Page:Ninety-nine homilies of S. Thomas Aquinas upon the epistles and gospels for forty-nine Sundays of the Christian year (IA ninetyninehomili00thom).pdf/120

 incurs a threefold loss, which is sin. (1) Because by sin itself manifold good is taken away. S. Augustine, in the “ City of God,” says, If we were not of a good disposition the vices of it would not harm us ; but now what they do by these things in harming, is that they take away from them¬ selves, integrity, beauty, and salvation. (2) Because of sin the gift of grace is taken away. Wis. i. 4, “ Wisdom will not enter into a malicious soul, nor dwell in a body subject to sins.” (3) On account of sin the gift of glory is taken away. Isaiah xxvi. 10, “ Will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the Lord.”

III. On the third head, it is to be noted that sin leads men to many punishments ; but here three are stated. There will be (1) Continual sorrow in mind. Isa. xiii. 8, “Pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain, as a woman that travaileth.” Job. xx. 22, “ In the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits; every hand of the wicked shall come upon him.” (2) Continual hunger In heart. S. Matt. xiii. 30, “ Bind them in bundles to burn them.” (3) There will be eternity in both states. S. Matt, xxv. 41, “ Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire.” Concerning these three, Isaiah lxvi. 24, “ Their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched.” The worm denotes grief in mind; he calls the fire torment in the heart. The fire being inextinguishable, marks the eternity in both; from which fire may Christ deliver us.

Two things are necessary for us for the following of Him. Firstly, that we should turn away from a changing good by despising it; secondly, that we should turn towards an unchanging good in loving and imitating it. Both these things are noted in the Gospel—the first, “they forsook all;” the second, “and followed Him.”