Verse 6.—'That he might show thee the secrets of wisdom, and that his law is manifold.' 6. Which works of wisdom are public, which secret.—Public are the works of supernal wisdom, when Almighty God rules those whom He creates, perfects the good things which He begins, and by inspiring aids those whom He illumines with the light of His visitation. For it is clear to all that those whom He created gratuitously He benignly disposes. And when He bestows spiritual gifts, He Himself perfects what He Himself, out of the gift of His benignity, began. But secret are the works of supernal wisdom when God forsakes those whom He created; when the good things which He had begun by preventing grace He by no means consummates by prosecuting;
when He illumines us with the brightness of His illustration, and yet, the temptations of the flesh being permitted, He strikes us with the darkness of blindness; when He by no means guards the gifts which He conferred; when He both excites the desires of our mind toward Himself, and yet by hidden judgment straitens us with the difficulty of our own weakness. 7. He finds these secrets by not finding, who has learned that they cannot be comprehended. The law of God is the charity of Christ.—Which secrets indeed of His wisdom few are able to seek out, but none to find, because what is disposed above us concerning us, not unjustly, by the immortal wisdom, it is assuredly just that it be still unknown to us mortals.
But to behold, in some measure, these very secrets of that wisdom is already to see the power of its incomprehensibility, because although in the very investigation of His counsels we fail, yet by failing we more truly learn whom we should fear. To these secrets of that wisdom Paul had stretched himself, when he said: 'O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! how incomprehensible are His judgments, and unsearchable His ways. For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been His counsellor?' (Romans xi, 33). Who, also above, wearying from the very investigation, yet by wearying profiting unto the knowledge of his own infirmity, premises, saying: 'O man, who art thou that repliest against God?'
Does the thing formed say to him who formed it, 'Why have you made me thus?' (Rom. 9:20). He, therefore, who, being unable to reach the hidden things of God, returned to the knowledge of his own weakness, and by falling short recalled himself to his proper instruction, found (so to speak) the secrets of wisdom by not finding them; for when he grew weary in searching out the counsels above, he learned to fear more humbly; and the man whom his own weakness thrust back from inward knowledge, humility more truly joined to it. And so Zophar, both skilled through the study of knowledge and ignorant through the boldness of swollen speech, since he himself lacks gravity, wishes for a better man the thing that he possesses, saying:
And would that God might speak with you, and open his lips to you, that he might show you the secrets of wisdom! He too, by wishing for that very wisdom in which he reckons himself to excel his friend, makes a display of it, for he at once adds: And that his law is manifold. What ought here to be understood by the law of God except charity, through which the precepts of life are ever read in the mind, as to how they may be held fast in action? For of this law it is said by the voice of Truth: This is my commandment, that you love one another (John 15:12). Of this Paul says: Love is the fulfilling of the law (Rom. 13:10). Of this again he says: Bear one another's burdens, and so you shall fulfil the law of Christ (Gal. 6:2).
For what can the law of Christ be more fittingly understood to be than charity, which we then truly fulfil when out of love we bear our brother's burdens? 8. Charity begins with two precepts and extends itself to countless ones. Love of neighbour guards against doing harm and takes care to do good. In how many ways are these two rendered! But this same law is called manifold, because with zealous care charity is enlarged into all the works of the virtues. It begins indeed from two precepts, but extends itself to countless. For the beginning of this law is the love of God and the love of neighbour. But the love of God is distinguished by three things, since the Creator is commanded to be loved with the whole heart, and with the whole soul, and with the whole strength.
In which matter it must be noted that the divine word, when it commands God to be loved, not only tells from what, but also instructs as to how much, when it adds 'with the whole'; namely, that he who desires perfectly to please God may keep nothing of himself for himself. But love of neighbour is derived into two precepts, since it is said through a certain righteous man: What you hate to have done to you by another, see that you do not do to another (Tob. 4:16). And through her own self Truth says: Whatever you wish that men should do to you, do you also to them (Matt. 7:12). By which two commandments, namely of both Testaments, through the one malice is restrained, through the other kindness is bestowed beforehand, so that a man, by not doing the evil which he does not wish to suffer, may cease from the work of harming;
and again, by bestowing the good which he desires to be done to himself, he may by kindness exercise himself toward his neighbour's benefit. But surely, when these two are pondered with anxious attention, the heart is stretched toward countless ministries of the virtues, lest either the restless mind grow hot toward inflicting what it ought not through desires, or, dissolved in idleness, grow sluggish toward showing forth what it ought. For when it guards against doing to another what it in no way wishes to endure from another, it looks about itself with careful attention: lest pride lift it up, and casting down the mind even to contempt of the neighbour, exalt it; lest ambition tear the thought, and, when it enlarges this toward seeking things belonging to others, straiten it; lest luxury pollute the heart, and corrupt the mind, subjected to desires, through unlawful things;
lest anger exasperate it, and inflame it even to the uttering of insult; lest envy gnaw at it, and, jealous of others' good fortunes, consume itself with its own torch; lest loquacity immoderately drag the tongue along, and stretch it even to the wantonness of detraction; lest malice stir up hatred, and provoke the mouth even to the dart of cursing. Again, when it considers to do to another those things which it itself expects to be done to it by another, it surely ponders how to answer evil with good, and good with better; how to show the meekness of long-suffering toward the insolent; how to bestow the grace of kindness upon those languishing with the plague of malice; how to unite the discordant in peace, and gird the concordant toward a longing for true peace; how to grant the needy their necessities;
how to show the wanderers the way of uprightness; how to soothe the afflicted with word and compassion; how to quench with rebuke those inflamed with the desires of this world; how to mitigate by reasoning the threats of the powerful; how to lighten by whatever means it can prevail the straits of the oppressed; how to set patience against those who resist without; how to display discipline with patience toward those who are proud within; how so to temper zeal with meekness toward the faults of subordinates that it does not enervate it from the pursuit of justice; how zeal may so burn toward punishment that yet in burning it does not overstep the bound of piety; how to provoke the ungrateful to love by benefits; how to keep the grateful in love by ministries;
how, when it cannot correct the evils of neighbours, to keep silent; and yet, when they can be corrected by speaking, to be afraid that silence is consent; how so to endure those things it keeps silent about that yet it does not conceal in the soul the poison of resentment; how so to show the gift of kindness to the malevolent that yet through favour it does not depart from the rule of uprightness; how to bestow on neighbours all that it can prevail, yet in bestowing not be puffed up; how so to dread the precipice of pride in the good things it shows forth that yet it does not grow sluggish from the exercise of good; how so to give what it possesses that it may attend to how great is the bounty of the One who rewards; lest, when it bestows earthly things, it think of its own poverty more than is necessary, and in the offering of the gift, sadness darken the light of cheerfulness.
9. Charity is shown in manifold forms by the examples of the saints. Rightly therefore is the law of God called manifold, because surely, though charity is one and the same, if it has fully taken hold of the mind, it kindles this in manifold ways to countless works. Its diversity we briefly express, if by touching upon them we number its good deeds in the several elect. For it was this that through Abel offered choice gifts to God, and without resisting endured his brother's sword (Gen. 4:4,8). This taught Enoch both to live spiritually among men, and drew him even bodily away from men to the sublime life (Gen. 5:24).
This showed Noah, despising all things, alone pleasing to God, and exercised him in the building of the ark with the labour of long toil, and by his pious work preserved him as survivor over the world (Gen. 7:6). This through Shem and Japheth blushed humbly at the shameful things of the father to be reverenced, and with a cloak cast over their backs hid what they did not look upon (Gen. 9:23). This, because in obedience it lifted up Abraham's right hand to the slaying of his son, made him the father of a countless offspring, the father of nations (Gen. 22:10). This dilated Isaac's mind, because he always kept it toward purity, when his eyes were dimmed by age, to see things far off and yet to come (Gen. 27:1).
This compelled Jacob both to groan from the marrow for the good son he had lost, and to endure with equanimity the presence of his depraved sons (Gen. 37:34). This taught Joseph, sold by his brethren, both to suffer the lot of slaves with unbroken freedom of soul, and afterward, with mind not lifted up, to rule over those same brethren (Gen. 42:33). This both laid Moses low in prayers even to the petition for death when the people sinned, and raised him up through zealous ardour even to the slaying of the people, so that both he might set himself against death for the perishing multitude, and forthwith, in the stead of the angered Lord, rage against the one who sinned (Exod. 32:33).
This raised Phinehas' arm to the avenging of sinners, so that, seizing the sword, he pierced through those who came together, and, being angry, appeased the anger of the Lord (Num. 25:8,9). This taught Joshua the spy, that both before he should defend the truth by word against the lying citizens, and afterward should plead it by the sword against the enemies (Josh. 1:2ff; Num. 14:6,7ff). This both showed Samuel humble in the principate, and kept him whole in his casting down, who, when he loved the people that persecuted him, was himself a witness for himself, because he did not love the height from which he was cast down (1 Sam. 3:4ff). This both moved David before the wicked king by humility to flight, and filled him with piety unto pardon;
who both fled his persecutor in fear as a lord, and yet, when he found the power of striking him, did not acknowledge an enemy (1 Sam. 24:6,18). This both lifted up Nathan against the sinning king in the authority of free rebuke, and, when the king's fault was absent, laid him low in humble petition (2 Sam. 12:1ff). This through Isaiah did not blush at the nakedness of the flesh in preaching, and, with the fleshly veil drawn away, penetrated the heavenly mysteries (Isa. 20:2). This drew Elijah, because it taught him to live spiritually in the zeal of fervour, even bodily also to life (2 Kings 2:11). This filled Elisha doubly with the spirit of his master, because it disposed him simply to love his master (ibid. v.10).
Through this Jeremiah withstood the people, that they should not go down into Egypt; but yet, loving even the disobedient, he himself went down whither he had forbidden them to descend (Jer. 42:18). This suspended Ezekiel in the air by a lock of his head, because first it lifted him up from earthly desires (Ezek. 8:5). This in Daniel, because it restrained his gullet from the royal delicacies, closed for him also the mouths of the hungering lions (Dan. 14:40). This in the three young men, because it subjected the fires of vice to those set in tranquillity, in the time of tribulation also tempered the flames in the furnace (Dan. 3:50). This in Peter both stoutly withstood the threats of terrifying princes, and humbly heard the words of lesser men in the setting aside of circumcision.
This in Paul both humbly bore the hands of persecutors, and yet in the matter of circumcision boldly rebuked the sense of one far his superior and prior (Acts 15). This law of God, therefore, is manifold, which, unchanged, suits the several articles of things, and, unvaried, joins itself to varying causes. 10. The offices of charity from Paul. Of which law's manifoldness surely Paul well enumerates, saying: Charity is patient, is kind; it envies not, is not puffed up, deals not perversely, is not ambitious, seeks not the things that are its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil, rejoices not over iniquity, but rejoices together with the truth (1 Cor. 13:4).
Charity indeed is patient, because it endures with equanimity the evils inflicted. It is kind, because in return for evils it bountifully ministers good. It envies not, because through this, that it desires nothing in the present world, it knows not how to envy earthly successes. It is not puffed up, because, while it anxiously desires the reward of the inward recompense, it does not exalt itself over outward goods. It deals not perversely, because, the more it dilates itself into the love of God and neighbour alone, it is ignorant of whatever departs from uprightness. It is not ambitious, because, the more ardently it busies itself within toward its own things, in no way does it covet outwardly things belonging to others.
It seeks not the things that are its own, because it neglects as belonging to another all that it here transitorily possesses, since it recognizes that nothing is its own except what remains with it. It is not provoked, because even when provoked by injuries it stirs itself to no motions of revenge, while for great labours it awaits greater rewards afterward. It thinks no evil, because, firming the mind in the love of purity, while it plucks up all hatred by the root, it knows not how to turn over in the soul what defiles. It rejoices not over iniquity, because, since it pants toward all men in love alone, neither does it exult over the destruction of adversaries.
But it rejoices together with the truth, because, loving others as itself, through this, that it beholds what is upright in others, it grows glad as though from the increase of its own advancement. This law of God, therefore, is manifold, which meets, with the defence of its own instruction, the dart of each individual fault that attacks the mind to be destroyed, so that, because the ancient enemy besieges us with varied encirclement, it may in manifold fashion drive him off from us. Which law, indeed, if we weigh with anxious consideration, we recognize how much we daily offend our Author. But if we ponder our faults, then assuredly we endure the scourges with equanimity; nor does the conscience break out into impatience from grief, when it consigns itself to its own judgment.
Whence Zophar, knowing what he should say but not knowing to whom he said it, after he had premised, saying, That he might show you the secrets of wisdom, and that his law is manifold, straightway adds: