Part 24

3. For what other Spirit could teach Paul how to pray? The Spirit of Christ, like Christ Himself, teaches His disciples to pray, for who could teach us, after Christ, but His Spirit, Whom He sent to teach us, and to direct our prayers, _for we pray with the Spirit and we pray with the understanding also_. That the understanding may pray well, the Spirit goes before and _leads it forth into the right way_, so as to prevent carnal things, or what either falls below or exceeds its strength, from secretly stealing over it. _For the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal._ It is written also, Seek great things, and small things shall be added unto you; seek heavenly things, and earthly things shall be added unto you.

Sidenote: 1 Cor. xii. 11.

Sidenote: S. Matt. xxvi. 41.

4. Wherefore He wishes us to seek greater things, not to linger upon earth. And He knows what to bestow upon us, _dividing unto every man severally as He will_. Sometimes, knowing our capacity, which we are ignorant of, He says to us, _Ye cannot receive it now_. I ask for myself the sufferings of martyrdom, _the_ Holy _Spirit is willing_, but sees the weakness of my flesh, and lest, while I seek for greater things I should lose what is less, says to me, ‘Thou canst not bear this.’ What opportunities have I not had and yet when near the goal I have been held back[183]. The good ♦physician knows what food is suitable to each disease, and to each season, for the benefit of health. Sometimes food seasonably taken restores health; but if a man eat food unseasonably or of an improper kind, it is dangerous to him.

Sidenote: Jer. iv. 19.

Sidenote: Ps. xxxviii. 9.

Sidenote: 1 Chron. xxi. 17.

5. Therefore since we know not what to pray for, nor how to pray, the Holy Spirit prays for us; for He is the Spirit of Jesus our Advocate, and He prays with groans unutterable, for Christ also mourns for us. And God the Father says, _My bowels, My bowels, I am pained at the very heart_. We often read too of Him as being indignant and grieved. He groans to take away our sins, and to teach us to do penance. For there are pious groans, and of prevailing power with God, whereof the Prophet speaks, _And my groaning is not hid from Thee_. For he did not hide himself, like Adam, but said, Behold I am the shepherd, _but these sheep, what have they done? it is I that have sinned, let Thine hand be on me_.

Sidenote: 2 Cor. xii. 4.

Sidenote: Rom. viii. 27.

Sidenote: Ib.

6. Hence then cometh the groaning of the Spirit of God, and those groans of the Prophet[184], truly unutterable because they are divine. So those words which Paul heard in heaven are _unspeakable, which it is not lawful for a man to utter_, but what is hidden from man is known to God. Now He Who is the Searcher of hearts knows all things, but the things which He searches are those which the Spirit hath cleansed. God therefore knoweth what the Spirit prays for, and what is the wisdom of the Spirit Which intercedes for the saints, as it is written, _For the Spirit maketh intercession for us_. For those for whom Christ suffered, and whom He cleansed by His Blood, for them the Spirit also intercedes.

Farewell: love me as a Son, for I too love you.

LETTER XXXVII. A.D. 387.

SIMPLICIAN, to whom this and the following Letters, and several later ones, are addressed, seems, from what little we know of him, to have been a very learned and yet simple-minded man. He was older than S. Ambrose, who speaks in this Letter of his ‘fatherly love’ towards himself, and was probably his adviser in the early days of his episcopate, and possibly, as the Benedictine Editors, (note on Letter lxv,) suggest, his ‘father in the faith,’ as having prepared him for his ordination, or even taught him as a catechumen at Rome in earlier days. Paulinus tells us that when S. Ambrose was on his death-bed he overheard some of his Clergy discussing the probabilities as to his successor, and when they mentioned Simplician’s name, he said “as if he were taking part in the convention, ‘Trahitur autem sapientia de occultis.’” Certainly Simplician was unanimously chosen his successor.

In this Letter he dwells in detail upon the theme that goodness is true freedom and sin slavery, which he illustrates at great length and with much rarity of argument. It is one of the most interesting of his expository Letters.

AMBROSE TO SIMPLICIAN, GREETING

1. WHEN we were lately conversing together, in the intimacy of an old-standing affection, you let me see that you were much pleased by my taking a passage from the writings of the Apostle Paul to preach upon to the people. You said further that this was the case, because the depth of his counsels is difficult to grasp, while the loftiness of his sentiment rouses the audience, and stimulates the preacher; and also because his discourses are so fully, for the most part, the interpreters of his meaning, that the expounder of them finds nothing to add of his own, and, if he would say ought, fills the part of a critic rather than of a preacher.

2. However since I recognize herein the feelings of long friendship, and what is still more precious, the tenderness of your paternal regard, (for in length of attachment many may participate, but in paternal love they cannot;) since moreover you consider that I have already done what you ask satisfactorily, I will comply with what you desire, and that the more, as I am admonished and stimulated by my own example, an example not difficult for me to follow, since I shall imitate no great one, but myself only, thus returning to my own humble customs.

3. As to the plan pursued in my discourse, seeing that the image and character of the blessed life is delineated therein, I think I have so arranged the argument of it that it will not be disapproved by others, certainly not by yourself who are so partial to me, although it is more difficult to satisfy your judgment than theirs, only your affection softens its severity and renders it more indulgent to me.

Sidenote: 1 Cor. vii. 23.

4. Now this Letter, written as it is in your absence, has for its subject the sentence of the Apostle Paul, who calls us from slavery into liberty, saying, _Ye are bought with a price, be not ye the servants of men_, shewing that our liberty lies in the knowledge of wisdom. This opinion has been bandied to and fro by philosophers in energetic discussions, while they assert that every wise man is free and every fool a slave.

Sidenote: Ecclus. xxvii. 11.

Sidenote: Eph. iv. 14.

Sidenote: S. Matt. xiii. 43.

5. But this was said long before by the son of David, _The fool changeth as the moon_. The wise man on the other hand is not dispirited by fear, nor changed by power, nor exalted by prosperity, nor cast down by sadness; for where wisdom is, there also is strength of mind, constancy, and fortitude. Now the wise man remains the same in mind, neither depressed nor exalted by the vicissitudes of things, he is not _tossed to and fro as a child, and carried about with every wind of doctrine_, but continues perfect in Christ, grounded in charity, rooted in faith. Hence he is not conscious of failure, he knows not the various losses which befal the soul, but _shall shine forth as the Sun of righteousness Who shines in the kingdom of His Father_.

Sidenote: Gen. ix. 25.

6. But let us now consider from what source Philosophy more fully derived this, from what discipline and wisdom of the Patriarchs. Did it not come first from Noah who, perceiving that his son Ham had foolishly derided the nakedness of his father, cursed him in these words, _Cursed be Ham[185], a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren_, and set his brethren as lords over him, seeing that they had wisely deemed their fathers old age worthy of honour?

Sidenote: Gen. xxvii. 29.

7. Did not also that source of all good discipline, Jacob, who on account of his wisdom was preferred to his elder brother, instil into the breasts of all the riches of this copious subject? So also the pious father, whose paternal affection was equally strong towards his two sons, although his judgment varied, (for while the ties of blood sway the affections, our judgments are formed according to desert,) and who therefore dispensed to the one grace, to the other mercy, to the wise grace, to the foolish mercy, seeing that Esau could not raise himself to virtue by his own proper strength nor make progress spontaneously, blessed him in rendering him the subject and servant of his brother, shewing thereby that folly was so much worse than slavery that slavery itself is a remedy for it; because a fool cannot govern himself, and unless he has some director he falls by his own will.

8. His father therefore, loving him and careful for his welfare, made him the servant of his brother that he might be ruled by his counsels. And thus wise rulers are given to an indiscreet nation, that by their vigour they may guide the weakness of the people, ruling them by a show of power, and by this weight of authority constraining them against their wills to obey those wiser than themselves, and to submit to the laws. On the foolish son therefore he laid a yoke as on one untamed, and to him who had said he would live by his sword he denied even freedom; that he might not fall away through presumption he set his brother over him, that being subdued by his authority and governance he might make progress towards conversion. And since there are two kinds of service, (for that which proceeds from necessity is weaker, that from free will stronger, for that good is more transcendent which proceeds not from necessity but from free will,) he therefore first laid upon him the yoke of necessity, and afterwards imparted to him the blessing of voluntary subjection.

Sidenote: Ps. cv. 18.

9. It is not then nature which makes a person a slave, but folly; not manumission which sets free, but discipline. Esau was born free, and was made a servant, Joseph was sold into slavery, and then elected to power, to rule over those who bought him. He disdained not to be sedulous and obedient, but he maintained the height of virtue, he preserved the liberty of innocence, the dignity of integrity. The Psalmist therefore says well, _Joseph was sold to be a bond-servant; they humbled his feet in fetters_. _He was sold_, it is said, _to be a bond-servant_, but they could not make him a bond-servant; _they humbled his feet_, not his soul.

Sidenote: Ib. 19.

Sidenote: Eph. vi. 16.

10. For how was that soul humbled of which it is said: _His soul pierced the iron_? For while sin pierces the souls of others, (for _the iron_ means sin, which has a penetrating power,) the soul of holy Joseph was so far from being vulnerable by sin that it pierced through sin itself. The blandishments of his mistress’ charms moved him not, and with reason was he insensible to the flames of lust, seeing that he was consumed by the brighter fire of Divine grace. It is therefore well said of him also, _The word of the Lord inflamed him_; for thereby _he quenched the fiery darts of the Devil_.

Sidenote: Gen. xli. 48.

Sidenote: Ib. xlvii. 20.

Sidenote: Ib. 22.

11. How was he a bond-servant who directed the princes of the people to store up the corn, that thus they might forestall and provide for future dearth? Or how was he a bond-servant, who gained the whole land, and reduced all the Egyptians to bondage? And this, not in order to impose upon them the condition of an ignoble bondage, but that he might establish a tribute from all but the lands of the priesthood, which he preserved free from tribute, that among the Egyptians also respect for the priesthood might be held inviolable.

Sidenote: 1 Esdr. iv. 29, 30, 31.

12. His being sold then did not make him a slave; for though of a truth he was sold to merchants, yet, if you regard price merely, you will find many who have bought for themselves maidens of an elegant form, and then, captivated by love, have basely enslaved themselves to them. _Apame the concubine of King Darius was once seen sitting at his right hand, taking his diadem off his head, and placing it on her own, and with the palm of her left hand striking his face, while the King gazed upon her with open mouth, glad if she would only smile upon him, and thinking himself miserable and afflicted if she scorned him, laying aside his authority, and seeking to soothe and persuade her to be reconciled to him._

Sidenote: Prov. xvii. 2. ♦LXX.

13. But why should I quote this at so great a length? Do we not often see parents who have been made slaves by pirates or cruel barbarians ransomed by their children? Are then the laws of mercy more powerful than the laws of nature? Is natural affection produced in slavery? People often buy lions and yet have no mastery over them, nay are so much their slaves that if they see them becoming enraged and shaking out their manes on their brawny necks, they run away and hide themselves. Money then determines nothing, for it often buys masters over itself, nor do catalogues of auctions, for by them the purchaser himself is often sold and allotted to another. A contract of sale does not change a man’s nature, nor deprive wisdom of her liberty. Many free men, as it is written, serve a wise servant, and _there is a wise slave, who governs foolish masters_.

Sidenote: Deut. xv. 6.

14. Whom then do you consider as more truly free? Wisdom alone is free, she sets the poor over the rich, and makes the servants lend at usury to their to their own masters; lend, that is, not money but understanding, lend the talent of that Divine and eternal Treasure which is never wasted, the mere loan of which is precious: to lend that mystical money of the heavenly oracles of which the Law says, _Thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow_. This the Jew lent to the Gentiles, for he received not instruction from them but imparted it; to him the Lord opened His treasures, that He might moisten the Gentiles with the dew of His Word, and might become the Head of the nations, while He Himself had no head over Him.

Sidenote: Is. lv. 1.

15. He then who is wise is free, bought with the price of the heavenly oracles, with that gold, that silver of the Divine Word; bought with the price of blood (for it is no small thing to acknowledge one’s Redeemer;) bought with the price of Grace: he who heard and understood the words, _Ho every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money, come ye, buy and drink and eat_.

Sidenote: Deut. xxi. 11.

Sidenote: Deut. xxi. 14.

Sidenote: Job xxviii. 18, 19.

16. He is free who going forth to war, if he have seen a beautiful woman, and when he spoils his enemies’ goods has found her among them and _has a desire unto her, takes her to wife_, having first _shaved her head and pared her nails, and taken off from her the raiment of her captivity_, taking her no longer as a slave but free, for he understands that prudence and discipline are not liable to a state of bondage. And therefore the Law says, _Thou shalt not sell her at all for money_, for truly she is above all price. And Job says, _Take[186] wisdom into thine ♦inmost parts. The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it_, for it is more precious than gold and silver.

17. Freedom therefore is not his alone who has never had the auctioneer for his master, nor seen him raising his finger, but he is more truly free, who is free within himself, who is free by the laws of nature, knowing that this law has a moral not merely an arbitrary sanction, and that the measure of its obligations is in accordance not with the will of man but with the discipline of nature. Does such a person therefore seem to you free merely? Does he not rather appear to you in the light of a censor and director of morals? Hence the Scripture says truly that _the poor shall be set over the rich, and private men over those who administer the state_[187].

Sidenote: 1 Tim. i. 9.

Sidenote: Prov. v. 15.

18. Think you that he is free who buys votes with money, who courts the applause of the people more than the approbation of the wise? Is he free who is swayed by the popular breath, who dreads the hisses of the populace? That is not liberty which he who is manumitted receives, which he obtains as a gift from the blow of the lictor’s palm. For it is not munificence but virtue that I hold to constitute liberty; liberty, which is not bestowed by the suffrages of others, but is won and possessed by a man’s own greatness of mind. For a wise man is always free, always honoured, always one who presides over the laws _For the law is not made for the righteous but for the unrighteous_, for the just man is a law unto himself, having no need to fetch for himself from a distance the form of virtue, seeing that he bears it within his heart, having _the works of the law written on the tablets of his heart_, to whom it is said, _Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well_. For what is so near to us as the Word of God? This word is in our hearts, and in our mouth; we see it not, and yet possess it.

19. The wise man therefore is free, for he who does that which he wills is free. But it is not every will that is good, but it is the part of a wise man to will all things which are good, for he hates what is evil, having chosen that which is good. If therefore he has chosen what is good, he whose choice is free and who has chosen what he will do is free, for he does what he wills to do: the wise man therefore is free. All that the wise man does he does well. But he that does all things well does all things rightly, and he that does all things rightly does them all without offence or reproach, without causing disturbance or loss to himself. Whoever then has this power of doing all things without offence or reproach, without loss or disturbance to himself, does nothing foolishly but does all things wisely. For he who acts wisely has nothing to fear, for fear is in sin. But where no fear is, there is liberty, and where liberty is, there is the power of doing what one wishes: the wise man therefore alone is free.

20. He who can neither be compelled nor forbidden is no slave; now it belongs to the wise man to be neither compelled nor forbidden; the wise man, therefore, is not a slave. Now he is forbidden who does not execute what he desires, but what does the wise man desire but the things which belong to virtue and discipline, without which he cannot exist? For they subsist in him, and cannot be separated from him. But if they are separated from him he is no longer wise, seeing that he is without the use and discipline of virtue, of which he would deprive himself if he were not the voluntary interpreter of virtue. But if he be constrained, it is manifest that he acts unwillingly. Now in all

## actions there are either corrections proceeding from virtue, or falls

proceeding from malice, or things between the two and indifferent. The wise man follows virtue not compulsorily but voluntarily, for all things that are pleasing he does, as flying from malice, and admits not so much as a dream of it. So far is he from being moved by things indifferent, that no forces have the power to move him hither and thither as they do the herd of men, but his mind hangs as in a balance in equal scales, so that it neither inclines to pleasure, nor in any respect directs its desires however slightly to things which ought to be avoided, but remains unmoved in its affections. Whence it appears that the wise man does nothing unwillingly or by compulsion, because were he a slave he would be so compelled; the wise man therefore is free.

Sidenote: 1 Cor. ix. 1.

Sidenote: Gal. ii. 4.

21. The Apostle likewise gives this definition, saying, _Am I not an Apostle, am I not free?_ Truly he was so free that when certain persons had _come in privily to spy out his liberty_, he _gave place_, as he himself says, _by subjection, no not for an hour, that the truth of the Gospel might be preached_. He therefore who yielded not preached voluntarily. Where free will is, there is the reward of free will; where obligation is, there is the service of obligation. Free will therefore is better than obligation; to will is the part of the wise man, to obey and to serve is the part of the fool.

Sidenote: 1 Cor. ix. 17.

Sidenote: Gal. v. 13.

22. This is also the Apostle’s definition, who says, _For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will a dispensation is committed to me_. On the wise man therefore a reward is conferred, but the wise man acts willingly, according to the Apostle therefore the wise man is free. Wherefore he also exclaims, _Ye have been called unto liberty, only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh_. He separates the Christian from the Law, that he may not seem to yield to the Law against his will; he calls him to the Gospel, which the willing both preach and practise. The Jew is under the Law, the Christian is by the Gospel; in the Law is bondage, in the Gospel, where is the knowledge of wisdom, is liberty. Every one therefore who receives Christ is wise, and he who is wise is free, every Christian therefore is both wise and free.

Sidenote: 1 Cor. ix. 19.

Sidenote: S. John xv. 15.

Sidenote: Gal. v. 13.

Sidenote: Ps. lxxxi. 6. LXX.

Sidenote: Phil. ii. 6.

Sidenote: 1 Cor. ix. 24, 27.