約伯倫理 第 1065 章

VERSE 27. — He shall look upon men, and shall say: 「I have sinned, and indeed I have offended, and I have not received as I was worthy.」 While they feignedly confess themselves to be sinners, they wish from the confession of sin to be adorned, not humbled. For the most part even those confess themselves to be sinners who do not believe themselves to have sinned. For it often happens that men everywhere admit themselves to be unjust, but when they truly hear others accusing them of their sins, they defend themselves with all their might, and strive to appear innocent. Each one therefore, when he is such, if he says that he has offended, truly does not say it, since he asserts himself a sinner not from the inmost of the heart, but only in word. For because it is written: 「The just is first the accuser of himself」 (Prov.

18:17), this one wished from the confession of sin to be adorned, not humbled; through his self-accusation he sought to appear humble, not to be so. For if by confessing sin he truly sought to be humble, he would not attack others who accuse him of the perpetration of sin. And so the just man, judging his own life by the examples of his betters, knows from the inmost of the heart that he is what he says. For he says: 「I have sinned, and indeed I have offended.」 And concerning that very scourge which he endures, he adds: 「And I have not received as I was worthy.」 Let him who is scourged for his sins acknowledge himself smitten less than he deserves. Punishment questions us, whether we truly acknowledge our fault.

For each one placed under the scourge still considers his sins too little, if he reckons himself smitten either only as much as, or more than, he deserved. But this man, because the more he considers the examples of his betters, the more strictly he weighs himself in examination, acknowledges himself smitten less than he deserved, because in their righteousness he beholds how grievous a fault it was for him that he erred; and therefore he does not feel that what he suffers is severe, because he strictly knows how to weigh what he has done. But it is very easy for anyone to confess himself a sinner when he suffers nothing for his sin. Securely indeed we call ourselves unjust, when we feel no vengeance for iniquity.

For in tranquility we indeed speak of ourselves as sinners, but when we are corrected for those very sins by an intervening scourge, we murmur. Punishment therefore questions us, whether we truly recognize our fault. And so the just man, because he strictly considers his own fault, even when placed under the scourge, let him say: 「And I have not received as I was worthy.」 There follows: