VERSE 4. — 'Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?' THE MORAL SENSE. — 20. What we have been of ourselves is always to be considered, lest we attribute to ourselves what we are by God's gift. — If the mind of the sinner is dust, which is lifted up on the surface and snatched by the breeze of temptation — whence it is written: 'Not so the ungodly, not so, but like the dust which the wind driveth from the face of the earth' (Ps. I, 4) — nothing hinders that the earth be understood as the soul of the just, of which it is written: 'For the earth, often drinking in the rain that cometh upon it, and bringing forth herb meet for them by whom it is tilled, receiveth blessing' (Heb. VI, 7). But the foundation of this earth is faith.
The foundation of this earth is laid, when in the hidden places of the heart the divine fear, the first cause of solidity, is inspired. This man does not yet believe the eternal things which he hears; to him, when faith is given, a foundation is now laid for the building of the following work. That man now believes the eternal things, yet does not fear them; he despises the terror of the coming judgment, boldly involves himself in the sins of flesh and spirit; to him, when the fear of things to come is suddenly poured in, that the building of a good life may rise, the foundations are now constructed.
The foundation of prosperous fear being thus laid, when the fabric of virtues is led up on high, it is necessary that each one advancing should cautiously measure his own strength, so that, when by the divine construction he has now begun to be great, he may without ceasing regard himself as to what he was; to the end that, attending humbly to what he was found to be by his own merit, he may by no means arrogate to himself what he has been made by grace. Whence also now blessed Job is by the supernal voice led back to himself, and, lest he dare to glory over his virtues, is reminded of his former life, and it is said to him: 'Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?' As if the Truth openly said to the justified sinner: Do not attribute to thyself the virtues received from Me, do not against Me be exalted over My gift.
Call to mind where I found thee, when by My fear I first laid in thee the foundations of the virtues. Call to mind where I found thee, when by My fear I made thee solid. That therefore I may not in thee destroy what I have constructed, do thou not cease to consider what I found. For whom does the Truth find, save either in disgraceful deeds or in excesses? But after these things we can well keep what we are, if we never neglect to weigh what we were. Sometimes, however, a clandestine exaltation is wont to creep even upon careful hearts, so that the thought of good things, although it be subtle and pressed down, when it grows greatly in the virtues, forgetful of its own infirmity, by no means recalls to memory what it was in vices.
Whence also the almighty God, because He beholds infirmity to be increased even from the remedies of salvation, imposes a measure upon our very advances, so that we may have certain goods of the virtues which we never sought, and may seek certain ones, and yet not be able to have them; to the end that our mind, while it cannot have these things which it desires, may both understand of itself that it does not have of itself the things it has, and that through those which are present the things which are absent may be considered, and that through those which are usefully absent the good things which are present may be humbly preserved. Whence also rightly, for the dispensation of this earth, that is, of the just soul, it is subjoined: CHAPTER X. VERSE 4, 5. — 'Declare unto me, if thou hast understanding, who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest, or who hath stretched the line upon it?' 21.
How wisely God distributes His gifts, not all things to all, but single things to single persons. — For who but our Creator lays the measures of this earth (1 Cor. XII, 8)? Who, by the hidden governance of His inward judgment, gives to one the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge, to another full faith, to another the grace of healings, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discerning of spirits, to another kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of words; to the end that in one and the same Spirit this one may be strong in the word of wisdom, and yet not be supported by the word of knowledge, that is, of doctrine, because it suffices him even to perceive and discover what he has not apprehended by the study of learning;
that one may shine in the word of knowledge, and yet not grow strong in the word of wisdom, because it suffices him to fulfil as much as he has learned, and yet he does not rise up of himself to perceive anything subtle. This one by faith commands the elements, and yet by the grace of healings does not cure the infirmities of bodies; that one by the aid of prayer removes diseases, and yet by his word does not give back rains to the parched earth. This one by the working of miracles recalls even the dead to the present life, and yet, not having the grace of prophecy, is ignorant of the things that are to come upon him; that one attends to things future as though present, and yet exerts himself in no working of signs.
This one by the discerning of spirits subtly beholds minds in their deeds, but nevertheless knows not the tongues of diverse kinds; that one examines the tongues of diverse kinds, but nevertheless does not weigh dissimilar hearts in similar matters. Another, in the one tongue which he knows, prudently examines by interpreting the weights of the words, and yet patiently goes without the remaining goods which he does not have. 22. Thus provision is made for humility and for charity. — Thus therefore our Creator and Disposer moderates all things, so that he who could be exalted by the gift which he has may be humbled by the virtue which he has not.
Thus He governs all things: that while by bestowed grace He raises up each one, He also, through their very inequality, subjects the one to the other; and each looks upon the man who is placed beneath him as better than himself by reason of some other gift, so that, though he perceives that he goes before others in one respect, he yet ranks himself in other respects below the very man whom he surpasses. Thus He governs all things: that while individual things belong to all, through a certain bond of charity interposed, all things come to belong to individuals, and each so possesses in another what he has not received, that he himself humbly expends upon another that which he has received, for the other to possess. Hence it is said through Peter: 'As every man hath received grace, ministering the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God' (1 Pet. 4:10).
For then indeed is the manifold grace of God rightly dispensed, when the gift received is believed to belong also to him who does not possess it, when it is thought to have been given to oneself for the sake of him upon whom it is expended. Hence it is said through Paul: 'By charity serve one another' (Gal. 5:13). For then does charity render us free from the yoke of guilt, when in turn it subjects us by love to our service, when both we count another's goods our own, and we exhibit our own to others, offering them as though they were theirs. Hence again it is said through Paul: 'For the body also is not one member, but many. If the foot should say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say:'
'Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?' (1 Cor. 12:14ff.). And a little after: 'But if they were all one member, where were the body? But now there are many members, yet one body' (ibid. 19). 23. In the body of the Church one is the eye, another the hand, another the foot, etc. — For what is the holy Church but the body of her heavenly Head? In her one is an eye by seeing lofty things, another a hand by working right things, another a foot by hastening to enjoined tasks, another an ear by understanding the voice of the commandments, another a nostril by discerning the stench of the evil and the fragrance of the good.
These, after the manner of the bodily members, while they mutually render to one another the offices received, make of themselves all one body; and while they perform diverse works in charity, they forbid that to be diverse in which they are contained. But if all were doing one and the same thing, they would surely not be a body which is made up of many, since indeed that which is compacted in manifold fashion would not exist, if a concordant diversity of members did not hold it together. Because therefore the Lord divides among the holy members of the Church the gifts of virtues, He appoints the measures of the earth. Whence again Paul says: 'To every one as God hath divided the measure of faith' (Rom. 12:3). And again: 'From whom'
quototumcorpuscompactumetconnexumperomnemjuncturamsubministrationis, secundumopnalioneminmensuramuniuscujusquemembri, augmentumcorporisfacitinædifi-cationemsuiincharitate (Ephes. IV, i 6) 24. Singulamembraassignatissibiofficiis (ungantur, nonalienausurpent.
'the whole body, fitly framed and knit together through every joint of supply, according to the operation in the measure of every single member, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in charity' (Eph. 4:16). 24. Let the individual members be devoted to the offices assigned to them, and not usurp what belongs to others.
— But since with wondrous counsel our Author and Disposer bestows on this man those things which He denies to that, and denies to that these things which He bestows on this, whoever strives to be able to do more than he has received, endeavors to go beyond the measures set for him: as if perchance he to whom it has been granted only to expound the hidden things of the commandments should attempt also to shine with miracles, or he whom the gift of heavenly power strengthens for miracles alone should contend also to unfold the hidden things of the divine law. For he stretches his foot over a precipice who does not heed the boundary of his own measures. And very often he loses even what he could do, who boldly hastens to seize upon those things to which he cannot attain. For we too use the ministries of our members well only when we distinctly preserve their proper offices for them.
For we discern the light with our eyes, but we hear the voice with our ears. But if anyone, in a reversed order, should apply the eyes to the voice and the ears to the light, both lie open to him in vain. If anyone should wish to discern odors with the mouth, and to taste savors with the nose, he destroys the ministry of both senses to himself, because he perverts it. For while these are not fitted to their proper uses, they both desert their own offices and do not rise up to what is foreign to them. 25. Within those measures David contained himself, and Paul. — Rightly therefore had the prophet David set the foot of his heart within the measures received from the divine bounty, when he said: 'Neither have I walked in great matters, nor in wonderful things above me' (Ps. 131:1).
For he would walk in wonderful things above himself, if he sought to appear great beyond what he was able: for he lifts himself up above himself in wonderful things who strives to be seen fit even for those things to which he is not equal. Well within these measures did Paul too restrain himself, even in the very breadth of his preaching, when he said: 'For I dare not to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me' (Rom. 15:18). But then is the measure received rightly preserved, when the life of spiritual men, set before the eyes, is regarded. Whence it also follows: