約伯倫理 第 94 章

Verse 7. — To whom the Lord said, Whence comest thou? 6. Not to know, in God's case, is to reprobate. — What is it that to the elect angels when they come it is by no means said, Whence come ye? but Satan is asked whence he comes? For we do not inquire, except surely about the things we do not know. But in God's case, not to know is to reprobate. Hence to certain persons at the end He will say: I know you not whence you are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity (Luke xiii. 27). Just as a truthful man is said not to know how to lie, who scorns to slip through falsehood; not that, if he wished to lie, he would not know how, but that out of love of truth he despises to speak false things. What, then, is it to say to Satan, Whence comest thou, but to reprobate his ways as though unknown? The light of Truth therefore does not know the darkness which it reprobates;

and it is fitting that He should inquire of Satan's journeys as though not knowing, because in judging He condemns them. Hence it is that to Adam when he sinned, it is said by the voice of the Creator, Adam, where art thou? (Gen. iii. 9). For the divine power did not fail to know into what hiding-places His servant had fled after his fault; but because He saw him fallen in fault, now hidden as it were under sin from the eyes of truth, because He does not approve the darkness of his error, He as it were does not know where the sinner is; and He both calls him and inquires, saying, Adam, where art thou? By the fact that He calls, He gives a sign that He calls back to repentance. By the fact that He inquires, He plainly implies that He does not know sinners as justly to be condemned. Satan, then, the Lord does not call, but nevertheless inquires, saying: Whence comest thou?

because indeed God by no means calls back the apostate spirit to repentance; but not knowing the ways of his pride, He condemns them. Therefore, while Satan is examined concerning his journey, the elect angels are not to be inquired of whence they come: because their ways are known to God in the same measure as they are performed with Him as their author; and while they serve His will alone, they cannot be unknown to Him, since through the eye of approval they proceed from Him ever before Him. There follows: