Sidenote: Exod. viii. 26.
Sidenote: Gen. xlvi. 34.
1. YOU tell me that you have felt a difficulty in the text _We shall
sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the Lord our God_. But
you had the means of solving it, for it is written in the book of
Genesis, that _a shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians_, and
this not on account of the shepherd himself, but of his flocks. For
the Egyptians were tillers of the ground, but Abraham and Jacob,
and afterwards Moses and David, were shepherds, and in this function
exercised a certain kingly discipline.
2. The Egyptians then hated sacrifices which were duly offered;
the pursuit of virtue, that is, which is perfect and replete with
discipline. But that which these evil men hated is in the sight of the
good sincere and pious. The licentious man hates the works of virtue,
the glutton shrinks from them. And so the Egyptian’s body, loving the
charms of pleasure, has an aversion to the virtues of the soul, hates
its rule, and shrinks from the discipline of virtue, and all such like
works.
3. But what the Egyptian shrinks from――he who is an Egyptian rather
than a man,――that do thou, who hast the knowledge of what befits man,
embrace and follow: and shun those things which they pursue and choose;
for these two things cannot agree together, wisdom and folly. Thus
as wisdom and continence remove themselves from those who are, as it
were, in the ranks of unwisdom and intemperance, so no foolish and
♦incontinent man has any part in what belongs to the goods and heritage
of the wise and continent man.
Sidenote: Gen. xxxi. 14, 15.
4. Again, those women who were sanctified by their marriage, Leah and
Rachel, (the one meaning ‘wearied,’ the other ‘strong breath’[157])
from aversion not to the ties of kindred but to their differing
manners, and informed by the much tried Jacob, that he desired to
depart in order to shun the envy and sloth of Laban and his sons, made
answer thus: _Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our
father’s house? Are we not counted of him strangers? for he hath sold
us, and hath quite devoured also all our money?_ Observe first that
the slothful and envious man alienates from himself one who labours
and keeps strict discipline; he flies from her and seeks to separate
himself. Finding that they will be burthensome to him he thinks he has
gained by their removal, and esteems this to be his reward, and this
the point of his pleasure.
Sidenote: Ib. v. 16.
5. Now let us hear how what virtue has, sloth has not: for they say,
_For all the riches which God hath taken from our father, that is ours,
and our children’s_. Rightly do they say that they were taken away by
God’s appointment, for it is He Who created the good, for whose sake
the slothful are despoiled; for weak and evil men cannot apprehend
the beauty of the Divine inheritance; and thus the resolute, and he
who hath in him the spirit of a brave man, succeeds to it. But who is
strong but God alone Who regulates and governs all things?
Sidenote: Isa. liv. 17.
Sidenote: Ps. cxix. 57.
Sidenote: Ib. 111.
6. To these therefore the heritage of God is justly due. Wherefore
Isaiah also says, _There is an heritage for them that believe in the
Lord_. Well saith he, _There is an heritage_, for this is the sole
heritage, there is no other. For neither is blind treasure an heritage,
nor have any transitory things the advantage of an heritage; that
alone is an heritage wherein God is the portion. Wherefore the Saint
of the Lord saith, _Thou art my portion, O Lord_, and again, _Thy
testimonies have I claimed as mine heritage for ever_. You see what
are the possessions of the just, the commandments of God, His oracles,
His precepts, hereby he is enriched, hereby he is fed, hereby he is
delighted as by all manner of riches.
7. Now Leah and Rachel, possessing these, required not their father’s
riches, for therein there was base coin, a senseless outward show,
destitute of spiritual vigour. Again, being rich and liberal themselves
they accounted their father rather indigent than rich. For no one who
participates in good and liberal discipline deems any foolish man to
be rich, but poor and needy, and even abject; and this although he
overflow with royal riches, and in the pride of his gold boasts of his
own power.
Sidenote: Ps. xviii. 26.
8. The society of such we must shun then, even though they be united
to us by the ties of kindred: the conversation of the foolish is to be
avoided, for it infects and discolors the mind, for as _with the clean
thou shalt be clean_, so _with the froward thou shalt be froward_.
For it frequently happens that one who listens to an intemperate man
against his own resolution, much as he himself desires to maintain
the rule of continence, is yet stained by the hue of folly, and thus
discipline and insolence truly prove themselves contrary and repugnant
to each other.
Sidenote: Gen. xxxi. 14.
9. Hence when much-tried Jacob inquired their opinion, they utter the
words of virtue now proved by long exercise, _Is there yet any portion
or inheritance for us in our father’s house?_ that is, ‘Do you ask us
whether we wish to depart from him? As if you knew not that we have no
desire of his society, nor are we possessed with that thirst for riches
and delight in luxury which is so sweet to most worldlings. These are
the things which we deem miserable and alien to our feelings, these are
the things which we deem to be full of poverty and want.’
10. They add also the cause of their departure, that Laban had lost
the true glory and those stores of good treasure in which we are born.
Vigour of mind has been given us, and the good coinage of God’s image
and likeness, which is a spiritual coinage. He lost these because he
preferred the splendour of this world to things true and profitable
for his true life; for the beauty of these things escapes one who is
ignorant of the good things of God, while in his judgment of what is
beautiful he deludes and deceives himself. Hear then his words and
judge.
Sidenote: Gen. xxxi. 27.
11. He pursued holy Jacob and his daughters, thinking haply to find
upon them some of his own vices, and thus to have a plea for reclaiming
them to himself, censuring the righteous, whereas he himself was
refuted by reason, and could give no answer or reply why he had any
right to detain him. _Wherefore_, says he, _didst thou not tell me,
that I might have sent thee away?_ Wherein he discloses what it was
the just man feared, namely, such attendance, such a convoy, lest he
should go forth escorted by such a company: in the first place because
it behoved him not to submit himself to the service of many masters,
so as to be dismissed by Laban as a servant: and next because this man,
intent upon good discipline and desirous of following the true path
of virtue, sought no man to guide him but the heavenly oracles. These,
said he, have commanded me to depart from hence and now accompany me on
my journey.
12. But how wouldst thou have dismissed me, he would say? Would it
have been with such joy as thine which is full of sadness, with cymbals
namely and instruments of ill-modulated harmony, and with the sweet
notes of flutes sounding forth unpleasing strains, dissonant sounds,
discordant noises, mute voices, cymbals jarring upon the sense? Didst
thou believe that I could be delighted, that I be recalled by such
things? It is from them that I fled, nor do I fear thy reproachful
words. I fled that such things might not follow me, that I might
receive no present from thee on my departure.
13. It is not by such guides as these that we arrive at the Church of
Christ, to which Jacob was bending his steps, to carry down thither
the wealth of the nations and the riches of the Gentiles, that he might
transplant thither his posterity, flying from the shadows of empty
things, preferring to senseless images of virtues their breathing
beauty, and serious things to outward show. You see how the Gentiles
deck out their banquets, and proclaim their feasts; but such things
are hateful to pious minds, for by their means many are deceived, they
are captivated by pleasant food, by the bands of dancers, while they
fly from our fasts, deeming them irksome to them, and noxious and
troublesome to the body.
Sidenote: Ps. xii. 7.
14. Or didst thou think that I should desire thy gold? But thou hast
not _gold tried by_ that _fire_ wherein the just are proved. Or was it
silver that I desired? But thou hast not silver, for thou possessest
not the brightness of the heavenly words. But perhaps I hoped that thou
wouldst give me some of thy slaves to serve me? Nay, I seek for free
men, and not the slaves of sin. But perhaps companions of my journey
and guides of my path were necessary? Would that they had power to
follow me! for I would have shewn them the ways of the Lord. But ye who
know not God, how can ye know His ways? The elect of the Lord walk in
His ways, not every one who enters them, and yet no man is excluded.
Sidenote: Gen. xxx. 32.
15. Let him who is prepared follow, let him enter upon the way which
leads to Mesopotamia; so that he who seeks that country may pass
through the waters, the waters of Tigris and Euphrates, the waters of
courage and righteousness, through the tears of penitence, the baptism
of grace. Here is the path of the army of God, for all who are in
the Church are God’s soldiers. There is that flock marked with divers
virtues, which Jacob chose for himself; for every soul which is not so
marked is unlearned and uninstructed, ignorant of discipline: but that
which is marked is rich in works and fertile in grace.
Sidenote: Ib. xxxiv. 25. sqq.
Sidenote: Ib. xxxii. 24.
Sidenote: 1 Cor. xiii. 4.
16. Let him who comes to it first be reconciled to his angry brother.
Let him who comes to it inhabit Shechem, that precious and active
laboratory of virtue, where injured chastity is so deeply avenged.
Let him who comes to it wrestle with God, that he may inure himself
to imitate Him, that he may come in contact with the humility of Christ
and His sufferings. Let him take up his cross and follow Christ. Lastly,
a good combatant _envieth not, is not puffed up_, nay, he even blesses
his antagonist with a like gift.
Sidenote: Rom. v. 3, 4, 5.
17. Let us then follow holy Jacob and his ways, that we may reach
these sufferings, these combats, that we may reach the shoulder[158],
that we may attain to patience, the mother of the faithful, and to
their father Isaac, that is, one capable of delight[159], abounding in
joy. For where patience is, there also is joy, for after tribulation
comes patience, and _patience worketh experience_, wherein is _hope,
whereby we are not ashamed_, for whoso is not ashamed the cross of
Christ, neither will Christ be ashamed of him.
Farewell, my son; blush not to ask questions of your father, as you
blush not to glory in the sufferings of Christ.
LETTER XXVIII.
A.D. 387.
S. AMBROSE in this Letter maintains that Pythagoras derived much
of his wisdom from a knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures, and
dwells on his maxim, ‘not to follow the beaten track,’ as one
specially addressed to the priesthood.