約伯倫理 第 455 章

Same verse. — Suffer me therefore, that I may bewail my sorrow a little. 93. Excessive grief takes away tears and the sense of pain. The force of habit does not let us weep for our evils. — For just as moderate affliction wrings out tears, so immoderate affliction withdraws them, because grief itself becomes as it were without grief, which, devouring the mind of the afflicted, takes away the sense of pain. The holy man therefore dreads to be smitten more than suffices, saying: Suffer me therefore, that I may bewail my sorrow a little. As if he plainly said: Temper the scourges of Thy chastisement, that, my pains being moderated, I may grow strong by weeping to estimate the evils I suffer. Yet this can also be understood otherwise.

For often a sinner is so bound by the chains of his own iniquity that he indeed bears the weight of his sins, yet, because he bears it, is ignorant of it. Often, even if he knows by how great guilt he is pressed, he strives to break forth and cannot, so as to pursue it with a free mind, with entire conversion. He cannot therefore weep for his sorrow, because he both considers the guilt of his own iniquity, and yet, because of the weight of earthly occupation, has no leisure at all to groan over it. He cannot weep for his sorrow who indeed strives to go against depraved habit, but yet is still weighed down by the growing desires of the flesh. The presence of this sorrow had tormented the mind of the Prophet, when he said:

My sorrow is ever before me, for I will declare my iniquity, and I will take thought for my sin (Psalm 37:18,19). But he knew that he had been released, the chains of his iniquity being loosed, who exulted, saying: Thou hast burst my bonds asunder, I will sacrifice to Thee the victim of praise (Psalm 115:16). 94. Unless God help us to it. — Then, therefore, the Lord suffers us to bewail our sorrow, when He both shows us the evils we have done, and helps us to weep for these same things we recognize. He sets our faults before our eyes, and with the pious hand of grace He loosens the bonds of the heart, so that our mind may raise itself to the leisure of penitence, and, freed from the fetters of the flesh, may direct the free step of love toward its Author.

For very often we ourselves reprehend our own life, yet we gladly do that which in ourselves we rightly disapprove. The spirit raises us to righteousness, but habit binds the flesh. The mind resists its own love, but is straightway captivated by delight. Well therefore is it said: Suffer me therefore, that I may bewail my sorrow a little; because unless we are mercifully released from the guilt of the fault by which we have bound ourselves, we cannot perfectly weep for that which in our very selves we grieve over against ourselves. But then is the sorrow of our guilt truly bewailed, when that dark retribution of hell is foreseen with intent fear. Whence it is aptly added: