約伯倫理 第 1190 章

IBID. — 'I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.' 15. God questions us in three ways: by scourging, by commanding hard things, by concealing certain things from us. — Our Creator is accustomed to question us in three ways: either when He smites us with the severity of the scourge, and shows how much patience is present in us or lacking to us; or when He commands certain things which we do not wish, and lays open to us our own obedience or disobedience; or when He opens to us certain hidden things and conceals others, and makes known to us the measure of our humility.

For by the scourge He questions when He strikes with afflictions a mind well subjected to Him through tranquillity, just as Job himself is both praised by the testimony of the Judge, and yet is delivered up to the blows of the smiter (Job II, 3, 7), so that his patience might shine forth the more truly, by however much the more harshly it had been examined. But He questions us by commanding hard things, as Abraham is commanded to go forth from his own land and to journey whither he knew not (Gen. XII, 1), to lead his only son to the mountain, and to offer up the one whom as an old man he had received for consolation (Gen. XXII, 2). To whom indeed, answering well to the question, that is, obeying the command, it is said: 'Now I know that thou fearest God' (Ibid., 12). Or as it is written:

'The Lord your God trieth you, that it may appear whether you love Him' (Deut. XIII, 3). For to try is God's way of questioning us with great commands. And to know is His way of causing us to know our own obedience. But by opening certain things to us and closing certain things, God questions us, as it is said through the Psalmist: 'His eyelids question the sons of men' (Ps. X, 6, LXX). For with open eyelids we discern, with closed ones we see nothing. What therefore do we take the eyelids of God to be, but His judgments!

These are in one respect closed to men, and in another respect opened, so that men who know not themselves may become known to themselves; to the end that, while they comprehend certain things by understanding, and yet can by no means know certain things, their hearts may secretly search themselves, whether the divine judgments, when closed, do not goad them, or, when opened, do not puff them up. For by this questioning Paul was proved, who, after receiving inward wisdom, after the opened enclosures of paradise, after the ascent to the third heaven, after the mysteries of heavenly discourse, yet says: 'I count not myself to have apprehended' (Phil. III, 13). And again: 'I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle' (1 Cor. XV, 9). And again:

'Not that we are sufficient to think anything of ourselves, as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God' (2 Cor. III, 5). With the eyelids of God therefore opened, Paul, being questioned, answered rightly, who both attained the heavenly secrets, and yet stood sublimely in humility of heart. Who again, when he examined the secret judgments of God concerning the rejection of the Jews and the calling of the Gentiles, and could not arrive at them, was questioned as it were with the eyelids of God closed. But he rendered an exceedingly right answer, who knowingly bowed himself to God in his very ignorance, saying: 'O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how incomprehensible are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!'

'For who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been His counsellor?' (Rom. XI, 34). Behold, being questioned as it were with closed eyelids concerning the hidden mysteries, he answered things pleasing and right; who, knocking at the entrance of the secret, because he could not be admitted to the interior through knowledge, stood humble before the doors through confession; and what he could not comprehend within, he praised outside by fearing. Whence now also blessed Job, after the questioning of the scourge, is examined by the questioning of speech, that he may consider what things are on high; which, while he by no means comprehends them, he may return to himself, and know how nearly next to nothing he is in comparison with the things above. Let him hear therefore: 'I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.' As if it were more openly said:

By my words I stir thee to consider things sublime, and while thou perceivest that thou art ignorant of the things that are above thee, I render thee better known to thyself. For then thou truly answerest me, if thou understandest the things thou art ignorant of. There follows: