Page:Ninety-nine homilies of S. Thomas Aquinas upon the epistles and gospels for forty-nine Sundays of the Christian year (IA ninetyninehomili00thom).pdf/77

 devil: 2 S. Tim. ii. 26, “ That they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” (2) He was made blind : Zeph. i. 17, “They shall walk like blind men because they have sinned against the Lord.” (3) He was made dumb, so that he could neither praise God nor confess his sins: Isa. lvi. 10, “ They are all dumb dogs; they cannot bark.” III. On the third head it is to be noted, that three blessings follow the casting out of the devil—first, the liberation from his possession ; second, the restitution of sight; third, the restoration of speech; and these signify the three good things which happen to a soul in justification—(1) That the soul is delivered from the power of the devil: Coloss. i. 13, “ Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness.” (2) That the light of grace is restored to it: Ps. cxlvi. 8, “ The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind.” (3) That speech is given, by which sin may be confessed and God may be praised : Ps. li., “ Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God” —i.e., from sins—“ and my tongue shall sing aloud of Thy righteousness.”

In these words, the City of God, which rules in Heaven, is commended on three accounts. Firstly, for situation: “which is above.” Secondly, for its name: “Jerusalem.” Thirdly, for its liberty: “ is free.”

1. On the first head it is to be noted, that for four reasons it is commended as being “ above”—(1) For purity ; uncleannesses are not “ above,” but reach down into the vallies. In this celestial city there is nothing unclean; Apoc. xxi. 27, “There shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth.” (2) For health : for that which is placed “ above” is healthy; so is this celestial city, where there is