88. As long as we live mortally, we see God not in his own nature, but through certain images, unless first, the love of carnal life being utterly extinguished, we die to it. — It is greatly to be pondered that the holy man is asked whence Wisdom comes. It comes from him from whom it is sprung. But because it is born of the invisible and co-eternal Father, its way is hidden. Whence also through the prophet it is said: 「Who shall declare his generation?」 (Isa. liii, 8). But the place of its understanding is the human mind, which this Wisdom of God, when it has filled it, makes holy. Therefore, because both he from whom it proceeded is invisible, and it is uncertain to us in whose mind, being understood, it rests, it is now rightly said:
「Whence then cometh Wisdom, and where is the place of understanding?」 But this is greatly to be wondered at, that immediately it is subjoined: 「It is hidden from the eyes of all living.」 For if Wisdom, which is God, were hidden from the eyes of all living, without doubt none of the saints would have seen it. But behold, I hear John agreeing with this sentence, who says: 「No man hath seen God at any time」 (1 John iv, 12). And again, when I look upon the fathers of the Old Testament, I know that many of them, according to the very history of the sacred reading, saw God. For Jacob saw the Lord, who says: 「I saw the Lord face to face, and my soul was saved」 (Gen. xxxii, 30). Moses saw God, of whom it is written:
「The Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man is wont to speak unto his friend」 (Exod. xxxiii, 11). The same Job saw the Lord, who says: 「I have heard thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee」 (Job xlii, 5). Isaiah saw the Lord, who says: 「In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up」 (Isa. vi, 1). Micaiah saw the Lord, who says: 「I saw the Lord sitting upon his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left」 (1 Kings xxii, 19). What is it, then, that so many fathers of the Old Testament testified that they had seen God, and yet of this Wisdom which is God it is said: 「It is hidden from the eyes of all living」; and John says:
「No man hath seen God at any time」 (1 John iv, 12)? — save this, which is plainly given to be understood, that as long as one lives here mortally, God can be seen through certain images, but cannot be seen through the very species of his nature; so that the soul, breathed upon by the grace of the Spirit, may see God through certain figures, but may not reach unto the very force of his essence. Hence it is that Jacob, who testifies that he saw God, saw him only in an angel (Exod. xxxiii, 11). Hence it is that Moses, who spake with God face to face, as a man is wont to speak with his friend, amid the very words of his discourse says to him: 「If I have found grace in thy sight, show me thyself manifestly, that I may see thee」 (Exod. xxxiii, 13).
For surely, if he was not God with whom he was speaking, he would say, Show me God, and not, Show me thyself. But if he was God with whom he was speaking face to face, why did he ask to see him whom he was seeing? But from this his petition it is gathered that, since he thirsted to discern through the brightness of his uncircumscribed nature him whom he had already begun to see through certain images, so that the supernal Essence might be present to the eyes of his mind, no created image might temporally come between him and the vision of eternity. And so the fathers of the Old Testament did see the Lord, and yet, according to John's word: 「No man hath seen God at any time」 (John iv, 12);
and according to the sentence of blessed Job, the Wisdom which is God is hidden from the eyes of all living, because to those who abide in this mortal flesh it both could be seen through certain circumscribed images, and could not be seen through the uncircumscribed light of eternity. 89. But if by some who still live in this corruptible flesh, yet grow by inestimable virtue, the eternal brightness of God can be seen by a certain keenness of contemplation, this too does not disagree with the sentence of blessed Job, who says: 「It is hidden from the eyes of all living」; since whosoever sees the Wisdom which is God dies utterly to this life, that he may no longer be held by the love of it.
For no one has seen it who still lives carnally, because no man can at once embrace God and the world. For he who sees God, by that very fact dies, whereby he is wholly separated, either by the intention of the heart or by the effect of the work, from the delights of this life. Whence it is further said to the same Moses: 「For man shall not see me, and live」 (Exod. xxxiii, 20). As if it were openly said: No one ever sees God spiritually and lives to the world carnally. Whence Paul too the apostle, who had already, as he himself testifies, known the invisible things of God in part (1 Cor. xiii, 12), declared that he was already wholly dead to this world, saying: 「The world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world」 (Gal. vi, 14).
For, as we said long ago far above, it did not suffice for him to say, I am crucified to the world, unless he also premised, The world is crucified unto me, that he might testify not only himself to be dead to the world, but also the world to be dead to him; so that neither should he desire the world, nor the world now desire him. For if perhaps two be in one place, of whom one is alive, but the other is dead, even though the dead sees not the living, yet the living sees the dead.
But the preacher of God, that he might show that by the abasement wherewith he had cast himself down in humbling himself he had already become such that neither did he desire the world, nor the world him, said not only that he was crucified to the world, that as one dead he might not see the world's glory which he might desire, but also asserted the world crucified to himself, in which he had cast himself down with such great humility, that the world too, as one dead unto him, could in no wise now behold Paul, humble and despised. 90. Those are refuted who assert that God is seen by the blessed only in his brightness, not in his nature. — But it is to be known that there were some who would say that God, even in that region of blessedness, is indeed beheld in his brightness, but is by no means seen in his nature.
These, without doubt, a lesser subtlety of inquiry deceived. For to that simple and unchangeable Essence brightness is not one thing, and nature another; but its very nature is its brightness, and its very brightness is its nature. For because this Wisdom of God would at some time show itself to its lovers, it promises itself, saying: 「He that loveth me shall be loved of my Father; and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him」 (John xiv, 21). As if he plainly said: You who now discern me in your nature, it remains that you see me in my nature. Hence again he says: 「Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God」 (Matt. v, 8). Hence Paul says: 「Now we see through a glass in an enigma, but then face to face.
Now I know in part, but then shall I know even as also I am known」 (1 Cor. xiii, 12). 91. Those too are refuted who dream that the angels are deprived of the divine vision. — But because concerning God it is said by the first preacher of the Church: 「Into whom the angels desire to look」 (1 Pet. i, 12), there are some who suppose that the angels by no means see God; and yet we know it said by the sentence of Truth: 「Their angels in heaven do always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven」 (Matt. xviii, 10). Does then Truth sound one thing, and the preacher of Truth another? But if both sentences are compared, it is recognized that it in no wise disagrees with itself. For the angels both see God, and desire to see him;
and they are said to gaze, and they do gaze. For if they so long to see that they can in no way enjoy the fulfilment of their longing, then a longing without fruit brings anxiety, and anxiety brings pain. But the blessed angels are far from all the pain of anxiety, for pain and blessedness never come together. Again, when we say that they are satisfied by the vision of God — since the Psalmist too declares, 'I shall be satisfied when Thy glory is made manifest' (Ps. 16:15) — we must consider that satiety is wont to be followed by disgust. Therefore, that both may rightly agree together, let the Truth say, 'Because they always see'; let the excellent preacher say, 'Because they always long to see.' For lest there be anxiety in longing, those who long are satisfied;
and lest there be disgust in satiety, the satisfied still long. Therefore they long without weariness, because satiety accompanies their longing; and they are satisfied without disgust, because that very satiety is ever kindled anew from longing. So too shall it be with us, when we come to the very Fount of life. Thirst and satiety together shall be delightfully impressed upon us. But far from that thirst is any necessity, far from that satiety is any disgust, for we shall both be satisfied while thirsting, and thirst while satisfied. We shall therefore see God, and He Himself shall be the reward of our labour, that after the darkness of this mortality we may rejoice in the access of His light.
In what sense God dwells in inaccessible light. But when we say that His light is accessible, there stands against the mind what Paul says: 'Who dwelleth in light inaccessible, whom no man hath seen, nor can see' (1 Tim. 6:16). And again I hear what the Psalmist says: 'Come ye to Him, and be enlightened' (Ps. 33:6). How then, by coming, are we enlightened, if we do not see the very light by which we can be enlightened? But if, by coming to Him, we do see the very light by which we are enlightened, how is it declared to be inaccessible? On this point it must be weighed that he called it inaccessible, but to every man who is wise with human wisdom. For Holy Scripture is wont to mark all followers of things carnal by the name of humanity.
Whence the same Apostle says to certain who were at variance: 'For whereas there is among you envying and contention, are you not carnal, and walk according to man?' (1 Cor. 3:3-4). To whom a little after he adds: 'Are you not men?' And elsewhere he brought forth this testimony: 'That eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love Him' (1 Cor. 2:9). And when he had said that this was hidden from men, he presently added: 'But to us God hath revealed them by His Spirit' (ibid.); distinguishing himself from the appellation of man, in that, caught up above man, he now had a taste of things divine. So too in this place, when he declared the light of God inaccessible, in order to show to whom, he added:
'Whom no man hath seen, nor can see.' After his manner calling all who are wise with human wisdom 'men,' since those who are wise in things divine are, so to speak, above men. We shall therefore see God, if by a heavenly manner of life we are made worthy to be above men. Yet we shall not see Him as He sees His own self. For the creature sees far more unequally than the Creator sees the creature. For as regards the immensity of God, a certain measure of contemplation is fixed for us, because we are circumscribed by that very weight by which we are creatures. That we do not see God as He beholds Himself. — But assuredly we do not behold God as He beholds Himself, just as we do not rest in God in the way that He rests in Himself.
For our vision and rest will be in some fashion like His vision and rest, but not equal. For, that we may not lie fallen within ourselves, the wing of contemplation, so to speak, lifts us up, and we are raised from ourselves to gaze upon Him; and, our heart's intention being caught up, and by the sweetness of contemplation, we go in some manner out of ourselves into Him — and this very going of ours is already less than resting, and yet so to go is perfectly to rest. It is therefore a perfect rest, because God is beheld; and yet it is not to be made equal to that rest of Him who does not pass from Himself into another in order to rest. It is therefore a rest, so to speak, both like and unlike, because what His rest is, ours imitates.
For that we may be blessed and eternal for ever, we imitate the Eternal. And it is a great eternity for us — the imitation of eternity. Nor are we without share in Him whom we can imitate, for by seeing Him we participate in Him, and by participating we imitate. This vision indeed is now begun in faith, but then it will be perfected in sight, when we shall drink at its very Fount that Wisdom coeternal with God, which now, through the mouths of those who preach, we receive as it were through flowing streams.