their feet with blood; since even the waves do not dissolve the rock, but are themselves dissolved into foam. There is nothing more powerful than the Church, O man. Cease from the war, so that thou not destroy thine own power; bring not war into heaven. If thou war against a man, thou either hast conquered or been conquered. But if thou war against the Church, it is impossible for thee to conquer; for God is the most powerful of all. Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He (1 Cor. 1:22)? God has fixed it; who attempts to shake it? Thou knowest not His power. He looks upon the earth, and makes it tremble (Ps. 103:32); He commands, and things that are shaken are made firm. If He has made the shaken city firm, how much more is He able to make the Church firm? The Church is stronger than heaven: Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away (Matt. 24:35). What words? Thou art Peter, and upon this my rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Id. 16:18).
2. If thou do not believe the word, believe the deeds. How many tyrants have wished to overcome the Church? How many frying pans? How many furnaces, teeth of wild beasts, sharpened swords? And they did not prevail. Where are those who warred against it? They are silenced and delivered to oblivion. But where is the Church? It shines brighter than the sun. Their deeds have been extinguished, its deeds are immortal. If when they were few they were not conquered, when the whole world has been filled with piety, how canst thou conquer? Heaven and earth [413] shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away (Id. 24:35). And quite reasonably; for the Church is more desirable to God than heaven. He did not take on a body from heaven, but He took on flesh from the Church; for the sake of the Church is heaven, not for the sake of heaven is the Church. Let nothing of what has happened disturb you. Grant me this: an unswerving faith. Have you not seen Peter walking upon the waters, and hesitating slightly, and being about to be submerged, not because of the disorderly surge of the waters, but because of the weakness of his faith? For did we come here by human votes? Did a man lead me, so that a man might dissolve [the church]? I say these things not out of conceit—far be it—nor out of arrogance, but wishing to steady what is shaken in you. Since the city stood, the devil wished to shake the Church. O most common and most filthy devil, thou didst not prevail against walls, and dost thou expect to shake the Church? For is the Church in walls? The Church is in the multitude of the believers. Behold how many firm pillars, not bound by iron, but tightened by faith. I do not say that such a multitude is more violent than fire; but not even if there were one, wouldst thou overcome. And thou knowest what wounds the martyrs have provided thee. Often a tender virgin, untried in marriage, has entered; she was more tender than wax, and became more solid than rock. Thou shalt hold her ribs, but thou hast not taken her faith. The nature of the flesh grew weak, but the power of the faith was not abandoned; the body was consumed, the mind showed youthful vigor; the substance was spent, but the reverence remained. Thou didst not prevail over one woman, and dost thou expect to prevail over such a people? Dost thou not hear the Lord saying, Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them (Matt. 18:20)? Where such a people is tightened by love, is He not present? I have His pledge; for am I relying on my own power? I possess His document. That is to me a staff, that is to me security, that is to me a harbor D 430 without waves. And if the world is in turmoil, I hold the document; I read it; those letters are to me a wall and security. What are these? I am with you always, even unto the end of the world (Matt. 28:20). Christ is with me, and whom shall I fear? Even if waves are raised up against me, even if seas, even if the anger of rulers; to me all these things are cheaper than a spider’s web. And if it were not for your love, not even today would I have asked to depart. For I always say, Lord, Thy will be done; not what this one says, or that one, but whatever Thou willest. This is to me a tower, this is to me an immovable rock; this is to me an unswerving staff. If God wills that this happen, let it happen. If He wills me to be here, I give thanks. Where He wills, I give thanks.
3. Let no one disturb you; give heed to the prayers. The devil did this, so that he might cut off the zeal concerning the litanies. But it does not succeed for him; but we have found you more zealous and warmer. Tomorrow [417] I shall go out to the litany with you. Or wherever I am, you are there; wherever you are, there am I; we are one body; the body is not separated from the head, nor the head from the body. We are divided by place, but we are united by love; not even death will be able to cut us off. For if my body dies, the soul lives, and remembers the people; you are fathers to me; how can I forget you? You are fathers to me, you are my life, you are my distinction. If you make progress, I am distinguished; so my life and wealth lie in your treasure. I am ready to be slaughtered ten thousand times for you (and I offer no favor, but I am even paying a debt; for the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep (John 10:11)), and to be slaughtered ten thousand times, and to have ten thousand heads cut off. To me this death is the basis of immortality, to me these plots are the occasion of security. For am I plotted against for money, so that I should be grieved? Or for sins, so that I should feel pain? I remain in security because of the love for you; since I do all things, so that you may remain in safety, so that no outsider may creep into the fold; since I do everything so that the flock may remain whole. The subject of the struggles is enough for me for a crown. For what could I suffer for you? You are citizens to me, you are fathers to me, you are brothers to me, you are children to me, you are members to me, you are body to me, you are light to me, or rather, even sweeter than this light. For what does the ray provide me such as your love? The ray helps me in the present life, but your love weaves a crown for me in the one to come. And I say these things to the ears of those who hear; but what is more acoustic than your ears? You have watched for so many days, and nothing turned you, no length of time made you softer, no fears, no threats; you became noble in all things. And what do I say, you became? This which I always desired: you have despised the things of this life, you have renounced the earth, you have moved to heaven; you have been released from the bonds of the body, you strive toward that blessed philosophy. These are crowns to me, these are consolation, this is comfort, this is for me an anointing, this is life, this is the basis of immortality.
4. A For I see those who are my authors, so that I may persist in my doctrines. For most prosperous things turn to the contrary, since they, by whom I appeared to be full of zeal, have acted by their own wickedness so that I might fall: they who deposed me at their own will, through the varied outcome of events overcome me in this contest: they did not threaten, but pressed hard. Now it is time to narrate those things which concern my calamity. There is a law, but the lawgiver is overcome. Sons, by your charity, I see a conspiracy prepared to wage war, and God affected by insults: I see the contest fallen, and the judge of the contest mourning: I see the persuasion of truth fading, and conspiracy prevailing. They object to me: "You have eaten and baptized." If I have done this, let it be anathema to me; let me not be numbered among the bishops; let me not be with the angels; let me not be acceptable to God. But if I did eat and baptize, I have done nothing inopportunely. Attend diligently to what I say, and I will not make an end of speaking. It does not weary me to speak, and it is safe for you if I speak. But let us return to our subject. They say that I ate and baptized. Let them then depose Paul, because he conferred baptism upon the jailer after supper (Acts 16:33). I dare say, let them depose Christ himself, because he bestowed communion on the disciples after supper. But these things are consistent and great for us: these are joyful signs of peace: these are the praises of the people. For me a crown, for you fruit. But you know, brothers, for what cause they wish to depose me. Because I did not spread out carpets, nor put on silken garments, and because I did not feed their gluttony. The offspring of the adder have flourished, the seed of Jezebel is still left: but yet even now grace contends with Elijah. Produce for me in the midst that wonderful and rich herald of life, I mean John the poor, who did not even possess a lamp; but he had Christ as his lamp: whose head was sought by the fellow-minister of Eve: who was also an impediment to the saints, who persecuted the prophets, who deceitfully preached a fast, who obtained a name equal to the viper, namely, dancing, for she danced before the meal was finished. She did not desire life, not a mass of wealth, not the dignity of a kingdom, not any other faculty; but tell me, I beg, what did she desire? The head of a man. But what do I say? Not only of a man, but also of an evangelist. Yet B she did not conquer the head, although she received it. She cut off the head by asking, she fulfilled wicked desire through a platter. See, and admire the power of God. The blameless man is accused, he is beheaded; but he who was struck on the head is at the right hand of Christ, while she receives inescapable punishment. Again her seed, a thorny growth, seeks and hastens. But Herodias seeks the head of John, again we begin a dance not with feet, but such as Mary once [offered], firm and immovable. Again John cries out and says: "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife" (Mark 6:18).
5. But what shall I say? The present time is of tears: for all things turn to ignominy, and time judges all things. Gold altogether produces glory. But come, let us bring forward David saying and crying out: "If gold should abound, do not set your heart upon it" (Ps. 61:11). But tell me, who was he who uttered such a voice? Did he not occupy the pinnacle of a kingdom? Did he not command in royal power? But he did not look to plunder, not to the destruction of piety, he did not care for treasures, but for a military levy; he did not require the consent of a wife. Flee, therefore, women, from strange meetings; do not give wicked counsel to men: but confirm yourselves from these words. Have we extinguished your flame? Has your heart been softened? But I know you, who are daughters of Mary, will receive utility. Others, however, are satisfied without wine, and drunk with avarice, as blessed Paul cries out and preaches with these words: "The love of money is the root of all evils" (1 Tim. 6:10). Thus foolish women stop their ears, and for good seed produce thorns. But, I beseech you, let us not sow our seed as if upon a rock. We are the agriculture of Christ, from whom let us hear, "Well done, good servant, enter into my house" (Matt. 25:23), lest perhaps in place of that voice it be said, "Wicked servant" (Ib. v. 26). But, I beseech you, let your manner of life shine before men, lest we make our salt foolish. But let us glorify, let us give thanks, the rich to the rich, the poor to the benign and lover-of-the-poor Christ, the powerful to his strong hand. And these things indeed concerning you. But perhaps God does not permit those things to be suffered which they machinate against me, so that he may approve me in calamities, because victory consists entirely in labors, and a crown is prepared through contests. For divine Paul said: "I have finished the course, I have kept the faith: as to the rest, there is laid up for me a crown of justice" (2 Tim. 4:7-8); with which crown the Lord of all will deem us worthy for eternity. Amen.
CONCERNING THE EXPULSION
Many indeed are the waves, and huge the billows; but I do not fear to be submerged: because I stand upon the rock. Let the sea rage, it cannot move the rock: let the waves rise as much as they will, the ship of Jesus cannot be overwhelmed. But what do they think? Should I fear death, to whom to live is Christ, and to die is gain (Philipp. 1:21)?