Mem.
97. We have frequently admonished you, that love was to be understood by that praiseworthy breadth, by means of which, while we do the commandments of God, we feel no straitness. On this account also after saying above in this great Psalm, " Thy commandment is exceeding broad: " 2 in the following verse he showeth wherefore it is broad: " what love have I unto Thy law, O Lord! " (ver. 97). Love is therefore the breadth of the commandment. For how can it be that what God commandeth to be loved, be loved, and yet the commandment itself be not loved? For this itself is the law; " in all the day," he saith, " is my study in it." Behold how I have loved it, that in the whole day my study is in it; or rather, as the Greek hath it, " all the day long," which more fully expresses the continuance of meditation. Now that is to be understood through all time; which is, for ever. By such love lust is driven out: lust, which repeatedly opposeth our performing the commandments of the law, when " the flesh lusteth against the spirit: " 3 against which the spirit lusting, ought so to love the law of God, that it be its study during the whole day...
98. And he then addeth: " Thou hast made me to understand Thy commandment above mine enemies; for it is ever with me " (ver. 98). For "they have indeed a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge," etc.4 But the Psalmist, who understandeth the commandment of God above these his enemies, wishes to be found with the Apostle, " not having" his " own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is of the faith of Christ, which is of God; " 5 not that the Law which his enemies read is not of God, but because they do not understand it, like him who understandeth it above his enemies, by clinging to the Stone upon which they stumbled. For " Christ is the end of the law," etc.,6 " that they may be justified freely through His grace; " ' not like those who imagine that they obey the law of ' Ps. cxix. 96. * Philip, iii. 9.
their own strength, and are therefore, though by God's law, yet still endeavouring to set up their own righteousness; but as the son of promise, who hungering and athirst after it,8 by seeking, by asking, by knocking,9 as it were begs it of the Father, that being adopted he may receive it through His only-begotten Son...His enemies sought from the same commandment temporal rewards; and therefore it was not unto them for ever, as it was unto this man. For they who have translated " for ever " have rendered better than they who have written " for an age," since at the end of time there can be no longer a commandment of the law...
99. But what meaneth the following verse, " I have more understanding than my teachers"? (ver. 99). Who is he who had more understanding than all his teachers? Who, I ask, is he, who dareth to prefer himself in understanding above all the Prophets, who not only by speaking taught with so excellent authority those who lived with them, but also their posterity by writing?...What is here said, could not have been spoken in Solomon's person...I recognise plainly Him who had more understanding than His teachers, since when He was a boy of twelve years of age, Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, and was found by His parents after three days' space, " sitting in the temple among the doctors, hearing them and asking them questions." IO The Son Himself hath said, " As My Father hath taught Me, I speak these things." " It is very difficult to understand this of the Person of the Word; unless we can comprehend that it is the same thing for the Son to be taught as to be begotten of the Father..." He took upon Himself the form of a servant; ",2 for when He had assumed this form, men of more advanced age might think Him fit to be taught as a boy; but He whom the Father taught, had more understanding than all His teachers. " For Thy testimonies," He saith, " are my study." For this reason He had more understanding than all His teachers, because He studied the testimonies of God, which, as concerning Himself, He knew better than they, when He spoke these words: " Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth. But I receive not testimony from man," etc.'3 100. But these teachers maybe understood very reasonably to be those aged men, of whom he presently saith, " I am wiser than mine elders " (ver. 100). And this seemeth to me to be repeated here thus, that that age of His which is well known to us in the Gospel might be called to our remembrance; the age of boyhood, during which He was sitting among the aged, understanding more than all His teachers. For the 9 Matt. vii. 7. " Philip, li. 7.
Fsalm CXIX.]
smaller and the greater in age are wont to be termed younger and elder, although neither of them hath arrived at or approached old age; although if we are concerned to seek in the Gospel the express term, elders, more than whom He understood, we find it when the Scribes and Pharisees said unto Him, " Why do Thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread." ' Behold the transgression cf the tradition of the elders is objected to Him. But He who was wiser than His elders, let us hear what answer He made them. " Why do ye also, He asked, " transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?" 2...
101. But what cometh next, doth not seem to apply to the Head, but to the Body: " I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I may keep Thy words" (ver. 101). For that Head of ours, the Saviour of the Body Himself, could not be borne by carnal lust into any evil way, so that it should be needful for Him to refrain His feet, as though they would go thither of their own accord; which we do, when we refrain our evil desires, which He had not, that they may not follow evil ways. For thus we are able to keep the word of God, if we " go not after our evil lusts," 3 so that they attain unto the evils desired; but rather curb them with the spirit which lusteth against the flesh,4 that they may not drag us away, seduced and overthrown, through evil ways.
102. "I have not shrunk," he saith, " from Thy judgments: for Thou hast laid down a law for me " (ver. 102). He hath stated what made him fear, so that he refrained his feet from every evil way...Thou, more inward than my inmost self, Thou hast laid down a law within my heart by Thy Spirit, as it were by Thy fingers, that I might not fear it as a slave without love, but might love it with a chaste fear as a son, and fear it with a chaste love.
103. Consider then what followeth: " O how sweet are Thy words unto my throat!" (ver. 103). Or, as it is more literally rendered from the Greek, " Thy utterances, above honey and the honeycomb unto my mouth." This is that sweetness which the Lord giveth, " So that the earth yield her increase: " 5 that we do good truly in a good spirit, that is, not from the dread of carnal evil, but from the gladness of spiritual good. Some copies indeed do not read " honeycomb: " but the majority do. Now the open teaching of wisdom is like unto honey; but that is like the comb which is squeezed from the more recondite mysteries, as if from cells of wax, by the mouth of the teacher, as if he were 1 Matt. xv. 2.
3 Ecclus. xviii. 30.
* Ps. lxxxv. 12.
chewing it: but it is sweet to the mouth of the heart, not to the mouth of the flesh.
104. But what mean the words, " Through Thy commandments I get understanding "? (ver. 104). For the expressions, I have understood Thy commandments: and, " I get understanding through Thy commandments/' are different. Something else then he signifieth that he hath understood from the commandments of God: that is, as far as I can see, he saith, that by obeying God's commandments he hath arrived at the comprehension of those things which he had longed to know...These then are the words of the spiritual members of Christ, " Through Thy commandments I get understanding." For the body of Christ rightly saith these words in those, to whom, while they keep the commandments, a richer knowledge of wisdom is given on account of this very keeping of the commandments. " Therefore," he addeth, " I hate all evil ways. " For it is needful that the love of righteousness should hate all iniquity: that love, which is so much the stronger, in proportion as the sweetness of a higher wisdom doth inspire it, a wisdom given unto him who obeyeth God, and getteth understanding from His commandments.
Nun.
Nun.
105. " Thy word is a lantern unto my feet, and a light unto my paths " (ver. 105). The word " lantern " appears in the word " light; " " my feet " are also repeated in " my paths." What then meaneth "Thy Word"?6 Is it He who was in the beginning God with God, that is, the Word by whom all things were made? It is not thus. For that Word is a light, but is not a lantern. For a lantern is a creature, not a creator; and it is lighted by participation of an unchangeable light...For no creature, howsoever rational and intellectual, is lighted by itself, but is lighted by participation of eternal Truth: although sometimes day is spoken of, not meaning the Lord, but that " day which the Lord hath made," 1 and on account of which it is said, " Come unto Him, and be lightened."8 On account of which participation, inasmuch as the Mediator Himself became Man, He is styled lantern in the Apocalypse.9 But this sense is a solitary one; for it cannot be divinely spoken of any of the saints, nor in any wise lawfully said of any, " The Word was made flesh," IO save of the " one Mediator between God and men." " Since therefore the only-begotten Word, coequal with the Father, is styled a light; and man when enlightened by the Word is also called a light, who is styled also a lantern, as John, as the Apostles; and since no man of these is the Word, and that Word by whom they were enlightened is not a lan- [Psalm CXIX.
tern; what is this word, which is thus called a light and a lantern at the same time, save we understand the word which was sent unto the Prophets, or which was preached through the Apostles; not Christ the Word, but the word of Christ, of which it is written, " Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God "? ' For the Apostle Peter also, comparing the prophetical word to a lantern, saith, " whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a lantern, that shineth in a dark place." 2 What, therefore, he here saith, "Thy word" is the word which is contained in all the holy Scriptures.
106. " I have sworn, and am stedfastly purposed to keep Thy righteous judgments " (ver. 106): as one who walked aright in the light of that lantern, and kept to straight paths. For he calleth what he hath determined by a sacrament, an oath; because the mind ought to be so fixed in keeping the righteous judgments of God, that its determination should be in the place of an oath. Now the righteous judgments of God are kept by faith; when, under the righteous judgment of God, neither any good work is believed to be fruitless, nor any sin unpunished; but, because the body of Christ hath suffered many most grievous evils for this faith, he saith, " I was humbled above measure " (ver. 107). He doth not say, I have humbled myself, so that we must needs understand that humiliation which is commanded; but he saith, " I was humbled abovemeasure; " that is, suffered a very heavy persecution, because he swore and was stedfasly purposed to keep the righteous judgments of God. And, lest in such trouble faith herself might faint he addeth, " Quicken me, O Lord, according to Thy word: " that is, according to Thy promise. For the word of the promises of God is a lantern to the feet, and a light to the paths. Thus also above, in the humiliation of pesecution, he prayed that God would quicken him.5...
107. " Make the freewill offerings of my mouth well pleasing, O Lord " (ver. 108): that is, let them please Thee; do not reject, but approve them. By the freewill offerings of the mouth are well understood the sacrifices of praise, offered up in the confession of love, not from the fear of necessity; whence it is said, " a freewill offering will I offer Thee." * But what doth he add? " and teach me Thy judgments "? Had he not himself said above, " From Thy judgments I have not swerved"? How could he have done thus, if he knew them not? Moreover, if he knew them, in what sense doth he here say, " and teach me Thy judgments "? Is it as in a former passage, " Thou hast dealt in sweetness with Thy servant: " presently after which we find, " teach me sweetness "? This passage we * 3 Pet. i. 19.
* Ps. cxix. 87, 88.
explained as the words of one who was gaining in grace, and praying that he might receive in addition to what he had received.
108. " My soul is alway in Thy hand " (ver. 109). Some copies read, "in my hand:" but most, " in Thy hand; " and this latter is indeed easy. For " the souls of the righteous are in God's hand: ' in whose hand are both we and our words." 6 " And I do not forget Thy law: " as if his memory were aided to remember God's law by the hands of Him in whose hands is his soul. But how the words, " My soul is in my hands," can be understood, I know not. For these are the words of the righteous, not of the ungodly; of one who is returning to the Father, not departing from the Father.'...Is it perhaps said, " My soul is in my hands," in this sense, as if he offered it to God to be quickened? Whence in another passage it is said, " Unto Thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul."8 Since here too he had said above, " Quicken Thou me."
109. "The ungodly," he saith, "have laid a snare for me: but yet I swerved not from Thy commandments" (ver. no). Whence this, unless because his soul is in the hands of God, or in his own hands is offered to God to be quickened?
no. " Thy testimonies have I gained in heritage for ever" (ver. in). Some wishing to express in one word what is put in one word in the Greek, have translated it hereditavi. Which although it might be Latin, yet would rather signify one who gave an inheritance than one who received it, hereditavi being like ditavi. Better, therefore, the whole sense is conveyed in two words, whether we say, " I have possessed in heritage," or, " I have gotten in heritage: " not gotten heritage, but " gotten in heritage." If it be asked, what he gained in heritage, he he replieth, " Thy testimonies." What doth he wish to be understood, save that he might become a witness of God, and confess His testimonies, that is, that he might become a Martyr of God, and might declare His testimonies, as the Martyrs do, was a gift bestowed upon him by the Father, of whom he is heir?...But even their wish was prepared by the Lord. For this reason he saith he hath gained them in heritage, and this " for ever; " because they have not in them the temporal glory of men who seek vain things, but the eternal glory of those who suffer for a short season, and who reign without end. Whence the next words, " Because they are the very joy of my heart: " although the affliction of the body, yet the very joy of the heart.
m. He then addeth: "I have applied my heart to fulfil Thy righteousness for ever, for my s Wisd. hi. 1 8 Ps. XXV. X.
<■ Wisd. vii. 16.
7 Luke xv. 12, 24, TSALM CXIX.]
reward" (ver. 112). He who saith, "I have applied my heart," had before said, " Incline my heart unto Thy testimonies: " ' so that we may understand that it is at once a divine gift, and an act of free will. But are we to fulfil the righteousnesses of God for ever? Those works which we perform in regard to the need of our neighbours, cannot be everlasting, any more than their need; but if we do not do them from love, there is no righteousness; if we do them from love, that love is everlasting, and an everlasting reward is in store for it.
Samech.
112. "I have hated the unrighteous; and Thy law have I loved" (ver. 113). He saith not, I hate the wicked, and love the righteous; or, I hate iniquity, and love Thy law; but, after saying, "I have hated the unrighteous," he explains why, by adding, " and Thy law have I loved; " to show, that he did not hate human nature in unrighteous men, but their unrighteousness, whereby they are foes to the law, which he loveth.
113. He next addeth: "Thou art my helper and my taker up " (ver. 1 14): " my helper," to do good works: " my taker up," to escape evil ones. In the next words, " I have hoped more on Thy word," he speaketh as a son of promise.
114. But what is the meaning of the following verse: " Away from me, ye wicked, and I will search the commandments of my God"? (ver. 115). For he saith not, I will perform; but, " I will search." In order, therefore, that he may diligently and perfectly learn that law, he bids the wicked depart from him, and even forcibly driveth them away from his company. For the wicked exercise us in the fulfilment of the commandments, but lead us away from searching into them; not only when they persecute, or wish to litigate with us; but even when they court us, and honour us, and yet expect us to occupy ourselves in aiding their own vicious and busy desire, and to bestow our time upon them; or at least harass the weak, and compel them to bring their causes before us: to whom we dare not say, " Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? " 2 For the Apostle instituted ecclesiastical judges of such causes, forbidding Christians to contend in the forum.3...Certainly, on account of those who carry on law suits pertinaciously with one another, and, when they harass the good, scorn our judgments, and cause us to lose the time that should be employed upon things divine; surely, I say, on account of these men we also may exclaim in these words of the Body of Christ, " Away from me, ye wicked! and I will search the commandments of my God."
115. "O stablish me according to Thy word and I shall live: and let me not be disappointed of my hope" (ver. 116). He who had before said, " Thou art my taker up," prayeth that he may be more and more borne up, and be led unto that, for the sake of which he endureth so many troubles; trusting that he may there live in a truer sense, than in these dreams of human affairs. For it is said of the future, " and I shall live," as if we did not live in this dead body. While " we await the redemption of our body, we are saved by hope, and hoping for that we see not, we await with patience."4 But hope disappointeth not, if the love of God be spread abroad in our hearts through the Holy Spirit which is given unto us.5 And, as though it were answered him in silence, Thou dost not wish to be disappointed of thy hope? Cease not to meditate upon My righteousnesses: and, feeling that this meditation is usually hindered by the weaknesses of the soul, "Help me," he saith, " and I shall be safe; yea, I will meditate in Thy righteousnesses always " (ver. 117).
116. "Thou hast scorned all," or, as it seems more closely translated from the Greek, " Thou hast brought to nought all them that depart from Thy righteousnesses: for their thought is unrighteous" (ver. 118). For this reason he exclaimed, " Help Thou me, and I shall be safe; yea, I will meditate in Thy righteousnesses always: " because God bringeth to nought all those who depart from His righteousnesses. But why do they depart? Because "their thought is," he saith, "unrighteous." They advance in that direction, while they depart from God. All deeds, good or bad, proceed from the thoughts: in his thoughts every man is innocent, in his thoughts every man is guilty...
1 1 7. The next words in the Psalm are, " I have counted," or " thought," or " esteemed, all the ungodly of the earth as transgressors " (ver. 119). In the Latin version many different renderings are given of the Greek iXoyKTaix-qv; but this passage hath a deep meaning. For the following words, " Therefore have I ever loved Thy testimonies: " make it far more profound. For the Apostle saith, "The law worketh wrath; " and, explaining these words, he addeth, " For where no law is, there is no transgression: " 6 thereby showing that not all are transgressors. For all have not the law. That all have not the law, he declareth more explicitly in another passage, " as many as have sinned without law, shall also perish without law." » What then meaneth, " I have held all the ungodly of the earth as transgressors "? " As transgressors; " or rather " transgressing," for the Greek saith, TrapafialvovTas, not 7rapa/?aTas...1 Ps. Cxix. 36.
2 Luke xii. 14.
3 1 Cor. vi. 1-6.
* Rom. viii. 23-25. 6 Rom. iv. 15.
3 Rom. v. 5. 7 Rom. ii. xa.
58o [Psalm CXIX.
" The law entered that sin might abound." But since all sins are remitted through grace, not only those which are committed without the law, but those also which are committed in the law; he addeth, " But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound." '...But, indeed, when the Apostle said, "As many as have sinned without law, shall perish without law," he was speaking of that law which God gave to His people Israel through Moses His servant...For some even Catholic expositors, from a want of sufficient heedfulness, have pronounced contrary to the truth, that those who have sinned without the law perish; and that those who have sinned in the law, are only judged, and do not perish, as if they should be considered' destined to be cleansed by means of transitory punishments, as he of whom it is said, " he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire."2...The Psalmist also hath subjoined: " Therefore I loved Thy testimonies." 3 As if he should say: Since the law, whether given in paradise, or implanted by nature, or promulgated in writing, hath made all the sinners of the earth transgressors; " Therefore I loved Thy testimonies," which are in Thy law, of Thy grace; so that not my but Thy righteousness is in me. For the law profiteth unto this end, that it send us forward unto grace. For not only because it testifieth towards the manifestation of the righteousness of God, which is without the law; but also in this very point that it rendereth men transgressors, so that the letter even slayeth, it driveth us to fly unto the quickening Spirit, through whom the whole of our sins may be blotted out, and the love of righteous deeds be inspired.4...
118. The grace of God, then, being known, which alone freeth from transgression, which is committed through knowledge of the law, he saith, in prayer, " Fix with nails my flesh in Thy fear" (ver. 120). For this some Latin interpreters have literally rendered the Greek KaO-q-Kuktov, which that language has expressed in one word. Some have preferred to render by the word confige, without adding clavis; and while they thus desire to construe one Latin by one Greek word, have failed to express the full meaning of the Greek nadr/Xmi-ov, because in confige nails are not mentioned, but Kadr/Kuxrov cannot be taken but of nails, nor can " fix with nails " be expressed without using two words in Latin...Hath he added, " For I have feared Thy judgments "? What meaneth, " Fix me in Thy fear: for I have feared "? If he had already feared, or if he was now fearing, why did he still 1 Rom. v. ao.
a [A fundamental objection to the doctrine of purgatory. — C] • [The author adds: " Some copies read ' always^' some do not. If it be correct, it must be understood to mean, during our present Life on earth."— C] * M Cor. iii. 6.
pray God to crucify his flesh in His fear? Did he wish so much additional fear imparted to him as would suffice for crucifying his flesh, that is, his carnal lusts and affections; as though he should say, Perfect in me the fear of Thee; for I have feared Thy judgments? But- there is here even a higher sense, which must, as far as God alloweth, be derived from searching the recesses of this Scripture: that is, in the chaste fear of Thee, which abideth from age to age, let my carnal desires be quenched; 5 " For I have feared Thy judgments," when the law, which could not give me righteousness, threatened me punishment.
...For the inclination to sin liveth, and it then appeareth in deed, when impunity may be hoped for. But when punishment is considered sure to follow, it liveth latently: nevertheless it liveth. For it would rather it were lawful to sin, and it grieveth that what the law forbiddeth, is not lawful; because it is not spiritually delighted with the blessing of the law, but carnally feareth the evil which it threateneth.6 But that love, which casteth out this fear, feareth with a chaste fear to sin, although no punishment follow; because it doth not even judge that impunity will follow, since from love of righteousness it considered the very sin itself a punishment. With such a fear the flesh is crucified; since carnal delights, which are forbidden rather than avoided by the letter of the law, are overcome by the delight in spiritual blessings, and also when the victory is perfected are destroyed.
Ain.
119. "I have dealt judgment and righteousness; 0 give me not over unto mine oppressors " 7 (ver. 121). It is not wonderful that he should have dealt judgment and righteousness, since he had above prayed for a chaste fear from God, whereby to fix with nails his flesh, that is, his carnal lusts, which are wont to hinder our judgment from being right. But although in our customary speech judgment is either right or wrong, whence it is said unto men in the Gospel, " Judge not according to the persons, but judge righteous judgment: " 8 nevertheless in this passage judgment is used as though, if it were not righteous, it ought not to be called judgment; otherwise it would not be enough to say, " I have dealt judgment," but it would be said, I have dealt righteous judgment...* Ps. xix. p.
6 [Hence attrition " is not sufficient to obtain remission. — C] 7 [The author says: " For some copies read; to them that persecute me: the Greek words rols avTi&iKoviri being variously interpreted by the Latin noctntibus, persequentibus, and calumniantiljus. I wonder, however, that I have never met with the version adversantibus in any of the copies which I have read, since there is no doubt that the Greek oeWSiico* is the same as the Latin advtr* sarins. While he prays therefore that he may not be given up to his adversaries by the Lord, what doth he pray, save what we pray, when we say, ' Lead us not into temptation? — C.J • John vii. 24.
Psalm CXIX.]
120. Whoso therefore in the chaste fear of God hath his flesh crucified, and corrupted by no carnal allurement, dealeth judgment and the work of righteousness, ought to pray that he may not be given up to his adversaries; that is, that he may not, through his dread of suffering evils, yield unto his adversaries to do evil. For he receiveth power of endurance, which guardeth him from being overcome with pain, from Him from whom he receiveth the victory over lust, which preventeth his being seduced by pleasure.'
121. He next saith, " Take off Thy servant to that which is good, that the proud calumniate me not" (ver. 122). They drive me on, that I may fall into evil; do Thou take me off to that which is good. They who rendered these words by the Latin, calumnientur, have followed a Greek expression, not commonly used in Latin. Have the words, Let not the proud calumniate me, the same force, as, Let them " not succeed in calumniating me "?
122...To prefigure His Cross, Moses by the merciful command of God raised aloft on a pole the image of a serpent in the desert, that the likeness of sinful flesh which must be crucified in Christ might be prefigured.2 By gazing upon this healing Cross, we cast out all the poison of the scandals of the proud: the Cross, which the Psalmist intently looking upon, saith, " My eyes have failed for Thy salvation, and for the words of Thy righteousness" (ver. 123). For God made Christ Himself " to be sin for us, on account of the likeness of sinful flesh, that we may be made the righteousness of God in Him." 3 For His utterance 4 of the righteousness of God he therefore saith that his eyes have failed, from gazing ardently and eagerly, while, remembering human infirmity, he longeth for divine grace in Christ.
123. In connection with this he goes on to say, " O deal with Thy servant according to Thy loving mercy" (ver. 124); not according to my righteousness. " And teach me," he saith, " Thy righteousnesses; " those beyond doubt, whereby God rendereth men righteous, not they themselves.
124. " I am Thy servant. O grant me understanding, that I may know Thy testimonies" (ver. 125). This petition must never be intermitted. For it sufficeth not to have received understanding, and to have learnt the testimonies of God, unless it be evermore received, and evermore in a manner quaffed from the fountain of eternal light. For the testimonies of God are the better and the better known, the more understanding a man attaineth to.
125." It is time," he saith, " for the Lord to lay 1 Ps. lxxxv. is, lxii. 5. 3 Rom. viii. 3; a Cor. i * Eloquium.
2 John iii. 14.
to His hand" (ver. 126). For this is the reading of most copies: not as some have, " O Lord." Now what is this, save the grace which was revealed in Christ at its own time? Of which season the Apostle saith, " But when the fulness of time was come, God sent His Son."5...But wherefore is it that, seemingly anxious to show the Ixird that it was time to lay to His hand, he hath subjoined, " They have scattered Thy law; " as if it were the season for the Lord to act, because the proud scattered His law. For what meaneth this? In the wickedness of transgression, they have not guarded its integrity. It was needful therefore that the Law should be given to the proud and those presuming in the freedom of their own will, after a transgression of which whosoever were contrite and humbled, might run no longer by the I^aw, but by faith, to aiding grace. When the Law therefore was scattered, it was time that mercy should be sent through the only-begotten Son of God.