Moralia in Job 1363

35. By how lofty a dispensation God presses His servants, whether with threats or even with scourges. — The lofty dispensation of God's judgments therefore often assails His well-deserving servants with threats, or presses them with scourges, or weighs them down with certain imposed burdens, or entangles them in laborious occupations, because by wondrous power He foresees that, if they should remain quiet and free in tranquility, being unable to bear the temptations of the adversary, they would lie prostrate with the wounds of the mind. While therefore He occupies them outwardly with scourges or burdens to be endured, He hides them from the darts of temptations to be received within.

For it is the manner of medicine often to draw the fervor of the inner parts into an itching of the skin, and for the most part it cures inwardly from that very place where it wounds outwardly. So sometimes it is brought about by the medicine of divine dispensation that by outward pains the inner wound is taken away, and by the cuttings of scourges is driven back that which could occupy the mind — the inner rottenness of vices; and yet often, while men are not conscious to themselves of open fault, and are either tortured by pains or depressed by labors, they leap out into complaint against the just and almighty Judge, namely not sufficiently discerning against how mighty an adversary they wage war.

Whose intolerable forces if they were to attend to carefully, they would by no means murmur about those things which they outwardly endure. 36. These heavy things would not seem heavy, if we weighed the heavier wars of the hidden adversary. Let us dread not the father's scourge, but the enemy's sword. — But for this reason these heavy things seem to us, because we are unwilling to weigh the heavier wars of the hidden adversary. From which wars, for the most part, as we have said, while we are scourged we are defended, while we are afflicted we are hidden. For our flesh, before it is made solid by the incorruption of the resurrection, if it is afflicted by no sorrow, runs unbridled into temptations. And who does not know that it is far better to burn with the flame of fevers than with the fire of vices!

And yet when we are seized by a fever, because we neglect to consider the heat of vices which could occupy us, we murmur about the stroke. Who does not know that it is far better to be subjected in service to hard men, than to be subdued to the flattering spirits of demons? And yet when by the lofty judgment of God we are worn down by the yoke of the human condition, we leap out into complaint, doubtless because we attend too little to this: that if no condition of servitude oppressed us, perhaps our mind, being free, would serve worse to many iniquities. Therefore we believe these things which we endure to be heavy, because we do not see how hard and intolerable against us are the wars of the crafty enemy. For to our mind every weight would grow cheap,

if it weighed those wars of the hidden adversary which could oppress it. For what if almighty God should lighten the burdens which we suffer, but yet withdraw His helps from us, and leave us amid the temptations of this Leviathan? With so great an enemy raging, whither shall we go, if we be defended by no protections of our Author? Because therefore blessed Job was not conscious to himself of fault, and yet was enduring hard scourges, lest perhaps he should exceed into the vice of murmuring, let him be reminded of what he should fear, and let it be said to him: 'Remember the battle, and speak no more' (add no more to speak). [Recent Version XVIII] As if it were openly said to him: 'If thou considerest the war of the hidden enemy against thee, whatever thou sufferest from Me, thou dost not accuse.'

'If thou lookest upon the sword of the adversary assailing thee, thou wilt by no means shudder at the father's scourge.' For thou seest with what scourge I strike thee, but thou neglectest to behold from how great an enemy, by scourging, I keep thee free. Remember therefore the battle, and speak no more — that is, show thyself as silent to the father's discipline as thou seest thyself weak for the enemy's wars. While therefore thou art struck by Me chastising, that thou mayest bear it with an even mind, recall thine enemy to memory, and esteem not hard all that thou sufferest, while by outward torments thou art freed from inward passion.

But because this Leviathan flatters himself with a false promise concerning divine mercy, after he had brought in the terror of His strength, and had stirred the mind of blessed Job in circumspection of him, saying: 'Remember the battle, and speak no more'; in order that He might show his irremissible guilt, He at once subjoined: