Man knows not the fate of his works. Pain his lot in life. 63 XII. shall not be saved, but she is said to be saved by child- Book bearing, because by the operation of good works she is united to everlasting salvation. Thus the children in honour are good deeds, and the children in dishonour are bad deeds. And often man strives to do things with a good intention, yet by reason of the many occasions that creep upon him, how his actions are accounted of in the sight of Almighty God is a thing uncertain. And so whether his sons be in honour or dishonour he perceiveth not,' in that his works being sifted with a searching scrutiny, whether they be approved or condemned he cannot tell. Thus here man is placed in the painfulness of labour, and thither he is brought in the fearfulness of misgiving. Hence it is yet further subjoined concerning the labour of the present life itself, 6 Ver. 22. But his flesh while he liveth shall have pain, and his soul shall mourn over himself. 1 Cor. 7, 28. 27. Concerning the married Paul saith, Nevertheless, such xxii. shall have trouble in the flesh. But they may have trouble in the flesh here,' who are even now leading spiritual lives. Wherefore then is it said as it were in a special sense, that there is trouble of the flesh' to married persons, seeing that it is not far removed even from the life of the spiritual; excepting that those commonly meet with worse troubles from the flesh, who delight themselves with the pleasures of the flesh? And it is well said, And his soul within him shall mourn over himself; in that whosoever desires to rejoice in himself, by this alone is henceforth in woe, viz. that he has gone far from the true joy. For the true joy of the soul is the Creator. Therefore it is meet that man should ever find in himself sorrow, who, forsaking His Creator, sought joy in himself. It proceeds; Chap. xv. 1. Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said, Should a wise man answer as if speaking into the wind, and fill his belly with burning? 28. We have already said frequently that blessed Job xxiii. bears a type of the Holy Church universal, and that his ALLEG. friends bear the likeness of heretics, who as it were on the plea of defence of the Lord find occasion of foolish talking, and let loose insulting words against good men; to whom all is displeasing that is thought by the faithful, as though it were JOB 15, uttered to the wind. 1. ALLEG. xxiv. 64 Heretics accuse Holy Church of presumption and ill living. Whence it is said now, Should a wise man answer as if speaking into the wind? Nor do they account the words of the good as the sayings of reason, but as the stingings of madness. Whence it is added, And shall he fill his belly with burning? in that those things even which they know themselves to say by way of insult, they are ever bent to palliate, as has been said, on the ground of defending the Lord. Whence Eliphaz adds; Thou reprovest with words him that is not equal to thee, and thou speakest what is not expedient for thee. 29. Now they suppose that no one has the fear of the Lord, saving him whom they can draw into the foolishness of their own confession. Hence he adds, Yea, thou castest off fear, and hast taken prayer before God. Taken' means 'taken away;' as if he said in plain terms, Presuming on Thine own righteousness, thou scornest to implore the grace of Thy Creator.' For when heretics do not find real evils to urge against the good, they feign things to reproach them with, that they may seem righteous, and it very often happens, that they come to open words of insult. Whence it is still further added, For thine iniquity teacheth thy mouth, and thou followest the tongue of the crafty. 30. Iniquity teaches the mouth,' when there is conceived by a bad life somewhat to be spoken of a worse kind. Now because blessed Job was free in speech in proportion as he was holy in action, by his friends, who hold the type of heretics, he is found fault with at once on the grounds of a wicked life and of a bold mouth, so that it should be said, Thine iniquity teacheth thy mouth. As if it were said to him in plain words, 'What thou speakest wickedly, thou hast learnt of a more wicked life.' But it often happens that heretics, whilst in seeming they venerate God, oppose His mysteries, and they think it humility if they deny the truth. For there are some, who imagine that they are bringing injury upon God, if they confess that He took true flesh, or if they should think that He was capable of really dying for us in the flesh. And whilst they endeavour as it were to bestow upon God a greater degree of honour, they are enforced to deny the real praises of His goodness. For in praise of His charity what is there more XII. Heretics proudly charge Holy Church with presumption. 65 efficacious, than that in our behalf He should make those Book things meet to Himself for the undertaking them, which seem for Him unworthy. But Holy Church confesses His very and true Flesh, His very and true Death, but in declaring these things she is thought by Heretics to put an indignity upon God. Whence it is said now, And thou followest the tongue of them that blaspheme. And if any piece of adversity befall her in this world, they say that it was brought upon her by this very injuriousness of her confession. Hence it is yet further added; Ver. 6. Thine own mouth shall condemn thee, and not I; yea, thine own lips shall answer thee. 31. For because they suppose that the evils of adversity xxvi. break out in consequence of the erroneousness of confession; they say that'her own lips shall answer her,' so that fault of utterance should be the cause of the scourge. But sometimes they desire to repress it as if by reasoning; whence Eliphaz sets himself to reprove blessed Job as it were on principles of reason, saying, Ver. 7, 8. Art thou the first man that was born? or wast thou made before the hills? Hast thou heard the secret of God? and shall His wisdom be inferior to thee? 32. As if He said in plainer words, Thou, who speakest xxvii. of the Eternal One, consider that thou art a creature of time. Thou that arguest concerning His wisdom, remember that thou knowest not His counsel.' But that Heretics for this take up the words of the defence of the Lord, that they may appear to be learned, and whilst they seem to defend the glory of God, are making known their knowledge to men, the very words of Eliphaz subjoined bear witness, who began indeed to speak of the wisdom of God, but immediately fell into self-elation, saying, Ver. 9. What knowest thou that we know not? What understandest thou which is not in us? Which same sentences plainly shew in what exaltation of mind all that comes forth, which sounds as if it were for defence of the Lord. It goes on; Ver. 10. With us are both the grayheaded and very aged men, much elder than thy father. 33. That all Heretics are gone out of the Holy Church xxviii. 11-13. ALLEG. 66 Heretics take trouble for judgment, contemplation for hypocrisy. JOB 15, Universal, John testifies, when he says, They went out from us, but they were not of us. But that those things which 1 John they maintain they may recommend to the weak minds of 2, 19. their fellow-creatures as on the grounds of antiquity, they testify that they have ancient fathers, and the very Doctors of the Church themselves they declare are the masters of their school; and whilst they look down upon present preachers, they pride themselves with unfounded presumption on the tutorage of the ancient fathers, so that they avouch that the things they themselves assert the old fathers held as well, in order that what they are not able to build up in truth and right, they may strengthen as by the authority of those. But because it is written, Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth, oftentimes Holy Church travails with countless adversities in this life, and the life of the children of perdition is let to go free of the scourge, in proportion as it is not reserved for any rewards. But Heretics seeing the tribulations of Holy Church, look down upon her, and fancy that she is bruised 1 profes- by such a multitude of strokes, in due of a false creed'. Hence sionis it is yet further added; Heb. 12, 6. xxix. XXX. xxxi. Ver. 11. Is it a great thing that God should console thee? But thine evil words prevent this. 34. As if he said to him in plain words; If thou wouldest amend thy profession of faith, thou mightest long ago have had consolation in thy scourges.' It goes on; Ver. 12. Why does thine heart lift thee up, and hast thou thine eyes astonished as thinking of great things? 35. Often the mind of the righteous is so suspended in contemplating things on high, that outwardly their face seems to have been struck with stupefaction. But because Heretics are not taught to enforce the power of contemplation in secret, they think that it is done by the just, and those that are imbued with a right understanding, more in hypocrisy than in truth, in that what they cannot themselves obtain the possession of, they do not suppose exists in others in a genuine way. It goes on; Ver. 13. Why doth thy spirit swell against God, that thou lettest such words go out of thy mouth? 36. Very often when the righteous are afflicted with any A man may speak humbly of his own good deeds. 67 12. 3. XII. woes, they are forced to confess their works, as blessed Job Book had done, who after just living was pressed down by the strokes of the rod; but when the unrighteous hear their sayings, they think that they are uttered in self-exaltation rather than in truth. For they weigh the words of the righteous by their own feelings, and do not think that good words can be said in a humble spirit. For as it is a great sin, for a man to ascribe to himself what there is not, so it is commonly no sin at all if he speaks with humility the good that there is. Hence it often happens that the just and unjust have words that are like, but always a heart that is widely unlike, and by the same sayings for which the Lord is offended by the unrighteous, He is even propitiated by the righteous. Thus the Pharisee when he entered the temple said, I fast twice in the week; I give tithes of all that I Luke18, possess. But the publican went out justified more than he. Hezekiah too, the king, when he was afflicted with sickness of the body, and brought to the last point of life, said with his heart pierced in prayer, Remember now, O Lord, I Is. 38, beseech thee, how I have walked before Thee in truth, and with a perfect heart. Nor yet did the Lord disregard this confession of his perfectness, or refuse him, whom He immediately heard effectually in his prayers. See, the Pharisee justified himself in act, and Hezekiah maintained himself to be just in thought as well, and by the same act by which the one offended, the other propitiated God. Wherefore then was this, but that Almighty God estimates the words of each by the thoughts within, and in His ear those are not high, which are uttered with a lowly heart? Hence blessed Job, when he put forward his deeds, did not in the least degree swell out against God, in that those things which he had really done, he spoke with a humble spirit. Now Heretics are accustomed to mix some true points with the statements of their erroneous persuasions. And the friends of blessed Job, though in the reproving of him they are altogether deceived, may yet even say some things true, which they learnt by frequent communication with him. Whose words were they all to be contradicted, the Apostle Paul would never have brought forward the sentence of Eliphaz, saying, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. 1 Cor. 3, 19. |