1It is the part of man to prepare the soul: and of the Lord to govern the tongue.Appartiene all'uomo il preparare l'animo suo, e al Signore il governare la lingua.IT perteyneth to man to prepare the hart: and to our Lord to gouerne the tongueHominis est animam præparare, / et Domini gubernare linguam. 2All the ways of a man are open to his eyes: the Lord is the weigher of spirits.Tutte le vie dell'uomo sono manifeste a lui: ma il Signore pesa gli spiriti.Al the wayes of man are open to his eies: our Lord is the weigher of spirites.Omnes viæ hominis patent oculis ejus; / spirituum ponderator est Dominus. 3Lay open thy works to the Lord: and thy thoughts shall be directed.Riferisci al Signore le opere tue, e i tuoi pensieri avran buono effetto.Reueale thy workes to our Lord: and thy cogitations shal be directed.Revela Domino opera tua, / et dirigentur cogitationes tuæ. 4The Lord hath made all things for himself: the wicked also for the evil day.Tutte le cose le ha fatte il Signore per se stesso: anche l'empio (che è serbato) pel giorno cattivo.Our Lord hath wrought al thinges for himself: the impious also to the euil day.Universa propter semetipsum operatus est Dominus; / impium quoque ad diem malum. 5Every proud man is an abomination to the Lord: though hand should be joined to hand, he is not innocent. The beginning of a good way is to do justice: and this is more acceptable with God, than to offer sacrifices.Il Signore ha in abbominazione tutti gli arroganti; ancorché eglino abbiano molti confederati, non resteranno impuniti. Il principio della buona strada consiste nel praticare la giustizia: ed ella è accetta al Signore più, che le vittime.Euerie arrogant man is an abomination to our Lord: although hand shal be to hand he is not innocent. The beginning of a good way, is to doe iustice: and it is more acceptable with God, then to immolate hostes.Abominatio Domini est omnis arrogans; / etiamsi manus ad manum fuerit, non est innocens. / Initium viæ bonæ facere justitiam; / accepta est autem apud Deum magis quam immolare hostias. 6By mercy and truth iniquity is redeemed; and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.Colla misericordia, e colla verità si espia l'iniquità: e col timor del Signore si schiva il male.By mercie and truth iniquitie is redemed: and in the feare of our Lord euil is auoided.Misericordia et veritate redimitur iniquitas, / et in timore Domini declinatur a malo. 7When the ways of man shall please the Lord, he will convert even his enemies to peace.Quando le vie dell'uomo piaceranno al Signore, egli farà, che i nemici di lui alla pace rivolgami.When the wayes of man shal please our Lord, he wil conuert also his enemies to peace.Cum placuerint Domino viæ hominis, / inimicos quoque ejus convertet ad pacem.
8Better is a little with justice, than great revenues with iniquity.Val più il poco con giustizia, che i molti beni colla iniquità.Better is a litle with iustice, then much fruite with iniquitie.Melius est parum cum justitia / quam multi fructus cum iniquitate. 9The heart of man disposeth his way: but the Lord must direct his steps.Il cuore dell'uomo fa i suoi disegni; ma spetta al Signore di dirigere i suoi passi.The hart of man disposeth his way: but it perteyneth to our Lord to direct his progresse.Cor hominis disponit viam suam, / sed Domini est dirigere gressus ejus. 10Divination is in the lips of the king, his mouth shall not err in judgment.Le parole del re sono oracoli; la bocca di lui non errerà nel giudicare.Diuination is in the lippes of the king, his mouth shal not erre in iudgement.Divinatio in labiis regis; / in judicio non errabit os ejus. 11Weight and balance are judgments of the Lord: and his work all the weights of the bag.I giudizi, del Signore sono pesati a giusta bilancia, e le opere di lui son tutte come le pietre del sacco.Weight and balance are iudgements of our Lord: and his worke al the stones of the bagge.Pondus et statera judicia Domini sunt, / et opera ejus omnes lapides sacculi. 12They that act wickedly are abominable to the king: for the throne is established by justice.Sono in abbominazione dinanzi al re quelli, che operano empiamente; perchè la giustizia è la fermezza del trono.They are abominable to the king that doe impiously: because the throne is established by iustice.Abominabiles regi qui agunt impie, / quoniam justitia firmatur solium. 13Just lips are the delight of kings: he that speaketh right things shall be loved.Le labbra giuste piacciono ai regi: chi parla secondo equità sarà amato.The wil of kinges are iust lippes: he that speaketh right thinges shal be beloued.Voluntas regum labia justa; / qui recta loquitur diligetur. 14The wrath of a king is as messengers of death: and the wise man will pacify it.Lo sdegno del re è annunzio di morte: ma l'uomo saggio lo placherà.The kings indignation, messengers of death: and the wise man wil pacifie it.Indignatio regis nuntii mortis, / et vir sapiens placabit eam. 15In the cheerfulness of the king’s countenance is life: and his clemency is like the latter rain.Il volto ilare del re da la vita, e la clemenza di lui è come la piova serotina.In the cherfulnes of the kings countenance is life: and his clemencie is as the later showre.In hilaritate vultus regis vita, / et clementia ejus quasi imber serotinus. 16Get wisdom, because it is better than gold: and purchase prudence, for it is more precious than silver.Fa acquisto della sapienza, perché ella vale più dell'oro, e fa acquisto della prudenza, che vale più dell'argento.Possesse wisdom, because it is better then gold: and gette prudence, because it is more precious then siluer.Posside sapientiam, quia auro melior est, / et acquire prudentiam, quia pretiosior est argento.
17The path of the just departeth from evils: he that keepeth his soul keepeth his way.Il sentiero de' giusti è rimoto dal male: chi tien conto dell'anima sua, è costante nella sua via.The path of the iust auoideth euils: the keper of his soule kepeth his way.Semita justorum declinat mala; / custos animæ suæ servat viam suam. 18Pride goeth before destruction: and the spirit is lifted up before a fall.Alla caduta va innanzi la superbia, e avanti alla rovina si inalbera lo spirito.Pride goeth before destruction, and before ruine the spirit shal be exalted.Contritionem præcedit superbia, / et ante ruinam exaltatur spiritus. 19It is better to be humbled with the meek, than to divide spoils with the proud.È meglio l'essere umiliato coi mansueti, che spartire la preda co' superbi.It is better to be humbled with the meeke, then to diuide spoyles with the proude.Melius est humiliari cum mitibus / quam dividere spolia cum superbis. 20The learned in word shall find good things: and he that trusteth in the Lord is blessed.Chi ha intelligenza in un negozio, ne uscirà a bene: ma chi spera nel Signore, è beato.The lerned in word shal finde good thinges: and he that hopeth in our Lord, is blessed.Eruditus in verbo reperiet bona, / et qui sperat in Domino beatus est. 21The wise in heart shall be called prudent: and he that is sweet in words, shall attain to greater things.Chi ha in cuor la saggezza, avrà nome di prudente, ed essendo di dolce parlare avrà premj maggiori.He that is wise in hart, shal be called prudent: and he that is sweete in speach shal finde greater thinges.Qui sapiens est corde appellabitur prudens, / et qui dulcis eloquio majora percipiet. 22Knowledge is a fountain of life to him that possesseth it: the instruction of fools is foolishness.L'intelligenza è fonte di vita per chi la possiede: la dottrina degli stolti è sciocchezza.A fountaine of life the lerning of him that possesseth it: the doctrine of fooles foolishnes.Fons vitæ eruditio possidentis; / doctrina stultorum fatuitas. 23The heart of the wise shall instruct his mouth: and shall add grace to his lips.Il cuore dell'uom sapiente ammaestrerà la bocca di lui, e aggiungerà grazia alle sue labbra.The hart of the wife shal instruct his mouth: and shal adde grace to his lippes.Cor sapientis erudiet os ejus, / et labiis ejus addet gratiam. 24Well ordered words are as a honeycomb: sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.Un bel parlare è un favo di miele, dolcezza dell'anima, sanità delle ossaWel set wordes are a honie combe: swetnes of the foule the health of the bones.Favus mellis composita verba; / dulcedo animæ sanitas ossium.
25There is a way that seemeth to a man right: and the ends thereof lead to death.Havvi una strada, che all'uomo sembra diritta; ma il suo fine mena a morte.There is a way that seemeth to a man right: and the later endes therof lead to death.Est via quæ videtur homini recta, / et novissima ejus ducunt ad mortem. 26The soul of him that laboureth, laboureth for himself, because his mouth hath obliged him to it.L'uomo, che lavora, lavora per se medesimo, perché la sua bocca i costringe.Thee soule of him that laboureth doth labour to himself, because his mouth hath compelled him:Anima laborantis laborat sibi, / quia compulit eum os suum. 27The wicked man diggeth evil, and in his lips is a burning fire.L'empio va scavando del male ed ha fuoco ardente sulle sue labbra.The impious man diggeth euil, and in his lippes fire burneth.Vir impius fodit malum, / et in labiis ejus ignis ardescit. 28A perverse man stirreth up quarrels: and one full of words separateth princes.L'uomo perverso suscita liti, e i ciarlone mette divisione trai principi.A peruerse man raiseth contentions: and one ful of wordes separateth princes.Homo perversus suscitat lites, / et verbosus separat principes. 29An unjust man allureth his friend: and leadeth him into a way that is not good.L'uomo iniquo seduce il proprio amico, e lo mena per istrada non buonaAn vniust man allureth his frende: and leadeth him by a way not good.Vir iniquus lactat amicum suum, / et ducit eum per viam non bonam. 30He that with fixed eyes deviseth wicked things, biting his lips, bringeth evil to pass.Chi con occhio fisso sta macchinando cose cattive, mordendosi le labbra eseguisce il male.He that with astoinied eies thinketh wicked thinges, byting his lippes bringeth euil to passe.Qui attonitis oculis cogitat prava, / mordens labia sua perficit malum. 31Old age is a crown of dignity, when it is found in the ways of justice.Corona di dignità ell'è la vecchiezza, che si troverà nelle vie della giustizia.A crowne of dignitie old age, which shal be found in the wayes of iustice.Corona dignitatis senectus, / quæ in viis justitiæ reperietur. 32The patient man is better than the valiant: and he that ruleth his spirit, than he that taketh cities.E da più l'uom paziente, che i valoroso; e colui che è padrone dell'animo suo, è da più che l'espugnator di fortezze.Better is the patient then a strong man: and he that ruleth his minde, then the ouerthrower of cities.Melior est patiens viro forti, / et qui dominatur animo suo expugnatore urbium.
33Lots are cast into the lap, but they are disposed of by the Lord.Si gettano le sorti nell'urna; ma il Signore è quegli, che ne dispone.Lottes are cast into the bosome, but they are ordered of our Lord.Sortes mittuntur in sinum, / sed a Domino temperantur.
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Challoner
It is the part of man, etc. That is, a man should prepare in his heart and soul what he is to say; but after all, it must be the Lord that must govern his tongue, to speak to the purpose. Not that we can think any thing of good without God's grace: but after that we have (with God's grace) thought and prepared within our souls what we would speak; if God does not govern our tongue, we shall not succeed in what we speak. (Challoner)
Menochius
He will put into our mouths what we have to say to persecutors, Luke 21:14. He often causes us to utter the reverse of what we intended, as Balaam did, Numbers xxiii. (Menochius)
Calmet
The fairest prospects miscarry without God's blessing. The enemies of grace would infer from this text, that the beginning of salvation depends on free-will. But St. Augustine (con. 2. epist. Pelag. 2:8.) has solidly refuted them, and Solomon does not mean that man acts alone, Proverbs 8:35., (Septuagint) John 15:5., and 2 Corinthians 3:5. "Man," says St. Augustine, "does no good things, which God does not cause him to perform." (Calmet)
Worthington
The Scripture cannot contradict itself. A fresh grace is requisite to execute what God has enabled us to devise, ver. 9. (Worthington)
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Menochius
Open. Or approved. (Menochius)
Calmet
Hebrew, "pure in his own eyes." He sees not his own defects, Proverbs 21:2., and Job 28:23. (Calmet)
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Open. Hebrew, "roll on," and refer all to God's glory. (Menochius) (Psalm 36:5.)
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Calmet
Day. His obduracy is of his own choice, and must serve to set the divine justice in the clearest light, Ecclesiasticus 33:14., and Exodus 9:16. Others hence infer that predestination is gratuitous, and reprobation in consequence of sin. It seems rather that temporal goods and evils are here meant. (Calmet)
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Hand. And he seems to be very quiet, Proverbs 11:21. Septuagint, "but he who putteth his hand in hands unjustly, to make a contract, is," etc.
The, etc., is taken from the Roman Septuagint and occurs before, Proverbs 15:27.
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Mercy to the distressed, Proverbs 3:3., and 14:22.
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Calmet
Judgment. Or "let it not err," as people look upon the decisions of kings as so many oracles. We ought to act in this manner, as long as they are not visibly unjust. God gave a principal spirit (Psalm 50:14.) to Saul, David, Solomon, and to the judges whom he appointed, 1 Kings 10:9., Deuteronomy 34:9., and Judges 3:10. (Calmet)
Solomon was thus enabled to decide difficult cases. (Menochius) (Job 29:7.)
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Calmet
Bag. Many read saeculi, "of the world." So Ven. Bede, etc. All God's appointments are perfectly just, Proverbs 11:21. It was the custom for people to carry balances to weigh money, before it was coined. (Calmet)
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Seneca
Loved. Yet none are more exposed to flattery and deceit than kings. (Seneca, ep. xxi.)
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Life. A mild government resembles a serene sky. (Sen.) (Clem.) (Job 29:23.)
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Calmet
Get. Septuagint, "the nests of wisdom....and the nests of prudence;" or Churches of Christ, or places of education, may be intended. (Calmet)
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St. Augustine
Fall. Our first parents had given way to pride, before they sinned publicly. (St. Augustine, City of God 14:13.)
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Calmet
Shall. Hebrew, "adds learning," both to himself and to others. Those who are wise and eloquent, must be preferred before those who have only the former qualification. (Calmet)
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Haydock
Heart. Or knowledge. (Haydock)
Wisdom gives beauty to eloquence.
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Mouth. The want of food, Ecclesiastes 6:7.
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Diggeth. Earnestly pursues.
Calmet
Fire. James 3:16. (Calmet)
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Words. Protestants, "a whisperer separateth chief friends."
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Lips. These motions indicate fury and pensiveness.
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Calmet
Justice. To the just longevity is promised. (Calmet)
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Haydock
Valiant. Alexandrian Septuagint adds, "and a prudent man than a great farmer." Greek: Georgiou. (Haydock)
Horace
Cities. To govern the passions is more difficult. (St. Gregory, Past. 3:p. Adm. x.; St. Thomas Aquinas 2:2. q. 128. a. 6.) Latius regnes avidum domando Spiritum, quam si Lybiam, etc. (Horace, 2:Od. 2.)
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Lord. So the apostles had recourse to them, (Acts 1:26.) as the Cophts[Copts?] and Nestorians still do when there is a dispute about the election of a patriarch. (Renaudot 4:Perpet. 1:7. and 9.)
Calmet
This mode may settle disputes, Proverbs 18:18. But we must not have recourse to it, except where the Church permits, lest we become the dupes of an idle curiosity. (Calmet)
St. Augustine
Nothing happens by chance. (St. Augustine, City of God 5:9.)
Haydock
Septuagint, "all things come into the breast of the unjust; but all just things proceed from the Lord." (Haydock)
16:1
It is the part of man, etc.... That is, a man should prepare in his heart and soul what he is to say: but after all, it must be the Lord that must govern his tongue, to speak to the purpose. Not that we can think any thing of good without God’s grace; but that after we have (with God’s grace) thought and prepared within our souls what we would speak, if God does not govern our tongue, we shall not succeed in what we speak.
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1. It perteineth to man to prepare the hart. ] For the better vnderstanding of this A general rule that one place of holie Scripture is not contrarie to an other. and other hard places of holie Scripture, this general rule euer approued by al Christians, is most necessarie, that al holie Scripture is true and certaine, as being al indited by the Holie Ghost, the Spirite of truth: and so one place is neuer contrarie to an other, though at first sight they may so seme to mans vnderstanding. For by this place the Pelagians would proue, that man can of himself, without the helpe of Gods grace, beginne a good thing, though without this helpe he cannot performe it, because it is here sayd: that it petteyneth to man to prepare the hart: that is, •o beginne a good thing. But S. Augustin li. 2. c. 8. cont d•as Epistolas Palag Ioan. 15. 2. Cor. 3. sheweth that it may not be so vnderstood the cause so it should be contrarie to that saying of our Sauiour. VVithout me you can do nothing; and that of S. Paul VVe are not sufficient to thinke anie thing of our selues, as of our selues: but our sufficiencie is of God. VVhich tvvo euident places, vvith otherlike, do shevv that this place hath an other different sense, from that vvhich the Pelagians gather. An• so S. Augustin, and other Fathers teach, that Gods grace is necessarie both to begine and to prosecute anie good worke. the vvisman here affirmeth not, that man of himself can prepare his hart, or beginne a good vvorke, but that it perteineth to man to prepare his hart, presupposing helpe of Gods grace, and hauing so begunne, God also gouerneth the tongue, and by more grace directeth it •o speake those thinges vvel, vvhich the hart purposed, and disposed to be vttered; vvithout vvhich helpe none is able, neither to beginne anie meritorious vvorke, nor to prosecute, nor perfect that is vvel begunne. The like sentence foloweth in the 9. verse: The hart of man disposeth his vvay: but it perteyneth to our Lord to direct his progresse; signifying in both places, that after a thing is vvel begunne (vvhich can not be vvithout the helpe of Gods grace) yet it can not procede vvel, vvithout more grace, stil directing and streingthning mans freevvil.
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vnpunished.
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Mercie.
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Deuotion.
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Iust gaine. Necessitie of Gods grace.
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God assisteth superiors in gouerning their subiectes. Iust balance do please God & good kinges.
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Righteousnes.
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Feare, and reuerence of authoritie.
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Loue of wisdom.
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Iustice in general.
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Humilitie.
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Meknes.
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Hope in God.
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Mildnes.
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Teaching others.
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Sincere hart.
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Sweetnes in conuersation.
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True faith & Religion.
Concordance 〈…〉 12.
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Proper industrie.
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Charitie.
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Common good.
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True freindshipe.
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Sincere thoughts.
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Holie oldage.
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Patience.
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Gods prouidence.
16:1
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles 31
… Such talk is mere passion and ill temper, arrogance and setting up laws against God’s laws. For even if the man were hurt (by our forbearance), would it not be our duty to obey? When God orders anything, let us not make a contrary law. “A submissive answer,” we read, turneth away wrath” (
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 The Enchiridion 32
… in what sense is it “not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy,” except that, as it is written, “the preparation of the heart is from the Lord?”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 The Enchiridion 106
… And the will owes its freedom in no degree to itself, but solely to the grace of God which comes by faith in Jesus Christ; so that the very will, through which we accept all the other gifts of God which lead us on to His eternal gift, is itself prepared of the Lord, as the Scripture says.
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Treatise Against Two Letters of the Pelagians 2.19
But assuredly, as to what is written, “The preparation of the heart is man’s part, and the answer of the tongue is from the Lord,”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Treatise on Rebuke and Grace 6
… But I should be justly rebuked if by my own fault I had it not; that is, if I myself could give it to myself, or could receive it, and did not do so, or if He should give it and I should be unwilling to receive it. But since even the will itself is prepared
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St Jerome † AD 420 Against the Pelagians 3.6
… Lastly, we are bidden to show Him our ways, and make them known, for they are not made straight by our own labour, but by His assistance and mercy. And so it is written, “Make my way right before Thy face,” so that what is right to Thee may seem also right to me. Solomon says the same—
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John Cassian † AD 435 The Conferences of John Cassian 11.6
… For He alone does the things that are good, with no fear and no thanks or reward to stir Him up, but simply from the love of goodness. For, as Solomon says, “The Lord hath made all things for Himself.”
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Origen † AD 254 Origen's Commentary on the Gospel of John 1.16
… We speak of a beginning in reference to a transition. Here it has to do with a road and with length. This appears in the saying:
St Basil the Great † AD 379 The Hexæmeron 1.5
The first movement is called beginning. “To do right is the beginning of the good way.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom 62
Seest thou the purity of this man? Behold also the uncleanness of the other; for “every one that is proud in heart is unclean before God.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles 29
… xxiii. 8 and Deut. xvi. 19 .) Is another proud? Let him hear that “God resisteth the proud” ( James iv. 6 ); and, “Pride is the beginning of sin” ( Ecclus. x. 14 ) and, “Every one that hath a high heart, is impure before the Lord.” (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Second Corinthians 28
… Wherefore also He says that they made the outside clean, and that “not the things which enter in defile the man, but those which come out from him;” ( Matt. xv. 11 .) and it is said in another place, “Every one that is proud in heart is unclean before the Lord.” (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Gospel of St. John 9
… For when this is present with us, our whole life becomes impure, even though we fulfill temperance, chastity, fasting, prayer, almsgiving, anything. For, “Every one,” saith the wise man, “that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord.” (
St Jerome † AD 420 Against Jovinianus 2.3
… For, as it were, they open the fountains of knowledge and yet have no water: they promise a shower of doctrine like prophetic clouds which have been visited by the truth of God, and are driven by the storms of devils and vices. They speak great things, and their talk is nothing but pride:
John Cassian † AD 435 The Twelve Books on the Institutes of the Cœnobia, and the Remedies for the Eight Principal Faults 12.6
… “Every one that exalteth his heart is unclean before the Lord.”
John Cassian † AD 435 The Twelve Books on the Institutes of the Cœnobia, and the Remedies for the Eight Principal Faults 12.21
… For he who is puffed up with pride and has permitted himself to be worshipped as God, is (as the Apostle says) “given over to shameful passions and a reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient.” And because, as Scripture says, “every one who exalts his heart is unclean before God,”
Pope St Gregory I the Great † AD 604 The Book of Pastoral Rule 3.24
… ii. 17 ). For he speaks of God in the sight of God , who both understands that he has received the word of preaching from God , and also seeks through it to please God , not men. Let them hear what is written, Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord (
Pope St Gregory I the Great † AD 604 Register of the Epistles of St. Gregory the Great 5.18
… But in this matter, even though our tongue protested not at all, the power of Him who in His own person peculiarly opposes the vice of pride is lifted up for vengeance against elation. For hence it is written, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble ( Jam. iv. 6 ). Hence, again, it is said, Whoso exalteth his heart is unclean before God (
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St Ignatius of Antioch † AD 108 Epistle to Hero, a Deacon of Antioch 5
… In like manner, exhort my brethren also to be content with their own wives. Watch over the virgins, as the precious treasures of Christ. Be long-suffering, that thou mayest be great in wisdom. Do not neglect the poor, in so far as thou art prosperous. For “by alms and fidelity sins are purged away.”
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 On Works and Alms 2
2. The Holy Spirit speaks in the sacred Scriptures, and says, “By almsgiving and faith sins are purged.”
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews 3.2
… “He that hath pity on the poor lendeth unto the Lord.” Also in the same place: “He that giveth to the poor shall never want; but he who turns away his eye shall be in much penury.” Also in the same place: “Sins are purged away by alms-giving and faith.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Epistle to the Hebrews 9
… For hear what the Divine Scripture says, “Give alms, and all things shall be clean.” ( Luke xi. 41 .) And again, “By alms-giving and acts of faithfulness sins are purged away.” (
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St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 133.7
… for it is he that shall pluck my feet out of the net.” And so you presume rashly to maintain that each individual is governed by his own choice. But if he is governed by his own choice, what becomes of God’s help? If he does not need Christ to rule him, why does Jeremiah write: “the way of man is not in himself” and “the Lord directeth his steps.”
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St Athanasius of Alexandria † AD 373 Apology to the Emperor. (Apologia Ad Constantium.) 12
… do Thou shine into his heart, that he, knowing the falsehood that is set against me, may both favourably receive this my defence; and may make known unto all men, that his ears are firmly set to hearken unto the Truth, according as it is written, ‘Righteous lips alone are acceptable unto the King
St Athanasius of Alexandria † AD 373 Apology to the Emperor. (Apologia Ad Constantium.) 27
Observing these things, I did not give sentence against myself, but hastened to come to your Piety, with this my defence, knowing your goodness, and remembering your faithful promises, and being confident that, as it is written in the divine Proverbs, ‘Just speeches are acceptable to a gracious king
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John Cassian † AD 435 The Conferences of John Cassian 6.17
… For “loss goeth before destruction, and an evil thought before a fall,”
Pope St Gregory I the Great † AD 604 Register of the Epistles of St. Gregory the Great 5.20
… But should he persist any longer in his present contention, we hold this sentence of the Truth to be already made good; Every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled ( Luke xiv. 11; xviii. 14 ). And again it is written, Before a fall the heart is lifted up (
Pope St Gregory I the Great † AD 604 Register of the Epistles of St. Gregory the Great 8.2
… For we know who said, That every one that exalteth himself shall be abased ( Luke xiv. 11 ). And again it is written, Before a fall the heart is exalted (
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St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Ten Homilies on the First Epistle of John 6.11
… Spirit. Does water always signify spirit? Not always: but in some places it signifies the Spirit, in some places it signifies baptism, in some places signifies peoples, in some places signifies counsel: thus thou findest it said in a certain place, “Counsel is a fountain of life to them that possess it.”
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Origen † AD 254 Origen's Commentary on the Gospel of John 6.2
… What he knew and what he did appears again in those who are his sons, as the Scripture teaches those who have ears to hear, “If ye were the children of Abraham, ye would do the works of Abraham.” And if it is a true proverb
Origen † AD 254 Origen's Commentary on Matthew 12.41
… Peter also, for not apprehending what was good with reference to the dispensation of Jesus and of those who appeared in the mountain,—Moses and Elijah,—he says, “It is good for us to be here,” etc., “not knowing what he said,” “for he wist not what to say,” for if “a wise man will understand the things from his own mouth, and carries prudence in his lips,”
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John Cassian † AD 435 The Conferences of John Cassian 1.20
… Of which kind of illusions it is well said in the Proverbs: “There are ways which seem to be right to a man, but their latter end will come into the depths of hell,”
John Cassian † AD 435 The Conferences of John Cassian 20.9
… in thought going over his own falls or those of other faulty persons, he is affected by the delight and assent to this most subtle attack, and that which was undertaken and started with a show of goodness ends with a filthy and damaging termination, for “there are ways which appear to men to be right, but the ends thereof will come to the depths of hell.”
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St Jerome † AD 420 Against Jovinianus 2.10
… But he has in view Marcion, and Tatian, and other heretics, who inculcate perpetual abstinence, to destroy, and express their hatred and contempt for, the works of the Creator. But we praise every creature of God, and yet prefer leanness to corpulence, abstinence to luxury, fasting to fulness.
St Jerome † AD 420 Against the Pelagians 2
Prov. xvi. 26 , LXX. Man toileth in sorrow.
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St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 The Epistles of Cyprian 54.21
… as the apostle says, “Evil communications corrupt good manners.” And again: “A man that is an heretic, after one admonition, reject: knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.” And the Holy Spirit speaks by Solomon, saying, “A perverse man carrieth perdition in his mouth; and in his lips he hideth a fire.”
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St Gregory of Nazianzus † AD 389 Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen 16.3
… and more real the wisdom of which we are convinced by deeds, than that which is set forth in splendid language. For “a good understanding,” he saith, “have all they that do thereafter,” not they who proclaim it. Time is the best touchstone of this wisdom, and “the hoary head is a crown of glory.”
St Gregory of Nazianzus † AD 389 Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen 18.2
… he has departed with all his excellence, and all the power of pastoral organization, which he had gathered in a long time, full of days and wisdom, and crowned, to use the words of Solomon, with the hoary head of glory.
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St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews 3.9
In Solomon in the Proverbs: “Better is a patient man than a strong man; for he who restrains his anger is better than he who taketh a city.”
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Duties of the Clergy 1.21
… For he who is angry with himself, because he has been so easily roused, ceases to be angry with another. But he who wishes to prove his anger is righteous only gets the more inflamed, and quickly falls into sin. “Better is he,” as Solomon says, “that restraineth his anger, than he that taketh a city,”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On the Morals of the Catholic Church 23
… And yet why should we be astonished that the love of God, implanted in her inmost heart, bore up against tyrant, and executioner, and pain, and sex, and natural affection? Had she not heard, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints?" Had she not heard, "A patient man is better than the mightiest?"
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Reply to Faustus the Manichæan 19.28
28. So we find in the Old Testament all or nearly all the counsels and precepts which Christ introduces with the words "But I say unto you." Against anger it is written, "Mine eyes troubled because of anger;" and again, "Better is he that conquers his anger, than he that taketh a city."
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 7.3
… The Psalmist knows then where a greater victory may be obtained, and where “the Father which seeth in secret will reward.” Lest then he repay them that recompense evil, he overcomes his anger rather than another man, being instructed too by those writings, wherein it is written, “Better is he that overcometh his anger, than he that taketh a city.”
John Cassian † AD 435 The Conferences of John Cassian 18.13
… “Better is the patient man than the strong, and he who restrains his anger than he who takes a city;” and again: “For a long-suffering man is mighty in prudence, but a faint-hearted man is very foolish.”
Pope St Gregory I the Great † AD 604 The Book of Pastoral Rule 3.9
… vi. 2 ). For the law of Christ is the charity of unity, which they alone fulfil who are guilty of no excess even when they are burdened. Let the impatient hear what is written, Better is the patient than the mighty, and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh cities (
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In Hebrew, the dispositions or orderings of the heart belong to man, the response of the tongue to the Lord. This verse is lacking in the Complutensian and Roman Septuagints; nevertheless some other codices render it thus: "The applications of the heart belong to man, and the response of the tongue to the Lord." Whence also the Syriac, following the Septuagint in its usual manner, thus translates: from man is the counsel of the heart, from the Lord the speech of the tongue. So also the Chaldean. Now from the Hebrew Aben-Ezra rightly explains it thus, meaning: Man in his mind rightly orders and arranges his thoughts, just as a commander orders and arranges soldiers in battle; for thus man orders in his mind those things which he is about to say, and says to himself: I will say this in the first place, this in the second, this in the third, etc. (for this is what the Hebrew ערך arach signifies, to which by metathesis is opposed עכר achar, that is, to disturb, to confuse); but it is God's to order and arrange the words, so that what you have conceived and ordered in your mind, you may pronounce in an orderly, fitting and efficacious manner with your mouth. Just as therefore it is the commander's to order soldiers in battle, but God's to give them courage to fight, strength and victory: so likewise it is man's to order those things which he is about to say, but God's to direct the utterance, so that what he intends may persuade the hearer. And Rabbi Levi: "Although, he says, it belongs to man to arrange things and words in his mind, he nevertheless needs divine assistance, so that he may be able to pronounce his words properly; for how many are the words which, although wisely conceived and arranged in the mind, are nevertheless confused and disturbed in pronunciation." To this pertains that saying of St. Augustine, book II of On Christian Doctrine: "To attain a thought of the mind with words wonderfully delights the orator; but when his own words escape him, and foreign ones occur, he is thus tormented, as if a wise and learned ambassador should have a bad interpreter." And Vatable: The sense, he says, is, as it were: that which is commonly said: "Man proposes, God disposes." We see this done in Balaam, whose curse God turned into a blessing. For when he had determined in his mind to curse Israel, God so bent his tongue that he blessed them instead, Numbers XXIII. Cajetan less fully restricts this meaning from the Hebrew to responses, meaning: When someone is questioned, let him think beforehand what he should answer; but let him not trust in his premeditation, and let him commend himself to God, because it is God's to direct the tongue, so that he may answer in such a way as to satisfy the mind of the questioner. But this is a more restricted interpretation; for the Hebrews call speaking responding, even if no question has preceded. Whence our author generally translates, "It is the Lord's to govern the tongue." The Pelagians abused this passage for their heresy, to prove that the beginning of salvation is from free will; for by doing well and adorning oneself, one anticipates and prepares oneself to receive God's grace. Therefore it is man's to prepare the heart, that is, to begin good, but God's to complete and perfect it. This sense St. Augustine refutes, book II Against Two Letters of Pelagius, VIII, from that saying of Christ, John XV, 5: "Without me you can do nothing;"; and from that of Paul, II Corinthians III, 5: "Not that we are sufficient to think anything of ourselves as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God." Therefore St. Augustine, understanding by the response of the tongue the response of the divine tongue, not the human, thus explains it, meaning: It is man's, not alone, but aided by God's grace, to prepare his heart to receive God's word, so that he may hear what the Lord speaks in him; but it is God's alone to respond to this preparation of man's, and to insert his own words and divine satisfactions into him. But hear St. Augustine: "For this reason it is written: It is man's to prepare the heart, and the response of the tongue is from the Lord, because man prepares the heart, yet not without the assistance of God, who touches the heart. Man prepares the heart; but in the response of the tongue, that is, in that the divine tongue responds to the prepared heart, man has no work, but all is from the Lord God. For just as it is said: It is man's to prepare the heart, and the response of the tongue is from the Lord; so also it is said: Open thy mouth, and I will fill it, Psalm LXXX. Although indeed unless he assists, without whom we can do nothing, we cannot open our mouth, yet we open our mouth by his assistance from our work. For what is it to prepare the heart and to open the mouth, except to prepare the will? And yet in the same scriptures it is read: The will is prepared by the Lord." Whence he constructs this golden sentence: "Therefore God does many good things in man which man does not do; but man does nothing which God does not do so that man may do it." But this exposition seems rather mystical than literal. For according to the letter, the tongue of man is understood here, not of God. Wherefore Our [Doctor] for "the response is from the Lord" concerning the tongue, clearly translates, It is the Lord's to govern the tongue, namely not His own, but that of man. Wherefore the plain and simple sense is, says Jansenius, that Solomon wishes to signify that a man indeed can think within himself, and frequently dispose what he is about to speak and answer; but without the aid of God, which he has disposed, he will not speak well, nor be able to bring what he has conceived into effect; not that the heart can dispose and prepare itself to speak without the grace of God, but that even that which he has disposed to speak with God's grace, he cannot speak well without a new and singular grace of God, which may moderate and govern the tongue, so that we may understand that learned and useful speech is not to be attributed to preceding meditation alone, nor is it sufficient for speaking well and wholesomely, that one should think diligently within himself what is to be spoken, but after all our industry we depend upon the aid of God, who ought not only to suggest to the memory what was previously thought, but also to moderate the tongue of the speaker, so that those things which have been conceived may be said well, usefully, and with grace to the hearers. It is similar in writing; for it is the same thing whether you speak by mouth or by hand and pen. Whence the Psalmist: "My tongue," he says, "is the pen of a scribe writing swiftly," Psalm XLIV, 2. Where note against the Pelagians that it is of faith that the preparation of the heart to good pertaining to salvation is from the grace of God. But the Wise Man here speaks generally, even concerning the thought and utterance of things indifferent, which do not pertain to salvation, and he speaks according to the manner and experience of men. For we see that it is more difficult to express the senses of the mind aptly than to think and conceive the same things. He does not therefore exclude the preventing and exciting grace to salutary thoughts, but compares the greater with the lesser, as if to say: In matters pertaining to salvation, man, excited by the common grace of God, can conceive good things in his heart; but he has need of greater grace, that he may utter the same aptly, especially because during speaking there creep in pride, anger, envy, likewise defects of memory, shame, fear, and many other impediments to speaking rightly; all which we can remove and overcome only through the grace of God. Wherefore it signifies that thought and will, or purpose, are more in our power than the execution of the work, as if to say: It is not sufficient in natural things with the general concourse of God, in supernatural things also with the grace of God to premeditate what you are about to say, unless God afterwards in the very utterance direct the tongue by special grace; thus St. Thomas, I II, Question CXII, article 2, in the body. What Solomon here says concerning words, the same in verse 9 and chapter XX, 24, he asserts concerning deeds and works: for it is easy with the common grace of God to destine them in the mind, but a new and special grace is needed, that what you have destined you may execute in deed. For during the working many difficulties occur, which cannot be overcome without singular aid of God. And this is the first reason a priori, why it is man's to dispose the heart, but God's to govern the tongue, and both, namely both to dispose and to govern, is more the work of God than of man; the second is, that in utterance many circumstances occur unforeseen by the speaker. Since therefore man has not foreseen them, so that his tongue may be adapted to them, it is necessary that it be governed by God. Add that there are many secret conditions in the hearer, as well as in the speaker, known to God alone, to which, so that the speech of the speaker may be suitably adapted, it is necessary that it be directed by God. The third and principal reason is, that it is indeed man's to speak outwardly and form words; but it is God's alone to give them inwardly power and vigor to persuade that which they sound, to the hearer; otherwise the speaker is only sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal, as the Apostle says, I Cor. XIII. For just as the farmer sows the seed, but God alone imparts to the seed the internal power of germinating and multiplying itself; so precisely it happens in the word, which the speaker sows as it were as seed, but God imparts to it spirit and efficacy to convert the hearer. For God inspires into the mind of the hearer that which the speaker proposes, and illuminates and inflames it by the light and impulse of His grace, so that it may understand, love and pursue the same thing. This is what the Apostle says: "I have planted, Apollo watered, but God gave the increase," I Cor. III, 6; and Christ: "Every one that hath heard of the Father, and hath learned, cometh to me," John VI, 45; and verse 44: "No man can come to me, except the Father, who sent me, draw him." The same St. Augustine teaches throughout against the Pelagians, especially in the book On Correction and Grace. This maxim holds good everywhere, but especially in the profession of faith and in Martyrs at the time of persecution, concerning which Bede explains it properly, so that Solomon says here the same thing that Christ says in Matthew X, 19: "But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what to speak; for it shall be given you in that hour what to speak. For it is not you that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you." Thus Esther, about to intercede with her husband Assuerus for the salvation of the Jews, already condemned to death by Haman, prays to God: "Give, she says, a composed word in my mouth in the sight of the lion, and turn his heart to the hatred of our enemy," Esther XIV, 13. For many causes must concur so that the speaker may persuade the listener of what he intends, and especially the heart of the listener must be soothed and bent, so that he may be affected by the things he hears and cast off contrary affections; but God alone can do this. Wherefore the preacher, the confessor, and anyone striving to save souls must pray to God that He direct his tongue so that it may strike the mind of the listener and persuade him of what is said. Let him pray therefore with the Psalmist: "O Lord, thou wilt open my lips, and my mouth shall declare thy praise." Thus St. Augustine relates in the Life by Possidius that in a certain sermon he said something altogether different from what he had previously conceived in his mind, and afterwards noticed that God had done this to convert a certain Manichaean who was present at the sermon. St. James gives the reason, chapter III, verse 8: "But no man can tame the tongue." Where I have said much on this matter. Therefore it is necessary that God bridle and tame it. Whence St. Chrysostom, homily 50 in Matthew: "The tongue, he says, is a royal horse: if you put a bridle on it with your doctrine, you will make it a palfrey; the king will mount upon it, and will rest in it." Just as no one could govern Bucephalus except Alexander the Great; nor did he allow any other rider upon it except Alexander: so likewise no one can govern the tongue except God; nor does it allow any other rider except God. Wherefore Hugh of St. Victor in book I On the Soul: "The tongue, he says, is slippery and cannot be held, but slips and deceives. It slips like an eel, penetrates like an arrow." Finally, from this maxim: "It is the Lord's to govern the tongue," Francis Suarez carefully and cautiously concludes, tome I On Grace, prologue III, chapter V, number 7: that the graces freely given, which St. Paul enumerates in I Corinthians XII, among which the first is the word of wisdom, are not given through habits, but through the actual motion of the Holy Spirit, by which He Himself directly stirs the mind and causes apt words to occur to it, and suitable modes of speaking, and removes impediments which might distract or disturb the mind. This is especially true in the preacher, as I have said, the confessor and the like, who convert souls. Let these therefore pray frequently that God govern their tongue for the salvation of others, namely that He make them speak so aptly that those who hear may be struck and converted.
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For "patent" in Hebrew is זך zach, that is, he was clean, pure from every stain and defect, sincere, clear, irreproachable. Whence זכוכית zecuchit is called glass and crystal, on account of cleanness and transparency. For "ponderator" in Hebrew is תכן tochen, which signifies three things: first, directing, disposing; second, measuring; third, weighing. Properly tochen is, weighing, thoroughly considering, measuring with certainty, numbering, discerning the spirit, whether they conform to his measure and rule, namely to divine law, to reason and to the precept of virtue, and correspond exactly. Our translator rendered it "ponderator," that is, one who weighs and examines whether they have the true weight of virtue. Whence the Chaldean renders it, all the ways of a man are clean in his eyes, and God directs his ways; the Syrian, all the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes; the Septuagint, all the works of the humble are manifest before him; but the wicked shall perish in the evil day. The Romans note in one codex of the Septuagint under an asterisk that these are found: "To a man the applications of the heart, and from the Lord the answers of the tongue. The greater thou art, the more humble thyself, and before the Lord thou shalt find grace. All the works of the humble are manifest before God; and the Lord confirms those whose spirits are firm. Roll thy works upon the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established. The Lord hath made all things for himself; but the wicked shall perish in the evil day." Now first, Cajetan, since the Hebrew zach is masculine and singular number, thus renders it, all the ways of a clean man are in his eyes, that is, he says, all the external actions of a just and sincere man are patent to his eyes, since he himself examines and judges them; but truly the spirit and internal impulses, by which he was moved to these actions, he does not perceive: for God alone weighs these, that is, weighs, penetrates and measures them. But all render זך zach as clean, or patent and clear. For among the Hebrews there is frequent enallage and permutation of genders and persons. Again, זך zach can be taken as an abstract, as if to say, All the ways of a man are seen in his eyes as cleanness, that is, altogether clean. To this the Septuagint accedes, who say these things: "All the works of the humble, they say, are manifest before God." Wherefore Our Salazar, accommodating the Vulgate version to the Septuagint, takes these things of the humble alone, and thus explains it, as if to say, All the works of the humble are in his sight like glass, that is, clear and transparent; wherefore he notes even the smallest blemishes and defects in them, according to that saying of Isidore of Pelusium, book II, epistle 24: "The hypocrite puts glass in place of true pearl, that is, his vain works and those of no merit he sells as great, and displays them as if precious. But the humble esteems pearls as glass," that is, his heroic works he makes little or nothing of, and esteems them as fragile like glass. But "the Lord is a weigher of spirits; of spirits, that is, of the proud who wish to be exalted in spirit; for thus spirit often signifies pride and haughtiness. Now he explains "weighs" in three ways: first, as if to say, "God weighs," that is, by weighing he balances, levels and equalizes the spirits of the proud, while he casts them down, and to other men cast down and lowly as if with a plumb line he equalizes them; second, "weighs," that is, he burdens with weights, as if to say, God depresses and lowers the haughtiness of the exalted by imposing some burden of tribulation; third, properly "weighs," that is, in the balance of his just judgment he weighs, and he well knows the levity of the proud, but the weight and moment of the humble. This Salazar. But the author of the Catena of the Greeks: "By this, he says, that the works of the humble are asserted to be manifest to God, it is insinuated that God does not wish to look upon the works of the proud, much less to approve them. Or they are said to be manifest, because they are as it were a certain light." But זך humble is not in the Hebrew, Chaldean, Syrian and Latin; much less זך of the proud, which even the Septuagint themselves do not have. Wherefore taking this sentence generally, as it sounds, concerning any man whatsoever, it is to be noted that when it is said: "All the ways of a man are patent to his eyes," the pronoun his can be referred either to God, who preceded in verse 1, or to man. Bede, Lyran, Aben-Ezra, Hugh and Dionysius refer it to God, and give this sense: "The ways, that is, the actions, of all, namely of the good and the evil, the Lord sees, so that also the spirit of each, what they think in secret, he discerns with a certain balance," says Bede, as if to say, To God all the actions of man are glassy and crystalline, that is, clear and transparent like glass and crystal, because God intimately perceives their root and foundation, namely the heart, mind and spirit of each, and weighs and ponders it, whether namely it has the just and good weight of goodness, or whether it is diminished, defective and unjust. Whence Boethius infers, lib. V De Consol. prose 6, near the end: "Shun therefore vices, cultivate virtue; great necessity of probity is imposed upon you, since you act before the eyes of a judge who perceives all things." Secondly, Symmachus the Syrian, the Chaldean, Vatablus, Pagninus, R. Levi, Jansenius and others refer his pronoun to the man who immediately preceded, as if to say: To man his external actions are manifest, and he himself often approves them from self-love and self-regard, and considers them to be pure and holy; but he frequently errs, because he does not perceive the internal spirit from which they proceed: for God is the weigher, that is the liberator, examiner, inspector of this. Note here that by spirit is first understood the thought of the mind and the will, which God alone weighs, whether it be good or evil, as if to say: Man sees the external action, and approves it as good and honest in itself. But God sees the internal volition which is often vicious, and therefore stains and vitiates the whole external action: wherefore although it appear pure to man, it is nevertheless judged impure by God. Solomon expresses this sense more clearly cap. XXI, 2, saying: "Every way of a man seemeth right to himself; but the Lord weigheth the hearts," as if to say: Do not flatter yourselves because your works please you, and appear to you good and just, because God will call them to the balance of his divine judgment, in which the most subtle spirits and the most hidden thoughts are weighed; whence in it that is often reprobated and condemned as evil which was approved and praised by man as good. Secondly, spirit signifies intention and the foundation of the heart, as if to say: Man discerns his actions, but he does not perceive the intention and foundation of his heart; but God perceives it, indeed weighs and balances it; and therefore often condemns an action which appears right and just to men. For a good work done with evil intention is evil, and not good; for example, when someone gives alms to a poor man in order to draw him to luxury or heresy. But a work which is in itself indifferent, that is, neither good nor evil, becomes good if it be done with a good end and good intention. But a work which is in itself evil cannot be made good, even if it proceed from the best intention. Behold, the Lord is the weigher of all these intentions. Let no one therefore be the judge of himself, let no one be proud of his own judgment, but let him tremble at the divine judgment. To this pertains the explanation of our Vilalpando, P. II De Templ. lib. III, cap. IX, which is as follows: "All the ways of man are open to his eyes, the Lord is the weigher of spirits, as if to say: Works are ways, which appear to each one right and plain; but their roughness and outcome are hidden and unseen to man trusting in himself and blind; but they are open to God. For he himself judges the spirit, and discerns by what each one is led in any of his actions." Thirdly, by spirit understand affection, love, intention, fervor, zeal, force, efficacy, as if to say: Man sees the external work, and esteems it greatly, and considers it to be very pious and holy; but God weighs the spirit, that is the quantity of affection, intention, love and zeal, from which the work proceeds, according to that saying: "God considers not how much, but from how much." For a great work done with little spirit, affection and love, before God the just estimator of virtues is of little weight and merit; but a small work done from great spirit and love is of great weight and price before God. Whence St. Thomas, I part., Quæst. XXI, art. 4, ad 3, says it is rash to define which was holier, St. Peter or St. John: for "the Lord is the weigher of spirits." Fourth, by spirit understand the quantity of grace and charity, which gives weight to the work. For the same good work done by a man who possesses great grace and charity, and is therefore eminently holy and a friend of God, is of far greater weight, price and merit before God than the same work equally intensely done by another who possesses little habit of grace and charity, and is therefore little pleasing to God and His friend, as Francis Suarez teaches, tract. On Grace, part. III, lib. XII, cap. XXII, num. 2, and others in many places. But God alone weighs and measures this quantity of grace and charity. Whence St. Francis said: "Each one is as much as he is before God, and no more." It is therefore God's to weigh works, whether they are grave or light, from the grave or light spirit which produces them. Again God, says Lyran, weighs spirits, to render merits and demerits. Whence the Hebrew tochen the Zurich version renders, disposing: "The Lord, it says, disposes spirits," that is, says Vatable, works in us what is good; R. Levi renders it, directing, as if to say God directs, he says, the actions of the just so that from crooked they become straight; or, if they are straight, they remain straight, and they themselves continually persist in the straight path of virtue and salvation, and thus arrive at eternal rewards; but the wicked works he directs toward the merits of the punishments of hell. It alludes to Job, cap. XXVIII, 25: "Who made the winds a weight, and weighed the waters by measure," where for weighed the Hebrew is תכן tichen; whence tochen, which our author here renders, "weigher." For just as God gives to the winds, though most light, their weight, that is their measure, namely a quantity, force and efficacy measured and defined by himself; and weighs the waters, for example the sea, by measure, so that, although it swells, nevertheless it does not exceed the limits set by God and measured out to it: so likewise God gives to the spirits already mentioned their just weight and measure, and according to that he equalizes and measures each one. Moreover the weight of spirit and soul is love, according to that saying of St. Augustine: "My weight is my love; by it I am borne, wherever I am borne." Therefore as much as the love in the soul, as much as the charity, so much is its weight; for charity gives weight, that is dignity, value and price to the work and to the worker. The weigher therefore can be understood in two ways: first, as giver of weight; second, as measurer of weight. For God measures the weight of all actions both bad and good; but of good ones he also gives weight, which he himself from eternity by his predestination equaled and measured both to the good, salvation and glory of the one working; and to the public good, namely to the state and office which he entrusted to the worker, for the good of the Church or of the commonwealth. Man therefore is a weigher of bodies, but God of spirits, and therefore of all Angels, Cherubim and Seraphim. This sense aptly coheres with the preceding and following verse, as if to say: Just as God in speaking is the governor of the tongue, so in working he is the weigher of spirits and intentions, and in willing he is the director of thoughts, as follows. He therefore is the charioteer of the heart, mouth and work. Whence in the following verse for they shall be directed the Hebrew is יכונו iieconu, which alludes to tochen. Truly therefore Bede in Proverbs: "Just as, he says, a pipe without inspiration renders no sound, so the heart of man without divine inspiration receives no good." Hence St. Michael, as it were vicar of God, is depicted as holding a balance, that is weighing in a balance the souls of the dying, and estimating and weighing their merits and demerits. Thus God weighed the spirit and works of Balthasar king of the Babylonians, when he wrote on the wall: "Mane, tekel (which word alludes to tochen, which here is in Hebrew), phares; tekel, thou art weighed in the balance, and art found wanting," Daniel, cap. V, 27, where I have said more about this balance and weighing of God. Antistrophic to Solomon is that saying of St. Paul, Hebrews IV, 12: "The word of God is living and effectual, and more piercing than any two-edged sword, and reaching unto the division of the soul and the spirit, of the joints also and the marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." See what I have noted there. Thus you see everywhere Solomon answering in antistrophe to Christ and the Apostles. This truly is the consensus of the law and the Gospel, this is the harmony of the new and old Testament. Morally, learn here how much value should be placed on the spirit, namely the mind and intention, in any action of ours. For a good intention gives goodness even to an indifferent work; and the better it is, the better and more meritorious is the work. An intention is good if you flee sin and do good to avoid the punishments of hell. Better, if you do this in hope of heavenly reward. Best, if you do this from love of virtue, for example from obedience, so that you may fulfill the law; from gratitude, so that you may give thanks to God; from penance, so that you may make satisfaction for sins; from justice, so that you may render to your neighbor what is his due; from religion, so that you may worship God; and especially from charity, so that you may please God more and render him something pleasing. For charity is the noblest of virtues, and their prince and queen; wherefore the acts which it elicits or commands through intention, it makes divine and most noble, and of the highest merit with God. Wherefore the Apostle, I Corinthians X, 31: "Whether, he says, you eat or drink, or do any other thing, do all to the glory of God." Explaining which, St. Basil in the Shorter Rules, Rule 196: "He truly, he says, eats and drinks to the glory of God, when he preserves the memory of divine benefits toward himself, and retains such an affection of mind as is declared even by the composition of the body, so that he does not eat as one entirely secure, but as one who has God as his inspector, and when in taking food he has this before him, that he does not eat as a slave of the belly for pleasure, but as a worker of God, so that he might be stronger in executing those works which are from the command of Christ." And Blessed Lawrence Justinian, in the book On Discipline, chapter X: "All servants of Christ, he says, desiring to please God, should strive to consecrate the beginnings of the day and of their actions to the Most High, so that the remaining works following may not depart from their beginning; wherefore as soon as they awake from sleep, they should always strive to lift up their heart; let the first voice, the first thought, the first affection resound divine praise, direct burning supplication to God, and surrender themselves to him with sincere heart, who is able powerfully to free them from impending dangers." St. Dorotheus, Doctrine 13: "If we do good from fear of hell, he says, we are in a servile state: if so that we may receive a reward, in that of a hireling; if we do good for the sake of goodness itself, we pass over to the state of sons." It is memorable what Joinville writes in French in the Life of St. Louis, king of France, that Ivo (from the illustrious family of St. Dominic), when he was sent by this Louis as a legate to the great Sultan of Damascus, met a certain woman of very advanced age, who carried in one hand a vessel with burning coals, in the other a pitcher full of water. Astonished at this spectacle, he asks her for what purpose she carried these two things with her? She answered in this manner: "It is my intention to burn Paradise with this fire, and to extinguish the flames of hell with this water." Stunned by this unexpected answer more than before, he asks her again why she attempted to do this? She said: "So that henceforth no one may devote himself to virtue and the practice of good works in hope of reward, and may refrain from evil from fear of hell, but purely for the honor of God, and for the singular love which we owe him." When he understood this, he remained entirely amazed, so much did the piety and perfection of this great woman, and her great zeal for the honor of God, shake his mind with wonder. St. Ignatius, desirous of stirring up the students of his order to this perfection, speaks in this manner: "Let all strive to have a right intention, not only concerning the state of their life, but also concerning all particular matters, always sincerely regarding in them this, that they serve and please divine goodness for its own sake, and for charity, and the outstanding benefits by which he has anticipated us, rather than from fear of punishments; or hope of rewards (although they ought also to be helped by these); and in all things let them seek God, stripping themselves, as far as possible, of love of all creatures, so that they may direct their whole affection to the Creator himself, loving him in all creatures, and all things in him, according to his most holy and divine will." Those four animals which were shown to the prophet Ezekiel in chapter I, having their wings extended and their heads raised upward, God signifying by this vision that those endowed with virtue ought to lift up their intentions on high, namely executing them for the honor of God. Evidently King David showed himself to seek purely the honor of God, when he said: "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to thy name give glory," Psalm CXIII. This is what is commonly said: Whatever men do, intention judges all; because, as St. Ambrose says, in book II of the Duties: "Your affection gives a name to your work." For just as branches and fruits draw sap from the deepest root, so good actions draw their principal goodness and merit from a good intention. St. Gregory, in book XXVIII of the Morals, chapter XIII, esteems it so highly that he calls it the foundation of the entire spiritual edifice.
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For "Reveal" our text reads גל gal, from the root גלה gala, that is, he revealed. Now in another pointing they read גל gol, that is, roll, unroll, from the root גלל galal, that is, he rolled. Whence gilgal is called a sphere, namely, heaven, from its rolling motion and roundness. Therefore thus do Pagninus, Vatablus, Cajetan and others translate it: roll or unroll, or turn thy works to the Lord, and they shall be directed, or thy thoughts shall be established, and they expound this in various ways. First, Cajetan refers it to intention and end, as if to say: The works which thou art planning to do, turn and refer to God as to thy ultimate end; thus it will come to pass that thy thoughts shall be rightly directed to their end and purpose. And Vatablus says: Perfect, whatever thou doest, in honour of God, and thou shalt not be frustrated in thy thoughts; and R. Levi says: All things which thou doest, refer to divine service, and thy thoughts shall succeed rightly. God assisting, so that thou mayest attain the goal of thy desires. Secondly, Baynus and Salazar refer these things to thanksgiving, as if to say: All things which thou doest, roll back through thanksgiving to God their author; whatever good thou hast done, reflect it all back to God, and refer it to Him as to the fountain of all good; thus "thy thoughts shall be directed," namely, they shall be borne most rightly, nor shall they go astray. For if thou shouldst claim for thyself anything from those things which thou hast done well, thou goest astray entirely; whence in Hebrew gol can be translated, like a ball in reciprocal play, return and restore to God the holy works which He Himself has cast into thee. For, as St. Chrysostom says, homily 8, volume V: "We ought to refer our good works to God, just as in the game of ball one casts it and another returns it, and the game is carried on so elegantly for so long as the ball cast and returned between the hands of both does not fall." Therefore whatever benefit thou hast received, God as it were casting it, do not let it fall (says Solomon), but straightway recall it into His hands, so that thence, as if rebounded, it may return to thee again, and this not only in prosperous times, but also in adverse times, as if to say: Whatever good thou hast done, or evil thou hast endured, refer it indeed to God, and recall it through thanksgiving. Then indeed shalt thou be more skilled, when thou hast promptly and readily returned to Him the adverse and unfavourable things cast upon thee by Him, not to say hurled. He adds: "And thy thoughts shall be directed," in Hebrew "shall be ordered, or established," as if to say: This humble judgment being laid down beforehand, thy "thoughts," that is, thy counsels and reasons, shall not waver at all. Beautifully does St. Chrysostom, homily 3 On Lazarus, teach how we ought to reflect all things, both adverse and prosperous, back to God through thanksgiving. Thirdly, thou mayest more fully and aptly refer these things to the Vulgate version, both to hope and invocation, and to praise and thanksgiving. For it explains what he said in the preceding verse: "The Lord is a weigher of spirits"; and in verse 1: "It is the part of man to prepare the soul," namely, by revealing and expounding to God his affairs, and asking that He Himself direct them, confirm them and prosper them. The sense therefore is, as if to say: Roll thy works to the Lord, that is, reveal them to Him, announce them, offer them, commend them, and commit them entirely to Him, being certain that He Himself will direct them most excellently and establish them to His glory, and thy salvation and that of others. We roll, says Jansenius, our works to the Lord, when we acknowledge to the Lord, if anything is rightly done by us, and when we refer all our works to His honour, and when we commit and entrust to Him those things which are incumbent upon us to do, praying that He Himself may direct them and bring them to a salutary effect. The third of these the Wise Man counsels, when he says here: "Roll thy works to the Lord." For it befits Him that what follows: "And they shall be directed," or, as others translate, "shall be established, thy thoughts"; that is, God prospering, those things which thou hast thought shall proceed happily and be fulfilled. He therefore admonishes the same thing here which Tobias, chapter IV, verse 20, saying: "Ask of Him that He may make thy ways straight, and that all thy counsels may remain in Him." And which David, Psalm XXXVI, 5: "Reveal thy way to the Lord, and hope in Him, and He will do it." We are therefore admonished to reveal our works to the Lord, not as if we were making known to Him things which He did not know; but so that in our prayers we may set them before Him, imploring His aid and favour. Whence Bede: "We reveal," he says, "our works to the Lord, when we bring to mind Him, whom we know nothing escapes, in all things which we do, and ask His aid in all things." Thus also Paul, Philippians IV: "Be nothing," he says, "solicitous; but in all prayer and supplication let your petitions be made known to God." Therefore, just as an infant reveals its desires to its mother, and commits and entrusts them to her bosom and care, and there reclines, falls asleep and rests: so likewise the faithful man should reveal, entrust and commit all his affairs to God, and in His paternal providence fall asleep and rest, according to that passage, chapter III, verse 6: "In all thy ways think on him, and he shall direct thy steps," where I have said more on this matter. Thus Rabbi Solomon: גל gol, that is, devolve, cast forth, as if to say: "Devolve all thy needs upon God, and what thou thinkest shall prosper happily. Or also: Pour forth prayers to God for all things of which thou hast need." And Aben-Ezra: "When, he says, God has made all things for the man free from blemish, He grants his wishes; and when he asks for anything, He grants it liberally. But if thou openest thy counsels to Him, what thou seekest He will benevolently bestow." Thus Lyra, Hugo, Dionysius and others. The word volve signifies that solicitude is a great weight, which burdens the soul of the anxious man; let him therefore devolve it from his soul into the bosom of God, thus he will be free, and secure concerning the happy success of the matter. Finally, St. Chrysostom, homily 41 to the People, refers these words to confession, as if to say: Reveal, that is, confess to God thy sins and evil works, thus He Himself will direct thee to their forgiveness and His grace, and to humility and other virtues. "I do not say to thee, he says, display thyself, nor accuse thyself before others, but obey the Prophet saying: Reveal thy way to the Lord, confess it before God, stand before the Judge confessing thy sins and beseeching, and, if not with thy tongue, at least in thy memory, and thus ask that mercy be shown to thee; if thou always keepest thy sins in memory, thou wilt never keep the memory of anger against thy neighbor; I do not say: if thou persuadest thyself that thou art a sinner. This cannot humble the soul as much as when it itself ruminates upon sins and their forms. Thou wilt not be mindful of evil, keeping these always in memory; thou wilt not be angry, thou wilt not revile, thou wilt not be proud, thou wilt not fall again into the same sins, thou wilt be stronger for good. Dost thou see how many good things are born from the memory of sins?" In like manner our Alvarez de Paz beautifully adapts this, book IV, part IV, On the Effects of Humility, chapter V, to the manifestation of conscience, especially to that which most Religious make at fixed times to their Superior, as to the vicar and interpreter of God: for through this they are most excellently directed by the Superior, indeed by God Himself, to their own salvation and that of others.
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For 'on account of himself' in Hebrew is למענהו lemaanehu, which can first be translated 'on account of itself,' namely the work; Pagninus says: For God needed nothing, or rather 'on account of itself,' namely man, who preceded it, verse 2 and 1. Whence the Chaldean translates, all the works of God are for those who obey him, and the impious man is preserved for the day of evil; and thus the antithesis between the obedient and the wicked or disobedient is clear, that God prepared all his works, and especially heaven, for those obedient to him; but for the disobedient he prepared evil, that is, destruction and hell. Secondly, R. Solomon translates lemaanehu as 'for his praise'; for ענה ana indeed signifies to sing and to praise, according to that Psalm 146, 7: "Sing (in Hebrew ענו enu, that is, sing) to the Lord in confession." Thirdly, the same R. Solomon expounds lemaanehu as 'for a testimony of himself,' that is, so that all things might bear testimony concerning God himself, that divine works testify to God's strength and majesty. Fourthly, most excellently Our author, Pagninus, Vatablus and others translate lemaanehu as 'on account of himself,' which R. Jona expounds as, so to speak, according to his will and good pleasure. Far better do others, so to speak, 'on account of his glory,' so that the sense is: God created the world and all things in it not by compulsion serving the utility of others, but willingly obeying his own glory on account of himself, as it were on account of the ultimate end of all things. For he himself, as he is the first efficient cause of all things, so also is he the end and aim of all things; for all things tend toward the praise of God, so that as Creator his power, mercy, justice, and wisdom might be proclaimed and celebrated throughout the whole world. Hence God in all things is the same, and like himself throughout all things. "God," says St. Augustine, "is neither greater in the greatest things, nor smaller in the smallest things." Note here that God did not work all things on account of himself out of a desire for glory, but because the nature and order of things demands it. For a creature by its innermost and entire essence is referred to, and looks toward the Creator, as its end and supreme good. In turn, the nature and divinity of the Creator is of such dignity and majesty that it demands all things to be referred to itself, indeed the one property proper and essential to divinity is that it be the ultimate end of all things. This maxim therefore admonishes us to refer all our works to God, and to work them on account of him, just as he himself has worked all things, and works those very works with us on account of himself. Since therefore God works all things on account of himself, it is fitting that we also, cooperating with him, should conspire toward the same intention with him, and work all our works for his praise and glory, and say that saying of St. Ignatius, founder of the Society of Jesus: "All things for the greater glory of God." To this the new version of the Chaldean gives a stimulus, which thus reads, all the works of God are for those who obey him; and the impious man is preserved for the day of evil, so to speak, God, although ultimately he created all things on account of himself, yet proximately and mediately created all things on account of the just who obey him, and to their obedience he has assigned the sun, moon, fire, trees, fruits and all created things; so that they in turn might devote those same things and all their own to God's service. For if God makes all things on account of man, therefore it is fitting that man in turn make all things on account of God. If you object that the wicked also and the impious use things created by God, and that these serve them, I answer that this service is brief and short. For the impious man is preserved for the day of evil of damnation and hell, on which heaven, earth, hell, and all creatures shall conspire, and as it were shall band together, for his punishment and torment. Whence St. Bernard, sermon 3 On Pentecost: "All things, he says, He makes for His own sake, namely by gratuitous goodness; all things for His elect, namely for their utility, so that the former is the efficient cause, the latter the end." See St. Thomas, I part. Question XLIV, art. 4, where he teaches that God is the first efficient, exemplary, and final cause of all things: because God in their production intends to communicate to them His goodness, and they intend to participate in the same. For the end is that which is intended by the agent. But God did not work them for Himself as an end of His own self (for God does not have an end of His own self, but He Himself is the end of all things), but for the end and good of creatures. For in God wisdom, goodness and operation are one and the same with God, and therefore He cannot be their end; God therefore "wrought all things for Himself," that is, He wrought all things to this end, that He might show and communicate to creatures His goodness, wisdom, power, magnificence, glory, etc., which is the good of creatures, not of God. For God acquired nothing from this communication of Himself, since nothing can be added to Him (whence also the glory with which men, Angels and all creatures glorify Him adds nothing to Him, since He Himself possesses in Himself uncreated and infinite glory); but creatures drew their essence, properties, gifts, and all good from God. See St. Thomas and the Scholastics in the cited Question, and Question LXV, art. 2. This is what St. Dionysius says: "The divine love of God did not leave Him without offspring." And Christ: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end," Apoc. I, 8. Indeed, even Plato in the Timaeus, inquiring why God fabricated the world, answers: "The best was; from the best moreover envy is far removed. Therefore consequently He willed all things similar to Himself to be made, as far as the nature of each was capable of beatitude." This doctrine our Alvarez de Paz explains most clearly with learned, profound and savory contemplation, lib. III, Part III, decad. 9, contemplat. 80, "That God is the ultimate end." I shall weave it in here, because he explains this doctrine profoundly, and few have and read this author. In the first point he says: O Lord God most holy, Thou art the ultimate end of all things, and all created things seek nothing as their ultimate end except Thee. For all things Thou hast created by Thy power, not on account of any need of Thine, but that they themselves might participate in Thy infinite perfection according to their measure. Their end therefore is to tend toward Thee, in some way to take on Thy likeness, and to draw near to Thee their Creator. And indeed creatures lacking reason in their nature are impelled to tend toward Thee as toward an end, inasmuch as they seek their own proper good, which is a participation of Thy goodness. Wretched man alone is not once separated from Thee by sinning, and turns to the baseness of a creature. But Thou who art not merely, but as it were a magnet of our heart, draw us to Thee, and compel us to enter the way of righteousness. Second: All things rest in their end, and separated from it cease not to be moved, until they reach it in their own way. Thou, therefore, O Lord, art our rest. Thy majesty alone can fill our heart, Thy goodness and sweetness can satisfy it. Neither dignities, nor riches, nor pleasures, nor all created goods together fill this capacity of ours; but one only infinite and uncreated good, which Thou Thyself art, can fill it and make it happy. Thou, O Lord, art the city toward which we tend; the port into which we sail; the bed in which we rest; the staff by which we are sustained. The ivy binds the tree by which it is sustained and raised on high with a thousand branches as it were with arms, because it receives from it its perfection and elevation. I therefore wish to embrace Thee with all the love I can, because without Thee I do not subsist even for a moment. Third: When therefore I shall possess Thee my ultimate end, then shall I be blessed. This will be to have returned home, to have gone forth from the exile of bodies into the region of spirits. Thou Thyself art our God, greatest spirit, greatest dwelling place of blessed spirits. Where all is truth, wisdom, virtue, eternity, supreme good. While we are absent from Thee, and are here, it is a valley of tears in which sensuality reigns, and contemplation is absent; in which indeed the bodily sense freely exerts itself, but entangled grows dark the spiritual eye. Let us strive therefore, O God, to go forth from this exile at least by desires and holy affections, to dwell in Thee our supreme good. Amen. From what has been said it is clear that, when it is said that God created and works all things "for himself," that is, for his glory, glory ought to be understood not as created, which God receives from creatures; but as uncreated and infinite, which God has had from eternity and has from himself and in himself, which is God himself, that is to say, God created and works all things to this end, that he might make manifest to his creatures the immense glory of his essence, goodness, power and wisdom, and might communicate it to them as far as is possible, so that they might become partakers of it. From this uncreated glory, however, there naturally and necessarily results created glory, by which men, Angels and all creatures praise their Creator: for this glory is owed to God by them by every right. And this glory is either manifest and clear, as in men and Angels; or silent and mute, as in irrational creatures: for these glorify God with a mute voice, just as a work glorifies its maker, for example a house glorifies its architect, a painting celebrates its painter. Yet this created glory could not properly be the end of God, which God, that is, desired for himself, so that in order to attain it he created the universe and works all things, both because this glory is outside God and is something created and base; and because this glory adds nothing to the uncreated and infinite glory which God has in himself and has had from eternity; and because this glory, or glorification, is rather the good of creatures than of God. For the happiness of creatures is that they should know, love, worship and glorify their Creator, according to that: "Thou hast made us, O Lord, for thyself, and our heart is restless until it rests in thee," as St. Augustine says in book I of the Confessions. Wherefore for the answer and understanding of this place and similar ones, note that the Hebrews often, and especially in song and verse, speak concisely, and leave many things to be understood, which they leave to the reader to supply. Therefore when Solomon says: "The wicked also (supply he created, or as the Chaldean and others translate, who is preserved and ordained) for the day of evil," repeat from the preceding hemistich, "the Lord hath wrought all things for himself." For this repetition is required also by the conjunction, that is to say, All created things, and therefore even the wicked and impious, who did not seem to be made for God, nor to be subject to and serve his glory, are nevertheless truly subject to and serve him. For God, who brought forth all things for his glory, even those whom he foresaw would be impious if created by him and would resist him and his glory, nevertheless created them and permitted them to act wickedly, so that, punishment being rendered to them for their admitted faults which they deserve, in them he might make manifest the glory of his justice. Hence Vatablus thus translates and explains: and the wicked also shall fall in the day of affliction, that is, of perdition, so that the wrath of God might be known. This is what Paul says in Romans IX, 22: "God, willing to show his wrath and to make known the power of his will, endured with much patience vessels of wrath, fitted for destruction, that he might show the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he hath prepared unto glory." So far, however, as Bellarmine rightly concludes, in book II On the Loss of Grace, chapter XII, is it from the case that Solomon said what Calvin wishes: that God, before the foreknowledge of sin, decreed to damn some, that rather the contrary seems to be signified, when he says that God works all things "for himself," that is, so that he might demonstrate the glory of his mercy or justice. To decree this damnation on account of foreseen sins belongs to justice: but to decree damnation without foreknowledge of sins seems to belong to injustice. For thus speaks St. Augustine, in book III against Julian, chapter XVIII: "God is good, God is just; he can free some without good merits, because he is good; he cannot damn anyone without evil merits, because he is just." And in epistle 106 to Paulinus: "If God is believed to damn anyone undeserving and liable to no sin, he is not believed to be free from iniquity." God could not therefore, before the foreknowledge of sin, decree the damnation of anyone, so that he might show his justice in that damnation. For justice of just vengeance and punishment presupposes and requires the guilt of fault. THE WICKED ALSO FOR THE DAY OF EVIL, namely God has made them, say Calvin and Beza: Because, they say, before all foreknowledge of guilt and sin, God as the absolute lord of all predestines and creates the wicked for punishments, so that in them He may display the glory of His justice; just as He predestines the elect before all foreknowledge of merits for rewards, so that in them He may demonstrate His mercy. But this is an error. For in this way God would equally have to predestine the means to these punishments, namely to send sins upon man, and to make men wicked (for punishment essentially regards guilt, and is its correlative: hence no one is punished except one guilty of fault), which is a horrible blasphemy: for it destroys free will, and in its place introduces the fate of sin, and ascribes all the guilt of sin to God, who by His essence is holiness and goodness itself, so that now not the sinner, but God Himself comes to be blamed and punished according to Calvin. These are portents of blasphemies unheard of in all ages. See what I have said concerning the hardening of Pharaoh, Exodus VII, 3. I say therefore: God from Himself wills, desires and commands the punishment of none, but the salvation and consequently the blessedness of all, as is evident from I Timothy II, 4, and Ezekiel XXXIII, 11, and from the continual exhortations and threats of all the other Prophets.
16:5
For arrogant in Hebrew is גבה לב geba leb, that is, lifted up in heart: the Septuagint significantly, ὑψηλοκάρδιος, that is, sublime in heart. The Septuagint explains the second part thus, but he who brings hand to hand unjustly shall not be innocent; so the Syriac, he who extends his hand against his neighbor shall not be restrained from evil; the Chaldean, shall not be cleansed from evil; the Scholiast, and hand joining hand, etc. The sense is, as if to say, God abhors all sins and sinners, but especially arrogance and the arrogant; wherefore even if they themselves have many associates by whom they defend themselves, and through whom they jointly lay violent hands upon others, so that they continually weave sin upon sin, they shall nevertheless not be innocent, that is unpunished; but soon the wrath of God shall rage upon them, and their pride shall be laid low. The reason is that the arrogant man is a rival and antagonist of God, as if, like another Lucifer, he wishes to make himself equal to God, and to contend with Him for honor and primacy; God therefore pursues him as a rival of His honor, strikes him down and lays him low, as I have shown elsewhere. Whence St. Gregory, part III of the Pastoral, admonition 25, applying this saying to vain and proud preachers: "Let them hear," he says, "what is written: Abomination to the Lord is every arrogant man, because namely while in the word of God he seeks his own glory, he invades the right of the giver, and does not fear to put him after his own praise, from whom he has received this very thing for which he is praised." Otherwise Pagninus, who translates, soon he shall not be unpunished; and Vatablus, soon he shall not be held as innocent, that is he shall be punished immediately, as if "hand to hand" were the same as soon, immediately. Otherwise also Cajetan, as if to say, Even if the arrogant man rub hand with hand, wipe and wash it, no water, no lustration shall wipe away his sin of arrogance; nor shall he be innocent, that is unpunished, but shall be sharply punished by God. Otherwise also R. Levi: "Hand to hand," that is he shall be entangled in continual evils; and R. Solomon: Punishment, he says, shall be inflicted upon him by hands. Aben-Ezra however translates, the hand of the Lord against the hand of the wicked, as if to say, The hand of the Lord destroys him, because he uses a fraudulent hand. See what I have said concerning this proverb in chapter XI, 21.
THE BEGINNING OF A GOOD WAY IS TO DO JUSTICE: AND IT IS MORE ACCEPTABLE WITH GOD THAN TO OFFER SACRIFICES. This verse is not in the Hebrew and Chaldean; it is translated from the Septuagint, which has it thus: the beginning of a good way is to do just things; and they are more acceptable with God than to offer a sacrifice. Our Salazar understands by justice mercy, as if to say, Among the other parts of living well, mercy toward the poor and needy holds the principal place, and this is more pleasing to God himself than great sacrifices and victims. You have this in Hosea chapter VI, 6: "I desire mercy, and not sacrifice." Hear St. Chrysostom, homily on Matthew 5: "Do you wish," he says, "to honor the body of Christ? Do not despise him when naked; nor indeed clothe him in silk garments in the Church, while outside you neglect him to be consumed by cold and nakedness. For he who said, This is my body, and at the same time made the thing with the word, the same said: You saw me hungry, and did not feed me; and inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, neither did you do it to me. Certainly this body of Christ needs not raiment, but a pure soul; but that one needs much care and great diligence. Surely for this there is no need of vessels, but of golden souls: I say this, not because I wish to avoid the offering of such vessels; but because I judge it fitting that mercy and kindness be undertaken before all things." From which it is clear that God so defers to the poor, or rather to himself in them, that, as far as external things are concerned, he wishes to be treated with them more honorably, more liberally and more decently than in the sacrament of the Eucharist. And indeed this one reason moved the ancient leaders of the Church, so that in great distresses of the poor they broke up sacred chalices, and spent their prices on the poor. Moreover Solomon adds that mercy and almsgiving are not only more pleasing to God than sacrifices and victims, but also more useful to man; for if sacrifices were instituted chiefly for cleansing and washing away sins, "mercy" indeed "and truth redeem iniquity," etc. This sense is fitting, but narrower. Wherefore others generally understand justice in a general way, as it extends to any virtue, as if to say, The beginning to the good way, that is to virtue and honest life, is to do justice, that is to exercise works of virtues, as if to say, The way to virtue is not speculation, but action and exercise of virtue: for thus "humiliation is the way to humility," says St. Bernard, "as reading is to knowledge, suffering to patience." But he says beginning, because the chief difficulty of virtue is in its beginning, so that one might begin it, as if to say, Begin works of virtue, begin to do honest and holy things, and you will experience that virtue is not so difficult as it appeared to you from afar, instigated by the devil and the world; nay, in truth you will learn that it, and its summit, are easily attained by its continuous exercise. Here is true that saying of Horace: He who has begun well has half done. And that of Ausonius, epigram 83: Begin whatever you do; to begin is half the deed; let the other half remain, begin this again, and you will accomplish it. And another: Begin whatever you do; the first part of the work is as the whole. Hence the prudent, when something difficult occurs, immediately attack it, and with the eyes of the mind as it were closed, lest they be terrified by seeing its difficulty, they put their hand to the work, and thus overcome the first apprehension of the difficulty.
16:6
For "is redeemed" the Hebrew is יכפר iecupar, that is, is expiated, is propitiated; the Chaldean, by kindness and truth sin is propitiated, and the fear of God turns away from evil. This verse is repeated: for it was also placed in the preceding chapter, verse 27, where our author transcribed it from the Septuagint; here however from the Hebrew. I explained it there: wherefore I shall add nothing more here. Now if "by mercy and truth iniquity is redeemed," and, as the Hebrew has it, is expiated: therefore by their works we satisfy for the penalty of sin as to the guilt remitted, still remaining and owed, says Bellarmine, book IV On Penance, chapter VIII. For redemption pertains to justice no less than satisfaction. And if it would be absurd to say that our works satisfy for sins, it would be much more absurd to say that our works redeem sins: just as the heretics themselves bear it more heavily, if we wish to say that they are in some part redeemers rather than satisfiers.
16:7
In Hebrew, "in the will of the Lord are the ways of a man, even his enemies he will make peace with him"; Vatablus, "his enemies also he reconciles to him"; the Chaldean, "he makes them peaceful to him"; the Syrian, however, "in the will of the Lord are the ways of a man; even to his enemy he will render penalties." For the Hebrew word שלם signifies both to scale and to repay and to make peace. The Septuagint (which here frequently transpose many sentences, indeed add different ones) in the preceding chapter, verse 27, thus have it: "The ways of men who are just are accepted with the Lord; and through them even enemies become friends." First, Baynus thus expounds it: Men exercise enmities and hatreds among themselves because they do not seek the love of God, as if to say, It cannot be that the faithful are friends among themselves who do not love God. But if we love God, friendship will easily be formed among us. For charity by which we love God extends itself to our neighbor: for it makes us love our neighbor also for God's sake, as the image of God. Therefore if charity and love of God be stirred up in both parts of those in disagreement, the same will bend both, so that for God's sake they may love one another and make peace. But if one part loves God while the other stubbornly perseveres in hatred, the former at least will seek peace and strive to make peace with the adverse part and reconcile it to itself as far as it is able, so that it is a hypallage, as if to say, "His enemies also he will turn to peace," that is, the just man loving God will turn his peace and love also to his enemies, that is, he will love his enemies for God's sake and strive to make peace with them, so that he may make and maintain peace with them. Wherefore Demosthenes called just, equitable and peaceful men the coagulum of the state, because just as coagulum binds and unites milk which is liquid and fluid in itself, so the just man strives to bind together and unite the minds of all, both friends and enemies, by peace and concord, both to himself and among themselves. Second, more simply and properly, as if to say, When anyone strives in all things to please God, it often happens that God in turn pleases his enemies and turns them to peace, so that they themselves wish to please, just as he pleases God: and this for a threefold reason. The first is that enemies see that they cannot prevail against those who love God and whom God in turn loves, protects and defends. The second is that virtue and piety are everywhere lovable, and all even enemies are seized with love and admiration for them: whence it comes to pass that when enemies see their adversary endowed with virtue, sincere, holy, they are forced to love him and restore peace with him. Whence Bede thus explains it: "So great, he says, is the sanctity of divine religion that those even who are outside often hold it in veneration; and those whom they perceive to serve God perfectly, they begin to have peace with them, however much they differ in religion." The third is that God has in his hand the hearts of enemies, so that he can bend them to love or hatred as he wishes. When therefore he wishes well to his just friends, he bends the hearts of enemies so that they may wish and maintain peace with his friends. Finally, God is the center of love and friendship: wherefore just as all lines cutting the circle into two equal parts meet and are united in the center, so in God all friends are united equally with enemies: for just as the center unites in itself all lines, though opposed to itself, so God makes friends and glues together any men whatsoever, even those who are enemies to one another. I say this often happens, not always: for we see the just often suffer continuous persecutions from rivals, as the faithful and Martyrs suffered in the first three hundred years of the Church from Nero down to Constantine. A clear example of this sentiment is in Solomon, to whom God either subjected or joined by treaty all neighboring kings and peoples, even hostile ones: whence he himself was called Solomon, that is, peaceful: because he had complete peace with all, both enemies and friends, III Kings X, 23. Again it is evident in David, to whom Saul was reconciled several times, God moving his heart on account of David's merits. In Tobias also, who, because he was mindful of the Lord in all his heart, God gave him grace in the sight of King Salmanasar, as appears in Tobias 1. It is evident the same in Ahasuerus, before whom Esther and Mordecai, and through them the Jewish people, found grace. In Joseph also, Daniel and in the three youths. Also in Alexander the Great and Jaddo the priest, whose history may be seen in Josephus, book XI of the Antiquities of the Jews, last chapter. But most of all in the Christian people, whose enemies, kings and princes, God after many persecutions finally made peace with, so that they not only ceased from persecution but also submitted themselves to the yoke of faith. He teaches therefore by this maxim, first and before all things, that the faithful must seek the love and worship of God, so that he may be pleased with them in all things, even if on account of this men are displeased, and let him say with the Apostle: "If I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ," both because to please God is far better than to please men, and to displease God is far worse and more pernicious than to displease men; and because God can easily, and often is accustomed to, convert enemies of his friends to peace, as he converted the nations that were enemies to Christ and the Apostles to peace, faith and obedience. And parents who at first resist their sons entering Religion, he often converts so that, having afterwards seen the piety, progress and fruit of their sons, they love them before their other children. He teaches secondly, that an efficacious and most excellent means of reconciling enemies is, if we first reconcile God to ourselves: for God has in his hand the hearts of enemies; wherefore if we reconcile his benevolence to ourselves, he will easily reconcile enemies to us, especially if we earnestly beseech this of him: God also does the will of those who fear him, and to those obeying him he obeys as it were, and makes all other things, indeed even enemies themselves, obey. Add that God in the old law promised peculiarly to the Jews, if they obeyed his law, victory over enemies and stable peace. Exod. cap. XXIII, 27, and Levit. XXVI, 6 and seq. To this pertains the axiom of R. Simeon in Pircke Avoth, that is in the Apophthegms of the Fathers, cap. II: "Conform yourself to the will of God as to your own, nay rather, abandoning your own will, submit yourself to his judgment; for thus you will also make others forthwith serve your desires and wills." For God, in whose hand are the wills of all, will bend them, and will make them obedient to you. Mystically, that is to say, if by obedience you have wholly subjected yourself to God, and to his law and will, so that you may please him in all things, it will come to pass that your senses also, your appetites, and all the powers of soul and body, and especially your thoughts and temptations, will subject themselves to your mind and will, so that you may easily suppress them, restrain them, and rule over them, as Adam ruled over them in paradise, so long as he obeyed God: but when he rebelled against God, he forthwith felt his flesh and concupiscence rebellious. For this is according to the law of retaliation, that if you subject yourself to your superior, your inferiors shall likewise be subject to you: but if you are rebellious to your superior, you shall likewise feel your subjects rebellious. Whence St. Augustine, lib. I On Nuptials and Concupiscence, cap. VI: "For it was unjust," he says, "that obedience should be rendered by his servant, that is by his body, to him who had not rendered obedience to his lord." And lib. II Against Two Epistles of Pelagius, cap. XXII: "For this order of justice brought it about, that because their soul had received the body as a servant from the Lord, as the soul itself obeyed the same lord, so his body obeyed him, and exhibited to that life a service befitting it without any resistance." And soon after: "For the rational soul was not yet the mistress of the flesh, had been disobedient to its Lord, so that by a reciprocal punishment it experienced the flesh, its servant, disobedient with a certain sense of confusion and trouble to itself." And lib. XIV On the City of God, cap. XV: "In the punishment of that sin, what was rendered for disobedience but disobedience? For what other is the misery of man, but disobedience against himself, so that because he willed what he could, he wills what he cannot?" Nay, God subjects to his great Saints and friends the highest enemies, both his own and ours, namely demons, according to that saying of Christ to his disciples: "Behold, I have given you power to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and upon all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall hurt you," Luke X, 19. Thus St. Antony, St. Hilary, St. Macarius, St. Francis ruled over demons, and expelled them from the possessed, and subjected them to themselves.
16:8
In Hebrew, which many harvests without judgment. But judgment among the Hebrews often signifies equity: whence Our Lord, following the Septuagint, rightly translates, with iniquity. For thus the Septuagint has it, and from it St. Jerome in chapter IV of Ecclesiastes reads: "Better is a small capture with justice, than many harvests with iniquity." For capture in Greek is ἁλίεσις, that is, a catching, occupation, possession. First, Baynus understands by justice almsgiving, as if to say: Better is a little with justice, that is with pious riches and almsgivings, than a multitude of fruits without judgment, that is unjustly and collected from plunder. For riches shall not profit in the day of wrath, unless from them justice be made, that is works of mercy, by which iniquity is redeemed, as he said in verse 6. Second, more simply and fully, you should take justice generally for the complex of virtues, as if to say: It is better to have small fruits and riches with virtue and holiness, than many with iniquity; which you may expound in two ways: first, as if to say: It is better to gather small riches from just labor, than many from unjust, for example through usuries, frauds and illicit contracts. Whence Vatablus translates, a little which he possesses with justice surpasses the immense harvests of the unjust part. Second, as if to say: It is better to have a little with a just life, than much with an unjust and iniquitous one. The first reason is, that justice and holiness is a greater good than all the riches of the world: for holiness is a heavenly and divine good, and therefore it is itself the highest participation of God and divinity. The second, that he who possesses a little with justice, enjoys peace of mind, tranquility, joy, which surpasses all the goods of the world, according to that in Ecclesiastes IV, 6: "Better is a handful with rest, than both hands full with labor and affliction of mind." Where St. Jerome says: "Elegantly, he says, justice has rest, iniquity has labor." On the contrary, he who possesses much unjustly and iniquitously, is perpetually driven by remorse of conscience and anguish, likewise by forensic lawsuits and troubles, which exhaust and absorb all the pleasure of riches. Third, that God brings it about that the just man from a little lives more comfortably, more happily and often more luxuriously than the unjust from much, according to that in the preceding chapter, verse 16: "Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasures and insatiable." See the things said there. And that in Psalm XXXVI, 16: "Better is a little to the just than great riches of sinners," to which Solomon alludes here. "Better therefore is a little with justice;" better, that is happier, quieter, more joyful, richer, more abundant, more copious. This is what Christ says, Matthew VI, 33: "Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God, and his justice; and all these things shall be added unto you." Where St. Chrysostom notes that God forbade excessive care for temporal things, so that we might more certainly obtain them from God and His providence: for excessive anxiety makes us unworthy of them; but hope placed in God's providence makes us worthy. "I command, he says, that these things not be sought and not be cared for, not indeed that you not receive them, but that you receive them more abundantly. For afflicted with anxiety, and often torn by the bites of cares, you make yourself unworthy of these goods." Mystically Bede: "Blessed, says the Lord, are the poor, for yours is the kingdom of heaven." And again: "Woe to you rich, for you have your consolation." It can also be taken thus: Because it is better in simple conversation to serve God devoutly, than to abound in many virtues, for example, in almsgivings, prayers, fastings, doctrine, chastity and to despise the deeds of neighbors, and to glory in one's own as if in sublimity.
16:9
In Hebrew, the heart of man will think of his way, and the Lord will direct or establish his steps. For "direct" some translate "weigh," but less correctly: for the Hebrew יכין iachin signifies nothing of that sort. Whence the Septuagint, the heart of a man thinks of justice so that his steps may be directed by God; St. Cyprian, tract. On Zeal, near the end, and his steps shall be directed by God. But what and what manner of just things will the just man think, so that he may dispose his way? Hear them from St. Cyprian delivering them in that place: "You have," he says, "many things to think upon; think of paradise, to which Cain did not return, who in zeal slew his brother. Think of the heavenly kingdom, to which the Lord admits none save the concordant and unanimous. Think that those alone can be called sons of God who are peacemakers, who by heavenly birth and divine law are united in likeness to God the Father and Christ. Think that we stand before the eyes of God, with Him watching and judging, running the course of our conversation and life; that we can arrive at that point only, so that it may be granted us to see Him, if we now delight Him, who sees, by our deeds, if we show ourselves worthy of His grace and mercy, if we are to please always in the kingdom, let us please in this world first." The sense of the Vulgate reading is, as if to say, Man with the general concurrence of God thinks and disposes natural works, with the supernatural concurrence indeed of the same thinks and disposes supernatural works of virtues, which are incumbent upon him to do: but truly neither concurrence of God suffices, so that what man has thought he may carry out in deed, but for this there is need of a new and singular grace of God, which may remove all difficulties occurring in execution, or smooth them, or overcome them. It is signified therefore here that the subsequent concurrence and grace is greater, and more necessary than the preventing, according to that of the Apostle: "God is he that worketh in you both to will and to accomplish, according to his good will," Philip. II. Secondly, the Zurich version translates, the heart of man deliberates concerning his way; Vatable, carefully thinks out his way; as if to say, It is the duty of man carefully, prudently and solicitously to premeditate what it behooves him to do, and to commend that to God: which if he do, as is fitting, in that manner which I have expounded a little before, truly God will direct, that is, will rightly dispose, and will make fortunate and prosper his actions: namely He will effect first that those be right, prudent and holy; secondly that they obtain a happy outcome. Similar is what he said concerning the tongue, vers. 1: "It is the part of man to prepare the soul, and of the Lord to govern the tongue." Hence some Theologians thus expound it, as if to say, One constituted in the grace of God can by free will imbued with grace propose never to offend God mortally, indeed not even venially by deliberate act, to keep chastity, to overcome all temptations; but it is the Lord's to direct his steps, that is, but he cannot accomplish this without new and daily aid of God. It is similar in the tongue: the just man can propose never to offend God by idle or harmful word; but he has need of peculiar aid of God, so that he may actually accomplish it, namely so that he may not slip in the tongue, and offend God by that speech. Solomon signifies therefore that the governance of the tongue and the direction of steps after the purpose of the heart is from God alone, because it is God's alone to remove all internal and external impediments, which are wont to hinder the governance of the tongue and the direction of steps. This therefore is most rightly called subsequent grace, by which man is confirmed in the very deed, and is perfected in his good purpose, and with impediments removed he perseveres in it even to the completion of the work. Thus from St. Augustine Gabriel Vasquez, I II, tom. II, dist. 185, num. 50. Wherefore thus against the Pelagians the Council of Orange teaches the faithful to pray, can. 2: "Grant," it says, "to your suppliants, that we may think those things which are right with Thee inspiring, and do the same things with Thee governing." And the Church in the Secret for those journeying prays: "And direct their way with Thy grace going before, and deign to accompany it following." And St. Jerome, dialog. 3 Against the Pelagians: "Now," he says, "it is in the power of the Lord that what we desire, what we labor for, what we strive for, we may be able to accomplish by His aid and help." He proves the same thing by the example of King Ahasuerus, who distracted by various thoughts after the banquet, when sleep is wont to creep in more easily, yet could not sleep, God thus disposing for the redemption of His people. Where he recognizes a new grace, whenever we carry out in deed what we desire, or are freed from impending dangers.
16:10
For "errabit" in Hebrew is ימעל iimal, that is, as Aquila and Theodotion translated it, his mouth shall not transgress; the Chaldean, he shall not lie; Symmachus, he shall not do injury. First, some expound these things imperatively, as if to say: Let the lips of the king be truthful, so that in judgment they do not err, nor pervert that judgment for the sake of anyone; but his answers and sentences are so true and certain that they appear to be oracles, and the king himself is so truthful and faithful, deceiving no one and fulfilling all faith given to him, that he appears to be himself prophetic and decreeing fates, as Aben-Ezra, Isidorus Clarius, and others say. Whence Vatablus thus translates and explains it: as divination is upon the lips of the king, that is, he ought to speak certain divine things. And Lyran: Divination, he says, that is the reading of divine things, is in the eyes and lips of the king. This etymology of divination is ridiculous and foreign. Yet the thing was once true; for thus God sanctioned concerning the king, Deut. cap. XVII, vers. 18: "But after he shall sit upon the throne of his kingdom, he shall write out for himself Deuteronomy of this law in a volume, etc. And he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord." Second, others take the former part assertively, the latter imperatively. Whence the Zurich Bible translates: oracles are those which proceed from the lips of the king when he pronounces; therefore let not his mouth transgress. Third, Vatablus again thus expounds it, as if to say: When prophecy is upon the lips of the king, then in judgment his mouth is not accustomed to lie. Fourth, better, others throughout take both parts assertively and absolutely: for this is what the Vulgate version, the Septuagint, the Hebrew, the Chaldean, and the other Interpreters require. But in what way is this true? For we know that Achab, Jeroboam, Manasseh and other impious kings uttered erroneous and impious sentences. I answer: Solomon speaks not of tyrants, nor of unfaithful and impious kings, such as those already mentioned, but of faithful, pious, upright and just kings, who equally and wisely discharge the royal office, and administer the kingdom worthily, as true kings ought, who properly exercise the office of king, and fulfill all the duties of royal obligation. For these are the vicars of God, and as it were certain earthly gods, according to that: "I have said: You are gods, and all of you the sons of the Most High," Psalm LXXXI, 6. To whom therefore God assists and cooperates with peculiar aid, so that they may rule their subjects justly and wisely, sanctioning just laws and settling disputes with true sentences. The sense therefore is, as if to say: The edicts, decrees and sentences of a just and upright king are to be received as oracles of God, in whose place he presides over the people, and who, with his intention and gaze fixed upon God and justice, assists him as his vicar, lest he err in commanding or judging. For if the king bears edicts and sentences according to laws and rights, and if he brings wise counselors into counsel and follows their judgment, surely he will not err, because he will always and everywhere conform himself to the dictate of laws and the wise; but this dictate is prudent, and practically true and certain. Moreover this opinion especially has place in things and sentences obscure, doubtful and perplexing, whether they be of fact or of law: for certain decrees of law are so obscure that they appear to be riddles, which the king or emperor ought to resolve and interpret as if by divining. In these therefore if the king use the counsel of the wise and invoke God, surely He will direct him so that he may utter a true and just sentence: as He assisted Solomon in the judgment of the harlots, who assigned the living child to the true mother, because he shrewdly perceived in her the bowels of maternal love, III Reg. III, 26. Then indeed the sentence of the king has a certain appearance of divination. Whence the ancient Romans called the judgment of an obscure and uncertain matter, for example, which of the accusers should be chosen, a divination. Gellius gives the reason, lib. II, cap. IV: "Divination," he says, "is called judgment, because in some manner the judge must divine, what sentence he ought to render, etc., because in other cases indeed the judge is accustomed to follow those things which he says, and which are demonstrated by arguments or witnesses: but in this matter when an accuser is to be chosen, small and very meager are the things by which the judge can be moved, and therefore who is more suitable for accusing, must be divined as it were." Hence the action of Cicero against Verres is called divination. In a similar way one could say of a teacher: Divination in the mouth of the teacher; his mouth shall not err in doctrine. And of a confessor: Divination in the mouth of the confessor; his mouth shall not err in the judgment of conscience. You would say the same of counselors, jurists, physicians, and professors of any arts whatsoever. For if each one follows the precepts and dictates of his art, as he ought, he will not err in the exercise of his art. This applies to that saying: "Let priests live as divine beings, let them speak as oracles;" and, as Malachi says cap. II, 7: "The lips of the priest shall keep knowledge, and they shall seek the law at his mouth, because he is the angel of the Lord of hosts." Tacitly therefore Solomon by this opinion admonishes kings of their dignity and office, that they remember themselves to be as it were God's intermediaries and Prophets, and therefore they should use the greatest prudence, diligence, moderation and maturity in judging and commanding, so that their judgments and sanctions may appear to be divine. In turn he admonishes subjects, that they obey the decrees of their kings and princes no otherwise than divine oracles, interpreting them candidly and embracing them benignly, and defending and upholding them courageously. The truth of this opinion is clear from the code of Civil Law, in which exist the laws of Theodosius, Constantine, Valentinian, Justinian, etc., so just, prudent and true, that as many as are the decrees, so many appear to be oracles. Similar are the sayings of Cyrus in Xenophon, and of King Alfonso of Aragon in Aeneas Sylvius and Panormitanus. Finally, such are the Apophthegms of kings in Plutarch. The voice and judgment of the king therefore is called "divination," first, because it is ratified and firm among all, and of such authority, as if it were as it were an oracle, which it is impious to contradict; second, because the mouth of the king is as it were the mouth of God; for God speaks through the king, bears laws and rules the people. Again all law of kings is derived from the eternal law, which is in the mind of God. God therefore is the first and supreme legislator, who through kings and princes sanctions laws and decrees: hence they are called sanctions as if sanctioned by holy God; third, because the king commands and ordains concerning future things, just as the divine divine future things; fourth, because kings in bearing laws and judgments foresee future advantages or disadvantages, and according to these moderate their words and decrees: fifth, because they sometimes decide matters so obscure and intricate, that they appear to divine. Whence lib. X Cod. de Leg. the Emperor says: "Who will appear to be suitable to solve the enigmas of laws, and to open them to all, except he to whom alone it has been granted to be legislator?" Sixth, because holy kings and princes were sometimes men Prophets, as was Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, Solomon, whose oracles therefore exist in the Pentateuch, the book of Joshua, Judges, Kings; seventh, because the kings of the Jews, as I said a little before, ought by the law of God and Deuteronomy to judge and rule the people. Their decrees therefore were oracles of God; inasmuch as they were sought from Deuteronomy. Finally, "the heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord; whithersoever he will, he shall turn it," Prov. XXI, 1. Let kings and princes therefore know that, in order to rule well, they must rely upon God, and ought to be ruled by Him, according to those words in Proverbs, chapter VIII, 15: "By me kings reign, and the makers of laws decree just things;" and let them converse with God in common through frequent prayers, and let them accustom themselves to this, so that they may make themselves worthy instruments and tools of His in governing the kingdom. Let them pray therefore with Solomon, Wisdom IX, 4: "Give me wisdom, the attendant of thy throne, etc., that she may be with me, and may labour with me, that I may know what is acceptable with thee; and thy works shall be acceptable, and I shall govern thy people justly, and shall be worthy of the throne of my father." Wherefore Agapetus the Deacon in his Admonition thus admonishes the Emperor Justinian, no. 9: "The watchful mind of the Emperor ought to be wiped clean like a mirror, so that it may always gleam with divine splendours, and may learn from thence the distinct judgements of things. For nothing so much makes it possible to perceive what must be done, and to keep it perpetually undefiled." Hence Moses in all doubtful matters consulted God, and heard Him responding to him from the tabernacle. David and the other kings of Israel likewise consulted and heard Him through the high priest clothed in Urim and Thummim, I Kings, chapter XIV, 27; XXIII, 2, and chapter XXVIII, 15. Hence the legislators of the gentiles, in order to give weight to their laws, feigned that they conversed with the gods, as Lycurgus of the Spartans with Apollo, Numa Pompilius of the Romans with the goddess Egeria, Minos of the Cretans with Jupiter, Zoroaster with the Deity, Zamolxis with Vesta, Menes with Mercury, Mahomet with an Angel. Wherefore they asserted that their laws and edicts were divinations and oracles of the gods. Allegorically this statement is most true in Christ, who is the King of kings, and the Lord of lords, the first truth, so that He cannot err in judgment, but all His words are divinations and oracles. Thus Bede: "He signifies," he says, "the king, of whom it was said in Psalm LXXI, 1: O God, give thy judgment to the king. For who is there among temporal kings who never errs in judgment? in whose lips is divination, because not only his own words direct deeds, but also the seers of the Gentiles, who are commonly called divine, what they answer to those inquiring, is disposed by Him indicating within." Again, Christ communicated this gift to the Pontiffs. For concerning the Pontiff of the Old Testament it was thus ordained in Deuteronomy XVII, 8: "If thou perceive that the judgment is difficult and ambiguous with thee, etc., thou shalt come to the priests of the Levitical race, and to the judge who shall be at that time, and thou shalt ask of them, and they shall shew thee the truth of the judgment, etc. But he that shall be proud, unwilling to obey the command of the priest, etc., that man shall die." Whence Caiaphas, although impious, yet because he was high priest, uttered an oracle, that it is expedient that one man should die for the people, that the whole nation perish not, John, chapter XI. Much more does Christ assist the Pontiffs of the New Testament, so that they do not err in the decrees of faith and morals, as the Orthodox teach. See Bellarmine, tract. On the Pontiff. Mystically, the author of the book On the Essence of Divinity, which is found in vol. IV of St. Augustine: "The lips of the Lord," he says, "are understood to be the harmony of both Testaments, concerning which two testaments it is written in Proverbs: Divination is in his lips, and his mouth shall not err in judgment." That is to say, judgment concerning matters of faith and morals is sought from both Testaments, namely the new and the old, which are as it were two lips of God; and therefore that judgment is certain, and like a divination and oracle. For both testaments are God's, who is the King of kings, an oracle.
16:11
Thus it should be read with the Romans and the Hebrew, not "of the age," as Bede and others incorrectly read it. For the ancients, as Vatablus says, designated weights with small stones, therefore stones are taken for weight; and they were accustomed to be kept in pouches. In Hebrew, "the balance and scales of judgment to the Lord; and all the stones of his purse are his work." For "weight" in Hebrew is פלס peles, that is, the equilibration of the balance, the tongue, the rule, the measure in the scale, or that which the weigher holds in his hand while the balance weighs something. For the root פלס palas means to equilibrate, to weigh, to straighten, to regulate. Whence some translate it as "rule," or "equilibrium and the scales of the judgment of the Lord." Now first, the Zurich Bible thus translated and explained it: "the balance, the scale, the judgment of the Lord are; all weights are his works," as if to say, as Vatablus says: "All things that have been found to preserve justice among men, such as the balance, the scale and weight— Theodotion, "all the works of his are the weights of his purse." Which the Author of the Greek Catena thus explains: "God is not just in any manner, but so just and equitable that all his works are brought to the rule, and as it were to the level. For just as those things which are weighed at the balance are brought to such equality that they admit no excess or defect whatsoever: so all the works of God are made with the most exact just weight." Thirdly, the Syriac translates it: "the scales of the balance of judgment to the Lord, all his works are the weights of truth"; and ours, "weight and balance are the judgments of the Lord." Although indeed in the Hebrew it is in the genitive, "the balance or scales of the judgment of the Lord," nevertheless in the matter this is the same as "weight and balance are the judgments of the Lord." For the scales of judgment are called the judgments of God weighed and examined in the balance and scales of justice to the rule, that is, most just and most equitable. Therefore the scales of judgment, that is, just, as Symmachus translated it, are the very judgments of God most just; or by hypallage, the balance and scales of judgment is called the judgment of the balance, that is, suspended and weighed in the balance and scales: for such is every judgment and work of God, which has its just weights on all sides. Finally, the Hebrews sometimes take the genitive construction for the absolute nominative by antiptosis, namely "the balance of judgment," for "the balance of judgment of the Lord is." Now R. Solomon thus explains it, as if to say: "The judgments of the Lord are weight, that is, the justice of mortals and crimes are weighed by God as with a just weight and balance." R. Levi, however, refers these things to the preceding verse: "Divination is in the mouth of the king, his mouth shall not err in judgment." For the mind, he says, is like a king in man. The mind therefore will be as it were divine and divining, so that it shall not err in judgment, if its weight and balance are the judgments of the Lord, that is, if it examine and judge with the right weight and balance of reason what is just before God: namely what is good, what is evil; what is pleasing to God, what displeasing, what is temporary and vain, what is eternal and solid, so that it may despise transient things and pursue eternal things. But this is symbolic and mystical. Therefore according to the letter the sense is, as if to say: The judgments of God, whether properly so called, or which are called by metonymy judgments and justifications, because they are equal and just, namely God's very commandments and precepts, are weight and balance, that is, most exact and most just, just as if they were suspended to the rule and equilibrium in the balance; for thus indeed they are truly suspended and weighed in the balance of judgment, of the mind and of divine censure. "And all the stones of his purse are his works," that is, the works of God are equal and similar to all the stones of the purse, that is, to any weights even most exactly and justly made, which weights were formerly stones that were kept for weighing in pouches: because namely all the works of God are so perfect and exact that nothing can be added to or taken from them: thus Bede, Lyra, Hugh, Dionysius and others everywhere. Secondly, the Septuagint translates it: "the moments of the balance of justice with God, but his works are just weights." Symmachus, "weight and balance just with God," etc. Furthermore the judgments of God properly so called are various: First, they are punishments, which God justly metes out and inflicts upon sinners in measure with their crimes. Whence the Emperor Maurice, on account of his crimes, being slain by Phoca along with his sons, dying and repenting exclaimed: "Just art Thou, O Lord, and Thy judgment is right." Secondly, they are rewards which God repays to the just both in this life and in the future in measure with their merits. Third, there are various conditions, states and lots of men, for example, that one is poor, another rich; that one is sick, another healthy; that one is happy, another unhappy; that one is a king, another a commoner; that one is a doctor, another ignorant; that one is advanced to the lowest, another to the middle, another to the highest degree of grace, and becomes an Apostle and Martyr, etc. All these things, if you regard men, appear to be fortuitous, lots and chances; but if you regard God as their author, they are judgments, that is, weighed and distributed by just judgment. Whence mystically Bede, reading "stones of the age" for "sands of the age": "Stones of the age," he says, "he calls the just and strong in faith; such as the Apostle Peter desired them to be, to whom admonishing he says: And you, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house. Therefore no one from the beginning of the age is chosen by his own virtue and fitted for the heavenly building; but rather by the work of him who, establishing all things in weight and measure and number, distributed to each, as he willed, the measure of faith and of graces." Fourth, there are temptations and tribulations: for God balances these by just judgment in such a way that they are suited and proportioned to the strength of man, both of nature and of grace, so that they are bearable, according to that in I Corinthians X, 13: "God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able, but will make with temptation a way out." Again, as in a balance, if you place a weight in one pan, the other, previously depressed, is raised: so God imposes the burden of tribulation on the body and the lower part of the soul, so that the higher part and the mind, previously depressed to the earth and earthly things, may lift itself up and rise to God and the love of heavenly things. Moreover, as gold tested by fire is weighed in a balance; if it gives an equal weight in it to what it had before the trial of fire, it is a sign that it was pure and had nothing of dross: for this is consumed by fire, and thus consumed the weight of gold is diminished; but if it returns an unequal and lesser weight, it is a sign that it was impure and mixed with dross: for fire, burning out the dross, takes away from the gold as much weight as there was dross: so likewise God explores by temptation and tribulation the strength and constancy of the just: for if the just loses nothing of it in temptation, it is a sign that it was pure and solid; but if temptation takes something from it, it is a sign that it was mixed and weak: for as much of its strength as it lost, so much weakness and mixture of carnal love it had. Whence Job, chapter XXXI, 6: "Let him weigh me," he says, "in a just balance, and let God know my simplicity;"
16:12
In Hebrew, abomination to kings to do wickedness, because in justice is established (the Chaldean, is directed) the throne. The Septuagint, abomination to a king is he who does evil, since with justice the throne of principality is prepared. From God it descends to the king, who is the living image of God on earth, as if to say: The king, who fulfills the true office and glory of a king, imitates God; for as God in his judgments and works is most just, so in turn the just and upright king abhors all injustice and wickedness with those who work it; and therefore exercises just vengeance upon them, punishing the good and life, so that he may defend and protect the upright from their injuries and scandals. He adds the reason a priori, saying: "Because justice is established the throne;" justice, that is, just vengeance of the wicked, and just rewards of the pious, by which it comes to pass that all injustice and wickedness are banished from the kingdom, and justice and piety rule and triumph. For thus both kingdoms and kings in kingdoms are established and prosper, both because justice is the cause of peace, concord, commerce, riches and all goods; and because God strengthens, enriches and prospers kings and kingdoms in which justice flourishes. Hence the throne of Solomon was gradually supported by twelve lions elaborated from gold, III Kings X. For lions are the symbol of strength and robust justice and vengeance against the wicked. They signified therefore Solomon ascending by the strength of justice, and through robust vengeances of the wicked as it were by steps to the throne of the kingdom, and being confirmed and strengthened in it. For Solomon at the beginning of his reign killed Joab, Shimei, Adonijah and others, whose crimes David had not been able to punish, but dying had committed their vengeance to Solomon, III Kings II, according to that in Proverbs XX, 26: "The wise king scatters the wicked, and brings the wheel over them." Of which there are more things in the same place. On the contrary, kings, who living the life not so much of a king as of a tyrant, love and cherish the wicked, and overturn themselves and their kingdoms, as is evident in all the kings of Israel schismatic from the first king Jeroboam to the last Hosea; read the book of IV Kings.
16:13
Thus it should be read with the Romans, Hebrews, and Greeks; not "will be directed," as Beda and others read it, as if to say "He who speaks rightly will be directed in right steps unto eternal life," says Beda. In Hebrew, "good pleasure" (thus Aquila and Theodotion) or "the good pleasure of kings—lips of justice, and he who speaks rightly is loved"; or, as Vatablus, "just lips please kings, and they love him who speaks rightly"; the Septuagint, "just lips are acceptable to a king, and he will love right words"; the Chaldean, "the righteous love the righteous"; the Syrian, "he loves." From deeds he descends to words, as if to say: Just as a wise and upright king hates unjust works and loves just ones, so likewise he hates unjust words, loves just ones, and loves, cherishes and exalts those who speak rightly. He describes the ideal of a true king; for he signifies not what kind of kings are, but what kind they ought to be. For many kings and princes in courts have flatterers, parasites and hypocrites, who, although they are wicked, pretend to be upright, so that by cajoling and flattering princes, they may be raised by them to wealth and dignities. These do not speak what is just, nor what is right, but what is flattering, and what they know will be pleasing to the desires and ambitions of princes: wherefore they draw them along with themselves into crime and ruin. Hence King Alfonso of Aragon, as the Panormitanus testifies, in book III of his Deeds, compared flatterers to wolves; for just as wolves are accustomed to devour asses by tickling and scratching them, so flatterers by their blandishments and lies intend destruction for princes. But the Emperor Constantine called assenting flatterers and parasites the moths and mice of the palace, as Nicephorus and his Scholiast testify, in book VIII, chapter LIV. Hear Seneca, epistle 21: "I will show you what thing great heights lack, and what is wanting to those who possess all things: namely, one person who speaks the truth, since no one speaks or advises from the heart's sentiment, but flattering is the sole contest of all friends' duties." Solomon therefore admonishes kings here to avoid flatterers who suggest bland but harmful things, as if they were pests; and to summon to themselves men who are just, grave, and upright, who suggest true, just, and right counsels, even if they sometimes prove unpleasant, severe and troublesome to princes. In turn, adding: "He who speaks rightly will be loved," he admonishes counselors and courtiers to give right and sound, though austere, counsels to princes; for although at first they will experience them to be less benevolent and favorable, yet when their sincerity, faithfulness and truth are discovered, they will win for themselves the love of princes, and the former austerity will be converted into benevolence, aversion into favor, horror into affection. On the other hand, if by flattering they suggest bland things instead of salutary ones, and false things instead of true ones, when this falsehood, as happens, is discovered, they will incur the indignation of princes, and from this death. For, as follows: "The indignation of the king is a messenger of death." Whence the Author of the Chain of the Greeks thus explains: "And to Christ the Lord, and to any faithful and upright king, just lips are acceptable. For both to have the truth of faith and to apply oneself to justice are things which greatly promote the advancement of the king and kingdom. If therefore you are a king, imitate King Christ; but if you do not strive to imitate him, surely you are not worthy of the name of a true king, nor will you escape the just judgment of God. For Christ is not the judge of private men only, but also of kings and princes." Mystically Beda: "Kings," he says, "he calls the saints, who are accustomed to rule principally over vices, and to be surrounded by virtues of the soul as if by the wedges of obedient companions, of whom the Lord says: Many, he says, prophets and kings desired to see the things which you see, and did not see them, Luke X. Otherwise earthly kings very often detest just lips, as Herod did those of John: for which reason he also punished him by beheading."
16:14
In Hebrew, the wrath of the king is a messenger of death, and a wise man shall expiate it; in the Septuagint, the fury of the king is a messenger of death, and a wise man shall appease him; in the Chaldean, the indignation of the king are angels of death, and a wise man shall extinguish it; R. Solomon, the indignation of the king is like one sent by the king to bring about death; Aben-Ezra, the wrath of the king is like the indignation of the Angels of death, who deliver the impious to destruction. R. Levi connects this sentence to the preceding one, as if to say: The king, when he sees himself deceived by a flatterer or hypocrite suggesting something flattering but unjust and harmful, and having persuaded him of false things as true and damaging things as useful, on account of such deception becomes vehemently angry and indignant, so much so that this wrath is like a sentence to death, indeed an index and messenger of death. Now first, our Salazar understands the death of the king himself who is indignant, as if Solomon were to deter kings from indignation, because that indignation portends and brings death upon themselves, as if to say, "The indignation of the king is a messenger of death," that is, the king who is accustomed to become indignant over light causes and to rage against his own people, has a most manifest presentiment of his own death; for subjects, bearing with difficulty the savagery and difficult character of the prince, often remove him from their midst either by poison, or by treachery, or by sedition arising. AND A WISE MAN SHALL APPEASE IT,—that is, since the king's indignation exposes him to such great danger, certainly a man who brings wisdom to the kingdom tempers his wrath, and strives to show himself mild and easy and merciful to his subjects; for clemency and gentleness of character protect the prince before all else, so much so that no garrison or force can be present to princes more abundantly or powerfully than humanity and clemency, as Plato teaches in Book I of the dialogue On the Kingdom, around the middle. Others commonly and by general consent understand not the death of the angry king, but of him against whom the king is angry. Whence, secondly, Hugo thinks that kings are warned here not to show their indignation conceived against anyone outwardly, because this display is an occasion and stimulus to the king's ministers, wishing to gratify him, to announce death to him against whom the king is angry, indeed to inflict it in reality; and then to report it to the king, and thus to gain his favor for themselves. Hugo gives examples: First indeed, of him who announced to David the death of Saul the king, and of another who brought to him the death of Ishbosheth: neither indeed went unpunished. Yet their intention was to obey the king's indignation; for they did not know his most gentle character. There is added also that deed committed by the ministers of Henry II, king of the English, against St. Thomas of Canterbury, who, in order to comply with their king's fury, cruelly destroyed the most holy Pontiff. Thirdly, plainly and simply, as if to say, "The indignation of the king is a messenger," that is, a messenger (by enallage of number) "of death," to him who offends the king and stirs up his indignation against himself: just as conversely the cheerfulness of the king is a messenger and index of a happy and honored life, as is said in the following verse. For Solomon, as the preceding verse shows what pleases or displeases the king, thus in this verse he fittingly adds how much weight should be given to pleasing or displeasing the king, namely that the latter is the cause and harbinger of death, the former of life, so that subjects may learn to fear, honor and respect the king, says the Author of the Chain of the Greeks. For the wrath of kings is grave and severe, both because they consider the royal majesty to be supremely honored: whence, if anyone injures it even in the least, they become gravely indignant, and as if preparing a sharp vengeance for their trampled majesty; and because wrath is joined with power: for he has supreme power over the life and death of all: therefore power sharpens wrath. Whence the Chaldean and Septuagint translate, the wrath of the king is an angel of death. Now the angel of death in Scripture signifies a demon, who is accustomed to be the messenger of death, indeed the executioner, as if to say, "The wrath of the king is an angel of death," that is, wrath in the king is a certain voluntary demon, impelling him to savagery and cruelty. And indeed many interpret that passage in I Kings XIX: "And the spirit of the Lord was evil in Saul," of anger, which stirred up Saul so vehemently that he raged like some possession. Again, St. Basil in the homily On Anger: "For neither," he says, "sword, nor edge, nor fire, nor anything dreadful is able sufficiently to restrain a mind swollen with anger; no more than to be defended from demons, from whom the angry differ in nothing either in form or in disposition of mind." And again he calls anger "a voluntary demon." The meaning therefore is, as if to say: The indignation or fury of the king is like a messenger of death, because, like that messenger, it strikes great terror and portends imminent death or some grave vengeance, as appears in Esther chapter VII in the wrath of King Ahasuerus against Haman. Thus also afterwards here, chapter XIX, 12, it is compared to the roaring of a lion: "As the roaring," he says, "of a lion, so also is the wrath of a king;" where also it is added by antithesis, which agrees with the following parable: "And as dew upon grass, so also is his cheerfulness." Although therefore the wrath of a king is grave and dangerous, yet it can be overcome and appeased by wisdom. Whence follows: "And a wise man shall appease it," namely because by his own wisdom in speech, or by some clever device, he turns away and calms the wrath of the king conceived against himself or others, as appears from Joab, II Kings XIV, who by the cleverness of the woman of Thecua calmed the wrath of David against Absalom. Thus Jansenius. To this pertains the saying of Bede in Proverbs: "The indignation of a king is a great tempest." And that of Seneca: "Where wrath dwells with power, there is lightning." An elegant fable of a goat and a raging lion on this matter exists in Gabriel: "A goat," he says, "when she saw a lion raging: O most wretched fate of beasts! If you were in your right mind, intolerable lion, how now, raging, is your face not full of tears? 'The moral: that he who has power ought not to fly into a rage;' nor is it prudent to provoke him to wrath, but to avoid it altogether." An example is in the Emperor Domitian, whom Pliny thus depicts in the Panegyric of Trajan: "Terrible in appearance and sight, pride on his brow, wrath in his eyes, feminine pallor in his body, shamelessness in his face suffused with much redness; no one dared to approach him, no one dared to address him, always seeking darkness and seclusion, and never coming forth from his solitude except to create solitude; for which reasons, hated by all, he was at length slain by his own household servants on account of his excessive cruelty. Wherefore Pliny, opposing Trajan to Domitian, thus praises his humanity and benevolence: "To whom," he says, "from the company of citizens much pleasure comes, by provoking and returning conversation; and to whom is given not only to see his chamber, but to behold the prince himself in public." By these courtesies he so bound the people to himself that he obtained the title of Optimus from them, and to the new Emperor thereafter as if with the congratulation of a favorable omen by all was acclaimed: 'More fortunate than Augustus, better than Trajan.'" Mystically, Bede understands by the king Christ, whose wrath upon the reprobate on the day of judgment will be so great that they themselves will say "to the mountains and rocks: Fall upon us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, because the great day of their wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand?" Apocalypse VI, 16. This therefore wrath of Christ will be to the reprobate a messenger of death, when upon them it shall thunder forth the sentence and thunder of eternal damnation, saying: "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, which was prepared for the devil and his angels," Matthew XXV, 41. But the wise man, who namely wisely forestalls the wrath and judgment of Christ, and strives that in this life he may avoid crimes, or, if he has committed any, may blot them out through penance, and endeavors in all things to please Christ, he surely shall appease his wrath, and shall experience him placid and cheerful on that dreadful day of judgment; and shall hear that desired sentence of life: "Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world," Matthew XXV, verse 34.
16:15
In Hebrew, in the light of the king's face is life, and his benevolence as the clouds of the latter rain; the Chaldean, in the light of the king's countenance is life, and his will as a cloud in fair weather; the Syriac, as the latter cloud; Pagninus clearly, when the king's face has shone forth there is life, and his benevolence will be as the clouds of the latter rain; Vatablus, a serene countenance of the king is thus, and his grace as a cloud of the latter rain. The Septuagint departs elsewhere, as I shall show below. The light of the face is serenity, joy, cheerfulness of the face; for light is the index and symbol of these things. For the latter rain in Hebrew is עב מלקוש ab malcosh, that is, a cloud (to be resolved or resolved into rain) of the latter season. Note here that in Palestine there is a twofold rain, one in October, when seeds are sown, so that they may be dissolved by the moisture of rain and begin to germinate; and therefore this rain is called early or morning rain; the other in spring, when the fruits ripen, so that the grains may be nourished by the moisture of rain, grow and thicken, which is therefore called the latter rain, and is most pleasing, most delightful and most useful, such as is the clemency of the king. Concerning this twofold rain I have often spoken in the Minor Prophets and Jacob V, 7. Finally, just as in the preceding verse death, so also in this verse life, either of the king himself or of others to whom the king shows a cheerful face, can be understood. Whence first, some, taking life as they do death, thus expound it, as if to say: Just as a king showing an angry and fierce countenance to his subjects provokes their anger in turn against him, so that they plot his death: so conversely, if he himself exhibits a placid, joyful and benevolent countenance to his people, he wins over all to himself, seizes the love of all, so that they strive to preserve, protect and defend his life even at the peril of their own lives. Wherefore the life of a benevolent king is in safety; but the life of an angry and cruel king is exposed to great danger. Second, and more genuinely, you should understand the life of the subjects; for this is what the other part of the hemistich demands: "And his clemency as the latter rain," irrigating and cheering the subjects. The sense therefore is, as if to say: A bright, that is, serene, joyful and cheerful countenance of the king attracts the subjects, refreshes them, cheers them, so much so that it seems to breathe upon them life, that is, the flower and vital joy: just as conversely the angry or sad countenance of the king dismays the minds of the subjects, makes them fearful and sad, and as it were breathes upon them a certain death of sadness and sorrow. The reason is, both because the king is in the people what the head is in a man: just as therefore health and cheerfulness, as well as infirmity and discomfort of the head, redound to the members subject to it and imprint their quality upon them: so likewise the cheerfulness or anger and austerity of the king affects the subjects and imprints a like affection upon them. Wherefore Plutarch teaches in his Politics that a prince must govern the affections of his soul, especially angers, fears and sorrows, lest he imprint the same upon his subjects. Thus did Aeneas in the danger of shipwreck, of whom Virgil, I Aeneid: "He feigns hope in his countenance—and presses deep sorrow in his heart." Second, because the life or death of the subjects depends upon the love, anger or hatred of the king; for kings by their power can and by their will wish to prolong life for those whom they love, and to bring death to those whom they hate. Baynus thinks it is a metaphor from the light of dawn, as if to say: Just as the light of dawn now approaching dispels the darkness of night: so also the joyful countenance of kings drives sorrow and fear from the minds, and makes the realm like a pure and serene sky. Hear Seneca, in the book On Clemency: "Is the state of the world," he says, "more pleasing to the eyes and more beautiful on a clear and pure day; or when all things are shaken by frequent crashes, and fires flash here and there? Yet the face of a clement and moderate rule is no other than that of a serene and shining sky. A cruel kingdom is turbid and dark with shadows, among those trembling and startled at a sudden sound, and not even he who disturbs all things is unmoved." Hence of Christ the King of kings it is said in Psalm CIX: "With thee is the beginning (in Hebrew, nedaboth; in Greek ἀρχή, that is, principality) in the day of thy power: from the womb before the morning star I begot thee," in Hebrew, from the womb from the dawn there is to thee the dew of thy youth; Aquila, from the womb, from the rising or appearing dawn to thee the dew of thy childhood; where dew, as well as dawn, signifies the sweetness, cheerfulness and gentleness of the mind and countenance of Christ, says R. Solomon. Our Salazar judges rather that the metaphor is drawn from the light of the sun; for as the sun is to the eyes, so the light of the heart is wisdom. Again, a king on earth is that which the sun is in heaven and in the world. For a king is the sun of beneficence, cheerfulness and life to the whole kingdom, as if to say, "In the light of the king's countenance is life," that is, the king's serene and benevolent face imitates the sun, when it shines most brightly. For just as the sun with its rays cherishes all things, and inspires life, joy and gladness to all things: so also the benevolence and grace of a prince raises up his subjects, and brings to them a certain pleasant agreeableness and delightful joy, whom he regards benevolently; on the contrary, the stern countenance of a king is as it were a failing sun, which brings mourning, languor, diseases and even death to all men and things. Hear Agapetus the Deacon to the Emperor Justinian, On the Office of a Prince: "Truly it is the part of the sun to illuminate the orb with its rays; but the virtue of a prince is to have mercy on the needy. Moreover, the emperor who is pious is brighter than the sun itself: for that one yields to the succeeding night, but this one does not allow himself to indulge in any way to the rapacity of the wicked, but with the light of truth he convicts the hidden things of iniquity." And Plutarch in his Moral: "As God in heaven has established the sun as the most beautiful and most delightful image of himself: so in the republic a prince, who represents himself to all by prudence, justice, and kindness." Hence Cyrus was the sun of all Persia: for Cyrus in Persian signifies the sun. See the many analogies of a king and the sun, which I have reviewed in Isaiah, chapter XLV, verse 1. AND HIS CLEMENCY AS THE LATTER RAIN. — He compared the hilarity of the king to the dawn, and to the sun illuminating and vivifying all things; now he compares his clemency, and, as it is in Hebrew, his benevolence to the spring rain, which revives, cheers, and vivifies the earth and the fruits withered and mourning from the rigour of winter, and nearly dead, and causes the earth to burst forth into sprouts, leaves and flowers; and to produce fruits of every kind most sweet and abundant. In a similar manner the clemency, benevolence and beneficence of a king refresh, recreate, promote all, both rich and poor, and enrich them with all goods, as we read that Trajan, Antoninus, Constantine, Theodosius, etc., did in their Panegyrics and Lives. See Seneca, book On Clemency, where in book I, chapter VIII, he celebrates the clemency of Caesar Augustus, who received into favour Lucius Cinna, who was plotting against his life: "I give you your life again, Cinna," he said, "formerly an enemy, now a conspirator and parricide. From this day let friendship begin between us. Let us contend which of us has given you life in better faith, or which you ought to be grateful for?" After this he offered him the consulship of his own accord, complaining that he did not dare to ask for it. He held him as a most friendly and faithful friend, and he was his sole heir. He was never again sought out by any conspiracies." Moreover the Septuagint, reading בנו beno, that is, his son, instead of בני beni, that is, face, in their codex, thus translate, in the light of the life of the king his son; but those who are very acceptable to him, as the latter rain; thus the Complutensian and Roman editions read, which the Author of the Chain of the Greeks thus renders more clearly, and thus expounds tropologically: "The son of the king dwells in the light of life; but those whom he receives are like the latter rain. He who is perfectly taught in the knowledge of truth according to Christ can be called the son of a king or of God more truly. But those who after the coming of Christ have come to the faith are as it were the latter rain, inasmuch as about the consummation of the age they are at last joined to God." Another: "The son of the king is the disciple of Jesus; but he is likened to the latter rain, because he is heaped up with many good works. Rather take these mystically of Christ, as if to say, Christ the Son of the eternal king, namely God the Father, received from him the light of life, first, divine, when he was begotten by him from eternity; second, human, when the Word was made flesh; third, all grace in the same incarnation; fourth, all glory in the resurrection. But he communicates both this life to his own; for to those "who are very acceptable to him," he himself is "as the latter rain," that is, as the spring cloud, which pours forth and showers upon his faithful and elect a copious rain of grace, and then of glory. But the true and genuine reading of the Septuagint appears to be that which the Scholiast has, who thus reads, in the light of the son of the king life, etc. For this reading corresponds to the Hebrew and Latin texts, changed only in name almost, that is, face, into the name son, that is, son. Thus the sense will return to the same as the Hebrew and Vulgate, if by the son of the king you understand the king himself, from the phrase of Scripture, which calls sons of men men, sons of kings kings. But if you take the son of the king properly for the king's offspring and future heir, the sense will be that which our Salazar gives: "In the light of the son of the king life," that is, the good and happy fortune of the nation depends entirely upon the good disposition and morals in which the son and heir of the king shines: wherefore all observe his character and morals together. "And those who are accepted by him as the latter rain," that is, the fortune indeed and happiness of those who have obtained grace with him is similar to the latter rain, which although it falls later, nevertheless more abundantly makes the earth fertile. For after delays of time and long waiting, when at length the heir at some time possesses the kingdom, he enlarges his friends and familiars with great fortunes and honors. For just as truly the first rains are wont to flow more vehemently and longer, as the Philosopher observes, Problem. sect. 26, so also the king's beneficence at the first entrance of the kingdom is wont to be more abundant and copious. Or, if you thus punctuate: "In the light of the son, the king's life," the sense will be, as if to say, Just as from one torch a torch, from one lamp another is kindled, so the son's life is as it were a lamp kindled by the father; whence Solomon is called the lamp of David, III Kings XV, 4. Just as therefore runners of old, having traversed the stadium assigned to them, handed on the lamp to their successor: so also parents, having completed the course of life, give to the son as to their successor the lamp of their life, virtue, wealth and glory, so that in him they may as it were continue to live and endure, according to that saying of Lucretius: And as runners of life hand on the lamp. "In the light" therefore "of the son of the king life," that is, the king ought to transfer his life, wisdom, morals and virtues into his son, so that, just as one lamp is kindled from another, thus the son's life, disposition and morals may be kindled from the instruction and example of the father, and the father dying may nevertheless live and shine in the son, whom he leaves as heir to himself similar and as it were another self, as light from light, or as a lamp handed on in the course; "but those who are very much accepted by him, as the cloud of late season," as if to say, Those who shall gain the favor of the son of the king, he himself shall be to them as a spring cloud, which indeed late after a long waiting for the kingdom, but copiously shall rain upon them and communicate to them wealth, dignities and all good things. Allegorically, the same thing most aptly applies to the incarnate Word, namely Christ; for Christ as the Word is the life of the Father, equally as the Holy Spirit, and consequently of all creatures, especially of plants, animals, men and Angels: for through the Word all things were created, and through the Word God gives to all things to flourish, to endure, to grow and to propagate themselves; as man, he is the life of Angels and men: for all these draw and participate in the life of grace and glory of Christ as their head. Whence alluding to this, St. John, cap. I, vers. 4: "In him," he says, "was life, and the life was the light of men." And vers. 9: "It was the true light which enlighteneth every man that cometh into this world." And vers. 16: "And of his fulness we all have received, and grace for grace; because the law was given by Moses, grace and truth was made by Jesus Christ." In Christ therefore as in a fountain is all the life of all things. Whence St. Augustine thus explains it there, as if to say, The very substance of the Word is life, for this is the idea of all creatures; but the idea is the very essence and life of God. St. Chrysostom however, Cyril, Theophylactus and Ammonius, there: "In him," they say, "was life," that is, the vigor of all things, duration and conservation; it was however not formally, but causally, because it is caused and produced by the Word and through the Word. Whence St. John often calls Christ light and eternal life. See the said epistle I John, cap. I, vers. 2 and seq. by virtue and discipline. For in the preceding verse the Septuagint had said that the father lives in the son as it were even after death, now they aptly subjoin, that the father may live gloriously in the son, not shamefully, that the son ought to be educated in the nests of wisdom, so that in these wise and generous, and as it were an eagle's chick, namely worthy a son of his father, and similar to his wise father, indeed wiser may become; for it is better to heap these nests of wisdom upon the son than treasures of gold and silver: for by these wisdom is far more precious.
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For "posside" in Hebrew means to acquire, to buy, to compare, to possess in the imperative; or to acquire, to buy, to possess in the infinitive; whence Pagninus translates it, to acquire wisdom is much better than to acquire precious gold; and to acquire understanding is much better than to acquire choice silver; the Chaldean [paraphrase], he who possesses wisdom is better off than with refined gold; and he who possesses prudence is better off than with choice silver. This meaning is expressed in similar words at chapter VIII, verse 10, and chapter IV, verse 5, where I have explained it. Furthermore the Septuagint, reading קנה keno with different vowel points as קן ken, and by means of the paragogic ן as קנה kinneh, that is nest, or certainly referring the letter ה by diastole to the following word החכמ chachma, as if ה were the article, or ה demonstrative, chochma, that is of wisdom, or more briefly and truly reading קנה as קנת kinnot (for ה and ת are similar characters), that is nests, translates it, nests of wisdom are to be chosen more than gold, and nests of prudence are to be chosen more than silver. Which first, St. Chrysostom in the Catena of the Greeks thus expounds, as if to say, "The senses and theorems of divine wisdom exceed worldly wisdom in many respects. But just as gold is superior to silver, so also wisdom is more noble than prudence. For the latter is occupied chiefly in the knowledge of things, but the former in the elucidation and interpretation of unknown things." Another there: "Nest signifies two things, namely the place where the young of birds are preserved, and the young themselves, which are contained in the nest. By nest therefore the wise man designates divine theorems: for in these wisdom dwells; which he also says are more excellent than worldly and falsely-named wisdom. But if he has taught elsewhere that prudence is akin to wisdom, it must be said that he has preferred the wisdom of discourse to the wisdom of the world. For, as gold is superior to silver: so this also surpasses that. Or he calls the nests of wisdom the Churches of Christ, or the dwellings of the Saints; but wisdom itself, Christ himself. Secondly, St. Ambrose, book V of the Hexameron, chapter XVII, takes the nest of wisdom more literally as a nest built by the wise, such as the swallow constructs for its eggs and young, as if to say, Wisdom teaches swallows and other birds to build nests, and in them to beget and rear young, so that through them it may give a type and example to all of begetting and rearing children and disciples wisely in all But hear St. Ambrose philosophizing physically about the wisdom of the swallow's nest: "We have an example of piety toward ancestral customs from the offspring of the aviary; let us now receive a great lesson of maternal diligence toward children. The swallow, small in body, but sublimely elevated in a remarkably pious affection, which is in need of all things, builds nests more precious than gold, because it nidifies wisely. For the nest of wisdom is more precious than gold. For what is wiser than that it should both enjoy the vague liberty of flying, and entrust its young to the dwellings and roofs of men, where no one may harm the offspring? For it is also beautiful that from the first birth it should accustom its young to human use and conversation, and make them safer from the snares of hostile birds. Then it is remarkable with what grace it builds houses for itself without any helper, as if skilled in the art. For it gathers straws in its mouth, and smears them with mud, so that it can glue them together. But because it cannot carry mud with its feet, it dips the tips of its feathers in water, so that dust may easily adhere to them, and mud may be made, by which gradually it may gather straws or small twigs for itself, and cause them to adhere; by this kind of work it builds the whole structure of the nest, so that as if on a pavement floor its young may move about within its dwelling without stumbling, nor may anyone insert a foot through the cracks of the weaving, or cold creep in upon the tender ones. But this office of industry is nearly common to many birds; but that which is singular, in which there is remarkable care of piety, and a mark of prudent understanding and knowledge, and also a certain skill of the medical art: that if any of its young should be suffused with blindness of eyes, or struck, it has a certain kind of healing by which it can restore their sight to use, namely, "the swallow, if it has blinded its young, knows how to eye them again from its own celandine," as Tertullian says, in the book On Repentance, near the end. The same thing St. Basil has, homily 8 of the Hexameron, from which St. Ambrose transcribed it, but also bestowed it with the elegant style of Latin discourse. Therefore the nests of wisdom for a son are honest home education; then schools, academies, seminaries, colleges, monasteries, in which youth is instructed and educated in wisdom equally as in virtue, so that formed there, like young birds, it may fly forth strongly and wisely to the prey, and may be able to imbue others with the wisdom and virtue which it has learned, and indeed even to build and erect nests of wisdom similar to its own elsewhere. For nests of wisdom are erected in souls, when souls are so composed and formed by knowledge and discipline, that they know and are able to direct themselves wisely in all things, and also others, and to guard against all the scandals of vices.
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In Hebrew, of the upright. The Chaldean: the path of the just is to turn away from evil; he who guards his soul keeps his way; the Zurich Bible: and he who keeps his way (of God's commandments, says Vatablus) keeps his soul; but the Septuagint: the paths of life turn away from evils; and the length of life is the way of justice, namely the Septuagint thought that the keeper of the soul is the same as he who prolongs life, as if to say: Justice makes its followers long-lived here, and eternal in the future; whoever therefore keeps the ways of justice, to him shall fall the happy length of present life, and the blessed eternity of the future. The word path signifies that the way and life of the just is straight, hidden and narrow, so that it may turn away from the curved and perverse and broad byways of vices, which surround and encompass it on all sides, through which the impious walk as through broad and free roads, as it were through royal ways. For path is said in Latin as if semi iter, or a half and narrow way. Whence Virgil, in the ninth book of the Aeneid: A rare path led through hidden tracks. For path in Hebrew is mesilla, that is, a beaten way, a raised bank, a paved and stone-elevated path, lest travelers be forced to walk through mud; whence mesilla is called a ladder. The way therefore and life of the just is mesilla, both because it is elevated and higher than the earth, being heavenly and divine: for through virtues as through ladders they strive and ascend to heaven; and because it is continually and by long exercise of good works and virtues trodden, leveled and beaten, and therefore easy and secure. Moreover the Septuagint explains and illustrates this thought by two other passages, which are not found in the Hebrew, nor in the Latin. These are: "He who receives discipline shall abound in all good things: and he who observes reproofs shall make progress in wisdom. He who keeps his ways keeps his soul; but he who loves his life, it is necessary that he spare his mouth."
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In Hebrew, before breaking pride, and before striking (by which one dashes against a stone or stumbling block) elevation of spirit; the Syriac, before sickness exaltation of spirit; Aquila, toward the face of contraction pride; Tigurine, haughtiness precedes comminution, and pride of mind goes before ruin, that is, calamity is the companion of pride, as Vatable says; Chaldean, before destruction comes pride, and before ruin the spirit is lifted up; the Septuagint, before contraction ὕβρις precedes, that is contumely, or injury (Syriac, reproach), and before ruin κακόφρων, that is evil thought; the Complutensian and Roman editions, immodesty; others, rashness, foolishness; for κακόφρων is mad, impatient, thinking evil things, as it were thinking κακά καὶ ἀδόξως. The sense therefore is, as if to say: Before anyone undergoes an evil by which he is broken, shattered and overthrown, his pride is wont to go before it, by which he exalts himself proudly, so that he wishes to dominate others: for God is accustomed to lay this low and break it. Similarly, before anyone dashes against some lighter evil and falls, elevation of spirit is wont to go before him, or some haughtiness and swelling of mind, which deserves this evil. Moreover, understand evil both as punishment; such as diseases, poverty, ignominy, persecutions, exiles, and death itself; and as fault: for God punishes a lesser and hidden fault by another greater and manifest one. Thus God punished the hidden pride of Adam, by which he swelled up hearing from Eve the promise of the serpent: "You shall be as gods," by permitting his fall into open and clear disobedience, by which eating the forbidden fruit he destroyed himself and the whole human race, as St. Augustine beautifully teaches from this place, book XIV of the City of God, chapter XIII: "That evil (of pride)," he says, "had preceded in secret, so that this evil which was perpetrated in the open might follow. But it is true what is written: Before ruin the heart is exalted, and before glory it is humbled. That ruin indeed, which happens in secret, precedes the ruin which happens in manifest. While that ruin is not thought to be ruin. For who thinks exaltation ruin, when already there is that defect by which the lofty one is abandoned? But who does not see ruin when there is evident and undoubted transgression of the commandment? For this reason God prohibited that which, when it was committed, could be defended by no imagination of justice. And therefore I dare say it is useful for the proud to fall into some open and manifest sin, from which they may displease themselves, who had already fallen by pleasing themselves. For Peter displeased himself more healthily when he wept than he pleased himself when he presumed. This also the sacred Psalm LXXXII says: Fill their faces with shame, and they shall seek thy name, O Lord, that is, so that thou mayest please them seeking thy name, who had pleased themselves seeking their own." Therefore pride precedes contraction. What contraction? Every one. For we never fall into sin unless through pride, at least tacit or interpretative, we are raised up against God. Pride is opposed to God himself; intolerable to neighbors, and found to be exceedingly harmful to the proud man himself: because unless a man were to abandon the reverence and subjection owed to God, and with raised neck were to be proud against him and his commandments, he would never fall into the dissipation of grace and the ruin of sins. The Septuagint version has, before contraction injury proceeds, and before ruin evil thought. Note here how emphatically pride is called injury by antonomasia, namely inflicted on God. So grave an evil is pride, that it mocks God himself as if with insults and mockeries, strikes blows in the face of God, smears it with spittle, and as if unwilling and refusing provokes God into contest. Which you will also find in that passage of the Apostle James IV: "God resists the proud." He does not say: He opposes, as he impugns the restless; but "resists," as if against those proud ones who impugn and provoke God, he himself, to consult his own honor, as for his household gods and hearths fights back, repelling injury from himself rather than inflicting it, defending himself rather than offending others. Which at some time St. Augustine, having experienced it, grieved thus: "But I, O Lord, was striving toward thee, and was repelled by thee, so that I might know death; thou didst resist my windy neck," etc., book IV of the Confessions, XV. Behold the windy head of the proud man: yet the fool flatters himself with his own wind. But why does pride, whether great or small, precede and cause almost all the falls, ruins and destructions of everyone, even of Saints? Cassianus gives the first cause, Collation VI, chapter XVII, namely that from smaller things there is wont to be a gradation to greater things: "For any fall, he says, should not be believed to have been corrupted by a sudden ruin; but either deceived by the beginning of evil training, or through long negligence of mind gradually with the strength of the soul declining, and through this gradually with vices increasing to have fallen in miserable ruin. For before destruction there precedes injury, and before ruin evil thought; just as a house never collapses to ruin by a sudden impulse, unless either by an ancient defect of the foundation, or by long negligence of the inhabitants, with very few drippings first penetrating, the fortifications of the roofs have been corrupted gradually, which through ancient neglect being opened and collapsed to a greater degree, thereafter the storm of rains and showers flows in by channels." St. Chrysostom gives the second cause, book V On the Incomprehensibility of God's Nature, namely the gravity and weight of pride, which is so great that it depresses the proud into the depths. The third and most powerful cause is God's vengeance. For God pursues pride and the proud with extreme hatred, and therefore strikes them down and casts them even to the depths of hell. Whence Aesop, when asked by Chilon what Jupiter did and what he was occupied with, answered: "That he depresses the lofty and exalts the humble." Thus Laertius, book I, in Chilon. And the Seventy Interpreters, when asked by Ptolemy Philadelphia how one could avoid pride, answered: "If he considers that God depresses the proud, but exalts the meek and humble." This is what God threatens to the proud through Obadiah, verse 4: "If thou be exalted as the eagle, and if thou set thy nest among the stars, I will bring thee down from thence." And concerning Nabuchodonosor and his son Baltassar Daniel says, chapter V, 20: "When his heart was lifted up, etc., he was deposed from the throne of his kingdom, and cast out from the sons of men, and his heart was made like the beasts." For this is a great incentive to humility, if thou consider that by it thou art to be exalted; by pride, most certainly thou art to be depressed, and perhaps even to the depths of hell with the proud Lucifer. For just as humility is a sign of predestination, so pride is a sign of reprobation. When therefore thou hast felt in thy mind some elevation, swelling and arrogance, know that this is a sign that a fall and ruin are threatening thee; for just as smoke is a sign of nearby fire, so elevation is a sign of nearby ruin. Wherefore just as, when thou seest smoke rising, thou immediately run to extinguish it with water and to smother and suppress the fire lurking beneath it; so entirely when thou feelest swelling in thy mind, immediately crush and break it, and thus shake off and avert the impending fall. For fall and ruin is the inseparable companion of pride; for God punishes no one before sin, nor does anyone sin except from some pride, namely that he is unwilling to humble himself before God. For we never contemn and mortally transgress God's precepts unless we value our own will or pleasure more than God's command. Whence it is well said in Ecclesiasticus X, 15: "The beginning of all sin is pride." Note: The humble and holy are sometimes afflicted and depressed by God's nod, but not that they may fall and be broken, but rather that they may be exalted, as is evident in Joseph, Job, David, etc. The same calamities therefore are to the just merits and crowns, but to the proud are demerits and punishments, because to them they are inflicted by God for the increase of virtue and glory, to these for torment. Finally, as great as pride is, so great is the ruin and destruction that follows it; for the measure of punishment corresponds to the measure of guilt. Just as therefore he who falls from on high falls deeply and is utterly broken: so the greater the elevation, the greater is the fall, according to that of Claudian: They are lifted on high, That they may fall with heavier ruin. Thus God broke the pride of Pharaoh through Moses, of Goliath through David, of the Pharisee through the Publican, of Absalom through Joab, of Adonijah through Solomon, of the giants through the flood; and indeed the presumption of Peter asserting that he would die with Christ, through a maidservant, who struck him and drove him to deny Christ. Blessed Peter Damian recounts a very apt recent example, epistle 24, chapter VI, of a proud cleric, who, when in the Mass that saying of Christ was read: "He that exalteth himself shall be humbled, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted," Luke XIV, 11, mocked it, and full of arrogance and excessive confidence in martial strength, leaping forth into battle as if he would be victorious, fell miserably in a wretched conflict. Saint Antoninus narrates something similar, II part, title III, chapter ..., of a certain tyrant, who commanded to be erased from the books the Canticle of the Mother of God: "He hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart; he hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble;" because he denied that he could be put down from his seat. When once after bathing an Angel, bearing him, put on his garments, and came to his house with courtiers, the tyrant naked could be recognized by no one. Moreover the Masoretes note in this verse that the middle letter is marked.
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The Chaldean: better is he that is humble in spirit and meek; the Syriac: better is he that is humble in spirit and with eyes cast down, than he that divideth the spoil with the strong; the Septuagint: better is the meek with humiliation, than he that divideth the spoils with the contentious or injurious, because these spoils are unjust: wherefore he who receiveth a part of the spoils consenteth to and cooperateth in the injury, and therefore shall undergo the same destruction with the injurious, saith Aben-Ezra. For the proud are wont from pride to be injurious to others, and to despoil them of their goods, and to call their companions and friends to share in quarrel or war and spoils; but the same vengeance of God awaiteth both, the same destruction. This maxim is drawn as a conclusion from the preceding: for if pride bringeth forth contention and exaltation ruin, as he hath already said, therefore it is better to be humbled in spirit, as the Hebrew hath it, that is, to abase oneself with the humble and meek (for those who are humble are also meek), than to exalt oneself above others with the proud, and to despoil them and enrich oneself with their spoils. Solomon alludeth to that saying of his father David: "I have chosen to be abject in the house of my God, rather than to dwell in the tabernacles of sinners," Ps. LXXXIII, 11. Whence secondly, it may thus be expounded, as if to say: It is better to be humbled, that is, to be afflicted in spirit, namely in mind and understanding, with the meek, and patiently to bear the injuries and despoiling of the proud, than with them to do injury to others, and unjustly to divide their spoils. Whence Cajetan and Baynus thus expound it, as if to say: Proud men sometimes inflict injury upon the humble, seize their goods, divide the spoils; yet the virtue of the soul is better than external goods, however well acquired. If thou shalt walk with the humble and meek, if thou thyself shalt also be humble, thou livest a certain heavenly life upon earth, in peace and tranquility of soul. Among the proud, however, there are always quarrels: therefore judge not by the judgment of the multitude, but by that of the wise; prefer virtue to vice, the quiet of the soul to external goods. Thirdly, thus expound it: It is better to be humbled, that is, to be impoverished with the meek, than to divide spoils, that is, to be enriched with the proud, especially if one become poor in spirit, according to that saying of Christ: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven," Matt. V. Thus Vatable and the Author of the Catena of the Greeks. Fourthly, more fully and more deeply, by catachresis from the Septuagint, by the meek understand the peace and tranquil life which is produced by conversation with the meek: but by dividing spoils understand the hatreds and quarrels which Mystically, the Author of the Catena of the Greeks, as if to say: Better is small knowledge with humility, than great learning with pride.
16:20
In Hebrew, he who understands concerning the word shall find good, and he who trusts in the Lord, blessedness is his, namely it is or shall be; the Chaldean, he who contemplates in the word; the Syriac, he who understands the word; the Septuagint clearly, he who understands in affairs is a finder of good things, and he who trusts in God is most blessed. For the word by metonymy signifies the thing signified by the word, namely an affair. First, Aben-Ezra refers this maxim to the preceding one, as if to say: He who is instructed with the meek through the study of humility, so that he does not think highly of himself, shall find good things: for he shall be heaped with benefits from God; and he who places his hope in God shall by no means take pleasure in spoils to be shared with the proud, but enriched by God and abounding in all good things shall be blessed. Second, others thus, as if to say: "Instructed in the word," that is, powerful in speech, in judgment indeed he shall carry through his matter and suit, and shall obtain the good things which he claims; but yet more blessed is he who flees lawsuits, and commending his affairs to God in silence. Third, more genuinely R. Levi expounds, as if to say: Understanding above the matter, that is, he who applies himself intelligently to some affair, and carefully attends to how he ought to conduct himself in each thing, and does not act hastily or rashly; this one by thinking shall find good counsels, by which he shall happily complete the affair, and shall attain the good things destined which he desires. But he who, having completed these things by his industry, nevertheless does not trust in himself, his counsel and causes and reasons aptly prepared by his diligence, but places all hope of completing the matter in God, he shall be blessed, because God shall not deceive his hope, but shall make him obtain his wish, and shall lead the matter to the desired goal, even if perchance he erred in the provision of aids. For this is the Christian prudence which St. Ignatius, founder of the Society of Jesus, commended to his followers by word and example, namely that he who undertakes a difficult matter for the glory of God should prudently and diligently employ all human counsels and means suitable for completing the matter, just as if the whole matter were to be completed by these very means. Then he should place all hope in God, as if the matter were to be done by Him alone, so that, distrusting himself and trusting in God, he may invoke Him with his whole heart, and offer to Him the means of completing the matter which he has found, that He may approve or disapprove them, and suggest better ones, and direct and prosper them, and from Him alone expect a happy completion of the matter. Whence Baynus thus explains, as if to say: It is better to place confidence in the Lord than in one's own prudence. Or: Blessed is he who, besides administering individual matters with much prudence, nevertheless places all confidence of completing the matter in the Lord, according to that Psalm 145, 5: "Blessed is he whose God is the God of Jacob, his helper; his hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth." Therefore this maxim teaches us to conduct our affairs so prudently, earnestly and carefully, as if they did not depend on God and His special care: and conversely to place all our hope in God, as if all our prudence and care were vain, weak and ineffectual. Thus Cajetan, Jansenius, Salazar and others.
16:21
In Hebrew, and the sweetness of the lips shall add acceptance, which Our translation renders, shall perceive greater things; others through לקח lecach, that is acceptance, understand doctrine; for the disciple draws and receives this from the master. Whence the Chaldean: and he who is sweet in his lips shall add discipline; the Syrian: shall add knowledge; the Septuagint: they call the wise and understanding evil; but those sweet in speech shall hear more things. First, Bede thus expounds: "He who keeps the wisdom of the Catholic faith, which he has learned, undefiled in his heart, deservedly receives the name of prudent. But he who also knows how to preach the same learnedly and to defend it against heretics, shall perceive greater rewards of more ample labour." Hugo adds: He shall also receive a greater name, namely that of doctor. Second and better, that is to say, he who is wise to himself in his heart, this one "shall be called," that is truly shall be, so that he may justly and truly be called, prudent, and, as it is in Hebrew, understanding; but he who is not wise to himself alone, but also to others, and derives wisdom from the heart to the mouth for the salvation of others, so that what he has wisely conceived in mind he may instil to his neighbours with wise and sweet eloquence, this one shall surely perceive greater things, because he shall receive greater knowledge of those things which he teaches others: for by teaching the intellect of the teacher is illuminated and enlarged, so that he sees more clearly those things which he teaches than he knew them before, indeed the mind excited by teaching suggests to the teacher new concepts, new reasons, new truths, new subtleties, which otherwise would never have come into his mind. He therefore who teaches others teaches himself: whence experience shows that those who profess Poetry, Rhetoric, Philosophy, Theology, Ethics, by teaching become distinguished and perfect Poets, Rhetoricians, Philosophers, Theologians, Ethicists. Third, genuinely and fully, by this maxim Solomon teaches that true prudence and wisdom have two duties, two offices for the wise: the first, that he contain wisdom in his heart; the second, that he bring forth and speak the same wisely and sweetly. And so wisdom seeks eloquence, so that what he is wise to himself, the same he may set forth to others with grace and fruit. And therefore wisdom is not perfect unless he who understands it knows how to communicate and persuade it to others, according to that passage in Ecclesiasticus XII, 17: "Hidden knowledge and treasure unseen, what profit is in both?" And St. Augustine, in book IV of On Christian Doctrine: "Every thing," he says, "which does not diminish by being given, while it is possessed and not given, is not possessed as it ought to be possessed." That this is the meaning is clear from the two following verses, and especially from verse 23, where explaining this maxim by another clearer one he says: "The heart of the wise shall teach his mouth, and shall add grace to his lips." The meaning therefore is, says Jansenius, that is to say, he who is wise in heart, because through wisdom hidden in his mind, he speaks learnedly and prudently with his mouth (for the heart of the wise shall teach his mouth), therefore shall be called prudent; and the same, being sweet through wisdom in eloquence, shall add both in others and in himself doctrine, becoming daily more learned and more eloquent, and shall always more and more instil wisdom to others. And so the verse contains a single clause, teaching that the wise man obtains the name of prudent, because his eloquence increases knowledge by teaching. The Septuagint seems to have wished the same thing when they translate, they call the wise and understanding evil, but those sweet in speech shall hear more things, that is, shall learn more by hearing: for hearing is the sense of discipline, says Aristotle, whence hearers are called disciples. Moreover the wise are called "evil," in Greek φαῦλα, that is first, vile, useless, sluggish, because namely they are wise to themselves alone, and shrink from the labour of teaching others; second, wicked, envious, malignant, because they envy others wisdom, and so that they alone surpass all others in it, they greedily conceal it, and are unwilling to communicate it to others; third, the Author of the Greek Catena thus reads, men wise and prudent call the wicked and criminal wicked; but those who use bland speech learn and draw more. And thus he explains, that is to say, "Flatterers speak sweetly, the more to him is suggested by God, just as udders the more they are milked, the more milk they receive." Moreover, in order that the discourse of the wise man may be sweet, many things are required: first, that the discourse be full of wisdom and prudence; for the wise perceive greater delight in the sense than in the sound of discourse, as Dionysius says; secondly, that the discourse be ordered, harmonious, clear, easy to understand; for there are some men otherwise learned who are unable to express their lofty and profound conceptions harmoniously and clearly, because in the very expression itself they are disorderly and confused, or barbarous, or obscure and involved. In these wisdom is defective; for they lack the mouth, namely eloquence; thirdly, that the discourse be gracious, courteous, sweet, cheerful, having its wit and charm, according to that saying of the Apostle: "Let your speech be always in grace seasoned with salt," Colossians IV, 6. For there are some men otherwise learned, but in speaking rustic, uncouth, harsh, gloomy, so that they seem to speak not words, but thorns and stones, and who therefore are little suited for teaching, admonishing and exhorting; fourthly and chiefly, that the discourse proceed from a meek, benevolent and loving heart. For this inspires its own love and sweetness into words, so that whatever he says is loving and sweet, and is eagerly seized upon by all, even if in itself it be terrible or harsh and biting. Whence St. Augustine in his epistle to the Galatians, chapter VI, verse 1, requires this gift in him who corrects his neighbour: "Love," he says, "and say what you will;" for he who loves, even if he cast forth sharp words of correction, these are received by the corrected not as weapons, but as remedies willingly; conversely, if one speaks blandly, but with a heart not bland, these are rejected as bitter. For the soul that loves pours its own love, nay itself, into its eloquence, and through it into the hearts of the hearers; and therefore it wounds, softens, inflames and bends whatever it will. Examples are in the Confessions of St. Augustine, and in St. Bernard, who everywhere breathes forth honeyed and fiery wisdom to the reader both honeyed and fiery. And for this reason their discourses are commonly held in greater esteem by prudent men and truly wise men.
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In Hebrew, a vein of lives, understanding having it (or to the hero and its master), and the instruction of fools is foolishness; the Septuagint, a fountain of life is the thought of those possessing it; but the discipline of the imprudent is evil. Thus the Complutensian and Roman editions. For thought in Greek is ἔννοια, that is, understanding, knowledge, notion, sense, sentiment, prudence, cognition. Whence Aquila translated it ἐπίγνωσις, that is, knowledge; Symmachus, ἐπίνοια, that is, prudence. He explains what he said: "The sweet speaker shall obtain greater things," because namely he himself is as it were a fountain of wisdom; wherefore just as a fountain from which the more sweet water flows and pours forth, the more continually succeeds and flows to it: so likewise the wise man, the more wisdom he speaks sweetly, the more is suggested to him by God, just as breasts the more they are milked, the more milk they receive. Jansenius contends that it should be read: "The instruction of those possessing it is a fountain of life," as the Septuagint has it. For thus the sense is clear, as if to say, Wisdom to the wise possessing it is as it were a fountain of life, which the more vital wisdom emanates from it, the more it draws and receives from God. But the Roman and other codices read possessing; and that is more significant: for it signifies first, that wisdom in the heart of the wise, meditating, studying and praying, arises as it were as a fountain and bubbles up as in its own possession and ground, and therefore continually and perpetually gushes forth abundant waters of wisdom by which not only those of the household, but neighbors round about are irrigated, vivified and made fruitful, so that they are fertile and productive of good works; secondly, the possessing, or, as you might translate from the Hebrew, the master or lord, signifies that no one ought to teach wisdom before he has fully learned it, so that he possesses it as it were as a master. "Let the teacher therefore be a shell, not a channel," says St. Bernard; let him be a possessor of wisdom: thus he will become a possessor of the pulpit, from which he may teach it. Thirdly, the possessing signifies that wisdom is a fountain of life proper to the one possessing it, that is, to him who exercises it and uses it in teaching and instructing others. For full and firm possession of a thing, besides dominion, requires the use and exercise of the thing possessed, so that namely he may easily and readily use the thing possessed and exercise it. It signifies therefore that the wise man ought first to imbue his heart fully with wisdom, so that he may possess it firmly and solidly, and then exercise and utter it in teaching both by word and by work and example. For he who has wisdom in himself, but does not exercise it, nor teach others, to him wisdom is not a fountain of life, but as it were a lake or stagnant water, and therefore putrefying and dead, according to that saying of Christ: "To every one that hath shall be given; but from him that hath not (that is, does not use the talent which he has), that also which he hath shall be taken from him," Matt. cap. XXV, 29. The sense therefore, says Jansenius, is, as if to say, Instruction, that is, wisdom and understanding, is to those who have it, a fountain of life, because like a spring always flowing and never failing, it supplies them continually, whence both they themselves live in soul, and others through their teaching. But on the contrary the doctrine of fools, by which they teach both themselves and others about things to be done or believed, is nothing else than foolishness, that is, whatever things are foolish insofar as fools and from their own heart teach them. "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." From the belly of fools therefore flow forth rivers of dead water; but from the belly of the wise according to God flow forth rivers of living water, says the Author of the Imperfect Work, homily 20 in Matthew. To this also pertain the seven riddles or enigmas of the Venerable Bede in the Collections: "Three unhappy ones are read in the law, he who knows and does not teach, he who teaches and does not do, he who does not know and does not ask." Who are they who are healthy and sick? those who care for the affairs of others. In what way does a tired man not become tired? by making profit. What is the longest? hope or thought. What is common to king and poor man? to be born and to die. What is best and worst? the word. What is it that pleases some and displeases others? life.
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In Hebrew, he will add acceptance, that is, doctrine, as the Chaldean and Syrian translate it, namely the grace of teaching, which Our Lord, in verse 21, translates as he shall obtain greater things, namely greater doctrine and the grace of teaching shall be obtained. For "shall instruct" in Hebrew is ישכיל iaskil, that is, as Pagninus understands it, shall make intelligent and prudent, shall direct prudently, shall instruct, shall teach. The heart is the symbol of three things and signifies three; whence a threefold sense emerges here. First, the heart is called mind and intellect; for just as from the heart proceed life and vital spirits of the whole body, so from the mind proceeds life and spirit of the whole soul and of all its powers. The sense therefore is, as if to say, The mind of the wise man is that which directs his mouth, and teaches it to utter nothing rashly, but to speak with premeditation, and adds to his lips and imparts the grace of teaching, so that he may produce a pleasing and agreeable discourse, which flows gently into the minds of hearers and instils wisdom. For the mind of the wise man first thinks and meditates on what and how he ought to speak, so that he may benefit his hearers and persuade them of wisdom; but the mind of the fool premeditate nothing, but whatever comes into his mouth, he immediately utters. Whence in Ecclesiasticus, chapter XXI, verse 29: "In the mouth of fools, he says, is their heart; and in the heart of the wise, their mouth." See the sayings there. Whence also the Septuagint translates, the heart of the wise shall think what proceeds from his own mouth, and shall bear doctrine on his lips; the Syrian, the heart of the wise knows the word of his mouth, etc.; R. Solomon, the mouth of the wise has its source in the mind, so that he may speak rightly and eloquently; Vatablus, the breast of the wise man prudently moderates his mouth, and adds doctrine to his lips. Second, the heart of the wise man is wisdom itself, just as the heart of an animal is the soul itself; whence cordatus is called prudent and wise; and in Hosea VII, 11, it is said: "Ephraim is become as a dove that is deluded, not having a heart," that is, unwise and imprudent. The sense therefore is, as if to say, Wisdom directs the mouth of the wise man, so that he may speak wisely. "He shall add grace to his lips," so that he may bring forth and utter wisdom with grace; for the mouth of itself is unwise, and does not understand what it says: wherefore it is necessary that it draw wisdom from the wisdom of the heart. Let the heart therefore be the teacher of the mouth, and teach the mouth wisdom, namely the manner of speaking wisely and prudently. For the word of a wise mind brings forth a word of the mouth similar to itself, wise. Thus Aben-Ezra: "The wise man, he says, by his discourse shall reveal the wisdom with which he is endowed, and in order to lay open doctrine to others, shall add greater diligence of mind." For wisdom is diligent, and devises many ways of speaking wisely, and invents many means by which that which he intends, he may utter gracefully and persuade the hearer. Whence explaining further he adds: "Honeycomb, composed words," etc. See the sayings of verse 21; for that verse in both words and sense agrees with this. Third, the heart signifies affection, benevolence, love, as if to say, The heart, that is, love, instructs and teaches the mouth of the wise man, so that he may generously overcome all weariness, disgust, troubles which occur in teaching the rude or stubborn and difficult, and especially may devise ways of speaking and acting by which he may persuade wisdom, faith and virtue to his hearers, as the Apostle did to the Galatians, saying, chapter IV, verse 19: "My little children, of whom I am in travail again, until Christ be formed in you. And I would willingly be present with you now, and change my voice." Whence St. Augustine, in the book On Catechizing the Unlearned, chapter X, teaches that the catechist ought to imitate the mother, who from maternal love gradually teaches the rude infant to stammer and speak, indeed even pre-chews food for him. For love overcomes all rudeness, all weariness and disgust: "Does it delight, he says, unless love invites, to murmur broken and mutilated words? And yet men wish infants to whom they may exhibit this." And further down: "It is sweeter to the mother to spit out minced morsels into the little son, than to chew and devour larger pieces herself." He then adds a new comparison of a hen: "Let not depart from the breast even the thought of that hen, which covers tender offspring with languid feathers, and calls her chirping chicks with a broken voice, whose gentle voices the proud refuse, and immediately become prey to birds. Just as therefore heat makes all fruits, and all foods, by cooking them, savory and sweet: so also love makes all discourses sweet and pleasing both to the speaker and to the hearer. When therefore you are about to say something, or are about to teach or correct someone, let love precede and bring forth your words; thus love shall teach you the manner of speaking rightly and persuading. For love bubbling forth from the heart into the mouth shall eruct and bring forth a discourse similar to itself, according to that Psalm XLIV, 1: "My heart hath eructated a good word." See St. Bernard, sermon 67 in the Canticles.
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In Hebrew, a honeycomb, words of beauty or elegance, sweet to the soul and healing to the bone; Pagninus, and health to the body; the Septuagint, a honeycomb, good words; and their sweetness is health to the soul; the Chaldean, a honeycomb, a sweet word; the Syrian, the word of the wise; Vatablus, a honeycomb is a pleasant discourse, sweetness of the mind and healing of the bones. For honey, he himself says, heals the infirmities of the body. For the words composed, in Hebrew it is אמרי נעם imre noam, that is, words of beauty, comeliness, pleasantness, elegance. Whence Naomi, the mother-in-law of Ruth, was so called from beauty and comeliness, Ruth, cap. I, vers. 20. For just as the beauty of the face captivates the eyes of those beholding, so the beauty and comeliness of speech captivates the ears of those hearing. This meaning coheres with the preceding; for Solomon exaggerates to many the advantages of prudent and pleasant speech. The sense is clear, as if to say: Just as a honeycomb delights the palate, and at the same time refreshes, nourishes and strengthens the body: so likewise words prudently and pleasantly composed and arranged delight the ears, sweeten the soul, and heal the bones. By bones understand metaphorically with the Septuagint the inmost parts of the soul, or properly the bones of the body, as if to say: Sweet discourse not only feeds the mind, but also the body and its bones, in which its strength is situated, refreshes, recreates and strengthens. Aptly is beautiful and sweet speech compared to a honeycomb: first, because just as a honeycomb drips with the sweetness of honey, so an orator drips with eloquence of speech. Whence Homer says of Nestor: "From whose mouth flowed speech sweeter than honey;" secondly, honey is the work and nectar of bees, which are an example and symbol of prudence and chastity. In a similar way, the sweetness of speech flows from a prudent and chaste mind. Whence in the mouth of St. Ambrose, while still a boy, a swarm of bees played, portending his chastity and the sweetness of his speech. The same happened to St. Isidore, Archbishop of Seville; St. Dominic, founder of the Order of Preachers; and among the Gentiles to Plato and Pindar. Thirdly, bees gather honey from flowers and fragrant herbs: thus the wise gather the honey of speech from the florilegium of Holy Scripture; fourthly, the orator has three offices, to teach, to delight and to move, which are represented through honey: for honey refreshes, sweetens and heals; refreshment represents doctrine, sweetness delight, healthfulness movement and persuasion. Whence St. Augustine, book IV On Christian Doctrine: "An eloquent man said, and said truly, that an eloquent man ought to speak so as to teach, to delight, to move. To teach is a matter of necessity, to delight of pleasantness, to move of victory." Fifthly, Rabbi Levi: Honey, he says, is a medicine for easing the torments of limbs when they are bruised, if it is applied to them, and it also greatly benefits other ailments: thus also sweet speech contributes to preserving a proper constitution of the body, and to driving away the sicknesses of wicked morals; especially it soothes and disperses the sorrows of the soul, anguishes, angers, bitternesses, envies, which torment it, gnaw at it and consume it. Whence Clement of Alexandria, book I of the Pedagogue, chapter II: "Medicine," he says, "heals the diseases of the body, wisdom the disturbances of the soul." Sixthly, honey is health, that is, the marrow of bones: for honey indeed supplies the best marrow to bones, and thus heals and invigorates them when they are weak. Again, marrow is as it were the honey of bones, nourishing them, healing them, delighting them and strengthening them: in a similar way wise and sweet speech nourishes, heals and strengthens the bones, that is, the strength of soul and body for doing and enduring mighty things. Thus St. Mark and Marcellian, when gravely tempted by their own people to deny the faith of Christ in persecution, and when they wavered, were confirmed by the prudent and sweet speech of St. Sebastian in the same faith, and died gloriously for it as martyrs. The same was done by Ursicinus the physician, who, stumbling at death, was confirmed by the prayer of St. Vitalis, and eagerly offered his neck to the executioner for Christ. The same was done by the Theban legion, strengthened by the exhortation of St. Maurice and St. Exuperius; and the seven brothers of the Maccabees under Antiochus were corroborated by their mother, a true virago; and the seven sons of St. Felicity, and as many of St. Symphorosa by their mothers, inflamed unto martyrdom. Thus by the excellent exhortation of Judas Maccabeus the soldiers "were strengthened in spirit, not only men, but also the most fierce beasts, and were prepared to penetrate iron walls," II Maccabees XI, 9. Seventhly, just as honeycombs are constructed with wonderful art and neatness by bees, so a wise man with great prudence, order, method and elegance composes and arranges his speeches, and from this they have such efficacious sweetness and such sweet efficacy. Pliny recounts examples of Plato, Ennius, Virgil, Varro and Cicero in book VII, chapter XXX. Hence bees store honey in combs and coat them with wax, lest they flow out; moreover they construct the combs with such art that they appear like houses and palaces well built. "They construct," says Pliny in book XI, chapter X, "beginning with the concavity of the hive, and extend the structure even to the top of the roof, with two passages around each arch, so that some may enter and others exit. The combs are attached to the upper part, and also hang somewhat on the sides together and hang suspended. They do not touch the hive, now slanting, now round, as the hive required;" and chapter XI: "All the cells are six-sided, the work of each one's feet." Similarly the wise man constructs and composes his speeches. Whence Esther prays to God in chapter XIV, verse 13, teaching: "Grant a composed speech in my mouth in the sight of the lion, and turn his heart to the hatred of our enemy." Finally hear St. Ambrose, in the book On the Good of Death, chapter V: "Dead," he says, "are the sins which cannot have the sweetness of life. But they are suffused with the ointments of divine speech, and certain wounds of sins are healed with stronger food by words as it were bread, and with sweeter speech as it were honey. That speeches are foods Solomon teaches also elsewhere, saying: The honeycombs are good speeches. In that garden therefore good speeches are, one which restrains guilt, another which corrects iniquity, another which causes insolence to die, and as it were buries it, when someone corrected renounces his errors." Then he recounts several species of useful speeches, saying: "There is also a stronger speech, which confirms the heart of man with the more powerful nourishments of heavenly Scripture. There is also a persuasive speech, sweet
16:25
In Hebrew, and his last ways are ways of death; in Chaldean, and his ends are ways of death; in the Septuagint, yet their last things look toward the depths of hell; in Syriac, his ways are the path of death. Solomon repeats and inculcates this maxim, because, as Jansenius says, the greater part of men labors under self-love, and is excessively pleased with itself in its own judgments and senses; wherefore Solomon turns all away from it, saying that many are pleased with their own senses and counsels more than is fitting, and although they are truly depraved and twisted, yet to those blinded by love of self they appear to be right, and therefore the blind and sleeping tend toward death and hell. Indeed we have already heard this maxim in chapter XIV, verse 12, where I explained it.
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The sense therefore plain and genuine is, as if to say: Man "labors for himself," that is for his own advantage, so that namely he may sustain his life, because his "mouth" compels him to labor, so that namely by laboring he may seek sustenance, by which he may satisfy his mouth gaping and crying with hunger. For by soul he understands synecdochically the whole man; yet he says soul rather than man, because in laboring the soul labors more than the body. For the soul is that which in labor moves the body, stirs it, impels it and supplies all the force and strength of laboring to the body. Hence in labor the soul suffers and is wearied more than the body, especially because it is the soul's part to direct all labors prudently, so that they may be useful and fruitful. Again, the soul is that which feels a thousand anguishes, cares, anxieties in laboring, as we see merchants, craftsmen, farmers and other laborers stretched and tortured by a thousand cares which labor brings forth. This maxim therefore signifies that man's lot and state after sin is to labor, and by labor to procure sustenance for himself. "For man is born to labor, and the bird to fly," Job V, 7. For God's provident wisdom condemned man to continual labor on account of sin, both as a punishment for sin, so that his punishment and penance might be labor; and as a remedy for concupiscence: for lest he flowing in idleness be driven by his concupiscences, God devoted him to labor, so that intent upon it he could not think of his concupiscences, or, if he could, it would not please him, as one wearied and broken by labors. Again it signifies that God gave man a goad to labor, want and hunger: for these compel him to labor, so that by labor he may procure nourishment for himself. For if this necessity and hunger did not exist, no one would wish to labor. Wherefore the law of nature and of God ordained that he who refuses to labor should be deprived of food, according to that saying of St. Paul: "If any man will not work, neither let him eat," II Thessalonians III, 10. Thirty years ago when I was staying in Louvain in Belgium, the Duke of Arschot of Hevria near his castle took care to have vast mountains heaped up and transferred around it. When asked why he was expending such great resources on a matter of little utility, he answered: So that I may keep a hundred and more poor people occupied in this work and prevent them from idling and stealing, but so that by labor they may procure sustenance; by which reasoning I confer both spiritual alms upon their souls and temporal alms upon their bodies. Finally it signifies that labors should be moderated, so that we do not undertake excessive ones, which cast down body and soul, for the heaping up of riches; but moderate ones, namely such as suffice for earning a livelihood, according to that saying of the Apostle: "Now godliness is great gain, with contentment. For we brought nothing into this world, undoubtedly neither can we carry anything out. But having food, and wherewith to be covered, with these let us be content," I Timothy chapter VI, 6. Solomon girds himself in Ecclesiastes saying: "All the labor of man is in his mouth," chapter VI; whence Rabbi Levi explains this maxim of Solomon thus, as if to say: "When anyone sweats assiduously for procuring nourishment, he sweats for himself alone, since he is bent and abased only by his mouth for this purpose. It is therefore a certain instruction, that a mortal should abstain from superfluous abundance of foods, and consume only the part necessary for himself." Second, the Hebrew עמל amal, and the Latin laborare, are sometimes the same as to afflict, and labor is called trouble and affliction. Thus the sense will be, as if to say, A man afflicted, by himself, that is by his own fault, is afflicted: because his mouth compelled him to such affliction, and was the cause of his miseries to him. For many are of intemperate tongue, and utter many things, which harm others, offend them, torment them: wherefore by the same they are in turn harmed and tormented. Such are those who mock others, vex them, scoff at them, calumniate them, detract from them, defraud them, deceive them, plunder them, etc. The Chaldean favors this sense, who thus translates, the soul of him that labors shall sustain labor, because from his mouth shall come to him humiliation or bowing down. Third, Aben-Ezra renders the Hebrew אכה achaph, that is, he bent, compelled, turned, was the cause, as if to say, "That anyone should be perpetual in labors, is effected by his mouth, in that he has not learned the sweetness of speech, whereas on the contrary wisdom brings life to the refined: for whoever closes his mouth and ears to wisdom, must labor with his hands, that he may prepare sustenance for himself." Fourth, the Septuagint translates, a man in labors labors for himself, and forces himself to his own destruction. Thus the Romans. In Greek ἐκβιάζεται αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀπώλειαν, which first, the Complutensians translate, he forces his own perdition; and the Author of the Greek Catena thus translates, a man persisting in honest labor persists for himself, and forces his own destruction by violence; and thus explains it, as if to say, He who seriously undertakes the way of virtue, labors for himself, not for another; and he drives away destruction, and saves himself through penance. Whence by antithesis the Septuagint add, but the perverse one bears destruction in his mouth. Cassian excellently explains this reading, Collations XXIV, last chapter: "The kingdom of heaven," he says, "according to the sentence of the Lord suffers violence, and the violent seize it, Matthew XI. These are indeed praiseworthy violent ones, who force violence upon their own destruction. For man, as it is written, in labors labors for himself, and forces himself to his own destruction. Our destruction is the pleasure of the present life, and (to speak more expressly) the execution of our desires and wills; which if anyone shall remove from his soul and mortify, he truly makes glorious and useful violence to his own destruction, denying himself those most pleasant wills, which the divine word often accuses through the Prophet, saying: Because in the days of your fasting your will is found, Isaiah chapter LVIII. Second, others translate ἐκβιάζεται contrarily, he forces himself to destruction. Thus the Romans. Whence Theodotion translates, he who in labors labors immoderately, draws death to himself, as if to say, The avaricious who vex themselves with excessive labors, that they may heap up riches, these often consume and kill themselves with the same. And the Syrian, a soul vexed with sorrows exercises itself, and from his own mouth destruction is brought to him. So also Bede takes this of the impious, especially heretics, of whom it is said in Jeremiah IX: "They have labored to act wickedly," namely that they might deprave Holy Scripture, and establish their heresies. Mystically, St. Gregory applies this saying to teachers, who are compelled to do what they teach, lest they be ashamed. For thus he says in book II, homily 18 on Ezekiel: "But when they consider the life of good listeners, and weigh that it has made progress through their exhortations, they blush not to be such as the author perceives through God that others have been made by themselves; and they establish themselves in mind so much the more, as they were nearly falling into fault. For when their own words return to the memory of teachers, they blush not to keep what they say. Whence also through Solomon it is said: The soul of him that labors labors for himself, because his mouth compelled him. For our mouth compels us to labor, when through what we say we are restrained from vices; because it is most shameful for us to fall through negligence there, whence by preaching we have striven to lift up others." Again Rabbi Levi thus explains: "The soul of him that labors shall labor for itself, because it undergoes labors, when it has bent and lowered its mouth, that is when it has restrained its mouth from the desire of eating, and the pleasantness of drinking, so that from the study of wisdom, and the labors to be borne on account of the same, it is not turned away by such desires. Finally Dionysius the Carthusian thus expounds it morally: "The soul of him that labors labors for itself, that is, the soul exercising itself in good works, whether corporal or spiritual, does this for its own advantage or progress, and for the necessities of body or soul. Whence the Apostle admonishes: Labor as a good soldier of Christ. And again: Your labor shall not be in vain in the Lord. Likewise: Each one shall receive his own reward according to his labor, because his mouth compelled him, that is the word by which he bound himself to act well in the font of Baptism, in the reception of sacred Orders, or in monastic profession, or in the tribunal of confession, or in the act of preaching, because he is bound to do what he teaches others."
16:27
In Hebrew it is, a man of Belial (that is, as Aquila says, a man of apostasy and rebellion, that is an apostate and rebel; Symmachus, an intolerable man. Concerning Belial I have spoken at length at chapter VI, verse 12) digs up evil, and upon his lips as a burning fire; the Septuagint, an imprudent man digs up for himself evils, and in his lips he hides fire; St. Cyprian, he treasures up fire (for in Greek it is, θησαυρίζει); Theodotion, as a burning fire; the Syriac, an impious man devises evil, and from his mouth fire is kindled; the Chaldean, a man who slanders digs up evil, and in his lips fire gives forth sparks; Rabbi Solomon, the lips of a false and perjured witness are as a consuming fire, and destroying the neighbor. More generally and fully Rabbi Levi thus expounds it: "A man of Belial devises wicked things in his soul; but that which is derived from the soul to the lips is an argument by which the evil hidden in the heart is known, which indeed as a burning fire brings ruin; and this is the same as if he had said that graver damages are brought forth by his mouth than he had intended in his soul: for he utters his words so distinctly that from them the most bitter damages follow." The word digs can be taken in two ways: First, he digs in mind, that is in his soul he searches out evil, and investigates the ways and means by which he may harm his neighbor. For just as a digger by digging searches out minerals hidden under the earth, such as sulphur, coals, metals: so the impious man searches out, turns over and devises calumnies, frauds and arts of harming. Second, he digs with tongue and hand a pit into which others may fall, that is the evil which he digs out in his mind and devised, this he actually digs out and brings forth with his tongue by slandering, detracting, whispering, deceiving, etc. Again he directly digs evil for others, but indirectly for himself, as the Septuagint translates it, because evil returns to and recoils upon its author; according to that passage in Ecclesiasticus XXVII, 29: "He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and he that setteth a stone for his neighbor, shall stumble upon it; and he that layeth a snare for another, shall perish in it." Third, some of the Rabbis in the Great Gloss translate, a man of Belial by his malice digging out grass, that is removing grass: for earth clothed with grass is dug out with greater difficulty, because it is entangled with the stems and roots of grasses, constrained, and as it were bound together, so that it coalesces into one continuous clod; so a whisperer who strives to dig out, tear apart and separate friendships, as it were certain grasses interwoven, connected with one another and coalesced over a long time, must indeed labor greatly, and it is necessary that he dig up many injuries of ancient times buried in oblivion. Fourth, some believe there is an allusion to soldiers who undermine a fortress or city, and by conveying powder for cannons beneath and setting it alight burst it, hurl it upward and overturn it: in the same way indeed a slanderer and whisperer digs evil in his mind, that is, he makes tunnels and a deep ditch by simulation and in secret; but when he has deeply undermined the bonds of friends, with his tongue indeed he sets fire: namely he says those things by which he knows friends must be inflamed and stirred up; and by this deceit he disturbs the most firm peaces and friendships, and sometimes even overturns houses and cities, and even kingdoms and empires utterly. Therefore Solomon aptly says: "An impious man digs up evil." AND IN HIS LIPS FIRE BURNS. — For, as St. James says, chapter III, verse 6: "The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity, etc., which inflames the wheel of our nativity inflamed by hell." Where I have said much concerning this burning of the tongue. Wherefore St. Gregory of Nazianzus, oration 3 Against Julian the Apostate, compares a cursing tongue, such as Julian's was, to Etna, which first covers and collects fires, and then vomits forth and ejects the collected and massed fires as it were from hell, by which it eats away and lays waste fields, towns and provinces even far distant.
16:28
In Hebrew, a man of perversions, or inversions, or perversities (that is, crafty and perverse, who turns all things, inverts them, perverts them), sends forth contention, and a whisperer divides a prince; Symmachus, and he who slanders, defames a leader; the Chaldean, and a whisperer tears his friend from him; the Syrian, a vain man pursues his friends; the Septuagint, a perverse man sends forth evils, and kindles a torch of deceit among evils, and separates friends; Vatablus, a perverse man casts in occasions of contention, and an informer often stirs up dissensions among the great. The meaning is clear, namely that a perverse man, who indeed perverts all things and takes them in a bad sense, and otherwise reports the matter and words than they are; likewise he who attaches a bad intention to another's deeds of kindness or certainly to indifferent things, and corrupts them as if with a crafty and hostile spirit in contempt of another: this man stirs up lawsuits and quarrels; "and a talkative man," that is, as the Hebrew has it, an informer, a circulator and whisperer, sows discord, and separates not only private persons, but also princes, and among them kindles a torch of deceit, as the Septuagint translates it, and of war. Torches of deceit are suspicions, distrust, ambitions, envies, which whisperers stir up among princes with great loss and ruin to subjects, as political men and heretics do, who are therefore bellows of seditions and firebrands of hell, as St. James says, chapter III, verse 6, indeed almost like demons incarnate.
16:29
In Hebrew, a man of violence; the Chaldean, a man of rapine; Vatablus, a violent man seduces his friend or neighbor, and makes him walk in a way that is not good. For allures, in Hebrew it is יפתה iephatte, that is, he entices, allures, seduces; Aquila and Symmachus, deceives; the Septuagint ἀποπειράται, that is, as the Complutensian edition has it, tempts; the Roman, caresses. This meaning is clear, and first, it can be applied to robbers and brigands, who attack travelers and any others as friends with flattering words, and gradually lead them into remote forests or caves, where they despoil them and sometimes kill them; second, to fraudsters who by specious promises induce neighbors into contracts, covenants, obligations, etc., which they know will be advantageous to themselves and harmful to neighbors; third, to pimps and fornicators, who ensnare simple boys and girls with gifts and seduce them, so that they serve their own or others' lust; fourth, to heretics and those sowing false doctrines, who, as the Apostle says, Romans XVI, "by sweet words and blessings seduce the hearts of the innocent," and thus draw them into heresy, error and ruin.
16:30
Thus the Roman text; but Jansenius and others read, he will perfect evil. By reading perfects, says Jansenius, the sense is, as if to say, Not only he perfects evil before God who perpetrates works, but also he who with fixed eyes, that is, with fixed mind thinks wicked things; likewise he who from indignation bites his lips. But if it be read he will perfect, then it signifies some evil to be feared from him who thinks wicked things with intent mind; likewise from him who bites his own lips from anger and desire of vengeance. For this parable indicates certain conditions and external signs of a man who plots evil against another, so that from these those observing may beware of him. But the sense comes to the same thing, whether you read perfects or will perfect; for the present is often put for the future, especially where the manner or custom of a thing is signified: he perfects therefore, that is, he will perfect, that is, he is accustomed to perfect. For "who with fixed eyes," in Hebrew it is עצה otse, which the Septuagint translate, who hardens his eyes; others, who has obstinate eyes; Our version, fixed. For those are called fixed who, as if stupefied, so often gaze upon or think about some matter, that they do not notice those present and things present, according to that in Job XV, 12: "What doth lift up thy heart, and as if thinking great things, thou hast fixed eyes?" For fixed is derived from the ancient verb attono: but attonare is to stupefy by thundering; hence fixed is as if struck by thunder and stupefied. Whence Ovid, epistle 4: Or which semidivine Dryads, and two-horned Fauns, touched by his divinity fixed. And Celsus, lib. III, cap. XXVI: "We also rarely see those fixed, whose both body and mind are stupefied. It happens sometimes from a stroke of lightning, sometimes from disease: the Greeks call this ἀποπληξίαν." Finally Virgil, lib. III Aeneid: By such fixed sights, and voice of gods. Where Servius: "That is, by such faces of gods; whence follows: and voice of gods. For he is said to be fixed both by voice and by sights. But fixed is stupefied: for properly fixed is said of him to whom the fall of nearby lightning and the sound of thunder give stupor." But, because someone with fixed eyes can think and contemplate holy and heavenly things, hence Our version connects fixed eyes with wicked thought. Whence the Chaldean translates, who nods with his eyes, and thinks perverse things, nodding with his lips perfects evil; and the Syriac, he hints with his eyes, and thinks wicked things, and with his lips plots and perfects evil. Aben-Ezra translates, who closes his eyes, that he may plot wicked things: for he closes his eyes lest the mind be drawn after the eyes, so that he may freely meditate and plot crimes. Thus also R. Levi, Pagninus, Vatablus and Baynus, who closes his eyes, he says, for thinking perversities; Marinus in the Lexicon, agitating his eyes thinking perverse things. There are therefore here two signs of perversity and perfect malice. The first is, if with fixed, firm or closed eyes someone thinks wicked things. For this is a sign that he is so intent upon wicked thought, that he allows his mind and will to be absorbed in it, nor can he think of any other good thing: nay, he cannot turn away and distract his mind from it. Wherefore such a one is similar to the devil, says the Author of the Greek Catena, who often considers what vice each one labors under, that through it he may precipitate him. The second, if after wicked thought and fixed eyes, he bites his lips. In Hebrew קרץ corets, which Our version translates biting; Vatablus, agitating; the Zurich Bible, contracting; R. Levi, opening; better Marinus and others in the Lexicon, nicking or winking. For to nick with the eyes is to wink with the eyes: but to nick with the lips is to wink with the lips, or rather to bite, which is a gesture of one plotting evil against another, as if in the same way he wished to nick and tear him, just as he nicks and bites his own lips. Whence Horace, lib. I Carm.: He impressed a memorable mark with tooth on lips. For from the imagination of perfecting the evil which he thinks, or from indignation the teeth are moved to such biting of lips, as if eager to harm him to whom they wish evil. But these especially pertain to the angry: for these bite their lips, as if threatening others with a like bite. Whence Aristophanes in the Wasps: "Eating his lips, he says, from anger." And Homer, Iliad V: But they all pressed their lips with their own teeth. Thus untamed young horses raging bite the bridle. Thus Italians by biting the thumb of the right hand threaten evil. Thus George Castriotus, terror and thunderbolt of the Turks, so much so that by them he was called Scanderberg, that is, Alexander the Great, where he had bitten his lips, nay biting as if distrusting, rushed headlong into battle. And this is a gesture consonant with nature; for almost all animals, and especially serpents, fight and kill by biting. Whence Lucan, Pharsalia IX: They have poison in their bite, and threaten fate in their tooth. Finally the Septuagint most clearly sets forth the whole meaning in one spirit thus: he that confirmeth his eyes, thinketh perverse things, and setteth or defineth, and decideth all evils with his lips, this man is a furnace of malice; for he who hath all these things, which are signs of great malice, joined together, like a furnace seething with fire and malice of the accursed, quarrels, fights, etc., constantly ejecteth globes and fires, nor can it be extinguished by any blandishments, promises or threats, but rather is kindled and rageth more by all these things. For, as St. Chrysostom saith, hom. 46 in Matthew: "Just as a fire when water is poured upon it is more kindled, so it is wont to happen in great anger: whatever anyone shall have said, it becometh fuel for this fire."
16:31
In Hebrew, a crown of glory is grey hair, in the way of justice it shall be found. Which first, Jansenius thus expoundeth, as if to say: Through justice one attaineth to extreme old age, since the wicked almost die before their day, according to that Psalm LIV: "Men of blood and the deceitful shall not live out half their days." Thus R. Solomon. Secondly, as if to say: In the way of justice old age is established, according to that Wisdom cap. IV: "Grey hairs are a sign of a virtuous age, and an unspotted life is old age." Thirdly, as if to say: Although young men sometimes live freely and impurely, yet when they come to old age, they often become wise and repent. But Our Author most excellently translateth by understanding after the Hebrew manner the pronoun which. Whence also the Septuagint, a crown of glorying (the Complutensian, of exultation; the Chaldean, of beauty) is old age, but in the ways of justice it is found; the Syriac, a diadem of praise is old age, and in the way of justice it is praised; Vatablus, old age, if thou findest it in the way of justice, is a most ornate crown. For dignity in Hebrew is תפארת tipheret, that is, of adornment, beauty, glory, magnificence. The meaning is clear, as if to say: Old age to an old man is as it were a fair and magnificent crown, if however he liveth justly and blamelessly, and is adorned by the acts of justice, that is, of any virtues whatsoever: wherefore such old age is venerable and praiseworthy to all. Moreover the crown of the aged and of old age is manifold. The first is the crown of grey hair: for grey locks adorn the head of the aged like a whitening crown. Whence Phocylides: "Reverence, saith he, grey hair crowned, or having crowned temples, yielding to the aged in sitting and in all offices." And Philo, Legat. ad Caium: "Age itself of the aged, as if freed from labours, and a veteran soldier, grey hair crowneth. For what else is grey hair but a poplar or flowery garland?" Thus Pliny, in Panegyr. Trajani, calleth the hair of Trajan whitening not indeed crowned, but, which is the same thing, adorned. The second is the crown of age and antiquity. Whence Aben-Ezra thus explaineth, as if to say: Old age is as it were a glorious diadem placed upon a man's head. For the aged, by many years, for example 70, 80, 90, which they have lived, are as it were crowned with so many flowers. Whence Philo in Antonius in Melissa, part. I, serm. 17: "To youthful life, saith he, succeedeth old age most excellent and most sacred, to which God as it were to a supreme governor hath delivered the helm into the hands as to one fit, who can hold the helm of earthly things." Hear Charles Paschalius, lib. I De Coronis, cap. V: Among Anacreon, saith he, grey hairs crown the head, that is, do honour it: nay and properly the aged and grey-haired were once adorned with crowns, as appeareth from that of Euripides: "Grey hair crowneth the head of the aged man crowned." How the law, saith Plutarch in the place soon to be cited, as a diadem and crown, so grey hair nature imposeth as a symbol of chief dignity. The third is the crown of offspring and children. For the crown of the aged are grandchildren, that is, the children of children, according to that: "Thy children as new olive plants round about thy table," Psal. CXXVII, 3. Likewise the crown of the aged are young men: for these like a crown surround the wise old man, listen to him, honour him, revere him. This is what is said Proverb. XVII, 6: "The crown of the aged are the children of their children, and the glory of children are their fathers." Thus the faithful are the crown of Christ, and conversely Christ is the crown and glory of the whole Church. The fourth is the crown of wisdom, namely of experience and prudence; for in the aged mind, reason, counsel, judgment, prudence flourish. Thus St. Gregory Nazianzen, orat. De plaga grandinis, citing these words of Solomon, by crown understandeth the excellence of wisdom, which concurreth dignity to the aged for teaching and counselling. Thus also R. Levi, and St. Ambrose, lib. I Hexam. cap. VIII: "Old age itself, saith he, in good morals is sweeter, in counsels more useful, more ready to endure the constancy of death, firmer to restrain lusts; the infirmity also of the body is sobriety of mind. Whence the Apostle: When I am weak, then am I powerful," II Corinth. XII. The fifth is a crown of rank and status. For elders are accustomed to be placed in charge of the commonwealth and to govern it. Hence from old age the senate is named, as it were a council of old men, says Festus. Hear Plutarch, in the tract Whether an Old Man Should Govern the State: "For, he says, the youthful age is suited to obeying, the old age to commanding: and a city is most safe where the counsel of the old and the arms of the young hold sway; and that passage from the Iliad is praised in the highest degree: 'First those grave in age and renowned in stout heart, he ordered to be conducted to the ship of Nestor, and to give counsel.' And therefore the magistrates of the optimates in the Spartan state, joined to the kings, Apollo presbygenas, that is, those advanced in years, Lycurgus expressly named Gerontes, that is, elders. And the senate of the Romans bears the name from old age even to this day. And just as law made the crown and diadem, so nature made gray hair a venerable sign of dignity and sovereignty. And γέρας, which signifies eminent honor, and γεραίρειν, which means to venerate, are retained by the Greeks from old age and its excellence." Wherefore toward the end he adds: "Lycurgus accustomed youths to obey steadfastly any elder as a lawgiver. Whence the elders of Sparta not only oversee the commonwealth, but also the individual deeds of individual youths, and that not in passing, but so that they are a terror to those who sin, and the good ones revere them and desire their approval," because elders teach youths and sharpen their natural abilities. Thus everywhere on earth the elder sons, namely the firstborn, succeed to the father who is prince or king in the principate or kingdom. Hence senior is the same as lord: just as now the Spanish say señor, the Italians signore, the French seigneur; although Joachim Perionius, in the tract On the Kinship of the Gallic with the Greek Language, prefers it to be said from κύριος. Hence Sire and Sieur, or rather Cyre and Cyeur, and not in so ancient a manner of pronouncing Cyour, finally through some change Seigneur: "For, he says, unless we were to call God Seigneur in a ridiculous manner, we would not profess to venerate him as an old man." Yet truly Daniel venerated the Ancient of Days, and the Latins would be ridiculous, whom it is certain used senior for prince and lord many centuries ago. Moreover Chilon used to say that honor ought to be paid by the younger to old age, so that they themselves, having become old, might be held in esteem by others. That matter had a twofold utility. For just as the authority and reverence of the old moderated the wanton age from sinning, so the old took care lest they commit anything by which they could be a laughingstock to youths either through incompetence, or through baseness be pernicious; but among all youths and all old men there would be that reverence which exists between parents and children. Thus Laertius, lib. I, cap. IV. The sixth is a crown of life as of military service now completed, namely that the old man has overcome all the chances and labors of this life, and having survived to the final goal of life, has arrived as it were a victor. Hence Elias of Crete in oration 19 of Nazianzen: "Just as, he says, in contests, he who has received the crown is now in safety: so also the old man glories safely, as one who no longer fears change." And St. Ambrose, lib. II On Jacob, cap. VIII: "Blessed indeed is the young man, he says, who lives well; but more blessed is the old man who has lived well. What the young man hopes for, the old man has obtained; what the old man was, the young man wishes to be. Certainly this one, with a longer course still remaining for him in the restless sea, is tossed by waves; but the old man, as in a harbor, so is in the station of old age." And cap. X: "Old age ought to be a harbor, not a shipwreck of the preceding life." The seventh and most excellent crown, with which Solomon here honors the old, is that of justice and virtue. For if Hercules, having conquered and subdued monsters, namely the Lion, Cacus, the Lernaean Hydra, Cerberus and three-bodied Geryon, placed upon himself a poplar crown, much more will the old man merit the same, who as an athlete of justice has completely subdued the monsters of his desires, namely the Lion of anger, Cacus of avarice, Lerna of lust, Cerberus of gluttony, Geryon of pride. Hence St. Augustine, in Psalm CXII: "Let, he says, your old age be childlike, and let your childhood be aged, that is, so that neither your wisdom be with pride, nor humility without wisdom, so that you may praise the Lord from this time and even unto the age." This is what the Wise Man says, cap. IV, 8: "Venerable old age is not that of long duration, nor is it measured by the number of years; but the understanding of a man is gray hair, and a spotless life is the old age of the aged." Thus the twenty-four elders (who were the chief just ones of both the New and Old Testament) crowned and offering their crowns to the Lamb, St. John saw, Apoc. IV, 11, where I have said much about them. Thus recently Pope Gregory XV, when he visited Cardinal Bellarmine, now nearly eighty years old and lying on his deathbed, and heard him praying for many years, indeed all his years, to be granted to him, wisely replied: "I," said he, "wish to be filled and crowned not with your years, but with the virtues of years." For, as St. Ambrose says, book I On Cain and Abel, chapter III: "Old age is venerable, not by white hairs, but by morals." And book III, epistle 24, to Anisius: "Truly," said he, "that old age is venerable which is not white with age, but whitens with merits. For that is indeed reverend hoariness which is the hoariness of the soul, shining forth in holy thoughts and works. For what is truly the age of old age, except an unblemished life, which is prolonged not by days or months, but by ages, whose duration is without end, whose longevity is without weakness? For the longer it endures, the stronger it becomes; and the longer one has lived that life, the more strongly does it grow into a perfect man." Finally, Synesius, in the tract On the Praise of Baldness, chapter, calls a bald head "the dwelling place of prudence, the temple of divinity." Mystically, St. Jerome in chapter XVI of Ezekiel: "The crown of glory is old age: namely of those," said he, "who have destroyed the things that are of little children, and after the age of a perfect man have come to old age and to the names of fathers, to whom John writes, epistle I, chapter II, verse 13, after boys and youths, who can say: When I was a little child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; when I became a man, I destroyed the things that are of a child," I Corinthians XIII.
16:32
In Hebrew, good long of nostrils before the mighty, and ruling in spirit before the taker of cities; the Chaldean, better is the slow to anger of mind than the mighty, and he who rules himself more than he who takes a province; the Septuagint, better is a man longsuffering than the mighty, and he who restrains anger, better than he who takes a city. The Complutensians add, and a man having prudence in a field, or a farmer, or rather in farming (for this is what the Greek γεωργίου signifies) great. But since these words do not exist in the Hebrew, Chaldean, Syriac and Latin, they appear to have been transcribed from chapter XXIV, as the Romans note. St. Cyprian, book III of Testimonies, number 8, reads: "Better is the patient than the mighty; for he who restrains anger is better than he who takes a city," as if the latter hemistich gives the reason for the former. To this pertains the fourfold problem of Rabbi Barzoma in Pirke Avoth, that is in the Sayings of the Fathers, chapter IV: "Who is mighty? He who strongly resists temptation. For Scripture says: Better is the patient man than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit, than he that taketh cities. Who is wise? He who always desires to be taught by everyone. Who is rich? He who is content with his own, and does not desire what belongs to others. Who is honored and in esteem? He who honors others, observes them, and cultivates them with due reverence according to the rule fixed in Scripture: Whosoever glorifieth me, I will glorify him; but they that despise me, shall be despised," I Kings II, 30. The Syriac, better is the patient than a giant; and he who subdues his soul, than he who holds a city. It is asked here in what sense this saying is true? For St. Thomas, II II, Question CXXXVI, article 2, in the body, seems to teach the contrary. For he says that fortitude is a greater virtue than patience: "Because," said he, "the dangers of death, concerning which is fortitude, deter from good more than any adversities, concerning which is patience." I respond first, that here we are not speaking of fortitude, which is a virtue of the soul, but of fortitude which is bodily strength; for the Hebrew גבור gibbor signifies robust, strong, mighty in strength, he who by his forces and strength takes cities by storm, as follows, as if to say: Of all bodily virtues fortitude has the greatest praise among men. For no one is more celebrated than the illustrious commanders in war who have conquered enemies, subjugated cities and provinces; and yet he who conquers one of his own desires, namely anger, and moderates the impulse of his spirit by reason, is more excellent than he who overcomes cities or provinces. More excellent, I say, not only because more praiseworthy, but also because truly stronger than that one, according to that saying of the Poet: Stronger is he who conquers himself than he who conquers the mightiest cities, nor can virtue go higher. And the same: A difficult thing, to have conquered others; a greater victory is to have composed the waves of one's own spirit. And the Philosopher: "You will be king," said he, "if you rule yourself and your affections. You will be king, if reason rules you, not passion." I answer secondly: St. Thomas in the place cited takes patience strictly, as it is a virtue which moderates sadnesses flowing from common adversities, which occur daily; this is inferior to the virtue of fortitude. For patience taken generally, which strengthens the soul against fears and pains of death and of evils bringing death, such as shone forth especially in the Martyrs, is an integral part of fortitude, and that a principal one, or it is the very virtue of fortitude inadequately conceived. For there are two parts of fortitude, one in undertaking difficult things, the other in enduring, which is patience; and this surpasses the former, because it is more difficult to endure hard things by suffering than to inflict the same things on others by attacking; as St. Ambrose teaches, book I of the Duties, chapter XLI, and St. Chrysostom, homily 85 on Matthew, where among other things he says: "In wars the display of war is, if a soldier kills; that is the most brilliant victory, by which you have overcome him who inflicted injuries by suffering them, etc. God has granted you these powers, not that by hand-to-hand combat, but that by patience you may conquer. Thus blessed Joseph, who bore injuries with great spirit, is everywhere proclaimed as victor. For both his brothers and that Egyptian woman plotting against him he overcame by bearing them with equanimity." Thus also St. Thomas, in the question cited, article 4, who also cites St. Gregory and Cicero asserting the same thing. Therefore thus you should expound it: Better is the patient man than the strong man, that is, he who patiently endures adversities is stronger than he who strongly undertakes difficult things, for example, he who attacks and captures cities. Thus Job, by his patience overcoming all demons, Ishmaelites, his wife, friends, diseases, poverty, and afflictions, was stronger than Samson conquering the Philistines. Thus Joseph, strongly enduring the hatred of his brothers, exile, calumny, imprisonment, was stronger than himself when he subdued Pharaoh by his wisdom and vigor of spirit, and ruled over all Egypt. Thus David, by his gentleness overcoming the envy of Saul, was stronger than himself when he entered into single combat with Goliath and slew him, as the common sense of the wise and those who judge rightly holds. I answer thirdly: For patient in Hebrew is ארך erech appaim, that is, long of nostrils, that is, slow to anger, mild, master of anger; but this one is better, that is, more excellent, more illustrious, stronger, more powerful, more praiseworthy, than the strong man who captures cities. The reason is, that anger in man is the most vehement passion which confuses and disturbs all things. To master it therefore through the mind's calmness, gentleness and patience, is of exceptional virtue and fortitude. Wherefore explaining this, he adds: "And he that ruleth his own spirit," that is, his own spiritedness; whence the Septuagint translates, and he who rules his anger, is better (that is, more powerful and stronger) than he who takes cities. For of all passions anger is the most vehement and most difficult to overcome, by which even the strongest men according to the body are frequently overcome more quickly than by others. That great Alexander conquered very many cities, and almost all of Asia and Africa; and yet he could not suffocate in himself the beast of anger and fury; but conquered by irascibility, he slew his dearest friends, Parmenion, Philotas, Clitus and Callisthenes, to say nothing of other conquerors of cities, who could not master their own affections. Further, for spirit in Hebrew is רוח ruach, that is, spirit, as if to say, He who rules his own spirit, that is, his own affections and passions, such as fear, sadness, pusillanimity, audacity, pride, and especially anger, he is better, that is, greater, more powerful and more praiseworthy, says Rabbi Levi, than a prince who captures cities by arms. For how will he command another by reason, he who cannot exercise dominion over his own spirit? It signifies therefore that he who rules anger and passions is stronger and has greater dominion and empire than a king who by arms subdues cities and kingdoms to himself: because namely he rules all the affections of the soul, thoughts, senses, powers and strengths, likewise the whole kingdom of vices and sins, to which certainly his dominion is more ample, and his empire greater and more excellent than any kingdom. Wherefore Horace, book II, ode 2, thus sings: You will reign more widely, by taming your greedy spirit, than if you join Libya to the distant Pillars of Hercules, and both Carthaginians serve one master. And Boethius, book III of the Consolation, meter 5: Whoever wishes to be powerful, let him tame those fierce spirits. And Claudian in the Panegyric of Theodosius: Though you rule widely over the farthest Indians, let the Mede, the soft Arab, the Seres adore you. If you fear, if you desire wicked things, if you are led by anger, you will suffer the yoke of servitude, you will bear unjust laws within; then you will hold all things by right, when you are able to be king of yourself. Thus St. Gregory explains this passage, Part III of the Pastoral, Admonition 10: "Let the impatient hear," he says, "that which is written: Better is the patient man than the strong, and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh cities. For the victory of cities is less, because those things which are subdued are external, but what is conquered through patience is far greater, because the soul itself is overcome by itself, and subjugates itself to itself, when patience compels it to be restrained within itself. Let the impatient hear what Truth says to His elect: In your patience you shall possess your souls, Luke XXI. For thus we are wonderfully constituted, that reason possesses the soul, and the soul possesses the body. But the right of the soul is repelled from the possession of the body, if the soul is not first possessed by reason." And St. Ambrose, on those words of Psalm CXVIII: My soul is in my hands always, thus speaks: "Whoever has subdued his own body, and does not allow his soul to be disturbed by anger and other passions through the resistance of the upright; but in this is something excellent and glorious, that amid the storms of temptations rushing upon it, it perseveres immovable. For in what is believed to be vexed and broken by adversities, in that it is rather strengthened, and in that which is thought to be dulled, it is more sharpened. For no one is ignorant that patience is spoken of from passions and endurance; and therefore it is established that no one can be pronounced patient except him who has borne all things that have been inflicted upon him without indignation. And therefore not undeservedly is it thus praised by Solomon: Better is a patient man than a strong man, and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city." Again he acts in the manner of nature. Whence the fact that someone does without premeditation those things which are of virtue, when necessity presses on account of sudden dangers, this most manifestly shows that there is habitual fortitude confirmed in the soul. Moreover, Abba Chaeremon in Cassian, Conference XII, chapter VI, describes this passage, and this patience and meekness not only over anger, but also over lust and all other vices, ruling over them, thus in particular: "By which it is most evidently shown that patience is so efficacious a medicine of the heart, according to that of Solomon: A mild-tempered man is the physician of the heart; so that it not only roots out anger, sadness, sloth, vainglory, pride, but also lust and the fuel of all vices alike. For in long-suffering (as Solomon says) is the prosperity of the king. For he who is always mild and tranquil, and is not inflamed by the disturbance of anger, nor consumed by the anguish of sloth and sadness, nor distended by the vanity of vainglory, nor lifted up by the swelling of pride; for great peace to them that love the name of the Lord, and there is no stumbling-block to them, Psalm CXVIII. And therefore not undeservedly is it pronounced: Better is a patient man than a strong man, and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city." Again, Abba Piamon, Conference XVIII, chapter XIII, teaches that this broad dominion of patience is acquired through humility, which, subjecting itself to all things, tolerates all things peacefully: "For," he says, "patience would not be praiseworthy, nor admirable, if it retained the purpose of untroubled tranquility when assailed by no injuries and the darts of enemies; but in this is something excellent and glorious, that amid the storms of temptations rushing upon it, it perseveres immovable." That it is a work of greater fortitude to endure hard things than to do brave things, St. Thomas teaches by a threefold reason a priori, II II, Question CXXIII, article 6, to 1: "To the first, it must be said, that to endure is more difficult than to attack, for a threefold reason: First indeed, because he who endures seems to be attacked by someone stronger; but he who attacks, attacks in the manner of the stronger. But it is more difficult to fight with the stronger than with the weaker. Second, because he who endures already feels the dangers: but he who attacks has them as future. But it is more difficult not to be moved by present things than by future things. Third, because to endure implies duration of time; but one can attack from a sudden movement. But it is more difficult to remain immobile for a long time than to move suddenly to something difficult. Whence the Philosopher says in III Ethics, that some are bold before dangers, but withdraw in them: but the brave on the contrary are disposed. And in the same place, chapter IX, he says that in enduring sad things especially is one said to be brave. Again St. Thomas, II II, Question CXXIII, article 9: "Fortitude," he says, "is especially about sudden things, because according to the Philosopher, lib. III Ethics, chapter VIII, in sudden dangers the habit of fortitude is most manifested. For a habit acts in the manner of nature. Whence the fact that someone does without premeditation those things which are of virtue, when necessity presses on account of sudden dangers, this most manifestly shows that there is habitual fortitude confirmed in the soul." Moreover, just as cities, although fortified, are easily conquered by counsel and speed (by which two means Julius Caesar accordingly accomplished all his affairs so successfully), if namely they are taken by surprise before they can equip themselves with soldiers, counsel, provisions and other things necessary for sustaining a siege: so likewise anger is especially overcome by counsel and speed, if namely as soon as it arises, or even before it arises, the mind is taken by surprise by prudent consideration of things which can turn away anger or soften and suppress it. Thus Plutarch in his Moral.: "Just as," he says, "those who prepare to assault some city, before the citizens perceive the enemy's arrival, attack them secure and unaware, so that they do not give all an opportunity to take up arms: in the same manner anger must be taken by surprise, and overcome before it has taken up arms." Hence St. Hilary, on chapter IV of St. Matthew, says that Christ through meekness dwells in our minds; but Christ is the King of kings, who foresees and takes by surprise all movements of anger, and brings it about that the mind persisting in meekness resists all the blasts of passions unmoved, and enjoys perpetual peace of soul, serenity, sublimity and joy. And an anonymous author in the Greek Catena thus explains this saying of Solomon: "Nothing is so strong as patience. For the patient man can suffer nothing grave, nothing troublesome from anyone; for he is impassible in soul. There are those who think anger is necessary in wars; but if anywhere else, here especially is the suppression of passions necessary: for this matter is accomplished much more easily through prudence and wisdom than by hands or bodily strength. But without patience there is no progress." Xenophon compared the patient Lacedaemonian to Hercules and preferred him. Thus indeed from Cicero, in the oration for Marcellus, he writes in book I of the Institutes of Divination, chapter IX: "For there is no such great force," as the Orator says, "which cannot be weakened and broken by iron and strength: but to conquer the mind, to restrain anger, is the mark of the strongest; which he never did nor could. Whoever does this, I not only compare him with the greatest men, but judge him most like to God. I wish he had added concerning lust, luxury, greed, insolence, that he might complete the virtue of him whom he judged like to God. For he is not to be judged stronger who overcomes a lion than he who overcomes the violent beast of anger shut up within himself; or who brings down the most rapacious birds than he who restrains the most greedy desires; or who conquers an Amazon warrior than he who conquers lust, the destroyer of modesty and reputation; or who cleans dung from a stable than he who drives vices from his heart: which are more pernicious because they are domestic, and are his own evils, than those which could both be avoided and guarded against. From which it comes about that he alone should be judged a strong man who is temperate, and moderate, and just." Moreover, patience conquers demons, as being proud and impatient. For patience is the daughter of humility; through this the patient man humbly submits himself to the persecutor, the slanderer, infirmity and other adversities. Thus we read in Cassian, Conference XVIII, chapter XV, that a young man who had falsely defamed Abbot Paphnutius of theft, being possessed by a demon, could not be freed from it, although various Anchorites who had power to expel demons by force and grace were employed for this; but was freed by Paphnutius alone, who had patiently borne this slander. Assuredly Christ reserved this glory for the patient Paphnutius, that the young man possessed by a demon should be purified only by the prayers of him against whom he had plotted; and proclaiming the name of him whose reputation he had enviously sought to diminish, he received pardon for his crime and an end to his present torment. Thus that Isaac by his patience freed one possessed by a demon, and stirred up all the people to venerate him, as St. Gregory relates, book III of the Dialogues, chapter XIV. Thus a humble monk struck on the cheek by a possessed man, when according to Christ's precept he offered him the other cheek, expelled the demon from him, saying and crying out: "O violence of the commandments of Christ expels me!" Whence the Fathers hearing this said: "It is the custom of diabolical pride to fall before the humility of God's commandments." Thus it is related in the Penitential of the Fathers, book On Humility, number 5. In the same work, saying 4, a similar example is related, whose conclusion is this: "Humility dissolves all the strength of the enemy, as I myself heard them speaking and saying: When we disturb the monks, one of them turns around, and doing penance, destroys all our strength," by which we try to sow quarrels and disputes among them. Thus a girl falsely defaming St. Marina of fornication committed against her (for Marina had put on men's clothing, so that dwelling among men and monks she might appear to be a man and a monk), seized by a demon and long tormented, was freed from the demon only after Marina's death, when her sex and innocence became evident to all, running to her funeral and seeking pardon for the slander. Thus it is in the Life of St. Marina.
16:33
"Lots" here are called pebbles, by which a lot is made, or small tablets on which various lots are inscribed, similar to the indices and marks of lots. For these were formerly cast into a fold of the garment or an urn, and by soldiers into a helmet, from which then each person by lot drew out a pebble or tablet, etc., and what that contained fell to the lot of the one drawing it. Thus judges gave the lots of their sentences by pebbles: for when they condemned the accused, they cast a black pebble into the urn; but when they acquitted, a white pebble. Now First, Aben-Ezra and R. Levi connect this saying to the preceding: "Better is the patient man than the mighty." Aben-Ezra in this way, that is to say, When lots are cast into the fold, in what manner they will fall pertains to divine judgment, and in the same manner one has it from God, that he is able to temper the impulses of the mind. Briefly, that is to say, As it is God's to regulate lots, so it is His to regulate the impulses of anger; for these burst forth without reason, as it were by lot and chance now here, now there, and are not to be tamed by the powers of nature, but by the grace of God. But R. Levi thinks that by this saying the preceding is proved, in which he said: "Better is the patient man than the mighty," etc., that is to say, The conquest of cities, which is the work of a mighty man, is often a matter of lot and fortune. For some are fortunate in wars and conquer all things; others are unfortunate, who conquer nothing, but rather are conquered. But that these are fortunate, those unfortunate, are lots dispensed to each by God: but that someone is patient and masters his own mind, is not a matter of lot, which is uncertain, variable and unstable, but of virtue which arises from a certain choice, and therefore is constant and stable. Therefore the condition of the patient man is better than that of the mighty; for his condition depends on virtue, that of the mighty on lot. Second, the Complutensian Septuagint translates, all things come into the bosom of the just; but from the Lord all things are just, that is to say, By the just judgment of God it comes to pass that all things succeed prosperously for the just, and as it were come willingly into the bosom, and rush forth into their hands. For the just merit this by their justice; but it is the Lord's, who is the most just judge, to reward the just with a just reward of prosperity. For temporal prosperity was promised to the just in the Old Testament, spiritual indeed in the New. Thus the Author of the Chain of the Greeks. But the Roman Septuagint for the just have the unjust: To the unjust, they say, all things come into the bosom; but from the Lord all things are just. And the Syriac, into the bosom of the impious falls the lot, and from God comes forth his judgment; and the Arabic, to the bosom of the oppressors come all things, and from God all things are just, that is to say, To the unjust often all things fall according to their wish and happen prosperously, but to the just adversely; wherefore the simple and common people are sometimes troubled, and murmur accusing the providence of the Godhead, that it favors the unjust and presses the just with adversities. But let these know that from the most just Godhead nothing but what is equitable and just proceeds. God therefore prospers the unjust, rewarding with temporal prosperity the few good things they have done, and then punishes their unjust deeds and crimes with curse and the punishment of eternal hell. But He afflicts the just, so that the evils which they have perpetrated, chastising by temporal adversity, He may then reward their just deeds and merits with blessing and eternal glory in heaven, according to that in Luke VI: "A good measure, pressed down and shaken together and running over, shall they give into your bosom." Otherwise also you may expound it thus, that is to say, To the unjust all their crimes return into the bosom, while they are punished by God on account of them; for then the crimes, that is, the punishments of crimes, return upon the guilty head, as justice demands, of which God is the arbiter: for from the Lord all things are just. But because thus the Greek codices vary or contradict one another, it is likely that the Septuagint has had "just" and "unjust" creep into the version, as the Romans note; for neither is in the Hebrew, Chaldean and Latin; and with both removed the Septuagint plainly agrees with the Hebrew and Latin. Third therefore and genuinely Our text translates: "Lots are cast into the bosom, but are tempered by the Lord;" Hebrew, from the Lord all his judgment, that is to say, Lots seem to be cast by lot and chance, or drawn and fall; nevertheless God by His hidden equity disposes and tempers them, and assigns to each his own. For to temper, derived from time, first signifies to have regard to time, to moderate, to accommodate to time, to administer a thing in its proper order and measure. Second, to temper signifies to rule. Thus Cicero, in the fourth book of the Academics, says that Lucullus ruled the cities of Asia with the greatest equity, that is, governed them. And Horace, book I of the Odes, ode 12, concerning Jupiter: And with various hours tempers the world. Thus God tempers, that is, rules the lots. Third, God tempers the lots, when He makes them not to be too fortunate or unfortunate; but He mixes and tempers the fortunate with the unfortunate, just as wine is diluted and tempered with water. This maxim teaches that nothing in human affairs is done without the nod and dispensation of divine providence, so that not even lots, which are commonly attributed to blind fortune by men and are thought to fall without reason, happen otherwise than according to divine moderation. Whence it is said in Psalm XXX: "In thy hands are my lots." Now it appears that it was once the custom for lots to be gathered into someone's bosom, from which afterwards each person's lot would be drawn out, just as among us they are gathered into a pot or any vessel. Or certainly the bosom is called an urn, or a hollow and curved vessel into which lots were cast. For this is what the Hebrew חיק chec signifies. Whence the Chaldean translator renders it, the lot falls into the bosom of counsel; and his judgment goes forth from God. The sense therefore is, as if to say, All things, even those that seem fortuitous, are ruled by God; for all things are subject to God's care and providence. Wherefore it is fitting that each person depend upon it, so that if in the casting of lots a better or worse portion falls to us, we should attribute this not to chance or fortune as the common people do, but to God. For the common people attribute most things to fortune; whence the ancients made her a goddess, who would bestow upon each person fortunate or unfortunate events. For this reason each person, in order to obtain happy outcomes from fortune, would weary her with many prayers, vows and sacrifices, as I said on Isaiah LXV, 11. Solomon therefore refutes this, and teaches that fortune is nothing, nor does anything happen by chance, but all things happen by the provident judgment and counsel of God. For although with respect to secondary causes, which are contingent, many things may happen by chance and fortuitously, yet with respect to the first cause, namely divine providence, nothing is fortuitous, because all things, even those that seem fortuitous, are foreseen and decreed by it, or permitted, and ordered to a right end. Whence St. Augustine, Question XCI on Genesis, says: "Fortune," he says, "is to be understood as those things which seem to happen fortuitously, not because there is some divine power, yet these very things which seem fortuitous are given by hidden causes divinely." The same author, in Book I of the Retractations, censures what he himself calls a most wicked custom of men, who, instead of saying "God willed this," say "Fortune willed this." For, as he says in Psalm XXXI: "If men are ruled by chances, nothing is done by any providence," as if to say, Providence takes away fortune and chance. If therefore you assert fortune, you take away providence. The same author, Book V of The City of God, chapter IX: "We say that those causes which are called fortuitous, from which also fortune received its name, are not nothing, but hidden, and we attribute them either to the will of the true God, or to the will of any spirits whatsoever." God therefore is the moderator of lots, the arbiter of chances, the charioteer of fortune, or rather he who makes fortune fortunate. For the fortune of the Gentiles, often found to be a goddess, has had misfortune, as St. Augustine speaks, Book V of The City of God III. This is what Boethius says: "In the kingdom of Providence nothing is permitted to chance, nothing to rashness." Further, Solomon signifies here that lots are subject, more than other natural things that are certain and defined, to the peculiar care of God, and that God rules and disposes lots by a peculiar providence, yet within the bounds of ordinary providence. The reason is, because the first cause must supply the defect of secondary causes. Since therefore secondary causes cannot certainly direct contingent and fortuitous outcomes, it is necessary that God supply this defect, and direct fortuitous things with certainty, lest anything be done rashly in the world, and great confusion and disturbance of things result. Thus kings and prelates watch with peculiar care over slippery, doubtful, and dangerous matters, lest governance or discipline be relaxed; in like manner God's providence watches most carefully over fortuitous things, and in them especially shines forth and is resplendent. For who directs so many and such great doubtful events of men and all things, and such uncertain lots with so fixed and established an order, except the supremely provident mind and ever-watchful eye of the highest Godhead? Fortuitous successes and the casting of lots therefore are to be attributed peculiarly to God and his providence. This is seen especially in free contingencies. For God by His special grace prevents the free and holy acts of the just, and directs them to justice, perfection, and thence to the rewards of heavenly glory; but the free yet wicked acts of the impious He directs by special care, lest they exceed bounds too greatly and spread to the ruin of many, but constrains them within limits defined by God; He then directs them either to repentance or to just vengeance, whether in this life or in hell. Whence St. Augustine, book V of the City of God, chapter IX: "In His (God's) will," he says, "is the highest power, who aids the good wills of created spirits, judges the evil ones, orders all." Thus God has special care, as Scripture testifies, of the poor, orphans, widows, the fatherless, children, the foolish, the blind, the afflicted, because since they themselves cannot govern themselves, and are often destitute of the help and counsel of men, it is necessary that God take their care upon Himself, according to that: "To Thee is the poor left; Thou shalt be a helper to the orphan." Wherefore Solomon signifies here that in fortuitous matters recourse must be had to God, and His aid must be continually implored, that He Himself may govern and direct them to His glory and our good. For there are many things which can only be settled by lot, such as divisions of inheritances, rewards, offices, benefices, when equally worthy persons seek them. Thus St. Augustine, epistle 180, says that a priest should be chosen by lot who in time of plague or persecution should remain in the city and confer sacred things and the Sacraments upon the faithful. The same, book VIII of the Confessions, chapter XII, opening a book by God's instinct by lot, when there first occurred to him that passage of the Apostle: "Not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ," he took this very thing as a rule of his life. Finally, God has most special and singular providence over lots, which are commanded or consulted by Him. For God frequently makes His will known through lots, and then directs them individually, so that they fall upon him whom God wills and chooses. Thus by lot He chose and designated Matthias as an Apostle, Acts I, 26. Thus Joshua VII, by lot commanded by God, discovered the theft of Achan. He distributed the land of Chanaan to the twelve tribes by lot. Thus Saul was chosen by divine lot as king, I Kings X, 20. He by lot discovered the violated fast by his son Jonathan, I Kings XIV. Mystically Bede: "Just as lots," he says, "are openly put into the bosom, but are held closed in the bosom; but it is of divine judgment, whose lot held up holds the palm: so the deeds of men, in the present life indeed are hidden; but whose merit they are will become pale in the future, namely when the end is brought forth and the manifest judgment of individuals, as it were from the bosom of the divine examination." Thus also Hugh and Dionysius, that is to say: Just as lots, while they are in the bosom or urn, are uncertain and doubtful until they are drawn out and the selection is completed; so also the lot and election of any man to eternal happiness in this life is obscure, ambiguous and doubtful, until death draws out the lots and opens the elections of the predestined. I have said more about lots at Jonah I, 7, and Acts I, 26. This is what the Psalmist says, Psalm XXX, 16: "In Thy hands are my lots," that is to say: The chances, events, state of my affairs, such as riches and poverty, servitude and principality, peace and war, as Theodotion says, are not ruled by fortune, but by certain providence and governance of God. Thus the Apostle says that God called us and "made us worthy in the portion of the lot of the saints," Colossians I, 12. Because the election to this order of grace, to which God foresaw that St. Peter would come, not Judas, is not from the merit of St. Peter, but is a lot, that is, to Peter it is fortuitous and gratuitous; but to God it is a determined and destined counsel.
Machine translation from the Latin, not reviewed.
16:2
1. Simplicity and spirituality. – God is the subsistent Being (Ex. 3, 12 ff.), invisible (Ex. 19, 16-19; Job 38, 1) who searches and weighs spirits (Prov. 16, 2 and 21, 2), who infuses into Adam's body a spiritual soul that must return to him after death (Gen. 2, 7; Eccl. 12, 7); "God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship …
16:19
… It is said, for example, that the Lord will give, in messianic times, a "new rūah" (Ez. 11, 19; 18, 31; 36, 29; Ps. 51 [50], 12); in the rūah thoughts ascend (Ez. 11, 5); the rūah seeks, desires the Lord (Is. 26, 9), is cast down (Is. 66, 2; Prov. 15, 13), humble (Prov. 16, 19; 29, 23), magnanimous (Ps. 51 [50], 14).
16:21
… those who forget God, sinners (ibid. 9:18; 21:16), despisers of the Law (Eccl. 41:11). It appears ever more as the "wages" of sin (cf. Rom. 2:7; 5:12, 21; 6:23), in opposition to the "life" reserved for the good (Prov. 3:18; 8:35; 9:6; 12:2; 16:21); to the f. that is below is opposed "the way of life" that leads on high (Prov. 15:24). Even after the exile, the twofold conception coexists, partly interpenetrating, of the …
16:27
… 20, 1); elsewhere: praevacicatio (πονηρά): Nah. 1, 11; praevacicatori (ἀπαράνομος): II Sam. 23, 6; iniquus (ὁ λοιμός): I Sam. 25, 25 and 30, 22; apostata: Iob. 34, 18; iniustus (παράνομος): Ps. 100, 3; inquis (ἄρρων): Prov. 16, 27.
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · Vulgata Clementina · original Douay-Rheims (Douay 1609-10), transcription by EEBO-TCP (CC0) · La Sacra Bibbia, tradotta dalla Volgata da Antonio Martini (1769-1781) (LaParola (laparola.net), Martini OSIS text, Public domain (LaParola's electronic edition marks it 'Dominio pubblico')). Public domain.