No More Learning

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blessings, lose
say
34 God does not always give Children to the Righteous.
Psalm would be as the fruitful vine upon the walls of his house, not cxxv'"' barren, so that she could give birth to none; and if this man feared the Lord, his sons would surround his table, like olive- branches. For if we should speak thus, we are natural men, not receiving the things that are of the Spirit of God. Let us also begin to shake them out, that we also may be the sons of them that are shaken out. For if we shall be the sons of them that are shaken out, we shall be like as the arrows in the hand of the giant, and He will dart us from His commandment into the hearts of men who do not as yet
love Him, that, struck by the arrows of God's words, they may love. For if we begin to preach to them such words as these, My sons, or my brethren, fear ye the Lord, that ye may have children and grandchildren, that your house may
be joyful; we are not leading them to love that everlasting Jerusalem ; they will remain in the love of earthly things, and seeing these things abound to the ungodly, though they dare not speak so to us, they will say in their heart, Why hath he who feareth not God, his house full of children ? And if perchance another say to him, As yet thou knowest not what may happen ; what if he shall have to bury them, because he feareth not God ; what if many sons were born unto him for this reason, that he might suffer greater pain from their death ? But if thou speak thus, he will answer
I know of a man who was ungodly, a heathen, sacri legious, a worshipper of idols, (and perhaps he doth know, and saith the truth, and knoweth not one only, nor even two or three only,) whom numerous sons and grandsons have carried to the grave, an old man, bowed down with years, who had died in his bed. Lo, he feared not the Lord, and yet a most numerous offspring of his house hath closed his eyes. What shall we say to this ? Nothing evil can happen to him, for he can never, in his lifetime, bury his children, since he hath already died, and been borne to an honourable tomb by his children.
3. Let us shake this out then, let us shake it out, if we wish to be the sons of them that are shaken out : let some meaning be educed from it. For there is a certain Man who is thus blessed : and no one feareth the Lord, except
he be in the members of this Man : and there are many men,
thee :
The Promise is to the Church, as one in Christ. 35
and there is one Man ; for there are many Christians, and Ver. there is One Christ. The Christians themselves with their ---- Head, Who hath ascended into heaven, are one Christ. He
is not One, and we many, but we many are one in That One.
Christ then is one Man, the Head of the Body. What is
His Body ? His Church, as the Apostle saith : We are Ephea. members of His Body ; and, ye are the body of Christ, and]'TM' His members in particular. Let us therefore understand 12,
the words of this Man, in whose body we are one man ; and we shall there see the true good things of Jerusalem. For thus he saith at the end : That thou mayest see the good things that are ofJerusalem. But if thou hast looked for these good things with an earthly eye, the abundance of children aud grandchildren, and the fecundity and fruitful. ness of his wife, are not the good things of that Jerusalem ; for these good things are in the land of the dying, that is the land of the living. Hold it not as a very great thing, if thou hast sons who will die, although not before thee, yet
certainly after thee. Dost thou wish to have children who will never die, and who will ever live with thee ? Be thou in His Body, of Whom it hath been said, Ye are the Body
of Christ, and His members in particular.
4. That this Psalm also might shew this, since it is so far
obscure that it admonisheth us to knock at so far covered that doth wish to be shaken out, beginneth with speak ing of many Blessed are all they that fear the Lord, and walk in His ways. He speaketh to many; but since these many are one in Christ, in the next words he speaketh in the singular For thou shall eat the labours of thy fruits. He had said above, Blessed are all they that fear the Lord, and walk in His ways why doth he now say, Thou shall eat the labours of thy fruits: and not, ye shall eat? and why, the labours of thy fruits, and not the labours of your fruits. Hath he forgotten that so lately as in the preceding verse he was speaking of more than one If thou hast already shaken out, what doth he answer thee When speak of Christians in the plural, understand one in the One Christ.
Ye are therefore many, and ye are one we are many, and we are one. How are we man}. , and yet one Because we
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-Head is in heaven, that His members may follow.
5. Let him therefore now go on with his description : for it is now clear Whom he is describing. Thus will all that followeth be open : only do ye fear the Lord, and walk in
36 The Martyrs, as St. Felix, rejoiced in hope.
Psalm cling unto Him Whose members we are ; and since our CxxV1H.
His ways, and do not envy those who walk not in His ways, when ye shall see them happy without happiness. For men of the world are happy without happiness; but the Martyrs were unhappy with happiness. For they were unhappy for a season, but happy for evermore ; and herein that they were unhappy for a season, they were thought to be more
2 Cor. 6, unhappy than they were. For what saith the Apostle? As
l0'
sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing. Why, alway? Both here and there : altogether both here and there. For whence do we rejoice here ? In hope. Whence shall we rejoice there ? In fulfilment. The hope of one rejoicing hath great joy,
Rom. 13, and if rejoicing in hope, see what followeth, patient in
12'
tribulation. The Martyrs were therefore patient in tribula tion, because they rejoiced in hope. But because that which is promised did not yet exist, what saith the Apostle ?
Id. 8,24. For hope which is seen is not hope: but if we hope for what we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Behold the reason why the Martyrs endured all things, because they waited patiently for what they saw not. They who slew them, loved what they saw : they who were slain, sighed for those things which they saw not, and hastened to reach those things which they saw not; and in that they were put to a lingering death, thought they were delayed,
? i-e- Happy
6. Therefore, brethren, Felix the Martyr', truly Felix1 botn in nis name and his crown, whose birthday this is, despised the world. Was he, because he feared the Lord, thence happy, thence blessed, because his wife was as a fruitful vine upon the earth, and his children stood around his table ? All these blessings he hath perfectly, but in the
Body of Him Who is here described; and, because he understood them in this sense, he scorned things present, that he might receive things future. Ye are aware, brethren,
' He is said to have suffered martyr- from Hippo, on the sixth of November, dom at Xhiniasa, or Thimisa, not far Ben. (Mart. Rom. has Tuneti. )
Fear ofpunishment is not a pure fear of God. 37
that he suffered not the death that other martyrs suffered. Ver.
'. --
For he confessed, and was set aside for torments ; on another day his body was discovered lifeless. They had closed the prison to his body, not to his spirit. The exe cutioners found him gone; when they were preparing to torture, they spent their rage for nought. He was lying dead, without sense to them, that he might not be tortured ; with sense with God, that he might be crowned.
Whence was he also happy, brethren, not only in name, but in the
reward of everlasting life, if he loved these things.
7. Let us therefore so hear this Psalm, as considering it to be spoken of Christ: and all of us who cling unto the
Body of Christ, and have been made members of Christ, walk in the ways of the Lord ; and let us fear the Lord with a chaste fear, with a fear that abideth for ever. For it is another fear which charity excludeth, as St. John saith,
There is no fear in love: but perfect love casteth out fear. Uohn4, He saith not of every fear that it is cast out by love; for18' thou findest the Psalm saying, The fear of the Lord is clean, Ps. 19, and en dure th for ever. One fear therefore endureth, the9'
other is cast out. The fear which is cast out, is not clean:
but that which endureth, is clean. What is the fear which
is cast out? Deign to consider. Some fear only for this reason, lest they suffer some evil on earth, -- lest sickness
befall them, lest loss, lest bereavement of children, lest the
loss of any that is dear, lest exile, lest condemnation, lest prison', lest any tribulation; for these reasons they fear and tremble: still this fear is not a chaste one. Still hear. Another feareth not on this earth, but feareth hell, whereby
the Lord also alarmed men. Ye have heard when the Gospel was being read, Where their worm dieth not, awcJMark 9, the fire is not quenched. Men hear these words; and because they will really happen to the ungodly, they fear,
and restrain themselves from sin. They have fear, and through fear restrain themselves from sin. They fear indeed, but love not righteousness. But when through fear they restrain themselves from sin, righteousness becometh a habit, and what was hard beginneth to be loved, and good becometh sweet : and man now beginneth to live righte- s Oxf. Mas. ' lest condemnation to imprisonment. '
Psalm
38 A right fear kadi to the sight and love of Christ.
ously for this reason, not because he feareth punishments, but because he loveth eternity. Fear therefore is cast out by love; but a clean fear hath succeeded.
8. What is this clean fear? According to which we ought, my brethren, to understand what is said, Blessed are all they that fear the Lord, and walk in His ways. If I shall be enabled to speak worthily of this clean fear, by the help of the Lord our God, many will perchance be inflamed by this clean fear unto a clean love. Nor can 1 perhaps explain, unless by putting forward some similitude. Suppose some chaste woman, fearing her husband : suppose another an adulterous woman ; she also feareth her husband. The chaste woman feareth lest her husband depart : the adul terous wife feareth him, lest he come. What if both be absent ? The one feareth lest he come : the latter, lest he delay. He is in a certain sense absent unto Whom we
have been betrothed ; He is absent, Who gave unto us as a pledge His Holy Spirit; He is absent, Who redeemed us with His blood ; that Husband than Whom nothing is more beautiful, Who seemed as it were deformed among the hands of His persecutors, of Whom a little before Tsaiah said, He hath no form or comeliness. Is then our Bride- groom deformed ? God forbid ! for how would the virgins love Him, who have not sought husbands on earth? He therefore seemed deformed to His persecutors : if they thought Him not such, they would not insult Him, they would not strike Him with whips, would not crown Him with thorns, would not defile Him with spittle ; but because
ls. 53,2. Sol, i,
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John l
Philip, Have
He seemed such unto them, they did these things unto Him ; for they had not eyes whereby Christ could seem beautiful. To what sort of eyes did Christ seem beautiful ? To such as CIhrist Himself sought, when He said unto
been so long with you, and hast thou not known Me, Philip ? These eyes must be cleansed, that they may see that light ; and, though slightly touched with the splendour, they are kindled with love, that they may wish to be healed, and may become enlightened. For that ye may know that Christ, Who is loved, is beautiful, the P>>. 45, Prophet saith, Fairer in beauty than the children of men.
Ilis beauty surpasseth all men. W hat is it we love in
How to prove whether our fear of God is pure. 39
His crucified members, His transfixed side, or His Ver. When we hear that He suffered for us, what do we --L-- Love is loved. He loved us, that we might in turn
Christ ?
love ?
love ?
love Him; and that we might return His love, He hath visited us with His Spirit. He is beautiful, and is absent. Let the spouse ask herself if she be chaste. We are all among His members, my brethren ; we are among His members, we are for this reason one Man. Let each man see what sort of fear he hath, whether that which love casteth out, or that clean fear which endureth for evermore.
He hath lately proved this ; I say unto you, He will also prove Our Bridegroom afar ask thy conscience
dost thou wish that He come, or dost thou still wish that He delay? Consider, brethren: have knocked at the doors of your hearts; He hath heard the voice of them that dwell therein. What the consciences of each of you may
have answered, could not reach my ears, since am but man He Who afar in respect of bodily presence, but present in the strength of His Majesty, hath heard you.
be said unto them, Lo, here Christ, the day of judgment; say not, Would that He They who speak thus, love much and they
How many,
to-morrow
may come
are told, He will delay, they fear lest He delay, because their fear clean. And as His delaying now feared so, after His coming, His leaving us will be feared. That will be a clean fear, for tranquil and secure. For we shall not be forsaken of Him, when He hath found us, since He sought us before we sought Him chaste fear therefore, my brethren, hath this source cometh from love. But that fear which not yet chaste, feareth His Presence, and
its punishment. From fear doeth whatever of good doeth not from fear of losing that good, but from fear of suffering that evil. He feareth not lest he lose the embrace of his most comely bridegroom, but lest he be cast into hell. This fear good, useful will not indeed remain for evermore but not as yet of that clean sort, that abideth for evermore.
9. In whom clean
the second time, which ye may ask of yourselves. If God should come and speak unto us with His Own Voice,
am now asking question for
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40 Fear of losing God's Presence shews some love.
m (although He ceaseth not to speak through His Scriptures,) -- and should say unto man, Thou wishest to sin : sin ; do what
soever pleaseth thee ; whatever thou loveston the earth, let it be thine : whoever thou art angry with, let him perish ; whomsoever thou wishest to seize upon, let him be seized ; whomsoever to kill, let him be killed; whomsoever to con demn, let him be condemned ; whomsoever thou wishest to possess, possess him : let no man resist thee, let no man say unto thee, What art thou doing ? No man, Do it not ; no man, Why hast thou done it? Let all those earthly things which thou hast desired abound unto thee, and live in them, not for a season, but for evermore : only thou shalt never see My Face. My brethren, wherefore did ye groan, save because that already a clean fear, enduring alway, hath been born? Why is your heart stricken? If God should say, Thou shalt never see My Face : lo, thou wilt abound in all that earthly felicity ; temporal goods will surround thee : thou losest them not, thou forsakest them not ; what dost thou wish more ? Clean fear would weep indeed and would groan, and would say, Nay, let all things be taken away, and let me see Thy Face. Clean
80, fear would cry out from the Psalm, and would say, Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts: shew us the light of Thy countenance, and we shall be whole. Clean fear would cryI forth from the Psalm, and would say, One thing have desired of the Lord, which 1 will require. See how ardent
27, is thatIclean fear, that true love, unmixed love. One thing
have
this? Even that I
the days of my life. What if he desire this for the sake of earthly happiness? Hear what followeth : to behold the fair
beauty of the Lord, and to be protected; that is, to be His
Temple, and to be protected by Him, this one thing have I raise' desired of the Lord. If ye ask this one thing, if ye train 1
your hearts toward this one thing, and fear to lose this one thing only, ye will not envy earthly delights, and ye will hope for that true happiness, and will be in His Body to Whom it is sung, Blessed are all they that fear the Lord, and walk in His ways.
10. Ver. 2. Thou shalt eat the labours of thy fruits. And
desired the Lord, which I will require. What is
of
may dwell in the house
the Lord all
of
The very labours of Godliness are food. -11
ye, O thou, ye many who are One, Thou shalt eat of the Ver. labours of thy fruits. He seemeth to speak perversely to ------ those who understand not: for he should have said, thou
shalt eat the fruit of thy labours. For many eat the fruit
of their labours. They labour in the vineyard ; they eat not
the toil itself ; but what ariseth from their labour they eat.
They labour about trees that bear fruit: who would eat labours ? But the fruit of these labours, the produce of
these trees; it is this that delighteth the husbandman.
What meaneth, Thou shalt eat the labours of thy fruits ?
At present we have toils: the fruits will come afterwards.
But since their labours themselves are not without joy, on account of the hope whereof we have a little before spoken, Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation; at present those Rom. 12, very labours delight us, and make us joyful in hope. If12' therefore our toil has been what could be eaten, and could
also delight us ; what will be the fruit of our labour when
eaten ? They who went weeping on their way, scattering p>>. 126, their seed, did eat their labours; with how much greater pleasure will they eat the fruits of their labours, who shall
come again with joy, bearing their sheaves with them ?
And that ye may know, brethren, that this labour is eaten,
in the former Psalm ye have heard it said to the proud, who
wished to rise before light, that before Christ, not through humility, whereby Christ rose; was said unto
them, Rise after ye have sat down that is, be humbled, Pa. 127,
and thence rise since He also, Who hath been exalted on 2" account of you, came to be humbled. And what said? Who eat the bread of grief. This the labour of fruits, the bread grief. For unless were eaten, would not be called bread unless this bread had some sweetness, no
one would eat it. With how much sweetness doth he weep in his groanings, who prayeth The tears of the praying
are sweeter than the joys of theatres. And hear the flame
of longing, wherewith this bread eaten, of which he saith
here, Ye who eat the bread grief.
In another passage
this lover saith, whose voice we usually recognise in the
Psalm, My tears have been my meat day and night. How PM2,3. have tears become meat While they daily say unto me,
Where is now thy God? For before we see Him Who loved
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4-2 Christians could shew their God to real men.
Psalm us, Who hath given us a pledge, to Whom we are betrothed, the Heathen insult us, and say, Where is that which Christians worship ? Let them shew us Him Whom they adore. Behold, 1 shew them my deity, and let them shew me their Deity. When the Heathen speaketh thus to thee, thou findest not what to shew unto him ; for thou hast no man to shew it unto. Thou returnest therefore, and weepest before God; for thou sighest for Him, before thou seest
Him; and groanest from longing for Him; and because thou weepest in thy longing for Him, tears themselves are even sweet, and will be as meat unto thee, since they have been made unto thee as meat day and night, while it is said to thee, Where is thy God? But thy God, concerning
Rev. 31, Whom it is asked, Where is He? will come, and will wipe away thy tears, and will Himself be in stead of the bread of tears unto thee, and will feed thee for evermore ; because the word of God, upon which Angels feed, will be with us. Meanwhile, now are the labours of our fruits, afterwards will come the fruit of our labours. Thou shall eat the labours of thy fruits. Blessed art thou, and well shall it be with thee. Blessed art thou, is of the present: well shall it be with thee, is of the future. When thou eatest the labours
of thy fruits, blessed art thou ; when thou hast reached the fruit of thy labours, well shall it be with thee. What hath he said ? For if it be well with thee, thou wilt be happy: and if thou wilt be happy, thou wilt also have all well with thee. But there is a difference between hope and attain ment. If hope be so sweet, how much sweeter will reality be?
11. Let us now come to the words, Thy wife: it is said unto Christ. His wife, therefore, is the Church: His Church, His wife, we ourselves are. As a fruitful vineyard. But in whom is the vineyard fruitful ? For we see many barren ones entering those walls; we see that many intemperate, usurious persons, slave dealers, enter these walls, and such as resort to fortune-tellers, go to enchanters and en
chantresses when they have a headache. Is this the fruitful- ness of the vine? Is this the fecundity of the wife? It is not. These are thorns, but the vineyard is not every where thorny. It hath a certain fruitfulness, and is a fruitful vine ;
Children given to the Church, not all who are in her. 43
but in whom? Upon the sides of thy house. Not all are Ver. called the sides of the house. For I ask what are the sides. ------ What shall I say? Are they walls, strong stones, as it were?
If he were speaking of this bodily tenement, we should perhaps understand this by sides. We mean by the sides
of the house, those who cling unto Christ. For we do not say without reason of any person in daily discourse, who per chance is faring ill, owing to the counsels of bad friends,
" He hath bad sides. " What is, " He hath bad sides ? " Bad
men cling to him. It is therefore said of another also, He
hath good sides: he liveth according to good counsels.
What meaneth this ? He is ruled by good counsels. They therefore who cling to Christ are the sides of the house.
Nor hath His wife been created from His side without a
cause. When her spouse slept, Eve was created : when Gen. 2,
,22"
Christ died, the Church was created; she was born of her husband's side, whence a rib had been withdrawn; and the Church was born of the side of Her spouse, when His side
was transfixed with a lance, and the Sacraments flowed forth. Jobnl9, Therefore thy wife shall be fruitful as a vine. But upon34' what? Upon the sides of thine house. Among others, who
cling not unto Christ, it is barren. But I will not even reckon them in the vine.
12. Thy children. The wife and the children are the same. In these carnal marriages and wedlocks, the wife is one, the children other : in the Church, she who is the wife, is the children also. For the Apostles belonged to the
Church, and were among the members of the Church. They
were therefore in His wife, and were His wife according to
their own portion which they held in His members. Why
then it is said concerning them, When the Bridegroom shall Matt. 9,
be taken from them, then shall the children of the Bride- J5- groom fast ? She who is the wife, then, is the children also.
I speak a wonderful thing, my brethren. In the words of
the Lord, we find the Church to be both His brethren, and Mat. 12, His sisters, and His mother. For when His mother and46'8"*' His brethren were announced to Him to be standing without ;
in that they stood without, they were a figure. Who is the type of His mother? The Synagogue. Who is the type of carnal brethren ? The Jews who stood without. And
44 How Christians can be the Mother of Christ.
Psalm the Synagogue also standeth without. For Mary was among -the sides of His House, and His relatives coming of the kindred of the Virgin Mary, who believed on Him, were among the sides of His House; not in respect of their carnal
Mat. 12, *8'
consanguinity, but inasmuch as they heard the Word of God, and obeyed it. For the Lord answered thus: Who is My mother, and who are Mit brethren ? Whence some have attempted to say that Christ had not a mother, because He said, Who is My mother? Why ? Had not then Peter and John and James, and the other Apostles, fathers upon earth ?
Mat. 23, And yet what saith He unto them? Call no man your father upon earth: for One is your Father, Who is in Heaven. What, therefore, He taught His disciples in the case of their father, this He Himself shewed them in that of His mother. For our Lord's will is that we prefer God to our earthly connections. Respect thy father, because he is thy father : reverence God, because He is God. Thy father begot thee by lending his flesh ; God created thee by an exertion of His Power. Let not the father be angry when God is preferred to him : let him rather rejoice that so much respect is paid him, that He alone is found to be preferred to him. What then thall I say ? What saith the Lord ? , Who is My mother ?
and who are My brethren ? And he stretched forth His hand toward His disciples, and said, Behold My mother and My brethren. They were His brethren ; how were they His
Mat. 12, mother ? He added ; For whosoever shall do the will ojf Mu
'& Father Which is in heaven, the same is My brother, and
sister, and mother. Brother, perhaps, on account of the male sex whom the Church hath: sister, on account of the women whom Christ hath here in His members. How mother, save that Christ Himself is in those Christians, whom the Church daily bringeth forth Christians through baptism ? In those therefore in whom thou understandest the wife, in them thou understandest the mother, in them the children.
13. Let us therefore say what should the character of
these children be. Peacemakers they should be.
Matt. 5, peacemakers ? Because, Blessed are the peacemakers, for ? Qxf. they shall be called the children of God. Since therefore in
4s
the olive is the fruit of peace: for oil signifieth peace,
Msa.
without' because it signifieth love; without' love there is no peace :
Why
All blessings are from God, not all out. of Sion. 45
and it is clear that they who have rent asunder peace, will Ver. not have love. Ihave already explained to you, beloved, --- on this principle, why the dove carried the leaves with fruit 8, unto the ark : to signify that they also who have been ^en- baptized without, as those branches were baptized without
the ark, if they have not leaves alone, that is, words only,
but have fruit also, which is love, are borne by the dove to
the ark, and come unto unity*. Such children ought there
fore to be around the Lord's table, like olive-branches. Ter" 3- A complete Vine it is, a great bliss : who would now refuse to be there ? When thou seest any blasphemer have
a wife, children, grandchildren, and thyself perchance with out them, envy them not; discern that the promise hath been fulfilled in thee also, but spiritually. Perchance thou art not in His members? If thou art not there, lament that thou art neither here nor there. But if thou be there, be secure; for although thy reward be there and not here, it is a more fruitful one there than here.
14. Ver. 4. If therefore we have, why have we ? Because we fear the Lord. Lo, thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord. He is the man, who is also the men ;
and the men are one man ; because many are one, because Christ is One.
15. Ver. 5, 6. The Lord from out of Sion bless thee. For thou hadst begun to heed the words, Lo, thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord: already per chance thine eyes were ranging through those who fear not the Lord, and saw there fruitful wives, children in abun
dance around their father's table : I know not whither thou wast going : The Lord from out of Sion bless thee. Seek not those blessings which are not out of Sion. Hath not the Lord blessed such, my brethren ? This is the Lord's blessing : or if it be not from the Lord, who will marry a wife, if the Lord be unwilling? who can be in sound health, if the Lord deny him ? or who can be rich, if the Lord refuse ? He giveth these things : but seest thou not that He hath also given them to cattle ? This blessing is not therefore from Sion. The Lord from out of Sion bless thee: and mayest thou see the good things that are ofJerusalem.
t Sermon vi. on St. John ii. 19.
40 The good things of Jerusalem are what truly are.
Psalm For these good things are not those of Jerusalem. Dost CxxVII I -, thou wish to see that they are not the good things of Jeru- Gen. l, salem ? Even to the birds was it said, Be fruitful arid 22" multiply. Dost thou wish to hold as a great blessing what
was given unto birds? Who can be ignorant, that it was given indeed by the voice of God ? But use these goods, if thou receive them ; and rather think how thou mayest nourish those who have been born, than that others may be born. For it is not happiness to have children, but to have good ones. Labour in the task of nourishing them, if they be born ; but if they be not born, give thanks unto God. Perchance thou wilt be less anxious, and yet thou hast not remained barren in that Mother. Perhaps through thee are spiritually born of that Mother, they who are as olive branches around the Lord's table. May the Lord therefore console thee, that thou mayest see the goods of Jerusalem. For these goods indeed are. Why are they ? Because they are everlasting. Why are they ? Because the King is
Exod. 3, there, I am That I am. But these goods are and are not :
14'
for they stand not; they slip away, they flow. Thy children are infants : thou dost caress the infants : the infants caress thee : do they abide thus ? But thou wishest they may grow, thou wishest that their age may increase. But consider that when one age cometh, another dieth. When boyhood cometh, infancy dieth ; when youth cometh, boyhood dieth : when manhood cometh, youth dieth ; when old age cometh, manhood dieth : when death cometh, all age dieth. As many successions of ages as thou wishest for, so many deaths of ages dost thou wish for. These things therefore are not. Finally, are children born unto thee to share life with thee on earth, or rather to shut thee out and to succeed thee ? Rejoicest thou in those born to exclude thee ? "Boys when born speak somewhat like this to their parents: Now then, begin to think of removing hence, let us too play our parts on the stage. " For the whole life of temptation in
Ps. 39,5. the human race is a stage play ; for it is said, Every man living is altogether vanity. Nevertheless, if we rejoice in children who will succeed us ; how much must we rejoice in children with whom we shall remain, and in that Father for Whom we are born, Who will not die, but that we may
We may see them all our life long. 47
evermore live with Him? These are the good things of vs>>. Jerusalem : for they are. The Lord from out of Sion bless ------ thee: and mayest thou see the good things that are of Jerusalem. For thou seest as one blind those goods, which
thou heedest. Mayest thou see : but those goods which are seen by the heart. And how long shall 1 see the good things of Jerusalem ? All thy life long. If thy life be for ever, thou wilt see the good things of Jerusalem for ever more. But my brethren, these goods are, yet thou seest them not all the days of thy life for thou diest not, when
thou goest forth from the body. Thy life continueth thy body dieth, but the life of the spirit continueth. The eyes see not, for he who saw through the eyes hath departed. Wheresoever he be, who saw through the eyes, he seeth
something. For the rich man, who when on earth M7a<<Lukel6, ? 19 23.
clothed with purple and fine linen, was not dead; he was dead, he would not have been tormented in hell. It would have been desirable for him to die, but he lived in hell to his hurt. For he was tormented, and saw not those goods which he had left on earth behold, such was his life, and he saw not those goods. Do thou therefore desire such goods as thou mayest see all thy life long, that is, that thou mayest live with these goods for evermore.
16. Consider therefore, brethren, what those goods are. Can these be called goods Is gold silver
pleasant estate walls of marble fretted ceilings God forbid The poor have these goods more abundantly than the rich in this life for more to poor man to see the starry heaven, than to rich man to see gilded ceiling.