Psalm 49 (Vulgate 48)

Sermon I

a labour for God to observe and correct them. Those men, therefore, whose will to worship God is in order that it may be well with them here, murmur when they chance to see those who do not worship God enriched and abounding in earthly prosperity; but themselves, who worship God, struggling with difficulties, with want, with woe, and other hardships of human mortality. Against this voice, and against these blasphemies of men murmuring, holy Scripture ever doth chant a charm healing the bite of the serpent For such corruption is the mark of a poisoned heart, belching forth against God the foulness of blasphemy: nay, what is worse, rejecting the hand of the healer, not rejecting the fangs of the serpent. Thus, I say, the heart of man doth thrust from itself the sternness of the Word of God, and giveth entrance to the allurements of the serpent engaging it to evil. Against these men, therefore, holy Scripture doth ding her chant, and is now speaking to us in this Psalm. To which Psalm I would direct the attention of your Holiness, did not God Himself bid us all hearken: and not us only, but the whole world. For hear how He begin neth.

Ver. 1. Hear ye these things, all ye nations. Not then you only who are here. For of what power is our voice so to cry out, as that all nations may hear? For Our Lord Jesus Christ hath proclaimed it through the Apostles, hath proclaimed it in so many tongues that He sent; and we see this Psalm, which before was only repeated in one nation, in the Synagogue of the Jews, now repeated throughout the whole world, throughout all Churches; and that fulfilled which is here spoken of, Hear ye these words, all ye nations. To this alone I would engage your attention, lest because of bodily fatigue ye might not perchance keep your minds awakened, being alarmed at the length of this Psalm. If it shall be possible it will be ended to-day: if not, there will remain something for us to-morrow: nevertheless, do you be constantly attentive. For if the Lord will, ye shall hear as much as will not load, but lighten you. Hear ye these words, all ye nations: of whom ye are: With ears ponder, all ye that dwell in the world. This He seemeth to have repeated a second time, lest to have said hear, before, were too little. What I say, he saith, hear, with ears ponder, that is, hear not cursorily. What is, with ears ponder? It is what the Lord said, he that hath ears to hear, let him hear: for as all who were in His presence must have had ears, what ears did He require save those of the heart, when He said, he that hath ears to hear, let him hear. The same ears also this Psalm doth smite. With ears ponder, all ye that dwell in the world. Perhaps there is here some distinction. We ought not indeed to narrow our view, but there is no harm in explaining even this view of the sense. Perhaps there is some difference between the saying, all nations, and the saying, all ye that dwell in the world. For perchance he would have us understand the expression, dwell in, with a further meaning, so as to take all nations for all the wicked, but the dwellers of the world all the just. For he doth inhabit who is not held fast: but he that is occupied is inhabited, and doth not inhabit. Just as he doth possess whatever he hath, who is master of his property: but a master is one who is not held in the meshes of covetousness: while he that is held fast by covetousness is the possessed, and not the possessor. We have a certain sense affixed to habitation in the Scripture of God, in the place where he saith, 1 would rather be an abject in the house of the 1/yrd, than to inhabit the tents of the ungodly. But why? If thou art an abject in the house of the Lord, dost thou not dwell there? He would not intimate habitation, except in the case of those who reign, and hold, and domineer, and govern: but they that are despised do not as it were inhabit, but are subject.

For thus he saith, 1 would rather be an abject in the house of God, thin to reign in the tents of the ungodly. Therefore, if there is any distinction between all nations and the inhabitants of the world, as there is between hear and ponder it with your ears, then though there seemeth to be a repetition, yet what he wished to intimate is something different: because not only sinners and the ungodly were to hear these words, but the godly also. Now all hear promiscuously: but when men shall have come to give an account, those who have heard to no purpose will be separated from those who have pondered with their ears. ^cre*°Te evcn t'ie un£ouJly hear: Hear ye this, all ye nations. Let the just also bear, who have not heard to no purpose, and who rather rule the world than are ruled bj the world: with ears ponder, all ye that dwell in the world.

3. And again he saith, both all ye earthborn, (ver. 2.) and sons qf men. The expression earthborn he doth refer to sinners; the expression sons of men to the faithful and righteous. Ye see then that this distinction is observed. Who are the earthborn? The children of the earth. Who are the children of the earth? They who desire earthly inheritances. Who are the sons qf men? They who appertain to the Son of Man. We have already before explained this distinction to your Sanctity1, and have concluded that Adam was a man, but not the son of man; that Christ was the Son of Man, but was God also. For whosoever pertain to Adam, are earthborn: whosoever pertain to Christ, are sons of men. Nevertheless, let all hear, I withhold ray discourse from no one. If one is earthborn, let him hear, because of the judgineut: another is a son. qf man, let him hear for the kingdom's sake. The rich and poor together. Again, the same words are repeated. The expression rich refers to the earthborn; but the word poor to the sons of men. By the rich understand the proud, by the poor the humble. Let a man have large means of wealth; if in them he is not lifted up, he is poor: let him not have any thing: but covet and be puffed up, him God numbereth among the rich and reprobate* Now both the rich and poor in heart God distinguisheth from those that are so in coffer* and household. Are not they poor who accept the monition of the Apostle, who bid Timothy, Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded? How did He make them poor who were rich? By taking from them the cause wherefore riches are sought For no man would be rich for any other reason, than that he may be puffed up among those with whom he dwelleth, and may seem to be greater than they. But when he bade them not be high-minded, he made them equal with those who have nothing: so that perchance, a beggar with very few pence may be more exalted than;t Barn," Vat. Ms. " Threshiog floor," ottera. the rich man who mindeth the Apostle, saying, Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded. How not to be highminded? If they do what folio weth, Trust not in uncertain riches, but in the living God, Who giveth us richly all things to enjoy. He said not, Who giveth to them; but Who giveth to us. Had Paul himself 110 riches? Evidently he had. What riches? Those of which the Scripture speaketh in another place, To a faithful?™, man the whole world is full of riches. Hear also himself28' declaring; As having nothing and yet possessing all thitigs.QCor.G, Therefore let him who wishes to be rich not cleave to a part, and he shall have all; let him cleave to Him Who hath created all. The rich and poor together. He saith in another Psalm, The poor shall eat and be satisfied. How hath he commended the poor? The poor shall eat and be26' satisfied. What eat they? That Food which the faithful know. How shall they be satisfied? By imitating the Passion of their Lord, and not without cause receiving their recompense. The poor shall eat and be satisfied, and they shall praise the Lord who seek Him. What of the rich? Even they eat. But how eat they? All the rich upon the earth have eaten and worshipped. He said not, Have eaten and are satisfied; but, have eaten and worshipped. They worship God indeed, but they will not display brotherly humaneness. These eat and worship; those eat and are filled: yet both eat. Of the eater what he eateth is required: let him not be forbidden by the distributor to eat, but let him be admonished to fear him who doth require his account. Let these words then be heard by sinners and righteous, nations, and those who inhabit the world, earthborn and sons of men, the rich and the poor together: not divided, not separated. That is for the time of the harvest to do, the hand of the winnower will effect that. Now together let rich and poor hear, let goats and sheep feed in the same pasture, until He come Who shall separate the one on His right hand, the other on His left. Let them all bear together the teacher, lest separated from one another they hear the voice of the Judge.

4. And what is it they are now to hear? (ver. 8.) My mouth shall speak qf wisdom, and the meditation qf my heart understanding. And this repetition is perhaps made, lest perchance if he had said only my mouth, thou shouldest suppose that one spake to thee who had understanding but in his lips. For many have understanding in their lips, bat have not in their heart, of whom the Scripture saith, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. What saith he then who speaketh to thee? when he hath said, My mouth shall speak of wisdom, in order that thou mayest know that what is poured forth from the month floweth from the bottom of the heart, he hath added, And the meditation of my heart of understanding.

5. Ver. 4. / will incline mine ear to the parable* I ttili shew my proposition upon the harp. Who is this, the meditation of whose heart speaketh understanding, in such sort, that it be not only on the surface of the lips, but also fill the inner man? Who is he that heareth and thus speak- eth? For many speak what they hear not Who are they who speak what they hear not? These be they who do not what they speak: they be like the Pharisees whom the Lord to sit in the seal of Moses. He willed to speak to thee from Moses' seat, by the mouth of those who speak those things, and do not; and the Lord would thus gire thee security. Fear not, He saith, What they say, do ye; but what they do, do not ye: for they say, and do not. They hear not what they say. But they who do and then say, hear what they say: and so say with profit, because they hear. He then who is a speaker and not a hearer profitetb another, profiteth not himself. He then who would be both a hearer and a speaker, who speaketh to thee, before he saith, / will shew my proposition upon the harp, which is to speak by means of the body, (for the soul useth the body as a harper useth the harp,) first saith, I will incline mine ear to the parable. Before that I shall speak to thee through the body, before that my harp giveth her sound, I will first incline mine ear to the parable, that is to say, I will hear what I am to.say to thee. And why to a parable? Because now ice see through a glass darkly, as saith the Apostle; whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord. For our vision is not yet that face to face, where there are no longer parables, where there no longer are riddles and comparisons. Whatever now we understand we behold through riddles. A riddle is a dark parable which it is hard to understand. Howsoever a man may cultivate his heart and apply himself to apprehend mysteries, so long as we see through the corruption of this flesh, we see but in part. But when we shall have put on incorruption in the resurrection of the dead, when the Son of Man shall have appeared to judge the quick and dead, then shall be seen the Son of Man judging, Who was first judged, separating the bad from the good, placing the bad on the left hand, the38'33' good on the right. Both the good and bad shall see Him alike, but to the bad He shall say, Qo ye into everlasting Jire; while to the good He shall say, Come, ye blessed of My Father, receive ye the Kingdom. The wicked shall depart into everlasting fire, but the just into everlasting life; and there shall be that vision face to face of which the former are not worthy. Mark what I say. Just as both the bad and good saw the Son of Man here, when He was yet to be judged, (for the Apostles saw Him who followed Him, the Jews saw Him who crucified Him,) so shall both the good and bad see Him when He shall come to judge: the good that they may receive their reward for having followed Him; the bad that they may receive their punishment for having crucified Him. Will they only be condemned who have crucified Him? I dare to say, they only. Then we, say the sinners of this age, are safe. If God searcheth not the heart, ye are safe. What have I said? Let your love understand me, lest they affirm, when God cometh to judgment, that they understood not. The Jews, because they saw Christ, crucified Him: thou, because thou seest not Christ, resistest His Word. Thou who resistest His Word, wouldest thou not crucify His Flesh, if thou sawest Him? The Jew contemned Him hanging on the Tree, thou contemnest Him sitting in Heaven. Therefore two kinds of people saw Him, while He was here; two kinds shall also see Him, when He shall have come to judgment. For Son of Man He shall come, that He may judge; because Son of Man He came, that He might be judged. Accordingly, because the Father was not made flesh, the Father suffered not, and judgeth by the Son, as He Himself saith in the Gospel, TJie Father judgelh no man, but hath committed all Juc^9meni un*° Mie Son: and as He saith a little lower down, Hath given Him authority to execute judgment, because He ^ tjie gQn 0j> j^fan Yot according as He is the Son of God, He is the Word always with the Father, and because always with the Father, with the Father He always judgeth: but according as He is the Sou of Man, He was both judged and will judge. But as He was seen by those who believed, and by those who crucified Him, when He was judged; so will He be seen, when He shall have begun to be judge, both by those whom He shall condemn, and by those whom He shall crown. But that vision of divinity, which He hath promised to them that love Him, when He saith, He that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and he that loveth Me keepeth My commandments, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him: this the ungodly shall not see. This manifestation is in a certain way familiar: He keepeth it for His own, He will not shew it to the ungodly. Of what sort is the vision itself? Of what sort is Christ? Equal to the Father. Of what sort is Christ? In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. For this vision we sigh now, and groan so long as we sojourn here; to this vision we shall be brought home at the last, this vision now we see but darkly. If then we see now darkly, let us incline our ear to the parable, and then let us shew our proposition upon the harp: let us hear what we say, do what we enjoin.

6. And what hath he said? (ver. 5.) And wherefore shall 1 fear in the evil day? The iniquity of my heel shall compass me. He beginneth something obscurely. Wherefore shall I fear, he saith, in the evil day? The iniquity of my heel shall compass me. Therefore he ought the rather to fear if the iniquity of his heel shall compass him. Nay, for let not man fear, he saith, who hath not power to escape. For example, he who feareth death, what shall he do to escape death? Let him tell me how he is to escape what Adam oweth, he who is born of Adam. But let him consider that he is bora of Adam, and hath followed Christ, and ought to pay what Adam oweth, and obtain what Christ hath promised. Therefore, he who feareth death can no wise escape: but he who feareth the damnation which the ungodly shall hear, Qo ye into everlasting fire, hath an escape. Let him not fear then. For why should he fear? Will the iniquity of his heel compass him f If then he avoid ( the iniquity of his heel/ and walk in the ways of God, he shall not come to the evil day: the evil day, the last day, shall not he evil to him. For the last day shall be ill with some, shall be good with others. Shall it be ill with those to whom it shall be said, Come, ye blessed of My Father, receive the kingdom? ButN>» it shall be ill with those to whom it shall be said, Qo ye into everlasting fire. But if the iniquity of his heel shall compass him, wherefore shall he fear in the evil day? Now while they live, let them take heed to themselves, let them put away iniquity from their heel: let them walk in that way, let them walk in the way of which He saith Himself, / am the way, the truth, and the l\fe: and let them not fear in the evil day, for He giveth them safety Who became The Way. Wherefore should I fear in the evil day? The iniquity of my heel shall compass me. Therefore let them avoid the iniquity of their heel. With the heel a man slippeth. Let your Love observe. What was said by God to the Serpent? She shall mark thy head, and thou shalt mark her heeL®- The devil marketh thy heel, in order that when thou slippest he may overthrow thee. He marketh thy heel, do thou mark his head. What is his head? The beginning of an evil suggestion. When he beginueth to suggest evil thoughts, then do thou thrust him away before pleasure arise th, and consent followeth; and so shalt thou avoid his head, and he shall not grasp thy heel. But wherefore said He this to Eve? Because through the flesh man doth slip. Our flesh is an Eve within us. He that loveth his wife, he saith, loveth himself. What raeaneth himself? He continueth, and saith, For no man ever yet hath hated his own flesh. Because then the devil would make us slip through the flesh, just as he made that man Adam to slip, through Eve; Eve is bidden to mark the head of the devil, because the devil marketh her heel. If then the iniquity of our heel shall compass us, why fear we in the evil day, since being converted to Christ we are able not to do iniquity; and there will be nothing to compass us, and we shall joy and not sorrow in last day?

7. But who are they whom the iniquity of their keel shall f compass? (Ver. 6.) They who trust in their virtue1, and in M*e abundance of their riches do glory. Therefore such sins will I avoid, and the iniquity of my heel shall never compass me. What is avoiding such sins? Let us not trust in our own virtue, let us not glory in the abundance of our own riches, but let us glory in Him Who hath promised to us, being humble, exaltation, and hath threatened condemnation to men exalted; and then iniquity of our heel shall never compass us. Who trust in their virtue, and glory in the abundance of their riches.

8. There are some who rely on their friends, others rely on their virtue, others on their riches. This is the presumption of mankind which relieth not on God. He hath spoken of virtue, he hath spoken of riches, he speaketh of friends. (Ver. 7.) Brother redeemeth not*, shall man redeem? Dost thou expect that man shall redeem thee from the wrath to come? If brother redeem thee not, shall man redeem thee? Who is the brother, who if He hath not redeemed thee, no man will redeem? It is He who said after His resurrecGo, tell My brethren. Our Brother He hath willed to be: and when we say to God, Our Father, this is manifested in us. For he that saith to God, Our Father; saith to Christ, Brother*. Therefore let him that hath God for his Father and Christ for his Brother, not fear in the evil day. For the iniquity of his heel shall not compass him; for be relieth not on his virtue, nor glorieth in the abundance of bis riches, nor vaunteth himself of his powerful friends. Let him rely on Him who died for him, that he might not die eternally: Who for his sake was humbled, in order that he might be exalted; Who sought him ungodly, in order that He might be sought by him faithful. Therefore if He redeem not, shall man redeem? Shall any man redeem, if the Son of man redeem not? If Christ redeem not, shall Adam redeem? Brother redeemeth not, shall man redeem? and so through the paragraph.

9. He shall not give to Ood his propitiation, and the of the redemption of his soul. He trusteth in his — virtue, and in the abundance of his riches doth glory, who not give to Ood his propitiation: that is, satisfaction he may prevail with God for his sins: nor the of the redemption of his soul, who relieth on his virtue, and on his friends, and on his riches. But who are they that give the price of the redemption of their souls? They to whom the Lord saith, Make to yourselves friends of the Mammon of unrighteousness, that they may receive you into9' everlasting habitations. They give the price of the redemption of their soul who cease not to do almsdeeds. So those whom the Apostle chargeth by Timothy he would not have to be proud, lest they should glory in the abundance of their riches. Lastly, what they possessed he would not have to grow old in their hands: but that something should be made of it to be for the price of the redemption of their souls. For he saith, Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded: nor trust in uncertain riches, but6>1^* in the living God, Who giveth us richly all things to enjoy. And as if they had said, What shall we then make of our riches? he continueth, Let them be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate, and they will not lose that How know we? Hear what followeth. Letib. them lay up for tliemselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on the true life. So shall they give the price of the redemption of their soul. And our Lord counselleth this: Make for yourselves 6a^Lukei2, which waw not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth33' not, where thief approacheth not, neither moth corrupteth. God would not have thee lose thy wealth, but He hath given thee counsel to change the place thereof. Let your love understand. Suppose thy friend were just now to enter thy house, and find thou hadst placed thy store of grain in a damp place, and be knew the natural proneness of grain to decay, which thou perchance knewest not, he would give thee counsel of this sort, saying, * Brother, thou art losing what with great toil thou hast gathered, thou hast placed it in a damp place, in a few days this grain will decay.' ' And what am I to do, brother?' 'Raise it into a higher place.' Thou wouldest hearken to thy friend suggesting that thou shouldest raise grain from a lower to a higher chamber, and dost thou not hearken to Christ charging thee to lift tbj treasure from earth to heaven, where not what thou keepest in store may be paid to thee, but that thou mayest keep in store earth, mayest receive heaven, mayest keep in store things mortal, mayest receive things everlasting, that while thou lendest Christ to receive at thy bands but a small loan upon earth, He may repay tbee a great recompense in Heaven? Nevertheless, they whom the iniquity of their heel shall compass, because they trust in their virtue, and in the abundance of their riches do glory, and rely on human friends who are able to help them in nothing, shall mot give to God their propitiation, and the price of the redemption of their souls.

10. And what hath he said of such a man? (Ver. 9.) Yea, he hath laboured for ever, and shall live till the end. His labour shall be without end, his life shall have an end. Wherefore saith he, He shall live till the end? Because such men think life to be nought but daily enjoyments. So when many poor and needy men of our times, unstable, and not looking to what God doth promise them for their labours, see rich men in daily feastings, in the splendour and glitter of gold and of silver, they say what? 1 These are the only people1; they really live!' This is a saying, be it no longer: we both warn you, and it remains to warn you, that it be said by fewer persons than it would be said, if we had not warned you. For we do not presume to say that we so say these words, as that it be not said, but that it be said by fewer persons: for it will be said even unto the end of the world. It is too little that he saith, he liveth; he addeth and saith, he thundereth, thinkest thou that he alone liveth? Let him live! his life will be ended: because he giveth not the price of the redemption of his soul, his life will end, his labour will not end. He laboured for ever, and shall live till the end. How shall he live till the end? As he lived that was clothed with purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day, who, being proud and puffed up, spurned the man full of sores lying before his gate, whose sores the dogs licked, and who longed for the crumbs which fell from his table. What did those riches profit him? Both changed places: the one was borne from the rich man's gate into Abraham's bosom, the other from his rich feasts was cast into the fire: the one was in peace, the other burned: the one was sated, the other thirsted: the one bad laboured till the end, but he lived for ever: the other had lived till the end, but he laboured for ever. And what did it profit the rich man, who asked, while lying in torments in hell, that a drop of water should be poured upon his tongue from the finger of Lazarus, saying, /7>rLukei6, / am burning here in this flame, and it was not granted24, to him? One longed for the drop from the finger, as the other had for the crumbs from the rich man's table; but the labour of the one is ended, and the life of the other is ended: the labour of this is for ever, the life of that is for ever. We who labour perchance here on the earth, have not our life here: and shall not be so placed hereafter, for our life shall be Christ for ever: while they who will have their life here, shall labour for ever and live till the end.

Ver. 9, 10. For he shall not see death, though he shall have seen wise men dying. The man who laboured for ever and shall live till the end, shall not see death, though he shall have seen wise men dying. What is this? He shall not comprehend what death is, whenever he shall have seen wise men dying. For he saith to himself, * this fellow, for all he was wise and dwelled with wisdom and worshipped God with piety, is he not dead? Therefore I will enjoy myself while I live; for if they that are wise in other respects, could do any thing, they would not have died.' Just as the Jews saw Christ hanging on the Cross and despised Him, saying, * If this Man were the Son of God, He would come down from the Cross:' not seeing what death is. If they had seen what death is; if they had seen, 1 say*. He died for a time, that He might live again for ever: they lived for a time, that they might die for ever. But because they saw Him dying, they saw not death, that is to say, they understood not what was very death. What say they even in Wisdom? Let us condemn Him with a most shameful^'™*** death, for by His own sayings He shall be respected; for if he is indeed the Son of God. H» will deliver Him from the hands of His adversaries: He will not suffer His Son to die, if He is truly His Son. But when they saw themselves insulting Him upon the Cross, and Him not descending from the Cross, they said, He was indeed hut a Man. Thus was it spoken: and surely He could have come down from the Cross, He that could rise again from the tomb: but He taught us to bear with those who insult us; He taught us to be patient of the tongues of men, to drink now the cup of bitterness, and afterwards to receive everlasting salvation. Being sick, drink a bitter draught, in order that thou mayest be whole, whose vitals are not sound: shrink not, for that thou mightest not shrink, thy Physician did drink before thee; that is, the Lord did drink before thee the bitterness of the Passion. He did drink Who had no sin, He Who had not any thing in Him to be cured. Drink thou until there pass away the bitterness of this world, and there come a world where is no offence, no wrath, no wasting, no bitterness, no fever, no guile, not any enmities, no old age, no death, no contention. Labour thou here, being to come to the end of thy labours; labour thou, lest, whilst thou wilt not labour here, thou come to the end of thy life, and never come to the end of thy labours. For he shall not see death, though he shall have seen wise men dying.

12. The imprudent and unwise shall perish together. Who is the imprudent? He that looketh not out for himself for the future. Who is the unwise? He that perceiveth not in what evil case he is. But do thou perceive in what evil case thou art now, and look out that thou be in a good case for the future. By perceiving in what evil case thou art, thou wilt not be unwise: by looking out for thyself for the future, thou wilt not be imprudent. Who is he that looketh out for himself? That servant to whom his master gave he should expend, and afterwards said to him, Thou canst not be my steward, give an account of thy stewardship; and who answered, Wliat shall I do? I cannot digy to beg 1 am ashamed; had, nevertheless, by even his master's goods made to himself friends, who might receive him when he was put out of his stewardship. Now he cheated his master in ord£t that he might get to himself friends to receive him: fear not thou lest thou be cheating, the Lord Himself exhorteth thee to do so: He saith Himself to thee, Make to thyself friends of the mammon of unrighteousness. Perhaps what thou hast got, thou9, hast gotten of unrighteousness: or perhaps this very thing is unrighteousness, that thou hast and another hath not, thou aboundest and another needeth. Of this mammon of unrighteousness, of these riches which the unrighteous call riches, make to thyself friends, and thou shalt be prudent: thou art gaining for thyself, and art not cheating. For now thou seemest to lose it. Wilt thou lose it if thou place it in a treasury? For boys, my brethren, no sooner find some money, wherewith to buy something, than they put it in a money-box1, which they open not until afterwards: do they, because they see not what they have got, on that account lose it? Fear not: boys put in a moneybox, and are secure: dost thou place it in the hand of Christ, and fear? Be prudent, and provide for thyself against the future in Heaven. Be therefore prudent, copy the ant, as saith the Scripture; * Store in summer, lest thou hunger in winter the winter is the last day, the day of. tribulation; the winter is the day of offences and of bitterness: gather what may be there for thee for the future: but if thou doest not so, thou wilt perish both imprudent and unwise.

13. But that rich man too died, and a like funeral wasLukel6, made for him. See to what men have brought themselves: they regard not what a wicked life he led while he lived, but what pomp followed him when he died! O happy he, whom so many lament! But the other lived in such sort, that few lament For all ought to lament a man living so sadly. But there is the funeral train; he is received in a costly -tomb, he is wound in costly robes, he is buried in perfumes and spices. Secondly, what a monument he hath! How marbled! Doth he live in that same monument? He is therein dead. Men deeming these to be good things, have strayed from God, and have not sought the true good things, and have been deceived with the false. To this end see what folio we th. He who gave not the price of the redemption of his soul, who understood not death, because he saw wise men dying, he became imprudent and unwise, in nrdPr thai he might die with them. And how shall they perish, who shall leave their riches to aliens? Together the imprudent and unwise man shall perish.

14. Hearken brethren: And they shall leave their riches to aliens. As if he had included them in a curse, so that when they shall have died, aliens shall possess their goods. Therefore happy they who leave their sons in their inheritance, to whom they that are their own succeed. He had sons, he is not dead. What of his sous r They also keep what their parents have left them: to keep is too little, they increase it also. For whom do they in turn keep it? For their sons, and they for their sons, and the third generation for their sons. What for Christ? What for his soul? All for his children? Among their sons which they have on earth let them reckon one Brother whom they have in heaven; to Whom they ought to give all, let them but share it with Him. But, nevertheless, some one saith to me, " See those whom the Scripture hath spoken of as accursed, who it hath said perish and leave their riches to aliens; but that man is blessed who leaveth to his own sons." I examine this sense, because ' I incline mine ear to a parable:1 and I see that Scripture speaketh not thus to no purpose. For I see many ungodly men die, whose successors are their sons; nor could Scripture have so spoken as to sever those men from misery of whose life it disapproveth; and what do ye think, brethren, I understand by it, but that all such men do leave their riches to aliens? How are their sons aliens? The sons of the ungodly are aliens: for we see a certain foreigner that became a neighbour, because he did good. If any of thy friends doth thee no good, he is a stranger. Where do we find a certain foreigner that became a neighbour because he did good? In the Gospel. A certain man lay wounded by robbers, for the Lord had said to a certain man, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. And he had answered, And who is my neighbour? And the Lord proceeded. " A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, who wounded him, and left him half dead in the road: his neighbours passed by: for he was a Jew, he was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho: a priest went by, and passed over on the other side, a Levite went by, and he also passed over on the other side; a certain Samaritan went by, (a Samaritan was a foreigner,) he came to him, he beheld his misery, and of pity healed his wounds; he set him on his beast, and led him to an inn, he commended him to the host." Which things are spokeu in a mystery, and seem too perplexed to unravel on the present occasion: yet for the sake of what I have proposed, my brethren, The Lord sailh, " Who is neighbour to that wounded man?" He answered, " I suppose, he that wrought a work of mercy upon him." " Go," He saith, " and do thou likewise." He upon whom thou shewest mercy is thy neighbour. If then a foreign Samaritan by shewing mercy and by relieving became neighbour; whatsoever persons will not relieve thee in tribulation, have become aliens to thee. Moreover, let us observe, those rich men, who have lived ill, who have done proudly, are dead, and have left their riches, I say not to strangers, but to their sons, and the sons follow the way of their parents: and as those were proud, so these; as those were grasping, so these too; as those were covetous, so these; they are aliens to them. For that ye may know how they are strangers, else let them have succoured that rich man who was burning in the flame, being heirs of his wealth. But perhaps he had not any to succeed him, and aliens possessed his riches? We find in the very Gospel that he had: for he saith, I have Jive brethren. His own brethren could notL«kel6, succour him burning in the flame. What would the rich man say to thee? I have five brethren: one brother 1 have not made my friend who lay before my gate: those brethren cannot help me; those who possess my riches are become aliens to me. Ye see how that all that live ill, leave their riches to aliens.

15. But do those same aliens indeed serve them who are called their own? Hear in what they serve them, observe how they are ridiculed: Together the imprudent and unwise shall perish; and shall leave their riches, why hath he said, to strangers? Because they can do them no good. Nevertheless, wherein do they seem to themselves to do good? (Ver. 11.) And their tombs shall be their house for ever. Now because these tombs are erected, the tombs are J a house. For often thou nearest a rich man saying, I have a - house of marble which I must quit, and I think not for myself of an eternal house, where I shall alway be. When he thinketh to make for himself a monument of marble or of sculpture, he is deeming as it were of an eternal house: as if therein this rich man would abide! If he would abide there, he would not bum in hell. We must consider that the place where the spirit of an evil doer abideth, is not where the mortal body is laid: but their tombs shall be their house for ever. Their dwelling places are from generation to generation. 1 Dwelling places* are wherein they abode for a season: * house" is wherein they will abide as it were for ever, that is to say, their tombs. Thus they leave their dwelling places, where they abode while they lived, to their families, and they pass as it were to everlasting houses, to their tombs. What profit to them are their dwelling places, from generation to generation? Now suppose a generation and generation are sons, grandsons there will be, and great grandsons; what do their dwelling places, what do they profit them? What? Hear: they shall invoke their names in their lands. What is this? They shall take bread and wine to their tombs, and there they shall invoke the names of the dead. Dost thou consider how loudly was invoked the name of the rich man after his death, when men drank them drunk at his monument, and there came down not one drop upon his own burning tongue? Men minister to their own belly, not to the ghosts of their friends. The souls of the dead nothing doth reach, but what they have done of themselves while alive: but if they have done nought of themselves while alive, nothing doth reach them dead. But what do the survivors? They will but invoke their names in their lands.

16. Ver. 12. And man though he was in honour perceived not9 he was compared to the beasts without sense, and was made like to them. This is just as men were derided, who perceived not what they ought to do with their riches while they lived, and thought they would be blessed, if they should have a marble monument for an everlasting house, and if their relations to whom they had left their substance should invoke their names in their own lands. They ought, on the contrary, to have made ready for themselves an eternal house in good works, to have made ready for themselves everlasting life, to have sent before them expenditure, to have followed their works, to have ministered to a needy companion, to have given to him with whom they were walking, not to have despised Christ covered with sores before their gate, Who hath said, Inasmuch as ye have dan* it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it40' unto Me. However, * man being in honour hath not understood.' What is, being in honour? Being made after the image and likeness of God, man is preferred to beasts. For God hath not so made man as He made a beast: but God hath made man for beasts to minister to: is it to his strength then, and not to his understanding? Nay. But he understood not: and he who was made after the image of God, is compared to the beasts without sense, and is made like unto them. Whence it is said elsewhere, Be ye not like to horse and mule, in which there is no understanding.

17. Ver. 13. This their own way is an offence to them. Be it an offence to them, not to thee. But when will it be so to thee too? If thou tbinkest such men to be blessed. If thou perceivest that they be not blessed, their own way will be an offence to themselves; not to Christ, not to His Body, not to His members. And afterwards they shall bless with their mouth. What meaneth, Afterwards they shall bless with their mouth? Though they have become such, that they seek nothing but temporal goods, yet they become hypocrites: and when they bless God, with lips they bless, and not with heart. Christians like these, when to them eternal life is commended, and they are told, that in the name of Christ they ought to be despisers * of riches, do make grimaces in their hearts: and if they dare not do it with open face, lest they blush, or lest they should be rebuked by men, yet they do it in heart, and scorn; and there remaineth in their mouth blessing, and in their heart cursing. And afterwards they shall bless with their mouths. It were too long a task to finish the Psalm: meanwhile, let what ye have heard to-day suffice for your Love, to-morrow ye shall hear whatever shall please the Lord.

Sermon Ii

1. Yesterday, though the Psalm was commenced, the end thereof remained due, as your Love remembereth. But we had come to that verse, where the Spirit of God marketh men who mind not ought but present things of this world and earth, and for the world to come after this life think of nought, and conceive that there is no happiness but in the riches and honours of this world, and in transitory power1; but after their death mind nothing but how stately funerals may be obtained for them, and how they may be buried in monuments raised with wondrous skill, and their names may be invoked in their own lands from their own houses: while they make no provision to themselves for the place where their spirit shall be after this life; they fools not dreading voice of Christ, Who saith, Fool, this night thy soul shall be taken from thee, and whose shall those things be which thou hast prepared? and not regarding the rich man condemned to torments in hell after magnificent daily feastings, and purple and fine linen; nor the poor man reposing id Abraham's bosom after labours and sores and hunger: for such things they not caring, but minding that which is present, and not looking forward for any thing beyond this life, but how their name, which is abhorred in heaven, may be invoked upon earth; the holy Scripture, therefore, describing such men, saith, (ver. 13.) This their own way is a stumbling-block to themselves, and hereafter they shall bless with their mouth. As saith the Lord Jesus of certain who at first come to the faith purified by the word of God, and by exorcisms in the name of Christ, in order that they may receive the Grace of God, that they may be baptized, and afterwards go back to worse evil deeds than they had committed before, The latter things, He saith, thall be made worse for them than the former: this the Apostle Peter: but the Lord, And the tost things, He saith, of that man shall be worse than the former. Wherefore? Because at first he Was even ati open heathen, afterwards he is cloaked with the Christian name, under the garb of religion he is a concealed evil doer. And he shall be worse, because he is concealed, as he saith, And afterwards shall they bless with tfieir mouth: that is, thou hearest the name of God and the name of Christ on their lips, in their heart thou findest it not. Concerning whom is said, This people honoureth me with their Hps, but their heart is far from me. As far as this the Psalm bad been treated of.

2. In the next place thus commence the verses which are to be examined and treated of to-day: (ver- 14.) Like sheep laid in hell, death is their shepherd. Whose? Of those whose way is a stumblingblock to themselves. Whose? Of those who mind only things present, while they think not of things future: of those who think not of any life, but of that which must be called death. Not without cause, then, like sheep in bell, have they death to their shepherd. What meaneth, • they have death to their shepherd?' For is death either some thing or some power? Yea, death is either the separation of the soul from the body, or a separation of the soul from God ',aud that indeed which men fear is the separation of the soul from the body: but the real death, which men do not fear, is the separation of the soul from God. And ofttimes when men fear that which doth separate the soul from the body, they fall into that wherein the soul is separated from God. This then is death. But how is death their shepherd? If Christ is life, the devil is death. But we read in many places in Scripture, how that Christ is life. But the devil is death, not because he is himself death, but because through him is death. For whether that (death) wherein Adam fell was given man to drink by the persuasion of him: or whether that wherein the soul is separated from the body, still they have him for the author thereof, who first falling through pride envied him who stood, and overthrew him who stood with an invisible death, in order that he might have to payb the visible death. They who belong to him have death to their shepherd: but we who think of future immortality, and not without reason do wear the sign of the Cross of Christ on the forehead, have no shepherd but life. Of unbelievers death is the shepherd, of believers life is the shepherd. If then in hell are the sheep, whose shepherd is death, in heaven are the sheep, whose shepherd is life. What then? Are we now in heaven? In heaven we are by faith. For if not in heaven, where is the Lift up your heart? If not in heaven, whence with the Apostle Paul, For our conversation is in heaven? In body we walk on earth, in heart we dwell in heaven. We dwell there, if thither we send any thing which holdeth us there. For no one dwelleth in heart, save where thought is: but there his thought is, where his treasure is. He hath treasured on earth, his heart doth not withdraw from earth: he hath treasured in heaven, his heart from heaven doth not come down: for the Lord saith plainly, Where thy treasure is, there will thy heart be also.

3. They then, whose shepherd is death, seem to flourish for a time, and the righteous to labour: but why? Because it is yet night What meaneth, it is night? The merits of the righteous appear not, and the felicity of the unrighteous hath, as it were, a name. So long as it is winter, grass appeareth more verdant than a tree. For grass flourisheth through the winter, a tree is as it were dry through the winter: when in summer time the sun hath come forth with greater heat, the tree, which seemed dry through the winter, is bursting with leaves, and putteth forth fruits, but the grass withereth: thou wilt see the honour of the tree, the grass is dried. So also now the righteous labour, before that summer cometh. There is life in the root, it doth not yet appear in the branches. But our root is love. And what saith the Apostle? That we ought to have our root above, in order that life may be our shepherd, because our dwelling ought not to quit heaven, because in this earth we ought to walk as if dead; so that living above, below we may be dead; not so as that being dead above, we may live below. In as much then as our life and heart ought not to depart from above, what saith the Apostle? For ye are dead. And in order that thou mayest not fear, Your life is hidden, he saith, with Christ in Qod. Behold where our root is! But when our honour shall appear, as it were in leaves and fruits, he continueth, and saith, When Christ, your life, shall have 'c appeared, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory; and it shall be morning. For now it is not morning. Let the proud and rich of this world be puffed up now, let the ungodly tread down the good, unbelievers believers, and let them say, What doth it profit you that ye have believed? what more have ye because ye have Christ? Let believers answer, if they are indeed believers, It is night, that which we hold doth not yet appear. Let not the hauds be idle in good works. Whence it is elsewhere said, In the day qf myPa.77,2. trouble I sought God with my hands in the night season before Him, and I was not deceived. Our labour shall appear in the morning, and there shall be fruit in the morning: so that they that now labour shall hereafter reign, and they that now boast them and are proud, shall hereafter be brought under. For what followeth? Like sheep laid in hell, death is their shepherd; and the righteous shall reign over them in the morning.

4. I suppose that now this verse is clear, because we have before said, The righteous shall reign over them in the morn' ing* Endure thou the night, yearn for the morning. Think not because the night hath life, the morning too hath not life. Doth then he that sleepeth live, and he that riseth live not? Is not he that sleepeth more like 'death? And*^* who are they that sleep? They whom the Apostle Paul rouseth, if they choose but to awake. For to certain he saith, Awake, thou that steepest, and arise from the cfearf,Ephef. and Christ shall give thee light. They then that are lightened by Christ watch now, but the fruit of their watchings appeareth not yet: in the morning it shall appear, that is, when doubtful things of this world shall have passed away. For these are very night: for do they not appear to thee like darkness? One doth ill, he liveth, flourished); terrifieth, is honoured: one doth well, he is blamed, blasphemed, accused, laboureth, is terrified: these things are as if it were darkness. But in the root is vigour, fruit, opulence: life is not yet in the branches, but the root hath not withered: it is like to one withering, but the time cometh, it is clad with its honour, it is enriched with its fruits. Then they of whom it is said that we should not envy them — for the Psalm saith of them, what? For they shall soon wither like the grass, and like lhe herbs of the field they shall quickly fall — shall fall, I say, wnen tneJ snaU see on lne right hand the saints, upon whom while labouring men trample, and shall speak among themselves, doing penance, but a penance too late and without fruit. They that would not now do one with fruit, shall then do one without fruit. What then shall they say, when in penance without fruit? These are they whom we had sometime in derision, and for a similitude of reproach* I say the words of the Book of Wisdom: they know them who are wont to hear them. For they are the future words of evil-doers, when they shall see the Judge, and all the faithful now at His right hand, and all His Saints with Him judging; this they have to say, (the Scripture saith their own words,) These are they whom we had sometime in derision, and for a similitude of reproach, we fools accounted their life madness. For when a man shall have begun to live to God, to contemn the world, not to choose to avenge his own wrongs, not to choose riches here, to contemn all things, to think of the Lord alone, not to forsake the way of Christ, not only by the heathen is it said, ' He is mad;1 but, what is more to be lamented, (because even within many are sleeping, and will not awake,) men hear from their own people, from Christians, * What is come to thee?' My brethren, he who saith to a man living according to the way of Christ, * What is come to thee?' do we think what he saith? We shudder at the Jews, because they said to our Lord Jesus Christ, Thou hasta devil: and whenever we hear the Gospel being read, we beat our breasts. A wicked thing said the Jews to Christ, Thou hast a devil: come now Christian, when thou hast seen the devil banished from the heart of a Christian and Christ indwelling, and thou sayest, ' What is come to thee?' doth he seem to thee to have a devil? It was said even of the Lord Himself, that He was mad, when He spake words, wnich they would not receive: it was said, He is mad, He hath a devil; and yet some awaked from sleep and said, Tliese are not the words of him that hath a devil. So now also, brethren, so long as both the nations hear these words, and they that dwell in the world, and earthborn, and sons of men, and rich and poor, that is, both they that pertain- to Adam and thej that pertain to Christ, some say, he hath a devil, others say, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. For some hold the world's way, and hear these words for a time: others hear not in vain, but do what is said, Ponder with your ears, ye that dwell in the World. And while they are doing these things, the fruit is uncertain1. But they that do 1 ill and choose the world's way, of them death is the shepherd:certatn but they that choose God's way, of them life is the shepherd. Life Itself shall come to judge, and to condemn with their shepherd those to whom shall be said, Go ye into everlasttug fire, which hath been prepared for the devil and his angels. But they on whom men have trampled, and who were ridiculed for believing, shall hear from Life Itself, Whom they have for shepherd, Come, ye blessed of My Father, receive the kingdom which was prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Therefore the righteous shall reign over them, not now, but in the morning. Let no one say, Wherefore am I a Christian? I rule no one, I would rule the wicked. Be not in haste, thou shalt reign, but in the morning. And the help of them shall grow old in hell from their glory. Now they have glory, in hell they shall grow old. What is the help of them? Help from money, help from friends, help from their own might. But when a man shall be dead, in that day shall perish all his thoughts. How great glory he seemed to have among men, while he lived, so great oldness and decay of punishments shall he have, when he shall be dead in hell.

5. Ver. 15. Nevertheless, God shall redeem my soul. Behold the voice of one hoping in the future: Nevertheless, God shaU redeem my soul. Perhaps it is the voice of one still wishing to be relieved from oppression. Some one is in prison, he saith, God shall redeem my soul: some one is in bond, God shall redeem my soul: some one is suffering peril by sea, is being tossed by waves and raging tempests, what saith he? God shall redeem my soul. They would be delivered for the sake of this life. Not such is the voice of this man. Hear what followeth; God shall redeem my soul from the hand of hell, when He shall have received me. He is speaking of "this redemption, which Christ now sheweth in HimseK For He hath descended into hell, and hath ascended into heaven. What we have seen in the Head we have found in the Body. For what we have believed in the Head, they that have seen, have themselves told us, and by themselves we have seen; For toe are all one body. But are they better that hear, we worse to whom it hath been told? Not so saith The Life Itself, Our Shepherd Himself. For He rebuketh a certain disciple of His, doubting and desiring to handle His scars, and when he had handled the scars and cried out, saying, My Lord and my Qod, seeing His disciple doubting, and looking to the whole world about to believe, * Because thou hast seen Me J He saith, * thou hast believed: blessed are they that see not, and believe.9 But Ood shall redeem my soul from the hand of hell, when He hath received me. Here then what? Labour, oppression, tribulation, temptation: expect nothing else. Where joy? In future hope. For the Apostle saith, Alway rejoicing. In so great tribulations, Alway rejoicing, alway sorrowful: alway rejoicing, for he said himself, As if sorrowful^ yet alway rejoicing. Our sorrow hath an as if: our joy hath not an as if: because it is in sure hope. Wherefore bath our sorrow an as iff Because like as sleep it shall pass away, and the righteous shall reign in the morning. For your Love knoweth, how that he that intimateth sleep, doth add an as if: as if I were sitting, as if I were speaking, as if I were dining, as if I were disputing. The whole is, as if: for when he hath awaked, he findeth not that which he did see. As if I had found a treasure, saith the beggar. If there were not an as if, he would not be a beggar: but because there was as if, he is a beggar. So now they that open their eyes to worldly pleasures, and close their heart, of them the as if passeth away, and their own reality cometh. As if is their happiness of the world, their reality is punishment. But our as if is sorrow; our joy is not as if For the Apostle doth not say, As if rejoicing, but alway sorrowful: or, As if sorrowful, and as if rejoicing: but he saith, As if sorrowful, but alway rejoicing. As poor: (and there as he hath put for as \f:) yet making many rich. And when the Apostle said this, he had nothing: he had given up his all, he possessed not any riches. And he saith in continuation, what? As if having nothing: and this same € having nothing' of the Apostle was ' as \f? And possessing all things: there he hath not said as if. 4 As if' he was poor; but not as if but really, he enriched many. As jf he had nothing: but not as if but truly, he possessed all things. Whence did he truly possess all things? Because he clave to the Maker of all things. Nevertheless, he saith, God shall redeem my soul from the hand of hell, when He hath received me.

6. What then of them that here will flourish? Thou wilt see an evil man flourishing, and perchance thy feet will stumble, and thou wilt say in thy heart, I know the doings of this man, what sins this man hath committed, and see, he is flourishing, doth terrify, doth rule, his head is lifted up, he suffereth no pain, nothing in his house doth suffer diminution: and thou wilt fear, because thou hast believed, and perchance thy heart saith, Wretch that I am, I suppose to no purpose I have believed, God doth not regard things human. God therefore doth awaken us: and He saith what? (ver. 16.) Fear not, though a man have become rich. For why didst thou fear, because a man hath become rich? Thou didst fear that thou hadst believed to no purpose, that perchance thou shouldest have lost the labour for thy faith, and the hope of thy conversion: because perchance there hath come in thy way gain with guilt, and thou couldest have been rich, if thou hadst seized upon that same gain with the guilt, and neededst not have laboured; and thou, remembering what God hath threatened, hast refrained from guilt, and hast contemned the gain: thou seest another man that hath made gain by guilt, and hath suffered no harm; and thou fearest to be good. Fear not, saith the Spirit of God to thee, though a man shall have become rich. Wouldest thou not have eyes but for things present? Things future He hath promised, Who hath risen again; peace in this world, and repose in this life, He hath not promised. Every man doth seek repose; a good thing he is seeking, but not in the proper region thereof he is seeking it. There is no peace in this life; in Heaven hath been promised that which on earth we are seeking: in the world to come hath been P110™8^ *hat which in this world we are seeking.

7. Ver. 1 6. Fear not,though a man he made rich, and though the glory of his house be multiplied. Wherefore fear not t For when he shall die, he shall not receive any thing. Them seest him living, consider him dying. Thou markest what he hath here, mark what he taketh with him. What doth he take with him? He hath store of gold, he hath store of silver, numerous estates, slaves: he dieth, these remain, he knoweth not for whom. For though he leaveth them for whom he will, he keepeth them not for whom he will. For many have gained even what was not left them, and many have lost what was left them. All these tilings then remain, and he taketh with him what? Perhaps some one saith, He taketh that with him in which he is wound, and that which is expended upon him for a costly and marble tomb, to erect a monument, this he taketh with him. I say, not eren this. For these things are presented to him without bis feeling them. If thou deckest a man sleeping and not awake, he hath the decorations with him on the conch: perhaps the decorations are resting upon the body of him as he lieth, and perhaps he seeth himself in tatters during sleep. What he feeleth is more to him than what he feeletb not. Though even this when he shall have awaked will not be: yet to him sleeping that which he saw in sleep was more than that which he felt not. Why then, brethren, should1 men say to themselves, Let money be spent at my death: why do I leave my heirs rich? Many things will they have of mine, let me too have something of my own for my body. What shall a dead body have? what shall rotting flesh have? what shall flesh not feeling have? If that rich man had any thing, whose tongue was dry, then man hath something of his own. My brethren, do we read in the Gospel, that this rich man appeared in the fire with all-silken and fine-linen coverings? Was he of such sort in hell as he was in feastings at table? When he thirsted and desired a drop, all those things were not there. Therefore man carrieth not with him any thing, nor doth the dead take with him that which the burial taketh. For where feeling is, there is the man; where is no feeling, the man is There lieth fallen the ressel which contained the man, the bouse which held the man. The body let us call the bouse, the spirit let us call the inhabitant of the house. The spirit is tormented in hell: what doth it profit him, that the body lieth in spices and perfumes, wound in costly linens? just as if the master of the house should be sent into banishment, and thou shouldest garnish the walls of his house. He in banishment is in need, and doth faint with hunger, he scarce Andeth to himself one hovel where he may snatch a sleep, and thou sayest, " Happy is he, for his house hath been garnished." Who would not judge that thou wast either jesting or wast mad? Thou dost garnish the body, the spirit is tormented. Give something to the spirit, and ye have given something to the dead man. But what wilt thou give him, when he desired one drop, and received not? For the man scorned to send before him any thing. Wherefore scorned? Because this their way is a*»i3* stumbling-block to them. He minded not any but the present life, he thought not but how he might be buried, wound in costly vestments. His soul was taken from him, as the Lord saith: Tliou fool, this night thy soul shall ieLukels, taken from thee, and whose shall those things be which thou20' hast provided? And that is fulfilled which this Psalm saith; Fear not, though a man be made rich, and though the glory of his house be multiplied: for when he shall die he shall not receive any thing, nor shall his glory descend together with him.

8. Ver. 17. For his soul shall be blessed in his life. Let your love observe; For his soul shall be blessed in his life. As long as he lived he did well for himself. This all men say, but say falsely. It is a blessing from the mind of the blesser, not from the truth itself. For what sayest thou? Because he ate and drank, because he did what he chose, because he feasted sumptuously, therefore he did well with himself. I say, he did ill for himself. Not I say, but Christ. He did ill for himself. For that rich man, when he feasted sumptuously every day, was supposed to do well with himself: but when he began to burn in hell, then that which was supposed to be well was found to be ill. For what he had eaten with men above1, he digested in hell beneath. Unrighteousness l'*f^M mean, brethren, on which he used to feast. He used to eat 'cos^y banquets with the mouth of flesh, with his heart's mouth he used to eat unrighteousness. What he ate with his heart's mouth with men above, this he digested amid those punishments in the places beneath. And verily he had eaten for a time, he digested ill for everlasting. Is then unrighteousness eaten? perhaps some one saith: what is it that he saith? Unrighteousness eaten? It is not I that say: hear the Scripture: As a sour grape is vexation to the teeth, and smoke to the eyes, so is unrighteousness to them that use it. For he that shall have eaten unrighteousness, that is, he that shall have had unrighteousness wilfully, shall not be able to eat righteousness. For righteousness is bread. Who is bread? / am the living bread which came dawn from heaven. Himself is the bread of our heart. For just as he that eateth with the mouth of the body sour grapes, hath his teeth set on edge and blunted, and he becometh less suited to eat bread, and it remaineth to him to praise what he seeth and not be able to eat it; so also he that hath practised unrighteousness and fed upon sins in his heart, beginneth not to be able to eat bread, he praiseth the word of God, and doeth not. Whence doeth he not? Because when he beginneth to do, he laboureth; just as we see the teeth labour after sour grapes, when we begin to eat bread. But what do they whose teeth are blunted? They refrain for a space from sour grapes, and their teeth return to their soundness, and they fall to bread. So we also praise righteousness: but if we will eat righteousness, let us refrain from iniquities: and there arise th in the heart, not only a zest to praise righteousness, but also a readiness to eat it. For if the Christian saith, ' God knoweth that it delighteth me, but I cannot do it:' he hath loosened teeth, he bath long eaten unrighteousness. Is then even righteousness eaten? If it were not eaten, the Lord would not have said, Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness. Therefore since his soul shall be blessed in l\fe, in life it shall be blessed, in death it shall be tormented.

9. Ver. 18. He shall confess to Thee, when Thou shall have done him good. Attend ye, and be fed, let it sink in your hearts; eat, see such men, and be not such: beware of such words. He shall confess to Thee, when Thou shall have done him good. How many Christians there be, brethren, who then give thanks to God, when gain cometh to them! That is, He shall con/ess Thee, when Thou shall have done him good: he shall praise Thee and say, ' Truly Thou art ray God * He hath loosed me from prison, I will confess to Him.' Gain cometh to him, he confesseth; inheritance cometh, he confesseth: he sufferetb loss, he blaspbemeth. What sort of son art thou, whom when thy Father is correcting, He is displeasing to thee? Would He correct thee, unless thou wast displeasing? or if thou didst so much displease as that He hated thee, would He choose to correct? Give thanks then to the Corrector, in order that ihou mayest receive an inheritance from God, Who correcteth thee. For thou art being instructed, when thou art being corrected. 4 But He correcteth much.' Yes, for great is that which thou hast to receive. For if thou weighest the correction together with that which thou art to receive, thou wilt find that the correction is nothing. The Apostle Paul saith this: For the lightness of our tribulation, which is temporal for the present, according to an17,18, incredible manner, worketh for us an eternal weight of glory. But when? To us looking, he saith, not to those things which are seen9 but to those things which are not seen: not to those things which are temporal, but to those things which are eternal. For those things which are seen are temporal; but those things which are not seen are eternal. And again: The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. What is it then that thou sufferest? But thou art always suffering. I grant it. From the time that thou wast born, through all thy ages until thy old age; until thou shalt die, suppose that thou suffer what Job suffered; what he suffered for a few days let a man suffer from his very infancy: what thou sufferest doth pass away, is ended; what thou wilt receive will have no end. I would not thou shouldest match the punishment with the reward; match time with eternity if thou canst.

10. He shall confess to Thee, when Thou shalt have done him good. Be not of such sort, brethren: see ye how that to this end we say these words, to this end we sing, to this we treat> to ^is end toil — do not these things. Your business doth prove you: sometimes in your business ye hear the truth, and ye blaspheme. The Church ye blaspheme. Wherefore? Because ye are Christians. * If so it be, I betake myself to Donatus's party: I will be a heathen'.' Wherefore? Because thou hast eaten bread, and the teeth are in pain. When thou sawest the bread itself, thou didst praise; thou beginnest to eat, and the teeth are in pain; that is, when thou wast hearing the Word of God thou didst praise: when it is said to thee, Do this, thou blasphemest: do not so ill: say this, ( The bread is good, but I cannot eat it.' But now if thou seest with the eyes, thou praisest: when thou beginnest to close the teeth, thou sayest, Bad is this bread, and like him that made it. So it cometh to pass that thou confessest to God, when God docth thee good: and thou liest when thou singest, / mil alway bless God, His praise is ever in my mouth. How alway? If alway gain, alway He is blessed: if sometime there is loss, He is not blessed, but blasphemed. Forsooth thou blessest alway, forsooth His praise is ever in thy mouth! Thou wilt be such as just now he describeth: He will confess to Thee, when Thou shall have done Aim good.

11. Ver. 19. He shall enter even unto the generations of his fathers: that is, he shall imitate his fathers. For the unrighteous, that now are, have brothers, have fathers. Unrighteous men of old, are the fathers ol the present; and they that are now unrighteous, are the fathers of unrighteous posterity: just as the fathers of the righteous, the righteous of old, are the fathers of the righteous that now are; and they that now are, are the fathers of them that are to be. The Holy Spirit hath willed to shew that righteousness is not evil when men murmur against her: but these men have their father from the beginning, even to the generation of their fathers. Two men Adam begat, and in one was unrighteousness, in one was righteousness: unrighteousness iu Cain, righteousness in Abel. Unrighteousness seemed to prevail over righteousness, because Cain unrighteous slew Abel

» Thoge who became Donatista declared themselves not yet Christians, in order to be rebaptized. * righteous in the night. Is it so in the morning? Nay, but the righteous shall reign over them in the morning. The^j-morning shall come, and it shall be seen where Abel is, and where Cain. So all men who are after Cain, and so all who are after Abel, even unto the end of the world. He shall enter even unto the generations of his fathers: even to eternity he shall not see light. Because even when he was here, he was in darkness, taking pleasure in false goods, and not loving real goods: even so he shall go hence into hell: from the darkness of his dreams the darkness of torments shall receive him. Therefore, even to eternity he shall not see light But wherefore this? What he hath written in the middle of the Psalm, the same also he hath writ at the end: (ver. 20.) Man, though he was in honour, understood*. no/, teas compared to the beasts without sense, and was made like to them. But ye, brethren, consider that ye be men made after the image and likeness of God. The image of God is within, is not in the body; is not in these ears26, which ye see, and eyes, and nostrils, and palate, and hands, and feet; but is made nevertheless1: wherein is the in-1 tellect, wherein is the mind, wherein the power of dis-J^fea covering truth, wherein is faith, wherein is your hope, wherein your charity, there God diath His Image: there at least ye perceive and see that these things pass away; for so he hath said in another Psalm, Though man walketh in an image9VB.99, yet he is disquieted in vain: he heapeth up treasures, and0' knoweth not for whom he shall gather them. Be not disquieted, for of whatsoever kind these things be, they are transitory, if ye are men who being in honour understand. For if being men in honour ye understand not, ye are compared to the beasts without sense, and are made like to them.