316

First and second Advent contrasted.

14.

PROPH.

JOB 26, the Day of the Lord cometh; for it is nigh at hand, a day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of cloud and whirlwind. For the Day of the Lord is great, and very terrible, and who shall sustain it? But how incomprehensible and unimaginable that Greatness wherewith He shall come in His Second Manifesting, in some degree we estimate aright, if we consider with heedful reflection the weighty particulars of His first Advent. Surely that He might redeem us from death, the Lord came to die, and the impoverishment and punishments of our flesh He underwent in His own Body; Who before He came to the stock of the Cross, suffered Himself to be bound, to be spit on, to be mocked and to be beaten with blows on His cheek. Observe to what disgraceful treatment He for our sakes consented to come, and yet, before He permitted Himself to be laid hold of, He questioned His persecutors, saying, Whom seek ye? To Whom they thereupon gave answer, Jesus of Nazareth. And when He said to them directly, I am He, He only uttered a voice of the mildest answer, and at once prostrated His armed persecutors to the earth. What then shall He do when He cometh to judge the world, who by one utterance of His voice smote His enemies, even when He came to be judged? What is that Judgment which He exercises as immortal, Who in a single utterance could not be endured when He was about to die? Who may sustain His wrath, Whose very mildness even could not be sustained? So then let the holy man consider it and say, And whilst we scarcely hear a little drop of His words, who shall be able to look on the thundering of His Majesty?

BOOK XVIII.

Contains the exposition of the twenty-seventh and twenty-eighth chapters of the Book of Job, to the twenty-first verse and half through it, after manifold senses.

1

IT is the case for the most part in Holy Writ that there are things of a mystical nature so represented, that nevertheless they seem put forth in accordance with the historical relation. But oftentimes such sort of descriptions are mixed together in that same historical relation, whereby the whole outside of history is rendered null'; which same whilst they cassesound of nothing belonging to the history, oblige the reader tur to look for something else in them. For things being spoken that we suppose plain, when we find any particulars interspersed with a more obscure meaning, we are as it were pricked by a kind of spurs, that we should both be alive for the understanding some things in a deeper sense, and that we should take even those things as put forth in a more obscure sense, which we looked upon as spoken in their plain import. Whereas, then, blessed Job was speaking of the Word of the Lord, and the greatness of His thundering, next in order to these words it is directly introduced;

Chap. xxvii. 1. Moreover Job added taking up his parable, and said.

2. By which same verse it is shewn in how great mystery i the words of this most saintly man are delivered, when' a parable,' i. e. a simile, is described as 'taken up' by him, who utters nothing below in the way of simile or comparison. For be it far from us in this place to interpret a ' parable' that musical instrument". Since neither is it allowable to suppose that under infliction of chastenings he used music, when Truth saith by His Scripture, Music in mourning is Ecclus.

We know of no musical instru- but one may imagine some so named ment so called either now or formerly; from their parabolic figure.' Ben.

22, 6.

2.

ALLEG.

318 Job declares, like Holy Church, his faith in God.

JOB 27, as a tale out of season. The word' parable,' then, having been named, see how we now learn, the text itself telling it, not by the text only to estimate his words. And so every thing must be drawn to turn to that likeness, by which the Church is denoted in a figure. And indeed in the very beginning of his speaking, the things said are put forth in a plain sense, but they are entwined with more obscure ones subjoined. For he begins as he is used, with a plain mode of speech, but he finishes his words with a description pregnant through mystical significations. And so he saith,

ii.

Ver. 2. As God liveth, Who hath taken away my judgment, and the Almighty, Who hath brought my soul to bitterness.

3. By which same words blessed Job at once tells his own circumstances, and represents the times of Holy Church under affliction, wherein she is borne down by the open frowardness of unbelievers, and vexed by the bitterness of persecution. For in two ways the Church is subject to be tried by her adversaries, viz. that she should suffer persecu tion either by words or swords. Now Holy Church aims with the greatest diligence to possess wisdom and patience. And her wisdom is exercised when she is tried with words, her patience is exercised when she is tried with swords. Now, however, he is speaking of that persecution, wherein she is provoked not by swords, but by false statements. Now we know numbers, who when they encounter some things adverse in this life, do not believe that God is, but there are some that hold that God is, but does not concern Himself in the least with the affairs of men. For of the one Ps. 14,1. it is said by David, The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. But the latter say in him, How doth God know? And is there knowledge in the Most High? And again; Ps.94,7. Yet they say again; The Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it. Thus this person who bore a type of Holy Church, whilst set fast in the very bitterness of his affliction, made answer against them both. For as life has 'being,' but death has not, to avow that God is, he saith, As God liveth, but that he might tell that God concerns Himself with the affairs of mortals, he added, Who hath taken away my judgment, and hath brought my soul to

God permits Satan's wrong for right ends.

XVIII.

319 bitterness. For these ills which he suffers he bears record Book that he suffers not by accident, but by God Who ordereth all things, nor does he attribute the power for his bitterness to his tempter, but to his Creator.

4. For he knows that the devil, though he is ever aiming at the afflicting of the just, yet if he do not receive the power from our Maker is not empowered in the least degree for any tittle of temptation. And hence all the devil's will is unjust, and yet whilst God permits it, all his power is just. For of himself he does unjustly seek to try men indifferently, but those that require to be tempted, in so far as they require to be tried, God does not permit to be tried otherwise than justly. Whence also in the Books of the Kings it is written of the devil, That the evil spirit of the Lord came upon Saul. Where the question justly occurs, If it was the Spirit of the Lord, why should it be called an evil spirit? and if an evil spirit, why the Lord's? But in two words there is comprehended at once the just power and the unjust will in the devil. For both he himself is called an evil spirit in respect of a most evil will, and the same spirit is called the Lord's spirit in respect of the most just power bestowed on him. And so it is well said; God liveth, Who hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty, Who hath brought my soul to bitterness. For though the enemy rage furiously, who longs to deal the blow, yet it is the Creator, Who permits him to have power for any thing. But forasmuch as the holy man by invoking the life of God bound himself to somewhat, let us hear what in so obliging himself he subjoins. It follows;

Ver. 3, 4. All the while my breath is in me, and the Spirit of God is in my nostrils, my lips shall not speak iniquity, nor my tongue meditate falsehood.

1 Sam.

18, 10.

5. What he first calls iniquity,' this repeating afterwards iii. he calls falsehood.' For both all falsehood' is 'iniquity,' and all iniquity' falsehood,' because, whatever thing is at variance with truth is surely at odds with equity. But between this which he expresses,' to speak' and that which he adds afterwards, to meditate,' there is a wide difference. For sometimes it is a worse thing to meditate' falsehood than to speak it. For to speak is very frequently a matter of pre

320 All lying is wrong, and mars even a good purpose.

JOB 27, cipitation, but to meditate' of purposed wickedness.

3.

LIT.

And who could be ignorant by what great difference the sin is distinguished, whether a man tell a lie by precipitation or of set purpose? But the holy man, to be entirely attached to the truth, tells that he would neither lie of set purpose, nor by precipitation. For all lying is very seriously to be guarded against, though sometimes there is a certain sort of lying which is of lighter complexion, if a man lie in rendering Wisd. good. But seeing that it is written, The mouth that belieth 1.11. slayeth the soul. And, Thou shalt destroy all them that Ps. 5, 7. speak leasing. This kind of lying also those that are perfect eschew with the greatest care, so that not even the life of any man should by deceit of theirs be defended, lest they hurt their own souls, whilst they busy themselves to give life to another's flesh; though the same particular kind of sin we believe to be very easily remitted. For if any sin is by godly practice ensuing after to be done away, how much more is this easily wiped off, which pitifulness, the mother of good works, herself accompanies?

6. But there are some that from the deceit of the midwives endeavour to establish that this species of lying is not sin, chiefly because, upon those midwives lying, it is written, Exod. That the Lord made them houses. By which mode of 1, 21. recompensing it is rather learnt what the offence of lying earns; for the profits of their kindness which might have been repaid them in everlasting life, on account of the sin of lying mixing in are diverted into an earthly recompense, that in their own life, which they were ready to defend by lying, they should receive back the good which they did, and not have any reward of their recompensing, that they might look forward to beyond. For if the thing be weighed with exactness, it was from the love of the present life they lied, not from the being bent on the recompense; for by the act of sparing, they endeavoured to protect the life of the infants; but by the act of lying, their own life.

7. And though in the Old Testament a few such cases may possibly be discovered, yet almost on no occasion will

(

6

b Edd. Vitam præstando,' but most Mss. only præstando.' Ben. quotes St. Isidore, Synon. ii. 53. de Mend. as using the word thus, and notes that this

passage is quoted in Grat. Decr. Caus. 22. q. 2. c. 16. see also St. Isidore Sent. ii. c. 30. §. 10. St. Aug. on Ps. v. 7. takes the same view.