Moralia in Job 469

Verse 10. If He shall overthrow all things, or press them together into one, who shall contradict Him? or who can say to Him, Why do You do so? 16. How God overthrows in us the heaven, hell, earth, and sea. The Lord overthrows heaven when by terrible and hidden dispensation He destroys the loftiness of human contemplation. He overthrows hell when He permits the mind of anyone, fearful in his temptations, to fall even to worse things. He overthrows the earth when He cuts off the fruit-bearing of good work by adversities rushing in. He overthrows the sea when He confounds the fluctuation of our wavering by a fear suddenly emerging.

For by its own doubt the anxious heart greatly dreads this very thing, that it wavers, and it is, as it were, a sea overthrown when our very trembling toward God, when His judgment's terror is considered, is troubled. Since, therefore, we have briefly said how the heaven or hell, the earth or the sea is overthrown, it now remains, somewhat more laboriously, for us to demonstrate how these can be pressed together into one. 17. The heaven and hell together, in one mind contemplation and the temptation of the flesh. For often it happens that the spirit now lifts the mind to the highest things, but yet the flesh assails it with importunate temptations. And when the soul is led to contemplate heavenly things, it is beaten back by the images of unlawful action cast before it.

For the goad of the flesh suddenly wounds the very man whom holy contemplation was snatching away beyond the flesh. Heaven and hell, therefore, are drawn together at once, when one and the same mind is both illumined by the uplifting of contemplation and darkened by the assault of temptation; so that by straining upward it beholds what it longs for, and by sinking down it endures in its thought what makes it blush. From heaven indeed light arises, but hell is held fast by darkness. So heaven and hell are gathered into one when a mind that already gazes upon the light of the heavenly homeland yet, from the war of the flesh, bears the darkness of hidden temptation. Surely Paul had already ascended to the summit of the third heaven, had already come to know the secrets of paradise, and yet, still enduring the wars of the flesh, he groaned, saying:

I see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind, and leading me captive under the law of sin which is in my members (Rom. vii, 23). What, then, had God pressed together in the breast of so great a preacher but heaven and hell, since he had already received the light of the inmost vision, and yet still bore the darkness from the flesh? Above himself he had seen what he might joyfully desire; within himself he perceived what he might fearfully bewail. Already the light of the heavenly homeland had shone forth, yet still the darkness of temptation confounded his soul. Together with heaven, therefore, he bore hell, because security lifted up the enlightened man, while groaning laid the wearied one low. 18.

Earth and sea together: the certainty of faith with some measure of doubt. And it often happens that faith already flourishes in the mind, yet in part somewhat withers away into doubt; so that it both raises itself, made certain, above things visible, and by certain uncertainties is disturbed within itself. For very often it lifts itself to long for things eternal, and, agitated by the goads of rising thoughts, it contradicts its very self. [Old Version, ch. XIII.] So earth and sea are drawn into one when the certainty of a solid faith strengthens one and the same mind, and yet, from some measure of changeableness, the breath of unbelief stirs up doubt. Did he not know that earth and sea were pressed together in his own breast, who, both hoping through faith and tossed by unbelief, said:

I believe, Lord; help my unbelief (Mark ix, 23)? What then does it mean that he both declares that he believes and seeks that his unbelief be helped, save that he had discovered earth pressed together with sea in his own thoughts, who had already begun with certainty to pray through faith, and yet, still uncertain, endured the waves of faithlessness arising from unbelief? 19. Why God permits the mind rising toward righteousness to be assailed. This, however, is permitted to happen by a hidden dispensation, that when the mind has already begun to rise toward uprightness, it should be assailed by the remnants of its own depravity; so that this very assault may either exercise the one who resists, or shatter the one seduced by pleasures. Rightly, therefore, is it now said:

If he overturn all things, or press them together into one, who shall gainsay him? or who can say to him, Why doest thou so? For truly the divine judgment can neither be diminished by adversity nor known by inquiry, since he either withdraws the virtues he had bestowed, or, not taking them away at all, permits them to be shaken by the assault of vices. For often the heart is lifted up into pride when it is strengthened in virtue by prosperous successes; but when the Creator beholds the hidden stirrings of boldness in the thought, he abandons a man by showing him to himself, so that his forsaken mind may discover what it is, which was wickedly rejoicing secure in itself. Therefore, when it was said that all things are overturned or pressed together into one, at once it is added: