459. The rivers of Babylon rush and fall and sweep away.
O holy Zion, where all is firm and nothing falls!
We must sit upon the waters, not under them or in them, but on them; and not
standing but seated; being seated to be humble, and being above them to be
secure. But we shall stand in the porches of Jerusalem.
Let us see if this pleasure is stable or transitory; if it pass away, it is
a river of Babylon.
460. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, pride, etc.--There are
three orders of things: the flesh, the spirit, and the will. The carnal are
the rich and kings; they have the body as their object. Inquirers and
scientists; they have the mind as their object. The wise; they have
righteousness as their object.
God must reign over all, and all men must be brought back to Him. In things
of the flesh lust reigns specially; in intellectual matters, inquiry
specially; in wisdom, pride specially. Not that a man cannot boast of wealth
or knowledge, but it is not the place for pride; for in granting to a man
that he is learned, it is easy to convince him that he is wrong to be proud.
The proper place for pride is in wisdom, for it cannot be granted to a man
that he has made himself wise, and that he is wrong to be proud; for that is
right. Now God alone gives wisdom, and that is why Qui gloriatur, in Domino
glorietur.74
461. The three lusts have made three sects; and the philosophers have done
no other thing than follow one of the three lusts.
462. Search for the true good.--Ordinary men place the good in fortune and
external goods, or at least in amusement. Philosophers have shown the vanity
of all this and have placed it where they could.
463. Philosophers.-