Cornelius a Lapide

Of righteousness . The Holy Spirit will prove that the righteousness of the world is false ; that of the J ews, because they sought it by the ceremonies of the Law, which could not purify the soul ; and that of the Gentiles, because they sought it only in things which were naturally and morally honest, and despised Christ But He, the Holy Ghost, will set forth Christ, who was despised and counted unrighteous, to be alone Righteous, and the source and origin of all righteousness. So S. Cyril, lib. vi. Tropologically, S. Bemardine (Serm. xxl ) says, “ The Holy Spirit reproves the world of sin, because it dissembles ; of righteousness, which it does not order rightly, while it gives it to itself and not to God; of judgment, which it usurps, in rashly judging both of itself and others.” Because I go to My Father. It is an offence to the world, and worldlings, that, seeming to be a mere man, I preach new and paradoxical doctrines. But the contrary will soon be made manifest to them, viz., that I have been sent by God the Father to reconcile the world to God by My death on the Cross, and to raise them to the rights of His children. For, ascending unto heaven I shall return to Him, so that the world will see Me no more, nor be scandalised by the sight of My infirmity in the flesh. And I will from thence send the Holy Spirit to justify and sanctify those who believe in Me, and from this it will be clear to the whole world that I am not a mere man, but the God-man, the Justifier and Sanctifier of the world So Leontius, S. Chrysostom, Theophylact, and Euthymius. Digitized by v^iOOQLe i6o S. Chrysostom adds that the Holy Spirit distributed His gifts and graces to the faithful at the invocation of the Name of Jesus. And ye will see Me no more . He speaks not of them personally, but of men in general Ye will see Me ascending to My Father, but afterwards ye will see Me no more in this life. So Maldonatus, Ribera, and others. Toletus adds that Christ said this, to signify that there was no need for Him to come again into the world, to suffer and to die. For by My death once for all I have fulfilled all righteousness for all men, past, present, and to come. Ye will therefore see Me no more as ye have hitherto seen Me. Having then completed all righteousness, the world must after My departure be at once convicted of righteousness, that is to say, that it has been completed and consummated by Me. S. Augustine (in loc.) adds, “The world is reproved of sin, because it believes not in Christ. It is reproved too concerning the righteousness of those who believe ; for to compare the faithful with unbelievers is to blame the unbelieving. But because it is the common cry of unbelievers, ‘ How can we believe that which we do not?* He therefore defined the righteousness of those who believe, in these words, * Because I go to My Father, and ye shall see Me no more. Blessed are they who do not see and yet believe/ This then will be your righteousness, of which the world is reproved, that ye believe in Me, whom ye will not see.” He says also (de Verb. Dom. Serra. lxi), “ They believed not, but He goes to the Father. It was their sin, but His righteousness. For His coming to us was an act of mercy, His going to the Father was His righteousness,” as the apostle said, “ Wherefore God hath also highly exalted Him.” And also ( Quces . N. et V Test xxxix.), “ By His returning He proved that He had come from thence.” And S. Chrysostom, “ His going to the Father was a proof that He had lived a blameless life, so that they could not say, He is a sinner, and is not from God.” Ver. n. — Of judgment , because the prince of this world is judged. (i.) S. Chrysostom and Euthymius explain it thus, “The Holy Spirit will prove that the judgment of the world is false in saying Digitized by Google SATAN'S KINGDOM OVERTHROWN. 161 that I work miracles by the power and craft of the devil ; for He will prove that the devil has been condemned, cast out, and judged by Me. 2d, He will convict the world of sloth in being unwilling to trample Satan under foot, when wounded and deprived of strength by Christ. 3d, He will reprove the world of being led astray, by placing its hope in the devil who has been condemned by Me, or for forsaking God, and worshipping the devil in idols or in creatures. 4th, Toletus and others explain thus : The Holy Spirit will manifest Me to the world as the just Judge of quick and dead, when He will make it seen that the devil is condemned by Me. For if I judge and condemn devils, much more do I condemn men. 5th, and most aptly, He will make the world see its own condemnation, when it beholds itself condemned in the person of its head ; when He will enable the Apostles, by invoking the Name of Jesus, to cast him forth from the temples and idols in which the world worshipped him, and also from the souls and bodies of men, thus overthrowing his kingdom. For if God spared not the angels who sinned, neither wall He spare the guilty world ; if He spared not the head, so also will He spare not his members and subjects. So S. Augustine, Bede, Rupertus, Maldonatus, Ribera, and others. Justin Martyr uses this same argument (Dial, cum Tryphone), also Tertullian (ad Serpulara and Apolog. cap. xxxvi.), S. Cyprian (ad Demetrius), Origen (lib. i. contr. Celsum), S. Athanasius (de Incar. Verbi), Lactantius (ii. 6), and others. Hear S. Augustine (de Verb. Dom. Serm. lx.) : “ By his very casting out he was judged, and the world is convicted by this judgment, because he who refuses to believe in Christ, in vain complains about the devil: For since he has been cast out and sentenced, though he is permitted to assail us from without, yet not only men but even women and boys have triumphed over him, as martyrs.” Also the same father (in loc. “ He is judged, that is irrevocably doomed to the judgment of eternal fire, and by this judgment is the world reproved, because it is judged with its prince, whom it imitates in his pride and impiety. Let men therefore believe in Christ, lest they be convicted of the sin of unbelief, which binds VOL. v. L Digitized by v^iOOQLe 162 fast all sins ; let them pass over into the ranks of the faithful, lest they be reproved by the righteousness of those, whom they do not imitate in being justified ; let them beware of the future judgment, lest they be condemned with the prince of this world whom they do imitate.”