Fruit of a good beginning lost through heat of man's praise. 83

XII.

to the very lowest, in proportion as it grew higher in the air Book without roots. But sometimes the vine in flower is dried, not by the cold but by the heat, and when it is touched by excessive heat, its flower being shed, the cluster is made to wither. And it very often happens that they who do not come to good works with a right intention, when they see that they please their fellow-creatures, are the more vehemently inflamed to execute the same good works, anxiously set themselves to do what is calculated to please the eyes of men, and are as it were heated in a holy devotedness. What then but heat in the time of the blossom has come upon these, whom the appetite of human applause has made bare of fruit? Hence it is well added, And like the olive casting his flower. For when the olive is in flower, if it be touched by an immoderate fog, it is bared of the fulness of fruit. And as often as people that are entering on good works, begin to be extolled by those that behold them, and to take delight in the commendations of themselves, there is caused a mist of the understanding in the thoughts, that they can now no longer discern with what intention they do a thing, and lose the fruit of practice as it were by the fog of applause. Hence it is well said by Solomon, Let us get up early to the Cant. 7, vineyards; let us see if the vines flower, if the blossoms bear fruit. The vines flower,' when the minds of the faithful put forth good works; but they do not bear fruit,' if in what they may have purposed, they are disabled, from being overcome by certain erring practices.

61. We have not then to look whether the vines flourish, but if the blossoms are strong for the bearing of fruit, in that it is not any thing to admire if a man begins good works, but it is much to be admired, if with a right intention he holds on in good works. Whence it very often happens that if in good practice a right intention is not kept, even the very work itself which is supposed good is lost. For we have often seen persons abandon the earthly things which they possessed, and henceforth seek nought transitory, and be mixed up with no jarrings for the sake of this life. When then the believing mind exhibits this in itself, it is as if the olive put forth blossom, but when any of this sort begin to seek the glory of the world which they had contemned, and

12.

MORAL.

84 The hypocrite's vain labour. Praise an earthly reward ̧

JOB 15, to pant with insatiable desire after the earthly things which 33. 34. they appeared to have disdained, to give themselves to brawls, to seek out mischiefs upon their neighbours; then indeed the olive has cast her flower, which she put forth, in that she never brought to perfect works the beginnings of a good purpose. But we are to bear in mind that such things are often happening to those who do not follow God with a pure and single aim. Hence it is rightly added, For the gathering of the hypocrite is barren. For the good things he has begun he would not lose, if he had not been a hypocrite. Now hypocrites gather together good works, but their gathering itself is barren, in that in the things they do they never make it their object to receive fruit in the eternal recompensing. They look fruitful and green to the eyes of their fellow-creatures, but in the sight of the hidden Judge they appear unfruitful and blasted. But oftentimes, being inflamed with the fever of avarice, they display greater works of their own before the eyes of men, in proportion as they desire to have larger rewards offered them by their fellowcreatures. Hence it is yet further added;

liv.

And fire shall consume the tabernacles of those who are ready to take rewards.

62. For as the body dwells in a tabernacle, so the mind. dwells in thought. But the fire consumes the tabernacles,' when the heat of avarice wastes the thoughts. And it very commonly happens that the hypocrite scorns to receive gold, or the several good things of the body, at the hands of his fellow-creatures, but because he does not take these, he aims to win greater commendations from them; and perhaps he does not reckon that he has received a reward,' because he refuses to take the good things of the body Hence it is proper to be known that a gift is sometimes proffered by the hand, and sometimes by the mouth. Thus one who presents money, has given a reward with the hand; but he that bestows the word of applause, has put forward a reward from the mouth. Though, then, the hypocrite refuse to take external gifts, which may perhaps answer earthly necessity, yet that is a greater thing which he aims to have paid him in return, when desiring to be extolled beyond his desert, he seeks a reward from the mouth. And

85

XII.

Envy and detraction spring from love of praise. because in the mere appetite of praise his heart is kindled Book with overmuch heat, let it be rightly said, And fire shall consume the tabernacles of those that are ready to take rewards.

63. But if we are to understand by their tabernacles' the bodies which their souls inhabit, then the fire consumes the ' tabernacles,' because those who here are on fire in the soul with the flames of avarice, are there consumed in the flesh too by the fires of hell, and because the mind of the hypocrite is never at rest from the thinking of wickedness, in that whether he goes after the things of earth, or applause, he grudges those things to others, which he pants to have awarded to himself, and strives to make others appear wicked in proportion as he desires to appear more holy to all the world, so that by means of this, that others are rendered contemptible, he may himself at all times appear more worthy of respect. Whence it comes to pass, that as touching his credit with his neighbour, he spreads out the nets of his tongue before the judgments of his fellowcreatures, that he by himself may catch the good opinion of those whom he seeks to please. Whence too it follows;

Ver. 35. They conceive woe, and bring forth iniquity, and their womb prepareth deceit.

64. For he conceives woe,' when he devises wicked things; lvi. he' brings forth iniquity,' when he has begun to fulfil what he has devised; by entertaining envy, he conceives woe;' by uttering slanders, he brings forth iniquity.' For it is grievous wickedness when he who is wicked strives to make others appear wicked, that he may himself thereby appear as holy, because he has shewn that others are not holy. But we ought to bear in mind, that in Holy Writ by the title of the 'belly' or the 'womb' the mind is used to be understood. Hence it is that it is said by Solomon, For the candle of the Prov. Lord is the breathway of man, searching all the inward 20, 27. parts of the belly. For the light of grace, which comes from above, affords a breathway' to man unto life, which same light is said to search all the inward parts of the belly,' in that it penetrates all the secrets of the heart, that the things which were hidden from the soul touching itself it may bring back before the eyes thereof with weeping. Hence Jeremiah

19.

35.

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Inward parts of the body put for the mind.

JOB 15, saith, My bowels! my bowels! I am pained. Who, that he MORAL. might shew what he had called his belly, added, the senses Jer. 4, of my heart are troubled. So by the title of the womb the mind is rightly understood, in that like as the offspring is conceived in the womb, so is thought engendered in the mind. And as meats are contained in the belly, so are thoughts in the mind; and so the womb' of the hypocrite prepares deceits,' in that he is ever conceiving in his mind. the greater wickedness against his neighbours, in proportion as he aims to appear by himself above all men innocent. Eliphaz therefore put forward these things, in that he looked upon blessed Job as stricken with that great scourge on account of his hypocrisy. But his words, though they apply to many, are at odds with him alone, for whom alone they were said, in that the holy man had nought of double-dealing in his conduct, whom Truth being witness to him praised for the singleness of his heart.

BOOK XIII.

Wherein is contained a short exposition, moral and typical, of the sixteenth and seventeenth chapters of the book of Job.

i.

1. THIS is found to be a peculiar way with the wicked, HIST. viz. to urge their own bad points slanderously against the ALLEG. good, before they are themselves truly accused of them; and while they dread to be reproached for the things which they do, they testify that the righteous who withstand their wickednesses commit the same. Now holy men hear with forbearance, even what they never remember to have done, although those wrong things which they see to be urged against themselves, they know to be committed by their very accusers; and when they cannot correct them by preaching, they suffer them by submitting to the evil, that if they cannot attain the fruit of their conversion, they may at least win by those very persons the reward of long endurance. Hence Holy Church says in the words of the Prophet David, Sinners have plowed Ps. 129, upon my back, in that whilst she puts up with heretics, or lost persons of any kind, whom she is not able to correct, she bears upon her back the deeds of those that commit iniquity. Thus blessed Job, seeing Eliphaz his friend making much complaint against him out of hypocrisy, in that from words of comfort he had broken out into bitterness of upbraiding, and shewed himself a feigned comforter, does by his own patience maintain a type of the Church, which is wont to endure such things in hearing them, and when her discourse is received, by reasoning to bring them to nought; and he says,

Ver. 2. I have heard many such things.

3.

2. For the Elect often hear the wrong things of others, ii. as if they belonged to themselves, and guilt is charged upon