Gregory the Dialogist

10. The common multitudes that are brought under to heretics on their preaching by a carnal understanding conceive the corrupt seeds of their false doctrine, and are joined to them in their condemnation. But when the preachers of errors themselves, Holy Church either receives into her bosom subdued by reason, or binds in under the fetters of her discipline, being hardened by attachment to evil; heretics, being deserted, when they see that the people remain left with themselves without preachers, what else do they but lament the ‘widows’ left empty by Holy Church? And whereas when the masters of heretics are withdrawn, they imagine that their disciples are enfeebled in their practice, they complain that the arms of the fatherless are broken by Holy Church as it were. Or in another way, because when Holy Church receives persons coming to her from heretics, it is plain without a doubt that she stands up against their former error. Thus there are some that are so attached to virginity of the flesh, that they condemn marriage, and there are some who so extol abstinence, that they abhor those that take necessary nourishment. Concerning whom it is said by Paul, Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain, from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe. [1 Tim. 4, 5] Those persons then seeing she recalls from the carnal bias of their superstitious belief, when heretics see such living otherwise than they taught them, they bear witness that to the way of acting which they before maintained, their ‘arms are broken’ by Holy Church. And hence in this period of discipline, if any piece of misfortune chance to befall her, they suppose that it has come in meet retribution for her sins.

12. There are very many so dull that they cannot dread aught, saving what they see in a bodily form. Whence it is brought to pass that they do not fear God, in that they cannot see Him. But heretics because they think themselves wise utter words of insult against Catholics, and imagine that He is not feared by them, because they are unable to see Him in a bodily shape, so that as it were from deadness of perception they think that their Maker, because He is higher than heaven and exalted above the tops of the stars, is not able to see from a distance, and that because between ourselves and the seat of heaven the regions of the air are interposed, He, ‘as it were buried in a cloud passes judgment out of the darkness,’ and intent upon things above, the less considers those below, and whilst He holds together the binges of heaven by encircling them, doth not see into the interior parts. But who that was out of his right mind even, could suspect such things of God. Who indeed, whereas He is always Omnipotent, so minds all things that He is present to each one individually, and so present to each that His Presence is never wanting to all together. For though He forsakes persons when they sin, yet to those very persons He is present in respect of judgment, to whom He is seen to be wanting in respect of aidance. Therefore He so encircles what is without that He yet fills what is within, so fills what is within that He yet encircles what is without, so rules the heights above that He does not quit the depths below, is in such sort present to the parts beneath that He does not depart from those above, is so concealed in His own appearance that nevertheless He is known in His working, so known in His work that yet He cannot be comprehended by the calculation of the person knowing Him; He is in such a way present that yet He cannot be seen, in such a way impossible to be seen that yet His very own judgments bear witness to His Presence, so yields Himself to be understood by us that yet the very ray of the perception of Himself He overclouds to us, and again so holds us in by the darkness of ignorance that notwithstanding He shines into our minds with the rays of His brightness, so that at once by being lifted up it may see something, and made to recoil may tremble all over, and because such as He is it is impossible to see Him, may yet know Him by seeing Him some little. But all this heretics do not reckon Holy Church to be acquainted with, because by a foolish judgment they suppose that they alone are wise.

14. Whereas the period of our life is assuredly foreordained for us in the foreknowledge of God, it is a very important question on what principle it is said now, that the wicked are withdrawn from the present world ‘before their time.’ For Almighty God though He often change His sentence, yet His counsel never. At that time, then, is every man ‘taken away’ from this life, at which by Divine power he is foreknown to be before all times. But it is necessary to be known, that Almighty God in creating and disposing of us, according to the deserts of each one also appoints his bounds too, so that either that bad man should live a short time, lest he do mischief to numbers doing right; or that this good man should last longer in life, that he may prove a helper of good practice to numbers; or again that the bad man should be detained longer in life, to add yet more to his wicked deeds, purified by the testing whereof the righteous may live a truer life; or that the good man should be withdrawn more speedily, lest if he were to live long here, wickedness should spoil his innocence. Yet it is to be borne in mind, that it is the loving-kindness of God, to vouchsafe to sinners space for repentance. But because the times vouchsafed they do not turn to the fruits of penance, but to the service of iniquity, what by the mercifulness of God they might have obtained, they let go out of their hands. Although Almighty God foreknows that time of each individual for death, at which his life is brought to an end; nor could any one ever have died at any time, saving at that actual time when he does die. For if to Hezekiah fifteen years are related to have been added for life, the time of his life was increased from that end, indeed, in which of himself he deserved to die; for God’s providence foreknew his time at that point whereat He afterwards withdrew him out of the present life. This then being so, what does it mean that it is said, that the wicked were cut down before their time, but that all they that love the present life, promise to themselves longer periods of that life? But when death coming on withdraws them from the present life, the spaces of their life, which they were wont as it were in imagination to draw out to themselves longer, it cuts asunder. Of whom it is rightly said, whose foundation was overflown with a flood.
15. For the wicked while they neglect in heart to go on to the things of eternity, and do not observe that all things present are fleeting, fix their heart on the love of the present life, and as it were therein construct for themselves the foundation of a long abode, because by desire they are established in earthly things. Thus Cain is described the first to have constructed a city upon earth, who thereby is plainly proved an alien, in that the same set a foundation upon earth, who was alien to the stedfastness of the eternal world; for being a stranger to the things above, he has settled his foundation in things beneath, who has placed the settling of his heart in earthly delight. And hence, in the stock of that man, Enoch, which is by interpretation ‘dedication,’ is born the first. But in the offspring of the Elect Enoch is described to have been the seventh, in this way, because the sons of perdition by building dedicate themselves in this life which comes first, but the Elect await the dedication of their building up in the end of time, i.e. the seventh number. For one may see great numbers minding temporal things alone, seeking after honours, open-mouthed after the compassing of good things, look out for nothing after this life. What then do these but ‘dedicate themselves’ in the first generation? One may see the Elect seeking nothing of present glory, gladly bearing want, undergoing the ills of this life with a composed mind, that they may be crowned at the end. And so to the Elect Enoch is born in the seventh generation, in that the dedication of their joy they look for in the glory of the last retribution. [Gen. 5, 21] And whereas by the daily lapse of time the mortal state in the present life itself runs to an end, and destroys the dedication of the children of perdition by removing those very children of perdition, it is rightly said of the wicked, Whose foundation was overflown with a flood; i.e. the mere course of changeableness overthrows in them the settlement of wicked rearing.

18. The righteous when they see the unrighteous erring here cannot be glad for the error of persons ruining themselves. For if they rejoice in errings, they cease to be righteous. Again, if in the feeling of triumph they be glad, for this that they are not such as they see others are, they are altogether full of pride. Hence the Pharisee lost his justification, because being glad he set himself above the merits of the Publican, saying, I thank Thee that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this Publican. Again, if we say that the righteous can triumph with a perfect joy over the death of the wicked, what sort of thing is joy for vengeance on sinners in this world, wherein the life of the righteous is still uncertain? Let us then distinguish between the times of trembling and exulting. For the righteous see the unrighteous now, and pine at their wickedness; and when they see those smitten, they are made distrustful touching their own life too. When then shall the righteous see the destruction of the wicked and be glad, saving when with the strict Judge they incorporate henceforth with perfect sureness of triumphing, when in that final Inquest they shall see the condemnation of those, and shall now no longer have aught to fear for themselves? Now therefore they see the children of perdition and groan, then they shall see them and laugh them to scorn, because in triumphing they shall set at nought those, whom now they neither see doing wickedness without groaning nor dying for their wickedness without fearing. Hence by that which is added it is proved that the thing is spoken as concerning their final condemnation.

20. There is the sin of pride in teaching one better than one’s self, which heretics are often guilty of, who touching things which they have wrong notions of, take upon them as if to instruct Catholics. For such they think are then ‘at one with God,’ if it chance for them to assent to their bad ways; and to those thus ‘at one’ they promise peace in that they henceforth cease to quarrel with those who agree with themselves. Now ‘the best fruits’ they promise to those agreeing with themselves, in that they believe that they only do good works, whom they triumph in themselves drawing in to their own tenets; which persons this also suits that he adds, Receive, I pray, the law out of His mouth; because the things they think of their own heads, they fancy proceed from the mouth of God. And lay up His words in thine heart; as if he asserted it in plain words, saying, ‘which up to this present time in thy mouth thou hast held, and not in thine heart.’ For because he [al. Holy Church] rejected their corrupted tenets, they allege against him [al. her, &c.] that the words of God he had held not in the feeling, but in the showing off. Whence, as if under a certain appearance of sweetness, they insinuate the poison of pestilent persuading, so as to admonish the Church to lay up the words of God in the heart; which words, if they had ever departed from her heart, from those persons she would never have heard such things.

21. That the faithful people have gone away from God is the opinion of heretics, because they see it opposed to their preachings; which same, when they see it afflicted with present calamities, they endeavour, as if by admonition, to draw to their Maker’s Grace, saying, If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up. As if they said in plain words; Whereas by gainsaying our doctrines thou hast gone away from the Lord, therefore to the building up of righteousness thou art undone. Now by a tabernacle we understand sometimes the habitation of the body, and sometimes the habitation of the heart; for as by the soul we inhabit the body, so by the thoughts we inhabit the mind. Therefore ‘iniquity in the tabernacle’ of the mind is an evil bent in the attachment of the thought. But ‘iniquity in the tabernacle’ of the body is carnal doing in the fulfilment of the deed. Thus Eliphaz, forasmuch as he was the friend of a blessed person, seeing some things true, and yet in those points in which he departs from the right line, holding the likeness of heretics, not knowing that it was in consequence of good qualities blessed Job was stricken, fancied that he had erred whom he saw smitten, and makes him promises if he would return to Almighty God, saying, Thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles. As if he said in plain speech, ‘Whosoever after erring ways is brought back to God, is purified both in thought and in deed together.’

23. What other enemies are we more subject to than evil spirits, who in our thoughts besiege us, that they may break into the city of our minds, and hold it, taken captive, under the yoke of their dominion? Now by the name of ‘silver,’ the Psalmist testifies the sacred oracles are denoted, when he says, The words of the Lord are pure words, as silver tried in a furnace of earth. [Ps. 12, 6] And often when we apply ourselves to the sacred oracles, we are more grievously subject to the artifices of evil Spirits, in that they sprinkle upon our mind the dust of earthly thoughts, that the eyes of our heeding they may darken to the light of the interior vision. Which same the Psalmist had undergone when he said, Depart from me, ye evil ones, and I will search into the commandments of my God; i.e. plainly teaching us that he could not search into the commandments of God, when he was suffering in mind the snares of the evil spirits. Which thing in the work of Isaac too we know to he represented under the evil doing of the Philistines, who with a heap of earth filled up the wells which Isaac had dug. For these very same wells we ourselves dig, when in the hidden meanings of Holy Scripture we penetrate deep. Which wells however the Philistines secretly fill up, when to us advancing to deep things unclean spirits bring in earthly thoughts, and as it were take away the water of divine knowledge which has been discovered. But because no one can overcome these enemies by his own power, it is said by Eliphaz, Yea the Almighty shall be against thine enemies, and thou shalt have heaps of silver. As if it were said in plain words; ‘While the Lord drives away from thee the evil spirits by His power, the shining talent of divine revelation within gains growth.’

“You will abound with delicacies over the Almighty” is to be entirely filled with the banquet of holy Scripture in the love of God. In those words surely we find as many delicacies for our profiting as we obtain diversities of meaning. The bare history should now be our food veiled under the text of the letter, the moral allegory should refresh us from our inmost soul, and, to the deeper things, contemplation should hold us suspended, already, in the darkness of the present life, shining in upon us from the light of eternity.… To “lift up the face” to God means to raise up the heart for searching into what is loftiest. For as by the bodily face we are known and distinguishable to people, so by the interior figure we are known to God. Yet because of the guilt of sin, we are weighed to the earth, and we are afraid to lift the face of our heart to God. When it is not buoyed up by any of the confidence of good works, the mind is too full of fear to gaze upon the highest things, because conscience of itself, it accuses itself. But when by the tears of penance sins are now washed out and lament is completed, a great confidence springs up in the mind for contemplating the joys of the recompense from above; “the face of our heart is lifted up.” …“You will pray to him, and he will hear you,” for they make their prayer to God but never obtain to be listened to, who set at nothing the precepts of the Lord, when he enjoins them. Hence it is written, “He that turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be an abomination.” So long then as Eliphaz believed the blessed Job was not heard, he determined that that person had surely done wrong in his practice. And hence he adds further, “And you will pay your vows.” He that has vowed but is unable from weakness to pay the same, has it dealt to him in punishment of sin, that while willing good, having the power should be taken away from him. But when, in the sight of the interior Judge, the sin that hinders is done away, it is immediately brought to pass that one is able to attend the vow.
It goes on, “You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you.” This used to be the special conclusion of those going weakly, that in such proportion they esteem a person righteous as they see him obtain all that he desires; whereas, in truth, we know that earthly goods are sometimes withheld from the righteous while they are bestowed with liberal bounty on the unrighteous. When sick people are despaired of, physicians order whatever they need to be supplied. But those whom they foresee may be brought back to health when the things which they long for they refuse to have given them. Now if Eliphaz introduced these declarations with reference to spiritual gifts, it must be known that “a thing is decreed and is established” in a person when the virtue that is longed for in the desire, is, by God’s granting it, happily forwarded by the carrying out of it as well.
And hence it is yet further added, “And the light will shine on your ways.” The light that shines on the ways of the righteous shines by extraordinary deeds of virtue to scatter the tokens of their brightness. Wherever they go in the bent of the mind, from the hearts of those beholding them, they may dispel the might of sin and by the example of their own practice pour into them the light of righteousness. But, whatever justness of practice there may be, in the eye of the interior Judge it is nothing, if pride of the heart uplifts it. Hence it is added, “For he that has been abased shall be in glory, and he that has bent down his eyes shall be saved.” This sentence is not at variance with the mouth of “Truth,” when it says, “For whosoever exalts himself shall be abased, and he that humbles himself shall be exalted.” Therefore, it is said by Solomon, “Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honor is humility.” However, it is properly said, “For he that has bent down his eyes, the same shall be saved.” Insofar as it is to be discovered through the ministering of the members, the first manifestation of pride is with the eyes.…
“The innocent will be saved, but he will be saved by the cleanness of his hands.” This sentence [from Eliphaz], if it is delivered in relation to the recompense of the kingdom of heaven, is supported by truth, in that it is written concerning God, “He renders to every man according to his deeds.” The justice of the eternal Judge saves that person in the last inquest. His mercy sets him free from impure deeds.
But if the person here purported is supposed to be saved by the cleanness of his own hands, that by his own powers he should be made innocent, then assuredly it is an error. For if grace above does not prevent him when faulty, assuredly it will never find any one faultless to recompense without fault. It is said by the truthful voice of Moses, “And no man of himself is innocent in your sight.” So, heavenly pity first works something in us without our help, that, our own free will follows as well, so the good which we now desire may be accomplished. Yet the good that is bestowed by grace, in the last judgment, God rewards to us as if it had come only from ourselves.

24. To ‘abound with delicacies over the Almighty’ is in the love of Him to be filled to the full with the banquet of Holy Scripture. In Whose words surely we find as many delicacies, as for our profiting we obtain diversities of meaning, so that now the bare history should be our food, now, veiled under the text of the letter, the moral allegory refresh us from our inmost soul, and now to the deeper things contemplation should hold us suspended, already, in the darkness of the present life, shining in upon us from the light of eternity. And it is necessary to be known, that whosoever ‘abounds with delicacies,’ is released in a kind of loosening of himself, and slacks from devotion to labour as it were from weariness, because the soul when it has begun to abound with the interior delicacies, henceforth consents not ever to give itself to earthly employments, but being captivated by the love of the Creator, and by its captivity henceforth free, for the contemplating of His likeness fainting it draws breath, and as it were wilst giving over, is invigorated; because whereas sordid burthens it is now no longer able to bear, unto Him through rest it hastens Whom it loves within. Hence also in admiration of the spouse it is written, Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness abounding with delicacies? [Cant. 8, 5. Vulg.] in that truly except Holy Church ‘abounded with the delicacies’ of God’s words, she could not mount up from the deserts of the present life to the regions above. Thus she ‘abounds with delicacies and comes up,’ in that whilst she is fed by mystical senses, she is lifted up for the contemplating day by day the things above. Hence likewise the Psalmist says, Even the night shall be light about me in my delicacies; [Ps. 139, 11. Vulg.] in that while by mystical perception the earnest mind is regaled, henceforth the darkness of the present life is lighted up in her by the radiance of the day to come. So that even in the blindness of this state of corruption the force of the future light should break out into her understanding, and she being fed with delicacies of words, might learn by thus foretasting what to hunger for of the food of truth. It goes on;
And shall lift up thy face unto God.
25. To ‘lift up the face to God’ is to raise the heart for the searching into what is loftiest. For as by the bodily face we are known and distinguishable to man, so by the interior figure to God. But when by the guilt of sin we are weighed to the earth, we are afraid to lift the face of our heart to God; for whereas it is not buoyed up by any of the confidence of good works, the mind is full of affright to gaze on the highest things, because conscience of itself accuses self. But when by the tears of penance sin is now washed out, and things committed are so bewailed that nothing to be bewailed is any more committed, a great confidence springs up in the mind, and for the contemplating the joys of the recompensing from above ‘the face of our heart is lifted up.’ Now these things Eliphaz would have spoken aright, if he had been admonishing one that was weak; but when he looks down upon a righteous man on account of his scourges, what is this, but that he pours out words of knowledge in not knowing? Which same words if we bring into a type of heretics, they are they that with false promises engage for us to ‘lift our face to God.’ As if they said plainly to the faithful people, ‘As long as thou dost not follow our preaching, thine heart thou sinkest down in things below.’ But whereas Eliphaz charged blessed Job to return to God, from Whom observe that same blessed man had never departed.

27. This is used to be the special conclusion of those going weakly, that in such proportion they esteem a man righteous as they see him obtain all that he desires; whereas in truth we know that earthly goods are sometimes withheld from the righteous, while they are bestowed with liberal bounty upon the unrighteous; seeing that to sick persons also when they are despaired of, physicians order whatever they call for to be supplied, but those whom they foresee may be brought back to health, the things which they long for they refuse to have given them. Now if Eliphaz introduced these declarations with reference to spiritual gifts, be it known that ‘a thing is decreed and is established’ to a man, when the virtue which is longed for in the desire, is, by God’s granting it, happily forwarded by the carrying of it out as well. And hence it is yet further added;
And the light shall shine upon thy way.
28. Since for ‘light to shine in the ways’ of the righteous, is by extraordinary deeds of virtue to scatter the tokens of their brightness, that wherever they go in the bent of the mind, from the hearts of those beholding them they may dispel the night of sin, and by the example of their own practice pour into them the light of righteousness; but whatever justness of practice there may be, in the eye of the interior Judge it is nothing, if pride of heart uplifts it.

29. Which same sentence is not at variance with the mouth of ‘Truth,’ when It says, For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. [Luke 14, 11] And hence it is said by Solomon, Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility. [Prov. 18, 12] But it is properly said, For he that has bent down his eyes, the same shall be saved; in that so far as it is to be discovered through the ministering of the members, the first manifestation of pride is used to be with the eyes. Hence it is written, And wilt bring down high looks. [Ps. 18, 27] Hence it is said of the very head himself of those that behave proudly, He beholdeth all high things. [Job 41, 34] Hence it is written concerning her, who by unbelief attached herself to him, There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up. [Prov. 30, 13] So to ‘bend down the eyes, is no man on looking upon him to look down upon, but one’s self to look upon as inferior and below all one sees. He then that ‘bends down his eyes shall be saved’; because he who quits the false height of pride, scales the loftiness of truth.

30. Which same sentence now if it be delivered touching the recompense of the kingdom of heaven, is supported by truth, in that whereas it is written concerning God, Who rendereth to every man according to his deeds [Rom. 2, 6], that man in the Last Inquest the justice of the Judge Eternal saveth, whom here His pitifulness sets free from impure deeds. But if a man is to this purport supposed to be here saved by the cleanness of his own hands, that by his own powers he should be made innocent, assuredly it is an error; for if Grace above do not prevent him when faulty, assuredly it will never find anyone faultless to recompense without fault. Whence it is said by the truth-telling voice of Moses; And no man of himself is innocent in Thy sight. [Exod. 34, 7] And so heavenly pity first works something in ourselves without the help of ourselves, that, our own free will following it up as well, the good which we now desire, it may do along with ourselves; yet the good coming by grace bestowed, in the Last Judgment, He so rewards in ourselves, as if it had proceeded only from ourselves. For whereas the Goodness of God prevents us to make us innocent, Paul says, But by the grace of God I am what I am. [1 Cor. 15, 10] And whereas our free will follows that grace, he adds, And His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain, but I laboured more abundantly than they all. Who whereas he saw that he was nothing of himself, says, Yet not I, and yet forasmuch as he saw that he was something in union with grace, he added, but the grace of God with me. For he would not have said, with me, if together with preventing grace he had not had free will following it up. Therefore in order to show that he was nothing without grace, he says, Yet not I, but that he might show that along with grace he had worked by free will, he added, but the grace of God with me. Thus ‘the innocent man shall be saved by the cleanness of his hands,’ in that he who is here prevented by the gift, that he may be made innocent, when he is brought to judgment, is rewarded of merit. All which things, as was before said, Eliphaz though he delivered rightly, yet to whom he was delivering them he knew not; because one better than himself it was not his business to teach, but to hear. All which particulars however agree in a figure with the promises of heretics, who when they find any of the faithful afflicted in the present life suppose them stricken for the sin of misbelief, and promise them if they will follow their doctrine the saving health of innocency by cleanness of good works. But the mind of the faithful looks down upon them so much the deeper down, in proportion as it does not see them to possess the innocency which they promise. Whence it is well said by Solomon, Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any winged fowl. For the ‘winged fowl’ are the spirits of good men, which whilst in the hope of truth they soar up to the higher regions, shun the nets of bad men set for their deceiving.