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Discourses and Fragments of Melito

From 'The Key.'

Discourses and Fragments of Melito · Saint Melito of Sardis

IX.

Mel 16.1

Head of the Lord—His simple Divinity; because He is the Beginning and Creator of all things: in Daniel.

Mel 16.2

The white hair of the Lord, because He is “the Ancient of Days:” as above.

Mel 16.3

The eyes of the Lord—the Divine inspection: because He sees all things. Like that in the apostle: For all things are naked and open in His eyes.”

Mel 16.4

The eyelids of the Lord—hidden spiritual mysteries in the Divine precepts. In the Psalm: “His eyelids question, that is prove, the children of men.”

Mel 16.5

The smelling of the Lord—His delight in the prayers or works of the saints. In Genesis: “And the Lord smelled an odour of sweetness.”

Mel 16.6

The mouth of the Lord—His Son, or word addressed to men. In the prophet, “The mouth of the Lord hath spoken;” and elsewhere, “They provoked His mouth to anger.”

Mel 16.7

The tongue of the Lord—His Holy Spirit. In the Psalm: “My tongue is a pen.”

Mel 16.8

The face of the Lord—His manifestation. In Exodus, “My face shall go before thee;” and in the prophet, “The face of the Lord divided them.”

Mel 16.9

The word of the Lord—His Son. In the Psalm: “My heart hath uttered a good word.”

Mel 16.10

The arm of the Lord—His Son, by whom He hath wrought all His works. In the prophet Isaiah: “And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?”

Mel 16.11

The right hand of the Lord—that is, His Son; as also above in the Psalm: “The right hand of the Lord hath done valiantly.”

Mel 16.12

The right hand of the Lord—electio omnis. As in Deuteronomy: “In His right hand is a fiery law.”

Mel 16.13

The wings of the Lord—Divine protection. In the Psalm: “In the shadow of Thy wings will I hope.”

Mel 16.14

The shoulder of the Lord—the Divine power, by which He condescends to carry the feeble. In Deuteronomy: “He took them up, and put them on His shoulders.”

Mel 16.15

The hand of the Lord—Divine operation. In the prophet: “Have not my hands made all these things?”

Mel 16.16

The finger of the Lord—the Holy Spirit, by whose operation the tables of the law in Exodus are said to have been written; and in the Gospel: “If I by the finger of God cast out demons”

Mel 16.17

The fingers of the Lord—The lawgiver Moses, or the prophets. In the Psalm: “I will regard the heavens,” that is, the books of the Law and the Prophets, “the works of Thy fingers.”

Mel 16.18

The wisdom of the Lord—His Son. In the apostle: “Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God;” and in Solomon: “The wisdom of the Lord reacheth from one end to the other mightily.”

Mel 16.19

The womb of the Lord—the hidden recess of Deity out of which He brought forth His Son. In the Psalm: “Out of the womb, before Lucifer, have I borne Thee.”

Mel 16.20

The feet of the Lord—His immoveableness and eternity. In the Psalm: “And thick darkness was under His feet.”

Mel 16.21

The throne of the Lord—angels, or saints, or simply sovereign dominion. In the Psalm: “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever.”

Mel 16.22

Seat—the same as above, angels or saints, because the Lord sits upon these. In the Psalm: “The Lord sat upon His holy seat.”

Mel 16.23

The descent of the Lord—His visitation of men. As in Micah: “Behold, the Lord shall come forth from His place; He shall come down trampling under foot the ends of the earth.” Likewise in a bad sense. In Genesis: “The Lord came down to see the tower.”

Mel 16.24

The ascent of the Lord—the raising up of man, who is taken from earth to heaven. In the Psalm: “Who ascendeth above the heaven of heavens to the east.”

Mel 16.25

The standing of the Lord—the patience of the Deity, by which He bears with sinners that they may come to repentance. As in Habakkuk: “He stood and measured the earth; and in the Gospel: “Jesus stood, and bade him be called,” that is, the blind man.

Mel 16.26

The transition of the Lord—His assumption of our flesh, through which by His birth, His death, His resurrection, His ascent into heaven, He made transitions, so to say. In the Song of Songs: “Behold, He cometh, leaping upon the mountains, bounding over the hills.”

Mel 16.27

The going of the Lord—His coming or visitation. In the Psalm.

Mel 16.28

The way of the Lord—the operation of the Deity. As in Job, in speaking of the devil: “He is the beginning of the ways of the Lord.”

Mel 16.29

Again: The ways of the Lord—His precepts. In Hosea: “For the ways of the Lord are straight, and the just shall walk in them.”

Mel 16.30

The footsteps of the Lord—the signs of His secret operations. As in the Psalm: “And Thy footsteps shall not be known.”

Mel 16.31

The knowledge of the Lord—that which makes men to know Him. To Abraham He says: “Now I know that thou fearest the Lord;” that is, I have made thee to know.

Mel 16.32

The ignorance of Godis His disapproval. In the Gospel: “I know you not.”

Mel 16.33

The remembrance of God—His mercy, by which He rejects and has mercy on whom He will. So in Genesis: “The Lord remembered Noah;” and in another passage: “The Lord hath remembered His people.”

Mel 16.34

The repentance of the Lord—His change of procedure. As in the book of Kings: “It repented me that I have made Saul king.”

Mel 16.35

The anger and wrath of the Lord—the vengeance of the Deity upon sinners, when He bears with them with a view to punishment, does not at once judge them according to strict equity. As in the Psalm: “In His anger and in His wrath will He trouble them.”

Mel 16.36

The sleeping of the Lord—when, in the thoughts of some, His faithfulness is not sufficiently wakeful. In the Psalm: “Awake, why sleepest Thou, O Lord?”

Mel 16.37

The watches of the Lord—in the guardianship of His elect He is always at hand by the presence of His Deity. In the Psalm: “Lo! He will not slumber nor sleep.”

Mel 16.38

The sitting of the Lord—His ruling. In the Psalm: “The Lord sitteth upon His holy seat.”

Mel 16.39

The footstool of the Lord—man assumed by the Word; or His saints, as some think. In the Psalm: “Worship ye His footstool, for it is holy.”

Mel 16.40

The walking of the Lord—the delight of the Deity in the walks of His elect. In the prophet: “I will walk in them, and will be their Lord.”

Mel 16.41

The trumpet of the Lord—His mighty voice. In the apostle: “At the command, and at the voice of the archangel, and at the trumpet of God, shall He descend from heaven.”

Mel 16.42

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Mel 16.43