374 The Teacheis IVisdmn from, God.
Job 38, they are perfectly awake in themselves, they then summon
—^others who are slumbering to awake.
16. But whence is this great wisdom of the teacher, that
he is both perfectly awake in himself, and that he also
summons the slumberers to awake with a certain elevation of
voice ; that he first carefully dispels the darkness of sins,
and afterwards manifests discreetly the light of preaching,
that he suits each one singly, in manner and in time, and that
he shews to all at the same time the result of their doings ?
Whence is it directed to such great subjects, and with such
subtlety, unless it be taught inwardly by Him, by Whom it
was created ? Because then the credit of such great under-
standing is not the merit of the preacher, but of his Creator,
it is rightly said by the same Creator, Or who hath given the
cock understanding ? As ifHe were saying, Except Myself,
Who have instructed the minds of teachers, which I mar-
vellously fashioned out of nothing, more marvellously, to
understand those things which are secret. Whence also, to
shew that He is not only the Inspirer of wisdom in the
sayings of teachers, but also the Author of their words,
he well adds
;
Ver. 37. Who will declare the system of the heavens ?
But because He withdraws their words, when He presents
Himself to us in outward form. He immediately subjoined;
And who will tnake the harmony ofheaven to sleep ?
iv. 17. For in this life the Lord has spoken to our weakness, not
by the outward manifestation of His majesty, but by the
voice of His preachers ; in order that the carnal tongue
might strike those hearts which are still carnal, and that they
might the more readily receive unusual things, the more
they heard them by the sound of an accustomed voice.
But after that the flesh is resolved into dust by death, and
the dust is animated by the resurrection, then we seek not to
hear words from God, because we now behold in outward
appearance that One Word of God, Which fills all things.
Which sounds to us still louder, the more it penetrates our
minds by the power of inward illumination. For when
those words are taken away, which begin, and end, the very
image of the inward vision becomes to us a kind of sound of