Vision of God begun here by faith.

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imitate Him. Which same sight is now begun by faith, Book but is then perfected in Appearance, when we drink at the very springhead the Wisdom coeternal with God which we now derive through the lips of those that preach, as it were in running streams.

BOOK XIX.

The interpretation being carried on from the last part of the twenty-first verse of the twenty-eighth chapter to the twenty-first verse of the following chapter exclusive, various meanings are laid open not less learnedly than piously, chiefly concerning Christ and the Church.

MYST. 1. WHAT Wonder is it if the Eternal' Wisdom' of God is not able to be seen, when the very invisible things themselves as well, which were created thereby, cannot be embraced by the eyes of men? So then by things created we learn with what self-abasement to revere the Creator of all things; so that in this life the human mind should not dare to usurp to itself aught belonging to the Appearance of Almighty God, which He reserves for His Elect only as their reward in the ensuing Recompensing. Whence after it was said, It is hid from the eyes of all living, we have the words thereupon introduced next;

i.

Matt. 13, 4.

Chap. xxviii. 21. And is kept close also from the fowls of the air.

2. For in Holy Scripture' birds' are sometimes given to be understood in a bad sense, and sometimes in a good sense. Since by the birds of the air occasionally the powers of the air are denoted, being hostile to the settled purposes of good men. Whence it is said by the mouth of Truth, And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the wayside, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it; in this way, because evil spirits besetting the minds of men, whilst they bring in bad thoughts, pluck the word of life out of the memory. Hence again it is said to a certain rich man full of proud Matt. 8, thoughts; The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have Luke 9, nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His Head.

20.

58.

For foxes are very cunning animals, that hide themselves in ditches and caves; and when they face the light, they never run in straight courses, but always by crooked doublings.

Fowls of the air' in good and bad sense.

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13.

But the birds as we know with lofty flight lift themselves Book into the air. So, then, by the name of foxes,' the crafty and cunning demons, and by the title of the birds of the air' these same proud demons are denoted. As if he said, 'The deceitful and uplifted demons find their habitation in your heart; i. e. in the imagination of pride,' but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His Head,' i. e. My humility findeth not rest in your proud mind.' For as by a kind of flight that first bird lifted itself up, which said in the uplifted imagination of the heart; I will ascend into heaven, I will Is. 14, exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the North. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will be like the Most High. Mark how he in flying sought the regions on high with pride. Which same flight also he recommended to the first of human kind as well. For they themselves by flying as it were tried to go above their own selves, when it was told them that they should taste and be like gods. And while they seek after the likeness of the Deity, they lost the blessings of immortality, which same would not by dying have gone into the earth, if they had been willing to stand with humility upon the earth.

For

18. 19.

3. But, on the other hand, the birds of the air' are wont to be put in a good sense, as in the Gospel the Lord, when He was declaring a likeness of the kingdom of heaven by a grain of mustard seed, said, Unto what is the kingdom Luke13, of heaven like? and whereunto shall I resemble it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and cast into his garden, and it grew and waxed a great tree, and the fouls of the air lodged in the branches of it. For He is Himself' a grain of mustard seed,' Who, when He was planted in the burial place of the garden, rose up a great tree. He was a grain,' whereas He died, but a tree,' whereas He rose again. A grain,' through the abasement of the flesh, a tree,' through the mightiness of His Majesty. 'A grain,' because we have seen Him, and He was not Is.53, 2. regarded; but a tree,' because fairer in form than the Ps.45,2. children of men. The branches of this tree are the holy preachers. And let us see how wide they are stretched out. For what is said concerning them? Their sound is gone Ps.19,4. forth into all the earth, and their words to the end of the

22. MYST.

396

Evil spirits know God but afar off.

JOB 28, world. In these boughs the birds of the air rest,' because the holy souls, which by a kind of wings of virtues lift themselves up from earthly thinking, do in the word and consolations of these take breath from the wearying of this life. And so in this place after it was said of Wisdom,' It is hid from the eyes of all men; it is rightly added, It is kept close also from the fowls of the air: because being settled in the corruptible flesh, these very persons do not in seeing penetrate the mightiness of His Nature, who earn by holy contemplation even now to fly with wings. Where it is well added,

8.

17.

ii.

Ver. 22. Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears.

4. Who are denoted by the title of 'destruction and death,' save the evil spirits, who proved the inventors of destruction and of death,' as of their leader himself under the appearance Rev. 6, of his minister it is said by John, And his name was Death. Unto whom all spirits of pride being subject, say concerning this Wisdom,' Which is God, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears, in this way, that the vision thereof doubtless they could not have with complete blessedness. For perfectly to see the Wisdom coeternal with God, is the same thing as to have.' Hence it is said to John of the Rev. 2, reward of one conquering, I will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. For in this life we are able either to know or see sometimes a thing even which we have not received; but to have a new name written on a white stone' is in an eternal recompense to have the knowledge of God strange to the faculties of men, which no man can know saving he that receiveth it. Therefore as we have said, because to see God is the same thing that it is to have, therefore the evil spirits do not see this Wisdom,' because being cast off through pride they were never able to have It. For they shut the eyes of the heart to the light of It, resisting the rays thereof shed abroad over them, as that may be also Job 24, understood of the same evil spirits, which is written, They are of those that rebel against the light. And so for evil spirits to have heard of the fame of Wisdom,' but not to have seen that Wisdom, is at once to have ascertained the power thereof by its efficacy, and yet to have been unwilling

13.

The Father the Place' of the Son, Manhood His 'way.' 397

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to stand humbly under it. Hence it is said by the voice of Book Truth of the actual head of evil spirits, He was a murderer John 8, from the beginning, and abode not in the truth. It follows; 44. Ver. 23. God understandeth the way thereof, and He knoweth the place thereof.

10.

iii.

5. This Wisdom coeternal with God has a way' in one sense, and in another sense a place;' but only a place,' if a person understand it a place not local. For God is not capable of being held close after the manner of a body. But as has been said, a place not local is meant. The 'place' of Wisdom' is the Father, the place' of the Father is 'Wisdom,' as, Wisdom Herself bearing testimony, it is said, I am in the Father, and the Father in Me. So then the John14, same identical Wisdom has a way' in one sense, and ' a place' in another sense; a way' by the passing of the manhood, a place' by the settledness of the Godhead. For She passes not by in the respect that She is eternal, but She does pass by in the respect that for our sakes She appeared subject to time. For it is thus written in the Gospel, And as Mat. 20, they departed from Jericho, the Lord passed by. And, behold, 29. 30. two blind men, sitting by the way side, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, Thou Son of David. At whose voice, as it is there written, Jesus stood still, and restored ver. 32. light. Now what is it to hear passing by, but to restore sight standing still, but that by His manhood He compassionated us, Who by the power of His Godhead banished from us the darkness of our souls? For in that for our sakes He was born and suffered, that He rose again and ascended into heaven, it is as if Jesus passed by, because surely these are doings in time. But He touched and enlightened them standing still, because not as that temporal economy doth likewise the Word's Eternity pass by, Which while remaining in Itself renews all things. For God's standing is His ordering all things mutable by immutable purposing. He, then, Who heard the voices of those imploring Him while 'passing by,' restored light standing still. For though for our sakes He underwent things temporal, yet He bestowed light upon us by the same thing that He knows not to have the passing of mutability. Therefore because when He should through flesh appear to men was an uncertain thing,