THE SIXTH IMAGE
THE BLESSING ON OUR RIGHT HAND
This is the Church of the saints, the new creation of God, our
brethren and our friends, in whom we see naught but blessing,
naught but consolation; not, indeed, always with the eyes of the
flesh (to which they would appear to belong rather under the
corresponding image of evils),[64] but with the eyes of the
spirit Nevertheless, we must not disregard even those blessings
of theirs which may be seen, but rather learn from them how God
would comfort us. For even the Psalmist did not venture, in Psalm
lxxii, to condemn all those who amass riches in this world, but
said, "If I say, I will speak thus; behold, I should offend
against the generation of Thy children." [Ps. 73:15] That is to
say, If I should call all men wicked who possess riches, health,
and honor, I should be condemning even Thy saints, of whom there
are many such. Paul also instructs Timothy to charge them that
are rich in this world, that they be not high minded;[1 Tim.
6:17] but he does not forbid them to be rich. And Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob were rich men, as the Scriptures record. Daniel,
also, and his companions were raised to honor even in Babylon.
[Dan. 2:48 f.] Moreover many of the kings of Judah were saintly
men. It is with regard to such persons that the Psalmist says,
"If I say, I will speak thus; behold, I should offend against the
generation of Thy children." [Ps. 73:15] God gives, even to His
people, an abundance of these blessings, for their own comfort,
and the comfort of others. Still, these things are not their
proper blessings, but only shadows and emblems of their true
blessings, which consist in faith, hope, love, and other gifts
and graces, which love communicates to all.
This is the communion of saints, in which we glory. And whose
heart will not be lifted up, even in the midst of great evils,
when he believes that which is indeed the very truth; namely,
that the blessings of all the saints are his blessings, and that
his evil is also theirs! For this is the sweet and pleasant
picture which the Apostle Paul depicts, in Galatians vi, "Bear ye
one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ." [Gal.
6:21] Is it not a blessing to be in such a company in which,
"whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or
one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it"? [1 Cor.
12:26] as it is said in I. Corinthians vi[65]. Therefore, when I
suffer, I suffer not alone, but Christ and all Christians suffer
with me; as He saith, "He that toucheth you, toucheth the apple
of My eye." [Zach. 2:8] Even so others bear my burden, and their
strength becomes my own. The Church's faith supports my
fearfulness, the chastity of others bears the temptations of my
flesh, the fastings of others are my gain, the prayer of another
pleads for me. In short, such care have the members one for
another, that the comely parts cover, serve, and honor the
uncomely; as it is beautifully set forth in I. Corinthians
vi.[65] others as though they were my own; and they are truly my
own when I find joy and pleasure therein. Let me, then, be base
and vile; yet they whom I love and admire are fair and beautiful.
And by my love I make not only their blessings, but their very
selves my own; so that by their honor my shame is made honorable,
by their abundance my poverty is filled, by their merits my sins
are healed. Who, then, could despair in his sins? Who would not
rejoice in his pains? For it is not he that bears his sins and
pains; or if he does bear them, he bears them not alone, but is
assisted by so many holy sons of God, yea, even by Christ
Himself. So great a thing is the communion of saints, and the
Church of Christ.[66]
If any one does not believe this, he is an infidel, and has
denied Christ and the Church. For even if it should not be
perceived yet it is true; but who could fail to perceive it? For
why is it that you do not sink in despair, or grow impatient? Is
it your strength? Nay: it is the communion of saints. Otherwise
you could not bear even a venial sin,[67] nor endure a word of
man against you. So close to you are Christ and the Church. It is
this that we confess in the Creed, "I believe in the Holy Ghost;
the holy Catholic[68] Church." What is it to believe in the holy
Church but to believe in the communion of saints. But what things
have the saints in common? Blessings, forsooth, and evils; all
things belong to all; as the Sacrament of the Altar signifies, in
the bread and wine, where we are all said by the Apostle to be
one body, one bread, one cup.[69][1 Cor. 10:17] For who can hurt
any part of the body without hurting the whole body? What pain
can we feel in the tip of the toe that is not felt in the whole
body? Or what honor can be shown to the feet in which the whole
body will not rejoice? But we are one body. Whatever another
suffers, that I suffer and bear; whatever good befalls him,
befalls me. So Christ says that whatsoever is done unto one of
the least of His brethren, is done unto Him. If a man partake of
the smallest fragment of the bread of the altar, is he not said
to have partaken of the bread? If he despise one crumb of it, is
he not said to have despised the bread?
When we, therefore, feel pain, when we suffer, when we die, let
us turn hither our eyes,[70] and firmly believe and be sure that
it is not we, or we alone, but that Christ and the Church are in
pain, are suffering, are dying with us. For Christ would not have
us go alone into the valley of death, from which all men shrink
in fear; but we set out upon the way of pain and death attended
by the whole Church, and the Church bears the brunt of it all.
Therefore, we can with truth apply to ourselves the words of
Elisha, which he spake to his timid servant, "Fear not: for they
that be with us a remote than they that be with them. And Elisha
prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes that he may
see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw:
and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire
round about Elisha." [2 Kings 6:16 f.] This one thing remains for
us also; namely, to pray that our eyes may be opened (I mean the
eyes of our faith), that we may see the Church round about us.
Then there will be nothing for us to fear; as it is said also in
Psalm cxxiv, "Mountains are round about it: so the Lord is round
about His people from henceforth now and for ever." [Ps.
125:2][71]