Nor to the most precious sardonyx stone, nor to the sapphire.
75. That the sardonyx and sapphire are not precious stones, who would be ignorant? And whereas there be many other precious stones, which immeasurably exceed these in the account of greatness, why is the sapphire or the sardonyx especially called precious, when either stone by comparison with other stones is most contemptible? except that those ^stones which are described as precious, when we know not to be precious, we look out for some other thing in the meaning of them. For the sardonyx bears the likeness of red earth, but the sapphire has an aereal appearance. And so it may be that in the sardonyx by the red earth human beings are denoted, in the sapphire by the aereal appearance the Angels are denoted. For whereas the sardonyx stone bears the appearance of red earth, it not improperly denotes man; 87() Old Saints of earth and neiv of Heaven alike surpassed.
Job 28, because ' Adam' himself, who was created the first, is called Proph ^" ^^^^ Latin tongue ' Red earth.' What does it mean then Alleg. that it is said that this Wisdom is not ' compared to the sardonyx nor to the sapphire,' but that He, Who is the ^ Power of God and the Wisdom of God,' i. e. the Mediator between God and man, the Man Christ Jesus, surpasses all things by such preeminent greatness that neither the first man on the earth, nor the Angels in heaven, can be compared Ps.S9,G, to Him. And hence it is said by the Psalmist, Who in Ihe heaven can be compared unio the Lord? IVho among the sons of God" can he likened unto the Lord?
76. But it is possible that by the sardonyx stone the Fathers of the Old Testament, while by the sapphire the Preachers of the New Testament, are set forth. For the first, though they maintained an extraordinary life of righteousness, yet lent themselves to carnal procreation. Therefore whereas it is plain that they did some things of an earthly kind, they are not inappropriately denoted by the sardonyx stone, which as w^e before said bears the appearance of ' red earth.' But by the sapphire, which is of an ethereal hue, we suitably understand the Preachers of the New Testament, who laying aside the desires of carnal gendering, followed after the things of heaven alone. And hence the Prophet beholding the holy Apostles mounting above all the desires of the flesh with spiritual fervency, being Is. 60, 8. struck with admiration, saith. Who are these that fty as clouds? As though he expressed it in plain speech; ' We go along by the way of earth, in that we are still involved in marryings and employ acts of the flesh upon the propagating offspring; but these walk not on earth, but they ' fly as clouds,' who whilst they aim at heavenly things touch nought connected with earthly desires.' Therefore he says that the Wisdom of God is not ' compared to the sardonyx or the sapphire stone,' As though he told in plain terms, saying, ' To Him, Who is seen Man among men, neither any in the old Fathers nor any in the new is equalled, in that from His Godhead He derives it that in His Manhood He hath not any like to Him.' Whence it is yet further added; Ver. 17. The (jold and the glass cannot equal it.
^ '■ Sons of God' was a common expression for Anj^els.
Giass iypijies the mutual knoivledye of Sain is above. 377 77. Who that is sound of jierccption would deem it Book worthy to undevstand this according to the letter? For —J ' glass,' as we said above, is of much less worth than ' gold,' ^^^"iand after it was said that ' gohl is not equal' to this ^Visdom, it is yet further, as if heightening, subjoined, that ' glass' too cannot equal it either. But the bare letter failing us in the historical sense, sends us to investigating the mystery of the allegory. For we know that the metal gold shines with a superior brightness to all the metals. But it is of the nature of glass that whilst seen without it shines with perfect transparency in the inside. In every other metal whatever is contained within is hidden from sight, but in the case of glass, every liquid, such as it is contained within, such is it shewn to be without, and, so to say, all the liquid in a glass vessel, whilst shut up is open. What other thing, then, do we understand by ' gold and glass,' but that heavenly Country, that society of blessed citizens, whose hearts mutually one with another at once shine with brightness, and are transparent by purencss; which John in Revelations had beheld, when he said, And the buildinf/ of the nail of it was o/Rev.2l, jasper i and the city was of pure yold like unto clear glass. • For because all the Saints shall shine in the supreme brightness of bliss, it is described as constructed of gold.
78. And because their very brightness itself is reciprocally open to them in each other's breasts, and when the countenance of each one is marked his conscience is penetrated along with it, this very gold is described as like pure glass. For there the mind of every person no bodily frame of limbs will hide from the eyes of his fellow, but the interior will be given to view, the very harmony of the body too will also be plain to the eyes of the body, and each one will be in such wise distinguishable to another, as now he cannot be distinguishable to himself. But now our hearts, so long as we are in this life, because they cannot be seen in one by another, are enclosed not within glass vessels, but witiiin vessels of earthenware; in which same clay in respect of the mind being affected the Prophet dreaded to stick, when he said. Deliver me out of the clay, that £ may not stick fast. Ps. 69 Which very tabernacle of bodies, Paul calls ' our earthly *^-house,' saying. For ive know thai if our earthly house of 2Cor. 5, 378 No Saint, however (jlorious, comparable to Christ.
Job 28, this tabernacle be dissolved, we have a building of God, an f5 — '-^— house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. There-Proph.
ALLEG.forc in this earthly house so long as we live, the mere partition wall of our corrupt state, so to say, we do not penetrate with the eyes of the mind, and the hidden things in each other we cannot see. Hence Holy Church desiring to see the form of her Spouse in the Godhead, yet not being able, because the fashion of His Eternal Being, which she longed to behold. His Manhood, which He took upon Him, hid from her eyes, says mourning in the Song of Cant. 2, Songs; Behold he standeth beJiind our wall. As if she said in plain speech, ' I desire to see HIM now already in the appearance of His Godhead, but I am still shut out from the sight of Him by the wall of the flesh He has assumed.' Therefore so long as we live in this corruptible flesh, we see not the thoughts of the hearts in one another. Whence it is 1 Cor. 2, said by the same Paul, For what man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of man that is in him? And again; I Cor. A, Therefore Judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, Who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts. So then that City, which manifests the hearts of them that are in it to each severally and reciprocally, is described ' of gold like to pure glass,' that by the gold it may be represented bright, and by the glass transparent.
79. But though all the Saints therein glitter with such wonderful brightness, and shine through with such extraordinary transparency, yet that Wisdom, by a likeness of Which they have all that they are, they ' cannot equal.' Therefore it is well said, The gold and the glass cannot equal it. For it is for this that all the Saints are brought to those eternal joys, that they may be like to God, 1 John as it is written, When He shall appear, we shall be like ^' ^* Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And yet it is Ps.89,9. written, O Lord God of hosts, who is like unto Tliee? And ib. V. 6. again; Who shall be like unto God among the sons of God? Whence then shall they be like, and whence not like, but that to this * Wisdom' they at once be like for a semblance and not like for equality } For by gazing on the Eternity of God, it is brought to pass upon them that they should be This truth itnplied in St. Peter^s confession, 379 eternal, and while they receive the gift of seeing Him, by Book the receiving of Blessedness they copy the thing that they •* see. They are both like, then, because they are made blessed; and they are not like to the Creator, because they are a creature. And thus they both have a certain likeness to God, because they are without end; and yet they have no equality to the Incomprehensible One, because they have comprehensible being. Therefore let it be justly said, T/ta gold and lite glass is not equal to it. For with whatever brightness and transparency the Saints may shine, it is one thing for men to be wise in God, and another thing lor a Man to be the Wisdom of God. Which same Wisdom he was truly acquainted with, who never ventured to liken any one of the Saints to the Mediator between God and man. And hence it is added; Neither shall vessels of gold high and overtopping be exchanged instead of it.
80. For a ' lofty vessel of gold' did Elijah prove, * a lofty xlix. vessel of gold' Jeremiah, ' lofty and overtopping vessels of gold' the old Fathers were. But this Wisdom of God, in order that It might redeem us from a carnal kind of life, appeared in the flesh, and he, who did not see that Wisdom in a true light, supposed that the Mediator between God and man, the Man Christ Jesus, was one of the Prophets, which Christ the eyes of the Elect held for God, when they saw Him but Man. Hence it is said by Him to the holy Disciples, Whom do men say that I, the Son of man, «W2 /^ jvxat. 16 And when they thereupon answered Him, Sotne say that ^^' *c. Thou art John the Baptist; some Ellas: some Jeremias, or one of the prophets; they were immediately interrogated touching their own perception; But whom say ye that I am '^ To whom Peter, answering directly in the voice of the whole Church, says, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Thus, then, forasmuch as according to the declaration of Paul we * know Christ, the Power of God, and the Wisdom of God,' for this Wisdom Peter refused to ' exchange vessels of gold lofty and overtop])ing,' because he understood concerning it no other thing than it was. For as has been said, a great * vessel of gold' was John, a great * vessel of gold' Elijah, a great * vessel of gold' Jeremiah. Now whoever accounted 380 Error of the Jews in iakim) CJtrlstfor one of the Prophets. Job 28, that That God was any one of" these, did ' exchange a vessel —:...of gold high and overtopping' for this * Wisdom.' But for Proph Alleg.'^^^'^ Wisdom the Church doth not ' exchange vessels of gold high and overtopping,' because it holds that Christ the Son of God is not one of the Prophets, but the One Lord of the Prophets. For seeing that ' Wisdom' Itself had come to her, she refused to keep herself fixed in those golden vessels, but was eager with certainty of faith to pass on into that Wisdom.
Cant. 3, Whence she saith in the Song of Songs; The watchmen that keep the city found yne; to wliom I said, Saw ye him, whom my soul loveth? It was hut a little that I passed from them, but I found him, whom my soul loveth. For whom do we take ' the watchmen that go about the city' to be, but the former fathers and prophets who set themselves to watch by the voice of holy preaching for our safe keeping? but when the Church sought her Redeemer, she would not fix her hope in those same ancient preachers, in that she says, It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth. For Him she had not been able to find, if she had been unwilling ' to pass by through these.' For the unbelievers had rested themselves in those warders, who believed that Christ the Son of God was any one of those. With the voice then and the faith of Peter, Holy Church passed by the watchmen she found, in that she disdained to believe the Lord Who had been prophesied to be any one of the number of the prophets. Thus, let it be said, nor shall vessels of gold high and overtopping be exchanged for it. Because the Elect severally both venerate the life of the Saints for their loftiness, and yet do not take up with it for error. For those whom they know to be simple men they do not all compare to God-Man. Whence it is further added; Ver. 18. Nor shall they be mentioned in comparison with her. 1. 81. For all the Elect of the Country Above are indeed holy and righteous, but by a participation of Wisdom, not by comparison therewith. For what are men compared with God? Now * Light' Wisdom is used to be called, ' light' also the servants of Wisdom are wont to be called; but She as light John 1, lighting up, they as light lighted up; as it was written; That The Saints partakers of Wisdom^ not compared to Her. 381 tvas the true Light, Which Uqhteth everu man that comelh Book "VVTTT into the world. But to these it is only said, Ye are the -* light of the world. ' Righteousness' indeed Wisdom is 14. called, ' righteousness,' the servants of ' Wisdom' as well are called; but She righteousness that maketh righteous, they righteousness that is made righteous. Forof God, Who is ' Wisdom,' it is said, Tltat He niight Himself be just and the Horn. 3, Justifier; but these say, thai lae might he made the righteous- ' 7tess q/' God in Him. So then it is after one sort that the 5, 21.
' Light lighting' is to be reverenced, after another that the ' light lighted' is to be; in one way the Righteousness that maketh righteous, in another way the righteousness that is made righteous. Now Wisdom both is and is wise, nor has She for one thing to be, and for another thing to be wise; but the servants of Wisdom' are indeed able to be wise men, but yet they have not their being the same thing as being wise. For they may be, and not be wise. Wisdom hath life, but She hath not one thing, and is another thing, inasmuch as to Her it is that to be that it is to live. But the servants of ' Wisdom' whilst they have life are one thing and have another, inasmuch as to whom to be is not the identical thing it is to live. For they may be after a sort, and yet not live. For to them it is one thing to be, and a different thing to live; for in the very first parent they had being by a beginning, and life by an addition, since man was first made of the earth, and afterwards as it is written; He breathed Gen. 2, into his nostrils the breath of life. Now Wisdom hath being, '* She hath life; but this, which She hath. She Her own Self is. Wherefore She lives unchangeably, because she lives not by contingency, but essentially. He then alone Is truly with the Father and the Holy Spirit, to Whose Being ours compared, is not to Be. To this Wisdom if we be joined, we are, we livcj we are wise. If we be compared to Him, we neither are wise, nor live at all, nor are.
82. Hence it is that all the Saints, when they advance in the vision of God, the more they view the interior depths of the Divine Nature, see so much the more that they themselves are nothing. For it is no where read that Abraham confessed that he was dust and ashes except when he obtained to enjoy the converse of God. For he 382 Oar Lord is Wisdom essentially and unchangeably. Job 28, says, / have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes. For he would perchance have Proph Gen. 18 <^^iought that he was something, if he had not perceived ^'^' at all the true Essence that is above himself. But when for the contemplating of the Unchangeable One he was transported above himself, being filled with so mighty a power of contemplation, when he saw Him, he saw that he himself was nought but ^ dust.' Hence it is that the Prophet Ps. 103, being filled with the same Wisdom ciieth out, Remember, 14. ixx. ^ Lord, that we are but dust; who again viewing the Ps. 102, unchangeableness of that Essence, saith. Yea, all of them ^'' shall wax old as doth a garme7it, and as a vesture shall Thou change them, and they shall be changed; but Thou art the same, and Thy years shall not fail. Hence it is said to Ex.3, Moses, / AM THAT I AM: Thus shall thou say unto the children of Israel, HE THA T IS hath sent me unto you. For He alone truly IS, Who alone unchangeably continues. For every thing that now is after this way, and now after another way, is near to not being. For to continue in its standing, it is not able. And in some manner there is a going on not to be, whilst from that which was, it is by the enfarings of time ever being led away to some other thing. In order then that in the partaliing of His Body we may be something, let us know and see our own selves, that we are well nigh nothing. Therefore it is well said, Nor shall they be made mention of in comparison with her; because vessels of gold high and overtopping, which by participation of Wisdom are fit objects of reverence to us, in comparison of Wisdom are not even fit to be made mention of. But because this Wisdom is by secret means poured into the hearts of men, (as it is John 3 likewise said of the Holy Spirit, The wind bloueth where ^' it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell ivhence it cometh, and whither it goeth;) for this reason it is added.
For wisdom is drawn from out of sight.
li. 8;i. ' Wisdom is drawn from out of sight;' because whereas She is invisible, She cannot be found saving in an invisible way. And She is rightly said to be ' drawn' also, because like as we draw the breath, that the body may Error of those who think Christ once mere Mau. 383 live, so from the interior depths of Wisdom the Spirit is Book derived, that the soul may hold on to life. Whence the p — —^ Psalmist says, / opened my inouth, and drew in the spirit. 131. Which very Wisdom, taking human flesh together with^^^^'^^J a rational soul, when It had presented Itself from thediumof.' interior depths close at hand, because this world could not behold its invisible Maker, Him Whom it saw visible Man, it also knew as invisible God as well. The Gentile world was converted from the darkness of its unbelief, being before full of pride by its avertedness; signs and wonders being exhibited, faith gained ground; and the faith being spread abroad, the summit of Holy Church shone forth in reverence with all men. To which same when there were wanting open adversaries, she began to be tried by her own members. For numberless heresies springing up in her, they arrayed against her wars of cruel conflict. For she must be exercised at this time by toiling, who is on the way to her recompensing in that which follows. Whereby it has come to pass that some in her should come forth who should call the Mediator between God and man, the Man Christ Jesus, created mere man, but one by grace made God, and should attribute so much of holiness to him as they knew in the rest of the Saints, the same being His servants. Which persons blessed Job being inspired with the spirit of prophecy, reproves by the laying out of his sentence, saying, Ver. 1 9. The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it.
84. What do we take ' Ethiopia' for, save the present Hi. world, which same by darkness of hue denotes a sinning people in the foulness of its merits. But sometimes by the name of Ethiopia the Gentile world in a special manner is used to be denoted, as being before black by the sins of unbelief Which same on the Lord's coming, the Prophet Habakkuk beheld aflVighted with fear, and says. The tents Hab. 3, of the Ethiopians tremble with dread, the tents of the land '^' of 3Iadian. David also, the Prophet, seeing that the Lord should come for the redeeming of Judfca, but that first the Gentile world should believe, and afterwards Judaea should follow, (as it is written, U7itil the ficlness of the Rom. Gentiles be come in, and so all Israel shall be saved,) says, ]}.' ^^' 384 Manhood in Christ never apart from Godhead.
Job 28, Ethiopia, her hand shall be first to God; i, c. * before that tV— — Judaea believes, the Gentile world beinff black with sins Proph. ' ° Ps. 68, offers itself to Almighty God to be saved.' Now the topaz is a precious stone, and because in the Greek tongue to pan is the word for ' every thing,' on this account, that it shines bright with every colour, it is called * topaz ium,' as if * topantium.' But when the Gentile world being turned to God believed^ numbers from out thereof were so enriched with the gift of His Spirit, that as with many colours, so with many virtues they shone bright. But lest any man be lifted up by the virtues he has received, it is now said by the holy man, The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it. As though he said in plain words; ' No one of the Saints, with however many virtues he may be filled, yet as being gathered out of this blackness of the world can equal Him, Lukei, concerning Whom it is written. That holy Thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. For we, though we are made holy, yet are not born holy, because by the mere constitution of a corruptible nature we are tied and bound, that we should say with the Prophet, Behold, I was shapen in wickedness, and in sin hath my mother conceived me. But He only is truly born holy, Who in order that He might get the better of that same constitution of a corruptible nature, was not conceived by the combining of carnal conjunction.
85. To this Wisdom as it were a kind of ^ topaz from 1 Nes- Ethiopia wished to equal itself,' when a certain heresiarch ^ ^nus, gaid, ' I do not envy Christ being made God, because, if I wish even I myself may be made so.' Who imagined our Lord Jesus Christ to be God, not by the mystery of His conception, but by the promotion of grace, arguing by misconstrued proofs that He was born simple man, but in order to be God that He had advanced by merit, and on this account reckoning that both himself and any others might be made coequal with Him, which same are made the children of God by grace, not understanding nor minding that the topaz from Ethiopia is not equal to Him. For it is one thing for those born men to receive the grace of adoption, and another for one by the power of Godhead preeminently to have come forth God from the very conception.
Our Lord One Person in Two distinct Natures. 385 Neither is it possible that to the glory of the Only-begotten, Book possessed by nature, another glory should be equal, received ' by grace. For the Mediator between God and tnan, the i Tim. Man Christ Jesus, is not as this one raves one person in His ' ' human nature, and another person in the Divine nature. Not conceived and brought forth simple man, did he afterwards obtain of merit that He should be God. But the Angel announcing it, and the Spirit coming, at once the Word in the womb, at once within the womb the Word made flesh, (that unchangeable Essence likewise remaining to Him which He has coeternal together with the Father and the Holy Spirit,) did take upon Him within the bowels of the Virgin that whereby He might both being Impassible suffer passion, and Undying suffer death, and whilst Eternal before the world be a temporal being in the end of the world, that through an unutterable mystery, by a holy conception and an inviolate birth, in accordance with the verity of both natures, the same Virgin should be at once the handmaid and mother of the Lord. For so is it said to her by Elisabeth; Whence is this to me that the mother o/" W2?/ Luke i, Ij)rd should come to me? And the Virgin herself at her con-^^* ception said. Behold the handmaid of the JLord. Be it unto v. 38.
me according to thy word. And though He the same Being is one thing from the Father, and another thing from the Virgin, yet He is not one Person from the Father, and another Person from the Virgin. But the same Person is Eternal from the Father and the same a temporal being from the Mother, the same Who made is the same That was made, the same beautiful in form above the children of men in Ps.45,2. respect of the Divine nature, and the same of whom it is written; We saw Him, and there was no shew, and He hath Is. 53, 2. not form nor comeliness, in respect of the human nature. The same before the world from the Father without mother, and the same at the end of the world from the Mother without father. The same a Temple, the same the Builder of the Temple. The same the Maker of the work, and the same the Work of the Maker, remaining one Person from both and in both natures, neither being confounded by the conjunction of natures, nor doubled by the distinctness of natures. But because it is not these points that we have VOL. II. c c ^%Q None may CO mfare with Christ. Virtue not man^ shy nature.
Job 28, taken upon us to treat of, let us return to our course of 86. We are to take note that the holy man, in order to shew that the Angels are widely distant from this Wisdom, says, Fine gold shall not he given for it. Which same that he might exhibit the ancient Fathers likewise, dealers with sacred Revelation, as inferior, added. Nor shall silver he weighed in eocchange thereof. Moreover that he might point out that the wisdom of the philosopher is far beneath this Wisdom, he brought in; Nor shall it he compared to the d])ed colours of India* And he subjoined. Nor to the most precious sardonyx stone, nor to the sapphire. Furthermore in order that he might shew that in that city Above no one attains to equality with the Only-begotten, he added; The gold or the glass cannot equal it. That he might make it appear that the Prophets likewise were beneath It, he added; Neither shall vessels of gold high and overtopping he exchanged instead of it. Nor shall they he mentioned in comparison with her. For Wisdom is drawn from out of sight. Whilst at the last, that he might rebuke the very heretics in the Church themselves as well, who on coming from the error of,the Gentile world, split through pride the faith which they receive, he added; The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it. As though he taught in plain words, saying; These, who from the blackness of sin come to conversion, cannot equal God-Man, though they may seem to shine bright with many virtues for colours. And that their pride might be thrown over, it is fitly added,