{"author":null,"canonical_references":[],"database_sha256":"8cfbe7284c6936871d57c02dc6aa63ebbdfd4722422d539dd9f716e46e91112e","date_end":null,"date_start":null,"edition_year":null,"id":"sermonindex-ecf-1462","native_reference":{"book_number":90,"chapter_from":7,"chapter_to":7,"system":"MyBible module coordinates (mapping unverified)","verse_from":4,"verse_to":4},"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>Basil of Caesarea</b>: God alone is substantially and essentially God. When I say \"alone,\" I set forth the holy and uncreated essence and substance of God. For the word alone is used in the case of any individual and generally of human nature. In the instance of Paul, that he alone was caught into the third heaven and \"heard unspeakable words that are not lawful for a man to utter,\" and of human nature, as when David says, \"as for man his days are as grass,\" not meaning any particular man but human nature generally; for every human is short-lived and mortal. So we understand these words to be said of the nature, \"who alone has immortality\" and \"to God only wise,\" and \"none is good save one, that is God,\" for here \"one\" means the same as alone.… In Scripture \"one\" and \"only\" are not predicated of God to mark distinction from the Son and the Holy Spirit but to exclude the unreal gods falsely so called. As for instance, \"The Lord alone did lead them and there was no strange god with them,\" and \"then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth and served the Lord only.\"<br/><i>— LETTER 8.3</i></p><p><b>Bede</b>: So the children of Israel removed Baalim and Ashtaroth, etc. These idols are from the Sidonians; of which Baalim signifies the higher or ascending ones, and Ashtaroth the workmanship of explorers. Therefore, whoever of the children of Israel served the true God the Father at the preaching of the Savior, cast out all profane thoughts, which, ascending into the heart from the lowest, and not from above from the Father of lights, among the best and perfect gifts descending, desired to be above good; they removed every device of unclean spirits from their chest, who, going around the folds of the faithful, seek whom they may devour.<br/><i>— Commentary on Samuel</i></p><p><b>Gregory the Dialogist</b>: 10. For it is the custom of the elect that when they receive the exhortations of divine preaching, they are kindled to zeal for the good works they have heard. For the reprobate frequently hear the words of God, yet from those same words they undertake no good works. They remain sluggish in their actions, because, cast out from the divine light, they do not see by inward contemplation the glory of almighty God whose words they hear. Rightly, therefore, those who obey are called children of Israel, because the more openly they behold His majesty in its manifestation, the more devoutly they are known to obey His commandments. But since he is speaking to those who have been converted, let us hear what he perceives is still lacking in them.<br/><i>— Commentary on 1 Kings, Book 3, Chapter 5</i></p>","source_html_sha256":"b41f0b2eec6d3cc149489f886259c69afa82684b22543b46112d9ff172bf70d4","source_module":"ECF","source_row_id":1462,"source_url":"https://www.sermonindex.net/commentary/ecf/","text_sha256":"62ad809b1a8eec2f42d2fe3bed6a75263563c851e225481dcf331226065ac83a","translator":null,"work":null}