約伯倫理 第 821 章

Verse 11. — They have taken their rest at noon among the heaps of those who, having trodden the winepresses, are thirsty. 67. The usefulness of the persecutions which heretics inflict upon the faithful. They stir up the powerful of the world against them. — All who persecute holy Church, what else do they do but tread the winepress? This is permitted to be done by divine disposition, so that the clusters of souls may flow down into spiritual wine, which, stripped of the corruptible flesh, may run to the heavenly kingdoms as into a storehouse. For when the unjust press down the just, they cast, as it were, clusters under their feet. But the pressed clusters overflow unto the fullness of the heavenly banquet, which before were hanging, as it were, in the freedom of this air.

Whence the prophet David, beholding the affliction of holy Church, writes a psalm for the winepresses (Psalm 8 or 83). But all who persecute the life of the faithful both tread and thirst, because by doing cruel things they become fiercer, and, blinded by the merits of their own impiety, they crave to do heavier things the more that they have already done heavy things. But the heretics, since through themselves they do not have the power of persecution, stir up the powerful of this world, and draw their minds to persecuting, and inflame them by whatever persuasions they can. When they behold these doing cruel things against the life of the catholics, they take their rest as it were in the very heat of the sun. Well, therefore, is it now said:

They have taken their rest at noon among the heaps of those who, having trodden the winepresses, are thirsty; because they join themselves to the multitude of those whom they already see doing heavy things and still thirsting for heavier. While the fervor of these men leaps forth in their desires, they rest in their deeds as it were at noon. There follows: