Page:Ninety-nine homilies of S. Thomas Aquinas upon the epistles and gospels for forty-nine Sundays of the Christian year (IA ninetyninehomili00thom).pdf/59

 IV. On the fourth head it is to be noted that the reward of the labourers is a penny of the Gospel, which is equal to a thousand silver pieces—Cant. viii. 11, “Thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand,” for the thousand pieces of silver are the thousand joys of eternity. To which may we be brought.

Holy Scripture treats of four kinds of labour or travail. Firstly, material labour, by which man supplies the deficencies of nature—Job. v. 7, “Man is born unto trouble” (Vulg., labour). Secondly, the labour of sin, in which a man toils at committing sin — Jer. ix. 5, “Weary themselves to Commit iniquity.” Thirdly, the labour of Gehenna, after which there follows no rest—Ps. xlviii. 9, 10 (Vulg.), “ Shall labour for ever, and shall still live unto the end.” Fourthly, the labour of grace, which the just undergo in order to do good works—Prov. x. 16, “The labour of the righteous tendeth to life.” Three of these kinds of labour are to be noticed.

I. On the first head it is to be noted that in natural labour five points are to be considered. (1) It was inflicted on man on account of sin, whence it is manifest that man should hate sin as the cause of his toil—Gen. iii. 17-19, “ Cursed is the ground for thy sake : in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread.” (2) That if endured in love eternal blessedness is the fruit of labour—Ps. cxxviii. 2, “ Thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands, happy shalt thou be.” (3) It is demanded because the fruit of the land is frequently consumed by wild beasts, by insects, and by enemies; all of which are the effects of sin, therefore man ought to hate sin—Deut. xxviii. 33, “The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up.” On the other hand, it is said of the just— Isaiah lxii. 8, “Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine.” (4) All are called to labour: the