617 chapter 13: the ministers of the mystical temple Of the Confused: “Enlighten my eyes that I never sleep in death; lest at any time my enemy say: I have prevailed against him” (Ps 13:4-5). More examples of this kind can be drawn, both from the Psalms of David and diverse prayers of various saints. Indeed necessity and God teach us such things. Therefore the devout soul should just be watchful lest it expel the God of infinite goodness from itself by some grave sin, and should not be too anxious about [experiencing emotions] similar [to the examples above]: its Musicians follow the King everywhere.112 But if anything is to be attributed to the ancient masters of yet good Philosophy, and their admonitions are not entirely to be rejected, then I shall be allowed to declare with Tully:113 “Nothing is more sweet than the harmony of the virtues.”114 This harmony pleases Almighty God who wants us to be perfect as He Himself is. O God! “Make us to understand the way of your justifications, and we shall be exercised in your wondrous works” (cf. Ps 118:27). CHAPTER 13 The Ministers of the Mystical Temple Our five senses may not inappropriately be called the ministers of the Mystical Temple. But as two of them, Hearing and Sight, have been reserved for another allegorical interpretation, we have placed here only three: Touch, Taste, and Smell. 112 Here, “King” refers to “God” and “Musicians” to the emotions. Just as one reads at the beginning of this chapter: “In man the emotions take the place of music,” because musicians are those who make music. And so the interpretation proposed by E. Jarra that “King” refers to King David seems to be incorrect; cf. Jarra, p. 25, n. 3 113 Tullius Cicero. 114 Jarra refers this quotation to the work of Cicero’s called On the Orator, 3.6.21, where the discussion is about The Harmony of all doctrines (cf. Jarra, p. 25, n. 4). Yet such a text is not found in this work, as is proven by the index of words where occurrences of suavior and “suavissima etc. are given, but not suavius (more sweet); it seems therefore that this quotation comes from a different work.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjI2Mw==