16

Truth taken away from the unrighteous.

19. 20.

43.

LIT.

JOB 12, What hast thou to do, to declare My statutes, or that thou takest My covenant in thy mouth? Whence also he beseeches, Ps. 119, saying, And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth. For he reflects that Almighty God gives the word of truth to those that do it, and takes it away from those that do it not. He then that prayed that he might not have it 'taken out of his mouth,' what did he else than pray for the grace of good practice? As if he said in plain words, ' Let me not go astray from good works, lest, while I lose the regularity of good living, I also part with the right rule of speaking.' And for the most part the teacher, who ventures to teach what he neglects to practise, when he ceases to speak the good which he scorned to do, begins to teach his charge the evil things that he does, that, by the righteous judgment of the Almighty, that man may not henceforth have a tongue for a good theme, who will not have a good life; so that whilst his mind is inflamed with the love of earthly things, he should be ever speaking of earthly Mat. 12, things. Whence Truth' saith in the Gospel, For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth 1John4, forth evil things. Hence also John saith, They are of the world, therefore speak they of the world. Therefore it is well said, Who changeth the lip of the truthful, and taketh away the instruction of the aged. In that while they, who were aforetime' truthful' in preaching heavenly things, setting their affections on those of time, are sunk down to the same, 'the lip of the truthful is changed, and the instruction of the aged taken away;' in that being in love with temporal things, they never follow the precepts of their predecessors, so as to be occupying the place of authority as if but for the fruit of pleasure, and for no good end of labour.

34.35.

5.

PROPH.

24. Which nevertheless may be understood more plainly of the Jews, who before the Lord's Incarnation were truthful,' in that they believed that He was to come, and proclaimed the same; but when He appeared in the flesh, they denied that it was He. Therefore the lip of the truthful was changed,' in that Him, of Whom they had told that He was about to come, they denied when present; and the

Fall of the Jews and calling of Gentiles foreshewn.

17

6.

XI.

instruction of the aged was taken away,' in that they never Book followed in believing the things, which they remembered their fathers to have foretold. Whence too at the coming of Elijah it is promised, that he shall turn the hearts of the Mal. 4, children to their fathers;' that the instruction of the aged,' which is now taken away' from the heart of the Jews, upon the Lord taking compassion on them, may then be brought back, when the children begin to understand that concerning the Lord, which their fathers foretold. But if by the aged' we understand likewise those same Jews, who, by the persuasions of unbelief, set themselves to oppose the word of 'Truth,' then the instruction of the aged was taken away,' when the Church consisting of the Gentiles, being indeed young, received it, as she saith by the Psalmist, I under- Ps. 119, stand more than the ancients. And because she kept this same in practising it, in what way she came to understand more than the ancients, she makes plain, whereas she adds directly, Because I keep Thy precepts. For whereas she aimed to fulfil in practising that thing which she learnt, it was vouchsafed her to understand what she might teach. Whence it is still further added with propriety,

Ver. 21. He poureth contempt upon princes, and lifteth up those that were oppressed.

6

100.

25. For whilst the Jewish people continued in the precept xvi. of the Law, and the whole Gentile world knew nothing of the precepts of God, both the former seemed to be as 'princes' by faith, and the latter lay borne down in the depth by unbelief. But when Judæa denied the mystery of our Lord's Incarnation, and the Gentile world believed it, both the princes' fell into contempt, and they that had been borne down in the sin of unbelief, were 'lifted up' in the liberty of true faith. But Jeremiah seeing this fall of the Israelites long before, says, The Lord is become as it Lam. 2, were an enemy; He hath swallowed up Israel; He hath 5. thrown down all his palaces; He hath destroyed his bulwarks. Now 'palaces' in cities are for ornaments, but the 'bulwarks' are for defence. And the gifts that keep us safe are one thing, those that ornament us are another. For prophetical teaching, different kinds of tongues, the power of working cures, are a kind of palaces' of the mind, which

C

22.

18

Gifts first forfeited, then grace itself.

JOB 12, though a man have not, yet he is able to stand fast defended PROPH. by faith and righteousness, though he does not shew himself at all adorned with the towering height of the gifts of virtue; but faith, hope, and charity, are not our 'palaces,' but our 'bulwarks,' which, if we neglect to possess ourselves of, we lie exposed to the snares of the enemy. In the case of Judæa, therefore, seeing that He took away from her prophecy, and teaching, and miraculous signs,' He overthrows all her palaces.' And because, for her hardness of heart, He let faith, hope, and charity, be taken away from her, He was bent to destroy her bulwarks.' Now we have the right order observed, in that the palaces' first, and then the 'bulwarks,' are described as destroyed, because, when the sinful soul is forsaken, first the gifts of miraculous powers, which were given in manifestation of the Spirit, are destroyed, and afterwards the foundations of faith, hope, and charity. All which, being taken away from the unfaithful, the Lord bestowed upon the Gentile world, and by the things, which He took from the unbelievers, He adorned the believers' Ps. 68, minds. Whence it is written, And to divide the spoils of the beauty of the house. For when He took away from the Jews the spoils of the powers of virtue, He imparted the beauty of His gifts to the house of the heart of the Gentiles, which He deigned to dwell in by faith. Which same was brought to pass, when the words of God were on the one hand interpreted by the Jewish people after the mere ' letter,' which 2 Cor.killeth,' and on the other, by the converted Gentiles penetrated in the spirit,' which maketh alive.' Whence it is directly added,

12.

3, 6.

xvii.

Matt. 10, 27.

6

Ver. 22. Who discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death.

26. For when the several mystical truths are recognised in the secret words of the Prophets by them that believe, what else is it, than that deep things are discovered out of darkness? Whence too 'Truth' Himself, speaking in parables to the disciples, saith, What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light. For when by explaining we unravel the mystical knots of allegories, then we as it were' speak in light, what we have heard in darkness.' Now the shadow of death' was the hardness of the old Law, which made every

Man's pride in God's gifts brought down.

19

one that sinned liable to be punished with the death of the Book body. But when our Redeemer tempered by mildness the _XI. harshness of the sanctions of the Law, nor any longer ordained death of the flesh to be inflicted for sin, but shewed how greatly the death of the spirit was to be dreaded, then, surely, 'He brought out to light the shadow of death. For this death, wherein the flesh is severed from the soul, is a 'shadow' of that death, wherein the soul is severed from God, and so the shadow of death is brought out to light,' when, upon the death of the spirit being understood, the death of the body is no whit feared. Which may likewise be understood in another sense also. For those are not unjustly called 'princes,' who with great judiciousness of counsel rule the thoughts of their hearts at all times, and by the power of wisdom keep down all the motions of folly. But it very often happens that the mind is in secret lifted up on the grounds of its very wisdom to the topmost pitch of pride, and is brought to the ground under those evil habits, over which it was rejoicing to have gained the victory. Therefore it is well said, He poureth contempt upon princes. But because it sometimes happens that they who appear to lie prostrate in evil ways have recourse to tears of penitence, and gather themselves up against the sins, to which they were subjected, it is fitly added, And lifteth up those that were oppressed. For there are some, who, being enlightened by the gift from on high, see in what exceeding filthiness of their sinful doings they lie grovelling, wash with tears the stains of their misdeeds, and henceforth keep down beneath them the motions of the flesh, by which they were aforetime weighed to the ground.

27. Which same is brought to pass by the excellent disposal of Almighty God, that so in this life every thing should be accounted uncertain, and no man be set up for possessing chastity, seeing that He poureth contempt upon princes, and no man despair from his evil habits weighing him down, seeing that He lifteth up those that were oppressed. And because, when these things are done, there is brought forth out of the secret counsels of God an open sentence upon each individual, it is rightly subjoined, And revealeth deep things out of darkness.

JOB 12, 23.

MORAL.

11.

20

Satan dragged to light. Nations destroyed and restored. 28. For the Lord' revealeth deep things out of darkness,' when He manifests an open sentence from His secret counsels, so as to shew what He thinks concerning each individual. For because now the Creator seeth all things, and Himself is not seen in His counsels, it is well said of Ps. 18, Him by the Psalmist, He made darkness His secret place. But it is as if He issued out from that darkness into light, when He shews what are His thoughts concerning the actions of each individual. And whereas when he, who was sunk down by the weight of his sins, is brought to the setting up of uprightness, he for the first time sees that very death, wherein he was going on ruining himself, and at the same time too blind to take account of it; it is rightly added, And bringeth out to light the shadow of death. For the shadow of death' is evil doing, which is drawn as if in bodily lineaments by a copy of our old enemy. Concerning whom Rev. 6, too, in the character of a certain one, it is said, And his name was Death. And it very often happens that his evil instigation escapes the minds of men, and by this circumstance, that it is not known, is the more successful. And so the shadow of death is brought to light,' in that the evil doing of our old enemy is revealed to the minds of the Saints that it may be made an end of. It goes on:

8.

Ver. 23. Who multiplieth the nations and destroyeth them, and them that are overturned He restoreth entire.

xviii. 29. We may understand it, viz. that 'the Lord multiplieth LIT. the nations and destroyeth them,' in this way, that day by day men are born destined to die, and that' them, that be overturned, He restoreth entire,' in that they, who were dead, shall rise again; which however we shall interpret in a better sense, if we think how it is that this is done in their souls. PROPH. For He increaseth the nations and destroyeth them,' in that He both enlarges them by fruitfulness of offspring, and yet leaves them in their own infidelity; but them, that were overturned, He restoreth entire,' in that those, whom He had left in the downfall of infidelity, He one time or another reestablishes in the seat of faith. And these being restored in a whole state of mind, that ancient People, which seemed faithful to God, being reprobate was cast away in heart, so that, being deceived by its own misbelief, it should afterwards