240 Delicacies of Holy Church. Her face lifted 1o God.
Job 22, in admiration of the spouse it is written, Who is this that ' cometh up from the wilderness abounding with delicacies?
Cant. 8Jin that truly except Holy Church ' abounded with the delica- 5. Vulg. ^-gg' q£ God's words, she could not mount up from the deserts of the present life to the regions above. Thus she * abounds with delicacies and comes up,' in that whilst she is fed by mystical senses, she is lifted up for the contemplating day by day the things above. Hence likewise the Psalmist says, 'PB.Vd^jEven the night shall he light about me in my delicacies; Yyj„ in that while by mystical perception the earnest mind is regaled, henceforth the darkness of the present life is lighted up in her by the radiance of the day to come. So that even in the blindness of this state of corruption the force of the future light should break out into her understanding, and she being fed with delicacies of words, might learn by thus foretasting what to hunger for of the food of truth. It goes on; And shall lift up thy face unto God. XX. 25. To lift up the face to God, is to raise the heart for the searching into what is loftiest. For as by the bodily face we are known and distinguishable to man, so by the interior figure to God. But when by the guilt oT sin we are weighed to the earth, we are afraid to lift the face of our heart to God; for whereas it is not buoyed up by any of the confidence of good works, the mind is full of affright to gaze on the highest things, because conscience of itself accuses self. But when by the tears of penance sin is now washed out, and things committed are so bewailed that nothing to be bewailed is any more committed, a great confidence springs up in the mind, and for the contemplating the joys of the recompensing from above ' the face of our heart is lifted up.' Now these things Eliphaz would have spoken aright, if he had been admonishing one that was weak; but when he looks down upon a righteous man on account of his scourges, what is this, but that he pours out words of know- ledge in not knowing? Which same words if we bring into a type of heretics, they are they that with false promises engage for us to ' lift our face to God.' As if they said plainly to the faithful people, ' As long as thou dost not follow our preaching, Ihine heart thou sinkest down in Job's prayer seemed unheard, his aim frustrated. 241 things below.'' But whereas Eliphaz charged blessed Job Book to return to God, from Whom observe that same blessed '- man had never departed, he yet further subjoins, as pro- mising; Ver. 27. Thou shalt make thy prayer unto Him, and He shall hear thee.
26. For they make their prayer to God, but never obtain xxi. to be listened to, who set at nought the precepts of the Lord, when He enjoins them. Whence it is written, HeVrov. that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his ^^' ^* prayer shall be abomination. So long then as Eliphaz believed that blessed Job was not heard, he determined that that person had surely done wrong in his practice. And hence he adds further, And thou shalt pay thy vows.
He that has vowed vows, but is unable from weakness to pay the same, has it dealt to him in punishment of sin, that whilst willing good, the having the power should be taken away from him. But when in the sight of the interior Judge, the sin which hinders is done away, it is immediately brought to pass, that the being able attends upon the vow. It goes on; Ver. 28. Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee.
27. This is used to be the special conclusion of those xxii. going weakly, that in such proportion they esteem a man righteous as they see him obtain all that he desires; whereas in truth we know that earthly goods are sometimes withheld from the righteous, while they are bestowed with liberal bounty upon the unrighteous; seeing that to sick persons also when they are despaired of, physicians order whatever they call for to be supplied, but those whom they foresee may be brought back to health, the things which they long for they refuse to have given them. Now if Eliphaz intro- duced these declarations with reference to spiritual gifts, be it known that ' a thing is decreed and is established' to a man, when the virtue which is longed for in the desire, is, by God's granting it, happily forwarded by the carrying of it out as well. And hence it is yet fin'ther added; And the light shall shine upon thy ways.
VOL. II. R 242 Light of righteous works vain irithout humility.
Job 22, 28. Since for * light to shine in the ways' of the righteous, V ' is by extraordinary deeds of virtue to scatter the tokens Moral, of their brightness, that wherever they go in the bent xxni. q£ |^|-jg jyiiti(;i^ from the hearts of those beholding them they may dispel the night of sin, and by the example of their own practice pour into them the light of righteousness; but what- ever justness of practice there may be, in the eye of the interior Judge it is nothing, if pride of heart uplifts it. Hence it is added; Ver. 29. For he that has been abased shall be in glory, and he that has bent down his eyes, the same shall be saved. xxiv. 29. Which same sentence is not at variance with the Lnkei4, mouth of ' Truth,' when It says. For whosoever exaltcth himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall Prov. be exalted. And hence it is said by Solomon, Before ' destruction the heart of man is haughty^ and before honour is humility. But it is properly said, For he that has bent down his eyes, the same shall be saved; in that so far as it is to be discovered through the ministering of the members, the first manifestation of pride is used to be with the eyes. Hence Ps. 18, it is written. And wilt bring down high looks. Hence it is said of the very head himself of those that behave proudly, Job 4], He beholdeth all high things. Hence it is written con- Prov cerning her, who by unbelief attached herself to him, There 30, 13. is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eye- lids are lifted up. So to ' bend down the eyes, is no man on looking upon him to look down upon, but one's self to look upon as inferior and below all one sees. He then that * bends down his eyes shall be saved;' because he who quits the false height of pride, scales the loftiness of truth. It goes on; Ver. 30. The innocent shall be saved, but he shall be saved by the cleanness of his hands. XXV. 30. Which same sentence now if it be delivered touching the recompense of the kingdom of heaven, is supported by Rom. 2, truth, in that whereas it is written concerning God, Who rendereth to every man according to his deeds, that man in the Last Inquest the justice of the Judge Eternal saveth, v/hom here His pitifulness sets free from impure deeds. But if Preventing grace followed up by man^ free will. 243 a man is to this purport supposed to be here saved by the clean- Book ness of his own hands, that by his own powers ]ie should be made 1 L innocent, assuredly it is an error; for if Grace above do not prevent him when faulty, assuredly it will never find any one faultless to recompense without fault. Whence it is said by the truth-telling voice of Moses; And no man of himself is Exod. innocent in TJiy sight. And so heavenly pity first works ' something in ourselves without the help of ourselves, that, our own free will following it up as well, the good which we now desire, it may do along with ourselves; yet the good coming by grace bestowed, in the Last Judgment, He so rewards in ourselves, as if it had proceeded only from our- selves. For whereas the Goodness of God prevents us to make us innocent, Paul says. But hy the grace of God I am i ^°^* what I am. And whereas our free will follows that grace", he adds. And His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain, but I laboured more abundantly than they all. Who whereas he saw that he was nothing of himself, says, Yet not /, and yet forasmuch as he saw that he was some- thing in union with grace, he added, but the grace of God with me. For he would not have said, with me, if together with preventing grace he had not had free will following it up. Therefore in order to shew that he u^as nothing without grace, he says. Yet not /, but that he might shew that along with grace he had worked by free will, he added, but the grace of God with me. Thus * the innocent man shall be saved by the cleanness of his hands,' in that he who is here prevented by the gift, that he may be made innocent, when he is brought to judgment, is rewarded of merit. All which things, as was before said, Eliphaz though he delivered rightly, yet to whom he was delivering them he knew not; because one better than himself it was not his business to teach, but to hear. All which particulars however agree in a figure with the promises of heretics, who when they find any of the faithful afflicted in the present life suppose them stricken for the sin of misbelief, and promise them if they will follow their doctrine the saving health of innocency by cleanness of good works. But the mind of the faithful looks a Ben. notes that three or four Mss. but nearly all as given in the text, and read ' that grace follows our free will,' as the sense requires.
r2 244 The Elect in pain here, and more when ill consoled. Job 23, down iipon them so much the deeper down, in proportion as it does not see them to possess the innocency which they Prov 1 promise. Whence it is well said by Solomon, Surely in vain 17. the net is spread in the sight of any winged fowl. For the 'winged fowl' are the spirits of good men, which whilst in the hope of truth they soar up to the higher regions, shun the nets of bad men set for their deceiving. It goes on; Chap, xxiii. 1, 2. Then Job answered and said. Now also is my complaint hitter: and the hand of my stroke is heavier than my groaning. XX vi. 31. In his own way blessed Job sets out with the plainer sort of words, but his declaration he closes by the deep following on of mystery. For the pain of the afflicted man ought to have been healed by the consoling of his friends, but because their consoling broke out into the soothings of deceit, the pain of the stricken man was made harsher. For whereas Eliphaz was not afraid to promise him better things on being converted, it was as if by a poisonous remedy the wound were increased. Hence it is rightly said. Even to-day is my complaint hitter, and the hand of my stroke is heavier than my groaning, in this respect, viz. that the straining of unregulated consoling increased the stroke mani- fold, which it ought to have diminished; by which same words taken in a type of Holy Church, the pain of the faithful is likewise set forth, who groan the more, the more they see the wicked using the acts of flattery, who, according Rom. to the declaration of Paul, by good words and fair speeches ' * deceive the hearts of the simple, 32. Which words may also be rightly applied to the viewing with greater exactness the mind of the faithful, who can never be without bitterness even if they seem to prosper in this world. Which persons when adversity too befalls, it redoubles that pain which it finds. Whence it is rightly said, Now also is my complaint bitter, that it might be plainly shewn that even in prosperity the mind of the Elect should not be without bitterness. And it is well said, And the hand of my stroke is heavier than my groaning. For ' the hand of a stroke,' is the force of the striking. For their first striking the Elect see to be, that fiom the vision of tlieir Creator they are parted, that the brightness of tlie The Elect painfully long to behold God. 245 interior illumining they never enjoy, but groan as being Book banished in the exile of the present life as in a place of '- darkness. Thus they always have their groaning in this * hand of their stroke;' but when over and above adversities also befall them in this life, ' the hand of their stroke is heavier than their groaning.' For there was groaning for the stroke even when the adversities of the present life were away. But the bitterness of the original stroke is increased over and above by the trial of adversity. Therefore he says. And the hand of my stroke is heaviej' than my groaning ''^ In that any just man adversity did not smite whilst happy in this life, but came to redouble in him the pain of the wound. Yet it happens by the extraordinary governance of Almighty God, that when in this life the spirit of the righteous man travails most in adversities, he thirsts the more ardently after the beholding of his Maker's face. Hence it is fitly sub- joined here, Ver. 3. O that one would grant me thai I might know and find Him, that I might come even to His seat!
33. An elect person if he did not know God, assuredly xxvii. would not love Him. But it is one thing to * know' by faith, and another to know by His own Form, one thing to find by trustfulness, another to find Him by contemplation. In consequence whereof it is brought to pass that Him Whom they know by faith, all of the Elect long to see by His own Form as well. With the love of Whom they burn and glovv, because the honey of His sweetness they already taste of in the mere certainty of their faith. Which that pereon in the country of the Gerasenes cured of the devils well repre- sents, who wishes to depart with Jesus; but by the Master of health it is told him, Return to thine own house, arid shew Lu]ce 8, what great things God hath done unto thee. For on him that" loves delay is still imposed, that by the longing of love delayed the title to rewarding may be heightened. And so to us Almighty God is made sweet in miracles, and yet in His own loftiness remains hidden from our eyes, that both by shewing something of Himself, He may by secret inspiration set us on fire in the love of Him, and yet by hiding the glorious- ness of His Majesty may increase the force of that love of Him by the heat of longing desire. For except the holy 246 Angels arc GoiTs Tkrone. Judf/i/iy sel/' in His sight.
Job 23, man sought to see This Being in His Majesty, surely he '- — would not bring in the words, that I might come even to His Aijle'q. seat? For what is the ' seat' of God but those angelical Spirits, who as Scripture testifies are called ' Thrones?' He then that desires to ' come to the seat of God,' what else does he long for but to be among the Angelic spirits, that no failing moments of the periods of time he henceforth be liable to, but rise up to abiding glory in the contem- plation of eternity.
34. Which words nevertheless are likewise appropriate to the righteous whilst placed in this life. For when they see any thing done against their wish and desire, they have recourse to the hidden judgments of God, that therein they may read that that is not irregularly ordered within, which seems to pass irregularly without. For when they behold with the eyes of faith the Creator of all things, ruling over the Angelical Spirits, then they ' come to His seat.' And whereas they observe that He, Who rules the Angels in a wonderful manner, does not dispose of man in any way contrary to justice, then indeed the principles of cases they see to be as just as they are, whilst the cases themselves externally seem to be unjust. And whereas they do this with humility, they often lay blame to themselves in their will, and their own wishes they sometimes judge in themselves, whilst they ponder that those things are better which the Creator appoints. Hence it is well added in addition, Ver. 4. / will order my cause before Him, and Jill my mouth with reproaches. xxviii. 35. To ' order our cause before God' is within the secret depth of our mind by the contemplating of faith to open the eyes of our view to the awful inquisition of His Majesty, to mark what man as a sinner deserves, of the now hidden and secret Judge to take thought how terrible He will hereafter appear. In consequence of which it happens, that the soul is recalled to the knowledge of itself with greater exactness, and in proportion as it sees its secret Judge the greater object of alarm, is so much the more horribly wrung with fears for its actions. It trembles with anxious alarm; its oifences it prosecutes with lamentation; in repenting it charges home Job fears ivhat God might say against him. 247 what it remembers itself to have been; whence now loo after Book it had been said, / will order my cause before Him, it is — - rightly subjoined, And fill my mouth with reproaches. For he who ' orders his cause before God,' does * fill his mouth with reproaches,' in that while he beholds the exact scrutiny of the awful Judge directed against himself, he pursues himself with the charges of bitter repentance. Now it often happens that whilst we neglect to take account of our faults, what blaming of them may follow in the Judgment we are left ignorant of: but whilst we pursue them by exercising repentance, what the Judge in His Inquisition may say to us concerning them, we find out. Whence it is further added with propriety, Ver. 5. That I may know the words that he will answer me^ and understand what he will say unto me.
36. For we then bewail our sins, when we begin to weigh xxix. them; but we then weigh them the more exactly, when more anxiously we bewail them, and by our lamentations it rises up ^ more perfectly in our hearts, what the severity of God ^ one threatens those with that commit sin, what will be those known.' rebukings upon the children of perdition, what the terror, what the abhorrence of the unappeasable Majesty. For so great things shall the Lord then being angry ' say' to the lost, as great as He permits them of justice to undergo. Which same words of His visitation, the righteous, because now they anxiously fear them, escape free from. But who in that inquisition might be found righteous, if God according to the Majesty of His Might, so sifted the life of man? Therefore it is fitly subjoined, Ver. 6. / would not that He should contend with me with great power, nor oppress me with the weight of His mightiness.
37. For the soul of one however righteous, if he be judged xxx. with strictness by Almighty God, is borne down by the weight of His mightiness. In which same words this is likewise to be understood, that whereas the holy man shews the might of God, what else of Him docs he desire, but His weakness? And it is written, the weakness of God is stronger i Cor. i, than men. Whence too he directly adds, ^' •248 God's Equity to man is the Incarnation.
Job 23, Ver. 7. Let Him put forth equity against me, and my =; — -^ judament shall come unto victory.
For who else saving the Mediator between God and man, the Man Christ Jesus, is denoted by the title of ' equity?'
1 Cor. 1, Concerning Whom it is written, Who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness. And whereas this same righteousness came into this world against the ways of sinners, we get the better of our old enemy, by whom we were held captive. So let him say, / would not that He should contend with me with great power, nor oppress me with the weight of His mightiness. Let Him put forth equity against me^and my judgment shall come unto victory, i. e. ^ for the rebuking of my ways, let Him send His Incar- nate Son, and then the plotting foe, by the sentence of mine absolving, I as victor will turn out.' For if the Only-begotten Son of God had so remained invisible in the strength of the Divine Nature, as not to have admitted aught derived from our weakness, when could weak men ever have found the access of grace to Him? For the weight of His greatness, being considered, would rather have oppressed than aided d him; but the Strong above all things came weak among all things, that whereas He agreed with us by assumed weakness, He might elevate us to His own abiding strength. For in Its loftiness the Divine Nature could never have been apprehended by us, inasmuch as being too little, but He \ bowed Himself down to man through human nature, and we as it were mounted up on Him laid low; He rose, and we were lifted up. Whence this too is added directly, whereby the Divine Being may be shewed invisible and incompre- hensible. Thus it goes on; Ver. 8,9. If I go to the East, He appeareth not; if I go to the West, I shall not understand Him; if I go to the left hand, what shall I do? I shall not comprehend Him; if J turn myself to the right hand I shall not see Him. xxxi. 38. For the Creator of all things is not in a part, inasmuch as He is every where. And then He is found the less, when He, That is whole every where, is sought in a part. For the Incomprehensible Spirit containeth all things within Itself, Which at the same time both while filling encompasseth, and i God is beyond our siykt lioaever ue may look, 249 while encompassing filleth, both in supporting overtops, and Book in overtopping supports; and it is well that after it had been - said, If I go to the East, He appeareth not; if I go to the West^ I shall not understand Him; if I go to the left hand, what shall I do? I shall not comprehend Him; if I turn myself to the right hand I shall not see Him; he thereupon added. But He knoweth the way that I take. As if he said in plain words, ' I am unable to see Him, Who seeth me, and Him that beholdeth me most minutely, I have no power to behold:' that is to say, that he might shew that He is so much the more heedfully to be feared, in proportion as He is not discernible. For He Who so beholds us that He may not be by us beheld, is so much the more to be dreaded in proportion as in seeing all things He is not seen in the least degree. For when we believe that there is any one hidden in ambush to assault us, we dread him the more that we do not at all see him; and when we do not at all discover his ambush where it is placed, we apprehend it even there where it does not exist. And our Creator, Who is whole every where, and while discerning all things is not discerned, is the more to be dreaded in proportion as continuing invisible, what He may determine concerning our actions and at what time is not known. Which words, too, may be understood in another sense also. For we ' go to the East,' when we lift up our mind in thinking of His Majesty. But ' He appeareth not,' seeing that such as He is in His own Nature, by mortal thought He cannot be seen to be. If I go to the West, I shall not understand Him; we ' go to the west,' when the eye of the heart that is lifted up in God, but made to recoil by the mere immensity of the light, we bring back to our own selves, and being spent with labour, we learn that the thing is very much above us which we were seeking; and viewing our own mortal condition find out that as yet we are creatures unfit to have the power to behold One that is Immortal. // / go to the left hand, what shall I do? I shall not comprehend Him. To ^ go to the left hand' is to yield one's self to the enjoyments of our sins. And it is surely plain, that he cannot ' appre- hend God,' who still in the gratification of sin lies prostrate along the left side. If I turn myself to the right side I shall not see Him. He truly is * turned to the right hand,' 250 Job's conjidence of hhnself helow what wan hue of him.
Job 23, vv'ho is lifted up on the ground of virtuous attainments.
' ' But he cannot see God, who is glad with selfish joy for his good deeds; because in that man the swelling of pride weighs down the eye of the heart. Whence it is well said Deut. elsewhere, Thou shall not decline to the right hand nor to the left. In all which particulars the soul very often searches out itself, nor yet is able perfectly to find out itself. Whence it is fitly added here, But He Himself knoweth the way that I take. xxxii. 39. As if he said in plain terms, ' I for mine own part both search myself strictly, and am not able to know myself thoroughly; yet He, Whom 1 have not power to see, seeth most minutely all the things that I do.' It goes on; And He shall try me like gold which passeth through the fire.
Gold in the furnace is advanced to the brightness of its nature, whilst it loses the dross. And so like * gold that passeth through the fire' the souls of the righteous are tried, which by the burning of tribulation through and through, both have their defects removed, and their good points increased. Nor was it of pride that the holy man likened himself as set in tribulation to gold, in that he who, by the voice of God, was pronounced righteous before the stroke, was not for this reason permitted to be tried that bad qualities might be cleared off, but that excellences might be heightened; but gold is purified by fire; less then than he was did he think of his own self, in that, being delivered over to suffer tribula- tion, he believed that he was being purified, whereas he had not any thing in him to be purified.
40. Now it is necessary for us to know, that though the mind of the righteous entertains humble thoughts touching itself, yet the several things that they do, they see to be as right as they are, while they never presume on the rightness of them. Whence it is yet further added; My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept and not declined. Neither have I gone hack from the commandment of his lips, and I have hid the words of his mouth in my bosom. But in the midst of all this let us see whether he thinks himself to be any thing. It follows; But He is Himself alone. By the subjoining of which sentence, he shews that amidst all the Footsteps of God the Saints' rule of life. 251 good things which he had done he believed himself to be Book nothing. But taking up these same words from the begin- '- ning, let us run over them as well as we are able.
Ver. 11. My foot hath held His steps.