Sermon IV

of such a noble lord, such a useful spirit, just as a groom and bride are accustomed to rejoice with one another; the sick with the coming of a faithful physician; a friend with the coming of a faithful friend. Christ himself is the groom, than whom no one can be said to be more beautiful. Whence David: Psalm 45:2 Beautiful in form above the sons of men. The physician, than whom no one is more skilled at healing, because he heals by a word alone. Matthew 8: Lord, say one word, and my boy will be healed. Ecclesiasticus 6:14-16 For a faithful friend in Christ, there is no equal; he is worth more than gold and silver. Whence 4 Kings 4, a certain lady says to her husband: Lord, we wish to invite the prophet of the Lord, Elisha; he replied: It pleases me. Then she cleaned the house, prepared a bedroom, set up a table and a lampstand, and then invited the prophet Elisha; he himself dined with her and stayed, and he gave the woman great graces on behalf of God. Thus let the devout soul say to the body: Lord, we wish to invite Christ so that He may come to us. And then it ought to reply: It pleases me. And the lady of the house, that is, the soul, must clean the house with the broom of confession, and prepare the bedroom of the heart with the ornaments of virtues, set the table of mercy by refreshing the poor, and light the lampstand with the light of good example. Of which lampstand the Lord says in the Gospel: You are the light of the world. They do not light a lamp and put it under a bushel basket, but so that it may shine for all who are in the house. Then Christ comes into the mind, as a friend to a friend, consoling him and bestowing divine grace. And thus the third point is clear. Fourth, I say that He will

come to judgment as a most strict judge. Apoc. 1 Revelation 1:7: Behold, He will come in the clouds of heaven, and every eye will see Him. And then all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. Likewise, in the same place, chapter 6: The kings of the earth and all the princes, tribunes, and the rich, the strong, and every slave and free person will hide themselves in caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and will say to the mountains: Fall upon us and hide us from the face of the one sitting upon the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great and holy day of the saints has come. And then who will be able to stand? For He will come to sentence, as He Himself says in the Gospel: For the Father has given all judgment into the hands of the Son. And then He will come very terrible, as is clear in the Psalm: Psalm 76:7 You are terrible, and who will resist You? We read a figure of this in Apoc. 19: Behold I, John, saw a great and white throne, and the one sitting upon it who was terrible in appearance, from whose sight heaven and earth fled, and He was clothed in a rough garment, sprinkled with blood, and His name was called the Word of God, and the armies of heaven followed Him on white horses, clothed in white and clean linen, and from His mouth proceeded a sword sharp on both sides, so that He might strike the nations. Morally: This throne which John saw is the judicial throne which the Lord will place in the clouds of heaven, and Christ the judge sitting upon it, from whose sight heaven and earth flee, because then angels and men will tremble. Whence: If then the cedar in the high mountain will tremble, what will the reed do in the field? Likewise, 1 Peter 4: If the just person will then barely be saved, where will the impious and the sinner appear? Clothed in a blood-stained garment,