XI. Job 14, Job righteous, through grace, in all that man could see. 33 still further on, My transgression is sealed up in a bag, Book now saith, If I shall be judged, I know that I shall be found just. For it is impossible for sin and righteousness 17. to meet together. But the holy man, attributing wickedness to himself, and the purifying of him to Almighty God, at once sees that he is a sinner in himself, and knows that he is made righteous by free gift. Who even in the midst of good practice earned in superabounding grace to have stripes put upon him. And he already rejoices to be found just' in Judgment, who beheld himself before Judgment smitten with the rod. Hence too when he says long afterwards, My transgression is sealed up in a bag, he adds directly; but Thou hast healed mine iniquity. He, then, that describes himself as found just' in Judgment,' says not at all that he is not justly smitten, although the Lord did not intend to obliterate sins by the scourge, but to increase his merits. It proceeds; Ver. 19. Who is he that will plead with me? Let him come. 52. Holy men so guard themselves in their good works, xxxix, with God for their aid, that there can be no where found, without, grounds, whereon to accuse them; but within, in the secret thoughts of their own hearts, they watch over themselves with such good heed, that, if it might be, they may at all times stand blameless before the eyes of the interior Judge. But what they are able to effect, that they never should slip outwardly in act, they are unable to effect inwardly, that they never should make a false step in thought. For man's conscience, from the very fact that it withdraws from the things deepest within, is always on slippery ground, Whence it comes to pass, that even holy men often slip in them. So let holy Job, speaking as well in his own voice as in the voice of the Elect, say, Who is he that will plead with me? Let him come. For, seeing that in external actions there is no occasion for which to fasten a blame upon him, he freely looks about for an accuser. But because the consciences even of the righteous sometimes have to charge themselves with foolishness of thought, it is on this account perhaps that it is added; 8 recedit,' but some read' cecidit,'' hath fallen.' VOL. II. D 34 Conscience notes thoughts. God not fully served in fear. JOB 13, 20. 21. HIST. xl. I unde uratur xli. 4, 18. Rom. 8, 15. Why am I consumed in silence? 53. For he is consumed in silence,' who, in blaming himself for foolishness of thought, is gnawed in his own heart by the tooth of conscience. As if he said in plain words,' As I have so lived that I should never fear any accuser without, would that I had so lived that I should never have my conscience for mine accuser within me.' For he is consumed in silence,' who discovers in himself within cause whereby the fire should gnaw him'. It goes on; Ver. 20. Only do not two things unto me: hide myself from Thy face. then will I not 54. What are we to understand here by the face of God,' saving His visitation? In which, whilst He beholds, He also punishes our sins, from which no just man even is hidden, if the two things, which he entreats, be not removed; concerning which he adds; Ver. 21. Withdraw Thine hand far from me, and let not Thy dread make me afraid. 55. By which same two what else does he ask in a voice PROPH. of prophecy, but the season of grace and redemption? For the Law held the people obnoxious to the stroke of vengeance, that whoso committed sin under its yoke, should be forthwith punished with death. Nor did the Israelitish people serve God from a principle of love, but of fear. But righteousness 2 impleri can never be perfected by fear, seeing that according to the 1 John voice of John, perfect love casteth out fear. And Paul comforts the children of adoption, by saying, For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. Therefore in the voice of mankind, longing for the hardness of the stroke of the Law to pass away, and eagerly desiring to advance from fear to love, he names in prayer what 'two things God should put far from him,' saying, Withdraw Thine hand far from me, and let not Thy dread make me afraid; i. e. remove from me the hardness of the stroke, take away the weight of dread, and while the grace of love illumines me, pour upon me the spirit of assurance, in that if I be not removed far from the rod and from dread, I know that I shall not be withdrawn from the strictness of Thy searching. Since he cannot be justified before Thee, who Converse with God. Knowledge of our sins needful. 35 XI. serves Thee not on a principle of love, but of fear.' Hence Book he seeks the very presence of his Creator itself, as it were familiarly, and in a bodily sort, that he may thereby both hear what he is ignorant of, and be heard in the things that he knows. For he adds directly; Ver. 22. Then call Thou, and I will answer; or let me speak, and answer Thou me. 56. Who at the time, when He did appear by the assumption of the flesh to the eyes of mankind, disclosed to men their sins, which they were doing and knew not. it is added; Whence Ver. 23. How many are mine iniquities and my sins? make me to know my crimes and my offences. answering' may likewise xlii. For God's calling' us is 57. Though the calling' and be understood in another way. His having respect to us in loving and choosing us, and our 'answering' is the yielding obedience to His love by good works. Where it is fitly added, Or let me speak, and answer Thou me. For we speak,' when we beg for God's face in desire, and God answers our speaking, when He appears to us that love Him. But because whoever pants with longing for the eternal world, examines his doings, taking himself to task with great exactness, and searches lest there be aught in him, whereby he might offend the face of his Creator, he rightly adds, How many are mine iniquities and my sins? Make me to know my crimes and offences. This is the task of the righteous in this life, to find out themselves, and on finding out to bring themselves to a better state by weeping and self-chastening. And though John the Apostle tells us that there is no odds between iniquity and sin, when he says, 1 John iniquity is sin; yet in the simple usage of speech, ' iniquity' sounds something more than sin,' and every one confesses himself a sinner,' but he is sometimes ashamed to call himself an iniquitous person. Now between crimes' and 'offences' there is this difference, that crime' over and above exceeds the weight and measure of sin, but an offence' does not exceed the weight of sin; for thus, when a sacrifice is commanded to be offered under the Law, it is doubtless enjoined, as for a sin,' the same for an offence' too. And crime is never done but in deed, whereas offence is most 3, 4. MORAL. 12. 36 Misery of fallen man in not seeing God. JOB 18, commonly committed in thought alone. Hence it is said by 23. the Psalmist, Who can understand his offences? seeing Ps, 19, that sins of practice are known the quicker, in proportion as they appear externally, but sins of thought are the more difficult to apprehend, that they are committed out of sight. Hence any one, who being made solicitous by the love of Eternity, has it at heart to appear clean before the Judge that shall come, examines himself so much the more exactly now, in proportion as he bethinks himself how he may then present himself free to His terribleness; and he beseeches to have it shewn him, wherein he offends, that he may punish that thing in himself by penance, and by judging himself here, may be rendered unobnoxious to judgment. xliii. 58. But herein it is needful to observe, how great is the punishment of our pilgrimage which has fallen upon us, who have been brought to such a degree of blindness, that we do not know our own selves. We do evil, and yet do not quickly find it out, even when done. For the mind, being banished from the light of truth, finds in itself nothing else than darkness, and very often puts out the foot into the pit of sin, and knows it not. Which it is subject to from the blindness of the state of exile alone, seeing that, being driven away from the illumining of the Lord, it even lost the power to see itself, in that it loved not the face of its Maker. Hence it is added; Ver. 24. Wherefore hidest Thou Thy face, and holdest me for Thine enemy? 59. Man enjoyed the light of inward contemplation in Paradise, but by gratifying himself, as he departed from himself, he lost the light of the Creator, and fled from His face to the trees of Paradise, seeing that, after his sin, he dreaded to see Him, whom he had used to love. But mark, after sin he is brought into punishment, but from punishment he returns to love, because he finds out what was the consequence of his transgression, and that face, which he feared in sin, being awakened to a right sense, he seeks afresh by punishment, that he may henceforth flee the darkness of his blind condition, and shrink with horror from this alone, that he does not behold his Creator. Pierced with which longing the holy man exclaims, Wherefore hidest Thou Thy face, and takest me for Thine enemy? since, if Thou didst regard Man in temptation like a leaf driven by the wind. 37 XI. me as a friend, Thou wouldest not deprive me of the light of Book Thy vision.' And going on, he adds the fickleness of the human heart, saying, Ver. 25. Wilt Thou shew Thy power against a leaf driven to and fro? and wilt Thou pursue the dry stubble? 60. For what is man but a leaf, who fell in Paradise from xliv. the tree? what but a leaf is he, who is caught by the wind of temptation, and lifted up by the gusts of his passions? For the mind of man is agitated as it were by as many gusts, as it undergoes temptations. Thus very often anger agitates it; when anger is gone, empty mirth succeeds. It is driven by the goadings of lust, by the fever of avarice it is made to stretch itself far and wide to compass the things which belong to the earth. Sometimes pride lifts it up, and sometimes excessive fear sinks it lower than the dust. Therefore seeing that he is lifted and carried by so many gusts of temptation, man is well likened to a leaf.' Hence it is well said too by Isaiah, And we all have fallen as a leaf, and our iniquities Is.64,6. like the wind have taken us away. For our iniquity like a wind has taken us away,' in that being steadied by no weight of virtue, it has lifted us into empty self-elation. And it is well that, after a leaf, man should be called 'stubble' likewise. For he that was a' tree' by his creating, was by himself made a‘leaf' in his tempting, but afterwards he appeared' stubble' in his fallen estate. For in that he fell from on high, he was a leaf, but, whereas by the flesh he was fellow to the earth, even when he seemed to stand, he is described as 'stubble.' But because he lost the greenness of interior love, he is henceforth dry stubble.' So let the holy man reflect both what meanness man is of, and what severity God is of, and let him say, Wilt Thou shew Thy power against a leaf driven to and fro? and wilt Thou pursue the dry stubble? As if he openly bewailed, saying, 'Why dost Thou run him down with so much force of righteousness, whom Thou knowest to be so frail in temptation?' It goes on; Ver. 26. For Thou writest bitter things against me. 61. For seeing that every thing we speak passes away, xlv. but what we write remains, God is said not to speak,' but to 'write bitter things,' in that His scourges upon us last for long. For it was said once to man, when he sinned, Dust |