3. "God is not in his sight, his ways are polluted in all time" (ver. 5). He that knows what in the soul gives joy and gladness, knows how great an ill it is to be abandoned by the light of truth: since a great ill do men reckon the blindness of their bodily eyes, whereby this light is withdrawn. How great then the punish- ment he endures, who through the prosperous issue of his sins is brought to that pass, that God is not in his sight, and that his ways are polluted in all time, that is, his thoughts and counsels are unclean! " Thy judgments are taken away from his face." For the mind conscious of evil, whilst it seems to itself to suffer no punishment, believes that God doth not judge, and so are God's judgments taken away from its face; while this very thing is great condemnation. " And he shall have dominion over all his ene- mies." For so is it delivered, that he will over- come all kings, and alone obtain the kingdom; since too according to the Apostle, who preaches concerning him, " He shall sit in the temple of God, exalting himself above all that is wor- shipped and that is called God." ' 4. And seeing that being delivered over to the lust of his own heart, and predestinated to extreme' condemnation, he is to come, by wicked arts, to that vain and empty height and rule; therefore it follows, " For he hath said in his heart, I shall not move from generation to generation without evil" (ver. 6): that is, my fame and my name will not pass from this gen- eration to the generation of posterity, unless by evil arts I acquire so lofty a principality, that posterity cannot be silent concerning it. For a mind abandoned and void of good arts, and estranged from the light of righteousness, by bad arts devises a passage for itself to a fame so last- ing, as is celebrated even in posterity. And they that cannot be known for good, desire that men should speak of them even for ill, provided that their name spread far and wide. And this I think is here meant, " I shall not move from generation to generation without evil." There is too another interpretation, if a mind vain and full of error supposes that it cannot come from the mortal generation to the generation of eternity, but by bad arts: which indeed was also reported of Simon, when he thought that he would gain heaven by wicked arts, and pass from the lTuman generation to the generation divine by magic.4 Where then is the wonder, if that man of sin too, who is to fill up all the wickedness and un- godliness, which all false prophets have begun, and to do such " great signs; that, if it were pos- sible, he should deceive the very elect," 5 shall say in his heart, " I shall not move from gen- eration to generation without evil "?
5. " Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitter- ness and deceit " (ver. 7). For it is a great curse to seek heaven by such abominable arts, and to get together such earnings for acquiring the eternal seat. But of this cursing his mouth is full. For this desire shall not take effect, but within his mouth only will avail to destroy him, who dared promise himself such things with bitterness and deceit, that is, with anger and insidiousness, whereby he is to bring over the multitude to his side. " Under his tongue is toil and grief." Nothing is more toilsome than unrighteousness and ungodliness: upon which toil follows grief; for that the toil is not only without fruit, but even unto destruction. Which toil and grief refer to that which he hath said in his heart, " I shall not be moved from gener- ation to generation without evil." And there- fore, " under his tongue," not on his tongue, because he will devise these things in silence, and to men will speak other things, that he may appear good and just, and a son of God.
6. " He lieth in ambush with the rich" (ver. 8). What rich, but those whom he will load with this world's gifts? And he is therefore said to lie in ambush with them, because he will display their false happiness to deceive men; who, when with a perverted will they desire to be such as they, and seek not the good things eter- nal, will fall into his snares. " That in the dark he may kill the innocent." " In the dark," 6 I suppose, is said, where it is not easily under- stood what should be sought, or what avoided.
* Acts viii. 9.
S Matt. xxiv. 24.
' /», ultit.
Psalm X.]
ON THE PSALMS.
39 Now to kill the innocent, is of an innocent to make one guilty.
7. " His eyes look against the poor," for he is chiefly to persecute the righteous, of whom it is said, " Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven"' (ver. 9). "He lieth in wait in a secret place, as a lion in his den." By a lion in a den, he means one in whom both violence and deceit will work. For the first persecution of the Church was violent, when by proscriptions, by torments, by murders, the Christians were compelled to sacrifice: another persecution is crafty, which is now conducted by heretics of any kind and false brethren: there remains a third, which is to come by Anti- christ, than which there is nothing more peril- ous; for it will be at once violent and crafty. Violence he will exert in empire, craft in mira- cles. To the violence, the word " lion " refers; to craft, the words " in his den." And these are again repeated with a change of order. " He lieth in wait," he says, " that he may catch the poor; " this, hath reference to craft: but what follows, " To catch the poor whilst he draweth him," is put to the score of violence. For " draweth " means, he bringeth him to him- self by violence, by whatever tortures he can.
8. Again, the two which follow are the same. " In his snare he will humble him," is craft (ver. 10). " He shall decline and fall, whilst he shall have domination over the poor," is violence. For a " snare " naturally points to " lying in wait: " but domination most openly con- veys the idea of terror. And well does he say, " He will humble him in his snare." For when he shall begin to do those signs, the more won- derful they shall appear to men, the more those Saints that shall be then will be despised, and, as it were, set at nought: he, whom they shall resist by righteousness and innocence, shall seem to overcome by the marvels that he does. But " he shall decline and fall, whilst he shall have domination over the poor; " that is, whilst he shall inflict whatsoever punishments he will upon the servants of God that resist him.
9. But how shall he decline, and fall? "For he hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten; He turneth away His face, that He see not unto the end" (ver. 11). This is declining, and the most wretched fall, while the mind of a man prospers as it were in its iniquities, and thinks that it is spared; when it is being blinded, and kept for an extreme and timely vengeance: of which the Psalmist now speaks: "Arise, O Lord God, let Thine hand be exalted" (ver. 12): that is, let Thy power be made manifest. Now he had said above, "Arise, O Lord, let not man pre- vail, let the heathen be judged in Thy sight: "2 1 Matt. v. 3.
* Ps. ix. 19.
that is, in secret, where God alone seeth. This comes to pass when the ungodly have arrived at what seems great happiness to men: over whom is placed a lawgiver, such as they had de- served to have, of whom it is said, " Place a law- giver over them, O Lord, let the heathen know that they are men."3 But now after that hidden punishment and vengeance it is said, " Arise, O Lord God, let Thine hand be exalted; " not of course in secret, but now in glory most manifest. " That Thou forget not the poor unto the end; " that is, as the ungodly think, who say, " God hath forgotten, He turneth away His face, that He should not see unto the end." Now they deny that God seeth unto the end, who say that He careth not for things human and earthly, for the earth is as it were the end of things; in that it is the last element, in which men labour in most orderly sort, but they cannot see the order of their labours, which specially belongs to the hidden things of the Son. The Church then labouring in such times, like a ship in great waves and tempests, awaketh the Lord as if He were sleeping, that He should command the winds, and calm should be restored.4 He says there- fore, " Arise, O Lord God, let Thine hand be exalted, that Thou forget not the poor unto the end."
10. Accordingly understanding now the mani- fest judgment, and in exultation at it, they say, "Wherefore hath the ungodly angered God?" (ver. 13); that is, what hath it profited him to do so great evil? " For he said in his heart, He will not require it." Then follows, " For Thou seest toil and considerest anger, to deliver them into Thine hands" (ver. 14). This sentence looks for distinct explanation, wherein if there shall be error it becomes obscure. For thus has the ungodly said in his heart, God will not require it, as though God regarded toil and anger, to deliver them into His hands; that is, as though He feared toil and anger, and for this reason would spare them, lest their punishment be too burdensome to Him, or lest He should be dis- turbed by the storm of anger: as men generally act, excusing themselves of vengeance, to avoid toil or anger.
11. "The poor hath been left unto Thee." For therefore is he poor, that is, hath despised all the temporal goods of this world, that Thou only mayest be his hope. " Thou wilt be a helper to the orphan," that is, to him to whom his father this world, by whom he was born after the flesh, dies, and who can already say, " The world hath been crucified unto me, and I unto the world." ' For of such orphans God becomes the Father. The Lord teaches us in truth that His disciples do become orphans, to whom He saith, " Call 3 Ps. ix. 20.
4 Matt. viii. 24-36.
5 Gal. vi. 14.
40 THE WORKS OF ST. AUGUSTIN.
[Psalm X.
no man father on earth." ' Of which He first Himself gave an example in saying, " Who is my mother, and who my brethren? " 2 Whence some most mischievous heretics 3 would assert that He had no mother; and they do not see that it fol- lows from this, if they pay attention to these words, that neither had His disciples fathers. For as He said, " Who is my mother? " so He taught them, when He said, " Call no man your father on earth."
12. " Break the arm of the sinner and of the malicious" (ver. 15); of him, namely, of whom it was said above, " He shall have dominion over all his enemies." He called his power then, his arm; to which Christ's power is opposed, of which it is said, " Arise, O Lord God, let Thine hand be exalted. His fault shall be required, and he shall not be found because of it; " 4 that is he shall be judged for his sins, and himself shall perish because of his sin. After this, what wonder if there follow, " The Lord shall reign for ever and world without end; ye heathen shall perish out of His earth"? (ver. 16). He uses heathen for sinners and ungodly.
13. " The Lord hath heard the longing of the poor "(ver. 17): that longing wherewith they were burning, when in the straits and tribulations of this world they desired the day of the Lord. " Thine ear hath heard the preparation of their heart." This is the preparation of the heart, of which it is sung in another Psalm, " My heart is prepared, O God, my heart is prepared: " ' of which the Apostle says, " But if we hope for what we see not, we do with patience wait for it." 6 Now, by the ear of God, we ought, according to a general rule of interpretation, to understand not a bodily member, but the power whereby He heareth; and so (not to repeat this often) by whatever members of His are mentioned, which in us are visible and bodily, must be understood powers of operation. For we must not suppose it anything bodily, in that 1 the Lord God hears not the sound of the voice, but the preparation of the heart.
14. "To judge for the orphan and the humble" (ver. 18): that is, not for him who is conformed to this world, nor for the proud. For it is one thing to judge the orphan, another to judge for the orphan. He judges the orphan even, who condemns him; but he judges for the orphan, who delivers sentence for him. " That man add not further to magnify himself upon earth." For they are men, of whom it was said, " Place a lawgiver over them, O Lord: let the heathen know that they are men." 8 But he 1 Matt, xxiii 9. * Matt. xii. 48.
' [Mnnichees. See A. N. F. vol. vi p. 252. — C] * LXX. var. lect. 61' aiiriivt " because of it." These wod be marked as part of the text, as some mss. are pointed. » P«. Ivii. 7. 6 Rom. viii. 25. » Al wherewith. • Ps. i too, who in this same passage is understood to be placed over them, will be man, of whom it is now said, " That man add not further to magnify himself upon earth: " namely, when the Son of" Man shall come to judge for the orphan, who hath put off from himself the old man, and thus, as it were, buried his father.
15. After the hidden things then of the Son, of which, in this Psalm, many things have been said, will come the manifest things of the Son, of which a little has been now said at the end of the same Psalm. But the title is given from the former, which here occupy the larger portion. Indeed, the very day of the Lord's advent may be rightly numbered among the hidden things of the Son, although the very presence of the Lord itself will be manifest. For of that day it is said, that no man knoweth it, neither angels, nor powers, nor the Son of man.9 What then so hidden, as that which is said to be hidden even to the Judge Himself, not as regards knowledge, but disclosure? But concerning the hidden things of the Son, even if any one would not wish to understand the Son of God, but of David himself, to whose name the whole Psalter is attributed, for the Psalms we know are called the Psalms of David, let him give ear to those words in which it is said to the Lord, " Have mercy on us, O Son of David: " '° and so even in this manner let him understand the same Lord Christ, concerning whose hidden things is the inscription of this Psalm. For so likewise is it said by the Angel: " God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David." " Nor to this understanding of it is the sentence opposed in which the same Lord asks of the Jews, " If Christ be the Son of David, how then doth he in spirit call Him Lord, saying. The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit Thou on my right hand, until I put Thine enemies under Thy feet.",2 For it was said to the unskilled, who although they looked for Christ's coming, yet expected Him as man, not as the Power and Wisdom of God. He teacheth then, in that place, the most true and pure faith, that He is both the Lord of king David, in that He is the Word in the beginning, God with God,'3 by which all things were made; and Son, in that He was made to him of the seed of David according to the flesh. For He doth not say, Christ is not David's Son, but if ye already hold that He is his Son, learn how He is his Lord: and do not hold in respect of Christ that He is the Son of Man, for so is He David's Son; ** and leave out that He is the Son of God, for so is He David's Lord. '5 >° Matt. xx. 30. ,a Matt. xxii. 43, 44. 4 Rom. i. 3. " hidden things" compare Isa. xlv. 15 with 1 Pet. i Psalm XI.]
ON THE PSALMS.
41 PSALM XI.'
TO THE END, A PSALM OF DAVID HIMSELF.2 i. This title does not require a fresh consider- ation: for the meaning of, " to the end," has already been sufficiently handled.3 Let us then look to the text itself of the Psalm, which to me appears to be sung against the heretics,4 who, by rehearsing and exaggerating the sins of many in the Church, as if either all or the majority among themselves were righteous, strive to turn and snatch us away from the breasts of the one True Mother Church: affirming that Christ is with them, and warning us as if with piety and ear- nestness, that by passing over to them we may go over to Christ, whom they falsely declare they have. Now it is known that in prophecy Christ, among the many names in which notice of Him is conveyed in allegory, is also called a moun- tain.5 We must accordingly answer these people, and say, " I trust in the Lord: how say ye to my soul, Remove into the mountains as a sparrow?" (ver. i). I keep to one mountain wherein I trust, how say ye that I should pass over to you, as if there were many Christs? Or if through pride you say that you are mountains, I had indeed need to be a sparrow winged with the powers and commandments of God: but these very things hinder my flying to these mountains, and placing my trust in proud men. I have a house where I may rest, in that I trust in the Lord. For even " the sparrow hath found her a house," 6 and, "The Lord hath become a refuge to the poor." 7 Let us say then with all confi- dence, lest while we seek Christ among heretics we lose Him, " In the Lord I trust: how say ye to my soul, Remove into the mountains as a sparrow? " 2. " For, lo, sinners have bent the bow, they have prepared their arrows in the quiver, that they may in the obscure moon shoot at the upright in heart" (ver. 2). These be the ter- rors of those who threaten us as touching sinners, that we may pass over to them as the righteous. " Lo," they say, " the sinners have bent the bow: " the Scriptures, I suppose, by carnal inter- pretation of which they emit envenomed sentences from them. " They have prepared their arrows in the quiver: " the same words, that is, which they will shoot out on the authority of Scripture, they have prepared in the secret place of the heart. " That they may in the obscure moon 8 shoot at the upright in heart: " that when they see, from the Church's light being obscured by the 1 I.at. x.
2 [It has been most aptly supposed that this Psalm is based on Lot's escape to the mountain. Gen. xix. 20. The imagery of the Psalm strikingly corresponds with his story. — C] 3 See on Ps. iv. * Donatists. 5 See on Ps. iii. 3. 6 Ps. Ixxxiv. 3. 7 Ps ix. 9.
8 [This appears to be from the African Psalter, following the Sept. — C] multitude of the unlearned and the carnal, that they cannot be convicted, they may corrupt good manners by evil communications.? But against all these terrors we must say, " In the Lord I trust."
3. Now I remember that I promised to con- sider in this Psalm with what suitableness the moon signifies the Church.10 There are two probable opinions concerning the moon: but of these which is the true, I suppose it either im- possible or very difficult for a man to decide. For when we ask whence the moon has her light, some say that it is her own, but that of her globe half is bright, and half dark: and when she re- volves in her own orbit, that part wherein she is bright gradually turns towards the earth, so as that it may be seen by us; and that therefore at first her appearance is as if she were horned...According to this opinion the moon in allegory signifies the Church, because in its spiritual part the Church is bright, but in its car- nal part is dark: and sometimes the spiritual part is seen by good works, but sometimes it lies hid in the conscience, and is known to God alone, since, in the body alone is it seen by men...But according to the other opinion also the moon is understood to be the Church, because she has no light of her own, but is lighted by the only-begotten Son of God, who in many places of holy Scripture is allegorically called the Sun." Whom certain heretics '2 being ignorant of, and not able to discern Him, en- deavour to turn away the minds of the simple to this corporeal and visible sun, which is the com- mon light of the flesh of men and flies, and some they do pervert, who as long as they cannot be- hold with the mind the inner light of truth, will not be content with the simple Catholic faith; which is the only safety to babes, and by which milk alone they can arrive in assured strength at the firm support of more solid food. Whichever then of these two opinions be the true, the moon in allegory is fitly understood as the Church. Or if in such difficulties as these, troublesome rather than edifying, there be either no satisfaction or no leisure to exercise the mind, or if the mind it- self be not capable of it, it is sufficient to regard the moon with ordinary '3 eyes, and not to seek out obscure causes, but with all men to perceive her increasings and fulnesses and wanings; and if she wanes to the end that she may be renewed, even to this rude multitude she sets forth the image of the Church, in which the resurrection of the dead is believed.
4. Next we must enquire, what in this Psalm is meant by " the obscure moon," in which sin- ners have prepared to shoot at the upright in 9 1 Cor. xr. 33.
>° [See on Ps. vm. p. 30, SHpra. — C.J 11 Mai. iv. a, etc. u Manichces.
13 Popularibus.
42 THE WORKS OF ST. AUGUSTIN.
[Psalm XI.
heart? For not in one way only may the moon be said to be obscure: for when her monthly course is finished, and when her brightness is interrupted by a cloud, and when she is eclipsed at the full, the moon may be called obscure. It may then be understood first of the persecutors of the Martyrs, for that they wished in the ob- scure moon to shoot at the upright in heart; whether it be yet in the time of the Church's youth, because she had not yet shone forth in greatness on the earth, and conquered the dark- ness of heathen superstitions; or by the tongues of blasphemers and such as defame the Christian name, when the earth was as it were beclouded, the moon, that is, the Church, could not be clearly seen; or when by the slaughter of the Martyrs themselves and so great effusion of blood, as by that eclipse and obscuration, wherein the moon seems to exhibit a bloody face, the weak were deterred from the Christian name; in which terror sinners shot out words crafty and sacrile- gious to pervert even the upright in heart. And secondly, it can be understood of these sinners, whom the Church contains, because at that time, taking the opportunity of this moon's obscurity, they committed many crimes, which are now tauntingly objected to us by the heretics, where- as their founders are said to have been guilty of them.' But howsoever that be which was done in the obscure moon, now that the Catholic name is spread and celebrated throughout the whole world, what concern of mine is it to be disturbed by things unknown? For " in the Lord I trust; " nor do I listen to them that say to my soul, " Re- move into the mountains as a sparrow. For, lo, sinners have bent the bow, that they may in the obscure moon shoot at the upright in heart." Or if the moon seem even 2 now obscure to them, because they would make it uncertain which is the Catholic Church, and they strive to convict her by the sins of those many carnal men whom she contains; what concern is this to him, who says in truth, " In the Lord I trust "? By which word every one shows that he is himself wheat, and endures the chaff with patience unto the time of winnowing.
5. " In the Lord," therefore, " I trust." Let them fear who trust in man, and cannot deny that they are of man's party, by whose grey hairs they swear; and when in conversation it is demanded of them, of what communion they are, unless they say that they are of his party, they cannot be rec- ognised...Or perhaps you will say that it is written, " Ye shall know them by their works "? 3 I see indeed marvellous works the daily violences 1 He alludes 10 the charge of having surrendered the Holy Scriptures, alleged by the Donatists as the ground of their separation. See Ep. 76, $ a, and 105, § a. " We would prove to you," he says, "that those were rather the betrayers who condemned Caecilianus (Bishop of Carthage) and his companions on a false charge of be- trayal; " referring to the municipal records. — Ben.
2 So Oxford mss. ' Matt. vii. 16.