約伯倫理 第 933 章

19. The various ages of the Church: infancy, adolescence, old age. Yet at the end she is to receive many sons. — As is described the age of each individual man, so is described the age of the holy Church. For she was a little one then, when, newly born, she could not preach the word of life. Hence it is said of her: 'Our sister is little, and she has no breasts' (Cant. 8:8); because assuredly the holy Church, before she advanced through the increases of virtue, could not offer to any weak hearers the breasts of preaching. But the Church is called grown-up, when, joined to the Word of God and filled with the Holy Spirit, she is made fruitful through the ministry of preaching in the conception of sons, whom by exhorting she brings to birth, by converting she bears.

Of this her age it is said to the Lord: 'The maidens have loved thee' (Cant. 1:3). For all the churches which make up the one Catholic Church are called maidens—no longer old through guilt, but new through grace; not barren through age, but of a mind's age suited to spiritual fruitfulness. Then, therefore, when in those days the Church, weakened as though by a certain old age, is unable through preaching to bring forth sons, she remembers her ancient fruitfulness, saying: 'As I was in the days of my youth.' Although after those same days in which we are pressed down, yet near the very end of times she shall be strengthened with great power of preaching.

For, the Gentiles being fully received, she draws into the bosom of faith the whole Israelite people who shall then be found. For it is written: 'Until the fullness of the Gentiles should come in, and so all Israel should be saved' (Rom. 11:25). But before those times there shall be days in which she shall seem to be somewhat oppressed by her adversaries, when she remembers even these days, saying: 'As I was in the days of my youth, when God was secretly in my tabernacle.' 20. He who meditates on God's commandments has God dwelling within him. The saints look about themselves both without and within. — What in this place do we take the tabernacle to be, but the dwelling of the mind? For through everything that we do by thinking, we dwell in the counsel of our own heart.

But whoever silently ponders God's commandments has God secretly in his tabernacle. For he had seen that the dwelling of his heart was before the eyes of God, who said: 'And the meditation of my heart is always in thy sight' (Ps. 18:15). For outward works lie open to the eyes of men, but far more incomparably do our interior and most subtle thoughts lie open to the eyes of God. For all things, as it is written, 'are naked and open to his eyes' (Heb. 4:13). And often in an outward work we fear to appear disordered before the eyes of men, and in interior thought we fear not the regard of Him whom, seeing all things, we do not see. For we are far more visible inwardly to God than outwardly to men.

Hence also all the saints look about themselves both without and within, and invisibly fear to appear either reprehensible outwardly, or wicked inwardly. This is why the living creatures which are seen through the prophet are recorded to be full of eyes round about and within (Ezek. 1:18; 10:12). For whoever orders his outward things honorably, but neglects his inward things, has eyes round about, but has none within. But all the saints, because they both look about their outward things, that they may offer good examples of themselves to their brethren, and vigilantly attend to their inward things, since they make themselves irreprovable before the gaze of the inner Judge, are represented as having eyes both round about and within;

and they rather compose themselves in their inner parts, that they may please God, as also through the Psalmist it is said of the holy Church: 'All the glory of the king's daughter is from within' (Ps. 45:14). But because she keeps also her outward things irreprehensible, it is rightly added of her: 'clothed round about with golden fringes in variety,' that she may be both beautiful to herself within, and to others without; both advancing herself through inner glory, and instructing others through the outward examples of works. Let blessed Job, therefore, say of himself, let him say in the person of the universal Church: 'When God was secretly in my tabernacle.' For that he may show how much he had advanced within, he declares that God was secretly in his tabernacle.

That he may also show how much he kept outwardly the works of uprightness, he adds: