The holy gospel tells us, that "publicans and sinners approached Jesus, and
desired to hear his doctrine. Then the pharisees and the scribes of the
Jewish people murmured, because Jesus received the sinful, and ate and
drank with them. Then said Jesus to the Jewish scribes this parable, Which
of you hath an hundred sheep," etc.
These words are obscure, but the expounder Gregory has opened to us the
ghostly meaning. My dearest brothers, ye have heard in this evangelical
lesson, that the sinful approached to the speech of Jesus, and also to his
refection; and the Jewish scribes censured that with heat; but their
censure was not from righteousness, but from envy. They were sick, though
they observed it not. Then would the heavenly leech with a pleasant parable
benevolently heal the swelling of their hearts, and thus said, "Which of
you hath an hundred sheep, and if he lose one of the sheep, then leaveth he
[not] the ninety and nine in the waste, and goeth seeking the one that he
lost?" An hundredfold number is perfect, and the Almighty had an hundred
sheep, when the host of angels and mankind were his possessions: but he
lost one sheep, when the first-created man Adam through sin lost the food
of Paradise. Then the Almighty Son of God left all the host of angels in
heaven, and went to earth, and sought that one {341} sheep that had escaped
from him. When he had found it, he bare it on his shoulders to the flock
rejoicing. When he assumed our human nature, and bare our sins, then was
the wandering sheep brought back on his holy shoulders. The master of the
sheep came home, having found his sheep; for Christ after his passion,
whereby he redeemed mankind, arose from death, and ascended to heaven
rejoicing.
He invited his friends and his neighbours. His friends are companies of
angels, because they in their steadfastness constantly observe his will.
They are also his neighbours, because they enjoy the glorious brightness of
his sight in their presence. He said, "Rejoice with me, for I have found my
lost sheep." He said not, 'Rejoice with the sheep,' but 'with me,' because
our redemption is truly his joy; and when we are led to the heavenly
dwelling-place, we then complete the great celebration of his gladness. He
said, "I say unto you, there is more joy in heaven over one sinful man, if
he rue his sins with repentance, than there is over ninety and nine
righteous, who need no repentance." This is to be investigated, why there
is more joy over a converted sinner, than over the innocent righteous.
We have frequently seen that those brethren, who have not fallen into
deadly sins, are not altogether so careful to practise a hard course of
life, as though they were careless because they had not perpetrated deadly
sins; and that others who acknowledge the grievous sins that they have
committed in youth, are pricked with great affliction. They despise
permitted and visible things, and with weeping desire those invisible and
heavenly. They despise and humble themselves in all things; and because
through error they have departed from their Creator, they desire to repair
the consequent injury with heavenly gains. Greater joy there will be in
heaven over the converted sinner, through such endurances, than over a
remiss one who is confident in himself, that he has perpetrated little
{343} and few sins, and at the same time cares but little about God's
commandments and his soul's need. Greater love a general feels in battle
for the soldier who after flight boldly overcomes his adversary, than for
him who never took to flight, nor yet in any conflict performed any deed of
valour. In like manner the husbandman loves the field which after thorns
and brambles yields abundant fruits, more than he loves that which was not
thorny nor is fruitful. There are, nevertheless, very many righteous
guiltless of deadly sins, and yet practise as severe a course of life as
though they were troubled with all sins. With these can no penitent sinner
be compared, because they are righteous and repentant. By this is to be
judged how greatly the righteous with humble lamentation gladdens God, if
the unrighteous with true penitence can gladden him.
The Lord yet said another parable concerning ten shillings, and of which
one was lost and was found. That parable again betokens the nine hosts of
angels. Instead of the tenth host mankind was created; for the tenth had
been found guilty of pride, and thrust from heavenly bliss to hell
torments. There are now nine companies, named, angeli, archangeli,
virtutes, potestates, principatus, dominationes, throni, cherubim,
seraphim. The tenth perished. Then was mankind created to supply the place
of the lost company.
Angeli are interpreted, God's messengers; archangeli, high messengers;
virtutes, powers, by which God works many miracles. Potestates are powers
which have power over the accursed spirits, that they may not tempt the
hearts of believing men so much as they desire. Principatus are authorities
which have charge of the good angels, and they by their direction fulfil
the divine mysteries. Dominationes are interpreted, lordships, because the
other hosts of angels obey them with great subjection. Throni are thrones
which are filled with such great grace of the Almighty Godhead, that the
{345} All-powerful God dwells on them, and through them decides his dooms.
Cherubim are interpreted, fullness of knowledge or understanding: they are
filled with so much the more understanding as they are nearer to their
Creator through the worthiness of their deserts. Seraphim are interpreted
burning, or inflaming: they are so much the more burning in love of God as
they are associated with him; for there are no other angels between them
and the Almighty God. They are burning, not in wise of fire, but with great
love of the Powerful King. God's kingdom is composed of hosts of angels and
of religious men, and we believe that of mankind as great a number will
ascend to that sublime realm as there remained of holy spirits in heaven
after the fall of the accursed spirits.
Nine hosts of angels were left, and the tenth perished. Now the multitude
of religious men will be as great as was that of the steadfast angels; and
we shall be annexed to their hosts, according to our deserts. Many faithful
men there are who have little intellect to understand the deepness of God's
lore, and will, nevertheless, with piety declare to other men concerning
the glories of God, according to the measure of their intellect: these will
be annexed to the angels, that is, to God's messengers. The chosen, who can
investigate the mysteries of God, and preach with ghostly lore to others,
will be numbered with the archangels, that is, with the high messengers.
The holy, who work wonders in life, will be disposed among the heavenly
powers who execute God's miracles. There are also some chosen men who drive
out the accursed spirits from men possessed, by power of their prayers:
whereto shall these be annexed except to the heavenly powers, who control
the fiendlike tempters? Those chosen ones, who through high deserts excel
their humbler brethren in authority, will have their portion also among the
heavenly princes. Some there are so pious that they control with their
authority all vices and sins in themselves, so that they are accounted
{347} gods through their exalted purity: of these the Almighty said to
Moses, "I will set thee that thou be Pharaoh's god." These servants of God,
who are in so great honour in the sight of the Almighty that they are
accounted gods, to what order are they assigned, unless to the host which
is called lordships? for to them other angels are subordinate.
In some chosen men, who live with great heedfulness in the present life,
the grace of God's Spirit is so great, that he, sitting on their hearts as
it were on a throne, decides and judges wondrously the deeds of other men.
What are these but thrones of their Creator, on which abiding he judges
men? True love is the completion of God's law, and he who in his moral
conduct holds love of God and of men, will be rightly called cherubim; for
all understanding and knowledge is contained in two words, namely, love of
God and of men. Some servants of God are inflamed with so great a desire
for the presence of their Creator, that they despise all worldly care, and
with burning mind rise above all perishing honours, and with the great heat
of heavenly love enkindle others, and with instructive speech confirm them.
How may these be called but seraphim, when through the great heat of love
of God they are before other mortals nearest to his presence?
Now says the blessed Gregory, "Woe to the soul that passes its life devoid
of the holy virtues," which we have just shortly explained to you. But let
the soul which is deprived of those excellences mourn, and desire that the
bountiful Ruler will, through his grace, associate it to the lot of his
chosen. All men have not like grace from God, for he gives ghostly honours
to every one according to his endeavours. Let him who has less grace envy
not those more excellent, because the holy companies of blessed angels are
so ordered, that some in subordination obey others, and some with
transcending dignity are set before others.
{349} Great is the number of the holy spirits which dwell in God's kingdom,
of whom the prophet Daniel said, "Thousand thousands ministered to the
Heavenly Ruler, and ten thousand times hundredfold thousands dwelt with
him." One thing is ministry, another is, co-dwelling. Those angels minister
to God who announce his will to the world, and perform the things which are
pleasing to him. The other hosts, that dwell with him, enjoy the closest
contemplation of his Godhead, so that they on no account, sent forth,
withdraw from his presence. But those who are sent to us so execute their
Creator's behest without, that they, nevertheless, depart never from his
divine joy; for God is everywhere, though the angel be local. The Almighty
Ruler is not local, for he is in every place, and whithersoever the local
angel flieth, he will be surrounded with His presence.
Some of them have especial grace from their Creator, and yet their dignity
is common to all, and that which each one has in himself partially, he has
in another host perfectly; of which the psalmist said, "Lord, thou who
sittest above the cherubim, manifest thyself."
We said a little before in this lesson, that the throne of the Almighty was
among the host which are called throni: but who may be happy, unless he
have his Creator's dwelling in himself? Seraphim the spirits are called who
are burning with love of the Lord, and yet all the heavenly power together
is inflamed with his love. Cherubim is interpreted fullness of knowledge or
understanding, and yet what angel is there in God's presence who knows not
all things? But each of those hosts is therefore called by the name which
betokens the gift that it has more perfectly received.
But let us cease a little from speaking of the mysteries of the heavenly
inhabitants, and meditate on ourselves, and bewail with repentance our
sins, that we, through the Lord's mercy, may, as he has promised us, attain
to the heavenly {351} dwelling. He said in some place, "In my Father's
house are many dwellings," for if some be stronger in deserts, some more
righteous, some adorned with greater holiness, none of them may be
estranged from the great house, where everyone shall receive a dwelling
according to his deserts.
The merciful Lord said, that there was great joy in heaven for one
penitent; but the Same said through his prophet, "If the righteous turn
from his righteousness, and impiously commit unrighteousness, all his
righteousness I will forget; and if the impious repent of his impiety, and
do righteousness, I will not remember any of his sins." To repentant men he
is merciful, but to the procrastinating he promises not certain life till
the morrow. No sinner ought therefore to procrastinate his own repentance,
lest he by remissness lose the time of God's respite. Let every man
meditate on his former deeds, and also on his present conduct, and fly to
the merciful Judge with weeping, while he, who is righteous and merciful,
awaits our bettering. He truly repents of his sins who repeats not his
former deeds; concerning which Jesus said to the healed bedridden, "Behold,
now thou art healed, sin not henceforth, lest something worse befall thee."
Believing men may have great trust and hope to the human God Christ, who is
our Protector and Judge, who liveth and reigneth with the Father, in unity
of the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever. Amen.
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