Sermon I
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Preached on his Birthday 645 , or day of Ordination.
Having been elected in absence 646 he returns thanks for the kindness and earnestly demands the prayers of his church.
“Let my mouth speak the praise of the Lord 647 ,” and my breath and spirit, my flesh and tongue bless His holy Name. For it is a sign, not of a modest, but an ungrateful mind, to keep silence on the kindnesses of God: and it is very meet to begin our duty as consecrated pontiff with the sacrifices of the Lord’s praise 648 . Because “in our humility” the Lord “has been mindful of us 649 ” and has blessed us: because “He alone has done great wonders for me 650 ,” so that your holy affection for me reckoned me present, though my long journey had forced me to be absent. Therefore I give and always shall give thanks to our God for all the things with which He has recompensed me. Your favourable opinion also I acknowledge publicly, paying you the thanks I owe, and thus showing that I understand how much respect, love and fidelity your affectionate zeal could expend on me who long with a shepherd’s anxiety for the safety of your souls, who have passed so conscientious a judgment on me, with absolutely no deserts of mine to guide you. I entreat you, therefore, by the mercies of the Lord, aid with your prayers him whom you have sought out by your solicitations that both the Spirit of grace may abide in me and that your judgment may not change. May He who inspired you with such unanimity of purpose, vouchsafe to us all in common the blessing of peace: so that all the days of my life being ready for the service of Almighty God, and for my duties towards you, I may with confidence entreat the Lord: “Holy Father, keep in Thy name those whom Thou hast given me 651 :” and while you ever go on unto salvation, may “my soul magnify the Lord 652 ,” and in the retribution of the judgment to come may the account of my priesthood so be rendered to the just Judge 653 that through your good deeds you may be my joy and my crown, who by your good will have given an earnest testimony to me in this present life.
Footnotes
115:645Natalis seems to have been applied to the day or anniversary of a Bishop’s consecration as well as to the festivals of Martyrs in the Calendar. Cf. Serm. IV. chap. 4, illi ergo hunc servitutis nostræ natalitium diem ascribamus. One reason for the shortness of this sermon, which used to be joined with Sermon II. (a few necessary alterations in the text of the latter being made) is, I think, rightly given by the Ballerinii: “perhaps” they say, “the unusual length of the ceremonies that day did not allow of a longer sermon.”
115:646Viz. on his mission of reconciling Ætius and Albinus the Roman generals in Gaul: see Introduction.
115:647 115:648Especially of course in the Holy Eucharist.
115:649 115:650 115:651 115:652S. Luke i. 46.
115:653The words of S. Paul to the Thessalonians (1 Thess. ii. 19) are clearly in his mind.
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