But again by bread is designated the preaching of heretics; as by Solomon the woman who typifies the congregation^ of \eccie- the heretics, and calls together the foolish, says. Eat ye gladly bread in secret. Or, as is written in our translation. Stolen Prov. 9, waters are sweeter, and hidden bread is more pleasant. For ^^' there are some heresies which are afraid to preach their views openly, and give a greater flavour to their words in condiunt the minds of the weak the more they keep them back, as if through greater reverence. Whence it is not improperly said. Eat ye gladly 'bread in secret. For the secret words of the heretics are more relished by miserable hearts, the more they are not possessed by them in common with other people.
But again, by bread is understood the support of this present life; as Jacob, on his way to Laban, says, 0 Lord Gen. 28^ God, if Thou shalt have given me bread to eat, and raiment ' to put on. And as the Lord says in the Gospel to the crowds which were following Him, Ye seek Me, not because ye saw John 6, the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were ^^* 44 Bread put Jar sustenance, or, as here, for pleasure.
Jon 3'i, filled. For tboy had been filled of the seven loaves. And in ^— their ])crsons tlio Loid expresses His detestation of those within Jloly Cliurch, who approaehing to the Lord by holy ministrations, do not by those ministrations seek to gain higljer virtue, but only sustenance for this present life: nor do they think wliat example they should imitate in tlieirl conduct, but what gains they may obtain so as to be satisfied. For to follow the Lord from being filled with the loaves, is to have gained temporal support from Holy Church. And to seek the Lord not for the miracles' sake, but for bread, is for people to be eager for religious offices, not for the sake of increasing their virtues, but of acquiring a means of support.
Again, by bread is understood the agreeableness of human pleasure. Whence the Prophet Jeremiah said, while lament- Lam. 1, ing the abandoned habits of the congregation; All her people sighs and seeks for bread; they have given all their precious things for food to revive the soul. For the people sighs and seeks for bread, whilst the wicked multitude of men is afflicted, because it is not satisfied, to its heart's desire, with the pleasantness of the present life. And it gives all its precious things for food, because it bows down the virtues of its mind to the desire of transitory pleasure. And it en- deavours to revive the soul: because it strives to satisfy its own perverse desires. And hence he immediately w^ell adds in the words of that elect multitude, See, O Lord, and consider, that I am become vile. For the People of God becomes vile, when, as the number of the ungodly increases, it engages, in their persons, not in high and heavenly em- ployments, but in worthless and worldly pursuits.
50. What else then does Eliu mean by bread, but the pleasures of this life? For after having stated the power of temptation, he immediately subjoined. His bread becomes abominable to him in his life, and to his soul the food which before it desired: because, in truth, all the sweetness he used before to enjoy from the prosperity of his life, afterwards becomes bitter by the power of temptation. For sometimes whatever joy, and whatever virtue seemed to smile on him, is suddenly lost through fear of temptation, and the sorrowful mind, as if deprived of these very virtues, is possessed by i Temptation and cJiastlseinent make pleasure distasteful. 45 ffrief alone. For when it is assailed somewhat more violently Book by the force of temptation, because it cannot pat forth the ~ '- strength of its usual courage, it laments for it as if it were already lost; and feeling itself emptied of itself, it learns its own weakness, from this its emj/tiness. And thence it is immediately broken off, as it were, from every pleasure, and loatiiing the dainty morsels of former delight, takes its fill of that grief which alone it eagerly desires. For every one, when success in holy living smiles favourably on him, is full of mirth: and this very mirth refreshes the mind like plea- surable food. But when he is assailed more sharply by imminent temptation, all joy is through the loathing of grief rejected by his mind, though it used before to rejoice as though fully satisfied with that very joy. Because then a man, when tempted, casts out from the mouth of his heart all pleasurable food, and nothing else gives him pleasure but knowing and lamenting himself, it is well said, Bread he- comes abominable to him in his life, and to his soul the food uhich before it desired.
51. But, as we said before, we are allowed to be thus tempted under the government of the secret dispensation, in order that we, who by the Divine gift are making progress in virtue, may call to mind what we are by our own natural infirmity: and that all who produce the deeds of virtue, from ha\ing received of the gift, may offer the sacrifice of humility from a remembrance of our own weakness. But sometimes, after we have increased in strength, not only are we assailed by sins, but chastised by scourges. But when we are assailed by sins, we are dealt with by a merciful dispensation, to keep us from being elated by those virtues, in which we are making progress. But when we are scourged with the rod, we are warned, by the chastisement of evil, not to be led away with the blandishments of the world. Whilst our sins tempt us, they bring low the virtues, which are gaining strength within us; whilst scourges try us, they root out the pleasures of this world which are rising in our heai't. We learn by our sins, which tempt us, what we arc of ourselves; by the scourges, which smite us, what we should avoid in this world. We are restrained by the one from inward pride, we are kept back by the other from desiring any thing without us.
4() Boiiefi of inward Virtue laid Jxirc hi/ sconrf/tJif/. .loD;{3, As loiiL' then as we arc in this life, we must needs be scourged 21 '■ — by the rod, and at times tempted by our sins. For both in the tortures of llic scourge, and in our struggle with our sins, not only does our weakness become known to us, but we learn also what progress we have made in virtue. For no one, when at rest, is conscious of his powers. For if there is no contest, no opportunities arise for making trial of our virtues. He who boasts of his bravery in peace, is but a short-sighted warrior. Since then the quality of our strength is often made known by sufferings of the rod, Eliu appro- priately adds, saying, Ver. 21. Hisjlesh shall waste away, and his bones which were covered shall he laid bare.
xxvi. 52. For when every outward pleasure is worn away by the pressure of the rod, the bones of inward firmness are laid bare. For what is meant in this place by the word flesh, but fleshly pleasure itself? Or what by bones, but the virtues of the soul? The flesh therefore wastes away, and the bones are laid bare, because while carnal pleasure is brought to nought by the reproof of scourges, those sturdy virtues are laid open, which had long been concealed, as it were, beneath the flesh. For no one learns what progress he has made, except in adversity. For in prosperity, the evidences of strength cannot be discerned. Whence it is written elseps.42,8. where, The Lord commanded His loving kindness in the day time, and declared it in the night. Because, in truth, it is in tranquil rest that each man obtains the grace of the heavenly gift, but it is in trouble and adversity that he gives proof how much he has received. Let our flesh then waste away, that our bones may be laid bare. Let us be smitten with the reproofs of a father, that we may know what progress we are making. For by the scourge of the Lord the rankness of carnal pleasure is worn down, but the bones of our virtues are laid bare. Oui' outward beauty is tarnished by this world's sufierings, but that which was concealed within is Acts 5, made manifest. For when the Apostles had been scourged, they were directed to speak no more in the Name of Jesus.
But they rejoiced with exceeding joy, that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the Name of Jesus: and they Acts 5, confidently replied to their adversaries, We ought to obey Wasting of the Jlesh. Drairing near to destruction. 47 God rather than man. See bow the slrengtli of their failli Book shone forth more vigorously in adversity. See how tlie - '- soundness of the flesh was cut through, but the bones of their virtues were laid open. It is hence said of them by Wisdom, God proved them ^ and found them worthy for Him- Wisd.3, self. For, though tried by the blows of adversity, they are^* found worthy by the laying bare of their bones. For that the trial of their scourging is here meant, is plainly declared by what follows. As gold in the furnace He tried thern^ rt;/c?ibid. 6. received them as a victim of a burnt offering. Because, then, each man's strength is made known only by adversity, it is well said, His flesh shall waste away, and his bones ichich icere covered shall he laid bare. For the flesh wastes away, while every thing which is perishable and weak is worn away by the scourge. The bones are laid bare, while by these means our latent strength is also made manifest. As we have before said, not merely is the strength of our resolution made known, but also the weakness of our nature laid bare, by the very trials of adversity; and every one shews indeed under trial the progress he has made through God, but also confesses under the very inflictions of the scourges, how weak he is in himself; because not only are the bones laid bare, but the flesh also wastes away. It is appropriately subjoined, Ver. 2*2. His soul shall draw near to corruption, and his life to the destroyers.
53. For the soul of every just man when tempted is said xxvii. to draw near to corruption, when, for fear his virtue should elate him, he is compelled by the rod to feel what he is in his own natural infirmity. He approaches, in truth, to corruption, because he learns that by his own strength he is not far from destruction, in order that he may ascribe not to himself but to the Lord, that he is far from that destruction. But he approaches to the destroyers, because he sees that, through the infirmity of the flesh, he is very near to sins which cause death: and from these he is the farther removed by the Divine goodness, the more he is conscious that by his own deserts he is very near them. By contemplating his own condition, David had drawn near to corruption, when he said, Remember, Lord, that we are dust; as for man his day Ps. 103, 48 Help uyitJtdraitn thai iva may know ourselves. An instance.
Job 33, is orass. Paul also had, by contemplating liis own infirmity, L. ai)proaclie(l the dcslroycrs, vvlion he said, / see anolJier law 23.24. m my members warring ay ainsl the law of my mina, and leading me captive to the law of sin wIricJi is in my mem- bers. iVre/ched man. that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this deatJt? To a])proach then to corrup- tion, and to the destroyers, is for a man, on considering the infirmity of our human nature, to see that he is a sinner, as far as concerns his deserts, and that he possesses, of his own » arro- Strength, no ground of boasting' in himself. For what are ^^° ^^"^w'e, when bereft of the protection of our Maker? a protection which is considered to be less necessary, if always enjoyed. But it is withdrawn, generally, for our good, that it may be shewn to a man's own self how worthless he is without it. The hand of God, then, which bears us up, even an hen we know it not, in prosperity, brings us to a true knowledge of ourselves in adversity. And when we begin to fall, from being deprived of it, we are yet supported by its aid. It is a warning to us, that we are trembling to our fall, and His protection, that we remain stedfast. { 54. Let no one consider then that he has any real virtues, 1 even if he is able to display any resolution: since, if Divine protection leave him to himself, he is suddenly unnerved and overpowered in that very point in which he used to boast that he was standing firm. For what is meant by the man of God, 1 Kings when directed to prophesy against the altar at Samaria, exerting 2^' ~ in. the king's presence the authority of bold speaking, by his miraculously withering the extended arm of the rash king, which he afterwards restored to health of his tender pity? by his refusing when invited, to eat in his house, because he kept the commands of the Lord, which forbade him to eat by the way? But yet he was afterwards seduced to eat on the same wa}^, and perished when he had eaten. What do we gather from an accurate examination of this matter, what (if I may so speak) do we fear and suspect, except that he was perhaps silently boasting in himself that he had put conteuipt on the king in obeying the commands of the Lord? Hence it was that he was soon shaken from his inward stedfastness, and that sin stole on him in his work, from the same source as pride sprang up in his heart; in order that he might learn Danger of deal h drives to the true safeguard of life. 49 when deceived by the false prophet, that it was not of his Book own strength that he had withstood the commands of the — - — ' king. But he rightly received the sentence of death from the mouth of that very person, by whose seduction he had tnmed away from the precept of life, in order that he might receive the true announcement of his punishment, from the same quarter by which he had through carelessness admitted a fault. Because then the grace of God more especially guards and instructs crxh of His Elect, at the very time when He seems to smite and forsake them, let it be rightly said. His soul shall approach to corruption, and his life to the destroyers; that so the more he is led by adversity to consider that he is in his own strength nigh unto death, he may, in all cases in which he has acted with resolution, have surer^ ground of life, by flying to the protection which comes from trust in God.
VOL. III.
BOOK XXIV.
The last eleven verses of the ihirty- third chapter and the eighteen first verses of the thirty-fourth chapter are expounded, and striking truths are taught concerning Christ the Mediator, contemplation, the course of con- version, and the pastoral office.
Job 33, 1. It was in speaking of the power of the Divine dis- — 1 — 1 pensation, that Eliu observed of the sufferings of each of the Elect, saying, His soul will draw jiigh io corruption^ and his life lo the destroyers. And in speaking of the trials of a single person, he shews in what condition of trial the whole human race is placed; and in mentioning what specially befals individuals, he plainly intimates what takes place generally in all. For he so described the temptation of certain persons, taken in themselves one by one, that the temptation of all men in a body might be also under- stood thereby. For the whole body of the Elect suffers in this life under the pain of this labour. He therefore im- mediately introduced a general remedy to cure this general malady, saying, Ver. 23, 24. If there shall be an Angel, speaking for him one of like tilings to shew the righteousness of man, he will pity him. ii. 2. For who is this Angel, but He who is called by the Is. 9, 6. Prophet, The Angel of mighty counsel? For because to ^^^' declare is called " evangelize" in Greek, the Lord in an- as Is.63,nouncing Himself to us is called ' x4ngel.' And he well ^' says. If there shall he a messenger \_or Angel] speaking for ^om.8f him; because, as the Apostle says, He even intercedes for '^^' us. But let us hear what he says for us; One of like things. It is the way with medicine to cure disease sometimes by similar, sometimes by contrary, remedies. For it has fre- quently been wont to cure the hot by warm, and the cold bj Our Lord, being sinless, suffered for us freely. 51 cold, applications; and on the contrary, the cold by warmth, Book the hot by cold. Our Physician then, on coming to us from-^: above, and finding us opjiressed with such great diseases, applied to our case something of a like, and something of a contrar}', nature. For He came to us as Man to men, but as a Just One to those who were in sin. He agreed with us in the truth of His nature. He differed from us in the ])ower of His righteousness. For sinful man could not be amended, except by God. But it was necessary that He who was healing him, should be an object of sight; in order that He might amend our former sinful lives, by setting a pattern for us to imitate. But it was not possible that God could be seen by man; He therefore became man, that He might be seen. The Holy and Invisible God appeared therefore as a visible man, like ourselves; that while He seemed to be of like nature. He might teach us by His holiness. And while agreeing with our condition in verity of natm-e. He might put a stop to our sickness by the might of His skill.
3. Because then the Lord, when coming in the flesh, did not bear our guilt for His own fault, nor our punishment as a matter of necessity, (for untainted by spot of sin. He could not be involved in our condition of guilt, and therefore voluntarily underwent our death, when He so willed, every kind of necessity lying beneath His feet*,) it is rightly said, ^ * eal- that that messenger speaks, in behalf of man when tempted, * one of like things,' because He was neither born as other men, nor was like them in His dying, or His rising again. For He was conceived, not by the cooperation of natural inter- Luke i, course, but by the Holy Spirit coming on His Mother. And when born He proved the fecundity of His Mother's womb, though presening its virgin purity. But again, we all die when we do not wish it; because we are constrained through the sinfulness of our nature to pay the debt of punishment. But He, from having no admixture of sin, did not submit to any punishment as a matter of necessity. But because He subdued our guilt by triumphing over^ it. He underwent our^al.'con- punishment out of pity for us; as He Himself says, I have \^^^' power to lay down My life, and I have power to take ^7Jotnlo, again. Who had also said before. No one taketh it from Me; hut I lay it down of Myself. But again, He was not 52 Our Lord likenad to Ufi onhj in true JIumanily. Job 33, raised attain like ollior men; because our resurrection is 24 '— deferred to tlie end of tlic world, wliile TTis was celebrated on the third day. And we indeed rise by Him, for lie rises by Himself. For lie Who was God needed not, as we, to be raised ii]) by any one else. In this then does His resur- rection differ from ours, that we do not rise again of ourselves, as He did. For since we are simply men, we need some superior assistance to enable us to rise. But He as God ' Oxf. dis])layed the same power of raising* again with the Father and suscita^-' *^*^ Holy Spirit, though He alone in His human nature had tionis.' experience of it. Because then the Lord, though truly bom, . rising.' t^**^ly dead, and truly raised again, differs from us, in all these points, in the greatness of His power, but agrees only in the verity of His nature, it is well said that that Messenger speaks for us one of like things. For since He surpasses us in all His doings with His immeasurable power, yet in one point, the verity of His nature, He does not differ from us.
4. He speaks in our behalf to the Father, through that in which He shews Himself to be like us. For His speak- ing or intercession is His proving Himself to be very Man for man's sake. And well, when he had said. He saijs one of like things, he immediately added, tJiat he might declare the righteousness of 7nan. Because, if He had not become like unto men, man would not appear just before Heb. 2, God. For He announces our righteousness, by the very fact * that Fie deigned to take on Himself our inflrmit^^ For that Gen. 3, fatal persuasion had polluted us all with the infection of sin o o from our very origin; and there was no one who, in speaking to God in behalf of sinners, could appear free from sin; because an equal guilt had involved all alike who were created from Rom. 5, the same lump. Therefore the Only-begotten of the Father came to us, and assumed our nature without committing sin. For it was requisite that one who could intercede for sinners should be free from sin, because doubtless He could not wipe away the infection of others' guilt, if He had to bear His own. It is well said then, that in appearing in our likeness He an- nounced righteousness to men. For He proved Himself, in interceding for sinners, to be so righteous a Man as to merit forgiveness for others. It follows, Ver. 24. He will pity him, and will say. Deliver him Man saved from ruin when brought to feel near it. 53 from going down to corruption; I have found a way to pro- Book pitiatejor him.
5. The Mediator between God and man, the Man Christ iii' Jesus, shews mercy on man, by having assumed the form of a man. Througli this compassion He says to His Father on behalf of redeemed man. Deliver him from going down to corruption. For as we before said, His saying, Deliver hiui, is His shewing forth man's nature free by taking it upon Him. For by that flesh which He assumed, He proved the freedom of this also which He redeemed. This ransomed flesh is, in truth, ourselves, who are fettered by the consciousness^ of our guilt. But by the righteousness^ of so '^-l.'con- mighty a Redeemer are we set tree, as He says Himself, Jj^^qui- the Son hath set you free, ye shall be free indeed. And in'^^^* g behalf of this ransomed man it is well said. That he go 7iot3G. doivn to corruption. For it had been said above. His soul shall draw near to corruption. It is declared afterwards, TJiat he go not down to corruption. As if He were to say. Because he is aware, from a sense of his infirmity, that he is not far from corruption, therefore let him not descend to the death of corruption. For he would rightly go down to cor- ruption, if he were to consider that by his own strength he was far removed from it. But because he has approached thereto with humility, he ought to be mercifully delivered therefrom; that the more he confesses he is weak by nature, he may be the more strengthened against the sins which assail him. For whoever extols himself above his proper Lukel4, condition, is weighed down by the very burden of his * pride, and plunges himself the lower, the more he has rushed into the sin of pride, and has separated himself far from Him Who is truly exalted; and he sinks the more to the bottom, from the very fact, that he considered himself in union with the highest; as is said by the Pro- phet to the soul which exalts itself, TJie inore beautiful^'^'''^'^t thou art, go down, and sleep with the uncircumcised. For every one who neglects to consider the hideous- ness of his infirmity, but looks through haughtiness of pride to the credit of his virtue, sinks the lower, from his being more beautiful. Since from priding himself on his merits, he falls into the lowest depths of destruction, on account of the very qualities, for which he considered himn 54 Christ our Atonemeiit. Sin chastised in thejlesh.
Job 33, self worthy of honour. And lio descends and sleeps with thu ^^*' ■ uncircumcised, because he perishes in eternal deatli with other sinners. Because then this man humbly confessed lliat he was near to corruj^tion, it is well said of him, Deliver him from (joing down to corruption; in order that he may the more escape punishment, from his not turning his eyes to- wards what is wrong. But because there was no one for whose merits the Lord could have needs been reconciled to us, the Only-begotten of the Father, taking on Himself the form of our infirmity, alone appeared just, in order that He might in- tercede for sinners.
6. And the Messenger, when speaking in behalf of this ransomed man, well says, / Jiave found a way to propitiate for him. As though the Mediator between God and man were plainly to say. Because there was no one to appear before God as a righteous intercessor in behalf of man, I have made Myself a Man, to gain propitiation for mankind > and in manifesting Myself as a Man, I found a way of justly propitiating for him. And because the Lord, in taking on Him infirmity, when He endured our punishment in His death, reversed our corruption by His rising again, that Messenger fitly subjoins the sufferings of our mortal state, and shews pity on them, saying, Ver. 25. His flesh is consumed by punishments, let him return to the days of his youth, iv. 7. For when that first man fell from God, we were driven 22^2^! fr^^i^^ t^^^ j^ys ^^ Paradise, and were involved in the miseries of this mortal life; and we feel, by the pain of our punish- ment, what a grievous fault we committed by the persuasion of the serpent. For having fallen into this state, we have found nothing, out of God, except afBiction. And because we have followed the flesh, through the sight of the eyes, we are tortured by that very flesh which we preferred to the commands of God. For in it we daily suffer sorrow, in it torture, in it death; that the Lord by a marvellous economy might convert that, by which we committed sin, into a means of punishment; and that the severity of punishment might spring from the same source as that which had given rise to sin; so that man might be disciplined to life by the bitter suffering of that very flesh, by the pride of delighting which he had drawn near to death.
Man's life restored to youth in our Redemption. 55 8. Since then the human race was oppressed by the innu- Book merable sufferings of this life in the flesh, but both the guilt " * and punishment of our sin were blotted out by the coming of our Redeemer, let it be said of redeemed man, Hisjlesh is consumed with punishments; let him return to the days of his youth. As if he were to say, Through the punishment of his mortality, he is cast down, as it were, by the age of his old condition; let him return to the days of his youth; that is, let him be renewed in the integrity of his former life, that he may not remain in the state in which he has fallen, but return on his redemption to that for the enjoyment of which he was created. For Holy Scripture is frequently accus- tomed to put youth for newness of life. Whence it is said to the Bridegroom on his approach. The young damsels have Solom. loved Thee: that is, the souls of the Elect, renewed by the 3,°"^' ' grace of Baptism, which do not yield to the practices of the old life, but are adorned by the conversation of the new man. For he in truth was bewailing the age of the old man which was wasting away in the midst of sins, who says, / /^a^;ePs.6, 7. hecome old amongst all mine enemies: and some one also on the other hand, advising a person to rejoice in virtue, says. Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth. As though he Eccles. were saying, Let each man who is strong rejoice in his ' * renewal; that is, let him place his joy not in the pleasures of his old life, but in the virtue of his new conversation. But since we are brought back to this strength of new life, not by our own powers, but by the mediation of the Redeemer, let the Messenger say, in interceding for this man under the rod. Let him return to the days of his youth. And because, as our Redeemer intercedes to the Father in our behalf, we ourselves shake off' the torpor of our former life, and are inflamed with a thirst for prayer, it is well added of ransomed man,