The tax collector in the Gospel, therefore, acting properly, did not wish even to lift up his eyes,^[1] but on the other hand, the disciple who is present with Jesus would reasonably lift them up when he is given the command, Lift up your eyes and see the fields, that they are already white to harvest.^[2]

The prophet, too, says, Lift up your eyes on high.^[3] But in addition, in Psalm 122 (LXX), which is the fourth song of the gradual psalms,^[4] the prophet, when he has lifted up his eyes to God in a fitting manner, says, To you who dwell in heaven I have lifted up my eyes. Behold as the eyes of servants are on the hands of their masters, as the eyes of a handmaid are on the hands of her mistress, so our eyes are on the Lord our God, until he has mercy on us.

And if we must also show more clearly for whom it is now proper to imitate Jesus by lifting up his eyes, in that he also lifts up his eyes, and for whom this is not proper, but who, like the tax collector, should not only stand far away from the temple but also not wish to lift up his eyes, we will quote the words of Daniel about the lawless elders who lusted after Susanna. The words are as follows: And they perverted their own mind and turned their eyes away that they might not look to heaven or remember just judgments.^[5] These words should be taken along with the following remarks made about Susanna, But she, weeping, looked up to heaven, for her heart trusted in the Lord.^[6] Notice in these words that those who perverted their own mind turned their eyes away that they might not look to heaven, but she who trusted in the Lord looked up to heaven as a result of her trust in the Lord.

Behold the eyes of the Lord are on them that fear him.^[1] Elsewhere, it says, The eyes of the Lord are on the just,^[2] but here, on those that fear him. When we look upon the Lord and our eyes are on him, so that we say, Behold as the eyes of the servants are on the hands of their masters, so are our eyes unto the Lord our God, then, we, as it were, draw the eye of the Lord to watch over us.

What does he mean then by saying, for he must reign until he has put all enemies under his feet? Is the Lord to reign only until his enemies begin to be under his feet, and once they are under his feet will he cease to reign? Of course his reign will then commence in its fullness when his enemies begin to be under his feet. David also in the fourth Song of Ascents speaks thus, Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until he has mercy on us. Will the prophet, then, look to the Lord until he obtains mercy, and when mercy is obtained will he turn his eyes down to the ground, although elsewhere he says, My eyes fail, looking for your salvation, and for your righteous promise?^[1] I could accumulate countless instances of this usage and cover the verbosity of our assailant^[2] with a cloud of proofs; I shall, however, add only a few and leave the reader to find similar ones for himself.

We must find out whence true patience, worthy of the name, is to be had. There are those who attribute it to the powers of human will, not those that people have from divine assistance but from their own free will.^[1] But that is an arrogant error. It is the error of the rich about which the psalm speaks, a reproach to the rich and contempt to the proud. It is not the patience of the poor, which shall not perish forever.^[2] For the poor receive it from the wealthy One to whom it is said, You are my God, for you have no need of my goods,^[3] from whom is every best gift and every perfect gift,^[4] on whom the poor and needy person calls, who praises his name and by seeking, by asking, by knocking, says, Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the sinner and out of the hand of the transgressor of the law and of the unjust. For you are my patience, O Lord: my hope, from my youth.^[5] The rich and those who disdain being needy before the Lord should not receive true patience from him. Glorying in their own false patience, they wish to confound the counsel of the poor person, but the Lord is his hope.^[6] Since they are human and attribute so much to themselves, that is, to their human will, they do not tend to apply to themselves the words of Scripture: Cursed is everyone that trusts in man.^[7] For, even if sometimes in order not to displease people or to suffer worse ills, they bear up under things that are hard and rugged, or else in pleasing themselves and loving their own presumption they suffer these same evils with an arrogant will, that which the blessed James the apostle said about wisdom must be said to them about their patience: This is not the wisdom that descends from above. It is earthly, sensual, devilish.^[8] For, why is there not a false patience of the proud just as there is a false wisdom of the proud? He who is the source of true wisdom is also the source of true patience. And to him the one who is poor in spirit sings, My soul is subject to God, for from him is my patience.^[9]