Moralia in Job 764

Verse 33. — 'He was sweet to the gravels of Cocytus.' As he is bitter to the elect, so to the reprobate, by suggesting vices, he is sweet. — In the Greek tongue 'cocytus' means mourning, which mourning, however, is wont to be understood as that of women or of any weak persons. But the wise of this world, shut out from the light of truth, have tried, as it were, to grasp certain shadows of truth by their inquiry. Whence they supposed a river Cocytus to flow among the lower regions, evidently designating that those who do deeds worthy of griefs run down into hell unto mourning. But let us despise the shadow of carnal wisdom, we who already hold the light from the truth, and let us understand, by the voice of the blessed man, that Cocytus is called the mourning of the weak. For it is written:

'Act manfully, and let your heart be strengthened' (Psalm 30:25). For those who refuse to be strengthened in God tend, through weakness of soul, unto mourning. But we are accustomed to call 'gravels' the little stones of rivers, which the down-flowing water drags along. What, then, is designated by the gravels of Cocytus but the reprobate, who, given over to their pleasures, are, as it were, always dragged down from the river to the depths? For those who are unwilling to stand firmly against the pleasures of this world become the gravels of Cocytus, who by their daily lapses tend unto mourning, so that they may mourn forever hereafter, who now relax themselves delightfully in their pleasures.

And because the ancient enemy, having entered into his vessel, that reprobate man, while he bestows gifts upon the perverse, while he exalts them with honors in this world, while he holds prodigies before their eyes, unstable minds admire him in his prodigies and follow him, it is well said concerning him: 'He was sweet to the gravels of Cocytus.' For when the elect despise him, when with the heel of the mind they scorn him, those who follow love him — those who are dragged, as it were, from the water of pleasure to perpetual mourning, who, through earthly concupiscence, after the manner of gravel, are borne down by daily lapses to the depths. For to some he holds out a taste of his sweetness through pride, to others through avarice, to others through envy, to others through deceit, to others through luxury;

and unto how many kinds of vices he draws them, so many draughts, as it were, of his sweetness he offers. For when he persuades something proud in the mind, that becomes sweet which he says, because the perverse man desires to appear preferred to the rest. When he strives to pour avarice into the mind, that becomes sweet which he secretly whispers, because through abundance necessity is avoided. When he suggests something of envy, that becomes sweet which he says, because the perverse mind, while it sees another grow worse, exults that it may by no means appear inferior to him. When he persuades something of deceit, that becomes sweet which he suggests, because by that very thing whereby he deceives others, he seems wise to himself. When he speaks luxury to the deceived mind, that becomes sweet which he counsels, because he dissolves the soul in pleasure.

As many vices, then, as he plants in the hearts of carnal men, so many draughts of his own sweetness he holds out to them. Yet this sweetness of his, as I said before, none perceive save those who, given over to present pleasures, are dragged toward everlasting mourning. Well therefore is it said: 'He was sweet to the gravel of Cocytus,' because he is bitter to the elect and pleasant to the reprobate. For he feeds with his own delights those only whom by daily lapses he drives to lamentation. There follows: