Folio 42v - the ostrich, continued.
have in themselves no capacity for feeling; they are nevertheless transformed, when kept warm, into living birds. Thus it is undoubtedly a fact that children and young people will remain cold and indifferent unless they are warmed by the careful encouragement of their teacher.
Lest they grow inactive and insensitive through neglect, therefore, they must be cherished by the diligent instruction of teachers, until they are able to live by their own capacity for understanding and take flight on the wings of contemplation.
Even though hypocrites are forever doing wrong, they never cease to utter pious speeches and by their eloquence produce offspring in the faith or as they go about among men; yet they cannot bring them up properly, by example. It is therefore rightly said of the ostrich that it 'abandons its eggs in the ground'.
The hypocrite neglects to take care of his offspring, when he substitutes for intimate love a preoccupation with external things; the more he is absorbed in these, the less he suffers from the absence of his offspring. To abandon eggs in the ground is the same as failing to keep the young, born through association with men, away from earthly things in a protective nest of spiritual encouragement. To abandon eggs in the ground is the same as failing to furnish the young with the example of heavenly life.
Because hypocrites are not fired deep down with love, they are untroubled by the inactivity of their offspring, in the same way as the ostrich is untroubled by the coldness of its eggs. The more willingly hypocrites involve themselves in earthly affairs, the more negligent they are in allowing their offspring to lead an earthbound life.
But God's care does not desert the neglected offspring of the hypocrites; he warms some of them, foreknown and secretly chosen, with his bountiful grace. It is, therefore, rightly added in the text: 'Can you perhaps warm them in the dust?' (BSV and see NEB, Job, 39:14). As if God were to say: 'As I warm them in the dust, because I kindle with the fire of my love the souls of the young set amidst sinners.' The Lord warms the neglected eggs in the dust, therefore, in the sense that he kindles with the fire of his love the souls of the very young, who have been deprived of the care of his preachers and are, in addition, surrounded by sinners.
From this we see that there are many living among the masses who do not share their sluggish way of life. From this we see that there are many
- Commentary
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Commentary
Text
The ostrich and its eggs.
Folio Attributes
- Transcription and Translation
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Transcription
insensibilia in semetipsis sunt; sed tamen calefacta in vivis\ volatilibus convertuntur. Ita nimirum parvuli auditores ac filii\ certum est quod frigidi insensibilesque remaneant, nisi doctoris sui\ sollicita exhortatione calefiant. Ne igitur derelicti in sua in sensibili\ tate torpescant, assidua doctorum voce fovendi sunt, quousque\ valeant et per intelligentiam vivere, et per contemplationem vo\ lare. Quia vero ypocrite quamvis perversa semper operentur, loqui tamen recta non\ desinunt, bene autem loquendo in fide vel in conversationem filios\ pariunt, sed eos bene vivendo nutrire non possunt, recte de hac struci\ one dicitur, que derelinquit in terra ova sua. Curam namque filiorum\ ypocrita negligit qui ex amore intimo rebus se exterioribus subdit, in\ quibus quantomagis extollitur, tanto minus de prolis sue defectu cru\ ciatur. Ova ergo in terra dereliquisse est, natos per conversionem filios\ nequaquam a terrenis actibus interposito exhortationis nido suspen\ dere. Ova in terra dereliquisse est, nullum celestis vite filiis exem\ plum prebere. Quia enim ypocrite per caritatis viscera non calent, \de torpore prolis edite, id est de ovorum suorum frigore nequaquam dolent.\ Et quanto se libentius terrenis actibus inserunt, tanto negligentius\ eos quos generaverint agere terrena permittunt. Sed quia derelictos ypocri-\ tarum filios superna cura non deserit, nonnullos namque etiam ex talibus\ intima electione prescitos, largite gratie respectu calefacit, recte\ subiungitur: Tu forsitan in pulvere calefacies ea? Ac si dicat: Ut\ ego, qui illa in pulvere calefacio, quia [scilicet] parvulorum animas in\ medio peccantium positas, amoris mei igne succendo. Ova ergo\ dominus in pulvere derelicta calefacit, quia parvulorum animas\ predicatorum suorum sollicitudine destitutas, etiam in medio\ peccantium positas, amoris sui igne succendit. Hinc est enim quod\ plerosque cernimus et in medio populorum vivere, et tamen vitam tor\ pentis populi non tenere. Hinc est enim quod plerosque cernimus et\Translation
have in themselves no capacity for feeling; they are nevertheless transformed, when kept warm, into living birds. Thus it is undoubtedly a fact that children and young people will remain cold and indifferent unless they are warmed by the careful encouragement of their teacher. Lest they grow inactive and insensitive through neglect, therefore, they must be cherished by the diligent instruction of teachers, until they are able to live by their own capacity for understanding and take flight on the wings of contemplation. Even though hypocrites are forever doing wrong, they never cease to utter pious speeches and by their eloquence produce offspring in the faith or as they go about among men; yet they cannot bring them up properly, by example. It is therefore rightly said of the ostrich that it 'abandons its eggs in the ground'. The hypocrite neglects to take care of his offspring, when he substitutes for intimate love a preoccupation with external things; the more he is absorbed in these, the less he suffers from the absence of his offspring. To abandon eggs in the ground is the same as failing to keep the young, born through association with men, away from earthly things in a protective nest of spiritual encouragement. To abandon eggs in the ground is the same as failing to furnish the young with the example of heavenly life. Because hypocrites are not fired deep down with love, they are untroubled by the inactivity of their offspring, in the same way as the ostrich is untroubled by the coldness of its eggs. The more willingly hypocrites involve themselves in earthly affairs, the more negligent they are in allowing their offspring to lead an earthbound life. But God's care does not desert the neglected offspring of the hypocrites; he warms some of them, foreknown and secretly chosen, with his bountiful grace. It is, therefore, rightly added in the text: 'Can you perhaps warm them in the dust?' (BSV and see NEB, Job, 39:14). As if God were to say: 'As I warm them in the dust, because I kindle with the fire of my love the souls of the young set amidst sinners.' The Lord warms the neglected eggs in the dust, therefore, in the sense that he kindles with the fire of his love the souls of the very young, who have been deprived of the care of his preachers and are, in addition, surrounded by sinners. From this we see that there are many living among the masses who do not share their sluggish way of life. From this we see that there are many
