THE FOURTH PART.

i.

BOOK XVII.

What remains of the twenty-fourth chapter beginning from the middle of verse 20, together with chapters twenty-five and twenty-six entire, he sets forth chiefly in a moral sense.

As often as in the history of the holy man we betake ALLEG. ourselves in a new book to unravel the mystery of the typical explanation, it must be either from that man's name or course of suffering that we mainly draw out the mystical interpretation, so that after the manner of dwelling houses, whilst we set forth a superscription of the title on the very front of the door post, whereas it is known whose house it is, one may enter with greater security. Now I remember that I have often said that blessed Job, both by his course of suffering and his name, marked out the sufferings of our Redeemer, and of His Body, i. e. Holy Church. For Job' is by interpretation 'Grieving.' And who else is represented in this grieving one saving He, concerning Whom it is Is.53,4. written, Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows. Concerning Whom again it is written, And with His bruise we are healed? But his friends bear the likeness of heretics, who, as we have often said already, while they set themselves to defend, only offend God. Thus let the holy man by words and wounds so tell things of his own as at the same time to set forth ours also, and most often, by the spirit of prophecy, relate things to come, surmount things present, yet sometimes so tell of those present as to be silent touching those future. The keeping then of this exercise of discernment being understood in accordance with the altering of his voice, let our understanding likewise turn about, that it may agree the more truly with his ideas in proportion as it also shifts itself with his accents. Thus by the preceding words the holy man, in sentences eloquently formed by the

ib. 5.

The wicked how forgotten of God, and how remembered. 279

XVII.

art of wisdom, set forth the offences of the bad man of Book whatever kind, and represented how damnable his conduct LIT. was, of whose punishment he directly adds, saying,

Let him not be in remembrance; let him be crushed like an unfruitful stump.

MORAL.

2. For he is not brought back into the remembrance' of ii. his Creator, whosoever to the very end of his life is in subjection to evil habits. Since if the recollection of the regard from Above did make itself felt on such an one, assuredly it would recall him from his wickedness. For his deserts require that he should be utterly blotted out from his Maker's remembrance. But it is to be borne in mind that God can never strictly be said to remember;' for One Who cannot forget, in what way is it possible for Him to remember? But whereas it is our way that those whom we remember we embrace, but those whom we forget we part far from, after the usage of man God is both said to remember,' when He bestows gifts, and to forget, when He forsakes one in guilt. But because He weighs all things, views all without any alternating of intermission, He both remembers the good, whom still He never forgets, and no wise remembers the bad, whom nevertheless in judgment He does ever behold. For He as it were returns to the recollection of the good, which same nevertheless He never quitted, and as it were He never regards the bad, whose deeds howsoever He has an eye on, but reserves for the last scene the judgment of condemnation thereupon. For hence it is written, The eyes of the Lord are in every place, Prov.15, beholding the evil and the good. Hence it is said by the Psalmist, The face of the Lord is upon them that do evil, to Ps. 34, cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. Therefore the persons for Him to punish He does regard, but those very persons before He did not see, in that He knows them not.' For He shall say to some at the end, I know you not whence Luke13, ye are; depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Thus, in a 27. wonderful way, He both beholds and forgets the life of bad men, in that those whom by severity of sentence He judges, as regards the remembrance of mercy He is ignorant of.

3. And these same, because they do not come into His remembrance, like an unfruitful stump are broken to pieces

3.

16.

21.

MORAL.

10.

Luke 3,

9.

280 Fruitless tree broken. The Flesh barren, the soul widowed.

JOB 24, by His judgment. For the earth supported them with a temporal outfitting, the shower of preaching poured down on them from above. But because their life never put forth the fruit of good works, the husbandman in anger cut it clean away, that according to the sentence of Truth it might not cumber the space, which another may occupy for fruit. Of Matt. 3, which same unfruitful stump' it is said by John, And now also the axe is laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit shall be hewn down, and cast into the fire. But in this place, in order that the eternal punishments of the lost sinner may be denoted, the tree is not said to be cut away, but to be broken to pieces, in that the death indeed of the flesh cuts off the reprobate, but the punishment ensuing breaks them in pieces. For here it is as it were cut down, when he is severed from the present life. But in hell it is broken in pieces, when he is tortured with everlasting damnation. But the holy man, as he set forth the strict punishment of the froward one, at once falls back to the sin, that by the immensity of the unjustness he may effectually teach that that excessive damnation of him was not unjust. It goes on;

iii.

Ver. 21. For he fed the barren and her that beareth not, and to the widow he did not do good.

4. Who is it in this place that is denominated' barren' saving the flesh, which while it goes after things present alone is not able to engender good thoughts? and who is styled a widow' but the soul, which same because the Maker was minded to unite to Himself, He came to the marriage chamber of the carnal womb, as the Psalmist Ps 19,5. testifies, who saith, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber? And she is rightly called a widow,' in that her Husband underwent death in her behalf, and now in the retreats of heaven hidden from her eyes as in the tract of another region He lives. Thus the wicked man feeds the barren' and scorns to do good to the widow,' because in obeying the desires of the flesh, he makes little of the care of the soul and its life. For with the whole bent and with every effort he considers how without necessities of any kind the flesh which is to die may be made to hold on, and he is indifferent to concern himself for the life of the soul,

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The Church a Widow, Heretical sects barren. which either in death or in bliss most surely lives for Book evermore. Now it is rightly done that when it is said, He fed the barren, it is directly added, and her that beareth not. For certain women we know from sacred history were found barren,' but yet in the end of their days brought forth. But the flesh is not only called barren, but also she that beareth not, in that of her own wit not even at the last is she capable of begetting good thoughts. For from her own vigour she is now already going off, and yet things transitory she still ceases not to long for, and being now spent of original force, is well nigh thrown off by that very world which she loves, yet by mischievous endeavour still strives to acquire what is temporal. She now no longer has the ability to do wicked things, yet does not a whit cease to mind in thought even the things which she does not in act. Rightly therefore is she called not only barren,' but also one that beareth not,' in that of her own wit, as we said, for the offspring of good thought, not even when she has become powerless does she conceive.

6

5. Which same may likewise be understood of heretical persons preaching. For every single preacher of error, while he teaches a people set without the pale of the Church's unity, is surely feeding the barren, and her that cannot bear,' seeing that he is bestowing the serviceableness of his labour upon her, who never makes any return of spiritual fruits. 'Neither does he do good to the widow,' forasmuch as for that Holy Church Universal, whose Husband suffered the adverse treatment of death, he scorns to live to and to serve. For to do good to the widow' is to take much pains in the consoling of her, who by the love of her dead Husband is crushed to the ground. And hence by the voice of the Psalmist this same widow, i. e. Holy Church, makes complaint, saying, I looked for comforters, but I found none. Since Ps. 69, then only does she find a comforter,' when from that death which her husband underwent, she beholds many within herself arise to life. Now very often the preacher of error is allied with the rich of this world, who for this reason, that they strain over earthly employments, are too blind to detect the crafty tricks of the things delivered, and whereas they go about to be powerful without, they are taken without

20.

282 The mighty taken in. Bad men believe not their own life.

JOB 24, labour by the noose of froward preaching. Hence too it is added;

22.

MORAL.

27.

iv.

Ver. 22. He took away the mighty in his might.

6. Since in the might of his wickedness the mighty he severally takes away, whilst by the craftiness of his error he carries off the great ones of this world. In opposition to

1 Cor. 1, whom it is said by Paul, God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty. Now the 'might' of the corrupt preacher is the high-flown science of his speaking, puffed up with which he despises all the rest of the world, and in contempt of all men, as being preeminently proficient in himself, he swells big. Who whilst thinking what is great of himself, and not knowing what is true of God, is parted far from knowledge of the faith, and yet endeavours to make himself appear a preacher thereof, Whence it is further added;

V.

And when he standeth, he will not believe his life.

6

7. Every evil preacher' standeth' in this world, so long as he lives in an earthly body. But he refuses to believe his life,' because he is too proud to open his eyes to what is true relating to God. For he would' believe his life,' if he had right notions concerning the Substance of his Creator. These things, then, we were describing above as spoken of every bad man, but we suddenly made the meaning turn to the preacher of error. Whence it is to be noted, that we are so drawn on to the special case as not yet in any wise to be quite taken off from the general. For every bad man, even if he seem to maintain the faith in the bosom of the Church Universal, standeth and believeth not his life,' because they are right things indeed which by faith he understands of his Creator, yet the works of faith he cares not to maintain; and he is convicted of unbelief, in that, even from that which he sets forth as his creed, by his way of 1 John living he is condemned. For hence it is said by John, He that saith he knoweth God, and keepeth not His commandTit. 1, ments, is a liar. Hence Paul saith, They profess that they know God, but in works they deny Him. Hence James Jam. 2, saith, Faith without works is dead. But amidst all this the Creator by a wonderful economy of counsel at once has an eye to offences, and bestows periods of living, that the

2, 4.

16.

20. 26.