71. He did not hear the cry of the exactor, that is, of the devil. — As was said above, who can be understood in this place by the exactor except the devil? He who by evil persuasion conferred the hope of immortality, but by deceiving exacts the tribute of death; who by persuading brought in guilt, by raging exacts the penalty. The speech of this exactor is, before man's death, cunning persuasion; but his cry is violent plunder already after death. For those whom before death he secretly intercepts, these after death he violently seizes into the fellowship of his own punishment. But because the Lord, coming to death, did not fear the violent assaults of this exactor, as he himself says: For the prince of this world comes, and in me he has nothing (John 14:30), it is well said:
He does not hear the cry of the exactor. For the exactor of the human race came to him, because he saw that he was man. But him whom he believed to be a man despised through weakness, he perceived to be above man in power. [Rec. XVI.] 72. The type of this exactor was Laban; of Christ, Jacob; of the Church, Rachel. — Laban indeed held the type of this exactor, when coming in fury he sought his idols in Jacob's keeping (Gen. 31:1ff). For Laban is interpreted 'whitening.' But whitening is not unfittingly taken for the devil, who, though he is truly dark, deservedly transfigures himself into an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14). Jacob served him; that is, on the part of the reprobate, the Jewish people, from whose flesh the incarnate Lord came.
By Laban too this world can be expressed, which pursues Jacob with fury, because by persecuting it strives to oppress all the elect who are members of our Redeemer. His daughter—that is, either of the world or of the devil—Jacob carried off, when Christ joined the Church to himself from the Gentiles. And he draws her away from her father's house, because through the Prophet he says to her: Forget your people and your father's house (Ps. 44:11). But what is designated by the idols except avarice? Whence through Paul it is said: And avarice, which is the service of idols (Col. 3:5). Laban therefore, coming to Jacob, did not find the idols, because when the treasures of the world were shown, the devil found in our Redeemer no traces of earthly concupiscence.
But what Jacob did not have, Rachel by sitting covered over. For by Rachel—who is also called 'ewe'—the Church is figured. But to sit is to seek the humility of penitence, as it is written: Rise after you have sat (Ps. 126:2). Rachel therefore by sitting covered the idols, because the holy Church, following Christ, covered over by repenting the vices of earthly concupiscence. Concerning this covering of vices it is said through the Psalmist: Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered (Ps. 31:1). We therefore signify that Rachel, we who press down the idols by sitting, if we condemn the faults of avarice by repenting. This avarice indeed is not wont to befall those who run manfully in the way of the Lord, to whom it is said:
Act manfully, and let your heart be strengthened (Ps. 30:25), but it befalls especially those who, walking as with an effeminate step, are dissolved through the flatteries of the world. Whence there also are these words of the same Rachel: According to the custom of women it has now befallen me (Gen. 31:35). With Jacob therefore Laban did not find the idols, because the cunning exactor found nothing in our Redeemer to reprehend. Concerning this exactor, to our Redeemer freeing the Gentiles from his dominion, it is said through the prophet: For the yoke of his burden, and the rod of his shoulder, and the scepter of his exactor you have overcome, as in the day of Midian (Isa. 9:4). For the Lord, snatching away the Gentiles, overcame the yoke
of his burden, when by his coming he freed her from that servitude of demoniac tyranny. He overcame the rod of his shoulder, when from the redeemed human race he restrained that stroke of his which by perverse work grievously oppressed. He overcame the scepter of his exactor, when he destroyed from the heart of the faithful the kingdom of that same devil, who for the pestilent perpetration of vices was accustomed to exact the debts of the tribute of punishments. [Vet. XXXII, Rec. XVII.] 73. Gideon's unusual battle against the Midianites prefigured Christ's contest. — But let us hear how these things were done. It is immediately subjoined: As in the day of Midian.
I think it not out of place if we discuss somewhat more widely this war of the Midianites, which the prophet watchfully brought forward in comparison with the Lord's coming. For in the book of Judges (Judg. 7:1ff) Gideon is described as having fought against the Midianites. When he led out the multitude of his army to battle, he was commanded by divine admonition that, coming to the river, he should remove from the conflict of battle all whom he saw drawing the waters with bent knees. And it was done that only three hundred men remained, who standing had drawn the waters with their hands. With these he goes to battle, and armed them not with weapons, but with trumpets, lamps, and pitchers (ibid. 19ff).
For, as it is written there, they put lighted lamps within the pitchers, and held the trumpets in the right hand and the pitchers in the left; and coming close upon their enemies, they blew the trumpets, broke the pitchers, and the lamps appeared; and the enemies, terrified here by the sound of the trumpets, there by the flashing of the lamps, were turned to flight. What is this, that such a war is brought forward by the prophet, and the victory of this battle is compared to the coming of our Redeemer? Did not the prophet strive to indicate to us that that victory of battle under Gideon as leader designated the coming of our Redeemer against the devil?
Such things indeed were done there, which, the more they exceed the usage of fighting, so much the more do they not depart from the mystery of prophecy. For who ever came to battle with pitchers and lamps? Or, coming against arms, abandoned arms? These things would indeed have been ridiculous to us, if they had not been terrible to the enemies. But by the very testimony of the victory we have learned not to weigh lightly these things that were done. Gideon therefore, coming to battle, signifies the coming of our Redeemer, of whom it is written: Lift up your gates, you princes, and be lifted up, you eternal gates, and the King of glory shall enter in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle (Ps.
23:7). Here he prophesied our Redeemer not only in deed, but also in name. For Gideon is interpreted 'going about in the womb.' For our Lord, through the power of his majesty, embraces all things, and yet through the grace of his dispensation came, taking humanity within the womb of the Virgin. Who then is 'going about in the womb,' except the omnipotent God, redeeming us by his dispensation, embracing all things by his divinity, and taking humanity within the womb? In which womb he both became incarnate, and yet was not enclosed, because he was both within the womb through the substance of infirmity, and outside the world through the power of majesty. But Midian is interpreted 'of judgment.'
For that his enemies were to be repelled and destroyed was not from the fault of the one repelling, but from the judgment of the one judging justly. And therefore they are called 'of judgment,' because, being strangers to the grace of the Redeemer, they draw the desert of just condemnation even in the vocable of their name. [Vet. XXXIII.] 74. What the three hundred soldiers fighting with Gideon signify. — Against these Gideon goes to battle with three hundred. In the number one hundred the fullness of perfection is wont to be understood. What then is designated by the number one hundred taken three times, except the perfect knowledge of the Trinity?
For with these our Lord destroys the adversaries of the faith, with these he descends to the wars of preaching—those who are able to know divine things, who know how to feel perfectly concerning the Trinity, which is God. But it is to be noted that this number of three hundred is contained in the letter tau, which holds the form of the cross. To which, if that which projects on the cross were added above the transverse line, it would no longer be the form of the cross, but the cross itself. Because therefore this number of three hundred is contained in the letter tau, and by the letter tau, as we have said, the form of the cross is shown, not without reason in these three hundred following Gideon are designated those to whom it was said:
If anyone will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me (Luke 9:23). Those who, following the Lord, so much the more truly take up the cross, the more sharply they both subdue themselves and are crucified toward their neighbors by the compassion of charity. Whence also through the prophet Ezekiel it is said: Mark a tau upon the foreheads of the men who groan and grieve (Ezek. 9:4). Or certainly in these three hundred, who are contained in the letter tau, this is expressed, that the iron of the enemies is overcome by the wood of the cross. And they were led to the river, that they might drink the waters, and whoever drew the waters with bent knees were removed from the warlike intention. For by the waters the doctrine of wisdom, but by the standing knee, right action is designated.
Those therefore who, while they drink the waters, are reported to have knelt, withdrew, forbidden from the contest of battle; because with those Christ goes to battle against the enemies of the faith who, when they draw the streams of doctrine, do not bend the uprightness of works. For all indeed are related to have drunk the water there, but not all to have stood with upright knee. And they were reproved who bent their knees while they drank the waters; because, as the Apostle testifies: Not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified (Rom. 2:13). For because, as we said, the dissolution of works is signified in the very bending of the knees, rightly again it is said through Paul:
Lift up the relaxed hands and the loosened knees, and make straight steps for your feet (Heb. 12:12). These therefore proceed to war under Christ as leader, who show by work that which they announce with the mouth, who spiritually draw the streams of doctrine, and yet are not carnally bent in depraved works, because as it is written: Praise is not comely in the mouth of a sinner (Sir. 15:9). 75. What the trumpets, lamps, and pitchers were, with which they went to battle and defeated the enemies. — Battle therefore was joined with trumpets, with lamps, with pitchers. Unusual, as we said, was this order of fighting. They blew the trumpets, and the pitchers were held in the left hands; but within the pitchers the lamps were placed;
but when the pitchers were broken, the lamps were shown, by whose flashing light the enemies, terrified, were turned to flight. There is designated therefore in the trumpets the cry of preachers, in the lamps the brightness of miracles, in the pitchers the fragility of bodies. For such our leader led with him to the battle of preaching, who, despising the safety of their bodies, laid low their enemies by dying, and overcame their swords not by weapons, not by swords, but by patience. For our martyrs came armed to battle under their leader—but with trumpets, with pitchers, with lamps. They sounded the trumpets, while they preach; they broke the pitchers, while in their passion they oppose to the hostile swords their bodies to be dissolved;
they shone with lamps, while after the dissolution of their bodies they flashed with miracles. And soon the enemies were turned to flight; because while they behold the bodies of the dead martyrs flashing with miracles, broken by the light of truth, they believed that which they had assailed. They blew therefore the trumpets, that the pitchers might be broken; the pitchers were broken, that the lamps might appear; the lamps appeared, that the enemies might be turned to flight; that is, the martyrs preached, until their bodies were dissolved in death; their bodies were dissolved in death, that they might flash with miracles; they flashed with miracles, that they might lay low their enemies by the divine light, so that they might in no way, being lifted up, resist God, but subject, might fear him. 76.
The preachers of the faith profited more by their death than by their preaching. — And it is to be noted that the enemies stood before the pitchers, but fled before the lamps, because indeed the persecutors of the holy Church resisted the preachers of the faith while they were still set in the body; but after the dissolution of their bodies, when the miracles appeared, they were turned to flight, because, struck through with terror, they ceased from the persecution of the faithful. By the preaching of the trumpets, that is, when the pitchers of bodies were broken, they feared the lamps of miracles which they saw. [Vel. XXXIV.] 77. For whom the care of the body is greater than of preaching, reprobation is to be feared. — It is also to be considered what is written there, that they held the trumpets in the right hand, but the pitchers in the left.
For we are said to hold as at the right hand whatever we weigh as great; but as at the left whatever we count as nothing. Well therefore is it written there that they held the trumpets in the right hand, but the pitchers in the left, because the martyrs of Christ hold as great the grace of preaching, but the usefulness of the body as least. For whoever does more for the usefulness of the body than for the grace of preaching, holds the trumpet in the left hand and the pitcher in the right. For if the grace of preaching is attended to in the first place, and the usefulness of the body in the latter, it is certain that the trumpets are held in the right, and the pitchers in the left. Hence the Lord says in the Gospel: Neither do they light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but upon a lampstand (Matt. 5:15).
For in the bushel temporal advantage, but in the lamp the light of preaching is understood. To put the lamp under the bushel, therefore, is, for the sake of temporal advantage, to hide the grace of preaching—which indeed none of the elect does. And well is it added there: But upon a lampstand. For in the lampstand the state of the body is designated, upon which the lamp is set, when the care of preaching is preferred to that same body. Well therefore was it said through the Prophet: You have overcome the scepter of his exactor, as in the day of Midian (Isa. 9:4). But because for the sake of expounding the prophetic testimony we have digressed far, let us return to the order of our work. Therefore after it was said:
He did not hear the cry of the exactor—because namely the Lord, manifested in the flesh, despised the snares of the ancient enemy—he rightly subjoins what he also did concerning his elect, saying: