約伯倫理 第 83 章

Verse 4. And his sons went and made a feast in their houses, each on his own day. 44. The several virtues hold a feast, each on its own day. — The sons make a feast in their houses when the several virtues, each after its own manner, feed the mind. And it is well said: Each on his own day. For the day of each son is the illumination of each virtue. That I may briefly rehearse these very gifts of the sevenfold grace: wisdom has one day, understanding another, counsel another, fortitude another, knowledge another, piety another, fear another. For to be wise is not the same as to understand; since many indeed have taste for eternal things, yet cannot in any way understand them.

Wisdom, therefore, makes a feast on its own day, because it refreshes the mind with hope and certainty of things eternal. Understanding prepares a feast on its own day, because in penetrating what it hears, it refreshes the heart and illuminates its darkness. Counsel furnishes a feast on its own day, because while it forbids one to be rash, it fills the soul with reason. Fortitude makes a feast on its own day, because while it does not fear adversity, it sets before the trembling mind the food of confidence. Knowledge prepares a feast on its own day, because in the belly of the mind it overcomes the fasting of ignorance. Piety furnishes a feast on its own day, because it fills the inward parts of the heart with works of mercy. Fear makes a feast on its own day;

because, while it presses upon the mind lest it grow proud over present things, it strengthens it concerning things to come with the food of hope. 45. If they are separated from one another, they fail. — But in this feast of the sons I see this to be searched out: that they feed one another in turn. For each single virtue is greatly destitute if one virtue does not support another. Wisdom is the less if it lacks understanding; and understanding is quite useless if it does not rest upon wisdom; for when it penetrates higher things without the weight of wisdom, its own lightness lifts it up only to fall more heavily. Counsel is worthless to which the strength of fortitude is wanting; because what it discovers by deliberating, being without power, it does not carry through to the completion of the work:

and fortitude is greatly undone unless it is upheld by counsel; because the more it perceives its own power, the more that power, without the governance of reason, rushes headlong to the worse. There is no knowledge if it lacks the usefulness of piety; because while it neglects to carry out the good it has come to know, it binds itself the more strictly unto judgment. And piety is quite useless if it lacks the discernment of knowledge; because while no knowledge illuminates it, it does not know how to show mercy. Fear itself too, unless it also has these virtues, undoubtedly rises to no work of good action; because while it trembles at everything, it lies idle, benumbed by its very dread, away from all good things.

Since, therefore, by mutual ministry virtue is refreshed by virtue, it is rightly said that the sons feast with one another by turns. And when one lifts up another by supporting it, the numerous offspring, to be fed as it were on their own days, prepares a feast. There follows: