Verses 10, 11. Who giveth rain upon the face of the earth, and watereth all things with waters. Who setteth the humble on high, and lifteth up the mourners with safety. The mystical sense. 20. God watereth all things with the waters of grace. By the name of the universe man is signified. Because we believe the friends of blessed Job to have been instructed by his fellowship, it is necessary that we expound these words of Eliphaz mystically. For Almighty God gives rain to the earth, when He pours the grace of heavenly preaching into the parched hearts of the Gentiles. And He watereth all things with waters, because He shapes the barrenness of ruined man to fruitfulness by the filling of the Spirit, just as through Himself the Truth says: He that shall drink of the water that I will give him, shall not thirst for ever (John iv, 13).
But by the name of the universe man is signified, because in him is shown the true kind and the great fellowship of the universe. For everything that exists either exists and does not live; or exists and lives, but in no way perceives; or exists and lives and perceives, but does not understand nor discern; or exists and lives and perceives and understands and discerns. For there are stones, and yet they do not live. There are shrubs, they indeed live, and yet they do not perceive. For the life of herbs and trees is called greenness, as is said through Paul concerning seeds: O foolish one, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it first die (1 Cor. xv, 36). There are brute animals, they live and perceive, and yet they do not understand.
There are angels, and they both live, and perceive, and by understanding discern. Man, therefore, because he has common being with stones, life with trees, perception with animals, discernment with angels, is rightly expressed by the name of the universe, in whom in some respect the universe itself is held. Whence the Truth says to His disciples: Go into the whole world, and preach the Gospel to every creature (Mark xvi, 15). By every creature He willed man alone to be understood, with whom He created something common with all things. 21. God watereth all things, when He calls to His knowledge from every kind of men. Although in this place all things can also be understood otherwise.
For the grace of the Holy Spirit, when it subjects the rich to itself, does not repel the poor; when it humbles the strong, it does not refuse the weak to come to it; when it gathers the noble, it likewise lays hold of the ignoble; when it receives the wise, it does not despise the folly of the unlearned. God, therefore, waters all things with waters, who by the gift of the Holy Spirit calls to His knowledge from every kind of men. 22. God waters all things, because He shapes the force of His word in each according to the diversity of their characters. But by the name of all things the very dissimilarities of characters can be designated.
For one is lifted up by pride, another is bowed down by the weight of fear, another burns with lust, another pants with avarice, another casts himself down by slackness, another grows hot with anger. But through the teaching of the sacred word, while humility is granted to the proud, confidence is offered to the timid, the lustful is cleansed from uncleanness through the pursuit of chastity, the avaricious is tempered from the heat of ambition through continence, the slack is raised up by the rectitude of zeal, the wrathful is restrained from the rousing of his rashness, God waters all things with waters; because He shapes the force of His word in each according to the diversity of characters, so that in His word each may find that whereby he may bear the shoot of the virtue he needs.
Whence it is said through a certain wise man concerning the sweetness of manna: Thou didst furnish them bread from heaven prepared without labour, having in itself all delight and the sweetness of every taste (Wisd. xvi, 20). For manna had in itself all delight and the sweetness of every taste, since indeed in the mouth of the spiritual it gave a taste according to the will of those eating, because the divine word, both fitting for all and not discordant with itself, condescends to the capacity of the hearers; and while each elect person understands it usefully according to his own measure, he turns it, like received manna, into a taste to his liking. And because the glory of retribution follows the labour of good work, after the watering of the waters it is rightly subjoined:
Who setteth the humble on high, and lifteth up the mourners with safety. 23. The servants of God, now despised and afflicted, glory and joy shall receive. The humble are set on high, because those who are now despised for the love of God, then come with God as judges, just as the Truth promises to those same humble ones, which we already said a little before, saying: You who have followed me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of His majesty, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt. xix, 28).
Then the Lord lifts up the mourners with safety, because those who, kindled by desire for Him, flee prosperity, suffer adversity, endure the torments of persecutors, and chastise themselves with lamentations, then receive a safety so much the higher, as now they devoutly die to all the joys of the world. For hence it is that it is said through Solomon: The heart which knows the bitterness of its own soul, in its joy the stranger shall not mingle (Prov. xiv, 10). For the human mind knows the bitterness of its own soul, when, kindled by desires for the eternal fatherland, it knows by weeping the pain of its pilgrimage;
but in its joy the stranger shall not mingle, because he who is now a stranger to the mourning of compunction, is then not a partaker in the gladness of consolation. Hence it is that in the Gospel the Truth says: Verily, verily I say to you, that you shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice; and you shall be made sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy (John xvi, 20). And again: You therefore now indeed have sorrow, but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man shall take from you (Ibid., 22). The Lord, therefore, is said to lift up the mourners with safety, because those afflicted temporally for His sake He consoles with true salvation. Yet nothing hinders this from being understood of God's elect even in this life. 24.
The humble are already set on high from this life. For the humble are set on high, because when they abase themselves out of humility, by the judgment of a lofty mind all temporal things pass away; and while they esteem themselves unworthy in all things, by the examination of right thinking they transcend and trample upon the glory of this world. Let us behold the humble Paul. Behold, he says to the disciples: For we preach not ourselves, but Jesus Christ our Lord; and ourselves your servants through Christ (2 Cor. iv, 5). Let us behold this humble man already set on high. He says: Know you not that we shall judge angels (1 Cor. vi, 3)? And again: He hath raised us up together, and hath made us sit together in the heavenly places (Eph. ii, 6).
Perhaps a chain then bound him outwardly, yet in mind he had been set among the heights, who already through the certainty of his hope was sitting in the heavenly places. Holy men, therefore, are despised outwardly, and endure all things as though unworthy; but confident that they are worthy of the heavenly seats, they await with certainty the glory of eternity; and while they labour outwardly under the adversity of persecution, they run back within to the fortified citadel of the mind; and thence they despise all things going on beneath them, among which they perceive even themselves passing away bodily; they do not fear threats, because by suffering they even despise torments. For hence it is said through Solomon: The just, bold as a lion, shall be without terror (Prov. xxviii, 1).
Hence again it is written by him: Whatsoever shall befall the just man, shall not make him sad (Prov. xii, 21). For because all the righteous are set on the high summit of their purpose, while by dying they do not feel death, in a wondrous manner the darts of the reprobate both strike them and do not touch them. The humble, therefore, are set on high, because whence they despise themselves in all things, thence they become more secure against all things. The mind ceasing to gape after those things which are above itself, unceasingly rushes beneath itself. On the contrary, rightly under the figure of Babylon it is said through the prophet to the reprobate mind: Come down, sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground; there is no throne for the daughter of the Chaldeans (Isa. xlvii, 1).
For in this place the human mind is called a virgin, not, as I think, uncorrupt, but barren. And because Babylon is interpreted confusion, rightly the barren mind is called the daughter of Babylon, which, in that it in no way germinates good works, while it is composed by no order of upright life, is as it were begotten by confusion as its mother. But if the virgin is called not barren but uncorrupt, after she has lost the state of salvation, to the heap of her confusion she is called what she was. To her fitly by rebuke it is said with the divine voice: Come down. For the human spirit stands on high, when it gapes after heavenly recompenses; but from this state it descends, when, basely conquered, it subjects itself to the flowing desires of the world. To her it is well straightway added:
Sit in the dust. For descending, it sits in the dust, because forsaking heavenly things, sprinkled with earthly thoughts, it grows cheap in base things. Where, still redoubling, it is subjoined: Sit on the ground. As if plainly reproaching, it should say: Because thou wouldst not raise thyself by heavenly conversation, being cast down beneath thyself, be humbled in earthly deeds. Whence necessarily forthwith it is added: There is no throne for the daughter of the Chaldeans. For the Chaldeans are interpreted fierce ones. But they are very fierce who, following their own wills, know not to spare even their own deaths. Fierce are earthly desires, which not only against the commands of the Creator, but often even against the blows of chastisement, render the mind hard and insensible.
But the daughter of the fierce ones has no throne, because the mind which is born to the love of the world from depraved desires, and is hardened by those same desires, in that it subjects itself to earthly concupiscences, loses the seat of judgment; and presides over no throne within itself, because it lacks the scrutiny of discernment, and is as it were repelled from the sitting of its own judgment, because it wanders through outward concupiscences. For it is clear that the mind which has lost within the seat of counsel, scatters itself outwardly through desires innumerably. And because it dissembles to do what it has understood, it is rightly blinded, so that it even knows not what it does; and often by a just judgment it is left in its very own will, and beneath that which it anxiously desires it is loosed to the laborious ministries of the world.
Whence fitly there it is subjoined: For thou shalt no more be called soft and tender; take a millstone, and grind meal (Ibid., 2). It is indeed certain that parents spare their tender daughter, nor afflict her with hard and servile works. Almighty God, therefore, calls as it were a tender daughter, when He recalls the beloved soul of each one from the laborious servitudes of this world; lest, while it is affected by outward deeds, it be hardened from inward desires. But the daughter of the Chaldeans is not called soft and tender; because the mind given over to depraved desires, in that which it anxiously seeks, is left to the labour of this world, so that outwardly it serves the world like a handmaid, which inwardly in no way loves God as a daughter.
Whence also it is commanded to take the millstone and grind meal. The mill is led round in a circle, and meal is brought forth. Now every action of this world is a mill, which while it heaps up many cares, turns human minds as it were through a circle; and casts forth from itself as it were meal, because with the heart seduced, it ever begets the minutest thoughts. Sometimes indeed one who is believed to be quiet, of some merit, being placed in some action is laid bare, whence there forthwith it is inserted: Uncover thy shame, discover thy shoulder, reveal thy legs, pass over the rivers (Ibid., 2). For in the administration of work the shame is laid bare, when the base and abject mind is recognized in the display of action, which when quiet was before thought great.
The mind uncovers its shoulder, when it shows its work which was unknown. It reveals its legs, because it makes manifest with what steps of desire it gapes after the gains of the world. It also passes over the rivers, because it unceasingly seeks the actions of this world, which daily flow down to their end; and while it leaves some, it pursues others, as though it ever tends from river to river. These things we have said in few words by way of digression, that we might show where the mind shaken from the throne of holy intention lies prostrate, because if it ceases to gape after those things which are above itself, it also unceasingly rushes beneath itself. But it is fixed on high, if forsaking the love of temporal things, it is bound to the hope of unchangeable eternity. 26. The gladness of God's servants is true;
the gladness of the wicked is from madness, not from safety. Well, therefore, is it said: Who setteth the humble on high. And fitly is it subjoined: And lifteth up the mourners with safety. Often in this world even the merry are exalted, while they swell up from the very glory of their prosperity. But the Lord lifts up the mourners with safety, because He raises His afflicted ones to the glory of true gladness by soundness. For they are raised by safety, not by madness, who, placed in good deeds, rejoice with firm hope in God. For some, as we have said, both perpetrate iniquities, and cease not to rejoice; concerning whom it is said through Solomon: Who are glad when they have done evil, and rejoice in the worst things (Prov. ii, 14). And again:
There are wicked men who are so secure, as if they had the deeds of the just (Eccles. viii, 14). These indeed are not raised by safety, but by madness, who are proud when they ought to have been afflicted; and thence, wretched, they flow down in exultation, whence by the good they are wept over. Like to the senses of the frenzied, they think the madness by which they prevail to be strength; who know not that this is from disease, that they can do more than the healthy; and they esteem themselves as it were to have grown in strength, while by the increases of languor they approach the end of life. Who, because they have not the sense of reason, are wept over, and laugh; and they spread themselves out in great exultation, so much the more as, being insensible, they are ignorant of the evil which they suffer.
The Lord, therefore, lifts up the mourners with safety, because the mind of the elect grows glad not from the madness of the present life, but from the certainty of eternal salvation. Whence fitly straightway concerning this very destruction of the wicked it is subjoined: