2. Because men love to live on this earth, life is promised them; and because they exceed-
ingly fear to die, eternal life is promised them. What dost thou love? To live. This shalt thou
have. What dost thou fear? To die. Thou shalt not suffer it. This seemed to be enough for
human infirmity, that it should be said, “Thou shalt have eternal life.” This the mind of man
can comprehend, by its present condition it can in some sort comprehend what is to be.
But by the imperfection of its present condition how far can it comprehend it? Because he
lives, and does not wish to die; he loves eternal life, he wishes to live always, never to die.
But they who shall be tormented in punishments, have even a wish to die, and cannot. It is
no great thing then to live long, or to live for ever; but to live blessedly is a great thing. Let
us love eternal life, and hereby may we know how greatly we ought to labour for eternal life,
when we see men who love the present life, which lasts but for a time and must be brought
to an end, labour so for it, that when the fear of death comes, they will do whatever they
can, not to put away, but to put off death. How does a man labour, when death threatens,
by flight, by concealment, by giving all he has, and redeeming himself, by toil, by endurance
of torments and uneasinesses, by calling in physicians, and whatever else a man can do?
See, how that after exhausting all his labour and his means, he is but able to contrive to live
a little longer; to live always, he is not able. If then men strive with so great labour, with so
great efforts, so great a cost, such earnestness, such watchfulness, such carefulness, that they
may live a little longer; how should they strive that they may live for ever? And if they are
called wise, who by all means strive to put off death, and live a few days, that they lose not
a few days: how foolish are they who so live as to lose the day eternal!
3. This then only can be promised us, that this gift of God may in whatever measure be
sweet to us, from this which we have at present; seeing that it is of His gift we have it, that
we live, that we are in health. When then eternal life is promised, let us set before our eyes
a life of such a kind, as to remove from it everything unpleasant which we suffer here. For
it is easier for us to find what is not there, than what is there. Lo, here we live; we shall live
there also. Here we are in health when we are not sick, and there is no pain in the body;
there we shall be in health also. And when it is well with us in this life, we suffer no scourge;
we shall suffer none there also. Suppose then a man here below living, in sound health,
suffering no scourge; if any one were to grant him that he should be for ever so, and that
this good estate should never cease, how greatly would he rejoice? how greatly be transported?
how would he not contain himself in joy without pain, without torment, without end of
life? If God had promised us this only, which I have mentioned, which I have just now in
such words as I was able, described and set forth; at what a price ought it to be purchased
if it were to be sold, how great a sum ought to be given to buy it? Would all that thou hadst
suffice, even though thou shouldest possess the whole world? And yet it is to be sold; buy
it if thou wilt. And be not much disquieted for a thing so great, because of the largeness of
the price. Its price is no more than what thou hast. Now to procure any great and precious
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On the words of the Gospel, John v. 25,’Verily, verily, I say unto you,…