except
thou cause my body to be well broken by thy executioners, my soul
will not be able to enter paradise, bearing the victor's palm;
even as a grain of wheat, except it be stript of its husk, and
well beaten on the threshing-floor, is not gathered into the
barn."

But why waste words here, when we see the whole of the
Scriptures, the writings and sayings of all the Fathers, and the
lives and acts of all the saints, agreeing together in this
matter; namely, that they who bring the most harm upon believers
are their greatest benefactors, if only we bear with them in the
right spirit. As St. Peter says, "And who is he that will harm
you, if ye be followers of that which is good?" [1 Pet. 3:13] And
Psalm lxxxviii, "The enemy shall not exact upon him; nor the son
of wickedness afflict him." [Ps. 89:22] How is it that he shall
not harm us, seeing that oftentimes he even kills us? Because,
forsooth, in harming us he is working us the very greatest gain.
[Rom. 8:36] Thus we find ourselves every way dwelling in the
midst of blessings, if we are wise, and yet, at the same time,
also in the midst of evils. So wondrously are all things tempered
together under the rule of the goodness of God.

CHAPTER VI

THE SIXTH IMAGE

THE BLESSING ON OUR RIGHT HAND

This is the Church of the saints, the new creation of God, our
brethren and our friends, in whom we see naught but blessing,
naught but consolation; not, indeed, always with the eyes of the
flesh (to which they would appear to belong rather under the
corresponding image of evils),[64] but with the eyes of the
spirit Nevertheless, we must not disregard even those blessings
of theirs which may be seen, but rather learn from them how God
would comfort us. For even the Psalmist did not venture, in Psalm
lxxii, to condemn all those who amass riches in this world, but
said, "If I say, I will speak thus; behold, I should offend
against the generation of Thy children." [Ps. 73:15] That is to
say, If I should call all men wicked who possess riches, health,
and honor, I should be condemning even Thy saints, of whom there
are many such. Paul also instructs Timothy to charge them that
are rich in this world, that they be not high minded;[1 Tim.
6:17] but he does not forbid them to be rich. And Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob were rich men, as the Scriptures record. Daniel,
also, and his companions were raised to honor even in Babylon.
[Dan. 2:48 f.] Moreover many of the kings of Judah wer