Page:Ninety-nine homilies of S. Thomas Aquinas upon the epistles and gospels for forty-nine Sundays of the Christian year (IA ninetyninehomili00thom).pdf/61

 the evil spirits fly on high—Numb. xxiv. 21, “Thou puttest thy nest in a rock.” (2) For their quickness of flight— Lam. iv. 19, “Our persecutors are mightier than the eagles of the heaven.” (3) In their rapacity they live by devouring the souls that they have seized—Ezek. xvii. 3, “ A great eagle with great wings, long-winged, full of feathers, took the branch of the cedar. He cropped off the top of his young twigs.”

II. On the second head it is to be noted that the birds of the air are called evil spirits from their natural dignity, which consists of three things. (1) Of origin; for they were created in the high heavens. (2) Of lightness or subtlety. Of these two—Isa. xiv. 12-14, “ How art thou fallen, O Lucifer, Son of the Morning. I will be like the Most High.” His origin is pointed out, in that he is said to have fallen from Heaven, for he was created in Heaven. The name Lucifer signifies lightness and beauty of nature. (3) Of habitation on high—Eph. vi. 12, “ Spiritual wickedness in high places.”

III. On the third head it is to be noted that the iniquity of the evil spirits consists in their devouring three kinds of seeds. (1) Seed of the Word of God—“The seed is the Word of God;” S. Luke viii. 12, “Then cometh the Devil and taketh away the Word out of their hearts.” (2) Seed of righteousness—2 Cor. ix. 6, “ He who soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly,” &c. (3) Seed of any good work —Ps. cxxvi. 6, “ He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bearing his sheaves with him.” We sow this seed whenever we do good. Of (1), The evil spirits take away the seed of the Word of God by sowing error in the mind of man—2 Cor. iv. 4, “ In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, Who is the Image of God, should shine unto them.” Of (2), They take away the seed of righteousness by enticing men into unrighteousness—S. John viii. 44, “Ye are of your father the Devil, the lust of your father ye will do.” Of (3), The Devil takes away the seed of good works, at the same time that he makes men to glory in them—S. Matt. vi. 1, 2, “ Take heed that ye do not your alms before men to be seen of them. When thou dost thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites