41. For as a kind of footsteps of God are His doings xxxiii. which we see, by which doings both the good and bad man is governed, by which the righteous and unrighteous are arranged in their classes, whereto both every one that is subject is led on day by day to better things, and he that is in rebellion against them is borne with going headlong into worse. Concerning which same footsteps the Prophet said, Thy goings have been seen, O God. And so we, when we Ps. 68, behold the efficacy of His long-suffering and pitifulness, aud^^" upon so beholding strive to imitate the same, what else do we but follow the ' footsteps of His goings,' in that we imitate some outskirts of His method of proceeding. Thus these footsteps of His Father * Truth' gave it in charge to imitate when He said. Pray for them which persecute you and Matt. 5, falsely accuse you; that ye may be the children of your Father Which is in heaven. For He makelh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good. It may be too that blessed Job who had already said with assured faith, / know that my Redeemer liveth, and that I shall arise Job 19, at the latter day from the earth; so dwelt on the future ^^* working of Wisdom Incarnate to be, in like manner as we behold by faith the works of that Wisdom now past, how that the Mediator between God and man should be kind to give, humble to bear, patient to afford an example. Whose life while blessed Job, filled with the Spirit from above, regarded with heedful intentness, foreseeing the future lowliness of His mild character, he refers as it were to a pattern set before him, so that whatever he did in this life he might bind fast to His footsteps in imitating, that so he who was incapable of seeing the high things of His secret ordering, as it were looking on the ground, might keep His footsteps for imitation. Of which same ' footsteps' of Him it is said by Peter, Because Christ also suffered for us, leaving i Pet. 2, us an example, that ye should follow His footsteps. Con- * cerning whom it is yet further added; 252 The righteous keep God's Way, and watch for His Will.
Job 23, Yqx. 11. His way have I kept^ and not declined. CitT ^^' -^^^ ^^ ' keeps the way and does not decline,' who xxxiv. practises the thing whereon his mind is bent. Since to ' keep' in the bent is * not to decline' in the practice. For this is the anxiety of the righteous, that day by day they should try their actions by the ways of truth, and proposing these as a rule to themselves, they should not decline from the track of their right course. Thus day by day they strive to get above themselves, and in proportion as they are lifted up upon the summit of virtues, they judge with heedful censure, whatever there is of themselves left remaining below themselves. And they are in haste to draw the whole of themselves there, where they find that they have been brought in part. It goes on; Ver. 12. Neither have I gone back from the command- ments of His lips.
XXXV. 43. As servants that serve well are ever intent upon their masters' countenances, that the things they may bid they may hear readily, and strive to fulfil; so the minds of the righteous in their bent are upon Almighty God, and in His Scripture they as it were fix their eyes on His face, that whereas God delivers therein all that He wills, they may not be at variance with His will, in proportion as they learn that will in His revelation. Whence it happens, that His words do not pass superfluously through their ears, but that these words they fix in their hearts. Hence it is here added; / have hid the words of His mouth in my breast.
xxxvi. ^^- ^'^^ w^ * hide the words of His mouth in the bosom of our heart,' when we hear His commandments not in a passing way, but to fulfil them in practice. Hence it is that of the Luke 2, Virgin Mother herself it is written. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. Which same words even when they come forth to the practising lie hidden in the recesses of the heart, if through that which is done without, the mind of the doer be not lifted up within. For when the word conceived is carried on to the deed, if human praise is aimed at herein, the word of God assuredly is not * hidden in the bosom of the mind.' But T would I God alone IS 0/ Himself, all else has being from Him. '253 know, O blessed man, wherefore thou examinest thyself with Book so much earnestness, wherefore thou takest thyself to task ^^^' with so much anxiety? It goes on, Ver. 13. But He is Himself alone, and no m,an can turn away His thought.
45. Are there not angels and men, the heavens and thcxxxvii. earth, the air and the waters of the ocean, all the winged creatures, quadrupeds, and creeping things? And surely it is Gen. 2, written, WJiicli God created that they should he. Whereas ' then there is such a multitude of things in the circle of nature, wherefore is it now said by the voice of the blessed man. He is Himself alone? Why, it is one thing to be, and another thing to BE primarily, one thing to be sub- jectly to change, and another thing to BE independently of change. For these are all of them in being, but they are not maintained in being in themselves, and except they be maintained by the hand of a governing agent, they cannot ever be. For all things subsist in Him by Whom they were created, nor do the things that live owe their life to them- selves, nor are those that are moved, but do not live, by their own caprice brought to motion. But He moveth all things, Who quickens some with lifie, whilst some that are not so quickened He preserves, disposing them in a wonderful way for last and lowest being. For all things were made out of nothing, and their being would again go on into nothing, except the Author of all things held it by the hand of governance. All the things then that have been created, by them- selves can neither subsist nor be moved, but they only so far subsist, as they have obtained that they should be, are only so far moved, as they are influenced by a secret impulse. For see the sinner is ordained to be scourged by human accidents; the earth is parched in his toilings, the sea tossed in the shipwreck of him, the air on fire in his sweating, the heavens are darkened in floods upon him, his fellow creatures burn with fire in oppressions of him, and the angelical powers are made active in his troubling. Are all these things which we have named being inanimate, or which we have named endued with life, put into activity by their own instincts, or rather by impulses from God } Whatever there- fore it be that is arrayed against us outwardly, in that thing 254 IVhat seems to change God's Will, comes of It.
Job 23, That Being is to be regarded Who ordains it inwardly. Tn every case then He is to be regarded as alone, Who IS Ex.^3 primarily, Who also saith to Moses, / AM THAT I AM, 14. Thus shall thou say unto the children of Israel^ He that IS hath sent me unto you. And so, when we are scourged by the things that we see, we ought anxiously to fear Him Whom we do not see. And so let the holy man look down upon all that alarms him without, all that in respect of its being would go on to nothing except it were ruled, and with the eye of the mind, all else being kept back, let him see Him only in comparison with Whose Being for ourselves to be is not to be, and let him say. He only is Himself alone.
46. Concerning Whose unchangeableness it is directly after added with propriety. No man can turn away His thought, for as He is unchangeable in Nature, so He is unchangeable in Will. For ' none tumeth away His thought,' in that no man has power to resist His secret judgments. Since though there have been persons who might seem to ' have turned away His thought,' yet His interior thought was this, that they should by praying have power to avert His sentence, and that they should obtain from Him what to effect with Him. So let him sav, and no man tumeth away His thought, in that His judgments once Ps. 148, fixed can never be altered. Whence it is written, He hath ', made a decj^ee rvhich shall not pass. And again. Heaven 13, 3L and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass Is. 55,8. away. And again. For My thoughts are not as your thoughts, neither are your ways as My ways. And so whenever out- wardly the sentence appears to be altered, inwardly the counsel is not altered, in that in relation to each particular thing that is unalterably established within, whatever is done alterably without. It goes on; A?id ivhat His soul desireth, even that He doeth. xxviii. 47. Whereas God is exterior to all bodies, interior to all minds, that identical power of His, whereby He penetrates all things, and regulates all things, is called His ' soul.' Whose will not even those things oppose, which appear to be done contrary to His will, seeing that even what He does not order, to this end He sometimes suffers to be done, that so through this thing that which He does order may be the How Jcb^ so afflicfcd, could/ear more. 255 more surely done. For the will of the Apostate Angel is bad, Book yet by God it is wonderfully ordered, so that even his very ■* artifices as well should promote the welfare of the good, whom they purify whilst they try. So then * whatever His soul desireth, that He doeth,' that from the same source as well He might fulfil His will, whence there seemed to be a resisting of His will. Therefore let the holy man be filled with alarm, and contemplating the weight of that great Majesty, let him find himself out to be weak.
48. But it is well to put the question amidst these words, and to say, * O blessed Job, wherefore in the midst of such scourges dost thou dread still further aflOiictions?' Thou art already encompassed with sorrows, by innumerable calamities thou art already straitly beset. Misfortune is to be appre- hended, which is not yet entered upon. Thou being in the midst of such great sorrow, what dost thou apprehend? But mark how the holy man satisfying our questioning adds; Ver. 14. For when He hath accomplished His will in me, there are many other such things with Him.
49. As if he said in plain words, ' Already I weigh well^xxix. what I am suffering, but I still dread things that I may undergo.' For He accomplishes His will in me, in that He afflicts one with many strokes, but * there are many like things with Him,' in that if He is minded to strike. He sees yet further where the stroke may be added to. Hence we may collect how fearful he was before the scourge, who even after being scourged still dreads lest he should be farther stricken. For seeing the incomprehensible force both of power and penetration that resides in Him, the righteous man would not even on the ground of the scourge upon him be secure. And hence fearing still more He adds; Ver. 15. Therefore am I troubled at His presence; when I consider I am afraid of Him.
50. He is rightly ' troubled at the presence of the Lord,' xl. who sets before the view of his eyes the terribleness of His Majesty, and is throughly shaken by dread of His Righteousness, whilst he sees that he is not fit to render his accounts if he be judged with severity. Now it is rightly said, JVhen I consider I am afraid of Him, because the force of the Divine visitation when a man considers little.
256 Job's continued fearing, a special gift of God.
Job 23, He dreads but little, and in this life is as it were secure, in proportion as he is a stranger to the consideration of the Lit.
interior strictness. For the righteous are ever turning back into the secret chamber of the heart, contemplating the power of the hidden strictness, presenting themselves to the judg- ment of the interior Majesty, that they may one day be the more secure, in proportion as they would not make them- selves secure here so long as they lived. For when the minds of evildoers refuse to consider what they have to fear, sooner or later by rejoicing they are brought to that, which they do not by fearing in any way escape. But see in regard to blessed Job, we know that he was devoted to fre- quent sacrifices to God, that he was given up to acts of hos- pitality, to the necessities of the poor, that he was humble towards his own dependants even, kind towards those that opposed him, and yet he received such numberless scourges, nor now became secure amidst them, but still entertained fear, still thinking of the power of the Divine strictness he is made to tremble. What then shall we miserable creatures say.? what shall we sinners say, if he so fears, who so acted? But let him make known whether the weight of this great fear he has from himself. It goes on; Ver. 16. For God maketh my heart soft, and the Almighty trouhleth me. xli. 51. By divine gift the heart of the righteous man is said to be made soft, in that it is penetrated with the fear of the judgment from Above. For that it is soft, which is capable of being penetrated, but that is hard, which cannot be Prov.28, penetrated. Whence it is said by Solomon, Happy is the ^^' man that feareth always, hut he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief And so the merit of his dread he ascribes not to himself but to his Creator, who says. For God maketh my heart soft, and the Abnighty troubleth me. Now the hearts of good men are not secure but troubled, in that whilst they think on the heavy weight of the future reckon- ing, they do not seek to enjoy rest here, and they interrupt their security by the thought of the interior severity. Which persons nevertheless, in the midst of the very chastenings of fear, often recall their mind to the gifts, and that by comfort- ing they may cheer themselves, amidst this which they fear, Job not punished. Saints have to watch against faults. 257 they bring back the eye to the gifts which they have received, Book that hope may buoy up him whom fear bears down. Hence ' too it follows; Ver. 17. Because I have not perished on account of the overhanging darkness; neither hath the darkness covered my face, 52. For he, being set under the scourge, dies off from the xlii. health of the body ' on account of the overhanging darkness,' who is for this reason smitten for the past that he may be shielded from future punishments. For scourges inflicted on the good either wipe out evil things done, or parry off future ones which might have been done. But blessed Job, foras- much as when set under the rod he was neither purified fi'om foregoing sins nor shielded from those that threatened, but only had his goodness increased under the stroke, says with confidence. Because I have not perished on account of the overhanging darkness, neither hath the darkness covered my face. For he that always had before his eyes the weight of divine dread, the face of his heart the darkness of sin never covered. And he whom no punishments followed, did not lose the health of the body * on account of the overhanging darkness.'
53. And it is to be noted, that in his own person telling what had gone before, he never says ' neither hath darkness touched my face,' but ' neither hath darkness covered my face;' for often even the hearts of the righteous do thoughts arising defile, and affect them with the gratifications of things earthly, but whereas they are speedily put away by the hand of holy discretion, it is quickly brought to pass that darkness should not cover the face of the heart, which was already touching it by unlawful enjoyment; for often in tlie very sacri- fice of prayer urgent thoughts press themselves on us, that they should have force to carry off" or pollute what we are sacrificing in ourselves to God with weeping ej^es. Whence when Abraham at sunset was off'eriiig up the sacrifice, he was subject to birds setting on, which he diligently drove away, that they might not carry off the sacrifice which had been offered. So let us, when we offer to God a holocuast upon the altar of our hearts, keep it from unclean birds, that the evil spirits and bad thoughts may not seize upon that VOL. II. s 95ft Cod known by FaUh^ hut incomprehensible in Nature.
JoH 24, wliicli our mind hopes that it is offering up to God to a good Ltt.
C. xxiv. 1. Times are not hidden from the Almighty; they that know Him, know not His days, xliii. 54. What are called ' the days' of God, save His very Eternity itself? which is sometimes described by the anpg. 84, nouncement of one day,' as where it is written. For one day in Thy courts is better than a thousand. But sometimes on account of its length it is represented by the expression of a Ps. 102, number of days, whereof it is written, Thy years are through' out all generations. We then are wrapped up within the divisions of time, through this that we are created beings. But God, Who is the Creator of all things, by His Eternity encompasses our times. And so he says. Times are not hidden from the Almighty; they that know Him, know not His days; seeing that He, indeed, sees all of ours to the comprehending thereof, but all that is His we are in no de- gree able to comprehend. But whereas the nature of God is simple, it is very much to be wondered at why he should say, They that know Him, know not His days. For it is not that He Himself is one thing and His ' days' another; since God is that thing which He hath. For He hath eternity, yet He is Himself Eternity. He hath Light, yet He is Himself His own Light. He hath brightness, yet He is Himself His own Brightness. And so in Him it is not one thing to be, and another thing to have. What does it mean then to say, They that know Him, know not His days, except that even they that know Him, do not know Him as yet? For even they who already hold Him by faith, as yet know Him not by appearance. And whereas He, Whom we truly believe, is Himself eternity to Himself, yet in what way there is that eternity of Him we know not. For in the thing that we hear touching the power of the Divine Nature, we are some- times used to imagine such things as we know by experience. I Thus every single thing that begins and ends, is bounded by the beginning and ending. And if it be by any little delay stayedfrombeingendedjit is called long; on which same length whilst a man carries back the eyes of his mind in recollection, and stretches them out before in anticipation, as it were over a space of time he expands them in imagination. And when Our conceptions of God always imperfect. '259 he hears the elernity of God mentioned in human sort, to his Book mind on the stretch he sets fortli long spaces of hfe,in which - same he may ever measure both what has gone away in the rear as a thing to be retained in the memory, and what remains before as a thing to be looked forward to in the intention.
55. But as often as in the case of eternity we have such thoughts, we do not as yet know eternity. For that which is neither commenced by a beginning nor finished by an ending, is there, where neither is there looked forward to that which shall come, nor does there pass by that which may be recalled to mind, but that alone is, which is everlasting BEING. Which though we and the Angels with a beginning begin to see to be, yet we see it to be without beginning, where it is to be always without end, in such a way, that the mind never extends itself to things following in a sequence, as if things that are were multiplied and made long. For though by the Spirit of Prophecy it is said. The Lord shall reign/or ever and^ /or Exod. worlds and further; after the manner of Holy Writ, thej^-i^^ Spirit spoke in man's way to men, so as to speak of* further' so. there, where looking forward could not enter. For eternity has no * further,' which has it always to be, wherein no part of its length goes by that another part should take its place, but the whole at once is Being, that nothing should seem to be wanting to it, which it may not see, in which eternity every thing that is the mind sees to be at once not slow and long. But in speaking such things of the days of eternity we are trying to see something more than we do see. And so let it be rightly said, lliey that know Him know not His days; in that though we already know God by faith, yet how His Eternity is at once without a past before all ages, without a future after all ages, long without delay, and everlasting without looking forward, we do not see. Thus blessed Job, \a hilst bearing a type of Holy Church, (because he restrains himself under a great bridling of knowledge, so as not to be wiser than he ought to be,) and testifying that the days of God can never be understood, directly brings back the view of the mind to the pride of Heretics who aim to be deeply enlightened, and what they are incapable of taking in at all, they boast that they know in perfect mea- sure. Thus it goes on; s2 260 Heretics pervert the simple sheep and labouriitf/ asses.
Job 24, Ver. 2. Others remove the landmarks; they violently lake _: — away /locks, and feed them. xliv. ^6. Whom does he denote by the title of others," saving Heretics, wlio to the bosom of Holy Church are strangers? For they the same persons remove landmarks, in that the constitutions of the Fathers they by walking awry do over- step. Concerning which same constitutions it is written, V\ov.i2,Jlemove not the ancient landmark which thy fathers have set. And these violently take away the Jlocks, and feed them, in that all the inexperienced, by wicked persuasions, they draw to themselves, and with baneful lessons nourish them for slaughtering. For that the ignorant multitudes are repre- sented by the designation of ' flocks,' the words of the Spouse bear witness, Who addresses His Espoused, in the words. Except thou know thyself, O beautiful amongst ivomen, depart forth, and go after the footsteps of the flocks; i. e. ' excepting that by living well, thou knowest thine honour whereby thou art created after the likeness of God, depart forth from the sight of the contemplation of Me, and ' al. ' the follow the life* of the uninstructed multitudes. It goes on: Ver. 3. They drive away the ass of the fatherless, they take the widow'' s ox for a pledge. xlv. 57. Whom do we understand by the fatherless in this place, but the Elect of God, who are set in tenderness of mind, are nourished with the efficacious grace of faith, and do not yet see the face of their Father, Who has already died in their behalf And there are very many in the Church, who see certain persons aiming at the things of heaven, having all earthly things in contempt, and though they themselves are toiling with all their strength in this world's labours, yet to those whom they see panting after heavenly things, from the goods which they possess in this world, they bring this life's aid and support. And though they cannot themselves follow a spiritual life, yet to those reaching forth to the things above they gladly yield means of support. For an ass is used to bear the burthens of men. He then is as it were a kind of ass of the Elect, who whilst yielding himself to earthly courses, carries loads for the uses of men. And often when Heretics turn aside anv such person from the bosom of Holy Church, they are as it were I They take ihe^ox'ofthe widowedChurch ^toget more from her. 26 1 driving off the ass of the fatherless, in that when they force Book him into their own misbelief, they drive him away from - tendance on the good.
58. But who is to be understood by the ' widow' saving Holy Church, who is bereft in the mean season of the sight of her slain Husband? Now ^ the ox' of this ' widow' is every individual preacher. And it often chances that Heretics by their perverted tenets draw over even those very persons that appeared to be preachers. And so they ' take the widow's ox,' when they carry off from Holy Church even a person preaching. And it is rightly added here, /or a iiledge. For when a pledge is taken away, one thing indeed is held in our hands, but another yet further is sought for. And very often Heretics for this reason try to carry off those that preach, that they may draw to them their followers likewise. Thus ' the widow's ox is taken away for a pledge,' when the same person that practised preaching is for this reason earned off, that others may follow after him. By whose downfall it is very often brought about, that they also go forth from the bosom of Holy Church, who, imbued with godly habits in her, seemed to be meek and humble. Hence it is added; Ver. 4). They have turned the needy out of the way; and have oppressed together the meek of the earth* 59. For by the term of ' poverty,' humility is very often xlvi. denoted; and very often they that appear gentle and humble, if they have not leanit to maintain discretion, fall by the examples of other men. But there are some Heretics, who eschew to mix themselves with the multitudes, and seek the retirement of a life of greater privacy, and these very often with the bane of their persuasion poison those that they meet with the more, in proportion as by the claims of their life they the more seem deserving of respect. Concerning whom it is subjoined; Ver. 5. Others as wild asses^ in the desert go forth to^ onagri their work, 60. For the * onager' is a wild ass; and in this place Heretics xlvii. are rightly likened to * wild asses,' in that being let loose in their pleasures, they are strange to the fetters of faith and reason. Hence it is written; A wild ass iised to the wilder- Jer. 2, 262 Heretics rob GocTsJield and vliujjdrd by violence.
Job 24, ness that snuffelh up the wind of his love at his pleasure. For he is a wild ass used to the wilderness, who whilst he does not Alleg.
cultivate the ground of his heart with excellence of discipline, there dwells, where there is no fruit. Since he ^ snuffeth up the wind of his love at his pleasure,' in that the things that from the desire of knowledge he conceives in his mind, are efficacious I Cor. 8, to puff up but not to edify. Against whom it is said, Know- ■*• ledge puffeth up^ hut charity edifieth. Hence here too the words are suitably brought in; they go forth to their work.
For it is not the work of God, but their own work that they do, whereas they follow not right doctrines, but their own Ps. 101, desires. For it is written. He that walketh i?i a perfect way^ ^' he served me. So he that does not walk in a perfect way, serves himself more than the Lord. It goes on; Watching for a prey, they provide bread for their children.
xlviii. 6i' They ' watch for a prey,' who are always trying to seize the words of the righteous according to their own perception, that by them they may provide the bread of error for evil-minded children. Of which some bread it is said in Solomon, in the words of the woman that bears the figure of Prov. 9, heretical wickedness. Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. It goes on; Ver. 6. They reap a field not their own, and the vineyard of him whom they have oppressed by violence they gather.
62. By the name of a * field' may be denoted the wide compass of Holy Scripture, and Heretics ' reap' it not being their own, in that they carry away from it sentences which are infinitely removed from their own notions; which same is furthermore described by the title of a ' vineyard,' in that through the sentences of truth it puts forth the clusters of the virtues; the owner of which vineyard, i. e. the originator of Holy Scripture, they as it were ' oppress with violence,' because they endeavour violently to twist and turn a sense Is. 43, of His upon* the words of Holy Writ; as He saith. But thou \i,,on\yhast made Me to serve with thy sins, thou hast given Me reads labour in thine iniquity. And they * reap the vintage of words.' that vineyard,' in that they heap together therefrom clusters of sentences after the bent of their own understanding. It may be that by the title of a ' field' or of a ' vineyard' the Church Universal is set forth, wPiich corrupt preachers 'reap,' They strip men of good works iJiat were their coicrlinj. 2()3 and by oppressing in His memljors the Author of it, * gather the Book vintage,' in that in bearing down upon the grace of our 1 Creator, whilst they seize off therefrom persons who seemed to be rigliteous, what else is this but that they carry off ^ ears' or ' clusters' of souls? Of whom it is yet further added; Ver. 7. They send men away naked, taking away their garments, who have no covering in the cold.