Or is there any thing troublesome to thee, if thou speakest? iv, 4. When bad men utter abusive words to those that are like to themselves, they are the more quickly silenced, in proportion as they in a moment hear concerning themselves the like to what they say to their hearers. But when they assail good men by words of contumely, nought of annoyance Job's wish for his friends to he like him, a kind one. 89 is occasioned ibem by their abuse, in that they speak Book against those that hold their peace, nor are made to hear - what they are, seeing that the righteous never return abuse, even when they are made to hear what they are not. And so it is well said. Or is there any thing troublesome to thee if thou speakest? As if it were said in plain words to him; ' Thou speakest the more, that thou hearest not from me any thing unpleasant concerning thy conduct.' Hence it is added, / also could speak as ye do. The just man tells what he had the power to do, but lest he should depart from righteousness, he forbears what he might have done. It goes on; Ver. 4 — 6. And O thai your soul were for my soul! I too would comfort you with speeches, and move my head over you: I would strengthen you with my mouth, and move my lips as if sparing you.
5. It is sometimes necessary that wicked minds, which v. are incapable of being corrected by man's preaching, should have the strokes of God wished for them, in a spirit of kindness; and while this is done with great earnestness of love, then plainly not the punishment but the correction of the guilty person is the thing aimed at, and it is shewn to be a prayer rather than a curse. And in these words blessed Job is shewn to aim at this, that the friends, who knew not how to sympathize in his grief through charity, might learn by experience how they ought to have pitied the affliction of another, and being subdued by griefs might draw from their own suffering, how to minister consolation to others, and then live the more healthfully within, when they are made sensible of something of frailty without. Observe that he does not say, O that my soid were for your soul; but, 0 that your soul were for my soul; in that he would have been cursing himself, if he had wished himself to be made like to them; but it was for them he wished better things, in that he sought they should be made like to himself. Now we * comfort' bad men, placed under the rod, when we point out that by the exterior infliction the interior health is established within them. Moreover, we ' move our head,' when the mind, which is our leading part, we bend to sym- pathy; and we * strengthen' these in the midst of strokes of 90 The Preachet's care in rebuking divers characters.
Job 16, affliction, when we soothe the force of their grief with gentle -TV — ^ words; for there are some persons, who, forasmuch as they ALLEG.know nothing of the things of the interior, are overwhehned with despair by external afflictions; of whom it is said by the Ps. 140, Psalmist, They shall not hold up in afflictions; for he is well instructed to bold up in outward afflictions, who knows how to exult always in the hope that belongs to the interior.
6. But whereas he says, not, ' sparing,' but, as if sparing you; I think that this point ought not to be passed by care- lessly, in that Holy Church, while keeping vigorousness of discipline together with an union of gentleness, sometimes even while ' as if sparing,' is far from sparing the wicked, but sometimes, when ' as if not sparing' does spare them; which we shall exhibit the more effectually, if we bring forward the very things themselves which are not unfrequently happening. So then let us place before the eyes of the ima- gination, two bad men set within the pale of Holy Church, of whom let the one be powerful and insolent, and the other mild and under government. If a fault has stolen upon the one that is gentle and under government, the preacher directly by rebuking the thing follows hard upon him, and corrects him; and by correcting frees him from guilt, and resets him again in the way of righteousness. What did he then to this man, but spare in sparing not? in that, forasmuch as he did not hold back the word of correction, he the more speedily set him free from sin. For in freely charging him home, he did not spare him; but in this respect, that he rebuked him, he did spare him. But on the other hand, the powerful and insolent man, when he is discovered to have been guilty of any thing, there is an opportunity sought, in order that he may be rebuked for the evil he has committed. For except the preacher wait till such time as he may be able to bear correction in a proper way, he increases in him the evil that he is prosecuting. For it is very often the case that he is of such a character as to receive no words of rebuke. What then is the preacher to do in the case of the sin of this person, but that in the charge of admonition, which he makes for the general well-being of all his hearers, he should bring forward such faults, as he sees that he has been guilty of, who is by, and cannot as yet be charged on his own account individually, Open sin to be rebuked in all at all hazards. 91 lest he be rendered worse? and while invective in treneral is Book aimed against the fault, the word of rebuke is readily brought ■ home to the mind, in that the powerful bad man does not know that it is delivered against himself in particular. What then did his preacher to this person, but in sparing not spare? against whom he at once brought not words of rebuke with any special reference, and yet hit his wound under a general admonition; and hence it is very often brought to pass that he bewails the sin committed so much the more bitterly, in proportion as even when he feels himself struck, he supposes his guilt not to be known.
7. Therefore it must be managed with wonderful art in preaching, that those who are made worse by open rebuke, may by a certain abatement of rebuke be brought to a state of saving health. Whence too Paul saith, And those mem- 1 Cor. bers of the body which we think to be less honourable^ upon ^^ those we bestow more abundant honour, and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness; for our comely parts have no need. For as there are uncomely members in the body, so there are persons within the bosom of Holy Church, powerful and insolent, who, whereas they do not admit of being stricken with open upbraiding, are as it were cloked with the respectfulness of a covering. But this we speak of the secret transgressions of the powerful; for when they sin and others know of it, they are also to be rebuked, and others should know of it; lest, if the preacher hold his peace, he seem to have sanctioned the sin, and this which the tongue of the pastor does not cut off, going on increasing, should come to be an example. Thus while Holy Church by her preachers rebukes particular deeds of wicked men under the covert conveyance of a general reproof, she ' moves her lips, as if sparing;' but yet while sparing spareth not, in that she does not in general hold her peace to the reproving of a fault, which in the special case she does. It goes on; Ver. 7. But what am 1 to do? "Hiough 1 speak, my grief in not assuaged; and. though I forbear, it will not depart from me.
8. How this accords with the person of blessed Job, there vi. i^ no one that is ignorant; but if it be drawn into a type of Holy Church, she both when she speaks ' has not her grief 92 Weak llmhs of if Ch. ' hr ought to noughV when evil prospers. Job 16, assuaged,' since she does not see the wicked amended by her RIO -- ^ — ^speaking; and ' when she holds her peace, her grief does jIxIj leg* not depart from her;' in that though she turns away and holds her peace, this very circumstance of her being silent she laments the more, in that while she is silent, she sees the sin of the wicked grow to a height; It proceeds; Ver. 8. But now my grief has oppressed me^ and my limbs are brought to nought. vii. 9. Holy Church is oppressed by her grief, when she beholds the wicked grow to a height in their wickedness; and whereas while the wicked increase, the weak too that are in her are set on to follow the bents of wickedness, it is rightly added, And all 7ny limbs are brought to nought. For as the strong by ' bones,' so by ' limbs' the weak sort are wont to be denoted, and so ' the members of the Church are brought to nought,' when by the imitating of the wicked tliat are increased in this world, all the weak are worse weakened. For on seeing the prosperity of the wicked, they often slide away from their very stand in faith itself, they seek after temporal good things, and are in a manner * brought to nought;' in that while they abandon the Being of God that is lasting, loving things that are transitory, they are, as it were, on their way to be not. And it is well said, But now my grief has oppressed me; in that the season of the grief of the Church is now, and the time of her joy shall follow here- after. Now it often happens that Holy Church not only meets with unbelievers and those without her borders as her adversaries, but with difficulty bears with the plots and oppo- sition of those too, whom she has within her. Whence it is fitly said directly by the voice of the blessed man; Ver. 10. My wrinkles speak a testimoay against me. viii. 1^- What is denoted by ' wrinkles,' but doubledealing.? and so all they are wrinkles of Holy Church, who therein live in doubledealing, who avouch the faith with their voices, disown it by their works. These persons doubtless in time of peace, because they see that with the powers of this world that faith is an honour, falsely feign themselves of the num- ber of believers; but when a sudden storm of adversity dis- quiets Holy Church, they thereupon shew what they are going after in their heart of unbelief. Now these ' wrinkles' Holy Church has wrinklefi 7iow. Satan lies against her. 93 Holy Churcli has not in her Elect, in that they have not the Book art to shew one thing in themselves on the outside, and to ^^^^' hold another withinside. Whence the great Preacher says truly, That He might present it to Himself a glorious ^^i^es. Church, not having spot or wrinkle. For she ' has not spot^' ^'^' or wrinkle,' in that she is without both foulness of practice, and doubleness of tongue; but because now she holds within the bosom of the faith numbers even of the children of perdition, when the time of persecution blazes out, she bears those very persons for her enemies, whom she seemed before to be nourishing with words of preaching. Therefore let her say, My ivrinkles speak a testimony against me; i. e. those very persons, while they persecute, inveigh against me, who now, being fixed in my body, do not mind in themselves the wickedness of their doubledealing. Whence it is rightly added yet further; And the liar is lifted up against my face, gainsaying me. 11. Even in her time of peace Holy Church is subject to ix. the * liar,' in that there are numbers in her, who disbelieve in the promise of eternal life, and yet falsely feign themselves to be of the faithful. And as they do not dare openly to gainsay her preaching, she is exposed to the liar, not, as it were, ' before her face,' but behind her back; but when the time of wickedness breaks out, he who now disparages being full of apprehension, comes ' before the face to gainsay,' in that he withstands by open sentences of the voice the words of true faith. But it is to be known that when we meet with such things at the hands of carnal men, it is not so much they individually that rage cruelly in our death, as the evil spirit who rules their minds, as it is said by Paul, For e^'^Ephes. wrestle not against flesh and blood; hut against principali-^^ ^^* ties, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world. Whence, whereas here also he is speaking of lying ^, »A.B.D with propriety he turns his words directly to tell of the prince,-, of that lying, and says; Ver. 9. He gathered his fury against me; and threatening me he gnashed against me with his teeth; mine enemy looked on me loith terrible eyes.
12. What else are all wicked men but members of the x. devil? Therefore he himself does by them, whatever he puts Job 16, it into their hearts that they ought to do. For the devil even now entertains fury against Holy Church, but his fury is scattered, in that he sets afoot his secret temptations through the agency of individuals; but when he bursts out against her in open persecution, ' he gathers his fury against her,"" in that in the afflicting of her he knits up himself with the entire bent of his efforts. But his members in this time of peace have not ' fury gathered' against the Elect in this way, because they feel that they have less power to fulfil their wickedness than they have will; but when they see full range of wicked- ness at their command, they smite at her the more boldly, in proportion as they are drawn to a head against her in unani- mity. And so it is rightly said now; He gathered up his fury against me. And that his fury might be still more fully set forth, it is said. And threatening me, he gnashed upon me with his teeth. Of whom too it is added, mine enemy looked on me with terrible eyes. For that ancient enemy of the Church ' gnashes against her with the teeth,' and ' looks on her with terrible eyes,' in that he executes cruelties by one set, and by another provides cruelties to execute.
13. For ' the teeth' of this enemy are the persecutors and executioners of the good, who mangle her members, while they distress her elect ones by their persecutions. But the * eyes' of this enemy are those, that provide measures to her hurt, which they may put in practice, and by their counsels light up the cruelties of her persecutors. Thus her old enemy ' gnashes upon her with his teeth,' so long as by the cruel children of perdition in her he hunts down the life of good men within her. He ' looks on her with terrible eyes;' in that, by the counsels of bad men, he never ceases to make out schemes of mischief, by which he may torment her ever worse and worse; for as Incarnate ' Truth' in His preaching chose poor common persons and simple men, so on the other hand that accursed man, whom the Apostate Angel will take on him at the end of the world, shall choose for the preaching of his falsity, the cunning and double- minded, and such as have this world's knowledge. Hence it 1,^.18,1. is said by Isaiah, Woe to the land, the cymhal of wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia. Which sendeth ambassadors by the sea even in vessels of papyrus upon Antichrist'' s preachers and persecutions, ^b the waters. For the land, that has woe pronounced against Book it, is principally that accursed man, who is called a * cymbal ^- of wings,' in that they who in pride soar up into the height of imagination, by preaching sound forth that man of ini- quity. Which same land is rightly described as being * beyond the rivers of Ethiopia,' for Ethiopia sends forth a black people, and whereas this world brings forth every man a sinner, Ethiopia as it were bears a black people. And the land that has woe pronounced against it, is described as being ' beyond the rivers of Ethiopia,' in that that accursed man is so exceedingly and beyond all measure bad, that he goes beyond the sins of all that commit iniquity; and he * sends ambassadors by the sea,' in that he spreads his preachers over the world; and it is rightly told of them, how they are sent, when it is said, in vessels of papyrus upon the waters, for from the ' papyrus' paper is made. What then is denoted by the ' papyrus' but secular knowledge } and so the vessels of papyrus are the hearts of the learned of the world. Therefore * to send ambassadors upon the waters in vessels of papyrus,' is to put the preaching of him in the brains of the carnally wise, and to call the people running out into sin. Those very persons then who are there denoted by ' vessels of papyrus,' here, in that they see with a carnal sight, are denoted by ' eyes.' Of whom it is yet further added; Ver. 10. They have gaped upon me with their mouthy reproaching me.
14. Lost sinners open their mouths * in reproaching,' xi. when they at once do not fear to proclaim the mischiefs of their errors, and laugh to scorn the announcements of the right faith: with regard to whom be it known that they chiefly prosecute those in Holy Church, whom ihey see likely to be of service to many, who bruise the life of the carnal by the word of coiTection, and change them spiritually into the body of the Church. Hence it is added; They have smitten me upon the cheek; they have taken their fill of my punishments.
15. For ' the cheek' of the Church, are the holy preachers, xii.
as where it is said under the figure of Judaea, by Jeremiah, She weepeth sore in the niqht, and the tears are on ^^rLam. \ 96 The Churclia ^ teeth,' preachers. Her outward adversities.
Job 16, cheeks. For in the adversities of the Church those mourn — '—i: the most, who are used to crush the life of the carnal V)y preaching; for by these very ])ersons Holy Church breaks and bruises the wicked to bad habits, and as it were swallow- ing thein converts them into members of herself. Hence it is said to the first preacher himself too, as to a ' cheek' of Actsio,tbe Church, Kill and eat. It is hence too that Samson laid Judges hold of the jawbone of an ass, and destroyed his enemies; 16, 16. -jj ^^^ Q^^. Redeemer, with the Hand of His power laying hold of the simplicity and submissiveness of these that preach, killed the carnal to their bad habits. And the jawbone thrown down upon the earth, afterwards poured out water, in that the bodies of the preachers given over to death, shewed great miracles to the people. So the wicked * smite the cheek' of Holy Church, when they persecute good preachers; and whereas lost sinners thus reckon them- selves to have done something great, when they do put an end to the life of the preachers; after the striking of ' the cheek,' it is properly added. They have taken their fill of my punishments, for that punishment does fill them to satis- faction, which chastises the mind of the Church in an especial manner. It goes on; Ver. 11. Qod hath shut me up with the ungodly, and turned me over into the hands of the wicked. xiii. 16. The people of the Elect is ' shut up with the ungodly man,' when its flesh is given up in this present time to the persecutions of our old adversary; and it is ^ turned over,' not to the spirit, but ' the hands of the wicked;' in that in proportion as they cannot take it captive in mind, they are the more pitilessly inflamed against the flesh thereof. But the People of Holy Church, when it begins to suffer adversities to an extreme degree, and sees the weak ones in her going off" to worse and worse, recalls to mind the times of her peace, when she fed her faithful children with the richness of her preaching Hence it is fitly added; Ver. 13. /, the same that was once rich, am crushed o?i a sudden.
xiv. 17. Herein, viz. that he declared himself to be ' crushed on a sudden,' he denoted the unguarded mind of weak })ersons: who, whilst they are not skilled to foresee the evils Persecution humbles weak members of the Church, 97 which are destined to come, find them more severe in pro- Book XIII portion as they also undergo them contrary to expectation. '.
But to stedfast minds adversities do not come on a sudden, in that tliey are foreseen before they come. And this Holy Church too does now undergo in certain backsliding people, who, after the richness of instruction, are sometimes so crushed by sudden assaults of evil, that they fall as deeply in certain wicked practices, as if they had never been vouchsafed the food of the word. It proceeds; He hath held my neck, and broken me in two, and set me up for His mark, 18. As in evil the ' neck' denotes pride, so in good it xv. denotes the lifting up in freedom; whence it is sometimes the case that ' pride' itself is also put for the authority belonging to that lifting up; as when the Lord says by way of promise to Holy Church by the Prophet, / will set thee I^^- 60, for the pride of ages. And because in time of persecution some that are weak do not dare to preach with freedom the truths they have a sense of, it is rightly said of this enemy, He hath held my neck, and broken me in two. But per- chance those are denoted by the appellation of ' neck,' who, in the season of her peace, are lifted up more than befits, and by occasion of defending the cause of right minister to the evil of self-exalting; which same in time of persecution feel adversity the more sensibly on this account, that they are elevated by prosperity. Concerning whom it is rightly said. He hath held m,y neck, and broken me in two; i. e. the pride which she had in her weak members, He bowed down by the severity of His smiting. And set me up for His mark. It is known that ' a mark' is for this reason * set up,' that it may be hit by the sending of the arrow. And so the faithful people is ' set as a mark' to its enemy, in that he is ever assaulting it with his blows and afflicting it with his persecutions: for he that undergoes perpetual ills in this life, as if set for a mark, receives blows from one striking him; and hence the great Preacher, when he was suffering the ills of persecution, and groaning beneath the persecuting efforts of his enemies, to comfort the tender soul of the disciples touching his troubles, says. For yourselves know that we are i The?. appointed tJiereunto. As if he said to them in plain words; ^' •^' VOL. II. H X 98 Temptation around; concurrence gives it potcer to wound.
Job 16,' Wherefore at this season do ye wonder at my wounds, when, _l?:_if we seek the joys of the eternal world, we have come hither LLEG.^^^ this, even to be stricken?' It proceeds; Ver. 13. He hath co77ipassed me about with His lances. He hath wounded my loins together. He hath not spared, and He hath poured out my bowels upon the ground. xvi. 19. These particulars would seem to accord with blessed Moral. Jq]3 ^f^^y ^j^g letter, in that it is said, He hath compassed me with His lances, He hath wounded my loins together. He hath not spared; if that were not added, which is not read as written about him, he hath poured out my bowels upon the ground. From which circumstance it follows, that whereas we cannot find this after the letter, we should inves- tigate after the spirit those points, which in his words sound as of the fact of history. Holy Church is ' beset with lances' by her enemy, whensoever she is in her members assaulted by the cunning assailant with the darts of temptation; and it is well said that we are ' encompassed with lances,' in that our old enemy assails us on every side with the wounding of temptation. Thus oftentimes whilst the appetite is restrained, that lust may be brought under, the dart of vainglory strikes the mind; but if the body is not worn down by the inflic- tion of abstinence, the flame of lust kindles itself against the soul: often whilst we strive to observe economy, we fall into stinginess; and often whilst we give profusely the things we possess, we are led into avarice, in that we seek to make up again what we may have to give. Whereas then the darts of the old enemy assail us in every direction, it is rightly said now, he hath compassed me about with his lances. And because, in the case of every sin, the crafty enemy indeed recommends it, but we by consenting to his recom- mendations execute it, it is fitly subjoined, he hath wounded my loins together, for in the loins lust is seated. Hence he who desired to eradicate the delight of lust from the heart, 1 Pet. 1, preached the words. Gird up the loins of your mind. And so when our old enemy draws the faithful people into lust, surely he smites that people ' in the loins;' in which place it is deserving of observation, that he does I'uM/we-not say ' he has wounded',' but, he hath wounded my loins ^i^convni-^^9^^^^^^' ' ^^^ ^^ t^ talk is sometimes an act of one person, neravit* Men of hidden life exposed. Every sin weakens. 99 but to * talk together' of two or perhaps of many, so our old Book enemy, in that he does not hurry us into sin without our own will, is never said ' to wound our loins,' but, ' to wound our loins together:' in that what he prompts us amiss we fulfil by following of our own will; and, as it were, ' wound our- selves together' in union with him, because we are at the same time led to commit the evil deed of free will. It goes on; he hath not spared; as if he said, * he hath not ceased;' and he hath poured out my bowels iipo)i the ground. What else are we to understand by ' the bowels' of Holy Church, save the minds of those who contain in themselves certain of her mysteries, who are devoted to the interior Sacraments? But our old adversary, when he draws over to secular con- cerns any of the faithful, who appeared to be devoted to the interior sacraments, does, surely, * pour out her bowels upon the ground;' in that he treads those down in things below, who were before buried from sight in secret and spiritual practices. It goes on; Ver. 14. He hath hrokeii me with breach upon breach.
20. In her weak members Holy Church is ' broken with xvii. breach upon breach,' when sin is added to sin, that trans- gression should be brought to a more dreadful pitch. Thus for him, whom avarice forces to robbery and robbery leads into deceit, so that the sin committed is further defended by falsehood, how else is it with this man, but that he is broken with breach upon breach? When too it is well said by the Prophet; Cursing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, lioa. 4, and adultery, have overflowed, and blood toucheth blood.^' For by the title of ' blood' sin is used to be denoted; whence one who longs to be set free from sin exclaims in penitence, Deliver me from bloodK So * blood toucheth blood,' when Ps. 6i, sin has heaped on sin; and whereas when breach is added if'- to breach, the powers of our old enemy are the more terribly mbus increased against us, it is rightly added; He runneth upon me like a giant.
21. The enemy is easy to be resisted, if he is not consented xviii. to, whether in many backslidings, or in one for a continu- ance. But if the soul has been accustomed to submit to his persuasions, the oftener it subjects itself to him, it makes him the harder to itself to bear, so that it has not the power 100 Stroiif/ members of Holy Church suffer for the weak.
Job 16, to Struggle against him; in that our wicked adversary, ' like ^^'^^^ a giant,' fights against it, when it is vanquished by bad habit: yet very often Holy Church, even after sins have been com- mitted, brings back the minds of the faithful to penitence, and cleanses avray the sins of practice by the efficacy of a voluntary self-chastening. Whence it is well added;