One of the best tests of the veracity of how we live this life here and now is how it will appear in the moment of death, in the morning of resurrection, and at the day of judgment. That is the true reality my brethren. That is why we must not become so tied down to this life and the things that most people cling to in order to have “significance.” In Matthew 7 our Lord gives us a picture of certain persons as they will appear “in that day.” What is seen as “valuable” or “desirable” should be viewed within the light of “that day.” I am positive that if we will do that it will change a great deal of how we live now.

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, in Your name did we not prophesy, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name do many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’ Matthew 7:21-23 (LSB)
This life here and now on planet Earth is only a small fragment of reality. I once encountered a fellow who tried to shut this blog down with his hateful attack on me and everyone who commented here. One of his attacks was that we are paying way too much attention to eternity. In his “theology” we needed to forget all about that and treat it as a myth because this life is what its all about. Even though most professing Christians would not agree with that statement they actually appear to live out their life here and now as if what that fellow said was true. For instance, some “church services” appear to be little more than rock concerts these days in an attempt to make a select group of people happy and keep them coming back each Sunday.
One of the best tests of the veracity of how we live this life here and now is how it will appear in the moment of death, in the morning of resurrection, and at the day of judgment. That is the true reality my brethren. That is why we must not become so tied down to this life and the things that most people cling to in order to have “significance.” In Matthew 7 our Lord gives us a picture of certain persons as they will appear “in that day.” What is seen as “valuable” or “desirable” should be viewed within the light of “that day.” I am positive that if we will do that it will change a great deal of how we live now.
For instance, I have been in some form of Information Technology since 1973. I probably have forgotten more about computers than the majority of people know. There are times that I find myself “lusting” after the latest and greatest monitors or computers or printers. What I have now works just fine so I don’t “need” those things, but they are way cool! I can discover myself lusting after these things as if I just have to have them. However, I have begun to analyze what I am pursuing like this in light of eternity. When I do that I quickly realize how foolish it is to be so wrapped up in “stuff.” Then those “desires” just melt away. This works for money, sports cars, cameras, and nice new houses too.
Riches, honors, pleasures, successes, self-congratulations, et cetera should all be set in the light of “that day.” This test should especially be applied to all religious professions and exercises. Why? It will happen in “that day” that all of these things will  be tried by fire. Now let us look at our Lord’s exposition of what will happen on “that day.” He uses the example of certain professing Christians who went a long way in their religion.
Read the passage I placed at the top of this post (Matthew 7:21-23) if you haven’t already then come back here.
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The lessons drawn from the natural world were helpful both because they were well known as well as because they operated just the way God designed them to. The world does not ‘just happen’; it has been designed and made by God and continues because of His consistent control.

Have you noticed how many Bible passages draw conclusions from looking at the natural world? Here’s only a small sample:
3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
  (Ps. 8:3-4 ESV)
6 Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. 7 Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, 8 she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. 9 How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep?
(Prov. 6:6-9 ESV)
28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
 (Matt. 6:28-30 ESV)
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
(Rom. 1:18-20 ESV)
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Adam and Eve are expelled from the presence of God.  The unity of their being, body and soul, has suffered catastrophic judgment under the curse of God, which begins a life of dying towards death.  The situation, as dire as could be, was not without hope though.  God pronounced his plan in the form of a promise.  That promise looked forward to One that would tend to the souls of their (Adam/Eve) progeny as a shepherd to His flock.  

Before continuing on to question 24 pertaining to sin,  it seems best if we pause to define some important ideas. Let us go for a bit down this by pass meadow and consider some important ideas before resuming our course through the confession of faith.
We haven’t spent any time considering the effects of sin and so we do that now. One of the first effects is that we see Adam and Eve attempt to cover their own nakedness with fig leaves.  Related to this, they also attempted to hide from God. “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” (Genesis 3:7–8)
Adam and Eve were ashamed of their nakedness in that they tried to hide it from God.  Shame arises from guilt for violating the command of God.  The relationship between guilt and shame is important and we often are tempted to use these interchangeably but they are not interchangeable.  Guilt is a verdict/judgment concerning a violation of law.  Shame is the correct emotive consequence of a just finding of guilt.  It is good that Adam and Eve felt shame and wanted to hide from the Lawgiver because they were in fact (as a matter of law) guilty of breaking God’s command.
Instead of God, the Lawgiver, leaving them in their self fashioned misery of fig leaf nakedness we read the compassion He has on them.
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There is no Christ-following that will take us back to an America we once knew and loved. Following Christ takes us somewhere better. It takes us to where Christ is – to our heavenly country, our true home. As Thomas Adams once said, “Christ did not die to purchase this world for us.”

Some years back Google prepared a little celebration on their main page for Claude Debussey (1862-1918). It was a delightful animation honoring the French composer on his birthday. Google called the animation a doodle, wherein they recreated a moonlit trip down the river Seine while Debussy’s most famous piano piece, Clair de Lune played in the background.
A riverside view from the period scrolls along, synchronized to DeBussey’s sweet melody. The evening sky is star-filled. The moon is full. The boardwalk is lined with gas lamps. A man wearing a cap is riding a penny-farthing. A windmill silently turns. Rooftop chimneys puff smoke into the air keeping time with the music. A Model T jostles along. A covered riverboat chugs by.
It is absolutely charming. So charming, in fact, it got me thinking about the power of nostalgia.
Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines the term nostalgia as “a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition.”
Nostalgia is that strange ability all humans have of remembering the past without remembering the dirty and devilish details of it. We, of course, are capable of remembering past events that include the dirty details, but that is not nostalgia. Nostalgia is remembering all the good of an event, of a season of life, or even of a person. Why? Because we long for goodness. We long for the world to be good, making nostalgia, even though it is about the past, a kind of hope.
Blaise Pascal, the 17th-century philosopher, and mathematician said: “Do you miss something you’ve never had? Do you grieve the absence of a third leg or the loss of a second pair of eyes? No. We ache only when something we once knew, held, tasted, goes missing.”
Our English word nostalgia comes from two Greek words: nostos, “returning home,” and algos, “pain.”
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Our willingness to give in to distractions is often prompted by our fear of missing out. We need to know what’s going on in the world, what’s happening with our friends, and what the next cultural craze is. We don’t want to miss out on anything. Could it be that our distractions are keeping us from missing out on the most important thing—God himself? In order to chase, we first have to cease. If we’re going to run, we first must be still. To give love away, we first must believe we are his beloved.

Our next-door neighbor Jennifer often makes us pickles. They’re about as close to perfect as a pickle could possibly be. Last week she brought over a jar and told me not to open it for forty-eight hours. I stared at the thing on the counter and my mouth started sweating. But I knew the key to the perfect pickle was time in the brine. In order for the cucumber to transform, it needed to soak in the solution. And then, slowly and imperceptibly, the brine-and-vinegar mixture would work its way into the cucumber, gradually changing it into a pickle.*
My friend Fil has taught me tons about spiritual growth. Much like the cucumber sitting in the juice, Fil parallels our relationship to the Lord to “working on a tan.” Other than a slight lapse in judgment and a four-punch pass to a strip mall tanning bed—the week before our wedding—I’ve actually never had a tan. But I’m told if your skin isn’t as Scandinavian as mine, it doesn’t take much work to get one. Basically, all that’s required is to put yourself in a position where the sun can do the work.
When I carefully read the Gospels, I’m struck by how the Son of God regularly positioned himself alone before his Father. When we look at the miracles of Jesus, a clear pattern develops. It happens with almost everyone recorded in the Gospels, but let’s revisit one particular instance. When Jesus healed the leper, he shared in the man’s shame and touched the man’s skin, but there’s something else he did in that first chapter of Mark that frames the whole story.
In verse 35 of that first chapter, we’re told, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Three verses later, Jesus healed the leper.
As soon as the healing takes place, both Mark and Luke record the same thing about Jesus’s next steps: Despite Jesus’s plea that his miracles be kept secret, “the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Luke 5:15–16; see also Mark 1:45).
Before the miracle, and after the miracle, what did Jesus do? He soaked in the brine. He sat in the sun. He spent solo time with his Father.
And it’s not only recorded in regard to the miracle of the leper; it’s all over the Gospels. Before he walked on water, Jesus spent the whole night in a prayer vigil.
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As we look at the context of the verse, it is clear that Galatians 3:28 does not justify doing away with gender as just some social construct and a proof text supporting the idea of women pastors or women elders. The doctrine being put on display is the glory of the atonement. When God saves us through the work of Jesus Christ, we are fully united to Him, raised to a new life, and have hope that one day we will appear with Him again.

It has become increasingly common for people to use Galatians 3:28 as proof text that we’ve done away with gender and traditional roles. The verse reads, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” As we look at the context of the verse, it is clear that Galatians 3:28 does not justify doing away with gender as just some social construct and a proof text supporting the idea of women pastors or women elders.
The doctrine being put on display is the glory of the atonement. When God saves us through the work of Jesus Christ, we are fully united to Him, raised to a new life, and have hope that one day we will appear with Him again.
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Between November and March, Sauls’ views changed in a way that made him incompatible with the PCA: He became (or revealed himself to be) an ecclesial egalitarian, meaning he believes that all of the roles and offices in the church are open to men and women. When the face of a denomination changes his views in such a dramatic way (think Rick Warren and the SBC) it is, as they say, kind of a big deal. But it is not something readers of ByFaith ever read about: There has been no reporting on the May presbytery meeting where he was removed (as far as we can tell) from the presbytery’s rolls—as much for his intention to join another denomination as for his new views. 

YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD that one of the Presbyterian Church in America’s most notable ministers got in trouble, was suspended by his presbytery, went through a lengthy discipline process, eventually resigned his church, and two days later was restored as a member in good standing by his presbytery. You might have heard that much and no more, because as far as the PCA’s denominational organ ByFaith1 is concerned that was the end of the story.
ByFaith is in a tough spot. They have to balance the varied roles of “internal” (for the PCA) messaging system, outward-facing…well, face of the PCA, news bureau, and public relations organ. They do a pretty good job covering the annual General Assembly but often opt out of controversial issues. And because of the broadness of the PCA they sometimes promote figures who later become problematic or leave—loudly or quietly. An old puff piece on the “ministry” that factored heavily into pastor Greg Johnson and his historic church leaving the PCA under duress, for instance, lives on.
The innovative is often favored over the boring, but controversy is sometimes handled with kid gloves or passed over in silence. Such (so far) has been the case with news about departed celebrity pastor and prolific author Scott Sauls whose visage, byline, and opinions have been all over the pages of ByFaith for years. It appears that he wrote more ByFaith articles in the last decade than any other PCA pastor, and he was Tim Keller’s golden boy understudy2—arguably the face of the PCA, the exemplar of pastoral piety and practice.

HE IS PCA NO MORE. But you might not know that. You probably don’t know it because the facts of his departure were not covered by ByFaith.

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Paul gives us the warrant for a Christian worldview/philosophy, but not one that is grounded in non-Christian thought, but ultimately rooted and grounded in Christ. For this reason, we must test all ideas, philosophies, and ideologies by the standard of Scripture, which is nothing less than Christ’s word. The question we must always ask is this: Are the claims of non-Christian philosophy, science, psychology, sociology, etc. consistent with the truth of Scripture? This is the standard by which Christians are to judge all matters and critique all thought.

As one reads the New Testament one is struck by two complementary truths about the proclamation, defense, and passing on of the gospel. First, there is the sad fact that people quickly depart from the truth and substitute it for false teaching. As fallen creatures, we seem to love and embrace error faster than we love and rejoice in the truth. Second, in light of the first reality, we are constantly exhorted to stand for the truth, which requires constant diligence and Spirit-wrought faithfulness to our triune God in the face of our Lord Jesus Christ and his word.
The Drift and the Stand
The first truth is ubiquitous throughout the New Testament. For example, think of Galatia. Paul himself is astonished at how quickly this church has turned to another gospel, which he makes very clear is “really no gospel at all” (Gal. 1:7). But Galatia is not an isolated occurrence. Think of Paul’s warnings to his young pastor-apprentice Timothy where he describes the “last days” as characterized by those who identify with the church but who are “always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth” (2 Tim. 3:7). Or, as Paul continues to remind Timothy: “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear” (2 Tim. 4:3). Many more examples could be given, but the sad truth is this: the tendency is for fallen people, even those who profess Christ, to rapidly depart from the truth.
However, the second truth is also unmistakably taught. In light of the fact that people so quickly depart from the truth, Scripture exhorts us to “guard the good deposit” (2 Tim. 1:14); for leaders to “keep watch over yourselves and all the flock” (Acts 20:28); and for the entire church to “test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (1 John 4:1). Scripture is clear: We must love God and the gospel by being vigilant in proclaiming it, standing against those who attempt to replace it by “another gospel,” and faithfully passing it on to the next generation.
Nothing New under The Sun
What is true in the New Testament is also true in church history. In every era, the church is in a constant battle to stand for the truth and not to substitute it or “mix” it with something else. In the Patristic era, the church battled against Gnosticism and Arianism as she faithfully proclaimed Christ and formulated Trinitarian and Christological orthodoxy rooted and grounded in Scripture. In the Reformation, the church had to correct numerous errors of Roman Catholicism and stand firm on biblical authority and the finished work of Christ resulting in our justification, as reflected by the Reformation solas—sola Scriptura, sola gratia, sola fide, solus Christus, soli Deo gloria. In the rise of the “modern” world, the church had to stand against “liberalism” which sought to “mix” the gospel with worldview thinking that stood opposed to the truth of Scripture.
Today, the church must stand against forms of secularism, naturalism, pluralism, and postmodernism as represented by critical theories, the LGBTQ+ agenda, and the false ideologies of our age. In every era of the church, syncretism—taking the Bible and correlating it to the current thought of the day—has always been a constant danger for the church to stand against. For, in the end, syncretism results in a distortion and rejection of the truth of the gospel. But sadly, within the church, the call to stand for the truth has not always been heeded. Ours is a day of untethered niceness, winsomeness, and nuance, and too often these characteristics are a cover for accommodation. But the reality is this: until Christ returns, the church is called to stand for the truth of the gospel without compromise, which often requires a “loving confrontation” (to use the words of Francis Schaeffer).
How to Spot a Heretic
In light of these two truths, it’s important to ask: how do we recognize false teaching in order to counter it? Jeremy Jackson has suggested that what unites all heresies is the denial of Christ and his work.[1] I agree with him. So how do you recognize a “false teacher” or a “false view,” whether it’s an ancient or a present-day one? We must ask the all-important question: Who do you say that the Lord Jesus Christ is? What do you think about him and what he achieved for us?
Why is Jesus so central to all heresies? The answer is quite straightforward: He is the one who takes us to the heart of who God is, as the divine Son, the second person of the Trinity. To get him right means that we get our entire doctrine of God right, who is the Creator and Lord of all. Furthermore, to get his work right means that we grasp the God of sovereign grace who alone can save us. For fallen creatures, the idea of salvation by God’s grace—involving a real incarnation, effected on a cross, publicly demonstrated in an empty tomb, and doing something we cannot do—offends us. As sinful people, we have a hard time receiving Christ and his finished work; it reminds us that we have nothing to contribute. In our sin, we think we are good enough to save ourselves. But to grasp Christ and his work reminds us that salvation is by God’s sovereign initiative and invitation, not ours. God’s solution in Christ speaks to the nature of our radical problem! We think we can contribute something, but we cannot. We want to be our own Lord and master, so we hate the idea of a sovereign God and Savior. That is why getting Christ right is central to getting the truth of the gospel right!
But if a wrong view of Christ and his work is at heart of all heresy, then the remedy to false teaching and the temptation of syncretism is a proper view of Christ and his work. This truth is taught throughout the New Testament, but specifically in Colossians 2:6–10. The church at Colossae was in danger of succumbing to syncretism. They faced what some have called the “Colossian heresy.” This heresy seemed to be the attempt to dilute the glory, sovereignty, and sufficiency of Christ with some version of Greek and Jewish thought.
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We consider our past not as our present identity but as a means of celebrating what Christ has done in and for us, a means of understanding ourselves to aid in our sanctification, and a reminder to keep our focus on Christ not ourselves. 

Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear: forget your people and your father’s house, and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is your lord, bow to him. The people of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts, the richest of the people. All glorious is the princess in her chamber, with robes interwoven with gold. In many-colored robes she is led to the king, with her virgin companions following behind her. With joy and gladness they are led along as they enter the palace of the king. In place of your fathers shall be your sons; you will make them princes in all the earth. I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations; therefore nations will praise you forever and ever. – Psalm 45:10-17, ESV

We have been examining the theme of identity in Christ and how that affects our judgment.  Job’s wife showed us that we should look for patterns of faithfulness rather than fixating on failures.  The woman who anointed Jesusshowed us that the identity of a saint as forgiven by Christ far supersedes even the most checkered past, so we should look for the fruit of genuine faith and repentance: love for Christ and the saints.  But perhaps the strongest statement in Scripture exhorting us to focus on our identity in Christ was said nearly a millennium before Christ came: the bride in Psalm 45. We like her are called to forget the past, submit to the lordship of Christ, and focus on the future to build His Kingdom.
An Ancient Royal Wedding
Psalm 45 was written by the sons of Korah to celebrate a royal wedding: “My heart overflows with a pleasing theme; I address my verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe” (Psalm 45:1).  That king was most likely Solomon.[1]  The psalmist praises the king before addressing the bride: a foreign princess, perhaps Pharoah’s daughter.[2]  He then describes the wedding procession and ends by addressing the king again focusing on future generations.  So while this psalm is poetic, it describes a wedding of real people that actually occurred.[3]
What does this have to do with us?  First, every marriage reflects Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:31-32).  Second, the psalmist alludes to the eternality of the kingdom, thus referencing the Davidic covenant ultimately fulfilled by Christ.  Third and most important, this psalm ultimately refers to Christ because Hebrews says so when quoting it: “But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions” (Hebrews 1:8-9 citing Psalm 45:6-7).  So while the bridegroom in the psalm was likely Solomon, he foreshadowed the ultimate Bridegroom: Jesus Christ.  And since Christ has only one Bride, Solomon’s bride foreshadows the Church.[4]
Portrait of the Bridegroom
With this perspective, look at the description of the king: “You are the most handsome of the sons of men; grace is poured upon your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever” (Psalms 45:2).  Jesus was without any majesty or beauty and marred beyond recognition during His suffering (Isaiah 52:14, 53:2), but afterward He was exalted, which is how He is described here.  Next, the psalmist exhorts the king: “Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your splendor and majesty! In your majesty ride out victoriously for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness; let your right hand teach you awesome deeds! Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies; the peoples fall under you” (Psalms 45:3-5).  To many modern Christians this would seem unfitting for Jesus or a wedding, but we see similar statements in other psalms (eg. Psalm 2, 110), and the Wedding Supper of the Lamb is closely connected to Christ’s conquest (Revelation 19).  As we have previously seen, the harmless and effeminate “boyfriend Jesus” worshipped in many churches is a false god with little resemblance to the mighty conquering King seen here. The psalmist then describes the king’s righteous reign, with His scepter of uprightness, love of righteousness, and hatred of wickedness, which can only be perfectly said of Christ.  And just like Psalm 110, the psalmist calls the king God but then speaks of God: “Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions” (Psalm 45:7b).
The focus then shifts to wedding preparation, starting with the king’s robe that is so saturated with expensive perfume that it might as well be made of it.[5]  This fits his extravagant ivory palace filled with music.  The entire atmosphere looks, sounds, and smells beautiful and opulent.  The king’s abundance is also seen in the court: “daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor; at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir” (Psalm 45:9).  In this way he does not foreshadow Christ.  With any exegesis, we must understand the audience.  The psalmist describes this king as gloriously as possible for his ancient near-eastern audience, which included the splendor of his harem (Ecclesiastes 2:8)—despite the fact that God explicitly commanded Israel’s kings to refrain from this (Deuteronomy 17:17).  When discussing the Law, we noted how polygamy was a gross distortion of God’s design that was allowed but regulated until Christ made it obsolete.  Solomon exercised no restraint in sexual self-indulgence, which was ultimately his downfall (1 Kings 11).  Contrary to this, Christ has only one Bride and commands that every leader in His Church to likewise be “husband of one wife” (1 Timothy 3:2,12, Titus 1:6).  So while the psalmist was describing this wedding as gloriously as possible, we have the advantage of looking beyond it to a Bridegroom infinitely better than Solomon.
The Exhortation: Forget, Submit, Focus on the Future
The focus then shifts to the bride.  Here, the psalmist essentially speaks like a father giving one last piece of advice, starting with a threefold preamble: “Hear, O daughter and consider, and incline your ear” (Psalm 45:10a).  This repetition means that what will follow is infinitely important.  He tells her to forget her heritage (Psalm 45:10b) and bow to her husband as lord (Psalm 45:11b).  This complements Genesis 2:24 which calls on the husband to leave his parents to be united to his wife.[6]  Here, the bride is leaving her parents to be united to her husband.  This is the Gospel: Jesus Christ left the Father to earth and win His Bride (the Church).  He then ascended back to heaven to prepare a place for His Bride, whom He calls to leave Her sinful past in order to be united to Him.  Therefore we must heed these instructions and their accompanying blessings just like this bride.
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The moment to stop pleading is the moment when God speaks to assure you that his heart is now hardened and his hand, once opened to supply your needs, is now closed to cut them off. Until that day—a day that will never come—continue to pray, trusting that God continues to listen and to provide.

Sir Walter Raleigh filled many roles and wore many hats over the course of his life, among them politician, soldier, and writer. But he is best known to history as an explorer. In 1584, Queen Elizabeth granted him a charter to explore, colonize, and rule any “remote, heathen and barbarous lands, countries and territories, not actually possessed of any Christian Prince or inhabited by Christian People.” In return, he was expected to extend the reach and riches of the crown. The first region he claimed, he named “Virginia” in honor of Elizabeth, the virgin queen.
Over the course of his first illustrious and then ignominious career, he repeatedly came before the queen to ask for funds, favors, appointments, and opportunities, for all of this had to flow through the hands of the monarch. It all required her assent and her largesse. Many observed that the more she gave, the more he asked, and the greater her generosity, the greater his importunity.
It seemed inevitable that over time she would become weary of his constant requests and escalating entreaties. Sure enough, one day in exasperation she asked when he would finally stop being a beggar. His reply was simple: “When you stop giving.” Or more literally, “When, madam, you cease to be a benefactress.”(1)
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