Chapter 11. On the Mystical Stones of the City of God.

THE rest of the building consists of stones ; and these are all the faithful, who are ''built up," according to the expression

of St. Peter and St. Paul in their Epistles ; and since this part of the building regards every one, it will be very desirable for us to remember the conditions or qualities which those must possess who desire to be built on the foundation of Christ and the apostles, under the chief corner-stone, Christ Jesus; that so they may not only be in the heavenly city, but may also them selves become the highest and most happy city 8f God.

Three conditions are requisite to be built on so noble a foundation: 1st. That we be stones ; 2nd. That we be living ones ; 3rd. That we be well polished, and be cut square. We must therefore be stones, not wood, or hay, or stubble, that we may make the wall solid — that is, we should be sober and firm, persevering in faith, in charity, in humility, and obedience to the Com mandments, and not allow ourselves to be carried about " by every wind of doctrine," as heretics dp ; neither should we be carried away by various inordinate desires, as bad Catholics are very often. These are not used as stones by the builders of the eternal city, for they serve only for cottages which are easily destroyed. In the second place, we should be " living stones," as St. Peter admonishes us, that is, full of charity and spiritual life, such as Christ is, " the corner stone," who, although He died once according to the flesh, yet He always lived according to the Spirit, and after death rose

again to die no more. Dead stones build dead edifices, that is, corporal ; but a spiritual house, or rather the city of our great King, which is spiritual and celestial, requires spiritual stones, and therefore "living" ones. Thirdly, we must be square and polished stones, not unpolished or shapeless, because thus it becometh the building of a city that is superior to all others. So Arphaxat the king built the city of Ecbatana of square and polished stones, as we read in the book of Judith ; and if King Solomon erected a temple to the Lord so beautifully adorned, what ought to be the building of that Eternal city, which so far exceeds all other cities ? But this beautifying of our building must be done on earth, not in heaven ; and of this the temple of Solomon was a figure. Thus we read in the third book of Kings : "And the house when it was in building was built of stones hewed and made ready, so that there was neither hammer nor axe, nor any tool of iron heard in the house when it was building." (chap. vii. 7.) The reason was, because the stones were cut and prepared at a distance from the house of the Lord ; and thus they were so perfectly polished, that, when they were brought to the temple, they were laid in their proper places with out the sound of the hammer being heard. In the heavenly Jerusalem, also, the sound of the hammer will not be heard, because there no persecution will be, no tribulation

no penitential labour, no sighing, no sor row, no sadness. Wherefore, those stones that are chosen for the glory of the heavenly mansions, ought in this vale of tears to be well cut and polished : thus the Church sings :

" Tunsionibus, pressuris, Expoliti Lapides, Suis coaptantur locis, Per manus Artificis, Disponuntur permansuri, Sacris sedificiis.'"

Here penitential labour is necessary for us, because "we all offend in many things/* as St. James affirmeth: here our carnal concupiscence must be tamed, our self-will conquered, our body chastised and brought into subjection : here with indefatigable diligence must we oppose the " shield of faith" against the fiery darts of impure spirits. Therefore, if we cannot bear the stroke of the hammer, how can we, being unpolished, be admitted by the heavenly Architect to form part of the building ? 0 ! if men could but comprehend how much

§ood they deprive themselves of by flying •om this hammer, and being unwilling to endure anything that is^ difficult, bitter, and contrary to their inclination, assuredly they would then alter their mind, and fast often instead of having their banquets; throwing aside their soft garments, they would put on sackcloth, and give themselves

up to watching and prayer, instead of in dulging in vain talk ; and if they received any injury from false brethren, or from open enemies, they would not think of revenge, but would give thanks to God, and earnestly pray to Him for their calumniators and persecutors: this they would do, because " The sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come, that shall be revealed in us;" and again, '' That which is at present momentary and light of our tribulation, worketh for us above measure exceedingly an eternal weight of glory."

And truly, if we consider the "living stones" that have preceded us in the heavenly building, we shall see that all were polished by many strokes of the hammer. Christ Himself, " the corner-stone," and most precious, who stood in need of no polishing, yet suffered for us that He might leave us an example : " Who, when He was reviled, did not revile ; when He suffered, He threatened not." All the Apostles could say with St. Paul : " Even unto this hour we both hunger and thirst, and are naked and are buffeted, and have no fixed abode : and we labour, working with our hands: we are reviled, and we bless; we are persecuted, and we suffer it. We are blasphemed, and we entreat ; we are made as the refuse of this world, the offscouring of all even until now." (1 Epistle to the Corinthians, chap, iv.) What shall I say of

the martyrs ? Did not all ascend unto the city of the heavenly Jerusalem, after they had been "cut and polished" by many tribulations and most cruel deaths ? I omit mentioning the holy confessors, ancho rets, virgins, widows, and all others who served God. Unless these had crucified their flesh, with its vices and concupiscences, and had waged war against themselves, they would not have been admitted to the heavenly building. But this polishing of " living stones" was necessary, not only after the coming of our Saviour, but before also, and from the t beginning of the world itself. The first living stone was Abel, cruelly slain by his brother Gain; afterwards came the holy patriarch Joseph, sold by his brothers. The angel Raphael said to Tobias also : '' Because thou wast pleasing to God, it was necessary that temptation should try thee." He did not say, because thou wast a sinner, and hate ful to God, it was necessary that you should be punished with blindness and poverty ; but he said, because thou wast pleasing unto God, being just and holy, therefore, as a living stone destined for the heavenly building, it was necessary that you should bear the stroke of the hammer. Who amongst the prophets did not suffer persecution from the impious ? What torments did not the holy Machabees endure ? Let us hear the apostle Paul speaking of the saints in the old Law, in his Epistle to tha

Hebrews : '' And others had trials of mockeries and stripes, moreover, also, of bonds and prisons. They were stoned, they were cut asunder, they were tempted, they were put to death by the sword, they wandered about in sheep-skins, in goat skins, in mountains, and in the dens and caves of the earth." (chap. xi. 37, 38.) What wilt thou say, Christian soul, to these words ? If the hammer of the builder did not spare those of whom the world was not worthy, on account of their great sanctity, that so they might be fitly polished for the celestial building, what will become of thee, and of those like thee, who indulge in sin, and consider penitential labours too heavy? One of these two things is necessary: either that thou suffer in this life or in purgatory, or be deprived of a place in that Edifice above, and made to bear for ever the ham mer of hell. Why, therefore, dost thou not choose (if thou be wise) rather to endure the short and momentary tribulations of this life, than to be condemned to future ones, eternal and intolerable ?

• Despise not the purgatorial punishments of the world to come ; although they are not eternal, yet are they more grievous, and often of longer duration, than any torment of this life. Hear St. Augustine's Expia tion of the 37th Psalm : " It is said, thou shalt ba saved, yet so as by fiie ; and be cause it is said, *' Thou shalt be saved/ this fire is contemned; yet it will be more

grievous than any torment a man can endure in this life/' He also adds, " that the torments will be more severe than the punishments of robbers and the torments of the martyrs :" wherefore, those are mad who despise the fire of purgatory, and dread the tribulations of this present life/ ' ' And because in the mouth of two or three wit nesses every word shall stand, hear St. Gre gory on the third penitential Psalm : " I consider this transitory fire to be more in tolerable than all present tribulations ;" hear St. Bernard in his Sermon on the death of Humbert, a monk: "But this know, that, after this life, in purgatory will be required a hundred-fold what hath here been neglected, even unto the last far thing/' Hear, in fine, St. Anselm, in his Explanation of the third chapter of St. Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians: ' We must know that this fire is more grievous than anything a man can endure in this life ; all the torments of the world are mild in comparison with it, and yet men to

• St. Teresa mentions in her " Life," having seen in Pur gatory the souls of many persons of remarkable virtue; some in a secular, others in a religious state, of her ovvr, nunnery and of several other orders ; though she says, their penitential and holy lives, their patience, their great regu larity in their convent, their tears and humility at their death, had persuaded her they would be admitted straight to glory. " But," (she continues,) "amongst all the souls I have seen, I have not known any one to have escaped purgatory except three, F. Peter of Alcantara, F. Peter Ivagnez, a religious man of the order of St. Dominic, and a Carmelite Friar." (See her own life, chap. 38, translated >y the pious Mr. Woodhead. 2 vols. 4to. 1669.)

avoid them will do whatever they are com manded by others. How much better would it be to do what God commands, that so we might not suffer more grievous torments !"