Matthew § 102

For in the last days false prophets shall be multiplied, and such as corrupt the word; and the sheep shall be changed into wolves, and love into hatred: for through the abounding of iniquity the love of many shall wax cold. For men shall hate, and persecute, and betray one another. And then shall appear the deceiver of the world, the enemy of the truth, the prince of lies, [2 Thessalonians 2:3-12] whom the Lord Jesus "shall destroy with the spirit of His mouth, who takes away the wicked with His lips; and many shall be offended at Him. But they that endure to the end, the same shall be saved. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven;" [Isaiah 11:4; Matthew 24:1-51] and afterwards shall be the voice of a trumpet by the archangel; and in that interval shall be the revival of those that were asleep. And then shall the Lord come, and all His saints with Him, with a great concussion above the clouds, with the angels of His power, [Matthew 16:27] in the throne of His kingdom, to condemn the devil, the deceiver of the world, and to render to every one according to his deeds. "Then shall the wicked go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous shall go into life eternal," [Matthew 25:46] to inherit those things "which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, such things as God has prepared for them that love Him;" [1 Corinthians 2:9] and they shall rejoice in the kingdom of God, which is in Christ Jesus.

Watch for your life's sake. Let not your lamps be quenched, nor your loins unloosed; but be ye ready, for ye know not the hour in which our Lord cometh. But often shall ye come together, seeking the things which are befitting to your souls: for the whole time of your faith will not profit you, if ye be not made perfect in the last time. For in the last days false prophets and corrupters shall be multiplied, and the sheep shall be turned into wolves, and love shall be turned into hate; for when lawlessness increaseth, they shall hate and persecute and betray one another, and then shall appear the world-deceiver as Son of God, and shall do signs and wonders, and the earth shall be delivered into his hands, and he shall do iniquitous things which have never yet come to pass since the beginning. Then shall the creation of men come into the fire of trial, and many shall be made to stumble and shall perish; but they that endure in their faith shall be saved from under the curse itself. And then shall appear the signs of the truth; first, the sign of an out-spreading in heaven; then the sign of the sound of the trumpet; and the third, the resurrection of the dead; yet not of all, but as it is said: The Lord shall come and all His saints with Him. Then shall the world see the Lord coming upon the clouds of heaven.

But there is worse to come. Say what you like, we shall be told. The apocalyptic beliefs of the first Christians have been proved to be false. It is clear from the New Testament that they all expected the second coming in their own lifetime, and, worse still, they had a reason, and one which you will find very embarrassing. Their master had told them so. He shared, and indeed created, their delusion.

He said, in so many words, 'This generation shall not pass till all these things be done.' And he was wrong. He clearly knew no more about the end of the world than anyone else. It is certainly the most embarrassing verse in the Bible. Yet how teasing, also, that within fourteen words of it should come the statement, 'But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.' The one exhibition of error and the one confession of ignorance grow side by side.

That they stood thus in the mouth of Jesus Himself, and were not merely placed thus by the reporter, we surely need not doubt. Unless the reporter were perfectly honest, he would never have recorded the confession of ignorance at all. He could have had no motive for doing so except a desire to tell the whole truth. And unless later copyists were equally honest, they would never have preserved the apparently mistaken prediction about this generation after the passage of time had shown the apparent mistake.

This passage, Mark chapter 13, verses 30-32, and the cry, 'Why hast Thou forsaken Me?' Mark chapter 15, verse 34, together make up the strongest proof that the New Testament is historically reliable. The evangelists have the first great characteristic of honest witnesses. They mention facts which are, at first sight, damaging to their main contention.

The facts then are these, that Jesus professed Himself in some sense ignorant, and within a moment showed that He really was so. To believe in the Incarnation, to believe that He is God, makes it hard to understand how He could be ignorant, but also makes it certain that if He said He could be ignorant, then ignorant He could really be. For a God who can be ignorant is less baffling than a God who falsely professes ignorance.

The answer of theologians is that the God-Man was omniscient as God and ignorant as man. This, no doubt, is true, though it cannot be imagined. Nor, indeed, can the unconsciousness of Christ in sleep be imagined, nor the twilight of reason in His infancy. Still less is merely organic life in His mother's womb.

But the physical sciences, no less than theology, propose for our belief much that cannot be imagined. A generation which has accepted the curvature of space need not boggle at the impossibility of imagining the consciousness of incarnate God. In that consciousness the temporal and the timeless were united. I think we can acquiesce in mystery at that point, provided we do not aggravate it by our tendency to picture the timeless life of God as simply another sort of time.

We are committing that blunder whenever we ask how Christ could be, at the same moment, ignorant and omniscient, or how He could be the God who neither slumbers nor sleeps while He slept. The italicized words conceal an attempt to establish a temporal relation between His timeless life as God and the days, months, and years of His life as man. And, of course, there is no such relation.

The incarnation is not an episode in the life of God. The Lamb is slain, and therefore presumably born, grown to maturity, and risen from all eternity. The taking up into God's nature of humanity, with all its ignorance and limitations, is not itself a temporal event, though the humanity which is so taken up was, like our own, a thing living and dying in time.

And if limitation, and therefore ignorance, was thus taken up, we ought to expect that the ignorance should, at some time, be actually displayed. It would be difficult and, to me, repellent, to suppose that Jesus never asked a genuine question, that is, a question to which He did not know the answer. That would make of His humanity something so unlike ours as scarcely to deserve the name.

I find it easier to believe that when He said, 'Who touched Me?' Luke chapter 8, verse 45, He really wanted to know.

(de Trin. i. 12.) When He says here, Knows not, He means,' makes others not to know;' i. e. He knew not then, so as to tell His disciples; as it was said to Abraham, Now I know that thou fearest God; (Gen. 22:19.) i. e. 'Now have I caused that thou shouldest know,' because by the temptation he came to know himself.

(Serm. 97. 1.) He says that the Father knoweth, implies that in the Father the Son also knows. For what can there be in time which was not made by the Word, seeing that time itself was made by the Word!

(Lib. 83 Quaest. q. 60.) That the Father alone knows maybe well understood in the above-mentioned manner of knowing, that He makes the Son to know; but the Son is said not to know, because he does not make men to know.

(Ep. 199, 16.) The Gospel then says, Of that day and hour knoweth no man; but you say, That neither the month nor the year of His coming can be known. This exactness of yours up to this point seems as if you meant that the year could not be known, but that the week or the decade of years might be known, as though it was possible to fix or assign it to some seven, ten, or a hundred, or some number of years more or less. If you allow that you cannot so limit it, you think with me.

When Christ taught us that no one knows the day on which the end of time will come, not the angels and not even himself, he removed from us any need to be concerned about its date. O immeasurable mercy of divine goodness! Since the Son said, "All things have been delivered to me by my Father," we know that the Father did not deny him the knowledge of this day. If anything was denied him, he could not have said that all things were delivered to him. But because the Son has handed on to us everything the Father gave him and the Word of God does not contain in himself as much assurance of the future as of things already accomplished, therefore it was established by God that the date of the end should be indefinite. Thus he could allow us an abundant amount of time for repentance yet still keep us solicitous for fear of the uncertain and so as to avoid giving anyone the idea of a particular day by expressing his will. For just as at the time of the flood, in the normal course of our life, in our activities and in our sufferings, that great day will suddenly appear.

And has indeed God the Father denied the knowledge of that day to the Son, when He has declared, All things are committed to me of my Father? (Luke 10:22.) but if any thing has been denied, all things are not committed to Him.

(Ver. 36.) But about that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, except the Father alone. In some Latin manuscripts, it is added, not even the Son: since in Greek and especially in the exemplars of Adamantius and Pierius, this is not found written, but because it is read in some, it seems worthy of discussion. Arius and Eunomius rejoice, as if the ignorance of the teacher is the glory of the disciples, and they say: One who knows and one who is ignorant cannot be equal. Against whom are these things to be said briefly: When Jesus has done all things, that is, the Word of God: For all things were made through him, and without him was made nothing (John 1:3), in all times, even the day of judgment: by what consequence can he ignore a part of which he knows the whole? This also must be said: What is greater, the knowledge of the Father, or of the judgment? If he knows the greater, how does he not know what is lesser? We have read the scripture. All that belongs to the Father has been handed over to me (Luke 10:22). If all that belongs to the Father also belongs to the Son, then how is it that the Son reserved the knowledge of one day for himself and did not want to share it with the Son? But we must also infer this: If he is ignorant of the last day of times, he is also ignorant of nearly the last, and, looking backward, of all. For it cannot happen that one who is ignorant of the first knows what the second is. Therefore, because we have proven that the Son does not ignore the day of the consummation of all things (God is added in some versions), a reason must be given why he is said to be ignorant. The Apostle writes about the Savior: In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3). Therefore, all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are in Christ, but they are hidden. Why are they hidden? After the resurrection, when questioned by the apostles, he answered more explicitly about the day: It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established in His own authority (Acts 1:7). When he says, 'It is not for you to know,' he shows that he himself knows, but it is not expedient for the apostles to know, so that they may always live uncertain about the coming of the Judge, as if every day were a different Judgment Day. Finally, the consistent sermon of the Gospel urges us to understand this same thing, saying that only the Father knows: in the Father he includes the Son. For every father, the name of the son is.

In some Latin copies is added here, "neither the Son:" but in the Greek copies, and particularly those of Adamantius and Pierius, it is not foundh But because it is read in some, it seems to require our notice.

Whereat Arius and Eunomius rejoice greatly; for say they, He who knows and He who is ignorant cannot be both equal. Against these we answer shortly; Seeing that Jesus, that is, The Word of God, made all times, (for By him all things were made, and without him was not any thing made that was made,) (John 1:3.) and that the day of judgment must be in all time, by what reasoning can He who knows the whole be shown to be ignorant of a part? This we will further say; Which is the greater, the knowledge of the Father, or the knowledge of the judgment? If He knows the greater, how can He be ignorant of the less?

Having then shown that the Son of God cannot be ignorant of the day of the consummation, we must now show a cause why He should be said to be ignorant. When after the resurrection He is demanded concerning this day by the Apostles, He answers more openly; It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father has put in his own power. (Acts 1:7.) Wherein He shows that Himself knows, but that it was not expedient for the Apostles to know, that being in uncertainty of the coming of their Judge, they should live every day as though they were to be judged that day.

"But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of Heaven, neither the Son, but the Father." By saying, not the angels, He stopped their mouths, that they should not seek to learn what these angels know not; and by saying, "neither the Son," forbids them not only to learn, but even to inquire. For in proof that therefore He said this, see after His resurrection, when He saw they were become over curious, how He stopped their mouths more decidedly. For now indeed He hath mentioned infallible signs, many and endless; but then He saith merely, "It is not for you to know times or seasons." And then that they might not say, we are driven to perplexity, we are utterly scorned, we are not held worthy so much as of this, He says, "which the Father hath put in His own power." And this, because He was exceedingly careful to honor them, and to conceal nothing from them. Therefore He refers it to His Father, both to make the thing awful, and to exclude that of which He had spoken from their inquiry.

Since if it be not this, but He is ignorant of it, when will He know it? Will it be together with us? But who would say this? And the Father He knoweth clearly, even as clearly as He knoweth the Son; and of the day is He ignorant? Moreover, "the Spirit indeed searcheth even the deep things of God," and doth not He know so much as the time of the judgment? But how He ought to judge He knoweth, and of the secrets of each He hath a full perception; and what is far more common than that, of this could He be ignorant? And how, if "all things were made by Him, and without Him was not even one thing made," was He ignorant of the day? For He who made the worlds, it is quite plain that He made the times also; and if the times, even that day. How then is He ignorant of that which He made?

And ye indeed say that ye know even His substance, but that the Son not even the day, the Son, who is always in the bosom of the Father; and yet His substance is much greater than the days, even infinitely greater. How then, while assigning to yourselves the greater things, do you not allow even the less to the Son, "in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." But neither do you know what God is in His substance, though ten thousand times ye talk thus madly, neither is the Son ignorant of the day, but is even in full certainty thereof.

For this cause, I say, when He had told all things, both the times and the seasons, and had brought it to the very doors ("for it is near," He saith, "even at the doors"), He was silent as to the day. For if thou seek after the day and hour, thou shall not hear them of me, saith He; but if of times and preludes, without hiding anything, I will tell thee all exactly.

For that indeed I am not ignorant of it, I have shown by many things; having mentioned intervals, and all the things that are to occur, and how short from this present time until the day itself (for this did the parable of the fig tree indicate), and I lead thee to the very vestibule; and if I do not open unto thee the doors, this also I do for your good.

Otherwise; So long as the Church which is Christ's body knows not that day and hour, so long the Son Himself is said not to know that day and hour. The word know is used according to its proper usual meaning in Scripture. The Apostle speaks of Christ, as him who knew no sin, (2 Cor. 5:21.) i. e. sinned not. The knowledge of that day and hour the Son reserves in store for the fellow-heirs of the promise, that all may know at once, i. e. in the day when it shall come upon them, what things God hath prepared for them that love him. (1 Cor. 2:9.)

I have read also in some one's book, that the Son here is not to be taken of the Only-begotten, but of the adopted, for that He would not have put the Angels before the Only-begotten Son, saying, Not the Angels of heaven, neither the Son.i

And Mark has the addition. (Mark 13:32.)

He also introduces a parable of the mission to the vineyard of the Son (not the Father), who was sent after so many servants, and slain by the husbandmen, and avenged by the Father. He is also ignorant of the last day and hour, which is known to the Father only. He awards the kingdom to His disciples, as He says it had been appointed to Himself by the Father.

Here He teaches the disciples not to seek to know things that exceed human knowledge. By saying "not the angels," He restrains them from seeking to learn now that which even the angels do not know. By saying "My Father only," He also prevents them from seeking to learn thereafter. For if He had said, "I know, but I do not wish to tell you," they would have been grieved as though He had disdained them. But now by saying, "Not even the Son knows, but My Father only," He prevents them from asking. It is like a father who will often hold something in his hands and when his children ask for it and he does not want to give it, he hides it and says, "I do not have what you are asking for," and so the children stop crying for it. So too the Lord says, "Even I do not know, but My Father only," in order to put an end to the desire of the apostles to know the day and the hour. That He Himself does know that day and hour is clear from many other things. All that the Father has, belongs to the Son. As the Father has knowledge of the hour, so the Son surely has the same knowledge. It is even more clear from this: how is it possible for the Son to be ignorant of the day, when He knows the things that precede the day, that is, the signs that He has just foretold? For he who has lead another into the vestibule surely knows where the door is as well. But it was for their good that Christ did not open it. For it is never to our benefit to know the time of the end, lest we become lazy. Not knowing, we remain alert.

But of that day and hour no one knows. In this part he determines the uncertainty of the time. And regarding this he does two things. First, he sets forth the uncertainty of the time; secondly, he urges vigilance by a similitude; thirdly, he shows the future outcome. He says, they shall see the Son of man. You say this indeterminately; tell us determinately if it is true. But of that day and hour no one knows, not the angels of heaven. What he says about the angels of heaven is clear, and it presents no great difficulty, because there is natural knowledge in them, and this does not extend except to those things that happen according to the course of nature; but the judgment will not happen except according to the will of God. Likewise, there is another knowledge, the knowledge of glory, and in this they know only as much as the Lord wills to reveal, and this he has kept to himself; Malachi 3:2: Behold, the Lord shall come, and who shall be able to know his coming? 1 Thessalonians 5:2: The day of the Lord shall so come as a thief in the night. But there is a question here, according to Jerome, because Mark 13:26 says: nor even the Son of man; from which Arius seems to confirm his heresy, because if the Father knows what the Son does not know, then the Father is greater than the Son. Therefore it can be said that the Son knows, and that the day of judgment is determined according to a certain plan, and whatever is determined by God is determined by his eternal Word; therefore it is impossible that the Word should not know. But why is he said not to know? Augustine and Jerome say that it is a customary manner of speaking to say that someone does not know something when he does not make it known; just as it is said in Genesis 22:12: Now I know that you fear God, i.e., I have made it known. Therefore the Son is said not to know because he does not make it known. In another way, Origen says that Christ and the Church are like head and body, because just as head and body are like one person, so Christ and the Church. But Christ sometimes takes the form of the Church, as in Psalm 21:2: O God, my God, look upon me. Hence what is said, that Christ does not know, is understood to mean that the Church does not know; hence the Lord says in Acts 1:7: It is not for you to know the times or moments etc. Note that Augustine says that the Lord wished to show by certain signs that the coming of the judgment cannot be known determinately, because he does not determine any particular time. The proof says that it cannot be known, because as it is with the ages of man, so it is with the ages of the world. Hence just as the last age of man does not have a fixed term but sometimes extends more than the others, so also it must be said of the last part of the world, that it does not have a fixed term and could last longer than all the other parts.

(Verse 37 onwards) Just as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. It is asked how the following is written: For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be famines and earthquakes; and now they should remember those things that are signs of peace. But it is to be considered, according to the Apostle, that after wars, and strife, and plagues, and famines, and earthquakes, and other things by which the human race is devastated, peace will soon follow, which promises tranquility to all, so that the faith of believers may be confirmed, whether they may hope that the judge will come after the evils have been completed. For this is what we read in Paul: When they shall say, peace and security, then sudden destruction shall come upon them, as the pain of a woman in labor, and they shall not escape (I Thess. V, 3).

It is asked here, how it was said above, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, &c. when here only tokens of peace are spoken of as what shall be then? We must suppose, that after the wars and the other miseries which shall waste the human race, shall follow a short peace, offering rest and quiet to approve the faith of the believers.

And that thou mayest learn by another thing also, that the silence is not a mark of ignorance on His part, see, together with what we have mentioned, how He sets forth another sign also. "But as in the days of Noah they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that the flood came, and took all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be." And these things He spake, showing that He should come on a sudden, and unexpectedly, and when the more part were living luxuriously. For Paul too saith this, writing on this wise, "When they shall speak of peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them;" and to show how unexpected, He said, "as travail upon a woman with child." How then doth He say, "after the tribulation of those days?" For if there be luxury then, and peace, and safety, as Paul saith, how doth He say, "after the tribulation of those days?" If there be luxury, how is there tribulation? Luxury for them that are in a state of insensibility and peace. Therefore He said not, when there is peace, but "when they speak of peace and safety," indicating their insensibility to be such as of those in Noah's time, for that amid such evils they lived in luxury.

But not so the righteous, but they were passing their time in tribulation and dejection. Whereby He shows, that when Antichrist is come, the pursuit of unlawful pleasures shall be more eager among the transgressors, and those that have learnt to despair of their own salvation. Then shall be gluttony, then revellings, and drunkenness. Wherefore also most of all He puts forth an example corresponding to the thing. For like as when the ark was making, they believed not, saith He; but while it was set in the midst of them, proclaiming beforehand the evils that are to come, they, when they saw it, lived in pleasure, just as though nothing dreadful were about to take place; so also now, Antichrist indeed shall appear, after whom is the end, and the punishments at the end, and vengeance intolerable; but they that are held by the intoxication of wickedness shall not so much as perceive the dreadful nature of the things that are on the point of being done. Wherefore also Paul saith, "as travail upon a woman with child," even so shall those fearful and incurable evils come upon them.

And wherefore did He not speak of the ills in Sodom? It was His will to introduce an example embracing all men, and disbelieved after it was foretold. So therefore, as by the more part the things to come are disbelieved, He confirms those things by the past, terrifying their minds. And together with the points I have mentioned, He shows this also, that of the former things also He was the doer.

As confirmation of the truth of His words, He draws upon the events that occurred at the time of Noah. Just as then there were those who scoffed at the construction of the ark until the disaster came upon them and destroyed them all; so now there are those who scoff at these words concerning the end. But, Christ says, the destruction will come upon them suddenly. He shows that when the Antichrist comes, men will be giving themselves over to pleasure, reclining at weddings and feasts in a most arrogant manner, just as the giants did in the time of Noah (Gen. 6:5).

But as in the days of Noah, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Above the Lord set forth the uncertainty of the hour of his coming; now he adds a similitude. And first he sets it forth; secondly, he expounds it, at for as in the days before the flood etc. Moreover, he sets forth a fitting similitude, because while speaking of the end of the world, he rested on the end of the world. He therefore sets forth another similitude. For we read of a twofold destruction. One by water; 2 Peter 2:5: And spared not the original world, but preserved Noah, the eighth person, the preacher of justice, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly. Hence it is said quite fittingly, because the first destruction was for cutting off carnal sins; hence it is said in Genesis 6:2: The sons of God seeing the daughters of men, that they were fair, took to themselves wives of all whom they chose. Therefore, against the ardor of this concupiscence the destruction had to be by water. But at the end of the world there will be sin, because charity will grow cold, as was said above; therefore fire will fittingly be the punishment. Hence he says, as in the time of Noah, namely, that the end was uncertain, as is found in Genesis 6:13: The end of all flesh is come before me. Hence just as those who clung to Noah were saved, so at the coming of the Son of man, those who will cling to Christ the Son will be saved.

Marriage and meats in themselves are not here condemned, as the error of Marcion and Manichæus teaches; for in the one the continuation of the species, in the other that of life, depends; but what is reproved is an unrestrained use of things lawful.

Secondly, he expounds this similitude regarding the uncertainty: for as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking etc. In these words he seems to touch upon two things: namely, despair about the future coming, and its cause. Now the cause why a man does not hope for the future coming is that he is absorbed in the cares of the flesh, since he walks according to its concupiscences; James 5:5: You have feasted upon earth and in your luxuries you have nourished your hearts. Therefore they will devote themselves to debauchery, which has two parts, namely, in reveling and drunkenness, in debauchery and wantonness, Romans 13:13. Regarding the first he says, eating and drinking: not that eating and drinking is a sin, but to place one's end therein is a sin. Regarding the second he says, marrying and giving in marriage etc.

All who listen to the depths of the gospel and live it so completely that none of it remains veiled from them care very little about whether the end of the world will come suddenly and all at once or gradually and little by little. Instead, they bear in mind only that each individual's end or death will arrive on a day and hour unknown to him and that upon each one of us "the day of the Lord will come like a thief." It is important therefore to be vigilant, whether in the evening (that is, in one's youth) or in the middle of the night (that is, at human life's darkest hour) or when the cock crows (at full maturity) or in the morning (when one is well advanced in old age). When God the Word comes and brings an end to the progress of this life, he will gather up the one who gave "no sleep to his eyes nor slumber to his eyelids" and kept the commandment of the One who said, "Be vigilant at all times." …But I know another kind of end for the righteous person who is able to say along with the apostle, "Far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world is crucified to me and I to the world." In a certain sense, the end of the world has already come for the person to whom the world is crucified. And to one who is dead to worldly things the day of the Lord has already arrived, for the Son of man comes to the soul of the one who no longer lives for sin or for the world.

And there follows, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away, namely, those who did not cling to Noah, who was a figure of Christ. So shall also the coming of the Son of man be. But it is said in Luke 21:26: Men withering away for fear. And above in this same chapter it says that the sun shall be darkened. How then will men be secure enough to eat and indulge in luxury? There is a twofold answer. Jerome says that it is true that around the times of the Antichrist there will be many tribulations, and this for the testing of the elect; and afterward they will be restored to tranquility, and in that tranquility the wicked will devote themselves to pleasure. Hence Luke speaks according to the state of tribulation, but Matthew according to the time that will immediately precede the coming of God. Likewise in another way, because some are good, some wicked. And universally the Church will suffer tribulation, and the good will be punished by the wicked; hence it is said above at 10:22: You shall be hated by all men for my name's sake. Hence those who will suffer will be the good; but those who will carry out these tribulations will be the wicked. Therefore what is said here, eating and drinking etc., is understood regarding the wicked; but what is said in Luke, men withering away for fear, is understood regarding the good. Or thus: since it frequently happens that the good are corrected through tribulation but the wicked are not, therefore the wicked will wither away, but the good will not.

Then there shall be two men in the field, one is taken, and one is left; two women shall be grinding at the mill, one is taken, and one, is left; as if He said those in the field, namely, all those that are in the world whether rich or poor or middle-class, that is to say whatever be their rank in life, whosoever is found worthy is taken into heaven; but if he be not worthy, he is left upon the earth. Then when He speaks of those grinding at the millstone, He means those that are bond-servants, and such of those bond-servants as are found worthy are taken into heaven, while those that are unworthy are left upon the earth. By His using the masculine form in the first instance, and then the feminine form afterwards, He has indicated the difference of sex.

Christ shows that a judgment is coming, since between two people in a field, one is taken up and one left behind. Between two grinding at the mill, one is chosen and one rejected. Between two lying in bed, one departs and one remains. This teaching means that the separation of the faithful from the unfaithful will consist in one being accepted and the other abandoned. For, like the prophet says, when the wrath of God rises, the saints will be hidden in God's chambers but the faithless will be left exposed to celestial fire. The two in the field therefore represent the faithful and the unfaithful, both of whom will be surprised by the day of the Lord in the midst of the world, in the course of their life's work. They will be separated, one taken and the other left. It will be the same for the two grinding at the mill, which represents the work of the law. For only some of the Jews, like Elijah, believed through the apostles that they must be justified by faith. One group will be taken up through the faith that produces good works, and the other group will be abandoned in the fruitless works of the law, grinding in vain at a mill that will never produce heavenly food. The two lying in bed are proclaiming the repose of the Lord after his Passion, which both Catholics and heretics confess alike. But because the truth of the Catholic faith preaches the unity of the Father and the Son, which we call their deity, whereas the false doctrine of heretics attacks this unity with many different insults, one of the two lying in bed will be taken up but the other will be left behind. For by accepting one and rejecting the other, God's judgment will prove the merit of each confession.

Or, the two in the field, are the two people of believers and unbelievers, whom the day of the Lord shall overtake, as it were in the labours of this life. And they shall be separated, one being taken and the other left; this shows the separation that shall be between believers and unbelievers; when God's wrath is kindled, the saints shall be gathered into His garner, and the unbelievers shall be left as fuel for the fire from heaven. The same is the account to be given of that, Two shall be grinding at the mill. The mill is the work of the Law, but as some of the Jews believed through the Apostles, so some shall believe through Elias, and be justified through faith; and one part shall be taken through this same faith of good works, the other part shall be left unfruitful in the work of the Law, grinding in vain, and never to produce the bread of heavenly food.

(Verse 40, 41.) Then there will be two in the field: one will be taken, and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken, and one will be left. Then, He said, there will be two in the field, when, at the time of the consummation and judgment, two will be found in the field having the same labor and almost the same sowing, but not receiving the fruits of labor equally. Two women grinding together will also be there: one will be taken, and one will be left. In the two who reside in the field, and in the two who grind together, understand either the Synagogue and the Church, which seem to grind together in the Law, and to grind the flour of God's precepts from the same Scriptures, or the other heresies, which seem to grind the flour of their doctrines from either Testament or from the other, and when they have the same Christian name as their purpose, they will not receive the same reward: some being chosen, and others being left behind.

Or, Two men in one field shall be found performing the same labour, sowing corn together, but not reaping the same fruit of their labour.

Then again He sets another sign, by all which things He makes it evident, that He is not ignorant of the day. And what is the sign? "Then shall two be in the field; one shall be taken, and one left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill, one shall be taken, and one left. Watch therefore, for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come." And all these things are both proofs that He knew, and calculated to turn them from their inquiry. So for this cause He spake also of the days of Noah, for this cause He said too, "Two shall be on the bed," signifying this, that He should come upon them thus unexpectedly, when they were thus without thought, and "two women grinding at the mill," which also of itself is not the employment of them that are taking thought.

And together with this, He declares that as well servants as masters should be both taken and left, both those who are at ease, and those in toil, as well from the one rank as from the other; even as in the Old Testament He saith, "From him that sitteth upon the throne to the captive woman that is at the mill." For since He had said, that hardly are the rich saved, He shows that not even these are altogether lost, neither are the poor saved all of them, but both out of these and out of those are men saved, and lost.

And to me He seems to declare, that at night will be the advent. For this Luke too saith. Seest thou how accurately He knows all things?

Or otherwise; The body is laid as sick on the bed of carnal passions, the soul grinds in the mill of this world, and the bodily senses labour in the field of the world.

Or, these words denote three orders in the Church. The two men in the field (prædicatores.) denote the order of preachers, to whom is committed the field of the Church; by the two grinding at the mill, (conjugati.) the order of the married priests, who while with a divided heart they are called first to one side, then to the other, do, as it were, ever turn round a mill; by the two in one bed, (continentes.) the order of the continent, whose repose is signified by the bed. But in all these orders are good and bad, righteous and unrighteous, so that some shall be taken, and some left.

Then, He says, when everyone is heedless and engaged in their own work, "the one shall be taken," that is, the righteous man shall be taken to meet the Lord in the air, while the other, that is to say, the sinner, is left behind. Even from among those who are servants and laborers who grind at the mill, the worthy are taken while the unworthy are left. From this we learn that no one, whether servant or woman, is hindered from acquiring virtue.

Then two shall be in the field: one shall be taken, and one shall be left. In this part he sets forth the outcome of this uncertainty. And what will it be? It will happen that men engaged in the same occupation, one will be taken and the other left. And this can be expounded, according to Chrysostom, as meaning nothing other than that in every condition of men and every occupation some will be reprobate and some elect: those who are good will be taken; those who are wicked will be left. How? As was said above at 13:41, because angels will come and take up the good, namely, to Christ. Likewise, some live in luxury, and some exercise certain occupations. Likewise, among laborers some occupations pertain to men, some to women; the labor of men is properly in the fields. Then two shall be in one field, literally, namely, laboring; one shall be taken, as one of the elect, and the other shall be left, as one of the reprobate.

This can also be expounded allegorically, and this is the exposition of Hilary. By the field the world is signified, as was said above. By the two men, the people of the faithful and the unfaithful. Of these, one shall be taken, namely, the people of the faithful; the other shall be left, namely, the unfaithful.

The two grinding together we may understand either of the Synagogue and the Church, which seem to grind together in the Law, and to make of the same Scriptures meal of the commandments of God; or of other heresies, which out of both or one Testament, seem to grind meal of their own doctrines.

Likewise, two women shall be grinding at the mill: one shall be taken, and one shall be left. This is the occupation of women. It used to be that women did the grinding, and he speaks according to the custom of the land where there is no water; and now grinding is done with horses or with men, but then it was the work of women; Isaiah 47:2: Take a millstone and grind meal. Hence two shall be grinding, i.e., exercising their occupation. And then, one shall be taken, expounded as above.

Likewise, two shall be in one bed: one shall be taken, and one shall be left. Chrysostom says that the rich do not labor but rest; therefore they are represented by those who lie in bed; and of these, one shall be taken and the other left.

This can also be expounded allegorically. The old law is signified by the mill, which is heavy and burdensome; Acts 15:10: This is a burden which neither we nor our fathers were able to bear etc. And of those who accept the old law, some accept Christ and some do not. All those are said to grind at the mill who accept the old law; and those indeed are taken who accept the old law together with the new; but those who do not are left. Likewise, those who accept Christ are like those lying in bed, because by the bed is signified the memory of the passion; and of such, some are taken and some are left: for some conform themselves to the passion through good works, and some do not. It can be expounded in another way, so that it refers to three states of the faithful; because there are three kinds of men: some contemplative, some prelates, some active. No state is so secure that some will not be condemned in it. The state of contemplation is signified by the bed. Of this it says in Song of Songs 1:15: Our bed is flourishing; and yet some in this state are condemned. The state of the active is signified by those grinding at the mill, because they bear a burden, and they are anxious; Luke 10:41: Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things. Hence they are wrapped up in worldly affairs; and therefore among them some are condemned. By the field, into which men go out to labor, are signified the prelates; Song of Songs 7:11: Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field. And among such, some are taken and some are left.

(Ep. 199, 3.) He said this Watch, not to those only who heard Him speak at the time, but to those who came after them, and to us, and to all who shall be after us, until His second coming, for it touches all in a manner. That day comes to each one of us, when it comes to him to go out of the world, such as he shall be judged, and therefore ought every Christian to watch that the Lord's coming may not find him unprepared; and he will be unprepared for the day of His coming, whom the last day of his life shall find unprepared.

(non occ.) Foolish are all they, who either profess to know the day of the end of the world, when it is to come, or even the end of their own life, which no one can know unless he is illuminated by the Holy Spirit.

His teaching on the subject quite clearly consisted of three propositions. One, that He will certainly return. Two, that we cannot possibly find out when. Three, and that therefore we must always be ready for Him. Note the therefore. Only because we cannot predict the moment, we must be ready at all moments. Our Lord repeated this practical conclusion again and again, as if the promise of the return had been made for the sake of this conclusion alone.

Watch, watch, is the burden of His advice. I shall come like a thief. You will not, I most solemnly assure you, you will not see Me approaching. If the householder had known at what time the burglar would arrive, he would have been ready for him. If the servant had known when his absent employer would come home, he would not have been found drunk in the kitchen. But they didn't, nor will you. Therefore you must be ready at all times.

The point is surely simple enough. The schoolboy does not know which part of his Virgil lesson he will be made to translate. That is why he must be prepared to translate any passage. The sentry does not know at what time an enemy will attack, or an officer inspect his post. That is why he must keep awake all the time.

The return is wholly unpredictable. There will be wars and rumors of wars, and all kinds of catastrophes, as there always are. Things will be, in that sense, normal, the hour before the heavens roll up like a scroll. You cannot guess it. If you could, one chief purpose for which it was foretold would be frustrated. And God's purposes are not so easily frustrated as that. One's ears should be closed against any future William Miller in advance. The folly of listening to him at all is almost equal to the folly of believing him. He couldn't know what he pretends, or thinks he knows.

Of this folly George MacDonald has written well. Do those, he asks, who say, lo here or lo there are the signs of his coming, think to be too keen for him, and spy his approach? When he tells them to watch, lest he find them neglecting their work, they stare this way and that, and watch lest he should succeed in coming like a thief. Obedience is the one key of life.

The doctrine of the second coming has failed, so far as we are concerned, if it does not make us realize that at every moment of every day in our lives Don's question, 'What if this present were the world's last night?'...

What is important is not that we should always fear or hope about the end, but that we should always remember, always take it into account. An analogy may help here. A man of seventy need not be always feeling, much less talking, about his approaching death. But a wise man of seventy should always take it into account.

(Hom. in Ev. ii, 3.) To watch is to keep the eyes open, and looking out for the true light, to do and to observe that which one believes, to cast away the darkness of sloth and negligence.

(Verse 42, 43.) Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know at what hour your Lord is coming. But understand this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Clearly, he is showing why he said earlier: But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only: because it is not expedient for the apostles to know, so that they may always believe he is coming in uncertain expectation, whom they do not know when he is coming. And he did not say, because we do not know at what hour the Lord will come; but you do not know. And by giving the example of the father of the family, why he keeps silent about the day of the end, he teaches more clearly, saying:

Therefore, you also must be ready, for you do not know at what hour the Son of Man will come. Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. He further emphasizes and repeats why he did not predict the day of judgment and hour to the angels or himself, but only to the Father, because it is not fitting for the apostles to know; and he uses the example of a householder, that is, himself and faithful servants, that is, the apostles, to encourage their anxious minds, so that they may provide spiritual nourishment to their fellow servants at the proper time.

Having declared that of that hour knoweth no man, but the Father only, He shows that it was not expedient for the Apostles to know, that being ignorant they might live in perpetual expectation of His coming, and thus concluding the whole, He says, Watch therefore, &c. And He does not say, 'Because we know not,' but Because ye know not, showing that He Himself is not ignorant of the day of judgment.

After this again, that they may not ask about it, He added, "Watch therefore, for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come." He said not, "I know not," but, "ye know not." For when He had brought them well nigh to the very hour, and had placed them there, again He deters them from the inquiry, from a desire that they should be striving always. Therefore He saith, "Watch," showing that for the sake of this, He did not tell it.

"But know this, that if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready, for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh."

For this intent He tells them not, in order that they may watch, that they may be always ready; therefore He saith, When ye look not for it, then He will come, desiring that they should be anxiously waiting, and continually in virtuous action.

But His meaning is like this: if the common sort of men knew when they were to die, they would surely strive earnestly at that hour.

In order therefore that they may strive, not at that hour only, therefore He tells them not either the common hour, or the hour of each, desiring them to be ever looking for this, that they may be always striving. Wherefore He made the end of each man's life also uncertain.

After this, He openly calls Himself Lord, having nowhere spoken so distinctly. But here He seems to me also to put to shame the careless, that not even as much care as they that expect a thief have taken for their money, not even this much do these take for their own soul. For they indeed, when they expect it, watch, and suffer none of the things in their house to be carried off; but ye, although knowing that He will come, and come assuredly, continue not watching, saith He, and ready so as not to be carried away hence unprepared. So that the day cometh unto destruction for them that sleep. For as that man, if he had known, would have escaped, so also ye, if ye be ready, escape free.

He would have them ever ready, and therefore He says, Watch.

Those of more plain understanding say, that He spoke this of His second coming; but others would say that it applies to an intellectual coming of the word into the understanding of the disciples, for as yet He was not in their understanding as He was to be.

He bids us to keep vigil and to be ready, that is, to have stored up beforehand deeds of virtue so that when the Lord comes asking for the things that He wants, we will have them to give. See how He did not say, "I know not what hour the thief cometh," but "ye know not." A "thief" is what He names the end of the world as well as the death of each person. He also implies here that His coming will be in the night. Just as the thief comes unnoticed, so will My coming be; therefore, be not indolent, but sober and vigilant. For if we knew when our end would be, we would strive to please God only on that day. But since we do not know, we are always vigilant in the deeds of virtue.

After the Lord set forth the uncertainty of the hour, he urges vigilance. And first he urges all; secondly, prelates in particular, at who, do you think, is the faithful and wise servant? etc. Regarding the first he does three things. First, he sets forth the admonition; secondly, a similitude; thirdly, he draws the conclusion. He says therefore: I say that the day is uncertain, and no one can be confident of his state, because of anyone, one will be taken and another left; therefore you must be diligent and watchful. Watch therefore. And, as Jerome says, therefore the Lord wished to make the appointed time uncertain, so that man would always be waiting. For in three ways a man is at fault: because his senses are idle; likewise, because he is idle from movement; likewise, because he lies down. Therefore watch, that your senses may be raised up by contemplation; Song of Songs 5:2: I sleep, and my heart watches. Likewise, watch, lest you become sluggish in death; for he watches who exercises himself in good works; 1 Peter 5:8: Be sober, and watch, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goes about seeking whom he may devour. Likewise, watch, lest you lie down through negligence; Proverbs 6:9: How long will you sleep, O sluggard? But what does he say? Because you know not at what hour your Lord will come. He was saying this to the apostles, and it is not found elsewhere that he so expressly calls himself Lord as here, and in John 13:13: You call me Master and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. But someone might say that the Lord was speaking to the apostles; but the apostles were not going to live until the end of the world. How then does he say, watch, because you know not at what hour your Lord will come? Augustine says that this was necessary even for the apostles and for those who were before us and for us, because the Lord comes in two ways. At the end of the world he will come to all in general; likewise, he comes to each one at his own end, namely, at death; John 14:18: I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you. Therefore there is a twofold coming, at the end of the world and also at death; and he willed both to be uncertain. And these comings correspond to each other, because such as a person is found at the second, such he was at the first. Augustine says: the last day of the world finds that man unprepared whom his own last day finds unprepared. Likewise, it can be expounded of another coming, namely, the invisible one, when he comes into the mind; Job 9:11: If he comes to me, I shall not perceive him. Hence he comes to many, and they do not perceive it. Hence you must watch greatly, so that if he knocks, you may open to him; hence Apocalypse 3:20: I stand at the door and knock: if anyone shall open to me, I will come in to him, and will sup with him.

But to shake off the sloth of our mind, even external losses are brought forward through a comparison, so that through these the soul may be roused to guard itself. For it is said: "Know this, that if the master of the house knew at what hour the thief was coming, he would certainly watch and would not allow his house to be broken into." For while the master of the house is unaware, the thief breaks into the house, because while the spirit sleeps from guarding itself, unforeseen death coming bursts into the dwelling of our flesh, and slays as if sleeping the one it found as master of the house, because when the spirit fails to foresee the coming losses, death snatches him unknowing to punishment. But he would resist the thief if he were watching, because being on guard against the coming of the judge who secretly seizes the soul, he would meet him by repenting, lest he perish impenitent.

(Hom. in Ev. xiii. 5.) Or, the thief breaks into the house through the neglect of the master of the house, when the spirit has slept upon its post of guard, and death has come in unawares into the dwelling house of our flesh, and finding the lord of the house sleeping, slays him; that is, the spirit, little providing for coming evils, is taken off unprepared, to punishment, by death. But if he had watched he would have been secure from the thief; that is, looking forward to the coming of the Judge, who takes our lives unawares, he would meet Him with penitence, and not perish impenitent.

To teach us that our ignorance of the date of his return (which his silence has kept hidden from everyone) is not without its usefulness, Christ warns us to keep all his commandments. We should also be occupied with constant prayer in order to guard against the coming of the thief. For the thief is the devil who seeks to invade our bodily homes with the darts of his thoughts and allurements in order to ruin us while we are sleepy and careless. It is good therefore that we be prepared. Our ignorance of the day of Christ's return should provoke us to be careful as we eagerly await his coming.

And by the instance of the master of the household, He teaches more plainly why He keeps secret the day of the consummation.

In this He rebukes such as have less care for their souls, than they have of guarding their money against an expected thief.

The master of the household is the understanding, the house is the soul, the thief is the Devil. The thief is also every contrary doctrine which enters the soul of the unwary by other than the natural entrance, breaking into the house, and pulling down the soul's natural fences, that is, the natural powers of understanding, it enters the breach, and spoils the soul. Sometimes one takes the thief in the act of breaking in, and seizing him, stabs him with a word, and slays him. And the thief comes not in the day-time, when the soul of the thoughtful man is illuminated with the Sun of righteousness, but in the night, that is, in the time of prevailing wickedness; in which, when one is plunged, it is possible, though he have not the power of the sun, that he may be illuminated by some rays from the Word, as from a lamp; continuing still in evil, yet having a better purpose, and watchfulness, that this his purpose should not be broken through. Or in time of temptation, or of any calamities, is the time when the thief is most found to come, seeking to break through the house of the soul.

But know this, that if the master of the house knew at what hour the thief would come, he would watch at that hour and would not suffer his house to be broken open. But because he does not know at what hour, he must watch all night. Who is this master of the house? The house is the soul. In it a man ought to rest; Wisdom 8:16: Entering into my house, i.e., into my conscience, I shall rest with her. The master of the house is the reason; Proverbs 20:8: The king who sits on the throne of judgment scatters all evil with his glance. Sometimes a thief breaks open his house. The thief is some persuasion of false doctrine, or some temptation. And he is called a thief, as is found in John 10:1: He who does not enter by the door into the sheepfold, he is a thief and a robber. The door properly speaking is natural knowledge, or the natural law. Therefore whoever enters through reason enters through the door; but whoever enters through the door of concupiscence, or anger, or the like, is a thief. Thieves are accustomed to come by night. In Obadiah 5: If thieves had come in to you, if robbers by night, how would you have held your peace? Hence if they come by day, they are not feared. So when a man is in the contemplation of divine things, then temptation does not come; but when he is relaxed, then it comes. Therefore the prophet says well, Psalm 70:9: When my strength shall fail, do not forsake me. Hence we must watch, because we do not know when the Lord will come, namely, for judgment. Or we can refer this to the day of death; 1 Thessalonians 5:3: For when they shall say, peace and security, then shall sudden destruction come upon them.

Our Lord willed that the final hour be unknown to us so that it might always be regarded with suspicion, so that since we cannot foresee it, we might prepare ourselves for it without ceasing. Therefore, my brothers, fix the eyes of your mind upon the condition of your mortality; prepare yourselves for the coming Judge through daily weeping and lamentation. And since certain death awaits all, do not think about the uncertain provision of temporal life. Let not the care of earthly things weigh you down. For however great the masses of gold and silver that surround the flesh, however precious the garments in which it is clothed, what is it other than flesh? Therefore do not consider what you have, but what you are. Do you wish to hear what you are? The prophet declares, saying: "Truly the people are grass." For if the people are not grass, where are those who celebrated with us the feast of blessed Felix's birthday a year ago, which we celebrate today? O how many and how great were the thoughts they had about provision for the present life, but when the moment of death crept upon them, they were suddenly found in those circumstances they had been unwilling to foresee, and they lost all the temporal things at once which, having been gathered together, they seemed to hold securely. If therefore the multitude of the human race that has passed flourished in the flesh through birth and withered to dust through death, it was evidently grass. Since therefore the hours flee with their moments, act, dearest brothers, so that they may be retained in the reward of good work. Hear what the wise Solomon says: "Whatever your hand is able to do, work at it earnestly, for there will be neither work, nor knowledge, nor reason, nor wisdom in the underworld, to which you are hastening." Since therefore we do not know the time of coming death, and after death we cannot work, it remains that before death we seize the time that has been granted. For thus, yes thus, death itself when it comes will be conquered, if before it comes it is always feared.

(Hom. in Ev. xiii. 5.) And the Lord would therefore have the last hour unknown, that it might always be in suspense, and that being unable to foresee it, we might never be unprepared for it.

And you also be ready, because at the hour that you think not, the Son of man shall come. Chrysostom says that men who are anxious about temporal things watch at night. And if they watch for temporal things, how much more must one watch for spiritual things; Apocalypse 3:3: If you shall not watch, I will come to you as a thief.

(ord.) For rare indeed is such faithful servant serving his Master for his Master's sake, feeding Christ's sheep not for lucre but for love of Christ, skilled to discern the abilities, the life, and the manner of those put under him, whom the Lord sets over, that is, who is called of God, and has not thrust himself in.

Though the Lord had given above a general exhortation to all in common to unwearied vigilance, yet He adds a special charge to the rulers of the people, that is, the Bishops, of watchfulness in looking for His coming. Such He calls a faithful servant, and wise master of the household, careful for the needs and interests of the people entrusted to Him.

Then, as He had fallen upon the mention of the judgment, He directs His discourse to the teachers next, speaking of punishment and honors; and having put first them that do right, He ends with them that continue in sin, making His discourse to close with that which is alarming.

Wherefore He first saith this, "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord shall set over His household to give them their meat in theirs due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord when He cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, that He shall make him ruler over all His goods."

Tell me, is this too the language of one who is in ignorance? For if because He said, "neither doth the Son know," thou sayest He is ignorant of it; as He saith, "who then?" what wilt thou say? Wilt thou say He is ignorant of this too? Away with the thought. For not even one of them that are frantic would say this. And yet in the former case one might assign a cause; but here not even this. And what when He said, "Peter, lovest thou me?" asking it, knew He not so much as this? nor when He said, "Where have ye laid Him?"

And the Father too will be found to be saying such things. For He Himself likewise saith, "Adam, where art thou?" and, "The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is waxed great before me. I will go down therefore, and see whether their doings be according to their cry which cometh unto me, and if not, I will know." And elsewhere He saith, "Whether they will hear, whether they will understand." And in the gospel too, "It may be they will reverence my Son:" all which are expressions of ignorance. But not in ignorance did He say these things, but as compassing objects such as became Him: in the case of Adam, that He might drive him to make an excuse for his sin: in that of the Sodomites, that He might teach us never to be positive, till we are present at the very deeds; in that of the prophet, that the prediction might not appear in the judgment of the foolish a kind of compulsion to disobedience; and in the parable in the gospel, that He might show that they ought to have done this, and to have reverenced the Son: but here, as well that they may not be curious, nor over busy again, as that He might indicate that this was a rare and precious thing. And see of what great ignorance this saying is indicative, if at least He know not even him that is set over. For He blesses him indeed, "For blessed," saith He, "is that servant;" but He saith not who this is. "For who is he," He saith, "whom His Lord shall set over?" and, "Blessed is he whom He shall find so doing."

But these things are spoken not of money only, but also of speech, and of power, and of gifts, and of every stewardship, wherewith each is entrusted. This parable would suit rulers in the state also, for every one is bound to make full use of what he hath for the common advantage. If it be wisdom thou hast, if power, if wealth, if what it may, let it not be for the hurt of thy fellow-servants, neither for thine own ruin. For this cause, therefore, He requires both things of him, wisdom, and fidelity: for sin arises from folly also. He calls him faithful then, because he hath purloined nothing, neither misspent his Lord's goods without aim or fruit; and wise, because he knew how to dispense the things given him, according as was fit. For indeed we have need of both things, as well not to purloin the goods of our Master, as also to dispense them as is fit. But if the one be wanting, the other halteth. For if he be faithful and steal not, yet were to waste and to spend upon that which concerned him not, great were the blame; and if he should know how to dispense it well, yet were to purloin, again there is no common charge against him.

And let us also that have money listen to these things. For not unto teachers only doth He discourse, but also unto the rich. For either sort were entrusted with riches; those that teach with the more necessary wealth, ye with what is inferior. When then at the time that the teachers are scattering abroad the greater, ye are not willing to show forth your liberality even in the less, or rather not liberality but honesty (for ye give the things of another), what excuse will you have? But now, before the punishment of them that do the contrary things, let us hear the honor of him that approveth himself. "For verily I say unto you, He will set him over all His goods."

What can be equal to this honor? what manner of speech will be able to set forth the dignity, the blessedness, when the King of Heaven, He that possesseth all things, is about to set a man over "all His goods?" Wherefore also He calleth him wise, because he knew, not to give up great things for small, but having been temperate here, hath attained to Heaven.

After this, as He ever doth, not by the honor only laid up for the good, but also by the punishment threatened against the wicked, doth He correct the hearers. Wherefore also He added, "But and if the evil servant say in his heart, my Lord delayeth His coming; and shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and shall eat and drink with the drunken: the Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for Him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and shall appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

But if any one should say, "Seest thou what a thought hath entered into his mind, because of the day's not being known, 'my Lord,' he saith, 'delayeth His coming?'" we should affirm, that it was not because the day is not known, but because the servant is evil. Else wherefore came not this thought into the heart of the faithful and wise servant. For what, even though the Lord tarry, O wretched man, surely thou lookest that He will come. Why then dost thou not take care?

Hence then we learn, that He doth not so much as tarry. For this judgment is not the Lord's, but that of the evil servant's mind, wherefore also he is blamed for this. For in proof that He doth not tarry, hear Paul saying, "The Lord is at hand, be careful for nothing;" and, "He that cometh will come, and will not tarry."

But do thou hear also what followeth, and learn how continually He reminds them of their ignorance of the day, showing that this is profitable to the servants, and fitted to waken and thoroughly to rouse them. For what though some gained nothing hereby? For neither by other things profitable for them were some profited, but nevertheless He ceaseth not to do His part.

What then is the purport of that which followeth? "For He shall come in a day when he looketh not for Him, and in an hour that he is not aware of;" and shall inflict upon him extreme punishment. Seest thou how even everywhere He puts this, the fact of their ignorance, indicating that it was profitable, and by this making them always earnest minded? For this is the point at which He labors, that we should be always on the watch; and since it is always in luxury that we are supine, but in afflictions we are braced up, therefore everywhere He saith this, that when there is relaxation, then come the terrors. And as further back He showed this by the example of Noah, even so here He saith it is, when that servant is drunken, when he is beating, and that his punishment shall be intolerable.

But let us not regard only the punishment appointed for him, but let us look to this other point too, lest we ourselves also be unawares to ourselves doing the same things. For to this servant are they like, who have money, and give not to the needy. For thou too art steward of thine own possessions, not less than he who dispenses the alms of the church. As then he has not a right to squander at random and at hazard the things given by you for the poor, since they were given for the maintenance of the poor; even so neither mayest thou squander thine own. For even though thou hast received an inheritance from thy father, and hast in this way all thou possessest: even thus all are God's. And then thou for thy part desirest that what thou hast given should be thus carefully dispensed, and thinkest thou not that God will require His own of us with greater strictness, or that He suffers them to be wasted at random? These things are not, they are not so. Because for this end, He left these things in thine hand, in order "to give them their meat in due season." But what meaneth, "in due season?" To the needy, to the hungry. For like as thou gavest to thy fellow-servant to dispense, even so doth the Lord will thee too to spend these things on what is needful. Therefore though He was able to take them away from thee, He left them, that thou mightest have opportunity to show forth virtue; that bringing us into need one of another, He might make our love for one another more fervent.

But thou, when thou hast received, so far from giving, dost even beat. And yet if not to give be blame, what excuse is there for beating? But this, it seems to me, He speaks, hinting at the insolent, and the covetous, and indicating the charge to be heavy, when they beat them, whom they were commanded to feed.

But He seemeth to be here hinting also at those that live in luxury, since for luxury too there is laid up a great punishment. "For He eateth and drinketh," it is said, "with the drunken," pointing at gluttony. For not for this purpose didst thou receive, that thou should spend it on luxury, but that thou shouldest lay it out on alms. What! are they thine own things which thou hast? With the goods of the poor hast thou been entrusted, though thou be possessed of them by honest labor, or though it be by inheritance from thy father. What, could not God have taken away these things from thee? But He doth not this, to give thee power to be liberal to the poor.

But mark thou, I pray thee, how throughout all the parables He punishes them that lay not out their money upon the needy. For neither had the virgins robbed other men's goods, but they had not given their own; neither had he that buried the one talent embezzled, but he had not doubled; neither are they that overlooked the hungry punished, because they seized the possessions of others, but because they did not lay out their own, like as also this servant.

Let us hearken, as many as please the belly, as many as lay out on costly banquets the riches that pertain not at all to us, but belong to the needy. For do not, because out of great love to man thou art commanded to give as of thine, therefore suppose these things to be indeed thine own. He lent them to thee, that thou mightest be able to approve thyself. Do not then suppose them to be thine, when giving Him His own. For neither, if thou hadst lent to any one, that he might go and be able to find means of gain, wouldest thou say the money was his. To thee then also hath God given, that thou mightest traffic for Heaven. Make not then the exceeding greatness of His love to man a cause of ingratitude.

Or, he that makes progress in the faith, though he is not yet perfect in it, is ordinarily called faithful, and he who has natural quickness of intellect is called prudent. And whoever observes will find many faithful, and zealous in their belief, but not at the same time prudent; for God hath chosen the foolish things of the world. (1 Cor. 1:27.) Others again he will see who are quick and prudent but of weak faith; for the union of faith and prudence in the same man is most rare. To give food in due season calls for prudence in a man; not to take away the food of the needy requires faithfulness. And this the literal sense obliges us to, that we be faithful in dispersing the revenues of the Church, that we devour not that which belongs to the widows, that we remember the poor, and that we do not take occasion from what is written, The Lord hath ordained, that they which preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel, (1 Cor. 9:14.) to seek more than plain food and necessary clothing, or to keep more for ourselves than we give to those who suffer want. And that we be prudent, to understand the cases of them that are in need, whence they come to be so, what has been the education and what are the necessities of each. It needs much prudence to distribute fairly the revenues of the Church. Also let the servant be faithful and prudent, that he lavish not the intellectual and spiritual food upon those whom he ought not, but dispense according as each has need; to one is more behoveful that word which shall edify his behaviour, and guide his practice, than that which sheds a ray of science; but to others who can pierce more deeply let him not fail to expound the deeper things, lest if he set before them common things only, he be despised by such as have naturally keener understandings, or have been sharpened by the discipline of worldly learning.

The lord is Christ, the household over which He appoints is the Church Catholic. It is hard then to find one man who is both faithful and wise, but not impossible; for He would not pronounce a blessing on a character that could never be, as when He adds, Blessed is that servant whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

Nor yet does it imply the impossibility of attaining perfect virtue, but only the difficulty.

The Lord is doubtful who that wise and faithful servant will be "whom his lord hath made ruler over his household," to show that such a man is rare and hard to find. Two things are required of every steward: faith and wisdom. For if he is faithful and steals nothing, but lacks wisdom and foolishly squanders the household goods, he is of no use; and if he is wise but yet steals, likewise he is of no use. So whoever shall be found then to have been both faithful and wise will also obtain the things that are more excellent, that is, the kingdom of heaven. For the saints will be the inheritors of all of God's possessions. The faithful and wise servant is also every teacher who gives in due season food proper to each one who is taught by him. Such a one was Paul who at times gave milk to drink [to the young in faith] and at other times spoke wisdom [to the more mature], for he was a faithful servant, though before he had been a blasphemer; and he was also a wise servant understanding the thoughts of the enemy. So too everyone who receives anything from God, whether it be money, authority, or dominion, should administer these things faithfully and wisely, since he will give an account.

Who, do you think, is the faithful and wise servant whom his lord has set over his household? Here he specially admonishes prelates to watch. And first by enticing with rewards; secondly, by frightening with punishments. Regarding the first he does three things. First, he sets forth the suitability of a good prelate; secondly, his office; thirdly, his reward. The suitability is that he be faithful and wise. In every good work two things are necessary: that one's intention be directed to a due end, and that one take suitable means to that end; therefore in the office of prelacy these two things are necessary. First, that he fix his intention on a due end, which some fix on themselves, of whom it is said in Ezekiel 34:2: Woe to the shepherds who feed themselves; because those who fix their intention on the right end do not intend what is useful to themselves, but to the many, that they may be saved. And all this they rightly do for the glory of God. But he who seeks what is his own does not. Hence he must be faithful; 1 Corinthians 4:2: Now it is required among stewards that a man be found faithful. Likewise, he must be wise, because it is possible that someone seeks the glory of God but not according to knowledge. For it is the prelate's duty to correct vices. He could therefore rebuke in such a way as to lead others into sin. Therefore he must be wise. Above at 10:16: Be wise as serpents. And note that he calls him a servant, because there is a difference between a free man and a servant, since every action of a servant is referred to his lord, but not of a free man; so every action of a prelate ought to be referred to God. Thus Paul called himself a servant, when he said, 2 Corinthians 4:5: But ourselves your servants through Jesus. But why does he say, who, do you think, is the faithful and wise servant? Because the faithful are few; Philippians 2:21: For all seek the things that are their own, not the things of Jesus Christ; Proverbs 20:6: But who shall find a faithful man? And if the faithful are few, the wise are even fewer; therefore the Lord speaks thus, noting their fewness. Then he touches on their office, whom his lord has set over his household. And he does three things. First, he treats of his appointment over his office, when he says, whom his lord has set, not one who procured it for himself either by gifts or by entreaties; Hebrews 5:4: No man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, as Aaron was. Then he touches on over what he is set, because over his household, namely, over his Church, not over temporal things, as the Apostle says, 2 Timothy 2:4: No man being a soldier to God entangles himself with secular business. Likewise, he must be wise enough to be vigilant about the Church, not about other things that are outside the Church; 1 Corinthians 5:12: For what have we to do with those who are outside? Likewise, he touches on the office of the prelate, that he may give them food in due season: food, namely, of teaching, of good example, and of temporal support. Therefore the Lord said to Peter three times: feed, feed, feed my sheep. Feed with the word, feed with example, feed with temporal support. This is mentioned last, but still in due season; Ecclesiastes 3:1: All things have their season. Likewise, John 16:12: I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. For if one wishes to speak words when it is not fitting, he wastes them.

That is, obedient to his Lord's command, by the seasonableness of his teaching dispensing the word of life to a household which is to be nourished for the food of eternity.

"Blessed is the servant whom the Lord will find so doing when he comes." A great promise is extended to the Lord's faithful and wise stewards. It is like the promise he made to those to whom he said, "Take authority over five cities" or "take authority over ten cities." For to be made the head "over all his possessions" is nothing other than to be made an "heir of God and coheir with Christ" and to reign with Christ. The Father has given him everything he himself possesses, as Christ said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." The Son of the good Father who is given authority over all his Father's possessions also shares this honor and glory with his faithful and wise stewards, so they also might be with Christ above every creature and authority. This is what he meant when he said, "Truly I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions."

There follows the reward; and first he says what it is; secondly, in what it consists. What is the reward? Blessedness; hence he says, blessed, whether at death or at the end of the world, is that servant whom, when his lord shall come, he shall find so doing, namely, administering, as has been said. Psalm 118:1: Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.

Although he urged everyone to exercise an indefatigable vigilance, Christ commanded the princes of the people, the bishops, to demonstrate a special attentiveness in expectation of his advent. The bishop is represented in this parable by the faithful and wise servant who was set over the household. He is fully equipped and enabled to care for the people entrusted to him. He needs to be attentive to his instructions and obedient to the commandments. When he speaks the truth and prudently applies doctrine, he will confirm the weak, heal the broken, convert sinners and feed his household with the Word of life—their eternal food. If he is found performing these tasks diligently, he will receive glory from the Lord as a faithful servant and effective steward. He will be set over all his possessions. In other words, he will be established in the midst of the glory of God. Nothing could possibly be better than this.

Or, shall set him over all his goods, that is, shall place him in the glory of God, because beyond this is nothing better.

That he may reign with Christ, to whom the Father has committed all that is His. And as the son of a good father set over all that is his, He shall communicate of His dignity and glory to His faithful and wise stewards, that they also may be above the whole creation.

Not that they only, but that they before others, shall be rewarded as well for their own lives as for their superintendence of the flock.

It should be observed, that as there is great difference of desert between good preachers and good hearers, so is there great difference between their rewards. The good hearers, if He finds them watching He will make to sit down to meat, as Luke speaks; but the good preachers He will set over all His goods.

And why are they blessed? Amen I say to you, he shall set him over all his goods. This is expounded in three ways. In one way, to show in what all blessedness consists. For blessedness consists in some good; but all goods are God's. Is blessedness then in some one of these? Blessedness is in that good which is above all goods; for no one is blessed except in that good which God is. Hence he shall set him over all his goods, i.e., he will be made blessed in him, namely, in God, who is above all things. In a second way, it can be expounded as said to show the preeminence that good prelates will have. In Luke 12:37 it says that he will make them sit down; but here it says that he shall set him over all his goods; because among all rewards the greatest is the reward of the good prelate; above at 5:19: He who shall do and teach, he shall be called great. Daniel 12:3: They who are learned shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they who instruct many to justice, as stars for all eternity. And this is over all his goods, i.e., over all the rewards of the saints. In a third way, it can be expounded through union with Christ; because just as in this world no one will attain to the state of perfection unless he follows the footsteps of Christ, so neither then, unless one is united to Christ; and they will have dominion over all things, inasmuch as their will is made conformed to the divine will; Luke 22:29: And I dispose to you, as my Father has disposed to me, a kingdom. And Apocalypse 2:28: He who shall overcome, I will give him the morning star.

(Ep. 199. 1.) The temper of this servant is shown in his behaviour, which is thus expressed by his good Master; his tyranny, and shall begin to beat his fellow servants, his sensuality, and to eat and drink with the drunken. So that when he said, My Lord delayeth His coming, he is not to be supposed to speak from desire to see the Lord, such as was that of him who said, My soul is athirst for the living God; when shall I come? (Ps. 42:2.) This shows that he was grieved at the delay, seeing that what was hastening towards him seemed to his longing desires to be coming slowly.

This teaching is directed against the rulers who are leading a luxurious and leisurely lifestyle. He calls the negligent teacher a wicked and evil servant because he takes advantage of the judge's absence and believes he will not be observed because of the judge's forbearance. So he beats harshly those over whom he holds power and associates with those who are in love with the flesh. They sin both because the judge is not present and because they don't think judgment will ever arrive. By wounding some of them, he points out those who are disabled in soul because of the luxury of their exalted positions. Just as the apostle says, "When you sin against your brothers in this way [you] wound their weak conscience." Therefore he threatens to introduce the most severe punishments to those living self-indulgently.…Those who pretend to understand the principles of the good life are not thinking as they should but are only clothing themselves in the appearance of virtue. They will be cut into pieces on that fearful day of judgment. This is a judgment from the Spirit and results in a perpetual alienation.… Grace will be cut off from all the pollution of his soul, and his part will be reckoned with the hypocrites. Jesus calls hypocrites those who are cut into pieces and yet continue to teach others the way to live. They succeed only in making things worse for those learning the life of discipleship. Further, Jesus teaches that those who have not carried out faithfully the ministry given to them in this present life from the Lord will not receive another from him.… For the cutting Jesus reveals is not a bodily one but the stripping of their adoption as sons from the Spirit. Moreover, they are punished because they lived a life of derision. They will gnash their teeth when they consider the reason for their pain and the exceedingly severe character of their punishment.

(Verse 48, 49.) But if that wicked servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken;

(Verse 50, 51.) The lord of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and he will divide him and place his portion with the hypocrites. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. This teaches that they should know when the lord is not expected, then he will come, and it warns the stewards of vigilance and diligence. Furthermore, when it says he will divide him, it does not mean that he will cut him with a sword; but rather, that he will separate him from the company of the saints and place his portion with the hypocrites; namely, with those who were in the field and grinding, yet were still abandoned. We often say that a hypocrite is one thing, and another thing to show: just as it seemed to be doing the same thing in the field and in the mill, that is, the man of the church, but the outcome of different wills appeared.

Having spoken of how the faithful servant will be honored, now He tells how the wicked servant will be punished. If anyone entrusted with the stewardship of a gift disdains the judgement that will take place and says, "My lord delayeth," that is, God does not impose swift and immediate punishment, the Lord "shall cut him asunder." And if he considers God's long-suffering nature an opportunity for wickedness and strikes his fellowservants by scandalizing them and shaking their conscience, as happens when those who are ruled see their rulers using for evil purposes what has been entrusted to them, the Lord shall likewise "cut him asunder." If a man, then, does such things, he shall be cut asunder, that is, he will be stripped of his gift, and then it will be seen what sort of man he is, and he will be cast into the darkness. Formerly he was able to deceive by means of his appearance, as are many hierarchs who are thought to be holy because of their rank. But then at the Judgement the grace will be taken from them, and they will be punished as hypocrites, being one thing but appearing another.

But if that evil servant shall say in his heart: my lord is long in coming. After he enticed them to be watchful through rewards, here he frightens them through punishments. And first he sets forth the fault; secondly, the punishment, at the lord shall come etc. In the fault there are two things, namely, the cause of the fault and the fault itself; and yet both are faults. The cause of the fault is despair about the coming: if he shall say: my lord is long in coming. Augustine says that someone might say this out of too great a desire, and this was what the one who said demonstrated: when shall I come and appear before the face of my God? Sometimes it is said out of despair about his coming soon; Ezekiel 12:22: Son of man, what is this proverb that you have in the land of Israel, saying: the days shall be prolonged, and every vision shall perish? For it shall no more be delayed. 2 Peter 3:9: The Lord does not delay his promise. Hence this is the root of all evils.

And every Bishop, who ministers not as a fellow servant, but rules by might as a master, and often an harsh one, sins against God; also if he does not cherish the needy, but feasts with the drunken, and is continually slumbering because his Lord cometh not till after long time.

Typically, we may understand his beating his fellow servants, of offending the consciences of the weak by word, or by evil example.

But what are the things that follow from it? One of cruelty, another of pleasure. Regarding the first he says, and shall begin to strike his fellow servants, because he considers those subject to him as slaves, against that in 1 Peter 5:3: But willingly, neither as lording it over the clergy. And it is not enough for him; he even strikes and afflicts them; Micah 3:10: You who build up Zion with blood. Or they strike their brothers, whom they consider servants, by bad example. Likewise, this is not enough for them, but they turn to pleasures. And shall eat and drink with drunkards, i.e., he will have the company of the pleasure-seeking, if he himself is pleasure-seeking.

(Ep. 199 in fin.) Putting aside this wicked servant, who, there is no doubt, hates his Master's coming, let us set before our eyes these good servants, who anxiously expect their Lord's coming. One looks for His coming sooner, another later, the third confesses his ignorance of the matter. Let us see which is most agreeable to the Gospel. One says, Let us watch and pray, because the Lord will quickly come; another, Let us watch and pray, because this life is short and uncertain, though the Lord's coming may be distant; and the third, Let us watch, because this life is short and uncertain, and we know not the time when the Lord will come. What else does this man say than what we hear the Gospel say, Watch, because ye know not the hour in which the Lord shall come? All indeed, through longing for the kingdom, desire that that should be true which the first thinks, and if it should so come to pass, the second and third would rejoice with him; but if it should not come to pass, it were to be feared that the belief of its supporters might be shaken by the delay, and they might begin to think that the Lord's coming shall be, not remote, but never. He who believes with the second that the Lord's coming is distant will not be shaken in faith, but will receive an unlooked for joy. He who confesses his ignorance which of these is true, wishes for the one, is resigned to the other, but errs in neither, because he neither affirms or denies either.

(Verse 50, 51.) The lord of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and he will divide him and place his portion with the hypocrites. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. This teaches that they should know when the lord is not expected, then he will come, and it warns the stewards of vigilance and diligence. Furthermore, when it says he will divide him, it does not mean that he will cut him with a sword; but rather, that he will separate him from the company of the saints and place his portion with the hypocrites; namely, with those who were in the field and grinding, yet were still abandoned. We often say that a hypocrite is one thing, and another thing to show: just as it seemed to be doing the same thing in the field and in the mill, that is, the man of the church, but the outcome of different wills appeared.

The Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for Him, is to rouse the stewards to watchfulness and carefulness.

And what will come of it? He sets forth the judgment. First, he sets forth the judgment as unexpected; secondly, the punishment. He says, the lord of that servant shall come in a day that he hopes not; because a man sometimes believes himself secure of a long life, and yet he suddenly fails; 1 Thessalonians 5:2: The day of the Lord shall come as a thief; Isaiah 30:13: Suddenly, while it is not hoped for, destruction shall come.

Let us investigate carefully what "to be cut into pieces means." When in ancient times Adam came into being, God made him a partaker of his own Spirit, giving to his nature a most perfect beauty. For "he breathed on his face the breath of life." For to truly give life is to have the Spirit of life, that is, of Christ. But because Adam was deceived and slipped into sin, he was cut off from the Spirit. For it pleased our God and father "to bring all things together under one head in Christ" and to restore the ancient beauty to human nature. We have received this through grace, but the stealthy entrance of sin stripped it from us. For Christ breathed into us after the resurrection, restoring ancient beauty to us. "Receive," he says, "the Holy Spirit." And so the Spirit is united to us. For "he who unites himself to the Lord is one with him in spirit." Surely, just as we have been compelled to be zealous in our efforts by a sense of devotion, we are receiving the utmost fullness since we now have the pledge of the Spirit at the appropriate time. We are deprived of that same foretaste of the Spirit when we stand accused in our own sin since the gift of the Spirit is cut off and sent away from us as in the time of the judgment. We affirm that it is this judgment that Jesus speaks of when he mentions cutting something apart. For one such as this who has the Spirit is not delivered over to punishment.

He shall cut him in sunder, is not to be understood of execution by the sword, but that he shall sever him from the company of the saints.

And shall appoint him his portion with the hypocrites, with those, namely, that were in the field, and grinding at the mill, and were nevertheless left. For as we often say that the hypocrite is one who is one thing, and passes himself for another; so in the field and at the mill he seemed to be doing the same as others, but the event proved that his purpose was different.

Or, He shall cut him in sunder, when his spirit, that is, his spiritual gift, shall return to God who gave it; but his soul shall go with his body into hell. But the righteous man is not cut in sunder, but his soul, with his spirit, that is, with his gift, spiritual enters into the kingdom of heaven. They that are cut in sunder have in the in thenceforth no part of that spiritual gift which was from God, but there remains to them that part which was their own, that is, their soul, which shall be punished with their body.

Or, there shall be weeping for such as have laughed amiss in this world, gnashing of teeth for those who have enjoyed an irrational peace. For being unwilling to suffer bodily pain, now the torture forces their teeth to chatter, with which they have eaten the bitterness of wickedness. From this we may learn that the Lord sets over His household not the faithful and wise only, but the wicked also; and that it will not save them to have been set over His household, but only if they have given them their food in due season, and have abstained from beating and drunkenness.

Or, appoints him his portion with the hypocrites, that is, a twofold share of punishment, that of fire and frost; to the fire belongs the weeping, to the frost the gnashing of teethk.

And what will happen? A threefold punishment follows. And shall separate him, not, as Jerome says, as if he would divide him with a sword, but from the company of the good; below 25:32: And he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And this is the greatest punishment. Origen says thus: in man there are three things: soul, body, and spiritual gift. And these in good prelates will not be divided, but in bad prelates they will. The spiritual gift will be divided, because he will take away the spiritual gift that he had given them; but their body and soul will be sent into the fire. Likewise, another punishment is that he will be numbered among the wicked; hence he says, and shall appoint his portion with the hypocrites. Hypocrites are dissemblers who profess one thing and do another; hence he will appoint his portion with such as these. And so it is taken in Psalm 10:7: Brimstone and storms of winds shall be the portion of their cup. Likewise, even this is not enough, but there will be another punishment, because there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Job 24:19: For they shall pass from the snow waters to excessive heat. Hence weeping is produced from smoke, and gnashing of teeth from cold. Origen says that from this we can consider that those speak badly who say that bad prelates are not prelates. Likewise, note a certain similitude that Augustine proposes. Let us remove from our eyes that servant of whom it is spoken, and let us suppose three servants who love the coming of their lord. Let one say: my lord will come soon, and therefore I will watch. Let another say: my lord will delay, but I want to watch. Let another say: I do not know when he will come, and therefore I want to watch. Which of these speaks best? Augustine answers that the first is badly deceived, because if he thinks his lord will come soon, and he afterward delays, he is in danger of falling asleep from weariness. The second can be deceived, but he is not in danger. But the third does well, who always waits in uncertainty; therefore it is wrong to determine any particular time.

Let us now, beloved, discuss the five wise and the five foolish virgins. They wished to go to meet the bridegroom. What is the meaning of "to go and meet the bridegroom"? To go with all the heart, to eagerly await his coming.

So then let us understand, dearly beloved, that this parable relates to us all, that is, to the whole church together, not to the clergy only, of whom we spoke yesterday, nor to the laity only but generally to all. Why then are the virgins five and five? These five and five virgins are all Christian souls together. But that I may tell you what by the Lord's inspiration I think, it is not souls of every sort but such souls as have the catholic faith and seem to have good works in the church of God. Yet even of them it is said, "Five are wise, and five are foolish."

(Lib. 83 Quæst. q. 59.) Or, The lamps which they carry in their hands are their works, of which it was said above, Let your works shine before men. (Mat. 5:16.)

(ubi sup.) Or, that the virgins go forth to meet the bridegroom alone, I think is to be understood that the virgins themselves constitute her who is called the bride; as we speak of the Christians flocking to the Church as children running to their mother, and yet this same mother consists only of the children who are gathered together. For now the Church is betrothed, and is to be led forth as a virgin to the marriage, which takes place then when all her mortal part having past away, she may be held in an eternal union.

(Ep. 199. 45.) There have not been wanting those who would refer these ten virgins to that coming of Christ, which takes place now in the Church; but this is not to be hastily held out, lest any thing should occur contradictory of it.

But we should know that often in sacred speech the kingdom of heaven refers to the Church of the present time. Concerning this the Lord says in another place: "The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all scandals." For in that kingdom of blessedness, where there is supreme peace, no scandals could be found to be gathered. And again it is said: "Whoever therefore breaks one of these least commandments and teaches men so, he shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven." But one who is unwilling to fulfill by work what he teaches cannot attain to the kingdom of eternal blessedness. How then shall he be called least in it who is in no way permitted to enter it? What therefore does this statement mean except that the present Church is called the kingdom of heaven? In which a teacher who breaks a commandment is called least, because when someone's life is despised, it follows that his preaching is also condemned.

Now each person exists in five bodily senses, and five doubled makes ten. And because the multitude of the faithful is gathered from both sexes, the holy Church is declared to be like ten virgins. In this Church, because the bad are mixed with the good and the reprobate with the elect, it is rightly said to be like both wise and foolish virgins.

(Hom. in Ev. xii. 1.) By the kingdom of heaven is meant the present Church, as in that, The Son of Man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend. (Matt. 13:41.)

(ubi sup.) For in each of the five senses of the body there is a double instrument, and the number five doubled makes ten. And because the company of the faithful is gathered out of both sexes, the Holy Church is described as being like to ten virgins, where as bad are mixed with good, and reprobate with elect, it is like a mixture of wise and foolish virgins.

The whole story is about the great day of the Lord, when those things concealed from the human mind will be revealed through our understanding of divine judgment. Then the faith true to the Lord's coming will win the just reward for unwavering hope. For in the five wise and five foolish virgins, a complete separation between the faithful and unfaithful is established. Similarly, Moses had received the Ten Commandments written on two tablets. For it was necessary that all these things be written on each. The double column represented, under a single testament, the division between the good and the bad, between the designation of right and left.

Then, because all this discourse is concerning the great day of the Lord, concerning which He had been speaking before.

Or, The bridegroom and the bride represent our Lord God in the body, for the flesh is the bride of the spirit. The lamps are the light of bright souls which shine forth in the sacrament of baptismb.

(Chapter 25, verses 1 onwards) Then the kingdom of heaven shall be like ten virgins who, taking their lamps, went forth to meet the bridegroom and the bride. But five of them were foolish, and five were wise. The foolish ones, having taken their lamps, took no oil with them. But the wise ones took oil in their vessels with their lamps. This parable, that is, the similitude of the ten virgins, some interpret simply in the virgins: some of whom, according to the Apostle, are virgins in both body and mind, while others only preserve the virginity of their bodies, lacking similar works or being kept by their parents, nevertheless they have married in their minds (I Cor. VII). But it seems to me that there is another meaning from what is said before, and it pertains not to virgin bodies, but to the whole human race. For just as two in a field and two grinding at the mill signify two peoples, Christians and Jews, saints and sinners, who are in the Church, they indeed appear to plow and grind themselves; but they do everything in hypocrisy: so now all the ten virgins embrace all men, who seem to believe in God and applaud themselves in the holy Scriptures, both ecclesiastics and Jews, and heretics. Therefore, all women are called virgins because they boast in the knowledge of one God, and their minds are not defiled by a crowd of idolatry (or lust).

This parable of the ten foolish and the ten wise virgins, some interpret literally of virgins, of whom there are according to the Apostle some who are virgins both in body and in thought, (1 Cor. 7.) others who have preserved indeed their bodies virgin, but have not the other deeds of virgins, or have only been preserved by the guardianship of parents, but have wedded in their hearts. But from what has gone before, I think the meaning to be different, and that the parable has reference not to virgins only, but to the whole human race.

But wherefore doth He set forth this parable in the person of the virgins, and doth not merely suppose any person whatever? Great things had He spoken of virginity, saying, "There are eunuchs, who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of Heaven's sake;" and, "He that is able to receive, let him receive it." He knew also that the generality of men would have a great opinion of it. For indeed the work is by nature great, and is shown so by this, that neither under the old dispensation was it fulfilled by these ancient and holy men, nor under the new was it brought under the compulsion of the law. For He did not command this, but left it to the choice of his hearers. Wherefore Paul also said "Now, concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord." "For though I praise him that attains thereto, yet I constrain not him that is not willing, neither do I make the thing an injunction." Since then the thing is both great in itself and hath great honor with the multitude, lest any one attaining to this should feel as though he had attained to all, and should be careless about the rest, He putteth forth this parable sufficient to persuade them, that virginity, though it should have everything else, if destitute of the good things arising out of almsgiving, is cast out with the harlots, and He sets the inhuman and merciless with them. And most reasonably, for the one was overcome by the love of carnal pleasure, but these of money. But the love of carnal pleasure and of money are not equal, but that of carnal pleasure is far keener and more tyrannical. And the weaker the antagonist, the less excusable are these that are overcome thereby. Therefore also He calls them foolish, for that having undergone the greater labor, they have betrayed all for want of the less. But by lamps here, He meaneth the gift itself of virginity, the purity of holiness; and by oil, humanity, almsgiving, succor to them that are in need.

These parables are like the former parable of the faithful servant, and of him that was ungrateful and devoured his Lord's goods. For there are four in all, in different ways admonishing us about the same things, I mean about diligence in almsgiving, and about helping our neighbor by all means which we are able to use, since it is not possible to be saved in another way. But there He speaks more generally of all assistance which should be rendered to one's neighbor; but as to the virgins, he speaketh particularly of mercifulness in alms, and more strongly than in the former parable. For there He punishes him that beats, and is drunken, and scatters and wastes his lord's goods, but here even him that doth not help, nor spends abundantly his goods upon the needy. For they had oil indeed, but not in abundance, wherefore also they are punished.

But wherefore doth He set forth this parable in the person of the virgins, and doth not merely suppose any person whatever? Great things had He spoken of virginity, saying, "There are eunuchs, who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of Heaven's sake;" and, "He that is able to receive, let him receive it." He knew also that the generality of men would have a great opinion of it. For indeed the work is by nature great, and is shown so by this, that neither under the old dispensation was it fulfilled by these ancient and holy men, nor under the new was it brought under the compulsion of the law. For He did not command this, but left it to the choice of his hearers. Wherefore Paul also said "Now, concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord." "For though I praise him that attains thereto, yet I constrain not him that is not willing, neither do I make the thing an injunction." Since then the thing is both great in itself and hath great honor with the multitude, lest any one attaining to this should feel as though he had attained to all, and should be careless about the rest, He putteth forth this parable sufficient to persuade them, that virginity, though it should have everything else, if destitute of the good things arising out of almsgiving, is cast out with the harlots, and He sets the inhuman and merciless with them. And most reasonably, for the one was overcome by the love of carnal pleasure, but these of money. But the love of carnal pleasure and of money are not equal, but that of carnal pleasure is far keener and more tyrannical. And the weaker the antagonist, the less excusable are these that are overcome thereby. Therefore also He calls them foolish, for that having undergone the greater labor, they have betrayed all for want of the less. But by lamps here, He meaneth the gift itself of virginity, the purity of holiness; and by oil, humanity, almsgiving, succor to them that are in need.

"Then, while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept." He shows that the time intervening will not be short, leading His disciples away from the expectation that His kingdom was quite immediately to appear. For this indeed they hoped, therefore He is continually holding them back from this hope. And at the same time He intimates this too, that death is a sleep. For they slept, He saith.

"And about midnight there was a cry made." Either He was continuing the parable, or again He shows that the resurrection will be at night. But the cry Paul also indicates, saying, "With a shout, with a voice of an archangel, with the last trump, He shall come down from Heaven." And what mean the trumpets, and what saith the cry? "The bridegroom cometh." When therefore they had trimmed their lamps, the foolish say unto the wise, "Give us of your oil." Again He calls them foolish, showing that nothing can be more foolish than they who are wealthy here, and depart naked thither, where most of all we have need of humanity, where we want much oil. But not in this respect only were they foolish, but also because they looked to receive it there, and sought it out of season; and yet nothing could be more humane than those virgins, who for this especially were approved. Neither do they seek for it all, for, "Give us," they say, "of your oil;" and the urgency of their need is indicated; "for our lamps," they say, "are going out." But even so they failed, and neither the humanity of those whom they asked, nor the easiness of their request, nor their necessity and want, made them obtain.

But what now do we learn from hence? That no man can protect us there, if we are betrayed by our works, not because he will not, but because he cannot. For these too take refuge in the impossibility. This the blessed Abraham also indicated, saying, "Between us and you there is a great gulf," so that not even when willing is it permitted them to pass it.

"But go to them that sell, and buy." And who are they that sell? The poor. And where are these? Here, and then should they have sought them, not at that time.

Seest thou what great profit arises to us from the poor? shouldest thou take them away, thou wouldest take away the great hope of our salvation. Wherefore here must we get together the oil, that it may be useful to us there, when the time calls us. For that is not the time of collecting it, but this. Spend not then your goods for nought in luxury and vainglory. For thou wilt have need of much oil there.

Having heard these things, those virgins went their way; but they profited nothing. And this He saith, either pursuing the parable, and working it up; or also by these things showing, that though we should become humane after our departure, we shall gain nothing from thence towards our escape. Therefore neither did their forwardness avail these virgins, because they went to them that sell not here, but there; nor the rich man, when he became so charitable, as even to be anxious about his relations. For he that was passing by him that was laid at the gate, is eager to rescue from perils and from hell them whom he did not so much as see, and entreats that some be sent to tell them these things. But nevertheless, he derived no benefit from thence, as neither did these virgins. For when they having heard these things went their way, the bridegroom came, and they that were ready went in with Him, but the others were shut out. After their many labors, after their innumerable toils, and that intolerable fight, and those trophies which they had set up over the madness of natural appetite, disgraced, and with their lamps gone out, they withdrew, bending down their faces to the earth. For nothing is more sullied than virginity not having mercy; so that even the multitude are wont to call the unmerciful dark. Where then was the profit of virginity, when they saw not the bridegroom? and not even when they had knocked did they obtain, but they heard that fearful saying, "Depart, I know you not." And when He hath said this, nothing else but hell is left, and that intolerable punishment; or rather, this word is more grievous even than hell. This word He speaks to them also that work iniquity.

"Watch therefore, for ye know not the day nor the hour." Seest thou how continually He adds this, showing how awful our ignorance concerning our departure hence? Where now are they, who throughout all their life are remiss, but when they are blamed by us, are saying, At the time of my death, I shall leave money to the poor. Let them listen to these words, and be amended. For indeed at that time many have failed of this, having been snatched away at once, and not permitted so much as to give charge to their relations touching what they wished to be done.

Or, The understandings of all who have received the word of God are virgins. For such is the word of God, that of its purity it imparts to all, who by its teaching have departed from the worship of idols, and have through Christ drawn near to the worship of God; Which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom and the bridea. They take their lamps, i. e. their natural faculties, and go forth out of the world and its errors, and go to meet the Saviour, who is ever ready to come to enter with them that are worthy to His blessed bride the Church.

This parable is on mercy and almsgiving. In telling the parable the Lord uses the person of virgins to teach those who understand the greatness of the virtue of virginity not to strive to accomplish this one virtue alone and neglect the others.

Above the Lord's coming to judgment was treated; here the judgment itself is treated. Hence this chapter is divided into two parts. In the first part he speaks of the judgment through certain parables; in the second he manifestly and explicitly sets forth the form of the judgment, at when the Son of man shall come, etc. Regarding the first he does two things. First, a parable is presented in which certain ones are excluded from the kingdom on account of an interior deficiency; in the second, certain ones are excluded on account of negligence in exterior action, at for even as a man going into a far country, etc. The first is about virgins, which tends to exercise the minds of men; and in it three things are to be considered. First, the preparation of certain ones disposing themselves to reign with Christ is presented; secondly, the arousal unto judgment is presented; thirdly, the coming of the judgment. The second is at and at midnight, etc.; the third is at and whilst they went, etc. Regarding the first, he first touches on the zeal of those preparing; secondly, their sleep, at and the bridegroom tarrying, etc. Regarding the first he does two things. First, he presents what is common to all those preparing themselves; secondly, the distinction among those who prepare themselves, at and five of them, etc. Regarding the first, four things are considered common to all: the number, the state, the office, and the intended end. The number is touched on, that there were ten: the kingdom of heaven shall be like to ten virgins. But why ten? There is a threefold reason. One indeed is that ten is the number of universality: in counting we proceed up to ten, and afterwards begin again from one; hence by ten, by one, and by a hundred, universality is signified. Or, according to Hilary, all are bound by the observance of the ten precepts, or are obligated to them. Or ten on account of the five senses doubled. For they are doubled in one way, according to Gregory, because five are in men and five in women: and thus ten. According to Jerome, they are doubled insofar as they are referred to different senses: for there are certain exterior senses and certain interior ones. Concerning interior sight it is said in John 4:12: No man has seen God at any time. Concerning taste it is said in Psalm 33:9: O taste and see that the Lord is sweet. Concerning smell it is said in Song of Songs 1:3: we run after the odor of your ointments. And thus there are all ten who come to the judgment. The state is touched on when it says virgins. But why are they called virgins? There is a threefold reason. According to Chrysostom, it is understood of those who preserve the integrity of the flesh. But why does he make mention of virgins rather than others? He says that above at 19:12 he had spoken of virgins, where he says that there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven. He that can take, let him take it. Therefore, since virginity is so great a good that it does not fall under a precept but under a counsel, according to what is had in 1 Corinthians 7:25: concerning virgins I have no commandment, but I give counsel, if these are condemned, much more so are others. Or they are called virgins who abstain from the allurements of the five senses. According to Jerome and Origen, they are called virgins as faithful ones who do not admit corruption, according to what the Apostle says in 2 Corinthians 11:2: I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. There follows the consideration of their zeal: who taking their lamps. Lamps are vessels of light. Hence according to Hilary we can understand souls illuminated by the light of faith, which they received in Baptism; Isaiah 58:8: then shall your light break forth as the morning. Or by lamps works are signified, according to Augustine: for your works ought to be a lamp; above at 5:16: so let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Therefore, to take up lamps is to prepare the soul, or to dispose oneself for good works. The fourth thing presented is that they went out to meet the bridegroom and the bride. Who is the bridegroom, and who is the bride? This is expounded in two ways according to a twofold marriage. One is the marriage of the divinity to the flesh, which was celebrated in the womb of the Virgin; he, as a bridegroom, coming out of his bride-chamber, Psalm 18:6. The bridegroom is the Son himself, the bride is human nature; hence to go out to meet the bridegroom and the bride is nothing other than to serve Christ. Likewise there is the marriage of Christ and the Church; John 3:29: he that has the bride is the bridegroom. Therefore those preparing their lamps intend to please the bridegroom, i.e., Christ, and the bride, i.e., mother Church. And in these things they agree.

Every soul that enlivens a body is denoted by the number five, because it makes use of five senses. For there is nothing of which we have perception by the body except through this fivefold gate, either by sight, or hearing, or smelling, or tasting or touching. Whoever abstains from unlawful seeing, unlawful hearing, unlawful smelling, unlawful tasting and unlawful touching, by reason of blamelessness, is here called by the name of virgin.

It says that even of these, who were virgins and carrying lamps, some are wise and some foolish. How is this distinction made? By what clue do we tell the difference? Only by whether the oil is present or missing.

(ubi sup.) Or, by the five virgins, is denoted a five-fold continence from the allurements of the flesh; for our appetite must be held from gratification of the eyes, ears, smell, taste, and touch. And as this continence may be done before God, to please Him in inward joy of the conscience, or before men only to gain applause of men, five are called wise, and five foolish. Both are virgins, because both these men exercise continence, though from different motives.

For there are many continent persons who guard themselves from outward desire, and are carried by hope toward inner things, who mortify the flesh, and pant with all longing for the heavenly homeland, who seek eternal rewards and are unwilling to receive human praises for their labors. These indeed do not place their glory on the lips of men, but conceal it within their conscience.

And there are many who afflict the body through abstinence, but from that very abstinence seek human favor, who devote themselves to teaching and give much to the needy. But these are certainly foolish virgins, because they seek only the recompense of passing praise. Hence it is aptly added: "Five were foolish."

: The wise virgins are those who, embracing the time available to them, were prepared at the first onset of the coming of the Lord. But the foolish were those who were lax and unmindful. They troubled themselves only over present matters and, forgetting what God said, did not direct their efforts toward hope for resurrection.

Or, The five wise and five foolish are an absolute distinction between believers and unbelievers.

We can interpret the five virgins, wise and foolish, as the five senses: some hasten to heavenly things and desire heavenly things; others, gaping at earthly dregs, do not have the ointments of truth with which to enlighten their hearts. It has been said spiritually by sight, hearing, and touch: What we have seen, what we have heard, what we have beheld with our own eyes, and what our hands have touched (1 John 1:1). As for taste: Taste and see that the Lord is sweet (Psalm 34:9). As for smell: We run after the fragrance of your ointments (Song of Solomon 1:3). And: We are the sweet fragrance of Christ (2 Corinthians 2:15).

For there are five senses which hasten towards heavenly things, and seek after things above. Of sight, hearing, and touch, it is specially said, That which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, and our hands have handled. (1 John 1:1.) Of taste, Taste and see that the Lord is good. (Ps. 34:8.) Of smell, Because of the savour of thy good ointments. (Sol. Song, 1:3.) There are also other five senses which gape after earthly husks.

They that believe rightly, and live righteously, are likened to the five wise; they that profess the faith of Jesus, but prepare themselves not by good works to salvation, are likened to the five foolish.

And because the virtues are so linked together, that he who has one has all, so all the senses so follow one another, that all must be wise, or all foolish.

But learn that if you do not give alms, though you may be a virgin, you will be cast out with the fornicators. It is only right that he who lacks compassion and mercy is cast out, even if he is a virgin. For a fornicator is overcome by a tyrannical and physical passion, but he who lacks mercy is overcome only by money. Of the two, the foe of the greedy one is the weaker, and therefore he who remains vanquished by the passion of greed does not find forgiveness. Such a man is foolish for the very reason that he has prevailed against a physical fire storm, but has been overcome by the trivial passion for money.

There are also presented two things in which they differ: in interior discretion and in exterior solicitude. As to the first he says and five of them were foolish and five wise; Proverbs 10:23: wisdom is prudence to a man. That man is prudent who does not wish to lose for nothing what he does. Therefore it was said above at 10:16: be wise as serpents. Or thus: the foolish are those who turn away from God, either through a bad and not upright intention, or through false doctrine; Proverbs 9:13: a foolish woman, and clamorous, and full of allurements, and knowing nothing at all, sits in the doors of her house. According to Origen, he who has one virtue has all: hence it cannot be that one sense is ordered without the others being ordered. Likewise, as it is also said in James 2:10, whosoever shall offend in one point is become guilty of all.

It is some great thing, some exceedingly great thing, that this oil signifies. Do you think it might be charity? If we try out this hypothesis, we hazard no precipitate judgment. I will tell you why charity seems to be signified by the oil. The apostle says, "I will show you a still more excellent way." "If I speak with the tongue of mortals and of angels but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal." This is charity. It is "that way above the rest," which is with good reason signified by the oil. For oil swims above all liquids. Pour in water, and pour in oil upon it; the oil will swim above. Pour in oil, pour in water upon it; the oil will swim above. If you keep the usual order, it will be uppermost; if you change the order, it will be uppermost. "Charity never fails."

What is the meaning of "took no oil with them"? What is "in their lamps"? In their hearts. For this reason the apostle wrote, "Indeed, this is our glory, the testimony of our conscience." There is the oil, the precious oil. This oil is of the gift of God. We can put oil into our lamps, but we ourselves cannot create the olive. See, I have oil. But did I create the oil? It is of the gift of God. So you have oil. Carry it with you. What does it mean to "carry it with you"? To have it within, where it is pleasing to God. Note: those "foolish virgins, who brought no oil with them," wish to please a human audience by that abstinence of theirs by which they are called virgins, and by their good works, when they seem to carry lamps. But wishing to please human spectators, doing praiseworthy works, they forgot to carry with them the necessary oil.

But if it is good to abstain from the unlawful excitements of the senses, and on that account every Christian soul has received the name of virgin, why then are five admitted and five rejected? They are both virgins, and yet half are rejected. It is not enough that they are virgins but that they also have lamps. They are virgins by reason of abstinence from unlawful indulgence of the senses. But they have lamps by reason of good works. Of these good works the Lord says, "Let your works shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven." Again he said to his disciples, "Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning." In the "girded loins" is virginity. In the "burning lamps" is good works.

(ubi sup.) Or, The oil denotes joy, according to that, God hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness. (Ps. 45:7.) He then whose joy springs not from this that he is inwardly pleasing to God, has no oil with him; for they have no gladness in their continent lives, save in the praises of men. But the wise took oil with their lamps, that is, the gladness of good works, in their vessels, that is, they stored it in their heart and conscience, as the Apostle speaks, Let every man prove himself, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself, and not in another. (Gal. 6:4.)

Those ten virgins, whom the Lord compared with the kingdom of heaven, were set up as an example for all virgins. They went out to meet the bridegroom and the bride. This means that they had received the grace of the Holy Spirit. They had come forth as virgins never stained by sin and had left behind earthly matters to meet Christ and the church. "But five were foolish and five wise. For the wise took oil with them along with their lamps. But the foolish did not take oil." Thus they were foolish, because they were not prepared for the future but only for the present. Thus they were foolish, because they did not have works of compassion. For the oil is compassion. But the wise took oil with their lamps. Thus they were wise, because they took these things not on account of people but on account of God. Thus they were wise, because they were virgins not for the sake of the present but the future. Thus they were wise, because they had works of compassion. Thus they were wise, because they were virgins in spirit and body.

But the foolish virgins do not take oil with them, because they do not have glory within their conscience, since they seek it from the lips of their neighbors. But it should be noted that all have lamps, yet not all have oil, because often the reprobate display good works in themselves along with the elect, but only those come to the bridegroom with oil who seek glory inwardly for what they have done outwardly.

(Hom. in Ev. xii. 1.) It is to be observed, that all have lamps, but all have not oil.

The oil is the fruit of good works, the vessels are the human bodies in whose inward parts the treasure of a good conscience is to be laid up.

Virgins have oil, who are adorned with faith and good works. Those who appear to confess the Lord with a similar faith do not have oil; but they neglect the works of virtue.

The virgins that have oil are they who, besides their faith, have the ornament of good works; they that have not oil, are they that seem to confess with like faith, but neglect the works of virtue.

Or, The oil is the word of teaching, with which the vessels of souls are filled; for what gives so great content as moral discourse, which is called the oil of light. The wise took with them of this oil, as much as would suffice, though the Word should tarry long, and be slack to come to their consummation. The foolish took lamps, alight indeed at the first, but not supplied with so much oil as should suffice even to the end, being careless respecting the provision of doctrine which comforts faith, and enlightens the lamp of good deeds.

They also differ as to exterior solicitude, because the five foolish, having taken their lamps, did not take oil with them. All of these wished to have their lamps burning, because he who is the light wills to be served with light; but light cannot be nourished without oil: for he would be foolish who believed he could keep light in a lamp and not put in oil. By oil four things are signified. According to Jerome, by oil good works are signified. And why? Faith is the light of souls by which the lamps are kindled. By good works faith is nourished; 1 Timothy 1:18: this precept I commend to you, O my son Timothy, according to the prophecies going before on you, that you war in them a good warfare, having faith and a good conscience, which some rejecting have made shipwreck concerning the faith. From this can be taken what is said in Proverbs 21:20: there is a treasure to be desired, and oil in the dwelling of the just, and the foolish man shall spend it. In another way, by oil mercy is signified: and this is what Chrysostom says. Hence it is had in Luke 10:34 that the Samaritan poured in wine and oil. By wine severity is signified, by oil the work of mercy. He wills, therefore, that he who intends to preserve continence and has not performed mercy is foolish. Hence James 2:13 says: judgment without mercy to him that has not done mercy. Likewise, by oil interior joy is signified, concerning which Psalm 103:15 says: that he may make the face cheerful with oil. And elsewhere in Psalm 44:8: God has anointed you with the oil of gladness. Many are those who abstain outwardly and seek joy within, namely, of conscience, and there they have oil with them. But others do not seek the joy of conscience but the glory of men, and these do not have oil. According to Origen, by oil holy doctrine is signified; Song of Songs 1:2: your name is as oil poured out. The oil of justice signifies right doctrine; Psalm 118:11: in my heart I have hidden your words. Hence they are called virgins who preserve continence, who perform mercy, who seek interior joy, who take up right doctrine.

For by oil the splendor of glory is signified; and our vessels are our hearts, in which we carry all that we think. The wise therefore have oil in their vessels, because they retain the splendor of glory within their conscience, as Paul attests when he says: "Our glory is this, the testimony of our conscience." But the foolish virgins do not take oil with them, because they do not have glory within their conscience, since they seek it from the lips of their neighbors. But it should be noted that all have lamps, yet not all have oil, because often the reprobate display good works in themselves along with the elect, but only those come to the bridegroom with oil who seek glory inwardly for what they have done outwardly. Hence through the Psalmist also it is said of the holy Church of the elect: "All the glory of the king's daughter is from within."

But he tarried. And "while he tarried, they all slept." What is "all"? Both the foolish and the wise. "All slumbered and slept." But is this sleeping good? What does this sleep mean at this time? Might it mean that during the delay of the bridegroom there is an inattentiveness, so that "because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold"? Are we to understand this sleep in this way? I don't like that reading, and I will tell you why. Because among the ten are the five wise virgins. Certainly when the Lord said, "And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold," he then went on directly to say, "But the one who endures to the end will be saved." So on this premise, where would you place the wise virgins? Are they not among those that will "endure to the end"? They would not be admitted within unless they had "endured to the end." No coldness of love then crept over them. In them love did not grow cold. Love preserves its glow even to the very end. And because it glows even to the end, therefore are the gates of the bridegroom opened to them. So they are told to enter in, just as did that excellent servant to whom it was said, "Enter into the joy of thy Lord."24What then is the meaning of "they all slept"? There is another sleep which no one escapes. Don't you remember the apostle saying, "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning those who are asleep," that is, concerning those who are dead? For why are they called "those who are asleep," except that they all have died in their own time? Therefore it is said "they all slept." Do you imagine that just because one is wise, she does not have to die? Whether the virgin is foolish or wise, all suffer equally the sleep of death.

Why "at midnight"? That is the moment of least expectation. There is no thought of it. It is a moment of complete unawareness. It is as though one might calculate complacently, … "So many years have passed since Adam, and the six thousand years are being completed, and then immediately, according to the computation of certain expositors, the day of judgment will come." Yet these calculations come and pass away, and still the coming of the bridegroom is delayed. So the virgins who had gone to meet him now are sleeping. But just when he is least looked for, when the best calculators are saying, "The six thousand years were waited for, and, look, they are already gone by. So how then shall we know when he will come?"—he comes at midnight. So what is "midnight"? It means when you are least aware.

(ubi sup.) For there die of both kinds of men in this interval of time before the resurrection of the dead, and the Lord's coming shall be.

"While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept," because while the Judge delays His coming to the final judgment, both the elect and the reprobate are lulled in the sleep of death. For to sleep is to die. But to slumber before sleep is to languish from health before death, because through the weight of illness one arrives at the sleep of death.

(Hom. in Ev. xii. 1.) To sleep is to die, to slumber before sleep is to faint from salvation before death, because, by the burden of sickness we come to the sleep of death.

The bridegroom and bride represent our Lord, God in the flesh. For as the spirit is wedded to the flesh, so the flesh is wedded to the spirit. When the trumpet finally summons us and the bridegroom is at hand, all this will be revealed. Indeed, the two aspects are the corruptible body and the incorruptible soul.

The delay of the bridegroom is the time for repentance. The sleep of those waiting is the peaceful rest of believers. The delay has given time for repentance. The cry comes at midnight, when no one yet knows what is happening. The sound of the trumpet of God heralds his coming, rousing all to go out and meet the bridegroom. The taking up of the lamps is the return of souls into their bodies. And the light shining from them is the consciousness of good work, which is contained in our bodies, which are like flasks.

(Verse 5) And while the bridegroom delayed, they all slumbered and slept. For not a little time passes between the first and second coming of the Lord. They all slumbered, that is, they died, because the death of the saints is called sleep. Moreover, it is said that they slept, because they will be raised afterwards.

Or, They slumbered, i. e. they were dead. And then follows, And slept, because they were to be afterwards wakened. While the bridegroom tarried, shows that no little time intervened between the Lord's first and second coming.

"Then, while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept." He shows that the time intervening will not be short, leading His disciples away from the expectation that His kingdom was quite immediately to appear. For this indeed they hoped, therefore He is continually holding them back from this hope. And at the same time He intimates this too, that death is a sleep. For they slept, He saith.

Or, Whilst the bridegroom tarried, and the Word comes not speedily to the consummation of this life, the senses suffer, slumbering and moving in the night of the world; and sleep, as energizing feebly, and with no quick sense. Yet did those wise virgins not quit their lamps, nor despair of hoarding their oil.

"Slumber" here means death, and the tarrying of the bridegroom means that the second coming does not occur immediately.

There follows concerning the sudden sleep. The cause of sleep and the sleep itself are presented. The cause of sleep is delay. For when people are waiting for someone, and especially at night, they quickly fall asleep. Hence by this interval is signified the interval between Christ's coming in the flesh and his coming to judgment; hence he says and the bridegroom tarrying, they all slumbered and slept. According to all the expositors this is expounded of death. But why is death called sleep? This is on account of the hope of the resurrection. For just as he who sleeps intends to awaken, so he who sleeps in death intends to rise again; 1 Thessalonians 4:12: we will not have you ignorant concerning them that are asleep, that you be not sorrowful, even as others who have no hope. But what is slumbering, and what is sleeping? Gregory explains: slumbering is properly the way to sleep; hence by slumbering we can understand the longer life, and by sleep, death. According to Origen, it is understood of the sleep of sloth; Proverbs 6:9: how long will you sleep, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep? Hence the bridegroom tarrying, whether unto the judgment or unto death, they all slumbered and slept; for there are scarcely any who live a long time without growing sluggish. Or those who totally neglect are sleeping; while those who in some way to some degree desist from their first fervor are slumbering.

(ubi sup.) Or, At midnight, that is, when none knew or looked for it.

"And at midnight a cry was made: Behold, the bridegroom comes, go out to meet him." The cry concerning the arrival of the bridegroom happens at midnight, because the day of judgment creeps up in such a way that it cannot be foreseen when it comes. Hence it is written: "The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night."

At the trumpet signal they go forth to meet the bridegroom alone, for then shall the two be one, that is, the flesh and God, when the lowliness of the flesh shall be transformed into spiritual glory.

(Verse 6.) But at midnight there was a cry, 'Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out to meet him.' For suddenly, like in the darkest night and with calmness all around, when the heaviest sleep is upon everyone, the arrival of Christ will resound through the loud cry of angels and the trumpets of preceding powers. Let us say something that might be useful to the reader. It is the tradition of the Jews that Christ will come at midnight in a similar way to the time of the Egyptians, when the Passover was celebrated and the exterminator came, and the Lord passed over the tabernacles, and the blood of the lamb consecrated the doorposts of our foreheads (Exodus 12). Hence I think that the apostolic tradition has remained, that on the eve of Easter it is not allowed to dismiss half of the people, waiting for the coming of Christ. And after that time has passed, with assumed security, everyone celebrates the feast day. Hence the Psalmist said: At midnight I rise to give you thanks for your righteous rules (Psalm 119:62).

The Jews have a tradition that Christ will come at midnight, in like manner as in that visitation of Egypt, when the Paschal feast is celebrated, and the destroyer comes, and the Lord passes over our dwellings, and the door posts of each man's countenance are hallowed by the blood of the Lamb. Hence, I suppose, has continued among us that apostolic tradition, that on the vigil of Easter the people should not be dismissed before midnight, in expectation of Christ's coming; but when that hour has past over, they may celebrate the feast in security; whence also the Psalmist says, At midnight did I rise to praise thee. (Ps. 119:62.)

Suddenly thus, as on a stormy night, and when all think themselves secure, at the hour when sleep is the deepest, the coming of Christ shall be proclaimed by the shout of Angels, and the trumpets of the Powers that go before Him. This is meant when it says, Lo, the bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him.

"And about midnight there was a cry made." Either He was continuing the parable, or again He shows that the resurrection will be at night. But the cry Paul also indicates, saying, "With a shout, with a voice of an archangel, with the last trump, He shall come down from Heaven." And what mean the trumpets, and what saith the cry? "The bridegroom cometh."

Or, At midnight, that is, at the time of their most abandoned carelessness, there was a great cry, of the Angels, I suppose, desiring to arouse all men, those ministering spirits crying within in the senses of all that sleep, Behold, the bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him. All heard this summons, and arose, but all were not able to trim their lamps fitly. The lamps of the senses are trimmed by evangelical and right use of them; and they that use their senses amiss have their lamps untrimmed.

He says that a cry was made in the middle of the night to show that the Lord comes when least expected, as at midnight when we all have fallen into a deep sleep. He also comes with a cry, for a trumpet will sound at the second coming.

Then follows the arousal; secondly, the effect; thirdly, the petition of the foolish virgins; fourthly, the response of the wise. He says therefore and at midnight there was a cry made: behold the bridegroom comes. Concerning this, Origen says something different from the others, and more according to the letter. All the others expound this arousal as referring to the final judgment; and according to this, this cry will be the trumpet, or the voice of Christ; 1 Thessalonians 4:15: for the Lord himself shall come down from heaven with commandment and with the voice of an Archangel and with the trumpet of God; 1 Corinthians 15:52: the trumpet shall sound (...) and the dead who are in Christ shall rise first. And why at midnight? Jerome says that the Hebrew tradition holds that just as the Angel descended at midnight to slay the firstborn of Egypt, so the Lord will come at midnight. Hence it used to be the custom among them that the people were not dismissed until midnight. Augustine says that it is not on account of the time but only on account of the hiddenness; 1 Thessalonians 5:2: the day of the Lord shall so come as a thief in the night. But what does it mean when he says behold the bridegroom comes, go forth to meet him? Because then all will rise to meet him; John 5:25: the hour comes in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice; Amos 4:12: prepare to meet your God, O Israel. Origen refers this to the present life. And this is when a man is held by vainglory, and a cry is made through a preacher, or through an interior inspiration; then he returns to Christ; Isaiah 40:9: lift up your voice with strength, you that bring good tidings to Jerusalem.

Of what cry are we speaking? That of which the apostle says, "In the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump? For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed"? And so when the cry was made at midnight, "Behold, the bridegroom comes!" what follows? "Then all those maidens arose." But who are "all those" who arose? "The hour will come," said the Lord himself, "when all that are in the graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth." Therefore at the last trumpet they all arose. "When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps."

Note then, beloved, that before those virgins slept, it is not said that their lamps were extinguished. The lamps of the wise virgins burned with an inward oil, with the assurance of a good conscience, with an inner glory, with an inmost charity. Yet the lamps of the foolish virgins were also still burning. In what way were they burning? They burned because there was no lack of praise among human onlookers. But after that they arose, that is, in the resurrection from the dead. They began to trim their lamps, that is, began to prepare to render to God an account of their works. And because there is then no human beholder to praise them, all persons are wholly employed in their own cause. There is no one then who is not thinking of self. Therefore there were none to sell them oil.

So their lamps began to fail, and the foolish plead with the five wise, "Give us of your oil, for our lamps are going out." They sought for what they had been most prone to seek for, to shine, that is, with others' oil, to walk after others' praises.

(ubi sup.) They trimmed their lamps, that is, prepared to give an account of their deeds.

(ubi sup.) From habit, the mind seeks that which uses to give it pleasure. And these now seek from men, who see not the heart, witness to God, who sees the heart. But their lamps go out, because those, whose good works rest upon the testimony of others, when that is withdrawn, sink into nothing.

"Then all the virgins rise," because both the elect and the reprobate are awakened from the sleep of their death. "They trim their lamps," because they count up their works with them, for which they expect to receive eternal blessedness. But the lamps of the foolish virgins are extinguished, because their works, which had appeared outwardly bright to men, are inwardly darkened at the coming of the judge. And they find no recompense from God, because for those works they received from men the praises which they loved.

(ubi sup.) Or, All the virgins arose, that is, both elect and reprobate are roused from the sleep of death; they trimmed their lamps, that is, they reckon up to themselves their works for which they look to receive eternal blessedness.

Or, the trimming their lamps is the return of their souls into their bodies, and their light is the consciousness of good works that shines forth, which is contained in the vessels of the body.

(Verse 7) Then all those virgins arose, and adorned their lamps. All the virgins arose, and each adorned their lamps, that is, their senses, in which they received the oil of knowledge, so that they may have the works of virtue, which would shine before the true judge.

The lamps are our souls, and each one's mind is also a lamp; the lamp is lit when one has the oil of the virtues and of almsgiving. The virgins were truly foolish in this regard also, that they went to look for oil when it was not the time for work and business. The wise virgins say, "lest there be not enough for us and you." My neighbor's virtue scarcely suffices for his own defense, and certainly not for me as well, for each one will be deemed righteous by his own deeds and not by those of his neighbor. But the foolish virgins went to "them that sell," that is, to the poor. What He is saying is this: the foolish virgins repent of not having given alms and now for the first time they understand that it was from the poor that we should have obtained oil. This is what He means when He says that they went to buy oil from those that sell, that is, their thoughts went to the poor and they pondered how good a thing is almsgiving, but now the door was shut for them. For there is no time for repentance and deeds after our departure from this life. Understand this, that every soul possesses a lamp and a light from God, and that all arise to meet the Lord, for all desire to meet and have communion with God. But after God has given light and a lamp, the wise, with their good deeds, add the oil. But the foolish, having let their lamps run out of oil, are shut out, having no good deeds with which to fuel the light in their lamps. For if we do not labor and trade with good deeds, we extinguish the light of God that is in us.

Then follows the effect: then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. Taken literally, when the cry is made through the trumpet or through the voice of Christ, all will rise. Hence John 5:25: for all that are in the graves shall hear his voice. But what did they do? They trimmed their lamps. But what does this mean? Will there be time for this? It must be said that to trim their lamps is nothing other than to review the works they have done, so that they can render a fitting account. Hence they will have solicitude when they hear the voice of the Son of God, as below: when did we see you hungry and fed you; thirsty, and gave you drink? etc. According to Origen the letter is plainer. Because if it is referred to the present life, when a cry is made through a preacher or interior inspiration, then they rise from negligence, and then they begin to rise up to correct their deeds.

But what does it mean that they then seek oil from the wise, except that at the coming of the judge, when they find themselves empty within, they seek testimony from without? As if, deceived by their own confidence, they say to their neighbors: Since you see us being rejected as if without works, tell us what you saw of our works. But the wise virgins answer, saying: "Lest perhaps there be not enough for us and for you." For on that day (though I speak of certain ones resting in the peace of the Church) the testimony of each one barely suffices for oneself; how much less for both oneself and one's neighbor?

(ubi sup.) The lamps of the foolish virgins go out, because the works which appeared outwardly to men to be bright, are dimmed within at the coming of the Judge. That they then beg oil of the wise virgins, what is it but that at the coming of the Judge, when they find themselves empty within, they seek for witness from without? As though deceived by their own self-confidence, they say to their neighbours, Whereas ye see us rejected as living without works, do ye witness to our works that ye have seen.

(Verse 8) But foolish women say to the wise: Give us of your oil, for our lamps are going out. They show that their lamps shine in part, and yet they do not have an inexhaustible light, nor perpetual works. Therefore, if anyone has a virgin soul and is a lover of chastity, they should not be satisfied with mediocre things that quickly fade away and wither when the heat is turned on. Instead, they should pursue perfect virtues, so that they may have eternal light.

Or, These virgins who complain that their lamps are gone out, show that they are partially alight, yet have they not an unfailing light, nor enduring works. Whoso then has a virgin soul, and is a lover of chastity, ought not to rest content with such virtues as quickly fade, and are withered away when the heat comes upon them, but should follow after perfect virtues, that he may have an enduring light.

When therefore they had trimmed their lamps, the foolish say unto the wise, "Give us of your oil." Again He calls them foolish, showing that nothing can be more foolish than they who are wealthy here, and depart naked thither, where most of all we have need of humanity, where we want much oil. But not in this respect only were they foolish, but also because they looked to receive it there, and sought it out of season; and yet nothing could be more humane than those virgins, who for this especially were approved. Neither do they seek for it all, for, "Give us," they say, "of your oil;" and the urgency of their need is indicated; "for our lamps," they say, "are going out." But even so they failed, and neither the humanity of those whom they asked, nor the easiness of their request, nor their necessity and want, made them obtain.

But what now do we learn from hence? That no man can protect us there, if we are betrayed by our works, not because he will not, but because he cannot. For these too take refuge in the impossibility. This the blessed Abraham also indicated, saying, "Between us and you there is a great gulf," so that not even when willing is it permitted them to pass it.

Otherwise; Notwithstanding they were foolish, they yet understood that they must have light to go and meet the bridegroom, that all the lights of their senses might be burning. This also they discerned, that because they had little of the spiritual oil, their lamps would burn dim as darkness drew on. But the wise send the foolish to those that sell, seeing that they had not stored up so much oil, that is, word of doctrine, as would suffice both for themselves to live by, and to teach others, Go ye rather to them that sell, i. e. to the doctors, and buy, i. e. take of them; the price is perseverance, the love of learning, industry, and toil of all who are willing to learn.

If, however, you are a sinner, how will the oil of your puny torch be able to suffice for you and for me?

Then follows the petition of the foolish: and the foolish said to the wise: give us of your oil, for our lamps are going out. These were foolish in some respect and in some respect not, because they had something of the light of faith; hence they say: for our lamps are going out. For if they had nothing of faith, they would say "are gone out"; hence they recognize that they cannot preserve fire without oil. And what does this mean? Whether oil is understood as the work of mercy or of justice, the sense is the same, because those rising who do not have these works in abundance seek to have their deficiencies supplied by those who had them more abundantly. But this cannot be done, because each will need his own; Galatians 6:5: every man shall bear his own burden. And because they saw that the light of faith could not avail without the work of mercy, they sought from others who had done works of mercy. Augustine expounds it thus. It is customary that when someone is overtaken in something, he tends to have recourse to that in which he hopes; these had their confidence outwardly, because they sought the praise of others; hence they say: give us of your oil, i.e., of your praise, i.e., praise us for our work. But this will not avail them, according to what is had in Romans 2:15: their conscience bearing witness to them; Job 16:20: behold my witness is in heaven, and he that knows my conscience is on high. Hence they trust in human favor, which cannot profit them. According to Origen it happens that some have spent their life in vain things: and when they recognize this, they have recourse to others and seek their prayers and benefits. And in this they are not foolish if they begin to return to the Lord.

"But the wise replied, 'Perhaps there will not be enough for us and for you; go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.' " This is hardly the voice of those who give counsel but rather those who rebuke. Why are they scornful? Because they were wise, because wisdom was in them. For they were not wise by anything that belonged to them. Rather that wisdom was in them of which it is written in a certain Scripture that wisdom shall say to those that despised her, when they have fallen upon the evils which she threatened them, "I will laugh over your destruction." No wonder the wise mock the foolish virgins. And what is this mocking?"Go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves," you who never desired to live well but because people praised you, who sold you oil. Who are these who "sold you oil"? They are the ones who sell praises. Who sells praises, but flatterers? How much better would it have been for you not to have acquiesced to flatterers, and to have carried oil within, and for the sake of a good conscience to have done all good works.… Go then to those who deal in human praise, as you have been accustomed to doing, but do not expect the wise to give you oil at this crucial moment. Why? "Lest there not be enough for us and you." What is "lest there not be enough"? This was not spoken in any lack of hope but in a sober and godly humility. For though the good person have a good conscience, how does he know how the final judge, who is deceived by no one, will judge? He has a good conscience; no sins conceived in the heart argue with him. Yet, though his conscience is good, because of the daily sins of human life, he says to God daily, "Forgive us our debts," on the assumption that he has already done what comes next, "as we also forgive our debtors." He has broken his bread to the hungry from the heart; from the heart has he clothed the naked. Out of that inward oil he has done good works, and yet in that judgment even his good conscience trembles.

(ubi sup.) Or we may suppose it not meant as advice what they should do, but as an indirect allusion to their fault. For flatterers sell oil, who by praising things false, and things unknown, lead souls astray, recommending to them, as foolish, empty joys, and receiving in return some temporal benefit. Go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves, i. e. Let us now see what they can profit you who have used to sell you their praise. Lest there be not enough for us and you, because no man is profited in God's sight by the testimony of others, because God sees the heart, and each man is scarce able to give testimony concerning his own conscience.

"As the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' " Likewise, the blessed apostle, Paul, declared, "For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord." So those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. But the foolish said to the wise, "Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out." Their spiritual virginity was running out and failing, because they did not have works of religious devotion and compassion. But the wise replied, "Perhaps there will not be enough for us and for you; go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves." For on the day of the resurrection and judgment, however much anyone might be rich in holy works, he will fear for himself, lest he not have enough.

Hence they also immediately add by way of rebuke: "Go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves." For the sellers of oil are flatterers. For those who, when any grace has been received, offer the brightness of glory through their vain praises, as it were sell oil. Concerning this oil indeed the Psalmist says: "But let not the oil of the sinner anoint my head." For our principal part is the head. And by the term "head" is meant the mind which rules the body. Therefore the oil of the sinner fattens the head when the favor of the flatterer soothes the mind.

They that sell are the poor, who, needing the alms of the faithful, made them that recompense which they desire, selling in return for the relief afforded to their wants, a consciousness of good works. This is the abundant fuel of an undying light which may be bought and stored up for the fruits of mercy.

(Verse 9) The wise men answered, saying: Lest perhaps there may not be enough for us and for you. They respond, not out of greed, but out of fear. For each one will receive a reward according to his deeds, and on the day of judgment, the virtues of some cannot mitigate the vices of others. And just as during the Babylonian captivity, Jeremiah could not help the sinners, and it is said to him: Do not pray for this people (Jeremiah 7:16): so fearful will be that day, when each one will be concerned for himself.

Go instead to the sellers and buy for yourselves. This oil is sold and is bought at a high price, and it is acquired with difficult labor, which we understand in acts of charity and all virtues and counsels of the masters.

For these wise virgins do not answer thus out of covetousness, but out of fear. Wherefore, each man shall receive the recompense of his own works, and the virtues of one cannot atone for the vices of another in the day of judgment. The wise admonish them not to go to meet the bridegroom without oil, Go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

And this oil is sold, and at a high cost, nor is it to be got without much toil; so that we understand it not of alms only, but of all virtues and counsels of the teachers.

"But go to them that sell, and buy." And who are they that sell? The poor. And where are these? Here, and then should they have sought them, not at that time.

Seest thou what great profit arises to us from the poor? shouldest thou take them away, thou wouldest take away the great hope of our salvation. Wherefore here must we get together the oil, that it may be useful to us there, when the time calls us. For that is not the time of collecting it, but this. Spend not then your goods for nought in luxury and vainglory. For thou wilt have need of much oil there.

The wise answered, saying. Here the response of the wise is presented, and in this response two things are presented. First, a response of refusal is presented; likewise a certain counsel is presented, at go rather to them that sell. And what is the reason? Lest perhaps there be not enough for us and for you. Hence, because the oil of mercy, or interior joy, or exterior works do not suffice for us and for you, as it is said in 1 Peter 4:18: if the just man shall scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? And the Apostle in Romans 8:18: the sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come that shall be revealed in us. And Isaiah 64:6: all our justices are as the rag of a menstruous woman. Because therefore it does not suffice for us and for you, go rather to them that sell and buy for yourselves. But will there be time for them to seek oil? Therefore it must be understood that this is said more by way of reproach than by way of counsel; as if they were saying, you should have gone. According to Chrysostom, these sellers are the poor, because they purchase the kingdom; Luke 16:9: make unto you friends of the mammon of iniquity; hence they say go, i.e., you should have gone. According to Augustine it is said by way of reproach. The sellers of oil are flatterers; hence seeing that these seek assistance, they say: go rather to them that sell and buy for yourselves; as if they were saying: you never sought anything but oil, i.e., human praise; now go to the world and buy that testimony which you always sought. According to Origen the letter is plain, because he wills that all of this takes place in the present world. Sometimes it happens that a sinner sees a just man and asks what he ought to do. But some are so wise that their wisdom suffices for themselves, but does not suffice for themselves and others. Hence such men say to those who seek counsel from them: we do not have so much of spiritual doctrine that we can suffice for ourselves and for you; therefore go to the doctors of the Church, and to the wise men who will sell to you. Concerning this you have Isaiah 55:1: all you that thirst, come to the waters; and you that have no money, make haste, buy and eat. But how is it sold without money? I say that wisdom is sold without money. And what is its price? That a man willingly studies, this is the price of wisdom; Proverbs 2:4: if you shall seek her as money, and shall dig for her as for a treasure, then shall you understand the fear of the Lord, and shall find the knowledge of God.

Now it is no wonder that precisely "while they were going out to buy," while they were seeking for praise from others and found none, while they were seeking for persons by whom to be comforted and found none—just then the shut door opened. Just then "the bridegroom came," and the bride, the church, was glorified then with Christ and all its members gathered together into one.

"And those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast; and the door was shut." Then the foolish virgins came afterward. But had they bought any oil? Had they found any from whom they might buy it? No. Therefore they found the doors shut. They began to knock, but too late.

(ubi sup.) Or otherwise; While they went to buy, that is, while they turned themselves to things without, and sought to find pleasure in things they had been accustomed to, because they knew not inward joys, came He that judges; and they that were ready, i. e. they whose conscience bore witness to them before God, went in with him to the wedding, i. e. to where the pure soul is united prolific to the pure and perfect word of God.

(ubi sup.) When they have been taken in who have been changed into angelic being (1 Cor. 15:51), all entrance into the kingdom of heaven is closed; after the judgment, there is no more place for prayers or merit.

Our Lord speaks of Hell under three symbols: first, that of punishment ("everlasting punishment," Matt. xxv, 46); second, that of destruction ("fear Him who is able to destroy both body and soul in Hell," Matt. x, 28); and thirdly, that of privation, exclusion, or banishment into "the darkness outside", as in the parables of the man without a wedding garment or of the wise and foolish virgins.

"But while they went to buy, the bridegroom came," because while they seek testimony of their life from their neighbors, the judge comes, who is witness not only of works but also of hearts. "And those who were ready entered with him to the wedding, and the door was shut."

Oh, if wisdom in the palate of the heart could taste what wonder lies in the words: "The bridegroom comes!" What sweetness in: "They entered with him to the wedding feast!" What bitterness in: "And the door was shut!" For he comes whose arrival shakes the elements, at whose presence heaven and earth tremble. Whence also through the prophet he says: "Yet once more, and I will shake not only the earth, but also heaven." Before his judgment all the human race is brought. To him for the punishment of the wicked and the reward of the good, angels, archangels, thrones, principalities, and dominions render service.

Consider, dearest brothers, before the presence of so great a judge what terror there will be on that day when there will be no remedy in punishment, what confusion will befall the one whom his own guilt compels to blush with shame in the assembly of all the angels and men, what dread to see him angry whom the human mind cannot comprehend even when he is calm. Gazing upon this day, the prophet rightly says: "A day of wrath, that day, a day of tribulation and distress, a day of calamity and misery, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of cloud and whirlwind, a day of trumpet and clamor."

Consider therefore, dearest brothers, with what harshness the prophet saw the last day of judgment embitter the hearts of the reprobate, which he cannot express with so many names. But how great will be the joy of the elect, who merit to rejoice in the sight of him at whose presence they see all the elements tremble, to enter with him together to the wedding feast! They both rejoice at the wedding of the bridegroom and yet are themselves the bride, because in that bridal chamber of the eternal kingdom God is joined to our sight. This vision will never again be torn from the embraces of its love for all eternity.

Then the door of the kingdom will be closed to those who mourn, which now is opened daily to the penitent. For there will be repentance then too, but it will no longer bear fruit, because he who now wastes the time fit for pardon will by no means find forgiveness then. Hence Paul says: "Behold, now is the acceptable time, behold, now is the day of salvation." Hence the prophet says: "Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near."

Because the foolish were not able to go out and meet the bridegroom, since their lamps had gone out, they asked the wise to share their oil. They replied that they could not give them oil for there would perhaps not be enough. They told them to go to the dealers and buy for themselves. These foolish were not part of the group entering the wedding feast but late and unworthy of entering. They had lost their opportunity.

The marriage is the putting on of immortality, and the joining together corruption and incorruption in a new union...

(Verse 10.) But while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came. Indeed, they give a wise counsel, that they should not meet the bridegroom without oil for their lamps: but because the time for buying had already passed, and on the day of judgement- being imminent- there was no place for repentance, as the Psalmist says: In hell, who will confess to you? (Psalm 6:6). They are not compelled to perform new deeds, but rather to give an account of their past actions.

And those who were invited came in with him to the wedding feast, and the door was shut. After the day of judgment, the opportunity for good works and justice will not be left (or abandoned).

But because the season for buying was now past, and the day of judgment was coming on, so that there was no room for penitence, they must not now lay up new works, but give an account of the old.

After the day of judgment, there is no more opportunity for good works, or for righteousness, and therefore it follows, And the door was shut.

Having heard these things, those virgins went their way; but they profited nothing. And this He saith, either pursuing the parable, and working it up; or also by these things showing, that though we should become humane after our departure, we shall gain nothing from thence towards our escape. Therefore neither did their forwardness avail these virgins, because they went to them that sell not here, but there; nor the rich man, when he became so charitable, as even to be anxious about his relations. For he that was passing by him that was laid at the gate, is eager to rescue from perils and from hell them whom he did not so much as see, and entreats that some be sent to tell them these things. But nevertheless, he derived no benefit from thence, as neither did these virgins. For when they having heard these things went their way, the bridegroom came, and they that were ready went in with Him, but the others were shut out. After their many labors, after their innumerable toils, and that intolerable fight, and those trophies which they had set up over the madness of natural appetite, disgraced, and with their lamps gone out, they withdrew, bending down their faces to the earth. For nothing is more sullied than virginity not having mercy; so that even the multitude are wont to call the unmerciful dark. Where then was the profit of virginity, when they saw not the bridegroom? and not even when they had knocked did they obtain, but they heard that fearful saying, "Depart, I know you not." And when He hath said this, nothing else but hell is left, and that intolerable punishment; or rather, this word is more grievous even than hell. This word He speaks to them also that work iniquity.

Or, He says, While they went to buy, because there are men to be found who have neglected to learn any thing useful, till when, in the very end of their life, when they set themselves to learn, they are overtaken by death.

And whilst they went to buy, the bridegroom came. Augustine says that some refer this to the state of the present life; but it cannot stand with what is said, and the door was shut. Therefore Origen also expounds this of the future coming. And he does three things. First, the coming of the judge is presented; secondly, the reception of the good; thirdly, the exclusion of the wicked. He says therefore whilst they went to buy, the bridegroom came; i.e., while they were anxious about how to excuse themselves at the judgment, the Lord came to judgment. But Origen says that some are those who will come for counsel, or to priests, and with deliberation to be converted, and then at his coming they die. Hence the bridegroom comes when a man dies. But what does it mean that here it says the bridegroom coming, when above it had said they went out to meet the bridegroom and the bride? The reason is that in the judgment the bride, i.e., the flesh of Christ, will have been assumed into glorification. Or if we refer it to the Church, then she will be perfectly united to the bridegroom himself through adherence. Hence the Apostle in 1 Corinthians 6:17: he who is joined to God is one spirit with him. And there follows and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage. These nuptials are the kingdom of heaven, concerning which Apocalypse 17:14 says: for he is Lord of lords and King of kings; and they that are with him are called, and elect, and faithful. And immediately the door was shut, because it will be opened to no one afterwards. But now it is opened; hence Psalm 23:7: lift up your gates, O you princes. And Apocalypse 4:1: after these things I looked, and behold a door opened in heaven. But then it will be shut.

(ap. Anselm.) Grief at their exclusion extorts from them a repetition of this title of Lord; they call not Him Father, whose mercy they despised in their lifetime.

Therefore the Lord does not hear those same foolish virgins when they call upon Him, because with the door of the kingdom closed, He who could have been near will no longer be near. For it is added: "At last the other virgins come, saying: Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answering, said: Amen I say to you, I know you not." There one who refused to hear what He commanded here can no longer obtain from God what he asks; one who lost the time for fitting repentance comes in vain before the door of the kingdom with prayers. For this is why the Lord says through Solomon: "I called, and you refused; I stretched out my hand, and there was no one who paid attention; you despised all my counsel, and neglected my reproofs. I also will laugh at your destruction, and will mock when what you feared comes upon you. When sudden calamity rushes in, and destruction presses on like a storm, when tribulation and anguish come upon you, then they will call upon me, and I will not hear; they will rise early, and they will not find me." Behold, they cry out to be opened to, and, compelled by the pain of their rejection, they double the title of Lord, saying: "Lord, Lord, open to us." They offer prayers, but they are not known, because the Lord then abandons as if unknown those whom He now does not recognize as His own through the merit of their life.

"But I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper." Behold, he calls through himself, he calls through angels, he calls through the fathers, he calls through the prophets, he calls through the apostles, he calls through pastors, he calls also through us, he often calls through miracles, he often calls through scourges, he sometimes calls through the prosperity of this world, he sometimes calls through adversity. Let no one despise, lest while the one called makes excuses, when he wishes to enter he may not be able. Hear what Wisdom says through Solomon: "Then they shall call upon me, and I will not hear; they shall rise early, and shall not find me." Hence it is that the foolish virgins coming late cry out, saying: "Lord, Lord, open to us." But to those seeking entrance it is then said: "Amen, amen, I say to you, I know you not." What amid these things, dearest brothers, except that we ought to abandon all things, postpone the cares of the world, and yearn for eternal desires alone? But these things have been given to few.

Yet though the season of repentance is now past, the foolish virgins come and beg that entrance may be granted to them.

(Verse 11) And lastly come the remaining virgins, saying: Lord, Lord, open to us. Truly, an excellent confession in addressing the Lord, and the repetition of the same is an indication of faith. But what use is it to invoke with words, when you deny him with your actions?

Their worthy confession calling Him, Lord, Lord, is a mark of faith. But what avails it to confess with the mouth Him whom you deny with your works?

The Lord therefore says to them, "I know you not." For the merciful God Who loves mankind does not know those who lack mercy, for how could He know those who are alien and dissimilar to Him?

Consequently the repulsion of the wicked is presented: and three things are said. First, their negligence is expressed, because they come late; hence it is said and at last come the other virgins. Hence this signifies those who do late penance; Wisdom 5:3: saying within themselves, repenting, and groaning for anguish of spirit. Their desire is touched on when they say: Lord, Lord, open to us. Hence in this, that they call him Lord, they say something by which they ought to prevail. But by the fact that they double it, it is signified that they ask out of anguish; hence it is said above at 7:21: not everyone that says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. And their desire is touched on when it says open to us.

(ubi sup.) It is not said that they bought any oil, and therefore we must suppose that all their delight in the praise of men being gone, they return in distress and affliction to implore God. But His severity, after judgment, is as great as His mercy was unspeakable before. But He answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not; by that rule, namely, that the art of God, that is, His wisdom, does not admit that those should enter into His joy who have sought to do in any thing according to His commandments, not as before God, but that they may please men.

the five who were wise went in with the bridegroom into the bride-chamber, that is, into heaven, because, since they were wise, they chose virginity and alms-giving—but the foolish virgins who had chosen the one of these but despised the other, remained outside of the bride-chamber, having found the door shut, and heard these words: Depart from me, I know you not; being neither permitted to enter, nor condemned along with the impious, but remaining outside of the bride-chamber.

Jesus compares the rulers of the people with virgins. The person who discharges a sacred function must be undefiled in soul and body, just as Paul says, "that she might be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit." For it is customary for the Scripture to divide the present age into five seasons or times. It assigns to each time both God-fearing and foolish souls, just as each time has wise persons and simpletons, righteous persons and wicked ones. In the parable all the virgins go out with their lamps. Jesus indicates by this that all souls have been illuminated by God through innate and natural laws but also indeed by the laws written by Moses. Now all the virgins went out to meet the bridegroom. All were determined to seek favor with God and to join themselves spiritually to the bridegroom. He sows in the hearts of the faithful the seed of every kind of virtue. Indeed, this is why he is called a bridegroom! Nevertheless some prove to be undistinguished, though they possess an illumination from God.… He mockingly calls their drowsiness the death of the flesh, which by necessity will go before both wise and foolish, whom the trumpet of the angels awakes at the time of Christ's second coming. For all who have been rendered powerless by death are awakened, the good and the bad, and all are made ready to present their defense before the judge. This is represented in the parable when each virgin trims her lamp, summing up all that has occurred in her life. The thoughtless virgins have brought no oil with them. Their soul begins to grow gloomy and as if snuffed out departs into a delirious state, so as to think they will be shown mercy through the virtue of the others. They are rejected as the other virgins say there is not enough for us and for you. The virtue of each scarcely suffices for the salvation of the soul, because even those who are very wise transgress in many ways.

Therefore the Lord does not hear those same foolish virgins when they call upon Him, because with the door of the kingdom closed, He who could have been near will no longer be near. For it is added: "At last the other virgins come, saying: Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answering, said: Amen I say to you, I know you not." There one who refused to hear what He commanded here can no longer obtain from God what he asks; one who lost the time for fitting repentance comes in vain before the door of the kingdom with prayers. For this is why the Lord says through Solomon: "I called, and you refused; I stretched out my hand, and there was no one who paid attention; you despised all my counsel, and neglected my reproofs. I also will laugh at your destruction, and will mock when what you feared comes upon you. When sudden calamity rushes in, and destruction presses on like a storm, when tribulation and anguish come upon you, then they will call upon me, and I will not hear; they will rise early, and they will not find me." Behold, they cry out to be opened to, and, compelled by the pain of their rejection, they double the title of Lord, saying: "Lord, Lord, open to us." They offer prayers, but they are not known, because the Lord then abandons as if unknown those whom He now does not recognize as His own through the merit of their life.

"But I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper." Behold, he calls through himself, he calls through angels, he calls through the fathers, he calls through the prophets, he calls through the apostles, he calls through pastors, he calls also through us, he often calls through miracles, he often calls through scourges, he sometimes calls through the prosperity of this world, he sometimes calls through adversity. Let no one despise, lest while the one called makes excuses, when he wishes to enter he may not be able. Hear what Wisdom says through Solomon: "Then they shall call upon me, and I will not hear; they shall rise early, and shall not find me." Hence it is that the foolish virgins coming late cry out, saying: "Lord, Lord, open to us." But to those seeking entrance it is then said: "Amen, amen, I say to you, I know you not."

(Verse 12) But he answered and said, Amen I say to you, I do not know you. The Lord knows those who are His, and those who do not know, will not be known (2 Timothy 2:19). The Lord does not know the workers of iniquity: and although they may be virgins, and boast of their bodily purity and true confession of faith (1 Corinthians 14:38); yet because they do not have the oil of knowledge, it is enough for them as punishment that they are unknown by the Bridegroom.

For the Lord knoweth them that are his, (2 Tim. 2:19.) and he that knoweth not shall not be known, and though they be virgins in purity of body, or in confession of the true faith, yet forasmuch as they have no oil, they are unknown by the bridegroom.

There follows the repulsion: but he answering said: amen I say to you, I know you not; i.e., I do not approve of you. For the Lord knows who are his, 2 Timothy 2:19, just as an artisan does not know a work that is discordant with his art.

(ubi sup.) For indeed we know the day and the hour neither of that future time when the Bridegroom will come, nor of our own falling asleep each of us; if then we be prepared for this latter, we shall also be prepared when that voice shall sound, which shall arouse us all.

Wherefore also a general exhortation to the disciples is fittingly added, when it is said: "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour." Because God accepts repentance after sins, if anyone knew at what time he would depart from this present world, he could have devoted one time to pleasures and another to repentance. But He who promised pardon to the penitent did not promise tomorrow to the sinner. Therefore we ought always to fear the last day, which we can never foresee.

Behold, this very day in which we speak we have received as a respite for conversion, and yet we refuse to weep for the evils we have done. Not only do we not lament what we have committed, but we even increase the things that should be wept over. But if some sickness seizes us, if signs of illness announce approaching death, we seek a respite for living that we may weep for our sins, and we seek with great fervor of desire those respites which, when we have received them, we now consider as nothing.

I relate a matter, dearest brethren, which if your charity wishes to hear attentively, you will be greatly instructed by considering it. There was a certain nobleman in the province of Valeria named Chrysaorius, whom the common people in rustic speech called Chryserius: a very capable man, but as full of vices as of possessions; swollen with pride, subject to the pleasures of his flesh, inflamed with the torches of avarice in acquiring things. But when the Lord had decreed to put an end to so many evils, as I learned from a certain religious man who still survives, a relative of his, he was struck with bodily illness. When he came to his end, at the very hour when he was about to depart from the body, with open eyes he saw foul and utterly black spirits standing before him, and vehemently pressing upon him to drag him away to the prison of hell.

He began to tremble, to grow pale, to sweat, and with loud cries to beg for a respite, and to call his son named Maximus, whom I myself, now a monk, saw as a monk, with excessive and agitated shouts, saying: "Maximus, run, I have never done you any harm, receive me into your protection." Maximus, disturbed, was present at once; the household gathered, weeping and making noise. But those malign spirits whom he so grievously endured pressing upon him they could not see, but they saw their presence in the confusion, in the pallor and trembling of him who was being dragged away. From fear of their hideous appearance he was turning this way and that on his bed; he lay on his left side, he could not bear the sight of them; he turned toward the wall, there they were. And when, exceedingly constrained, he despaired of being able to be released, he began to cry out with loud voice, saying: "A respite at least until morning, a respite at least until morning." But while he was crying out these things, in the midst of his very cries he was torn from the dwelling of his flesh.

From which it is certainly clear that he saw these things for us, not for himself, so that his vision might profit us whom divine patience still waits for with longsuffering. For what did it profit him to have seen the foul spirits before death and to have begged for a respite, when he did not receive the very respite he begged for? Let us therefore, dearest brethren, now carefully consider these things, lest our time pass away in vain, and then we seek to live for doing good when we are already being compelled to depart from the body.

(Verse 13.) Therefore, watch, for you do not know the day or the hour. I always advise the prudent reader not to rely on superstitious interpretations, and not to consider what is said in a fictitious manner, but to consider the previous, middle, and subsequent parts, and to connect everything that is written. From this, therefore, he concludes: Watch, for you do not know the day or the hour. All that he said is understood, that is, about the two in the field, and about the two grinding at the mill, and about the master of the house who entrusts his possessions to his servant, and about the ten virgins. Therefore, these parables have been given, so that because we all do not know the day of judgment, we may diligently prepare the light of good works, lest, while we are unaware, the judge comes.

When He adds, Watch therefore, because ye know not the day nor the hour, He means that all that has been said points to this, namely, that seeing we know not the day of judgment, we should be careful in providing the light of good works.

"Watch therefore, for ye know not the day nor the hour." Seest thou how continually He adds this, showing how awful our ignorance concerning our departure hence? Where now are they, who throughout all their life are remiss, but when they are blamed by us, are saying, At the time of my death, I shall leave money to the poor. Let them listen to these words, and be amended. For indeed at that time many have failed of this, having been snatched away at once, and not permitted so much as to give charge to their relations touching what they wished to be done.

This parable was spoken with respect to mercy in alms; but the one that comes after this, to them that neither in money, nor in word, nor in protection, nor in any other things whatever, are willing to assist their neighbors, but withhold all.

Consequently he concludes: watch therefore and pray, because you know not the day nor the hour.

The man who is the landowner is actually the Creator and Lord of all. The Word compares the time the landowner spends away from home in the parable to either the ascension of Christ into heaven or at any rate to the unseen and invisible character of the divine nature. Now one must conceive of the property of God as those in each country and city who believe in him. He calls his servants those who according to the times Christ crowns with the glory of the priesthood. For the holy Paul writes, "No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God." He hands over [his property] to those who are under him, to each giving a spiritual gift so that he might have character and aptitude. We think that this distribution of the talents is not supplied to the household servants in equal measure because each is quite different from the other in their understanding. Immediately they head out for their labors, he says, directly indicating to us here that apart from the procrastination of one they are fit to carry out the work of God. Surely those who are bound by fear and laziness will end up in the worst evils. For he buried, Jesus says, the talent given to him in the earth. He kept the gift hidden, making it unprofitable for others and useless for himself. For that very reason the talent is taken away from him and will be given to the one who is already rich. The Spirit has departed from such as these and the gift of the divine gifts. But to those who are industrious an even more lavish gift will be presented.

(non occ.) In the foregoing parable is set forth the condemnation of such as have not prepared sufficient oil for themselves, whether by oil is meant the brightness of good works, or inward joy of conscience, or alms paid in money.

Who then is this man who goes on a journey, if not our Redeemer, who departed into heaven in the flesh which he had assumed? For the proper place of flesh is earth, which is led as if to foreign lands when it is placed in heaven through our Redeemer. But this man going abroad handed over his goods to his servants, because he granted spiritual gifts to his faithful ones.

(Hom. in Ev. ix, l.) The man travelling into a far country is our Redeemer, who ascended into heaven in that flesh which He had taken upon Him. For the proper home of the flesh is the earth, and it, as it were, travels into a foreign country, when it is placed by the Redeemer in heaven.

(v. 14, 15) For just as a man going on a journey called his servants and entrusted to them his goods. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, each according to his ability. Then he went away. This man, the head of the household, undoubtedly is Christ, who after his resurrection victoriously ascended to the Father and, calling the apostles, handed down the gospel teaching, not giving more to one and less to another based on generosity and stinginess, but according to the abilities of the recipients: just as the Apostle says that he fed those who could not receive solid food with milk (I Cor. IV). And finally, he who had made five talents also gained ten, and he who had made two gained four, receiving the same joyful reward; not considering the magnitude of the gain, but the willingness to strive. Let us understand the various gifts that have been given to each, whether it be five, two, or one talent. In the first, let us consider all the senses examined: In the second, understanding and actions: In the third, reason, which separates humans from animals.

Calling together the Apostles, He gave them the Gospel doctrine, to one more, to another less, not as of His own bounty or scanting, but as meeting the capacity of the receivers, as the Apostle says (1 Cor. 3:2.), that he fed with milk those that were unable to take solid food. In the five, two, and one talent, we recognise the diversity of gifts wherewith we have been entrusted.

And wherefore can it be that this parable brings forward a king, but that a bridegroom? That thou mightest learn how close Christ is joined unto the virgins that strip themselves of their possessions; for this indeed is virginity. Wherefore Paul also makes this as a definition of the thing. "The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord;" such are his words: and, "For that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction. These things we advise," he saith.

And if in Luke the parable of the talents is otherwise put, this is to be said, that the one is really different from the other. For in that, from the one capital different degrees of increase were made, for from one pound one brought five, another ten; wherefore neither did they obtain the same recompense; but here, it is the contrary, and the crown is accordingly equal. For he that received two gave two, and he that had received the five again in like manner; but there since from the same beginning one made the greater, one the less, increase; as might be expected, in the rewards also, they do not enjoy the same.

This parable was spoken with respect to mercy in alms; but the one that comes after this, to them that neither in money, nor in word, nor in protection, nor in any other things whatever, are willing to assist their neighbors, but withhold all.

And wherefore can it be that this parable brings forward a king, but that a bridegroom? That thou mightest learn how close Christ is joined unto the virgins that strip themselves of their possessions; for this indeed is virginity. Wherefore Paul also makes this as a definition of the thing. "The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord;" such are his words: and, "For that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction. These things we advise," he saith.

And if in Luke the parable of the talents is otherwise put, this is to be said, that the one is really different from the other. For in that, from the one capital different degrees of increase were made, for from one pound one brought five, another ten; wherefore neither did they obtain the same recompense; but here, it is the contrary, and the crown is accordingly equal. For he that received two gave two, and he that had received the five again in like manner; but there since from the same beginning one made the greater, one the less, increase; as might be expected, in the rewards also, they do not enjoy the same.

But see Him everywhere, not requiring it again immediately. For in the case of the vineyard, He let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country; and here He committed to them the talents, and took His journey, that thou mightest learn His long-suffering. And to me He seems to say these things, to intimate the resurrection. But here it is no more a vineyard and husbandmen, but all servants. For not to rulers only, nor to Jews, but to all, doth He address His discourse. And they who bring a return unto Him confess frankly, both what is their own, and what their Master's. And the one saith, Lord, "Thou gavest me five talents;" and the other saith, "two," indicating that from Him they received the source of their gain, and they are very thankful, and reckon all to Him.

What then saith the Master? "Well done, thou good" (for this is goodness to look to one's neighbor) "and faithful servant; thou wast faithful over few things, I will set thee over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord," meaning by this expression all blessedness.

But not so that other one, but how? "I knew that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou sowedst not, and gathering where thou strawedst not: and I was afraid, and hid thy talent: lo, there thou hast that is thine." What then the Master? "Thou oughtest to have put my money to the exchangers," that is, "thou oughtest to have spoken, to have admonished, to have advised." But are they disobedient? Yet this is nought to thee.

What could be more gentle than this? For men indeed do not so, but him that hath put out the money at usury, even him do they make also responsible to require it again. But He not so; but, Thou oughtest, He saith, to have put it out, and to have committed the requiring of it again to me. And I should have required it with increase; by increase upon the hearing, meaning the showing forth of the works. Thou oughtest to have done that which is easier, and to have left to me what is more difficult. Forasmuch then as he did not this, "Take," saith He, "the talent from him, and give it to him that hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance; but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath." What then is this? He that hath a gift of word and teaching to profit thereby, and useth it not, will lose the gift also; but he that giveth diligence, will gain to himself the gift in more abundance; even as the other loseth what he had received. But not to this is the penalty limited for him that is slothful, but even intolerable is the punishment, and with the punishment the sentence, which is full of a heavy accusation. For "cast ye," saith He, "the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Seest thou how not only the spoiler, and the covetous, nor only the doer of evil things, but also he that doeth not good things, is punished with extreme punishment.

Let us hearken then to these words. As we have opportunity, let us help on our salvation, let us get oil for our lamps, let us labor to add to our talent. For if we be backward, and spend our time in sloth here, no one will pity us any more hereafter, though we should wail ten thousand times. He also that had on the filthy garments condemned himself, and profited nothing. He also that had the one talent restored that which was committed to his charge, and yet was condemned. The virgins again entreated, and came unto Him and knocked, and all in vain, and without effect.

Knowing then these things, let us contribute alike wealth, and diligence, and protection, and all things for our neighbor's advantage. For the talents here are each person's ability, whether in the way of protection, or in money, or in teaching, or in what thing soever of the kind. Let no man say, I have but one talent, and can do nothing; for thou canst even by one approve thyself. For thou art not poorer than that widow; thou art not more uninstructed than Peter and John, who were both "unlearned and ignorant men;" but nevertheless, since they showed forth a zeal, and did all things for the common good, they attained to Heaven. For nothing is so pleasing to God, as to live for the common advantage.

He travels, not according to His divine nature, but according to the dispensation of the flesh which He took upon Him. For He who says to His disciples, Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world, (Mat. 28:20.) is the Only-Begotten God, who is not circumscribed by bodily form. By saying this, we do not disunite Jesus, but attribute its proper qualities to each constituent substance. We may also explain thus, that the Lord travels in a far country with all those who walk by faith and not by sight. And when we are absent from the body with the Lord, then will He also be with us. Observe that the turn of expression is not thus, I am like, or The Son of Man is like, a man travelling into a far country, because He is represented in the parable as travelling, not as the Son of God, but as man.

Having said above, "You do not know the day when the Lord will come," He adds this parable as well, showing that He will come suddenly. For like a man about to travel into a far country, so too the Lord has called His own servants and distributed His property among them, some to one, some to another. Christ, Who became man for our sake, is the "man travelling into a far country," in reference either to His ascent into the heavens or to the length of time that He is long-suffering and does not summarily demand works from us, but waits. His servants are those who have been entrusted with the ministry of the Word, such as bishops, priests, and deacons, and who have received spiritual gifts, some greater, some lesser, each one according to his own strength, that is, according to the measure of his faith and purity. For into the vessel which I will offer to God, He places His gift to me. If it is a small vessel, a small gift; if it is a large vessel, a large gift.

Above the Lord presented a parable concerning the judgment, in which someone is condemned because he does not preserve the spiritual good received interiorly; here he presents a parable in which someone does not multiply the goods received. Hence it is divided. Because first he treats of the distribution of gifts; secondly, of their use; thirdly, of the judgment on those who use them. The second is at and he that had received the five talents went, etc.; the third is at and after a long time, etc. Regarding the first he does three things. First, he presents the necessity of distributing; secondly, the distribution; thirdly, the departure of the one distributing. He shows the necessity in that he says for even as a man going into a far country called his servants and delivered to them his goods. Here you should note that this man is Christ. And we can say that he was going into a far country in a threefold way: because he was going to a place which, although it is his own by his divinity, namely heaven, nevertheless he was a stranger there according to the flesh, because no flesh had ascended there. Hence John 3:13: no man has ascended into heaven, but he that descended from heaven, the Son of man who is in heaven. Likewise he was setting out for heaven, because while he was a stranger in the world, he was journeying to heaven; Jeremiah 14:8: why will you be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man turning in to lodge? Likewise it can be understood spiritually: for now he is away from us as a stranger, since we are strangers from him; 2 Corinthians 5:6: while we are in the body we are absent from the Lord. But when we shall see him, then we shall not be as strangers, but as citizens and members of God's household. And it should be noted that, as Origen says, where even as is used, something ought to be joined to it, unless it is placed in a similitude, as is had above at 24:27: for as lightning comes out of the east, so shall the coming of the Son of God be. But here it is not placed in a similitude, and nothing is added afterward; on this account it should be read thus: a certain man going into a far country as a man, because Christ is both God and man. Hence insofar as he is God, he does not go on a journey, because all things are naked and open to his eyes, Hebrews 4:13. But he goes into a far country as a man; John 1:14: we saw him as the only-begotten of the Father, i.e., as the only-begotten from the Father. And this was necessary since he was going on a journey, that he should commit the care of his own to others; and this he does when he says he called his servants and delivered to them his goods. And first the liberality of the giver is touched on; secondly, the diversity of gifts; likewise, the discretion in giving. The liberality of the giver is touched on in two respects: in that he anticipated those to whom he gave, and in that he gave abundantly. In that he anticipated them, because he who waits to give diminishes his liberality; but not so the Lord; Psalm 20:4: Lord, you have anticipated him with blessings of sweetness. Hence he called his servants, not they him; hence John 15:16: you have not chosen me, but I have chosen you; Romans 8:29: whom he foreknew, he also predestinated. Likewise his liberality is touched on because he gave from his own: he delivered his goods, not another's. Some indeed are liberal with another's goods, but not with their own; but this one gave from his own. Hence concerning him can be understood what is said in Psalm 67:19: you have ascended on high, you have led captivity captive; you have given gifts to men.

(ord.) And straightway took his journey, not changing his place, but leaving them to their own freewill and choice of action.

And to one indeed he entrusted five talents, to another two, and to another one. For there are five senses of the body, namely sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. By five talents, therefore, is expressed the gift of the five senses, that is, knowledge of external things. By two is designated understanding and action. By the term of one talent is designated understanding alone.

(ubi sup.) Otherwise; The five talents denote the gift of the five senses, that is, the knowledge of things without; the two signify understanding and action, the one talent understanding only.

(ubi sup.) This lesson from this Gospel warns us to consider whether those, who seem to have received more in this world than others, shall not be more severely judged by the Author of the world; the greater the gifts, the greater the reckoning for them. Therefore should every one be humble concerning his talents in proportion as he sees himself tied up with a greater responsibility.

But see Him everywhere, not requiring it again immediately. For in the case of the vineyard, He let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country; and here He committed to them the talents, and took His journey, that thou mightest learn His long-suffering. And to me He seems to say these things, to intimate the resurrection. But here it is no more a vineyard and husbandmen, but all servants. For not to rulers only, nor to Jews, but to all, doth He address His discourse.

Whenever you see of those who have received from Christ a dispensation of the oracles of God that some have more and some less; that some have not in comparison of the better sort half an understanding of things; that others have still less; you will perceive the difference of those who have all of them received from Christ oracles of God. They to whom five talents were given, and they to whom two, and they to whom one, have divers degrees of capacity, and one could not hold the measure of another; he who received but one having received no mean endowment, for one talent of such a master is a great thing. His proper servants are three, as there are three sorts of those that bear fruit. He that received five talents, is he that is able to raise all the meanings of the Scriptures to their more divine significations; he that has two is he that has been taught carnal doctrine, (for two seems to be a carnal number,) and to the less strong the Master of the household has given one talent.

Consequently the diversity of gifts is presented: and to one he gave five talents, and to another two, and to another one. He divides all of these into three, into the thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and hundredfold fruit; because every multitude is divided into the highest, the lowest, and the middle. These talents are the diverse gifts of graces: for just as a talent is called a weight of metal, so grace is a weight that inclines the soul itself; hence love is the weight of the soul. The Apostle in 1 Corinthians 12:4: there are diversities of graces. Hence these gifts are divided so that they are not given equally to all; Ephesians 4:7: to every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the giving of Christ. And this is what he says: to one he gave five talents, and to another two, and to another one. And what is the reason for this number? We can say that someone so superabounds that he has a double measure; and someone so much that it is beyond the double. Hence he who receives two stands to him who received one as a double proportion: but he who received five stands beyond the double proportion. Hence he means to say that the one who receives five receives according to an incomparable measure. We can also say that these gifts are the words of God, the words of wisdom: for frequently wisdom is compared to riches; Isaiah 33:6: the riches of salvation are wisdom. What does it mean when he says that to one he gave five talents, and to another two, and to another one? Origen says that he gave five talents to the one who refers everything said in Scripture to a spiritual understanding; hence it was said above: just as there are five bodily senses, so there are five spiritual ones. Thus the Lord gave to the apostles. In Luke 24:45 it is said that he opened their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures. And in Daniel 1:17 it is said that God gave the boys understanding in all Scripture. But who are those who receive two? According to Origen, duality is the number of matter, hence every number is composed of the binary and unity; hence matter is attributed to the binary, form to unity. Hence those are said to receive two who receive less, because they do not know how to govern themselves in all things; but they have something in which they are skilled, because they are good builders, or the like. Hence according to Origen, he who receives one receives more than he who receives two. According to Gregory and Jerome it is the reverse, because by five talents the five senses are understood: hence that one receives five talents who receives grace from God concerning temporal things, around which the operation of the senses is exercised. By two talents, however, sense and intellect are understood. By one, only the intellect is designated. Hence the one who receives one receives the grace of understanding, not the grace of working. According to Hilary, that one receives five who finds Christ in the five books of Moses; but the one who receives two is he who venerates the grace of the new and old testament, who venerates in Christ the divine and human nature; but the one who receives one is the Jew, who glories in the legal precepts alone. Then the reason follows: to every one according to his proper ability. If this is referred to the fact that the talents are the words of God, the exposition is plain, because they ought to be given according to the greater capacity; John 16:12: I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. And the Apostle in 1 Corinthians 3:2: as unto little ones in Christ, I gave you milk to drink, not meat. Therefore to the more subtle he gave more subtle things. But if we refer it to the goods of graces, it should be known that some have said that he gave gratuitous goods according to natural goods. Hence according as a man has more natural goods, he also has more gratuitous ones: and this was true in the angels, but not in men. And what is the reason? Because in angels there is one spiritual nature; therefore they are moved totally to that to which they are moved, according to the totality of their power. Therefore their capacity equals their effort. But man is composed of two contrary natures, one of which is held back by the other from its body: hence no more is given to him than what a man with this natural good has of effort. Likewise there was another error, which held that the beginning of grace was from us. And against this Augustine objects through the word of the Apostle in 2 Corinthians 3:5, who says that we are not sufficient to think anything of ourselves, as of ourselves. But what is prior to thought? And if thought is not from us, then neither is action. Hence he who strives more has more grace; but that he strives more requires a higher cause; Lamentations 5:21: convert us to you, and we shall be converted. But if you ask why one has more grace than another, I say that there is a proximate cause and a first cause for this: the proximate cause is the greater effort of this one than of that one; the first cause is the divine election; Sirach 33:7: why does one day excel another, and one light another, and one year another year, and one sun another sun? By the knowledge of the Lord they were distinguished. And what is the reason for this? Observe that it is otherwise with a universal agent and a particular one. A particular agent presupposes something for itself, and accordingly operates in diverse ways, as an artisan gives one form to one matter and another to another. But if he could make the matter, it would be said that such a one made such matter in order to induce a form according to his will. Thus the Lord, since he is the creator of all, created this one so as to make him thus. Hence it is understood that the capacity of nature is to be understood together with effort. Then the departure of the giver is presented when he says and immediately he went on his journey. And this can be understood that he was going on his journey, because when he had said to the apostles: receive the Holy Spirit, John 20:22, and had said to Peter, John 21:17: feed my sheep, immediately he departed. Hence he was saying, John 13:33: little children, yet a little while I am with you, and immediately he ascended. Or it can be said that he departed, not by withdrawing, but because he left them to their own free will, since he does not compel them to use the gifts given.

But he who had received five talents gained another five, because there are some who, although they do not know how to penetrate internal and mystical things, nevertheless for the sake of their intention toward the heavenly homeland teach right things to those they can from those very external things they have received; and while they guard themselves from the wantonness of the flesh and from the pursuit of earthly things and from the pleasure of visible things, they also restrain others from these by admonishing them. Moreover, it is rightly reported that another five or another two came as profit, because when preaching is expended on both sexes, the talents received are, as it were, doubled.

(ubi sup.) There are also some who though they cannot pierce to things inward and mystical, yet for their measure of view of their heavenly country they teach rightly such things as they can, what they have gathered from things without, and while they keep themselves from wantonness of the flesh, and from ambition of earthly things, and from the delights of the things that are seen, they restrain others also from the same by their admonitions.

(Verse 16) And he who had received the five talents went and worked with them, and gained five more talents. With the earthly senses, he doubled his knowledge of heavenly things: understanding the Creator through His creation, the incorporeal through the corporeal, the invisible through the visible, the temporal through the eternal.

He that had received five talents, that is, having received his bodily senses, he doubled his knowledge of heavenly things, from the creature understanding the Creator, from earthly unearthly, from temporal the eternal.

Or, They that have their senses exercised by healthy conversation, both raising themselves to higher knowledge and zealous in teaching others, these have gained other five; because no one can easily have increase of any virtues that are not his own, and without he teaches others what he himself knows, and no more.

Immediately he who had received the five talents went and traded with them. See the speed with which he acts, not in the least bit negligent, but immediately trading and doubling what he had received. For whether a man be gifted with speech, wealth, the authority of kingship, or any other power or skill, if he desires to benefit not only himself but others as well, he doubles what has been given to him. But he who buries the talent is he who cares only for his own benefit and not for that of others, and he is condemned. But if you should see an intelligent and skilled man misusing his intelligence in various pursuits, in deceitfulness, and in earthly affairs, you may say that such a man has buried his talent in the earth, that is, in earthly matters.

And he that had received the five talents went, etc. Here the use of the gifts is presented, and this with regard to three servants. And first with regard to the first; secondly, with regard to the second; thirdly, with regard to the third. Hence he says and he that had received the five talents went. Here progress in virtue is indicated; Psalm 83:8: they shall go from virtue to virtue. And this is had in Genesis 26:13: he went on growing and increasing. For virtue progresses through the exercise of action; for unless it is exercised, it fails. And therefore he says he traded. Hence it is said in Proverbs 13:4: the soul of those that work shall be made fat. And he gained other five. And how? One progresses in two ways: in one way in himself, in another way in another. In himself, if he has understanding of the Scriptures, so as to advance; if charity, so as to benefit others. He has advanced in order to profit in another, so that what he has received he communicates; 1 Peter 4:10: as every man has received grace, ministering the same one to another. Hence if you communicate what you receive, you gain as many more. Hence he says that he gained other five; because it is scarcely possible that anyone confers on another what he himself does not have. 1 Corinthians 11:23: for I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you. Moreover, in that which he has, in that he profits. The Apostle says: his grace in me has not been void. According to Hilary, that one gains five who profits in the five books of Moses, so as to gain Christ.

And there are some who, as if enriched with two talents, receive understanding and action, understand subtle things about internal matters, work wonders in external things; and when by both understanding and working they preach to others, they bring back, as it were, a doubled profit from their business. Moreover, it is rightly reported that another five or another two came as profit, because when preaching is expended on both sexes, the talents received are, as it were, doubled.

(ubi sup.) Again, there are some who by their understanding and their actions preach to others, and thence gain as it were a twofold profit in such merchandize. This their preaching bestowed upon both sexes is thus a talent doubled.

(Verse 17) Likewise, the one who received two, gained two more. And this person, according to their abilities, doubled whatever they had learned in the Law in the Gospel: whether knowledge and works of the present life or understanding the types of future blessedness.

Or, gained other two, that is, carnal instruction, and another yet a little higher.

In like manner he that had received the two, namely, he who profits in understanding and in action, gained other two, i.e., a reward for each. Or two, because he profits by preaching not only to men but also to women, according to Gregory. According to Origen, what he had received according to the measure of natural endowments he referred to the understanding.

But he who had received one talent went away, dug in the earth, and hid his lord's money. To hide the talent in the earth is to involve the received ability in earthly activities, not to seek spiritual profit, never to lift the heart from earthly thoughts. For there are some who have received the gift of understanding, but nevertheless think only of the things of the flesh. Of whom it is said through the prophet: They are wise to do evil, but they do not know how to do good.

(ubi sup.) To hide one's talent in the earth is to devote the ability we have received to worldly business.

Or, This servant who has received one talent and hid it in the earth is the people that continue in the Law, who through jealousy of the salvation of the Gentiles hide the talent they have received in the earth. For to hide a talent in the earth is to hide the glory of the new preaching through offence at the Passion of His Body. His coming to reckon with them is the assize of the day of judgment.

(Verse 18.) But the one who had received one went away and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. The wicked servant, through earthly works and worldly pleasure, neglected and defiled God's commandments: although it is written by another evangelist that he bound it in a burial cloth (Luke 19), meaning that he weakened the teaching of the master of the house by living softly and delicately.

Or otherwise; When you see one who has the power of teaching, and of benefitting souls, hiding this power, though he may have a certain religiousness of life, doubt not of such an one that he has received one talent and hides it in the earth.

But he that had received the one, going, dug into the earth, etc. But what does it mean to dig into the earth? It is expounded in three ways according to Gregory. That one hides his treasure who hides the gift received in sins of the flesh, or in temporal things: hence he who can profit in temporal things and turns himself to earthly things hides the money of his lord in the earth. Concerning such it is said in Psalm 16:11: they have set their eyes bowing down to the earth. According to Origen, someone has the gift of understanding and yet wishes to live religiously and for himself alone, when he could profit many; this one hides it in the earth; Tobit 12:7: it is honorable to reveal and confess the works of God. For such money is meant to be multiplied, not hidden. Hilary says: who are those who receive one? The Jews, who receive the bare letter. These hide the money in the earth, i.e., in the flesh of Christ, who because of the flesh cannot believe him to be God. Hence the Apostle in 1 Corinthians 1:23: but we preach Christ Jesus, unto the Jews indeed a stumbling block, and unto the Gentiles foolishness.

But the Lord who conferred the talents returns to settle accounts, because he who now piously grants spiritual gifts strictly examines merits in judgment, considers what each one received, and weighs what profit one brings back from what was received.

(Verse 19, 20.) After a long time, the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.' It is a great time between the ascension of the Savior and his second coming. But if the apostles are going to give an account and be judged with fear, what should we do?

After a long time, because there is a long interval between the Saviour's ascension and His second coming.

Notice too that the servants did not go to the master so they might be judged and receive their just deserts. Rather, "the master came to them" in due course. "After a long time" he came and "settled accounts with them" on everything they had done, compensating them for the gains of their good works and the losses of their sins. Settling "accounts" and scrutinizing everything, he dealt with each one individually. It behooves us, then, as those who by sinning have done evil and by doing good reaped a profit, to keep a guard on our hearts. In this way, when our Master comes to settle accounts with us, we may not be found to have done evil, even through idle words.

And note here that the servants do not come to the Lord to be judged, but the Lord shall come to them when the time shall be accomplished. After a long time, that is, when He has sent forth such as are fitted to bring about the salvation of souls, and perhaps for this reason it is not easy to find one who is quite fit to pass forthwith out of this life, as is manifest from this, that even the Apostles lived to old age; for example, it was said to Peter, When thou shalt be old, thou shall stretch forth thy hand; (John 21:18.) and Paul says to Philemon, Now as Paul the aged.

But after a long time he who bestowed the silver talent returns. The silver talent may be in the form of a silver tongue, the gift of eloquence, for the eloquence of God is as silver that is tried by fire. Or, the silver talent may be any gift that makes one brilliant and glorious. He comes and demands a reckoning from those who received.

And after a long time the lord of those servants came. Here the judgment is treated. And first the reason for the coming of the judge is presented; secondly, the judgment, at and he reckoned with them. It should be noted that we must render an account to God of our works and gifts; above at 12:36: of every word that men shall speak, they must render an account. And above at 18:23: the kingdom of heaven is likened to a man who would take an account of his servants. And first it is presented in particular: and he reckoned with them, because everyone is bound to render an account, first at his death, secondly on the day of judgment, when we must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. When therefore he says and after a long time the lord came, it can be referred to either. For if to the day of judgment, it is given to be understood that the interval between the coming of Christ and the day of judgment is long; against what some believed in the time of the Apostle; hence 2 Thessalonians 2:2: be not terrified as if the day of the Lord were at hand. But if to the day of death, Origen says: consider that scarcely anyone has been useful in the Church who lived only a short time. And he proves this from Peter, to whom the Lord said, John 21:18: when you are old, you shall stretch forth your hands, and another shall bind you. Likewise from Paul, who was young at his conversion and afterwards became old; hence in Philemon v. 9: as Paul an old man, etc. Hence when it says and after a long time, it is given to be understood that the Lord gives a long space for doing well: and from this is understood what is said in Proverbs 3:2: length of days and years of life and peace shall they add to you.

Or, That servant who received five talents is the people of believers under the Law, who beginning with that, doubled their merit by the right obedience of an evangelic faith.

And they who bring a return unto Him confess frankly, both what is their own, and what their Master's. And the one saith, Lord, "Thou gavest me five talents;" and the other saith, "two," indicating that from Him they received the source of their gain, and they are very thankful, and reckon all to Him.

What then saith the Master? "Well done, thou good" (for this is goodness to look to one's neighbor) "and faithful servant; thou wast faithful over few things, I will set thee over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord," meaning by this expression all blessedness.

We earnestly believe that we are incapable of explaining such things, unlike those who infer from the perceptible events of the Scriptures more inspired meanings. These are spiritual meanings that Solomon calls "divine" and which Jeremiah calls "faculties of the heart" and which Paul in his epistle to the Hebrews calls "faculties trained by practice to distinguish good from evil." The persons in the first group are those who in addition to the "five talents" gained five more, trading with them and capitalizing on their ability. Successfully negotiating and zealously teaching, they traded and acquired five more talents. Indeed, no one readily benefits from another's ability unless he has that ability to begin with. A wise man grows in wisdom, a trustworthy man in trust."He brought five talents more." Note this: What each man knows, he can teach to another, up to the level of as much as he knows. This he can teach to another and no more. Therefore whatever someone has in himself, by teaching this to another, he gains it in the other, making that person have what he too has. Consequently he who had received the "five talents" is said not to have gained more than the five which he had and "he who had received the two talents" not more than the two which he had.

The first servant stepped forward in confidence, because he had gone to work and made a profit. That confidence now made him bold, for he was the first one to approach the master and declare to him, "Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more." The master replied in words favorable to us all, even as our master will reply when he settles with us: "Well done, good and faithful servant." These words run counter to what he said to the third man: "You wicked and slothful servant."

He who had received five talents comes first with boldness before his Lord.

Both of those who had worked and traded with the talents given to them are praised equally by the master, each one hearing, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." "Good" we understand here to mean "loving all mankind" and "without spite," he who imparts his own goodness to his neighbors. Those who have shown themselves to be faithful over a few things are made rulers over many things. But even if we are deemed worthy of gifts in this life, that is nothing in comparison to the good things that are to come. "The joy of the Lord" is the unending gladness which God has, rejoicing in His works, as David says (Ps. 103:31). With such a joy do the saints also rejoice in their works, just as the sinners grieve over their own deeds and regret them. The saints have the Lord as their wealth and they rejoice in Him. See that he who received the five talents and he who received two were deemed worthy of the same good things. Though a man may have received but a few things, if he is a good steward even of his small gift, he will enjoy the same honor as he who was deemed worthy of, and accomplished, great things. For each one, according to what he has received, is seen to be perfect to the degree that he accomplishes what he has been given to do.

And he that had received the five talents came and brought other five, etc. Here three servants are treated. And first the first; secondly, the second; thirdly, the third. Regarding the first he does two things. First, the account rendered is presented; secondly, the due reward, at his lord said to him, etc. On the part of this servant, first his confidence, faithfulness, humility, and diligence or solicitude are presented. His confidence is touched on, because he did not wait for the lord to summon him but presented himself; hence he says coming. Paul had this confidence through the blood of Christ; Hebrews 10:19: having confidence in the entering into the holies by the blood of Christ; 2 Corinthians 3:12: having such hope, we use much confidence. Likewise his faithfulness is noted, because he also brought other five. He would indeed be unfaithful who would attribute to himself something of his lord's goods: hence this one offered everything to the lord. If therefore you have done some good, if you have converted someone, and you attribute it to yourself and not to God, you are not faithful; 1 Chronicles 29:14: all things are yours, and the things that we have received of your hand, we have given to you. Likewise his humility in confessing the gift is noted, because he acknowledged that he had received it from him; 1 Corinthians 4:7: what have you that you have not received? Hence this one confesses the gift, saying: Lord, you delivered to me five talents, etc. Likewise his diligence or solicitude is touched on: behold I have gained other five over and above. Hence he rightly said with the Apostle: his grace in me has not been void.

(de Trin. i. 8.) This will be our perfect joy, than which is none greater, to have fruition of that Divine Trinity in whose image we were made.

If honor and riches: God shall set His good and faithful servants over many things, indeed sons of God and gods they shall be called and shall be, and where His Son shall be, there shall they be also, heirs indeed of God, and co-heirs with Christ. If true security: surely they shall be as certain that these things, or rather this good, shall never and in no way be lacking to them, as they shall be certain that they shall not lose it of their own accord, nor that God who loves them shall take it from His lovers against their will, nor that anything more powerful than God shall separate God and them against their will.

I pray, O God, that I may know you, love you, that I may rejoice in you: and if I cannot do so fully in this life, may I at least advance from day to day, until that fullness shall come. Meanwhile let my mind meditate upon this, let my tongue speak of it, let my heart love it, let my mouth discourse upon it, let my soul hunger for it, let my flesh thirst for it, let my whole substance desire it, until I enter into the joy of my Lord, who is the triune and one God blessed for ever and ever. Amen.

I do _not_ think that the life of Heaven bears any analogy to play or dance in respect of frivolity. I do think that while we are in this "valley of tears", cursed with labour, hemmed round with necessities, tripped up with frustrations, doomed to perpetual plannings, puzzlings, and anxieties, certain qualities that must belong to the celestial condition have no chance to get through, can project no image of themselves, except in activities which, for us here and now, are frivolous. For surely we must suppose the life of the blessed to be an end in itself, indeed The End: to be utterly spontaneous; to be the complete reconciliation of boundless freedom with order—with the most delicately adjusted, supple, intricate, and beautiful order? How can you find any image of this in the "serious" activities either of our natural or of our (present) spiritual life?—either in our precarious and heart-broken affections or in the Way which is always, in some degree, a _via crucis_? No, Malcolm. It is only in our "hours-off", only in our moments of permitted festivity, that we find an analogy. Dance and game _are_ frivolous, unimportant down here; for "down here" is not their natural place. Here, they are a moment's rest from the life we were placed here to live. But in this world everything is upside down. That which, if it could be prolonged here, would be a truancy, is likest that which in a better country is the End of ends. Joy is the serious business of Heaven.

When I began to look into this matter I was shocked to find such different Christians as Milton, Johnson and Thomas Aquinas taking heavenly glory quite frankly in the sense of fame or good report. But not fame conferred by our fellow creatures—fame with God, approval or (I might say) "appreciation" by God. And then, when I had thought it over, I saw that this view was scriptural; nothing can eliminate from the parable the divine _accolade_, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." With that, a good deal of what I had been thinking all my life fell down like a house of cards. I suddenly remembered that no one can enter heaven except as a child; and nothing is so obvious in a child—not in a conceited child, but in a good child—as its great and undisguised pleasure in being praised. Apparently what I had mistaken for humility had, all these years, prevented me from understanding what is in fact the humblest, the most childlike, the most creaturely of pleasures—nay, the specific pleasure of the inferior: the pleasure of a beast before men, a child before its father, a pupil before his teacher, a creature before its Creator. And that is enough to raise our thoughts to what may happen when the redeemed soul, beyond all hope and nearly beyond belief, learns at last that she has pleased Him whom she was created to please. To please God . . . to be a real ingredient in the divine happiness . . . to be loved by God, not merely pitied, but delighted in as an artist delights in his work or a father in a son—it seems impossible, a weight or burden of glory which our thoughts can hardly sustain. But so it is.

Pleasure in being praised is not Pride. The child who is patted on the back for doing a lesson well, the woman whose beauty is praised by her lover, the saved soul to whom Christ says "Well done," are pleased and ought to be. For here the pleasure lies not in what you are but in the fact that you have pleased someone you wanted (and rightly wanted) to please. The trouble begins when you pass from thinking, "I have pleased him; all is well," to thinking, "What a fine person I must be to have done it." The more you delight in yourself and the less you delight in the praise, the worse you are becoming. When you delight wholly in yourself and do not care about the praise at all, you have reached the bottom.

(non occ.) Faithful, because he appropriated to himself none of those things which were his lord's.

The servant who returned the doubled talents is praised by the master and led to eternal reward, when it is said to him by the Lord's voice: "Well done, good and faithful servant; because you have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things; enter into the joy of your lord." For all the goods of the present life are few things, however many they may seem, in comparison with the eternal reward. But then the faithful servant is set over many things when, having overcome all the trouble of corruption, he is glorified in that heavenly seat with eternal joys. Then he is perfectly admitted into the joy of his lord, when, taken up into that eternal homeland and mingled with the company of angels, he so rejoices inwardly at the gift that there is no longer anything to grieve him outwardly from corruption.

(Hom. in Ev. ix. 2.) And bringing his talents doubled, he is commended by his Lord, and is sent into eternal happiness.

(ubi sup.) The faithful servant is set over many things, when having overcome the afflictions of corruption, he joys with eternal joy in that heavenly seat. He is then fully admitted to the joy of his Lord, when taken in to that abiding country, and numbered among the companies of Angels, he has such inward joy for this gift, that there is no room for outward sorrow at his corruption.

(Verse 21-23) His master said to him: Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master. And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.' His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.' I keep reminding both those who had made five talents and those who had made ten, and likewise the same speech flatters the master of the household who had made four from two. And it should be noted that all the things we have at present, though they may seem great and numerous, are small and few in comparison to what is to come. 'Enter into the joy of your master,' he says, 'and receive what neither eye has seen nor ear heard nor has it entered the heart of man.' (I Cor. II) But what greater gift can be given to a faithful servant than to be with the Lord and see the joy of his Master?

He says, Thou wast faithful in a few things, because all that we have at present though they seem great and many, yet in comparison of the things to come are little and few.

What greater thing can be given to a faithful servant than to be with his Lord, and to see his Lord's joy?

The servant who of five talents had made ten, and he who of two had made four, are received with equal favour by the Master of the household, who looks not to the largeness of their profit, but to the disposition of their will.

That He says of both these servants that they came, we must understand of their passing out of this world to Him. And observe that the same was said to them both; he that had less capacity, but that which he had, he exercised after such manner as he ought, shall have no whit less with God than he who has a greater capacity; for all that is required is that whatever a man has from God, he should use it all to the glory of God.

Well done is an interjection of joy; the Lord showing us therein the joy with which He invites the servant who labours well to eternal bliss; of which the Prophet speaks, In thy presence is fulness of joy.

There follows the due reward: and in it he does four things. Because first a congratulation is presented; secondly, a commendation of merits; thirdly, the equality of judgment; fourthly, the greatness of the reward. The congratulation is touched on when he says his lord said to him: well done, good and faithful servant, etc. Hence it is said in Isaiah 62:5: behold the bridegroom shall rejoice over the bride, and your Lord shall rejoice over you. Hence with an exulting spirit he receives him, when he says well done. Well done is an expression of exultation. There follows the commendation. And first he commends him for humility, when he says servant, because he recognized himself to be his servant; Luke 17:10: when you have done all things well, say: we are unprofitable servants. Likewise he commends him for goodness by the fact that he says good; because properly the good is diffusive of itself; hence the good one multiplied goodness. Likewise for faithfulness, because he did not retain for himself but offered to his lord; hence it is said and faithful; 1 Corinthians 4:2: here now it is required among the dispensers that a man be found faithful. And above at 24:45: who, think you, is a faithful and wise servant? Hence he approves him, saying faithful. For not he that commends himself is approved, but he whom God commends, 2 Corinthians 10:18. Then he presents the equality, to show the equity of the judgment, saying: because you have been faithful over a few things, I will place you over many things. These few things are all the things that are in this life, because they are as nothing in comparison to heavenly things. Hence he means to say: because you have been faithful in regard to goods which belong to the present life, I will place you over many things, i.e., I will give you spiritual things which are above all these goods; Luke 16:10: he that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in that which is greater. There follows the greatness of the reward: enter into the joy of your lord. For joy is the reward; John 16:22: I will see you, and your heart shall rejoice. And someone might say: is not the vision the reward, or some other good? I say that if some other thing is called the reward, nevertheless joy is the final reward. Just as I could say that the end of heavy things is the lower place; likewise to rest in that place, and that is more principal. Thus joy is nothing other than the repose of the soul in the good attained; hence by reason of its finality, joy is called the reward. And why does he say enter into joy, not "receive"? It must be said that there is a twofold joy: of exterior goods and of interior goods. He who rejoices in exterior goods does not enter into joy, but joy enters into him; but he who rejoices in spiritual goods enters into joy. Song of Songs 1:5: the king brought me into his storerooms. Or otherwise: that which is in something is contained by it, and the container is greater. When therefore joy is about something which is less than your heart, then joy enters into your heart. But God is greater than the heart; therefore he who rejoices in God enters into joy. Likewise he enters into the joy of the lord, i.e., concerning the lord, because the lord is truth. Hence beatitude is nothing other than joy in the truth. Or thus: enter into the joy of your lord, i.e., rejoice in that in which he rejoices, and concerning which your lord rejoices, namely, in the enjoyment of himself. Then therefore a man rejoices as lord when he enjoys as lord; hence the Lord says to the apostles: I have appointed you that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, i.e., that you may be blessed in that in which I am blessed.

Or, the servant to whom two talents were committed is the people of the Gentiles justified by the faith and confession of the Son and of the Father, confessing our Lord Jesus Christ, to be both God and Man, both Spirit and Flesh. These are the two talents committed to this servant. But as the Jewish people doubled by its belief in the Gospel every Sacrament which it had learned in the Law, (i. e. its five talents,) so this people by its use of its two talents merited understanding and working.

Concerning the two talents, those who did not stay with the original sum given but sought to excel—though unable to surpass the measure of two talents—are those who had imbibed worldly know-how. Two seems to be an average or mundane number. Having received the two talents from the one who knew their ability, he gained two talents more. This can be viewed either with respect to worldly knowledge or to a higher knowledge.

And he also that had received the two talents came: above the judgment with regard to the first servant, who had received five talents, was treated; here the judgment with regard to the second servant, who had received two talents, is treated. As to the letter it differs in nothing from the first, nor is there anything to be said beyond what was said of the first; and therefore it is not necessary to repeat, because this one also received the same commendation and the same reward as the one who had received five talents.

Well done is an interjection of joy; the Lord showing us therein the joy with which He invites the servant who labours well to eternal bliss; of which the Prophet speaks, In thy presence is fulness of joy.

In this it is given to be understood, according to Origen, that he who receives a small gift from God and uses it well according to his ability receives and merits as much as he who receives a great one. For this alone the Lord requires of every man, that he serve him with his whole heart, as is had in Deuteronomy 6:5. But this can raise a difficulty. Suppose that someone has a great measure of goods, and another a small one; if this one works according to the little charity he has received, then he will merit as much as the one who received more: which seems impossible, because then he who has less charity would merit as much or more than he who has more. And therefore a distinction must be made, because there are certain goods that perfect and elicit the act of the will and incline it; and others that do not. The gift that inclines the will and elicits the act is charity. Therefore it cannot be that he who has more charity does not strive with greater effort and act better. But there are other gifts which one can use according to greater or lesser charity, as knowledge and the like: in such things, he who uses them with greater effort merits more as to the reward; hence it is said in Luke 21:3-4 that the poor widow put more into the treasury than those who put in more, because she used what she had according to her whole ability.

I believe that the most lawless and inordinate loves are less contrary to God's will than a self-invited and self-protective lovelessness. It is like hiding the talent in a napkin and for much the same reason. "I knew thee that thou wert a hard man." Christ did not teach and suffer that we might become, even in the natural loves, more careful of our own happiness.

The servant, however, who refused to work with his talent, returns to his master with words of excuse, saying: "Lord, I know that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter; and being afraid, I went away and hid your talent in the ground; behold, you have what is yours." It should be noted that the useless servant calls his master hard, yet pretends not to serve him for gain, and says he was afraid to spend the talent for profit, when he should have feared only this: that he might return it to his master without profit. For there are many within the holy Church, whose image this servant represents, who fear to undertake the ways of a better life, and yet do not fear to lie in the sloth of their torpor; and when they consider themselves sinners, they tremble to seize upon the ways of holiness, yet do not dread remaining in their iniquities. Peter, while still placed in weakness, well represents the likeness of these when, upon seeing the miracle of the fish, he said: "Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man." On the contrary, if you consider yourself a sinner, you ought not to repel the Lord from yourself. But those who refuse to grasp the ways of a better habit and the citadel of a more upright life because they perceive themselves to be weak, as it were both confess themselves sinners and repel the Lord, and flee from Him whom they ought to have sanctified in themselves; and as if having no counsel in their confusion, they die while fearing life.

(Hom. in Ev. ix. 3.) The servant who would not trade with his talent returns to his Lord with words of excuse.

(ubi sup.) But there are many within the Church of whom this servant is a type, who fear to set out on the path of a better life, and yet are not afraid to continue in carnal indolence; they esteem themselves sinners, and therefore tremble to take up the paths of holiness, but fearlessly remain in their own iniquities.

Or, By this servant is understood the Jewish people which continues in the Law, and says I was afraid of thee, as through fear of the old commandments abstaining from the exercise of evangelical liberty; and it says, Lo, there is that is thine, as though it had continued in those things which the Lord commanded, when yet it knew that the fruits of righteousness should be reaped there, where the Law had not been sown, and that there should be gathered from among the Gentiles some who were not scattered of the seed of Abraham.

(Verse 24, 25.) But he who had received one talent came forward and said: Lord, I know that you are a hard man; you reap where you did not sow, and gather where you did not scatter seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours. Truly it is written: To make excuses for sins (Ps. 140:4), even to this servant, the crime of sloth and negligence was added, along with the sin of pride. For he who should simply confess his laziness and beg the head of the family, on the contrary, accuses and says that he acted wisely, so that while seeking monetary gains, he would not even endanger his own fate.

For truly that which is written, To offer excuses excusing sins (Ps. 141:4.) happened to this servant, so that to slothfulness and idleness was added also the sin of pride. For he who ought to have honestly acknowledged his fault, and to have entreated the Master of the household, on the contrary cavils against him, and avers that he did it with provident design, lest while he sought to make profit he should hazard the capital.

Also, by this which this servant dared to say, Thou, reapest where thou sowedst not, we understand that the Lord accepts the good life of the Gentiles and of the Philosophers.

But not so that other one, but how? "I knew that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou sowedst not, and gathering where thou strawedst not: and I was afraid, and hid thy talent: lo, there thou hast that is thine." What then the Master? "Thou oughtest to have put my money to the exchangers," that is, "thou oughtest to have spoken, to have admonished, to have advised." But are they disobedient? Yet this is nought to thee.

What could be more gentle than this? For men indeed do not so, but him that hath put out the money at usury, even him do they make also responsible to require it again. But He not so; but, Thou oughtest, He saith, to have put it out, and to have committed the requiring of it again to me. And I should have required it with increase; by increase upon the hearing, meaning the showing forth of the works. Thou oughtest to have done that which is easier, and to have left to me what is more difficult.

They exemplify the very words of the servant who answers and says, "I knew you to be a hard man" and one who was able to reap "where you did not sow and gather where you did not winnow."The master answered him and reproached him as a wicked and lazy servant. Note that he did not call himself a hard man. But he agreed with the servant when he went on to say, "You knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I did not winnow." How are we to understand the phrase that our Lord truly reaps where he did not sow and gathers where he did not winnow? In this way, it seems to me: The righteous man "sows in the Spirit," from which he will also "reap eternal life." Everything that is sown and reaped for eternal life by the righteous man, God reaps. The righteous man belongs to God, who reaps where not he but the righteous man has sown. So we may say that the righteous man has "scattered and given to the poor." The Lord, however, gathers to himself whatever the righteous man has "scattered and given to the poor." Reaping what he has not sown and gathering where he has not winnowed, he counts as having been done to himself whatever the faithful have sown or winnowed for the poor. He says to those who have done good to their neighbors: "Come you, blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom which was prepared for you. I was hungry and you gave me to eat ..."30 And since he wishes to reap where he did not sow and to gather where he did not winnow, when he does not find anything, he says to those who failed to reap and gather: "Depart from me, you wicked, into everlasting fire, which my Father has prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you did not give me to eat."

Such are the good servants; but the wicked and slothful servant justifies himself differently, in a manner befitting to him. For he calls his master "hard," as many today call their teachers "hard" or "exacting." It is indeed exacting to look for obedience from men, for God did not create obedience within man, nor did He sow in him an obedient disposition, [but instead God gave man free will]. This is what the unprofitable servant means when he says, "You reap where you have not sown," that is, You require an obedient disposition from all men, although You have implanted in no man an obedient disposition.

And he also that had received the one talent came and said. Here the judgment of the wicked servant is determined. And first the account is presented; secondly, the condemnation which he received, at and his lord answering said to him. He proposed a remarkable argument. For first he proposed a blasphemy; from this he assumed negligence; thirdly, he concluded innocence. And thus his syllogism could not hold. The blasphemy, when he says Lord, I know that you are a hard man. The negligence, when he says I went and hid your talent, etc. The innocence, when he says behold here you have what is yours. And let us consider that it says he came forward. It was said above concerning the one who had received five talents that he came forward, i.e., he had confidence; but this one came forward not with confidence, but under compulsion. Or otherwise, because some in those things which they do badly, it seems to them that they have done well. Proverbs 26:16: the sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that speak sentences. Hence it seemed to him that he had done well. According to Origen, the estimation about God appears to some as about a hard man, from whom one withdraws on account of hardness. Sirach 9:18: keep far from the man that has power to kill. And therefore just as he who knows a hard man does not wish to serve him, so some think about God that he is a hard man. And according to this, this servant had three evil opinions about God. First, that God was not merciful; secondly, that something accrued to him from our goods; thirdly, that not all things were from God; and all these opinions proceeded from one evil root, because he thought that God was like a mere man. And this is signified when he says: I know that you are a hard man, i.e., I consider you to be a man; which is not true, as is had in Numbers 23:19: God is not as a man; Isaiah 55:9: as the heavens are exalted above the earth, so are my ways exalted above your ways. And he says hard, because a hard man is not bent. And concerning such a one it is said in Job 41:15: his heart shall be as hard as the anvil of a smith. But not so is the Lord, because the Lord is a merciful God and gracious, Psalm 110:4. Hardness tends to arise from avarice; Proverbs 29:4: a just king sets up the land; a covetous man shall destroy it; therefore he considers him to be hard, and so avaricious; and therefore he attributes to him the qualities of the avaricious: you reap where you have not sown, and gather where you have not scattered, i.e., you are so hard that you do not cease to seize the goods of others; which nevertheless is false; Job 35:7: moreover if you do justly, what shall you give him, or what shall he receive of your hand? And in Psalm 15:2: you have no need of my goods. Hence in this he imputed to him that he needed our goods. The third was that there would be some good that was not from God; as there are some who do not say that what they have from patrimony or from study is from God: and this is what he says, where you have not sown; against that saying in James 1:17: every best gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights. Likewise, some considering him to be hard withdraw themselves from his service. Hence some who can greatly profit say: if I were to hear confessions and preach, perhaps things would go badly for me: such consider God hard. Likewise some say: if I were to enter religious life, perhaps I would sin and be worse off; these consider God hard, who believe that if they cling to God something will fail them. Such are like those who despair of God's mercy. This servant alleged these things. And yet these things are true and have support from authority. For he is hard with sinners and kind to those who return to him; Wisdom 11:11: for you did prove them as a father admonishing them, but these you did examine as a severe king condemning them; Lamentations 3:25: the Lord is good to the soul that seeks him; 2 Chronicles 30:18: the good Lord will show mercy to all them that seek the Lord God of their fathers with their whole heart. Therefore he is hard with sinners and merciful to the good. And there is no doubt that he must be feared lest he be despised; hence Hebrews 10:31: it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. But insofar as he is merciful, we ought to hope that if one gives himself to his service, he will not fall; and if he should fall, he will rise again. Likewise, as to what he says, you reap where you have not sown, although it is false, yet in a certain sense it can be true; because he does not require for his own sake, but for our benefit; because he reaps his own glory which he did not sow. Likewise, you gather where you have not scattered. For he who reaps receives in abundance; but he who gathers receives from many; thus the Lord wills that his glory increase from diverse men. Hence the Apostle in 2 Corinthians 1:14: we are your glory, as you also are ours, in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. Similarly, what he says, you reap where you have not sown, has truth in a certain respect, because man sows and God gathers; John 4:37: one is he that sows, and another is he that reaps. I have sent you to reap that in which you did not labor. For man sows his works, and God reaps unto his own glory; Galatians 6:8: what things a man shall sow, those also shall he reap. And the Lord says, John 14:3: I will come and will take you to myself. For if you give alms, you sow, and the Lord reaps, because he perhaps reckons it to himself. Hence he himself says, below in this chapter: as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me. Likewise, as was said above: the seed is the word of God; hence sometimes God gathers the fruits of good work where preaching has not been sown; Romans 2:14: men who have not the law are a law to themselves. In a third way, certain evils are done by man, such as evils of the flesh, from which evil ought to be reaped. Concerning which Galatians 6:8: he that sows in the flesh, of the flesh shall reap corruption. Yet God makes something good come of it, such as the good of justice, of humility, or the like.

Then there was another servant who showed less ability. Because of it, the master of the household gave him "one talent" as though to the servant less capable. "Receiving" it, the servant went away and "hid the talent in the earth." Instead he should have entrusted the money to the bankers.

Hence this servant was first blasphemous. Then his negligence is touched on: being afraid, I went; Psalm 13:5: they trembled for fear, where there was no fear. It is true that God is to be feared so that sin may be avoided, according to what is had in Job 31:23: for I always feared God as waves swelling over me. Hence that man should not sin, he should do this from love, not from fear. Therefore there follows: I hid your talent in the earth, because out of fear, since servile fear causes many evils. Then he concludes: behold, here you have what is yours. Hence he preserved his knowledge but did not multiply it. And this does not suffice, because one must multiply; 1 Corinthians 9:16: if I do not preach the Gospel, there is no glory for me.

Hence this servant is immediately answered: "Wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter; therefore you ought to have given my money to the bankers, and upon my coming I would have received what is mine with interest." The servant is bound by his own words when the master says: "I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter." As if he were openly saying: If according to your judgment I even demand what I did not give, how much more do I demand from you what I gave to be distributed; therefore you ought to have given my money to the bankers, and upon my coming I would have received what is mine with interest. To give money to the bankers is to impart the knowledge of preaching to those who are able to exercise it.

But just as you see our peril if we withhold the Lord's money, so carefully consider your own peril, dearest brothers, because what you hear is demanded back from you with interest. For in usury, money is received back even though it was not given. For when that which was received is returned, something additional is paid beyond what was received. Consider therefore, dearest brothers, that you will pay interest on this money of the word you have received, and take care that from what you hear you also strive to understand other things which you do not hear, so that by gathering some things from others, you may also learn to do from yourselves those things which you have not yet learned from the mouth of the preacher.

(Hom. in Ev. ix. 4.) So then we see as well the peril of the teachers if they withhold the Lord's money, as that of the hearers from whom is exacted with usury that they have heard, namely, that from what they have heard they should strive to understand that they have not heard.

(Verse 26-28) But his master answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' The lazy person, because he did not want to double the talent, was condemned in one part to pride, in the other part to negligence. 'If,' he said, 'you had known that I am harsh and cruel, and pursue what is not mine, and reap where I have not sown, why did not such a thought instill fear in you, so that you would know that I would diligently seek what is mine, and give my money, or rather silver, to the moneylenders? For both ἀργύριον, as the Greek word signifies. The words, he said, of the Lord are chaste words, silver tested in the fire, proven to the earth, purified sevenfold (Ps. 11:7).' Therefore, money and silver are the proclamation of the Gospel and a divine message, which should be given to money changers and bankers, that is, to other teachers (which the apostles did, appointing elders and bishops in each province), or to all believers who can double money and return it with interest, so that they may fulfill whatever they have learned in word with actions. However, the talent is taken away and given to the one who had made ten talents, so that we may understand that even though the Lord's joy is equal in both labors, that is, in the one who had doubled five to ten and the one who had doubled two to four, a greater reward is owed to the one who has worked more with the Lord's money. Where the Apostle says: Honor the elders who are truly elders, especially those who labor in the word of God (I Tim. V, 17). From the fact that the wicked servant dared to say: You reap where you did not sow, and gather where you did not scatter, we understand that even the good life of the Gentiles and philosophers receives the Lord, and that those who act justly are different from those who act unjustly, and that those who neglect the written law are condemned in comparison to those who serve the natural law.

But what he thought would be his excuse is turned into his condemnation. He calls him wicked servant, because he cavilled against his Lord; and slothful, because he would not double his talent; condemning his pride in the one, and his idleness in the other. If you knew me to be hard and austere, and to seek after other men's goods, you should also have known that I exact with the more rigour that is mine own, and should have given my money to the bankers; for the Greek word here (ἀζγύριον) means money. The words of the Lord are pure words, silver tried in the fire. (Ps. 12:6.) The money, or silver, then are the preaching of the Gospel and the heavenly word; which ought to be given to the bankers, that is, either to the other doctors, which the Apostles did when they ordained Priests and Bishops throughout the cities; or to all the believers, who can double the sum and restore it with usury by fulfilling in act what they have learned in word.

Or, it is given to him who had gained five talents, that we may understand that though the Lord's joy over the labour of each be equal, of him who doubled the five as of him who doubled the two, yet is a greater reward due to him who laboured more in the Lord's money.

The Lord did not allow that He was a hard man as the servant supposed, but He assented to all his other words. But He is indeed hard to those who abuse the mercy of God to suffer themselves to become remiss, and use it not to be converted.

When the servant says that the master is hard, he condemns himself. For the servant ought all the more to have been diligent knowing that his master was hard and severe. For if the master required this of others, so too would the master require this of him.

And his lord answering said to him. Here the condemnation of the servant is presented. And just as in the case of the other servants he first commended them, then set forth the equity of the judgment, and afterwards the reward; so in this case, first he rebukes him; secondly, he sets forth the equity of the judgment; thirdly, the punishment. The second is at you knew that I reap where I sow not, etc.; the third is at take therefore the talent from him. He says therefore: wicked and slothful servant. He calls him a servant because he gave up out of fear, and it is characteristic of servants to fear servilely. And therefore Romans 8:15: you have not received the spirit of bondage again in fear. Likewise he calls him wicked because he spoke evil of his lord; above at 12:35: an evil man out of an evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil things. Likewise he calls him slothful because he refused to work; Proverbs 20:4: because of the cold the sluggard would not plow, because of the cold, namely, of fear. You knew that I reap where I sow not, etc. Now he argues against him from his fault. And first he sets forth what he knew; secondly, what he ought to have done; thirdly, what would have followed from it. He says therefore you knew that I reap where I sow not, and yet you did not work; whereas Luke 12:47 has: the servant knowing the will of his lord and not doing, shall be beaten with many stripes. Likewise he had said that he was hard and that he gathered where he did not sow. The Lord indeed acknowledges that he reaps where he does not sow; but he does not acknowledge that he is hard, because what he requires of man he does not do out of hardness, but out of mercy, so that his good may be multiplied.

And you, O unprofitable servant, ought also to have multiplied what you had received and made disciples from whom I, the Master, could demand what is due. Christ calls disciples "bankers," for both exactly account for that which has been delivered to them. What is the increase which He requires of the disciples? The showing of works transacted. For the disciple who receives the word from the teacher, must keep the word and give it back in its entirety; but the disciple also adds to it the interest, which is the doing of good.

You ought therefore to have committed my money to the bankers. And it follows: just as you say that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I did not scatter. But because I do these things, much more do I will that my money be multiplied. And he speaks according to the likeness of those who deliver money for increase. This money is the words of God: hence in Greek it has argireon: for by silver, which is sonorous, the word of God is signified; Psalm 11:7: the words of the Lord are pure words, as silver tried by the fire. Bankers can be understood in two ways, on account of a twofold office, because they have the office of testing whether money is good, and also of making a profit from the money deposited. According to the first, bankers are hearers who ought to test what they hear; Job 12:11: does not the ear discern words? Likewise those who multiply, as the apostles, who gave to others the gift of the Holy Spirit, by establishing bishops, etc. Titus 1:5: for this cause I left you in Crete, that you should ordain priests in every city, etc. And at my coming I should have received my own. Hence this good would have followed. And what is that good? It is threefold. When the Lord gives you understanding and you strive to act, you multiply; James 1:22: be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Likewise, when the Lord gives virtue, and you strive to use it well; 1 Peter 2:2: as newborn babes, desire the rational milk without guile, that thereby you may grow unto salvation. Likewise, that what you have in yourself you should strive to impart to others.

But let us hear with what sentence he strikes the lazy servant: Take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.

It seemed very fitting that when the one talent is taken from the wicked servant, it should be given rather to the one who had received two talents than to the one who had received five. For it ought to have been given to the one who had less rather than to the one who had more. But, as we said above, by the five talents is signified knowledge of external things, that is, the five senses; while by the two talents are expressed understanding and action. Therefore the one who had received two talents had more than the one who had received five, because he who through the five talents merited the administration of external things was still empty of understanding of internal things. Therefore the one talent, which we said signifies understanding, ought to have been given to the one who had well administered the external things he had received. This we see daily in the holy Church, because many, while they well administer the external things they receive, are led through added grace also to mystical understanding, so that those who faithfully administer external things also excel in internal understanding.

(ubi sup.) Let us hear now the sentence by which the Lord condemns the slothful servant, Take away from him the talent, and give it to him that hath ten talents.

(Hom. in Ev. ix. 5.) It might seem more seasonable to have given it rather to him who had two, than to him who had five. But as the five talents denote the knowledge of things without, the two understanding and action, he who had the two had more than he who had the five talents; this man with his five talents merited the administration of things without, but was yet without any understanding of things eternal. The one talent therefore, which we say signifies the intellect, ought to be given to him who had administered well the things without which he had received; the same we see happen every day in the Holy Church, that they who administer faithfully things without, are also mighty in the in ward understanding.

Forasmuch then as he did not this, "Take," saith He, "the talent from him, and give it to him that hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance; but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath." What then is this? He that hath a gift of word and teaching to profit thereby, and useth it not, will lose the gift also; but he that giveth diligence, will gain to himself the gift in more abundance; even as the other loseth what he had received.

Note that the talent is taken away from the wicked and slothful servant and is given "to him who has ten talents." It is not easy to explain how what has been given to a person can be taken away and given to another who does good, so he may have it in addition to what he gained. It is possible, however, since God, who invariably makes good sense in the teaching of truth, by his divinity can take away the corresponding amount from him who made poor use of it and give it to him who multiplied his own."For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away." Furthermore, whatever someone has from natural creation, when he has exercised it, he receives that very thing also from the grace of God. In this way he may have abundance and be stronger in what he has. Concerning not only wisdom but also every good quality, we should reflect on the words of Solomon: "And if there is anyone perfect among the children of men, if your wisdom is taken away from him, he will be counted as nothing."

If someone should wish to peruse Scripture elsewhere to hear from his Master the word faithful, I believe Abraham is a good instance: "Abraham believed God; and he reckoned it to him as righteousness." Then there is the man who heard from his master the words "faithful servant." Without doubt his faith was reckoned as righteousness to him, like the faith of him who was faithful in little things, so that every mystery of the resurrection and the administration of godly affairs may be entrusted to him. Everything in this life, by the way, consists of little things.Let us note also where that good and faithful servant is going who was faithful in the little things of this life. "Enter into the joy of your master," he is told. Every delight and every joy will be there when those who weep here below will be merry hereafter and those who righteously mourn will receive a worthy consolation. He says this in effect both to the one "who had received the five talents" and to the one "who had received the two." He says, "Enter." Know what it is to approach me and to pass from this world to the next. Notice also that the master said to the second servant what he said to the first: "Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much." I wonder also, since the same words were said to both servants, whether by chance the one who had less ability and exercised it fully would be regarded less by God than the one who had more ability. I wonder if this is in fulfillment of what was said elsewhere: "He that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack." Such is indicated also concerning the commandment of love for God or for one's neighbor, according to the words "You shall love the Lord your God with all your whole heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." Without doubt, when someone has loved God with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, he has the same reward of love as the person with a bigger heart or with a more gifted soul or with greater ability. This alone is required: At whatever level one has received a gift from God, one should use it for God's glory. It seems to me that "he who had received the one talent" was indeed among the believers, even though he was not among those who acted boldly in faith. He is among those who scatter their energies in trying to do everything but have nothing to show for it. Perhaps their behavior in other respects is not blameworthy. What they received they guard carefully, but they do not add to it, nor do they trade or faithfully transact with it. For that reason, the word does not bear any fruit in them, nor did anyone else gain from it. They even seem to be the type of people who fear God. They often see God as harsh and hard and implacable.

The master had three servants. After they believed and became his servants, they were given a task to do. They received money from their master. One of them "traded" with it and "gained." The second one "gained," but not as much. And the third, out of fear and being insufficiently faithful, "went away and hid" his master's money. From his defensiveness it appears that he feared the master. He was in awe of the master even as the other had "zeal for God but not according to knowledge." Diffidently, he "hid" his talent in the ground. Such are those who neither exert themselves nor question what has been said nor extend themselves to benefit souls, but they scatter their energies on what they have received and have been entrusted with.

The Lord is able by the might of His divinity to take away his ability from the man who is slack to use it, and to give it to him who has improved his own.

So God takes the gift away from that wicked and slothful servant. He who has received a gift by which to benefit others, and does not so use it, forfeits the gift itself.

Consequently he sets forth the punishment, and regarding this he does two things. First, he presents the punishment of loss; secondly, of sense. Regarding the first, he first presents the punishment of loss; secondly, a general maxim, at for to everyone that has shall be given, and he shall abound. He says therefore: take therefore the talent from him, and give it to him that has ten talents. As Gregory says, the one who had received five talents is the one who has knowledge of earthly things, which are subject to the five senses; but the one who received one is the one who has understanding without work. It happens, therefore, that the one who has understanding exercises himself in it; Psalm 118:104: by your commandments I have had understanding; therefore have I hated every way of iniquity. Sometimes the reverse happens, that someone has the gift of understanding and occupies himself with earthly things, and loses everything; Apocalypse 3:11: hold fast that which you have, that no man take your crown. Or it can be said that the one who receives five talents received more: and according as he labored more, he received more. Hence one received the talent of the other, because the holy man will not only rejoice in his own goods, but in all things that were done by anyone whatsoever, and thus he will receive the crown of this one, and so his talent.

A general statement is also immediately added, in which it is said: "For to everyone who has, it shall be given, and he shall abound; but from him who has not, even what he seems to have shall be taken away from him." For to him who has it shall be given, and he shall abound, because whoever has charity also receives other gifts. Whoever does not have charity loses even the gifts he seemed to have received. Therefore it is necessary, my brothers, that in everything you do, you watch over the keeping of charity. True charity is to love a friend in God, and to love an enemy for the sake of God. Whoever does not have this loses every good thing he has, is deprived of the talent he had received, and according to the Lord's sentence is cast into the outer darkness.

(Hom. in Ev. ix. 6.) Then follows a general sentence, For to every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance, but from him that hath not, even that which he seemeth to have shall be taken away. For whosoever has charity receives the other gifts also; but whosoever has not charity loses even the gifts which he seemed to have had.

(ubi sup.) Or, Whoso has not charity, loses even those things which he seems to have received.

And on those who have the privilege of the Gospels, the honour of the Law is also conferred, but from him who has not the faith of Christ is taken away even that honour which seemed to be his through the Law.

[Daniel 2:21] "And it is He who changes times and seasons, who transfers kingdoms and establishes kingdoms." Let us not marvel, therefore, whenever we see kings and empires succeed one another, for it is by the will of God that they are governed, altered, and terminated. And the cases of individuals are well known to Him who founded all things. He often permits wicked kings to arise in order that they may in their wickedness punish the wicked. At the same time by indirect suggestion and general discussion he prepares the reader for the fact that the dream Nebuchadnezzar saw was concerned with the change and succession of empires. "He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who acquire learning." This accords with the scripture: "The wise man will hear and increase his wisdom" (Proverbs 1:5). "For he who has, to him it shall be given" (Matthew 25:29). A soul which cherishes an ardent love of wisdom is freely infilled by the Spirit of God. But wisdom will never penetrate a perverse soul (Wisdom 3:1-13).

(Verse 29) For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who doesn't have, even that which he seems to have will be taken away. Many, though naturally wise and possessing sharp intellect, if they are negligent and laziness corrupts the good of their nature, in comparison to the one who is slightly slower but has compensated for what he lacked through effort and industry, they lose the good of their nature and the reward that had been promised to them, and see it pass to others. It can also be understood thus: to him who indeed has faith and a good will in the Lord, even if he may have something lacking in his works as a man, it will be given by the good judge. But to him who does not have faith, even the other virtues that he seemed to naturally possess, he will lose. And elegantly also, as it appears, he says, what he seems to have will be taken away from him. For whatever is without the faith of Christ, it should not be imputed to him who has wrongly abused it, but to him who even attributes good to the evil servant of nature.

Many also who are naturally clever and have sharp wit, if they become neglectful, and by disuse spoil that good they have by nature, these do, in comparison of him who being somewhat dull by nature compensates by industry and painstaking his backwardness, lose their natural gift, and see the reward promised them pass away to others. But it may also be understood thus; To him who has faith, and a right will in the Lord, even if he come in aught short in deed as being man, shall be given by the merciful Judge; but he who has not faith, shall lose even the other virtues which he seems to have naturally. And He says carefully, From him that hath not, shall be taken away even that which he seemeth to have, for whatsoever is without faith in Christ ought not to be imputed to him who uses it amiss, but to Him who gives the goods of nature even to a wicked servant.

Do you see that he who applies the greater diligence draws to himself the greater gift? To him who has the greater diligence, more grace will be given and in abundance. But from him who is not diligent, even the gift which he thinks he has will be taken away. For he who is not diligent and does not work and trade with what he has received, does not have the gift, but only appears to have it. For he has blotted it out by his neglect.

Consequently the general maxim is presented: for to everyone that has shall be given, and he shall abound. This can be expounded in four ways. First, thus, according to Gregory: from him who does not have, nothing could be taken away; but it happens that someone has gratuitous gifts and does not have charity; hence all things will be taken from him, because he does not have them for his own benefit; 1 Corinthians 13:1: if I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. Hence if a man has charity, many goods are given to him, because he will receive the good of another, since he will rejoice in the good of another as in his own. Chrysostom expounds it of doctrine: he who has the grace of teaching and does not exercise it loses it. Another, who does not have it and exercises himself, acquires it, so as to become a doctor. Jerome expounds it thus: someone has talent and gives himself to idleness, and becomes crude and dull; but someone does not have talent and exercises himself, and acquires talent. And so to him who has diligence, knowledge and talent are given; and from him who does not have, even that which he has, namely talent, will be taken from him. Likewise, according to Jerome, it is expounded of faith, because to him who has faith, grace will be given; Ephesians 2:8: by grace you are saved through faith. Hence he who would not have faith, even if he had other things, without faith they would avail nothing. Hilary, however, expounds it of the people of the Jews and the Gentiles, because the Jews seemed to have the law of God and refused to obey, hence they became alienated; but the people of the Gentiles received what they did not have and entered into the blessing of the olive.

For through punishment he falls into the outer darkness who through his own fault willingly fell into inner darkness; and there he suffers unwillingly the darkness of vengeance, who here willingly endured the darkness of pleasure.

It must be known that no lazy person is secure from this receiving of the talent. For there is no one who can truly say: "I have received no talent at all, there is nothing for which I can be compelled to give account." For by the name of talent, even this very thing will be reckoned to any poor person—that he received even the least thing. For one person received understanding; he owes the ministry of preaching from his talent. Another received earthly substance; he owes the distribution of his talent from his possessions. Another received neither understanding of interior things nor abundance of possessions, but nevertheless learned an art by which he is fed; that very art is reckoned to him as the receiving of a talent. Another has attained none of these things, but nevertheless has perhaps earned a place of familiarity with a rich person; he has certainly received the talent of familiarity. If therefore he says nothing to him on behalf of the needy, he is condemned for retaining his talent. Therefore let him who has understanding take care by all means not to be silent; let him who has abundance of possessions watch lest he grow sluggish in the generosity of mercy; let him who has an art by which he is governed strive greatly to share its use and benefit with his neighbor; let him who has a place of speaking with a rich person fear condemnation for the retained talent if, when he is able, he does not intercede with him on behalf of the poor. For the coming Judge will require from each one of us as much as He gave. Therefore, that each person may be secure concerning the accounts of his talent when the Lord returns, let him consider daily with trembling what he has received. For behold, He who departed on a journey is now near to returning. For He went as if on a journey when He departed far from this earth on which He was born; but He certainly returns to settle accounts for the talents, because if we grow sluggish from good action, He judges us more strictly concerning those very gifts which He bestowed. Let us therefore consider what we have received, and let us be vigilant in their distribution. Let no earthly care impede us from spiritual work, lest if the talent is hidden in the earth, the lord of the talent be provoked to anger. For the lazy servant lifts the talent from the earth when the Judge is now examining his faults, because there are many who only withdraw themselves from earthly desires or works when they are already being dragged to eternal punishment by the judgment of the Judge. Let us therefore be vigilant beforehand concerning the account to be rendered for our talent, so that when the Judge now looms to strike, the profit we have made may excuse us.

(ubi sup.) And thus for punishment he shall be cast into outer darkness who has of his own free will fallen into inward darkness.

(Hom. in Ev. ix. 7.) Let him then who has understanding look that he hold not his peace; let him who has affluence not be dead to mercy; let him who has the art of guiding life communicate its use with his neighbour; and him who has the faculty of eloquence intercede with the rich for the poor. For the very least endowment will be reckoned as a talent entrusted for use.

(Verse 30) And cast out the useless servant into outer darkness: there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. The Lord is the light; whoever is sent out from Him is truly without light. But what we mean by weeping and gnashing of teeth, we have already explained above.

What is weeping and gnashing of teeth we have said above.

But not to this is the penalty limited for him that is slothful, but even intolerable is the punishment, and with the punishment the sentence, which is full of a heavy accusation. For "cast ye," saith He, "the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Seest thou how not only the spoiler, and the covetous, nor only the doer of evil things, but also he that doeth not good things, is punished with extreme punishment.

Let us hearken then to these words. As we have opportunity, let us help on our salvation, let us get oil for our lamps, let us labor to add to our talent. For if we be backward, and spend our time in sloth here, no one will pity us any more hereafter, though we should wail ten thousand times. He also that had on the filthy garments condemned himself, and profited nothing. He also that had the one talent restored that which was committed to his charge, and yet was condemned. The virgins again entreated, and came unto Him and knocked, and all in vain, and without effect.

Knowing then these things, let us contribute alike wealth, and diligence, and protection, and all things for our neighbor's advantage. For the talents here are each person's ability, whether in the way of protection, or in money, or in teaching, or in what thing soever of the kind. Let no man say, I have but one talent, and can do nothing; for thou canst even by one approve thyself. For thou art not poorer than that widow; thou art not more uninstructed than Peter and John, who were both "unlearned and ignorant men;" but nevertheless, since they showed forth a zeal, and did all things for the common good, they attained to Heaven. For nothing is so pleasing to God, as to live for the common advantage.

Into outer darkness, where is no light, perhaps not even physical light; and where God is not seen, but those who are condemned thereto are condemned as unworthy the contemplation of God. We have also read some one before us expounding this of the darkness of that abyss which is outside the world, as though unworthy of the world, they were cast out into that abyss, where is darkness with none to lighten it.

If you are offended at this we have said, namely that a man shall be judged if he does not teach others, call to mind the Apostle's words, Woe is unto me if I preach not the Gospel. (1 Cor. 9:16.)

He affirms, lastly, that "the very hairs of our head are all numbered," and in the affirmation He of course includes the promise of their safety; for if they were to be lost, where would be the use of having taken such a numerical care of them? Surely the only use lies (in this truth): "That of all which the Father hath given to me, I should lose none," -not even a hair, as also not an eye nor a tooth. And yet whence shall come that "weeping and gnashing of teeth," if not from eyes and teeth?-even at that time when the body shall be slain in hell, and thrust out into that outer darkness which shall be the suitable torment of the eyes.

"Outer darkness" is that which is furthest from the light of God and for that reason renders the punishment more harsh. There is another reason that could be mentioned, and that is that the sinner is in darkness even in this life, as he has fallen away from the Sun of Righteousness, but as there is still hope of conversion, this is not yet the "outer" darkness. But when he has died and an examination has been made of the things he has done, then the outer darkness in its turn receives him. For there is no longer any hope of conversion, but he undergoes a complete deprivation of the good things of God. While he is here in this life he enjoys to some degree the good things of God, I mean, the tangible things of creation, and he believes that he is in some manner a servant of God, living out his life in God's house, which is this creation, being fed by Him and provided with the necessities of life. But then he will be altogether cut off from God, having no share at all in the good things of God. This is that darkness which is called "outer" by comparison to the darkness here, which is not "outer" because the sinner is not yet completely cut off from this time onward.

Consequently he treats of the punishment of sense. Now there are two senses, namely, sight and touch. Therefore he presents first the punishment of sight; secondly, of touch, when he says and the unprofitable servant cast into the exterior darkness. And note that he is not punished for the evil he has done, but for the good he has omitted; hence above at 7:19: every tree that does not yield good fruit shall be cut down. And elsewhere, John 15:2: every branch in me that bears not fruit he will take away. And he is called an unprofitable servant because the good that he has, he does not spend for the benefit of others: as if he had understanding and did not spend it in good use by teaching others; if money, and did not exercise the work of mercy. Cast him into the exterior darkness. Origen says that certain ones before him said that the damned would be cast out from the whole world. Hence they say that Hell is outside the entire world. And they relied on what Job 18:18 says: God shall remove him out of the world. But he himself expounds it thus: into darkness, because they are ignorant; Psalm 81:5: they have not known nor understood; they walk on in darkness. And there follows the punishment of touch: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. This was expounded above in chapter 24.

(in Joan. Tr. 21.) The wicked and they also who shall be set on His right hand shall see Him in human shape, for He shall appear in the judgment in that form which He took on Him from us; but it shall be afterwards that He shall be seen in the form of God, for which all the believers long.

(de Civ. Dei, xx. 24.) He shall come down with the Angels whom He shall call from heavenly places to hold judgment.

(Serm. 351, 8.) Or, by Angels here He means men who shall judge with Christ; for Angels are messengers, and such we rightly understand all who have brought tidings of heavenly salvation to men.

(de Civ. Dei, xx. 1.) He is now treating of the last judgment, when Christ shall come from heaven to judge the quick and dead. This day of the Divine judgment we call the Last Day, that is, the end of time; for we cannot tell through how many days that judgment will be prolonged; but day, as is the use of holy Scripture, is put for time. And we therefore call it the last or latest judgment, because He both now judges and has judged from the beginning of the human race, when He thrust forth the first man from the tree of life, and spared not the Angels that sinned. But in that final judgment both men and Angels shall be judged together, when the Divine power shall bring each man's good and evil deeds in review before his memory, and one intuitive glance shall present them to the perception, so that at once we shall be condemned or acquitted in our consciences.

Jesus rightly promises that the glory of the triumphant one [would follow] after two days in which he would celebrate the Passover and be consigned to the cross, mocked by humanity and given wine and gall to drink. Thus he will offset with the promised reward the blameworthy actions to follow. Clearly he who is to be seen in majesty is the Son of man.

(Verse 31 onwards) But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. And all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them from one another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the king will say to those on his right hand, 'After two days I will celebrate the Passover, be handed over to the cross, mocked by men, and be given vinegar and gall to drink, for he rightly precedes the glory of the triumpant, so that he may compensate for the scandals that will follow with the reward of his promise.' And it should be noted that the one who is to be seen in majesty is the Son of Man. And what follows: He will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left, understand this according to what you read elsewhere: The heart of the wise is in his right hand, but the heart of a fool is in his left (Eccl. 10:2). And above in this same Gospel: Let your left hand not know what your right hand does (Matt. 6:3). The sheep are commanded to stand on the right side of the righteous: the goats, that is, sinners, on the left, who are always offered for sin in the Law (Exod. 12). And he did not say, the goats, which can have offspring, and when they are shorn they come out of the bath, all with twin offspring, and there is none sterile among them (Canon 4); but the kids, a lustful and playful animal, and always eager for copulation.

He who was within two days to celebrate the passover, to be delivered to the cross, and mocked by men, fitly now holds out the glory of His triumph, that He may overbalance the offences that were to follow by the promise of reward. And it is to be noted, that He who shall be seen in majesty is the Son of Man.

"When the Son of Man shall come in His glory." For now is He come in dishonor, now in affronts and reproaches; but then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory.

And continually doth He make mention of glory. For since the cross was near, a thing that seemed to be matter of reproach, for this cause He raises up the hearer; and brings before his sight the judgment seat, and setteth round him all the world.

And not in this way only doth He make His discourse awful, but also by showing the Heavens opened. For all the angels will be present with Him, He saith, themselves also to bear witness, in how many things they had ministered, when sent by the Lord for the salvation of men.

If you are offended at this we have said, namely that a man shall be judged if he does not teach others, call to mind the Apostle's words, Woe is unto me if I preach not the Gospel. (1 Cor. 9:16.)

Or, He shall come again with glory, that His body may be such as when He was transfigured on the mount. His throne is either certain of the more perfect of the Saints, of whom it is written, For there are set thrones in judgment; (Ps. 122:5.) or certain Angelic Powers of whom it is said, Thrones or dominions. (Col. 1:16.)

After the parables concerning the end of the world the Lord proceeds to describe the manner of the judgment to come.

These words overthrow the error of those who said that the Lord should not continue in the same form of a servant. By his majesty, He means His divinity, in which He is equal to the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Since the first coming of the Lord was not with glory but with dishonor and indignity, He says, "When He shall come in His glory." For at the second coming He will come with glory, escorted by angels.

Above, the Lord set forth various parables pertaining to the judgment; but here he treats openly of his own judgment, and he does three things. First, he treats of the coming of the judge; second, of the gathering of those to be judged; third, of the judgment itself. The second is at and all nations shall be gathered together before him; the third at and the king shall say etc. Concerning the first, four things are to be considered. First, the condition of the judge who is coming is touched upon; second, his dignity; third, his ministers; fourth, his judicial authority. In what is said, when the Son of man shall come, there is no doubt that he is the same as the Son of God. But why does he name the Son of man rather than the Son of God? One reason is that insofar as he is the Son of man, he will judge; John 5:27: he gave him power to do judgment, because he is the Son of man. And this is for three reasons. First, so that he might be seen by all: for in the form of his divinity he cannot be seen except by the good; hence, if he is to be seen by all, he must be seen in the form of man. Revelation 1:7: every eye shall see him. Likewise, on account of Christ's merit: for he merited this through his passion; Philippians 2:8: he humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross; for which cause God also hath exalted him. Likewise, so that he might appear to judge in that form in which he was judged; Job 16:22: would that a man might so be judged with God, as the son of man is judged with his companion. Likewise, from the clemency of God, so that men might be judged by a man; Hebrews 4:15: we have not a high priest who cannot have compassion on our infirmities. This one, then, will be the Son of man. And what will his dignity be? He will come in his majesty; Luke 21:27: they shall see the Son of man coming in a cloud with great power and majesty. But what can be understood by majesty? It should be said that it means divinity, because although he will appear in the form of man, nevertheless he will appear with divinity. Hence the Apostle, 1 Thessalonians 4:15: the Lord with commandment and with the voice of an Archangel and with the trumpet of God shall come down from heaven. Or in majesty, i.e., in glory, because his body will be glorious; and he will come with a glorious company; hence above, 16:27: the Son of man shall come in glory. And therefore he adds, and all the angels with him. Here he treats of the ministers. And this can be understood of the heavenly spirits; Psalm 103:4: who maketh his angels spirits. And why will he come with them? Because they are the guardians of men; Psalm 90:11: God hath given his angels charge over thee. Therefore they will be present as witnesses, because the good received their guardianship, but the wicked did not, and instead repelled them; Isaiah 50:7: we have cured Babylon, and she is not healed. Or all the angels, i.e., preachers, or teachers of truth; Malachi 2:7: the lips of the priest shall keep knowledge, and they shall seek the law at his mouth. To these belongs judicial power, as Augustine says. Isaiah 3:14: the Lord will come to judgment, and all his saints with him; Proverbs 31:23: her husband is noble in the gates, when he sitteth among the senators of the land. Then follows the judicial power: then shall he sit upon the seat of his majesty. We should not understand this as a bodily seat; rather his seat is the holy men and angels. He will sit in them, because through them he will exercise judgment. Of men it is said above, 19:28, that they shall sit upon twelve seats etc. Of angels it is said, Colossians 1:16: whether thrones or dominations etc., and in Psalm 79:3: who sittest upon the Cherubim; and Psalm 9:5: thou hast sat on the throne, who judgest justice.

(de Civ. Dei, xx. 24.) This gathering shall be executed by the ministry of Angels, as it is said in the Psalm, Gather to him his saints. (Ps. 50:5.)

How can he be the Son of man when he is God and will come to judge all nations? He is the Son of man because he appeared on earth as a man and was persecuted as a man. Therefore this person who they said was a man will raise all nations from the dead and judge every person according to his works. Every race on earth will see him, both those who rejected him and those who despised him as a man. They will see him then, but not everyone in the same way: some will see him in punishment and others in heavenly bliss. All nations will be gathered together by the angels from the foundation of the world, beginning first with Adam and Eve down to the last person on earth—whoever experienced human birth. "And he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats." He, our Lord, who knows our thoughts, who foresees all human works and knows how to judge righteously, will separate them according to the merits of each person, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

(non occ.) Under the figure of a sheep in Scripture is signified simplicity and innocence. Beautifully then in this place are the elect denoted by sheep.

Also the goat is a salacious animal, and was the offering for sins in the Law; and He says not 'she goats' which can produce young, and come up shorn from the washing. (Song of Solomon 4:2.)

And everything will help to render that day fearful. Then, "shall be gathered together," He saith, "all nations," that is, the whole race of men. "And He shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd his sheep." For now they are not separated, but all mingled together, but the division then shall be made with all exactness. And for a while it is by their place that He divides them, and makes them manifest; afterwards by the names He indicates the dispositions of each, calling the one kids, the other sheep, that He might indicate the unfruitfulness of the one, for no fruit will come from kids; and the great profit from the other, for indeed from sheep great is the profit, as well from the milk, as from the wool, and from the young, of all which things the kid is destitute.

But while the brutes have from nature their unfruitfulness, and fruitfulness, these have it from choice, wherefore some are punished, and the others crowned.

Or, we need not understand this of a local gathering together, but that the nations shall be no more dispersed in divers and false dogmas concerning Him. For Christ's divinity shall be manifested so that not even sinners shall any longer be ignorant of Him. He shall not then show Himself as Son of God in one place and not in another; as He sought to express to us by the comparison of the lightning. So as long as the wicked know neither themselves nor Christ, or the righteous see through a glass darkly, (1 Cor. 13:12.) so long the good are not severed from the evil, but when by the manifestation of the Son of God all shall come to the knowledge of Him, then shall the Saviour sever the good from the evil; for then shall sinners see their sins, and the righteous shall see clearly to what end the seeds of righteousness in them have led. They that are saved are called sheep by reason of that mildness which they have learnt of Him who said, Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly, (Mat. 11:29.) and because they are ready to go even to death in imitation of Christ, who was led as a sheep to the slaughter. (Isa. 53:7.) The wicked, are called goats, because they climb rough and rugged rocks, and walk in dangerous places.

And all nations shall be gathered before Him. These words prove that the resurrection of men shall be real.

Why, do you yourself, when introducing into the church, for the purpose of melting the brotherhood by his prayers, the repentant adulterer, lead into the midst and prostrate him, all in haircloth and ashes, a compound of disgrace and horror, before the widows, before the elders, suing for the tears of all, licking the footprints of all, clasping the knees of all? And do you, good shepherd and blessed father that you are, to bring about the (desired) end of the man, grace your harangue with all the allurements of mercy in your power, and under the parable of the "ewe" go in quest of your goats? do you, for fear lest your "ewe" again take a leap out from the flock-as if that were no more lawful for the future which was not even once lawful-fill all the rest likewise full of apprehension at the very moment of granting indulgence? And would the apostle so carelessly have granted indulgence to the atrocious licentiousness of fornication burdened with incest, as not at least to have exacted from the criminal even this legally established garb of repentance which you ought to have learned from him? as to have uttered no commination on the past? no allocution touching the future? Nay, more; he goes further, and beseeches that they "would confirm toward him affection," as if he were making satisfaction to him, not as if he were granting an indulgence! And yet I hear (him speak of) "affection," not "communion; "as (he writes) withal to the Thessalonians "But if any obey not our word through the epistle, him mark; and associate not with him, that he may feel awed; not regarding (him) as an enemy, but rebuking as a brother.

First He will divide the saints from the sinners, delivering them from tribulations, and set them on His right, and then speak to them. He calls the saints "sheep" on account of their gentleness, and because they yield fruit and useful things for us, as do sheep, providing wool, which is divine and spiritual protection, and milk, which is the sustenance that is needed. The goats are the sinners, for they walk along the precipices and are unruly and fruitless.

Next is set forth the gathering; second, the division. He says, then, and all nations shall be gathered together. By nations are signified not only the gentiles, but all men who have been born from Adam to the end of the world; 2 Corinthians 5:10: we must all be manifested before the judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive the proper things of the body, according as he hath done, whether it be good or evil. Among these even infants who have been born are included, because even if they have nothing by their own merit, they nevertheless have something, namely, either guilt from the sin of the first man, or grace from the sacrament of Christ. Hence it should be noted that not all of these will be gathered to the same place; rather there will be a fourfold category of those who will appear at the judgment. For some will appear to be judged through a discussion of merits; but of these, some will be condemned, and some saved. Others, however, will receive their sentence without discussion. For to be judged is said in two ways: namely, either to receive a sentence, because all will either be rewarded or punished; or to be judged is said in the sense of rendering an account through a discussion of merits. And this discussion will not be necessary for all, because the sins and merits of those especially will be discussed who were united to Christ through faith: for those who are entirely estranged from Christ do not need discussion, according to what is said in John 3:18: he who does not believe is already judged. Gregory gives an example: one who captures his enemy in battle does not wait for a trial, but he is already judged, and so forth. Likewise, some have nothing in common with the world, because they left all things for the sake of Christ, and these will appear as judges; hence above, 19:28: you who have followed me shall sit upon twelve seats, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Who then are those who will be judged? The faithful who are entangled in worldly affairs, of whom some use them well, as we read in 1 Timothy 6:18: charge the rich to do good, to be rich in good works, to give easily, to communicate etc. But those who are held fast and entangled by them will be condemned. But what is the necessity? Do not all receive at death what they have merited? For what purpose, then, will they be judged? It should be noted that the reward which is given to men by God's just judgment is twofold: the first is the stole of the soul, and the second is the stole of the body. As regards the stole of the soul, it is received at death, but then they will receive the glory of the body at the same time. Hence, as regards the soul, all receive their bodies at the same time, but as regards punishment, all will be condemned together; hence Isaiah 24:22: they shall be gathered together as in the gathering of one bundle, because they are one in sin. We can understand this gathering as a local gathering, because all will be gathered in one place; Joel 3:2: I will gather together all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Josaphat; because those who are saved are saved through the passion of Christ, and those who are condemned are condemned through contempt of his passion; therefore where the passion of Christ took place, there will be the judgment. And it should be understood that the good will meet him in the air, but some will remain on the earth. According to Origen, this gathering will not be local, but they will be dispersed, and in their individual places they will be gathered; and this is what was said above, 24:27, that as lightning cometh out of the east and appeareth even into the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be, because wherever they are, he will be present there. Hence he holds that it will be a spiritual gathering, because now some are scattered from him and some hold fast to him; but then all will be gathered together; Isaiah 40:5: all flesh shall see the salvation of our God. Then he treats of the separation: and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats. Note that as long as the world lasts, the wicked are mingled with the good. There is scarcely any society in which some are not wicked; Song of Songs 2:2: as the lily among the thorns, so is my love among the daughters. But in that judgment the wicked will be on one side and the good on the other; Sirach 35: he shall judge between sheep and goats. But why does he call the good sheep? This is for four reasons. For we find in sheep innocence, 2 Kings 24:17: these who are the sheep, what have they done? Likewise, patience; Isaiah 53:7: he shall be led as a sheep to the slaughter, and shall be dumb as a lamb before his shearer, and he shall not open his mouth. Likewise, Psalm 43:22: we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Likewise, obedience, because they are gathered at the voice of the shepherd; John 10:27: my sheep hear my voice. Likewise, an abundance of fruits: just as from a sheep we receive many fruits, so many are the fruits of the good; Ezekiel 34:3: you ate the milk, and you clothed yourselves with the wool. Likewise, by goats he understands sinners, because the goat is an animal that goes along precipices, is also fervent for mating, and has contrary properties; also, it was offered for sin.

Next is set forth the division as to position: and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left. What is understood by the right hand, and what by the left? It can be said that literally it will be so, that the good will be placed on one side and the wicked on the other. Or because the right side is the nobler, therefore those who are good will have the nobler position, because they will meet Christ in the air. Origen refers this to the final recompense; because those who directed their intention toward God will be on the right, i.e., in eternal recompense; Ecclesiastes 10:2: the heart of a wise man is in his right hand, and the heart of a fool is in his left hand. Likewise, Proverbs 4:27: the Lord knoweth the ways that are on the right hand; but those are perverse which are on the left hand.

(de Civ. Dei, xx. 9.) Besides that kingdom of which He will say in the end, Inherit the kingdom prepared for you, though in a very inferior manner, the present Church is also called His kingdom, in the which we are yet in conflict with the enemy until we come to that kingdom of peace, where we shall reign without an enemy.

(Serm. 351. 8.) But one will say, I desire not to reign, it is enough for me that I be saved. Wherein they are deceived, first, because there is no salvation for those whose iniquity abounds; and, secondly, because if there be any difference between those that reign, and those that do not reign, yet must all be within the same kingdom, lest they be esteemed for foes or aliens, and perish while the others reign. Thus all the Romans inherit the kingdom of Rome, though all do not reign in it.

We have neither devised fictions of our own nor invented new fables; but from revelation and from what God who created the world has ordained, have beheld the pattern of the whole world—namely the Tabernacle prepared by Moses, which the New Testament consistently with this view has pronounced to be an image of the whole world; and which also by means of the vail Moses divided, and so made one tabernacle into two, just as God also in the beginning divided what was one region, extending from the earth to the highest heaven, into two regions, by means of the firmament; and just as in the tabernacle there was an outer and an inner place, so here there was a lower and an upper. Now the lower is this world, and the upper is the world to come, into which also the Lord Christ, after having risen according to the flesh from the dead, ascended the first of all, and into which the righteous shall in their turn afterwards ascend. And since from Adam to Moses, and from Moses to John, and from John all the Apostles and Evangelists, have each and all in harmony, and both by words and types spoken of these two states; and since not one of them has uttered a discordant note, either saying that there was a state before the first, or supposing that there is a third after the second; but all of them, as if inspired by the Holy Ghost, have proclaimed that there are but two states only, we, therefore, putting our confidence in the scriptures, which are truly divine, have not only sketched the figures of the whole world, but also of those very places by which you will find the Israelites made their exodus, also the mountain on which they received the law in writing, and were instructed in the knowledge of writing; also the delineation of the Tabernacle and the settlement in the Land of Promise; until he who was expected to arise from among them, and who was predicted by all the men of old and by the Prophets, did actually appear, proclaiming the future second state, which on his coming he showed in himself to us all, having entered into the inner Tabernacle, into the upper celestial region, into which at his second coming he shall call the righteous, saying: Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

All the perfect therefore who walk by this rule, peace be upon them and mercy, and at the judgment of God these shall of right hear Christ the Lord in the future state saying unto them from heaven: Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. To Him be glory for ever and ever. Amen!

And when was the kingdom of which he there speaks prepared? From the foundation of the world, he tells us, as if he said, from the time at the beginning of the creation, along with the making of the heaven and the earth and the things produced along with them, the place of the kingdom of heaven was prepared, God having provided something better for us.

He beheld Adam sinning, but He foresaw his posterity acting righteously; He saw him being cast out from Paradise, but He foresaw that a kingdom had been prepared for him. And what is wonderful is this, that even before Paradise the kingdom had been made. Why then do you wonder at his having been cast out of Paradise, when the real wonder is that before Paradise existed, the kingdom of the heavens had been prepared for him?—as saith the Saviour: Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world!

(Verse 34 onwards) Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see you as a guest, and welcome you? Or naked, and clothe you? When did we see you sick, or in prison, and visit you? And the king will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.' This should be understood according to God's foreknowledge, in whom the future has already happened.

This prepared for you from the foundation, of the world, is to be understood as of the foreknowledge of God, with whom things to come are as already done.

Of what honor, of what blessedness are these words? And He said not, Take, but, "Inherit," as one's own, as your Father's, as yours, as due to you from the first. For, before you were, saith He, these things had been prepared, and made ready for you, forasmuch as I knew you would be such as you are.

Then, in order that thou mayest see in another way also the justice of the sentence, He first praises them that have done right, and saith, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you before the foundation of the world. For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat," and all that follows. For that they may not say, we had it not, He condemns them by their fellow-servants; like as the virgins by the virgins, and the servant that was drunken and gluttonous by the faithful servant, and him that buried his talent, by them that brought the two, and each one of them that continue in sin, by them that have done right.

And here, however, it is of an equal; for he compares rich with rich, and poor with poor. And not in this way only doth He show the sentence justly passed, by their fellow-servants having done what was right when in the same circumstances, but also by their not being obedient so much as in these things in which poverty was no hindrance; as, for instance, in giving drink to the thirsty, in looking upon him that is in bonds, in visiting the sick. And when He had commended them that had done right, He shows how great was originally His bond of love towards them. For, "Come," saith He, "ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." To how many good things is this same equivalent, to be blessed, and blessed of the Father? And wherefore were they counted worthy of such great honors? What is the cause? "I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink;" and what follows.

For the Saints who have wrought right works, shall receive in recompense of their right works the King's right hand, at which is rest and glory; but the wicked for their evil and sinister deeds have fallen to the left hand, that is, into the misery of torments. Then shall the King say to those who are on his right hand, Come, that in whatsoever they are behind they may make it up when they are more perfectly united to Christ. He adds, ye blessed of my Father, to show how eminendy blessed they were, being of old blessed of the Lord, which made heaven and earth. (Ps. 115:15.)

Now the inheritance of everlasting life was unto all the righteous, and just, and merciful, and doers of good works while they were in this world, and these are they who were also called "blessed" by the living word of our Lord, in the words which He spake unto them, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, and inherit the kingdom which hath been prepared for you from before the foundations of the world. I was an hungered, and ye gave me to eat; I was athirst, and ye gave me to drink," together with the rest of the things which were spoken unto them by our Lord, for they all are applicable unto the righteous men of olden time, and unto the just who were also owners of possessions. And it is well known that clothing the naked, and receiving strangers, and setting a table for the hungry, and providing the needy with all things for their bodily wants, belong unto the owner of possessions, for without riches these things cannot be; the men who have embraced poverty have not riches wherewith they may do good works, how much less then have spiritual and perfect men wherewith to do them.

Or, they are called blessed, to whom an eternal blessing is due for their good deserts. He calls it the kingdom of His Father, ascribing the dominion of the kingdom to Him by whom Himself the King was begotten. For by His royal power, with which He shall be exalted alone in that day, He shall pronounce the sentence of judgment, Then shall the King say.

And it is to be noted, that the Lord here enumerates six works of mercy which whoso shall study to accomplish shall be entitled to the kingdom prepared for the chosen from the foundation of the world.

He does not give honor or punishment until He has first judged. For He loves mankind and teaches us to do the same as well, not to punish until we have made a careful examination. In this way those who are punished after the judgement will have no cause for complaint. He calls the saints "blessed" as they have been accepted by the Father. He considers them to be inheritors of the kingdom to show that God makes them participants in His own glory as His sons. For He did not say, "receive," but rather "inherit" as a man would his father's estate.

Then the king shall say to those who shall be on his right hand etc. Here he treats of the judgment. And first the sentence is promulgated regarding the good; second, regarding the wicked; third, the fulfillment is set forth. Concerning the first he does three things. First, the sentence is set forth; second, the wonder of those to be saved; third, the satisfaction. The second is at then shall the just answer him; the third at the king answering shall say to them. Concerning the first he does two things. First, he invites them to the reward; second, he relates the merit. He says, then, then the king shall say. And he calls him king, because it belongs to a king to judge; Proverbs 20:8: the king that sitteth on the throne of judgment scattereth away all evil with his look. But there is a question: will it be done by a vocal sentence? Some say that it will be spoken aloud and that the judgment will take a very long time; and Lactantius said that it would last a thousand years; but this is not true. Rather, this should be referred to an interior speech; and he leads men into the knowledge that the good are worthy of glory and the wicked of punishment. Hence what they will say will not be vocal, but according to an interior instinct; and Augustine says that by divine power, what each person has done will occur to him. And this is clear from the Apostle, Romans 2:15: their conscience bearing witness to them, and their thoughts between themselves accusing or also defending one another, in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men etc. Therefore it should be referred to interior speech. And he seems to touch on three things, because there is set forth the invitation, the cause of the sentence, and the reward itself. The invitation: come, ye blessed of my Father. But why does he say blessed of my Father? Because it will not be according to our own merit, but according as we are confirmed by the merit of Christ; hence Revelation 3:21: to him that shall overcome, I will give to sit with me in my throne, as I also have overcome and am set down with my Father in his throne; Luke 22:29: and I dispose to you, as my Father hath disposed to me, a kingdom. I, insofar as I am man, insofar as I enjoy the Word. Likewise, as regards the body; Philippians 3:21: he will reform the body of our lowliness, made like to the body of his glory. Come, i.e., be conformed; 1 John 3:2: when he shall appear, we shall be like to him. But are the good not now united to God? I say that they are, through charity that is not full, and through enigmatic faith; but then they will be gathered in full charity, in faith that is not enigmatic; because the corruptible body is a load upon the soul, and the earthly habitation presseth down the mind that museth upon many things, Wisdom 9:15. The cause of this reward is twofold: the cause of damnation is from man, the cause of salvation is from God; Hosea 13:9: destruction is thy own, O Israel; thy help is only in me. Hence we find that the cause of salvation is both temporal and eternal; the temporal cause is the bestowal of glory, and this is touched upon in come, ye blessed of my Father. His saying is his doing; hence Psalm 32:9: he spoke, and they were made. Hence his blessing is the infusion of grace; therefore he says of the Father, because it is not from us, but from God; James 1:17: every best gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights. Likewise, another cause is God's predestination; and this is noted when he says the kingdom prepared for you. Hence the Apostle, Romans 8:30: whom he predestinated, them he also called; Isaiah 64:4: the eye hath not seen, nor the ear heard, what things God hath prepared for them that love him. And he says from the foundation of the world. But how is this? Did he not choose them from eternity? He chose us before the foundation of the world, Ephesians 1:4. And it should be said that he chose from eternity, but from the foundation of the world he made it manifest. But what is that reward that he touches upon in possess the kingdom prepared for you? And what is this kingdom? This kingdom is the kingdom of heaven; Psalm 144:13: thy kingdom, O Lord, is a kingdom of all ages. He who possesses God possesses a kingdom; Revelation 5:10: and thou hast made us to our God a kingdom and priests. But someone might say: I do not wish to reign; it suffices for me not to be condemned. This cannot be. Either you will be a king and have a kingdom, or you will be condemned. And he says possess, i.e., enter into possession. But to enter into possession properly belongs to one who had the right. And we had this right from the divine ordination; likewise, from the acquisition of Christ, who acquired this for us; likewise, from his grace; Ephesians 1:14: who is the pledge of our inheritance. Likewise, it is called a possession, which is held in peace; hence full dominion is signified. Now we have God, but not in quiet, because a man is disturbed in many ways; but then the possession will be peaceful; 1 Peter 3:9: unto this are you called, that you may inherit a blessing; above, 18:29: and shall possess life everlasting.

A brother asked a hermit, 'Suppose there are two monks: one stays quietly in his cell, fasting for six days at a time, laying many hardships on himself: and the other ministers to the sick. Which of them is more pleasing to God?' He replied, 'Even if the brother who fasts six days hung himself up by his nose, he wouldn't be the equal of him who ministers to the sick.'

"I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink." [Jesus mentions] many other things, which we have recited. Having been given the faith, the righteous say, "Lord, when did see you hungry and fed you, thirsty, and gave you something to drink, naked and clothed you?" Other things also follow. What then, my most beloved? Does our Lord hunger and thirst? Is he who himself made everything in heaven and on earth, who feeds angels in heaven and every nation and race on earth, who needs nothing of an earthly character, as he is unfailing in his own nature, is this one naked? It is incredible to believe such a thing. Yet what must be confessed is easy to believe. For the Lord hungers not in his own nature but in his saints; the Lord thirsts not in his own nature but in his poor. The Lord who clothes everyone is not naked in his own nature but in his servants. The Lord who is able to heal all sicknesses and has already destroyed death itself is not diseased in his own nature but in his servants. Our Lord, the one who can liberate every person, is not in prison in his own nature but in his saints. Therefore, you see, my most beloved, that the saints are not alone. They suffer all these things because of the Lord. In the same way, because of the saints the Lord suffers all these things with them.

Therefore, dearest brothers, love hospitality, love the works of charity. For hence it is said through Paul: "Let brotherly love continue in you, and do not forget hospitality. For through this some have pleased, having received angels as guests." Hence Peter says: "Be hospitable to one another without murmuring." Hence Truth itself says: "I was a stranger, and you took me in."

There is a story well regarded and handed down to us by the account of our elders. A certain father of a household served with great zeal for hospitality along with his whole house; and while he received strangers at his table daily, one day a certain stranger came among others and was led to the table. And while the father of the household, from his custom of humility, wished to pour water on his hands, he turned and took the pitcher, but suddenly did not find the one on whose hands he had wished to pour water. And while he marveled at this occurrence to himself, that same night the Lord said to him through a vision: "On other days you received me in my members, but yesterday you received me in myself." Behold, coming to judgment, He will say: "What you did for one of my least ones, you did for me." Behold, before the judgment, when He is received through His members, He also visits His hosts through Himself; and yet we are sluggish toward the grace of hospitality. Consider, brothers, how great is the virtue of hospitality. Receive Christ at your tables, that you may be worthy to be received by Him at the eternal banquet. Offer now hospitality to Christ the stranger, that He may not disregard you as strangers at the judgment, but may receive you as His own into the kingdom.

(Mor. xxvi. 27.) These, to whom as they stand on His right hand the Judge at His coming shall say, I was an hungred &c. are they who are judged on the side of the elect, and who reign; who wash away the stains of their life with tears; who redeem former sins by good deeds following; who, whatever unlawful thing they have at any time done, have covered it from the Judge's eyes by a cloak of alms. Others indeed there are who are not judged, yet reign, who have gone even beyond the precepts of the Law in the perfection of their virtue.

And therefore has the Lord said: "Judge not, that ye be not judged: for with what judgment ye shall judge, ye shall be judged." [Matthew 7:1-2] [The meaning is] not certainly that we should not find fault with sinners, nor that we should consent to those who act wickedly; but that we should not pronounce an unfair judgment on the dispensations of God, inasmuch as He has Himself made provision that all things shall turn out for good, in a way consistent with justice. For, because He knew that we would make a good use of our substance which we should possess by receiving it from another, He says, "He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise." [Luke 3:11] And, "For I was an hungered, and ye gave Me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink; I was naked and ye clothed Me." [Matthew 25:35-36] And, "When thou doest thine alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth." [Matthew 6:3] And we are proved to be righteous by whatsoever else we do well, redeeming, as it were, our property from strange hands. But thus do I say, "from strange hands," not as if the world were not God's possession, but that we have gifts of this sort, and receive them from others, in the same way as these men had them from the Egyptians who knew not God; and by means of these same do we erect in ourselves the tabernacle of God: for God dwells in those who act uprightly, as the Lord says: "Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, that they, when ye shall be put to flight," may receive you into eternal tabernacles. For whatsoever we acquired from unrighteousness when we were heathen, we are proved righteous, when we have become believers, by applying it to the Lord's advantage.

And in return for what do they receive such things? For the covering of a roof, for a garment, for bread, for cold water, for visiting, for going into the prison. For indeed in every case it is for what is needed; and sometimes not even for that. For surely, as I have said, the sick and he that is in bonds seeks not for this only, but the one to be loosed, the other to be delivered from his infirmity. But He, being gracious, requires only what is within our power, or rather even less than what is within our power, leaving to us to exert our generosity in doing more.

In the same way, we have woven a garment for the cold and shivering Christ. We have received the fabric of wisdom from God that we may impart knowledge to some and clothe them with "compassion, chastity, kindness, lowliness" and the other virtues. All these virtues are the spiritual garments of those who have listened to the words of those who teach these virtues, according to him who says, "Put on, then, compassion, kindness, lowliness, gentleness" and so forth, more so Christ himself, who is all these things to the faithful, according to him who said, "Put on the Lord Jesus." Therefore, when we have clothed with garments of this type "one of the least" who believe in Christ, we have apparently clothed the Lord himself, so that the word of God in the world will not go naked. But we must also welcome the Son of God who became a stranger and the members of his body who are strangers in the world, untainted by all mundane actions, even as he says about himself and his disciples: "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." And Christ asks the Father to permit them to be with him where he is.

Now the inheritance of everlasting life was unto all the righteous, and just, and merciful, and doers of good works while they were in this world, and these are they who were also called "blessed" by the living word of our Lord, in the words which He spake unto them, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, and inherit the kingdom which hath been prepared for you from before the foundations of the world. I was an hungered, and ye gave me to eat; I was athirst, and ye gave me to drink," together with the rest of the things which were spoken unto them by our Lord, for they all are applicable unto the righteous men of olden time, and unto the just who were also owners of possessions. And it is well known that clothing the naked, and receiving strangers, and setting a table for the hungry, and providing the needy with all things for their bodily wants, belong unto the owner of possessions, for without riches these things cannot be.

Mystically, He who with the bread of the word and the drink of wisdom refreshes the soul hungering and thirsting after righteousness, or admits into the home of our mother the Church him who is wandering in heresy or sin, or who strengthens the weak in faith, such an one discharges the obligations of true love.

By "the least brethren" He means either His own disciples or, simply, all the poor. For every poor man is Christ's brother for the very reason that Christ, too, spent His life in poverty. See also God's righteousness, how He acclaims the saints; and see the good disposition of their mind, how they deny, with befitting modesty, that they have cared for Him. But the Lord accepts as for Himself the things that were done for the poor.

For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat etc. Above, the sentence concerning the reward was set forth; here is set forth the sentence concerning merit. From this we should consider that the cause of beatitude is twofold: one on the part of God, i.e., God's blessing; the other on our part, i.e., the merit that comes from free will: for men ought not to be idle, but to cooperate with the grace of God, as is said in 1 Corinthians 15:10: by the grace of God, I am what I am; and his grace in me hath not been void. But although there are many good merits, mention is made only of works of mercy. And from this some have taken occasion for error, saying that men are saved solely through works of mercy, or condemned for the omission of them; so that if someone has committed many sins but exercises himself in works of mercy, he will be saved, according to Daniel 4:24: redeem thou thy sins with alms, and thy iniquities with works of mercy to the poor; against what is found in Romans 1:32: they who do such things, namely sins, are worthy of death. And Galatians 5:21, after the enumeration of carnal sins, says: they who do such things shall not obtain the kingdom of God. Therefore this view is not to be held. But it could be that someone abstains and repents, and thus through almsgiving can be freed: for a man should begin almsgiving from himself; Sirach 30:24: have pity on thy own soul, pleasing God. And why is mention made of these works rather than of others? It should be said, according to Gregory, that he sets forth these as the lesser works: for if they do not do these things that nature dictates, much less will they do others. And this accords with the words of the Gospel, because they say, when did we see thee hungry and fed thee? etc., as if to say: this is a small thing. And since they consider it so little, the Lord exalts it the more, saying, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me. Augustine says that all men sin in the world, yet not all are condemned; but those who do not repent and do not make satisfaction. But he who repents and promises satisfaction through works of mercy is saved. Origen says that under works of mercy all good deeds are mentioned, or else they are omitted on account of the omission of such works. And it is signified that almsgiving is done not only to one's neighbor, but also to oneself: for if a man feeds the hungry, much more ought he to feed himself when hungry, and so with the other works. Likewise, there are not only corporal alms, but also spiritual ones; therefore whatever a man does either for his own benefit or for his neighbor's, the whole is contained under the work of mercy. Hence all things are contained either under these or under their contraries. There are seven works of mercy, but only six are touched upon. These seven are contained in the verse: I visit, I give drink, I feed, I ransom, I clothe, I shelter, I bury. But burial is not touched upon here. Why not? To exclude the error of some who said that souls do not attain rest until the body is buried. But this is not true, because the soul receives nothing from the body when it is separated from it. He sets forth, then, six works that are performed against various deficiencies. And because there is a certain general deficiency and a certain special one, he treats first of the general, then of the special. And because some deficiencies are from the exterior and some from the interior, he first touches upon deficiencies on the part of the interior, then from the exterior. He says, then, I was hungry, and you gave me to eat. This is found in Isaiah 58:7: deal thy bread to the hungry. I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink, because for my sake you gave to your neighbor. Hence above, 10:42: whosoever shall give to drink to one of these little ones a cup of cold water, he shall not lose his reward; of these two, Proverbs 25:21: if thy enemy be hungry, give him to eat; if he thirst, give him water to drink. Likewise, there are deficiencies from the exterior, and these are twofold, namely, from a covering that is joined and from one that is separate. He says, then, I was a stranger, and you took me in. Hebrews 13:2: be not forgetful of hospitality; for by this some, being not aware of it, have entertained angels.

How would Christ speak, but in accordance with the treatment to which the Christian would be subjected? But when He forbids thinking about what answer to make at a judgment-seat, He is preparing His own servants for what awaited them, He gives the assurance that the Holy Spirit will answer by them; and when He wishes a brother to be visited in prison, He is commanding that those about to confess be the object of solicitude; and He is soothing their sufferings when He asserts that God will avenge His own elect.

As for the joined covering he says, naked, and you covered me; Job 31:19: if I despised him that was passing by, because he had no covering; and there follows, if his sides have not blessed me, and if he were not warmed with the fleece of my sheep; Isaiah 58:7: when thou shalt see one naked, cover him. Likewise, there are certain particular deficiencies; and of these some are natural and some from the exterior. A natural and intrinsic deficiency is illness; hence he says, sick, and you visited me. As for the exterior deficiency he says, I was in prison, and you came to me. And by prison can be understood any tribulation; Hebrews 10:34: for you both had compassion on them that were in bonds.

Lord, when sate we thee &c. This they say not because they distrust the Lord's words, but they are in amaze at so great exaltation, and at the greatness of their own glory; or because the good which they have done will seem to them to be so small according to that of the Apostle, For the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us. (Rom. 8:18.)

Then shall the just answer, saying. Here is set forth a mental response. It belongs to good minds to consider what they do for God's sake as small; Luke 17:10: when you shall have done all these things that are commanded you, say: we are unprofitable servants. And Romans 8:18: I reckon that the sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come that shall be revealed in us. Hence they will say that they did it unknowingly, and they will say this considering it a small thing; hence, when did we see thee hungry and fed thee? etc. Hence they will say this in wonder.

"Have you seen," says Scripture, "a brother? you have seen your Lord; " -especially "a stranger," lest perhaps he be "an angel.

Now the very Pagans knew that any beggar at your door might be a god in disguise: and the parable of the sheep and the goats is Our Lord's comment. What you do, or don't do, to the beggar, you do, or don't do, to Him. Taken at the Pantheist extreme, this could mean that men are only appearances of God—dramatic representations, as it were. Taken at the Legalist extreme, it could mean that God, by a sort of Legal fiction, will "deem" your kindness to the beggar a kindness done to Himself. Or again, as Our Lord's own words suggest, that since the least of men are His "brethren", the whole action is, so to speak, "within the family." And in what sense brethren? Biologically, because Jesus is Man? Ontologically, because the light lightens them all? Or simply "loved like brethren." (It cannot refer only to the regenerate.) I would ask first whether any one of these formulations is "right" in a sense which makes the others simply wrong? It seems to me improbable. If I ever see more clearly I will speak more surely.

[...] Simple faith leaps to this with astonishing ease. I once talked to a Continental pastor who had seen Hitler, and had, by all human standards, good cause to hate him. "What did he look like?" I asked. "Like all men," he replied, "that is, like Christ."

And as all Christians know there is another way of giving to God; every stranger whom we feed or clothe is Christ. And this apparently is Gift-love to God whether we know it or not. Love Himself can work in those who know nothing of Him. The "sheep" in the parable had no idea either of the God hidden in the prisoner whom they visited or of the God hidden in themselves when they made the visit. (I take the whole parable to be about the judgment of the heathen. For it begins by saying, in the Greek, that the Lord will summon all "the nations" before Him—presumably, the Gentiles, the _Goyim_).

It would be quite false, therefore, to suppose that the Christian view of suffering is incompatible with the strongest emphasis on our duty to leave the world, even in a temporal sense, "better" than we found it. In the fullest parabolic picture which He gave of the Judgement, Our Lord seems to reduce all virtue to active beneficence: and though it would be misleading to take that one picture in isolation from the Gospel as a whole, it is sufficient to place beyond doubt the basic principles of the social ethics of Christianity.

Cassian said, 'We came from Palestine to Egypt, and visited one of the hermits. After he had welcomed us, we asked him, "When you receive guests, why don't you fast? In Palestine they do." He answered, "Fasting is always possible but I cannot keep you here for ever. Fasting is useful and necessary, but we can choose to fast or not fast. God's law demands from us perfect love. I receive Christ when I receive you, so I must do all I can to show you love. When I have said goodbye to you, I can take up my rule of fasting again. 'The sons of the bridegroom cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them; when he is taken from them, then they can fast' (Matt. 9:15)." '

In Scetis there once went out an order that they should fast for a week, and then celebrate Easter. During the week some brothers happened to come into Egypt to visit Moses, and he cooked a little vegetable stew for them. The nearby hermits saw the smoke, and said to the clergy of the church, 'What is that smoke? Moses must be disobeying the order, and cooking in his cell.' The clergy said, 'We will talk to him when he comes.' On Saturday the clergy, who knew the greatness of his way of life, said to Moses in front of the whole congregation, 'Moses, you have broken a commandment of men: but you have kept the commandments of God valiantly.'

The second person implored him for a subscription to some soup kitchen or cheap meal; and his refined features sharpened; for this, like literature, was a matter of principle with him. "Quite the wrong method," he said, shaking his head and pushing past. "Nothing any good but the Boyg system." The third stranger, who was male, caught him on the step as he came out into the snow and starlight; and asked him point blank for money. It was a part of Vernon-Smith's principles that all such persons are prosperous impostors; and like a true mystic he held to his principles in defiance of his five senses, which told him that the night was freezing and the man very thin and weak. "If you come to the Settlement between four and five on Friday week," he said, "inquiries will be made." The man stepped back into the snow with a not ungraceful gesture as of apology; he had frosty silver hair, and his lean face, though in shadow, seemed to wear something like a smile. As Vernon-Smith stepped briskly into the street, the man stooped down as if to do up his bootlace. He was, however, guiltless of any such dandyism; and as the young philanthropist stood pulling on his gloves with some particularity, a heavy snowball was suddenly smashed into his face. He was blind for a black instant; then as some of the snow fell, saw faintly, as in a dim mirror of ice or dreamy crystal, the lean man bowing with the elegance of a dancing master, and saying amiably, "A Christmas box." When he had quite cleared his face of snow the man had vanished.

For three burning minutes Cyril Vernon-Smith was nearer to the people and more their brother than he had been in his whole high-stepping pedantic existence; for if he did not love a poor man, he hated one. And you never really regard a labourer as your equal until you can quarrel with him. "Dirty cad!" he muttered. "Filthy fool! Mucking with snow like a beastly baby! When will they be civilized? Why, the very state of the street is a disgrace and a temptation to such tomfools. Why isn't all this snow cleared away and the street made decent?"

There is a story well regarded and handed down to us by the account of our elders. A certain father of a household served with great zeal for hospitality along with his whole house; and while he received strangers at his table daily, one day a certain stranger came among others and was led to the table. And while the father of the household, from his custom of humility, wished to pour water on his hands, he turned and took the pitcher, but suddenly did not find the one on whose hands he had wished to pour water. And while he marveled at this occurrence to himself, that same night the Lord said to him through a vision: "On other days you received me in my members, but yesterday you received me in myself." Behold, coming to judgment, He will say: "What you did for one of my least ones, you did for me." Behold, before the judgment, when He is received through His members, He also visits His hosts through Himself; and yet we are sluggish toward the grace of hospitality. Consider, brothers, how great is the virtue of hospitality. Receive Christ at your tables, that you may be worthy to be received by Him at the eternal banquet. Offer now hospitality to Christ the stranger, that He may not disregard you as strangers at the judgment, but may receive you as His own into the kingdom.

But because examples rather than words more often stir the hearts of listeners to the love of God and neighbor, I am eager to relate to your charity what my son Epiphanius the deacon, who is present here, born in the province of Isauria, is accustomed to tell as a miracle that occurred in the neighboring land of Lycaonia. For he says that there was a certain monk named Martyrius, a man of very venerable life, who was traveling from his own monastery to visit another monastery over which a spiritual father presided. And so as he went on his way, he found a leper whom the elephantine disease had disfigured throughout his limbs with dense wounds, wanting to return to his lodging but unable to do so because of weariness. And this man said that he had his lodging on that very road where the same monk Martyrius was hastening to go. But the man of God, having pity on the weariness of this leper, immediately threw down and spread out on the ground the cloak with which he was clothed, and placed the leper upon it, and lifting him up wrapped all around in his cloak upon his shoulder, he carried him back with him. And when he was now approaching the doors of the monastery, the spiritual father of that monastery began to cry out with a loud voice: "Run, open the doors of the monastery quickly, because brother Martyrius is coming carrying the Lord." But immediately when Martyrius reached the entrance of the monastery, he who was thought to be a leper leaped from his neck, and appearing in that form in which the Redeemer of the human race is accustomed to be recognized by men, God and man Christ Jesus, he returned to heaven while Martyrius watched, and ascending he said to him: "Martyrius, you were not ashamed of me on earth; I will not be ashamed of you in heaven." And when this holy man had just entered the monastery, the father of the monastery said to him: "Brother Martyrius, where is he whom you were carrying?" To which he replied, saying: "If I had known who he was, I would have held his feet." Then the same Martyrius related that when he had carried him, he had not felt his weight at all. Nor is this surprising; for how could he feel weight, when he who was being carried was himself carrying the one who bore him?

In this matter we must consider how much fraternal compassion avails, how much the bowels of mercy join us to almighty God. For we draw near to him who is above all things precisely when we lower ourselves even beneath ourselves through compassion for our neighbor. In bodily matters, no one touches high things unless he stretches upward; but in spiritual matters it is certain that the more we are drawn down through compassion, the more truly we approach the heights. But behold, for our edification it is not enough for the Redeemer of the human race that he declared he would say at the last judgment: "Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me," unless he also showed in himself before the judgment what he had said; so that he might demonstrate that whoever now renders good works to the needy renders them especially to him for whose love he renders them. And the more anyone receives a greater reward, the more he does not despise even him who seems most deserving of contempt. For what in human flesh is more sublime than the flesh of Christ, which is exalted above the angels? And what in human flesh is more abject than the flesh of a leper, which is torn apart by swelling wounds and filled with exhaling stenches? But behold, he appeared in the form of a leper; and he who is to be revered above all things did not disdain to be seen as despised below all things. Why this, except to admonish us who are slower of understanding, that whoever hastens to stand before him who is in heaven should not refuse to be humbled on earth and to suffer with even the abject and despicable brethren?

But you, brothers, knowing both the rest of Lazarus and the punishment of the rich man, act diligently, seek intercessors for your sins, and secure the poor as advocates for yourselves on the day of judgment. For you now have many Lazaruses; they lie before your doors, and they need what falls daily from your table while you are already satisfied. The words of sacred scripture ought to instruct us to fulfill the commands of piety. Every day, if we seek Lazarus, we find him; every day, even if we do not seek him, we see Lazarus. Behold, the poor present themselves persistently, they ask of us, who will then come as intercessors for us. Certainly we ought to have asked them entirely, yet we are the ones being asked. Consider whether we ought to refuse what is requested of us, when those who ask are our patrons.

Therefore do not waste the times for mercy, do not neglect the remedies you have received. Before punishment, think about punishment. When you look upon any who are lowly in this world, even if some things of theirs seem reprehensible, do not despise them, because perhaps those whom weakness of character wounds, the medicine of poverty heals. If there are any such things of theirs that ought rightly to be reproved, turn these, if you wish, to the use of your own reward, so that from their very faults the increase of your piety may be accumulated, inasmuch as you give both bread and word equally, the bread of refreshment with the word of correction; and let those who sought one thing receive two forms of nourishment from you, while they are satisfied both outwardly with food and inwardly with discourse.

Therefore when a poor person is seen to be blameworthy, he ought to be admonished, not despised. But if he has nothing deserving of reproof, he ought to be greatly venerated as an intercessor. But behold, we see many people, and we do not know what merit each one has. Therefore all are to be venerated, and it is necessary that you humble yourself before all, the more so because you do not know which of them is Christ.

Learn therefore, brothers, to despise all temporal things; learn to scorn passing honor, to love eternal glory. Honor those whom you see as poor, and those whom you observe outwardly as despised by the world, consider them inwardly as friends of God. Share with them what you have, so that one day they may deign to share with you what they have. Consider what is said by the mouth of the teacher of the nations: "In this time let your abundance supply their want, that their abundance also may be a supplement to your want." Consider what Truth itself says in person: "As long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me." Why are you slow to give, when what you extend to one lying on earth you give to him who sits in heaven?

(Verse 40, 41.) Amen, I say to you: as long as ((Also: when)) you did it to one of these, my least brothers, you did it to me. Then he will say to those on his left: Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink. I was a stranger and you did not welcome me. I was naked and you did not clothe me. I was sick and in prison and you did not visit me. Then they will answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not minister to you? Then he will answer them, saying: Amen I say to you, as long as you did not do it to one of these least ones, neither did you do it to me. It was fitting for us to understand that in every poor person Christ, hungry, would be fed, thirsty would be given drink, a stranger would be brought into shelter, the naked would be clothed, the sick would be visited, the imprisoned would have the consolation of speaking with him. But from this that follows: As long as you did it to one of these least brothers of mine, you did it to me, it does not seem to me that he spoke generally about the poor, but about those who are poor in spirit, to whom he extends his hand and said: These are my brothers and my mother, who do the will of my Father (Mark 3:34-35; Luke 8:21).

It were indeed free to us to understand that it is Christ in every poor man whom we feed when he is hungry, or give drink to when he is thirsty, and so of other things; but when He says, In that ye have done it to one of the least of these my brethren, He seems tome not to speak of the poor generally, but of the poor in spirit, those to whom He pointed and said, Whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother. (Matt. 12:50.)

But if they are His brethren, why does He call them the least? Because they are lowly, poor, and outcast. By these He means not only the monks who have retired to the mountains, but every believer though he should be secular, though an hungred, or the like, yet He would have him obtain merciful succours, for baptism and communication of the Divine mysteries makes him a brother.

It is from humility that they declare themselves unworthy of any praise for their good deeds, not that they are forgetful of what they have done. But He shows them His close sympathy with His own.

And the king answering shall say to them. He satisfies this wonder, because when a man humbles himself and God exalts him, when a man considers himself worthless and God praises him; hence, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me; above, 10:40: he that receiveth you, receiveth me, because the head and the members are one body. And he says brethren, because they are brothers who do the will of God; hence above, 12:48, it is said that stretching out his hand toward his disciples he said: these are my brethren. In this it is noted that one should give to the good; Sirach 12:4: give to the good, and receive not a sinner. And should one give to a sinner? One should give to him when he is in extreme necessity, but more and sooner to the just; therefore he says my brethren. For many come who are not brothers of God; hence 1 John 4:3: every spirit that dissolveth Jesus is not of God. Hence, other things being equal, we should do more for the good; yet in their need we must also give to the wicked in time of necessity, not to foster sin, but to sustain nature. Are all God's brothers? Yes; but some according to nature, some according to grace: according to nature, all, both good and wicked; 2 Corinthians 11:26: perils from false brethren; but according to grace, only the good; Romans 8:29: he is the firstborn amongst many brethren. And to these especially one should show mercy and give aid; hence the Apostle in Galatians 6:10 says: whilst we have time, let us work good to all men, but especially to those who are of the household of the faith. But why does he call them least? He says this according to the opinion of the common people. It is certain that men who are little for God's sake are considered least, James 3. Likewise, least on account of humility; above, 11:25: thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to little ones. And he speaks from the lesser case, because some could say: if I had done this for an equal, or for some of the great, I believe it would be rewarded. Therefore the Lord says, not only for the greater, but for the imperfect; therefore he says least.

(de Civ. Dei, xxi. 10.) It is hence clear, that the same fire will be appropriated to the punishment of men and of dæmons. If then it inflicts pain by corporeal touch, so as to produce bodily torment, how will there be in it any punishment for the evil spirits, unless the dæmons have, as some have thought, bodies composed of gross and fluid air. But if any man asserts that the dæmons have no bodies, we would not pugnaciously contend the point. For why may we not say, that truly, though wonderfully, even incorporeal spirit can feel pain of corporeal fire? If the spirits of men, though themselves incorporeal, can be now inclosed in bodily limbs, they can then be inseparably attached to the bonds of body. The dæmons then will be united to a body of material fire, though themselves immaterial, drawing punishment from their body, not giving life to it. And that fire being material will torture such bodies as ours with their spirits; but the dæmons are spirits without bodies.

Transgressors of the commandments merit eternal punishments. "Cursed are they who decline from Thy commandments": cursed, because it shall be said to them: "Depart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire."

The third origin of the fear of the Lord is from the consideration of the severity of divine vengeance. Whence in Habakkuk: "Lord, I have heard your report and was afraid." He says: "I have heard your report and was afraid," namely, that report when it shall be said: "Depart, you cursed, into eternal fire."

You will remember that in the parable, the saved go to a place prepared for them, while the damned go to a place never made for men at all. To enter heaven is to become more human than you ever succeeded in being in earth; to enter hell, is to be banished from humanity. What is cast (or casts itself) into hell is not a man: it is "remains". To be a complete man means to have the passions obedient to the will and the will offered to God: to have been a man--to be an ex-man or "damned ghost"--would presumably mean to consist of a will utterly centred in its self and passions utterly uncontrolled by the will.

Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels, as if he said, to the righteous, come above to the inner heaven beyond this visible firmament, and to the impious, go down to the place about the earth, into which the devil also was hurled down.

(ubi sup.) They to whom this is said are the wicked believers, who are judged and perish; others, being unbelievers, are not judged and perish; for there is no examination of the condition of such as appear before the face of an impartial Judge already condemned by their unbelief; but those who hold the profession of the faith, but have not the works of their profession, are convicted that they may be condemned. These at least hear the words of their Judge, because they have at least kept the words of His faith. The others hear no words of their Judge pronouncing sentence of condemnation, because they have not paid Him honour even in word. For a prince who governs an earthly kingdom punishes after a different manner the rebellion of a subject and the hostile attempts of an enemy; in the former case, he recurs to his prerogative; against an enemy he takes arms, and does not ask what penalty the law attaches to his crime.

But to the others He saith, "Depart from me, ye cursed," (no longer of the Father; for not He laid the curse upon them, but their own works), "into the everlasting fire, prepared," not for you, but "for the devil and his angels." For concerning the kingdom indeed, when He had said, "Come, inherit the kingdom," He added, "prepared for you before the foundation of the world;" but concerning the fire, no longer so, but, "prepared for the devil." I, saith He, prepared the kingdom for you, but the fire no more for you, but "for the devil and his angels;" but since ye cast yourselves therein, impute it to yourselves. And not in this way only, but by what follows also, like as though He were excusing Himself to them, He sets forth the causes.

As He had said to the righteous, Come ye, so He says to the wicked, Depart ye, for they who keep God's commandment are near to the Word, and are called that they may be made more near; but they are far from it, though they may seem to stand hard by, who do not His commands; therefore it is said to them, Depart ye, that those who seemed to be living before Him, might be no more seen. It should be remarked, that though He had said to the Saints, Ye blessed of my Father, He says not now, Ye cursed of my Father, because of all blessing the Father is the author, but each man is the origin of his own curse when he does the things that deserve the curse. They who depart from Jesus fall into eternal fire, which is of a very different kind from that fire which we use. For no fire which we have is eternal, nor even of any long continuance. And note, that He does not say, 'the kingdom prepared for the Angels,' as He does say everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels; because He did not, as far as in Him lay, create men to perdition, but sinners yoke themselves to the Devil, so that as they that are saved are made equal to the holy Angels, they that perish are made equal with the Devil's Angels.

Or it may be that fire is of such nature that it can but invisible substances, being itself invisible, as the Apostle speaks, The things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (2 Cor. 4:18.) Wonder not when you hear that there is a fire which though unseen has power to torture, when you see that there is an internal fever which comes upon men, and pains them grievously.

But, to come now to Moses, why, I wonder, did he merely at the time when Joshua was battling against Amalek, pray sitting with hands expanded, when, in circumstances so critical, he ought rather, surely, to have commended his prayer by knees bended, and hands beating his breast, and a face prostrate on the ground; except it was that there, where the name of the Lord Jesus was the theme of speech-destined as He was to enter the lists one day singly against the devil-the figure of the cross was also necessary, (that figure) through which Jesus was to win the victory? Why, again, did the same Moses, after the prohibition of any "likeness of anything," set forth a brazen serpent, placed on a "tree," in a hanging posture, for a spectacle of healing to Israel, at the time when, after their idolatry, they were suffering extermination by serpents, except that in this case he was exhibiting the Lord's cross on which the "serpent" the devil was "made a show of," and, for every one hurt by such snakes-that is, his angels -on turning intently from the peccancy of sins to the sacraments of Christ's cross, salvation was outwrought? For he who then gazed upon that (cross) was freed from the bite of the serpents.

But if, on the other hand, there is to be an end of evil, when the chief thereof, the devil, shall "go away into the fire which God hath prepared for him and his angels" -having been first "cast into the bottomless pit; " when likewise "the manifestation of the children of God" shall have "delivered the creature" from evil, which had been "made subject to vanity; " when the cattle restored in the innocence and integrity of their nature shall be at peace with the beasts of the field, when also little children shall play with serpents; when the Father shall have put beneath the feet of His Son His enemies, as being the workers of evil,-if in this way an end is compatible with evil, it must follow of necessary that a beginning is also compatible with it; and Matter will turn out to have a beginning, by virtue of its having also an end.

For although there is assigned to angels also perdition in "the fire prepared for the devil and his angels," yet a restoration is never promised to them.

He sends those on the left into the fire which had been prepared for the devil. For as the demons are without compassion and are cruelly and maliciously disposed towards us, it is fitting that they who are of like mind with them, and who have been cursed by their own deeds, should merit the same punishment. See that God did not prepare the fire for men, nor did He make hell for us, but for the devil; but I make myself liable to hell.

Then the king shall say to those who shall be on his left. Here is set forth the condemnation of the wicked. And first the condemnation is set forth; second, their excuse; third, the refutation. And concerning the first, he first sets forth the sentence, then the punishment. He says, then: depart from me, you cursed. This sentence differs from the first, because in the first he said come, ye blessed of my Father etc.; but here he does not say: cursed of my Father, because our blessing is from God, but the curse is from ourselves. And Hebrews 5 and Deuteronomy 23:5, he turned the blessing into a curse. Likewise there is a difference, because above he said possess the kingdom prepared for you etc., but here he says go into everlasting fire, which was prepared for the devil and his angels. And what is the reason? Origen says that he did not make the punishments for men, but they acquire death for themselves by their own hands; Isaiah 31:7: in that day a man shall cast away his idols of gold and of silver, which your hands have made for you. But someone might say: did the Lord not also make the devil good? Note that the Lord speaks of the preparation as manifested from the beginning of the world. But the devil sinned from the beginning: hence for the angel, who as regards his nature was created good, he did not prepare it, but for sin.

And things here are like this; but let us speak also of the day to come. For though they give not heed, yet it is necessary for us to speak. In the day to come then, one will see everywhere such men as these undergoing punishment. For when He saith, "I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink;" He is punishing these; and when He saith, "Depart into the eternal fire prepared for the devil," He is sending thither them that make a bad use of riches. And the wicked servant, who gives not to his fellow-servants the goods of his Lord, is of the number of these men, and he that buried his talent, and the five virgins.

"For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat." For though He that came to thee had been thine enemy, were not His sufferings enough to have overcome and subdued even the merciless? hunger, and cold, and bonds, and nakedness, and sickness, and to wander everywhere houseless? These things are sufficient even to destroy enmity. But ye did not these things even to a friend, being at once friend, and benefactor, and Lord. Though it be a dog we see hungry, often we are overcome; and though we behold a wild beast, we are subdued; but seeing the Lord, art thou not subdued? And wherein are these things worthy of defense?

But mark them, how they are destitute not of one or two things only, but of all. For not only did they fail to feed the hungry, or clothe the naked; but not even did they visit the sick, which was an easier thing.

And mark how easy are His injunctions. He said not, "I was in prison, and ye set me free; I was sick, and ye raised me up again;" but, "ye visited me," and, "ye came unto me." And neither in hunger is the thing commanded grievous. For no costly table did He seek, but what is needful only, and His necessary food, and He sought in a suppliant's garb, so that all things were enough to bring punishment on them; the easiness of the request, for it was bread; the pitiable character of Him that requesteth, for He was poor; the sympathy of nature, for He was a man; the desirableness of the promise, for He promised a kingdom; the fearfulness of the punishment, for He threatened hell. The dignity of the one receiving, for it was God, who was receiving by the poor; the surpassing nature of the honor, that He vouchsafed to condescend so far; His just claim for what they bestowed, for of His own was He receiving. But against all these things covetousness once for all blinded them that were seized by it; and this though so great a threat was set against it.

It follows, I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat. It is written to the believers, Ye are the body of Christ. (1 Cor. 12:27.) As then the soul dwelling in the body, though it hungers not in respect of its spiritual substance, yet hungers for the food of the body, because it is yoked to the body; so the Saviour suffers whatever His body the Church suffers, though He Himself be impassible. And observe how in speaking to the righteous He reckons up their good deeds under their several kinds, but to the unrighteous He cuts short the description under the one head, I was sick and in prison, and ye visited me not, because it was the part of a merciful Judge to enlarge and dwell upon men's good deeds, but to pass lightly and cursorily over their evil deeds.

Tremble, then, O man, and understand from this that these men were not punished as fornicators, or robbers, or perpetrators of any other vice, but for not having done good. For indeed, if you consider things well, the robber is he who has much and does not give alms, even if he does no obvious injury. For whatever he has in excess of his needs, he has stolen from those who are in need and who have not received anything from him. For if he had shared these things with them, they would not be in need. Now that he has locked these things up and kept them for himself, for this very reason they are in need. So he who does not give alms is a robber, doing injustice to all those whom he could have helped but did not, and for this reason he and those like him shall go away into eternal punishment which never ends; but the righteous shall enter into eternal life. For just as the saints have unceasing joy, so too the unjust have unceasing punishment, despite the gibberish of Origen who says that there is an end to hell and that sinners will not be punished for ever, but that there will be a time when they enter the place of the righteous because they have been purified by suffering in hell. Origen is clearly refuted here, both when the Lord speaks of "everlasting punishment," that is, never ending, and when He likens the righteous to sheep and the sinners to goats. For just as a goat can never become a sheep, neither can a sinner ever be cleansed and become righteous after the Judgement. "Outer darkness" [mentioned in the preceding parable of the talents] is that which is furthest from the light of God and for that reason renders the punishment more harsh. There is another reason that could be mentioned, and that is that the sinner is in darkness even in this life, as he has fallen away from the Sun of Righteousness, but as there is still hope of conversion, this is not yet the "outer" darkness. But when he has died and an examination has been made of the things he has done, then the outer darkness in its turn receives him. For there is no longer any hope of conversion, but he undergoes a complete deprivation of the good things of God. While he is here in this life he enjoys to some degree the good things of God, I mean, the tangible things of creation, and he believes that he is in some manner a servant of God, living out his life in God's house, which is this creation, being fed by Him and provided with the necessities of life. But then he will be altogether cut off from God, having no share at all in the good things of God. This is that darkness which is called "outer" by comparison to the darkness here, which is not "outer" because the sinner is not yet completely cut off from this time onward. You, then, O reader, flee from this absence of compassion, and practice almsgiving, both tangible and spiritual. Feed Christ Who hungers for our salvation. If you give food and drink to him who hungers and thirsts for teaching, you have given food and drink to Christ. For within the Christian there is Christ, and faith is nourished and increased by teaching. If you should see someone who has become a stranger to his heavenly fatherland, take him in with you. While you yourself are entering into the heavens, lead him in as well, lest while you preach to others, you yourself be rejected. If a man should cast off the garment of incorruption which he had at his baptism, so that he is naked, clothe him; and if one should be infirm in faith, as Paul says, help him; and visit him who is shut up in the dark prison of this body and give him counsel which is as a light to him. Perform, then, all of these six types of love, both bodily and also spiritually, for we consist of both soul and body, and these acts of love are to be accomplished by both.

I was hungry. Here nothing else need be said except that he speaks differently to the good and to the wicked: because above he stated each thing separately, here he joins many together; hence sick and in prison. And because he joins these two, it should be said that he proceeds in the manner of a good judge who condemns reluctantly and rewards generously: hence he expands the words of reward and abbreviates the words of condemnation.

Thus convicted by the words of the Judge, they make answer submissively, Lord, when saw we thee &c.

He could have said to the unrighteous, "I was sick, and you did not visit me; I was in prison, and you did not come to me." Instead he abbreviated his discourse and compressed both phrases into one, saying, "I was sick and in prison, and you did not visit me," for it was proper for a merciful judge to embellish the good deeds of people but to skim over their evil deeds. The righteous, however, dwell on each word, saying, "When did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give you drink?" And "when did we see you a stranger, and take you in; or naked, and clothe you?" Or "when did we see you sick or in prison, and come to you?" For it is characteristic of the righteous, out of humility, studiously to make light of each of their good deeds held up to them. It is as though to the Lord's words, "This, that and the other good thing you did to me," they disavowingly reply, "Neither this, that nor the other thing did we do to you." The unrighteous do not treat each item individually but are quick to say, "When did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you, for we ministered the word to you." They refer to everything they did and tend to play down their evil actions, which might appear worse if enumerated one by one, for it is characteristic of wicked people to mention their faults, by way of excuse, as being either nonexistent or few and far between.

Mark how the righteous dwell upon each word, while the unrighteous answer summarily, and not going through the particular instances; for so it becomes the righteous out of humility to disclaim each individual generous action, when imputed to them publicly; whereas bad men excuse their sins, and endeavour to prove them few and venial. And Christ's answer conveys this. And to the righteous He says, In that ye did it to my brethren, to show the greatness of their good deeds; to the sinners He says only, to one of the least of these, not aggravating their sin. For they are truly His brethren who are perfect; and a deed of mercy shown to the more holy is more acceptable to God than one shown to the less holy; and the sin of overlooking the less holy is less than of overlooking the more holy.

Then they also shall answer him. And note that just as the good abbreviate their good deeds, so the wicked abbreviate their faults; hence they say: Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty? etc. They say everything together; in which it is given to understand that they are unwilling to examine their consciences, against Isaiah 46:8: return, you transgressors, to the heart. Hence, when they must return, they return to very little.

You see, my beloved, there is no excuse for it. They knew what they had to do in this world. But greed and ill-will prevented them, so they laid up for themselves not treasures for the future but the world of the dead. Neither were they condemned because of the active wrong they did, nor did the Lord say to them, Depart from me, you wicked, because you committed murder or adultery or theft. But instead: because I was hungry and thirsty in my servants, and you did not minister to me. If those who did no wrong are thus condemned, what must be said of those who do the works of the devil? Will not the prophecy of blessed David come upon them: "The wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous?" Not that they will not rise, but that neither in judgment [nor in] the congregation of the righteous do they deserve to enter. They will stand, however, so that from punishment they may enter into punishment. "And they will go into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." Whatever will be is everlasting. Sinners will have everlasting punishment; and the righteous, everlasting life.

But art thou ashamed to hear that Christ beggeth? Rather be ashamed when thou dost not give to Him begging of thee. For this is shame, this is vengeance and punishment. Since for Him to beg is of His goodness, wherefore we ought even to glory therein; but for thee not to give, is of thy inhumanity. But if thou believe not now, that in passing by a poor man that is a believer, thou passest by Him, thou wilt believe it then, when He will bring thee into the midst and say, "Inasmuch as ye did it not to these, ye did it not to me." But God forbid that we should so learn it, and grant rather that we may believe now, and bring forth fruit, and hear that most blessed voice that bringeth us into the kingdom.

For further back also He saith, that they who receive not such as these shall suffer more grievous things than Sodom; and here He saith, "Inasmuch as ye did it not unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye did it not unto me." What sayest Thou? they are Thy brethren; and how dost Thou call them least? Why, for this reason they are brethren, because they are lowly, because they are poor, because they are outcast. For such doth He most invite to brotherhood, the unknown, the contemptible, not meaning by these the monks only, and them that have occupied the mountains, but every believer; though he be a secular person, yet if he be hungry, and famishing, and naked, and a stranger, His will is he should have the benefit of all this care. For baptism renders a man a brother, and the partaking of the divine mysteries.

So for this cause, while the one are punished justly, the others are crowned by grace. For though they had done ten thousand things, the munificence were of grace, that in return for services so small and cheap, such a heaven, and a kingdom, and so great honor, should be given them.

Wouldest thou do honor to Christ's body? Neglect Him not when naked; do not while here thou honorest Him with silken garments, neglect Him perishing without of cold and nakedness. For He that said, "This is my body," and by His word confirmed the fact, this same said, "Ye saw me an hungered, and fed me not;" and, "Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me." For This indeed needs not coverings, but a pure soul; but that requires much attention.

Let us learn therefore to be strict in life, and to honor Christ as He Himself desires. For to Him who is honored that honor is most pleasing, which it is His own will to have, not that which we account best. Since Peter too thought to honor Him by forbidding Him to wash his feet, but his doing so was not an honor, but the contrary.

Even so do thou honor Him with this honor, which He ordained, spending thy wealth on poor people. Since God hath no need at all of golden vessels, but of golden souls.

Then follows the refutation: amen I say to you: as long as you did it not to one of these least, neither did you do it to me. A similar passage is found in Luke 10:16: he that despiseth you despiseth me; Zechariah 2:8: he that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of my eye.

For in the last days false prophets shall be multiplied, and such as corrupt the word; and the sheep shall be changed into wolves, and love into hatred: for through the abounding of iniquity the love of many shall wax cold. For men shall hate, and persecute, and betray one another. And then shall appear the deceiver of the world, the enemy of the truth, the prince of lies, [2 Thessalonians 2:3-12] whom the Lord Jesus "shall destroy with the spirit of His mouth, who takes away the wicked with His lips; and many shall be offended at Him. But they that endure to the end, the same shall be saved. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven;" [Isaiah 11:4; Matthew 24:1-51] and afterwards shall be the voice of a trumpet by the archangel; and in that interval shall be the revival of those that were asleep. And then shall the Lord come, and all His saints with Him, with a great concussion above the clouds, with the angels of His power, [Matthew 16:27] in the throne of His kingdom, to condemn the devil, the deceiver of the world, and to render to every one according to his deeds. "Then shall the wicked go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous shall go into life eternal," [Matthew 25:46] to inherit those things "which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, such things as God has prepared for them that love Him;" [1 Corinthians 2:9] and they shall rejoice in the kingdom of God, which is in Christ Jesus.

"All shall hear His voice, and shall come forth." And where is judgment, if all shall hear and all shall come forth? It is as if all were confusion; I see no distinguishing. Certainly Thou hast received authority to judge, because Thou art the Son of man: behold, Thou wilt be present in the judgment; the bodies will rise again; but tell us something of the judgment itself, that is, of the separation of the evil and the good. Hear this further, then: "They that have done good into the resurrection of life; they that have done evil into the resurrection of judgment." When above He spoke of a resurrection of minds and souls, did He make any distinction? No, for all "that hear shall live;" because by hearing, viz. by obeying, shall they live. But certainly not all will go to eternal life by rising and coming forth from the graves, - only they that have done well; and they that have done ill, to judgment. For here He has put judgment for punishment.

There will also be a separation, not such as there is now. For now we are separated, not by place, but by character, affections, desires, faith, hope, charity. Now we live together with the unjust, though the life of all is not the same: in secret we are distinguished, in secret we are separated; as grain on the floor, not as grain in the granary. On the floor, grain is both separated and mixed: separated, because severed from the chaff; mixed, because not yet winnowed. Then there will be an open separation; a distinguishing of life just as of the character, a separation as there is in wisdom, so also will there be in bodies. They that have done well will go to live with the angels of God; they that have done evil, to be tormented with the devil and his angels. And the form of a servant will pass away. For to this end He had manifested Himself, that He might execute judgment. After the judgment, He shall go hence, will lead with Him the body of which He is the head, and deliver up the kingdom of God. Then will openly be seen that form of God which could not be seen by the wicked, to whose vision the form of a servant must be shown.

He says also in another place on this wise: "These shall go away into everlasting burning" (speaking of certain on the left), "but the just into life eternal;" of which life He says in another place: "And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent."

(de Civ. Dei, xx. 1.) He is now treating of the last judgment, when Christ shall come from heaven to judge the quick and dead. This day of the Divine judgment we call the Last Day, that is, the end of time; for we cannot tell through how many days that judgment will be prolonged; but day, as is the use of holy Scripture, is put for time. And we therefore call it the last or latest judgment, because He both now judges and has judged from the beginning of the human race, when He thrust forth the first man from the tree of life, and spared not the Angels that sinned. But in that final judgment both men and Angels shall be judged together, when the Divine power shall bring each man's good and evil deeds in review before his memory, and one intuitive glance shall present them to the perception, so that at once we shall be condemned or acquitted in our consciences.

(de Fid. et Op. 15.) Some deceive themselves, saying, that the fire indeed is called everlasting, but not the punishment. This the Lord foreseeing, sums up His sentence in these words.

(de Civ. Dei, xix. 11.) Eternal life is our chief good, and the end of the city of God, of which the Apostle speaks, And the end everlasting life. (Rom. 6:22.) But because eternal life might be understood by those who are not well versed in Holy Scripture, to mean also the life of the wicked, because of the immortality of their souls, or because of the endless torments of the wicked; therefore we must call the end of this City in which the chief good shall be attained, either peace in life eternal, or life eternal in peace, that it may be intelligible to all.

(de Trin. i. 8.) That which the Lord spoke to His servant Moses, I am that I am, (Exod. 3:14.) this we shall contemplate when we shall live in eternity. For thus the Lord speaks, This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God. (John 17:3.) This contemplation is promised to us as the end of all action, and the eternal perfection of our joys, of which John speaks, We shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2.)

(de Civ. Dei, xxi. 11.) And the justice of no law is concerned to provide that the duration of each man's punishment should be the same with the sin which drew that punishment upon him. There never was any man, who held that the torment of him, who committed a murder or adultery, should be compressed within the same space of time as the commission of the act. And when for any enormous crime a man is punished with death, does the law estimate his punishment by the delay that takes place in putting him to death, and not rather by this, that they remove him for ever from the society of the living? And fines, disgrace, exile, slavery, when they are inflicted without any hopes of mercy, do they not seem like eternal punishments in proportion to the length of this life? They are only therefore not eternal, because the life which suffers them is not itself eternal. But they say, How then is that true which Christ says, With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again, (Matt. 7:2.) if temporal sin is punished with eternal pain? They do not observe that this is said with a view, not to the equality of the period of time, but of the retribution of evil, i. e. that he that has done evil should suffer evil. Man was made worthy of everlasting evil, because he destroyed in himself that good which might have eternal.

(de Civ. Dei, xxi. 3.) But, they assert, nobody can be at once capable of suffering pain, and incapable of death. It must be that one live in pain, but it need not be that pain kill him; for not even these mortal bodies die from every pain; but the reason that some pain causes their death is, that the connection between the soul and our present body is such that it gives way to extreme pain. But then the soul shall be united to such a body, and in such a way, that no pain shall be able to overcome the connection. There will not then be no death, but an everlasting death, the soul being unable to live, as being without God, and equally unable to rid itself of the pains of body by dying.

(17.) Among these impugners of the eternity of punishment, Origen is the most merciful, who believed that the Devil himself and his Angels, after sufferings proportioned to their deserts, and a long endurance, should be delivered from those torments, and associated with the holy Angels. But for these and other things he was not undeservedly rebuked by the Church, because even his seeming mercy was thrown away, making for the saints real pains in which their sins were to be expiated, and fictitious blessedness, if the joys of the good were not to be secure and endless. In quite another way does the mercy of others err through their humane sympathies, who think that the sufferings of those men who are condemned by this sentence will be temporal, but that the happiness of those who are set free sooner or later will be eternal. Why does their charity extend to the whole race of man, but dries up when they come to the angelic race?

(de Civ. Dei, xxi. 19, 20. &c.) So some there are who hold out liberation from punishment not to all men, but to those only who have been washed in Christ's Baptism, and have been partakers of His Body, let them have lived as they will; because of that which the Lord speaks, If any man eat of this bread, he shall not die eternally. (John 6:51.) Again, others promise this not to all who have Christ's sacrament, but to Catholics only, however ill their lives, who have eaten Christ's Body, not in sacrament only, but in verity, (inasmuch as they are set in the Church, which is His Body,) even though they should afterwards have fallen into heresy or idolatry of the Gentiles. And others again, because of what is written above, He that shall endure to the end, the same shall be saved, (Matt. 24:13.) promise this only to those who persevere in the Catholic Church, that by the worthiness of their foundation, that is, of their faith, they shall be saved by fire. All these the Apostle opposes when he says, The works of the flesh are manifest, which are these, uncleanness, fornication, and the like; of which I tell you before, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. (Gal. 5:19.) Whoever in his heart prefers temporal things to Christ, Christ is not his foundation, though he seem to have the faith of Christ. How much more then is he, who has committed things unlawful, convicted of not preferring Christ, but preferring other things to Him? I have also met with some who thought that only those would burn in eternal torments who neglected to give alms proportioned to their sins; and for this reason they think that the Judge Himself here mentions nothing else that He shall make enquiry of, but of the giving or not giving alms. But whoso gives alms worthily for his sins, first begins with himself; for it were unmeet that he should not do that to himself which he does to others when he has heard the words of God, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, (Matt. 22:39.) and hears likewise, Be merciful to thy soul in pleasing God? (Ecclus. 30:24.) He then who does not to his own soul this alms of pleasing God, how can he be said to give alms meet for his sins? Why we are to give alms then is only that when we pray for mercy for sins past, we may be heard; not that we may purchase thereby license for continuing in sin. And the Lord forewarns us that He will put alms done on the right hand, and on the left alms not done, to hew us how mighty are alms to do away former sins, not to give impunity to a continuance in sin.

Our Lord speaks of Hell under three symbols: first, that of punishment ("everlasting punishment," Matt. xxv, 46); second, that of destruction ("fear Him who is able to destroy both body and soul in Hell," Matt. x, 28); and thirdly, that of privation, exclusion, or banishment into "the darkness outside", as in the parables of the man without a wedding garment or of the wise and foolish virgins. The prevalent image of fire is significant because it combines the ideas of torment and destruction. Now it is quite certain that all these expressions are intended to suggest something unspeakably horrible, and any interpretation which does not face that fact is, I am afraid, out of court from the beginning. But it is not necessary to concentrate on the images of torture to the exclusion of those suggesting destruction and privation.

(Mor. xv. 19.) If he who has not given to others is visited with so heavy a punishment, what shall he get who is convicted of having robbed others of their own.

(Mor. xxxiv. 19.) They say that He held out empty terrors to deter them from sin. We answer, if He threatened falsely to check unrighteousness, then He promised falsely to promote good conduct. Thus while they go out of the way to prove God merciful, they are not afraid to charge Him with fraud. But, they urge, finite sin ought not to be visited with infinite punishment; we answer, that this argument would be just, if the righteous Judge considered men's actions, and not their hearts. Therefore it belongs to the righteousness of an impartial Judge, that those whose heart would never be without sin in this life, should never be without punishment.

(ubi sup.) But they say, no just man takes pleasure in cruelties, and the guilty servant was scourged to correct his fault. But when the wicked are given over to hell fire, to what purpose shall they burn there for ever? We reply, that Almighty God, seeing He is good, does not delight in the torments of the wretched; but forasmuch as He is righteous, He ceases not from taking vengeance on the wicked; yet do the wicked burn not without some purpose, namely, that the righteous may acknowledge how they are debtors for eternity to Divine grace, when they see the wicked suffering for eternity misery, which themselves have escaped only by the assistance of that Divine grace.

(ubi sup.) But they say, How can they be called Saints, if they shall not pray for their enemies whom they see then burning? They do not indeed pray for their enemies, so long as there is any possibility of converting their hearts to a profitable penitence, but how shall they pray for them when any change from their wickedness is no longer possible?

(Verse 46.) And these shall go into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. Wise reader, take note that both eternal punishments and perpetual life should no longer have fear of ruin.

Let the thoughtful reader observe that punishments are eternal, and that that continuing life has thenceforward no fear of fall.

Observe that whereas He put first the invitation, Come, ye blessed, and after that, Depart, ye cursed, because it is the property of a merciful God to record the good deeds of the good, before the bad deeds of the bad; He now reverses the order, describing first the punishment of the wicked, and then the life of the good, that the terrors of the one may deter us from evil, and the honour of the other incite us to good.

Or, It is not one kind of righteousness only that is rewarded, as many think. In whatsoever matters any one does Christ's commands, he gives Christ meat and drink, Who feeds ever upon the truth and righteousness of His faithful people. So do we weave raiment for Christ when cold, when taking wisdom's web, we inculcate upon others, and put upon them bowels of mercy. Also when we make ready with divers virtues our heart for receiving Him, or those who are His, we take Him in a stranger into the home of our bosom. Also when we visit a brother sick either in faith or in good works, with doctrine, reproof, or comfort, we visit Christ Himself. Moreover, all that is here, is the prison of Christ, and of them that are His, who live in this world, as though chained in the prison of natural necessity. When we do a good work to these; we visit them in prison, and Christ in them.

I should prefer no good to a vain good: what profits it that that should exist whose existence profits not? It is our own good things whose position is now sinking; it is the system of Christian modesty which is being shaken to its foundation-(Christian modesty), which derives its all from heaven; its nature, "through the layer of regeneration; " its discipline, through the instrumentality of preaching; its censorial rigour, through the judgments which each Testament exhibits; and is subject to a more constant external compulsion, arising from the apprehension or the desire of the eternal fire or kingdom.

And these shall go into everlasting punishment etc. After the sentence has been set forth, the effect is set forth. And these shall go into everlasting punishment. Above he had said into everlasting fire, because it could stand that the fire might be everlasting and yet not torment everlastingly; therefore he says into punishment. But the just, into life everlasting; John 17:3: this is eternal life: that they may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. That there is everlasting punishment is found in Daniel 12:2: many of those that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake: some unto life everlasting, and others unto reproach, to see it always; Revelation 20:15: he was cast into the pool of fire and brimstone, where both the beast and the false prophets shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever; Isaiah 66:24: their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched. What is the cause of this punishment? Some, like Origen, held that the punishment would not be everlasting. Hence they maintain that all punishment comes to an end. Hence he says that what is said here is said by way of exaggeration. But Augustine argues: if this is so, then what is said about the just going into life everlasting would likewise be said by way of exaggeration. But this is said in terms of duration, as even Origen concedes. And it is detestable that in the same Scripture there should be such diversity. But that this cannot be is clear thus: because justice demands that a punishment equal to the fault should correspond to it. For with what measure you shall mete, it shall be measured to you again, above, 7:1. But how after death will everlasting punishment have such an extension? Gregory responds, saying that God judges the will; hence one who did not restrain his will from sin until death sinned in his own eternity; therefore it is fitting that God punish in his own eternity. Augustine says thus: we see that punishment should be equal to the fault, and so it is even in human justice, that if someone sins against the society of the city, the judge does not intend death except to separate him from the society of the city permanently. But one who sins against God intends to exclude himself from the society of the heavenly court. According to Hilary, punishment is due to fault, but fault is not destroyed except through charity; therefore, as long as a man does not have charity, it is just that he should always be in punishment. Since, therefore, he did not have charity in this life, it is necessary that he should remain forever in punishment. Likewise it is objected that the saints will pray and they will be heard. Therefore, etc. Gregory says that while they are on the way, the saints are heard for them, but not afterward. Likewise it is objected: God does not delight in punishment; how then will he afflict without end? It should be said that although he does not delight in it, nevertheless he does this to preserve his justice.

(de Cons. Ev. ii. 78.) We gather from John's account, that six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, and thence entered Jerusalem sitting upon the ass, after which were done the things related to have been done at Jerusalem. We understand therefore that four days elapsed from His coming to Bethany, to make this two days before the Passover. (v. 17.) The difference between the Passover and the feast of unleavened bread is this; the name Passover is given to that one day on which the lamb was slain in the evening, that is, the fourteenth moon of the first month; and on the fifteenth moon, the day that the people came out of Egypt, followed the festival of unleavened bread. (vid. Acts 12:3.) But the Evangelists seem to use the terms indifferently.

He therefore used the verb impersonally—that is, "he will be delivered up." He did not say by whom, because the words apply to all those who delivered him up. But not everyone delivered him up in the same way. God delivered him up out of mercy for the human race: he "has not spared even his own Son but has delivered him for us all." But the rest delivered him up for a bad reason, each one according to his own malice: Judas out of greed, the priests out of jealousy and the devil out of fear—lest the human race be plucked from his hands because of Christ's teaching, little knowing that the human race would be plucked away more through his death than through his teaching and miracles. He was in fact delivered up "to be crucified" so that, "disarming the principalities and powers," he might triumph over them on the cross.

He foretels His crucifixion to His disciples, adding, And the Son of Man shall be delivered to be crucified; thus fortifying them against that shock of surprise, which the sight of their Master, led forth to crucifixion, would otherwise have occasioned them. And He expresses it impersonally shall be delivered, because God delivered Him up in mercy to the human race, Judas from covetousness, the Priest for envy, the Devil through fear that through His teaching the human race would be plucked out of His hand, little aware how much more that would be effected by His death, than either by His teaching or miracles.

You know that after two days shall be the pasch: in this foretelling he does not simply foretell, but says, after two days shall be the pasch: and this was done to indicate that not just any passion is the passion of Christ, but that which is signified by the paschal sacrifice. And he says after two days. And according to this you should consider that these words were spoken on the thirteenth day of the moon, i.e., on Tuesday, because on the fifteenth day of the moon the Pasch was celebrated. But we read in John 12:1 that the Lord came to Bethany, and this was on the Sabbath; and on the next day he came to Jerusalem, and there he cast out those who were buying and selling, and on Monday he returned and saw the fig tree that was withered, which he had cursed. And according to Mark, on Tuesday he returned, and then on that day he composed all those parables. And on that day, when he had ended these words, he said: you know that after two days shall be the pasch. This name Pasch, according to what Jerome says, is derived from feeding, but properly it is called phase, which is a passing over. Now the passing over is fourfold, according as the Pasch is taken in four ways. According to the historical sense, the Pasch was celebrated when the destroyer struck the firstborn of Egypt; then the Lord commanded that they should eat the phase, Exodus 12:3. Likewise, according to the allegorical sense, there is the passing over of Christ through death; and of this John 13:1: Jesus knowing that his hour was come, that he should pass out of this world to the Father etc. Likewise, there is the moral or typical sense, according to which one passes from a carnal manner of life to a spiritual one; Sirach 24:26: come over to me, all ye that desire me. Likewise, there is the general passing over, according to which it is said that heaven and earth shall pass away, etc. Hence after two days, namely, after the teaching of the Old and New Law. According to the Greek, it is derived from pasqui, which means to feed. Hence, fittingly, knowing that Christ would pass from the world to the Father, he said, and the Son of man shall be delivered up to be crucified. He does not say by whom he will be delivered up, because he was delivered up by the Father; Romans 8:32: who spared not even his own Son, but delivered him up for us all. Likewise, by himself; Ephesians 5:2: he loved us and delivered himself for us etc. Likewise, by Judas. Here: what will you give me, and I will deliver him unto you? Likewise, by the Jews to Pilate; John 18:35: thy own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee to me. Likewise, by Pilate to the gentiles; hence it is said, John 19:16: he delivered him to them to be crucified.