20. The third argument follows: You established the earth, and it remains. By your arrangement, the days remain. How God founded the earth, Scripture teaches us, with the Prophet saying: God founded the earth with wisdom, and prepared the heavens in understanding (Prov. 3:19). Therefore, the earth is like a foundation, on which we stand; although it seems to exist in a half-circle of the sky, and the word of him who is outside proclaims it, and Scripture seems to indicate this, with Job saying: Hanging the earth upon nothing (Job 26:7). Therefore, it is included in the celestial sphere; and that is why the sun is not seen at night, because it is found by rotating in the lower part of the celestial sphere. But it is not the concern of holy men to describe the axis of the sky, the spaces of the elements, and the numbers in a philosophical manner (for what benefit does this have to salvation), because holy men always focus on spiritual matters and desire to either know or teach things that will be beneficial to eternal life.
21. Finally, Ecclesiastes beautifully opens up this place for us, saying that it is spiritual, not material: 'What is the abundance for a man in all his toil that he toils under the sun? One generation goes, and another generation comes, but the earth remains forever' (Ecclesiastes 1:3-4). That is, what is the spiritual abundance for a man laboring under the sun of righteousness? And he adds: One generation goes, and another generation comes. A generation goes because the rich become poor and hungry (Psalm 34:10). Those who once abounded in grace, later, however, began to lack because of their own faithlessness. Those who were once poor peoples of the nations are now satisfied and abound through faith in Christ, as it is written: The poor will eat and be satisfied (Ps. 22:26). For they have heard him say: Those who abound... in every word (1 Cor. 1:5), not in wealth of course, not in gold and silver, but in every word and knowledge, he says (ibid.). And elsewhere it is said: In the riches of simplicity (II Cor. VIII, 2). These riches are salutary; for worldly wealth cannot bring salvation. But whoever has an abundance of spiritual goods, his fruitful land stands firm in the world, well-founded on the root of virtues, either the soul producing good fruits, or the flesh unmovable by any desires leading to downfall.
22. The sun of righteousness traverses this land, about which it is written: And the sun rises, and sets, and draws it back to its place. It rises from there to the south, and moves in a circle to the north: the Spirit moves in circles as it moves, and the Spirit turns in its orbits (Eccl. I, 5 and 6). The sun rises for the righteous, but sets for the unjust: it rises for the tranquility of a peaceful mind, but sets for anger. Therefore it is said: Let not the sun go down upon your wrath (Ephes. IV, 26). Hence it can be inferred that from the same source it rises and sets, it buries the faults of those it illuminates with grace. For it is dead to sin, so that it may live to God; that is, we are dead to sin in it, so that we may live to God forever. Behold the prefigured mystery itself. And he says, the sun rises and sets, and draws back into its place. This is what the Lord says: When I am lifted up . . . . . I will draw all things to myself (John 12:32). For he drew to himself the studies of all, so that he might either crucify our sins or provoke a good talent to righteousness. Notice how he attracts to himself: Father . . . I want those whomst I am, to be with me (John 17:24). And to the thief he said: Today you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43). Notice how he attracts all things. He was lifted up on the cross, and the whole world believed.
23. He himself, the rising sun, goes towards the south, and turns towards the north. Indeed, he is the rising sun, who says: My name is the East (Zach. VI, 12): who always rises for the pious, never sets. He himself, the rising sun, went towards the south for the people of the Hebrews, to a more gentle people, slippery with the heat of more fervent desire, rather than hardened by the enormity of impiety: or certainly to a more noble people, which was an elect race, claiming for itself the lineage of the patriarchs. But because he persisted in vices and did not correct his error, therefore the sun of justice turned to the nations, who were deprived of heavenly teachings and were considered savage and ignoble; for the northeast wind is a heavy wind, just like the people of the nations. But those who were heavy in wickedness before, now have become lighter than eagles in faith and piety, after he came who said: Bring them from the north (Isaiah 43:6). And in the Gospel: They will come from the east and the west, and from the north and the south, and will recline at the table with Abraham in the kingdom of God (Luke 13:29). And behold, the last shall be first, and the first last (Matthew 20:16). Also, the Psalmist says: Mount Zion, the sides of the north, the city of the great King (Psalm 48:2); that is, those who were on the north side became the people of the eternal King, who alone is the great Lord.
But perhaps you would say: How is it in the Song of Songs: Arise, north wind, and come, south wind (Song 4:16). For many understand it as if the north wind were being cast out and the south wind were being invited in. But if they understand it this way, the icy harshness of unbelief is driven out from the Church: Let our flight not be in winter or on the Sabbath (Matt 24:20), and the gentle warmth of spring is invited in. Or certainly: Arise, north wind, that is, rise up, you who are sleeping, and rise up from the dead (Ephesians 5:14). O people of the nations, who have long slept, awaken at last, and Christ will shine upon you. Finally, all are invited to the Church, both the people of the Synagogue and the Gentiles; but first the Synagogue, because the first apostles believed from the Jews, and through them the people of the nations later gathered.
25. Therefore, see our sun coming from the south, then turning towards the north. Jerusalem, Jerusalem (indeed it comes to her, whom He also deigned to call; but this Jerusalem is earthly, which kills prophets, that is, the Synagogue of the Jews), how many times, He said, I wanted to gather your children, like a hen gathers her chicks, and you did not want! Look, your house will be left deserted to you (Matthew 23:37-38). Therefore, he turned to the nations: and by turning, the Spirit of God turned, and in its turning, become God in all things, and in everything. Therefore, it is called the holy heaven, because the brightness of the sun always illuminates it more closely. It has its own splendor, so that it does not feel the darkness of the night. Therefore, it is called the Church and heaven, and the world, because it has saints comparable to angels and archangels, and also many earthly ones. And it is said of the world, which is founded upon the seas and prepared over the rivers. Finally, as if the world itself, the Church says: Do not look at me, for I am dark; because the sun has not looked upon me (Song of Songs 1:5); because just as the congregation of the Gentiles bound by the winter frost and freezing has been long unworthy in the eyes of the Sun of Justice, before which it should be illuminated by the clear light of His countenance. Did it not appear to you as the harshness of the winter season, when God was known only in Judea? Now, however, the fullness of summer light shines forth, when all things and in all things Christ. Is not the earth of the Lord, and its fullness? And truly the world is in the Church, in which not only Jew or Greek, not barbarian or Scythian, not slave or free: but we are all one in Christ. The sun shines for all, the day illuminates all.
26. (Verse 91.) And so he says: By your arrangement, the day remains. For unless you understand it this way, how does the day remain, when after a short moment of the day follows the setting sun, and the succession of night occurs? But there are those for whom the day is always present, namely those for whom Christ is present, who says: Walk while you have the light (John 12:35). This is the day that Abraham saw, the day of the remission of sins (John 8:56), about which the law says: This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24). Therefore there are saints, to whom the sun never sets: because the Lord is their light, as it is written: And the Lord shall be to them an everlasting light (Isaiah 60:19).
27. And he explained the cause of the lasting day, and added: By your arrangement the day lasts; for all things serve you. Therefore, it seems to signify that future time when there will be no more Night, and there will be no need for a lamp or the light of the sun; for the Lord will illuminate them (Rev. 22:5). He says who they are above, saying: And his servants shall serve him (Ibid., 3), that is, they will do the will of the Lord. Now not all of us serve: But when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God and the Father . . . . then shall be subject to him all things (1 Corinthians 15:24, 28), who hath subjected all things to himself, acquiring the faith of all through the passion of the only begotten. Therefore, the submission of minds produces diligent service. So when all have believed in the Lord Jesus, then all things will serve God, that God may be all in all: but now not all are servants of God; because many are servants of sin. For whoever commits sin is the slave of sin (John 8:34). But the Lord does not want to have fellowship with the dominion of others. Therefore, the unchangeable day remains. Therefore, he could have said, it will remain. But prophets seem to have future things present in spirit.
28. (Verse 92.) The fourth verse follows: Unless your Law had been my meditation, then perhaps I would have perished in my humility. The Prophet shone like the day, for whom the meditation of the Law was; indeed, he received the oil of light from the Law. Finally, so that the light of day could not be extinguished by the body of death, he walked in the Law, therefore he walked in the light. Otherwise, he says, I would have perished in my humility. Humility is not always a virtue, but also affliction; that is, not always voluntary, but also taken on out of necessity, when we are tried by some affliction. Otherwise, no one perishes in humility, which is more accustomed to preserving. Therefore, when we are in a time of affliction, and we are shaken by adversity, let meditation be in the law; lest the storm of temptation afflicts us unprepared. Just as an athlete, unless he has first accustomed himself to the exercise of the wrestling ground, does not dare to enter the contest. Let us anoint, therefore, with the oil of our reading, the muscles of our mind. Let the use of exercise all day and night be for us in a certain wrestling ground of heavenly Scriptures, and may the nourishing food of spiritual meals confirm the strength of our souls; so that when the adversary begins to approach and sprinkles us with the dust of his temptation, we may stand fearless, strive not blindly, and not strike the air in vain. We strike better when beaten, if we offer the other cheek to the one who strikes us, if we do not seek revenge. But to him who said: 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay' (Rom. XII, 19), let us leave the matter of revenge entirely. We strike the airy powers if we know how to chastise ourselves. Paul chastised his own flesh, in order to strike his adversaries, and he brought his body into subjection, in order to rule over his enemies (I Cor. IX, 27). Therefore, let us exercise with tireless use of meditation, let us exercise before the contest, so that we may always be prepared for the competition: and when the more frequent blows of the opponent come, now with poverty, now with theft, now with bereavement, now with bodily illness, now with sadness of spirit, now with the terror of death, and with the bitterness of punishments; let each one of us, who is able to endure and suffer, say: Unless your law had been my meditation, perhaps I would have perished in my humility.
29. How great were the heaps they gathered together, so that the holy Job would perish in that affliction? But because he was instructed in the customs of the patriarchs, and formed by the teachings of celestial oracles and the institution of natural law, therefore he could not perish in such great temptations. Finally, when he had suddenly lost such vast resources, his most beloved children, as if he were someone whose daily meditation was in the divine law, he said: Naked I came forth from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither. The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away; as it pleased the Lord, so it has been done; blessed be the name of the Lord (Job. I, 21). Even when his whole body was covered in sores, and he was being tempted by his wife's words, who suggested that he curse God just like Adam fell, he replied: 'You speak as one of the foolish women speaks' (Job. II, 10). If he had wanted to listen to her as if she were wise, he would not have been wise himself. He experienced also the various conversations of friends (Job 19:3), when, firm in faith and immovable in patience, he had earned the rewards from the Lord; did he not say: Unless your law had been my meditation, then perhaps I would have perished in my humility?
How gratefully does he say this today, who endured many whippings in martyrdom, the rack and hoof, lead, burning plates, and the sword! He could have perished if he had not contemplated the Law and believed in more severe punishments to come.
31. How much suffering did holy Joseph endure, how bitter, how harsh! First, he suffered the hatred of his brothers (Gen. XXXVII, 28), the trials of a wretched slavery, deprived of his parents, banished from his homeland, a slave in the service of merchants, and a despicable servant in Egypt. What greater temptation could there be for a boy of noble lineage than to be cast down from such a splendid family and serve among the Egyptians? There is solace in servitude, even in serving the righteous. The injury of servitude is alleviated by the equality of the master. Therefore, being reduced in such a manner, he considered it sufficiently pleasing if his obedience to the royal minister was approved. But even this was not sufficient for the bitterness of the temptation: his adversary returns to his own tricks, and with all deceitfulness, he stirs up his well-known powers; so that through a woman, he might weave snares for his innocent conscience. He aroused in him the stimuli of lust through the wife of his master, who demanded adulterous relations from the slave; so that if he were to agree, he would fulfill a crime: if he were to refuse, he would fall into offense, and the connection of calumny would not go unpunished. Finally, he was thrown into prison (Ibid., 20), and though innocent, he was regarded among the guilty and was subjected to even greater pressure by the one to whom he had shown his trust amidst dangers. But because insults could not break the man, the temptation changed and became much harsher in appearance than previous ones. For it was the more prosperous times that tripped up many whom bitter torments had not broken. By the command of the king, he was brought forth from prison, his dream was interpreted, and he was chosen to be superior in honor to all the Egyptians as second to the king, to distribute food to the hungry people (Gen. XLI, 14, 8 et seq.). His brothers reproached him, who had sold him out of a lack of brotherly love for the injury of servitude: so that he, being tempted by both insult and the pain of desired salvation, might cast off the affection of brotherhood. But the righteous man forgot the insult, he multiplied grace; and moreover, he desired to show himself more of a brother in that he himself had not experienced brothers. In the end, he received his brothers with this duty, and sought his father through a pious deception. What else could the holy Joseph say better than this to the Lord: Unless your law had been my meditation, then perhaps I would have perished in my humility?
It is reported that a certain prophet (and many say it was Isaiah, when he was imprisoned) while he was being pressed by the weight of impending destruction, said to the devil: 'Say that you have not spoken these things from the Lord, and I will change the minds and affections of all towards you; so that those who are angry at your offense may grant you pardon.' But he judged it more preferable to suffer punishment for the sake of truth than to receive favor for flattery. And he certainly would not have done this unless he had been trained by meditation on the Law.
Let daily reading, then, be to us for exercise, so that what we read, we may meditate on and imitate. In this, we will train in the arena of virtue; so that when trials arise, they may not find us untrained, nor as inexperienced in spiritual nourishment, nor weakened by the fasting of reading, but rather find a time of trial. And if it can find our souls nourished with athletic feasts, if the Gospel juice is within us, if the maturity of our minds is strengthened by apostolic food, if a tenacious memory, prepared by frequent meditation, can bring forth examples of heavenly teachings at the appropriate time, no battle of temptations will be able to disturb us.
34. (Verse 93.) The fifth verse follows: I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life. According to the Apostle, the Law is a tutor for children until we come to a more mature age of perfect faith (Galatians 3:24). In the Law, there are commandments, precepts, testimonies, and righteousness. Therefore, we are given life in the Law. This is why the Apostle says: The Law is not of faith, but the one who does it shall live by it (Ibid., 12). But since he also said above, 'For no one is justified by the law' (Romans 3:20), you surely understand that justification by the law is a species and image, not the truth. So, no one is justified according to the truth in the law, but is justified according to the species. Therefore, the holy Prophet, who still lived under the justifications of the law but saw the splendor of the Gospel, as if mindful of the old discipline, preserved grace for the law as a useful pedagogue. Consider someone who surpasses his peers in wealth and honors, and who holds his teacher in high esteem, recognizing that he has been shaped by his guidance, so that he can govern his own life more maturely.
Since indeed the law itself tells us that we should by no means be ungrateful if these things at some point in time have been of benefit to us (Exod. XII, 28). For just as we have in the Old Testament, the Passover was celebrated in the borders of Egypt, when our fathers, still under the rule of Pharaoh, lamented the injustice of their miserable servitude: and afterwards, having been liberated, they celebrated the Passover again in the land of promise (Josh. V, 10): the former for a reminder, the latter for a commemoration. Therefore, if anyone were to ask a Hebrew person how the Passover was celebrated in Egypt, they would respond: Because we were still bound by the chains of slavery to Pharaoh, that lamb liberated the people of our forefathers, that lamb called us to freedom, that lamb made the depths of the sea solid; so that we could pass through Egypt. Therefore, whenever we celebrate the Passover, we must remember the old slavery and the new freedom: what we were, and what we have received. For no one can fully understand what they have received, unless they remember what came before.
So let us not forget that the Lord Jesus, the Lamb of God, the sacrifice of the world, frees us from the heavy chains of sins, by which that most wicked Pharaoh held us bound not only as slaves of Egypt but of this age. Let us not forget forever; so that when we come to that true promised land, where the kingdom of the living is, we may remember how much cruel harm Pharaoh has inflicted upon us here, how many sufferings we have endured in this age, from which evils we have finally been rescued; and let us give thanks to the Lord Jesus who has made the disturber of all to be a captive.
37. (Verse 94.) The sixth verse follows: I am yours, save me, O Lord; for I have sought your commandments. The voice is easy and common, but it belongs to few. For it is rare enough for someone to be able to say to God: I am yours. He says this who clings to God with all his senses, who knows no other way of thinking. He uses this voice who can say: Show us the Father, and it is enough for us (John 14:8). Does he use this voice out of greed for money, honor, power? For many, knowing God is not enough, and indeed, for many more. Such great peoples, such great nations, such great riches consider poverty to serve the Lord: and He who is above all, is meager and narrow to them: it is not enough for them to have the Son of God, in whom all things are. Finally, that rich man in the Gospel, to whom it was said: If you want to be perfect, sell everything you have and give to the poor (Matthew 19:21), judged that God was not enough for him. Finally, he was saddened, as if he were being commanded to leave more behind: what was less to choose. Therefore, he says: I am yours, who can say: Behold, we have left everything and followed you.
Therefore, this is the voice of the apostles, although not of all the apostles. For even Judas was an apostle, and he reclined at the dinner with Christ among the apostles. He himself said: I am yours, but with his voice, not his heart. Satan entered into him, and he began to say: He is not yours, Jesus, but mine. In the end, he thinks about what is his; what is his, he turns over in his heart: he feasts with you, and he feeds with me: he receives bread from you, and money from me: he drinks with you, and sells your blood to me: he is your apostle, and mine is the hired hand.
39. The secular person cannot say: I am yours; for they have many masters. Lust comes and says: You are mine; because you desire those things that belong to the body: in the love of that young girl, you sold yourself to me; in the embrace of that prostitute, I counted you as my price. Greed comes and says: The silver and gold you have is the price of your servitude: the possession you hold is the purchase of your rights, the sale of your freedom. Luxury comes and says: You are mine; a feast of one day is the price of your life: the expense of banquets, the bidding of your head, the sum of your contract, and worse, you were purchased flesh, cheaper than your own food; your one-day table is more precious than your entire lifetime. I bought you among the cups, I acquired you among the feasts. Ambition comes and tells you: You are truly mine. Don't you know that I made you rule over others so that you would serve me? Do you not know that I have given you authority so that I may subject you to my authority? Do you not realize that the Lord Savior himself said to be spoken by the prince of this world when he showed him all the kingdoms of the world: All these I will give you, if you fall down and worship me (Matthew 4:9). Therefore, he himself is subjected, who wants to have others subjected. All vices come and each one says: You are mine. How great they think they are, when they are such a lowly servant!
40. Therefore, how can you, who are of this kind, say to Christ: I am yours? He will answer you: Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:21). Not everyone who says to me, 'I am yours,' is mine. You are truly mine if your conscience does not rebuke your voice, if your mind or actions do not refute your words. I do not deny that he is mine, who does not deny himself, or certainly if he denies himself for my sake. I do not want to have a servant serving multiple masters. For how can he be mine if he says to me in word: I am yours, but denies it in deeds and aligns himself with the devil and binds himself to him? He is not mine whom desire inflames; for chastity is mine. He is not mine whom the desire to plunder the weak torments; for integrity is mine. He is not mine whom a fickle anger disturbs; for tranquility is mine. He is not mine who, drunken with the excess of wine, is intoxicated with the ambition of worldly glory, and cannot maintain a sober moderation in the face of danger. I am peace, I do not know how to fight. What do I have to do with him whom the devil possesses, and says, 'He is mine'; for he has twisted his necks to me, I find more in him my own: he claims your name for himself, and my gift?
Therefore, he is not Christ's unless he is free from sin. He is not Christ's unless he can always show himself as Christ's servant. For if someone is changeable, like I am when I am changed by sorrow or anger, then anger arises and says: He is mine. Before the hour, he was mine; I hope that he will be mine again. Sadness comes, and says: He is mine. Before the hour, it was in my possession, in my right. He could not lift his spirit above sorrow, nor lift his eyes. And if something sad happens, it will immediately return to me. So then, who is God's but the one who can say: I am aware of nothing against myself (1 Corinthians 4:4)? Therefore, the Apostle Paul said this, because he was not held accountable by anyone else. But now I am of my God, now of sorrow, now of anger, now of idle words; and therefore the one who has many lords cannot say to one: Lord Jesus, I am yours. Hence, I think Paul also said about such lords: For even if there are those who are called gods, whether in heaven or on earth. . . . yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him (I Cor. VIII, 5 and 6). Therefore, the Apostle Paul belonged entirely to the Word; therefore, he said: For you seek a proof of Christ speaking in me (II Cor. XIII, 3). Therefore, he said: I belong to Christ; and the Lord replied to him: You belong to Me. He who truly says: I belong to You, hears from the Lord: You belong to Me. Finally, the Lord said to Ananias, when He sent him to heal Paul: Go, for he is a chosen vessel for me. And because he persevered in being of Christ, as if the struggle were completed, he deserved to find the crown of righteousness.
42. Therefore, the prophet David said rightly: I am yours, who always remained in the Lord. And in what way did he say: I am yours, he added: I have searched for your justifications, that is, I have sought nothing else, but I have desired only what is yours. Others seek precious jewels, but I seek only your justifications as certain garlands of righteousness. Others join house to house, villa to villa, as if they alone could dwell in this land and claim the common element, others claim possession of the air itself: for me, in your justifications is the entire inheritance. I don't know how to possess anything except what is of your jurisdiction. In your words, the spiritual care of silver has shone upon me. God is my portion. I am yours; for my portion of inheritance is not in gold, not in silver, but in Christ Jesus.
43. (Verse 95.) The seventh verse follows: Sinners awaited me to destroy me; I understood your testimonies. This statement can apply to martyrdom, in which a holy person, having already left the judgment of the persecutor, may say: Sinners awaited me to destroy me, that is, they employed all kinds of punishments, all arts of persuasion, but they were unable to divert me from my purpose. Faith conquered the allurements of this life and the torments of the body. Sinners expected that they would triumph over me, but thanks be to Christ who has allowed me to triumph over persecutors. Return, O defeated ones, who hoped to be victorious; return, O cast down ones, who worshipped the proud. Where is, O death, your victory? Where is, O death, your sting? (1 Corinthians 15:53) It is no longer yours, but ours, the victory; for in you we conquer, in whom we were previously conquered. Therefore, the martyr says well: Sinners expected that they would destroy me. After death, even though the body is still, he sees the choirs of those who are leading the way, the joys of angels. For those who rejoice over the conversion of one sinner, how much more in the suffering of the righteous! He sees glory and says: The righteous awaited me to lead me. He sees the Lord Jesus and says: Christ awaited me to crown me.
44. Another person who wants to understand: Many, he says, have tried to persuade and extort me to commit sins; one for adultery, another for killing a man, another for oppressing a widow or an orphan, another for something else: and they thought that I could be caught in their nets. They waited for me to be destroyed by the contagion of sin; but I did not turn my mind away from the study of divine knowledge by the allurements of sin, nor did I stray from my intention, O Lord, from the series of Your commandments: but I understood Your testimonies. For if I had not understood, those sinners would certainly have destroyed me. What I understood, I followed both in thought and in action: for understanding is not bare, but is also attested by deeds. Finally, blessed is he who understands the needy and the poor. (Psalm 41:1). He truly understands the poor, who gives to the poor. For what good is it to have pity on the needy, unless you also provide them with sustenance?