was the case with the blessed Job. He was corrupted, and died not, and that through a lengthened period, and “wasted continually, scraping the clods of dust from his sore.”505 Some such torment as this shall it undergo, when the worms surround and devour it, not for two years nor for three, nor for ten, nor for ten thousand, but for years without end; for “their worm,” saith He, “dieth not.” Moral. Let us take the alarm then, I entreat you, let us dread the words, that we meet not with the realities. Covetousness is corruption, corruption more dangerous than any other, and leading on to idolatry. Let us shun the corruption, let us choose the incorruption. Hast thou in covetousness overreached and defrauded some one? The fruits of thy covetous- ness perish, but the covetousness remains; a corruption which is the foundation of incor- ruptible corruption. The enjoyment indeed passes away, but the sin remains imperishable. A fearful evil is it for us not to strip ourselves of everything in this present world; a great calamity to depart into the next with loads of sins about us. “For in Sheol,” it is said “who shall give Thee thanks?” (Ps. vi. 5.) There is the place of judgment; then is there no longer season for repentance. How many things did the rich man bewail then? (Luke xvi. 23.) And yet it availed him nothing. How many things did they say who had neglected to feed Christ? (Matt. xxv. 41.) Yet were they led away notwithstanding into the everlasting fire. How many things had they then to say: “that had wrought iniquity”; “Lord, did we not prophesy by Thy Name, and by Thy Name cast out devils?” And yet notwithstanding, they were not owned. All these things therefore will take place then; but it will be of no avail, if they be not done now. Let us fear then, lest ever we should have to say then, “Lord, when saw we Thee an hungered, and fed Thee not?” (Matt. xxv. 44.) Let us feed Him now, not one day, nor two, nor three days. “For let not mercy and truth,” saith the Wise Man, “forsake thee.” (Prov. iii. 3.) He saith not “do it once, nor twice.” The Virgins, we know, had oil, but not enough to last out. (Matt. xxv. 3, 8.) And thus we need much oil, and thus should we be “like a green olive tree in the house of God.” (Ps. lii. 8.) Let us reflect then how many burdens of sins each of us has about him, and let us make our acts of mercy counterbalance them; nay rather, far exceed them, that not only the sins may be quenched, but that the acts of righteousness may be also accounted unto us for righteousness. For if the good deeds be not so many in number as to put aside the crimes laid against us, and out of the remainder to be counted unto us for righteousness,506 then shall no one rescue us from that punishment, from which God 505 [Job vii. 5, Sept.: φύρεται δέ μου τὸ σῶμα ἐν σαπρία σκωλήκων, τήκω δὲ βώλακας γῆς ἀπὸ ἰχῶρος ξύων: “My flesh is mingled with the filth of worms, and I pine away, scraping clods (or crusts) of earth from my sore” (discharge, matter, pus). The Rev. Ver. has: “My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust.” So nearly Zöckler in Lange: “My flesh is clothed with worms and crusts of earth.”—G.A.] 506 [Such passages as this in the Fathers are used by Romanists and Tractarians for establishing their views, and it is no wonder the Tractarians were zealous in giving the Fathers to the English in English. But, as Jacob says (Eccl. Polity of N.T., pp. 28 and 29), “Our appeal is from the Nicene Fathers to the Apostles of Christ; from 318 Ephesians 6:14-17