Which same, on coming, it receives with the greater courage, in proportion as by foresight it armed itself the more heedfully. For he, that is caught by adversity unprovided for it, is as if he were found by his enemy sleeping, and his foe dispatches him the sooner, that he stabs one who offers no resistance. For he, tliat forecasts impending ills in a spirit of earnest heedfulness, as it were watching in ambush awaits the assault of his enemy. And he arrays himself in strength for the victory in the very point wherein he was expected to be caught in entire ignorance. Therefore, before the outset of any action, the mind ought to forecast all contrarieties, and that with anxious heed, that by taking account of these at all times, and being at all times armed against them with the breastplate of patience, it may both in foresight obtain the mastery, whatever may take place, and whatever may not take place, it may account gain. But the second method of preserving mildness is that, when we regard the transgression of others, we have an eye to our own offences, by which we have done wrong in the case of others. For our own frailty being considered makes excuse for the ills done us Evenjmt anger disturbs the mind. 307 by others. Since that man bears with patience an injury Book that is offered him, who with right feehng remembers that ^-perchance there may still be somewhat, in which he himself has need to be borne with. And it is as if fire were extinguished by water, when u]ion rage rising up in the mind each person recalls his own misdoings to his recollection; for he is ashamed not to spare offences, who recollects that he has himself often committed offences, whether against God or against his neighbour, which need to be spared.
82. But herein w^e must bear in mind with nice discernment that the anger, which hastiness of temper stirs is one thing, and that which zeal gives its character to is another. The first is engendered of evil, the second of good. For if there was no anger originating in virtue. Phinees would never have allayed the fierceness of God's visitation by his sword. Because Eli lacked such anger, he quickened against himself the stirrings of the vengeance of the Most High to an implacable force. For in proportion as he was lukewarm towards the evil practices of those under his charge, the severity of the Eternal Ruler waxed hot against himself. Of this it is said by the Psalmist, Be ye angry, and sin not. Vs. 4,5. Which doubtless they fail to interpret aright, who would ^"^^' only have us angry w^ith ourselves, and not with others likewise, when they sin. For if we are bidden to love our neighbours as ourselves, it follows that we should be as angry with their ening ways as with our own evil practices. Of this it is said by Solomon, Anger^ is better than laughter; Ecc. 7, for by the sadness ofihe countenance the heart is made better, f ' Of this the Psalmist saith again, ^line eye is ^- disturbed because Vulg. of anger^. For anger that comes of evil blinds the eye ofay, thus the mind, but anger that comes of zeal disturbs it. Since ^i'J^ necessarily in whatever degree he is moved by a jealousy forvuig.
virtue, the world of contemplation, which cannot be known ^-^^ saving by a heart in tranquillity, is broken up. For zeal for the cause of virtue in itself, in that it fills the mind with disquietude and agitation, presently bedims the eye thereof, so that in its troubled state it can no longer see those objects far up above, which it aforetime clearly beheld in a state of tranquillity. But it is brought back on high with a more penetrating ken by the same means, whereby it is thrown furore^ MonAL 308 Anger may serve, hut must not he let rule.
Job 5, back for a while so as to be incapable of seeing. For the same jealousy in behalf of what is right after a short space opens wider the scenes of eternity in a state of tranquillity, which in the mean season it closes from the effects of perturbation. And from the same quarter whence the mind is confounded so as to prevent its seeing, it gains ground, so as to be made clear for seeing in a more genuine way; just as when ointment is applied to the diseased eye, light is wholly withheld, but after a little space it recovers this in truth and reality by the same means, by which it lost the same for its healing. But to perturbation contemplation is never joined, nor is the mind when disturbed enabled to behold that, which even when in a tranquil state it scarcely has power to gaze on; for neither is the sun's ray discerned, when driving clouds cover the face of the heavens; nor does a troubled fountain give back the image of the beholder, which when calm it shews with a proper likeness; for in proportion as the water thereof quivers, it bedims the appearance of a likeness within it.
83. But when the spirit is stirred by zeal, it is needful to take good heed, that that same anger, which we adopt as an instrument of virtue, never gain dominion over the mind, nor take the lead as mistress, but like a handmaid, prompt to render service, never depart from following in the rear of reason. For it is then lifted up more vigorously against evil, when it does service in subjection to reason; since how much soever our anger may originate in zeal for the right, if from being in excess it has mastered our minds, it thereupon scorns to pay obedience to reason, and spreads itself the more shamelessly, in proportion as it takes the evil of a hot temper for a good quality; whence it is necessary that he who is influenced by zeal for right should above all things look to this, that his anger should never overleap the mind's control, but, in avenging sin, looking to the time and the manner, should check the rising agitation of his mind by regulating it with nicety of skill, should restrain heat of temper, and control his passionate emotions in subjection to the rule of equity, that the punisher of another man may be made more just, in proportion as he has first proved the conqueror of himself; so that he should correct the faults of Anger destroys fools. Envy implies inferiority, 309 transgressors in such a way, that he that corrects should Book himself first make advancement by self-restraint, and pass '— judgment on his own vehemency, in getting above it, lest by being immoderately stined by his very zeal for right, he go far astray from the right. But as we have said, forasmuch as even a commendable jealousy for virtue troubles the eye of the mind, it is rightly said in this place, For wrath killeth the foolish man; as if it were in plain terms, ' Anger from zeal disturbs the wise, but anger from sin destroys the fool;' for the first is kept in under the control of reason, but the other lords it over the prostrate mind in opposition to reason. And it is well added,, And envy slayeth the little^ one. Vuig.
84. For it is impossible for us to envy any but those, whom xlvi.
we think to be better than ourselves in some respect. And so he is ' a little one,' who is slain by jealousy. For he bears witness against his very own self, that he is less than him, by envy of whom he is tormented. It is hence that our crafty foe, in envying of the first man, despoiled him, in that having lost his estate of bliss, he knew himself to be inferior to his immortality. It is hence that Cain was brought down to commit the murder of his brother; in that when his sacrifice was disregarded, he was maddened that he, whose offering God accepted, was preferred to himself; and him, whose being better than himself was his aversion, he cut off, that he might not be at all. Hence, Esau was fired to the persecution of his brother; for, the blessing of the firstborn being lost, which, for that matter, he had himself parted with for a mess of pottage, he bewailed his inferiority to him, whom he surpassed by his birth. Hence his own brethren sold Joseph to Ishmaelites, that were passing by, in that upon the mystery of the revelation being disclosed, they set themselves to resist his advancement, that he might never become superior to themselves. Hence Saul persecutes his servant David by throwing a lance at him, for he dreaded that man growing beyond his own measure, whom he perceived to be daily vvaxing bigger by his great achievements in the virtues. Thus he is a ^ little one,' who is slain by envy; in that except he himself proved less, he would not grieve for the goodness of another.
310 Envy ruins any virtue that we may have.
Job 5, 85. But herein we must bear in mind, that thougli in every — — ^ — evil thing that is done, the venom of our old enemy is infused mto the heart of man, yet m this wickedness, the serpent stirs his whole bowels, and discharges the bane of spite fitted to enter deep into the mind. Of whom also it is Wisd. written, Nevertheless, through envy of the devil came death ' ' into the ivorld. For when the foul sorp of envy corrupts the vanquished heart, the very exterior itself shews, how forcibly the mind is urged by madness. For paleness seizes the complexion, the eyes are weighed clown, the spirit is inflamed, while the limbs are chilled, there is frenzy in the heart, there is gnashing with the teeth, and while the growing hate is buried in the depths of the heart, the pent wound works into the conscience with a blind grief. Nought of its own that is prosperous gives satisfaction, in that a selfinflicted pain wounds the pining spirit, wliich is racked by the prosperity of another: and in proportion as the structure of another's works is reared on high, the foundations of the jealous mind are deeper undermined, that in proportion as others hasten onward to better things, his ov>^n ruin should be the worse; by which same downfall even that is brought to the ground, which was believed to have been raised in other doings with perfect workmanship. For when envy has made the mind corrupt, it consumes all that it may have found done aright. Whence it is well said by Solomon, Prov.
A sound heart is the life of the JiesJc hut envy the rottenness ' ^^' of the hones. For what is denoted by ' the flesh,' saving weak and tender things? and what by the ' bones,' saving strong deeds.? And it is most common that some with real innoccncy of heart should appear to be vveak in some points of their practice, whilst some now perform deeds of strength before the eyes of men, but yet towards the excellences of others they are inwardly consumed with the plague of envy; and so it is well said, A sound, heart is the life of Hie flesh. In that where inward innoccncy is preserved, even if there be some points weak without, yet they are sometime made strong and fast. And it is rightly added.
But envy the rottennes.^ of the bones. For by the bad quality of envy even strong deeds of virtue go for nought before the eyes of God. Since the rotting of the Heavenly desires leave no place fur Envy. 311 bones from envy is the spoiling of the strong things Book even. 1— 86. But why do we say such things concerning envy, unless we likewise point out in what manner it may be rooted out? For it is a hard thing for one man not to envy another that, which he earnestly desires to obtain; since whatever we receive that is of time becomes less to each in proportion as there are many to divide it amongst. And for this reason envy wrings the longing mind, because that, which it desires, another man getting either takes away altogether, or curtails in quantity. Let him, then, who longs to be wholly and entirely void of the bane of envy, set his affections on that inheritance, which no number of fellowheirs serves to stint or shorten, which is both one to all and whole to each, which is shewn so much the larger, as the number of those that are vouchsafed it is enlarged for its reception. And so the lessening of envy is the feeling of inward sweetness arising, and the utter death of it is the perfect love of Eternity. For when the mind is withdrawn from the desire of that object, which is divided among a multitude of participators, the love of our neighbour is increased, in proportion as the fear of injury to self from his advancement is lessened. And if the soul be wholly ravished in love of the heavenly land, it is also thoroughly rooted in the love of our neighbour, and that without any mixture of envy. For whereas it desires no earthly objects, there is nothing to withstand the love it has for its fellow. And what else is this same charity but the eye of the mind, which if it be reached by the dust of earthly love, is forthwith beaten back with injury from its gaze at the inward light? But whereas he is ' a little one,' who loves earthly things, and a great one that longs after the things of eternity, it may be suitably enough rendered in this sense likewise, Atid envy slayeth the foolish ojie; in that no man perishes by the sickness of this plague, except him that is still unhealthy in his desires.
THE SECOND PART.
BOOK VI.
The whole of the fifth chapter, beginning at the third verse, is explained first in a spiritual sense, a few parts in an allegorical, and a great many in a moral sense.
i. Saving the historical verity, I proposed to myself to make out the sayings of blessed Job and of his fi'iends by the mystical mode of interpretation: for it is plain to all that are acquainted with the truth, that Holy Writ takes care to hold out in promise the Redeemer of the world in all its statements, and that it has aimed to represent Him by all the Elect as by His members. And hence blessed Job is in the Latin tongue rendered ' grieving,' that both by his name and by his wounds the Passion of our Redeemer might be sig-Is. 63,4. nified, of Whom the Prophet saith, Surely He hath home our griefs, and carried our sorrows. x4nd the Tempter, having robbed him of every thing, slew both his servants and his children; in that at the time of His Passion he smote with the weapon of faithlessness not only the Jewish people, that served Him out of fear, but the very Apostles also themselves, that were regenerated in His love. The body of blessed Job is mangled with wounding, for our Redeemer does not disdain to be pierced with nails upon the stock of the Cross. And he received wounds, from the sole of the foot to the very crown of his head, in that not only in her last and lowest members, but even up to the very highest, Holy Church, which is His Body, is hai'assed with persecu-Coi. 1, tion by the raging Tempter. Hence also Paul said. And Jill ^^' up thai which is behind of the afflictions of Christ. And his wife strives to persuade him to curse, in that all the carnal minds within the pale of Holy Church prove abettors Job* s friends spoke truths hut not of his case. 313 of the cunning Tempter. For she, who prompts him to Book cursing, represents the life of the carnal sort; since, as we have already said above, all persons of unchastened habits within the pale of Holy Church, in proportion as they are brought nigh to the good by their faith, pinch them harder by their life. For because they cannot be avoided, as being of the number of the faithful, they are borne by the faithful as the greater harm, in proportion^ as it is nearer home. i see p. But his friends, who come as if to administer consolation, but run out into words of bitter upbraiding, bear the likeness of heretics, who, in striving to defend God against the righteous, only offend Him.
2. These things then, wliich have been more fully delivered above, I have endeavoured to gather into a small compass after their mystical representation, that by this very repetition it might be recalled to the recollection of my reader, that I minister to the spiritual understanding. And yet, when occasion of usefulness demands, I also busy myself to make out yvTLth minute exactness the letter of the history, but when it is needed I embrace both at the same time, that the allegory may put forth spiritual fruit, which same nevertheless is produced by the historical verity as from the root. Now the friends of blessed Job, who, we have said, bear the likeness of heretics, we by no means condemn for their words throughout; for whereas it is delivered against them by the sentence from above. For ye have not spoken before Job 42, Me the thing that is right; and it is thereupon added, Like My servant Job; it is plainly manifest that that is not altogether set at nought, which is only disapproved by comparison with what is better. For they incautiously slip into censure of him, but yet, as they are the friends of so great a man, from familiar intercourse with him they learnt many mystical truths. Whence, as we have also said above, Paul uses their very words, and by taking these in aid of his statement, he testifies that they were delivered from a source of truth.
Which same nevertheless Truth does rightly censure, in that no sentence, however full of force, should be delivered against a holy man. Accordingly the words of Eliphaz may be considered in a mystical sense, whereby he addresses blessed Job, saying.
314 Tke ' Foolish^ here may vican the Jews.
Job 5, Ver. 3. I have seen the foolish taking root; but suddenly 1 so V. 3. For the Jewish people shewed itself to be ' foolish, ^^' in that it slightly regarded the very Presence of Eternal Wisdom in the flesh. And it waxed strong, as it were, by taking root, in that it had power over the life of the Elect to the extinction thereof in time. And Eliphaz despises such an one, cursing him, in that all heretics, whom we have said the friends of blessed Job bear a figure of, while they boast themselves in the name of Christ, censure in a way of authority the unbelief of the Jews. Concerning which same foolish one it is forthwith added, Ver. 4. His children are far from safety^ and. they are crushed in the gate, neither shall there be any to deliver them. 4. They all are ' the children' of this foolish man, who are generated by the preaching of that unbelief, and these * are far from safety,' for though they enjoy the temporal life without trouble, they are stricken the worse with eternal vengeance, as the Lord says concerning these same sons Matt, of such an one, Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypo-' ' crites, for ye compass sea and laud to make one proselyte, and when he is made ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. It follows, And tliey are crushed in the gate, neither shall there be any to deliver them. Who else is to be understood by the name of gate, but the Mediator John between God and Man, Who saith, / am the door; by Me ' if ciny man enter in, he shall be saved. The sons, then, of this foolish man advance without the gate, and they are ' crushed in the gate,' for the evil offspring of the Jews, before the Mediator's coming, prospered in the observance of the Law, but in the presence of our Redeemer itself they fell away from the service of the Divine Being, proving outcasts by the deserts of their faithlessness. And verily there is none ' to rescue them,' for while they strive by their persecution to kill the Redeemer Himself, they cut themselves off from the proffered means of their rescue. And it is well added concerning him, Ver. 5. Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, and the armed one shall seize him.
iv. 5. Now ' the harvest' of this foolish man was the crop of God^s gifts, when not improved hy us, pass to others. 315 Sacred Writ. For the words of the Prophets are like so Book many grains of the ears, which the foolish man had, but did '— not eat. For the Jewish people indeed held the Law as far as the letter, but, from an infatuated pride, as to the sense thereof, they went hungering. But ^ the hungry eateth the harvest' of this foolish one, in that the Gentile folk eats by taking in the words of the Law, in which the Jewish people toiled and laboured without taking them in. These hungry ones of faith the Lord foresaw, when He had said by the Evangelist, Blessed are they that hunger and thirst afteriAzti.d, righteousness^ for they shall be filled. Of these hungry ones ' Hannah saith prophesying, They that werefidU have hired out i Sam. themselves for bread, and they that were hungry were satis- ' * fied. And as he lost the harvest, it is rightly added how the foolish man himself too perishes, where it is said, And himself shall the armed one seize. The old enemy, being * armed,' seized the Jewish people, for he extinguished in them the life of faith by the darts of deceitful counsel, that in the very point, wherein they imagined themselves to be rooted in God, they might resist His dispensation. And Truth forewarns the Disciples of this, saying. Yea, the time John cometh that whosoever killeth you ivill think thai he doeth ' ' God service. It follows.
And the thirsty shall drink his riches.
6. The riches of this ' foolish' one ' the thirsty drink,' in v. that by the streams of Sacred Writ, which the Jewish people possessed in the display of pride, the converted minds of the Gentiles are watered. And hence it is said to those same persons by the Prophet, Ho, every one that thirsteth, come Isaiah ye to the waters; and he that hath no silver, come ye. For^^' that the divine oracles are denoted by the word ^ silver,' is testified by the Psalmist in these words. The ivords of the Ps. 12, Lord are pure words, as silver tried in the fire. They then ^* that * have no silver,' are bidden to the ' waters,' in that the Gentile world which had never received the precepts of Holy Writ, is satisfied with the outpouring of Divine Revelation, which they now drink of the more eagerly, in proportion as they thirsted for it long time in a state of drought. Thus the very same Divine oracles are called at once ' harvests' and ' riches;' ' harvests,' because they refresh the hun- 316 Holy Writ supplies both strong meat and easy drink.
Job 5, gering soul; ' riches/ because they array us in a rare richness — — -^ — of moral excellences. The same things are said both to Myst.
be ' eaten,' and to be * drunk,' for this reason, that whereas there are certain things therein that are obscure, which we understand not without they be interpreted, these same we in a manner swallow eating; and whereas certain other things indeed, that are easy to be understood, we so take as we find them, these we drink as if unchewed, in that we swallow them unbroken. These things we have rim through in brief mode under their mystical signification, lest perchance we might seem to have passed over any thing; but because they could not be the friends of blessed Job, except in some points they also shone conspicuous for high moral worth, it remains that in their words we examine the force of their import in a moral sense, that, whilst the weight and substance of their speech is made out, it may be shewn what sort of teaching they were masters of.
Ver. 3. / have seen the foolish taking root, but suddenly I cursed his beauty. Moral. 7. * The foolish' is as it were made fast in the earth by VI' ' taking root,' in that he is fixed in the love of earth with all his heart's desire. And hence Cain is recorded to have been the first that builded a city in the earth, that it might be plainly shewn, that that same man laid a foundation in the earth, who was turned adrift from the firm hold of our heavenly country. The foolish man as it were lifts himself up by ' taking root,' when he is buoyed up in this world with temporal good fortune, so that he obtains whatsoever he desires, is subject to no crosses, prevails against the weak without meeting with resistance, gainsays those that do well with authority, is ever attaining to better circumstances by means of worse practices, so that from the very cause that he is forsaking the path of life, he lives for the time the happier. But when the weak see that the wicked flourish, they are alarmed, and being troubled in their own breasts by the prosperity of sinners, they inwardly falter in the mind's footsteps. It was the likeness of these same that the Psalmist took when he Ps. 73, declared, But as for me^ my feet were almost gone^ my steps ^'^' had well nigh slipped; for I was envious at the sinners, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
Worldly glory even note scorned by the wise. 317 8. But when the strong see their glory, they forthwith fix Book their minds upon the punishment which is to follow after '—