約伯倫理 第 329 章

Verse 12. My strength is not the strength of stones, nor is my flesh of brass. 26. At God's striking, some are stones without sound, others sounding brass without feeling. Job is strong not through madness, but through the state of salvation. What is signified in this place by brass and stones, save the hearts of insensible men, who often both receive blows from on high, and yet are softened by no stroke of discipline? Against which it is said to the elect through the prophet, the Lord promising: I will take away from you the heart of stone, and will give you a heart of flesh (Ezek. xi, 19). Paul also says: If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal (1 Cor. xiii, 1).

But we know that stones, when struck, cannot render a clear sound; brass, however, when it is struck, a very sonorous sound is formed from its striking. And because it, like stones, lacks life, it has no feeling in its sound. And there are some who, like stones, have so hardened against the precepts of piety, that when the striking of the supernal chastisement examines them, they by no means render the sound of humble confession. But certain others, in no way differing from the metal of brass, when they receive the scourges of the supernal striking, emit the sound of pious confession; but because they do not bring forth the voices of humility from the heart, when brought back to the state of health, they know not what they promised. Those, then, struck after the manner of stones, have not even voices;

but these do not in any way flee the imitation of brass, who, placed under striking, speak the good things which they do not feel. Those deny even words to the reverence of the one striking; these, promising what they do not fulfill, cry out without life. The holy man therefore, fleeing the hardness of the reprobate amid the blows, let him say: My strength is not the strength of stones, nor is my flesh of brass. As if he plainly confessed, saying: I flee the likeness of the reprobate under the lash of discipline, because I have neither so hardened after the manner of stones, that under the goad of striking I fall silent from the ministry of confession; nor again do I, like brass, resound the voice of confession, and yet am ignorant of the sense of the voice.

But because the reprobate are weakly strong at striking, while the elect are mightily weak, blessed Job, while he asserts that he is not strong through madness, makes known that he is strong through the state of salvation. [Old Version XI.] Whence, therefore, he has received this same strength, let him intimate, lest, if he arrogate to himself the powers which he has, he run mightily to death. For very often the virtue that is possessed kills worse than if it were absent; because while it raises the mind to confidence in itself, it transfixes it with the sword of elation; and while it as it were vivifies it by strengthening, it slays it by lifting it up; namely, it drags to destruction that which by its own hope it tears away from confidence in inward fortitude.

But because blessed Job both is mighty in virtue, and has no confidence in himself, and, so to speak, has powers while being weak, he fittingly subjoins, saying: