Page:Ninety-nine homilies of S. Thomas Aquinas upon the epistles and gospels for forty-nine Sundays of the Christian year (IA ninetyninehomili00thom).pdf/72

 tribulations, remaining faithful.” (5) That for His sake we should despise fleshly delights, and live after the Spirit: Rom. viii. 8, 9, “They that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit,” &c.

III. On the third head it is to be noted, that we ought to seek to be holy for five reasons—i.e.y be made clean. (1) That we may become like God: 1 S. Pet. i. 16, “Be ye holy, for I am holy.” (2) Lest we should do injury to Christ, Who cleansed us with such great toil and cost: Apoc. i. 5, “Loved us, and washed us from our sins in His Own Blood.” (3) Lest we should be prevented from entering the Heavenly City : Apoc. xxi. 27, “There shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth.” (4) That we may be made capable of receiving wisdom: Wisd. vii. 27, “ Conveyeth herself into holy souls ; she maketh the friends of God and prophets.” (5) That we may be worthy to see God: S. Matt. v. 8, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God,” which vision Christ has procured for us.

Morally by this demoniac is understood a sinful soul, and here are noted two evils which a man acquires through deadly sin. The first is, that he is possessed by a devil; the second is, that he is grievously vexed.

I. On the first head it is to be noted, that a sinful soul possesses seven devils. (1) An immoderate desire of knowledge, this a noon-day devil: Ps. xci. 6 (Vulg.), “The noon-day devil.” (2) An immoderate avarice for possession ; this is the dumb devil: S. Luke xi. 14, “ He was casting out a devil, and it was dumb.” (3) The ambition of ruling; this devil is Asmodeus by name : Tobit iii. 8, “ A devil named