I chose out their way, and sat as chief, and dwelt like a king in the army, as one that comforts the mourners.
All Commentaries on Job 29:25 Go To Job 29
Gregory The Dialogist
AD 604
11. Because in the heart of lost sinners, the actions of the flesh are in the first place, and of the soul in the second, surely in their thoughts Christ ‘sits’ not ‘first’ but ‘last.’ But each of the Elect, because above all others they mind the things that are eternal, and if there be any things of a temporal kind, they manage them with an after and the least concern; to whom it is also said by the preceptress voice of Truth, Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you; [Matt. 6, 33] in their heart the Lord ‘sits first.’ In which place it is fitly prefaced, If I had been minded to go to them. For because, as has been said, He doeth all things according to the counsel of His Will, not in answer to our desert, but because He is Himself so minded, the Lord enlightens us with His visitation. And so He both comes ‘when He is minded,’ and when He comes He ‘sitteth first,’ because both His Coming in our heart is gratuitous, and the longing of the desire of Him in the thought of our heart is not the same as the rest of our desires. It goes on;
And when I sat as a king with an army standing round, nevertheless I was the Comforter of those that mourned.
12. The Lord ‘sits as a king in the heart,’ because He rules the clamouring motions of the heart in our thinking. For in the soul which He inhabits, whilst He stirs up the dull, bridles the restless, inflames the cold, tempers the inflamed, softens down the hard, and binds up the loose, by this mere diversity of thoughts, a kind of ‘army,’ as it were, ‘stands around Him.’ Or surely He ‘sitteth as King with an army standing around Him,’ because that King, whilst He presides over the minds of the Elect, a host of virtues surround. And He too is ‘the comforter of those that mourn,’ by that promise, by which He says, Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. [Matt. 5, 4] And again; I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man shall take from you. [John 16, 22] But the things which we have delivered concerning the Head of Holy Church, there is nothing hinders us if we should apply to the voice of the same Church as well. For in her the order of the teachers presides like a king, whom the crowd of her believing ones surrounds. Which same multitude of believers is also rightly called ‘an army’, [Exercitus] because it is unceasingly making ready day by day against the wars of temptations in the array of good works. The hearts of them that mourn Holy Church also comforts, whilst she considers the souls of the Elect borne down by the wofulness of the present pilgrimage, and gladdens them with the promise of the Eternal Country. Moreover she sees that the hearts of the faithful are stricken with divine dread, and those whom she sees have heard concerning God strict things that they should stand in fear, she likewise brings it to pass that they should also hear the gentleness of His pity, that they may have boldness.
13. For thus does Holy Church mix hope and fear to her believers, touching the pity and justice of the Redeemer, in the continued course of her ministry; so that they may not either heedlessly rely on Mercy, nor hopelessly dread justice. For with the words of her Head she cheers up those that are alarmed, saying, Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. [Luke 12, 32] And again, those that are presuming she affrights, when she says, Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation. [Mark 14, 38] Again, those that are in dread she cheers, saying, Rejoice, because your names are written inn heaven. [Luke 10, 20] But those presuming in themselves she affrights, when she says, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Those in dread she cheers when she says, My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me, and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My Hand. [John 10, 27. 28.] But those presuming in themselves she affrights, saying, And shall skew great signs and wonders, insomuch that if it were possible they shall deceive the very Elect. [Matt. 24, 24] Those in dread she cheers, when she says, But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. [vs. 13] The presuming she affrights, when she says, Nevertheless, when the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth? [Luke 18, 8] The fearing she cheers, when He says to the robber, To-day shall thou be with Me in paradise. But she frightens the presuming, when Judas falls from the glory of the Apostleship into the pit of hell. Concerning whom it is said, in the laying down of a declaration, I have chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil. [John 6, 70] One in dread she cheers, when she says, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man’s, shall he return unto her again’? Shall not that woman be greatly polluted? But thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to Me, saith the Lord. [Jer. 3, 1] But one presuming she affrights, when she says; Why criest thou upon thine affliction? thy sorrow is incurable. [Jer. 30, 15] One dreading she cheers, saying, From this time at least call me, My father, thou art the guide of my virginity. [Jer. 3, 4] But the presuming one she frightens, saying, Thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite. [Ez. 16, 3] One in dread she cheers, when she says, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord; and I will not cause mine anger to fall from you; for I am holy, saith the Lord; and I will not keep anger for ever. [Jer. 3, 12] But one presuming she affrights, when she debars her prophet from interceding, in the words, Lift not up cry nor prayer for them; for I will not hear in the time of their crying to me, in the time of their affliction: for though Moses and Samuel stood before me, my soul is not toward this people. [Jer. 14, 11] Thus her hearer’s mind Holy Church both lifts up touching the lovingkindness of mercy, and disquiets touching the strictness of judgment, that in her preaching, whilst she rightly blends both, her Elect may neither presume on the score of righteousness set forth, nor despair on the ground of bygone iniquity.
14. Yet this which he says, And when I sat as a King with an army around, nevertheless I was a comforter of them that mourned, it is necessary for us to know that even taken according to the history it may very greatly edify the reader, if he considers well how with good rulers both authoritativeness of ruling and loving-kindness of consoling are mixed together. For he says; And when I sat as a King with an army around; see the authoritativeness of governance; nevertheless I was a comforter of them that mourned; mark the service of pitifulness. For discipline or mercy is much bared, if the one be maintained without the other. But towards their subjects there ought to be in the hearts of rulers both mercy giving comfort in justice, and justice dealing wrath with pitifulness. It is hence that to the wounds of that half-dead man, who was carried by the Samaritan into the inn, there is both wine applied and oil, that by the wine the wounds should be bitten, and by the oil they should be soothed; that so every one who has the charge over the healing of wounds may by wine apply the biting of strictness, and by oil the softness of pitying; that by the wine what is putrid may be made clean, and by the oil what is to be healed may be soothed. Thus then gentleness is to be mixed with severity, and a certain qualifying process by both to be performed, that those under charge may not either be made sore by much sharpness, nor be relaxed by overmuch kindness. This surely that ark of the tabernacle betokens, in which along with the tables there are the rod and manna together; because when there is the knowledge of sacred Scripture in the breast of a good ruler, if there is the rod of severity, let there also be the manna of sweetness. Hence also David says, Thy rod and Thy staff comforted me. [Ps. 23, 4] For we arc stricken by the rod, and we are sustained by the staff. If then there be the strictness of the rod that it may smite, let there also be the comfort of the staff that it may sustain. So then let there be love, but not that softens, let there be vigour, but not that grates, let there be zeal, but not that storms to excess, let there be pitifulness that does not spare more than may be expedient. It is good to regard in the breast of Moses mercy united with severity. Let us see him loving pitifully and venting himself severely. Surely when the people of Israel before the eyes of God contracted an almost unpardonable offence, so that its Ruler heard, Get thee down; thy people have sinned; [Ex. 32, 7] as though the Voice of God said to him, ‘That people which has fallen in so great a sin, is henceforth no longer Mine,’ and subjoined, Now therefore let Me alone, that My fury may wax hot against them, and that I may destroy them, and I will make of thee a great nation; once and again in behalf of the people that he was set over presenting himself as a bar to the assault of God in His indignation, he saith, Either forgive them this sin; or if not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy book which Thou hast written. Let us reflect then with what bowels he loved that people, for whose life he begged to have himself ‘blotted out of the book’ of life. But yet this one who is tied and bound with such great love of his people, let us consider with what warmth of righteousness he is inflamed against its sins. For directly that by the first request he obtained pardon of the offence, that they should not be blotted out, coming to that people he says, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour. And there fell of the people that day about twenty three thousand men. [Ex. 32, 27. 28.] See, he who begged for the life of all even with his own death, killed the life of a few with the sword. Within he burned with the fire of love, without he was inflamed by the warmth of severity. So great was his pitifulness, that he did not hesitate to offer himself to death in the sight of the Lord in their behalf, such was his severity, that those whom he had feared to have stricken by divine power, he did himself strike with the sword of judgment; he so loved those whom he was set over, that in their behalf he did not even spare himself, and yet the persons offending, whom he loved, lie so persecuted, that even when the Lord spared them, he laid them low. Both ways a forcible ambassador, both ways an incomparable mediator; the cause of the people he pleaded before God by prayers, the cause of God he pleaded before the people with swords. Within loving he withstood the wrath of God by entreating, without venting himself he consumed sin by smiting. He succours all quickly by the death of a few being manifested. Therefore Almighty God listened the sooner to His faithful servant dealing in behalf of the people, because He saw what he was of himself about to do upon the people in behalf of God. In the governance therefore of the people Moses blended both, that neither should discipline be lacking to mercy, nor mercy to discipline. Hence here also it is said answerably to either excellency; And when I sat as a King with an army around, nevertheless I was a comforter of them that mourned. For to ‘sit with an army around’ is the vigour and discipline of governance, but ‘to comfort the hearts of them that mourn’ is the ministration of pitifulness.
But because in the midst of all this it is necessary that the line of interpretation should fall back to the spiritual meaning, Holy Church when borne down by her adversaries in the last times, calls to mind the laws of her past governance, calls to mind too what great benefits of pitifulness she displayed to them that were afflicted. Whose discipline and mercy are then derided by the light of mind
