約伯倫理 第 1041 章

VERSE 8. — But, as I see, there is a spirit in men, and the inspiration of the Almighty gives understanding. 13. Four kinds of swelling in the arrogant: the first, to believe that one has good from oneself; the second, that it was given to one for one's own merits. Grace is not given for merits. The third, falsely to attribute some good to oneself; the fourth, to claim it for oneself alone, despising the rest. — This he would say rightly if he did not arrogate the same understanding to himself before all others. For it is no perverse condemnation to boast privately of that good which is given in common, to know from whom he received the good, and yet to be ignorant of how he ought to use the good he received.

For there are four kinds by which all swelling of the arrogant is displayed: when they suppose that they have good either from themselves; or if they believe it was given them from above, they think they have received it for their own merits; or indeed when they boast that they have what they do not have; or, despising the rest, they long to appear singularly to have what they have. For he boasted that he had good from himself, to whom it is said through the Apostle: What have you that you did not receive? And if you have received, why do you boast as though you had not received it (1 Corinthians 4:7)? Again, lest we should believe that the good of grace is given to us for our preceding merits, the same Apostle admonishes, saying:

You are saved by grace through faith; and this not of yourselves, for it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast (Ephesians 2:8). He also says of himself: I who before was a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious; but I obtained mercy (1 Timothy 1:13). By which words he plainly declares that grace is not bestowed for merits, since out of himself he taught both what he deserved on account of his malice, and what he received from God's benevolence. Again, some boast that they have what they do not have, as is said by the divine voice through the prophet concerning Moab: I know his pride, and his arrogance, and that his strength is not according to it (Jeremiah 48:29). And as is said to the angel of the Church of Laodicea:

Because you say, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and you know not that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked (Revelation 3:17). Again, some, despising the rest, long to appear singularly to have the good which they have. Hence the Pharisee went down from the temple without justification (Luke 18:14), because, attributing to himself the merits of good works as though singularly his own, he preferred himself to the publican who was praying. The holy apostles too are recalled from this vice of pride, who, returning from their preaching, when they said with elation: Lord, in your name even the demons are subject to us (Luke 10:17), lest they should rejoice over this singularity of miracles, the Lord at once answered them, saying:

I saw Satan falling like lightning from heaven (Luke 10:18). For he himself, being singularly exalted, had said: I will exalt my throne above the stars of heaven, I will sit upon the mount of the covenant, in the sides of the north, I will be like the Most High (Isaiah 14:13). And wonderfully the Lord, in order to press down elation in the hearts of his disciples, at once related the judgment of ruin which the very master of elation received, so that in the author of pride they might learn what they should dread from the vice of elation. And so in this fourth kind of arrogance the human soul frequently slips, so that it glories in having singularly what it has.

In which, nevertheless, it draws nearer to the likeness of the devil, because whoever rejoices to have good singularly, whoever seeks to appear loftier than the rest, imitates him who, despising the good of the fellowship of the angels, setting his seat toward the north, and proudly craving the likeness of the Most High, through wicked desire tried as it were to burst forth to a certain summit of singularity. Elihu therefore, although he confesses that wisdom is given by the Lord, nevertheless slips into this kind of elation, so that he rejoices to be wiser than the rest, and vainly exalts himself as over a singular good. Which he indicates in the following words, saying: