Chapter 12. On the Trice That Paradise Was Purchased At, Compared with Paradise Itself.

THE last comparison will be on the " price " by which Christ purchased para dise for us, and by which we also ought to purchase it with all its goods. Christ, at the price of His blood, purchased paradise for us, which the envy of the devil had snatched from us ; not that he might possess it himself, but that he might deprive us of it. For this purpose he seduced Eve, and by her Adam, that he might make them both partakers of his punishment. Christ therefore is that wise merchant, who sold all that he had to purchase the pre cious pearl, by which is clearly signified the kingdom of heaven, as He himself teaches, of whom St. Paul speaks: ''You are bought with a great price;" and St. Peter says, " Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things as gold or silver .... but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb unspotted and undefiled:" and again, " They deny the Lord who bought them/' Christ at the same time that He bought paradise, bought us

also; for we were captives, and had lost paradise by sin: but Christ redeeming us from our sins, and from the captivity of the devil, made us sons and heirs of God at the same time, and by this means restored paradise to us. Hence, the greatness of paradise is shown to us, by appearing to the wisdom of God worthy of an infinite price. If amongst men, some wise and very rich merchant were to purchase a precious pearl by selling willingly all his goods, certainly no one would doubt but that this pearl was so wonderful and valuable, that scarcely a sufficient price could be given for it. How greatly therefore ought we to value, if we

Eossess any judgment, the possession of eaven, which the wisdom of God, the Word incarnate, by all his labours, sufferings, and sorrows for the space of thirty years purchased for us, at the price of His most precious death ! We must truly be quite senseless, if we sell for the vile value of any earthly goods whatever, that which Christ our Lord deemed worthy of an in finite price.

But not only Christ purchased paradise for us by His blood ; all the saints like wise taught by Him, most joyfully gave up whatever they possessed — whatever they were worth — whatever they were, in order to purchase this same paradise. St. Paul exclaims, " I reckon that the sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come, that shall be re-

vealed in us." (Epistle to the Romans, viii. 18.) But although the blood of Christ was not only a worthy price for paradise, but also (if I may so speak) more than worthy, being supereminent and exceeding the dignity of the thing purchased ; yet He wished to purchase us also, that He might honour and exalt us. Great is the glory of man, because he can obtain paradise, not only through the merits of Christ, but also by his own merits, which however derive their efficacy from Christ. He therefore that is unwilling to purchase paradise by doing good and avoiding evil, is expelled from the inheritance of Christ, as a wicked and slothful servant in the parable of the Talents. And the apostle seriously ad monishes us where he says : " And if sons, heirs also ; heirs indeed of God, and jointheirs with Christ : yet so, if we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified with him/' (Epistle to the Romans, viii. 17.)

But lest we should perhaps complain that we have not a worthy price, we must know that nothing is required of us but what we already have. St. Augustine thus speaks : '' The kingdom of God is worth as much as you possess:" he proves this by examples from the Holy Scriptures : " What so vile, what so earthly, as to break our bread for the hungry ? The kingdom of heaven is worth as much ; for it is written, ' Pos sess ye the kingdom of heaven, because I was hungry, and you gave me to eat/ The

widow purchased it by her mite : Peter purchased it by leaving his nets : Zaccheus by giving away the half of his patrimony." With these words of St. Augustine, Vene rable Bede also agrees when he says : "The kingdom of heaven requires nothing else but thyself: it is worth as much as thou art: give thyself, and thou shalt possess it."* Poor Lazarus had nothing to give but his patience in affliction, and he was carried by angels to Abraham's bosom : the good thief had nothing in this world of his own, besides that voice by which he exclaimed, " Remember me when thou shalt come into thy kingdom" — and imme diately he heard, " This day shalt thou be with me in paradise/' 0 ! truly great is the goodness of God ! 0 ! ineffable hap piness of man, who can so easily pass over every thing most precious, with the price of his Lord ! Dost thou wish, O man! to obtain from God a paradise of every pleasure ? Give thyself to Him , and thou wilt possess it. What meaneth " Give thyself?" Love God with thy whole heart: humble thyself under His powerful hand : praise Him at all times : be willing to do His will, whether He wish thee to be rich or poor — illustrious or not illustrious — im. health or in sickness. ^ His will is ador able, and just are all His judgments. Say then unto God, I am thine : do with me

according to thy pleasure : I do not resist, I do not murmur, I obey thy commands. " My heart is ready, O Lord! my heart is ready. Not my will, but thine be done/' This holocaust is beyond all value in the sight of God, who standeth in no need of our goods. " Doth the Lord desire holocausts and victims," saith Samuel, " and not rather that the voice of the Lord should be obeyed?" This holocaust of obedience Christ daily offered to His Father, according to His own testimony : ''' I do always the things that please Him." And St. Paul, the true imitator of our Saviour, saith : " And therefore we labour, whether absent or present, to please Him." This perfect renunciation of all things we possess, or desire to possess : this denying of one^s self in Border to please God alone, is the "true price of paradise." And he who gives himself in this way to gain para dise, does not lose himself; but most truly finds himself, according to our Lord : "He that findeth his life, shall lose it ; and he that shall lose his life for me, shall find it." But since this truth is hidden from the wise and prudent of this world (who are fools before God ;) and since the number gf fools is infinite, therefore "many are called, but few are chosen."

THE

ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS.