22.

18

Gifts first forfeited, then grace itself.

JOB 12, though a man have not, yet he is able to stand fast defended PROPH. by faith and righteousness, though he does not shew himself at all adorned with the towering height of the gifts of virtue; but faith, hope, and charity, are not our' palaces,' but our 'bulwarks,' which, if we neglect to possess ourselves of, we lie exposed to the snares of the enemy. In the case of Judæa, therefore, seeing that He took away from her prophecy, and teaching, and miraculous signs,' He overthrows all her palaces.' And because, for her hardness of heart, He let faith, hope, and charity, be taken away from her, He was bent to destroy her bulwarks.' Now we have the right order observed, in that the palaces' first, and then the 'bulwarks,' are described as destroyed, because, when the sinful soul is forsaken, first the gifts of miraculous powers, which were given in manifestation of the Spirit, are destroyed, and afterwards the foundations of faith, hope, and charity. All which, being taken away from the unfaithful, the Lord bestowed upon the Gentile world, and by the things, which He took from the unbelievers, He adorned the believers' Ps. 68, minds. Whence it is written, And to divide the spoils of the beauty of the house. For when He took away from the Jews the spoils of the powers of virtue, He imparted the beauty of His gifts to the house of the heart of the Gentiles, which He deigned to dwell in by faith. Which same was brought to pass, when the words of God were on the one hand interpreted by the Jewish people after the mere letter,' which

12.

3, 6.

2 Cor.killeth,' and on the other, by the converted Gentiles penetrated in the spirit,' which maketh alive.' Whence it is directly added,

xvii.

Ver. 22. Who discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death.

26. For when the several mystical truths are recognised in the secret words of the Prophets by them that believe, what else is it, than that deep things are discovered out of darkness?' Whence too 'Truth' Himself, speaking in parables Matt. to the disciples, saith, What I tell you in darkness, that 10, 27. speak ye in light. For when by explaining we unravel the mystical knots of allegories, then we as it were speak in light, what we have heard in darkness.' Now' the shadow of death' was the hardness of the old Law, which made every

Man's pride in God's gifts brought down.

19

XI.

one that sinned liable to be punished with the death of the Book body. But when our Redeemer tempered by mildness the harshness of the sanctions of the Law, nor any longer ordained death of the flesh to be inflicted for sin, but shewed how greatly the death of the spirit was to be dreaded, then, surely, 'He brought out to light the shadow of death.' For this death, wherein the flesh is severed from the soul, is a 'shadow' of that death, wherein the soul is severed from God, and so the shadow of death is brought out to light,' when, upon the death of the spirit being understood, the death of the body is no whit feared. Which may likewise be understood in another sense also. For those are not unjustly called 'princes,' who with great judiciousness of counsel rule the thoughts of their hearts at all times, and by the power of wisdom keep down all the motions of folly. But it very often happens that the mind is in secret lifted up on the grounds of its very wisdom to the topmost pitch of pride, and is brought to the ground under those evil habits, over which it was rejoicing to have gained the victory. Therefore it is well said, He poureth contempt upon princes. But because it sometimes happens that they who appear to lie prostrate in evil ways have recourse to tears of penitence, and gather themselves up against the sins, to which they were subjected, it is fitly added, And lifteth up those that were oppressed. For there are some, who, being enlightened by the gift from on high, see in what exceeding filthiness of their sinful doings they lie grovelling, wash with tears the stains of their misdeeds, and henceforth keep down beneath them the motions of the flesh, by which they were aforetime weighed to the ground.

27. Which same is brought to pass by the excellent disposal of Almighty God, that so in this life every thing should be accounted uncertain, and no man be set up for possessing chastity, seeing that He poureth contempt upon princes, and no man despair from his evil habits weighing him down, seeing that He lifteth up those that were oppressed. And because, when these things are done, there is brought forth out of the secret counsels of God an open sentence upon each individual, it is rightly subjoined, And revealeth deep things out of darkness.

JOB 12, 23.

MORAL.

11.

20

Satan dragged to light. Nations destroyed and restored. 28. For the Lord' revealeth deep things out of darkness,' when He manifests an open sentence from His secret counsels, so as to shew what He thinks concerning each individual. For because now the Creator seeth all things, and Himself is not seen in His counsels, it is well said of Ps. 18, Him by the Psalmist, He made darkness His secret place. But it is as if He issued out from that darkness into light, when He shews what are His thoughts concerning the actions of each individual. And whereas when he, who was sunk down by the weight of his sins, is brought to the setting up of uprightness, he for the first time sees that very death, wherein he was going on ruining himself, and at the same time too blind to take account of it; it is rightly added, And bringeth out to light the shadow of death. For the shadow of death' is evil doing, which is drawn as if in bodily lineaments by a copy of our old enemy. Concerning whom Rev. 6, too, in the character of a certain one, it is said, And his name was Death. And it very often happens that his evil instigation escapes the minds of men, and by this circumstance, that it is not known, is the more successful. And so the shadow of death is brought to light,' in that the evil doing of our old enemy is revealed to the minds of the Saints that it may be made an end of. It goes on:

8.

xviii.

LIT.

Ver. 23. Who multiplieth the nations and destroyeth them, and them that are overturned He restoreth entire.

29. We may understand it, viz. that 'the Lord multiplieth the nations and destroyeth them,' in this way, that day by day men are born destined to die, and that' them, that be overturned, He restoreth entire,' in that they, who were dead, shall rise again; which however we shall interpret in a better sense, if we think how it is that this is done in their souls. PROPH. For He increaseth the nations and destroyeth them,' in that He both enlarges them by fruitfulness of offspring, and yet leaves them in their own infidelity; but them, that were overturned, He restoreth entire,' in that those, whom He had left in the downfall of infidelity, He one time or another reestablishes in the seat of faith. And these being restored in a whole state of mind, that ancient People, which seemed faithful to God, being reprobate was cast away in heart, so that, being deceived by its own misbelief, it should afterwards

The Jews deceived and staggered by our Lord's Humanity. 21

rise up against Him, Whom it had before preached. It goes Book

on;

Ver. 24, 25. Who changeth the heart of the chief of the people of the earth, and deceiveth them, that they wander in vain where there is no way. They shall grope in the dark without any light, and He shall make them to stagger like a drunken man.

30.

XI.

30. For the heart of the chief of the earth was changed,' xix. when the chief priests and elders of the people in Judæa set themselves to withstand Him by their counsels, Whom they beforehand proclaimed, that He was to come. And when they strove to put out His Name by persecuting Him, being deceived by their own wickedness they vainly essayed to 'wander where there is no way,' because it was impossible. that a way' could be open to their cruelty directed against the Creator of all things. They saw the miracles, they were made to fear by His power, but refusing to believe, they still sought signs, whilst they said, What sign shewest John 6, Thou then, that we may see and believe Thee? Therefore it is well said, They grope in the dark without light? For he that hesitates in the midst of so many manifest miracles, as it were gropes in the dark,' in that he sees not what he is touching. But every man that 'staggers,' is borne now hither, now thither. And because they were shewn at one time to believe, as when they said, If this man were not of John God He could do nothing, and at another time denied that 9, 33. He was from God, as when they said contemning Him, Is Mat.13, not this the carpenter's Son? Is not His mother called Mary? and His brethren, James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? it is rightly added, He maketh them to stagger like a drunken man. For they saw both that He raised the dead, and yet that He was a mortal being. Who would not believe that He was God, Whom they beheld raise the dead to life? But on the other hand, when they saw that He was mortal, they scorned to believe that He was immortal God, and so herein, viz. that Almighty God manifested Himself such to their eyes as to be both capable of exhibiting divine signs and of

c. virtute terrebantur.' A. B. C. D. M. and some ap. Ben. read 'virtutes mira

bantur, terrebantur.' They wondered at
His acts of power, they were terrified,'

55. 56.

22 Job prophesied with understanding. His humility.

JOB 13, undergoing human sufferings, He made them to stagger

1.

PROPH.

XX. HIST.

like drunken men,' that their pride, which chose rather to spurn the mystery of the Incarnation, than to follow it, should at one and the same time lift itself up against His human nature, and wonder at the power of His Divine nature shining within. And because all these were made present to the eyes of blessed Job by the spirit of prophecy, it is rightly added;

Chap. xiii. 1. Lo, all!

eyes.

31. For what was to follow he saw as present in Him, Whom neither things future come to, nor things past go from; but all things are present at once and together before His And because the very things that were to come he saw were part in works and part in words, it is rightly said, All this mine eye hath seen, mine ear hath heard. But words are without use, if they lack the understanding of them. Whence it is fitly added, And I have understood every whit. For when any thing is shewn or heard, if the understanding of it be not bestowed, it is little of. a prophecy. Thus Pharaoh saw in a dream things that were to come upon Egypt, but, because he could not understand what he saw, Dan. 5, he was no prophet. King Balthasar saw the fingers of the hand that wrote' upon the wall; but he was no prophet, because he did not attain to the understanding of that thing which he saw. Therefore, that blessed Job might testify that he had the spirit of prophecy, he declares not only that he had seen and heard,' but also that he had understood all this.' And that he is not elated on the grounds of such understanding, his words subjoined bear witness, when he

5.

xxi.

says,

Ver. 2. What ye know, the same do I know also; I am not inferior to you.

32. By which same words he made known what exceeding humility he had, who says that he was not inferior' to them, whose life by holy living he very far surpassed. For he makes good that' what they knew he knew,' who by knowing the things of heaven transcended their earthly thoughts through the spirit of prophecy in addition. It goes on;

Ver. 3. Yet still I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God.