Sermon 22: 1 Samuel 6:6-12

6. Why do you harden your hearts as Egypt and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had struck them, did he not then let them go, and they departed? 7. Now therefore take and make one new cart, and take two milk cows on which no yoke has been laid, and yoke them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home behind them. 8. Then take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart, and put in a chest beside it the golden objects that you are returning to him as a guilt offering; and send it away that it may go. 9. And watch: if it goes up by the way of its own territory, toward Beth-shemesh, then it is he who has done us this great harm. But if not, then we shall know that it was not his hand that struck us; it happened to us by chance. 10. And the men did so: taking two milk cows, they yoked them to the cart and shut up their calves at home. 11. And they put the ark of God upon the cart, and the chest containing the golden mice and the images of their tumors. 12. And the cows went straight along the road to Beth-shemesh; they went along one highway, lowing as they went, and did not turn aside to the right or to the left. And the rulers of the Philistines followed them to the border of Beth-shemesh.

In yesterday's sermon we heard the priests of the Philistines exhorting their people to give glory to the God of Israel — not indeed as the prophets exhort us in the church of God, namely that we should not depart from his worship and veneration, but that, acknowledging him as the fountain and source of all good things, we should place all our trust in him and proclaim his praises among all people at all times. Not so, I say, the Philistines. For whatever they say about God's glory, they do not from the heart but under compulsion; seized by dread, they fear greater punishments, and therefore they urge their people no longer to contend with the God of Israel, but rather to confess themselves defeated. From which let us learn that we have by no means done our duty if we confess that God's power is greater than our own strength, but only if we willingly submit ourselves to be governed by his authority, and render to him the honor that is due — namely, that we not only acknowledge that he has supreme authority over all created things, but also that we have him and love him as a father, and render due obedience, and be zealous for the promotion of his glory. And let this be the distinction between the glory that unbelievers and the glory that the faithful render to God. For after those wretched blind ones have raised themselves up against God like wild beasts, at last, compelled by force, they confess that God must be yielded to, and his power, against which they are no match to resist. But God is to be glorified in a far different manner: namely, that we attribute to him the praise of all power, justice, and goodness. For if God's goodness is recognized by us, first we will regard him as an omnipotent father, then we will venerate and worship him, drawn not by fear but by love and affection, and finally we will be moved to give him thanks for so many benefits that flow from his generosity.

Next, let us consider the words of these priests, which contain a very great and weighty exhortation, so that you would call them true prophets and preachers. For they bring up the examples of the Egyptians and Pharaoh, who hardened their hearts, and they vehemently dissuade their people from imitating them, deterring them by the fear of divine vengeance, and they say: 'What, we ask, Philistines, will you gain by retaining the ark among you any longer? Will you not, like the Egyptians of old, be overcome if you resist? Do you not know that Pharaoh, after he had long tried to evade, was finally compelled to let the people of Israel go — indeed, to beg them to leave his borders? Since therefore the God of Israel displayed his power and might in defense of his people's cause by so many signs against

the most powerful and flourishing king — indeed, he overthrew and destroyed the resisting king together with his kingdom — what do you think will become of you? You see how the priests and diviners recall to the memory of their people God's judgments against the Egyptians, exercised on behalf of the people's departure from the land of Egypt, so that they might deter them from their purpose by fear of similar punishments.

Surely these men had advanced greatly in the knowledge of God, who draw this conclusion. For the sense of this speech is as follows: Whatever God once did, he did for the sake of the people he had adopted, that he might protect them against the unjust violence of Pharaoh and the Egyptians, set them free, and publicly attest his care for his church. Indeed, if they grasped those marvels of God only confusedly and indistinctly, they would not prove that they had advanced much. But since they review in detail and specifically what happened in Egypt — with what plagues and to what end they were struck and afflicted by the Lord, namely to vindicate and set free the people he had chosen — and then conclude that they must fear lest they incur similar punishments, they seem indeed to have advanced greatly, especially since from the premises they infer that God is always like himself, never changing either his power or his will. Surely if these things have sunk more deeply into our hearts, we will have advanced greatly in God's school. For why is it that we cannot turn to our own use the histories we read about God's marvelous works and judgments, except that times seem to us to change and not to be the same, and we do not recognize that God is immutable, always like himself? And the Philistines hold this as established, and indeed they go even further. For if they had persuaded themselves that Israel had been forsaken by the Lord, they would have persisted in their error longer and would have taken counsel about dismissing the ark more carelessly. But they say that God wills to protect with perpetual care and solicitude the people he has once chosen, and to defend them against any enemies who unjustly oppress them. All this, I say, the Philistines confess, and they seem well instructed in divine matters, and to have advanced in the knowledge of divine law no less than if they had been intimately trained in it.

But in truth, what good does this knowledge do those wretches, who do not convert it to their own use? For since they have recognized that God is immutable, why do they send him away from themselves as a thing of no value? Why do they not turn to the God of Israel, casting aside their idols, if they have such great knowledge of the divine will? But vain superstition has so oppressed and bound their minds that they cannot depart from it, but are rather more deeply immersed and bewitched. From which it appears that this confession and proclamation of divine works proceeded not from a sound mind but from diabolical illusion and vain imagination. For the character of unbelievers is so obstinate and hardened in unbelief that seeing they do not see. And yet, I confess, they perceive certain rays of divine light, but through a lattice, so that they cannot find the way of salvation; rather, always uncertain, they waver, not knowing to which side they should finally lean.

Therefore let us so acknowledge the constancy and immutability of God that we rest in him alone, willingly submit ourselves to him, and compose ourselves at his command; and though all things may seem to be turned upside down, let us nevertheless persevere with a brave and constant spirit in faith. And indeed, unless we recognize that God is always like himself, let us fear that those wretched diviners and enchanters of the Philistines will one day be our judges, who professed that the God of Israel was always like himself and that his power was constant, as had been known for many centuries. Therefore let us partly endeavor that we may not one day find them as our judges, who thought rightly about God's power; and partly also let us be careful not to imitate them, who, although they recognized God's power, nevertheless did not submit themselves, nor did they reject their idolatrous forms of worship and ceremonies in order to follow true religion.

Moreover, what a great occasion for joy is offered here, when God is said to offer his power and might for the benefit of his people! For with what greater joy can we be filled, with what gladness can we more exult, than when, persuaded of God's singular love toward us, we do not doubt that he will exert his power in helping us when necessity requires it? Indeed, this joy is so great that, relying on God alone, we may rejoice and exult even in the greatest distresses, casting all our care and anxiety upon God. And often in the Scriptures God's power, providence, and therefore his peculiar care for the faithful who lean upon him is impressed upon us, so that we may never recoil from him out of fear of anything. And surely, unless — however sharp we may be in intellect and wisdom — this is fixed in our minds, we shall stand in distress supported by no hope but shall be violently shaken. But if, on the contrary, this conviction has been more deeply fixed and rooted in our hearts — that God is not only omnipotent but also exerts his power in protecting those by whom he is worshiped and invoked — then surely we shall never be dislodged from confidence in him by any storms and tempests, nor shall we fear that we will not experience his present power in times of affliction. And in this way we shall easily despise whatever is contrary to our salvation, and we shall defy all enemies who threaten us, whether against our bodies or against our souls. And in the midst of afflictions and distresses we shall rejoice, so that no pain however bitter, no sadness will break and crush us. Finally, since God testifies that the covenant he once struck with his church was not made in vain — a church whose defender he showed himself to be in the most desperate circumstances — let us know that this also pertains to us. Therefore, whatever histories we may encounter in which God's benevolence signs of benevolence will appear toward his people, let us apply them to ourselves, and let us persuade ourselves that God will never fail us, no matter how great and powerful the enemies rising up against us and threatening death, but since he retains the same power as of old, he will also exercise it so that we may carry victory over our enemies and be delivered from all dangers, even from death itself. And enough has been said about these matters up to now. As for the phrase 'hardening the heart,' it denotes a certain remarkable rebellion and stubbornness, unable to yield to God and his warnings. For although some give loose reins to their desires, they are not therefore properly said to harden their heart, which does not happen except after warnings have been contumaciously rejected. For example, a drunkard who, not struggling against God but overcome by his vice, indulges in wine, will not therefore be said to harden his heart. The same is to be said of the fornicator, the same of others laboring under any vice whatever, whom blind and brute desire carries headlong into vices, not a spirit of resisting God. But if we resist God when he warns us, whether through his word or through some remarkable deed, calling us to himself, or if we are too sluggish in responding and continue in our vices, then we are said to harden and stiffen our hearts. From where the prophet in Psalm 95 admonishes the faithful with these words: 'Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your heart.' And this is the force of the phrase 'hardening or stiffening one's heart.' From this we are warned that we must show ourselves teachable to God's admonitions, and never delay when he calls, but follow wherever he leads. For although ignorance and that native brute stupor, under whose guidance we follow our natural senses without discrimination, admit no excuse, yet we deserve far graver punishments when, having neglected and despised God's admonitions, we as it were declare war on him and try to test with whom the future victory lies. Therefore we must watch most diligently for this very thing, that we tremble at even the smallest admonition of the divine word, and willingly submit ourselves to the mighty hand of God, and pray that God himself soften our innate hardness and change our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh. Indeed, even if God does not address us through his word, but yet rouses us by sending punishments, we must call to mind the sins by which we have stirred up his wrath against us, lest we linger in them any longer and lest we withdraw further from him; and therefore with a humble and teachable spirit let us compose ourselves to his obedience and the nod of his will. Therefore if we do not listen to the Lord speaking, and flee to him, if we do not feel his hand to which we should willingly submit, if we do not acknowledge his justice to which we should freely obey and submit, truly we shall never escape the charge of stubbornness, rebellion, and hardness of spirit, but rather shall have willingly declared war with an obstinate mind.

But how much I fear that, since the Lord has often urged us through such warnings, and we have hitherto been deaf, we may fall into this crime of stubbornness! Truly we shall experience a heavier judgment than the pagans of old, whom we see to have raised their minds to the Lord's corrections, even though they had received neither prophets nor any private teachers or monitors. What then do we think will happen to us, who have the purity of the Scriptures, unless we apply it to our use and instruction? Should we not fear that on the last day of judgment we will find those blind and ignorant ones as our judges, unless we have so walked in the fear of God that we have paid attention to his admonitions?

Furthermore, the Philistines say that the Egyptians resisted for a long time but were finally forced to yield to the Lord. From this we learn that the rebellion of unbelievers will profit them nothing, except that they bring greater and more severe condemnation and confusion upon their own heads. Thus God tolerated Pharaoh's stubbornness for a time, so that he might render him more inexcusable and make his own power more celebrated, so that from our confusion God's glory might be more illustrious and celebrated, as Paul himself teaches. For if Pharaoh had obeyed at the Lord's first threat or plague, this doctrine which is of the greatest importance in the church today would not be known. And so from Pharaoh's stubbornness and hardening of heart, God's power and the nature of his judgments are better known to us today. From this let us learn that after long and lasting afflictions and calamities, we shall at last, even unwillingly, acknowledge that it was God's hand that afflicted us, and with our greater confusion God's glory will be more celebrated. Then let us learn to listen early to God when he speaks, and compose ourselves in obedience to him, that we may honor and reverence him with due honor.

Next let us hear the counsel suggested by the priests and diviners to the Philistines. And so they advised that, having taken wood and made a cart from it, they should place the ark of God upon it, and beside it the likenesses of mice and of their tumors; then they should yoke to the cart two cows, either pregnant or nursing (though I prefer nursing, since he specifically says their calves should be shut up in stalls, lest the cows be called back or led away by them, but should keep to the road where God would lead). For if the calves had gone ahead, it would not have been surprising that the mothers followed, for this is implanted by nature in those animals. But if the calves were behind, the mothers would certainly have pulled the cart in different directions and strayed from the straight path, and therefore those diviners and enchanters would not have had so manifest and certain an indication of divine power and of a hand hostile to the Philistines as they demanded. They therefore want cows yoked to the cart, so that they cannot go backward or fight against each other; and they conclude that if those cows go straight toward Beth-shemesh — which means 'house of the sun' — the road that pointed toward Shiloh, where the ark had previously had its dwelling, it must necessarily be acknowledged that the plagues were sent upon them by the God of Israel. But if they take another road, then so many plagues befell them by chance. From this it appears how uncertain and wavering unbelievers are in their knowledge of God, who at one moment praise and esteem his power, and at the next return to their errors and vain thoughts about God. Indeed, above those diviners and enchanters of the Philistines seemed to have been persuaded and to have held it beyond all doubt that they had been afflicted by the hand and vengeance of Israel's God, who, as he had once executed his judgments against Pharaoh's tyranny for the salvation of the people, so now also had sent lethal plagues for the vindication of his glory. But now they overturn what they had previously established, saying they will take a sign from the journey of the cows whether God was the author of those plagues. Indeed they are far from a true confession, for they ought rather to have openly professed that they were being punished by God for their iniquities; but they waver in doubt and want to make a test whether they were struck by chance or by God's hand. How great, I ask, is this stupor, and who has bewitched these wretches so that they do not see what they see, and imitate drunkards or those seized by lethargy? For what are they seeking? And first indeed they are blinded by that false opinion of fortune and seem like drunkards who, though so overwhelmed with wine that neither head nor feet perform their function, yet demand wine and strive to drive out wine with wine. But they do not cure themselves in this way. No differently do these wretches heap error upon error. For it is a false and impious opinion to think that anything happens by chance. But since they perceive that the wrath of Israel's God weighs heavily upon them, and are so persuaded, they determine that a remedy must be sought against it; but first they want to inquire whether the diseases befell them by some chance. But let us learn from this that unbelievers acknowledge God's power only through certain impressions and impulses, not by judgment or reason, so that they always waver in doubt and never have anything certain about God. This is evident from the speech of those priests, for a little before they had spoken so splendidly about God and his judgments, but now they overturn and corrupt the very thing they had established. So much the more seriously must we think about ourselves, so that when we have thought well about God and esteemed and proclaimed his virtue and power, we may not call it into doubt, but hold it fast and fixed in our minds, lest we be distracted into various thoughts by which we now lean one way, now another, and lighter than a feather are carried by any wind. But acknowledging God with certain knowledge and conviction, and his providence, let us resist all opinions and vain thoughts, and as with a trusty shield let us receive and repel all the frauds and illusions of Satan. Then, as I have already touched upon, let us detest that opinion of fortuitous chance as diametrically opposed to our faith, and let us abominate as impious and profane those words 'Fortune' and 'Chance.' Although I confess that common usage allows us to say that something happened by chance or by accident, and indeed with respect to human beings we may rightly say that many things happen by chance and accidentally. Yet that opinion about fortune must be entirely removed from our minds, since we cannot say 'fortune' without offense to God, for as much is taken away from God's power as is attributed to fortune. And indeed when in the confession of faith we profess that God is omnipotent, we overthrow chance and fortune. For we do not call God omnipotent merely because he does whatever he wills, but especially because nothing happens without his nod and providence, and because he so rules and governs the world that not even a sparrow falls to the ground without his will. In short, God's omnipotence and fortune or fortuitous chance cannot stand together. For if fortune rules, let God not even exist; and let just that much be taken from the divinity. On the other hand, if God retains his omnipotence, it is certain that all those vain opinions about fortune must be erased from our minds. And this doctrine is worthy of the deepest consideration, especially since such is the vanity and malice of human beings that they hardly allow that opinion about fortuitous chances to be uprooted from their minds. Therefore it is necessary that we all the more fix in our minds the knowledge of God's omnipotence, and frankly confess that all things are ruled and governed by God's providence and power, and that nothing happens without his nod and decision, and unless decreed by him; and indeed that all causes depend on his eternal counsel, so that he holds in check all things above and below by a certain hidden power, so that neither winds, nor air, nor dryness, nor moisture, nor heat, nor cold, nor fertility, nor barrenness of fields, nor scarcity of crops, nor disease, nor calamity occur without his nod and providence.

And let enough have been said thus far about that depraved yet innate opinion about fortune. Let us pass to what those priests conjecture about the path of the cows. 'If,' they say, 'the cows do not go up by the road leading to Beth-shemesh, then these evils befell us by chance.' Yet before they had confessed that the hand of the God of Israel was heavy upon them; but now they demand a sign by which to discern whether some chance or God's hand afflicted them, and they imagine for themselves something that rests on no certainty and no foundation. I confess indeed that sometimes God's servants have received a sign or augury from the outcome of events — but not as these men now do. Let the example be that servant of Abraham who, coming to seek a wife for Isaac his master's son, said: 'If there shall be a maiden, when I say to her: Please lower your jar that I may drink, who shall say: Drink, and I will give your camels drink too — her have you appointed for your servant Isaac,' 'and in this I shall know that you exercise kindness toward my master.' Nor does he add: 'If this happens or otherwise, it will have happened by chance,' but he hopes and is persuaded that God will direct him in this way to obtain the one he sought. He therefore imagines nothing vain here by which God would be bound, but commits himself to God's providence. For we know that this servant was well persuaded of God's favor with which he embraced Abraham, and hoped also for a blessing and a happy outcome of the journey undertaken, lest he return empty-handed and with the task unaccomplished to his master. Since therefore he is fully persuaded of divine help, he takes a sign for himself by which he may become more certain of God's favor. Nor is there any doubt that he was excited and impelled to this by divine instinct and inspiration and by a certain extraordinary movement; therefore he is as far from that vain Philistine opinion about chance as truth is from falsehood. We must therefore take the utmost care not to follow their opinion or imitate their example, when they say: 'We waver in uncertainty, therefore: If the cows take the straight road toward Beth-shemesh, the God of Israel has afflicted us with plagues; but if otherwise, some fortuitous chance has befallen us.' But let us learn from this that whenever some calamity or persecution assails us, we should acknowledge that we are struck by God's hand, and let us recall to memory what is found everywhere among the prophets on this subject. For we see the Lord reproaching his people through the prophet Isaiah that they did not return to their very striker and did not seek the Lord of hosts. Indeed many groans, laments, and wailings were heard everywhere among them, and even blasphemous voices against God, as though they bore the iniquity of their fathers and were unjustly afflicted by the Lord — from where those complaints are rebuked in them through the prophet: 'The fathers have eaten unripe grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge.' Yet they did not rise up to God, nor did they acknowledge his hand, imitating dogs who gnaw at stones without looking at the one who throws them. The same usually happens to unbelievers when they are afflicted by God: for they indeed feel the blows, but they do not see God's hand as though it were invisible; and they are indeed prompt and diligent in asking 'Who strikes?' but they cannot direct their eyes to God. So much the more diligently, therefore, must this doctrine be fixed in our minds, the more it is sinned against — namely, that whatever calamity presses upon us, we should know that God has been provoked to wrath by our sins, and therefore peace and pardon must be sought from him, on the condition that, with his help, we do not relapse into them. Therefore we must examine and weigh ourselves whenever God warns us by sending punishments, lest he himself first bring forward the articles of accusation against us and convict us as guilty. And therefore let us confess that we are more than sufficiently convicted as guilty when God stretches out his hand to punish us, and yet punishes quite lightly. But let us perceive that his wrath grows heavier because, when people harden themselves in sins, he is compelled by the principle of his justice to punish them more severely. As he once warned his people through Moses with these words: 'But if by this means you will not listen to me but walk with me recklessly, then I will walk with you in raging fury, recklessly, and I will chastise you sevenfold for your sins.' For who would not rightly judge that people are insane and say they want to wage war against God, when they try to break through the barriers set by him? For afflictions sent by God may rightly be called barriers by which God strives to keep us in our duty, otherwise conspiring as it were against our own destruction — as if God himself addressed us with these words: 'Beware lest you leap over these barriers that have been set up, lest you rush willingly to your ruin.' Therefore let us think it is sheer madness when we are not brought by afflictions to confession and acknowledgment of divine justice. Indeed there is no room here for disputation, no room for conjectures or divinations, but we must freely confess that no adversities and no prosperities either befall us except from that one author, yet so that he himself is beyond all blame. Furthermore, in Sacred Scripture there are everywhere sufficiently clear testimonies by which it is confirmed that this is true — that our afflictions flow from God alone, no less than our successes and prosperities. Thus Amos: 'There is no evil in a city that God has not sent.' Furthermore, when Scripture speaks thus it does not make God the author of sin, but understands evil insofar as it comes from God as just punishment inflicted on human beings. So far, then, from having occasion to accuse God of either injustice or cruelty, on the contrary, when he strikes us with some calamity and affliction, it is necessary that we examine ourselves and rise up all the way to his hand, which uses afflictions as rods to punish us. Nor can we rise up to God's hand without being affected by a sense of our sins, and without being led, as we weigh the course of our life, to true repentance and sincere conversion to God. Therefore let us not flee from the blows of that hand, but rather willingly submit ourselves and implore mercy, lest we imitate those wretches who, wavering this way and that, could not put their faith in God, but if the condition they set is fulfilled, they say they will believe the plagues were sent from God's hand — but if not, that they happened by chance. Far be such vain thoughts from us; rather let us so think of God that, persuaded that he is most just and omnipotent, we may know that he will judge all things, and that no evil occurs except from his hand, so that, seriously affected by a sense of our sins, we may renounce our sins and detest them more and more.

Nevertheless the cows are said to have kept to that road toward Beth-shemesh, which they had prescribed. But not because God assented to the prayers of the Philistines, or because their trifles and divinations should be regarded as prophecy, but because God wished to provide for the glory of his name, with those brute animals keeping to the straight road by which the ark of God would be brought back to its own possession. Meanwhile it should be observed that God allowed the Philistines to remain in their error. Nor is there any doubt that those priests, diviners, and enchanters afterward boasted among their own people of the success of their divination and of a special revelation, so that their idol might retain its former dignity among them. Consider their stupor: for the God of Israel manifests his power even to the unwilling, with those brute animals teaching them, but nevertheless they return to their former illusions and seek certainty of the matter they are investigating from augury, and place their faith in what has happened according to their expectation. See how God sometimes permits unbelievers to divine, and permits their divinations and prophecies to be fulfilled, so that they may be more blinded. From this it is evident that a worthy reward is paid them by God; for since they refuse to follow the truth but rather pursue falsehood, they are surely worthy of being deceived by falsehood. For did not conscience convict the Philistines and prove it was God's hand, that even against their will they were forced to release the ark of Israel's God, whose heavy hand they had felt, and to whom they therefore ought to have turned? But they are far from this counsel. They confess him to be omnipotent, but they want to have no dealings with him; indeed they hasten to send him far away and to persevere in their former error and idolatry. Therefore God by his just judgment grants power and efficacy to the error of their diviners and magicians, and bestows the faculty of divining for a moment and a single act. For they do not advance in prophecy, nor turn it to their own benefit, but rather turn it to their greater judgment and condemnation. Therefore let none of us marvel at the Philistines as though they spoke through the mouth of Balaam and Caiaphas — for thus the Lord by his just judgment permits the blinded wicked to be further confirmed in their errors. And the most evident reason for these judgments of God is this: that since they did not love the truth but preferred falsehood, they should also be deceived by falsehood, as Moses once clearly taught, and Paul in his Second Epistle to the Thessalonians. God therefore brought it about that things happened just as the priests, diviners, and enchanters had prescribed — namely, that the cows went straight toward Beth-shemesh. For even the unwilling Philistines had to behold and acknowledge that the God of Israel has power and dominion over all creatures whatever. But since they attributed to their idol what belongs properly to the one living God, they were therefore plunged into the deepest abyss of idolatry and so blinded by the darkness of ignorance

that no further remedy remained for them, and they were incorrigible. But here we must not pass lightly over that speech of the Lord speaking through the cows, which, although mute and brute, nevertheless proclaimed his supreme power, as the Psalmist teaches more fully in other places, and specifically in Psalm 119. For who would deny that the cows keeping to the straight road toward Beth-shemesh were a clear speech and, without tongue, a most certain proclamation of divine power and providence? For the Philistines were made more certain than before of God's special providence. How so? Namely, they recognized that the steps of those beasts were directed by God; then from the lowing with which they filled the road they also saw something unusual, as though by their lowing they were calling upon and proclaiming the God of Israel. Indeed they had neither voice nor speech, but they were so driven that with all the parts of their bodies they testified that they were ruled and governed by God. In truth the Philistines seem to have made some progress in the knowledge of God; but it would have gone far better for them if from those brute animals they had learned to depend entirely on God's providence. But let us recognize that even now the lowing of those cows has filled the whole world to convict the unbelieving and obstinate. For what shame is it, I ask, that we cannot follow God when he shows us the way that leads to himself and invites us to himself with kind promises? Why do we resist and fight against the truth that is offered? Why are we so insane as to rush headlong into trackless ways and expose ourselves to the ridicule of all? Shall brute animals have shown the Philistines the way to repentance, while we, to whom God has given the use of reason and understanding to distinguish evil from good, who have received the spirit of prudence, who boast of the gift of reason and of God's Spirit — shall we nevertheless not acknowledge God and always go in the opposite direction against what is forbidden?

Some here invent allegories and say that Beth-shemesh signifies 'house of the sun,' and so the road to Beth-shemesh is the road that leads straight to God, turning aside neither to the right nor to the left. But these are more remote from the sense and rest on no certain foundation. For us, let that simplicity suffice — namely, that those cows followed the straight road toward Beth-shemesh, the place which had been the dwelling of the ark of the covenant up to that time, and turned aside nowhere, neither to the right nor to the left. And therefore let us learn to listen to God as he teaches and to follow him, and to be put to shame unless we detest and abominate our malice and stubbornness. For otherwise we shall experience a far heavier judgment unless we follow God wherever he leads and run our course with the same speed until we reach the goal set before us. And let enough have been said about these things, from which we must learn how necessary it is for our sluggishness to be roused by God and for our stupor to be rebuked by the example of beasts set before us — as those well-known words from the prophet Isaiah show: 'I have raised and brought up children,' says the Lord, 'but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's manger; Israel does not know, my people do not understand.' As if he were saying: See those brute animals — they are so tame, they recognize their master's voice, they submit to the yoke; but you, who are endowed with reason, cannot recognize your God — and therefore how he rebukes the madness of human beings, that they estrange God from themselves and cannot submit to his power. Therefore we must endeavor, whenever God addresses us, to prick up our ears and pay attention, and follow the road he has prescribed, turning aside neither to the right nor to the left, so that at last, having followed his word, we may reach the goal set before us.

Come now, brothers, etc.

6. Why do you harden your hearts as Egypt and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He struck them, did He not let them go, and they departed? 7. Now take and make a new cart, and take two milk cows on which no yoke has ever been laid, and yoke them to the cart; then shut their calves up at home. 8. Take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart; and put the golden objects you are returning as a guilt offering in a box beside it, and send it on its way. 9. Then watch: if it goes up by the road to Beth-shemesh toward its own territory, then it is He who has done us this great harm. But if not, then we will know that it was not His hand that struck us — it happened to us by chance. 10. The men did so: they took two milk cows and yoked them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home. 11. They put the ark of God on the cart, along with the box containing the golden mice and the images of their tumors. 12. The cows went straight along the road toward Beth-shemesh; they kept to one highway, lowing as they went, and did not turn to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh.

In yesterday's sermon we heard the Philistine priests urging their people to give glory to the God of Israel — but not in the way the prophets urge us in the church of God. The prophets urge us not to depart from God's worship and honor, but to acknowledge Him as the fountain and source of all good things, place all our trust in Him, and proclaim His praises among all people at all times. Not so the Philistines. Whatever they said about God's glory, they said not from the heart but under compulsion — seized by dread, fearing greater punishments, they urged their people to stop resisting the God of Israel and instead to confess themselves defeated. From this let us learn that we have by no means done our duty if we merely confess that God's power is greater than our own strength — our duty is to willingly submit ourselves to be governed by His authority, and to render Him the honor that is due. This means not only acknowledging that He has supreme authority over all created things, but also that we have Him and love Him as a Father, render Him due obedience, and are zealous for the promotion of His glory. Let this be the distinction between the glory that unbelievers and the glory that the faithful render to God. After those wretched blind people have raised themselves against God like wild animals, they are at last compelled by force to confess that God must be yielded to, and that His power is beyond their ability to resist. But God is to be glorified in a far different manner: by attributing to Him the praise of all power, justice, and goodness. For if we truly recognize God's goodness, we will first regard Him as an all-powerful Father, then we will reverence and worship Him — drawn not by fear but by love and affection — and finally we will be moved to give Him thanks for the countless benefits that flow from His generosity.

Next, let us consider the words of these priests, which contain such a weighty and powerful exhortation that you might almost call them true prophets and preachers. They bring up the examples of the Egyptians and Pharaoh, who hardened their hearts, and they strongly urge their people not to imitate them, deterring them with the fear of divine vengeance. They say: What, Philistines, will you gain by keeping the ark among you any longer? Will you not, like the Egyptians of old, be overwhelmed if you resist? Do you not know that Pharaoh, after long trying to evade, was finally compelled to let the people of Israel go — indeed, to beg them to leave his borders? Since the God of Israel displayed His power and might in defense of His people's cause by so many signs against

the most powerful and flourishing king — indeed, overthrowing and destroying the resisting king along with his kingdom — what do you think will become of you? You see how the priests and diviners recalled to their people's memory God's judgments against the Egyptians, exercised on behalf of Israel's departure from Egypt, in order to deter their own people from their stubborn course by fear of similar punishment.

Surely these men had advanced considerably in the knowledge of God, to draw this conclusion. The point of their speech is this: whatever God once did, He did for the sake of the people He had adopted — to protect them against the unjust violence of Pharaoh and the Egyptians, to set them free, and to publicly demonstrate His care for His church. If they had only grasped these wonders of God in a vague and confused way, that would not prove much. But since they reviewed in detail what happened in Egypt — with what plagues and to what purpose the Egyptians were struck by the Lord, namely to vindicate and free the people He had chosen — and then concluded that they must fear a similar punishment, they seem to have advanced considerably, especially since from these premises they infer that God is always the same, never changing either His power or His will. If these things have sunk more deeply into our own hearts, we will have advanced greatly in God's school. Why is it that we cannot turn to our own use the histories we read about God's wonderful works and judgments, except that the times seem to us to change and we fail to recognize that God is unchangeable, always the same? The Philistines held this as established — and in fact went even further. For if they had persuaded themselves that Israel had been abandoned by the Lord, they would have persisted in their error longer and deliberated more carelessly about sending the ark away. But they declared that God wills to protect with perpetual care and attention the people He has once chosen, and to defend them against any enemies who unjustly oppress them. All this the Philistines confessed — and they seemed well instructed in divine matters, as if they had been intimately trained in the knowledge of God's law.

But in truth, what good does this knowledge do those wretches, who do not convert it to any use? Since they recognized that God is unchangeable, why did they send Him away from themselves as a thing of no value? Why did they not turn to the God of Israel, casting aside their idols, if they had such great knowledge of the divine will? But vain superstition had so bound and oppressed their minds that they could not depart from it — they were only more deeply immersed and bewitched. From this it appears that this confession and proclamation of God's works did not proceed from a sound mind but from diabolical illusion and empty imagination. For the character of unbelievers is so obstinate and hardened in unbelief that seeing they do not see. And yet, I grant, they perceive certain rays of divine light — but as if through a lattice, so that they cannot find the way of salvation; always uncertain, they waver, not knowing which way to lean.

Therefore let us acknowledge the constancy and unchangeableness of God in such a way that we rest in Him alone, willingly submit ourselves to Him, and compose ourselves at His command — and though all things may seem turned upside down, let us nonetheless persevere with a courageous and steadfast spirit in faith. Unless we recognize that God is always the same, let us fear that those wretched diviners and enchanters of the Philistines will one day be our judges — for they professed that the God of Israel was always the same and that His power was constant, as had been known for many centuries. Let us therefore strive, on the one hand, not to find them as our judges one day — for they thought rightly about God's power; and on the other hand, let us be careful not to imitate them — who, though they recognized God's power, nevertheless did not submit themselves, nor did they reject their idolatrous worship and ceremonies to follow true religion.

What a great occasion for joy is offered here, when God is said to exert His power and might for the benefit of His people! With what greater joy can we be filled, with what gladness can we more exult, than when — persuaded of God's singular love for us — we do not doubt that He will exercise His power to help us when necessity requires? This joy is so great that, relying on God alone, we may rejoice and exult even in the greatest distresses, casting all our care and anxiety upon God. Often in Scripture God's power, providence, and His particular care for the faithful who lean on Him is impressed upon us, so that we may never recoil from Him out of fear of anything. Surely, unless this is fixed in our minds — however sharp our intellect and wisdom may be — we will stand in distress with no hope to support us and will be violently shaken. But if, on the contrary, this conviction has been more deeply fixed and rooted in our hearts — that God is not only all-powerful but also exercises that power in protecting those by whom He is worshipped and called upon — then no storms or tempests will ever dislodge us from our confidence in Him, and we will not fear that His present power will fail us in times of affliction. In this way we will easily disregard whatever is opposed to our salvation and defy all enemies threatening us — whether against our bodies or our souls. In the midst of afflictions and distresses we will rejoice, so that no pain however bitter, no sorrow will break and crush us. Finally, since God testifies that the covenant He once made with His church was not made in vain — a church whose defender He proved Himself to be in the most desperate circumstances — let us know that this applies to us as well. Therefore, whatever histories we encounter in which God's goodness toward His people appears, let us apply them to ourselves and persuade ourselves that God will never fail us, no matter how great and powerful the enemies rising up against us — for retaining the same power as of old, He will exercise it so that we may carry off victory over our enemies and be delivered from all dangers, even from death itself. Enough has been said on these matters. As for the phrase 'hardening the heart,' it describes a remarkable rebellion and stubbornness that refuses to yield to God and His warnings. For although some give free rein to their desires, they are not therefore properly said to harden their heart — that only happens when warnings have been defiantly rejected. For example, a drunkard who, not fighting against God but simply overcome by his vice, indulges in wine, will not be said to harden his heart. The same applies to the fornicator and to others driven by any vice whatever — it is blind and brute desire that carries them into vice, not a spirit of resistance to God. But if we resist God when He warns us — whether through His Word or through some remarkable act, calling us to Himself — or if we are too slow to respond and continue in our vices, then we are said to harden and stiffen our hearts. This is why the prophet in Psalm 95 admonishes the faithful: Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart. This is the force of the phrase 'hardening or stiffening one's heart.' We are warned by this that we must show ourselves teachable to God's admonitions and never delay when He calls, but follow wherever He leads. Although ignorance and native brute dullness — by which we follow our natural impulses without discernment — admits of no excuse, we deserve far graver punishment when, having disregarded and despised God's admonitions, we in effect declare war on Him and try to determine who will prevail. We must therefore watch most diligently for this: that we tremble even at the smallest warning from God's Word, willingly submit to His mighty hand, and pray that God Himself soften our inborn hardness and change our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh. Indeed, even if God does not address us through His Word but rouses us by sending punishment, we must call to mind the sins by which we have stirred up His wrath against us, lest we linger in them any longer or draw further away from Him. With a humble and teachable spirit, let us compose ourselves to His obedience and the direction of His will. Therefore if we do not listen to the Lord when He speaks, do not flee to Him, do not feel His hand to which we should willingly submit, do not acknowledge His justice to which we should freely yield — truly we shall never escape the charge of stubbornness, rebellion, and hardness of heart, but will have willingly and obstinately declared war.

How much I fear that, since the Lord has often warned us and we have hitherto been deaf, we may fall into this crime of stubbornness! Truly we will face a heavier judgment than the pagans of old, whom we see raised their minds to the Lord's corrections even though they had received no prophets, no private teachers or advisors. What then do we think will happen to us, who have the purity of the Scriptures, unless we apply it to our use and instruction? Should we not fear that on the last day of judgment we will find those blind and ignorant ones as our judges — unless we have walked in the fear of God and paid attention to His warnings?

Furthermore, the Philistines noted that the Egyptians resisted for a long time but were finally forced to yield to the Lord. From this we learn that the rebellion of unbelievers profits them nothing — except to bring greater and more severe condemnation and shame upon their own heads. God tolerated Pharaoh's stubbornness for a time so that He might render him more inexcusable and make His own power more widely known — so that from Pharaoh's ruin God's glory might be more fully celebrated, as Paul himself teaches. For if Pharaoh had obeyed at the Lord's first threat or plague, the doctrine that is of such great importance in the church today would not be known. And so from Pharaoh's stubbornness and hardening of heart, God's power and the nature of His judgments are better known to us today. From this let us learn that after long and lasting afflictions, we shall at last — even against our will — acknowledge that it was God's hand that struck us, and with our greater shame God's glory will be more fully celebrated. Therefore let us learn to listen early to God when He speaks, and compose ourselves in obedience to Him, so that we may honor and reverence Him with the honor that is due.

Let us now hear the counsel the priests and diviners suggested to the Philistines. They advised taking wood, building a cart, placing the ark of God on it along with the likenesses of mice and tumors, and yoking two cows to the cart — either pregnant or nursing, though I think nursing is meant, since he specifically says their calves should be shut up in stalls. The calves were to be kept back so that the cows would not be drawn or turned aside by them, but would follow only where God led. For if the calves had gone ahead, it would not have been surprising that the mothers followed — this is the natural instinct of those animals. But if the calves were kept behind, the mothers would certainly have pulled in different directions and wandered from the straight path — and therefore the diviners and enchanters would not have had such a clear and certain sign of divine power and of a hand hostile to the Philistines as they required. They therefore wanted cows yoked to the cart so they could not go backward or fight each other; and they concluded that if those cows went straight toward Beth-shemesh — meaning 'house of the sun,' the road pointing toward Shiloh where the ark had previously dwelt — it must necessarily be acknowledged that the plagues had been sent by the God of Israel. But if the cows took a different road, then the plagues had struck them by chance. From this it appears how uncertain and wavering unbelievers are in their knowledge of God — at one moment praising and acknowledging His power, at the next returning to their errors and empty thoughts about God. Indeed, the diviners and enchanters of the Philistines appeared above to have been convinced beyond all doubt that they had been struck by the hand and vengeance of Israel's God — who, as He had once executed His judgments against Pharaoh's tyranny for the people's salvation, so now had sent lethal plagues to vindicate His glory. But now they undermine what they had previously established, saying they will take a sign from the journey of the cows to determine whether God was the author of those plagues. They are far from a true confession — for they should rather have openly declared that they were being punished by God for their sins; but they waver in doubt and want to test whether they were struck by chance or by God's hand. How great, I ask, is this blindness, and who has bewitched these wretches so that they do not see what they see — imitating drunkards or those overcome by lethargy? For what are they actually seeking? First, they are blinded by that false opinion of fortune, and are like drunkards who, though so overwhelmed with wine that neither head nor feet function, still demand more wine, trying to drive out wine with wine. But they do not cure themselves this way. No differently do these wretches heap error upon error. For it is a false and impious belief to think that anything happens by chance. And yet, since they perceive that the wrath of Israel's God weighs heavily upon them, they determine that a remedy must be sought — but first they want to inquire whether the diseases befell them by some accident. Let us learn from this that unbelievers acknowledge God's power only through certain impulses and impressions, not by judgment or sound reasoning — so that they always waver in doubt and never have anything certain about God. This is evident from the speech of those priests: a moment before they had spoken so magnificently about God and His judgments, and now they undermine the very thing they had established. So much the more seriously must we think about ourselves — so that when we have thought rightly about God and proclaimed His virtue and power, we may not call it into doubt but hold it firm and fixed in our minds, lest we be swept into conflicting thoughts, leaning now one way and now another, as light as a feather carried by any wind. Acknowledging God with certain knowledge and conviction — and His providence — let us resist all empty opinions and vain thoughts, and as with a trusty shield receive and repel all the frauds and illusions of Satan. Then, as I have already touched upon, let us detest that belief in blind chance as utterly opposed to our faith, and let us reject as impious and godless the words 'Fortune' and 'Chance.' I grant that common usage allows us to say that something happened by chance or by accident — and with respect to human foresight, many things rightly appear to happen unexpectedly. Yet the belief in fortune as an independent power must be entirely removed from our minds, for we cannot say 'fortune' without offending God — whatever is attributed to fortune is taken away from God's power. When in the confession of faith we declare that God is all-powerful, we overthrow the notion of chance and fortune. We do not call God all-powerful merely because He does whatever He wills, but especially because nothing happens without His will and providence, and because He so rules and governs the world that not even a sparrow falls to the ground without His will. In short, God's omnipotence and fortune cannot coexist. If fortune rules, let God not even exist — so much is taken from His divinity. On the other hand, if God retains His omnipotence, it is certain that all those empty beliefs about fortune must be erased from our minds. This teaching deserves the deepest consideration, especially since such is the vanity and stubbornness of human beings that they barely allow this belief in blind chance to be uprooted. Therefore it is all the more necessary for us to fix in our minds the knowledge of God's omnipotence, and to confess openly that all things are ruled and governed by God's providence and power, that nothing happens without His will and decision, that all causes depend on His eternal counsel — so that He holds in check all things above and below by a certain hidden power: and that winds, air, drought, moisture, heat, cold, fruitfulness, barrenness, scarcity of crops, disease, and calamity occur only by His will and providence.

Let enough have been said about that corrupt yet deeply ingrained belief in fortune. Let us move on to what those priests conjectured about the path of the cows. If, they said, the cows do not go up the road leading to Beth-shemesh, then these evils befell us by chance. Yet they had just confessed that the hand of the God of Israel was heavy upon them; but now they demand a sign by which to tell whether chance or God's hand had struck them — imagining something with no certainty or foundation. I grant that sometimes God's servants have received a sign or confirmation from the outcome of events — but not as these men now do. Take the example of Abraham's servant who came to seek a wife for his master's son Isaac, and said: If there is a maiden, and when I say to her: Please lower your jar so I may drink, she replies: Drink, and I will water your camels too — she is the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac, and by this I will know that You are showing kindness to my master. He did not add: If this happens or doesn't happen, it will have occurred by chance — but he hoped and was persuaded that God would direct him in this way to find the one he sought. He therefore imagined nothing vain by which God would be bound, but committed himself to God's providence. For we know that this servant was fully persuaded of God's favor toward Abraham and hoped for a blessing and a successful outcome to the journey, lest he return empty-handed. Since he was fully persuaded of divine help, he took a sign to confirm God's favor for himself. There is no doubt that he was moved and impelled to this by divine instinct and inspiration, by an extraordinary inner prompting — and therefore he was as far from the Philistines' vain belief in chance as truth is from falsehood. We must therefore take the utmost care not to follow the Philistines' example when they say: We are uncertain — so if the cows take the straight road toward Beth-shemesh, the God of Israel has struck us; if not, some chance has befallen us. But let us learn from this that whenever some calamity or persecution assails us, we should acknowledge that we are struck by God's hand, and recall to mind what the prophets say on this subject throughout the Scriptures. We see the Lord rebuking His people through the prophet Isaiah for not returning to the one who struck them and not seeking the Lord of hosts. Many groans, laments, and wailings were heard among them — and even blasphemous voices against God, as though they were bearing the iniquity of their fathers and were being unjustly afflicted — which is why those complaints are rebuked by the prophet: The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge. Yet they did not turn to God or acknowledge His hand — like dogs who gnaw at the stone but never look at the one who threw it. The same usually happens to unbelievers when God afflicts them: they feel the blows, but they do not see God's hand as though it were invisible; they are quick to ask Who strikes? but they cannot direct their eyes to God. All the more diligently, therefore, must this teaching be fixed in our minds — the more it is sinned against: namely, that whatever calamity presses upon us, we should know that God has been provoked to wrath by our sins, and that peace and pardon must be sought from Him, on the condition that with His help we do not relapse into those sins. Therefore we must examine and weigh ourselves whenever God warns us through punishment, lest He Himself first bring forward the charges against us and convict us as guilty. And let us confess that we are more than sufficiently convicted when God stretches out His hand to punish us — and punishes quite lightly. But let us perceive that His wrath grows heavier because, when people harden themselves in sin, He is compelled by His justice to punish them more severely. As He once warned His people through Moses: But if by this means you will not listen to Me but walk with Me recklessly, then I will walk with you in raging fury, recklessly, and I will discipline you sevenfold for your sins. Who would not rightly say that people are out of their minds when they try to break through the barriers God has set? For the afflictions God sends may rightly be called barriers by which He strives to keep us in our duty — as if God Himself were saying to us: Take care lest you leap over these barriers, lest you rush willingly to your own ruin. Let us therefore consider it sheer madness when afflictions do not bring us to confession and acknowledgment of God's justice. There is no room here for debate, no room for speculation or divination — we must freely confess that no adversities and no prosperities befall us except from that one Author, and yet that He Himself is beyond all blame. In Scripture there are everywhere clear testimonies confirming this truth: our afflictions flow from God alone, no less than our successes and prosperities. Thus Amos: There is no evil in a city that God has not sent. When Scripture speaks this way, it does not make God the author of sin — it understands evil as the just punishment God inflicts on human beings. So far, therefore, from having occasion to accuse God of injustice or cruelty, when He strikes us with some calamity, we must rather examine ourselves and rise up to His hand, which uses afflictions as rods to discipline us. Nor can we rise to God's hand without being moved by a sense of our sins, and being led — as we take stock of our lives — to true repentance and sincere conversion to God. Therefore let us not flee from the blows of that hand, but willingly submit ourselves and implore mercy — lest we imitate those wretches who wavered this way and that, unable to put their faith in God, who would only believe the plagues came from God's hand if a certain condition were met, and otherwise attributed them to chance. Far be such empty thoughts from us; rather let us think of God in such a way that, persuaded He is perfectly just and all-powerful, we may know that He judges all things, and that no evil occurs except from His hand — so that, genuinely moved by a sense of our sins, we may renounce and detest them more and more.

Still, the cows are said to have kept to the road toward Beth-shemesh, exactly as the priests had prescribed. But this was not because God approved of the Philistines' prayers, or because their divinations deserved to be treated as prophecy. God acted as He did to provide for the glory of His own name — directing those brute animals to keep the straight road so that His ark would be returned to His own people. We should also notice that God allowed the Philistines to remain in their error. Without doubt, those priests, diviners, and enchanters afterward boasted among their own people that their divination had succeeded and that they had received a special revelation — using this to preserve their idol's former dignity. Consider their blindness: the God of Israel displayed His power even before unwilling witnesses, with brute animals teaching them what they refused to learn — yet they returned to their old illusions and sought certainty from omens, placing their confidence in an outcome that had matched their expectation. This shows us how God sometimes allows unbelievers to divine, and permits their predictions to be fulfilled, so that they may be even more deeply blinded. This is a just reward: since they refuse to follow the truth and chase after falsehood instead, they deserve to be deceived by falsehood. Had their conscience not already convicted the Philistines? Did they not know it was God's hand — since they had felt His heavy hand and were forced, even against their will, to release the ark of Israel's God, and therefore ought to have turned to Him? But they are far from taking that step. They confess Him to be all-powerful, yet they want nothing to do with Him. They hasten to send Him far away and persist in their former error and idolatry. So by His just judgment, God grants power and effectiveness to the error of their diviners and magicians, giving them the ability to divine for a moment and in a single instance. But they do not advance in prophecy or turn it to their own benefit. Instead, it becomes the means of greater judgment and condemnation for them. Let none of us be amazed that the Philistines spoke as if through the mouth of Balaam or Caiaphas — for the Lord, by His just judgment, permits the blinded wicked to be further confirmed in their errors. The clearest reason for these judgments of God is this: since they did not love the truth but preferred falsehood, they are given over to falsehood to be deceived by it — as Moses once plainly taught, and Paul in his second letter to the Thessalonians. So God brought it about that things happened exactly as the priests, diviners, and enchanters had prescribed — the cows went straight toward Beth-shemesh. Even the unwilling Philistines had to witness and acknowledge that the God of Israel holds power and dominion over all creatures. But because they attributed to their idol what belongs rightly to the one living God, they were plunged into the deepest abyss of idolatry and so blinded by the darkness of ignorance

that no remedy remained for them, and they became incorrigible. But we must not pass lightly over the way God spoke through those cows — mute and brute as they were, they nonetheless proclaimed His supreme power, as the Psalms teach more fully in other places, including Psalm 119. Who could deny that the cows keeping straight on the road toward Beth-shemesh was a clear declaration — a proclamation without words — of divine power and providence? The Philistines became more certain than ever before of God's special providence. How so? They recognized that the steps of those animals were directed by God. And in the lowing that filled the road, they saw something unusual — as if by that cry the cows were calling upon and proclaiming the God of Israel. The cows had no voice or speech, yet they were so driven that with every part of their bodies they testified that they were ruled and governed by God. The Philistines seem to have made some progress in the knowledge of God. But it would have gone far better for them if those brute animals had taught them to depend entirely on God's providence. Let us recognize that even now the lowing of those cows fills the whole world to convict the unbelieving and obstinate. What shame is it that we cannot follow God when He shows us the way to Himself and invites us with kind promises? Why do we resist and fight against the truth that is offered to us? Why are we so foolish as to rush headlong into pathless wandering and make a spectacle of ourselves? Shall brute animals have shown the Philistines the way to repentance, while we — to whom God has given reason and understanding to distinguish good from evil, who have received the spirit of wisdom, who boast of the gift of reason and of God's Spirit — still refuse to acknowledge God and always go in the opposite direction against what He has forbidden?

Some here invent allegorical interpretations and say that Beth-shemesh means 'house of the sun,' and so the road to Beth-shemesh represents the road that leads straight to God, turning neither right nor left. But these readings are far from the plain sense and rest on no solid foundation. For us, let simplicity be enough — that those cows followed the straight road toward Beth-shemesh, the place where the ark of the covenant had been kept, and turned aside nowhere, neither right nor left. From this let us learn to listen when God teaches and to follow where He leads — and to be ashamed unless we turn from our own stubbornness and rebellion. Otherwise we will face a far heavier judgment unless we follow God wherever He leads and run our course with the same directness until we reach the goal set before us. Let this be enough on these things — from which we must learn how necessary it is for God to rouse our laziness and rebuke our numbness by the example of animals set before us. This is what those well-known words from the prophet Isaiah show: 'I have raised and brought up children,' says the Lord, 'but they have rebelled against Me. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's feeding trough; Israel does not know, My people do not understand.' As if He were saying: Look at these animals — they are tame, they recognize their master's voice, they submit to the yoke. But you, who are endowed with reason, cannot recognize your God. What a rebuke to human madness — that people estrange God from themselves and cannot submit to His authority. Let us therefore endeavor, whenever God speaks to us, to open our ears and pay careful attention, following the road He has prescribed, turning neither right nor left, so that having followed His Word to the end, we may reach the goal set before us.

Come now, brothers, etc.