Now we have received not the spirit of this world, but the Spirit that is of God; that we may know the things that are given us from God.

“Having set forth the exposition concerning the wisdom of which the Apostle speaks among the perfect, here he assigns the reason for the aforesaid exposition, and first as to this, that he had described it by comparison to unbelievers; second, as to this, that he had described it by comparison to believers, at *but to us God has revealed*. Concerning the first he does two things. First he sets forth what he intends; second he proves the proposition, at *for if they had known*. He says therefore first: it was said that the wisdom which we speak is not of the princes of this age, for this is the wisdom which none of the princes of this age has known, which is true, of whatever princes it be understood. For secular princes have not known this wisdom, because it exceeds the reason of human governance. Job 12: *who changes the heart of the princes of the people of the earth, and deceives them, that they may walk in vain where there is no way*. Philosophers also have not known it, because it exceeds human reason. Whence it is said Bar. 3:23: *the seekers of prudence and of knowledge have not known the way of wisdom*. Demons also do not know it, because it exceeds all created wisdom. Whence it is said Job 28:21: *the birds of the heaven also are hidden from it. Destruction and death have said: with our ears we have heard the report of it*. Then when he says *for if they had known*, etc., he proves what he had said, and first indeed he proves by a sign that the princes did not know the wisdom of God, according as it is hidden in itself. Second he proves by authority that they did not know it, according as it is prepared unto our glory, at *as it is written*. He says therefore first: rightly do I say that the princes of this age have not known the wisdom of God, for if they had known the wisdom of God, they would surely have known Christ to be God, who is contained in this wisdom, which being known, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory, that is, Christ the Lord himself giving glory to his own, according to that Ps. 23:10: *the Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory*; and Heb. 2:10: *who had brought many sons into glory*. For since glory is naturally desirable to a rational creature, it cannot fall into human will that one should slay the author of glory. But that the princes crucified Jesus Christ is certain, if it be understood of the princes who have power among men. For it is said in Ps. 2:2: *the kings of the earth stood up, and the princes gathered together as one against the Lord, and against his Christ*, which Acts 4:27 expounds of Herod and Pilate, and the princes of the Jews who consented to the death of Christ. But demons too worked toward the death of Christ, by persuading, according to that Jn. 13:2: *when the devil had now put into the heart that he should betray him*, et cetera. But also the Pharisees, and the Scribes learned in the law, who devoted their study to wisdom, worked toward the death of Christ by instigating and approving. But concerning this a twofold doubt arises, of which the first is concerning this, that he says the Lord of glory was crucified. For the divinity of Christ could not suffer anything, according to which Christ is called Lord of glory. But it must be said that Christ is one person and hypostasis subsisting in each nature, namely divine and human. Whence he can be designated by the name of either nature, and by whatever name he is signified, that which belongs to either nature can be predicated of him, because to each there is not supposed except one hypostasis. And in this way we can say that a man created the stars, and that the Lord of glory was crucified, and yet he did not create the stars according as he is man, but according as he is God, nor was he crucified according as he is God, but inasmuch as he is man. Whence by this word the error of Nestorius is destroyed, who had said that there was one nature in Christ, of God and of man, because according to this it could in no way be verified that the Lord of glory was crucified. The second doubt is concerning this, that he seems to suppose that the princes of the Jews or the demons did not know Christ to be God. And indeed, as to the princes of the Jews, this seems to be established by this, that Peter says, Acts 3:17: *I know that through ignorance you did this, as did also your princes*. But it seems to be contrary what is said Matt. 21:38: *the husbandmen, seeing the son, said among themselves: this is the heir, come, let us kill him*; which Chrysostom, expounding, says: *the Lord manifestly proves by these words that the princes of the Jews crucified the Son of God not through ignorance, but through envy*. It is resolved in the Gloss that the princes of the Jews knew him to be the one who was promised in the law, yet not the mystery of him, that he was the Son of God, nor did they know the sacrament of the incarnation and redemption. But against this seems to be what Chrysostom says, that they knew him to be the Son of God. It must be said therefore that the princes of the Jews knew for certain that he was the Christ promised in the law, which the people did not know. But that he was truly the Son of God they did not know for certain, but conjectured it in some way; but this conjectural knowledge was obscured in them by envy and by desire of their own glory, which they saw diminished by the excellence of Christ. Likewise also there seems to be a doubt concerning the demons. For it is said Mk. 1:23 ff. and Lk. 4:34, that the demon cried out, saying: *I know that you are the Holy One of God*. And lest this be ascribed to the presumption of the demons, who boasted of knowing what they did not know, their knowledge which they had of Christ is asserted by the Evangelists themselves. In Mark indeed it is thus written: *he did not allow them to speak*, namely the demons, *because they knew him to be the Christ*. And Luke says: *rebuking them he did not allow them to speak because they knew him to be the Christ*. And to this it is answered in the book of Questions of the New and Old Testament, that the demons knew him to be the one who was promised through the law, because they saw in him all the signs which the prophets had said, but they were ignorant of the mystery of his divinity. But against this seems to be what Athanasius says, that the demons called Christ the Holy One of God, as it were singularly holy: for he alone is naturally holy, by participation in whom all others are called holy. But it must be said that, as Chrysostom says, they did not have firm and certain knowledge of the coming of God, but certain conjectures. Whence Augustine says in Bk. 9 of the City of God that he became known to the demons, not through that which is eternal life, but through certain temporal things wrought by his power. Then when he says *but as it is written*, he proves by authority that the princes of this age did not know the wisdom of God, as to this, that it was predestined unto the glory of the faithful, saying: *but as it is written*, Is. 64:4, where our text has: *eye has not seen, O God, besides you, what you have prepared for those who love you*. Now that glory of vision is shown to be plainly unknown to men in two ways. First indeed, that it is not subject to human senses, from which all human knowledge takes its beginning. And he sets down two senses. First the sense of sight, which serves discovery, when he says that *eye has not seen*, Job 28:7: *the path of it the bird has not known, nor has the eye of the vulture looked upon it*. And this because it is not something colored and visible. Second he sets down the sense of hearing, which serves instruction, saying *nor has ear heard*, namely that glory itself, because it is not sound or sensible voice. Jn. 5:37: *neither have you seen his shape, nor have you heard his voice*. Then he excludes intellectual knowledge of it, when he says *neither has it ascended into the heart of man*. This indeed can be understood: in one way, that whatever is known by man in any way whatsoever is said to ascend into the heart of man, according to that Jer. 2:50: *let Jerusalem ascend upon your heart*: and thus it must be that the heart of man is taken for the heart of the carnal man, according to that which is said below in ch. 3:3: *since there is among you jealousy and contention, are you not carnal, and do you not walk according to man?* The sense therefore is that that glory is not only not perceived by sense, but not even by the heart of the carnal man, according to that Jn. 14:17: *whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see him, nor know him*. In another way it can be expounded according as that is properly said to ascend into the heart of man which comes from below to man's intellect, namely from things sensible, of which he had made mention before. For things are in the intellect according to its mode; therefore lower things are in a higher intellect in a higher mode than in themselves. And therefore when they are grasped by the intellect, they in a certain way ascend into the heart. Whence it is said Is. 65:17: *the former things shall not be in memory, nor shall they ascend upon the heart*. But those things which are in the intellect and are themselves higher, are in themselves in a higher mode than in the intellect. And therefore when they are grasped by the intellect, they in a certain way descend. James 1:17: *every perfect gift is from above, descending from the Father of lights*. Because therefore the knowledge of that glory is not received from things sensible, but from divine revelation, therefore he says pointedly *neither has it ascended into the heart of man*, but it descends, namely that which *God has prepared*, that is, predestined, *for those who love him*, because the essential reward of eternal glory is owed to charity, according to that Jn. 14:21: *if anyone loves me, he will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will manifest myself to him*, in which the perfection of eternal glory consists; and Job 36:33: *he declares concerning it*, that is, concerning the light of glory, *to his friend, that it is his possession*. But the other virtues receive the efficacy of meriting eternal life, inasmuch as they are informed by charity. Then when he says *but to us*, etc., he proves the aforesaid exposition concerning divine wisdom by comparison to believers. And first he sets forth what he intends; second he proves the proposition, at *for the Spirit*. He says therefore first: it was said that no one of the princes of this age knew the wisdom of God, *but to us God has revealed* it *through his Spirit*, namely whom he has sent to us, according to that Jn. 14:26: *but the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things*, Job 32:8: *the inspiration of the Almighty gives understanding*. For because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth, as proceeding from the Son, who is the truth of the Father, he inspires truth into those to whom he is sent, just as the Son, sent by the Father, makes known the Father, according to that Matt. 11:27: *no one knows the Father except the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him*. Then when he says *for the Spirit*, he proves what he had said, namely that through the Holy Spirit wisdom was revealed to believers. And first he shows that the Holy Spirit is efficacious for this; second he proves that this he had done in the disciples of Christ, at *but we*. Concerning the first he does two things. First he sets forth what he intends; second he manifests the proposition, at *for who of men knows*, et cetera. He says therefore first: it was said that through the Holy Spirit God has revealed to us his wisdom, and this could come about: for *the Spirit searches all things*. This is not to be understood as though by inquiring how things come to be, but because he knows perfectly and even the inmost things of whatsoever matters, just as a man sometimes diligently searches. Whence it is said Wis. 7:22f. that *the spirit of understanding is holy, watching over all things, and taking in all spirits that are intelligible, pure, subtle*, and he knows perfectly not only created things, but also the deep things of God. Now those things are called deep which lie hidden in him, and not those things which are known of him through creatures, which are seen as it were only on the surface, according to that Wis. 13:5: *from the greatness of the beauty and of the creature the creator of them can knowably be seen*. Then, when he says *for who of men knows*, he proves what he had said concerning the Spirit of God by a likeness of the human spirit, saying *for who of men knows the things that are of man*, that is, the things that lie hidden in the heart, *except the spirit of man which is in him*, that is, the intellect? And therefore the things that lie hidden within cannot be seen. He says pointedly, however, *who of men*, lest even God should seem to be excluded from knowledge of these things; for it is said Jer. 17:9: *perverse is the heart of man, and who shall know it? I, God, proving hearts and searching reins*, because indeed of the secrets of the heart God alone is the knower. Now the reason is manifest why man cannot know the things that lie hidden in another's heart, because man's knowledge is received from sense, and therefore the things that are in another's heart, man cannot know, except insofar as they are made manifest through sensible signs, according to that 1 Kg. 16:7: *man sees the things that appear outwardly, but God beholds the heart*. But neither can a good angel nor a bad one know the things that lie hidden in man's heart, except insofar as they are made manifest through certain effects, the reason for which can be taken from the very word of the Apostle, who says the spirit of man knows the things that lie hidden in man's heart for this reason, that it is in the man himself; but an angel, whether good or bad, does not glide into the human mind so as to be in man's very heart and operate within it, but this belongs to God alone. Whence God alone is conscious of the secrets of man's heart, according to that Job 16:20: *behold, my witness is in heaven, and my knower is on high*. Second he adapts the likeness to the Spirit of God, saying *so too the things that are of God*, that is, the things that lie hidden in God himself, *no one knows, except the Spirit of God*, according to that Job 36:26: *behold, God is great, surpassing our knowledge*. But just as the things that are in one man's heart are made manifest to another through sensible signs, so the things that are of God can be known to man through sensible effects, according to that Wis. 13:5: *from the greatness of the beauty and of the creature*, et cetera. But the Holy Spirit, who is in God himself, as consubstantial with the Father and the Son, sees the secrets of the divinity through himself, according to that Wis. 7:22: *for in her*, namely the wisdom of God, *is the spirit of understanding, holy, having all power, watching over all things*. Then, when he says *but we*, etc., he shows how the knowledge of the Holy Spirit is received, saying: although no man of himself can know the things that are of God, *but we*, namely filled with the Holy Spirit, *have not received the spirit of this world, but the Spirit who is from God*. Now by the name "spirit" is understood a certain vital and cognitive and motive force. The spirit of this world, then, can be called the wisdom of this world, and the love of the world, by which man is driven to do the things that are of the world; but this spirit the holy apostles did not receive, casting off and despising the world, but they received the Holy Spirit, by whom their hearts were illumined and enkindled to the love of God, according to that Jn. 14:26: *but the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name*, etc., and Num. 14:24: *my servant Caleb, who is full of another spirit, and has followed me, I will bring into this land*. But the spirit of this world causes error, according to that Is. 19:3: *the spirit of Egypt shall be broken in the midst thereof, and I will cast down its counsel*. From the divine spirit, however, we have obtained *that we may know the things that are given to us by God*, that we may know concerning divine matters as much as God has granted to each; because, as is said Eph. 4:7, *to each one grace is given according to the measure of the gift of Christ*. Or it can be understood that the Spirit of God is given to the saints, that they may know spiritual gifts, which, not having, they are ignorant of that same Spirit, according to that Apoc. 2:17: *to him who overcomes I will give hidden manna, which no one knows except he who receives it*. From this, however, it can be gathered that just as *no one knows the Father except the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him*, as is said Matt. 11:27: so no one knows the things that are of God the Father and the Son, except the Holy Spirit and those who have received him: and this because just as the Son is consubstantial with the Father, so the Holy Spirit is with the Father and the Son.”

“Now we have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit which is of God, He contrasts the spirit of the world with Digitized by v^,ooQle DIVINE WISDOM 39 the Spirit which is of God, claims the latter for himself and the Apostles, and assigns the other to the wise men of this world. The spirit of the world, therefore, is that which is infused by the world, by worldly and carnal wisdom, which aspires after worldly, earthly, and carnal goods, and makes men worldly and carnal. On the other hand the Spirit of God is that which is infused by God and Divine Wisdom, which makes us pursue heavenly and Divine goods, and makes men spiritual and heavenly. Therefore the Apostle adds — That we might know the things that are freely given to us by God. On this passage the heretics found their peculiar belief that each Christian knows for a certainty that he ought by heavenly faith to believe that he has through Christ had given to him by God the forgiveness of his sins, with grace and righteousness, and as Calvin says, that he has been chosen to eternal glory. But this is not faith, but a foolish and false presumption, not to say blindness ; because we do not certainly know that we have been duly disposed for righteousness, and whether we surely believe, and as we ought; nor is it anywhere said or revealed in Holy Scripture that I believe as I ought to do, or that I am righteous or one of the elect The best answer to them is the sense of the passage, which is this: The Holy Spirit shows and reveals to us what and how great are the gifts given to us, the Apostles, by God, and to others who love God — so great indeed that eye has not seen them, nor have they entered into the heart of man ; for the Apostle looks back to ver. 9. I say, then, that the Apostle is speaking in general terms of the gifts which were given to the Apostles and the Church, and of those gifts alone. He says in effect: “We received this Spirit that we, i.e. y the Apostles, might know with what gifts and good things in general Christ has enriched us, i.e., His Church, viz., with what grace of the Spirit, what redemption, what virtues, and especially with how great glory;” for these were the things alluded to in ver. 9 ; and these things are, as he says in ver. n, in God, i.e. t by the free-will and predestination of God. “ We know, too, through the Holy Spirit and Revelation, that these things have been given by God to the Church ; for we speak of and teach these things as Digitized by v^,ooQle 40 FIRST EPISTLE TO THE part of the faith. But that I am possessed of them, or a sharer in them, is not a matter of faith, but of conjecture : it is not to be publicly preached, but secretly hoped for.” Again, the word know may be taken in a twofold sense : (i.) Objectively ; (2.) Subjectively. 1. Objectively, the Apostle knew, and all the faithful knew, from the prophecies, miracles, and from other signs from God, that He had promised to His congregation (/.*., His Church, which had been called together by the Apostles, and was afterwards to be called together), and that, according »to His promises, He had given His grace, forgiveness of sins, righteousness, and other gifts of free grace, and lastly a sure hope of eternal life. But all this was to His Church in common, not to this or that individual in it; for we cannot know in a particular case whether this one or that is faithful. In this sense the word know is the same as believe. For we believe that the Catholic Church is holy, and that in her there is forgiveness of sins and everlasting life. God, therefore, has only revealed that His Church is holy, but not that I am holy. For although He has revealed and has promised to all in the Church, who rightly believe and repent, forgiveness of sins and righteousness, yet He has not revealed that I believe truly and repent; and therefore He has not revealed that my sins are forgiven, and that I am justified. 2. The word know may be taken subjectively : we Apostles know by experience what wisdom and grace God has given us; and in this way the word know is the same as experience. For no one of the Apostles believed by faith from above that he had wisdom and grace ; but he experienced the acts and effects of grace in himself so vehemently, frequently, clearly, and surely, that he felt morally certain that he had true wisdom and grace from God. For the Apostles were filled with grace and wisdom, and it behoved them to teach others the same, and wholly to long to bring the world to Christ Although, then, the Apostles knew by experience that they had been justified and sanctified, still the rest of the faithful did not know it, nor do they know it now. They can only hope so, and conDigitized by v^,ooQle KNOWLEDGE OF SALVATION . 41 jecture it from the signs of an upright and good life. Yet neither the Apostles, nor they, believe it on the testimony of infused faith ; for experience of every kind merely generates human faith, not Divine : that springs from and depends on the revelation of God alone”

“Which things also we speak,.... Namely, the things which have not been seen by the eye, heard by the ear, or understood by the heart of man; the things God has prepared for his people; the deep things of God; the things of God which are only known to the Spirit; the things that are freely given to them of God, and made known to them by the Spirit of God: these things are spoken out, preached, and declared to the sons of men, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth; which are learned in the schools of the philosophers, put together by human art, and "in the taught words of human wisdom", as the clause may be rendered; such as are taught and acquired by human learning, so artificially formed in their order and structure as to work upon the affections of men, captivate the mind, and persuade to an assent. But which the Holy Ghost teacheth; or "in the taught" words "of the Holy Ghost"; in the language of the Scriptures, edited by the Spirit of God; or such as the Holy Spirit taught them, suggested to them, directed them to the use of; for he not only supplied them with matter, but furnished them with words, with proper and spiritual oratory: comparing spiritual things with spiritual; the things of the Spirit of God, the doctrines of the Gospel, with the spiritual writings of the Old Testament, whereby their truth and harmony are demonstrated; speaking as the oracles of God, and prophesying or preaching according to the analogy of faith; and adapting spiritual words to spiritual truths, clothing them with a language suitable and convenient to them, not foreign and flourishing, but pure, simple, and native; or accommodating and communicating spiritual things, as to matter and form, to spiritual men; which sense the Arabic version favours and confirms, such being only capable of them; and with these there is no need to use the eloquence, oratory, wisdom, and words of men.”

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world - We, who are the genuine apostles of Christ, have received this Spirit of God, by which we know the deep things of God; and, through the teaching of that Spirit, we preach Christ crucified. We have not therefore received the spirit of the world - of the Jewish teachers, who are all looking for a worldly kingdom and a worldly Messiah, and interpret all the scriptures of the Old Testament which relate to Him in a carnal and worldly sense. That we might know the things - We receive this teaching that we may know what those supereminently excellent things are which God has purposed freely to give to mankind. It is evident that, as the apostle means by princes of the world the rulers of the Jews, Co1 2:6-8, so by spirit of the world he here means Jewish wisdom, or their carnal mode of interpreting the sacred oracles, and their carnal expectation of a worldly kingdom under the Messiah.”

“we . . . received, not . . . spirit of . . . world--the personal evil "spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" (Eph 2:2). This spirit is natural in the unregenerate, and needs not to be received. Spirit which is of God--that is, which comes from God. We have received it only by the gift of God, whose Spirit it is, whereas our own spirit is the spirit that is in us men (Co1 2:11). that we might know . . . things . . . freely given . . . of God--present experimental knowledge, to our unspeakable comfort, of His deep mysteries of wisdom, and of our future possession of the good "things which God hath prepared for them that love Him" (Co1 2:9).”