Moralia in Job 368

Verses 13, 14. — 'If I say, My bed shall comfort me, and I shall be relieved speaking with myself upon my couch; thou wilt terrify me with dreams, and shatter me with horror through visions.' 41. The just man returns from outward things to his heart, yet finds no rest there. He is troubled by the terror of God's judgments. For in sacred discourse a bed, a couch, or a resting-place is wont to be understood as the secret of the heart. Hence it is that, under the figure of every soul, the Bride, stirred by the hidden goads of holy love, says in the Song of Songs: 'In my bed by night I sought him whom my soul loveth' (Cant. iii, 1).

Indeed the beloved is sought on the bed and by night, because assuredly the form of the invisible Creator, when every image of bodily vision is suppressed, is found in the chamber of the heart. Whence also the Truth says to these His lovers: 'The kingdom of God is within you' (Luke xvii, 21). And again: 'If I go not, the Paraclete will not come' (John xvi, 7). As if He plainly said: If I withdraw not the body from the eyes of your intention, I lead you not by the consoling Spirit to invisible understanding. Hence it is said of the just through the Psalmist: 'The saints shall exult in glory, they shall rejoice in their beds' (Ps. cxlix, 5), because, namely, when they flee evils from without, they glory secure within the secret places of their minds.

But then the joy of hearts will be perfect when there is no more the outward battle of the flesh. For as long as the flesh allures, since the wall as it were of our house is shaken, even the couch is disturbed. Whence also it is rightly said through the same Psalmist: 'Thou hast turned all his couch in his infirmity' (Ps. xl, 4), because while the temptation of the flesh shakes us, our infirmity thus enfeebled confounds even the couch of the mind. But what do we here take dreams or visions to be, save the imaginings of the last and strict examination? which we now in some fashion perceive through fear, yet do not see as it truly is.

Holy men therefore, as we have said, ever return to the secret places of the heart, when from this world they suffer either prosperity beyond their wish or adversity beyond their strength; and, wearied by outward labours, they seek as it were a couch or bed, the chambers of the mind. But while by certain imaginings of thoughts they behold how subtle are the divine judgments, they are as it were disturbed by the vision of a dream in the very rest of their couch. For they contemplate how strict a Judge shall come, who, when by the force of His immense greatness He illuminates the secrets of hearts, brings back all faults before the eyes. They weigh how great is that shame, to be confounded then in the sight of the whole human race, of all the angels and archangels.

They ponder what torment remains after that confusion, when hell consumes both the guilty soul, dying immortally, and the flesh, unfailingly failing. When therefore the mind is shaken with so dread an imagining, what else is this than a sad dream seen upon the couch? Let him therefore say: 'If I say, My bed shall comfort me, and I shall be relieved speaking with myself upon my couch, thou wilt terrify me with dreams, and shatter me with horror through visions.' As if he plainly confessed, saying: If, fleeing outward things, I return inward, and in some fashion long to rest in the chamber of the heart, there, while thou settest me before the contemplation of thy strictness, thou vehemently terrifiest me through these very imaginings of my providence. And it is well said:

'And I shall be relieved, speaking with myself upon my couch,' because assuredly when, wearied, we return to the silence of our mind, as if conversing upon our couch, we turn over within us the hidden words of our thoughts. But this very colloquy of ours is turned into dread, because from it there is more vehemently opened to us in the mind an understanding which threatens the terror of the Judge. [Older reading, XVIII.] 42. The six causes of dreams. — But lest anyone should be zealous to scrutinize these things according to the letter, it must be greatly inquired in how many ways the images of dreams touch the soul.

For sometimes dreams are generated by fullness or emptiness of the belly, sometimes indeed by illusion, sometimes by thought together with illusion, sometimes by revelation, and sometimes by thought together with revelation. But the two we named first we all know by experience, while the four subjoined we find in the pages of sacred Scripture. For unless dreams for the most part arose from the hidden foe through illusion, the wise man would by no means have indicated this, saying: 'Dreams have caused many to err, and vain illusions' (Ecclus. xxxiv, 7). Or surely: 'Ye shall not divine, nor observe dreams' (Levit. xix, 26). By which words indeed is shown of what detestation are those things which are joined with auguries.

Again, unless dreams sometimes proceeded from thought together with illusion, Solomon would by no means have said: 'Many cares follow dreams' (Eccles. v, 2). And unless dreams sometimes arose from the mystery of revelation, Joseph would not have seen himself in a dream to be preferred before his brethren (Gen. xxxvii, 7), nor would the angel through a dream have warned Mary's spouse to flee into Egypt, the child being taken away (Matt. ii, 13). Again, unless dreams sometimes proceeded from thought together with revelation, the prophet Daniel, expounding Nebuchadnezzar's vision, would by no means have begun from the root of thought: 'Thou, O king, didst begin to think upon thy bed what should come to pass hereafter, and he that revealeth mysteries showed thee what is to come' (Dan.

ii, 29). And a little after: 'Thou sawest, and behold as it were one great statue; that great statue, and of lofty stature, stood before thee' (ibid., 31), and so forth. Daniel therefore, while he reverently intimates the dream that is to be fulfilled, and makes manifest from what thought it arose, plainly shows that this for the most part is generated from thought together with revelation. 43. Dreams are not easily to be believed. Why the demon is permitted to affect the hearts of the saints with dreams. But assuredly, since dreams vary with so many qualities of things, they ought so much the more difficultly to be believed, the less easily it also appears from what impulse they come. For often the malignant spirit promises prosperous things even to sleepers, whom by love of the present life he intercepts while waking;

and to those whom he perceives to dread adversities, he presses these upon them more harshly with dream-images, so that he may affect the undiscerning mind with diverse qualities, and confound it either by uplifting it with hope or depressing it with fear. But often he strives to affect even the hearts of the saints with dreams, that they may be diverted from the intention of solid thought, at least for a time and a moment, although they straightway shake off their mind from the imagining of the illusion. But the ambushing enemy assails them more grievously sleeping, in that he in no way overcomes them waking. Yet the supernal dispensation benignly permits him to do these things malignly, lest even sleep itself in the hearts of the elect be void of the reward of suffering. Well therefore is it said to the Ruler of all:

'If I say, My bed shall comfort me, and I shall be relieved speaking with myself upon my couch, thou wilt terrify me with dreams, and shatter me with horror through visions,' because assuredly God wondrously dispenses all things, and He Himself does what the malignant spirit unjustly craves to do, He who permits this to be done only justly. But since the life of the just is both shaken by temptation in waking and wearied by illusion in dreams, outwardly bears the troubles of its corruption, inwardly within itself grievously carries unlawful thoughts, what is he to do, that he may pluck the foot of his heart from so many snares of scandals? Behold, O blessed man, we have learned by what great disturbance thou art oppressed on every side; but let us hear what counsel thou mayest find against this.