Gregory the Dialogist

40. This part, wherein He declares that ‘the face of God is taken in secret,’ may be understood in two ways. For there be some, who at one and the same time perceive truth in their hearts, and yet utter outwardly concerning God things that are false. For lest they should appear to be subdued, they both know the truth within, and yet assail it without. Hence it is well said in this place, He will surely reprove you, if ye do secretly take His face. As if it were expressed in plain words; ‘Ye are the more to be blamed in His sight for falsehood, as ye see in yourselves what is true.’ And there become, who when they turn back into the interior, contemplate the justice and righteousness of God, and in praying and weeping tremble with fear, but after the hour of contemplation has passed by, they return with as much boldness to their wickednesses, as if, being placed behind His back, they were not seen by the light of His righteousness. And so these with themselves in secret ‘take God’s face’ as if it saw with a bodily sight, in that both, when they are present to Him, they flatter Him with their tears, and, when they are as it were gone from His sight, they make slight of Him by their practices. And these deserve to be beaten more for their evil doings, even in proportion as in the secret of their hearts they know the righteous judgments of God.

41. Seeing that Almighty God is of a nature unchangeable, in the wrath of judgment He is not capable of being moved; but by the expression proper to man, of God’s being ‘moved,’ is understood nothing else than that enforcement of His rule of righteousness, by which the wickedness of man is chastised. Now righteous men conceive a dread of God before His indignation is stirred up against them; they fear Him at rest, lest they should feel Him as moved. But, on the other hand, the wicked then for the first time fear to be smitten, when they are under the rod, and terror then rouses them from the sleep of their insensibility, when vengeance is troubling them. And hence it is said by the Prophet, And only the vexing alone shall supply understanding to the hearing. [Is. 28, 19] For when they have begun to be stricken in vengeance for the contempt and neglect of God’s precepts, then they understand the thing that they heard. And the Psalmist saith, When He slew them, then they sought Him. [Ps. 78, 34] Therefore it is well said, As soon as He stirreth up Himself, He will trouble you, and His dread will fall upon you; in that the hearts of the children of perdition have not fear producing repose, but punishment producing fear.

42. All that are confounded to this present state of being by an earthly temper of mind, mean, by all that they do, to leave the remembrance of themselves to the world. Some in the toils of war, some in the towering walls of edifices, some in eloquent books of this world’s lore, they are eagerly toiling and striving and building up for themselves a name of remembrance. But whereas life itself runs on to an end with speed, what is there in it that will stand stedfast, when even its very self by nature running rapidly speeds away. For a breath of air seizes the ashes, as it is written; The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff, which the wind scattereth away from the face of the earth. [Ps. 1, 4] And so the remembrance of fools is rightly compared to ‘ashes,’ in that it is placed there, where it is liable to be carried away by a breath of air. For howsoever a man may toil to achieve the glory of his name, he has placed his ‘remembrance like ashes,’ in that the wind of mortality hurries it away in a moment. Contrary to which it is written of the just man, The righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance. [Ps. 112, 6] For by the very circumstance, that he imprints his deeds upon the eyes of God alone, he sets firm the name of his remembrance in the eternal world. It goes on;
And your necks shall be brought down to the mire.
43. As the sight is used to be denoted by the eye, so is pride by the ‘neck.’ Thus ‘the neck is brought down to the mire,’ when every proud man is humbled in death, and the flesh that was lifted up rots in corruption. For let us contemplate how and like what the carcases of the rich lie in their graves, what that form of death is in the lifeless flesh, what the rottenness of corruption. And surely these were the very persons who were lifted up with honours, swollen with the things gotten by them, who looked down upon others, and exulted to stand as it were alone. Yet, while they never considered whereunto they were going, they knew nothing at all what they were. But ‘the neck is brought down to the mire,’ in that they lie neglected in rottenness, who swelled high in emptiness. ‘The neck is brought down to the mire,’ because what the might of flesh is good for, the rottenness of corruption evidences.

45. In Holy Scripture ‘teeth’ are sometimes used to be understood for the holy preachers, and sometimes for the interior senses [f]. Thus of the holy preachers it is said to the Bride, Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing. [Cant. 4, 2] And hence it is said to one of them, when the Gentiles were represented to him in a figure, Kill and eat [Acts 10, 13], i.e. ‘crush their oldness, and convert it into the body of the Church, i.e. into your own members.’ Again, that ‘teeth’ are wont to be understood of the interior senses, is testified by the Prophet Jeremiah, when he says, He hath broken my teeth by number. [Lam. 3, 16] For by the ‘teeth’ the food is broken in pieces, to allow of its being swallowed. Hence we not unjustly understand the interior senses by ‘teeth,’ which as it were chew and mince small the several particulars that occur to the mind, and transfer them to the belly of the memory, which the Prophet declares to be ‘broken by number,’ in that according to the measure of each particular sin there is blindness of understanding engendered in our perception, and in proportion to that which each person has committed outwardly, he is made dull of sense in that, which he might have understood of the inward and invisible. Whence too it is rightly written, Everyone that hath eaten the sour grape, his teeth shall be numbed. [Jer. 31, 30] For what is ‘the sour grape,’ saving sin? for a ‘sour grape’ is fruit before the time. So whosoever desires to be satisfied with the enjoyments of this present life, is as it were in a hurry to eat fruit before the time. Thus ‘the teeth of him that eateth the sour grape are numbed,’ in that he who feeds in the gratification of the present life, has the interior perceptions tied fast, that they should no longer be able to eat, i.e. to understand spiritual things; in that from the very self-same cause that they gratify themselves in outward things, they are rendered dull in those of the interior. And whereas the soul is fed with sin, it is unable to eat the bread of righteousness, in that the teeth being tied fast by the custom of sin, can never at all chew such good, as has a relish in the interior. In this place then, because, as we have said, we understand ‘the teeth’ to be the interior perceptions, we ought to consider very heedfully what the righteous are wont to do. Who, commonly, if they detect in themselves any points of a carnal sort however slightly, going over these in the interior senses, vehemently prosecute them in their own person, afflict themselves with selfchastisement, and with excessive self-inflictions visit in judgment the very least things wrong in them, and condemn them by penitence. Which same they do for this reason, that in the sight of the eternal Judge, both they may themselves be found as far as may be without blame, and that those, who see them thus judge themselves, may be kindled to reform themselves from worse offences. And this blessed Job had done in the presence of his friends, who kept fast temporal glory, and extolled transitory blessings. Yet he could not bring their sense to see the usefulness of the scourge with which he was afflicted, that so they might bethink themselves that Almighty God not only bestows prosperity, but likewise brings down adversity upon us, when He is favourable. Whence he says well in this place, Wherefore do I tear my flesh with my teeth? As if he said in plain words, ‘Why with my interior perceptions do I hunt out things carnal, if there be any such thing done in me, if I cannot thereby benefit my spectators?’ Where too it is fitly added,
And carry my life in my hand?
46. To ‘carry our life in our hands’ is to show forth the bias of the heart in practice. For the righteous have this thing proper to them, that in all that they do, and all that they say, they not only seek their own increase, but the edification of their neighbours likewise. Sometimes they judge themselves in some point, that they may recall indolent hearers to the consideration of themselves. Sometimes they exhibit good works, that their spectators may be ashamed not to imitate what they see. For it is written, That they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven. [Matt. 5, 16] Thus he that exhibits the bent of his mind by his works, ‘carries his life in his hand;’ but when any good man, whether by judging himself or by exhibiting good works, furthers not his neighbour’s welfare by what he has done, he returns to words of sorrow. Whence it is rightly said in this place, Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth? and carry my life in my hand? i.e. ‘Why do I either judge myself strictly before men, or show in practice what my heart is bent on, if I do not advance my neighbour’s good either by passing judgment on my evil things, or exhibiting good ones?’ But yet the righteous, even while they speak so, never give over setting their neighbour a good example. Hence blessed Job, still further exemplifying and exhibiting the excellence of patience before the eyes of his friends, saith,
Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him.
47. There is no room for the virtue of patience in prosperous circumstances. He is really patient, who is at once bruised with misfortune, and yet not bowed down from the erectness of his hope. Concerning the temper of mind of the reprobate man it is written, He will praise Thee, when Thou doest well to him. [Ps. 49, 18. Vulg.] Hereby, then, the righteous mind is distinguished from the unrighteous, that even in the midst of affliction the former acknowledges the praise to Almighty God, that he is not broken down together with his worldly fortune, does not fall together with the fall of outward glory, but hereby proves the more, what he was with worldly goods, who even without worldly goods stands the stronger.

49. Whereas we know that the Judge, when He cometh, will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on His left, with what reason is it now said, ‘that the hypocrite shall not come before Him,’ when, if he be among the goats, he will appear on the left hand of the Judge? But we are to bear in mind that we come before the Lord in two ways. One, whereby taking exact account of our offences here we punish and judge ourselves before Him with weeping. For as often as we recall to our perception the power of our Creator, we as often, as it were, stand before Him.’ Hence too it is well said by Elijah, the man of God, The Lord God of Israel liveth, before Whom I stand [1 Kings 17, 1]. In another way we ‘come before God,’ when at the last Judgment we present ourselves before His Tribunal. And thus the hypocrite in the last reckoning does come before the Judge, but because now he shuts his eyes to consider and bewail transgressions, he refuses to ‘come before’ the Lord. For as righteous men, when they fix their eyes on the severity of the Judge that shall come, recall their sins to remembrance, bewail the things that they have done, and judge themselves severely that they be not judged; so hypocrites, as they outwardly please the world, hence omit to look inwardly into themselves, and wholly engross themselves in the words of their neighbours, and account themselves to be holy, because they consider that they are so accounted by their fellow-creatures. And when they have dissipated their mind in the words that sound their own praises, they never recall it to the cognizance of sin, never mark wherein they offend the interior Judge, entertain no fears concerning His severity, for they believe that they have pleased Him as they have their fellow-creatures. Yet if they but brought His terribleness to mind, this very circumstance, that fixed in a wrong bias they are making themselves pleasing to their fellow-creatures, would cause them to fear the more. Therefore it is well said, For an hypocrite shall not come before Him; in that he does not set before his eyes the severity of God, so long as he is ambitious to please the eyes of men. Who, if he set himself in the presence of God in searching his own conscience, would then assuredly no longer be a hypocrite.

51. Which too is not at variance with the person of the self-same blessed Job, since he is only telling that concerning himself without, which ‘Truth’ had inwardly declared to his enemy concerning him; Hast thou considered My servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth? And yet it is much less that the holy man records concerning himself, than what the Lord declared concerning him. For it is one thing to be ‘just,’ and another to have ‘none like him.’ Therefore he thought humbly of himself, who, whereas he was just beyond comparison with another, described himself not just above others, but simply able to be ‘found just.’ It seems however to furnish this ground for raising a question in his words, viz. that he who said above, I will rebuke mine own ways before Him; and again says further on, Thou wouldest consume me in the inquities of my youth [ver. 26]; and seeing his sins with a distinct eye, says still further on, My transgression is sealed up in a bag, now saith, If I shall be judged, I know that I shall, be found just. [Job 14, 17] For it is impossible for sin and righteousness to meet together. But the holy man, attributing wickedness to himself, and the purifying of him to Almighty God, at once sees that he is a sinner in himself, and knows that he is made righteous by free gift. Who even in the midst of good practice earned in superabounding grace to have stripes put upon him. And he already rejoices to be ‘found just’ in Judgment, who beheld himself before Judgment smitten with the rod. Hence too when he says long afterwards, My transgression is sealed up in a bag, he adds directly; but Thou hast healed mine iniquity. He, then, that describes himself as ‘found just’ in Judgment, says not at all that he is not justly smitten, although the Lord did not intend to obliterate sins by the scourge, but to increase his merits.

52. Holy men so guard themselves in their good works, with God for their aid, that there can be no where found, without, grounds, whereon to accuse them; but within, in the secret thoughts of their own hearts, they watch over themselves with such good heed, that, if it might be, they may at all times stand blameless before the eyes of the interior Judge. But what they are able to effect, that they never should slip outwardly in act, they are unable to effect inwardly, that they never should make a false step in thought. For man’s conscience, from the very fact that it withdraws [g] from the things deepest within, is always on slippery ground. Whence it comes to pass, that even holy men often slip in them. So let holy Job, speaking as well in his own voice as in the voice of the Elect, say, Who is he that will plead with me? Let him come. For, seeing that in external actions there is no occasion for which to fasten a blame upon him, he freely looks about for an accuser. But because the consciences even of the righteous sometimes have to charge themselves with foolishness of thought, it is on this account perhaps that it is added;
Why am I consumed in silence?
53. For he is ‘consumed in silence,’ who, in blaming himself for foolishness of thought, is gnawed in his own heart by the tooth of conscience. As if he said in plain words, ‘As I have so lived that I should never fear any accuser without, would that I had so lived that I should never have my conscience for mine accuser within me.’ For he is ‘consumed in silence,’ who discovers in himself within cause whereby the fire should gnaw him [unde uratur].

What are we to understand here by the “face of God,” except his visitation? While God beholds, he also punishes our sins from which no just person is even hidden if the two things that he entreats are not removed. About this, Job adds, “Withdraw your hand far from me, and do not let dread of you terrify me.” Concerning the two, what else does Job ask for in a voice of prophecy, but the season of grace and redemption? For the law held the people abhorrent to the stroke of vengeance, that whoever committed sin under its yoke should be immediately punished with death. Nor did the Jewish people serve God from a principle of love but of fear. But righteousness can never be perfected by fear, seeing that according to the voice of John, “perfect love casts out fear.” And Paul comforts the children of adoption by saying, “For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” Therefore in the voice of humankind, longing for the hardness of the law’s stroke to pass away and eagerly desiring to advance from fear to love, Job names in prayer the “two things God should put far from him,” saying, “Withdraw your hand far from me, and do not let dread of you terrify me”; that is, remove from me the hardness of the stroke, take away the weight of dread, and while the grace of love illuminates me, pour upon me the spirit of assurance. If I am not removed far from the rod and from dread, I know that I shall not be withdrawn from the strictness of your searching since he cannot be justified before you, who serves you on a principle of love but of fear. Hence he seeks the very presence of his Creator, as if it were a familiar and bodily way, that he may thereby both hear what he is ignorant of and be heard in the things that he knows.

55. By which same two what else does he ask in a voice of prophecy, but the season of grace and redemption? For the Law held the people obnoxious to the stroke of vengeance, that whoso committed sin under its yoke, should be forthwith punished with death. Nor did the Israelitish people serve God from a principle of love, but of fear. But righteousness can never be perfected [impleri] by fear, seeing that according to the voice of John, perfect love casteth out fear. [1 John 4, 18] And Paul comforts the children of adoption, by saying, For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. [Rom 8, 15] Therefore in the voice of mankind, longing for the hardness of the stroke of the Law to pass away, and eagerly desiring to advance from fear to love, he names in prayer what ‘two things God should put far from him,’ saying, Withdraw Thine hand far from me, and let not Thy dread make me afraid; i.e. remove from me the hardness of the stroke, take away the weight of dread, and while the grace of love illumines me, pour upon me the spirit of assurance, in that if I be not removed far from the rod and from dread, I know that I shall not be withdrawn from the strictness of Thy searching. Since he cannot be justified before Thee, who serves Thee not on a principle of love, but of fear. Hence he seeks the very presence of his Creator itself, as it were familiarly, and in a bodily sort, that he may thereby both hear what he is ignorant of, and be heard in the things that he knows.

57. Though the ‘calling’ and ‘answering’ may likewise be understood in another way. For God’s ‘calling’ us is His having respect to us in loving and choosing us, and our ‘answering’ is the yielding obedience to His love by good works. Where it is fitly added, Or let me speak, and answer Thou me. For we ‘speak,’ when we beg for God’s face in desire, and God answers our speaking, when He appears to us that love Him. But because whoever pants with longing for the eternal world, examines his doings, taking himself to task with great exactness, and searches lest there be aught in him, whereby he might offend the face of his Creator, he rightly adds, How many are mine iniquities and my sins? Make me to know my crimes and offences. This is the task of the righteous in this life, to find out themselves, and on finding out to bring themselves to a better state by weeping and self-chastening. And though John the Apostle tells us that there is no odds between iniquity and sin, when he says, iniquity is sin [1 John 3, 4]; yet in the simple usage of speech, ‘iniquity’ sounds something more than ‘sin,’ and every one confesses himself a ‘sinner,’ but he is sometimes ashamed to call himself an iniquitous person. Now between ‘crimes’ and ‘offences’ there is this difference, that ‘crime’ over and above exceeds the weight and measure of sin, but an ‘offence’ does not exceed the weight of sin; for thus, when a sacrifice is commanded to be offered under the Law, it is doubtless enjoined, as for a ‘sin,’ the same for an ‘offence’ too. And crime is never done but in deed, whereas offence is most commonly committed in thought alone. Hence it is said by the Psalmist, Who call, understand his offences? [Ps. 19, 12] seeing that sins of practice are known the quicker, in proportion as they appear externally, but sins of thought are the more difficult to apprehend, that they are committed out of sight. Hence anyone, who being made solicitous by the love of Eternity, has it at heart to appear clean before the Judge that shall come, examines himself so much the more exactly now, in proportion as he bethinks himself how he may then present himself free to His terribleness; and he beseeches to have it shown him, wherein he offends, that he may punish that thing in himself by penance, and by judging himself here, may be rendered unobnoxious to judgment.
58. But herein it is needful to observe, how great is the punishment of our pilgrimage which has fallen upon us, who have been brought to such a degree of blindness, that we do not know our own selves. We do evil, and yet do not quickly find it out, even when done. For the mind, being banished from the light of truth, finds in itself nothing else than darkness, and very often puts out the foot into the pit of sin, and knows it not. Which it is subject to from the blindness of the state of exile alone, seeing that, being driven away from the illumining of the Lord, it even lost the power to see itself, in that it loved not the face of its Maker.

60. For what is man but a leaf, who fell in Paradise from the tree? what but a leaf is he, who is caught by the wind of temptation, and lifted up by the gusts of his passions? For the mind of man is agitated as it were by as many gusts, as it undergoes temptations. Thus very often anger agitates it; when anger is gone, empty mirth succeeds. It is driven by the goadings of lust, by the fever of avarice it is made to stretch itself far and wide to compass the things which belong to the earth. Sometimes pride lifts it up, and sometimes excessive fear sinks it lower than the dust. Therefore seeing that he is lifted and carried by so many gusts of temptation, man is well likened to a ‘leaf.’ Hence it is well said too by Isaiah, And we all have fallen as a leaf, and our iniquities like the wind have taken us away. For ‘our iniquity like a wind has taken us away,’ in that being steadied by no weight of virtue, it has lifted us into empty self-elation. And it is well that, after a leaf, man should be called ‘stubble’ likewise. For he that was a ‘tree’ by his creating, was by himself made a ‘leaf’ in his tempting, but afterwards he appeared ‘stubble’ in his fallen estate. For in that he fell from on high, he was a leaf, but, whereas by the flesh he was fellow to the earth, even when he seemed to stand, he is described as ‘stubble.’ But because he lost the greenness of interior love, he is henceforth ‘dry stubble.’ So let the holy man reflect both what meanness man is of, and what severity God is of, and let him say, Wilt Thou show Thy power against a leaf driven to and fro? and wilt Thou pursue the dry stubble? As if he openly bewailed, saying, ‘Why dost Thou run him down with so much force of righteousness, whom Thou knowest to be so frail in temptation?’

For what is a human being but a leaf who fell in paradise from the tree? What but a leaf is he who is caught by the wind of temptation and lifted up by the gusts of his passions? For the human mind is agitated as it were by as many gusts as it undergoes temptations. Thus very often anger agitates it; when anger is gone, empty mirth follows. It is driven by the goading of lust. The fever of avarice causes the mind to stretch itself far and wide to compass the things that belong to the earth. Sometimes pride lifts it up, and sometimes excessive fear sinks it lower than the dust. Therefore, perceiving that he is lifted and carried by so many gusts of temptation, a human is compared well with a “leaf.” … For seeing that everything we speak passes away but what we write remains, God is said not to “speak” but to “write bitter things,” in that his scourges upon us last for long. For it was once said to man when he sinned, “Dust you are, and into dust you shall return.” And angels many times appearing gave commandments to people. Moses, the lawgiver, restrained sins by severe means. The only begotten Son of the most high Father himself came to redeem us. He swallowed up death by dying. He announced that everlasting life to us that he exhibited in himself. Yet that sentence that was given in paradise concerning the death of our flesh remains unaltered from the very beginning of the human race up to the end of the world.