Page:Ninety-nine homilies of S. Thomas Aquinas upon the epistles and gospels for forty-nine Sundays of the Christian year (IA ninetyninehomili00thom).pdf/54

 wine take away the heart;” 1 Kings xi. 3, "His wives turned away his heart.” (2) They are vetch, which is hitter, which signifies avarice, and which afflicts the covetous in a wonderful way—Eccles. v. 13, 14, “Riches kept by the owners thereof to their hurt. But those riches perish by evil travail.” There is a “ sore evil ” in collecting them; a worse in hoarding them; the worst of all in losing or leaving them. (3) They are wild oats, which on account of their uselessness signify pride—Job xi. 12 (Vulg.), “A vain man is lifted up into pride.” Truly tares are indeed evil.

II. On the second head is to be noted their punishment, “ bind them in bundles,” &c., of which three points are to be considered—(1) They will be bound with eternal chains, “bind them;” (2) they will be bound together “in bundles” —of these two, Wisd. xvii. 17, “ They were all bound together with the chain of darkness.” (3) They will be burnt, “to burn them Isa. lxvi. 24, “Neither shall their fire be quenched.” From five particulars can be learned the greatness of this punishment by fire : (1) It burns, yet is not consumed—Wisd. xix. 20, “ The flames wasted not the flesh of corruptible animals.” (2) With the heat, cold is also mingled—S. Matt. xiii. 42, “Into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing” (from excessive heat) “and gnashing of teeth ” (from intense cold). So the Gloss. (3) It will most cruelly afflict—S. Austin says, “ So much hotter will it be than our fire ; as our fire is than mere painted fire.” (4) It will be eternal—S. Matt. xxv. 41, ‘‘Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire.” (5) It will be heat without splendour—Ps. xxix. 7, “The voice of the Lord divideth the flames of fire.” In a flame is both light and heat; the Lord will divide it so that the heat alone remains.

III. On the third head is to be noted the goodness of the holy (the wheat), three forms of which will be here mentioned—(1) It is white on account of purity; (2) it is red on account of charity— of these two, Cant. v. 10, “My Beloved is white and ruddy.” (3) It is heavy by gravity of manners—Ps. xxxv. 18, “I will praise Thee among much people.”

IV. On the fourth head is to be noted the glory of the Saints, “ gather the wheat into My barn ”—which is (1) spacious, for the sake of pleasantness; (2) refreshing, for the sake of joy; (3) enduring, on account of eternity. Of the