約伯倫理 第 916 章

80. All the saints must be passed by, in order that we may come to Christ, God and man. — A lofty vessel of gold was Elijah, a lofty vessel of gold was Jeremiah, lofty and eminent vessels of gold were the elder fathers. But this Wisdom of God, that it might redeem us from carnal converse, appeared in the flesh; and he who did not truly recognize it thought the Mediator of God and men, the man Jesus Christ, to be one of the prophets—him whom the eyes of the elect held by faith to be God when they beheld a man. Whence it is said by him to his holy disciples: 「Whom do men say that the Son of man is?」 (Matt. xvi, 13). And when they at once answered, 「Some John the Baptist, some Elijah, others Jeremiah, or one of the prophets」

(Ibid., 14), they are forthwith asked their own opinion: 「But whom say ye that I am?」 (Ibid., 15). To whom Peter, answering with the voice of the whole Church, said: 「Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God」 (Ibid., 16). Since therefore, according to Paul's word, we have known Christ to be the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Cor. i, 18, 30), Peter for the sake of this Wisdom was unwilling to exchange the lofty and eminent vessels of gold, because concerning it he understood nothing other than what it was. Great indeed, as has been said, was John a vessel of gold, great a vessel of gold was Elijah or Jeremiah. But whosoever believed that same God to be any one of them, exchanged a lofty and eminent vessel of gold for Wisdom.

But the Church does not exchange the lofty and eminent vessels of gold for this Wisdom, because she believes Christ the Son of God to be not one of the prophets, but the one Lord of the prophets. For seeing that Wisdom itself had come to her, she was unwilling to fix herself in those golden vessels, but strove to pass through to it by most certain faith. Whence in the Song of Songs she says: 「The watchmen that keep the city found me... Saw ye him whom my soul loveth? When I had passed a little beyond them, I found him whom my soul loveth」 (Cant. iii, 3).

For whom do we take the watchmen that keep the city to be, if not the elder fathers or the prophets, who studied to keep watch over our guarding with the voice of holy preaching? But when the Church sought her Redeemer, she was unwilling to fix her hope in those ancient preachers themselves, saying: 「When I had passed a little beyond them, I found him whom my soul loveth」 (Ibid., iii, 4). For she could not have found him if she had been unwilling to pass beyond these. In these watchmen the unfaithful had fixed themselves, who believed Christ the Son of God to be any one of them. Therefore by the voice and faith of Peter the holy Church passed beyond the watchmen whom she had found, she who scorned to believe the Lord of the prophets to be any one of the prophets. Let it therefore be said:

Nor shall lofty and eminent vessels of gold be exchanged for it; for the elect both venerate the life of the saints from its sublimity, and yet do not take it up unto error. For those whom they know to be pure men, they by no means compare with the God-man. Whence it is further added: