the emperor to such a degree that she seemed to command him, answered: “By being modest and faithful, and not trying to pry into his secrets.”[1] By the same means men can gain the favor and grace of the supreme Emperor of heaven, and keep it constantly, namely, by being faithful to Him in all things, by obeying all His commands, and submitting to the hidden decrees of His Providence without murmuring against or prying into them curiously.
And not judge of the divine decrees until their justice shall be shown to us on the last day. The time shall come when we shall know all about them, namely, on the last day, at the end of the world, as we have seen already, when the Almighty shall publicly, in the sight of all men, angels, and demons, justify the dispensations of His Providence. Now He acts like a painter or tapestry hanger; while these artists are actually engaged in their work, and the painting or tapestry is yet unfinished, they do not wish any one to see it; therefore they close their workshops, or else hang a screen before the work, that no one may look at it. If a person were to steal into the workshop he would see all distorted figures, here half a man’s face, there the head of a horse, on one side the horns of an ox, on another the trunk of a tree, the paws of a lion, etc. An ignorant man looking at those unfinished figures would be inclined to find fault with the artist, and to turn his work into ridicule: Oh, he would say, what laughable figures! what distorted pictures! Why is that body without a head? what is that foot doing there? where are the nose and ears of that face? who ever saw a man’s head without a body? and so on. What would the artist answer to such a critic? Full of just indignation he would show him the door and say: fools and children should never be allowed to see unfinished paintings; wait till my work is completed and exposed in public, then come back and see how those distorted figures will turn out, and you shall have reason to praise what you now find fault with. See, exclaims St. Augustine, speaking against those over-curious individuals who dare to measure with their weak understandings the works of Divine Providence, and think that this or that is not ordained rightly or justly—see how presumptuous the human mind can be! Poor mortal! who has made you so insolent? “No one would dare to blame the work in the artist’s workshop; but you do not hesitate to blame the Almighty in what He does in the world!”[2]
