Sermon 2: 1 Samuel 1:1-8 continued

But how great is the perversity of mortals — learn from this, I pray — who so wretchedly abuse the gifts of God. For to what end does God bestow them upon us, if not that we may help our neighbors, as the Sacred Scriptures frequently admonish us, commanding that whatever we have received from God we should convert to the benefit and advantage of our neighbors, to whom we are bound by nature, and distribute to the needy with a certain care and concern? Therefore let those who have received greater gifts than others know that they are all the more bound to their needy neighbors. But let those who do otherwise and despise those endowed with lesser gifts know that they are acting as if they were throwing members torn limb from limb and ripped from the body of Christ to the dogs. And so the vice of ingratitude is great in this regard among those who rise up against God by treating their neighbors with such contempt.

In addition to the foregoing, the grace that Peninnah had received was not so great that Hannah should have been despised and irritated with such arrogance on account of it. For Peninnah is blessed with offspring, but Hannah is barren. Yet Hannah commended herself by the fear of God, which is the greatest honor and most worthy of the highest praise. For what ought to be more precious to us than the fear and genuine veneration of God? Yet Peninnah glories — but with how vain a glory! Nor is this vice uncommon, but common to all ages. Hence arose among the pagans the license to revile with insults the blessing which the Scriptures promise in the fruit of the womb. For the fruit of the womb is counted among the singular blessings of God; but, I ask, how many foolish women, puffed up and swelling with pride because of the children they have borne, have given others occasion to rise up against the majesty of God with abusive words and to tear at it as it were with these words: ‘So then sows can raise seven or nine piglets, but I cannot even bear a single infant?’ Thus the blessing of God has been turned into mockery and contempt by the pride and arrogance of those who have so greatly abused the beneficence of God.

These things are worthy of being carefully noted by us, so that when we are about to pray to God, we may approach him emptied and stripped of all rivalry and hatred. For it is certain that the entrance to heaven is closed to those who harbor hatreds against their neighbors, and that their prayers rather refresh God’s memory of their sins than reconcile them to him — indeed, that their very prayers are turned into sins with the greatest shame upon ourselves. For this reason our Lord Jesus Christ admonishes the faithful in Matthew that if, while offering their gift at the altar, they remember that their neighbors have been offended by them, they should leave the gift before the altar and first be reconciled to them, since otherwise their prayers will be of no avail before God. Therefore whoever wishes his prayers to be pleasing and acceptable to God, let him first be reconciled to his brother. For to what end would prayers be poured out before him? If a son who is hateful to his father wishes as a suppliant to beg pardon, it is in vain, nor will the father hear the suppliant’s prayers — ‘I clothed myself in sackcloth, I afflicted my soul with fasting, and my prayer returned to my bosom. As if he were a companion, as if he were a brother to me, I walked about,’ etc. We cannot be children of God unless, with all hatred and rivalry laid aside, we cultivate mutual friendship and brotherhood among ourselves.

And so much for prayers. The second point to be observed in the worship of God is that we should not corrupt it with our vices, in which matter a great sacrilege is committed. For example, if someone who has been adorned with more excellent gifts has attained some rank and dignity in the church, and on that account swells with excessive desire for honors and ambition, would he not justly be said to pervert and pollute the worship of God, which ought to be sacrosanct for us? Therefore we must take care that whatever rites God has instituted for his worship, we refer them to their true use — namely, that we use them as instruments by which we may draw nearer to God and foster mutual peace and friendship with our brothers; that we bury in perpetual oblivion old hatreds, rivalries, and contentions from which others would continually arise; in short, that we exercise no enmities against our neighbors, but rather contribute mutual efforts as best we can to seeking and promoting the salvation of our neighbors.

Then, if we have been adorned with more excellent gifts by God, let us not be puffed up, but use them modestly, knowing that pride and the church of God — that is, those who sincerely and from the heart worship God — are as incompatible as fire and water, and that true worshippers must be as far removed from the proud and ambitious as heaven is from earth. For no mortal lifts himself up even a little with pride without detracting just as much, as far as lies in him, from God’s glory, and without profaning and polluting God’s gifts, when swollen with ambition he seeks honors from men that are owed to God alone, the author of all good things — indeed, he arrogates to himself, strutting in God’s plumage as it were, what is properly God’s. Therefore it is not merely an abuse but a sheer profanation and pollution of God’s gifts, which ought to shine in us. Indeed, those who seek their glory among men seem even to wage war against God himself in the manner of giants, as if they would strip him of his throne. There is also another vice no less grave: namely, the injury and insult to neighbors — whom one ought to have helped in proportion to the gifts received from God — often joined with intolerable domination and contempt. Truly an intolerable abuse of God’s gifts. Therefore the modesty of those whom God calls to ministry ought to be all the greater in proportion to the greater gifts they have obtained, so that by the example of their life they may draw the rest to the worship of God — those over whom God willed that they should take the lead by the excellence of their gifts.

Moreover, all vengeance and cruelty against enemies must be avoided, even though we are provoked by many injuries on their part. Let David be our example, whose well-known benevolence even toward his enemies is known: 'I,' he says, speaking of his enemies, 'when they were sick, clothed myself in sackcloth, I afflicted my soul with fasting, and my prayer returned to my bosom. As if he were a companion, as if a brother to me, I walked about,' etc. Therefore it must be observed that our guilt will be double if we haughtily despise those by whom we have been provoked by no injuries. I will say more: it is not fitting even for those who have been provoked by others to pursue private injuries and to repay evil for evil. But it is inhuman and bestial, not having been provoked, to want not merely to pursue injuries but to harass and irritate one's neighbor with taunts and quarrels. But the snares and deceits of Satan must be carefully guarded against, for if we seem to ourselves to have prospered with contempt for our neighbors, we entangle ourselves in snares from which we can scarcely ever be freed. Therefore God must be humbly besought to foster fraternal peace and fellowship among us without pretense and deceit, and to instill in us such a mind that we are prepared to endure anything rather than inclined to cause harm to our neighbors, by which we ourselves ought rather to be distressed. Nor is this new and unusual, since from the example of David which we adduced above, it is clear that holy kings in the greatest straits and difficulties, with enemies rising up against them with great arrogance and threatening final destruction like raging beasts, took refuge in God with prayers of this kind and even prayed well for their enemies.

This is truly a worthy example, in which as in a mirror we may observe what is fitting for us. Likewise we read that Hezekiah became a suppliant with these words to obtain grace and mercy from God, 2 Kings 19:16: 'Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see, and hear all the words of Sennacherib,' etc. Observing Hezekiah, raised to such great dignity, so calmly addressing God and recounting the enemy's arrogance, we are reminded of two things. First, that when enemies rise up against us and trample us underfoot as it were, we should relieve by this reflection the sadness and grief that would otherwise overwhelm us. Second, that we should hope that God will be most present to us at such times and will testify his good will toward us. For it is not without reason that he glories in Scripture with the title of beneficent and merciful, and of one who turns his eyes toward the despised and the cast off; not in vain does he declare that his faithful servants, the more abject they are in this world, the nearer they become to his glory. Therefore, brothers, fix these things more deeply in your minds: we shall find God more favorable and beneficent toward us the more we are beset by the graver hatreds of our enemies.

Keep up your courage in the midst of the greatest storms; indeed, even if heaven and earth were mixed together, do not be terrified. But beware, I beseech you, lest you become like those toward whom God has shown himself an enemy. Therefore the vengeance of Almighty God is to be feared, if it should happen that we behave insolently toward our neighbors in deed or word. For God resists the proud. Therefore we must beware lest we so deal with our neighbors that we seem to have waged war against God himself by provoking or injuring them without cause.

Now Hannah, having been thus provoked, is said to have wept and grieved, and not to have eaten. In this she appears to have experienced something of human weakness. Nor is this surprising, for it commonly happens that those endowed with a good nature are most affected by insults and reproach. We see a brave and great-souled man easily bear an injury inflicted on his body, but be deeply affected by insults joined with reproach and disgrace. Yet although this is human, it is not without fault before God. And what does Peninnah accomplish by her arrogance? Therefore let us learn to set a limit to our passions; and if mortals hold us in contempt, let us console ourselves with God's favor and good will, and let us bear patiently whatever injuries are inflicted, casting our care upon God.

But let us see what the outcome of Hannah's grief and tears was — namely, she is said to have become a suppliant before God. She does not attempt to repel injury with injury, which many think is their right; she does not plot deceits against Peninnah, but in tears she betakes herself to God's sanctuary, a safe refuge. From this let us learn that if, since we are human beings, we cannot help but be affected by injuries and experience something of human weakness, the best remedy is to restrain our anger, lest greater wrath or rivalries arise. For it usually happens that minds gradually inflamed with anger and hatred finally become implacable and inexpiable. For when a person sees himself mocked, while he in turn obeys his anger and, unable to control his spirit, vomits out whatever anger has suggested, it happens that wraths increase and Satan dominates both parties, so that day by day new injuries are added to the former ones and quarrels are heaped upon quarrels. Hence each person considers private vengeance to be permitted, and repelling evil with evil. But what else is this in the end than to sacrifice to the devil himself?

Not so Hannah: for although she is touched by some grief and is assailed by insults, yet she resorts to tears rather than to force. Therefore it is likely that her husband observed her modesty, and was thereby made more inclined to defend her cause against the other wife. Hence it should be noted that it is far more beneficial for us to bear injuries inflicted upon us than to avenge them, because we thereby win the favor of those who would otherwise be more unfavorable to us. If Hannah had repelled insults with insults, it is likely that Elkanah would have been more inclined to the other side and would have avenged the injury as if inflicted upon himself. But when he sees her suppressing injuries in silence and vindicating herself and her contempt with tears, he becomes more inclined to her cause and consoles her with kind words as well — although he does not seem to be entirely free from blame in this matter. For since he had authority over the arrogant woman, ought he not to have rebuked her with sterner words? 'What is the matter between you and Hannah my wife? Why are you troublesome? Why do you so insolently insult her in her affliction? Is she not a wife, even if she has not been allotted by God the same blessing as you, to bear children by me?' With such words indeed she ought to have been restrained. But it suffices for Elkanah to console his wife and to profess himself her patron. Therefore he bids her to be of good cheer and to expect all services from him, no less than if she had ten sons. In sum, we see Elkanah standing up for his wife Hannah and professing his love for her, because she had borne the insults of that arrogant woman modestly and patiently.

Moreover, it should also be observed that the injuries were not light and momentary, but prolonged, as they were renewed every year when they went up to Shiloh to sacrifice. Here we must again observe the obstinate woman's persistence, whom neither those sacred ceremonies nor the divine law divert from her intended malice, but rather supply an occasion for new quarrels. Therefore she may justly be said to have put off all humanity and cast away all fear of God. We must therefore take care not to become accustomed to evil. For I ask, how great are the deceits of the devil by which he operates in men? If we give him a place, the result will be that we are gradually and unwarily transformed into wild beasts, so that no further room is left for reason.

Furthermore, what Elkanah gained by taking two wives contrary to the institution of divine law is evident from the fact that he is pressed on both sides: on one hand he sees a wife weeping from the injury she has suffered, on the other an arrogant wife who has inflicted it, and he cannot provide a remedy for so great an evil — although there is no doubt that the injury done to his wife stung and tormented him bitterly. But what can you do? He had entangled himself in an unlawful yoke, and so, deprived of liberty, he must serve. If he had been content with one wife, however difficult and troublesome she might be, yet with God's help he would have tamed her by legitimate means. But since he violated the law of marriage and bound himself to another besides the first, who would not rightly judge that he is justly dealt with if troubles arise for him on both sides? Thus God himself punished the patriarchs themselves when they became polygamists in various ways, both to demonstrate that this vice displeased him even in them, and lest anyone should defend himself by their example.

Abraham took a second wife, even at Sarah's urging; but what penalties did he at last pay, being compelled to cast out his own son and expel him from his home? And indeed we see him send off his son — born of a servant girl, to be sure — not laden with magnificent gifts, as befitted a rich and wealthy man, but furnished only with a single loaf of bread and a skin full of water, with tears, as God led him to such severity, so to speak. And what of Jacob — by taking Rachel as wife in addition to another, into what miseries did he plunge himself? An enormous injustice had indeed been done to him when Leah was substituted for Rachel, who had been betrothed first. Nevertheless, he ought not to have permitted himself so much as to add Leah also to Rachel. For there was no marriage with Leah, to whom he had not previously consented. But what penalties did he pay? For he is caught between hammer and anvil. He does not know which way to turn. He cannot bend those women, sisters though they be. He sees their anger and rivalries — indeed, hatreds more than Vatinian — God being gravely offended in his household, and he is forced to behold his home infested with mutual hatreds, retaining no authority over his wives. But what can you do? The wretch had cast this snare upon himself by marrying two sisters as wives contrary to the laws of marriage.

From this then let us learn how great a sin it is to deviate even a little from the rule of divine law, since we see that God by no means spared the ancient patriarchs when they strayed from the right path. Now the fact that it is expressly said that God closed Hannah's womb teaches us that God sometimes tests the patience of his own. It is likely that Elkanah took a second wife because of Hannah's barrenness. But that was by no means a fitting remedy. For the teaching scattered everywhere in the law is well known: that fertility is a gift of God, since he is said to make even the beasts fruitful, and neither cow nor beast of burden conceives without our looking up to God. Therefore if he makes even the beasts fruitful, what must be thought about human beings, who are far more excellent and worthy? Ought we not, then — the more worthy and excellent we are, as those who are even called children — conduct ourselves with greater propriety? Therefore Elkanah ought to have meditated more carefully on that doctrine. We see this done by Isaac, although the law had not yet been given: when he noticed that the womb of his wife Rebekah had been closed by God, he took refuge in prayer and obtained offspring. Similarly Jacob rebukes Rachel as if blaspheming against God when she demanded children from him: 'What,' he said, 'do you think I am in the place of God? Does the power of generation reside in men unless it is granted from above?' Therefore it must be noted that there are no natural powers of generation in us unless God in his liberality blesses the seed, so that we attribute the multitude of offspring to him alone, since even a spark of his blessing obtained by prayer is far superior to all human powers. Truly a wondrous work of the Lord.

Therefore Elkanah sinned gravely in this regard, in that he neglected to flee as a suppliant to God for his wife's fertility. Peninnah also sinned gravely in not acknowledging God in that fertility of hers — which God had given to exercise Hannah in modesty and perhaps to temper an otherwise immoderate love in her husband. Behold by what means God often restrains those he loves, and turns them away, as it were subdued, from the vices in which they would otherwise too freely indulge. Therefore this pattern of God's judgments must be observed: who, lest everything we may not fail in this matter, he bestows his gifts upon us indeed, but mixed with many troubles and difficulties, for our correction; and so he does not cease to do good, even though his generosity does not correspond to our will. For he knows very well that mortals become more estranged from God by an abundance of good things and a prosperous outcome in all affairs, some boasting of their own industry, others of their labors, others murmuring, and very few acknowledging God's blessing, and his goodness in that blessing. Nevertheless, although many are ungrateful, God is worshiped by those who acknowledge that they have received all things from him. Moreover, God has tested our strength, and distributes his gifts gradually, as he judges will be profitable for us. And so much for these matters.

It follows that Anna, so harassed by her rival, withdrew after taking food, and came to the sanctuary to pray, mourning in the greatest anguish of mind. In these words there seems to be a certain contradiction: for it was said before that she neither ate nor drank, but here she is said to have come to pray to God after taking food. But the phrase is well enough known and commonly used, that when those who are taking food in grief and sadness eat or drink little, they are said to have eaten nothing -- not indeed because they abstain from food altogether, but because they partake more sparingly. Moreover, in such solemn sacrifices, those about to pray to God would also cheer and delight themselves by eating and drinking in his very presence, according to his ordinance. But Anna, on the contrary, mourning, takes no delight in anything, but in the greatest anguish of mind, nevertheless takes food more sparingly. Furthermore, what is the greatest virtue to be observed in this woman: she not only abstains from mutual insults and injuries, but commits the whole matter to God, fleeing as a suppliant to him. And truly, although it is no small virtue to bear patiently whatever injuries come, it is not therefore true and perfect virtue. For often we suppress deep grief in our heart, often we conceal many things either from fear of men or while secretly plotting something sinister. Therefore we must not stop here, but must lay aside the rivalries and hatreds by which God can be made more distant from us. For to what end shall we weary God with prayers, unless, having cast aside all rivalries and hatreds, we deposit our cares as it were into his bosom? Those who conceal injuries can indeed attain the praise of patience before men, as many philosophers whom we see endowed with such patience that they might seem to have looked to God. For they were moved by no insults or injuries whatever; indeed they rightly mocked other men who grew angry over the slightest matter, as is well known the response of a certain one among them: 'What if an ass had kicked me -- should I then summon it to court?' I omit many similar semblances of virtue: for they did not cultivate true virtue in their souls, nor were they truly temperate, but made a show with words. Therefore let this be the one remedy for producing the true patience that God commands: that we flee to him as to our only refuge, and cast all our cares and anxieties upon him, and as suppliants entreat his majesty, so that if we are rejected and despised by men, he himself may take care of us. Behold why David, depositing his complaints in the Lord's bosom, says: 'My enemies have surrounded me with words of hatred, and they assail me, and I take refuge in prayers,' as if to say, 'One refuge of prayer remains to me, and the safest asylum, in which alone I find rest: you alone make peace for me, you who reveal my sufferings so that you may bring consolation.' This is what Scripture prescribes for us when we are assailed with insults: that we pray to God sincerely and without pretense, casting upon him all our care and anxiety, so that we may experience his fatherly favor and goodwill in our greatest distresses, and be kept in our duty. From the fact that Anna is said to have been of a bitter spirit, and to have wept vehemently while praying to God, we must learn what time is opportune for prayer. Namely, when evils are pressing upon us and as it were overwhelming us, when fires are raging on every side and are about to consume us unless help comes. I confess that God must be invoked daily, morning and evening, indeed every hour, and that in the success of all things we are most in need of his help, since all good things flow from his generosity, and we use them relying on his mercy. There is indeed a time for rejoicing when God grants a prosperous outcome of affairs, yet so that excess and abuse of his grace be absent: for our joys ought to be in God. But when he sends us something adverse, that is the opportune time for prayers, so that we may receive consolation. Nor should we, in the greatest success of all things and the absence of all evil, delight ourselves in such a way as beasts or swine serving their bellies: but rather God's beneficence must be acknowledged, by the power of his Holy Spirit protecting us, so that for so many and so great benefits we may give him thanks. But since sometimes we are tossed by such storms that we would be far unequal to bearing them without God's help, it very often happens that, forgetful of God's gifts, we rather, agitated by indignation and mental turmoil, wound his most holy name with blasphemous words, instead of having recourse to prayers. We must in such temptations flee to prayer, when the opportune time presents itself -- that is, in the greatest distresses, and when all other remedies fail, we are commanded to invoke God, so that he may open the eyes of the blind to behold his help and apply it to us at the opportune time. Therefore we must pray in both prosperous and adverse circumstances. In prosperous times, I say, so that we may acknowledge his gifts and render worthy thanks to God for them; in adverse times, so that we may give no indeed not even the slightest crack to Satan who tempts us to despair. Let us imitate the example of David, whose prayers testify that he was never wearied in praying, especially at the opportune time, when placed in the greatest distresses and as it were prostrated before the swords of his enemies. So James also rightly admonishes us that the more one struggles with greater difficulties, the more ardent prayers one should redouble to God. For it very often happens through our own fault that when calamities press upon us, God seems more distant and remote from us. And indeed, just as his benefits in this world with which he heaps us are so many signs of divine favor to us, so on the contrary whatever afflictions or persecutions press upon us seem to be so many testimonies of his wrath and fury. Therefore at that time especially we must recall the notable words of consolation of the prophets, and especially of David, who, overwhelmed by a great multitude of evils, rises up to God with these prayers as if from a deep whirlpool and the most profound abyss of miseries: 'Whoever you deem worthy of your grace will pray to you at the time when you are found,' that is, in the very thick of afflictions; as if to say: 'It shall be that all your people, having experienced your present help in the greatest afflictions, shall flee to you with a more resolute spirit, about to implore your aid.' And without doubt we should not at all question that God extends his helping hand in the midst of afflictions.

But it is time for us to make ourselves suppliants before God Almighty, and prostrating ourselves before his venerable majesty, with the acknowledgment of so many and so great sins by which we ceaselessly provoke his wrath against us, to pray that he may instill in our mind and heart a zeal for sincerely worshiping and serving him throughout the whole course of our life; and just as he has deigned to reveal his will to us, so may he unite us to one another by the bond of his Holy Spirit, that we may become true members of our Lord Christ; and so may we not only abstain from injuries to others, but also patiently bear whatever insults come, and leave vengeance to God alone. May those upon whom God has bestowed more distinguished gifts share them generously with their neighbors. Finally, let us give no place to rivalries, but making greater progress daily in his school, let us prepare ourselves to render an account of our deeds in his sight, intent upon his glory alone as long as we live on earth, for which alone we were born. Having laid the foundations of true religion in ourselves, let us so order our life that, having become better and more mature day by day, we may depend upon his will alone, and incite our neighbors by our example to lead a better life. And let us pray for this grace not for ourselves alone, but for all peoples and nations, etc.

But observe how great the perversity of mortals is — how wretchedly they abuse the gifts of God. To what end does God bestow them upon us, if not that we may help our neighbors? Scripture frequently reminds us of this, commanding that whatever we have received from God we should direct toward the benefit and good of our neighbors — to whom we are bound by nature — and distribute to the needy with care and concern. Therefore those who have received greater gifts than others should know that they are all the more obligated to their needy neighbors. But those who do otherwise — despising those endowed with lesser gifts — should know that they are acting as though they were throwing torn limbs ripped from the body of Christ to the dogs. The sin of ingratitude is great in those who rise up against God by treating their neighbors with such contempt.

Beyond all this, the grace Peninnah had received was not so great that Hannah should have been despised and tormented with such arrogance on account of it. For Peninnah is blessed with children, but Hannah is barren. Yet Hannah commended herself by the fear of God, which is the greatest honor and most worthy of the highest praise. What ought to be more precious to us than the genuine fear and reverence of God? Yet Peninnah boasts — but with how empty a boast! Nor is this vice uncommon; it belongs to every age. From such pride arose among pagans the license to mock the blessing that Scripture promises in the fruit of the womb. For children are counted among the singular blessings of God — yet how many foolish women, puffed up and swelling with pride because of the children they have borne, have given others the occasion to rise up against the majesty of God with contemptuous words and to tear at it by saying: 'So then sows can raise seven or nine piglets, but I cannot even bear a single child?' Thus God's blessing has been turned into mockery and contempt by the pride and arrogance of those who have so grossly abused His goodness.

These things are worthy of careful attention, so that when we come to pray to God, we may approach Him emptied and stripped of all rivalry and hatred. For the entrance to heaven is closed to those who harbor hatred against their neighbors — their prayers do more to refresh God's memory of their sins than to reconcile them to Him, and indeed their very prayers are turned into sins, to their own great shame. For this reason our Lord Jesus Christ warns His followers in Matthew that if, while bringing their gift to the altar, they remember that a neighbor has been offended by them, they should leave the gift there and first be reconciled to that person — for otherwise their prayers will accomplish nothing before God. Therefore whoever desires his prayers to be pleasing and acceptable to God must first be reconciled to his brother. For what good does it do to pour out prayers before God otherwise? If a son who is hateful to his father seeks to beg his pardon as a suppliant, it is useless — the father will not hear the pleading son: 'I clothed myself in sackcloth, I afflicted my soul with fasting, and my prayer returned to my own bosom. As if he were a companion, as if he were a brother to me, I walked about,' and so on. We cannot be children of God unless, with all hatred and rivalry set aside, we cultivate mutual friendship and brotherhood with one another.

Enough, then, about prayer. The second point to observe in the worship of God is that we must not corrupt it with our vices — and in this matter a great sacrilege is committed. For example, if someone who has been given more excellent gifts has gained some rank and honor in the church, and on that account swells with an excessive hunger for status and ambition — would he not rightly be said to be perverting and polluting the worship of God, which ought to be sacred to us? We must therefore take care that whatever rites God has instituted for His worship, we use them for their true purpose: as instruments by which we draw nearer to God and cultivate mutual peace and friendship with our brothers; burying in permanent oblivion old hatreds, rivalries, and quarrels from which others would constantly arise; and in short, harboring no enmity toward our neighbors, but rather doing everything in our power to seek and promote their salvation.

Furthermore, if God has adorned us with more excellent gifts, let us not be puffed up — instead let us use them with humility, knowing that pride and the church of God — that is, those who sincerely and from the heart worship God — are as incompatible as fire and water, and that true worshippers must be as far removed from pride and ambition as heaven is from earth. For no one lifts himself up with pride, even a little, without detracting just as much from God's glory — and without profaning and polluting God's gifts, when, swollen with ambition, he seeks from men the honor that belongs to God alone, the author of all good things, and struts in God's feathers, arrogating to himself what is properly God's. This is therefore not merely an abuse but a pure profanation and pollution of God's gifts, which ought to shine in us. Those who seek their glory among men seem even to wage war against God Himself in the manner of giants, as if they would strip Him of His throne. There is also another vice no less serious: the injury and insult done to neighbors — whom one ought to have helped in proportion to the gifts received from God — frequently combined with intolerable domination and contempt. This is truly an intolerable abuse of God's gifts. Therefore, the greater the gifts those called to ministry have received, the greater their humility ought to be — so that by the example of their lives they may draw others to the worship of God, those over whom God willed that they should lead by the excellence of their gifts.

Furthermore, all vengeance and cruelty toward enemies must be avoided, even when we have been provoked by many wrongs on their part. Let David be our example, whose well-known kindness even toward his enemies is renowned: 'I,' he says, speaking of his enemies, 'when they were sick, clothed myself in sackcloth; I afflicted my soul with fasting, and my prayer returned to my own bosom. As if he were a companion, as if a brother to me, I walked about,' and so on. We must therefore understand that our guilt will be doubled if we haughtily despise those who have given us no cause for offense. I will say more: it is not even fitting for those who have been provoked by others to pursue private revenge and repay evil for evil. But it is inhuman and brutish, when one has not been provoked at all, to want not merely to pursue wrongs but to harass and torment a neighbor with taunts and quarrels. We must carefully guard against the traps and schemes of Satan, for if we seem to ourselves to have gotten ahead by treating our neighbors with contempt, we entangle ourselves in snares from which we can scarcely ever escape. Therefore God must be humbly asked to foster genuine, unpretentious brotherly peace and fellowship among us, and to give us such a mind that we are readier to endure anything than to cause harm to our neighbors — harm by which we ourselves should rather be grieved. Nor is this anything new or unusual, for the example of David quoted above shows clearly that holy kings in the greatest distress — with enemies rising up against them with great arrogance and threatening final destruction like raging beasts — took refuge in God with prayers of this kind and even prayed well for their enemies.

This is truly a worthy example, in which we may see as in a mirror what is fitting for us. We likewise read that Hezekiah became a suppliant with these words to obtain grace and mercy from God, in 2 Kings 19:16: 'Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see, and hear all the words of Sennacherib,' and so on. Observing Hezekiah — elevated to such great dignity — so calmly addressing God and laying out the enemy's arrogance before Him, we are reminded of two things. First, when enemies rise up against us and trample us underfoot, we should relieve the sadness and grief that would otherwise overwhelm us by this very reflection. Second, we should trust that God will be most present to us in such moments and will demonstrate His goodwill toward us. It is not without reason that He glories in Scripture with the title of merciful and gracious, of One who turns His eyes toward the despised and the cast off; it is not in vain that He declares that the more His servants are humbled in this world, the nearer they are to His glory. Therefore, brothers, fix this deeply in your minds: the more we are pressed down by the worst hatred of our enemies, the more favorable and good God will be toward us.

Keep your courage in the midst of the greatest storms — and even if heaven and earth were mingled together, do not be terrified. But beware, I urge you, that you do not become like those toward whom God has shown Himself an enemy. The vengeance of Almighty God must be feared if we behave with insolence toward our neighbors in deed or word. For God resists the proud. We must therefore take care that we do not treat our neighbors in such a way that we seem to have waged war against God Himself by provoking or injuring them without cause.

Having been provoked in this way, Hannah is said to have wept and grieved and to have refused to eat. In this she experienced something of human weakness — and that is not surprising, for it commonly happens that those with a good and tender nature are most affected by insults and reproach. We see that a brave and strong-souled man can easily bear an injury inflicted on his body, but is deeply wounded by insults that bring shame and disgrace. Yet even though this is a human response, it is not without fault before God. And what did Peninnah actually accomplish by her arrogance? Therefore let us learn to put a limit on our emotions; and if people hold us in contempt, let us comfort ourselves with God's favor and goodwill, and patiently bear whatever injuries are inflicted — casting our care upon God.

But let us see what the outcome of Hannah's grief and tears was — she became a suppliant before God. She does not attempt to repel injury with injury, as many think they have the right to do; she does not plot revenge against Peninnah — instead, in tears, she makes her way to God's sanctuary, a safe refuge. From this let us learn that if, being human, we cannot help but be affected by injuries and feel something of human weakness, the best remedy is to restrain our anger before greater wrath or rivalry arises. For it usually happens that minds gradually kindled with anger and hatred eventually become implacable and impossible to appease. When a person sees himself mocked and, yielding to his anger, loses control of his spirit and pours out whatever his anger suggests — wraths multiply and Satan dominates both parties, so that day by day new injuries pile on top of the old ones and quarrels accumulate. Each person then comes to think that private revenge is his right, and that repaying evil for evil is permitted. But what else is this in the end but offering sacrifice to the devil himself?

Not so Hannah: although she is touched by grief and assailed by insults, she resorts to tears rather than to force. It is likely that her husband noticed this restraint and was thereby moved to take her side against the other wife. We should therefore note that it is far more advantageous to bear injuries inflicted upon us than to avenge them, because in bearing them we win the favor of those who would otherwise side against us. If Hannah had repelled insults with insults, it is likely that Elkanah would have inclined to the other side and treated the injury as done to himself. But seeing her swallow the injuries in silence and vindicate herself through tears alone, he is drawn to her cause and comforts her with kind words — though he does not appear entirely free from blame in this matter. For since he had authority over the arrogant woman, should he not have rebuked her with firmer words? 'What is the matter between you and Hannah my wife? Why are you troublesome? Why do you so insolently insult her in her affliction? Is she not a wife, even if God has not granted her the same blessing of bearing children?' Such words should have been used to restrain her. But Elkanah contents himself with consoling his wife and declaring himself her defender. He urges her to take heart and assures her of all his care and love, no less than if she had ten sons. In sum, we see Elkanah standing up for Hannah and expressing his love for her, because she had borne the insults of that arrogant woman with modesty and patience.

We should also note that the injuries were not light or brief, but prolonged — renewed every year when they went up to Shiloh to sacrifice. Here we must again take note of the stubborn woman's persistence: not even the sacred ceremonies, not even the divine law, diverted her from her intended malice; instead they supplied fresh occasions for new quarrels. She may justly be said to have stripped off all humanity and cast away all fear of God. We must therefore be on guard against growing accustomed to evil. For how great are the schemes by which the devil works in people? If we give him a foothold, the result will be that we are gradually and unknowingly transformed into wild beasts, so that no room is left for reason.

Furthermore, what Elkanah gained by taking two wives contrary to the institution of divine law is plain from the fact that he is squeezed on both sides: on one hand he sees a wife weeping from the injury she has suffered; on the other, an arrogant wife who inflicted it — and he can provide no remedy for so great an evil, even though the injury done to his wife no doubt stung and tormented him deeply. But what can he do? He had entangled himself in an unlawful arrangement, and so, deprived of freedom, he must simply endure it. If he had been content with one wife — however difficult and troublesome she might be — he could, with God's help, have managed her by lawful means. But since he violated the law of marriage and bound himself to a second wife alongside the first, who would not rightly conclude that he deserves the trouble that has come upon him from both sides? God punished the patriarchs themselves in various ways when they became polygamists — both to show that this vice displeased Him even in them, and to prevent anyone from defending himself by their example.

Abraham took a second wife, even at Sarah's urging — but what a price he eventually paid, being compelled to cast out his own son and drive him from his home. We see him send off his son — born of a servant girl, to be sure — not with magnificent gifts, as would befit so rich and wealthy a man, but furnished only with a single loaf of bread and a skin of water, and with tears, as God led him to such severity. And what of Jacob — by taking Rachel as a wife in addition to another, what miseries did he plunge himself into? A great injustice had certainly been done to him when Leah was substituted for Rachel, to whom he had first been betrothed. Nevertheless, he should not have permitted himself to take Leah as a wife alongside Rachel. For there was no true marriage with Leah, to whom he had never first consented. But what penalties did he pay? He was caught between a rock and a hard place. He did not know which way to turn. He could not manage those women — sisters though they were. He saw their anger and rivalry — indeed, hatreds of the bitterest kind — with God deeply offended in his household, and he was forced to watch his home consumed by mutual hatred while retaining no real authority over his wives. But what could he do? The poor man had cast this snare upon himself by marrying two sisters in violation of the laws of marriage.

From this let us learn how great a sin it is to deviate even a little from the rule of divine law, since we see that God by no means spared the ancient patriarchs when they strayed from the right path. The fact that it is expressly said that God had closed Hannah's womb teaches us that God sometimes tests the patience of His own people. It is likely that Elkanah took a second wife because of Hannah's barrenness — but that was by no means an appropriate remedy. For the teaching scattered throughout the law is well known: that fertility is a gift of God, since He is said to make even the animals fruitful, and neither cow nor beast of burden conceives without our looking up to Him. If He makes even the animals fruitful, what must we think about human beings, who are far more excellent and valued? Ought we not — the more worthy and excellent we are, as those who are even called God's children — to carry ourselves with greater wisdom and trust? Elkanah should therefore have reflected more carefully on this truth. We see Isaac do exactly this, even before the law had been given: when he saw that the womb of his wife Rebekah had been closed by God, he took refuge in prayer and received offspring. Similarly, Jacob rebukes Rachel as if she were blaspheming against God when she demanded children from him: 'What do you think — am I in the place of God? Does the power of generation belong to men unless it is granted from above?' We must understand that there are no natural powers of generation in us unless God in His generosity blesses the seed — so that we give the credit for children entirely to Him alone, since even a spark of His blessing obtained through prayer far surpasses all human abilities. Truly a wondrous work of the Lord.

Elkanah therefore sinned seriously in this: he failed to flee to God as a suppliant on behalf of his wife's fertility. Peninnah also sinned seriously in not acknowledging God in her own fruitfulness — which God had given her to exercise Hannah in humility and perhaps to temper what was otherwise an excessive love in her husband. See how God often restrains those He loves, turning them away, as it were, subdued, from the vices they would otherwise too freely indulge. This pattern in God's judgments must be observed: He gives us His gifts, but mixed with many troubles and difficulties for our correction — and so He does not stop doing good, even though His generosity does not always match our desires. For He knows well that mortals tend to grow more estranged from God when blessed with abundance and smooth success — some boasting of their own hard work, others of their efforts, others grumbling — and very few acknowledge God's blessing and the goodness behind it. Nevertheless, though many are ungrateful, God is worshipped by those who acknowledge that they have received everything from Him. Moreover, God has tested our strength, and He distributes His gifts gradually, as He judges will be most beneficial for us. And enough on these matters.

It follows that Hannah, so harassed by her rival, withdrew after eating something, and came to the sanctuary to pray, overwhelmed with grief. In these words there seems to be a contradiction: for it was said before that she neither ate nor drank, but here she is said to have come to pray after taking food. But the expression is well-known and commonly used — when people eat in grief and sadness and take very little, they are said to have eaten nothing, not because they abstained from food altogether, but because they ate so sparingly. Moreover, in such solemn sacrifices, those about to pray to God would also refresh and delight themselves by eating and drinking in His very presence, according to His ordinance. But Hannah, on the contrary, mourning, takes no delight in anything, and though weighed down with grief, eats only a little. The greatest virtue to be observed in this woman is this: she not only refrains from mutual insults and attacks, but commits the whole matter to God, fleeing to Him as a suppliant. And truly, though it is no small virtue to patiently bear whatever injuries come, that alone is not true and perfect virtue. For we often suppress deep grief in our hearts, and often conceal many things out of fear of others or while secretly plotting something harmful. We must not stop at patient endurance, but must lay aside the rivalries and hatreds that push God further from us. For what good does it do to wear God out with prayers unless, having cast aside all rivalry and hatred, we deposit our cares into His bosom? Those who suppress injuries can indeed win praise for patience before others, as many philosophers endowed with such self-control that they seemed almost to have looked to God. They were moved by no insults or injuries whatsoever; indeed they rightly mocked those who grew angry over the slightest thing — as is well known the reply of one of them: 'What if a donkey had kicked me — should I then take it to court?' I will leave aside many such appearances of virtue, for they did not cultivate true virtue in their souls, nor were they truly temperate — they only put on a show with words. Therefore let this be the one remedy for producing the true patience that God commands: that we flee to Him as our only refuge, and cast all our cares and anxieties upon Him, and as suppliants entreat His majesty — so that if we are rejected and despised by others, He Himself may take care of us. This is why David, depositing his complaints in the Lord's bosom, says: 'My enemies have surrounded me with words of hatred, and they assail me, and I take refuge in prayers' — as if to say, 'One refuge of prayer remains to me, and the safest shelter, in which alone I find rest: You alone make peace for me, You who see my sufferings and bring consolation.' This is what Scripture directs us to do when we are assailed with insults: pray to God sincerely and without pretense, casting all our care and anxiety upon Him, so that we may experience His fatherly favor and goodwill in our greatest distress, and be kept in our duty. From the fact that Hannah is said to have been of a bitter spirit and to have wept greatly while praying to God, we must learn what the right time for prayer is. It is when evils are pressing upon us and as it were overwhelming us, when fires are raging on every side and are about to consume us unless help comes. I grant that God must be called upon daily — morning and evening, indeed every hour — and that even in times of prosperity we most need His help, since all good things flow from His generosity and we enjoy them by relying on His mercy. There is indeed a time for rejoicing when God grants a prosperous outcome, yet without excess or abuse of His grace — for our joy ought to be in God. But when He sends something adverse our way, that is the fitting time for prayer, so that we may receive consolation. In the greatest prosperity and the absence of all trouble, we must not indulge ourselves as beasts or gluttons serving their appetites; instead, we must acknowledge God's goodness, upheld by the power of His Holy Spirit, and give Him thanks for so many and so great benefits. But since we are sometimes tossed by such storms that we would be utterly unable to bear them without God's help, it very often happens that, forgetful of God's gifts, we grow agitated with indignation and inner turmoil and wound His most holy name with blasphemous words, instead of turning to prayer. In such trials we must flee to prayer — that is, in the greatest distress, when all other remedies fail, we are commanded to call on God, so that He may open the eyes of the blind to see His help and apply it to us at the right time. We must pray therefore in both good times and bad. In good times, so that we may acknowledge His gifts and render worthy thanks to Him; in bad times, so that we may give no opening — not even the slightest — to Satan who tempts us toward despair. Let us imitate the example of David, whose prayers show that he was never weary of praying — especially at the right moment, when placed in the greatest distress and as it were lying prostrate before the swords of his enemies. James likewise rightly urges us that the more one struggles with greater difficulties, the more earnestly one should pour out prayers to God. For it very often happens, through our own fault, that when calamities press upon us, God seems more distant and remote. Just as His benefits in this world with which He heaps us are so many signs of His divine favor, so the afflictions and persecutions that press upon us seem, by contrast, to be testimonies of His wrath. Therefore in such times especially we must call to mind the great words of consolation from the prophets — and especially from David, who, overwhelmed by a great multitude of evils, rises up to God with this prayer as if from a deep whirlpool and the lowest depths of misery: 'Whoever You deem worthy of Your grace will pray to You at the time when You are found' — that is, in the very thick of afflictions — as if to say: 'All Your people, having experienced Your present help in their greatest troubles, will flee to You with a more resolute spirit, ready to implore Your aid.' We should have no doubt whatsoever that God extends His helping hand in the midst of afflictions.

But it is time for us to make ourselves suppliants before Almighty God, and prostrating ourselves before His majestic presence, acknowledging so many and so great sins by which we unceasingly provoke His wrath against us, to pray that He would place in our minds and hearts a zeal for sincerely worshipping and serving Him throughout the whole course of our lives; and just as He has condescended to reveal His will to us, so may He unite us to one another by the bond of His Holy Spirit, so that we may become true members of our Lord Christ; and so may we not only refrain from injuring others, but also patiently bear whatever insults come, leaving vengeance to God alone. May those upon whom God has bestowed more distinguished gifts share them freely with their neighbors. Finally, let us give no place to rivalries, but making greater progress daily in His school, let us prepare ourselves to render an account of our deeds before Him — intent on His glory alone for as long as we live on earth, for which alone we were born. Having laid the foundations of true religion in ourselves, let us so order our lives that, growing better and more mature day by day, we depend on His will alone and urge our neighbors by our example to live a better life. And let us pray for this grace not for ourselves alone, but for all peoples and nations.