“My son, if thou come to serve the Lord, prepare thy soul for temptation.”
God. All must be tried, Tobias xii. 13., and Hebrews xii. 6., and Luke xxiv. 46. But God will grant sufficient grace, 1 Corinthians x. 13. (Calmet)
“Set thy heart aright, and constantly endure, and make not haste in time of trouble.”
Humble. Greek, “regulate thy heart, and endure, and make not haste in the time of trouble,” (Haydock) inflicted by God. (Grotius) — But not impatient, Isaias xxviii. 16. — Clouds. Literally, “overcast,” obductionis. (Haydock) — Desire not death, in order to be covered from the miseries of life; for that would (Worthington) border on despair. (Haydock)
“Cleave unto him, and depart not away, that thou mayest be increased at thy last end.”
Patience. Or expectation of being relieved. (Menochius)
“For gold is tried in the fire, and acceptable men in the furnace of adversity.”
Humiliation. It shews what they really are. (Calmet)
“Look at the generations of old, and see; did ever any trust in the Lord, and was confounded? or did any abide in his fear, and was forsaken? or whom did he ever despise, that called upon him?”
Enlightened. With joy, Isaias lviii. (Menochius) — This verse is not in Greek. To avoid such frequent repetitions, it would be well to mark the passages in different characters, (Haydock) or between crotchets, as in the French version. (Calmet) — Yet the Greek editions are not uniform. See Drusius and Hæschel.
“Woe unto you that have lost patience! and what will ye do when the Lord shall visit you?”
Ways. Attempting to reconcile the service of the world with that of God, who rejects hypocrites, (Haydock) the inconstant, and faint-hearted, ver. 15., and 3 Kings xviii. 21. (Calmet) — Virtues and sins will receive their due. (Worthington)
Hearts. With God’s grace (Haydock) to fight manfully. (Calmet) — Sanctify. Greek, “humble their souls, saying, we shall,” &c., ver. 22. (Haydock) — Prayer, vigilance, and humility are the best dispositions to resist the devil.
Men. He alludes to 2 Kings xxiv. 14. In this world, God punishes with mercy; in the next, with severity, Daniel xiii. 23. (Calmet)