Chapter 9. The Joys of Heaven Compared with Those of Earth.

WE have already explained, according to our ability, what joys are prepared in hea ven for those that love God ; we will now, by certain external arguments, endeavour to show how great they are. And, first, we shall consider the pleasures which God often gives, even to his enemies, in this life. And truly, so great joys are found in riches, honours, power, and various other plea sures, which God gives to those that even blaspheme Him, or believe not in Him, that nearly all men consider them happy beings. David exclaims : ' ' They have called the people happy that hath these things/' (Psalm cxliii.) Who amongst the lovers of this world does not envy Solomon, who reigned forty years, and abounded in

riches and every delight, besides having seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines? And yet, according to the opinion of Sj. Augustine, it seems that he was lost, for thus he speaks : " Solomon himself was a lover of women, and was cast off by God/' And in his book on the " City of God/' he says of Solomon what Sallust said of Cataline, " He began well, but ended badly." ^ St. Gregory also fol lows St. Augustine in the 2nd Book of his "Morals/' Not unlike Solomon are, in our own times, the kings of Turkey, Persia, China, and ^Tartary, who possess the most extensive kingdoms, and are addicted to carnal pleasures ; they indulge their heart, their eyes, their ears, and palate in every thing they desire.

But not to dwell on these pleasures, which belong only to a few, how great are the joys which God gives to mortals in general, the greater part of whom neither know, nor love, nor fear God ! Hath He not given to all the earth with its riches and pleasures, animals, fruit, flowers, and metals? Hath He not given to all men in general the sea, fountains, rivers, and lakes, filled with so many kinds of fishes? Hath He not outspread the hea vens, to be as it were the roof of His great house, adorned with innumerable stars ? Doth not this same great and most bounti-

ful Lord command His sun to rise and His rain to fall, both upon the just and the unjust ? Now, if He hath given so many pleasures to reprobate sinners and ungrate ful slaves, who are deserving (ff the severest punishments, is it not just that He should reserve for His friends and children joys infinitely greater? Hear St. Augustine: '' To sinners that blaspheme His name daily, He gives the heavens and the earth : fountains, fruits, health, children, riches, abundance. He who giveth such to sinners, what thinkest thou will He not give to His faithful servants ?" It is mentioned in the Life of St. Fulgentius,"' that when he once saw the glory of the Roman senate he exclaimed : " 0 ! how beautiful must the heavenly Jerusalem be, if earthly Rome be so glorious ! And if in this world so much honour be given to those that love vanity, what honour and glory will be given unto the saints, who behold truth itself!" St. Augustine, who was such a wise judge of things, does not hesitate to assert there is such a difference between heavenly and earthly joys, that the enjoyment of celestial pleasures for one day only, would be more desirable than the enjoyment of earthly pleasures for thousands of ^ages. These are his words : "So great is the glory of eternal life, that, supposing we could only enjoy it for one day — for this alone counties?

years of this life, full of earthly goods and happiness, should justly be despised ; for not without reason has it been said, " Bet ter is one day in thy courts above thousands/' What then shall we say? If these words are true, as they most certainly are, is it not reasonable that we should now at length begin to be wise ? Hitherto we have been accustomed to exhort you to despise earthly goods because they are momentary, and to love heavenly things because they are eternal. But now we hear St. Augus tine, a most learned doctor, affirming that although earthly goods were eternal, and heavenly ones only momentary, yet that the latter should be preferred to the former ! Are we not therefore deaf, blind, stupid, and foolish, if, on account of earthly goods, which are not only vile, but frail and transi tory, we despise heavenly treasures, which are most precious and eternal? Cure, O merciful Lord ! our deafness : enlighten our blindness : rouse^ our stupidity : heal our madness. Why is the light of thy counte nance signed upon us, 0 Lord, if we discern not things so great and so necessary ? And why hast thou given unto us the judgment ot reason, if we see not objects so evident ?"*

• Rurope tu, Domine misericors et miserator, surditatem nostram: iilumina ccecitatem: excita stupiditatem: Sana deraentiam. TJt quid enim signasti super nos lumen vultus tui, Domine, si haec tarn magna et tarn necessaria Don discernimusl Et quare dedisti nobis judicium rationis, si kaec tain evidentia uon videmus!"