Chapter
VIII.
Moreover, wisdom, when it is found in a man, shows
itself also in its possessor’s face, and makes his countenance to
shine; as, on the other hand, effrontery convicts the man in whom it
has taken up its abode, so soon as he is seen, as one worthy of
hatred. And it is on every account right to give careful heed to
the words of the king, and by all manner of means to avoid an oath,
especially one taken in the name of God. It may be fit at the
same time to notice an evil word, but then it is necessary to guard
against any blasphemy against God. For it will not be possible to
find fault with Him when He inflicts any penalty, nor to gainsay the
decrees of the Only Lord and King. But it will be better and more
profitable for a man to abide by the holy commandments, and to keep
himself apart from the words of the wicked. For the wise man
knows and discerneth beforehand the judgment, which shall come at the
right time, and sees that it shall be just. For all things in the
life of men await the retribution from above; but the wicked man does
not seem to know verily99
that
as there is a mighty providence over him, nothing in the future shall
be hid. He knoweth not indeed the things which shall be; for no
man shall be able to
announce any one of them to him duly: for no
one shall be found so
strong as to be able to prevent the
angel who
spoils him of his
life;
100
neither
shall any means be devised for cancelling in any way the
appointed time
of
death. But even as the man who is captured in the midst of the
battle can only see flight
cut off on every side, so all the
impiety of man perisheth utterly together. And I am
astonished,
as often as I contemplate what and how great things men have studied to
do for the hurt of their neighbours. But this I know, that the
impious are
snatched prematurely from this
life, and put out of the way
because they have given themselves to
vanity. For whereas the
providential
judgment101
of
God
does not
overtake all speedily, by reason of His great long-suffering,
and the
wicked is not
punished immediately on the commission of his
offences,—for this reason he thinks that he may
sin the more, as
though he were to get off with impunity, not understanding that the
transgressor shall not
escape the
knowledge of
God even after a long
interval. This, moreover, is the
chief good, to
reverence God;
for if once the impious man fall away from Him, he shall not be
suffered long to misuse his own
folly. But a most vicious and
false opinion often
prevails among men concerning both the
righteous
and the
unrighteous. For they form a
judgment contrary to
truth
regarding each of them; and the man who is really
righteous does not
get the credit of being so, while, on the other
hand, the impious man
is deemed
prudent and upright. And this I
judge to be among the
most grievous of errors. Once, indeed, I thought that the
chief
good consisted in eating and drinking, and that he was most highly
favoured of
God who should
enjoy these things to the utmost in his
life; and I fancied that this
kind of enjoyment was the only
comfort in
life. And, accordingly, I gave heed to nothing but to this
conceit, so that neither by
night nor by day did I withdraw myself from
all those things which have ever been discovered to minister luxurious
delights to men. And this much I learned thereby, that the man
who mingles in these things shall by no means be able, however sorely
he may labour with them, to find the real good.
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