BOOK XXI.

The thirty-first chapter of the Book of Job is explained to verse twentyfour, exclusive, and chastity, humility, and mercifulness being first commended, many particulars are especially taught relative to the avoiding of the occasion of sin.

1. THE sense of Sacred Revelation requires to be weighed with so exact a balancing between the text and the mystery, that the scale of either side being adjusted, this latter neither the weight of over-curious scrutinizing should sink down, nor again the deadness of unconcern leave void. For many sentences thereof are pregnant with such a conception of allegories, that any one who strives to hold them after the history alone, is deprived of the knowledge of them by his indifference. But there are some that are so made subordinate to external precepts, that if a man desires to penetrate them with greater particularity, within indeed he finds nothing, whilst even that too which they tell ofwithout, he hides from himself.

i.

37-39.

2. Whence it is well said also in historical relation by a method of representing; And Jacob took him rods of green Gen. 30, poplar, and of the almond and plane-trees, and pilled them in strakes, and when the bark was off, where they were stripped, the white appeared, and the parts that were whole remained green; and after this manner the colour was made variegated. When it is further added, And he set them in the gutters in the watering-troughs, that when the flocks came to drink they should have the rods before their eyes, and should conceive in looking on them. And the flocks, when they conceived, looked on the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstraked, spotted, and speckled. For what is it

ahunc,' which seems to agree with intellectus' referred to' mysterium.' VOL. II.

1.

514 Jacob's rods, Scripture examples, mystic and direct.

JOB 31, to set before the eyes of the cattle rods of green poplar, and of the almond and plane-trees,' but through the course of Holy Scripture to furnish for an example to the people the lives and sentences of the Ancient Fathers, which same because by the testing of reason they are in a right line, are styled rods. From which he peels the bark' in part, that in those which are stripped the inward whiteness may appear, and in part he keeps the bark, that just as they were outwardly, they should remain in greenness. And the colour of the rods is made pied, whereas the bark is in part stripped off, in part retained. Since before the eyes of our reflection the sentences of the foregoing Fathers are placed like pied rods, in which whereas we very often avoid the sense of the letter, we are as it were withdrawing the bark, and whereas we very often follow the meaning of the letter, we as it were preserve the bark. And when from those same the bark of the letter is removed, the interior whiteness of the allegory is brought to view, aud when the bark is left, the green grown examples of the outward meaning are shewn. Which Jacob did well to set in the watering-troughs,' because our Redeemer set them in the books of the Sacred Lore by which we are inwardly watered. The rams mix with the sheep looking at these,' because our reasoning spirits when they are fixed in the earnest minding of those mingle themselves with the several particular actings, that they should beget such a progeny of works as they see examples of precepts going before in words, and the progeny of good practice may have a different colour, because both sometimes, the bark of the letter being removed, it sees what is within with acuteness, and sometimes, the covering of the history being preserved, it moulds itself well in the outward.

3. For because the Divine sentences require sometimes to be explored internally, and sometimes to be viewed Prov. externally, it is said by Solomon also, He that strongly 30, 33. presseth the udder for the drawing forth milk squeezeth out 1'emun-butter, and he that wringeth' violently draweth out blood. emul- For we press the udder strongly,' when we weigh with minute understanding the word of Sacred Revelation, by which way of pressing' whilst we seek milk,' we find

git,' al.

get.'

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XXI.

What is plain, not to be strained to mystery. 'butter,' because whilst we seek to be fed with but a little Book insight, we are anointed with the abundance of interior richness. Which, nevertheless, we ought neither to do too much nor at all times, lest while milk is sought for from the udder there should follow blood. For very often persons whilst they sift the words of Sacred Revelation more than they ought, fall into a carnal apprehension. For he draws forth blood, who wringeth violently.' Since that is rendered carnal which is perceived by an over-great sifting of the spirit. Whence it is requisite that the deeds of blessed Job, which he for this reason relates amidst the words of upbraiding friends, that his afflicted soul might not fall away in despair, we should examine into according to the weight of the history, lest if the mind explain these in a spiritual sense above what is necessary, from the udder of his words there be blood answering us instead of milk. But if he does. sometimes relate some things mystical in the relation of his works, it is necessary that the mind with quickened speed return to these considerations, whereunto as is given to be understood the very order of the person speaking itself bids that mind. For the holy man, after he had told the things that had been inflicted on him by the scourge of God, now by enumerating in order his own virtues makes it known what sort of person he was before the scourge, so constructing the history of his life, as to insert therein a something very rare which might be understood in an allegorical way, that both in a large proportion they should be historical facts that he records, and yet occasionally, by means of these same, he should rise up to a spiritual meaning. Thus with what strength he had bound up his exterior conduct from all falling by the training of inward safe-keeping, he tells, saying,

Ver. 1. I made a covenant with mine eyes that I should not even think upon a maid.

HIST.

4. Whereas the soul is invisible, it is in no degree affected ii. by the delightfulness of things corporeal, except that, being closely attached to the body, it has the senses of that body as a kind of opening for going forth. For seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, and touching, are a kind of ways of the mind, by which it should come forth without, and go a lust

2.

HIST.

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8.

516 Job guarded the eye, to keep the soul from lust. JOB 31, ing after the things that are without the limits of its substance. For by these senses of the body as by a kind of windows the soul takes a view of the several exterior objects, and on Jer. 9, viewing longs after them. For hence Jeremiah saith; For death is come up through our windows, and is entered into our palaces; for ' death comes up by the windows and enters into the palace,' when concupiscence coming through the senses of the body enters the dwelling-place of the mind. Contrary whereunto that which we have often already said Is. 60, touching the righteous is spoken by Isaiah; Who are they that fly as clouds, and as the doves at their windows? For the righteous are said to fly as clouds, because they are lifted up from the defilements of earth, and they are as doves at their windows,' because through the senses of the body they do not regard the several objects without with the bent of rapacity, and carnal concupiscence does not carry those persons off without. But he who through these windows of the body heedlessly looks without, very often falls even against his will into the delightfulness of sin, and being fast bound by desires, he begins to will what he willed not. the precipitate soul, whilst it does not forecast beforehand, that it should not incautiously see what it might lust after, begins afterwards with blinded eyes to desire the thing that it saw. And hence the mind of the Prophet, which being uplifted was often admitted to interior mysteries, because he beheld the wife of another without heed, being darkened afterwards joined her to him without right. But the holy man, who as a kind of judge of greatest equity is set over the senses granted him in the body, as over subject officers, sees offences before they come, and closes the windows of the body as against a plotting enemy, saying, I made a covenant with mine eyes that I should not even think upon a maid. For that he might preserve the thoughts of the heart with chastity, he made a covenant with his eyes,' lest he should first see without caution what he might afterwards love against his will. For it is very greatly that the flesh drags downwards, and the image of a shape once bound on the heart by means of the eye is with difficulty unloosed by the hand of great struggling. So then that we may not deal with things lascivious in thought we have need to take precaution;

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For

Eve fell by unguarded looking. The Gospel anticipated. 517

because it is not befitting to look at what is not lawful to be Book

in

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lusted after. For that the mind may be preserved pure XXI. thought, the eyes must be forced away from the wantonness of their pleasure, like a kind of ravishing unto sin. For neither would Eve have touched the forbidden tree, except she had looked on it first without taking heed; since it is written, And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, Gen. 3, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree delightful to look upon, and she took of the fruit thereof and did eat. Hence, therefore, it is to be estimated with what great control we who are living a mortal life ought to restrain our sight towards forbidden objects; if the very mother of the living came to death through means of the eyes. Hence too under the voice of Judæa, who, whereas by seeing she coveted external things, parted with interior blessings, the Prophet says; Mine eye hath robbed mine heart. For by Lam. 3, lusting after things visible, she lost the invisible virtues. She, 51. then, who lost the interior fruits by the exterior sight, did by the eye of the body endure the robbing of the heart.' Hence by ourselves, for safely keeping purity of heart, there ought also to be preserved the disciplining of the exterior senses. For with whatever degree of excellency the mind may be enriched, with whatever amount of gravity it may be invigorated, yet the carnal senses ring outwardly with a something childish, and except they were restrained by the weight of interior gravity, and as it were by a sort of manly energy, they drag the soul unstrung to things loose and light.

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nili.'

5. Let us then see in what manner blessed Job kept in by a mauly' vigour of wisdom all that the flesh might breathe of juvein him of loose and childish. For he says, I made a covenant with mine eyes, and because he quenched not only the doing but also the thinking of lust in himself, going on he added; that I should not even think on a maid. For he knew that lust has need to be checked in the heart, he knew by the gift of the Holy Spirit that our Redeemer on His coming would go beyond the precepts of the Law, and put away from His Elect not only lustful indulgence of the flesh, but also of the heart, saying, It hath been written, Thou shall not commit Matt. 5, adultery? But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a

27.28.