Sixth Sermon for Advent: On the Glorification of the Body, and How it Must be Merited

“ We look for a Saviour, Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who will reform the body of our lowness, made like to the body of His glory.” —Phil. iii. 20-21.

Brethren, I would not have you to be in ignorance of the time of your visitation, or of the special object which the Divinity has in view in coming to you now. For the present is the time appointed for attending to the interests, not of the body, but of the soul ; since the soul, being far nobler than the body, has in virtue of this natural superiority the first claim on our solicitude. Besides, that which was the first to fall should also be the first to be raised up. Now it was the soul that, having first brought corruption on herself by sin, brought corruption on the body also as a punishment. Furthermore, if we desire to be found true members of Christ, it is manifest that we must imitate our Head. Hence our first attention must be devoted to the purification of our souls, for the sake of which He has come to us and whose corruption He has first endeavoured to heat. But as for our bodies, let us postpone all concern for these to that time and to that occasion when He shall come again for the purpose of reforming them, as the Apostle assures us, where he says, ‘‘ We look for the Saviour, Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who will reform the body of our lowness, made like to the Body of His glory.” Hence, at the time of the first coming, St. John Baptist, who seemed to be, and in truth was, the herald of the Saviour, cried aloud, “Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him Who taketh away the sin of the world.” Notice how he does not say “ Who taketh away the diseases of the body,” or “ the afflictions of the flesh,” but, “ Who taketh away sin,” which is a malady of the soul and a corruption of the mind. ‘‘ Behold Him Who taketh away the sin of the world.” Whence, do you ask ? From the hand, from the eye, from the neck, even from the flesh itself, in which it is deeply rooted.

He taketh away sin from our hands, by cleansing us from the crimes we have committed ; from our eyes, by purifying the mind’s intention ; from our necks, by removing the galling yoke of spiritual tyranny, according to what is written, “ The yoke of their burden and the sceptre of their oppressor Thou hast overcome, as in the day of Madian,” and again, “The yoke shall putrefy at the presence of the oil.” And with regard to the flesh, the Apostle, writing to the Romans, says, “ Let not sin, therefore, reign in your mortal bodies,” and in another place, “‘ I know that there dwelleth not in me, that is to say, in my flesh, that which is good,” and also, ‘‘ Unhappy man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death”’? For he knew well that he could not be without that most baneful root which is implanted in our flesh, that law of sin which is in our members, until his soul was separated from his body, Therefore he desired “to be dissolved and to bewith Christ,’ knowing that sin, which “maketh a division between God and us,” cannot be completely taken away so long as we are imprisoned in the flesh. You have read of one whom the Lord delivered from the power of the devil, how the demon went out of him at the divine command, casting him down and “ greatly tearing him.” I say to you, that this kind of sin—I mean carnal appetites and evil desires which so often assail us—can indeed and ought to be kept down by the grace of God, so far as this, that it shall not reign in us, and that we shall not yield our members unto it “as instruments of iniquity,”—and so there shall be “no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus” ; but that it cannot be cast out except by death, when we shall be so “ greatly torn ” that our souls shall beparted from our bodies.

I have now explained to you, my brethren, the purpose of Christ’s coming, and I have told you what should be the great object of the Christian’s solicitude. Wherefore, do not, O body, do not, I pray thee, anticipate thy time. For although thou hast the power to hinder the salvation of the soul, thou canst do absolutely nothing to secure thine own. “‘ All things have their season,” as the Wise Man says. Permit the soul now to work for her own interests, or rather do thou co-operate with her, because if thou sufferest with her, thou shalt also reign with her. On the other hand, by impeding her restoration thou wouldst be impeding thine own in the same proportion. For thou canst not be perfected until the Creator beholds His image restored in her. O mortal flesh, noble is the guest whom thou art entertaining, yea, very noble, and on her welfare thine own entirely depends. Honour thy guest so distinguished. Thou art residing here in thy native country, but the soul, which has taken lodging with thee, is a pilgrim and an exile on the earth. Where, I ask thee, is the peasant who, if some powerful nobleman wished to spend the night under his roof, would not gladly (as is only proper) place his best bed at the service of his guest even though he should himself have to sleep in some corner of the house, under the stairs, or on the very hearth-stone ? Therefore, “ go and do thou in like manner.” Do not consider the sufferings and inconveniences thou mayest have to endure, provided thy guest can be honourably lodged with thee. Esteem it as thy greatest honour to be stripped of all honour in this life for the sake of the soul.

And lest thou shouldst perhaps feel tempted to despise or to undervalue this guest of thine, for that she seems to thee a stranger and a pilgrim, consider diligently the many precious advantages which thou owest to her presence. For it is she that gives sight to thine eyes and hearing to thine ears ; it is from her thy tongue borrows its power of speech, thy palate its discernment of taste, and all thy members their various motions. Whatever of life, whatever of sense or feeling, whatever of beauty thou possessest in thyself, know that it is all the benefit of thy guest. It is only her departure from thee that will show how much thou owest to her presence. For as soon as the soul withdraws, the tongue shall be silent, the eyes shall become blind, the ears shall lose their hearing, pallor shall overspread the countenance, the whole body shall grow rigid, and after a brief interval shall be changed into a sink of corruption, all its beauty being converted to rottenness. And wilt thou, then, O body, wound and grieve this guest for the sake of any temporal delight whatever, which thou couldst not even enjoy except through her? Besides, if even now, in the time of her banishment, when exiled for her sins from the presence of her Maker, she bestows upon thee such a multitude of benefits, what shall she not do for thee, after she has been restored to favour? Be careful, then, oh, be careful not to hinder that reconciliation, since from it thou shalt thyself derive a generous endowment of glory. Expose thyself with patience, nay, with gladness, to all kinds of sufferings and privations. Refuse no sacrifice which may seem to conduce to so happy a restoration. Speak to thy guest in the words of Joseph to his fellow-captive, “ The Lord will remember thee and will restore thee to thy former place. Only remember me when it shall be well with thee.”

Yes, she will undoubtedly be mindful to render thee good, if meanwhile thou dost faithfully serve her. And when she comes into the presence of her Lord, she will speak to Him of thee. Out of gratitude for thy hospitality she will plead thy cause with Him, saying, “When Thy servant was an exile, in punishment for her sin, a poor fellow-servant with whom I lodged treated me with great kindness, and I pray that my Lord may be pleased to make him a return in my behalf. For, in the first place, he sacrificed all he possessed in my service, and then his very self, not sparing anything of his own, in order to further my interests, ‘in labour and painfulness, in much watchings, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.’ ” What, then, will the Lord do? Surely, the Scripture does not lie when it says, “ He will do the will of them that fear Him and He will hear their prayer.” Oh, if thou couldst only taste this sweetness, if only thou couldst conceive this glory whereof I am about to speak! For what I shall say is in very truth strange and astonishing, yet none the less certain and indubitable to faithful souls. He Himself, the Lord God of Sabaoth, the Lord of Hosts and the King of Glory, He will Himself come down to reform our bodies and to make them like to the Body of His brightness ! Oh, how great shall be that glory, how unspeakable that exultation, when the Creator of the universe, Who before came hidden and humble for the purpose of justifying souls, comes now visible and sublime to glorify thee, O flesh, so poor at present and so miserable ; comes not in weakness as of old, but in all the splendour of His Majesty! ‘‘ Who shall be able to think of the day of (this) coming” of the Lord, when He will descend in the fulness of His glory, preceded by the angels, who with the sound of the trumpet shall “ raise up the needy (body) from the dust,” “taking it up together with them into the clouds to meet Christ, into the air.”

Shall we therefore continue to allow this flesh of ours, this miserable, foolish, blind, and senseless flesh, this utterly infatuated flesh, to seek after earthly and transitory consolations, or rather desolations, with the risk of being rejected and judged unworthy of that glory, and of being condemned besides to suffer inexpressible torments for all eternity ? Let it not be so, I beseech you, brethren, let it not be so. Rather let our spirits find their delight in holy meditations, and let our flesh rest in hope, whilst “we look for the Saviour, Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who will reform the body of our lowness, made like to the Body of His glory.” For so the Psalmist sings, “ For Thee my soul hath thirsted, for Thee my flesh, oh, how many ways! ”

yr D.

Thus did the soul of the Royal Prophet yearn for the first advent, whereby she knew that she was to be redeemed ; and with much greater eagerness did his flesh look forward to the final coming, at which shall be accomplished its glorification. For then all our desires shall be satisfied, and the whole earth shall be filled with the Majesty of the Lord. To this glory, to this happiness, to this “‘ peace which surpasseth all understanding,” may He bring us by His mercy and not “confound us in our expectation,” the Saviour Whom we look for, Jesus Christ Our Lord, Who is over all things, God blessed for ever. Amen.