Morals on the Book of Job, Volume 1

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“But we must know that the will of Satan is always evil, but his power is never unjust, for his will he derives from himself, but his power he derives from God. For what he himself unrighteously desires to do, God does not allow to be done except with justice. Whence it is well said in the book of Kings, the evil spirit of God came upon Saul. 1 Sam. 18:10. You see that one and the same spirit is both called the Lord’s spirit and an evil spirit; the Lord’s, that is, by the concession of just power, but evil, by the desire of an anjust will, so that he is not to be dreaded, who has no power but by permission; and, therefore, that Power is the only worthy object of fear, which when It has allowed the enemy to vent his rage, makes even his unjust will serve the purpose of a just judgment.” (Pages 79–80)

“There are yokes of oxen for us in our possession, when the virtues in harmony plough up the hardness of our mind. We also possess five hundred she asses, when we restrain wanton inclinations, and when whatever of a carnal nature seeks to rise up in us, we curb in the spiritual mastery of the heart.” (Page 54)

“And it is well said of them by the Psalmist, Bloody and deceitful men shall not halve their days. Ps. 55:23. For to ‘halve our days’ is to part off the time of our life misspent in pleasure, for the purpose of penitential mourning, and in parting off to recover the same to a good use. But the wicked never ‘halve their days,’ in that not even in the end of their time do they change their frowardness of heart. Contrary whereunto Paul rightly exhorts, saying, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Eph. 5:16. For we ‘redeem the time,’ when by tears we recover our past life, which by rioting we had lost.” (Page 298)