On the Sermon on the Mount, Book I

Book I

• On the Sermon on the Mount I.1 — 1. If any one will piously and soberly consider the sermon which our Lord Jesus Christ spoke on the mount, as we read it in the Gospel according to Matthew, I think that he will find in it, so far as regards the…vatican.va
• On the Sermon on the Mount I.2 — 4. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall by inheritance possess the earth:” that earth, I suppose, of which it is said in the Psalm, “Thou art my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” For it signifies a…vatican.va
• On the Sermon on the Mount I.3 — 10. There are in all, then, these eight sentences. For now in what remains He speaks in the way of direct address to those who were present, saying: “Blessed shall ye be when men shall revile you and persecute you.”…vatican.va
• On the Sermon on the Mount I.4 — 11. Hence also the sevenfold operation of the Holy Ghost, of which Isaiah speaks, seems to me to correspond to these stages and sentences. But there is a difference of order: for there the enumeration begins with the…vatican.va
• On the Sermon on the Mount I.5 — 13. “Blessed are ye,” says He, “when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven.” Let…vatican.va
• On the Sermon on the Mount I.6 — 16. Hence there follows most justly the statement, “Ye are the salt of the earth;” showing that those parties are to be judged insipid, who, either in the eager pursuit after abundance of earthly blessings, or…vatican.va
• On the Sermon on the Mount I.7 — 18. “Let your light,” says He, “so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” If He had merely said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your…vatican.va
• On the Sermon on the Mount I.8 — 20. In this sentence the meaning is twofold. We must deal with it in both ways. For He who says, “I am not come to destroy the law, but to fulfil,” means it either in the way of adding what is wanting, or of doing…vatican.va
• On the Sermon on the Mount I.9 — 21. “For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven;” i.e., unless ye shall fulfil not only those…vatican.va
• On the Sermon on the Mount I.10 — 26. Next there follows here: “Therefore, if thou hast brought thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be…vatican.va
• On the Sermon on the Mount I.11 — 29. “Be kindly disposed,” says he, “toward thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou…vatican.va
• On the Sermon on the Mount I.12 — 33. “Ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: but I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his…vatican.va
• On the Sermon on the Mount I.13 — 37. In the next place, He goes on to say: “And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body…vatican.va
• On the Sermon on the Mount I.14 — 39. “It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement.” This is the lesser righteousness of the Pharisees, which is not opposed by what our Lord says: “But I say unto…vatican.va
• On the Sermon on the Mount I.15 — 40. But it is rather that statement which the Lord Himself makes in another passage which is wont to disturb the minds of the little ones, who nevertheless earnestly desire to live now according to the precepts of…vatican.va
• On the Sermon on the Mount I.16 — 43. Here there arises a second question, when the Lord allows a wife to be put away for the cause of fornication, in what latitude of meaning fornication is to be understood in this passage,—whether in the sense…vatican.va
• On the Sermon on the Mount I.17 — 51. “Again,” says He, “ye have heard that it hath been said to them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oath: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven,…vatican.va
• On the Sermon on the Mount I.18 — 54. But now, to conclude by summing up this passage, what can be named or thought of more laborious and toilsome, where the believing soul is straining every nerve of its industry, than the subduing of vicious habit?…vatican.va
• On the Sermon on the Mount I.19 — 56. Hence the Lord goes on to say: “Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: but I say unto you, that ye resist not evil; but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek,…vatican.va
• On the Sermon on the Mount I.20 — 62. And, indeed, in these three classes of examples, I see that no class of injury is passed over. For all matters in which we suffer any injustice are divided into two classes: of which the one is, where restitution…vatican.va
• On the Sermon on the Mount I.21 — 69. In the next place, He goes on to say, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy: But I say unto you, Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you, and pray for…vatican.va
• On the Sermon on the Mount I.22 — 73. But the question before us is rendered more urgent by what the Apostle John says: “If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and the Lord shall give him life for him who sinneth…vatican.va
• On the Sermon on the Mount I.23 — 78. Then, as to the statement which follows, “that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven,” it is to be understood according to that rule in virtue of which John also says, “He gave them power to…vatican.va