then is signified the sinful Gentile world; for whilst Judaea Book thought herself righteous, it appears how damnable she '— thought the Gentile world, as Paul is witness, who saith. We who are Jews hy nature^ and not sinners of the Gentiles. Gal. 2, Therefore our Mediator, as it were, shaved His head, and fell ^' down upon the earth, seeing that in forsaking Judaea, whilst He took awav His Sacraments from her Priesthood, He came to the knowledge of the Gentiles. For He ' shaved the hair from His Head,' because He took away from that His first Priesthood the Sacraments of the Law. And He fell upon the earth, because He gave Himself to sinners for their salvation; and while He gave up those who appeared to themselves righteous. He took to Himself those, who both knew and confessed that they were unrighteous. And hence He Himself declares in the Gospel, For judgment I «/// John 9 come into this world, that they that see not might see, and^^- that they which see might be made blind. And hence the pillar of the cloud, which went before the people in the wilderness, shone with a radiant flame of fire not in the day but in the night; for this reason, that our Redeemer, in giving guidance to those that followed Him by the example of lite and conduct, yielded no light to such as trusted in their own righteousness, but on those who acknowledged the darkness of their sins. He shone with the fire of His love. Nor, be- cause Job is said to fall on the earth, let us account this to be an unworthy representation of our Redeemer. For it is written, 'Die Lord sent a Word into Jacob, and it hath is. 9, 8. fallen ' upon Israel. For Jacob means one that overthrows! e. v. another, and Lsrael, one that sees God. And what is signi-''^'^''^'' fled by Jacob but the Jewish people, and l)y Israel but the Gentile world } For in that very One Whom Jacob aimed to overthrow by the death of the flesh, the Gentile world, by the eyes of faith, beheld God. And thus the Word, that was sent to Jacob, lighted upon Israel; for Him whom tlxe Jewish people rejected when He came to them, the Gentile world at once owned and found. For concerning the Holy Spirit it is written, The Spirit of' God fell upon them, Acuii, 58. And for this reason either the Word of God or the^'"** Holy Spirit is said to fall in Holy Scripture, to describe the suddenness of His coming. For whatever rushes down or 108 The Synagoyue our Lord's Mother in the Flesh..
Job i» falls, comes to the bottom directly. And therefore it is as if 7—^ the Mediator had fallen upon the earth, that without any previous signs He unexpectedly came to the Gentiles. And it is well said, that He fell down upon the earth and worshipped, in that whilst He Himself undertook the low- estate of the flesh. He poured into the hearts of believers the breathings of humility. For He did this, in that He taught the doing of it, in the same way that it is said of His Holy Roin. 8, Spirit, But the Spirit itself make lit requesf^ for us with 1 ^yi (jroanings which cannot he uttered. Not that He petitions, poatatat WTho is of perfect equality, but He is said to make request for no other reason than that He causes those to make request whose hearts He has filled: though our Redeemer, moreover, manifested this in His own Person, Who even besought the Father when He was drawing nigh to His Passion. For what wonder if, in the form of a servant, He submitted Himself to the Father by pouring out His suppli- cations to Him, when in the same He even underwent the violence of sinners, to the very extremity of death. It proceeds: Ver. 21. Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither, 59. The mother of our Redeemer, after the flesh, was the Synagogue, from whom He came forth to us, made manifest by a Body. But she kept Him to herself veiled under the covering of the letter, seeing that she neglected to open the eyes of the understanding to the spiritual import thereof. Because in Him, thus veiling Himself with the flesh of an human Body, she would not see God, she as it were refused to behold Him naked in His Divinity. But He ' came naked out of His mother's womb,' because when He issued from the flesh of the Synagogue'' He came openly manifest to the Gentiles; which is excellently represented by Joseph's leaving His cloak and fleeing. For when the adulterous woman would have used him to no good end, he, leaving his cloak, fled out of the house; because when the Synagogue, believing Him to be simply man, would have bound Him as it were in an adulterous embrace. He too left the covering of the letter to its eyes, and manifested Himself to the Gentiles ^ i\\. coming forth from the Synagogue in the Flesh.
1 How our Lord receii'ed, and losi^ the Jexrs. 109 without disguise for the acknowledgment of the Power of His Book Divinity. And hence Paul said, But even to this day, when-^—^ — Moses is read, the vail is upon their hearts; for this 16. ' reason, that the adulteress kept the cloak in her own hands, but Him, Whom she wickedly laid hold of, she let go naked. He then Who coming from the Synagogue plainly disclosed Himself to the faith of the Gentiles, * came naked out of His mother's womb.' But does He wholly give her up.? Where then is that which the Prophet declares. For though thy u.io, people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of^^' them shall return? where that which is written. Until the Rom. fulness of the Gentiles be come in; and so all Israel shall be^^^ ^^* saved/ The time will be, then, when He will shew Himself clearly to the Synagogue also. Yes, the time will doubtless come in the end of the world, when He will make Himself known, even as He is God, to the remnant of His People. Whence it is likewise justly said in this place, and naked shall I return (hither. For be ' returns naked to His mother's womb,' when, at the end of the world. He, Who being made Man in time is the object of scorn, is revealed to the eyes of His Synagogue as God before all worlds. It proceeds; Ver. 21. The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; as it hath pleased the Lord, so is it coine to pass; blessed be the Name of the Lord.
60. Our Redeemer, in that He is God, gives all things withxxxvii the Father; but in that He is Man, He receives at the hands of the Father, as one among all. Therefore let Him say of Judaja, so long as she believed in the mystery of His Incar- nation to come, the Lord hath given. Let Him say of her, when she slighted the looked for coming of His Incarnation, the Ijyrd hath taken away. For she was * given,* when in the persons of a certain number she believed what was to be; but she was* taken away,' as the just desert of her blindness, when she scorned to hold in veneration the truths believed by those.
Gl. But let Him instruct all that believe in Him, that when under scourges they may know how to bless God, in the words that are added. As it hath pleased the Lord, so is it done^; i not in blessed be the Name of the Lord. Whence likewise, as the ^' ^ • 110 Clirist typified in Job as suffering without sin.
Job 1, Gospel is witness, when He is described to be drawing near - — '- — to His Passion, He is said to have taken bread and given thanks. And so He gives thanks Who is bearing the stripes of the sins of others. And He, Who did nothing worthy of strokes, blesses humbly under the infliction of them, doubtless that He might shew from hence what each man ought to do in the chastisement of his own transgressions, if He thus bears with patience the chastisement of the trans- gressions of others, that He might shew hence what the servant should do under correction, if He being equal gives thanks to the Father under the rod. It proceeds; Ver. 22. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.
62. ' That he neither sinned, nor charged God foolishly,' Peter, as we have said, above testifies of Him in plain terms, 1 Pet. saying. Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth. For guile in the mouth is so much the more senseless folly with God, the moi*e that in the eyes of men it passes for 1 Cor. 3, crafty wisdom, as Paul bears witness, saying. The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. Forasmuch then as there was no guile in His mouth, verily He said nothing foolishly. The Priests and the Rulers believed that He charged God foolishly, when, being questioned at the time of His Passion, He testified that He was the Son of God.
Matt.
And hence they question, saying. What further need have we of witnesses? Behold now we have heard His blasphemy. But He did not charge God foolishly, in that speaking the words of truth, even in dying He brought before the unbe- lievers that concerning Himself, which He soon after manifested to all the redeemed by rising again.
Moral (j3. We have briefly gone through these particulars, re- ^^' garded under the view of representing our Head. Now, as they tend to the edification of His Body, let us explain them to be considered in a moral aspect; that we may learn how / that, which is described to have been done in outward deed, is acted inwardly in our mind. Now when the sons of God present themselves before God, Satan also presents himself among tliem, in that it very often happens that that old enemy craftily blends and unites himself with those good thoughts, which are sown in our hearts through the instrumentality of Satan walks up and dotcn in cart lily minds. \ 1 1 the coming of the Holy Spirit, to disorder all that is rightly Book conceived, and tear in pieces what is once wrongly disordered. ^— But He, Who created us, does not forsake us in our tempt- ation. For our enemy, who hid himself in ambush against us, He makes easy to be discovered by us, through the illu- mination of His light. Wherefore He saith to him immediately, Whence comest thoui fi4. For His interrogating the crafty foe is the discovering xxxix. to us his ambush, that where we see him steal into the heart, we may watch against him with resolution and with caution.
Ver. 7. Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
65. Satan's going to and fro in the earth is his exploring xl. the hearts of the canial, and seeking diligently whence he may find grounds of accusation against them. He ^ goeth Vulg. round about the earth,' for he comes about the hearts of men, ^'*^"' that he may carry oft' all that is good in them, that he may lodge evil in their minds, that he may heap up on that he has lodged, that he may perfect that he has heaped, that he may gain as his fellows in punishment those whom he has per- fected in sin. And observe that he does not say that he has been flying through the earth, but that he has been walking up and down in it; for, in truth, he is never quick to leave whomsoever he tempts; but there where he finds a soft heart, he plants the foot of his wretched persuasion, so that by resting thereon, he may stamp the prints of evil practice, and by a like wickedness to his own may render reprobate all whom he is able; but in despite of him blessed Job is commended in these words; Ver. 8. Hast thou considered My servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one thatfeareth God, and escheweth evil?
C(i. To him, whom Divine Inspiration makes strong to xli. meet the enemy, God gives praise as it were in the ears of Satan; for His giving him praise is the first vouchsafing virtues, and aftenvards preserving them when vouchsafed. But the old enemy is the more enraged against the righteous, the more he perceives that they are hedged around by the 112 God upholds the Electa but inwardly.
Job 1, favour of God's protection. And hence he rejoins, and Ver. 10. Doth Job fear Ood for nought? Hast not Thou 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. xlii. 67. As though he plainly said; ' Wherefore dost Thou extol him whom Thou stablishest with Thy protection } for man would deserve Thy praises, while Thou despisest me, if he withstood me by his own proper strength.' Hence also he immediately demands on man's head with evil intent, what man's Defender concedes though with a merciful design. For it is added, Ver. 11. But put forth Thine hand now, and touch all that he hath; and he will curse Thee to Thy face, xliii. 68. For when we yield plentifully the fruits of virtue, and when we are flourishing in uninterrupted prosperity, the mind is somewhat inclined to be lifted up, so as to imagine that all the excellency that she hath comes to her from herself. This same excellency, then, our old enemy with evil intent desires to lay hands on, whilst God no otherwise than in mercy allows it to be tried; that while the mind, under the force of temptation, is shaken in the good wherein it exulted, learning the powerlessness of its own frail condition, it may become the more strongly established in the hope of God's aid; and it is brought to pass by a marvellous dispensation of His Mercy, that from the same source, whence the enemy tempts the soul to destroy it, the merciful Creator gives it instruction that it may live; and hence it is rightly added, Ver. 12. Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. xliv. 69. As if He said in plain words; * I give thee so to try the good that is in each one of Mine Elect by temptation from without, that thou mayest acquaint thine own self that I keep him holding on to Me by the inward root of the mind; and hence it is rightly added.
So Satan went out front, the presence of the Lord. xlv. 70. For in that he is not suffered to prevail so far as to withdraw the heart, being thus shut out from the interior, he roams without. Who, even if he very often work confusion The virtues feasted hy the eldest horn in us, Faith. 113 in the virtues of the soul, herein does it without, in that, Book through God's withholding him, he never wounds the hearts of the good to their utter ruin. For he is permitted so far to rage against them as may be necessary, in order that they, thus instructed by temptation, may be stablished, that they may never attribute to their own strength the good which they do, nor neglect themselves in the sloth of security, loosing themselves from the bracings of fear, but that in keeping guard over their attainments they may watch with so much the greater prudence, as they see themselves to be ever confronting the enemy in the fight of temptations.
Ver. 13, 14, 15. And there was a day ichen his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking nine in their eldest brothefs house: And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them: and the Sabeans fell upon them; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alo7ie to tell thee.
71. In the hearts of the Elect wisdom is first engendered, xlvi. ^ before all the graces that follow; and she comes forth as it were a first born offspring by the gift of the Holy Spirit. Now this wisdom is our faith, as the Prophet testifies, saying, If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not understand^. For Is, 7, 9. then we are truly wise to understand, when we yield the assent ^/'J^^^l of our belief to all that our Creator says. Thus the sons are hUshed feasting in their eldest brother's house, when the other virtues are feasted in faith. But if this latter be not first pro- duced in our hearts, all besides cannot be good, though it may seem to be good. The sons feast in their eldest brothefs house, so long as our virtues are replenished with the good of holy writ, in the dwelling place of faith; for it is written, without faith it is impossible to please God; and so^^^*^^' o.
our virtues taste the true feasts of life, when they begin to be sustained with the mysteries' of faith. The sons feast in^ ^^^^!^' their eldest fjrother s house, ni that except the other virtues, filling themselves with the feast of wisdom, do wiselv all that they seek to do, they can never be virtues.
72. But observe, while the good that we do is fed with the rich fare of wisdom and of faith, our enemy carries off the oxen that are plowing, and the asses feeding beside them, I 114 The oxen are serious thoughts toward labours of love.
Job 1, and kills the servants with the sword. What are the oxen ~ ' plowing, except we understand our serious thoughts, v^^hich 1 confi- ' while they wear ^ the heart with diligent tillage, yield abundant '''''°* fruits of increase? and what do we take to be the asses feeding beside them, but the simple emotions of the heart, which, whilst carefully withheld from straying in double ways, we feed in the free pasture of purity? But oftentimes the crafty enemy, spying out the serious thoughts of our heart, corrupts them under the cloak of that beguiling pleasure which he insinuates; and when he sees the simple emotions of the heart, he displays the subtleties and refinements of discoveries, that while we aim at praise for subtlety, we may part with the simplicity of a pure mind; and though he has not the power to draw us to a deed of sin, nevertheless by secret thefts he spoils the thoughts of good things through his temptations, that while he is seen to trouble the good that is in their mind, he may seem as though he had com- pletely made spoil of it. By the oxen ploughing may also be understood the intents of charity, whereby we endeavour to render service to others, when we desire to cleave the hardness of a brother's heart by preaching; and by the asses also, for that they never resist with a mad rage those that are loading them, may be signified the meekness of patience, and oftentimes our old enemy, seeing us anxious to benefit others by our words, plunges the mind into a certain sleepy state of inactivity, that we are not disposed to do good to others, even though our own concerns leave us at liberty. Accordingly he carries away the oxen that are ploughing, when, by insinuating sloth that causes negligence, he breaks the force of those inward purposes, which were directed to produce the fruit of a brother's welfare, and although the hearts of the Elect keep watch within the depths of their own thoughts, and, getting the better of it, take thought of the mischief, which they receive at the hands of the tempter, yet by this very circumstance, that he should prevail over the thoughts of good things though but for a moment, the malicious enemy exults in having gotten some booty.
73. Now oftentimes, when he sees the mind in a readiness • Subripiens. Some Edd. here read ' subrepens,' ' creeping in secretly,' as well as in some other places.
Jlie asses are our innocent affections. 115 to endure, he contrives to find out wliat it loves the best, and Book 11 there sets his traps of offence; that the more the object is '— beloved, our patience may be the sooner disquieted by means of it. And indeed the hearts of the Elect ever return heed- fully to themselves, and chastise themselves sorely, even for the slighest impulse to go wrong, and whilst by being moved they learn how they should have stood fast, they are sometimes the more firmly established for being shaken. But the ancient enemy, when he puts out our purposes of patience, though but for a moment, exults that he has, as it were, carried off the asses fi'om the field of the heart. Now in the things which we determine to do w^e carefully consider, with the watchfulness of reason, what is proper, and to what cases. But too often the enemy, by rushing upon us with the sudden impulse of temptation, and coming unawares before the mind's looking out, slays as it were with the sword the very servants that are keeping watch, yet one escapes to tell that the rest' is lost; for in whatsoever the mind ' alia is affected by the enemy, the discernment of reason ever returns to it, and she doth in a certain sense shew that she hath escaped alone, which doth resolutely consider with herself all that she has undergone. So then all the rest perish, and one alone returns home, when the motions of the heart are in the time of temptation put to rout, and then discernment comes back to the conscience; that what- ever the mind, which has been caught by a sudden onset, calculates that she has lost, she may recover, when bowed down*" with heartfelt contrition.
Ver. 16. While he was yet speaking^ there came also another, and said, The fire of Ood is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep a?id the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee, 74. What is signified by sheep but the innocency of our xlvii. thoughts? what is signified by sheep, but cleanness of heart in the good? Now we have said a little above that we speak of the aerial ' heaven,' whence too we name the birds of heaven. And \sv know that the impure spirits, that fell from the ethereal heaven, roam abroad in the midsj^ace between this heaven and earth. These are the more envious \ " afllicta. Some Mss. afflata, ' inspired.'
116 Fire of envy from devils suffered to try our purity.
Job 1, that the hearts of men should mount up to the realms of heaven, that they see themselves to have been cast down from thence by the impurity of their pride. Forasmuch then as the glances of jealousy burst forth from the powers of the air against the purity of our thoughts, ' fire fell from heaven upon the sheep;' for oftentimes they inflame the pure thoughts of our minds with the fires of lust, and they do as it were consume the sheep with fire, when they disorder the chaste feelings of the mind with the temptations of sensuality. This is called the fire of God, for it owes its birth, though not to the making, yet to the permission of God. And because by a sudden onset they sometimes overwhelm the very cautions of the mind, they slay with the sword as it were the servants that are their keepers. Yet one escapes in safety, so long as persevering discernment reviews with exactness all that the mind suffers, and this alone escapes the peril of death; for even when the thoughts are put to rout, discretion does not give over to make known its losses to the mind, and as it were to call upon her lord to lament.
Ver. 17. While he was yet speaking there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, a7id have carried them atvay, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
75. By the camels, which have a clean mark, in that they ruminate, and an unclean, in that they do not cleave the hoof, are meant, as we have already said above, the godly stewardships of temporal things, in which in proportion as 'the charge is more extensive, the more doth the enemy multiply his plots against us. For every man who is set over the management of temporal affairs, is the more largely open to the darts of the hidden foe. For some things he aims to do with an eye to the future, and often whilst, thus cautious, he forecasts future events with exactness, he incautiously neglects to regard present evils. Often while his eye is on the present, he is asleep to the anticipa- tion of coming events. Often in doing some things sloth- fully, he neglects what should be done with energy. Often in shewing himself overactive in the execution, by the very restlessness of his mode of acting he hurts the more the The camels, or secular charges, assailed by three hands. 117 interests of his charge. Again, sometimes lie strives to put Book restraint upon his lips, but is prevented keeping silence by —^ the requirements of his business. Sometimes, whilst he restrains himself with excessive rigour, he is silent even when he ought to speak. Sometimes, while he gives himself more liberty to communicate necessary things, he says at 1 the same time what he should never have given utterance to. And for the most part he is embarrassed with such vast complications of thoughts, that he is scarce able to bear the mere things, which with foresight he ponders in his mind, and while he produces nothing in deed, he is grievously overburdened' with the great weight upon his breast. ForUnsudat as that is hard to bear which he is subject to within his own bosom, even while unemployed and at rest from work with- out, he is yet wearied. For very frequently the mind as it were views coming events, and every euergy is strung to meet them; a vehement heat of contention is conceived, sleep is put to flight, night is turned into day, and while the bed holds our limbs which are outwardly at rest, the cause is inwardly pleaded with vehement clamours in the court of our own heart. And it verv' often happens that nothing comes to pass of the things foreseen, and that all that think- ing of the heart, which had so long been strung up in pre-