Ver. 18. And thou shall have confidence, because hope is set before thee. xix. 36. For hope lifts itself the more firmly rooted in God, in proportion as a man has suffered harder things for His sake, since the joy of the recompensing is never gathered in eternity, which is not first sown here below in religious sor- Ps. 126, rowing. Hence the Psalmist saith, TJiey went forth and wept as they went, bearing precious seed, but they shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing their sheaves 2 Tim. with them. Hence Paul saith. If ue be dead with Him, ice ^i^^'^"^' shall also live with Him; if we suffer, we shall also reign ActsU,'i^il^i Him. Hence he warns his disciples, saying, A?id ^^* that we must through much tribulation enter into the king- dom of God. Hence the Angel, shewing the glory of the Bev. 7, Saints to John, saith. These are they that came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore because we now sow in tribulation that we may afterwards reap the fruit of joy, the heart is strengthened with the larger measure of con- fidence in proportion as it is pressed with the heavier weight of affliction for the Truth's sake. Whence it is therefore fitly added, » V. de- Yea, being dug to the bottom ^, thou shall rest secure. fossus ^^ For just as present security begets toil to the wicked, so present toil begets perpetual security to the good. Hence he already knew that it was his ' to rest secure after he had Rest succeeds deep self -searching, COT been dug to the bottom,' who said, For I am now ready to Book he offered, and the time of mij departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course: I have kept ^ g.g. the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, ivhich the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day. For as he had striven without giving over against transitory ills, doubtless he reckoned without misgiving on enduring joys.
38. Not but that the expression, * been dug to the bottom,' may be understood in another sense also: for oftentimjes being busied with transitory matters, we neglect to consider in what great things we go wrong; but if the eye of reflection being brought in, the pile of earthly thoughts be discharged from the recesses of the heart, what lay hid from sight w^ithin is f< disclosed to view; whence holy men never cease to explore f 1 the secret hiding places of their souls; minutely searching / themselves, they throw off the cares of earthly things, and their thoughts being thoroughly; dug up from the bottom^, when they find that they are not cankered in any wise i effossis by the guilt of sin, they rest secure in themselves as upon the bed of the heart. For they desire to be hid apart fi*om the coiu'ses of this world. They are always thinking on their own concerns, and when they are not at all tied by the harness of government, they decline to pass judgment on what concerns others. Therefore ' having been dug to the bottom they rest secure,' in that whilst with wakeful eye they dive into their inmost recesses, they withdraw themselves from the toilsome burthens of this world under the disengagement of repose. And hence it is yet further added, Ver. 19. Also thou shall lie down, and there shall he none to make thee afraid.
39. Whosoever seeks present glory doubtless dreads con- xxi. tempt. He, who is ever agape after gain, is ever surely in fear of loss. For that object, the receiving of which is medicine to him, the loss thereof is his wounding, and as he is rivetted under fetters to things mutable and destined to perish, so he lies gi'ovelling beneath, far apart from the stronghold of security. But, on the other hand, whoever is rooted in the desire of eternity alone, is neither uplifted by good fortune nor shaken by adverse fortune; whilst he has G08 Worldly desires cause worldly fears. Menpromise lohatthey value.
Job. 11, nought in the world which he desires, there is nought which TT — he dreads from the world. For it is hence that Solomon Hist.
Prov. saith. It shall not grieve the just whatsoever shall happen Pj.'q^ ' unto him. Hence he says again. The righteous as a bold 28, 1. lion shall be without alarm. Therefore it is rightly said here; Also thou shall lie down, and none shall make thee afraid, in that every one the more completely casts away from himself the fear that cometh from the world, the more thoroughly he overcomes in himself the lust of the world. Did not Paul lie Rom. 8, down and rest in heart without fear, when he said, For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to 1 So come, nor strength^, nor height, nor deptli, nor any other ^' creature shall be able to separate us from, the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. The force of which same love is commended by the true voice of the Holy Cant. 8, Church, where it is said in the Song of songs. For love is strong as death. For love is compared to the force of death, in that that soul which it has once taken possession of, it wholly kills to the deli ghtfuln ess of the world, and sets it up the stronger in authority, that it renders it indifferent towards objects of terror. But herein it is to be known, that when bad men deliver right sentiments, it is very hard for them not to let themselves out upon that, which they are going after in secret within. Hence Zophar forthwith adds; Yea, many shall make suit unto thee.
xxii. 40. For the righteous do not keep themselves in the nan'ow paths of innocency with this view, that they may be implored by others, but whether heretics or any that be per- verse, all of them, in that they live with an appearance of innocency among men, have the desire to shew themselves as intercessors in behalf of men, and when in talk they convey holy truths, what they themselves are hankering after, they promise to others as something great; and whilst they tell of heavenly things, they soon shew by their pledges what their hearts are bent on. But lest by long continuing to promise earthly things, they may be made appear what they are, they quickly return to words of uprightness. Whence it is im- mediately added.
The eyes of the iciched fail ivhen their oljects perish. ()09 But the eyes of the wicked shall fail,arid refuge shall perish Book from them.
41. That by the designation of eyes' the energy of the xxiii. intention is set forth to us, ' Truth' testifies in the Gospel, saying. If thine eye shall he single^ thy whole body shall he^^^^^-^j full of light. Forasmuch as if a pure intention have pre- ceded our action, howsoever it may seem otherwise to men, yet to the eyes of our interior Judge, the body of the deed that follows after is presented pure. Therefore the * eyes' of the wicked are the intentions of carnal desires in them, and these fail for this reason, that they are careless of their eternal interests, and are ever looking for transitory ad- vantages alone. For they aim to get themselves an earthly name, they wish above all things to grow and increase in temporal goods, they are daily advancing with the tide of transient things to the goal of death; but they think not to take account of the things of mortalit}' upon the principles of their mortal nature. The life of the flesh is failing minute by minute, and yet the desire of the flesh is growing; property gotten is snatched off by an instant end, yet the eagerness in getting is not ended the more; but when death withdraws the wicked, then indeed their desires are ended with their life. And the eyes of these fail them through the Avenging of the Most High, for that they would not fail here by their own determination to earthly gratification. These same eyes of such persons the Psalmist had seen closed to their former enjoyment, when he said. In that day all their Fs. 146, thoughts jwrish. For they meet at once with eternal woes ' they had never thought on, and on a sudden lose the temporal goods, they had long while held and dealt with. And for these * all refuge shall perish,' in that their iniquity finds not w^here to hide itself from the visitation of the searching Judge. For now, when the wicked undergo some slight mishaps or evil chances, they find a hiding-place for refuge, in that they forthwith have recourse to the enjoyment of earthly objects of desire. For that poverty torment them not, they beguile the spirit with riches. Or lest the contempt of their neighbours sink them, they exalt themselves with titles. If the body is cloyed with satiety, it is pampered with the variety of viands set before it. If the mind is weighed (310 Carnal men's hojye, good men's abomination.
Job 11, down by any impulse to sadness, it is immediately relieved -=j— ^ — by the bcguilements of spovtiveness being introduced. Here therefore they have as many places of refuge as they make for themselves entertainments of delight; but one time * refuge shall perish from them,' in that their soul, when all these are gone, sees only itself and the Judge. Then the pleasure is withdrawn, but the guilt of pleasure is preserved; and ere long the miserable wretches leani by their perishing that they were perishable things they had possession of Yet these as long as they live in the body never cease to seek after things of a nature to do them harm. Whence it is still further added, And their hope shall be the abomination of the soul. xxiv. 42. What does the sinner hope for here in all his thoughts saving to surpass others in power, to go beyond all men in the abundance of his stores, to bow down his rivals in lording it over them, to display himself as an object of admiration to his followers, to gratify anger at will, to make himself known as kind and gracious when he is commended, whatever the appetite longs for to offer to it, to acquiesce in all that pleasure dictates by the fulfilling of the thing? Well then is their hope said to be ' the abomination of the soul,' for the very same objects which carnal men go after, all spiritual persons abominate, according to the sentence of righteous- ness. For that which sinners account pleasure, the righteous, surely, hold for pain. Therefore the hope of the wicked is the abomination of the soul, for the spirit is wasted while the body is at ease. For as the flesh is sustained by soft treat- ment, so is the soul by hard dealing; soothing appliances cherish the first, harsh methods exercise the last. The one is fed with enjoyment, the last thrives on bitterness. And as hardships wound the flesh, so softness kills the spirit, as things laborious kill the one, so things delightful destroy the other. Therefore the hope of carnal men is said to be the abomination of the soul; in that the spirit perishes for ever by the same means whereby the flesh lives pleasantly for a while.
43. Now Zophar would have said this aright, if blessed Job had not proclaimed it all more fully even by living accordingly. But whereas he sets himself to give an holier Conceit of knowledge breeds foolish contempt, 611 man admonition concerning the way of living, and to instruct Book one more skilled than himself with the tutorage of wisdom, he — ^-^ hy his own act makes the weight of his words light, in that by letting in indiscreetness he undoes all that he says; in that he is pouring on the liquid element of knowledge into a full vessel. For the treasures of knowledge are possessed by the indiscreet just as treasures of corporal substance are often in the possession of fools. For some that are sustained by a full measure of earthly goods at times give largely even to those that have, that they may themselves seem to have them in fuller measure than all men. So the v.icked, since they are imbued with truth, speak in some respects right even to those that are more right than they are, not that they may instruct others that hear them, but that they may make it appear with what a lund of instruction they are furnished. For they hold that they excel all men in wisdom, therefore they imagine that there is nothing that they can say to any man beyond the measure of theii greatness. Thus all the wicked, thus all heretics are not afraid to instmct their betters with a high tone, in that they look upon all as inferior to themselves. But Holy Church recalls every one that is high minded from the height of his selfesteem, and fashions him anew- by the band of discretion in the jointing of equality. Whence blessed Job, who is a member of the same Holy Church, seeing that the mind of his friend was swoln and big in words of instruction whicli he delivered, thereupon answered, saying, Chap. xii. •2. No doubt but ye are the only men, and tcisdom shall die with you.
44. Whosoever reckons himself to excel all men in the xxv. faculty of reason, what else does such a man but exult that he is the ' only Man?' xA.nd it often ha])pens that when the mind is borne on high through pride, it is uplifted in con- tempt of all men, and in admiration of self. For self-applause springs up in the imagination, and folly is itself its own flatterer for singularity of wisdom. It ponders all that it has heard, and considers the words that it utters; and it admires its own, and scoffs at those of others. He then, who thinks that he only is wise, what else is this but that he believes that that same ' wisdom dies with him?' For what he denies C12 Job''s friends proud of common attainments.
Job 12, to be ^ith others, ascribing to himself alone, he doth, in -rT—~ tiiith, confine within the period of his brief span. But we are to consider what exact discretion the holy man employs, in order that the arrogance of his friends in the fulness of pride might be brought within bounds, in that he adds forth- with, Ver. 3. But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you, xxvi. 45. For who is ignorant how greatly the practice and the knowledge of blessed Job excels the knowledge that his friends have? Now in order to correct their pride, he asserts that he is ' not inferior' to them, and lest he should transgress the limits of his own humility, he keeps to himself that he is superior to them; not by setting himself above, but by equalling himself to them, he points out what they should learn concerning themselves, who are far unlike to him; that whereas that wisdom which is high is voluntarily bowed down, the knowledge which lies grovelling may never erect itself against the nature of its powers, and he does well that he immediately recalls these to a sense of their equal condition, reflecting that they are swoln to excess as if for singularity in greatness, when he afterwards proceeds.
Yea, who knoweth not such things as these that ye know? xxvii. 46. As though he said in plain words; Since what ye say is known to all men, wherefore are ye puffed up by the know- ledge contained in your sayings, as of singular merit? There- fore whereas in bringing back the pride of the self-conceited to a common level of equality, he has reproved with a full correction, he now breaks out into statements of instruction; that his friends having been humbled first might learn the weightiness of Truth, and how reverently they should hear it. It proceeds, Ver. 4. He that is mocked of his neighbour as I am, calleth upon God, and He answereth him, xxviii. 47. Oftentimes the frail mind, when it is welcomed by the breath of human regard on the score of good actions, runs out into outward delights, so that it lays aside what it in- wardly desires, and willingly lies all loosely in that which it gives ear to without. So that it does not so much delight to become as to be called blessed; and whereas it gapes after Mockery of men drives holy minds to God. 613 the words of applause, it gives over what it had begun to be; Book I and so it is severed from God by the same means by which — ^-^— it appeared to be commendable in God. But sometimes it presses forward in good practice with a constant heart, and yet is pushed hard by the scoffs of men; it does admirable deeds, and gets only abuse; and he that might have been made to go forth without by commendations, being repulsed by insults, returns back again into himself; and stablishes himself the more firmly in God, that he findeth no place without when he may rest in peace: for all his hope is fixed in his Creator. And amidst scoffs and revilings, the interior Witness is alone implored. And his soul in his distress becomes God's neighbour, in proportion as he is a stranger to the favour of man's esteem. He forthwith pours himself out in prayer, and being pressed without, he is refined with a more perfect purity to penetrate into all within. I'herefore it is well said at this time, He that is mocked of his neighbour as I am, will call upon God, and He will hear him. For whilst the wicked reproach the soul of the good, they are shewing them Whom to seek as the Witness of their actions. And while their soul in compunction braces itself in prayer, it is united within itself to the hearing of the Most High, by the same act whereby it is severed from the applause of man without itself But we ought to note how thoughtfully the words are inserted, as I am. For there be some men whom both the scoffings of their fellow-creatures sink to the ground, and yet they are not such as to be heard bv the ears of God. For when mock- ing issues against sin, surely no virtuous merit is begotten in that mocking. For the priests of Baal, when they called upon him with clamorous voices, were mocked by Elijah, when he said. Cry aloud; for he is a god, either he is talking, i Kings or he is staying on a Journey. But this mocking was con- ^^' '^'^' ducive to the service of virtue, in that it came by the deserts of sin. So that it is advisedly said now, He that is mocked of his friend, as I am, calleth upon God, and He heareth him. For the mockery of his fellow-creatures makes Him God's neighbour, whom innocency of life keeps a stranger to his fellow -creatures' wickednesses. It proceeds.
For the upright man'^s simplicity is Umghed to scorn.
014 Simplicity of the upright scorned by the World.
Job 12, 48. It is the wisdom of this world to overlay the heart with inventions, to veil the sense with words; things that are XXIX.
Hist.* ^^^se to shew for true, what is true to make out fallacious. This is the wisdom that is acquired by the young by practice. This is learnt at a price by children, they that are acquainted with it are filled with pride, despising other men; they that know nothing of it, being subdued and browbeaten, admire it in others; for this same duplicity of wickedness, being glossed over by a name, is their joy and delight, so long as froward- ness of mind goes by the title of urbanity. She dictates to her followers to seek the high places of honour, to triumph in attaining the vain acquisition of temporal glory; to return manifold the mischiefs that others bring upon us; when the means are with us, to give way to no man's opposition; when the opportunity of power is lacking, all whatsoever he cannot accomplish in wickedness to represent in the guise of peaceable good nature. But on the other hand it is the wisdom of the righteous, to pretend nothing in show, to discover the meaning by words; to love the truth as it is, to eschew falsehood; to set forth good deeds for nought, to bear evil more gladly than to do it; to seek no revenging of a wrong, to account opprobrium for the Truth's sake to be a gain. But this simplicity of the righteous is ' laughed to scorn,' in that the goodness of purity is taken for foil}' with the wise men of this world. For doubtless every thing that is done from innocency is accounted foolish by them, and whatever truth sanctions in practice sounds weak to carnal wisdom. For what seems worse folly to the world than to shew the mind by the words, to feign nothing by crafty contrivance, to return no abuse for wrong, to pray for them that speak evil of us, to seek after poverty, to forsake our possessions, not to resist him that is robbing us, to offer the other cheek to one that strikes us.'' Whence that illustrious Wise one of God speaks well to the lovers of this Exod.8, world, We shall sacrifice the abominalion of the Egyptians to the Lord our God. For the Egyptians loathe to eat the flesh of shee]), but that which the Egyptians loathe, the Israelites offer up to God; for that singleness of conscience, which the unrighteous one and all scorn as a thing most mean and abject, the righteous turn into a sacrifice of virtue.
The ' ricW that are judged^ those who think themselves so, 615 and the just in their worshipping sacrifice purity arid mild- Book ness to God, which the sons of perdition in abomination thereof account weakness. Which same siraphcity of the righteous man is briefly yet adequately expressed, in that the words are forthwith introduced; Ver. 5. A lamp despised in the thought of the rich.
49. What is denoted in this place by the title of the ' rich,' xxx. but the highmindedness of the proud, who have no respect for the Judge that shall come, while they are swollen with proud thoughts within themselves? For there are some that by a fortune are not lifted up in pride, but elevated thereby through works of mercy. And there are some who, while they see that they overflow with earthly resources, do not look for the true riches of God, and have no affection for the eternal land, for they think that this is enough for them, that they are set up with temporal goods. The fortune then is not in fault, but the feeling. For all things that God created are good, but he who uses good things amiss, assuredly brings it about that as it were through gluttonness of greedy appetite, he perishes by the bread whereby he ought to live. The beggar Lazarus attained to rest, but torments racked the proud rich one. And yet Abraham was rich, who held Lazarus in his bosom. Yet holding commune with his Maker, he says, / have taken upon me to speak unto theGen.is, Lord, which am hnt dust and ashes! How then did he know to set a value on riches, who accounted himself to be dust and ashes f or how could his possessions even exalt him, who entertained such poor notions about himself who was the owner of them } 50 Yet again there are some, to whom earthly property is not vouchsafed, and yet they are set up in their own ayes, in height of swollen pride. At the same time that there is no fortune at all to uplift these to the display of power, yet the frowardness of their ways assigns them a place among the lost children of riches. All, then, that love of the life to come does not fill with abasement, the sacred word here calls rich. For in the avenging of Judgment, there is no difference to them whether tbcy be swollen with goods, or only in disposition. These, when they see the life of the simple sort in this world to be lowly and abased, forthwith scoff" at them 616 Men icho die to sin thought dead by the World.
Job 12, with proud sconiings; for they mark that that is wholly wanting '- — to them without, which they pant after themselves with their best endeavours. Therefore they look down upon them as fools, who are without those things, by the having or merely loving of which they themselves in trath are perishing; and they take those for dead, whom they observe in no sort to live with themselves after the flesh. For he that dies from the desires of this world, is of course held by earthly minds to be utterly dead. Which is well represented by the miracle of our Redeemer when He frees a man from an Mark9, unclean spirit, concerning which same it is written: And '' the spirit cried and rent him sore, and came out of him, and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, he is dead. But Jesus took him hy the hand, and lifted him up, and he arose: for he looks like one dead that is set free from the power of an evil spirit. For whosoever has already got the better of earthly desires, makes the life of carnal conversation extinct in himself; and he seems dead to the world, in that he lacks the wicked one that possessed him, who urged him by impure desires; and many call him dead, in that they who know not how to live spiritually, look upon him who does not follow carnal good to be wholly lifeless.
51. But because the very scoffers at the simple ones are themselves too enrolled under the name of Christians, being overruled by reverence for religion, they are ashamed to make a display of the sin of open scoffing. Whence it happens that full of pride in themselves, and in silence, they scoff at those whom they take to be utterly mean and abject from their simplicity. Therefore it is well expressed, A lamp is despised in the tJtought of the rich; for all the proud, whereas they are unskilled to estimate the blessings to come, as we have said above, account him almost as nothing whom they do not see to be possessed of that which they are devoted to. For it often happens that each one of the Elect, who is being conducted to eternal bliss, is overwhelmed here with uninter- mitted calamitj*, there is no plentifulness of stores that buoys him up, no lustre from titles that makes him conspicuous, no crowd of followers falls to his lot, no pomp of raiment makes him a figure in the eyes of men, but he is regarded as an object of contempt by all men, and accounted unworthy of David despised without, bright within. 617