Page:Ninety-nine homilies of S. Thomas Aquinas upon the epistles and gospels for forty-nine Sundays of the Christian year (IA ninetyninehomili00thom).pdf/83

 what God the Lord will speak.” The third, by preaching: S. Luke viii. 8, “ He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” III. On the third head it is to be noted, that they are foolish who do not hear the Word of God, chiefly for two reasons — (1) Because from the hearing of the Word of God all evil is avoided. (2) All good is gained. Of these two: Prov. i. 33, “ But whoso hearkeneth unto Me shall dwell safely”—because in this life they shall be terrified with no adversaries, and at death will be made joyful by the entering into eternal life; “ and shall be quiet from fear of evil.” In the present, abundance of blessed works, all fear of those who can kill the body being removed ; in the future, abundance of joys, fear being taken away of any defect or adversity.

IV. On the fourth head it is to be noted, that the great miseries which flow from the not “ being of God” arise from two causes—(1) They who are without God have all evil: S. Augustine, “ Whence I know, that it is evil to me without Thee; not alone without, but also within myself; and all abundance which is not God, is need. (2) He who is of God has everything which is best: S Augustine, “ He who enters into the joy of his Lord, and is secure, will also, find himself to have the best of the best.”

The Apostle in this Epistle treats of three things—firstly,, of the Majesty of Christ, “ Who being in the form of God secondly, of His humility, “made Himself of no reputation;” thirdly, of the advantage of His humility, "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him.”

I. On the first head it is to be noted, that the Majesty of Christ is revealed in three attributes—(1) In His Divinity, “ Who being in the form of God for if He was Deity in