Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop, Confessor & Doctor

Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop, Confessor & Doctor, January 29, 2012

Nocturn III of Matins

A Homily by Saint Augustine the Bishop

The Lord would have us understand how that men do lose their power of savoring others with righteousness when they are willing to place their eternal welfare in jeopardy for the sake of any temporal advantage, like as attainment of ease of luxury, or escape from suffering or toil. For that which is eternal, unlike things of this world, can neither be bestowed by men, nor by them taken away. Hence, when he asketh : If the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted : he would have us understand the question to be : If ye, by whom mankind is preserved from corruption, be willing to lose the kingdom of heaven so as to escape trials or persecutions in this world, who is there to preserve you from corruption, seeing ye are they that God hath chosen to preserve all others from corruption?

Those that should be the salt of the earth, but have lost heir savour, are thenceforth good for nothing, saith the Lord, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. But no one that suffered persecution is truly said to be trodden under foot of men. Rather, that one is truly trodden under foot of men who through fear of persecution hath lost the savour of righteousness. For no one can be trodden upon, unless he be beneath him which treadeth upon him. And certainly no one who hath his heart in heaven, no matter how grievously he doth suffer in his body on earth, is rightly said to be beneath anyone who misuseth him.

Ye are the light of the world, saith the Lord. And we are to understand the word: World : in the same sense as the word : Earth : when he spoke above of the salt of the earth, that is, not that earth whereupon we walk with our bodily feet, but the men which dwell upon the earth ; in other words, sinners, for the sweetening and correction of whose corruption, the Lord hath sent his Apostles, as it were, as so much salt. And so by the world we are to understand, not the heaven and the earth, but the men who are in the world and love the world, for the enlightening of whom the Apostles have been sent. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid : that is, what is founded whereof the mountain upon which the Lord gave this discourse was itself a figure, is magnificent in the eyes of all men.

　

Hagiography of Saint John Chrysostom

This John was born at Antioch, and in manhood developed such a gift of eloquence that he came to be called Chrysostom, that is, Golden-mouth. He became a monk, and set about to subdue his quick temper, and other passions, none of which he found so difficult to conquer as vainglory. He was made Archbishop of Constantinople against his will in 398, and undertook the reform of that vast diocese, recalling Christians to their first fervour, founding hospitals for the sick and poor, and sending missionaries to the Goths, and even settling the troubles of the Church of Ephesus. The principal liturgy of the Eastern Church is named for him because of the contributions which he made to it.

His great Christian learning and zeal earned him many enemies, one of whom was the Empress Eudoxia, who sent him into exile. But the people so much rebelled at his that he was recalled. Whereat he ceased not to rebuke the laxity of manners amongst high and low, which so annoyed a faction of bishops that these same procured of the Emperor Arcadius to have him exiled to Armenia, and then driven thither and yon. During which time it passeth belief how much he suffered, and how many he won to Christ. Thus in his old age, from the hardships of his forced journeys, he died in Pontus, on September 14^th in 407.

But in 434, the then Emperor Theodosius and his sister Pulcheria, children of Arcadius and Eudoxia, caused the body of the Saint to be brought from Pontus to Constantinople, and on January 27^th laid it with magnificent honours in a tomb, beside the which they prayed for the forgiveness of their father and mother. His relicks were later translated to the Vatican Basilica at Rome. Saint Chrysostom is esteemed as one of the first four Eastern Doctors of the Church, of whom he was by far the most prolific preacher, and his writings are one of the treasures of Christendom.

Collect:

O Lord, who didst vouchsafe to illumine thy Church with the wondrous righteousness and doctrine of thy blessed Confessor and Bishop Saint Chrysostom: grant, we beseech thee, that the bounty of thy heavenly grace may evermore increase and multiply the same, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Matins Lesson for Friday in the Octave of Corpus Christi

Friday in the Octave of Corpus Christi

A Sermon by St. Augustine the Bishop

We have heard from the Gospel the words of the Lord which follow those that formed the subject of my earlier discourse. From these a sermon is due to your ears and understandings ; and such a sermon is not unseasonable on this day, since this passage concerneth the Body of the Lord, which he said that he would give for the life of the world, that a man may eat thereof and not die. He made manifest how he bestoweth this gift, and what manner of gift it is, when he said : He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me and I in him. The sign to shew whether a man hath or hath not eaten that Flesh and drunk that Blood, is whether or not he dwelleth in Christ and Christ in him ; whether or not he is a guest of Christ and Christ of him ; whether or not he cleaveth unto Christ in such wise that Christ departeth not from him.

This hath he taught, and warned us, by words of deep meaning, namely ; to be in his body as his members,(of which he is the head,) and to be partakers of his flesh , not separating ourselves from his oneness. Many of his disciples when they had heard this, as the Gospel saith, went back, and walked no more with him : for they understood not by the word Flesh any flesh other than such as they themselves were made of. The Apostle saith, and very true it is : To be carnally minded is death. The Lord giveth us his Flesh to eat : but to understand these words carnally is death. Where he saith : Whoso eateth my Flesh hath eternal life : we must not understand this as his Flesh carnally, as did they of whom it is written : Many of his disciples (not his enemies) when they heard this, said, This is an hard saying, who can hear it?

If his disciples took his words for a hard saying, how (think you) must his enemies have taken them? And yet is behoved him to speak in this fashion, that is, in such a way that all men would not understand them. A secret of God ought to make us thoughtful, not hostile ; and yet, when the Lord Jesus Christ spoke thus in mystery, many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him. They believed not that he was speaking of some great thing, nor that grace lay hidden under these words. Rather, they understood just as they pleased, after the manner of men. And so they thought that Jesus was claiming to be able to give to them that believe on him, that flesh (wherewith he, the eternal Word, is clothed,) as it were in slices. And so they said : This is an hard saying ; who can hear it?

The Feast of Corpus Christi

A Homily by St. Augustine the Bishop

By the use of meat and drink men seek to attain to this end, namely, that they shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more. And yet noting doth truly accomplish this, except that Meat and Drink whereby this corruptible is able to put on incorruption, and this mortal to put on immortality ; namely, the means of Communion with that general assembly and Church of the first-born which is the fellowship of the saints ; which same are kept in perfect peace, and are all one (even as Christ and his Father are one) in full and perfect unity. And therefore it is, (even as men of God before our time have understood it,) that our Lord Jesus Christ hath set before us his Body and his Blood in the likeness of things which, from being many, are reduced into one. That is to say, in one loaf are many grains of corn, and in one cup of wine the juice of many grapes. Hence it is that, in this passage from the Gospel, he now giveth us to know how that which he spake cometh to pass, in answer to the question : How can this man give us his Flesh to eat, and his Blood to drink?

He saith : He that eateth my Flesh, and drinketh my Blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. This, then, is to eat of that Bread and drink of that Cup, to wit: to dwell in him, and to have him dwelling in us. And contrariwise, he which dwelleth not in Christ, and in whom Christ dwelleth not, doth not spiritually eat Christ’s Flesh nor drink his Blood, although he do carnally and visibly press the Sacrament with his teeth ; but rather, such an one eateth and drinketh judgement unto himself, because he dareth to draw nigh unclean to that secret and holy thing of Christ, whereunto none draweth nigh worthily, save he which is clean ; for concerning such it is said : Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

As the living Father hath sent me, (saith he,) and I live by the Father, so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is as though he had said : The Father hath sent me unto the world, and therefore I have humbled myself, and taken upon me the form of a servant, and so was found in fashion as a man ; and as Man I ascribe my life to One that is greater than I ; but the partaking, whereby anyone eateth me, causeth him to live by me; I, having been brought low, live by the Father, but man, having been raised up, shall live by me. And although he saith : I live by the Father : (that is, he is of the Father, not the Father of him ;) these words are no disparagement of the equality of the Father and the Son as God. On the other hand, by saying : He that eateth me, even he shall live by me : he doth not signify equality between him and ourselves, but rather that he is the one Mediator between God and man.

Collect:

O God, who in this wonderful Sacrament, hast left unto us a Memorial f thyPassion : grant us, we beseech thee, so to venerate the sacred mysteries of they Body and Blood ; that we may ever perceive within ourselves the fruit of thy redemption, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, now and forever. Amen.

Sunday in the Octave of Ascension Day

Sunday in the Octave of Ascension Day

A Homily by St Augustine the Bishop

St. Augustine of Hippo

The Lord Jesus addressed a discourse to his disciples after the Last Supper. This was on the very eve of his passion, when he was, as it were, about to go away and leave them, so far as his bodily presence was concerned, albeit as touching his spiritual presence, he is with us always, even unto the end of the world. In that discourse he exhorted them to bear patiently the persecution of wicked men. These men he called The World. I have chosen you, saith he, out of the world. It was from this world that he hath chosen the very disciples themselves, and this fact he pointeth out to them, so that they might know that it was by the grace of God that they were what they were, whereas it was by their own sins that they had been what they had been.

If they have persecuted me, saith he, they will also persecute you. Here he plainly pointeth to those Jews who were the persecutors both of himself and of his disciples ; so as to make clear that they which persecute his holy ones are as much citizens of the world which he had condemned as thy which persecuted himself. He saith : They know not him that sent me : and yet again : They have hated both me and my Father : that is to say, both the Sender and the Sent, (of all which things we have already treated in other sermons,) and with that he came at length to say : That the word might be fulfilled that is written in their Law : They hated me without a cause.

Then saith the Lord, as though in continuation : But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me ; and ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning. What connection hath this with the foregoing words? Which words are : Now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father ; but this cometh to pass that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their Law, They hated me without a cause. Is not this the connection? To wit: When the Comforter is come, even the Spirit of Truth, he will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgement. That is to say, this stirring up of conviction in men’s hearts is the testimony of the Spirit of Truth unto all such as have both seen and hated both God the Son and God the Father. Yea, for some there were who had thus seen, and were still in hatred, until the testimony of the Comforter converted them to the Faith which worketh by love.

Collect:

O God, the King of glory, who hast exalted thine only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph unto thy kingdom in heaven; We beseech thee, leave us not comfortless; but send to us thine Holy Ghost to comfort us, and exalt us unto the same place whither our Saviour Christ is gone before, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. AMEN.

Matins Lesson for the Vigil of the Ascension

Matins Lesson for the Vigil of the Ascension

A Homily by St. Augustine the Bishop
　
Our Lord, the only-begotten and co-eternal Son of the Father, could have prayed silently (if need were) in the form of a servant ; but he willed to shew himself as thus praying to the Father, that we might remember him as our teacher. Thus he made known unto us the prayer which he made for us. For he was so great a Master that, not only his discourse to them, but his prayer to the Father for them, is an edification for his disciples. And it was so for them who were there to hear, truly it is so for us also, for whose instruction it hath been written down.

Wherefore, by these words: Father, the hour is come ; glorify thy Son : he sheweth that every occasion, whereon he hath done anything, or alloweth anything to be done, and the season wherein he did it or allowed it, and even the time itself, is alike ordained of him, who is himself not subject to time. Yea, all things which were then to come, or are yet to come now, have the reason why they should be, in the Wisdom of God, which is itself independent of all time. The hour is come. We must not believe that that hour was brought on by the march of destiny, but was by the ordination of God. No stars decreed irresistibly that the time was come for Christ to suffer, for God forbid that the revolutions of his planets should force death on him who made them.

Some think that the glorification of the Son by the Father was this, that he spared him not, but delivered him up for us all. But if we say that he was glorified by suffering how much more shall we say that he was glorified by rising again? While he suffered, his humbleness was the more manifested than his glory, as saith the Apostle : He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Then he addeth, concerning glorification : Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth ; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. This is the glorification of our Lord Jesus Christ, that glorification whose first rays began to dawn on the resurrection morning.

Saint Lawrence, Bishop & Confessor

Saint Lawrence, Bishop & Confessor


St.Augustine's Abbey in Canterbury

 　
This Lawrence was on of the monks that accompanied Saint Augustine to England in the year 597 on the mission which Pope Saint Gregory sent from Rome. Later, when advice was needed concerning various problems which had arisen, Lawrence was deemed worthy to be sent back to Saint Gregory, to obtain the necessary counsel. And after his return to England, on the death of Saint Augustine, he became the second Archbishop of Canterbury, and ruled that See for eleven years, until he went to God in 619. On the death of King Saint Ethelbert, his son King Eadbald not only refused to follow his good father in the ways of Christianity, but persisted in idolatry, and even gave himself to incest, in that he took his father’s widow to wife. * And thereupon great troubles came upon the Christian missionaries, so that Lawrence, who had laboured hard to correct these evils, and bring about the conversion of pagans, was well nigh certain that his mission was a failure ; and so he began to think on retirement to France, where some of his companions had already gone. But on the eve of his departure the Apostle Peter appeared to him in a dream, and chastised him with many stripes for forsaking the flock in whose behalf Christ had died. Whereat he awoke, livid from head to foot from these blows, and went to the King, and shewed the marks to him. Whereby Eadbald was touched to the heart, and gave himself to God ; and began to work for his own salvation and that of his subjects. * Not long thereafter, Lawrence died in peace, having spread abroad the sweet savour of the same Christ Jesus. And when in 1091, the Abbot Wido opened the tomb wherein Lawrence was buried, at the time his relicks were to be translated, it is said that a pleasant odour swept therefrom throughout the whole monastery of Saint Augustine ; as saith the Scripture : His remembrance is like the perfume.

Collect:

We beseech thee, O Lord, graciously to hear the prayers which we offer unto thee on this feast of blessed Lawrence, thy Confessor and Bishop, that, like as he was found worthy to do thee faithful service, so, by the succour of his merits, we may be delivered from the chastisement which we have deserved, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

November 29, The Vigil of Saint Andrew the Apostle

A Homily by St. Augustine the Bishop

　
Because John was the friend of the Bridegroom, he sought not his own glory, but rather bore witness to the Truth. Did he manifest any desire that his disciples should remain with him instead of following the Lord? Nay, he himself shewed his disciples whom they should follow. Because they thought of him as the Lamb, he spake unto them in some such words as these : Why wait ye on me? I am not the Lamb, look ye there, and behold the Lamb of God. As we have read above, the one thus pointed out was he of whom John once before had spoken, saying : Behold the Lamb of God. And would ye know of what use to us the Lamb of God is? Behold the Lamb of God, saith John, which taketh away the sins of the world.

Let us see what then came to pass : And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. This doth not mean that they companied with him continuously from that time, but only that they thereafter considered themselves to be Christ’s disciples rather than John’s. for it is manifest that they clave unto Jesus only in the time whereinafter he had called them out of the ship. Thus it is added : One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. Matthew describeth how they were finally called, thus : Jesus walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishers ; and he saith unto them : Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men ; and they straightway left their nets and followed him. And from this latter time they clave into him, so as never to depart.

Concerning the former occasion we read that Jesus asked : What seek ye? They said unto him : Rabbi, (which is to day, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? So at this time they are said to have followed him, but not in the sense of cleaving unto him as though never to depart, but in the sense of drawing nigh unto him, in obedience to the words in Ecclesiaticus : If thou see a man of understanding, get thee betimes unto him, and let thy foot wear the steps of his doors. He saith unto them : come and see : so they came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day. O what a blessed day they passed! And since it was about the tenth hour, what a blessed night! Who shall tell what they heard from the Lord? O let us make a house in our heart whither he may come, and there teach us, and abide with us.
　

Collect:

Grant, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that as we do prevent the festival of thy holy Apostle Saint Andrew, so he may implore thy mercy for us ; that we being delivered from all our iniquities, may likewise be defended against all adversities, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Sixth Day of the Octave of All Saints, Matins Lesson

A Homily by Saint Augustine the Bishop

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. How foolish therefore are those who seek to see God, as it were, with bodily eyes, [that is, by seeking him in an unspiritual manner,] for it is with the heart that he is seen. Thus it is written at the beginning of the Book of Wisdom : In simplicity of heart seek him. For a pure heart is one that hath the simplicity of single-mindedness. And just as light can be seen only insofar as the bodily eyes have clear vision, so God can be seen only7 insofar as the heart is clear by reason of its single-mindedness of purpose. Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God. Peace is perfect where there is no strife. And the children of God are peacemakers because there is nothing in them which withstand God. And surely children ought to be like unto their father.

Peacemakers are all those that have peace within themselves. That is, those who have set all the passions of their souls in order. This they do by subjecting their passions to reason, namely, to the mind and spirit. Thus, by conquering their fleshly desires, they have made of themselves a little kingdom of God. In this kingdom, everything is ordered into an harmonious whole, by virtue of the fact that the element which is chief and pre-eminent in man (namely, mind or reason) ruleth, without resistance, over the elements which we have in common with the beasts. And in this fashion, the element of mind or reason, which is pre-eminent in man, is made subject to something pre-eminent to itself, namely, the Truth, even the Only-Begotten Son of God. For no one is able to govern except he be subject unto the higher powers. Now, herein we have set forth the peace which is given on earth to men of good-will. This is the life of one who is thoroughly and completely wise.

From a kingdom such as this, which is a state of complete peace and order, the prince of this world is cast out. For he is one that can rule only through perversity and disorder. When this peace hath been inwardly established and confirmed then whatever persecutions the prince of this world, who is now cast out, shall stir up from without, he only increaseth the glory which doth redound to God. For his unable to tear down anything in that which is so upbuilt. And by the failure of his machinations, he doth but make manifest the strength with which it hath been inwardly built. Hence it followeth : Blessed are they that are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Fifth Day in Octave of All Saints

From a Sermon by Saint Bede the Venerable

Beloved: Let us rejoice that we have the opportunity to attain the palm of victory awarded for good works. Let us one and all strive cheerfully and freely in this contest of righteousness. Let us run in the race whereof God and Christ are witnesses. And if any of us hath already begun to advance beyond hankerings after temporal and worldly things, let us not delay our course by any turning back thereto. If the last day find us ready and, without such hindrances, running in the way of good works, we shall have no cause to complain that our Master is a scanty rewarder of our works.

For he that giveth a red diadem for the passion of them that win through persecution, the same will bestow a white one upon them that in peace do prevail in the struggle for righteousness. Neither Abraham nor Isaac nor Jacob were martyrs, and yet for their faith and righteousness they merited the honour of the first place amongst the Patriarchs. And whosever of us is found faithful, righteous, and praiseworthy, shall sit down with them at the banquet. Howbeit, we must be mindful to do God’s will, not our own, for it is he that doeth God’s will that abideth for ever, like as God himself abideth for ever.

Wherefore, beloved, with mind clear, faith firm, courage true, and charity thorough, let us be ready for whatever God willeth ; keeping the Lord’s commandments with boldness: having innocencey in simplicity, peaceableness in love, modesty in lowliness, diligence in service, watchfulness in helping those who toil, mercifulness in succouring the poor, constancy in standing up for the truth, severity in keeping discipline ; wanting to us. For these are the footprints which the Saints have left us, what time they were returning to their fatherland, that we, treading in their steps, might follow them into joy.
　
　
　
A homily by Saint Augustine the Bishop

Blessedness (if by that word we mean the attainment of the highest sort of wisdom) beginneth in holy fear ; for the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. And contrariwise, pride is rightly entitled the beginning of all sin. Therefore let us leave it to the proud to love, and to seek after, the things of the kingdom of this world. It is not of the proud, but of the humble, that the Lord said : Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Again he said : Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Now, by the earth is here meant(or so I at least suppose) that of which the Psalmist speaketh : Thou art my refuge, and my portion, in the land (literally, in the earth) of the living. By which is meant a certain firmness and stability of everlasting inheritance, whereby the soul of the man that hath a godly disposition maintained itself, as it were, in its own proper spiritual environment, even as the body doth the same in its own proper earthly environment. That is just as the body maintained itself from the earth, wherefrom it is nourished with earthly food, so doth the soul nourish itself with its own proper food, which same is the very maintenance and life of the Saints. Thus the meek are they which do suffer the acts of the wicked, without yielding to evil deeds. For they are such as do resist evil only by overcoming it with good.

Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Mourning is sorrow over the loss of things which are dear. Now, those who are converted to God, thereby lose many things of this world which they were used to consider very dear. For they may no longer rejoice in all the things wherein they formerly rejoiced. And until love of the things eternal be formed in them, they must needs suffer some measure of grief. But in this mourning they shall be comforted by the Holy Spirit, who in this account is called Paraclete, that is, Comforter. So that, in losing temporal joys, they come to enjoy more and more the joy that is eternal.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. These blessed ones are they that are lovers of the good things which are truly and hence indestructibly, good. Therefore they shall be filled with the food of which the Lord himself speaketh : My meat is to do the will of my Father : which same is righteousness. And they shall be filled with that water, whereof the same our Lord saith that it shall be a well of water, springing up unto everlasting life. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. In these words the Lord saith that those fold that relieve human miseries are blessed, inasmuch as they are repaid by obtaining surcease from their own miseries.

Lessons for November 3 in the Octave of All Saints

The Venerabel Bede

From a Sermon by the Venerable Saint Bede the Priest

Never shall there be discord anywhere there, but all things in harmony. For everywhere there, things are in such concord that all the Saints are at unity with each other in one peace and joy. Everywhere there, all things are tranquil and quiet. Perpetual is the splendour there ; not like unto the sunlight which we know here, but a light which is the brighter, as it is the more blessed. For that city, as saith Scripture, needeth not the light of the sun, because the Lord Almighty doth enlighten it by the Lamb which is the Light thereof. There the Saints shall shine like as the brightness of the firmament, and they that have turned many to righteousness, as the stars, for ever and ever.

And so there is no night there, no darkness, no gathering of clouds, no asperity of heat or cold. But such is the nature of things there as no eye hath seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, except of those only who have been found worthy to enjoy it, whose names are written in the book of life ; and who have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb, and are before the throne of God, serving him day and night. There is no old age anywhere there, nor misery of old age, for all are come to perfect manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.

But far above all these things is the fellowship there. That is, to enjoy the companionship of the heavenly citizens : to look upon the choirs of Angels and Archangels, of Thrones and Dominions, Principalities, Powers, and all the heavenly Virtues on high : and to behold the army of the Saints shining more gloriously than the stars ; of the Patriarchs glowing with faith; of the Prophets rejoicing in hope ; of the Apostles judging the world reformed into twelve tribes of the new Israel ; of the Martyrs resplendent in their ruddy crowns of victory ; and of Virgins wearing garlands of the purest white.
　
　
　

St. Augustine the Bishop

A homily by St. Augustine the Bishop

Blessed are the poor in spirit. Thus do the Beatitudes begin with humility, whereby the soul doth submit itself to God, and that through the Gift of Holy Fear. Thereafter the soul goeth on in blessedness to grasp things divine, such as are set forth in the Scriptures ; wherefore the soul cometh to be meek as it is said : Blessed are the meek : and that by reason of the Gift of Piety (or True Godliness, as it is also called). Then it beginneth to know what are the entanglements of this world, whereby we are held back in the customs of the world and in fleshly desires ; and so in this third stage is the Gift of Knowledge, whereby the loss of the highest good is mourned for, from knowing how the soul is fain to cleave to the lowest ; and hence : Blessed are those that mourn. Next, in the fourth state, is the Gift of Ghostly Strength (or Might, or Fortitude, as it is variously called) ; for in this stage of blessedness there is much labour, and the soul must exert itself greatly, to wrench itself away from those things wherewith, by reason of their pestilential sweetness, it was entangled. Hence : Blessed are they, which do hunger and thirst after righteousness. To which end such Fortitude is very necessary, for what is retained with delight is not abandoned without pain.

Then for all such as have shown Fortitude in this labour, at the fifth stage is the Gift of Counsel, that is, perception as to how to escape from these entanglements. For unless one hath assistance in the matter from some one higher, he cannot fit himself to get out of his so many miserable entanglements. And it is only just that he who would have assistance of another’s strength should assist one weaker than himself. For which reason Counsel is indicated in the fifth stage, thus: Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy. The sixth benediction: Blessed are the pure in heart : sheweth that at the sixth state there is purity which is the Gift of Understanding, springing from a good conscience, obtained by all these good works, wherein the soul is able to contemplate the Highest Good, which can be discerned only by a mind pure and tranquil.

Lastly, there is, as the seventh, the Gift of Wisdom, that is, such a grace of contemplation of the Truth as doth completely tranquilize the whole man, and give to him the likeness of God, thus bringing us to the conclusion : Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. The eighth, as it were, returneth to the beginning, because it sheweth forth and commandeth what is complete and perfect. Therefore in the first and in the eighth is named the kingdom of heaven, thus: Blessed are the poor in spirit : Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake : for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.