We speak of God—mortals, of the Immortal; feeble, of the Almighty; wretched, of the Merciful; but who can speak worthily of that which is ineffable? He is without measure, because He is everywhere. He is without number, because He is eternal. He is without weight, for He holds all creatures without effort; and He disposed them all in respect to these three things—namely, measure, number, and weight.1 But know ye that no man can speak fully concerning God, since we cannot even examine or explain the creatures which He has created. Who can declare in words the array of heaven, or who the fruitfulness of the earth? Who shall adequately praise the circuit of all the seasons? Or who shall do so with regard to all other things, since we cannot, with our sight, fully apprehend the material things which we behold? Lo, thou seest a man before thee, but while thou art looking at his face, thou canst not see his back. In the same way, if thou art looking at a garment, thou canst not see it all at once, but turnest it about in order to see all of it. What wonder is it, then, if Almighty God, who is everywhere all in all and nowhere divided, is ineffable and incomprehensible?

Now some shallow-brained man will ask how God can be everywhere at once, and nowhere divided. Look at the sun, how high it rises, and how it sends its rays over the whole world, and how it illumines all this earth which mankind inhabit. As soon as it rises at early morn, it shines on Jerusalem, and on Rome, and on this country, and on all countries at once; nevertheless, it is a created thing, and moves by God's command. Imagine, then, how much more powerful is God's presence, and His might, and His visitation everywhere! Him nothing withstands,

1 Wisd. of Sol. 11. 21: 'Omnia in mensure, et numere, et pondere disposuisti.'

neither stone wall nor broad barrier, as they withstand the sun. To Him is nothing hidden or unknown. Thou seest a man's face, but God seeth his heart. The Spirit of God tries the hearts of all men; and those who believe on Him and love Him, He cleanseth and maketh glad with His visitation, but the hearts of unbelievers He passes by and shuns.

Let every one know, also, that each man has within himself three things, indivisible and coöperative, even as God said when He first created man. He said, 'Let us make man in our image.' And then He made Adam after His own likeness. In which part has man the likeness of God within him? In the soul, not in the body. The soul of man has in its nature a likeness to the Holy Trinity, for it has within it three things-memory, understanding, and will. Through memory a man considers the things which he has heard, or seen, or learned. Through the understanding he comprehends all the things which he hears or sees. From the will come thoughts, and words, and works, both evil and good. There is one soul, and one life, and one substance, which has in it these three things working together inseparably, for where memory is, there are understanding and will, and they are always together. Yet the soul is no one of these three, but by the memory the soul remembers, by the understanding it comprehends, and by the will it wills whatever it pleases; but it is, nevertheless, one soul and one life. Wherefore it has the likeness of God within itself, since it has within it three things working inseparably. Yet the man is one man, and not a trinity; but God-Father, Son, and Holy Ghost - abides in a trinity of persons, and in the unity of one Godhead.

Man exists not in trinity, as God does, yet he bears in his soul the image of God.

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8. SPIRITUAL MIRACLES

Hom. 1. 304-6

The Lord said, 'These signs shall follow them that believe In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.' 1

These miracles were necessary at the beginning of Christianity, for through signs the heathen were turned to faith. The man who plants trees or herbs continues to water them until they are rooted; when they begin to grow, he stops the watering. In like manner, Almighty God continued to show miracles to the heathen until they believed; after faith had sprung up throughout the whole world, then miracles ceased. But, nevertheless, God's Church still performs daily, in a spiritual way, the same miracles which the apostles wrought in a physical way. When the priest christens a child, he casts the devil out of that child, for every heathen man is the devil's, but through holy baptism, if he observe it, he becomes God's. He who renounces disgraceful words and calumnies and harmful scoffings, and busies his mouth with the praises of God and with prayers, speaks with new tongues. He who controls foolishness or impatience, and restrains the bitterness of his heart, drives away serpents, for he destroys the wickedness of his mind. He who is allured to fornication, yet is not induced to carry it into effect, drinks poison, but it shall not hurt him if he flees to God in prayer. If any one be infirm of purpose, and indifferent to good conduct, then if another strengthen him and raise him up with

1 Mark 16. 17, 18.

exhortation and examples of good works, it shall be as if he had laid his hands on the sick and healed him.

Spiritual miracles are greater than the physical ones were, for they heal a man's soul, which is eternal, whereas the earlier signs healed the mortal body. Both good men and evil wrought the earlier miracles. Judas, who betrayed Christ, was evil, though he had previously wrought miracles in the name of God. Of such men Christ said in another place: I say unto you, many will say unto me in that great day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast out devils from madmen, and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity.' My brethren, love not those miracles which may be common to the good and to the evil, but love those signs which are exclusively those of good men the signs of true love and piety. The evil man hath not true love, nor is the good man devoid of it. These signs are mysterious and without danger, and they receive so much the greater reward at the hands of God as their glory is less with men.

9. ALL SAINTS

Hom. 1. 538-546

God's saints are angels and men. Angels are spirits without bodies. The Almighty Ruler created them very fair, for His own praise, and to the glory and honor of His majesty for ever. We fear to speak much concerning them, since it is for God alone to know how their invisible nature endures in eternal purity, without any defilement or diminution. Nevertheless, we know from Holy Scripture that there

1 Matt. 7. 22, 23.

are nine hosts1 of angels dwelling in heavenly glory, who never committed any sin. The tenth host perished through pride, and were transformed into accursed spirits, driven from the joy of heaven into hell-torment.

But some of those holy spirits who continued with their Creator are sent to us, and they reveal future events. Some of them, at God's command, work signs, and frequently miracles, in the world. Some of them are leaders set over other angels for the fulfilment of divine mysteries. Through some God establishes and gives out His decrees. Some are so closely associated with God that there are no others between them, and they are consumed with so much the greater love as they the more keenly discern the brightness of God. Now this day is solemnly consecrated to these angels, and also to the holy men who in great honor, from the beginning of the world, grew ever nearer to God. Of these were first the patriarchs, men of religious and glorious lives, the fathers of the prophets, whose memory shall not be forgotten, and whose names shall endure for ever,2 because they pleased God by faith, and righteousness, and obedience. The chosen company of prophets follow these; they talked with God, and He revealed to them His mysteries, and enlightened them with the grace of the Holy Ghost, so that they knew things to come, which they proclaimed in prophetic song. . . . Taught by the Holy Ghost, they prophesied the humanity of Christ, His passion, resurrection, and ascension, and the Great Judgment. In the New Testament, there was John the Baptist, who prophetically preached the advent of Christ. . . .

After the apostolic company, we honor the steadfast band of God's martyrs, who through divers torments manfully

1 Cf. Gregory the Great, Hom. in Evang. 34. 7.

2 Cf. Ecclus. 44. 9 ff.