and of understanding, of counsel and of fortitude, of knowledge and of godliness, and of fear of God.\" ... And a person would not have power and love and sobriety, except by receiving the Spirit of whom the apostle speaks: \"We have not received the spirit of fear but of power and of love and of sobriety.\" So also one would not have faith unless he received the spirit of faith of which the same apostle says: \"But having the same spirit of faith, as it is written, 'I believed, therefore I have spoken,' we also believe therefore we speak also.\" Thus he shows very plainly that faith is not received because of merit but by the mercy of him who has mercy on whom he will, when he says of himself: \"I have obtained mercy to be faithful.\"<br/><i>— LETTER 194</i></p><p><b>Augustine of Hippo</b>: For if Paul had said only \"Jesus Christ,\" he would have included Jesus Christ according to his divinity, according to his being the Word who was with God, Jesus Christ the Son of God. Yet children cannot receive what is said in this manner. How, therefore, do they who are fed milk receive it? \"Jesus Christ,\" he said, \"and him crucified.\" Feed upon what he did for you, and you will grow to know him as he is. There are therefore both those who ascend and those who descend on that ladder. Who are they that ascend? They who progress towards the understanding of things spiritual. Who are they that descend? They who, although, as far as men may, they enjoy the comprehension of things spiritual: nevertheless, descend unto the infants, to say to them such things as they can receive, so that, after being nourished with milk, they may become fitted and strong enough to take spiritual meat. Isaiah, brothers, was himself among those who descended to us, for the steps upon which he descended are obvious. In reference to the Holy Spirit, he said \"the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, of counsel and fortitude, of knowledge and piety, the Spirit of the fear of God rested upon him,\" he began from wisdom and descended toward fear. See how the teacher descended from wisdom toward fear; you who learn, if you are to make progress, must ascend from fear to wisdom. For it is written, \"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.\" Listen, therefore, to the psalms.<br/><i>— EXPLANATIONS OF THE Psalms 120 (119): 1</i></p><p><b>Augustine of Hippo</b>: And this Holy Spirit is in Scripture especially spoken of by the number seven, whether in Isaiah or in the Apocalypse, where the seven Spirits of God are most directly mentioned, on account of the sevenfold operation of one and the self-same Spirit. And this sevenfold operation is mentioned in Isaiah: \"the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, of counsel and fortitude, of knowledge and piety, the Spirit of the fear of God rested upon him.\" This fear of the Lord should be understood as pure, enduring forever.<br/><i>— EXPLANATIONS OF THE PSALMS 150: 1</i></p><p><b>Augustine of Hippo</b>: \"The love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.\"That the Holy Spirit is suggested by the number seven anybody knows who can read. But listen anyway, those of you who read carelessly, or perhaps cannot read. This is how God presents the Holy Spirit through the prophet Isaiah: \"The Spirit,\" he says, \"of wisdom and understanding, of counsel and fortitude, of knowledge and piety, the Spirit of the fear of God.\" This is the sevenfold Spirit who is also called down upon the newly baptized. The law is the Decalogue; the Ten Commandments, you see, were written on tablets, but stone ones still, because of the stubborn hardness of the Jews. After the Spirit came, what does the apostle say? \"You yourselves are our letter, not written with ink but with the Spirit of the living God; not on tablets of stone, but on the fleshly tablets of the heart.\" Take away the Spirit, the letter kills, because it finds the sinner guilty, doesn't set him free. That's why the apostle says, \"For we are not sufficient of ourselves to think anything as coming from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of the new covenant, not in the letter, but in the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit brings to life.\" So add seven to ten, if you wish to fulfill all justice. When you are commanded by the law to do something, ask the Spirit to help you.<br/><i>— SERMON 229M.2</i></p><p><b>Augustine of Hippo</b>: The apostle also says to Timothy, \"For God hath not given to us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.\" Now in respect of this passage of the apostle, we must be on our guard against supposing that we have not received the spirit of the fear of God, which is undoubtedly a great gift of God, and concerning which the prophet Isaiah says, \"The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon thee, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and piety, the spirit of the fear of the Lord.\" It is not the fear with which Peter denied Christ that we have received the spirit of, but that fear concerning which Christ Himself says, \"Fear Him who hath power to destroy both soul and body in hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear Him.\" This, indeed, He said, lest we should deny Him from the same fear which shook Peter; for such cowardice he plainly wished to be removed from us when He, in the preceding passage, said, \"Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.\" It is not of this fear that we have received the spirit, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. And of this spirit the same Apostle Paul discourses to the Romans: \"We glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope; and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us.\" Not by ourselves, therefore, but by the Holy Ghost which is given to us, does it come to pass that, through that very love, which he shows us to be the gift of God, tribulation does not do away with patience, but rather produces it.<br/><i>— ON GRACE AND FREE WILL 39</i></p><p><b>Augustine of Hippo</b>: It seems to me, therefore, that the sevenfold operation of the Holy Spirit, of which Isaiah speaks, coincides with these stages and maxims. However, the order is different. In Isaiah, the enumeration begins from the higher, while here it begins from the lower; in the former, it starts from wisdom and ends at the fear of God. But \"the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.\" Therefore, if we ascend step by step, as it were, while we enumerate, the first grade is the love of God; the second is piety; the third is knowledge; the fourth is fortitude; the fifth is counsel; the sixth is understanding; the seventh is wisdom. The fear of God coincides with the humble, of whom it is here said, \"Blessed are the poor in spirit.\"<br/><i>— SERMON ON THE MOUNT 1:11</i></p><p><b>Bede</b>: The seven lamps are the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, all of which remain in our Lord and Redeemer forever and are distributed in his members (that is, in all the elect) according to his will.<br/><i>— On the Tabernacle 1:9</i></p><p><b>Bede</b>: Only of the mediator between God and humanity, the man Jesus Christ, can it be said truthfully, \"And the Spirit of the Lord will rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and piety, and the Spirit of the fear of the Lord will fill him.\" Each of the saints, on the other hand, receives not the fullness of his Spirit but receives from his fullness only as the Spirit grants it, for \"to one is given through the Spirit a word of wisdom, and to another a word of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith in the same Spirit, to another the grace of healing in the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another different kinds of languages, to another the interpretation of words. One and the same Spirit operates all of these gifts, dividing to each person as he wills.\"<br/><i>— Homilies on the Gospels 1:2</i></p><p><b>Bede</b>: In truth, not all the saints receive the fullness of his Spirit, but they receive from his fullness, insofar as he grants it.<br/><i>— Homilies on the Gospels 1:2</i></p><p><b>Cassiodorus</b>: As we said earlier, the seven-formed Spirit has been denoted here, as you easily infer by calculation and recognize by his activity. But we must regard this Holy Spirit as one and the same as him whose virtues are known by Isaiah's witness to be the same seven which we have mentioned: the Spirit of wisdom, of understanding, of counsel, of courage, of knowledge, of piety, of fear of the Lord; and he distributes these to each as he wills. It should not trouble you that everywhere Isaiah ascribes the words to the voice of the Holy Spirit, for clearly \"voice\" is associated with the whole Trinity. We read of the Father's voice when he says, \"This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased,\" and again of the Son's voice in the words \"Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?\" Likewise in the Acts of the Apostles we read of the Holy Spirit: \"Separate for me Paul and Barnabas, for the work to which I have called them.\"<br/><i>— EXPOSITION OF THE Psalms 28:9</i></p><p><b>Cyril of Jerusalem</b>: Isaiah signifies that the Spirit was indeed one and indivisible, but his operations diverse.<br/><i>— Catechetical Lecture 16:30</i></p><p><b>Faustus of Riez</b>: We read in Isaiah that the Spirit of the Lord descended upon the Lord Jesus, \"the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and piety.\" It is in reference to this same Spirit of the Lord who descended upon the Savior in a holy outpouring that the Son said through Isaiah, \"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,\" and that Matthew the Evangelist said, \"Behold, the heavens opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending upon him like a dove.\" Luke the Evangelist, moreover, clearly teaches that the Spirit of God whom the Savior received in baptism is the Holy Spirit: \"Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan.\"<br/><i>— TWO BOOKS ON THE HOLY SPIRIT 1:7</i></p><p><b>Gregory of Nazianzus</b>: I think Isaiah loves to call the activities of the Spirit \"spirits.\"<br/><i>— ON PENTECOST, ORATION 41:3</i></p><p><b>Gregory the Dialogist</b>: For there are seven sons born to us, when by the conception of good intent the seven virtues of the holy Spirit spring up in us. Thus the Prophet particularizes this inward offspring, when the Spirit renders the mind fruitful, in these words: \"And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and piety, and the spirit of the fear of the Lord shall fill him.\" So when by the coming of the Holy Spirit there is engendered in each of us, wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, piety, and the fear of the Lord, something like a lasting posterity is begotten in the mind, which preserves the stock of our nobility that is above unto life, for so much the longer as it allies it with the love of eternity.<br/><i>— Morals on the Book of Job, Book 1, Section 27</i></p><p><b>Gregory the Dialogist</b>: The gate is ascended by seven steps, because through the sevenfold grace of the Holy Spirit the entrance to heavenly life is opened to us. Isaiah, enumerating this sevenfold grace in our very Head, or in His body, which we are, says: \"The spirit of wisdom and understanding shall rest upon Him, the spirit of counsel and fortitude, the spirit of knowledge and piety, and the spirit of the fear of the Lord shall fill Him.\" Speaking of heavenly things, he numbered these steps by descending rather than ascending, namely: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, fear. And since it is written, \"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,\" it is without doubt established that one ascends from fear to wisdom, but does not return from wisdom to fear, because indeed wisdom possesses perfect charity. And it is written: \"Perfect charity casts out fear.\" Therefore the prophet, because he was speaking from heavenly things down to the lowest, began rather from wisdom and descended to fear. But we who strive from earthly things toward heavenly things, let us enumerate those same steps by ascending, that we may be able to arrive from fear to wisdom. For in our mind the first step of ascent is the fear of the Lord; the second, piety; the third, knowledge; the fourth, fortitude; the fifth, counsel; the sixth, understanding; the seventh, wisdom. For the fear of the Lord exists in the mind. But what kind of fear is this, if piety is not with it?<br/><i>— Homilies on Ezekiel, Book 2, Homily 7</i></p><p><b>Gregory the Dialogist</b>: For you know that in the Old Testament all action is commanded through the precepts of the Decalogue, but in the New Testament the power of that same action is given through the sevenfold grace of the Holy Spirit as the faithful are multiplied. Announcing this, the prophet says: \"The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and fortitude, the Spirit of knowledge and piety, and the Spirit of the fear of the Lord shall fill him.\" But he receives action in this Spirit who acknowledges the faith of the Trinity, so that he believes the Father and the Son and the same Holy Spirit to be of one power and confesses them to be of one substance. Because therefore the seven things we mentioned above were given more broadly through the New Testament, but the ten precepts through the Old, all our virtue and action can be fully comprehended through ten and seven.<br/><i>— Forty Gospel Homilies, Homily 24</i></p><p><b>John Cassian</b>: About this text you should first take care to observe that Isaiah does not say that \"the spirit of fear shall rest upon him\" but \"shall fill him.\" The power of it is so abundant that if once it possesses a person in its strength, it possesses his mind to the exclusion of all else. Linked with the charity that never fails, it fills and permanently possesses the soul whom it has seized, and it cannot be lessened by the temptations of any this-worldly happiness.<br/><i>— CONFERENCE 11:13</i></p><p><b>Justin Martyr</b>: The Scripture says that these enumerated powers of the Spirit have come on Him, not because He stood in need of them, but because they would rest in Him, i.e., would find their accomplishment in Him, so that there would be no more prophets in your nation after the ancient custom: and this fact you plainly perceive. For after Him no prophet has arisen among you.<br/><i>— Dialogue with Trypho, Chapter LXXXVII</i></p><p><b>Novatian</b>: Moreover, the apostle Paul says, \"Having the same Spirit; as it is written, 'I believed, and therefore have I spoken'; we also believe, and therefore speak.\" He is therefore one and the same Spirit who was in the prophets and apostles, except that in the former he was occasional, in the latter always. But in the former not as being always in them, in the latter as abiding always in them; and in the former distributed with reserve, in the latter entirely poured out; in the former given sparingly, in the latter liberally bestowed; not yet manifested before the Lord's resurrection, but conferred after the resurrection. For, he said, \"I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, that he may be with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth.\" And, \"When he, the Advocate, shall come, whom I shall send to you from my Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from my Father.\" And, \"If I do not go away, that Advocate shall not come to you; but if I go away, I will send him to you.\" And, \"When the Spirit of truth shall come, he will direct you into all the truth.\" And because the Lord was about to depart to the heavens, he gave the Paraclete out of necessity to the disciples; so as not to leave them in any degree orphans, which was hardly desirable, and forsake them without an advocate and some kind of protector.For this is he who strengthened their hearts and minds, who marked out the Gospel sacraments, who was in them the enlightener of divine things; and they being strengthened, feared, for the sake of the Lord's name, neither dungeons nor chains, nay, even trod under foot the very powers of the world and its tortures. For they were henceforth armed and strengthened by the same Spirit, having in themselves the gifts which this same Spirit distributes and appropriates to the church, the spouse of Christ, as her ornaments. This is he who places prophets in the church, instructs teachers, directs tongues, gives powers and healings, does wonderful works, often discrimination of spirits, affords powers of government, suggests counsels and orders and arranges whatever other gifts there are of charismata.… This is he who, after the manner of a dove, when our Lord was baptized, came and abode upon him, dwelling in Christ full and entire, and not maimed in any measure or portion; but with his whole overflow copiously distributed and sent forth, so that from him others might receive some enjoyment of his graces: the source of the wholeness of the Holy Spirit remaining in Christ, so that from him might be drawn streams of gifts and works, while the Holy Spirit dwelt richly in Christ. For truly Isaiah, prophesying this, said, \"And the Spirit of wisdom and understanding shall rest upon him, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and piety; and the Spirit of the fear of the Lord shall fill him.\" This selfsame thing also he said in the person of the Lord himself, in another place. \"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; because he has anointed me, he has sent me to preach the gospel to the poor.\"<br/><i>— ON THE TRINITY 29</i></p><p><b>Novatian</b>: In Christ alone he dwells fully and entirely, not lacking in any measure or part; but in all his overflowing abundance dispensed and sent forth, so that other men might receive from Christ a first outpouring, as it were, of his graces. For the fountainhead of the entire Holy Spirit abides in Christ, that from him might be drawn streams of grace and wondrous deeds because the Holy Spirit dwells richly in Christ.<br/><i>— ON THE TRINITY 29:11</i></p><p><b>Paulus Orosius</b>: Scripture testifies that \"a great and strong angel exclaimed in heaven: Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seal? No one was able to open the book or to look at it, neither in heaven nor on earth nor under the earth.\" John wept and lamented that none of all the rational creatures in the universe was found worthy to open the book to look at it. One of the elders consoled John as he wept and said, \"Do not cry, John. Behold, the Lion from the tribe of Judah, the root of David, was victorious in opening the book and breaking its seal.\" What, I ask, is this book which no one was ever able to receive from the hand of the living, except \"he who walks without sin and does justice\"? It is not enough that he walk without sin or that he be a lamb, but he must be a slain lamb who crowned purity with the witness of the passion of life, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God. These undoubtedly are \"the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and piety, and the Spirit of the fear of the Lord.\" What, therefore, is this book? It is the book of judgment, I believe. For \"the Father judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son.\"<br/><i>— DEFENSE AGAINST THE PELAGIANS 15:5-10</i></p>","source_html_sha256":"c718a600b9be98f995b8403990aae84e30bdfbb52757c003eeea6151fd7a0a83","source_module":"ECF","source_row_id":6976,"source_url":"https://www.sermonindex.net/commentary/ecf/","text_sha256":"57eaa3a044ebbbc249c10a0fdfeadc6965cd6c67d3e141c6445a3319f4f7a89c","translator":null,"work":null}