them that they should rest for a little season, until their n. ' fellowservants also and their brethren that should be killed as they were should be fulfilled; for what else is it for souls to utter the prayer for vengeance, but to long for the day of final judgment, and the resurrection of their lifeless bodies? For their great cry is their great longing; for every one cries the less, the less he desires; and he utters the louder voice in the ears of an uncircumscribed Spirit in proportion as he more entirely pours himself out in desire of Him, and so the words of souls are their very desires. For if the desire were not speech, the Prophet would not say. Thine ear hath heard Ps. lo, the desire of their heart; but as the mind which beseeches '* is usually affected one way and tlie mind which is besought another, and yet the souls of the Saints so cleave to God in the bosom of their inmost secresy, that in cleaving they find rest, how are those said to beseech, who it appears are in no degree at variance with His interior will? How are they said to beseech, who, we are assured, are not ignorant, either of God's will or of those things which shall be? Yet whilst fixed on Himself they are said to beseech any thing of Him, not in desiring aught that is at variance with the will of Him, Whom they behold, but in proportion as they cleave to Him with the greater ardour of mind, they also obtain \ from Him to beseech that of Him, which they know it is His will to do; so that they drink from Him that which they thirst after from Him. And in a manner to us incomprehensible as yet, what they hunger for in begging, they are filled wilhal in foreknowing; and so they would be at variance with their Creator's will, if they did not pray for that which they see to be His will, and they would cleave less closely to Him, if when He is willing to give, they knocked with less lively longing. These receive the answer spoken from God, Rest yet for a little season, till your fellowservants and your brethren be fulfilled. To say to those longing souls, rest yet for a little season, is to breathe uj)on them amid their burning desires, by the very foreknowledge, the soothings of consolation; so that both the voice of the souls is that desire which through love they entertain, and God's address in 76 How Satan cannot hut speak to God.
Job 1,8. answer is this, that He reassures them in their desires with the certainty of retribution. For Him then to answer that they should await the gathering of their brethren to tlieir number, is to infuse into their minds the delays of a glad awaiting, that while they long after the resurrection of the flesh, they may be further gladdened by the accession of their brethren who remain to be gathered to them.
12, It is in one way that God speaks to the devil, and in another that the devil speaks to God. For God's speaking to the devil is His rebuking his ways and dealings with the visitation of a secret scrutiny, as it is here said. Whence comest thou? But the devil's answering Him, is his being unable to conceal any thing from His Omnipotent Majesty; whence he says. From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. For it is as it were for him to say what he had been doing, that he knows that he cannot hide his doings from the eyes of That Being. But we must understand that, as we learn in this place, God has four ways of speaking to the devil, and the devil has three ways of speaking to God. God speaks to the devil in four modes, for He both reprehends his unjust ways, and urges against him the righteousness of His Saints, and lets him by permis- sion try their innocence, and sometimes stops him that he dare not tempt them. Thus he rebukes his unjust ways, as has been just now said. Whence comest thou? He urges against hiui Job 1,8. the righteousness of His own elect, as He saith. Hast thou considered My servant Job, that there is none like him in all the earth f He allows him by permission to put their Ter. 12. innocence to the test, as when He says. All thai lie hath is in thy power. And again He prevents him from tempting, when He says. But upon himself put not forth thy hand. But the devil speaks to God in tliree ways, either when he communicates to Him his dealing, or when he calumniates the innocence of the elect with false charges, or when he demands the same innocence to put it to trial. For ver. 7. he communicates his ways who says. From going to and fro in the earth, and front walking up and down hi it. He calumniates the innocence of the elect, when he says, ver.9 10. DotJi Job fear God for nought? Hast not Thou made an hedge about him, and about all his house, and He speaks against tlie Saints from envy. 77 about all that he hath on even/ side? He demands the Book II same innocence to be subjected to trial, when be says, 1— But put forth Thine hand noip and touch all that he hath, and he will curse Thee to Thy J ace. But God's say- ing, Whence comest thou? is His rebuking by virtue of His own goodness that one's paths of wickedness. His saying, Hast thou considered My sen-ant Job, that there is none like him in all the earth? is His making the elect, by justifying them, such as a rebel angel might envy. God's saying. All that he hath is in thy power, is, for the probation of the Saints, His letting loose upon them that assault of the wicked one, by the secret exercise of His power. God's say- ing. Only upon himself put not forth thine hand, is His re- straining him from an excessive assault of temptation, even in giving him permission. But the devil's saying, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it, signifies His inability to conceal from His unseen eyes the cunning of his wickedness. The devil's saying, Doth Job fear God for nought Y is his complaining against the just within the hiding places of his own thoughts, his envying their gains, and from envy searching out flaws for their condemnation. The devil's saying. Put forth Thine hand now and touch all that he hath, is his panting with the fever of wickedness to afflict the just. For in that through envy he longs to tempt the just, he seeks as it were by entreaty to put them to the test. Now then, as we have briefly described the methods of inward speaking, let us return to the thread of interpretation, which has been slightly interrupted.
Ver. 8. Hast thou considered My servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright tnan, one that /caret h God, and eschewelh evil?
13. The point has been already discussed in the foregoing discourse, that the devil proposed a contest not with Job but with God, blessed Job being set between them as the subject of the contest; and if we say that Job amid the blows erred in his speech, we assert what it is impious to imagine, that God was the loser in His ])ledge. For, lo, here also it is to be re- marked, that tlie devil did not first beg the blessed Job of the Lord, but the Lord commended him to the contempt of 78 Satan searches for matter of accusation.
JoBi,8.the devil; and unless He had known that he would continue in his uprightness, He would not assuredly have undertaken for him. Nor would He give him up to perish in the tempt- ation, against whom, before the temptation was sent, those firebrands of envy were kindled in the tempter's mind from God's own commendations.
14. But the old adversary, when he fails to discover any evil of which he might accuse us, seeks to turn our very good points into evil, and being beaten upon works, looks through our words for a subject of accusation; and when he finds not in our words either ground of accusation, he strives to blacken the purpose of the heart, as though our good deeds did not come of a good mind, and ought not on that account to be reckoned good in the eyes of the Judge. For because he sees the fruit of the tree to be green even in the heat, he seeks as it were to set a worm at its root. For he says, Ver. 9, 10. Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast Thou not made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land, 15. As if he said in plain terms, * What wonder is it, if he who has received so many blessings upon earth should behave without offence in return for them? He would then be really innocent, if he continued good in adversity; but why is he to be called great, whose every work has its recompense attending upon him, in all this abundance of good things V For the crafty adversary, when he bethinks himself that the holy man had acted well in prosperity, hastens by means of adversity to prove him guilty before the Judge. Whence it is well said by the voice of the Angel in Rev. 12, the Apocalypse, The accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before God day and night. Now holy Scripture is often used to set the day for prosperity, and the night for adversity. Accordingly he ceases not to accuse us by day and by night; forasmuch as he strives to shew us to be chargeable one while in prosperity, another while in ad- versity. In the day he accuses us, when he slanders us that we abuse our good fortune; in the night he accuses us, when he shews that we do not exercise patience in adversity; Trial by day or night. Satan tempts by Ood's power. 79 and therefore because no strokes had as vet touched blessed Book II. Job, he was as it were still wholly without that whereof he might be able to accuse him by night, but because in pros- perity he had thriven in a great holiness *^, he pretended that it was in return for his good fortune that he had done well, lying in the crafty assertion, that he did not keep his substance for the profit* of the Lord, but that he served the Lord for the^usum profit* of his substance. For there are some who, to enjoy «usum God, deal with this life like stewards, and there are some who to enjoy this life would make use of God by the bye. ^Vllen ^ S. Aug. then he describes the gifts of Divine bounty, he thinks to make chr.i.3. light of the acts of the resolute doer, that he might impeach^ 'addicat the heart of him as though on the score of secret thoughts, whose life he was unable to reprove on the score of works; falsely asserting that whatever outward innocence of life there might be, was in compliance not with the love of God, but with his longing after temporal prosperity. And so knowing nothing of the powers of blessed Job, and yet being well aware that every one is most truly tried by adversity, he demands him for trial, that he who throughout the day of prosperity had walked with unfailing foot, at least in the night of adversity might stumble, and by the offence of impatience might be laid low before the eyes of his commender. Whence he adds, Ver. 11. But put forth Tltine hand noic^ and touch all that he hath, and he will curse Tliee to TJnjface.
16. When Satan has a desire to tempt the holy man, and x. yet tells the Lord that He must put forth His hand against him, it is very deserving of notice that even he, who is so especially lifted up against the Maker of all things, never claims to himself the power to strike; for the devil knows well that he is unable to do any thing of himself, for neither in that he is a spirit does he subsist by himself Hence it is that in the Gos})cl, the legion, which was to be cast out of the man, exchiimcd, //' Thou cast us out, suffer us to go atcay yi^^^^g into the herd qf swine; for what wonder is it if he, who^^* could not by his own power enter into the swine, had no power without the Creator's hand to touch the holy man's house?
17. But we must know that the will of Satan is always «• Many Mss. re^id '.sanitate,' ' soundnew.'
80 Satan'' s evil will made to work out good.
joBi, evil, but his power is never unjust, for his will he derives ^^' from himself, but his power he derives from God. For what he himself unrighteously desires to do, God does not allow to be done except with justice. Whence it is well 1 Sam. said in the book of Kings, tlie evil spirit of God came upon ^^' ^^' Saul. You see that one and the same spirit is both called the Lord's spirit and an evil spirit; the Lord's, that is, by the concession of just power, but evil, by the desire of anygCiijust ' will, so that he is not to be dreaded, who has no power but by permission; and, therefore, that Power is the only worthy object of fear, w^hich when It has allowed the enemy to vent his rage, makes even his unjust will serve the purpose of a just judgment. But he requires that His hand should be put forth a little; they being external things, of which he seeks the hurt. For Satan even does not consider himself to accomplish much, unless he inflicts a wound in the soul, that by so smiting he may bring one back from that country, from which he lies far removed, laid prostrate by the weapon of his own pride. SoVuiff 1^* ^^^ ^^y ^^ ^^ ^^^^ ^^ says, if he have not blessed Thee to Thy face f We look, it means, toward that we love, but that we would be quit of, we turn away our face from it. What then is the face of God, unless the regard of His favour is set before us to be understood? Accordingly he says. But put forth 1 Vulg. Thine hand a little^, and touch all that he hath, and he will pauUu- f,n^.gg Thee to Thy face. As if he had said in plain words, E. V. Withdraw the things which Thou hast given him, for if he "'^ lose Thy gifts, he will no longer seek the regard of Thy favour, when his temporal good things are taken away. For if he no longer has the things in which he takes delight, he will despise Thy favour even to cursing Thee. By which crafty address The Truth Whom he challenges is in no wise over- come; but that is permitted the enemy to his own undoing, which may be reckoned to the faithful servant for the increase of his reward; for which cause it is immediately subjoined, Ver. 12. Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand.
-.: 19. We should mark in the Lord's words the dispensations of heavenly pity, how He lets go our enemy, and keeps him in; how He looses, and yet bridles him. He allows him some IVfti/ Job^s person was spared at first. 81 things for temptation, but withholds him from others. All Book that he hath is in thy hand, only upon hiinself put not forth — ^— thine hand. His substance He delivers over, but still He protects his person, which notwithstanding after a while He designs to give over to the tempter; yet He does not loose the enemy to every thing at once, lest he should crush His own subject^ by striking him on every side. For whenever' civem many evils betide the elect, by the wonderful graciousness of the Creator they are dealt out by seasons, that what by coming all together would destroy, may when divided be borne up against. Hence Paul says, God is faithful, Who i Cor. loill not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able, but ' will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. Hence David says, Examine me, P9.26,2. O Lord, and prove me. As if he said in plain words, ^ first examine my powers, and then, as I am able to bear, let me undergo temptation.' But this that is said. Behold, all that he hath is in thy power, only upon himself put not forth thine hand, is also capable of another sense, viz. that the Lord knew well, indeed, that His soldier was brave, yet chose to divide for him his contests with the enemy, that, though victory should in every case be sure to that staunch wanior, yet that from one conflict first the enemy might return to the Lord defeated, and that then he might grant him another encounter to be again worsted, so that his faithful follower might come forth the more incomparable conqueror, in proportion as the vanquished foe had repaired his forces again for fresh wars with him. It follows, So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.
20. What is this, that Satan is said to go forth from the xii. presence of the Lord? For how is it possible to go forth from Him, Who is every where present? Whence it is that He says. Do not I fill heaven and earth? Hence it isJer. 23, written comceming His Spirit, For the Spirit of the Lord^.\,. filleth the world. Hence it is that His Wisdom saith, / alone 7. compassed the circuit of heaven. Hence it is that the Lord 2/*^5!' says again. The heaven is My throne, and the earth is J/y Ts.G6,i. footstool. And again it is written of Him, He meteth Is. -lO, out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the ' " ^* earth in a measure, for He abides both within and without 6 82 Hoir Satan could leave God's Presence.
Job 1, the seat, whereon He rules. By His ' meting out heaven ^^^g^ vvith a span, and comprehending the earth in a measure,' He is shewn to "be Himself on every side beyond the circuit of all things which He has created. For that which is enclosed within is from without held in by that which encloseth it. By the throne, therefore, whereon He is seated, it is meant that He is within and above; by the ' measure,' wherewith ' He comprehends,' He is represented to be beyond and beneath; for whereas the same Being abides within all things, without all things, above all things, beneath all things, He is both above by virtue of His Dominion, and beneath by virlue of His Upholding; without, by His Immensity, and within, by His Subtlety; ruling from on high, holding together from below: encompassing without, penetrating within; not abiding by one part above, by another beneath, or l)y one part without, and by another part within, but One and the Same, and wholly every where, upholding in ruling, ruling in upholding; penetrating in encompassing, encompassing in penetrating; whence He ruleth from above, thence upholding from beneath, and whence He enfoldeth from without, thence filling up within; ruling on high without disquietude, upholding below without effort; within, penetrating without attenuation, without, encompassing without expansion. So that He is both lower and higher, without place; He is wider without breadth; He is more subtle with- out rarity.
21. Whither then is there any ^ going forth' from Him, Who being through the bulk of a body no where present, is through a Substance unlimited no where absent? Still, so long as Satan, kept down by the power of His Majesty, was unable to execute the longing of his wickedness, he, as it were, stood in the presence of the Lord, but he ' went forth' from the presence of the Lord, because, being freed from above from the pressure of an inward withholding, he went to the execution of his desire. He went forth from the presence of the Lord, forasmuch as his evil will, long bound by the fetters of a severe control, did at length proceed to fulfilment. For, as has been said, whilst that which he desired he had no power to fulfil, in a manner, he ' stood in the presence of the Lord,' because the Supreme Providence Satan^s skill in choosing uhen and how to tempt. 83 resirained liim from the execution of his wickedness, but Booi * he went forth from His presence/ because in receiving the power to tempt, he arrived at the goal, at which his wickedness aimed. It goes on: Ver. 13, 14, 15. And there was a day when his so7is and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house: And there canie a messenger unto Job, a?id said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them: And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge qf the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
22. We ought to observe what times are suited for xiii. temj^talions; for the devil chose that as the time for tempt- ing, when he found the sons of the blessed Job engaged in feasting; for tlie adversary does not only cast about what to do, but also when to do it. Then though he had gotten the power, yet he sought a fitting season to work his overthrow, to this end, that by God's disposal it might be recorded for our benefit, that the delight of full enjoyment is the fore- runner of woe. But we should observe the craft with which the losses that were inflicted by him are themselves related; for it is not said, * the oxen have been carried off by the Sabeans,' but ' the oxen, which have been carried away, were ploughing,' with the view doubtless that by mention of the profit of their labour, his cause for sorrow should be increased; for the same reason also' among the Greeks it is' LXX, not only asses, but asses with young, that are reported lo*';]*^"" have been taken away, that while such insignificant animals might less hurt tlic mind of the hearer from their value, they might from their productiveness inflict the sorer wound; and as misfortunes afflict the mind the more in proportion as, being many in number, they are also suddenly announced, the measure of his woes was enlarged even through the junctures* at which the tidings arrived. For it follows, Ver. 16. While he teas yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of Hod is J alien from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and con- sumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
« Articula, A.B. CD. E., Ben.* par- a ini*print, and the tni« reading of ticulai', but the note shews this to be that Edition, articulas.
84 Job seemed to suffer directly from God.
Job 1, 23. Lest the loss of his property might not stir up suffi- cient grief at the hearing, he urges his feelings to exceed by ^■^y^ the very words of the messengers. For it is to be remarked how craftily it is said, the fire of God, as though it were said, thou art suffering the visitation of Him, Whom thou desiredst to appease by so many sacrifices: thou art undergoing the wrath of Him, in Whose service thou didst daily weary thy- self! For in signifying that God, Whom he had served, had brought upon him his misfortunes, he mentions a sore point on which he may break forth; to the end that he might recall to mind his past services, and reckoning that he had served in vain, might be lifted up against the injustice of the Author. For the godly mind, when it finds itself to meet with crosses from the hands of man, finds repose in the consolations of Divine favour; and when it sees the storms of trial gather strength without, then seeking the covert of trust in the Lord, it takes refuge within the haven of the conscience. But that the cunning adversary might at one and the same moment crush the bold heart of the holy man, both by strokes from man and by despair ^ in God, he both brought tidings at first that the Sabeans had made an irrup- tion, and announced immediately afterwards that the fire of God had fallen from heaven, that he might as it were shut up every avenue of consolation, whereas he shews even Him to be against him. Who might have solaced his spirit amidst his adversities; so that considering himself in his trials to be on every side forsaken, and on every side in a strait, he might burst into reviling with so much the more hardihood as he did it in the greater desperation. It goes on;