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I Cor ix. 24.
Know ye not that they which run in a race run
all, but one receiveth the prize?
Having pointed out the manifold usefulness of
condescension and that this is the highest
perfectness, and that he himself having risen
higher than all towards perfection, or rather
having gone beyond it by declining to receive,
descended lower than all again; and having made
known to us the times for each of these, both
for the perfectness and for the condescension;
he touches them more sharply in what follows,
covertly intimating that this which was done by
them and which was counted a mark of
perfectness, is a kind of superfluous and
useless labor. And he saith it not thus out
clearly, lest they should become insolent; but
the methods of proof employed by him makes this
evident.
And having said that they sin against Christ
and destroy the brethren, and are nothing
profited by this perfect knowledge, except
charity be added; he again proceeds to a common
example, and saith, "Know ye not that they
which run in a race run all, but one receiveth
the prize?" Now this he saith, not as though
here also one only out of many would be saved;
far from it; but to set forth the exceeding
diligence which it is our duty to use. For as
there, though many descend into the course not
many are crowned, but this befalls one only;
and it is not enough to descend into the
contest, nor to anoint one's self and wrestle:
so likewise here it is not sufficient to
believe, and to contend in any way; but unless
we have so run as unto the end to show ourselves
unblameable, and to come near the prize, it
will profit us nothing. For even though thou
consider thyself to be perfect according to
knowledge, thou hast not yet attained the
whole; which hinting at, he said,
"so run, that ye may obtain." They had not
then yet, as it seems, attained. And having
said thus, he teaches them also the manner.
Ver. 25. "And every man that striveth in
the games is temperate in all things."
What is, "all things?" He doth not abstain
from one and err in another, but he masters
entirely gluttony and lasciviousness and
drunkenness and all his passions. "For
this," saith he, "takes place even in the
heathen games. For neither is excess of wine
permitted to those who contend at the time of the
contest, nor wantonness, lest they should
weaken their vigor, nor yet so much as to be
busied about any thing else, but separating
themselves altogether from all things they apply
themselves to their exercise only." Now if
there these things be so where the crown fails to
one, much more here, where the incitement in
emulation is more abundant. For here neither is
one to be crowned alone, and the rewards also
far surpass the labors. Wherefore also he puts
it so as to shame them, saying, "Now they do
it receive to a corruptible crown, but we an
incorruptible."
Ver. 56. "I therefore so run, as not
uncertainly."
Thus having shamed them from those that are
without, he next brings forward himself also,
which kind of thing is a most excellent method of
teaching: and accordingly we find him every
where doing so.
But what is, "not uncertainly?" "Looking
to some mark," saith he, "not at random and
in vain, as ye do. For what profit have ye of
entering into idol-temples, and exhibiting
for-sooth that perfectness? None. But not
such am I, but all things whatsoever I do, I
do for the salvation of my neighbor. Whether I
show forth perfectness, it is for their sake;
or condescension, for their sake again: whether
I surpass Peter in declining to receive
[compensation], it is that they may not be
offended; or descend lower than all, being
circumcised and shaving my head, it is that they
may not be subverted. This is, "not
uncertainly." But thou, why dost thou eat in
idol-temples, tell me? Nay, thou canst not
assign any reasonable cause. For "meat
commendeth thee not to God; neither if thou eat
art thou the better, nor if thou eat not art
thou the worse." (I Cor. viii. 8.)
Plainly then thou runnest at random: for this
is, "uncertainly."
"So fight I, as not beating the air." This
he saith, again intimating that he acted not at
random nor in vain. "For I have one at whom
I may strike, i.e., the devil. But thou
dost not strike him, but simply throwest away
thy strength."
Now so far then, altogether bearing with them,
he thus speaks. For since he had dealt somewhat
vehemently with them in the preceding part, he
now on the contrary keeps back his rebuke,
reserving for the end of the discourse the deep
wound of all. Since here he says that they act
at random and in vain; but afterwards signifies
that it is at the risk of no less than utter ruin
to their own soul, and that even apart from all
injury to their brethren, neither are they
themselves guiltless in daring so to act.
Ver. 27. "But I buffet my body, and
bring it into bondage lest by any means, after
that I have preached to others, I myself
should be rejected."
Here he implies that they axe subject to the
lust of the belly and give up the reins to it,
and under a pretence of perfection fulfil their
own greediness; a thought which before also he
was travailing to express, when he said,
"meats for the belly, and the belly for
meats." (1 COR. VI. 13.) For since
both fornication is caused by luxury, and it
also brought forth idolatry, he naturally
oftentimes inveighs against this disease; and
pointing out how great things he suffered for the
Gospel, he sets this also down among them.
"As I went," saith he, "beyond the
commands, and this when it was no light matter
for me:" ("for we endure all things," it is
said,) "so also here I submit to much labor
in order to live soberly. Stubborn as appetite
is and the tyranny of the belly, nevertheless I
bridle it and give not myself up to the passion,
but endure all labor not to be drawn aside by
it."
"For do not, I pray you, suppose that by
taking things easily I arrive at this desirable
result. For it is a race and a manifold
struggle, and a tyrannical nature continually
rising up against me and seeking to free itself.
But I bear not with it but keep it down, and
bring it into subjection with many struggles."
Now this he saith that none may despairingly
withdraw from the conflicts in behalf of virtue
because the undertaking is laborious.
Wherefore he saith, "I buffet and bring into
bondage." He said not, "I kill:" nor.,
"I punish" for the flesh is not to be hated,
but, "I buffet and bring into bondage;"
which is the part of a master not of an enemy,
of a teacher not of a foe, of a gymnastic master
not of an adversary.
"Lest by any means, having preached to
others, I myself should be a rejected."
Now if Paul feared this who had taught so
many, and feared it after his preaching and
becoming an angel and undertaking the leadership
of the whole world; what can we say?
For, "think not," saith he, "because ye
have believed, that this is sufficient for your
salvation: since if to me neither preaching nor
teaching nor bringing over innumerable persons,
is enough for salvation unless I exhibit my own
conduct also unblameable, much less to you,."
Then he comes to other illustrations again.
And as above he alleged the examples of the
Apostles and those of common custom and those of
the priests, and his own, so also here having
set forth those of the Olympic games and those
of his own course, he again proceeds to the
histories of the Old Testament. And because
what he has to say will be somewhat unpleasing he
makes his exhortation general, and discourses
not only concerning the subject before him, but
also generally concerning all the evils among the
Corinthians. And in the case of the heathen
games, "Know ye not?" saith he: but here,
Chap. x. ver. 1. "For I would not,
brethren, have you ignorant."
Now this he said, implying that they were not
very well instructed in these things. And what
is this which thou wouldest not have us ignorant
of?
Ver. 1--5 "That our fathers," saith
he, "were all under the cloud, and all passed
through the sea; and were all baptized unto
Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all
eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink
the same spiritual drink; for they drank of a
spiritual Rock that followed them: and the
Rock was Christ. Howbeit with most of them
God was not well pleased."
And wherefore saith he these things? To point
out that as they were nothing profited by the
enjoyment of so great a gift, so neither these
by obtaining Baptism and partaking of spiritual
Mysteries, except they go on and show forth a
life worthy of this grace. Wherefore also he
introduces the types both of Baptism and of the
Mysteries.
But what is, "They were baptized into
Moses?" Like as we, on our belief in Christ
and His resurrection, are baptized, as being
destined in our own persons to partake in the
same mysteries; for, "we are baptized,"
saith he, "for the dead," i.e., for our
own bodies; even so they putting confidence in
Moses, i.e., having seen him cross first,
ventured also themselves into the waters. But
because he wishes to bring the Type near the
Truth; he speaks it not thus, but uses the
terms of the Truth even concerning the Type.
Further: this was a symbol of the Font, and
that which follows, of the Holy Table. For
as thou eatest the Lord's Body, so they the
manna: and as thou drinkest the Blood, so they
water from a rock. For though they were things
of sense which were produced, yet were they
spiritually exhibited, not according to the
order of nature, but according to the gracious
intention of the gift, and together with the
body nourished also the soul, leading it unto
faith. On this account, you see, touching the
food he made no remark, for it was entirely
different, not in mode only but in nature also;
(for it was manna;) but respecting the drink,
since the manner only of the supply was
extraordinary and required proof, therefore
having said that "they drank the same spiritual
drink," he added, "for they drank of a
spiritual Rock that followed them," and he
subjoined, "and the Rock was Christ." For
it was not the nature of the rock which sent
forth the water, (such is his meaning,) else
would it as well have gushed out before this
time: but another sort of Rock, a spiritual
One, performed the whole, even Christ who was
every where with them and wrought all the
wonders. For on this account he said, "that
followed them"
Perceivest thou the wisdom of Paul, how in
both cases he points cut Him as the Giver, and
thereby brings the Type nigh to the Truth?
"For He who set those things before them,"
saith he, "the same also hath prepared this our
Table: and the same Person both brought them
through the sea and thee through Baptism; and
before them set manna, but before thee His
Body and Blood."
As touching His gift then, such is the case:
now let us observe also what follows, and
consider, whether when they showed themselves
unworthy of the gift, He spared them. Nay,
this thou canst not say. Wherefore also he
added, "Howbeit with most of them God was not
well-pleased;" although He had honored them
with so great honor. Yea, it profited them
nothing, but most of them perished. The truth
is, they all perished, but that he might not
seem to prophesy total destruction to these
also, therefore he said, "most of them."
And yet they were innumerable, but their number
profited them nothing: and these were all so
many tokens of love; but not even did this
profit them, inasmuch as they did not themselves
show forth the fruits of love.
Thus, since most men disbelieve the things said
of hell, as not being present nor in sight; he
alleges the things heretofore done as a proof
that God doth punish all who sin, even though
He have bestowed innumerable benefits upon
them: "for if ye disbelieve the things to
come," so he speaks, "yet surely the things
that are past ye will not disbelieve."
Consider, for example, how great benefits He
bestowed on them: from Egypt and the slavery
there He set them free, the sea He made their
path, from heaven he brought down manna, from
beneath He sent forth strange and marvellous
fountains of waters; He was with them every
where, doing wonders and fencing them in on
every side: nevertheless since they showed forth
nothing worthy of this gift, He spared them
not, but destroyed them all.
Ver. 5. "For they were overthrown," saith
he, "in the wilderness." Declaring by this
word both the sweeping destruction, and the
punishments and the vengeance inflicted by God,
and that they did not so much as attain to the
rewards proposed to them. Neither were they in
the land of promise when He did these things
unto them, but without and afar somewhere, and
wide of that country; He thus visiting them
with a double vengeance, both by not permitting
them to see the land, and this too though
promised unto them, and also by actual severe
punishment.
And what are these things to us? say you. To
thee surely they belong.
Wherefore also he adds, Ver. 6. "Now
these things were figures of us."
For as the gifts are figures, even so are the
punishments figures: and as Baptism and the
Table were sketched out prophetically, so also
by what ensued, the certainty of punishment
coming on those who are unworthy of this gift was
proclaimed beforehand for our sake that we by
these examples might learn soberness. Wherefore
also he adds, "To the intent we should not
lust after evil things, as they also lusted."
For as in the benefits the types went before and
the substance followed, such shall be the order
also in the punishments. Seest thou how he
signifies not only the fact that these shall be
punished, but also the degree, more severely
than those ancients? For if the one be type,
and the other substance, it must needs be that
the punishments should as far exceed as the
gifts.
And see whom he handles first: those who eat in
the idol-temples. For having said, "that we
should not lust after evil things," which was
general, he subjoins that which is particular,
implying that each of their sins arose from evil
lusting. And first he said this, Ver. 7.
"Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of
them; as it is written, 'the people sat down
to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.'"
Do you hear how he even calls them
"idolaters?" here indeed making the
declaration, but afterwards bringing the proof.
And he assigned the cause too wherefore they ran
to those tables; and this was gluttony.
Wherefore having said, "to the intent that we
should not lust after evil things," and having
added, nor "be idolaters," he names the cause
of such transgression; and this was gluttony.
"For the people sat down," saith he, "to
eat and to drink," and he adds the end
thereof, "they rose up to play." "For even
as they," saith he, "from sensuality passed
into idolatry; so there is a fear lest ye also
may fall from the one into the other." Do you
see how he signifies that these, perfect men
forsooth, were more imperfect than the others
whom they censured? Not in this respect only,
their not bearing with their brethren
throughout, but also in that the one sin from
ignorance, but the others from gluttony. And
from the ruin of the former he reckons the
punishment to these, but allows not these to lay
upon another the cause of their own sin but
pronounces them responsible both for their
injury, and for their own.
"Neither let us commit fornication, as some of
them committed." Wherefore doth he here make
mention of fornication. again, having so
largely discoursed concerning it before? It is
ever Paul's custom when he brings a charge of
many sins, both to set them forth in order and
separately to proceed with his proposed topics,
and again in his discourses concerning other
things to make mention also of the former: which
thing God also used to do in the Old
Testament, in reference to each several
transgression, reminding the Jews of the calf
and bringing that sin before them. This then
Paul also does here, at the same time both
reminding them of that sin, and teaching that
the parent of this evil also was luxury and
gluttony. Wherefore also he adds, "Neither
let us commit fornication, as some of them
committed, and fell in one day three and twenty
thousand."
And wherefore names he not likewise the
punishment for their idolatry? Either because
it was clear and more notorious, or because the
plague was not so great at that time, as in the
matter of Balaam, when they joined themselves
to Baalpeor, the Midianifish women appearing
in the camp and alluring them to wantonness
according to the counsel of Balaam. For that
this evil counsel was Balaam's Moses sheweth
after this, in the following statement at the
end of the Book of Numbers. (Numb. xxxi.
8, 11, 15, 16, in our translation.)
"Balaam also the son of Beor they slew in the
war of Midian with the sword and they brought
the spoils . . . . And Moses was wroth,
and said, Wherefore have ye saved all the women
alive? For these were to the children of
Israel for a stumbling-block, according to the
word of Balaam, to cause them to depart from
and despise the word of the Lord for Peor's
sake."
Ver. 9. "Neither let us tempt Christ, as
some of them also tempted, and perished by
serpents."
By this he again hints at another charge which
he likewise states at the end, blaming them
because they contended about signs. And indeed
they were destroyed on account of trials,
saying, "when will the good things come? when
the rewards?" Wherefore also he adds, on this
account correcting and alarming them, Ver.
10. "Neither murmur ye, as some of them
murmured, and perished by the destroyer."
For what is required is not only to suffer for
Christ, but also nobly to bear the things that
come on us, and with all gladness: since this
is the nature of every crown. Yea, and unless
this be so, punishment rather will attend men
who take calamity with a bad grace. Wherefore,
both the Apostles when they were beaten
rejoiced, and Paul gloried in his sufferings.
Ver. 11. "Now all these things happened
unto them by way of example; and they were
written for our admonition, upon whom the ends
of the ages are come."
Again he terrifies them speaking of the
"ends," and prepares them to expect things
greater than had already taken place. "For
that we shall suffer punishment is manifest,"
saith he, "from what hath been said, even to
those who disbelieve the statements concerning
hell-fire; but that the punishment also will be
most severe, is evident, from the more numerous
blessings which we have enjoyed, and from the
things of which those were but figures. Since,
if in the gifts one go beyond the other, it is
most evident that so it will be in the punishment
likewise." For this cause he both called them
types, and said that they were "written for
us" and made mention of an "end" that he might
remind them of the consummation of all things.
For not such will be the penalties then as to
admit of a termination and be done away, but the
punishment will be eternal; for even as the
punishments in this world are ended with the
present life, so those in the next continually
remain. But when he said, "the ends of the
ages," he means nothing else than that the
fearful judgment is henceforth nigh at hand.
Ver. 12. "Wherefore let him that thinketh
he standeth take heed lest he fall."
Again, he casts down their pride who thought
highly of their knowledge. For if they who had
so great privileges suffered such things; and
some for murmuring alone were visited with such
punishment, and others for tempting, and
neither their multitude moved God to repent,
nor their having attained to such things; much
more shall it be so in our case, except we be
sober. And well said he, "he that thinketh he
standeth:" for this is not even standing as one
ought to stand, to rely on yourself: for
quickly will such an one fall: since they too,
had they not been high-minded and
self-confident, but of a subdued frame of
mind, would not have suffered these things.
Whence it is evident, that chiefly pride, and
carelessness from which comes gluttony also, are
the sources of these evils. Wherefore even
though thou stand, yet take heed lest thou
fall. For our standing here is not secure
standing, no not until we be delivered out of
the waves of this present life and have sailed
into the tranquil haven. Be not therefore
high-minded at thy standing, but guard against
thy falling; for if Paul feared who was firmer
than all, much more ought we to fear.
Now the Apostle's word, as we have seen,
was, "Wherefore let him that thinketh he
standeth take heed lest he fall;" but we cannot
say even this; all of us, so to speak, having
fallen, and lying prostrate on the ground. For
to whom am I to say this? To him that
committeth extortion every day? Nay, he lies
prostrate with a mighty fall. To the
fornicator? He too is cast down to the ground.
To the drunkard? He also is fallen, and
knoweth not even that he is fallen. So that it
is not the season for this word, but for that
saying of the prophet which he spake even to the
Jews, (Jer. viii. 4.)--"He that
falleth, doth he not rise again?" For all are
fallen, and to rise again they have no mind.
So that our exhortation is not concerning the
not falling, but concerning the ability of them
that are fallen to arise. Let us rise again
then, late though it be, beloved, let us rise
again, and let us stand nobly. How long do we
lie prostrate? How long are we dranken,
besotted with the excessive desire of the things
of this life? It is a meet opportunity now to
say, (Jer. vi. 10.) "To whom shall I
speak and testify?" So deaf are all men become
even to the very instruction of virtue, and
thence filled with abundance of evils. And were
it possible to discern their souls naked; as in
armies when the battle is ended one may behold
some dead, and some wounded, so also in the
Church we might see. Wherefore I beseech and
implore you, let us stretch out a hand to each
other and thoroughly raise ourselves up. For I
myself am of them that are smitten, and require
one to apply some remedies.
Do not however despair on this account. For
what if the wounds be severe? yet are they not
incurable; such is our physician: only let us
feel our wounds. Although we be arrived at the
very extreme of wickedness, many are the ways of
safety which He strikes out for us. Thus, if
thou forbear to be angry with thy neighbor,
thine own sins shall be forgiven. "For if ye
forgive men," saith He, "your heavenly
Father will also forgive you." (Mat. vi.
14.) And if thou give alms, He will remit
thee thy sins; for, "break off thy sins,"
saith He, "by alms." (Dan. iv. 54.)
And if thou pray earnestly, thou shalt enjoy
forgiveness: and this the widow signifieth who
prevailed upon that cruel judge by the
importunity of her prayer. And if thou accuse
thine own sins, thou hast relief: for "declare
thou thine iniquities first, that thou mayest be
justified:" (Is. xlvii. 26.) and if
thou art sorrowful on account of these things,
this too will be to thee a powerful remedy:
"for I saw," saith He, "that he was
grieved and went sorrowful, and I healed his
ways." (Is. lvii. 17.) And if, when
thou sufferest any evil, thou bear it nobly,
thou hast put away the whole. For this also did
Abraham say to the rich man, that "Lazarus
received his evil things, and here he is
comforted." And if thou hast pity on the
widow, thy sins are washed away. For,
"Judge," saith He, "the orphan, and plead
for the widow, and come and let us reason
together, saith the Lord. And if your sins be
as scarlet, I will make them white as snow;
and if they be as crimson, I will make them
white as wool." (Is. 1. 17.) For not
even a single scar of the wounds doth He suffer
to appear. Yea, and though we be come to that
depth of misery into which he fell, who devoured
his father's substance and fed upon husks, and
should repent, we are undoubtedly saved. And
though we owe ten thousand talents, if we fall
down before God and bear no malice, all things
are forgiven us. Although we have wandered away
to that place whither the sheep strayed from his
keeper, even thence He recovers us again: only
let us be willing, beloved. For God is
merciful. Wherefore both in the case of him
that owed ten thousand talents, He was content
with His falling down before Him; and in the
case of him who had devoured his father's
goods, with his return only; and in the case of
the sheep, with its willingness to be borne.
Considering therefore the greatness of His
mercy, let us here make Him propitious unto
us, and "let us come before His face by a full
confession," (Ps. xcv. 2. LXX.) that
we may not depart hence without excuse, and have
to endure the extreme punishment. For if in the
present life we exhibit even an ordinary
diligence, we shall gain the greatest rewards:
but if we depart having become nothing better
here, even though we repent ever so earnestly
there it will do us no good. For it was our
duty to strive while yet remaining within the
lists, not after the assembly was broken up idly
to lament and weep: as that rich man did,
bewailing and deploring himself, but to no
purpose and in vain, since he overlooked the
time in which he ought to have done these
things. And not he alone, but many others
there are like him now among the rich; not
willing to despise wealth, but despising their
own souls for wealth's sake: at whom I cannot
but wonder, when I see men continually
interceding with God for mercy, whilst they are
doing themselves incurable harm, and unsparing
of their very soul as if it were an enemy. Let
us not then trifle, beloved, let us not trifle
nor delude ourselves, beseeching God to have
mercy upon us, whilst we ourselves prefer both
money and luxury, and, in fact, all things to
this mercy. For neither, if any one brought
before thee a case and said in accusation of such
an one, that being to suffer ten thousand deaths
and having it in his power to rid himself of the
sentence by a little money, he chose rather to
die than to give up any of his property, would
you say that he was worthy of any mercy or
compassion. Now in this same way do thou also
reason touching thyself. For we too act in this
way, and making light of our own salvation, we
are sparing of our money. How then dost thou
beseech God to spare thee, when thou thyself
art so unsparing of thyself, and honorest money
above thy soul?
Wherefore also I am greatly astonished to see,
how great witchery lies hid in wealth, or rather
not in wealth, but in the souls of those that
are beguiled. For there are, there are those
that utterly derided this sorcery. For which
among the things therein is really capable of
bewitching us? Is it not inanimate matter? is
it not transitory? is not the possession thereof
unworthy of trust? is it not full of fears and
dangers? nay, of murders and conspiracy? of
enmity and hatred? of carelessness and much
vice? is it not dust and ashes? what madness
have we here? what disease?
"But," say you, "we ought not merely to
bring such accusations against those that are so
diseased, but also to destroy the passion."
And in what other way shall we destroy it,
except by pointing out its baseness and how full
it is of innumerable evils?
But of this it is not easy to persuade a lover
concerning the objects of his love. Well then,
we must set before him another sort of beauty.
But incorporeal beauty he sees not, being yet
in his disease. Well then, let us show him
some beauty of a corporeal kind, and say to
him, Consider the meadows and the flowers
therein, which are more sparkling than any
gold, and more elegant and transparent than all
kinds of precious stones. Consider the limpid
streams from their fountains, the rivers which
like oil flow noiselessly out of the earth.
Ascend to heaven and behold the lustre of the
sun, the beauty of the moon, the stars that
cluster like flowers. "Why, what is this,"
say you, "since we do not, I suppose, make
use of them as of wealth?" Nay, we use them
mere than wealth, inasmuch as the use thereof is
more needful, the enjoyment more secure. For
thou hast no fear, lest, like money, any one
should take them and go off: but you may be ever
confident of having them, and that without
anxiety or care. But if thou grieve because
thou enjoy-est them in common with others, and
dost not possess them alone like money; it is
not money, but mere covetousness, which thou
seemest to me to be in love with: nor would even
the money be an object of thy desire, if it had
been placed within reach of all in common.
Therefore, since we have found the beloved
object, I mean Covetousness, come let me show
thee how she hates and abhors thee, how many
swords she sharpens against thee, how many pits
she digs, how many nooses she ties, how many
precipices she prepares; that thus at any rate
thou mayest do away with the charm. Whence then
are we to obtain this knowledge? From the
highways, from the wars, from the sea, from
the courts of justice. For she hath both filled
the sea with blood, and the swords of the judges
she often reddens contrary to law, and arms
those who on the highway lie in wait day and
night, and persuades men to forget nature, and
makes parricides and matricides, and introduces
all sorts of evils into man's life. Which is
the reason why Paul entitles her "a root of
these things." (I Tim. vi. 10.) She
suffers not her lovers to be in any better
condition than those who work in the mines. For
as they, perpetually shut up in darkness and in
chains, labor unprofitably; so also these
buried in the caves of avarice, no one using any
force with them, voluntarily draw on their
punishment, binding on themselves fetters that
cannot be broken. And those condemned to the
mines. at least when even comes on, are
released from their toils; but these both by day
and night are digging in these wretched mines.
And to those there is a definite limit of that
hard labor, but these know no limit, but the
more they dig so much the greater hardship do
they desire. And what if those do it
unwillingly, but these of their own will? in
that thou tellest me of the grievous part of the
disease, that it is even impossible for them to
be rid of it, since they do not so much as hate
their wretchedness. But as a swine in mud, so
also do these delight to wallow in the noisome
mire of avarice, suffering worse things than
those condemned ones. As to the fact that they
are in a worse condition, hear the circumstances
of the one, and then thou wilt know the state of
the other.
Now it is said that that soil which is
impregnated with gold has certain clefts and
recesses in those gloomy caverns. The
malefactor then condemned to labor in that
place, taking for that purpose a lamp and a
mattock, so, we are told, enters within, and
carries with him a cruse to drop oil from thence
into the lamp, because there is darkness even by
day, without a ray of light, as I said
before. Then when the time of day calls him to
his wretched meal, himself, they say, is
ignorant of the time, but his jailor from above
striking violently on the cave, by that
clattering sound declares to those who are at
work below the end of the day.
Do ye not shudder when ye hear all this? Let
us see now, whether there be not things more
grievous than these in the case of the covetous.
For these too, in the first place, have a
severer jailor, viz. avarice, and so much
severer, as that besides their body he chains
also their soul. And this darkness also is more
awful than that. For it is not subject to
sense, but they producing it within,
whithersoever they go, carry it about with
themselves. For the eye of their soul is put
out: which is the reason why more than all
Christ calls them wretched, saying, "But if
the light that is in thee be darkness, how great
is that darkness." (S. Mat. vi. 23.)
And they for their part have at least a lamp
Shining, but these are deprived even of this
beam of light; and therefore every day they fall
into countless pitfalls. And the condemned when
night overtakes them have a respite, sailing
into that calm port which is common to all the
unfortunate, I mean the night: but against the
covetous even this harbor is blocked up by their
own avarice: such grievous thoughts have they
even at night, since then, without disturbance
from any one, at full leisure they cut
themselves to pieces.
Such are their circumstances in this world; but
those in the next, what discourse shall
exhibit? the intolerable furnaces, the rivers
burning with fire, the gnashing of teeth, the
chains never to be loosed, the envenomed worm,
the rayless gloom, the never-ending miseries.
Let us fear them, beloved, let us fear the
fountain of so great punishments, the insatiate
madness, the destroyer of our salvation. For
it is impossible at the same time to love both
money and your soul. Let us be convinced that
wealth is dust and ashes, that it leaves us when
we depart hence, or rather that even before our
departure it oftentimes darts away from us, and
injures us both in regard of the future and in
respect of the present life. For before hell
fire, and before that punishment, even here it
surrounds us with innumerable wars, and stirs up
strifes and contests. For nothing is so apt to
cause war as avarice: nothing so apt to produce
beggary, whether it show itself in wealth or in
poverty. For in the souls of poor men also this
grievous disease ariseth, and aggravates their
poverty the more. And if there be found a poor
covetous man, such an one suffers not punishment
in money, but in hunger. For he allows not
himself to enjoy his moderate means with
comfort, but both racks his belly with hunger
and punishes his whole body with nakedness and
cold, and every where appears more squalid and
filthy than any prisoners; and is always wailing
and lamenting as though he were more wretched
than all, though there be ten thousand poorer
than he. This man, whether he go into the
market-place, goes away with many a stripe; or
into the bath, or into the theatre, he will
still be receiving more wounds, not only from
the spectators, but also from those upon the
stage, where he beholds not a few of the
unchaste women glittering in gold. This man
again, whether he sail upon the sea, regarding
the merchants and their richly-freighted ships
and their enormous profits, will not even count
himself to live: or whether he travel by land,
reckoning up the fields, the suburban farms,
the inns, the baths, the revenues arising out
of them, will count his own life thenceforth not
worth living; or whether thou shut him up at
home, he will but rub and fret the wounds
received in the market, and so do greater
despite to his own soul: and he knows only one
consolation for the evils which oppress him;
death and deliverance from this life.
And these things not the poor man only, but the
rich also, will suffer, who falls into this
disease, and so much more than the poor,
inasmuch as the tyranny presses more vehemently
on him, and the intoxication is greater.
Wherefore also he will account himself poorer
than all; or rather, he is poorer. For riches
and poverty are determined not by the measure of
the substance, but by the disposition of the
mind: and he rather is the poorest of all, who
is always hangering after more and is never able
to stay this wicked lust.
On all these accounts then let us flee
covetousness, the maker of beggars, the
destroyer of souls, the friend of hell, the
enemy of the kingdom of heaven, the mother of
all evils together; and let us despise wealth
that we may enjoy wealth, and with wealth may
enjoy also the good things laid up for us; unto
which may we all attain,
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