約伯倫理 第 347 章

Verse 28.— Nevertheless, finish what you have begun; lend your ear and see whether I lie. 2. Toward adversaries, true charity must have patience and kindness present with it.— Because he does not fear to endure adversities, let him say: Nevertheless, finish what you have begun. But because he does not withhold the proclamations of truth from his very persecutors, let him add: Lend your ear, and see whether I lie. As if he openly said: I neither tremble before the troubles inflicted, nor hide from unwilling hearers the helps of correction, because I am both exercised when pressed by the wicked, and, kindly bestowed upon my very persecutors, I grow.

For the mind of the saints in this battle of temptations, both fortified with the shield of patience and girt with the swords of love, takes courage to endure evils, and puts forth kindness to repay good things, so that it may powerfully receive the darts of hatreds and mightily return the javelins of love. For by no means does he go armed to wars who either, taking a shield, does not use swords, or, using swords, is not fortified with a shield. Whence also the soldier of God, caught in the war of adversity, ought both to hold before him the shield of patience, lest he perish, and, ready to preach, to hurl the javelins of love, that he may conquer. The sum of which armour Paul briefly intimates, saying: Charity is patient, is kind (1 Cor. 13:4).

But when one of the two is lacking, charity is not there; if, namely, either tolerating the wicked without kindness, one does not love, or again, showing oneself without patience, one neglects to tolerate those one loves. In order therefore that true charity may be held by us, it is necessary that both patience aid kindness and again kindness support patience, so that, constructing some great edifice in our heart, patience may make solid the citadel of kindness, and kindness may adorn the founded buildings of patience. Let blessed Job therefore, ready for patience, say: Nevertheless, finish what you have begun; endowed with kindness, let him add: Lend your ear, and see whether I lie. 3.

The Church strives to recall the erring by reasons.— But because holy Church, instituted by the teaching of humility, does not command as though from authority the right things she says to the erring, but persuades from reason, well is it now said: See whether I lie. As if she openly says: The things I assert, believe me by no means from authority, but weigh from reason whether they be true. And if at any time she says something that cannot be comprehended by reason, she reasonably persuades that human reason ought not to inquire into hidden things. But often the heretics, while they receive occasion for reasoning, are unbridled into the quarrels of contention. Whence also fitly it is straightway subjoined: