PSALM CXXXI.1 1. In this Psalm, the humility of one that is a servant of God and faithful is commended unto us, by whose voice it is sung; which is the whole body of Christ.3 For we have often warned you, beloved, that it ought not to be received as the voice of one man singing, but of all who are in Christ's Body. And since all are in His Body, as it were one man speaketh: and he is one who also is many...Now he prayeth in the temple of God, who prayeth in the peace of the Church, in the unity of Christ's Body; which Body of Christ consisteth of many who believe in the whole world: and therefore he who prayeth in the temple, is heard. For he prayeth in the spirit and in truth,4 who prayeth in the peace of the Church; not in that temple, wherein was the figure...2. " Lord, my heart is not lifted up" (ver. 1). He hath offered a sacrifice. Whence do we 2 Lat. CXXX. A sermon to the common people. ' [On this principle the Magnificat and the Nunc dtmittis are perpetuated as the ceaseless song of the Church. — C.j * John iv. 21-34.
Psalm CXXXI.]
prove that he hath offered a sacrifice? Because humility of heart is a sacrifice...If there is no sacrifice, there is no Priest. But if we have a High Priest in Heaven, who intercedeth with the Father for us (for He hath entered into the Holy of Holies, -within the veil),...we are safe, for we have a Priest; let us offer our sacrifice there. Let us consider what sacrifice we ought to offer; for God is not pleased with burnt-offerings, as ye have heard in the Psalm. But in that place he next showeth what he offereth: " The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, shalt Thou not despise.'
3. " Lord, my heart was not lifted up, neither were mine eyes raised on high" (ver. 1); "I have not exercised myself in great matters, nor in wonderful things which are too high for me " (ver. 2). Let this be more plainly spoken and heard. I have not been proud: I have not wished to be known among men as for wondrous powers; nor have I sought anything beyond my strength, whereby I might boast myself among the ignorant. As that Simon the sorcerer wished to advance into wonders above himself, on that account the power of the Apostles more pleased him, than the righteousness of Christians...What is above my strength, he saith, I have not sought; I have not stretched myself out there, I have not chosen to be magnified there. How deeply this self-exaltation in the abundance of graces is to be feared, that no man may pride himself in the gift of God, but may rather preserve humility, and may do what is written: "The greater thou art, the more humble thyself, and thou shalt find favour before the Lord: " 2 how deeply pride in God's gift should be feared, we must again and again impress upon you...
4. " If I had not lowly thoughts, but have lifted up my soul, as one taken from his mother's breast, such the reward for my soul " (ver. 2). He seemeth as it were to have bound himself by a curse:...as though he had been going to say, Let it so happen to me. "As one taken away from his mother's breast, may be my soul's reward." Ye know that the Apostle saith to some weak brethren, " I have fed you with milk, and not with meat; for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able." 3 There are weak persons who are not fit for strong meat; they wish to grasp at that which they cannot receive: and if they ever do receive, or seem to themselves to receive what they have not received, they are puffed up thereby, and become proud thereupon; they seem to themselves wise men. Now this happeneth to all heretics; who since they were animal and carnal, by defending their depraved opinions, which they could not « P.. U. 17.
' Ecclus. iii. 18.
J 1 Cor. iii. a.
see to be false, were shut out of the Catholic Church...
5. Another opinion indeed hath been entertained, and another sense in these words...It has been evidently explained, my brethren, where God would have us to be humble, where lofty. Humble, in order to provide against pride; lofty, to take in wisdom. Feed upon milk, that thou mayest be nourished; be nourished, so that thou mayest grow; grow, so that thou mayest eat bread. But when thou hast begun to eat bread, thou wilt be weaned, that is, thou wilt no longer have need of milk, but of solid food. This he seemeth to have meant: " If I had not lowly thoughts, but have lifted up my soul: " that is, if I was not an infant in mind, I was in wickedness. In this sense, he said before, " Lord, my heart was not lifted up, nor mine eyes raised on high: I do not exercise myself in great matters, nor in wonderful things above me." Behold, in wickedness I am an infant. But since I am not an infant in understanding, "If I had not lowly thoughts, but have lifted up my soul," may that reward be mine which is given unto the infant that is weaned from his mother, that I may at length be able to eat bread.
6. This interpretation, also, brethren, displeaseth me not, since it doth not militate against the faith. Yet I cannot but remark that it is not only said, " As one taken away from milk, such may be my soul's reward; " but with this addition, " As one taken away from milk when upon his mother's breast, such may be my soul's reward." Here there is somewhat that induces me to consider it a curse. For it is not an infant, but a grown child that is taken away from milk; he who is weak in his earliest infancy, which is his true infancy, is upon his mother's breast: if perchance he hath been taken away from the milk, he perisheth. It is not without a reason then that it is added, " Upon his mother's breast." For all may be weaned by growing. He who groweth, and is thus taken away from milk, it is good for him; but hurtful for him who is still upon his mother's breast. We must therefore beware, my brethren, and be fearful, lest any one be taken away from milk before his time...Let him not therefore wish to lift up his soul, when perchance he is not fit to take meat, but let him fulfil the commandments of humility. He hath wherein he may exercise himself: let him believe in Christ, that he may understand Christ. He cannot see the Word, he cannot understand the equality of the Word with the Father, he cannot as yet see the equality of the Holy Spirit with the Father and the Word; let him believe this, and suck it. He is safe, because, when he hath grown, he will eat, which he could not do before he grew by suck- 6i6 [Psalm CXXXII.
ing: and he hath a point to stretch towards. Seek not out the things that are too hard for thee, and search not the things that are above thy strength; that is, things which thou art not a< yet fit to understand. And what am I to do? thou repliest. Shall I remain thus? " But what things the Lord hath commanded thee, think thereupon always." ' What hath the Lord commanded thee? Do works of mercy, part not with the peace of the Church, place not thy trust in man, tempt not God by longing for miracles...7. For if ye be not exalted, if ye raise not your heart on high, if ye tread not in great matters that are too high for you, but preserve humility, God will reveal unto you what ye are otherwise minded in.2 But if ye choose to defend this very thing, which ye are otherwise minded about, and with pertinacity assert it, and against the peace of the Church; this curse which he hath described is entailed upon you; when ye are upon your mother's breast, and are removed away from the milk, ye shall die of hunger apart from your mother's breast. But if ye continue in Catholic peace, if perchance ye are in anything otherwise minded than ye ought to be, God will reveal it to you, if ye be humble. Wherefore? Because "God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace unto the humble." 3 8. This Psalm therefore concludeth to this purpose: " O Israel, trust in the Lord, from this time forth and even unto eternity"4 (ver. 3). But the word seculum doth not always mean this world, but sometimes eternity; since eternity is understood in two ways; until eternity, that is, either evermore without end, or until we arrive at eternity. How then is it to be understood here? Until we arrive at eternity, let us trust in the Lord God; because when we have reached eternity, there will be no longer hope, but the thing itself will be ours.
PSALM CXXXII.s 1. It was right indeed, most beloved, that we should rather hear our Brother,6 my colleague, when present before all of us. And just now he refused not, but put us off; for he extorted from me that he might now listen to me, on the condition that I also may listen to him, for in charity itself we are all listening unto Him, who is our One Master in heaven. Attend therefore to the Psalm, entitled A Song of Degrees; considerably longer than the rest under the same title. Let us not therefore linger, save 1 Ecclus. iii. 23.
* I He adds: " The Greek words, inb rov vvv Ka\ fut tou atwvos, are rendered in the Latin, ex hoc nunc et usque in seculum." — C.J s I -at. CXXXI. A sermon to the common people.
* Ed Bco. supposes this to be Severus, Bishop of Milevis; and refers to Exp of rs. xcvi. Jj 1, p. 470, supra.
where necessity shall compel us: that we may, if the Lord permit, explain the whole. For ye also ought not to hear everything as men untaught; ye ought in some degree to aid us from your past listenings, so that it may not be needful that everything should be declared to you as though new.'
2. " Lord, remember David, and all his meekness " (ver. 1). David according to the truth of history was one man, king of Israel, son of Jesse. He was indeed meek, as the Divine Scriptures themselves mark and command him, and so meek that he did not even render evil for evil to his persecutor Saul. He preserved towards him so great humility, that he acknowledged him a king, and himself a dog: and answered the king not proudly nor rudely, though he was more powerful in God; but he rather endeavoured to appease him by humility, than to provoke him by pride. Saul was even given into his power, and this by the Lord God, that he might do to him what he listed: but since he was not commanded to slay him, but had it only placed in his power (now a man is permitted to use his power), he rather turned towards mercy what God gave him...The humility of David is therefore commended, the meekness of David is commended; and it is said to God, " Lord, remember David, and all his meekness." For what purpose? " How he sware unto the Lord, and vowed a vow unto the Almighty God of Jacob " (ver. 2). Therefore remember for this, that he may fulfil what he hath promised. David himself vowed as though he had it in his power, and he prayeth God to fulfil his vow: there is devotion in the vow, but there is humility in the prayer. Let no one presume to think he fulfilled by his own strength what he hath vowed. He who exhorteth thee to vow, Himself aideth thee to fulfil. \jt\. us therefore see what he vowed, and hence we comprehend how David should be understood in a figure. " David " is interpreted, " Strong of hand," for he was a great warrior. Trusting indeed in the Lord his God, he despatched all wars, he laid low all his enemies, God helping him, according to the dispensation of that kingdom; prefiguring nevertheless some One strong of hand to destroy His enemies, the devil and his angels. These enemies the Church warreth against, and conquereth...What then doth he mean, " How he sware," etc.? Let us see what vow is this. We can offer God nothing more pleasing than to swear.8 Now to swear is to promise firmly.'
7 [On this principle, 1 have been forced to sacrifice many repetitions excellent in themselves. — C] 8 Ben. thinks these words are repeated by mistake from above, in some MSA.; but they are also in our copies, and come in very much after the manner of St. Auzustin.
9 [ This sufficiently modifies and expounds what he means. — C.J Psalm CXXXII.]
Consider this vow, that is, with what ardour he vowed what he vowed, with what love, with what longing; nevertheless, he prayeth the Lord to fulfil it in these words, " O Lord, remember David, and all his meekness." In this temper he vowed his vow, and there should be a house of God: " I will not come within the tabernacle of mine house, nor climb up into my bed " (ver. 3). "I will not suffer mine eyes to sleep, nor mine eyelids to slumber" (ver. 4). This seemeth not enough; he adds, " Neither the temples of my head to take any rest, until I find out a place for the Lord; an habitation for the God of Jacob " (ver. 5). Where did he seek a place for the Lord? If he was meek, he sought it in himself. For how is one a place for the Lord? Hear the Prophet: " Upon whom shall My Spirit rest? Even upon him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My words." ' Dost thou wish to be a place for the Lord? Be thou poor in spirit, and contrite, and trembling at the word of God, and thou wilt thyself be made what thou seekest. For if what thou seekest be not realized in thyself, what doth it profit thee in another...
3. How many thousands believed, my brethren, when they laid down the price of their possessions at the Apostles' feet! But what saith Scripture of them? Surely they are become a temple of God; not only each respectively a temple of God, but also all a temple of God together. They have therefore become a place for the Lord. And that ye may know that one place is made for the Lord in all, Scripture saith, They were of one heart and one soul toward God.2 But many, so as not to make a place for the Lord, seek their own things, love their own things, delight in their own power, are greedy for their private interests. Whereas he who wisheth to make a place for the Lord, should rejoice not in his private, but the common good...
4. Let us therefore, brethren, abstain from the possession of private property; or from the love of it, if we may not from its possession; and we make a place for the Lord. It is too much for me, saith some one. But consider who thou art, who art about to make a place for the Lord. If any senator wished to be entertained at your house, I say not senator, the deputy of some great man of this world, and should say, something offends me in thy house; though thou shouldest love it, thou wouldest remove it, nevertheless, lest thou shouldest offend him, whose friendship thou wast courting. And what doth man's friendship profit thee?...Desire the friendship of Christ without fear: He wishes to be entertained at thy house; make room for Him. What is, make room for Him? Love not 1 Isa. lxvi. 2.
thyself, love Him. If thou love thyself, thou shuttest the door against Him; if thou love Him, thou openest unto Him: and if thou open and He enter, thou shalt not be lost by loving thyself, but shalt find thyself with Him who loveth thee...
5. " Lo, we heard of the same at Ephrata " (ver. 6). What? A place for the Lord. "We heard of it at Ephrata: and found it in the plains of the forests." 3 Did he hear it where he found it? or did he hear it in one place, find it in another? Let us therefore enquire what Ephrata is, where he heard it; let us also enquire what mean the plains of the forests, where he found it. Ephrata, a Hebrew word, is rendered in Latin by Speculum* as the translators of Hebrew words in the Scriptures have handed down to us, that we might understand them. They have translated from Hebrew into Greek, and from Greek we have versions into Latin. For there have been who watched in the Scriptures. If therefore Ephrata meaneth a mirror, that house which was found in the woodland plains, was heard of in a mirror. A mirror hath an image: all prophecy is an image of things future. The future house of God, therefore, was declared in the image of prophecy. " We have found it in the plains of the forests." What are the " plains of the forests "? 5 Saltus is not here used in its common sense, as a plot of ground of so many hundred acres; 6 saltus properly signifies a spot as yet untitled and woody. For some copies read, in the plains of the wood.
What then were the woodland plains, save nations yet untitled? what were they, save regions yet covered with the thorns of idolatry? Thus, though there were thorns of idolatry there, still we find a place for the Lord there, a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. What was declared in the image to the Jews, was manifested in the faith of the Gentiles.
6. " We will go into His tabernacles " (ver. 7). Whose? Those of the Lord God of Jacob. They who enter to dwell therein, are the very same who enter that they may be dwelt in. Thou enterest into thy house, that thou mayest dwell therein; into the house of God, that thou mayest be dwelt in. For the Lord is better, and when He hath begun to dwell in thee, He will make thee happy. For if thou be not dwelt in by Him, thou wilt be miserable. That son who said, " Father, give me the portion of the goods," etc.,' wished to be his own master. vIt was well kept in his father's hands, that it might not be wasted with harlots. He received it, it was given into his own power; going to a far country, 3 Oxf. MSS add these words: " We hear those things in Ephrata, we find them in the woodland plains." [Note I Kings vi. 7. — C.] « Mirror. 5 Saltuum.
6 Centuriarum — then 200 acres. See Isid. Etym, xv. c. 15, % 7.
7 Luke xv. 12-20.
6i8 [Psalm CXXXII.
he squandered it all with harlots. At length he suffered hunger, he remembered his father; he returned, that he might be satisfied with bread. Enter therefore, that thou mayest be dwelt in; and mayest be not thine own, so to speak, but His: " We will go into His tabernacles. We will worship on the spot where His feet stood." Whose feet? The Lord's, or those of the house of the Lord itself? For that is the Lord's house, wherein he saith He ought to be worshipped. Beside His house, the Lord heareth not unto eternal life; for he belongeth to God's house, who hath in charity been built in with living stones. But he who hath not charity, falleth; and while he falls, the house stands...
7. But if ye incline to understand it of the house itself, where the feet of that house have stood; let thy feet stand in Christ. They will then stand, if thou shalt persevere in Christ. For what is said of the devil? " He was a murderer from the beginning, and stood not in the truth." ' The feet of the devil therefore stood not. Also what saith he of the proud? " O let not the foot of pride come against me; and let not the hand of the ungodly cast me down. There are they fallen, all that work wickedness: they are cast down, and were not able to stand." 2 That then is the house of God, whose feet stand. Whence John rejoicing, saith: what? " He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom standeth and heareth him." If he stand not, he heareth him not. Justly he standeth, because " he rejoiceth on account of the bridegroom's voice." Now therefore ye see why.they fell, who rejoice because of their own voice.* That friend of the Bridegroom said, " The same is He which baptizeth." « Some say, We baptize: rejoicing in their own voice, they could not stand; and belong not to that house of which it is said, " where His feet stood."
8. " Arise, O Lord, into Thy resting place " (ver. 8). He saith unto the Lord sleeping, " Arise." Ye know already who slept, and who rose again..."Thou, and the ark of Thy sanctification: " that is, Arise, that the ark of Thy sanctification, which Thou hast sanctified, may arise also. He is our Head; His ark is His Church: He arose first, the Church will arise also. The body would not dare to promise itself resurrection, save the Head arose first. The Body of Christ, that was born of Mary, hath been understood by some to be the ark of sanctification; so that the words mean, Arise with Thy Body, that they who believe not may handle.
9. " Let Thy priests be clothed with righteousness, and let Thy saints sing with joyfulness" (ver. 9). When Thou risest from the dead, and goest unto Thy Father, let that royal Priesthood be clothed with faith, since " the righteous liveth by faith; " 5 and, receiving the pledge of the Holy Spirit, let the members rejoice in the hope of resurrection, which went before in the Head: for to them the Apostle saith, " Rejoicing in hope." 6 10. "For Thy servant David's sake, turn not away the face of Thine Anointed" (ver. 10). These words are addressed unto God the Father. " For Thy servant David's sake, turn not away the face of Thine Anointed." The Lord was crucified in Judaea; He was crucified by the Jews; harassed by them, He slept. He arose to judge those among whose savage hands He slept: and He saith elsewhere, " Raise Thou Me up again, and I shall reward them." 7 He both hath rewarded them, and will reward them. The Jews well know themselves how great were their sufferings after the Lord's death. They were all expelled from the very city, where they slew Him. What then? have all perished even from the root of David and from the tribe of Judah? No: for some of that stock believed, and in fact many thousands of men of that stock believed, and this after the Lord's resurrection. They raged and crucified Him: and afterwards began to see miracles wrought in the Name of Him Crucified; and they trembled still more that His Name should have so much power, since when in their hands He seemed unable to work any; and pricked at heart, at length believing that there was some hidden divinity in Him whom they had believed like other men, and asking counsel of the Apostles, they were answered, " Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ."8 Since then Christ arose to judge those by whom He had been crucified, and turned away His Presence from the Jews, turning His Presence towards the Gentiles; God is, as it seemeth, besought in behalf of the remnant of Israel; and it is said unto Him, " For Thy servant David's sake, turn not away the presence of Thine Anointed." If the chaff be condemned, let the wheat be gathered together. May the remnant be saved, as Isaiah saith, " And the remnant hath " clearly " been saved: " 9 for out of them were the twelve Apostles, out of thenj more than five hundred brethren, to whom the Lord showed Himself after His Resurrection: '° out of their number were so many thousands baptized," who laid the price of their possessions at the Apostles' feet. Thus then was fulfilled the prayer here made to God: " For Thy servant David's sake, turn not away the presence of Thine Anointed."
Psalm CXXXII.]
11. "The Lord hath made a faithful oath unto David, and He shall not repent "(ver. 11). What meaneth, " hath made an oath "? Hath confirmed a promise through Himself. What meaneth, " He shall not repent "? He will not change. For God suffereth not the pain of repentance, nor is He deceived in any matter, so that He would wish to correct that wherein He hath erred. But as when a man repents of anything, he wisheth to change what he hath done; thus where thou hearest that God repenteth, look for an actual change. God doth it differently from thee, although He calleth it by the name of repentance; for thou dost it, because thou hadst erred; while He doth it, because He avengeth, or freeth. He changed Saul's kingdom, when He repented, as it is said: and in the very passage where the Scripture saith, " It repented Him; " it is said a little after, " for He is not a man that He should repent." ' When therefore He changeth His works through His immutable counsel, He is said to repent on account of this very change, not of His counsel, but of His work. But He promised this so as not to change it. Just as this passage also saith: " The Lord sware, and will not repent, Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedec; " 2 so also since this was promised so that it should not be changed, because it must needs happen and be permanent; he saith, " The Ix)rd hath made a faithful oath unto David, and He shall not repent; Of the fruit of thy body shall I set upon thy seat." He might have said, '• of the fruit of thy loins," wherefore did He choose to say, " Of the fruit of thy body "? Had He said that also, it would have been true; but He chose to say with a further meaning, Ex fructu ventris, because Christ was born of a woman without the man.
12. What then? "The Lord hath made a faithful oath unto David, and He shall not shrink from it; Of the fruit of thy body shall I set upon thy seat. If thy children will keep My covenant and My testimonies that I shall learn them, their children also shall sit upon thy seat for evermore" (ver. 12). If thy children keep My covenant, their children also shall sit for evermore. The parents establish a desert on behalf of their children. What if his children should keep the covenant, and their children should not keep it? Why is the happiness of the children promised in relation to their parents' deservings? For what saith He, "If thy children will keep My covenant, their children also shall sit for evermore" — He saith not, if thy children keep My covenant, they shall sit upon thy seat; and if their children I keep My covenant, they also shall sit upon thy seat: but he saith, " If thy children keep My ' covenant, their children also shall sit upon thy I seat for evermore " — except because He here wished their fruit to be understood by their children? " If thy children," He saith, " will keep My covenant, and if thy children shall keep My testimonies that I shall learn them; their children also shall sit upon thy seat: " that is, this will be their fruit, that they sit upon thy seat. For in this life, brethren, do all of us who labour in Christ, all of us who tremble at His words, who in any way endeavour to execute His will, and groan while we pray His help j that we may fulfil what He commandeth; do j we already sit in those seats of bliss which are promised us? No: but holding His commandments, we hope this will come to pass. This hope is spoken of under the figure of sons; j because sons are the hope of man living in this [ life, sons are his fruit. For this reason also men, when excusing their avarice, allege that they are reserving for their children what they j hoard up; and, unwilling to give to the destitute, excuse themselves under the name of! piety, because their children are their hope. For all men who live according to this world, declare it to be their hope, to be fathers of children they may leave behind them. Thus then He describes hope generally under the name of children, and saith, " If thy children will keep My covenant and My testimonies that