Page:Post-Mediaeval Preachers.djvu/74

 Biel and one of a modern preacher, is, that the former contains many thoughts in few words, whilst the latter consists of many words, but contains few thoughts.

Analysis of Sermon xix. “De tempore,” being a sermon for Septuagesima, on the text from the Gospel: “The kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard,” &c. (Matt. xx. 1.)

Introduction.

Hitherto the Church has been keeping festival. Now she closes her season of festivity, that she may lament and weep for the lapse of her sons.

A. (1) Man’s nature as it left the Creator’s hands was very noble. It was immortal, not by nature, but by grace. By nature it was capable of decay and death, but by grace it was provided with the tree of life, the fruit of which renovated and preserved it.

(2) Man’s life was maintained subject to a condition, the condition of obedience. Its preservation was contingent on the keeping of God’s commandment.

The soul as created was innocent; man was wise in intellect and clean in affections; he was associated with angels, accustomed to converse with God, peaceful in conscience, and endowed with all gifts of nature and grace.

(3) Man’s knowledge of God was not enigmatical, but intuitive. He saw God by some internal