Ninety-nine homilies of S. Thomas Aquinas upon the epistles and gospels for forty-nine Sundays of the Christian year

Preface

For the large circulation which has fallen to the lot of the several portions of these Homilies, now collected into one volume, for the favourable criticism accorded to them by the press, and for the number of private expressions of approval which the Editor ha$'f received 'from fellow Priests, he feels deeply grateful ; yet his gratitude is not so much on his own account, or on that of his little book, as that this portion, at least, of the writings of S. Thomas Aquinas is allowed to be capable of supplying one of the wants of the present day — a really sound help to sermon¬ making. It is a most cheering and encouraging fact, that the men of the present day are willing in any degree to acknow¬ ledge, that they can learn something of value from the great Schoolman. Despite all the undeserved contempt and obloquy heaped upon the Schoolmen, both at the time of the so-called revival of letters and ever since ; despite the vast advances which have been made during the last half century in every department of theological learning and criticism ; and, lastly, despite the growth of that spirit of infi¬ delity, a combined product of the nominalism which accompanied the religious convulsions three hundred years ago, and of the Protestant dogma of right of private judgment — the sermons of the “Angelical Doctor” are

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being not only read, but preached, in substance, if not in form, in many churches, both at home and in the Colo¬ nies. The Translator’s work has been indeed a labour of love, sweetened by the thought and strengthened by the belief that this little book must contribute, in some small degree, to a revival amongst us of the Scholastic Theology. There are many reasons which render such a revival desirable, and at the present time especially so ; but there is one reason above all others which claims to be stated here.

In so far as things divine have an intellectual basis, and can be shadowed forth by any operation of the mind, they must be represented to ps by conceptions which far surpass any possible earthly manifestation of them. The “ hypos¬ tasis of things hoped for” can only spring from the abiding conviction, that we are now to rest upon certain ideas which hereafter shall be exchanged for their realities. Now, we can form but an idea of what the absolutely good, and true, and beautiful may be like; by-and-by we expect to see these ideas realized, in God, and in our glorified selves. Yet perfect goodness, and truthfulness, and beauty, and holiness are not mere ideas ; they are realities, finding their true archetype in the mind and being of God — realities of which, by our union with Him through our Blessed Lord, we may hope to be partakers. The teaching of the four great Schoolmen, of Abert the Great, as well as of the Seraphic, Angelical, and Subtle Doctors, was, in common with that of Plato and the New Testament, essentially and entirely realistic. . However the Scotists differed from the Thomists on some questions of Theology, they were quite agreed upon this point. However Luther may have differed from Zwingle, and Zwingle from Calvin, in their “views” of

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V

Sacramental grace, they were “consented together” in support of that nominalism, which would reduce the deep mysteries of the Kingdom of Grace to mere names, and would limit our conceptions of them, and endeavours after them, to what it seems now possible to attain. It is not too much to say, that the Sadduceeism which is now sapping all the vitality of our faith and morals, is but the legitimate product of that nominalism which has lain at the root of all religious belief ever since the religious movement of the sixteenth century. Because the Scholastic Theology is realistic in its teaching, it is the only antidote which will be powerful enough to counteract the effects of that pernicious influence which the Teutonic Upas-tree has cast over so large a por¬ tion of Christendom. In these skeleton sermons, the realistic teaching is, with one single exception (Epipli. Horn. I., § iii.), indirect, giving to them an anti-monastic tone and temper, at the same time not leading to the sacrifice of any portion of their practical bearing. Short and unpretending as they are, they admit of a threefold use.

Firstly, they can be taken as profitable guides in directing private or devotional reading ; for they are full of vigorous and condensed thoughts — they bring things new and old together in a striking relationship. We notice a few such thoughts. In the Advent Homilies (I.) the sevenfold benefit of our Blessed Lord’s second coming; and the moral aphorism, that “a man is in the judgment by thinking upon the judgment that goodness has its precepts, counsels, and promises (Horn. IV.) ; the threefold cry of Christ (Horn. IX.) In the Lenten Homilies, the fast in Paradise, and our Lord’s fasting as joined with His Baptism (Horn. I.) ; the seven things that our Lord did upon the Mountain (Horn. VIII.) ; and the threefold nature of the Word of a 2

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God (Horn. X.) The Easter Homilies explain the three kinds of flowers in our Lord, and the three typical Maries (Horn. II.) ; what it is for a man to be at peace with him¬ self (Horn. Y.) ; the three gifts of Christ — His Body, His Blood, His Soul (Horn. VI.) ; three reasons why the Ador¬ able Son came forth from the Father (Horn. XIII.) In the Trinity Homilies, we read of the Heavenly Feast, its makers, ministers, and guests (Horn. IV.) ; how the Holy Angels stand before God in contemplation, love, and praise (Horn. VI.) ; why the Holy Angels desire the creature’s future glory (Horn. VII.); the seven loaves with which she feeds the faithful (Horn. XIV.) ; three witnesses against the sinner in the Judgment — God, conscience, creation; it is a momentary thing which delights, an eternal thing which crucifies (Horn. XX.) ; unity of the intellect, of the affec¬ tions, of the life (Horn. XXXIII.) ; the security, the pleasantness, and abundance of the City of God (Horn. XXXVII.) ; the translation of the Saints (Horn. XL VII.) Such as these are the lines of reflection which S. Thomas offers to the contemplation of the thoughtful and devout reader, [presenting the subject in germ, leaving its develop¬ ment to the effort of individual minds. As neither moral nor spiritual truth affects any two persons in precisely the same way, such a method of presenting truth as this is, leaves for the initiated mind nothing to be desired ; whilst the uninitiated soul would scarcely be capable of receiving the generalizations of S. Thomas in any form.

Secondly, these Homilies are valuable as giving the scholastic interpretation of many texts of Holy Scripture; valuable as shewing how the Schoolmen saw our Blessed Lord as shadowed forth in type and prophecy in God’s

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servants of old. Amongst a vast number of explained texts, we select the following, as worthy of special notice : —

In the Advent Homilies, Joel iii. 18, a prophecy of the Incarnation (Horn. I.); Hos. xiii. 14, the spoliation of Hades; Eph. i. 18, the reparation of Heaven; Isa. lxi. 1 fully commented oil ; 2 Sam. xxii. 36 applied to our Blessed Lord (Horn. II.) ; Ps. cxlviii. 6, universal service of God by creation (Horn. III.) ; Ps. xxxix. 3, the fire that burned, that of contrition.

In the Lenten Homilies, Heb. ix. 10, the “ reformation,” as of the Jew ; Prov. i. 8, the “ mother ” is Holy Church (Horn, I.) ; Rev. xvi. 13, the frogs are spirits of detraction (Horn. IV.) ; Job xvi. 22, the walk of death (Horn. V.) ; Ezek. xxviii. 16, interpreted of a devil (Horn. VI.) ; Ps. xxxi. 21, the “shining city” is the City of God; Isa. xxxi. 9, fire and furnace symbols of charity (Horn. VII.) ; S. John xiv. 30, our Blessed Lord walking dryshod over the sea of this world ; Exod. xxxv. 30 gives the twelve breads with which our Lord £eeds the faithful (Horn. VIII.); Zecli. ix. 1 1, the deliverance of the Saints from Hades (Horn. IX.) ; Job iv. 12, the mental word (Horn. X.) ; Coloss. i. 30, recruiting of the Heavenly Ones (Horn. XII.)

In the Easter Homilies is noted Ex. xii. 21, Numb, ix. 3-5, Jos. v. 10, the three mystical Passovers (Horn. I.); Cant. ii. 12, flowers are the splendour of the Lord’s glorified Body ; S. Matt, xxviii. 2, the earthquake a leaping of the earth for joy (Horn. II.) ; Ezek. xxxvi. 25, clean water of Holy Baptism (Horn. III.) ; Jer. xi. 19, our Blessed Lord the Lamb brought to the slaughter (Horn. V.); Ezek. iv. 14, the Lord feeding His flock (Horn. VI.); Judges ii. 1 proves sadness of this present world ; Nah. i. 13 applied to eternal

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happiness (Horn. VIII.) ; Lam. iii. 26, the elevation of the mind to God.

The Trinity Homilies are very rich in deep and thoughtful readings of Holy Scripture. Isa. xxv. 5, the feast of the new Creation (Horn. IV.) ; Isa. vi. 5, seraphims of purifica¬ tion (Horn. VI.) ; Ps. cv. 6, the reparation of the Heavenly City (Horn. VII.) ; Isa. xxvi., the lost gift of glory (Horn. IX.); Isa. iii. 14 explains the “council” of S. Matt. v. 22 (Horn. XII.) ; Ps. cxxxii. 15, the Eternal Bread (Horn. XIV.); Job xx. 27 referred to final Judgment (Horn. XVIII.) ; Isa. xxx. 1-3, shews the nature of the trust of the wicked (Horn. XXIII.) ; S. Mark vii. 33, mystical fingers put into ears (Horn. XXIV.) ; Ps. lvii. 3, healing power of Holy Baptism (Horn. XXVI.); Ps. Ixxvi. 2, Salem, the Tabernacle of Peace (Horn. XXVII.) ; Isa. xxxiii. 20, a description of the City of God (Horn. XXXVIII.) ; Isa. iii. 14, army of Saints final ministers of punishment (Horn. XL.); Prov. xviii. 4, “deep waters” represent the Old Testament, the “ flowing brooks” the New Testament (Horn. L.) These Homilies are, to a limited extent, a commentary upon many difficult passages of the Inspired Canon.

Thirdly, the great use of these Homilies is for sermon¬ making. They bring a text of Holy Scripture to bear upon each statement ; they adopt a natural division of the subject ; they take up minute details which signify much, but which, at first sight seem to be wholly unworthy of notice; they con¬ trast in the strongest possible way nature with grace. These four statements can be proved with the utmost ease by a careful reading of only a few of the Homilies.

There are two methods by which these outlines can be expanded into a sermon of the required length for the present

PREFACE.

ix day : by enlarging upon the divisions of each and every head, lengthening the whole sermon equally. But by far the most telling result is obtained, in the majority of cases at least, by confining the expansion to only one head. Take, for example, Homily X., for Lent: “The Word of God and its Hearers.” Omitting the first head, the three ways in which the Saints are of God ; the third and fourth heads, the foolishness and misery of those who hear not ; we treat alone of the second head, the Threefold Word of God which the Saints hear.

“1. Eternal: S. John i. 1, ‘In the beginning was the Word.’” This naturally leads to the mention of all the utterances of God the Son, whether as the Word creative or prophetical, before the Incarnation ; of what our Lord did in that infinite abyss of past time, in that eternal to¬ day of God when the Son went out to create the worlds. The pre-Incarnate naturally links itself on to the Incarnate Word, to our Lord’s eternal words which He spake in time; eternal in import, containing an eternal consequence either for life or for death. These eternal wmrds He is speaking in His Body the Church now ; as He spake, so speaks the Church, proclaiming those words of truth and life, which became as wells of water in the souls of the faithful, springing up into everlasting life. So for ever to His Elect will the Saviour speak words of encouragement, and hope, and love ; at the end of all things of love only, when charity alone remains. The Eternal Word, “I am Alpha and Omega.” Abel heard His voice ; all the Patriarchs and Prophets of the Elder Church — all the Saints, Virgins, Martyrs, Con¬ fessors of the New Covenant; the Voice of the Beloved, eternal as His own nature is, eternal in powrer and action upon ourselves. The Saints “ hear by faith.” He it is Who

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is speaking in His IToly Sacraments, by the mouths of His Priests. Meet it is that the Eternal High Priest should speak in the Eternal Mysteries of His Church and

v

Kingdom. We need faith in these Mysteries, in order that we may hear His “ Eternal Word.”

2. Mental: Job iv. 12, “A thing [word, Vulg.] was secretly brought to me.” Not that secret word which, as S. Gregory says, the heretics pretend to hear, who represent the Woman of Solomon saying (Prov. ix. 17 ; Yulg. 7), “ Stolen waters are sweeter, and bread eaten in secret is more pleasant.” Not that secret word which would lift some above others, and which can only be obtained by secret means, but that communication of inward inspiration when the secret word is delivered to the minds of the Elect, of whom S. John says (1 S. John ii. 27), “ His anointing teacheth you all things.” This is that mental word which is received in the heart by the utterance of the Holy Ghost ; secret, to be felt, not expressed in the noise of speech ; it sounds secretly in the ear of the soul. Seek we to have our souls silent before God, freed from pleadings of all emotion, to catch the accents of the mental word. This mental Tvord is the fruit of contemplation ; and, by the chinks of such con¬ templation, God speaks to us, not in voice, but through mind ; not fully developing Himself, yet revealing something of Himself to the mind of man. As we bore through the strata of earth to find that water which is silently circulating through its crust, so we, by contemplation, boring through the strata of the letter, find the ever-flowing grace which reveals itself as a mental word : the Saints hear this “ by inspiration (Ps. lxxxv. 8), ‘ I will hear what God the Lord will speak ’ ” (p. 18).

3. Vocal: S. Matt. iv. 4, ‘‘Man shall not live by bread rREFACE.

XI alone, but by every word that proceedeth,” &c. Vocal words : God’s commands, His promises, the dogmatic teaching of the Catholic faith — this the Saints learn and hear “ by preaching (S. Luke viii. 8), ‘ He that hath ears to hear, let him hear’ ” (p. 19). Take heed how ye hear. Office of preaching in the Church. Duty of hearers and of preachers. Sum up these words: Incarnate Word, to be believed on ; Inspired Word, to be felt; Preached Word, to be lived upon.

After all, it must be left to the preacher’s own peculiar habit of thought to determine which of the heads shall be expanded ; and the manner in which this is to be done. The Homily upon which the attempt has been made is not as favourable as some others for the experiment; it seemed fairer to take a more unlikely one to illustrate in the process, as far as the translator had the power to do so. Almost a course of Sermons could be founded upon Homily XLV., for the Twenty-third Sunday after Trinity.

In regard to the Author of these Homilies, he was born A.D. 1224, in the castle of Aquin, in the territory of Lahore, in Italy, being descended from the Kings of Sicily and Aragon. Educated firstly in the Monastery of Mount Cassino, afterwards at Naples. In 1244, studied at Cologne under Albertus Magnus. Doctor of Paris, 1255. Returned into Italy, 1263. Professor of Scholastic Theology at Naples. Died 1274, in the Monastery of Fossanova, near Terracina. An old distich prefixed to his portrait runs thus : —

And he will shine as long as profound Scriptural

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Theology shall continue to hold its own in the world. May this little book be but a first fruit of the revival amongst us of the study of the writings of S. Thomas Aquinas.

S. Peter Manor oft , Norwich , Feast of S. Matthew , 1867.

THE

ADVENT HOMILIES

OF

S. THOMAS AQUINAS.

AUTHOR OF

TIIE “ VICTORY OF THE SPIRIT,” THE “ RELATIONS OF SCIENCE,” ETC. CURATE OF SWANSCOMBE, AND SUNDAY EVENING LECTURER OF ST. MARY’S,

GREENHITHE.

eronfo (Ebition

MDCCCLXVII.

Price Fourpence.

NOTICE.

The Homilies of the great “Angelical Doctor” are but outlines, the filling in of which are left to the preacher’s own judgment and taste. It is because these outline Homilies are so very full of suggestive hints, and display such a very wonderful knowledge of Holy Scripture, that the experiment is made of presenting the Advent series to the reader in an Engljsh dress. The skeleton character of the original is preserved in the translation. If the present publication should meet with a fair amount of success, the remaining Homilies for the entire Christian year will be published in the same form.

HOMILY I.

THE FOUR-FOLD DAY.

First Sunday in Advent. — (From the Epistle.)

“The day is at hand.’’ — Rom. xiii. 12.

This word Day is to be taken in a four-fold sense — “ The Day is at hand the day of mercy , the day of grace1 the day of justice , and the day of glory. That Sun makes this a four-fold day, whose advent holy Church now celebrates. The day of mercy is the birth-day of the Lord, in which the Sun of Righteousness arises upon us ; or more truly, He Who made that day so glorious. The day of grace is the time of grace; the day of justice is the day of judgment; the day of glory is the day of eternity. Joel speaks of the first — (iii. 18) — “In that day the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk.” Concerning the second, 2 Cor. vi. 2, “ Behold, now is the day of salva¬ tion.” Of the third, Wis. i., “ The day of wrath, that day the day of tribulation.” Concerning the fourth, Zach. xiv. 7, “But it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord — not day, nor night ; but it shall come to pass that at evening time it shall be light.” Psalm cxxxiv. 10, “ One day in Thy Courts is better than a thousand.” The birth-day of the Lord draws near, that devoutly the day of mercy may be celebrated and honoured ; the day of grace that it may be received ; the day of judgment that it may be feared ; the day of glory that it may be attained. The Church celebrates the first, Phil. iv. 5, “ For the Lord is at hand.” Isa. lvi. 1, “ For My salvation is near to come, and My righteousness is near to be revealed.” On account of the second, 2 Cor. vi. 2, “ Behold, now is the accepted time ; behold, now is the day of salvation.” On account of the third, James v. 9, “Be¬ hold the Jud<ie standeth before the door.” On account of the fourth, Rev. xxii. 12, “Behold I come quickly, and My reward is with Me to give to every man according as his work shall be.”

We ought to celebrate the birth-day of the Lord, the day of

A mercy , with mercy and truth. Christ came to us in these two ways, and so we ought to go to Him. Ps. xxv. 10, “ All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth.” To celebrate the day of grace with purity and humility, for these two graces make acceptable grace. Of the first, Prov. xxii. 11, “He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips, the King shall be his friend.” Of the second, James iv. 6, “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.” The Church celebrates the day of judgment with meditation and fear. As S. Jerome says, “ Whether I eat or drink, that voice seems ever to resound in my ears, ‘ Rise up, ye dead, and come to judgment.’” On the contrary, it is said of the wicked, Prov. xxviii. 5, “ Evil men understand not judg¬ ment.” We ought to hasten to run to meet the day of glory with righteousness. Heb. iv. 11, “Let us labour, therefore, to enter into that rest.” To four Christian virtues the Apostle exhorts us in this epistle. To mercy and truth in the words, “ Let us put oft the armour of light.” For the arms of light are mercy and truth ; for mercy is the shield by which we are defended from the enemy, and truth is the power by which we overcome all things. Of the first, Eccl. xxix. 12, 13, “ Shut up alms in thy store-houses, and it shall deliver thee from all affliction. It shall fight for thee against thine enemies better than a mighty shield and a strong spear.” Of courage, Eccles. iii. 4, “ Truth is great, and will prevail ; it is great, and stronger than all things; the whole earth invokes truth, and it blesses heaven itself ; it moves all work, and they tremble because of it, and there is no iniquity in it. A wicked banquet, a wicked king, wicked women, all wicked sons of men, and all their wicked works, and truth is not in them, and they shall perish in their iniquity, and truth shall remain.” The epistle further exhorts us topurity and humility , “ Not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envy¬ ing” (v. 13). Chambering and wantonness are acts of riot which make impurity. Strife and envying proceed from pride. In prohibiting immodesty it exhorts to purity; in prohibiting pride it exhorts to humility. In the words, “ Let us walk honestly, as in the day,” it awakens us to reflection upon and to fear of the judgment ; that is, that we should so live as it is meet to live in the day of judgment. A man is in the judg¬ ment by thinking upon the judgment; he lives honestly by fearing the judgment. It exhorts us to justice and despatch

— “ Nowit is high time to awaken out of sleep and, there¬ fore, by hastening from the sleep of sin, to arise to the ful¬ filling of justice ; and the reason is given why a man should do this: “ For now is our salvation nearer than when we believed to which salvation may we be led by Jesus Christ Our Lord.

HOMILY II.

THE COMING OF THE KING.

First Sunday in Advent. — (From the Gospel.)

M Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek,” &c. — S. Matt. xxi. 5.

This is a prophecy of the Advent of Our Lord Jesus Christ, about which there are three signs. First, the dignity of Him Who is coming ; secondly, the utility of His Advent ; thirdly, the manner in which He came. Of the first sign we read in the Gospel, “Thy King cometh;” a merciful King; a just King ; a wise King ; a terrible King ; an omnipotent King ; an eternal King. A merciful King in sparing ; a just in judging; a good in rewarding; a wise in governing; an omnipotent King in defending the good ; a terrible King in punishing the evil ; an eternal King in ruling eternally, and in bestowing immortality. Of the first, Isa. xvi. 5, “And in mercy shall the throne be established.” Of the second, Isa. xxxiv., “ And behold, a King shall reign in justice ;” Isa. xvi. 5, “And He shall sit upon it in truth in the taber¬ nacle of David.” Of the third, Ps. lxxiii. 1, “Truly God, is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart.” Of the fourth, Jer. xxiii. 5, “I will raise unto David a righteous branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute justice and judgment in the earth.” Of the fifth, Esth. xiii. 9, “ O Lord, Lord, the King Almighty, for the whole world is in Thy power.” Of the sixth, Wis. xi. 10, “As a severe King, Thou didst condemn and punish.” Of the seventh, Jer. x. 10, “ But the Lord is the true God, He is the living God and an everlasting King ;” S. Luke i. 33, “ And of His Kingdom there shall be no end.” Of the seven, collectively, 2 Macc. i. 24, “ O Lord, Lord, God, Creator of all things, Who art fearful, and strong, and a 2 c righteous, and merciful, and the only gracious King.”

Wisdom in the Creator, mercy in the pitiful, goodness in the good, justice in the just, severity in the terrible, power in the powerful, eternity in the eternal. This is the King Who cometh to thee for thy profit. Here the use of the Advent is noted, for it was seven-fold as applied to the present time : — First, for the illumination of the world ; second, for the spoliation of Hades ; third, for the reparation of Heaven ; fourth, for the destruction of sin ; fifth, for the vanquishment of the devil ; sixth, for the reconciliation of man with God ; seventh, for the beatification of man. Of the first, S. John viii. 12, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life;” S. John i. 9, “That was the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” Of the second, Hos. xiii. 14, “ O death, I will be thy plague ; 0 grave, I will be thy destruction;” Zech. ix. 11, “As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant, I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.” Of the third, Eph. i. 10, “That in the dispensations of the fulness of times might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are in earth, even in Him.” Of the fourth, Heb. ii. 14, 15, “That He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil ; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime sub¬ ject to bondage.” Of the fifth, Rom. vi. 6, “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”

Of the sixth, Rom. v. 10, “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” Of the seventh, S. John iii. 16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” It was because the holy Fathers saw the good things which were about to happen at His Advent that they were calling with so great desire, “ O that Thou wouldst rend the heavens and come down.” Concerning these seven things the Prophet spake, Isa. lxi. 1, “ The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord hath anointed Me to preach good tidings unto the meek ; He hath sent- Me to bind up the broken-hearted ; to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound ; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,” &c. He hath “ anointed Me to preach good tidings.” Behold, the illumination of the world, for by preaching He hath enlightened the world for us ; “ to bind up the broken-hearted,” in destroying sin ; and sin being destroyed, makes the broken heart to be healed. “ To proclaim liberty to the captives:” behold the spoliation of Hades, for by spoiling Hades He led captivity captive. “The opening of the prison behold the restora¬ tion of Heaven, which is the opening of Heaven. “ To pro¬ claim the acceptable year of the Lord :” behold the reconcilia¬ tion of man with God. “ The day of vengeance of our God” is the day of the destruction of the devil : for so He visited with vengeance for all the injuries which the devil had done to the saints.

“ To comfort all that mourn :” behold the beatification of men. In this verse is noted the manner of His coming. “ Meek in meekness Our Lord Jesus Christ wished to come ; and He wished to come meekly for four reasons. In the first place, that He might the more easily correct the wicked : Psalm lxxxix. 10 (Vulgate reading), “ For mildness is come upon us; and we shall be corrected.” In the second place, that He might show to all His lowliness: Eccles. iii. 19, “My Son, do Thy work in meekness, and Thou shalt be beloved above the glory of men.” In the third place, that He might draw the sheep to Himself, and that He might multiply to Himself a people: 2 Sam. xxii. 36, “And Thy gentleness hath made me great.” S. Bernard says, “We wholly run after Thee, O good Jesus, on account of Thy meekness.” In the fourth place, that He might teach meekness : S. Matt. xi. 29, “ Learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart.” There are four things which ought especially to commend meekness to us: the first, because it delivers us from evil; the second, because it perfects grace ; the third, because it preserves the soul; and the fourth, because it deserves the land of the living. Of the first : It delivers from evil, because judicious meek¬ ness belongs to him who feels with no bitterness of mind. Of the second, Prov. iii. 34, “ He giveth grace unto the lowly.” Of the third, Ecclesus. x. 31, “Keep Thy soul in meekness.” Of the fourth, S. Matt. v. 5, “ Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Let ns, therefore, ask that this Lord and King may come to us.