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Fall and Redemption of Man. Gift of the Spirit. 239 that is, His Word coequal with Himself, by Which He made all things. And He, continuing indeed in His own Divinity, and departing not from the Father, neither changed in any ZANDIS thing, yet by taking unto Himself Man, and appearing unto BUS. men in mortal flesh, came to men: and as by one man who was first created, that is, Adam, death entered into the human race, in that he consented unto his wife, when she was seduced by the devil, to transgress together the commandment of God; so by one Man, Who is also God, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, all past sins being blotted out, all that believe in Him might enter into eternal life.

53. For all things which you now see taking place in the xxvii. Church of God, and in the Name of Christ throughout the whole world, were already foretold ages before, and as we read of them, so do we see them, and are thence built up unto faith. At one time there came a flood over the whole earth, that sinners might be blotted out; and yet they who escaped in the ark, shewed a sacrament of the future Church, which now is floating on the waves of this world, and by the wood of the Cross of Christ is delivered from being overwhelmed. It was prophesied to Abraham, a faithful servant of God, one single man, that of him should be born a People, who should worship the one God, among the rest of the nations who worshipped idols; and all things which were foretold to happen to that People, came to pass even as they were foretold. For Christ also, Who is King of all Saints, and God, was prophesied of among that People, as about to come of the seed of Abraham himself, according to the flesh, which He took to Himself, that all might be sons likewise of Abraham who should follow his faith: Christ was born of Mary, a virgin, who was of that race. It was foretold by the Prophets that He should suffer on the Cross by that very People of the Jews, of whose race according to the flesh He came and so it was done. It was foretold that He should rise again: He rose again, and, according to the very predictions of the Prophets, He ascended into heaven, and sent to His disciples the Holy Spirit. It was foretold not only by the Prophets, but also by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, that His Church should be over the whole world, spread abroad by martyrdoms and sufferings of the Saints:

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240 Prophecy fulfilled a pledge of the future. Temptations.

and foretold then, when as yet His Name was both hidden from the nations, and made a mock at, where known; and ZANDIS yet in the might of His miracles, whether those which of Himself, or which through His servants He wrought, whilst these things are being proclaimed and believed, we now see what was foretold fulfilled, and the very kings of the earth, who before persecuted Christians, brought into subjection to the yoke of Christ. It was foretold also that schisms and heresies would go forth out of His Church, and in His name, in places where they were able, would seek their own glory, not Christ's. And these things have been fulfilled.

54. Whether then will not those things which remain come to pass? It is clear that, as they being foretold came to pass, so also will these things: whatsoever afflictions of the righteous yet remain, and the day of Judgment, which will separate all the ungodly from the righteous in the resurrection of the dead: and not only them that are without the Church, but also the chaff of the Church itself, which she must endure with all long-suffering until the last winnowing, will it separate unto the fire which is their due. But they who make a mock at the resurrection, as thinking that this flesh, in that it becomes corrupt, cannot rise again, will rise again in it to punishment: and God will shew them, how that He Who could make their bodies before they were, can in a moment restore them as they were. But all the faithful, about to reign with Christ, shall so rise again in the same body, as to deserve also to be changed unto angelic incorruption; that they may be made equal to the Angels of God, as the Lord Luke 20, Himself promised; and may praise Him without any failing, and without any weariness, ever living in Him, and of Him, with such joy and blessedness, as can neither be spoken of, nor thought of by man.

36.

55. Do you therefore, believing these things, beware of temptations, (because the devil seeks them who may perish. with him,) that not only by means of those who are without the Church, whether they be Pagans, or Jews, or Heretics, that enemy deceive thee not; but also that you follow not those whom you shall see in the very Catholic Church living ill, either without moderation in the pleasures of the belly and the throat, or unchaste, or given up to vain, over-curious,

Unile with the good; love sinners; hate their sins. 241

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or unlawful acts, whether they be of the nature of spectacles, DE or charms, or divinations by means of devils, or living in the' CHIpomp and arrogance of covetousness and pride, or in any life ZANDIS which the law condemns and punishes: but rather that you BUS. join yourself to the good, whom you will easily discover, if you also begin to be such; that together you may worship and love God without looking for reward; because He Himself will be all our reward, to enjoy in that life His goodness and beauty. But He is to be loved, not in the same manner as any thing which is seen with the cyes, but as wisdom is loved, and truth, and holiness, and righteousness, and charity, and if there be any thing else which we call of this sort, not after the manner in which these things exist among men, but as they exist in the very well-spring of incorruptible and unchangeable Wisdom. Whomsoever therefore you shall see love these things, join thyself to them, that through Christ, Who was made Man, that He might be the Mediator between God and men, thou mayest be reconciled to God. But perverse men, although they enter the walls of the Church, yet think not that they will enter into the kingdom of heaven, because when their time comes they will be separated, if they change not for the better. Follow therefore good men, bear with evil men, love all; since you know not what he will be to-morrow, who to-day is evil. Yet love not their unrighteousness, but therefore love themselves, that they may lay hold of righteousness; because not only is the love of God commanded us, but the love of our neighbour also, on which two commandments hangs the Mat. 22, whole Law and the Prophets. Which no man fulfils, but 37-40. he only who hath received the Gift, the Holy Spirit, Who is assuredly coequal with the Father and the Son, seeing that this very Trinity is God; in Which God is to be placed all our hope. For in man it must not be placed, let him be of what sort soever he will. For He by Whom we are justified, is one thing; they, with whom we are justified, are another. But the devil tempts not only through lusts, but also through terrors of insults, and of pains, and of death itself. But whatever a man shall have suffered for the name of Christ, and for the hope of eternal life, and shall have endured continuing firm, the greater reward shall be

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242 God helps those who are humble and merciful.

DE given him; but if he shall yield to the devil, he shall be condemned with him. But works of mercy, together with ZANDIS godly humility, obtain from the Lord, that He suffer not BUS. His servants to be tempted more than they are able to bear.

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CONTINENCE.

St. Augustine speaks of his work on Continence in Ep. 262, ad Darium Comitem. Possidius Ind. c. 10. mentions it, and it is cited in the Collectanea of Bede or Florus, and by Eugypias. Erasmus is therefore wrong in ascribing it to Hugo on the ground of the style, which is not unlike that of the earlier discourses. It is evidently a discourse, and probably for that reason unnoticed in the Retractations. The Manichæan heresy is impugned after the manner of his early works. Ab.from Ben.

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1. It is difficult to treat of the virtue of the soul, which is called Continence, in a manner fully suitable and worthy; but He, Whose great gift this virtue is, will help our littleness under the burden of so great a weight. For He, Who bestows it upon His faithful ones when they are continent, Himself gives discourse of it to His ministers when they speak. Lastly, of so great a matter purposing to speak what Himself shall grant, in the first place we say and prove that Continence is the gift of God. We have it written in Wisd.8, the Book of Wisdom, that no one can be continent, unless 21. God grant it. But the Lord, concerning that greater and more glorious Continence itself, whereby there is continence from the marriage bond, says, Not all can receive this saying, Mat.19, but they to whom it is given. And since marriage chastity 11. also itself cannot be guarded, unless there be Continence from unlawful intercourse, the Apostle declared both to be the gift of God, when He spake of both lives, that is, both that of marriage and that without marriage, saying, I would 1 Cor. that all men were so as myself; but each hath his own gift 7, 7. from God; one in this manner, another in that manner.

2. And lest it should seem that necessary Continence was to be hoped for from the Lord only in respect of the lust of the lower parts of the flesh, it is also sung in the Psalm; Set, O Lord, a watch to my mouth, and a door of Conti- Ps. 141, nence around my lips. But in this witness of the divine 3.