93. But assuredly we do not so behold God, as He sees Himself, as we do not so rest in God, as He rests in Himself. For our sight or our rest will be to a certain degree like to His sight or His rest, but not equal to it. For lest we should be prostrate in ourselves, the wing of contemplation, so to say, uplifts us, and we are carried up from ourselves for the beholding Him, and being carried away by the bent of the heart and the sweetness of contemplation, in a certain manner go away from ourselves into Himself, and now this very going away of ours is not to rest, and yet so to go is most perfectly to rest. And so it is perfect rest because God is discerned, and yet it is not to be equalled to His rest, Who doth not pass on from Himself into another, that He may rest. And therefore the rest is^ so to say, like and unlike, because what His rest is, our rest imitates. For that we may be blessed and eternal for everlasting, we imitate the Everlasting. And it is a great eternity tons to be imitating eternity. Nor are we heritless of Him Whom we imitate, because in seeing we partake, and in partaking Vision of God begun here by faith. 393 imitate Him. Which same sight is now begun by faith, Book but is then perfected in Appearance, when wc drink at the — ■ — ' very springhead the Wisdom coeternal with God which we now derive through the lips of those that preach, as it were in running streams.
BOOK XIX.
The iuterpretation being carried on from the last part of the twenty- first verse of the twenty-eighth chapter to the twenty-first verse of the following chapter exclusive, various meanings are laid open not less learnedly than piously, chiefly concerning Christ and the Church.
Myst. 1. What wonder is it if the Eternal ' Wisdom' of God is not able to be seen, when the very invisible things themselves as well, which were created thereby, cannot be embraced by the eyes of men? So then by things created we leani with what self-abasement to revere the Creator of all things; so that in this life the human mind should not dare to usurp to itself aught belonging to the Appearance of Almighty God, which He reserves for His Elect only as their reward in the ensuing Recompensing. Whence after it was said, II is hid from the eyes of all living, we have the words thereupon introduced next; Chap, xxviii. 21. And is kept close also from the fowls of the air.
i. 2. For in Holy Scripture ' birds' are sometimes given to be understood in a bad sense, and sometimes in a good sense.
Since by the birds of the air occasionally the powers of the air are denoted, being hostile to the settled purposes of good Matt. men. Whence it is said by the mouth of Truth, And when ' * he sowed, some seeds fell by the wayside, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it; in this way, because evil spirits besetting the minds of men, whilst they bring in bad thoughts, pluck the word of life out of the memory.
Hence again it is said to a certain rich man full of proud Matt. 8, thoughts; The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have Luke 9, nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His Head, ^^' For foxes are very cunning animals, that hide themselves in ditches and caves; and when they face the light, they never run in straight courses, but always by crooked doublings.
' Fowls of the alr^ in yood and bad sense. 395 But the birds as we know with lofty flight lift themselves Book into the air. So, then, by the name of ' foxes,' the crafty - and cunning demons, and by the title of the ^ birds of the air' these same proud demons are denoted. As if he said, ' The deceitful and uplifted demons find their habitation in your heart; i. e. in the imagination of pride,' ^but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His Head,' i. e. ' My humility findeth not rest in your proud mind.' For as by a kind of flight that first bird lifted itself up, which said in the uplifted imagination of the heart: I will ascend into heaven. I will^^-^^-, 13 13 exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the North. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will be like the Most High. Mark how he in flying sought the regions on high with pride. Which same flight also he recom- mended to the first of human kind as well. For they themselves by flying as it were tried to go above their own selves, when it was told them that they should taste and be like gods. And while they seek after the likeness of the Deity, they lost the blessings of immortality, which same would not by dying have gone into the earth, if they had been willing to stand with humility upon the earth.
3. But, on the other hand, ' the birds of the air' are wont to be put in a good sense, as in the Gospel the Lord, when He was declaring a likeness of the kingdom of heaven by a grain of mustard seed, said. Unto what is the kijigdomJ-nVeiSy of heaven like? and whereunto shall 1 reseynble it f It is ' ' like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took omd cast into his garden, and it grew and waxed a great tree, and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it. For He is Himself* a grain of mustard seed,' Who, when He was planted in the burial place of the garden, rose up a great tree. For He was ' a grain,' whereas He died, but * a tree,' whereas He rose again. ' A grain,' through the abasement of the flesh, * a tree,' through the mightiness of His Majesty. ' A grain,' because we have seen Him, and He was notis.53 2. regarded; but ' a tree,' because fairer in form than theVsA5,2. children of men. The branches of this tree are the holy preachers. And let us see how wide they are stretched out. For what is said concerning them? Their sound is gone Vs.iOjA. forth into all the earth, and their ivords to the end of the 396 Evil spirits know God but afar off.
Job 2^, world. In these ' boughs the birds of the air rest,' because Myst.
the holy souls, which by a kind of wings of virtues lift themselves up from earthly thinking, do in the word and consolations of these take breath from the wearying of this life. And so in this place after it was said of ' Wisdom,' It is hid from the eyes of all men; it is rightly added. It is kept close also from the fowls of the air: because being settled in the corruptible flesh, these very persons do not in seeing penetrate the mightiness of His Nature, who earn by holy contemplation even now to fly with wings. Where it is well added, Ver. 22. Destruction and death say, We have heard the fmne thereof with our ears.
ii- 4. Who are denoted by the title of ' destruction and death,' save the evil spirits, who proved the inventors of ^ destruction and of death,' as of their leader himself under the appearance Rev. 6, of his minister it is said by John, And Ids name was Death. Unto whom all spirits of pride being subject, say concerning this ' Wisdom,' Which is God, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears, in this way, that the vision thereof doubtless they could not have with complete blessedness. For perfectly to see the Wisdom coeternal with God, is the same thing as to ^ have.' Hence it is said to John of the Rev. 2, reward of one conquering, / will give him a tvhite stone, and in the stone a new name iv7'itten, which no man knoweth saving he that receive! h it. For in this life we are able either to know or see sometimes a thing even which we have not received; but to have * a new name written on a white stone* is in an eternal recompense to have the knowledge of God strange to the faculties of men, which no man can know saving he that receiveth it. Therefore as we have said, because to see God is the same thing that it is to have, therefore the evil spirits do not see this ^ Wisdom,' because being cast off through pride they were never able to have It. For they shut the eyes of the heart to the light of It, resisting the rays thereof shed abroad over them, as that may be also Job 24, understood of the same evil spirits, which is written, They are of those that rebel against the light. And so for evil spirits to have ' heard of the fame of Wisdom,' but not to have seen that Wisdom, is at once to have ascertained the power thereof by its efficacy, and yet to have been unwilling The Father the * Place' of the Son, Manhood His * waij: S97 to stand humbly under it. Hence it is said by the voice of Book ■XT fxr Truth of the actual head of evil spirits, He was a murdere?-- ^ f7'07?i the hegiiining, and abode not in the truth. It follows; 44. ' Vor. 23. God understandeth the way thereof, and He knoweth the place thereof.
5. This Wisdom coeternal with God has * a way' in one iii. sense, and in another sense * a place;' but only a ' place,' if a person understand it a place not local. For God is not capable of beinpj held close after the manner of a body. But as has been said, a place not local is meant. The ^ place' of * Wisdom' is the Father, ' the place' of the Father is ' Wisdom,' as. Wisdom Herself bearing testimony, it is said, / am in the Father, and the Father in Me. So then the Johni4, same identical Wisdom has * a way' in one sense, and ' a^^' place' in another sense; * a way' by the passing of the manhood, ' a place' by the settledness of the Godhead. For She passes not by in ihe respect that She is eternal, but She does pass by in the respect that for our sakes She appeared subject to time. For it is thus written in the Gospel, And as Meit.20, they departed from Jericho, the Lord passed by. And, behold, ^^* ^^• two blind men, sitting by the way side, cried out, saying. Have mercy on us, O Lord, Thou Son of David. At whose voice, as it is there written, Jesus stood still, and restored ver. 32. light. Now what is it to hear passing by, but to restore sight standing still, but that by His manhood He compassionated us. Who by the power of His Godhead banished from us the darkness of our souls? For in that for our sakes He was born and suffered, that He rose again and ascended into heaven, it is as if Jesus passed by, because surely these are doings in time. But He touched and enlightened them standing still, because not as that temporal economy doth likewise the Word's Eternity pass by, Which while remaining in Itself renews all things. For God's standing is His ordering all things mutable by immutable purposing. He, then. Who heard the voices of those imploring Him while ' passing by,' restored light standing still. For though for our sakes He underwent things temporal, yet He bestowed light upon us by the same thing that He knows not to have the passing of mutability. Therefore because when He should through flesli appear to men was an uncertain thing, 398 The * place* and ' waif of Wisdom in man unseen.
Job 28, it is rightly said now, God understandeth the way thereof^ ■^r — '— and He knoweth the place thereof. As though it were expressed in plain words; 'To the thought of man the two are hidden, whether the time when by flesh Wisdom may come to men, or the mode how, even when He appears without, He continues invisible with the Father.
6. Although this may also be understood in another sense. For ' the way thereof is not inappropriately taken to be that actual thing that comes into the mind, and infuses itself into us in the interior. And ' the place thereof the heart becomes, coming unto which She abides. Thus of this Her way it is Mat. 3, said. The voice of one crying in the wildoness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord; i. e. * Open in your hearts an entrance Ps.68,4.to Wisdom at Her coming;* as it is elsewhere said; Make a way for him, that a^cendeth above the setting. For to ' ascend over the setting,' was by rising again to have got the mastery over that very death, He had undergone. And so he says, For him, that ascendeth over the setting, make ye a way; i. e. ' To the Lord on His rising again make a way in your hearts by faith.' Hence it is said to John by Luke 1, the Spirit; Thou shalt go before the face of the Lord, to prepare His ways. For every one that by preaching cleanses the hearts of those that hear him from the defilements of bad habits, prepares a way for Wisdom on Her coming. Thus, this ' Wisdom' hath ' a way,' and hath ' a place;' ' a way' w^hereby She comes, ' a place' wherein She abides; as She JohnH, Herself saith; If any man love Me, he will keep My words, and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him. So then there is * a way' by which She comes, ' a place' wherein She abideth. But whereunto does She come. Who is every where? Is it for Wisdom to come, by the enlightening of our mind to make the presence of Her mightiness to appear? And because it^is doubtful to men both into what person's heart She comes, or in what man, after She has come. She rests in abiding there, it is rightly said now, God understandeth the way thereof, and He knoweth the place thereof Because it appertains to the ; Divine sight alone to see, whether by what methods the peri ception of Wisdom may come to the heart of man, or whose / soul shall not lose by deadly imaginations the understanding Eye of God. Man but light ivithoiit a gift from Him. 899 of life, which it has been vouchsafed. And because this Book XTX same * Wisdom' made manifest by the graciousness of the - Manhood was destined in all the regions of the world to fill to the full the hearts of the Elect, it is rightly added; Ver. 14. For he regardeth the ends of the earth.^ and seeth all things that are imder the heaven.
7. For God's ' regarding' is the renewing to His grace the iv. things that w^ere lost and undone; whence it is written, A Prov. King that sitteth in the throne of judgment scatter eth away'^^^ all evil with His eyes. For by regarding He restrained the evils of our lightness, and bestowed great worth of matured- ness. Whence it is further added; Who made the weight for the winds.
8. For in the Holy Scripture, by the rapidity and subtlety v. of the winds souls are used to be denoted, as it is spoken by the Psalmist of God; Who walketh above the ivings of theVs.\Oi, winds; i. e. 'Who passes above the virtues of souls.' * "^* Accordingly ' He made the weight for the winds,' in that whilst Wisdom from above fills souls, it renders them weighty with imparted maturity, not with that weightiness, of which it is said. Ye children of men, how long with a heavy heart. Ps. 4,2. For it is one thing to be weighty in respect of counsel, and another in respect of sin; it is one thing to be weighty, by constancy, another to be weighty by offence. For this latter weightiness has weight of burthen, the other weight of merit. Thus, therefore, souls receive weight, that they should not henceforth with light motion glance off from their aim at God, but be made to settle into Him with immoveable weightiness of constancy. Still was that people lightly moved to and fro, of which it is said by the Prophet, And la. 57 ^ he went on frowardly in the way of his own heart. I have ^^' seen his ways: and I let him go. But weighty counsel in heart banishes all inconstancy of wandering. And because there are souls, that with light motion are now after one set of objects, now after another, Almighty God, because these very light waverings of men's minds He does not estimate lightly, by abandoning passes judgment on the wandering of the heart. But w^hen through grace He regards the wander- ing mind. He fixes it into stedfasiness of counsel. And so it is rightly said now, And made weight for the winds; 400 ' Waters,^ meaning here Elect souls, kept to measure.
Job 28, because the light motions of the mindjjwhen lie deigns to regard with mercifulness, He directly fashions that mind to maturedness of constancy. Or otherwise to ' make weight for the winds,' is to qualify with intermixed infirmity the glory resulting from virtuous achievements, which is vouch- safed to the Elect here. Whence it is also subjoined; And he weigheth the waters by measure, vi. 9. * Waters' in Holy Scripture are wont sometimes to denote the Holy Spirit, sometimes sacred knowledge, some- times wrong knowledge, sometimes calamity, sometimes drifting peoples, sometimes the minds of those following the faith. Thus by water we have the Inpouring of the Holy John 7, Spirit represented, as when it is said in the Gospel, He • * that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. Where the Evangelist following on ^dded; But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive. Again, by water Ecclus. sacred knowledge is denoted, as it is said; And give him ' * the water of wisdom to drink. By water likewise bad know- ledge is wont to be designated, as when the woman in Solomon, who bears a type of heresy, charms with crafty Prov. 9, persuasion, saying, Stole?i waters are sweet. By the term of waters too tribulation are used to be signified, as it is said Ps.69,i.by the Psalmist, Save me, 0 God, for the waters are come in even unto my soul. By water peoples are denoted, as it Rev. 17, is said by John, Now the waters are peoples. By water likewise not only the tide of peoples drifting away, but also the minds of good men that follow the preachings of faith, Is. 32, are denoted, as the Prophet saith. Blessed are ye that sow 20 * upo7i all waters. And it is said by the Psalmist; The voice 3. ' of the Lord is upon the waters. In this place, then, what is denoted by the title of ' waters,' saving the hearts of the Elect, which by the understanding of Wisdom, have now received the hearing of the heavenly voice? Touching whom it is rightly said; And weigheth the waters by measure. Because the very Saints, who by the Holy Spirit bearing them up are transported on high, so long as they are in this life, that they may not swell high with any self-elation, are kept down by certain temptations, that they may never have the power to advance as much as they have the wish, but lest they should Elijah, with great yi/ts, made safe by iveaknesses. 401 be exalted by pride, there takes place in them a kind of Book measure of their very virtues. - 10. It is hence that Elijah, after that by so many achieve- ments he had advanced on high, was suspended aloft by a kind of measure, when he afterwards fled from Jezebel, though a queen, yet only a weak woman. For I consider with myself that this man of marvellous power drew down fire from heaven, and once and again by momentary beseeching consumed the captains of fifty with all their men, by a word shut up the heavens from rain, by a word opened the heavens to rain, raising the dead, foreseeing the several things to come, and, lo, again it occurs to mind, with what dismay he fled before a single weak woman. I see the man, as being stricken with fear, from the hand of God seeking death, yet not obtaining it, from the hand of a woman shunning death by taking to flight. For he sought death, whilst he fled, saying, // is enough; 7iow, O Lord, take away my life; fori Kings / am iwt better than my fathers. Whence then was he ' so powerful as to perform those so numerous miracles? whence so weak as to be dismayed at a woman, except that ' the waters are weighed with measure;' that the very Saints of God should at once prevail greatly through the power of God, and again be limited by a kind of measure through their own infirmity. In those powers Elijah learnt what he had received from God, in these weaknesses what he had power to be by himself. That mightiness was power, this weakness the keeper of power. In these powers he shewed what he had received, in these weaknesses that which he had received he kept safe. In the miracles Elijah was to be brought out to view, in the weaknesses he.was to be preserved secure.
11. In the same way I see that Paul, encountering 2 Cor. the perils of rivers and robbers, of the city and the wil- ^ ' * derness, of sea and land, bridling the body by fasts and watchings, undergoing the ills of cold and nakedness, exer- cising himself watchfully and with pastoral care to the safe-keeping of the Churches, being cauglit up into the third heaven, and again caught up into Paradise, at once heard secret words which it is not permitted to man to utter, and yet is given over to an angel of Satan to be tempted; he prays that he might be released, and is not VOL. II. D d L 402 *S'/. PauVs infirmity safely to him, instruction to us.
Job 28, heard. And when 1 look to the mere beginnings of his jy^yg'y conversion, I consider with myself that heavenly pity opens the heavens to him, and Jesus shews Himself to him from on high. He that lost the light of the body for a time, received the light of the heart for evermore. He is sent Acts 9, to Ananias, he is called A chosen vessel, and yet from that same city, which he had entered after the vision of Jesus, he departs in flight, as he himself bears witness, saying, 2 Cor. In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept 33! guard over the city of the Damascenes, desirous to appre- hend ine; and through, a window, in a basket, was I let down by the loall, and so escaped his hands. Unto whom 1 will take leave to say, ' O Paul, already seest thou Jesus in heaven, and still dost thou fly man on earth? Art thou carried into Paradise, art thou made acquainted with secret words of God, and still art thou tempted by a messenger of Satan? Whence so strong, that thou art caught up to heavenly places, whence so weak that thou fliest from man on the earth, and still sufferest hard handling from a mes- senger of Satan, saving that the Same, Who lifts thee on high, again limits thee with the minutest measuring, that both in thy miracles thou shouldest preach to us the power of God, and again in thy fear cause us to remember our own infirmity?' Which same infirmity, however, that it may not draw us on into despair when it buffets us, whilst thou wert beseeching God touching thine infirmity, because thou wert not heard, to us also thou hast told what thou didst hear; 2 Cor. My grace is sufficient for thee; for My strength is made ' * perfect in weakness.
12. Thus by the plain voice of God it is shewn that the guardian of power is frailty. For we are then kept to good effect within, when by God's appointment we are tempted to a bearable degree without, sometimes by bad propensities, sometimes by pressing misfortunes. For to these likewise, whom we know to have been men of mighty virtues, there were not wanting temptations and conflicts from the vices. Hence it is that for our encouragement the same great Preacher condescends to bring to view things of that kind Rom. 7, concerning his own case, saying, / see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind, and bringing Saintanot raisedloohiyh. Spirit aal^ rain,^ and ' tempest ' 403 me into captivity to the law of sin, which is in my memhers. Fook For the flesh forces down below, that the Spirit may not ^- nphft, and the Spuit draws up on high, that the flesh may not bring to the ground. The Spirit Hfts up, that we may not lie grovelling in the lower world, the flesh weighs down, that we should not be lifted up on account of the things on high. If the flesh tempted us, while the Spirit did not uplift us, too surely by the absoluteness of its tempting it would cast us down below. J5ut again, if the Spirit lilted us above, while the flesh did not tempt. It would by that very uplifting prostrate us the worse in the fall of pride. But by a certain regulating method it takes place, that whilst each one of the Saints is already indeed trans- ported on high inwardly, but is still tempted outwardly, he neither incurs the downfall of desperation, nor of self- exaltation; seeing that neither does outward temptation biing transgression to its accomplishment, because the interior bent draws upwards; nor again does this interior bent lift up into pride, because the exterior temptation abases whilst it weighs down. Thus by a high appointment we see in the interior advancement what we receive, in the exterior short- coming what we are, and by a strange method it is brought to pass that a man should neither be lifted up on the ground of virtue, nor despair on the ground of temptation, because while the Spirit draws, and the flesh draws back, by the exactest regulating of the Interior Judgment, the soul is balanced in a kind of mean above the things below, and below the things above. Therefore it is well said, Ver. 26, 27. When He made a decree for the rain, and a way for the sounding tempests, tit en did He see it and declare it; He prepared it, yea, and searched it out.
13. By ' rain' the sayings of those that preach are used to vii. be denoted. Whence it is said by Moses; Let my doctrine he Deut. waited for as the rain; whose words, that is to say, w hen they ' * gently persuade are ' rain,' but when they thvmder out terrible things touching the Judgment to come, they are ' sounding tempests.' And it deserves to be noted, that ' a decree is made for the rain,' in order that ' a w^ay may be opened for the sounding tempests.' For a decree has been set to the preachers themselves, that by living they fulfil what by 404 Lnu'fi set for the preaching that made way /or * Wisdom.^ Job 28,utterinff they are forward to recommend. For the autho- ~~ — '- ritativeness of speaking is lost, when the voice is not sup- " ported by the practice. For here it is said by the Psalmist, Ps. 60, But unto the wicked God saith; What hast thou to do to declare My statutes, or that thou shouldest take My covenant in thy mouth"^ seeing thou hatest instruction^ and castest My words behind thee. For the words of God the preacher does cast behind himself, when the same that he says he thinks scorn to do. But when may another obey his sayings, whilst he himself rejects in practice what he preaches with the voice, and shews not to hear that he tells? Of this law of Mat. 5, preaching it is written; Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoso shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ' The kingdom of heaven,' we see, He calls the present Church; concerning which it is written, M'aX.\3,A)id they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend. For in the Kingdom Above * offences' that should have to be gathered out thereof do not take place. He then that breaks in practice, and teaches the like in words, in this kingdom of heaven shall be the least, in the other not even the least. Now ' He set a way to the sounding tempests,' when for His preachers He made access to the hearts of men stricken with dread of the Judgment to come. So first ' a law is set,' that afterwards ' a way may be opened,' because that voice pierceth the heart of him that heareth, which maintains by practice the thing that it has sounded with the lips. Now it was then when ^ He set a law to the showers, and a way to the sounding tempests,' that God ' saw, declared, prepared, and searched' this ' Wisdom.' By a mode of speech customary to Holy Writ, for God to see is a phrase for causing Gen.22,us to see, as the Lord saith to the righteous man. Now I know ^^* that thou fear est God. And the Israelites are forewarned; Deut. The Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the