^^' ^' Lord your God, i. e. ' that He may make you to know.' At that time, then, when ' He set a law to the showers,' i. e. gave the precept of watching to the preachers, this * Wisdom^ made Incarnate He caused to be ^ seen and declared' by the preachers, to be * prepared and searched' by the hearers.
i Wisdom, in Herself unseen, in man is hohj fear. 405 Since he * prepares' Her for himself, whosoever by Uving Book aright is procuring Her favourable against the Day of - Judgment. And observe that there are four particulars spoken respecting her. For he says, He did see it and declare it. He prepared it, yea, He searched it. Thus He * saw,' in that Slie is ' a Likeness;' He * declared it,' in that She is ' the Word;' ^ prepared it,' in that She is a remedy; and ' searched it,' in that She is a thing hidden from sight. But this, viz. that the Eternal Wisdom of God is ' the Likeness' and ' the Word' of the Father, when is it pene- trated by the mind of man? For who might understand either a Word apart from time, or a Likeness apart from limiting. Therefore there was need for something to be said, which man might recognise concerning Her by himself; whence it is fitly subjoined; Ver. 28. And unto man He said, ^Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is Wisdom; and to depart from evil is under- standing.
14. As though it were spoken in plain speech; 'Man, viii. turn back to thine own self; sift thoroughly the secrets of thine own heart. If thou findest out that thou dost fear God, surely it is plain that of this Wisdom thou art full. Which same if thou art not able to learn what in herself She is, meanwhile thou henceforth findest what She is in thyself. For She that is feared in herself by the Angels, in thee is called ' the fear of the Lord.' Because it is certain that thou possessest Her, if it is not uncertain that thou dost fear God.' Hence also it is said by the Psalmist; The beginning o/Ps. iii. Wisdom is the fear of the Lord, because She then begins to * penetrate the heart, when She disturbs it by the dread of the final Judgment. Therefore the Word of God draws Itself in to our littleness; just as a father, when he speaks to his little child, in order that he may be able to be understood by him, talks stammeringly of his own accord. For because we are unable to penetrate the nature of Wisdom, what She is in herself, by the condescension of God we have heard what She is in us, when it is said, Behold, the fear of the L^ord, that is Wisdom. But because he really understands the force of Divine fear, who keeps himself from all bad practices, it is rightly subjoined; And to depart from evil is imderstanding.
406 JoVs last words represent the Church in last days.
Jon 29, So Ihen^ the things that come after, that they are full of the spirit of prophecy, the words of the sacred history them- Myst.
selves bear testimony, whereas it is said, C. xxix. 1. Moreover Job continued his parable, and said.
ix. 15. For because a parable is a name for a likeness, it plainly appears that through a form of exterior words he speaks mysteries, who with reference to speaking is recorded Alleg. to have ' taken up a parable.' For when he relates his own circumstances, he is telling all the things that are to come to Holy Church, and through the thing that he himself under- goes he points out what she should undergo. But sometimes he so mixes the words of his own history, that he sounds not of any thing allegorical, while sometimes he so utters his own sorrows as though he were giving utterance in the voice of the sorrowing Church. But in the last part of his discourse, he designates the last time of the Church, when her ad- versaries, i. e, carnal persons, or heretics and pagans, whom she now busies herself to repress by the authority of wisdom, being set up with unbridled boastfulness, she is obliged to put up with, while derided. Whence in this discourse Job 30, likewise it is said; But now they that are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to put with the dogs of my flock. And the very principle of the arrangement requires that by the last words of blessed Job, the last days of Holy Church should be denoted, when, persecution increasing, she is forced to bear the undisguised voices of heretics, when those motions of their hearts, which they now cover up within the depths of their thoughts, they then disclose in the utterance of error made manifest. For now, as it is said by John, the dragon is imprisoned and held Rev. 20, fast in the bottomless «>//, because the wickedness of the devil is hidden from sight in their crafty hearts. But, as is there said, the dragon shall be brought forth out of the bottomless pit, because whatsoever is now covered over from fear, then against the Church openly out of the hearts of the wicked is all that serpent's venom brought to light. For now the envenomed feeling hides itself from sight under a flattering tongue, and '^ The inference is not obvious. It he is going to speak of them in himself seems to be this; that Job declares as Her type, these things to be ' Wisdom,' because Church harder pressed at last hi/ force and by argumeuts* 407 malevolence of craft as it were covers itself with a kind of Book bottomless pit of dissembling. Now the Lord, as it is expressed by the voice of the Psalmist, gaiJiereth the waters ofPs.33,7. the sea as in a skin. For the ' skin' is carnal thinking. So * the waters of the sea are gathered in a skin,' when the bitterness of a froward mind does not burst forth outwardly into the voice of unhallowed liberty. Surely the time shall come, when the froward and the carnal speak forth against her with unreserved voice that which they now go about with secret thought. The time shall come when they shall oppress the Catholic Church not only with unjust words, but with cruel wounds.
10*. For from her adversaries the Church suffers persecu- tion in two ways, viz. either by words or by swords. Now when she bears persecution by words, her wisdom is put in exercise, when by swords, her patience. Now persecutions of words we do now too as well daily undergo at the hands of heretics, when heretics themselves flatter us with crafty tongues and with feigned humility, but the persecutions of swords are destined to follow towards the end of the world, that the grains to be stored up in the heavenly granaries may be the more genuinely cleared of the chaff of sins, the more straitly they are bruised with affliction. Then all the Elect, that may be caught in that tribulation, call to mind these times when now the Church secures the peace of the faith, when she holds under the proud necks of heretics, not by the potency of her highness, but by the yoke of reason. They call to mind ourselves, who are passing quiet times of faith, who, though we be straitened in the wars'' of the nations, yet are not driven to extremity in the sayings of Fathers. Thus blessed Job bearing a type of Holy Church, which is then found in these straits, and yet remembers herself of our tranquillity, as I said, describes the particulars of himself past, and tells the particulars destined to come to others, saying; Ver. 2. Who would give me that I might be as in the months past?
17. For Holy Church being borne dowm with sorrows is to x. say many like things. For it shall be for her to be besieged ** Alluding to the hostilities of the Lombards especially.
408 The Church, seeing many fall, shall long for past times.
Job 29, with such great tribulations, as with great sighing to long for '. — those times, which we undergo with great sorrow. So then ' let her say, let her say in the voice of blessed Job, Who would give rue that I might he as in the months past? For because an appointed number of days has the name of * months,' what else does he signify by the title of months, but the gatherings of souls? For days, while they are gathered iu months, are removed away, because in this time as well Holy Church, while she gathers in souls shining bright with the light of truth, hides them in the interior depths. Sometimes also a month is put for perfection, as Is. QQ, when the Prophet says, It shall be a month from a month; i. e. perfection in rest to those, to whom there may now be perfection in practice. So let her remember her perfection of old, let her bring back to mind with what preaching of hers, by souls gathered in, she carried off her gains, and being straitened by tribulations, let her say, Who would give me that I might he as in the months of old? In which same months, who and what he was, he subjoins in telling over, saying; Ver. 3. As in the days when God preserved me; when His lamp shined upon my head, and when hy His light I walked through darkness. xi. 18. For then, persecution forcing thereto, she sees multi- tudes of the frail fall from her, whom now as a mother she cherishes as her little ones within the bosom of peace, and keeps close within the quiet cradles of faith, seeing that being mixed with the strong they are nurtured by the very tran- quillity of the faith. But then many such are destined to fall, and through the bowels of charity, w^hatever it sustains in the damage of the little ones, the mind of the perfect laments that itself undergoes. For every damage of the weak is by compassion made to pass to the hearts of the 2 Cor. strong. Whence it is said by Paul, Who is weak, and I am ^^' ^^' not weak? who is offended, and I burn not? For a man is perfect in such proportion as he perfectly feels the sorrows of others. Whence Holy Church, being brought to a pass by the weak ones falling at that time, shall say with right, As in the days tvlien God preserved me; because herself she then accounts to fall in those, who now^ sees herself in these God's light shining on the head. Youth of the Church. 409 to be kept safe. And it is well said, When His lamp Book shined upon my head, and when hy His light I nmlkpd, ^l^- through darkness. For by the term of a * lamp' the light of Hol}^ Scripture is represented, whereof the Shepherd of the Church himself saith, We have also the icord of prophecy 2 Vet. \, more sure; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto ' a lamp that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn atid the day-star arise in your hearts. And the Psalmist saith, Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Ps. ii9, Now because our topmost part is the mind, the mind is rightly styled by the designation of ' head.' Whence it is said by the Psalmist, TJtou hast anointed my head with oil. Ps.23,6. As if he said in plain terms, * Thou hast filled my soul with the fatness of charity.' And so now ' the lamp shines upon the head' of the Church, because the sacred Oracles enlighten the darkness of our minds, that in this darksome place of the present life, whilst we receive the light of the word of God, we should see what things are to be done. Now she ' walks by His light in darkness,' because the Holy Church Universal, tliough it penetrate not the secrets of another's thought, because as it were it does not know the face in the night, yet it sets the steps of good practice, being governed by the light of Heavenly Revelation. It goes on; Ver. 4. As I was in the days of my youth, when God was secretly in my tabernacle.
19. As of each individual man, so is the age of Holy xii. Church described. For she was a little one, when fresh from the birth she was unable to preach the Word of Life. Hence it is said of her, My sister is a little one, and she hath Cant. 8, no breasts; in this way, that Holy Church, before she made progress by accessions of virtue, was not able to yield the teats of preaching to the weak ones her hearers. But the Church is called * adult' when being wedded to the Word of God, filled with the Holy Spirit, by the oflSce of preaching she is with young in the conception of children, with whom by exhorting she travails, whom by converting she brings forth. Of this age of hers it is said to the Lord; The young maidens have loved Tliee. For all the Churches, Cant, i, which constitute one Catholic Church, are called young" maidens, not now aged by sin, but young ones by grace, not 410 The Jews to he converted. God present within man.
Job 29, barren by old age, but by the age of the soul fitted for L_ spiritual ftuitfulness. Accordingly then, when in those days 'being as it were enfeebled by a kind of old age she hath not strength to bring forth children by preaching, she calls to mind the bygone fruitfulness, saying, As I was in the days of rnjj youth. Though after those days wherein she is borne down, yet, this notwithstanding, now at length towards the actual end of times, she is empowered with a mighty efficacy of preaching. For the Gentiles being taken in to the full, all the Israelitish people that shall then be found she draws Rom. into the bosom of the faith. Since it is written; Until the 26.' fulness of the Gentiles be come in^ and so all Israel shall he saved. But before those times there shall be days, in the which she shall appear for a little while borne down by her adversaries, when too she remembers these days, saying, As I was iti the days of my youth; when God was secretly in my tabernacle.
20. What in this place do we take the ' tabernacle' for but the dwelling-place of the mind? Because by all that we do with taking thought, we dwell in the counsel of our heart. But whoever in silence thinks of the precepts of God, to him ' God is secretly in his tabernacle.' For he had seen the dwelling-place of his heart to be before the eyes of God, Ps. 19, who said, And the meditation of my heart always in Thy sight. For outward deeds are open to the eyes of men, but widely and incomparably more our interior and minutest thoughts are open to the eyes of God. For^ as it is written, all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him. And oftentimes in the outward deed we are afraid to appear dis- ordered before the eyes of men, and in the interior thought are not afraid of the regard of Him, Whom, whilst He sees all things, we see not. For we are much more discernible by God within than we are by men without. And hence all the Saints scan themselves both within aud without on every side, and are in fear of either shewing themselves blame- worthy outwardly, or wicked inwardly to the invisible seeing. It is hence that the living creatures, which are seen by the Kz.i,iH. Prophet, are recorded to be ' full of eyes round about and Rev.'4 within.' For he that orders his outward circumstances re- 6' & 8. spectably, but disregards the inward, has eyes * round about' Saints regard Cod wilhtn, not men without' 411 but not ' within.' But all the Saints, because they at once Book VTV scan their exterior ways round and round that they may — ^ furnish good examples in themselves to their brethren, and watchfully mark their interior ways, because they are pro- viding themselves irreproachable for the regarding eye of the Interior Judge, are described as having eyes both ' round about and within;' and that they may please God, even more do they make themselves complete within their interior self, as it is said by the Psalmist as well of Holy Church, All the glory Ps. 45, of her ^ the king's daughter^ is from within. - But because she keeps her outward things also irreproachable, he added with justice concerning her; Clothed about in clothing of wrought gold with embroidery. That she should be at once beauti- ful to herself * within,' and to others ' without,' both advanc- ing herself by interior glory, and instructing others by the outward examples of deeds. Thus then let blessed Job say in himself, yea, let him say in the person of the Church Universal, When God was secretly in my tabernacle. For that he may make it evident how much he had advanced with- in, he tells, that ' God was secretly in his tabernacle.' That he may also shew the deeds of righteousness to what extent he outwai'dly kept them, he adds; Ver. 5. When tlte Almighty was yet with me; and when my servants were about me.
21. Now all that stand in awe of the divine precepts xiii. become God's* tabernacle.' Hence as we have already said above, * Truth' saith by Himself of the man that keeps His commandments, I and My Father will come and make OwrJohn abode with him. Contrariwise the wicked severally, whereas ^^' ' they do not aim at the things within, pour themselves forth without in the thoughts of their hearts. Whence it is said to them by the Prophet, Turn back to the heart within, OyeJs.46,8. transgressors. And again. Woe to you that devise a vain thing. Mic. 2, Since in their actions they are afraid of men, whom they see * with bodily sight, and God, Whom they do not see, they do not account to be present to them. Contrary whereunto it is said in commendation of a righteous person, seeing that he disregarded the king of Egypt, and obeyed the command- ments of God, For he endured, as seeing Him Who /i'Heb.li, invisible. For the wicked ruler of the earth he as it were I 412 Walking as in God's sight. TJie ChurclCs *" servants.''
Job 29, saw not, in that he banished him from the eyes of the heart.
- — '■ — But the Kincr Invisible ' as seeinij; ' ' he endured ' because Alleg...from the regarding of His fear he turned not aside the eye of the soul. So Holy Church being taken then in great tribulations, when she sees many by evil imagining depart from God, surely she sees the tabernacle of their mind on God's departing to remain empty, and justly lamenting, she says, When Qod was secretly in my tabernacle. By which words, and not inappropriately, the feigning of religion is likewise bewailed-, because there are those even now that aim not to be, but to seem Christians. These without question have God in public, not ' in secret.' But Holy Church desires to have God ^ in secret,' because He regards those really faithful ones, whom He knows to be holding on to the life of faith with complete affection. Which same, as well also with reference to the external uprightness of her activity, saith, When the Almighty was yet with me: when my servants were about yne. ' Servants' surely those are called, who do the bidding of the heavenly precepts. Whence the ls.8,18. Lord saith by the Prophet, Behold I,a7id my servants which John 2 1, the Lord hath given me. And again in the Gospel, Servants"^ ^' have ye any meat? And so now ' the servants are round about her,' because in all nations almost there are found those that keep the commandments of heaven, and obey the rules of spiritual discipline. Which servants, too truly, shall then be lacking to do her service, when the wicked doers, that shall be found, despise her spiritual precepts. It goes on; Ver. 6. When I washed my feet with butter.
ixiv. 22. Whereas we have already frequently said that Christ and the Church are one person. He, that is to say, the Head of that Body, and She the Body of that Head; these words are to be understood after the voice of the Head in one way, after the voice of the Body in another way. Whom then do we take for ' the feet' of the Lord, but the holy Preachers. Of Lev. 26, whom He saith, And I will walk in them. Thus ' the feet 12 are washed with butter,' because the holy Preachers are filled to the full with the fatness of good works. For, as we have already said above, scarcely is the mere preaching itself carried on without something being done wrong. For * Pneri Vulg. The Greek diminutive hardly bears this.
Feet of Preachers ivashcd in elect iisific/ or cheering. 413 any man preaching is either drawn on into some shght Bcok indignation, if he is despised, or into some little glorying, if he ~ is reverenced by those that hear him. Whence the Apostles too had their feet washed, that from any slight defilement contracted in the act of preaching itself they might be cleansed as from a sort of dust collected by a journey. And blessed James saith, 3Iy brethren, be not many masters. Jam. 3, And a little after, For in many things we offend all. Thus * the feet are washed witli butter,' because the dust gathered by glory in preaching is steeped and cleansed by the fatness of good vvorks. Or otherwise * the feet are washed with butter,' when the wages owing are paid to the holy Preachers by those that hear, and those whom the imposed labour of preaching exhausts, the richness of good practice exhibited by the disciples cheers; not that they preach for this that they may be fed, but that they are therefore fed, that they may preach; i. e. that they may hold up to preach; not so that the action of ihe preacher should pass into the aim of getting support, but that the ministering of support should be made subservient to the usefulness of preaching. Whence by good preachers it is not for the sake of the means of living that preaching is rendered, but for the sake of preaching that the means of living are accepted. And as often as what is wanted is bestowed on those that preach by those that hear them, they are not used to take delight in the benefit of the good things, but in the reward of those bestowing them. Whence it is said by Paul, A^o/ because I desire a gift, hut I desire fruit. For Phil. 4, the ' gift' is the actual thing that is bestowed; but the fruit thereof is if with a kindly disposition a thing be bestowed in the pursuit of the future recompense. So we receive the gift in the thing, the fruit thereof in the heart. And because the Apostle was fed rather by the recompense of his disciples than by the benefaction, he avouches that he ' seeks not a gift,' but * fruit.' Hence he straightway added, saying. But I have all and ahound. Therefore * the feet are washed with butter,' when the holy preachers, as we said, worn out by the actual preaching itself, are regaled with the good deeds of their hearers. For the weary ' feet' he had ' anointed with butter,' who heard, Because the bowels of the Saints are FhWem.
7.
AlAHoly Church /JsJob,w<uJiesi]ie feel of weak ones hyledcJiirKj.
Job 29, refreshed by the brother. With this * butter the foot was ■T — ^anointed,' which was held fast in fetters, saying, The Lord 2 Tim. give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus: for he oft refreshed ^' ^^' me, and was not ashamed of my chain. So then if by the voice of the Head we form our estimate of the words, we do rightly as has been said in taking ' the feet' for preachers.
23. But if we are to interpret these words in the voice of the Body alone, then the feet of the Church are the ministers of inferior works, which whilst they enforce the things that are without for necessary purposes, by the lowest ministration stick to the ground like feet. But they that are at the head, who are intent on the pursuit of instruction, ought with heed- ful care to question the hearts of the busied, and by the voice of frequent admonition to administer to them that pouring in of richness which they themselves as disengaged receive. For because in one body the members are interested for one another reciprocally, just as our outermost parts are stayed up by their ministrations, so it is necessary that their interior parts should be filled by our pursuits. When then to persons devoted to the extremest offices the holy doctors preach the anointing oil of our Lord's Incarnation, they ' wash the feet with the butter' of utterance. Moreover the feet are accustomed to be lacerated by the mere ruggedness of the way; whence it is altogether difficult at once to go a journey in the earthly actions of this life, and not sustain any wounds at all from the exertion of the journey. And so when the rulers keeping watch call back to their heart within their hearers engrossed with exterior concerns, that they may ascertain what evil things they have committed amidst the very deeds allowed to be done, and that what they find out they may bewail, ' they wash the feet with butter;' because to the wounds of these persons they administer the ointments of penitence. Therefore let Holy Church being unspeakably afflicted remember how in the time of her peace she purified by the word of exhortation even the furthest members in herself, and let her say. When I washed my feet ivith butter. Hist. Which it is wonderfully interesting to view in the case of blessed Job, who amidst so many cares of property, so many interests for children, so many engagements of sacrifices, preached to his dependents, howsoever the very farthest, Oil from the Rock, (/race and knowle dye from Christ. 415 the good things of the life ensuing, that those he might Book inoculate touching heavenly things, who were working for him ' — --^ at earthly services. What do we Bishops say to all this, who to those committed to us care not to render the word of life, when a wedded husband, neither the secular garb, nor the management of large means were able to debar the office of preaching. But saving the historical verity, let us now Alleq. return to the words of Holy Church, who tells by blessed Job, i. e. by the mouth of a Member of her own, hew great are tlie things that she shall suffer in the last time, when she remembers her past fortunes, when by that same rich- ness of the word the life of those in action was cleansed. Who in more fully following out that same watchfulness of her preachers adds; And the rock poured me out rivers of oil.