' Et capiendus erat, quia nullius obice claustri, Hie repellendis locus obsistebat iniquis. Nam foribus nullis in publica rostra patebat Serairuti paries malefidus fragmine muri. Sed divina maniis Sese sanctum inter et hostes Opposuit, miroque locum munimine sepsit ; Nou strue saxorum, neque ferratis data valvis Claustra, per humanas quibus atria claudimus artes Eudere sed subito concrevit sordidus agger, Jussaque nutantes intendit aranea telas, Et sinibus tremulis in totum struxit apertum, Desertajque dedit faciem sordere ruinae. Quse simul occurrit minitantibus, obstupuerunt, Defixoque gradu, simul et dixcre vicissim : Nonne furor tentare aditus, aut credere quemquam Hac intrasse hominem, minimi qua signa dedisseut Vermiculi ? ModiccE rumpunt hsec retia muscaa, Nos ponetrasse virum per clausa putamus inepti, Et tenerum tanto non ruptum corpore textum '? '
The saint is then introduced as saying, —
' Vana salus hominum, virtus mea non mihi virtus. Si caream virtuto Dei, Quo vasta gigantura Kobora? quo Pharii regis? ubi magna Hiericlma ? Omnibus exitio sua gloria, qua tumuerunt, Cassa fuit. Neque vero suis virtutibus ista, Sed magis infirrais divina potentia fregit. Hie gigas pueri funda pastoris obivit, Ut cauis : illam urbem sonitus solvere tubarum ;
488 COMMENTARY ON 2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. IV.
Littorea jacuit Rex ille snpcrbua arena, iJivitiad regui pendens in i'unerc! iiudo Sic xibi Cliristus adest nobis, el aranea muro est At cut Chrislus abest, el murus aranea fiet.'
The last couplet may be thus imitated, —
' Willi Christ, a cobweb is a wall to thee ; A\"ithout Him, walls shall but as cobwebs be.
It may be worth mentioning, that like preservation by a spider's web occurs in the life of more than one mediaival f-aint ; and a very similar story resjiecling a pigeon plays a part in the history of Mahomet.
(s) r. 398 — ' Saint Austin saith well, Though wo live well in times of peace, yet audi, audi, mi fraler, begin to live as a Christian should live, and see if you bo not pursued ; you shall llnd a Babylon in Jerusalem.' Probably the Ajllowing is the reference : — ' Incipiat ergo pie vivere in Christo et probet quod dicitur, incipit desiderare pennas clongare, fugere ct manere in deserto.' Enarrat. in Ps. liv. The thought occurs several times in his Dc Civitate Dei.
{t) P. 398. — ' A new moon ... is interlunium.'' Milton has grandly Anglicised the word in his famous reference to the moon retiring to her ' vacant intcrlunar cave.' Sam. A(jon., ver 89.
(w) P. 401. — 'It was the speech of Philo, " A mau's help faileth where God's begins." ' This is represented by our apophthegm, ' Mau's extremity is God's opportunity.'
\v) P. 401. — ' Cliristi dolor, dolor maximns.' Cf. note w. Vol. III. page 531.
(w) P. 402. — ' Comforts are not found in adversity, that were not sought for in prosperity, as Austiii saith.' A thought which is probably a reminiscence from Be Civitate Dei, lib. i. ct alibi.
(x) P. 403. — ' Saint Austin saith, by straits and ailflictions the church hath been delivered, and spread abroad to the utmost parts of the world.' Cf. Augustine under Acts viii. 1, in his Sermons.
(?/) P. 405. — ' As he said. It is a kingly thing to suffer evil,' &c. Antisthenes being told that Plato spoke ill of him, replied, ' It is a royal privilege to do well, and to be evil spoken of.' See Diogenes Laertius sub voce. But perhaps Sibbes's refer- ence is to the following sentence from Chrysostom on the words of Paul : Obsecro vos ego vinctus, &c. ' Magna dignitas et multa, regno, consulatu, universisque major, pro Christo ligari.'
(z) P. 406. — ' Miserable heathens, that had not the knowledge of God in Christ, what condition were they in ? As one saith, " I would pray, but my prayers are in vain." ' A sentiment that pervades the classics, and barbs the sarcasms of Lucretius.
{aa) P. 407. — ' The presence of Christ so sweetens everything, as he said, "The presence of Christ made the gridiron sweet unto Laurence." ' The thought is found in Augustine in S. Laur. Serm. ii. ' Has flammas tidei calore non sentit, et dum Christi precepta cogitat, frigidum est illi omne quod patitur.' Again, ' Dum Christi ardet desiderio, persecutoris pcenam non sentit. Divinus Salvatoris ardor materialem tyranni restinxit ardorem.' {Ibid. Serm. i.)
(bb) P. 455. — ' Vespertiliones in fide, as he calls them ; bats that will neither be amongst the birds or other creatures,' &c. This term is not unfrcquent in the vocabulary of abuse of the fathers iu their controversies ; e. g., Augustine, and also Luther.
{cc) P. 457. — ' As he said. If thou didst believe these things, wouldst thou speak so of them ? ' The context seems to have reference to want of interest in the things spoken of, revealed by the listless mode of speaking of them. The thought, but not the specific wording, occurs in Quintilian. G.
THE CHURCH'S RICHES.
THE CHURCH'S RICHES.
The
NOTE.
' Tho Cluircli's Riches ' forms one of a collection of four troaiiscs entitled ' Light from Heaven' (4to 1G38). Each treatise is iudepoiulent : and it has been doomed proper to dotacli the ' Church's Kiclies,' in order that it may take its jjlaco m tho Sermons from the Epistles to the Corinthians. The general title-page of the volume and the separate title-page of the ' Cliurch's Riches ' will bo found below. [* and t] As tho ' Cliurch's Riches ' is our first contribution from ' Liglit from Heaven,' the • Epistle Dedicatory ' and ' Address to the Reader,' of the whole volume, is prefixed to it. "•