Chapter 7. On Hope, Which Is the Second Gate of the House of God.

HOPE likewise has its difficulties, whether we consider the greatness of the reward promised, or our own weakness and nothing ness. If an ignorant rustic, without experience^were commanded to hope that in a short time he should possess the wisdom of Solomon, or that of Plato and Aristotle, and at the same time the kingdom of Alex ander the Great or of Augustus — how, I ask, could such an humble individual be persuaded to hope for such great things? But this is much more easy than that a mortal man could hope to possess the wisdom and power of the angels in heaven, who are pure

intelligences. For this rustic, and Alex ander, and Aristotle, were of the same nature, and alike mortal ; and the wisdom of Aristotle did not exceed all human wis dom, neither did the empire of Alexander occupy a third part of the globe. But Chris tians are commanded to hope for an equality with the angels, according to the words of our Lord : " But they that shall be account ed worthy of that world, and of the resur rection of the dead, shall neither be married nor take wives. Neither can they die any more: for they are equal to the ^ angels, and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection/' (St. Matthew, chap. xx. 38.) Again : if a man that crawls upon the ground were commanded to hope that in a short time he would fly through the air, or subsist in the water for some time, and go here and there, how could he be induced to believe these things? And yet large birds, as cranes and storks, fly through the air as swiftly as eagles ; and large ships, heavy laden, sail up and down the waters just as the pilot directs them. But Christians are without doubt com manded to hope, that with their bodies they will one day ascend above the heavens; and that from heaven to earth they can descend without the least danger of falling, and contend with the sun itself in its course from east to west, with the certain hope of victory. In line, if some poor orphan were commanded to hope that he would be adopt-

ed as a son by a great king unknown to him, truly it would take much labour to induce him to think this could be possible ; and yet both are men, children of the earth, and doomed to die. But Christian hope teaches us, that every one, provided he be baptized in Christ, and observe his com mandments, will have the spirit of ' ' adop tion" from God, will be truly chosen His son, and made heir of all things which God Himself possesseth — co-heir with Christ, who is His natural and only Son, and whom the Father hath appointed Heir of all things.

If these great and sublime hopes were entertained by Christians as they should be, they would certainly make them fear less as lions, so that no dangers or terrors could conquer them ; and they would ex claim with the prophet: " The Lord is my keeper: I will not fear what man can do

unto me If armies in camp should stand together against me, my heart shall not fear ;" and with the apostle: "I can do all things in Him who strengtheneth me;" and again : " If God be for us, who shall be against us ?" But few there are who hope for such aid as they ought ; whilst many are found who do not look even for temporal blessings from God, but trust more to their own cunning, to theft and lies, than in the aid of the Most High. Our Lord Himself, in St. Matthew and St. Luke, admonishes the faithful by most beautiful parables, not

to be too solicitous about food and raiment, because our heavenly Father, who nourishes the birds that neither sow nor reap, and clothes the lilies of the field' that neither labour nor spin, will much more take care of His children for whom He intends an eternal kingdom: but yet, so little confidence have many people in God, that often in their troubles they rather have recourse either to human fraud or diabolical arts, than to the Almighty. Wherefore, if these dp not hope to receive from God what He gives to the birds of the air, and the lilies of the field, and which He hath, promised to give them if they trust in Him, this is a great proof that their hope is not of that character which belongs to the sons of God, who hope to receive a share in His eternal kingdom. And since no one can attain salvation without a certain and living hope, which is a part of the gate of the heavenly " House/' therefore few are they that are saved.

There are also other and greater difficul ties in the virtue of hope. It commands us to despise present things, which are seen, and to hope for future goods, which are not seen ; to give alms to the poor, that, being multiplied, they may be returned to us in heaven, though no one here can see them, or conceive what we shall there receive, if we sow them on earth. A rustic can indeed be easily persuaded to sow his seed in the ground, because the experience of

many years teaches him that what is sown with labour will be reaped with joy. But no experience teaches us that what is given to the poor will be received back again with interest in heaven. Therefore, it Appears difficult to men to lose present things, which are seen, and to hope for future blessings, which are not seen.

Lastly, it is an evident proof that a firm confidence in God is a very narrow gate, to behold such a great number that weep, lament, murmur, blaspheme, and despair. Those who confide in God, He either takes away from them their afflictions, or gives them patience, united with such great consolation, as to enable them to exclaim wkh the Apostle : "I am filled with consolation, I superabound with joy in all my tribulations." They, therefore, that immode rately weep^ and lament in their troubles, prove — as St. Basil shows in his Explana tion of the 45th Psalm — that they may ex claim in words : " The Lord is our refuge and our strength ;" but that few truly and earnestly say so in their hearts.

Chapter 8. On Charity, Which Is the Third Gate.

LET us now speak of charity, which is the court of the heavenly gate. Charity is the queen of virtues, and on one side seems

boundless, because it extends to God, to the angels, to men — even those who may be unknown to us, and our enemies ; but, on the other side it is made " narrow," on account of the incredible difficulties it brings along with it, since its precepts are to be observed, not only in word and in tongue, but "in deed and in truth." For what, I ask, doth this queen command ? First, that we love God " with our whole heart, with our whole soul, with our whole strength." We are reduced to great difficulties when we endeavour to fulfil these commands. For, to love God with our whole heart and strength, what else is it but a true and earnest love ? " With our whole heart and soul" signifies, that our love must be real, not feigned ; not in word and in tongue, as St. James saith, but in word and in deed. 'With our whole strength" signifies, that our love of God ought to be supreme. The force of the precept, therefore, consists in loving God with a true and perfect love, so that we should prefer nothing before Him, but be prepared with the patriarch Abraham, if the glory of God required it, to sacrifice our only begotten and most beloved son. And not this merely; but also, as our Lord commands us in the Gospel, to hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, even our own soul, and to renounce all that we possess : that is, we should be ready to be deprived of all these things with

such promptitude as we should have, if we hated them in reality. This is truly a severe command, and who can understand it? But how easily will men be found, and these not a few, who would rather re nounce God and his promises than their riches and temporal honours, and much less their life or that of their sons ! St. Cyprian, in his Treatise on the " Lapsed/' beareth testimony, that in the primitive Church, when the fire of charity' was much more ardent than now, there were many deser ters, who preferred their riches and their lives before God; and Eusebius, in his Ecclesiastical History, testifies the same.

But what shall we say of charity towards our neighbours ? What doth charity command us to do with regard to our neigh bours ? That we love them as we love ourselves ; and that what we wish to be done to ourselves, we do to our neighbours also. Who therefore is there, being much in need, would not wish the rich to give him something out of their superabundance? Neither would he consider it as an excuse, if the rich man answered, " That he was encumbered with debt, that he had pur chased a villa at an enormous sum, that he was building a sumptuous palace, or, at least, adorning it with precious marble." But these were perhaps not necessary, and therefore charity does not allow our indigent neighbours to be deprived of subsistence. On this point I beseech the reader to con-

suit St. Basil in his ( Sermon" to the rich ; and also 'St. Bernard on the words : "Behold, we have left all things." He will see, and be terrified at the danger of those who do not think they will have to render an account to God of their riches, but live according to their own pleasure, not accord ing to the will of God, and in charity towards their neighbours. If we shall have to give an account of "every idle word," much more shall we of money ill-spent.

But let us hear St. John the apostle, and from him learn how extensive is the duty of charity. He saith : "In this we have known the charity of God, because He hath laid clown His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." (1 Epist. chap. iii. 16.) Christ laid down His life for His servants : can it, therefore, be a great thing if we lay down our life for our brethren ? The apostle does not say we can, but " we ought to lay down our life for the brethren;" neither did he say, I think, I advise, but absolutely, "We ought." And if we ought to give our life, why not our riches much more ? Wherefore, St. Gre gory justly concludes : " Since our soul, by which we live, is incomparably superior to our earthly substance, which we possess, who will not give his substance when he ought to lay down his life?" The same may be said on other points ; for he who ought to lay down his life for the brethren, ought much more to pardon an injury or

an affront. And ought he not also to be on his guard, lest he injure his brother in word or in deed ? But, because this precept of charity towards God and our neighbour is so difficult that few comply with it ; therefore, when our Lord was asked, " If feware^saved," with reason did He answer, "Few:" we must then endeavour, with our whole strength, to enter with the few the

narrow gate.