約伯倫理 第 673 章

Ibid. — 'And you are not ashamed to oppress me.' 31. The enemies of the Church are restrained neither by the fear of God nor by shame before men. — There are some whom a malice suddenly arising invites to perpetrate wickedness, but human modesty nevertheless calls them back. And often, through the fact that they are outwardly ashamed, they return to their own inner selves, and take up an inward judgment against themselves; because, if for man's sake they fear to do evil, how much more, for God's sake, who beholds all things, ought they not even to desire evil? In whom it comes to pass that they correct greater evils by the least goods — namely, the inner fault by outward modesty.

And there are certain ones who, after they have despised God in their mind, much more spurn human judgments, and are not ashamed boldly to carry out every evil which they desire. These, a hidden iniquity invites to perpetrate evil, and no open modesty holds back; just as it is said of a certain wicked judge: 'He feared not God, and regarded not man' (Luke xviii, 2). Hence it is also that of certain ones sinning with a shameless brow it was said: 'And they have proclaimed their sin like Sodom' (Isaiah iii, 9). Very often, then, such are the adversaries of the holy Church, who are restrained from perpetrating evils neither by the fear of the Lord nor by shame before men. To whom it is well said through blessed Job:

'And you are not ashamed to oppress me'; because, although it was depraved to have willed evil, it is worse not to be ashamed of the evils desired. There follows: Verse 4. — 'For surely, even if I have been ignorant, my ignorance shall be with me.' 32. Heretics oppose their arrogance to the humility of the Church. — Heretics have this as their own peculiarity, that they are puffed up with the arrogance of their empty knowledge, and often deride the simplicity of those who rightly believe, and account the life of the humble to be of no merit. But, on the contrary, the holy Church, in everything that she truly understands, humbly presses down her own understanding, lest she be puffed up by knowledge, lest she swell in the searching out of hidden things, and presume to scrutinize certain things which are beyond her powers.

For she more profitably endeavours not to know what she is unable to search out, than boldly to define what she knows not. For it is written: 'As he who eats much honey, it is not good for him; so he who is a searcher of majesty shall be overwhelmed by glory' (Proverbs xxv, 27). For the sweetness of honey, if it is taken more than is needful — from that whereby the mouth is delighted, thereby the life of the eater is destroyed. Sweet also is the searching of majesty; but he who desires to scrutinize this more than the knowledge of humanity permits, that very glory of it overwhelms him; because, like honey taken immoderately, through the mind of the one searching, while it is not grasped, it bursts him. But that is said to be with us which is for us; and again, that is said not to be with us which is against us (Luke xi, 13).

Because, therefore, their knowledge puffs up the heart of heretics, but the knowledge of their own ignorance humbles the faithful, let blessed Job say in his own voice, let him say also in the confession of the universal Church: 'For surely, even if I have been ignorant, my ignorance shall be with me.' As if it were openly said to the heretics: All your knowledge is not with you, because it is against you, while it lifts you up with foolish elation. But my ignorance is with me, because it is for me; since, while I do not proudly presume to search out anything concerning God, I humbly keep myself in the truth. And because these very things which heretics seek to know they seize upon for the use of elation alone, that they may seem learned against the faithful and the humble, it is rightly subjoined: