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V ers. 24. — Antequam comedam, suspiro. 14. Lacrymas saepe excipit gaudium contemplatio- nis.—Comedere namque est animae, supernae lucis contemplationibus pasci. Suspirat ergo antequam comedat, quia prius gemitibus tribulationis afficitur, et postmodum contemplationis refectione satiatur. Nisi enim suspiret, non comedit; quia qui se in hoc exsilio per desideriorum coelestium lamenta non hu- miliat, e aeternae patriae gaudia non degustat. A veri- tatis enim pabulo jejuni sunt, qui in hac peregrina- tionis inopia laetantur. Suspirat autem qui comedit, quia quos amor veritatis afficit, etiam refectio con- templationis pascit. Suspirans Propheta comedebat, cum diceret:
Verse 24. — 'Before I eat, I sigh.' 14. Often the contemplation of joy follows upon tears. — For to eat belongs to the soul when it is fed by contemplations of the light on high. He sighs therefore before he eats, because he is first afflicted by the groans of tribulation, and afterward he is filled with the refreshment of contemplation. For unless he sighs, he does not eat; because whoever does not humble himself in this exile through the laments of heavenly desires does not taste the joys of the eternal homeland. For they are fasting from the food of truth who rejoice in this poverty of their pilgrimage. But he who eats does sigh, because those whom the love of truth affects the refreshment of contemplation also feeds. The Prophet ate while sighing, when he said:
第二十四節。——「我在吃飯以先就嘆息。」十四、默觀之樂常隨眼淚而來。——因為靈魂的進食，就是以對上天之光的默觀為食糧。所以他在進食以先嘆息，因為他先受患難的哀嘆所折磨，其後才被默觀的滋養所飽足。因為他若不嘆息，就不進食；因為凡在此流放之地不藉屬天渴慕之哀哭而自卑的人，就不能嘗到永恆家鄉的喜樂。凡在此客旅的貧乏中歡樂的人，乃是斷絕了真理的食糧而挨餓。然而進食的人卻嘆息，因為凡被真理之愛所感動的人，默觀的滋養也餵養他們。先知一面嘆息一面進食，正如他所說：
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Fuerunt mihi lacrymae meae f panes ( Psal. xiv, 4). Luctu enim suo anima pascitur, cum ad superna gaudia flendo sublevatur, et intus quidem doloris sui gemitus tolerat; sed eo refectionis pabu- lum percipit, quo vis amoris per lacrymas emanat. Unde et eamdem lacrymarum vim beatus Job adhuc sequitur, subdens:
'My tears have been my bread' (Ps. xli, 4). For the soul is fed by its own mourning, when by weeping it is raised up to the joys on high; and inwardly indeed it endures the groans of its own grief, yet by that very thing it receives the food of refreshment, whereby the force of love flows forth through tears. Whence blessed Job still pursues this same force of tears, adding:
「我的眼淚成了我的飲食」（詩四十二3）。因為靈魂藉自己的哀慟得餵養，當它藉哭泣被提升到上天的喜樂時；它裡面確實忍受自身憂傷的呻吟，但正藉此領受滋養的食糧，因愛的力量藉眼淚湧流而出。因此蒙福的約伯仍繼續論這眼淚之力，補充說：