The
Knowledge of God and of Ourselves
by
Gaspar Olevian
Edited
by R.P. Woitowitz Sr.
Our
w wisdom, 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. [Read Matthew 4:4] In
the second place, those blessings which [He] unceasingly distills to
us from heaven, are like streams conducting us to the fountain. [Read
John 4:14, 6:35]. 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 (Read John Calvin’s comments 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.
[Therefore],
it is evident that man never attains to a true self-knowledge until
he have 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.
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; 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 (See 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.
Post
Script
Brethren:
I am reminded here of how
the face of Moses shone after the meeting with God on Mt. Sinai.
30 And Aaron and all the
children of Israel looked upon Moses, and behold, the skin of his
face shone bright, and they were afraid to come near him.
31 But Moses called them:
and Aaron and all the chief of the congregation returned unto him:
and Moses talked with them.
32 And afterward all the
children of Israel came near, and he charged them with all that the
Lord had said unto him in mount Sinai.
33 So Moses made an end
of communing with them, and had put a covering upon his face.
34 But, when Moses came
before the Lord to speak with him, he took off the covering until he
came out: then he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel
that which he was commanded.35 And the children of Israel saw the
face of Moses, how the skin of Moses’ face shone bright: therefore
Moses put the covering upon his face, until he went to speak with
God.
Exodus 34:30-35
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