Eleventh Sermon on Psalm XC: On the Ways of Men, the Ways of the Demons, The Ways of the Holy Angels, and the Ways of the Lord

“ For He hath given His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.”

My brethren, it is written in the Prophet Jeremias, and written truly, that we owe it to “ the mercies of the Lord that we are not consumed,” because He has not delivered us into the hands of our enemies. His Eye of incomparable love ever watches over us, without interruption, as without weariness. Hence the Psalmist says, “Behold, He shall neither slumber nor sleep, That keepeth Israel.” That is very necessary for us. For he also shall neither slumber nor sleep, that fighteth against Israel. And just as the Lord is solicitous for us and hath care of us; so too is Satan solicitous how he may injure and destroy us, and his only care is to prevent the soul that has abandoned her God from ever returning to Him. But we either pay no attention at all, or we pay too little attention, to the presence of that Majesty in Whose sight we are always standing ; we do not sufficiently consider the constant protection afforded us by our Divine Defender, nor the manifold ' gifts of His munificence. Thus, we show ourselves to have but little gratitude for the grace, rather for the multiplied graces, with which He forestalls and supports us. At one time, by His own direct action, He fills our souls with heavenly illumination ; at another

He visits us by His angels ; now He employs our fellow-men toinstruct us ; and now He consoles and enlightens us by means of the Sacred Scriptures. ‘‘ For what things soever were written, were written for our learning ; that through patience and the comfort of the Scriptures we. might have hope.” Well does the Apostle say, “ for our learning, that through patience we might have hope,” because, as we read in Proverbs, “ The learning of a man is known by patience.” And St. Paul himself tells us in another place that “ patience (worketh) trial, and trial hope.” How is it that we alone are wanting to ourselves? How is it that we alone neglect ourselves? Perhaps the reason why we are so careless with regard to our own interests is because we behold assistance coming to us freely from all sides? But this is the very reason which should make us the more zealous and vigilant. For undoubtedly there would not be so much solicitude regarding us.in heaven and on earth, unless our necessities seemed to be correspondingly great ; and unless we were surrounded by numerous enemies, we should not have about us such manifold protection.

How happy, therefore, are those amongst us who have already, in a manner, been delivered from the “snare of the hunters,” and have gone forth from the tabernacles of war-time into the dwellings of peace, secure now from all danger of evil, and “ singularly settled in hope’’! It is to one of these, rather I should say, it is to the whole assembly of these that the words are addressed, ‘“‘ There shall no evil come to thee ; nor shall the scourge come near thy tabernacle.” Remember, my brethren, that this promise is made, not to such as live according to the flesh, but to those who, although living in the flesh, yet walk according to the spirit. For with respect to the carnal man, there is no distinction between himself and his tabernacle. All things are confounded in him, because he is a son of Babylon.* Such a one is entirely flesh, and the Spirit of the Lord cannot rest upon him. But how can evil be wanting there where the good Spirit abideth not? And wheresoever evil is found, there of necessity shall the scourge appear also. For punishment is the inseparable companion of sin. ‘‘ There shall no evil come to thee ; nor shall the scourge come near thy tabernacle.” This doubtless is a grand promise. But on what grounds may I hope to see it accomplished in myself? How shall I avoid both the evil and the scourge? Whither shall I flee, to what remote land shall I withdraw so that they may not come nigh me? By what merit, by what wisdom, by what virtue can I hope to escape? Listen, brethren : ‘‘ For he hath given His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.” In all which ways? In all the ways by which thou declinest from evil and by which thou fleest from the wrath to come. There are many ways and also many varieties of ways. Hence the traveller is exposed to much perplexity and peril. How easy it is to take the wrong road where many roads diverge, especially when one is not acquainted with the landmarks! And observe that God hath not given His angels charge over us to keep us in all ways without distinction, but only in all our ways. For there are other ways from which, rather than in which, we have need to beguarded.

Therefore, brethren, “let us search our ways,” as the Prophet Jeremias counsels. Let us also examine the ways of the demons, the ways of the holy angels, and the ways of the Lord. But I am conscious that I am undertaking a task which is beyond my capacity. You must, therefore, assist me by your prayers, in order that God may open to me the treasure of His wisdom and “‘ make pleasing to Himself the voluntary offerings of my mouth.” Well now to begin. The ways of the children of Adam lie in necessity and cupidity. For we are drawn by both and are driven by both. There is, however, this difference, that weseem to be more driven by necessity and more drawn by cupidity. Besides, necessity, so it seems, should be attributed to the body in particular. Nor is this way of necessity a straight and simple way, but very roundabout, with many twists and turns, and admitting of few short cuts, if any at all. What man is not aware how manifold and multiform are our human necessities? Who shall be able to enumerate them all? Experience is our best instructor in this matter, because, as the Prophet Isaias bears witness, “ vexation alone shall give understanding.” By this each of us is taught how much need he has to cry to the Lord, not, “ Deliver me from my necessity,” but with the Psalmist, “ Deliver me from my necessities.” Nor is it alone out of the way of necessity we desire to beled, but also out of the way of cupidity, as many of us, I mean, as do not turn a deaf ear to the admonitions of the Wise Man. What does he say? “Turm away from thy own will” ; and again, “Go not after thy . lusts.” Indeed of the two evils, it were better to walk in the way of necessity than in that of cupidity. The former way has been described as manifold ; but more manifold still is the latter, yea, it is manifold beyond all measure. For cupidity appertains to the heart. Therefore its multiplicity exceeds that of necessity in proportion as the soul is greater than the body. Such, my brethren, “are the ways which seem good to men, but the end thereof ” is without end, because they lead down into hell’s abyss. If we have now discovered the ways of men, let us consider this also, whether it be not of them that the Psalmist sings, “Destruction and unhappiness are in their ways.” How can it be questioned that there is unhappiness in the way of cupidity, and not the happiness which men seek in it? For what though some appear to find all the happiness they wish for in. the prosperity of this world? The misery of such is only made the more miserable by the eagerness with which they embrace unhappiness for happiness, or rather lose and submerge themselves in unhappiness. And woe to the sons of men by reason of this false and delusive felicity! Woe to him who says in his heart, “I am rich and made wealthy, and have need of nothing,” whereas he is “‘ wretched and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked’’! Necessity, as I have remarked, proceeds from the weakness of the flesh, and cupidity from the hunger and forgetfulness of the heart. For therefore does the soul hunger after foreign bread because she has forgotten to eat her own: that is to say, the reason why she covets earthly delights is because she neglects to consider the heavenly.

Let us now examine the ways of the demons. Let us exarnine them in order that we may avoid them ; let us study them with the object of shunning them. For their ways are presumption and obstinacy. Do you ask me how I can know this? Well, consider him who is the prince of devils, for as he is, so are they of his household. And look at the commencement of Lucifer’s ways. Did he not evidently begin his career by an act of most monstrous presumption, saying, “ I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, I will sit on the mountains of the covenant, in the sides of the north . . . I will be like the Most High.” Oh, how daring was such presumption, and how horrible! It was this that caused the ruin of both him and his followers. As the Psalmist says, ‘‘ There the workers of iniquity are fallen, they are cast out and could not stand.” It was on account of their presumption they could not stand, and because of their obstinacy they cannot now rise again after falling. Presumption has made each of them “a spirit that goeth,” and obstinacy “a spirit that returneth no more.” Astounding indeed wasthe demons’ presumption, but not less astounding is their obstinacy, because their pride ascendeth always: “ Therefore there is no change with them.” For by their unwillingness to turn from the way of presumption, they have fallen into the way of obstinacy. Oh, how perverted and corrupted in heart are the sons of men, as many of them as follow in the footsteps of Satan and begin to walk in the ways of the demons ! For the one object of the “ wrestling ”’ ofthe “ spirits of wickedness ”’ with us is to induce us to enter their ways, so that they may lead us along in them, and bring us at last to the doom prepared for themselves. Therefore, flee, O man, flee from presumption and obstinacy, lest they should “ make thee a joy to thy enemies.” For these are the vices in which thy enemies long particularly to behold thee entangled, having experienced in themselves how difficult it is to escape out of such a whirlpool.

But I would not have you to be ignorant, my brethren, of the manner in which we may descend into, or perhaps I should say, fall into these ways of the demons. As it appears to me, the first step in this descent consists in shutting one’s eyes to one’s own weakness, to one’s own wickedness, to one’s own worthlessness. For then one begins to spare oneself, to flatter oneself, and to form a high esteem of oneself, forgetting the words of St. Paul, that, “if any man think himself to be something, whereas he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.” The second downward step is ignorance of oneself. For when in the first step, imitating our first parents, we have by our dissimulation ‘“‘ sewed together fig-leaves (so to speak) and made ourselves aprons’”’ of concealment, what wonder is it that we cannot now see our wounds, especially as the sole reason for covering them was to prevent their being seen? * After this, we go so far as to deny our wounds whenever they happen to be revealed by another, inclining our “hearts to evil words, to make excuses in sins.” We have now taken the third step, which has carried us very near, yea, to the very borders of presumption. For what evil shall he be afraid to commit, who even dares to excuse his sins ? But he will find it difficult to maintain himself here on this slippery incline and surrounded with darkness, especially as there shall not be wanting an evil angel of the Lord to push and pursue him.* Consequently he takes the fourth step, or rather he plunges down the fourth precipice, which is contempt. For as we read in Proverbs, “ The wicked man, when he is come into the depth of sins, contemneth.”’ Then and thenceforward “ the pit shutteth her mouth upon him ” ever more and more, contempt delivering him over to impenitence, whilst impenitence fixes his will in unchangeable obstinacy. Here at last is the sin which “ shall not be forgiven him neither in this world nor in the world tocome’’; because the heart that is thus rendered hard and obdurate “neither feareth God nor regardeth man.” Now, he who so cleaves to the devil in all his ways, has evidently become one spirit with him. It is with reference to the ways of men (which have been already pointed out to you) that the Apostle says, in warning his disciples, ‘‘ Let no temptation take hold on you, but such as is human.’ For it is proper to man to sin. But who does not know that the ways of the demons are entirely foreign to the nature of man? Although perhaps there are some men who from the habit of walking in the demon’s ways have put on the demon’s nature. Nevertheless, whatever may bethought of particular men, it is the property, not of man, but of the devil, to persevere in sin.

We have next to inquire what are the ways of the holy angels. Doubtless they are those which the Only-Begotten Himself hath revealed, where He says, ‘‘ You shall see the heavens opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.” Therefore the ways of the angels are ascents and descents. They ascend for their own sakes ; they descend or rather condescend to us and for us. For these blessed spirits mount up to God in blissful contemplation, and out of compassion for us they come down to our lowliness to keep us in all our ways. They ascend to rejoice in God’s presence ; they descend to execute His will, “ for He hath given His angels charge over thee.” Nevertheless, not even when they descend to us are they deprived of the vision of glory, because they “always see the Face of the Father.”

I suppose you want to hear something now concerning the ways of the Lord? Well, if I undertook to show you them, I should consider myself to be very presumptuous. It is written of Him, however, that “He will teach us of His ways” Himself. For how could we have confidence in any other teacher? Yea, He has already taught us His ways, since He has opened the lips of the Psalmist and inspired him to say, “ All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth.” It is by .these ways, my brethren, that He comes to all souls in general and to each in particular, viz., by the ways of mercy and truth. For we cannot suppose that God has yet come to him, who, whilst presuming much on His mercy, seems to have forgotten His justice or truth. But neither is He found in the heart which is filled with terror by the remembrance of His truth, without deriving any consolation from the thought of His mercy. He cannot be said to hold the truth, who fails to recognise mercy where it truly exists : on the other hand mercy, to be true, must be accompanied by truth, that is to say, by justice. Accordingly, where (as the Psalmist sings) “ Mercy and truth have met each other, (there) justice and peace have kissed.” Nor can the Lord Himself be far away since “‘ His place is in peace.” Oh, my brethren, “ what great things have we heard and known, and our fathers have told us ”’ concerning this happy union of mercy and truth! “ Thy mercy and Thy truth have always upheld me,” exclaims the Royal Prophet ; and in another place, “ Thy mercy is before my eyes, and I am well pleased with Thy truth.” And regarding the same Prophet the Lord made this promise, “‘ My truth and My mercy shall bewith him.” But let us consider also the visible and manifest comings of the Lord. By that which has already been accomplished, have we not received the Saviour in mercy? And by that which is yet to be, which is promised at the end of the world, do we not expect One Who shall judge us in truth? Perhaps it was this which inspired the Psalmist to sing, “ God loveth mercy and truth ; the Lord will give grace and glory.” Yet even at His first coming, He was mindful not only of His mercy, but also of His truth “ to the house of Israel ’’ ; and at His second, not only shall He “ judge the ard with justice and the a with His truth,” but even then His justice shall be accompanied by mercy, except in the case of those who shall not have done mercy. For these are the ways of His eternity, whereof you may read in the Prophet Habacuc, “ The hills of the world are bent down from the ways of His eternity ;’’ * and this can be easily proved by Scriptural testimonies which I have in mind. Thus, it is written in the Psalms, “ The mercy of the Lord is from eternity and unto eternity ” ; and also, “ The truth of the Lord remaineth for ever.” It is from these two ways that “ the hills of the world have bent themselves down,” which hills symbolise the proud demons, the princes of this world, the rulers of this darkness, who have not known the ways of truth and mercy, but are utterly unmindful of their paths. What can there be in common between truth and him who, according to the clear testimony of the Saviour, “is a liar and the father thereof ” and “stood not in the truth ” ? And with regard to mercy, the very misery he has inflicted upon us sufficiently proves how little he possesses of that. When indeed was he ever merciful, who “was a murderer from the beginning”? For “he that is evil to himself, to whom will he be good ? ” And who could be more evil to himself than he who never repents of his own iniquity, is never brought to compunction even by his own sufferings? It was a false presumption that forced him originally from the way of truth, and now it is a cruel obstinacy that keeps the way of mercy closed against him. Hence it is that he can never either find mercy in himself or obtain mercy from the Lord. In this manner, therefore, have all those swelling hills been ‘‘ bent down from the ways of His eternity,” inasmuch as they have descended by

T Q their own tortuous and winding ways, or rather by their precipitous plunges, from ways of the Lord which are straight and right. But how much more prudently and profitably have not other spiritual hills been bowed and humbled unto salvation by these same ways of His eternity! For they have not, like the former, been bent from these ways, so as to diverge from their straightness : but the ways of God’s eternity have bowed and conformed them to their own rectitude. Do we not even now behold the hills of the world bending down, whilst the high and the mighty prostrate before the Lord with devoted humility and do homage at His feet? Do they not bend, when from the perilous heights of their pride and cruelty they stoop to the lowly ways of mercy and truth ? According to these ways of the Lerd’s eternity are directed not only the ways of the holy angels but also the ways of the elect amongst men. And in truth the first forward step to be taken by the man who has just emerged from the slough of vice is to show mercy, to have compassion on the only son of his mother, to please God by having pity on his own soul, as the Wise Man counsels. He who acts in this way, imitates his Redeemer in the great work of divine compassion, not sparing himself, but crucifying himself with Him Who was first crucified for us, and in a manner dying like Him for his own salvation. This salutary self-pity is the first feeling awakened in his mind after he has returned to himself, and it dwells and operates in the very centre of his soul. It now remains for him to proceed along the royal road of penance and to advance therein until he reaches truth. But, as I have often reminded you, brethren, compunction of the heart ought not to be separated from confession of the lips. “ For with the heart we believe unto justice ; but with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” He that is truly converted in heart will of necessity belittle in his own eyes. For Truth has said, ‘‘ Unless you be converted and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Such a one, therefore, must not desire to conceal what he cannot but know, namely, how completely he has been “ brought to nothing.” Let him not be ashamed to expose to the light of truth that which he beholds (not without an affection of commendable self-compassion) in the secret recesses of his heart. Thus, my brethren, does man enter upon the ways of mercy and truth, the ways of the Lord, the ways of life. And the fruit of these ways is the salvation of the wayfarer.

It is manifest that the ways of the blessed spirits also are directed to the ways of the Lord. For when they ascend by divine contemplation, they gaze upon the subsisting Truth, Which they satiate their desires with, yet still desire though satiated ; and when they descend, they exercise mercy in our regard, by keeping us in all our ways. As the Apostle says, they “ are all ministering spirits sent to minister for them who shall receive the inheritance of salvation.” They are our ministers, therefore, not the Lord’s. And in this they are but imitating the example of the Only-Begotten, Who did “not come to be ministered unto but to minister,” Who stood amongst His disciples, not as their Lord, but as their servant. The fruit of the ways of the angels, as regards themselves, is their own beatitude and the sweet obedience of charity ; as regards us, it is, on the one hand, the communication of heavenly graces, and on the other, the keeping of our ways. “For He hath given His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways,” that is to say, in all thy necessities and in all thy desires. Otherwise it would be very easy for thee to fall into the ways of death, because from necessity thou mightest proceed to obstinacy, or from cupidity to presumption. And these, viz., obstinacy and presumption, are not the ways of men, but of demons. For in what are men accustomed to grow obstinate so easily as in that which they look upon, or pretend to look upon, as belonging to necessity ? It is to this fact the poet was referring when he sang :

“< Admonish as thou please,’ he makes reply. ‘ All that is possible to me have I The power to do, but nothing more ; and thou, If in my place, wouldst say what I say now.’ ” *

And what is it that impels us to presumption, but the violence of a passionate desire ?

In the meantime, therefore, God “hath given His angels charge over thee,” not to withdraw thee from thy ways, but rather to keep thee in them, and by their own ways to direct thy ways into His ways. Dost thou inquire, in what manner? By bringing it to pass that what they themselves do from the pure and sole motive of charity, thou shalt do at least by the persuasion and compulsion of thine own necessity : that thou also shalt feel constrained to descend,

Ultra possum, Tu si hic es, aliter sentias ? ” —Terence, Andr., a. 2, S. I.

or better, to condescend, by treating thy neighbour with compassion ; and again, with the angels, lifting thyself aloft on the wings of holy desires, shalt endeavour with all the force of thy affection to attain to the sovereign and everlasting Truth. Hence the Prophet Jeremias admonishes us, saying, “ Let us lift up our hearts with our hands to the Lord in the heavens.” Hence in the Mass also it is said to us daily, “ Lift up your hearts.” And hence the Psalmist reproves us for our negligence with the words, “O ye sons of men, how long will you be heavy of heart? Why do you love vanity and seek after lying ? ” He says “ heavy of heart,’ because when the heart is burdened and oppressed it cannot be so easily raised up to seek and to love the truth. And be not surprised that the holy angels do not disdain to admit us with themselves, yea, and to draw us into the ways of the Lord, since they even condescend to keep us in our own. But how much more securely do they walk in these ways, and how much more happily! Nevertheless even their way of walking in mercy and truth is infinitely inferior to His Who is Himself Mercy and Truth.

How wisely has God disposed these various orders, putting each in the place most suitable for it! He stands Himself at the apex of the universe, because He is supreme, having nothing above Him, nor anything beyond. His angels He has placed, not indeed on the summit, but still in security : they dwell in the neighbourhood of Him Who is the Highest, and are therefore ‘“‘endued with virtue from above.” The place assigned to man is neither on the summit, nor in security, but rather in uncertainty. Having the solid earth under his feet, he occupies a very low place indeed, yet not the very lowest, so that he has both the power and the necessity to walk with caution. The demons, finally, live at large in this hanging mass of windy, wandering air. For they are unworthy to ascend to heaven, and too proud to descend to earth. I have now said enough for to-day. And would to God we were able by His grace to return sufficient thanks to Him from Whom is all our sufficiency! For we are not “sufficient to think anything of ourselves, as of ourselves, but all our sufficiency is from ” Him, “Who giveth to all men abundantly,” and Who is over all things, God blessed for ever. Amen.