約伯倫理 第 637 章

Verse 11.—'My days have passed away, my thoughts are dissipated, tormenting my heart.' 46. The days of the Church are prosperity, the nights adversity. The saints, compelled to administer earthly affairs, feel themselves tormented.—The holy Church of the elect beholds the spaces of her life pass through daily and nightly seasons, because she is wont to have her night in adversities, but her day in prosperities. For light arises for her, as it were, out of the tranquillity of peace, and night out of the sorrow of persecution.

But when, after the leisure of rest, she returns to the labour of a persecution swelling against her, she testifies that her days have passed. Yet in those very days she is wont to be pressed with cares the heavier, the more she reckons that subtler reckonings will be sought from her by the Judge concerning that very tranquillity of peace. For in the tranquillity of peace at one moment she ponders the gains of souls, at another she cares for the administration of earthly things. Which administrations of earthly business are the heavier to good minds, the more that by the regard for them they are torn away, even for a little, from the contemplation of heavenly things. Wherefore well did blessed Job—whether in his own voice or in the voice of the universal Church—after he testified that his days had passed, at once add:

'My thoughts are dissipated, tormenting my heart.' Because, while temporal happiness passes away for good minds, the care also of earthly administration is withdrawn from them, which seemed to torment them in their thoughts. For while they desire always to be uplifted toward the attaining of heavenly things, by that very fact that they sometimes, from earthly administration, descend to think on lowly things, they feel themselves tormented. Whence it comes to pass that even the very adversity of persecution is turned into a great exultation of joy, on account of the rest of heart that is gained. Wherefore it is aptly added: