Moralia in Job 1140

Verse 20. — 'Do not prolong the night, that peoples may rise up in their place.' 83. Temptation begets darkness, and stirs up storms. — For the night is prolonged when the sadness arisen from temptation is not loosed by a swift consolation. The night is prolonged because the mourning of the mind is drawn out with confused thoughts. For while the mind, placed in temptation, considers that it is driven back from the pristine solidity of its virtue, it is blinded, as by certain darknesses, by the sorrows drawn over it, and its eye is closed off from all light of joy, while it anxiously trembles lest it utterly lose that which it had a little before begun to be.

Whence also well is it said that in this night peoples rise up in place of the strong, because, namely, in this mourning of temptation there leap up in the heart, in place of strong motions, unworthy and manifold thoughts. For while it beholds itself in perturbation to have now almost lost what it had been, being led into itself it heaps up innumerable tumults: now it grieves because it has lost its tranquility; now it dreads lest it fall even unto depraved works; now it remembers on what a height it had stood; now it attends to in what a depth of vices it lies through delight; now it repairs itself to resume its strength; now, as if conquered and already broken, it despairs that it can resume them. 84. In this night manifold thoughts press upon it like tumultuous peoples.

When therefore upon the assailed mind such manifold thoughts come forth, they press upon it as peoples rising up as it were in the night. Which peoples, indeed, the Prophet had presumed that he could subdue, not by himself, but by the aid of divine protection, when he said: 'My protector, and in him will I hope, subduing peoples under me' (Psalm 144:2). For to holy minds peoples are subdued, when by the presence of strict severity foolish thoughts leap apart from them, so that they do not snatch away through the abruptnesses of phantasms, but, subjected to reason, humbly rest in the heart. Because therefore the mind placed in temptation, which in prosperity presumed greater things concerning itself, endures the tumults of hope and of despair, rightly now is it said:

'Do not prolong the night, that peoples may rise up in their place.' As if it were openly said: 'Caught in temptation, more quickly cut off the darkness of mourning, lest you who in tranquility had thought lofty things concerning yourself, in perturbation also confound yourself the worse with the fog of thoughts.' Which Elihu would rightly say, if only he knew to whom he was saying it. For these things fit blessed Job so much the less, the more all things are known by him more loftily. But because, as we have often said, the arrogant, while they presume to teach those whom they ought not, are carried away even to contumelious words of rebukes, it is subjoined: