1 Samuel 9:3

But the asses of Cis, father of Saul, had wandered off, etc. The souls that belonged also to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ had wandered off; because although they lived justly, before the Son of God descended to the earth, they could not receive the first robe. And God the Father said to His only Son: Join to your company the unanimous saints who adhere to you obediently, noble desires, and following you by their own virtue, begin the work of human salvation. But if it is agreeable to accept Cis, father of Saul, as the assembly of the ancient fathers, it is apparent that he carried the care of the souls of the faithful, and earnestly prayed to Christ that He would deign to come in the flesh for their salvation, saying: "O Lord God of hosts, restore us, and show the light of your face, and we shall be saved" (Psalm LXXII), and similar things.

Kish, who is called harsh, signifies not only his elect, but also the Redeemer himself. For no one was harsher toward himself than he. For the prophet, indicating the severity of this harshness, says: "Truly he himself bore our infirmities, and he himself carried our sorrows" (Isa. 53:4). For to die is not to suffer for mortals, who are subject to the suffering of a condemned nature. He therefore was exceedingly harsh toward himself, who had nothing in himself by which he might suffer; but in order to free us by suffering, he graciously assumed that by which he might be harsh toward himself and be able to suffer. The donkeys of Kish are sinful souls. Because even though they have been regenerated in the faith of the Redeemer, they are called stubborn; and lost donkeys, because through uncleanness they have been separated from his service. Hence it is that, as he was heading toward his passion, he sat upon a loosed donkey and her colt (Matt. 21:7), to show openly that he had come to suffer for this purpose: to come to the aid of sinners. For he acknowledged that he was seeking lost donkeys when he said: "The Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). These donkeys he both sought by himself, and still sends preachers to seek them. Therefore Kish tells his son to seek the donkeys, when the Redeemer commands the hearts of the elect by spiritual inspiration to go forth into the ministry of preaching. But those going forth in the office of preaching, because they ought to bring with them only spiritual understanding, are commanded to take one of the servants. For he takes one servant who, while going forth to provide others a pattern of living, is spiritual in everything he does. For he took one of the servants, of whom it was foretold: "He himself will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17). He had taken one servant with him, who says: "We have not received the spirit of this world, but the Spirit which is from God" (1 Cor. 2:12). Hence he says again: "We have the mind of Christ" (ibid., 16). Hence through Ezekiel it is said of the holy living creatures: "Where the impulse of the spirit was, there they went" (Ezek. 1:12). Therefore, when seeking the donkeys, he takes one of the servants: when he who newly begins to seek the gain of souls arranges to do all things spiritually, whatever he thinks to do. But to find…