Holy doctors have counselled that the faithful church should celebrate and
piously solemnize this day to the honour of ALL SAINTS; because they could
not appoint a festival separately for each of them, nor to any man in the
present life are the names of all of them known, as John the Evangelist
wrote in his ghostly vision, thus saying, "I saw so great a multitude as no
man may number, of all nations and of every tribe, standing before the
throne of God, all clad in white garments, holding palm-twigs in their
hands, and they sung with a loud voice, Salvation be to our God who sitteth
on his throne. And all the angels stood around his throne, and bowed down
to God, thus saying, Be to our God blessing and brightness, wisdom and
thanksgiving, honour and strength, for ever and ever. Amen."
God's saints are angels and men. Angels are spirits without body. These the
Almighty Ruler created in great fairness, for his own praise, and to the
glory and honour of his majesty for ever. Of these we fear to speak much,
because for God alone is it to know how their invisible nature continues,
without any pollution or decay, in eternal purity. Nevertheless we know
from holy writings, that there are nine hosts {541} of angels existing in
heavenly majesty, who never committed any sin. The tenth host perished
through pride, and were turned into accursed spirits, and driven from
heavenly joy into hell-torment.
But some of those holy spirits, who continued with their Creator, come sent
to us, and announce future things. Some of them, by God's direction, work
signs and frequently miracles in the world. Some of them are chiefs set
over other angels for the fulfilment of the divine mysteries. Through some
God establishes and decides his dooms. Some are so closely associated with
God, that no others are between them, and they are then burning in so much
greater love, as they more clearly behold the brightness of God. Now is
this day piously hallowed to these angels, and also to those holy men, who
through great excellences have thriven to God from the beginning of the
world. Of these were first the patriarchs, religious and glorious men in
their lives, the fathers of the prophets, whose memory shall not be
forgotten, and their names shall last for ever, because they were
acceptable to God through faith, and righteousness, and obedience. These
were followed by the chosen company of prophets: they held speech with God,
and to them he manifested his secrets, and enlightened them with the grace
of the Holy Ghost, so that they knew the things to come, and announced them
in prophetic song. Verily the chosen prophets by many signs and foretokens
were in their lives illustrious. They healed the sickness of men, and the
bodies of dead men they raised to life. They also, for the people's
perversity, withdrew the showers of heaven, and again in mercy permitted
them. They bewailed the people's sins, and their punishment prevented on
themselves. Christ's humanity, and his passion, and resurrection, and
ascension, and the great doom, instructed by the Holy Ghost, they
prophesied.
In the New Testament John the Baptist stept forth, who {543} with prophecy
preached the advent of Christ, and also with his finger pointed him out.
"Among the children of women there hath arisen no greater man than is John
the Baptist." With these champions of God accords the twelvefold number of
Christ's apostles, whom he himself chose for his disciples, and instructed
them in right belief and true doctrine, and set them as teachers to all
nations, so that the sound of their preaching went over all the earth, and
their words came to the boundaries of the whole world. To these twelve
apostles said the Almighty Jesus, "Ye are the light of the world: let your
light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify
your Father who is in heaven. Ye are my friends, and I make known unto you
whatsoever I have heard from my Father." Verily the Lord gave power to his
twelve apostles to work the same wonders which he himself performed in the
world. And whatsoever they bind on earth, that shall be bound in heaven;
and whatsoever they unbind on earth, that shall be unbound in heaven. He
also promised them with a true promise, that at the great doom they shall
be sitting on twelve judgement-seats, to judge all men who have ever
received life in the body.
After the apostolic company we honour the steadfast band of God's martyrs,
who through divers torments courageously imitated the passion of Christ,
and through martyrdom passed to the realm on high. Some of them were slain
with weapons, some burned in flame, others beaten with scourges, others
transfixed with stakes, some slain on the cross, some sunk in the wide sea,
others flayed alive, others torn with iron claws, some overwhelmed with
stones, some afflicted with winterly cold, some slain by hunger, some with
hands and feet cut off, as a spectacle to people, for their faith and the
holy name of Jesus Christ. These are the triumphant friends of God, who
despised the behests of those criminal princes, and now they are
glory-crowned with the triumph {545} of their sufferings in eternal joy.
They might be slain bodily, but they could not by any torments be turned
from God. Their hope was filled with immortality, though before men they
were tormented. They were for a short time afflicted, and lastingly
comforted, for God tried them as gold in a furnace, and he found them
worthy of him, and as holy offerings received them into his heavenly
kingdom.
After the persecution of the cruel kings and princes had ceased, in the
peaceful condition of God's church, there were holy priests thriving to
God, who with true doctrine and holy examples ever inclined the men of the
people to God. Their minds were pure, and filled with cleanness, and with
clean hands they served God Almighty at his altar, celebrating the holy
mystery of Christ's body and his blood. They likewise offered themselves a
living sacrifice to God, without blemish or admixture of perverse work.
They delivered God's doctrine to their followers, as an imperishable
revenue, and with chastisement, and prayer, and great care inclined them to
the way of life, and for no awe of the world refrained from preaching God's
law; and though they felt not the sword's edge, yet, through the merits of
their lives, are they not deprived of martyrdom, for martyrdom is not
effected by bloodshed only, but also by abstinence from sins, and by the
observance of God's commandments.
This is followed by the life and extraordinary knowledge of anchorites.
These dwelling in the waste, trampled with stern mind and rigid life on
worldly delicacies and luxuries. They fled from the sight and praise of
worldly men, and, crouching in miserable caves or huts, associated with
beasts, accustomed to angelic speeches, were shining in great wonders. To
the blind they gave sight, gait to the halt, hearing to the deaf, speech to
the dumb. Devils they overcame and drove away, and through God's might
raised the dead. The book which is called Vitae Patrum speaks manifoldly
{547} concerning the lives of these anchorites, and also of common monks,
and says that there were many thousands of them living wonderfully
everywhere in the deserts and in monasteries, but yet especially in Egypt.
Some of them lived on fruit and herbs, some by their own labour, some were
served by angels, some by birds, until angels afterwards by an easy death
bore them to God.
O thou, blessed parent of God, ever maiden Mary, temple of the Holy Ghost,
maiden before conception, maiden in conception, maiden after conception,
great is thy glory on this festival among the beforesaid saints; because
through thy pure childbirth holiness and heavenly honours came to them all.
We speak of the heavenly queen, as is usual, according to her womanhood,
yet all the faithful church confidently sing of her, that she is exalted
and raised above the hosts of angels to the glorious throne. Of no other
saints is it said, that any of them is raised above the hosts of angels,
but of Mary alone. She manifested by her example the heavenly life on
earth, for maidenhood is of all virtues queen, and the associate of the
heavenly angels. The example and footsteps of this maiden were followed by
an innumerable body of persons in maidenhood, living in purity, renouncing
marriage, attaching themselves to the heavenly bridegroom Christ with
steadfast mind and holy converse, and with wide garments, to that degree,
that very many of them suffered martyrdom for maidenhood, and so with
twofold victory went glorious to the heavenly dwelling-places.
To all these beforesaid saints, that is, angels and God's chosen men, is
the honour of this day celebrated in the faithful church, in honour to them
and in aid to us, that we, through their intercession, may be with them
associated. May the merciful Lord grant us this, who redeemed them all and
us with his precious blood from the devil's thraldom. We should, on this
great festival, complete, with holy prayers {549} and hymns, whatsoever we
on other festivals of the whole circuit of the year have, through human
weakness, less perfectly performed, and carefully cogitate that we may come
to the eternal festival.