Man sets an end to darkness, and searches out all recesses for ore in darkness, and the shadow of death.
Read Chapter 28
George Leo Haydock
AD 1849
He (God) hath (Haydock)
Darkness, before which these inventions could not be made; (Menochius) or, man has been able to measure the hours of day and night by the shadow of the sun, and by other means. He always strives to perfect his works, and examines with care the mines which lay concealed in the most profound obscurity. (Calmet)
Precious stones and metals lie the deepest. (Menochius)
From the consideration of these beautiful works, men ought to raise their minds to the Creator, and wisely rest in him alone. (Worthington)
46. He hath Himself ‘set a time to the darkness,’ i.e. bounds to the wicked, where they should cease to be wicked. Whence it is said to them by the Apostle; Ye-were sometimes darkness, but 1l0W are ye light in the Lord. Like as to the other disciples as well the same great teacher saith, The night is far spent, the day is at hand; let us therefore put off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly as in the day. Hence also in the Song of Songs on the coming of the Church it is said, Who is she that cometh forth as the morning in rising?
For fitly is the Church described by being compared with ‘the morning,’ in that, by the knowledge of the faith she is changed from the darkness of sins to be in the bright light of righteousness. By the term of ‘all and every one,’ he would have both the Elect and the damned to be comprehended. For God both in doing and ordering what is good, yet not doing what is bad, but what by the wicked is done Himse...
He means that if God has established an order in the realities of nature, he did even more with regard to human realities. Indeed, he foresees and takes care of events, and nothing comes from him at random. Or, on the other hand, [he means] that the whole of realities is quite visible but the plans of God are invisible; in fact, silver and copper have a place, whereas nobody has ever known the “place” of wisdom. But God only knows wisdom, and he has said to mortals that “piety is wisdom,” and knowledge means to do good.
“He has set a place for darkness,” he says; he was right in saying “a place,” because darkness knows how to give way and fade away [before the daylight]. Who drives this obscurity away? From where does such beautiful order in such a situation come? Then he discusses his power, and then his wisdom in order to persuade us that he does not want to call God to account. Why darkness, he says? Do we really know anything at all? God can do anything. He does everything with wis...