rfl "^ *'"""'*• ^""^ ""!«- dreams sometimes had^" then ong.n m a mystery of a revelation, Joseph would never have seen h.mself in a dream appointed to be advanced abov his brethren nor would the espoused of Mary have been warned by the Angel in a dream to take the Child and to fly into Egypt Again, unless dreams sometimes proceeded from thought and revelation together, the Prophet Dan'l, „ makmg out the vision of Nebuchadnezzar, would never ha " 2:^: *°"°"'^' - t'^^ -°t; A. for thee, O king, tky^.^, thoughts came mo thy mind upon thy bed, uhat should^^-' com. to pass hereafter, and He That reLleth secrets makfh bejore thee, ^c. Thus while Daniel declares in awful terms the dream about to be fulfilled, and shews in what thouThts it had Its nse, it is made plain and manifest that the thing erv frequently proceeds from thought and revelation combined "^ 43 Now It IS clear, that since dreams shift about in such a vanety of cases, they ought to be the less easily be] eved m proportion as it less easily appears from what influencin; ause they spnng. For it often happens that to those, wh m the Evi Spirit cuts off when awake through the love of th™ presen life, he promises the successes of fortune even wh,sl they sleep, and those, whom he sees to be in dread o misfortunes, he threatens with them the more cruelly by the representations of dreams, that he may work upon the incautious soul by a different kind of influence, and either by elevating It with hope or sinking it with dread, m" disturb Its balance Often too he sets himself to work upoi the souls of the Saints themselves by dreams, that at leas for a passing moment they may be thrown otf the line of steady thought, though by their own act they straightway shake the mind clear of thedelusive phantasy. Andour VZ^ ing foe, in proportion as he is utterly unable to get the belt" of them when awake, makes the deadlier assault upon them asleep. Whom yet the dispensation of the Highest in 450 Qood men choose death to the world.
Job 7, loving-kindness alone allows to do so in his malevolence, j^j^^^lest in the souls of the Elect their mere sleep, though nothingelse, should go without the meed of suffering. Therefore it is well spoken to Him that ruleth over all. When I say, my bed shall comfort me, I shall be eased talking with myself on my couch; then Thou scarest me with dreams, and terrijiest me through visions. Svn-ely in that God ordcreth all things wonderfully, even He Himself doth that thing, which. the Evil Spirit seeks to do unjustly, whilst He letteth it not be done saving justly. Now forasmuch as the life of the righteous is at once assaulted on watch by temptation, and harassed in dreaming by illusion; undergoes without the mischiefs of its corruption, and within painfully carries in itself unlawful thoughts; what may it do in order to pluck the foot of the heart out of the mazes of such numberless entanglements } Yea, thou blessed man, with what dismay and trouble thou art every way compassed about we have leamt; now let us be informed, what plan thou dost devise to encounter the same. It goes on, Ver. 15. So that my soul chooseth hanging and my bones death. XXV. 44. What is then represented by the soul but the bent of the soul, and by the bones, the strength of the flesh? Now every thing that is hung is assuredly lifted up from things beneath; therefore ' the soul chooseth hanging that the bones may die,' in that whilst the mind's intent lifts itself on high, it extinguishes all the strength of the exterior life in itself. For the Saints know it for a most certain truth, that they can never enjoy rest in the present life, and so they ' choose hanging,' in that quitting earthly objects of desire, they raise the mind on high. But whilst hung on high they inflict death on their bones, in that for love of the laud above, having their loins girt in ])ress and pursuit after virtuous attainments, all wherein they were aforetime strong in the world, they load with the chain of self-abasement. It is w^ell to mark how Paul had his soul suspended aloft, who Gal. 2, sai(^ Nevertheless I live: yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, Phil. 1, And again; Having a desire to depart and to be with ^^' „, Christ. And, For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Who recalling to mind the achievements of earthly strength, Some part with all, others die to what they keep. 451 ^e6,ew 0/ the Hebrews, as touching, the Law a PharLe ■ ^"I-<-o,,cenn„ff,eal,perseculinff the Church of God. But bCff^ CA/^.. ^Ihich same bones he implies were still m'ore mercdesslv dealt with to destruction in himself, when he aTds but dung. But lu what manner he hung without life and tinrV'/T'' '^ ^''''' - '^- ^^ ^'-^^ in It place Which is through thejaith of Jesus Christ. But whereas bv bnng.ng together his declarations we have avouched Pau' to have been suspended aloft dead to the world, let us now shew whether blessed Job, being filled with the sa"! goes onr "' -^o^^Pi-ence of the exterior life. It iT'rt ^ ':"'' 3"'" over hope, I will not live any longer.
4o. There be some of the righteous, who so entertain the xxvi de.re of heavenly things, that, notwithstanding this, they are not broken off from the hope of things earthlv? The inhed" ance bestowed on them by God they keep for the supplv of hose same th.ngs that they have, in that they are not Lund in affection to those very goods which they keep in thek possession. And there are some of the righteous who bracing thenaselves up to lay hold of the very hei4t of per ecuon, whilst they aim at higher objects withi, abandon all things without, who bare themselves of the g;ods pos" •sessed by them, strip themselves of the pride of honour who by continuance in a giatefid sorrow affect their hearts' ^ith longing for the things of the interior, refuse to recehe Pa„l n [ "[ '"'P"""""^ enjoyment. For it is said by Paul to such as these. For ye are dead, and your life is,2c„,.3 a 452 Longing for Eternity excludes hope in Time.
Job 7, with Christ in God. The Psalmist spoke in their voice, -^ — '- — when he said. My soul longeth,yea, even fainteth for the Fs.si, 2. courts of the Lord. For they ' long' but do not ' faint,' who are already imbued indeed with heavenly desires, but notwithstanding are still not tired of the enjoyments of earthly objects. But he ' longeth, yea, even fainteth, for the courts of the Lord,' who whilst he desires the eternal world, doth not hold on in the love of the temporal. Hence the Psalmist Ps. 119, saith again. My soul fainteth for Thy salvation. Hence Liike 9, ' Truth' bids us by His own lips, saying, Lf any man will j^' come after Me, let him deny himself. And again; Whoso-14, 33. ever he he of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple. Thus the holy man, his soul parted from earthly objects of desire, sets himself in the number of such as those, when he saith, / liave given over hope, L will not live any longer. Since for a righteous man ' to give over hope' is to quit the good things of the present life, in making choice of eternity, and to put no trust in temporal possessions. And whilst doing this, he declares that he ' will not live any longer,' in that by a quickening death he is daily killing himself to the life of passion \ For be it far from us to think that the holy man should despair of the bountifulness of God's mercy, that he should withdraw the step of the heart from advancing in the interior way, that forsaking the love of the Creator he should as it were stop on the road lacking a guide, and pierced with the sword of rifling despair, be brought to ruin. But lest we seem violently to wrest his sayings according to the caprice of our own view, we ought to form our estimate of what is promised by that which follows after. For in what sense he said this, he does himself immediately point out, in that he adds.
Spare me, O Lor d^, for my days are nothing. xxvii. 46. For neither do the two words agree together, I have given over hope, and, spare me. For he that * gives over hope,' no longer begs to be spared; and he who is still anxious to be spared, is surely far from ' giving over hope.' It is on one sort of grounds then that he ' gives over hope,' • The word seems taken here for it ' by suffering in this life.' earthly feelings. Some Mss. read ' re- S Domine^ not in V. Eng. V.* let me parationis,' one, leaving out ' a,' makes alone.'
The prenent life nothiny^ when seen with Elernily. 453 and on another that the holy man prays to be spared; in Book that whilst he abandons the good things of this transitory '— life in ' gi^'ing over the hope' thereof, he rises more vigorous in hope for the securing of those that shall endure. So that in * giving over hope,' he is the more effectually brought to the hope of pardon, who seeks the things to come so much the more determinately, in proportion as he more thoroughly forsakes those of the present time in giving up hope. And we are to take notice, that when teaching us the strength of his heart, he delivered indeed but one sentiment about himself, but in teaching it to us he has repeated it a third time. For what he had said above. My soul chooseth hanyiny, it was in repeating this, that he added the words, / have given over hope, and in aiming at the blessings of eternity, and putting behind those of time, he last of all brought in this, Spa?'e me. And what he said above, And my hones deaths this same it was that he added, / will not live longer, and this he delivered to end with, for my days are nothing.
But he rightly considers that his ' days are nothing,' because as we have often remarked already a little above, holy men, the more thoroughly they are acquainted with things above, in the same proportion they look down upon the things of earth from a loftier height. And therefore they see that the days of the present life are ^ nothing,' because they have the eyes of their illumined soul fixed in the contemplation of eternity. And when they return thence to themselves, what do they find themselves to be but dust? And being conscious of their frailty, they are in dread of being judged with severity; and when they regard the force of that vast Energy, they tremble to have it put to the test what they are. And hence it is further added with propriety, Ver. 17. What is man, that Thou shouldest magnify Jiim? and that Tfiou shouldest set Tliine heart upon him?
47. God magnifieth man, in that He enriches him with the xxviii. bountiful gift of reason, visits him with the inspiration of grace, exalts him with the greatness of imparted virtue; and whereas he is nothing in himself, yet through the bounty of His lovingkindness He vouchsafes to him to be a partaker of the knowledge of Himself. And the Lord ' setteth His heart upon man' so magnified, in that after His gifts He 454 God judges man for gifts that magnify him.
Job 7, brings forth judgment, weighs merits with exactness, rigidly — — ^ — tries the weights of life, and exacts punishment from him afterwards the more strictly, in proportion as He prevents him here more bounteously by the benefit bestowed. So then let the holy man view the immensity of the Supreme Majesty, and recall the eye of reflection to his own frailty.
Let liim see that flesh cannot comprehend that which Truth through the Spirit teaches concerning Himself. Let him see that man's spirit, even when it is lifted up, is not able to bear the Judgment, which God holds over it, on a trial of strict recompensing, and let him say. What is man, tltat Thou shouldest magnify him? and that Thou shouldest set Thine heart upon him? As though he cried out in plain words, saying, ' Man is magnified with a spiritual gift, but yet he is flesh, and after Thy gifts, Thou takest strict account of his ways; yet if he be judged with pity set aside, the weight that rests over him fi-om Thine exactness, not even the spirit that is raised to righteousness has strength to sustain, seeing that though Thy gifts draw him out beyond his own compass, yet at the inquest of Thy strict scrutiny his own frailty contracts him.' And hence it is fitly added still further; Ver. 18. And that Thou shouldest visit him in the dawn^ and try him suddenly?
xxix. 48. Which is there of us that does not know that it is called the ' dawn,' when the night season is now changing into the brightness of" light? so we too are closed in by the darkness of night, when we are dimmed by the practice of wickedness; but the night is turned into light, when the darkness of our erring state is illuminated by knowledge of the Truth. The night is turned into light, when the splendour of righteousness lights up our hearts, which the blindness of sin lay heavy upon. This dawn Paul saw rise in the minds Rom. of the disciples, when he said. The night is far spent, the ' ' day is at hand. And so the Lord ' visits us at the dawn,' in that He illumines the darkness of our state of error with the light of the knowledge of Himself, uplifts us with the gift of contemplation, exalts us to the stronghold of virtue. But it is to be observed, that after God * visits him at the dawn,' He ' tries man suddenly,' in that both in drawing near He advances oiir souls to virtuous heights, and in withdrawing Gifts partially withdrawn to humble men. 4:65 Himself He suffers them to be assaulted with temptation. Book . YIII.
For if after the bestowal of the gifts of virtue, she is never — '■ — - moved by any assault of temptation, the soul boasts that she has these of herself. Therefore that she may at one and the same time enjoy the gifts of a firm state, and humbly acknowledge her own state of infirmity, by the visitation of grace she is lifted up on high, and by the withdrawal of the same, it is proved what she is in herself. Which is well intimated to us in the history of the book of sacred reading, wherein Solomon is recorded both to have received wisdom from on high, and yet directly after that very wisdom was i Kings received, to have been assailed by the disputing of the ' ' harlots. For immediately after he had received the grace of that great enlightenment, he was exposed to the strife of base women; for that oftentimes when the visiting of the interior bounty illuminates our mind with virtues vouchsafed it, even filthy imaginations forthwith disorder it, that the soul, which being lifted up exults in the immensity of the gift, being at the same time struck by temptation, may discover what she is. So Elijah both being visited at the dawn, opened the doors of heaven by a word, and yet being' tried suddenly,' fleeing helpless through the desert, was in dread of a single woman. Thus Paul is carried to the third heaven, and i Kings penetrating into the secrets of Paradise, he is held in con- 2 Cor. templation; and yet when he returns to himself, travails ^2, 2. against the assaults of the flesh, and is subject to another law in his members, by whose rebellion within him he grieves to see the law of the Spirit hard bestead. Therefore God * visits at the dawn,' but, after this visiting. He ' tries suddenly,' in that He both lifts up by the gift vouchsafed, and by the same being for a while withdrawn, shews unaided^ ' ipsum man to himself. Which doubtless we are so long subject to, until the time, when the pollution of sin being clean taken away, we be renewed to the substance of promised incorruption. Hence it is fitly added yet further, Ver. 19. How long tvilt JJtou not depart from me, nor let me alone until I swallow down my spittle.
49. The spittle runs into the mouth from the head, but xxx. from the mouth it is carried into the belly by being swallowed. And what is our head saving the Deity, through Whom we 456 Spittle of contemplation not yet swallowed.
Job 7, derive the original of our being, so as to be * creature,' as — — ^ — Paul bears witness, who declares, The head of every man is 1 Cor. Christ, and the head of Christ is God; and what is our ^^y^' bellj, saving the mind, which, whilst it takes its food, i. e. heavenly perception, being invigorated, doth surely rule the members of the several actions. For except Holy Writ did sometimes describe the mind by the name of ' the belly,' Prov. Solomon surely would never have said. The spirit of man is ' * the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly; forasmuch as whilst the grace of heavenly visitation illumines us, it discloses even all the depths of the mind that are hidden from our sight. What then is meant by the term * spittle,' but the savour of interior contemplation, which runs down from the head to the mouth, in that issuing from the brightness of the Creator, whilst we are still set in this life, it but just touches us with a taste of revelation, John 9, And hence the Redeemer at His coming mixed the spittle with clay, and restored the eyes of him that was born blind, in that heavenly grace enlightens the carnal bent of our hearts, by a mixture of the contemplation of Itself, and from his original blindness restores man anew to perception. For whereas nature henceforth brought him forth in this place of exile, since he was banished from all the joys of Paradise, man was produced from his birth, as it were, without eyes.
But, as the holy man teaches, this spittle runs into the mouth indeed, but that it should not reach into the belly, it is not swallowed down, in that the contemplation of the Divine Being grazes the sense, but does not perfectly refresh the mind, because the soul is unable perfectly to behold what as yet, the mist of corruption impeding the view, it sees by a hasty glimpse.
50. For see how the soul of the Elect already bears down all earthly desires beneath itself, already mounts above all the objects that it sees are of a nature to pass away, is already lifted up from the enjoyment of external delights, and closely searches what are the invisible good things, and in doing the same is carried away into the sweetness of heavenly contemplation; already very often it sees something of the interior world as it were through the mist, and with burning desire strives to the utmost to be admitted to the spiritual ministries IVJten God ' spares,^ we take it in more fully. 457 of the Angels, feeds on the taste of the Light Incompre- Book hensible, and being carried out of self disdains to sink back ^^^^' again into self; for forasmuch as the body, which is in the way to corruption, still weighs down the soul, it has not power -vvisd.p to attach itself to the Light for long, which it sees in a mo- 1^-menlary glimpse. For the mere infirmity of the flesh by itself drags down the soul, as it mounts above itself, and brings it down, as it aspires, to provide for low cares and wants. And so spittle flowing from the head touches the mouth, but never reaches to the belly; in that our understanding indeed is henceforth watered with the dews of heavenly contemplation, but the soul is not at all fully satisfied. For in the mouth is the taste, but fulness in the belly; and so we cannot ' swallow down our spittle,' in that we are not suff'ered to fill ourselves with the excellency of heavenly brightness, which we taste as yet but in a sip. But whereas this very same that we are already in some slight degree made acquainted with above us, comes from the pitifulness of One that spareth, while that we cannot as yet obtain a perfect perception of it is of the punishment of the old curse still, it is rightly said now. How long dost Thou not spare me, nor let me alone, till I swallow down my spittle?
As if it were in plain words; ' Then Thou dost perfectly spare man, when Thou admittest Him to the perfect measure of the contemplation of Thee; that being transported he may behold Thy brightness in the interior, and no corruption of his flesh without should hold him back. Then * thou lettest me alone till I swallow down my spittle, when Thou replenishest me with the savour of Thy brightness even to the very overflow of fulness, that I should never henceforth go a hungered, with but a taste of the mouth, through lack of food, but be stedfastly stayed in Thee, the belly of my interior being watered.' But whoso would obtain the good that he desires must acknowledge the evil that he has done. The account goes on.
Ver. 20. / have sinned; what shall I do unto Thee, O Thou Preserver of 7nen?
51. Observe how he confesses the ill that he has done, but ^^^\ the good that he should present to God in compensation, he no where can find, in that all virtue whatever of human 458 Man cannot remedy his own sin and fall.
Job 7 practice is without power to wash out the guilt of sin, except ^^- ^ His mercifulness in sparing foster it, and not His justice in judging press hard upon it. Whence it is well said by the Ps.63,3. Psalmist, Because Thy mercy is better than the life; in that howsoever innocent it may seem to be, yet with the strict Judge our life doth not set us free, if the lovingkindness of His mercy loose not to it the debt of its guilt. Or indeed when it is said. What shall I do unto Thee? it is plainly shewn us that those very good things, which we are commanded to practise, are not a gain to Him that imposes the command, but to ourselves. Whence it is said again by the Ps.16,2. Psalmist, My goodness extendeth not unto Thee. Now the abjectness of our destitution is set forth, when God is called the ' Preserver of men,' in that if His preserving hand defend us not in the face of the snares of the secret adversary, the eye of our heedfulness sleeps on watch, as the Psalmist again Ps. 127, bears record, who saith, Except the Lord keep the city, the ^' watchman tcaketh hut in vain. For it is through ourselves that w^e have been brought to the ground, but to rise again by our own strength is beyond our ability. The fault of our own will laid us low once, but the punishment of our fault sinks us worse day by day. We strive by the efforts of our earnest endeavours, to lift ourselves to the uprightness we have lost, but we are kept down by the weight of our just dues. And hence it is fitly added. Why hast Thou set me opposite to Thee, so that I am a burthen to myself?
xxxii. 52. Then did God ' set man opposite to Him,' when man forsook God by sinning. For being taken captive by the persuasions of the Serpent, he became the enemy of Him, Whose precepts he despised. But the righteous Creator ' set man opposite to Himself,' in that He accounted him an enemy by pride. And this very oppositeness of sin is itself made a weight of punishment to man, that he being wrongly free, might serve his own corruption, who while serving rightly exulted in the freedom of incorruption. For quitting the healthful stronghold of humility, he was brought by growing proud to the yoke of infirmity, and in erecting only bowed down ihe neck of the heart, in that he who refused to submit to the behests of God, prostrated himself beneath his own necessities; which we shall shew the better, if we set Our present state a perpetual sickness. 459 forth those burthens, first of the flesh and afterwards of the Book spirit, which he is made subject to after being cast down to the ground.
53. For to say nothing of this, that he is hable to pains, that he gasps with fever; the very state of our body, which is called health, is straitened by its own sickness. For it wastes with idleness, it faints with work; failing with not eating, it is refreshed by food so as to hold up; going heavily with sustenance, it is relieved by abstinence, so as to be vigorous; it is bathed in water, not to be dry; it is wiped with towels, not by that very bathing to be too wet; it is enlivened by labour, that it may not be dulled by repose; it is refreshed by repose, that it faint not under the exertion of labour; worn with watching, it is recruited by sleep; oppressed with sleep, it is roused to activity by watching, lest it be worse wearied by its own rest; it is covered with clothing, lest it be pierced by the hardship of cold; fainting under the heat it sought, it is invigorated by the blowing of the air. And whereas it meets with annoyances from the very quarter whence it sought to shelter itself from annoyances, being badly wounded, so to say, it sickens by its own cure. Therefore fevers set aside and pains not in action, our very breath itself is sickness, whereunto there is never wanting the necessity of administering a cure. Since whatever the comforts we seek out for occasion of life, we as it were meet with so many medicines of our sickness; but the very medicine itself too is turned into a sore, in that attaching ourselves a little too long to the remedy we sought, we are more brought down in that which we prudently provide for our refreshment. Thus was presumption to be amended, thus was pride to be laid low. For whereas we once took to us a high spirit, so every day we carry the mud that runneth down.
54. Our very mind too itself being banished from the secure delight of interior secresy, is now beguiled by hope, now tormented by fear; one while cast down by grief, at another time made light by a false mirth; it obstinately attaches itself to transitory objects, and is continually afflicted by the loss of them, in that it is also continually undergoing change by a course that carries it away; and being made 460 Perplexed state of the soul in fallen man.
Job 7, subject to things changeable, it is also made to be at odds '■ — with its own self. For seeking what it has not got, it anxiously obtains it, and so soon as it has begun to possess the same, is sick of having obtained what it sought after.
Oftentimes it loves what it once despised, and despises what it used to love. It learns by dint of pains what are the things of eternity, but it forgets them in a moment, if it cease to take pains. It takes a long time to seek, that it may find but a little concerning the things above, but speedily falling back into its wonted ways, not even for a little space does it hold on in the things it has found. Desiring to be instructed, with difficulty it gets the better of its ignorance, and being so instructed it has a harder contest against the pride of knowledge; with difficulty it subjects to itself the usurping power of its fleshly part, yet it is still subject to the images of sin within, the works whereof it has already in vanquishing bound down without. It raises itself in quest of its Creator, but being thrown back, it is bewildered by the beguiling mist of corporeal attachments^. It desires to survey itself, and to see how being incorporeal it bears rule over the body, and it cannot. It asks in a wonderful way what it is unable to answer itself, and remaining ignorant is at a loss under that, which it inquires with a wise purpose. Viewing itself as large and scanty at once, it knows nothing how to form a true estimate of itself, in that if it were not large it would not be seeking matters of so deep enquiry, and again if it were not little, it would at least find that which it asks of itself.