約伯倫理 第 730 章

Verse 25.—Drawn out, and going forth from its sheath, and glittering in its bitterness. 31. Drawn to sin by the devil, we go forth by our own will.—This wicked man lies in wait for the plunderings of his neighbors; but while he devises evil things in his thoughts, it is as though the sword is still in the sheath; but when he wickedly accomplishes the evil that he thought, it goes forth from its sheath, because from the concealment of his thought it is laid bare through the iniquity of the evil deed. It is shown in the work what lay hidden in the thought. And it is to be noted that it says: Drawn out, and going forth from its sheath; drawn out namely by the seducer, but going forth by its own will. For he who is led without doubt follows the one who leads;

but he who goes forth is seen to proceed according to his own will. He therefore who is both drawn by the ancient enemy to any evil works whatever, and yet by his own free will is bound in the desires of them, is said to be drawn out and going forth from its sheath, since that which goes out from perverse thought to the worst operation belongs both to that spirit which suggested it, and to the wickedness of him who consented by his own will. 32. The more the wicked shine, the more sharply shall they be punished. The terror of his power is further shown when it is immediately subjoined: And glittering in its bitterness.—For lightning, when it suddenly comes from above, shines with terror before the eyes, displays brightness, and smites the things set before it.

Thus, thus indeed the wicked man, when he has assumed the glory of the present life, from that whereby in this world he is shown illustrious through power, from thence it comes to pass that in the end he is smitten. For to glitter, as it were, belongs to the wicked man: to shine in the honor of this life. But because the splendor of that glory is delivered over to the eternal torments of hell, it is now rightly said: Glittering in its bitterness. For he who now rejoices to smite, as it were out of terror and brightness, from thence afterward endures torments unto eternity. And indeed it is written of a certain rich man (Luke 16:19) that he feasted sumptuously every day. But it is one thing to shine, and another to glitter.

For sometimes there is splendor without stroke, but by the name of lightning splendor is expressed together with stroke. He therefore who, placed in power, harms others, is not unfitly said to glitter, because from that whereby he himself is exalted against the good as if from the light of glory, from thence the life of the good is tortured. It follows: