Moreouer Iobs singular patience and other vertues are likewise commended in other Scriptures and by ancient Doctours, Tobiæ. 2. God permitted tentation to happen vnto Tobias, that example might be giuen to his folowers of his patience, as of holie Iob, S. Iames (c. 5.) exhorting to patience, sayth: Iobs patience inuincible in al sortes of affliction.You haue heard the suffering of Iob, and you haue seen the end of our Lord. Tertullian (li. de patientia) admiring Iobs patience exclameth thus: O most happie man! whom neither the driuing away of his flocks of catle, nor consuming of the rest with fire, nor the losse of his children, nor torments of his bodie, could driue from patience: but he stood immoueable in the seruice of God, for example to vs that we fal not for anie worldlie damage, losse of dearest friends, or corporal afflictions. And blessed be God, by whose blessing we may now say: English Catholikes loose their goods & children, & are afflicted in bodie.O happie English Catholikes, that patiently suffer the very same kinds of tribulation, (though not in so great a degree) in our time! S. Cyprian (li. de bono patientiæ) Iob examined and proued by the vertue of patience, was aduanced to the very height of prayse, a rich lord in possession, and a more rich father in children, sodainly was neither Lord, nor father: was also most grieuously afflicted in his flesh: and that no tentation might be wanting, the diuel armed his wife against him, yet was he not moued, but by victorious patience thanked God for al. In like sort other holie fathers, for encouragement and consolation of the afflicted, write much of holie Iobs inuincible patience. Great commendation to be good amongst the bad.Aboue al S. Gregorie, our Apostle, dilateth most excellently in thirtie and fiue whole books, describing and proposing his so great vertues to be imitated by al Christians, Phil. 2.
Apoc. 2.
Cantic.first of al (li. 1. c. 5.) obseruing how great a prayse it is to be good in such a place, in the middes of a crooked and peruerse nation, shining as a light in the world, dwelling in the gentiles, where was the seate of Satan, a lillie amongst thornes.
Sacrifice being of infinite vertue, yet the valure in application is limited.5. Offered holocaustes for euerie one.) Albeit the vertue of Sacrifice as wel of Holocaust in the old Testament, as especially of Christs Sacrifice in the New, is of infinite valure in it-selfe, yet the application therof to particular persons and purposes is limited, and therfore holie Iob offered not only once for al his children, but manie times, seuerally for euerie one. Wherof see Cardinal Allan li. 2. de Eucharist. Sacrific. c. 35.
CHAP. II.
AND it came to passe when on a certaine day the sonnes of God were come and stood before our Lord, and Satan came among them, and stood in his sight, 2that our Lord sayd to Satan: From whence commest thou? who answering sayd: I haue gone round about the earth, and walked through it. 3And our Lord, sayd to Satan: Hast thou considered my seruant Iob, that there is not the like to him in the earth, a man [1] simple, and right, and fearing God, and departing from euil, and yet reteyning innocencie? But
- ↑ A man of plaine & true dealing mixed with meeknes without al guile is called a simple right man S. Greg. li. 1. Moral. c. 2. & 10.
