Volume 13 · pp. 491–492
Sermon XVII. On Saint George, Martyr, Conclusion
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Mundus impugnat nos telis avaritiæ et acediæ: mundus enim facit hominem avarum, quia bona temporalia præponit æternis. Facit etiam hominem acediosum et pigrum ad Dei servitium: non enim sapiunt ea quæ Dei sunt. Caro impugnat nos telis gulæ et luxuriæ: curam enim ventris Deo præponit, et semetipsam per turpem luxuriam polluit. Diabolus impugnat nos telis superbiæ, et iræ. Ipse enim per superbiam cecidit, et ut cadamus, eamdem nobis suggerit. Invidia autem diaboli mors intravit in orbem terrarum 1. Unde et ipsam seminat in corda nostra, ut morte moriamur æterna. Diabolus, ut dicitur in Apoc. XII, 12: Iram magnam habens, sciens quod modicum tempus habet. Unde et nos inflammat ad iram, ut dissipet in nobis vultum Dei.
Et nota, quod isti tres hostes valde concordes sunt in impugnatione nostra. Quilibet enim istorum exacuit tela alterius, et commodat alteri tela sua.
De primo hoste, videlicet de mundo, dicitur I Joan. V, 19: Scimus quoniam mundus totus in maligno positus est. In maligno id est, in malignitate. Significatus etiam est mundus per Cain, qui occidit fratrem suum.
De secundo hoste, scilicet carne, dicit Apost. ad Galat. V, 17: Caro concupiscit adversus spiritum: spiritus autem adversus carnem. Propter quod ait I Pet. II, 11: Charissimi, obsecro vos abstinere a carnalibus desideriis, quæ militant adversus animam.
De tertio hoste, videlicet diabolo, dicit Apostolus ad Ephes. VI, 12 et 13: Non est nobis colluctatio adversus carnem et sanguinem, subauditur, tantum, sed adversus principes et potestates, adversus mundi rectores tenebrarum harum, contra spiritualia nequitiæ, in cælestibus, id est, pro cœlestibus. Propterea accipite armaturam Dei, ut possitis resistere in die malo, et in omnibus perfecti stare. Quia igitur monet nos Apostolus accipere armaturam Dei, propterea videre debemus, quibus armis uti nos oporteat.
II.
De secundo nota, quod Paulus ad Ephes. VI, 14 et seq., hortatur nos armari senaria armatura.
Primo monet, ut lumbos nostros castitatis balteo præcingamus, ibi: State ergo succincti lumbos vestros in veritate. Seminarium siquidem luxuriæ dicitur in lumbis esse, et propter hoc admonet, ut vera, et non tantum apparenti continentia præcingantur.
Secundo monet, ut loricam justitiæ induamus, ibi: Et induti loricam justitiæ. Job, XXIX, 14: Justitia indutus sum. Hæc lorica debet undique nos munire, ut nec corde, nec opere, nec ore proximo noceamus. Et si eum in aliquo læsimus, ita plene ei satisfaciamus, sicut nobis satisfieri vellemus, si læsi essemus.
The world attacks us with the darts of avarice and sloth; for the world makes a man avaricious, because it places temporal goods before eternal goods. It also makes a man slothful and sluggish toward the service of God, for those things that are of God are not savory to him. The flesh attacks us with the darts of gluttony and lust; for it places care of the belly before God and pollutes itself through foul lust. The devil attacks us with the darts of pride and anger. For he himself fell through pride, and, that we may fall, suggests the same to us. But by the envy of the devil death entered into the world 1. Hence he sows that very thing in our hearts, so that we may die with eternal death. The devil, as is said in Apocalypse 12:12, has great anger, knowing that he has little time. Hence he also inflames us to anger, so that he may scatter the face of God in us.
And note that these three enemies are very harmonious in attacking us. For each of them sharpens the darts of the other and lends his own darts to the other.
Concerning the first enemy, namely the world, it is said in 1 John 5:19: We know that the whole world is set in evil. In evil, that is, in malice. The world is also signified by Cain, who killed his brother.
Concerning the second enemy, namely the flesh, the Apostle says at Galatians 5:17: The flesh lusts against the spirit, but the spirit against the flesh. On account of this 1 Peter 2:11 says: Dearest ones, I beseech you to abstain from carnal desires, which war against the soul.
Concerning the third enemy, namely the devil, the Apostle says at Ephesians 6:12 and 13: Our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, understand, only, but against princes and powers, against the rulers of the world of these darknesses, against the spiritual things of wickedness in the heavens, that is, for heavenly things. Therefore take up the armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day and, in all things, to stand perfect. Therefore because the Apostle admonishes us to take up the armor of God, we ought on that account to see what arms we ought to use.
II.
On the second, note that Paul at Ephesians 6:14 and following exhorts us to be armed with sixfold armor.
First he admonishes that we gird our loins with the belt of chastity, there: Stand therefore with your loins girded in truth. Indeed the seedbed of lust is said to be in the loins, and on account of this he admonishes that they be girded with true continence, and not merely apparent continence.
Secondly he admonishes that we put on the breastplate of justice, there: And having put on the breastplate of justice. Job 29:14: I was clothed with justice. This breastplate ought to fortify us on every side, so that we harm our neighbor neither in heart, nor in work, nor in mouth. And if we have harmed him in anything, we should satisfy him so fully as we would wish satisfaction to be made to us if we had been harmed.
Tertio monet, ut pedes affectuum nostrorum pacis calceis muniamus, ibi, Et calceati pedes in præparatione Evangelicæ pacis. Necesse enim nobis est, ut pedes animæ nostræ, ne spinis iræ lædantur, vel ab invidiæ serpente mordeantur: ne etiam ad aliquem extrinsecæ perturbationis lapidem offendantur, pace quam Dominus tradidit in Evangelio, muniamus. Dicit enim Joan. XIV, 27: Pacem relinquo vobis, pacem meam do vobis.
Quarto monet, ut scutum fidei deferamus, ibi: In omnibus sumentes scutum fidei, in quo possitis omnia tela nequissimi, id est, diaboli, ignea exstinguere. In hoc scuto esse debet sculpta vel depicta crux Dominica, et sic fidem crucis Dominicæ humero patientiæ deferentes, contra omnium hostium jacula muniemur.
Quinto monet, ut capiti spei galeam imponamus. Unde sequitur quinto: Et galeam salutis assumite. Galea salutis est spes, quæ extendit nos, et animat ad apprehendendam salutem æternam. Et certe hac spe semper caput rationis nostræ debet armari pariter et ornari.
Sexto monet, ut nos charitatis gladio defendamus: Et gladium spiritus assumite (quod est verbum Dei), id est, charitas, quæ verbo Dei specialiter injungitur, Matth. XXII, 37, 39 et 40: ubi Dominus dicit: Diliges Dominum Deum tuum ex toto corde tuo, et in tota anima tua, et in tota mente tua. Et diliges proximum tuum, sicut teipsum. In his duobus mandatis universa lex pendet, et Prophetæ.
Quia vero et equus necessarius est militi, septimo monet, ut in equo sancti Spiritus contra hostes procedamus. Unde ad Galat. V, 25: Si spiritu vivimus, spiritu et ambulemus. Ibi dicit Glossa, quod « Spiritus sanctus est dux et auctor libertatis nostræ. » Iste est equus, qui etiam ipsum Dominum duxit in desertum a Spiritu, ut tentaretur a diabolo.
Octavo necessaria est lancea conversionis ac confessionis. Vix enim ita strenue pugnare possumus, nisi ab hostibus animæ solo tenus nutare cogamur: sed nos mox ut casum nostrum advertimus, per contritionem et confessionem resurgentes, vires nostras recuperare debemus.
III.
Tertio videndum est, quæ sit merces, quam Christi victores exspectant? Et certe hæc corona gloriæ. Unde scribit Paulus, II ad Timoth. II, 3, 5: Labora sicut bonus miles Christi Jesu... nam et qui certat in agone, non coronatur nisi legitime certaverit. Igitur a contrariis qui legitime certaverit, coronabitur, maxime corona ornata omni lapide pretioso.
Quam coronam nobis dare dignetur, etc.
Thirdly he admonishes that we fortify the feet of our affections with the shoes of peace, there: And having shod the feet in the preparation of Evangelic peace. For it is necessary for us to fortify the feet of our soul with the peace that the Lord handed down in the Gospel, lest they be harmed by the thorns of anger, or bitten by the serpent of envy, and lest they strike against some stone of external disturbance. For John 14:27 says: Peace I leave to you; my peace I give to you.
Fourthly he admonishes that we carry the shield of faith, there: In all things taking up the shield of faith, in which you can extinguish all the fiery darts of the most wicked one, that is, of the devil. On this shield the Lord's cross ought to be carved or painted, and thus, carrying the faith of the Lord's cross on the shoulder of patience, we will be fortified against the missiles of all enemies.
Fifthly he admonishes that we place the helmet of hope on the head. Hence it follows fifthly: And take up the helmet of salvation. The helmet of salvation is hope, which stretches us forth and animates us for grasping eternal salvation. And certainly by this hope the head of our reason ought always to be both armed and adorned.
Sixthly he admonishes that we defend ourselves with the sword of charity: And take up the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, that is, charity, which is especially enjoined by the word of God, Matthew 22:37, 39, and 40, where the Lord says: You shall love the Lord your God from your whole heart, and in your whole soul, and in your whole mind. And you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments the whole Law and the Prophets hang.
But because a horse too is necessary for a soldier, seventhly he admonishes that we proceed against the enemies on the horse of the Holy Spirit. Hence at Galatians 5:25: If we live by the spirit, let us also walk by the spirit. There the Gloss says that "the Holy Spirit is the guide and author of our liberty." This is the horse that also led the Lord himself into the desert by the Spirit, so that he might be tempted by the devil.
Eighthly, the lance of conversion and confession is necessary. For we can scarcely fight so strenuously, unless we are compelled by the enemies of the soul to totter down to the ground; but as soon as we notice our fall, rising again through contrition and confession, we ought to recover our strength.
III.
Thirdly one must see what the reward is which Christ's victors await. And certainly it is this: the crown of glory. Hence Paul writes, 2 Timothy 2:3, 5: Labor as a good soldier of Christ Jesus... for also he who contends in the contest is not crowned unless he has contended lawfully. Therefore from the contrary, he who has contended lawfully will be crowned, especially with a crown adorned with every precious stone.
May he deign to give us that crown, etc.
Notes
- Wisdom 2:24. (Sap. II, 24.) ↩
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