THE EARLY CHURCH FATHERS WRITINGS - VOLUME 86
Commentary on the First Book of Kings, Attributed to Gregory the Great
c. AD 590 – 1100

SermonIndex · sermonindex.net/books/

Texts are public domain except where marked in Sources and Credits. Modern English versions released under CC BY-SA 4.0.

============================================================

INTRODUCTION TO THIS VOLUME
===========================

HOW THIS BOOK IS ARRANGED

This is the eighty-sixth volume of a series that gathers the writings of the early Church
in order of date, from the generation after the apostles down to the eighth century. This
volume holds Commentary on the First Book of Kings, Attributed to Gregory the Great, from
the period about AD 590 – 1100.

Within each work the text is divided into chapters and numbered sections, so that any
passage can be found again and cited. The small bold figures in the text are the section
numbers.

THE TRANSLATIONS

The text is in English only. Wherever a modern English version has been prepared for
SermonIndex it is used here; otherwise the book prints an older public-domain translation.
In both cases the wording is the translator’s own: older translations have not been
altered beyond dividing them into sections. The sources for every work are listed at the
back of the book, together with the licence under which each text is released. All the
works in this volume are printed in the modern English versions prepared for SermonIndex.

IN THIS VOLUME

Gregory was born at Rome about AD 540 into a rich senatorial family, served as prefect of
the city, and gave his wealth to found monasteries. He was sent to Constantinople as the
pope’s representative about AD 579, and there began to explain the Book of Job to the
monks who went with him. He was chosen bishop of Rome in AD 590, in a time of plague,
famine and Lombard invasion, and for fourteen years he governed the Church, fed the poor
of Rome, and sent Augustine and his monks to the English. His books on pastoral care, his
homilies, the Dialogues and the Morals on Job were among the most widely read in the
Middle Ages.

The commentary is printed in six books in the order of the story of Samuel, with each
chapter marked by its number and, where the text gives it, the passage of First Samuel on
which it comments. The Vulgate calls this book the First Book of Kings, and Gregory’s
commentators follow that name.

DATES AND AUTHORSHIP

Dates are approximate and are debated by scholars. Each work begins with a short
introduction that states what is known about its author and its date, and what is
uncertain.


COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS
=====================

COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS Gregory the Great

c. AD 540–604

This commentary on the first book of Kings, which we call First Samuel, was printed for
centuries among the works of Gregory the Great. Many scholars now think it was written by
a later monk, perhaps Peter of Cava in the twelfth century. It explains the story of
Samuel, Saul and David as a figure of Christ and the Church. It is in six books, and the
introduction that stood at the end of the second part is printed first.

INTRODUCTION

1. After the books of Moses and Joshua and Judges, the first book of Kings is shown to be
the eighth or ninth in the canon of the Holy Scriptures. Because this book, like most
volumes of sacred eloquence, has not yet been expounded by the doctors of Holy Church,
some simpler persons judge it not to be mystical, and think it says nothing lofty through
the spirit, inasmuch as it seems to narrate plainer things through the letter. But if they
were to read what the holy doctors have said in other books of explanations, they would
discover how immense is the depth of this history as well. For often in their expositions,
what is here said to be plain according to the letter is declared to be very lofty
according to spiritual understanding, and they openly indicate that they understand sacred
history far more sublimely than what they read on its outward surface. For it is plain
that Elkanah, a man of Ephrath, is described as having had two wives (1 Kings 1:1–2); that
Eli the priest, while he was weakened by affection from the duty of correcting his sons,
fell from his seat and died with a broken neck (ibid., 4:18); that King Saul refused to
obey God in the destruction of the Amalekites (1 Kings 15:9), but not long after lost both
his life and his kingdom (1 Kings 31:5).

But these evidently plain matters, as they satisfy simpler minds, the holy doctors, in
order to perceive them with worthy sublimity, sought their understanding not in the
simplicity of the letter but in the flight of allegory. For this is why, when Saint
Augustine (City of God, Book XVII, ch. 4) read of Elkanah's two wives in the history,
perceiving spiritual height in the plainness of the reading, he explained that the one
bore the type of the Synagogue, while the other bore the figure of Holy Church. Saint
Jerome likewise (Against the Pelagians, Book I, ch. 8; and Against Jovinian, Book I, ch.
10) explained that the death of Eli the priest and of Saul was placed in sacred history
not only so that their punishment might terrify disobedient leaders, but also so that,
while the rejection of the old and transgressing rulers is read, the destruction of the
ancient law and priesthood might be signified. Therefore the sacred history of Kings is
not to be believed empty of spiritual mysteries because it has not been expounded in
sequence by the venerable fathers, but is all the higher and deeper because, like the
vastness of an immense river, it could only be drawn from in exposition in some small
part, and with their vessels filled, it flows on by the force of its fullness to fill
others daily.

Therefore, while they drew certain things from this sacred history for the strength of
their works, but passed over its fullness unexamined in the secret of its sublimity, what
else did they appear to do but take something from the immense river to offer to the
thirsting minds of the faithful? 2. We indeed follow the custom of these men in the
present work as well, we who approach this vast history for the sake of opening up its
understanding, yet do not dare to undertake the exposition of its entirety — differing
from the aforementioned venerable Fathers in this respect, namely that we do not select in
scattered fashion and from diverse places what we are about to expound, since they did not
take up some part of this sacred history in order, but rather took up scattered
testimonies which they might expound for the instruction of the faithful. Therefore,
trusting in the help of almighty God, we propose to explain from the beginning of the book
up to the anointing of King David, so that by this brief portion which is seen we may test
whether we ought to proceed further in expounding. For very many, when they propose
immoderate undertakings, can never become the executors of their own proposal — especially
since the expositor of sacred eloquence bears the manner of a man standing on a high
watchtower, while sacred Scripture bears the likeness of a vaster forest. This man,
situated on high, even if with keen sight he surveys the vastness of the woodland,
nevertheless, while he looks upon the summits of mountains, the edges of hills, and the
tall tops of trees meeting together in a certain level equality, he does not notice how
great the valleys, how extended the plains that lie hidden in between.

But if he begins to traverse what seemed brief to him, he suddenly recognizes that very
many more things remained which he had not seen — he who had thought he had seen the
whole. Hence the immoderate traveler is often deceived, so that he completes his journey
all the more dangerously, inasmuch as the wandering of night overtakes him on the road
when the day is spent — he who had not thought he would use up even a part of the day in
what seemed the space of a short journey. Just so, indeed, when we consider the
understanding of sacred history at a certain summit of its meanings, by the grace of
almighty God we gaze upon, as it were, the tall treetops of a darker forest from a certain
height. But because when those same meanings begin to be considered and brought forth more
subtly, they generate others still more manifold — just as on the surface, as it seems, of
the entire woodland surveyed, the hollows of valleys and the extended spaces of the plain
lie hidden, which are not seen. Therefore we walk more safely if we so measure what we see
that we also consider that what we shall see as we proceed must still be traversed. And
so, while we propose to explain a small part of this vast history, according to the
measure of our weakness we end our journey's course nearby, distrusting alike the
slenderness of our talent and terrified by the profundity of the sacred volume.

3. But first I thought it right not so much to instruct as to beseech the reader not to
weigh the substance of sacred history by the emptiness of my exposition, because divine
utterances must never be estimated by the measure of their commentators. For they are not
to be despised because they are not examined with subtlety, nor are they lofty and
venerable because they are expounded eloquently and subtly. For the skill that is held in
such esteem among the wise of this world is valued only as much as brilliant minds can
exalt it. But Holy Scripture, because it is divinely inspired, surpasses even the most
brilliant human minds by as much as those brilliant men themselves are inferior to God,
and they perceive nothing in that spiritual sublimity except what is revealed to them by
the goodness of divine condescension. Therefore no one is so perfect in knowledge of it
that he cannot advance further, because every advance of man is inferior to the height of
the divinity that inspired it. Hence also it is said of the Lord through the Psalmist:
'Who covers His upper chambers in the waters' (Ps. 103:3). For if by the name of waters
those deep understandings of the angels above are designated, while God is said to cover
the height of sacred utterance in the waters, it is abundantly clear that man is always
inferior to that of which only its lower parts are revealed to him.

Hence also it is commanded through Moses that the remainder of the lamb be burned with
fire (Exod. 12:10), because indeed the sacred Scriptures, which were set forth for the
purpose of knowing the Redeemer, are to be venerated on account of the dignity of their
sublimity even when they are not understood. And so, even if no weight is given to what is
said by me, nevertheless weight must be given to the fact that this Holy Scripture, which
is unworthily expounded by me, speaks many good and sublime things to the one to whom
Almighty God has willed to open its secrets. For Holy Scripture has been so wonderfully
fashioned by Almighty God that even though it may appear to have been expounded in
manifold ways, it still does not lack secrets by which it keeps hidden things concealed,
because it is almost never expounded in such a way that there do not remain in it many
more things to be expounded daily. By this incomprehensibility of it, Almighty God has
surely provided for human changeableness with great dispensation; for it has been so
wondrously arranged that what is known cannot grow cheap, so that once known it remains
unknown, and is read all the more gladly because it is learned anew each day; and while it
continually reveals fresh things, it delights all the more sweetly.

4. The History of the Kings, therefore, because it was composed by the same Spirit by
which the other volumes of Holy Scripture are also recognized, ought not to be believed to
be lesser in its mysteries than those to which it is not inferior in the title of
authority. For all its writers are reported to have been prophets, who, when they narrate
historical things, signify spiritual things; they speak of outward things and hint at
inward things; they set forth earthly things so that they may pursue heavenly things.
Whence also the first and second book of this same history are ascribed to the prophet
Samuel for this reason: that from the title of the author it may be perceived that the
history he writes is not so much history as prophecy — the letter is simple and true, but
exceedingly lofty and profound in the multiplicity of its hidden meanings. We, however,
from so great a weight, take up according to the measure of our smallness what we are able
to bear. For although it is pleasant on the surface of the letter, deeper in the types of
allegory, useful for instructing morals, and clear in presenting examples, nevertheless in
individual passages to assert the historical sense, to set forth the typological, to bring
together the moral, and to propose examples — from this I shrink; although some things I
shall expound under one sense, with the Lord's help, and others under several.

Especially since I have decided to devote effort to writing in these times, in which,
while the old anxiety of worldly concern is immersed in the hearts of certain churchmen,
they judge new efforts at writing to be superfluous for the reason that they are well
aware that the old works of the venerable doctors abound. They would indeed need to be
refuted by reason, were they not to display the mark of calumny with brazen face. For
those who despise new things as new also disdain through satiety of worldly cares those
old things which they approve. Scripture indeed sets forth these many persons under the
designation of one, saying: "The soul that is full shall tread upon the honeycomb" (Prov.
27:7). For the honeycomb contains new honey. As if therefore it were saying: While the
care for earthly things is fed too immoderately, the soul does not rejoice in that fresh
sweetness of the Scriptures which is accustomed to greatly please. But since they find no
commentaries of the ancients on this sacred history, they would act more rightly if they
were to embrace the work of our labor with that charity with which it is expended for the
benefit of the little ones of holy Church, and instead of the trouble of reproaches, bring
the aid of prayers to us who labor in so great a depth of Scripture as in the deepest sea.

From this indeed they make the fruit of our toil their own, because while they love out of
kindness, they turn it to their own accumulation of eternal reward — both because for so
long a time so closed and unexpounded a Scripture is brought to common understanding, and
because the little ones of holy Church, while they receive the splendor of the new
religion within the coverings of the Old Scripture, are aided in the advancement of their
devotion. 5. But because diverse testimonies of this history are found expounded in the
various works of the holy Fathers, the reader should note that sometimes I follow their
meaning in my treatment, but sometimes I labor to explain the history differently, so that
the work I undertake in hope of divine inspiration may be both strengthened by the
authority of the ancient Fathers and in no way tedious to the reader, since amid the old
things he already knows, it also presents to him new things he did not know. To this
manner of pronouncing judgments I am sometimes led by necessity, because even the
venerable Fathers, if they had expounded in continuous order everything they touched upon
in part, could by no means have maintained the sequence of discourse they appeared to
observe. Therefore, when I pass over the interpretations of the holy Fathers, I do so
sometimes from necessity, sometimes from convenience, because I both remove tedium from
the reader, and when I discuss everything in continuous order, many things arise from the
middle that do not permit me to follow their opinions. In this work I earnestly ask the
reader not to weigh my words by comparison with the eloquent orators of holy Church, but
to judge the meaning of the thoughts according to the principles of ecclesiastical
discipline, because even if, in accordance with God's prohibition, I do not know how to
plant a grove in His house (Deut. 16:21), nevertheless I in no way abandon the rule by
which holy Scripture is faithfully expounded.

But also, where the skilled reader finds something less pleasing, let him consider that,
when I, like a foreign sailor, venture upon the storms of a great sea — that is, the
spiritual history, deep with lofty meanings — it is not very blameworthy if the helm of
speech is not guided beautifully, when foaming crests of waves crash in, which often force
even the most skilled pilot to release the tiller. Just so indeed, a devoted plowman
entering upon wooded land to cultivate it does not lay out straight lines of furrows
unless he first cuts through them repeatedly with the plowshare drawn back, because no
ease of skill follows if no habit of cultivation is seen to precede that same skill of
plowing. But neither should anyone judge the plainness of the history by this estimation,
because very often we reach the secrets of spiritual meanings with all the more difficulty
the farther away we see the location of the hidden entrances in the plainer letter; and we
cannot touch its heights precisely because the step from which we think to touch the
heights is lower. For what is the understanding of divinity, if not a certain ineffable
summit of the highest elevation? And because almighty God is known through the Scriptures,
what is that same sacred Scripture but a kind of stairway that is climbed so that that
sublimity may be reached?

Whenever, therefore, the history is plainer but the meaning deeper, what else is it but
that that sublimity has such a step from which it cannot easily be reached? If, then, the
reader perceives something unfitting even in the explanation of the plainer history, he
will be able to grant pardon all the more kindly, the more reasonably he recognizes that
when we stretch beyond from the plain surface that is seen toward those sublime heights,
we easily falter. The earlier portions of the book, therefore, because they contain both
the mysteries of holy Church and demonstrate the character of a chosen man established in
the pursuit of a good life, I expound under both senses separately, so that when we
recognize in the deeds of the ancients the principles of the new faith, we may also draw
from them the edification of our own way of life. And because in the salvation of the
faithful, faith is prior to works, I set forth the typological meaning first, as a solid
foundation, upon which the fabric of the entire undertaken work may be laid or may follow
in its moral or historical exposition.


COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS (BOOK ONE, CHAPTER 1.1 (1 SAMUEL 1:1))
============================================================

COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS continued

BOOK ONE

CHAPTER 1.1 (1 SAMUEL 1:1)

There was a man from Ramathaim Zophim, from the hill country of Ephraim, and his name was
Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an
Ephrathite. 1. Whom then does this man represent to us, if not our Lord and Redeemer, who
both appeared in the weakness of our flesh, and yet did not subdue that same weakness of
His assumed nature with the enticements of a more indulgent life? For "man" (vir) is named
from "virtue" (virtus): But man, created in paradise, had war with the apostate angel,
whom nevertheless he did not take care to resist through his conditional virtue.
Therefore, created strong but weakly subjugated to the enemy, he was not a man by combat,
who was one by gift. Thus he was made strong in such a way that, with human nature
condemned, he could not prevail over the victorious enemy, unless He who existed above men
should assume it. Therefore our Creator became our warrior. But whether He was a man is
known if it is considered from the virtue He displayed. He assumed our nature, so that
while it conquered in Him, it might restore its created nobility, and what had been made
strong but weak in Adam might become weak but strong in the Redeemer (Matt. 4). To Him
indeed, while He fasted in the wilderness, the tempter came, renewed the weapons of his
ancient victory, and hurled the darts of gluttony, pride, and arrogance; but he found Him
resisting in all things. Therefore He shone forth as a man through victory, who,
overcoming the apostate angel—already a strong conqueror—did not display to him the power
of His divinity but the weakness of His humanity.

Considering this man, the prophet Jeremiah says: "A woman shall encompass a man" (Jer.
31:22). Zechariah points to Him, saying: "Behold, a man, the Rising is His name" (Zech.
6:12). The blessed apostle Peter, preaching to the Jews, says of Him: "Jesus of Nazareth,
a man approved by God among you by powers, wonders, and signs: Him, delivered by the
determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you killed by fastening Him through the hands
of wicked men" (Acts 2:22-23). Hence Cleopas, conversing with the same Redeemer on the
road, said: "Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet, mighty in deed and word"
(Luke 24:19). For He was a man who both expelled the ancient enemy from the Church in this
world and, dying, bound him in hell. And because He who, dying, shattered the powers of
hell, rising again, opened for us the entrance to eternity, He showed us the greatness of
His virtue not only by living but also by dying and rising. Therefore, because our
Redeemer is known to have done works of great virtue through the humanity He assumed,
rightly is he who signifies Him in type declared to have been a man.

2. But we must ask why he is called "one man. For if this "oneness" refers to number, it
seems superfluous: for everyone is one, and not two. And Saint Samuel, by whom these
things are written, must in no way be believed to have begun in vain contrary to the
custom of the writers of Holy Church. For the writer of that volume, when he was
presenting the life of blessed Job as an example for the faithful, began thus: "There was
a man in the land of Uz, named Job" (Job 1:1). The evangelist Luke also, when at the
beginning of his Gospel he was speaking the praises of a just priest, said: "There was in
the days of Herod the king a priest named Zechariah" (Luke 1:5). For neither did the
former say "one man," nor the evangelist "there was one priest. What then is the reason
that the chosen prophet, contrary to the custom of writers, began with such an opening?
But because he was not only a writer, but also a prophet, he knew of whom the history
spoke; and he knew whom the one spoken of in the history signified. Therefore, what he
narrates from history beyond the custom of history, this he speaks for the use of the
catholic faith, in the understanding of allegory. Hence also by this new custom, the whole
Church together confesses that God and man is one Christ. Therefore he says: "There was
one man";

because he was speaking of the God-man, so that he might assert his divinity and humanity,
and might more openly demonstrate that the person of the Word receiving and of the man
received is not different, but that of God and man is one and the same: which unity,
nevertheless, can fittingly be referred to the excellence of his dignity. For even if Holy
Church has not had another Redeemer, through the display of virtue she has had many men.
Therefore, when he is called "one," he is shown to be incomparable. 3. For He had no
equal, who while He looked after the human race with His excellent life and word, was able
by a singular gift to give the gifts of Redemption. Hence Paul also says: "Receiving
abundance of grace, and of the gift, and of justice, they shall reign in life through one
Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:17). Reproaching the Jews for this dignity of His excellence through
Himself, He says: "If I had not done among them the works that no other man has done, they
would not have sin" (John 15:24). The Psalmist also, considering the excellence of His
beauty, said: "Beautiful in form above the sons of men, grace is poured forth on your
lips" (Ps. 45:3). Isaiah, testifying to the singular good of Redemption in Him, says:
"Truly He has borne our infirmities, and He has carried our iniquities" (Isa. 53:4). The
eternal Father also, showing His singular dignity, cried out from the magnificent glory,
saying: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:17; 17:5; 2 Pet.
1:17). He was the one man whom Peter, confessing, said: "There is no other name given
under heaven by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Paul asserts this greatness of His
excellence, saying: "The Lord exalted Him, and gave Him a name which is above every name"
(Phil. 2:9). And because the excellence of His virtue surpasses not only the elect among
men, but also all the blessed angels, Paul, preaching this to the Hebrews, says:

"Who being the brightness of glory, and the figure of His substance, and upholding all
things by the word of His power, making purgation of sins, sits at the right hand of the
majesty on high, being made so much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more
excellent name than they. For to which of the angels did He ever say: 'You are my Son,
this day have I begotten you'? And again: 'I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to
me a Son'" (Heb. 1:3-5). Rightly therefore He is called the one man, to whom no one is
compared. But now that we have recognized how great He is, let us hear from where He was.
4. From Ramatha Sophim, from the mountain of Ephraim. Ramatha, Sophim, and Ephraim are
Hebrew names, of which the first in our language means "Completed Vision," the second
"Watchtower," and the third is interpreted as "Fruitful" or "Fruit-bearing. And what is
the completed vision, if not the perfect knowledge of almighty God? Indeed, the teacher of
the Gentiles indicates this completed vision, saying: "We see now through a mirror in an
enigma, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I shall know, just as I also
have been known" (1 Cor. 13:12). And what is understood by watchtowers, if not that
sublimity of the angels? For a watchtower is chosen on high for a clearer view. Ramatha is
rightly called Sophim: because that perfect knowledge of our Creator can only be possessed
by those blessed citizens who stand in that supernal height. For the radiance of eternal
light in its fullness is beheld not in the depths of this present exile, but from the
state of eternal sublimity. Hence Ramatha Sophim is rightly said to be situated on the
mountain of Ephraim. For what is the mountain of Ephraim, if not heaven? For the fruitful
mountain is that which always brings forth the flowers of eternal beauty and the fruits of
unfailing joy. Rightly both Ramatha and Sophim are said to be situated on Mount Ephraim,
because that eternal vision of almighty God, and that height of the blessed citizens, is
not held on earth, but in heaven.

Indicating that he was from Ramatha, he says: "As the Father knows me, I also know the
Father" (John 10:15). Hence again he says: "No one knows the Son except the Father, and no
one knows the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal him"
(Matt. 11:27; Luke 10:22). He was from the watchtower, that is, from on high, who also
rebuking the Jews says: "You are from below, I am from above: you are of this world, I am
not of this world" (John 8:23). He was from Mount Ephraim, who says: "I am the living
bread who came down from heaven" (John 6:51). John the Baptist, affirming that he was from
Mount Ephraim, says: "He who comes from heaven is above all" (John 3:31). Hence the
Psalmist says: "His going forth is from the highest heaven" (Ps. 18:7). Hence the teacher
of the Gentiles says: "The second man is from heaven, heavenly" (1 Cor. 15:47). Therefore
the man, who is declared to have been one, is said to have come from Ramatha Sophim, from
Mount Ephraim: because he who was born among all shone forth above all, and appeared so
great on earth because he came from heaven. He was from Ramatha Sophim, because even
though he shone here incomparably, nevertheless the greatness of his excellence is not
grasped except where the perfect knowledge of him is displayed to the eternal citizens.
For one who had beheld him in the excellence of his power here said:

"What we have seen and heard, and our hands have handled concerning the word of life" (1
John 1:1). But because he had not seen the greatness of his excellence, he promises it to
us in Ramatha, saying: "When he appears, we shall be like him, because we shall see him as
he is" (1 John 3:2). 5. Moreover, by the name of this mountain, the most blessed ever-
virgin Mary, Mother of God, can be designated: for she was indeed a mountain, who by the
dignity of her election transcended all the height of every chosen creature. Was not Mary
a sublime mountain, who, in order to attain to the conception of the eternal Word, raised
the summit of her merits above all the choirs of angels, even to the throne of the
Godhead? Indeed, Isaiah prophesying of the most excellent dignity of this mountain, said:
"In the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be prepared on the top of
the mountains" (Isaiah 2:2). For she was indeed a mountain on the top of mountains,
because the height of Mary shone forth above all the saints. For just as a mountain
designates height, so a house designates a dwelling. Indeed, she is fittingly called both
mountain and house, because while she was illuminated by incomparable merits, she prepared
her sacred womb for the only-begotten Son of God to rest in. For Mary would not have
become a mountain on the top of mountains, if divine fruitfulness had not raised her above
the height of the angels. And she would not have become the house of the Lord, if the
divinity of the Word had not lain in her womb through the humanity he assumed. But she is
rightly called a fruitful mountain, from whom the best fruit, that is, the new man, is
born;

and certainly the prophet, beholding her beautiful and adorned in the glory of her
fruitfulness, said: "A shoot shall come forth from the root of Jesse, and a flower shall
rise from his root" (Isaiah 11:1). For concerning the fruit of this mountain, David
exulting in God said: "Let the peoples praise you, O God, let all the peoples praise you;
the earth has yielded its fruit" (Psalm 67:6). For the earth yielded its fruit, because
what the Virgin bore, she conceived not by material work, but by the overshadowing of the
Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35). Hence it is said to that same king and prophet by the Lord: "Of
the fruit of your womb I will set upon your throne" (Psalm 132:11). Hence Isaiah says:
"The fruit of the earth shall be sublime" (Isaiah 4:2). For he whom the Virgin bore was
not only a holy man, but also mighty God. Concerning this fruit, to the same blessed
Virgin, when Elizabeth greeted her, it is said: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed
is the fruit of your womb" (Luke 1:42). Rightly therefore she is called the mountain of
Ephraim, because while she is raised up by the ineffable dignity of divine generation, in
her fruit the barren shoots of the human condition grow green again. Therefore a man from
Ramathaim-zophim was made from the mountain of Ephraim: because he who by the power of his
divinity created the angels, from the flesh of the most exalted Virgin, took on the form
of humanity.

And because through the humanity which he assumed, he wished to be born not from
unbelievers, but from believers, there follows: "The son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the
son of Tohu, the son of Zuph." 6. Indeed, four names of the fathers are assigned: because
when the Lord took flesh from the faithful people, He had them as fathers through His
humanity, whom He illuminated with the glory of just as many principal virtues. Hence it
is said by divine promise not to some unfaithful person, but to faithful Abraham: "In your
seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed" (Gen. 22:18). Hence the evangelist
Matthew, weaving the order of His genealogy, says: "The book of the generation of Jesus
Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham" (Matt. 1:1). Hence He speaks to the
Samaritan woman through Himself, saying: "Salvation is from the Jews" (John 4:22). Hence
Paul says: "Whose is the adoption of sons, and the glory, and the covenant, and the giving
of the law, and the service, and the promises: whose are the fathers, from whom is Christ
according to the flesh, who is over all things God blessed forever" (Rom. 9:4-5). Because
indeed prudence was present in them for the knowledge of things; justice, by which they
desired to arrange rightly what they knew; fortitude, by which they were able to carry out
the good things they wished; temperance, through which they would accomplish all things
with discretion—they are fittingly designated by the number four.

7. There follows: An Ephrathite. But why is he who is said to be from Mount Ephraim called
an Ephrathite? Yet this is clear according to the letter, because evidently someone could
be from Mount Ephraim who was not born from the tribe of Ephraim. He is therefore called
an Ephrathite, so that he who is shown to be from that place might also be recognized as
being from that lineage of descent. But since Ephrathite means "fruitful," this is rightly
ascribed to the person of the Redeemer, who is proclaimed by the prophecy of the prophet:
He shall be like a tree planted by streams of water, which shall give its fruit in its
season (Ps. 1:4). For appearing in the preordained fullness of times, he turned the
flowers of heavenly teaching into the fruits of the elect; and as many as he joined to
himself from the human race, he brought forth as so many fruits unto eternity. In this
passage, while the life of the Redeemer is described, the perdition of the devil is also
secretly shown. For he was from Mount Ephraim, and yet was not an Ephrathite: because
indeed he fell from heaven, but the bad tree did not bear good fruit. (Verse 2.) He had
two wives; the name of one was Anna, and the name of the second was Peninnah: and Peninnah
had children, but Anna had no offspring.

8. What is expressed by Peninnah, except the Synagogue? And what is figured by Hannah,
except the holy Church? For the children of Peninnah are reported to have existed: because
when our Redeemer appeared in the flesh, through the Law which He had given, through the
prophets whom He had sent, He found children brought forth in the faith of the synagogue.
But Hannah had no children, because the holy Church, then new and recently joined to her
heavenly spouse, was not yet giving birth through preaching. Hence also it is said to her
in the voice of the same spouse in the Canticle: Our sister is little, and has no breasts
(Song of Songs 8:8). Or certainly she is said not to have had children not because of
inequality of age, but through the barrenness of sterility. What therefore is the
sterility of Hannah, except the hardness of Judea? For she who could not convert the hard
hearts of the Jews to faith in the Redeemer was indeed barren. But it should be noted that
Peninnah, who is said to have given birth first, is named the second wife. For indeed the
synagogue first brought forth children in the faith, but nevertheless she was lesser in
dignity than the holy Church. Therefore she was the second wife, not in time of marital
union, but in inequality of prerogative. There follows: (Verse 3) And that man went up
from his city on appointed days, to worship and sacrifice to the Lord God of hosts in
Shiloh.

9. For what was the spiritual city of the Redeemer, if not Sacred Scripture? This city
indeed conferred upon its citizens as many defenses and fortifications as it did precepts;
it provided them as many weapons as counsels of salvation. But what was it for our
Redeemer to ascend, if not to reveal the heights of his divinity in the form of his
humanity? And because he is known in Sacred Scripture, he is rightly said to ascend from
his city. The appointed days are the promises about him placed in the Holy Scriptures.
They are indeed days, because they shine for the elect to know him. They are also
appointed days, because we know they were placed in that same sacred speech by the ancient
Fathers. For Moses was fixing the day of his ascent when he said: "The Lord will raise up
a prophet for you from among your sons; you shall hear him as you would me" (Deut. 18:18).
He too was appointing a day who said: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a
leader from his thigh, until he comes who is to be sent, and he shall be the expectation
of the nations" (Gen. 49:10). Appointing the day of this ascent, Micah says: "And you,
Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the princes of Judah: for from you
shall come forth a leader who will rule my people Israel" (Mic. 5:2). Hence Isaiah says:

"Behold, a virgin shall conceive in her womb and bear a son, and his name shall be called
Emmanuel" (Isa. 7:14). For as many promises of the Law and the prophets as there are
concerning him, so many appointed days do we behold for his ascent. For he was ascending
as on appointed days when he said to the Jews: "Search the Scriptures, in which you think
you have eternal life, for they are the ones that bear witness about me" (John 5:39).
Hence he says again: "If you believed Moses, you would perhaps believe me also, for he
wrote about me" (John 5:46). Therefore he ascended on appointed days, because by appearing
he showed the signs of the promises which he placed in the Holy Scriptures. The appointed
days can also be understood as the promised splendors of miracles at his coming. Beholding
these appointed days, the prophet Isaiah says: "Say to the fainthearted: Be strengthened,
and do not fear: behold our God will bring the vengeance of retribution; God himself will
come and save us. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf
shall hear: then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute shall be
opened" (Isa. 35:4-6). But we who have recognized the appointed days for the ascent of the
Redeemer, let us see whether he ascended on them. For when asked by John whether they
should expect him or another, he replied to the disciples who were sent and said:

"Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are
cleansed, the poor have the gospel preached to them; and blessed is the man who is not
scandalized in me" (Luke 7:19). Therefore he ascended on the appointed days, he who, to
drive away the darkness of ancient error from the hearts of his elect, shone with the
splendors of so many promised miracles. But he ascended to worship and to sacrifice,
because he wished to be known for this purpose: that by dying he might redeem those whom
he had taught by living. He worshipped indeed, because as an example for the elect he
offered himself wholly humble and lowly to God the Father through obedience. He
sacrificed, because he who gave us examples of humility by living, delivered himself to
God the Father on the altar of the cross as an offering and victim, and those whom he
taught by living, he redeemed by dying. For he knew that both were greatly necessary for
us, and therefore he did not bestow one without the other. For when he was born in
Bethlehem of Judah, Herod sought to kill him by treachery (Matt. 2:13); but if the
Redeemer had died then, he would have sacrificed but not worshipped: because by dying he
would have become a victim, but those whom he was to free by death, he would by no means
have taught by living.

And if, teaching us by living, he had scorned to die, he would have worshipped but not
sacrificed. Therefore, to worship, he fled to Egypt from the king who was persecuting him,
and to sacrifice, he rebuked Peter who was dissuading him, saying: "Get behind me, Satan,
for you do not savor the things of God, but the things of men" (Matt. 16:23). For
indicating that he worships, he says: "I came not to do my own will, but the will of him
who sent me" (John 6:38). Hence he also says: "I always do what is pleasing to him" (John
8:29). Also indicating that he sacrifices, he says: "Therefore the Father loves me,
because I lay down my life and take it up again: no one takes it from me, but I lay it
down of myself. I have the power to lay it down and the power to take it up again" (John
10:17-18). And shortly before: "I am the good Shepherd, who lays down my life for my
sheep" (John 10:11). Beholding his sacrifice, Paul says: "He delivered himself for us as
an offering and sacrifice to God for a sweet fragrance" (Eph. 5:2). Therefore he ascended
to worship and to sacrifice: because for this purpose he showed himself by so many
miracles, that he might instruct us by words and examples, and by dying overcome our
death.

10. But it should be noted that when the Ephrathite is said to go up to sacrifice, the
Almighty God to whom he sacrifices is called the God of hosts. Why is this understood to
happen unless because by the death of the Redeemer not only the Jewish people were
redeemed, but all the Gentiles? For what are the faithful multitudes of the nations except
the army of Almighty God? The Psalmist, exhorting these armies to rejoice at the triumph
of their King, says: "All nations, clap your hands, shout to God with the voice of
exultation" (Psalm 47). Likewise, seeing these assemble, he said: "All nations, whatever
you have made, shall come and worship before you, Lord, and shall glorify your name"
(Psalm 86:9). Therefore he is called the Lord of hosts, because indeed through the Lord's
death not only is chosen Judea gathered together, but all nations are led to the service
of Almighty God; and while they lead faithful battle lines, robust with the weapons of
virtues, against hidden enemies, they arrive at the heavenly kingdoms through the glory of
triumph.

11. The place of sacrifice is also declared, because it says: In Shiloh. For Shiloh is
interpreted as "sent" or "sending." What indeed is designated by this sending, if not the
command of obedience enjoined upon the Only-begotten by the most high Father? What also
does it mean that sacrifice is said to be offered in Shiloh, if not that he gave himself
to death in no other way than as he had received command from the Father? For he would not
sacrifice in Shiloh if he were to die otherwise than as he had received command from the
Father. Hence he himself said: "As the Father has given me commandment, so I do" (John
14:31). Thus Paul says: "Made obedient to the Father even unto the death of the cross"
(Philippians 2:8). Therefore in Shiloh he both worshipped and sacrificed: because both in
living and in dying, he did the will of his Father. There follows: (Verse 3.) "And there
were the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, priests of the Lord."

12. Concerning these men, the question is rightly asked why they are called priests of the
Lord, when not much further below they are reported to be sons of Belial? But if this
question is asked simply according to the letter concerning the sons of Eli, the answer is
easy: because at that time they were called priests of the Lord, when priests of idols
were designated by the names of false gods. Therefore, when they are called priests of the
Lord, they are distinguished from worshippers of idols by the marks of faith. For by these
words their faith is proclaimed, not their life: because they practiced wickedness in
their deeds, but did not err in faith in the Creator. This, however, is also fittingly
ascribed to the prelates of Judea at the time of the divine incarnation. They are indeed
reported to be two priests, and this very fact is reported not for the praise of their
virtue, but for the reproof of their cunning. Hence the Lord also threatens them through
himself, saying: "Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who are like whitewashed
tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inside are full of dead men's bones" (Matthew
23:27).

13. But what does it mean that they are reported to have been there? For if Shiloh, that
is, "mission," signifies that command of the supreme Father, how were the leaders of Judea
there, who did not honor by receiving the one to whom it was enjoined, but killed him by
casting him out? Nevertheless they were there, because although they raged cruelly unto
the death of the Lord, yet from that cruelty they did not obtain what they determined by
raging, but they were fulfilling the counsel of the eternal Father in the death of his
only-begotten Son. For their counsel was to deliver him to death so that the people might
not be able to believe in him; but he who had his persecutors as helpers of the paternal
command enjoined upon him, died and rose again, and the whole world believed in him. For
the sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there, that is, in the mission: because our
Redeemer, to fulfill the will of his Father, had the leaders of the Jews as supporters;
although they themselves by no means believed they were supporting him, whom they did not
fear to kill. Whence it also follows: (Verse 4.) Therefore the day came, and Elkanah
sacrificed, and gave portions to Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters.

14. What day do we believe this to be, except the one which Isaiah established by the
testimony of the sacred Scriptures, saying: "He shall be led as a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer shall be silent, and shall not open his mouth" (Isaiah
53:7)? For the day came when the brilliance of the promised oracle revealed the time of
the Lord's passion. Then Elkanah sacrificed, because our Redeemer offered himself to the
eternal Father in the sacrifice of our absolution through the death of the cross. Then he
gave portions to Peninnah and to her sons and daughters, because indeed he brought back to
the joys of paradise the elect of Judea whom he found in the underworld. For their
portions are the gifts of everlasting joys. Whence also the Psalmist, choosing the
situation of his lot, says: "Let my portion, O Lord, be in the land of the living" (Psalm
141:6). But fittingly Peninnah is named separately and the sons and daughters separately
in receiving portions. For Peninnah signifies the teachers of Judea, while the sons
designate her stronger hearers, and the daughters designate the weaker ones, her subjects.
Therefore the mother, and sons, and daughters are mentioned separately: because on account
of the unequal merits of the ancient elect, their rewards were not equal. It follows:
(Verse 5.) But to Anna he gave one portion sadly: because he loved Anna.

15. What does it mean that when he gave portions to Peninnah, and to her sons and
daughters, he was by no means sad: but when he gave one portion to Hannah, he is said to
have been sad? But what is the one portion of Hannah, except the temporal affliction of
holy Church? For he was giving her this portion when he said: Amen, amen, I say to you,
that you shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice, and you shall be sorrowful
(John 16:20). He was giving her this portion when he commended Paul to Ananias, saying:
Go, for this man is a vessel of election to me, to carry my name before the Gentiles, and
kings, and the children of Israel: for I will show him how much he must suffer for my name
(Acts 9:15-16). Wherefore in receiving this, the same teacher of the Gentiles glories,
saying: I fill up what is lacking of the sufferings of Christ in my body (Col. 1:24).
Hence he says again: I bear the marks of Jesus in my body (Gal. 6:17). Hence he says: But
far be it from me to glory, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the
world is crucified to me, and I to the world (Gal. 6:14). For he had received one portion
from the bridegroom, who was disposed to glory in the cross alone. Therefore when he gave
portions to Peninnah, Elkanah was not sad; because our Redeemer, after the triumph of
death, now joyfully restored the elect of the synagogue to the joys of paradise. But he
gave Hannah's portion sadly, because he could not but suffer with her whom he was leaving
as the spouse of death and the heir of the cross. Wherefore also when Stephen was
suffering, with the heavens opened, Jesus is said to stand (Acts 7:55). For to stand is to
suffer with him.

16. But what is added, that he loved Anna, can properly be understood as the cause of both
things. For whether one accepts that he was sad because he loved Anna, or that he gave her
one portion for that reason, it does not lack a good interpretation. For if he did not
love her, he would by no means wish to sympathize with her sufferings. For why is she led
out of Egypt, unless because she is called to suffering? But places flowing with milk and
honey are promised to her. Rightly therefore when he is said to give her one portion, he
is declared to love her: because indeed our Redeemer, although he entrusted to the holy
Church the labor of his cross, established for her far more excellent gifts of reward in
heaven. Expounding indeed the increase of her suffering, he adds and says: (Verses 6 and
7.) But the Lord had closed her womb. Her rival also afflicted her, and vehemently
distressed her to such an extent that she reproached her because the Lord had closed her
womb.

17. For the Lord closed the womb of Holy Church, because, rejected by His supreme
judgment, it could not give birth to the Jewish people in the faith of our Redeemer. Her
rival indeed afflicted her, because the synagogue raged against her with threats and
reproaches. But she who had not been broken by either threats or insults was also
subjected to punishment by torture. Rightly therefore she is said not only to afflict her
but to distress her vehemently: because rejected Judea moved against the chosen Church
with the terror of threats, and struck her with blows. Hence concerning Saul, who was
persecuting at that time, it is said in the Acts of the Apostles: "Saul, still breathing
threats and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went to the chief priest and
asked him for letters to Damascus, so that if he found any men of this Way, he might bring
them bound to Jerusalem" (Acts 9:1-2). For he who was breathing threats and slaughter was
not only afflicting but also distressing the Church, which he rivaled wickedly. For he
confesses that he was her rival, saying: "For you have heard of my former conduct in
Judaism, how I persecuted the Church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it, and I
advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my nation, being more exceedingly
zealous for my ancestral traditions" (Galatians 1:13-14). And because Judea fell into such
a depth of damnation that she rejoices in being cast off by God's eternal judgment, it is
added:

"To such an extent that she reproached her because the Lord had closed her womb. For she
still considered it a great thing that she could not prevail to be converted to the faith.
Therefore, as if the prophet were marveling at the magnitude of her blindness, he says:
She is weighed down by such darkness of error that she insults the good on account of that
by which she herself can no longer become good. And because Holy Church grieved for her as
she perished, it follows: (Verse 7. Moreover, Anna wept 18. For he also brought forth
lamentations of his own sorrow, saying: "I have great sadness, and continual sorrow in my
heart: for I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, who are
my kinsmen according to the flesh" (Rom. 9:2, 3). And because he did not receive joy from
their conversion, it is added: (Verse 7.) And she did not take food. She would indeed have
taken food if she had received the refreshment of joy from the complete conversion of
Judea. Therefore she who wept did not receive food, because she who grieved over the
perishing of Judea did not receive joy from its salvation. But the food of joy, which is
not given to the holy Church from the conversion of the Jews, is offered through the
encouragement of the bridegroom. For the words of his preaching, even if reprobate hearers
do not receive them, nevertheless are not without the reward of recompense. For Almighty
God both rewards what is bestowed upon the reprobate without the benefit of the reprobate;
and what they inflict upon the elect preachers by way of adversity, He weighs out to them
through the balance of just examination as the gain of recompense. Whence it is fittingly
added: (Verse 8.) Therefore Elkanah her husband said to her: Anna, why do you weep? And
why do you not eat? And why is your heart afflicted? Am I not better to you than ten sons?

19. Therefore, as if the Redeemer speaks to the mind of the teacher through the
consolation of inner inspiration: You complain in vain about the lost gain of preaching,
you who receive more abundant fruit the more you extend the affection of charity even to
enemies. Therefore you grieve over that which should have made you rejoice. And because He
Himself is the reward of the elect, He asks saying: Am I not better to you than ten sons?
For Anna would have borne ten sons if the primitive Church had begotten the Jewish people,
placed under the Decalogue of the Law, in faith. And because some benefit others by
preaching, who in many ways displease the Creator, it is shown by reason that Anna's
husband is better than ten sons. Moreover, by this inquiry as to why she weeps, the
perdition of Judea itself can be signified. As if to say: She is mourned over uselessly,
she who is by no means pardoned through the prayer of the righteous. Therefore when He
subsequently asks: Why do you not eat? Certainly joy over the conversion of the Gentiles
is intimated to her. As if to say: Since you must give birth to the whole world, you do
not rejoice in vain that she who was cast off does not abandon the darkness of error.
There follows: (Verses 9 and 10.) Therefore Anna rose up after she had eaten and drunk in
Shiloh, while Eli the priest was sitting on a seat before the doorposts of the temple of
the Lord, and being bitter in soul she prayed to the Lord, weeping copiously.

20. For what was it then for the holy Church to eat, except to receive the food of
consolation through divine encouragement? And what was it for her to drink, except to
rejoice in the sweetness of inner consolation poured into her? For if food strengthens,
drink cheers; therefore we take food when, having seen the eternal rewards, we are
strengthened amid adversities. And we drink, as it were, after food: because when the mind
of the elect strengthens itself in the contemplation of eternal goods, it rejoices all the
more abundantly amid the great adversities it endures, the more it sees greater rewards
stored up in heaven for its great labors. Made bold by that heavenly refreshment, she
renews her strength, so that she may despise earthly things all the more strongly, the
more the love of heavenly things exalts her. Rightly therefore, after she had eaten and
drunk, Anna is recorded to have risen. For she rose because she reformed her mind toward
the urgency of preaching.

21. And because the Jewish people still had the rites of sacrifices, still had the honor
of legal teaching, and the loftiness of pontifical dignity, the priest is said to sit upon
the seat of Eli. Yet because he was able to exercise that teaching of the Law not
spiritually but carnally, he sat not within the temple but before the doorposts of the
temple. For what is the temple of the Lord but the spiritual understanding of the Holy
Scriptures? The doorposts of the temple are the Law and Prophecy. Hence also on the
mountain the Lord appeared transfigured in the midst of Moses and Elijah (Matt. 17:3; Luke
9:30): because then the splendor of his divinity is beheld when his mysteries are sought
not in the letter that kills (2 Pet. 1), but in the signification of the spiritual Law and
prophecy. Eli therefore sat before the doorposts of the temple, that is, outside, because
the teachers of the synagogue had been expelled from the spiritual understanding of the
Scriptures, and yet in the subversion of the subject people, they had the authority of
teaching and the dignity of prelacy. But Anna is written to have wept with a bitter soul.

22. And since we have referred Anna's drink to the joy of the holy Church, which is shown
to rejoice, how is it narrated that she wept with a bitter spirit? But it can reasonably
be understood that contemplation of heavenly reward had lifted her up to rejoice, and
compassion for rejected Judea stirred her up by affecting her with bitterness of spirit.
For caught in the whirlwinds of great persecution, with heavenly rewards revealed to her,
she exulted, but she fell into bitterness because she saw the formerly chosen people
perishing. Hence she is described as weeping abundantly while praying, so that by the gift
of such great affection, she might be able to obtain the salvation of her people from the
Lord. This whole passage can also be understood differently. For in Shiloh, that is, in
the ministry to which she was sent, she ate; because even if she could not win over the
entire Jewish people, she nevertheless converted many of them to faith in the Redeemer by
preaching. Hence when Peter preached, five thousand men believed in one day (Acts 4:4),
and on another, three thousand believed (Acts 2:41). And because what we drink we can
swallow more easily than what we eat: Anna ate and drank, because she converted some with
difficulty and others easily by preaching. For at Peter's aforementioned preaching, many
thousands believed in one moment, but Paul did not believe until he had vehemently opposed
the preachers themselves with threats and slaughter. But after Anna ate and drank in
Shiloh, she arose:

because when she had taken away from Judea those who were predestined to eternal life, she
prepared herself for preaching to the Gentiles. But what kind of child she desired to bear
is shown by what was added: (Verse 15) And she vowed a vow, saying: O Lord of hosts, if
looking you will see the affliction of your handmaid, and will remember me, and not forget
your servant, and will give to your servant a male child, I will give him to the Lord all
the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head. 23. What does it mean that
Anna requests a male child from the Lord, except that those whom holy Church desires to
bring forth by preaching, she longs for them to be strong in Evangelical perfection? For
in comparison with Evangelical perfection, those works of the Law which seemed strong were
not strong, but weak. For there it was commanded: "You shall love your neighbor and hate
your enemy" (Lev. 19:18). But in the Gospel the Lord commands, saying: "Love your enemies,
do good to those who hate you" (Matt. 5:44). There the uncleanness of fornication is cut
away from the body, so that the strength of conduct might excel as if by the male sex;
here impure thought is also cut away from the heart: "Whoever looks at a woman to lust
after her," he says, "has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matt. 5:28).
Therefore the Synagogue, which brought forth the Jewish people through the weakness of its
precepts, did not bear the male sex, but rather the female. And so when Anna requests that
a male child be given to her by the Lord, what else is she seen to desire, except to bring
forth through the Gospel such ones as would appear strong, both in outward purity of body
and in inward charity?

24. And because the order of preachers does not seek human glory from the conversion of
the Gentiles, it is added: "I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life." For he
gives a son to the Lord who does not claim anything for his own praises from the one whom
he begets through preaching. He also gives him to the Lord all the days of his life who
ascribes nothing to his own favor from the virtues in which his subject advances by
improving. For the days of life of the chosen subject are the holy virtues, which
illuminate his soul by their radiance lest it be darkened by the night of vices on the way
to the heavenly homeland. 25. But the perfect order of the preacher, while he despises
having favors from the profit of preaching, does not take away the temporal goods of his
subjects by coveting them. Hence it is well added there: "And no razor shall come upon his
head. When a razor comes upon the head, it shaves the hair. For what is designated by
hairs, which are superfluous to the body, except the abundant supply of earthly substance?
And what is expressed by the razor except the greed of evil pastors? By which razor the
head of a born son is shaved, when the goods of subjects are seized through the greed of
preachers. Hence also it is said to sinning Judea through the prophet: "Your shepherds are
wolves of the evening, not leaving anything in the morning" (Zeph. 3:3). For in the
evening the shepherds become wolves, because as this world grows dark and declines toward
its end, they do not fear to seize the goods of their subjects. They do not leave anything
in the morning, because while they gape after temporal things, as the coming of the future
judgment grows bright, they do not reserve for themselves the rewards to be given. These
indeed Micah denounces, saying: "The prophets who seduce my people, who bite with their
teeth and preach peace; and if anyone does not give something into their mouth, they
sanctify war against him" (Mic. 3:5). For the prophets seduce the people of the Lord when
reprobate preachers confuse the judgments of their hearers.

And biting with their teeth they announce peace, because in the appetite of their
rapacity, while they look up to the earthly gifts of the wicked, they promise them the
security of divine indulgence. But they sanctify war against those who do not give
something into their mouth, because they terrify even the just with harsh sentences, who
do not offer them earthly things according to their desire. These indeed place a razor
upon the head of the son, because under the pretext of charity they preach heavenly
things, so that they may take earthly things from them through greed. That holy Church
does not have this razor for the plundering of subjects, the excellent teacher shows in
himself, saying: "I do not seek the gift, but I seek the fruit" (Phil. 4:17). Hence he
also says: "Let him who preaches the Gospel live by the Gospel. But I have not used this
power" (1 Cor. 9:14, 15). For he who does not care to receive necessary sustenance from
his subjects clearly shows with what sublimity of worldly contempt he would reject
shameful gains and illicit gifts. Therefore when Hannah vows that a razor shall not come
upon the head of her son, she openly suggests the customs of holy Church, which brings
forth the elect to eternal life by speaking, but never takes away their temporal goods
through avarice. But because this is said of Hannah still vowing and not yet giving birth,
it is fittingly added: (Verse 12.

"And it came to pass, as she multiplied prayers before the Lord, that Eli observed her
mouth." 26. What was it for the holy Church to multiply prayers before the Lord out of
desire for giving birth, except to persist in constant prayers for the conversion of the
Synagogue? And what was it for the Jewish priesthood to watch her mouth, except to lie in
wait against the preaching of the holy Church? For it watched her mouth, because it strove
vehemently to criticize the right preaching of the faith. And it is rightly said to have
watched her mouth when she was multiplying prayers, because the more it recognized her
greater desires in the urgency of her preaching, the more cunningly it strove to harm her.
Finally, it would not have watched but would have heeded her mouth, if it had wished to
hear the preaching of our faith for the fruit of its own salvation. It follows: (Verse
13.) Now Hannah was speaking in her heart, and only her lips moved, and her voice was not
heard at all.

27. The heart of the holy Church is none other than that devout and learned blessedness of
the faithful which is within her. And Anna spoke in her heart, because the preaching of
the holy Church benefited only those who were to be illuminated by the true light through
divine predestination. What indeed is the movement of the lips but the advancement of
signs in the holy preachers? These indeed, although they seemed to speak outwardly like
lips and to stand in a lowly position, while they gave sight to the blind, hearing to the
deaf, and life to the dead, certainly displayed great movements of merits. Hence also that
great lip of the holy Church, while speaking it seemed to stand in a lowly position,
because it was not only humble in word and conduct, but also sublime in the power of
signs, so that by its movement it raised itself up to heaven, saying: Our conversation is
in heaven (Phil. 3:20). And so Eli only saw Anna's lips moving but did not hear her voice
at all, because the Jewish priesthood marveled at the works of the apostles but was not
advanced to salvation by their preaching. Therefore Anna's voice was not heard, because
although the holy Church was wonderful in the display of signs, when she brought forth
words of preaching, she kindled strangers to love of the Redeemer. But what does Eli think
of her whom he does not understand? It follows: (Verse 13) Therefore Eli thought her to be
drunk.

28. Indeed, we have recognized this also according to the history of the Acts of the
Apostles, because on the days of Pentecost the holy apostles were believed to be drunk,
when, having received the fullness of the Holy Spirit, they spoke the great works of
Christ in every tongue (Acts 2:4). But spiritually the holy Church is believed to be
drunk, which Judea does not consider to be asserting true things, but preaching heretical
and false things. Yet she was drunk, not with the drinking of error, but with the filling
of the Holy Spirit. For drunkenness is accustomed to change the heart, to alienate the
mind. But with changed heart he was going about, who recently entering houses, terrifying
all the faithful with threats, tearing them apart with slaughter, was now preaching that
the Jesus whom he had persecuted was the true Son of almighty God (Acts 9:5, 20). Whence
also, glorying that he had lost the madness of his former mind, he says: "Who was before a
blasphemer, and a persecutor, and insolent, but I obtained mercy, because I did it
ignorantly" (1 Timothy 1:13). Testifying that he had received another heart, he says: "But
we have the mind of Christ" (1 Corinthians 2:16). Whence also he preached all the more
attentively, inasmuch as in the mind of Christ he had received the force of greater love.
But while the holy Church loved ardently, while she confidently preached those things
which she loved, the priesthood of the Jews held her words as a burden of impatience, not
in the sweetness of devotion. Wherefore it also follows: (Verse 14.) And he said to her:
"How long will you be drunk?" And because he tried to command her to be silent, he added:
(Verse 14.) "Digest a little while the wine with which you are soaked."

29. The wine with which Anna was drunk would have been digested, if the holy Church,
overcome by the threats of the Jews, had grown lukewarm from the fervor of preaching. And
because they were striving to withdraw from her the understanding of preaching, Anna is
commanded to digest the wine for a little while. Did not Eli then command Anna to digest,
when the princes of the Jews, having beaten the apostles, ordered them, saying that they
should no longer speak in the name of Jesus? But because they refused to digest the wine
with which they were drunk, they answered and said: "We ought to obey God rather than men"
(Acts 5:29). And again: "We cannot but speak what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20). But
because the holy Church preserved the virtue of meekness amid words of freedom, there
follows: (Verse 15.) "Not so, my lord."

30. For she called him Lord, to whom she rendered the ministry of preaching, but in
calling him Lord, she denied that she was drunk; so that she might subject herself to the
higher order out of humility, and contradict the false accusation with truth. For in
calling him Lord, she honored him; and in denying that she was drunk, she showed with
sufficient humility what she was not. However, the accusation of drunkenness against the
holy Church can be understood in another way. For while she was engaged in the ministry of
evangelical preaching, while from the gain of believers she came into great glory among
the peoples, the priests of the Jews did not think she was seeking the summit of eternal
goods, but desiring the glory of earthly exaltation. Therefore, when she is called drunk,
she is rebuked for having an overturned state of mind, for setting aside heavenly things
and seeking earthly ones.

31. But she who despised the fleeting goods of the world says: "Not at all, my lord. For I
am a woman exceedingly unhappy. As if to say: You think I desire the happiness of this
passing world, but I see myself as all the more unhappy, the further I recognize the joys
of my happiness to be from here. Because I believe I shall be happy there, here I consider
myself greatly unhappy, since I desire no glory at all. Indeed, the holy Church is called
a woman on account of her fruitfulness, exceedingly unhappy on account of her fortitude,
because she was about to give birth to the world through the word, and she could not
perfectly despise the glory of the world unless heavenly love strengthened her with
wondrous fortitude; or she was exceedingly unhappy because she grieved not a little over
the perdition of her people. The wise Solomon, greatly admiring her, says: "Who shall find
a valiant woman? (Prov. 31:10). In this passage it should also be noted that she does not
say "an unhappy woman," but "exceedingly I am. For she was exceedingly unhappy, whom no
enticement of the world pleased. Or certainly she declares herself exceedingly unhappy,
who remembers that she was expelled from the joys of eternal life through the merit of the
first sin, to which she cannot return except through many tribulations of this life. For
she would not be exceedingly unhappy if she could have returned to the lost joys of
paradise without present tribulation.

Hence Paul, showing the inevitable hardship of this excessive unhappiness, says: "Through
many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:21). As if therefore the
holy Church, responding to the Jewish priesthood disparaging her, should say: You ascribe
to me a kingdom in temporal happiness, but mine is that which is not attained except
through the affliction of much tribulation. There follows: (Verse 15) "I have drunk
neither wine nor anything that can intoxicate." 32. For he did not drink wine, because he
did not seek temporal gains from the office of preaching. He did not drink anything else
that could intoxicate, in that the concupiscence of the flesh did not overturn him into a
fall of vices. According to the earlier interpretation, however, she did not drink wine,
who had nothing of heretical depravity in her refreshment. She would have drunk something
else that could intoxicate, if she had swelled up, deceived by eloquence of speech. But
because she taught true things with right intention, adding, she says: (Verse 15.) But I
poured out my soul in the sight of the Lord.

33. For to pour out one's soul in the sight of the Lord is to preach the knowledge of
God's word conceived in the mind for the love of the Creator alone. Indeed, the soul is
poured out when the inborn understanding of God's word is spread abroad for the benefit of
hearers. For whoever preaches the word of God for human favor, whoever does so for earthly
gain, because something other than preaching is sought from the preaching, that word of
the soul is not brought forth in the sight of the Lord. Therefore the teacher of the
nations also declares, saying: "We are not, as many, adulterating the word of God, but as
from sincerity, but as from God, we speak before God in Christ" (2 Cor. 2:17). Therefore
Hannah poured out her soul in the sight of the Lord, because holy Church, perfected at the
summit of all virtues, brought forth great words of eloquence in the instruction of the
faithful, but desired to please God alone through the words of life. She also commends the
ministry of this preaching, saying: (Verse 16) "Do not consider your handmaid as one of
the daughters of Belial, for from the abundance of my grief and sorrow I have spoken until
now."

34. As if to say: She who speaks to you of the goods of eternal life does not deserve to
be despised as an idolater. She also asserts that she is His handmaid, so that he might
recognize from the name of her ministry that she desires to serve him for eternal gains.
It follows: "Because out of the multitude of my grief and sorrow I have spoken until now."
As if she spoke more openly and said: Recognize from this that I have nothing from an evil
spirit, because I come to speak out of much pain of persecution, and I do not abandon the
urgency of preaching, conquered by no sufferings. The sorrow of Anna can also be referred
to the affection of holy Church, and her grief to her passion. Indeed, she spoke out of
the multitude of sorrow, she who brought forth the word of preaching to the perishing
Jewish people out of the feeling of compassion. As Paul implies, saying: "I speak the
truth in Christ Jesus, I do not lie, my conscience bearing witness to me in the Holy
Spirit, that there is great sadness in me, and continual sorrow in my heart: I wished that
I myself might be anathema from Christ for my brethren, who are my kinsmen according to
the flesh, who are Israelites" (Rom. 9:1-2 ff.). But let him who implies that he speaks
out of the multitude of sorrow say whether he speaks out of multitude: "From the Jews five
times I received forty lashes minus one, three times I was beaten with rods, once I was
stoned" (2 Cor. 11:24). But holy Church, patiently enduring adversities, humbly
manifesting the virtue of her innocence and her truth, persuaded certain priests of Judea
by speaking the good of her preaching. Therefore it is also added: 21 (Verse 17.) "Then
Eli said: Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you the petition which you have
asked of Him."

35. For Eli first contradicted Hannah while she was praying by uttering insults, but
afterward he took pleasure in her devotion to him. What is this, except that the Jewish
priesthood both opposed the preaching Church through some ministers of its office, and
through others finally consented to the recognized truth of our faith? For concerning
those who opposed, it is said that they flogged the apostles and commanded them not to
speak any further in the name of Jesus (Acts 5:40). But concerning those who consented,
the same Luke recalls, saying: "A great multitude of priests were obedient to the faith"
(Acts 6:7). Therefore Eli prayed for the vow of Hannah's fruitfulness when that great
multitude of priests, obedient to the faith, desired that the number of the elect be
multiplied through the preaching of the holy Church. He certainly wished her to go in
peace, because he desired her to obtain the fruit of preaching without the pain of
suffering. And because the holy Church took pleasure in their vow, it follows: (Verse 18)
"May your handmaid find grace in your eyes." As if to say: According to the gaze of your
desire, may the grace of divine dispensation follow the work of my ministry. It follows:
(Verse 18) "And the woman went her way, and she ate and drank, and her countenance was no
longer changed in various ways."

36. The woman went on her way, because the holy Church preached the word of faith to the
Gentiles. Which the apostles also say, threatening the Jews: "Because you judge yourselves
unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles" (Acts 13:46). She is rightly
called a woman when she departs, because through the preaching of the Redeemer she was
about to produce among the Gentiles the fruit of great fruitfulness. Moreover, she ate and
drank, and yet her countenance was no longer changed to various expressions, because she
gained great profits from the conversion of the Gentiles, but the persecution which she
had suffered in Judea, she also found among the Gentiles. But explaining the order in
which she departed, it says: (Verse 19) "And they rose early in the morning, and
worshipped before the Lord; and they returned, and came to their house, in Ramah." 37. But
what does it mean that above it is said singularly of Anna alone: "The woman went on her
way," but now in the plural: "They rose in the morning," unless that she is understood to
descend with her husband? And because the husband of holy Church is the Redeemer of the
human race, who had already ascended to heaven when he was leaving that same Judea
overwhelmed by the darkness of its unbelief, how can what is said about Anna and her
husband Elkanah now be understood as a type of Christ and the Church—that they rose
together in the morning and returned equally to their city? But since we have already said
that the city of Ramatha designates the heavenly homeland, how does this apply to holy
Church, which did not ascend to the heavenly homeland immediately when it ceased from
preaching to the Jews? But because the Lord, rising from the dead, speaks through teachers
sent out in preaching, saying: "Behold, I am with you all days, even to the consummation
of the world" (Matt. 28:20), it is not absurd that holy Church is understood to rise and
return with him. For he who never abandons his elect through spiritual presence both
remains with those who stand and departs with those who go away. We said that Ramatha
designates the heavenly homeland, but we did not say that it can signify nothing else.
What else, then, does it signify in this place, except the fulfillment of prophecy in the
calling of the Gentiles?

For Ramatha is said to mean "vision consummated," as we have already said. And what is the
now-fulfilled calling of the Gentiles, except the consummated vision of the prophets? For
he was asserting a vision, but not yet consummated, who was still proclaiming about the
future what he had seen, saying: "All nations whatsoever you have made shall come and
shall adore before you, O Lord" (Ps. 85:9). Hence again he promises, saying: "All kings of
the earth shall adore him, all nations shall serve him" (Ps. 71:15). The consummated
vision is therefore rightly called the promise of the prophets, because indeed, with God
as author, according to their oracles, all nations have believed in the Redeemer of the
human race. Now Anna is said to rise in the morning with her husband, because holy Church
passed over to the Gentiles at the rising of the interior light with the word of
preaching. Or she rises in the morning because she left Judea in the night of unbelief.
She also rises in the morning because she found a prosperous journey in the conversion of
the Gentiles. And she adored before the Lord, because in the rejection of the Synagogue
she venerated the incomprehensible judgment of almighty God. She adored indeed and
withdrew, because when she withdrew from preaching to her own nation solely by the
ordination of almighty God, she complied through obedience with the divine judgment that
she could not penetrate by understanding.

But adoring she returned, because she proposed to fulfill the ministry of preaching in the
calling of the Gentiles, but sought the manner of that same preaching only in heavenly
contemplation. For to return, for preachers, is to have recourse to the light of divine
contemplation. From there indeed they draw the light by which they may both shine for the
veneration of the faithful and which they may pour into the minds of their hearers by
speaking. For this reason the excellent preacher is first raised up to the secrets of the
third heaven, and thus is shown to arrange earthly things, and entering the secrets of
paradise he perceives words that it is not permitted for man to speak (2 Cor. 12:2), so
that he might be able to discern and speak profitably outwardly. Therefore Anna is
mentioned as having returned, because holy Church, while arranging earthly things, is
instructed in the contemplation of God—to which she often returns—as to how those same
earthly things are to be arranged. And then finally she came into her house, because she
was able to establish herself in the devotion of her hearers when she learned the manner
of approaching them by returning above. For the devotion of the Gentiles built the house
of the holy primitive Church, which, while she established it for herself among them, she
inhabited with the solicitude of guardianship. This house is described as situated in the
consummated vision, because it could not be built before the time of its calling predicted
by the prophets arrived.

There follows: (Verses 19 and 20. And Elkanah knew Anna his wife, and the Lord remembered
her. And it came to pass after a cycle of days, Anna conceived and bore a son. 38. Elkanah
knew his wife Hannah at that time when our Redeemer looked upon the appointed time for
calling the Gentiles, so that while he poured the grace of heavenly love into the bosom of
his new bride, namely the holy Church, he might beget from her a new offspring of the
faithful. For it was as if he did not yet know her when the preachers wishing to cross
into Asia were forbidden by the Holy Spirit (Acts 16:6). Hence it is that when he sent his
disciples to preach to Judea, Truth himself forbids them, saying: "Do not go into the way
of the Gentiles, and do not enter into the cities of the Samaritans" (Matthew 10:5). But
when Elkanah knew his wife Hannah, then the Lord remembered her, because the Gentile world
was seen to have come into God's memory when the holy Church, joined to the Word of God
through the grace of love, is visited with salvation. What is the circle of days in this
passage but the manifestation of the divine will shown through the innumerable rays of the
Holy Spirit? This manifestation, while it displays to the minds of its preachers,
suspended in contemplation, the innumerable brightnesses of heavenly disposition, indeed
holds enclosed, as it were many days, a circle of times. For the circle of days preceded
Hannah's conception, because the Word of God is not poured into the holy Church for
teaching until the rays of heavenly disposition are more fully recognized by her. She,
conceiving, bore a son, because those whom she brings forth in the faith of the Redeemer
are strong in their new way of life. (Verse 20.) And she called his name Samuel, because
she had asked him from the Lord.

39. Samuel is interpreted as "his name is God." Who then does Samuel more fittingly
suggest to us than the order of preachers, which was called to faith from among the
Gentiles? For because he is strong in conduct, exalted in power, and while the special
sign of divine grace is observed in him, devoted crowds of hearers are led to veneration
of his preaching, rightly his name is declared by its appellation. Hence it is said by the
Lord to Moses: "I have made you a god to Pharaoh" (Exodus 7:1). Hence also in the law,
forbidding, he says: "You shall not speak evil of gods" (Exodus 22:28). And it should be
noted that he whose name is called god was a son, not a daughter, because certainly
pastoral dignity, when it is weighed down by weak conduct, is not adorned with the
splendor of so lofty a name. Since therefore the order of teachers, promoted from among
the Gentiles to the ministry of preaching the gospel, was not unequal by the grace of
merits to the excellence of their dignity, rightly it is now said: "She called his name
Samuel, because she had asked him from the Lord." And it should be noted that in this
place "to ask" means what she obtained by asking. Therefore in plain words it is shown why
Anna's firstborn is distinguished by so great a name. This is as if to say: She gave him
so great a name for this reason, because he who is born by heavenly gift was great by the
grace of merits. But to show with what care the provident mother nourishes him, it
follows: (Verses 21 and 22.) "And her husband Elkanah went up, and all his house, to offer
the solemn sacrifice, and his vow; and Anna did not go up. For she said to her husband: I
will not go until the child is weaned."

40. But what is the solemn sacrifice of the victim, if not that offering of love of the
holy Church, by which she is joined to her Creator in eternal contemplation? To this
sacrifice Elkanah ascended when our Redeemer, now triumphing over death, now overcoming
the darkness of our mortality, raised to the heavens the flesh which He had assumed for
our salvation. With Him His whole household also ascended, because He lifted the earlier
elect of the Synagogue to the height of immortality. Then He offered the solemn sacrifice
when He presented Himself to the eternal Father in heaven through the substance of His
glorified flesh, and gladdened the nature of the angels both by our redemption and by
their own restoration. To this solemn sacrifice Anna is invited, because the holy Church
is kindled by daily desires of love through the spiritual encouragement of her heavenly
Spouse toward the eternal contemplation of divine brightness. Yet she refrains from her
ascent in order to nurse her son, because so that she may benefit the little ones of
Christ here, she patiently endures the delay of her glory. Had not that mother been
invited to the offering of this solemn sacrifice who said: "I desire to be dissolved and
to be with Christ" (Phil. 1:23)? But let her who is drawn by the desires of love toward
the beauty of the Spouse say whether she loves to nurse her son: "To remain in the flesh
is necessary for your sake" (Phil. 1:24). She also indicates that she had nourished the
Corinthians with this food, saying: "I gave you milk to drink, not solid food" (1 Cor.
3:2). For to nurse the little ones of the holy Church is for pastors to nourish the hearts
of weak or simple hearers with the food of plainer Scripture. To whom indeed that same
excellent teacher says: "I judged not myself to know anything among you, except Christ,
and Him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2).

41. Infants are weaned when the little ones of Holy Church receive growth both in
spiritual learning and in good conduct, and now seek not the plainer things of sacred
speech but its deep mysteries. And the weaned infant is led to appear before the sight of
the Lord when through the exhortation of preachers anyone who is subject and progressing
well is adorned with good works. For he who is led to appear is brought not only to see
but also to be seen. For since many will hear from the Lord at the end: "I know you not"
(Matt. 25:12), Samuel is said to appear in the sight of the Lord because, being chosen and
a humble subject, while he perfectly despises present things, he is in no way rejected
when the final Judge arrives. But those whom the world holds fixed in love of itself do
not appear in the sight of the Lord. For those who desire to be seen as more exalted in
the honor of passing things accomplish this indeed by their pride: that they are never
seen as honorable by Him by whom alone they ought to be seen. Hence even the chosen king,
placed at the summit of affairs, begs not to be deceived by the flower of the world,
saying: "Cast me not away, O Lord, from Your face" (Ps. 51:13).

Therefore Anna promises both to wean her son and to lead him to appear before the sight of
the Lord, because Holy Church teaches the chosen subjects whom she instructs to perfectly
despise present things, and to do good, and to hasten through humility to eternal goods.
And it should be noted that he who is said to need to appear in the sight of the Lord is
declared to be led from the place of weaning, because clearly it is no small part of the
spiritual journey when from what we learn from heavenly teaching we advance to the
practice of perfect work. But since one must never cease from the pursuit of the same good
work, there follows: (Verse 22) "And that he may appear there continually." 42. For we
continually appear there from where we never depart. Therefore to appear continually in
the sight of the Lord is to obscure the beauty of good conduct with no shadows of life,
because he who falls into no unlawful things never departs from the secret of the divine
gaze; and divine goodness regards him as if placed in light, because it does not attend to
those shadows of sins which it has condemned in the choice of its examination. Therefore
Anna announces that she will not go up to offer the solemn sacrifice until the infant is
weaned, because holy Church proposes to guard her children for as long as she is able to
become secure about their perfection, so that they themselves do not afterward withdraw
from the goodness they have received. However, the ascent of the solemn sacrifice can be
referred to the height of holy preaching. For concerning the ascent of her husband it is
written through the Prophet: "He ascended above the cherubim, and flew upon the wings of
the winds" (Psalm 17:11). Indeed the Lord ascends above the cherubim, because he ascends
in the sublime minds of his preachers and places the height of his knowledge there. And he
flies upon the wings of the winds, because before their spiritual eyes he elevates himself
to the height of wondrous understanding by the breathings of the Holy Spirit. "And he made
darkness his hiding place" (Ibid., 12), because he hides the sublimity of his majesty from
the reprobate. "But around him is his tabernacle" (Ibid.), because to those whom he
elevates through sublime gifts, he also manifests the glory of his Majesty.

43. Now when Elkanah's ascent is described, his whole house is said to have ascended with
him, because those whose minds he elevates he holds as members of his household and
intimates in the height of his contemplation. But what is the solemn sacrifice of Elkanah,
that is, of our Redeemer, if not the love of that ineffable inner instruction in the
hearts of his saints? For each of them finds ineffable delight in himself through that
which the revealed sublimity of the Redeemer teaches so sublimely. Therefore Anna refuses
to ascend with her husband until she weans her son, because the holy Church avoided
touching lofty matters in her preaching as long as she knew that her unlearned hearers,
like little children, were utterly unable to grasp lofty things. For this reason it
happened in the very beginnings of the holy Church that, as if to Anna's still infant son,
milk was offered through the writings of three evangelists, namely Matthew, Luke, and
Mark, who in writing the history of the Lord's humanity treated little of his divinity;
but when the infant people of the Church grew, and advanced to the measure of the stature
of the fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:13), for whom the drink of milk was no longer
sufficient, they sought to be fed with solid food.

And so mother Church was compelled to ascend, that she herself might also become a cherub,
and might draw near to the Redeemer flying above her, might take up wings, might hold him
walking upon them in the height of the sacraments, and might receive from his Majesty what
she could give as nourishment to her demanding only child. Hence it came about that the
evangelist John, when asked by the brethren, surpassing not only human but also angelic
things, transcended all created things, and proclaimed the Only-begotten whom he was
worthy to see in the bosom of the Father, saying: "In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). Therefore Anna ascended when the holy
Church raised herself so sublimely to the height of divine preaching. Then also she
offered the solemn sacrifice, because from the knowledge of divinity she kindled the flame
of wondrous devotion in the hearts of her hearers. Indeed it was a solemn sacrifice, from
incomparable eloquence, a singular offering of devotion. Then she brought her son into the
presence of the Lord, when she instilled perfect knowledge of the supreme divinity into
the hearts of her hearers.

And because this knowledge of God must not only be held by faith but also by confession,
and we are permitted neither to remain ignorant any longer nor to keep silent about what
we believe and confess, the weaned child who is brought to the house of the Lord is
declared to remain perpetually in the presence of the Lord. There follows: (Verse 23) "And
Elkanah her husband said to her: Do what seems good to you; remain until you wean him."
44. What does it mean that Anna's plan is strengthened by her husband's authority, except
that the purpose of holy Church is not presumed from human judgment, but from divine? For
whatever holy Church wished to arrange among the nations subject to it, it only then held
as ratified when it recognized from the judgment of internal truth what ought to be
arranged. And because we have an advocate with the Father (1 John 2:1), who intercedes for
us, he adds and says: (Verse 23.) And I pray that the Lord may fulfill His word. 45. What
is the word that is asserted must be fulfilled, except the predestined conversion of the
gentiles? And because we are reconciled to God through his blood, he himself prays for the
fulfilling of the word, by whose intercession our salvation is accomplished. For him to
pray is also to continually present himself in his assumed humanity to the eternal Father
for our salvation; and while he does not cease to offer himself thus, he opens the way for
our reception into life. But because he accomplished the plan of his disposition by
seeking it out, it is fittingly added: So the woman remained and nursed her son until she
weaned him from milk. Then it follows: (Verse 24.) And she brought him, after she had
weaned him, with three bulls, and three measures of flour, and a vessel of wine; and she
brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh.

46. For what is signified by a calf in this place, if not the purpose of imitating the
life of the perfect? But it is a calf when it arises in the heart of one making progress,
yet it becomes an ox when through the strength of virtue it is brought to the disposition
of a great conversion. In this place it must be carefully inquired why not one calf, but
three are reported to have been brought to the tabernacle. But in the three calves the
infant being carried is shown, so that he might suggest the pattern of those who are being
trained for the ministry of preaching. For the perfect teacher watches over both the
conversion of sinners and the guarding of the just. For like a farmer of the supreme head
of the household, he yokes both oxen to the plows, so that he may not only watch over
those standing lest they fall, but also raise up the fallen so they may stand firm. But
let him who has two oxen in the care of those subject to him, that he may be able to be
perfect, yoke a third ox in divine contemplation, so that he may both open the hearts of
his neighbors with a complete yoke, by speaking as if by plowing, and always extend
himself through the singular strength of love toward the vision of his Creator.

Therefore Samuel is led to the house of the Lord with three calves, when anyone making
good progress proposes that through the labor of preaching he may be able to benefit his
neighbors, and through the secret of quiet cling to the intimate vision of the Creator.
And because an unskilled mind will never be able to exhibit this well, he is also offered
with three measures of flour. For when loaves are made from flour, the preparation of
refreshment is completed. But because he is offered not in loaves but in measures of
flour, a good devotion proposing doctrine is shown, not exhibiting the benefit of doctrine
itself. Therefore a measure of flour signifies the preparation for holy preaching. But the
infant is brought with three measures of flour, because when we propose to preach, we
prepare the word of knowledge for sinners unto conversion, for the just unto the state of
perseverance, and for ourselves unto heavenly contemplation; or certainly one measure is,
as we have said, for the conversion of the sinner, another for the instruction of the
married, and the third for the excellent purity of the continent. And they are called
measures on account of the measure of discretion. Whence also the blessed Paul declares,
saying: Not to think more highly than one ought to think, but to think with sobriety (Rom.
12:3).

47. Indeed, what the order of preachers, chosen from among the nations as circumstances
required, possessed—not from the fickleness of vanity but from the virtue of good
intention—follows: "And a jar of wine." The virtue of good intention is the charity of
God, which is poured into the hearts of the elect through the gift of the Holy Spirit.
This gift of charity is rightly figured by the name of wine, because it occupies the mind
and alienates it from earthly affections, so that it has no intention toward the world,
which it inflames toward desiring heavenly things alone. But so that not the perfection
but the beginning of this virtue might be designated, it is shown to have been a jar of
wine and not a cup. For we store in a jar what we will someday serve through a cup. Hence
it is that he who had tasted the perfection of heavenly charity confessed to almighty God,
saying: "You have anointed my head with oil, and my inebriating cup, how excellent it is!"
(Psalm 22:5). Samuel is shown to have been offered with a jar of wine, because every elect
person, when he is prepared for the ministry of evangelical preaching, proposes the good
of that preaching to be expended not for the vain ambition of this world, but for charity
alone. Therefore he is brought with calves for the purpose of fortitude, with measures of
flour for the doctrine of the word, with a jar of wine for the intention of charity.

48. Where indeed these beginnings of virtues are to be perfected, he teaches when he adds:
"And she brought him into the house of the Lord in Shiloh." The house of the Lord is
rightly understood as the holy Church, which indeed is said to be situated in Shiloh. Now
Shiloh is the place where the ark of God is said to have remained. What else, therefore,
does Shiloh signify in this place than the tradition of the old law? For it contains, as
it were, the ark of God, while it displays outwardly the carnal letter, which holds
spiritual knowledge enclosed in its secrets. What then does it mean that the house of the
Lord is said to be situated in Shiloh, except that the holy Church is known to be founded
in the sacrament of the Scriptures as in a place? Samuel is said to have been brought
there, offered there, because apart from the holy Church there is no place where the
merits of virtues may grow and come to the summit of perfection. But when he who was
brought is mentioned, the reason for his delay is also recalled, when it is added: (Verse
24.) "But the boy was still a little child." For if he had not then been a little child,
while he could come by himself, it would not have been necessary for him to be led here by
another. It follows: (Verse 25.) "And they sacrificed a calf, and offered the boy to Eli."

49. Above it was said of Anna alone: "And she brought him with her, after she had weaned
him. But now it is added concerning both Elkanah and Anna: "And they sacrificed a calf,
and offered the boy to Eli. The calf was sacrificed when Samuel was brought and offered.
If therefore Elkanah was there both when he was being brought and when he was being
offered, why was it not said "they brought him with them," just as it was said "they
sacrificed" and "they offered"? But because we have referred these things to the Church
and to Christ, it pertains to her to nurse, to her to bring, but to offer and sacrifice
pertains to herself and to Christ. For she herself applies the word of preaching, but she
by no means supplies to those to whom she imparts doctrine the power of fulfilling the
work. For by speaking she presents the letter of Scripture, but she can give the good
itself to those seeking it only together with the Bridegroom. Therefore the calf is
sacrificed when divine grace is poured into the heart of one seeking good things, so that
the good things which one determines by resolving, one may cheerfully expend in the
pursuit of good work. For the calf is then sacrificed, because the offering of good work
proposed is received by Almighty God through the oblation of a devout mind, if what the
mind presents to Him by vowing is wholly sacrificed to God through cheerfulness.

Concerning this sacrifice of the calf the Lord says in the Gospel: "If you, being evil,
know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will my heavenly Father give
the good spirit to those who ask Him? Hence Paul says: "He who sows in blessings will also
reap from blessings; each one as he has purposed in his heart, not from sadness or from
necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver. For what is it to purpose in the heart, if not
to propose from deliberation? Therefore when he said "he purposed," he affirmed, as it
were, that the calf was brought. But when he added "not from sadness or from necessity,
for God loves a cheerful giver," he explained how the calf that was brought is to be
sacrificed. Calves are therefore brought when we are prepared to propose well the doing of
mighty deeds, but the calf is sacrificed when the deliberation of a good purpose is
expended on God in the oblation of great devotion. Moreover, both, that is the husband and
wife, are said to have sacrificed the calf, because the same cheerfulness is shown to
faithful subjects by the voice of the preacher, and divine grace is propagated in their
hearts. Therefore they sacrifice the calf together when in the heart of a subject
progressing well the divine agrees with human preaching.

Moreover, three calves are brought, because when we propose to bring help to the fallen
and to those standing, and to bring the assistance of guardianship to ourselves, while we
attend to these things with one good intention, they are indeed three with respect to the
work, but one in the gift of oblation. They are indeed three, because they are rendered
toward us and toward our neighbors with different regard and at different times, but they
are one calf, because they are proposed together, and are expended on God with equal
devotion of oblation, and there is one cheerfulness in them, and no other is had. 50. "And
they offered the boy to Eli. In Eli are figured not only the persons of the ancient
teachers, but also their doctrine. What then does it mean that the boy Samuel is said to
have been offered to Eli, except what is openly understood: that whoever strives to
benefit others by preaching ought not only to write new things, but also old things? Hence
the Lord also says in the Gospel through a parable: "Therefore every scribe instructed in
the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings forth from his treasure new things
and old" (Matthew 13:52). Samuel is therefore offered to Eli when the mind of a well-
progressing subject is instructed in the knowledge of the law and the prophets, so that in
the books of the ancients he may read the letter that kills, but also understand according
to the Spirit that gives life; and so receive what sounds outwardly that, beyond the sound
of the letters, he may recognize what the Spirit sounds within; and hold new things for
faith, but, as often as necessary, bring forward the old Scriptures for the confirmation
of the New Testament. For then he will be able to defend the new when he recognizes their
reasoning from the old. Therefore Samuel is openly said to have been offered to Eli,
because only he sufficiently preaches the new who does not ignore that reasoning by which
the old things are to be understood.

And because we cannot understand those same old Scriptures without a teacher, and a
teacher accomplishes nothing in us by teaching if what he himself speaks outwardly is not
poured into our hearts through divine grace, the mother did not offer the boy alone, but
with her husband. And to him to whom she entrusted her son, Anna made herself known with a
word of proclamation, saying: (Verse 26) "I beseech you, my lord, as your soul lives, I am
that woman who stood before you here." 51. Anna stood before Eli, because the holy Church
did not fall to any persecutions from the doctors of the synagogue. This is as if the
Church, glorying, were to say to the leaders of the Synagogue: Therefore I was able to
bring forth the world to God through the Gospel, because I endured unconquered the
adversities which you inflicted upon me. For if, overcome by punishments, I had submitted
myself to antiquity, I would never have begotten for the Redeemer a new offspring of so
many nations. And because she speaks humbly, she calls upon the Lord by beseeching.
Because indeed she desires that the pledge of eternal life be given to her in faith in the
Redeemer, she says: "As your soul lives." But she who gloried that she had stood spoke
great things about herself. And because she had spoken those same great things humbly, not
proudly, she immediately referred them to the praise of almighty God, saying: (Verse 27.)
"I prayed, and the Lord gave me my petition which I asked of him; therefore I also have
commended him to the Lord."

52. Divine grace bestows upon the children of the holy Church for this purpose: that it
may instruct them in the doctrine of truth, adorn them with good morals, watch over them
with pious guardianship, make them perfectly turn away from evil, and prepare a sufficient
abundance of good works for the eternal homeland. These indeed are the duties of pastoral
ministry, but the chosen preacher doubts that he can fulfill them by his own strength.
Therefore, since he cannot beget any through the Gospel by his own virtue, nor guard those
whom he begets, rightly through Anna in the type of the Church it is now said: "I prayed,
and the Lord gave me my petition which I asked of him. Therefore I also have lent him to
the Lord, for all the days that he shall be lent to the Lord. For she implores that she
may be able to beget; and that those whom she obtains by praying may remain in holy
conduct, she likewise commends them to almighty God through prayers. And because she never
ceases from these prayers, she says that she commends her son to God for all days. For to
commend a son to the Lord for all days is to supplicate him for the salvation of those
whom she begets throughout all the time of this life. For the days in which we are
commended to the Lord signify the times of the present life.

In which days indeed we need the aids of divine protection all the more strongly, the more
heavily we are attacked by the temptations of malignant spirits. But since in many codices
it is read not "commended" but "lent," this is not without good meaning. For sons are lent
by mother Church in this life. But whatever we lend, we expect to be returned to us in the
faith of the one receiving it. The days are indeed the brilliances of spiritual virtues.
In which days certainly Anna's son is lent to the Lord, because the holy Church offers the
elect to him in the brilliance of virtues, so that almighty God may afterward present them
to himself for the increase of his eternal joy in the splendors of rewards. And it should
be noted that he is declared commended for all days, so that nothing may be lacking to him
of what must be had from spiritual conduct, whom the chosen preacher will not be able to
receive in eternal life as darkened in any part. There follows: (Verse 28. "And they
worshipped the Lord there. We also, members of the holy Church, when through the
scriptures of the Old Testament we are submitted to the veneration and precept of the
Creator, there indeed we worship the Lord, because we hold the faith of the ancient
Fathers, and we exercise that same faith through love in good work.


COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS (BOOK ONE, CHAPTER 1.2)
=============================================

COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS continued

CHAPTER 1.2

We have brought forth these things concerning the beginning in a typical exposition; now
let us seek our instruction in the words of the same history through moral signification.
(1 Kings 1:1) There was a certain man, he says, from Ramathaim-zophim. 1. In this one man,
what is more fittingly designated than each new despiser of the world? For he is called a
man because he is strong in purpose; but one, because he is singular in love; for he is a
man because from great virtue he despises all present things; but one, because he desires
to enjoy the vision of almighty God alone. For whoever perfectly despises earthly things
is a man from fortitude, but if he does not ardently desire to see his Creator, he is not
one from intention. Therefore the perfection of the man is placed in the praise of unity,
so that he who powerfully despises the world may not divide his mind, may yearn only for
heavenly things, may sigh only for those eternal joys which come from the vision of the
Creator. Such indeed was he who confessing to God said: What remains for me in heaven, and
what have I desired from you upon earth (Ps. 72:25)? Hence he also says: Your face, O
Lord, I will seek (Ps. 26:8). For he who desired nothing on earth was indeed a man; but he
who desired nothing either in heaven or on earth except Him alone, who, spurning all
things, sought only His face, was not only a man but also one. Concerning this unity the
Lord speaks to Martha in the Gospel, saying: Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled
about many things; but one thing is necessary (Luke 10:41-42). Hence Luke, speaking of the
perfect number of believers, says:

They had one heart and one soul (Acts 4:32). For they had one heart because through the
intention of reason they had looked upon the Creator alone; they had one soul because
through the affection of love they desired to see His face alone. Hence it is that the
devoted Prophet considers within himself, saying: My soul has thirsted for God, the living
fountain; when shall I come and appear before the face of God (Ps. 41:2)? For obtaining
this unity, Truth teaching says: Whoever does not renounce all that he possesses cannot be
my disciple (Luke 14:33). 2. These things also belong to us, because we who, renouncing
the world, have sought the seclusion of a more remote life, are called monks. 'Monos'
indeed is Greek, but in Latin it means "one. We are inscribed with this title of
appellation so that the word of our name may intimate to us the height of our dignity, and
our soul may raise itself the more ardently toward the vision of the Creator, inasmuch as
it bears, as it were displayed on its forehead, the sublimity of that brightness in which
it must always abide. But the sublimity of divine love is granted only within the catholic
Church to the truly elect. Rightly therefore is the man who is called "one" said to have
been from Ramathaim-zophim, from Mount Ephraim. For Ramathaim, as I have already said, is
a Hebrew name, but in Latin it means "Consummated vision. This appellation indeed befits
the holy Church, which was foreseen long ago by the prophets, but was established at the
end of the ages in faith in the Redeemer. Therefore the holy Church is called "consummated
vision" because it was raised up to the summit of religion through the Redeemer of the
human race, whereas formerly it was only foreseen through the spirit of prophecy.
Moreover, it is described as being built at Zophim on Mount Ephraim (above, at the
beginning of the allegorical exposition), because it is most lofty in the contemplation of
God and fruitful in spiritual virtues. For Zophim means "watchtower," and Ephraim
"fruitful.

These words indeed rightly intimate the position of the holy Church, which is exalted not
only in the intention of its vision but also in the excellence of its way of life. By
these words also both the madness of heretics and the barrenness of other wicked people
are condemned. For those who deviate from the rectitude of faith do not have the
speculation of sublimity; while those who see rightly what they should do but always
pretend not to do it indeed have a watchtower, but do not attain the mountain of virtues
through an excellent life. But the holy Church, because it is sublime in Zophim, that is,
in speculation, glories, saying: "Our conversation is in heaven" (Phil. 3:20). Because it
is also established on the mountain of virtues through the fruit of good work, condemning
the crushed faith of the reprobate, it says: "Faith without works is dead" (James 2:20,
26). Hence also in preaching it says: "While we have time, let us do good to all, but
especially to those of the household of faith" (Gal. 6:10). Therefore the man who is
called "one" is said to be from Mount Ephraim, because both to despise earthly things and
to desire heavenly things profits only him who through the catholic faith keeps himself
within the holy Church. There follows: (Verse 1) "And his name was Elkanah, the son of
Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph."

3. We have also shown above that this name, translated from the Hebrew language into our
own, means "fervor of God. This name of the man indeed fits well with the order of
spiritual exposition. For he who is called one man must necessarily be regarded as
proceeding from the fervor of God. For who could either despise temporal things or love
heavenly things without divine grace? It is indeed necessary that divine grace precede
him, so that, kindled by the fire of the Holy Spirit, the more ardently he loves the
highest things, the more strongly he may despise the lowest. For him also, in the order of
genealogy, the names of four fathers are recorded, because he was begotten in the faith of
the Redeemer through their preaching—those who believed in the same Redeemer of the human
race through the writings of the four Evangelists from every part of the world. He is also
called an Ephrathite. From Mount Ephraim, and an Ephrathite is one who is not barren in
fertile land. For many within the holy Church are counted by the name of faith, yet
produce no fruits of action. These indeed, when they come forth from the Church, are
perceived to be as if from a fruitful mountain; but because they themselves do not have
the fruit of good works, they are not Ephrathites. Therefore, he is from Mount Ephraim and
is not an Ephrathite who learned the catholic faith in the Church but does not perform
works worthy of faith.

To such as these, Truth threatens in the Gospel, saying: "The kingdom of God will be taken
from you and given to a nation producing its fruit" (Matthew 21:34). Hence, under the
image of the fig tree, commanding the farmer of the holy Church to reject the unfruitful
soul, he says: "Cut it down; why should it occupy the land? (Luke 13:7). Hence John the
Baptist, threatening, says: "Already the axe is laid to the root of the tree. Every tree
that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire" (Matthew 3:10;
Luke 3:9). He had also shown that they were from Mount Ephraim but not Ephrathites, about
whom Truth says in the Gospel through a parable: "He will miserably destroy those wicked
men and lease his vineyard to other farmers who will render him the fruit in their
seasons" (Matthew 21:41). Therefore, the man from Mount Ephraim is called an Ephrathite,
because all of us who hold the catholic faith within the holy Church, while we cast away
earthly things through the ardor of affection and love heavenly things, must also be
separated from the earthly things we despise through the labor of good work and be
prepared for the heavenly things we love. Therefore, to be in the Church and not to do
good works, because it does not profit for acquiring the good of eternal salvation, the
man who is declared to be from Mount Ephraim is also remembered to have been an
Ephrathite.

4. Hence he is described as having two wives, because he is joined to the active life
through the fruitfulness of good works and to the contemplative life through the love of
inner delight. Therefore Peninnah is said to have had children, but Anna is said to have
had no children. For what are the children of the active life, except the fruits of good
works? And what does it mean that Anna has no children, except that the untrained
contemplation does not quickly obtain those joys of inner contemplation which it has
already begun to love? Indeed, the joys of inner vision are the children of the
contemplative life. But the mind that begins to contemplate eternal things arrives at
receiving those joys with all the more difficulty, the more it fails to attend to their
beauty. Who then is able to rejoice in the glory of a beauty that he does not see? But the
mind that newly raises itself up in the contemplation of eternal goods rises to them all
the more slowly, the more it does not quickly lay aside the familiar darkness of its
humanity, because while it is unable to cast away worldly cares from itself, it carries
dust in its eyes, as it were, by which it cannot see what it desires to see. Therefore the
dust must first be cast out from the eye, then the eye must be restored.

Dust is indeed cast out when all phantasms of bodily things are removed from the mind's
attention, and the eye is restored when by the practice of continual meditation that same
attention of the mind is raised up to eternal things. When this has learned through long
custom to dwell in heavenly things, by that same length of custom it obtains the purity by
which, while it more clearly beholds eternal things, it may more fully exult in their
glory. Therefore Anna is said to have had no children, so that not only the imperfection
of the beginner may be indicated, but also the loftiness of the contemplative life. For it
is set upon a great height of merits, which cannot easily be had in the joy of its
fruitfulness. Hence it is that Jacob desires to have Rachel as his wife (Gen. 29:18ff.),
but nevertheless Leah is first given to him, so that in order to obtain her beauty the
number of seven years must be doubled in service to his father-in-law, because the lover
of the contemplative life desires to attain this quickly in the abundance of eternal joy,
but nevertheless the Spirit, the giver of all gifts, does not quickly grant it to him,
lest he despise what he has obtained as something cheap, if ease presents it to him
according to his wish; but may he enjoy it all the more sweetly and guard it all the more
carefully, the more difficultly he has earned it. Wherefore it also follows: (Verse 3.

And that man went up on the appointed days to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of
hosts in Shiloh. 5. Indeed, he ascends on appointed days, because he advances gradually in
the splendors of eternal vision. For what are those manifestations of inner light, if not
days of the elect mind? And they are indeed appointed days, because they are arranged by
divine ordering for those established in the progress of spiritual life; they are also
appointed days, because we cannot be admitted to their brightness when we wish, but when
we are raised up by divine condescension. For sometimes he receives us in contemplation of
inner light, and sometimes he allows us to slip back even to preferring the darkness of
human nature. For he raises us as if on appointed days, he who does not continually open
the pleasantness of inner light, but shows it at times of his own arrangement. Therefore
they are our days, because we are received in great splendors when the beauty of inner
glory is revealed to us. But they are called appointed days because enjoying the innermost
light is not a matter of our striving, but of divine condescension. For often through
prolonged silence, urgent supplications, and frequent groans, we beg that the glory of
inner light be opened to us, and we do not merit to be received into its pleasantness.
Often we do nothing of this sort out of desire for it, yet suddenly divine grace
anticipates us, raises us from the depths of our weakness, snatches us to heavenly things,
and shows us the glory of his light when we do not hope for it.

Therefore we ascend on appointed days, because we cannot be raised to the contemplation of
heavenly things by our own striving, but by divine arrangement. The days of ascent are
also thus named because when we do not enjoy that sublime light, we are in the depths; and
when we are taken up to that lofty vision, we recognize how low we had lain before the
hour of our assumption. We then displease ourselves in what we were, but are pleased in
what we are, because the mind, now absorbed by love of heavenly things, while it rejoices
in the light it enjoys, disdains with exceeding horror all earthly things. Hence also
blessed Peter, when he is taken up onto the mountain, when he is overshadowed by the
bright cloud, when the glory of the transfigured Savior is shown to him, says: "Lord, it
is good for us to be here" (Matthew 17:4). For because by the gift of almighty God he now
merits to be present at sublime things, he ineffably loves that incomparable good there,
from whose beauty he condemns as foul all things that pass away.

6. But what does it mean that this same man is said to go up from his city? What else is a
city but the fortification of those dwelling together? And what is this city but the
perfect watchfulness of a guarded heart through careful circumspection? This indeed
protects its inhabitants, as it were fellow citizens, with high walls, because while it
diligently watches over the virtues to be guarded, the cunning enemy does not disturb
their inner peace. That wise man certainly commanded us to remain in this city when he
said: "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life" (Prov.
4:23). Hence also the Lord commands his disciples, saying: "But stay in the city until you
are clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:49). Indeed, we sit in the city when through
daily solicitude we rest in the defense of inner watchfulness. Sitting in this city, we
are clothed with power from on high, because, already prepared as a dwelling place for the
Holy Spirit, we are raised up through his grace to the contemplation of heavenly glory.
Therefore, in that the Ephrathite man is said to go up from his city, what else is
indicated but the fault of our negligence? For we wish to search out heavenly things
through contemplation, we who have custody neither of our heart nor even of our body.

And indeed we often look at things improperly, listen to idle things, speak superfluous
words, and take sleep and food not for the refreshment of the body but for the enjoyment
of pleasure. And so when we wish to examine doubtful matters, to behold heavenly things,
to abandon our darkness, to taste the savor of inner sweetness, we are repelled from that
secret place all the more deservedly as we more negligently scatter the fortifications of
our defense; and now it is all the more difficult for us to ascend as, having fallen back
upon ourselves, we have not taken care to raise up the fortifications of the heart to the
height of watchfulness. Let the man therefore go up from his city, so that he who desires
to advance through interior contemplation may order his exterior senses, govern his mind,
and as if received into lofty fortifications, await where the heavenly illumination may
visit him. For he who now watches prepared for the ascent on the appointed days is made
worthy of the custody of purity, so that he may be visited more frequently by divine
condescension. But while he is said to ascend, the cause of the ascent is also mentioned,
when it is added: "To worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts in Shiloh."

7. Whoever is raised up to the height of divine contemplation beholds all things in that
light which illuminates, both that which terrifies him wonderfully and that which delights
him ineffably. For that supreme vision, as it opens itself to the elect mind, mercifully
shows both the unsearchable abyss of God's judgments and the abundance of his goodness, so
that it casts down the one seeing with great fear and lifts him up with immense joy;
indeed he is cast down with terror so that he may abandon the state of worldly affection,
and he is soothed with joy so that he may more ardently desire what he begins to taste
beforehand of the Creator's goodness. For then he worships when, having contemplated that
immensity of omnipotence, he submits himself to the Creator in such a way that he is not
lifted up against spiritual conversation by the impulses of carnal desire. And worshiping,
he offers sacrifice, because the more humbly he prostrates himself in divine veneration,
the more sweetly he is refreshed by the allurement of that supreme brightness. Therefore,
to worship for one ascending is to submit to divine omnipotence with great veneration of
chaste love; but to offer sacrifice is to be ineffably delighted by the sweetness of
divine light. For the elect mind consecrates itself to God as if in a spiritual sacrifice,
while the fire of divine charity more ardently inflames it in that ineffable joy of its
elevation.

Therefore, the zeal of each elect person is shown under the figure of the Ephrathite man,
and he is said both to worship and to offer sacrifice, because the elect mind so desires
to behold heavenly things that, advancing through spiritual vision, it both crushes every
state of carnal life and receives the fullness of eternal joy. For even if some carnal
person is not raised to this height of supreme contemplation, yet with respect to that
spiritual conversation in which he advances by that ascent of contemplation, before he
advances, he is in a certain way carnal. For this very thing is, as it were, carnal: to be
unable to be separated from attention to corporeal things through the height of vision. 8.
But, so that the rashness of human audacity might be restrained, he is said first to
adore, then to sacrifice. For the ordered ascent of the contemplative is such that it
should begin from fear. And what is this fear itself but the preordained purgation of the
chosen mind passing over to behold the divine glory? For the more purely it deserved to
gaze upon the rays of divine light, the more, cast down by a stronger fear, it is
presented purer for the vision of the innermost Majesty. Thus, therefore, the outward
conduct of this Ephrathite is shown to us, so that it might be reasonably demonstrated to
those tending toward perfection what must be done inwardly. Therefore, while we desire to
be sprinkled with the brightness of the highest glory, let us fix the boldness of our
presumption in this passage of fear, so that the more reverently we fear the almighty
Lord, the more clearly we may see the glory of his kindness. The greatness of this fear is
also sometimes struck into the chosen mind after the showing of a joyful vision. When this
happens, it certainly does not happen to purify the mind for the vision of glory, but to
guard it from pride. Hence Peter, James, and John first saw the glory of the transfigured
Lord, then, when fear was struck into them, they fell down, lest being lifted up they
should lose what they had humbly been taken up to deserve to see (Matt. 17:2ff.).

Sometimes, therefore, adoration precedes sacrifice, sometimes sacrifice precedes
adoration, but certainly by divine arrangement, not by our effort. For the Ephrathite man
is described as having gone up to first adore and then to sacrifice, because indeed the
order is so perfect that from veneration, which is born from the dread of divine severity,
we are raised up to the contemplation of joyful majesty. Nevertheless, divine mercy
sometimes so gladdens chosen minds with the infusion of its sweetness that it does not
lead them into the greatness of fear. Hence it is added: (Verse 4. So the day came, and
Elkanah sacrificed. 9. What is it that he says: "The day came, and he sacrificed"; and he
did not say: "He worshipped, and he sacrificed," unless because, as I said above, we are
so often raised up by divine condescension to behold the glory of divine brightness that
we are then troubled by no mingled consideration of judgments. And although the elect soul
never stands before almighty God without great veneration, nevertheless it as it were
sacrifices but does not worship, when it so enjoys the happiness of that supreme joy that
it is shaken by no dejection of fear. For she had come into this disposition who said:
"Let him kiss me with the kiss of his mouth" (Song of Songs 1:1). What disposition of fear
does she show who desires to be kissed? Hence also it is written of Moses: "That he spoke
to God as a man is accustomed to speak to his friend" (Exodus 33:11). For, as if the day
were coming, Sacred Scripture thus shows him sacrificing, such that no worship of fear had
prostrated him. In which place I see this must be noted: that in order to worship and
sacrifice, he is said to ascend, yet not to have worshipped and sacrificed when the day
came, but only to have sacrificed. Therefore there are some days on which we ascend to
worship and sacrifice; another is that day which, when it comes, we sacrifice.

For while by our own effort we are suspended in meditation on divine things, they are as
it were the appointed days of our ascent, because we behold certain rays of spiritual
light, we ordain certain things for ourselves, we are raised up from the depth of our
humanity to a certain height. But because nothing is accomplished in these meditations
without divine grace, and because we cannot prevail either to strike fear into ourselves
or to exhibit the sweetness of divine delight, they are indeed days of ascent on which we
resolve to worship and sacrifice, but nevertheless in them we neither worship nor
sacrifice. But another day comes, and we sacrifice, because we are sprinkled with the
sudden light of divine grace, and from the glory of His Majesty we receive an ineffable
abundance of love. This day, therefore, is not one of those, but follows them, because
indeed if we cannot receive this bounty of divine grace by our own disposition,
nevertheless we never merit it unless we take care altogether that both by meditating, and
by reading daily, and by praying, we dwell upon those spiritual brightnesses which we are
able to. But the day is said to have come so that heavenly condescension might be
designated, because when it visits elect souls, it is not of our capacity but of its own
goodness. There follows: (Verses 4 and 5. "And he gave portions to Peninnah and to all her
sons and daughters. But to Hannah he gave one portion, sad, because he loved Hannah."

10. The sons of Peninnah are the counsels of the holy mind, which grow through the pursuit
of piety in the active life. These sons receive portions with their mother when the
counsels of piety grow rich in devotion to good works unto the splendor of heavenly grace.
For the pious mind, the more sublimely it is raised in divine contemplation, the more
devoutly it extends itself in holy action. For the portions of this mother and her sons
are the preparations for holy works. But he gives one portion to the sorrowful Hannah,
because through contemplation, by which she desires heavenly things, as long as she is
hindered in this misery of time and does not obtain the heavenly things she loves, she has
the food of refreshment only in weeping. Indeed, she holds herself fasting whenever,
remembering that she is cast out from eternal joys, she cannot weep. Therefore she
receives one portion from the sorrowful one, because she is never refreshed according to
her desire unless she is satisfied by weeping. The Ephrathite husband gives it to her
sorrowfully, who when he gave a portion to Peninnah was not sorrowful, because indeed he
rejoices in the preparation of good works, but does not rejoice in joys as long as he is
delayed from the heavenly things he loves. Certainly he had given this portion to Hannah,
who, seeing himself excluded from eternal goods, spoke saying: "My tears have been my
bread day and night, while it is said to me daily: Where is your God? (Psalm 41:4).

But the imperfection of one still beginning is indicated when one wife of the Ephrathite
is said to afflict and vehemently distress the other. For in the perfect person, the
battle of wives is by no means engaged, since firm experience already knows how to arrange
discretely the need for work and the intention for contemplation. For he possesses both
wives as if in peace, who neither assigns the times of work to contemplation nor disturbs
the leisure of contemplation through the intention of work. (Verse 6) Her rival also
afflicted her and vehemently distressed her, to such an extent that she reproached her
because the Lord had closed her womb. 11. Anna is afflicted by her rival, when immoderate
attention to good work disturbs the quiet of inner vision. She is afflicted when she who
is proved to be more noble is placed before her, and she is greatly distressed, because
the contemplation of the elect mind is narrowed when he who desires to be in the
contemplation of sublime things spreads himself too immoderately in the works of the
active life. For to distress is to constrict. Indeed the vision of the mind is constricted
when, impeded by the occupations of works, it is by no means expanded in that immensity of
inner light. And because she is said to distress her greatly, it should be noted that
immoderate concern for good work also harms contemplation not a little. For Peninnah
greatly distresses Anna, because when the mind is immoderately devoted to the active life,
it is very difficult for it, while it occupies itself with arranging earthly things, to
rise powerfully in the vision of heavenly things. Peninnah also reproaches her as if
barren, because while we quickly bring forth the fruit of good works from the active life,
and cannot easily attain to the joys of inner contemplation, she appears barren while we,
inexperienced, despair of her fruitfulness.

Therefore while we love Peninnah for her fruitfulness, Anna is afflicted, distressed, and
marked with the reproach of barrenness, because while we do not restrain the concern for
good actions with the discretion we ought, we render the purity of contemplation so much
more difficult for ourselves, inasmuch as we by no means retain the nobler life with
excellent zeal. But because she has begun to ascend to higher things, if she is strong in
her purpose, enduring such trials, she does not despair. For she strives toward those
lofty heights of contemplation which she has begun, and scorns to be consoled by the food
of action, she who has desired to delight in the sight of the Creator alone. And so it is
fittingly added: (Verse 7. Moreover Anna wept, and did not take food. 12. For in weeping
the burning desire for divine contemplation is shown, while in the disdaining of food the
contempt for passing joy is displayed. For the mind that desires inward things with
fervent longings, while it rejects the enticement of earthly joy, while with urgent groans
it seeks the pleasantness of supernal light to be poured into it, surely weeps and does
not take food. For he who said was loathing this food: "My soul refused to be comforted"
(Psalm 77:3). But he who disdained to take the food of solace from the delight of created
things, because he found the banquet of his delights in the Creator alone, says: "I
remembered God and was delighted" (Ibid., 4). To these banquets indeed he was exhorting
his weeping spouse when he said: "Why are you sad, O my soul, and why do you trouble me?
Hope in God, for I shall yet praise him, the salvation of my countenance and my God"
(Psalm 43:5). This same exhortation is recognized here as well, because she is asked by
her husband why she weeps, and why she does not eat, and why she has an afflicted heart.
As if he were saying: Why are you saddened about not having attained the perfection of
contemplation, which if you do not obtain while still a beginner, you will obtain as you
progress? Hence she who, afflicted by her rival, had refused to eat, when encouraged by
her husband did eat;

because she who by sounder counsel despises lowly things, holds the perfection of
contemplation in hope, which she does not yet hold in the power of experience. For to
contemplation that is nearly failing and collapsed, the joy of renewed hope is food.
Therefore at the voice of her husband Anna is refreshed, when the intention of
contemplation, shaken by temptation, is roused to hope of her progress by him who had
begun to love her. Wherefore, having taken food, she rose, poured out prayers to almighty
God, and vowed to him a male child, if she should deserve to receive one from him. 13. She
vows her son to Almighty God who seeks the joy of contemplation for the fruit of the mind,
not for the favor of vanity. But carnal superiors are accustomed to resist vehemently
those who rightly seek the desire of contemplation; for they think that those desiring a
more secluded life act all the more foolishly, because they themselves are ignorant of the
power of interior sweetness. If they sometimes rage against spiritual subjects with the
voice of harsh rebuke, they must be calmed by the most humble reasoning. For if they
unreasonably rise up against those acting rightly, the reverence due to the higher order
requires that they be honored even when they exceed the measure of reason. Both of
these—namely carnal prelates and spiritual subjects—Eli and Anna well represent; for when
he sat before the doorposts of the Lord's temple and Anna prayed, Eli watched her mouth
and called her drunk. But she, who patiently endured the insults, displayed humility of
response with truthful reasoning. She declared herself his handmaid, speaking from much
grief and sorrow, and not only calmed his angry spirit against her, but even turned him to
prayer for obtaining the fruit of her desire.

14. But because we have said these last things about the history, we are not acting amiss
if we examine our learning somewhat more carefully in these words of sacred history. If
therefore the order of events is sought, she first ate and drank, then had a bitter
spirit, prayed to the Lord weeping abundantly, afterward made a vow, and multiplied her
prayers. What does the multiplication of Anna's prayers signify, except that perfection of
the elect to which the excellent Teacher exhorts us, saying: "Pray without ceasing" (1
Thess. 5:17)? For no one can pray without ceasing except a perfect man; for to pray
without ceasing is to always stand before the Creator through the affection of
supplication. But he who is still weighed down by the weakness of imperfection does not
beseech the Lord without ceasing, because even in the very time of prayer he slips away
from His sight through wandering of mind. And rightly the holy woman is said to have made
a vow before the multiplication of prayers, because unless someone shows himself entirely
heavenly through the rigor of resolution, he is drawn away from the affection of
supplication all the more often, as he is turned by the mobility of mind into the whirl of
worldly intention, and is not held in the Lord's sight through strong guardianship.

But the elect mind will be able to vow itself to heavenly joys through spiritual
resolution, if it already knows how to weep abundantly, if through abundance of tears it
has already learned to taste the savor of heavenly sweetness, and, occupied in the joy of
that inner refreshment of itself, disdains to look upon earthly things. Therefore Anna is
openly described as having wept abundantly before her vow, because no one will be able to
show himself entirely heavenly by forgetting earthly things, unless, inflamed with great
weeping, he knows how to receive the sweetness of intimate delight in the consolation of a
mind already dead to the world. And because this consolation of tears is not received in
the joy of the soul, unless one first afflicts oneself through the bitterness of
compunction, and pierces with the dagger of salutary sorrow whatever lives in oneself from
fleeting joy. Anna is reported to have wept first with a bitter spirit, and thus to have
been able to weep abundantly. Which Solomon rightly suggests, saying: "The heart that
knows the bitterness of its own soul, in its joy a stranger does not meddle" (Prov.
14:10). For a stranger is one who still has intention of delight from exterior goods. He
certainly is not received into the joy of an embittered heart, because he cannot
experience what interior joy is, unless he who perfectly cares to despise exterior things.

But it should still be noted that before all these things she is reported to have risen,
and before she rose, to have eaten and drunk. What is the food of the elect soul, except
according to the voice of truth: "Every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Matt.
4:4)? And what is it for her to rise, except to raise oneself to the state of heavenly
intention? Therefore she is said to have risen before she had a bitter spirit, and to have
eaten and drunk before she rose, because the elect soul cannot grieve over the misery of
present life, if it does not stretch itself toward those things which it has lost in
heaven; and it does not elevate itself to those highest things, if it fasts from the
nourishment of Sacred Scripture. Therefore that we may rise, we eat and drink, because we
are raised to the height of heavenly love when we are strengthened by the profound and
plainer meanings of Sacred Scripture. Then if we rise, we acquire bitterness of heart,
because while we are carried upward through love, the things that are below do not offer
us the blandishments of joy, but the harshness of affliction.

But now from a bitter spirit we ascend to the streams of tears, because when we are
pierced through with continual and strong compunction, we are more copiously able to weep
over the evils that we incur in this valley of tears, and the future things that we fear,
and the eternal goods that we have lost. From this indeed we proceed to the secrets of
making vows, because while the abundance of tears buries us from everything that pleases
outwardly, it shows us, as if made entirely heavenly, to the sight of those above, and we
make vows by which eternal goods please us so much that our mind defiles itself by no
earthly or carnal things. Then the multiplication of prayers follows our progress, because
we now more gladly, more frequently, and more earnestly seek eternal things by praying,
the more we breathe only in the consolation of future goods. And in the morning they
worship, and return to their city.

15. After the multiplication of prayers with his wife Anna, to adore in the morning is
among the great gifts of virtues to preserve the virtue of humility; and because the soul
which is still weighed down by this burden of corruption cannot stand longer in that
sublime vision, they are fittingly reported to have returned to their own city. The elect
soul, when it is repelled from the contemplation of God by overwhelming weakness, in order
to be able to return to the same height of vision, ought to have constructed buildings of
fortification, so that, having fallen back upon itself, it may hold itself on high, from
where it may again rise to the same height of intimate charity. This is also said under
the type of Jerusalem to the elect soul through the Prophet: Stand on high and see the joy
that will come to you from your God (Baruch 4:36; 5:5). As if to say, even if you cannot
remain continually in the contemplation of God, lest you be cast down to the lowest
depths, you may be able to ascend without difficulty from the high towers of your
watchfulness to contemplate him whom you desire. Indeed, he returns to Ramatha his own
city, if when he is repelled from the vision of the Divine Majesty, he is retained in the
contemplation of the holy angels.

But when he is unable to think about that more subtle nature, that is, the angelic, if he
returns by meditating to the blessed martyrs, or other elect who have already been
received into eternity, because he thinks about their perfect glory, he is doubtless then
received in his own city, who is forbidden to dwell in the heights. Moreover, the same
Ramatha is rightly called his own city, because what he loves familiarly, he believes
without doubt to be his own, for he had recognized this city to be his own, who said: We
know that if the earthly house of this dwelling is dissolved, we have a building from God,
a house not made with hands, but eternal in the heavens (2 Cor. 5:1). Hence again he says:
The Jerusalem which is above is our mother (Gal. 4:26). But he who cannot return to that
sublime city, let him nevertheless return to his own city Ramatha; and he who is cast down
from that highest height, let him be held by the vision of this Church still wandering
below, but radiant with the splendor of sublime life. For from here he will be able to
return again to revisit the brightness of the high light, inasmuch as he does not cast
down to the lowest depths of earth that sense which the burden of flesh withdraws from the
secret of the inner light.

16. But what does it mean that Anna conceives and gives birth after the cycle of days,
except that contemplation, once elevated to the beauty of the Creator, does not receive
the joy of perfect devotion? Therefore she is said to have conceived and given birth after
the cycle of days, because when contemplation is habitually seized up to heavenly things,
it receives the gift of desired fruitfulness in the vision of heavenly light. For the
cycle of days is the infusion of divine light. This is indeed encompassed by many days in
its circuit, while it illuminates the mind with its single brightness, yet it gradually
introduces the rays of its splendor to the mind through alternating manifestations of its
dispensation, until it comprehends a more perfect joy from a fuller manifestation. Or
certainly Anna conceives after the cycle of days, because indeed as long as the rawness of
contemplation shakes the mind's sharp gaze in the whirl of mutability, the mind itself
does not rise to perceive the full joy of inner majesty. For days pass as if in a certain
circle, when the mind of the beginner elevates itself to the height of contemplation, but
the ray of light, though glimpsed, scarcely keeps the mind, still wavering and wandering,
fixed in its light. Therefore she conceives after the cycle of days, because first the
soul is led from the dizziness of its change into the strength of standing firm, and when
it has learned from practice to stand fixed in contemplation, it grasps the joy of perfect
devotion in the fruit of its fruitfulness. This conception it also brings forth when it
makes known to neighbors the glory of heavenly majesty.

17. Now the boy is led to the tabernacle with three calves, because for the abundance of
spiritual gifts we ought to give thanks to the supreme Trinity. Concerning these calves
the prophet beseeching the Lord says: "Take away all iniquity, and receive the good, and
we will render the calves of our lips" (Hosea 14:3). As if to say: For the abundance of
gifts we will render sacrifices of praise, through the service of our lips. The boy is
brought to be offered in the house of the Lord, when the progress of a holy mind is
revealed to the teachers of Holy Church, so that while it is examined through consultation
with the wise, it may in no way be stained by the fraud of the cunning enemy. The house of
the Lord can also designate the eternal homeland. Of this indeed the Psalmist says
exulting: "Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord, they will praise you forever
and ever" (Psalm 84:5). The boy is brought into the house of the Lord, when the chosen
mind is raised up on high, and strives to give thanks to almighty God for all in which it
makes spiritual progress, from whom it recognizes the gifts of its advancement have been
bestowed upon it. And rightly one calf is sacrificed, though three are brought, because
although the Trinity of persons is sung in divine praises by the confession of the
faithful, the inseparable unity of those same persons is proclaimed.

But what kind, or how great is praise, if it is not devout? Therefore fittingly three
measures of flour are joined to three calves, so that we may be satisfied through devotion
by what we say with our mouth in praises of God. For he offers a calf without flour, who
in the praises of God indeed utters words, but with a wandering mind does not attend to
what he speaks. But if speaking the words of God in praising or praying, we rejoice, while
we mix joy with understanding, we join an amphora of that wine which gladdens the heart of
man to the flour. This indeed he suggests, who longing says: "May God bless us, our God
bless us, may God bless us, and may all the ends of the earth fear him" (Psalm 67:7-8). He
led as it were three calves to the tabernacle, who praising God, by repeating the name of
his divinity, set forth the properties of the persons. But when he said "may they fear,"
he said not "them" but "him," certainly he who brought three calves sacrificed one. And
because he mixed flour with the calves, and wine with the flour, he glories, saying: "To
him I cried with my mouth, and I exulted under my tongue" (Psalm 66:17). For while he
cried out, he led as it were a calf of sacrifice to be immolated, but he could not exult
under his tongue, if he did not understand the lofty words of his prayer.

When therefore he cried out, he understood what he cried out, and when he exulted in the
oblation of almighty God, he had not only a calf, but also measures of flour, and an
amphora of wine. Therefore the calf, the flour and the wine are the praise of God, the
understanding of praise, and the joy of a devout mind. But why are the measure and amphora
named in the oblation to God, unless because they are names of measures? Paul also
explains what this spiritually indicates, saying: "Each one has his own gift from God, one
indeed in this way, another in that way" (1 Corinthians 7:7). Hence the Truth says: "A
good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, they will give into your
lap" (Luke 6:38). Sacred Scripture has commanded us to guard this measure, saying: "Do not
lift a burden above yourself. But the chosen soul must take great care to offer these
three things to almighty God with the ardor of pious devotion and with the zeal for
manifest truth. Hence also the son of the same Anna is declared to have been offered to
the priest. Which indeed we also do, if when we make progress in holy conduct, when with
minds now fruitful we bring forth the fruit of spiritual joys, we lead to the examination
of our prelates everything that is generated in us from heavenly contemplation. And
because chosen men amid their sublime gifts do not abandon the good of their humility,
there follows: (Verse 28.

"And they worshiped the Lord there." 18. In the house of the Lord they adore the Lord, who
both raise themselves with lofty mind to the contemplation of the heavenly homeland, yet
through humility prostrate themselves before almighty God, and with all their heart are so
sublimely elevated in the power of the Spirit. We have touched upon these things not in
order, but summarily in expounding the historical or moral sense, so that we might
investigate somewhat more extensively the words of the spiritual canticle which follows
according to the moral and typological explanation.


COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS (BOOK ONE, CHAPTER 1.3)
=============================================

COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS continued

CHAPTER 1.3

And Anna prayed, and said: My heart hath rejoiced in the Lord. 1. We have already shown
that the type of holy Church lies hidden in the person of Anna. She, indeed, once the
child was born, declares that she exults in the Lord, because she did not swell with vain
pride over having drawn the Gentile people to faith in the Redeemer, but kept the
intention of her joy fixed on Him from whom she received the gifts of her fruitfulness. By
these words she indicates the foundation of her joy in such a way that she also shows the
cause of that same exultation. Barren indeed she wept, giving birth she exulted, to
foreshadow the character of holy Church, which grieves that it has been cast down from the
joys of paradise into this valley of tears, but patiently endures the hardships of its
exile for the sake of winning souls. It has been accustomed to exult only in this: if in
the tribulation of time by which it is pressed, through the glory of its fruitfulness,
with the elect multiplied, the losses of the heavenly homeland may be repaired. Therefore
she says: "My heart has exulted in the Lord," because she has obtained the fruit of her
purpose. In this passage it should be noted that what she speaks in glorying she is said
to have prayed. For it was stated beforehand: "And Anna prayed and said: My heart has
exulted in the Lord. But why is she said to have prayed when she is known to ask nothing
from God by entreaty?

But because the holy woman knew through the spirit of prophecy that this would come to
pass, and she vehemently desires it to happen, she speaks both exulting and praying.
Indeed she exulted in the certainty of future things, vehemently desiring to happen what
she knew by revelation of the mystery. Holy Church also recalls, proclaims, and prays the
divine benefits from that source, loving and venerating them, because indeed it carries
out outwardly by speaking what it inwardly desires to happen with wondrous longing, and
venerates what has happened with great devotion. Therefore she says: "My heart has exulted
in the Lord," because the gifts she receives for the fruit of eternal joy she does not
convert to temporal gladness. There follows: (Verse 1) "And my horn has been exalted in my
God." 2. What is the horn of Anna, except the power of the holy Church? This horn indeed
was wonderfully lifted up when the Son of God, through His assumed humanity, made Himself
a participant in our nature. Therefore in this the horn of the holy Church was exalted, in
which human nature now shines, elevated above the angels. But in that the holy Church
singularly declares Him her God and Savior, she covertly shows the rejection of the
Synagogue. Therefore in God our Savior our horn has been exalted, because the sublimity of
Ecclesiastical power has been raised up for us in the humanity of the Redeemer. Hence also
concerning the same Redeemer it is said through Zechariah: He has raised up a horn of
salvation for us, in the house of David His servant, as He spoke through the mouth of His
holy prophets (Luke 1:69-70), because when she reports that her horn has been exalted, she
covertly indicates that before she had a horn that was not exalted. For the holy Church
before the coming of the Redeemer had a horn, because in the patriarchs and prophets she
received from God both the order of right living and the power of correcting those who
transgressed. But nevertheless she did not have an exalted horn, because even if she could
live justly, still she could not return to the joys of Paradise without the presence of
the Redeemer.

But now the horn of the holy Church has been exalted, because we have already received the
Redeemer of the world coming, through whose grace we are able not only to live rightly,
but also to pass over to the joys of paradise, because He who died for us has already
risen, in whose death death died, and paradise opened itself to His faithful ones.
Therefore our horn has been exalted in our God, because, with the grace of the Holy Spirit
now poured out, we see the image of the Redeemer impressed upon the multitude of the
elect, while those who despise all earthly things, flee the pleasures of the flesh, and
abandon their own possessions, shine with such higher power as the holy Church did not
have these great marks of virtue in the multitude of the ancients. Our horn has been
exalted in God our Savior, because to as many as received Him, He gave power to become
children of God (John 1:12). Our Savior wished to exalt this horn when He said: Behold, I
have given you power to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the
enemy (Luke 10:19). Hence again asserting He says: Whatever you bind on earth shall be
bound also in heaven (Matthew 16:19). Hence again He promises, saying: You shall sit upon
thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28). Therefore let Anna say:

My horn has been exalted in my God, so that evidently the glory of the holy Church may be
designated, which obtains the singular summit of power from the presence of the Redeemer.
And because she is now extended throughout the whole world, who once was afflicted by
persecutions within Judea, there follows: (Verse 1) My mouth has been enlarged over my
enemies. 3. For who else are to be understood as enemies of the Church than the Jews? Over
whom indeed she has an enlarged mouth, because against their faithlessness she now moves
the tongues of all faithful nations. Therefore the mouth of holy Church has been enlarged,
because it is spread throughout the whole world, and while she instructs all nations by
the preaching of truth, she reproves the foolishness of the Jews, as it were with enlarged
mouth. And because she was able to do this for the reason that she joyfully received the
Redeemer of the world coming in the flesh, she sets forth the cause of her enlarged mouth,
saying: (Verse 1.) Because I have rejoiced in your salvation.

4. Now we have learned who the Salvation of God is. Concerning whom Isaiah also
prophesying says: All flesh shall see the Salvation of God; all the ends of the earth
shall see the Salvation of God (Isa. 52:10; Ps. 97:3). But Jesus in our language is called
Savior. Concerning whom Habakkuk also promises himself joy, saying: I will rejoice in God
my Jesus (Hab. 3:18). Behold, by the voices of the ancient Jews the Lord Jesus is declared
to be God. But now the Jews await a Savior whom they in no way believe to be God. But
perhaps the Jews strive to reject this in their own mouth, and while they interpret Jesus
as Savior, they understand God the Savior not as the person of the Only-begotten, but of
the Father; nevertheless in the same place it is added, whereby the person of the Only-
begotten is more openly demonstrated: O Lord God, he says, my strength, set my feet in
completion, and place me upon the heights, that I may conquer in his glory (Ibid. 19).
Behold, he speaks to God saying: Place me upon the heights. But because he says: I shall
conquer in his glory, there is certainly another of whom he speaks. Who therefore is he of
whom he speaks except the only-begotten Son of God, whom he believes to be not only true
man, but also God? Therefore when he speaks to God, saying:

I will rejoice in God my Jesus, and I shall conquer in his glory, he demonstrates not
another God, but another person of God. These are the reasonings of holy Church, these are
the invincible assertions spread throughout the whole world against the faithlessness of
the Jews. Therefore holy Church has her mouth opened wide against her enemies, because
now, with God as author, it is known everywhere, whereby the faithlessness of the Jews is
also refuted. Therefore let those who deny the Salvation of God hear the reason for the
opened mouth, and let them be struck by the argument of our Savior's joy for their own
confusion. But they can be struck, yet they refuse to cease from their blasphemies.
Already the world has received the Salvation of God, all flesh has seen, the Jew does not
believe, because, as I said, he awaits a Savior who is not God. Therefore let them hear
the curse of the prophet saying: Cursed is the man who trusts in man, and whose heart
departs from the Lord (Jer. 17:5). The Jews trust in a man, who refuse to believe in the
Redeemer, while they await the Antichrist at the end of the world. For their confusion the
Psalmist proclaims, saying: All the ends of the earth have seen the Salvation of God (Ps.
97:3). As if he confounds the faithlessness of the Jews saying: Why do you defer visions
to the future?

He whom you await has already come, he whom you held as promised has already appeared to
all the ends of the earth; when you closed your eyes, he passed by; indeed you have become
so blind that such great light stood before you, and you did not see. Therefore, shout
joyfully to the Lord all the earth, sing, and exult, and make melody; make melody to our
God on the harp, and with the voice of psalm, with trumpets of beaten metal, and with the
sound of the horn trumpet. Shout joyfully in the presence of the Lord the King; let the
sea be moved and its fullness, the world, and all who dwell in it. The rivers shall clap
their hands together, the mountains shall exult before the face of the Lord, because he
comes, because he comes to judge the earth (Ibid. 4, seq.). As if to say: Because they are
pressed by such immense blindness that they did not deserve to see, you who have seen,
rejoice more abundantly. But how wonderfully and ineffably one ought to rejoice, heaping
up signs of joy, he says: Shout joyfully, sing, and make melody. Also desiring to convey
the celebration of gladness, enumerating its instruments, he says: Make melody to the Lord
on the harp, and harp, and with the voice of psalm, with trumpets of beaten metal and with
the sound of the horn trumpet, shout joyfully in the presence of the Lord the King.

What does "in the presence of the King" mean, except in the knowledge of the Redeemer? But
he explains by how many this solemnity of joys is to be performed, saying: Let the sea be
moved, and its fullness, the world, and all who dwell in it. O unhappy Judea, the ends of
the earth have seen the Salvation of God, all the earth moved shouts joyfully, the whole
world rejoices, the rivers clap with their hands, the mountains exult; but the impious
hearts of the Jews do not believe, and in the darkness of their blindness they are struck
with the punishment of envy. But him whom they do not fear to blaspheme, holy Church more
attentively commends, saying: (Verse 2. There is none holy as the Lord is. 5. In the
description of the Redeemer, all things are designated as incomparable. For the true
Redeemer is shown from this: that in everything said concerning His glory, no one is
compared to Him. For He redeemed all who excels all. This is rightly said against Judea,
which despises the Redeemer all the more boldly because it recalls having had many men who
shone with great praise of holiness. Hence it is that when reproaching the man whose sight
was restored, they say: "You be His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that
God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this man is from" (John 9:28-29). Hence
likewise they boast and say: "We are the seed of Abraham, and we have never served anyone"
(John 8:33). But Moses was a man, Abraham was a man, Christ was a man. However, they were
assumed for speaking with God; He was assumed into divinity. They were assumed for
ministry; He, as the Only-begotten, was assumed to the kingdom. Hence He also speaks,
saying: "All things that the Father has are mine" (John 16:15). There is none holy as the
Lord is. Sacred Scripture also testifies to this, saying: "In whom dwells all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily" (Col. 2:9). Hence John says: "From His fullness we have all
received" (John 1:16). There is none holy as the Lord is. Because in that He is declared
Lord, the excellence of His holiness is commended.

But the Jews assert that the Christ whom they await is a mere man, and yet they believe He
will be their Lord and uniquely holy. But the Psalmist, reproving them, exhorts us to the
joy of faith, saying: "Shout joyfully to God, all the earth; serve the Lord with gladness.
Enter into His presence with exultation; know that the Lord Himself is God" (Psalm
100:1-3). They call Him Lord who is not God. Therefore we must shout for joy, we must
serve with gladness, who have such a Lord who is also truly believed to be God, who proved
the majesty of divinity that He claimed for Himself by incomparable miracles. Let those
who deny His invisible divinity believe in His manifest works. But how wondrous is that
holiness which sanctifies sinners! Hence He says of the sinful woman: "Her many sins are
forgiven, because she loved much" (Luke 7:47). The woman with the flow of blood,
recognizing this excellence of holiness, said: "If I touch even the fringe of His garment,
I shall be saved" (Matt. 9:21). But who would affirm her faith if the effect of faith were
not evident? For when she touched His garment, the blood stopped. There is none holy,
therefore, as the Lord is, because whoever was able to be holy received from His gift that
he might be able to be holy. For the holy Church, suggesting this in the following words,
turns to the same Redeemer out of exceeding love, saying: (Verse 2) For there is no other
besides You.

6. "Holy" is understood. Someone would be holy outside of him, if without the gift of the
Only-begotten one could have had the spirit of sanctification. But who would dare assert
this about men, when it is by no means established about the Angels? For it is written:
"By the word of the Lord the heavens were established, and all their power by the spirit
of his mouth" (Psalm 32:6). The Word of the Lord is the Only-begotten of God. The
evangelist John, indeed pointing to him, says: "In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). If therefore even the angels are
believed to be sanctified in the Son, much more is it believed about men that they cannot
find the grace of sanctification outside of him. 7. This can also be understood without
any implied meaning. Therefore when she says: "Nor is there any other besides you," what
else is designated in the Redeemer but the immutability of the divine essence? Hence he
also says to the blaspheming Jews: "Before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58). Intimating the
same thing to Moses in Genesis, he says: "I am who I am" (Exodus 3:14). For the only-
begotten God's being is never to be dissimilarly. This state is certainly as far removed
from all mortals as it is more clearly known that they are changed through many things at
every single moment. This can also pertain to the state of justice, because the being of
the elect is to remain in God through justice. And because the only-begotten of God is
God, there is no one outside him, because none of the elect exists except in him. But if
this is referred to his divinity, so that it in no way empties the understanding of his
humanity, because one who does not have faith in the divine Incarnation cannot be just;
therefore the Jews are struck by these individual words, who, while they despise the
Redeemer, await the Antichrist, who is clearly proven not to be God. Hence it is also said
through blessed Job: "Let the companions of him who is not dwell in his tent" (Job 18:15).
The tent of the Antichrist is the love of faithlessness, by which he contradicts the faith
of the Redeemer.

In this tent indeed the Jews now remain, because while they lovingly inhabit the position
of their faithlessness, they fight against the Redeemer. They are also said to be
companions of him who is not, because in their purpose they aid the devil, who, when he
fell from the love of that supreme essence, immediately lost true being. For him, indeed,
not to be is to be unable to return to that supreme blessed essence through participation
in love. And because the people of the Jews had not only the arduous way of life of the
ancient fathers, but also the display of miracles for the increase of their pride, it is
added: (Verse 2) "And there is none mighty like our God." 8. As if to restrain Judea in
her vain boasting, he says: Those whom you claim did great things were mere men; He whom I
proclaim was not only a holy man, but also mighty God. Therefore, when strength is
considered, excellence is indicated, because truly all strength of man is utterly weak in
comparison to the divinity. Yet in this passage, the assertion of divinity does not prove
the excellence of the work, but the incomparability of strength shows the truth of the
divinity. As if to say: In this it is known that he spoke true things, because he proved
the divinity which he claimed for himself by incomparable works. Hence through himself he
says: "If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would have no
sin" (John 15:24). Now indeed the works themselves must be examined. Moses divided the sea
(Exodus 14:12), Elijah divided the river (2 Kings 2:8); our Lord Jesus walked upon the sea
(Matthew 14:24). What then is more elegant—to provide a way for the people passing through
in the dry bed of the deep, or to make the very surface of the sea a way? For they,
because they were weighed down by the burden of humanity, sought a way on the solid floor
of the deep by which they might proceed; but He who is known to have assumed the weakness
of human nature into the height of divinity was carried upon the waters by his own power.

Moses obtained the splendor of his countenance from communion with the word of the Lord
(Exodus 34:29), Joshua fixed the sun by his prayers (Joshua 10:12-13); but because Jesus
is God, he shone forth before his disciples with the power of the sun. The children of
Israel could not gaze upon the face of the former; those who were worthy to behold the
glory of the latter fell down, so that you might openly recognize that what transcended
human capacity was divine. To Him, while those others stood by on the mountain, it was
said by the eternal Father: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; listen to
him" (Matthew 17:5-6). And therefore also Elijah, who shut heaven so that it would not
rain, and opened it so that it would rain (1 Kings 17:1)—what is he in comparison to Him
who, with the heavens opened, presented the Father as witness of his divine generation?
Therefore there is none strong like the Lord, because whatever power Moses was able to
show, the Lord, not Moses himself, performed. But Jesus displayed everything that he did
wonderfully by his own power, because he was Lord even of Moses. For it was not Moses who
rained manna on the people journeying through the desert, but the Lord (Exodus 16:13ff.).
It was not Moses, but the Lord who went before the people in a pillar of fire by night and
of cloud by day (Exodus 14:19).

It was not Moses, but the Word that came to him who brought forth water from the rock
(Exodus 17:6). It was not Moses, but the Lord who provided birds to those who desired them
(Exodus 16:17). Hence the Lord also restrains the Jews glorying in the strength of their
fathers, saying: "Not Moses, but my Father gave you bread from heaven" (John 6:32). 46
Hence the Psalmist, not vainly extolling Moses but laudably exalting the Lord, says: "He
did wonders in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan; he divided the sea and led them
through, and made the waters stand as in a heap. He led them with a cloud by day, and all
the night with a light of fire. He brought water out of the rock, and caused waters to
flow down like rivers. He commanded the clouds above and opened the doors of heaven, and
rained down manna for them to eat, and rained flesh upon them like dust, and winged birds
like the sand of the sea" (Psalm 78:12ff.). But the Lord Jesus, incomparably strong,
appeared not in another's power but in his own. Hence, powerful of himself, commanding the
paralytic, he says: "I say to you, arise" (Matthew 9:6). Hence also it is written: "As
many as touched him were made well from whatever illness held them" (Mark 6:56). And
again: "Power went out from him and healed all" (Luke 6:19).

For this mark of strength neither Moses nor Elijah could have, so that while incomparable
signs were made known, they might most clearly designate the coming of the Only-begotten.
Rightly therefore the Synagogue is condemned to perpetual silence, when it is added:
(Verse 3) "Do not multiply speaking lofty things. Let old things depart from your mouth."
9. As if to say: While you perceive incomparably new things, you reproachfully bring forth
the deeds of the ancients. For those things had preceded as a shadow, as it were. But now
the faithful openly and reverently adore these works of our Redeemer, because what was
shadowed there by the concealment of the sacrament became manifest at the coming of the
Redeemer, having awaited the body of the truth to be revealed. Therefore, if they are
referred to the new things, they are not old, because understood in the Holy Spirit, they
receive no oldness. Concerning that Spirit indeed who renews all things, the Psalmist
prays, saying: "Send forth your spirit and they shall be created, and you shall renew the
face of the earth" (Psalm 103:30). Therefore they are old, if they are compared with the
works of the Redeemer; but when we bring forth those things spiritually to confirm these,
they are renewed by the same Spirit by which we understand these. Therefore when holy
Church reproves the Jews concerning the narration of old things, what else is indicated
than that they understand carnally the spiritual deeds of the Fathers? For the Synagogue
raises itself against holy Church all the more rashly, the more proudly it is exalted by
knowledge of the law and the prophets, which it learned was divinely inspired to its
fathers, but exhibited to itself only materially. Hence follows: "Do not multiply speaking
lofty things, glorying. And that they might cease to be puffed up, she adds, saying:

"Let old things depart from your mouth. For those things are now old to her which, as I
said, are not understood through the renewing Spirit. Therefore it is as if to say: It is
fitting that you be silent from the narration of those things whose new and splendid
meanings you do not know. And even if you understand these things subtly, they ought not
to furnish you the swelling of arrogance, because God is the Lord of knowledge. For the
Redeemer of the human race, because He is the Word of the most high Father, is indeed the
Lord of all knowledge. For Isaiah spoke lofty and great things, Jeremiah spoke great
things; but surely they would have said nothing if this Word, the Lord of knowledge, had
not indicated knowledge to them before they spoke. Hence also it is frequently read in the
books of the same prophet Isaiah: "The word that was made to Isaiah the prophet.
Frequently also it is written in the book of Jeremiah: "The word that was made to Jeremiah
the prophet. John, beholding this Word, the Lord of knowledge, in the most high bosom of
the supreme Father, says: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God" (John 1:1). Hence Paul, intimating that our Redeemer is the Lord of
knowledge, says: "Because in him dwells all the fullness of the divinity bodily"
(Colossians 2:9). Therefore when she says:

"Let old things depart from your mouth, because God is the Lord of knowledge," what else
is it to say, except to show to the Synagogue by clear reason that she ought to be silent
all the more carefully, inasmuch as she does not know not only what those things are which
she says, but also from whom they are? As if to say: That knowledge which you assert
belonged to your fathers ought not to have given you arrogance, inasmuch as it was not
theirs but of the only-begotten Son of God, and you do not understand that very same
knowledge. Therefore she says: "Let old things depart from your mouth. So that the Jews
may by no means corrupt what they are unable to understand rightly. "God," she says, "is
the Lord of knowledge," so that what they prove to be truly of God, they may not falsely
ascribe to men. But while Judea is reproved for words of boasting, because she is not
stung by any fear, torments are also announced to her concerning the hidden movements of
faithless hearts. For there follows: (Verse 3. And their thoughts are prepared.

10. As if to say: Him whom you do not fear to blaspheme, you will have as judge not only
of your tongue, but also of your heart. Hence also through Isaiah He threatens, saying: "I
am coming to gather their works and thoughts" (Isaiah 66:18). Hence the Lord, threatening
through Moses, says: "Are not these things stored up with me, and sealed in my treasures"
(Deuteronomy 32:34)? And because by these words silence is commanded to the Synagogue, let
us now see with what praises of her fruitfulness holy Church glories in the voice of Anna.
For she adds and says: (Verse 4) The bow of the mighty has been overcome. 11. What is the
bow of the strong, if not the fraudulent savagery of the Jews? For from concealment, as if
from a bow, they had inflicted a wound upon the Redeemer, whom they were killing by the
hands of the Gentiles. But the bow of the strong was overcome, because he who died by
their wound rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and sent the promised Holy Spirit to
the disciples. Whence it is added: (Verse 5.) And the weak have been girded with strength.

12. Indeed, by the name of strength, the power of the Holy Spirit is shown. Hence the
Lord, promising this same Spirit to the disciples, says: 'But remain in the city until you
are clothed with power from on high' (Luke 24:49). And the grace of the Holy Spirit is
rightly called strength, because when the elect receive it, they become strong against all
adversities of this world. But who are the weak in this place to be understood as, if not
the apostles? But they were certainly weak when the bow of the mighty was bent, not when
they were clothed with power from on high. For in the hour of the Lord's arrest it is
written of them that, 'leaving the Lord, they all fled' (Matthew 26:56). Was not Peter
very weak then, when he feared the voice of a questioning servant girl and denied the
Redeemer (Matthew 26:63, 74)? Already indeed the bow of the mighty had been overcome, the
savagery of the Jews brought to nothing, because the Redeemer had risen after conquering
death; and yet still the weak apostles feared the overcome mighty ones behind closed doors
(John 20:19). But where strength clothed them, it is fitting to observe how strong it made
them. For the Holy Spirit came upon them with a sudden sound, and changed their weakness
into the power of wonderful love (Acts 2:2ff.). For they began to preach Christ, now
clothed with strength, who had not been ashamed to flee and hide from the threats of
persecutors;

and those who had feared the words of women broke the authority of rulers with freedom.
Strength conquered fear, overcame terrors, threats, and slaughter; and those whom it
clothed by coming upon them, it adorned with the insignia of marvelous boldness in the
heavenly warfare, so that amid scourges, slaughter, and reproaches they did not fear, but
rejoiced. For it is written of them now clothed with this strength: 'The apostles went
from the presence of the council rejoicing, because they were counted worthy to suffer
disgrace for the name of Jesus' (Acts 5:41). Hence now preaching, they say: 'Count it all
joy, brothers, when you fall into various trials' (James 1:2). Well therefore it is said:
'The bow of the mighty is overcome, and the weak are girded with strength.' Because first
the Redeemer rose from the dead, and thus went to heaven, and sent the Holy Spirit to the
disciples. For first the bow of the mighty had to be overcome, and afterward the weak were
to be girded with strength. Hence it is also written: 'The Spirit had not yet been given,
because Jesus had not yet been glorified' (John 7:39).

13. In this passage it must be noted that this is said against Judea, which despises the
miracles of the Redeemer all the more proudly insofar as it recognizes that He died amid
torments. She says therefore: "The bow of the mighty is overcome, and the weak are girded
with strength." As if she were answering the Synagogue that slanders the death of the
Redeemer, saying: Do not despise the fact that He was able to die, but rather marvel that,
having died, He rose again, and by coming back to life overcame the savagery of your
nation. And because she shows this concerning the past, she speaks to her not only by
proclaiming but by reproaching. For as if she were rebuking one who taunts in vain, she
says: What did it profit you to have killed Him whom the snare of death could not hold?
You killed Him lest the whole world should go after Him; but for this very reason the
whole world goes after Him, because He proved Himself to be the true Son of God — by
redeeming the human race through dying, by showing Himself alive through rising again, by
ascending to heaven, and by sending the promised Holy Spirit to His disciples. And because
the Synagogue, on account of its deserved unbelief, was driven from participation in the
promised grace, holy Church, reproaching her for this very thing, adds and says: (Verse
5.) "Those who were full before have hired themselves out for bread, and those who were
hungry have been satisfied."

14. Who were previously filled, if not those who had the knowledge of God before the other
peoples? Who then should be understood as previously filled other than the Jews, who were
instructed in faith in the Creator almost from the very beginning of the world? They
indeed hired themselves out for bread. For what do "breads" signify in this place, if not
the mysteries of the divine Incarnation? And the place for finding the breads is Sacred
Scripture. Hence also the Bread who descended from heaven says to those who do not know
where to find him: "Search the Scriptures, for it is they that bear witness about me"
(John 5:39). They therefore hired themselves out for bread, because they had received all
the Scriptures so that in them they should have found the sacraments of the divine
Incarnation. But when the Bread came, the Synagogue, which had hired itself out for bread,
abandoned the place in which it should have found the bread it was seeking. It had the
Scriptures, as I said, for recognizing the Redeemer, but it rejected him when he came
according to the Scriptures. The hungry, therefore, were satisfied, because those from the
Gentiles who believed, while they reverently receive the mysteries of the divine
Incarnation, possess heavenly food for the enjoyment of interior delight. They are indeed
called hungry because, before the coming of the Redeemer, cast out by the famine of
unbelief, they had no food of spiritual refreshment.

Or certainly they are called hungry because they receive the sweetness of spiritual food
with great eagerness. But let the filled, who hired themselves out for bread, hear the one
they were awaiting: "I am the living bread who came down from heaven" (John 6:33, 41 ff.).
But because they did not deserve to recognize him, they answered: "Is this not the son of
Joseph? How does he say that he came down from heaven? (Luke 4:22; John 6:42). But he
himself, who knew all things, was prophesying that the hungry would come to the banquet of
his delight, saying: "Amen I say to you, that from the East and the West they will come,
and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, but the children
of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness" (Matt. 8:11–12). The filled,
therefore, hired themselves out for bread, but the hungry are satisfied, because the
children of the Synagogue had in the Holy Scriptures the nourishment of faith concerning
the future Incarnation of the Redeemer; but now, with them cast aside, while the Gentiles
truly believe in him, they receive the sacraments of his divinity and humanity in the
refreshment of innermost delight.

15. For since it is said by the distinguished Doctor: 'They all ate the same food, and all
drank the same spiritual drink (for they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them,
and the rock was Christ)' (1 Cor. 10:3–4), it can reasonably be gathered that those ate
and were not satisfied, while these ate and were satisfied. Which is indeed rightly said
by holy Church against the Synagogue, so that those who are under grace may be shown to
surpass with wondrous exaltation those placed under the law. For what was it for them to
hire themselves out for bread, except to search out in sacred Scripture the mysteries of
the coming Redeemer? Of whom indeed each one ate and was not satisfied, because he
believed in the future Incarnation of the supreme Only-begotten but did not see it
present. For him, to eat was to sweetly hold the divine Incarnation in the desire of his
mind, and not to be satisfied was not to see His longed-for presence. But the weak, who
were to be girded with strength, heard the proclamations of their satisfaction from the
bread by which they were satisfied: 'Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. Amen I
say to you, that many kings and prophets wished to see what you see and did not see, and
to hear what you hear and did not hear' (Matt. 13:16–17). For those who wished to see were
already eating the bread of inmost delight through desire;

but because they could not see, they had the joy of desire but did not have the enjoyment
of satisfaction. For even if Scripture says: 'That bread having every pleasantness and all
sweetness, God gave to them' (Wis. 16:20), it is said to be received by them in the way it
was known—in the way that, known by them through faith, it could be longed for through the
desire of charity. Therefore, against the Synagogue glorying in the early fathers, those
girded with strength are set above, so that while the new and lofty summit of the elect is
beheld, it may no longer glory in vain. And because the food of life is never taken away
from the table of holy Church, intimating things future as well as past, she says: (Ver.
6) 'Until the barren woman has borne many, and she who had many children has grown
feeble.'

16. Who is the barren one, if not holy Church, as we have already said more fully above in
the type of Anna? What then does it mean that the hungry are satisfied until the barren
woman gives birth, if not to possess the bread of life until the end of the world? Which
He Himself also promises, saying: "Behold, I am with you even until the consummation of
the age" (Matt. 28:20). For those whom holy Church brings forth are none other than the
hungry. Therefore, as long as she gives birth, the hungry are satisfied, because until the
end of the world she begets children for God, who, while they believe that the Redeemer
has come in the flesh, eat the bread of life which they desire and are filled with
fullness. But while the barren woman gives birth to very many, she who had many sons is
weakened. For the Synagogue to be weakened is to be unable to bring forth by the
institution of the old law. For she who lost the faith of her former husband now gives
birth to the devil and no longer to God. And rightly it is said, "She who had many sons,"
because while in the truth of the Scriptures she anciently taught the people subject to
her to desire the coming of the future Redeemer, she was bringing forth sons from the
embrace of the heavenly Bridegroom. But now she who had sons is weakened and has no sons.

She indeed presents the Scriptures to her hearers, but because she denies the Redeemer,
she never begets children for God. Therefore she is said to be weakened, to whom spiritual
fruitfulness is denied. And because both the rejection of the Synagogue and the election
of the Gentiles were accomplished by the incomprehensible judgment of God, there follows:
(Verses 6–8. "The Lord kills and gives life, He brings down to the grave and raises up;
the Lord makes poor and makes rich; He humbles and He exalts. He raises the needy from the
dust and lifts the poor from the dunghill, that he may sit with princes and hold a throne
of glory." 17. As if responding to someone astounded at the rejection of so chosen a
people, he says: Why do you seek reason in these things which the supreme Reason does
incomprehensibly? Reproving this very manner of inquiry, the outstanding teacher also
says: 'O man, who are you to answer back to God? Does the thing formed say to its maker:
Why have you made me thus? Does not the potter have power over the same lump of clay to
make one vessel indeed for honor, and another for dishonor' (Rom. 9:20-21)? It is
therefore as if he were saying: Since the Lord of all is rightly acknowledged, let us
recognize that His work, both in the rejection of Judea and in the election of the
Gentiles, is to be revered and not scrutinized. The Lord indeed kills, because by
incomprehensible judgment He separates the once-chosen Jewish people from the knowledge of
truth and condemns them forever. He gives life, because He receives the Gentile people in
time through faith unto the knowledge of His Only-Begotten, and leads them eternally to
the contemplation of His glory. He leads down to the underworld, because by His strict
judgment avenging Gehenna receives for everlasting punishment those who through the fault
of unbelief separate themselves from the worship of the Redeemer. He brings back from the
underworld, because He takes up the Gentile people devoutly approaching faith in His Son,
for whom the immense darkness of error had been like a deep prison of the abyss.

He makes poor and enriches, because He strips rejected Judea of spiritual virtues, and
adorns the chosen Gentile people with both the treasure of faith and the splendors of good
works. He is also said to humble and to exalt. For the Synagogue, by withdrawing from the
Redeemer, cast down the heights of its own sublimity, and holy Church, by worshiping the
Redeemer, rose from the depths of unbelief where it had lain cast down, to the height of
right faith and the eminence of Christian authority. Therefore, because Judea despised the
Son of God and the Gentile people merited Him, rightly the former is believed to have been
humbled and the latter exalted. There follows: 'Raising up the needy from the dust, and
lifting the poor from the dunghill, that he may sit with princes and hold a throne of
glory.' 18. The needy and poor one is understood as the gentile people, who is said to be
raised from the dust and lifted from the dung, because when he is received into the faith
of the Redeemer, both his lesser and graver sins are forgiven. For since dust is easily
shaken off, while filth that defiles with dung fouls horribly, dust signifies lighter sins
and dung graver sins. Rightly also the needy one is said to be raised from the dust, and
the poor one lifted from the dung. For he was sleeping among those things from which he
could be roused by a light touch of grace. But he was lying among those things because,
having fallen into graver sins, he needed the hand of great help. But now let us hear to
what height of honor the needy one who is raised from the dust, and the poor one who is
lifted from the dung, is advanced.

19. That he may sit with princes, and hold the throne of glory. Now who are designated as
princes in this place if not the holy apostles? Concerning these princes, indeed, it is
said to God through the Psalmist: You shall make them princes over all the earth; they
shall remember your name, O Lord (Ps. 44:17, 18). What does it mean that the poor man sits
with princes, except that the order of preachers, chosen from among the nations, obtains
in the holy Church the height of apostolic authority? He sits with princes, indeed,
because from the throne of heavenly teaching he sets forth the doctrine of salvation. And
he holds the throne of glory, because he spreads the fragrance of good reputation among
those over whom he stands preeminent in dignity. Or certainly he holds the throne of glory
and sits with princes, because he both shines with the honor of sublimity and gleams with
miracles. But He who is raised up to such sublime dignity indicates how one ought to use
it, when He adds: (Verse 8.) For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and He has set
the world upon them.

20. The hinges of the earth are the extremities of the earth. By the name of hinges, he
wished to designate those chosen preachers from among the nations. They are called the
extremities of the earth because they are brought forth from the lowly and, in a certain
sense, despised condition of the Gentiles. They are indeed called the hinges of the Lord
on account of the mortification of their own will. They are truly the Lord's, because they
do not seek their own interests, but those of Jesus Christ. But when they are called the
Lord's, a certain singular holiness is indicated in them. Let those who are the Lord's
consider that the world is placed upon them, not beneath them. For what is designated by
the name of the world but the fullness of the faithful subject to the holy Church? God
placed the world upon the hinges of the earth, because preachers are set over the holy
Church for this purpose: that they may relieve the weakness of others and carry the feeble
toward the heavenly homeland, as though bearing a weight placed upon them. Therefore, they
should not always look upon themselves as superiors, but sometimes as subjects, so that by
discipline they may preside over the restraining of vices, yet by the esteem and obedience
of their ministry they may often be subordinate to those over whom they hold the charge of
governance. And because the burdens that preachers bear are great, he adds and says:
(Verse 9.) He will guard the feet of his holy ones,

21. As if to say: Under such immense burdens they would collapse, if the Lord did not
preserve their feet. The feet of His saints are indeed the affections of their minds.
These are truly preserved by the Lord, because through Him the grace of wondrous devotion
is poured in, by which they bear so great a burden willingly. The Lord is said to preserve
the feet of His saints because they would flee the mass of so great a weight, if charity
infused from above did not lighten what would otherwise be intolerably heavy for them. The
standing of fortitude can also be signified by the term "feet. The Lord preserves the feet
of His saints when He strengthens them with wondrous fortitude, so that under such immense
burdens they by no means fall. And because He is said to preserve not one foot but feet,
what do we understand by each foot of the saints, if not fortitude and humility? For lest
we fall, we stand on both feet. For whoever presides over faithful flocks, on the way by
which they journey toward the heavenly homeland, encounters now prosperity, now adversity.
For prosperity itself, because it stirs up elation in the mind, assails it greatly toward
a fall; yet lest the chosen mind fall, it strives to stand firm on the foot of fortitude
on one side, and stands on the foot of humility on the other.

It would indeed retain a firm standing between each temptation, if it stood with such
solid humility that no prosperity would lift it up and no adversity would cast it down.
52. What then does it mean when it says, "He will keep the feet of His saints," except
that all human virtue is weak without the help of the Creator? For our weak humility,
while it is soothed by the favor of prosperity, is overthrown by the impulse of foolish
joy. Our weak fortitude, while it is struck by adversity, is easily overcome. But we are
crushed by sorrows and enfeebled by joys when Almighty God abandons us to ourselves, not
when He bestows the help of His protection. Therefore He says, "He will keep the feet of
His saints," because Almighty God aids our weakness in bearing the burdens of those
subject to us, so that neither adversities wear us down nor joys seduce us. Our feet are
indeed preserved by the Lord when, strengthened by divine help, we despise the joys of the
world that confront us, fear no adversities, when with steadfast patience we willingly
bear evils, and with unshaken humility we restrain our lofty spirit from vain delight.

22. Moreover, the feet of the saints can be understood as faith in and love of the
Redeemer. By these feet indeed they walk, when they follow with love Him whom the faithful
believe through faith. He who prayed was indeed asking that these feet be preserved for
him by the Lord, saying: 'Set me upon the heights, that I may conquer in His glory' (Hab.
3:19). He is set upon the heights to whom the divinity of the Redeemer is revealed. And he
conquers in His glory, because while he is illuminated by the rays of His glory, all the
temptations of the evil spirit are destroyed. He keeps his feet set firm upon the mountain
who is lofty in the contemplation of truth and kindled with love for Him whom he believes
to be the Only-begotten of the most high Father. Peter indeed was set upon the heights,
who, when he confessed the Lord, saying: 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God',
immediately heard: 'Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed
this to you, but my Father who is in heaven' (Matt. 16:16–17). For founded in faith,
kindled with charity, he also preached Him whom he loved. Well therefore is it added
concerning the reprobate: (Verse 9) 'And the wicked shall be silenced in darkness.'

23. For who are understood as the ungodly in this place, if not the Jews, who are
strangers to the devotion of the true faith, and stained with the blood of the Redeemer's
death? Of whom it is rightly said: "In darkness they shall be silent," because the saints,
established upon the heights, confess with eternal praises the Redeemer of the world, whom
they behold in the brightness of the divine majesty. Therefore the ungodly are silent in
darkness, because the Jews do not proclaim the Redeemer, since that ineffable brightness
of divinity does not illuminate them. For it is written: "Let the ungodly be taken away,
that he may not see the glory of the Lord" (Isa. 26:10). Indeed, beholding them condemned
in these darknesses, John says: "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did
not comprehend it" (John 1:5). Hence David, not wishing but prophesying, says: "Let their
eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back always" (Ps. 68:24).
Therefore the ungodly are silent in darkness, because even though the Jews utter the words
of divine Scripture in the praises of God, while they deny the Son, they consecrate no
service of their voices to God the Father. For he is silent before God who, while praising
the Father, is silent about the praise of the Only-begotten. But Him whom they despise as
crucified, when He comes as Judge they shall tremble before. Whence it is also added:
(Verses 9, 10.) "For not by his own strength shall a man be strengthened; the adversaries
of the Lord shall fear Him."

24. But now he is hardened in unbelief, strong in error, and he who scorns to believe God
does not fear to blaspheme boldly. As a mighty man indeed he cannot now be conquered, but
then he shall by no means be strengthened as a mighty man, when He who was crucified by
their treachery shall be seen in His majesty. Then His adversaries shall tremble, when
they see all things shaken by the power of the Crucified One, when all things are
subjected to His judgment, when through the high heavens they hear the thundering
judgments of their eternal damnation. Whence it is also added: (Ver. 10.) And He shall
thunder upon them in the heavens. 25. For who are designated by the name of "heavens" in
this place, if not the holy apostles? To these heavens indeed the Lord, promising the
glory of His sublimity, says: "You will sit upon thrones judging the twelve tribes of
Israel" (Matt. 19:28). The Lord, intimating to the Jews the thunders of these heavens,
says: "They themselves will be your judges" (Luke 11:19). Therefore He will then thunder
in the heavens upon the impious Jews, because they will then hear from the holy apostles
the terrible judgments of their damnation, so that they may receive the sentence of
eternal death at their examination—they who afflicted with persecutions those who were
humbly preaching the goods of eternal life. And that these things should be understood
concerning the last judgment, there follows: (Verse 10) "The Lord will judge the ends of
the earth."

26. What are the ends of the earth, if not the furthest parts of this world? Indeed the
Lord judges the ends of the earth, so that the sentence of His equity may leave nothing
unpunished or unrewarded, because while He concludes the final things in judgment, He does
not abandon anything that must be examined. (Verse 10.) Then He will exalt the horn of His
Christ. 27. When He will receive all the elect into the eternal contemplation of His Only-
Begotten, so that He may preside over them with that eternal and ineffable Majesty — those
who, while they were living in the pilgrimage of the present life, were not with Him. Then
He will exalt the horn of His Christ, when in His loftiness the sublimity of the Redeemer
will be beheld. Concerning this sublimity, it is said through John: "We shall see Him as
He is" (1 John 3:2). For the power or kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ is always equal;
but it is said to be exalted then, when we shall be such as to be able to gaze upon His
sublimity; for whatever the human mind can now imagine to itself concerning that sublimity
is altogether nothing in comparison with that glory. For it is written concerning it:
"What eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, what
things God has prepared for those who love Him" (Isaiah 64:4; 1 Corinthians 2:9).
Therefore, first dominion is given to Christ, then His horn will be exalted, because then
the height of His sublimity is beheld, when our nature too is raised up from the depths of
its corruption, when by rising again it receives the wholeness of its renewal, by which it
may be able to contemplate the surpassing light of the Redeemer.

28. But if someone wishes to understand a kingdom by the horn, the holy Church is
designated by the kingdom of Christ. This horn will indeed be exalted, because our lowly
state will be brought to equality with the angels. Hence the Lord also says of the elect
in the Gospel: "They were like the angels of God in heaven" (Matt. 22:30). Concerning this
exaltation of His horn, He says again: "The righteous will shine like the sun in the
kingdom of their Father" (Matt. 13:43). The horn of Christ will therefore be exalted,
because the holy Church will be raised up in the eternal contemplation of her Redeemer;
and she who is now pressed down in this valley of misery by the punishment of her fallen
state will then, with death swallowed up, be lifted up, renewed at the summit of eternal
joy. But we have now set forth these things by typological exposition; it remains for us
to express them morally in the following volume.


COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS (BOOK TWO, CHAPTER 2.1)
=============================================

COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS continued

BOOK TWO

CHAPTER 2.1

1. In the previous book, while we were discussing the text of sacred history in a moral
sense, we placed Anna's fruitfulness in the perfection of the highest contemplation,
because for the mind to conceive is to rejoice ineffably in the contemplation of the
supreme omnipotence of God, while to give birth is to be unable to conceal the marks of
the charity conceived in the mind. Now, what does it mean for her who gives birth to sing
a canticle, if not to proclaim with true praises the Creator whom she loves ineffably? She
says therefore: (1 Samuel 2:1) My heart has exulted in the Lord. 2. But she who ate and
drank, who had a bitter spirit, who wept abundantly, who made a vow—because that mind can
worthily praise almighty God which has arrived at the heights of His love through worthy
struggles—she indeed learned through long practice to despise all things; and while she
casts aside all created things from her attention, she rejoices all the more in the vision
of eternal majesty, inasmuch as no appearance of any creature prevails to hold her back in
love of itself. She therefore says: "My heart has exulted in the Lord," she who, despising
all things, loves Him alone. He had indeed come to this same affection who said: "What
remains for me in heaven, and what have I desired from you upon the earth? (Ps. 72:25).
Hence, exulting in God, she says: "Your face, your face, O Lord, I will seek" (Ps. 26:3).
Hence the bride in the Canticles asks, saying: "Let him kiss me with the kiss of his
mouth" (Cant. 1:1). Therefore when she says, "My heart has exulted in the Lord," what else
does she glory in than that she has clung to the kisses of Him whom she ardently loves?
And for this reason she alone says these things, who knows from experience what the power
of love is in the bridegroom's chamber. For illuminated by victories over all passions and
raised to the summit of virtues, she arrived at that height from which, through the joy of
wondrous devotion and exultation, she placed her heart in God.

And because she says "my heart," what else has she declared than the freedom of her mind?
The reprobate indeed do not have their own hearts, because the devil possesses them.
Whence it is also said of the traitor: "When the devil had already put it into the heart
of Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray him" (John 13:2). For if Judas, and not the
devil, possessed his heart, he himself would rather have placed good in it than the devil
evil. On the contrary, the chosen man speaks, saying: "I carry my soul in my hands" (Job
13:14). For what else is the hand of the elect but the power of inner freedom? What then
is it for him to carry his soul in his hands, but to retain the glory of inner freedom in
his power? Therefore, as often as we gravely sin, we do not have our own heart. Wherefore
Jeremiah also, reproaching the Jewish people for sinning gravely, says: "Hear, O foolish
people, you who have no heart" (Jer. 5:21). Hence likewise another prophet, turning back,
confesses to God, saying: "Your servant has found his heart" (2 Kings 7:27). She therefore
says: "My heart has exulted in the Lord," to declare the freedom of mind without which she
could not worthily praise God. There follows: (Verse 1. "My horn is exalted in my God."

3. By the horn, the intention of the elect mind is designated, which is wonderfully
exalted when it arrives rejoicing at him who stands above all things. Hence she declares
that her horn is exalted not in anything else, but in God. For whoever loves passing
goods, his intention is assuredly lowered, not exalted, because it is fixed in the depths
where it is placed by desire. Hence it is that the Lord says in the Gospel: Where your
treasure is, there is your heart also (Matt. 6:21; Luke 12:34). Therefore the Lord wished
to exalt our horn when he said: Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven (Matt. 6:20,
33). Those to whom Paul conformed himself had an exalted horn, when he said: Our
conversation is in heaven (Phil. 3:20). But whoever loves only heavenly things, if he has
not known how to taste that sweetness of intimate delight, although he may be greatly
exalted, he has not yet reached the height of this exaltation. He, therefore, is sublime
with this exaltation who, advancing through the increase of virtues, has attained the
height of supreme contemplation—not only so as to love heavenly things perfectly, but also
so as to rest, in the perfection of love, in the contemplation of almighty God alone. He
has his horn exalted in God who enjoys the lofty vision of the interior light, in which he
glories with a certain familiar singularity. Wherefore she does not say, "In our God," but
"in my God.

For she says "my" of him whom she loves familiarly and singularly. To which dignity of
divine familiarity he had certainly arrived who said: You are my God, and I will give
thanks to you; you are my God, and I will exalt you (Ps. 117:28). Hence Isaiah says,
rebuking the unbelieving: Is it a small thing for you to be troublesome to men, that you
are troublesome also to my God (Isa. 7:13)? She, therefore, who is raised up by the
exaltation of her horn in God, singularly proclaims him her God, because that supreme
infusion of divine sweetness makes the exalted mind both receptive of itself and deeply
familiar. There follows: (Verse 1. My mouth is enlarged over my enemies. 4. Who are the
enemies of the elect mind, if not evil spirits? What then is it to have a widened mouth
over one's enemies, if not to reject all the persuasions of evil spirits by the most ample
bounty of grace poured into oneself? For he has a narrow mouth who cannot prevail against
all the deceits of evil spirits through the consideration of reason. For the mouth of the
mind is reason, and to speak is to deliberate. For the mouth is filled when the reason of
the mind is raised up through grace poured into it to the contemplation of the highest
truth. Indeed, for it to be filled is to be imbued with the illumination of the highest
truth. There it learns both what to desire eternally and what to despise temporally. And
because the highest truth is love, the elect soul is raised up by the subtlety of truth
and is inflamed with love for that thing which it has learned, and it keeps the teaching
all the more strictly, the more fervently the force of love embeds it within itself. To
this soul, even if evil spirits suggest evil things, they are confounded by the opening of
its widened mouth, because, instructed by the truth of the highest wisdom and kindled by
the torches of the highest love, it now possesses against the suggestion of error the
immense light of wisdom, and possesses against the offered pomp of this world an ineffable
love.

In the immensity of light it sees what to reject, and through the force of the highest
love it delights in rejecting the unworthy things which it knows. Through wisdom it
rebukes the evil things suggested, and in the power of love it refutes the things it has
detected. Therefore it widens its mouth over its enemies, because from the abundance of
reason it deliberates many things against the demons, and it destroys their objections all
the more keenly because it recognizes in lofty things that by which it may reject evil
suggestions. Whence, immediately intimating the cause, she says: 56 'Because I have
rejoiced in your salvation.' 5. Which is indeed as if she were saying: Because my horn is
exalted in my God. This certainly is to rejoice in the salvation of God, namely to have
one's horn exalted in one's God. This is not understood of just any joy of salvation, but
of that most perfect joy by which the chosen and perfected soul, in the manner of a bride,
rejoices in the bridegroom. Concerning which joy David entreats, saying: Restore to me the
joy of your salvation, and strengthen me with a princely spirit (Psalm 50:14). She,
therefore, who glories in having her mouth opened wide over her enemies, is described as
having first rejoiced in the salvation of God, because that blessed mind will be able to
powerfully reject the persuasions of malignant spirits, which, having been sublimely
raised up through contemplation into the divinity of the Redeemer, receives from Him both
the greatness of wisdom and the fullness of charity. Whom indeed she proclaims with worthy
praises, saying: (Verse 2.) There is none holy as the Lord is; for there is none other
beside you, and there is none strong like our God.

6. For by these words of Anna, every chosen soul cries out this in praise to the Redeemer,
which it believes to be a gift from him. But from this order of pious confession, the
order is indicated by which we may attain those same goods of the gift which she set forth
in sequence. Therefore the Lord is declared holy and strong, by whom we are sanctified,
led to rest, and glorified. We receive sanctification from the Lord in the power of
regeneration; but being—that is, rest from the changeableness of this corruption—in the
ending of exile; and strength in the triumph of the resurrection. Therefore we attain the
first of these gifts in this life, when the soul of each chosen one is in the flesh, but
both are still placed in the struggle of labor; the next, however, in the soul alone apart
from the flesh, after the life of the flesh, and now taken up from the labors of this
life; but the last, in flesh and soul, but both now renewed through the glory of eternity.
Therefore he is first called holy, because for those regenerated through the washing of
salvation, the love of God is poured into our hearts, through whose grace we are prepared
for the goods of the eternal homeland, so that while this life slips away through the time
of its course, that life may receive us, whose joy the departing souls of the elect from
here may possess without fear of death.

Then being is ascribed to him, because, secure, we await the day of our consummation,
namely the glory of the final resurrection, while in that gift of received rest we learn
not to fear the scrutiny of the final judgment, but to await the joy of the promised
glory. But in the last place he is declared strong, because in the joy of the future
resurrection our weaknesses are strengthened, when the flesh rises from the dust; but that
same dust of our flesh, transferred into the glory of perpetual incorruption, returns no
more to the misery of its frailty. But it should also be noted that in these three we are
led from one to another; but when one begins to have what was not had, he who receives
what he did not have does not lose what he had before. For when we are led from
sanctification to rest, and from the rest of the soul we are led to the strength of
eternal incorruption, both the sanctification of love is increased for us in that rest,
and rest and love grow greatly in the resurrection. For let each soul, joined to its
Creator through love, beholding such great gifts, say in the words of Anna how well the
gift of perfect regeneration and the power of love tastes to it. Let it say: There is none
holy as the Lord is. Let it say how much better a gift is the promise of rest in the hour
of its passing: Neither is there any other besides you.

Let it say how the most excellent and pleasing reward is its final renewal, in the joy of
its perfected spirit and glorified flesh. Let it say: And there is none strong like our
God. And it should be noted that Anna speaks this in a canticle of prayer. For to the
chosen mind, to ask these things in a canticle is to desire such great gifts with joy.
Indeed, for it to ask is to desire, and to rejoice is to sing. But she who so joyfully
beholds the gifts of her dignity, how strongly she reproaches hidden enemies becomes
known. For it follows, and says: (Verse 3) Do not keep talking so very proudly, boasting;
let old things depart from your mouth. 7. For evil spirits speak lofty and ancient things,
when they suggest to the faithful that the high things of this age, as they appear, should
be sought after. Therefore, one who has already learned to exalt his horn in God, who
knows how to be held in the joy of Majesty, looks down with reproach upon whatever is
offered to him from the enticements of this passing age, saying: "Do not multiply your
speech, boasting lofty things; let the old words depart from your mouth." As if he were
speaking openly and saying: "The things offered to me displease me precisely because
through desire I see other things that greatly please me."

8. Because this is indeed said to apply to one who is already recognized as fit for the
ministry of preaching, these words are fittingly understood as directed both against the
arrogantly wise and against those who neglect the profession of a holy life. For he speaks
lofty things boastfully who glories sublimely in the knowledge he has received, priding
himself on his understanding. And he speaks old things who, setting aside the words of
Holy Scripture, occupies himself with secular speech. Therefore it is said to the
arrogant: "Do not speak lofty things, boasting." By these words it is shown that he does
not forbid the manner of speech, but the disposition of the intention. As if he were
saying openly: speak lofty things, but flee from glorying in what is called high. Hence
Paul also piously admonishes his disciple, saying: "Be not high-minded, but fear" (Rom.
11:20). He did not say "Do not speak high things," but "Be not high-minded"; just as here
it does not say "Do not speak lofty things," but "Do not speak boastingly," because the
sacred words must be sought out on a deeper level, but the more deeply one advances in
seeking them out, the more one ought to restrain oneself from the swelling of vainglory
through the custody of humility. It is also said to those who speak idly: "Let old things
depart from your mouth." For old things are the words of the world, because while the mind
of the speaker is fixed upon them through intention, it is stripped of the beauty of its
devotion. The reason why those who boast should not speak lofty things, and why old things
should depart from their mouth, is shown by the cause that follows: (Verse 3) "Because the
Lord is a God of knowledge."

9. Let the one who is knowing and arrogant therefore hear that he himself is not the lord
of knowledge, but God is. For he would rightly speak boastfully if he himself, not
almighty God, had been the master of the knowledge by which he is puffed up. Let us also
hear, when we speak the words of the world, that God is the Lord of knowledge. For indeed
the knowledge not only of the New but also of the Old Testament now renews the minds of
the elect; for He came who would say: Behold, I make all things new (Isaiah 43:19). Since
therefore we have so many new things which we can speak, we are by no means able to speak
old things without fault. Let the old things therefore depart from our mouth, so that when
the fault of condemned oldness is restrained even from speech, we may pass over into the
beauty of the new man. But if indeed we despise this, let us hear: (Verse 3.) And by Him
thoughts are prepared.

10. As if from a lesser fault, with the comparison understood, he terrifies us, saying:
Hence let those who speak idle words consider how greatly they ought to fear the fault of
speech, if he to whom one sins by speaking reserves even the excesses of thoughts for the
examination of his judgment. Let the arrogant likewise hear what follows: (Verse 4.) The
bow of the mighty is overcome, and the weak are girded with strength. 11. For we have
already said in the allegorical exposition that unclean spirits are designated by the name
of these mighty ones. Since they fell from heavenly glory through pride, they are
fittingly set before proud teachers as a warning, so that they may now think humbly of
themselves to the degree that they contemplate how even angels fell from supreme glory
through the desire for vain glory. We recall that our Redeemer also did this with His
proud disciples, who, when they boasted of having demons subject to them, immediately
heard from Him: "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven" (Luke 10:18). The bow of the
mighty, therefore, is the pride of malignant spirits. They are called mighty either
because they thought great things of themselves, or because they overcome the human race
by the force of great temptations. This bow, when impious intent stretched it, strove to
hurl the arrows of its malice upward against its Creator. "I will set my throne in the
North," said their prince, "I will be like the Most High" (Isaiah 14:13–14). But the bow
of the mighty was overcome, because God resisted the pride of the apostate spirits, cast
them down from heaven, and stripped them of the glory of their created excellence, so that
in the fallen angels man might learn what to fear. For what will become of an earthen
vessel, if God does not spare even golden ones that are full of the stench of pride? Hence
Peter also speaks in his Epistle, saying: "God did not spare the angels who sinned, but
cast them down into hell with chains of darkness and delivered them to be reserved for
judgment" (2 Peter 2:4). It is as though an elect and humble preacher were saying to the
proud: That you may cease from your haughtiness, look upon the penalties of deserved
damnation in the angels who are like you — that is, the fallen ones.

12. And setting forth whom they ought to imitate, she says: 'And the weak have been girded
with strength.' If on account of the presumption of self-esteem the evil angels are called
strong, the name of the weak rightly belongs to the blessed spirits, who, presuming
nothing of themselves, are subject in perpetual humility to the power of their Maker. 'The
weak have been girded with strength,' because, by the merit of voluntary subjection, the
holy angels are joined to their Creator by the bond of inward love. To whom the name of
girding fittingly applies, because anyone who is girded is held fast on every side by the
belt with which he is girded, because clearly those most blessed spirits are so
established in eternity that they can never fall from it. Hence it is that an angel is
sent to Daniel preaching in Babylon, who is described as girded with fine gold (Dan.
10:5). Hence it is that the angel with whom John held conversation in the Apocalypse he
beheld encircled with a golden girdle about the breast. Because indeed those same blessed
spirits have risen from the merit of humility to the glory of love, but because they
possess that same glory in the embrace of eternity, and do not possess it in fear of
losing it, they are indeed ineffably glorious, but they can never lose that ineffable
glory.

Therefore, that the arrogant may cease to boast, let him hear: 'The bow of the mighty is
overcome.' And that, with the fault of pride condemned, they may advance in humility, it
is said to them: 'The weak have been girded with strength.' For strength is bestowed upon
the weak when, by the merit of subjection, the power of heavenly charity is poured into
the meek. We are also girded when we are prepared for the ministry of the word. Rightly
therefore the weak girded with strength are set before those who boast in lofty speech,
because those spirits who are sent forth in ministry, for the sake of those who receive
the inheritance of salvation, were humble before they were girded for ministry. For
weakness is mentioned first, but the girding of strength afterward. Paul indeed points out
to us these girded ones, saying: 'Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth in
ministry, for the sake of those who receive the inheritance of salvation' (Heb. 1:14)? Of
whom the prophet also speaks, saying: 'Thousands of thousands ministered to him' (Dan.
7:10). As if therefore she were saying: First know yourselves, and so prepare yourselves
for the salvation of others, because the good of preaching is then well fulfilled when the
preacher who is lofty in word strives to be humble in ministry. But because she rebukes
the proud and arrogant preachers by speaking, she adds, saying: (Verse 5) 'Those who were
full before have hired themselves out for bread, and the hungry have been satisfied.'

13. Those are filled first who, while they receive the foods of pride as refreshment for
the mind, cannot take in the delights of holy virtues, as though already full of food. But
nevertheless they hire themselves out for bread, because in the Scriptures which they
understand they think they receive spiritual gifts of virtues according to the greatness
of wisdom. But they cannot be satisfied, because they can in no way add the gifts of the
Holy Spirit to the fullness of arrogance. For the spirit of discipline itself flees from
what is feigned, and does not dwell in a body full of sins (Wisdom 1:5). Hence it is also
written: 'God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble' (1 Peter 5:5). In vain,
therefore, do they eagerly desire to receive the things of God, who by the very fact that
they are proud make the bestower of gifts their adversary. Therefore they cannot be
satisfied, because they do not obtain the gifts of spiritual graces. But who are the
hungry, if not those empty of the foods of vices, fasting from pride? The hungry,
therefore, are satisfied, because holy men, endowed with the stronghold of humility, while
they do not think highly of themselves, merit the lofty gifts of virtues. For through the
good of humility they become seats of the Holy Spirit, and while they receive him abiding
in them, they are more fully filled with his gifts. Whence the Lord also says through the
Prophet: 'Upon whom does my spirit rest, if not upon the humble, and quiet, and the one
trembling at my words' (Isaiah 66:2)? Greatly, therefore, are the hungry satisfied,
because in the fullness of gifts the Holy Spirit rests upon the humble.

14. This, however, can not unfittingly be said against negligent ministers of the sacred
altar and presumptuous receivers of the Lord's body. For those who hire themselves out for
bread were filled beforehand and saturated with the food of vices, because they do not
prepare their body for the reception of the Eucharist. They indeed eat and cannot be
satisfied, because even though they receive the sacrament with their mouth, they are in no
way filled with the power of the sacrament. They therefore fast from that power of the
sacrament precisely because they had been filled beforehand. For they do not receive the
fruit of salvation in the eating of the saving host, who carry in their mind the sins with
which they had filled themselves. Therefore none are satisfied except the hungry, because
those who perfectly fast from vices receive the divine sacraments in the fullness of their
power. And because even the elect cannot be without sin, what remains except that they
strive to be emptied daily of the sins with which human frailty does not cease to stain
them? For he who does not daily drain off what he commits in transgression, even if the
sins he heaps up are small, little by little the soul is filled, and they rightly take
from him the fruit of interior satisfaction. Paul, urging us to empty ourselves of this
fullness, says: "Let a man prove himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of
that cup" (1 Cor. 11:28).

For what does "prove" mean in this passage, except, having emptied out the wickedness of
sins, to present oneself approved and pure at the Lord's table? Concerning those who are
full he also adds: "For he who eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks judgment upon
himself. Therefore, since we sin daily, let us daily run to the laments of repentance,
because that alone is the power which empties out what guilt accumulates in the belly of
the soul. And then the hungry are truly satisfied, because the more diligently we are
cleansed by the lament of repentance, the more abundant the fruit of divine grace we
receive in spiritual refreshment. Because this satisfaction of the elect extends all the
way to the end of the world, she adds and says: (Verse 5. "Until the barren has borne
many, and she who had many children has grown feeble." 15. Who therefore is signified by
the name of this barren woman, if not she of whom Paul speaks, saying: "The Jerusalem
which is above is free, which is our mother" (Gal. 4:26, 27)? Whence also shortly after he
fitted to her the prophecy of Isaiah, saying: "For it is written: Rejoice, O barren one
who does not bear; break forth and cry out, you who do not travail, for many are the
children of the desolate, more than of her who has a husband" (Isa. 54:1). But how is
Jerusalem understood as barren—namely, the holy society of the blessed angels—when
according to the meaning of its name it is fruitful with everlasting joy from the eternal
vision of peace? But if she is the mother of the elect among men, she was indeed barren
when the human race had perished in Adam. For she was as though unable to bring forth,
since she lost through the persuasions of the fallen spirit him in whom she ought to have
extended the bosom of her fruitfulness. The weak are girded so long until the barren one
gives birth, because we have need of the powerful ministry of the humble angels until as
many as are predestined to life from the human race are gathered together, even to the end
of the world. For the Son of Man will send His angels, and they will gather His elect from
the four winds (Matt. 24:31; Mark 13:27).

For they are to be sent then to gather those for whose salvation they are sent daily,
because they will not gather into the kingdom any except those to whom they now offer
assistance through the strength of their girding. Even until the end of the world the
hungry are filled. But rightly is this barren woman said to bear very many, because not
all men, but only the elect, are led to eternal joys. Fittingly therefore she is also said
to give birth, because through the ministry of angels we are taught to seek heavenly
things, so that we may be able to attain their goods. But when this barren woman gives
birth, she who had many children is weakened, because the fuller the gains of the elect
that the heavenly kingdoms receive through the ministries of angels, the more the children
of this Babylon are diminished. For she is as though weakened in her childbearing, who
through the disordered love of passing things cannot, as she was accustomed, bear
children. For everywhere the heavenly kingdoms are now preached, and indeed while the
minds of the faithful love what they hear, while they also seek those things through good
conduct, Babylon is as though constricted in her childbearing, because our mother
Jerusalem brings forth throughout the world for God those whom Babylon was accustomed to
bear for hell from her exhausted womb of perdition. Yet the strength of those who are
girded is ascribed not to themselves, but to Him by whom they are girded.

Fittingly therefore it is added: (Verse 6) "The Lord kills and brings to life." 16. In
these words, indeed, the order too must be noted. For he is said first to kill, then to
make alive, because unless we cease to love the world, we cannot live for God through
love, as John attests, who says: "If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not
in him" (1 John 2:15). Whence also he who remembered that he had been put to death and
made alive, that he had been cast down and raised up, spoke, saying: "The world is
crucified unto me, and I unto the world" (Galatians 6:14). He was living, but not with the
life of the world, because he said: "I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me"
(Galatians 2:20). Therefore it is not any of those who are girded, but the Lord who kills
and makes alive. For to be put to death and made alive is to desire nothing that is
present and to long for things eternal. To whom, then, thanks ought to be rendered for
these gifts, she sets forth, saying: "The Lord kills and makes alive." Whence also the
oft-named preacher of the nations says: "Neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he
that watereth; but God that giveth the increase" (1 Corinthians 3:7). But in what order
almighty God works these things in His elect, she sets forth, saying: (Verse 6) "He
bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up."

17. For in order to kill, He leads down to the depths; and in order to give life, He leads
back from the depths. For to Almighty God, to lead to the depths is to terrify the hearts
of sinners by the consideration of eternal torments. And for Him, to lead back from the
depths is to raise up the terrified minds of the penitent and those mourning their sins,
with the hope of unfailing life. For we cease to sin when, our hearts having been softened
by heavenly grace, we dread future torments. And we are led back from the depths when,
visited by inward consolation, we breathe again with hope of pardon from the lament of
penitence. And so the Lord is fittingly said to lead to the depths and to lead back,
because human hardness, by the preaching of man alone, is neither shaken by terror nor
lifted up by love. For if it belonged to teachers to kill, as many as their preaching
touched would cease to sin; and if it belonged to them to give life, whoever heard
heavenly things from them, the love of their inmost affection would immediately kindle
them to seek those things with every effort.

But now, since they often threaten sinners with eternal punishments, since they preach to
them what heavenly goods they can, and yet they neither fear the punishments nor desire
the joys, let us cry out with the words of Hannah in the praises of God, and attributing
to Him also that by which some make progress through them, let us say: The Lord kills and
gives life. The Lord therefore leads to the depths and leads back, because those can fear
future torments, those can love heavenly joys, in whom through the words that man speaks
outwardly, the mercy of God works inwardly. Moreover, there is that by which each person
may recognize in himself whether he has already been led to the depths and led back,
whether he has died to the world and lives for heaven; for if he is chosen, he makes
progress. But concerning this same progress, she adds: (Verse 7) The Lord makes poor and
makes rich.

18. The rich of this world therefore glory in their abundant wealth, because by the high
and incomprehensible judgment of God, heavenly goods are hidden from them. The Lord
therefore makes the poor, because while He reveals eternal goods to the elect, they
consider themselves the poorer insofar as they see themselves driven from true riches.
Whence also that king who was most abundant in worldly possession, because the Lord had
shown him true riches, cried out to Him, saying: Look upon me and have mercy on me, for I
am alone and poor (Psalm 24:16). Hence the prophet Jeremiah, expressing in himself the
illumination of each of the elect, says: I am the man who sees my poverty (Lamentations
3:1). For the Lord to make poor is therefore to rouse the minds of the elect, in the
contemplation of everlasting goods, to contempt for all visible things. But since to the
one to whom He reveals the highest things He also indicates that these same highest things
must be sought through the prolonged price of labor, let it say that He who makes poor
also enriches, because assuredly while we receive from Almighty God the knowledge of
heavenly goods, from Him also we obtain the strength to strive with worthy labor for them.
And well is it added: (Verse 7) He humbles and He lifts up.

19. Because in the contemplation of heavenly things they perceive how lowly they are on
earth, but in that same lowliness of temporal want, through the grace of God, they lift
themselves on the wings of their merits to the joys of everlasting life. They therefore
receive humility in the estimation of their exile, but sublimity in the preparation of
holy work. There follows: (Verse 8.) He raises the needy from the dust, and lifts the poor
from the dunghill, that he may sit with princes. 20. For dust is the subtle deliberation
of illicit thought, which renders foul the mind in which it has settled. For what is
designated by dung except the foulness and boldness of committed wickedness? Hence the
prophet too, beholding the life of carnal people buried under the filth of foul deeds,
says: "The beasts have rotted in their dung" (Joel 1:17). Therefore, the gifts of God are
enumerated in fitting order in the conversion of the wicked. For the needy one is first
raised from the dust before the poor one is raised from the dung, because the deliberation
of impure thought is first cut away from the heart, and afterward the fault is severed
from action. Fittingly too the needy one is said to be raised from the dust, and the poor
one to be lifted from the dung, because the one inwardly deliberating on wicked things
sleeps from the contemplation of justice, while the one outwardly committing unlawful
deeds lies in iniquity through action. And because he now wins trophies with the strong
over malignant spirits, the text sets forth what the needy one, once raised, and the poor
one, once lifted, deserves, saying: "That he may sit with princes, and hold the throne of
glory."

21. For to sit belongs to one who triumphs. Hence also in the Apocalypse of John the Lord
shows the dignity of our victory, saying: "He who overcomes, I will make him sit on my
throne, just as I also overcame and sat with my Father on his throne" (Rev. 3:21). Seeing
this, Paul too, counting among God's praises the gifts of our resurrection and our being
seated, says: "He raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in
Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:6). Princes therefore sit with him, because those who by his help
suppress the forces of malignant spirits hold the dignity of being seated in their triumph
over those whom they dominate by the power of the one presiding over them. Likewise
princes sit with him, because even though they are seen to stand bodily in the hardship of
this passing life, they nevertheless hold a seat of merits with the Redeemer on high, from
whose conformity of glory they are not separated even in this valley of corruption. The
needy and the poor in possessions are those who for the sake of the Gospel abandoned
everything they could have had in the world. They, to be sure, in order to sit with
princes, must be raised from the dust and lifted from the dung. For what are the
flatteries of the tongue, what are the trappings of fleeting dignities, but dust? For by
their fawning they defile the mind and blind it from true splendors.

And what are perishing riches and transitory possessions but dung to those who love
eternal things? For dung is what holy souls hold in the contempt of humility, not in the
appetite of desire. Hence Solomon too, seeing a rich man of the world saddened by the loss
of temporal goods, says: "The sluggard is to be pelted with the dung of oxen" (Sir. 22:2).
As if to say: He endures the blows of grief from that which the one who desires to labor
for eternal life despises as dung. Hence Paul says: "I have counted all things as loss and
consider them dung, that I may gain Christ" (Phil. 3:8). The needy one is therefore raised
from the dust and the poor one is lifted from the dung when the mind, renouncing the
world, tramples underfoot whatever used to please it—the flatteries of human tongues, the
honor of dignities, and the abundance of possessions—while it looks only to eternal
things, which alone it ardently loves. For to be raised and lifted is to despise by
sublimity of mind those things which one leaves behind in the body. And to sit with
princes is to share with the citizens of the heavenly fatherland in the joy of eternal
rest. Such a one then surely holds the throne of glory, because one who presides so
sublimely never falls silent from the praises of his Creator. For the Psalmist, admiring
this seat of glory, speaks to the Lord, saying: "Blessed are those who dwell in your
house, O Lord;

they will praise you forever and ever" (Ps. 83:5). Isaiah proclaims this seat of glory,
saying: "Joy and gladness will be found in it, thanksgiving and the voice of praise" (Isa.
51:3). Holy Tobias likewise, showing this same seat, says: "And its streets will be paved
with every precious and pure stone, and through all its lanes Alleluia will be sung" (Tob.
13:22). But let the rescued poor man look at what follows, because he is not brought
immediately to the seat of princes and the throne of glory as soon as he has been raised
up: "The hinges of the earth," it says, "are the Lord's, and he has set the world upon
them" (v. 8). 22. Because sinners are designated by the name "earth" in sacred Scripture,
these "hinges of the earth" can fittingly be understood as those in whom the world
revolves through foolish desires, and leads from one to another. When therefore we behold
converted sinners, let us break forth in praise of the Creator with these words of Hannah.
For it is as if we say in other words: Those who were long held on the wheel of passing
things by worldly desire have now begun to belong to the Lord through His grace. And when,
having now abandoned the allurements of secular life, they bravely endure powerful
temptations, let us say: "He has set the world upon them." For He has set the world upon
them, which, before it was placed upon them, was beneath them. For they now bear as a
burden of temptations that which, by flattering them, served them as if subject to them,
when they reclined upon it by pursuing pleasures and delights. And because those who had
great delights in it suffer great temptations from it, there is added: (Verse 9) "He will
guard the feet of His saints."

23. By these words indeed the help of divine protection and propitiation is shown in such
a way that the grave dangers of temptations are indicated. For it is as if she were
saying: They endure such great trials from the world to which they had clung, that only He
suffices to help who cannot be absent from His faithful ones in tribulation. For to
preserve the feet of His saints is to strengthen by grace the shaken affections of the
elect in temptation, lest they fall. Hence also the prophet, who had wavered toward
falling and yet had been preserved by the Lord, said: "But my feet were almost moved, my
steps were nearly poured out" (Psalm 72:2). Hence again: "I was pushed and overturned so
that I might fall, and the Lord upheld me. The Lord is my strength and my praise, and He
has become my salvation" (Psalm 117:13, 14). And concerning the weakness of the enemies
she added, saying: (Verse 9) "And the wicked shall be silent in darkness."

24. But what does it mean that when the Lord is said to guard the feet of the saints, the
silence of the wicked is mentioned, unless that we are never driven to the fall of sin
except when the perverse temptations of malign spirits are suggested to us? When therefore
the Lord guards our feet, the wicked are silent in darkness, because while we are
protected by divine grace, the unclean spirits are utterly unable to give us the voice by
which they might cast us down. Indeed they are silent in darkness, because they possess
the darkened hearts of the reprobate, from whose obscurity they dare not advance toward
us. Moreover, he explains why he guards the feet of the saints, saying: (Verse 9.) For a
man shall not be strengthened by his own might. 25. As if to say: Therefore He holds them,
because without Him they could not stand. For even if a man is recognized as a man of
virtue, in his strength he has the fear of falling, he does not have the firmness of
strength, and he falls by desiring unlawful things as often as his inner steps are
abandoned by the Lord who holds him. Was he not indeed a man, he of whom it was sung in
the chorus of young women: "Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten
thousands" (1 Samuel 18:7)? Who indeed, when he was left amid his burdens to his own
strength, fell driven into the sin of his flesh, and learned by experience in himself that
a man does not have in himself the firmness of strength, but the fall of weakness. Whence
also, fearing to fall back, he earnestly seeks Him by whom he ought to be held firm,
saying: "Do not utterly forsake me" (Psalm 119:8). Let no one therefore deceive himself,
as if he might find in himself the strength to stand, because even if we often overcome
the great wars of hidden enemies, if we worthily pursue them by rejecting their
persuasions as though turned to flight, the fleeing spirits do not then fear us, but Him
whom they behold in us. Or certainly, if they also fear us, they fear us for this reason
indeed: because they see us taken up into the strength of divine grace. Fittingly
therefore it is added: (Verse 10.) "The adversaries of the Lord shall fear Him, and He
shall thunder upon them from the heavens."

26. For we are heavens when we are lifted up to the height of the divine grace that
presides over us. And we have thunders against His adversaries when with the powerful
voices of holy desires we shatter everything that breathes upon us from their suggestion.
For whatever thunder strikes, it kills. Therefore the thunders of the heavens are the
perfect desires of the elect. For they come forth as if sounding terribly from the height
of the heavens, when from that summit of the mind they strike the malign spirits, over
which Almighty God so presides that by the love of the One presiding, one easily overcomes
everything that the audacity of the enemy suggesting evil things could have stirred to
battle. But with the Redeemer forewarning, we know that he who perseveres to the end, he
shall be saved (Matt. X, 22). And with the same Lord promising, we have learned that at
whatever hour the sinner is converted, he shall be saved (Ezek. XVIII, 21). Therefore at
the end of her canticle let Anna add, and let her say what should terrify the sinner, let
her say what should make the righteous more cautious. (Verse 10.) The Lord, she says, will
judge the ends of the earth.

27. He does not say "the earth," but "the ends of the earth." For the ends of the earth
are those who have closed the final moments of their life with the commission of sin. For
he who sins and corrects what he has done wrong is earth through sin, but is not the end
of the earth, because by sinning he cast down the heights of his redemption, yet from the
depths of his fall he rose again before judgment. For he wept over what he had done, and
he awaits the coming Judge all the more joyfully, because in the condemnation of his
earthliness he holds through penance the scourges of vengeance upon himself. Because,
therefore, the Lord judges the ends of the earth, let the converted sinner not be
terrified before the Lord by his former or middle deeds. Because likewise the Lord judges
the ends of the earth, let the just man not presume upon his begun righteousness. For if
sudden death overtakes him while he is still slipping from that righteousness from which
he can fall, because sin is enclosed in his final moments, he is judged by the law of the
ends of the earth. There follows: (Verse 10.) And He shall give dominion to His king, and
shall exalt the horn of His anointed.

28. Since we referred this passage above to the Redeemer, we do not change it in the order
of this explanation either. For He Himself is our peace, who made both one (Eph. 2:14). He
is also the cornerstone (1 Pet. 2:4, 5, 6), in whom, while both walls of the elect are
joined together, the structure of the eternal city is arranged. Let our discourse
therefore maintain its custom, so that, having now set forth both the moral and
allegorical understanding of the sacred canticle, both may converge in Him whom we believe
by faith and whom we merit by our conduct.


COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS (BOOK TWO, CHAPTER 2.2)
=============================================

COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS continued

CHAPTER 2.2

For the divine word follows, and says: (Verse 11.) And Elkanah went to Ramah, to his
house. 1. We have shown that this man indeed designates the Redeemer of the human race;
Anna his wife, His Church; the boy Samuel, the people of believers from the nations; and
Ramatha the city, the heavenly homeland. What then does it mean that after his wife's
canticle Elkanah is said to have gone away to Ramatha his city, since Anna sang her
canticle to God after the boy was born, and the Redeemer ascended to heaven before the
holy Church had begotten the gentile people in faith? This question is raised only by
those who are known to understand only the bodily presence of our Lord. For did not Paul,
who had ascended to the Father, have Him with him when he said: "Do you seek proof of
Christ who dwells in me" (2 Cor. 13:3)? He likewise declares, saying: "As from God, before
God and Christ we speak" (2 Cor. 2:17). What does it mean, then, that He was sometimes
present to the holy Church through the grace of His gift, and sometimes withdrew Himself
from her through the dispensation of trial? For He was present so that in the acquisition
of the Gentiles He might abundantly pour forth the words of life; but sometimes, as though
absent, He hid Himself, so that, with the gift of the word taken away, she might recognize
what she was without His presence. Therefore, after the end of the canticle it is said:

"Elkanah went to his house," because the holy Church preaches lofty things from His
presence, and He who withdraws Himself from mortals through dispensation continually
presents Himself to the eternal citizens. For His house is that eternal fellowship of the
heavenly citizens, which the Lord inhabits by loving, filling, and uniting Himself to
them. He goes to it, therefore, when He leaves Anna, because He who beneficially withdraws
Himself from us who are still making progress, unceasingly joins and shows Himself to the
perfected and consummated citizens of the eternal homeland, for whom it is no longer
necessary to be tested by His absence, since they have already been proven. Fittingly,
therefore, after Anna's canticle it is said: "Elkanah went to his house," because the holy
Church, which teaches the elect such sublime things, just as she is always left by the
Lord's loving dispensation, so also she does not always have those lofty things to teach.
But many hear the words, detest their past wickedness, and resolve upon works of amendment
of life; yet when they cease to hear, they return to iniquity as if they had never heard
those same words of life. The gentile people, as hearers of the holy Church, were devout
in listening and ready in acting. Fittingly, therefore, it is added: The boy Samuel was
ministering in the presence of the Lord, before the face of Eli the priest.

2. As if it were openly said: From what he heard, he strove to please Almighty God. He is
fittingly called a boy, because even though he had undertaken great things to be done in
defense of our faith, nevertheless in that same generation of faith he was still new. And
because he rendered a pleasing ministry to Almighty God, he was a minister in the sight of
the Creator. For he is in the sight of the Lord whom divine favor gladly looks upon in the
offering of his services. Fearing greatly to be cast out from this sight of the Lord,
someone prays, saying: "Cast me not away from your face" (Psalm 50:13). Likewise, ardently
desiring to be received into it, he considers with himself the delay of his waiting,
saying: "When shall I come and appear before the face of God? (Psalm 41:3). Hence Elijah
boasts and says: "As the Lord lives, in whose sight I stand" (3 Kings 17:1). Samuel
therefore was a minister in the sight of the Lord, because in the services of the new
religion the Gentile people was greatly accepted by Almighty God. By this word indeed the
rejection of Judea is also secretly intimated, since Samuel alone, in whom the faithful
people of the nations is represented, is said to minister before the Lord. He alone
therefore was in His sight, because indeed the Jewish people had ceased to please Him. The
Lord speaks both of these things through Malachi. For intimating the rejection of Judea,
He says:

"I have no pleasure in you, and I will not accept a sacrifice from your hand" (Malachi
1:10). But He who cast Jewish faithlessness from His face, adding whom He gladly beholds,
says: "From the rising of the sun to its setting, my name is great among the nations, and
in every place a pure offering is offered to my name" (ibid., 11). But it must be
carefully observed that it is said: "Before the face of Eli, Samuel ministered to the
Lord," because the order of the ancient teachers long before recognized by foreseeing, and
proclaimed by prophesying, that the ministry of the holy Church's preachers would bring
about the conversion, love, and reverence of the Gentile people concerning service to the
Redeemer. For he who said the following knew this people would be devoted in the Lord's
service: "All kings of the earth shall adore him, all nations shall serve him" (Psalm
71:11). Hence Haggai speaks, saying: "The desired of all nations shall come, and the house
of the Lord shall be filled with glory" (Haggai 2:8). Hence Isaiah says: "There shall be a
root of Jesse, who shall rise to rule the nations; in him the nations shall hope" (Isaiah
11:10; Romans 15:12). Hence the Psalmist says: "Praise the Lord, all nations, and praise
him together, all peoples" (Psalm 116:1). Hence the patriarch Jacob says: "He shall be the
expectation of the nations" (Genesis 49:10).

Before the face of Eli, therefore, the boy Samuel was a minister of the Lord, because what
the Gentile people afterwards worthily offered to God, the order of the ancient teachers
foresaw through the spirit of prophecy. And immediately concerning the rejected ones it is
added: (Verses 12, 13. Now the sons of Eli, not knowing the Lord, and the office of the
priest to the people. 3. Supply "were. For who else are the sons of Eli, if not the
Israelites according to the flesh, who knew the Sacred Scripture published by the fathers,
and yet did not know the one whom Scripture had promised? Whom indeed Truth itself rebukes
in the Gospel, saying: "Abraham rejoiced to see my day; he saw it, and was glad" (John
8:56). And again: "If you believed Moses, you would certainly believe me also, for he
wrote about me" (John 5:46). Therefore they did not know the Lord, who spurned the
Redeemer coming in our flesh. Whence He complains through Isaiah, saying: "The ox knows
its owner, and the donkey its master's manger; but Israel has not known me" (Isaiah 1:3).
As if to say: I opened to him the ways of my incarnation long before through the prophets,
and yet he did not accept what I had promised when it was presented. For this reason he
also did not know the duty of the priests toward the people. For he would have recognized
the priestly office if he had preached that the one who had been promised by the law and
the prophets had already come for the redemption of the human race. Because indeed he not
only did not believe in Him, but even raged in persecuting Him, he neither knew the Lord
nor the duty of the priests toward the people.

Yet his malice would have been less if he who refused to benefit the lesser ones by
preaching the coming of the Redeemer had at least feared to do harm. It follows therefore,
and says: 67 (Verses 13, 14. But whenever anyone had offered a sacrifice, the servant of
the priest would come while the flesh was being cooked, and he had a three-pronged fork in
his hand, and he would thrust it into the basin, or the kettle, or the pot, or the
cauldron, and whatever the fork brought up, he would take for the priests. 4. For what is
it to immolate a victim, except to offer the confession of true faith to almighty God? And
what are the vessels in which the flesh is cooked for the sacrifice, except the minds of
the faithful? For when they believe that the Mediator of God and men, the man Christ
Jesus, is the true Only-begotten of the most high Father, surely in them the flesh is
cooked which is to be immolated to God through the service of inmost devotion. Who is the
priest's servant other than the people subjected through obedience to the faithless
pastors of the Synagogue? He is fittingly called a servant, because while he preferred to
hold to the weak things of the law according to the letter, he refused to grow into a
perfect man through the Gospel. But what does it mean that he is assigned to seize the
portions of food by force? What again does it mean that he is said to hold a three-pronged
fork in the violence he inflicts? The food of the chosen soul is the person of the
Redeemer. This food is indeed cooked in the sacred vessels, while through the heat of the
Holy Spirit it is prepared for the sweetness of refreshment in the minds of the elect. For
the flesh is cooked when, through the grace of the Holy Spirit, we both firmly believe and
effectually confess that the Lord's humanity was assumed into the nature of divinity.

Hence also through Moses he suggests that the flesh of the Paschal Lamb is to be eaten,
saying: "You shall not eat any of it raw, or cooked in water" (Exodus 12:9). To eat it raw
is, apart from the grace of the Holy Spirit, to believe our Redeemer to be a mere man. It
is cooked in water when the essence of the Redeemer is sifted through human wisdom. The
Jews therefore eat it raw, the heretics cooked in water, because the former deny his
divinity, while the latter, through human wisdom, empty out the mysteries of both his
divinity and his humanity. The priest's servant is therefore sent to take away the food of
the faithful, because the Jewish people, expelled from faith in the Redeemer, strove
vehemently to tear away the love of faith in him from the hearts of the faithful. He is
fittingly said to have held a three-pronged fork in his hand, with which he might prevent
from being cooked whatever portion of flesh he could pierce and draw out. For the fork
thrust by the hand of the servant is the persecution of the Jewish people against holy
Church. And because he tried to harm the faithful with enticements, punishments, and
terrors, the fork indeed had three prongs.

But it is rightly said that what the fork lifted up, the servant took for the priests,
because it was a great feast for the wicked prelates if the crowd of their fawning or
raging attendants could overthrow someone whom they had recognized as standing firm in the
height of our faith through confession. There follows: (Verses 14, 15. "So they did to all
Israel who came to Shiloh, even before they burned the fat." 5. Fat indeed is the internal
richness, in which that devotion of mind is expressed by which the minds of the elect are
joined to their Creator in more perfect charity. They rightly offer sacrifice with meat
already cooked, because no one will be able to rise to the sublimity of charity unless he
first loves the mysteries of the incarnate divinity which he believes. For to believe
through the Holy Spirit that the humanity of the Lord Jesus was assumed into divinity is
to cook the flesh that is to be offered to God. Therefore, before the fat could be burned,
the boy hastened to seize the flesh in all Israel, because the officers of the Synagogue
thought to overthrow the new confessors of Christ before perfect charity could unite them
to almighty God. This the very words of the sacred history indicate more plainly, where it
says: "While the flesh was being cooked." By which words, certainly, not the completion of
the cooking but the preparation is indicated. But the order of this wicked extortion is
shown through what follows: (Verse 15.) "The priest's boy would come and say to the one
offering sacrifice: Give me flesh to cook for the priest; for I will not accept cooked
flesh from you, but raw."

6. He would give raw meat to the boy, who before the persecutors would assert the pure
humanity of Christ, and the boy would cook it for the priest, because through the fire of
malice the Jewish people would think this: that their leaders would willingly receive it
in the refreshment of their mind. Therefore the priest's boy came and demanded raw meat,
when the Jewish people, serving the letter of the law, urged the faithful to deny the
divinity of the Redeemer. Coming therefore he says: "I will not accept cooked meat from
you, but raw." Because the one whom the faithful person was compelled to confess as a mere
man, he did not even wish to hear was God. The importunity of this people is indeed shown
when sacrilegious words are doubled in wicked exaction. For it follows: "I will not accept
cooked meat from you, but raw." Because he greatly desired to hear that Jesus our Lord and
Redeemer was not Lord and man, but only a mere man. But those whom he tested as if
imperfect in the flesh, he found perfect. For those who were compelled to deny the
divinity of the Redeemer not only refused to deny the Redeemer, but took care to draw
their very compellers to life. Whence it also follows: (Verse 16.) And the one sacrificing
would say to him: "Let the fat be burned first according to custom today, and take for
yourself as much as your soul desires."

7. Indeed, he who promises him cooked meat at his pleasure strives to turn away the one
demanding raw meat from a bestial appetite. As if the holy Church were giving an answer to
the badly hungering Jews, and in place of the simple humanity which they desire to devour
through craving, were promising back the food of divinity, saying: First allow to be
cooked what you may have as understanding in the Holy Spirit for the refreshment of life.
Did not the priest's servant then seek raw meat, when it was said to the one who had been
born blind and was enlightened by the Lord: "Give glory to God; we know that this man is a
sinner" (John 9:24)? What is it to say, "Give glory to God," except: do not attribute the
praises of your healing to this man, because he is not God? And he who is declared a
sinner is not only denied to be God, but even a righteous man. To him indeed the blind man
refused to offer the raw meat that was sought, and offered cooked instead, because by
firmly declaring him the author of his salvation, from the displayed sign of such great
wonder, he showed him to be not only a holy man, but true God. But the people, who had
begun to follow beasts, having lost reason, importunately demanded that raw meat be served
to them. For it follows: (Verse 16.) "You will give it now, otherwise I will take it from
you by force." It follows: (Verse 17.) "For the sin of the servants was exceedingly great
before the Lord." And he adds the reason by which this sin was shown to be great, saying:
(Verse 17.) "Because they were drawing men away from the sacrifice of the Lord."

8. The sin is recognized to be exceedingly great which is not washed away by the tears of
repentance. For the prophet, beholding this exceedingly great sin of the Synagogue, says:
"The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, with the point of a diamond" (Jeremiah
17:1). Or certainly the sin was exceedingly great before the Lord because it was dragging
others into sinning. Wherefore it is also added: "Because they were drawing men away from
the sacrifice of the Lord." They were indeed drawing men away from the sacrifice, because
they were preventing the hearts of the weak from advancing to the confession of the true
faith. And it should be noted that those who are drawn away from the sacrifice are called
"men," because surely if they had persisted in the true confession of our faith, the
divine word would have marked them with the title of sons of God. To whom indeed the Lord
says through the Psalmist: "I have said, you are gods, and all of you are sons of the Most
High; but you shall die like men" (Psalm 82:6–7). And there follows: (Verse 18.) "But
Samuel was ministering before the Lord, a boy girded with a linen ephod."

9. A linen garment is known to be finer than a woolen one. And fittingly Samuel is said to
have been clothed with a linen ephod, by whom the order of priests chosen from the nations
is designated. For in comparison with the life under the Law, the new manner of life of
the Gospel is the fineness of linen. For there something carnal was commanded; there
everyone is cursed by whom no seeds of offspring are left in Zion. But in the New
Testament, because all things are more refined, whoever follows its precepts is adorned as
if with a more delicate linen garment: there indeed abstinence from marriage is condemned,
here it is honored with wondrous praises; there priests beget carnally, here they bring
forth the fruit of spiritual offspring all the more abundantly, inasmuch as they cannot
suffer any loss of chastity even through the good of marriage. And fittingly, when
Samuel's garment is described, it is reported to have been linen, so that it might openly
show the glory of the new priesthood, which would shine with the splendors of a new
chastity. But when Samuel is said to be a minister in the sight of the Lord, he is
recorded as girded with a linen ephod, because divine services are then well performed
when the person performing them is not defiled by the filth of carnal pleasure; and the
gift of ministry is then acceptable to God when, through the purity of holy living, the
person of the minister is pleasing to God. And because he was advancing in the beginnings
of his newness, there follows further: (Verse 19.) And his mother made him a little tunic,
which she brought to him when she went up with her husband to offer the solemn sacrifice
to the Lord.

10. To offer a sacrifice of the Holy Church is to kindle the hearts of one's hearers in
love of the Creator through the words of preaching. At that time, therefore, a small
garment is said to have been brought to Samuel, because while he was still advancing
through the growth of his newness, he received from the Church tokens of righteousness
suited to his smallness, with whose splendor he might shine. There follows: (Verse 20.)
And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, saying: May the Lord grant you offspring from this
woman, in return for the loan which you have entrusted to the Lord. 11. Because in the
person of Eli the priest the good teachers of the ancient people are also signified, he is
known to have blessed Elkanah and his wife, since indeed the order of those same ancient
teachers foresaw the spiritual union of Christ and the holy Church, and preached with
devotion that the future offspring of those elect ones would be worthy of heaven. Although
this was done long before, nevertheless it then became known that he had thus blessed
them, when, with the grace of our redemption now revealed, each faithful person was able
to believe that our ancient fathers proclaimed so many good things about this renewal. And
so that the order in which this happened may be recognized, it is added: (Verse 20.) And
they went to their own place.

12. For her to go away to her own place with her husband is for the holy Church to flee at
times from the troubles of the active life and to devote herself through contemplation to
the joys of the heavenly life. For that mother had left her child for a time, she who
said: "I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ" (Phil. 1:23). Was she with the
child when the force of love had carried that distinguished teacher up to the third heaven
(2 Cor. 12:2–4)? Was she then with the child when, received into paradise, she heard words
that it is not permitted for man to speak, and was caught up to her own place, because he
showed this, saying: "We have not here a lasting city, but we seek one that is to come"
(Heb. 13:14)? But maternal affection compelled her, who was going away to her own place
with her husband, to return to her son. For she spoke and said: "To remain in the flesh is
necessary for me on your account" (Phil. 1:24). There follows: (Verse 21.) Therefore the
Lord visited Anna, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters.

13. By the three sons are designated all the more perfect members of the holy Church, who
are known to have always done mighty deeds for the faith of the Trinity. But if the holy
Church were to bring forth only the perfect, our weakness could not attain the rewards of
eternal life. Therefore the frailty of the two daughters follows the strength of the sons,
because although the holy Church has brought forth strong ones against the proud enemy of
the human race, nevertheless even her weak members are led to the joys of the eternal
homeland through the two precepts of charity. And because whoever had at that time begun
to be trained for the priestly ministry did not always remain in the initial stages of his
beginning, there follows: (Verse 21.) And the boy Samuel grew great in the sight of the
Lord. 14. In this passage it is very much to be noted that the boy Samuel is said to have
been both a boy and magnified. But when he is declared to be magnified, this praise of his
virtue is said to have been held not in the sight of men, but in the sight of the Lord.
Why then is he called a boy, unless because he had been raised to the height of
perfection? Samuel is therefore called both a boy and magnified in the sight of the Lord,
because the new order of preachers, even if it has attained to the height of great
conduct, has not lost the virtue of its humility. Indeed, to be magnified before God would
be of no profit if one ceased to be a boy, because having lost humility, one would be
unable to please almighty God by the loftiness of one's conduct. For they had already been
magnified who were casting out demons from the possessed in the name of Jesus; but because
they had lost the good of their childhood, the Truth rebuked them, saying: "I saw Satan
falling like lightning from heaven" (Luke 10:18). Hence again, making a pronouncement, He
says: "Unless you are converted and become like little children, you shall not enter into
the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3). Because, therefore, the life of the new preachers
is both sublime in merit and lowly through humility, Samuel is fittingly declared to be
both magnified and a boy. And because on both accounts they are greatly acceptable to God,
he is said to have been magnified not simply, but in the sight of the Lord. There follows:
(Verse 22.) Now Eli was very old, and he heard all the things that his sons were doing in
all Israel, and how they slept with the women who kept watch at the door of the
tabernacle.

15. In the person of Eli, not only the old priesthood but also the teachings of the
ancient fathers are prefigured, because from the fact that he presided with spiritual
dignity, he undertook this office: that he should instruct with saving preaching those for
whom he would offer pleasing sacrifices to the Lord. What then does it mean that Eli is
said to be old, except that in the hearts of the reprobate Jews the force of the heavenly
commandments is weakened? Indeed Eli was young as long as Sacred Scripture maintained the
force of great authority among the elect of the Synagogue, because evidently it had
received the promises of the coming Redeemer and awaited him with great desire. Eli
therefore grew old when Judea lost the devotion of observing the promise, so that it
beheld the Redeemer desired by its fathers proving himself by miracles before it, and,
utterly blind in so great a light of his, doubted the presence of truth. He is also said
to have been very old, so that it might be taught that all the force of faith in the
Synagogue had withered away. And we truly say that if Eli was very old, he lived
altogether feebly. For what was it then for the aged Scripture to live, except to minister
a very feeble aspiration of faith to the Synagogue?

Indeed he could be very old and yet live, since the hearts of the Jews wavered so that
they neither believed the Lord Jesus to be the true Redeemer, nor openly condemned him as
a blasphemer. For the evangelist John shows the weakness of this old age, saying: "Some
said, 'He is good,' but others said, 'No, but he deceives the crowds'" (John 7:12). Hence
the Jews themselves, bringing forth the cunning of their craftiness, say: "How long do you
hold our souls in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly" (John 10:24). Hence
likewise they say: "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you" (Matthew 12:38). 16. But Eli,
very old, heard all the things that his sons were doing to all Israel. He certainly heard
these things, because he knew them. For what we have come to know, we hold enclosed within
the halls of memory. Indeed, the sacred eloquences, when consulted, bring forth from
within themselves all the perfidy of the Jews written outwardly, and display it as if long
preserved in memory. Amos, as it were ascribing this knowledge of hearing to Eli, says:
'The Lord God will do nothing upon the earth, which He has not revealed to His servants
the prophets' (Amos 3:7). Hence Habakkuk confesses to God the Only-begotten, saying: 'O
Lord, I have heard your report, and I was afraid; I considered your works, and I was
astounded; in the midst of two animals you shall be made known' (Hab. 3:1, from the
interpretation of the LXX). For the ancient teachers of the Synagogue to hear of the
crimes of the sons is to foreknow them. But he sets forth what he foreknew, because it
says: 'All the things that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they were sleeping
with the women who kept watch at the door of the tabernacle.' For to sleep with Jewish
women is to be defiled by various heresies. And fittingly those same women are reported to
keep watch at the door of the tabernacle. For what is the door of the tabernacle, if not
the letter of the spiritual law?

But when the Jews understand sacred Scripture according to the letter alone, they
established heresies at the very place from which they could have entered into the secret
of the true faith. For just as one enters through the door into the interior of the
tabernacle, so through the letter of sacred Scripture one enters into the spiritual
knowledge of the Redeemer. Therefore, because Judea is deceived through observance of the
letter, the women are reported to keep watch at the door, not inside the tabernacle. And
because the Jews contradict our Redeemer in all the Scriptures, it is said that there was
not one woman, but many. These things indeed the sons of Eli do to themselves, because
according to the voice of the prophet: 'The soul that sins, it shall die' (Ezek. 18:4,
20); but they are said to do these things to all Israel, because while the leaders perish
in the night of their error, they wrap the lesser ones in the blindness of their own
darkness. The sons of Eli therefore sleep with the women, because the reprobate Jews are
defiled by the mingling of their heresies even until the end of the world. They also
sleep, because although they are overwhelmed by the most grievous night of their error,
they are nevertheless to be awakened to faith in the Redeemer at the end of the world
through Elijah (Matt. 17:11). There follows: (Verse 23.) 'And he said to them:

Why do you do things of this kind, the worst things which I hear from all the people?' 17.
Behold, Eli was an old man, and he spoke sharply, because the power of sacred eloquence,
even if it fails in the heart of the reprobate, nevertheless before those who rightly
understand, subtly searches out the faults of the Jews. For examining strictly, he says:
"Why do you do such things as these, the very worst things that I hear from all the
people?" But he who, searching, asks "Why do you do this?" clearly shows that they were
plunging into the night of heresy without the discernment of reason. Moreover, he says
that they had done the very worst things, which he was hearing, and he asserts that those
very worst things were from all the people. What is this, except that the whole of the
Jewish people had fallen into the depths of heresies? But the cause of that ruin was the
reprobate priests. Whence also Hosea, prophesying, says: "The cause of the ruin of the
people is the wicked priests" (Hosea 5:1). For the subject people fell precisely because
they eagerly imitated their fallen leaders. Therefore, when he says, "the very worst
things that I hear from all the people," these things should be understood as being done
by the people, not reported by them. This is as if he were saying: "The very worst things
that I hear are being done by all the people — why do you do them?" Whence also,
immediately making clearer what he had said, he adds: (Verse 24) "Do not, my sons; it is
not a good report that I hear of you, that you cause the people of the Lord to
transgress."

18. But how would the people of the Lord transgress His commandments, if they themselves
were sleeping with women? But because this was happening to them in a figure, it was
assuredly prefiguring what was destined to occur at the time of the Lord's Incarnation.
For when priests sleep with women, their subjects transgress the commandments of the Lord,
because while prelates are stained by the admixture of heresies, the reprobate multitude
of the subject Synagogue is plunged into the same corruptions. He says therefore: "Why do
you do such things as these, which I hear, the worst things, from all the people? This is
as if he were saying: You sin all the more gravely, inasmuch as you stain the entire
people more foully by your crime. Something similar is also said through the prophet:
"From Dan," he says, "was heard the snorting of his chariots and horses" (Jeremiah 8:16).
In this passage, it should certainly not be understood that he is reporting a sound heard
from Dan, but rather that Dan himself, raging with chariots and horses, produces the very
sound that is heard. In this passage it should also be noted that he who reported having
heard the worst things from all the people added words of gentle affection, saying: "Do
not, my sons; it is not a good report that I hear about you, that you cause the people of
the Lord to transgress.

And indeed Eli rebuked sharply and admonished gently, because Scripture, both denouncing
the error of the Jewish people on behalf of the ancient fathers and rebuking it, also
calls them from the night of that same error of theirs, with benevolent affection, to the
day of true faith. He calls them sons, so that they may recognize that they ought to be
heirs of the paternal promise, and receive the Savior of the world all the more devoutly
inasmuch as they are not unaware that the promise of Him was made to the fathers. But
also, desiring to call them back from the audacity of sin, he adds a reason, saying:
(Verse 25) "If a man sins against a man, God can be appeased on his behalf; but if he sins
against God, who will pray for him?" 19. For a man to sin against a man is for one human
to do perverse things against another human. What then does it mean when he says, "God can
be appeased for him," unless that such sins were light in comparison with those which the
Jews were planning to commit against the Son of God? For they were sinning against God,
because he whom they were plotting to kill had shown himself to be God by the most
manifest light of miracles. For the Lord showed this through himself, saying: "If I had
not done among them the works that no one else has done, they would have no sin" (John
15:24). And to show the implacability of God the Father, he adds, saying: "But now they
have no excuse for their sin, because they have seen and hated both me and my Father"
(ibid.). It is therefore as if he were saying: By whose prayer is that sin pardoned which
is committed against the very one who pardons? Who beseeches the almighty Father on behalf
of the one who condemns the coeternal Only-begotten to death? For he would say nothing
more plainly if he were to declare openly, saying: This one whom you persecute as a mere
man is also God. The law of reason therefore demands that he who persecutes the Creator be
deprived of pardon. But divine mercy surpasses the strictness of reason;

for he showed the equity of the law, but did not maintain the force of the pronounced
declaration in the execution of the promulgated judgment. For by the rigor of equity it
was decreed that no prayer would attain the obtaining of pardon; but for those for whom no
prayer of man sufficed, the mercy of the Redeemer did not fail. Every man who might pray
for the transgressions is removed; but for those for whom no man was sufficient, God
himself became man, a merciful intercessor. For hanging on the cross he prayed, saying:
"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). God was therefore
appeased toward those who had sinned against God, not by another's prayer, but by his own.
But God was appeased not toward all, but toward some. For some persecutors of the Lord
were converted when the apostles preached, but the rest perished. For Luke mentions these,
saying: "Their number came to be five thousand" (Acts 4:4). But concerning the reprobate
it is added: (Verse 25) "And they did not listen to the voice of their father, because the
Lord willed to kill them."

20. The Lord, declaring through the prophet, says: "I do not desire the death of the
sinner, but that he be converted and live" (Ezek. 18:23; and 33:11). How then does it
befit Him to wish to kill the sinner, and yet not to desire the death of the sinner? But
in the aforementioned testimony there follows that from which the truth may be recognized;
for He says: "But that he be converted and live. For He who wishes the sinner to live so
that he may be converted, if He knows by divine foreknowledge that this one is
inconvertible, kills him. The Lord therefore wishes to kill, but those whom He foreknows
will refuse to be converted. For He is declared merciful and just when the Prophet
implores: "Lord," he says, "deliver my soul; our God is merciful and just" (Ps. 114:5).
Through mercy indeed He awaits the conversion of sinners; through justice He condemns
those who have not been converted. Through mercy He wishes sinners to be converted and to
live, but through justice He wishes to punish those who have refused to be converted;
mercifully He saves no one except the willing; through justice He condemns the unwilling.
Therefore, when He is said to wish to kill, the greatest and incorrigible impiety of
sinners is shown, which is punished by the voluntary execution of divine justice. So
indeed we see the most merciful judges of secular affairs act, who would wish that no one
transgressed, so that they themselves would have to punish no one;

but when crimes are boldly committed by the wicked, they willingly punish those whom they
would have more gladly preferred not to have committed punishable offenses. Against this,
however, it is observed in this passage that it does not say: "Because they refused to
hear the voice of their correcting father," but: "They did not hear, because the Lord
wished to kill them. But whoever rightly considers the equity of divine judgment thinks it
makes no difference whether someone is killed, or is left in that crime in which he
perishes by eternal reprobation. It is as if it said: So great was the magnitude of their
guilt that they both received the admonitions of conversion and were in no way able to
rise from the pit of their death; and those who had drunk the ocean of God's wrath had as
the culmination of their damnation not only the punishment for the crime committed, but
also the added vengeance for the preaching they had despised. But why do we marvel at this
concerning the past, when we perceive it happening even now: namely, sons despising the
admonishing Eli, and the Lord wishing to kill? For what else does Sacred Scripture daily
suggest to the Jews other than the darkness of their error? It does not indeed so preach
the Redeemer through hidden and spiritual meanings that it does not openly show His
incarnation, nativity, passion, resurrection, and ascension into heaven. Nor are they so
irrational that they cannot see that such excellent goods befit the Redeemer;

but nevertheless they are blind, so that they hear that the signs promised to their
fathers have shone forth in the Redeemer, and do not believe. They are therefore blind not
only in seeing what was promised, but in not believing what has been fulfilled. Why do
they not hear the voice of Scripture admonishing them, unless because the Lord wishes to
kill them? Nor is it surprising, however, if they perish by the judgment of Him whose
Only-Begotten they killed. For it is by the strictness of innermost equity that it is
dealt with the Jewish people, that they hear the admonitions of life daily as the
Scriptures speak, and yet they in no way believe the Scriptures that admonish them. But,
having rejected the faithlessness of the Jews, he sets forth with what successes the order
of holy preachers prevails among the nations, saying: (Verse 26. "But the boy Samuel
advanced and grew, and was pleasing both to God and to men."

21. Indeed, it was advancing through the gain of preaching, and growing in the number of
ministers. For the Apostle boasts of its progress, saying: "From Jerusalem all the way to
Illyricum I have fully preached the Gospel of Christ" (Rom. 15:19). Luke also recalls the
manner of its growth, saying: "As the number of disciples was growing, there arose a
murmuring of the Greeks against the Hebrews, because their widows were being neglected in
the ministry" (Acts 6:1). And shortly after: "They chose," he says, "Stephen, full of
faith and the Holy Spirit, and Prochorus, and the rest" (ibid., 5). They set these before
the sight of the apostles, and praying, they laid hands upon them. Likewise, concerning
this advance of the new preachers, it is written: "Their sound has gone forth into all the
earth, and their words unto the ends of the world" (Ps. 18:5). 22. But it must be subtly
considered what is said: 'He was pleasing both to God and to men.' A teacher is pleasing
to men when he presents himself as venerable to his subjects and adorned with good
character. But he is pleasing to God when he refuses to glory vainly over his good conduct
and desires to merit the praise of God alone. Therefore it says: 'He was pleasing both to
God and to men,' because some preachers display a pretense of holiness which they do not
possess. These, therefore, because even though they please men they displease God, it is
now said of Samuel in the type of the new and chosen preacher: 'He was pleasing both to
God and to men.' They present themselves as venerable to their subjects, and they offer to
God the purity of their intention. Indeed, he had strived to please men who said: 'We are
the good fragrance of Christ in every place' (II Cor. 2:15). And likewise: 'I have become
all things to all men, so that I might save all' (I Cor. 9:22). He also taught his hearers
to please men, saying: 'Be without offense to Jews and Gentiles, just as I also please all
men in all things, not seeking what is useful to me, but what is useful to many' (I Cor.
10:32, 33). But he who had indicated that he was pleasing to men commends the purity of
heart, saying: 'Our glory is this: the testimony of our conscience' (II Cor. 1:12). 'He
was pleasing both to God and to men.' This new order of preachers presented itself
outwardly as venerable to its hearers for imitation, and inwardly as acceptable to God
through innocence of will. There follows: (Verse 27.) 'A man of God came to Eli.'

23. What is represented by this man of God, if not that venerable company of the holy
apostles? He is indeed called a man of God on account of the excellence of his holiness,
because he governed the summit of authority, which he had ascended in the governance of
the whole world, with an equal loftiness of virtue. He came to Eli at that time when he
approached the chief priests to announce the rejection of the Synagogue. There follows:
(Verses 27, 28.) And he said to him: Was I not plainly revealed to the house of your
father, when he was in Egypt in the house of Pharaoh, and I chose him out of all the
tribes of Israel to be my priest, to ascend to my altar, and to burn incense before me,
and to wear the ephod in my presence, and I gave to the house of your father all the
sacrifices of the children of Israel?

24. Because Judea is rejected by divine judgment, it is shown with what wonderful
disposition of equity the severity of that judgment itself was brought about. For first
the gifts bestowed upon Eli are enumerated, so that while almighty God is shown to be so
generous a giver, it may be known how justly He strikes the one who despises Him. He
declared that He had revealed Himself to the house of his father, so that he could have no
excuse of ignorance. And He teaches that He had shown him this same knowledge of His
revelation in Egypt, so that Eli might by no means think that he had obtained it by his
own merits. As if He were openly saying: There I offered Myself to be known by him, where
he could forget Me, where he did not know how to remember Me. And lest perhaps the very
gifts of divine knowledge might seem small to the reprobate, he is declared to have been
raised from the other tribes of Israel to the summit of the priesthood. As if He were
saying: I preferred him to those to whom he was not superior, but equal.

25. It should be noted that three things are indicated in the office of the priesthood
itself. "That he should go up," it says, "to my altar, and burn incense to me, and wear
the ephod before me. What is shown by this altar, if not that stone which the patriarch
Jacob set up as a pillar (Gen. 28:18)? And what other stone is expressed by this, if not
the one Paul proclaims in praise of the faithful, saying: "Built upon the foundation of
the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone" (Eph. 2:20)?
The father Eli was therefore chosen by the Lord for the priesthood so that he might go up
to the altar, because the order of the ancient teachers presided over the people subject
to them for this purpose: to proclaim the restoration of the human race that was to come
in the advent of the Redeemer. And he burned incense, because he joined the hearts of his
hearers through desire to the one whom he proclaimed as the future Redeemer. He also wore
the ephod, because through the longing of so great an expectation he displayed the
adornment of a worthy manner of life. He would indeed burn incense and yet not wear the
ephod if he set the hearts of his hearers ablaze with desire for the coming Redeemer, from
whom he himself would differ by the inconsistency of a shameful way of life.

And because almighty God sought the truth of religion and not its pretense, "before
himself" and not before the people, he declared that he had commanded him to wear the
ephod. To wear the ephod before the Lord is to seek from the innocence of one's life the
reward of divine goodness alone. Now these things are openly spoken against Eli by way of
reproach. For he did not go up to the altar, because that priesthood which presided over
the Synagogue in the time of the revealed truth in no way proclaimed to the peoples
subject to it the one who shone forth as the Redeemer of the human race with such
greatness of signs. And he did not burn incense to God, because he stirred the people to
persecution of him, not to love. He also disdained to wear the ephod before the Lord,
because he shone with no truth of religion. For even if that outward adornment of life
displayed certain marks of respectability, it was from the pretense of deceit, not from
the intention of charity. Hence the Lord also rebuked this very thing in them, saying:
"Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, because you are like whitewashed tombs, which
outwardly appear beautiful to men, but inside are full of dead men's bones" (Matt. 23:27).
But to the one to whom he had given so many spiritual gifts, he would have seemed to have
conferred too little unless he also provided temporal things. Hence it is added:

"And I gave to the house of your father all the sacrifices of the children of Israel. As
if he were recounting to him with open accusation, saying: "In nothing did I fail him; I
bestowed the heights of spiritual honor and power, and I supplied an abundance of earthly
plenty for temporal uses. But let us hear with what urgency of inquiry he who so
reasonably enumerates the gifts he bestowed now examines the audacity of his
transgression. For it follows: (Verse 29. "Why do you kick at my sacrifice and my
offerings, which I commanded to be offered in the temple?" 26. For "why" is not said
except by a judge who urgently investigates. And he who is rebuked for having kicked away
the victim of God and His gifts is judged to have done injury without the counsel of
reason. It should be noted that he speaks in the plural number: "Why have you kicked away
my victim," so that what is said may seem to pertain not only to Eli but also to his sons.
For wild animals are accustomed to kick away things clinging to them. For what other
victims did the faithful have than to persist in the praises of their Redeemer, to
proclaim that Christ Jesus died for the salvation of the world, and that by rising again
He restored the life of the human race? And what other offerings were theirs, except to
ceaselessly offer thanksgivings to Almighty God for such great benefits bestowed upon
them? These indeed the sons of Eli kicked away, because in their rejection of the new
preaching, they did not follow the counsel of reason through the sacred Scriptures, but
the impulse of savagery. For the Truth desired to call them back from irrational cruelty
to the intention of rational counsel, saying: "Search the Scriptures, for you think that
in them you have eternal life; and they bear witness of me" (John 5:39). Whence here also
it is said: "Which I commanded to be offered in the temple.

For in the law, the psalms, and the prophets, it had been written concerning the passion,
the resurrection of the Lord, and the state of the universal Church. Therefore the leaders
of the Synagogue kicked away with their heel the victim and the gifts of the Lord
commanded to be offered in the temple of the Lord, because indeed they strove not to
examine the preaching of the holy Church by the authority of Holy Scripture, but to reject
and cast it away by the sole impulse of their savagery. For if they consulted the
commandments of God in sacred Scripture with an enlightened mind, they would have received
the holy preachers, whom they fiercely cast out, as though divinely sent to them. But He
who rebukes the sons of Eli, that is, the old teachers of the lesser order, for their
irrational savagery, also accuses the father himself of negligence, saying: (Verse 29)
"You have honored your sons more than me."

27. As if openly rebuking, he says: They have driven others away, and you have honored
those who drive them away. He honored his sons more than God, because while he despised
their openly wicked deeds, he provided them with temporal gains. Hence he also adds:
(Verse 29.) That you might eat the firstfruits of every sacrifice of mine. 28. By which
words indeed he seems to reproach the greater order of teachers, who for this reason
consented to the Redeemer's death, because they feared losing the profits of the old
offerings. Whence also, having taken counsel with the Pharisees, they said: What do we do,
because this man performs many signs? If we let him go on like this, all will believe in
him, and the Romans will come and take away our place and nation (John 11:47, 48). And
again: See that you are gaining nothing; behold, the whole world has gone after him (Ibid.
12:19). He therefore honored his sons so that they might eat, because he fell silent from
the intention of preaching, lest while he asserted the truth of the new offering, he would
no longer be able to have the old things for the indulgence of his own pleasure. Since
therefore he has set forth the greatness and character of the guilt, let us now see with
how great an equity of examination he suggests the measure of punishment. For adding he
says: (Verse 30.) Therefore the Lord God of Israel says: Speaking I spoke, that your house
and the house of your father would minister in my presence, henceforth and forever. But
now far be this from me.

29. As if striking with an open and fitting meaning, he says: You honored your sons, so
that you might eat the firstfruits of every sacrifice; but therefore the rights of the
firstfruits are taken from you, because those who were honored were unworthy. For what
does it mean to say: "Far be it from me that your house should minister in my sight,"
except: I cast you down from that summit to which the rights of the firstfruits were owed?
By a wonderful execution of justice, therefore, he was caught, so that from the very thing
for which he greedily sought the eating of the firstfruits, from that very thing he fasted
from the receiving of the firstfruits. For he endured the Redeemer's death lest he lose
the priestly gains, but He received from the triumph of death that by which He destroyed
the profits of the old sacrifice. And He says: "I spoke and declared that your house and
the house of your father would minister in my sight; but now, far be this from me." As if
He were saying in plainer words: That you might stand on so great a height of dignity, I
frequently admonished you, but now you are not such as I desired you to be. And because
this is said concerning the rejection of the Jewish people, there is added concerning the
order of the new preachers: (Verse 30.) "But whoever glorifies me, him will I glorify."

30. For now we behold the glory of the one who glorifies, because the preachers of holy
Church sing the praises of almighty God with great splendor of life, and rejoice in their
universal preeminence throughout the world. Behold, now all the Gentile nations are laid
beneath the footsteps of the priests, and those whom they rejoice to submit themselves to
in obedience they glory to possess as patrons in heaven. The Lord therefore glorifies the
one who glorifies Him, because those from whom He daily receives devoted praises He raises
up to honor throughout the whole world. Is it not the glory of one who has been glorified
to remain on earth and to shut heaven? To live life in common with other men, and yet to
open the heavenly seats above to those subject to the authority of their power? For he was
glorifying the Lord who said: "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matt.
16:16). But the Lord glorified the one who glorified Him, because He answered him, saying:
"I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind
on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be
loosed in heaven" (ibid., 19). But concerning the cast-off reprobates of the Jews it is
added: (Ver. 30.) "But they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed."

31. Indeed they themselves despise, who by no means believe that he is the Redeemer of the
world: about whom certainly the Truth itself complains in the Gospel, saying: "But his
citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying: We do not want this man to
reign over us" (Luke 19:14). But we now see their ignobility, because they are proscribed
both in lineage and in condition. They are indeed ignoble in lineage, because they heard
from the Truth itself: "You are of your father the devil" (John 8:44). They are also
ignoble in condition, because having lost their liberty and kingdom, they are oppressed by
perpetual servitude among the nations. But he shows the order of punishments more clearly,
saying: (Verse 31.) "Behold, the days are coming, and I will cut off your arm, and the arm
of the house of your father, so that there will be no old man in your house."

32. Now he is without an arm, because he who lost the temple and the tabernacle does not
extend his hand for the offering of the old sacrifice. And because He was speaking to Eli,
that is, to the chief priests of the Synagogue, He threatens to cut off not only his arm
but also his house, so that He might clearly indicate the universal destruction of the old
rite, and so that we might perceive that what we now see accomplished in the new age was
ordained in ancient times. Therefore the Lord cut off both his arm and his house, because
He utterly removed both the high priests of Judea and the lesser priests from the old
sacrifice. Whence it is fittingly added: 'So that there shall not be an old man in your
house.' By old men we should understand priests, whose office, because it is carried out
with the weight of great dignity, is emptied of no childish levity by the burden of
religion. His arm, therefore, and the house of his father were so cut off that there is no
old man in his house, because the rite of the old priesthood so vanished that absolutely
no one remained who could any longer sacrifice according to the old custom. For after the
Redeemer of the human race offered Himself for our sins in the new manner of sacrifice,
being a priest according to the ancient custom ceased. But he who suffers the losses of a
forfeited priesthood bears the torment of a greater punishment from the pain of envy.
Wherefore it is added: (Verse 32.) 'And you shall see your rival in the temple, in all the
prosperity of Israel.'

33. For he sees his rival within the temple, because he himself has already been cast out.
For who else is the rival of the old priesthood, if not the order of the new preachers?
Who indeed, while striving to equal the zealous efforts of the ancient and chosen fathers
by their manner of living and teaching, assuredly emulates the good things of Eli in a
good way. Hence Paul admonishes, saying: "Be zealous for good in all good things" (Gal.
4:18). And what are the prosperous things of Israel to be understood as, if not the
felicities of this passing age, in which Israel according to the flesh greatly rejoiced?
Therefore, in all the prosperous things of Israel, he sees his rival—that is, he who
beholds the preachers of truth in the holy Church prospering both in abundance of
resources and in the eminence of their dignity. What is also asserted about his being seen
in the temple is made clear by a more perfect understanding. For in all prosperous things
the rival is in the temple, because the order of preachers arranges everything that serves
them from temporal happiness in the contemplation of eternity. There follows: (Verse 33.)
"Yet I will not entirely remove from you a man from my altar."

34. For He would have entirely removed the man from His altar, if He had admitted none to
the unity of our faith. Therefore He did not entirely remove him, because even though He
rejected the reprobate priests of the Synagogue, He nevertheless mercifully brought many
of them to the knowledge of Himself. Of these indeed Luke makes mention in the Acts of the
Apostles, saying: 'A great multitude of the priests were obedient to the faith' (Acts
6:7). For those were found worthy of so great and new a ministry, who were unwilling to
remain in their old state with the lost. But because not only the elect preachers from the
Gentiles, but also those who believed from Judaea, were a source of tormenting envy to the
Jewish priesthood, there follows: (Verse 33.) 'But one to make your eyes fail and your
soul to waste away.' 35. Or for this reason He did not entirely remove a man from His
altar descended from him, so that Eli's eyes might fail and his soul waste away, because
indeed He did not wish to take up the elect from Judea for the ministry of the new
preaching, so that, with them removed, guilt might hold the reprobate fast unto
punishment. For the eyes of Eli failed when the supreme priesthood had the truth of faith
on the lips of preachers within its hearing, and did not recognize it. His soul also
wastes away, because indeed through the punishment of its rejection it withered, when it
lost the grace of the Holy Spirit. There follows: (v. 33.) 'And a great part of your house
shall die when they have reached manhood.'

36. The age of manhood is the time of the Lord's Incarnation, which indeed the Apostle
indicates, saying: "When the fullness of time came, God sent His Son, made of a woman,
made under the law, that He might redeem those who were under the law, and that we might
receive the adoption of sons" (Gal. 4:4, 5). What then were the precepts of Judea, if not
certain instructions of infancy? The Apostle likewise indicates the time of this
childhood, saying: "When we were little ones, we were serving under the elements of this
world" (Ibid., 3). In the age of manhood, therefore, she died, because in the fullness of
time she raged against the Redeemer of the world, and pierced herself through with the
sword of unbelief. But it is well that not the whole house, but a great part of his house
is foretold as about to die, because some of them believed in the Redeemer. And adding the
cause of greater grief, he says: (Ver. 34.) "And this shall be the sign to you, that which
shall come upon your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas. In one day they shall both die."

37. We have shown above that in the two sons of Eli the twofold order of the old
priesthood is designated. They certainly died on one day, because they came together
simultaneously in the death of the Redeemer. Moreover, the death of the priests is
fittingly recorded as placed as a sign of the house that was to die, because when the
shepherds perish, it is necessary that the flock follow to the same destruction. And
because they were deceived by a false reasoning, they are said to die in the day. Of the
falseness of which light blessed Job speaks, saying: 'So in darkness, as in light they
walk' (Job 24:17). But He who cast out the old prepared a new priesthood. Whence it is
also added: (Verse 35.) 'And I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest.' 38. For when
the sons of Eli were dead, the Lord raised up a faithful priest for Himself, because when
the leaders of the ancient people were destroyed in their faithlessness, He chose elect
ones to carry out the ministry of our redemption. He is indeed called a faithful one who
was taken up, because the old one, whom he succeeded, was rejected on account of
unfaithfulness. And because that faith of his is ascribed to the praises of the priest,
which works through love, the very works of love are indicated by the words that follow.
For it continues: 80 (Verse 35.) 'Who shall do according to my heart and my soul.'

39. For the ineffable divine substance wished to be signified through the parts of a human
being, which ought not to be understood according to the letter as referring to God
Himself. And so He said: "Who shall act according to my heart and my soul." Not that the
incorporeal and uncircumscribed substance of God has a heart and soul, but He speaks to
man as a man is accustomed to speak to a man, so that through what a person recognizes
from hearing His word, he may openly know what God also wills. This indeed could have been
said more simply: "Who shall do my will." And He sets forth the rewards of the work,
saying: (Verse 35.) "And I will build him a faithful house." 40. For what else is this
house understood to be, if not the eternal homeland? Which house indeed the Lord,
commending it, speaks of: 'In my Father's house there are many mansions' (John 14:2). But
this house is now said to be built, because it is prepared through the actions of a pious
life. Nevertheless, for meriting it, the work of man is unworthy if the grace of a
merciful God does not accomplish this. Rightly therefore, when the building of the house
is set forth, the Lord promises to build it for him, because indeed human powers fall
short of so great a work if they are not divinely aided. Hence Paul says: 'It is God who
works in me both to will and to accomplish' (Phil. 2:13). Hence again he says: 'It is not
of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who has mercy' (Rom. 9:16). He was
promising to build this house when He said: 'I go to prepare a place for you, and I will
come again, and will receive you to myself, that where I am, you also may be' (John 14:2,
3). But because he was going to devoutly follow, from the freedom of his will, the grace
calling him, it is added: (Verse 35.) 'And he shall walk before my Christ all his days.'

41. For to walk before Christ for each of the elect is to always see oneself in the sight
of the Redeemer, and to do those things which one knows are acceptable to Him. Or
certainly one walks before Christ who in everything he does always looks to Him, and
directs the uprightness of his life toward Him whom he recognizes as having come through
the assumed humanity to set in order the form of the elect. But Judea is not to be forever
abandoned in the darkness of her blindness, because through the prophet it is said: "If
the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant shall be
saved" (Isaiah 10:22). Hence Paul says: "Blindness in part has happened to Israel, until
the fullness of the Gentiles enters in, and so all Israel shall be saved" (Romans
11:25-26). Therefore he subsequently shows this visitation of Judea, because he says:
(Verse 33.) "And it shall come to pass that whoever remains in your house shall come, that
he may be prayed for."

42. Then indeed Judea asks that the Lord be prayed for on her behalf, when, with the elect
already gathered from the nations, she does not ignore the darkness of her own blindness,
when she desires that offering be made to her through the priests of almighty God by the
confession of the Holy Trinity, because in her former old state she does not presume to
merit heavenly joys, but also bestows the faith of the Redeemer, which she received upon
her conversion, by preaching it to others who are yet to be converted. It is also well
added: (Verse 33.) That he might offer a piece of silver money. For by silver the divine
utterances are signified, because it is said through the Prophet: The words of the Lord
are words tested by fire, silver tried by fire (Psalm 11:7). And indeed Judea then spends
this silver in the praises of God, when she openly preaches our faith, which she
previously contradicted while established in unbelief. And because she also imitates
through compassion the same Redeemer whom she preaches through love, it is added: (Verse
33.) And a cake of bread.

43. For by the name of bread, He is expressed who says of Himself: "I am the living bread
which came down from heaven" (John 6:51). The cake of bread, therefore, is the flesh of
the Redeemer, afflicted with sufferings. For the prophet, beholding this cake of bread,
said: "Truly He has borne our griefs, and He Himself has carried our sorrows" (Isaiah
53:4). And because it is said by a certain wise man: "If you sit down at the table of a
powerful man, wisely consider what is set before you, for you must prepare similar things"
(Proverbs 23:1–2, according to the LXX), Judea then offers a cake of bread and a piece of
silver when she proclaims our Redeemer with open confession, and for the love of Him whom
she proclaims, does not refuse to endure torments from the faithless. And because she is
greatly delighted in this imitation of the Passion and refreshment of sweetness, there
follows: (Verse 33.) "And let her say: 'Send me, I beseech you, to one of the priestly
portions.'"

44. "Dismiss me," she says, as if to say: Do not reject me as infamous and stained with
the blood of the Redeemer's death. She also begs that one priestly portion be granted to
her, because she desires to be joined to the true priests, so that she may be able to
share in the joys of those whose offerings she desires to imitate by offering herself.
Hence, setting forth the desire of her refreshment, she says: (Verse 33) "That I may eat a
morsel of bread." In this matter it should be noted that she is foretold as having a cake
of bread in the devotion of offering, and a morsel in the appetite of eating. Why then is
not a cake of bread, but a morsel desired for eating? And why is not a morsel, but a cake
said to be offered? But because a morsel is made in roundness, and roundness itself is in
a certain way recognized as having neither beginning nor end, rightly by the morsel of
bread the eternity of the Redeemer is signified. A cake of bread therefore can be offered
by us, and not a morsel, because we who can imitate the Lord's passion by dying or by
afflicting the flesh do not have eternity in ourselves which we might present before His
sight. And a morsel, not a cake of bread, ought to be for us in the perfection of desire,
because we who follow the Redeemer of the human race by suffering temporally with Him
desire to possess Him in the heavenly homeland no longer as mortal or suffering, but as
eternal and reigning. Therefore she who desires to offer a cake of bread says: "That I may
eat a morsel of bread," because those converted from Judea desire to possess our Redeemer
in the eternity of refreshment, whose passion they imitated here for the vigor of warfare,
not for the reward of recompense.


COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS (BOOK TWO, CHAPTER 2.3)
=============================================

COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS continued

CHAPTER 2.3

45. We have run through these matters from sacred history by way of typological
explanation, so that we might seek out something of moral understanding in the same words
of sacred history. And so the boy Samuel is declared a minister in the sight of the Lord;
yet this ministry is recorded as being rendered to the Lord not absolutely, but before the
face of Eli. By these words, therefore, what is shown is not the perfection of ministry,
but of humility. For the face of Eli represents the judgment of each one's instructor. For
he ministers to the Lord before the face of his teacher who does not follow the reasoning
of his own judgment in the performance of his ministry, who walks along that path of work
which is foreseen for him by the knowledge of his master. For all perfect men, and those
taught by God (John 6:45; Isaiah 54:13), are indeed ministers in the sight of the Lord,
but are not His ministers before the face of man, because the divinity itself teaches them
inwardly how they should be ordered outwardly also in life, conduct, and teaching; whence
also it is promised to the forerunner of the Redeemer with the praise of a paternal
oracle: "And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go
before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways" (Luke 1:76).

He is described as going before the face of the Lord who in his ministry was not going to
follow the judgment of a superior man, but the inspiration of the divinity. Therefore
Samuel is said to minister to the Lord before the face of Eli, so that all who are subject
may be taught by his example, that they should strive to please their Creator in their
ministry in such a way that they do not presume to do anything contrary to the judgment of
their superiors. For he who is declared a minister of the Lord before the face of his
instructor, if through pride he disdains to go before his face, does not exist as a
minister in the sight of the Lord, because he is proved to be ignorant of the Almighty,
whom he disdains to please through his instructor's judgment—the Almighty who subjected
him to that authority so that he might please Him. Whence the sons of Eli are said both to
be sons of Belial and not to know the Lord, and not to know the office of the priests
toward the people. For sons are those who are subjected to spiritual fathers for
instruction. Who indeed, when through pride they disdain to follow the counsels of those
same fathers, are rightly called sons of Belial, because they become imitators of that
apostate spirit who fell from heaven through pride. Who certainly are ignorant of the Lord
all the more grievously, the more arrogantly they ascribe knowledge of Him to themselves.

For it comes about that they are ignorant of what they ought to know all the more
dangerously, because, not knowing what they think they know, they do not care to learn.
And because they cannot love the invisible Creator whom they do not know, in their
appetite for visible things they squander the very ministries of God which they have
usurped for themselves. Whence those who are reported as priests who do not know the Lord
are also said not to know the office of the priests toward the people. 2. And to reveal
the causes of his reproof, the priest's servant is recorded as coming with a three-pronged
fork to every one who was sacrificing, and violently demanding raw flesh. By these words,
indeed, three species of gluttony are noted in the greediness of their rapacity. For he
whose servant came to inflict violence on their behalf before the flesh was cooked could
not endure the lawful hour of refreshment; and he for whom flesh was sought did not know
how to use simple foods; and because, refusing what was cooked, he demanded raw flesh, he
disdained to eat that flesh prepared in the common manner. But since the perversity of the
servants served the pleasure of the priests, why is it recorded that the sin was
exceedingly great before the Lord, not of the priests themselves, but of the servants? Yet
by these same words the greater guilt of the priests is shown; for he who asserts that the
sin of the lesser ones was exceedingly great before the Lord recognized to what a heap of
condemnation the iniquity of the greater ones had grown. This magnitude of guilt, however,
is asserted not only on account of the appetite for unlawful eating, but also on account
of the violence of their rapacity.

3. But the divine discourse returns to the narrative of the chosen boy, so that in him we
may more attentively consider not what is to be condemned, but what is to be imitated. And
so he is said to have been girded with a linen ephod and to have been in the sight of the
Lord. What then is shown in the linen ephod except the brightness of continence? With
which ephod we are indeed girded when we are restrained on every side toward the splendor
of chastity, when no part of soul or flesh is released from the law of strictness through
which we might dissolve into the darkness of luxury. Such a minister, therefore, is in the
sight of the Lord, because he is not deceived concerning the hoped-for vision of almighty
God, whom he serves with such great splendor of his girding. To this boy indeed his
mother, ascending with her husband to sacrifice the solemn offering, is said to have
brought a small tunic. The mother indeed ascends with her husband when the mind of the
preacher raises itself through the foreknowledge of the interior spouse to contemplate
those sublime joys of eternity. Then indeed she sacrifices the solemn offering, because
while she is joined to the Creator through the ineffable sweetness of that love, a festive
devotion is presented at the heavenly altars.

And then indeed she brings a small tunic, because even if through the great grace of
interior visitation the soul of the pastor is lifted up to heavenly things, nevertheless
he ought to impose the precepts of conduct upon the little one not according to the
measure of his own subtlety, but according to their strength. Hence also Moses, returning
from the mountain in the immense splendor of his countenance, veiled his face so that the
people might be able to direct their gaze upon him (Exod. 34:33). Therefore let her who is
a spiritual mother bring a small tunic to her son, so that she may prescribe to the little
ones still certain beginnings and plain things, and not impose upon them the burden of her
own strength. For often those who can conquer the enemy through lesser works fall amid
great ones. Hence also David, advancing into battle against the mightiest of the
Philistines, laid aside the breastplate, shield, and all military equipment; and he who
could not wield himself against the enemy under their weight struck him down with a single
stone from a sling (1 Sam. 17:39, 40 ff.). That mother had ascended to sacrifice the
solemn offering, who said: "I know such a man, who was caught up into paradise" (2 Cor.
12:4). But from such great magnitude he did not bring a great garment to the little ones,
because he says: "He heard secret words which it is not permitted for a man to speak"
(ibid.). Likewise:

"I gave you milk to drink, not solid food" (1 Cor. 3:2). Therefore let the mother bring a
small tunic to her small son, and let the measure of the garment be stretched according to
the size of the body, so that while he fights with the virtue of a temperate way of life,
the enemy may not overthrow him with an unequal burden of arms. 4. And because God
multiplies for the preacher the gains of converts through the discerning zeal of pastoral
care, Anna is said to have been visited by the Lord, and through the grace of the divine
gift to have merited the grace of fruitfulness in sons and daughters. She bears sons when
she gains through the word those through whom she bestows the seeds of preaching to
others. She bears daughters when she calls back to the service of almighty God those minds
which, although they are not suited for preaching, nevertheless diligently nurture the
seed of the word of God received from preachers, which, as if giving birth, the daughters
afterwards bring forth through good works as an example to their neighbors. But since
Samuel is first said to have been girded with a linen ephod, and then the mother's
fruitfulness in the multitude of children can reasonably be understood as what we observe
happening daily—namely, that from the good reputation of a chosen disciple, the gains of
converts increase for the master. Hence after the birth of brothers and sisters, Samuel is
said to have been magnified before the Lord, because indeed those are already great before
the Lord who through the examples of their devout way of life turn the hearts of their
neighbors to the service of almighty God.

5. But a great fear is struck into us, because Eli is condemned for the fault of his sons,
though no sins of his own are reported. For good subjects, living well suffices for
salvation, but for prelates their own life does not suffice. For he is truly very old who
always strives to live blamelessly. Whence it is also written: "For venerable old age is
not that of long time, nor counted by the number of years; but the understanding of a man
is grey hairs, and the age of old age is an unspotted life" (Wisdom 4:8). But some excel
by living well, who have none of the authority that leadership demands. For even if they
are eager to rouse their subjects to do good, they are yet ashamed to oppose offenders
through zeal for righteousness. Who indeed, even if they sometimes come forth to reprove
them, harm rather than help by speaking, because they do not confound their obstinacy with
fitting severity. For Eli himself heard the crimes of his sons, and how they slept with
the women at the door of the tabernacle; who, as though beginning with a harsh rebuke of
authority, declared that he had heard the worst things from all the people. But he who
ought to have pursued the faults he had set forth softened them through his subsequent
words, saying: "Do not, my sons.

In which address of kinship, indeed, it is clear how far he dissented from the Lord's
will, because he called them sons whom the divine word above declared to be sons of
Belial, that is, of a wicked spirit, saying: "Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial. For
to sleep with women is to sin securely and without fear of future punishment. For the
harlot women are worldly desires. Who are rightly said to watch at the door of the
tabernacle, because they lie in wait for those striving toward the entrance of the
heavenly kingdom. But he who follows the desires of the world in such a way that he is
often terrified by the consideration of divine fear is indeed defiled with women, but does
not sleep, because even if he falls through transgression, he nevertheless by no means
rests in security in the crimes he has committed. Therefore, one who sleeps with women is
not to be honored with the name of kinship, because those who, having already cast off the
fear of God, are obstinate in their crimes, are not to be rebuked with a lighter reproof,
lest they think the weight of the sin into which they fall is light, when what is preached
to them from authority does not sound grave to them. But lax pastors, amid their soothing
words, are accustomed to bring forth certain arguments of reason. Whence it is also said
in the voice of Eli: "If a man sin against a man, God may be appeased for him;

but if a man sin against God, who shall pray for him?" 6. For a man to sin against a man
is for people to harm one another in matters of passing things. But to sin against God is
to take away from Him those things which He established for eternity. Therefore whoever
draws either his own or another faithful person's soul into sinning is convicted of
sinning against God, because he strives to take away from Him what is properly His. This
is shown to be a sin all the more grave, inasmuch as one who might stand as a worthy
intercessor for its absolution is more rarely found. For under the question "Who will pray
for him?" it is not said that the remedies of repentance are denied even to such persons,
but that the deeper wounds of sins are healed with greater difficulty. 7. However, this
can be understood to have been said because the priests are being rebuked. For a man sins
against a man when he offends whose fault looks to the judgment of a superior person for
correction. Therefore, since the sins of the subject people, which pertain to the priests,
are wiped away by the prayers of those same priests, when the priest falls into fault,
there is no superior person by whose prayers he may be expiated. And the Truth Himself
intimates this, saying: "If the salt has lost its savor, with what shall it be salted?"
(Matt. 5:13). Let him therefore say: "Who will pray for him?" As if to say, who remains as
intercessor for him, when the one who was ordained to intercede for others casts himself
down by transgressing? By this indeed the magnitude of the guilt is shown, because many of
them are cast by the Lord into the darkness of an impenitent heart, and they do not come
to their senses by any human exhortation. For this reason it is fittingly added: (Verse
25.) "They did not listen to the voice of their father, because the Lord willed to kill
them."

8. Now the boy Samuel is recorded as both advancing and growing, and as pleasing both God
and men, so that the zeal of the chosen hearer may be indicated—one who directs his
efforts toward the heavenly homeland by the path of an upright life, as he grows stronger
toward greater things. Hence it is also said through the Psalmist: They shall go from
strength to strength; the God of gods shall be seen in Zion (Psalm 83:8). Therefore,
advancement in conduct means to grow in merits; to please God and men belongs to
consummate perfection. And because conduct pertains to works, and merit proceeds from
charity, those hearers advance but do not grow who perform good works out of a desire for
vanity and do not have charity. We therefore advance and grow if, together with a more
exalted manner of life, we are raised up through better works, and from that very
sublimity of work we direct our attention solely to the joys of eternity. Moreover, to
please both God and men belongs to great virtue, because very often we offend our
neighbors by our good work if we do not perform those same good works with great caution.
He therefore pleases both God and men who is careful in the good work that he devotes to
the service of Almighty God—who so takes care to please God that he offends no one through
God's ministry.

9. And because this is said about Samuel, still a boy and placed under another's
instruction, the life of those living in community is thereby instructed. For some living
in community in sacred places, with the fervor of novices, desire to devote themselves to
their own pursuits under the appearance of great works, and the less useful they are to
their fellow brothers, the less they please them. Therefore through Samuel a model is set
forth for those living in community, upon which they may be formed. Each of them therefore
pleases both God and men when he is useful to his brothers and devoted to God. Therefore
let them so attend to their own care that they do not neglect the things that belong to
their neighbor, so that through kindness they may please those who are with them in the
lowly place, while before heavenly eyes they cautiously display the strength of their
devotion, lest they crush the hearts of the weak while hastening toward heavenly things
with the force of their own strength.

10. Now a man of God is described as having come to Eli, who, being about to bring forth
the severity of the divine sentence, carefully enumerated how many gifts He had bestowed
upon him. And because he finally announces the punishment of the vengeance that he
deserved, what does this give us to understand, except that the faults of pastors are
judged more strictly? And not only do their sins increase the punishment of retribution,
but also the gifts that were granted. Likewise, because he recounts those same gifts one
by one, he indicates something more serious: that each individual gift comes to be a
torment, when it is proved to have been poorly preserved. For he poorly guards in himself
the gifts of almighty God who defiles the splendor of the pastoral summit through the
stains of wicked conduct. Whence also the house of Eli is fittingly rebuked for having
kicked away the gifts and sacrifices of the Lord with the heel. The heel indeed is that
part of the body by which we touch the ground. In this lower part of the body, therefore,
is shown that disposition of the soul by which earthly things are desired.

11. And because, as it has seemed to some, victims were customarily offered for a victory
obtained or to be obtained, and gifts given to friends, what is signified by victims and
gifts except the vows of those still advancing and the devotions of the perfect in the
praises of almighty God? For we who advance through the temptations of hidden enemies,
when we prepare virtue for the conflict against them, surely hold victims in the praises
of almighty God. But when the battles that are thrust upon us have now been conquered,
when we give thanks to almighty God for the victory obtained, we undoubtedly sacrifice
victims to the same Lord. But those who offer him the affection of intimate love bestow
gifts as if upon a friend. Gifts, therefore, are the affections of charity, by which the
hearts of the elect burn with desire for their Creator. And because when a ruler pursues
earthly things, he harms many who are engaged in spiritual conflict and many also who are
now beginning to aspire upward, he indeed kicks aside the victims and gifts of God with
his heel, because by the example of his depravity he drives away the endeavors of both
groups. And so the victims are cast aside, because often the labor of spiritual warfare is
abandoned by the untrained soldiers of Christ, when the leaders of the Christian campaign
are seen to pursue bodily leisure in the repose of earthly pleasures.

The gifts are kicked aside, because the affections of charity grow cold in the minds of
many who already love heavenly things, while they see their prelates seeking the heavenly
homeland through no desires of love, but lying bound by the coldness of the body in the
lowest pleasures. Among whom indeed there are some who bestow spiritual honors in a carnal
manner, and attribute to kinship what is owed to merits. Who would surely tremble at the
guilt of their presumption, if they carefully considered what the Lord complains about
concerning Eli the priest. (Verse 29. "You have honored your sons more than me," He says,
"so that you might eat the first portions of every sacrifice of my people Israel." 12. For
he honors his sons and relatives more than the Lord, who chooses persons for sacred orders
not from the integrity of their conduct, but from love of kinship. Therefore the sons are
said to have been honored, so that they might eat the firstfruits of the sacrifice,
because carnal prelates bestow the heights of spiritual honor upon their carnal relatives
for this reason: that they may be enriched with ecclesiastical resources and heaped with
an abundance of plenty in the loftiness of their office. Nor do they care what sort of
persons come to the spiritual ministry, but only that they may advance in temporal dignity
those whom they embrace with carnal affection. He is therefore accused of having honored
his sons—but wicked ones, who ought not even to be held as close by carnal kinship, if
they in no way shine forth in the conduct of ecclesiastical teaching. But those who
promote the reprobate are shown to confound the very order of promotion, since it says he
honored his sons so that they might eat the firstfruits of the sacrifice. For the priest
does not preach in order to eat, but rather he ought to eat in order to preach. This Paul
also suggests, saying: "Let him who preaches the Gospel live from the Gospel" (1 Cor.
9:14). Hence he says again: "Do not muzzle the ox that treads the grain" (1 Cor. 9:9; 1
Tim. 5:18; Deut. 25:4), so that, namely, the preacher of the holy Church may supply
nourishment to his body for this reason:

that he may be able to bear the labor of preaching. Therefore those who promote their
relatives are proven to pervert the right order of promotion—not for the purpose of
ministry, but for the pursuit of dignity. This they certainly would not do if they did not
love themselves and their relatives in a carnal manner while in a spiritual position. But
if they understand the rejection of Eli, let them also fear the judgments of their own
guilt. For by the divine voice it is said: "You have honored your sons more than me, so
that you might all eat the firstfruits of my people Israel. (Verse 30. "Therefore the Lord
God of Israel says: I spoke and declared that your house and the house of your father
would minister in my sight forever. But now, far be this from me." 13. Behold, Eli is
deposed from the height of his dignity by divine sentence, who is convicted of having
honored his wicked sons for the eating of the firstfruits, so that indeed the preachers of
holy Church may understand that if through carnal love they knowingly commit spiritual
ministries to the reprobate, they have fallen by the equity of the internal Judge from
that summit on which they appear outwardly to stand. And because He subsequently added:
(Verse 30.) But whosoever shall glorify me, him will I glorify.

14. Their audacity also secretly suggests that He was dishonored. To whom indeed Paul
also, reproaching this very thing, says: "The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles
because of you" (Rom. 2:24). For because they stain the beauty of the dignity they
received through the filth of a wretched reputation, they indeed dishonor the Lord. For he
is rightly driven from the height of honor who does injury to the one by whom he is proved
to have been honored. Against which He affirms with a general promise, saying: "But
whoever glorifies me, I will glorify him. For the pastor glorifies God who shines by the
example of good works for the imitation of the faithful, who from the height of governance
radiates with the great light of an excellent manner of life, who, regarding the mirror of
sacred orders, does not accept the persons of reprobate ministers, but chooses for the
pattern of the subject flock those whom everyone who looks to imitation, because he
follows the true light in them, does not stumble against. To whom indeed Truth speaks
through Himself, saying: "So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good
works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 5:16).

The Lord indeed glorifies those who glorify Him, because what the chosen pastors of the
holy Church outwardly bear of the glory of their high position, this they inwardly receive
from the grace of divine goodness, and the honor by which they are exalted in the eyes of
men, they merit by worthy effort inwardly from the bounty of the interior majesty. Against
which He complains that the glory of those who dishonor Him was not bestowed upon them by
Him, saying: "They have reigned, but not from me; they became princes, and I did not know
it" (Hosea 8:4). For they reign from themselves, and not from the election of the supreme
ordination, because they are not called by divine will to the glory of the ecclesiastical
summit, but are led there through cupidity. Whom indeed the Lord does not know, because He
rejects them through the judgment of interior equity. It is therefore as if He were
saying: Even if the honor they hold appears to be mine, they did not merit it by
obedience, but seized it through cupidity. Whence He also subsequently adds: (Verse 30.
"But those who despise me shall be without honor."

15. As if he were speaking openly, saying: Even though they display the nobility of their
dignity under the pretext of religion, they are nevertheless ignoble, because they do not
match the excellence of the glory they possess through sublimity of life. But since all of
this is promised in the expression of the future tense, it can not unfittingly be referred
to the merit of the coming retribution. About which indeed John says: "When he shall
appear, we shall be like him" (1 John 3:2). Hence the evangelist Mark, affirming, says:
"Then they shall see the Son of man coming with great power and glory" (Mark 13:26).
Moreover, when he declares that he will glorify the one who glorifies him, he assuredly
promises him the glory of his own likeness. For the Lord glorifies the one who glorifies
him, because he rewards with eternal sublimity those who now within holy Church shine in
the eyes of the elect through the examples of good works. But the despisers will be
ignoble, because they do not deserve to be received into the glory of the elect. For
because they now clothe themselves in the image of the fallen angel through their
reprobate way of life, they will then be ignoble with him, when they are joined to him in
internal punishment. For the Prophet, beholding the glorification of the former and the
ignobility of the latter, says: "The saints shall exult in glory, they shall rejoice in
their resting places.

The praises of God shall be in their throats, and two-edged swords in their hands. To
execute vengeance upon the nations, rebukes among the peoples. To bind their kings in
shackles, and their nobles in iron chains. For the Lord glorifies the one who glorifies
him, because the humble elect exult with him in eternal glory. And because they receive
the brightness of glorification from the manner of their own way of life, they are said to
rejoice in their resting places over the glory they have obtained. But his despisers are
struck with perpetual ignobility, because the kings and nobles of the nations are bound
with iron, that is, eternal chains for punishment. Moreover, the kings and princes of the
nations are the proud and vainglorious leaders of carnal people. And they will then be
ignoble, when they are bound with iron chains, because those who now temporarily exalt
themselves against the little ones are restrained by eternal punishment from the splendor
of honor and from the audacity of their tyranny. Whence here also it is added: (Verse 31.
"Behold, the days are coming, and I will cut off your arm, and the arm of the house of
your father."

16. For the arm of the scorner is temporal strength. And because he departed from the
household of the supreme Father by transgressing, the fallen angel began to have him as a
father, now cast out from heavenly glory. Therefore the house of his father is that
society of subjects which favors him in evil. Of whom indeed it is said above: "You have
honored your sons more than me. The arm of the scorner, therefore, and the house of his
father is cut off when, with the intervention of the death of the flesh, both the prelate
and his subjects alike lose the violence of their tyranny. For then he is without an arm,
when he can in no way exercise violence in the oppression of the little ones. Whence it is
also decreed by the equity of the eternal Judge: "Bind his hands and feet and cast him
into the outer darkness" (Matt. 22:13). In whose house also there shall be no old man. For
the house of a condemned man is hell. But true old age is the maturity of wisdom.
Therefore in his house there shall be no old man, because in hell no counsels of salvation
can be found. Whence also sacred Scripture stirs us to works of true wisdom, saying:
"Whatever your hand is able to do, do it earnestly, for there is neither reason, nor
wisdom, nor knowledge in the underworld, where you are hastening" (Eccles. 9:10). Hence
Paul says: "Behold, now is the acceptable time;

behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Cor. 6:2). Therefore in the house of the scorner
there shall be no old man, because whoever rightly has wisdom has prepared a dwelling for
himself not in hell but in heaven. This scorner also, to the increase of his punishment,
sees his rival in the temple amid all the prosperity of Israel. For the temple of God is
the heavenly homeland, of which it is also said through the Prophet: "The Lord is in his
holy temple; the Lord's throne is in heaven" (Ps. 11:4). And by Israel, which is
interpreted as "seeing God," is signified that blessed multitude of angels, of whom the
Lord says in the Gospel: "Their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in
heaven" (Matt. 18:10). And the prosperity of Israel is the everlasting joy of those
blessed spirits. Therefore the scorner will behold his rival in the temple, because the
reprobate preacher, now condemned, recognizes the order of the humble already rejoicing in
the heavenly places. To this rival indeed all the prosperity of Israel is granted; for it
is written: "God will be all in all" (1 Cor. 15:28). Therefore all the prosperity of
Israel designates all that God is to those most blessed citizens. For although that
eternal essence—namely, the supreme and simple good—exists in itself, nevertheless,
because by the revelation of his Majesty he satisfies all the desires of those blessed
spirits, the distinguished Teacher shows this to be so.

Whence he also carefully preaches that God is not all things in himself, but all things in
all, because he who in his own nature exists ineffably as one and simple good, is as many
goods to all the good as they themselves are filled with joys from the contemplation of
his glory. Therefore all the prosperity of Israel is granted to the rival, because the
order of the humble elect is received among the choirs of angels, so that it may be
satisfied with an eternal perception of the joys of divine contemplation. He is rightly
said to be the rival of the scorner, because the elect of God receive the encouragements
of good admonition even from proud and negligent preachers. Whence the Lord also commands,
saying: "Whatever they tell you, do; but do not act according to their works" (Matt.
23:3). Hence Paul says: "Be zealous for good in all things" (Gal. 4:18). But since
Scripture says: "Let the wicked be removed, lest he see the glory of the Lord" (Isa.
26:10), it seems contradictory that those who are condemned in hell should be understood
to see those who rejoice in heaven. But since "to see" also pertains to knowledge, he sees
his rival in the temple because, even though the wicked man is held bound by the
punishments of hell, he does not doubt that the humble elect, whom he does not see with
his eyes, share in the joys of angels in heaven. And it should be noted that it is said
twice:

"There shall be no old man in your house," because the condemned is instructed unto
salvation neither from the experience of punishments which he endures, nor from the
knowledge of another's happiness, nor from the experience of punishments which he does not
endure. Sometimes, however, the elect are born as children through the teaching of
reprobate pastors. The guilt of pastors does not hold these bound, because they follow the
encouragements of good preaching that they hear, and not the perverse works that they see.
Whence it is also added: (Verse 33. "Nevertheless I will not entirely remove from you a
man from my altar." 17. For they are men who shine forth from the lofty citadel of strict
conduct. As if therefore He were saying: For this reason I do not remove them from My
altar, because they are men. For according to the merit of their conduct, strength and
loftiness of power is preserved for them. Whence also through the prophet the Lord
proclaims the decrees of equity, saying: 'The soul that sins, it itself shall die. The son
shall not bear the iniquity of the father, nor the father that of the son' (Ezek. 18:20).
The Lord would therefore justly remove a man from His altar on this account, if the son
were to bear the iniquity of the father. But from this very fact that a chosen hearer is
seen in glory, punishment is heaped upon the reprobate teacher. Wherefore it is also
added: (Verse 33.) 'But that your eyes may fail, and your soul may waste away.'

18. For his eyes fail, because those who fulfilled what he perfected by his exhortation
are put to shame by his life. His soul also wastes away, because he is compelled to grieve
all the more abundantly, while he knows that the good which he taught flourishes through
the glory of recompense in his subjects, and yet he himself did not take care to practice
it. In these words it should also be noted that he who promises that he will not entirely
remove a man from his altar is found to be rare in whom he receives, because indeed of a
reprobate teacher there are more hearers who follow the wicked things he does than the
right things he teaches. Whence here also a great part of his house is declared to be
about to die in the prime of manhood. 19. For the age of manhood is the time of
administering the priesthood. Therefore the imitator of the reprobate teacher is brought
to manhood when he is promoted to the height of holy orders. When indeed he has reached
that age, he dies, because whoever has approached so great a ministry unworthily, or has
lived unworthily in it, is condemned. Whence Paul also, making mention of the Lord's body
and blood, says: "He who eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks judgment to himself"
(1 Cor. 11:29). Therefore they die in manhood, because they perish from the presumption
and boldness of a higher ministry. Hence therefore, hence indeed let the reckless take
heed, and let them not eagerly seek but rather dread to undertake the burdens of so great
a ministry. For he who is foretold to die when he reaches manhood lives until he reaches
it, because indeed all who are weak and unequal to so great a ministry, if they consider
the measure of their own smallness, have a place in the holy Church in which, guarding
themselves, they may live. Whence the Lord also declares through Moses, saying: "If a
beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned" (Exod. 19:12; Heb. 12:20). Hence it is
also that when Lot went out from Sodom, he refrained from ascending the mountain and
turned aside to Zoar, a small city (Gen. 19:20ff.), lest while still small he strives for
higher things and, striking against manhood, dies. For we leave Sodom when we turn away
from the fires of burning desire.

We do not immediately ascend to lofty things, because we do not touch the heights of a
superior ministry, while we consider our own weakness by measuring it, lest if we despise
keeping the measure of our weak age, we who have lived as little ones may die in manhood.
As a sign indeed of the house about to die, both sons of Eli are foretold to die in one
day. We have said that those sons signify those who are promoted to holy orders by carnal
relatives, not with the intention of administering the order, but for the glory of worldly
dignity. Therefore both die in one day, because they perish in the desire for worldly
happiness. Worldly glory, the reverence of honor, the power of high position, the splendor
of dignity, the throng of attendants, the abundance of possessions loved in a worldly
manner—this is a day, but one that kills.

20. Let the sons of Eli hear, therefore, that both die on a single day. For those who,
from the pastoral eminence they have received, love the happiness of a fleeting life, have
indeed the intention of joy but the fruit of lamentation, a purpose set on the exultation
of life but an arrival at the sorrow of death. They hasten toward death, therefore, as
often as they vainly rejoice over temporal happiness. The Apostle also confirms this when
he mentions the apostatizing widow, saying: "But she who lives in pleasures is dead while
she lives" (1 Tim. 5:6). For he declared that she dies on this day, who showed that
pleasures are the cause of the widow's death. But the death of the sons would be less
grievous if it did not itself become the cause of another's death. Hence they are foretold
not simply to die, but to die as a sign of a house about to perish, because when those
nearby imitate a reprobate teacher, they fall into the same ruin, and the followers of
followers are heaped together in collapse. Let those who love temporal happiness from the
office of the eminence they have undertaken hear this, therefore, and let them dread the
magnitude of their guilt.

They are deserving of a punishment all the graver inasmuch as they openly see that they do
not die alone from the vanity they love, because while they drink down death under the
pretext of worldly gladness, they transmit the poison of their drink to the multitude of
those who follow them. Yet by these words the brevity of the present life can be made
known to reprobate teachers. For they die in a single day, because when they reach the end
of this life, all that they have lived is seen to have been brief. Hence it is said by a
certain wise man: "The joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment" (Job 20:5). Again,
blessed Job speaks of the lovers of this world, saying: "They spend their days in
prosperity, and in a moment they go down to hell" (Job 21:13). But when the reprobate are
snatched away to punishment, wise and chosen pastors are raised up for the care of the
Lord's flock. Wherefore he adds next: (Verse 35. "And I will raise up for myself a
faithful priest."

21. For the Lord raises up a faithful priest for Himself, because indeed the highest
position demands for its care one who not only rightly understands, but who faithfully
ministers. Moreover, he will then be able to minister rightly when he recognizes the
measure of his ministry from sacred Scripture. Hence, when a faithful priest is promised,
he is declared to act according to the heart and soul of Almighty God. For what do we
understand by the heart and soul of God, if not His sacred Scripture? For with the heart
we think toward deliberation, and with the soul we are moved toward love. Since,
therefore, in sacred Scripture we recognize the counsels of Almighty God, and there we
find the love with which He loved the human race, that same Scripture reasonably
designates His heart and soul. Accordingly, Almighty God chooses for His ministry the
priest who acts according to His heart and soul, because indeed no one else is worthy of
so great an office unless he has learned His will from sacred Scripture and devotes what
he has learned to the benefit of his neighbors through the zeal of charity. But we must
still attentively consider what is said: (Verse 35.) 'According to my heart and my soul.'

22. For certain precepts are found in Sacred Scripture which are indeed precepts of God's
dispensation, and not of God's love. If the priest who is promised to be raised up were to
fulfill these, he would indeed act according to the heart of God, and not according to His
soul, since he would have rendered in works the counsel of divine dispensation, and not
the precept of love. Were not those commandments of His, of which He speaks, saying: "I
gave them statutes that were not good" (Ezek. 20:25), from the dispensation of God? And
when the Pharisees disputed with Truth Himself about giving a bill of divorce, they heard:
"Because of your hardness of heart Moses gave you the law" (Matt. 19:8). Since therefore
those things were from the dispensation of His counsel, whoever made use of those same
precepts acted according to the heart of the Lord, and not according to His soul. For the
precept of the heart and soul is that of which it is said: "This is my commandment, that
you love one another, as I have loved you" (John 15:12). Because what He commands through
counsel, He embraces through the embrace of charity. Hence He likewise says: "Love your
enemies, do good to those who hate you" (Luke 6:27). Hence He likewise commands, saying:
"Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them.

These therefore and precepts of this kind are precepts of God's heart and soul, because by
the revelation of His secret counsel it is shown what is received in His sight through the
proof of charity. Therefore the faithful priest is known by this sign: namely, if he acts
according to His heart and soul, because indeed he is then truly faithful if he follows
not the license of His dispensation, but the precepts of love. But because he is chosen
not in vain, but for the profit of the people subject to him, he adds and says: (Verse 35)
"And I will build him a faithful house." 23. For the house of the priest is the
congregation over which the subject peoples dwell. This house is indeed built for him as
faithful by the Lord, because it is raised up to the zeal of obedience by divine
inspiration. For an unfaithful house is that society of subjects which daily receives the
preaching of a good ruler, yet does not intend to obey him through the pursuit of good
works. For it is recognized as an unfaithful house, because the currency of God's word,
which is entrusted to it through the ministry of its preacher, is squandered through the
negligence of a prodigal life, and what is committed to it for the profit of business is
by no means found at the time when an accounting must be rendered. Therefore a faithful
house is built by the Lord for a good preacher when the hearts of the subject people are
divinely prepared to obey his voice, so that it not only guards what is stored within it
from the talent of the word, but brings it, accumulated with manifold profit, to the table
of eternal reception. And it should be noted that a faithful house is said to be built by
the Lord, so that the preacher may never glory vainly in the good conduct of the subject
people.

It should also be noted that the Lord raises up a faithful priest for himself, so that the
hearts of subjects may not presume to attribute to their own merits the very fact that
they are governed by an excellent ruler. It should also be noted that the Lord calls the
priest whom he raises up faithful to himself, but the house which he builds for him he
says will be faithful to the priest himself; because indeed the preacher owes obedience to
God, and the subject to the prelate. But then the prelate rightly walks before the subject
if truth itself is seen to direct all the paths of his life. Therefore it follows: (Verse
35. And he shall walk before my Christ all his days. 24. But the Christ of the Lord is the
Redeemer of the human race. Who indeed, because He is now believed to have ascended to the
heavens, is seen by His faithful not with bodily eyes, but with the mind. Therefore he
walks before Him all his days who does nothing from sudden impulse. For in order to place
right steps outwardly in action, he looks inwardly to Christ, whom he carries in his heart
through contemplation. But because He still speaks to the reprobate pastor, He adds,
saying: (Verse 36.) And it shall come to pass that whoever remains of your house shall
come that it may be prayed for him.

25. For someone is said to be about to remain from his house, because a great part of it
is declared to be about to die. For from the house of the wicked pastor, he remains whom
the consciousness of sin does not extinguish from the hope of obtaining pardon. He
remains, therefore, because the weight of conscience is lightened through the resolution
of repentance by the hope of obtaining life. He indeed comes so that prayer may be offered
for him, and hastens through repentance to God, from whom he departed by sinning. He
comes, therefore, so that prayer may be offered for him, because he who has made himself
unworthy of God requires a worthy intercessor, so that he who is recognized as unable to
be cleansed by his own prayers may be expiated by the prayers of others. Whence James also
devoutly admonishes, saying: Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another,
that you may be saved (James 5:16). Hence again: The persistent prayer of a righteous man
avails much. But prayer avails for him who, while he restrains himself from the
uncleanness of sin, restores himself to the likeness of God, of which he stripped himself
by sinning. Whence here also it is added: (Verse 36.) That he may offer a piece of silver.

26. On the coin, therefore, the image of the Lord is engraved, so that it may be
recognized as belonging to him by whom it is commanded to be formed. The coin is
accordingly understood as his likeness to God. Whence he speaks in Genesis, saying: 'Let
us make man in our image and likeness' (Gen. 1:26). And because from sacred Scripture we
recognize the image and likeness of God to which we are to be restored, it is declared to
be a silver coin. He therefore who comes from the way of sin so that prayer may be offered
for him ought to offer a silver coin, because it profits him nothing that he is pricked
with compunction in repenting, nor that he confesses with weeping, if, unamended and
uncorrected, he is recognized as in no way shining inwardly with the beauty of good will
and the light of God's image. For the image and likeness of God is to hate evil with noble
hatred and to love God with perfect love. Whence the Prophet also, seeing that the
brightness of the divine likeness had perished from the human race, looks to him who came
from heaven with the glorious light of our restoration, saying: 'You have loved justice
and hated iniquity' (Ps. 44:8). Hence, considering himself now renewed through
contemplation of him into the form of perfection, he says: 'I have hated the unjust, and I
have loved your law' (Ps. 118:113).

He therefore who comes from the house of the reprobate through confession, who through
humility asks the Lord that prayer be made for him, must take care entirely to offer a
silver coin, so that, having taken on the splendor of good will, he may perfectly hate the
evil he has done and love with whole love the good he has neglected. Whence also by the
examination of the just Judge, decrees of propitiation are proclaimed. 'On whatever day or
hour', he says, 'the sinner is converted, he shall live with life and shall not die'
(Ezek. 18:21, 27). But the conversion of the sinner does not consist in the humility of
confession, but in the renewal of the inner man, when to the sinner, now corrected by
divine inspiration, the evil he loved displeases him, and the good he hated pleases him.
For there are some who accuse themselves of the wickedness of their crime and yet do not
correct the depravity of their will. These are certainly not believed to be converted to
the Lord, because true conversion is not received in the mouth but in the heart. For to be
converted is to be completely turned around. The true conversion of the sinner, therefore,
is when both our inner and outer man is brought back to the good pleasure of our Creator,
when both our flesh is restrained from the perpetration of crime through hatred of
iniquity, and through love of justice our mind extends itself to the intention of good
works.

But because there are some within the Church who come to the satisfaction of penance only
at the end of their life, and it is said by the judgment of Truth, 'At whatever hour the
sinner is converted, he lives', it is often greatly asked by some whether those who commit
sins during the great span of their life and only at the end of life accuse themselves of
having acted wickedly immediately find life after the death of the flesh. To which it must
be said that by the power of conversion the magnitude of the crime is blotted out. But the
power of conversion is the affection of charity infused into the heart by the visitation
of the Holy Spirit. And it is written of the same Spirit: 'That he himself is the
remission of sins.' For when he graciously visits the hearts of the elect, he powerfully
purges them from all uncleanness of sins, because as soon as he pours himself into the
mind, he immediately and ineffably stirs it into hatred of sins and vices and into love of
virtues. He makes it immediately hate what it loved and ardently love what it had hated,
and greatly groan at both, because it recalls that it damnably loved the evils it now
hates and hated the good things it now loves. For who would dare to say, even though one
is weighed down by every kind of burden of sins, that anyone visited by the grace of the
Holy Spirit can perish?

Since therefore the sinner is converted at no hour except that in which he is illuminated
by the Holy Spirit, what remains except that, just as he abandons the death of sin by
execrating it, so he lives by the life of justice to which he longingly turns? He is
received into life immediately after death, if he receives such a fire of love in his
conversion as can consume in his soul all the accumulated rust of sin. Whence it is also
said of the sinful woman: 'Her many sins are forgiven her, because she loved much' (Luke
7:47). Hence by the same Truth hanging on the cross it is said: 'Amen I say to you, today
you shall be with me in paradise' (Luke 23:43). At the end of life, therefore, only those
come wholesomely to their senses who both through internal visitation perfectly love good
things and hate the evils they had loved. Yet if they cannot grieve sufficiently for the
iniquities they have committed, nevertheless even these live in the hour in which they are
converted. For those who had the perfection of good will in the confession of sin pass
through to life after death by the purgatorial punishment of sin, if they did not at all
have sufficient power of love for blotting out their sins. Whence Paul also says: 'So they
shall be saved, yet as through fire' (1 Cor. 3:15).

But let the sinner who has merited to be saved there through fire fulfill here through the
affliction of the flesh what he recognizes is lacking to him in the power of love. (Verse
36.) 'And a cake of bread.' 27. For by the name of bread, the refreshment of earthly
delight is sometimes designated. Wherefore the prophet Jeremiah also, recalling the people
of corrupted Judea in their worldly appetite, says: 'All her people groan' (Lam. 1:11),
'and seek bread.' The converted sinner therefore twists bread when he torments his past
delight through the affliction of repentance. For to twist bread is to afflict the flesh
for the delight that was committed. He therefore who desires to pass to salvation without
the torment of fire, let him offer a cake of bread with a silver coin, so that he who
abandons sins through good will may utterly extinguish them by vigorous affliction of the
flesh. For he was offering a silver coin who, having already received the likeness of God,
by confessing execrated what he had done, saying: 'My wounds have festered because of my
foolishness' (Ps. 38:5). And again: 'I am bowed down and humbled exceedingly.' But he who
feared that a silver coin would not suffice for his offering took care to add a cake of
bread. For he confesses and says: 'I roared from the groaning of my heart' (Ibid., 9). For
roaring suggests the weeping of great sorrow in the affliction of the penitent. Joining
this cake of bread to the silver coin, he himself speaks, saying: 'For I will declare my
iniquity, and I will think upon my sin' (Ibid., 19). For to think upon one's sin is to set
before oneself a fitting affliction of the flesh for past delight.

He was therefore twisting bread to be offered, who, while declaring the shameful deeds he
had committed, was thinking about how he might blot them out. And because the desire for
praise is wont sometimes to creep upon penitents from the austerity of their way of life,
the intention of the truly converted sinner is indicated by what is added next: (Verse
36.) 'And let him say: Send me, I beseech you, to one of the priestly portions.' 28. For
the priestly portion of each one is the reward of the elect in eternal life. For all His
elect are priests of God, because they never cease to offer sacred gifts to Him whom they
unceasingly serve through the offering of their ministry. Whence also those rejoicing in
the kingdom say: 'You have redeemed us to God in your blood, and have made us a kingdom
and priests to our God' (Rev. 5:9, 10). Therefore, for the converted sinner to say: 'Let
me go, I beseech you, to one priestly portion', is from the austerity of life and penance
to await only a portion of eternal blessedness, so that he may find the security of
delight, which he may possess in perpetual enjoyment, and never drag behind him the
torments of penance. Wherefore it is also added: (Verse 36.) 'That I may eat a morsel of
bread.'

29. For if bread in sacred Scripture is taken to mean delight, a morsel of bread is the
unfailing delight of eternal life. Concerning which delight, indeed, it is said through
the prophet: 'Joy and gladness shall be found in it, thanksgiving and the voice of praise'
(Isa. 51:3). Hence likewise, now looking upon the guests invited to the table not of a
cake of bread but of a morsel, he says: 'Everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they
shall obtain joy and exultation' (Isa. 35:10). Hence the Psalmist, speaking in the voice
of the corrected penitent, says: 'You have made known to me the ways of life; you will
fill me with joy in your presence, delights at your right hand forever' (Ps. 15:10). For
the ways of life are the afflictions of penance, by which indeed the sinner is led from
the abyss of his damnation to the heavenly homeland, while he is voluntarily tormented for
the iniquities he has committed. Whence also, when he indicates that he is a corrected
sinner, he presumes to say: 'You are, O Lord, who have restored my inheritance to me' (Ps.
15:5). And likewise trusting, he says: 'For you will not abandon my soul in hell' (Ps.
15:10). For the ways of life become known to the sinner when the afflictions of penance
are divinely impressed upon him—when, that is, with enlightened mind he considers what
bitterness of life he should set against each pleasure of his past sin.

He indeed glories in being filled with joyful gladness in the presence of Almighty God,
because he is refreshed by the manifest fullness of divine contemplation; and he who on
the left hand of the present life is pierced with compunction for a time through penance,
on the right hand of eternal life is satisfied with delights forever. He therefore who
offered a cake of bread is brought to the eating of a morsel, because he who for love of
the heavenly life crucifies harmful pleasures prepares for himself perpetual refreshment
at the banquet of eternal joy. There follows:


COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS (BOOK TWO, CHAPTER 2.4 (1 SAMUEL 3:1))
============================================================

COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS continued

CHAPTER 2.4 (1 SAMUEL 3:1)

Now the boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. 1. Moreover, it is shown that he
repeated in this passage what is mentioned above concerning the chosen boy, where it says:
"But the boy Samuel was a minister in the sight of the Lord before the face of Eli. For to
minister to the Lord before Eli is the same as to be the Lord's minister before the face
of Eli. And because we explained that passage more fully there, with the Lord's help, we
do not delay at all in repeating its exposition. But since it is the divine word that
speaks this both in this passage and in that one, it is shown that He did this not without
a useful reason. Therefore, out of concern for the reader's weariness, we pass over the
explanation in silence, but we state the reason for the repetition for his benefit. For
certain people who are subject to the authority of the prelates of holy Church obey as
untrained beginners; but when they advance a little higher through their manner of life,
they by no means persist in that same humility of obedience. The handmaid Hagar of Sarah
fittingly represents these in a spiritual sense, for when she saw that she had conceived
by Abraham her husband, she despised her mistress (Gen. 16:5). For Hagar conceives when
the reprobate mind of a subordinate believes that it is advancing either through the
acquisition of knowledge or through its manner of life.

And she, being pregnant, is said to have despised her mistress, because she now disdains
to submit herself through obedience to the will of her superior who is set over her. But
she who despises her mistress is declared to be a handmaid, because proud subjects are
also weak through their arrogance, and they do not attain to the number of the children of
God. Moreover, Samuel's progress is set forth because it was said above: "But the boy
Samuel advanced and grew and was pleasing both to God and to men" (1 Kings 2:18). With
what sublimity of life he accomplished these three things has been explained above. Since,
therefore, even now he is mentioned as ministering before his master, what does this mean
except that he provides a pattern for chosen hearers, so that the higher the life to which
they advance, they never forget to preserve the good of obedience? For they truly advance
if they strive toward the height of merits both by the strength of their works and by the
virtue of humility.

2. In this passage there is another thing that ought to be noted: because Samuel is shown
to be ministering to the Lord before Eli at the very time when Eli himself is rebuked by
the Lord for his negligence regarding his sons. For some subjects, while they consider the
measure of their own strength, prefer to be severe judges of their superiors rather than
pious listeners. These indeed, because they are accustomed to exaggerating and
scrutinizing the lives of their superiors, if they observe stains of even the slightest
fault in their conduct, refuse to submit to their authority by obeying. But they would be
truly strong if they humbly bore what they consider to be the weaknesses of their
superiors. For before God, that person is known to be great in merit who submits himself
in good obedience to one who does not seem venerable in some respect. For behold, Eli is
rebuked by the open sentence of God for the guilt of his committed negligence, yet the boy
Samuel is recorded as ministering to the Lord before him, so that one may indeed reflect
within himself what kind of person he is who despises his superior for a lighter fault, if
Samuel submitted himself in obedience to one whom almighty God condemned with such
severity of his judgment. But because Eli is rebuked for having honored his sinning
subjects too greatly, the very dignities of the sacred orders must be weighed.

For a ruler ought not to honor a sinning subject unless he has been corrected, but the
subject ought not to despise his superior even when he recognizes himself as just and the
other as a sinner, because the eternal Judge has given the judgment of subjects to the
rulers of Holy Church, but has reserved those same rulers to be examined at his own
judgment. Yet this very thing ought to be greatly feared by rulers, that they are reserved
for God's examination, because they must prepare all the more exacting accounts of their
life and teaching as the Judge whom they face is wiser. Nor should they fear his future
judgment in the life to come only, as though it were placed far off, lest he who is
everywhere present strike the unwary from close at hand. For negligent pastors, in order
to escape the punishment of future vengeance, count on the long stretches of present life
before punishment comes; but the Judge, who is everywhere, inflicts retribution from close
at hand, because he first withdraws from them the light of contemplation, then snatches
them away to torments through death. Whence also concerning the same Eli, who a little
further on dies with a broken neck, it is added: (Verse 1. In those days there was no
manifest vision.

3. For when the ruler despises doing what he knows should be done, it is dealt with him by
strict judgment, so that he does not see what should be done, because he was unwilling to
fulfill what he saw. For the manifest vision belongs not to the negligent pastor, but to
the loving one. Whence also Truth itself says: 'He who loves me shall be loved by my
Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him' (John 14:21). For the
brightness of manifest vision is the revelation of beloved truth. Which truth indeed, if
it is shown by the merit of love, is most justly hidden from those who are sluggish in
good work, because the sign of love is not in the affection of the mind, but in the zeal
of good works. Whence also in the Gospel the Lord said beforehand: 'He who has my
commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me' (Ibid.). Because therefore from
negligence of work the darkness of inward vision is incurred, most fittingly, while the
priest is rebuked for contempt of the commandments, the hidden vision is mentioned. There
follows: (Verse 1.) 'And the word of the Lord was precious.'

4. As far as the truth of the sacred history is concerned, he used "precious" in place of
"rare." The word was therefore precious, because while he who discerned the highest things
by contemplation was rare, he who proclaimed good things by speaking could not be
frequent. Which we see happening now also in the holy Church, because while many seek the
glory of honor from the reverence of high position, while they neglect the ministries of
sacred order, they cannot preach to the peoples subject to them the highest things which
they are unable to see, and in their household the word is known to be precious, because
they rarely hear the encouragements of good preaching, whose prelates do not seek from
desire the heavenly things they might speak, but the earthly things they might pursue.
Whom indeed sacred Scripture marks, which says: 'Dumb dogs unable to bark' (Isa. 56:10).
It did not say "unwilling," but "unable," because certainly while they love the glory of
the world with all their heart, and with all their soul, and with all their mind and
strength, they would wish to speak lofty things to the people, so that they might also
have glory from the sublimity of their word. Therefore dumb dogs, wishing to bark, cannot,
because while they meditate on earthly things with a corrupt heart, they grasp by no
revelation the hidden things of truth that they might set forth. But because what is
precious is usually guarded with great diligence, this which is said, "There was no open
vision," can be referred to the negligence of carnal prelates.

5. But as for what is added, 'And the word of the Lord was precious', this pertains to the
burning zeal of good subjects, since faithful subordinates, even if they do not have
someone who frequently preaches heavenly things to them from the treasury of sacred
speech, embrace with wondrous devotion only that which they were once able to learn, and
guard it as something ineffably precious, while through good works they store it up in
heaven, where thieves who might take it away by no means draw near. Whence also in the
Gospel it is said of the buyer of the good pearl: 'Having found one precious pearl, he
gave all that he had and bought it' (Matt. 13:46). Therefore, when in the time of hidden
vision the word is described as precious among the elect, the praises of the subjects are
proclaimed, because they are to be extolled with a glory all the more sublime, inasmuch as
that good which was lost from a higher place remained among those in lower positions
through the perfection of great charity. By their good conduct it is indeed often brought
about that the vision which had been hidden is made manifest, so that those who devoutly
guard the least things may come to know and do greater things as well. Whence it is also
added: (Verses 2–4.) 'And it came to pass on a certain day that Eli was lying in his
place, and his eyes had grown dim, nor could he see the lamp of God before it was
extinguished. And Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was.
And the Lord called Samuel.'

6. For the boy Samuel is called by the Lord whenever the secrets of divine counsel are
revealed to humble subjects, and they acquire by the merit of their humility the light of
contemplation, which proud preachers lose as the recompense of their pride. But it should
be noted that this is shown to have happened on a certain day, on which Eli is reported
both to have been lying in his place and to have been unable to see. For he is called in
the daytime who is raised up to know the secrets of heavenly wisdom for his own and
others' salvation. On the contrary, Solomon received wisdom in the night, so that the
darkness of the time might indicate that he would not receive that same wisdom with
perseverance (1 Kings 3:5, 12). This can also be understood in another way, since the
darkness of Eli is mentioned. By the setting of the daytime, the greatness of his
blindness is shown, because he surely had great darkness who did not see in the day. Now
also, if we look to the state of the Church, there is a general grace of light. For He
came who, scattering the rays of true brightness, would say: "I am the light of the world;
he who follows me does not walk in darkness" (John 8:12).

And because the glory of His inner splendor is ineffable, it does not say "on this day" or
"on that day," but "on a certain day"—whose brightness certainly exists, but the greatness
of whose brightness is unknown. Therefore the Pastor endures great darkness if he who is
known to be the eye of the Church by his office does not have vision amid the grace of so
great a light. Wherefore Truth itself shows the darkness of that same eye to be great,
saying: "How great will that darkness be! (Matthew 6:23). But now the text suggests whence
so great a darkness arises for him, because it says: "He was lying in his place. For the
place of the preacher carries the duty of standing, not of lying down. Whence also the
Lord provides an example of this to preachers concerning Himself, saying: "But I am in the
midst of you as one who serves" (Luke 22:27). For to stand in the midst of the brethren is
to offer oneself as an example to those beneath through a laborious manner of life. To
stand, therefore, pertains to the labor of work and to the necessity of battle. Whence
also the director of the spiritual contest commands, saying: "Stand therefore, having
girded your loins with truth" (Ephesians 6:14). And because lying down belongs to one who
is at rest, he who is said to lie in his place is rebuked for following the lukewarmness
of rest in the place of battle and labor.

To stand is also the mark of the just man. Whence Paul also says: "For by faith you stand"
(2 Corinthians 1:23). To lie down therefore also pertains to the negligence of a more lax
life. Thus Eli lies in his place when a reprobate preacher rests in the seat of the just
man through a fall into wickedness. Therefore the eyes of one lying in his place grow dim,
because those who do not carry out works of virtue from the height of the pastoral summit,
but are immersed in the allurements of a more lax life, are unable to see the highest
things. He is indeed called the lamp of God no longer in the truth of praise, but as a
reproach of derision. For he who bears the title of lamp of God and is reported to be
unable to see is rather mocked by so great a name by which he is called. For in true
praise of the just man it is said: "He was a burning and shining lamp" (John 5:35). For
the radiance of the true light which he had drunk in by loving, he poured forth by
speaking. Even the carnal preacher is called a lamp by his office but blind in his
intention, because he holds the dignity of providing light but fixes his mind on the
darkness of vanity.

7. His thoroughly consummate perversity is indicated by the fact that it does not say "he
did not see," but "he could not see. For this reason also, when the Lord mentions the bad
tree, He says: "A bad tree cannot bring forth good fruit" (Matt. 7:18). The lamp of God,
therefore, cannot be seen when he who stands preeminent in pastoral dignity is pressed
down by so great a thickness of worldly love that he is raised by no inspiration of grace
toward the vision of interior brightness; when, that is, cast out by the just indignation
of God, he is left in the blindness of his own darkness, so that he is never again visited
by the infusion of heavenly light. But it is well said: "Before it was extinguished. For
not to see is the punishment of a sinner still living in this present age, but not to be
able to see belongs to the dead wicked man already condemned to eternal punishment in the
age to come. Hence also, by the judgment of the Creator, he is commanded to be shut in
outer darkness, so that he may never be brought back to the sight of light. Therefore,
when the reprobate preacher, still living in this present age, is said to have been unable
to see before the lamp was extinguished, he is likened to the wicked man already condemned
to perpetual blindness. Now the lamp is extinguished when the pastor dies.

Or certainly the lamp is extinguished because when the reprobate preacher perishes through
the death of the flesh, whatever in him seemed to shine he loses from the glory of his
high position, and he remains like the mere clay vessel of a lamp without light, when the
person is forced to be kept for the eternal judgment who is utterly stripped of all
worldly splendor. Therefore, before the lamp of God is extinguished, he cannot see,
because he both possesses the merit of future damnation through the eternity of his
blindness, and yet still shines before men through the splendor of the dignity he
received. (Verse 3. Now Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of
God was. 8. Now rightly the reprobate prelate is said not to sleep but to lie down, while
the boy, a subject and one of the elect, is said not to lie down but to sleep, because "to
sleep" is sometimes taken in a good sense, while "to lie down" is almost always taken in a
bad sense. Hence also the Bride in the Song of Songs says: 'I sleep, and my heart watches'
(Song 5:2). In the sleep of the perfect boy, therefore, the rest of every elect subject
from wicked work is signified. For he sleeps in the temple and where the ark is who,
occupied with heavenly desire and with meditation on Sacred Scripture, does not attend to
those things that pertain to perversity. For some sleep in the temple but do not sleep in
the place where the ark of God is, because certain simple people rest in heavenly
contemplation through love, but do not know how to meditate on the hidden things of sacred
speech. But Samuel, who is said to sleep not only in the temple but before the ark of God,
signifies the learned and elect subjects alike, because while they draw the flames of
their love from sacred Scripture by meditating more frequently, they are raised up more
highly to the desire of the heavenly homeland, and they choose, as it were, the innermost
parts of the temple for sleep, since they are separated the further from the public
activity of earthly work the more secretly they are hidden away through meditation in the
sanctuary of inner vision. (Verse 4.) 'And the Lord called Samuel.'

9. For to call is to rouse through the force of a greater grace. For the Lord calls one
who is sleeping, because He stirs up those who are resting from earthly pursuits to an
increase of heavenly knowledge. For while we keep watch through concern for outward
things, we do not perceive what is inward and spiritual. The setting aside of earthly
care, therefore, is our preparation for receiving heavenly grace, because in the elect the
outpouring of the divine gift becomes more abundant in proportion as the mind has been
purer through the keeping of interior meditation. There follows: (Verses 4–9.) And the
Lord called Samuel. Who answering, said: Here I am, and he ran to Eli and said: For you
called me. Who said: I did not call you, my son; go back and sleep. And he went away and
slept. And the Lord again called Samuel once more. And rising up, he went to Eli and said:
Here I am, for you called me. Who answered: I did not call you, my son; go back and sleep.
Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord been revealed to him.
And the Lord called Samuel again a third time. Who rising up, went to Eli and said: Here I
am, for you called me. Eli therefore understood that the Lord was calling the boy, and he
said to Samuel: Go and sleep, and if He calls you henceforth, you shall say: Speak, Lord,
for your servant is listening.

10. What is it then that almighty God introduces his calling with such skill that the mind
of the one called is restrained from recognizing the one who calls him; that hearing God,
he thinks this master is a man; that he sends forth the calling yet conceals the cause;
that he allows him to go to his master, to return so many times to the quiet of sleep, and
yet does not permit the sleeper to rest? For surely he who called whomever he wished to
know his secrets, with a voice merely resembling Eli's—could he not have called with
whatever voice he wished? And he who called when he wished—could he not have immediately
indicated the cause of the calling? And he who wished to rouse him so that he might
hear—could he not have taught him how he ought to listen except through his master? But in
this matter almighty God employs a great dispensation, so that the hearts of the elect may
indeed be taught by a twofold instruction: that on the surface of the history those who
are subjects may see the good of obedience which they should follow, and that superiors
may perceive the hidden mysteries which they may bring to the light of understanding by
examining them. But what I think should be said first is this: the boy who thought the
Lord speaking was his master heard a bodily voice.

Therefore God spoke to the boy not through himself but through an angelic spirit, because
he who is not confined by bodily form is not restricted to the sound of a voice by a
bodily instrument. Which indeed was fitting for a childish hearer. For even if the merits
of a beginning subject are great, because nevertheless he is recognized as not yet being
in perfection but in the progress of his way of life, he does not attain to that speech by
which almighty God speaks through himself. Indeed almighty God through himself, that is,
the supreme and uncircumscribed Spirit, speaks spiritually to great and spiritual men,
when by spiritual speech he indicates to their minds both the things to be done that they
should do and the things to be spoken that they should know. Therefore he produced the
outward voice through an angelic spirit, but by the presence of his grace the Creator
Spirit indicated what he wished. Therefore calling with a voice, while he was thought to
be Eli, he remained hidden from recognition, so that the boy might run to his master, and
while hearing that he had not been called, being mistaken he might show on what a summit
of virtue he stood. Therefore the boy, humbly subject to a man and raised up on the lofty
citadel of obedience—when called he came, when commanded he returned—what else does he
offer us by his example, if not the pattern of the highest obedience?

11. For true obedience neither examines the intention of superiors nor distinguishes
between commands, because he who has submitted all judgment of his life to a greater
rejoices in this alone: that he carries out what is commanded him. For whoever has
perfectly learned to obey knows not how to judge, because he considers this alone to be
good: that he obeys commands. But in such great glory of his perfect way of life, our own
life is put to shame. For behold, we have resolved to set out for the heavenly homeland
under the leaders of the Christian army, yet we murmur when we are ordered to perform
various tasks even at various times. For who would restrain himself from murmuring, who
would hold back from anger, if he heard himself called two and three times, and yet
perceived from the caller's response that he had not actually been called at all? We
suffer indeed this darkness of our slothfulness because we do not see with what brightness
of reward so great a virtue of goodness corresponds. For obedience is the sole good for
the recovery of life, if the fault of disobedience was a sufficient evil for bringing
about death. If therefore death prevailed through the evil of disobedience, we are
restored to life as many times as we obey.

And so the boy Samuel was offended neither when called nor when turned away, because he
did not wish to scrutinize the mind of the one calling or turning him away, for he had
learned to rejoice in this alone: that he obeyed. And since rising pertains to labor, but
returning to sleep pertains to rest, what does this suggest, except that both prepare life
for us, if the obedient mind in what it does considers nothing but the good of obedience?
For a command ought to be weighed solely on this basis: that it is the command of a
superior; and he who carries out the good of obedience ought not to consider the task
enjoined, but its fruit, because for meriting the joys of eternal life, what is required
is not the quality of the work, but the mortification of one's own will and the execution
of another's. Hence Paul also says: "Circumcision profits nothing, and uncircumcision is
nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God" (1 Cor. 7:19). Therefore now, in the
sight of almighty God, neither those things that pertain to labor nor those that pertain
to rest are small, if they can prepare eternal life for the obedient. Whoever therefore is
subject to another's authority, let him consider this alone: that what is enjoined upon
him according to God is exceedingly great and lofty as gain to the mind, because it
prepares life as the reward of recompense.

On the other hand, let the disobedient observe that the first parent of the human race
fell from the joys of paradise not by theft, nor by robbery, nor by adultery, nor by
murder, but by disobedience regarding the forbidden fruit (Gen. 3:6). From this it is also
fittingly gathered that if small things—as they seem—when the commands of superiors are
despised, separate us from inward joys, then even the least things that are carried out in
obedience prepare life. 12. Therefore the diligent worker of the communal life, and the
pious emulator of those serving God together with him, if he desires to obtain a greater
reward of eternal merit through the good of obedience, let him recognize that he excels in
this alone: if above all others he has subjected his own will to the judgment of his
superior. For neither the great gains of fasting nor the pursuits of an austere life are
to be greatly weighed by devoted soldiers of Christ against the command of their
superiors. For a meal enjoined by charity is of greater merit than a fast undertaken by
one's own deliberation. For he who, being commanded, refreshes the flesh, has unwillingly
earned the reward of fasting through devotion, and has obtained a greater reward of
obedience by eating. Therefore God called the boy, but with a voice similar to the
master's, so that He might indeed indicate the manner of His speaking. He was silent about
the reason for the calling, so that the chosen boy might show by what humility of
obedience he would be exalted. He endured going to his master, so that he might offer the
gift of his devotion. He is allowed to return to the rest of sleep, so that indeed we may
not despise even the things that are least. He rouses him again, so that He might show
that he whom He wished to set as a pattern for the elect would not be wearied even by the
urgency of commands. Through him who was to be rejected he learned how he ought to
respond, so that indeed we may know that the commands of superiors are to be venerated
even when they themselves do not have a praiseworthy life, because their teaching, which
through wicked conduct can become worthless to the proud, causes humble hearers to arrive
at the height of divine intimacy.

13. But because what follows is, "Moreover Samuel did not yet know the Lord," and above he
is reported to have ministered to the Lord, what is said seems very contradictory, because
he could not be ignorant of the one whom he was serving. For who serves one whom he does
not know? But indeed through what is added, it becomes clear by what fitting reasoning
that which sounds contradictory ought to be understood: "Nor had the word of the Lord been
revealed to him. By which it is surely given to understand that the one whom he knew by
love and ministry, he did not know by the revelation of His word. For he had not yet heard
calling him the one whom he testified that he had known both by the devotion of ministry
and by the power of love. But this is fittingly understood in the life of the faithful;
for many advance well under another's guidance, who in the time of their newness perform
services to almighty God, and yet do not attain by the purity of contemplation to the
vision of His inner beauty. When by the merit of their submission they also receive the
gift of divine contemplation, they understand by the experience of inner vision that they
did not yet know the one whom they were serving. This Jacob well represents, setting out
to receive a wife, who after the labor of his journey saw the Lord through the sleep of
rest, but awakening from sleep said:

"Truly the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it" (Gen. 28:16). For he who
perceived that He exists everywhere could not have doubted that the Lord was there before
he fell asleep; but because he then learned Him more perfectly, he declared that he had
been ignorant of Him when he had not known Him more intimately. For the way by which one
travels to a wife is the intention of devoted obedience, by which the fruitfulness of
inner charity is desired to be attained. Jacob therefore sleeps on the way when the
faithful subject, the supplanter of the evil spirit, is received through the labor of
obedience into the rest of inner vision. Who will indeed then confess that he has come to
know the Lord, because while he marvels at that vision of inner light to which he has been
newly raised, he recognizes by the experience of revealed beauty how much he did not know
before. For by faith, as if by report, we know God, but by the love of contemplation He
who became known to us by report is revealed to us as if by the showing of His presence.
And rightly the subject advancing through obedience, while he is led to the height of
contemplation, is said to have long been ignorant of the Lord, because He is found as if
from the truth of His presence, who before seemed as if unknown by report and not known as
if present.

14. But because it is said separately, "He did not yet know the Lord, nor had the word of
the Lord been revealed to him," it can be understood more subtly. For in one and the same
internal contemplation of God, both a wondrous charity is poured into the one
contemplating from the fruit of so great a glory, and a great amazement at the revelation
of the secret word. Some therefore know the Lord and receive the revelation of His word,
because they are both filled with wondrous sweetness from that infusion of so great a
charity which they draw from habitual practice, and they are instructed with great wisdom
by the revelation of the word. But by some the Lord is known to whom the word of the Lord
is by no means revealed, because certain simple men, yet perfected by a great manner of
life, receive indeed an ineffable sweetness of love by contemplating the glory of divine
contemplation, but nevertheless do not reach the height of His revealed word, because they
have been taken up into the order of those who love, not to the loftiness of preaching.
The word is indeed revealed to him so that it may be loved, and lest it be preached, it is
hidden.

But it is well said of him who is raised to the ministry of preaching, "He did not yet
know the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord been revealed to him," so that while he, still
unformed, indicates the things he does not yet possess, he openly shows with what good
things a preacher ought to be enriched. For he who has not yet received that power of
intimate love assuredly does not know the almighty Lord—whom he knows by faith as if by
report—by the great presence of His charity. And if he loves ardently but does not yet
know how to examine the secrets of the mysteries through the Spirit, he indeed already
knows the Lord, but has not yet arrived at the revelation of His word. But concerning the
obedient boy it is immediately added: (Verse 9) "So Samuel went and lay down to sleep."

15. For now the boy, having been instructed, is sent to the knowledge of divine speech,
when the chosen one, subject to the counsel of his superior, is prepared for knowing
spiritual things. And indeed for him to sleep is to rest in the desire of eternal life,
when, that is, to the soul now thirsting for heavenly things alone, all present things are
held in contempt, so that the more eagerly everything corporeal is driven from its
attention, the more abundantly it is filled with the love of invisible things. And it
should be noted that he is now commanded to return to the rest of sleep four times,
because while we carelessly occupy ourselves with this world regarding visible things, we
are awake in deed, speech, and thought. Therefore we are commanded to sleep three times,
so that we may be prepared for the knowledge of heavenly things through rest from works,
silence of the mouth, and the rejection of superfluous thoughts. But in the fourth place
we are sent to sleep when by the permission of our superiors we are commanded to cease
even from useful ministry, so that while we are hindered by no care of anxiety, the mind
may gather itself entirely to the contemplation of the heavenly vision.

16. And it should be noted that the Lord rouses the boy while he is resting, without Eli
knowing, yet once roused, He by no means reveals the reason for his calling unless that
same Eli instructs him, because He raises chosen subjects through hidden inspiration
toward the desire for the heavenly homeland, yet through their rest He does not permit
them to be called to the homeland they love without the permission of their superiors.
Since, therefore, as many times as the boy is called, so many times he is allowed to go to
his master, what else does this mean except that the desires of subjects, divinely
inspired, are submitted to the judgment of superiors? For the work of a subject that is
divinely inspired is recognized as pleasing to God when it is carried out by the command
or permission of a superior. The boy is therefore called four times by the Lord, and the
quiet of sleep is commanded four times by the master, because we are kindled by divine
inspiration toward the moderation of work, the silence of the mouth, the casting away of
inner anxiety, and the cessation of ministry, for the love of a more secluded life, and
yet we are forbidden to fulfill the desires of our love without the permission of our
superiors. The Lord therefore calls and is silent about the reason for the calling, so
that, with the master's permission, He may reveal Himself to the called subject. For He
who, unbidden to listen, fell silent after He had called, once the human teacher gave the
command, God who was calling made known the reason for the calling. For there follows:
(Verses 9–11.) So Samuel went and slept in his place. And the Lord came and stood, and
called as He had called the second time, Samuel. And Samuel said: Speak, Lord, for Your
servant is listening. And the Lord said to him.

17. By these words indeed, because what is known to pertain to a body is said of the
incorporeal and invisible divine substance, it is necessary that it be understood in a
rational manner. For where does he come who is everywhere? In what way is he said to stand
and speak who is not formed of bodily substance? But while that substance governs all
things, the words of our poverty are employed, through which we may be able to rise to
knowing the mysteries of his working. For the Lord's coming is to touch the hearts of the
elect by the presence of his grace; his standing is, by the abiding gift of his grace, to
retain the minds he touches with the unwavering gift of his grace. His calling, moreover,
is to arouse the chosen mind to the increase of greater grace. For the Lord comes and does
not stand when the hearts of the negligent are touched by grace, and yet they do not at
all persevere in the affection and love of the grace that touches them. For he is as it
were present when coming, and departing when not standing, when from the present touch of
divine grace they suddenly resolve to do good, and immediately, being abandoned, they
forsake the intention of that same good resolve.

But if this is referred to the power of contemplation, the Lord comes and stands when he
both suddenly touches the hearts of the elect by grace and does not suddenly abandon them
once touched, so that by coming he may visit, by standing he may confirm, and he who is
shown to the joy of the mind beloved to him may not himself depart before that mind is
satisfied in its living experience. But because he is said to stand, it is indicated that
he will at some point depart, because even if he sometimes satisfies chosen souls in his
revelation through a brief lingering, he withdraws the sweetness of his presence, so that
they may more ardently desire what has been withdrawn. The Lord therefore comes by
visiting, stands by sweetly showing himself, and calls by arousing through most ardent
desire toward the love of his revealed glory. Hence also the boy was aroused so many times
by the repeated name. He is called because a calling by name designates the affection of
great charity and intimacy. Hence he also speaks to Moses, saying: "I know you by name"
(Exodus 33:12, 17).

The name of the one called is therefore repeated when the mind of the one who sees is now
received into great intimacy with the interior Majesty, and is elevated by its burning
desires toward the love of the one who calls, so that nothing may please it beyond what it
hears, and it may desire to dwell perpetually in the joy of what it has heard. Hence it is
also openly added here: "Samuel therefore said: Speak, Lord, for your servant hears. He
who therefore said "Speak" was compelled by necessity. For it is as if he were saying in
plainer words: I answered "Speak," because I could not have answered otherwise. For what
else can a mind desire that has been taken up into that joy of the speaking Majesty? For
to say to God in the mind "Speak" is to desire always to hear that ineffably sweet speech.
He therefore says "Speak" who would wish that he never be silent. Hence it is also added:
"for your servant hears. As if to say: because that which I receive by the experience of
interior affection, I desire to enjoy in eternal perception. He therefore asks that he
speak, who desires that he never be silent in his interior affections, lest he who is
lifted up by such sublime exultation when the Lord speaks be cast down, when he is silent,
to endure the straits of condemned humanity.

For if we are raised from the darkness of our corruption when he speaks, when he is silent
to us through the withdrawal of grace, we are subjected to those same darknesses. Rightly
therefore, having been raised to such a height, he says to the Lord "Speak," because he
takes pleasure in that joy of interior hearing in which nothing in his outward
circumstances pleases him; and he would desire all the more ardently to remain with the
one conversing with him, the more gladly he would have wished never to be cast down to his
own infirmities. 18. Indeed, when by God's authorship we say "Speak" to the Lord, we say
it by His own gift; yet we cannot express with what affection the more perfect elect say
this to Him, because what belongs to ineffable desire is not expressed by the utterance of
reason. Peter indeed well suggests this affection, who, when he stood by the Lord
transfigured on the mountain, and beheld His face shining like the sun, and had seen His
garments gleaming white like snow, said: "It is good for us to be here; if You will, let
us make here three tabernacles, one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" (Matt.
17:4; Luke 9:33). For he who says, "It is good for us to be here," would never have wished
to be taken away from that vision of such great glory, if he could have remained. For when
Peter says, "Lord, it is good for us to be here," and Samuel says, "Speak, Lord, for Your
servant hears," the words indeed are different, but the affections are equal. For Peter
signifies on the mountain, with the Lord transfigured, what Samuel signifies when he is
called by the Lord coming, standing, and standing a second time. But even though Peter is
reproved by the Evangelist as one not knowing what he was saying, this does not seem
contrary to this meaning.

For the Evangelist reproves not Peter's affection but his reasoning, because, having been
taken up with the Lord apart in glory, he desired to remain so always, and did not want
Him to descend to the ignominy of the cross for the common redemption. He did not know,
therefore, what he was saying, but he ardently loved what he saw, because indeed he beheld
so great a good that it could in no way not be loved. Hence, even though Peter is justly
reproved, he is nonetheless reasonably pardoned, because he was overcome by love of such
great Majesty through its enjoyment. Nevertheless, when Peter is charged with ignorance of
what he was saying, the cause of that same ignorance is mentioned. For the Evangelist
adds: "For they were terrified with fear. For that ineffable beauty of the inner Majesty
sometimes shakes with wondrous dread the chosen mind to which it delightfully reveals
itself, lest it leap into pride from the greatness of the vision, if the spirit that
advances it—whose gentle contemplation raises it to such heights—does not restrain it with
the governance of fear. In one and the same vision of revealed glory, both the goodness of
the Redeemer is beheld as ineffably gentle and His justice as ineffably terrifying, so
that the more sweetly the soul of the beholder is nourished by the regard of God's
goodness, the more, terrified by the consideration of His justice, it may take care not to
be vainly satisfied.

Hence also, when Samuel is raised to the intimacy of divine speech, not joyful things
about the progress of the elect are announced to him, but terrible things about the
downfall of the great. For it continues: (Verse 11) "And the Lord said to Samuel: Behold,
I am doing a thing in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it shall tingle."
19. For among sublime gifts, the elect mind is restrained from pride all the more
cautiously, the more it perceives through the justice of almighty God that even those who
seemed to be supported by more sublime gifts have been cast away. For this reason also,
concerning the word which the Lord threatens He will accomplish, the ears of those who
hear are declared to ring. For the ears of the body ring when they are struck by an
unbearable sound. For when a cry is poured into the ear beyond the capacity of hearing,
the narrowness of its function converts the sound it rejects into a ringing, because while
the voice hisses through the caverns of the ears, having been poured in all at once, it
does not pass into the interior. But to the ears of minds, the unbearable cry is the
rejection of some great preacher. Therefore the magnitude of the outpoured cry is not
grasped, because while the sublime gifts granted to the rejected preacher are recalled, it
remains unknown by what examination of divine equity he is cast out. Therefore the
magnitude of the outpoured voice is converted into a ringing of the ears, because even if
the judgment of God by which it happens is not grasped by the mind's attention, while it
is long weighed through consideration, hearts are struck with terror by that
consideration. For just as ears ring from the confined sound of a great voice, so the
hearts of the righteous tremble greatly from the long-considered rejection of great men.

But both ears are said to ring, namely the right and the left. And because by the right
eternal life is signified, and by the left the present life, and through the ear we hear
what is said, what do we understand by the left ear except the attention to pious works,
and what by the right ear except the attention to the heavenly vision? And so both ears of
the hearer will ring, because when the ruin of the greatest men is shown, both directions
of the elect's attention are disturbed, because they both raise themselves with trembling
heart to contemplate eternal things, and do not manage temporal things without great
dread. For he had suffered this ringing of the ears, who spoke to the Lord, saying: "Your
righteousness is like the mountains of God, Your judgments are a great abyss" (Psalm
35:7). For by the mountains of God are understood the highest and elect men. And indeed
God's righteousness is matched to those mountains, when they fulfill His lofty commands in
deed; but yet the divine judgments are a great abyss, because even if in the eyes of holy
men what they do is upright, before the eyes of almighty God they cannot know what quality
those things possess. Whence they both ceaselessly do the good works they are able, and
tremble at that abyss of judgments thundering above them, because by the accomplished word
of the Lord which they hear, their hearts are shaken with the ringing of great terror.

But fittingly, only the ears of those who hear are declared to ring. For in the Gospel too
He warns of this, saying: "He who has ears to hear, let him hear" (Luke 8:8). For those
who with all their attention are watchful for outward things do not know this ringing of
fear, because they in no way weigh the height of divine judgments above them. But behold,
upon him who refused to weigh God's subtle judgments above himself, how sharp the
sentences of those judgments are now unfolded. For He adds, saying: (Verses 13 and 14)
"For I foretold that I would judge his house forever because of iniquity, in that he knew
his sons were acting unworthily, and he did not correct them. Therefore I have sworn to
the house of Eli that the iniquity of his house shall not be expiated by victims and
offerings forever." 20. For since the sentence of just severity is usually tempered by
clemency, it is a judgment of great strictness where the sentence of punishment is
affirmed by repetition. For He foretold above to Eli when, through a man of God, without
naming him, He announced the sentence of his rejection. But because now too He swears that
He will do the same thing, He indeed repeats the judgment of condemnation. In this matter
it should also be noted that he who did not correct his sons when they acted wickedly is
reproved for having committed an iniquity that will never be expiated by sacrifices and
offerings. What then will be the severity for one's own iniquity, if the negligence of
caring for others is an irremediable fault? For if the uncorrected sins of subjects bind
us with perpetual guilt, with what punishments does the boldness of our own iniquity bind
us? Rightly therefore do the ears of the hearer tingle, because indeed the minds of the
elect, which consider this attentively, tremble at such great severity. Rightly do the
ears of the hearer tingle at this, because it indeed possesses an immensity of outcry that
chosen hearts can scarcely endure. And indeed the right ear of the hearer tingles, because
even if anyone raises himself by the merit of his perfection to contemplate heavenly
things, yet he does not trust in the loftiness of his life. The left ear also tingles,
because even if one has the gift of knowledge to order temporal things perfectly, yet he
has no confidence in the perfection of his ministry. For amid sublime gifts they hear a
word from whose outcry each ear suffers a ringing, under which, as long as this life of
uncertainty is led, one does not cease to tremble. Whence also it is fittingly added:
(Verse 15) Samuel slept until morning.

21. For he sleeps until morning who rests in the conduct of a good work begun until the
splendor of the coming Redeemer appears. He sleeps until morning who throughout the whole
night of the present life waits through the purpose of justice begun, so that the
brightness of the promised Redeemer may shine forth for him unto the joy of a merited
reward. For he heard the word promised in Israel, about which his ears do not cease to
ring, because from the observed severity of divine justice he drew in a spirit of fear,
under whose weight he will not be able to awake to the love of the world. But perhaps he
is said to sleep until morning on account of the ringing of the right ear. For the right
ear rings, because while the perfect lover of the interior life doubts about the
perfection of contemplation, he desires more and more to advance in that sublimity of life
which he has begun. But as long as we are in this mortal flesh, evil spirits lay snares
for those striving toward the heights; and in order to draw them back from the vision of
interior glory, they gather together phantoms of foolish thoughts, which they set before
their interior eyes. Well therefore is it said: 'Samuel slept until morning.' The
temptation of unclean spirits is night; but he who sleeps until morning does not open his
eyes the whole night. He therefore sleeps in the night who disdains to look upon the
phantoms of demons in temptation.

He also sleeps the whole night, because he is not overcome by the darkness of temptation,
but manfully endures, until he is visited by the light of heavenly brightness through the
coming of grace. And then indeed he awakens as at morning, because he is gladdened by the
delight of light poured back upon him after the darkness. For as one awakening he then
opens his eyes, because he joyfully beholds the light with which he is bathed, he who did
not care to look upon the darkness brought against him. From the ringing of the right ear
indeed he obtains that he who rests upon heavenly things disdains to behold wicked things,
and it suggests the certainty of his progress, since what he gains in peace he does not
lose through open and violent wars. There follows: (Verse 15.) 'And he was afraid to tell
the vision to Eli.'

22. For he feared to reveal to him what the Lord had shown to him, so that he might
restrain the recklessness of human boldness with the force of discipline. For some are so
reckless that they easily rush forth to rebuke their superiors, and do not tremble to
threaten them with future punishments for their errors. These indeed, because they do not
know the manner of Holy Scripture, have in no way heard the Lord speaking to them. For
those to whom Almighty God, speaking, reveals the punishments of their superiors, dread to
tell them what they have heard. From this, therefore, let those who rebuke their superiors
consider with how great thoughtlessness they cast themselves headlong, and let them
greatly fear the depths of their fall. For if those to whom Almighty God speaks fear to
speak to their superiors, those to whom God has in no way spoken — with how great terror
ought they to have hidden themselves under the silence of their tongue? Therefore Samuel's
fear does not suggest a servile dread, but the reverence due to the eminence of pastoral
authority. For even if a negligent preacher deserves rebuke and threats on account of his
own guilt, the loftiness of his order demands the fear of reverence. There follows: (Verse
15.) And he opened the doors of the house of the Lord.

23. What does it mean that he who feared to speak opened the doors of the Lord's house,
except that he who dreaded announcing sorrowful things was not ashamed to obey? For it was
said above: Samuel slept in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. For the boy,
who is said to have slept in the temple of the Lord and now to open its doors, is shown to
have had an assigned ministry, so that at the proper hours he would open and close the
doors. He therefore who dreaded revealing the vision and yet opened the doors of the
Lord's house, showed double reverence to his master: namely, the care of his ministry and
the guarding of his speech. How strictly he maintained this guard over his speech is
shown, if what follows is carefully considered. For it is immediately added: (Verses
16-18.) So Eli came to Samuel and said: Samuel, my son. He answered: Here I am. And he
asked him: What is the word that the Lord spoke to you? I beg you, do not hide it from me.
May God do this to you and add this, if you conceal from me any word out of all the things
that were said to you. So Samuel told him all the words and hid nothing from him.

24. For he who is said to have been compelled to speak by such great urgency of entreaty
is shown to have been bound by a great strictness of silence. And because some subjects
are accustomed to keep silent not so much for the preservation of purity as from the
obstinacy of impudence, Samuel showed the pattern of a chosen subject, who kept silent
reverently, but when commanded to speak, was afraid to keep silent. And so he shone with
the twofold light of his conduct, since he who had kept silent by the virtue of filial
fear gained by speaking the benefit of speaking. There follows: (Verse 18.) And he
answered: It is the Lord; let Him do what is good in His eyes. 25. He who considers this
response of Eli more simply than he ought thinks that he responded as rightly as he did
humbly. For as it is heard outwardly, what could he have responded more humbly, he who
heard his own reprobation and offered to God who was threatening—indeed, promulgating the
sentence of his reprobation—whatever He wished to do concerning him? But certainly if this
humility of response is examined more carefully, it is not true humility. For that is
recognized to be true humility which accompanies the good of obedience in carrying out the
commands of a superior. He would therefore truly have been humble if he had offered
himself for the amendment of the fault for which he was being rebuked. But perhaps he
would have been even more truly humble if, when rebuked, he had not responded at all, but
had applied to his wicked sons the correction he had neglected—if even then he had
persisted with pastoral zeal and had punished the crimes of the flagitious priests with
fitting vengeance. Therefore, when he says, "He is the Lord; let Him do what is good in
His eyes," he is recognized to have uttered a word of his own choosing rather than a
response of humility, because indeed he preferred to incur the causes of God's threats
rather than condemn his sons for the iniquities they had committed. Oh, how many are still
imitators of Eli, who, though they daily perceive from sacred Scripture that Almighty God
threatens them, nevertheless tremble at displeasing men and do not fear to incur the
threats of divine indignation, and while they dread the enmities of men as though they
were implacable, they presume upon God's mercy even while sinning!

26. But disordered confidence can have a place of vengeance before almighty God, yet
cannot obtain pardon. For to an uncorrected sinner, persisting in the purpose of his
fault, what is it to say concerning God who threatens him, "It is the Lord; let Him do
what is good in His eyes," except to trust in a disordered way in the most ordered mercy
of God? For he trusts in an ordered way in the mercy of almighty God who corrects by
repenting what he committed by sinning, and wipes it away by weeping. Therefore, to sin
and to presume upon the clemency of God the Creator is to be exposed to the deep of His
justice. Thus indeed, not to wipe away sins committed by repenting, and to presume upon
God's mercy, is to stumble into the judgment of His severity. Therefore, while Eli's life
is described as a pattern of reprobate preachers, not only is the fault of his fall shown,
but also the false security in the headlong rush of fault. For he who could have appeased
the greatness of divine indignation by the fear of repentance, while he neglected what he
heard, incurred what he deserved.

27. For Almighty God, although He is just in equity, is nevertheless believed to be more
abundantly compassionate in mercy. Whence it is also said through the Prophet: "His
mercies are over all His works" (Psalm 144:9). Hence it is that through the prophet Jonah
He brought forth threats of overthrow against the Ninevites, and yet spared the penitent
from the punishment of destroying the city (Jonah 3:1, 2, ff.). Hence it is also that to
King Hezekiah (IV Kings 20:1, ff. the punishment of death was promised through the oracle
of the prophet (Isaiah 38:1, ff.), but because the king, fearing death, afflicted himself
before the Lord with tears of repentance, he did not find the death by which he was to die
with Him whom he feared. And above indeed the Lord declared that He had spoken so that the
house of Eli and of his father should minister in His sight forever, but He who had spoken
good things concerning one who acted well changed His sentence concerning the house now
become reprobate, saying: "But now far be it from me" (1 Kings 2:30). If therefore
Almighty God revokes good things promised, because those to whom He had promised them are
changed for the worse, how much more does He withdraw the execution of threats, when He
sees those well converted to whom He had announced the punishment of retribution for their
committed iniquities? What then do we say to these things, we who sin daily and are
unconcerned in the bondage of our guilt?

Therefore this very thing, that we do not apprehend the severity of divine justice, is
greatly to be feared by us, because behold, he who is cast off by divine indignation is
reported to have been troubled by no fear for the fault of his perpetrated negligence. But
since we have learned of the reprobate preacher's rejection unto fear, let us hear of the
progress of the elect. For there follows: (Verse 19. "And Samuel grew, and the Lord was
with him." 28. If this is read according to the historical sense, it is indicated that the
boy Samuel grew in bodily age; but if, as with the rest, we examine these things by
spiritual investigation, the Lord is described as being with him who is recorded to have
grown. But he grows who advances in the age of mind toward a perfect man. Whence also
through the Prophet it is said of the elect who are advancing: 'They shall walk from
virtue to virtue; the God of gods shall be seen in Zion' (Psalm 83:8). Hence Paul says:
'Until we all come to meet him in a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the
fullness of Christ' (Ephesians 4:13). But there are some who, while they grow in virtues,
fall through pride. These indeed appear to grow, but nevertheless the Lord is not with
them, because by thinking lofty things of themselves they cast away from themselves him
whom, when established in the progress of virtues, they could have had with them through
humility. Or if he is understood to have grown through outward dignity, the Lord is
recorded as being with him, because indeed many are devout in a humbler rank; but when
they suddenly reach the summit of dignity, they abandon their first works together with
humility. Samuel therefore both advanced and in advancing had the Lord with him, so that
he indeed displayed the manner of the elect preachers, who when they obtain gifts and
dignities by which they may benefit others, do not neglect to please God in themselves,
and from that source they multiply the gifts which they received for others, whereby they
show forth in themselves the good which they desire to spread among them by speaking.
Wherefore it is also added: (Verse 19.) 'And none of all his words fell to the ground.'

29. Indeed, the word of the preacher falls on the ground when it becomes worthless because
of the preacher's reprobate conduct. Hence it is said by the voice of Truth: "It is good
for nothing anymore, except to be cast out and trampled underfoot by men" (Matt. 5:13).
And it should be noted that of all his words not one is said to have fallen to the ground,
so that assuredly the preacher may do nothing that he rightly condemns. For whatever he
forbids to be done, if he himself does it, his word falls to the ground, because while it
is despised by the one speaking it, those who hear it by no means revere it. The Lord was
forbidding any word from falling to the ground when He set forth to negligent preachers
the sentence of their own negligence, saying: "Whoever breaks one of the least of these
commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but
whoever practices and teaches them, shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven" (Matt.
5:19). For the preacher breaks not even the least commandment whose word, of all his
words, does not fall to the ground. Moreover, when it is said that of all Samuel's words
not one fell to the ground, whose character does Samuel represent, if not those who by the
merit of both their preaching and their works are great in the kingdom of heaven?

And so of all his words not one falls to the ground, because everything lofty that the
perfect preacher of Holy Church speaks is also proclaimed by him through his sublime
manner of life, since, as though stationed on a high watchtower, he both instructs the
wise by his word and shows the simple by his works the path by which they ought to enter
the eternal homeland. Hence it is also added: (Verse 20. "And all Israel from Dan to
Beersheba knew that Samuel was a faithful prophet of the Lord." 30. For what is designated
by Dan except the simple, and what by Beersheba except the wise? From Dan even to
Beersheba Samuel is acknowledged as the faithful prophet of the Lord, when the life of a
chosen preacher is set forth to the simple as an example of salvation, and to the wise the
mysteries of Holy Scripture are revealed through his teaching. But since Beersheba is
interpreted as "the seventh well," by Beersheba can be designated not only the wise, but
also the righteous. For what is the seventh well except the grace of the sevenfold Spirit?
By Dan the life of sinners is shown, because it is said through the ancient prophet: 'Let
Dan be a serpent in the way, an adder in the path, biting the horse's heels, so that his
rider shall fall backward' (Gen. 49:17). Therefore from Dan even to Beersheba Samuel is
known as the prophet of the Lord, since the life and teaching of a chosen preacher is
venerable both to sinners and to the righteous—so that in him, namely, the fallen may see
the good by which they may correct themselves through repentance, and the good may marvel
at the loftiness of life toward which they may daily grow stronger by advancing. There
follows: (Verse 21.) And the Lord continued to appear in Shiloh.

31. Above, concerning the time of the reprobate pastor, it is said: "In those days there
was no open vision." When therefore the best preacher is shown forth from sacred
Scripture, the Lord is said to appear again, because indeed the knowledge of the divine
counsel, which is hidden from the reprobate, is revealed to the elect by the merit of
purity. For if even the counsels of men are not entrusted except to close friends, is
Almighty God to be thought to lay open the secrets of His plan to His enemies? First,
therefore, the life of the just teacher is proclaimed, then the Lord is said to have added
that He appeared, because indeed the manifestation of the divine light flees the reprobate
and the false, while it opens itself to the elect and to pure hearts. Hence the true Light
itself also, speaking through itself, enlightens us, saying: "Blessed are the pure in
heart, for they shall see God" (Matt. 5:8). Therefore, the Lord added that He appeared
because He saw the pure eye of His preacher. But when it added "that He appeared in
Shiloh," it is indicated that He appeared to him in the same place on another occasion.
But because it said where He appeared, lest it be believed that He appeared to Eli, it
subsequently shows also the person to whom He appeared, saying: (Verse 21) "Because the
Lord had revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh, according to the word of the Lord."

32. For He then revealed Himself to him when He opened to him the secret of His counsel
concerning the rejection of the reprobate priest. This is indeed affirmed to have been
accomplished according to the word of the Lord, so that what had been said above, not very
long before, through the man of God to Eli might be perceived to have been fulfilled also
according to the historical sense: 'And I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who
shall act according to My heart and My soul, and he shall walk before My Christ all his
days' (1 Kings 2:35). And again: 'You shall see your rival in the temple, amid all the
prosperity of Israel' (ibid., 32). But if we search according to the spiritual
understanding, how does the Lord "add" so as to appear to the elect, unless because He who
marvelously terrifies His elect through the contemplation of His justice also ineffably
soothes them through the display of His glory? For He who, by appearing as just, strikes
the hearts of the saints with terror, "adds" that He may appear, when the sweetness of His
loving-kindness is poured back into the terrified heart. For this is why He did not always
appear to Moses in fire, but sometimes in fire, sometimes in a cloud. In fire, indeed,
there is the terror of judgment. Whence also concerning the second coming of our Redeemer
it is said through the Psalmist: 'Fire shall go before Him, and round about Him a mighty
tempest' (Ps. 49:3).

But in the cloud the protection of mercy is expressed, because the Lord, promising to His
elect the gentle comfort of that same protection, says: 'Then they shall see the Son of
Man coming in a cloud' (Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27). Therefore the Lord appears in fire and
cloud to those journeying through the desert, because the minds of those contemplating Him
in this pilgrimage of exile, even if He sometimes terrifies them with His justice, He
raises up when cast down by fear through the gentle comfort of His protection. The Lord
therefore appeared to Samuel, and "added" that He might appear, because He who is beheld
by the minds of the elect in the fire of terror is also manifested in the cloud of
sweetness. For he had seen inwardly a vision of fire who proclaimed outwardly, saying:
'Holy and terrible is His name' (Ps. 111:10). Likewise, desiring to show Him seen in fire,
he said: 'Come and see the works of the Lord, terrible in His counsels over the sons of
men' (Ps. 66:5). But He who appeared to him in fire "added" that He might appear, because
He also offered him from the cloud the sweetness of glory and of His own gentleness.
Wherefore he who had been terrified, now gladdened, said: 'How great is the multitude of
Your sweetness, O Lord, which You have hidden for those who fear You' (Ps. 31:20).

Hence also, marveling at the added apparition, he said: 'How good is the God of Israel to
those who are upright in heart' (Ps. 73:1). 33. But we must attentively consider what is
added next: According to the word of the Lord. The word of the Lord, therefore, must be
known before we deserve to attain to the appearing of the Lord, lest an unjust and
indiscriminate vision of fire and cloud not only fail to show us the perfection of the
heavenly journey, but drive us into the submersion of error. For Origen, while he wished
to see the Lord appearing without the word of the Lord, beheld the vision of the cloud in
a disordered way, because he shrank in horror from the appearing of the fire. For while he
denied or diminished the justice of God and preached His excessive clemency, he asserted
that God would not only spare all condemned men, but would even at some point free the
reprobate angels from eternal punishment. Novatus, however, loved to gaze more upon the
vision of fire, for while he called the severe justice of almighty God implacable, he took
away from sinners all hope of obtaining pardon and every remedy of repentance. Therefore
the Lord appeared neither to Novatus nor to that other one, because each of them did not
behold the almighty Lord according to what is perceived through the truth of sacred
Scripture. The Lord therefore appears according to His word when He reveals Himself to the
mind by that manifestation which the faith of Sacred Scripture does not reject. Hence it
is aptly added next: (Verse 21.) And the word of Samuel came to all Israel.

34. For the word of heretics does not come to pass. For the word of Novatus was that a
just God by no means spares the faithful who have once fallen. The word of Origen was that
the merciful Lord permits no rational creature to perish through eternal damnation. But
because sinners who are converted to the Lord by no means perish, and the angels who once
fell and sinners who died in their sin are never saved, the word of heretics assuredly
does not come to pass. Therefore the word of Samuel came to all Israel, because the
preaching of a catholic man is fulfilled, which is rightly recognized in the truth of
sacred speech. And it should be noted that the word is said to have come to him to whom
the Lord is reported to have added His vision, because surely his preaching is true to
whom the terror of divine justice is so shown that the abundant grace of His kindness is
not concealed; namely, so that the truth beheld may so terrify the mind of the one seeing
it that the kindness also shown may not permit the terrified mind to fall into despair; so
that one may so trust in His kindness as not to rush headlong into the boldness of
transgression. But let these things that have been discussed in the second book of the
present work suffice, so that while we arrange to begin what follows with a new starting
point, our zeal for speaking may also be renewed through devotion.


COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS (BOOK THREE, CHAPTER 3.1)
===============================================

COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS continued

BOOK THREE

CHAPTER 3.1

1. Since we were diligently seeking how the meaning of the sacred history might correspond
to the conduct of the elect, we deferred revisiting the order of allegory by exposition.
Therefore, to supply what we are seen to have omitted, the question is asked: What does it
mean that while Samuel is recorded as ministering to the Lord before Eli, the word of the
Lord is described as being precious? But, as was said above, by Samuel the preachers of
holy Church are signified, and by Eli the elect fathers of the Old Testament are also
designated. The boy Samuel therefore was ministering to the Lord before Eli, when the new
order of teachers was preaching the faith of the Redeemer. Of which ministry Paul indeed
speaks, saying: "As long as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I will honor my ministry"
(Rom. 11:13). Again he says: "Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are
they ministers of Christ? So am I" (2 Cor. 11:22). To minister to the Lord, therefore, is
to proceed into the labor of preaching. Which ministry Samuel is indeed said to have
rendered to the Lord before Eli, because whatever the new order of preachers asserted
concerning the religion of the new faith, it confirmed by the authority of the ancient
Fathers. For Samuel was ministering to the Lord when the new preacher was asserting,
saying:

"For I say that Christ Jesus was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, and
that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy" (Rom. 15:8). And indeed, so that he
might render the ministry he was performing for the Lord also before Eli, he added,
saying: "As it is written: Praise the Lord, all you nations, and let all peoples praise
him together" (Ps. 116:1). And so that he might more closely confine himself before Eli in
the ministry of the Lord, he added: "For Isaiah says: There shall be a root of Jesse, who
shall rise to rule the nations; in him shall the nations hope" (Rom. 15:12; from Isa.
11:10). The boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord when Peter was asserting the glory of
the Lord's Resurrection, saying: "Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved by God among you by
signs and wonders, delivered up, you killed by the hands of the wicked; this Jesus God
raised from the dead on the third day by his predetermined plan, since it was impossible
for him to be held by the pains of hell" (Acts 2:22ff.).

2. But this ministry, which he performed for the Lord, he also performed before Eli,
because he added, saying: For David says: "Because You will not abandon my soul in hell,
nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption" (Acts 2:27; Psalm 15:10). Therefore
Samuel is fittingly said to have ministered to the Lord before Eli, because the chosen
preachers of holy Church, while they were raising up the structure of the new faith by
preaching, confirmed by the authority of the ancient Fathers what they had endeavored to
assert by reason. 3. And at that time the word of the Lord is said to have been precious.
For indeed a precious thing cannot be bought at a small price. Now the price by which the
word of God is bought is the labor of holy work. For we buy, as it were, with a price the
thing we wish to have, when through the word of preaching which we receive we put forth
the labor of work. But at that time the word was precious, when it was not given for any
amount of labor of work, when everyone who killed a buyer of the word thought he was
rendering service to God. Therefore at that time the buyer of the word needed a great
price, because without great labor he could not preserve the word of faith, since he who
believed arrived at torments on account of what he believed. For it was then a time when
the word that was being bought exhorted not by a figuratively shaped type of morality, but
by the precept of open speech, saying: "Whoever wishes to come after me, let him take up
his cross daily and follow me" (Matt. 16:24). Hence likewise he says: "He who loves father
or mother more than me is not worthy of me" (Matt. 10:37). And: "Whoever does not renounce
all that he possesses cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:33). And so when the ministry of
Samuel is set forth, the word of the Lord is said to have been precious, because assuredly
in the beginnings of the faith, those who believed the teachers preaching eternal life
must be believed to have expended works of great labor for the word of faith they
received. And because the Jewish people had already lost the light of divine knowledge,
there follows: (1 Kings 3:1) "In those days there was no open vision."

4. For his vision would have been clear, if he had believed in the Redeemer whom he had
heard had come to visit him. Concerning this blindness of his, it is added: (Verse 2. Now
it came to pass that Eli was lying in his place, and he could not see the lamp of God
before it was extinguished. For the vision of Eli is not clear, because the priesthood of
the Jews is buried in the blindness of its own faithlessness. Eli therefore lies in his
place, because he both possesses the letter of the law, and yet in the law and the
prophets he does not have the standing of light, but the fall of blindness. For the place
of Eli, that is, of the Jewish preacher, is the sacred law. Because therefore the Jewish
priesthood still possesses Sacred Scripture, it is in its place. And because, not knowing
the power of Sacred Scripture, it is not raised up to the standing of faith, it is rightly
said not to stand in its place, but to lie down. Because likewise it has been cast out
until the end of the world, it is recorded as being unable to see the lamp of God.

Hence also, when they daily receive so many exhortations of preaching from holy Church,
when the Jews, overcome by so many assertions of the sacred faith, still do not believe,
what else is this but what we read about them in Sacred Scripture, and also hold through
experience — namely, that they have been cast out, not only so that they do not see, but
so that they cannot even see? Hence also the apostles, reckoning as futile the labor spent
on those who could not see, say in their Acts: "Because you have made yourselves unworthy
of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles" (Acts 13:46). But he who is reported as
unable to see is called the lamp of God. For the ministry of the Synagogue was the lamp of
God, when in the chosen Patriarchs it shone both through the light of true preaching and
through the promise of the coming Redeemer. Which lamp indeed could not be seen while
Samuel was ministering, because at the time of the new preaching, the authority of the
Synagogue incurred the punishment of perpetual rejection.

5. And it should be noted that it is not said that it could not give light, because indeed
it still carries the light of Holy Scripture for us, but it does not know what it carries.
Hence it is also said that before it was extinguished, it could not see. For it is not yet
extinguished, and it cannot see, because certainly, as I have already said, it bears a
light that it does not heed; for before it is extinguished, it exists as long as it
shines. And because Holy Scripture is not taken away from it all the way until the end of
the world, if before it is extinguished it does not see, it extends in blindness until the
end of the world. But if its lighting is referred to the zeal of its unbelief, it cannot
see precisely because it is not extinguished. For if it were to extinguish the fire of
unbelief from its mind, with the zeal of impiety removed, it would open the eyes of the
mind to the light of the pleasure of true faith. But since it is said to be unable to see,
it is declared an unworthy lamp, and the one that is worthy is sought for seeing those
things. For it adds, saying: (Verse 3.) Now Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the Lord,
where the ark of the Lord was, and the Lord called Samuel.

6. With the blindness of Eli confirmed, the Lord called Samuel, because, with the Jewish
priesthood condemned, He took up a new order of preachers unto a greater grace. But He who
explained whom He called also showed from where He called; because He declared that Samuel
was sleeping in the temple of the Lord, where the ark was. For the temple of God is the
place where God dwells. Whence it is also said through the Psalmist: "The Lord is in His
holy temple, the Lord's seat is in heaven" (Ps. 10:5). Paul indeed points to this place,
saying: "The temple of God is holy, which temple you are" (1 Cor. 3:17). Therefore the
temple of God is the soul of each elect person. The temple where the ark of God is kept is
the mind, in which the mysteries of the divine word are preserved through understanding.
What else, then, is it for him to sleep in the temple, but to persist through the guard of
intention in self-examination? Samuel therefore was sleeping in the temple of God, because
each preacher of the new grace, when he has perfectly despised all things that are of the
world, rested in the inward self-examination of his elect mind. And because he was
instructed in the mysteries of divine Scripture, he was sleeping in the temple, where the
ark was.

7. And it should be noted that it does not say "he slept" [dormivit], but "he was
sleeping" [dormiebat], because indeed he strove to maintain that same watchfulness of his
mind not in passing, but in the endurance of perseverance. The sleep of Samuel therefore
signifies a perfect contempt of the world in the mind of the teacher. The preacher
therefore sleeps in the temple when, having thoroughly driven worldly anxiety from
himself, he conceals himself in his mind through the contemplation of spiritual things.
For Peter had chosen the rest of this sleep when he said: "It is not right that we should
leave the word of God and serve tables" (Acts 6:2). Hence Jethro the Midianite rightly
reproved his kinsman Moses, saying: "You will be consumed with foolish labor; but hear my
words, and the Lord will be with you. Be you for the people in those things that pertain
to God, that you may bring what is said to Him" (Exodus 18:18, 19). Hence Paul calls the
Corinthians back to the sleep of the temple, saying: "Already indeed it is a fault in you
that you have lawsuits among yourselves. Why do you not rather suffer fraud?" (1
Corinthians 6:7). For he had perceived that those whom the preoccupation of lawsuits was
drawing back from spiritual meditation were unable to sleep in the temple of God. He who
was sleeping in the temple is therefore said to have been called by the Lord, because that
teacher was taken up to know divine secrets who, through the attention of his heart, was
dwelling not in outward things but in inward things. There follows: (Verses 4, 5.) Who
answering, said: "Here I am." And he ran to Eli and said: "For you called me." Who said:
"I did not call you, my son; return and sleep."

8. Why did the one who heard the Lord calling him run to Eli, unless because he thought he
had been called by Eli? And since we are following the order of typological explanation,
how is Eli considered to be the one speaking when God speaks to the boy who was called?
But whatever our ancient Fathers spoke in the Holy Scriptures is referred back to the
speech of Eli. They, of course, because they did not speak of themselves, since God spoke
through them what He willed, the voice that is heard in the Holy Scriptures is recognized
as being God's, which is uttered through Eli. Moreover, the boy, because when God spoke he
ran to Eli, shows that God indeed produced a voice similar to Eli's. What then does it
mean that the voice of the divine speech does not differ from the voice of Eli, except
that He Himself produces His speech also through the ancient Fathers? For the voice of Eli
is recognized as being God's, since whatever the chosen Fathers speak through the sacred
utterances, they received not from themselves but from the Lord. Hence also in the
prophets, through nearly every utterance it is repeated: "Thus says the Lord," so that we
may understand that the voice which resounds through the oracle of the prophet is not that
of the man speaking but of God commanding.

9. Sometimes God speaks through Scripture, and sometimes through hidden inspiration. He
speaks by hidden revelation when things to be done or taught are disclosed to the chosen
mind through the Spirit. And so Samuel, when he heard the Lord calling him, ran to Eli,
because the chosen order of preachers of the holy Church sought in sacred eloquence to
determine the nature of what it had come to know by God's revealing. For the rule of right
understanding is set forth in the books of sacred Scripture, because the divine counsels
have been expounded there through our venerable Fathers, who possessed the Holy Spirit.
Therefore Samuel, called so many times by the Lord, ran to Eli, because the order of
preachers consulted the sayings of the ancient Fathers in everything it learned by
spiritual revelation, so that it would only then believe something had been revealed to it
by the Lord when it recognized that it in no way differed from what it read in sacred
Scripture. For he is easily deceived who does not know how to examine in the clear truth
of holy Scripture the nature of what he gathers by hidden contemplation. Hence the Apostle
also warns, saying: "Satan transforms himself into an angel of light" (2 Cor. 11:14). But
how are false things discerned in the brightness of true light? Samuel therefore runs to
Eli every time he is called by the Lord, because the holy preachers, lest they be deceived
by the image of false light in inward contemplation, examine the manner of hidden
revelation in the open truth of holy Scripture.

10. Because in this matter it must be asked how it is fitting for Eli to say: "I did not
call you, my son." But our Fathers, who speak to new preachers through sacred Scripture,
do not call them, but indicate what their internal revelation is like. For to call is to
arouse the minds of God's elect by the inspiration of his grace. But the ancient Fathers
indeed speak through sacred Scripture, yet they cannot arouse the hearts of their hearers
by the inspiration of divine grace. Therefore the sacred Scriptures, when consulted, while
they indicate that they cannot give the gift of spiritual grace, excuse themselves as Eli,
as it were by certain utterances, through the authority of the account of Samuel. But
assuredly, what they cannot give, they can suggest how it ought to be acquired. Whence
also it is said by the voice of Eli to Samuel: "Return, and sleep."

11. What is it that Eli commands the boy who was called to return to sleep, except that he
shows preachers to prepare themselves through quietness of mind for receiving the gift of
interior grace? And it should be noted that it says: "Return." For Samuel returns when the
chosen preacher goes back from meditation on sacred Scripture to the secret of interior
contemplation. Having returned, therefore, he slept, because he rested in the intention of
interior contemplation. In this passage it should also be noted that Samuel is called
three times by the Lord, and three times again is commanded by Eli to go back to sleep:
12. What is this, if not that we have learned, with Truth itself teaching, that there are
three degrees of love? "You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, and with
your whole soul, and with your whole strength" (Matt. 22:17). But what do we understand by
the heart, if not counsel? What by the mind, if not the will? And what is signified by
strength, if not the affection of love? But through counsel, what else do we seek than the
certainty of truth? And through the will, what do we desire when loving, if not to
ardently long for good things? Through affection, what do we seek if not the full
enjoyment of true joy? For we are raised up to the highest things through the degrees of
love, when truth is revealed to the counsel of our heart, and true goodness is granted to
the will of the mind, and spiritual and true joy is given to the affection of our strength
through the infusion of divine grace.

13. Samuel was therefore called three times by the Lord, because when the order of
preachers, still young in the Church, stretched itself toward heavenly pursuits, it sought
truth in the reasoning of counsel, goodness in the choice of the will, and true joy in the
intention of the affections. He also went three times when called to Eli, because
concerning every desire of his he consulted Sacred Scripture with the eagerness of
meditation. Likewise three times he heard that he was not being called by him, because
through meditation he learned that our Fathers handed down to us the sacred words written
for our instruction; nevertheless, they are utterly unable to give us spiritual gifts.
What then does it mean to say "I did not call you," except "I did not give you the desire
for spiritual gifts"? For if Sacred Scripture, or any one of the writers, could confer
spiritual gifts, then as many as read the sacred words, as many as heard the expositors of
Holy Scripture, would be adorned with spiritual gifts. But in truth, since many read
Sacred Scripture and hear preachers expounding, and after the pursuit of reading and the
exhortation of preaching, some remain in the old coldness of their vices while others burn
through grace with love of holy virtues, it is plainly evident that the order of venerable
Fathers shows us the gifts of virtues through the Scriptures they produced, but the love
of the virtues they set forth is bestowed upon us by the Creator alone.

Therefore James also devoutly admonishes, saying: "Every good gift and every perfect gift
is from above, coming down from the Father of lights" (James 1:17). Hence Paul says:
"Neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase" (1
Cor. 3:7). What else then does it mean to say "I did not call you," except to show by
plain instruction that the fact that a faithful soul is raised to heavenly desires is
produced solely by the infusion of divine grace? Because therefore he is called three
times by the Lord and three times ordered by his master to return to sleep, he indicates
how those three degrees of love are acquired. For since we have applied counsel to the
heart, and counsel indeed desires to find truth, a great sleep is certainly necessary,
lest the lover awaken before the sought truth is found. Let the boy therefore return and
sleep, so that he who desires to find the light of truth may, through rest, take care not
to admit the darkness of errors into himself. Let him also sleep a second time, so that he
may devote the service of love to almighty God with his whole mind, that the good things
he loves may shine with pure simplicity and not be obscured by any veil of evils. Because
this indeed is recognized only by the great subtlety of discernment, the boy, called by
the Lord, is ordered by Eli to return and sleep.

For if he neglects to sleep for the sake of ascending this degree of love, he does not
acquire what he seeks from virtue, because even if we can already love good things by
God's inspiration, unless we judge with great quietness of mind what the very good things
we desire truly are, we do not discern them rightly. Samuel is therefore sent to sleep
three times, because indeed the new order of preachers is admonished to love with all its
strength. And since we have referred virtue to the affections, and the affection of the
mind is perfected by spiritual joy, Samuel had a great quiet of sleep; and while the order
of preachers, made certain through rest, learned spiritual things, it did not receive a
foreign joy under the appearance of true joy. For just as with other virtues, so also
regarding the progress of contemplation, the mind of the contemplator often becomes vainly
elated. Samuel therefore slept again, because surely the order of teachers, unless it
carefully examined itself in contemplation, would sometimes think it was rejoicing with
true joy when it was rejoicing vainly. And so he slept the first time, because while he
directed his mind to knowing the truth, he rejected all erroneous things with great
subtlety of counsel. He slept a second time, because when he learned to love the Creator
with his whole mind, he arranged within himself with great quiet that he would not mix any
reprobate things with the good things he desired.

He also slept a third time, so that while he perceived the supreme joy from divine
contemplation, he might be able to reject vain gladness with a deliberate mind. And
because this is said of Samuel while he was still advancing, it is fittingly added: (Verse
7. "Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord yet been revealed
to him." 14. For at that time the order of preachers did not know the Lord with that
perfection to which it later advanced. Or perhaps he is said not to know the Lord because
he was not yet revealing to his still weak and untrained hearers the deep and profound
things that he knew. Hence, Truth says to those wishing to know the day of the Lord's
coming — things which He who knew all things did not wish to disclose: "But of that day
and hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone"
(Mark 13:32). What does it mean that the Son, who knows all things, does not know the day
of judgment, except that among all the things He knew, though He knew the day, He did not
know it so as to speak of it, but He knew its time and its nature? Hence John the Baptist,
who knew the Lord perfectly, sent his disciples to Him as though not knowing, saying: "Are
you He who is to come, or do we look for another? (Luke 7:20). For Samuel was preaching as
though not knowing the Lord, just as the evangelist Matthew, passing over the divinity of
the Redeemer, began from His humanity alone, saying: "The book of the generation of Jesus
Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham" (Matt. 1:1ff.).

But he assuredly knew the Lord, and the word of the Lord had been revealed to him, just as
John, undertaking to expound His divinity in lofty terms, said: "In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). He did not know the
Lord when Paul was speaking, saying: "I became all things to all men, that I might save
all" (1 Cor. 9:22). For he who became weak with the weak, and little with the little, and
all things to all, surely was also ignorant with the ignorant. For to use the very word of
that ignorance, speaking to the Corinthians he says: "I judged myself to know nothing
among you except Christ Jesus, and Him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2). For with the wise he both
knew the Lord and had His word revealed. Hence he also says: "But we, beholding the glory
of the Lord with unveiled face, are transformed into the same image, as by the Spirit of
the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18). Hence he likewise speaks, saying: "We speak wisdom among the
perfect, not the wisdom of this world, nor of the rulers of this age, but we speak the
wisdom of God, which is hidden in mystery" (1 Cor. 2:6). Hence he likewise proclaims Him
whom he knew as Lord, saying:

"Who, being the brightness of His glory and the figure of His substance, and upholding all
things by the word of His power, making purification of sins, sits at the right hand of
the Majesty on high, having been made so much better than the angels, as He has inherited
a more excellent name than they. For to which of the angels did He ever say: 'You are My
Son, today I have begotten You'? (Heb. 1:3–5). Therefore, he is said not to know the Lord
not through ignorance of knowledge, but under the guise of simplicity. There follows:
(Verse 9. "Eli therefore understood that the Lord was calling the boy." 15. For if he had
not understood, he would by no means have ministered to him the counsels of salvation
through the sacred Scriptures. For he understood, because he foresaw. For whatever
almighty God arranged to do in the building of the future Church, this He revealed to the
ancient Fathers through the holy spirit of prophecy. For through the prophet Amos it is
said: "The Lord God will not make a word which He has not revealed to His servants the
prophets" (Amos 3:7). For what else had he understood but the calling of the new
preachers, who said: "Instead of your fathers, sons have been born to you; you shall
establish them as princes over all the earth" (Psalm 44:17). But to him whom he understood
was to be called, he also supplied counsel, saying: (Verse 9.) "Go and sleep, and if he
calls you again, you shall say: Speak, Lord, for your servant hears."

16. Enough has already been shown, I believe, that the sleep of Samuel signifies the quiet
of interior meditation. This sleep is indeed commanded to Samuel by Eli, because the
teacher is taught through sacred Scripture to devote himself to contemplating interior
mysteries. But what does it mean that each time Samuel is called, he is sent back to
sleep, and yet he is by no means yet commanded to say to God: "Speak, Lord, for your
servant hears"? For there he is commanded to sleep, but not yet to speak; here, however,
along with the obedience of sleep, permission to speak is also enjoined. There also, when
sent to sleep, it is not said "Go," but "Return"; here likewise it is by no means said
"Return," but "Go. For what does such variety in commanding mean? We recognize this
variety more clearly, of course, if we attend to what sleep signifies for Samuel in this
passage. And since we have referred the earlier modes of sleep to the testing of the gifts
of holy love (above, nos. 11, 12), what is it for Samuel in this passage—that is, for the
new preacher—to sleep, except to possess those same gifts, now tested and known, with the
repose of security? Rightly, therefore, previously it was not said to him "Go," but
"Return"; now, however, not "Return," but "Go. For he who was still examining was
commanded to return, so that with tranquility of mind he might test another gift, having
already recognized another by that same quiet of mind.

But to him, because he had now proved all things by examining them, "Go" is said, because
he was now being sent with secure intention to possess what he had come to know. Why then
is sleep first commanded without speech, but now sleep with speech, unless because it was
not permitted to say "Speak" except to one who was certain with true knowledge that the
one speaking to the affections of his mind was God? Therefore it is not said to one who is
still examining, because unless he perfectly discerns the one speaking within, he ought
not to desire spiritual speech still uncertain to him, nor receive it as though it were
certain. For to say to God in one's mind "Speak" is to receive his interior inspiration
with security. Therefore this belongs to one who knows perfectly, not to one still
testing, because before the judgment of interior examination, just as divine speech is not
proved, so what is unknown to us concerning God is not received as certain and known. For
it was said to Samuel "Go and sleep," because when the order of holy preachers has learned
spiritual gifts through the testing of sacred Scripture, it has come to know by the
instruction of that same holy Scripture how to rest more securely through love in those
same gifts, the more clearly it has recognized their power by open reason.

He was also commanded to say to God when he called, "Speak, Lord," because he was taught
by the study of sacred speech not only to hear the Lord devoutly speaking through the
grace of interior visitation, but also to implore him with great desires when he was
silent, that he might deign to speak. (Verse 9. So Samuel went and slept in his place. 17.
The preacher of the holy Church has as many places as he has advances in life. Whence also
blessed Job, consecrating the places of his advancement with divine praises, says: "At
every step of mine I will proclaim Him" (Job 31:37). For he is not placed in a position of
examination, but certainly of knowledge, when he is raised to higher things. For the place
of the preacher is the certain knowledge of the things to be known. For concerning
reprobate preachers the Lord says: "Those who held my law did not know me" (Jeremiah 2:8).
Samuel therefore slept in his place, when the order of teachers retained the knowledge of
spiritual things with the certainty of truth. But to what degree he advances is shown,
because it is suddenly added next: (Verse 10.) "The Lord therefore came and stood."

18. Because the Lord is said not to return but to come, the abandonment of Judea and the
visitation of the holy Church is signified. Hence He is described not only as coming but
also as standing. He indicates that He came to visit Judea, saying: "I was not sent except
to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt. 15:24). But having come, He did not
stand, because He abandoned her as she despised the good of her own salvation. Hence He
also threatens the rulers of the Synagogue, saying: "Your house will be left to you
desolate" (Matt. 23:38). Again, declaring this, He says: "Amen, I say to you that the
kingdom will be taken from you and given to a nation producing its fruits." Therefore He
came to Samuel and stood, because He once took up the preachers of the holy Church, from
whom He no longer departs through the guardianship of His grace. For He had come to Samuel
when, presenting new preachers to the world, He said: "Go into all the world and preach
the Gospel to every creature; whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; but whoever
does not believe will be condemned" (Mark 16:15ff.). But let Him who came say whether the
Lord ought to stand: "Behold, I am with you all days even to the consummation of the age"
(Matt. 28:20). Therefore the Lord had come not to depart but to stand, because He chose
new ministers of the faith, whom He protects even to the end of the world as they succeed
one another through the patrimony of holy virtues devoted to Him. But let us hear what He
adds—He who comes visiting through grace, who stands persevering through the
unchangeableness of His election. (Verse 10.) "And He called, as He had called the second
time, Samuel, Samuel."

19. For he called a second time, because he provided him with a twofold office in the
ministry of preaching: namely, that by repelling the pride of the Synagogue he might crush
it, and that by calling the humility of the Gentiles to the faith he might raise them up.
Or indeed he is called a second time because he is roused both to the destruction of the
old man and to the building up of the new. He was called once when he was being instructed
through the Spirit as to how he might be able to blot out sins and vices in the hearts of
sinners; he was called a second time when God instructed him by the teaching of the
interior Master, so that, having destroyed the edifice of impiety in the minds of the
converted, he ought to raise up a new structure of holy virtues. And indeed, because the
order of holy preachers both gladly learned this teaching and devoutly offered themselves
to obey, there follows: (Verse 10.) Samuel therefore said: Speak, Lord, for your servant
is listening.

20. To hear God speaking is to fulfill His precepts by works. On the contrary, in the
Gospel, Truth itself says to the reprobate: He that is of God heareth God's words; ye
therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God (John 8:47). But to the one listening,
He adds what He desires to make known; for it follows: (Verse 11.) And the Lord said to
Samuel: Behold, I am doing a thing in Israel, at which both ears of everyone that heareth
it shall tingle. And opening up this same word, He says: (Verses 13 and 14.) For I have
foretold to him that I would judge his house forever for the iniquity, because he knew
that his sons were acting unworthily, and he did not correct them. Therefore I have sworn
to the house of Eli that the iniquity of his house shall not be expiated by sacrifices and
offerings forever.

21. For what else is designated by these words than the rejection of the Jews, already
explained so many times? For the house of the preacher is the multitude of the people
subject to him, which he inhabits as if by possessing it, while he preserves it through
the care of his solicitude. The house of Eli, therefore, that is, of the old priesthood,
was Judea, which, while he cultivated it through a reprobate manner of life, he made
unclean with the stains of his depravity. He indeed saw his sons acting unworthily,
because the supreme priesthood saw the priests of a lesser order raging against the
Redeemer, and did not rebuke them, nor recalled them by any authority from the shedding of
so great blood. Therefore it is promised to him by divine threat that his house would be
judged forever. For to judge, in God's case, is to condemn. Therefore it is judged
forever, because it is decreed to perish by eternal punishment. And because this happens
by God's eternal judgment, He declared that He had affirmed by oath that the iniquity of
the house of Eli would not be expiated forever by prayers or offerings. Which we see
fulfilled in manifest truth, because the Jewish people perseveres in the obstinacy of its
unbelief. For what is the present hardness and blindness of a people once so chosen, if
not the oath of divine judgment? For he confined himself under eternal death by a fitting
punishment, who did not shrink from forcing eternal life to death in time. But what He
asserts by oath, He says He had foretold, because indeed to the subsequent doctors of the
holy Church that became known concerning the rejection of Judea which He had previously
made manifest to their predecessors, because what is now said through Samuel to Eli is
what was said to him above through the man of God. There follows: (Verse 15.) Samuel slept
until morning.

22. What is it that Samuel's sleep is described so attentively through sacred Scripture?
And since he is said to have repeated his sleep four times already, anyone who does not
believe this was spoken spiritually by the Spirit of God is greatly foolish. For even if
he is rightly understood to have slept so many times according to the truth of history, it
is written for this purpose: that from the truth of the letter, meanings of allegory may
be brought forth. What then does this fifth sleep of Samuel signify? But since we referred
the first sleep to the pursuit of truth, the second to the testing of true work, the third
to the exploration of true joy, the fourth to the full enjoyment of perfection found,
proven, and known, the fifth kind of sleep is referred to the effort of arranging one's
speech. Samuel therefore slept a fifth time, because the order of preachers, even though
through the counsel of the heart it learned the truth, through the will of the mind chose
good things, through the affection of virtue received true joy, and through the certainty
of beatitude found and known rested in the security of sublime virtues, nevertheless could
not preach to those under its care what it had come to know within itself without the
great ordering of counsel.

For very often a teacher both possesses within himself what he should preach, and yet
cannot preach what he possesses as he ought, because even if he has already learned by the
Lord's revelation what to say, he does not know the manner in which it should be brought
forth to the people. Samuel therefore slept again, because the order of preachers disposed
within itself with great intent of quiet lest by preaching it scatter uselessly the seed
of God's word that it had gathered by profitable contemplation. For while a preacher is
compelled to consider what and how much, or when, he speaks, what he should say to all
together, how he should admonish some separately — because he employs the great quiet of
holy meditation — Samuel is quite fittingly said to sleep again as a type of the new
preacher. For to sleep then is for him to arrange in a tranquil mind the manner of
speaking. And to awake is for him to go forth from the quiet of meditation to speaking.
And because he does not reasonably awake before he has arranged what must be said, there
follows: "Until morning. For morning is the perfected knowledge of pronouncing the word in
the mind of the teacher. Whence the Prophet also rebukes hasty teachers, saying: "It is
vain for you to rise before the light" (Psalm 126:2).

For those rise before the light who do not sleep until morning, but awake in vain, because
they utter the word uselessly, having learned by no meditation how it ought to be uttered.
Whence he also shows them counsel, saying: "Rise up after you have sat down," so that
through the quiet of meditation they may gather the word, which through the labor of
speech they may scatter not in vain, but for the profit of their hearers. There follows:
(Verse 15. "And he was afraid to tell the vision to Eli." 23. What was it that he feared,
if not because he had learned this while sleeping? For he who arranges a word by
meditating, determines by reason when he should also speak the word. For Samuel saw a
vision and feared to tell Eli, because the order of the doctors of the Holy Church both
perceived the deserved rejection of Judea and dreaded casting it in her face before the
times of her rejection. Whence he rather exhorts her to the remedy of repentance, saying:
"Repent, and let every one of you be baptized" (Acts 2:38). Wherefore it is also added:
(Verse 15.) "He opened the doors of the house of the Lord."

24. What other house of the Lord is there but the holy Church? And what are the doors of
this house, if not spiritual virtues? For Samuel opened the doors of the house of the Lord
when, as people were running together to the unity of the true faith, the order of
preachers laid open the gifts of spiritual virtues. For it was as though the doors of the
house were closed when the virtues of the holy Church were unknown. And fittingly, when
Samuel feared to reveal the vision to Eli, he is recorded as having opened the doors of
the house of the Lord, because before the order of preachers would declare the open
rejection of Judea, while it admonished them to repentance, it unlocked the hidden things
of spiritual virtues to the elect who were running to the faith. For he who in the time of
mercy feared to speak of the things he had seen, in the time when justice was to be
sought, declared the vision of justice, saying: "Because you have made yourselves unworthy
of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles" (Acts 13:45). From this reasoning indeed
a question arises, because it is related that the vision was revealed to Samuel more by
the prayer and imprecation of Eli. For it is added: (Verses 16–18.) "So Eli came to Samuel
and said: Samuel, my son. He answered: Here I am. And he asked him: What is the word that
the Lord spoke to you? I pray you, do not hide it from me. May God do these things to you,
and add these things, if you hide from me any word out of all that was said to you."
Samuel therefore revealed to him all the words, and did not hide anything from him.

25. For how did he learn from the executor of the divine sentence the vision of his own
rejection, he who heard this not so much from one threatening as from one who was rather
compelled by prayers? But let those who inquire about this first understand that we are
discussing these things not according to the letter, but according to their spiritual and
typological meaning. For in this passage, the coming of Eli is referred neither to a
bodily movement of the Jewish priesthood nor to a disposition of the mind, but rather his
coming was this very thing: that the rational creature of God appeared to the preachers.
He came, therefore, when he was seen in human nature and moved the hearts of the teachers
to compassion toward himself. Therefore, Eli's coming is not, among the ancient people, an
approach of mind or of body, but a manifestation of the human condition. Or perhaps his
coming was from the fact that he was chosen from among all peoples for the worship of God.
He also called him "son"—he who is regarded by the one who is remembered as having been
the founder of the holy Church among the chosen Fathers. He therefore calls him "son" not
out of affection in the address, but as a display of lost dignity. And because he is seen
in the darkness of blindness, he is reported to have asked that the vision be revealed to
him.

For his beseeching is, with regard to their common nature, to provoke the minds of the
preachers to mercy. He also added an imprecation to his prayers, because the order of
preachers, while it considered the Jewish priesthood placed in such great misery, feared
that the almighty Lord would be angry with them if they did not come to his aid with the
word. Whence it is also fittingly added: 'Samuel told him all the words, and hid nothing
from him.' Indeed, he told him all the things seen, so that, having heard what he
deserved, the greatness of his fear might turn him to the solicitude of obtaining divine
mercy. He told him all the words of the Lord, so that while he recognized himself cast off
in his old state, he might hasten through tears of repentance to the renewal of true
faith. And he indeed responded, saying: (Verse 18) 'It is the Lord; let him do what is
good in his eyes.'

26. By these words, indeed, what else is more clearly recognized than the faithlessness of
the Jewish people? For he who calls the almighty God Lord still considers himself to be
serving Him. When therefore his rejection is made known to the Jewish people by the
doctors of the holy Church, he says: He is the Lord; let Him do what is good in His eyes.
Because while he believes himself to please God through the old institution, he is in no
way frightened by the threats of the holy Church. For it is as if Jewish faithlessness
were to assert with a more open voice, and were to say to the preachers of the holy Church
who threaten them: You strike no terror into us by your threats, inasmuch as we believe
ourselves to minister in faith to Him from whose grace you proclaim we have fallen. When
therefore he adds: Let Him do what is good in His eyes, he mocks the doctors of the holy
Church rather than offering himself to the divine judgment. As if he were speaking with
another intention, and saying: He does no such thing to us, inasmuch as He is our Lord,
the very one whom you set before us for vengeance. There follows: (Verse 19.) And Samuel
grew, and the Lord was with him.

27. What does it mean that after Eli explained the vision, Samuel is said to have grown,
except that the order of our teachers, after it repelled the sons of the Synagogue by the
word, found a glory of greater reverence among the Gentiles? He grew, therefore, because
he who first confined himself through the ministry of the word to one nation, afterward
spread the fame of his holiness and teaching throughout the whole world. Whence it is also
said through the Psalmist: 'Their sound has gone out into all the earth, and their words
to the ends of the world' (Ps. 19:4). Again, speaking of the holy Church, he says:
'Instead of your fathers, sons have been born to you; you shall make them princes over all
the earth' (Ps. 45:16). He grew, therefore, when he shone throughout the whole world. The
Lord is also said to have been with him, because everything that gave forth the fragrance
of holy fame, everything that shone brightly through the word, he received from the
presence of the Redeemer whom he had with him. For even if Paul by the word penetrates not
only what is weak and earthly, but also what is highest and heavenly, he obtains this
power of speaking from him whom he affirms to be with him, saying: 'Do you seek a proof of
Christ who speaks in me' (2 Cor. 13:3)? For he who spoke in him was with him.

He gives forth fragrance to the whole world through his life, but he draws the odor of
life from him whom he reveals, saying: 'We are the good fragrance of Christ in every
place' (2 Cor. 2:15). John indicates that all things come from the presence of the
Redeemer, for he says: 'Of his fullness we have all received' (John 1:16). Therefore, when
Samuel is said to have grown, the Lord is recalled as being with him, because when the
order of teachers shone throughout the whole world with the grace of great holiness and
teaching, it was able to appear so great because of him who did not abandon it while it
was placed in the world. There follows: (Verse 20.) 'And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba
knew that Samuel was a faithful prophet of the Lord.' 28. By these names of the land,
indeed, the whole of Judea is designated. What then is designated in all of Judea except
the entire Church? The whole of Israel, therefore, recognizes that Samuel is a prophet of
the Lord, because indeed everyone who is faithful believes that the order of holy
preachers speaks truly about things to come. For the office of a prophet is both to
foretell the future and to reveal hidden things. Moreover, the holy preachers of the
Church, when they detect whatever hidden vices lurk in the mind, when they open up the
secrets of spiritual virtues, when they bring forth the hidden meanings of the Holy
Scriptures to common knowledge, when they promise anew the future joys of the heavenly
homeland to the chosen faithful, exercise the ministry of a prophet. By all Israel,
therefore, Samuel is recognized as a faithful prophet of the Lord, because one who does
not place faith in the teachers of the holy Church cannot see the almighty Lord by faith.
And because that same glory of divine knowledge remained in the holy Church, which first
revealed itself to the early teachers, it is added: (Verse 21.) And the Lord continued to
appear in Shiloh.

29. For Shiloh is interpreted as "sent." And because He sends into the ministry of
preaching even to the end of the world, the Lord appears in Shiloh, because He shows
Himself more clearly to those through whom He opens the glory of His light to others.
Moreover, it is well said, "He continued to appear," because those upon whom the
brightness of the divine light is poured are unceasingly chosen. Whence he also adds the
reason why he affirms the vision was heard, saying: (Verse 21.) Because the Lord had
revealed Himself to Samuel. 30. For this reason he adds "so that he might appear," because
the Lord who had been revealed reveals himself again and again, and by no means withdraws
the gift of his manifestation from holy Church, which he has not ceased to bestow upon her
from her beginning. But although it is stated that he was revealed to Samuel, it is not
reported how many times he continued to appear, because indeed holy Church is led all the
way to the end of the world, over which preachers preside, who preach the lofty joys of
eternity among those below, inasmuch as they see the highest things they preach in the
lofty manifestation of God. Which appearance indeed is declared to have been made
according to the word of the Lord. But what is the word of the Lord, if not the promise of
the Redeemer? He continued therefore to appear according to the word of the Lord, because
he does not cease to display the truth of his promise. For the word of the Lord in the
continuation of his appearing is: "Behold, I am with you all days, even to the
consummation of the age" (Matt. 28:20). There follows: (Verse 21.) And the word of Samuel
came to all Israel.

31. For the word is known to come when the promise of our preachers is fulfilled. For the
promise of the word is joy that will endure without end. Therefore the word of Samuel came
to all Israel, because the entire multitude of the holy Church arrives at the joy of
eternal blessedness, and what is now promised in the faith of the word by its holy
preachers is bestowed upon it in truth in the heavenly kingdoms. For the word of the
teachers in the promise of the faithful is: Everyone who believes in him shall not perish,
but shall have eternal life (John III, 15). Or certainly the word of the teachers in the
promise of gifts is: What eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it ascended into the
heart of man, what God has prepared for those who love him (Isa. LXIV, 4; I Cor. II, 9).
And so the word of Samuel came to all Israel, because whoever believes the holy preachers
both urging a devout manner of life in the present and promising eternal joys to the just,
has passed by dying in the flesh to those eternal joys which he had awaited by living
piously. Whence he in whose faith he had promised also affirms, saying: Amen I say to you,
heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away (Mark XIII, 31). Or
certainly the word of Samuel has now come to all Israel, because through the effect of
divine punishment the general rejection of the Jews is recognized as fulfilled. Whence,
expounding more broadly the order in which this same word came to all Israel, he says:


COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS (BOOK THREE, CHAPTERS 3.2 (1 SAMUEL 4:1–3)–3.3 (1 SAMUEL 5:1–3))
============================================================

COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS continued

CHAPTER 3.2 (1 SAMUEL 4:1–3)

For Israel went out to meet the Philistines in battle, and encamped near the Stone of
Help. Moreover the Philistines came to Aphek, and drew up their battle line against
Israel. When the battle was joined, Israel turned their backs, and about four thousand men
were slain in that battle scattered throughout the fields. And Israel returned to the
camp. 1. The blessed Apostle shows that there are spiritual battles, when he exhorts the
camp of holy Church to victory, saying: "Our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but
against principalities and powers, and against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places"
(Eph. 6:12). Concerning these battles, also providing counsel for obtaining victory, he
says: "And take up the shield of faith, with which you may be able to extinguish all the
fiery darts of the most wicked one, and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the
Spirit, which is the word of God" (ibid., 16, 17). Hence Peter, exhorting, says: "Be sober
and watch in prayers, because your adversary the devil goes about, seeking whom he may
devour; resist him, strong in faith" (1 Pet. 4:7; 5:8). Therefore, while battles are
related to the Israelites according to the letter, internal and spiritual battles are
signified. For "Philistines" is interpreted as "falling by the cup"; by which name indeed
the reprobate angels are expressed, because through a more abundant draught of pride they
lost the state of eternal life. For to fall as if by a cup was for them to take up the
draught of pride without any delay of reconsideration. For what is drunk is easily
consumed. Of the prince of these fallen ones, the Lord speaks as if of one drinking:
"Because he did not stand in the truth" (John 8:44). For he fell as if by a draught, who,
drunk with the swiftness of his own pride, did not stand even for a moment in the truth in
which he had been created.

2. But it must be carefully inquired how Israel according to the flesh is understood to go
out to battle against these who fall by the cup. For no one fights with one who is subject
to him. How then is the Jewish people, who are subject to malign spirits through unbelief,
said to go out to battle against them? Yet they are said to fight not by the truth of
strength, but by the deception of self-estimation. For in truth of strength he has been
conquered by malign spirits, but nevertheless, while he keeps the traditions of the
ancient Fathers, he thinks he has a contest with malign spirits. Whence also he is bound
all the more tightly under the chains of his captivity, the more the confidence of a
liberty he does not possess is suggested to him by their cunning. For crafty adversaries
by hidden suggestions proclaim to him the strength of a false liberty, so that he does not
attend to the darkness by which he is oppressed, and they possess him, already deceived,
all the more securely because he does not care to be loosed from the bonds of unbelief by
which he is held by believing in our Redeemer. And it should be noted that it is said of
the rejected people: Israel went out. Then he rightly went out when he abandoned the
monuments of sacred faith. Whence also concerning those who by erring had deviated from
the mysteries of Holy Scripture, John says:

They went out from us, but they were not of us (1 John 2:19). Therefore for Israel
according to the flesh to go out is to pass beyond the boundaries of right faith by
erring. But because they do not cease to expect another Christ, they pitch camp beside the
Stone of Help. Rightly therefore Israel is said to have turned their backs, because he is
also reported to have gone out. For if he had remained within, he could in no way have
been conquered, because if he had kept himself within the fortifications of faith, he
would have vanquished the armed spirits of error. And because he is overcome by fraud, the
Philistines are reported to have drawn up their battle line at Aphek. For, for malign
spirits to draw up a battle line is to arrange arguments of deception against the unwary
hearts of the Jews. But when battle was joined, Israel turned their backs, because while
he fears to die, he does not resist malign spirits. For indeed fugitives from battle turn
their backs to the enemy, lest by resisting they die. But because the Jews tremble at
dying if they believe in the Redeemer, for this reason they do not resist, so that they
may live, because they do not believe in the Redeemer, so that they may be saved in the
old circumcision. For they would resist malign spirits if they had held the arms of their
strength in faith in our Redeemer.

But therefore they flee lest they die, and therefore because they flee they die. For the
pursuing enemy kills the one fleeing all the more easily, because he who is struck while
fleeing does not resist the sword of his impending conqueror. Whence also in that same
battle four thousand of the Jews are recorded to have been slain. For what are these four
thousand, except those who refused to receive the truth of the four Gospels? For this
reason they are also reported to die in the fields, because they linger in the breadth of
their errors. And because they do not yet at all abandon the hiding places of their error,
Israel is said to have returned to the camp. For, as I have already said, he still thinks
he has a contest with malign spirits when he rather obeys their will than opposes it. 3.
But because "cup" is also taken in a good sense, those falling by the cup can be
understood as the preachers of holy Church. Of this cup, indeed, the Prophet boasts,
saying: "You have anointed my head with oil, and my inebriating cup, how excellent it is!"
(Ps. 22:5). For the inebriating cup is the abundant grace of the Holy Spirit, which is
fittingly called a cup because by its fullness the hearts of the elect are inebriated in
an instant. Hence it is also said of the first pastors of holy Church: "Suddenly there
came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty spirit, and it filled the whole house
where they were sitting" (Acts 2:2). By this cup, indeed, the preachers fall, because
while they abundantly receive the grace of the Holy Spirit, they entirely abandon the
state of carnal life. For daily, drinking as it were excessively from this cup, they fall,
because even if carnal impulses sometimes raise them up toward committing faults, yet by
the power of the Spirit they have drunk, they are not found standing in a state of sin.
And because the Jewish people indeed has with these preachers a contest of faith against
those Philistines, carnal Israel daily goes out to the field of battle.

4. Moreover, by the name of the Philistines the preachers of the holy Church can be
understood, because they were led from the error of the Gentiles to the grace of faith
through the mercy of God. Fighting against them, Israel indeed turned its back, because it
could not resist the Spirit speaking through the mouths of the preachers. For Israel had
gone out to battle against the Philistines when the Jews opposed Stephen as he preached
and disputed concerning the reasoning of our faith. But fighting, it turned its back,
because it could not resist by disputing. For concerning those who turned their backs, it
is said in the Acts of the Apostles: "They could not resist the wisdom and the Spirit by
which he spoke" (Acts 6:10). Moreover, for the Israelites to be slain is to be separated
from the life of unbelief. They are also fittingly said to die in the fields; for the
fields of the contest are the verdant understandings of sacred Scripture. Therefore,
thousands of slain Israelite warriors are recorded in the fields, because those who were
converted from Judea by the ministry of the holy preachers believed in the Redeemer of the
human race through the teachings of the holy Scriptures. And four thousand slain are
recorded, because they devoted themselves to the same authority of sacred Scripture from
the Law, the Prophets, the Psalms, and the Gospel.

But while some were slain, others returned to the camp, because some from Judea were led
to the knowledge of the Redeemer by the ministry of the preachers, but the fullness of
that same nation more boldly opposes the assertions of the holy Church, the more deeply it
is cast into the darkness of its unbelief and is not led to the light of truth. Indeed,
for it to return to the camp is not to cease opposing. And because they accuse those who
had believed as if foolish and overcome by no sufficient reasoning, there follows: (Verse
3. And the elders of Israel said: "Why has the Lord struck us today before the
Philistines?" 5. For "why" in this place is not an interrogation of inquiry, but a
complaint of amazement. They ask about the defeat, then, with amazement, because they were
unable to arrive at the reason by which they had observed that the men of their religion
had received the faith of the Redeemer. And it should be noted that those who ask with
amazement are recorded to have been the elders of Israel, because indeed all the proud,
glorying in their own wisdom, were in no way able to arrive at the knowledge of divine
mysteries. Whence also in the Gospel the Lord speaks to the Father, saying: "I confess to
you, Father, King of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the
prudent and wise, and have revealed them to little ones" (Matt. 11:25). They indeed
complain that they were struck, because while they observed that through those who
believed the old custom of the law was being dissolved, they supposed that certain wounds
of a blow had been inflicted upon them by the incomprehensible judgment of God, which they
might proclaim with shared grief. But those who complain that others have fallen add by
what plan they prepare themselves to resist: (Verse 3.) "Let us bring to ourselves the ark
of the covenant of the Lord from Shiloh, and let it come into our midst, and let it save
us from the hand of our enemies." And concerning the carrying out of this same counsel it
is immediately added: (Verse 4.) "Therefore the people sent to Shiloh, and brought from
there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts sitting upon the cherubim."

6. This is certainly the plan, this is the work of Israel against the battle of those
falling by the cup — but indeed an unheard-of plan and work, because it is not of Israel
according to the spirit, but of Israel according to the flesh; that is, not of one who
sees God, but of one who thinks he sees the God whom he despises. For what is it to send
to Shiloh, except to have recourse to the law of Moses, to whom it is said by the Lord:
"Come, I will send you to Pharaoh" (Exod. 3:10)? What is it to bring the ark of the Lord,
except to bring forward the sacraments of the old law by recalling them in order to refute
the truth of the new faith? And because they allow none of their own to be ignorant of the
same knowledge of the law, the ark is ordered to be brought into their midst. What
likewise is the meaning of what they say, "And let it save us from the hand of our
enemies," except that while they stubbornly defend the old things, they repel the new, and
they hold this as their confidence of salvation — that they cannot be drawn by the zeal of
good preachers to the reasoning of the true faith? Therefore, because they boast that they
possess the truth of divine knowledge through the old law, they affirm that the same ark,
which they order to be brought for their salvation, belongs to the Lord of hosts. And
because they think they excel in incomparable knowledge of the same law, while the ark is
said to be brought, it is declared to belong to the Lord of hosts who sits upon the
cherubim. (Verse 5.) And when the ark had come, all Israel shouted with a great cry.

7. Because indeed, from the fact that they receive the knowledge of the law carnally, they
chatter in reproach of the holy Church without any demonstration of reason. For those who
are said to have cried out and yet to have said nothing express precisely what they do,
because while they endeavor to speak of spiritual things carnally, they indeed have clamor
in their chattering, but they do not have the reason of truth. With their voice they say
many things indeed, but, speaking without reason, they harm the elect of the holy Church
in nothing; and the Synagogue, speaking within itself, is shaken by vain devotion, because
the holy Church is not moved by its words. Whence it is most fittingly reported that only
the earth resounded. For Judea is now called "earth," not because it bears fruit for God,
but on account of its carnality, because indeed, while it refused to receive faith in the
Redeemer, it utterly lost its heavenly manner of life. But while it is shaken by its own
outcry, it exults in that estimation by which it considers itself to be terrible to the
preachers of the holy Church. (Verse 6.) 'And the Philistines heard the voice of the
shouting, and they said: What is this outcry in the camp of the Hebrews?'

8. Indeed the Philistines hear the sound of the land and the shouting of the camps,
because those who in the holy Church have been refreshed by the cup of the Holy Spirit
recognize both the talkativeness and the vain devotion of Jewish perfidy. And because they
hold their estimation in the contempt of derision, it is added: (Vers. 6, 7.) And they
recognized that the ark of the Lord had come into the camp, and the Philistines were
afraid, saying: God has come into the camp, and they groaned. It is said ironically that
the ark had come into the camp of the Hebrews, and that those falling by the cup were
afraid and groaned, because for the conflict of the holy Church the sacraments of the old
law are expounded carnally by the carnal defenders of the Synagogue. For they dispute
about that which, if they understood according to the Spirit of God, they could have been
truly terrible to their enemies, if they had any. Therefore when those falling by the cup
are said to have been terrified and to have groaned, Scripture does not show the passions
of minds in the holy preachers, but the mockery of Jewish disputation; which is known to
be all the more contemptible and worthy of laughter, inasmuch as the Jewish people
received a spiritual law from the Lord for spiritual conduct, and did not attend in the
spirit to what they had received by the gift of the spirit. Wherefore, adding also the
words of the same Jewish derision, they say: (Vers. 8.) Woe to us, there was not so great
an exultation yesterday and the day before. And because they are to be more abundantly
derided, they add saying: (Vers. 8.) Who will deliver us from the hand of these sublime
gods?

9. And it should be noted that by the title of "gods," those are mocked who, departing
from the faith of the ancient Fathers, trust that they stand in the truth of faith and are
counted among the number of the sons of God. They claim that those proclamations of divine
praise were spoken concerning themselves, which the Lord pronounces through the Prophet,
saying: 'I said, you are gods, and all of you are sons of the Most High' (Psalm 81:6). If,
therefore, by a false estimation all Israelites according to the flesh are nominally gods,
then the "exalted gods," by the same falsehood of Jewish estimation, are the wise men of
the Jews. And because the learned men of the Synagogue come into conflict with the holy
Church, they themselves are mocked by the voice of the holy preachers, who boast of a
power of doctrine that they do not possess. And because they pride themselves on the
ancient manner of life of the old Fathers, words of mockery are added. (Verse 8.) 'These
are the gods who struck Egypt with every plague in the desert.'

10. For they themselves would be such, if they were to illuminate the nobility which they
derive from their fleshly origin with the virtues of right faith. But now, because through
fleshly descent they are the children of those whose virtues they do not possess, they are
mocked with contrary words for having lost the succession of those same virtues: "These
are the gods," they say. As if by open derision the order of our teachers were to rebuke
the wise men of the Jews, saying: In the flesh indeed they boast themselves to be the
children of great men, but they do not attain the nobility of faith of those in whose
lineage they take pride. They themselves, then, are gods by succession of descent, but
because they themselves are not so by imitation of virtue, when they are called those who
were renowned in virtue, they are mocked rather than praised. And because the teachers of
holy Church count their assertions as nothing, there follows: (Ver. 9.) "Take courage, and
be men, O Philistines, lest you serve the Hebrews, as they have served you."

11. Against the vain assertions of the Jews, the doctors of holy Church prepare nothing
stronger anew, precisely because whatever is falsely asserted by the Jews concerning
contempt of the Redeemer they consider as nothing. For they would be strengthened against
their encounter and would fight as if with manly courage, if they had feared that the
defenses of their assertion were being broken down by wiser and more rationally arguing
opponents. For it is as if he were saying: Against their objections we need not seek out
anything strong and sharp, precisely because they themselves raise objections that are by
no means subtle and fearsome, but weak and contemptible. But, as I said, the preachers of
holy Church, even though they prepare nothing new against the vain words of the Jews,
nevertheless by the plain and humble reasoning of our true faith they overcome in every
way the assault of the defenders of the Synagogue. Whence he also adds: (Verses 10, 11.)
Therefore the Philistines fought, and Israel was turned back, each one to his tent, and
there was an exceedingly great slaughter, and the ark of God was captured. The two sons of
Eli also died, Hophni and Phinehas.

12. The Philistines, that is, "those falling by the cup," fight when the doctors of the
holy Church with the banner of the catholic faith confront the attacking Jews. But Israel
is turned back, because in every disputation the cunning of the Jews is overcome. For to
be turned back, for him, is to be unable to oppose with equal strength. But he who is
turned back while fighting is indeed in battle, but fleeing — although lacking in
strength, nevertheless not losing the desire to harm. For so it is with all of Israel when
repulsed. He flees, indeed, because he is unable to answer the doctors of the holy Church;
but while fleeing he would wish to resist, because, conquered and confounded, he would
desire to have at hand the means by which he could oppose the truth by which he is
overcome. Well, therefore, when Israel is said to be turned back, it is cautiously added:
"Each one to his own tent." For the tent of each Israelite is a heart enclosed by the
confines of unbelief. Because therefore, conquered by the preachers of the holy Church,
they return to the hiding places of their error, each one fleeing from battle returns to
his own tent. And because all this is said concerning the fulfillment of the word of
Samuel, namely concerning the denunciation of the early Church, the slaughter is reported
to have been exceedingly great — which slaughter indeed, at the reader's discretion, can
fittingly be understood both according to a spiritual striking and according to a material
one.

13. For concerning their spiritual plague, the Lord says to the disciples sent out for
preaching: Whoever does not receive you, as you go out from the house or city, shake the
dust from your feet. Amen I say to you: it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom
and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that city (Matt. 10:14). Hence He says again:
He who believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he who does not believe shall be
condemned (Mark 16:16). He also indicates a great plague according to material striking,
when He speaks to Jerusalem, saying: Days shall come upon you, and your enemies shall
surround you with a rampart, and hem you in on every side, and dash you and your children
to the ground, and they shall not leave in you one stone upon another (Luke 19:43, 44).
Hence, as He was setting out toward the condescension of His passion, He speaks to the
women who were suffering with Him and weeping, saying: Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep
over me, but weep over yourselves and over your children, for behold days shall come upon
you in which they will say: Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that did not bear, and
the breasts that did not nurse. Then they shall begin to say to the mountains: Fall upon
us; and to the hills: Cover us. For if they do these things in the green wood, what shall
be done in the dry (Luke 23:28 ff.)?

By these words, indeed, the death and captivity that was inflicted upon the Jewish people
by the Roman generals Vespasian and Titus is signified. For then a great plague was
wrought, when with the slaughter of the Jewish people the city was both captured and
overthrown, when in vengeance for the divine blood the people fell by the enemy's sword,
and whoever was able to escape the blade endured the punishment of eternal captivity. This
immensity of the plague is reported as having befallen Israel already turned away, because
the Jewish people were first both defeated and rejected by the teachers of the holy Church
before they were conquered, slain, and led into captivity by the Roman army. For they were
able to be conquered, killed, and led into captivity temporally because they did not
accept the security of eternal freedom offered to them by the teachers of the holy Church.
But this same plague was also decreed against the old Israel by the deep dispensation of
divine goodness, so that the ark of God might be captured by the Gentiles, and the
faithful of the holy Church might perceive the understanding of the divine sacraments all
the more securely under spiritual explanation, the more they saw that nothing remained in
Judea that might serve as a carnal representation.

For by God's will, the old people lost the city, the temple, and the ark of the covenant,
so that the new people of the holy Church might recognize all the more fully the mystery
of the true and new sacrifice, inasmuch as it observes that among the Jews, with the new
things appearing, the old things have utterly failed. The ark of God is therefore said to
have been captured by the Philistines, because, with the practice of the old Scripture
destroyed, the sacraments are faithfully received by the Gentiles according to the truth
of the Spirit. For he captures the ark of God who comprehends the mysteries of divine
knowledge in sacred Scripture through the truth of understanding, with devotion of mind.
But when the ark was captured, Eli's two sons immediately die, because indeed priests of
both the higher and the lower order nowhere live in the office of the old sacrifice. For
they are said to die who have entirely ceased to offer sacred rites. There follows:
(Verses 12, 13. And a man of Benjamin, running from the battle line, came to Shiloh on
that day, with his garment torn and his head sprinkled with dust. And when he had come,
Eli was sitting upon a seat, watching toward the road. But the man, after he had entered,
reported the news to the city, and the whole city wailed.

14. What is represented by that man who fled from the battle line, if not that part of the
Jewish people which, by coming to the knowledge of the Redeemer, abandoned Jewish
faithlessness? For his running was to cease from the depravity of his error with the
swiftness of devotion. Because he resolved to act bravely in professing the Redeemer, he
was a man. He indeed runs from the battle on the day he was defeated, because by that
illumination of faith by which he abandoned the darkness of faithlessness, he came forward
to preach the truth he had come to know. Hence he is also said to have come to Shiloh,
because he is sent to preach. He tore his garment, because he stripped off the old man; he
sprinkled his head with dust, because he did not at all grow proud on account of the
splendor of the new man with which he clothed himself. For the torn garment pertains to
the beauty of holy conduct, and the sprinkling of dust to the esteem of humility. Because
therefore for holy preachers neither purity of life without humility nor humility without
holy conduct suffices, the man who came as a type of the teachers to announce the
destruction of Israel both tore his garment and sprinkled his head with dust. For was it
not with head sprinkled with this dust that he who spoke to the Lord carried himself,
saying: "I will speak to my Lord, though I am dust and ashes" (Gen. 18:27)? Likewise with
head sprinkled the Prophet spoke when he supplicated, saying: "Remember, O Lord, that we
are dust" (Ps. 103:15). He had also torn his garment who, confessing, said: "You have torn
my sackcloth and girded me with gladness" (Ps. 30:12).

15. But when the humility of the ecclesiastical preacher is commended, the pride of the
Jewish teacher is likewise expressed, because Eli is said to sit upon a seat. In this
passage, Eli represents not the priests but the lawyers of the Synagogue. And what does it
mean that he sits upon a seat, except that he is proudly exalted because of his learning?
And what does it mean that he watches facing the road, except that while he receives the
Scriptures proudly, he contradicts the One through whom he ought to have traveled to the
eternal homeland? For the way of salvation is the One who declares of Himself, saying: "I
am the Way, the Truth, and the Life" (John 14:6). Therefore he looks not toward the way
but against the way, because he does not recognize the Redeemer whom he contradicts. And
fittingly, with his sons dead, the father is said to sit upon a seat, because the
Synagogue no longer has those who sacrifice in the old manner, and yet still has those who
teach in the old manner. And because they were trained for ministry through wise teachers,
when the one who sacrificed ceased and the one who taught still remained, the sons are
fittingly reported as dead while the father sits upon a seat. But at the announcement of
the Redeemer that it heard, the multitude of the Synagogue had not joy but sorrow. Whence,
after the man came from the battle and announced the capture of the ark, the whole city is
said to have wailed. And because this grief reached even the teachers, there follows:
(Verse 14.) "And Eli heard the sound of the crying and said: What is this noise of
tumult?"

16. A tumult is the outcry of the people, but a confused one, when indeed without the
discipline of listening, with many speaking at once, a great murmuring arises without any
showing of reason. When Eli therefore heard the wailing of the city, he said: What is the
sound of this tumult? Because indeed the authority of the Synagogue, with its faithless
subjects grieving over the preaching of Jesus Christ, when it wished to hear the cause of
their grief, did not receive a reasonable response, but a confusion of complaint. But so
that he who had come from the circumcision to the ministry of ecclesiastical preaching
might not have the excuse of ignorance, the truth of the matter was revealed to him.
Whence it is also added: (Verse 14.) But he hastened, and came, and reported to Eli. But
because the same Eli received the announcement of the man coming when he was about to die
immediately, what kind of hearer he himself is becomes known in what follows: (Verse 15.)
Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes had grown dim, and he could not see.

17. For his old age would have been perfect if he had completed the full number of one
hundred years in living. Since two years are seen to be lacking from this number, what
else does this signify except that he would have been of perfect maturity if he had
recognized the twofold mystery in the incarnation of our Redeemer, namely true divinity in
his humanity and true humanity in his divinity? But now, because he rightly understands
much from the old law and very many things from the heavenly commandments, he is ninety-
eight years old. And while he believes in God, and that he could be born of a Virgin in
the flesh, yet refuses to accept the nature of his humanity in the divinity, he is not one
hundred years old. Hence also, having heard the report of the man, he justly dies, because
without faith in the Redeemer the good things he knows and other things profit him
nothing. And because by the deep and incomprehensible judgment of God the blindness of
ignorance is struck upon his mind, he is recorded to have grown dim and to have been
unable to see. There follows: (Verse 16.) And he said to Eli: I am the one who came from
the battle, I am the one who fled from the line of battle today.

18. He who said the following recalled as if he had been in battle: 'You have heard of my
former conduct in Judaism, how beyond measure I persecuted the Church of God and tried to
destroy it, and I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my nation, being
more abundantly zealous for the traditions of my fathers' (Gal. 1:13–14). But he who says
the following came from battle: 'Who was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor; but I
obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly' (1 Tim. 1:13). Therefore, for a Jew to flee
from the battle line—what is it other than to be separated from the error of the
faithless? And to come from battle—what is it but to announce to others the good of the
right faith? For to flee is characteristic of one who fears; to come, of one who wills. In
this passage, because "to come from battle" is said before "to flee from the battle line,"
even though faithlessness is abandoned before truth is preached, this is not surprising.
For what he says afterward about having fled from the battle line is not stated according
to the order in which it happened, but for the certainty of the statement he put first.
This is also demonstrated according to the order of the historical account, because unless
he had first fled from the battle line, he could in no way have come from battle.

19. But we who according to the spirit seek spiritual meanings even in the things done
carnally among the Jews, let us attend to that man whom we introduced speaking a little
above. For the Church had heard that he who once persecuted was now preaching the gospel,
as it is written of him already evangelizing: "When he had come to Jerusalem, he tried to
join himself to the disciples, and they all feared him, not believing that he was a
disciple" (Acts 9:26). Likewise, the Lord appearing at Damascus to Ananias the disciple
said: "Arise, go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of
Judas for one named Saul of Tarsus, and lay your hand upon him, that he may receive his
sight" (ibid., 11 and 12). And he immediately answered the Lord, saying: "Lord, I have
heard from many how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem, and he has
authority from the chief priests to bind all who call upon your name" (ibid., 13 and 14).
Therefore, when he was preaching to the Jews the one whom he had been accustomed to attack
with threats and slaughter, he was indeed coming from battle. But since all the disciples
feared to join themselves to him as he preached, they doubted whether he had fled from the
battle line. He was indeed coming from battle, since it had been said by the calling Lord
to him who was cast down to the ground:

"Arise and enter the city, and it will be told to you what you must do" (ibid., 7). But
Ananias did not believe he had fled from the battle line, for he reported to the
commanding Lord those evils he had done to the saints in Jerusalem and the authority he
had received. Therefore, so that the Lord might truly demonstrate that he had come from
battle and fled from the battle line, He commanded Ananias, saying: "Go, for this man is a
vessel of election for me, to carry my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the
children of Israel" (Acts 9:15). And it should be noted that on the very day he was
announcing these things, he was declaring that he had come from battle and fled from the
battle line. For they flee by day, because, as Truth attests: "He who is in darkness does
not know where he goes" (John 12:35). Hence also it is written: "Those who sleep, sleep at
night; and those who are drunk, are drunk at night" (1 Thess. 5:7). And since in the
example of the blessed apostle Paul we have begun to see a man fleeing from the battle
line, let us consider the fact that he flees by day. For it was night when he was
marshaling his battle line against the holy Church, when, having received letters from the
chief priests to Damascus, breathing threats and slaughter against the disciples, he was
hastening (Acts 9:1, 2).

But he who prepared war at night fled by day, because on his journey a light from heaven
suddenly shone around him and cast him to the ground, terrified him with unspeakable fear,
so that he might recognize the darkness of his immense error and fight in the light of day
for the Church whose night he had been attacking. Therefore he fled by day, whom the
brightness of the Redeemer shown from heaven illuminated so that he might abandon the
night of faithlessness. What then does it mean that on the same day he confesses coming
from battle on which he fled from the battle line, unless the intention of right preaching
is signified? For some flee from the battle line by day but come from battle on another
day, because they abandon their former errors through love of eternal life, but when they
are taken up into the ministry of preaching, they seek temporal rewards from the eloquence
of their preaching. Therefore they come on a different day than the one on which they
fled, because they are indeed upright in their way of life but perverse in the intention
of their preaching. The holy preachers, then, who by the grace of our Redeemer believed
from among the circumcision, came from battle not on another day but on the same day on
which they had fled from the battle line, because they obtained both gifts in the splendor
of heavenly love, namely the truth of their way of life together with the preaching of the
word.

And because the Jewish teaching establishment, though not with the intention of knowing
the truth, yet with the eagerness of curiosity, wished to hear the assertions of the holy
preachers, there follows: (Verse 16. He said to him: "What has happened, my son?" 20. For
under the description of one he speaks to all, because he saw the men of his nation, whom
the teaching of the Law had once instructed. Or perhaps he called him "son" not from the
affection of love, but from the flattery of cunning: so that he might the more easily
capture him through deception, the more he showed that he loved him with fatherly
affection. He therefore calls him "son," from whom he desires to know what had been done:
so that the other, in return for the honor of flattery bestowed upon him, would pervert
the sequence of truth. The honor of the title, therefore, is not referred to love, but to
cunning. But he who rejected the favor of offered praise steadfastly revealed the truth.
Whence it is also added: (Verse 17.) And he who brought the news answered and said: Israel
has fled before the Philistines, and a great slaughter has occurred among the people.
Moreover, your two sons are dead, Hophni and Phinehas. And the ark of God has been
captured.

21. For the man who fled announced this, which he learned by experience. What then does he
mean by asserting that Israel fled, except that he firmly affirms that, while the Jewish
people retain the sense of the Law carnally, they cannot resist the spiritual doctors of
Holy Church in disputation? And what does it mean that he proclaims a great slaughter was
made among the people, except that he confirms all who from the Jewish people rejected the
word of faith have perished by eternal death? And what does it mean that the two sons of
Eli are reported dead, except that both orders of the old priesthood are asserted to have
failed? And what does it mean that he says the ark of God was captured, except that he
asserts the knowledge of the divine sacraments was taken away from the Jews and faithfully
apprehended by the Gentiles? For by the Gentiles now, with the grace of God calling them,
the faithful come to know the divine mysteries. There follows: (Verse 18.) And when he had
named the ark of God, Eli fell from his seat backward beside the door, and with his neck
broken, he died.

22. What is it that Eli, upon hearing of Israel's flight, when the ruin of the people was
reported to him, when the death of his sons was announced, does not at all fall from his
seat: but upon learning of the capture of the ark, both falls from his seat and loses his
life? But because we have said that in Eli the wise men and lawyers of the Jews are
signified, upon hearing of Israel's flight, he did not fall from his seat: because he
considers it a small matter that the simple children of the Synagogue are overcome by the
doctors of holy Church in preaching. He does not fall when the ruin of the people is
reported to him: because, when he hears that those who die in Judaism are perishing, he is
not at all terrified. He does not fall when the death of his sons is announced: because,
even when the cessation of both priesthoods is objected to him, he does not cease to be
proud. But when the capture of the ark is brought to him, he falls: because, when he sees
that the mysteries of his own Scripture are known deeply and spiritually by the preachers
and faithful of holy Church, he does not dare to boast of the learning of sacred eloquence
which he understands only in a carnal way. He therefore falls from his seat, because, once
the spiritual sense is known, he does not presume to boast of his carnal mastery. But
because he hears the truth preached sublimely and does not at all believe, while he is
confounded and not saved, he falls and dies. Indeed he falls from his seat, because he
ceases to be exalted by his learning. But in falling he dies, because if he is overcome by
reason, he nevertheless does not merit, by the judgment of that same reason, to attain to
eternal joys.

23. In this matter it must be noted that he who falls and dies, falls beside the door. For
what does it mean that he falls beside the door, except that while the blind man wanders,
he strikes against the Redeemer? Who indeed declares of Himself, saying: "Whoever falls
upon this stone shall be broken; but upon whomever it shall fall, it will grind him to
powder" (Matt. 21:44). He Himself also says of Himself: "I am the door; if anyone enters
through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and go out, and shall find pasture" (John
10:9). Therefore Eli died beside the door, because the authority of the Synagogue perished
for this reason: that it stumbled against the Redeemer. For he fell there where he sinned.
Who also, in falling, broke his neck. In the neck is signified the swelling of temporal
power. Therefore he dies with a broken neck, who is condemned by the greatness of his
faithlessness, having lost the power of his kingdom.

24. The letter of Sacred Scripture can also be designated by the door. For just as we are
led through a door to the courts of the eternal temple, so through the letter of sacred
eloquence we are raised up to allegorical and spiritual understanding. Within, moreover,
the king is perceived: because the promised Redeemer of the human race is found in the
spiritual understanding of Sacred Scripture. Eli therefore fell dead beside the door:
because indeed the teaching authority of the Synagogue perished for this reason, that
through the spiritual Scripture it sought Him who had been promised in the spirit as the
Redeemer of the human race, not spiritually, but carnally. For he died beside the door:
because he perished on account of the fact that he understood the spiritual promise of the
Redeemer not according to spiritual understanding, but according to the simple expression
of the historical narrative. And because through the zeal of his teaching he presided over
Judea for a long time — not loving the one who works good, but fearing to turn aside from
evil — there follows: (Verse 18.) For he was old and advanced in years: and he had judged
Israel forty years.

25. For he was an old man, and advanced in age by the length of his years. He presided for
forty years, through the fear of legal commandments. Indeed, the number forty pertains to
sinners. Hence also the season of Lent in the holy Church is consecrated with the same
number of days, so that we may strive to wash away by repenting the sins which we commit.
The number forty is completed from the numbers ten and four. And because, by sinning, we
transgress the Decalogue of the divine Law, and we contract the very capacity for sinning
from the combination of the four elements of which we consist; under the number forty, as
long as we exist in sin, we are contained. Therefore Eli judged Israel for forty years,
because he displayed the authority of the Synagogue and the stern discipline of the Law
for the fear of the subject people: so that he might hold the material of the human
condition, fragile through concupiscence, in the state of justice through fear. But now
Eli is dead, now he lies with broken neck beside the door; yet the poison of his wicked
teaching remains in his seed. For already, whoever among the wise men of the Jews does not
believe has been judged; but because in his instruction minds conceive the seeds of
depravity, those who are born as sons of his doctrine do not abandon the madness of his
faithlessness. Wherefore it is also added: (Verses 19, 20.) Now his daughter-in-law, the
wife of Phinehas, was pregnant, and near to delivery: who, having heard the news that the
ark was captured, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, bowed herself and
gave birth. For sudden pains rushed upon her. And in the very moment of her death, those
who stood beside her said to her: Do not fear, for you have borne a son. She did not
answer, nor did she pay attention.

26. But who was the daughter-in-law of Eli, if not the people of the Jews, subject to
reprobate priests? Because she had received the seeds of unbelief in her mind through
their preaching, she was pregnant. And because she was also thinking of pouring forth the
malice she had conceived, she is said to have been not only pregnant but also near to
giving birth. But what does it mean that, upon hearing of the capture of the ark and the
death of her father-in-law and her husband, she is said to have given birth, except that
the remnant of the Jewish people, when it recognizes that the spiritual mysteries of the
Scriptures have passed over to the instruction of the Gentiles, when it now sees that the
wise men of the Synagogue have perished along with both priesthoods, does not cease to
pour forth by speaking the seeds of its heresy, which it had conceived? For her to give
birth is to disclose to others by speaking the depravity she had conceived. And because
she preaches reprobate things, while she is said to give birth, she is recorded as having
bent over. For those who speak of heavenly things give birth, as it were, without bending
over, because in the standing posture of faith they raise the hearts of their hearers to
the pursuit of good works.

She, therefore, who asserts crooked things gives birth bent over, because indeed by her
speaking she brings it about that the more intently she speaks, the more deeply she is
cast down into the abyss of her own damnation. Rightly, therefore, while she is bent over
in giving birth, she is said to die. For she dies in giving birth, because she is
condemned in the guilt of her blasphemy. And because she does not foresee the torments of
her death, sudden pains are said to rush upon her. For sudden pains are the unexpected
afflictions of death coming without foresight. For pains rush upon her suddenly when the
retributions of everlasting punishments confront the Jewish people, which now, set in
contempt of the truth, does not fear them. For because she thinks that by dying in
observance of ancestral traditions she is passing over to eternal life, she falls into
sudden pains when she begins to endure the torments she had not expected. And it should be
noted that it is said of the dying woman: "Sudden pains rushed upon her," because
evidently while she is driven to the end of life through bodily afflictions, then the
scourges of pains begin to rush upon her in time, by which her impiety may be punished
with eternal vengeance; and because, with the end drawing near, the reprobate minds of the
Jews exhort one another to unbelief. But at the very moment of her death, those who stood
near her said to her:

"Do not fear, for you have borne a son. For she bore a son because she trained up a people
hardened in wickedness and unconquerable. But what are the women who stand near her, if
not minds bound by an equal order of impiety? They stand, indeed, not by the truth and
rectitude of faith, but by the presumption and boasting of religion. Therefore they
encourage her not to fear, because she has borne a son — so that, namely, she may not fear
to die in the old tradition all the more securely, the more she sees that even those whom
she knows to have been trained by her teaching are hardened and unconvertible in it. But
while she is driven more abundantly by pain within herself, she counts as nothing whatever
others have gained from her instruction, whence it is added: "She did not answer, nor did
she take heed. For when she begins to experience the bitterness of eternal pain, that
which she temporarily held authority over others does not bring delight. Or certainly she
does not rejoice over the boy who is born because he who is brought forth by her
instruction is seen to be in captivity. Whence it is also added: (Verses 21, 22. "And she
called the boy Ichabod, saying: The glory of the Lord has been taken away, because the ark
of God has been captured."

27. The ark indeed is captured: because now, by God's authority, the sacraments of Holy
Scripture are retained by true believers with the capacity of true understanding. And the
glory of Israel is transferred: because, after it fell from true religion, it ceased to be
fragrant through the reputation of good fame. Moreover, the glory of Israel is rightly
said not to perish, but to be transferred: because the fame of religion, which it lost,
passed over to the Gentiles. For the glory was indeed transferred: because in the holy
Church the fragrance of true religion is fragrant, which, established in faith in the
Redeemer, holds the gift of the Holy Spirit as a pledge for the certainty of eternal
splendor, which it awaits. Therefore she refuses to rejoice over her newborn son: because
indeed, while she perceives that past glory has passed over to the Gentiles, she groans
that she is giving birth into captivity. She also names her son from the transfer of
glory: because indeed she perpetually represents the impiety in which she persists, as if
by a name set before her. Moreover, through the fact that a name is given to him by his
mother, what we see can be openly understood. For he received his name from her, from whom
the merit of impiety came to him. There follows:

CHAPTER 3.3 (1 SAMUEL 5:1–3)

Now the Philistines took the ark, and carried it away from the Stone of Help to Azotus.
The Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it into the temple of Dagon, and the
Azotians rose the next day, and found Dagon lying before the ark, face down on the ground.
1. What does it mean that the ark is carried away from the Stone of Help, except that the
heralds of truth take away the mysteries of the Scriptures from that Christ whom the Jews
await with a false expectation? For while they turn the testimonies of Holy Scripture
toward the knowledge of the true Redeemer, they indeed take the ark away from him in whom
the Jews had placed the hope of their help. And because the mysteries of faith are
entrusted to the Gentiles, the ark of God is brought to Azotus. And indeed the ark is
brought into the temple. What then was the temple of Dagon, except every unbelieving soul,
once polluted by the superstition of idolatry? What does the image of Dagon signify,
except the superstition of all idolatry? What else then was it to impress the mysteries of
faith upon the hearts of the Gentiles, than to bring the ark of God into the temple of
Dagon? For it was as if the ark were placed next to Dagon, when the preachers of the holy
Church admonished the Gentiles to examine, for the purpose of proving the truth of faith,
both the preaching they were hearing and the errors of the idolatry they held. And so
rightly on the next day the people of Azotus found Dagon lying face down on the ground
before the ark. For Azotus had one day in hearing the preaching of truth, and another in
the knowledge of faith.

For on the first day the ark of God is placed next to Dagon, because in hearing the
preaching of the Redeemer, they detect the darkness of their ancient error. But rising on
the second day, they found Dagon lying face down on the ground before the ark: because in
the knowledge of truth, idolatry also lost its standing. Hence also it is well that when
Dagon's fall is asserted, he is recorded as lying face down on the ground. He falls before
the ark, because he is exposed through the knowledge of the divine mysteries. But he lies
face down on the ground, because, with God now as guide, he no longer has the appearance
of simulated reason in the sight of the faithful. For he who lies face down on the ground
presses his face into the earth. But through the face of the idol, the simulation of
reason is expressed. Therefore to lie face down on the ground is to be utterly unable to
deceive with the frauds of its simulation those who now know the truth. But nevertheless,
so that the Gentiles might know the truth more certainly, they endeavored to examine more
and more both the reasoning of our faith that they had heard and the ancient custom of
their own superstition. And so fittingly there follows: (Verse 3) They took up Dagon and
restored him to his place.

2. That is, in the temple, where the ark of God had been placed. What then does it mean to
restore Dagon to his place, if not, in light of the already known truth of spiritual
sacraments, to examine the state of idolatry with subtle consideration? And because the
more subtly the error of idolatry is examined, the more truly it is condemned, it is
added: (Verse 4.) And rising again at dawn, they found Dagon lying on his face before the
ark of the Lord. They rise again at dawn: because toward the love of the goodness they
have heard, they now raise themselves with the certainty of deliberation. The first day,
therefore, is one of testing, the next of recognition, and the third of deliberate
certainty and offered profession. And because this day shone upon the enlightened minds of
the converted in the splendor of perfect and consummate faith, there follows: (Verse 4.)
But the head of Dagon and the two palms of his hands had been cut off upon the threshold.
Moreover, the trunk of Dagon had remained in its place.

3. For what is Dagon, that is, the head of idolatry, other than the devil himself, the
very origin of all iniquity? And what are the palms of his hands, if not all the works of
idolatry? Dagon therefore lost his head, because through the worship of idols the
malignant spirits cease to reign in the hearts of the Gentiles. The palms of his hands
were also cut off, because vain sacrifices are nowhere offered to idols. And because his
deformity is everywhere beheld by all the faithful, the trunk of Dagon is recorded to have
remained in its place. But the head and hands, cut off and placed upon the threshold, are
mentioned because indeed whoever enters into the true faith is commanded to repel the
beginnings of diabolical persuasion and to renounce all the works of that same Satan.
These were therefore placed on the threshold so that they might be trampled upon by those
entering, because one truly cannot be faithful who does not resolve both to oppose the
wicked counsels of the malignant spirit and to resist his iniquitous works. For he who
avoids crushing the head and hands of Dagon, even if he seems to be counted among the
number of the faithful, is in a certain way proven to be an idolater. For in the delight
of demons, not only outward sacrifices but also iniquitous desires are offered by their
worshippers. He therefore who has been received into the knowledge of the true faith and
has not been removed from unclean desires and wicked works, because he disdains to crush
the head and hands of Dagon, makes an offering to the malignant spirit—whom he disdains in
the oblation of ceremonies—through the uncleanness of inward concupiscence and outward
life. Wherefore it is also added: (Verse 5.) For this reason the priests of Dagon do not
tread upon the threshold to this present day.

4. For they present themselves as priests of Dagon, who do not tread upon the threshold.
In these words it must be carefully observed that he did not say "the threshold," but
"upon the threshold," so that the head and hands of Dagon are taught to be what must be
trampled upon, which are reported to have been cut off upon the threshold. The reason,
moreover, that the priests do not tread upon the threshold is that they avoid crushing his
severed hands and head with their foot. For the priests of Dagon remain even to this day:
because those who sacrifice to the ancient enemy through unclean desires still exist. They
indeed refuse to tread upon the threshold of the temple: because they resist neither
unclean suggestions nor evil works. Therefore they are priests of Dagon, because even if
they do not humble themselves before handmade idols, they nevertheless bow down to the
images of their lusts through wicked works. There follows: (Verse 6.) The hand of the Lord
was heavy upon the people of Ashdod.

5. The hand of the Lord is the power of divine might. And because in the Azotians the
beginnings of paganism are signified, what does it mean that the hand of the Lord is said
to have been made heavy upon the Azotians? But He made His hand heavy upon Azotus when He
moved the hearts of the Gentiles to conversion by the power of His might. For when through
inward inspiration He made known to them the force of eternal death, He struck the minds
of the Gentiles with wondrous terror over the iniquities they had committed. Therefore,
since when the hand of the Lord is said to be made heavy, the Azotians are said to be
slain, this heaviness of the hand is understood as the multiplication of the converted.
For to die, for the Gentiles, was to be separated from unbelief. Likewise, to be slain by
the hand of the Lord is to obtain that same knowledge of the true faith not through the
ministry of men but by divine power. The hand of the Lord was therefore light upon Azotus
when as yet, through a few ministers of the faith, only a few were abandoning the error of
paganism. Hence the Lord also urges the ministers of the word to pray, as if concerning
the making heavy of His hand, saying: 'The harvest indeed is great, but the laborers are
few: pray the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into His harvest' (Matt. 9:38). As if
He were saying in other words:

He who through a few ministers, as if with a light hand, separates a few from unbelief —
pray that He multiply the ministers, so that He may, as it were, make His hand heavy in
the multitude of the converted. But the manner of the slaying is also explained: for
whoever is said to die by this slaying, while going out to purge his bowels, is said to be
bitten by mice in the more hidden part of the buttocks. According to the letter, one
single striking is shown here, but in the typological exposition it is doubled. For by the
signification of the letter, both the making heavy of the Lord's hand and the biting of
the mice pertain to the effect of the same death: because the hand of the Lord is said to
be made heavy upon the Azotians for this reason — that they are slain by the biting of the
mice.

6. But because through spiritual signification we have recognized two deaths—one, namely,
by which sinners die to righteousness by sinning, and the other by which the righteous
raise themselves from the sins in which they had lived by repenting; one which enters
human hearts at the devil's persuasion, the other which the power of almighty God works—it
is therefore necessary that we attend spiritually to both deaths in this passage. The
death by which sinners rise from sins through repentance is indicated, because it says:
"The hand of the Lord was heavy upon the Azotians. But that death by which the Gentiles
made themselves servants of uncleanness and iniquity is indicated when they are said to be
bitten by mice and killed. For the mouse is an unclean animal, and forbidden by the Law to
be eaten (Lev. 11:29). What then is designated by mice, if not demons? And what is it to
be bitten by mice, if not to be torn by the punishment of sin? But they were bitten by
mice when they went out to purge their bowels. What then is purging the bowels, if not,
through the completion of sin, to bring forth the stench of a wretched reputation? He
therefore who goes out to purge his bowels is destroyed by the bite of mice: because he
who by sinning extends himself to the notice of others through the example of depravity is
also held fast unto eternal death by the grave bondage of demons.

For they are reported to have been struck in the more hidden part of their buttocks:
because every sinner receives a wound of the soul in that part which he bends toward the
pleasure of sin. Therefore when the hand of the Lord is made heavy upon Azotus, it is
asserted that they were struck by mice: because when the doctors of eternal life were
preaching, and the Gentiles were converted from unbelief, they recognized by what death of
sins, through the persuasion of demons, they had been bound. Therefore, for the Azotians
to be bitten after the hand of the Lord was made heavy is, after the knowledge of the true
faith, not to be subjected to demons, but to perceive through the illumination of faith in
what stench of sins they had offered themselves to the punishment of death. For they were
bitten, as it were, at that time when they recognized the bites of their own sins. There
follows: (Verse 7. "And when the men of Azotus saw this kind of plague, they said: Let not
the ark of God remain among us, for his hand is heavy upon us and upon Dagon our god."

7. For when they saw temples destroyed, sacrifices ceasing, wives separated from husbands
and husbands from wives, sons separated from parents and fathers from sons, what else
could they think but that the hand of the Lord was heavy both upon them and upon their
superstition? But what was done next follows: (Verse 8.) And they sent and gathered
together all the lords of the Philistines, and the Gittites answered: Let the ark of God
be carried around. 8. Because it is said that the satraps of the Philistines gathered
together, but why they gathered is not stated. Yet because the satraps are said to have
responded and to have given counsel about carrying the ark around, it is clearly
understood that they had been summoned to give counsel regarding that same ark. Who then
are the satraps of the Philistines, if not the chosen preachers of the Gentiles? Satraps
are indeed called princes. Of these princes it is certainly said through the Psalmist:
"The princes of the peoples are gathered together with the God of Abraham" (Psalm 46:10).
For by the name "peoples," the Gentiles are designated. He who used the name of peoples
and of princes surely designated the satraps of the Philistines, of whom he speaks. These
princes of the peoples certainly came together with the God of Abraham when, for the
salvation of the Gentiles who were to be converted, the preachers proclaimed in word what
almighty God inspired in them through inward desire. For it was as though there were a
wonderful agreement between God and the princes in the hearts of their Gentile hearers,
since they received simultaneously both the reasoning of right preaching from the holy
preachers and the fruit of good will from the Lord. And since those who had said "Let the
ark of God not remain among us" are recognized as adversaries, how do the princes gather
by sending?

But to send and to gather the princes is to stir up the minds of the holy preachers to
urgency in preaching, because preaching was to be carried out more attentively where the
hearts of the Gentiles were plunged more deeply into error. Hence it is that the
distinguished teacher boasts of having chosen for himself a nobler victory over
unconquered enemies, saying: "From Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum I have
fulfilled the Gospel of Christ; and so I have preached this Gospel, not where it had
already been proclaimed, lest I build upon another's foundation" (Romans 15:19–20). The
princes, therefore, were provoked not by the desire but by the error of the unbelievers,
since they judged they could gain a greater profit for God from where the darkness of
errors was borne aloft more loftily by the blast of pride. Therefore the urgency of holy
preaching is also designated when it is added: "And the Gittites answered: Let the ark of
God be carried around. Those say: "Let the ark of God not remain among us," and these say:
"Let it be carried around. For what is it to carry the ark of God around, if not to preach
publicly the mysteries of the true faith? For the ark remains with those who embrace
through love the sacraments of the true faith that they hear. But those who say "Let the
ark not remain among us" desire that the preaching of the faith be turned away from them.
The satraps therefore say the opposite:

"Let the ark of God be carried around," because they preached divine things more
attentively to those whom grave error had inflamed to hatred of the truth. And because
through the ministries of the holy preachers, great gains from even such people were
brought to the heavenly kingdoms, there follows: (Verse 9. "But as they were carrying it
around, the hand of the Lord came upon each city with an exceedingly great slaughter, and
it struck the men of every city from the least to the greatest, and their protruding
intestines rotted away." 9. For the ark is carried around when the mysteries of the faith
are preached openly and without fear. And because in the beginnings of the faith countless
people were converted, a very great slaughter is reported to have been made throughout
each of the cities. Likewise, because not only the simple but also the wise were
converted, the same slaughter is declared to have been made from the least even to the
greatest. But through that same striking, the intestines are reported to rot away. For the
intestines to rot is for the channels of sin to utterly perish from the outpouring of
their accustomed stench. For he is well struck whose protruding intestines rot away,
because indeed there are some who, after the cleanness of conversion, are entangled again
in the former filth of wickedness. Their protruding intestines certainly do not rot away,
because they are bent back to the accustomed flow of sins through wicked works. He indeed
rebukes those who are ill-healed from an imperfect striking, who intimates that they have
fallen back to their former stenches: "The dog returned to its vomit, and the washed sow
to wallowing in the mire" (Prov. 26:11; 2 Pet. 2:22). For he was striking, as it were, so
that the intestines might rot away, he who, thrusting in the sword of the word, said: "Let
not sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires" (Rom. 6:12).

10. Moreover, by the fact that the Azotites say, "Let the ark not remain among us," the
perversity of those from the same Gentiles who both heard the word of faith and, being by
no means predestined to eternal life, refused to believe, can be signified. For the
satraps to lead the ark of God around was for the holy preachers to withdraw from them the
word of truth and to reveal the mysteries of faith to those who were worthy. The ark was
therefore led around, because the sacraments of our faith were removed from the knowledge
of some and revealed to others. And so, as it was led around, an exceedingly great
slaughter is reported to have occurred in each city, because wherever they brought the
word of faith, the grace of conversion was multiplied. And because wherever they preached,
among those who believed there were some who were not predestined to eternal life, there
follows: (Verses 10, 11.) They sent the ark of God to Ekron. And when the ark of God had
come to Ekron, the Ekronites cried out, saying: They have sent the ark of God to us, to
kill us and our people. Therefore they sent and gathered together all the satraps of the
Philistines, who said: Send away the ark of the Lord to its own place.

11. The satraps, as we have said, are understood as the holy preachers. The Ekronites, who
are interpreted as "barren," designate the unconvertible Gentiles. These indeed gave the
preachers the counsel of releasing the ark, so that if they refused their own salvation
from the divine preaching, they would not stand in the way of the faithful who were
journeying toward the eternal homeland with the sacraments of faith. For the place of the
ark, that is, of the divine sacraments, is recognized to be there where whatever is now
said about almighty God through the mystery of the Scriptures is afterward revealed to us
in open knowledge. For he knew the proper place of the ark who said: "We see now through a
mirror in an enigma, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I shall know,
just as I also have been known" (1 Cor. 13:12). The counsel of the satraps, therefore, was
to allow the ark of God to return to its own place: so that, namely, those who bore no
fruit of faith from the preaching of the word would at least release it to those who would
prepare for themselves from it a fruit in eternity. Rightly, therefore, those who accept
the counsel of sending back the ark are called Ekronites. For the Ekronites are
interpreted as "barren. Because indeed from the truth of the faith they had heard, they
had produced no fruit of belief or of good work, they were barren.

Therefore the princes gave the counsel of removing the ark, but from barren ones—so that
the seed of the word of God, which could not germinate in the worst soil, might be
preserved for the best soil, which from this labor of winter would bring forth a
hundredfold fruit of summer in everlasting life. And they immediately show the reason for
releasing the ark, when the preachers add: (Verse 11) "Lest it kill us together with our
people." 12. The Ekronites cried out: They have sent the ark of God to us, to kill us and
our people. The satraps give counsel, saying: Send away the ark of the God of Israel, that
it may not kill us with our people. Who is the people about whom the satraps, that is, the
princes, say: that it may not kill us with our people? Who is the people, if not the
Christian people? The princes therefore say, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, that
it may return to its place. As if to say this: What you fear dying from, do not forbid us
from exercising for the merit of eternal life. But as for what they add: That it may not
kill us with our people, the hearts of the reprobate Gentiles are indeed confounded in
their error by this response, since those men affirmed they would escape death from the
very thing from which the others trembled to die. The holy preachers also take away the
ark of God: because when spiritual things are disclosed to despisers, it leads to the
condemnation of the indiscriminate preacher, if those same divine mysteries are abandoned
not to be imitated by the faithless, but to be mocked and shut away. For the command to
transfer the ark was laid down not so much by the satraps as by the Lord of the satraps,
who said:

Do not give what is holy to dogs, nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they turn and
trample them under their feet (Matt. 7:6). Hence he says again: If they persecute you in
one city, flee to another (Matt. 10:23). They therefore take away the ark lest they die:
because they hide spiritual things from despisers, lest those who rashly bring them forth
be punished for their indiscretion on account of the contempt of those people. But because
the ark is commanded to be sent away from the Ekronites, this surely implies what I stated
before: that at the time of persecution, the exhortation of the holy preachers was made so
that they themselves might believe; but sometimes, so that if they themselves would not
receive the word of life, they would not obstruct those who would receive it; and if they
themselves, out of fear of torments, would not seize the way of salvation, they would not
be an impediment to those who had not ceased hastening toward the heavenly kingdoms
despite threats and punishments. There follows: (Verse 12. For there was a fear of death
in every city, and the hand of the Lord was exceedingly heavy. How this is to be
understood with regard to the outward persecution has been explained above. There follows:
(Verse 12. The men also who had not died were struck in the more secret part of their
buttocks: and the wailing of each city ascended to heaven.

13. Concerning the striking of the buttocks indeed, because we spoke of it above, it would
not need to be discussed here, if nothing different were said here than was said there.
What then is the meaning of what it says: "The men also who had not died were struck"?
Were those who had died supposed to be bitten again as punishment for the ark? But also
when the cry of the stricken is said to have ascended to heaven, it could be sufficiently
shown that this was said of the living, and not of the dead. For the cry of dead men could
not ascend to heaven. But because we referred the striking of the buttocks above to the
knowledge of sins, there are indeed men who have not died. For they are men who, for the
sake of the eternal life which they desire, have resolved to do brave deeds. But the men
who have not yet died are those who resolve to do great things, and yet by no means weigh
their past evils unto the pain of compunction. They are therefore bitten by mice, so that
they may die: because they recall the things in which they wickedly fell, and believe that
for their past deeds they deserve the loss of eternal life. Because therefore they are
men, they do not despair of God's mercy: and because they are bitten so that they may die,
they do not exalt themselves on account of the fact that they begin to be great.

14. Their cry indeed ascended to heaven because almighty God mercifully receives the
groans of the converted. And because at the time of the conversion of the Gentiles there
was a great rush to the faith, the cry is said to have ascended not from any one city but
from many cities. Hence the prophet also pleads in the person of the universal Church,
saying: "Attend to my prayer, from the ends of the earth I have cried to you" (Ps.
60:2–3). And showing that the cry of the one crying from the ends of the earth ascended to
heaven, he says: "He heard my voice from his holy temple, and my cry came before him into
his ears" (Ps. 17:7). When therefore each city is said to have cried to heaven, the
universal penitence of conversion is commended. But if the striking is referred to
conversion, while the cry is referred to the devotion of divine praise, then we certainly
read in the mysteries of the Scriptures what we see. For each city cries out in the
praises of almighty God, because the entire world by no means keeps silent about the
proclamations of the Redeemer; it does not preach him in secret, but extols him with the
jubilation of ineffable joy. For what else was he doing but urging all cities to cry out,
who said: "All nations, clap your hands, shout to God with the voice of exultation, for
God is most high and terrible, and a great king over all gods" (Ps. 46:2–3).

Hence again admonishing, he says: "Shout joyfully to God, all the earth; serve the Lord
with gladness" (Ps. 99:2). Hence again, he expresses both the plague of the biting mice
and the cry of the cities, saying: "Let all the earth be moved before his face; say among
the nations that the Lord has reigned" (Ps. 95:9–10). For he had said before: "Sing to the
Lord a new song, sing to the Lord all the earth" (ibid. 1). Indeed the shaking of the
earth pertains to the pain of penitence; to sing to the Lord, or to announce among the
nations that the Lord has reigned, pertains to the zeal of preaching and to the devotion
of divine praise. The cry of each city ascends to heaven, because throughout the whole
world both the truth of preaching and the praises of devotion are proclaimed by the
faithful of the holy Church, and these are received up to the height of the heavenly
hearing through the acceptance of divine favor.


COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS (BOOK THREE, CHAPTER 3.4 (1 SAMUEL 6:1))
============================================================

COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS continued

CHAPTER 3.4 (1 SAMUEL 6:1)

So the ark of the Lord was in the region of the Philistines for seven months. 1. What do
these seven months signify, if not the entire length of the present life? Although the
Azotites and Ekronites cried out, "Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried around, and
let the ark of God not remain among us," nevertheless the truth of the sacred history
tells us — that we may recognize in the type of the holy Church — that the ark of God was
in the region of the Philistines for seven months. Therefore it was not the will of evil
and impious men, but the dispensation of God that was fulfilled in the salvation of the
Gentiles. Already indeed the impious have been removed from paganism, already those who
persecuted the confessors of Christ have died, and yet the ark of God is not taken away
from the region of the Philistines: because the divine sacraments are preserved with
zealous care among the Gentiles, who have been made drunk with the cup of the Holy Spirit.
And it is rightly said "seven months," because the mysteries of the Holy Scriptures will
endure with the faithful of Christ until the end of the world. But whoever grasps the
mysteries of that same Holy Scripture through the grace of intimate charity was concerned
not about the place where the ark is temporarily left, but about that place where it is
eternally established. Therefore it is added: (Verse 2.) And the Philistines called for
the priests and the diviners, saying: What shall we do with the ark of God? Tell us in
what manner we should send it back to its place.

2. Who are those who consult priests and diviners, if not the faithful of the holy Church,
who desire to hold the way of eternal salvation without error? And who are understood as
the priests and diviners, if not the preachers of the holy Church? They are indeed priests
on account of the offering of the sacrament, and diviners by the ministry of preaching.
For these two things come together in the person of the pastor, if he possesses both
holiness of life and learning of wisdom: because he has been appointed both to purge the
sins of those under him and to dispel the darkness of errors by the light of preaching.
Therefore, a pastor of the holy Church who has holiness of life but does not have the
power of divine preaching is indeed a priest, but not a diviner. Likewise, if he retains
eloquence of speech without holiness of life, although he may appear to be a diviner, he
is by no means adorned with the honor of the priesthood: because what he preaches
sublimely, he tramples underfoot by earthly conduct. But those who inquire about the place
of the ark and about sending back the ark of God call upon both priests and diviners:
because indeed those who, from knowledge of divine preaching, love the joys of the life to
come, seek for the counsel of salvation pastors who are neither carnally wise nor overly
simple in their piety. And so they call upon priests and diviners:

because they entrust themselves to those who both show the uprightness of the heavenly way
by the sublimity of their knowledge, and are worthy intercessors before almighty God for
those under them, through purity of life. Therefore they inquire about sending the ark
back to its place: because from that knowledge of the Scriptures which they receive in the
mysteries of words, they desire to pass over to the perfect knowledge of God in eternity.
For the ark is, as it were, sent back when this small knowledge is fulfilled through the
passage of the present life. And we behold the glory of God's ark displayed in its place
when, from beneath the lofty coverings of figures, we gaze upon the appearance of the
divine majesty with unveiled face. Concerning this return of the ark to its place, it is
said through the prophet: "And a man shall no longer teach his neighbor, saying: Know the
Lord; for from the least to the greatest they shall know me" (Jeremiah 31:34). Hence John
promises, saying: "When he shall appear, we shall be like him, because we shall see him as
he is" (1 John 3:2). But let us now consider what counsel the priests and diviners give to
those who inquire about sending back the ark. For there follows: (Verse 3. What did they
say?

"If you send back the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it back empty, but render to
him what you owe for sin, and then you shall be healed, and you shall know why his hand
does not withdraw from you." 3. What is an empty ark, but divine knowledge without good
works? For to send back an empty ark is to bear no fruit of good works from the knowledge
of spiritual mysteries. The ark is therefore sent back empty when the mind of one coming
to the faith already desires to pass over to the eternal contemplation of God, and yet
takes no care to labor at good works in this life. By the voice of the preachers,
therefore, it is commanded that when the ark is sent away, it not be released empty, so
that if anyone who is faithful does not multiply good works, he should not presume to
trust that he will pass over to the eternal knowledge of God Almighty. But the ark is not
sent away empty if what is owed is rendered to it for sin. What is owed to the ark for
sin, but the affliction of devout penance? Here it should be noted that he speaks to those
who were bitten by mice. For who are bitten by mice, but those who, placed in the
illumination of the catholic faith, recall that they have done wicked things before or
after their knowledge of that same faith? For one who committed no crimes before the grace
of regeneration, and retained the gift of regeneration through a worthy manner of life,
indeed owes something to the ark, but does not owe it anything for sin.

He is compelled to render the fruit of good works through knowledge of the divine Word,
but he is not pressed by any debt of satisfaction for penance arising from crimes he
rejected. Therefore, let those who are still being bitten pay their debt to the ark for
sin, so that for the memory of their crimes they may restore a humble offering of penance
to Almighty God. And then indeed they are healed, because the wound of conscience is
closed over when the afflicted mind is raised up through penance to the assurance of
hoped-for pardon. Then also they know why the hand of the Lord does not withdraw from
them, because then they understand the benefit of compunction, that is, the good of
afflicted flesh, when they rejoice ineffably in the confidence of divine forgiveness. For
what is the pain of penance but the distress of a wound from the striking of demons? For
as if in the pain of a wound still sharply stinging, that converted man was sighing when
he said: "I was turned in my anguish while the thorn was fastened in me" (Psalm 31:4). For
what does "anguish" suggest but the affliction of penance? But he declares himself turned
in that same anguish while he feels the piercing of the thorn. As if to say: While I am
stung by the memory of my shameful deed, I do not cease to pay my debt to the ark.

For the thorn is fastened in when, through the dispensation of Almighty God, the soul of
the converted is inflamed to tears by the memory of their crimes. And the debt to the ark
is paid when the measure of lamentation is now extended according to the gravity of the
crime: when after prolonged tears the light of inner consolation is poured into the long-
afflicted mind, and by the divine gift it is relieved from the weight of the inward blow;
when Almighty God draws near through the grace of His inspiration to the now purified
mind, and gladdens it with the confidence of obtained forgiveness, which He supplies to it
from the grace of His presence. For the soul is then healed, as it were, from its wound,
when through the grace of poured-forth forgiveness the greatness of pain is removed from
the afflicted mind of the penitent. 4. Whence also he who was being turned about in
distress, while he was being pierced by the thorn, in the same psalm joyfully addresses
almighty God as the author of his healing, saying: "You are my refuge from the trouble
that has surrounded me, my exultation" (Psalm 31:7). For he calls the very heavy hand of
the Lord a pressure. Of which stroke of the most heavy hand Paul also speaks, saying: "For
the Spirit himself intercedes for us with unutterable groanings" (Romans 8:26). He who
therefore indicates that he has found the Lord's refuge and exultation from pressure,
shows that he has been healed from the blow of inward grief by the joy of divine mercy.
Hence likewise, still grieving, he confesses, saying: "Against you alone have I sinned,
and done evil before you" (Psalm 50:6). But because he presumes upon healing, he adds,
saying: "You will give joy and gladness to my hearing, and the humbled bones will exult"
(ibid., 7). Therefore the debt is paid to the ark for sin, when sinners are afflicted
through the knowledge of Sacred Scripture, and strive by torment to wipe away the faults
they contracted through the delight of the flesh. Moreover they are healed when, the
measure of affliction now being fulfilled, they are lifted up to confidence in divine
mercy through the help of inward consolation. Whence the Psalmist also speaks, saying:
"You will feed us with the bread of tears, and give us drink in tears by measure" (Psalm
79:6).

For he gives the drink of tears by measure: because indeed the sinner, even if he is
pierced with compunction for his fault by God's inward inspiration, is relieved from the
same affliction of compunction by the consolation of that same God. Whence also the Lord
says through Moses: "I will kill, and I will make alive: I will strike, and I will heal"
(Deuteronomy 32:39). For he strikes and heals: because those whom he wounds through
compunction, he cures through the assurance of pardon. Therefore it is rightly said to
those now healed: "And you will know why his hand does not withdraw from you. For before
he heals, they cannot know why the hand of the Lord does not withdraw from them: because
they then understand the good of repentance, when in a now purified heart they recognize
the grace of the Holy Spirit, and long for the gifts of divine mercy, over which they
rejoice with ineffable exultation. For he had perceived that they knew the reason why the
hand of the healing Lord had not withdrawn from their affliction—he who expresses the
exultations of those who were struck, speaking to God and saying: "We were filled in the
morning with your mercy; we exulted and were delighted for the days in which you humbled
us, the years in which we saw evils" (Psalm 89:14–15).

For they had received, as it were, the mourning of repentance in the night, who in the
morning—that is, when the brightness of divine favor appeared—rejoiced together that they
were filled with mercy; those who declare that they were delighted for the days in which
they had been humbled are shown, through the gift of healing, to know the weight of the
Lord's hand and why it had not withdrawn from them. But since it is still being said by
the leaders through counsel that what is owed for sin should be paid to the ark, and what
that which is owed is not yet explained, it is added: (Verses 4–5. They answered and said:
"What is it that we ought to render for the offense? They replied: "According to the
number of the provinces of the Philistines, you shall make five golden tumors and five
mice: because there was one plague upon you and upon your rulers. And you shall make
likenesses of your tumors, and likenesses of the mice that have destroyed the land, and
you shall give glory to the God of Israel, if perhaps he may lighten his hand from you,
and from your gods, and from your land."

5. What does it mean that five likenesses of tumors, and as many likenesses of mice,
according to the number of the provinces, are commanded to be made, and thus the debt to
the ark is paid? These things indeed, if weighed in the Jewish manner according to the
lowliness of the letter, are not only to be despised, but not even worthy of hearing. He
indeed receives these things worthily who understands that the more lowly they sound by
the letter, the more useful they are through their spiritual meaning. For the Holy Spirit,
by whose inspiration this entire sacred history is written, would never have brought forth
such lowly things if He did not signify certain great and very precious mysteries in the
hidden depth of this lowliness. Whence the excellent teacher declares, saying: "All these
things happened to them in figure; but they were written for our sake, upon whom the ends
of the ages have come" (1 Cor. 10:11). Therefore, the more base what they say appears in
the exposed flesh, as it were, of the letter, the more deeply must they be sought through
the spirit. What then are the likenesses of tumors, what are the images of mice? And since
we referred these things above both to tempting demons and to the members of sinners
exposed to stenches, in what sense are the likenesses of tumors and mice gilded? But
indeed the debt to the ark for sin is well paid if the likenesses of tumors and mice are
fashioned from gold.

For in the likeness of a tumor, the member that emits stench is seen; and yet, because it
is a likeness, not the reality, it is no longer stained by any stench. And because it is
made of gold, this indeed suggests that by the splendor of beauty the appearance of
deformity is transformed. Therefore the converted sinner makes a likeness of a tumor when
he brings to memory with what stenches of sin he had surrendered his members. Therefore to
fashion a likeness of a tumor is to recall with a penitent heart the shame of one's
members that recently sinned. And so he fashions not a tumor, but the likeness of a tumor,
who both washes his members from the stenches of sin and does not fail to recall to which
sins he had subjected those same members. And indeed the likeness of a tumor is seen to be
made of gold, because the shamefulness of sins is worn away unto the prize of eternal
salvation. Or perhaps by remembering, the likenesses of tumors are made; by weeping, they
are gilded: because by recalling what we have done, we fashion them, and while we mourn
our offenses more attentively, we gild our members in the splendor of righteousness.
Therefore the likeness, not the reality, of tumors is seen, because then the sinner looks
upon the disgrace of his deformity when he not only no longer practices wicked works by
committing them, but also vehemently grieves that he committed them in the past.

But five tumors are commanded to be made, because the universal satisfaction of all the
Gentiles is commanded. Whence it is also carefully noted: "According to the number of the
provinces of the Philistines. For why are there five provinces of the Philistines, unless
because the carnal life of the Gentiles is signified? For because they devoted the five
senses of the body not to the praise of the Creator but to carnal life, the provinces of
the Philistines are expressed by the number five. They are commanded to make five golden
tumors so that they may be pricked with compunction in all their senses; and because all
have sinned, therefore let them restore to the brightness of the heavenly life all the
members which they defiled with every kind of shameful filth through the pleasures of the
flesh. For in gold the splendor of heavenly conduct is shown, because through John it is
said of the heavenly city: "The city itself was pure gold, like clear glass" (Rev. 21:18).
The members are therefore gilded when the body, deformed by the earthly and filthy
foulness of lusts, is transformed into the splendor of eternal life: when, namely, that
which was defiled by the stench of sins in the appetite for worldly pleasure shines forth
through the beauty of holy conduct. For blessed Paul was admonishing his hearers toward
this gilding, saying: "As you presented your members to serve uncleanness and iniquity
unto iniquity, so present your members to serve righteousness unto sanctification" (Rom.
6:19).

And as if compelling them to look upon the likenesses of tumors, he added, saying: "What
fruit then did you have in those things, of which you are now ashamed? For the end of
those things is death. Therefore the likenesses of tumors are made for our shame: because
indeed we bring the stains of our foulness to memory so that we may be confounded by those
same stains. But they are gilded for our security: because indeed while we cover over our
deformity with the brightness of the heavenly life, we await the scrutiny of the divine
judgment with a certain security. 6. The mice also, which demolished the land, are
commanded to be made of gold: because the unclean spirits, who suggest the enticements of
corruption to our flesh, are remembered for our justification. For what is it to make
likenesses of mice, except to remember those victories which malign spirits have had over
us? But the likenesses of mice are also gilded, when we sigh over their broken powers. For
while we lament that we were conquered by their deceits, we indeed hold golden likenesses
of mice, since we hold the past counsels of demons not in the allurement of their work,
but in the contempt of reprobation. Therefore the likenesses of mice are made of gold,
because the past deceits of demons advance us toward the splendor of a good life. For we
are now so much more humble, inasmuch as our members shine through the splendor of
heavenly conduct; and we ourselves, who now by the help of almighty God do mighty things,
see that we were prostrated by the deceits of unclean spirits. This counsel, because they
offer it to many, they also show the reason for it, because they say: "For the plague was
one for you and for your rulers." As if they were saying openly: Because you were all
subject to sin, it is necessary that you equally prepare your hearts for the pursuit of a
better life. Whence Paul also says: "All have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God,
being justified freely by His grace" (Rom. 3:23).

7. And to commend more attentively the resolution of improving one's life, they repeat by
insisting, saying: 'You shall make likenesses of your tumors and of the mice that have
destroyed the land, and you shall give glory to the God of Israel, if perhaps He may
lighten His hand from you, from your gods, and from your land.' Once these likenesses that
were mentioned have been made, to give glory to God is, out of zeal for good work and out
of an estimation of humility, not to glory vainly in oneself, but to devote to the praises
of almighty God everything that is done. And because they say: 'If perhaps He may lighten
His hand from you' (1 Sam. 6:5)—what else is understood in this word of doubt, except that
the reconciliation of sinners is shown to be difficult? Hence also through Jonah it is
said: 'Who knows if He may turn and forgive?' (Jonah 3:9). Because, therefore, it is said
'if perhaps He may lighten His hand', we ought to be moved to tears of repentance with
great earnestness: for if those who perform severe penance scarcely find confidence of
salvation, when can the negligent be saved? This difficulty of reconciliation, if it is
held in the estimation of the penitent, is by no means found with almighty God: for even
when the Ninevites cast themselves down with heavy penance as if for a difficult
reconciliation, they easily merited the mercy of almighty God.

And when the people prostrated themselves before God with bitter lamentation at the voice
of the prophet Joel, they brought it about that He who seemed difficult to appease
softened His anger. For immediately it is written therein: 'The Lord was zealous for His
land and spared His people' (Joel 2:18). The hand, therefore, is lifted when the mind,
powerfully pierced with compunction in repentance, is raised up by divine inspiration to
the gift of obtained mercy. And because, as I said, in the beginning of the nascent
Church, just as there was a general conversion of sinners, so also there was a general
reconciliation of the converted: the hand of God, which is declared to be lifted, is said
to be lifted both from the hearers, and from their gods, and from the land. For by "gods,"
sublime and wise men are designated. For the Lord also says to Moses: 'I have made you a
god to Pharaoh' (Exod. 7:1). And in the commandment of the Law it is also prescribed: 'You
shall not speak ill of gods' (Exod. 22:28). By "land," indeed, the life of the simple is
expressed: for when they receive the preaching of their superiors, like rain from heaven
falling upon them, from the watering of the word they bring forth the fruit of good work.

From the gods, therefore, and from the land, the hand of the Lord is lifted, when both the
wise and the simple are brought back to the certainty of divine pardon, either by hidden
and spiritual consolation, or by the judgment of preachers. Hence also he who a little
earlier had urged that the members be gilded, saying: 'Present your members as servants to
righteousness for sanctification' (Rom. 6:19), as if pronouncing the judgment of the
Lord's lifted hand, says: 'But now having been freed from sin and having become servants
of God, you have your fruit unto sanctification, and the end, eternal life' (Rom. 6:22).
Hence again, marveling at the complete splendor of gold in those converted from the
deformity of a most wicked life, he says: 'You were once darkness, but now you are light
in the Lord' (Eph. 5:8). Hence the same, praising his own, says: 'In the midst of a
crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world' (Phil.
2:15). Therefore, when the likenesses of the tumors and mice have been made from gold and
glory has been given to God, the hand of the Lord is lifted: because after the mourning of
repentance, after the improvement of life and the humility of estimation, sinners are
brought back to the full mercy of almighty God.

And because all these things are still prescribed by counsel—yet some devoutly carry out
the counsel of preachers, while others despise it—those who extol the good with praises
for the splendor of a good life are inflamed against the proud through the force of
rebuke. For there follows: (Verse 6.) 'Why do you harden your hearts, as Egypt and Pharaoh
hardened theirs?' 8. For the heart hardens, like Egypt and Pharaoh, when one already
understands the wounds of his sins through knowledge of sacred Scripture, and yet does not
direct his mind toward the true joys of the future life through the improvement of his
life or through the bitterness of repentance. Rightly, then, is he compared to the
Egyptians in hardness of heart. For Egypt means "darkness. What then is understood by the
name of Egypt, if not the multitude of angels who fell from the heavenly seats? And what
is designated by Pharaoh, king of Egypt, if not the devil himself, the author of darkness?
Rightly, then, are those who neglect repentance compared to Egypt and Pharaoh in the
hardening of the heart. For the reprobate angels, once fallen from the heavenly places,
just as they do not recover the love of their lost blessedness, so too they can never do
penance for the pride they committed. Therefore, when the holy preachers attack the
shameless sinners with sharp rebuke, they bring forward the likeness of Egypt and Pharaoh,
so that their hearers may the more readily rush to make satisfaction, inasmuch as they
recognize that by refusing to do penance, they are like the condemned angels. Hence they
also urgently compel them to the zeal of fulfilling their counsel, when they add and say:
(Verses 7–9. "Take therefore and make one new cart, and two milk cows on which no yoke has
been placed, yoke them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home.

And you shall take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart, and the golden objects
which you paid to him as a guilt offering you shall put in a box at its side, and send it
away that it may go. And you shall watch: if indeed it goes up by the way of its own
border toward Beth-shemesh, then he has done us this great evil. But if not, we shall know
that it was not his hand that struck us, but that it happened by chance." 9. For what is
designated by the name of the cart, if not either the whole holy Church together, or the
individual soul of each faithful person? The wheels of this cart are indeed the two
Testaments. For while the holy Church, or any chosen mind instructed through the Old and
New Testament, presses onward toward eternal life, it is carried aloft to its appointed
place as if upon lofty wheels set before it. But the cart is commanded to be made new, so
that, namely, whoever desires to arrive at eternal joys may be clothed through the
commandment of love with the splendor of the new man. Indeed, the Lord was commanding this
cart to be made new when He said: "This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I
have loved you" (John 15:12). Hence Paul commands, saying: "Be renewed in the spirit of
your mind, and put on the new man, who was created according to God" (Ephesians 4:23).
Hence, addressing the Romans, he says: "Not in reveling and drunkenness, not in strife and
jealousy, not in debauchery and impurity, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans
13:13). Therefore, he makes a new cart who both rightly understands each Testament and,
clothed with the splendor of holy conduct, stretches himself upward toward heavenly
desires.

10. The wheels by which this cart moves can also designate the twofold desire of each
elect person: because whoever, with God's help, already regards the present life as a
hardship of pilgrimage, desires to reach future blessedness for this reason — that he may
become impassible and immortal: so that through one, he may leave behind the misery he
dreads; through the other, he may never lose the blessedness he merits. The cows,
moreover, are the holy preachers. Because they are both distinguished by the twofold
precept of charity and give birth to the souls of the converted in a new way of life, they
are rightly designated both by the number two and by the feminine gender. The calves,
however, are earthly desires. When therefore the cows pull the cart, they shut the calves
up at home: because while they provide guidance to the faithful elect toward the heavenly
homeland, they prevent those desires which suggest a reprobate life to them from coming
forth into effect. They shut up the calves, indeed, when they crush proud desires at the
very beginning of their suggestion, within the conscience, and do not allow them to
advance to the effect of action. Hence also cows upon which no yoke has been placed are
said to be sought out for pulling the cart: because preachers must be provided for the
faithful elect who are subjected to the dominion of diabolic power by no burdens of crime.
Concerning this yoke, indeed, it is said through the prophet:

"The yoke shall decay because of the oil" (Isaiah 10:27). And well does the progression of
the meanings agree with the order of the words: because even if they are free from hostile
domination, it is necessary that they always be watchful concerning their future conduct.
The cows therefore are both without a yoke, and yet their calves are shut up at home:
because the holy preachers rule over adversarial spirits by virtue, but they do not
withdraw their attention from subduing wicked desires, since they cannot have perpetual
security in this life from the holiness with which they see themselves adorned. And
because to such persons the grace of divine knowledge is more widely opened, it is
fittingly commanded that the Ark of the Lord be taken up and placed upon the cart.
Moreover, that the Ark is commanded to be placed upon the cart for the listeners — this
indeed suggests that in the holy Church we find many orders of prelates: because while
some are worthier than others by prerogative, they also obtain the authority of commanding
at the summit of a higher order. When therefore the Ark of the Lord is commanded to be
brought back, it is said to be placed upon a new cart: because he rightly advances toward
the eternal homeland with knowledge of spiritual mysteries, who does not abandon what he
has learned from Holy Scripture through the beauty of a new way of life.

11. Moreover, it is commanded that the golden vessels, which were rendered to the ark as a
guilt offering, be placed at its side. For he calls "golden vessels" what he mentioned
above, saying: "You shall make likenesses of your tumors and of your mice. In these
vessels, as we had said, the memory of sins and temptations was signified. What does it
mean, then, that above he declared them to be likenesses of tumors and mice, but now has
called them golden vessels? But there the discussion concerned what had to be paid to the
ark for sin, whereas here it concerns the sending away of the ark. What does it mean,
then, that these same things are expressed by a more honorable name, except that sins
which have not been cleansed by the tears of repentance must be viewed more attentively in
their deformity and lamented, while those which have already been washed away by great
weeping are not to be gazed upon more attentively or in their deformity, but are to be
thought upon from time to time with an estimation of humility? For in the mind of the
penitent who grieves bitterly, there is, as it were, a likeness of tumors and mice: when,
so that he may mourn more attentively, he sees the accumulated mass of sin which he heaps
before the eyes of his mind.

But when, already somewhat secure about the remission of his sins through great and
prolonged weeping, he has begun to hasten toward the heavenly homeland by the course of a
great conversion, he now beholds, as it were, golden vessels: because he sees his sins not
as things by which he saw himself bound, but as things which he may devote to the praises
of almighty God. And rightly are those same vessels placed in a box at the side of the
ark. For if the ark signifies the secret of divine knowledge, the vessels hang at its side
because, while the height of divine knowledge elevates the mind, our past weaknesses must
be recalled to memory for the sake of the virtue of humility. They are not, therefore, to
be placed before the ark, lest, while we gaze upon our weaknesses too immoderately, we
become unable to be raised up to heavenly things. It is clear, then, that they hang from
the side: so that we may both freely behold heavenly things and, when it is fitting,
recall the eyes of our mind to our own weaknesses.

12. But what does it mean that they are commanded: "And let it go, that it may depart"?
The ark is let go when the learned minds of subjects are permitted by their rulers to live
freely: so that they may hasten to their eternal homeland, no longer by the command of a
superior, but by the judgment of their own reason. It must therefore be held so that it
may be placed on the cart; and once placed, it is also let go: because indeed the freedom
to arrange their own life is not to be given to chosen subjects by their prelates before
they receive instruction in spiritual doctrine and a firm habit of good conduct. For the
freedom of living is rightly granted neither to simple subjects who live well, nor to the
learned who are weak. For the former can be deceived by the cunning adversary all the more
easily, since they have in no way learned to detect his snares through spiritual
instruction; while the latter preserve the good of their instruction with all the more
difficulty, in that, though learned, they perceive the snares of the tempter, yet, though
learned, they cannot avoid his bonds. Therefore the ark is fittingly let go when the cart
on which it must be placed is first constructed, when the golden vessels that are owed for
sin are hung from its side:

because indeed the life of a subject living freely can then be secure when he has learned
through long practice to preserve the renewal of the inner man; when from the purity of
his life he grasps the loftiness of divine instruction, and amid sublime gifts does not
neglect to recall for the sake of humility those things which he remembers having once
done wrongly. This freedom of living, because it is granted to good subjects solely for
the pursuit of heavenly love, fittingly adds the reason for which the same ark is let go:
"that it may depart," it says. For it is as if it said in other words: They are to be
permitted to live more freely for this sole purpose, that they may journey more swiftly to
the heavenly homeland. But because some subjects are perfect in both conduct and knowledge
by human judgment, not by divine, it must be provided by the diligence of good rulers that
they do not entirely abandon care for them even when those same subjects think themselves
released from their care, but with pious shrewdness observe how those live when now free,
whose good qualities under obedience they had more fully known. Wherefore it is also
added: "And you shall watch, and if indeed it goes up by the way of its own borders toward
Beth-shemesh, then he has done us this great evil. But if not, we shall know that it was
not his hand that struck us, but it happened by chance."

13. Bethshemesh, as we have already said, is interpreted as "house of the sun. The
preachers observe the released ark to see whether it proceeds on a straight path toward
Bethshemesh, because even when subjects are released to their own judgment, prelates must
examine whether they convert the good of liberty to the advancement of the heavenly
journey. But it must also be carefully noted that the ark rightly ascends toward
Bethshemesh when it does not abandon the road of the border territory while traveling. For
our neighbors are the elect who came before us; neighbors indeed are those who have
properties arranged next to one another. The neighbors of the elect, therefore, are the
perpetual co-heirs of the eternal kingdom. For they dwell as if with properties arranged
next to one another, those who, called into the same fellowship of the eternal homeland,
have received the rights of eternal inheritance from the one and same majesty of the
Creator. Or they are called neighbors for this reason: because when the elect arrive from
a good manner of life to the joys of everlasting life, those who live rightly in this
world are close to the heavenly citizens. What then is the road of the border territory,
if not temporal affliction? The Lord Himself demonstrates this road to Bethshemesh,
saying: "Narrow is the way that leads to life" (Matt. 7:14). He likewise commends this
road when, rebuking the disciples, He says: "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe!

Was it not necessary for Christ to suffer, and so to enter into His glory? (Luke 24:25.
Hence Paul says: "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God" (Acts
14:21). The ark is therefore directed toward Bethshemesh when it is seen to ascend by the
road of the border territory, because in the heavenly manner of life he more truly
advances who seeks to reach eternal joys not through worldly pleasures but through
afflictions of the flesh and adversities of the world. But because the released ark is
said not merely to go but to ascend, a higher road is indicated for subjects released into
freedom, because they do not rightly travel the road to Bethshemesh if they do not daily
advance from good things to better. For to ascend by the merits of virtues is to advance
daily toward better things. But when the ark is rightly directed toward Bethshemesh, they
ascribe the great evil they had suffered to the works of almighty God. For they call that
great evil the striking about which it is read above: "The hand of the Lord was upon each
city with exceedingly great slaughter. And because we have referred that same slaughter
both to the conversion of the Gentiles and to the salutary compunction of sinning
believers, when the ark rightly proceeds toward Bethshemesh, that great evil which had
occurred is shown to be from God, because indeed the end of each of the elect indicates
how the mind of the preacher should recognize their first works.

14. For if they fail in the end, it is openly recognized that their good beginnings were
not from the Lord. Whence it is also added: 'But if not, we shall know that it was not at
all his hand that struck us, but it happened by chance.' What is the hand of the Lord, if
not the Only-begotten of the eternal Father? For they are not touched by the hand of the
Lord who are separated from their former way of life not by the inspiration of the divine
word, but by a sudden resolution of their own heart. They certainly fall away from their
begun goodness all the more quickly, inasmuch as they did not know how to consider
beforehand with what fortitude that which they had proposed—to enter by the narrow way to
the eternal homeland—was to be carried out. Therefore it was aptly said: 'It happened by
chance.' For what happens by chance occurs suddenly and without counsel or foresight. When
therefore those who, having been converted, seemed to have departed from the love of the
world, or from unbelief, return to the wickedness of their former life, it is openly
recognized that they were separated from their former way of life not by the hand of the
Lord, as they seemed to have been struck down, but by an accidental chance. There follows:

(Verses 10, 11.) 'They did in this manner, and taking two cows they yoked them to the
cart, and shut up their calves at home, and placed the ark of God upon the cart, and the
small chest which contained the golden mice and the likenesses of the tumors.' Since these
things have been more fully expounded above, let us now see what the journey of the ark
itself contains in terms of spiritual instruction. For there follows: (Verse 12.) 'And the
cows went straight along the way that leads to Beth-shemesh, and they walked along one
path, going and lowing, and they turned aside neither to the right nor to the left.' 15.
To go straight along the road that leads to Beth-shemesh is, in the pursuit of heavenly
perfection, to maintain affliction of the flesh through the virtue of discretion. For the
cows by no means walk in a straight line if discretion is not preserved in the affliction
of the flesh. For when the flesh is afflicted beyond measure, that same flesh, utterly
spent, is unable to render aid to the spirit. And if it is not worthily afflicted, while
it grows proud, it disdains, as though free and untamed, to serve the mind. Rightly
therefore, while the cows are reported to go straight along the road to Beth-shemesh, it
is added: "They turned aside neither to the right nor to the left." To turn aside to the
right is to press immoderately upon the virtue of abstinence: because through what appears
to be a good, we abandon the way, when we so pursue the necessary virtue of abstinence
that we withdraw from ourselves the other helps that come from the flesh. To turn aside to
the left is to indulge the flesh too abundantly. For through the vice of open laxity we
are deflected from the road to Beth-shemesh, when we lead the flesh through delights—we
who had known that the way to paradise was appointed in affliction.

16. And because there is no sincerity of a more sparing life if the simplicity of purity
in good work does not agree with one's intention, it is carefully expressed: "And they
went by one path." For he goes by one path who preserves in right intention the virtue
that he displays in good work. On the contrary, it is said of every reprobate: "Woe to the
sinner who enters the land by two ways" (Sirach 2:14). For the sinner enters the land by
two ways when what he does appears to be of God, but from everything that he outwardly
exhibits as religious, he inwardly holds a worldly intention. Moreover, the Lord indicates
that His elect go by one path, saying: "If your eye is single, your whole body will be
full of light" (Matthew 6:22). Hence Paul says: "Our glory is this: the testimony of our
conscience" (2 Corinthians 1:12). Hence David: "All the glory of the king's daughter is
from within" (Psalm 44:14). Therefore the cows go by one path toward Beth-shemesh, because
the elect, hastening to their eternal homeland, do good works outwardly, but from those
same good works they do not seek the rewards of the world.

17. But what is it that is said of these same cows, that they went along the way, lowing
as they went? They are said to go forward because holy men do good unceasingly; but they
low because they cannot extinguish carnal desires within themselves without great daily
tribulation. For to low pertains to the labor of subduing the flesh; but to go forward
pertains to the perseverance of good will. For when the flesh is compelled against its
nature to suppress carnal motions, it lows, as it were, while it walks, because it is
forbidden from fulfilling its own desires. Rightly indeed are these two things described
in the progress of the saints, namely, going forward and lowing — because even though for
those hastening to the heavenly homeland there is great urgency of desire, there is
nonetheless an unconquerable patience in labor. For of these cows going forward, it is
said through Ezekiel: They did not turn back when they went (Ezek. 1:12). Paul also
expresses both the lowing of the cows and its cause, saying: I see another law
contradicting the law of my mind and leading me captive under the law of sin. Wretched man
that I am, who will deliver me from the body of this death? (Rom. 7:23, 24.) Therefore the
cows low, but they go forward, because holy men, even though the temptations they endure
are great, nevertheless do not abandon the way of the heavenly homeland. They go forward
likewise, but they low, because even though they hasten toward heavenly things with great
desires, they do not obtain the progress of the heavenly journey from the quiet of peace,
but from the triumph over temptation. There follows: (Verse 12.) But also the satraps of
the Philistines followed as far as the borders of Beth-shemesh.

18. What are the boundaries to which it is necessary for prelates to follow the departing
ark of God, and beyond which it is not fitting to proceed in the company of the ark of
God? If we understand these boundaries as instruction in sacred Scripture and good works,
it does not seem contradictory. But these boundaries of Beth-shemesh are indeed the
boundaries of the following leaders, when each one in his own measure is perfected over
his subjects in the teaching of sacred Scripture and in the practice of good works. For a
pastor is made secure regarding this to the degree that he both carefully perceives
spiritual things and grasps by the strength of good works what he has discovered through
reason. These boundaries are indeed said to be the boundaries of Beth-shemesh: because,
when they worthily receive the learned workers of God, they lead them to the contemplation
of the heavenly fatherland. For they are boundaries: because they both receive the worthy
to contemplation and expel the unworthy. For if the unlearned presume to raise themselves
to contemplate heavenly things more subtly, they go astray in error rather than grasp the
light of truth. And unless someone sends good works ahead, he certainly brings it about
that he never finds that clarity of inner vision which he desires. Hence the Lord also in
the Gospel, as if sending lovers of the contemplative life to the boundaries of Beth-
shemesh, says: "He who has my words and does them, he it is who loves me;

and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him, and I will manifest
myself to him" (John 14:21). For he who says that he will manifest himself only to those
who love him, and that he loves those who keep his commandments, openly teaches that he
does not grant the light of his hidden vision except as a reward for good works. There
follows: (Verse 13. Now the Beth-shemites were reaping wheat in the valley. 19. For who
can the Bethshemites be more rightly understood as than those who are already perfect men
in the sublimity of contemplation? For they are as if from the house of the sun, who,
having despised all earthly things, are illuminated by the splendors of the true light.
They are indeed from the house of the sun, who, already buried to the whole world, burn
with the flame of wondrous love to see the glory of their Creator. They ascend to their
city in two ways: they who are led to the glory of the heavenly homeland both now through
contemplation and in the end through the truth of glory. Now they fly to the house of the
sun by contemplating; but what they now behold through purity of mind, they will then
grasp the truth of eternal recompense through present joy. Therefore the ark of God is
brought to Bethshemesh when the chosen mind is raised to eternal joys, either through the
height of contemplation or through the reception of recompense. Since therefore we cannot
know that eternal and ineffable resting place of the ark, let us hear the things that are
said about this one which we know. What then does it mean that the Bethshemites were
reaping wheat in the valley, except that those devoted to the contemplative life gather
the delights of inner refreshment in the virtue of humility? For indeed in sacred
Scripture the valley signifies the lowliness of the humble, as the Psalmist testifies, who
speaking of the Lord says:

"Who sends forth springs in the valleys" (Psalm 103:10). For He pours the infusion of
heavenly grace into minds disposed through humility. The Bethshemites therefore reap wheat
in the valley: because those devoted to contemplation, while they behold heavenly things
more clearly on account of the merit of humility, bind sheaves of joys for the sweeter
refreshment of their minds. For wheat bread, just as it is whiter in appearance, so also
is it more delightful in taste. 20. But perhaps while still placed in this life we do not
take bread, but harvest ears of grain; whereas in that heavenly life of blessedness, we
eat not ears of grain, but bread. For in this life, when we are raised up to contemplate
eternal things, we strive to grasp likenesses of heavenly realities from these lowly and
visible things, so that, according to the voice of the distinguished teacher, we may know
the invisible things from the creation of the world through those things which have been
made visible (Rom. 1:20). Wherefore also that true Bethshemite, belonging to the household
of the Sun of justice, exulting says: "You have delighted me, O Lord, in Your handiwork,
and in the works of Your hands I will exult. How magnificent are Your works, O Lord!
Exceedingly deep have Your thoughts become" (Psalm 92:5–6). But while we receive the joys
of invisible things in visible things, we still hold the wheat, as it were, within the
chaff. Then, however, the pure wheat, or bread made from wheat, will be ours. For when
death has already been swallowed up, in eternal life, with face unveiled, we shall behold
the Redeemer more clearly, and we shall have no need of the coverings of likenesses for
the knowledge of Him. Rightly therefore it is said of the Bethshemites that they were
harvesting wheat in the valley: because perfect men, even though they receive the
loftiness of heavenly contemplation as a reward for humility, cannot attain to
contemplating the pure substance of almighty God to such a degree, inasmuch as they still
harvest the refreshment of their mind, as it were, among the chaff. And indeed the good of
this humility is signified when it is added: (Verse 13) "And lifting up their eyes, they
saw the ark of God."

21. For they raise their eyes: because while they do not think lofly things of themselves,
they are, in their own estimation, as if on level ground. They raise their eyes: because
those whom they see made worthy by divine grace, they contemplate as placed on the lofty
summit of merits. But raising their eyes, they see the ark: because the more humbly they
cast themselves down in their own estimation, the better they can recognize the good
qualities of their neighbors. For that Truth which abandons the hearts of the proud of
itself, also hides from them those very gifts which it bestows upon the humble; so that,
as if utterly blinded, they do not even see the sun already spread across the earth—they
who have ceased to behold the rays of its brightness in heaven. But since we have referred
the return of the ark of God to the purpose of the contemplative life, the raising of the
eyes can also be fittingly referred to the pursuit of discerning spirits. For the
Bethshemites raise their eyes when, in the purpose of a more secluded life, they consider
with careful examination the gifts of those flocking to them; when with attentive mind
they examine whether those approaching pursue the purpose of a higher life, which they
seek by drawing near, with right and strong intention. To raise their eyes, therefore, is
for them to consider more deeply the spirit of the newcomers. But raising their eyes, they
behold the ark of God: because while they examine more carefully the conduct of those
persons, they discover that they shine with the grace of spiritual virtues. And because
through the affection of love they rejoice over the good qualities they have recognized in
them, it is fittingly added: (Verse 13.) And they rejoiced when they saw it. There
follows: (Verse 14.) And the cart came into the field of Joshua the Bethshemite, and stood
there.

22. If Bethshemesh is interpreted as "house of the sun," the house of the sun is the
heavenly city. Here Joshua the Bethshemite signifies the Redeemer of the human race not so
much by type as by his very name and dignity. For Joshua is called "savior" in our
language. And the Lord says of himself: 'The Son of man came to seek and to save that
which was lost' (Luke 19:10). Hence it is also that Joseph is promised in a dream through
the angel: 'He shall save his people from their sins' (Matt. 1:21). He also manifests
himself to be a Bethshemite, saying: 'I am the living bread which came down from heaven'
(John 6:41). Hence John the Baptist says: 'He who comes from heaven is above all' (John
3:31). What then is the field of Joshua the Bethshemite, if not the delight of the
contemplative life? For there both the greenness of herbs, and the fragrances of spices,
and the diverse beauty of flowers are seen; because indeed the more clearly that heavenly
society is beheld—what blooms incorruptibly in the angels, what flourishes unfadingly in
the saints, what gives off an inviolable fragrance in virgins—the more graciously it is
displayed to the eyes of those who contemplate. And rightly is this same field said to
belong to the Savior; because lovers of the contemplative life, the more secretly they
dwell, are more pleasing and more familiar to our Redeemer. The cart also comes into the
field of Joshua the Bethshemite when the elect mind, separated from worldly concern,
attends to heavenly things alone, when it already enjoys the delight of heavenly vision;
because it disdains to look back upon earthly things through love. And it should be noted
that this cart was said to be new, as was related not far above; because indeed a mind
worn out by the oldness of sins does not deserve to be received into such great glory.

23. But the more hidden life has its delights in the pleasantness of vision, and has
immense labor in the vigor of struggle; because indeed, just as we obtain divine rewards
from triumph, so also we guard them by fighting strenuously. Well therefore is it added
concerning the cart of Jesus coming into the field: 'And it stood there.' For to stand
pertains to the guarding of battle, not to the rest of peace. For the cart stood in the
field; because even if the mind already inhabits the pleasant regions of that heavenly and
ever-green homeland by seeing and loving, nevertheless what it delightfully possesses
through the love of vision, it by no means preserves without the anxiety of unceasing
care. But indeed the human mind, placed in so great a struggle, would fail, if He who
strengthened human weakness in His divinity did not offer it the help of His presence.
Therefore, also explaining the reason by which the cart was able to stand in the field, he
added, saying: (Verse 14) 'For there was a great stone there.'

24. For by the great stone is understood the Redeemer of the human race. Concerning which
stone it is said through the Psalmist: 'The stone which the builders rejected has become
the head of the corner' (Ps. 117:22). Hence the distinguished teacher, praising, says:
'Built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the
chief cornerstone' (Eph. 2:20), 'in whom you also, as living stones, are built up' (1 Pet.
2:5). And He is indeed called a great stone, because He is proclaimed with incomparable
strength. When therefore the cart is said to have come and stood still in the field, it
was added: 'There was there a great stone'—so that by hidden mysteries it might signify
that those devoted to the contemplative life are able to preserve such great gifts for
this reason: because they are, through grace, near to Him from whom they received those
same gifts. There follows: (Verse 14.) 'And they split the wood of the cart, and laid the
cows upon it as a burnt offering to the Lord.'

25. What are the wood pieces of the cart of the Ark of God, if not the statements of Holy
Scripture and the examples of the righteous? For the Bethshemites cut up the wood when
those set over the more secluded life more subtly open the meanings of the Scriptures to
the minds of their subjects, when they bring forth the more excellent examples of the
Fathers for their imitation; so that the flame of heavenly love may burn all the more
fervently in their hearts, the more quickly they supply the fuel of the fire, like cut-up
wood. They are indeed the wood of the cart, because the mind, renewed through the grace of
God, retains them through memory. Concerning these pieces of wood the holy lawgiver
decrees, saying: "Fire must always be on my altar, which the priest shall feed, adding
wood each morning every day" (Lev. 6:12). But because the wood is recorded as having been
cut up, this more openly indicates that for those seeking the purity of the contemplative
life, not common things from sacred Scripture, but rather the higher and more excellent
things must be laid open; so that they may raise themselves up more powerfully in
beholding lofty things, the more the nobler goods they hear please them. Hence it is also
well added: "That they placed the cows upon it as a holocaust to the Lord. For a holocaust
is called a whole burning. Therefore, when the wood is cut up, holocausts are made with
the cows placed upon it:

because those who receive extraordinary things from the Scriptures with a devout mind, the
higher they extend themselves into heavenly desires, the more nothing is left in them that
is not consumed by the flame of divine love. And then indeed it is necessary for the
teacher to take care that his religious subjects contemplate lofty things, and yet do not
hold lofty opinions of themselves through their own estimation; lest, the higher they
advance by beholding the highest things, the more dangerously they are dashed down by
falling through pride. Hence here too it is added: (Verse 15. "But the Levites took down
the Ark of God, and the small chest that was beside it, in which were the golden vessels,
and they placed them upon the great stone." 26. The Levites are interpreted as "the
assumed." Who then are the Levites, except those who are so confirmed by divine grace that
they can never be forsaken by the Holy Spirit? Indeed, the Levites set down the ark when
perfect preachers admonish their subjects, so that spiritual knowledge may in no way puff
them up. They also set down the box with the golden vessels when they likewise address
them concerning the splendor of life, so that they may think more humbly of themselves,
inasmuch as each of them has learned that our Redeemer attained the reward of His
exaltation because He did not vainly think lofty things of Himself. Well therefore is it
recorded that the ark was set down and the golden vessels placed upon a great stone:
because amid sublime gifts, those can more truly think humbly of themselves who have
learned more frequently to recall the greatness and humility of the Redeemer. For he
wished to set down the ark of God and place it upon a great stone, who said: 'Have this
mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Who, being in the form of God, thought it not
robbery to be equal with God; but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being
made in the likeness of men, and found in appearance as a man; He humbled Himself,
becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross' (Phil. 2:5). But those who
sacrifice to God a victim of love from the hearts of their subjects through the ministry
of preaching also present from their own minds far more excellent gifts of offerings.
Whence it is also added: (Verse 15) 'And the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings,
and sacrificed sacrifices on that day unto the Lord.'

27. On what day, unless on that day on which they placed the cows as a holocaust to the
Lord upon the wood of the cart? What then is that day, unless the illumination of divine
preaching? For on that day the Bethshemites offer holocausts to the Lord, on that day they
immolate victims when they cut the wood, when they place the cows upon it as a holocaust
to the Lord; because holy preachers, by that light of the word by which they shine forth
to their subjects, also furnish to themselves the office of vision for the rectitude of
the heavenly journey, and despising the lowest things, through the force of love they
offer themselves to almighty God all the more freely, the more they see their hearers
already joined to Him in great intimacy. Because indeed the men of Bethshemesh are
reported not only to have offered holocausts but also to have immolated victims, the
spiritual oblation of perfect men is signified. For they offer holocausts when through the
ascent of contemplation they unite themselves to almighty God with ineffable affection.
But they join victims to the holocausts, because indeed they attribute the good of so
great a joy not to their own merits but to divine goodness. He indeed offers a holocaust
without victims who is already joined to heavenly things in great delight, yet when the
movements of hidden pride arise, he by no means overcomes them through the virtue of
humility. In the oblations of the perfect, therefore, holocausts and victims are described
as having come together, because they are both worthy to enjoy divine sweetness, and in
all that by which they already make themselves wholly heavenly, they are ignorant of
pride. (Verse 16.) 'And the five lords of the Philistines saw, and returned to Ekron on
that day.'

28. The satraps of the Philistines, as I have already said above, are chosen as preachers
of the Gentiles. They are indeed contained in the number five, because they preside over
those who are either still unlearned in the faith or are carnal, in order to restrain the
five senses of the body. They indeed accompany the cart with the ark of God, because,
passing over to the pursuit of the spiritual life, they follow their already instructed
disciples with the care of their solicitude. But when the cart arrived in the field of
Joshua and the cows were sacrificed, they returned to Ekron: because when they have
already considered the perfection of those disciples, they no longer investigate the paths
of their way of life any further. They return to Ekron because they turn themselves to
converting others. For Ekron in our language means "barren." Barren also are those who
either lack faith or a good way of life. And fittingly, when the princes are said to have
returned, it was added: "On that day" — because unless they had recognized in them the
brightness of so great a perfection, they would not have returned from their solicitude
with the certainty of security. There follows: (Verses 17, 18.) These are the golden
tumors which the Philistines returned as a guilt offering: Ashdod one, Gaza one, Ashkelon
one, Gath one, and Ekron one. And the golden mice, according to the number of the cities
of the Philistines, of the five provinces, from the fortified city even to the village
that was without a wall, and even to the great Abel, upon which they placed the ark of the
Lord, which was there to that day in the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite.

29. What all these things signify has been set forth at length above. But what does it
mean that when the debt owed to the ark is commanded to be paid for sin, five golden
hemorrhoids and five mice are named together; yet when what was owed is declared to have
already been paid, individual cities are reported to have each paid one separately? But
they are named together above because the adornment of all members was being shown
together, in the exchange of good works; but here, when the debt paid to the ark is
described, it is carefully shown that individual cities offered one golden hemorrhoid each
and one mouse each: so that indeed it may be suggested to the converted sinner that he
should abandon sins once for all, and not seek again through habitual depravity what he
has left behind. For individual cities pay back one hemorrhoid and one mouse each, when
converted sinners do not repeat sins once washed away by the tears of repentance. Whence
also Sacred Scripture admonishes, saying: "Do not repeat a word in your prayer" (Sirach
7:15). For he repeats a word in prayer who has tried to purge sins by prayers, yet does
not cease to commit others for which he must pray. He indeed does not offer one hemorrhoid
and one mouse to God for his offense: because even if he is pricked with repentance, he
multiplies the foul deeds which, in confessing to God, he presents before Him.

When therefore the cities of the Philistines, or individual provinces, are described as
having paid back one hemorrhoid and one mouse, what else does this signify but the
perfection of true conversion? For he is perfectly converted who, once he has lamented
what he had done wickedly, does not repeat what he would have to lament again. Therefore
he offers one hemorrhoid and one mouse for sin who so mourns past deeds committed that he
perfectly guards against future ones. And because this form of conversion must be observed
in the holy Church by the wise as much as by the unlearned, by the strong as much as by
the weak, the payment of this debt is rightly said to extend from the walled city even to
the village without a wall. For no one established within the holy Church is free to sin,
for no one is it harmless to commit wicked deeds. Wherefore the Lord threatens through the
prophet, saying: "The soul that sins, it shall die" (Ezekiel 18:4). For walled cities are
minds surrounded by the learning of the Holy Scriptures. But villages without a wall are
simple minds. Therefore not only do individual cities pay back one golden hemorrhoid, but
also villages; so that whoever is converted to a religious life, by God's guidance, once
the stench has been washed away, may not be defiled further.

And because no one is so holy that he does not have in himself something foul to lament,
the payment of this debt extends even to Abel the Great, upon which they had placed the
ark of God. For Abel is interpreted as "mourning. By which name, of course, the stone on
which they had placed the ark of God was called. But this name indeed befits our Redeemer:
because, even though He had no sins of His own to weep over, yet He purged our sins by
daily prayers and weeping. There are also in the holy Church perfect men, joined to that
supreme Stone by the consummation of charity. For he was united to this Stone who said:
"No one separates me from the love of Christ" (Romans 8:35); let us hear whether he pays
the debt to the ark: "At first," he says, "I was a blasphemer and a persecutor" (1 Timothy
1:13). Then again confessing, he says: "I am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I
persecuted the Church of God" (1 Corinthians 15:9). It should also be noted that the debt
of the ark is read to have extended to the stone which is recorded as remaining to that
day in the field of Joshua, and upon which the ark of God was placed. In this matter, what
else do we hold but what we observe in the holy Church:

that those also make satisfaction to God for their fault who have not only been rescued
from sins by the grace of God, but have also been taken up into His tabernacle through the
great heights of holy virtues? There follows: (Verse 19) "But the Lord struck down some of
the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had looked upon the ark of the Lord, and He struck
down seventy men of the people, and fifty thousand of the common folk." 30. Who are the
struck-down Beth-shemites, if not heretics deceived by false contemplation? For the Beth-
shemites existed not in truth, but in presumption. Therefore, while they presumed to look
upon the ark on the stone, they were struck down: because when they, being unworthy,
scrutinized the sacraments of our Lord and Redeemer, they were cast down into the snares
of eternal damnation through the deceit of their own error. But what does it mean that
seventy men of the people, and fifty thousand of the common folk, were struck down? But
since under the designation of "people" even the nobles of cities are included, while "the
common folk" is the remaining populace without nobles, this can be gathered: that some
among the heretics stood out among others as if noble, who perished by error alone while
maintaining purity of works; but the rest, as if following the rusticity of the common
folk, were darkened with the filth of depraved conduct along with the error of faith.
Hence some are expressed by the number fifty, and others by the number seventy: because
the latter carried out their conceived crimes through the five senses of the body; while
the former, by falsely ascribing to themselves the gifts of the sevenfold Spirit, were
buried under the eternal darkness of blindness. And because the true faithful were
saddened by their striking down, there follows: (Verse 20. And the men of Beth-shemesh
said: Who is able to stand in the sight of the Lord, this holy God?

For it is as though the true faithful, yet simple ones, were saying: If such wise men and
philosophers are deceived in the knowledge of the highest truth, when can the unlearned
and simple come to the knowledge of Him? But even if they lack confidence in their own
measure, nevertheless they do not lack confidence that the gift of divine knowledge is
present to the Church. Wherefore it is also added: (Verse 20. And to whom shall He go up
from us? 31. For the Lord ascends from us when that which is hidden from us concerning the
knowledge of Him is preached through the voice of the chosen faithful. For His ascending
from us is, as it were, to reveal to lofty hearts through humility what He has hidden from
the simpler or weaker ones concerning eternal contemplation. What then does it mean to
say, "To whom shall He ascend from us," except to seek a worthy teacher who so preaches
divine things that he does not stray from the way of truth? In these words also, if we
seek the historical sense, we clearly recognize that those who died because they looked
upon the ark of the Lord were indeed not worthy of that vision. Rightly therefore, those
who behold the stricken say: "Who shall be able to stand in the presence of this holy Lord
God? For if those who are unworthy die by seeing, how shall those who handle sacred things
live? The Bethshemites in the holy Church are dead priests and reprobate ministers of the
sacred altar, because they are of the house of the Sun of justice by the dignity of their
ministry, not by the virtue and grace of holiness. They are indeed Bethshemites, because
through the office of sacred oblation they dwell in the house of God;

but they are to be struck with all the sharper condemnation inasmuch as they dare not only
to look upon the sacred mysteries but to handle them, inasmuch as they no longer merely
gaze upon the ark of the Old Testament, but—what surpasses all—they unworthily thrust
themselves upon the body and blood of the Redeemer; that they are struck down Paul
indicates, saying: "He who eats and drinks unworthily eats and drinks judgment to himself"
(1 Cor. 11:29). For the truly faithful say: "Who shall be able to stand in the presence of
this holy Lord God? For they consider the loftiness of so great a ministry and tremble at
the dignity of so great a sacrament. But while they fear to undertake the office of so
great a thing, they seek worthier persons who may be able to perform it. Whence it also
follows: "And to whom shall He ascend from us? As if, therefore, humbly fleeing the sacred
mysteries, they were to say: "Because we are struck down by our weak manner of life,
ministers must be sought from a higher life, whom a lofty manner of living raises to the
highest sanctification of virtues, so that they may stand before God through the office of
so great an oblation. There follows: (Verse 21) "They therefore sent messengers to the
inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying: The Philistines have sent back the ark of the Lord;
come down and bring it up to you."

32. Kiriath-jearim is called their city. What is the city of the saints, if not that
Jerusalem which is above? Who then are its inhabitants, if not perfect men separated from
the love of the world by their lofty manner of life? Of whom indeed one, more effective
than the rest, says: 'Our conversation is in heaven' (Phil. 3:20). To these, of course,
messengers must be sent to receive the ark of God: because for the election of priests,
holy men must not only be received but also invited. And it should be noted that to these
more exalted men it is said through messengers: Come down and bring it back. For they come
down because they obey: for they would by no means come down if they refused with a proud
mind to render what brotherly love seeks from them. Then indeed they are truly exalted,
when they do not withdraw themselves from Christ; when they do not reject what is imposed
upon them by the judgment of their brethren. Whence it is fittingly added:


COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS (BOOK THREE – BOOK FOUR)
==============================================

COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS continued

CHAPTER 3.5

The men of Kiriath-jearim therefore came and brought back the ark of the Lord, and they
carried it into the house of Abinadab on the hill. And they consecrated his son Eleazar to
guard the ark of the Lord. 1. Aminadab is interpreted as "my people, willing"; Gibeah,
"lofty. And indeed the ark of God must be entrusted to such persons. For a willing people
is one whom good will alone draws to the exercise of virtuous works, whom necessity does
not compel to fulfill the commandments of God. Blessed Paul indeed proclaims such persons
under a single description, saying: "God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Cor. 9:7). What is the
house of the willing people, if not the stronghold of holy love? For one could not be
willing in the service of the virtues if one did not build for oneself a dwelling place of
love. This house is certainly known to be situated in Gibeah, that is, on a height:
because by the loftiness of charity we are raised up to heavenly things. Or indeed the
house is on a height because charity is preferred above all virtues. For Paul, indicating
the height of this sublimity, says: "I show you a still more excellent way. If I speak
with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not charity, I have become as sounding
brass or a tinkling cymbal" (1 Cor. 12:31; 13:1). But what does it mean that they sanctify
Eleazar to guard the ark of God? But this indeed we know from the practice of Holy Church,
that a chosen minister first receives the blessing of consecration from the chief men
before he undertakes the ministry of offering.

But since Eleazar is said to mean "helper of God," it is clearly shown that the ministers
of God must not only be sanctified, but also examined as to what sort of men they are who
are to be promoted to the order of this consecration. For who are the helpers of God, if
not those who accord with divine grace in ministering, and whom the favor of Almighty God
visits inwardly, which they themselves confirm through outward ministry by living well and
teaching? Whence also, glorying not in vain with Paul, they say: "For we are God's
helpers" (1 Cor. 3:9). These indeed, most strong in their manner of life, learned in
knowledge, fervent in love, robust in constancy, not only do not need the help of others,
but wherever they go, they are able to assist others. Rightly therefore it is said: "They
sanctified Eleazar, that he might guard the ark. Because those who still need the help of
others are not to be promoted to assisting others. Rightly likewise this same Eleazar is
said to be the son of Aminadab: because certainly he who is chosen for the ministry of
preaching, being set in the imitation of the saints, ought to render all the help he
provides out of love.

2. Because we said above that the cart is Sacred Scripture, the ark is its spiritual
knowledge, and the chosen cows are elect souls, the fear of the Bethshemites, which we
showed to be present in the elect at the offering of the sacrament, can also be referred
to the burden of prelacy. For no lesser holiness is fit for instructing souls than for
offering the sacred mysteries. And therefore the Bethshemites are said to have been struck
down: because many who live well as subjects die as prelates. For the ark of God also has
an outward beauty, which if a weak minister looks upon not for spiritual veneration but
for worldly desire, he by no means lives. Rightly therefore the cause of their being
struck is declared when it is said: "Because they looked upon the ark of God. For what
does "they looked" mean, except that by looking they coveted its glory? But now, by God's
doing, the glory of holy Church is abundant throughout the whole world. Because this glory
is sought in a worldly manner by reprobate priests, the men of Beth-shemesh die by looking
upon the ark of God from the outside. For they do not seek its spiritual honor for the
sake of the inward glory of virtues, but so that they might seize the splendor of God's
ark and bear the radiance of ecclesiastical prelacy in the flower of the world for their
own display.

The ark of God is also looked upon wrongly from the outside, to one's destruction, when
wicked leaders, overcome by the outward appearance of persons under their charge, are
drawn into carnal desire. The men, beholding with fear the vast multitude laid low by the
weapon of desire, say: "Who shall be able to stand in the sight of the Lord, this holy
God? For he stands in the sight of God who is strong in the order of divine ministry.
Indeed, to stand is a matter of fortitude; to minister is a matter of service. He is
therefore said to stand in the sight of God who arranges the order of heavenly office at
the height of a worthy way of life; who in the ministry he performs is deceived by no
appetite for ecclesiastical honor, and is overcome by no carnal desire. But because such
fit ministers are rarely found, they rightly say: "Who shall be able to stand in the sight
of the Lord, this holy God? And because the little ones of Christ leave so great a burden
to stronger men, they add: "And to whom shall it go up from us? Now, how they sent to the
inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, how they brought the ark of God into the house of Abinadab,
and how they sanctified Eleazar, we do not change from what was set forth above. (Verse 2.
And it came to pass from the time the ark of God remained in Kiriath-jearim, the days were
multiplied.

If we look to the historical sense, the days of the ark's sojourn were multiplied because
it was there for a long time. Hence it is also added: (Verse 2. For it was the twentieth
year. And to what purpose he introduced this multiplication of days, he adds, saying:
(Verse 2. And all Israel rested after the Lord. This rest among that ancient people is to
be understood not as one of good works, but of good devotion. For it follows: (Verse 3.
And Samuel said to the whole house of Israel, saying: If you return to God with your whole
heart, put away the foreign gods from among you, Baalim and Ashtaroth; and prepare your
hearts for the Lord, and serve him alone, and he will deliver you from the hand of the
Philistines. 3. Those who had not removed the foreign gods from their midst, except by
good will, how were they resting after the Lord? All of which things, if they are
investigated spiritually, the days of the ark's sojourn are multiplied. But when it
remains in Gibeah; when it remains in the custody of Eleazar; because when the care of
faithful souls is entrusted to devout preachers, the perfection of religion, which is
bestowed through lofty doctrine, is fulfilled by the pursuit of good works. Whence also
the twentieth year was then reported to be at hand. For if the number ten designates the
perfection of the old Law, what does twenty signify, if not the more splendid religion of
the new life? For the number twenty is ten doubled. Which number is certainly perfected in
the conduct of the elect, when through love they avoid what the Law forbids and fulfill
the lofty commandments of the Gospel.

4. But because we have referred the journey of the ark to the perfection of the
contemplative life, the ark of God remains in Kiriath-jearim when the learned minds of
contemplatives perfect the gift of that same learning of theirs in the delight of the
heavenly brightness revealed to them. For the ark of God remains there now for twenty
years, because chosen souls, raised to the summit of intimate exaltation, have the number
ten in the perfection of knowledge, and the number twenty in heavenly delight. The
multiplication of days can also be referred to the increases of spiritual virtues.
Therefore, when the reason why the days are multiplied is stated more expressly, it is
said to be the twentieth year: because, namely, the chosen minds of contemplatives, the
more abundantly they are nourished by heavenly contemplation, the more fully they are
illuminated by the splendors of spiritual virtues.

5. But what does it mean that in the twentieth year all Israel is said to rest after the
Lord, except that the sublimity of the perfection of the elect does not consist in the
strength of good works, but in the power of contemplation? For to rest after the Lord is
to hold fast to the imitation of our Redeemer with invincible love. And whoever has not
learned to love strongly by contemplating those ineffable joys of the heavenly city,
because he can more frequently be cast down to love of the world, by no means rests after
the Lord. When therefore the ark remains in Kiriath-jearim and the days are multiplied,
all Israel rests after the Lord: because indeed, while the knowledge of the elect mind is
raised to the experience of heavenly delight, while by the light of the glory poured forth
the splendors of spiritual virtues are gathered together within it, it can hold fast to
the imitation of the Lord all the more perseveringly because, illuminated by immense
splendors, it cannot perceive those darknesses by which it might be separated from the
true light. Whence also it is well that he who is said to rest after the Lord is declared
to be Israel, that is, "seeing God": because the higher the contemplator is caught up into
divine things, the less he is overcome by the human things which he powerfully restrains.

6. But since, with God as our guide, we have followed the ark on its journey all the way
to the place of its exaltation, let us see with what zeal the preacher keeps watch over
the correction of those subject to him. For it continues: 'And Samuel said to the whole
house of Israel: If you return to the Lord with your whole heart, remove the foreign gods
from your midst.' Now what does Sacred Scripture customarily call foreign gods, if not
demons, which dwell in handmade idols? We have said that in Samuel the new preachers of
holy Church are signified. Rightly, therefore, he commanded the whole house of Israel to
remove the foreign gods from their midst: because among the Gentiles coming to the faith,
the order of preachers demanded not only the truth of right progress, but also the
condemnation of ancient superstition. For it would profit them nothing to honor the truth
by professing it, or by rendering obedience to it, unless they had first abandoned what is
false as worthy of detestation. Whoever even now is placed within holy Church through
faith, yet is rebellious against God through wicked conduct, must be admonished to remove
the foreign gods from his midst. For even if he detests handmade idols, he is nevertheless
subjected to the commands of demons through depraved action. But he casts the foreign gods
away from his midst who is so converted to God that he never venerates unclean spirits
through evil works.

7. A zeal for a more cautious life can also be indicated through these words of
exhortation. For what is in our midst, if not our heart? Yet there are some who are
defiled by the weakness of their heart and the habit of depraved thought, even while
engaged in the works of the world. They indeed do good things unceasingly, yet they never
cease to think wicked thoughts. Since as many demons rest in their hearts as there are
impure desires, they are urgently admonished to remove the foreign gods from their midst:
so that they may offer to almighty God not only the uprightness of their work, but also
the glory of interior purity. Hence it is fittingly added: 'And prepare your hearts for
the Lord.' For he prepares his heart for the Lord who not only separates his mind from
impure thought, but also illuminates it with the splendors of holy thoughts and virtues:
so that, as if the idols had been cast away and crushed, he may make himself a temple of
God; since he raises up a seat for divine grace in the very place where he did not permit
wicked spirits to remain through the depraved desires subject to them. Rightly, therefore,
he first admonishes the Israelites to remove the foreign gods from their midst, and then
to prepare their hearts for God, because the proper order of beginning one's religion is
that each person should first reject what is wicked, and then draw near to almighty God
with the zeal of good intention. Finally, it is necessary that he who has already offered
to God the resolve of a good will and the cleanness of a pure heart should set forth in
the uprightness of good work what he has inwardly determined by living well. Therefore it
is also added: 'And serve God alone.'

8. For he alone serves the Lord who does not mix wicked things with good works. For he who
so does good that he does not abandon evil by no means serves God alone, because he shows
obedience to the evil spirit whose will he does not fear to carry out. Whence it comes
about that even while doing good he does not serve God, because He who is believed to have
created the whole man does not deign to share him in common with the adversary. For hence
it is that Truth itself declares through itself, saying: 'No one can serve two masters'
(Matt. 6:24). Hence Paul, inquiring, says: 'What participation has righteousness with
iniquity, or what fellowship has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with
Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever, or what agreement has the temple
of God with idols?' (2 Cor. 6:14–15). Therefore we are commanded to serve the Lord alone,
so that we who have already begun, by God's inspiration, to do good works for the purpose
of obtaining the remission of our sins, may mix no wicked things with those same good
works. For we are then loosed from the bond of our sins when the good things which we
expend for their absolution are not mixed with evil. For the preacher, speaking to devoted
penitents, says: 'If you return to the Lord with your whole heart, put away the foreign
gods from your midst, and serve God alone.' As if to say: Then you will be able to be
loosed from sins when you do not defile the good things of heart and deed, which you
expend before God for your absolution, by other sins coming upon them. Wherefore, also
making a promise in return, he says: 'And He will deliver you from the hand of the
Philistines.'

9. Who else are designated by the Philistines in this passage but malignant spirits? They
indeed, while intoxicated in an instant by the cup of their own pride, fell from the state
of glory by swelling up. What then is the hand of the Philistines, if not that power of
demons by which they lead souls dead in sin to eternal torments? From that hand of the
Philistines, He alone had been free who said: "The prince of this world comes, and has
nothing in me" (John 14:30). Hence Paul says: "All have sinned, and fall short of the
glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). Hence he says again: "We also were children of wrath, even as
the rest" (Eph. 2:3). O how great a gift is that promise by which it is said: "He will
deliver you from the hand of the Philistines. For He alone stood free from this hand, who
committed no sin. From it, assuredly, we are all delivered contrary to our own merit.
Whence Paul also says: "Justified freely by His grace, through the redemption of His
righteousness, on account of the redemption of preceding offenses, in the forbearance of
God, for the demonstration of His justice in this time, that He Himself might be just, and
the justifier of the one who is of the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 3:24–26).
Hence he likewise says: "By grace you have been saved" (Eph. 2:8). It is as if he were
saying:

He will deliver you from the power of malignant spirits, so that, as though cruel enemies
have been put to flight from the road, when the death of the flesh intervenes, you may
more securely reach those eternal joys which you desire. Great things, therefore, did He
promise who, by commanding great things, taught, so that the greatness of the gift might
incite to the strength of labor. For it is a great thing to serve the Lord alone, namely
to do good unceasingly, and not to mix wicked deeds with good actions. But oh, how
supremely great it is, in the passage of this life, not to encounter the power of
bloodthirsty spirits, to see no terrors on the way, to find no opposing obstacles, to
escape eternal punishments, to feel the protection of our Deliverer, to lose the momentary
light of this world, but suddenly to find the ineffable brightness of eternity. Let them
hear, therefore, let them hear, those who desire to be delivered from the hand of the
Philistines: "Prepare your hearts for the Lord, and serve Him alone"—so that here each one
may strive to gather for himself that by which there they may not fall into the hands of
such great enemies, and may pass securely to life, they who, among the treasures of their
salvation which they accumulate here by living well, carry with them no works of death.
Moreover, the conduct of the elect is indicated by what follows: (Verse 4.

"Therefore the children of Israel put away from their midst the Baals and the Ashtaroth,
and served the Lord alone." 10. For it is the custom of the elect that when they receive
the exhortations of divine preaching, they are kindled to zeal for the good works they
have heard. For the reprobate frequently hear the words of God, yet from those same words
they undertake no good works. They remain sluggish in their actions, because, cast out
from the divine light, they do not see by inward contemplation the glory of almighty God
whose words they hear. Rightly, therefore, those who obey are called children of Israel,
because the more openly they behold His majesty in its manifestation, the more devoutly
they are known to obey His commandments. But since he is speaking to those who have been
converted, let us hear what he perceives is still lacking in them. For there follows:
(Verses 5, 6.) And Samuel said: Gather all Israel to Mizpah, that I may pray to the Lord
for you. And they gathered together at Mizpah.

11. Mizpah is interpreted as "watching" or "contemplation." The blessed Paul explains this
contemplation when he says: 'For now we see through a glass, darkly' (1 Cor. 13:12). For
to watch is, for us, to contemplate eternal goods from the heights of the Scriptures. For
we watch, as it were, what we already know by the truth of faith, yet do not yet see with
unveiled face. For converted sinners to gather at Mizpah is to trust, through the
attention of the mind, in the mercy of almighty God. But let them so presume upon the
mercy of God that they nevertheless do not neglect to wipe away through penance what they
recall having done wickedly. Whence it is also suddenly added there: (v. 6) 'And they drew
water and poured it out before the Lord.' 12. For what is it to draw water, except to
bring forth streams of tears from the deep confusion of a penitent soul? For we draw
water, as it were, when, considering how deep the iniquity into which we have fallen, we
lament. And indeed we pour out this water in the sight of the Lord, if when we are pierced
with compunction through repentance, we do not seek from the weeping of that compunction
the favor of the world, but only the fruit of divine appeasement. But also when the mind
is pierced with compunction through weeping, it is necessary that the flesh too, which was
subject to pleasures, be afflicted. Whence it is also added: (Verse 6.) And they fasted on
that day.

13. The day of the sinful soul is the hope of obtaining pardon in the promise of the
divine word. Whence the Lord also promises through the prophet, saying: 'I do not desire
the death of the sinner, but rather that he be converted and live' (Ezek. 18:32, 33, 11).
On that day, therefore, they fast who for this reason wear down the flesh by repenting:
because in the light of hope they undoubtingly believe that they will attain pardon. Yet
that affliction of penance is only then suitable for destroying sins when it has been
commanded by the judgment of a priest, when by him, after the deeds of those confessing
have been examined, the burden of affliction is determined for them according to the
measure of the offense. Rightly therefore it follows: (Verse 6) 'And they said: We have
sinned against you, O Lord. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpah.'

14. For the priest judges in Masphath when he follows not human judgment but divine; when
in everything that must be decided he raises himself up in lofty contemplation, and in
judging his subjects he decides what he recognizes to be just in the heavenly vision. For
this is why Moses consults the Lord in the tabernacle of the covenant in nearly every
matter (Exod. XXXIII, 8): because indeed the preacher of holy Church ought to look into
the innermost contemplation of truth, so that he may be able to order the life of his
subjects outwardly in a blameless manner. For he can more truly both retain sins and remit
them when, in the secret place of contemplation, he hears what the Lord speaks. Hence also
the Lord, rising from the dead, first breathed upon the face of the disciples, and
afterward granted them the authority of remitting and retaining sins (John XX, 21, 23): so
that He might clearly show that whoever does not have that contemplation of mind ought not
to be a judge of souls. For the Lord's breathing upon the face of the chosen preachers is
to reveal to them through the Holy Spirit the inmost and secret ways of spiritual
examination. Hence Paul says: "The spiritual man judges all things" (I Cor. II, 15). Hence
likewise, commending the bounty of divine grace, he says:

"We have not received the spirit of this world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we
might know the things that have been given to us by God" (Ibid., 12). But whoever has the
spirit of this world cannot judge his subjects in Masphath, that is, in contemplation:
because while he does not penetrate interior things through the Spirit, in the cases of
judgment that he investigates, he errs outwardly by a worldly spirit. Rightly therefore is
Samuel said to have judged the children of Israel in Masphath: because indeed holy
preachers, in the judgments of their subjects, define nothing outwardly except what is
revealed to them inwardly by divine inspiration. But while good subjects submit themselves
to the judgment of their superiors, they kindle more fiercely against themselves the wrath
of spiritual enemies. Hence it is added: (Verse 7. "And the lords of the Philistines went
up against Israel."

15. For when the foreign gods have been removed, the fast completed, and the scrutiny of
examination carried out by the preacher, the princes of the Philistines ascend against
Israel: because when we advance to a higher life, the malign spirits, who always envy
those who act well, are more hostile to us. And because they seek to cast us down from the
height of an innocent life, they are said to ascend. For to ascend, for malign spirits, is
to raise themselves up to assault the hearts elevated through heavenly desire. Because
also against the more perfect soldiers of Christ, battles are stirred up not by any random
evil spirits, but by stronger demons, it is not the Philistines who are reported to ascend
against Israel, but the satraps of the Philistines. Princes also preside over many.
Therefore by this, that the satraps are said to ascend against Israel, it can reasonably
be gathered that to test the patience of the elect, not one evil spirit is assigned to
each of the elect, but innumerable ones; so that from their achieved victory, the glory of
the faithful may be the more abundant, the heavier the battles that have been inflicted
upon them. Yet amid these same battles, the recently converted are accustomed to tremble
greatly: for suddenly they find themselves on a field of struggle, beyond the experience
of their custom. On one side they behold desires armed against them, which had long served
them peaceably; on the other side, heavenly love invites them not to abandon the good
things they have begun. On one side the spirit elevates the mind, on the other the flesh
weighs it down; and since they cannot know the measure of their end, they are greatly
terrified by the uncertainty of their election. Whence it is also fittingly added here:
(Verse 7.) When the children of Israel heard this, they were afraid before the face of the
Philistines.

16. For they fear the face of the Philistines, so that they do not fear what follows after
them. For what is the face of evil spirits, if not worldly desire? For in this appearance,
whoever is composed is conformed to their image. But because Israel is said to have feared
not the face of the Philistines, but "from the face" of the Philistines, this both reveals
the minds of the elect and also, by a hidden reason, reproves the foolishness of the
reprobate. For they feared not "the face," but "from the face": because, namely, for holy
men, what they behold outwardly is one thing, and what they dread inwardly is another. For
even if they sometimes consider the flourishing world with human reason, they suddenly
lift the eyes of the mind, drawing them back to those evils that follow the joys of the
world, and they tremble, as it were, "from the face," who avoid present delights lest they
encounter the punishments that follow. But on the contrary, the reprobate, who by no means
fear this face of the Philistines, do not escape the onslaughts of their pursuing
ferocity. For while they embrace the vain joys of the world with all their strength, they
are seized by perpetual afflictions through the power of demons. Against whom, indeed, the
Truth threatens, saying: "Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation
in your life" (Luke 6:24). Hence also, denouncing them, He says: "Woe to you who laugh,
for you shall weep" (ibid., 25).

As if He were saying otherwise: Because you by no means tremble at the face of the
Philistines, when their pursuing forces rush upon you, you cannot find the refuge of
salvation. Then indeed fear is present, but He who might help is not present. The
punishment of wickedness is given without hope of deliverance; and those who desired the
blandishments of the Philistines' face in the love of the world feel how horrible are the
Philistines' consequences. Rightly, therefore, it is said of the Israelites, in the type
of the elect: "They feared from the face of the Philistines": because, namely, while they
skillfully order for themselves a manner of living, they do not resolve to fear eternal
evils when they come, but they tremble at temporal desire, on account of which those evils
are inflicted. And because they believe they can obtain this not so much by their own
merits as by the intercession of their elders, there follows: (Verse 8. "And they said to
Samuel: Do not cease to cry out for us to the Lord our God, that He may save us from the
hand of the Philistines."

17. But good pastors also confer upon their afflicted subjects not only the aids of
prayers, but also of sacrifices. Whence it is added: (Verse 9.) 'And Samuel took a
suckling lamb, and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord, and Samuel cried
out.' What is the cry of Samuel, if not the great power of desire in the supplication of
the priest? Whence to Moses, silent on his lips, yet desiring the salvation of his subject
people with fervent devotion, it is said by the Lord: 'Why do you cry out to me' (Exod.
XIV, 15)? But who is the suckling lamb, if not the one whom his forerunner pointed out,
saying: 'Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world' (John I,
29)? And he is called suckling, because in his innocence true humanity is proclaimed. But
one lamb is offered, because apart from him, no one is found who might take away the sins
of the world. And indeed he offered the lamb whole. For the wholeness of the lamb pertains
to the soundness of the catholic profession. For it is as though one divides the lamb, who
is separated from the rule of faith by the sword of error. The lamb, therefore, is so
called on account of innocence; suckling, on account of the assumption of our nature; one,
on account of the singularity of his power; whole, on account of the most firm soundness
of our faith.

18. But if anyone wishes to refer these things not to him, but to his imitator, he may do
so. For we offer a lamb when, through the good of chastity and innocence, we are conformed
to our Redeemer; and when we are fed by the teaching of our innocent Fathers, we suck as
it were at the breasts by which we are nourished unto eternal life. We also offer one lamb
if, after the beginnings of religious conversion, we are polluted by no stain of
wickedness. For he offers one lamb who does not flow away from the purpose of innocence to
the stains of a polluted life, from which he would have to return through the repetition
of good works. To offer a whole lamb is also to prepare for eternal life not only
continence of the flesh but integrity of the mind. He by no means offers a whole lamb to
the Lord who consecrates his flesh to God through continence but does not restrain the
secrets of his mind from the wantonness of impure thoughts. For he steals away, as it
were, a part of the lamb from the sacrifice, who does not join purity of heart to
continence of body. Whence the Lamb himself, teaching his disciples to offer a whole one,
says: "You have heard that it was said to the ancients: You shall not commit adultery; but
I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed
adultery in his heart" (Matt. 5:27–28).

Hence also the foolish virgins are noted in the Gospel, who prepared their lamps but did
not prepare oil (Matt. 25:3). For they have lamps prepared who preserve the good of
modesty in the body; and they also have oil who maintain the brightness of purity in the
watchfulness of their mind. Let it therefore be said of Samuel: "He offered a whole lamb
to the Lord," because for the good of modesty to suffice for divine appeasement, it must
be preserved not only in the brightness of the body but in the splendor of interior
purity. Rightly therefore it is added: (Verse 9.) — "And the Lord heard him." 19. For he
who prays for others can be heard by the Lord, who is not in any respect hateful to the
Lord to whom he makes supplication. For if he is still weighed down by his own weakness,
he is by no means heard for obtaining the strength of his neighbors; and he does not raise
his desire to the heights of divine majesty, because he himself does not at all strive to
ascend from the depths where he lies through his fall by the effort of more fervent zeal.
But the manner of being heard is also set forth, when it is added: (Verses 10-11.) It came
to pass, while Samuel was offering the burnt offering, the Philistines began battle
against Israel. But the Lord thundered with a great crash on that day upon the
Philistines, and terrified them, and they were struck down by the children of Israel. And
the children of Israel went forth from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and struck them
down even to the place that was below Beth-car.

20. When Samuel was offering a holocaust, the Philistines enter battle against Israel:
because evil spirits then stir up graver temptations against the faithful subjects when
they see Pastors standing more firmly against them. But the Lord thunders upon the
Philistines: because when doctors pray and the faithful subjects pray, divine grace
supplies strength. For thunder usually occurs through clouds. And by sublime clouds are
understood souls raised up through heavenly desire. Whence also the prophet, marveling at
the minds of the elect elevated in the love of heavenly things, said: "Who are these who
fly as clouds? (Isa. 60:8). And what are the thunders of the clouds, if not those fervent
and heavenly desires of the elect: by which, when their mind is set ablaze through divine
grace, they utterly expel from it everything that evil spirits suggest by deception?
Rightly therefore it is said: "The Lord thundered upon the Philistines and terrified them.
For when through His grace He pours heavenly desires into the minds of the elect, because
He also makes them despise all earthly things, He turns to flight even the wicked spirits
who suggest that they desire those things. For they flee as if terrified by thunder, when
in the minds of the elect, which they had assailed by tempting, they tremble at the
immense sound of divine power. Since indeed the Lord is said to have thundered with a
great crash, what else does this mean except that the imperfect desires of Christians are
not terrible to demons?

For the great crash of thunder is the perfect desire of each one of the elect. When
therefore the Lord thunders upon the Philistines with a great crash, then they are slain
by the children of Israel: because when perfect devotion raises the mind of the elect to
heavenly joys, it utterly cuts off from itself everything that serves the opposing side.
Well also are the Philistines recorded as first being terrified and then slain by the
children of Israel: for they are terrified by the devotion of the elect, they are slain by
their works. And because devotion precedes works, they are rightly said to be first
terrified and afterward slain. For we first receive from the Lord the gift of good will,
so that we may afterward be able to confute the counsels of evil spirits. Well also is the
Lord said to thunder upon the Philistines and terrify them, while the children of Israel
are said to slay them: because good desires are supplied to us through divine grace, but
we advance the gifts of grace through the effort of free will to the victories of the
virtues. The order of heavenly warfare, therefore, is that God be first heard thundering
with a great crash, and afterward the soldier advance to cut down the ranks of the enemy:

so that he may first see in himself the gifts of grace, then burst forth more powerfully
to the field of battle, and confidently hope for the outcome of victory, he who has been
sustained by the powers with which he will be crowned before the time of the engagement.
21. Well indeed, those who slay the Philistines are said to have gone forth from Mizpah.
For in Mizpah, which is called "watching," those dwell who persist in the contemplation of
divine things. But they go out to slay the Philistines when, coming forth instructed from
the secret of inner meditation, they suppress the forces of hostile domination. For
inwardly they secretly arrange how outwardly, in open action, they may break through the
battle formations of the enemy. Indeed they wage all the heavier battles against them when
they go forth, the more quietly they have lain hidden within themselves while pondering
internal things. And because evil spirits must always be suppressed by God's elect, the
Philistines are recorded to have been struck down as far as the place below Beth-car.
Beth-car indeed is interpreted as "house of the lamb. Isaiah, pointing out this lamb to
us, says: "As a lamb he shall be led to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearer,
without a sound" (Isaiah 53:7). What then was the house of the lamb, if not that sublime
and uniquely fortified life of the Redeemer, which, since it was free from fault, stood
inaccessible to all wicked spirits? No one can reach Beth-car, that is, the house of the
lamb, because whoever advances greatly is still inferior to the holiness of the Redeemer.
Hence also the outstanding preacher, pressing upon the praises of the same Redeemer, says:
"It was fitting that we should have such a high priest:

holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens, who
has no need, as priests do, first to offer sacrifices for his own sins" (Hebrews 7:26–27).
What then is the place below Beth-car, to which we must slay and pursue the Philistines?
But if Beth-car signifies the perfection of the Lord's life, the place below Beth-car
expresses the common highest sanctity of the Saints, who both humble themselves by obeying
the same Redeemer, and draw near to his glory through the pursuit of an innocent life. For
the place which is shown to be situated below Beth-car is recognized as both inferior to
and near the place beneath which it lies: because holy men, the nearer they are to God
through the height of their life, the more they are subject to him in humbler thought.
Therefore, while the triumph of new believers is shown under the deeds of the Israelites,
the foreigners are said to have been slain as far as the place below the house of the
lamb: because indeed through unceasing effort of struggle, we must strive toward the
citadel of perfection, where we may be all the more terrible to our enemies, the nearer we
are to our Redeemer. For there is already a certain security there which cannot be
disturbed by fear of enemies. For the Lord, pointing out the gifts of granted power to
such as these, says: "Behold, I have given you power to tread upon serpents and scorpions,
and over all the power of the enemy" (Luke 10:19).

Hence also he who had reached the place near to the house of the lamb says: "Who shall
separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or hunger" (Romans
8:35), or other such things? The house of the lamb can also designate the heavenly
homeland. Hence John also says: "I saw upon Mount Zion a lamb standing, and with him one
hundred forty-four thousand, having his name and the name of his Father written on their
foreheads" (Revelation 14:1). What then is the place that is below the house of the lamb,
if not the boundary of temporal life, from which the elect are taken up to the joys of the
heavenly homeland? For we who are led to the boundary appointed for us, which we cannot
pass beyond by living, come as it were to a place from which we may be transferred
elsewhere. But the boundary of the elect man's life is shown to be situated below the
house of the lamb: because from where he is plunged down through the straits of mortality,
from there he is raised up to the joys of unfailing life. For even the Lamb himself, who
joyfully inhabits his own house amid harpists playing and singing, before he was led to
the joy of this house, was below the house. For hence it is that at the time of his
sacrifice he says: "My soul is sorrowful even unto death" (Matthew 26:38; Mark 14:34).

Therefore the end of each elect person, while it is indicated by a place, is recorded as
being below Beth-car, that is, the house of the lamb; because holy men, when they leave
temporal things through the penalty of death, ascend from nearby to the heavenly homeland
that stands above them. For Paul, asserting confidently, says: "We know that if our
earthly house is dissolved, we have a dwelling from God, not made with hands, in heaven"
(2 Corinthians 5:1). Therefore we slay the Philistines as far as the place that is below
the house of the lamb, if as long as we are in this life, we triumph over evil spirits.
There follows: (Verse 12) "Samuel took a stone and placed it between Mizpah and Shen; and
he called its name the Stone of Help, and said: 'Thus far the Lord has helped us.'" 22. In
sacred Scripture, a stone signifies our Lord and Redeemer. A single stone is taken up by
Samuel when the strength of the Redeemer is uniquely proclaimed by the preacher of Holy
Church. This stone is indeed set up between Mizpah and Sen, because at the departure of
life it protects the elect and crushes the reprobate. For Sen means "shaking off. The
reprobate have been shaken off, that is, separated from the fellowship of the faithful.
Therefore, while the Philistines are said to have been struck down all the way to the
place below Beth-car, the stone is declared to have been set up between Sen and Mizpah:
because when God's elect receive the trophy of their victory at the end, they are
separated from the company of the wicked by the judgment of the Redeemer. But now, like
wheat and chaff together on the threshing floor, we are mixed together; yet when we are
brought to the end of life, the elect are divided from the reprobate by the Lord's power,
and they have, as it were, a stone placed between them, since the reprobate bear the
weight of the Redeemer in the judgment of their condemnation, while the elect hold the
palms of eternal glory in his strength. By Sen, evil spirits can also be designated. For
they have been shaken off, because they were cast out from the heavenly sanctuary through
pride.

And because they now wage war against us in this life, fittingly when the time of our
victory is declared, the stone is said to be placed between us and them: because when we
receive the rewards of our warfare, their battles are never again renewed against us.
Moreover, Samuel places this stone in their midst, because the teacher of Holy Church
shows us the goodness of our Redeemer. And because everything that is accomplished
prosperously by us in all our life is ascribed to divine grace, the stone that is set in
the midst is fittingly called by him the Stone of Help. For he himself is the Stone of
Help; if he were unwilling to come to our aid, we could be conquered but could never
conquer. Of this stone, now placed in their midst, it is said: "Thus far the Lord has
helped us," because his protection follows his elect even to the time of eternal
recompense. And because, as we have said, once we have been received into eternal rest, no
battles are stirred up by our vanquished enemies, there follows: (Verse 13). "And the
Philistines were humbled, nor did they come anymore into the territory of Israel."

23. These things indeed so express the deeds of each of the elect, that they indicate both
the battle array and the joys of recompense of the holy catholic Church. For blessed Paul
showed this victory of the universal Church as yet to come after the glory of our
resurrection; who, as though present at the future incorruption, taunted death, saying:
"Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your
sting?" (1 Cor. 15:54-55). He also saw the Philistines humbled, because, making mention of
the apostate angels, he kindled the elect to love of their future dignity, saying: "Do you
not know that we shall judge angels?" (1 Cor. 6:3). For then indeed the Philistines are
humbled, when the demons are cast into the fires of eternal flame prepared for them from
the foundation of the world. And they no longer attempt to come into the borders of
Israel, because they do not go out to tempt the hearts of the elect. But what are the
borders of Israel, if not the heavens? And how shall the evil spirits come into the
borders of Israel, who are so condemned in the depths of hell that they never rise up from
the submersion of their punishments? Because, therefore, they are cast down by eternal
oppression, it is fittingly added: (Verse 13). "And the hand of the Lord was upon the
Philistines all the days of Samuel."

24. For what are the days of the good teacher, if not those springlike rays of shining
eternity? These are fittingly said to belong to Samuel: because even though they are
common to all the elect, by a certain special grace they shine for the joys of preachers.
Or certainly they belong to preachers, because they shine more especially in the minds of
those by whose preaching they are now made known to the holy Church. Moreover, the hand of
the Lord is said to have been upon the Philistines all the days of Samuel, because the
divine power always oppresses evil spirits, which in the glory of eternal brightness never
ceases to gladden the elect as well. Then indeed the losses of the angels are repaired,
when whatever had been taken away from blessedness out of the order of created spirits by
their pride is made up from elect men. Wherefore there follows: (Verse 14.) And the cities
which the Philistines had taken were restored to Israel.

25. Those ruined multitudes of angels are the cities that were taken away. But then they
are restored, when from the elect human nature is assumed that which may supply what was
lost from among the angels. This can also fittingly be understood of the conversion of
wicked men. For the cities of the Philistines are taken away when the unity of the
faithful is deceived by temptation, and they are subjected to themselves by being plunged
into sins. But the cities that were taken away are restored to Israel: because penitents
in this life make such satisfaction that in everlasting glory they are presented
resplendent for the joy of the elect. And because not only those who neglect to do good,
but even those who abundantly commit iniquity, are saved through repentance, it is added:
(Verse 14.) From Ekron even unto Gath. 26. Accaron means "barren," Geth means "winepress."
Barren indeed are those who do not perform good works. In the winepress, moreover, the
grape is pressed, and wine is brought forth. But what is worldly desire, if not the grape
of a reprobate mind? And what is the fervor of sinning, if not the liquor of wine, which
makes the sinner's mind forgetful of eternal goods? For when sin is generated from the
desire of the heart, it is as though wine is produced from the grape in a winepress. From
Accaron therefore all the way to Geth, the cities that had been taken away are restored to
Israel: because the minds of those who neglect to do good and who boldly perpetrate evil,
which now return to the Lord through repentance, are then shown to be resplendent in the
common glory of the elect. For their evils by no means come into God's memory, since they
themselves have not forgotten to blot them out through the affliction of repentance. There
follows: (Verse 14.) And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.

27. What is this peace, except that which the prophet Micah declares, saying: 'And he
shall be peace in the land, when he shall come' (Mic. 5:5)? Hence Paul says: 'He himself
is our peace, who makes both one' (Eph. 2:14). But what does it mean that peace is shown
between Israel and the Amorite? What is designated by the Amorite, except the reprobate
portion of mankind? And who are figured by Israel, except the elect? And because the elect
will be at the right hand of God, but the reprobate at the left (Matt. 25:33), while peace
is declared to exist between both, the glorious blessedness of the saints is
demonstrated—who agree with the justice of the Creator with such great equanimity that
they are moved by no compassion at the sight of the punishment of the reprobate.
Therefore, when peace is shown to exist between Israel and the Amorite, what is
demonstrated is not a good that the reprobate have in common with the saints, but one by
which the elect are fortified. Whence also, under the figure of Israel, it is promised to
the holy Church through the prophet: 'He who has made your borders peace, and fills you
with the fat of wheat' (Ps. 147:14). He makes peace the borders of the Church: because
while the power of the Redeemer raises her to the height of inmost equity, the misery of
the lost does not afflict her through the pain of compassion. But he sets forth by what
zeal of pastors good subjects are advanced to such great blessedness, saying: (Verse 15.)
'And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.'

28. What are the days of each teacher's life, if not the splendors of spiritual virtues?
For he judges Israel all the days of his life who represents the light of justice—which he
proclaims by speaking—through the perfection of good conduct, as an example to his
faithful subjects. But he who does not have the light of spiritual virtues, because he
takes up teaching from the good conduct of others, surely judges by the days of another's
life. Concerning these the Lord says through the prophet: 'Behold, I am against the
prophets who steal my words, each one from his neighbor' (Jer. 23:30). For they steal
words who do not follow by their deeds the good that they proclaim by teaching, because
they take, as it were, secretly from another's property what they by no means make their
own by paying the price of their own labor. Therefore, after the future blessedness has
been announced, it is shown what kind of man the pastor of the faithful ought to be in the
meantime, since Samuel is reported to have judged Israel all the days of his life. For he
poorly commends the way of perfection if one, wishing to open the path of light by his
voice, grows dark in his actions. For he who had devoted all the days of his life to
judging Israel says: 'I do not dare to speak of anything that Christ has not accomplished
through me, for the obedience of the Gentiles, by word and deed' (Rom. 15:18).

Let the teacher judge, then, but one who has illustrious days of his life—so that he may
first nourish in himself the rays of spiritual virtues by living well, which he dispenses
by speaking for the guidance of his subjects' paths. For a lamp is then usefully displayed
to those who are in the house if it is first well filled with the light that it is about
to spread. There follows: (v. 46) 'And he went around each year to Bethel, and Gilgal, and
Mizpah, and he judged Israel in the aforesaid places.' 29. Bethel is called the house of
God; Gilgal, a wheel; Mizpah, as has already been repeated above, is interpreted as a
watchtower. What then does Bethel signify, if not men appointed to the office of the
sacred altar, who, while they devote themselves to spiritual pursuits, are as it were
intimates and members of the household of almighty God? And what does Gilgal, which is
called a wheel, designate, if not the order of married persons? For they go around as if
on a wheel, since they cannot be entirely free from the cares of this changing world. And
what is expressed by Mizpah, which is interpreted as a watchtower, if not those who,
devoting themselves to divine contemplation, burn with desire for heavenly joys alone?
What then does it mean that Samuel is said to travel around to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah,
and to judge Israel in those same places, if not that the chosen preacher follows the
examples of all the orders of the elect, so that he may be a learned judge of the faithful
who are subject to him? For he will not be able to render fair judgment if he disdains to
take from the examples of the elect who came before him what he decides. But let him also
travel through these places each year, so that as a prudent teacher he may examine one by
one the perfection of each order: so that the more carefully he has observed the virtues
of his predecessors, the more fittingly he may arrange present affairs.

There, therefore, there let him judge Israel, so that the faithful subjects whom he
instructs toward the vision of God, he may correct by the righteousness of those whom he
undoubtedly believes to have been pleasing to God. Bethel, which is called the house of
God, can also designate the entire Church of the elect; and Gilgal, which is interpreted
as a wheel, can designate Sacred Scripture. Whatever indeed a teacher brings forth for the
advancement of his subjects, he receives either from the example of the elect, or from the
teaching of sacred eloquence, or from the revelation of inner and secret contemplation.
30. Samuel therefore goes around Bethel, since the preacher of the Church seeks the
authority for arranging his works from the examples of the elders. He goes around Gilgal,
that is, the wheel, when he derives the authority of his teaching from the instruction of
Holy Scripture. He also goes around Mizpah, when through the meditation of secret
contemplation he merits to receive the revelation of truth. For there he judges Israel:
because whatever he sets before his subjects as a rule of righteousness, he receives
either from the examples of the elect, or from the teaching of sacred eloquence, or from
the revelation of interior contemplation. By these words indeed it is shown not only what
the perfect teacher does, but also that he is not perfect if he cannot do these things.
For if someone knows only the examples of good men, or if someone is even learned in Holy
Scripture yet lacks the revelation of contemplation, he will not be a perfect man in the
order of preaching. For contemplation is a virtue through which not only is Scripture
itself, once composed, recognized, but through which what has not yet been composed would
be composed: and through which what has been composed is daily ordered according to the
will of God. Rightly therefore it is said: And he judged Israel in the above-mentioned
places. For not only in Bethel and Gilgal, but also in Mizpah:

so that he who strives toward the perfection of preaching, while through humility he
follows the examples of the elders, while through the study of sacred eloquence he is
supported by learning, must take care above all that through purity of mind he may know by
contemplation the things that are to be ordered. For he who, having undertaken the office
of preaching, desires to teach men, must be teachable by God. Yet let him so trust in that
which is imparted through the instruction of secret contemplation, that he neither
disdains the Scriptures produced through the Holy Spirit, nor scorns to follow the
examples of the elect. For Samuel is described as going around Bethel, and Gilgal, and
Mizpah; so that the one is never separated from the other through discord: so that,
namely, he both receives the examples that Holy Scripture approves, and recognizes those
Holy Scriptures that the elect wrote, and perceives those revelations of contemplation
shown to him by God which are at variance neither with the works of the elect nor with the
authority of Holy Scripture. But let him also bring back everything he does to the
rectitude of heavenly intention. Whence it is also added: (Verse 17. He returned to Ramah:
for there he judged Israel, and there was his house.

31. As we have already said far above, Ramah is interpreted as "consummated vision" and
signifies that blessed and perfect society of the citizens above, to which Samuel returns
lest he be weighed down by the burden of his labor. For Samuel returns to Ramah when the
mind of the preacher is refreshed through love of heavenly things. For amid the immense
burdens of his office he would collapse, if he did not return to love of heavenly things
through the desire of his hope. For to return, for preachers, is to lead the intention of
their mind back to the joys of the heavenly fatherland. And there they judge Israel,
because they strive by preaching to make their faithful subjects conformable to the beauty
of the heavenly fatherland which they retain in their mind. There they judge Israel,
because from that already perfect city they draw the pattern they see, which they impress
upon the minds of their children by speaking; and whatever they perceive to be unworthy of
that beauty, they endeavor to cut away from their minds. And because they rest with
complete love in the glory of that blessed fatherland, his house is said to be there. For
his house is recognized to be that in which he dwells by loving. Whence also that
outstanding preacher boasts, saying: "Our citizenship is in heaven. For he goes around
Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and in none of these does he have a house, but in Ramah he has
a house:

because the holy doctors of the Church, whatever they now receive from the examples of the
elect, whatever from the instruction of the sacred books, whatever from the height of
heavenly revelation—they examine these things in passing, having them as an aid for the
journey, not as the object of love for their reward. But what they love in the heavenly
city they have not for the advancement of the journey, but for the sufficient—indeed, for
the abundant—generosity of their reward. And because all good things are gathered there,
it follows: (Verse 17). "He also built an altar there to the Lord." 32. For what is the
altar of the Lord, if not the heart of the just man? Moreover, by the judgment of Truth it
is said: "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matt. 6:21). But he who
does good works out of love for the heavenly homeland, while he ardently desires to arrive
at those things which he stores up above, assuredly builds an altar upon which he may
kindle the sacrifices of daily desire. And it is well said: "He built there an altar to
the Lord," because from the increase of heavenly zeal, just as the flame of good desire
grows in the heart, so also, as if by the addition of stones, an altar is built upward
where holocausts of love may be offered to God. This can also be fittingly applied to the
gaining of souls. For the teacher builds an altar to the Lord in Ramah when he places the
merits of his subjects in heaven, and while through his daily zeal chosen souls ascend to
the heavenly kingdoms, they are sent, as it were, as stones for the construction of the
heavenly altar. Let it therefore be said of Samuel, let it be said: "He built there an
altar to the Lord," because surely the zeal of the teacher is altogether idle if through
what is done by him on earth the heavenly edifice is not increased.

BOOK FOUR

CHAPTER 4.1

1. The deeds of holy men who came before are often the consolations of the elect who
follow. For by a wonderful dispensation of divine counsel, they were raised to the citadel
of the highest way of life in such a way that they might do mighty things for themselves
and provide right governance for their subjects; yet sometimes so left to themselves that
those things which they arranged with right intention would not turn out rightly according
to God's providence — so that their weakness might become the strength of the elect who
follow: because even though as men they can err in managing the affairs of the holy
Church, those ecclesiastical arrangements themselves are not to be abandoned. For behold
it is said: (1 Kings 8:1–3) And it came to pass when Samuel had grown old, he appointed
his sons as judges over Israel. And the name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name
of the second was Abiah, judges in Beersheba. And his sons did not walk in his ways.

2. Behold, he who had been full of the spirit of prophecy did not know that those whom he
was appointing as judges of Israel would afterward turn aside after greed, and accept
bribes, and pervert judgment. What wonder, then, if those who do not receive the grace of
prophecy can be deceived in arranging appointments—if those who have the spirit of
prophecy do not have that same spirit for disposing all things? Who would doubt concerning
so great a man that, if he had foreknown the future perversity of his sons, he certainly
would not have advanced them to public honors? Those, therefore, who knowingly promote the
reprobate can in no way flatter themselves with this example of the prophet, because it is
done innocently only when no signs of subsequent iniquity were apparent in them at the
time they were promoted. For this reason also, those who were appointed by Samuel as
judges of Israel were fittingly called his sons when they were appointed, so that from
this they might be believed not only to have been begotten from him according to the
flesh, but also adorned with the splendors of his manner of life. For this reason also
their names are carefully recorded, so that from the title of the name that form of virtue
which was then in them might be recognized. The name of one, he says, was Joel, and of the
other Abiah; they were judges in Beersheba.

But also concerning those who are said to have turned aside to greed after receiving their
office, it is clearly shown that before they attained the height of that same office, no
signs of future depravity were seen in them. But behold, while we attend to the
consolations of pastors, we perceive no small dangers for the Lord's flock. For the
prophet's sons stood firm as subjects, but fell when placed at the height of authority—so
that if, while we are placed under the care of superiors, an unceasing zeal for holy life
or the confidence of a great manner of living smiles upon us, we should nevertheless hold
the governing of others not in the appetite of desire but in the greatness of fear. But
carnal people, while they attend only to visible things, do not deserve to know the
spiritual manner of life of the saints. They look upon the eminence of the pastors of holy
Church, but they do not know how to consider how unwillingly those pastors bear inwardly
the distinction which they hold outwardly in the splendor of eminence, that they endure
the loftiness of honor as the oppression of a great burden, that they flee with great
desire what they pursue in outward ministry. For with the outstanding teacher as witness
we have learned that the natural man does not perceive the things that are of the Spirit
of God (1 Cor. 2:14).

Whence also, pursuing carnal things, he errs all the more madly to the degree that through
the power of discernment he no longer penetrates any spiritual things. And some such
people advance to so great an evil of madness that they do not fear to disturb even the
very state of ecclesiastical eminence. Whence it also follows: (Verses 4, 5. Therefore all
the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Ramah, and said to him: Behold, you
have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Appoint a king over us, to judge
us as all the nations have. 3. But for those who were living under spiritual governance,
to ask for a king—what else is it than to eagerly desire to transform that same spiritual
leadership into secular domination? Yet when holy men see that they are despised by their
subjects, what displeases them is not so much that they are despised, but that those who
despise them do not please God. For by the contempt shown to them, they see that increases
are given to their own interior glory; but they groan that their merits are increased by
the failings of their subjects, whom they would rather have advance in merits, so that in
the eternal reward of merits they might have been able to have with them those over whom
they preside. Therefore it is also added: (Verse 6) The word was displeasing in the eyes
of Samuel, because they had said: Give us a king, to judge us.

4. For what displeased him was that through which he judged those who were speaking to be
displeasing to God. But because it is not simply said, "the matter displeased Samuel," but
"in the eyes of Samuel," and immediately it is added: (Verse 6. "And Samuel prayed to the
Lord for the people," we ought to consider these things somewhat more carefully. Holy men,
who greatly fear displeasing Almighty God, are not hasty in their judgments, but first
arrange all things rationally within themselves, so that they may dispose of them
outwardly in action without reproach. For they accept no choice of judgment unless it is
approved by the contemplation of reason. The Lord indeed wished to open these eyes of the
prophet when He said: "See with your eyes, and hear with your ears" (Ezek. 40:4). Hence in
the Gospel He said to the disciples: "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see" (Luke
10:23). For the eyes of the saints are the understanding of reason, opened by the grace of
the Holy Spirit. And therefore they are said to be Samuel's, because all carnal people,
even if they seem rational through human wisdom, are all the more blind to this light of
reason, inasmuch as they see only with those eyes which the serpent opened. For if they
could behold the splendor of spiritual virtues, they would surely desire to possess it as
the adornment of their mind.

So great indeed is the beauty of these virtues that their sight can never fail to be
desired with longing by the one who sees them. Therefore the wise of this world, when they
suppose themselves to possess the eyes of reason, can recognize from this how madly they
rage: because not to be attracted by the beauty of holy virtues is surely not only not to
perceive their glory, but not even to dream of it. Therefore holy men, who are already
bound by the love of interior things through the illumination of the Holy Spirit, have the
eyes of their mind all the clearer for seeing the glory of inward brightness, the more
they have no desire for anything from the darkness of the world; and they can discern
carnal things all the more rightly, the further they have been raised up from carnal
things and have advanced more deeply into the grace of the Holy Spirit. Hence the Apostle
Paul also, from the experience of so great a vision, pronounced the sentence, saying: "The
spiritual man judges all things" (1 Cor. 2:15). Rightly therefore it is said: "The matter
displeased in the eyes of Samuel. Because by spiritual men nothing is despised before it
is judged to be worthy of contempt through the spiritual insight of the mind. And because
the more abundantly they are filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit, the less they
presume upon the loftiness of their own virtue, there follows: "And Samuel prayed to the
Lord.

For what did he pray to the Lord, if not that He would deign to show him whether he ought
to give assent to the petition of the tumultuous people? (Verses 7, 8. "And the Lord said
to Samuel: Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you. For they have
not rejected you, but me, that I should not reign over them, according to all their works
which they have done from the day when I brought them out of Egypt even to this day." 5.
Because it is said to the prophet as he prays, "Set a king over them," it is clearly shown
that he asked for it to be revealed to him whether this should be done. And because He
adds, saying, "They have not rejected you, but me, that I should not reign over them," it
is fittingly shown how displeasing to Him was the request which is reported to have been
displeasing in the eyes of Samuel. This harmony of judgment arises in the saints from the
power of charity: because while they love the Creator with their whole mind and devoutly
strive to obey His will, they receive as a reward of heavenly recompense that they do not
diverge in their thinking from that same will of almighty God, which they always hold fast
in good works. For it is written: "He who clings to God is one spirit" (1 Cor. 6:17). For
he clings to the Lord who always strives to carry out the commands of His will. But he
becomes one spirit with Him: because through long devotion of pious work he is raised to
such a degree of grace of divine knowledge that he can no longer dissent from the fairness
of His inner judgment through the error of a worldly spirit. But it is very difficult to
answer if it is asked why almighty God both complains that He was rejected in the request
for a king, and yet decrees that what was requested should come to pass;

and again, if royal dignity was to be established, why it was permitted as though by an
offended divine majesty; and when a foreseen king is decreed to be chosen, why one who
would be rejected is chosen. What else can we answer to these things except what the
apostle Paul would answer to those daring to search the ineffable abyss of God's
judgments: "O man," he says, "who are you to answer back to God? (Rom. 9:20). But if we
cannot resolve this effectively, we can touch upon it by inquiring. Perhaps He complains
that He was rejected in the request for a king? On account of the reprobate will of the
people asking wrongly, the requested king is granted as a punishment. If this is said
reasonably, since He put forward both things, He showed both the fault and the retribution
together. For he who is shown to have rejected the Creator by his asking is convicted of
having made an unjust demand out of a reprobate will. Therefore the penalty of strict
justice followed upon the fault of the wicked request. For great indeed is the punishment
that proceeds from the severity of the inner examination, when a reprobate mind is so cast
away that it is permitted to carry out what it wrongly decides.

Those, therefore, who were convicted of having rejected the Lord in asking for a
king—since they were permitted to do that by which they would cast the Lord away from
themselves—there was no heavier punishment with which they ought to have been struck here.
6. In this place it should be noted that the Lord makes the rejection of the prophet His
own. For He does not simply say, "They have rejected me, that I should not reign over
them," but rather, "They have not rejected you, but me, that I should not reign over them.
So as to clearly show that in the person of the chosen bishop, He Himself presides over
His subjects; and when a carnal ruler is raised to the spiritual summit of the elect, He
Himself is seen to be rejected whose precepts are cast aside. Therefore, how worthy of
reverence the best pastors of the holy Church are is plain. For behold, while they
faithfully serve God, they are joined to Him by so great a bond of love that whatever is
inflicted upon them is ascribed as an injury to God. Whence also in the Gospel He says to
the first pastors of the Church: "He who despises you despises me" (Luke 10:16). Where
something even graver is perceived: because when He complains that the pastor has been
rejected, all the sins of those who reject him are recalled, and even the evils of their
forefathers are mentioned. "According to all their works," He says, "which they have done
from the day when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. For the supreme crime is
recognized, for whose examination all past sins are brought back into the memory of God.

And so the Lord complains that He has been rejected, and yet grants that one to be
ordained in whom He is rejected: because when He executes the power of His strict justice,
the desires of carnal men are by no means prevented from being fulfilled through His
mercy. But also that dignity which could have been granted as a punishment ought not to
have been granted with the tranquil majesty of divinity, but as if with indignation.
However, we do not assert that the indignant majesty of God is indignant in itself, which
is not subject to passion: but because when He examines faults, He speaks words of
indignation through the Scriptures. Likewise, because a king is taken up as a type of
carnal prelates, a king destined for rejection is chosen, not an elect one. Or perhaps a
reprobate king is chosen for this reason, that his elect successor, King David, might
learn from him what he ought to have guarded against. Thus indeed we also read concerning
that court of angels, because of the first apostate angel it is written: "He is the
beginning of the ways of God" (Job 40:14); but he who was created before all things fell
through pride, and in his ruin the holy angels learned by what virtue they could have
stood firm. Which indeed, whoever can behold with the open eyes of right faith equally
observes: that Almighty God bestows the gifts of great mercy even when He inflicts
punishment;

because while He punishes the reprobate, He instructs the saints, so that from where those
fall, these may be aided in their progress. 7. By strict judgment indeed He permits evils
to be done, but mercifully He provides from those evils which He inflicts through
judgment, things which He arranges to make into good. For what greater fault is there than
that by which we all die? And what greater goodness than that by which we are freed from
death? And indeed, if Adam had not sinned, it would not have been necessary for our
Redeemer to take on our flesh. For He came not to call the righteous, but sinners to
repentance (Mark 2:17). If therefore He came for sinners, if sins were lacking, it would
not have been necessary for Him to come. If the sins, which He is believed to have come to
destroy, are understood to have been permitted by the justice of God: since God was to be
born as man for sinners, almighty God had foreseen that from that evil by which they were
to die, He would bring about a good that would overcome that evil. The greatness of this
good—what faithful person does not see how wonderfully it excels? Great indeed are the
evils we suffer through the desert of the first sin, but what elect person would not
prefer to endure worse things rather than not have so great a Redeemer? Let a king
therefore be chosen—but one to be rejected; let him be chosen as if by the indignation,
not the will, of God.

Let there then follow a king after God's own heart, so that from the severity of His
judgment the evil of vengeance may proceed against the reprobate, and the good which He
was to bring about from evil may, through the bounty of divine grace, overflow upon the
pious, while those others are permitted to fall into the evil they desire. But from what
those men cast themselves down, it is brought about that others may not fall at all. But
since by these words the judgment of divine severity is affirmed, let us now see how great
a dispensation He employs, lest those deliberating wrongly do that for which they would be
punished. For there follows: (Verse 9) Now therefore hear their voice; yet solemnly warn
them, and declare to them the right of the king who shall reign over them. 8. As if by an
open display of clemency He says: So hear their voices, yet let them first hear concerning
the right of the king whom they seek, something that will make them tremble; and let them
then abandon what was badly begun, when the thing they were seeking is recognized to be
how burdensome it is. There follows: (Verses 10-17.) So Samuel told all the words of the
Lord to the people who had asked him for a king, and said: This will be the right of the
king who is to rule over you. He will take your sons and place them in his chariots, and
will make them his horsemen and runners before his chariots; and he will appoint for
himself tribunes and centurions, and plowmen of his fields, and reapers of his harvests,
and makers of his weapons and chariots. Your daughters also he will make his perfumers,
cooks, and bakers. He will also take your best fields, vineyards, and olive groves, and
give them to his servants. Moreover, he will take a tenth of your grain crops and the
produce of your vineyards, to give to his eunuchs and servants. He will also take your
male servants and female servants, your best young men, and your donkeys, and put them to
his work. He will also take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will be his slaves.

9. When subjection is sought by carnal men, assuredly whatever is commanded them is
burdensome, even if it is not difficult: because since they have it from the swelling of
pride that they follow the judgment of their own will, whatever opposes their deliberation
they consider most grievous. But indeed when harsh and contrary things are commanded, what
a weight of burden is that! What swelling of heart! When they could scarcely bear even
pleasant and light things unwillingly—things which, if they had been willing, they would
have borne most easily. Let us therefore see how the pious dispensation of the Creator
worthily answers the foolish audacity of man. The laws of men are set before those who
despise the laws of God; and upon those who had spurned the mild and salutary counsels of
the Divinity, the harsh and unbearable burdens of human servitude are proclaimed: so that
from these things they might reckon with themselves how intolerable the commands of man
would be for those who had refused to obey the counsels of God—who was not so much
commanding as advising them not to seek this. But the hearts of carnal men possess
recklessness from the increase of audacity, and hardness from the nature of pretense. From
recklessness indeed they deliberate upon things easy to do; but because they do not
understand what they wrongly propose, they cannot be helped by the counsels of those who
are wiser. Wherefore here too it is added: (Verse 19.) The people refused to listen to the
voice of Samuel. And they said: By no means: for a king shall be over us, and we also
shall be like all the nations, and our king shall judge us, and shall go out before us,
and shall fight our battles for us.

10. It was indeed a matter of great rashness to ask for a king against God's will; of
great hardness, to be unable to be overcome by the counsels of the prophet. It was of
great rashness to put forth arguments to him whom they knew, by the Lord's revelation, to
know beforehand all that he was about to do. Of great hardness, not to yield to him whom
they knew to command only those things which he had learned by the Lord's revelation. For
what is it that they say in response: "By no means, but a king shall be over us"? But
those who say "By no means" surely deny what they hear. It is therefore openly shown by
this word that the prophet set forth the heavy right of the king for this purpose: that he
should by no means be requested. But they hear the right of the king, and they detest the
very purpose for which it is set forth—so that the progress of reprobate hearts is
expressed, in which there is the consummation of an evil purpose and the unconvertibility
of the will. But we blame ancient times, we who do not care to see our own. Which times,
indeed, the more aged they are as the world grows old, the more lax they become in many
things through the fault of time and negligence.

For so much the more boldly do we now propose evil things, inasmuch as already, with the
vigorous youth of the age, the strength of the human condition has withered; so much the
more difficultly do we recall what has been badly proposed, inasmuch as from the loosened
vigor of the spirit, our mind becomes carnal. For such are human failings, that what is
lacking in spiritual virtue is strengthened in carnal life. All these things indeed,
according to the voice of the excellent teacher: "These things happened to them in figure,
but they were written for our sake" (1 Cor. 10:11). Already indeed we openly recognize the
audacity of these Israelites, which the judgments of divine indignation followed; and yet
we do not fear to propose courses of action against the will of God, against the counsel
of the prelates of Holy Church. When rebuked in an evil purpose, we also resist, and we
attempt to overcome the salutary counsels of our superiors by the unconquerable evil of
obstinacy. We see how great an increase of evil it is to behold those who perish, and not
to fear to follow their footsteps to perdition; to see those running into the penal snares
of death, and by no means to dread being entangled in the same snares. And they indeed
asked for a king against the Lord's will; but from the royal dignity it afterward came
about that the people, who had cast God aside, worshipped idols and adored images.

We therefore see how worthy of reverence the counsels of our elders are, if we carefully
consider this: that those who dared to despise them did not foresee that they were doing
that by which they could be plunged into so deep a sea of error. Rightly therefore does
the Lord complain that He was rejected in the petition for a king; rightly does He grant
the royal dignity in anger. So great indeed was the iniquity of those asking, that when
they sought that through which they would depart from God, it could be permitted by God's
judgment but could not be prohibited. But since we have said these things according to the
letter, let us also see what those things which are contained in the right of the king
signify spiritually.


COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS (BOOK FOUR, CHAPTERS 4.2–4.3 (1 SAMUEL 9:1–2))
============================================================

COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS continued

CHAPTER 4.2

1. For when Samuel was rejected, a king was sought: when the reprobate multitude of the
people despises a spiritual pastor and seeks a carnal one to rule over them. With such
people it is often dealt by the severity of divine justice, so that by the very fact that
they despise the chosen preacher, they are permitted to be subject to a reprobate, from
whose imitation they perish all the more grievously, the more boldly they despised with
greater pride that by which they could have lived forever. When therefore the right of the
king is foretold, clearly it is shown in the conduct of one carnal ruler what the other
carnal ones will do through tyranny, not what the elect ought to imitate. For in the same
history of Kings it is read that when King Ahab took away Naboth's vineyard, he incurred
the wrath of almighty God. But here, when the right of the king is foretold, fields,
vineyards, and the best olive groves are mentioned as things to be seized (1 Kings 21:2
ff.). When therefore what was committed and punished there is foretold here, it shows that
it is not commanded by divine judgment. Wherefore also the chosen King David, when he
sought the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite for building an altar to the Lord, did
not wish to use that royal right of tyrants (1 Chronicles 21:24), since he would by no
means consent to receive it unless he had first given a worthy price for it.

2. Since, therefore, the things contained in the law of the king are declared to be
avoided rather than imitated, they must be considered all the more carefully inasmuch as
they cannot be avoided if they are not known. He says, then: 'He will take your sons and
place them in his chariots.' The sons of the elect are those who imitate their virtues.
The chariots of carnal prelates, moreover, are the pomp of worldly pride. For while they
glory in being more exalted than others, they stride through the heights as if carried on
chariots. The sons of the faithful are therefore placed in chariots when they follow
reprobate pastors through the desire for worldly glory — when, abandoning spiritual
pursuits, they seek the advantages of a carnal life, and, laying aside that lofty
intention directed toward heavenly things, they strive to attain the heights of the world.
Fittingly, then, the sons of the Israelites are said to be placed not in a chariot but in
chariots, because from everything that excels at the summit of carnal prelates, they
advance in pride, and they raise themselves on high by as many lofty chariots, so to
speak, as the lofty things they behold by which they consider themselves superior to
others. The king, therefore, places the sons of the good in his chariots when a carnal
ruler drags the imitators of the elect by the example of his own depravity into the vices
of pride — so that they set aside heavenly things, seek earthly things, and rejoice in
this alone: that by reason of what is temporally exalted, they are preferred above others.

3. And because against the lesser they are not only raised up but also strong, there
follows: "And he will make for himself horsemen." For they rage as if on horses, who are
both exalted in rank and fierce in power. They are horsemen also because, while they
direct the fierce impulses of their heart against the powerless, they are swift toward
everything that they desire to carry out through tyranny. They pant with violence, they
foam with rage, and those whom they attack in the course of their tyranny, they crush. But
while among wicked pastors some emulate the pride of worldly arrogance, and others by
their example oppress those whom they can: there are even some who, to carry out the evils
that they cannot inflict upon the good by themselves, bring in others more wicked than
themselves. Whence there also follows: "And the forerunners of his chariots."

4. For what are the chariots of the king, if not the perverse minds of wicked subjects, in
whose counsels the reprobate prelate finds his rest? For chariots are what carry kings:
since through the wicked counsels of the depraved, the deeds of rulers are aided. In them,
as it were, the king is carried on high, since through those who favor them for the sake
of temporal honors, whatever carnal superiors desire from the loftiness of the world they
carry out. These are rightly designated by the name of chariots. For a chariot stands firm
on the very thing by which it turns: because the reprobate mind has as the end of its
intention the fickleness of the world. Indeed, it finds rest in the very thing from which,
through innumerable cares of a revolving mind, it does not cease to fan the affairs of the
world. Therefore they are chariots of kings, since through everything lofty they think of
by turning it over, they carry upon themselves the commands of carnal superiors. But those
who hold a place of familiarity alongside carnal prelates have subordinates whom they may
command. They themselves, therefore, are like the chariots of the king, while the others
are the forerunners of the chariots; because in the same way that they convey the carnal
superior to oppress the humble, they themselves too are led through the service of others
to harm whomever they can.

For he is, as it were, a forerunner of the chariots, who by the wicked cunning of his mind
devises a stratagem by which he may introduce that one to inflict evils upon the meek. But
if, as many manuscripts have it, we read not "forerunners" but "pursuers" of the chariots,
they are certainly those who imitate the reprobate as they rush toward evil. A chariot is
also customarily used to carry kings as a mark of honor. Therefore the king is, as it
were, stationed in a chariot, when a carnal ruler glories in the flatteries of the great
men who appear to be near him. But whoever precedes or follows these men in their praises
is a forerunner or pursuer of the chariots, because these men utter either after or before
the same flatteries that those others have scattered in the ears of the people by going
ahead or following behind.

5. There follows: 'And he will appoint for himself tribunes and centurions.' Tribunes and
centurions are made when they come to such an advance in evil that, for carrying out the
tyrant's commands, they take command over impious attendants, when they arrange the battle
lines of worldly forces, which they lead forth to wars against the innocent. Tribunes
indeed are those who, through many supporters allied to them, lay ambushes against those
living uprightly. Centurions, however, are those who omit no kind of harm. For they obtain
the perfection of iniquity from this: that they always strive to inflict the many and
enormous evils that they can. For the centurion is named from the number one hundred. And
because the number one hundred signifies perfection, it is fulfilled in an evil sense when
the summit of wickedness is reached by the impious. They are indeed smooth in cunning and
violent in terror. They sweetly flatter some, so that with their help they may fiercely
terrify others. And so there rightly follows: 'And the plowmen of his fields, and the
reapers of his harvests.'

6. The fields of the carnal ruler are the minds of his subjects; and the plowmen of these
fields are those who, by the craft of worldly cunning, persuade them to acts of
wickedness. For they open up, as it were, the firmness of the fields by speaking, those
who through wicked counsels corrupt the hearts of the simple. And they reap the crops
when, by the seed of evil counsel, the deceived hearts of the lesser ones yield the fruit
of wicked works. Which works are indeed designated by the name of crops: because the
perversity of the wicked subject, when it is joyfully received by carnal rulers, is, as it
were, the choice food of their mind. In which perversity, because they advance little by
little, there follows: "And makers of his weapons and of his chariots." What are the
weapons and chariots of tyrants, if not all those instruments of harm that are prepared
for overthrowing the hearts of the lesser ones? But because by the chariot one arrives
where one may strike with weapons, they become makers of the king's weapons and chariots
when, by the most wicked machination of their hearts, they devise both the evils they
should commit and the manner in which to inflict those same devised evils. For to forge
weapons is to gather up kinds of harm with a wicked mind. And to forge chariots is to find
the craft by which they can approach to inflict those same evils.

7. There follows: He will also make your daughters perfumers, and cooks, and bakers. By
the name of daughters, the weak minds placed within holy Church are designated. These
become the king's perfumers: because when they behold carnal rulers in the height of
passing glory, they endeavor to soothe them with flatteries. The Psalmist, indeed
rejecting the use of these ointments, says: Let not the oil of the sinner anoint my head
(Psalm 141:5). The daughters therefore become perfumers: because when the weak fear to
displease carnal rulers, they soften with blandishment the ferocity to which they are
subject through fear. And it should be noted that the sons are said first to be taken by
the king, and then made horsemen and centurions or makers of arms: but the daughters are
not said to be taken, but simply to be made perfumers and bakers. For to be taken implies
violence. The sons therefore are taken, because the strong are overthrown with difficulty.
When therefore the daughters are said not to be taken but to be made perfumers, what else
does this mean except that those who are weak in goodness are easily scattered by the
examples of the wicked? They also become the king's cooks and bakers: because those who
serve tyrants by flattering them, while they please them by showing favor, offer them food
as it were. For the cooks are those who cook at the hearth what kings eat. They are
therefore cooks who, through services of favor, kindle the swelling of pride in the carnal
ruler's heart: so that he receives flatteries all the more boldly, inasmuch as they
prepare for him, as it were, more delicate foods by the fire of aroused devotion. They
also become bakers: because when they praise a reprobate life, they strengthen the carnal
mind of the tyrant to practice wickedness.

8. There follows: "He will also take your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive
groves, and give them to his servants. What are the fields of good men, if not the devoted
minds of their subjects? For while they willingly hear their words, they yield an abundant
fruit of good works. And what are their vineyards, if not the minds of those who so
advance by imitating the proficient that they even offer the word of life to others, and
those whom they set ablaze by speaking into love of the Creator, they make drunk, as it
were, by giving them drink? And what are the olive groves, if not the hearts of listeners
who, by the example and exhortation of good men, advance in the work of mercy? But when a
king is established, the fields are taken away: because when carnal men reach the height
of governance, some of the good listeners take up examples of wickedness. The fields are
therefore taken away when recently devoted hearts are led astray, when from the seed of
wickedness they yield fruit in evil conduct. The olive groves and vineyards are taken away
when, by the example of a wicked superior, works of mercy and the words of holy preaching
that ought to be displayed and spoken are abandoned. And rightly it is recorded that the
taken fields, vineyards, and olive groves are given to the king's servants. For servants
are those who, always subject to the authority of their masters, cannot escape the yoke of
domination.

The servants of the king, therefore, are those who through abundant iniquity so bind
themselves to the wills of tyrants that they no longer depart from them. The servants
therefore receive the taken fields, vineyards, and olive groves: because the reprobate
supporters of carnal prelates, when they transfer deceived hearts to the purpose of wicked
work, impose the title of tyrannical power, as it were, upon the fields, vineyards, and
olive groves of the elect. There follows: "But he will also tithe your crops and the
revenues of your vineyards, to give to his eunuchs and his servants. When the wicked are
in charge, it is very difficult that one who is subject to them should suffer no losses to
his religion. For the minds of some perish entirely: but those whom they cannot completely
pervert, while they unceasingly observe their wicked words and deeds, are stained with
some sort of defilement. Rightly therefore it is said: "He will tithe your crops and the
revenues of your vineyards. As if to say: Under a reprobate pastor, even the goods of the
elect are not whole. But what is taken from the good is given to the eunuchs and servants
of the king. The eunuchs and servants of carnal prelates are their hypocritical listeners.
They are eunuchs indeed because they show themselves to have cast off worldly pleasure:
but they are the king's servants because through everything they pretend to have of
virtues, they bear upon themselves the yoke of their reprobate superiors.

And rightly the tithe of the crops and vineyards is said to belong to the eunuchs: because
the poison of hypocrites is not easily recognized. Inasmuch as even holy men can be
deceived in this, what they lose is ascribed to those by whose fraud they are captured.
There follows: "He will also take your male servants and female servants, and your best
young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work. The male and female servants of the
saints are those who supply them with temporal necessities. They are male and female
servants because, while they provide them with bodily necessities, in this same work of
mercy some are stronger than others. And the best young men: because both those who can do
much and those who can do little, when they expend all that they are able in the work of
mercy, like chosen young men, they powerfully carry out divine services. The donkeys of
the elect are also those upon whom the burdens of obedience to be borne are imposed, so
that they may help their frailty by bearing with them what they could by no means bear
without them. But what does it mean that they are foretold to be put to the king's work?
Those who are put to the king's work fulfill on appointed days the debt of compulsory
labor owed to the authority of the public power.

What then does it mean that the male and female servants and the best young men are
foretold to be put to the king's work, except that when carnal men are in authority, both
the ministers of the elect and the hearts of those who devoutly obey are frequently
stained? For while they unceasingly behold their reprobate life, they gradually decline so
far as to imitate something of their deeds. Through long custom indeed they serve the
elect; but since they often see the eminence of their high position, they sometimes desire
to be served by others through the impulse of pride. They also give their own possessions
mercifully, but often by the example of tyrants they take what belongs to others. But
because they are servants of the saints, they cannot depart from their authority. They can
indeed be abandoned for a time, but from the error into which they fall, they are easily
raised up through divine mercy. Because therefore those who quickly come to their senses
fall through the examples of the wicked, they are put to the king's work as if by
compulsory labor: in which they do not long remain through continuous servitude.

9. There follows: "He will also tithe your flocks, and you shall be his servants. As if to
say: When a carnal pastor is placed over you, plunder of virtues is inflicted not only
upon your possessions, but also upon yourselves. For the flocks of the elect are the
multitudes of spiritual virtues. But since these very spiritual virtues are scattered by
the example of the wicked, the king takes tithes of the flock when he who rules carnally
destroys certain virtues in the hearts of the saints. He takes tithes: because while he
scatters the integrity of the mind, he leaves the number of virtues incomplete. For
perfection is signified by the number ten. Hence also, when the Lord showed the losses of
our fallen humanity by an open comparison, He brought forward the woman who had lost one
of ten drachmas (Luke 15:4 ff.); so that by this, because the number ten is shown to have
been diminished, that heavenly fellowship which remained in the angels at the number nine
might be taught to be imperfect without the restoration of our condition. And because
tithes are exacted each year, those who do not cease to offer tithes are fittingly said to
be servants of the king. For they serve each year those by whose example they often become
worse. It can also be shown through this—that after the tithes are given, this servitude
is asserted—as an evil progression. For those who gradually fail act daily in such a way
that they are led to the depths of iniquity.

He says therefore: "He will tithe your flocks, and you shall be his servants. As if to
say: By the example of the wicked you will gradually fall away, but in falling you act so
that you never withdraw from imitating them. For it is written: "By whom a person is
overcome, of him he is made a servant" (2 Peter 2:19). Because indeed through imitating a
reprobate pastor they fall into the servitude of sin, they cannot be freed from his yoke
even when they wish. Hence it is also added: (Verse 18. "And you will cry out in that day
because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the Lord will not hear you
in that day: because you asked for yourselves a king." 10. As if to say, you are gradually
slipping into the knowledge of his wicked imitation; but the examples of his wickedness,
to which you willingly submit yourselves, you are utterly unable to willingly abandon. For
everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin (John 8:34). Those, therefore, over whom sins
hold dominion cannot be freed from their yoke by themselves. For often they come to the
Lord with prayers, they ask to be freed, but they cannot be heard. For by divine judgment
it is dealt with them such that those who were unwilling to avoid evils when they could,
are unable to avoid them when they will; and those who willingly rushed into evils
foreknown cannot flee from them once experienced. Therefore, also indicating the reason
why they are prevented from being heard, he says: "Because you asked for yourselves a
king." As if he were openly saying: Because you demanded that be given to you in which, by
my foretelling, you knew all these things would come to pass. These things, as I said
above, are foretold in the type of carnal prelates concerning the future conduct of the
king: so that they might desist from petitioning for him in whom they had recognized such
great evils. But it is the nature of the hearts of the reprobate that they quickly propose
evil and do not more quickly come to their senses from an evil purpose. Therefore it is
also added: (Verses 19, 20.) But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and
they said: "By no means! For a king shall be over us, and we also shall be like all the
nations, and our king shall judge us, and shall go out before us, and shall fight our
battles for us."

11. By these words indeed the morals of carnal subjects are openly described: because
while they seek after outward things, they do not attend to inner losses even when these
are set before them. But those who rule carnally, by the very display of temporal power,
give their lesser subjects great hope of protection. Therefore when they say, "A king
shall be over us, and he shall fight our battles for us," what else do they suggest but
the morals of reprobate subjects, who despise humble and spiritual preachers in order to
be helped temporally by carnal men? This they would certainly never do, had they not first
lost the light of the heart. For if they outwardly despise the humility of spiritual men,
they do not deserve to discern by what sublimity of power these inwardly excel; in those
others too they see the outward tyranny of power, but they do not see by what weakness he
is inwardly oppressed. The former, because they cling to God, are powerful even in outward
things when they wish; the latter, who depart from the Lord, cannot fulfill by strength of
action the hope they promise from secular power. For, to take examples from nearby, Saul
was chosen as king for those requesting one to fight their battles — strong and powerful,
so that, as this sacred history testifies (1 Kings 9:2), he stood above all the people
from the shoulder and upward.

Chosen therefore by God to govern the kingdom, when he was good and no one among the sons
of Israel was better than he, nevertheless, when so great and such a man was left to
carnal strength, he lost the battles he had undertaken to fight, and lost his life as well
(1 Kings 31:1). But Samuel, who was not exalted by the power of the world, who humbly
ministered not only to God but also to men, powerfully displayed trophies from outward
wars as well. For was it not said of him just above: "Samuel took a suckling lamb and
offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord, and Samuel cried out to the Lord for
Israel, and the Lord heard him. And it came to pass, while Samuel was offering the burnt
offering to the Lord, the Philistines began battle against Israel. But the Lord thundered
with a great crash on that day upon the Philistines and terrified them, and the
Philistines were struck down by the sons of Israel" (1 Kings 7:9, 10). Let him therefore
say: "The people refused to hear the voice of Samuel," so that in their disobedience the
hearts of the proud may be designated, so cast off by the judgment of divine equity that
great evils threaten which they are about to incur — yet they cannot see them. There
follows: (Verse 21. "And Samuel heard all the words of the people."

12. Samuel indeed heard what the people had spoken, but the people themselves did not hear
him. For the reprobate people to speak and not to hear was to utter words against the will
of God, yet not at all to foresee the punishment for their wicked speech. But Samuel heard
the words of the people, because spiritual men, when they hear the voices of proud speech,
recognize the future desert of divine vengeance upon them. Let him say therefore: Samuel
heard all the words of the people, because holy and spiritual men, whatever carnal people
proudly sound forth outwardly, weigh inwardly what it amounts to in the divine judgment.
But because, when they discover the damnable life of their carnal subjects, they intercede
for the blotting out of their crimes, there follows: (Verse 21. And he spoke them in the
ears of the Lord. We speak in the ears of those with whom we have the grace of great
intimacy. But holy men, because they are joined to almighty God in the bond of great love,
speak in His ears, because they seek the hearing of His divine propitiation with all the
more confidence, the more sublimely they have received a place of obtaining favor before
His mercy. They speak the sins of the people indeed for the humility of confession, but
they speak in the ears of the Lord, because with great affection they knock at the door of
the Lord's propitiation through prayer.

But perhaps he is said to speak in the ears of the Lord because, when holy men beseech on
behalf of sinners, they do not reveal to men the prayers they offer to God for them.
Whence also in the Gospel the Lord forbids the disciples, saying: When you pray, do not be
like the sad hypocrites, who love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of
the streets, so that they may be seen by men (Matt. 6:5). They speak therefore the words
or deeds of the people, when they set before the Lord the offenses of speech and action
that must be blotted out by prayers. But they speak these things in the ears of the Lord,
so that while they flee the testimony of men when praying, they may be heard more swiftly
by Him who regards what is hidden. Therefore, when Samuel is reported to speak in the ears
of the Lord, he surely suggests the manner by which one may deserve the hearing of divine
favor. For a prayer can by no means reach God which is brought forth with the intention of
being recognized by men. Whence also he who is declared to have spoken in the ears of the
Lord is reported to have received His answers as well. For there follows: (Verse 22. And
the Lord said to Samuel: Listen to the voice of the people, and establish a king over
them.

13. In this matter it should be noted that Samuel spoke the words of the people, by which
they had asked for a king, in the ears of the Lord; and the Lord declares Himself rejected
in the fact that the people ask for a king. Therefore, when He responds to the one praying
and commands the one praying to make a king, what else does He indicate except that the
devout prayer of a chosen man is never fruitless? For if he did not obtain the correction
of the people, he obtained the good of his own instruction, since he recognized the people
as rejected for their evil request, and yet nonetheless knew what he himself ought to do
for those who were cast off. The prophet, therefore, was able to be heard and not heard:
because through praying he learned what he ought to be, but from the people demanding
reprobate things, he did not remove the hardness of heart. But this he was able to
obtain—he who spoke in the ears of the Lord—because holy men, by the very fact that they
devoutly beseech the Lord on behalf of sinners, are fortified by the help of divine favor,
so that they are in no way polluted by the crimes of those whose filth they cannot wash
away by their prayers. But what does it mean that the Lord says, "Listen to their voices,"
when it was said above, "Samuel heard all the words of the people"?

He had heard the words of the people so as to know what was being said, not so as to grant
what was being asked. Therefore, when the Lord says to him, "Listen to the voice of the
people, and set a king over them," He commanded the prophet to comply with the will of the
people. And behold, as is plainly seen, the prophet praying is not heard, while the people
rejecting God and asking for a king are heard. What shall we say this means, except that
by the wondrous and fearful judgment of divine incomprehensibility, holy men praying on
behalf of the reprobate cannot be heard, while in the fulfillment of their own
depravities, the reprobate sinners themselves can be heard—so that for the latter,
unbridled iniquity may increase the merit of eternal punishment, and for the former, the
reward of perpetual recompense may grow from the affection of compassion? And immediately,
beginning to show the order by which the appointment of that same king was reached, he
says: (Verse 22. And Samuel said to all the sons of Israel: Let each one go to his own
city.

14. When we wish to examine spiritual matters, it is necessary that we remove carnal
things from our attention: because the inner mind does not penetrate what the dust of
outward actions blinds. Therefore, when the prophet of the Lord commands all the people to
depart to their own places, he drives from himself the tumult of carnal concerns: so that
he may see more clearly the spiritual matters that must be arranged, insofar as the
intention of earthly actions does not obscure the keenness of his mind. But indicating
what sort of person is foreseen by divine judgment, he says:

CHAPTER 4.3 (1 SAMUEL 9:1–2)

There was a man of Benjamin, named Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of
Bechorath, the son of a man of Gemini, strong in might. And he had a son named Saul,
chosen and good, and there was no man among the children of Israel better than he: from
the shoulder and upward he stood taller than all the people. 1. When the person of the
king to be appointed is set forth, why are the names of his fathers described, unless so
that his kingdom might be perceived as not enduring? For concerning the kingdom which
Moses had foreseen would come, he said: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a
ruler from his thigh, until he comes who is to be sent; and he shall be the expectation of
the nations" (Gen. 49:10). Because therefore the tribe of Judah had been foreseen for the
lasting duration of the kingdom, the lineage of Kish is mentioned, so that the royal
dignity which was being established in his son might be openly known to be dispensatory,
not permanent. But he who begets the carnal king, Kish—that is, "hard" as it is rendered
in our language—is also proclaimed strong in might. Now also many carnal people are within
the holy Church who seem to do great things; yet they are carnal because they do not have
the grace of the Holy Spirit. They are therefore strong in might because everything which
they seem to do greatly is bodily. For Kish the father of Saul is called strong in might
so that he might be understood to have possessed great bodily strength. He who is strong
in might, therefore, is hard, because he who displays great things carnally does not have
a heart softened through compassion in fraternal charity.

He acts powerfully in things which men outwardly cannot imitate, but inwardly he does not
know how to be joined to fraternal minds through the affection of love. He does mighty
things which God rejects, and he does not care to display the affection of charity which
God approves. He is therefore hard, because while he does bodily things with a proud
heart, the grace of the Holy Spirit does not soften his mind. Against this the holy man
glories, saying: "God has softened my heart, and the Almighty has troubled me" (Job
23:16). And often those who imitate the ways of such people become rulers by the judgment
of God. Whence also Saul is fittingly recorded to have been the son of Kish. 2. But it
must be asked why the same Saul is said to be chosen and good, who is declared to be the
son of a harsh man. But he is called chosen not according to grace, but according to
judgment. He is also called good so that the disposition of divine equity may be
commended. For even the evils that we often suffer on account of our sins, because they
are inflicted on us through divine justice, are good. Whatever is just is certainly good.
For by the justice of God, reprobate pastors are permitted to ascend to the governance of
the holy Church; but those who are evil through iniquity are good by divine disposition;
and those who are now chosen by the hidden ordering of God will ultimately be condemned at
the universal judgment. Therefore, let the reprobate pastor be called chosen, because it
is decreed by God's indignation that he should exist; and let him be called good, because
he is justly permitted. Likewise, because he is provided as more useful than others for
carrying out divine judgments, no one among the sons of Israel is said to be better than
he. He is also recorded as standing out above all the people from the shoulder and upward,
because he who follows the ways of carnal men in his manner of living strives mightily to
do what another cannot do. For the carnal ruler stands out above the entire people from
the shoulder and upward, since in external matters he is strong beyond comparison.

3. All these words can also be understood as words of praise, by which, while the person
of the king to be appointed is commended, the intention of those requesting a king is
confounded. For they say: "A king shall be over us, and he shall judge us, and he shall
fight our battles for us" (1 Sam. 8). He is called chosen and good, and that there was no
one better than he among the sons of Israel, so that all good qualities might excel in the
person of the requested king; but when he proves insufficient for what the people had
proposed, human presumption is confounded, so that it wastes away in defeat. And indeed,
as I said above, the king who is chosen to go before the people and fight their battles,
when he is abandoned by divine help, perished overwhelmed in battle, and for the people
whom he had led into those same battles, he became a cause not of salvation but of death.
What, then, would the people attribute to God if he who had been chosen as king by God's
judgment had not proven so suitable for carrying out what the people wanted? He can also
be understood as chosen and good, as he is described, not as he was foreseen to be in the
future. He is therefore called chosen and good, so that he is understood to have been
chosen as such by the Lord—he who through disobedience was later rejected. For this
reason, logic itself demands that what is said about him as chosen and good up to the time
of his rejection, we should understand in a favorable sense.


COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS (BOOK FOUR, CHAPTER 4.4)
==============================================

COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS continued

CHAPTER 4.4

1. Therefore, repeating all things in summary, let us see what edification they contain in
themselves according to another meaning. Because we said that in Samuel the new priesthood
is signified, what does it mean that he grew old, except that while the holy Church is led
through the passing spans of time, the beauty of conduct grows old in some priests? Now
Samuel grew old because the vigor of authority withered. For Samuel was as if young when
the order of priests, yearning only for heavenly desires, while seeking nothing earthly,
the more effectively it could preach heavenly things, the more it nonetheless kindled the
souls of those subject to them toward those things by words and examples. For he was
strong in vigor and radiated with youthful beauty, while he displayed the power of the
heavenly word in the splendor of holy conduct: because whatever he could powerfully preach
by speaking, he strove also to show by living sublimely. For he both gave life to dead
souls by the word; but shining forth with the wondrous flower of youth, he raised dead
bodies by his command. Since he both gave sight to the blind, walking to the lame, and
healing to all infirmities, and he so radiated with the beauty of most holy conduct, that
it was of greater virtue to be able to live in this manner than to aid others in that way.

Therefore Samuel flourished as if in youth, when in the order of priests there equally
shone forth both the wonderful virtue of works and such immense beauty of holy conduct.
But it has already been a long time since Samuel grew old. For many ages have elapsed,
during which many of those by whose virtue the joys of the world should have been driven
from the hearts of others follow the love of the world. Yet we do not say this as though
the holy Church has no religious men: but that few are those who at the height of
preaching have perfectly known how to despise the world and cling to the highest desires.
Therefore it is aptly said that Samuel is both old and prophesies. He is indeed old,
because he has lost the rigor of austere conduct in many: yet he does not cease to
prophesy, because while he has some spiritual strength, he powerfully displays the virtue
of the provident spirit. This can fittingly be understood of one and the same preacher.
They are indeed old and prophesy, who are so dissolved through negligence that they teach
well but live badly. They set their sons as judges when they establish in the dignity of
the priesthood those who look upon the times of their more lax life. Yet the young are
ordained by the old: because those who come to be promoted promise strong things. Indeed
they pledge the strongest profession of the priestly life, whose virtue they do not
possess in their future conduct.

Therefore the young are promoted: because those who ordain them do not raise them to the
height of so great an order before they receive from them a profession of virtue. For
first they instruct them both how sublimely they should live and how carefully they should
teach: that they ought to live sublimely for this reason, that they may be able to preach
profitably, that they should always direct the purpose of their life toward heavenly
things, that they should not seek temporal rewards from the labor of preaching, that they
should not show partiality in judgment, but arrange all things with the just balance of
equity: so that they may hear the difficulties of the ways of God, and say whether they
are willing to undergo their labors. 2. Indeed, most people profess that they walk
difficult paths while they seek after sacred orders; but when they arrive at what they
sought, they neglect to maintain the steadfastness of their promise. Hence the sons of
Samuel are fittingly reported not to have walked in his ways, but to have accepted bribes
and perverted judgment. For the ways of Samuel are so called because they are set forth by
the office of a preacher. His sons, therefore, do not walk in the ways of their father
when those who ambitiously attain to sacred orders abandon the arduous paths of religious
life shown to them by their elders, and by their perverse intention are plunged ever
deeper into the desire for earthly things. Hence they are openly declared, after avarice,
to have turned aside, accepted bribes, and perverted judgment. For those who neglect to
labor for heavenly things must necessarily be bound more tightly in the desire for earthly
ones. To turn aside after avarice is to be wholly carried away in intention by ambition
for earthly things. For there are some who seek earthly gains through avarice, yet do not
turn aside after avarice, because although they desire temporal things, they avoid
incurring guilt in their pursuit of them. Those, therefore, turn aside after avarice who,
for the sake of the earthly things they ardently seek, have no fear whatsoever of
incurring guilt. They consider their own soul to be of less worth than anything they can
covet. Hence comes violent plunder, hence secret thefts arise:

because those over whom the avaricious have power they oppress by violence, and upon those
whose goods they cannot assault by force, they contrive to inflict theft. Often, too,
those whom they cannot overpower by theft of hands, they ensnare by the falsehood of
words. Hence the sons of Samuel, in an orderly progression, are marked out in the
disordered confusion of avarice, when it is said: (1 Kings 8:3) "They turned aside after
avarice, accepted bribes, and perverted judgment." 3. For those who perverted judgment in
order to receive gifts did not seek the darkness of night to commit the theft of a coveted
thing, but the darkness of reason. And it should be noted that the burning of avarice is
the cause of accepting gifts, and the acceptance of gifts is the cause of perverting
judgment: so that by the prophet's narration the depravity of this vice may be shown, not
only how it advances in the hearts of the reprobate, but how it can be utterly uprooted
from the minds of the saints. For if this perversity of judgment is born from the
acceptance of gifts, he who does not accept gifts does not pervert judgment, and he easily
rejects offered gifts who has thoroughly uprooted the root of avarice from his heart. But
we gather this fault of the sons of Samuel more fully by seeing than by speaking. For if
we look at the desolate places of the Churches, where the father grows old, the sons incur
the mark of avarice, of accepted gifts, and of perverted judgment: because where the
person of the ruler is dissolved through shameful gains, the hearts of the subject flock
are easily scattered, so that they live wickedly in themselves and offer examples of
depravity to others. But it is pleasing to greatly admire in these things the judgments of
almighty God.

For the sons of Samuel, while they turn aside after avarice, while they accept gifts for
the purpose of perverting judgment, bestow examples of depravity upon the people over whom
they preside. But the people themselves, when they ask for a king, cast down the prophet's
sons from the height of power. But almighty God both receives the prayers of those asking
for a king, and is angered that one is asked for. By these things we can certainly be
disturbed, if we do not carefully examine their rationale. For what is more just than that
he should fall by the judgment of the people, who so pursued the reprobate judgment of his
own mind that the people following him would perish? But nevertheless, when priests live
badly, they are not to be judged by laypeople. Therefore they worthily receive one more
unworthy, who presumed to unworthily cast out one who was unworthy. For of the sons of
Samuel it is said: "They accepted gifts and perverted judgments. But concerning that king
whom the children of Israel request, very terrible threats are uttered, for it is said:
"He will take your fields and olive groves, and give them to his servants" (1 Kings 8:14).
And what wise person would not observe that it is more wicked to seize fields and
vineyards by public violence than to exchange judgment under the pretext of truth in order
to receive gifts? This fault is covered by a certain modesty, overshadowed by shame.

But that fault is seen as so much more wicked, the more openly and more atrociously it is
perpetrated. But we have not yet arrived at discussing those times of the kingdom, in
which these evils are described as happening even according to the letter: therefore while
we speak according to our purpose about the chosen one and what is good, it seems useful
that we also carefully examine how the law of the king, which is foretold, can be received
in a good sense. For if it did not show something good spiritually, it would by no means
be said in this sacred history: "Samuel spoke to the people the law of the kingdom, and
wrote it in a book and placed it before the Lord" (1 Kings 10:15). 4. What does it mean
that the sons of the Israelites are said to be placed in the king's chariots? The chariots
of the prelates of holy Church are their devout desires. For while they fervently seek
heavenly joys, they are carried aloft as if in chariots. Hence Elijah is said to have been
raised to heaven in a fiery chariot (2 Kings 2:1), because indeed one who does not seek
heavenly joys through lofty and fervent desires cannot be raised to them. When, therefore,
good hearers begin through the examples of preachers to despise earthly things and to love
eternal things, the sons of the Israelites are indeed placed in the kings' chariots. And
it should be noted that they are said both to be taken up and to be placed in chariots,
because they must first be drawn away from carnal desires so that they may be properly
inflamed by the fires of heavenly love. Because these earthly desires are not easily
abandoned, the sons are said to be taken up. For it must happen through great violence
that the chosen hearer completely abandons earthly desires and raises himself on high to
heavenly things. Concerning this violence the Lord says: "The kingdom of heaven suffers
violence, and the violent seize it" (Matt. 11:12). Concerning this Paul says: "No one will
be crowned unless he has competed lawfully" (2 Tim. 2:5). This is also shown covertly by
these words, because the sons who are taken up are said to be placed not on seats but in
chariots.

The ancients were indeed accustomed to fight in chariots. And he who is carried in a
chariot is borne lofty and terrible against the enemy. For chosen men are all the more
lofty and terrible to hidden enemies the higher they have advanced in the sublimity of
interior love. They are indeed lofty because the suggestion of evil spirits does not reach
up to their intention. They are also terrible because they can reject the counsels of evil
spirits all the more easily the more firmly they stand in the contemplation of heavenly
joy through the vigor of their innermost affection. Indeed whenever this is said to those
who are still carnal, the goodness of holy warnings is shown to them. This is as if he
were saying: Because you seek the role of virtue, under its discipline you cannot be free
for the leisure of life. Therefore they are also said to become the king's horsemen and
pursuers of the royal chariots, tribunes and centurions. All these indeed belong to
earthly warfare. Therefore when they are declared to become horsemen, pursuers of
chariots, tribunes, and centurions, they are summoned to every exercise of war. They are
indeed horsemen when by the power of the spirit the flowing pleasures of their flesh are
restrained and they rule with great power over all enticing impulses.

For he rides aloft as if on a horse who, set above his flesh through the good of chastity,
free and swift, is able both to flee the enemy when he disdains him and to attack when he
deigns to. Indeed through the fact that he has learned to rule well, he has received such
increases of virtue that the enemy cannot withstand the charge as of a rushing horseman.
And because in the strength of their virtue they follow the examples of the chosen
Fathers, they are pursuers of the royal chariots. For the chariots of the king are the
good examples of the chosen preacher. In them indeed he is shown both fighting and
triumphing, because when we behold the holy works of the preacher, we indeed see him
exalted both in the struggle of contest and in the power of triumph. But those oppressed
by carnal desires can see him in his chariots but cannot pursue his chariots. For like
foot soldiers on level ground they are sluggish in running, weak in battle. Therefore,
that they may be able to pursue the royal chariots, let them first become horsemen,
trample earthly desires, rule over their flesh, and glow white with the armor of chastity.
Then indeed we can run after the chosen Fathers in spiritual battle all the more fittingly
the more powerfully we strike the ranks of hidden enemies through that by which we
laudably govern ourselves.

But if, as many manuscripts have it, we read not "pursuers" but "forerunners," it is not
without a good meaning. A forerunner of the royal chariots is one who praises with his
word the examples of the just. He certainly ought to be a horseman, because he is a
worthless praiser who proclaims the lofty life and teaching of the saints which he by no
means takes care to imitate with a lofty purpose. But he who knows how to set forth the
life and teaching of others for the imitation of others already begins to be a master of
spiritual warfare. Therefore it is well added: (1 Sam. 8:12) "And he will appoint for
himself tribunes and centurions." 5. They are tribunes when they begin; centurions when
they are perfected in spiritual teaching. For indeed, as we said above, a centurion is so
called from the number one hundred. Tribunes can also be understood as spiritual men,
simple in knowledge, but inflamed with love of God and neighbor. Although they do not know
how to speak of lofty and spiritual things, nevertheless through the examples of the
elect, which they know, they strive to kindle those whom they can to the love of the
Creator. A tribe is indeed called a kinship, or an assembly. If therefore tribunes are so
called from "tribe," those who bring forth the examples of the saints for the advancement
of their neighbors are named tribunes. They come as an assembly, as it were, to destroy
our rusticity, when they set before us those things by which holy men pleased almighty
God. And when they set forth the particular virtues of very many saints, they open to us,
as it were, the nobility of spiritual kinships. Centurions, therefore, can be understood
as more perfect men, who, while they advance well under the teaching of preachers, become
their hearers and co-workers. Concerning whom the Lord indeed says in the Gospel: 'Every
scribe instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like a householder, who brings forth from
his treasure things new and old' (Matt. 13:52). Such men indeed are not only outstanding
in action, but also learned in the knowledge of God's word.

Hence they can exhort their neighbors to the struggle of spiritual warfare all the more
usefully, inasmuch as they demonstrate in the work of virtue the lofty things which they
know how to preach. They have words in their learning, and they have works as examples for
the simple: so that the wise may understand the lofty things they speak, and those who do
not perceive the secrets of words in their depths may imitate the works which they see
outwardly. They are therefore appointed centurions when, by the perfection of virtue, they
obtain the summit of dignity: so that they may live sublimely, and the more loftily they
live, the more usefully they may teach. 6. But those who are centurions, when they have
arranged the times of war, ought to advance: so that they may be recognized as bearing
fruit in peacetime as well. After the tribunes, therefore, the centurions become plowers
of fields and reapers of crops; so that they may open the hearts of the now-victorious
with the plowshare of exhortation, from which they may reap more abundantly the wheat of
good works. As if now indeed plowing in peace, they rouse to the practice of works of
piety those hearts that had conquered spiritual assaults. And they reap the harvests when
they rejoice that chosen works have sprung forth from the seed of the divine word which
they had scattered in the hearts of their hearers. For just as they reap wheat from a
field with sickles, so through the embrace of charity they receive from heavenly
conversation that by which they may be satisfied with inner devotion.

7. But as long as we live in this life, we possess nothing in peace. For since the ancient
enemy always opposes those who act well, it is necessary that we always defend the things
we do well. Wherefore they are also rightly said to become, after being plowers of fields
and reapers of crops, makers of arms and chariots of the king. They make arms and chariots
so that they may defend those very fields which they cultivate and those crops which they
reap. They make a chariot so that they may be swift to meet adversaries, and arms so that
they may be powerful. They mount the chariot so that with great force they may crush the
camps of demons, and they carry arms so that they may destroy those whom they attack. In
this lofty height of the chariot stood he who said: "Our citizenship is in heaven" (Phil.
3:20). Whence also, now secure, he who appeared superior to all his enemies, affirming,
said: "No creature shall be able to separate us from the love of Christ" (Rom. 8:39). But
he who had mounted the chariot held arms; whence he also explains, saying: "But I so run,
not as uncertainly; so I fight, not as one beating the air, but I chastise my body and
bring it into subjection" (1 Cor. 9:26, 27). What then is more rightly expressed by this
chariot than the loftiness of right intention? To make a chariot, therefore, is to raise
up the height of right intention in the minds of hearers.

For those who obtain the ministry of preaching through the examples of their betters make
chariots after the labor of plowing and reaping, when they teach their well-doing subjects
that from all the good works they do, they should await only the rewards of eternal
recompense. Indeed, to despise earthly things, to desire nothing transitory, to love
eternal things, and to hasten toward them with great desires, is already to preside over a
lofty chariot. Of which chariots indeed it is said through the Psalmist: "The chariot of
God is multiplied ten thousandfold, thousands of those rejoicing; the Lord ascends in
them" (Ps. 67:18). But their arms are keen counsels, by which they strike their enemies
the more powerfully as they more quickly detect their cunning. Whence also that powerful
one spoke as if armed: "We are not ignorant of his devices" (2 Cor. 2:11). He was also
making arms when he said: "And the shield of faith, with which you may be able to quench
all the fiery darts of the most wicked one, and take the helmet of salvation, and the
sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Eph. 6:16, 17). The elect, placed in those
chariots and arms, are indeed swift and powerful. Swift indeed, because while they desire
spiritual things, they detect spiritual wickedness in a moment. And they are powerful,
because while they more ardently desire the highest things, whatever is suggested to them
from the lowest love of the world, they count as nothing;

and like chariots carried by their weight, they have great force against enemies, who,
filled with holy virtues and keen counsels, destroy in a moment all the temptations that
are brought against them. Nor is it without meaning in this regard that a chariot, while
it rolls along the ground, both lifts the lower part upward and brings the upper part
downward. So indeed also the right intention of holy men, while from the earthly things it
does it expects heavenly things, as it were directs upward the part that it drags along
the ground. And because it humbles itself before the Creator both for its good work and
for its expectation of eternal recompense, it as it were plunges toward the earth the part
that it lifts upward. Our chariot indeed revolves unceasingly on its wheels, if from good
work we always aim at eternal things, and from every height of our advancement we take
care to be humble. These arms and chariots are indeed the king's when they are seen to
differ in no way from the pattern and teaching of the preachers of holy Church. The elect
preachers therefore make chariots and arms when they teach their hearers to hasten toward
the heavenly homeland, both by the rectitude of intention and by the fortification of
virtue. But there is nothing to prevent us from understanding all these things, which we
have shown in the advancement of one person, as distributed individually among many.

We have shown indeed that the elect, advancing through the degrees of virtues, are first
placed in chariots, then appointed as horsemen and runners before the royal chariots,
established as tribunes, centurions, plowers, and reapers, and finally become makers of
arms. But because holy Church makes use of the diverse ministries of the elect, whoever
wishes may attribute individual gifts of graces to individual orders, so that each of
these may be proper to those who are more closely joined to their respective dispositions.
8. What then is the meaning of what he adds: that the daughters of the Israelites would
become perfumers, cooks, and bakers? But by the term "daughters" sometimes weakness is
signified, sometimes fruitfulness. Who then are the daughters of the Israelites, if not
chosen souls, prepared for the conception of the divine Word? They become the king's
perfumers: because as they advance through the instruction of their preacher, they receive
within themselves the abundant grace of the Holy Spirit, through which they can
wholesomely heal the brokenhearted. They also become cooks: because while they are filled
with the fervor of the Holy Spirit, by their example they kindle the hearts of their
neighbors to love of the Creator. They become bakers, when they restore chosen souls with
the nourishment of the Word of God. The daughters therefore become perfumers when they
heal the wounds of sinners. Cooks, when they set ablaze hearts purged from the filth of
sins toward the pursuit of good works by the example of their virtue. And they are bakers
when, to those advancing through their examples, they no longer set forth examples, but
bring forth words of deep knowledge; so that, fed as it were with solid food, they may act
all the more strongly, inasmuch as, now spiritually instructed, they more fervently desire
eternal things. There follows: (Verse 14.) "And he will take your fields, and your
vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants."

9. What are the fields, what are the vineyards, what are the olive groves that are taken
from us by the right of rulers? But the holy preachers, when they speak for the correction
of sinners, rebuke the pleasures of the flesh, the lusts of the mind, and the pretenses of
good works. For if the pleasures of the flesh were not the fields of wicked possession,
the Apostle would never say: "He who sows in the flesh, from the flesh shall reap
corruption" (Gal. 6:8). To sow in the flesh, indeed, is to bury the purpose of the mind in
the pleasures of the body. And they truly reap corruption from the flesh, because in the
resurrection of the elect they shall in no way receive the renewal of eternal
incorruption. By the name of vineyards, the lusts of the mind are also rightly
represented, because they intoxicate the hearts of the reprobate and estrange them from
the knowledge of truth. Criticizing the fruit of this vine, Moses says: "Their vine is of
the vine of Sodom, and of the suburbs of Gomorrah; their grape is a grape of gall, and
their cluster most bitter" (Deut. 32:32). For he draws his vine from the vineyard of Sodom
and his shoot from Gomorrah, who fills his mind with the most abominable lusts. For he
makes, as it were, a vineyard, who thereby forgets eternal things, by which he is also
intoxicated through lusts;

and he who refreshes himself as if under the shade of a vineyard and the pleasantness of
depraved delight, prepares for himself the retribution of eternal fire. Hence, most
fittingly setting forth the fruit of that same vineyard, he called it a grape of gall and
a cluster of bitterness. For the grape is pleasing to the sight but gall to the taste —
delighting the eye, embittering the palate — because indeed what it lusts after greatly
pleases the reprobate mind, but in eternal punishment what is now sweet to it turns
bitter. The king, therefore, takes away our fields when the chosen preacher by his words
removes the joyful impulses of our flesh in its delight. He takes away the vineyards when
he utterly cuts off the intoxicating lusts from our heart. He also takes away the olive
groves when he rebukes the works of false mercy, when by rightly exhorting he suggests
that there is no merit in a work unless it proceeds from the purpose of a good intention.

10. But it must be earnestly inquired why these things are said to be given to the
servants of the king. For if these things are justly taken from us, who will there be to
whom they may not be unworthily assigned? Yet if we examine this more carefully, we find
that our holy preachers are great in their dominions. Who then are these servants, if not
those of whose head the Lord says to blessed Job: "Will you take him as a servant forever?
(Job 40:23) For evil spirits are the servants of holy men — in this life perpetual
servants, and in the next life eternal servants. For daily they bring about that by which
holy men are crowned. For since from the battle of this life the victory of eternal glory
is granted to us, those who renew against us those wars by which we are led to eternal
rest assuredly render us great services. They are also the servants of the victors, as the
Truth testifies: "By whom a man is overcome, of the same he is made a servant" (2 Peter
2:19). For while they stir up battles against those who will be victorious, they serve
those who are thereby crowned, inasmuch as these for a time valiantly withstand their
attacks. But because what advances the glory of the saints increases for evil spirits as
an addition to their damnation, the fields, vineyards, and olive groves that are taken
away are assigned to the servants.

Indeed, demons will be punished with eternal punishment for all their wickedness. In the
encounter of the hidden contest, when the elect conquer, they assign the evils which they
repel to their enemies: because the former are tested as gold in the furnace (Wisdom 3:6),
while the latter are punished for their wicked suggestion. Therefore the servants receive
the fields, vineyards, and olive groves: because when sinners return to life through the
preaching of teachers, this also contributes to the heap of damnation for the demons —
that the penitent were held so long in past sin by their deceit. These things are also
given to the servants when sinners, converted to the Lord through the office of the
preacher, recognize that they were held in love of their past crimes by the deceit of
demons. 11. But what does it mean that the crops and the returns of the vineyards are said
to be tithed and given to the eunuchs and servants of the king? The crops of the elect are
tithed when we gather their most excellent works so that we may bring them forth as an
example for the faithful. For there was only one who had in himself the fullness of all
virtues, into whom all the fullness of the Godhead poured itself bodily (Col. 1:19). But
we, because we have all received from his fullness, possess the gifts of graces in divided
portions. Hence Paul says: "To one indeed is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom,
to another the word of knowledge, to another kinds of tongues, to another the
interpretation of speeches, to another faith in the same Spirit, to another the working of
powers, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits" (1 Cor. 12:8). By the
number ten, because it is perfect, we tithe the virtues when we gather the gifts of
individual elect persons for the lesser ones to imitate. For it is written of Moses: "He
was the meekest of all men on earth" (Num. 12:3). Of Abraham also it is said: "Abraham
believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness" (Gen. 15:6). When therefore we
wish to imitate gentleness together with faith, it is necessary that from the example of
Moses and Abraham, as from choice crops, food be tithed for the refreshment of our mind.

Just so, just so indeed, preachers bring forth the chastity of Joseph (Gen. 39:8), the
patience of Job (Job 1:21), the zeal of Phinehas (Num. 25:7) as an example for us: because
when they display the virtues of the perfect, they gather, as it were, the tithes of
choice harvests, which they may set before those who are making good progress. Hence also
it is rightly said that these same tithes of the fruits are given to the eunuchs and
servants. Eunuchs, indeed, are those who by strength of soul have crushed in themselves
all the fuel of lust. Of whom the Lord certainly says in the Gospel: "There are eunuchs
who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 19:12).
Servants are those who still serve under another's care in the pursuits of the active life
and cannot yet go forth free to the heights of charity. These are also found in Moses to
owe six years of service to their masters (Exod. 21:2), so that in the seventh they may go
forth free: because indeed they must first be perfected in works so that they may be able
to go forth in due order into the summit of contemplation. The teacher therefore assigns
the tithes of the harvests to the eunuch-servants when those who obey him in the splendor
of chastity follow the chosen works of the great ones.

He also assigns the tithes of the vineyards when he shows them with what wondrous charity
our Fathers loved God and neighbor, so that they too may strive to be filled with the same
abundance of charity, and as though inebriated and forgetful of things past, may love only
the things to come, and not fail to run fervently toward them. 12. After all these things,
the servants and maidservants of the Israelites, the best young men, are declared to be
taken away and put to the king's work. Who are the servants of the carnal, except those
who, by the example of the wicked, have been so corrupted by long habit that they seem to
have perpetually subjected the necks of their minds under the yoke of most wicked
imitation? Their servants, therefore, are taken away when, by the zeal of chosen
preachers, even those abandon their sins who seemed to be vehemently subjected to the
reprobate imitation of the carnal. They are also called the best young men. They are
young, indeed, because they are strong in evil; they are also called the best because they
are more wicked than the rest of sinners. To whom, of course, it is said through the
prophet: "Woe to you who are mighty at drinking wine, and men of strength at mixing
drunkenness" (Isaiah 5:22). They drink wine, indeed, who by deliberation of mind
recklessly take in the heat of concupiscence, and they mix drunkenness, because while they
are inflamed by the fires of their lusts, they know not how to return to the ways of
righteousness, their reason being lost. They are mighty and strong both at drinking and at
mixing drunkenness, so that on account of their fervent devotion to evil they are shown to
be, as it were, the best servants. These best young men the divine word likewise points
out when it describes the greed of the devil, saying: "His food is choice" (Habakkuk
1:16). For the ancient enemy is greatly refreshed by the wickedness of those who are more
wicked than the most wicked.

13. By the name of maidservants, that most wicked condition of sinners is designated—those
who through iniquity are exceedingly depraved and furnish examples of wickedness to
others. For like maidservants they bear slaves, since they are not only workers of great
iniquity but also mothers of it. But because through the preaching of the saints even such
people are converted, who afterward render great services to almighty God, the servants
and maidservants are fittingly said to be taken away and placed in the work of the king.
Did not the King of kings then take a maidservant when He said of that great sinful woman:
"Her many sins are forgiven, because she loved much" (Luke 7:47)? And He placed her in His
work when He entered the village and she received Him in her house (Luke 10:38). He also
placed her in His work because, rising from the dead, He entrusted to her the proclamation
of His resurrection (Mark 16:7). He also took a servant when He called Matthew from the
profit of the tax booth to follow Him. He placed him too in His work, because Matthew
provided a banquet for Him in his house and He made him a preacher to Ethiopia, an
Evangelist of the converted world (Matt. 9:9; Mark 1:14; Luke 5:27). Therefore, because
through the ministry of preachers even those return to the Lord of whose salvation human
thought could have despaired, the servants and maidservants and finest young men are
fittingly described as being placed in the work of the king.

14. By the name of male and female servants, the movements of the heart and its affections
can be understood. For when they suggest wicked things to us, they are male servants; when
the affections of the mind desire to submit themselves to the suggestions of depraved
impulses, they are female servants. Then indeed it is necessary that we master both
through the rigor of our resolve. Preachers take away our male and female servants when
they instruct the movements of our hearts and affections as to how they should be directed
toward the service of God. They place them in the work of the king when we now exercise
that very service of almighty God which we learned through their instruction. Moreover,
what is more fittingly represented by donkeys than the lustful movements of the soul? They
are placed in the work of the king when that mind which was accustomed to be moved to
lasciviousness by depraved thoughts profits from the preaching of the teacher and directs
its affections toward the desire of imitating chastity. By the name of male servants,
female servants, and donkeys can be designated those who vigorously render bodily service
to worldly men. But they are placed in the work of the king, because once converted to the
service of almighty God, they endure spiritual labors all the more devoutly for eternal
recompense, the more clearly they recognize that they had been enduring great things
without fruit.

The king is also said to tithe the flocks, because whoever desires to please almighty God
must be clean through innocence and intent upon the pursuit of good works. By the former
he is a good tree; by the latter he also bears fruit. Since indeed we employ many things
in order to preserve innocence and to be able to perform good works, these very crowds of
innocent thoughts are our flocks. What then does it mean that they are tithed, except that
the subtlety of thoughts is not easily discerned? For often we think we are thinking good
things which, when carefully examined, are not good. Therefore the flocks must be tithed,
so that only what is contained in the number ten belongs to the king's right. This is
rightly accomplished in us when, through the instruction of our preachers, we learn to be
perfect not only in the performance of works but also in the examination of thought.
Finally it is said: (Verse 17. And you shall be his servants.

15. So that, namely, they may know themselves to be subject to his authority in such a way
that they dare not transgress his commands. The Lord indeed wished to establish this royal
dominion when He said: "Whatever you shall bind upon earth shall be bound in heaven; and
whatever you shall loose upon earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Matt. 16:19). This power
also He demanded from His subjects, who said: "If anyone shall preach to you a gospel
other than what I have preached to you, let him be anathema" (Gal. 1:8). Likewise the
Lord, sending His disciples to preach, says: "He who hears you, hears me; and he who
despises you, despises me" (Luke 10:16). Hence concerning the preachers of Judea the Lord
says to those same disciples: "Whatever they shall tell you, do" (Matt. 23:3). We are
therefore servants of our kings, when we are so subjected to the authority of our prelates
that we presume to do nothing apart from their authority. Since, therefore, those who
strengthen their virtues in the power of obedience are set over them, at the end of the
royal law it is said: "And you shall be his servants" — so that faithful subjects may then
also recognize that they ought to be subject to the command of their preachers, when
through the advancement of virtues they are led to the heights of perfection. The Truth
itself also taught this to the disciples in these very words, saying: "When you have done
all these things, say: We are unprofitable servants" (Luke 17:10). Nevertheless, because
He was speaking these things to carnal men, He added, saying (v. 18): "And you will cry
out on that day before the face of the king, and the Lord will not hear you on that day,
because you asked for yourselves a king."

16. Those who had asked for a king cry out from the face of the king, when those who had
vowed to lead a spiritual life under a good ruler attempt to abandon the labors of that
same life. Indeed, all are recognized by their face. Therefore the face of the king is the
known manner of life and teaching of a good preacher. Because they do hard and harsh
things for the sake of eternal life and command hard things, their carnal subjects strive
not to imitate but to flee from their life and doctrine. For those who had asked for a
king, whose appearance they did not know, then see the face of the king; because they
consider how laborious is the strictness of the heavenly journey in their superior, which
they had desired as if it were an easy thing before they knew it. Then those who had asked
for a king cry out from the face of the king; because while they are unwilling to abandon
the habit of carnal life, they strive to escape the praiseworthy imitation of the
excellent pastor whom they had wanted to be set over them. And because with a blind heart
they cannot see the light, they cry out to the Lord, that is, they beseech the Lord that
they might escape the spiritual yoke of God. But the Lord does not hear them on that day.
What is that day on which the reprobate subjects beseech the Lord, if not the pursuit of
vain prosperity? They are not heard; because indeed it never happens through divine grace
that subjection once promised to good rulers can freely go out to the pleasures of the
world. Therefore he also added the reason, saying: (Verse 18.) Because you asked for
yourselves a king.

17. As if to say: The promised subjection to spiritual pastors is indissoluble. You ask
for a king easily enough, but because royal authority is burdensome, you cannot easily
escape their power. Because we say this with regard to the historical sense, we think it
should be noted that almighty God, while foretelling the rights of a king, bestows upon
religious superiors a pattern of governance. Why? So that those who command the most
strict way of life should not easily grant entrance to newcomers. For this reason also the
best teacher of that most strict life, a disciple well-trained by the highest Truth,
commands, saying: "Test the spirits, whether they are from God" (1 John 4:1). And
likewise: "Let the hard and difficult things through which one goes to God be announced to
him, so that he may know what he is entering into. The Lord therefore proclaims the rights
of a king — let him speak, let him know all things, what sort of carnal persons will exist
under his rule — and so that the weak may not easily approach the life of virtue, strong
superiors should by no means easily accept the weak. For swiftness of conversion most
often arises from rashness of counsel, not from growth of devotion. For when the weak
promise strong things, it is not a proven strength of soul but a confusion of discernment.
The wise man admonishes all such persons under a single designation when he says: "Do not
lift a burden above yourself.

Therefore those who preside over others in the strong resolution of the regular life ought
to receive converts to that same life with all the more discernment, inasmuch as it is all
the more useful to know beforehand whether the petition of those approaching comes from
strength of soul or from rashness of will. For those who are fickle in their actions are
accustomed to eagerly desire the harshness of the spiritual life, so that they may appear
to desire what they seek with great strength of soul. (Verses 19–20. But the people
refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said: "By no means! Rather, a king
shall be over us, and we too shall be like all the nations, and our king shall judge us,
and he shall go out before us, and he shall fight our battles for us. Because this has
been expounded at length above, we are detained needlessly in examining it further. There
follows: (Verse 21. And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he spoke them in the
ears of the Lord.

18. To hear the voice of the people is to recognize outwardly what those seeking the habit
of holy life say. For we hear, as it were, only the voice of those approaching, when we
know what they assert outwardly; but what kind of people they will be amid the assertions
of their promise, we do not see. Therefore we ought to speak these things in the ears of
the Lord, so that He Himself may receive the words of their promise: He who, while hearing
the words, examines the hearts, and from the course of their progress, demands the returns
of vigorous work. Let the minds of our novices hear this and tremble: because indeed what
they say to us, we speak in the ears of the Lord. For what they promise before us, we
offer to God, so that He Himself may now hold from our hands what He will demand an
account of. This freedom of the superior is indeed the obligation of the subject: because
he is subjected to a stricter judgment in proportion as he can more clearly know that he
must render an account to almighty God for what he answers. Therefore, when we offer to
God the things that novices promise, we give to Him, as it were, the written bond that
they make to us. And because this is done in secret, Samuel is said to have spoken in the
ears of the Lord the things that the people had said. For we speak in the ears of friends
when we conceal from outsiders what we say. There follows: (Verse 21.) And the Lord said
to Samuel: Hear their voice, and establish a king over them.

19. Above, the prophet, foreseeing the future, said: 'You will cry out to the Lord, and He
will not hear you, because you asked for a king for yourselves.' But now the Lord says:
'Listen to their voice, and appoint a king over them' (1 Kings 8:18). What is shown to us
through this, except that it is often divinely inspired in the good rulers of holy Church
to subject to the pursuits of the heavenly life those who are afterward not devout under
the discipline of the same profession? These will indeed afterward cry out from before the
face of their king, and yet by divine command they receive a king: because those are
divinely inspired to approach the service of God devoutly whom the anxious care of
pastors, involving great labor, must restrain under the bond of that same service for the
increase of their eternal reward. They are said to cry out to the Lord from before the
face of their king; but let the kings themselves hear what the prophet sent by the Lord
responds, so that they may know what they ought to do amid those very outcries. 'He will
not hear you', he says. Therefore neither should they themselves give ear. For those who
are lukewarm in holy monasteries must be healed, as though sick; they are not to be cast
out, as though dead. For if they have been sent by the Lord, they will come to their
senses amid the applications of spiritual ointments.

Let the Lord therefore say: 'Appoint a king over them': because indeed many come devoutly
to the service of God who are then permitted to grow cold, but through the zeal of
pastors—to whose authority they had submitted themselves by divine inspiration—they are
rekindled to the love of the heavenly homeland. But now he sets forth what kind of pastor
is fit for these things, saying: (1 Kings 9:1–2) 'There was a man of Benjamin whose name
was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, the
son of a man of Jemini, mighty in strength. And he had a son whose name was Saul, chosen
and good, and there was no man of Israel better than he; from the shoulder and upward he
stood above all the people.' 20. What does it mean that when the king to be appointed is
shown, the names of the fathers are proclaimed, unless that he is unworthily taken up to
the leadership of the holy Church who does not maintain the nobility of the holy Fathers
in his conduct? Moreover, six names of fathers are assigned, so that the perfection of
their holy way of life in good action might be designated. For the world was created in
six days and is completed in six ages. Therefore there are six fathers who are named in
the order of the genealogy of the chosen pastors of the holy Church: because indeed those
who obtain the summit of perfection in the pattern of those who follow are sons by
imitation. But the father of the king, Kish, is said to mean "hard": because surely those
whom the holy preachers imitate are not lax in life and zeal. For they are hard because
they do not speak soft things to sinners; they are also hard because, in order to correct
others well, they demonstrate in their own conduct the hard things they prescribe to them.
For he seemed hard who rebuked the Jews, saying: "O generation of vipers, who has shown
you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth worthy fruits of repentance" (Matt. 3:7).
But he who was hard to others was not lenient with himself. For to show that he maintained
the harshness of penance that he preached, the Evangelist says:

"He had a garment of camel's hair, and a leather belt around his loins; and his food was
locusts and wild honey" (Mark 1:6). To Ezekiel also it is said: "Behold, I have made your
forehead harder than their foreheads; I have made your face like diamond and flint" (Ezek.
3:8). But he who came so hard against those hard in evil, to show that he was about to
speak the hard things that were coming, wept for seven days in their midst before he
spoke. For thus he says: "And I sat where they sat, and I remained seven days mourning in
their midst. Therefore, because the holy preachers are not gentle and meek toward
obstinate sinners, and because they practice what they preach harshly, Saul is rightly
called the son of a hard man. For the chosen preacher ought to imitate those who both
preach sharp things and observe what they say. Whence also concerning the same father of
the king it is added: "strong in might. There are some within the holy Church who are
strong in pride and arrogance. For they do great things; but when people cease to praise
the things they do, they themselves cease to do those great things. Therefore he is strong
in might who has from the Holy Spirit the virtue that he displays in good work. Concerning
this might, Anna prophesied above (1 Sam. 2:4) in her canticle, saying: "The weak have
been girded with strength. Concerning this the Lord promises the disciples, saying:

"Stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:49). In this
might he walked strongly, of whom it is written: "Jesus returned in the power of the
Spirit into Galilee" (Luke 4:14). He therefore who is called hard is declared strong in
might: because chosen men, while they preach the highest things, demonstrate mighty deeds;
and everything lofty they prescribe and everything great they do, they accomplish in the
power of the Holy Spirit. Concerning whom it is fittingly added: "And he had a son whose
name was Saul, chosen and good. For he who is an imitator of such men is useful not only
for the labor of ministry but fit for the fruit of inheritance. Indeed, Judas too was
chosen for ministry; but because he was not good, he lost the right of succession. Who
then are signified by Saul, still chosen and good, if not the chosen imitators of the holy
Fathers, who are useful to others through teaching and to themselves through their way of
life; who are able so to govern others that they by no means cease to provide for
themselves? For they are chosen and good because they so seek the gain of others that they
suffer no losses of their own. For they are full in themselves, overflowing to others, and
from their own abundance they so give to others that they lose nothing of their own
fullness.

They have what they may offer to others, yet having what can suffice for themselves, they
offer to no one at their own expense. They strive so to supply oil to others that the fuel
of their light is not taken from them: so that while they illuminate others, they do not
extinguish themselves. Rightly therefore he is called chosen and good: because certainly
he who takes up the governance of the holy Church ought to be rich, adorned with spiritual
gifts and the fullness of merits. And because those who excel must be chosen from the
common order, it follows: "And there was not among the children of Israel a better man
than he. His excellence is indeed commended when it is added: "From the shoulder and
upward he stood above all the people. By this bodily appearance, in the person of the
bishop to be ordained, the deeds of virtue are prefigured. For what is designated by the
shoulder if not strength? But he who from the shoulder and upward stood above all the
people was of such lofty stature that he who was tallest among the people reached only to
the shoulder of the king; while the future king surpassed the height of all by his neck
and head. But what are the heads if not the minds of the subject people?

When they are greatly stretched, they reach up to the shoulder of the king to be ordained,
because he who is sought for the summit of governing the holy Church ought to be of such
perfection that whatever the people wish to set before themselves as good works, he ought
to demonstrate in his own conduct. For the heads of the people touch, as it were, the
shoulder of the king when their hearts find in their pastor whatever virtue they seek. But
the king excels by his neck, and excels by his head. For what is designated by the neck if
not speech, and what by the head if not the contemplation of the mind? Therefore he
surpasses the heads of all his subjects by head and neck if he is admirable in the height
of contemplation and in the sublimity of teaching. For he is, as it were, lofty by his
head when he contemplates those things about the heavenly secrets that others cannot
contemplate. He also has his neck above others, who, admirable in the height of his
speech, cannot be equaled by others. For he had, as it were, raised his head on high who
said: "I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know such a man, whether in
the body or out of the body, I do not know; God knows" (2 Cor. 12:1–2). But as a chosen
and good king, to show that his neck also rose above all heads, he said:

"He heard secret words which it is not lawful for a man to speak" (2 Cor. 12:4). But why
do we marvel at his neck, as it were towering, in those things he kept silent? Let us
equal him, if we can, in those things he said. From the neck of the apostle Paul proceeded
his epistles, and although wise men have been expounding them since that time, they still
strive to better understand what he said. And though they daily advance in learning from
him, as if straining toward the summit of his neck, they can by no means reach it. Let the
king therefore stand out by his neck, stand out by his head, be lofty by his shoulder: so
that he may be perfect in conduct, admirable in speech, above all others exalted on the
heights of contemplation. But he who is great in conduct, preeminent in speech, raised
above all in contemplation, before he arrives at the summit of governance, ought to have
outward signs of fraternal charity: that is, he should have such concern for his neighbors
that he seeks the gain of souls for eternal life. Rightly therefore it is added in the
type of these men: (Verses 3–4) "Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul's father, were lost; and
Kish said to Saul his son: Take with you one of the servants, and arise, go and seek the
donkeys.

And when they had passed through Mount Ephraim and through the land of Shalisha and had
not found them, they also passed through the land of Shaalim and they were not there, and
through the land of Benjamin and did not find them." 21. Kish, who is called harsh,
signifies not only his elect, but also the Redeemer himself. For no one was harsher toward
himself than he. For the prophet, indicating the severity of this harshness, says: "Truly
he himself bore our infirmities, and he himself carried our sorrows" (Isa. 53:4). For to
die is not to suffer for mortals, who are subject to the suffering of a condemned nature.
He therefore was exceedingly harsh toward himself, who had nothing in himself by which he
might suffer; but in order to free us by suffering, he graciously assumed that by which he
might be harsh toward himself and be able to suffer. The donkeys of Kish are sinful souls
(1 Sam. 10). Because even though they have been regenerated in the faith of the Redeemer,
they are called stubborn; and lost donkeys, because through uncleanness they have been
separated from his service. Hence it is that, as he was heading toward his passion, he sat
upon a loosed donkey and her colt (Matt. 21:7), to show openly that he had come to suffer
for this purpose: to come to the aid of sinners. For he acknowledged that he was seeking
lost donkeys when he said: "The Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost"
(Luke 19:10). These donkeys he both sought by himself, and still sends preachers to seek
them.

Therefore Kish tells his son to seek the donkeys, when the Redeemer commands the hearts of
the elect by spiritual inspiration to go forth into the ministry of preaching. But those
going forth in the office of preaching, because they ought to bring with them only
spiritual understanding, are commanded to take one of the servants. For he takes one
servant who, while going forth to provide others a pattern of living, is spiritual in
everything he does. For he took one of the servants, of whom it was foretold: "He himself
will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17). He had taken one
servant with him, who says: "We have not received the spirit of this world, but the Spirit
which is from God" (1 Cor. 2:12). Hence he says again: "We have the mind of Christ"
(ibid., 16). Hence through Ezekiel it is said of the holy living creatures: "Where the
impulse of the spirit was, there they went" (Ezek. 1:12). Therefore, when seeking the
donkeys, he takes one of the servants: when he who newly begins to seek the gain of souls
arranges to do all things spiritually, whatever he thinks to do. But to find the donkeys
is to behold sinners converted in the light of holiness. For like lost donkeys they are
not found, when in the darkness of sins, reprobate hearts bury themselves.

22. And because through the five senses of the body they fall into those same darknesses
of sins, they are sought in five regions where they cannot be found, namely Mount Ephraim,
the land of Shalisha, and Shaalim, and the land of the Benjaminites, and Zuph. For
everyone is hidden where he is cast down through sin; and as one who is lost, it is not
known where he is, when he abandons the light of justice in which God placed him. Hence it
is that in paradise after the sin, He seeks the first man, saying: "Adam, where are you?
(Gen. 3:9). As if to say: Because I do not find you in the light in which I placed you,
show yourself where you have placed yourself. Hence He inquires about the dead Lazarus,
saying: "Where have you laid him? (John 11:34). But the one whom He sought as lost, He
commanded to come forth that He might find him, saying: "Lazarus, come out. Therefore man
is lost when he sins; he is found when, now repenting, he declares his sin against
himself. For since through the sacred Scriptures the sinner is commanded: "Declare your
iniquities first, that you may be justified" (Isa. 43:26, according to the LXX), when the
one who has sinned begins to be justified by confessing, he is now seen in the light,
where he is now found to be placed. Now Saul, who seeking the donkeys did not find them,
represents the character of a learned preacher, but one newly beginning.

Almighty God indeed does not allow him to bear the fruit of preaching, lest he esteem the
conversion of sinners as a cheap thing, since he can easily convert them to the Lord. The
conversion is therefore delayed, so that the converted may be cherished all the more; and
the preacher loves them all the more greatly, the more clearly he sees that he cannot
quickly win them over. But while holy men cannot convert others through their preaching,
they begin to fear intensely for themselves—lest they displease Almighty God in the very
thing by which they thought they were greatly pleasing Him. And it often happens that the
hearts of new preachers are so frightened that they now resolve to abandon the office of
preaching itself and to devote themselves to God through silence. For this reason it is
added: (Verse 5. "When he had come to the land of Zuph and had not found them, Saul said
to his servant: Come, let us return, lest perhaps my father has stopped thinking about the
donkeys and is anxious for us."

23. He deliberates about returning to his father who, having set aside the intention of
preaching, desires to be free for God in the secret of silence. He is said to return who
is reported to have been sent before. For the sons are, as it were, in the presence of
their father when chosen men linger in the secret contemplation of the Redeemer. They
return, therefore, when from the public work of holy preaching they come to search out the
joys of eternal brightness. But because holy men do nothing without counsel, Saul
consulted the boy about the return to his father. For we consult the boy when with
attentive mind we take care that what we attempt to arrange should not differ from
spiritual understanding. Indeed, he had resolved to return to his father who said: "I
said, I will guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue. I set a guard over my
mouth, when the sinner stood against me" (Psalm 38:1–2). The sinner stands against the
preachers when, in response to their preaching, he does not abandon the state of his
iniquity. And because the preacher then proposes to be silent toward him and to be free
for God, so that he may return to the Father, he becomes mute. But because through silence
he better learned the will of God, his heart grew warm, and with the fire of inward
meditation blazing forth, he spoke. This is shown also in this passage, because the boy,
when consulted, bestows counsel upon the one consulting him, saying: (Verse 6) "Behold,
there is a man of God in this city, a noble man; everything he says comes to pass without
ambiguity. Now therefore let us go there; perhaps he will show us our way for which we
have come."

24. He calls Samuel a man of God, in whom we have already said that the preachers of Holy
Church are designated. He is indeed called a man out of reverence for his holy manner of
life, and everything he speaks is declared to come without ambiguity: because whatever he
threatens concerning eternal punishments, whatever he promises to the just concerning
eternal joy, comes to pass just as he announces it, and the impious shall go away to
punishment and the elect to glory. He is also said to be in the city: because a chosen
pastor is known to be always vigilant in the common guardianship of the people subject to
him. The pastor is in the city, because while he guards others, he is fortified in
himself. Whence also through the prophet, in the praises of all men of God, it is said
under the description of one: "He shall dwell on high; the fortifications of rocks shall
be his loftiness" (Isa. 33:16). For the higher he is raised up in the vision of the
eternal citizens, the stronger he is found to be in himself, and the more useful to his
neighbors.

25. He is also called noble: because he is conspicuous for his heavenly manner of life,
and has nothing of the rusticity of worldly life. For he is seen to be noble from the same
source whence he is a citizen. For secular men, because there is no composure of morals in
them, are rustic, as though nurtured in outlying places. For from their habitual
dishonesty of mind, they produce unseemly movements of body; and like those who are very
degenerate, they do not know the bearing of urbane custom, while through everything they
do, they cover the appearance of their life with the vileness of earthly obscurity. On the
contrary, the men of God are noble, who while they vigorously pursue the things that are
divine, shine with heavenly light in all their work: and they have nothing of degeneracy,
who in the great light of all their conduct display the rays of their celestial origin. To
this end, therefore, Saul is led by the boy, that he may be instructed: because those who
are to be placed on the height of prelacy are admonished to submit themselves to the
spiritual understanding of perfect preachers through their teaching. He who says this
admonishes us to be led by this boy: "If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the
law" (Gal. 5:18). But it must be asked why it is said with hesitation: "If perhaps he may
show us our way, on account of which we have come.

But because he desires to learn spiritual things, because he longs to receive great gifts,
he cannot know whether he is worthy of those same gifts. Therefore he begins to doubt, who
does not presume that he merits such great things by his own merits. Which doubt indeed
arises in the elect from the virtue of humility. Wherefore also in the voice of the
accompanying boy it is said to Saul: "If perhaps he may show us our way. Because indeed
the spiritual sense suggests that we should not think lofty things of ourselves, not
presume boldly concerning almighty God, but seek His gifts with the utmost reverence of
holy fear. Rightly therefore he is called a boy, who is proclaimed as always teaching
humble things. Therefore when he says, "Let us go there," and suddenly adds, "If perhaps
he may show us our way," he openly indicates that the Spirit of God works in the
understanding of the elect, while He both makes them approach devoutly to seek spiritual
gifts, and makes them fear with great reverence the omnipotence of the Giver. Whence also
he who is led by the spirit is said to look upon the poverty of his own merits, when it is
added: (Verse 7. "And Saul said to his boy: Behold, we shall go, but what shall we bring
to the man? The bread has failed in our bags, and we have no small basket to give to the
man of God, nor anything else."

26. The minds of the humble have this characteristic: that they possess spiritual gifts,
but do not regard themselves in those things which they possess. For because they receive
the gifts of virtues from the Holy Spirit, therefore the Holy Spirit, who bestows the
gifts, removes them from their own estimation, so that they may have these things in the
virtue of their conduct, but not have them in the swelling of pride. Rightly therefore it
is said of Saul: 'From the shoulder and upward he was taller than all the people.' And he
said to his servant: 'The bread has failed in our bags, and we have no basket'—because
chosen men, fit for governing the summit of holy Church, even regard themselves as small
through humility in that very thing in which they are great through virtue. And indeed
they have bread for the refreshment of the souls of the faithful in the wisdom of the
word, and the basket in the memory of inner meditation. For when they preserve in memory
for the instruction of the faithful those things which they gather in secret meditation,
they store bread, as it were, in a basket. For concerning these baskets it is said in the
Gospel: 'They filled seven baskets with the fragments' (Matt. 15:37; Mark 8:8).

When loaves abound on the Lord's table, the baskets are commanded to be filled—because
when the soul of the elect is refreshed in the heavenly contemplation of the Redeemer, it
is instructed in that same contemplation of the truth, so that the nourishment of the
word, which is seen to grow abundantly in itself, may be stored in the memory for the
instruction of the faithful. They also abundantly have something else besides bread and a
basket—those who, along with the virtue of contemplation and the teaching of the word,
abound in a wealth of holy works. Therefore, so that the humility of the saints may
resound in the speech of the king about to be appointed, he says: 'The bread has failed in
our bags, and we have no basket to give to the man of God, nor anything else'—because the
Holy Spirit makes those who are being prepared for the governance of the ecclesiastical
summit great in the virtue of their inner gift, but altogether small in the regard of
their own estimation. Let the servant therefore say: 'Let us go there, if perhaps he may
show us about our way.' But let Saul look upon himself as empty—because the Holy Spirit,
while he instructs the senses of those living uprightly, makes them now bold, now timid.
Bold indeed, so that they may venture forth; timid, lest they become proud. He impels them
to seek what is necessary; he holds them back, lest by presuming too much they fall into
the vice of rashness.

And because those whom he makes fearful he raises up to venture forth through the strength
of confidence, it is suddenly added: 'And so the servant of Saul answered again and said:'
(Verse 8) 'Behold, there is found in my hand a fourth part of a silver stater; let us give
it to the man of God, and he will show us about our way.' 27. As it were, the boy speaks
the good understanding of the chosen man, when he is impelled to speak by the direction of
the Holy Spirit. What then is it that he says: "There is found in my hand a fourth part of
a stater of silver"? What is this part of a stater of silver? But because by the name of
silver the divine words are signified, silver in the hand of the boy is the divine word in
the power of knowing. Indeed, it is one thing to be able to speak the word, and another to
be able to feel it. For even the reprobate speak the divine words, but none except the
elect can truly feel them. For that thing is truly felt whose power is recognized. For the
sick also eat fish, but the force of their sickness takes from them the experience of
taste, so that what they seem to eat, they are prevented from also tasting. Just so
indeed, all carnal persons, when they speak of heavenly things which they do not love,
like the sick make use of things which they are prevented from tasting. Therefore silver
is found in the hand of the boy, when through the merit of humility holy men receive the
heavenly things they speak of with great affection of charity, so that it is very sweet
for them to speak of heavenly things, because they are sweetly, and indeed very sweetly,
satisfied through love. Whence also it is written:

"The poor shall eat and be satisfied" (Psalm 21:27). For because the food of the soul is
the word of God, the poor eat and are satisfied, but the rich cannot be satisfied; because
indeed the elect, who love heavenly things, as often as they hear these things, are more
fervently inflamed toward them; while the reprobate speak and hear heavenly things, which
they receive with no sweetness for the refreshment of their mind. But a fourth part of a
stater of silver is said on account of the quality of the time. For that we may see the
other parts of this stater, we must consider the prophets, apostles, and martyrs. For
because according to the quality of the time the sound of preaching has been distributed
to each order, each as it were held a fourth part of the stater. The prophets therefore
presented their fourth part of the stater when they promised the coming of the Redeemer to
the Synagogue. The apostles gave their part when they preached to the Jews that he who had
been promised had now come. The martyrs also contributed their part when they brought
unbelievers to faith in the Redeemer. Therefore the fourth part of the stater is known to
have remained, because through the bishops and doctors of the holy Church the word of
faith is presented to the elect faithful until the end of the world.

But the word of faith is well preached by those to whom it is supplied through the hand of
the boy, because indeed those ought to preach heavenly things who in the sweetness of
their mind have merited to know their pleasantness. For this part of the stater is given
so that one may more fully merit to know the way of right preaching, because the chief
doctors of the holy Church commit the authority of preaching to none others except those
whom they know to love the heavenly things they speak of. By these words the simpler folk
are to be admonished according to the letter, that they should not dare to suspect the
depravity of avarice in the man of God on account of what is said: "That we may give to
the man of God, and he may show us our way. For if the prophet had his word for sale, he
would not be a man of God, and could in no way possess the spirit of prophecy itself.
Therefore when this is said, it is not the character of the man of God that is set forth,
but the devotion of the one approaching him, because Saul held him in great veneration,
and was ashamed to appear empty-handed in his sight. And because a celebrated fame invited
them to veneration of this same man of God, he adds: (Verse 9) "For he was called the
Seer."

28. For to be called is to be spoken of by public report. But a Seer is one who looks upon
even inward things, which the mind of carnal men does not attend to. Whence it is also
said of the holy living creatures: "Round about and within they were full of eyes." They
are watchful in outward things and provident inwardly. Against which presumption of carnal
teachers the Lord rebukes in the Gospel, saying: "If the blind lead the blind, both fall
into the ditch" (Matt. 15:14). A Seer is also called one to whom distant and absent things
are present. This well befits holy preachers, who through knowledge are as present to
spiritual things as they disdain to fix their attention on outward things. For they hold
hidden things as open and distant things as present, who always understand those things
which carnal men cannot know. For such ought the pastor of the holy Church to be, because
he is placed on the way of the heavenly homeland to provide light to those under him.
Therefore let him always scatter rays of light, so that the faithful subjects, from the
experience of his illumination, may draw others to illumination. There follows, and he
says: (Verse 9.) "Formerly in Israel everyone going to consult God spoke thus: Come, let
us go to the Seer."

29. We go to consult the Lord when we proceed to learned preachers, so that we may find
counsel for our salvation. But because there is now such a rarity of perfect men, while we
consider the flower of religion in ancient times, let us bewail its decline in the present
time. Struck with compunction over the misery and calamity of the present time, let us
sigh that the flower of the past age has withered together with the beauty of holiness.
Therefore, when we see the pastors of the Churches clinging to earthly things, seeking
what is passing away, displaying no marks of the spiritual life, when no light from our
prelates is poured upon us, remembering those things which have passed away unto the labor
of compunction, let us say: "Formerly everyone in Israel who went to consult the Lord used
to speak thus: Come, let us go to the Seer." Israel means "seeing God," or "in whom God
is." This name is certainly fittingly applied to the holy Church, whose people it is said
to be. For in the Gospel it is also said: "Behold, I am with you even to the consummation
of the age" (Matt. 28:20). Since she indeed had in former times pastors flourishing in
spiritual conduct, learned in great knowledge, who with great contempt despised earthly
things and contemplated heavenly ones, the people could exhort one another toward the
light which they saw in them, saying: "Let us go to the Seer." If therefore we must go to
those who see, we must equally turn away from the blind, because we ought not to imitate
but flee the examples of reprobate prelates; but from those who through the merit of their
conduct know spiritual things, we should always seek instruction for our edification. And
because none but spiritual men do this, there follows: (Verse 10.) And Saul said to his
servant: "Your word is excellent; come, let us go."

30. The best speech is that than which no better can be heard. Therefore, whenever
counsels of our salvation are spiritually suggested to us, a speech is made within us than
which no better can be found. We praise the speech of the boy, therefore, whenever we are
pleased with ourselves in the purpose of our spiritual understanding. And we promise to go
with him when we consent to spiritual thoughts. But because a good thought is then
fruitful when it is perfected in action, there follows: (Verses 10, 11.) And they came
into the city in which the man of God was. And as they were going up the slope of the
city, they found young women coming out to draw water, and they said to them: Is the Seer
here? 31. Those who seek the man of God come into the city, because it often happens that
the life and teaching of a prelate is sought in the conduct of his subjects. So indeed
trees too are often examined, whose beauty is found not in their leaves but in their
fruit. Often, however, undergrowth that has sprung up is mingled with great trees, and its
fruits falsely claim to be the fruits of those trees with which they are mixed. Therefore,
whoever wishes to discern the fruit must first discern the branches as well, so that he
may recognize from which tree the fruit comes. So indeed it is in the conduct of the
faithful: because in the chosen people of a good preacher, while many wicked ones are
mixed in, thorns spring up as if among good trees. Therefore the conduct of the chosen
preacher is not to be examined in all his subjects, but only in the elect. Then indeed we
separate, as it were, the branches of a good tree with discernment, when among the people
we imitate those rulers like choice fruits who advance by the example of their master, and
we flee from those like thorns who are condemned by the deceit of the ancient enemy.

Well therefore is it said of Saul and his servant that they came into the city and
ascended the slope of that same city, because indeed when the perfection of holy men is
sought in their subjects, it is not the imperfect members but the chosen and perfect ones
that must be sought out. For artisans too first begin their works, then adorn them. A
painter too, when he desires to apply beautiful colors or gold, first lays down a baser
color. Therefore, whoever wishes to judge the skill of artisans should look not at their
unfinished works but at the completed ones. Let him therefore ascend the slope of the
city, so that he who desires to find the Seer may discover him. For the slope is a low and
sunken place. In that part of the city, indeed, those are represented who have not yet
advanced to a higher manner of life. We therefore ascend the slope when we avoid setting
before ourselves as an example the level ground of weak hearers.

32. And then indeed we find the girls going out to draw water: because we behold the
beauty of holy minds in a more perfect way of life. The girls are indeed the minds of the
elect, pure through innocence, beautiful through the splendor of virtues. And because they
preserve their beauty in a more hidden life, they cannot be seen unless they go out to
draw water. The girls draw water when chosen souls, from the deep sorrow of their present
exile, pour forth streams of tears. They are said to draw water because, while they
remember themselves cast down in this valley of tears, mourning, they send, as it were,
the rope of thought into the deep, from which they draw the waters of tears with labor.
Then also they are seen going out: because although what they are like within remains
hidden, they nevertheless appear in their eyes; and how much they love their Creator is
shown by those who endure life amid such great sorrow of the present age. From these,
therefore, one must ask: Where is the Seer? Because the dwelling place of the perfect is
then well known when it is shown to us by those who, through the progress of their life,
are close to their way of living. But preachers have different places. For they have one
place for themselves, another for their subjects: because indeed in themselves they dwell
in the loftiest contemplation, but for their subjects they descend to the mountain of
teaching.

Through contemplation they are as if in heaven; and because what they teach is lofty, they
both descend when they teach and yet keep themselves on high while speaking sublime
things. The more perfect hearers, therefore, are close to their ruler not when he is in
the highest contemplation, but on the lower mountain of teaching. Wherefore the girls also
answer and say: (Verse 12. He is here, behold, before you: for today he has come into the
city. 33. As if they were saying: We can point out his place because he comes there where
we used to see him. For if he remained in the citadel of his own loftiness, no one could
show him to you. For a teacher is in the city when he lingers in the instruction of the
people subject to him through the ministry of preaching. A teacher is in the city when he
leaves his own affairs to arrange what is common to all. For since the people, fortified
and made strong through the exhortation of a good preacher, are protected when he lingers
in their ministry, he is known to be in the city. Likewise, because among the multitude of
the subject people some are simple and others are wise, the young women add: (Verses 12,
13.) Make haste now, today he has come into the city, because there is a sacrifice of the
people on the high place. As soon as you enter, you will find him immediately, before he
goes up to the high place to eat. For the people will not eat until he comes, because he
himself will bless the offering, and then those who have been invited will eat.

34. When Samuel came to the city, he went up to the high place: because the chosen
preacher, in the instruction of his subjects, sometimes utters plain words, sometimes
lofty ones. Therefore, when he commands plain and intelligible things, he is in the city;
when sublime things, and those which are scarcely understood, he is in the high place. He
is in the city when he sets forth examples for the simple; but he is in the high place
when he utters to the perfect the lofty things of spiritual words. For he was, as it were,
in the city, who said: "I judged not myself to know anything among you, except Christ, and
Him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2). Likewise, he was in the city when he showed remedies to the
weak, saying: "Because of fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every
woman have her own husband" (ibid., 7). But he went up to the high place, because not long
after he adds: "But concerning virgins I have no commandment, yet I give counsel. I would
that all men were even as myself" (ibid., 8). He also confesses that he often ascends to
the high place of words, because he says: "We speak wisdom among the perfect" (ibid., 6).

35. What then is the meaning of what the maidens say: "Hurry now, today he comes into the
city," unless that he was rarely seen in the city, namely coming late and departing
quickly? By this teaching indeed the doctor of the holy Church is instructed to be rarely
in public and frequently in secret, so that the more slowly he is seen, the more devoutly
he is revered. Then indeed he is received as though heavenly, because the more he has
hidden himself in the secret of contemplation, the richer the treasures of the Word of God
he brings to those who await him. For he is able to speak many good things about the
lowest matters to whom it is granted through the secret gaze of the mind to see the
highest things. And because those things which are spoken seem sweeter, the maidens say:
"Hurry." As if they were saying: if he has completed that for which he came into the city,
you will not be able to see him hidden away in his secret place.

36. Which statement indeed is now not to be taken literally, but is an example for
religious persons. For the holy man was of such strictness that he had appointed days and
hours in which whoever desired could see him. They say therefore: "Make haste." As if they
were saying: If the appointed time passes, during the hours of his rest, he does not
attend to words or actions. We therefore who have taken up the rule of a secluded life
ought to observe this more attentively. Hours of ministry must be appointed for us, so
that we may persist briefly in work and be able to return hastily to the citadel of
contemplation. Moreover, the periods of our secret silence must be guarded with such a
strict rule that even those who are accustomed to approach may know that they do not have
access to us contrary to our purpose.

37. But since we have begun to explain these things spiritually, this can fittingly be
understood as spoken concerning the simple. For in the city, one who appears a stranger is
thought to be able to address Samuel, but on the high place he is not thought so: because
those whom we believe to be simple, we consider to need plain, not lofty instruction.
Therefore they ought to hear the holy preachers when they speak plain things to the
simple, which they understand: not when they say lofty things, which they can in no way
understand. They say therefore: "Hurry now, today he has come to the city, because there
is a sacrifice of the people on the high place. Which is as if one were to say: Because
there are many who desire to hear the highest things, now you ought to hurry, when he
appears to be instructing the simple like yourself. The sacrifice of the people is indeed
the devotion of the chosen people. Which devotion, assuredly, because it is aroused in the
hearts of the elect by the word of preaching, is as it were accomplished by Samuel. But
the sacrifice of the people is on the high place when the hearts of faithful subjects
eagerly desire to hear devoutly the lofty words of holy preaching. Whence it is also aptly
said: "Because the people do not eat unless Samuel first blesses the sacrifice":

because the more perfect hearers, while they desire to attain the summit of the perfection
of virtues, await with great longing the word of knowledge, through which they may arrive
at what they desire. In this passage it should be noted that the sacrifice had not yet
been offered, and yet it says: "There is a sacrifice of the people on the high place. For
if a sacrifice does not exist before it begins to be offered, how was there a sacrifice
that did not exist? But because we are pursuing spiritual meanings, the sacrifice did not
yet exist, and yet it did: because when the faithful elect desire to be instructed in
loftier things, they already indeed have a great devotion for hearing, which, after the
preaching has been heard, they have much greater. The sacrifice has therefore not yet been
offered: because that greatness of devotion which is born in the heart of the elect from
the word of preaching does not exist in the heart before the preacher's word. And yet the
sacrifice is indeed on the high place: because from the expectation of the word, there is
already a great force of devotion in the heart of one who wishes to hear. Wherefore it is
also well said: "Because the people do not eat until he blesses the sacrifice. For because
they eagerly love the highest things, they do not rest until they receive those same
highest things.

For if the sacrifice of the mind is its devotion, the sacrifice is blessed when it is
sanctified by the voice of preaching, so that the purer it becomes, the more acceptable it
may be held for divine reception. For what is blessed in God's sacrifice is indeed clean
when it is offered, and material: but once offered it is so much cleaner, inasmuch as it
is not only material but spiritual, inasmuch as it is not only clean but also cleansing.
For who would doubt that sins are cleansed by the offerings of sacrifices? For so, so it
is with the devotion of the mind: for when it longs to hear good things, it is clean; but
when it has been received and blessed by the hands of holy preaching, it is rendered so
much more ardent and sacred, the more clearly it has learned whom it can love more sweetly
once known. It was indeed clean before, like a preparation of the sacrifice, which desired
to know the good, and yet it was a material arrangement: because it did not yet know what
it desired to learn. But it is very clean and spiritual when, now sanctified by the words
of doctrine, it no longer desires to hear what it may know, but delights to experience
through what it has heard the things it loves. Then also the sacrifice is not only clean
but cleansing:

because the more fervent the love of heavenly things by which it is kindled, the more
powerfully the darkness of carnal negligence is driven away from it. For it is written:
"Because charity covers a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8): because assuredly we destroy
our carnal things when we are lifted up to heavenly things by ardent devotion. 38. And
because it is added: 'And then those who have been called will eat.' What else does this
signify, except that the affection of devotion is food for the mind? For we will eat then,
when the sacrifice is blessed: because when our devotion is raised up to the love of the
Creator at the voice of the preachers, the soul that has arrived at the sweetness of the
Creator already has its food. Therefore those eat then who were unwilling to eat before
the blessing of the sacrifice. For those who prepare themselves with the highest
expectation of intention for the perception of divine sweetness, while they receive no
evil desires through appetite, are, as though fasting, filled more eagerly with the
refreshment of devotion. For they wait, as it were, for the blessing of the sacrifice for
their refreshment, who flee all unlawful desires, so that they may be satisfied by the
vision of interior glory through devotion. For indeed it is written: 'Blessed are the pure
in heart, for they shall see God' (Matt. 5:8). For he who does not admit foolish things
into his heart, while he desires heavenly things, is pure in heart: and while he is led
through the good of preaching to the sweetness of divine contemplation, he has, as it
were, the blessing of the sacrifice in the satisfaction of his soul.

Therefore he says: 'Then those who have been called will eat.' For those who are fasting
are called to the meal, while the preacher speaks outwardly, who guard their mind from
wicked desires, and are drawn through the grace of the Holy Spirit to the experience of
interior sweetness. For those who had been called were the invited ones who had come.
Therefore the called who are fasting then eat, when those are fed with the devotion of
spiritual grace who have prepared themselves to receive it by great watchfulness of their
mind. But what does it mean that they say: (Verse 13) 'Go up, for today you will find
him'? 39. But while the elect praise the good deeds of preachers, they illuminate the
hearts of their hearers with great light. For that heavenly manner of life of the good
teacher, which they proclaim, is a day. Let them say therefore: "Today you will find him."
For the preacher is found on that day when his life is not less than his reputation: when
he is praised by the voice of the elect, but those who hear the praises find and recognize
in his praiseworthy manner of life everything that they hear. Against this, the Lord
rebuking the Pharisees says: "Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, who are like whitewashed
tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful to men, but inwardly are full of dead men's bones"
(Matt. 23:27). Hence again He compares the vainglorious to unbelievers, saying: "How can
you believe, you who receive glory from men?" (John 5:44). Those who are of this kind are
indeed praised in the day, but they are not found on that day: because those who hear
their praises gaze, as it were, at the whiteness of the tomb from the outside; but when
they seek the virtues that were praised, they find within the night of sins, like the grim
and rotting bones of the dead. Let them say therefore, to signify the true glory of the
righteous: "Today you will find him": because when the righteous are praised, they possess
in the truth of their manner of life whatever shines forth brightly about them through the
voice of praise. And because such a great man must be sought with eager devotion, there
follows: (Verse 14.) "And they went up into the city. And as they were walking in the
midst of the city, Samuel appeared, coming out to meet them, to go up to the high place."

40. When we hear the praises of holy men, we ascend in the city, because we seek them
where they descend, not where they are. But, as I said above, the place which preachers
have for themselves is the secret contemplation of divinity, while the place for their
subjects is preaching. Sometimes indeed they speak plain things, sometimes lofty things.
They have therefore a common place for all, they have a sublime and special one for some,
and they have a secret one for themselves. These three spiritual places are surely
signified, because Samuel is said to go out, and to appear in the midst of the city, and
to ascend to the high place. For he who went out in order to appear was somewhere where,
before he appeared, he had been hidden. Priests therefore go out when they come from the
secret of meditation to preaching. They appear in the city when they speak plainer things,
that is, things for doing or for understanding. They ascend to the high place when they
either command the wise to perform mighty works, or reveal the depths of mystery. Our
ordered ascent is therefore shown by the fact that Saul is reported to ascend in the city.
For the places of our Pastors, in which they are accustomed to pray or to be in seclusion,
are to be venerated by us, not approached. This we can know not only by example but also
by divine exhortation. In the Song of Songs indeed the bridegroom declares, saying:

"I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, do not cause the beloved to awaken until she
herself wishes" (Song 3:5). For the minds of the perfect are brides, because while they
place themselves in the secret of divine love as if in a bridal chamber, there through
vision they find the one to whom they are joined by ineffable love. When therefore the
bride sleeps in the bridal chamber, she is joined to the bridegroom, because while the
chosen soul of the preacher is hidden away in secret contemplation, it is placed as it
were in the bridegroom's chamber. Whoever therefore rouses her takes her from the
bridegroom, because indeed the rest of the chosen soul is not only its own delight but
also the delight of the bridegroom. Whence also it is said through the prophet: "The
bridegroom shall rejoice over the bride" (Isa. 62:5). Rightly therefore the bridegroom
adjures the daughters of Jerusalem that the bride not be awakened by them as long as she
wishes to sleep, lest while she rises from the quiet of the chamber, he himself lose the
enjoyment of love. Let the going forth of Samuel therefore be awaited, because holy men
are to be venerated in the secret of their silence, not to be disturbed. Therefore one
must ascend in the city, because the chosen teacher in the common place of teaching
appears as so great a gain to his people, inasmuch as he is known to go out in order to be
of benefit.

In this place it should be noted that it is not said of Samuel, "Today he ascended in the
city," but "today he came into the city"; but of Saul and the boy it is not said "they
came," but "they ascended. For he came as if on level ground, while the other climbed as
if to heights. What else is shown to us by this, except that the plain things which
preachers speak are not plain to us? In the city therefore we do not come but ascend, when
we either look with difficulty upon the plain things of preaching, or bear with labor the
small things that are commanded to us. But because to stand in the city is to be
fortified, therefore we ascend, because when great men teach us to do small goods, they
vehemently forbid us from yielding to the counsels of evil spirits. And because it is very
laborious to overcome all temptations, we strive to reach the words of the teachers who
command this of us, as if through the labor of ascending. But because it is written that
"each one shall receive his reward according to his own labor" (which indeed is understood
not only of eternal retribution but also of the present), almighty God, according to the
merit of the work, grants to his elect increases of virtue (1 Cor. 3:8). For also to
Abraham, who did not spare his son, it is said: "By myself I have sworn:

because you have done this thing and have not spared your son for my sake, I will bless
you and multiply your offspring" (Gen. 22:16). For often those who labor faithfully in
doing the things they know deserve through divine grace to know greater things to do. As a
figure of these, Saul is rightly said first to ascend in the city, and afterward is
reported to be led by Samuel to the high place. But to come to meet someone is to
encounter the one coming by the same road. When therefore we wish to learn the way of
salvation from holy preachers, they indeed come to meet us when they encounter us with the
word of salvation that we seek. For they come as if by the same road when they hasten to
teach us what we have resolved to learn. This indeed is the moral sense for all; but if we
investigate what pertains spiritually to certain individuals, he comes to meet him because
he foreknows that the king who is to be anointed is coming to him. But from where he knows
this is added: (Verses 15, 16. But the Lord had revealed to Samuel's ear one day before
Saul came, saying: "At this very hour which now is, tomorrow I will send to you a man from
the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him as leader over my people Israel, and he
shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines."

41. He went out therefore to meet him, in order to lead him to the high place: because he
who is sought for the governance of the holy Church must both be shown forth by divine
gift and called to a lofty manner of life. The ear of Samuel, because it is said in the
diminutive, what does it signify if not the humble understanding of the spiritual teacher?
The ear therefore is opened by the Lord, when the humble understanding of the preacher is
instructed by the Holy Spirit, so that he may hear what he is to do, and arrange what he
has heard. But we must carefully consider what is said: "The day before. For the day is
the life of the just, as Paul attests when he says: "You were once darkness, but now you
are light in the Lord" (Eph. 5:8). When the life of the chosen one is revealed, the hidden
day is made known. For man sees the outward show of good works, but God sees the light of
the heart. Because therefore both the elect and the reprobate are hidden as regards the
intention of the heart, the Lord makes known the coming king the day before; when through
his grace the holy preachers recognize in those who are to be promoted that the testimony
of good works is preceded by purity of intention. For there is no light of works that is
not preceded by rightness of intention.

Rightly therefore the king who is to be appointed is recognized the day before. But they
do not perceive the following day unless it is born from the preceding one: so that they
may consider the day before the day, that is, the intention before the action, and may
perceive as sent by God in the light of holy works the one whom divine grace shows to
shine through the purpose of the heart. And because at the very hour when he is promised,
he is presented: what does this give us to understand, if not that he who is chosen must
be perfect, not only in body but in mind? For when God speaks to holy men, it is the full
light of day. For a day has its beginning, and it has its end. At the end he reproves
sinners, saying: "Adam, where are you? (Gen. 3:9). And because neither those who merely
begin good things, nor those who grow sluggish in good works, are to be promoted, the
preacher is sent at the hour of perfect speech, when such a one is presented who shines
with the full light of good works and gleams with the full splendor of truth. He is also
described as a man coming from the land of Benjamin. He is called a man on account of the
strength of his works; from the land of Benjamin, on account of his right confession of
faith. Benjamin indeed means "son of the right hand.

Who then is called this son of the right hand, if not he of whom it is written: "He
ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father" (Mark 16:19)? The land of
Benjamin therefore is the holy Church. Because therefore the heretics have been expelled
from this land, the king comes from the land of Benjamin, when one who is not polluted by
any heresy but is catholic in faith receives the primacy of the holy Church. He enjoys the
title of "man" if he is firm in faith and strong in action. He indeed is commanded to be
anointed as leader over the people of the Lord: because the outward sacraments profit
those priests who are not unworthy of the gifts of those same sacraments. Or priests are
anointed when through the ministry of those who ordain them they receive an increase of
spiritual graces. Whence it also follows: "He shall save my people from the hand of the
Philistines. As anointed ones they can save others, because they have received spiritual
graces more abundantly. For those who save the people are anointed over the people:
because those who are appointed by the Lord to govern others receive the spiritual gifts
of charisms by which they can benefit them; and they are superior in merits also to those
whom they precede in rank. And because often a good pastor is chosen on the merit of a
good people, it is well added: (v. 16) "Because I have looked upon my people.

Likewise, because a good pastor must be sought from the Lord with great prayers, it is
added: (v. 16) "Their cry has come to me." 42. But perhaps some are troubled, because what
is said here and what was said above seem contradictory. For there he says: 'They have not
rejected you, but me, that I should not reign over them, according to all their works
which they have done from the day I led them out of the land of Egypt even to this day' (1
Kings 8:7). But now he says: 'You shall anoint him leader over my people Israel, and he
shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines, for I have looked upon my people,
for their cry has come to me.' Above, a king is permitted to be appointed as if by one who
is angry; now he is appointed as if by one who is merciful and kind. And who does not see
how much these words of kindness differ from that sentence which was pronounced upon him
by Samuel? 'Because,' he says, 'you have rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord has
rejected you from being king' (1 Kings 15:26). This we certainly resolve quickly if we
examine carefully the force of the words themselves. For all these words of divine
kindness are ascribed to the merits of the people: 'He shall save my people;' and, 'I have
looked upon my people;' and, 'their cry has come to me.' Therefore a king is decreed to be
appointed for those whose cry is heard.

For even though Saul was to be cast from the kingdom for his future wickedness,
nevertheless he had in himself, as long as he reigned, that by which he could benefit the
people subject to him. He was certainly to be valiant in war, yet proud in mind. He would
have that by which he would fall for himself, and that by which he would stand for others.
Therefore, foreseeing that by which he could benefit his subjects, the Lord says: 'He
shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines;' and, 'their cry has come to me.'
Yet still it seems very contradictory that he should be believed to hear the cry of that
people who are rebuked for having rejected him. To which it must be answered: that in that
people there were both the reprobate and the elect. There, then, the reprobate are accused
of having rejected the Lord; here the desires of the elect reach the ears of almighty God.
From which what is to be gathered, except that it is often good for the elect that wicked
rulers are appointed? It is therefore not surprising if God is angered, as it were, at his
own rejection, and yet appoints a king: because the very office of the future king was
both bad and good. Bad, indeed, because proud; but good, because vigorous in the defense
of his subjects. And we see all of this happening now in the holy Church:

because very often the one who receives her primacy is one who is useful to others in
word, yet swollen with pride in his own mind. By preaching virtues, he destroys vices as
if by standing firm, but by thinking highly of himself, he falls. Thus by preaching he
saves the people of God, but by swelling with pride he casts himself down headlong. Like a
mighty king, by his word he crushes the hidden adversaries of God's people, but through
pride he falls from the height of the kingdom. Therefore a king is not appointed for his
own sake, but only for the people; when one is permitted to preside in the holy Church who
tramples upon the good things he preaches, either by being proud or by living wickedly.
43. In this passage it must be noted that when a pastor is chosen in the holy Church,
sometimes he is ordained for himself and for the people; sometimes neither for the people
nor for himself; sometimes for himself, not for the people; and sometimes indeed for the
people, not for himself. For himself and the people, when a chosen preacher is given to
chosen subjects: because from the very thing by which the multitude of subjects is led to
the eternal homeland, gifts of merits are heaped upon the good pastor. A pastor is given
neither for himself nor for the people when a reprobate populace is permitted to have a
reprobate pastor, since he presides in such a way and they obey in such a way that neither
he who teaches nor those who are taught deserve to arrive at eternal goods. Of whom the
Lord says through Hosea: "I will give them kings in my wrath" (Hosea 13:11). For a king is
given in the wrath of God when one worse than the wicked is appointed to preside over
them. Such a pastor is given when such a people is taken on to be governed, who may
equally be condemned by eternal punishment. A pastor is given for himself, not for the
people, when a good man is placed over the wicked; as the Lord says to Ezekiel: "I am
sending you to the children of Israel, to an apostate nation that has departed from me"
(Ezekiel 3:3).

A pastor is given for himself indeed, not for the people, when even if a chosen preacher
cannot convert his hearers to God, he himself nevertheless does not lose the eternal
rewards of his labor. But for the people, not for himself: when a pastor is granted to
good subjects who possesses gifts by which he benefits them but does not benefit himself.
Such indeed were those about whom the Lord commands the disciples, saying: "What they say,
do; but what they do, do not do" (Matthew 23:3). As if He were saying: What they have
received that is useful for you, take from them as though it were yours; and leave in them
as though it were theirs what they possess not for your gain but for their own
destruction. Saul, therefore, with the Lord rejected, is chosen, and yet is declared to be
one who will free the people of the Lord from the hand of the Philistines, because
Almighty God often benefits His good faithful ones through those prelates who do not
please Him in the exercise of that same prelacy. There follows: (Verse 17. And when Samuel
looked upon Saul, the Lord said: "Behold the man of whom I spoke to you; this one shall
rule over my people."

44. For this was done on the following day, which the Lord had promised on the preceding
day, saying: "Tomorrow at this same hour I will send to you a man from the land of
Benjamin, and you shall anoint him over my people Israel." He is therefore seen on the
second day, who was promised on the first: because the preachers of holy Church search out
the virtues of the elect in their hidden life. For those who are to be promoted, when they
bring forth good things, promise something great from themselves. On the first day,
therefore, a king is promised; because preachers behold the great works of the elect, and,
as if the Lord were speaking, they recognize inwardly those whom they wish to appoint as
rulers of holy Church. Samuel therefore sees on the following day, when the preacher
beholds the one who is to be promoted in the great light of his manner of life. And then
indeed, as if by the Lord's indication, he recognizes the one who must be appointed king:
because the one who stands preeminent on the lofty height of holiness, he sees as worthy
to be set above others. And because those who are great in merits are small through
humility, there follows: (Verse 18.) Saul approached Samuel in the middle of the gate,
saying: "Tell me, I pray, where is the house of the Seer."

45. If a preacher is in the city when he speaks plain and common things that are
understood, what is the gate of this city if not humility? For the knowledge of the divine
word is hidden from the proud and revealed to the humble. Hence also in the Gospel he
speaks to the Father, saying: "I confess to you, Father, King of heaven and earth, that
you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent, and have revealed them to little
ones" (Matt. 11:25). By the wise he meant the proud and those who think highly of
themselves, but by the little ones he meant the humble. Of these another Scripture
certainly makes mention, saying: "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (1
Pet. 5:5). For he resists the proud, lest they understand eternal goods, but he gives
grace to the little ones, so that they may know those same eternal goods through his own
revealing. The elect, therefore, because they come to spiritual understanding through
humility, go to hear the preachers as if through a gate. The chosen preacher also, because
he speaks spiritual things humbly, Samuel meets Saul at that same gate. For it is as
though both are at the gate when the things that the chosen preacher speaks are humbly
heard by another who is chosen.

46. But he who had newly arrived had found the one he was seeking, and did not know it.
Therefore Saul himself says to Samuel: "Tell me, I pray, where is the house of the Seer.
For this is characteristic of great men, that they are recognized with difficulty by the
least. In the flesh indeed they are despised, but in mind they are exalted. They desire to
appear contemptible outwardly, but they do not cease to do venerable things. Because,
therefore, those who greatly desire to advance through their examples admire them not only
in outward matters, but in their inmost qualities. They see in them outwardly what can be
despised by carnal people, but they equally observe that inwardly, spiritual men ought to
be venerated with great admiration. When they hear that these men are exalted by fame,
they desire to know them in the loftiness of their way of life. According to the
historical sense, therefore, Saul was seeing Samuel and did not recognize him, so that
what was happening to them in figure might signify spiritual things for us. For when we
are little ones, we as it were see perfect men when we hear of their virtues from those
who report them; but those whom we see, we do not recognize, because we cannot know
through experience what we perceive by hearing and hold in the eyes of the heart.

When therefore we seek from them the secrets of their way of life for imitation, we are
indeed asking them as it were about their own home. For their home is their way of life.
This home the disciple of John wished to know, when he asked the Lord, saying: "Master,
where do you dwell? (John 1:38). He indeed, because he was to be led to intimacy with Him
as one of the household, heard: "Come, and see. This home Philip had seen but did not
recognize, to whom He says: "I have been with you so long a time, and you have not known
me. Philip, he who sees me sees also my Father" (John 14:9). Of the Lord also it is
written that He spoke to Moses as with His friend; but the same Moses, seeing and not
recognizing, was asking, saying: "If I have found grace in your sight, show me your face"
(Exodus 33:13). But the spiritual way of life of the saints, because it is revealed to
none but the devout and the suppliant, Saul similarly begs that the house of Samuel be
shown to him. Holy preachers also, when they hear great things about themselves, cast
themselves down through humility; they do not become puffed up. They know how to show to
those who ask great things which they may imitate; they know how, among the great things
which they show, not to appear great through boasting. Therefore it is also added: (Verse
19) "And Samuel answered Saul, saying: I am the Seer.

But go up before me to the high place today, that you may eat with me, and I will send you
away in the morning." 47. What does it mean to say, "I am the Seer," except to show
himself humble, as he appeared to their eyes? As if to say: In your estimation, the one
you seek is great, but the one you see is small. For in this word, "Seer," it is not a
title of praise, but "I am. As if to say: That Seer is I—not what you suppose, but what
you behold. But he who knew how to humble himself knew how to give gifts not as one who is
lowly, but as one who is exalted. For this reason he also commands him to go up before him
to the high place, so that he might eat with him. He ascends to the high place who raises
his mind to know higher things. Indeed, to ascend to the high place is to prepare the
heart for understanding lofty matters. Hence Peter too is taken up on the mountain, so
that he might deserve to see the glory of the transfigured Redeemer (Matt. 17:1). For in
that ascent of the mountain, the lofty preparation of the mind is expressed: because he
who does not fix his mind on high things through earnest attention will not be able to see
exalted things. Since, therefore, we better understand sublime things when we are
prepared, Saul is commanded to go up to the high place before Samuel.

For we ascend, as it were, to the high place before the preacher when we first direct our
mind to know lofty things, and they afterwards speak to us of those very things to which
we have directed our attention. But what does it mean when he says, "That you may eat with
me today"? When holy preachers speak of heavenly things, they refresh the hearts of their
chosen hearers: for as the Truth attests, the food of the soul is the word of God: "Man
does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God"
(Matt. 4:4). For bread is the nourishment of the body; the word is the nourishment of the
mind. But those who refresh the body without the mind are dead in mind, alive in flesh.
Hence Paul also says of the self-indulgent widow: "She who lives in pleasure is dead while
she lives" (1 Tim. 5:6). For the widow would not die through the delights of food if she
satisfied her soul with the food of God's word, since Paul himself says: "Nothing is
unclean that is received with thanksgiving" (1 Tim. 4:4). But the living widow dies when
she nourishes the body with food and kills the soul with hunger (Matt. 4). Therefore man
does not live by bread alone: because since man consists of soul and body, just as he
lives in one way through the body, so it is necessary that each part be nourished by
different foods.

Therefore we ascend with the prophet in order to eat, when we raise our mind to the
heights of the divine word, so that we may be satisfied by its heavenly flavor through
devotion. 48. And because the preachers themselves greatly love the heavenly things of
which they speak, we eat together, as it were, when they devoutly bring forth in speaking
what we devoutly place in the belly of the soul by hearing. For we eat together, because
we hear the Word of God equally. For Truth says to the preachers: "It is not you who
speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you" (Matt. 10:20). Which Paul also
proves when he questions his hearers, saying: "Do you seek proof of Christ who dwells in
me? (2 Cor. 13:3). Since, therefore, Christ and His Spirit speak in the holy preachers,
the preachers themselves hear the One speaking all the more clearly inasmuch as they are
nearer to Him whose seat they deserve to be. Therefore they can be more fully refreshed by
the nourishment of the word, inasmuch as they already have within themselves the chamber
of refreshment. For they are friends of the bridegroom, and they stand and rejoice with
joy because of the voice of the bridegroom. When, therefore, the holy preachers speak
divine things, they hear; but because they know by certain experience when the Spirit
speaks in them, they hear themselves, yet not in themselves, because they themselves also
speak, but having spoken in themselves, they venerate another who speaks. In this,
therefore—that they hear and speak—they both refresh and are refreshed. They refresh their
hearers when they bring forth the word with their own voice;

they themselves are refreshed when the word they bring forth is brought forth to them by
divine revelation. Yet those are more devoutly satisfied who have experienced the delights
of the mind in the speaking of the Spirit. Is not the experience of the speaking Spirit
this: to perceive themselves unprepared and unpremeditated, and suddenly to be prepared
and ready? To know what they had not known; to have what they had not had; to lose the
torpor of the mind; to suddenly burn with wondrous devotion; to be wondrously filled at
once and in a moment with fullness of knowledge; to bring forth with wondrous eloquence of
speech the things they have understood? The elect preachers, therefore, have experience of
the Spirit speaking in them in the sudden revelation of truth; they have the sudden ardor
of charity; they have it in the fullness of knowledge; they have it in the most eloquent
preaching of the word. For they are suddenly instructed, and at once they grow fervent,
and in a moment they are filled, and they are enriched with a wondrous power of speech.
For concerning that sudden experience the Lord says: "It will be given to you in that hour
what you should speak" (Matt. 10:19). Concerning that sudden fervor of charity, Cleopas
says: "Was not our heart burning within us on the way, while He spoke and opened the
Scriptures to us? (Luke 24:32). Concerning the experience of being filled and of
eloquence, Luke also recalls, saying:

"Suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty spirit, and it filled the
whole house where they were sitting" (Acts 2:2). For in that same Spirit they were both
filled and spoke, so as to signify what we assert: that namely, by speaking they feed
others, who are themselves fed by hearing what they say. And because they recognize the
sound of the mighty Spirit as ardor, or as speech, or as filling, they feast all the more
sweetly on spiritual gifts inasmuch as they have been more worthily taken up to His table.
He says, therefore: "Come up, that you may eat with me today"; because the good teacher,
when he sweetly receives in the devotion of his mind the things he speaks, feeds both
himself and those who hear him at the same time. 49. On the other hand, reprobate
teachers, because they do not love what they say, fast while they feed others with their
word. For since the Lord said that the word of God is the refreshment of the soul, and the
word of God in a full mind is complete learning and complete devotion, those who do not
devoutly hear what they speak are not fed by the word of God. Indeed the Apostle, as if
already filled with that sweetness of the word, says: "Of his fullness we have all
received" (John 1:16). The fullness of the word is one thing, the fullness of a book is
another. From the fullness of the word, only the elect can receive; but from the fullness
of Scripture, even the reprobate can receive. For the book of the blessed apostle John and
the book of the blessed apostle Paul are indeed fullnesses, which are contained in them.
Paul or John wrote their words, to be sure, but what each one wrote, the Word speaking in
them inspired. Therefore, whoever receives the word of Scripture not in love but in
knowledge receives from the fullness not of the word but of the book. And because he
receives a dead thing, he himself does not live in its reception. But what am I
saying—that Scripture is dead? It is not only dead but killing. For it is written: "The
letter kills, but the spirit gives life" (2 Cor. 3:6). Indeed every divine letter does
this.

For the letter is the body, and the life of this body is the spirit. He who reads the
letter and refreshes his mind in the love of understanding receives a body that has been
vivified and is vivifying. Therefore the reprobate, who search the Scriptures they do not
love, who boldly speak outwardly of that whose savor they do not inwardly understand—while
others perceive with devout mind the refreshment of the Scriptures they expound, it is as
though others are filled from what they themselves give, but not they themselves. Let
Samuel therefore say: "Come up, that you may eat with me today," because from what the
elect teachers bestow upon their subjects from the word, they both hear together and are
filled together. For behold, this is demonstrated in the very word we are speaking. For
who doubts that Samuel wrote this Scripture we are expounding? And yet he who wrote it
says this: "Samuel answered"—so as to show clearly that what he himself was writing,
another was imparting. Therefore, because the Holy Spirit, who speaks through him, says
through him about him: "Samuel answered Saul: Go up before me to the high place, that you
may eat with me today. He says what he hears, and he simultaneously hears and says.
Therefore, while the elect preacher hears and speaks with great veneration of love, and
good hearers receive with great devotion what is said, Saul and Samuel are said to eat
together at the high place.

Likewise, because preachers are worthier and more fervent than their hearers in the
refreshment of the same word, it is not Samuel who is said to be about to eat with Saul,
but Saul with Samuel. But also because such splendid instruction of the mind exists in the
great light of the spiritual life, he does not say: "That you may eat with me this night,"
but "today. He also dismisses him in the morning. "Morning" means the beginning of the
following day. The following day is the serene light of holy conduct. He therefore says:
(Verse 19. "I will send you away in the morning." 50. He is indeed sent forth in the
morning from the height, who, when he advances to the light of higher knowledge, proposes
to dwell in the great light of good work. Or he is sent forth in the morning, who intends
to preach to others the word of great knowledge which he learned from the mouth of a
preacher. For when we propose good things, we are as it were in the morning at the
beginning of the day, because we have already begun to behold the brightness of good which
we may follow. But this morning grows into full day when he who has proposed to do great
goods or to preach the lofty joys of eternity displays what he has proposed in the great
light of virtue. In the morning, therefore, Saul is sent forth from the height, because
the hearers of good preachers do not delay to practice sublimely what they hear as sublime
from them. But the elect know both how to hide and how to manifest the goods they possess.
They hide them indeed, lest they perish through pride; but they manifest them, lest they
remain unfruitful. While they hide them, they guard them; but while they manifest them,
they bring forth fruit. For there follows: (Ver. 19, 20.) 'And all things that are in your
heart I will show to you; and as for the donkeys which you lost three days ago, do not be
anxious, for they have been found.'

51. How preachers strive to conceal themselves is shown above in the word of Samuel, where
it is said: "I am the Seer. But now, because he says, "All things that are in your mind, I
will declare to you," what else do we understand except that holy men often both hide and
bring forth the virtues which they have? But, as I said, they hide them lest they appear
great on account of their great virtues; they bring them forth so that the elect may
imitate them. And so they declare that they excel in the word of wisdom or the spirit of
prophecy, not that they may be venerated, but that they may be heard. Wherefore also the
Psalmist, intimating that he possesses the grace of the word, says: "I have understood
more than all my teachers" (Ps. 118:99). Therefore, certain of the skill of the spirit, he
confidently invites us, saying: "Come, children, hear me; I will teach you the fear of the
Lord" (Ps. 33:11). For Micah was affirming himself to be a prophet when he said: "Would
that I were not a man having the spirit, and that I rather spoke a lie" (Mic. 2:11). Hence
Elisha says concerning Naaman the Syrian: "Let him come to me, and let him know that there
is a prophet in Israel" (4 Kings 5:8). Hence Paul says: "They are Hebrews, so am I; they
are the seed of Abraham, so am I;

they are ministers of Christ, so am I—I speak as one less wise—I am more so" (2 Cor.
11:22–23). But on the other hand, Amos says: "I am not a prophet, but a herdsman plucking
sycamores" (Amos 7:14). Hence also Paul, when he wishes to hide himself for the sake of
safeguarding, says: "I am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the
Church of God" (1 Cor. 15:9). Hence John the Baptist, when questioned, said: "I am not a
prophet" (John 1:21). For he was not a prophet unto self-exaltation, but he was a prophet
and more than a prophet unto ministry. Samuel therefore, in order to guard himself, says:
"I am the Seer"; and in order to present himself for the profit of others, says: "I will
declare all things to you. And if anyone wishes, he can understand it in the same way:
that when he says, "I am the Seer," if he declares himself to be a seer, he says this so
that he may share the good that he has with the elect. Therefore, in order to prove what
he asserts, he subsequently adds: "I will declare all things to you. This is what the
doctors of holy Church do; for while they behold the virtues and vices of minds, they
clearly know how to heal vices and to promote virtues.

He therefore declares all things that are in the heart when he deigns to set forth by the
instruction of manifest teaching the way of virtue which the good hearer desires to hold.
And if he is great and has resolved not only to do good things but also to preach them,
preachers declare all things that are in his heart when they open to their minds whatever
they desire concerning doctrine. But because he signifies to the one to whom he speaks the
one who strives for the gains of preaching, he adds and says: "And as for the donkeys
which you lost three days ago, do not be anxious, for they have been found." 52. This was
explained above in the person of Saul, how it applies to inexperienced preachers. For he
lost the donkeys, because he by no means drew to repentance the sinners to whom he offered
the word of life. He would indeed have found them, if those who had hidden themselves in
the night of wickedness had returned to the light of justice, in which they could have
been found as men. Why then does he say, "They have been found," unless because often the
great men of salvation consider that good can easily be found in those about whose life
the unlearned despair? For even skilled physicians of bodies often presume to cure those
whose health the unskilled cannot presume to restore. So indeed, sinners are often drawn
to repentance and satisfaction by learned teachers who could not be drawn by unlearned and
inexperienced ones. Since therefore, both by the preaching and by the example of the
perfect, those return to the Lord through repentance who could not be converted through
the ministry of others, Samuel rightly says that the donkeys have been found which Saul
could not find. This saying can also be understood with respect to the advancement of the
ruler being ordained. As if to say: As you advance in learning and life, you will also be
able to win for the Lord those whom you have not yet been able to win. So certain indeed
is the virtue of advancement that its fruits, which do not yet stand firm in reality,
stand firm in the certainty of hope. And because by these words he is invited to endure
the labors of holy preaching, he explains what rewards of gain he should expect, saying:
(Verse 20.) And for whom shall be all the best things of Israel? Shall they not be for you
and for all your father's house?

53. Israel, which is interpreted "seeing God" — whom does it more fittingly signify in
this place than that blessed society of eternal citizens who, from the toil of this life,
have arrived at the eternal vision of almighty God? What then are the best things of
Israel, if not the gifts of eternal recompense? Paul indeed says: "Each one shall receive
his reward according to his own labor" (1 Cor. 3:8). Likewise he says: "There is one glory
of the sun, another of the moon, and of the stars. For star differs from star in
brightness" (1 Cor. 15:41). Therefore the recompenses and rewards of all the faithful are
the good things of Israel. But because the reward of the elect preachers is the highest,
theirs are the best things of Israel. Concerning these best things of Israel the Lord
promises to his faithful servant, saying: "Amen I say to you, he will set him over all his
goods" (Matt. 24:47). For he who is set not among all things but over all things is
declared to possess not merely the good things of Israel, but even the best. Let Samuel
therefore say: "To whom shall all the best things of Israel belong, if not to you and to
all the house of your father? As if to say: Even if the labor of preaching is great, it
ought to be borne with all the more devotion, the greater the gains of its reward.

The teacher of holy Church ought therefore to weigh with anxious mind that not only the
good things but even the best things of Israel are his, so that he who awaits things so
supreme and excellent may always do what is greater and more excellent. For indeed those
supreme rewards are owed not to the supreme rank, but to supreme labor. For the
distinguished teacher did not say: "Each one shall receive his reward according to his
dignity," but "according to his labor. When therefore the best things of eternal life are
assigned to preachers, great toil in this life is enjoined upon them: because surely he
who does not strive to be better than the rest cannot prevail in having better things than
the rest. And because this is common to all preachers of holy Church, the best things of
Israel are said to belong not only to Saul, but to the whole house of his father. For as
sons are born from a father, so in the order of preachers new ones are successively raised
up in place of others, resplendent with the same nobility of holiness. The house of the
preacher is also his spiritual manner of life. Therefore the best things of Israel belong
to the whole house of his father: because wherever there is a priestly manner of life,
there assuredly it is, and it is so exalted that from the loftiness of its merit, its
rewards in eternal life are the very best. In this, therefore, let preachers examine
themselves carefully:

because the best things of Israel will belong not only to themselves but to his whole
house — because if they depart from the house, they will not have the best things. For if
they hold only the eminence of preaching, they will not have the best things, because they
do not maintain the loftiness of life. But every elect person, when he hears great things
about himself, brings his own weaknesses to mind, so that he may guard himself against
pride, lest he lose the good things he has. Hence it is added: (Verse 21. Saul answered
and said: "Am I not a son of Gemini, of the least tribe of Israel, and is not my kindred
the last among all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then have you spoken this
word to me?" 54. As if he were saying: Why do you ascribe such great things to me, when I
am nothing? For he is a son of Gemini who imitates the negligent in the care of himself
and in the example of his neighbor. He is indeed a twin, because while he neglects the
care of himself, he does not bestow examples of good work upon others. Therefore whoever
imitates such people is called a son of Gemini. He is said to be from the smallest tribe
of Israel, because the last order of the holy Church is that of converted sinners. Rightly
therefore, he who confesses himself to be a sinner is said to be from the smallest tribe
of Israel. His family is also reported to be the last among the others, because according
to the voice of Truth: "Whoever breaks the least commandment shall be called least in the
kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:19). For Benjamin means "son of the right hand. By this name
indeed the people of the holy Church are designated, who, while being born in the faith of
the Redeemer, are prepared through good works for the goods of the heavenly fatherland.
The right hand of God is indeed that strength of eternal life. The families of the tribe
of Benjamin are the diverse ways of life of the elect. For just as diverse families come
from one principle of generation, so from the one origin of orthodox faith, many ways of
life of the faithful arise.

Therefore holy men, when they cast themselves down through humility, because they confess
themselves to be sinners, and yet rightly believe in God, assert themselves to be, as it
were, both sons of Gemini and of the last family of Israel. But because the more they
humble themselves, according to the voice of Truth, the more they are exalted (Luke
14:10–11), there follows: (Verse 22. So Samuel, taking Saul and his servant, brought them
into the dining hall, and gave them a place at the head of those who had been invited. 55.
Samuel takes up Saul when the preacher of holy Church opens the heights of his preaching
to a chosen hearer. For a subject is taken up when he is elevated to the knowledge of
heavenly things through the word of a teacher. And because he desires to know spiritual
things not with carnal intention, he took up not only Saul himself but also his servant.
For it was as though he had remained below without a servant, he who said: "My heart has
forsaken me" (Ps. 37:11). For our heart forsakes us when we are so overcome by carnal
desires that we place the intention of our heart on earthly, carnal, and bodily things,
and not on heavenly and spiritual ones. He had found this lost servant, who said: "Your
servant has found his heart" (2 Kings 7:27). For we find our heart when we seek spiritual
things through the intention of the heart; when we tear it away from earthly things so
that we may direct it toward heavenly ones. The chosen preacher, therefore, to those who
are still carnal, neither commands difficult things nor reveals spiritual ones. For Paul
also says to the Corinthians: "I could not speak to you as to spiritual people, but as to
carnal ones, as to little ones in Christ I gave you milk to drink, not solid food" (1 Cor.
3:1). As if by these words he were saying:

I therefore did not lead you to the heights, because you did not have a spiritual sense
with you, as Saul did not have his servant. Wherefore, also indicating the reason, he
says: "For you are still carnal. Rightly, therefore, Samuel is said to have taken up Saul
and his servant, because the teachers of holy Church command difficult things and reveal
lofty ones to those whom they consider to be spiritual. They are also led into a dining
hall, because the breadth of charity is shown to them. For one is placed as it were in a
dining hall who, through what he has learned on high, dwells in the breadth of charity. Or
certainly our entrance into the dining hall is love; the dining hall is the beauty of the
spiritual life. Whence John says: "He who does not love remains in death" (1 John 3:14).
For if he who does not love remains in death, then he who loves remains in life. We are
therefore led into the dining hall when we rise to the affection of heavenly conversation
through the affection of charity. In this breadth of dwelling, holy preachers indeed hold
the higher place, because blessed John the Evangelist says: "And around the throne were
twenty-four seats, and upon the seats twenty-four elders" (Rev. 4:4).

For the elders are holy preachers, mature in understanding, grave in character, who
surround the throne of God with seats placed nearby, because those who love the Creator
above all others rest closer to him through the loftiest manner of life. Rightly therefore
Saul with his servant receives a place at the head of those who had been invited, because
in them the type of pastors to be chosen is shown. The ruler is indeed placed at the head
when, through the force of great love, he receives the singular resolve of the heavenly
life; while he holds the catholic faith in common with the rest, he possesses a sublime
virtue above the rest. Whence it also follows: (Verse 22. "For there were about thirty
men." 56. Three times ten makes thirty. The number three suggests faith in the holy and
undivided Trinity. The number ten, through the ten commandments of the law, signifies the
perfection of good works. The number thirty, therefore, designates those who hold that
faith which works through love. Saul is placed at the head of these, because through
divine grace he who is to be the future shepherd of the Church is made more exalted in
merit than those over whom he ought to be superior in dignity. Samuel bestows this exalted
place upon him, because he who deserves such greatness of life advances to it through the
instruction of his elders. And since great things, and not small ones, are now shown to
him to accomplish, it is added: (Vers. 23, 24.) Samuel said to the cook: Give the portion
which I gave to you, and which I commanded you to set aside with you. So the cook took up
the shoulder and placed it before Saul. And Samuel said: Behold what remains, set it
before you and eat, because it was purposely kept for you when I called the people. And
Saul ate with Samuel on that day.

57. What is signified by the shoulder of the breast, if not the strength of action? This
is bestowed by Samuel's cook, when it is demonstrated to lesser ones by the greatest
preachers. For the cooks are priests, because while they speak to the chosen faithful in
the fervor of the spirit, they cook the foods of the mind, as it were through fire. But
the portion that is given is said to have been set apart, because the strength of good
work in a preacher ought to be singular. Saul places this before him, when he commands the
one to be ordained as pastor of holy Church to consider how great a strength he ought to
possess. But concerning what the cook had set aside, Samuel says to Saul: 'Behold that
which is left, set it before you.' It remained indeed, because Christ did not fulfill all
things that are ours; through His cross He indeed redeemed all, but something remained, so
that whoever strives to be redeemed and to reign with Him must be crucified. He who said
the following had surely seen this remainder: 'If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him'
(2 Tim. 2:12). As if to say: What Christ fulfilled avails nothing unless one also fulfills
that which remained. Hence the blessed apostle Peter says: 'Christ also suffered for us,
leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps' (1 Pet. 2:21). Hence Paul says: 'I
fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh' (Col. 1:24).

58. But it should be noted that the cook placed the shoulder before Saul, and yet Samuel
instructed Saul to place it before himself. What does this mean? A steward usually places
a dish on the table before those reclining; and when the one reclining draws it toward
himself, he places closer before himself what was a little farther away. The cook,
therefore, places the shoulder before Saul; Samuel instructs Saul to place it before
himself: because what is enjoined upon a new preacher concerning the strength of good
work, he ought to draw closer to himself, as it were, through the zeal of contemplation.
And after he has drawn it to himself, he eats it: because what he has long contemplated,
he resolves to carry out. Indeed, to eat the shoulder is to store away inwardly through
purpose of mind what is outwardly commanded concerning strong action. For it was as if
urging every chosen one to place the shoulder before himself and eat it, he who said: "If
you sit down at the table of a mighty man, wisely consider what is set before you, for you
must prepare similar things" (Prov. 23:1). At the table of the mighty one, he indicated
the strength of the shoulder. And when he said, "Wisely consider what is set before you,"
he taught the one to whom he spoke to place the shoulder before himself. But he suggested
that he ought to eat it, because he said, "You must prepare similar things. For by
preparing similar things, we eat;

because when we resolve to perform the mighty deeds we hear, we store away the food of
life, as it were eating, in the stomach of the heart. But the vessel of election commands
even the highest teachers under the instruction of a single disciple, saying: "Lay hands
hastily on no one" (1 Tim. 5:22). For since those who are to be raised to the heights must
be chosen with great deliberation of counsel, what follows is fittingly added: "Because it
was kept for you by design, when I called the people. As if to say: Place before yourself
what, before it was set out, I placed before myself; consider what I considered. For the
portion of the shoulder is kept by design, because the strongest action of a preacher is
rightly entrusted to the one who is judged worthy of so great a ministry by the highest
men with great consideration. This portion was kept by design when the people are called,
because when faithful subjects come to undertake the ministry of preaching, what is
enjoined upon good preachers is not weak things upon the weak, but strong things upon the
strong. But those who progress well strive above all to maintain the good of obedience in
their lofty way of life. Therefore what follows is fittingly added: "And Saul ate with
Samuel on that day. As I have already said, for a teacher being advanced, to eat is to
prepare himself to do what is commanded him concerning virtue.

And he is rightly said to have eaten with Samuel, because when those who newly arrive
resolve to do great things, the highest men become more fervent in the strength of good
work. In this eating can also be signified that of which he promised above, saying: "Go up
before me, that you may eat with me today. Saul therefore eats with Samuel, because when
the preacher inwardly hears the heavenly sweetness of the word of God, what the subjects
outwardly hear as he speaks, they are both assuredly satisfied from the divine
refreshment. There follows: (Verse 25. "And they went down from the high place into the
town, and Samuel spoke with Saul on the rooftop. And Saul made his bed on the rooftop, and
slept." 59. Whoever is raised to the height of pastoral care must have in that very
sublimity of his office both loftiness in his own life and compassion for the weakness of
others. Therefore let Saul ascend with Samuel, and let him descend into the town. Let the
ruler know how to conduct lofty matters; let him know how to arrange common ones. Let him
say with Paul: "Our conversation is in heaven" (Phil. 3:20); let him say with us:
"Wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from the body of this death? I see another
law contradicting the law of my mind and leading me captive under the law of sin" (Rom.
7:24). The ruler is on the height when he speaks wisdom among the perfect. When he
arranges carnal matters, he descends into the town, saying: "On account of fornication,
let each man have his own wife, and each woman her own husband; let the husband render to
his wife what is owed, and the wife likewise to her husband" (1 Cor. 7:2). He is on the
height when he says: "No creature shall be able to separate us from the love of Christ"
(Rom. 8:39). But he descends into the town, for speaking, he says: "I became weak to the
weak, that I might gain the weak; I became all things to all men, that I might save all"
(1 Cor. 9:22).

Samuel therefore brought Saul up to the high place and set him down in the town, because
great men, when they appoint someone to the summit of holy Church, teach those whom they
place on that summit to live sublimely, to preach plainly, to be strict with themselves
but temperate with their subjects — to attend so to their own salvation that they can yet
be weak with the weak. I say "be weak" through the affection of the mind, not through the
languor of inner sickness. For if the teacher lies prostrate through languor of mind, he
cannot heal the sick or raise up those who are fallen. It is well, therefore, that Saul is
reported to have descended with Samuel into the town and to have spoken with him on the
rooftop. For the town is on the plain, but the rooftop is on high. Compared to the high
place, the rooftop is on the plain; compared to the town, it is not on the plain but
elevated. So indeed, when chosen preachers show compassion to lesser members, they seem to
leave the height behind; but descending into the town, they are on the rooftop, because
they come down from the height, yet they take on the weakness of their subjects by pitying
and counseling them, not by acting out and sharing in that weakness. For though they show
compassion to the weak and command them to take wives, they themselves do not take wives
by becoming weak.

Therefore, descending into the town, they are on the rooftop, because even though they
command plain things, they do not retain what is weak in themselves. And since Samuel is
said not merely to be on the rooftop but to speak with Saul there, this surely signifies
that the future teacher must be taught to show compassion to his weak subjects in such a
way that he himself nevertheless maintains the height of his way of life. 60. And because
the new preacher needs much consideration for carrying out these things, Saul is said to
have made a bed for himself and to have slept. For the new preacher to sleep on the
rooftop is to arrange in his lofty contemplation how he ought to bear the burdens of those
subject to him. For if he stays awake for worldly pursuits, he assuredly brings it about
that he does not seek so great a good of discernment in his inmost depths. He ought
therefore to sleep, so that he thinks of no worldly things, because one who is weighed
down by secular concerns can never order spiritual matters. But neither can he sleep who
does not make a bed for himself, because indeed if he does not reflect on the examples or
sayings of good men, it is impossible for him to find rest from outward things. We lay
soft things beneath ourselves, as it were, when we reflect on the teaching or life of the
elect. We also sleep upon those same coverings, because we can then rest well in
contemplation when we are occupied with spiritual matters. Let him therefore say, "Because
Saul made a bed for himself and slept," to suggest to the chosen soul that if she
carelessly occupies herself with outward things, she will not acquire the grace of inward
rest. But he who wishes to arrange spiritual matters well through contemplation, until he
has perfectly ordered them within, ought not to awake to those things which are outside.
Fittingly, therefore, there is added: (Verse 26.) And when they had risen in the morning,
and it was now growing light, Samuel called to Saul on the rooftop, saying: "Arise, and I
will send you on your way."

61. Indeed, morning dawns when the splendor of truth opens itself to the quiet mind. For
the human mind becomes dark through ignorance and bright through the illumination of
truth. Therefore, one who is ignorant is in night; when illuminated, in day. Moreover, one
rises in the morning who sleeps at night: when he rouses himself to carry out those things
which he arranged through deliberation. And because the business of ordaining the king was
being conducted, both are said to have risen. The supreme preacher rises in order to
ordain his hearer for the ministry of that same preaching. He who is to be ordained rises,
so that he may not presume that so sublime an order is to be received with anything less
than the deepest affection of the heart. Indeed they rise together, because a sublime
office is given and is received as sublime. In this passage another thing must be noted:
that both first rose, and then Samuel called Saul, saying: "Arise, and I will send you on
your way. But according to the historical sense, if both rose, Saul is admonished to
prepare himself for the work, because he is commanded to rise from sleep. Because indeed
both the high priests and he who is taken up into the order of preaching attentively
consider the burden of so great a ministry, they sleep as it were together and rise
together. But he who is newly to be ordained, rising from sleep, is commanded to rise
again for the work:

because although he has striven to weigh the height of the order by meditating, he must
nevertheless attain it through the merit of his way of life. Therefore, having risen, he
is commanded to rise, so that he may resolve to match with his merits the sublime order
which he deliberates to undertake. Hence he is also called on the rooftop: because he is
commanded to strive for lofty things. He also says: "And I will send you on your way. He
rises, of course, so that he may be sent forth: because that man will be able to be free
in the ministry of preaching who has grown in the height of a great way of life. Indeed,
he who had already risen rose again: because he who by contemplation had learned the
height of the dignity took care to raise himself up in that same height of dignity through
the sublimity of his life. Hence it is added: (Verse 26. "And Saul rose. Then it is added:
(Verse 26. "And they both went out; he, namely, and Samuel."

62. The pastor goes out when he comes from the secret of meditation to the public sphere
of action. For when he arranges what he wishes to do, he is within; but when he outwardly
carries out what he has thought, he as it were goes out. Saul also went out, because in
the outward dignity, the one who is promoted undertakes that which he had long considered
whether it should be undertaken. Both therefore are said to have gone out, because both
had been within: while the one with anxious mind foresaw what he should give and to whom;
the other likewise more attentively considered what manner of man he was who would receive
such high things. Because therefore the ministry of holy preaching must be bestowed and
received with the utmost discernment, while the king of Israel is anointed, both the king
and the prophet about to anoint him are reported to have gone out. However, many
manuscripts have: "And when they had risen early in the morning, before dawn," which can
indeed be fittingly understood. It is morning, before dawn, when in a certain way the day
begins to breathe, and yet the full light of day has not arrived. Now when the holy
preachers of the Church consider the good manner of life of those whom they intend to
ordain, it is as it were morning. But because they cannot know their future, it is
morning, but before dawn.

This is fittingly said in the ordination of him who is afterwards recorded to have
displeased almighty God. For as it were at morning, before dawn, the prophet saw this man
who appeared to him in the light of good conduct. But the full brightness of day had not
yet come, because he could not see through the present light of knowledge the future
darkness in him. This indeed happens in the holy Church as often as those who are chosen
are good in the present but will not persevere in the same goodness. For he as it were
goes out at morning and before the light, who displays the present light of good works but
conceals the darkness of his future life. But what was done next follows: (Verses 27ff.
"And as they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul: Tell the
servant to go ahead of us and pass on; but you stand still for a moment, that I may make
known to you the word of the Lord. Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his
head, and kissed him."

63. For what does it mean that the king is led to the farthest part of the city and
anointed? But the farthest part of the city is the lowest part of the subject people.
Those who therefore hold the last place in the holy Church are, as it were, in the
farthest part of the city. Moreover, in the lowest part of the Church itself, converted
sinners appear to be. For all the righteous are in the upper or first part. Or perhaps
virginity holds the first place, continence the second, the married life the third, and
the conversion of sinners the last. In the farthest part of the city, therefore, the king
is anointed: because the ruler of the holy Church is ordained for sinners, not for the
righteous. For hence Truth says of Himself: 'I came not to call the righteous, but sinners
to repentance' (Matt. 9:13). Hence again He says: 'They that are whole need not a
physician, but they that are sick' (ibid., 12).

64. But we have said that the boy of Saul designates the spiritual sense. What then does
it mean that Samuel commands him to go ahead and pass on? The boy goes ahead when what is
done is what the spiritual sense suggests to us, not what the carnal impulse commands. But
he goes ahead of some and passes by, while he goes ahead of others and does not pass by.
Indeed the boy going ahead does not pass by the arrogant, but passes by the humble: for
while the arrogant do great and spiritual things, they are great in their own eyes. They
have the boy with them, as it were, whom they follow, who glory in being spiritual in the
spiritual things they do. To these the prophet surely reproaches, saying: "Woe to you who
are wise in your own eyes, and prudent in your own sight" (Isa. 5:21). The elect
therefore, in all that they do, take care to be spiritual, yet avoid considering
themselves spiritual. They are indeed great in merit, but humble in self-estimation:
because they always do great things, yet in those same great things they never regard
themselves as great. They make the boy whom they send ahead pass on, as it were, when they
have the spiritual sense present in their work, but far from their self-estimation. But
what does it mean that he is commanded to stand still for a moment, so that the word of
the Lord might be shown to him?

He stands still for a moment, having sent the boy ahead, who for the time withdraws
himself from his own judgment and does another's will. Therefore he makes the boy pass on
and stands still for a moment, who at the command of his superior abandons even those
things he considers spiritual: he abandons them so that he may be able to carry out
fittingly what is enjoined upon him. This certainly befits the one being ordained as a
preacher: for when he considers the weight of pastoral care and his own weakness, the
spirit going before him says this to himself: that being so weak, he unworthily takes up
so great a burden. Let him therefore not only send the boy ahead, but make him pass on: so
that he does not follow his own judgment, but accepts what is determined for him by the
provision of one who is better. And about him standing still, it is immediately added.


COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS (BOOK FOUR, CHAPTER 4.5 (1 SAMUEL 10:1))
============================================================

COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS continued

CHAPTER 4.5 (1 SAMUEL 10:1)

Then Samuel took a small flask of oil and poured it upon his head. 1. This indeed is
expressed by this anointing, which even now is materially displayed in the holy Church:
because he who is placed in a position of authority receives the sacrament of anointing.
Because indeed the anointing itself is a sacrament, he who is promoted is well anointed
outwardly if he is strengthened inwardly by the power of the sacrament. Let us therefore
first consider more attentively the very properties of oil. Oil indeed rises above other
liquids, oil nourishes fire, oil is accustomed to heal wounds. By the first property,
therefore, it signifies the good of mercy, because it is written of the Lord: His mercies
are above all his works (Ps. 144:9). Because it nourishes fire, it designates the grace of
preaching, which illuminates the minds of the elect. Because indeed wounds are healed by
oil, this surely suggests that the wounds of sins must be cleansed. Let the head of the
king therefore be anointed, because the mind of the teacher must be filled with spiritual
grace. Let him have oil in his anointing, let him have abundant mercy, which is to be
preferred above the other virtues. Let him have oil, so that while he nourishes within
himself the ardor of the Holy Spirit, he may shine forth powerfully to others through the
word. Let him likewise have the oil of medicine, so that he may wisely arrange how to
cleanse the stench of sins and restore sick minds to health.

But Saul is anointed with a small flask, not to prefigure doctrine, but to express things
to come. A small flask indeed is a small vessel: what then does it mean that Saul is
anointed with a small flask of oil, except that in the end he is rejected? For because he
afterward refused to obey God, he heard from Samuel: Because you have rejected the word of
the Lord, the Lord has rejected you from being king (1 Kings 15:26). For as it were he had
but a small flask of oil, he who received spiritual grace only to be cast away. This is
fittingly understood also of the rulers of the holy Church. For very often those receive
the height of prelacy who are not perfected in the love of God and neighbor. For they have
a certain affection of charity, but they do not have its fullness. What then is that rough
and imperfect affection of the mind but a small flask of oil? For while it anoints the
head, it does not fill it: it is indeed all poured out, but it provides little. On the
contrary, however, when the chosen king is commanded to be anointed, the Lord says to the
same prophet: Fill your horn with oil, and come, I will send you to Jesse the
Bethlehemite, for I have provided myself a king among his sons (1 Kings 16:1). Hence it is
that the same chosen king, ascribing the fullness of his anointing to the praises of God,
says:

You have anointed my head with oil, and my inebriating cup, how excellent it is (Ps.
22:5). He therefore who received the grace of anointing without being destined to
persevere, by God's dispensation, is anointed with the liquid of that vessel by which the
failure of the anointed one would be signified. There follows: (Verse 1. And he kissed him
and said: Behold, God has anointed you over his inheritance as prince, and you shall
deliver his people from the hand of their enemies who are round about them. 2. The ruler
is led to the height of holy Church so that he may hold this office by which he
establishes peace between God and men. For by sinning, we incur the enmity of our Creator.
Therefore, when a ruler is appointed for the correction of sinners, he removes from our
midst that which has made us enemies of God. Rightly, then, Samuel is reported to have
kissed Saul on the head. For that one bears the prophet's kiss fixed upon his head who
bears in his mind the support of our reconciliation: namely, when he who strives in his
mind to restore the discordant to peace cherishes in himself no fuel for divine discord.
Therefore, after the prince has been kissed, it is said: "God has anointed you as prince
over His inheritance. As if he were admonishing him by these things, saying: You who know
yourself appointed for this purpose—that you ought to dissolve the enmities of sin—what
you destroy in others you must not retain in yourself. For some are indeed anointed yet do
not receive the kiss; they busy themselves with liberating the people of the Lord, but do
not shrink from subjecting themselves to the yoke of His enemies. For he who preaches to
others the good things he does not practice gives, as it were, a kiss that he does not
receive. For he seeks to make others friends of God, yet he himself does not cease to be
His enemy.

He builds up in himself the enmities of sin that he attempts to destroy in others by his
word. Since, therefore, only he rules with benefit who is a friend of God through the
disposition of great charity, Samuel is said to have kissed the head of the king. Hence
Truth itself first kisses those whom it appoints, and then sends them to set others free.
"You are my friends," He says; then He added, saying: "I have appointed you that you
should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain" (John 15:14). Hence also,
rising from the dead, He says: "Peace be with you"; then He adds: "Whose sins you shall
forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained" (John
20:23). So that He might, as it were, fix the kiss of peace in the minds of those whom He
had commanded to loose the hatreds of sin. The king, therefore, having been kissed, is
established over the inheritance of the Lord, because the chosen teacher is selected so
that he may stand preeminent in dignity over the faithful committed to him, yet from his
position of authority he may seek not his own gain but the Lord's. For this reason he is
declared appointed for this purpose: that those who are under him may be freed from the
hands of their enemies. The inheritance of the Lord is the multitude of the faithful.

Therefore every worldly intention is set aside when the king is declared anointed over the
inheritance of the Lord. The fruit of anointing, then, is the cultivation of the divine
inheritance. He therefore fulfills the office of his anointing who seeks only the gain of
souls. He who remembers that he was anointed as prince over the inheritance of the Lord
seeks from his earthly dignity only what Christ sought through His own ministry. By this
word, therefore, the intention of negligent rulers is condemned. 3. For they hear that
they have been anointed over the inheritance of the Lord: that the Lord seeks from the
earth none but the elect; they know that He calls not the breadth of land, not abundance
of gold, not the overflow of riches, but His faithful ones His inheritance, and yet they
do not cease to seek earthly things and to gather what perishes. They direct all their
care toward that which the Lord does not seek; and what He alone seeks, they neglect to
seek. Therefore it is said, so that the negligent may see themselves in it; it is said, so
that the good may become better: God has anointed you, he says, as prince over His
inheritance. As if to say: He has made His inheritance yours; see that you do not rule in
it otherwise. You shall therefore deliver the people from the hand of the enemies who are
round about them. A great labor is enjoined upon the preacher by this, that the enemies
are said to be round about. For the battle would be grave enough if they endured the fury
of evil spirits on one side alone. Hence, declaring through the prophet, He says: The
wicked walk round about (Psalm 11:9). Hence blessed Peter, exhorting, says: Your adversary
the devil, as a roaring lion, goes about seeking whom he may devour; resist him, steadfast
in the faith (1 Peter 5:8). Our enemies therefore are round about us, because unclean
spirits always lie in wait against our thought, word, and deed.

For when they seek to suggest evil things to us, they are on one side; when they drag us
toward evil, we are struck by their assault from another side; when they invite us to evil
works, they stir up war from yet another side. We therefore have enemies round about us,
since in everything that we think, speak, and do, we suffer the wars of evil spirits. But
because it is said not to free the people from war, but from the hands of the enemies,
great marks of virtue are ascribed to preachers: because they ought not only to protect
the free lest they be captured, but also to free the captives from their servitude. This
moreover is accomplished by our kings when those who through the boldness of transgression
have been subjected to the yoke of diabolical power come to their senses through their
preaching. Which indeed only those preachers can accomplish who arrive at the summit of
governance by divine appointment. For those whom almighty God appoints, He sends to endure
the battles of the ancient enemy, but He does not abandon them amid those very wars,
because He protects His soldiers and makes them victorious. But when holy men are raised
to the primacy of the holy Church, they greatly tremble lest the burden of so great an
office has been imposed upon them by the judgment of men, not by the appointment of the
Creator.

Therefore, for the strengthening of the humble, signs are given by which they may know
that they have been chosen by God, not by men. Wherefore Samuel also, adding, says: (Verse
2. And this shall be a sign to you, that God has anointed you as prince. When you shall
have departed from me today, you shall find two men by the tomb of Rachel, in the borders
of Benjamin, in the south, leaping over great pits, and they shall say to you: The donkeys
which you went to seek have been found, and your father, having set aside the matter of
the donkeys, is anxious about you and says: What shall I do about my son? 4. For it is as
if He says to the humble shepherd, trembling at so great a ministry: You tremble for this
reason, because you do not know whether what has been done concerning you is from God; but
because you can know this, you ought not to tremble. Therefore this shall be a sign to you
that not man, but God has anointed you as ruler: namely, those two men will say to you:
The donkeys which you went to seek have been found. As if He were saying: If you find
those two men, and they tell you this, know that God, not I, has appointed you as ruler.
What then do these two men signify to us, except certain perfect preachers of holy Church?
They are two, because they are perfect in both precepts of charity; men, because they are
strong in holy conduct. They are said to be found near the tomb of Rachel, because through
devotion to the contemplative life they are separated from worldly pursuits; and while
they seek the gain of souls, they are not buried. For it is the undoubted opinion of the
venerable fathers that Rachel signifies the beauty of the contemplative life. Therefore
the men stand near the tomb of Rachel, because perfect teachers so devote themselves to
heavenly contemplation that they also bear the care of holy Church.

They stand near the tomb of Rachel, because they direct the course of good works through
the power of contemplation, and because they do nothing in action except what they arrange
through contemplation. And because in the very height of heavenly contemplation they
strive to maintain not their own presumption but the rule of holy Church, the tomb of
Rachel is described as being in the borders of Benjamin. As I have already said, in
Benjamin, who is called the son of the right hand, the Redeemer of the human race is
signified. The borders of Benjamin, therefore, are the rules of the Holy Scriptures,
concerning which borders it is written: Do not transgress the boundaries which your
fathers have set (Prov. 22:28). Because, therefore, the holy preachers, when they see the
highest things through contemplation, do not depart from the rule of faith, the tomb near
which they stand is rightly said to be in the borders of Benjamin. These men indeed leap
over great pits at midday, because through the fervor of perfect charity, in which they
have been taken up, they despise all the heights of the world that are seen. For whatever
is perceived as lofty in this world is not true height, but a pit, which deposits into
hell all whom it receives in its ambition. Therefore the heights of the world are to be
avoided by spiritual men, not sought after, because they open up from a hidden place, and
lead down to hell those whom they swallow up and receive.

Spiritual men, therefore, leap over pits, because while they raise themselves up through
heavenly desire, they despise earthly things. For they give a leap as if over pits they
have seen, when in order to despise earthly things they raise themselves to desire eternal
goods. They leap over pits at midday, therefore, because only those who possess the full
light and ardor of heavenly charity can despise the world. Then let Saul understand that
he has been anointed by the Lord as ruler, when these men say to him: The donkeys which
you were seeking have been found. For they tell Saul that the donkeys have been found when
they perceive him fit for gathering the gain of souls. As if He were saying otherwise: Do
not believe from men that you have been chosen by God for the ministry of preaching, if
those men declare this concerning you who, being full of the Spirit of God, are perceived
to say things not human but divine. Because, therefore, concerning ourselves we must
believe not ourselves but those better than us, fittingly Saul recognizes that he has been
anointed by the Lord as ruler through men who leap over great pits at midday. But one is
he by whom he is anointed, and others are those who attest that this anointing is from the
Lord; because every affair of holy Church, just as it is more fully proved by the
consultation of the holy fathers, so also is it more firmly established.

5. For blessed Paul sought this as a sign of his anointing when he came to Jerusalem to
see Peter, and compared his Gospel with him and the other apostles. For he had received
his apostleship not from man nor through man, but from heaven, at the call of the Lord
Jesus (Gal. 1); and yet he proved the ministry of his anointing through the consultation
of his fellow apostles. For he says of himself: "I compared my Gospel with them, lest I
should run or had run in vain" (Gal. 2:2). The Precursor of the Redeemer had also anointed
his disciples, but so that they might recognize the signs of his anointing, he sent them
as if to leap over great ditches, saying: "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we
expect another? (Matt. 11:3). For John knew the one whom he had preached, whom he had
baptized; but he sent his disciples so that, having seen the signs, they might believe
more firmly and hold more securely the proofs of their election. Those, therefore, who are
found suitable for the office of preaching recognize, as a sign of their election, that
the souls of sinners which they seek have been found. And because almighty God rejoices
not only in the preaching but also in the conduct of the chosen teacher, he adds and says:
"And your father, having left the donkeys, is anxious about you, and says: What shall I do
about my son?

We said that Kish, the father of Saul, who in our language is called "hard," designates
those who teach by word and example to despise earthly things and to hasten to the
heavenly homeland through a hard and rough manner of life. We have also recognized this
hardness of the heavenly life both in the word and in the life of our Redeemer. If,
therefore, we look to the summit of our instruction, we are children of the Redeemer. Our
father, therefore, having dismissed the donkeys, is anxious about us; because our Redeemer
wills that we seek the salvation of others in such a way that we do not neglect our own.
He wills that sinners be called to repentance, but he does not will that those who call
those very sinners should perish. He wills that the converted sinner should have the
righteousness which he did not have; but he does not will that the righteous person should
lose the palm of righteousness which he has. Having left the donkeys, therefore, he is
anxious about his son, because he wills his preachers to rest for a time from the anxious
attention to others, so that they may better provide for themselves through quiet. And
because that very solicitude of the holy Church must be taken up again by a good ruler,
our rest is interrupted; because a prior solicitude precedes it, and a later one follows.
The chosen preacher, therefore, should devote himself to the benefit of his subjects and
devote himself to his own;

but let him so have care for his own that he immediately returns to the care of others
which he left behind; because then our Creator loves us as sons, when we both love our
subjects as brothers and love him as a father, since through the affection of solicitude
we are joined to them, and through our rest, which he loves, we hasten to him as to a
father. For this love of our rest is expressed in what is said: "What shall I do about my
son? This indeed a father says who loves his son tenderly. This therefore is not said
about a present son, but an absent one. But because he seeks the lost donkeys of his
father, he is greatly beloved by him; because whoever strives by preaching to convert the
souls of sinners is already joined to our Redeemer in great love. He who through
solicitude for others is, as it were, far from him, is near through the quiet of
contemplation and the affection of prayer. Because, therefore, he desires that we be close
to him both through contemplation and prayer, like a loving father he says: "What shall I
do about my son? As if to say: How shall I make that absent one present to me? But because
the great men of holy Church praise the solicitude of our preaching but blame excessive
solicitude, those who say the father's donkeys have been found assert that the father is
anxious about his son.

The elect, therefore, can recognize the sign of their anointing; because indeed they are
then led by God to the summit of the holy Church, when through words and examples they are
suitable for the salvation of others, and through quiet they are zealous for their own;
and when they seek sinners for heaven, they do not abandon themselves to the world. There
follows: (Verses 3, 4. "When you have departed from there and have gone further, and have
come to the oak of Tabor, three men going up to God at Bethel will find you there, one
carrying three kids, another three loaves of bread, and another a bottle of wine. And when
they have greeted you, they will give you two loaves, and you shall receive them from
their hand." 6. When we wish to make good progress in holy conduct, it is necessary for us
to gather for ourselves the examples of very many of the elect; for bees too cannot
produce honey if they do not gather it from various flowers. Well therefore does Saul pass
from some men to others, because the more abundantly we observe the examples of the
saints, the better we are instructed. Indeed the flowers of eternal fruits are the works
of the saints, which, when they are drenched with the dew of heavenly love, from them we
gather that by which we may be filled for our own instruction and for the benefit of
others. For Saul goes from there and passes on beyond, when the untrained preacher
advances through the examples of the elect, and from the observed virtue of one, goes to
explore the conduct of another. Often it delights him to admire in some the labor of
preaching, often in others the strength of good works; he venerates those who speak and
strives to imitate those who act. He looks at some to see with what beauty they shine
outwardly, while the splendor of others he examines not in their outward conduct but in
their innermost being. Hence it is also well said that when he passes on, he is reported
to come to the oak of Tabor. For the oak is a shady and strong tree. In this tree indeed
the more hidden conduct of the saints is expressed.

For the men of this manner of life, since they do not go out to the exterior works of the
active life, are as if in shadow, because they cannot feel the fires of temptations. For
since they rest in heavenly desire, the farther removed they are from the love of the
world, the more peacefully they remain in the shadow of refreshment. But this shadow is of
a strong tree, because the conduct of the saints despises earthly things all the more
powerfully as it rises more purely into the love of heavenly things. It is also strong,
because those who love only the heavenly things which they see powerfully endure the
adversities of the world. And because those who disdain to look upon earthly things
through love are in the great light of interior splendor, the oak itself is said to be of
Tabor. For Tabor is interpreted as "coming light. For light comes when the inner
brightness of the Creator opens itself to the chosen mind. Therefore it is called the oak
of Tabor, because hidden conduct, by despising earthly things, acts so that it may more
clearly behold the intimate light of the Creator. For we are hidden when we guard our
senses in the fear of God. And then indeed we perceive the coming light, because when the
members of the body are well governed, the grace of the Creator is poured back into our
mind.

And it should be noted that he who knew that the father was anxious for him on account of
those who were leaping into the pits is said to come to the oak of Tabor. For the
preachers of the holy Church frequently praise virtues to which they themselves cannot
devote themselves. They preach indeed the secret of the contemplative life; but since they
are anxious for the care of their subjects, they avoid clinging to the secrets of that
life. As if Samuel were to say: Those men praise the pursuit of contemplation to you; but
since they cannot hold what they praise, it must be sought in others. Therefore we pass on
to the oak of Tabor when from the holy preachers we learn that the pursuit of the
contemplative life is praiseworthy; but we seek its perfection in those who devote
themselves to it spiritually. The three men, therefore, who find the anointed king at the
oak of Tabor designate those who are perfect in the pursuit of the contemplative life.
They are rightly said not to be found by the king, but to find the king there. For they
are not found, because they are hidden. But they themselves find us, because they open to
us the light of their hidden conduct when they deign to do so. They are not found, because
they withdraw their life from every testimony of men. But they find us, because through
the affection of charity they show us something of their light for imitation.

They likewise do not bring forth their virtues for imitation except to those who desire
with great longing to obtain and practice them. Therefore it is necessary for us first to
come to the oak of Tabor, so that we may be able to be found by those three men. For we
are already as if in the shadow of the coming light when we are inflamed with great
desires for the highest contemplation. 7. Then therefore three men appear to us: because
those who deign to show themselves to us who desire them are strong in the guard of
speech, thought, and deed. For they cannot be persons of a more hidden life if they had
kept open the doors of their eyes, heart, and mouth. Because therefore they guard the
heart from foolish thought, the mouth from idle talk, and the whole body from wicked
action, they are three; but they are men, because they observe that same guard most
bravely. Three men therefore appear to us: because when we behold such persons, we
perceive in them the strength of virtue. They are certainly in the shadow of the coming
light; because they can see the inner light of the Creator all the more clearly, the more
zealously they guard a pure heart from the defilement of the world. To such persons indeed
the Lord appeared rising from the dead; such persons the Holy Spirit filled. For
concerning that secret place it is said: "When it was evening on the first day of the
week, and the doors were shut where the disciples were for fear of the Jews" (John 20:19).
And again: "After eight days his disciples were again within, and Thomas with them; Jesus
came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst and said to them: Peace be to you.
Concerning another secret place likewise it is written:

"When the days of Pentecost were being fulfilled, all the disciples were together in the
same place, and suddenly there came from heaven a sound of a rushing mighty spirit, and it
filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them divided
tongues, as of fire, and it sat upon each one of them, and they were all filled with the
Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:1). Those indeed have closed doors who, against the negligence of
human falling, keep the functions of the body restrained under a strong guard. They are
also within, because they rest in the inward love of the heavenly life. To these assuredly
the risen Lord appears, because they behold his glory all the more clearly, the more
strictly they follow the mystery of his passion through contempt of the world. These also
can be filled with the Holy Spirit, as though in a house; because those receive abundantly
the gifts of his graces who have prepared themselves to receive them by despising visible
things.

8. Who are rightly said to ascend to the Lord in Bethel. For Bethel means "house of God.
And what is the house of God, if not that house which the inaccessible light inhabits? The
inaccessible light is also the revelation of His divinity. It is light, indeed, because it
can be seen in some manner by pure hearts. In its fullness it fills all things, yet
abundantly filling all things, it is not grasped. It is grasped, indeed, so that it may
fill, but in filling it is not grasped, for though it fills all things, it is not
exhausted. The revelation of the Creator, therefore, because it is so great an immensity
of light that it illumines all things and is confined in nothing — since it is seen and
yet not comprehended — is inaccessible light. These three men, then, ascend to the Lord,
because those who guard themselves in a more hidden life are raised up to the
contemplation of the divine light. But because they cannot yet attain to the very
appearance of God Almighty, they are said to ascend in Bethel. For whatever the human mind
can think about Almighty God is not God. But when by thinking it transcends all things,
when it considers that whatever it can fashion for itself of inmost light, whatever of
inner sweetness and delight, whatever of spiritual pleasure, is believed to be less than
that reality, it nevertheless arrives at a certain light which is not God but which God
inhabits.

And because then the soul of the elect is wonderfully inflamed, wonderfully refreshed, and
enjoys ineffable delight, it is compelled to consider how ineffable must be the light, the
sweetness, and the delight which is God Himself, if so immense is that light which He
inhabits and which is not He Himself. Moses had indeed ascended to the Lord in Bethel when
he was speaking with Him on the mountain. But he who had arrived at the light which God
inhabits was seeking the light which was God Himself, saying: "Show me Your face" (Exod.
33:13). Of whom it is also written: "The Lord spoke to Moses face to face" (ibid.). What
does it mean that Moses speaks with the Lord face to face, and yet entreats the Lord to
show him His face? But the face of God is the knowledge of Him. Now God is known through a
mirror, and He is known through Himself. Through a mirror here, through Himself in heaven.
The mirror is that light which God inhabits; but He Himself is that light which He is (1
Cor. 13:12). And Moses, who is said to see God face to face and yet asks to see His face
(Exod. 33:13) — what does he more rightly signify than the perfection of the elect, who
already gaze upon the mirror of that supreme light, yet ardently desire to attain to the
very truth of that light? This knowledge of the light does not satisfy the desires of the
elect but rather arouses them;

that other knowledge, however, both satisfies and arouses. For it is so delightful a thing
that it is ineffably desired, and so full that those who have always beheld it with great
longing are always satisfied with ineffable fullness. The men, therefore, who ascend to
the Lord are said to ascend in Bethel, because however much we advance in this life, we
can see the very light of the Creator through a mirror, but we are by no means able to see
it in itself. 9. And because only the humble are exalted to this sublime vision, it is
well said of these same men: 'That one was carrying three kids, another three cakes of
bread.' For he carries three kids who, in penitence, considers that he has sinned by
mouth, heart, and deed. For since sinners are signified by kids, those who at the final
judgment are to be placed at the left hand of the eternal Judge are expressed by the name
of kids. Therefore he carries three kids to the Lord who does not cease to consider in
penitence the sins of deed, word, and thought. And he is indeed a man, and yet he carries
kids; because he strongly guards against sinning, but does not cease to make satisfaction
as though he were a sinner. For he was a man and was carrying kids, who said: 'In many
things we all offend' (James 3:2). And because they strive to blot out by penitence the
sins they confess, one carries three kids and another carries three cakes of bread. For we
referred the cakes of bread above to the affliction of penitence; because if bread
sometimes signifies the pleasure of the present life, bread is twisted when we are
tormented for the past pleasure of the flesh. Hence King Hezekiah too, when he is pierced
with penitence, promises that he will twist the royal pleasures, saying: 'I will recount
all my years in the bitterness of my soul' (Isaiah 38:15).

For when the carnal mind dissolves into the pleasures of sin, it has, as it were, its day;
because it joyfully beholds what it does. Therefore the days of the reprobate mind are
evil pleasures. Therefore the sinner recounts all his days; because when he comes to his
senses through divine grace, he does not cease to make satisfaction for all his evils. For
first one is said to carry three kids, then another three cakes of bread; so that the
virtue of each elect person may appear, who is strong in good work, humble in self-
estimation, afflicted through the contrition of penitence. And because they cannot be of
such great perfection unless, out of love for eternal goods, they have forgotten temporal
things, the third is said to carry a flask of wine. For he carries a flask of wine who has
filled his mind with the warmth of the Holy Spirit, by which he both eagerly strives after
the things ahead by running forward, and leaves behind the things that are past, as if in
the great forgetfulness of intoxication. For he was carrying kids who said: 'Christ came
to call sinners, of whom I am the chief' (1 Timothy 1:15). And because he was also
carrying a cake of bread, he says: 'I chastise my body and bring it into subjection' (1
Corinthians 9:27).

But as though drunk with the wine of a flask, he says: 'Forgetting what is behind and
stretching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the
heavenly calling of God in Christ Jesus' (Philippians 3:13). Therefore three men ascend to
the Lord and bring three kids, three cakes of bread, and a flask of wine: because those
devoted to the pursuits of a more secluded life rise to the contemplation of the true
light by the merit of humility. But what they are in themselves and what they are to
others, he sets forth, saying: 'And when they have greeted you, they will give you three
cakes of bread, and you shall receive them from their hand.' Holy men greet us when they
announce to us the eternal goods of salvation. Those who greet us in the body incline
their head to show reverence to the one greeted. But for spiritual men to incline the head
is to bring down their mind from the highest contemplation. For if they do not incline the
head, they cannot greet; because they do not instruct us with salutary teaching if they do
not bring down their mind from the highest contemplation of heavenly things. For then they
show us great reverence: because they do not consider those to be small for whose sake
they deign to descend from their lofty summit.

10. But while the future king is greeted, two loaves of bread are given to him. For two
loaves are given to the preacher being ordained, when he is taught to weep for sins not
only his own, but those of others. He has, therefore, one twisted loaf when he is
afflicted for his own sins; he has the other when he strives to lament the sins of his
subjects. But the Psalmist, more clearly suggesting this bread, says: "Rise up after you
have sat down, you who eat the bread of sorrow" (Psalm 126:2). Hence he confesses to the
Lord, saying: "You will feed us with the bread of tears, and you will give us drink in
tears with measure" (Psalm 79:9). The twisted loaf, therefore, is the bread of sorrow and
the bread of tears. And perhaps for this reason that one man carried three twisted loaves:
because there were three who were going together, so that when they divided them among
themselves, each would have one loaf apiece. This can also fittingly be understood of the
goats. In this matter, what is to be noted except that men of a more secluded life, while
they maintain a solitary way of living, do not have care for others? They therefore have
one goat and one loaf, who are pricked with compunction only for their own sins and are
not burdened by those of others through pastoral office.

And because those who are of the same perfect way of life emulate in themselves the
affliction of the flesh, fittingly one carries three loaves, another three goats, and a
third a flask of wine. For it is as though one carries what all are about to offer or eat;
and all eat or offer what one carries, when each one, kindled by pious emulation of them,
has in himself good examples for others and does not neglect to imitate the good things
that others have. And because the twisted loaves of bread are spoken of in the feminine
gender, this surely suggests that for him who is pricked with compunction by habit, from
some tears still more tears arise. For the affliction of the penitent is, as it were,
fruitful as in the feminine sex; because the more often one is pricked with compunction,
the more abundant streams of tears are supplied to him. To Saul, therefore, not one loaf
but two are given, because it is not enough for the preacher to weep for himself alone.
Let him therefore receive two loaves from the hands of the men, so that he may learn to
weep by the example of the perfect, but may recognize that weeping is necessary both for
himself and for his subjects. And because by the hand power is sometimes understood, the
men have three loaves in hand; because those who have advanced to the heights of
contemplation possess weeping in the strength of their power.

For because they do not wish to be dissolved in vain joy when they could be, they are
rightly able to weep when they wish. We indeed, being weak and negligent of the guard of
our mind, even when we wish to be moved to compunction and to weep for our sins, are
unable to do so. For since spiritual tears are produced from a great fervor of the spirit,
we who are bound by the cold of our negligence are prevented from quickly growing warm
unto tears. Rightly, therefore, those who are said to appear to the future king at the oak
of Tabor are said to have loaves in their hands; because those who are perfect in the
contemplation of the secluded life possess what is profitable for their subjects through
the observance of virtues. 11. And it should be noted that Samuel commands the anointed
king, saying: "And you shall receive from their hand." What better meaning can be gathered
from this phrase than what is plainly seen: namely, that we do not willingly imitate the
affliction found in holy men? For those who seek the honor of prelacy and its dignity are
innumerable, but those who desire the labor of ministry and the affliction of the flesh
that comes with that same prelacy are few. We gladly wish to be exalted above others, but
we avoid mourning their sins. For we see the loaves offered to us, but we refuse to
receive them from the hands of those offering, because we observe the affliction in chosen
men that we do not imitate. Therefore let the prophet command, saying: "You shall receive
from their hand." So that whoever desires to be a fit ruler of the Church should by no
means refuse to take up what has been spoken. It is also fitting that Saul is first led to
men leaping over great ditches, and then to those who carry loaves, young goats, and wine:
so that the untrained preacher may learn from some to despise the heights of the world,
and from others to offer the affliction of the flesh and the sacrifices of tears to
almighty God on behalf of himself and those under his care. But the prophet, further
conveying the summit of his progress, adds, saying: (Verses 5, 6.) "After this you shall
come to the hill of the Lord, where there is a garrison of the Philistines, and when you
have entered the city, you shall meet a company of prophets coming down from the high
place, and before them a psaltery, and a timbrel, and a pipe, and a harp, and they
themselves prophesying. And the Spirit of the Lord shall come upon you, and you shall
prophesy with them, and you shall be changed into another man."

12. A hill is the height of a mountain. What is more rightly understood by this hill than
the holy intent of the Scriptures? It is indeed the height of a mountain, because it does
not lie on the plain of the letter, but is exceedingly elevated in the sublimity of
spiritual meanings. The untrained preacher therefore sets out on the right path of virtues
if, after he has seen the public preachers and the secluded anchorites, he sees and
recognizes the height of Scripture. In this matter it should be noted that we said Saul,
in that he stood out above all the people from his shoulders and upward, signified a
learned man of great conduct. Why then does he ascend to the hill of the Lord, so that he
may come to the height of the Scriptures, which he already knows? But in a similar way it
could have been asked about him why he went to see the men leaping over great ditches,
when he was said to be a man of great conduct. To which it must be said: because he was
shown to represent great men in conduct, but untrained in the ministry of preaching. He
who can advance through the examples of better men both in the purity of contemplation and
in the office of preaching ought to return to the height of the Scriptures, because the
higher the life by which he advances, the more keenly he attends to the sublimity of
sacred speech. Let the prophet therefore say: "After these things you will come to the
hill of the Lord." As if to say: When you grasp the perfection of holy men through perfect
imitation, you will advance into so great an understanding of Sacred Scripture that what
you once thought you perceived in it sublimely will now seem plain.

13. There is the garrison of the Philistines: because those who fell from heaven through
the drink of pride mock the Jews and heretics through the Scriptures. They stand therefore
on the hill: because the hearts they possess they deceive in the Scriptures by the
falseness of understanding. Therefore, as often as the Jews presume to ascend to the hill
of the Lord, they are captured by the Philistines standing there. For while they think
they understand the meaning of Scripture in a lofty way, demons meet them in their ascent
and, deceiving them, slay them. Rightly, therefore, Saul is commanded to go to the hill of
the Lord not immediately, but first, after seeing those leaping over pits and carrying
bread and wine: because faithful men are fortified by the great protection of the teaching
and examples of their betters. Hence it is also said to the same Saul: "You will meet a
company of prophets coming from the high place. As if to say: You will be able to fear the
garrison of the Philistines so much less, the more you will have prophets meeting you for
your security. And because a company of prophets is mentioned, a great multitude of our
defenders is signified. Let the Jew therefore be afraid: because when he ascends alone, he
perishes. For what do those same prophets coming to meet us say? "Woe to him who is alone,
for if he falls, there is no one to lift him up" (Eccl. 4:10). For he is alone who is
abandoned by God.

Certainly no one lifts up this one when he falls, because no saint takes up one abandoned
by God. Therefore every elect person ascends securely: because he is not alone. For He who
speaks through us is with us. For He also promises, saying: "Behold, I am with you all
days, even to the consummation of the world" (Matt. 28:20). Indeed he was not alone who
said: "I am not alone, but He who sent me is with me" (John 8:16). Likewise he was not
alone who demanded, saying: "Do you seek proof of Christ who speaks in me? (2 Cor. 13:3).
This can fittingly be understood not only of the Lord's spiritual presence, but also of
the material teaching of the elect. Holy preachers indeed ascend to the hill of the Lord,
where the garrison of the Philistines is: but because they have the company of prophets
meeting them, they in no way fear the Philistines themselves. But who are these prophets,
if not the great preachers of holy Church? For the ministry of prophets is to reveal
hidden things and to predict the future. Moreover, the teachers of holy Church, when they
draw the hidden meanings of the Scriptures to common knowledge, open secrets that are
unknown: and when they preach eternal joys, they reveal things to come. Prophets therefore
come to meet us: because the teachers of holy Church show us the truth of holy Scripture.

For when they tell us what we wish to know from sacred eloquence, they meet those going
along the way that leads to the hill of the Lord. There, therefore, through the meeting of
the prophets, we are secure where the Philistines are: because through the authority of
holy preachers we recognize the understanding of Scripture, in which the Jews and heretics
are slain by demons with the sword of their own errors. Behold, for if we have recourse to
the Law of Moses, we certainly find the hill of the Lord. There surely we read of the
tabernacle, there of the high priest, there of the blood of goats and calves together, and
of the Paschal Lamb. The Jews understand these things according to the letter by their own
spirit, and because they have no prophet with them in this, they die. If I wish to ascend
to this mountain, I first see the prophets descending, and I ascend securely. And to leave
aside the new ones for the moment, Isaiah first meets me as I ascend, saying: "Like a
sheep he will be led to slaughter, and like a lamb before his shearer, he will not open
his mouth" (Isa. 53:7). Hence Paul says: "Christ, appearing as high priest of the good
things to come, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that
is, not of this creation, nor through the blood of goats or calves, but through his own
blood, entered once into the holy places, having obtained eternal redemption" (Heb.
9:11-12).

But if we wish to have more on this hill, we find all the prophets by seeking them:
because what the old teachers had promised, the new preachers demonstrate to have been
fulfilled in our Redeemer. 14. Wherefore the Redeemer of the human race can also fittingly
be designated by the name of a hill. Whence Isaiah, prophesying, says: 'In the last days
the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be prepared on the top of the mountains' (Isa.
2:2). He is called a hill on account of the sublimity of His holiness, and of the Lord,
because He is the Son of the most high Father. On this hill indeed the garrison of the
Philistines is said to be, because He was born as a sign to be contradicted. The garrison
of the Philistines is the opposition of heretics. For as though standing on the hill, they
lie in ambush against those ascending to the hill; and while they pervert the Holy
Scriptures by expounding them wrongly, they destroy those who are carelessly ascending to
know the Redeemer. Therefore let the elect not be alarmed; ascending, he meets a company
of prophets, because all the preachers of the Old and New Testament announce to him the
Redeemer Himself. They come indeed from on high, because what they preach on earth, they
see in heaven. Whence also to John, as though truly from the chosen company of prophets,
it is said from heaven: 'Come up hither, and I will show you what must take place after
this' (Rev. 4:1). Who, when he had ascended, beheld and recognized the Lamb—whom Moses had
prefigured as to be slain, and whom he himself had seen offered on the cross—now reigning;
and he learned how great were the thanksgivings rendered to Him by those for whom He had
been slain. Therefore the preachers come from on high, because what they preach to those
beneath them, they have learned in heavenly contemplation.

15. Well also is the company of prophets said to have met Saul at the entrance of the
city; because we can see the great preachers of Holy Church where they descend, not where
they are exalted. For the things which they say to us little ones, we hear; but the things
which they see in heavenly places, how they see them, or how sweetly they love them, we do
not see. For the apostle Paul was caught up into paradise and was taken up to the third
heaven, and he heard secret words which it is not lawful for a man to speak (2 Cor. 12:4).
Who then could find so great a preacher caught up into paradise, or taken up to the third
heaven? But blessed Paul said these things about himself under compulsion. Whence also at
the end of the sublimity he had set forth, humbling himself, he says: "I have become a
fool; you compelled me" (2 Cor. 12:11). How great then were those things which he was
unwilling to tell, if he came to reveal even these under compulsion? For he who heard
things which it is not lawful for a man to speak also saw things which it is not lawful
for a man to know. You might perhaps say:

Even if he wished, how could he express in human speech the beauty of that third heaven,
the light of that innermost brightness, the indescribable splendor of the angels, and the
inaccessible glory — how sweetly all those elect and blessed eternal citizens receive from
the fullness of that One, how eagerly they partake, how completely they are filled, how
pleasantly they taste the sweetness of divine goodness, with what delightful fullness they
are satisfied: what the splendors are for each one from that one ineffable light of the
Creator, what the beauty of all together is from that one glory: by what excellence of
dignity some surpass others, and by what means the good are subject to the better in the
ineffable delight of justice? 16. We cannot, therefore, follow the lofty Paul to that
height, but we enter the city, in which, as if descending from on high, he comes to meet
us. For we who cannot perceive the lofty things that the preachers see must reverently
hear the plain things that they teach. But when they descend, they carry before them the
psaltery, the timbrel, the flute, and the harp. They have the psaltery because they
announce the kingdom of heaven; they have the timbrel because they preach the
mortification of the flesh; they have the flute because they command their subjects to
weep for the acquisition of eternal joy; and they also have the harp because they teach
the devout to rejoice in the certainty of eternal goods. The psaltery indeed, which
resonates from the upper part, also signifies the proclamation of eternal joys, because
when it urges us to love heavenly things, it sends forth the sound of its sweetness, as it
were, from the upper part. The timbrel, because it is stretched over the hide of a dead
animal, fittingly represents the mortification of our flesh. That the flute is customarily
present at the funeral rites of the dead, we have learned from the Gospel, for when the
Lord wished to raise the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue, He cast the flute players
out of the house and drove away the tumultuous crowd (Matt. 9:25). What then is expressed
by the flute, if not the mourning of the saints?

For when they see themselves cast out from that eternal life which they desire, they
lament over themselves as though they were dead. The harp, however, is a very joyful
musical instrument. By this instrument the word of consolation for the elect is fittingly
represented, because just as we are gladdened by the sound of the harp, so the elect
preachers console us amid the hardships of our present exile. The psaltery, therefore, is
placed first in the procession of the preachers, because above all else the glory of the
heavenly kingdom must be proclaimed, so that when we recognize the good that we should
love, we may desire to labor for the attainment of that same good. Hence it is that when
Matthew in the Gospel was setting forth the beginnings of the Lord's Incarnation, he said:
John began to preach and to say: Do penance, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matt.
4:17). But because when we know heavenly things, if we wish to reach them, it is necessary
that we mortify the passions of the flesh, the preachers of holy Church produce, as it
were after the psaltery, the sound of the timbrel. And what is this mortification of the
body other than a preparation for eternal blessedness? We learn to love the preparation of
heavenly things, and we are commanded to seek them with the most ardent weeping. For we
mourn the dead, as it were with a flute, when we grieve vehemently that we do not yet live
in that eternal life.

After the timbrel, therefore, our preachers have the flute, because they teach us both to
mortify our members and to groan for love of eternal life. They also bring the harp after
the flute, because they command us so to bewail the hardships of our present exile that we
may rejoice in the promise of our eternal inheritance. For the great prophet sounded the
psaltery when he said: My sheep hear my voice, and I give them eternal life (John 10:27).
Again striking the psaltery, he says: The Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who
believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life (John 3:14). He sounded the
timbrel who said: Mortify your members which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness,
lust, evil desire (Col. 3:5). He sounded the flute who said: Be afflicted, mourn; let your
laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to sorrow (James 4:9). He sounded the timbrel
who said: For your sake we are put to death all the day long; we are accounted as sheep
for the slaughter (Ps. 43:22). He holds the flute before him who likewise speaks to God,
saying: You will feed us with the bread of tears, and give us drink in full measure (Ps.
79:6). The Lord held the flute before Him when He said: Amen I say to you, that you shall
weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice; and you shall be sorrowful (John 16:20). But
as if adding the sound of the harp, He says:

Your sorrow shall be turned into joy (ibid.). He sounded the harp for us, as it were, who
said: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Let your modesty be known to all
men; the Lord is near (Phil. 4:4). He sounds the harp for us who, announcing the good
things of our city, says: Joy and gladness shall be found in it, thanksgiving and the
voice of praise (Isa. 51:3). Because, therefore, the preachers of holy Church announce the
heavenly kingdom, and for the attainment of that same kingdom command us to mortify the
flesh, to bewail our captivity, and to exult in hope of future blessedness, the prophets
descending from the height are said to carry before them the psaltery, the timbrel, the
flute, and the harp. And they are called a company of prophets, because the pastors of
holy Church are many, yet they have one pastor, the Lord Jesus Christ.

17. And it should be noted that the prophets are said to have the psaltery, drum, flute,
and harp before them, so that the pattern of the elect preachers might be seen. For the
reprobate have what they preach behind them, because they say and do not do; they neglect
to do the good things that they know. Whence also to King Saul, already despising the
Lord's commands, it is said: "Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord has
rejected you from being king" (1 Samuel 15:23). Hence the Lord complains through the
prophet concerning the Jews, saying: "They have cast me behind their back" (1 Kings 14:9).
Therefore the holy teachers, because they maintain the path of heavenly conduct that they
preach by the continual course of good works, in their figure it is said that the prophets
had the psaltery, drum, flute, and harp before them as they descended. For these
instruments can be referred to the preaching of the Redeemer. And because not far above we
said that the hill of the Lord is the Redeemer himself, let us consider the fittingness of
the instruments. He who names him king of the eternal kingdom surely sounds the psaltery
for us. And he who affirms the discipline of our mortification in him strikes, as it were,
the drum. He sounds the flute who proclaims the Redeemer dead for the salvation of the
world. He strikes the harp who declares that he rose from the dead and ascended to heaven.

But we are made glad at the delight of such great instruments if we hear the very flock of
prophets sounding forth. For David says: "His going forth is from the highest heaven, and
his circuit reaches to the highest" (Psalm 18:7). Hence he likewise says: "All kings of
the earth shall worship him, all nations shall serve him" (Psalm 71:11). For he held, as
it were, the psaltery in praise of the Redeemer, who obtained the higher part of praise
and preached the coming of the Redeemer from the highest heaven. Isaiah touched the drum
of his mortification, saying: "And we saw him, and there was no beauty, and we desired
him, despised and the lowest of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with infirmity; and
his face was as it were hidden and despised, whence we did not esteem him" (Isaiah 53:3).
Likewise sounding the flute of his death, he says: "He shall be led as a sheep to the
slaughter, and as a lamb he was silent" (Isaiah 53:7). David, striking the harp of the
resurrection, says: "Let the whole earth be moved before his face; say among the nations
that the Lord has reigned from the wood; for he has established the world, which shall not
be moved" (Psalm 95:10). Also touching the harp of the ascension, he said: "O kingdoms of
the earth, sing to God, who ascends above the heaven of heavens to the east" (Psalm
67:33–34).

Therefore the prophets descend from on high when the holy preachers announce to us those
mysteries which they have learned by lofty contemplation. And they sound the psaltery,
flute, and harp, because they declare our Redeemer to be Lord of the eternal kingdom, both
humbled through the human condition, and that by his death he redeems the world, and by
rising again he restores heavenly things. Which instruments of praise they surely have
before them, because they understand what they say. On the contrary, Caiaphas is said to
prophesy (John 11) and yet to be ignorant of what he said, since the flute of the Lord's
death that he touched he did not have before him as an elect prophet would, but behind
him. Well then is it added concerning the elect prophets: "And them prophesying. Because
while they see what they say, they have, as it were, the instruments that they play before
them; and while they preach, they bring forth what they have known by foreseeing.
Therefore Saul comes to the hill of the Lord when the chosen yet unformed preacher
advances in spiritual knowledge and recognizes the Redeemer of the human race not on the
level plain of his humanity, but in the lofty majesty of his divinity. Then indeed he
hears the choirs of the prophets singing together, because he perfectly understands all
the Scriptures that concern him.

He therefore who saw the men leaping over great pits, who beheld those carrying kids, and
loaves of bread, and a flask of wine, arrives at the hill of the Lord—when he who is known
to have advanced through the examples of the elect is raised to the summit of knowledge,
and knowing the Redeemer sublimely, loves him ineffably, from whom, as a familiar friend,
he may obtain what he further desires to know about him. 18. It is well added: "And the
Spirit of the Lord will leap upon you, and you will prophesy with them. The Spirit of the
Lord is said to leap because the hearts of the elect are suddenly filled with His gifts.
They immediately begin to prophesy, because those who are full of the divine Spirit cannot
remain silent about the mighty works of God. Or he is declared about to prophesy, to whom
Samuel promises the grace of the divine word. This is as if he were saying: You who now
cannot speak in that abundance of the Spirit coming upon you—when that fullness has poured
itself into you, you will abound with a wealth of speech. Indeed, the Lord, promising this
leaping Spirit to the disciples, says: "When the Spirit of truth comes, He will teach you
all truth, and will announce to you the things that are to come" (John 16:13). The Spirit
indeed leaps upon those whose hearts He illuminated by coming suddenly (Acts 2:2). And
once illuminated, they prophesied, because they proclaimed the Redeemer of the human race
in every tongue. This we certainly see happening even now in the holy Church, because
often those who desire to speak divine things are suddenly taught by that same Spirit, and
they are also able to speak most excellently things they had learned by no prior
meditation. For in return for keeping the commandments of God, they receive the grace of
the word in the sublime revelation of the Redeemer.

For what wonder is it if those who through purity of life are always the dwelling place of
the Holy Spirit can suddenly receive the light of knowledge? But what kind of gift of the
Holy Spirit would it be if it gave knowledge and did not give the affection of great
charity? For those who are filled with that Spirit preach heavenly things, but they love
what they speak. Therefore it is fittingly added: "And you will be changed into another
man. What is the love of the elect mind other than a transformation of the old nature? For
our nature was so condemned through the fall of the first man that it daily declines by
slipping and grows old by declining. But we who fail in ourselves, when that Spirit leaps
into us, are renewed, because we are immediately made what we were not. Someone was
lukewarm, but suddenly visited by the Spirit, he is made fervent. He begins to burn with
devotion, to exercise himself vigorously in good work. He has therefore been changed into
another man, because he began to be what, before the Spirit leaped into him, he could not
be. Someone is already of good conduct, loves heavenly things, despises earthly things,
but he cannot manage to weep for the things he loves above or for the things he hates
below. Often indeed he desires to weep and cannot, though he recalls having committed many
things for which he ought to weep;

but when that Spirit suddenly leaps in, he bursts forth into fountains of tears. He is
therefore changed into another man, who receives the grace of compunction through the
coming Spirit, which he did not have before the coming of that same Spirit. Someone
desires to obtain purity of heart, to think on heavenly things, to be hindered by no
encounters with worldly cares; but he cannot rise up to what he desires through devotion
by means of the affection of purity. But suddenly, caught up in the power of the coming
Spirit, he ceases to be carnal, powerfully casts aside the cares of the world, and rises
to the contemplation of eternal things with wonderful purity. He then marvels that he is
what he was not; he then marvels that he was not what he is. For when he sees himself to
be such in spiritual things, he who is such marvels that he could not have been such
before. He is therefore changed into another man, who sees himself to be what he was not,
and not to be what he had been. Well therefore concerning Saul: "You will be changed into
another man. Because when the preachers of the holy Church receive the grace of divine
preaching, they do not receive only the knowledge of the word, but the power of love—so
that through the word they may be able to benefit others, and through love of the word
they themselves may become better.

For when they speak, they are changed into another man, because when the Spirit speaks
through them, they themselves are joined to that same Spirit by wondrous charity, and they
no longer dissent from His will in either word or deed. For sacred Scripture, praising
such a man, says: "He who clings to God is one spirit with Him" (1 Cor. 6:17). For we
cling to God when we abundantly receive the grace of the Holy Spirit; and we are made one
spirit with Him when we are in harmony with the divine will in mind, mouth, and deed. Well
therefore did the prophet Samuel add, saying: (Verse 7) "For when all these signs have
come to you, do whatever your hand finds to do, for the Lord is with you." 19. These
indeed are the signs by which a preacher may recognize himself, and then let him dare to
undertake everything he plans to do, when he has learned by certain experience that he has
received the power of the Holy Spirit in great abundance of charity. But the preacher
ought to teach those things which he does, just as Luke says of the Lord: "That Jesus
began to do and to teach, until the day in which, commanding the apostles through the Holy
Spirit whom He had chosen, He was taken up" (Acts 1:1-2). Hence Paul says: "I dare not
speak of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, for the obedience of
the Gentiles, by word and deed" (Rom. 15:18). And so Samuel commands the anointed king,
saying: "Do whatever your hand finds to do." As if to say: When you see yourself filled
with divine grace, teach others whatever you do, because from the divine grace presiding
over you, you have the ability both to live excellently and to preach profitably. But
nevertheless, he adds what he ought to observe before all these things, saying: (Verse 8.)
"And you shall go down before me to Gilgal. For I will surely come down to you, to offer
burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait for me, until
I come and show you what you should do."

20. What does it mean that he first says: "Do whatever your hand finds," and then adds:
"You shall wait seven days for me, until I come and show you what you are to do"? But he
who had received the signs by which he would know himself anointed king by the Lord was to
be tested as to whether he would recognize those very signs. This indeed suits a spiritual
rather than a historical explanation. For we have said that coming to the hill of the Lord
pertains to the perfect knowledge and love of the Redeemer, and being filled with the gift
of prophecy pertains to the power of the Holy Spirit. He says therefore: "When all these
signs have come upon you, do whatever your hand finds. Because whoever is certain of the
intimate inspiration of the Holy Spirit can be confident both in the purpose of good work
and in the ordering of preaching. He likewise said: "You shall wait seven days for me,
until I come; and I will show you what you are to do. Because the chief pastors of the
holy Church, while they are uncertain about the progress of those beneath them, are very
anxious to recognize it in them by sure indications. But what are the indications of the
Spirit, if not the surpassing gifts of humility? For the Holy Spirit, the greater the
light of virtues with which He illuminates the hearts of the elect, the more abundantly He
enriches them with the gift of humility.

For the loftier they are in merits, the lowlier they are through the virtue of humility.
He therefore who is commanded to go down to Gilgal before the prophet and to wait, is
clearly given the burden of obedience for the purpose of testing his humility. It is also
the right order of a chosen way of life that one should not impose obedience on others
which he himself has not taken care to render to others. He is therefore commanded to
wait, so that it may be recognized whether he is truly humble. If, then, the sign of a
perfect preacher is the fullness of the Holy Spirit, and the virtue of humility is the
sign of that fullness, what is said in praise of humility except that its gifts are the
signs of signs? 21. But because the king who is about to sacrifice is commanded to be
preceded by the prophet, we discern better the things that are said if they are examined
in order. Gilgal is indeed interpreted as "wheel. But what does the wheel signify in this
place, if not the life of the obedient? A wheel indeed advances by turning, and now seeks
the heights, now the depths. So indeed is the life of the obedient, because it does below
what draws it upward, and sees above what it performs below, as if it is raised to the
heights and set down to the depths. For what the obedient do below, they lift upward;
because when they obey the commands of their superiors, the things they perform are
earthly, but from the earthly things they do, they await heavenly rewards. Likewise, what
they hold above, they bend toward the earth, because in order to perform earthly things
well, they contemplate heavenly things, and they do only that which they perceive to be
fitting to that supreme happiness. Indeed, commanding Moses to turn this wheel, the Lord
said: "Make all things according to the pattern shown to you on the mountain" (Exod.
25:40). For he who saw on the heights what he made in the depths surely bent the upper
part of the wheel toward the earth. He had also raised the lower part to the heights, who
said: "The Lord lives, in whose sight I stand" (3 Kings 17:1).

He stood indeed in the lowest place through the humility of obedience, while he rebuked
the faithless king; but he raised the level ground of his work to the height of divine
contemplation, so that he might turn the running wheel most excellently, while in his
earthly work he looked to what heavenly reward he might merit. This indeed is the pattern
of chosen obedience: that in everything we do outwardly, we look to the power of the
Creator present everywhere. Thus indeed in the submission of our obedience we can have
both uprightness of work and growth in devotion. We are indeed upright in work then,
because we exert ourselves in the labor of obedience for him whom we behold. We are also
devout, because we believe we please him whom we regard as the observer of our labors and
the bestower of eternal recompense. And because the commands of superiors must be observed
with perfect humility, it is well said to Saul: "You shall wait seven days. For the number
seven stands for the gifts of the sevenfold Spirit. We wait seven days for the teachers of
the Church when, through the power of the sevenfold Spirit, we receive such great clarity
of inward devotion that we in no way neglect their precepts. In this place it should be
noted that he did not say: "You shall be in Gilgal for seven days," but: "You shall wait
for me seven days, after you have gone down before me.

We go down before the preacher when we do what is commanded us by his judgment. Then
indeed we are said to descend, because we subject our minds to their authority. But to
wait seven days is to fulfill the good of obedience with every light of the heart. Which
we certainly do when we pass over neither the hard nor the easy commands of our superiors.
For the Lord wanted no day to be devoid of this light, when he said: "Whoever breaks one
of these least commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of
heaven" (Matt. 5:19). And because the perfect obedience that we render to men is a gift of
the Creator, he who waits seven days is said to offer an oblation and to sacrifice peace
offerings. The oblation is indeed the Lord's because it is offered to men for God's sake,
but what is offered to men is received by God. The victims are the services of the
obedient, because when we submit to men for God's sake, we overcome the proud spirits. By
other virtues we indeed assail the demons; through obedience we conquer them. Therefore
those who obey are victors, because while they perfectly subject their own will to others,
they themselves through obedience exercise dominion over the fallen angels.

22. But it should be noted that Samuel commanded Saul to go down before him to Gilgal, yet
did not want him to offer oblation and sacrifices without him. For he said: "I indeed will
come down to you so that you may offer oblation and sacrifice peace offerings. Seven days
you shall wait for me, until I come to you, and I will show you what you should do. What
is this but that we ought both to be wisely ignorant of our own good deeds, and sometimes
to know them usefully? They should indeed be left unknown, lest they furnish occasion for
pride to us who are weak; but they should be known by the more perfect, so that they may
grow through devotion. Hence it is also fittingly said in the Gospel concerning the
pregnant Elizabeth: "And she hid herself for five months" (Luke 1:24). For those who
cannot yet be spiritual and strong are designated by the number five. But she who has
newly conceived hides herself for five months: because she does good through the bodily
senses; but because she is not yet spiritual and strong in this good work, she wisely
conceals what she does. He therefore offers sacrifices to God, he offers oblation, who
waiting seven days receives the coming prophet: because then what he offers is worthy of
God, when the one offering is righteous by the virtue of obedience and filled with fear by
the consideration of divine immensity;

when he does not believe himself to be anything other than what he knows by the approval
of his superiors. For it is as if we offer in the presence of the prophet, when we believe
only those works of ours to be worthy of divine acceptance which are approved by the
judgment of holy preachers. And because he is said to sacrifice in the presence of the
prophet, this assuredly signifies that in our works we ought to trust wise and spiritual
men. Because likewise Saul waits seven days, the preacher of the holy Church ought to
wisely order the virtue of his subject, so that he does not praise his good deeds before
him except when he can despise the favor of his own praise. Hence also the same oblation
and sacrifices are declared to be offered by Saul to God, and not to himself. For he
offers sacrifices to God who is not vainly puffed up about the virtue he possesses, but
attributes everything he accomplishes to the grace of the Creator. This also, because we
learn by the teaching of doctors, Samuel fittingly says in concluding his speech: "And I
will show you what you should do. He indeed shows the one who waits what he should do:
when the one who is known to obey perfectly is taught how he ought to command others. But
this is not yet shown to Saul, but is promised. For he is not sent to sacrifice, but to
wait.

And because we advance by conversation with the saints, it is fittingly added: (Verse 9.
And so, when he had turned his shoulder to go away from Samuel, God changed for him
another heart. 23. For the heart is changed to another when it is directed toward desiring
better things; the heart is also changed when it is abandoned to evil. But in the case of
Saul, who was first good and afterward evil, how this ought rather to be understood
literally is not very clear. But if it is said with reference to his advancement, he had a
changed heart, because he who had been searching for donkeys was now thinking about the
governance of a kingdom. If, however, he is understood to have then received an evil
heart, he was humble before the prophet; but as he began to depart, he likewise began also
to grow proud. In his mind he was already thinking of himself not as a little one but as a
king. He was not yet exalted in rank, but he was exalted in his own estimation. But since
throughout this sacred history nothing is yet openly said about his pride, we too act more
rightly if for the time being we pass over in silence what might seem unfavorable about
him. What can still support his remaining innocence is said in what follows: That Saul was
a child of one year when he began to reign, and he reigned two years over Israel (1 Sam.
13:1). For if he was a humble king for two years, the changed heart is asserted of him on
account of the vigor of his purpose, not on account of a new swelling of pride.

Therefore, in that Saul is said to have had a changed heart, he is likened to new
preachers of the holy Church, who when they receive the office of preaching become better
through divine grace. For Samuel anointed Saul as prince, but God changed his heart to
another, because we receive the sacraments of holy orders outwardly from the teachers of
the Church, but we are strengthened inwardly by the power of the sacraments from Almighty
God. The power of the sacrament, however, is the grace of the sevenfold Spirit. Those who
receive this grace are surely changed as if having received another heart, because those
whom the Holy Spirit strengthens by his grace, he immediately makes to be what they were
not. So indeed the disciples of the Redeemer also formerly were afraid; but when through
the coming of the Holy Spirit another heart was changed in them, they preached the word of
God with boldness (Acts 4:31). For God changed their heart to another, to whom he granted
knowledge of all languages (Acts 2:6). For he changed their heart to another whom he
clothed with wondrous love and illuminated with the splendors of all virtues. And it
should be noted that God changed his heart to another at the time when he turned his
shoulder to go away from the prophet. For he turns his shoulder, as it were, to go away,
when he who receives the office of preaching resolves to carry out what is commanded him
concerning the pastoral office.

He resolves indeed, but does not prevail, if God does not change his heart to another,
because the highest place is not well governed unless the mind of the ruler is filled with
the supreme grace of the divine gift. Moreover, because these things are promised to him
for the future, it is added: (Verse 10. And all these signs came to him on that day. 24.
For what else is the teaching of a chosen preacher than the day of an instructed disciple?
For he who walks in the day sees both the level ground on which to walk and the precipices
to avoid. So indeed, while we are illuminated by the teachings of holy preachers, we
openly perceive what must be done and what must be avoided. In that day, therefore, in
which the prophet preaches, a good hearer perceives the signs of his election—he who
beholds in himself those gifts of virtues which his preacher previously showed would come
to him. They are indeed signs, because through these those who are advanced to the order
of preaching understand themselves to be chosen by God. Therefore, let no one consider
himself anointed for the leadership of the Church who has not seen the signs of that day
present in the power of perfection. Let him therefore first attentively observe the first
sign, namely whether, by the example of men, he already knows how to leap over great pits.
Let him also recognize the following sign: whether at the oak of Tabor he met three men
whom he saw carrying young goats and loaves of bread to Bethel, to the house of the Lord;
whether he received two loaves from their hands. Let him likewise see the third: whether
he came to the hill of the Lord, whether he beheld the bands prophesying, whether the
Spirit of the Lord leaped upon him and he can already prophesy in their midst.

And indeed he saw men leaping over pits if, by the example of the perfect, he has already
learned to despise all things of the world. He came to the oak of Tabor if he already
knows how to experience the strength and pleasantness of the contemplative life. There he
also beheld those carrying young goats and loaves of bread and wine to the Lord, because
from the lovers of the contemplative life he has already learned both to acknowledge
himself unceasingly as a sinner, and to afflict the flesh for those same sins, and to
offer the pain of his affliction gratefully to almighty God. He came to the hill of the
Lord if, by advancing, he has ascended to the revealed intimate glory of the Redeemer or
to the sublime understanding of the Scriptures. He met the band of prophets if he has
understood the harmonious knowledge of the preachers of the holy Church. In their midst he
felt the Spirit of the Lord leaping upon him; in that ineffable sweetness of inner
experience he recognized in himself the gift of divinity coming upon him, and by speaking
he poured forth the abundance of the grace he had come to know. As often as holy preachers
show these things to us who are imperfect, through the teaching by which they illuminate
us, they produce, as it were, a most brilliant day. And indeed all these things preachers
who have already been advanced know, as their ordainers have set them forth.

25. Since therefore they have the day of signs, let them profitably consider whether they
already see the promised signs. For he who has not yet learned to despise the glory of the
world was able to hear the first sign promised, but did not see it displayed. If he does
not know the strength and sweetness of the contemplative life, he has not deserved to see
the good of the following sign. If he has not ascended to the height of the Scriptures
through the knowledge of intimate learning, he has not yet come to the hill of the Lord.
If he does not yet have the power of the Holy Spirit coming upon him, he cannot prophesy.
For without that Spirit a pastor is carnal, and what he speaks cannot be attributed to the
dignity of preaching, but to the boldness of rashness. With what dread, then, can we
wretches be terrified? For behold, we have undertaken the leadership of others, we who do
not possess the power of the governance we have assumed. We have heard the signs of
spiritual prelacy which we do not see in ourselves through the light of experience. We
desire earthly things, we are occupied with outward cares, and we are driven the further
from heavenly contemplation the more we are weighed down by anxiety over earthly affairs.
Pressed down also by this burden of earthly life, when can we attain that splendor of the
intimate glory of the Redeemer, when can we arrive at the loftiest meanings of the holy
Scriptures?

But neither can we speak of heavenly things, which we do not know, as though they were
known. And we who are unwilling to devote ourselves through quiet to the love of the
interior life do not feel the Spirit of the Lord leaping upon us. Therefore let the signs
that are known but not possessed terrify us, so that when we are pricked with compunction
for the immensity of our negligence, we may seek the power of the order we have assumed
through weeping and lamentation. Hence the Psalmist laments with the voice of the weak,
saying: "We have not seen our signs, there is no longer a prophet" (Psalm 73:9). For one
is a prophet when these aforementioned signs of prophecy are foreseen to be present in
him. If therefore he is raised to the summit of prelacy, let him not measure himself by
the height of his office, but by the power of his perfection. Let him therefore say: "We
have not seen our signs, there is no longer a prophet. As if to say: I would call myself a
prophet now, if I could discern the gifts of the Spirit with which the person of a prophet
ought to shine. He therefore who has heard of the perfection of the pastoral order he has
assumed, which he has not deserved to obtain in himself by his manner of living, is not a
fit teacher of holy Church. In the first king, therefore, the advancement of all pastors
of holy Church is shown, when it is said:

"All these signs came to him on that day. And because this same advancement of the chosen
preachers is wondrous, there follows: (Verse 11. But those who had known him yesterday and
the day before, seeing that he was with the prophets and was prophesying, said to one
another: "What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the
prophets?" 26. What is it that they say, "What is this thing that has happened," except to
marvel greatly at what could not be comprehended by them? They had known the man, a son of
man; they saw him joined to the prophets. They had known him as carnal; they saw him as
spiritual. They had known him as simple; they saw him as a prophet. They say therefore:
"What has happened to the son of Kish? They were able to know what he had been; what he
now was, and how he could be so, they did not know. This indeed is the spiritual progress
of the preacher: that he who was once known in ordinary life should possess something in a
higher order that is beyond understanding. Three degrees of perfection are shown, because
he says: "Yesterday and the day before. In two days indeed the preacher is recognized; on
the third he possesses something that even those who knew him cannot comprehend. For the
first day belongs to hearers, the second to companions, the third is that of preaching.
For the pastor had his first day when as a disciple he obeyed his superiors. For he who is
devoted in the virtue of obedience is seen as if in a great light. He had his second day
when he began to be an assistant to his betters. For this brightness of a great way of
life, in the example of the elect, makes the greatest day. The Lord, indicating this day,
said:

"So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your
Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 5:16). But the third day is that of the rushing Spirit and
of prophecy. For on the third day the pastor is beheld, when he matches the sublimity of
his dignity with the splendor of his conduct, when, clothed with heavenly power, he shines
upon his subjects with such life and such teaching that he can be seen by them but cannot
be examined and judged. Such indeed was Moses when he descended from the mountain with a
most radiant face, whose subjects saw the brightness but could not fix their gaze upon the
shining splendor (Exod. 34:35; 2 Cor. 3:7). Such was he who gloried, saying: "But we,
beholding the glory of God with unveiled face, are transformed into the same image, as by
the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18). Such indeed were those whom the Holy Spirit had
filled. Whence also those who had gathered in Jerusalem say in amazement: "Are not all
these who speak Galileans? (Acts 2:7). For they were asking in order to understand what
they were hearing, and they could not understand it. But those who had known Saul ask in
wonder about the thing that happened to him;

because we sometimes see those who are humble and despised in a lower order of holy
Church, whom, when the Holy Spirit takes them up to the order of preaching, He clothes
with the splendors of His graces and shows them to be wondrous in those same splendors.
But we rightly admire the virtues of the saints when we ascribe them to the goodness of
the Creator. Wherefore Moses also, praising the Lord, said: "Who is like You among the
gods, O Lord? Who is like You, glorious among the saints, wonderful in majesty, working
wonders? (Exod. 15:11). Hence the Psalmist says: "God is wonderful in His saints; He
Himself will give power and strength to His people" (Ps. 67:36). Rightly there follows:
(Verse 12) "One answered another, saying: And who is their father?" 27. What is it that up
to this point it was said of Saul alone: "What has happened to the son of Kish? And now,
as if concerning many, the answer is given: "And who is their father? But if this is
understood according to history, it can in no way stand. It remains therefore that the
meaning which is taken from the letter must be sought in spiritual signification. When
therefore it is said: "Who is their father? not only Saul prophesying is considered, but
that entire company of prophets. For indeed all those prophets, because they were greatly
spiritual, were reckoned not from carnal descent but from heavenly origin. The Father of
the prophets is He who inquires through Malachi, saying: "If I am the Lord, where is my
fear? And if I am a father, where is my love? (Mal. 1:6). For because they are joined to
almighty God in great love, they are called sons of Him whom they love as a father. This
applies all the more fittingly to the preachers of the new Church, inasmuch as He raised
them higher into heavenly nobility, who revealed to them the glory of so great a lineage
in the form of a prayer. "Thus," He says, "you shall pray: Our Father, who art in heaven"
(Matt. 6:9). Which is as if to say: The holy preachers would be worthy of admiration if
the wonders they perform they accomplished by their own power;

but now what is seen is not a wonder, because He works this through them for whom nothing
seems difficult. Let one therefore say to another: "And who is their father? As if to say:
What wonder is it if they teach marvelously, since it is not they themselves who speak,
but the Spirit of their Father who speaks in them? Therefore it is not said: "Who is his
father? (John 6:42), lest what belongs to many sons be attributed to one alone. For only
He who is Son by nature dares to say: "My Father works until now" (John 5:17). And
likewise: "The Lord said to me: You are my Son, today I have begotten you" (Ps. 2:7). For
in order to bring forth the difference between each dignity, He speaks to Mary Magdalene,
saying: "I ascend to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God" (John 20:17). As
often therefore as one preacher is seen to be distinguished by a wondrous life or
preaching, in his heavenly generation he is seen not alone but with innumerable others;
because almighty God, who is shown to be wonderful in one, produces far greater admiration
among people when innumerable others are considered who possessed that which they marvel
at in one. This, however, can fittingly be referred to the detraction of carnal people:
for when they try to diminish the reputation of spiritual men, they search out their
carnal circumstances which they may bring forward for disparagement.

And very often in holy Church those have a wondrous reputation for holiness who have no
worldly eminence at all. When therefore carnal people find fault with either the fleshly
origin or the poverty in those who by divine generation are already great and rich, they
inquire about the father of the prophets as if in mockery. And because they consider it a
very strange thing that lowly men of the world can appear so great, there is added: (Ibid.
"Therefore it was turned into a proverb: Is Saul also among the prophets?" 28. Which
indeed, if they were to examine with the eyes of the heart, they would not regard as a new
thing. For the Holy Spirit acts according to His own custom when He raises the poor, the
humble, and the simple to the summit of virtues. For of Him it is written: "Who sets the
humble on high, and lifts up the mourning to safety" (Job 5:11). Hence the almighty Father
says of His same almighty Spirit through the prophet: "Upon whom does my spirit rest, if
not upon the humble, and the quiet, and the one who trembles at my words? (Isaiah 66:2).
Hence Paul says: "Not many wise according to the flesh, not many noble, but God chose the
foolish things of the world to confound the strong; and God chose the ignoble things of
the world, to destroy the things that are; so that no flesh should glory in His sight" (1
Corinthians 1:26, etc.). Which proverb can certainly be ascribed to the elect as well. For
no less amazement was held concerning the blessed apostle Paul, when it was heard by the
Church that he who used to assault the Church by threatening and slaughtering was now
evangelizing and defending it by preaching. Then indeed those who heard could say: "Is
Saul among the apostles? Does he who used to persecute Jesus now preach Jesus? But this
has now been turned into a proverb of the elect. A proverb indeed is when in what is said,
something else is concealed.

But the conversion of the blessed apostle Paul has become a proverb for the sinner. Let
every sinner therefore hear of the conversion of blessed Paul, and not despair on account
of the multitude of his crimes. For Saul, breathing threats and slaughter against the
disciples of the Lord, was afflicting the elect everywhere; he was guarding the garments
of those who stoned the protomartyr Stephen, and was as it were stoning with the hands of
all, since he made them all free to stone (Acts 9:1 ff.). But he who was such while
persecuting Christ, upon being converted to Christ, was made the head of the nations,
because he obtained the leadership of the whole Church. While we behold so great a sinner
converted and honored by the Lord with so sublime a dignity, let us presume that we too
can find forgiveness for our sins. Our proverb therefore is this: that a persecutor is
taken up for evangelizing, which contains this mystery—that the converted sinner may not
only hope for pardon from the Lord, but that by fighting manfully he may be able to attain
to the crown. But this is the usual difference between carnal and spiritual preachers:
that carnal preachers, after the lofty words of preaching, descend to the depths of wicked
works, while spiritual preachers, after the sublime things they speak, raise themselves up
to even higher desires for the heavenly homeland. Whence it is also added: (Verse 13) "But
he ceased to prophesy, and came to the high place."

29. He comes to a high place after the ministry of prophecy, who raises his mind to the
heavenly joys which he preaches, and lifts himself up by loving those things which he
displays by speaking. Teachers indeed preach plain things with those of lesser rank; when
they are with those whom they teach, they are, as it were, on level ground. And because
after the words of preaching they prepare themselves by good works to merit the things
they preach, they are said to come to a high place. Those who are certainly sublime in
word and deed are not so in thoughts of pride. They always do great things, but never
desire to appear great. Therefore it is well added: (Verses 14, 15, and 16.) And Saul's
uncle said to him and to his servant: Where did you go? He answered: To seek the donkeys,
and when we had not found them, we came to Samuel. And his uncle said to him: Tell me,
what did Samuel say to you. And Saul said to his uncle: He told us that the donkeys had
been found. But the matter of the kingship, which Samuel had spoken to him, he did not
reveal to him.

30. The word of the kingdom is the honorable dignity of the pastor. For by its very
display it speaks: because he is no mere uncle who is elevated by so great an order.
Therefore the king does not reveal the word of the kingdom: because the pastor of the
Church speaks with the great splendor of divinity, but does not speak with pride. He who
indeed does not reveal the word conceals what he speaks. For the word always speaks to him
for whom it is a word; otherwise it is not a word. Therefore he possesses the word of the
kingdom who shines with that manner of life which, as if by speaking, provides to others
examples of the heavenly journey. Therefore he does not reveal the word who does not
disclose the greatness of his holiness through vainglory. He indeed has what he might
reveal, but what is shown through itself he does not wish to proclaim. For he who shines
with great dignity and great holiness shows many things by living which he does not say by
speaking. The Lord surely wished the preacher to have this word of the kingdom when He
commanded that bells be placed on the garment of the high priest (Exod. 28:34). The
garment of the high priest is the display of a good manner of life. It is furnished, as it
were, with many bells when it multiplies the good works that cry out as an example to the
lesser ones.

But the king does not dare to reveal the word of the kingdom: because it is commanded of
priests that they bear the beauty of their garment before the Lord. He bears the beauty of
his garment before the Lord who both shows forth good things and, from the display of good
works, seeks to please not men outwardly through vanity, but God inwardly through love.
Then certainly the priest is silent, but as he walks, what he wears cries out; because the
chosen preacher does not proclaim himself by boasting, but never ceases to speak by living
well. Let it therefore be said of Saul that he did not reveal to his uncle the word of the
kingdom: because chosen men, when they receive the splendor of dignity or the growth of a
good life, put themselves forward by examples, but conceal themselves in silence. And
because they believe themselves to be lesser in merits than other chosen ones, he to whom
he does not reveal the word is called his uncle. For an uncle is called the brother of the
father. Moreover, the Redeemer of the human race makes as many sons unto the unfading
glory of the eternal inheritance as He instructs in the sacraments of His faith and
doctrine. For those who are instructed in the Church are, as it were, still little
children. But he who now meets Him as a perfect man through great merits is a brother of
the Redeemer. The blessed Apostle Paul, praising such men indeed, says:

Heirs of God, co-heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17). Because therefore perfect preachers regard
other chosen and perfect ones as such and themselves as imperfect, the one who is reported
to have questioned him about the word of the kingdom is called the uncle of Saul.
Moreover, Samuel had spoken to Saul this same word of the kingdom: because chosen men have
learned the spiritual manner of life which they possess from the speech of their elders.
But the king who had been initiated through anointing had not yet been chosen by the
people. Whence it also follows: (Verse 17. Samuel called the people to the Lord at Mizpah.
31. Mizpah, as I said, is interpreted as "watchtower." In the ordination of the king, the
people are called to Mizpah, because those who come together to ordain a pastor of holy
Church are taught to attend to his spiritual qualities, not his carnal ones. To watch,
indeed, is to recognize the preacher to be ordained through the standard of sacred
Scripture. For sacred Scripture is the mirror of the elect. A pastor is known as if
through a mirror, when he is shown by his conduct to be such as is proclaimed in sacred
eloquence. Rightly, therefore, Samuel convokes the people at Mizpah, so that the election
of a good bishop may not rest on human judgment, but on divine: since there is elected not
such a one as can be determined by the will of men, but such as is declared in sacred
eloquence. Because this is a gift of God, it is necessary that the people, who are known
to expect such great things from God, be purged of their guilt through the satisfaction of
penance. Moreover, the very recognition of sin is a preparation for the divine gift,
because often when we believe ourselves unworthy of the divine gift, we merit it through
humility. Hence Samuel also strives to turn those who had gathered to receive the king
first to the consideration of their sins, because it is added: (Verses 18, 19.) And Samuel
said to the children of Israel: Thus says the Lord God of Israel: I brought Israel out of
Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of all the kings who were afflicting you. But
today you have rejected the Lord your God, who alone saved you from all your evils and
tribulations, and you said: By no means, but a king shall be over us.

32. Indeed, he carefully showed them both the good things which the Lord had bestowed upon
them and the evil things which they themselves had done against the Lord, so that they
might recognize that they had sinned all the more gravely, inasmuch as they had dared by
sinning to offend him from whom they had received such great blessings. But what it means
to reject the Lord, and how it ought to be understood according to the literal and the
spiritual sense, has been explained at length above (Above in the exposition of verse 7,
chapter VIII), where the Lord says to Samuel: "They have not rejected you, but me,
according to all their works which they have done from the day when I brought them out of
the land of Egypt." But because holy preachers instruct by teaching those whom they pierce
by rebuking, he added, saying: (Verse 19) "Now therefore, stand before the Lord by your
tribes and by your families."

33. We are indeed commanded to stand before the Lord when we prepare our hearts to know
His commandments at the instruction of our elders. Or the elect stand before the Lord when
they are considered by great men with respect to their spiritual virtues, so that whoever
is seen to be better among them may be preferred over the rest through pastoral care. And
because there are many orders of the faithful, they are commanded to stand before the Lord
by tribes and families. Pursuing this indeed more broadly, he adds saying: (Verses 20,
21.) And Samuel brought near all the tribes of Israel, and the lot fell upon the tribe of
Benjamin, and he brought near the tribe of Benjamin and its families, and the family of
Matri was taken, and it came down to the son of Kish. 34. He made them all stand by tribes
and families, so that he might consider them all, and having considered all, might choose
the more suitable one. But since he himself had already known the king by the Lord's
revelation, and had anointed him as ruler at His command, why is it that he is still
sought out as one to be chosen through tribes and families? But the king had been found by
the prophet alone. Therefore, the one already found is sought, so that he who had not been
found by the people might be found by them. He is also sought by lot, so that the people
could not doubt that the one whom the prophet chose had been provided by divine
dispensation. What then is signified in this event, if not that the rulers of the holy
Church must be chosen with great deliberation? For the highest preachers, from the
interior grace of the Holy Spirit which they possess, are full of the great light of
providence. And because they are deeply humble, they do not presume upon the greatness of
their inner illumination. Therefore, what they rightly determine within themselves, they
also test before others. For the prophet alone knows the future king, when the supreme
ruler of the holy Church perceives the character and merits of the one to be ordained as
ruler. He also anoints him as ruler when he declares him to be full of spiritual gifts.

Nevertheless, he still convenes the people, divides them by tribes and kindreds, casts
lots, and finds, as if by a method, the one whom he already knows. The tribes and families
stand, as it were, divided, when in the state of virtues the diverse orders of the holy
Church are examined. For when we behold the many perfections of the elect—when we see the
purity of virgins, the strength of the continent, the honorable ministries of clerics, the
devotion of monks—we observe, as it were, tribes standing before us. And because there is
great variety among these in the service of God, when we likewise observe the varieties
that exist within each order, we see standing before us not only tribes, as it were, but
also kindreds. And the lot falls upon a tribe, because better men are often found in one
order than in another. For a tribe receives, as it were, the lot, when those who are more
perfect than others are seen to be suited for the ministry of preaching. But the lot does
not yet fall upon a person, but upon a tribe, when there are many among whom a worthy
person lies hidden. Thus there still remains something for the highest men to investigate.

Rightly, therefore, the lot is said to have fallen upon the tribe of Benjamin, and Samuel
is said to have brought forward that tribe and its kindreds and to have arrived at the son
of Kish, because the elect and highest men of the holy Church do not cease to consider the
virtues of each individual until they arrive at the one who is found worthy of the lot of
pastoral ministry. But those who are worthy are vehemently terrified to take up the burden
of so great an office. Whence it also follows: (Verse 21, 22. They sought him therefore,
and he was not found; and they inquired of the Lord further, whether the man would come
there. And the Lord answered: Behold, he has hidden himself at home. 35. For they hide
themselves so as not to be found, because they flee from undertaking a dignity whose
burden they judge themselves unequal to bear. For spiritual leadership has the outward
glory of dignity, and it also has the greatness of its inward labor. For a ruler is both
honored by his subjects and bears those by whom he is honored. When therefore from the
beginning of honor a cause of burden arises, because from the very source whence honor is
received by the ruler, he takes on that by which he is weighed down. Although honor of
dignity is in itself a great burden upon the mind, because it ought to be despised, and
yet it pleases. It ought indeed to be despised lest it lift up the mind through pride; and
it ought to be accepted, so that subjects may reverence the heavenly things which the
teacher speaks. A heavier burden therefore arises from honor, because the chosen pastor
can bear it only by great strength of soul—namely, to despise in himself what he receives
in himself for God's sake, so that he may be such a one for God yet not be such for
himself, and may deny himself yet not deny himself; so that what he is, he may be for God,
and what he is for himself, he may not be. And so the honor offered by a subject is
accepted, so that preaching may be commended.

The preacher also despises the honor offered, because he is not puffed up by being
honored, but rejoices that the ministry of the word of God is commended. But how difficult
this is to accomplish is better grasped by thinking than by speaking. For it is impossible
for weak minds to bear bravely the burden of others and to manage by strength of mind the
reverence of honor offered to them—so that amid the attentions of that same honor, one may
know how to rejoice in the progress of subjects and not know how to swell with pride on
account of the reverence shown to oneself. Because therefore chosen men do not wish to
displease God, when called they flee from undertaking the office of leadership. But they
hold that very flight from ministry as a virtue of humility, not as a boast of dignity.
For they flee as much as they can; but if they have been appointed by the Lord, they can
by no means remain hidden. For the same reason Saul is hidden at home, but at the Lord's
revealing he is shown forth, because chosen men withdraw themselves from the outward
ministries of holy Church, yet by the Lord's dispensation they are brought forward to
administer outward ministries. But because now in holy Church those who withdraw
themselves from such great honors are few, while those who thrust themselves forward are
many, those who thrust themselves forward ought to note this:

that he who is said by the prophet to have been hidden at home was being sought not for
the spiritual dignity of the Church, but for the secular glory of a kingdom. For they were
not seeking to make him a pontiff, but they wanted to make him king. Let the priest
therefore see with what disposition the summit of holy Church ought to be fled from, if
kings so cautiously flee from ascending the summit of the world. But because holy men, the
more earnestly they refuse to accept the rank of leadership, are the more devoutly sought
after by devoted peoples, there follows: (Verse 23.) 'They ran and brought him from
there.' After this it is also added: (Ibid.) 'And he stood in the midst of the people.'
36. The prelate stands in the midst of the people when his strength is observed by all his
subjects. For to stand is a mark of virtue. He who does good works steadfastly, therefore,
stands. And because good works provide an example to those of lesser rank, he is seen to
stand in the midst of the people, not in solitude. This is also fittingly understood as
referring to the uprightness of intention. For he who stands with uprightness of body
raises his head on high. But he who does good publicly does not stand with the strength of
his work if he does not possess uprightness of intention. The king is therefore said to
stand in the midst of the people so that the model of the holy prelates of the Church may
be shown; because they ought to display good works as an example to their subjects, yet
they should avoid receiving the glory of the world for that same good work. But he adds
how great he ought to appear, and says: (Ibid.) And he was taller than all the people from
his shoulder and upward.

37. We have shown at length above (Book IV, chapter 4, number 20) that the outstanding
greatness of body in holy preachers signifies the increase of perfection. Therefore he is
seen as exalted in the midst of the people, who, placed at the summit of virtues, is not
unknown by his subjects. Indeed the right order for a chosen preacher is that before the
loftiness of ecclesiastical eminence, he ascend the summit of virtue, that for the honor
of God he obtain the summit of glory, but shine with greater loftiness through the
revealed perfection of virtues. Such a Pastor indeed is greatly to be proclaimed by
perfect men, and to be desired and loved by the lesser ones. Well therefore is it added:
'And he said to all the people: Surely you see whom the Lord has chosen, that there is
none like him among all the people.' (Verse 23.) 'And all the people cried out: Long live
the king.' There follows: (Verse 24.) 'Samuel spoke to the people the law of the kingdom,
and wrote it in a book, and placed it before the Lord.'

38. Concerning the law of kingship, because we spoke at length about it above (Book IV,
ch. 4, no. 4 ff.), we recall only this about it: that in the historical narrative it is
not prescribed but rather shown what wicked kings will do and what good kings should
avoid. Kings are indeed to defend their subjects, not to strip them of their own goods.
They ought to provide help to those under them, not to seize their fields, vineyards, and
olive groves. But if anyone should wish to argue that these things were written not as
things to be avoided but as things to be done, then the law of tyrants is written on
behalf of that king who is demanded after the Lord has been rejected. The cruel law of the
kingdom, therefore, is the punishment of a people that rejects the Lord. For it was not
unjust that he should lose his fields and vineyards who willingly cast off the Lord
reigning over him. Therefore we perceive that all the things contained in this law of
kingship that seem contrary to equity are in fact equitable, if we consider what the
people had sinned in asking for a king. For what great burden of law is it in the judgment
of divine equity, if they should unwillingly place their sons and daughters in the service
of the king, when they had willingly removed them from the liberty of God?

And what is seen to be unfitting if, as the final consequence, those who rejected God
reigning over them should themselves become the servants of men? Therefore, when the law
of the kingdom is written, a punishment is handed down to perpetual memory by which the
presumptuous may be chastised; and because it had been issued through the justice of the
Lord, it is said to have been deposited before the Lord. But perhaps that right was
something other than this law that is written. If that is true, then Samuel speaks this
law before the king to the people, so that the king may know what to require from the
people, and the people may know what they ought to render to their kings. This law is
written in a book so that it may be preserved for the memory of those to come. It is
placed before the Lord so that it may be held in reverence. We, however, have said that
the kings of the Churches are the holy preachers, and we have shown that all the things
contained in the law of kingship plainly apply to them. Samuel therefore speaks this law
to the people when a chosen teacher instructs the faithful of holy Church with what
humility they ought to submit to their superiors. It is also written in a book when he
firmly implants these things in their minds.

For he who speaks in such a way that his hearers forget what they have heard tells the law
to the people but does not write it in a book. Therefore, for a teacher to write in a book
the words he speaks is to commend them attentively to the minds of his hearers. The Lord
was, as it were, wishing to write what He had said when He declared: "Remember the word
that I said to you: The servant is not greater than his lord" (John 15:20). Hence Paul,
inscribing the spoken law of the kingdom in a book, says: "Remember your leaders who spoke
the word of God to you; considering the outcome of their way of life, imitate their faith"
(Heb. 13:7). But if anyone here wishes to understand that another law is prefigured, let
him look to the one that blessed Paul sets forth, saying: "Let him who preaches the gospel
live by the gospel, and let him who serves the altar live by the altar" (1 Cor. 9:14). For
the Lord was speaking this law of the kingdom to the people when He said: "He who receives
a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he who receives a
righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward"
(Matt. 10:41). And so that He might inscribe this more firmly in the book, strengthening
His word from the lesser case, He said:

"Whoever gives one of these least of mine only a cup of cold water in the name of a
disciple shall not lose his reward" (Mark 9:40). There follows: (Verses 25, 26, 27. Samuel
dismissed all the people, each one to his own house. But Saul went to his house in Gibeah,
and there went with him a portion of the army whose hearts God had touched. But the sons
of Belial said: "Can this man possibly save us? And they despised him. 39. If a plain
historical narrative is sought, what could ever have been stated more clearly? But if we
attend to the force of each individual word, great things are enclosed within this
simplicity of words. For the people are said to have been dismissed to their home, but the
king is reported not to have been dismissed to his home, but to have gone away. Separately
also it speaks of the homes of the people and of the home of the king: because the people
are reported as dismissed to their home, and the king as having gone away to his own. Yet
the people were dismissed before the king went away. Concerning the departing people it is
also carefully indicated that they did not go all at once, but each one is reported to
have gone away to his own home. But concerning those who followed the king it does not
say: "A part of the army went away, each one after the king," but: "A part of the army
went with him. Finally, those who follow the king are reported to have had their hearts
touched by God; those who despise the king are called sons of Belial. This manner of
speaking is certainly not simple, but is very subtle for one who knows how to consider not
what merely sounds on the surface, but what is wisely intimated within. What does it mean,
then, that the king is said to go away to his home, but the people to be dismissed?

We have shown that the king designates the pastor of the Church, and the people designate
his subjects. Now to go is the act of one who is free; to be dismissed belongs to one who
can be held back. The king is therefore said to go away so that in the person of the
preacher, freedom of spirit may be proclaimed. Teachers can indeed go when they wish and
return, because they are strong in good work and wise in their inner disposition. They
come, indeed, when they go out to their subjects either by the example of good work or by
the word of preaching. They go away when they return to the secret place of the mind and
inwardly arrange what they are about to do outwardly. Inasmuch as they remain daily in
this contemplation, they are, as it were, hidden within their home. The king is therefore
said to go away to his home because the preacher, proven by the work of eternal life and
secure in the teaching of wisdom, is free to go out to his labors and to enter into the
counsels of the mind.

40. But the people is sent to its own house, because faithful subjects are not free to
arrange what they wish, but only what is commanded. They are sent away as if held under
constraint, while they are directed to do what is ordered and to avoid presuming what is
not ordered. And because they are sent to diverse works, each one of them is sent to his
own house. For in order that we may well accomplish those things which they command us,
before we appear in the work, we are hidden within in internal consideration. Therefore
our kings send each of us to our own house, because they command us to go to those things
which they enjoin upon us through the secret disposition of the mind. They indeed command
well, but if we neglect to foresee the manner of our action, we scatter with an
inconsiderate mind what has been well commanded. Therefore each one returns to his own
house, when every faithful subject anticipates by arranging through the counsel of the
mind the work of obedience that he sets before himself. But because after the king was
chosen the people was sent to its own house before the king is said to have departed,
something else can be signified in this. For those who receive the king go to their own
house when each subject prepares himself by considering, so that he may render faithful
obedience to him whom he has asked to be set over him.

In this place, therefore, the point is not to consider things already commanded, but to
subject oneself with the lowest disposition to things about to be commanded. And for the
king to go to his own house is to consider how he may command with discretion those who
are prepared. Therefore the house of the king is one thing, and that of the subject people
another; because the former consider with a lofty mind the journeys of subjects that must
be arranged, while the latter prepare to carry out the commands of their superiors through
the strength of their inmost purpose. Whence also the house of the king is reported to be
situated in Gibeah. For Gibeah means "lofty. Therefore the house of the king is shown to
be in Gibeah, because the chosen teacher strives not to dwell by thinking on low and
earthly things, but to meditate on high and heavenly things. Whence also it is well said
that a part of the army goes with him to Gibeah, because those who are strong against the
devil follow their chosen pastor to the heights of virtues. Therefore a part of the army
is said to go with the king, because in the holy Church very many are faithful who know
how to humbly obey their superiors but do not know how to think lofty thoughts. They know
indeed how to carry out what is commanded, but they do not know how to foresee what should
be commanded to others.

For Paul was, as it were, commemorating the soldiers of this part when he wrote to the
Colossians, saying: "Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of
Barnabas, and John who is called Justus, who are of the circumcision: these alone are my
helpers in the kingdom of God" (Col. 4:10). Likewise, addressing the Romans, he says:
"Greet Prisca and Aquila, my helpers" (Rom. 16:5). And a little later: "Timothy my helper
greets you, and Lucas, and Jason" (ibid. 21). He called his disciples helpers, because
they were lesser in rank but sharers of the labor; they were subject to the Apostle by the
humility of obedience, but while they preached with him the glory of the eternal kingdom,
equally defended the truth with him, resisted the unbelievers, and bravely endured the
persecutions inflicted upon them, they were, as it were, soldiers of the king in the war
of God. A part of the army is said to go with the king to Gibeah, because perfect
disciples are co-helpers of their teachers in the lofty governance of the holy Church;
they bring what aid they can through the height of virtue, but they serve through humility
those whom they help.

41. And because only those can do this who have been prevented by the grace of the Holy
Spirit, when part of the army is said to go with the king, it is added: 'Whose hearts God
had touched.' For since we are accustomed to touch with a finger, God touches the hearts
of the Saints when He bestows upon them the grace of the Holy Spirit. And they feel His
touch: because, having received the gift of inward virtue, they are stirred from the
weakness of their carnality. They immediately become soldiers of the heavenly army,
because through the power of the Holy Spirit they abandon what is weak and are prepared
for undertaking mighty deeds in the warfare of Christ. But because within the holy Church
certain persons do not fear to despise their prelates, let them hear that those who
despise the king are called sons of Belial. Through the vice of pride, indeed, they are
begotten in imitation of him of whom it is written: 'He beholds every high thing, and he
himself is king over all the children of pride' (Job 41:25). They aptly reveal the ways of
the proud, because they say: 'Can this man save us?' For holy men, because they despise
present things and seek eternal things, bring forth even in their outward conduct the
contempt for the world which they hold in their mind; inwardly they are venerable,
outwardly they appear contemptible.

The proud, therefore, because they look only at what can be despised outwardly in the
Saints, and do not deserve to perceive what is truly worthy of great veneration, say: 'Can
this man save us?' As if they were asking scornfully: Are such great things to be hoped
for from one so small? Are we to believe that one so lowly can save us who are so great,
one so weak can save us who are so strong? For what else is the meaning of what they say —
'this man' and 'us' — except that the proud and arrogant, looking upon others, always
believe them to be small and weak, but themselves to be great, strong, and wise? Rightly,
therefore, they are called sons of Belial, because while they exalt themselves through
pride, they conform themselves to him who is said to have fallen from heaven in the same
manner. Of these same despisers of the king it is also said: ('Ibid.') 'And they brought
him no gifts.'

42. If we examine these things according to the letter, they surely suggest that both
lords of the lands and spiritual prelates of holy Church are to be honored with outward
services. Hence the blessed Apostle Paul also addresses the proud Romans, saying: "Render
to all what is owed; to whom tribute, tribute; to whom tax, tax" (Rom. 13:7). Hence the
prince of the Apostles, exhorting, says: "Be subject to every human creature for God's
sake, whether to the king as preeminent, or to governors as sent by him" (1 Pet. 2:13). We
offer spiritual gifts to our rulers when we present to them the due reverence of honor and
keep what they command with great devotion. For reverence of honor and humility of
subjection are great gifts; because when we are both inwardly subject to our rulers
through humility and outwardly display the reverence of honor through external services,
we offer them one gift from the body, another from the heart. Therefore, to suggest the
arrogance of the proud, the prophet does not say: "They did not bring him a gift," but
"they did not bring him gifts"; because when they despise the chosen preachers, they
disdain to offer them both honor from the body and humility from the heart. But when the
chosen preachers recognize the fault of their subjects, sometimes they eagerly hasten to
correct it at once by rebuking, and sometimes they pretend not to know of it, so that they
may seek a fitting time to remove it. Hence concerning that same despised king it is
immediately added: (Ibid.) "But he pretended not to hear."

43. He who knows indeed hears the wickedness of his subjects; but he hears and does not
respond, nay rather he pretends not to hear: because very often, when the situation
demands it, the known pride of subjects is left uncorrected, so that at a more opportune
time it may be struck as though just discovered. We rightly recognize this discretion of
ecclesiastical censure in this very king of Israel, if we consider the different times and
deeds of his reign. For while still inexperienced and newly appointed, he is said to have
pretended not to hear the words of those who despised him, but once his kingdom over
Israel was established, he is reported to have fought to the right and to the left, and to
have prevailed wherever he turned. Therefore a fault which cannot be struck with fitting
severity must be overlooked, not exposed, because subjects sin more boldly if the weakness
of their superiors is recognized. Let these things discussed in the fourth book of this
work suffice, so that through a fresh beginning of discourse we may renew our zeal for
expounding what remains.


COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS (BOOK FIVE, CHAPTERS 5.1–5.2 (1 SAMUEL 12:1–3))
============================================================

COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS continued

BOOK FIVE

CHAPTER 5.1

1. When I wished to assert the profundity of this sacred history in the preface of this
work, I maintained that it could be seen especially in the fact that it was written by
prophets. They indeed were accustomed to speak mystical things not only in words but also
in deeds — to set forth plain things, yet to signify deep things. For since the Holy
Spirit spoke through them, what they themselves said, as mere men, was plain, but it was
profound and mystical, because the supreme and uncircumscribed Spirit was supplying the
speech to men. Since, therefore, we are expounding the prophet Samuel as he speaks, we
need all the greater diligence, inasmuch as he himself, sublimely taken up in the grace of
the Holy Spirit, spoke outward things but saw inward things. He generally set forth carnal
matters, but signified the innermost and spiritual realities. But since it is impossible
by human effort to arrive at divine things, we must not trust in our own powers, but in
the condescension of the Holy Spirit who, sent by the Redeemer, "has filled the whole
world, and that which contains all things already has knowledge of every voice" (Wisdom
1:7). Let us hear, then, what the same prophet now relates concerning the undertakings of
the Israelites. (1 Kings chapter 11, verses 1–2.) "And it came to pass," he says, "about a
month later, Nahash the Ammonite went up and began to fight against Jabesh-gilead. And all
the men of Jabesh said to Nahash: 'Accept us as allies, and we will serve you.' And Nahash
the Ammonite answered them: 'On this condition I will make a covenant with you: that I
gouge out the right eye of every one of you, and make you a reproach in all Israel.'"

2. If one seeks the historical sense, nothing can be stated more plainly, nothing
understood more easily. But if we wish to follow the spiritual sense, let us first hear
Paul speaking, who, looking upon the old things, says: "All these things happened to them
in figure, but they were written for our sake, upon whom the ends of the ages have come"
(1 Cor. 10:11). He also indicates that there are spiritual wars, saying: "Our struggle is
not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the spiritual
forces of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Eph. 6:12). Therefore, when Nahash is said
to go up and fight against Jabesh-Gilead, the inner battles against vices are signified.
By these words the course of sacred history is shown, so that new wars would be waged
against the new king; and by bringing these to a successful conclusion, he would
demonstrate the glory of his valor. Who then is this Nahash the Ammonite? What is Jabesh-
Gilead? Now, Nahash is interpreted as "serpent," and Jabesh as "dried out. Concerning the
serpent it is said in Genesis: "Because he was more cunning than all living creatures"
(Gen. 3:1). If we seek the likeness of this serpent among the vices, what do we find more
similar than the violent impulse of gastrimargia, that is, the movement of gluttony?

Indeed, the movement of lust, the crime of theft, the appetite for base gain, the assault
of anger, the bitterness of worldly sorrow, the sluggishness of sloth, the desire for
vainglory, and the swelling of pride are openly detestable; but the vice of gluttony is
all the more deceitful the more hidden it is, because it suggests food to the body as
though it were necessary, yet while it abundantly nourishes the flesh, it plunges the
sword of lust into the mind. It persuades that what is not a sin, but from the very fact
that eating is accepted as though it were no sin, the soul is thereby subjected to the sin
of lust. Hence in paradise the serpent is shown to have come to the woman to deceive her
through the vice of gluttony—one who would suggest one thing but obtain another, so that
while he displayed what should be eaten, he would administer an unforeseen death. This
serpent therefore designates the greed of gluttony, because it both creeps under the guise
of just necessity and spreads the poison of unholy pleasure. Rightly too is he called an
Ammonite, which people is interpreted as "of sorrow," because what he urges seems
pleasant, but it will be deeply mournful in eternal damnation. He is called a "people"
because all gluttons, on account of their concern for the belly, are weighed down by a
throng of innumerable cares.

He goes up against Jabesh-Gilead because he strives to cast down to the craving for food
the bodies of the just, which are established in the lofty virtue of abstinence. Rightly
indeed is flesh called "dried out" that is not weighed down by the moisture of fatness.
Nahash goes up against those whom he sees are dried out, because the spirit of gluttony
wages more grievous wars against those whom he recognizes as worn thin by fasting. Rightly
too is Nahash said to have begun to fight, because holy men do not hold the suggestion of
gluttony in a pact of friendship but in the opposition of battle. For those who practice
abstinence fight, as it were, against the serpent when they suppress the appetite of
gluttony with great virtue, so that they may not be infected by the poison of lust.
Indeed, the warfare of gluttony is to provoke the hungry bodies of the abstinent to a
disordered filling of the belly.

3. But the appetite of gluttony can tempt perfect men, though it cannot overcome them.
Rightly, therefore, he is said to have begun to fight against the dried-up woman, not to
have conquered her, because chosen men feel the assault of carnal desires, but they know
how to resist those same desires by the strength of the mind; they know how to provide for
necessities through discretion. They know indeed how to suppress the fiercely rising
assault of gluttony; they know how to furnish just nourishment for the body's need. For
hence the outstanding Doctor says: "I know how to eat and to hunger" (Phil. 4:12). He
indeed knows how to eat and to hunger who both moderately refreshes his body and does not
consent to the vice of gluttony urging immoderate intake of food. Wherefore also,
responding to Nahash, they say: "Have us as allies, and we will serve you. For they seek a
treaty from gluttony who would wish to refresh the flesh according to their desire, if
they could feel no incitements to lust in the flesh. As if they were saying: We will give
you what is just for you, so that you do not inflict upon us what is not just. It is
indeed just that the body be refreshed, but it is very unjust that the refreshed flesh be
aroused through the burning of lust to the disgrace of the spirit.

We therefore seek a treaty when we wish to so favor the flesh for the intake of food that
we feel no evils of lust from the flesh. But this we can indeed wish for, yet we cannot
obtain it, because surely we offer just refreshment as a kind of tribute to the flesh, but
no goods of peace are promised to us by the flesh. For when we rightly direct the hearing
of the mind to the responses of the vices, we recognize this indeed in the voice of
gluttony: that if we fatten the flesh, we are struck with blindness of heart through
growing concupiscence. Wherefore the same Nahash also says: "On this condition I will make
a treaty with you, that I gouge out all your right eyes. Our right eye is the gaze upon
eternal brightness, but the left eye is carnal concupiscence. The right eye is therefore
gouged out when the mind is struck with such blindness that it is no longer opened to see
heavenly things. Indeed the eye is gouged out when the light is so torn away from the
reprobate mind that no root remains from which a revived light might break forth. Nahash
therefore gouges out the right eyes of his treaty-partners, when gluttony so prevails over
the conquered abstinent that they desire only carnal things and no longer attend to what
they used to love. And because whoever is cast down in this life is condemned in the
future before the angels and the elect, there is added:

"And I will make you a reproach in all Israel. For then the reprobate are made a reproach
in all Israel, when at the final judgment they blush before all the elect for the
iniquities they have committed. Or they are made a reproach in this life, because while
they themselves with blinded heart boldly perpetrate evils, holy men blush for their
faults. But let those who disdain to appear shameful, with their right eyes torn out,
attend to what follows: (Verse 3) "And the inhabitants of Jabesh said to him: Grant us
seven days, that we may send messengers to the borders of Israel; and if there is no one
to defend us, we will come out to you." 4. Who are the inhabitants of Jabesh, that is, of
"the dried," except those who maintain the discipline of an emaciated flesh through long
practice of virtue? For many begin to resist gluttony, but when they start to grow weary
from the labor of abstinence, they incline themselves back to the habit of their
accustomed greediness. They desire, as it were, to enter the city of Jabesh and become its
citizens, but since they cannot endure the torment of dried and hungering flesh, they can
by no means become its inhabitants. Therefore those inhabit Jabesh who hold the
attenuation of the body through strength of mind as a right of possession, and are
surrounded, as it were, by the walls of dryness, since through the very fact that they
emaciate the body they are protected from the fiery darts of lust. When they are wearied
by the most powerful rising stings of gluttony, they seek a truce of seven days, during
which, if help does not come, they will go out to Nahash. But we explain this war of the
Ammonites better if we observe in it the weakness of the flesh caught out and the sagacity
of the trained mind. We see this more clearly too if we attend more closely to the
opposite case in the foolish and weak. For certain people within holy Church are devout in
desire, but slack through their habitual weakness of vices.

They can indeed propose good things, but because they are unable to carry out what they
propose, they are both overcome by present concupiscence and trust that they can recover
in the near future the good which they abandon in the present. Often indeed they resolve
to fast, but when they are conquered by habitual gluttony, they judge that they must eat
on that day and fast on days to come. And since the ferocity of gluttony is always present
to them, and present too is the desire for future goodness, it is brought about by the
serpent's deceit that the good which is proposed is never found. For "tomorrow," which is
always promised, is never reached. But since this is done by those whose mind is weak and
flesh strong, let us see how those whose mind is strong but flesh weak make a mockery of
the serpent. For concerning this same serpent the Psalmist says to the Lord: "This dragon,
which you formed, to make sport of him" (Ps. 103:27). For he is never more fittingly
conquered than when his cunning is overcome by a holy deception. Hence also the Redeemer,
reproaching blessed Job with the cleverness of His own wisdom, says: "In his eyes, as with
a hook, you shall catch him" (Job 40:10). For He caught the serpent, as it were with a
hook before his eyes, who displayed to him flesh but concealed divinity; and while the
serpent seized what he desired, he was caught and destroyed by what he did not see.

5. Holy men, therefore, in order to mock the enemy, maintain the rigor of their way of
life in present virtue; as a deception of weakness, they promise the flesh a certain
comfort in the future. For the things they do are often enormous, but on account of the
weakness of the flesh, they do not presume to always do hard things and to promise austere
things. Indeed they endure these same hardships all the more easily, inasmuch as they do
not see the burdens of them as binding upon themselves in a perpetual commitment. But
while they live most excellently, and strive daily to advance and not to fall back, that
permitted indulgence of the flesh, which they cannot despair of, they always promise to
the flesh in a future reckoning; yet they by no means cease to inflict upon it the pain of
the affliction already begun. Therefore, through the fact that hope is left to the flesh
in its desire, the spirit, as it were, promises the presence of its coming for the future
good of that same flesh. But because it does not abandon by failing the accustomed rigor
of self-restraint, the flesh has the promise of pleasure in the future, and the chosen
mind has the strength of virtue in the present. Here it should be noted that they promise
to go out to Nahash under a condition, but they are fortified by the walls of the city
without condition:

because those who practice abstinence, even in that in which they are weak according to
the flesh, trust to be strengthened through divine mercy. And because they are eager to
overthrow the vice of gluttony by deceiving it, they say: "Grant us seven days. For it is
as if time is granted by gluttony, when it is restrained with the expectation that its
desires will at some point be served. During which space of days, Nahash indeed awaits the
coming out to him of the besieged citizens, but the citizens of Jabesh await
reinforcements: because indeed the appetite of gluttony desires to be refreshed from the
weak flesh, but the chosen mind desires to be strengthened in the virtue of abstinence. In
seven days reinforcements are sought, when against the darkness of temptations we are
raised up by every light of the heart, when against wicked counsels we find whatever we
can by our own reason, and we are fortified by the rays of light which we do not perceive
in ourselves from the instruction of others. For while we look to the ways of life of the
perfect for the strengthening of our virtue, we find, as it were, through seven days the
aids of defense. We indeed seek a truce, because we fight with Nahash, that is, the
serpent, whose poisons are so hidden that we must seek all the more subtle counsels. Hence
they also promise that they will send messengers into all the borders of Israel:

because chosen men, for the benefit of their own edification, are aided by the examples of
all who see God. But in what is said, "If there is no one who defends, we will come out to
you," in the voice of the elect, not doubt of reinforcements but certainty is shown. As if
mocking the adversary who persuades with cunning words, they bring forth words by which
they grant him hope and by no means take away their own confidence. For those who say, "If
there is no one who defends, we will come out to you," grant a certain hope of their
coming out. But because those who say this are certain of help, they deceive their enemies
by promising. But where these same reinforcements are now to be found, he explains saying:
(Verses 4 and 5. Therefore the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul, and they spoke these
words in the hearing of the people, and all the people lifted up their voice and wept. And
behold, Saul was coming in the morning, following the oxen from the field, and he saw the
people weeping, and said: "What is the matter with the people, that they weep?"

6. Gibeah, as we have already said above, is interpreted as "lofty. And because the height
of merits is not equal among all the elect, messengers are said to have come to Saul at
Gibeah, so that we may be taught by spiritual meaning that when we are driven by powerful
temptations, we should have recourse to the counsels of our preachers. But we are also
instructed by the affliction of the weeping people, so that we may be joined to the needs
of our brothers by inward compassion of mind. Now Saul saw the people weeping and asked
for what reason they wept, because the chosen teacher makes the need of his subjects his
own through compassion, and desires to relieve it. Indeed, he came from the field, because
he goes forth from the secret place of his fertile heart. He came from the field in the
morning, because in the rising splendor of the true light he inquires into the concerns of
his subjects. And he follows the oxen, because strong affections of charity go before him.
For he has, as it were, two oxen before him, because he is both joined to his neighbors
through love and inflamed with divine charity, and therefore loves his neighbor in right
order, because the love of God powerfully kindles him. Wherefore the Lord also says
through Moses: "You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together" (Deut. 22:10). For
the donkey is carnal love, because he who carries those he loves is like a strong animal;

and because he loves the same ones inordinately, not for God's sake, it is a wanton one.
Therefore one cannot plow with an ox and a donkey, because the soul is not cultivated with
the fruit of eternal reward if the purity of love by which it is joined to God is defiled
by disordered love of neighbor. Saul, then, coming from the field, follows the oxen,
because the chosen teacher retains both affections of charity whole in his fruitful heart,
from which he can prepare for himself abundant fruits of eternal recompense. And he comes
in the morning, because when he goes out to his subjects, he opens the day of his virtue.
But now, having learned the needs of the people, let us hear what he did. For the text
continues: (Ibid., and verses 6, 7. And they told him the words of the men of Jabesh. And
the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and his anger was
kindled exceedingly. And taking both oxen, he cut them in pieces and sent them throughout
all the borders of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying: Whoever does not come out
and follow Saul and Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen.

7. What do we say in these words, except that the weaknesses of the saints, and those
things which seem carnal, are not weak and carnal, but spiritual and mighty? For we are
accustomed to rebuke excessive anger in religious men, but behold, before Saul could
become exceedingly angry, the Spirit of the Lord first rushed upon him. How fearful, then,
the anger of the saints must be, we perceive, if we consider the Spirit of the Lord
rushing upon them—if, while we observe them outwardly angry, we equally attend to the
Spirit stirring them within. Therefore, as often as we are corrected by the zeal of our
superiors, we may rightly tremble greatly under their indignation, if we believe their
impulse to be a movement of the Holy Spirit. And because Saul cut both oxen into pieces,
sent them throughout all the borders of Israel, and put forth threats that thus it would
be done to the oxen of all who refused to follow him and Samuel—what else does this
suggest, except that those who are more sluggish in providing aid to their neighbors must
not only be invited, but compelled? Whence it is also immediately added: (Verse 7.)
'Therefore the fear of the Lord fell upon the people, and they came out as one man.'

8. For since we are commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves, we offer them assistance
in right order when we are not compelled by fear to render these services, but are
prompted by love. But when we lose the effect of this owed love, it pertains to the zeal
of our preachers that we rise up to help our brothers out of fear. Therefore it is well
said: "The fear of the Lord fell upon the people, and they went out as one man," because
we are often lukewarm in love of our neighbors; but we are raised up to a state of
devotion by the threats of our prelates, and we undertake a good work out of fear, yet
from the beginning of fear we are led to the bond of great charity. Hence it is well said
that fear fell upon the people, yet all are reported to have gone out as one man. For many
cannot go out as one man unless they ascend to an equal unity of love. For hence it is
also said of the perfect disciples of the Redeemer: "They were of one heart and one soul"
(Acts 4:32). There follows: (Verse 8.) And he numbered them in Bezek; and the children of
Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.

9. First the children of Israel are said to have gone out, then to have been mustered by
Saul, because the chosen preacher, when he attempts to move the soldiery of his subjects
against hidden enemies, first observes their brave resolve, then places them in the number
of warriors. For we are, as it were, inside and cannot be mustered, as long as the virtue
of our mind is hidden from our pastors. And when we go out we are mustered, because when
we reveal to them the fortitude of our minds, they trust that they now have companions in
the spiritual fight. But when they desire to raise weak minds to the resolve of good work,
they strive not only to instruct us with the teachings of the greater ones, but also to
kindle us with the examples of the lesser elect. Rightly therefore it is reported that
three hundred thousand of the children of Israel, but thirty thousand of the men of Judah,
were mustered. For the number thirty pertains to the rectitude of faith and the zeal of
good works, because the precepts of the law are nothing if they do not tend toward the
contemplation of the supreme Trinity. Fittingly therefore they are called men of Judah who
are contained in thirty thousand, because they have the confession of right faith and the
strength of good works.

Our fathers, however, were of the same faith and works, but in the contemplation of
divinity, inasmuch as they had advanced far higher than we, they also displayed stronger
works of faith. Wherefore also three hundred thousand of the children of Israel are
mustered. Thirty indeed comes from three and ten, and ten goes into thirty, but in the
number thirty both the ten and the three are simple; but in order to count up to three
hundred, we multiply ten by thirty and thirty by ten, because even if the contemplation is
great and the works of the subject people are great, nevertheless those which preceded in
our fathers were incomparable. For it is as if our number ten is gathered tenfold in their
perfection, since our achievements are greatly subordinated to their perfection. Therefore
thirty thousand men of Judah and three hundred thousand children of Israel, mustered with
us, lead preachers to fight against Nahash — if, when they wish to help tempted and
abstinent subjects, they set before them both the outstanding deeds of the strongest
fathers and those of the lesser ones. Israel indeed is interpreted as "Seeing God," or "in
whom God is"; which name certainly does not suit one who is still weak or unskilled. As
many perfect men as we bring forth in the affliction of the flesh and the contemplation of
the mind, with that many armed men we strike down the serpent Nahash. But let us now hear
with what words the army of the king encourages the besieged. (Verse 9.

And they said to those who had come: "Thus shall you say to the men who are in Jabesh-
Gilead: Tomorrow there shall be deliverance for you, when the sun grows hot." 10. Such
perhaps is what is said to us by the counsel of that wise man: "If the spirit of one
having power rises up against you, do not quickly abandon your place" (Eccles. 10:4). The
place of each elect person is the position of a good way of life. But when it is
permitted, the attacking spirit can have power, because he could in no way assault the
hearts of the elect unless the divine dispensation permitted it. He therefore commands
that we not abandon our place, because if we are strong amid the brief darkness of
temptations, the divine light will quickly be present, at whose coming the power of
darkness vanishes. Well therefore is it said: "For tomorrow, when the sun has grown hot,
there will be salvation for you. The exhortation of holy preachers is day, because when it
touches the tempted hearts of the lesser ones, it raises them to the hope of victory. But
night follows this, because even if divine aids are withdrawn, still the rushing darkness
of carnal desires does not depart. What then is the morrow but the coming of divine
visitation? For it is called the morrow because the splendor of divine help is very near
to the tempted elect. Whence also through the prophet the Lord says: "I am a God nearby,
and not a God from afar" (Jer. 23:23). Hence the Psalmist says: "The Lord is near to all
who call upon him in truth" (Ps. 144:18). Hence likewise the Lord himself promises,
saying:

"Before you call upon me, I will say: Behold, I am here" (Isa. 58:9). The first day, then,
is the light of preaching; the morrow is that of divine grace. But it should be noted that
he said: "When the sun has grown hot," so that the brightness of day might illuminate the
obscurity of understanding, and the heat of the sun might kindle the love of the heart; so
that the mind might see through light the good that it desires, and might long through the
heat of the mind for what it sees. For this twofold remedy of the mind is presented
against the double warfare of the devil. For the malign spirit, in order to overcome the
minds of the elect by tempting them, first casts before them the darkness of evil
thoughts, then kindles the flames of concupiscences, because unless he has first blinded
the mind, he does not drive it to the depravity of concupiscence. But when the elect mind
is permitted to be tempted, its state is disturbed in both respects, because it can feel
the troubles of concupiscences to the extent that, with God permitting, it cannot cast
away from itself the darkness of evil thoughts. But because it is permitted by God to be
tempted, at the coming of his grace it is relieved from both evils: since against the
darkness it receives light, and through the heat of the arriving Spirit, it casts off the
coldness of mind.

For the one who was unable to raise the mind from carnal things begins to see heavenly
things, and what he looks upon lovingly he desires ardently. Well therefore is it said:
"Tomorrow there will be salvation for you, when the sun has grown hot," because if we
manfully bear the powerful assaults of the ancient enemy, we are raised up by the
swiftness of divine grace to the light of the heart and the power of great charity. And
because the elect hearts of subjects gratefully receive this counsel of the holy
preachers, there follows: (Verse 9. "Therefore the messengers came and announced to the
men of Jabesh. And they rejoiced. But let us also hear what they reply to the Ammonites,
even though help has been promised to them. For there follows: (Verse 10. "And they said:
Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you shall do to us whatever pleases you."

11. This indeed is because those who are already secure from nearby help grant a certain
hope to the enemies whom they deceive by promising. In voice indeed they simulate
weakness, but inwardly they preserve the strength of the promised help. Therefore they
promise one thing, but believe another. For those who said: "Tomorrow we will come out to
you, and you shall do to us all that pleases you," were giving the enemies to believe that
they would so deliver themselves into their hands that they could do to them whatever they
wished. But those who knew that the king was coming the following day to their aid were
thinking of going out with him not to the enemies' hands, but to their slaughter.
According to the spiritual sense, however, to the serpent Nahash, that is, to the
concupiscence of gluttony, we promise our going out on his day, but on our day we defeat
his battle lines. His day indeed is the delight of bodily satiety. For he who proposes to
fill his belly according to his desire, as it were, dedicates the first day to
concupiscence, and yet is still inside, because he has set before himself a certain light
of delight which he has not yet seen by carrying it out. Tomorrow, therefore, he went out,
who both by carrying out and by delighting exhibited that pleasant thing which he promised
to the flesh. But holy men, as I said above, mock gluttony;

because since they cannot despair of its appetite in perpetuity, what they promise and do
not take, they as it were defer to a future light of delight. They are indeed compelled
outwardly by the excessive frailty of the flesh, and inwardly clothed with the strength of
great charity. By the former indeed, since they cannot renounce their appetites, they as
it were promise with an outward voice what they do not hold in their intention. By the
latter, because they are secure concerning divine aid, they propose to do something other
than what they speak with the voice of weakness. On his day, therefore, they go out to
Nahash, because they advance to combat the concupiscence of gluttony through the light of
heavenly help, and visited by heavenly grace, they are now strong against every assault of
the flesh, who, abandoned for a little while, had feared its attacks. And because this
splendor of divine grace is sometimes poured into the lesser members of holy Church
through the mouths of preachers, there follows: (Verse 11. And it came to pass, when the
next day had come, Saul arranged the people in three companies, and entered the midst of
the camp in the morning watch, and struck Ammon until the sun grew hot.

12. The people are indeed divided into parts, so that we may strike the serpent Nahash not
with a single battle line. And indeed they are divided into three parts, so that the fruit
and dignity of sacred abstinence may be shown: because through fasting we are called back
to that contemplation of the Holy Trinity which we lose by eating. For hence it is that
the fasts of the Law, the Prophets, and the Gospel are commended. For Moses, that he might
deserve to receive the Law, fasted twice for a period of forty days (Exod. 34:28). Elijah,
that he might escape the hands of Jezebel, in forty days by the strength of a single meal
arrived at Horeb, the mountain of God (1 Kings 19:8). Our Lord and Redeemer Jesus Christ,
fasting for forty days in the wilderness, took no food whatsoever (Matt. 4:2). Therefore
Saul divides the people into three parts: because as an example for those who practice
abstinence, the fasts of the Law, the Prophets, and the Gospel are set forth. And when the
next day comes, the teacher enters the midst of the camp: because divine grace, which
illuminates the hearts of preachers for teaching, also irradiates the minds of the hearers
and powerfully raises them to the hope of victory. On the next day, therefore, the
teacher, about to triumph, enters the camp of the enemies and lays it open, and in it
powerfully strikes the battle lines of concupiscence.

And because the minds of the subjects themselves advance by hearing, the king is said to
enter the camp of the Ammonites in the morning watch and to continue in their slaughter
until the day grew hot. The morning watch is indeed in God's inspiration; the heat of the
sun is in its fullness. For as it were the morning light rises for us when, weighed down
by the darkness of temptations, we begin to see from the mouth of preachers the light of
virtue, that we may follow it. And the sun grows hot for us when through their words our
mind is kindled and, as if refined by the heat of a burning sun, is inflamed with holy
desires. Then indeed Ammon is violently struck down: because the people of vices is driven
from our senses. Therefore the ruler who enters the camp of the Ammonites in the morning
watch should not sheathe his sword from slaughter until the day grows hot, because he
ought to persist in the instruction of his subjects for so long as it takes until he sees
them inflamed with the great heats of the inner light. In this place it should be noted
that Nahash, that is, "serpent," is said to be king of the Ammonites; but the people Ammon
itself is interpreted as "sorrow. And because we have said that the vice of gluttony is
signified by this serpent, when Nahash is struck, the people of sorrow is conquered:

because from the one vice of gluttony, innumerable hosts of vices are brought forth to
wage war against the soul. And when that same vice of gluttony is cut away, we subjugate
many other vices to ourselves. The vice of gluttony is indeed one, but the stings of lust
are innumerable, which follow that one going before them as if he were their king. They
indeed suggest pleasant things, but lead to the laments of eternal weeping. When Nahash
therefore is fought against, the people of sorrow is slain: because when we tame gluttony,
the incitements of lust are destroyed. Whence it is rightly asserted that not Nahash
himself, but Ammon subject to him—that is, the people—is slain: because the appetite for
eating is to be restrained, not extinguished. But it is never well restrained if the
people of sorrow that follows—that is, the shameful motions of lust—are not put to death.
Against Nahash, therefore, our principal struggle lies: because when he is overcome, Ammon
is slain; because lust is then well struck down if its principal origin is subjugated. But
how far the progress of chastity advances is secretly shown through what follows. For it
says: (Verse 11) "But the rest were scattered, so that not even two were left together."

13. The proof of true abstinence is not in the weakening of the body, but in the
perfection of chastity. For the serpent is well worn down if gluttony is so restrained
that all the violence of lustful bodily movements is diminished. For the illicit movement
of the flesh, as long as the flesh itself exists, cannot be removed, but the violence of
its movement can be removed. Indeed, it cannot be taken from the flesh that the law of the
flesh should not move its members; yet the violence of the movement can be taken from the
flesh, so that the movement remains, but all the obscenity of pleasure is taken away from
that same movement, and that movement becomes simple, in which no remaining baseness of
lust exists. Well, therefore, are others said to have been turned to flight, because when
divine grace perfectly rewards those who are abstinent, it removes from their bodily
movements all the stings of obscenities; but it leaves them their natural movements, so
that they may always be tempted but never be conquered; since it leaves behind what
greatly displeases them, yet so weakens what it leaves behind that it does not permit it
to prevail over the victors. He had indeed struck the Ammonites who said: "I chastise my
body and bring it into subjection, lest while preaching to others, I myself should become
a castaway" (1 Cor. 9:27). Yet even after others were slain, he could not slay the
fugitives, because he laments, saying:

"I see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind" (Rom. 7:23).
Likewise, because he saw that those who remained were weakened, he says: "No creature
shall be able to separate us from the love of Christ" (Rom. 8:39). What then does it mean
that he laments that a law dwells in his members warring against the law of his mind, if
after some were destroyed, others were turned to flight—unless it is because perfect men
grieve vehemently over this very thing, that they endure simple movements of the flesh
against their will? For they would wish so to remain in the flesh that they would endure
nothing from the flesh against the will of the mind. And because this is impossible, he
said beforehand: "To will is present with me, but to accomplish I find not. For the good
that I will, I do not; but the evil that I hate, that I do" (Rom. 7:18–19). As if he were
saying: I would wish to be in the flesh, not with that perfection by which one perfected
in the flesh is perfect, but as the angels of God in heaven. But this power I find not,
because as long as the death of sin has not been swallowed up in the future resurrection,
that which is sin dwelling in me moves me against myself. But what cannot be extinguished
can be put to flight. For the movement of the flesh is, as it were, turned to flight when
it is well chastised by fasting.

For it rises against the spirit all the more rarely and with greater difficulty, the more
the presiding spirit subjects it to itself through mortification, since it so tames it
that it is slow to rebel and quick to be stilled. 14. But it must be subtly observed what
is said: "So that two were not left together. Two indeed remain, but they do not remain
together. For there are two things: impure thought and the natural movement of the flesh.
In the struggle of the saints, sometimes an impure thought comes first, and sometimes they
feel the law of the flesh rising against the law of the mind; but those who are already
victors do not fear enemies turned to flight if they return again to battle, because they
cannot fight against them simultaneously. For when a wicked thought presents itself, they
cast it away before the flesh is moved by its suggestion. And when the law of the flesh
stirs the members, the law of the mind in no way nourishes the shameful movement by
thinking shameful things; and while it casts away the one, it by no means feels the attack
of the other. Rightly, therefore, it is said of the perfect victory of the elect that "the
others were scattered, so that two of them were not left together": because through the
mortification of the body they advance to such a height of perfection that whatever is
brought against them from the flesh or from the mind is easily overcome, since these are
not permitted to join together in battle. And indeed the elect attain this victory over
all the senses of the body, those who can subject the besieging Nahash to themselves
through the power of abstinence.

For the flesh, when nourished and fattened, is prone to the fall of the tongue, the eyes,
the hearing, smell, and touch. Therefore, when the illicit movements of the bodily senses
are drawn from the vice of gluttony into warfare against the mind, it is as if the
Ammonite people accompany King Nahash to the siege of the Israelites. But when Nahash is
perfectly conquered, Ammon is both partly destroyed and partly put to flight in such a way
that two of them are not found together; because when we wear down the body through
abstinence, we weaken the countless illicit movements of our senses; and those we cannot
entirely uproot, we put to flight as though enfeebled. Of these, two do not remain
together against us in battle, because in the pleasure of any bodily sense, we do not join
the sense of the mind to it. For often we see with our eyes, often we hear with our ears,
often we perceive by touch, often by smell, things that can draw the carnal soul to
illicit love; but by perfectly mortifying our flesh we are victors, because we do not see
two of the conquered adversaries together. We may indeed behold desirable things, but we
avoid joining the appetite of the soul to the movements of the eyes. Often too an illicit
thought presents itself to the heart, but the victor over the serpent finds only its
fleeting movement, which he observes, alone.

For regarding those things which the heart thinks about accidentally, he by no means
raises any of the bodily senses toward them through illicit movement. Such indeed are
those whom the prophet marvels at, saying: "Who are these that fly as clouds, and as doves
to their windows? (Isaiah 60:8). For they are like doves at their windows who receive
desirable things but do not lose the simplicity of a pure heart by desiring them; because
they see things they might crave, but they avoid illicitly craving what they behold.
Because we advance toward this victory through the exhortation of our preachers, it is
fittingly recorded that the Ammonite people were defeated and slain by Saul. Their wars,
indeed, are not uniform but diverse. For sometimes they powerfully crush hidden
adversaries, and sometimes they wisely endure false brethren. The former they subdue
within by great virtue; the latter they tolerate without by wondrous patience. Within,
through immense struggles, they are distinguished by the glory of great triumphs; but
without, they are adorned with the incomparable honors of such great meekness. We who have
learned the account of their inner victory, let us now hear how they also conquer
outwardly. For it follows: "And the people said to Samuel: 'Who is it that said: Shall
Saul reign over us? Give us the men, and we will kill them.' And Saul said: 'No one shall
be killed on this day, because the Lord has wrought salvation in Israel.'"

15. For the Lord had said above to Samuel: They have not rejected you, but me, that I
should not reign over them (1 Kings VIII, 7). But of Saul it was said a little before:
Because they despised him, and did not bring him gifts (Ibid., X, 27). But he who was
rejected, and he who was despised, after the enemies had been slain and victory obtained,
heard the people crying out: Give us the men, and we will kill them. Indeed, each of them
could have taken vengeance on their enemies, not by killing, but by consenting; but even
because the prophet had been rejected, he speaks, and the king who had been despised
supports the one who says: No one shall be killed on this day, because our holy preachers
are crowned with a greater victory when they endure the adversities of their neighbors
than when they overcome enemies abroad. Whence also true wisdom speaks in Solomon, saying:
The patient man is better than the mighty (Prov. XVI, 32). But it should be noted what is
said: On this day. On the day of his victory, he seeks to kill who inflames those whom he
draws to the love of God by the brightness of his virtues to harm others. Or he kills on
the day of victory, because by that light of glory by which one is brought to veneration
of the preacher, one is stirred up to hatred against those who detract from that same
teacher.

For whoever hates his brother is a murderer (1 John III, 15). For since through the
teaching of a good pastor the good are to be helped in such a way that the wicked are
tolerated, the reason why no one should be killed is well added: Because, he says, today
the Lord has wrought salvation in Israel. There follows: And Samuel said to the people:
Come, let us go to Gilgal, and let us renew the kingdom there. And all the people went to
Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the Lord. 16. If therefore we apply all
things in the manner in which they occur above in the ordaining of the king to the custom
of the holy Church, her rulers are ordained with great subtlety. For first the king to be
chosen was shown to the prophet, then he was sought as though unknown; afterward he was
even found by lot, hidden at home, revealed by the Lord, raised up by the people, and
received by all into royal dignity. What then is it that they still proceed to Gilgal, so
that there the kingdom might be renewed? But with great discernment the king is sought and
found, because the affairs of the Churches are most lofty, which if the weak and unskilled
undertake, they are crushed by the very magnitude of the matters. Therefore with attention
and most subtle investigation one is sought out who may be placed over so great an
eminence. He who is truly to be greatly commended is not established by the judgment of
those seeking, but when he is found vigorous in the very exercise of the highest ministry.
Well therefore, with the king now triumphant and established, it is said: 'They went to
Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the Lord': because when the preacher's
strength is recognized, he is honored in the minds of his hearers. Indeed we go to Gilgal,
that is "the wheel," when through sacred eloquence we examine the work of our teacher, and
there we make him king before the Lord:

because him whom we perceive to be worthy of approval, we judge to be worthy of so great
an eminence. Therefore Saul is said first to have been chosen by the people, and at last
established as king in Gilgal before the Lord: because although a pastor may be chosen in
the holy Church with much gravity of counsel, whether he is by merit what he is by rank is
not known unless it is made manifest by the strength of his works. Let it therefore be
said not of another, but of that one [perhaps "another" is superfluous] who shone forth
with a great victory: 'All the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before
the Lord', so that the dignity of the supreme pontiff may not consist in the ambition of
high office, but in the summit of virtue. And indeed they go to Gilgal, so that he may not
dare to judge from the highest place, to whom the hidden precepts of Sacred Scripture are
unknown. And the king is established before the Lord: because then the teacher is honored
by the devotion of his subjects, when they themselves acknowledge his acceptable life to
the almighty Lord. Moreover, concerning this knowledge of the life and teaching of their
pastor:

because often one trusts not oneself but those who are better, it is well said that the
people established a king in Gilgal before the Lord, but that the same people went to
Gilgal at Samuel's urging. 'Let us go', he said, 'to Gilgal, and let us renew the kingdom
there.' For the kingdom is renewed: because while the chosen preacher is seen in great
virtue, the hearts of his hearers are submitted to him with new and fresh devotion.
Whence, as though by the king's displayed victory the kingdom is renewed, when the great
manner of life of the teacher becomes known, the very hearts of his subjects receive the
splendor of a new devotion, and are stirred by his example to the pursuit of great virtue.
But now, we who have beheld triumphs in one battle of inward struggles, let us now behold
in another the times of peace run through with wondrous fairness.

CHAPTER 5.2 (1 SAMUEL 12:1–3)

And Samuel said to all Israel: Behold, I have listened to your voice according to all that
you spoke to me, and I have appointed a king over you: and now the king walks before you.
But I have grown old and turned gray. Moreover, my sons are with you. And so, having
conducted myself before you from my youth even to this day, behold, I am present. Speak
concerning me before the Lord and before His anointed, whether I have taken anyone's ox,
or donkey. If I have falsely accused anyone, if I have oppressed anyone, if I have
received a gift from anyone's hand, I will despise it today and will restore it to you. 1.
When wicked pastors are in charge, their principal aim is the plundering of their
subjects. For because they know not how to look upon the abundance of eternal goods, the
more ardently they desire present things, the more greedily they receive what is offered,
and what is not offered they seize by violence. They lay snares for the innocent, oppress
the weak, accept bribes, and pervert justice. Concerning these pastors, the Lord
reproaches Judea through the prophet, saying: "Your pastors are evening wolves, leaving
nothing for the morning" (Zeph. 3:3). He likewise strikes the slanderers of the innocent
and the oppressors of the weak, saying: "If anyone does not put something into their
mouths, they declare holy war against him. Therefore night shall be to them instead of
vision, and darkness instead of divination" (Mic. 3:5–6). For while they recognize the
iniquity they commit, through the audacity of their most wicked work they fall into
blindness of heart, so that through love of present things they no longer see the light of
truth, by which they might recover from their wickedness. Likewise Isaiah rebukes the
acceptance of bribes, saying: "They all love bribes, they pursue rewards" (Isa. 1:23). The
holy man therefore, while he shows the simplicity of his innocence, appeared exalted by
the height of his merits. This commendation of virtue is indeed shown in him alone, so
that the same conformity of goodness may be shown to all chosen teachers.

2. We have innocence of life for ourselves, but we ascend the height of prelacy for
others, not for ourselves. Through the good of innocence we press toward the eternal
homeland; through the height of prelacy we keep watch in the guardianship of others. In
that virtue we are secure, but this eminence we hold with great fear: because we who
greatly tremble to render an account of our own works must render an account to God for
that over which we preside over others. If therefore chosen men, by God's will, ascend
even the height of prelacy unwillingly, by God's will they also leave that same height
with devotion. The holy man therefore says: 'Behold, I have heard your voice, and I have
set a king over you; and now the king walks before you. But I have grown old and gray-
haired. Moreover, my sons are with you.' As if he were saying in other words: Because I
presided not for myself but for you, the dignity which I held I gladly gave to another. I
have already grown old in that same dignity, and yet the long habit of preeminence which I
held did not keep me bound in ambition for it. What then does it mean that he says: 'My
sons are with you', except that in holy men there is a great power of spiritual love, by
which, when sons are born to the height of office, they take away from them the right of
succession?

But he who so peacefully leaves the summit of office shows what kind of man he was while
he remained at that same height. For because he did not practice the violence of plunder,
he says: 'Speak concerning me before the Lord and before His Christ, whether I have taken
anyone's ox or donkey.' Likewise, because he sought no occasion of harming anyone, he
added, saying: 'If I have falsely accused anyone.' Likewise, because he was not burdensome
to the weak, he says: 'If I have oppressed anyone.' Likewise, because from his prelacy he
sought not earthly things but heavenly, he says: 'If I have received a gift from anyone's
hand, I will despise it today and restore it to you.' Because indeed he had been known by
all for such great contempt of worldly things, there follows: (Verses 4–6.) 'And they
said: You have not falsely accused us, nor oppressed us, nor taken anything from anyone's
hand. And he said to them: The Lord is witness against you, and His Christ is witness on
this day, that you will not find anything in my hand. And they said: He is witness.' But
he himself further adds, saying: 'The Lord, who made Moses and Aaron, and who brought our
fathers out of the land of Egypt, He Himself is witness.'

3. In this passage it should be noted that the holy man did not speak of the good things
he had done, but rather set forth the evil things he had not done; so that by keeping
silent he might preserve his good deeds for eternal rewards, and by speaking he might not
lose the fragrance of his good reputation. Paul indeed speaks, saying: "We are the good
fragrance of Christ in every place" (II Cor. 2:15). He also, rebuking certain people,
says: "The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you" (Rom. 2:24).
Likewise he admonishes his disciple, saying: "A bishop must also have a good testimony
from those who are outside" (I Tim. 3:7). Therefore, when he so carefully affirmed that he
had avoided evil, and kept silent about the great good deeds he had performed, the blessed
man openly showed on what a summit of virtues he stood, since by condemning evil he
preserved the fragrance of good reputation as an example for the elect, and by concealing
his works of virtue, he safeguarded the rewards of eternal recompense. But it should be
noted that when he called the Lord as witness of his innocence, he said that the Lord
himself had made Moses and Aaron. What else does this mean, except that he both displayed
the height of his virtue, yet did not wish to appear alone at so great a height? As if
saying with hidden meaning:

"I am not to be admired for such great virtue of soul, because I am not alone in it. I
possess contempt for worldly things as a gift of virtue, but I do not hold this with any
intention of vain praise; in this regard I perceive others far better and more exalted
than myself. And because he affirmed that the Lord himself had made Moses and Aaron, it is
as if he were saying: "That I was able to guard so strongly against evil ought to be
ascribed to the grace of him who made Moses and Aaron what they were. But the holy man
shows why he said these things first, for he added, saying: (Verse 7. "Now therefore stand
still, and I will contend with you in judgment before the Lord concerning all the mercies
which he has done for you and for your fathers." 4. It is the order of the highest reason
that he who does not take care to do good things should by no means reprove evils in
others. The holy man therefore first carefully asserted that he had avoided evils himself,
and then proceeded to the reproof of others; so as to suggest the character of a chosen
preacher, who cannot effectively bear the fruit of preaching unless he also demonstrates
by the splendor of his conduct what he preaches as luminous concerning eternity. He says
therefore: "Now stand, and I will plead with you in judgment before the Lord concerning
all the mercies of the Lord." For the hearers to stand is to raise the attention of the
mind to the word of the preacher. Rightly therefore they are commanded to stand, because a
teacher accomplishes nothing by exhortation if the hearer does not direct his mind to the
things he speaks. Enumerating these same mercies, he says: (Verses 8–11.) "How Jacob
entered into Egypt, and our fathers cried out to the Lord, and the Lord sent Moses and
Aaron, and He brought our fathers out of Egypt, and settled them in this place. And
because they forgot the Lord their God, He delivered them into the hand of Sisera, the
commander of the army of Asshur, and into the hands of the Philistines, and of the king of
Moab, and they fought against you. Afterward they cried out to the Lord and said: 'We have
sinned, because we forsook the Lord and served the Baals and Ashtaroth. Now therefore
deliver us from the hand of the Philistines, and we will serve You.' And the Lord sent
Jerubbaal, and Barak, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and He delivered you from the hand of your
enemies on every side, and you dwelt in safety."

5. He commemorates these acts of mercy performed according to history for this reason: so
that, in the matter of having asked for a king, the people might recognize themselves as
guilty before the Lord. For he who had the Lord present to remove all dangers had no need
of a human king over himself. Moreover, he shows the very presence of the Lord through the
mercies bestowed, since he declared that they were delivered from the hand of the
Egyptians through Moses and Aaron, and from the hand of Sisera and the Philistines, and
from the hand of the king of Moab through Jerubbaal, Barak, and Jephthah, and by Samuel.
In this passage it must be carefully inquired why the petition by which a king is
requested is so strictly reproved, and yet the very aids of divine mercy are taught to
have been bestowed upon the people of God through human leaders set over them. To this
matter, what must be answered except that the governance of kings is vastly different from
the governance of judges? The latter preside as equals, while the former display the
arrogance of domination in their power of preeminence. The latter commend the testimony of
their innocence before the Lord and all the people, because they neither oppress anyone
nor take anything belonging to another for their own use; the former, however, not only
take away from their subjects what belongs to them, but even press down the very persons
of their subjects under the burden of servitude. Therefore, he adds and says: (Verse 12.)
"But when you saw that Nahash was coming up and would fight against you, you said: 'By no
means,' but rather, 'A king shall reign over us'—even though the Lord was reigning over
you."

6. As if he were saying: For this purpose you have chosen a man for yourselves, for which
you used to have God. If we wish to examine this passage spiritually, the following is
gathered from it: that those who desire a carnal ruler to be set over them drive away
divine grace from themselves. For while they live by the example of humble teachers, they
are, as it were, freed from Egypt, because they flee the darkness of worldly love with all
their desire. Because they also escape the tyranny of all vices through the teaching of
those men, they are freed, as it were, from the hand of Sisera, the Philistines, and the
king of Moab, by leaders sent to them. In these God alone, the Almighty, now reigns,
because while they outwardly imitate humble pastors, they gratefully receive the love of
the divinity reigning among them. Let the prophet therefore say: "You said to me: 'By no
means, but a king shall be over us,' when the Lord was reigning over you" — to show that
those who subject themselves by imitating carnal men lose the dignity of divine grace. It
should also be noted that the prophet Samuel, through the virtue of humility, everywhere
presented himself to the elect as a model of uprightness. For when he was recounting the
liberation of the Israelite people, he did not say, "The Lord sent Jephthah and me," but
"Jephthah and Samuel, and He delivered you from the hand of your enemies.

He named himself as though speaking of another, so that the power of liberation would not
be ascribed to the person sent, but to the grace of God who sent him. "The Lord sent
Samuel," he says, "and delivered you. As if to say: He sent whom He willed, and through
whom He willed, He acted. And perhaps he speaks of himself as of another because it is not
he himself who speaks through himself, but the Holy Spirit. And because, by God's
permission, with a king now established, the man of God was saying these things, he was
saying them for this purpose: to direct the king and the people toward the worship of God,
not to abolish the royal dignity itself. Hence, adding further, he says: (Verses 13–15.
"Now therefore, your king is here, whom you have chosen and requested. Behold, your God
has given you a king. If you will fear God and serve Him and hear His voice and not
provoke the mouth of the Lord, then both you and the king who rules over you will continue
following the Lord your God. But if you will not hear the voice of the Lord, but provoke
His words, the hand of the Lord will be against you and against your fathers."

7. These things are certainly not mystical but historical in every respect. For where both
prelates and subjects lead a reprobate life, they equally undergo the punishment of divine
vengeance. But because good things are spoken of separately and evil things separately,
those things for which the hand of the Lord is foretold as coming upon them must be
considered more carefully. What then does it mean when he says: "If you will fear the Lord
and serve Him," unless that many dread the judgments of divine severity and yet do not
cease to do wicked things? With a trembling heart indeed they think upon future judgments,
but conquered by present pleasure, they by no means avoid committing evil. Rightly
therefore after the fear of the Lord, service to Him is mentioned: because that fear alone
is worthy of approval which, while it shakes the mind, draws it to the pursuit of good
works. Likewise, because there are some who through the fear of the Lord reject certain
evils and do some good things, and yet neither fully abandon evil nor sufficiently perform
good, it is added: "And you will hear His voice. He who hears the voice of the Lord both
fully does good and utterly abandons evil. But these same good works must be held in the
delight of sweetness, not in the estimation of harshness. For those to whom the things
commanded by the Lord always seem hard and harsh gradually fall away and fail. For this
reason Truth says through Himself:

"For My yoke is sweet and My burden is light" (Matt. 11:30). For this reason John says:
"His commandments are not heavy" (1 John 5:3). They are indeed not heavy for the elect:
because while they seek the glory of eternal life with great desire, they gladly bear the
precepts of the Gospel. The mouth of the Lord can also be understood as the preaching of
perfect charity. For He wished, as it were, to show the endearments of His mouth when He
said: "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you" (John
15:12). This indeed is the Lord's commandment, this is the yoke of divine sweetness. For
what is borne more lightly, or ever more gladly, than love? What heavy thing, moreover,
does one who loves not bear lightly? For whatever is loved is carried with great devotion.
Therefore, because the bond of perfection is the charity of God and neighbor, rightly in
the last place the prophet declares, saying: "If you will not provoke the mouth of the
Lord, both you and the king who rules over you will be followers of the Lord your God. As
if to say: Then you rightly fulfill the divine will, if you ground both the contempt of
wickedness and the pursuit of good works in divine charity. Then you rightly run after the
Redeemer toward the highest blessedness of eternal life, if you carry out with joy to the
end of life those precepts of charity which are harsh to the carnal.

8. But because he was speaking to the weak and carnal, he continued by declaring: If you
will not hear the voice of the Lord, but will provoke His word, the hand of the Lord will
be upon you and upon your fathers. The hand of the Lord is the severity of divine
vengeance. This hand is indeed stretched out over sons and fathers when, by the merit of
divine contempt, both reprobate prelates and subjects are punished. This same hand is also
stretched out for vengeance when the voice of the Lord is not heard, when His words are
provoked: because those who reject the divine commandments as harsh and unbearable are
weighed down by an intolerable burden of punishment in the future. For it is the foolish
audacity of man that, where he refuses to undergo for a short time those things that seem
harsh to him, he thereby subjects himself to harsher things for eternity. For if he were
wisely wise, he would persuade himself of this very thing that displeases him: that
through the hard and harsh things of this very brief time, he might escape the hard and
harsh things of future damnation. Indeed, the hardened hearts of the carnal hear these
things quickly, but they cannot easily be softened by salutary counsel. Therefore it is
well added: (Verses 16, 17.) But now also stand and see this great thing which the Lord
will do before your eyes. Is it not the wheat harvest today? I will call upon the Lord,
and He will send thunder and rain; and you shall know and see that you have done a great
evil for yourselves in the sight of the Lord, in asking for a king over you.

9. Because the petition of the king is reproved so attentively and so many times, this
suggests to the elect that those who advance carnal men to the height of the holy Church
are held by a most grave obligation of sin. For other sins obtain the merit of a single
punishment, but he who appoints a carnal leader incurs as many merits of punishment as
that man provides examples of depravity to the faithful subjects. But the heavy weight of
crime cannot be set down except by the severity of great compunction. Yet the grace of
compunction is not poured into the mind unless the magnitude of the sin is first shown to
it. Therefore the prophet of the Lord, in order to provoke the sinning people to the fruit
of fitting penance, suggests to them the great sin of transgression through a wondrous
disturbance of the air. Now in that region, rains and thunders do not occur during the
wheat harvest. And it is well added subsequently: (Verses 18, 19.) Samuel cried out to the
Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain on that day; and all the people greatly feared
the Lord and Samuel. And all the people said to Samuel: Pray for your servants to the Lord
your God, that we may not die. For we have added to all our sins this evil, that we should
ask for ourselves a king.

10. If we bring this down to our own times, in order that the people may come to the
knowledge of their sins, preachers cry out to God on their behalf, because they seek the
salvation of the faithful with great desires. For preachers to cry out is to petition for
the salvation of the elect with great devotion. At their cry the Lord gives His voice,
because He stirs the hearts of sinners so that they may recognize the wickedness of their
depravity. He gives rains, because He aids their stirred hearts through the infusion of
heavenly grace, so that each one may not only abandon the evil deeds he has committed, but
also courageously perform the good works he desires. But this is said to happen on the day
of the wheat harvest, so that the power of the miracle may be indicated. The
transformation of the heart is indeed no less a miracle than the disturbance of the air.
It is no less a miracle for parched hearts to come back to life than for rains to flood
down in an unusual manner during the heat of summer. It is surely a greater miracle to
shake an insensible mind with an inward thunder than for thunder to resound when clouds
collide in the wind. But the right order of conversion is shown in the ordered arrangement
of the words.

For he says: 'The Lord gave thunder and rain, and all the people feared the Lord and
Samuel exceedingly.' In the most orderly conversion, when evil is abandoned, good is
propagated in the mind; when the converted mind nourishes good seed as if through rain, it
submits itself to God and to men through the virtue of obedience. Rightly, therefore, it
is said: 'All the people feared the Lord and Samuel,' because whoever receives the coming
of the Supreme Spirit both abandons evil and lays hold of good, and is so subjected to God
that for God's sake he also submits himself to men. And because they have no presumption
in this very virtue of obedience, they say: 'Pray for your servants to the Lord, that we
may not die.' When the spirit of life pours itself into the mind, it immediately raises it
to the dread of death, because the teaching of that same spirit is that the mind should
act in fear so as not to encounter what it fears. But holy men praying for them can be
heard, who also reveal the hidden sins of the heart through the humility of confession.
Hence it is also added: 'For we have added to all our sins this evil, that we should ask
for ourselves a king.' But since these matters have already been sufficiently discussed in
our exposition, let us look at what follows. (Verse 20.) 'And Samuel said: Do not fear.
You have done all this evil. Nevertheless, do not turn aside from following the Lord.'

11. The mind of the penitent is then rightly directed if it fears the divine judgments and
trusts in the mercy of almighty God. Fear without hope indeed casts one headlong into
despair, but when it is joined with hope, it works the salvation of the mind. Therefore
the excellent teacher must watch with the utmost zeal to terrify the one who sins, and to
lead the one who has been terrified back to the hope of pardon: so that through fear he
may cease to sin, and through hope of obtaining forgiveness, he may seek the harbor of
divine mercy. Samuel, therefore, raising his terrified subjects to the virtue of hope,
says: "You have done all this evil; yet do not turn aside from following the Lord. As if
to say: If you cease to sin, you can more quickly arrive at obtaining pardon for what you
have committed. Do not therefore turn aside from following the Lord. Concerning the praise
of the just, it is promised: "For you shall go before the face of the Lord to prepare His
ways" (Luke 1:76). Hence Elijah says: "The Lord lives, in whose sight I stand" (1 Kings
17:1). Hence the Psalmist says: "Let the just exult in the sight of God" (Psalm 68:4). To
stand in the sight of the Lord, or before the Lord, is to presume upon the love of the
Creator by the testimony of a good conscience.

Those indeed stand in His sight who, by the merit of great action, are secure in the
heavenly grace of their Creator. But sinners, when they commit evil, flee from the face of
the Lord; yet when they resolve to return through penance, they are, as it were, behind
the Lord's back: because they neither wish to depart further, and yet cannot presume upon
God as friends. Hence it is that the sinful woman is said to have stood behind Him, so
that she might deserve to kiss the Lord's feet (Luke 7:38). Behind Him also stood that
woman who touched the hem of His garment and deserved to be healed of her flow of blood
(Matthew 9:20). She stands behind indeed out of shame for her sin, but she touches through
the power of hope. Because, therefore, we must always blush for the iniquities we have
committed, and avoid those things in which we are confounded, Samuel commands sinners not
to turn aside from following the Lord. But because it is not sufficient for the conversion
of a sinner that he merely not commit sins, he subsequently added: (Verse 20. "And serve
the Lord with all your heart."

12. For we can merit pardon when we cease to sin and devote ourselves to good works. To
serve the Lord with the whole heart is to retain no intention of sinning in the heart. The
whole heart is bent to the service of the Creator when we so perform good deeds that we
hold fast to no evil by deliberate purpose. This the prophet of the Lord, Samuel, also
openly suggests when he adds: (Verse 21.) "And do not turn aside after vain things, which
will not profit you, nor deliver you, because they are vain." 13. Literally, he calls vain
things the images of demons. But for us, those vain things are to be understood here as
what the preacher shows, saying: Vanity of vanities, and all is vanity. For in comparison
with eternal goods, all things are vain, even temporal goods. For whatever in this age is
seen as joyful, delightful, exalted, or prosperous is assuredly vain, because it is held
with difficulty and quickly lost. Indeed, the lofty things of the age suddenly collapse,
beautiful things pass away, joyful and prosperous things vanish. For when the flattering
world is seen to stand in its flowers, it is disturbed by sudden fortune, or is concluded
by hasty death that overturns all things. Therefore the joys of the age are vain, which
flatter as though they were lasting, but deceive their lovers by quickly passing away.
Therefore let the prophet Samuel say: Do not turn aside after vain things, which will not
profit you. As if to say: The goods of the age are foolishly desired, since they cannot be
held for long by those who desire them. And it should be noted that it is said in the
future tense: They will not profit you — because indeed they are now seen to profit; but
when in the future people begin to be punished on account of them, they profit nothing at
all. Whence it is also fittingly added: Nor will they rescue you, because they are vain.
As if to say:

They do not help you then, because they fail with the world and are not possessed after
this age. The goods of the age last a long time indeed if they accompany their lover all
the way to the end of life. Therefore after this age those things do not profit which
cannot pass beyond the end of life. In this life indeed they bind their lovers with sins;
but then they will not rescue them, where they are present by merit but not by assistance.
In this matter it must be carefully noted that temporal goods will not profit those who
are said to turn aside after them. For to turn aside after temporal goods is to flow down
into desire for them, to prefer love of them to divine love. Rightly, therefore, vain
things will not profit them, because they were unwilling to possess them in the order in
which they were created. But the fruit by which vain things are despised is suggested when
it is added: (Verse 22. And the Lord will not forsake his people for the sake of his great
name, because the Lord has sworn to make them a people for himself.

14. These vain things inflict a great evil upon those who turn aside after them: because
while they pursue earthly things in a disordered way, they are abandoned by the supreme
and omnipotent God to endure future torments. Therefore, to those who are forbidden to
turn aside after vain things, the prophet rightly makes a promise, saying: The Lord will
not forsake His people for the sake of His great name. Because those who despise vain
things for the love of Him are rescued from true evils, and by faith in the promise they
receive the reward of an eternal inheritance. Indeed, the Lord makes them His people whom
He raises up to the joys of eternal blessedness. For there, with the glory of His majesty
revealed, He presides over those whom in the world He holds, taken up from the love of
vanity by His hidden grace. To swear to the Lord is to make a promise and to make Him
one's people; the Lord swears to the one who does not turn aside after vain things:
because earthly things must be despised so that we may deserve to obtain the goods of an
eternal inheritance. Yet let no one believe that he can be brought to those things by his
own merits; because here it is strictly expressed: For the sake of His great name. For it
is not by our goodness, but by God's, that an earthly man enjoys heavenly goods. For it is
the gift of God, not from ourselves. There follows: (Verse 23.) But as for me, far be it
from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you.

15. He speaks these things, to whom the Lord said above concerning those to whom he
speaks: "They have not rejected you, but me, that I should not reign over them." Behold,
the prophet is rejected, and he speaks to those who reject him, saying: "Far be it from me
that I should commit this sin against the Lord, that I should cease to pray for you."
Indeed, if this is examined according to the precept of the Law, it would not be a sin if
he did not pray for those who rejected him. For the Law of Moses commands, saying: "You
shall love your neighbor, and you shall hate your enemy" (Lev. 19:18). But those who were
rejecting the prophet had proven themselves not friends, but enemies. What then does it
mean that he says: "Far be from me this sin," unless that the holy man, raised to the
summit of charity, not only loved his friends, but also embraced his very enemies?
Instructed indeed by the commandment of the old Law, but illuminated by the splendors of
the new grace, he reproved the license of the old dispensation with evangelical
perfection. By which deed, indeed, we are compelled to reckon with ourselves. For hence it
is commanded through the Gospel: "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you" (Matt.
5:44). How much then must enemies now be loved, when we are commanded to do so, if they
could be loved even then when they were commanded to be hated? And because he strove not
only to pray for them, but also to instruct them, he adds, saying: "And I will teach you
the good and right way."

16. For why does he call the way of divine service good, and right: since it is not good
if it is not right, nor right if it is not good? But the way was good, because the people
went up from Egypt to the promised land, and yet while they wandered through the
wilderness, it was not right. Therefore the way is good by which one strives toward the
heavenly homeland; right, by which one easily arrives. The way, therefore, is both good
and right when we are converted to the religious life, and we carry out divine services
with the pressing fervor of great devotion. Whence Samuel also well explains this same
way, saying: (Verse 24.) Therefore fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth, and with your
whole heart. 17. This way is indeed good and right: because it leads to eternal life and
arrives there swiftly. Through the fear of the Lord, evils are avoided; by serving him,
his commandments are fulfilled. We truly serve him in truth when we carry out his precepts
for the sake of heavenly reward alone. For whoever seeks a temporal reward for a good work
does not truly serve God, whom he does not love in his work because of a false intention.
But those who desire to serve God in truth are commanded to place their whole heart in
divine service, so that they may carry out the things of God in such a way that they
retain nothing in their mind that is contrary to God. This way is assuredly not only good
but right: because it leads to salvation and swiftly brings its follower to perfection.
For it is shown as another way to the promised land — good, because it leads there; right,
because it avoids detours. Through this way, each person arrives at the summit of virtues
all the better, the less he turns aside through circuits of negligence. This right way is
expressed in that way by which the Lord is said to have wished to lead the children of
Israel to the promised land. He wished to entrust the labors of the desert to them, so
that for us who walk in the footsteps of his Only-Begotten, he might smooth the course of
so great a journey. For they could not yet hear:

"If you wish to be perfect, sell what you have and give to the poor, and follow me; and
you will have treasure in heaven" (Matt. 19:21). For while the ancient people ran about
through various things with license over temporal possessions, they could not, as it were,
be led quickly to the promised land through the circuit of toil. Therefore, so that the
prophet might introduce to us the way of the new life, he says that the way is good and
right: to fear God and to serve him in truth and with the whole heart — because those who
do not cease to seek the almighty God both through good works and through fervent desires
quickly arrive at the height of divine grace. And because he had made that same people
attentive to hearing the words of his preaching through a miracle, he adds: (Verse 24.
"For you have seen the magnificent things that the Lord has done among you."

18. As if he were saying: From those things which you have seen, gather how terribly you
ought to fear almighty God, and how devoutly you ought always to serve Him. Which words
indeed, if we wish to apply them to ourselves, we must fear God all the more reverently
and serve Him all the more devoutly, the more wonderful things we have perceived in our
Redeemer. But because what the good hear, the wicked boldly despise, he added, saying: But
if you persist in wickedness, both you and your king alike shall perish.


COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS (BOOK FIVE, CHAPTER 5.3 (1 SAMUEL 13:1))
============================================================

COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS continued

CHAPTER 5.3 (1 SAMUEL 13:1)

Saul was a son of one year when he began to reign: and he reigned over Israel for two
years. 1. Above, when the matter of ordaining a king was being discussed, it was said of
him who by divine judgment was to be preferred over the rest, that he was chosen and good.
Likewise, concerning him already chosen for the kingdom and set in the midst of the
people, Samuel said: "Surely you see whom the Lord has chosen, for there is none like him
among all the people" (1 Sam. 9:24). Of this same king it is now said: "Saul was a son of
one year"; so that while he is attentively praised, it may be understood that he was
chosen by the Lord as good. Why then is he said to have been one year old when he began to
reign, unless to proclaim his innocence? For taken literally, how could he have been a son
of one year, he who stood above the entire people from the shoulder upward? What therefore
cannot be understood according to the letter must be understood through the reasoning of
interior understanding. The king is thus described as being one year old, so that the gift
of childhood in the person of the king might signify the good of innocence. Hence it is
also commanded to the children of the eternal kingdom: "Do not become children in
understanding, but in malice be little ones" (1 Cor. 14:20). And certainly the Truth
itself warns this to the pastors of the churches, saying: "Unless you are converted and
become as little children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 18:3).

Of the king, therefore, who was first good and afterward became wicked, it is said that he
was one year old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years. For although he reigned
many years, he is said to have reigned only in those years in which he is reported to have
been innocent and humble. For afterward, proud and disobedient, he heard: "Because you
have rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord has rejected you from being king" (1 Sam.
15:26). He knew indeed that he had been cast from the kingdom, and yet, cast out, he did
not fear to reign. How many things he did boldly afterward! But behold, all those times
were not reckoned to him as his reign. Let us therefore rejoice that we have lived only in
that time in which we lived innocently and humbly. For those times that we consumed in the
vanity of the world and the fleeting life of the flesh are scarcely remembered, as though
lost. There are moreover still those who thrust themselves forward to seize the summit of
holy Church, about whom the Lord complains through the prophet, saying: "They have
reigned, but not from me; they became princes, and I did not know it" (Hos. 8:4). These
men, when they do certain things boldly, suppose that the plunder of the summit they have
seized is consigned to oblivion by God. They count their own works in their favor, and
what they do apart from God they think will be rewarded by God.

Let them, so that they may more rightly reckon the things they do, count up the many bold
deeds of rejected Saul, which the divine reckoning by no means holds. Let Saul therefore
say: "He reigned two years over Israel," so that concerning all it may be understood that
what we live for ourselves is emptied of reward; and to rule wickedly is not the truth of
preeminence, but the recklessness of presumption deserving punishment. But now let us hear
what the king of one year did. And Saul chose three thousand men from Israel, and two
thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in the hill country of Bethel; but one thousand
were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. 2. The number one thousand, which is produced
from one hundred collected ten times, suggests the highest perfection. When indeed it is
repeated three times, the various perfections of the elect are designated by it. Saul
therefore chose three thousand men from Israel: because the preacher of truth leads to the
defense of the holy Church not the weak and feeble, but strong and valiant warriors. They
are said to be three thousand: because at the height of perfection, they bring forth
virgins; alongside whom they place both the continent and the defenders of truth. For
while by the example of virgins they kindle others to the highest incorruption, while by
the life of the continent they draw others away from the corruptions of the world, while
they defend the weakness of the humble through the aid of the powerful, good teachers come
against the enemies of the holy Church as if with three thousand chosen men. They are
called men on account of their fortitude, and are said to be from Israel on account of
divine contemplation. For he cannot be contained in the highest number of perfection who
lacks either the virtue of great work or the knowledge of inward vision. What does it mean
that some of the chosen men are said to be with Saul, and others with Jonathan? But even
the very names of the places in which they are said to be should not be believed to be
devoid of mysteries.

Jonathan, who is described as the son of the king and has a portion of the warriors,
clearly signifies those who are helpers of teachers in the ministry of preaching. For they
are their sons: because they ardently love those by whose ministry they are begotten for
God. But they preside over a portion of the warriors: because they bear the care of the
holy Church, and advance some by example and others by exhortations to the love of
virtues. For as a great king had sent his son into the army, he who was speaking to the
Corinthians said: "Therefore I have sent to you Timothy, who is my most dear and faithful
son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways which are in Christ Jesus, as I teach in
all the churches of the saints" (1 Cor. 4:17). Hence he likewise says: "When Timothy
comes, see that he may be with you without fear: for he does the work of the Lord, as I
also do" (1 Cor. 16:10).

3. Now Jonathan is said to be with a thousand men in Gibeah of Benjamin, while Saul is
with two thousand in Michmash and on the mountain of Bethel. Gibeah, as we have often
already said, is interpreted as "lofty"; Michmash, "humility"; Bethel, "house of God";
Saul, "petition"; Jonathan is said to mean "gift of the dove. The three thousand chosen
men of Israel we have referred to virgins, the continent, and defenders of truth.
Therefore, since Jonathan is called "gift of the dove," and a thousand men are said to be
with him in Gibeah, that is, on the height — what else does this suggest but those who, by
the most radiant example of virginity, provide to others a standard of the same modesty?
Rightly is the instructor of virgins called "gift of the dove," because it is by the
incomparable grace of the Holy Spirit that corruption of the flesh remains unknown to
those who dwell in the flesh. Rightly too are virgins said to be on the height, because
what surpasses human nature is situated at the loftiest summit of virtues. Hence also that
virgin beloved of Jesus, indicating the place of virgins, says: "I saw upon Mount Zion a
Lamb standing, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand, having his name and the
name of his Father written on their foreheads" (Rev. 14:1). He also indicates them from
the light of their own manner of life, saying:

"These are they who have not been defiled with women, for they are virgins, and they
follow the Lamb wherever he goes" (ibid., 4). They are said indeed to be on the mountain
with the Lamb, because through the merit of incorruption, by which they separate
themselves from earthly and carnal pleasures, they are exalted in the heavenly glory of
the Redeemer. With Saul, however, two thousand are said to be in Michmash and on the
mountain of Bethel. Michmash, which is interpreted as "humility" — what else does it
signify but the blush of the continent? For when they recall the past pleasures of the
flesh, they blush with shame. But because they are strong men, they are reported to be
with Saul; and while they despise the experienced enticements of the world, by the example
of their virtue they draw countless others to contempt of that same world. Yet they dwell
in Michmash, because while they recall what they were in the world, they cannot grow proud
over the fact that they see themselves to be great in God. Rightly are they reported to be
with Saul, who is called "petition. For a preacher of truth ought to be of such great
charity that through urgent desire he is felt to be not merely a petitioner, but the very
petition itself. He ought to seek the salvation of the faithful so urgently that, from the
habitual exercise of inward taste, he directs every movement of the heart into the
disposition of supplication.

With him are a thousand men, because the more perfect hearers join with chosen teachers in
charity and together beseech the almighty Lord for the salvation of the faithful. They are
therefore with the king in Michmash, because they cultivate humility on their own behalf
so that they may deserve to be heard on behalf of others. But while the chosen teacher
profitably presides over all his subjects, he advances the virtues of all toward the
crowns of victory. For with the humble he supplicates, with the strong he fights, with
those set apart he perseveres in prayers, and with those placed as defenders of the Church
he protects the weak and the infirm. Rightly therefore they are said to be not only in
Michmash but also on the mountain of Bethel with Saul among thousands of warriors, because
just as the preacher of the Church stands above the diverse orders of the elect, so he
ought to be their cooperator. For they guard Bethel, that is, the house of God, who by the
authority of the word defend the holy Church. When they confront any tyrants with the
voice of free authority, when they rise up against the powers of this world, when they
oppose the powers of this world in defense of the humble — they guard Bethel, the house of
God, like warriors of the king. They are certainly reported to be with Saul, because in
the defense of the Church they are coadjutors of the great teachers. Rightly moreover it
is said of the rest:

(Verse 2. "But the remaining people he sent away, each one to his own tents." 4. Moreover,
he calls the people whom the number of a thousand does not encompass. Each one is sent
back to his own tent, because the weak and imperfect are not to be brought forth for the
highest and most demanding works. For neither the continent, nor virgins, nor martyrs can
the feeble become. For the former, lest the past pleasures of the flesh return to them;
for the latter, lest they despise the untried enticements of the flesh; for the others,
lest they fear the adversities of the world—the greatest fortitude is necessary. The rest
of the common people, therefore, are sent back to their tents, lest they be condemned for
the rashness of a higher life, and perish in battle as weak and infirm, while pledging
faith to a lofty way of life for which they do not have the strength of lofty virtue. For
the blessed apostle Paul was, as it were, sending each one back to his own tent when he
said: "Because of fornication, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her
own husband" (1 Cor. 7:2). For like a skilled master of the interior warfare, considering
both the crowns of victory and the gravity of the struggle, he was weighing the soldiers'
strength against the burden of war, judging it best for the weak to live in the cities
lest they perish in bitter combat. Therefore, likewise separating them from the camp of
the strong, he says: "Return together again, lest Satan tempt you because of your
incontinence" (ibid., 5). But with the weak removed, what is accomplished in the most
valiant battle line of virgins is set forth, when it is added: (Verse 3.) "And Jonathan
struck the garrison of the Philistines that was in Gibeah."

5. Just as the battle line of the bridegroom excels in rank, so also it was the first to
receive the titles of victory. For Jonathan struck the garrison of the Philistines:
because chosen virginity, exalted by the citadel of continence over the flesh,
extinguishes shameful impulses. And rightly it is called the garrison of the Philistines:
because in the virginal body, carnal impulses do not have the rest of delight, but the
standing of battle. They stand indeed: because they attack, but they cannot rest: because
they do not in the least delight the holy mind. The garrison of the Philistines in Gibeah
is therefore struck, when the desires of the flesh are thoroughly weakened by chosen
virgins, and they obtain the peace of triumph, while they no longer have the accustomed
wars. Toward which victory indeed, because they often advance by the exhortation of their
elders, a thousand men are in Gibeah with Jonathan: but Jonathan is reported to have
struck the camp of the Philistines. And because by the example of others, others are often
stirred to the emulation of virtue, there follows: (Verses 3, 4.) And Jonathan struck the
garrison of the Philistines, which was in Gibeah. When the Philistines had heard this,
Saul sounded the trumpet throughout all the land, saying: Let the Hebrews hear. And all
Israel heard this report: Saul has struck the garrison of the Philistines, and Israel rose
up against the Philistines. Therefore the people cried out after Saul in Gilgal.

6. When the garrison of the Philistines was struck, Saul sounds the trumpet, and after
Saul the people shout: because holy preachers proclaim the heard virtues of the elect, and
inflame the hearts of their subjects to the example of good work. To sound the trumpet is
both to announce victory and to rouse the minds of others by the example of the victors to
the purpose of spiritual warfare. For the people to shout after Saul is to undertake the
daring of great devotion from having heard the preaching. At this point it should be noted
that Jonathan struck the garrison of the Philistines, but Saul, sounding the trumpet,
claimed that he himself had struck that same garrison. Because indeed the triumphs of the
elect preachers are credited with the fact that hidden adversaries are overcome by their
subjects. But as often as we conquer some enemies, it is necessary that we prepare
ourselves for the struggles of overcoming others. For Almighty God, because He rewards His
elect more abundantly, always wills them to stand in battle, so that they themselves may
always be able to prepare for themselves the goods of an eternal reward. For this reason
also, when the people are said to have shouted after Saul, it is added: (Verse 5.) And the
Philistines gathered together to fight against Israel: thirty thousand chariots, and six
thousand horsemen, and the rest of the common people like the sand which is on the
seashore in great multitude.

7. Above, King Saul is described as having chosen three thousand men for himself. If,
therefore, we wish to compare the forces of each army, against each one of Saul's men, ten
chariots and two horsemen of the Philistines are assigned. For ten times three thousand is
thirty thousand. In the number six as well, three is doubled. By this battle, indeed, both
the multitude and the ferocity of hidden enemies is signified. They come against us in
chariots and on horses, because they strive to present now evil thoughts to the hearts of
the elect, now harmful enticements of visible things to their bodily senses. For horses
are swift in running and strong in assault. To these, indeed, evil thoughts are fittingly
compared, which come swiftly to the heart and pierce it forcefully. Horsemen come against
us in battle when malign spirits both quickly arouse evil thoughts in us and powerfully
assail us through them. But two horsemen come against each one of the faithful, because if
we gather up the hidden ambushes of reprobate spirits into a general consideration, their
special aim is this: namely, to strike at our principal virtue and to utterly extinguish
the love of God and of neighbor. One horse is seen to rage when, by a reprobate thought,
the malign spirit suggests to us that our neighbor should be held in hatred. But the horse
that appears alone is not alone, because no one who hates his brother loves God (1 John
4:20).

Likewise, since divine charity agrees with no principal vice in the mind, whenever a
spiritual vice is suggested to us by the fraud of demons, we must beware the excessive
speed and violent ferocity of raging horsemen. In comparison with a horseman, the blow of
an archer or foot soldier is altogether feeble. But the charge of a horseman is violent
with the strength of the horse, because indeed the power of the malign spirit is nothing
in the contest of the elect if he is not permitted to sit upon an evil thought. Because,
therefore, our enemies are exceedingly strong in battle when they are permitted to mount
upon interior thoughts, a throng of horsemen is counted in the Philistine army. Ten
chariots, moreover, are assigned against each elect one in battle. For we have five bodily
senses through which we receive the experience of pleasure. But malign spirits, when they
eagerly seek to deceive the mind through the enticements of the flesh, display to the
bodily senses the appearances of things that the flesh craves, and through the appearances
of those same things suggest that the mind should desire what is presented. For the
adversary, as it were, raises his chariot upon its wheels when on one side he offers the
enticements of things and on the other holds back the thoughts;

he extends the former, he sends in the latter, and as if rolling forward he lifts himself
high to assault the soul, when the malign spirit raises himself against the elect both
through the enticements of things and through the craft of suggestions. There are ten
chariots, therefore, because against each of our bodily senses they have the appearances
of visible enticements, and against just as many senses of the soul they have the
deceptive arts of persuasion. 8. But what does it mean that the remaining common crowd is
said to be as numerous as the sand on the seashore, except that under the leadership of
evil spirits, an innumerable throng of vices rages against us? For like a subject crowd,
it follows the chariots and horsemen, when the snares of demons assail the mind by
striking first: so that it may be devastated by the vices that follow, as if by the
multitude of an irrational mob. And rightly in the spiritual battle of the saints, first
the chariots and horsemen are described, then the multitude of the common crowd: because
indeed there is no multitude, no strength of vices, if the throng of evil spirits does not
precede them by arousing and sending them forth. By these words it is also suggested how
cautious and circumspect the life of the saints must always be. For if the remaining crowd
is compared to the abundant sand of the sea, the multitude of darts is innumerable and
nearly unavoidable. For although all vices are known to the experienced faithful, yet by
how many impulses they strike the heart, in what ways, or for what reasons they always
come to the heart, they cannot fully know. Indeed they powerfully cast off the open
darkness of temptations; but often in lighter matters they do not escape the fog of
ignorance, like the fine grains of sand. They always display the strength of good works,
but those who overcome great armies of horsemen with great virtue do not entirely restrain
their tongue from all superfluous speech. With continual practice they direct their body
in the service of almighty God; but their mind, which outwardly orders the members
perfectly, sometimes by no means avoids superfluous thoughts. For what else do they then
experience but the troublesome multitude of the common crowd — they who have laid low the
chariots and horsemen with great virtue?

9. But the excellent doctor says: 'For those who love God, all things work together for
good' (Rom. 8:28). God indeed permits His elect to be assailed by great temptations, so
that they may be crowned most magnificently in the heavenly kingdom; but He permits great
battles, which they may win, and stirs up light ones, in which they may fall—so that the
victory of the strong may be great, and the fall harmless; so that those who fall may
easily raise themselves up, and the great battles in which they stood as victors may not
puff them up. For if we conquer chariots and horsemen, we ought not to be puffed up by the
victory, because innumerable are the sins we commit by thinking, speaking, living,
tasting, hearing, and doing. For even he could not avoid the weapons of this innumerable
crowd, who said: 'In many things we all offend' (James 3:2). Hence likewise the beloved of
Jesus speaks, saying: 'If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth
is not in us' (1 John 1:8). Who then would dare to be puffed up as a victor, if such great
men reveal that they cannot altogether escape the weapons of sins? But since these things
are described in spiritual warfare, we ought not now to consider what we suffer, but how
we may weaken the assault of our enemies.

The multitude of the Philistines is compared to the sand, which is most abundant on the
seashore, because all the power and number of vices is increased by the disturbances of
the world. For the sea signifies this present age, because while it is driven by the great
variety of things and times, it is disturbed as if by raging winds. But on the shore, when
the driven water of the sea is poured back, innumerable tiny grains of sand are gathered
together. What then is the seashore, if not the heart of each person who is negligent in
spiritual life? For through the order of religious life, he is seen to stand as if on
solid ground; but while he does not restrain worldly thoughts, he receives, as it were,
the breaking waves of the sea upon himself, and heaps of sand; and from the very place
where he does not fear to draw near to the sea, he can be driven by waves and buried in
sand—because if he were to restrain worldly thoughts by the contemplation of spiritual
things, he would not feel the vices of mind and body which worldly preoccupation brings in
like sand and waves. Why then is the multitude of enemies said to be like sand, except
because evil spirits attack the chosen athletes of Christ with the same vices by which
they overcome the negligent? They come with a crowd of worldly clamor against those who
have learned with their whole mind to despise the world in its pleasures.

They fashion the pomp of visible things; by feigning attraction, they renew the love of
the world already held in contempt, so that they may drag hearts burning with heavenly
love toward harmful pleasures. But holy men, because they consider that this innumerable
crowd of wicked thoughts comes forth from the deep of the world, by fleeing the world with
their whole mind, avoid becoming the shores of the sea, and no longer fear so great a
multitude of enemies—because while they keep themselves in inward contemplation, the crowd
of vices cannot gain access to them. There follows: (Verse 5.) 'And going up, they
encamped at Michmash, to the east of Beth-aven.' 10. For malign spirits to ascend is to
strive for lofty things through heavenly desire in order to deceive the hearts of the
saints. And it is well said: "They encamped at Magmas," because they dwell in those hearts
which, elevated in the lofty love of heavenly things, do not see them. For Magmas is
interpreted as "humility. But to be humbled in sacred speech is often taken as a failing
of virtue. Whence also in this same history of the Kings, Tamar, daughter of King David,
whom her brother Amnon is recorded to have violated, is said to have been humbled. She was
indeed humbled by being corrupted, because she had stood sublime as a virgin, and when she
lost the lofty summit of virginal honor, she came as it were from a high place to a flat
and lowly place (2 Kings 13). Concerning the future abasement of the proud it is also
said: "Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled" (Luke 14:11), because at the
examination of the heavenly Judge, those fall who vainly glory in the eminence of this
world. Rightly therefore are the Philistines said to pitch camp at Magmas, because through
wicked counsels demons dwell in those who do not care to hold the lofty summits of virtue.
For while they seek earthly things, they inhabit, as it were, flat and lowly places, where
invisible enemies can easily pitch their camps. Of these enemies, indeed, it is said
through the prophet: "They say to your soul:

Bow down, that we may pass over" (Isaiah 51:23). For the soul standing upright is sublime,
bowed down it is lowly, because through the height of virtues and through heavenly desire
it is raised to lofty things; but when it falls away to vices or to love of the world, it
falls to that place where the enemy, rushing in, easily tramples it. They say therefore to
your soul, "Bow down, that we may pass over," because if they do not humble it to doing or
thinking earthly things, they neither penetrate it with malign persuasions nor disturb it
with the warfare of vices. 11. From this, therefore, we can gather how far we ought to
distance ourselves from the world in deed, word, and thought. For our words, thoughts, and
works are level and lowly when they are worldly. Through these indeed we are where the
camps of hidden enemies are freely pitched, where we can be captured all the more easily
as we are raised up by no citadel of fortification. For what faithful person is now
unaware that they collect the faults of our words, thoughts, and works, and preserve them
for our accusation at the coming of the future Judge? Whence also the Lord, suggesting
that this lowly and despised place of Machmas must be fled by us, says: "Every idle word
that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment" (Matt.
12:36). The place of the enemies is therefore called lowly, so that it may indeed suggest
to us that we ought always to be exalted in word, thought, and deed. And because while the
reprobate are captured in the lowly place of their more lax life, they display examples of
depravity that are set forth for others to imitate, Machmas is said to be east of Beth-
aven. From the east indeed we see the light of the sun rise. But the life of the
reprobate, although it possesses the reality of darkness—those who nevertheless always
pursue it for the vain delight of the world are indeed deceived as if by the splendor of a
false light.

Whence also it is said through blessed Job: "Their light shall be taken from the wicked"
(Job 38:15). For now indeed the flattery of the world pleases them as something bright;
but when they depart from the world, they will enter into perpetual darkness, which they
believed to be light. Then they will see that it was not light, when prosperity is changed
into adversity, light into darkness, laughter into grief, sweetness into the worm, beauty
into deformity, honor into disgrace, flatteries into punishments and eternal torments.
Because the hearts of the wicked do not now feel these things, they refuse to imitate the
ways of the good; and by the example of the lost, they in no way fear to take up whatever
pleases them from the world, because they imitate those who through a reprobate life have
become dwelling-places of demons. Whence also they are rightly called a useless house,
because they often receive the preaching of the saints, but they in no way allow the word
which they hear from their mouth to dwell in them through love. They are therefore a
useless house, because they do not make in themselves a fitting dwelling for God. Truth
itself designates this useless house in the Gospel, saying: "Foxes have holes, and birds
of the air have nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head" (Matt. 8:20). Hence
again it is written: "The Holy Spirit of discipline will flee from the deceitful, and will
not dwell in a body subject to sins" (Wis. 1:5).

Well therefore is the useless house said to have Machmas on its eastern side, because
those who spurn the preaching of the saints rejoice in the example of the reprobate who
seek the lowest and earthly things, as if in the rising of a great light. But while the
conduct of the wicked is demonstrated through the mysteries of sacred history speaking,
how cautious the life of the saints is, is subsequently shown. For there follows: (Verse
6) "When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait, the people were afflicted, and
they hid themselves in caves, and in thickets, in rocks also, and in dens, and in
cisterns." 12. We are indeed in a narrow place when we are tempted inwardly by unclean
spirits and outwardly behold the examples of evil men. Against the internal temptation of
evil spirits, therefore, it is well said: "The people were afflicted," and against the
outward examples of ungodly men: "They hid themselves. Because the cunning adversary
suggests to us pleasant and joyful things to be desired, and he is never better conquered
than if, when tempted, we run to the laments of devout prayer. And we can more quickly
avoid the examples of the wicked if we judge that they are not even to be looked upon.
Therefore, for the saints to hide is to disdain to look upon reprobate things. And because
they guard the five senses of the body from the imitation of the reprobate, five kinds of
hiding places are also described: namely caves, hidden places, rocks, caverns, and
cisterns. Caves are indeed the hidden recesses of mountains: because the hearts of the
saints are truly lofty in heavenly desire, and are closed and inaccessible to malignant
spirits. We enter caves, therefore, when we retreat to the secrets of our minds, lest with
wandering eyes we see things to be desired outside. We are hidden in secret places when we
keep the hidden silence of a closed mouth. We ascend rocks when we place the activity of
the body in vigorous work. Whence also concerning these hiding places, it is said through
the prophet under one designation:

"He who closes his eyes lest he see evil, and stops his ears lest he hear of blood, and
shakes his hands free from every bribe: he shall dwell on high, the fortifications of
rocks shall be his lofty refuge" (Isa. 33:15). We enter caverns and cisterns when we guard
both our sense of smell from the obscenities of the world and our ears from hearing vain
talk. For cisterns of water are the words of the Holy Scriptures. We are therefore hidden
in cisterns when we enter into the waters of sacred speech, so that through the service of
our ears we may water the meadows of our minds. And rightly are hiding places mentioned in
the type of Israel as the elect: because whoever does not protect the senses of the body
from the defilement of carnal pleasures does not escape the sword of hidden enemies. Let
him therefore proclaim the victory of that hidden encounter, let him say: "The people were
afflicted. Let him openly proclaim the triumphs of the outward conflict set before them:
"They hid themselves. For the affliction of the elect mind is the deadly sword-point
against every diabolical temptation. For while it is deeply pierced with compunction, it
is raised up to the love of heavenly joy; and the more fervently it already loves the
heavenly things to which it ascends through weeping, the more strongly it now rejects the
offered pleasures of the world. For the illustrious teacher says: "Through many
tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:21).

This entrance into the heavenly kingdom is certainly hoped for at the end of time in such
a way that it is also experienced in the daily life of the saints. Our tribulation,
therefore, is the entrance to heavenly joy. Rightly, therefore, as often as the elect mind
is pierced with compunction in the lament of its affliction, by afflicting itself it
obtains this: that it enters into the contemplation of that heavenly kingdom, in which it
may ineffably rejoice. And while holy men flee from seeing the lovers of the world in the
flower of passing joy, while they hide their bodily senses from the imitation of them,
what is seen in their case is not flight but glorious victory. They flee indeed from
earthly activities, but they attain heavenly ones; they seem to hide from the world, but
they are revealed to heavenly glory. Therefore, by fleeing from harmful things, they more
powerfully pursue their enemies, and they triumph far more nobly, since they so hasten
toward heavenly things that the polluted savagery of their adversaries does not touch
them. There follows: (Verse 7. "But the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan to the land of Gad
and Gilead."

13. If indeed we first wish to understand this according to the letter, these Hebrews are
understood to have been both terrified with fear and to have fled to their enemies. For
not long after, in Jonathan's open victory, it is written: 'The Hebrews who had been with
the Philistines yesterday and the day before and had gone up with them into the camp
turned back to be with Israel, who were with Saul and Jonathan' (1 Sam. 14:21). But what
is signified by this event, except what we observe happening daily in the holy Church:
that the life of the good is safe and most cautious, while that of the negligent is
reckless impatience? They are indeed weak yet bold, eager for the affairs of the world,
but feeble for enduring the war of temptation. And if we examine our own affairs in this
regard, very many such people are found in monasteries. They dwell indeed in the calm of
the harbor, but they by no means consider the storms of the open sea and the whirlwinds of
tempests. And when they esteem themselves to be acting as mighty men outside, they go out
readily to the most grievous battles of temptations—powerless against strong adversaries.
Improvident indeed in reason, weak in strength: just as they do not understand the deceits
of cunning temptation, so also they do not escape the open snares of enticements. They
therefore cross the Jordan, because they are bent toward committing the shameful deeds of
the flesh. Jordan is indeed interpreted as "their descent.

Those therefore who abandon justice fall from the high mountain of virtues. Because
therefore each of the weak willingly desires the enticements of the world which they see,
in their type the Hebrews are said not to have been carried across the Jordan, but to
cross the Jordan. To cross over is indeed the act of one who wills it. Therefore those
cross the Jordan who are turned toward carnal pleasures by voluntary and hasty
deliberation. Moreover, those can be understood to cross the Jordan who newly begin to
sin, but by sinning surpass the wickedness of other sinful men. For they would reach the
level of their descent by stopping there, not by crossing beyond, if they committed evils
equal to others and did not surpass them by daring. And because they find their equals
even in a more wicked life, they are rightly said to arrive at the land of Gad and Gilead,
across the Jordan. For they dwell as it were across the Jordan who through the habit of
sinning become worse than the wicked. To raise up sinners from this descent of guilt, he
had come of whom it is written: 'He came into all the region of the Jordan, preaching the
baptism of repentance for the remission of sins' (Luke 3:3). He who had come to preach
repentance for all sins is declared to have come into all the regions of descent. There
follows: (Verses 7–9.) 'And while Saul was still in Gilgal, all the people who followed
him were terrified.

He waited seven days according to the appointment with Samuel, and Samuel did not come to
Gilgal, and the people slipped away from him. Therefore Saul said: Bring me the burnt
offering and the peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering.' 14. Up to this
point, because the divine word has spoken about Saul as chosen and good, as was said
above, it seemed reasonable that what was said about him should be taken in a good sense,
both historically and morally. But now, because we have come to the place of his
transgression, it is certainly necessary that we also see in him the things that are to be
avoided. But what ought ever to have seemed more carefully to be avoided by all the elect
than the evil of pride and disobedience? For this cast down the sublimity of the first
angel; this laid low the glory of the lost spirits. This took away happiness from the
first man; this brought on the perpetual miseries of human captivity. And behold, to the
first angel and the first man, the first king of the chosen people is joined through
disobedience, so that while the great fall, the least may be raised up. For we are rightly
raised up if we both observe their falls and avoid them. Therefore, where Saul fell must
be carefully considered. For Samuel had said to him above: "You shall go down before me to
Gilgal. I indeed will come down to you, so that you may offer a holocaust and an oblation,
and sacrifice peace offerings. You shall wait seven days until I come to you, and I will
show you what you are to do" (1 Kings 10:20). He fell through disobedience, therefore,
because he did not wait the full seven days, as he had been commanded. For in the same
place it is immediately added: (Verse 10.) "And when he had finished offering the
holocaust, behold, Samuel was arriving."

15. In this passage it must be considered with a trembling heart how, by neglecting to
wait for the briefest time, he was rejected. "When he had completed the burnt offering,"
it says, "behold, Samuel was coming. If therefore he had waited for him only for the very
briefest interval of time during which he offered the burnt offering, he could have
securely obtained the strength of his kingdom. And so if the punishment is so great when a
prophet is despised, what do we think is incurred from that ocean of divine judgment when
the divine precepts themselves are disregarded? And because the delight of the flesh
passes in a moment, and every commission of sins, and indeed the hour of transgression is
brief, yet the punishment for the crime is not brief; because while we raise up the
kingdom of sin in ourselves for a moment, we lose those kingdoms of all ages. For
immediately after sin the prophetic word comes to rebuke — which would have been present,
had we not sinned, to strengthen us in good. Indeed a polluted conscience now has the
divine word against it; which, if it had avoided being polluted, aided by it and upheld,
would have stood firm by its own strength. For what else does it spiritually signify to us
when it is said: "And when he had completed offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel
was coming"? Even if he had not offered the burnt offering, Samuel would have come
nonetheless.

So indeed when we are tempted, divine grace is near to help those who endure; near also is
divine justice to condemn those who fail. Whence Sacred Scripture, exhorting us to wait,
says: "If the spirit of one having power rises against you, do not quickly abandon your
place" (Eccles. 10:4). Hence the prophet, testifying, says: "The Lord is my helper, and
therefore I am not confounded" (Isa. 50:7). Hence the Psalmist, looking to those same
nearby aids, says: "I set the Lord always in my sight, for He is at my right hand, that I
may not be moved" (Ps. 15:8). But let us now hear what the prophet says to the one who did
not wait, and what he who was unwilling to wait answers: (Verse 11. And Samuel spoke to
him: "What have you done?" 16. The prophet indeed knew what he had done, but by asking, he
was reproving the act of disobedience. Hence also to Adam sinning in paradise, the Lord
says: "Adam, where are you? (Gen. 3:9). The magnitude of the guilt can also be conveyed
through this question — as if he were saying openly: Does it seem a small thing to you
that you sinned by disobeying? Rather, by sinning you fell from the lofty summit of your
glory. Now therefore, many within the holy Church bury themselves in shameful deeds, and
are unconcerned, as though they were losing nothing or only trifles. Let it therefore be
said to the one who has fallen, let it be said: "What have you done? Does it seem a small
thing to you that you have defiled yourself with the filth of sin, since you pay no
attention to the glory of eternity you have lost or the punishment of hell you have
deserved? The sinner is indeed asked what he has done, so that he may be led back to his
heart through lamentation, so that he may know he has brought great things upon himself
and may not grieve too little. But because the very fault of disobedience is born from the
root of pride, the disobedient are accustomed to hear the magnitude of their guilt from
rebuking teachers, but not to make satisfaction by humbly confessing. For since they
desire to appear exalted, they disdain to reveal their falls;

and therefore they bring forth excuses and put forward claims of righteousness, because
they are ashamed to appear as sinners. Therefore what follows is fittingly added: (Verses
11–12. Saul answered: "Because I saw that the people were slipping away from me, and you
had not come within the appointed days, and moreover the Philistines had gathered at
Michmash, I said: Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not
entreated the face of the Lord. Compelled by necessity, I offered the burnt offering." 17.
Behold, he who is accused of the recklessness of a great transgression is not afraid to
assert great reasons of justice. "I saw," he says, "that the people were slipping away
from me." Here he asserts that he was abandoned by the people. "Furthermore, you had not
come within the appointed days." Here he shows himself cheated of the prophet's promise.
"Furthermore, the Philistines had gathered at Michmash." Here he likewise brings up the
imminent danger of battle. Therefore, drawing a conclusion from his own action, he says:
"Compelled by necessity, I offered the burnt offering." As if to say: You accuse me of a
great offense, when the offense is so much lighter inasmuch as it was committed not from
recklessness but from necessity. But what the prophet recognizes him to be—he who was
unwilling to recognize himself—he adds, saying: (Verse 13.) "You have acted foolishly, and
you have not kept the commandments of the Lord your God."

18. All the proud, because through their swelling they consider themselves to be above
other men, are fittingly rebuked when the divine will is set before them, which they
offend. Saul therefore is rebuked in the manner of the proud, who is said to have despised
the commandments of the Lord his God. This is as if one should frighten the proud and
contemptuous man, saying: Even if you despise men, now it is not the counsel of men, but
the commandments of the Lord your God that you have scattered. Rightly therefore do you
weigh your guilt, if you consider with a trembling heart Him whom you despise. And it
should be noted that he does not say: "You have not kept the commandments of your God," or
"the commandments of your Lord," but: "You have not kept the commandments of the Lord your
God." As if he were openly saying: It would be a daring of great transgression if He whose
commandments you despise were only your Lord and not also your God. How great then is what
is committed when the commandments of God and Lord are neglected? Because likewise he did
not say "of the Lord my God" or "of the Lord our God," he convicts him of having offended
the grace of divine intimacy. As if he were saying: You have despised the precepts of Him
who, when He raised you up from the lowest place, when He set you over others, when He
made you king, through the bestowal of such great gifts, was, as it were, specially yours.
Still further it is added, from which his audacity of transgression is shown to be even
greater: (Verse 13.) "Which," he says, "He commanded to you."

19. Finally, certain commandments of God are common to all, not special to some.
Therefore, in order to convict the bold defendant of his recklessness by an open
accusation, he demonstrates that he despised not the common commandments, but his own and
particular ones. "Which," he says, "he commanded to you." As if to say: You despised those
commandments of your God and Lord which you ought to have observed not as common to all,
but as your own, and entrusted singularly to you alone. But he sets forth what he
deserves, saying: (Verses 13, 14.) "For if you had not done this, the Lord would have
already established your kingdom over Israel forever, but it shall by no means rise
again." 20. Behold how great were the things he lost, who, as he supposed, despised
nothing. Behold, for seven days he waited for the prophet; but when he ceased to await him
at the end of the day, he lost the glory of so great a dignity. Whence it is also said
through the prophet: 'Woe to those who have lost patience' (Sirach 2:16). Indeed, those
lose patience who do not bring to completion the good things they have begun. To whom
assuredly woe is pronounced: because they not only lose the reward of the labor they
began, but are also struck with the punishment of their apostasy. Moreover, the punishment
of the proud and disobedient king is declared when it is said: 'If you had not done this,
the Lord would already have prepared your kingdom over Israel from now and forever; but it
shall not stand.' From now and forever the kingdom is prepared for the elect: because
those who rightly order temporal things prepare for themselves the height of eternal
glory. Indeed, the kingdom of the elect is prepared now, when through divine grace their
ministries are rightly administered. Which advances from now and forever: because from the
lofty action of this present time, they merit that still loftier glory of eternity in
heaven. And so finally it is said to the reprobate king: 'Your kingdom shall by no means
stand any longer.' As if to say: Since he falls short of temporal righteousness, he does
not attain to the height of eternity.

Or for this reason it is said literally that it shall not stand: because it fell with him,
and after him it did not remain in his sons. But, so that he may be struck with the
punishment of envy, he is compelled to hear not only his own rejection, but also the
election of another. For the prophet, continuing, says: (Verse 14) 'The Lord has sought
for Himself a man after His own heart, and has commanded him to be leader over His people
Israel.' 21. By all these words the proud man is struck down: "He sought," it says, "a man
after His own heart." As if to say: He sought him for that reason, because you were
unwilling to be according to His heart. As if to say: He appointed such a man as leader of
His people, one who would carry out the command of divine counsel with the virtue of
devotion. For since we are accustomed to deliberate in our heart about the things we wish
to do, when by the usage of our speech the heart of God is spoken of in sacred Scripture,
His inmost will is signified by it, which is then recognized by us outwardly when the
commands of disobedience are revealed. But we are close to it when we both recognize it
through understanding and guard it through love. Rightly, therefore, the prophet Samuel
says of the Lord: "He sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and He commanded him
to be a leader over His people." Because he profitably commands others who already knows
how to obey God perfectly; who commands only that which proceeds from the counsel of the
inmost truth.

22. But what does it mean that it is said as if of the past: "The Lord sought for Himself
a man, and commanded him to be a leader," when he had not yet been sought, nor had it been
enjoined upon him to preside over His people? For after Saul struck Amalek, the Lord said
to that same prophet: "Fill your horn with oil, and come, I will send you to Jesse the
Bethlehemite" (1 Sam. 16:1). But this question is easily resolved if the foreknowledge and
predestination of Almighty God are considered. For to Him, to predestine is to do, and
those things which have been preordained by Him to be done are already done in His sight.
Whence it is also written of Him: "He has done the things that are to come" (Isa. 45:11,
according to the LXX). But God is said to have sought a man so that a pattern for choosing
bishops might be set before men. For we are accustomed to seek things that we either do
not recognize when present or do not see when absent. But God, from whom nothing is
absent, nothing hidden, is not said to have sought a man as one absent or concealed;
rather, He is said to have sought so that it might be taught that everyone who is chosen
for the summit of the holy Church must be examined by men.

But he must be sought according to God's heart, so that he may not only understand the
divine will but also demonstrate it through good works. Because likewise chosen men do not
come to the honor of primacy out of ambition but are led to it under compulsion, it is
well said: "And He commanded him to be a leader. As if to say: He did not enter the honor
of prelacy through ambition but ascended under compulsion. "Man" can also be understood as
referring to fortitude, and "according to God's heart" as referring to interior charity.
Therefore, when necessity demands, let a man be sought for the care of the holy Church who
is strong in his manner of life; let him be sought according to God's heart, so that
through the effect of great love he may be, as it were, united to the divine will; let him
be commanded to be a leader, so that he may not aspire to ascend the rank of high office
out of desire but may fear it out of humility — and thus, humble, may fear for himself, so
that he may more devoutly recognize that he must submit to the command of God. But because
with these words the prophet had rebuked the life of the fallen king, there follows:
(Verse 15. "And Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin."

23. As if from a height to level ground, the teacher of holy Church comes when he rebukes
the faults of sinners, and bends the loftiness of his station when he humbles himself
through the affection of charity to examine the crimes of the wicked. Rightly therefore it
is said of him who had reproved the sinner: 'He arose, and went up.' For the chosen
preacher rises when he raises himself by intention to the height of his spiritual way of
life; and he ascends when he arrives at the lofty eminence of that same life through
habitual practice. Heavenly desires, spiritual virtues, and good works are on high;
earthly affections, worldly lusts, vices, and sins are in the depths below. But the
teacher, in order to properly correct the fallen, first discovers their faults by
examining them, then strikes those he has found. Therefore, so that he may clearly and
openly see what he is to strike, he bends the eyes of his mind to see the deep wounds of
sinners. But he does not strike what he has perceived unless he descends to touch those
things in the depths. Therefore the prophet is said to rise and ascend, because the chosen
teachers so come down to see and amend our lowly state that they never forget to return at
once to the heights of their way of life. By these words also the freedom of the priestly
spirit is affirmed. For many rebuke others while they disturb themselves with a most
violent war of anger.

But after having rebuked faults, they are unable to rise and ascend, because being
troubled within themselves, they are by no means permitted to advance to the heights of
inner peace. Some hear about the shameful deeds of others that must be restrained; but
when they have descended to contemplate the depths, they are defiled by a harmful delight
in them. Weak indeed and unequal to so great a ministry, while they eagerly seek to loose
the knots of others below, they do not free them but bind themselves. What then does it
signify that it is said of Samuel, 'He arose, and went up', except what we observe in more
perfect men, who so look upon our defilements that they are in no way soiled by them; who
so grow angry with us that they can quickly ascend to the heights of their inner secret
peace? For they are strong and powerful, and those who bear their own great and mighty
burdens lightly are not weighed down by our weaknesses. And because in our correction they
bring forth the testimonies of holy Scripture, they are said to rise from Gilgal and
ascend. Gilgal indeed, as I have already said many times, is translated as "wheel. But the
testimonies of the Scriptures, because they revolve through various senses in our
instruction, are like wheels. And because when holy preachers leave behind the care of
their subjects, they are elevated in the contemplation of eternal life, Samuel is said to
ascend to Gibeah of Benjamin.

Gibeah of Benjamin is interpreted as "the hill of the son of the right hand. Who then is
the son of the right hand, except Him whom the holy Gospels confess ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God the Father? The hill of the son of the right hand,
therefore, is the eternal loftiness of the Redeemer. For when holy preachers leave behind
our lowly state, they rise by intention to those lofty divine heights of the Redeemer, and
ascend by contemplation. 24. This which is said, "He arose and went up," can also be
understood more simply according to the historical sense: namely, that he did not find in
the king whom he had rebuked the humility of repentance by which he might have been
compelled to remain. Nevertheless, the same king is left in his office so that he might be
corrected by the prophet's very separation from him; because very often those whom the
words of a preacher do not correct are struck with fear at being separated from the
fellowship of preachers or from the unity of Holy Church. In the presence of preachers
they are hard, but once separated they come to their senses; and those who sinned by
disobeying now humbly prepare to obey God. Hence, not long after, King Saul is commanded
to destroy the Amalekites, so that if he carried out the Lord's command in the slaughter
of that nation, he might untie the knot of his former disobedience (1 Kings 15). Separated
indeed from the prophet, he was seen to have done such things that he might be commanded
to do others. Therefore it is also added: (Verse 15.) And the rest of the people went up
after Saul to meet the people who were fighting against them, going from Gilgal to Gibeah
of Benjamin.

25. Some fall into sin in such a way that they are held fast by no good work; but some,
when they recall that they have committed evils, strive more earnestly to do good works.
For by doing good, they cover the evils they leave behind, lest these be judged when
uncovered by the eternal Judge. Indeed, if we interpret this deed of Saul in a favorable
sense, we find this: that he who previously in the matter of the sacrifice, out of fear,
despised the prophet's commands, afterward hastened to crush the adversaries of God's
people, those whom he had feared. In this passage it should also be noted that he whom the
prophet abandoned went up from Gilgal to face the wars of the enemies. For the just
severity of preachers casts off many sinners, whom nevertheless the divine remembrance
does not abandon. They lose the consolations and exhortations of their rulers on account
of their faults, but they consult the sacred Scriptures, they resume their purpose; and
those who had lain as if fallen through the evil of disobedience, raised up through the
fervor of obedience, advance to the wars against hidden enemies. Rightly therefore they
are recorded as coming from Gilgal, that is, from "wheels": because from the holy
Scriptures they receive that by which they can powerfully crush the warfare of the
opposing side. But because they strive by conquering to recover the height of their lost
way of life, they are said to ascend to Gibeah of Benjamin.

Because likewise some had shut themselves in hiding places, others had fled to the
enemies, the remaining people are those who were terrified by no fear, but hasten with
their king to the place of assembly. This we see even now in the Church: because indeed
many, as if little ones, propose to advance through the pursuit of the private life, while
many who are strong are bold even in the open combats of the malignant enemy, so that they
openly see the allurements of the world, which might attract them, but they despise what
they have seen and refuse to desire it. These indeed stand not in hiding places, but on
the field of open combat, exposed to battle, strong for triumph, who are able to fight and
cannot be overcome. Whence they are also designated by a perfect number, when it is added:
(Verse 15) "And Saul numbered the people who were found with him, about six hundred men."

26. For the week is completed in seven days, but one of them is forbidden for work, while
six are granted for the pursuit of good work. Moreover, the number one hundred contains
the sum total of numbers. In six hundred men, therefore, who else are designated but those
who are strong in work and in the deliberation of the heart? For some propose mighty
things, but because they do not do what they propose, they do not reach the number of six
hundred men. In six hundred men, therefore, the strong workers of Holy Church are
designated, because they propose great things, and they fulfill the rigor of their
resolution with the strength of good action. They are rightly said to have been found with
the king, because they agree with the pastors of Holy Church in good will and in pious
action. For they are with those from whom they differ neither in will nor disagree in
action. They are said to agree in such a way that the dignity of preachers is felt to
excel; because even if subjects will and do the same good as preachers, nevertheless those
are preeminent in that same good whose virtue of soul is more ardent and whose effort of
action is more robust, just as their rank is higher. For this reason it is said separately
of the king and his son: (Verse 16.) And Saul, and Jonathan. For why are the king and his
son named separately, unless because the action of a good bishop is clearly singular? And
because there is not a uniform equality among all faithful subjects, there follows: (Verse
16.) And the people who were found in Gibeah of Benjamin.

27. It has been sufficiently repeated that Gibeah is interpreted as "hill. A hill,
however, is not the summit itself, but an elevation of the mountains near to the summit.
What is understood by this hill, if not the high and perfect life of faithful subjects?
This life, although it may not be equal to the loftiness of preachers, is nevertheless
clearly seen to be sublime far above the merits of others. Hence also concerning certain
chief elect ones it is read in the Apocalypse: "No one could sing the canticle except
those one hundred forty-four thousand" (Rev. 14:3). And demonstrating more clearly who
they are, he says: "These are they who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins,
and they follow the Lamb wherever he goes. Therefore, when spiritual battles are
described, the people found in Gibeah of Benjamin are specifically recounted, because the
choir of virgins is all the more violent against the ferocity of unclean spirits, the more
they are wounded by none of their blows and polluted by no filth of their suggestion. Free
indeed and whole, they are ready for the encounter, strong for the strike. Are not those
on the hill the sons of the right hand, whom the beloved of Jesus regards for the merit of
their integrity, saying: "I saw upon Mount Zion the Lamb standing, and with him one
hundred forty-four thousand"? (Rev. 14:1. But unless they were exceedingly strong, they
could by no means ascend, wearied, to such a height.

Likewise, unless they were free from all thoughts, they would be unable to run everywhere
after the Lamb. Therefore, because every virgin is admirable in the triumph of hidden
combat, when the order of battle is described, under the type of the people of Gibeah, the
special dignity of virginity is commemorated. There follows: (Verses 16–18. Now the
Philistines had gone up to Michmash. And three companies went out from the camp of the
Philistines to plunder: one company was heading toward the road of Ephraim, to the land of
Shual; another was entering by the road of Beth-horon; and the third turned toward the
road of the border in the land of Sheba, overlooking the valley of Zeboim, toward the
desert. 28. What does it mean that the Philistines form three companies, except that evil
spirits strive to introduce wicked things into our heart, tongue, and deed? For since
every sin is committed by thinking, or speaking, or doing, the three companies of the
Philistines signify this: that evil spirits are eager to drive souls to sin through
negligence of the heart, unbridledness of the mouth, and boldness of perverse deed. Hence
the first company is said to advance against the way of Ephraim, because they begin by
assaulting innocence from the heart. For the way of Ephraim, that is, of the fruitful
heart, is good thought. Against the way of Ephraim, therefore, the first company of the
Philistines advances, because the hidden adversaries, if they do not first remove the
practice of good thought from the mind, cannot succeed in uprooting the fruits of its
virtues. They come therefore against the way of Ephraim when they lay ambush against good
thought, by which way it is said to lead to the land of Saul. For what else is the mind of
the chosen disciple but the very fruitful land of the teacher? Hence the Lord also,
explaining the parable of the seeds in the Gospel, says: "That which fell on good ground,
these are they who receive the word in a good and excellent heart, and bring forth fruit
with patience" (Luke 8:15).

It is said therefore of the first company of the Philistines, "They advanced against the
way of Ephraim," so that while we grasp the spiritual sense of the text, we may block the
entrance of evil spirits to our thoughts. But while we fortify the heart, we are compelled
equally to restrain the tongue from superfluous speech. Hence the second company is said
to enter by the way of Beth-horon; for Beth-horon is interpreted as "house of wrath. The
house of wrath is the mind that serves the use of a quarrelsome tongue. This house that
wise man certainly suggests, who says: "Anger rests in the bosom of a fool" (Ecclesiastes
7:9). Through this indeed enemies enter the heart of the fool, because evil spirits, while
they loose the tongue to unbridled words, kindle wrath and strike at the mutual charity of
the faithful. He therefore who has learned to guard against harmful thoughts, if he does
not know how to keep watch over his mouth, has overcome the assault of one company but has
not escaped that of another. The third company turned itself toward the way of the border.
What is the end of thought and word, except the completion of good work? For we think and
speak good things for this reason, that we may bring them to the completion of good work.
But when the ancient enemy cannot prevail in harming through words and thoughts, he
stretches his snares toward the end, and seeks to nullify or hinder the good work of the
faithful.

What is the way of the border, except the pursuit of good work? Because therefore evil
spirits strive with many ambushes so that the pursuit of good work may be abandoned, the
third company is said to turn toward the way of the border. In this border the end of our
life can also be understood. The company turns toward the way of the border because the
enemy strives to interrupt good work, lest it be carried through to the end of life. Hence
the Psalmist also, expressing in himself the weeping of those who have fallen, says: "They
have spread cords as a snare for my feet; beside the way they have set stumbling blocks
for me" (Psalm 139:6). A stumbling block is indeed placed beside the way, so that the good
works of the elect may be abandoned before the completion of this life. 29. But what does
he mean when he says: "In the land of Sheba, overlooking the valley of Zeboim toward the
desert"? These names of places are set down to designate the position of the boundary he
had mentioned. Now Sheba in our language means "captive," and Zeboim means "gazelles. But
what is this captive, if not human nature, which was placed in paradise and is now bound
to this world to endure the hardships of this mortality? And what is the land of this
captive, if not the pilgrimage of temporal life? Rightly, therefore, when the wedge is
said to turn, the land of the captive is mentioned: because malign spirits can wage war
against us in this land of our pilgrimage, but in that other life of ours they cannot. But
although the present manner of life of the elect is placed in this exile of captivity, if
it perfectly keeps the path of the boundary, after the straits of this boundary it arrives
at the height of immortality. Hence the boundaries of this land are said to overlook the
valley of Zeboim, that is, of the gazelles. For the valley of the gazelles is the precious
death of the saints: because from where they are laid low by dying, from there they are
raised up to eternal joys. Who does not know that gazelles are swift animals and make
great leaps?

Rightly, therefore, do gazelles designate the dignity of holy souls, which in death
abandon their bodies but, as if making great leaps, ascend through immense merits to the
kingdoms above. Let him say, therefore, that the boundary of the land of the captive
overlooks the valley of Zeboim: because even though the human condition is condemned, it
is nevertheless so exalted in the Son of God that when it is led to the boundary of
temporal life, it is given over in death so that it may be raised to the height of eternal
life. Let him say, therefore: "The third wedge turned itself toward the path of the
boundary in the land of the captive, which overlooks the valley of the gazelles"—so that
he may assert that malign spirits strive to pervert these final goods of the elect, so
that they may not ascend to the joys above. This valley is also said to be situated
opposite the desert. What is understood by the name of desert in this place, if not hell?
For it is rightly understood as a desert where none of the elect is found. It is also
called a desert because no consolations from hardships are felt there. Therefore the
valley of the gazelles is said to be situated opposite the desert: because the death of
the saints is entirely different from the deserts of hell, and has nothing fitting or
worthy of the punishments of hell. There follows: (Verses 20, 21. Furthermore, no
blacksmith was found in all the land of Israel.

For the Philistines had taken precaution lest the Hebrews should make a sword or a lance.
Therefore all Israel went down to the Philistines, so that each one might sharpen his
plowshare, his mattock, his axe, and his hoe. 30. All these things are indeed described so
that the manner of the victory that followed might be made clear. For armed men were
conquered by the unarmed, so that everything that is overcome might be attributed to the
praises of Almighty God. But if we pursue these things spiritually in our customary
manner, we will not find them devoid of mysteries. What then does it mean when it says:
"No blacksmith was found in Israel," except that for spiritual battles we are instructed
not through secular letters but through divine ones? For no blacksmith is found in Israel
because the faithful who see the Lord do not fight against malign spirits by the art of
secular knowledge. For they would conquer aided by the blacksmith's art if they prevailed
against hidden enemies by the weapons of secular eloquence. And indeed this learning of
secular books, even if by itself it does not benefit the spiritual conflict of the saints,
when it is joined to divine Scripture, one is more subtly instructed in the knowledge of
that same Scripture. Liberal arts are to be learned for this purpose alone: that through
instruction in them the divine utterances may be understood more subtly. From the hearts
of some, malign spirits remove the desire for learning, so that they neither know secular
things nor reach the heights of spiritual things. Therefore it is rightly said: "The
Philistines had taken care lest the Hebrews should make sword or spear.

The demons clearly know that when we are instructed in secular letters, we are aided in
spiritual matters. When therefore they dissuade us from learning these things, what else
do they guard against except that we might make a spear or sword? Let the prophet
therefore declare the history and make known the zeal of the elect, and let him explain:
"Israel went down to the Philistines so that each might sharpen his plowshare or his hoe.
We go down to the Philistines when we incline our mind to learning secular books. And it
is called a descent because Christian simplicity is on high. But what does it mean that
secular letters are said to be on the plain, yet their manner of teaching is lofty?
Because although they narrate nothing heavenly, they unfold what they set forth in a
marvelous order of speech, and they are elevated by their narration, yet brought low by
speaking of carnal things. Whoever desires to know this manner of speaking or
understanding, let him go down to the Philistines, let him sharpen plowshare and hoe, so
that he who strives to be thoroughly instructed by their eloquence may be brought low even
to hearing the carnal things of the secular writers. Almighty God indeed set this secular
knowledge on the plain before us so that it might make for us a step of ascent that ought
to lift us to the heights of divine Scripture.

For this reason He willed it to come first, so that in it He might instruct us to pass
over to spiritual things. Hence Moses, who gave us the beginnings of the divine
utterances, did not first learn divine things, but so that he might be able to grasp or
express divine things, he first formed his untrained mind in all the knowledge of the
Egyptians. Isaiah also proved more eloquent than the other prophets, because he was not,
like Jeremiah, from Anathoth, nor, like Amos, a herdsman, but was nobly educated and
urbane. Paul too, the vessel of election, was first instructed at the feet of Gamaliel
before he was caught up into paradise or raised to the height of the third heaven (Acts
22). And perhaps for this reason he excelled the other apostles in teaching: because he
who was destined for heavenly things first diligently learned earthly ones.

31. But now, as I think, the properties of rural implements must be examined spiritually.
What then is indicated by the plowshare, which is drawn by oxen going before, if not the
affection of twofold charity? And what is shown by the hoe, with which each person alone
labors in the cultivation of a field, if not the pursuit of the private life? For certain
wealthy and strong farmers plow with oxen: because they both love the Lord mightily and,
through brotherly love, attend more diligently to the gain of souls. They therefore
sharpen the plowshare at the smiths of the Philistines: because they compose the pursuit
of holy preaching from secular learning. But some, being poor, use the hoe: because those
who judge themselves unable to suffice for winning the souls of others do not cease to
prepare for themselves alone what they can regarding eternity. Each of them uses, as it
were, a hoe: because they do not cease to prepare the field of their mind for divine
worship. And because in this pursuit of the private life secular learning is also greatly
profitable to them, one sharpens the hoe while being taught: because a learned person in
the pursuit of his own life attends to everything more keenly. With the axe, however, we
do not dig the earth but cut off the branches of trees. What then does the axe signify, if
not the zeal of good emulation?

For when we are kindled to imitate the examples of better persons, we cut branches for
ourselves, as it were, with which to feed a fire for driving away the chills of our
negligence. The Apostle Paul commands us to hold this axe, saying: "Be zealous for good in
all things" (Gal. 4:18). This axe is indeed sharpened: because learned believers, just as
they better recognize the examples of the faithful, so also they more fervently desire to
imitate them. The weeding-fork or trident digs the earth more finely, so that it is
understood not so much to dig as to scrape and break up clods. What is expressed by this
three-pronged weeding-fork, if not the virtue of discernment? By which, certainly, when we
examine things done or to be done with subtle consideration, we level the clods of our
land, as it were, into fine dust for sowing. This weeding-fork is indeed declared to be
three-pronged, because the power of discernment arranges not only what is to be done, but
also what is to be thought and spoken. It clears away all harmful things from the hand,
the heart, and the tongue, so that the seed which we commit to the soil of our mind may
bear abundant fruit. Fittingly therefore it is said: "All Israel went down to the
Philistines, so that each might sharpen his plowshare, his hoe, his axe, and his weeding-
fork": because the affection of twofold charity, the pursuit of the private life, and the
examples of another's perfection we read in sacred eloquence;

but we who are ignorant of secular knowledge are unable to penetrate the depth of that
same sacred eloquence. Whence also, adding reasonably, he says: (Verse 21. "Therefore the
edges of the plowshares, and hoes, and axes, and tridents were blunted, until the goad
needed correcting." 32. The edges are not said to be bent back or worn down, but blunted.
For if they were bent back or worn down, they would cut nothing at all. But a blunted
edge, even if it does not quickly cut through everything, does cut certain things placed
before it with the delay of labor. So indeed are the hearts of the simple, which, if they
do not subtly understand spiritual things, yet because they slowly understand certain
things, possess a sharpness of mind that is not keen but blunted. For often they wish to
examine obscure matters; but while they scarcely arrive, even at those things which are
plain, by long thinking, they cut as if with a blunted edge by lingering. This is
certainly shown not only in the hidden mysteries of the Scriptures, but also in the
concealed suggestions of demons. For they cannot drive the enemy from themselves whom they
cannot quickly recognize. Therefore, while with great delay of thought they expel the
snares of evil suggestion, they cut as if with a blunted edge what they could have severed
more swiftly through keenness of mind. But what does it mean when it says: "To the
sharpening of the goad"? The goad is called the rebuke of prelates. Whence it is also
written: "The words of the wise are as goads" (Eccl. 12:11). The goad is indeed called a
rebuke, because while it reproves faults, it pricks the mind.

But the goad is blunted when the understanding of the prelate is weak, so that he neither
discovers the faults of his subjects by recognizing them nor rebukes them upon finding
them. Rightly therefore is the rebuke of a ruler declared to be a goad, because it cannot
prevail to prick the swellings of vices if his mind, educated through knowledge, does not
see what ought to be pricked. Whence also, in the type of learned prelates, it is
fittingly added: (Verse 22. "And when the day of battle had come, there was neither sword
nor spear found in the hand of all the people who were with Saul and Jonathan, except for
Saul and Jonathan his son." 33. What is understood by the lance, if not the keen foresight
of the holy preachers? And what is shown by the sword, if not the subtlety of their
understanding? For by the lance we pierce through things set before us at a distance. But
by the sword, enemies near and almost joined to us are slain. Rightly therefore in the
lance the foresight of the elect is shown, by which they strike hidden enemies before they
suffer their nearby assault. For while they anticipate by guarding against the future
ambushes of demons, they strike as if with a lance from afar those whose nearby blows they
are unwilling to receive. Whence also the blessed apostle Paul, when he discerned the
armed spirits of fornication from afar, held conjugal chastity as a lance and did not
permit them to approach nearer, saying: 'Because of fornication, let each man have his own
wife, and each woman her own husband. Let the husband render to the wife her due, and
likewise the wife to the husband' (1 Cor. 7:2). And again: 'Come together again, lest
Satan tempt you because of your incontinence' (ibid. 5). Hence also concerning himself he
says: 'I chastise my body and bring it into subjection, lest preaching to others, I myself
should become a castaway' (1 Cor. 9:27). For he who had chastised his body lest he become
a castaway was surely piercing with a lance his enemies positioned at some distance before
him.

The foresight of abstinence for taming the lust of the flesh is therefore taken as a
lance, by which approaching enemies are struck. Rightly also understanding is expressed by
the sword, because whoever recognizes and rejects the wicked suggestions of the evil
spirit in the present time strikes, as it were, an enemy nearby and placed right next to
him. He also cuts as if with a sword sharpened on both edges, because he condemns both
false goods and true evils. But what does it mean that the sword is said to be in the hand
of Saul and Jonathan? They are not in the hand of those who keenly understand things near
and present and foresee future things, yet do not exercise their strength to destroy them.
They openly know that the ancient enemy casts down the greatest part of the human race
through the power of the flesh into fornication, yet they do not take care to chastise the
flesh through abstinence. So also some clearly see present evils but make no effort
whatsoever to avoid them. These indeed have sword and lance, but do not have them in hand.
Rightly therefore on the day of battle the sword and lance are found in the hand of Saul
and Jonathan, because only the elect are those who both understand present and future
evils and more ardently desire to overcome them with the intention of the heart.

Yet this is said in this place so that the people may be shown to have held nothing in
hand, who are shown to hold plowshares, hoes, axes, and weeding hooks. For by these words
the elect are not distinguished from the reprobate, but the dull from the skilled. But
since we have now shown the armed men, let us explain the manner of the contest. There
follows:


COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS (BOOK FIVE, CHAPTER 5.4 (1 SAMUEL 14:1))
============================================================

COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS continued

CHAPTER 5.4 (1 SAMUEL 14:1)

The garrison of the Philistines went out to go up to Machmas, and it happened one day that
Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man his armor-bearer: Come, and let us cross
over to the garrison of the Philistines, which is beyond that place. 1. The station of the
Philistines goes forth when the throng of evil spirits is revealed to the minds of the
elect through harmful suggestions. It is indeed called a station for this reason: because
the wars of the elect are being described. For to stand, for malignant spirits, is to
exert great forces in the battle of the elect. For anyone can strive to accomplish
something more powerfully by standing than by sitting. Therefore the station of the
Philistines is said to have gone forth, so that the effort of the demons in our war may be
openly understood. And because they think of crushing the faithful as though they were
inferior and lesser than themselves, going forth they prepare to ascend to Machmas. Or
they eagerly desire to ascend to Machmas when they strive by tempting to deceive the
hearts of the little ones. But the elect preachers, when they perceive the tempted hearts
of their subjects, do not delay in bringing aid. They place some as it were in safety, and
lead others with them to endure the dangers of wars. What does it mean that the armor-
bearer is led to battle, except that subjects instructed through knowledge are to be
advanced to victory in interior conflicts? For some know the art of medicine who lack the
experience of healing: so indeed in the holy Church there are some who have learned the
art of interior combat, but have not yet been brought to the pressing necessities of
actual conflicts.

They hear of great men fighting, but the battles which the great endure magnificently they
know by hearing, not by proven strength. Such indeed are those who are invited to imitate
the footsteps of the Redeemer. "Whoever wishes," he says, "to come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow me" (Matt. 16:24). Now the arms of Jonathan are
the exhortations of the teacher. The armor-bearer carries arms with which not he himself
but another fights. So indeed are those who are newly instructed in the holy Church. For
while they hear from the teachers about the virtues with which the teachers themselves
fight against the cunning of evil spirits, they indeed have on their lips what they do not
yet have in the practice of virtue. Therefore Jonathan said to his armor-bearer: "Come,
let us cross over to the station of the Philistines," because the elect teachers teach
their subjects not only the art by which they may fight, but also draw them to battle so
that they may triumph.

2. And because lax pastors do not at all take care to undertake the battles that are urged
upon them, he does not say: "Go, and cross over to the garrison of the Philistines," but:
"Come, let us cross over. They indeed provoke others to the contest, but they themselves
attempt those same contests first. But what does it mean when he says: "Which is across
that place"? There is a certain place in the holy Church which, enclosed by great battles,
is not exposed. Indeed, to possess the goods of the world, to take a wife, to beget
children, to offer the pleasures of all lawful things to the body — this is to remain
fortified against the enemy in such a way that nothing burdensome is imposed on those
placed in that order. But if anyone, kindled by the desire for a better life, strives to
cross beyond this place, it is necessary that he be prepared for the gravest battles. For
those who despise riches, who embrace the poverty of Christ, who spurn marriage, must
always embrace the love of chastity. The former immediately have the most grievous battles
of the flesh rising against them, the latter the assault upon the heart: because neither
is poverty borne lightly, nor are bodies subjected to chastity without great struggles.
Hence it is well said by a certain wise man: "Son, when you come to the service of God,
stand in fear, and prepare your soul for temptation" (Sirach 2:1). As if to say:

Because you wished to go out from the place of protection, it is necessary that you now
fortify yourself in open war against the strongest camps of the enemies. Therefore, when
he says "across that place," not "this place," Jonathan signifies the virtue of teachers
who, through the singular purpose of their religious life, are always in the open field of
combat. And because in all that they bravely fight, in all that they nobly triumph over,
they flee the vice of boasting and pride, there follows: (Verse 1. "But he did not tell
his father this same thing." 3. Indeed, the virtues of the elect should be kept silent,
lest they be spoken of through boasting, yet sometimes to manifest them for the glory of
God is no fault. Because we have represented great preachers in Saul, this fact—that
Jonathan conceals the beginning of battle from his father—suggests this: that the great
things we do, we sometimes laudably conceal on account of humility. Indeed, through
corruption we have already become such that we can never appear good even to those who are
set over us without pride. Therefore, when a hidden evil arises from what is manifest, the
good is wisely concealed, lest it be stained by the evil that comes upon it. But amid
these things it must be known that those can conceal their virtues from their superiors
out of this necessity who know how to rightly recognize the good that they do. For if they
are too simple, what they consider to be good is often not good; and while they fail to
reveal a vice as though it were a virtue, they carry a hidden enemy within themselves.
Hence Jonathan, who concealed the plan of war from his father, is declared to be so great
that a portion of the army is reported to have been led forth under his command. There
were, it says, two thousand men with Saul in Michmash and on the hill of Bethel, and a
thousand with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin (1 Kings 13:2). Let it therefore be said of
Jonathan:

"But he did not reveal this very thing to his father"—because learned men, when they fear
incurring the vice of pride from their great works, hide those works from the very ones by
whom they could have been helped. We learn better what these aids of the preacher are if
we see them in the place of their perfection. For it follows: (Verse 2. Now Saul was
staying in the outermost part of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree, which was in Migron. 4.
Gibeah, as we said, is interpreted as "hill"; Migron is said to mean "from the throat. Now
holy preachers are very exalted, not only in works, but also in contemplation. The outer
part of this loftiness, therefore, is that of works, while the inner part is that of
contemplation. Through this outer part of their exaltedness, they are seen by us as an
example; but through the inner part, they are joined to the Creator in great love. The
prophet shows them to us as worthy of admiration through the outer part of their
loftiness, when he says: "Who are these who fly like clouds, and like doves to their
windows? (Isaiah 60:8). They fly indeed like clouds: because they are light from the
weight of sin, and swift in good works by the grace of the Holy Spirit. They are like
doves at their windows, because through good works they extend themselves to us as an
example, as if through openings, yet they are by no means caught by the desire for praise
on account of the purity of life they have displayed. But the king also sits under the
pomegranate tree; because the preacher has rest in the shadow of the Redeemer. He is
indeed wearied by great labor, but he is refreshed by the consolation of the Lord's words.
Hence the same tree is said to remain in that place which is called "from the throat. For
what is more fittingly signified by "from the throat" in this place than the sweetness of
the holy Gospel?

For thus we can now remain in the shadow of the Redeemer, if namely we receive his words
for consolation from the meditation of the Gospels. But preachers can rest more quietly in
this, who the more deeply and closely they receive that word of the divine mouth, the more
sweetly they are nourished. This is also the reason why King Saul is said not to stand,
nor to sit, but to remain under the pomegranate tree in Migron; because the perfect
teacher is teachable by God: and while he strives to feed others with food, he himself is
satisfied with the sweetness of manifold spiritual delights. For while he gazes uniquely
upon the delights of the Redeemer, he rises to a wondrous contemplation of virtues: and as
if from one rind he gathers very many seeds, while through all those things which he
recalls concerning the Redeemer, he gladly leads his mind into delight. In this delight of
the Redeemer the bride glories that she has rested, she who says: "I sat under his shadow,
whom I had desired" (Song of Songs 2:3). To sit in his shadow is indeed to rest in
contemplation of him. His contemplation is certainly a shadow, because in the vision of
him we are protected, lest we be darkened by diabolical temptation as if by the burning
heat of the sun. Those therefore who rest so loftily can usefully bring assistance to
those who consult them.

But nevertheless some chosen subordinates, while they fear their own weakness, while they
seek God alone as the witness of their struggle, flee the judgments of such great men, so
that they may be seen by God alone in their good action. Therefore it is well said both
that Saul remained in the outermost part of Gibeah under the pomegranate tree, and that
Jonathan did not indicate to him his purpose of battle: because as long as we cannot
perfectly guard against pride, the good from which it can arise ought to be hidden from
all. There follows: (Verse 2) "The people with him were about six hundred men." 5. We said
above that by this number strong men are designated in good work, who are reported to be
with the king: because through their zeal for good work, they are in harmony with the life
of their teacher. But the preachers of the Church have under them not only those who do
great things, but also fellow ministers of the word who teach the highest truths. They
have leaders who strengthen those burning for battle, they have those who run boldly, they
have those who protect powerfully. Therefore it is well added: (Verse 3.) Ahiah the son of
Ahitub, brother of Ichabod, the son of Phinehas, who had been born from Eli the priest of
the Lord in Shiloh. He was wearing the Ephod.

6. For Achias in our language means "shade" [umbraculum]. But what is designated by
"shade" in this place, if not protection? Those therefore who in holy Church protect any
of the lesser ones from hidden adversaries are rightly designated by the shade. But one
who sits under a shade cannot feel the heat of the sun. Why indeed are shades spoken of in
sacred eloquence, unless because they also point to a wicked sun, by which the freshness
of the mind is scorched? Of this sun indeed the Truth speaks in the division of the seeds:
'When the sun rose, they withered' (Matt. 13:6). For the burning heat of desire is a sun,
which gleams as if with light, but which scorches the mind upon which it shines.
Therefore, when by the exhortations of our superiors we reject the enticements of all
desires, where else are we sheltered but under a pleasant shade, where we may escape the
fires of temptations? But diminutively the minister of the Church is called a shade, so
that no one may be compared to the Redeemer. For of His protection the bride glories in
the Canticles, saying: 'Under the shadow of him whom I had desired, I sat' (Song of Sol.
2:3). And the Psalmist entreating says: 'Under the shadow of your wings protect me' (Ps.
16:9). But whence this great Achias comes forth is explained, because he is recorded as
the son of Achitob. Achitob means "my brother is good. Who then is understood as this good
brother, if not our Redeemer?

A brother indeed, because He is a partaker of our nature; but good, because He freed our
nature, which He assumed, from eternal death. Or good, because we are all evil, as He
Himself says: 'If you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children' (Matt.
7:11). Achias therefore is called the son of Achitob, so that those who are powerful in
the Church may be understood to possess their power solely from the imitation of the
Redeemer. Moreover, the same Achitob is declared the brother of Ichabod, because he is
named after the translation of glory. For our Redeemer according to the flesh was born of
the Jewish people. Since from that people all the ornament of the temple, all the rites of
sacrifices, all the mysteries of the Scriptures passed over to the Gentile people, the
translation of glory is rightly recalled in the brother of Achitob. This same Achitob is
also said to have been the son of Phinehas, because the Jewish people, in the perfidy of
its error in which it plunged itself, had teachers of its own nation far more wicked than
itself. Hence the same Phinehas is interpreted as "silent mouth" or "sparing the mouth. He
is called a mouth, because through that people the Lord spoke. But his mouth is now known
to be silent, because when it rejected the Redeemer, it likewise lost the Spirit who once
spoke through it.

He is also rightly called "sparing the mouth," because he fell once into the guilt of so
great blood that he can in no way be converted to Him through penitence and confession. He
is therefore called "sparing the mouth," because he disdains to blush in pious confession.
Against which blessed Job, in the person of the converted, promises, saying: 'I will not
spare my mouth; I will speak in the tribulation of my spirit' (Job 7:11). But because that
people likewise had the dignity of religion in its patriarchs and prophets, the same
Phinehas is declared to have been born of Eli, priest of the Lord. For Eli means "my God,"
and Shiloh means "sent. But sometimes in holy Scripture the elect preachers are understood
as "gods. Whence also the Lord says to Moses: 'I have made you a god to Pharaoh' (Exod.
7:1). And in the law He commands, saying: 'You shall not speak ill of the gods' (Exod.
22:28). Therefore the father of Phinehas is called "my God," because indeed the Jewish
people imitates according to the letter the Scriptures of those who merited both to
perceive the word of God with a revealed mind and to conceal it, as it were, in the
container of the letter. Indeed the Truth showed these through Himself, when He expounded
the words of the Psalmist, saying: 'He called them gods, to whom the word of God was
spoken' (John 10:35).

Moreover, he is declared to have been born in Shiloh, because the Jewish people, though
carnally, is still nevertheless instructed in the spiritual Scriptures. Since therefore
every chosen and wise person in holy Church follows through teaching the Lord born of the
Jewish people, Achias, who is called "shade," is said to be the son of Achitob, brother of
Ichabod, son of Phinehas, son of Eli. He is also described as wearing the ephod, so that
it may be openly shown that one who does not shine with the beauty of a good way of life
and with light can in no way protect others. There follows: (Verse 3.) 'But the people did
not know where Jonathan had gone.' 7. What does it mean that the people did not know where
Jonathan went, except that the chosen teacher strives to conceal through humility the
things he intends to do? Hence in the Gospel the Lord also says: "Let not your left hand
know what your right hand does" (Matt. 6:3). For if eternal things are figured by the
right hand, and the present life by the left, we have men on the left and angels on the
right. When, however, through good works we strive toward the fellowship of the citizens
above, our right hand is said to be at work. And our left hand does not know the works of
the right, if we have our co-workers — namely, the faithful of holy Church — as helpers in
the work, yet refuse to have them as praisers leading to pride. Rightly, therefore, it is
said: "The people did not know where Jonathan had gone," because we strive to do great
things well only when we avoid displaying what we do for the sake of show. But since we
bring these things forward as an example of the elect, we ought to examine attentively not
only where he goes, but also by what way he goes. There follows: (Verse 4.) "Between the
passes by which Jonathan sought to cross over to the garrison of the Philistines, there
were prominent rocks on either side, and steep crags jutting out on both sides like teeth:
the name of one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh."

8. Since the life of the elect is lofty in merits, while the condition of malignant
spirits is lowly, what does it mean that there is said to be an ascent by which Jonathan
tries to reach the garrison of the Philistines? For concerning these same Philistines as a
type of demons, it was said not far above: "Going up, they encamped at Michmash" (1 Kings
13:5). But they are said to be above us insofar as we appear lesser in strength. They are
also known to be above us in that which we cannot penetrate through understanding.
Therefore, as often as we resolve to contend with reprobate spirits, we must prepare our
strength for the ascent, because as men we strive to fight against angels. Hence also that
vigorous athlete, powerfully encouraging his fellow soldiers, says: "Our wrestling is not
against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the spiritual
forces of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Eph. 6:12). For because he had foreknown
that he would fight against the spiritual wickedness of principalities and powers, he was
certainly preparing the strength of his mind for the ascent to the heights. When wicked
spirits subject the hearts of sinners to themselves, they indeed dominate them through
manifold vices. If therefore we strive to overcome them there as well, it is very
necessary for us to ascend, so that we may be able to powerfully strike their ranks. For
the lustful must be saved in one way, the slothful in another; the vainglorious in one
way, the proud in another. But in order that the chosen teacher may be equal to all these
things, because he raises his mind through the keen counsels of constant meditation, he
strengthens himself as if for the ascent to the Philistines.

9. Well indeed, not one ascent is affirmed, but many ascents are said to exist, because
innumerable enemies must be met by many paths. This is done well when fitting and proper
remedies are applied to individual vices. For, to touch briefly on some of them, the
spirit of fornication is driven away by the virtue of continence; but it is more easily
overcome if the flesh diminishes its assault through abstinence, lest, conquered, it
submit itself to worldly desire. Gluttony is broken by abstinence; but he who does not
fill his mind with spiritual food cannot maintain abstinence from bodily food. For he
powerfully weakens the body who inflames his heart with love of heavenly things, because
while he strongly loves spiritual things, he forcefully suppresses the desires of the
flesh. Against the vice of avarice the good of voluntary poverty is opposed, but he who
does not yet know how to love eternal treasures cannot be poor in spirit. Thus indeed
anger is conquered if, through love of heavenly things, all earthly things are perfectly
despised, because he who does not fear temporal loss no longer has reason to be angry.
Thus also the vice of sloth, that is, weariness of heart, is driven away if heavenly goods
are always contemplated. Indeed, the mind that joyfully beholds such pleasant goods can in
no way grow weary. The distressing evil of sadness is also swallowed up by the broad field
of spiritual joy;

but that spiritual joy does not pour itself into the mind that does not know how to
transcend the distresses of temporal life through contemplation. Sadness is indeed well
conquered if the rewards of temporal labors are seen, because from the very thing by which
the chosen mind considers itself afflicted temporally, it hopes to rejoice eternally in
the heavenly homeland. Because, therefore, the preacher uses a great diversity of counsel
for curing the various diseases of souls, and because that same counsel is grasped by deep
consideration of the mind, well are the places where Jonathan desired to cross over to the
garrison of the Philistines said to be ascents. And because many difficulties stand in the
way of driving out evil spirits from the hearts of sinners, rocks are mentioned as being
among the ascents. For what is signified by these two rocks, namely Boses and Seneh,
except desire and sin? For Boses is said to mean "primacy," and Seneh "sun" or "hearing.
Well does the name "primacy" suit desire, because it first occupies the mind before the
mind submits itself to sin. By the name "sun" the delight of sin is also rightly figured,
because it closes the eyes of the mind from the sight of truth and opens them to vanity.
Whence also to the first humans it is said by the seducing spirit through the serpent: "On
whatever day you eat from the tree that is in the midst of paradise, your eyes shall be
opened" (Genesis 3).

In that eating, indeed, the eyes of the transgressors were opened by sinning, so that they
perceived the rays of false light in the experience of transgression, and grew dim from
the lofty contemplation of heavenly brightness. Indeed, the Psalmist, fleeing from opening
his eyes to this light, beseeches the Lord, saying: "Turn away my eyes, lest they see
vanity" (Psalm 118:37). Blessed Job, despising this with a lofty mind, longing to be
counted among the merits of the perfect, said: "For now I would be sleeping in silence,
and I would rest in my sleep; or, like a hidden miscarriage, I would not exist; or like
those who, having been conceived, did not see the light" (Job 3:13). Who are these, except
those who strongly guarded themselves from sinning? One crag, therefore, is called Boses,
the other Seneh, because if desire claims a place for itself in the mind, it lifts the
eyes of that same mind toward the pleasing allurement of sin, as if toward seeing the
light of the sun. Well also are they called rocks, because these two things attach
themselves to the minds of the wicked, so that they no longer easily allow preachers to
lead them back to themselves. But they are also called crags, because on this side and
that, namely both in mind and body, they maintain the steep habit of wickedness. For while
they are made firm by no integrity of character and no integrity of works, they are, in
the manner of a crag, steep on every side.

And because they are said to be in the shape of teeth, what does this give us to
understand except what we often see — that those who despise the exhortations of preachers
attempt to bite their lives with slander? But concerning the same crags it is added:
(Verse 5) "One jutting out to the north, opposite Michmash, and the other to the south,
opposite Gibeah." 10. The first rock juts out to the North, the other to the South,
because through concupiscence the fervor of charity is extinguished, and through sin the
ardor of concupiscence is increased. For the reprobate mind, while it is subjected to
concupiscence, is stripped of charity, and while it does not fear to sin, it kindles in
itself ever more fierce desires for sinning. For as if placed at the highest altitude and
heat of its day, in the flood of sin it both rejoices immoderately and is dissolved
ardently. Therefore he badly strives to cure the disease of concupiscence who thinks to
fulfill his desires more greedily by sinning so that he might find rest. Indeed,
concupiscence after sin will be all the greater, the more the delight of sin begins to be
pleasing to itself. But the first rock is said to be situated opposite Magmas, the other
to jut out facing Gabaa. Magmas, as we have already sufficiently explained, means
humility; Gabaa is interpreted as hill. Concupiscence stands directly opposite to
humility, while the enticement of sin stands against heavenly conduct. For everyone who
desires what is forbidden, while he despises the one who commands, is proud. Therefore he
stands opposite to humility, which he does not retain in the devotion of obedience. But he
who is also dissolved in the fervor of sin, as if by the noonday brightness, juts out
against Gabaa, that is, the hill, because while he opposes heavenly things, he is prepared
for the punishments of hell. But since such people are also led to eternal life by the
preaching of the Saints, let us consider the zeal of those preachers in the deed of
Jonathan. For there follows: (Verse 6.) Come, let us go over to the garrison of these
uncircumcised; perhaps the Lord will act on our behalf, for it is not difficult for the
Lord to save, whether by many or by few.

11. What is the garrison of the Philistines, if not the strength of malignant spirits? For
holy men, when they prepare themselves for the correction of sinners, openly know that
they fight against angels fallen from heaven. This battle, therefore, since it is between
angels and men, is fought by the strong against the weak, by the cunning against the
simple. For he had received an assault from these strong ones, who said: "The strong have
rushed upon me, though neither my iniquity nor my sin, O Lord" (Psalm 58:4). Paul also,
perceiving the cunning of the fallen angel, says: "We are not ignorant of his cunning" (2
Cor. 2:11). Against the cunning, therefore, the way of cautious reasoning must be sought;
against the strong, however, divine help must be sought. So that it may be understood that
preaching must be carried out with great caution, Jonathan is said to have invited his
armor-bearer to cross over with him. And so that in driving out the enemies, confidence
may be placed in God's mercy, he speaks saying: "Because it is not difficult for God to
save, whether by many or by few." And because the conversion of the wicked is not easy, he
says: "Perhaps God will act for us." He says "perhaps" because he does not yet fully
presume upon the complete salvation of sinners. But the chosen subordinate shows the
pattern of the virtue of humility, because he adds: (Verse 7.) And his armor-bearer said
to him: "Do all that pleases your heart. Go where you wish, and I will be with you
wherever you desire."

12. Some subjects, while neglecting the measure of their own order, confuse that same
measure in such a way that they share in the decision-making of their superiors, yet
refuse to obey their commands. They easily dare to correct the words of their superiors,
but do not strive to easily fulfill what they command. What then is shown to us in the
voice of this armor-bearer, except that free decision-making must be left to those in
authority, and the virtue of obedience must be held by subjects without slackening? For,
to assign free authority of decision-making to preachers, he says: "Do all things that
please your heart." And to show the ready willingness of subjects for every service, he
adds: "Go where you desire, and I will be with you wherever you wish." Nor indeed did he
say there: "Do some things that are in your heart, and do not do some things, or do them
differently"; nor here: "Go there, and I will be with you, but there I will not be with
you." "Do all things," he says, because all things are to be arranged by the decision of
superiors. "I will likewise be with you," he says, "wherever you wish"; because one who is
subject to any command of obedience ought not to be absent from it. There follows: (Verses
8-10.) And Jonathan said: "Behold, we will cross over to those men, and when we have
appeared to them, if they speak to us in this manner: 'Wait until we come to you,' let us
stand in our place and not go up to them. But if they say: 'Come up to us,' let us go up,
because the Lord has delivered them into our hands."

13. It is the certain and undoubted judgment of the holy Church that chosen preachers must
consider not only what, how much, and when they speak, but also to whom they speak. Hence
the Lord too, concealing the word from the knowledge of certain people, forbids the
disciples, saying: "Do not cast your pearls before swine" (Matt. 7:6). Likewise Scripture
forbids the word to be poured out uselessly, and says: "Where there is no hearing, do not
pour out speech" (Ecclus. 32:6). What then does it mean that Jonathan says: "If they say:
Wait until we come to you, let us stand in our place; but if they say: Come up to us, let
us go up, because the Lord has delivered them into our hands" — unless that the chosen
preacher must attentively discern to whom he ought to bring forth the word of life? But
because this now seems to be shown in the literal sense, let us express it more subtly.
Preachers cross over to sinners when they please those to whom they present words not only
by word but also by life. Who then are those who say: "Come up to us," unless those who
bring forth signs of devotion, because they both reverently hear the word of salvation and
earnestly desire to retain it? Therefore one must ascend to these, in whom, even if there
is great labor in the work of ministry, there are also great gains of salvation.

On the contrary, sinners eagerly desire to cross over to the teachers when they are
plunged into such profound blindness that they strive to convert even the preachers
themselves to the example of imitating their own depravity. For they are prone to evil,
impenitent in heart, and they do not shrink from staining others with the leprosy of sin
which they have put on. Of whom the wise man speaks, saying: "They rejoice when they have
done evil, and exult in the worst things" (Prov. 2:14). And likewise the Prophet,
prophesying about these, says: "They have proclaimed their sin like Sodom" (Isa. 3:9).
What then does it mean when he says: "Let us stand in our place"? It is as if he were
saying: If we cannot win them over, let us preserve ourselves in good conduct. For our
place is good conduct, about which place it is written elsewhere: "If the spirit of one
having power rises against you, do not leave your place" (Eccl. 10:4). Indeed this place
must be guarded not only from the spirit but also from man, because that spirit not only
confronts us by himself but also fights against us through man. But if our place is the
Lord, when evil people set themselves against us, let us persist in our place, because
when the incorrigible do not receive the warnings of preachers, the preachers themselves
must carefully watch that no examples of those people may reach them. There follows:
(Verses 11, 12.

And so they appeared to the garrison of the Philistines, and the Philistines said:
"Behold, the Hebrews are coming out of the caves in which they had been hidden. And the
men of the garrison of the Philistines spoke to Jonathan and to his armor-bearer: "Come up
to us, and we will show you something." 14. What is the meaning of Jonathan being said to
appear to the Philistines with his armor-bearer, if not that the teacher himself must
first display the good that he strives to teach others? For he cannot be received with
reverence in preaching if he does not first exhibit the honor of his ministry through the
light of a good life. Hence the outstanding preacher confidently declares, saying: "As
long as I am the Apostle of the Gentiles, I will honor my ministry" (Rom. 11:13). The
teacher therefore appears, not so much when he speaks a word as when he is reverently
demonstrated through his life and conduct. When the prophet, then, was showing the conduct
of preachers through the types of sacred history, he reasonably added, saying: "So both of
them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. As if to say: Because he
resolved to teach, he first showed his life to those to whom he had arranged to speak. But
what does it mean that the Philistines despise those who appear and yet say to them, "Come
up to us," unless that very often even those who will run to the laments of repentance
through the preachers' preaching despise the preachers' excellent life? And while they
criticize them for abandoning the pursuit of a more secluded life, they declare that they
have come out of their caves. As if they were saying: Those who seemed to have fled the
world with all their intent are now going out into the world under the pretense of
preaching.

But many who accuse righteous preachers suspect that the evils they charge against them
actually exist in them. Yet by the very fact that they condemn evil, they give hope to the
preachers, because they can more easily be drawn to carry out the good that they defend.
Therefore, while with good intention they censure false evils in the righteous, they are
indeed mad in voice, but even in their madness they pledge to the preachers the fruit of
their salvation. And since the ascent was discussed above, it remains to inquire what it
means that they say: "We will show you a thing. But this literally signifies threats. It
is as if they were saying: If you come up here, you will feel by suffering how strong we
are. In the conversion of the wicked, likewise, it is easy to gather how much harm they
are accustomed to inflicting when they drive out the righteous. But since, with God as our
guide, we have led the carnal sense of the history to a spiritual understanding, when holy
teachers observe the conversion of sinners through certain emerging signs, a "thing" is
also promised by them, because they promise to return to true being. For a "thing" has
some being, but sin has no being at all. Hence Paul also says to the Corinthians: "We know
that an idol is nothing in the world" (1 Cor. 8:4).

But the sinner, because by sinning he tends toward nothing, when he abandons that nothing
to which he clung, returns as it were to being. He can therefore show a "thing" in
himself, that is, something that has being, because he now holds works of virtue through
divine grace. They say therefore: "Come up to us, and we will show you a thing. As if by a
certain sign sinners were promising and saying: If you propose to labor so in us by the
word, what you labor at will not be without great profit. Therefore concerning the
certainty of others it is added: (Verse 12. "And Jonathan said to his armor-bearer: Let us
go up, follow me, for the Lord has delivered them into the hands of Israel." 15. Whoever
strives to accomplish great things knows how to weigh these matters well, if he has always
been zealous to attribute them to divine praises. Rightly therefore Jonathan, trusting in
the attainment of victory, declared that the enemies would be delivered not into his own
hands, but into the hands of Israel, so that he might show the triumph and at the same
time designate what kind of person the triumphant one ought to be. For Israel is
interpreted as "seeing God." He into whose hands the enemies are delivered is therefore
called "seeing God," so that he may be taught not to attend to those things which have
been given into his hand, but while holding what has been given, to lift up his heart to
the bestower of gifts. For he holds one thing in his hands and sees another with his eyes,
so that he may firmly hold the palm of triumph, but the retained palm of victory may not
puff up the one who sees God. But since he speaks these things in confidence, not yet in
possession, let us hear how he comes to possess them. There follows: (Verse 13.) Jonathan
climbed up crawling on his hands, and his armor-bearer after him.

16. What is crawling on the hands, if not to curve the whole body, to leave nothing lofty
in oneself, to bend the upper limbs to perform the duties of the lower? And what is
suggested to us by this action, if not that the conversion of sinners requires great
compassion from preachers? For what else did our Redeemer appear to do but crawl on his
hands, when he became a friend of tax collectors, and received sinners, and ate with them?
Indeed, he was crawling on his hands when he said: "The healthy have no need of a
physician, but those who are sick" (Matt. 9:12). Hence he says again: "I came not to call
the righteous, but sinners. This bending down of crawling is also designated in sacred
Scripture by the term "camel. For the Savior willed to humble himself down to our lowest
condition, so that he might raise us up to the heights of his divinity. Paul, indicating
that he followed this one who crawled on his hands, says: "I became all things to all
people, that I might save all" (1 Cor. 9:22). But also, because hands usually signify
works, the pastor crawls on his hands when he sets forth to sinners the way that the
converted ought to follow, not by the wisdom of speech, but by the example of his manner
of life. Indeed, the Lord was teaching his preachers to crawl on their hands when he said:

"So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your
Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 5:16). And fittingly, the one crawling is said to climb up
to the outpost of the Philistines, because that teacher can arrive at the destruction of
the vices of sinners who soothes the sinners themselves by a great display of humility and
a great affection of charity. For while he extends the agreeableness of grace outwardly,
he inwardly sends in the hand to cut away the sickness of the mind. Whence it is also
fittingly added: (v. 13) "And when they saw Jonathan's face, some fell before Jonathan,
and others his armor-bearer slew." 17. The face of Jonathan is seen when those who hear
the word of the preacher recognize also the charity of his mind; when, namely, they hear
him both preaching heavenly things and loving with wonderful charity those to whom he
opens those heavenly things. And they are rightly said to fall before his face, because
while they recognize the good things that are in the mind of the preacher, they abandon
the state of wickedness. But also, while many come to the remedy of penance, some take
refuge in the examples of the great, others in those of the lesser. Fittingly therefore it
was said: "His armor-bearer was killing others." To be deprived of a reprobate life is
indeed to be slain; and whoever abandons evil by someone's example or admonitions falls
before his feet as if slain. For James, setting forth the victories of individuals in a
general statement, says: "He who causes a sinner to be converted from the error of his way
shall save his soul from death, and shall cover a multitude of sins" (James 5:20). There
follows: (Verse 14) "And the first slaughter which Jonathan and his armor-bearer made was
of about twenty men, in half the area of a yoke of land which a pair of oxen was
accustomed to plow in a day."

18. This is called the first plague, because the saints are described as striking the
wicked even afterward, at the last judgment. Hence Paul also rouses the Corinthians,
saying: "Do you not know that we shall judge angels? (1 Cor. 6:3). Hence the Psalmist,
prophesying, says: "The saints shall exult in glory, they shall rejoice upon their beds,
the praises of God in their throats, to execute vengeance upon the nations, rebukes among
the peoples" (Ps. 149:5–6). This first plague belongs to conversion, the second to
damnation, because now the saints ask us to be converted to the Lord, but then they
condemn more harshly those who have not been converted. In this event twenty men are
reported killed, so that the mystery of the number five may be commended. For five
repeated four times, or four times five, make twenty. And because through the vigor of the
five senses every period of sin is accomplished, and in the books of the four Evangelists
we find the remedies of our salvation, by the figure of the twenty men all sinners who are
to be saved are represented. They are said to have been killed in half the area of a
field, which a yoke of oxen was accustomed to plow in a day. The oxen are the preachers of
the Church, who plow when they preach, who, when they open the hearts of their hearers
with heavenly words, scatter seed as it were in good soil. But the oxen plow by day,
because the Lord threatens, saying:

"The night is coming, when no one can work" (John 9:4). Likewise two oxen plow, namely
Jonathan and his armor-bearer. By these oxen, indeed, either the wise and the simple are
to be understood, or priests of lesser and of higher rank. Moreover, in the two oxen all
the preachers of the holy Church can generally be understood, because they are filled with
the grace of the twofold love, and they do not love themselves with selfish love.
Therefore the half of the field is this present life. This part, tempered for cultivation,
is softened by the rains of winter; that other part is scorched to barrenness by the heats
of summer for the sluggish. The oxen can plow this part of the field, but not that other
part, because in this life good works are to be sown, but in that other life works are not
to be sown, but rather the reward of works is to be reaped. Rightly, then, twenty men are
reported killed in half a field, because sinners can be profitably converted only here,
where the magnitude of their guilt is believed to be purged through the laments of
conversion. But some marvel at the sudden conversion of sinners, because on account of
their habitual preoccupation with outward cares, the daily wonders that God performs have
become cheap to them. Hence it is added: (Verse 15. And there was a miracle in the camps
throughout the fields.

19. All who are perfect do not cease to marvel at the power and wisdom of almighty God in
all things that have been made or are being made. Hence the Psalmist too, pressing on with
divine praises, says: "God is wonderful in His saints; the God of Israel Himself will give
power and strength to His people; blessed be God" (Ps. 67:36). Hence Moses confesses to
the same Lord, saying: "Who is like You among the gods, O Lord? Who is like You, glorious
among the saints, wonderful in majesty, working wonders?" (Exod. 15:11). He is indeed
called wonderful in His saints because the more loftily they behold divine things, the
more wondrously they are struck with amazement, for assuredly in the highest contemplation
they see things at which they marvel, not things they can comprehend by reason. Therefore,
whenever certain new things occur beyond ordinary experience that carnal and simple people
wonder at, a miracle is said to happen among the fields. For in comparison with the
saints, they are like rustic people who do not know how to marvel at so many ancient works
of the Creator, so many arrangements of times, and so many orders of creatures. Rightly,
then, all are generally included under that same dullness of rusticity, when it is added:
(Verse 15.) "But also all the people of their garrison who had gone out to plunder were
struck with astonishment."

20. What garrison do they call, if not that of the Philistines? What is it then that the
Philistines marvel at, except that sometimes other sinners, astonished, behold the
conversion of sinners, and while they recognize the goodness of God in their visitation,
they are kindled to a similar resolve of conversion? For the people of the garrison go out
to plunder when they do not fear to act perversely. For what anyone dares to do while God
forbids it, while the Scriptures threaten, while teachers oppose it, he strives as if by
violence to seize for his own uses. If anyone wishes to understand demons by this people,
he may, because they go out to plunder when they bring violent temptations and lead
captive the souls of sinners. This people is certainly said to be astonished, because they
do not understand by what grace converted sinners receive a penitent heart, which demons
cannot possess. But while sinners come to their senses, they benefit both themselves and
others, because many are corrected by their example. Whence it is also added: (Verse 15.)
And the earth was shaken.

21. While common men behold new wonders, the earth is disturbed, because it often happens
that while some are converted through outward miracles, the hardness of others is moved by
certain incentives toward the purpose of good work. For the earth is badly tranquil when
the life of carnal men lies secure in the pleasures of the world, when the perishable
things which it ardently desires sweetly delight it. But the earth is truly disturbed when
the carnal mind is shaken from its evil firmness, and begins to think in a wavering
manner, between the evils which it rejects and the goods which it loves. For to be
disturbed is then for the mind to cloud over the serenity of evil pleasure with the
purpose of Christian religion. But carnal affection is shaken so that spiritual life may
be revealed. Whence it is also added: (Ver. 15.) And it happens as a miracle from God.

22. For when the mind of man is weighed down by carnal delight, its vision is certainly
dulled, so that it deserves to remain ignorant of spiritual goods. But when it begins to
grow weak in its carnal things, it gradually grows strong in spiritual things, so that by
advancing it sees heavenly things, and by forgetting it leaves behind what is weak.
Indeed, the progress of a converted mind is shown, because first the earth is said to be
disturbed, then the miracle is recorded as having come about as if from God. A miracle
truly from God is what God does without man. For when the Lord rained manna in the desert
for the children of Israel (Exod. 16), when He provided birds to those who desired them
(Exod. 14), God certainly performed a miracle without man; but when He wished to divide
the sea, He commanded Moses to touch it with a rod, so that He might display a miracle
which He would demonstrate to the people through a man. So indeed the rock is struck with
a rod so that streams of water might be brought forth (Num. 20), because the miracle He
wished to display He performed through a man, not by Himself, so that by rendering the man
venerable, the Israelite people would have been bound to submit humbly to him and obey
devoutly.

What then does it mean that the miracle is asserted to have come about as if from God
after the earth is disturbed, unless that when the Holy Spirit moves the mind to
conversion, He introduces to the stirred mind the examples of the elect, which it may both
regard with reverence and devoutly desire to imitate? This miracle is indeed understood
according to the historical sense as meaning that many were slain. But now in the holy
Church sinners are converted to the religious life, and others follow them as examples of
virtue. The Holy Spirit indeed draws them, and because they are drawn He shows them to
others, so that He may draw those who have been drawn, and insert those who see into the
company of the drawn, so that through the generosity of His grace He may encompass both.
For when He works this in the hearts of the faithful without man, by Himself, the miracle
certainly does not come about as if from God, but from God. But when He accomplishes this
through the preaching of doctors of eternal life, the miracle is as if from God, because
He displays His wondrous ministers so that those who behold them may be able to imitate
them devoutly. But because we said above that Saul signifies the chief priests, and
Jonathan his son represents the subordinate persons of preachers, if we attend to what
follows, we find in the chief pontiffs the apostolic solicitude which they maintain. About
which blessed Paul indeed speaks, saying:

"Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is scandalized, and I am not on fire? Besides those
things which are external, my daily urgency, the care of all the churches" (2 Cor. 11:29).
He who indeed bore the care of all the churches was vigilant not only over the little ones
but also in examining the deeds of the greater ones. Hence it is also added here: (Verses
16–17. "And the watchmen of Saul who were in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and behold, the
multitude was overthrown and fleeing this way and that. And Saul said to the people who
were with him: Search and see who has gone from us. And it was found that Jonathan and his
armor-bearer were not present." 23. The watchmen of Saul observe the battle of Jonathan,
because the supreme pontiffs not only examine the deeds of their subjects, but also the
doctrine of their prelates. The former indeed they investigate, whether they act well; but
the latter, whether they teach rightly. Often they hear of the conduct of others, but they
fear lest they not be well instructed. For what else is meant by the inquiry into where
someone has gone, except that he who is sent to preach ought to be such that the burden of
ministry may be safely imposed upon him; so that the mind of the one sending may waver
with no doubt that he teaches rightly, and that he demonstrates the words of doctrine
through his works. And because the prelates of the churches are innumerable, Jonathan is
observed by the watchmen, because the supreme height of the universal Church so appoints
preachers throughout the world that it has ministers around itself, through whom it may
examine their doctrine and diligently investigate their works. But those who carry out the
ministry and legation of the supreme height are elevated to a lofty seat of life and
knowledge. Whence also it is well recorded that those same watchmen were in Gibeah of
Benjamin. For Gibeah of Benjamin is called the hill of the son of the right hand. On the
hill of the son of the right hand indeed are those who, through their sublime life and
through their lofty knowledge, seem already to attain to conformity with the Redeemer.

These indeed behold the deeds of the victors from on high, because they merit, from the
loftiness of their life and the perfect learning of the highest knowledge, to approve the
life of the good and to examine the wicked. They find that Jonathan is not present,
because they consider the gains of preaching to be best when they approve the praiseworthy
person of the preacher. There follows: (Verse 18. And Saul said to Ahijah: Bring the ark
of God. 24. Why does Saul command Ahijah the priest to bring the ark near, unless because
they hear the manner of the battle from the scouts? And indeed this is rightly done in a
spiritual sense by the chief priests, when they do not judge the things they hear from
reporters until they seek their reasoning in the counsel of inward meditation. And,
because they often follow the counsels even of another's mind, Ahijah is commanded to
bring the ark near. For the priest has the ark who does not have a mind empty of spiritual
knowledge. Therefore Saul commands Ahijah to bring the ark near, when the chief teacher
seeks counsel from his lesser and learned ones. For counsel is to be sought there where
the grace of spiritual knowledge shines forth. Whence it is also added: (Verse 18.) For
the ark of God was on that day with the children of Israel.

25. As if to say: He commanded to apply what he knew to exist. To seek the counsel of
religion from the irreligious, or wisdom from fools, is not to receive counsel but to rush
headlong. Therefore it is well said: "For the ark of God was there," because in doubtful
matters we ought to consult those whom we openly know not to lack spiritual gifts. But
there are certain things that are improved through counsel, and certain things that are
improved through aid. For where the necessity is open and undoubted, there the delay of
counsel is not fitting, but rather the swiftness of assistance. Doubtful and obscure
matters we handle better by consulting, but open and known matters we relieve by assisting
and hastening. Whence it is added: (Verses 19, 20.) "And while Saul spoke to the priest, a
great tumult arose in the camp of the Philistines, and it grew little by little, and
resounded more clearly. And Saul said to the priest: Withdraw your hand." Saul cried out,
and all the people who were with him, and they came to the place of battle.

26. For what else does it signify that Saul first sought to bring the ark near, then
commanded the priest to withdraw his hand, except that we ought to arrange obscure matters
by consulting, and fulfill with haste those things that become more clearly known? But for
the preacher to hear the tumult gradually increasing is to recognize the devotion of
converted sinners. It is said to increase gradually, because while the Spirit directs our
mind toward good works, he gently leads it toward better things through daily progress.
But what does it mean that Saul and all the people who are with him shout, except that
they join themselves to the warriors? And they come even to the place of battle. The place
of battle is the heart of the one hearing the word of God. It is called the place of
battle because the word that is received wars against one's former way of life. For the
heavenly things he hears now please him, but old habit rises up and suggests that he
despise what he has heard. The fight becomes still fiercer, because what the preacher
praises, the malignant spirits disparage by dissuading, and they raise themselves up as if
in battle against the saints, while by warring they destroy what is proclaimed by the
voice of the latter. What then is it to come to the place of battle, except to arrive
through the approach of inquiry at the secrets of the hearer's heart, where one may
swiftly find the enemies and powerfully strike them down?

For those who do not know how to examine interior things cannot reach the place of battle.
Or the place of battle is where the frequent fame of great religion exists. For when
countless people hasten there—those who desire both to put off the old life and to put on
the new—it is rightly called the place of battle, because daily the army of spiritual
virtues fights there against the multitude of vices. There indeed, the greater the
battles, the more glorious the victories. There, the more frequent the assaults of the
enemies, the more praiseworthy the number of triumphs: where not only is the lofty virtue
of the great exalted, but the common valor of all is displayed in a wondrous demonstration
of fortitude. Whence it also follows: (Verse 20. And behold, the sword of each one had
been turned against his neighbor, and the slaughter was very great.

27. What is this sword, if not the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God? For
those who in innumerable places have been converted to the service of almighty God,
because they cling inseparably to the word of God, each one holds a sword, as it were,
close at hand. Therefore the sword of each one is turned against his neighbor, when those
who have been converted in monasteries pierce one another in turn with the word of God and
utterly slay the carnality within themselves. For they are killed, as it were, by mutual
wounds, when one strikes another with the word of God and extinguishes whatever lives
carnally within him. Because they had recently been converted and had fallen away from
secular life, they were signified by the type of the Philistines. Or the sword of one is
turned against his neighbor when, through the exhortation of the converted, sinners not
yet converted are turned to the Lord; when not only those who are in authority profit
others by the word of preaching, but the multitude of subjects strive to instruct as many
as they can by words and examples, and endeavor to draw them away from the desires of the
present life as though slain, and to present them alive to eternal life. Indeed, we see
these gains from the slain now spread throughout the whole Church across the entire world,
because whoever now lives to God through divine grace appears dead to this world by the
blade of mutual charity.

For the sword of each one is turned against his neighbor, because all the elect strengthen
one another in turn within the holy Church and inflame one another toward the heavenly
homeland by the zeal of mutual preaching. And because an innumerable people is daily won
for God, it is rightly added there: 'And the slaughter was exceedingly great.' What is
exceedingly great is that which can somehow be recognized in its magnitude, but whose
excellence cannot be comprehended. He had raised his eyes to this exceedingly great
slaughter who said: 'But to me your friends are exceedingly honored, O God; their rule is
exceedingly strengthened; I shall count them, and they shall be multiplied beyond the
sand' (Ps. 138:17). The exceedingly great slaughter can also be understood to mean not
only that many were slain, but that they were slain well. This is indeed seen to happen in
the conversion of sinners, when they so abandon their past that they never come back to
life for those same pleasures. For sinners to be slain is merely to be separated from a
shameful life for a time. To be slain vehemently, therefore, or exceedingly, is to abandon
perfectly the enticements of temporal life and to long eagerly for the joys of the future
life. But because there is great diversity among those who are converted, there follows:

(Verse 21.) 'But the Hebrews also who had been with the Philistines yesterday and the day
before, and had gone up with them into the camp, turned back to be with Israel and with
those who were with Saul and Jonathan.' 28. Who are the Hebrews who had been with the
Philistines, if not sinners who have fallen from a religious way of life? Of whom it was
said not far above: "The Hebrews crossed the Jordan." They are Hebrews indeed by the order
of religion, but they are with the Philistines, and they go up with them, as long as they
are deceived by harmful suggestions and advance in wicked conduct. They are with the evil
spirits by the intention and will of sin, but they go up with them, because, driven by
those spirits, they raise themselves to the boldness of iniquitous action. Or they are
with them when they carry out their sins to completion by their deeds; but they go up with
them when they do not fear to set forth the examples of their wickedness for others to
imitate. What does it mean, then, that they are said to return and be with Israel, except
that such people also very often come to their senses? For to return is to take up again
the love of the religious life. And to be with Israel is to persist within the holy Church
in the unity of charity. One must return to this end: that being with Israel may be
proposed as the goal, because there is no conversion of a sinner if, once converted, he
lacks perseverance in good works and unity of charity. There follows: (Verse 22.)
"Likewise all the Israelites who had hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim,
hearing that the Philistines had fled, joined with their own people in the battle."

29. This indeed happens as often as those devoted to the more remote life deign to turn
their zeal toward seeking the profit of souls. For they join themselves with their own in
battle when they preach the true joys of eternal life together with the doctors of Holy
Church, and equally drive malign spirits from the hearts of sinners. But it must be
carefully asked how it is said: "Hearing that the Philistines had fled. A glorious victory
is certainly not to pursue those who flee, but to put to flight those who resist. What
then does it mean when it says: "Hearing that the Philistines had fled, they joined
themselves with their own in battle," unless that by these words the fitting gains of that
same remote life are signified? For it is the custom of those men to offer their word
rather to those consulting them than to those opposing them, because unless they recognize
a devout heart in the listener, they disdain to send forth their preaching as though it
would perish in vain. Therefore, before they join themselves with their own in battle,
they hear that the Philistines have fled: because they are not so much intent on
converting the wicked as on raising up the converted to the heights of a more perfect
life. Moreover, because the very sublimity of the more perfect life is usually urged with
the great labors of exhortation, those who hear that the Philistines have fled are rightly
said to fight.

And so the enemies flee, but those recently hidden now fight, because men of the remote
life do not deign to speak except to devout listeners, yet even when speaking, they can
scarcely persuade by the great combat of words and examples the loftiness of the life
which they themselves hold. And because the weak and imperfect cannot gather the great
gains of preaching, there follows: (Verse 22. "There were with Saul about ten thousand
men. He does not say ten thousand, but "about ten thousand. The complete perfection of
this number is not found on earth, but in heaven. For since there are nine orders of
angels, and that multitude of chosen men is raised up to fellowship with them, those ten
thousand men are those who rejoice in the holy angels and the elect among men in that seat
of eternal glory. Therefore "about ten thousand men" are those who, still placed in the
exile of this present age, have taken on in their conduct the form of that blessed
fellowship. Because likewise through love of that heavenly life the darkness of sins is
abandoned, there follows: (Verse 23. "And the Lord saved Israel on that day. The
contemplation of the inner light is indeed a splendid and most brilliant day, on which the
Lord saves Israel, because those whose hearts he irradiates with the light of inward
splendor, he raises to the height of perpetual salvation.

For the Lord is said to save on that day, because no one is kindled to the love of eternal
life from whom the splendor of the inner light is hidden. To this grace of salvation not
only the chosen things of the world arrive, but even those that seem despised. Whence it
is added: (Verse 23. "And the battle passed beyond Beth-aven." 30. Bethaven means "house
of uselessness." Indeed, the Lord, showing this uselessness in the parables, introduces a
king commanding a servant at the wedding feast, saying: "Go out quickly into the streets
and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed, the blind and the lame"
(Luke 14:21). The poor are those who do not at all store up the treasures of God's word in
their heart. The maimed are those who cannot labor sufficiently for eternal life. The
blind designate the ignorant and simple, because while they in no way see heavenly things,
they lack the light of the mind. The lame are those who have lost the step of good works.
But "the battle reached as far as Bethaven," because often useless persons, when they are
captured by the warfare of God's word, are reduced into His service and become useful.
Indeed, battle is waged with the blind so that they may see, with the lame so that they
may stand firm, with the poor so that they may receive the treasures of good conduct, with
the maimed so that they may grow strong for the vigor of good works. Therefore the battle
is carried as far as Bethaven, when those are captured by the preaching of the saints who
seemed to possess no usefulness necessary to anyone. Whence it is also added: (Verse 24.)
"And every man of Israel was joined together on that day."

31. Indeed every man is joined to the preacher when no condition of men is left from which
those who are converted are not led to a good way of life. But those who are joined to
Saul are called men, because whatever we may be in the world, we are admonished to be
strong in the service of almighty God. For unless they are men, they are by no means
joined to the preachers, because they do not agree with them unless they themselves do the
brave deeds which those preachers praise in their teaching. But now that the enemies have
been defeated, now that the strong have been joined to him, what the king does must be
carefully considered. There follows: (Verse 24.) And Saul adjured the people, saying:
Cursed be the man who eats until evening, until I am avenged of my enemies. 32. The
enemies of preachers are those about whom the Psalmist pleads, saying: "Deliver me from my
enemies, O my God, and free me from those who rise up against me" (Psalm 58:1). The
enemies of the saints are rightly called unclean spirits, because the saints detest with
great zeal embracing the enticements of the world which those spirits suggest. For whoever
still finds something pleasing in the counsels of the evil spirit is certainly not his
enemy, because he has not yet learned to hate one whose enticements he does not reject.
They are also called enemies of the saints, as is revealed from sacred Scripture. For
through everything they suggest, through everything by which they flatter, they strive to
destroy those souls whom they pleasingly favor. What then does it mean that he adjures the
people not to eat until evening, until he takes vengeance on his enemies? But it should be
noted that he was saying these things when the enemies had already been defeated. What
indeed is eating for the victors, except to delightfully receive the food of vain praise
from a completed work of virtue? "Cursed," he says, "is everyone who eats before evening,"
because whoever now gladly receives vain praises then loses the eternal praises of the
Creator. Therefore the people are adjured not to eat, because they are bound by the
precept of the teachers never to glory vainly in a good work.

Let one do mighty deeds by living well, but as long as one lives, let one beware of
seeking praises for strength, so as not to lose being praised eternally after death. For
he who forbade the people to eat before evening certainly granted that they should eat at
evening. And because evening is the end of the day, those who can abstain before evening
eat at evening, because whoever now disdains being praised for a great deed, when brought
to the end of life, is found worthy of eternal praises. This is what the Lord promises He
will give to the elect in the Gospel, saying: "Well done, good and faithful servant,
because you were faithful in a few things, I will set you over many things; enter into the
joy of your Lord" (Matthew 25:23). Hence again, coming to judgment, He says: "Come,
blessed of my Father, receive the kingdom which has been prepared for you from the
foundation of the world" (Matthew 25:34). Then indeed we take vengeance on our enemies,
because all diabolical temptations then vanish. For since the snares of demons no longer
harm by tempting, when we die in the flesh we take vengeance on our enemies, whom we no
longer fear at all, as though they were slain. Therefore we defer our eating until
evening, if we reserve the proclamations of our praise at the end for the coming Judge.

Then indeed we must eat, because He who then comes as Judge now as the leader of our army
promises His fellow soldiers, saying: "He will make them recline at table, and passing by
He will serve them" (Luke 12:37). Then indeed the victors recline at table, because
received in the lofty seat of inner rest, they are delighted by the praises of everlasting
life, when while they themselves are silent the proclamations of all their good works
resound together, and those things are brought forth to glory which here were borne to
battle with great virtue. There follows: (Verses 25, 26) "And all the common people of the
land came into a forest, in which there was honey upon the surface of the field. And so
the people entered the forest, and flowing honey appeared, and no one put his hand to his
mouth." 33. A forest is a wooded and hilly place. By this name, indeed, the hearts of
worldly people are fittingly designated, because while they serve external cares with all
their attention, like wooded places, they are not cultivated for the fruit of good work by
the plowshare of preaching. And who are signified by the name of the common people in this
passage, if not religious and simple men? Indeed, they are called the common people of the
earth: because they are great in good work, yet they are not great in the loftiest
contemplation. Noble indeed in action, but common people in comparison with the highest
men. What then does it mean that the common people of the earth came into the forest,
except that religious and simple men, through the examples of their good works, are often
brought to the notice of worldly people? There honey appears in the field, because from
the example of good work among worldly people they find both the breadth of devotion and
the fruit of reverence. For what is a field in a forest, if not devotion in the
uncultivated and unpurged heart of worldly people? And what is honey upon the surface of
the field, if not the sweetness of favor?

This is rightly said to appear after the entrance of the common people, because indeed the
rough hearts of worldly people, if they do not first see the examples of religious men,
are unable either to stretch themselves out in the breadth of devotion or to proclaim the
glory of another's holiness. Before the entrance, there is only a forest, having neither a
field nor flowing honey. But after the entrance, it has both the breadth of a field and
the sweetness of honey, because often those who love the world receive the examples of the
saints with fervent love, so that the good they see not only pleases them, but they also
ardently desire to proclaim it. Yet the life of the saints is to be praised, and that
praise must in no way be seized by them to whom it belongs through vainglory. It ought
only to be seen, not received, so that one may rejoice that God is glorified in his work,
but may scorn to be exalted on account of God's grace. Hence it is carefully expressed
that flowing honey appeared upon the surface of the field, and yet no one brought his hand
with the honey to his mouth. The honey flows, because the sweet fame of the saints runs
sweetly and swiftly. But no one brings his hand to his mouth, because he does not receive
the sweetness of praise for his good work. To bring one's hand with honey to the mouth is
to receive with pleasure the praise of one's own work.

Let the honey therefore flow, and let no one bring his hand to his mouth, so that the fame
of the saints may flow sweetly, and may not exalt those from whom it flows. Let it flow so
that it may satisfy others, but let it not be consumed, lest it serve up death. Hence it
is added: (Verse 26. For the people feared the oath. The oath of the King is: Everyone who
exalts himself will be humbled (Luke 18:14). Likewise the oath of the King is what he
pronounces against hypocrites, saying: Amen I say to you, they have received their reward
(Matthew 6:16). Therefore the people fear the oath, because lest they lose eternal
rewards, they take care not to receive temporal praises. There follows: (Verse 27. But
Jonathan had not heard when his father adjured the people, and he stretched out the tip of
the staff that he had in his hand, and dipped it in the honeycomb, and brought his hand
back to his mouth, and his eyes were brightened.

34. Whom does Jonathan represent in this place, if not those who are great in word and
deed, yet are not great in the zeal of circumspection? They preach lofty things indeed,
they perform mighty works, but they do not manfully hold themselves in the circumspection
of humility. For what does it mean that he holds a rod in his hand, except that the
discipline by which he forbids others from sinning does not restrain himself? Indeed, the
rod by which little ones are accustomed to be corrected can fittingly signify the word of
correction. Therefore preaching and good work are the rod and the hand. What then is it to
extend the rod and bring back the hand to the mouth with honey, except to receive the
taste of vain favor both from the word of preaching and from the zeal of good work? But
because he sins in the manner of the elect, he is said to take up honey not with the rod,
but with the tip of the rod. For they turn the rod and hand full of honey to their mouth
who, according to the voice of Truth: "Do all their works to be seen by men" (Matt. 23:5).
For while they are sated with their own praises, they have honey not as a thin taste at
the tip of the rod, but either in the whole rod or in the hand for a full meal. Such
certainly were those whom the Lord reproaches in the Gospel, saying:

"How can you believe, receiving glory from one another? (John 5:44). What then is this tip
of the rod, except that for the most part they both wish to glorify the Lord in their work
and do not shrink from appearing praiseworthy themselves? Rightly therefore Jonathan is
said not to have heard the voice of the father by which he bound the people under oath,
because he does not hear the words of God or of His preacher who neglects to fulfill them.
But what does it mean that Jonathan's eyes were enlightened from the taste of honey,
except that those who receive the breeze of vain favor are strengthened by the same to
perform mighty deeds? In this place indeed the eyes are not said to have been opened, so
that they might be understood to have been closed, but so that with the vigor of the body
restored, they might be understood as restored both for seeing and for destroying enemies.
Which assuredly entirely befits the proud, who perform greater and mightier deeds in
proportion as they see their praiseworthy works being exalted. But often a lesser one,
kindled with the zeal of charity, endeavors to bring back great men who are transgressing
to the remembrance of the Scriptures. Whence it also follows: (Verse 28) And one of the
people answered and said: "Your father bound the people with an oath, saying: Cursed is
the man who eats bread today."

35. For he reported that the father had adjured the people and pronounced a curse, because
when a lesser person wishes to correct an erring superior, he ought not to rebuke harshly,
but sweetly and humbly bring him back to remembering the ordinances of his elders. Whence
he says: 'Your father bound the people with an oath.' For in order to gently admonish the
one who bound the people with an oath, he declared him to be his father. As if he were
saying in other words: You ought to preserve the ordinances of your elders with all the
more devotion, the more highly you see yourself holding their place through the dignity of
succession. The people are also declared to have been bound by the oath of the father, so
that attention may be given not to the lowliness of the person speaking, but to the
authority of the one pointed out: so that if the rank of the one making the suggestion is
despised, the loftiness of the one who is indicated may be feared. Yet he declares him a
father, so that the precepts of elders ought to inspire both fear and love. Let him
therefore say: 'Your father bound the people with an oath, saying: Cursed is he who eats
bread today.' Which is as if he were saying: I want you to be mindful of those things
which are yours, not mine, because while you hold the high position of your elders, you
ought to keep their laws as if by hereditary right.

Now by the name of bread, the favor of flatterers is rightly expressed, because it both
satisfies and strengthens a mind intent on vanity, while it renders it more vigorous for
doing things that ought to be praised. This indeed is seen to apply greatly to the
arrogant, who are encouraged to speak by praises offered to them. And because the arrogant
preacher has subjects like himself who are desirous of praise, there follows: (Verse 28)
'Now the people had fainted.' 36. What is it literally to fail, except to grow weary? For
those who seek passing praises from the preaching of the word fail when they are praised,
because they bring forth with no vigor the words which they see are not praised. For as
though growing weary, they fail when, being despised, they fall silent. But also when they
do not eat, they seem to fail, because if they had the lawful food of favor, as though
refreshed and strong, they would attack vices through the preaching of the word. Hence the
figure of the arrogant preacher is also shown through what is added next: (Verses 29, 30.)
And Jonathan said: My father has troubled the land. You yourselves have seen that my eyes
were enlightened because I tasted a little of this honey; how much more if the people had
eaten of the spoil of their enemies which they found, would not the slaughter among the
Philistines have been greater?

37. For what does it mean that he rebukes the father for having troubled the land, except
that he reproves the leaders for having confused their own decrees through ignorance? By
the name "land," the humility of subjects is designated, which is indeed seen to be
troubled when, through the erring judgment of pastors, it seems to abandon the order of
tranquil truth. And because while they eagerly seek the favors of arrogant men and try to
assert that this is lawful, they bring forward their own accomplishments as testimony.
"For you have seen," he says, "that my eyes were enlightened because I tasted a little of
this honey. As if to say: I grew from the praise of my subjects while I strove not to be
less than praises. For it is also the custom of chosen preachers that when they observe
themselves being praised, they strive with all their strength to be what they hear about
themselves from without. And therefore Jonathan reported that he had eaten a little honey:
because the arrogant person thinks he freely receives the favors of the tongue for the
advancement of life, not for the pursuit of vanity. But it is one thing entirely to strive
to match the proclamations of praise with one's conduct, and another to seek praises in
order to find advancement of life in those same praises. Indeed, those who strive to equal
praises with their conduct are those who despise those very praises, who never wish to be
praised by men.

Certainly, as far as it lies in them, they vehemently flee from being praised, but because
they cannot entirely escape being praised, they strive to be what they hear. But some,
having displayed good works, wish to be praised for this reason: that once praised, they
may ascend to a greater work of virtue. In this estimation of their presumption they are
surely deceived, because whoever seeks praises in small matters, when he has done greater
works, seeks praises more ardently and far more eagerly. And perhaps for this reason
Jonathan was not able to reign after his father, because he signified those who, while
they vainly exalt themselves, truly fail. He also added by way of reasoning, and says:
"How much more if the people had eaten of the spoil of their enemies, would not the
slaughter among the Philistines have been greater? To taste a little honey on the tip of
the rod is to glory in some way in the eloquence of doctrine. But to eat the spoil of
enemies is to recall the works of virtue through memory and to rejoice in recollecting
them. For one makes, as it were, the spoil of enemies when one brings to memory those
things in which one prevailed against hidden foes. And one eats these to satiety who, as
if he had done these things by his own virtue, vainly and vehemently exalts himself.
Therefore he says:

"How much more if the people had eaten of the spoil of their enemies, would not the
slaughter among the Philistines have been greater? As if to say: Since from a brief taste
of favor there has been so great an advancement, what would chosen warriors do if they had
full and lawful and just praises for their works? There follows: (Verse 31. "Therefore
they struck the Philistines on that day from Michmash to Aijalon." 38. The day of the mind
is the splendor of instruction. But those whom the arrogant teach, because they are
inflamed by the ambition of temporal glory, receive a semblance of light, not the truth.
When therefore that day is spoken of, what else is signified, except that often by the aim
of temporal glory, mighty deeds seemed to be accomplished? For in that day, that is, by
the teaching or example of the proud, they strike, because they serve in the ministry of
preaching for this purpose: to obtain the splendor of temporal glory. And because they
desire to become known to all, it says: From Magmas to Aion. Magmas, as has already been
sufficiently stated, is interpreted as "humility," while Aion is interpreted as "my
mourning brother. By the humble in this place, the little ones and simple people in the
holy Church are designated. And the mourning brother—whom else does he suggest, except
those whom the Lord praises in the Gospel, saying: Blessed are those who mourn, for they
shall be comforted (Matt. 5:5)? For he who has already learned to despise all temporal
things and to long for eternal things with great desires, while he dreads being held in
the body and groans that he is not yet in that joy of eternal life, is rightly called "my
mourning brother. Brother indeed, because he has already begun to be a co-heir of Christ,
for whose most blessed and most joyful inheritance he groans with all his desires.

He is called mourning, so that the unspeakable grief of the perfect may be designated. To
mourn, moreover, is not to weep in just any manner, but to weep most deeply. For because
they are filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit, they have reached that abundance of
tears which the distinguished teacher affirms, saying: The Spirit himself intercedes for
us with inexpressible groanings (Rom. 8:26). He is also called mourning brother because
the perfect are joined to the Redeemer in great intimacy. For he whom the Redeemer loves
singularly, whom he nourishes with singular dignity for the possession of the perpetual
inheritance, when he is called his brother, is designated in the singular number. Whence
he also says to Moses as to a singular friend: I know you by name (Exod. 33:12). Hence it
is that it is said of John in the Gospel: This is that disciple whom Jesus loved (John
21:20). For he who greatly loved all his disciples, when he is said to love this one, the
brother is indicated in the singular number. In that day from Magmas to Aion they strike
the arrogant Philistines, because in order to receive the light of worldly glory, they
preach not only small things to the little ones, but lofty things that the more perfect
may recognize.

And because while they harm themselves through the perversity of their intention and some
little ones in Christ, they benefit many who are more perfect by their speaking, they are
said not to fight but to strike from Magmas to Aion. To strike the Philistines indeed is
to destroy the snares of demons or the tyranny of vices from the heart of the elect. But
often proud teachers benefit others through their word, and receive none of the praises
for that same word which they desire. Whence it also frequently happens that while they do
not see themselves being praised and exalted, they fall silent as if wearied by great
labors. Therefore it is also added: (Verse 31) But the people were exceedingly weary. It
is also the custom of the proud that when another's tongue is silent from their praises,
their own self-estimation is not silent. While others indeed are silent, they cry out,
because they carry the proclamations of their own self-estimation in their heart. Well
therefore it is added concerning the same people: (Verse 32) And the people turned to the
spoil, and took sheep, and oxen, and calves, and slaughtered them on the ground, and the
people ate with the blood.

39. He carries off the sheep who recalls the manifold causes of his innocence for the
purpose of pride. He carries off the oxen as plunder when he thinks about the labors of
his preaching and, by remembering, heaps together whatever he has accomplished by speaking
to others, as if by cultivating the earth. He carries off the calves when he is puffed up
over the fact that suppressed impulses of lust are brought back to mind. For since two
precepts are given in the great praise of the just — namely, the splendor of charity
together with the light of good works — when anyone arrogant in his own estimation is
puffed up, he is said to carry off both sheep and calves: sheep indeed in the innocence of
good works, and calves in the mortification of bodily passions. Among these he has
inserted the oxen, because one is not perfectly puffed up who regards himself as weak and
powerless in some part. He is already great in his own eyes by the estimation of his
chastity and good works, but he raises himself to the height of a greater pride when he
recalls that he is perfect in the labor of preaching. But to what end all these things are
brought is set forth in what follows: 'And they slaughtered them on the ground.' To
slaughter sheep, oxen, and calves on the ground is to exult with base and carnal joy over
the consciousness of virtues.

Whence also through Hosea it is said of the proud and arrogant: 'They sank their victims
into the deep' (Hos. 5:2). They plunge their victims into the deep who do not raise the
heavenly offerings of virtues to heaven through thanksgiving, but bend them down to earth
through the desire for vain praise. Whence it is also well added: 'And the people ate with
the blood.' The food of the mind is its interior joy. What then is eating with the blood,
if not never removing the intention of vain favor from the inner appetite of the mind? For
the blood is, as it were, cast away when the mind removes the intention of vanity from the
joy of good works. For a mind of this kind knows how to rejoice in good works, because it
rejoices that it draws near to heavenly things through good works, and for the time being
it shrinks from being seen in those same works. Therefore, to eat with the blood is to
take the joy of good works mixed with the intention of vanity. And indeed, when this is
offered by others, it is simple food for the proud; but when no one is praising them, the
conscience of the proud swells up, and they seize violently as if by plunder what no one
freely gives. There follows: (Vv. 33, 34.) 'And they reported to Saul, saying that the
people had sinned against the Lord, eating with the blood. He said: You have transgressed.
Roll a great stone to me now.

And Saul said: Disperse among the common people and tell them that each one should bring
his own ox and ram, and slaughter them upon this stone, and eat, and you will not sin
against the Lord by eating with the blood.' 40. It is proper to the preachers of the holy
Church both to rebuke committed faults and to show how those rebuked faults ought to be
avoided. Once rebuked, they become known, but if people do not know how to avoid them,
once exposed they are repeated. What is shown in this eating of blood, if not the hidden
poison of pride? But hidden vices are not cured unless they are exposed. Therefore, to
suggest the manner of preachers, Saul first declares that the people have transgressed,
then commands that the animals they are to eat be slain upon a stone. But we know who the
rock or stone is, because Paul showed this, saying: "And the Rock was Christ" (1 Cor.
10:4). The stone is rolled before the preacher when the examples of the Redeemer are
recalled in his presence. It is also said to be rolled over, so that it may be seen from
every side. It is called great because through Daniel it is reported to grow and fill the
whole face of the earth (Dan. 2). Therefore it is not viewed carelessly, but turned from
both sides, so that God may be beheld by the arrogant, and their arrogance may be crushed.
Let the arrogant one see, then, how powerful in might, how sublime in majesty, how humble
in power our Redeemer appeared. For while giving sight to the blind and healing the sick
(Matt. 9), he commanded that what he had done powerfully should be told to no one.

On the mountain he shone in splendor, the Father brought forth testimony of his divinity,
and yet he said to his disciples: "Tell no one of this vision, until the Son of Man has
risen from the dead" (Matt. 17:9). And perhaps for this reason, when the Lord was now
rising, an angel appeared at the tomb who rolled the stone away from its entrance. For
then the stone had to be rolled away, because Christ, true man and mighty God, was to be
recognized after the glory of the resurrection. If therefore the proud man has looked at
one side of the stone, let him roll the stone and see the other side. Let him not view the
stone in just any way, for Christ is not dead, but let him see it rolled away by an angel,
because he rose from the dead. Let him behold from one side the eloquence of preaching,
and turn it, and marvel from the other side at the splendor of humility. Let him see from
this side the power of signs, and from that side let him see that he who shone with the
power of might concealed that same might by a command of silence. But while he sees the
humble side, let him see the sublime side as well. Behold, the humble side of the stone is
perceived, for it says: "He humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death" (Phil. 2:8).
But if that side is turned, the other is revealed, for it continues:

"Therefore God exalted him, and gave him a name that is above every name. We roll the
stone before the preacher, therefore, when in his presence we recall both the power and
the humility of our Redeemer; when we observe him humble in his works, and from his
humility exalted in heaven. Upon this stone let the ox and the ram be slain, so that in
every class of men the vice of pride may be slaughtered through contemplation of Christ.
There indeed all blood is poured out, because whoever is instructed by the example of
Christ does great things, but does not exalt himself on account of those great works. He
is indeed nourished by the joy of good work, but his food is not stained with the blood of
vain praise. For if that stone is turned in words, it says: "If I had not done among them
the works that no one else did, they would not have sin" (John 15:24). But because he did
not swell with pride at his words, turning himself, he says: "I do not seek my own glory"
(John 8:50). The ox and the ram are therefore slain upon the stone when by the example of
the Redeemer all horned pride is condemned; when any chosen one both acts well and teaches
excellently, but neither does his own life lift him up nor his instruction of others. For
in the ram the strength of one's own innocence is expressed, but in the ox the labor and
strength of preaching.

These are slain upon the rock, so that they may refresh the chosen mind with joy in such a
way that they do not impart to it blood mixed with their flesh. This indeed the chosen
preacher not only speaks but also persuades. Whence it is also added: (Verse 34) "And all
the people brought each one his ox in his hand until night, and they slew them there." 41.
To lead a bull by hand is to destroy the sin of pride through the affliction of penance.
For while by laboring one destroys what one committed through pride, one leads the bull to
be slaughtered on the stone by hand. But what does it mean when he says: "Until night,"
unless that it is not permitted to sin, but it is permitted to destroy sins up until
death? Therefore bulls are to be slaughtered until night, not in the night, because while
we live, we can destroy sins by repenting, but after death we are unable to perform
fruitful penance. And well is it added in the same place: (Verse 35.) And Saul built an
altar to the Lord.

41. For when sinners are converted, a heavenly edifice is, as it were, constructed from
stones. And since many manuscripts have: "And then Saul first began to build," the name of
altar can be understood as compunction of heart. For when compunction of heart is raised
up through the word of a teacher, an altar is surely built to the Lord. And it is said to
have been built first, because there is a compunction of love. Hence in the tabernacle of
the covenant, two altars were commanded by the Lord to be made: one, namely, for burning
incense, and another for burning flesh (Exod. XXVII, XXXVII). The first altar was outside;
the second was within the Holy of Holies. The first altar, therefore, is the compunction
of fear; the second altar is the compunction of love. The former belongs to those who
mourn their sins; the latter to those who yearn with all their desires for eternal joys.
The stones of the former are recollections of sins; the stones of the latter are
meditations on everlasting joys. Therefore the teacher builds the first altar when he sets
forth the faults which the sinner, when he beholds them in himself, groans over. Rightly
also is compunction called an altar, because it offers incense. But when each person is
pricked with compunction for a long time over his sins, he advances through repentance to
the practice of confidence.

For after the times of affliction, he begins to burn for eternal life, and he who formerly
wept from dread of punishment now begins to weep even more abundantly over the delay of
his reward. Therefore, since the first compunction of the elect is born from fear, while
through the figure of the king and the people, preachers and their recently converted
subjects are signified, Saul is said to have then first built an altar. But from the
progress of some, a teacher is often inflamed to pursue the gains of others. Hence it is
added: (Verse 36. And Saul said: "Let us rush upon the Philistines by night and lay waste
to them until the morning light, and let us not leave a single man among them." 42. This
has been sufficiently explained above, but because he desires to strike the Philistines in
the night until the day dawns, this surely suggests that, lest demons be able to cause
harm in the future, they must now be driven out and destroyed from the hearts of sinners.
Indeed, this life is called night when it is compared to eternal life. For whoever has
been able to worthily contemplate that life, in comparison with it, whatever appears
bright here is judged to be the darkness of night. But that day dawns when, at the end of
this life, it opens itself to the souls of the elect. For at its departure from the body,
the elect soul sees eternity dawning upon it, because it did not gaze upon the light of
the present age, regarding it as darkness.

43. But what does it mean when it is said: "And let us not leave of them a man"? But every
Philistine man must be destroyed; every little one cannot be destroyed at all. For no one
is without sin, except God alone. Therefore the "men" are capital crimes and principal
vices. But they are designated by the name of men, that is, of strong ones, when they
subject the hearts of sinners to themselves. Rightly therefore it is said: "Let us not
leave of them a man," because converted sinners, by the counsel of holy preachers, abandon
all their strong sins and vices, but they cannot have no sin or vice at all. They can
guard against crimes, but they cannot avoid all sins. They can extinguish vices, but they
are unable to prevent themselves from being in some way struck by any of them. He says
therefore: "Let us not leave of them a man," because the preachers of holy Church command
us to uproot our vices; but while they slay the strong and principal ones in us, they are
unable to bring it about that certain of them do not in some way live through a faint
stirring. And adding concerning the obedience of the people, he says: (Verse 36.) "The
people said: Do whatever is good in your eyes."

44. The eyes of preachers are the gaze of reason. He who is entrusted to the judgment of a
teacher is therefore rightly said to say to him: "Do whatever is good in your eyes." As if
to say: We who distrust the illumination of our own reason entrust to the light of your
reason what we judge to be lacking in ourselves. But what Saul said, "Let us rush upon the
Philistines," can be understood to mean that he did not put forward a deliberated
decision, but by saying this, he was consulting whether they should rush upon the
Philistines. But the fact that the people quickly gave their assent suggests what we
observe, that some within the holy Church approve the words of their superiors before they
understand them. For it is immediately added: (Verses 36, 37.) "And the Priest said: Let
us draw near here to the Lord. And Saul consulted the Lord, saying: Shall I pursue the
Philistines? And the Lord did not answer him on that day."

45. What does it mean that the words of the consulting king, which the people praise, the
priest declares must be brought before the Lord, except that obscure and great matters,
which escape the simple, are never rightly ordered if we do not seek their outcome in the
sanctuary of the mind through careful meditation? For to approach the Lord is to know His
will through secret contemplation. And it is rightly called an approach, because we move
from external things to internal ones when we try to know the outcome of our work in the
divine will. For he who seeks hidden and inward things yet does not leave behind external
things does not find those things which he does not know how to reach. Therefore, when
counsel is sought from us concerning hidden matters, let us approach the Lord, so that
what must be done is set forth only when it is known in the divine will. For many things
seem to be good and are not. Many things indeed must be done, but they are done more
profitably if they are reserved for the fitting time. Some things, moreover, certain
people ought to do, while others ought not. If any chosen one neglects to see these things
in the secret place of meditation, he certainly does not arrange them in right order. But
on the contrary, he who is accustomed to examine these things or to act upon them through
meditation knows not only what must be done but also what must be avoided. Whence it is
also rightly said: (Ver. 37.) Saul consulted the Lord, and the Lord did not answer him on
that day.

46. The day is a thought of the mind which is considered good and is not recognized for
what it truly is. For while it pretends to be good, it carries, as it were, light. In that
day, therefore, the Lord did not answer the one consulting him, because the word of God
cannot agree with evil deliberation. Indeed, through the answer of a word we are
accustomed to reveal the sense of our innermost will. In that day, therefore, the Lord
does not answer, because almighty God is not discerned in the feigned light of thought —
he who is always found in the brightness of truth. And it should be noted that he who gave
the counsel of approaching the Lord was a priest. For what is holier than the counsel of
approaching God? We are therefore priests as often as we minister good counsels to our
brothers. For nothing more sacred can be given than that by which each person ought to go
to the Creator. But since we are describing the order of spiritual warfare, we ought to
connect what came before with what follows.

47. The word of Saul was indeed such that he would so devastate the Philistines that he
would not leave a single man among them. This can also be understood as follows: because
he wished to destroy the Philistines in such a way that none of them would be able to wage
war any further. Great indeed is this day of the mind, in which eternal things are so
sought that no temporal enemy is left alive from the slaughter. But because it is granted
to no one to conquer so completely in time that he need not fight at all times, it is
rightly said: "The Lord did not answer him on that day. The answering of God pertains not
only to His intimate word, but also to His grace and gift. For when He graciously grants
what is piously requested, He is said to answer. Therefore the Lord does not answer on
that day, because He indeed permits the elect to conquer, but He leaves their enemies, as
it were, alive, so that they may find those against whom they must always fight. Yet if
this is said because Jonathan's fault is being concealed, a great fear is struck into
those who hold authority. The son sins, and He denies a response to his father. One man is
also found to have transgressed, yet on account of the fault of one, all are afraid to
pursue their enemies.

What is signified by this event, except that the sins of subjects harm not only
themselves, but also their superiors and those living in community with them? But since
this hidden fault is investigated by the king, let us now see with what loftiness all
hidden things are sought out. For there follows: (Verses 38, 39. "Bring near all the
corners of the people, and know and see through whom this sin has occurred today. As the
Lord lives, the Savior of Israel, even if it was done through Jonathan, he shall die
without reconsideration." 48. By these words he clearly demonstrated the well-ordered
procedure of judgment, because the fault must first be discovered, and then the punishment
imposed. For the order of judgment is thrown into confusion if punishment is pronounced
before the examination of the discovered fault. For lest he strike before the examination,
he says: "Bring here all the corners of the people, and see, and know through whom this
sin has occurred today." And because once the fault is known it must be struck more
severely, he swears, saying: "As the Lord lives, even if it was done through Jonathan my
son, he shall die without reconsideration." The matter must indeed be deliberated upon at
length so that the fault may be found, but after it has been found, no one should be left
alive in it. He is destroyed without reconsideration who, as soon as his sin becomes
known, is forbidden to live in it. But this "without reconsideration"—that is, to
destroy—is itself not without reconsideration, because the pastor exercises much
deliberation so that the fault, which he discovers through careful examination, may be
struck without reconsideration and extinguished swiftly.

49. But if according to the historical sense we consider the weight of this paternal oath,
and equally observe the fervor of that time and the lukewarmness of this one. For the
ancient fathers, in order to please God, did not spare even their sons from death. But we
do not dare to pursue even with a mild harshness of words those whom we love according to
the flesh. Behold, he who was raising his son for the kingdom says: "Because if the sin
was committed through him, he shall die without reconsideration. We see sinners, and we
either refuse or fear to rebuke the sinning. Why then do we do this, unless because we by
no means love God as they did? For Moses, in order to properly punish the sin of idolatry,
ordered the Levites to kill twenty-three thousand men. In carrying out which slaughter he
indeed said: "If anyone is the Lord's, let him join me. Let every man put his sword upon
his thigh. Go and return from gate to gate, and let each one kill his brother, and his
friend, and his neighbor" (Exod. 32:26–27). As if to say: In this each one will show that
he is the Lord's, if for love of Him he does not spare brother, neighbor, or friend. Saul
therefore says of his son: "He shall die without resistance," because for us who now live
under the grace of the Redeemer, even if bodily death is not decreed, the life of sin
ought not to be prolonged.

Indeed, a ruler slays without reconsideration when he does not regard the affection of the
flesh, but when he finds a crime, strikes swiftly. He reconsiders, however, who, lest he
sharply sting the wicked one, thinks of the services rendered to him by that person, or of
the affection of kinship. In this matter it should be noted that not all faults are to be
struck sharply. For light stains of dust are better removed by shaking off than by washing
or applying fire. Even serious faults are not to be pursued with equal severity in all
cases, because wounds of bodies require the strength of medicine in proportion to the
nature and strength of the bodies themselves. Most often, however, prelates of the Church,
when they hear of faults, grow more heated than is just; and while they measure out
punishment, they regard neither the nature of the wounds nor the strength of the offending
persons. They indeed are to be tolerated when they threaten, but are to be calmed from
vengeance by the counsel of good men. Whence it is also added here: (Verse 39) "To which
no one contradicted him from all the people. For because the threats of superiors are to
be humbly endured, it says: "No one contradicted him. And because their excess is to be
restrained by the wholesome counsel of the devout, not much further on, when the king
attempts to inflict the same death on his son, all the people cry out: "Shall Jonathan
then die, who accomplished this salvation in Israel?

Therefore the people delivered Jonathan so that he would not die. But because he strives
not to strike a fault not yet found, but to discover the hidden one, it follows: (Verse
40) "And he said to all Israel: 'Separate yourselves on one side, and I with Jonathan my
son will be on the other side.'" 50. What does it mean that by the king's command the
people are separated from the king and his son, except that when a hidden and suspected
fault is sought, both the higher and lower persons must be examined? Indeed, often the
people sin, and often their ruler sins; and sometimes the very fault of the subjects is
ascribed to the prelate, by whose negligence it is said to be brought about. Therefore,
when, after the signs shown above, it is recognized that a fault lies hidden among the
people, and it is not known in whom it is concealed, let the king join himself in, so that
the pastor may know whether the fault is his own or the people's. Indeed, King Saul was
not conscious of the fault, which he had committed neither by consent nor by deed, and yet
he is mixed in to be examined, so that if the fault also lies hidden in him, it may be
found. For he was, as it were, searching himself as one unaware of sin, who said: "For I
am not conscious of anything against myself, but I am not justified by this; the one who
judges me is the Lord" (1 Cor. 4:4). As if to say: I do not cease to search myself and to
find myself, because if I am hidden from myself, I will not be hidden from him to whom all
things are naked. Therefore let the king, not conscious of that sin which was being
investigated, say:

"I with my son Jonathan will be on one side"; because chosen teachers, when they rage
against others through zeal for righteousness, by no means spare themselves and their own
close associates. For they, as it were, separate the people on one side and do not
separate themselves, who examine the faults of their subjects but do not care to
investigate so as to find themselves. Great indeed is the ocean of human ignorance. For if
we can scarcely or never search ourselves and find what we are, when can we search others?
For what is it that the Prophet laments, saying: "My heart has forsaken me" (Ps. 39:13)?
What is it that Sacred Scripture declares: "Man does not know whether he is worthy of love
or hatred" (Eccl. 9:2)? Likewise, the Prophet declares the fruit of his searching, saying:
"Your servant has found his heart" (2 Kings 7:27). If the saints can scarcely find their
heart, with what recklessness do we cease from searching ourselves? But perhaps not even
the Prophet could, because he added: "That he may fear you. He would surely have found his
heart if he had fully known whether he was worthy of hatred or love. He who therefore did
not find it so as to be secure before God, surely found it so as to fear. But we cannot
easily do even this, because while we neglect to find our sins and to weigh them once
found, we are, as it were, secure with a lost heart.

Therefore these are placed on one side, those on the other, so that the hidden things of
each may be considered, and once the fault is found, it may be struck with a fitting
punishment. Because this is greatly to be praised and not to be discouraged, there
follows: (Verse 40. "The people answered Saul: Do what is good in your eyes." 51. But what
does it mean that Saul commands the people to separate themselves to one side, and the
people ask the king to do what he commands, except that simple people do not know how to
examine themselves, even when they are commanded to? Therefore he says: "Do what is good
in your eyes." As if to say: You will be able to manage our affairs better, you who have
received the light of the heart not only for yourself, but also for foreseeing our paths.
But the ruler is praised for the interior illumination which he has through grace, yet
does not possess through his own estimation. He is praised, indeed, because he is able to
know the secrets of others, but he himself lacks confidence that he can know himself.
Because, therefore, he does not ascribe to himself the light of so great a grace, he does
not neglect to seek it from God through prayers. Whence it also follows: (Verse 41.) And
he said to the Lord God of Israel: "Give a sign. Why have you not answered your servant
today? If this iniquity is in me or in my son Jonathan, give a revelation; or if this
iniquity is in your people, give holiness."

52. We therefore ask that a sign be given when we demand that hidden things be revealed to
us. But we must ask what such great diversity of words means. For regarding himself and
his son he asks that a manifestation be given, but if the iniquity is in the people,
holiness. This however can be stated briefly: because chosen teachers know their own
strength and know the weakness of the subject people. For themselves, therefore, they ask
only the manifestation of the fault, because they know they are accustomed to pursue it
with the severity of penance. But for the people they seek holiness, because they do not
desire merely to know the faults of their subjects; but those whom they find doing evil,
they urge to arrive at pardon through lamentation. For what does it mean to say, "Give
holiness," except, "Sanctify those whom you reveal"? You uncover their hidden things to
me, but nothing is accomplished by the uncovering if you do not work upon those whom you
reveal by pouring back grace. But because often subjects stand firm while prelates fall,
there follows: (Verse 41.) And Jonathan and Saul were taken. And because it is not easily
recognized by whom the fault itself was committed, there follows: (Verse 42.) And Saul
said: Cast the lot between me and my son. And Jonathan was taken.

53. Those who cast lots often discover hidden things through conjectures drawn from
visible things. Thus indeed Jonah is identified while fleeing (Jon. 1); thus Matthias the
Apostle is found worthy of apostolic eminence (Acts 1). We therefore cast spiritual lots
when, through the outward signs of works, we arrive at knowledge of hidden things. For the
lot of each person is his own manner of life. Hence in Wisdom the wicked say: "Let us
crown ourselves with roses before they wither; let no meadow be left untouched by our
luxury; let us leave signs of our merriment everywhere, for this is our portion and this
is our lot" (Wis. 2:8). But on the contrary, the Psalmist prays, saying: "Let my portion,
O Lord, be in the land of the living" (Ps. 141:6). Paul also declares the same, saying:
"Our manner of life is in heaven" (Phil. 3:20). The teacher therefore holds, as it were,
the lots of each individual when he observes the manner of life of each one. And when the
fault is known but the person of the guilty one is not known, he casts lots, as it were,
when he compares the nature of the crime to the person of the negligent one. And perhaps
he discovers the fault when, by a certain sign of conjecture, he arrives at the evident
truth of the crime. He who does not know both the strength and the weakness of the
faithful committed to him presides negligently indeed.

For he ought to know the strong among his subjects — for which virtues they are suited,
and by which vices the weak are prone through the negligence of their neighbor. He ought
to know what devotion to virtues stirs these, and what character of vices disturbs the
negligence of those. He therefore holds, as it were, the lots of each in outward things,
when he foresees by which vices the latter can be overwhelmed and by which virtues the
former can be exalted. Therefore, once the cause is known, he imprints marks upon the
lots, as it were, when we ascribe the stain of an evident fault to the manner of life of
the one who, through negligence, previously appeared inclined and close to perpetrating
that very crime. But let this conjecture be held for the purpose of investigating the
truth, not for the certainty of an established case, because there it is immediately
added: (Verse 43. "And Saul said to Jonathan: Tell me what you have done."

54. For what is it that the captive is interrogated, except because faults which seem to
have been detected by signs or conjectures are not yet to be struck? For it is as though
the wound is already held, but it is still covered. Let it therefore be uncovered, so that
it may be able to be healed and cured. He must indeed be compelled or admonished to
confess the fault which is already perceived as if openly. He therefore says: "Show me
what you have done," because a crime which is known by certain open indications is not to
be judged before it is most openly demonstrated. And because it belongs to the elect to
sin and come to their senses, to commit faults and to uncover those committed by
confessing them, there follows: (Verse 43.) And Jonathan showed him and said: "Tasting I
tasted a little honey with the tip of the rod that was in my hand, and behold I die."

55. What does it mean that he says: "Tasting I tasted"? Why did he not say above: "Tasting
I tasted a little of this honey," when he said: "You have seen that my eyes were
enlightened, because I tasted a little of this honey"? But certain people, when they
confess their sins, diminish them with certain words, while they show that they did not
commit them with their whole heart. On the contrary, however, when the elect accuse
themselves of the smallest things, they pronounce them not as small, but as great. What
does it mean to say: "Tasting I tasted," except: I carried out the sin outwardly, I
fulfilled it with a great burning of desire? And what does it mean to say after the
confession of sin, "I die," except to drive death away from oneself by repenting and
confessing, and to fear it once driven away? This indeed is properly characteristic of the
elect, who abandon their sins and yet fear them as though they were not abandoned. And
indeed they blot them out with pure confessions and the harsh torments of penance, but
they vehemently fear them as though they were not blotted out. But what does it mean that
he says: "On the tip of the rod"? — except that when we pursue our sins by confessing, we
ought not to bring forth falsehood against ourselves. Sin indeed must be revealed in
confession, but it must not be enlarged by lying. It ought to be such in confession as it
was in deed.

Therefore, so that the burning of desire may be well revealed, he says: "Tasting I
tasted"; and so that its quality may appear, it is added: "On the tip of the rod," as if
to say: Boldly inflamed I did it, but this is what I did. And because it is the son of the
king who confesses, he says: "Which was in my hand. The rod of Jonathan signifies the
teaching and discipline of the preacher. It is held in the hand when one not only teaches,
but practices by doing what one teaches. What then does it mean that he says: "Which was,"
not "Which is in my hand"? — except that he suggests the estimation of the elect, who even
when they commit evil deeds, judge themselves unworthy of the ministry of preaching. He
says therefore: "On the tip of the rod, which was in my hand. As if to say: I sinned in
pride over that very thing by which, in sinning, I made myself unworthy. It was therefore
in my hand, and is not, because even if I once practiced what I taught, what I held by
practicing I lost by being proud. Now therefore, struck with fear, he says: "Behold, I
die. And because that same fear is sometimes struck into the mind by divine inspiration,
sometimes by the threats of teachers, it is added: (Verse 44. And Saul said: "May God do
this to me and add this, because you shall surely die, Jonathan. There follows: (Verse 45.

And the people said to Saul: "Shall Jonathan then die, who has accomplished this great
salvation in Israel? This is abominable. As the Lord lives, not a hair of his head shall
fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day. Therefore the people delivered
Jonathan, so that he would not die. 56. What then is the meaning of what is said, "Shall
Jonathan then die," unless that another would have died for the same fault? By these words
of the people there is surely shown to us the power of great discernment, because in the
judgment of the elect, not only must the causes of faults be weighed, but also the merits
of persons. This is openly shown by these words, because Jonathan is declared not to die
not because he was the son of the king, but because he had wrought great salvation in
Israel. When therefore great men fall, they are not to be handed over to the common
judgment, because their prior works deserve that the gravity of their later faults be
lightened. But this lightening of fault itself is not to be determined by respect of
persons, but by regard for their prior life, because for his absolution the gains of Holy
Church must be weighed, not carnal affection admitted. But what wonder if one's own merits
avail for the absolution of a sinner, when from the authority of sacred Scripture we learn
that some have been delivered for the sake of others? Indeed, by the good work of some,
others are helped, as is said by the Lord to the sinning King Solomon: "Because you have
not kept my commandments, I will surely tear your kingdom apart and give it to your
servant. Nevertheless, in your days I will not do it, for the sake of David your father;

but from the hand of your son I will tear it away" (1 Kings 11:11). Hence it is that not
only do the works of fathers benefit their children, but we have also recognized that
citizens are to be delivered for the sake of fellow citizens. Indeed the Lord promised to
spare Sodom, which was to be overthrown, if He found in it only ten righteous persons
(Gen. 18). Jerusalem also is said to be looked upon mercifully, because some good works
were found in it. Hence it is that Eli, righteous in his own life but negligent in
pastoral authority, heard from the man of God: "A great part of your house shall die when
they reach manhood; nevertheless I will not utterly take away from you a man from my
altar" (1 Sam. 2:33), so that sacred Scripture might here openly show that he was both
struck for his laxity and regarded for his past manner of life. But he could perhaps be
struck in part, because he had some impurity of life. Of Jonathan therefore it is well
said: "Shall Jonathan then die, who has wrought this great salvation in Israel? Far be it!
As the Lord lives, not a hair of his head shall fall to the ground, for he has worked with
God this day. As if to say: He who has done great works has worthily deserved to be
absolved entirely.

Because therefore in ecclesiastical judgment, even if there is no respect of persons,
there is nevertheless a discernment of merits, he fittingly concluded the sentence,
saying: "So the people delivered Jonathan, that he should not die." 57. In this passage it
should be noted that the king twice uttered an oath above concerning the killing of
Jonathan, whom nevertheless, overcome by the insistence of the people, he did not kill.
What does it mean that he swore, and by no means kept the assertion of his oath? But from
this matter two lessons come to us, namely that we ought to be both cautious and
discerning. Cautious indeed, lest we swear; discerning, if we swear to do perverse things.
For he who takes care not to swear cannot possibly commit perjury. But when one swears
wrongly, it is more just that the oath be abandoned than that the crimes which are sworn
be carried out. Therefore let everyone be cautious before he swears, so that either he
does not swear at all, or does not swear that he will do evil things. That we should
indeed be cautious, the Lord teaches, saying: "Let your speech be: Yes, yes; no, no. Do
not swear by heaven, nor by the earth" (Matt. 5:37). On the other hand, the reprobate are
both incautious and lacking in discernment. For they often promise that they will do evil
things, and do not trouble themselves to revoke their promises, as though they would incur
perjury. Hence it is that Herod swore incautiously, and fulfilled the wicked oath he had
uttered in the death of the Lord's forerunner (Mark 6). We ought therefore to be cautious
in our decisions, but if we neglect to be cautious, our resolutions must be abandoned, not
fulfilled. For to desist from a resolution in this way is not the vice of fickleness, but
the virtue of discernment. Nevertheless, swearing things that must be revoked and detested
is absolutely to be avoided and greatly dreaded, because when such an oath is not
fulfilled, guilt is not entirely avoided, but the lesser evil is chosen. There follows:
(Verse 46.) And Saul departed, and did not pursue the Philistines.

58. When Jonathan's fault is discovered, when the king is found not to have fulfilled his
oath, he is said to cease pursuing the Philistines, because when pastors are weighed down
by their own weakness, they cannot vigorously seek the gains of others. For to cease
pursuing the Philistines is to stop for a time pursuing the vices of others by preaching.
For they judge that they must first attend to their own purification, and then, once
purified, be watchful for the salvation of others, because while they are silent they
prepare themselves, so that through their own penance, as it were, they may rise up
vigorously to gain others. And because often, while the teacher, conscious of his own
guilt, is silent, evil spirits are not silent toward some of his subjects, suggesting
impious things to them. There follows: (Verse 46.) Moreover, the Philistines went away to
their own places.

59. When the teachers are silent, the demons depart to their own places; because through
the silence of the pastors, none perish except those who are not predestined to eternal
life. For the places of demons are those who are not foreordained by divine foreknowledge
as a dwelling of God. Hence it is said, when the first teachers were preaching: "As many
as were predestined to eternal life believed" (Acts 13:48). Hence Paul says: "Whom He
foreknew, He also predestined, and whom He predestined, He also called" (Rom. 8:30). Hence
it is that when the apostles wished to cross into Asia, they were forbidden by the Holy
Spirit (Acts 16). Therefore those who are not predestined, whether they hear the words of
the teachers or do not hear them, cannot be called into the dwelling of God, because
through the wickedness in which they were foreknown before the foundation of the world,
they have prepared a place within themselves for malign spirits. Rightly therefore, when
the pursuit of the Philistines is said to have ceased, the demons are reported to have
gone away to their own places, because sometimes by God's dispensation the teachers are
silent, so that while they are silent, those who are not the Lord's may be reclaimed by
evil spirits. But, as I said, when after their fault the pastors are silent, they humble
themselves, so that, purified, they may rise powerfully to the ministry of preaching.
While they are silent, they weigh their own weakness, but by examining themselves, they
strengthen themselves more vigorously against hidden enemies. Whence it is also fittingly
added: (Verse 47.) "But Saul, having established his kingdom over Israel, fought on every
side against his enemies."

60. The kingdom is indeed weakened when pastors fall into certain faults. But the weakened
kingdom is strengthened when through the satisfaction of penance they are raised up to the
work of great virtue. And it is said to be strengthened over Israel, because as one
advances to the height of life, he surpasses by his conduct those whom he exceeds in rank.
He is set over those who see God, but he is raised above those who see God when he is
taken up beyond all others in divine contemplation. Rightly therefore it is said: "He
fought against all his enemies, and wherever he turned he prevailed," because he who
contemplates eternal things more deeply easily crushes whatever comes against him from
below to fight. For since no earthly things now please him who reigns through great
charity over Israel, that is, in heavenly things, wherever he turns, he prevails. For what
can the malignant spirit suggest to him who considers no earthly things, who no longer
loves any joys of the world? The teacher fights when he preaches, but he prevails, because
what he prohibits in preaching from touching worldly delight, he persuades by the virtue
of his conduct. And because he is said to fight on every side against his enemies, his
victory is shown to be one of great praise. He teaches that the teacher is perfect on
every side who has the strongest enemies on every side. Therefore when he is said to turn
and prevail everywhere, how great is the glory proclaimed of him?

What then does it mean that he is said to have enemies on every side, except that
malignant spirits lie in ambush against all our senses? For they deceive some through
speech, others through sight. Some they mislead through hearing, others through taste or
smell. Still others they strive to drag into impurities through the snares of enticing
delight or thought. To some they outwardly present obscene things, which they may then
pursue by deliberation of the mind. But to show this encirclement more accurately: when
they drag one toward pleasant things, they set their ambush as if on the right. When they
cast another down through adversity, they press in as if from the left. When they invite
us to past pleasures, they thrust us down as if from behind. They meet others as if from
the front, because they often show to the minds of the weak the length of a strict way of
life, as though giving counsel. For they come from the front because they do not allow
souls to advance toward heaven. Therefore we have enemies on every side, because before,
behind, on the right and on the left we endure the battle of malignant spirits. Hence the
blessed apostle Peter also exhorts us, saying: "Your adversary the devil, as a roaring
lion, goes about seeking whom he may devour; resist him, steadfast in the faith" (1 Peter
5:8).

61. But now we know the circuit of war; let us see how kings conquer by going around. They
indeed conquer in the circuit who guard their tongue, and mouth, and eyes, and all the
members of the body from unlawful action. For while they perfectly fortify the tongue
through silence, they are, as it were, victors on one side; and while they see with their
eyes things which they disdain to covet, they become victors on another side. Often too
they hear evil things and repel them, and because they reject what is harmful, they
triumph by rejecting it. Therefore they are victors in all their senses who refuse to be
subjected to malign spirits through any one of them. But also when an unfit thought is
presented to the heart, the enemy who is rejected is crushed. For he who casts away
whatever is harmful powerfully presses down the enemy. And because he likewise despises
pleasant things and does not fear adverse things, does not return to the perverse things
he once left behind, and fervently runs toward heavenly things, he is shown to overcome
the enemies whom he suffers round about. Among these adversaries indeed, because the
ambushes set against the five bodily senses are signified, they are fittingly expressed by
the number five. (Verse 47) 'Against Moab', he says, 'and the sons of Ammon, and Edom, and
the king of Zobah, and the Philistines.'

62. For he who named the five nations designated the deceits of demons opposed to the five
senses of the body. But because a teacher fights not only by living but also by teaching,
when he disputes against all vices, when he slays them with the sword of the word in the
minds of his hearers, he is surely seen to fight on every side, and wherever he turns, to
overcome. But certain ones are specially named which principally stand against him:
Against Moab, he says, and the sons of Ammon, Edom, and the king of Zobah, and the
Philistines. Moab is interpreted "from the father," Ammon "people of sorrow," Edom "red,"
Zobah "burning" or "converting," Philistine "falling by the cup. For what is expressed by
these names but the stages of the worst life? In Moab indeed, who is called "from the
father," concupiscence is designated. In the reprobate mind, because it is planted by the
devil, it is as though begotten from a father. But what is shown by Ammon, who is
interpreted "people of sorrow," except the frequency of evil works? For because they are
many, they are called a people, and because they lead each reprobate to the bitterness of
eternal mourning, they are rightly named the people of sorrow. But Edom, who is called
"red," what does he suggest but the excessive fervor of sinning?

For first one becomes accustomed to sin, then through the habit of sinning advances to an
increase of fervor, so that he dares to sin more often, and what he redoubles by daring,
he always desires to repeat more ardently. By this ardor of sinning it comes about that in
the reprobate mind whatever of virtue or good work had flourished is burned up. Therefore
"burning" is described after Edom in the spiritual war, because such is the fall of the
lost mind that when it fervently strives to heap up evils, it is despoiled of all goods as
though consumed by fire and reduced to nothing. Zobah is also called "converting," because
fervent sin both removes the image of God from the reprobate mind and reshapes it into the
likeness of the apostate angel. Of which it is already said by divine sentence: When the
wicked comes into the depth of evils, he despises (Prov. 18:3). The proud mind now scorns
the divine commandments and subjects itself to carnal desires. Who then is the king of
Zobah, except he of whom it is said to blessed Job by the Lord: He is king over all the
children of pride (Job 41:2)? But the Philistines, who fall by the cup, who are they
except those who are drunk with all the above-mentioned evils? Who so forget heavenly
things that they seem to awaken to them either scarcely or never. By Moab, therefore, the
concupiscence of the flesh is expressed; by Ammon, the frequent practice of evil
operation;

by Edom, the burning desire of sinning; by Zobah, the devastation and burning of virtues;
by the Philistines, the forgetfulness of heavenly things. When therefore the chosen
teacher seeks to lead someone out from the midst of so many snares, what a great contest
of virtue does he undertake! And because from every stage of this perdition they return to
repentance through the labor of teachers, wherever he turns he is said to overcome. For by
preaching he sometimes slays concupiscence in someone's heart, sometimes the habit of
wicked operation. Now he draws those who had passed into the habit of sinning, now those
who, with their virtues burned up and reduced to nothing, were serving their king the
devil as though set ablaze. And because by preaching he recalls heavenly things to mind,
he rouses those falling by the cup and forgetful of heavenly things to the pursuit of the
spiritual life, and inflames them ardently through love. Rightly therefore it is said:
(Verse 47. Wherever he turned, he overcame.

63. Because while He draws sinners of every kind to life, He is recognized as triumphing
everywhere. The Lord was indeed commanding His soldiers, His princes, to carry out these
triumphs when He said: "Go into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature"
(Mark 16:15). He commands the Gospel to be preached to every creature, because He willed
that all kinds of men be led to the faith, so that while He displayed the noble triumphs
of His kings, He might show them conquering everywhere. Hence it is written: "Who wills
all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:4). Indeed He
wills all men to be saved, because from every kind of men He chooses those whom He draws
to the joy of eternal salvation. But he sets forth what he accomplished by special
fortitude, because it says: (Verse 48.) "And having gathered an army, he struck Amalek,
and delivered Israel from the hand of its plunderers."

64. Amalek is interpreted as "a people licking. What then is designated by Amalek, except
the spirits of fornication? For their licking is to soothe the mind toward sinning by the
flattery of the flesh. They seek to lick as if by the touch of a tongue when they touch
the mind with light suggestions. What does it mean that he is said to have fought and
conquered against Moab and Ammon, against Edom and the king of Zobah, yet did not gather
an army, but to defeat Amalek he gathered an army? What does it mean that he gathered an
army, except that to extinguish the spirit of fornication, a single virtue does not
suffice? Abstinence from food is indeed very strong against this vice, but alone it does
not prevail; for it is like a soldier who can fight but cannot overcome, because Amalek is
not conquered unless an army is gathered. Therefore whoever desires to strike down
fornication, let him add to bodily abstinence the virtue of humility. For if the mind
disdains to submit humbly to God, it does not suppress the desires of its flesh by
mastering and ruling over them. But it is still necessary to gather more, because the army
is small. Therefore to the virtue of humility and bodily abstinence let there be added a
frequent number of prayers. Indeed the affections of a heart intent on heavenly things are
strong soldiers against the war of the flesh.

Now therefore in the frequent assiduity of prayers he has a battle line, but an army has
not just one battle line but several. Therefore he does not yet have a complete army, and
he is by no means able to strike Amalek. Does it profit him that he wears himself down by
fasting, that he is pierced with compunction for a time by praying, if the slippery mind
thinks impure thoughts and carries within itself the phantasms of wantonness? But he who
does not have honorable thoughts within himself cannot prevail in avoiding base ones. For
since we are always thinking, good things must be sought out by us, lest we think evil
ones. What indeed are all the crowds of good thoughts, except innumerable battle lines of
the mind? For while they surround the mind and diminish its weakness, they do not permit
the most base enemies to approach it. And because by thinking we are kindled to the desire
of great purity, our soldiers are clothed with powerful weapons, by which they both turn
the assaults of fornication to flight by repelling them and destroy them by reducing them
to nothing. For impure thoughts have no way by which they might enter the soul, which is
adorned on every side, as if by the strongest soldier, with the honor of good thoughts.
Now therefore let the soul that wishes to destroy Amalek gather an army, and free the
seeing spirit from the hand of its ravagers.

Let it sit in their midst, so that surrounded on all sides by the examples of chosen
strong ones, girded about with the teachings of the Scriptures, it may have no part of
itself empty through which the enemy might break in. Because therefore innumerable are the
examples of the faithful, because many are the teachings of the Scriptures, the army is
great and strong, but it is not difficult to gather. Well therefore it is said of the king
of Israel: "Having gathered his army, he struck Amalek," because the spirit of fornication
is not conquered before the body is worn down through abstinence, and all the baseness of
obscene thought is put to flight by good things filling the mind. Then indeed the "people
licking" cannot lick him, that is, soothe him by delighting, because with the flesh tamed
by fasts, the mind endowed with the citadel of humility, girded with the weapons of
prayer, intent on heavenly teachings, fortified by examples, it cannot prevail to offer an
opening to impious suggestion by consenting. This gathering of an army indeed well befits
kings, that is, the teachers of the Church, because whoever strives to instruct chosen
subjects for extinguishing the madness of fornication, these many columns of auxiliaries
must be gathered for him by the word.

65. Well is it also said that Israel was rescued from the hand of his destroyers. To be
rescued is indeed said to be uprooted. And what is uprooted is understood to have sunk
deep roots into the depths. The hand of the destroyers is the power of evil spirits.
Whence it is also written: "By whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought into
bondage" (2 Peter 2:19). What then is gathered from this, except that when fornicators
consent to the desires of the flesh, they are subjected to the power of evil spirits?
Because likewise the enticement of fornication is deep, when the soul is plunged into it
through desire, it is held as if by roots in the deep. To be rescued therefore from the
hand of the destroyers is to be freed from the abyss of fornication, which is in the power
of demons. Well also are the assaults of fornication called destroyers, because concerning
the vice of lust it is said through blessed Job: "It is a fire that consumes to
destruction, and uproots all increase" (Job 31:12). The spirit of fornication is indeed
called a destroyer, because whomever it invades, it surely leaves him no gifts of virtue.
For the labor of ministry he can indeed possess some goods, but for the merit of salvation
he cannot possess them. He is therefore said to be laid waste for whom, having lost
chastity, no other goods avail unto life. The tender things of gardens are also said to be
laid waste.

For what are the gardens of the heavenly Bridegroom, if not the hearts of the saints,
fortified by watchfulness and flowering with the fragrance of chastity? For while they
admit no shameful impulses, they are adorned with the white flower of modesty. Whence also
it is said to the bride in the Song of Songs in praise of the bridegroom: "You who dwell
in the gardens, make me hear your voice" (Song of Songs 8:13). And again: "A garden
enclosed is my sister, my bride" (Song of Songs 4:12). A garden indeed, because flowering
with the virtue of extraordinary chastity; but enclosed, because fortified by continence.
Hence the bride explains what delights the bridegroom, saying: "My beloved is mine, and I
am his, who feeds among the lilies, until the day breathes and the shadows decline" (Song
of Songs 2:16). Unclean spirits therefore are destroyers, because if they deceive chaste
hearts, the deceived hearts lose the tender flowers of so great a virtue. Those therefore
who return from impurities to chastity, because they escape the dreadful powers of demons
and ascend from the depth of perdition, are fittingly said to be rescued from the hand of
the destroyers. But let us see what kind of helpers the king who is said to rescue the
people has. For there follows: (Verse 49) Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, and Ishui,
and Melchishua; and the names of his two daughters: the name of the firstborn was Merab,
and the name of the younger Michal.

66. The sons of Saul, who are born not to any ordinary inheritance but to a kingdom,
represent those of whom it is said to the holy Church through the Psalmist: "Instead of
your fathers, sons have been born to you; you shall make them princes over all the earth"
(Psalm 44:17). We recognize that they are three, because they defend the faith of the holy
Trinity by preaching it. But since the sons of the king are named after Amalek was struck
down, let us refer their number to the merits of the virtues. Mortification of the body,
watchfulness of the mind, and simplicity of intention—these are three. Because, therefore,
the teachers of the holy Church are strong in repressing the lust of the flesh, wise in
guarding the heart, and lofty in lifting the intention of the heart toward heaven, Saul's
sons are said to be three. There are also three things: strength of action, the virtue of
charity, and the most abundant grace of preaching. Since the teachers of the holy Church
are exalted in their great manner of life, fervent in great charity, and eloquent in great
wisdom of the word, they are fittingly signified by the number three. Their names
certainly correspond to their virtues, for Jonathan means "gift of the dove"; Ishvi means
"plain" or "my desire"; and Malchishua means "my king is salvation. Because the teachers
possess the surpassing gifts of the Holy Spirit, they are rightly called "gift of the
dove.

Likewise, because amid their lofty gifts they are humble, they are called "plain. Because
they ardently seek eternal things on behalf of the faithful entrusted to them, they are
said to be "my desire. This voice is recognized as belonging to the little ones who are
subject to them, but the power of so great a name belongs to the prelates. For we who are
still small and cold, lying in our negligences, do not burn with ardent desires for the
heavenly homeland. But what we cannot ardently demand for ourselves, one who pants with
great desires for that homeland which they long for us to obtain intercedes on our behalf.
Therefore, on account of the excellence of his charity, the king's son is not called "one
who desires" but "desire" itself, so that the fire of love may be shown to blaze
particularly in the teacher's mind. Hence it is also said of the Lord through the
Psalmist: "Who makes his angels spirits, and his ministers a burning fire" (Psalm 103:4).
For this reason also Daniel is called "a man of desires" (Daniel 9), because he is said to
have sought the prosperity of his people with great prayers. Malchishua means "my king is
salvation. The preacher is called "king" because he holds the height of his order and the
dignity of a great manner of life. He is likewise called "king" because he holds the
summit of eminence and the vigor of authority.

He is also called "salvation," so that it may be understood that by his integrity the
sickness of the people can be driven away. For the teacher must act daily through the
merit of his life and devout prayer, so that each one subject to him may be able to attain
salvation. But the teacher must note again that when he is named by his subjects, he is
not called "our king" but "my king. What then does "my king" mean, except that he ought to
be so familiar to all that he is felt through love to belong to each one individually? But
he who is called "mine" is named "king," because the humble and approachable preacher does
not seem to hold his preeminence as his own exclusively, but as the special possession of
each individual, since he strives to be so accessible through grace that his eminence
appears to be the personal possession of each one. Moreover, the weight of the word is
expressed when he is called "my salvation," by which indeed the diligent zeal and
solicitude of the preacher is commended, because he ought to attend to all collectively in
such a way that he seeks and pursues the particular concerns of each individual. For he is
called "my salvation" by each one if he takes up the care of each sick person and leads
that person to the blessings of eternal salvation.

67. What are Saul's daughters, if not the qualities of the elect subject to the preacher?
For some serve the pursuits of the active life, while others are hidden in the retreats of
the contemplative life. They are called daughters on account of their fruitfulness. The
one indeed brings forth a multitude of good works, while the other brings forth the
fullness of interior joys. Rightly therefore they are called the king's daughters, because
when they conceive from the word of God, they bring forth heavenly fruits. Whence Merab is
fittingly said to mean "from the multitude. For the active life, because it is perfected
through many good works, is rightly named "from the multitude. Or she is said to mean
"from the multitude" because those who please God through the active life are many. For
since those who yearn for heavenly joys through the contemplative life are fewer in
number, in comparison with them he calls those who serve the active life "many. They are
indeed many in number, divided in ministry, because even though they seek one heavenly
homeland through good works, they nevertheless serve through various works of piety. Of
these, certainly some advance so far in love of the Creator that they even abandon good
works themselves, and desire to pass over to the sweetness of the contemplative life and
to be free for God in it. Whence Michal is fittingly said to mean in our language "from
all.

She comes "from all" indeed, because no one is perfect in contemplation who has not
arrived at the heights of that same contemplation from the labor of good works. Whence the
Lord also says in the Gospel: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will
give you rest" (Matt. 11:28). Then the one who labors is called, when the desire of
eternity is poured into doing good. And they come to the one calling them when they arrive
at the rest of the contemplative life. In this indeed the laborers are refreshed, because
they abundantly receive the joys of love from divine contemplation. He himself refreshes
those who come, who shows himself to pure minds. In his revelation, because they find many
joys of contemplation, they are satisfied as if with sweetness of every kind of delight,
not by another, but by him himself. Michal therefore is said to mean "from all," because
no one seeks the secret of the contemplative life who has not first been engaged in some
good work. She is therefore called the younger sister, not because she is inferior in
dignity, but because she comes later in time. But if anyone wishes, he can understand the
contemplative life through the firstborn daughter and the active life through the younger.
And then indeed Merab is said to mean "from the multitude," because she leaves behind the
crowds of the multitude and comes to the rarer number of the perfect in contemplation.

She is therefore said to be not "the multitude" but "from the multitude," so that not
those with whom she is, but whence she came, may be recognized. But Michal is said to mean
"from all," so that in the active life the universal life of the holy Church may be
designated. For in the active life even those are first who afterward pass over to the
secret of contemplation, but in the retreat of contemplation they are not burdened with
the anxiety of the exterior life. The former therefore can be said to be "from the
multitude," but the latter "from all," because the active life contains all, while the
contemplative life withdraws from the sight of all, so that it may join itself, by the
gaze of the mind, to heavenly things. How then are they called Saul's daughters, unless
because both lives are shown forth by the zeal of a good ruler? For those who teach us to
do good, to be devoted to the pursuits of eternal life, are begotten for us by him through
whose instruction they are learned in our hearts. This indeed, because it is evident
concerning the works of the active life, seems remarkable concerning the contemplative
life, which is described through Mary, the sister of Martha, who sat at the Lord's feet
and listened to his word (Luke 10). But it is easily answered that while Mary sits, she
signifies the perfect in contemplation.

Yet she is rightly called Saul's daughter Merab, because even though sitting at the Lord's
feet she hears and learns from him what she wishes, she must nevertheless first learn how
she can sit. Since this is surely learned through the instruction of a wise and learned
teacher, Merab is rightly recalled as being Saul's daughter (1 Sam. 18). He promised
indeed to give her in marriage to David, but gave him the younger, because some love the
beauty of the contemplative life, yet are by no means permitted to approach its embrace.
For because they are necessary outside for ruling the faithful flocks, the supreme King so
ordains that they receive Michal the younger and never grasp Merab the elder. But many
receive the elder after the younger, because after devoted works of charity they are
received into the love of the inmost secret; which Jacob well suggests, who loved Rachel
but first received Leah, and thus afterward took Rachel in marriage (Gen. 29). What is
this, that Jacob was permitted to have both sisters, but David did not attain the chamber
of the elder, unless because David was a king, but Jacob was not a king? Therefore he who
takes up the governance of souls, ecclesiastical discipline does not allow him to abandon
the flock he has received and to devote himself to the leisure of a remote life. But Merab
is promised to David and never given;

Michal alone is given, because some, when they take up the care of souls, think that they
can bear the responsibility for others in such a way as to be free for themselves through
that same responsibility; and yet they never find the rest they seek in their office of
leadership; and it happens that while they cannot obtain from the Lord the grace of such
great purity, they grow fearful as though they had incurred the Lord's anger. As though
the king were angry, therefore, they lose the firstborn promised to them, because they
cannot embrace the love of inward rest which they thought they would have in their
position of authority. But we have said these things briefly by way of digression; let us
now return to what we had set aside. 68. Both are therefore called daughters of Saul, but
they receive different names, because they both differ and agree. They agree indeed,
because they strive through love toward the eternal life which they love. Likewise they
agree, because the good works by which the one is ceaselessly extended, the other performs
in whatever way she can. Because, therefore, both love the eternal things they see, and
both desire to attain them through good works, they agree in whatever way; but they
differ, because one does more, the other sees more. For Leah is not said to have been
blind, but blear-eyed. And Rachel, if she did not bear as many children, nevertheless did
not remain entirely barren. For if one life surpasses the other in contemplating or in
working, yet from neither is the clarity of vision taken away, from neither is the glory
of fruitfulness denied. Yet they differ in seeing and doing, because the active life has
vision in passing, but work as its purpose; the contemplative life, however, has work on
the journey, but its purpose in rest. Whence the evangelist Mark well says, when under the
figure of those three women he showed the love of the contemplative life: "They bought
spices, so that coming they might anoint Jesus" (Mark 16:1). As if to say: They stood in
work, so that they might be able to run to contemplation. To buy spices is, through the
labor of good work, to spread the fragrance of good repute all around.

And to anoint Jesus in the tomb is, through the mortification of the flesh, to attain the
richness of intimate devotion. For he is anointed as if in the tomb when, by those buried
together with him, the joy of his intimate brightness is most devoutly reached. They have
work in passing, therefore, because even if they sometimes work, they abandon it as if
running, since they are driven to the place of beloved solitude by a great impulse of the
spirit. For because they rest with all their desires in the love of eternal things, they
desire to see rather than to serve. They are therefore seldom in public work, constant in
the secret of contemplation; they linger little outside, sufficiently within. For they are
accustomed to judge it fornication to depart even for a moment from the contemplation of
Christ. 69. On the contrary, the active life, which busies itself frequently about
service, is rarely in the secret of contemplation. For she who has resolved to prepare
eternal things for herself not by sitting and listening, but by busying herself and
ministering, considers it not a loss but a waste if, being free for herself and seeking
her own things and not those of others, she should rest from the customary offering of
services. Therefore she labors more by working and prays less. Hence Martha too, who was
busy about frequent service, stood and spoke (Luke 10:40). For she who stood was surely
not permitted to sit, because if she had sat down to listen, she would perhaps have
rendered her service unprepared and insufficient. And it should be noted that Martha saw
the Lord in passing, yet she speaks not in passing but standing still. For the evangelist
carefully expressed it, saying: "She stood and said" (ibid.). By this example we are
surely instructed that we who render services to our brothers, if we cannot sit at the
Redeemer's feet for a long time, ought at least to stand before the Redeemer for a little
while. But we stand well before him if we see him while passing by and serving. But what
is it to see the Lord in passing, if not to direct the intention of the heart toward him
in all our good work? For we pass by when we minister to the Lord in his members by
running here and there.

But we see the Lord in passing if through everything we do we contemplate him, whom we
desire to please, as present to us. At this point it should be noted that Martha speaks
confidently, saying: "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?
(Luke 10:40). This certainly befits certain perfect workers of the holy Church, who offer
prayers to almighty God with all the more confidence as they remember having ministered to
him more laboriously in his members. But because even in those who serve the active life
excessive anxiety must be restrained, Martha is rebuked, who is said to be so anxious that
she is troubled about many things. The fervor of action is rightly ordered when we so
persist in our work that with a tranquil heart we see him to whom we strive to consecrate
our works. What then is excessive anxiety, if not the confusion of heavenly intention?
Because while it divides itself among many things, once divided it no longer rises to the
contemplation of heavenly things. For since the soul scarcely grasps that eternal and
simple good of eternal vision when it is united, it surely does not raise itself to it
when divided. Therefore the orderer and receiver of our works says: "One thing is
necessary," lest the mind divide itself among many things, so that, united through
tranquility, it may powerfully rise to the contemplation of the highest good.

The two daughters of Saul, therefore, although they are equally daughters of a king,
differ in their names, because the active and contemplative lives are noble in the
generosity of religion, but they are not equal on account of the diversity of their
office. But since we have shown their father, let us likewise point out their mother.
There follows: (Verse 50) "And the name of Saul's wife was Ahinoam, the daughter of
Ahimaaz." 70. For what is the wife of the preacher, if not good will? For he who is joined
through love to good will, from her as from a noble spouse children are born to him. For
when we wish to bring forth the fruit of good works, it is necessary that we first sow
them in good will. Hence Ahinoam is fittingly interpreted as "brother's rest. For that
brother of ours is He who, rising from the dead, spoke to Mary Magdalene saying: "Go, and
tell my brothers: I ascend to my Father and your Father" (John 20:17). Hence Paul,
asserting the nobility of the elect, says: "Heirs of God, co-heirs with Christ" (Rom.
8:17). What is meant by "brother's rest," except that the Redeemer of the human race rests
in the good will of His co-heirs? And because good will is bestowed upon us by Him by whom
it is inhabited, she is said to be the daughter of Ahimaaz. For Ahimaaz is interpreted as
"brother's beauty," or "brother who is beauty. For our Redeemer is called both brother and
beauty, because human nature lost the vigor of its dignity through the sin of the first
man, but in the person of the Redeemer it shone forth with increased splendor. He is
indeed our beauty, because all who shine with the brightness of virtues in the holy Church
receive from the fullness of His light. Hence Paul says: "In Him dwells all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily" (Col. 2:9).

Therefore, when the prophet Samuel regards the good will of our preachers, he expresses
what he has seen through types, saying: "Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz," because indeed
the beauty of good will is great, but it is born from the infusion of the Redeemer. For
she ought to be loved as a wife, but if one looks to the father, she is loved all the more
on account of her nobility. (Verse 50. "And the name of his captain was Abner, the son of
Ner, his uncle." 71. Abner is said to mean "my father is a lamp," and Ner is also said to
mean "lamp. What then is Ner understood to be, except the word of the Scriptures? Indeed,
the letter of holy Scripture is like the clay vessel of this lamp, while the spiritual
understanding is the brightness of its light, and its oil is the devotion of love.
Therefore, he is a son of the lamp who willingly hears the words of the Scriptures, and
wisely understands them, and what he gathers through understanding, he grasps through the
affection of charity. Why then is he called a son of the lamp, unless because what is born
from light is light? For what is sin, if not darkness? And likewise, what is a good work,
if not light? For when holy men direct the steps of their works according to the guidance
of the Scriptures, they receive, as it were, light from light through spiritual
instruction. Indeed, John, expressing this light from light, says: 'Everyone who is born
of God does not sin, because the heavenly birth preserves him' (1 John 5:18). What is it
to be born of God, except to love His will as it is known in the holy Scriptures? And what
is it not to sin, except to stand always in the light of justice?

For the blessed apostle Peter wished, as it were, to make us light from light, when he
said: 'You have the prophetic word, to which you do well to attend, as to a lamp shining
in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts' (2 Peter
1:19). Rightly therefore Abner is called "my father is a lamp," and his own father is also
named "lamp," because those in the holy Church can shine for others by their examples who
have received both the brightness of light and the oil of perfect charity from the
instruction of the Scriptures. But through John it is said "does not sin," so as to
suggest the strength of preachers, who extend their hand to sinners in such a way that
they themselves are not stained by the darkness of sins. But what does it mean that he is
called a cousin of Saul? A cousin is one who is born from the brother of one's father.
Hence here too it is added: (Verse 51.) 'Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father
of Abner was the son of Abiel.'

72. And when a king to be chosen was sought, it was said: "And there was a man named Kish,
the son of Abiel" (1 Samuel 9:1). Since we have more fully explained what these names of
the royal lineage signify, let us only set forth how Abner is said to be Saul's cousin.
Now Saul is known to be the son of Kish, that is, of "the hard one"; Abner also is said to
be the son of "a lamp. We have shown that "the hard one" designates men of excessively
austere manner of life, and that Ner is interpreted as "lamp. What then does it mean that
"lamp" and "the hard one" are said to be sons of the same father, except that both what
Holy Scripture commands as austere and the outward strength of a hard manner of life come
from God? For "the hard one" is the brother of "the lamp," because the grace of fulfilling
the law comes from Him from whom the law itself has its origin. Hence the Psalmist also
confidently promises, saying: "For He who gave the law will also give a blessing" (Psalm
84:7). For to give the law is to set forth the precepts of life to the elect, and to give
a blessing is to bestow the grace of fulfilling the law. Since therefore both the light of
Scripture and the harshness of our life come from One, Kish and Ner are said to be sons of
one father.

Therefore Abner, the son of Ner, is rightly said to be the cousin of King Saul, because he
who is chosen for the care of souls is judged as needing to be of a hard and austere life.
But those who desire to be helpers of preachers never accomplish what they desire if they
do not bring to completion the light of Holy Scripture, in which they were conceived
through knowledge, in good works and holy preaching, as if by being born. But since the
knowledge of the Holy Scriptures is ascribed more to the chief teachers than to their
subordinate helpers, and following examples of conduct seems to befit the lesser rather
than the greater, what does it mean that the king is called the son of "the hard one,"
while the prince of the king is called the son of "the lamp"? But by these words it does
not signify what the chief teachers and their helpers possess, but, passing over what they
possess, it sets forth what each must do. For the king, that is, the supreme and chosen
preacher, because he already possesses the light of Scripture through the knowledge of the
highest learning, should not so trust in his knowledge as to fail to follow the examples
of others.

Likewise the prince, that is, the helper of the great teacher, because he is subject to
the examples of his own superior, should lean toward the light, so that he who follows
examples may be born, as it were, into the learning of higher doctrine, as into the great
light of a lamp. He therefore who, being learned, is brought back through humility to the
examples of his elders, and who, instructed by examples, is raised up through learning to
the splendor of the Scriptures, is rightly said to be a king, the son of "the hard one,"
and a prince, the son of "the lamp. Such men, because they profitably stand over the
chosen faithful, because they mightily advance their subjects to victories of virtues, it
follows: (Verse 52. "And there was fierce war against the Philistines all the days of
Saul." 73. The war of those teachers is weak and altogether feeble who have neither the
light of divine knowledge nor the strength of good work. Therefore war is called powerful
when harsh sons rule over the chosen peoples, because he is able to speak good things
profitably to others who has been accustomed to precede his words with great deeds. But we
must also subtly consider what is said in a more complex way: 'All the days of Saul'. What
are the days of Saul, if not works of light? What is the war of a teacher other than what
is waged by the tongue? Therefore he fights all his days who teaches others many things,
yet puts forth nothing in his teaching except what first shines forth in his own work. For
he fights in his own day who draws the words of preaching from the light of his own
virtue. He therefore wishes to fight in another's day who strives to oppose wicked spirits
not by speaking what he does, but by preaching what he knows. But he fights all his days,
because he displays all the commandments of God in the light of his work, which he then
wishes to set forth through the care of preaching. Rightly therefore is the war called
powerful in which one fights with every kind of light of virtues and works. It can also be
that by the statement that he fights all his days, the urgency of spiritual combat is
signified.

For he who leads a life full of virtues lives in days. Therefore the powerful war of the
chosen teacher is recognized in all his days, because he is always seen to overcome evil
spirits who is never separated from the light of virtues. But chosen men have the virtue
of fighting and also the humility of fear. Through virtue they triumph, but through fear
they do not cease to gather reinforcements. Hence they fight all the more bravely, the
more they do not stop gathering forces for the conflict. Rightly therefore the cause of
the powerful war is added: (Verse 52.) 'For whomever Saul saw to be a strong man and fit
for battle, he joined him to himself.' 74. As if to say: He was able to wage war
powerfully for this reason, because he did not cease to gather an army. But since he is
said to have allied to himself not only strong men but also those fit for battle, the
prudent teacher is shown in choosing Christ's soldiers. For some are strong for bearing
burdens, not for waging battles, because when they do not know how to fight from their own
strength, they are utterly unable to do so. Therefore men who are strong and fit for
battle are those who know how to fight and are willing. By their will they are indeed
strong, and by their knowledge they are fit for fighting. The recklessness of some is
therefore repelled from Christ's war, since those chosen are remembered as both fit and
strong. For some know how to fight against the devil but are unwilling. They are indeed
wise to do evil, but they do not know how to do good (Jer. 4:22). These wish to serve the
ancient enemy; they refuse to resist him. For what would a teacher accomplish if he allied
such men, fit for battle, to himself? Such men are more able to destroy others by their
examples than the teacher himself is able to build up by his word. For often such men even
dare to teach, yet they do not maintain the power of teaching by their practice.

When they speak with us, they rush against the enemies, but through their deeds they
suddenly turn their weapons into our own bowels. Like certain traitors in an army, they
put on the armor of Christian doctrine, and by their examples they suddenly strike the
little ones of Christ whom we thought they wished to protect by their speaking. Therefore
strong men who are not fit must be repelled, not allied to us, because through wise but
reprobate men our strength is destroyed, not increased. Who then are those who are strong
but not fit, except those whom we see bearing the burdens of the world bravely, yet not
knowing how to transfer their strength into the service of their Creator? For they bear
the yoke of men and the great labors of the world bravely, but they are afraid to approach
the service of God as though they were weak. What then are these, if not strong yet not
fit — those who accomplish great things of the world yet cannot perform the light and
gentle tasks of Christ? Often they are even converted in monasteries, and those who had
bravely borne the burdens of the world sweat over the small tasks they perform as though
amid great labors. What then is shown by these words, except that we should ally men to
Christ's service with great discernment, and not grant entrance to those approaching
before we know them to be both fit through knowledge and strong through good will?

Moreover, the reason they can be called men strong and fit for battle is that they follow
up the wars against Amalek, that is, the wars against lusts. For those who cannot
extinguish carnal desires are not strong men. And those who are not fit for fighting on
behalf of chastity do not appear fit for battle. Let the teacher therefore choose Christ's
soldiers; let him choose strong men, so that while they bravely subdue the flesh, they may
powerfully conquer the unclean spirits. Let him therefore choose men fit for battle, so
that while they do not grow proud amid the gifts of their strength, they may be exalted in
heavenly places by the glory of triumph.


COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS (BOOK SIX, CHAPTER 6.1 (1 SAMUEL 15:1–3))
============================================================

COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS continued

BOOK SIX

CHAPTER 6.1 (1 SAMUEL 15:1–3)

And Samuel said to Saul: The Lord sent me to anoint you as king over His people Israel.
Now therefore hear the voice of the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts: I have reviewed all
that Amalek did to Israel, how he opposed him on the way, when he was coming up from
Egypt. Now therefore go, and strike Amalek, and destroy all that belongs to him. 1. We
said above that Amalek designates the vice of lust, which as it were licks, since it
suggests pleasure by flattering. Progress in the way of life is therefore shown, in that
above he is declared to have been struck by Saul, and now he is not simply commanded to be
struck, but all his possessions to be destroyed. First indeed the teacher strikes him,
when through his word it is brought about that chastity is maintained in the hearts and
bodies of the converted. For lust is as it were struck when the flesh has been in some
manner subdued by the weapons of chastity, yet has not been perfectly subdued. For he who
already abandons the defilements of lust, but still feels shameful impulses rising from
himself against himself, no longer practices the wicked deed, yet nevertheless cannot
drive it from his thought. Often unwillingly and unguardedly he is dragged to impure
thoughts, and those things which he carelessly thinks within stir the flesh outwardly, so
that it rises to the shameful impulses of pleasure. What then does it mean that Amalek,
already struck, is commanded to be struck again and destroyed, except that the preacher
must advance those whom he instructs for a chaste life toward the perfection of virtue?
Amalek is therefore commanded to be struck again, because not yet well slain he still
lives.

Amalek is struck again when by the words of the teacher even those impulses that assail
the flesh are crushed, when the teacher instructs his subjects to be crowned for this
purpose: that they should so tame the body that it in no way rises to enticing impulses.
But because the flesh is never restrained in this way if the mind slips into impure
thinking, after the striking, Amalek is commanded to be demolished. He is therefore struck
in the body and demolished in the heart, while the flesh is worthily worn down through
abstinence and the mind is restrained from all impure thoughts. In this passage the
preceding words must also be considered, which Samuel speaks in the person of the Lord,
saying: "I have reviewed all that Amalek did to Israel, how he opposed him on the way when
he was going up from Egypt." 2. What is meant by the deeds of the Amalekites being
recounted, except that the defilements of lust are greatly hateful to God? Whence the
blessed apostle Paul says: 'Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that
committeth fornication sinneth against his own body' (1 Cor. 6:18). Likewise he says:
'Whoremongers and adulterers God will judge' (Heb. 13:4). Hence also, rebuking more
sharply and separating them from the kingdom of God, he says: 'Neither shall the unclean
possess the kingdom of God' (Eph. 5:5). Why is lust recounted, except because the sinner
is cast out by the justice of God, when he bends himself to perpetrate its defilements? He
who is recounted, therefore, so as to fall, is sometimes recounted so as to perish, and
sometimes recounted so as to rise again. And because the deeds of Amalek are recalled
after such great spans of time, it is in some way suggested to us that such people
sometimes come to their senses after long periods. Moreover, his deeds are described when
it is said: 'How he withstood him on the way when he was going up out of Egypt.' Israel
means "seeing God." Because he is said to go up out of Egypt, this signifies the newly
converted, who abandon the darkness and depths of sins, draw near to the light of truth,
and ascend the mountain of good works.

3. But Amalek opposed Israel on the way, because lust hurls the weapons of pleasure
against those striving toward the summit of perfection, and strikes with the sword of
impure suggestion whatever hearts it can. And because the battle of fornication is
exceedingly strong and violent, Amalek is said not merely to have confronted Israel in
some ordinary way, but to have resisted him. To resist indeed is to press upon someone
with a fierce assault. That Israelite who was ascending surely saw these resisting
Amalekites when he said: "I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my
mind" (Rom. 7:23). Whence also, looking to his helper, he says: "Wretched man that I am,
who will deliver me from the body of this death? The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom.
7:24). Amalek is therefore said to resist because, as long as we are in the flesh, we
endure the fierce wars of lust. But why is he said to resist those ascending from Egypt?
Behold, he who had been caught up to the secrets of the third heaven still had the
resisting motions of the flesh. Rightly therefore Israel ascending from Egypt represents
not only novices but also those endowed with great virtue. By the name of Egypt, the
darkness of this world is signified. And Israel ascends from Egypt because all the elect,
as they advance by living holy lives, strive to reach the heavenly homeland.

And because as long as they are in the flesh, they have the law of the flesh contrary to
the law of the mind, they see Amalek resisting them through powerful impulses. For the
violence of this passion is shown when the very wars of Amalek that are recounted are
described. For while Israel fought, when Moses raised his hands, Amalek was overcome; and
Amalek prevailed when Moses lowered his hands (Exod. 17). But what does it mean that
against others Moses fought with arms alone, yet against Amalek not with arms alone but
also with the power of prayer? And what power and urgency of supplication was then
necessary, where if he lowered his hands, he would give the honor of victory to Amalek?
But truly the great struggle against fornication is shown, which is overcome with such
great effort and such great difficulty. Therefore the most intense prayer of the army is a
necessary weapon. Arms indeed are necessary, because those who wish to fight against
fornication cannot conquer unless they are fortified with the other virtues. The army, as
we showed above, represents the examples of the Fathers and the precepts of the
Scriptures, which indeed everyone ought also to consider, and so occupy the mind with them
that one does not gaze upon the defilements of wantonness. But though instructed by
examples and teachings, one can by no means trust in oneself.

Let him therefore lift up his hands, let him lift up his mind, so that he may shine with
good work and devotion, who attempts to cut off perfectly from himself the war of lust. 4.
What furthermore does it mean that when the hands are lowered he is conquered, except that
often through the boldness of wicked work, even the very beauty of chastity is taken away?
Often it is not taken away entirely, but it is weakened along with weakening works.
Indeed, amid spiritual works and labors, we are strong against the goads of the flesh; but
if, as though weary, we grow sluggish or soft from the rigor of our accustomed way of
life, while we gradually grow negligent, the stings of the flesh rise up, which, as though
Moses' hands were lowered, conquer Israel (Exod. XVII). Therefore, lest the hands grow
weary, let Aaron and Hur place a stone beneath them, and by no means allow Moses' heavy
hands to be lowered. Aaron indeed is called "mountain of strength," and Hur is called
"fire." For when we grow weary, we are strengthened by contemplating heavenly things. What
then is the mountain of strength, if not the height of heavenly contemplation? Which
indeed, because it does not exist in a chosen heart without great charity, the mountain of
strength is rightly said to stand beside Moses. They indeed place a stone beneath and
support his hands, because he who ardently looks upon the highest rewards of heaven takes
up great strength, and does not cease both to work well and to beseech the Creator.
Because therefore the wars of the flesh are strong and altogether violent, Amalek is
fittingly said to have resisted Israel as it ascended. Therefore the Prophet commands the
king, saying: Hear the voice of the Lord. I have reviewed all that Amalek did to Israel.

5. What does it mean when he says: "Hear the voice of the Lord," unless that those who
wish to live chastely must keep subtle watch against the deceits of the spirit of
fornication? As if to say: Do not cease to consider with how many snares he prepares to
subject the elect to himself. And therefore he did not say: "I have recounted how he
resisted Israel," but: "Hear the voice of the Lord. I have recounted how he resisted
Israel. As if to say: If you recognize the manner of his snares, you will more easily be
able to overcome the enemy. Rightly therefore he added, saying: "Now therefore go, and
strike Amalek, and demolish all that is his. As if to say: Because you know how you ought
to go: Go, and demolish all that is his, and so destroy him that nothing of him may live
any longer. But who could so subject the flesh to himself, who could ever so restrain his
own mind, who could so remain in the flesh as to endure no shameful movements from the
flesh? Who could so curb thought that no darkness of impurities would reach it through
thinking? But if the shameful stirring of motion is not removed from the flesh,
nevertheless the strength of that shamefulness is weakened, when there is indeed a simple
movement in the flesh, but in that movement there is no itch of lust. This movement is not
Amalekite, because it does not entice the mind that it cannot delight.

It cannot be removed from the mind that it should in no way see unclean things, but it is
led to a wonderful exercise of purity, so that seeing unclean things, it is stained by no
taint of pleasure. Whoever therefore so governs the flesh, whoever so rules the mind,
governs for this reason, rules for this reason: because he was able to demolish all of
Amalek with strength. But now he explains in what follows what all his possessions are,
saying: (Verse 3. "Do not spare him, and do not covet anything of his; but slay from man
to woman, both child and nursing infant, and ox and donkey, and sheep and camel." 6. Who
is this one who spares Amalek, if not he who retains something of wantonness either in
thought, or in speech, or in the flesh? For many do not practice works of shameful
conduct, yet do not restrain their tongue from shameful speech. Many avoid luxury through
their actions, but do not avoid it through their thoughts. Some do nothing shameful, yet
what they flee from in deed they desire in their heart. He therefore spares Amalek who
holds onto the enticements of wantonness, either in speech, or through intention, or
through thought. And so He says: "Do not spare him," because from so wicked a vice nothing
ought to be kindled in the mind, nothing permitted to burn in deed. Let Him therefore say:
"Do not spare him," so that all lustful impulses, all obscene utterances may be utterly
destroyed in the body. He therefore says: "You shall not covet anything of his," so that
it may be thoroughly uprooted from thought. For what is lust, if not fire? And what are
the virtues arising from the flesh and mind, if not flowers? What likewise are shameful
thoughts, if not straw? Who does not know that if fire is carelessly extinguished among
straw, from the small spark that remains, all the straw is set ablaze? He therefore who
does not wish to burn up the flowers of virtues in his mind must so extinguish the fire of
lust that it can never blaze up again through even a faint spark. Let him also remove the
stubble of carnal thoughts, lest while the natural heat, which cannot be extinguished, is
kindled, the green growth of virtues, which cannot catch fire by itself, is burned up as
if through straw mixed in with it.

7. What then is the meaning of: "Do not spare him, and do not covet anything of his,"
unless that all luxury in the flesh must be perfectly subdued, and torn out from the mind
by the roots? It can also be understood: "Do not spare him, and do not covet anything from
him," because men and women, children and nursing infants are commanded to be killed. For
women could be coveted, and children and nursing infants could provoke pity. Who then are
the men to be killed, who are the women, who the children, who the oxen, who the sheep,
who the camels, who the donkeys — this must be carefully considered. For who are the
Amalekite men, if not the persuading impulses of shameful conduct? They are indeed men,
because they suggest violently and pour seeds of depravity into corrupted minds. The women
are the desires of the mind, which submit themselves to the aforesaid impulses for impious
offspring. But who are the children and nursing infants, if not those who are generated
from the mingling of Amalekite men and women? For if the impulse of evil suggestion is
received in the mind like an adulterer, desire is impregnated like a harlot. Therefore, if
that desire is allowed to pour forth its wicked offspring, the impulses of lust are then
generated not only in the mind but also in the flesh. When these are born, they are
children, because they do not yet inflict violence upon the flesh by their stirring.

They are nursing infants when they are nourished by slight and negligent thought. For he
who now refreshes shameful impulses in the flesh by free thought no longer gives milk to
little ones but food to adults. Therefore the milk of the little Amalekites is the slight
thought of impurity, because if the shameful impulse is not fed through thought, the
little ones are killed as if denied their milk. This milk the harlot mother offers,
because while the heat of desire seizes the mind, it is stirred as if from the worst
abundance of the heart, so that the worse offspring of impulses may be nourished in the
flesh. What is understood by the ox, if not deceitful counsel, which by the example of the
ancients suggests the pleasure of the flesh — those who pleased almighty God amid the
works of the flesh? For it seems to split the earth with the plowshare of discernment, as
it were; but if it is taken up through deliberation, it ensnares the neck of the wretched
mind under the yoke of shameful conduct, which it bears through pretense.

8. By the name of sheep, the life of the innocent is signified. Whence all the elect are
called sheep by the voice of our Redeemer, when He says: 'My sheep hear My voice' (John
10:27). What then is the sheep of Amalek, if not the pretense of innocence? For some, when
they consider both the very form of the human body and the properties of each sex, when
they consider the desire implanted in their members, think they can freely use this as
though it were a natural good. It is therefore like a sheep of the Amalekite, when
something is suggested to the continent as though it were good, which is clearly proven
not to be truly good. What also is signified by the camel? But the camel chews the cud and
does not divide the hoof at all. What then is signified by the camel, if not a certain
thought of lust, which seems to begin from reason but is not completed through
discernment? For while one thinks, the camel as it were ruminates within, but while what
one thinks is not ordered by truth, its hoof does not appear to be divided. For some
indeed, having professed continence, when they are overcome by the desire of the flesh,
trust that they can be saved in married life.

And some, when they hear the Apostle's permission: 'Let each man have his own wife and
each woman her own husband' (1 Cor. 7:2), declare that all without distinction of persons
are included in this precept, and that men of sacred orders can make use of conjugal
union. For a sentiment of this kind is an Amalekite camel, because it seems to begin from
reason but drags one to an irrational life. What then is the donkey understood to be, if
not the open wickedness of fornication? For the devil drives some into the open abyss of
fornication, and deceives others through fraud. The donkey is also accustomed to carry the
burdens of others. But the Teacher of the Gentiles, when he taught that the husband does
not have power over his own body, but the wife does, and likewise: 'Nor does the wife have
power over her own body, but the husband' (ibid., 4), what else did he command them than
to carry one another's burdens? Therefore by the name of the donkey the strength of
conjugal union is designated, because chosen spouses bravely bear one another's burdens,
lest through the weakness of the flesh they fall more loosely into the pit of fornication.
Therefore the donkey must be killed, but the Amalekite one, because conjugal union must be
strengthened in the honor of the marriage bed, but must be destroyed in its baseness.
Indeed spouses ought to render to each other their due, but they ought not to come
together in a shameful manner.

Therefore the donkey of Amalek is killed when in good spouses the love of honorable union
is maintained, but all obscenity is avoided in shameful conjunction. Therefore all things
of Amalek are commanded to be destroyed, because those who purpose to live chastely ought
not to retain in themselves anything of the enticement of the flesh. They must indeed be
in the flesh, so that they may do good things through the flesh, but they ought so to
depart from the pleasure of the flesh through the loftiness of the mind that they do not
tolerate insults from the flesh. Indeed the Apostle wished those to whom he was speaking
to be such, saying: 'But you are not in the flesh, but in the spirit' (Rom. 8:9). But let
us consider with what helpers he who is commanded to destroy Amalek may suffice for these
things. For it follows: (Verse 4.) 'Saul commanded the people, and numbered them as
lambs.'

9. By the name of lambs, men of great prudence are usually designated. Hence through John
it is said: "I saw upon Mount Sion a Lamb standing, and with him a hundred forty-four
thousand having his name and the name of his Father written on their foreheads" (Rev.
14:1). For those who had taken up the name of the Lamb were called lambs. Explaining who
they are, he also says: "These are they who were not defiled with women, for they are
virgins. What then does it mean that when Amalek is commanded to be destroyed, the
soldiers of the king are counted as it were lambs, unless that when we wish to destroy the
spirit of fornication by preaching, we ought to bring forth the examples of the perfect?
For however many men distinguished by the glory of chastity we present to the worldly who
are to be converted, we bring as it were so many soldiers, like lambs mustered, to the
wars against Amalek. Moreover, by the name of those mustered, the ministers of divine
preaching themselves can be understood. They are therefore as it were lambs, because
through the glory of perfect chastity they are now made like those virgins rejoicing with
Christ in the kingdom.

By these words it is surely shown that those who undertake the ministry of preaching must
first be adorned with the outstanding splendor of chastity, because if they fall away
through incontinence, they can in no way make others continent, and those who do not have
the rays of that light in the splendor of their own manner of life cannot prevail in
calling others to the good of so great a light. Rightly therefore it is said: "He mustered
them as lambs," because those who ought to drive out the spirit of fornication through the
power of the office they have received must necessarily be very chaste. Hence the Lord
says to them in the Gospel: "Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning in your
hands" (Luke 12:35), so that their subjects may hear the word of preaching, but the
examples of a most luminous manner of life may draw them to the good of chastity that they
hear. Hence they are fittingly designated by a perfect number, when it is added: (Verse 3.
"Two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men of Judah."

10. By the name of footsoldiers the elect are figured, not when they preach lofty things,
but when through good examples they demonstrate to others the straightness of the heavenly
journey. Footsoldiers indeed run with their steps to where they wish to bring their arms.
But what are examples of chastity, if not the footprints of heavenly soldiers impressed
upon the earth? For in order to strike the vices of lust in slippery places, they hasten
with the light of good examples toward the darkness of their hearts, and as if arriving by
footstep, they slay the enemies—those who, after they are recognized through their works,
draw the hearts of sinners to the good of chastity. When therefore through examples of
chastity they destroy the darkness of impurities in the hearts of sinners, they are
rightly called footsoldiers. And because they are splendid not only with the outward show
of bodily purity but also with the light of the heart, they are said to be two hundred
thousand. For in the number one hundred and one thousand, the entire sum of the Decalogue
is contained. Perfect men therefore are contained in two hundred thousand, because through
divine grace they have arrived at the highest citadel of chastity by both continence of
body and integrity of mind. For they have perfection of purpose both in body and in mind.
Or because they serve God through chastity not loosely or negligently, they have the
hundred of work, and because they do not cease to serve Him, they have the thousand of
multiplication.

But they are strong and constant in continence of body, perfect and persistent in
watchfulness of heart through perfection of virtue. Indeed the Apostle, commanding that a
widow also be such, says: "That she may be holy in body and in spirit" (1 Cor. 7:34). For
she is holy in body and spirit if by the perfection of chastity by which she shines in
body, she also shines in mind. But if widows are such, what kind must virgins be commanded
to be? For concerning those many, under the description of one it was said: "The queen
stood at your right hand in gilded clothing" (Psalm 44:10). In the same psalm (verse 14)
the same queen is praised when it is said: "All the glory of the king's daughter is from
within, clothed about with golden fringes in varieties. For what is the golden garment, if
not the beauty and honor of the virginal body? It is called a garment because it shines
outwardly in the body, but golden because it excels in dignity. But every kind of metal is
inferior to gold. So indeed no other form of chastity can be compared to virginal beauty.
What then does it mean when it says, "All the glory of the king's daughter is from
within," if the glory of the golden garment is proclaimed to be outward? For if there is
some great glory of the golden garment outwardly, all glory cannot be seen to be within.

What then does it mean that all glory is said to be within, except that even that glory
which is outward is recognized to be within along with innumerable others? For virginity
is not golden if it exists outwardly but not inwardly. Because therefore it is both within
and without, because the same shines in the body and the same gleams in the mind, all the
glory of the king's daughter can fittingly be understood to be within. All glory is
within, because it is not outward alone nor inward alone. For because many are the
splendors of virtues in the mind of the virgin, virginal radiance is so affirmed that all
glory is proclaimed to be within. This indeed is what follows: "Clothed about with golden
fringes in varieties. For the golden fringes are splendors never failing from the mind.
Fringes indeed are the final parts of a garment. They are therefore praised in the beauty
of Christ's bride, because there is no glory of virtues if it ceases to shine before the
completion of life. The queen therefore is spoken of with love, in the golden garment
virginity is proclaimed. But all glory is declared to be within, and in golden fringes,
and clothed about with variety, so that integrity joined with innumerable virtues may be
understood to endure even to the end.

Rightly therefore are two hundred thousand footsoldiers counted against Amalek, because
those are fit for conquering unclean spirits through examples of chastity who have learned
to maintain it both in the light of works and in the splendor of watchfulness. 11. Because
likewise they are instructed and perfected by the word of God, this is shown by the number
of ten thousand men of Judah. For they are men by fortitude, and of Judah by proclamation.
For Judah is interpreted as "confessing. But they are designated by the number ten,
because they have attained the perfection of doctrine through the grace of the Holy
Spirit. Whence also to Moses the ten precepts of the law are given, which were written by
the finger of God (Exod. XXXI). For what is the finger of God, if not the Holy Spirit?
Who, when He wrote the law, set it forth precisely in ten precepts, because even if He
brought forth something carnal outwardly in it, inwardly He sealed the perfection of
spiritual understanding. Therefore ten thousand men of Judah are to be led forth against
Amalek, so that the spirit of fornication may be overcome by those fit in strength. For he
laps by suggestion, because he counsels light and flattering things, but the things he
counsels by lapping he displays through phantasms of thoughts. Therefore, so that the mind
may not see the obscene things shown to it by demons, the examples of the elect must be
revealed. And so that the unclean spirit cannot soothe it with foul suggestions, the
tongue of preachers ought to be touched through the praise of chastity. Let the preacher
lap it, so that the malignant spirit can by no means lap it.

And let him delight it with words, lest, for one who lacks heavenly things, the devil tear
it apart through the delights of suggestions. Therefore against the twofold battle of the
heart, because a twofold good of assistance is necessary, rightly both foot soldiers and
men of Judah are said to be prepared against Amalek. But if anyone wishes to understand
some as the foot soldiers and others as the men of Judah, the meaning of plain truth is
evident: that the greatest doctors have those who, though they do not know how to teach by
preaching, are nevertheless able to benefit by their works. But now, having been mustered
for such great battles, let us hear by what strategy they fight next. There follows:
(Verse 5. And when Saul had come to the city of Amalek, he set an ambush at the torrent.
12. What is this torrent, if not that of which it is said through the Psalmist: "He shall
drink of the torrent in the way" (Psalm 109:7)? For a torrent designates the course of our
mortality. Saul therefore sets an ambush in the torrent, when a preacher of the Church
inserts the consideration of our mortality into the eternal rewards. For in order to catch
slippery souls as if by guile, he begins by speaking of heavenly things, but suddenly
turns to setting forth the bitterness of eternal punishments, so that minds secure in the
pleasure of the flesh may be terrified. For he leads them out as if by guile, he strikes
them through ambush, since by speaking pleasant things he provokes them to listen, and
then inserts the sorrows of death, so that the wayward may hear what will make them
tremble. Saul therefore comes to the city of Amalek, when the teacher draws the hearts of
sinners, fortified by illicit love, with the sweetness of eternal delight. But he hides an
ambush for him in the torrent, because he introduces the consideration of death, so that
the sinner may see, as it were, a soldier bursting forth against him from ambush, and
while he considers that he will soon die, he may fear to extend the delay of sin any
further. There follows: (Verse 6.) "And Saul said to the Kenite: Depart, withdraw from the
Amalekites, lest perhaps I destroy you together with him. For you showed mercy to all the
children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt."

13. Who is the Kenite, who is known to dwell with Amalek, and who is compelled to depart,
lest he be equally entangled with him? But perhaps this is the one about whom the Apostle
says: "Let the husband render to his wife what is due, and likewise the wife to her
husband" (1 Cor. 7:3). The name also fits him, because "Kenite" is said to mean
"possessing. These married persons, because they are bound by marriage, are not compelled
to abandon everything. What then does it mean when it is said to the Kenite, "Depart from
Amalek," unless that by these words all the foulness of obscenity among married persons is
condemned? Indeed, those who are joined in the manner of harlots are united with Amalek.
The teacher commands them to depart from Amalek when he strives to recall them to marital
decency. As if to say: If you cannot contain yourselves from one another, let marriage be
honorable for you, and the bed undefiled. Therefore, to depart from Amalek is for spouses
to use one another not for the foulness of harlot-like obscenity, but for the temperance
of decency and for the fruit of offspring. Hence the same excellent teacher says of the
widow who cannot remain so according to his counsel: "But if she cannot contain herself,
let her marry, only in the Lord" (ibid., 9). Not in Amalek, but in the Lord; so that she
who cannot prevail to abstain from marriage may avoid obscene acts within the covenant of
marriage. He also threatens, saying:

"Lest I entangle you with him. To be entangled with sinners is to be condemned to eternal
punishment. Hence the Lord also says of the wicked servant in the Gospel: "Bind his feet
and hands, and cast him into outer darkness" (Matt. 22:13). Now therefore, preachers do
not entangle reprobate hearers, because even if they despise the word, they can still
return to repentance as long as they live, when they wish. Therefore, marital decency must
be urgently commanded to married persons, because with a stern penalty it is said: "Go,
depart without harm. Depart from Amalek, lest I entangle you with him. Without harm indeed
one departs now, but not then, because those who are made entirely like the foul will not
be free from their harm. He is also said to have shown mercy to the children of Israel
when they were ascending from Egypt, because the weak children of holy Church, since they
cannot preserve the good of perpetual continence, are received through the compassion of
marriage. Indeed they ascend from Egypt, because they abandon the darkness of luxury and
fornication. And they receive mercy from the Kenite, because they obtain the indulgence of
marriage. Hence the teacher of the nations also says: "I say this by way of indulgence,
not by way of command" (1 Cor. 7:6). And because holy Church persuades her chosen subjects
of the good things she sets forth by speaking, there follows: (Verse 6. And the Kenite
departed from the midst of Amalek.

14. The spouse departs from the midst of Amalek, but cannot depart from the part, because
even if one avoids the act of shameful conduct, one cannot avoid the inclination toward
pleasure. For married couples can temper the fire through honorable conduct. They go out,
therefore, from the midst of Amalek, because even if they cannot be entirely free from
carnal desires, they nevertheless moderate the very dominion of the flesh under the bond
of the precept of honorable conduct. There follows: (Verse 7.) And Saul struck Amalek from
Havilah until you come to Shur, which is opposite Egypt. 15. Havilah is interpreted as
"one who gives birth," Shur as "anguish," Egypt as "darkness." But concupiscence gives
birth to sin. Rightly, therefore, concupiscence is designated by the name of "one who
gives birth." The Prophet also, fearing to fall into the anguish of an impenitent heart,
beseeches, saying: "Let not the deep swallow me up, neither let the pit shut its mouth
upon me" (Psalm 68:16). The teacher, therefore, strikes Amalek from Havilah to Shur when
he suppresses in the hearts of his hearers the vices of conceived delight and the resolve
of deliberate choice. He also strikes Shur when he appears to draw to the love of chastity
those minds which had purposed to end their life in the stench of lust. For those who,
already captured, are bound by the snare of evil habit are in anguish. And it should be
noted that Shur is shown to be opposite Egypt, because he who resolves to end his life in
lust is even now enclosed in interior darkness, from which he will be led to exterior
darkness. But let this book also be closed, so that we may come through silence to the
consideration of what follows.


COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS (BOOK SIX, CHAPTER 6.2)
=============================================

COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS continued

CHAPTER 6.2

1. King Saul, who had good beginnings but by no means persevered in the good things he had
begun, is presented through the text of sacred History, so that in him we may see what is
to be imitated and what is to be avoided. Thus indeed we also pick from badly cultivated
fields, which rise up to harvest mixed with thorns. He truly knows how to gather well from
them, who takes care to pick the ears of grain while striving to avoid the thorns. So when
the care of a garden is neglected, along with the vegetable that refreshes there grows the
weed that pricks. For it was as if the Lord was instructing His disciples to enter badly
cultivated fields cautiously, when He said: "The princes and Pharisees have sat upon the
seat of Moses. Whatever they tell you, do; but what they do, do not do" (Matt. 23:2). As
if to say: Because the deeds and words of the wicked are mixed together, they must be used
in such a way that what gives life is taken from them, and what kills is avoided. Hence
again, foretelling, He says: "They will come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they
are ravenous wolves" (Matt. 7:15). Up to this point, then, we have gladly attended to King
Saul vigorously carrying out the care of the kingdom; now let us carefully examine in what
respect he, as a despiser of the Lord's command, ought to be avoided and rejected. For the
text continues: (Verses 8, 9.) "He captured Agag, king of Amalek, alive, but all the
common people he slew with the edge of the sword. And Saul and the people spared Agag, and
the best flocks of sheep, and of the herds, and the garments, and the rams, and all that
was beautiful, and they were unwilling to destroy them. But whatever was vile and
worthless, this they destroyed."

2. The Word of the Lord came: Now go, and strike Amalek, and destroy all that belongs to
him. Do not spare him, and do not covet anything of theirs. He therefore plainly stood
forth as a transgressor through disobedience, because he refused through pride to fulfill
the command of the Lord. The Lord indeed commanded the prophet, saying: Do not spare him,
and do not covet anything of his possessions. But this man is shown both to have spared
and to have coveted all his choicest things: so that, while the manner of the
transgression is shown, it might be demonstrated how detestable is the fault of
disobedience. 3. But if we describe the wars of the flesh, we find that the falls of kings
are great. Hence the Lord also says in the Gospel: "If the salt has lost its savor, with
what shall it be salted? (Matt. 5:13). The kings of the Church are her preachers, as has
already been shown above. Who then is Agag, king of Amalek, if not the carnal sense? For
since we possess from the soul both rationality and sensuality, rationality is ascribed to
the mind, sensuality to the flesh; and through the former we share kinship with the
angels, through the latter with brute animals. In the former, the higher we are raised,
the closer we draw to the heavenly citizens. But through the latter, the more we slide
toward the enticements of the flesh, the more carnal, so to speak, we are found to be.
Hence, when the daughters of men had already been seen and desired, and pleasures had
already been fulfilled in luxury, concerning those who by the merit of purity were called
sons of God, the Lord threatens in Genesis, saying: "My spirit shall not remain in man
forever, because he is flesh" (Gen. 6:3). For man becomes flesh when reason is subjugated
to the carnal sense. The king of Amalek, therefore, is the vigor of the carnal sense,
which commands through base impulses so as to drag captive reason toward the allurements
of obscenity. And fittingly does the name of the Amalekite king suit the carnal sense. For
Agag is interpreted as "meditating" or "speaking.

To meditate, for him, is to gather the phantasms of wantonness through inner meditation.
And to speak, for him, is to arouse the flesh through base impulses to lust. For he has,
as it were, a great cry of speech, because by striking the flesh he stirs it more
ardently. For by meditating he gathers what he sets forth by speaking: because everyone
who is subject to the carnal sense, the more freely he beholds the images of wantonness
within, the more powerful the motions of baseness he feels outwardly. He meditates,
therefore, through the inner vision of baseness, but he speaks through the outward motion
of pleasure. The king of Amalek is therefore called "speaking and meditating," because he
can arouse the slippery enticements of the flesh in those whom he deceives through base
thoughts, and whom he instructs through the experience of alluring sensation. But it
should be noted that the more freely he meditates, the more freely he also speaks: because
he stirs the flesh more powerfully the more he holds the causes of his agitation impressed
within through thought. For in the manner of fire, the more attentively it is blown upon,
the more it is kindled: because if the breath of impure thought is absent, the heat of
lustful agitation cannot be present. The king of Israel therefore fights against the king
of Amalek when a teacher of the Church argues against fornication. He captures the
defeated one when he receives sinners converted to pardon not only as penitents but also
as confessors.

He therefore holds the king of Amalek already bound, as it were, who sees the carnal sense
in converted sinners already subjected to reason through the love of chastity. But what
does it mean that the bound one lives, except that there are some who are not moved by
their own passions, but upon hearing of the obscenities of others, are moved? They are
strong in fighting, but as victors they fall. For he who kept the conquered king alive
clearly found pleasure in the person of the captured king in the triumph of that very war.
4. But what else do those do who receive the confession of sins from others? For while
they think about what those confessing have done, they burn with desire toward the crimes
they hear; for often while they hear the enticements with which others had overwhelmed
themselves, they themselves begin to love what those others, now dying to such things
through their exhortation, confess. Already therefore Agag has been defeated and captured
in his own city, but he is preserved by the victor, when what is detested by the subjects
is loved by the prelates: because carnal sense begins to flourish in those in whom it had
lost the vigor of its wicked dominion among the others. And because while the pastors rush
toward the precipice, the subjects follow along, the king is said to have taken Agag
alive, but the same king, and the people subject to the same king, are recorded to have
spared the best things of Amalek. For to spare is characteristic of an affected mind, out
of love for that which it spares. This certainly befits the vice of lust: because as soon
as it begins to please, it draws the mind into love of itself. Because its force is also
vehement, it does not know how to remain stationary: because assuredly it quickly
accomplishes its work, if the wakening mind does not quickly expel it from itself. For
when it invades the mind, it spreads itself through innumerable thoughts of shameful
things.

Hence also both Saul and the people are rightly recorded to have spared the best of the
flocks and herds. The thoughts of lusts are indeed called flocks and herds: because they
are both innumerable and are fed in the reprobate heart by the contemplation of
uncleanness. They are also the best, not by proof of goodness, but by the appetite of the
one choosing them. For in the reprobate heart, because nothing is loved more dearly, they
are called the best flocks, to which no others are compared. But they are called the best
on account of the blindness of heart, and herds on account of the guilt of transgression.
For to reprobate minds it is no great thing to think unclean thoughts; but before God it
is no small thing to store unclean things in the temple of God, that is, in the regenerate
spirit. He spares therefore not only the sheep, but also the herds: because he who through
the love of lust regards the faults of uncleanness as though they were small, spares them
as though they were small, but does not find the deserved punishments to be small.
Moreover, by the name of sheep the lighter thoughts of lust can be understood, and by
herds the stronger and more troublesome ones. The king and the people certainly spare
these, when the reprobate teacher and his subjects are subjected to the vexations of
unclean thought, both light and strong.

But what is it to spare the garments, except for the already condemned mind to deliberate
upon unclean things? For if the golden garment is the glory of the virgin bride, what are
the garments of Amalek, except the foul defilements of lust? But they are called garments:
because by their covering both soul and body are stained. For because the perpetration of
lust defiles both soul and body, they are called not a garment, but garments. But, as I
said, to spare is to deliberate, and to love unclean things through the affection of the
mind. But the unhappy soul thus captured, thus ensnared, because it is driven by wondrous
impulses to perpetrate its deliberated depravity, is rightly recorded, after the sheep,
herds, and garments, to have spared also the rams. For as it were the horns of rams please
it in the gentle blows of lusts, since it strives to retain in itself that one thing by
which it may be pierced through to the death of uncleanness. He therefore spares the rams,
who gladly receives the blows of his own headlong fall. For he is pricked, that he may
serve the desires of his flesh; but that which pricks him sharply, delights him lightly.
Because likewise lust entices the mind through innumerable modes of obscenity, they are
recorded to have spared not only these named things, but all things that were beautiful.
All things which the unclean soul is seen to fashion gladly for itself from the pleasure
of lust are called the beautiful things of Amalek.

For it could in no way desire these things, if their appearance did not violently please
it. 5. But because the fall of the victors is asserted, it is said: 'Nor did they wish to
destroy them.' As if to say: They could have destroyed them, if they had wished. For
nothing is conquered more easily than lust, if every impure thought is avoided. Therefore
it can be destroyed all the more easily, the more each person is able to think of things
other than the pleasures of the flesh. For since we cannot imagine two things at the same
time, while we think of something else, whatever it may be, we cannot think impure
thoughts. Swift and easy, therefore, is the victory over lust through the watchfulness of
thought: if, as often as carnal things present themselves, we turn to anything at all that
is not an enticement of lust. This I would call easy for those who are standing, not easy
for those who have fallen: because he who is made a slave of the impure spirit through the
commission of sin can neither freely avoid thoughts of the flesh nor quickly turn to other
thoughts. Therefore it is said of the victors: 'They did not wish to destroy them, though
they could have,' because before the fall, sins are easily avoided by the free; but if
they refuse to avoid them when they can, afterward they cannot even if they wish, because
they cannot perfectly will it. To whom indeed Truth Himself says: 'If the Son shall make
you free, you shall be free indeed' (John 8:36). As if to say:

Because you willingly ceased to be free, you no longer have in yourselves the power to
attain freedom. But what does it mean that it is said: 'But whatever was vile and
worthless, this they destroyed,' except that some, through the practice of greater
pleasures, disdain the lesser ones? What is worthless and vile to them is what they
despise by choosing those things that please them more. For because they seek more refined
sins, they reject certain ones; and because they approve more precious sins, they consider
the lesser ones cheap and small. Rightly therefore it is said: 'Whatever was vile and
worthless, this they destroyed.' Because they choose more refined sins, and those that
please them less they reject as unfit and despise as cheap. 6. All these things,
understood morally, signify the battles and victories over lusts; but according to the
historical sense, they designate the swelling pride of the arrogant and disobedient. For
the command had been given to Saul by the Lord that he should so destroy Amalek that he
would spare none of them and covet nothing. He who is therefore declared to have spared
the king of Amalek and all the best things is openly shown to be proud and disobedient.
But perhaps he despised the command because he heard it from the prophet, not from the
Lord. Yet he certainly ought to have listened to the prophet in such a way as to heed the
authority that the prophet set forth beforehand. For the prophet, about to command that he
strike the king of Amalek, prefaced it by saying: "Thus says the Lord," so that Saul would
not dare to despise the command he had heard through a man, as though it were merely a
man's. Lest again the exalted king should treat his ministry with contempt, the prophet
likewise prefaced it by saying: "The Lord sent me to anoint you as king." As if to say:
The Lord commands you in your royal ministry through the same one through whom He raised
you to the dignity of kingship. Therefore he ought to have obeyed all the more humbly, the
more clearly he recognized that this man had been sent by God. But while he despised the
prophet who was sent, he equally despised the Lord who sent him. Whence it adds: (Verses
10, 11.) "The word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying: I regret that I made Saul king,
because he has abandoned me and has not fulfilled my words in deed."

7. He believed that he did not hear the words of the prophet, but the Lord complains that
He has been abandoned, when He shows that His words have not been fulfilled in deed. Now
the Lord speaks to the Church, saying: "He who hears you, hears me; and he who despises
you, despises me" (Luke 10:16). Therefore, those who through disobedience depart from the
word of preachers abandon the Lord, because they withdraw from those through whose
ministry they are made present to the divine will. They do not then fulfill the words of
the Lord in deed, because outwardly men speak, but inwardly God speaks in men. Therefore
it is not they who speak, but the Holy Spirit (Matt. 10:20). In preachers, therefore, the
outward lowliness of the flesh is not to be despised, whose minds the sublimity of the
Godhead so graciously inhabits. What then does it mean that the Lord is said to repent,
when He is not believed to be changed by emotions? But because supreme immutability speaks
with mutable beings, after the manner of those with whom He speaks, when He is said to
repent, it is indicated that the recklessness of the proud displeases Him. For we are
accustomed to repent when those to whom we recall having bestowed honors or gifts repay us
with evils. Because, therefore, almighty God complains after our manner about the
ingratitude of the proud king, He is said to repent of having conferred royal dignity upon
him.

This is certainly said to the great increase of damnation for the proud: because what they
are, they now are not for merit but for punishment, because they are not in the will of
God. Therefore, for God to repent is to not have His will in the reprobate, when He
remembers the honors He bestowed, but recognizes that those upon whom He conferred good
things make evil use of the good things He conferred. Indeed, God intimates this
repentance of His to the Jews in other words through the prophet Malachi, saying: "I have
no pleasure in you, and I will not accept an offering from your hand" (Mal. 1:10). How
greatly, therefore, we see the fault of disobedience must be guarded against, if we attend
to how severely it is struck by these words of the Lord. 8. Now, in the war of Amalek we
have described the battle against fornication, which is commanded through the sacred
Scriptures to be utterly destroyed by us. Rightly, therefore, what the Lord complains of
can be understood concerning teachers who have fallen in the war of the flesh, when He
says: "It repents me that I have made Saul king, because he has forsaken me and has not
fulfilled my words in deed. For His word is the commandment given to preachers: "Let your
loins be girded and your lamps burning in your hands" (Luke 12:35). He, therefore, who has
the word in preaching but does not have it in the girding of chastity is seen to be God's
by speaking, but is proved to forsake God by his conduct. Outwardly he carries out divine
things, but secretly, while he dissolves in the pleasure of the flesh, he is shown not to
fulfill the Lord's words in deed. For he has forsaken the Lord by setting forth evil
things; he does not fulfill His words by presuming to do what is forbidden. Rightly,
therefore, it is said: "It repents me that I have made Saul king. As if He were saying:
Him whom I then wished to rule over others, I now do not wish, because him whom I
preferred when he was humble, I now see as a proud, haughty transgressor. This, indeed, is
not said of any who have fallen whatsoever, but of those whose fall is manifest and whose
repentance is in no way foreseen.

For concerning the fall of the righteous it is written: "The righteous man falls seven
times a day and rises again" (Proverbs 24:16). Their fall is in a certain way their
standing, because they are sometimes permitted to fall so that they may always be able to
stand more firmly. They are permitted to stumble into evils lest they lose the highest
gifts of virtues through pride. These, indeed, even if they sometimes do not fulfill the
Lord's words, do not depart from the Lord, because they are abandoned for a time so that
they may be held eternally; and they are foolish in a small matter, but after a little
while they come to their senses. When, therefore, Saul is reproved not only for not
fulfilling the Lord's words in deed but for having forsaken the Lord Himself, whom does he
signify better than those who have fallen and are impenitent? Of whom, indeed, it is said
through the prophet: "They have struck a covenant with death and with hell" (Isaiah
28:15). To strike a covenant with death is to perpetrate evils boldly and to promise to do
them always. For they commit evils unceasingly, but by loving what they do, they pledge
themselves, as it were, never to withdraw from friendship with death. The more insensible
these become in their covenant with death, the more sharply the heart of mother Church is
shaken with compassion. Whence it is well added: (Verse 11. "And Samuel was grieved, and
he cried out to the Lord all night long."

9. Samuel indeed is saddened, because the chief preacher is afflicted over the perdition
of his subject. And he cries out to the Lord all night, because he beseeches the divine
mercy with devoted prayers for the restoration of the fallen one. For the teacher to cry
out is to implore the mercy of almighty God with great longings for the sins of his
subjects. He who cries out all night takes upon himself through compassion the entire
darkness of that sin, and makes satisfaction to God as a penitent for it, as though for
his own crime. Therefore, for the preacher to cry out all night is to take up the entire
cause of his subject and to strive to destroy all the darkness of that sin through the
affection of devout compunction. But what does it mean that he is said to have cried out
and the Lord not to have answered, except that the darkness of an impenitent heart, which
I have mentioned, is signified in the fault of Saul, for whom he cries out? The Lord would
indeed have answered if He had heard the voice of the one crying out. There follows:
(Verse 12.) And when Samuel had risen in the night to go to Saul in the morning, it was
reported to Samuel that Saul had come to Carmel and had erected for himself a triumphal
arch.

10. What is the life of a sinner, if not night? And what is the light of the just, other
than day? Whence also through Paul it is said to converted sinners: 'You were once
darkness, but now light in the Lord' (Eph. 5:8). But for the preacher to rise by night is
to raise up the affection of the mind from the taking on of another's fault. For the
teacher lies, as it were, in the night when he mourns the darkness of another's sin,
because he is brought down from the lofty security of his own innocence, so that in the
depths the darkness of sins in the consideration of another may be destroyed. He therefore
rises by night when he raises himself from affliction, and arranges to come to the guilty
one in the morning, because he laments secretly through compassion and strikes with open
rebuke through zeal. The teacher also mourns by night, but comes in the morning to
reprove, because inwardly he loves the sinning subject, but is by no means ashamed to
reprove the one erring openly. For it is as though morning dawns when the teacher begins
to lay open the crime that lies hidden. What then does it mean that the one to whom he
came is said to have come to Carmel and to have erected a triumphal arch for himself,
except that the advance of evil is clearly proclaimed?

Indeed, after the fault of disobedience, to erect a triumphal arch or structure is to do
evil deeds and to take pride in the perpetration of those same evils. For they raise, as
it were, triumphal signs when with a certain ostentation they bring forth those things by
which they think they excel others. This certainly applies to teachers who are arrogant as
well as to those who are dissolute. The former indeed, while they speak great things,
raise themselves to the height of esteem, and what they see themselves to be within, they
make known outwardly through boasting and ostentation. And when they draw even that which
others accomplish on their own to the favor of their own praise, what else do they seem to
do but display a lofty sign of victory with a notable inscription? But some both live
shamefully and speak most honorably; they consider the dignity of their words, yet do not
reckon the baseness of their own life. When therefore they desire to appear not by the
substance of works but by the splendor of words, they assuredly construct a triumphal arch
in which they exalt themselves as if victors. And because by the word of the shameful,
many other shameful ones come to their senses, after Amalek has been conquered, for them
to come to Carmel and erect a triumphal arch is to glory vainly before the simple over the
lust that has been extinguished in their subjects. Carmel indeed is interpreted as "soft"
or "tender.

For who are understood by this name of "tender," except those who are unformed in holy
conduct? And who are called "soft," except those who have not yet been made firm in their
begun goodness through the practice of virtue? Therefore in Carmel they raise a sign of
victory, because they display themselves to the unformed and weak, lest they be found out
by the experienced and strong for what they truly are. 11. For these men seek the splendor
of victory not in words but in works, because they judge trees not by the beauty of their
leaves but test them by the flavor of their fruits. Whence the Lord also, teaching, says:
'By their fruits you shall know them' (Matt. 7:20). Because, therefore, they desire to be
praised in vain, because they flee the judgments of the most proven men, and to the
unskilled and weak they falsely represent themselves as being other than what they are,
Saul is said to have come to Carmel and to have erected a triumphal arch for himself. But
what does it mean that he passes on to Gilgal, except that in the same manner in which he
displays himself to the simple and religious, he desires to become known among the
religious and learned? For Gilgal, as I have already said many times, means "wheel." But
some within the holy Church are learned in Sacred Scripture yet are not religious, because
they do not possess the power of Scripture, namely charity. When these hear eloquent and
carnal men speaking, they admire the words they recognize. But they cannot examine their
hidden qualities, which they do not know. Rightly therefore Saul is said to pass on to
Gilgal, because those who seek favor from eloquent speech find what they desire not among
the learned and religious, but among the simple and unskilled, or among the irreligious
wise. But great men, when the reprobate teach good things, fear all the more for the elect
subject to them—lest those whom they build up by their tongue, they corrupt by their hand,
that is, by their conduct. Because, therefore, slippery teachers are not to be left long
in the ministry of preaching, it is fittingly added: (Verse 12.) 'Samuel therefore came to
Saul, and Saul was offering a burnt offering to the Lord, the first-fruits of the spoils
which he had brought from Amalek.'

12. He came indeed to Saul, to cast down the proud man whom he had raised up as a humble
man to the height of the kingdom. He found him as he truly was, not as he had shown
himself by the signs of his pride. What then does it mean that he offers the firstfruits
of Amalek as a holocaust to the Lord, except that some both live wickedly and think they
please God through the advancement of others? And because they believe that what they
offer pleases God in no small measure, they are said to offer not a sacrifice or a victim,
but a holocaust. They are called the firstfruits of the spoils so that in Samuel the
watchful zeal of the highest and chosen priest may be indicated, by whom the beginnings of
evils are swiftly suppressed. As if to say: He came in great haste, in whose absence not
even the beginning of the holocausts could be freely undertaken. The firstfruits of the
spoils can be understood as the choicest things from the plunder. These the slippery offer
with open mouth but struck with hidden blindness, when they believe they please God by
destroying in their hearers what they allow to live in themselves. As if more openly
reproving one who offers indiscriminately, he says: He was offering alive what he would
have offered better slain. For if according to the words of the Lord he had destroyed all
the spoil in Amalek, he would have offered a wholly acceptable holocaust to almighty God.

So indeed the slippery teacher too, if he rejected by willing all the enticements of the
flesh that he condemns by speaking, would burn a holocaust that could not be rejected.
What then does it mean that it says he was offering the firstfruits of the spoils that he
had brought from Amalek, except that the darkness of a blind heart is condemned, because
it so esteems what benefits others that it neglects to see what harms itself? As if to
say: He rejoiced over that as a victor—a victor in others—which he carried alive and
unconquered in himself. And because for the most part they rage so madly that they even
attempt to offer a pretext of virtue to the very elect and highest preachers. There
follows: (Verse 13. And when Samuel had come to Saul, Saul said: Blessed are you by the
Lord; I have fulfilled the word of the Lord.

13. The word of the Lord was that he should have destroyed Amalek. But what does it mean
that he says, "I have fulfilled the word of the Lord," unless that the sin of fornication,
the more shameful it is perceived to be, the more carefully it is concealed by the
reprobate? Because therefore those who are subject to this same vice of fornication always
desire to remain hidden, in their type Saul both disdained to demolish Amalek and said to
Samuel: "I have fulfilled the word of the Lord." As if to say: Both in other matters I
have subdued lust, and in myself I have destroyed its enticements. And because he strives
to bend the mind of the great man with flattering adulation, he first said: "Blessed are
you by the Lord." As if to say: This indeed I have done, but I was able to do it not by my
own strength, but by your merits and intercessions. But perfect men can hear their own
praises, yet cannot be bent from the rigor of justice. Wherefore it is also added: (Verse
14.) And Samuel said: "And what is this voice of flocks that resounds in my ears, and of
herds, which I hear?"

14. The voice of the flocks and herds of Amalek is the report of shameful deeds. When
anyone is defamed for lesser sins of indulgence, the voice of the flocks is said to
resound. When likewise one is accused of more criminal and more obscene things, it is the
voice of the herds. As if he lays bare what was hidden under the pretense of his false
virtue, saying: You justify yourself with your own mouth, but the crowds of your
uncleannesses cry out through the mouths of all. But now let us see by what defenses he
who has begun to put forward excuses may escape the charge of the infamy brought against
him. There follows: (Verse 15.) They brought them from Amalek. The people spared the best
sheep and herds, to sacrifice to the Lord your God; the rest we have slain. 15. What does
it mean that he says: "They brought them from Amalek," and did not say, "We brought them"?
But when the reprobate are accused, they sometimes conceal their faults by denying them,
and sometimes transfer them to others. They conceal them by denying, when they can remain
hidden; but when they are caught, as it were, in the open, what they cannot deny they
ascribe to others. Indeed, Saul, displaying the ways of such people, says: "They brought
them from Amalek. The people spared the best of the sheep and the herds. As if to say: The
evil that is heard of should be weighed against the frailty of the people, not against the
virtue of the pastor. Indeed, the sins of subjects should be disregarded in comparison
with those of prelates. He says therefore: "They brought them from Amalek. As if to say:
What resounds about a shameful life is true, but nevertheless that same shamefulness
flourished among the little ones, not among the great. Again, still softening the same
fault, he says: "The people spared the best of the sheep and the herds, to sacrifice them
to the Lord your God. As if to say: The people truly sinned, but not unto death; because
the sins of their deeds they now strive, at my exhortation, to blot out through the
humility of confession. For the flocks and herds of Amalek are sacrificed to the Lord when
the wayward and incontinent come to confession and hasten to blot out by repentance what
they have wickedly done.

He says therefore: "The people spared"; that is, indulged in sin. "But they brought them
to be sacrificed"; because in those matters in which the people recall having fallen, they
are now pierced with compunction through confessing and doing penance. The better flocks
and herds, as above, designate the choicer sins of lust. As if to say: Even if the people
sinned gravely, we ought not to be reproached, because in proportion to the magnitude of
the crime they have lamentations of compunction. What does it mean that he says: "To
sacrifice them to the Lord your God"? But by this the habit of the deceitful is shown,
who, when they seek to hide from great men, resort to flattery. For what does it mean that
he claims God is singularly his, except that he shows him to be a familiar friend of God?
"To the Lord," he says, "your God. Not mine, but yours; because I am a sinner, you are
singularly holy. But with a marvelous practice of fraud, the deceitful so conceal
themselves as to reveal, and so justify as to accuse. They also temper the manner of
accusation so that by accusing they appear just, lest by excusing they become known. For
when he calls God his, he indeed exalts him and diminishes himself. But when he asserts
that what was brought from Amalek is to be sacrificed to the Lord, he tacitly brings forth
not that for which he ought to be reproached, but praised. And still adding more, he says:

"But the rest we destroyed. Indeed, sins that are forgiven are slain. Living sins are
those that either still reign in the mind through concupiscence, or those that, though
despised through conversion, have not yet been blotted out through penance. The former
still live for pleasure, the latter live for punishment; because even if we have now
ceased to sin, unless we bewail what we have committed, we are held bound by the
obligation of what was committed. But he attributes the greater sins to the lesser people,
and the lighter sins to the greater. For what does it mean when he says, "The rest we
destroyed," except that there are very small sins among the greater ones, which are washed
away by confession alone? These the teachers destroy when, to those who humbly confess,
they remit them by apostolic authority. To all these words—because the deceitful strive to
conceal themselves, not to expose themselves—there is added the authority of the elect
preachers by which they are reproved: (Verse 16. For Samuel said to Saul: "Allow me, and I
will tell you what the Lord has spoken to me this night."

16. What does it mean when he says: "Let me alone, and I will tell you," unless that while
deceitful men persist in verbosity, they do not grant their examining superiors an
opportunity to speak? As if to say: While you do not cease from verbosity, you do not
permit me to say the things you ought to hear. By this word the intention of the flatterer
can also be mocked; for while he believes he is pleasing through the blandishment of
praise, he supposes that those whom he praises are, as it were, held fast by those same
praises. It is therefore as if the chosen leader were to mock his praiser with honorable
gravity, saying: You who praise me—I cannot speak harsh things to you. Let me alone,
therefore, that is, permit me to speak, and understand the things I am about to say. And
because, as I said, flatterers believe they are pleasing by praising, they by no means
expect to hear harsh things from those whom they praise. Therefore, as if about to hear
joyful and favorable things, Saul follows up, saying: "Speak. But chosen men, when they
hear their own praises, do not grow soft from the rigor of justice amid the encouragements
of praise. For those who despise the deeds of the reprobate can by no means accept their
words. Because, therefore, they cannot be bent by praises, they both examine dishonest
flatterers with subtle reasoning and pursue them with stern judgments. Whence it follows:
(Verses 17–19. And Samuel said:

"When you were little in your own eyes, were you not made the head among the tribes of
Israel? And the Lord anointed you king over Israel; and the Lord sent you on a mission and
said: Go, slay the sinners of Amalek, and you shall fight against them until their utter
destruction. Why then did you not listen to the voice of the Lord, but turned to the spoil
and did evil in the eyes of the Lord?" 17. By these words, the disobedience of the proud
king is subtly examined: because he first sets before him the gifts that were bestowed,
then strikes at the audacity of his transgression through a careful investigation of that
same fault. For it is a subtle examination when a crafty sinner is so scrutinized that no
excuse for his guilt is left to him, so that God's sentence holds him bound, as it were,
to the death of his crime, since no refuge from sin remains for him. Therefore, so that
every way of escape may be blocked for the deceitful and proud, both the loftiness of his
dignity and the manner of his ministry are recalled to him, when he says: 'Were you not,
when you were little in your own eyes, made the head among the tribes of Israel? And the
Lord said to you: Destroy the sinners of Amalek.' And so that, now surrounded and besieged
by these arguments, he might catch him, he lays upon him the hand of guilt, saying: 'Why
then did you not hear the voice of the Lord, but turned to the spoil and did evil in the
sight of the Lord?' As if to say: Behold what you were, what you were made, what you ought
to have done; behold what you have done; behold how far you have departed from what you
ought to have carried out. Therefore, when he pressed further, saying: 'Why did you do
evil in the eyes of the Lord?' he seized the deceitful defendant, as it were, by
surrounding him on every side.

18. But in this passage it should be noted that, while the proud king is rebuked, the
times of his election are recalled, so that the swelling of his heart may be perceived not
to have been present at his choosing, but to have grown from the eminence of his office.
He was indeed chosen as a good man by the Lord, but while he grew from his high position,
he declined through pride. Therefore He says: 'When you were little in your own eyes, you
were made head among the tribes of Israel'; now, turned to plunder, 'you have done evil in
the eyes of the Lord.' As if to say: Through the truth of humility you merited the
kingdom, but now, humble in pretense yet swollen in truth, you are losing the kingdom. For
what are the eyes of the heart, if not the gaze of reason? For he who has unimpaired sight
of reason is perfectly illuminated. He is therefore humble in his own eyes who perfectly
examines himself and recognizes himself as humble with perfect vision. By these words,
then, not only the past humility of the fallen king is commended, but also the keenness of
his reason: because he was so great in reason that he knew himself perfectly, and so great
in virtue that, examining himself closely, he truly saw himself as humble. Since,
therefore, when he is rebuked his past qualities are recalled, what else is described but
that he lacks the things he once had?

For none can become proud unless they first lose the eyes of the heart. Concerning the
lustful, the matter is even more plainly evident: they would never plunge themselves into
the abyss of fornication if they had not first grown dim to the light of inward glory.
Because they despise the lofty precepts of chastity, they are also convicted of pride. He
who had come to depose the king from his office therefore says: 'When you were little in
your own eyes, you were made head among the tribes of Israel; now you have done evil in
the eyes of the Lord.' As if to say: Proud now and blind, you are justly deposed, you who
formerly, seeing and humble, deserved to obtain the kingdom. For the proud Pharisees too
are called blind by the Truth itself, who says to the disciples: 'Let them alone; they are
blind, and leaders of the blind' (Matt. 15:14). This blindness is especially ascribed to
the lustful, because there are no vices that cast thicker darkness upon the mind than
lust. But now you may see many who stood firm as clerics fall once they became priests. To
these, certainly, through the command of Samuel it is said: 'When you were little in your
own eyes, you were made head among the tribes of Israel.' As if to say: When in a lesser
rank you kept the precepts of chastity with an illuminated heart; now, having lost your
eyes, you have fallen into the abyss of fornication.

You have turned to plunder, because you have broken the divine precepts by violent
presumption. For since they burst in to violate the sanctuary of chastity while God
forbids, and stands armed, as it were, with threats and blocking the way, they lead, as if
through the plunder of spoil, Amalek's chosen things into the Lord's land. And because the
unchaste hide themselves from preachers as much as they can, Saul is rebuked for having
done evil in the sight of the Lord. As if a preacher, threatening and terrifying one who
has fallen into carnal pleasure, should say: The crime of impurity is indeed hidden from
men, but it is not concealed from Him who sees all things. When the impenitent hear these
and similar words, they can by no means be terrified. Hence, even though they are already
caught by reasoning, like serpents they strive to slip away through their slipperiness
from the hands of those who hold them. They put forth the tail and hide the head: because
the outward results of their deeds are now visible, but the true quality of those same
actions is concealed. Whence it also follows: (Verse 20.) 'And Saul said to Samuel: On the
contrary, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and I have walked in the way by which the
Lord sent me, and I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have destroyed Amalek.'

19. For as if concealing his own hidden faults while bringing forth the exposed faults of
others, the slippery teacher commends himself on the success of his preaching, saying: I
ought not to be rebuked for the fault of my subjects, but rather praised, since I have
destroyed it in the offenders by preaching. I struck Amalek: because the spirit of
fornication fell by the sword of my tongue in the hearts of my hearers. The king, even if
he lives, has been brought captive: because even if the sense of the flesh, as long as we
are in the flesh, cannot be entirely destroyed, it has been captured, as it could be
captured, because it cannot prevail over reason. Eager to show that his subjects
themselves have been corrected and are confessing their sins, he added, saying: (Verse
21.) But the people took from the spoil sheep and oxen, the firstfruits of those things
which were slain, to sacrifice to the Lord their God in Gilgal.

20. When something belonging to someone is taken away by the violence of armed men, it is
called plunder. But the vices of the flesh and soul, because they are propagated at the
devil's suggestion, are as it were his own property. Whoever therefore, recently lax
within himself but now violent, destroys vices, takes plunder; because he powerfully
seizes what belongs to another. And it should be noted that both slaughter and plunder are
mentioned, so that it may be taught that some things are left behind dead while others are
carried away alive. Indeed, the pleasures of lust are slain when they are driven from the
heart by the power of heavenly intention and cut away from the body by contrition of
spirit. But they are brought alive for sacrifice; because even if by the conversion of the
sinner the delight of the flesh or mind is abandoned, the punishment of past delight is
not entirely destroyed. Let vices therefore be slain, and let the living firstfruits by no
means be kept from sacrifice: so that he who powerfully destroys the force of sin in
contempt of pleasures may fear that the punishment of delight remains alive for him to
sacrifice. What then are the firstfruits of the slain, if not the delights of sins? He is
said to offer these who confesses before God to the priests. And the offerings are
sacrificed when their punishment is destroyed through repentance. For they are, as it
were, offered slain as firstfruits, yet live on through what follows:

when someone confesses sins but does not strive to sacrifice them, that is, to slay them
before God, through repentance. Therefore, when the firstfruits of the slain are said to
be reserved for sacrifice, the error of certain people is confounded—those who abandon
sins but do not nevertheless bewail them. Because therefore sins must not only be
confessed but also destroyed by the severity of penance, while Saul feigns the figure of a
good teacher, he asserts that his subjects brought the firstfruits of the slain to be
sacrificed. Because the measure of penance must also be determined by the reasoning of the
Scriptures, the firstfruits to be sacrificed are brought to Gilgal. Moreover, not only
oxen but also sheep are kept for sacrifice: so that those who are concerned about their
salvation may strive to destroy great sins through repentance in such a way that they do
not neglect to bewail lesser ones. But concerning the proud it is clear: because, while
they always desire to appear great, they are ashamed to be marked as sinners. Even when
caught they resist, and they desire to appear just even in those things which they do.
What then does it mean that he says: "Indeed, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord"? But
Samuel says: "Let me alone, and I will tell you what the Lord spoke to me in the night.
And after a little: "Why have you turned to the plunder, and done evil before the eyes of
the Lord?

It is clear therefore how wondrously swollen with pride is he who seeks to justify himself
at the very time when he recognizes that the Lord is rebuking him for sin. 21. But if he
is believed to have responded thus because he thought the words were the prophet's, not
the Lord's, but the prophet's, we still see imitators of Saul who, while trusting in their
own learning, both despise through pride the commands of their superiors that they hear,
and believe they can improve them by changing them. What then does he mean when he says:
"Indeed I heard the voice of the Lord, and I brought Agag the king of Amalek"? But it is
as if he were saying: Both what was commanded I strove to fulfill, and what was lacking I
supplied. It was necessary that Amalek be struck down; but because, with God's help, he is
conquered, it was fitting to supplement this by preserving what could be offered in
sacrifice to Him. This clearly appears in the proud: because when they cannot conceal open
fault, they attempt to alter or diminish it. As if to say: Even if you judge the open
faults of the deed, the hidden simplicity of intention ought to be considered. It would
indeed be a fault to bring anything from Amalek, unless what was brought ought to be
sacrificed to God. This indeed often happens in monasteries, when any overly devout
subject presumes to add to the commands of spiritual superiors; when he despises the
common regular life and follows the judgment of his own will.

For while he strives to improve his life by choosing rather than by obeying, what else is
shown but that he colors open disobedience with the appearance of virtue? Indeed, not only
subjects but also superiors ought to examine this matter carefully. Subjects ought to note
carefully that Saul displeased God because he attempted to sacrifice to God contrary to
the prophet's command. Let superiors note carefully that the prophet gave the king the
command to destroy Amalek. For thus a teacher ought to praise the common life without
despising the particular gifts of individuals. That common life indeed is praised which is
joined by charity and is not darkened by intervening vices. The Apostle's judgment is:
"Each one has his own gift from God, one indeed in this way, another in that way" (1 Cor.
7:7). Those, therefore, whose food and table are common ought to attend not only to the
common good of refreshment but to the particular nature of their struggle: so that they
eat together, but do not equally contend to fight against the stings of fornication
through abstinence. For his flesh must be subdued more whose thorn of the flesh is more
troublesome. Therefore the common life is no longer merely to be stirred up where the
community of meals is observed, but each is said to fight individually against his
individual battle. Nor does a teacher command well if he does not command that by which
Amalek is struck down, but rather that by which he lives.

Therefore let the teacher command, but so that the spirit of fornication may be overcome.
Let subjects not refuse to obey, but only where the crime of pride is incurred, not where
the abyss of death is avoided. But the disobedient, while with swelling heart they fail to
carry out the commands of their superiors, when they attempt to improve what is enjoined
upon them, while they desire to offer their own works to God, they destroy themselves. For
through other virtues we render Him what is ours; through obedience we offer Him
ourselves. Therefore Samuel adds, saying: (Verse 22. "Does God desire holocausts and
victims, and not rather that the voice of the Lord be obeyed?" 22. For what are the good
works of the elect but sacrifices and burnt offerings? Since therefore the Lord had
commanded burnt offerings and sacrifices to be offered through the law, what does it mean
that the Lord is said not to want burnt offerings and sacrifices, yet promises that He
wants to be obeyed, unless that those things which are done apart from obedience are not
burnt offerings and sacrifices? As if to say: Good works are then good when they do not
disagree with the judgment of those set over them. But if this is said in order to commend
the virtue of obedience, it is clear how sublime a good it is, which surpasses sacrifices
and offerings. What then does it mean that He wills obedience to the voice of the Lord,
unless that all good works must be set below those goods which are commanded? For when
superiors rightly command, the goods which subjects choose of their own judgment are set
below the commands of their superiors. Those very works set below them are called burnt
offerings and sacrifices, so that not only may the small works of inferiors be perceived
as not to be compared with the commands of superiors, but the greatest burnt offerings
indeed belong to those who wish to withdraw themselves entirely from public work, so as to
offer themselves wholly consumed by love to God in the secret of contemplation.

Sacrifices belong to those who by no means separate themselves from the common public
life, but act with singular virtue, so as to surpass the virtues of others by living more
strictly. These things indeed, and things of this kind, when they are done with the
permission of good rulers, are sacrifices and burnt offerings which God approves; but when
they are done in such a way that through them the commands of superiors are neglected, let
those who offer hear what the prophet sent by the Lord says to the disobedient king: Does
God desire burnt offerings and sacrifices, and not rather that the voice of the Lord be
obeyed? As if to terrify those who despise the commands of their fathers as lesser things,
and present their own as greater, saying: Because you think you do something great, you
despise what is small and lowly; but if you see clearly, through this you do not please
the Lord. And rightly, while the work of the proud is examined, the prophet keenly
inquires, saying: Does God desire burnt offerings and sacrifices, and not rather that the
voice of the Lord be obeyed? He inquires indeed so that the swelling of pride may be
struck by pastoral authority. He says: Does God desire burnt offerings and sacrifices?
Because those who choose to follow their own will think they please God; but God by no
means approves their works, even when they are great and mighty. But now he added with
what praises obedience ought to be proclaimed, and said:

(Verse 22. For obedience is better than sacrifices, and to hearken is more than to offer
the fat of rams. 23. For since he said above: "Does God desire holocausts and victims?
does he not subject both to the praises of obedience, so that when he set forth victims
and the fat of rams, he understood the holocaust in the fat? Whatever is better is
certainly better than something good. But those holocausts and victims which God does not
want are by no means good. What, then, does it mean when it is said in praise of
obedience, "Obedience is better than victims, and to hearken than to offer the fat of
rams," unless that obedience is then better when the holocaust and victim is not evil? As
if, therefore, he brings back the proud and disobedient to the consideration of so great a
good, saying: Even if nothing were done by you through presumption, the virtue of
obedience would be better than the works you choose. It is clear, therefore, on what
summit it is placed, which the prophet saw as higher than divine oblations. But if, as
above, we follow the spiritual sense, victims are to be referred to the austerity of a
great way of life, and holocausts to the compunction of a more secluded life. For
obedience is better than victims, and to hearken is more than to offer the fat of rams.
Because it is of far higher merit always to subject one's own will to another's will than
to wear down the body with great fasts, or to slay oneself through compunction in a more
secret sacrifice.

For what is the fat of rams but the rich and interior devotion of the elect? He therefore
offers the fat of rams who, in the pursuit of a secret way of life, possesses the
affection of devout prayer. Nevertheless, obedience is better than victims, and than to
offer the fat of rams. Because he who has perfectly learned to fulfill the will of his
superior excels in the heavenly kingdom both those who abstain and those who weep.
Certainly, because he says this against one who is proud and openly contemning the Lord's
commandments, he does not compare the good that he did with the good that he despised; but
he destroys the pretense of good by showing the truth of a better good. As if he were
saying: Even if you were seeking an excellent good for the more excellent glory of
virtues, you ought rather to have chosen the good of obedience, which excels even
excellent things. Speaking thus, he indeed destroys the pretense of good by argumentation;
but by adding what follows, he openly confounds the parent evil of disobedience, saying:
(Verse 23. "For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and stubbornness is as the
wickedness of idolatry."

24. What is it that those who resist and refuse to comply are likened by the prophet to
diviners and idolaters, except that diviners strove to know divine things and to divine
hidden matters, while idolaters subjected themselves to figments by venerating them? But
those who resist the commands of their superiors resist precisely because they judge that
they know the divine will better. To resist is therefore like the sin of divination:
because, as if despising the divine altar, they receive responses at the altars of demons,
when they trust in the deceitful and proud inventions of their own heart, and oppose by
contrary thinking the salutary counsels of their superiors. To refuse to comply, moreover,
is said to be like the crime of idolatry; because surely no one would persist in the
obstinacy of his disobedience if he did not carry in his heart the figment of his own
purpose as though it were an idol. For when he conceives in his heart what he intends to
do, he makes, as it were, an idol, and when he resolves that he will carry out the purpose
conceived in his mind, he bows down, as it were, to adore a graven image. To refuse to
comply is therefore like the crime of idolatry: because whoever is obstinate in his own
resolve is raised up outwardly in contempt of his superiors precisely because inwardly he
is bowed down to the graven images of his own purpose which he has established by his own
devising.

But it must be carefully asked why resisting is compared to the sin of divination, and
refusing to comply to the crime of idolatry. For "crime" is used only of a great sin,
while "sin" is the term used even for what is slight; but if diviners were so called from
"altar," because they were accustomed to receive responses by consulting, the sin of
idolatry was a crime in comparison with it, because it was more insane to worship stones
than to receive false responses about how to live well under the guise of divine things.
Why then is resisting said by comparison to be a sin, while refusing to comply is called a
crime? But to resist is to dissent from the will of one who commands. Many indeed seem to
resist for a time, when they do not immediately accept the commands of their superiors,
yet after a little while they comply with those same commands. But to refuse to
comply—what is it but both to resist an enjoined obedience and to persist in the obstinacy
of that very resistance? For those do not comply who are unconquerable in their heart's
resolve and who omit nothing of what they determine to do on account of anyone's
authority. Rightly therefore, in comparison with resisting, refusing to comply is called a
crime, because it appears to be a far greater and more horrible sin. Because, then, those
who are of this sort are not overcome by reasoning, the prophet added what punishment
should restrain them, saying: (Verse 23.

Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord has rejected you from being king.
25. For what does it mean that Saul is cast off, except that he is judged incorrigible? It
is as if He were saying: Because you reject all counsels of salvation, for the guilt of
obstinacy you ought no longer to be corrected by words, but condemned with the punishment
of rejection. How greatly the guilt of disobedience ought to be feared is shown, if one
considers attentively that on account of it even kings are deposed. What does it mean when
he says: "Because you have cast away the word of the Lord, the Lord has cast you away"?
But the word is cast away when it is not reverently preserved in its sublimity; for to
cast away is to let something slip from the hand to the ground, whether through negligence
or through violent throwing. Now the word of the Lord, because it speaks salutary things,
is heavenly or sublime; it is negligently cast to the ground when through sloth it is not
fulfilled. But it is cast away through contempt when the proud and disobedient repel it
with swelling heart and disdain to observe it with the hand of action. But because he is
reproved not for casting away but for rejecting the word, this signifies that while the
proud follow their own will, they become far from the Lord. For to reject is to repel
something far away.

For those who worthily undertake the guidance of others are not only near to God through
obedience, but also make those near to Him who through vices and crimes are far from Him.
It is therefore as if He were saying: You are expelled far from the order of dignity,
because you were unwilling to be present to the merit of that same dignity. For the merit
of dignity is the observance of the divine word. When this is rejected, because the merit
of dignity is lost, the dignity itself is also removed. It is fitting, then, to observe
how much the proud lose through disobedience, and how much the humble gain. The former,
while they rejoice in fulfilling the judgment of their own will, offer God great labors of
works, yet have no rewards for their labors; the latter, while they abandon themselves,
while they follow the judgment of another's will, earn the glory of eternal sublimity;
whence also through the most blessed Mary, Mother of the Lord our Redeemer, it is said:
"He has put down the mighty from their seat, and has exalted the humble" (Luke 1:52).
Indeed the Lord puts down the mighty from their seat when He casts off the disobedient
proud, and He exalts the humble, because He glorifies the obedient with eternal glory. But
words do not correct the proud; rather, only while they tremble at losing their honors do
they feign the humility they do not possess, lest they lose the summit of glory; whence it
is added: (Verse 24.

And Saul said to Samuel: "I have sinned, because I have transgressed the words of the Lord
and your words." 26. What does it mean that Saul is rebuked by the prophet for not having
heard the voice of the Lord and for having done evil in His eyes, and yet he does not at
all confess that he has sinned; but when he sees himself rejected from the kingdom, he
confesses that he has sinned and transgressed the word of the Lord and His commands? It is
because the proud are bold in despising the words of the humble, yet they cannot, in the
manner of the elect, despise the honors they covet. They are indeed bold enough to scorn
the commands of their superiors, but they are not prepared to relinquish high positions.
On the contrary, the humble are ready to obey the commands of their superiors and secure
in losing high positions. For since they desire not earthly but heavenly things, they
despise the heights of earthly exaltation, they strive to labor for heavenly things; they
willingly submit, and they shrink from being placed above others. Saul, therefore,
refusing to obey God yet fearing to lose the kingdom—what else does he show us but the
character of the proud, who, when they prevail, avoid being seen as lowly or as sinners,
but when they are compelled, feign the virtue of humility? But when, under compulsion,
they confess, they diminish by their words the sin they accuse.

For although he declared that he had sinned by transgressing the word of the Lord, he
recalled that he had incurred that same transgression by necessity rather than by will,
saying: 'I feared the people and obeyed their voice.' As if to say: The sin for which I am
rebuked ought to be struck with a lighter punishment, inasmuch as it was committed not
through malice but through weakness. Now, to sin by deliberate purpose and will is a great
transgression; but to sin through weakness is the more tolerable, the more the one who
lies subject to the sin is unequal to the forces of that same sin. And because by the same
craftiness of their heart they suppose themselves to prevail over the humility of simple
teachers, he added, as if already having persuaded: (Verse 25) 'But now, I pray, bear my
sin and return with me, that I may worship the Lord.'

27. Correctable sins are indeed borne, because after they depart from the will of the one
who committed them, they can be wholesomely purged through satisfaction. But the sins of
those in whose minds they have become ingrained through impenitence are not borne. Whence
John also says: "There is a sin unto death; I do not say that one should pray for that" (1
John 5:16). A sin unto death is that which is committed by one who can never come to his
senses. This sin is assuredly not borne by superiors, because it is not wiped away by the
prayers or offerings of priests. But Saul, representing in all things the proud and
obstinate, does not cease to swell with pride, and yet begs that his sin be borne; he
heaps up an unbearable burden, and asks that it be carried as though it were light. This
indeed happens as often in the Church as those who willingly commit great crimes fail to
consider their magnitude. They gather up unbearable things, and reckon them to be trivial
and of no weight. They hide their sins from their superiors, and so that they can scarcely
be discovered and rebuked, they minimize those same sins as much as they can, lest those
who preside over them recognize their enormity. They are also strong for sinning, but weak
for weeping over their sins; they want to be dissolved in the pleasures of sin, but they
refuse to be purged by the bitterness of penance.

What then does it mean when he says, "Bear my sin," except that they receive the sweetness
of sins in themselves, but want to burden their prelates with the weight of those same
sins? Some even come voluntarily to confess, but they themselves do not mourn for the
things of which they accuse themselves; instead they beg others to do penance, they think
they are saved by faith alone, and they do not care to return through penance once they
have been cast down. Whence Saul also adds, saying: "And return with me, that I may
worship the Lord. For the preacher is, as it were, departing when he rejects the
shameless; therefore he says: "Return with me, that I may worship the Lord. He thinks that
he is not divided from the communion of the elect solely because he preserves the common
faith; or certainly, to worship the Lord is to submit oneself to the discipline of faith
and the keeping of good works. But because Saul represents feigning hypocrites, there
follows: (Verse 26. Samuel said to Saul: "I will not return with you, because you have
rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king."

28. What then does it mean that the prophet refused to bear the sin of the penitent king,
except that he saw him not truly penitent? To whom he first responded with those words of
rejection, because he recognized that the king would by no means be changed. By this
steadfastness of the prophet, certain overly lenient priests of this present time are
reproved, who are weak in their conduct yet bold in their recklessness. They can scarcely
sustain themselves, yet dare to take up the burdens of others to be carried; they do not
bear their own light burdens, yet subject themselves to unbearable ones. Behold, the
mighty prophet fled from taking up the burden of the king's sin, so that the priest of the
Church may fear and dread to undergo the weight of unbearable sins. For the most part,
however, let him so take up the sins of others that he nevertheless permits the one by
whom they were committed to weep over those sins he undertakes to expiate. Hence Samuel by
no means promised to bear the king's sin, yet he mourned for him whom he had declared
rejected. For concerning him it is written shortly after: 'Samuel mourned for Saul,
because the Lord repented that He had made him king over Israel.' He did not indeed
promise to bear the king's sin, so that the king would strive to weep over it himself. But
nevertheless he wept for the one he had declared rejected, so that he might render the
Lord favorable toward him.

In the literal sense, indeed, when the prophet repeats the sentence, he shows the
irrevocable sentence of divine justice by which the sinner is so cast away that he is
never permitted to return to the hand of divine mercy. It can also be understood in
another way, that he asks the prophet to return with him to worship the Lord. For holy men
who do not abandon the Lord by sinning have no need to return to Him through repentance.
For to return belongs to one who has departed. This indeed befits sinners who withdraw
from the Lord through sin; it does not befit the just who remain steadfast. What then does
it mean that the just Samuel is asked to return with Saul the sinner, except that chosen
preachers are afflicted like penitents on behalf of their fallen subjects, and come as if
returning, when they accompany fallen subjects with fatherly affliction? They therefore
return with them, when the sins of their subjects are equally mourned both by the subjects
who sinned and by the prelates who stood firm. It is therefore as if he were saying: I
have now recognized through the rebuke of preaching that you cling to me with fatherly
affection, you whom I did not leave to sin further. Since therefore I have come to my
senses through your reproach, I ask you to return with me, because by my own strength I am
by no means sufficient to blot out so great a magnitude of wickedness.

But such prayers of affection would deserve to be received if they proceeded from truth of
heart; fittingly therefore it was answered to the hypocrite: 'I will not return with you.'
As if to say: I do not know how to sacrifice to God on your behalf, since I do not
perceive you to be subject to God in the truth of humility; and repeating the earlier
words, he says: 'Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord has rejected you
from being king;' and because the crafty must be rejected and abandoned, there follows:
(v. 27) 'And Samuel turned to depart.' In this departure of the elders, indeed, hypocrites
fear the loss of temporal honor more than the loss of their eternal inheritance. Hence
even when abandoned they cannot be at rest, but what they dare not accomplish by
themselves, they strive to obtain through the intervention of others. Fittingly therefore
it is added: (v. 27) 'But he seized the edge of his cloak, and it was torn.'

29. What are the garments of a teacher, if not to teach the qualities of the subjects
adhering to him? Concerning these garments, indeed, a promise is made to the great
shepherd through the prophet: 'As I live, says the Lord, you shall clothe yourself with
all these as with a garment' (Isa. 49:18). And through the Psalmist it is sung: 'The Lord
has reigned, He has put on beauty; the Lord has put on strength' (Ps. 93:1). For He put on
beauty, who joined to Himself the splendid minds of the faithful, as it were garments.
Saul therefore seized Samuel's cloak, when any proud and rejected person seeks the honor
of high office to be conferred upon himself by great men through those dear ones and
intimates who cling to him; and because no one intercedes on behalf of the reprobate among
perfect hearers, he is said to have seized not the cloak, but the edge of the cloak, that
is, the extremity; but that edge is torn, because he who suggests useless things is
rejected. For when a lesser person making an indiscriminate request is repelled, it is as
though the edge of the garment is said to be torn. For it was as though a part of the
great prophet's cloak was torn, when He answered Peter who was making a bad suggestion,
saying: 'Get behind me, Satan, for you do not savor the things that are of God, but the
things that are of men' (Matt. 16:23).

Hence He likewise commands, saying: 'If your hand or your foot scandalizes you, cut it off
and cast it from you; likewise, if your eye scandalizes you, pluck it out and cast it from
you' (Matt. 5:30). By these words, assuredly, not only the edge of the cloak but even the
middle portion is designated as needing to be cut away: because when they suggest evil
things, even perfect hearers must be disregarded. For this is why the sons of Zebedee
together with their mother ask that one sit at the right hand and the other at the left of
the Redeemer; but as though ignorant of what constitutes a good request, they are repelled
(Matt. 20). For it was as though the Lord tore a part of the cloak, when He rebuked and
confuted those members who were causing scandal. And it should be noted that the whole
cloak is not torn, but a part of the cloak is torn: because when a good person suggests
evil things, he ought to be repelled in that which he suggests wrongly, and in that in
which he is otherwise good, he ought to be retained out of love.

30. By the garment, the conduct of the ruler is also signified, as the Psalmist attests,
who says: "Let your priests be clothed with justice" (Ps. 131:9). The edge of the cloak is
therefore seized when the teacher is praised for great holiness, when that which displays
outward beauty is spoken in his praise. But because the good qualities of the just that
lie hidden are more numerous, only the edge of the cloak can be grasped: because what is
seen of the chosen teacher's justice is little, while much indeed is concealed. But that
very little which is known, when it is grasped, is torn: because the just are not held by
their own praises. For because they despise them in a moment, they cannot be held, as it
were, by the tearing of the cloak. The torn part of the garment is indeed held, but the
prophet is not held: because what is said in praise of the just person is true, and yet
the just, while they despise what they hear, leave, as it were, the torn piece in the
hands of the one holding it. Of the greater ones, therefore, because certain things can be
known, a part is, as it were, grasped. But when all that is done is known by the little
ones, if it is praised, it must nonetheless be cast aside; because nothing of good works
should be held onto through vanity.

For hence it is that while John, still a youth, follows the Lord already seized, and is
held by his garment, he is described as having fled naked, leaving the garment behind
(Mark 14). For the youth is caught by the garment when he is praised for the beginning of
his good conduct; but he who despises the praises he hears flees naked, leaving the linen
cloth behind. For to flee naked is to have a praiseworthy life, but to despise the praise
of a chosen life. For he flees as if naked who ascribes nothing to himself through
vainglory from the adornment of virtues. He can also be understood to have fled naked for
this reason: because he who is said to have been caught by part of the linen cloth is
reported to have left the cloth behind; because it frequently happens in the conscience of
the elect that, through the fact that they are praised in part, they suspect that they
have lost not a part of their merits, but all the merit of a good life. Samuel's cloak is
therefore torn, because chosen teachers despise their own praises. And because they are
not swayed by praises, he repeats the severity of the former sentence, saying: (v. 28)
"The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from your hand this day."

31. For perfect men, because they are softened by no praise from the rigor of justice, are
the same before as after the testimony of their praise, and they confirm by repeating
afterward the same things they had said before. But we must ask what this signifies, that
which is said: 'Today'. For if the life of the reprobate is night, what does it mean that
Saul's kingdom is torn away in the day? But if the life of a reprobate pastor is night,
when his kingdom is torn away, it makes day. For day does not come unless night departs.
He says, therefore, 'Today', because the darkness of the disobedient one is declared to be
condemned. Whence also, when Judas went out, the Lord says: 'Now is the Son of Man
glorified' (John 13:31); because He saw the night of that man's life depart, and the pure
light of justice remain in the other disciples. It is also said 'Today', because with the
proud one removed, the kingdom was being handed over to the humble king. Whence it is also
added: (Verse 28) 'And He has given it to your neighbor who is better than you.' When
therefore "today" is said, nothing bright is seen in the rejected king, but the glory of
his successor is proclaimed, who from the height of the kingdom was to shine with the
splendor of great virtue. And asserting the immutability of the divine sentence, he adds,
saying: (Verse 29) 'Moreover, the Triumphant One of Israel will not spare, and will not be
moved by repentance.'

32. For who is to be understood by the name of this triumphant one, except the Creator of
the human race? For whoever overcomes hidden adversaries conquers by His power, who
bestows upon him the grace of overcoming temptation. What does it mean that the triumphant
one is said not to spare, when Samuel is being entreated? Because when preachers grow
angry at sinning subjects, when they strike the proud or the dissolute with divine
judgment, they do not act by the impulse of their own fury, but carry out the decision of
the divine will. As if he were clearly saying: I indeed pronounced not my own sentence,
but His, whose decree, once issued, cannot be revoked. Therefore He does not spare, and is
not moved by repentance—but toward those who can neither cease from their sins nor repent
of the sins they love. And adding the reason, he says: (Verse 29. "For He is not a man,
that He should repent. As if to say: His very being belongs to Him in whom there is no
changeableness. By the name of the triumphant one, the perfection of the substitute king
can also be designated, who was destined to have the glory of many triumphs and who would
not dare to spare anyone against the will of the Creator. Whence also in this very same
book it is written of him: "And David struck the whole land, and left alive neither man
nor woman" (1 Kings 27:9). Of him also it is said:

"For He is not a man, that He should repent. For what is designated in this place by
"man," except one subject to carnal passions? As if he were still stinging the proud one,
saying: You now repent of your sins when you receive the sentence upon your boldness; but
he will not repent who, being a man, is not subject to disobedience and pride. And Saul
still confesses with his mouth, saying: (Verse 30. "I have sinned. But he reveals the
quality of that confession, because he added, saying: (Verse 30. "But now honor me before
the elders of my people, and before Israel." 33. It is clear what kind of repentance he
bears who still desires to be honored. For if he truly repented of his sin, he would have
desired to be dishonored rather than honored. It is fitting, therefore, to marvel at the
hardness of his cast-off heart. As the man of God, carrying out the command of the
Creator, says: "The Lord has cast you off, that you should not be king," on the contrary,
he who receives the sentence of rejection seeks honors through the desire for exaltation.
What does it mean, then, that he says: "I have sinned"? Indeed, confession of sin should
be followed not by honor or glory, but by profit and self-contempt. For what does it
profit to confess sins if the affliction of repentance does not follow the voice of
confession? For three things must be considered in everyone who truly repents, namely:
conversion of the mind, confession of the mouth, and punishment for sin. For he who is not
converted in heart, what does it profit him if he confesses his sins? A sin that is loved
is by no means erased by confessing it. Indeed, there are some who reveal their sins by
confessing but, by not converting, in no way detest them. These indeed accomplish nothing
by confessing, because what they cast out by speaking, they bring back in by loving.
Whence Scripture also suggests to those wishing to confess profitably, saying: "With the
heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation" (Rom. 10:10).

What is it to believe with the heart unto righteousness, except to direct the will toward
faith working through love? Therefore, when someone directs the intention of the heart
toward righteousness through love, through the beginning of good will he has the fruit of
good conversion. This one certainly now confesses unto salvation, because by speaking he
casts out from the wound more than conversion has pierced. The third kind, therefore, that
is punishment, is like a necessary medicine, so that the abscess of guilt, which is lanced
by conversion, may be purged by confessing and healed by the medicine of affliction.
Therefore, he who does not believe in his heart unto righteousness by no means makes
confession unto salvation, because he displays, as it were, the leaves of a bad tree whose
deep roots he fixes in his heart. The sign of true confession, therefore, is not in the
confession of the mouth but in the affliction of repentance. For then we perceive a sinner
to be well converted when he strives to blot out with worthy severity of affliction what
he confesses by speaking. Whence John the Baptist, rebuking the badly converted Jews
flocking to him, says: "O generation of vipers, who has shown you to flee from the wrath
to come? Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance" (Matt. 3:7). Therefore,
repentance is to be recognized in fruit, not in leaves or branches. For good will is, as
it were, a tree. What then are the words of confession other than leaves?

Therefore, leaves are not to be sought by us for their own sake but for the sake of fruit,
because every confession of sins is received for this reason: that the fruit of repentance
may follow. Whence also the Lord cursed the tree adorned with leaves but barren of fruit
(Mark 11), because he does not accept the ornament of confession without the fruit of
affliction. Therefore Saul, who confesses and wishes to be honored, not afflicted and
humbled—what does he signify except those who have a sterile confession and bear no fruit,
who display the beauty of confession with humble words but pursue the greenness of words,
not the humility of repentance? 34. But why do we look to the ancients, when now we see
such a great multitude of fallen rulers? For now they rush headlong into disgraceful deeds
in droves—not only the weak who are subject to authority, but also negligent prelates and
priests. Those who by the rank of their ministry have been assigned to heavenly sacraments
act with slippery sinfulness. But many of them, when they somehow come to their senses,
confess that they have erred. Yet they wish to bring forth their sins against themselves
in such a way that they still desire to be honored on account of their sacred office; in
secret they declare themselves shameful, but outwardly they blush to appear humble beyond
the dignity of their rank. What then are these men but those who see themselves as cast
down, and yet dare to wish to be honored? Often, moreover, they do not come of their own
accord, but are seized against their will; they receive the commands of their own
abjection, and yet they ask to be honored. They wish indeed to do unclean things, yet dare
to cling to the sacred altars. Behold how many Sauls we observe, how many fallen rulers we
contemplate from the height of Holy Church. To each of them individually it must surely be
said: 'Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord has rejected you from
being king'—so that those whom earthly disgraces do not cease to defile may not perform
the heavenly ministry.

But this indeed we can say, yet we cannot persuade slippery ministers of it. For Saul both
heard that he was rejected and continued to reign; because unclean priests recognize that
they have been cast down from the priestly summit through the defilements of luxury, and
yet they do not cease to handle the sacred mysteries against God's will. But a king
reigning against the Lord's will was not a king but a tyrant; because an unworthy priest,
who is rightly cast out on account of his defilement, when he presumes to minister,
ascends to the summit of so great a glory only to be condemned. Hence also that great
senator of heaven, wishing to terrify such tyrants, says: 'Whoever eats the bread and
drinks the blood of the Lord unworthily, eats and drinks judgment upon himself' (1 Cor.
11:27). Often, however, it happens through urgent confession that those who confess are
also believed to have undergone a conversion of heart. Sometimes the chosen preachers
accept the false humility of the reprobate, so that by their example others may be led to
salvation. For they recognize two things in hypocrites: one within, the other without.
Within, indeed, pure evil; without, a pretense of good. They detest both, but they often
feign approval of the outward show of good in them, so that those who see the good on the
outside and do not know the evil within may follow the examples of good that they behold.
Rightly therefore it is added:

(Verse 31.) 'So Samuel turned back and followed Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord.' 35.
For on account of the evil that lay hidden within, he deserved to hear: "The Lord has cast
you off from being king." But so that under the pretext of good he might draw others to
the truth of that same good, Samuel wished to follow Saul, and saw him worship the Lord.
Sometimes even the evils of kings and the great ones of the earth must be tolerated, lest
being provoked they slip into worse things. For the children of Israel often worshiped the
gods of the nations. Whence also it was said above concerning those converted by Samuel:
"The children of Israel removed from their midst the Baals and the Ashtaroth" (1 Sam.
7:4). And perhaps if the rejected king did not see the prophet returning with him to
worship the Lord, he would worship the images of demons. And so he casts him off, yet
returns with him; because in the powerful of this age, iniquity must be condemned in such
a way that the good they possess is not lost through provocation. For often they are evil
in secret, and the good that is seen, others imitate more devoutly. Certainly the evils of
the powerful of the age are great evils for them; but the good things they put forth
benefit the example of the faithful more than the good deeds of others. Rightly therefore
Samuel returns with the rejected king; because the elect preachers both strike the
powerful of the age for their iniquity, and permit them to do certain good things for the
sake of example. Whence it also follows: (Verse 32.) And Samuel said: "Bring here Agag,
king of Amalek." And Agag was brought to him, very fat and trembling.

36. Kings adore the Lord when the proud and scornful humble themselves to carry out the
Lord's commands. The unchaste adore when they are subjected to God through the obedience
of chastity. But sometimes they pretend to adore, because some have a pretext of humility
or chastity, yet while they are believed to truly possess the good, others through the
good they believe them to have lose the practice of good works. Therefore they hand over
King Agag to Samuel, because by confessing they bring forth the vigor of their sensuality.
For when they confess the sins of lust which they committed through the vigor of the
flesh, what else do they do but offer the king of Amalek to the prophets to be slain? But
what does it mean that Agag is called very fat, when the vigor of sensuality is fat in
some and lean in others? What then does it mean that he is offered fat, except that he was
led forth by the subjects of the reprobate king? For subjects are often negligent; but
when they behold the examples of their chosen pastor, they groan amid the evils they
commit. Through the frailty of the flesh they fall into impurities; but struck by the
examples of their superiors, they cannot fully rejoice amid the pleasures of impurity. In
whom then is Agag fattest, if not in those of whom it is said: "They rejoice when they
have done evil, and exult in the worst things" (Prov. 2:14)?

For the subjects of a lustful teacher sin all the more boldly, the fewer examples of their
superiors they have placed before them to see. But they cast themselves down far more
madly when they do not see in their pastors a good that they might follow, and they do see
an evil by whose example they perish. In these indeed Agag grows fat, because joyfully,
securely, and freely the vigor of the flesh is stretched out in the pleasure of lust,
which, with nothing standing in the way, is not deprived of the practice of allurement.
Therefore the fattest is offered to be slain when those are converted who greatly rejoiced
in the pleasure of lust; for the king is, as it were, handed over when the carnal sense
which ruled the mind is revealed to the priests of Christ through confession. Fat also
customarily nourishes fire. Rightly therefore this is ascribed to the Amalekite king,
because while the spirit of fornication possesses the mind, the more sweetly and
frequently it feeds there through shameful thoughts, the more abundant fuel is supplied to
it for increasing the fire of concupiscence. But he is said to be trembling, because the
carnal sense, when it is handed over to spiritual men through confession, is weakened.
Therefore trembling gives a sign that it does not have the strength of its members. When
therefore the vigor of sensuality begins to be weakened, what else trembles but the king
of the Amalekites?

Or he is said to tremble because many, when they begin to be converted, are terrified by
the rigor of penance. And because all carnal people cannot abandon the customary pleasures
of the flesh without grief, there follows: (Verse 32) And he said: "Does bitter death thus
separate?" 37. For to say this to the carnal sense is to strike the mind with the turning
of sorrow over the loss of accustomed pleasure. For because the recently converted suffer
great darts of bitterness, the king whom they had served, as it were, complains about
death: because in them carnality is by no means slain without great tribulation. Therefore
to ask the carnal sense about the separation of death is to strike the still-sorrowful
mind of the converted person over the loss of past delight. But also the manner of
separation is inquired about, when he says: "Is it so?" For as though, having seen the
austerities to which it must be subjected, his sensuality says to the mind: "Do you spurn
joyful things for such sorrowful ones?" Samuel certainly hears this voice: because the
chosen preacher recognizes the tempted heart of his subject by certain signs. But what
does it profit to recognize, if he himself says nothing against that which rages within in
the heart of the subject? Therefore there follows: (Verse 33) And Samuel said: As your
sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.

38. What is the mother of carnal sense, if not original sin? For since before the sin of
the first man no lust was present in the members, the Amalekite king did not exist. There
was indeed the sense of the flesh, but it was not shameful and lustful; but as soon as he
fell into sin, he felt the itching of his members, because he could not have obedient
movement of the flesh when he himself was disobedient to God. Original sin, therefore, is
rightly understood as the mother of the shameful sense of the flesh, because from it there
comes forth by birth that which began to exist from it. Whence also the Apostle, as if
abhorring the law of carnal sense as that of a most severe tyrant, showed not only the
king himself but the mother, saying: "Therefore it is no longer I who work that, but sin
which dwells in me" (Rom. 7:20). For the sin which he declared he did not work, he
understood as the movement of the flesh; but the sin dwelling in him, as original sin.
Because therefore from original sin comes the sin of the movement of the flesh, when we
consider the carnal sense as king, we rightly name his mother as the first sin. Moreover,
the children of this mother are all concupiscences, sins, and vices. The mother is surely
made without children when every fault from the flesh and every fault from the mind now
seems merely to remain.

For she is then without children, because even if no shameful thing now comes from the
flesh, if no concupiscence now reigns in the mind, nevertheless that sin remaining in us
cannot now be destroyed by the power of a teacher. For what does the Apostle mean when he
says: "It is no longer I who work that, but sin which dwells in me"? From that sin indeed,
which we contract from the corrupt root of our nature, we have the capacity to be
corrupted by the passions of vices. The disordered law of the members, therefore, when it
moves the members contrary to our will—we do not work this, but sin which dwells in us.
The will indeed is then present with us, but we do not yet find the ability; since we
would wish that nothing could be moved in us against our will. And these are perhaps the
conceptions of the worst mother, by which that sin is impregnated; if they are allowed to
pour forth into shameful and obscene acts, they are said to be, as it were, nourished. The
children, therefore, are the movements which are not only naturally within, but which are
manifested in shameful and obscene works. The mother of Agag is therefore made without
children when original sin is so restrained that it is not permitted to produce any acts
or movements. Or perhaps she is made without children because she once had children.

When, therefore, converted sinners cease to be shameful both in act and in the gestures of
luxury, the fault dwelling in them, as a mother, is as it were bereft of children. 39. And
it should be noted that the mother is said to be made without children by way of
comparison. As he says, "As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be
childless among women." The virtues of the mind, from which good works proceed, are
mothers; but the sword of Agag is called the weapon of lust, which indeed makes women
childless, because lust destroys all good works. Or certainly the women are understood as
the minds of the faithful, while the children of holy minds are good thoughts, virtues,
and good works. But the sword of Agag made mothers childless, because the delight of lust,
if it is allowed to be unsheathed like a sword, slays from them indeed all good thoughts,
all virtues, and good works. For the sharp pleasure of this pestilence, if it is received
into the mind, while it delights one to gaze more intently upon what is impure, can think
of nothing clean and holy; and while it ardently drags one toward the fulfillment of
wicked deeds, it permits one to do nothing of virtue. And because through its burning all
things perish, not only the children of Agag but all the children of the women are
slaughtered. Therefore it makes mothers childless, because the delight of lust, like a
sword, while it strikes the fruits of minds, by no means allows thoughts of virtue or the
good of work to live. Just as therefore it made mothers childless, so also his own mother
is made childless, when the sinner is so converted that, apart from the guilt naturally
implanted in us, nothing of obscene works or impulses appears to remain in those who are
converted. Whence it is also fittingly added: (Verse 33.) And Samuel cut Agag to pieces
before the Lord in Gilgal.

40. That he is cut into pieces means that, once dead, he is divided into small parts. For
Agag is slain when the vigor of the flesh is so crushed by fasting, vigils, and spiritual
meditations that nothing wanton, nothing lustful is felt to stir. For to slay him is to
render the flesh unable to move shamefully. But the corpse of the slain one remains whole
when its movement remains. Lust does not remain when it weighs down the mind by its mere
heaviness alone; that is, when a simple and natural motion of the flesh resides in the
members, but has nothing of lustful ardor. But because the minds of the elect bear this
very thing with difficulty, they carry, as it were, the whole corpse of a dead king. But
what does it mean that he is cut into pieces, except that they do not wish to leave even
that natural motion its strength? He is therefore cut into pieces, because each time it
strikes, it is slain. Therefore, while the alternating movements are not allowed to come
together, the corpse of Agag is, as it were, cut into pieces. Or perhaps this Agag is of
such a nature that he cannot die unless cut into pieces. For as I said above, lust is
kindled after the manner of fire; and if it is extinguished carelessly, the nearby stubble
is quickly set ablaze. A great fire, too, can often be better extinguished when dispersed.

For when many coals come together into one, they make an enormous mass of embers. Lest
therefore the one extinguishing it be burned, the mass of embers is first wisely
scattered, so that it may be quickly extinguished through the individual pieces of coals.
For what are thoughts of luxury, what are lustful motions of the body, but coals of fire?
Which indeed, if they come together in the heart or in the flesh, can quickly burn, but
can never easily be extinguished. Let the fire therefore be scattered, let Agag be cut
into pieces, and let the mind be guarded so that it disperses unclean thoughts and does
not allow one to cling to another. For since one cannot bring it about that one never
thinks harmful things, let one do what one can: immediately cast out the thought that
carelessly enters the mind. Thus indeed one divides a very great fire quickly into
individual coals and swiftly extinguishes it, if one separates all the flames of thoughts
in such a way as not to allow them to be joined together in the mind, neither through
negligence nor through desire. Thus indeed the vigor of the mind also represses the
motions of the body, when it does not allow them to come together with one another. For an
enticing motion of the flesh, if it is not at all nourished by thought, does not seem to
come together with another. For the glue of enticing motions is unclean thought:

because whoever willingly looks upon unclean things immediately moves the flesh violently
toward the things loved by lusting after them; the more willingly and lingeringly one
thinks, the more, as coals to coals, one binds shameful motions to even more shameful
ones. Let him therefore maintain a strong guard over his soul who wishes to powerfully
scatter the motions of the flesh. For within, Agag is first divided, so that outwardly he
may likewise be divided into pieces; because for one who does not allow evil thoughts to
come together, the shameful motions of the flesh are also, as it were, divided into
pieces. Thus indeed the very fat Agag is slain, if he is divided into pieces; because we
powerfully extinguish the sense of the flesh along with its unclean motions, both in the
body and in the soul, if we keep watch against each of its individual snares with singular
attention. Hence that Wise Man also carefully admonishes, saying: "With all watchfulness
keep your heart, because from it life proceeds, and from one that is neglected, death
comes forth" (Proverbs 4:23). For life proceeds when the heart is guarded, because when
all uncleanness is repelled, the spirit of the converted is enlivened toward virtues.
Therefore Agag is cut into pieces by the prophet when, through the counsel of teachers,
individual particles of uncleanness are destroyed both in the body and in the mind of the
hearers. Moreover, it is rightly said that he was cut to pieces both before the Lord and
in Gilgal;

because those who know how to think wisely both about almighty God and about the Holy
Scriptures can powerfully divide the minute particles of enticing thoughts and shameful
motions. But, as I said, teachers often tolerate the feigned good deeds of the wicked not
for their own sake, but for the sake of others; because what they do in pretense benefits
not the pretenders, but the onlookers. Indeed, the elect often see the feigned good deeds
of the wicked; but because they do not know their hearts, they imitate the good that
appears to shine outwardly. Saul asked Samuel to return with him to worship the Lord; but
he, having returned, cut Agag into pieces, because elect teachers, through the works that
the reprobate perform, turn the elect toward the pursuit of living well. But because they
do this very thing by way of dispensation, that is, for the sake of something else, when
the necessity of the dispensation passes, they abandon those very reprobate whom they had,
as it were, followed toward good works, once they have lapsed into the impenitence of a
reprobate heart. And so it is well added: (Verses 34, 35. And Samuel went away to Ramah,
but Saul went up to his house in Gibeah, and Samuel did not see him again until the day of
his death.

41. What is the house of the transgressor, if not the habit of wicked work? For whoever is
enclosed in a perverse habit dwells, as it were, in a house. Saul therefore ascended to
his house, when any reprobate, after the rebuke of teachers, returns to the practice of
evil work. For he descended, as it were, to the plains when he feigned humility in order
to learn the commands of his superiors. But what does it mean that Samuel is said to have
departed before Saul ascended to his house? Yet, as I said, when there is no need on
behalf of others, the chosen preacher cannot remain with the crafty man; and because the
pretender advances in the absence of the teacher, Saul did not go away to his house, but
ascended. For to ascend, for the reprobate, is to advance from bad to worse. Likewise,
when the proud man is said to descend, he is declared to ascend. For to ascend to his
house, for the proud man, is to exalt himself through pride up to the measure by which he
is to be condemned. For the house of the proud man is the measure of his own wickedness.
For when they are permitted, through the prosperities of this world, to exercise tyranny,
to disturb the earth, to oppress the good, and to afflict the innocent, what else do the
proud appear to do but ascend?

But because it is predetermined by God how much they may harm, how much they may rage, how
much they may exalt themselves through tyranny, they are permitted to ascend only up to
their house. For their house is the measure of wickedness in which they will always
remain: because when they have arrived at the fullness of their crimes, they are snatched
away by death and punished with eternal torments. For he remains, as it were, in his
house, who can never escape from the punishments of his way of life. This can fittingly be
understood not only of the proud, but also of the lustful and all the reprobate. For they
were still in the ascent and not yet in their house, those of whom it is said: 'The
iniquities of the Amorites are not yet full' (Gen. 15:16). Hence likewise the blessed
apostle Paul says: 'To fill up their sins' (1 Thess. 2:16). Therefore they ascend to their
house when, by the advancement of evil, they advance to more wicked works, for which they
will endure eternal torments.

42. Moreover, Samuel is said to depart to Ramah. For teachers separated from the reprobate
do not merely go, but depart. They go when they leave those who are to be corrected,
because those whom they dismiss as if in anger, they afterward return to, invited by their
good amendment. Therefore, for a teacher to depart is to abandon the impenitent wicked
with perpetual condemnation. For they so abandon those who work sins unto death through
impenitence that they are not compelled to return to them any further. Well therefore it
says: 'Saul did not see Samuel again until the day of his death.' And because they
perceive that this must be done in the contemplation of the highest truth, he is recorded
as departing to Ramah. For a consummated vision is the perfected understanding of
innermost truth. Lest therefore the severity of preachers be judged excessive by the
carnal-minded when they separate the reprobate from the communion of the Church in
perpetuity, let them hear that after Samuel came to Ramah, he saw Saul no more—because the
teacher eternally separates the one whom he does not recognize as belonging to the number
of the elect. But this is believed with confidence if in the figure of Samuel the
affection of charity among the preachers of the holy Church is perceived alongside their
severity. For the zeal of severity is shown in that it is recorded he did not see Saul
until the day of his death. But concerning the affection of charity, it is added: (Verse
35) 'Nevertheless, Samuel mourned for Saul, because the Lord repented that he had made
Saul king over Israel.'

43. For what is it that he mourns for one whom he disdains to look upon, except that even
with their zeal for righteousness, the holy teachers possess a disposition of great
charity, and the very greatness of that charity is shown by the fact that he is said to
weep for the rejected king? With what affection, then, do they weep for the sins of their
elect subjects, who have learned to weep so tenderly even for the cast-off reprobate? For
the urgency of the mourning is shown by what is added next:


COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS (BOOK SIX, CHAPTER 6.3 (1 SAMUEL 16:1))
============================================================

COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS continued

CHAPTER 6.3 (1 SAMUEL 16:1)

The Lord said to Samuel: How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him, so
that he should not reign over Israel? 1. For when it is said to him: "How long will you
mourn?" it is shown that he was mourning persistently. Great, therefore, is the affection
of the saints, even when they outwardly bring forth the severity of punishment. For on the
outside they rage, but inwardly they melt with love. In the manner of mothers they strike
their little ones, yet they groan with the affection of the little ones whom they
chastise. But what does it mean that the Lord says: "How long will you mourn for Saul?"
Can a mother see her son dying and not weep at all through the rending of her heart? She
who dies endures the dead without grief, but is weakened. What does it mean that He says:
"How long will you mourn for Saul?" Unless it is because the lost are not to be mourned
excessively? For often a teacher is vehemently afflicted over the perdition of his
subject, but is consoled by regard for the supreme justice. What, therefore, does this
saying of God to the prophet mean, except to relieve the preacher's mind from affliction
through inward consolation? And because, when prelates have fallen, the elect are
substituted through divine mercy, the Lord adds, saying: (Verse 1.) "Fill your horn with
oil, and come: I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided among his
sons a king for myself."

2. For as if consoling one who mourns, he says: Why is the casting off of one person
lamented, when a better one is substituted? Hence Saul is shown as not foreseen, but David
as foreseen. How great, therefore, and of what quality he was, let it be weighed with
prompt consideration—he who is determined by the judgment and choice of Almighty God. But
what does it mean that God foresees and the prophet is sent to anoint, except that the
spiritual customs of the holy Church are being described, which is seen to appoint no one
except those whom it contemplates God to have chosen beforehand and preordained? "Come,"
he says, "I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have foreseen among his sons a
king. As if to say: Presume nothing on your own part, but by ordaining you will follow him
whom I have foreseen. Hence also a little later he adds, saying: "And you shall anoint the
one I shall point out to you. What is this, except that those who wish to ordain others to
the summit of the Church ought to be prophets? For they can recognize what has been
foreseen by God, if they consult the sacred Scriptures to find the person of the bishop to
be chosen. For it is as though God is shown speaking when such a Pastor is chosen as is
commended through sacred eloquence.

In the literal sense, however, Samuel is told to come from the Lord so that he might be
called back from compassion for the reprobate and rejected king. But if by continual
weeping he was seeking the restoration of the fallen one, for him to come was to cease
from such an intention. And he filled his horn with oil, because he tempered pastoral
sublimity in anointing the king with the splendor of praise. For with a harsh horn he
assailed Saul, because he struck down the sinner as if with a great assault, saying:
"Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord has rejected you from being
king" (1 Kings 15:23). What does it mean, then, that the horn is commanded to be filled
with oil, except that the justice of the king to be anointed is commended? As if to say:
The king who is now anointed will not need to be struck with rebuke, but proclaimed with
the favor of wondrous praise—he needs not to be assailed, but to be favored. He is sent to
Jesse the Bethlehemite, so that the king who is chosen might be taught to be one who would
endure. For through the patriarch Jacob, the condition of the kingdom that would endure
was shown long before, because he said: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a
ruler from his loins, until he comes who is to be sent" (Genesis 49:10).

Therefore the king foreseen among the sons of Jesse is declared, so that the king who is
commanded to be anointed might be taught to be not one who would depart like Saul, but one
who would be lasting. As if he rouses the prophet wasting away in anguish over the
rejected one, saying: Why is the one rejected for his fault lamented, when one worthy of
praise is substituted? 3. We have touched upon these things according to the literal
sense; now let us consider the election of our prelates beneath the literal narrative.
What does it mean that the horn is commanded to be filled with oil, except that such a
pastor is to be chosen in the holy Church who ought not to be accused as a transgressor,
but commended to the example of others with wondrous praises? For the horn is the weapon
of animals. And what else are the authority and rebuke of the chief bishop but weapons?
Indeed horns strike when their sharp points are applied to sinners through rebuke. For to
strike with the horn is to reprove sinners sharply. The horn is filled with oil when the
sublimity of the preacher does not have the harshness of threats, but the gentleness of
favors. Or the horn is filled with oil when to the chosen pastor there is given at once
both the exaltation of the summit and the power of anointing—when the lofty rank is
ascended, yet he who is raised to the heights is filled with the abundance of merits.
Therefore priests are anointed from a full horn who attain to the highest rank with the
fullness of graces. Because indeed fire is kindled by oil, the oil is the love of the
teacher's heart—in which fire is kindled, because in the richness of the mouth the power
and grace of the Holy Spirit burns.

Because therefore the teacher ought to have the richness of great charity, the king who is
commanded to be anointed is said to be anointed from a full horn. The fullness of the horn
is also spoken of in terms of the perseverance of graces; for those who fail before the
end do not merit to be anointed with the fullness of the horn. Still more must be said
about the fullness of this horn: it is commanded for this reason, because he who must fill
others from his own fullness needs a great anointing. Whence Moses too is said to have
been so full that the Lord is shown to have taken from his spirit and given it to others
(Num. 11). Or the horn of the prophet is filled when the pontifical sublimity is prepared
for teaching more perfect things. For when the princes of the Church are ordained, the
things they ought to do must not be preached to them in half-measure. Therefore the
bishops fill the horn when they set forth full and perfect virtues, which the chosen
princes of the Church may imitate. Because indeed those who anoint ought themselves to be
spiritual, they are commanded to fill the horn. The horn is indeed from the flesh, but it
is not enclosed in the flesh. Therefore the horn is the spiritual manner of life of the
teacher. The horn pours out oil when he preaches lofty things who demonstrates these
things by his lofty manner of life.

Therefore to fill the horn with oil is to take up the preaching of great virtues in a
lofty manner of life. And he pours it on the head when he imprints it on the mind of him
who comes newly to the highest order. Therefore when the elect are promoted, they are
anointed from a full horn, because they advance to the height of their order by the power
of perfection. 4. But the prophet is sent to Jesse of Bethlehem, a king is foreseen among
his sons, because that shepherd is chosen who has been instructed in ecclesiastical
devotion. Bethlehem, therefore, which is called "house of bread," what else does it
designate but each and every house of religion? For by the name of bread the teaching of
perfection is shown, as Paul attests, who, rousing the weak to conversion, says: "I gave
you milk to drink, not solid food. For you were not yet able, nor are you yet able" (1
Cor. 3:2). For if milk belongs to little ones, bread belongs to none but the perfect.
Whence also it is said of the strength of the perfect man: "He shall dwell on high, the
fortifications of rocks shall be his loftiness, bread has been given to him" (Isa. 33:16).
Therefore in the house of bread a king is sought for anointing, because those are
profitably advanced who are nourished in the order of perfect conduct. For he is able to
make others strong who has not been nourished in lax and negligent conduct. Therefore he
is sought in the house of bread, because in promoting a bishop, strength of conduct must
be sought. From a weak congregation a person of virtue is almost never taken. Whence
rightly the search is made among the sons of Jesse, who is named "salvation of the Lord,"
or certainly "salvation" absolutely. Indeed, a prelate is rightly called salvation. For
what are sins and vices, if not diseases of souls?

But a chosen preacher, through the integrity of sound doctrine, through the solidity of
innocence, through the splendor of an elect life, is rightly named the salvation of the
Lord. There are indeed other teachers whose speech creeps like a cancer. From the family
of these a king is not taken, because he does not lead sick minds to health, but kills
them. And it should be noted that Jesse is called by another name, Isai. He has indeed a
twofold name, because a good teacher is not always at peace. In time of peace he is called
the salvation of the Lord, so that the wounds of wars may be taught to be healed, as it
were, within the secure vestibules of his house. But in war he has the name Jesse, because
he both fortifies himself bravely and protects others valiantly. For Jesse is said to mean
"relief of the island. But by the name of island, what is understood if not minds
surrounded by the waves of temptations? They are indeed islands, because even if they
endure great conflicts, they are not moved. Whence also the Psalmist, proclaiming the
victory of the elect, says: "The Lord has reigned, let the earth exult, let many islands
rejoice" (Ps. 97:1). The Lord indeed reigns when no storm of enemies disturbs his throne,
namely the elect minds; but the earth rejoices, because the solid hearts of teachers are
glad. The islands rejoice, because when they overcome temptations by his grace, the
hearers of their superiors are gladdened.

The earth indeed is the strong mind and the firm tongue of the teacher. But the island is
said to be the strong heart of the subject, which is still assailed by temptations, yet is
not moved. What then does it mean that Jesse is called the relief of the island, except
that through the strength of teachers the hearts of the lesser are uplifted? For amid so
many waves of temptations they would collapse, if their hearts were not raised to the
desire of the lofty life by the strength of their superiors. Therefore a king is described
as hidden among the sons of Isai and Jesse, because those profitably come to the summit of
the Church who have learned under the instruction of the elect both to guard peace and to
arrange or wage spiritual wars. Therefore it is well said: "For I have provided among his
sons a king for myself. For among these and not among others is a king foreseen, because
through divine grace none attain to the summit of the Church who do not follow the
instruction of the elect through all the successive periods of time. There follows:
(Verses 2–3. And Samuel said: "How shall I go? For Saul will hear of it and will kill me.
And the Lord said: "You shall take a calf from the herd in your hand, and you shall say: I
have come to sacrifice to the Lord. And you shall call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will
show you what you are to do."

5. What is shown by these words, except that the cunning and cruelty of tyrants must
sometimes be eluded by pious deception? For by the Lord's command a calf is taken from the
herd, a sacrifice is simulated, and the royal anointing is reached, because when tyrants
desire to do harm, certain things which they may believe must be set before them, so that
they find no opening to do harm. Thus tyrants must be eluded in such a way that the guilt
of lying is avoided. This is well accomplished when what is asserted actually takes place,
but what takes place is stated in such a way that it is concealed, because it is partly
spoken and partly kept silent. For the prophet Samuel is commanded to go to anoint the
king, and to declare that he is going to sacrifice to the Lord, not that he is going to
anoint a king; so that in sacrificing he speaks the truth, and in concealing the anointing
he eludes the tyrant's cruelty while speaking the truth. For that he went to sacrifice, he
shortly afterward clearly sets forth, where it says: 'He therefore sanctified Jesse and
his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.'

6. But now it is better handled if we consider what these things signify spiritually. What
does it mean, then, that the prophet takes a calf in his hand, and so arrives to anoint
the king? But what is the calf, if not the splendor of the image of the Redeemer? For
since he strives to make the one he chooses conformed to the Redeemer, when he preaches
the very form of the Redeemer, he carries, as it were, a calf in his hand. And because he
demonstrates the splendor of the Lord's manner of life, which he preaches, in the power of
his works, he leads by hand the calf he takes from the herd. For to take up a calf in hand
is to preserve the preaching of the Lord's manner of life in the power of one's works.
Thus indeed, going in this way, he is not killed; otherwise he would be killed: because he
who speaks and does not act is condemned by the sword of his own mouth. What does it mean
that he is commanded to say: "I have come to sacrifice to the Lord"? What does it likewise
mean that he does what he says, since he comes and sacrifices, except that the one who
promotes others ought to be of such efficacy that he not only speaks good things, but
persuades them? Indeed the sacrificial victim, which is seen in the prophet's hand, is
recognized upon the altar.

For what is the heart of a chosen hearer, if not the altar of God? For when a teacher
speaks good things with his mouth and shows them by his works, the calf is in his hand.
But when he also persuades his hearers of what he says and does, the victim is on the
altar. He therefore sacrifices when chosen hearts receive through love that which shines
forth in the word and example of the teacher, concerning the imitation of the Redeemer.
There follows: "And you shall call Jesse to the sacrifice. Perhaps this passage suggests
that subjects are not to be promoted without the knowledge of their superiors. Jesse is
first called to the sacrifice, so that the good which the subject is seen to undertake may
be grounded in the mind of his master. Rightly it is added: "And I will show you what you
are to do. Expressing this very thing, he says: (Verse 3. "And you shall anoint the one
whom I shall point out to you."

7. For unless Jesse is first called, what must be done is not revealed to him: because
without the will of the master, nothing concerning the person of the subject is to be
done. Therefore, when he has been called, what must be done is shown, because with the
will of the devout teacher, the humility of the subject is raised to the height of
prelacy. But what does it mean when it is said: "You shall anoint the one whom I shall
show you," except that all the disciples are not equal to the chosen pastor? For among
them, some are useful for obeying; others both obey humbly and have learned to command
with discretion. Therefore He says: "You shall anoint the one whom I shall show you," so
that when a person is sought for the summit of the priesthood, the search may be conducted
with great care. By these words, certainly, nothing of their own judgment is left to the
ordainers of Churches in the election of others. "The one whom I shall show you," He says,
"him you shall anoint. Who are those who anoint those whom God does not show, except those
who, led by carnal affection, elevate to the summit of the Churches those who are to be
ordained, who do not discern merits but show favoritism toward persons? These indeed
anoint kings, but not those who are shown by God. What is their own, they do; what is
God's, they take away. For it is God's part to show the person;

it is the ordainer's part to provide the anointing. Therefore, when they show to
themselves those whom they anoint, they refuse to have God as their co-worker. Hence also
through the prophet Hosea the Lord complains about such chosen ones, saying: "They have
reigned, but not from me; princes have arisen, and I did not know it" (Hosea 8:4).
Therefore it is said to the elect, what the reprobate cannot hear: "You shall anoint the
one whom I shall show you," so that no one may be promoted unless he is judged worthy of
so great an office by the commendation of the Holy Scriptures. For in them the Lord
speaks; there it is recorded what kind of man and how great the teacher of the Church
ought to be. Therefore, the one shown by the Lord is chosen, who is commended through
sacred eloquence. These things indeed wicked rulers despise, but good ones carry out.
Therefore, concerning the obedience of the good, it is rightly added: (Verse 4. "So Samuel
did what the Lord told him. He came to Bethlehem, and the elders of the city were
astonished, coming to meet him."

8. As for the historical sense, the elders are amazed, because the prophet was not
accustomed to come there. By this it is perhaps signified that chosen teachers should
scarcely ever be seen in public, should be frequent in solitude, free from civil affairs,
full of spiritual ones. Therefore it becomes a wonder to the people when the person of the
pastor is seen in public. They marvel that he goes out whom they knew as a cultivator of
secrecy. Because he is held in great veneration by the people, the elders of the city are
reported both to have marveled and to have gone out to meet him. But because not the
people but the elders marvel, the perfect virtue of teachers is shown, which is praised
not by the little ones and the simple but by the great and the learned. They also inquire
about the peaceful coming of the prophet. As if, then, he who said threatened a coming
that was not peaceful: "What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in the spirit
of gentleness?" (1 Cor. 4:21). What then is the meaning of what is said: (Verse 4) "Is
your coming peaceful?"

9. But the chosen faithful, when they rightly consider the deeds of spiritual teachers,
assuredly weigh the divine will in them. For because they knew Samuel to be a prophet, it
was assuredly because he had known the secrets of divine dispensation. Therefore, when
they ask about his peaceful arrival, what else do they do by asking than wish to know the
secret of divine counsel? Would that we also, as often as we see holy men, would be eager
to inquire about the security of our peace, and to learn diligently from them how we are
seen by God, we who do not have the eyes of our own knowledge. Therefore the arrival of
teachers is peaceful when they come to those who are not to be struck for fault, but to be
exhorted for the sake of righteousness. He therefore who had come to the righteous man who
had been advanced, answered saying: (Verse 5) "Peaceful; I have come to sacrifice to the
Lord. Sanctify yourselves and come with me, that we may sacrifice."

10. Those who direct their intention toward heavenly things go with the doctors to offer
sacrifice. And the prophet sacrifices before those who go, when the doctor binds in the
hearts of those present through love what he proclaims by word. But that we may attend a
little to the historical sense, we must carefully examine what is said: "Sanctify
yourselves and come with me. For if they do not dare to be present at the sacrifice unless
sanctified, what must we think of those who sacrifice? For to sanctify is to purify. How
pure, then, ought the priests to be, where the people invited to the sacrifice are not to
be admitted unless sanctified? For the sanctification of the body is chastity, and the
sanctification of the mind is charity and humility. Let the one invited to the sacrifice
therefore be sanctified, but he who invites is all the more compelled to be so. Let the
priests note what they say to those invited: "Come with me. For the sanctified come with
them if pure priests approach the service of God together with pure people. For to go with
them is for the pure to approach together with the pure. For if the people are pure but
the priests are not pure, they do not come with them, because they do not approach in an
equal order of purity. Let such ones hear what another prophet admonishes, saying: "Be
clean, you who bear the vessels of the Lord" (Isaiah 52:11). Let them likewise hear what
he says:

"Wash yourselves, be clean" (Isaiah 1:16). Because therefore the people must be cleansed,
he says: "Sanctify yourselves. Because likewise men of the highest rank must always remain
in the continual state of their purity and draw others to the pattern of their purity, he
adds: "And come with me. But because the elders are invited to the sacrifice, what do they
demonstrate by this type, except that for choosing a bishop, or for anointing and
consecrating him, many wise and religious men must be called? Who are indeed sanctified
and come, if they resolve not to follow anything carnal in that election. For them to be
sanctified is to bring a spiritual and holy intention to the bestowing of the gifts of the
Holy Spirit. And well is it said in the type of the chosen, both of Jesse and of his sons:
(Verse 5) "Jesse therefore sanctified his sons and called them to the sacrifice."

11. And because we have taught through the sacred scriptures that the Lord shows who
should be chosen as bishops, let us now see, as the mysteries of this sacred history
speak, what kind of men He shows to be worthy and what kind He rejects. There follows:
(Verses 6, 7.) 'And when they had come in, he saw Eliab and said: Is this the Lord's
anointed before Him? And the Lord said to Samuel: Do not look upon his countenance, nor
upon the height of his stature, because I have rejected him, nor do I judge according to
the sight of men. For man sees those things which appear, but the Lord beholds the heart.'
For what does it mean for the wise to enter in, except to pass into the subtle sanctuary
of discernment? But he saw Eliab when he entered, because the pastor recognizes that man
as worthy of leadership in the holy Church who possesses both the strength of good works
and the knowledge of truth. But what does it mean that the Lord commands him not to look
upon his stature or his countenance, except that in the holy Church neither works nor
knowledge are commended without humility? For what is a person's countenance but the
outward manner of life by which he is known? And what is his stature but the height of
knowledge by which he is raised to higher things? Whom then does Eliab more fittingly
signify than those who do good and are learned, yet are arrogant?

Hence Eliab is interpreted as "my God is father. This indeed is the name they dare to
presume for themselves. For what does it mean that "my God is father" is said, except that
while they vigorously do good works and wisely understand spiritual things, they boast
that by singular merit they have passed into the number of the sons of God? For they would
say "father" not "mine" but "ours" to the almighty Lord, if through humility they saw
themselves in common with the other elect in the order of heavenly birth. Rightly
therefore he is rejected, because in the spiritual heights none but the humble are
preferred. Thus the prophet subtly inquires about the person to be anointed, saying: 'Is
this the Lord's anointed before Him?' This happens now when the chief teacher recognizes
both the life and the understanding of the one to be chosen, but still inquires about the
virtue of humility. But he sees his countenance and stature rejected, when he recognizes
that whatever beauty he has in works, whatever loftiness exists in his learning, is
without the virtue of humility. Rightly therefore the Lord says: 'I have cast him aside,
nor do I judge according to the sight of man, because man sees the face, but God beholds
the heart.' As if He were saying: Men are accustomed to praise great works and words of
knowledge, but I praise neither words nor works that I do not see founded in true
humility.

Those who are of this sort would tremble at the repulse of their unworthiness if they were
willing to hear attentively what the Lord says to the prophet: 'Do not look upon his
countenance, nor upon the height of his stature, because I have cast him aside.' For they
consider what the arrogant do to be of great importance; but behold, the Lord declares it
so worthless that it is judged not even worth looking upon. But with this one set aside,
what follows is shown: (Verse 8.) 'And Jesse called Aminadab and brought him before
Samuel. And he said: Neither has the Lord chosen this one.' 12. Aminadab is interpreted as
"urbane." Rightly therefore, by the Lord's deliberate counsel, he is rejected: because the
holy church does not choose for the governance of souls one who is vigorous in secular
affairs, but one who is distinguished in spiritual conduct. Indeed, those are urbane who,
having set aside their focus on heavenly things, strive to show themselves vigorous in
outward pursuits. Therefore the Lord did not choose this one either, because by the zeal
of a faithful pastor, heavenly things, not earthly ones, ought to be provided for the
flocks of the faithful — not weak and fleeting things, but sublime and eternal ones.
(Verse 9.) Then he brought forward Shammah, about whom he also said: "The Lord has not
chosen this one either."

13. Sama is interpreted as "hearing." What then does Sama designate, except the obedient
and simple? For to hear, for them, is to carry out by obeying those things which are
commanded by their superiors. Whence also concerning the obedience of the Gentile people
it is said through the Psalmist: "A people whom I did not know served me; at the hearing
of the ear they obeyed me" (Psalm 17:45). But what does it mean that they are said not to
be chosen by the Lord, except that at the summit of the Church are placed not the
unskilled humble, but the humble wise, who both know how to carry out what is commanded
and wisely command what ought to be done? For it is necessary for him both to do and to
teach. Therefore let him do humbly, and let him teach wisely. Because therefore those who
know how to act through humility but do not know how to command through learning are not
to be taken up into royal dignity, Sama is said not to be chosen by the Lord for the
kingdom. From this, then, from this let the simple and the disobedient gather how penally
they thrust themselves forward to preeminence, if Almighty God does not receive even him
for governance who is called "hearing" through the humility of obedience. And because holy
Church has many of this kind, both simple and well-living, as well as humble and wise, it
follows: (Verse 10.) And so Jesse brought all his sons before Samuel. And Samuel said:
"The Lord has not chosen from these."

14. Because perfection is usually signified by the number seven, the prophet Isaiah
testifies, who, declaring the gifts of the Holy Spirit abiding in our Redeemer, says: "The
spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit
of counsel and fortitude, the spirit of knowledge and piety, and the spirit of the fear of
the Lord shall fill him" (Isaiah 11:2). What then does it mean that those who are rejected
from the office of preaching are signified by the number seven, when that same number
signifies perfection, which no one possesses except from the infusion of the Holy Spirit?
But this is fittingly asserted: because to many the grace of the Holy Spirit is given for
living well, but is not given for teaching. Since they are many and perfect in good works,
they are fittingly contained in the number seven. Likewise, because they do robust things
but do not understand subtle things, they are rejected from the governance of the kingdom.
And so there are seven sons, and yet none of them is chosen for the governance of souls:
because even though by living well they know how to govern themselves strongly, they are
by no means able to protect others strongly through doctrine. Let the ordainer of the
Church never rush so hastily in ordaining, because, even if he has many who are not
suitable for undertaking the care of souls, those who can preside cannot be lacking to
him.

Therefore let the teacher seek earnestly, let him not cease to seek, until he can find
those who are hidden. The great virtues of the elect, like treasures of almighty God, are
almost always hidden in secret. For almighty God acts in the manner of fearful rich men:
because lest he lose the treasures of virtues, he both places them in elect minds and
conceals those very minds in secrecy. Therefore let him who desires to ordain, or rather
to adorn, the head of the Church seek the hidden treasures. He desires to adorn the bride
of Christ; but he cannot unless he brings forth the hidden treasures of the bridegroom for
her adornment, and let him not cease until he finds those that are hidden. But why do I
urge pastors to seek, when unless God brings forth the hidden [it seems one should read
"the hidden ones"], they cannot be found? For what else does this mean: "You shall anoint
whomever I shall show you"? Nevertheless they must be sought, because unless they are
sought for a long time, they are by no means shown. For the Lord also promises that he
will show, and yet the prophet strives to seek, that he may deserve to find. Whence the
Lord also commands persistence in seeking, saying: "Seek and you shall find, ask and you
shall receive, knock and it shall be opened to you" (Matthew 7:7).

Therefore the prophet, seeking and persevering in seeking even after so many have been
rejected—what does he suggest to us, except that by no dispensation should the unworthy be
permitted to come to the summit of religion? For although in most affairs of the holy
Church dispensation is salutary, it is certainly deadly and fatal where either the blind
through ignorance, or the irreligious though learned, or those devoted to secular affairs
are permitted to come to the leadership of others. For the first destroy the souls of
their subjects through ignorance, the second through knowing and not doing, and the last
likewise through neglecting spiritual things and following carnal and earthly things. The
first indeed labor with all their strength so that what they say may be praised; the
second do not know what to say; the last strive with every effort to be more abundantly
honored among the great ones of the world—who indeed are so much worse than the first,
inasmuch as the first wish to appear exalted in spiritual matters, while these wish to
appear exalted in carnal and worldly matters. The desire of these last is to be supported
by riches, to be exalted by honors, to be elevated by the friendships of the powerful of
this age. From all these affections of a reprobate mind can arise neglect of the souls of
subjects, contempt of Christ, and the squandering of the Church's resources. Therefore let
the teacher seek, so that by no dispensation may he set the unworthy over others:

because what is deadly should never be permitted. Whence it is added: "And Samuel said to
Jesse: Are all your sons here? What does it mean that he seeks another, except that the
seeker ought not to rest before he deserves to find? And because often what is cast aside
and despised on the outside is exalted within, it follows: (Verse 11) "Who answered: There
remains yet the youngest, and he tends the sheep." 15. What is the least, if not the
rejected? I mean rejected by himself, not by God: because by God one is rejected through
pride; but he is rejected by himself who is considered worthless and lowly. Or he is
called the least who, in comparison with others, does not appear to be anything. The
rejected one, therefore, is called humble; because he sees himself despised and endures
it, cares not at all to be displayed, but feeds the sheep; because he nourishes simple
thoughts in the contemplation of the eternal inheritance. Of these pastures of the elect,
the Lord certainly says: They shall go in and go out, and shall find pastures (John 10:9).
For within they have the pastures of contemplation, without the pastures of good works.
Within they enrich the mind with devotions, without they satisfy themselves with pious
works. Rightly is this little one said to feed the sheep, because every chosen one is
humble and is not barren, who daily does great things but does not think great things of
himself. Rightly therefore he is declared not only the little one, but the shepherd:
because those who are truly humble cast themselves down outwardly, but through interior
fellowship they dwell in the highest and eternal pastures. For it is written: God resists
the proud, but gives grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5). And what grace? If not that they
may see and know the highest things, know and love them, and run toward those beloved
things as ones who are well-fed and strong. And so, because he is exceedingly suitable, he
is urgently commanded to be brought forth. For there follows: (Verse 11.) And Samuel said
to Jesse: Send and bring him. For we shall not sit down until he comes.

16. But what does it mean, "We will not sit down until he comes"? Whom does he seek,
except because in the observance of fasting the sacraments of anointing are to be
celebrated? But we must attend not only to the sacraments themselves, but to the power of
the sacraments. For there are certain foods which, if they are not avoided, by no means
allow one to anoint kings well. Indeed, the outward affairs of the Church are certain
foods of the soul, which are devoutly administered by the elect. But if the soul is
satiated by the multitude of affairs, it is not perfectly permitted to enter into
receiving spiritual things. Therefore, when spiritual matters are pressing, let outward
things be deferred, because they must be arranged with great quietness of mind. There
follows: (Verse 12.) "So he sent and brought him in." The future king is brought in when
the humble are brought forth from the hiding places of their concealment. They are hidden
indeed, but in pastures; because, even if they conceal themselves among the lowly and weak
things of the flesh before men, great is the breadth of heavenly contemplation in which
they dwell. But let us see what kind of man the one now set over others appears to be. For
it follows and says: (Verse 12.) "Now he was ruddy, and of a beautiful countenance, and
goodly to look upon."

17. What does it mean that such great beauty of the king is affirmed, except that the
person of the teacher must be adorned with great splendors of virtues? For of the Redeemer
it was said: "His Spirit adorned the heavens" (Job 26:13). For the heavens are the sublime
preachers. These heavens indeed were adorned by the Spirit, because they receive from the
Holy Spirit the virtues by which they shine. What then does it mean that he is said to be
ruddy, except that in red matter the fervor of charity is often signified? Hence also in
the vestment of the high priest, scarlet twice-dyed is placed, so that he may be clothed
with a twofold charity. He is therefore called ruddy through the ardor of charity, because
while he displays the burning precepts of charity, he glows red, as it were, through the
heat. What likewise does "handsome in appearance" mean, except conspicuous in inner
contemplation? For he has, as it were, a handsome appearance, who shines with the beauty
of vision in inner contemplation. What then does the face signify, except the outward
glory of uprightness? For since everyone is recognized by the face, the beauty of the face
is the illustrious uprightness of one's manner of life. For he is perceived, as it were,
through the beauty of his face, who is found to be splendid in every gesture of his body.
He is therefore ruddy with love, handsome in appearance on account of knowledge, fair of
face, splendid in uprightness.

But since the fervor of charity is demonstrated through holy works, the labor of work
itself can be signified by the redness. For he who labors greatly displays a redness of
face, because while he grows hot within, he draws redness outwardly upon his countenance.
For so it is with all spiritual labor. For the more each person strives to labor for
eternal life, the more fervently he is kindled by the fire of the Holy Spirit to labor, as
though in growing hot he produces a redness that he bears outwardly. The teacher is
therefore ruddy through the labor of pious work, handsome in appearance through the
splendor of contemplation. But the beauty of face is the very beauty of charity. For
through other virtues we receive the form of holiness; through charity itself, we clothe
that very form upon ourselves with, as it were, a wondrous beauty. Those other virtues are
the body of justice, but charity is rightly understood as the face of this body. For
everyone is recognized by the face, not by the body. For if you see the body but do not
see the face, you do not recognize the one whose body alone you behold. But what else does
it mean that the foolish virgins are answered by the bridegroom: "I do not know you"
(Matt. 25:12)? Behold, virginity is preserved through great labors, and virginity itself
is recognized as a great and incomparable virtue.

What then does it mean that the foolish virgins are not recognized by the bridegroom,
except that they have a body by which they stand, but they do not have the beauty of face
that the bridegroom would recognize? They have indeed labor in preserving the body, but
they do not have the beauty of countenance in perfect charity. For these three things
advance in the life of the elect in the order in which they are set forth. For no one is
able to possess the beautiful visions of contemplation unless he first exercises himself
vigorously in the labor of pious work. Indeed, the joys of eternal light, the immensity of
that supreme light, the eternal vigor of ineffable splendor—the more laboriously it is
sought, the more generously it opens itself to those who seek it. He who is already such
is indeed seen to be fit for teaching; but unless he shines with a fair face, unless he
bears a mind illuminated by the rays of perfect charity, he is not proven worthy of so
great an eminence. Let the pastor therefore be ruddy, and not be slack in work; let him be
handsome in appearance, that is, lofty in contemplation; let him be fair of face, so that
the whole strength of his work and the height of his contemplation, known to the eyes of
the heavenly majesty, may shine through the ineffable beauty of charity.

Indeed, because the teacher of the holy Church must possess these three marks of immense
beauty, Peter is taken up on behalf of all and is asked three times whether he loves the
Redeemer. For first it is said to him: "Peter, do you love me? (John 21:16), that through
love he may strive to do mighty deeds; second, that in contemplating he may know lofty
things; third, that with the affection of perfect charity he may both burn with fervor
toward his neighbor and blaze more ardently toward the beauty of his Creator. Let us then
hear by what testimony such a one, so great, so handsome, so fair a youth, is brought
forth. For there follows: (Verse 12) "Arise and anoint him, for this is he." 18. What does
it mean, "Arise, and anoint him"? Was the boy so small that he could not be anointed while
sitting? For indeed, while sitting, we cannot reach high things. Great therefore is the
virtue, great the loftiness of the humble, if not even prophets can reach their heights.
The prophet therefore arises when the pontiff raises himself in wondrous veneration of the
chosen preacher. For outwardly he beholds a humble person, as it were, by seeing; but
inwardly he does not recognize his merit unless he raises himself in interior
contemplation. The teacher is therefore commanded to arise, because he who wishes to
bestow such great sacraments upon someone must first come to know the sublimity of that
person's merits. What then does it mean when it is said, "Arise, and anoint him, for he is
the one," if not: offer sublime sacraments sublimely to the sublime? For often
undiscerning pastors know the negligent and reprobate life of those who approach, and yet
do not fear to promote them. These indeed anoint but do not arise, because they do not
perceive those to whom they grant the sacraments of anointing as situated in a high place
of merits. When therefore a sublime teacher is presented, his ordainer is admonished to
arise, because the sacraments of anointing are worthily bestowed through ministry when the
one to be anointed is perceived in the lofty sublimity of virtue. Of him indeed it is
said, "For he is the one": if therefore he is the one, no other is;

because unless he shines with these virtues, he necessarily cannot attain to an order of
such great loftiness. Him therefore whom the Lord promised He would show, He presented as
ruddy and handsome in appearance and fair of face, saying, "For he is the one. Because no
one ought to undertake the summit of governance who does not possess the strength of great
work, namely the knowledge of contemplation and the fervor of charity. Rightly therefore
it is added: (Verse 13. "Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of
his brothers." 19. The horn of oil is lifted up, so that the entire life of the pontiff
may be shown to be spiritual. The horn of oil is lifted up, so that in that excellent
liquid the master of the Church may strive to be a man of great mercy. The head of the
king is anointed with oil, because he ought to shine upon the lampstand through the flame
of the word. The horn receives oil, so that by rebuking he may cleanse, and by showing
compassion he may draw others through gentleness. The horn also receives, in the loftiness
of office, oil for the nourishment of virtue. But he is anointed with a full horn, so that
the virtue of the pontiff may be shown to be complete. For the horn has fullness in its
anointing if he is perfect in the virtue of mercy as well as in charity and in the word.
He is also recognized as having a full horn in his anointing whose every power is
dispensed through mercy. Indeed, the very authority of the holy Church, when it is without
mercy, is nothing; for the rigor of discipline is spiritual only when it is not devoid of
the balm of mercy. Therefore the horn and the oil are shown together, so that discipline
may always be maintained with mercy. For the horn is said to be full of oil, so that
wherever the horn displays its sharpness, it may also display the anointing of poured-out
grace.

But when the anointing is brought to anoint the king, the horn is seen on the outside,
while the fullness of oil is hidden within. Let the prophet therefore carry the horn on
the outside, but fill it with oil within; let him set forth the text on the outside, but
declare the mysteries within. Let the prophet therefore know what he bestows; let the
anointed king know, by receiving what is offered, what he must do. What then does it mean
that the horn is on the outside and the oil within, except that often the hardness of
subjects deserves to feel the rebuke of the pastor, yet fails to perceive something of his
mercy? The ruler therefore displays the horn, in which the oil lies hidden; because when
someone is sharply corrected out of charity, the punishment is felt, but the charity is
not seen. For the ruler appears harsh who rebukes in such a way as if he does not love; he
reproves as if he vehemently hates. What then is perceived by those who are stung with
compunction, except the sharpness of the horn by which they are struck more keenly? But
because the pastor deeply loves within the one whom he strikes outwardly by reproving,
what else does he do but show the horn by rebuking while hiding the oil by loving?
Therefore a full horn is declared in the anointing of the king, so that in the chosen
preacher both qualities may be shown to be perfect.

For he ought to be sharp in reproving, gentle in showing mercy. Let him strike perfectly,
so that he may perfectly pierce the whole force of the disease; let him anoint perfectly
through mercy, so that he may restore to health the wounds he inflicts. For if he strikes
less forcefully than he ought, he fails to expel what lies deeper hidden. And if he
strikes forcefully but does not anoint abundantly, he kills the one struck through
severity and does not restore him to health. Let the horn therefore be whole, and the
fullness of oil complete, so that through the horn wounds may be struck with severity, and
through the oil they may be soothed. 20. But what does it mean that he is anointed in the
midst of his brothers, except that he is commanded to spread examples of virtue all
around? He is anointed in the midst of his brothers so that all may be able to become
partakers of so great an anointing. For he who is placed in the midst is seen from every
side. He is anointed with oil in the midst of others because he who is set up as an
example for others ought to have no part of himself obscure, so that all may look upon him
and take from him an example of light. Hence also the holy living creatures are described
as having eyes all around (Ezek. 1), because when the chosen teacher receives the ardor of
charity, the power of mercy, and the zeal for righteousness from the gift of the Holy
Spirit, he dwells as it were in a sphere of light, which renders him radiant from every
side to those standing around him. Or he is anointed in the midst of his brothers so that
he may always consider himself both anointed and in the middle. Let him therefore
acknowledge his dignity and exercise the force of that dignity, because he has been
anointed. Let him see himself as one in the middle, a man of common condition, so that he
may recognize that those over whom he stands are his equals.

He is therefore anointed in the midst of his brothers so that he may be both humble and
exalted—exalted in rank, humble in self-estimation. Likewise, he is anointed in the middle
so that he may not love himself with private affection, but from all his preeminence may
seek the gain of others. Hence Saul is reported to have been anointed alone at the
farthest part of the city (1 Sam. 9). For what does it mean that he is anointed alone by
one alone, except that he was destined to swell with pride over the power of his high
position through private self-love! For when he wished to love himself singularly on
account of the dignity he had received, he carried the nourishment of light, as it were,
alone. Hence also the boy who accompanied him is sent ahead, because none of the elect
follows the examples of him who is rejected by divine authority. David, therefore, is
anointed in the midst of his brothers, because the chosen teacher does not glory with
singular love in that by which he is raised to singular heights. And because spiritual
gifts are heaped upon chosen rulers through the ministry of men, it is added: (v. 13) "And
the Spirit of the Lord was directed upon David from that day forward."

21. For the Spirit of the Lord is directed after the anointing: because we receive the
sacraments outwardly, so that we may be filled inwardly with the grace of the Holy Spirit.
For outwardly man operates, inwardly God, and not man. For outwardly man rises, inwardly
the spirit directs itself: because man bestows upon man the order of religion, but the
spirit is directed into him upon whom the order is conferred, so that outwardly he may
receive the sublimity of the order, and inwardly the strength of the Holy Spirit.
Outwardly the order is entrusted, so that he may do the things that are of God; inwardly
the spirit is directed, so that he may powerfully accomplish what is enjoined. For great
is the burden of holy orders, great the frailty of the flesh. Therefore, because so great
a burden is entrusted to one who is weak, the spirit is directed: so that the weak one may
be strengthened, and may bear so great a burden all the more willingly, the more
powerfully the almighty spirit itself helps him to bear it. But the spirit is said to be
directed, so that, turned away from the proud king, it may be perceived. Therefore the
spirit directs itself into another, when the grace of the same spirit flees the proud and
the deceitful. Whence it is also written: "The Spirit of the Lord of discipline will flee
from the deceitful" (Wis. 1:7). Hence also He says through Himself in the Gospel:

"The Spirit breathes where He wills, and you hear His voice, and you do not know whence He
comes or where He goes" (John 3:8). The Spirit indeed comes and goes, because He abandons
the reprobate and takes up the elect. And because the judgment of almighty God is
inscrutable, man does not know whence He comes and where He goes: because it cannot be
known whether anyone ought to persevere forever in the grace which he receives. The spirit
is therefore said to come from him who has fallen away, and to go to him who will
persevere: because He abandons some in time, takes up others, and yet does not abandon
them. Whence also, as a type of the elect, it is said of David: "The Spirit of the Lord
was directed upon David from that day and for the remainder. He is directed indeed on the
day of anointing, when we so receive the sacraments of Christ outwardly that we are filled
inwardly with the grace of the Holy Spirit. And the spirit is directed "for the
remainder," who never departs from the grace which he receives. This grace of the directed
spirit we ascribe to preachers in such a way that we attribute it to all orders of the
holy Church. For whoever receives the faith of our Redeemer is reborn through the baptism
of our redemption, and is redeemed from all sin by the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Whence also, suggesting the gift of the same Holy Spirit to the elect who have been
redeemed, the Apostle Paul says: "In whom you were sealed on the day of redemption" (Eph.
4:30). If therefore we consider the people formerly proud in circumcision losing the Holy
Spirit, we see equally the direction of the same spirit into those who are baptized. In
whom indeed we are directed, because through pride they lost the grace of the Holy Spirit.
What then does it mean, what is said, "From that day and for the remainder," unless that
the grace of the Holy Spirit is so received that the elect are taught to persevere in it
even to the end? Many indeed after the remission of sins commit sins unto death, in whom
assuredly the spirit does not appear to be directed "for the remainder. Therefore the
spirit is directed in the elect alone "from that day for the remainder," because for the
reprobate, at the beginning of their faith, sins are forgiven through the Holy Spirit, but
they afterward lose the grace of the Holy Spirit through iniquity. For He is directed "for
the remainder," but in David, because David is interpreted as "strong of hand. He is
indeed strong of hand who prevails over the devil and holds through perseverance unto the
end the good that he has received. Of whom the Lord certainly says: "He who perseveres
unto the end shall be saved" (Matt. 10:22).

But if the state of the universal Church is considered, we see the Spirit of the Lord
directed upon David "for the remainder": because the grace of the Holy Spirit began to
fill the elect of the holy Church from the very beginnings of that same Church, whom He
does not cease to guard even to the end of the world. 22. Now indeed, according to our
plan, the book ought to be brought to a close at its end; but it returns to memory that we
referred the beginnings of the volume to the conversation of the Redeemer. And since
through John our same Redeemer is declared to be the beginning and the end, the book is
most fittingly closed if it is completed in the narration of our Redeemer (Rev. 1:8).
David, therefore, meaning "strong of hand," represents the Redeemer of the human race
Himself, who prevailed over the ancient enemy and carried away the elect from his power.
He is called the son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, because He willed to be born from that
people whom He filled, as it were with bread, with the knowledge of the Holy Scriptures.
For Judea was the "house of bread," which possessed the solid food of the Scriptures in
spiritual understanding, as if from bread. But what does Samuel signify, except, as we
have already often said, the order of the new preachers? And what does David represent,
except the Redeemer? Samuel is therefore sent to anoint him. For to anoint him is to
preach his incomparable sanctification to those who are ignorant of it. For he is, as it
were, anointed when the fragrance of his renown is opened to those who do not know him.
For he was anointing him who said: "Because in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells
bodily" (Col. 2:9).

But why do we take only the new preachers as pertaining to his anointing, when we see that
the old ones also anointed him so reverently? For what smells better and sweeter than what
the prophet Isaiah poured out upon him, saying: "The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon
him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and fortitude, the
spirit of knowledge and piety; and the spirit of the fear of the Lord shall fill him"
(Isa. 11:2)? Likewise, he who is held in our hands, David, speaking to him, says:
"Beautiful in form above the sons of men, grace is poured forth upon your lips" (Ps.
44:3). And shortly after: "God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above
your companions. Moreover, Daniel anointed him and offered the whole sacrament of
anointing to the Jews, saying: "When the Holy of Holies shall come, your anointing shall
cease" (Dan. 9). The prophet is therefore sent to anoint him, because the fragrance of him
is never grasped by the little ones unless it is spread abroad through the mouths of
preachers. Whence also those three women prepare spices and anoint the Redeemer in the
tomb (Mark 16). Jesus is indeed anointed in the tomb when the glory of his resurrection is
preached. Whence also when they come, Jesus is not found; because when they rightly
discuss the Lord's death, they show that the dead one is already rising, and as it were by
coming they do not find him;

because where they rightly understand the cause of his death, they find that life has been
restored through that death. 23. But what does it mean that he is commanded to fill the
horn with oil? For what was the severity of the law, if not the sharpness of a horn? For
it struck as if with a horn, since it did not pardon sins through mercy, but punished them
by inflicting penalty. The horn, therefore, is filled with oil, because such a King is
anointed who mercifully forgives the sins of men, not punishing through the severity of
the law. For they were holding forth the horn of Moses, who said to the Lord concerning
the woman who had been caught in adultery: "Moses commands that such a woman be stoned;
what do You say about her? (John 8:5). But He who had been anointed with the full horn
says: "Let him who is without sin among you cast the first stone at her. That man had
taken up the horn for striking, as it were, who said: "If this man were a prophet, He
would know who and what sort of woman this is who touches Him, for she is a sinner" (Luke
7:39). But Jesus, who had been anointed from the fullness of the horn, forgave everything,
saying: "Her many sins are forgiven, because she loved much. Hence to those murmuring
about His reception of sinners He says: "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners"
(Matt. 9:13).

The prophet is therefore sent with a full horn to anoint David, because teachers now
preach Him who dissolved the harshness of the law, and restored through the warmth of His
grace everything that it had set forth rigidly. Was he not anointing Him—he who was sent
to anoint Him—of whom it is said: "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John: he
came as a witness, to bear witness to the light" (John 1:6)? But we have heard how he was
sent; let us hear how he anoints: "Behold," he says, "the Lamb of God, behold Him who
takes away the sins of the world" (John 1:29). 24. By the horn, namely of his kingdom, the
sublimity of the holy Church can be designated, which is great, but is not harsh and
proud. Concerning this horn it is said above through Hannah, the mother of Samuel: 'He
will exalt the horn of his Christ' (1 Sam. 2:10). For hence it is said through Zechariah:
'He has raised up a horn of salvation for us, in the house of David his servant' (Luke
1:69). What indeed is the horn of salvation, if not the sublimity of ecclesiastical power?
For what is nowhere said to the ancients is now said to the universal Church: 'Whatever
you shall bind upon earth shall be bound also in heaven; and whatever you shall loose upon
earth shall be loosed also in heaven' (Matt. 16:19). This horn is indeed said to be raised
up and full of oil, because the holy Church, together with the sublimity of power, extends
the bowels of compassion. And because through the vice of condemned humanity we can more
easily be lifted up to the authority of power than bent to the tenderness of piety,
rightly he is commanded not to prepare a horn, but oil. For he who says, "Fill your horn
with oil," indicated that the horn existed without oil. What is this, except that we can
grow angry and rebuke even without deliberation, but we cannot be bent to mercy except
through great meditation? As if he were saying: Fill with oil the zeal which you naturally
have; for if you do not have it of yourself, you can have it from virtue. This is
certainly said to him who is sent to anoint the Redeemer, so that he who is placed in the
office of preaching may always strive to be rich in mercy.

25. By this horn the affection of the mind can be shown. This horn is certainly commanded
to be filled, because the anointing of our Redeemer, that is, His sanctification, ought to
be perfectly known before it can be sufficiently preached. The horn is therefore filled
when the holiness of the Redeemer is well recognized. And he is anointed with a full horn
when He is preached most excellently. For John, because he had come to anoint by
preaching, as it were filled the horn by knowing, so that he might be able to anoint Him
by speaking well. But if we wish to understand the filling well, let us hear what is said
in the Gospel: "The word came upon John the son of Zacharias in the desert" (Luke 3:2). He
therefore anointed Him with a full horn, who was first perfectly taught by the Word before
he could speak of the divinity of the Word and the assumed nature of man. But coming, he
had a calf in his hand; because, in order to become a worthy herald of the Redeemer, he
slaughtered his own flesh to God through abstinence. By the name of calf the Lord Himself
can also be designated. What then does it mean that the prophet carried a calf in his
hand, except that he who wishes to show forth Jesus by preaching ought to imitate the
sufferings of Him whom he preaches through the mortification of the flesh?

Indeed, to hold a calf in the hand is to show the likeness of Christ's passion in the
power of one's works. For otherwise, he who comes to anoint the king is slain; because
indeed the preacher of truth brings himself into danger of his own salvation, who tramples
by wicked conduct the word that he preaches with his mouth. Samuel therefore, coming to
anoint the king, carried a calf in his hand; because the forerunner of the Lord first
showed himself admirable through the splendor of a heavenly way of life, and thus made
known the good of so great a grace to those who did not know it. 26. But what does it mean
that he is commanded to seek among the sons of Jesse, except that He was to be born from
the ancient people and was to have no equal? He is therefore commanded to be sought, so
that we might believe in Him with reason. And because He says of Himself: "No one comes to
me unless the Father who sent me draws him" (John 6:44), it is rightly said to Samuel by
the Father: "You shall anoint the one whom I shall show you. For he had anointed, as it
were, one who was shown to him—he who heard from the one whom he had anointed: "Blessed
are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father
who is in heaven" (Matt. 16:17). He is sent therefore to Bethlehem, because when Christ is
sought according to the flesh, He is found born from the people of the Jews. He came also
to Bethlehem, because the order of preachers strove first to convert Judea, and afterward
preached the faith of the Redeemer to the Gentiles. But what does it mean that the elders
of the city marvel, except that those who had attained the understanding of maturity were
astonished at the preaching of so great a novelty? But marveling, they come to meet him,
because they gladly hear the preaching of the truth. To come to meet preachers is to hear
with desire the word of faith that they preach. What do they ask about his peaceful
entrance?

What is a peaceful entrance, except when he has come with the presence of peace? This same
peace He shows who says: "He Himself is our peace, who has made both one" (Eph. 2:14).
What does it mean, then, that they ask about his peaceful entrance, except that the hearts
of the elect Jews were waiting with desire for the promise of the fathers? As if wavering,
those who were waiting might say: "Has the peace perhaps come, which foretold that it
would come, so great a span of time running ahead? And because the new teachers relate
that what the ancient fathers had promised has been fulfilled, they say: "It is peaceful.
As if to say: We do not promise future things, but we show the present gifts of peace. In
our entrance it is present; in our word it is not something future. Already the righteous
Simeon saw, already he held and adored Him, saying: "Now you dismiss your servant, O Lord,
according to your word in peace" (Luke 2:29). Already He appeared to the shepherds;
already, with the long-awaited peace sent from heaven, the multitude of angels sang:
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will" (Luke 2:14). And
because He had come not only to preach peace but also to persuade, he adds, saying: "I
have come to sacrifice."

27. What is it for a priest to sacrifice, except to join the hearts of the elect to our
Redeemer through love? As if he were saying: You wish to know whether he has come, but it
does not profit to be known unless it profits to be loved. I have come therefore to
sacrifice to the Lord. Hence it is that Paul expels those in whom he could not sacrifice,
saying: "If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus, let him be anathema" (1 Cor. 16:22). But
to those invited to the sacrifice it is said: "Sanctify yourselves, and come. The Jews
therefore cannot come with us to the sacrifice of faith, because they refuse to judge the
Lord Jesus from the Scriptures, but out of hatred alone they flee from hearing his
preaching. Whence the Lord complains through himself, saying: "If I had not done among
them the works that no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have no excuse,
because they have seen and hated both me and my Father" (John 15:24). What then is the
meaning of what is said: "Sanctify yourselves, and come"? But for hearers to be sanctified
is to prepare the secret place of a pure mind for hearing. For them to be sanctified is
indeed to cast hatred from the heart, and to prepare purity of intention for hearing the
word of preaching. Therefore the sanctified are commanded to come, because coming profits
nothing for those who do not have purity of intention in hearing.

And because the Holy Spirit speaks through holy teachers, he says: "Come with me" — as if
to say: Attend to the one speaking in such a way that you believe the one hearing is with
you, because I speak in such a way that I hear, since I myself am the one who speaks and
governs the speaking. And because at the beginning of the nascent Church many of the Jews
both heard devoutly and believed faithfully, it is rightly said that Jesse and his sons
were sanctified by Samuel and invited to the sacrifice. 28. But among the seven sons of
Jesse, the king is not found. For what are the seven sons of Jesse, if not all the perfect
ones of the Synagogue? They come to the prophet, but none of them is chosen, because the
chosen preacher both looks upon the perfect sons of the Synagogue and believes none of
them to be the Redeemer of the human race. He therefore brings forward all the older sons,
so that when we look upon all the perfect ones, we may consider the excellence of the
Redeemer. Among whom indeed, unless the little one is brought forward, the king is not
revealed by the Lord, because surely when we compare great men to our Redeemer, how
greatly His dignity surpasses theirs is seen. He is therefore not found among the others,
because they are mere men. Therefore the boy who tends the sheep is sought in the
pastures, because He submits Himself to the Father in obedience even unto death; yet who
shall declare His generation (Isa. 53:8)? He is called the little one because the grace of
His humility is commended. He is therefore called the little one, who is declared by the
Psalmist to have been made lower than the angels (Ps. 8). But the little one tends the
sheep, because through humility He is lowly, and through majesty He is exalted. Here He
labors and hungers, but there He feeds the angels from the glory of His majesty.

For while all receive from the fullness of His glory, they are, as it were, satisfied in
those most blessed pastures by the boy. The little one is also declared to be the
shepherd, because over the assumption of His flesh the heavenly citizens rejoice
ineffably. For that ineffable joy of the blessed citizens is, as it were, the food of the
sheep. He is therefore commanded to be brought forward urgently; until He comes, the
reclining at table must necessarily be postponed. For they would have reclined at table
before He came, if the people had believed in another. Therefore He had to be awaited, who
was the singular and unique food of blessed souls. Whence He also says of Himself: I am
the living bread which came down from heaven (John 6:51). But because He who ascended is
the same one who descended (Eph. 4:10), He is sent there so that He may be brought
forward. For to send to the pastures is to extend the mind above the angels even to the
equality of the eternal Father. And to find Him is to believe Him equal to the supreme
Father in all things. But he brings Him forward who already declares that He came for the
Redemption of the human race through the humanity He assumed. For he had sent and brought
Him forward—he to whom one is sent in His type—when he said: He who comes from heaven is
above all (John 3:31). Isaiah was bringing forward the little one tending the sheep when
he said:

A little child is born to us, and a son is given to us, and His name shall be called
Wonderful, Counselor, God, Mighty, Father of the age to come, Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6).
But because the faith of a teacher profits only himself for salvation and not also his
hearers, He is commanded to be sent and brought forward, so that each one may have faith
in Him through which he may deserve to be saved. For each one must go and bring Him,
because they must firmly believe Him to be equal to the eternal Father through His
divinity, and a partaker of our nature through His humanity. 29. Of whose description it
is also said: "He was ruddy, and beautiful in appearance, and fair of face. Ruddy indeed,
because he was wounded by the lance; ruddy, because he was reddened by his Passion. Whence
also it is said to him through the prophet: "Why is your garment red? (Isa. 63:2). He was
indeed ruddy, who colored the brightness of such great innocence with the redness of his
precious blood. He was also beautiful in appearance, because by rising again he put on the
beauty of immortality, and looked upon us mortals with great love. For as if promising the
beauty of his appearance to his disciples, he says: "I will see you again, and your heart
will rejoice" (John 16:22). Hence also promising, he says: "I go to prepare a place for
you, and I will come, and will take you to myself, that where I am, you also may be. What
is the beauty of the face, but the glory of his majesty? For his face is perfect
knowledge. Paul also, recalling this, says: "We see now through a mirror in an enigma, but
then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know, just as I also have been
known" (1 Cor. 13:12). What then is the beauty of the face, but the splendor of eternal
divinity? This beauty is now believed, not seen; then it will not be believed, but seen,
because the apostle says:

"When he shall appear, we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is" (1 John
3:2). Whence also to Moses, seeking that same beauty of the face, he replied: "You shall
see my back" (Exod. 33:23). Whatever we can now contemplate of his divinity is not the
beauty itself, but a veil over the beauty. We behold the back, so that we may follow; but
when by following we arrive at him, we behold the front, that is, the beauty of his face.
He was therefore ruddy in this world, beautiful in paradise, and eternally fair of face in
heaven. And this threefold beauty can also be recognized in his manner of life in this
present world. He was indeed ruddy, because he ardently loved those for whom he laid down
his life. He was beautiful in appearance, because he knew all things. Fair of face,
because he did all things well. But what is that beauty of appearance? "No one knows the
Father except the Son" (Matt. 11:27). Peter also, marveling at this, says: "Now we know
that you know all things, and it is not necessary for anyone to question you" (John
16:30). The crowds who beheld him bear witness to the beauty of his face, who say: "He has
done all things well; he has made the deaf to hear and the mute to speak" (Mark 7:37).
Hence also others, marveling, say: "What manner of man is this, that the winds and the sea
obey him? (Matt. 8:27).

What then is the beauty of the face, but the beauty of holiness? What likewise is the
beauty of the face, but the splendor of his incomparable way of life? Because in
everything he did, he shone with the incomparable light of grace. The Psalmist, marveling
at this beauty of face, says: "You are beautiful in form beyond the sons of men; grace is
poured forth upon your lips" (Ps. 44:3). Paul, proclaiming this, says: "Who, being the
splendor of his glory and the figure of his substance, and upholding all things by the
word of his power, making purgation of sins, sits at the right hand of the Majesty on
high, having been made so much better than the angels, as he has inherited a more
excellent name than they. For to which of the angels did he ever say: 'You are my Son,
today I have begotten you'? (Heb. 1:3). Concerning him, therefore, it is rightly commanded
to the prophet: "Arise, and anoint him, for this is he."

30. Peter the apostle also, not only a prophet but the greatest patriarch, saw the
indescribable light poured from above, the overshadowing cloud, the Father crying out:
"This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 17:5; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22; 2
Pet. 1:17). There it is said: "He himself is." Here it is said: "This is my beloved Son."
There, because he was being shown in types, he is perceived as more absent, when it is
said: "He himself is." Here, however, because his glory was now revealed, he is perceived
as more present, because he says: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." He
therefore is to be anointed, he is to be praised, and to be soothed with perpetual
acclamations. But who could worthily suffice to praise him, when one cannot suffice even
to behold the glory that one praises? What does it mean that Peter falls when he hears the
voice resounding with words of such great proclamation? But he was a little one; he was
still seeing what he was not sufficient to see. He was seeing, and because by seeing he
was falling, this signifies that he could not attain to that which he deserved to see. No
one can say "Lord Jesus" except in the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:3). Because therefore Peter
had not yet received that fullness of the Spirit, he was unable, as a little one, to
proclaim Jesus. Therefore he is first commanded to rise and to tell the vision to no one
until he had risen from the dead. For after the resurrection he was about to receive the
Holy Spirit. Whence it is written: "The Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had
not yet been glorified" (John 7:39). Peter therefore ought not to tell the vision before
the resurrection, since indeed he saw well, but before he had the Spirit, he did not
understand.

31. What then is it that the Lord says to Samuel: "Rise, and anoint him"? What is it that
he is commanded to rise in order to anoint, unless that he who eagerly desires to proclaim
the sublimity of the Lord must be greatly lifted up to heavenly things? But how upright
was Peter, who was raised up to behold such great things? Yet if he still awaits a higher
state of perfection, who would not fear to undertake the office of so great a preaching?
If the Lord admonishes a prophet to rise, does he dare to preach the Lord who lies fallen
through the lapse of wickedness? For this is why every preacher is commanded through
Isaiah: "Go up onto a high mountain, you who evangelize Zion" (Isa. 40:9). The high
mountain is the perfection of teaching and of works. Let him therefore rise who is
commanded to anoint the king; let him stretch himself toward lofty things. Let him rise in
lofty work, let him rise in lofty contemplation, let him rise in the wisdom of the word,
let him rise in the power of charity. Indeed, he who is anointed through preaching is so
great that he can scarcely be reached even from the heights. And perhaps Paul was able to
anoint him because he says: "Our conversation is in heaven" (Phil. 3:20). He was able to
anoint him because he had raised himself to the secrets of the third heaven and heard
hidden words in paradise.

Because, therefore, the Lord Jesus ought to be preached sublimely by the sublime, the
prophet is commanded to rise, because he is ordered to anoint the one through whom Christ
himself is signified. Lofty indeed, nay most lofty, is this virtue of perfect conduct, yet
it is perfectly accomplished by many. Great indeed is this sublimity, yet holy Church
possesses many who are sublime. For from the time she rejected the Synagogue, she raised
up holy Church to an innumerable height of virtue. Rightly therefore it is said: "And the
Spirit of the Lord was directed upon David from that day forward. The day indeed is faith
in the Redeemer, in which holy Church is illuminated and the rejected Synagogue is cast
down in wondrous blindness. On that day, therefore, the Holy Spirit is directed upon
David, because his grace is taken from the Synagogue and given to the elect of holy
Church. For he is directed because he abandons those and takes up these. But he is
directed on the day because he who is not illuminated in faith in the Redeemer cannot have
the Spirit directing himself within him. The Spirit, therefore, is directed on the day
because he is given to those who possess the light of faith. Moreover, he is directed upon
David because only holy Church receives him, which is the body of the Redeemer.

But since, with God as author, we have completed the things we proposed to treat from the
Book of Kings, the supreme and almighty Spirit must be entreated that he who brought forth
his words through whomever he willed may grant both to the writer and to the reader the
disposition of virtue. Amen.


SOURCES AND CREDITS
===================

Where each text comes from, and the licence under which it may be reused.

COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS English: a modern English version prepared for SermonIndex with the
help of artificial intelligence, working from the Latin text of the Commentary on the
First Book of Kings printed in Migne’s Patrologia Latina, and released under CC BY-SA 4.0.
SermonIndex has divided the text into chapters and short sections. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.