who have crushed their hearts, and he himself will save you, the humble in spirit.
SERMON 216 169 to the great joy of your sower and waterer14 you will bring in a most rich return of a hundredfold; or if perhaps you are not quite equal to that, you will pay a dividend of sixtyfold interest; while if you are not even up to that standard, even a thirtyfold profit from you will not be unwelcome; because all of you will be taken up in the heavenly granaries, all of you stored away in eternal rest. That heavenly bread will be made from the produce of all, and every laborer working without guile15 in the Lord's vineyard will be abundantly and wholesomely fed upon it; while the glory of so great a sower, rainmaker, waterer, and giver of the very increase will be broadcast by the preaching of the gospel.
You used to be conformed to the world's pattern; now be reformed to God's
4. Approach him, therefore, with contrite hearts, since he is near to all those who have crushed their hearts, and he himself will save you, the humble in spirit. Approach him eagerly, to be enlightened.16 You are still, you see, in the dark, and the dark in you. But you will soon be light in the Lord (Eph 5:8), who enlightens every man coming into this world (Jn 1:9). You used to be conformed to the world's pattern; now be reformed to God's. Now at last, please, grow tired of your Babylonian captivity. Here comes Jerusalem, that heavenly mother, coming to meet you on the way with a cheerful invitation, and imploring you to choose life, and love to see good days (Ps 34:12), which you never had and never will have in this world. Here, after all, your days were fading away like smoke (Ps 102:3); for them, augmentation has meant diminution, growing in length has meant becoming fewer, rising up has meant vanishing away.17
You that have lived many and bad years for sin, yearn now to live for God; not many years, to be finished some time or other, and hastening to destruction in the shadow of death; but good years, and ones that are near in the reality of genuine, lively life,18 where there will be no hunger, no thirst to wear you down, because your food will be faith and your drink wisdom. Now, you see, in the Church you bless the Lord by faith; but then, by sight you will be most copiously watered from the fountains of Israel.19
Put to death your members
5. But in the meantime, during this wandering exile, let your tears be your bread night and day, as long as to those who say to you every day, Where is your God? (Ps 42:10), you are unable, since they are such materialists, to demonstrate what eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it come up into the heart of man (1 Cor 2:9). Until you come and appear before the eyes of your God, do not give up. He too, you see, will come to pay what he has promised, since he has of his own accord declared himself a debtor. In fact, he has never been lent anything by anyone; yet he has been prepared to declare himself a debtor to his own promise. It is we who were in debt, and we were owing as much as we have sinned. He came without any debt, because without any sin; he found us op-