Page:SermonsFromTheLatins.djvu/162

 Brethren, at  the  close  of  day  the  laborers  gather round their  Lord  receiving  every  man  his  pay. " Call the  laborers,"  He  says,  "and  pay  them  their  hire." Suppose He  ordered  the  talkers  to  be  called,  what a vast  crowd  would  come! But no!  for  not  every man that  says  "  Lord,  Lord,"  shall  be  saved,  but  he that  doth  the  will  of  the  Father — he  whose  life  is  an honest  day's  labor  in  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord,  he shall  be  saved. Not that  even  then  the  Lord  is  bound to reward  us,  but  in  His  bounteous  goodness  He  elects to pay  us  for  doing  what  He  has  the  right  and  power to command. Is it  not  lawful  for  Him  to  do  as  He will? If, notwithstanding  the  different  hours  of  toil, it please  Him  to  give  all  equal  pay,  beginning  from the last  even  to  the  first,  does  He  do  wrong? No, for the  coin  He  gives  in  payment  is  heaven,  the  possession and  vision  of  Christ  forevermore. The figure on a  coin,  the  inscription,  its  shape  and  power,  all signify the  attributes  of  Christ,  who  is  the  figure  of the  King,  His  Father's  substance,  the  Word  of  God; whose eternity  the  endless  circle  of  a  coin  denotes, and whose  omnipotence  it  partly  imitates. Labor as we  will,  and  as  long  and  hard — this  priceless  coin  is ample  recompense,  and  being  satisfied,  why  should we murmur  seeing  others  equally  rewarded,  though having labored  less? Besides, though  heaven's  duration be  the  same  for  all,  the  intensity  of  happiness  has different degrees. Each soul  beatified  will  see  God's face  according  to  its  capacity  for  seeing. Those animals, they  say,  that  work  in  mines  and  never  see the light  become  blind  totally,  and  the  owl,  you  know,