it, how saith he, “ear hath not heard?" The prophet truly heard, but not with the ear of man; for not as men heard they, but as prophets. And so by what is esteemed to be the foolishness of preaching, He shall overcome the world and the nations shall be brought in, and there shall be reconciliation of God with men, and so great blessings shall come upon us.

In 1 Cor. Hom. vii.

Friday in Passion Week.

TRIBULATION. S. AUGUSTINE.

"WOE unto the world because of offences." Now I would say a few words about offences, of which the world is full, and how it is that offences thicken, pressing troubles abound. The world is laid waste, the wine-press is trodden. Ah Christians! heavenly shoot, ye strangers on the earth, who seek a city in heaven, who long to be associated with the holy angels; understand that ye have come here on this condition only, that ye should soon depart. Ye are passing on through the world endeavouring to reach Him Who created it. Let not the lovers of the world, who wish to remain in the world, and yet whether they will or no, are compelled to move from

it; let them not disturb you, let them not deceive nor seduce you. These pressing troubles are not offences. Be ye righteous, and they will be only exercises. Tribulation comes; it will be as ye choose it, either an exercise, or a condemnation. Such as it shall find you to be, will it be. Tribulation is a fire: does it find thee gold? it takes away the filth: does it find thee chaff? it turns it into ashes. The pressing troubles then which abound are not offences. But what are offences? Those expressions, those words in which we are thus addressed: "See what Christian times bring about." Lo, these are the true offences. For this is said to thee, to this end, that if thou love the world, thou mayest blaspheme Christ. And this he saith to thee who is thy friend and counsellor; and so thine eye. This he saith to thee who ministereth to thee, and shareth thy labours, and so thine hand. This he saith to thee it may be who supporteth thee, who lifteth thee up from a low earthly state, and so thy foot. Cast them all aside, cut them off, throw them all away from thee; consent not unto them. Answer such men as he who was advised to give false witness answered. So do thou answer too; say to the man who saith to thee, "See, it is in Christian times that there are such pressing troubles; that the whole world is laid waste;" answer him, "And this Christ foretold me, before it came to pass."

For wherefore art thou disturbed? Thine heart is disturbed by the pressing troubles of the world, as that ship was in which Christ was asleep. Lo!

what is the cause, stout-hearted man, that thy heart is disturbed? That ship in which Christ is asleep is the heart in which faith is asleep. For what new thing, what new thing, I ask, is told thee, Christian? Did not thy Lord tell thee the world shall be laid waste? Did not thy Lord tell thee the world should fail? Why when the promise was made didst thou believe, and art disturbed now, when it is being completed? So then the tempest beats furiously against thine heart; beware of shipwreck, awake up Christ. The Apostle says, "that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith." Christ dwelleth in thee by faith. Present faith is Christ present, waking faith is Christ awake, slumbering faith is Christ asleep. Arise and stir thyself; say, "Lord, we perish." See what the unbelievers say to us; and what is worse, what evil Christians say. “Awake up, O Lord, we perish.” Let thy faith awake, and Christ begins to speak to thee. "Why art thou troubled?" I told thee beforehand of all these things. I foretold them, that when evils came, thou mightest hope for good things, that thou mightest not faint in the evil. Wonderest thou that the world is failing? Wonder that the world is grown old. It is as a man who is born and grows up, and waxes old. There are many complaints in old age; the coughs, the rheum, weakness of the eyes, fretfulness and weariness. So then as when a man is old he is full of complaints, so is the world old, and is full of troubles. Is it a little thing that God hath done for thee, that in the world's old age He hath sent Christ unto thee,

that He may renew thee then, when all is failing? Therefore was a son born to Abraham in his old age, because in the old age of this world was Christ to come. He came when all things were growing old, and made them new. As a made, created, perishing thing, the world was now declining to its fall. It could not but be that it should abound in troubles; He came both to console thee in the midst of present troubles, and to promise thee everlasting rest. Choose not then to cleave to this aged world, and to be unwilling to grow young in Christ, Who telleth thee, the world is waxing old, the world is failing, is distressed by the breathing of old age. But do not thou fear, "Thy youth shall be renewed as the eagle's." (Ps. ciii. 5.)

Hom. on the New Test., xxxi.

Saturday in Passion Week.

UNITY. S. CHRYSOSTOM.

"OTHER foundation can no man lay than that which is laid." Upon this then let us build, and as a foundation let us cleave to it, as a branch to a vine; and let there be no interval between us and Christ. For if there be any interval, immediately we perish. For so the branch, by its adherence, draws in the fatness, and the building stands, because it is cemented together. Since if it stand apart, it perishes, having

nothing whereon to support itself. Let us not then merely keep hold of Christ, but let us be joined unto Him, for if we stand apart, we perish. "For they who withdraw themselves far from Thee shall perish;” so it is said. (Ps. lxxiii. 27. Sept.) Let us cleave then to Him, and let us cleave by our works. "For he that keepeth My commandments, the same abideth in Me." (St. John xiv. 21.) And accordingly there are many images, whereby He brings us into union. Thus if you mark it, He is the “ Head,” we are the body: can there be any interval between the head and the body? He is a Foundation, we the building; He a Vine, we branches; He the Bridegroom, we the bride; He the Shepherd, we the sheep; He is the Way, we "they who walk therein." Again, we are a temple, He the Indweller; He the First Begotten, we the brethren; He the Heir, we the "heirs together with Him;" He the Life, we the living; He the Resurrection, we "those who rise again;" He the Light, we the enlightened. these things indicate unity, and they allow no void interval, not even the smallest. For he that removes but to a little distance, will go on till he has become very far distant. For so the body, receiving though it be but a small cut by a sword, perishes; and the building, though there be but a small chink, falls to decay; and the branch, though it be but a little while cut off from the root, becomes useless. So that this trifle is no trifle, but is even almost the whole.

In Cor. Hom. viii.

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