Have you not poured me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese?
Read Chapter 10
George Leo Haydock
AD 1849
Milked. Hebrew, "poured me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese? "(Haydock)
See Wisdom vii. 1. The ancients explained our origin by the comparison of milk curdled, or cheese; (Arist. vii. 15.) which the moderns have explained on more plausible principles. (Calmet)
Yet still we may acknowledge our ignorance with the mother of Machabees, 2 Machabees vii. 22.
78. For man when fashioned was moulded like clay, but being propagated he is ‘poured out like milk’ in the seed, and is ‘curdled like cheese’ in the flesh, and he is ‘clothed with skin and flesh,’ and is rendered firm by bones and sinews. Therefore by clay we have set forth to us the character of the first creating, but by milk the order of the subsequent conception, in that by the stages of curdling, it goes on little by little to be wrought strong into bones. But the account of the body as it was created is but slender praise of God, unless at the same time there be afterwards set forth the marvellous inspiration of its quickening. Hence it is added,
Thou hast granted me life and mercy.
79. But the Creator vouchsafes to us blessings in vain, except He Himself keep safe all whatsoever He giveth. It follows, And Thy visitation hath preserved my spirit. Now all this that we have spoken of the exterior man, in what sense it may accord with the interior man, it is well to unfold ...
