Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament

^4. But you will say, “I am walking in this way already; once there was need for me to learn, there was need for me to know by the teaching of the law what I had to do: now I have the free choice of the will; who shall withdraw me from this way?” If you read carefully, you will find that a certain man began to uplift himself, on a certain abundance of his, which he had nevertheless received; but that the Lord in mercy, to teach him humility, took away what He had given; and he was on a sudden reduced to poverty, and confessing the mercy of God in his recollection, he said, “In my abundance I said, I shall never be moved.” “In my abundance I said.” But I said it, I who am a man said it; “All men are liars, I said.” Therefore, “in my abundance I said;” so great was the abundance, that I dared to say, “I shall never be moved.” What next? “O Lord, in Your favour You gave strength to my beauty.” But “You turned away Your Face from me, and I was troubled.” “You have shown me,” says he, “that that wherein I did abound, was of You. You have shown me Whence I should seek, to Whom attribute what I had received, to Whom I ought to render thanks, to Whom I should run in my thirst, Whereby be filled, and with Whom keep that whereby I should be filled. 'For my strength will I keep to You;' whereby I am by Your bounty filled, through Your safe keeping I will not lose. 'My strength will I keep to You.' That You might show me this, 'You turned away Your Face from me, and I was troubled.' 'Troubled,' because dried up; dried up, because exalted. Say then you dry and parched one, that you may be filled again; 'My soul is as earth without water unto You.' Say, 'My soul is as earth without water unto You.' For You have said, not the Lord, 'I shall never be moved.' You have said it, presuming on your own strength; but it was not of yourself, and you thought as if it were.”