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Whoever hopes for this so great good in this world, and in this
earth, his wisdom is but folly. Can any one think it was fulfilled in
the peace of Solomon's reign? Scripture certainly commends that
peace with excellent praise as a shadow of that which is to come. But
this opinion is to be vigilantly opposed, since after it is said,
"And the son of iniquity shall not humble him any more," it is
immediately added, "as from the beginning, from the days in which I
appointed judges over my people Israel." For the judges were
appointed over that people from the time when they received the land of
promise, before kings had begun to be there. And certainly the son of
iniquity, that is, the foreign enemy, humbled him through periods of
time in which we read that peace alternated with wars; and in that
period longer times of peace are found than Solomon had, who reigned
forty years. For under that judge who is called Ehud there were
eighty years of peace. Be it far from us, therefore, that we should
believe the times of Solomon are predicted in this promise, much less
indeed those of any other king whatever. For none other of them
reigned in such great peace as he; nor did that nation ever at all hold
that kingdom so as to have no anxiety lest it should be subdued by
enemies: for in the very great mutability of human affairs such great
security is never given to any people, that it should not dread
invasions hostile to this life. Therefore the place of this promised
peaceful and secure habitation is eternal, and of right belongs
eternally to Jerusalem the free mother, where the genuine people of
Israel shall be: for this name is interpreted "Seeing God;" in
the desire of which reward a pious life is to be led through faith in
this miserable pilgrimage.
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