Page:Ninety-nine homilies of S. Thomas Aquinas upon the epistles and gospels for forty-nine Sundays of the Christian year (IA ninetyninehomili00thom).pdf/52

 ness of the bottom is the humility which arises from highest goodness—Ps. lxxxi. 10, “ Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it.”

III. On the third head it is to be noted that the use of a ship in four ways stands for holiness of life. 1. The first use is to carry men across the sea. We ought by holiness to pass over the sea of this world to the heavenly country, to God—Wisd. xiv. 5, “Men also trust their lives even to a little wood, and passing over the sea by ships are saved.” 2. The second is to carry merchandise, or fruits, which are the odour of good works, to be diffused from us on all sides— Job. iv. 25, 26, “My days are swifter than a post.they are passed away as the swift ships.” Phil. iv. 18, “ An odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God.” 3. The third use is to make war in them. We ought by holiness to war against the demons—1 Macc. xv. 3, “ I have chosen a great army, and have built ships of war.” Eph. vi. 12, “ We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers.” 4. The fourth use is to catch fishes, to convert men to God—S. Matt. iv. 19, “I will make you fishers of men.”

THE Name of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ is here noted of in three ways—Firstly, it is to be ever thought of. Secondly, it is to be ever used. Thirdly, it has manifold The power.

I. On the first head it is to be noted that the Name of God is to be used on five occasions—(1) In walking—Ps. xx. 7, “ We will remember the Name of the Lord our God.” (2) In praying—S. John xvi. 23, “ Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My Name, He will give it you.” (3) In speaking; (4) in working—of these two, the text. (5) In hoping—Ps. xxxix. 5 (Vulg.), “ Blessed is the man whose trust is in the Name of the Lord.”