約伯倫理 第 809 章

Verse 17. — For I have not perished because of the darkness that pressed upon me, nor has the gloom covered my face. 52. The scourges of the just either purge sins already committed or ward off sins to come. — For he who is set under a scourge perishes as to the health of his body because of the pressing darkness, when he is struck for past deeds only so that he may be hidden from future punishments. For the scourges of the good either purge vices already committed, or ward off, before they come, those that might have been committed. But blessed Job, since though set under a scourge he was neither being purged from preceding sins nor being shielded from those threatening, but only his virtue was being increased under the scourge, says with confidence: For I have not perished because of the darkness that pressed upon me, nor has the gloom covered my face.

For he who has always looked upon the weight of the divine fear — the gloom of sin has not covered the face of his heart. And he whom no punishments followed did not lose the health of his body because of the pressing darkness. 53. No one is free from wicked thoughts. — And it is to be noted that he himself, in declaring the former things, by no means says: It did not touch my face; but: The gloom did not cover it. For often even the hearts of the just are polluted by thoughts that steal in, and are touched by the delights of earthly things; but while these are swiftly driven away by the hand of holy discretion, care is quickly taken lest the gloom cover the face of the heart, which was already touching it through unlawful delight.

For often in the very sacrifice of prayer importunate thoughts thrust themselves in, able to snatch away or defile that which we, weeping, offer up to God within ourselves. Whence Abraham, when he was offering sacrifice at the setting of the sun, endured the birds that pressed upon it, which he diligently drove off lest they snatch away the offered sacrifice (Genesis 15:11). So too, when we offer a whole burnt-offering to God upon the altar of the heart, let us guard it from the unclean birds, lest evil spirits and perverse thoughts snatch away what our mind hopes profitably to offer to the Lord. There follows: