the regard of this world. Yet in the eyes of the hidden Book Judge he is bright with virtues, and full of lustre from the — — — merits of his life; he dreads to be honoured, he never shrinks from being despised, he disciplines the body by continence, he is fattened by love alone in the soul, he ever sets his mind to bear with patience, and standing erect on the ground of righteousness, he exults in the insults he receives, he com- passionates the distressed from his heart, he rejoices in the successes of the good as in his own, he carefully ruminates the provender of the sacred word in his heart, and when examined he is unskilled to give a double answer; ' a lamp' because he is bright within, ^ despised' because he is not luminous without. Inwardly he glows with the flame of charity, without he shines with no gloriousness of lustre. Therefore he shines and is despised, who, while he glows with virtue, is accounted vile. Hence it is that his own father looked down upon holy David, when he refused to i Sam. present him to the eyes of the Prophet Samuel. He, when he l^' ^^* had brought out seven sons to receive the grace of anointing, being questioned by the Prophet whether he had gone through the whole number of his children, answered with despair enough, There remaineih yet a little hoy that keepeth the sheep; and when he was brought forward and chosen, he heard the words, Man looketh in the face, hut the Lord searcheth the heart. Thus David was a lamp by his inno- cency, but yet a lamp greatly despised, in that he gave no light to those that regard the outside appearance. But be it known that every righteous man is either without temporal glory, or if he has it, he breaks it beneath himself, that he may freely rise on high above his own honour, lest overcome by enjoyment he be brought down beneath it. It is hence that that illustrious Preacher lowered the glory of his Apostleship before the eyes of men, saying, We have not \ Thess. U8ed this power, when we might have been burthensome a.9^'^-^- the Apostles of Christ, but we made ourselves little children among you. But the swelling of the neck still remained in the heart of the hearers of that same person, when they said, For his letters say they are iveighty and powerful, but his2 Cor.
bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible. For^^'^^* him who they knew could say such things they determined 618 True Light despised till revealed in the Judgment.
Job 12, could not live in common with tliemselv^es, and when they * — both saw him lowly in his mode of hfe and high in his tone of speech, their pride drove them on, that him whose writings had made him to be feared, his vrords in presence should make an object of little account. What then was Paul, saving ' a lamp despised in the thought of the rich,' who by the same act whereby he set forth a lesson of humihty, got the affronts of highmindedness from ill-instructed disciples. For in a dread- ful way, the sickness of those so filled with pride was increased by the same means, whereby it ought to have subsided; while the proud mind of carnal persons rejected, as if it were worthy of scorn that which their master set forth as deserving of imitation. Was not he ' a lamp despised,' who when he shone forth with so many virtues, underwent such adverse treatment at the hands of his persecutors? He discharges his mission in chains, and his bonds are made known in all the palace, he is beaten with rods, he is beset with number- less dangers from his own race and from the Gentiles; at Lystra he is battered with stones, he is dragged by the feet without the city, in that he is taken for dead. But to what point is this * lamp despised?' Up to what point is it held contemptible? Does it never at any point unveil its lustre? Does it never shew, with what excess of brightness it glows?
It does shew clearly. For when it is said that the ' lamp is despised in the thought of the rich,' it is therefore added, Prepared for an appointed time. xxxi. 5*2. For the ' appointed time' for ^ the despised lamp' is the predestined Day of final Judgment, wherein it is shewn how each one of the righteous, who is now contemned, shines bright in greatness of power. For then they come as judges with God, who now are judged unjustly for God's sake. Then their Light shines over so much the wider space, the more cruelly the persecutor's hand confines and fetters them now. Then it will be made clear to the eyes of the wicked, that they were supported by heavenly power, \\ ho forsook all earthly things of their free will. Whence Truth saith to His Mat. 19, own Elect; Ye which have followed Me, in the Regene- ration, when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of His glory, ye also shull sit npon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel, Not that the court of the interior They that choose poverty shall judye with Christ. 619 Assize will have no more than twelve judges, but, surely, that Book by the number twelve the amount of the whole is described; ^ * for whosoever being urged by the incitement of divine love, has forsaken all that he possessed here, shall doubtless attain there to the height of judicial power; that he may then come as judge in company with the Judge, who now by consideration of the Judgment chastens himself with volun- tary poverty. For hence it is that it is said by Solomon con- cerning the spouse of Holy Church, Her husband is knownvrov. in the gates^ when he sitteth among the elders of the land.^^^'^^' Hence Isaiah says. The Lord will come to judg7nejit, with is.3,i4. the elders of His people. Hence Truth proclaims these same Elders now no longer servants but fiiends. Henceforth /Johnis, call you not servants, hut I hare called you friends. And the Psalmist regarding these same saith. Honourable alsoFs. 139, are thy friends unto me, O God. And whilst he beheld their loftiness of mind, and how they trod down with the heel of the foot the glory of the world, he thereupon added. How siablished is their rule! And that we might not think that they be few, who we learn thus advance even to the summit of such high perfection, he thereupon added, //' / should count them, they are more in number than the sand. For as many persons, then, as now wittingly abase themselves for the love of the Trulh, so many lamps shall then blaze forth in the Judgment. Therefore let it be justly said, A lamp despised in the thought of the rich, prepared for the appointed time; for the soul of every righteous man is despised as abject, when in passing through life he is with- out glory; but he is beheld as an object to admire, when he shines from on high.
53. Amid these things it is good to lift the eye of the mind to the paths of our Redeemer, and to proceed step by step from the members to the head. For He did Himself prove truly * a lamp' to us, Vv^ho by dying upon the Cross for our redemption, poured light through the wood into our benighted minds. John had attained to see that we are lightened by this Lamp, when he said. That was the true Light, John 1, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. Yet he saw it ' despised in the thought of the rich,' when he soon after brought in, He came unto His own, and His ownxex.u.
020 Christ, os a Lamp despised, Job iQ, received Him not. Herod desired to examine into the '- — flames of this Lamp, vvhen he lons-ed to see the miracles of Lute23 that One, as it is written, For he was desirous to see Him of ^' a long season, because lie had heard many tilings of Him, and he hoped to have seen some miracles done by Him. But this Lamp did not shine forth before his eyes with a single ray of light, in that to him, who sought Him not from piety but from curiosity, He exhibited nothing wonderful concern- ing Himself. For our Redeemer when He was questioned held His peace, when He was looked for, He scorned to shew forth His miracles, and keeping Himself to Himself in secret, those whom He found looking for outward things He left in their ingratitude without, rather choosing to be openly despised by those who were led by pride, than to be com- mended with empty voice by those that did not believe. And hence this ' Lamp' is straightway ' despised,' according Luke23, ^Q what is there added. And Herod with his men of icar set Him at nought, and mocked Him, and arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe.
54. Yet the ' despised lamp,' which is subject to scoffings on earth, flashes judgment from heaven. Hence it is justly added \\Qxe, prepared for an appointed season. Concerning Ps.75,2. which same season He saith by the Psalmist, When I shall receive the time, I will judge uprightly. Hence in the John 7, Gospel ' Truth' declareth, saying, My lime is not yet come.
Acts 3, Hence Peter saith. Whom the heaven must receive until the ^^' times of the restitution of all things. Therefore the ^ Lamp' which is now ' despised' is ' prepared' for its coming ' at the appointed season.' For He by Himself judge th sin on the last Day, Who now bears with the scoffs of sinners, and then He brings out severity the more rigorously, the more mildly He now spreads low His patience in calling sinners. For he that awaits long while for some to be converted, if they be not converted, torments them without revoke. Which same truth he conveys by the Prophet in few words, saying, Is. 42, / have long time holden my peace, I have been still and refrained myself; now will I cry like a travailing icoman. For as we have already before said, a woman in travail with pain gives forth that which she bore for long in her inmost parts. He then that for long time held his peace, ' crieth like shall shine out in Judi/ment. 621 a travailing woman,' in that the Judge that shall come, Who Book for long bore with the deeds of men without taking venge ^-^— ance, sooner or later brings to light with hotness of examin- ation, as if with pain of mind, the sentence of direful visiting which He kept within. Therefore let none despise this Lamp, when it is out of sight, lest He burn up His despisers when He shineth fi'om heaven. For to whomsoever He does not now burn to give pardon, He shall then assuredly burn to award punishment. Therefore because by grace fi'om above we are vouchsafed the season of our calhng, whilst there is still the room left, let us by altering our ways for the better flee from the wrath of Him, Who is every where present. For him alone that visitation fails to find, whom correction keeps in hiding.
55. Let it suffice for us by the Lord's bounty to have now run through these particulars in two volumes^ For because \corpo- we cannot embrace in a brief exposition the following parts" ^** of the sacred book, drawn out in the stream of mysteries, we must of necessity reserve them for other sheets, that the reader may return the more ardent to the task of reading, in proportion as he has breathing given him by the inteiTuption of what is read.
\% Gregory the Great • Morals* PONTIFICAL INSTITUTE OF MEDIAEVAL SiUUlfe-S 59 QUEEN'S PARK CRESCENT T0R0NT0-~5, CANAD/^