Page:Ninety-nine homilies of S. Thomas Aquinas upon the epistles and gospels for forty-nine Sundays of the Christian year (IA ninetyninehomili00thom).pdf/73

 Asmodeus had killed them.” Asmodeus is interpreted of him about to make judgment; and it signifies ambition, which desires to possess the power of judging men who are to be judged by God. (4) The delight of carnal pleasures; this is the blind devil: S. Matt. xii. 22, “ Then was brought unto Him one possessed with a devil, blind and dumb.” This is carnal concupiscence, which blinds the eyes of the mind: S. Austin, “ Clouds were ascending from the slimy concupiscence of the flesh, and they overclouded and darkened my soul; so that the sincerity of love could not be distinguished from the blackness of lust.” (5) The cruelty of doing harm; this is the fierce devil: S. Matt, viii. 22, “ There met Him two possessed with devils coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce.” (6) The malignity of detracting; of this, Apoc. xvi. 13, “ I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon.” By the frog is understood the loquacity of detraction, for there are three ways of detraction. The first is the undervaluing blessings; the second is exaggerating evils; the third is imputing false crimes. (7) Desperation, which is the seventh devil, from which flows all evils; this devil is called “ legion,” because in a state of desperation many devils enter into the mind: S. Matt. v. 9, “ What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion, for we are many.” Of these seven devils: S. Luke viii. 2, “ Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils.”

II. On the second head it is to be noted, that these devils vex the man whom they possess in seven ways. (1) By blinding him. (2) Depriving him of speech; of these two: S. Matt. xii. 22, “ One possessed with a devil, blind and dumb.” (3) They vex by kindling the flame of desire. (4) By drowning in the water of luxury. (5) By altering the revolution of changing things; of these three: S. Matt, xvii. 15, “ Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is lunatic and sore vexed; for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.” The sinner is called a lunatic, since like the moon (luna) he increases and decreases at certain seasons, and often falls into the fire of lust and into the water of luxury. (6) He afflicts with the cold of his spiritual ones by wearing the clothing of virtues: S. Luke viii. 27, “There met Him a certain man which had devils a long time, and ware no clothes.” (7) He vexes with the griefs and