11. But you, beloved, who
possess this faith, or who have begun now newly to have it, let it
be nourished and increase in you. For as things temporal have come,
so long before foretold, so will things eternal also come, which
are promised. Nor let them deceive you, either the vain heathen, or
the false Jews, or the deceitful heretics, or also within the
Catholic (Church) itself evil Christians, enemies by so much the
more hurtful, as they are the more within us. For, lest on this
subject also the weak should be troubled, divine prophecy hath not
been silent, where in the Song of Songs the Bridegroom speaking
unto the Bride, that is, Christ the Lord unto the Church, saith,
“As a lily in the midst of thorns, so is my best Beloved1688
in the
midst of the
daughters.”
1689
He said not, in the midst of them
that are without; but, “in the midst of
daughters. Whoso hath
ears to hear, let him hear:”
1690
and whilst the net which is cast
into the
sea,
1691
and
gathers together all kinds of fishes, as saith the holy
Gospel, is
being drawn unto the
shore, that is, unto the end of the
world, let
him separate himself from the
evil fishes, in
heart, not in body;
by changing
evil habits, not by
breaking sacred nets; lest they who
now seem being approved to be mingled with the
reprobate, find, not
life, but
punishment everlasting,
1692
| 1692 Some
mss. “that they &c. may find not punishment, but
life.” |
when they shall begin on the shore
to be separated.
E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
