Moralia in Job 1433 part 2/4

One part was rained upon, and the part which was not rained upon withered (Amos IV, 7). For when one mind receives the words of holy exhortation, and another refuses to receive them, the Lord rains upon one city, and upon another he does not rain. But when the very neighbor who hears corrects himself from some vices, and yet disdains to amend himself of others, one and the same city is both in part rained upon, and in part remains dry, in which of itself it repels the rain of preaching. For there are some who do not hear the words of exhortation at all; these utterly refuse to receive the rain. And there are some who hear, but nevertheless do not follow it to the marrow, because they cut away some vices in themselves, but in others grievously persist.

For often we see certain persons who through the word of preaching repel from themselves the heat of avarice, and not only no longer seize what belongs to others, but also lavish their own upon the needy; yet do not tame the goads of anger, nor keep the governance of patience through tranquility of mind. And often others at the word of exhortation now conquer in themselves the uncleanness of the flesh, guard the body in chastity, yet do not as yet incline their soul, as they ought, to their neighbors, but through the rigor of pride lift themselves up in thought. In these, one part is rained upon, because it has borne fruit, and the part which was not rained upon has withered, because, not fully receiving the word of exhortation, it has remained barren of good work. There follows: VERSE 12.

— And the spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the voice of a great commotion: Blessed be the glory of the Lord from his place. What is this, that the prophet, after he is sent to the transmigration of the children of the people, hears behind him the voice of a great commotion, saying: Blessed be the glory of the Lord from his place? He had indeed been turned toward the sinners of Babylon, and behind his back he heard the voice of the glory of the Lord from his place. For the place of God is Jerusalem, that is, the vision of peace, because indeed those hearts see the things that are God's which do not descend to the transmigration of Babylon, that is, to the vices of confusion. For there God dwells where true peace is sought, where the glory of inner contemplation is loved.

For those who flow down to perversity, scorn to be the place of God. The place of the glory of God is therefore either every holy soul, or each angelic spirit remaining in the heavenly things. And the glory of the Lord is blessed from his place, when by the elect among men, or by the holy angels, eternal praise is sung to the Author of all. In that therefore the just think about the sinners to be converted, because by considering their vices they lead their eye to carnal acts, they intend as it were toward Babylon. Who nevertheless, for the sake of the state of their rectitude, because they never cease to consider the good things of the saints unto the praise of God, although through thought they intend elsewhere, hear as it were behind them the voice of the glory of the Lord from Jerusalem, that is, from his place.

But why do we linger in these things, when these words of the prophet, by the Lord's bounty, we are able to understand in another and subtler sense, and to speak more openly? For he says: And the spirit lifted me up. The spirit lifts up the preacher, when it renders his mind, raised into the love of Almighty God, a stranger now to earthly desires, so that nothing pleases him to do except those things by which he may gather up spiritual gains, and carry the fruit of his daily work to the heavenly kingdoms. Whence it is also commanded to us preachers: Work not for the food which perishes, but for that which endures unto life eternal (John VI, 27). And it is well subjoined: And I heard behind me the voice of a great commotion.

The prophet, filled with the Holy Spirit, narrates as though past the things which he foresees are to be done, because in predestination those things are already done which as yet follow in the work. Whence also in the old translation through Isaiah it is said: Who has made the things that are to come (Isa. XLV, 11, according to the Septuagint). What is it therefore that the prophet heard behind him the voice of a great commotion, except that after the discourse of preaching, which reaches to the hearts of sinners, the lamentations of the penitent follow? For all the perverse, while they do depraved things, and do not hear right things from the just, do not know how grievous are the things they commit, and out of their very ignorance, in their stupor, they are secure;

and those who lie in their faults rest, as it were, softly, just as it is said of a certain sinful and complacent people: 'He hath rested on his lees, because he lay secure in his sins' (Jer. XLVIII, 11). 28. But when the perverse begin to hear the word of preaching, and to learn what the eternal punishments are, what the terror of the judgment, how searching the examination of every single sin, they at once tremble, are filled with groans, and are made anxious with sighs that scarcely contain them; and, shaken by great dread, they burst forth into mourning and weeping. Therefore a voice of great commotion follows the prophet; because after the word of preaching are heard the mourning of the converted and the penitent.

For those who before lay quietly in their wound, being afterwards touched by the hand of healing, He redeemed unto salvation with pain. Of this commotion of the penitent it is said through another prophet: 'His feet shall stand, and the earth shall be moved' (Zach. XIV, 4); because when the footsteps of truth are fixed in the mind of the hearers, the mind itself, troubled in the consideration of itself, is set in commotion. Hence the Psalmist entreats on behalf of sinners, saying: 'Thou that sittest upon the cherubim, let the earth be moved' (Ps. XCVIII, 2). Hence, praying for the afflicted and the penitent, he says: 'Thou hast moved the earth, and hast troubled it; heal thou the breaches thereof, for it is moved' (Ps. LIX, 4).

For the earth moved and troubled is the sinner, anxious from the knowledge of his own guilt, and brought to the lamentations of penitence. For it was said to sinning man: 'Earth thou art, and into earth thou shalt go' (Gen. III, 19). Let him therefore entreat that the contrition of the earth be healed, because it is moved, so that the sinner who is afflicted for his own faults may be consoled by the joy of the heavenly mercy. This then is the voice of great commotion, when each one, judging his own deeds, is disturbed in the affliction of penitence. 29. But let us hear what that voice says: 'Blessed be the glory of the Lord from His place.' For the hearts of sinners had been the place of the malignant spirit; but when, angry with their very selves, they return through penitence unto life, they become the place of the Lord's glory.

For now they rise up against themselves, now with the tears of penitence they pursue the evils they have committed. Thence therefore is heard the blessing of glory in the praise of the Lord, whence before resounded the injury done to the Creator through the love of the present world. And the hearts of the penitent now become the Lord's own place, which before, set in sin, had been an alien place. But those very persons who are converted from their sins unto the Lord not only blot out with tears the perverse things they have done, but also by wondrous works advance unto the heights, so as to become holy living creatures of Almighty God, to fly aloft by signs and mighty deeds, to forsake the earth utterly, and, having received gifts, to raise themselves toward heavenly things through desire. Concerning whom it is further added: VER. 13.

— 'And the voice of the wings of the living creatures striking one against another.' 30. The prophet hears behind him the voice of great commotion, because, as has been said, the mourning of the penitent follows the word of the preachers. He hears behind him the voice of the wings of the living creatures, because from the very mourning of the penitent arise the virtues of the saints, so that they advance in holy action all the more, the more they remember that before their knowledge of life they acted wickedly. But there is in these words a great difficulty, because it is not openly said through the prophet whether each living creature strikes its own wings against itself, or rather whether these same holy living creatures strike one another in turn with their wings, so that the wing of this one touches the other, and the wing of the other touches this creature. 31.

But because very often in sacred discourse something is said obscurely for this reason, that by the wonderful dispensation of God it may be expounded in manifold ways, we ought, the Lord granting it, to expound both to your charity. We have already often said that the wings of the living creatures are the virtues of the saints (Hom. 4, n. 1; Hom. 7, n. 22; Hom. 8, n. 1). How therefore does each one, shaking out its wings, strike one against another, save that it is plainly given to understand that, if we are made holy living creatures, virtue stirs up virtue within us, while the one impels the other to perfection? For behold, one already has the knowledge of the word of God; he learns that he should have also bowels of mercy. For through the knowledge of the word of God he learns:

'Give alms, and behold, all things are clean unto you' (Luke XI, 41). And when he has begun to be merciful in alms, he reads the words of holy authority; and whatever is said therein of mercy, he thenceforth understands by experience. For there it is written: 'I was the father of the poor' (Job XXIX, 16). Which perhaps before he read and passed over. But when in his heart mercy has begun to imitate nature, he reads and recognizes what it is to be the father of the poor, because, returning within, he understands in himself what he hears without. For it is one thing to give alms from precept, and another from charity. For to do good from precept belongs to beginners;

but to do good from charity belongs to the perfect, who not only act because it is commanded, but also love in the doing what is commanded. Hence indeed it is that in great virtue it is said through the Psalmist: 'See that I have loved Thy commandments, O Lord; in Thy mercy quicken me' (Ps. CXVIII, 159). For to do the commandments of God for the sake of the command belongs to one serving and obeying, but to do them by loving belongs to one obeying and loving. Since therefore both through knowledge the mercy of charity is learned, and through the charity of mercy in the compunct heart knowledge is multiplied, in us wing strikes wing, because virtue stirs up virtue. Thus he who keeps the good of chastity in his own body is kindled with zeal against the lustful.

that they may be cleansed from the stains of uncleanness. And often, when he finds certain ones in their falls, he subdues, afflicts, and constrains them back to the purity of chastity. And if perchance his own mind be tempted with the uncleanness of lust, from the very zeal by which he corrected others he reproves himself, and blushes to think unclean things, which he recalls having corrected in others. In this therefore wing strikes wing, while virtue impels virtue, and guards from uncleanness. 31. But if indeed, as we said before, the living creatures strike one another in turn with their wings, and one wing of each is struck against the other, the meaning of this description also lies open, the Lord granting it.

What then is it that these winged living creatures strike their wings one against another in turn, save that all the saints touch one another with their virtues, and rouse each other to advancement from the consideration of another's virtue? For not all things are given to one, lest, uplifted into pride, he fall; but to this one is given what is not given to you, and to you is given what is denied to him, so that while this one considers the good which you have and he himself has not, he prefers you to himself in his thought; and again, while you behold him to have what you yourself have not, you set yourself after him in your thought, and there comes to pass what is written: 'In honour preferring one another' (Phil. II, 3).

For, to say a few things out of many: to this one is granted the virtue of wondrous abstinence, and yet he has not the word of knowledge. To that one, however, is given the word of knowledge; and yet he strives to grasp the virtue of perfect abstinence, and cannot. To this one is granted liberty of speech, so that, affording the solaces of protection to the oppressed, he may speak freely for the defence of justice; but yet, still possessing many things in this world, he wishes to relinquish all, and cannot. To that one, however, it has already been given to relinquish all earthly things, so that he desires to have nothing in this world; but yet he does not presume to exercise the authority of his voice against sinners.

And he who for this reason ought to have spoken all the more freely, because he now has nothing whereby he might be held in this world, refuses to speak freely against others, lest he lose the very quiet of his life. To this one is given the virtue of prophecy; he already foresees many things that are to come; but yet, beholding and pitying the sickness of a neighbour who is present, he cannot heal it. To that one is given the grace of healing, and by prayers he drives away from the body of a neighbour the affliction which is at present; but yet he knows not what will follow himself a little after.

By this dispensation therefore Almighty God so distributes His gifts among His elect, that He gives to this one what He denies to that, and grants to another a greater thing which He bestows less upon another; so that while either this one beholds another to have what he himself has not, or that one considers this one to have received a greater thing which he weighs to be less present with himself, all may admire the gifts of God in one another, that is, in turn; and from this very admiration one may be humbled before the other, and he whom one sees to have what he has not, he may reckon to be set before himself by the divine judgment. Therefore the living creatures strike one another in turn with their wings, when holy minds touch one another with alternating virtues, and by touching rouse, and, being roused, fly unto advancement. 33.

Let us see how Paul, touched by the wings of the apostles and roused to penitence, considering the evils of his past persecution and the innocent life of the apostles, said: 'For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God' (1 Cor. XV, 9). He considered the innocence of the apostles, and on account of his preceding malice all the care which he displayed in the Church became vile in his eyes; and he did not attend to how many he surpassed by the understanding he had received, because, weighing their innocence, he grieved that he had once been a persecutor. But let us see whether any of the apostles admires the understanding that was given to Paul.

The first of the apostles himself is to be sought out by us, who, admonishing the disciples, says: 'Even as our most dear brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, hath written to you; as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are certain things hard to be understood, which the unlearned and unstable wrest' (2 Pet. III, 15-16). Thus Paul admires the innocence in all the apostles, the first of the apostles admires the wisdom in Paul. Therefore they touch one another with their wings, who from that very source rouse one another to advancement, whence they fly. 34. This therefore Almighty God works in the hearts of men, which He does in the regions of the earth. For He could indeed grant all fruits to any single region;

but if any single region had no need of another region's fruits, it would not have had communion with the other. Whence it comes that to this one He grants abundance of wine, but to another of oil; He makes this one abound with a multitude of cattle, but that one with plenty of crops, so that when the one brings what the other has not, and the other renders what the former did not bring, through the communion of grace the lands, though divided, may at the same time be joined together. As therefore are the regions of the earth, so are the minds of the saints, which, while in turn they confer upon one another what they have received, as it were lend their fruits, region to regions, so that all may be joined in one charity. 35.

But amid these things it is to be known that, just as every elect one always attends in others to that which they have received from God better than themselves, so as to prefer them to himself in his thought and to prostrate himself beneath them in humility, so the mind of the reprobate never considers what good another has more than itself, but what good it itself has more than another. For they do not weigh what goods of the spirit another has received which are lacking to themselves, but what goods they themselves have, and what evils are present in another. And whereas Almighty God for this reason distributes virtues to each, that He may humble one before another in thought, the reprobate for this reason drag down to themselves the good which they have received, that from it they may be lost in elation, while they always consider the goods which they themselves have and others have not.

and they never strive to weigh how great goods others have and they themselves have not. What therefore the divine goodness disposes for the increase of humility, this the reprobate minds turn to the increase of elation; and from the diversity of gifts they fall away from the good, whence they ought to have grown in the good of humility. 36. On this account therefore it is necessary, most dear brethren, that in yourselves you should always look upon that which you have less, but in your neighbours upon that which they have received more than you, so that while you, being beneath yourselves, look up for the good which they have and you have not, you also may grow in humility toward obtaining it as well.

For if both you weigh the goods received in them, and they consider in you the gifts which you have, in turn you touch one another with your wings, so that, being roused, you may always fly unto heavenly things. There follows: VER. 13. — 'And the voice of the wheels following the living creatures, and the voice of great commotion.' 37. We said above that by the wheels of sacred discourse the Testaments are signified (Hom. 6, n. 1 seq.). The voice therefore of the wheels is the discourse of the Testaments. After the voice of the wings of the living creatures, therefore, the voice of the wheels is also heard, because, the discourse of the preachers being received, while the virtues of the saints fly up to loftier deeds and in turn impel one another to advancement, the estate of holy Church is raised up, so that throughout the whole world the pages of the sacred Testaments may be read.

For everywhere now the holy Gospel, everywhere the sayings of the apostles, everywhere the law and the prophets resound. After the voice of the wings, therefore, the voice of the wheels follows, because after the miracles of the saints the words of the sacred discourse are freely and licitly heard within holy Church. And the wheels follow the living creatures, because, as was said above, after the life of the saints came into honour, the eloquences of the Testaments also appeared venerable to men. 38. Or certainly the wheels follow the living creatures, because in the life of the holy Fathers we recognize what we ought to understand in the volume of sacred Scripture. For their action opens to us that which the page of the Testaments says in its preachings. But it is to be inquired

by us why, after it was said above, 'I heard behind me the voice of great commotion,' after the voice too of the wings and of the wheels there is added, 'And the voice of great commotion.' And if it be diligently considered, it can be found that it is not idly repeated. 39. For there are two great commotions by which our hearts are moved. One commotion is from fear, the other from charity; the one comes from the mourning of the penitent, the other from the fervour of those who love. After the word of preaching, therefore, is the first commotion, when we lament the evils which we have done; but after the voice of the wings and wheels, there is the second commotion, when with great weepings we seek the heavenly goods which we hear.

For behold, because within holy Church we come to know from many Fathers the examples of virtues, as it were we daily hear the sound of the wings; because everywhere the sacred eloquences resound, we are roused as it were by the voices of the wheels. And because through those same sacred eloquences we are kindled to the love of our Maker, burning with the fires of great fervour, we lament that we are still far from the face of Almighty God. After the first voice of great commotion, therefore, at the last also there comes the voice of great commotion, because we who by knowing God begin to bewail our sins, now by loving Him whom we have known cease not with weepings to desire Him.

After the voice of the wheels, therefore, follows the voice of great commotion, because when the Testaments of God begin to sound in the ear of the heart, the spirit of the hearers, pierced with compunction from love, is moved to lamentations. For hence it is that the words of sacred Scripture become savoury in the heart of those reading; hence it is that by those who love they are for the most part read in silence, as it were secretly and quietly. Whence it is also said through another prophet: 'Thou hast cut off in alienation the heads of the mighty; the nations shall be moved in it; they shall open their mouths as a poor man eating in secret' (Hab. III, 14). For Almighty God cut off in alienation the heads of the mighty, because, alienating from Himself the pride of the Jews, He drove it away. In which alienation

the nations were moved, because while the Jews fell from faith, the hearts of the Gentiles ran to the knowledge of faith. Which nations, namely, in the food of sacred reading open the mouth of the heart, and eat in secret like a poor man, because with haste and silence they take the words of life in reading. 40. But it is to be known that the more the hearers advance in charity and understanding, the greater grace of the Spirit is given to the holy preachers. Whence, when the prophet had first said: 'The Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the voice of great commotion,' after the voice of great commotion, of the wings and of the wheels, and again of great commotion, he at once subjoins: VER. 14. — 'The Spirit also lifted me up, and took me.' 41.

Why does he who had said he was already taken up by the Spirit narrate again that he was lifted up and taken? But the mind of the preachers advances to loftier things when through them the sense of the hearers is moved to the desire of Almighty God. Which holy preachers indeed advance for this reason, that through their ministry the gifts of grace may be multiplied in holy Church, as it is written of this same holy Church: 'Making its rivers drunk, multiply its generations; it shall rejoice in its droppings when it shall spring up' (Ps. LXIV, 11). For the rivers of the Church are the holy preachers, who water the ground of our heart.

But when the rivers are made drunk, the generations of the Church are multiplied, because when the preachers receive a more abundant grace of the Spirit, the number of the faithful is increased. Which holy Church rejoices in its droppings. For in a dropping the water falls from the roof onto the ground, which had fallen from heaven upon the roof. But the roof of the Church is the holy preachers, who protect us by interceding and by fortifying us with admonitions. But because their heart is divinely infused in preaching, it is as water coming from heaven upon the roof. And because we are watered by their words, it is as water flowing down from the roof onto the ground.

Holy Church, therefore, while it springs up, rejoices in its droppings, because when it is born in faith and good works, it considers the gifts which it has received, and exults in the words of the preachers. Since therefore, when the hearers rise to better things, grace is also multiplied to their preachers, the prophet says: 'The Spirit also lifted me up, and took me.' For thence is the preacher more and more lifted up and taken, whence the hearer is changed to a better life. 42. But it is to be inquired by us, since the Spirit does not lift up the mind unless it has taken it, why He first lifted up and afterwards is said to have taken? But in this place 'took' is said to mean 'held constantly.'

For there are some whom the Spirit lifts up, but does not take; whose understanding also darts forth to spiritual things, yet whose life, remaining in carnal deeds, does not accord with the understanding. For Balaam was lifted up through the spirit of prophecy, but was not taken, because he could indeed truly foresee things far in the future, and yet would not separate his mind from earthly desires (Num. XXIV, 4-5). But because the holy prophet was lifted up in knowledge and equally taken in life, let us now hear in what manner he goes forth to preaching: IBID. — 'And I went away bitter in the indignation of my spirit.' 43. Consider, most dear brethren: why did he to whom the gifts of the Holy Spirit had increased go away bitter?

Does every heart which that same Spirit takes He make bitter in the indignation of its spirit? Whence it is to be known that he to whom the present life is still sweet, even though he may seem to speak the word of God, is not a lifted-up and taken preacher. For the mind which the Holy Spirit fills, He moves into bitterness of temporal things by the delight of eternal things. For it is sweet to be among human affairs, but to him who as yet has tasted no joys of heavenly things; because the less he understands the eternal, the more delightfully he rests in the temporal.

But if anyone has already tasted with the mouth of the heart what is that sweetness of the heavenly rewards, what that hymn-singing ivory of the angels, what the incomprehensible vision of the holy Trinity, to him, the sweeter that becomes which he beholds within, the more into bitterness is turned everything that he endures without. He strives with himself over those things which he recalls having done ill, and is displeased with himself, since He has now begun to please him who created all things. He reproves himself of his thoughts, prosecutes himself of his words, and punishes himself by weeping over his deeds. He pants after things on high; he now treads down all earthly things by contempt of mind. And so long as he has not yet by open sight that which he desires, he holds bitter as sweet, and to afflict himself with continual lamentations.

And because he sees that he is not yet in the fatherland for which he was created, in the exile of this life nothing else pleases him more than his own bitterness. For he disdains to lie subject to temporal things, and ardently sighs for the eternal. Whence rightly also it is said through Solomon: 'Because in much wisdom there is much indignation, and he that addeth knowledge addeth sorrow' (Eccl. I, 18). For knowing heavenly things, we disdain to subject the mind to earthly things. And while we begin to be more wise concerning those things which we did ill, we are angry with our very selves, and there comes to be in much wisdom much indignation, because the more we advance in knowledge, the more we are indignant with ourselves over perverse deeds.