Sections.
1. The sum of true wisdom—viz. the knowledge of God and of ourselves. Effects of the
latter.
2. Effects of the knowledge of God, in humbling our pride, unveiling our hypocrisy,
demonstrating the absolute perfections of God, and our own utter helplessness.
3. Effects of the knowledge of God illustrated by the examples, 1. of holy patriarchs; 2.
of holy angels; 3. of the sun and moon.
1. Ourwisdom, in so far as it ought to be deemed true and solid Wisdom, consists almost
entirely of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves. But as these are connected
together by many ties, it is not easy to determine which of the two precedes and gives birth
to the other. For, in the first place, no man can survey himself without forthwith turning
his thoughts towards the God in whom he lives and moves; because it is perfectly obvious,
that the endowments which we possess cannot possibly be from ourselves; nay, that our
very being is nothing else than subsistence in God alone. In the second place, those blessings
which unceasingly distil to us from heaven, are like streams conducting us to the fountain.
Here, again, the infinitude of good which resides in God becomes more apparent from our
poverty. In particular, the miserable ruin into which the revolt of the first man has plunged
us, compels us to turn our eyes upwards; not only that while hungry and famishing we may thence ask what we want, but being aroused by fear may learn humility. For as there exists
in man something like a world of misery, and ever since we were stript of the divine attire
our naked shame discloses an immense series of disgraceful properties every man, being
stung by the consciousness of his own unhappiness, in this way necessarily obtains at least
some knowledge of God. Thus, our feeling of ignorance, vanity, want, weakness, in short,
depravity and corruption, reminds us (see Calvin on John 4:10), that in the Lord, and none
but He, dwell the true light of wisdom, solid virtue, exuberant goodness. We are accordingly
urged by our own evil things to consider the good things of God; and, indeed, we cannot
aspire to Him in earnest until we have begun to be displeased with ourselves. For what man
is not disposed to rest in himself? Who, in fact, does not thus rest, so long as he is unknown
to himself; that is, so long as he is contented with his own endowments, and unconscious
or unmindful of his misery? Every person, therefore, on coming to the knowledge of himself,
is not only urged to seek God, but is also led as by the hand to find him.
2. On the other hand, it is evident that man never attains to a true self-knowledge until
he has previously contemplated the face of God, and come down after such contemplation
to look into himself. For (such is our innate pride) we always seem to ourselves just, and
upright, and wise, and holy, until we are convinced, by clear evidence, of our injustice, vileness, folly, and impurity. Convinced, however, we are not, if we look to ourselves only,
and not to the Lord also —He being the only standard by the application of which this
conviction can be produced. For, since we are all naturally prone to hypocrisy, any empty
semblance of righteousness is quite enough to satisfy us instead of righteousness itself. And
since nothing appears within us or around us that is not tainted with very great impurity,
so long as we keep our mind within the confines of human pollution, anything which is in
some small degree less defiled delights us as if it were most pure just as an eye, to which
nothing but black had been previously presented, deems an object of a whitish, or even of
a brownish hue, to be perfectly white. Nay, the bodily sense may furnish a still stronger illustration of the extent to which we are deluded in estimating the powers of the mind. If, at
mid-day, we either look down to the ground, or on the surrounding objects which lie open
to our view, we think ourselves endued with a very strong and piercing eyesight; but when
we look up to the sun, and gaze at it unveiled, the sight which did excellently well for the
earth is instantly so dazzled and confounded by the refulgence, as to oblige us to confess
that our acuteness in discerning terrestrial objects is mere dimness when applied to the sun.
Thus too, it happens in estimating our spiritual qualities. So long as we do not look beyond
the earth, we are quite pleased with our own righteousness, wisdom, and virtue; we address
ourselves in the most flattering terms, and seem only less than demigods. But should we once begin to raise our thoughts to God, and reflect what kind of Being he is, and how absolute the perfection of that righteousness, and wisdom, and virtue, to which, as a standard,
we are bound to be conformed, what formerly delighted us by its false show of righteousness
will become polluted with the greatest iniquity; what strangely imposed upon us under the
name of wisdom will disgust by its extreme folly; and what presented the appearance of
virtuous energy will be condemned as the most miserable impotence. So far are those qualities in us, which seem most perfect, from corresponding to the divine purity.
3. Hence that dread and amazement with which as Scripture uniformly relates, holy
men were struck and overwhelmed whenever they beheld the presence of God. When we
see those who previously stood firm and secure so quaking with terror, that the fear of death
takes hold of them, nay, they are, in a manner, swallowed up and annihilated, the inference
to be drawn is that men are never duly touched and impressed with a conviction of their
insignificance, until they have contrasted themselves with the majesty of God. Frequent
examples of this consternation occur both in the Book of Judges and the Prophetical Writings;1
so much so, that it was a common expression among the people of God, “We shall
die, for we have seen the Lord.” Hence the Book of Job, also, in humbling men under a
conviction of their folly, feebleness, and pollution, always derives its chief argument from
descriptions of the Divine wisdom, virtue, and purity. Nor without cause: for we see Abraham the readier to acknowledge himself but dust and ashes the nearer he approaches to behold
the glory of the Lord, and Elijah unable to wait with unveiled face for His approach; so
dreadful is the sight. And what can man do, man who is but rottenness and a worm, when
even the Cherubim themselves must veil their faces in very terror? To this, undoubtedly,
the Prophet Isaiah refers, when he says (Isaiah 24:23), “The moon shall be confounded, and
the sun ashamed, when the Lord of Hosts shall reign;” i.e., when he shall exhibit his refulgence, and give a nearer view of it, the brightest objects will, in comparison, be covered with
darkness.
But though the knowledge of God and the knowledge of ourselves are bound together
by a mutual tie, due arrangement requires that we treat of the former in the first place, and
then descend to the latter.