64. For it is meet that the holy mind restrain by spiritual xxxiii correction whatever of a carnal nature within it utters re- bellious muttering, that the flesh whether by speaking severe things may not draw it into impatience, nor yet by speaking smooth ones melt it to the looseness of lust. Therefore let manly censure, reproving the dictates of unlawful imagin- ations, hold hard the dissolute softness of what is base in us, by saying, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. And, on the other hand, let the consider- atioD of the gifts repress the discontent of bitter thought, saying, Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil f And whoever desires to get the mastery of his vices, and goes forward to the eternal heights of inward recompense ' with the steps of a true purpose, the 'retribu- morc he sees himself to be on every hand beset with the^'°"" war of the vices, the more resolutely he arrays himself with the armour of the virtues, and fears the darts the less, in 174 Disguised temptations come like Job's friends.
Job 2, proportion as he defends his breast bravely against their T—^ — - assault.
65. Yet it very often happens, that whilst we are striving to stay ourselves in this fight of temptation by exalted virtues, certain vices cloak themselves to our eyes under the garb of virtues, and come to us as it were with a smooth face, but how adverse to us they are we perceive upon examination. And hence the friends of blessed Job as it were come together for the purpose of giving comfort, but they burst out into reviling, in that vices that plot our ruin assume the look of virtues, but strike us with hostile assault. For often im- moderate anger desires to appear justice, and often dissolute remissness, mercy; often fear without precaution would seem humility, often unbridled pride, liberty. Thus the friends come to give consolation, but fall off into words of reproach, in that vices, cloaked under the guise of virtues, set out indeed with a smooth outside, but confound us by a bitter hostility. And it is rightly said, Ver. 11. For they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him. xxxiv. QQ. For vices make an appointment together under the cloak of virtues; in that there are certain ones, which are banded together against us by a kind of agreement, such as pride and anger, remissness and fear. For anger is neigh- I bour to pride, and remissness to cowardice. Those then come together by agreement, which are allied to one another in opposition to us, by a kind of kinship in iniquity; but if we acknowledge the toilsomeness of our captivity, if we grieve in our inmost soul from love of our eternal home, the sins that steal upon the inopportunely joyful, will not be able to prevail against the opportunely sad. Hence it is well added, Ver. 12. And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept. xxxv. 67. For the vices do not know us in our afflictions, in that so soon as they have knocked at the dejected heart, being reproved they start back, and they, which as it were knew us in our joy, because they made their way in, cannot know us in our sadness, in that they break their edge on our very rigidity itself. But our old enemy, the more he sees that he is himself caught out in them, and that with a good Spiriliial compunction detects their falsehood. 175 courage, cloaks them with so much the clee])er disguise Book under the image of virtues; and hence it is added, They lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.
Ver. \Z. So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights.
68. For by the weeping pity is betokened, discretion byxxxvi. the cutting of the garments, the affecting' of good works by ' al.
* effect" * effect" the dust upon the head, humility by the sitting. For some- jng.' times the enemy in plotting against us feigns somewhat that is full of pity, that he may bring us down to an end of cruelty. As is the case, when he prevents a fault being corrected by chastisement, that that, which is not suppressed in this life, may be stricken with the fire of hell. Sometimes he presents the form of discretion to the eyes, and draws us on to snares of indiscretion, which happens, when at his instigation wc as it were from prudence allow ourselves too much nourish- ment on account of our weakness, while we are imprudently raising against ourselves assaults of the flesh. Sometimes he counterfeits the affecting of good works, yet hereby entails upon us restlessness in labours, as it happens, when a man cannot remain quiet, and, as it were, fears to be judged for idleness. Sometimes he exhibits the form of humility, that he may steal away our affecting of the useful, as is the case when he declares to some that they are weaker and more useless than indeed they are, that whereas they look upon them- selves as too unworthy, they may fear to administer the things wherein they might be able to benefit their neighbours.
69. But these vices which the old enemy hides under the semblance of virtues, are very minutely examined by the hand of compunction. For he that really grieves within, resolutely foredeterniines what things are to be done outwardly, and what are not. For if the virtue of compunction moves us in our inward parts, all the clamouring of evil dictates is made mute; and hence it follows.
And none spake a word unto him; for they satv that his griff was very great.
70. For if the heart feels true sorrow, the vices have no xxxvii. tongue against it. And when the life of uprightness is 176 Thoughts that tempt may yet he turned to good.
Job 2, sought witli an entire aim, the fruitless prompting of evil j^l^^is closed up. But oftentimes if we brace ourselves with strong energy against the incitements of evil habits, we turn even those very evil habits to the account of virtue. For some are possessed by anger, but while they submit this to reason, they convert it into service rendered to holy zeal. Some are lifted up by pride. But whilst they bow down the mind to the fear of God, they change this into the fi-ee tone of unrestrained authority in defence of justice. Strength of the flesh is a snare to some; but whilst they bring under the body by practising works of mercy, from the same quarter, whence they were exposed to the goading of wicked- ness, they purchase the gains of pitifulness. And hence it is well that this blessed Job, after a multitude of conflicts, sacrifices a victim for his friends. For those whom he has for long borne as enemies by their strife, he one day makes fellow-countrymen by his sacrifice, in that whilst we turn all evil thoughts into virtues, bringing them into subjection, by the offering of the intention, we as it were change the hostile aims of temptation into friendly dispositions.
Let it suffice for us to have gone through these things in three volumes in a threefold method. For in the very beginning of this work we set firm the root of the tongue, as a provision against the bulk of the tree that should spring up, that we might afterwards produce the boughs of exposi- tion according as the several places require.
BOOK IV.
Wherein Gregory, having in the Preface set forth in few words that the letter of Scripture is at times at variance with itself, and that the im- precations of Job, as of Jeremiah and David, cannot he understood without absurdity according to the sound which they convey, explains the words of Job in historical, mystical, and moral sense, from the eommenc€ment of the third chapter to the twentieth verse of the same.
THE PREFACE.
He who looks to the text and does not acquaint himself with the sense of the holy Word, is not so much furnishing himself with instruction as bewildering himself in uncertainty, in that the literal words sometimes contradict themselves; but whilst by their oppositeness they stand at variance with themselves, they direct the reader to a truth that is to be understood. Thus, how is it that Solomon says. There isT.cc. 2, 24 24 nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink; and adds not long after, It is better to go to the house of Tec. 7, mourning than to the house of feasting? Wherefore did he * prefer mourning to feasting, who had before commended eating and drinking? for if by preference it be good * to eat and drink,' undoubtedly it should be a much better thing to hasten to the house of mirth than to the house of mouniing. Hence it is that he says again, Rejoice, O young EccAi, man, in thy youth; yet adds a little after,yor youth and^'^^ j^ pleasure are vanity. WTiat does this mean, that he should Vulg. either first enjoin practices that are reprehensible, or after- wards reprehend practices that he has enjoined, but that by the literal words themselves he implies that he, who finds difficulty in the outward form, should consider the truth to be understood, which same import of truth, while it is sought with humility of heart, is penetrated by continuance in reading. For as we see the face of strange persons, and know nothing of their hearts, but if we are joined to them N 178 Some things in Holy Writ cannot he taken literally.
Pref. in familiar communication, by frequency of conversation we / even trace their very thoughts; so when in Holy Writ the , historical narration alone is regarded, nothing more than the face is seen. But if we unite ourselves to it with frequent assiduity, then indeed we penetrate its meaning, as if by the effect of a familiar intercourse. For whilst we gather various truths from various parts, we easily see in the words thereof that what they import is one thing, what they sound hke is another. But every one proves a stranger to the knowledge 1 of it, in proportion as he is tied down to its mere outside. ii. See here, for instance, in that blessed Job is described as 3 ' having cursed his day, and said. Let the day perish wherein I was horn, and the night in which it was said, TJiere is a man child conceived; if we look no further than the surface, what can we find more reprehensible than these words? But who does not know that the day, in which he ^ was born, could not at that time be in existence, for it is the \ condition of time to have no stay of continuance. For f whereas by way of the future it is ever tending to be, so in going out by the past, it is ever hastening not to be.
Wherefore then should one so great curse that, which he is not ignorant hath no existence } But perchance it may be said, that the magnitude of his virtue is seen from hence, that he, being disturbed by tribulation, im- precates a curse upon that, which it is evident has no exist- ence at all. But this notion is set aside the moment the reasonableness of the thing is regarded, for if the object existed, which he cursed, it was a mischievous curse; but if it had no being, it was an idle one: but whoso is filled Mat. 12, with His Spirit, Who declareth, that every idle word that Oft men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the Day of Judgment; fears to be guilty of what is idle, even as of what is mischievous. To this sentence it is further added, Let that day he turned into darkness; let not God regard it from ahove, neither let the light shine iqjon it. Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it; let it he enfolded in hitterness. As for that night, let darkness seize upon it. Lo, let that night he solitary, let no joyful voice come therein: let it look for light, and have none; neither let it see the datcning of the day.
JoWs curse, and wish, if literal, were impious or utimeaning. 179 How is it that that day, which he knows to have gone by Book With the flight of time, is said * to be turned into darkness?' '— And whereas it is plain that it has no existence, wherefore is it wished for that * the shadow of death might stain it?' or what cloud dwells upon it, what envelopement of bitterness enfolds it? or what darkness seizes upon that night, which no stay holds in being? Or how is it desired that that may be solitary, which in passing away had already become nought? Or how does that look for the light, which both lacks perception, and doth not continue in any stay of its own self? To these words he yet further adds.
Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up Job 3, the ghost when I came out of the belly? Why did the knees ~~ prevent me? or uhy the breasts that 1 should suck? For now 1 should have lain still and have been quiet, I should have slept, and been at rest.
If he had died at once from the womb, would he have got ^*^- by this very destruction a title to a reward? Do abortive children enjoy eternal rest? For every man that is not absolved by the water of regeneration, is tied and bound by the guilt of the original bond. But that which the water of Baptism avails for with us, this either faith alone did of old see in behalf of infants, or, for those of riper years, the virtue of,5, (j^. sacrifice, or, for all that came of the stock of Abraham, the mystery of circumcision. For that every living being is I conceived in the guilt of our first parent the Prophet witnesses, saying. And in sin hath my mother conceived vie. P.*. 5], And that he who is not washed in the water of salvation, °* I does not lose the punishment of original sin. Truth plainly J declares by Itself in these words, Except a man be born o/'john 3, water and of the Spirit, lie cannot enter into the kingdom of^' God. How is it then, that he wishes that he had * died in the womb,' and that he believes that he might have had rest by the boon of that death, whereas it is clear that * the rest of life could in no wise be for him, if the Sacraments of Divine knowledge ' had in no wise set him free from the guilt of some suftering eternal torii)eDt«( with- manifested, would have the Sacrau.^ a out actual sin. St. Aug. ad Dardanum, of our Regeneration manifest. But for Ep. 187. pays that an actual incorpora- the righteous of old there was somewhat tion into the kingdom of God, after hidden, while still they too were sa^ed birtbjWas always necessar}' to salv:ition. by the same faith, which was to be 180 Death in original sin could not be wished /or.
Pref.
Job 3, 1 Vulg.
solitudines Wisd.
Luke of original sin t He yet further adds with whom he might hare rested, saying, With kings and counsellors of the earth uhich built desolate^ places for themselves. Who does not know that the kings and counsellors of the earth are herein far removed from ' solitude,' that they are close pressed with innumerable throngs of followers? and with what difficulty do they advance to rest, who are bound in with the tightened knots of such multifarious concerns! As Scripture witnesses, where it savs, But mighty men shall be mightily tormented. Hence Truth utters these words in the Gospel; unto whom- soever much is given, of him shall be much required. He implies besides, whom he would have had as fellows in that made known in its own time. For we dare not prefer the Taelievers of our own day to che friends of G-od, through whom those things were prophesied to us, when God so calls Himself the God of Ahrahani^ and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, as to say that this is His name for ever. But if circumcision is believed to have been to the ancient Saints instead of Baptism, what is to be said of those who pleased God before this was enioined, not however without faith P' &c. De C/D.xvi.27. He proves original sin by Gen. xvii. 14. where LXX add the eighth day. Vasq. also cites De Pec. Or.'Contr. Pel. et Ccel. ii. SO.Cont. Jul.iii. 18.Dt Nupt. etConc. ii. 10. (which last St. Greg, seems to have had in mind here, as there is the like mention of Faith, which St. A. says ' saved those ofoldj^pifsiUoscum major i- bus, thus including infants.) also S. Fulg. de Inc. c. 15. The Fathers in general deny this power to circumcision. See Vasquez in 1, 2^36. Disp. 130. c. 2. who cites Tertul. adv. Jud. 2 and 3. S. Cvpr. contr. Jud. i. 8. (Tr. p. 28.) S. Ambr. Ep. 72, De Abr. 1. i. e. 4, De Sacr. i. 4 and 5, De iis qui initi- antur (De Myst.) c. 8, and 9. (in c. iv. ad Rom. is not genuine.) S. Jer. on Gal. (iii, 5. and v, 5.) S. Just. Mart. D.
cum Tryph. c. 23. S. Iren. iv. 30. Orig. cent. Cels. 1. ii. (v. 28?) in Gen. Hom. iii. (see also on Ep. to Rom. 1. iv.) Euseb. Dem. i. 10. Hist. i. 1. (c. 2. §. 29?) S. Ath. on Matt. xi. 22. (He means De Sab. et Circ. §. 6. Ben. t. 2. p. 59. where he says it was that men might not be under the curse Dust thou art, <fec. but adds that it was done ' in part and as in a shadow.') S. Epiph. c. Hser. viii. (I. i. c. 6. he calls circumcision " carnal,' and opposes it to Baptism which cuts us off from sin.) S. Chrys. Horn xxvii. in Gen. Ben. t. iv. p. 258. and Homs. xxxix. xl. and de Prod, Judae, (?) and on Rom. Hom. vii. (vi. Ben. t. ix. p. 474. Tr. p. 7Q. where the words should be stronger, ' and from many other things one may see that it was not very necessary.') and on Heb. Hum. xiv. (?) S. Cyr. Al. against Jul. 1. X. (t. V. p. 352 sqq. Theod. q. Q7. in Gen. and 1. vii. ad Gr. Damasc. 1. iv. de Fide 10. 14. and 26. (25.) Theophyl. on Rom. ii. El. Cret. on S. Greg. Naz. Or. 1. (see also Or. xl. c. 28.) And one can hardly suppose that St. Gregory meant to speak of it as having any such direct and covenanted efficacy. It is allowed to be a prophetic sign or type of Regeneration, (see S. Aug. Ep. Ixxxii.) and of course obedience to the Law was required in order to the acceptance of those under the Law. Again, as theFaith bespeaks of as availing for infants must be that of the Parents, (Justinian on Rom. iv. 11. takes the punishment of neglect to be theirs, and St. Aug. thinks it may, q. xi. on Exod.) he may consider circumcision as the act embodying such faith. And if he means it also of adults, the same may be said of willingly choosing the state of obedience to the Law. If St. Aug. is wrong in taking eternal punishment to be threatened to infants uncircumcised, his argument still holds as analogical, and perhaps in that circumcision was even a direct acknowledgment of original, as sacrifice by bloodshedding of actual, sin. On the whole subject of original sin, see Bull's discourse on the state of man before the Fall; Taylor on Repentance, capp. vi. vii; Wall on Inf. Bapt. c. xix.
/ Some imprecatiotis in Holy Writ Jig uralive. 181 rest, in the words, Or with princes that had gold, that Jilted Pook their houses uith silver. It is a rare thing for them that '— have gold to advance to rest, seeing that Truth saith by Itself, TJtey that hare riches shall hardUj enter into the kingdom Matt. of heaven. For what joys in the other life can they look i^j^^^j?* for, who here pant after increase of riches? Yet that our I'N 23. Redeemer might further shew this event to be most rare, and only possible by the supernatural agency o^ God, He saith. With men this is impossible; but icith God all t Ai n gs ^iatt, are possible. Therefore because these words are, on the sur- ' face, at variance with reason, the letter itself thereby points out, that in those words the Saint delivers nothing after the letter.
But if we shall first examine the nature of other curses in iv. Holy Writ, we may the more perfectly trace out the import of this one, which was uttered by the mouth of blessed Job. For how is it that David, who to those that rewaided him evil, returned it not again, upon Saul and Jonathan falling in war, curses the mountains of Gilboa in the following words. Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither 2 Sam. let there be rain \ipon you, nor fields of offerings; for there ' ^'' the shield of Saul is vilely cast away, as though he had not been anointed with oil ^ How is it that Jeremiah, seeing that his preaching was hindered by the hardness of his hearers, utters a curse, saying, Cursed be the man, who brought S^r. 20, tidings to my father, saying, A man child is born unto thee? ^^' What then did the mountains of Gilboa offend when Saul died, that neither dew nor rain should fall on them, and that the words of his sentence against them should make them barren of all produce of verdure? Why, forasmuch as Gilboa is by inteqnetation ' running down,' while by Saul's anointing and dying, the death of our Mediator is set forth, by the mountains of CJilboa we have no unfit representation of the uplifted hearts of the Jews, who, while they let themselves run down in the pursuit of the desires of this world, were mingled together in the death of Christ, i.e. of* the Anointed.' And because in them the anointed King dies the death of the body, they too are left dry of all the dew of grace; of whom also it is well said, that ihey cannot be fields if first fruits. Because the high minds of the Hebrews bear no * first fruits;' in that at the coming of our Redeemer, pereistinp^ 22 182 Our sirniing is a birth of children to the world.
Pref. for the most part in unfaithfulness, they would not follow the first beginnings of the faith; for Holy Church, which for her first fruits was enriched with the multitude of the Gen- tiles, scarcely at the end of the world will receive into her bosom the Jews, whom she may find, and gathering none but the last, will put them as the remnant of her fruits. Is. 10, Of which very remnant Isaiah hath these words, For though thy people Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return. However, the mountains of Gilboa may for this reason be cursed by the Prophet's mouth, that whilst, the land being dried up, no fruit is produced, the possessors of the land might be stricken with the woe of that banenness, so that they might themselves receive the sentence of the curse, who had obtained as the just reward of their iniquities to have the death of the King take place among them. But how is it that, from the lips of the Prophet, that man received the sentence of cursing, who brought to his father the tidings of his birth? Doubtless this is so much the more full of deeper mystery within, as it lacks human reason without. For perchance, if it had sounded at all reasonable without, we should never have been kindled to the pursuit of the interior meaning; and thus he the more fully implies something within, that he shews nothing that is reasonable without. For though the Prophet had come into this world from his mother's womb to be the subject of affliction, in what did the messenger of his birth do wrong? But what does the person of the Prophet represent ' carried » fluctu- hither and thither^,' except the mutability of man, which came antis ^^ ^^ ^wQ^ of punishment, is thereby signified? and what is expressed by his ' father' but this world whereof we are born? And who is that man, who ' brings tidings of our birth to our father,' saving owx old enemy, who, when he views us fluctu- ating in our thoughts, prompts the evihninded, who by virtue of this world's authority have the preeminence, to persuading us to our undoing, and who, when he has beheld us doing 2favoii-acts of weakness, commends these with applause^ as brave, ^"* and tells as it were of male children being born, when he gives joy that vve have turned out corrupters of the truth by lying? He gives tidings to the father that a man child is bom, when he shews the world him, whom he has prevailed with, tm'ned Job's ^opening his mouth ^ He cursed not from passion. 183 into a corrupter of innocence. For when it is said to any Book one committing a sin or acting proudly, * Thou hast acted — like a man,' what else is this than that a man child is told of in the world? Justly then is the man cursed, who brings tidings of the birth of a man child; because his tidings betoken the damnable joy of our corrupter. Thus by these [ imprecations of Holy Scripture we learn what, in the case of blessed Job, we are to look for in his words of imprecation, lest he, whom God rewards after these wounds and these words, should be presumptuously condemned by the mistaken reader, for his words. As then we have in some sort cleared the points, which were to be the objects of our enquiry in the preface, let us now proceed to discuss and to follow on the words of the historical form.
Ver. 1, 2, 3. After this Job opened his mouth, and cursed his day. And Job spake, and said, Let the day perish icherein I was born.
1. That which is here said. He opened his mouth, must not i. be gone into negligently. For by the things which Holy Scripture premises but slighdy, we are apprised that what comes after is to be expected with reverence. For as we know notliing what vessels that are closed contain inside, but when the mouth of the vessels is opened, we discover what is contained within; so the hearts of the Saints, which so long as their mouth is closed are hidden, when their mouth is opened, are disclosed to view. And when they disclose their thoughts, they are said to open their mouth, that with the lull bent of our mind we may hasten to find out, as in vessels that are set open, what it is that they contain, and to refresh ourselves with their inmost iVagrance. And hence when the Lord was about to utter' His sublime precepts on the Mount, the words precede. And He opened ^isiiub, His mouth, and taught them; though in that place this too should be taken as the meaning, that He then opened His ou;n mouth in delivering precepts, wherein He had long while opened the mouths of the Prophets. But it requires very great nicety in considering the expression, After this, namely, in order that the excellence of all that is done may be per-