black, but comely. And John says, If we say that we have no ^ johni sin, we deceive ourselves. Which same ravens, no doubt, 8. ' pick out the eyes' of him that ' sneereth,' because they overcome the aim of bad and froward men. Thus by this testimony, if here as well * the torrent' is to be taken for 352 Chrisf, r}tade poor for us, turned away from the Jews.
Job 28, preaching; the stone of darkness, and shadow of death, the -—.— * — torrent divides from the people on travel; because the preaching of the Saints gives over the hardened minds of the lost, and betakes itself to the pious hearts of the lowly. Hence it is yet further subjoined, Those whom the foot of the needy man forgot, and the inaccessible ones.
50. What other in this place is taken to be the needy man, saving Him concerning Whom it is said by Paul, 2 Cor. Though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor.
CO ' ' The' feet' of which ' needy man' were the holy Preachers, by the presence of which same comj^assing the Gentile world, He went round about the whole globe. Of whom it Lev. 26, is said by the Prophet, And I will walk in them. Was not ]^' he His foot, who whilst held fast in fetters, said, For which I 6, 16. am an ambassador in bonds? But those, who proved them- 2(j] ' ' selves * a shadow of death and a stone of darkness,' ' the foot of the needy Man forgot,' because in the very outset of the new born Church, whereas the holy Apostles were minded to have preached the kingdom of heaven to Judaea, seeing that they profited for nothing at all, they went off for the preaching to the Gentiles, as they themselves say in Acts 13, their Acts; It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you; but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, to, we turn to the Gentiles. Concerning whom also it is said by P3.46,2. the Psalmist, The mountains shall be carried into the heart of the sea; because the Apostles, being thrust off by Judaea, were ' carried' into this scene of the Gentile world. Who then are those, that by unbounded hardness and from dim- sightedness of heart, like a kind of stone of darkness and the shadow of death,' are divided from the People of the Saints going on travel, saving those whom ' the foot of the needy Man forgot,' i. e. whom the Preachers of the Lord, poor as He was, that is, in respect of human nature, abandoned on account of the swelling of their pride; and those they wholly forgot, whilst they transferred the seeds of their preaching to the getting fruit of the Gentiles only? Whom moreover he rightly calls ' inaccessible' also, because while they were hardened in their infidelity, they refused to give the words of The land thai had ike bread of Truth burned up. 353 life access to their heart. But this Judaia which grows thus Book hardened, whether what she was for loug, or what she ' underwent afterwards, let us listen to. It goes on; Ver. 5. The earth, from which bread arose^ is overturned in its place by fire.
51. Judaea was wont to give bread, in that she used to setxxxii. before men the words of the Law. Which same Law because the children of perdition could now no longer understand and interpret, the prophet Jeremiah bewails in the Lamenta- tions, saying, The young children asked bread, and there was Lam. 4, no man to break it unto them; but this ' earth is overturned * in its place with fire,' because on beholding the miracles of the faithful it consumed itself with the firebrand of envy. For because envy is always used to be engendered from pride, she * perished in her place by fire,' who for this reason burned with envy, because she did not abandon pride. And so ' the earth, which first had bread, was afterwards over- turned by fire,' because the Synagogue, which set before men the commandments of God in the Law, by persecuting the new-born Church consumed itself with the fire of envy. Was it not in flames with the brands of its jealousy when on seeing the miracles of our Redeemer, it said by certain of its own, What do we? for this Man doeth many miracles? Johnii, Or, surely, Ye see that we gain nothing; yea, the whole world ^^tA^ 19 goeth after Him. They saw that whereby they should have been converted, and they were thereby rendered the more froward. They sought to stifle Him, Whom they beheld give life to the dead. They held the Law in the mouth, but persecuted the Author of the Law. Therefore the earth, from which bread arose, was overturned in its place by fire. Because Judaea had in her own self first the Law that should refi'esh, and afterwards envy that should consume her. For the describing of whom it is further added, Ver. 6. The stones of it are the place of sapphire, and her clods gold.
52. The proclaim of the glory going before adds to thexxxiii. guilt of the sin following after. For the fall of every indi- vidual is of worse criminality, in proportion as before he fell he had the power to be of greater excellency. Thus let it be told of Judaja, let it be told what she was, and let the great- voL. ir. A a Job 28, ness of the excellencies going before grow into the heiglilening — — '— of llie delinquencies succeedinjjr afterwards. Her stones were Pro PH. ^ the place of sapphires^ and her clods of gold. What do we understand in this place by ' gold,' but the minds of the Saints and strong ones? For in Holy Scripture * stones' are wont to be taken sometimes on the side of bad and some- times on the side of good. For when a ' stone' is put for insensibility, by ' stones' we have hard hearts denoted. Matt 3, "Whence also it is said by John; God is able of tliese stones to raise up children unto Abraham; who, surely, by the name of ' stones' denotes the hearts of the Gentiles, at that time hard and insensible in respect of unbelief. And by the Ez. 11, Prophet the Lord promises, saying. And I will take the stony heart out of your flesh, and will give you an heart of flesh. Again by ' stones' the minds of the strong ones are used to be denoted. And hence it is said to the Saints by Peter, iPet.2, jg aho as lively stones are built up a spiritual Jiouse, an holy priesthood. And by the Prophet the Lord promises to Is. 54, the Church when she comes, saying. Behold., I will lay down thy stones in order, and, lay thy foundations with sapphires; and I will make thy bulwarks jasper, and thy gates in cut stones, and all thy borders into pleasant stones. A)id all thy children shall be taught of the Lord, For He did ' lay down in her the stones in order,' in that He distinguished the holy souls in her by the diverseness of merits. He ^ laid her foundation in sapphires,' which same stones retain in them- selves the likeness of the colour of the air, because the strength of the Church is firmly based in souls seeking after heavenly things. And because a jasper is of a green hue, He ' made his bulwarks of the jasper,' because they are advanced against her adversaries in the defence of Holy Church, who growing green and fresh by interior desires, do not die off by any drying up of damnable lukewarmness. But He ' set her gates in cut stones.' For those are the ' gates' of the Church, by whose life and teaching the mul- titude of those that believe enter into her. Who also for this reason, that they are rich in great deeds, and that what by speaking they declare, by living they exhibit, are described to be not plain but ' cut stones.' For in whosesoever life right practice is seen, there is as it were represented in those same The humble Faithful in the Law, ^ clods of gold' 3o5 persons what they have done. Where also embracing all Book the number of the Elect in a general roll, he added, mid all^H}^ thy borders in pleasant stones. And as though we, on hearing these things, begged that he would make known those stones that he spoke of, he added, All thy children shall be taught of the Lord. And therefore because from out of Judaea there were never wanting holy souls, to lead a heavenly life, it is said, Jier stones are the place of sapphires. And because with an extraordinary brightness of life and of wisdom she shone forth by faith, it is added, and her clods gold. What is denoted by * clods,' but the assemblages and multitudes of the several orders? Now clods are compacted of moisture and dust; and so all they that being watered with the dew of grace confessed with a true-sighted knowledge that by the debt of death they are dust, whilst they were made to shine bright by excellency of life, lay in her like ' clods of gold.' * Clods' this earth had in the Prophets, ' clods' she had in the teachers, * clods' in the Ancient Fathers, who by an extraordinary infusion of grace kept themselves close in unanimity of profession and of practice. Therefore let him say, And the clods of it gold; because therein the multitude of the spiritual souls shone with greater perfection, in pro- portion as it bound itself up in God and its neighbour with greater unanimity.
53. But this gold was afterwards dimmed by the darkness of unbelief. Whose blackness, surely, the Prophet Jeremiah surveying laments, saying, Hoia is the gold become dim?^^^-^, how is the mo J fine gold changed! For * the gold is become dim,' in that that ancient brilliancy in them of faith and innocency, upon unbelief coming upon them, dulled itself with the night of wickedness. Therefore, what it was since we have heard, even that her stones are the place of sappJiires, now let us hear next wherefore that People so beloved of God lost these great blessings. It goes on; Ver. 7. The pathway of the bird it knew not, nor beheld the eyes of the vulture.
54. Who is denoted in this place by the title of ^ the bird,'xxxiv. saving He, Who in ascending poised skywards the fleshly body, which He took to Him. Who furthermore is fitly designated by the title of the ^ vulture' as well. For the 35(> Our LonVs nay Hujnijic.d hy the ' bircVa path'' Jon 28, * vulture' while it is flies if it sees a carcase lying, drops VT-— — itself down for the devourinii: of the carcase, and very often it is in this way taken in death, when it has come from on high after the dead animal. Rightly therefore is the Mediator between God and Man, our Redeemer, denoted by the ap- pellation of a S'ulture,' Who whilst remaining in the loftiness of His Divine Nature, marked as it were from a kind of flight on high the carcase of our mortal being down below, and let Himself drop from the regions of heaven to the lowest places. For in our behalf He vouchsafed to become man, and while he sought the dead creature. He found death among us. Who was deathless in Himself Now ' the eye' of this ' vulture' was the actual aiming at our Resurrection, because He Himself being dead for three days set us free from ever- lasting death. And so that faithless people of Judaea saw Him in the state of mortality, but how by His death He should destroy our death, it noted not. It beheld, indeed, the vulture, but ' the eyes of the vulture it did not behold.' Which People, whereas it refused to regard the ways of His humility, whereby He lifted us up on high, ' knew not the pathway of the bird.' For neither did it betake itself to consider that His humility would lift us to the heavenly heights, and the aim of His death renew us to life. Therefore the 'pathway of the hird it knew not, nor beheld the eyes of the vulture. For though it saw Him Whom it held bound in death, it refused to see what wonderful glory by His death followed our life^. And hence it was kindled to the cruelty of persecution likewise; it refused to receive the words of life; the Preachers of the kingdom of heaven, by forbidding, by evil entreating, by smiting it thrust from it. Which same, being so thrust off, abandoning Judaea whereto they had been sent, were dispersed for the gathering together of the Gentile world. And hence it is further added; Ver. 8. The children of the dealers have not trodden it, nor hath the lioness passed through it. > Insti- 55. In all the Latin copies we find the word ' Instructors^' tutores. p^^ down, but in the Greek we find ^ tradersV whereby it atores. may be inferred that in this passage the several copyists from being ignorant put ' instructors' (' institutors') instead of •' al. ' what glory in our life siiould follow from His dtath.'
Holy Preachers trade wiHi Truth for ijood works. 357 ' institores' (' dealers'). For we call traders ' iiistitores' Book X VIII. on this account, that they arc ' instant in plying work.' ' But both the one phrase and the other, though they dis- agree in utterance, yet are not at variance in meaning, because all those who instruct the practice of the faithful, carry on a spiritual dealing, that while they supply preach- ing to their hearers, they should receive back from them faith and right works; as where it is written touching Holy Church, She makcth fine linen, and selleih it. Con- Prov. cerning whom it is likewise said a little after in that place, ' ' She perceiveth that her trading is good. Who in this place v. 18. are called ' instructors' but the holy Prophets, who busied themselves by prophesying to instruct the ways of the Synagogue unto faith? ' Sons' of whom, assuredly, the holy Apostles are styled, who that they should believe God Man were begotten to the same faith by the preaching of those. Concerning whom it is said to the Church by the Psalmist; Instead of thy fathers are born to thee children, whom thou Ps. 45, fnayest make princes over all the earth. But because the ' Apostles being thrust off went out from the borders of the Synagogue, it is rightly said now, The children of the dealers have not trodden it. Since the * children of the dealers' would have * trodden it,' if the holy Preachers had borne down the badness of the Synagogue with the heel of goodness. But if those same ' dealers' we take for the Preachers of Holy Church, then the ' children' of the dealers, nothing hinders us taking for the Shepherds and Teachers who followed the way of the Apostles. Which did not ' tread' the Synagogue, because whilst their fathers, i. e. the Apostles, were thrust off by that Synagogue, they themselves too ceased from the calling of her.
56. Which same Synagogue ' the lioness passed not by,' because Holy Church, being devoted to the assembling together of the Gentiles, never any longer employed itself upon that people of Judgea. Now the Church is rightly called ' a lioness,' in that persons living amiss in bad habits, it kills with the mouth of holy preaching. Hence to the first Shepherd himself it is said as to the mouth of this lioness; slay and eat. For what is ' slain' is killed out of Acts 10, life, whilst that which is eaten is changed into the body of ^^' 358 The Church a lionefis. The ' Mountains' humbled.
Job 28, the person eating. Accordingly it is said,* Slay and eat;' i. e. ' Kill those to the sin wherein they are living, and con- * vert them from themselves into thine own members.' And because this Church is the body of the Lord, the Lord like- wise Himself by the voice of Jacob is called ' a lion' in respect of Himself, a ' lioness' by the body, when it is said Gen. 49, to him under the likeness of Judah, To the prey, my son, art thou gone up. Thou hast couched as a lion, and as a lioness. Who shall rouse him up? Accordingly this lioness it is never said ' passed not' Judaea, but * passed not through.' For upon the Apostles preaching, in the first instance three thousand out of her, and afterwards five thousand, believed. And so the Church ' passed by' the way of the Synagogue, but ' passed not through,' because a few from out of her it carried off to faith, but yet that faithless people it did not utterly make extinct to misbelief. But, vvhat we have already often said, being cast off by the infidelity of the Jews it turned away to the calling of the Gentiles. Hence it is yet further said of that same lioness; Ver. 9. He stretcheth out his hand to the JHu'; he over^ turneth the mountains by the roots.
xxxvi. 57. For ' he stretched out his hand to the flint,' because He put forth the arm of His preaching to the hardness of the Gentiles. Hence the same blessed Job, forewarned of the history of his suffering being destined to be made known to Job 19, the Gentiles, says. Let these things be graven with an iron pen in a plate of lead, or hewn in the Jiint. But whom in this place do we understand by the ' mountains' saving the powerful ones of this world, who on account of earthly substance swell themselves high? Concerning whom the Ps. 144, Psalmist saith, Touch the mountains, and they shall smoke; but the mountains are overturned from the roots, because, on Holy Church preaching the highest powers of this world fell from their inmost thinking into the adoring of Almighty God. For ' the roots' of the mountains are the inmost thoughts of the proud. And ' the mountains fall from the roots,' because for the worshipping of God, the powers of the world are laid level \vith the earth from the lowest thoughts. For by a root the hidden thought is rightly denoted, because by means of that which is not seen, being Streams cut in Gentile rock for living IValers to flow. 359 within, there bursts out what should be seen without. And Book XVIII hence on the side of good it is said l)y the Prophet, And the ^ ' remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again s\.
take root downward, and bear fruit upuard. As though it were expressed in plain speech; ' Deep down below the thought springs up, that up on high the reward may be rendered back.' So then let him say. He stretcheth out his hand to the fli/ft, and overturneth the mountains from the roots. For whilst the sacred preaching sought the hardness of the Gentiles, it entirely frustrated the loftiness of the proud. But because those whom it empties of earthly thoughts, it fills with heavenly gifts, and those, whom it drains of interest below, it waters with streams from Above, it is directly added; Ver. 10. He cutteth out streams in the rocks.
58. i. e. in the hard hearts of the Gentiles he opened thexxxvii. rivers of preaching; as it is likevvise spoken by the Prophet of watering the dryness of the Gentiles; He turneth the Ps. 107, wilderness into a standing water, and dry ground into water^ ' springs. And in the Gospel the Lord promises, saying, //(^ John 7, that helieveth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his ^^' belly shall flow rivers of living water. What we then heard promised, we now see fulfilled. For see how in the holy preachers, not sprung from Judaea, through the universal Church spread over the whole world, streams of heavenly precepts flow forth in abundance from the mouths of the Gentiles. Thus because in the rocks He opened streams, from hard hearts too there flowed forth the river of holy preaching. It goes on; And his eye hath seen every precious thing.
59. It is a thing to be especially borne in mind, that each xxxviii. individual soul is rendered the more precious in the sight of God, by how much it is for love of the truth the more despised in its own eyes. When thou wast little in thine 1 Sam. oxen sight, did I not make thee the head of the tribes of^^^ ^'^' Israel '^ As if he said in plain terms, ' Thou wast great with Me, because thou wast contemptible to thyself, but now because thou art gi'eat to thyself, thou art become con- temptible to Me.' And hence it is said by the Prophet; Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in 3()0 T.owly souls precious in God's sight, and by Him chosen.
Job 28, their own sight! Tims every man becomes the more worthless ■jj^*~ to God, in proportion as he is more precious to himself, so much the more precious to God as he is for His sake more Ps. 138, worthless to himself; because He regardeth the lowly, and knoweth the high afar off. Every precious thing, therefore, His eye saw. In Holy Scripture God's * seeing' is put for John 1, i choosing,** as it is written in the Gospel; When thou wast wider the Jig tree, I saw thee, i. e. I chose thee whilst placed under the shadow of the Law.' Therefore He ' saw every 1 Cor. 1, thing precious,' because He chose the lowly. Ood hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. He ' saw the precious thing' when the human soul, having base views of itself, He visited with the illumination of His grace. Of which same soul it is said by Jer. 15, the Prophet; If thou separatest the precious from the vile^ thou shall be as My mouth. For the present world is vile with God, but the soul of man is precious to Him. He, then, that ' separates the precious from the vile' is called ' as the mouth of God,' because by that man God deals forth His words, who by speaking the things that he is able to speak, plucks out the soul of man from the love of the present world. And because the teachers of the New Testament are brought to this, that even the hidden darkness of allegories in the Old Testament they search out, it is rightly added; Ver. 11. The depths also of the floods He hath searched^ and the hidden things He hath brought to light.
xxxix. 60. For what else are here called ' floods' but the sayings of the ancient Fathers. For Avho might be able to estimate how vehement a flood, whilst he was founding the Law, burst forth from the very breast of Moses } how vehement a flood gushed from the heart of David? what mighty streams of floods flowed out from the lips of Solomon and all the Prophets } Now of these * floods' Judaea held the shew, when in keeping the surface of the letter she knew not the depths thereof. But we, who, on the Lord coming, seek therein interior spiritual things, search their ' depths.' And this thing the Lord is Himself said to do, because by Himself vouchsafing it we are enabled to do it; and so by us, who follow not the letter which killeth, but the spirit which maketh alive, the Lord ' searcheth the depths of the floods.
Deep meanings of the Law brought to light in the Gospel. 36 I and bringetli the hidden things into light/ because the state- Book • XVIII ments of the Law, which the too dark history makes obscure, -* a spiritual interpretation now lights up. And hence ' Truth' when speaking in parables in the Gospel bade the Disciples, saying, What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light; Mat.io, and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye on the house tops. For the plainly spoken words of these interpreting have made the sentences of the ancient Fathers henceforth clear to us. Hence the Prophet Isaiah viewing the words plain by the interpretation of Holy Church, not obscured by the darkness of allegories, exclaimed, saying. The place of rivers, the Is. 33, broadest and open streams. For the sayings of the Old Testament were as narrow and close streams, which bound up the sentences of their lore in the darkest gathering together. But on the other hand the teaching of Holy Church are ^ streams both broad and open,' because her declarations are at once many in number to those that find them, and plain to those that seek. Therefore he says, The depths of the floods he hath searched, and the hidden things he hath brought to light. Because when He poured into His interpreters the spirit of understanding, He set open the ancient obscurities of those prophesying. And that Holy Church henceforth knows and sees by the Spirit, which the Synagogue before was not at all able to understand by the letter. Whence Moses also, while he spoke to the people, veiled his face; surely, in order to denote that that People of the Jews knew the words of the Law, but did not at all see the clearness of that Law. And hence it is rightly said by Paul; But even to this day. when Moses is read, the veil is^Cor.s, icpon their heart. But because the declarations of God are, without His wisdom, never fathomed at all, (for except him who hath received His Spirit, none knoweth in any sort His words,) the holy man adds words touching the subject of searching out that same Wisdom of God, saying;