Page:SermonsFromTheLatins.djvu/485

 sin. Plato's disciple,  Trochilus,  having  barely  escaped with  his  life  from  a  shipwreck,  ordered  that  all windows of  his  house  looking  seaward  should  be walled  up,  lest  some  day  seeing  it  calm  and  beautiful he  should  again  be  tempted  to  go  a-sailing. A valuable lesson  this. How often  spiritual  shipwreck has overtaken  us,  and  though  we  barely  escaped  by clinging  to  life-saving  penance,  yet  next  day,  next week, we  patched  up  our  shattered  bark  and  launched it forth  again! Trochilus's philosophy  may  seem rigorous, but  it  has  this  merit  that  it  coincides  with the teaching  of  Christ. "When a  strong  man, armed,  keepeth  his  court,"  says  Christ,  "  those  things which  he  possesseth  are  in  peace." To feel  secure against the  devil,  you  must  not  only  guard  the  inner apartments of  your  soul  but  also  its  outer  court,  and the moat  and  trench  beyond,  else  the  enemy  will  use your own  defences  for  your  undoing. The nearer  he approaches,  the  harder  it  is  to  repel  him. Aristotle beautifully illustrates  this  by  citing  the  conduct  of  the Trojan senators. The Greeks  were  besieging  Troy to get  possession  of  Helen,  and  the  senators  in  her absence wisely  decided  to  give  her  up;  but  when  she came before  them  they  were  so  dazzled  with  her loveliness that  they  determined  to  defy  the  Greeks and fight  them  to  the  death. So, too,  his  powers  of resistance  desert  the  gambler  in  the  gaming  den,  the drunkard in  the  saloon,  and  the  lustful  in  the  presence of  a  dissolute  woman. Ah, how  wickedly  wise the devil  is! When he  tempted  Christ  he  was  not content with  describing  to  Him,  or  showing  Him  on