CAPUT XXVIII. Quomodo per abstinentiam et patientiam animus roboratur ad omnem obedientiam
Reuben's Going Out and Coming In
The fear of God, represented by Reuben, is both interior compunction and exterior obedience, enabling the soul to go out and come in at God's command.
So with Gad and Asher born, the time is already here for Reuben to find the mandrakes—if only he isn't reluctant to go outside. But why should we doubt that he wants to go out, when we already know he's ready both to go out and to come in? For we should believe that after so many sons of his mother, and after so many children of Bilhah or Zilpah, he's already grown—and that he both can and wants to go out and come in at his father's command. But if through Reuben, as was said above, we understand the fear of God, what should we understand by his going in or going out? What does it mean for him either to be inside, or to go outside? Reuben is inside when, in the secret of the heart and before the face of God, we tremble over our conscience. Reuben goes outside when, for God's sake, we also submit ourselves to people in every act of obedience. So to fear God for his own sake, but people for God's sake, is for Reuben now to stay inside, now to be found outside.
Strengthened by Abstinence and Patience
Through the love of abstinence (Gad) and patience (Asher), the soul is strengthened for perfect obedience, willingly enduring hardship and detachment.
So Reuben goes out at the time of the wheat harvest, when, under the command of obedience, he trains himself in the works of justice. But when do you think Reuben grows strong enough for perfect obedience, unless Gad and Asher—that is, the love of abstinence and of patience—have stirred him either to scorn pleasure or to endure tribulation? For there are two things that usually keep imperfect obedience from advancing: namely, the wish not to be forced either to leave behind what we love, or to endure what is hard.1 But once the mind has grown fully warm with the love of abstinence or of patience, Reuben at once submits himself to every obedience without any resistance. For the one who has resolved within himself both to endure adversity and not to take delight in prosperity—what difficulty can diminish his obedience any further? For if, out of love for God, I even seek out every hard and harsh thing on my own, why wouldn't I all the more endure those same things under the added weight of obedience, for the glory of a greater merit? Rightly, then, after Gad and Asher are born, Reuben is said to go out, because the fear of the Lord is strengthened for every obedience by voluntary abstinence and patience.
Read the original Latin
Natis itaque Gad et Aser, jam tempus instat quo Ruben mandragoras inveniat, si tamen eum foras exire non pigeat. Sed cur eum velle exire dubitemus, quem jam ad exeundum, vel introeundum idoneum esse cognoscimus? Credendum est enim eum post tot natos matris suae, post tot liberos Balae vel Zelphae, jam adultum, et posse et velle ad patris sui imperium exire et intrare. Sed, si per Ruben, ut superius dictum est, timorem Dei accipimus, quid per ejus introitum vel exitum accipere debemus? Quid est eum vel intus esse, vel foras exire? Ruben intus est, quando in secreto cordis in conspectu Dei de nostra conscientia trepidamus. Ruben tunc foras exit, quando propter Deum hominibus etiam nos ad omnem obedientiam inclinamus. Timere itaque Deum propter seipsum, homines autem propter Deum est Ruben nunc intus morari, nunc foris inveniri.
Exit ergo Ruben tempore messis triticeae, quando ex imperio obedientiae exercet se in operibus justitiae. Sed, quando putas Ruben ad perfectam obedientiam convalescere, nisi eum Gad et Aser (id est amor abstinentiae et patientiae) ad contemptum voluptatis, vel ad tolerantiam tribulationis animasset? Duo enim sunt quae solent imperfectionem obedientiae praepedire, id est ne cogamur vel amata deserere, vel aspera tolerare. Sed, si semel animus amore abstinentiae vel patientiae perfecte incaluerit, protinus Ruben ad omnem obedientiam absque ulla contradictione se subdit. Qui enim tam adversa perpeti quam in prosperis non delectari apud semetipsum statuit, quae difficultas ejus obedientiam ulterius minuere poterit? Si enim dura et aspera quaeque pro Dei amore etiam per memetipsum appeto, cur non magis haec ex adjuncta obedientia ad majoris meriti gloriam tolero? Recte ergo post natum Gad et Aser Ruben exire dicitur, quia timor Domini ex voluntaria abstinentia et patientia ad omnem obedientiam roboratur.
Notes
- 1 ↩imperfectionem obedientiae praepedire is slightly elliptical: taken as the two motives that hobble still-imperfect obedience and keep it from becoming perfect, explained by the following id est clause.
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