Moralia in Job 1402

The immense pride of the devil and of his members. Saul was reprobated on account of his exaltation. The humility of David in the highest dignity. That is, he looks upon all, as it were placed beneath him, as from on high, because while he strives by his intention against his Author, he disdains to reckon anyone whatever like himself. And this fitly agrees also with his members, because all the wicked, puffed up through swelling of heart, despise with the arrogance of pride all whom they behold; and if they ever outwardly show reverence, yet inwardly, in the secret of the heart, where in their own estimation they are great before themselves, they set the life and merit of all men beneath themselves, and look upon them as being beneath them, because through the exalted thinking of the heart they have set themselves on a certain citadel of loftiness.

To whom it is well said by the prophet: 'Woe to you who are wise in your own eyes, and prudent before your own selves' (Isa. 5:21). Hence also Paul says: 'Be not wise in your own conceits' (Rom. 12:16). Hence it is said to Saul by divine rebuke: 'Was it not when you were little in your own eyes that I set you head over the tribes of Israel?' (1 Sam. 15:17). For he is little in his own eyes who, in that which he considers himself, weighs himself as unequal to the merits of others. For he beholds himself as though great, whosoever extends himself above the merits of others by the exaltation of his thinking. But Saul, being reprobate, did not remain in the good that he had begun, because he swelled up with the arrogance of the power he had received.

But on the contrary, David, always thinking humble things of himself and setting himself below in comparison with that same Saul, after he found an opportunity to strike him and yet spared that raging adversary, prostrated himself in humble profession, saying: 'Whom do you pursue, O king of Israel? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog, and a single flea?' (1 Sam. 24:14). And assuredly he had already been anointed as king, already, at the prayer of Samuel and the pouring of oil over him from the horn, he had learned that divine grace was preserving him, Saul being reprobated, to possess the helm of the kingdom; and yet with a humble mind he abased himself before his persecuting adversary, to whom by divine judgment he set himself below, though by the grace of election he knew himself to be incomparably better.

Let them learn, therefore, how they ought to be humbled before their neighbours, who still do not know in what place they are held before God, if the elect thus humble themselves even before those whom, by inner judgments, they already perceive themselves to be set above. Humility is proper to the elect. Now this is wont to be the proper mark of the elect, that they always feel themselves to be below what they are. For hence it is said by the same David: 'If I was not humbly minded, but exalted my soul' (Ps. 131:2). Hence Solomon calls the little one to wisdom, saying: 'If anyone is a little one, let him come to me' (Prov. 9:4). For he who does not yet despise himself does not lay hold of the humble wisdom of God. Hence in the Gospel the Lord says:

'I confess to you, O Lord, Father of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent, and have revealed them to little ones' (Matt. 11:25). Hence again the Psalmist says: 'The Lord preserves the little ones' (Ps. 116:6). Hence the teacher of the Gentiles says: 'We became little ones in the midst of you' (1 Thess. 2:7). Hence, admonishing the disciples, he says: 'Esteeming one another as your superiors' (Phil. 2:3). For because every wicked man thinks inferior to himself everyone whom he has known, on the contrary the righteous man strives to regard whatever neighbour as his superior. And lest, while one abases himself before another, the abasement should turn into exaltation for the other, he well admonished both parties, saying: 'Esteeming one another as your superiors,' so that in the

thoughts of the heart both I may prefer him to myself, and in turn he may prefer me to himself, so that when on both sides the heart is pressed down into what is lower, no one may be lifted up by the honour bestowed. The reprobate do not hold this form of humility, but despise it. But the reprobate, because they are the members of this Leviathan, disdain either to know or to hold this form of humility, since even if they sometimes show themselves humble in appearance, they neglect inwardly to preserve the force of humility.

To whom it often happens that if they ever do any single good, even the least, they straightway turn the regard of their mind away from all their evils, and gaze with all their intention always upon this that they have done, even the most trifling good, and thereupon already look upon themselves as though holy, forgetting all the evils which they have committed, mindful of their one good alone, which perhaps they were not even able to do perfectly; just as, on the contrary, it is wont to befall the elect, that though they abound with the grace of many virtues, some one vice, even the very slightest, greatly wearies and assails them, in order that, while they consider themselves in some part infirm, they may in no way exalt themselves concerning those virtues in which they prevail;

and while they tremble concerning their infirmity, they preserve this also, wherein they are strong, more humbly. Often, therefore, the reprobate, through this that they incautiously behold their one or least good, do not recognize the many and grievous evils in which they are sunk. And often the elect, through this that they tremble as being made infirm by their slightest evil, it is brought about by a wondrous dispensation that they do not lose the great goods to which they have been advanced. Evils help the elect, goods harm the reprobate. The reprobate uses good ill, and the upright uses evil well. And so by the measure of a just and hidden examination it is disposed that both evils help these and goods weigh down those, while both these use light evils for the advancement of good, and those use the smallest goods for the increase of evil.

For these advance the more perfectly in good, from the very source whence they are tempted by evil; but those fall away to a greater evil, from the very source whence they glory in good. So then the reprobate uses good ill, and the upright uses evil well; just as it often happens that one man, from wholesome food taken in a disordered manner, incurs the plague of sickness; another, by the serpent's venom applied in the medicine of an orderly compound, overcomes the affliction of sickness. He therefore who was unwilling to use wholesome food rightly, dies destructively from the very source whence others live healthfully; but he who took care to use the serpent's venom cautiously, lives healthfully from the very source whence others die destructively.

By the serpent's venom, therefore, we do not mean wickedness itself, but the suggestion of wickedness, by which we are often gladdened even against our will and though resisting. Which is then turned into medicine when the mind, raised up by virtues, is humbled by temptations set in opposition against it. The wicked, therefore, and those reprobate from the approval of the inner examination, whatever works they do, in whatever virtues they shine, are utterly ignorant of the sense of humility, because they are without doubt the members of this Leviathan, of whom it is said by the supernal voice: 'He beholds everything lofty,' because not only through himself but also through the hearts of those whom he has taken captive he looks down, as from on high, upon all as lower. Pride shows itself through the eyes as through certain windows.

But it must be noted that this Leviathan, who is designated by the bodily beast, is described as beholding what is lofty, because, namely, when the pride of the heart is extended outwardly even to the body, it is first indicated through the eyes. For these very men, through the arrogance of their inborn swelling, look, as it were, from on high, and the more they debase themselves, the higher they lift themselves up. For unless pride showed itself through the eyes as through certain windows, the Psalmist would in no way have said to God: 'You will save the humble people, and will bring down the eyes of the proud' (Ps. 18:27). Unless pride poured itself out through the eyes, Solomon too would not have said concerning the exaltation of Judaea: 'A generation whose eyes are lofty, and whose eyelids are lifted up on high' (Prov. 30:13).

Since, then, this Leviathan is signified by a bodily beast, and since pride, coming forth even into the body, more openly holds dominion over the eyes, the ancient enemy is described as one who looks down upon all as from on high. But because many things have been set forth to display the enemy of the human race, the mind greatly longs that, at the close of the Lord's discourse, some one thing be expressed more plainly, whereby his members may be shown to us by a brief token. There follows: