9. " They shall hear My Words, for they have prevailed." My Words have prevailed over their words. They have spoken clever things, I true things. To praise one who talketh well is one thing, to praise One who speaketh truth is another. " They shall hear My Words, for they have prevailed." How have they prevailed? Who of them has been taken offering sacrifice, when such things were forbidden by the law, and has not denied it? Who of them has been taken worshipping an idol, and has not exclaimed, " I did it not," and feared lest he should be convicted? Such servants hath the devil. But how have the Words of the Lord prevailed? " Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves. Fear not those who kill the body," etc.2 He gave them fear, He suggested hope, He kindled love. " Fear not death," He saith. Do ye fear death? I die first. Fear ye, lest a hair of your head perish?
1 first rise again in the flesh uninjured. Rightly have ye heard His Words, for they have prevailed. They spake, and were slain; they fell, and yet stood. And what was the result of so many deaths of martyrs, save that those words prevailed, and the earth being, so to speak, watered by the blood of Christ's witnesses, the cross of the Church shot up everywhere? How have they " prevailed "? We have said already, when they were preached by men who feared not. Feared not what? Neither banishment, nor losses, nor death, nor crucifixion: for it was not death alone that they did not fear; but even crucifixion, a death than which none was thought more accursed. It the Lord endured, that His disciples might not only not fear death, but not even that kind of death. When then these things are said by men that fear not, they have prevailed.
1 " On the foreheads," MSS.
* Matt. x. 16, 28.
10. What then have all those deaths of the martyrs accomplished? Listen: " As the fatness of the earth is spread over the earth, our bones have been scattered beside the pit " (ver. 7). "The bones" of the martyrs, that is, the bodies of the witnesses of Christ. The martyrs were slain, and they who slew them seemed to prevail. They prevailed by persecution, that the words of Christ might prevail by preaching. And what was the result of the deaths of the saints? What meaneth, " the fatness of the earth is spread over the earth "? We know that everything that is refuse is the fatness of the earth. The things which are, as it were, contemptible to men, enrich the earth..." Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints."3 As it is contemptible to the world, so is it precious to the husbandman. For he knoweth the use thereof, and its rich juice; he knoweth what he desireth, what he seeketh, whence the fertile crop ariseth; but this world despiseth it. Know ye not that " God hath chosen the contemptible things of the world, and those which are not, like as those which are, that the things which are may be brought to nought"?4 From the dunghill was Peter lifted up, and Paul; when they were put to death, they were despised: now, the earth having been enriched by them, and the cross of the Church springing up, behold, all that is noble and chief in the world, even the emperor himself, cometh to Rome, and whither does he hasten? to the temple of the emperor, or the memorial of the fisherman?
11. "For unto Thee, Lord, are mine eyes; in Thee have I hoped, take not Thou away my life" (ver. 8). For they were tortured in persecutions, and many failed. It occurreth to him that many have failed, many have been in hazard, and as it were in the midst of the tribulation of persecution is sent forth the voice of one praying; " For unto Thee, Lord, are mine eyes: " I care not what they threaten who stand around, " unto Thee, Lord, are mine eyes." More do I fix mine eye on Thy promises than on their threats. I know what Thou hast suffered for me, what Thou hast promised me.
12. " Keep me from the trap which they have laid for me" (ver. 9). What was the trap? " If thou consentest, I spare thee." In the trap was set the bait of the present life; if the bird love this bait, it falleth into the trap: but if the bird be able to say, " The day of man have I not desired: Thou knowest: " 5 " He shall pluck his feet out of the net," etc.6 Two things he hath mentioned to be distinguished the one from the other: the trap he said was set by persecutors; the stumbling-blocks came from 3 Ps. cxvi. 15. 5 Jer. xvii. 16.
[Psalm CXLII.
those who have consented and apostatised: and from both he desires to be guarded. On the one side they threaten and rage, on the other consent and fall: I fear lest the one be such, that I fear him; the other such, that I imitate him. " This I do to thee, if thou consent not." " Keep me from the trap," etc. " Behold, thy brother hath already consented." "And from the stumbling-blocks," etc.
13. "Sinners shall fall into his nets" (ver. 10). Not all sinners: certain sinners, who are so great sinners, as to love this life to such a degree as to prefer it to everlasting life, " shall fall into his trap." But what sayest thou? Shall they that are such, thinkest thou, fall into his nets? what of Thy disciples, O Christ? Behold, when persecution was raging, when they all " left Thee alone, and went every one to his own: " ' lo! they who were closest to Thee, in Thy trial and persecution, when Thine enemies demanded Thee to be crucified, abandoned Thee. And that bold one, who had promised Thee that he would go with Thee even unto death, heard from the Physician what was being done irf him, the sick man. For being in a fever, he had said he was whole; but the Lord touched the vein of his heart. Then came the trial; then came the test; then came the accusation; and now, questioned not by some great power, but by a humble slave, and that a woman, questioned by a handmaid, he yielded; he denied thrice..." He wept bitterly," it saith. Not yet was he fitted to suffer. To him was said, " Thou shalt follow Me afterwards." 2 Hereafter he was to be firm, having been strengthened by the Lord's Resurrection. Not yet then was it time that those " bones " should be " scattered beside the pit." For see how many failed, even to those who first hung on His mouth; even they failed. Wherefore? "I am alone, until I pass over: " for this followeth in the Psalm...
14. Pascha, as they say who know, and who have explained to us what to read, meaneth "Passover." When then the Lord's Passion was about to come, the Evangelist, as though he would use this very word, saith, "When the hour was come that Jesus should pass over to the Father."' We hear then of Pascha in this verse, " I am alone, until I pass over." After Pascha I shall no longer be alone, after passingover I shall no longer be alone. Many shall imitate Me, many shall follow Me. And if afterward they shall follow, what shall be the case now? "I am alone, until I pass over." What is it that the Lord saith in this Psalm, " I am alone, until I pass over "? What is it that we have expounded? If we have understood it, ■ John xri. 33.
* John xiii. 36.
* John xiii. x.
listen to His own words in the Gospel. " Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it beareth much fruit." 4...Therefore He was alone before He was put to death...So far was any from dying for the Name, that is, for confessing the Name of Christ, before that Corn of wheat fell into the ground, that even John, who was slain just before Him, being given by a wicked king to a dancing woman, was not put to death because he confessed Christ. Of course he might have been put to death for this, and that by many. If for another reason he was put to death by one man, how much more might he have been put to death by those very men, who put Christ to death? For John gave testimony to Christ. They who heard Christ, wished to slay Him; the man who gave testimony to Him they slew not...He is not slain by the Jews who gave free testimony to Christ, whom the Jews slew; he is slain by Herod, because he said to him, " It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife." 5 For his brother had not died without issue.6 For the law of truth, for equity, for righteousness' sake, he did die: therefore is he a saint, therefore a martyr; but yet he died not for that Name whereby we are Christians, wherefore, save that the saying might be fulfilled, " I am alone, until I pass over."
PSALM CXLII.?
PSALM CXLII.?
1..."With my voice have I cried unto the Lord " (ver. i). It were enough to say, "with voice: " not for nothing perhaps has " my " been added. For many cry unto the Lord, not with their own voice, but with the voice of their body. Let the " inner man " then, in whom " Christ" hath begun to " dwell by faith," 8 cry unto the Lord, not with the din of his lips, but with the affection of his heart. God heareth not, where man heareth: unless thou criest with the voice of lungs and side and tongue, man heareth thee not: thy thought is thy cry to the Lord. " With my voice have I prayed unto the Lord." What he meant by, " I have cried," he explained when he said, " I have prayed." For they too who blaspheme, cry unto the Lord. In the former part he set down his crying, in the latter he explained what it was. As though it were demanded, With what cry hast thou cried unto the Lord? Unto the Lord, saith he, I have prayed. My cry is my prayer, not reviling, not murmuring, not blaspheming.
2. " I will pour out before Him my prayer" (ver. 2). What is, "before Him"? In His sight. What is, in His sight? Where He seeth. But where doth He not see? For so do we say, * John xii. 94, 1 tat. CXLI.
3* * Matt. xtv. 4.
Sermon to the people.
Psalm CXLII.]
' where He seeth,' as though somewhere He seeth not. But in this assemblage of bodily substances men too see, animals too see: He seeth where man seetli not. For thy thoughts no man seeth, but God seeth. There then pour out thy prayer, where He alone seeth, who rewardeth. For the Lord Jesus Christ bade thee pray in secret: but if thou knowest what "thy closet" is, and cleansest it, there thou prayest to God. " But thou," saith He, "when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and shut the door, and pray to thy Father in secret, and He who seeth in secret shall reward thee." ' If men are to reward thee, pour out thy prayer before men: if God is to reward thee, pour out thy prayer before Him; and close the door, lest the tempter enter. Therefore the Apostle, because it is in our power to shut the door, the door of our hearts, not of our walls, for in it is our " closet," — because it is in our power to shut this door, saith, " neither give place to the devil." 2 But what is to "shut the door"? This door hath as it were two leaves, desire and fear. Either thou desireth something earthly, and he enters by this; or thou fearest something earthly, and he enters by that. Close then the door of fear and desire against the devil, open it to Christ. How dost thou open these folding doors to Christ? By desiring the kingdom of heaven, by fearing the fire of hell. By desire of this world the devil entereth, by desire of eternal life Christ entereth; by fear of temporal punishment the' devil entereth, by fear of everlasting fire Christ entereth...
3. " My tribulation I will proclaim in His sight." There is a repetition, both in the two preceding sentences, and in these which follow: the sentiments are two, but both twice expressed...For, " in His sight," is the same as " before Him; " "I will proclaim my tribulation," is the same as, " I will pour out my prayer." When doest thou this? Being set in the midst of persecution, he saith, "while my spirit failed from me" (ver. 3). Wherefore hath thy spirit failed, 0 martyr, set in tribulation? That I may not claim my strength as mine own, that I may know that Another worketh in me the goodness 1 have. And men perhaps have heard that my spirit hath failed within me, and have despaired of me, and have said, " we have taken him captive, we have overpowered him; " " and Thou hast known my paths." They thought me cast down, Thou didst see me standing upright. They who persecuted me and had seized me, thought my feet entangled, " but their feet were entangled, and they fell, but we are risen, and stand upright." * For mine eyes are ever unto the Lord, for He shall pluck 1 Malt. vi. 6.
2 Eph. iv. 37.
3 Ps. XX. 8.
my feet out of the net." 4 I have persevered in walking, for " he that shall persevere unto the end, the same shall be saved." s They thought me overpowered, but I continued walking. Where did I walk? In paths which they saw not, who thought me prisoner, in the paths of Thy righteousness, in the paths of Thy commandments...For every path is a way, but not every way is a path. Why then are those ways called paths, save because they are narrow? Broad is the way of the wicked, narrow the way of the righteous. That which is " the way " is also " the ways," just as " the Church " is also " the Churches," the " heaven " also the " heavens: " they are spoken of in the plural, they are spoken of also in the singular. On account of the unity of the Church it is one Church; " My dove is one, she is the only one of her mother." 6 On account of the congregation of brethren in various places there are many Churches. " The Churches of Judaea which are in Christ rejoiced," saith Paul/ "and they glorified God in me." Thus he spake of Churches; and of one Church he thus speaketh, " Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the Church of God."...
4. " In this way, wherein I was walking, they hid a trap for me." This " way wherein I was walking," is Christ; there have they laid a trap for me, who persecute me in Christ, for Christ's Name's sake. There then " have they hid for me a trap." What in me do they hate, what in me do they persecute? That I am a Christian...For the heretics too wish to hide a stumblingblock for us in the Name of Christ, and are themselves deceived. What they think that they put in the way, they put outside the way, for they themselves are outside the way. They cannot set a trap where themselves are not...The Pagan thinketh to put a stumbling-block in the way, when he saith to me, " Thou worshippest a crucified God." He findeth fault with the Cross of Christ, which he understandeth not. He thinketh that he setteth in Christ, what he setteth near the way. I will not depart from Christ, so shall I not fall from the way into the trap. Let him mock at Christ crucified, let me see the Cross of Christ on the foreheads of kings. What he laugheth at, therein am I saved. Nought is prouder than a sick man, who laugheth at his own medicine. If he laughed no', at it, he would take it, and be healed. The Cross is the sign of humility, but he through excess of.pride acknowledgeth not that whereby may be healed the swelling of his soul. But if I acknowledge, I am walking in the way. So far am I from blushing at the Cross, that in no secret place do I keep the Cross of Christ, but bear it on my 4 Ps. xxv. is. 7 Gal. i. aa, 33.
5 Matt. x. 33.
» Cant. vi. 8.
[PSALM CXLII.
forehead. Many sacraments we receive, one in one way another in another: some as ye know we receive with the mouth, some we receive over the whole body. But because the forehead is the seat of the blush of shame, He who said, " Whosoever shall be ashamed of Me before men, of him will I be ashamed before My Father which is in heaven," ' set, so to speak, that very ignominy which the Pagans mock at, in the seat of our shame. Thou hearest a man assail a shameless man and say, " He hath no forehead." What is, " He hath no forehead "? He hath no shame. Let me not have a bare forehead, let the Cross of my Lord cover it...
5. " I considered upon the right hand, and saw" (ver. 4). He considered upon the right hand, and saw: whoso considereth upon the left hand, is blinded. What is to consider on the right hand? Where they will be to whom shall be said, " Come, ye blessed of My Father," etc.,2...He goeth on to say, " and there was none that knew me." For when thou fearest all things, who knoweth what thou regardest, whether thou directest thine eyes to the right hand or to the left? If, in bearing, thou seekest the praise of men, thou hast regarded the left: if, in bearing, thou seekest the promises of God, thou hast regarded the right hand. Hast thou regarded the right hand, thou shalt see: hast thou regarded the left hand, thou shalt be blinded. But even when thou seest on the right hand, there will be none to know thee. For who comforteth thee save the Lord? " Flight hath perished from me." He speaketh as though he were hemmed in. Let the persecutors rejoice over him; he is overpowered, he is taken, he is hemmed in, he is conquered. " Flight hath perished " from him who fleeth not. But he who fleeth not, suffereth whatever he can for Christ: that is, he fleeth not in soul. For in body it is lawful to flee; it is allowed, it is permitted; for the Lord saith, " When they persecute you in one city, flee to another."' He then who fleeth not in soul, from him " flight hath perished." But it maketh a difference why he fleeth not; whether because he is hemmed in, because he is caught, or because he is brave. For both from him that is caught flight hath perished, and from him that is brave flight hath perished. What flight then is to be avoided? what flight shall we allow to perish from us? That whereof the Lord speaketh in the Gospel, " The Good Shepherd layeth down his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, when he seeth the wolf coming, fleeth." When he seeth the ravager, why fleeth he? " Because he careth not for the sheep." ♦...In two ways a man's life is sought, either by his persecutors or by his lovers.'
So then " there is none to seek my life," he said of them; verily they persecute my life, and they seek not my life. But if they seek my life, they will find it clinging to Thee: and if they know to seek it, they know also to imitate it.
6. " Unto thee have I cried, O Lord: I have said, Thou art my hope " (ver. 5 ). When I endured, when I was in tribulation, " I said, Thou art my hope." My hope here, therefore I endure. But " my portion," not here, but " in the land of the living." God giveth a portion in the land of the living; but not something from Himself without Himself. What will He give to one that loveth Him, save Himself?
7. " Give heed unto my prayer, for much have I been humbled " (ver. 6). Humbled by persecutors, humbled in confession. He humbleth himself out of the sight of man: he is humbled by enemies in their sight. Therefore is he lifted up by Him both visibly and invisibly. Invisibly are the martyrs already lifted up; visibly shall they be lifted up, " when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption " in the resurrection of the dead; when this very part of him, against which alone her persecutors could rage, shall be renewed. " Fear not them that kill the body, but cannot kill the soul." 6 And what perisheth? what kill they?...Why then art thou anxious about the rest of thy members, when thou shalt not lose even a hair?? " Deliver me from them that persecute me." From whom thinkest thou that he prayeth to be delivered? From men who persecuted him? Is it so? are merely men our enemies? We have other enemies, invisible, who persecute us in another way. Man persecuteth, that he may slay the body; another persecuteth, that he ensnare the soul.8...There are then other enemies of ours too, from whom we ought to pray God to deliver us, lest they lead us astray, either by crushing us with troubles of this world, or alluring us by its enticements. Who are these enemies? Let us see whether they are plainly described by any servant of the Lord, by any soldier, now perfected, who hath engaged with them. Hear the Apostle saying, " We wrestle not against flesh and blood: " » as though he would say, Turn not your hatred against men; think not them your enemies; think not that it is by their hostility you are being bruised; these men whom ye fear are flesh and blood..." For they are strengthened over me." Who said, "they are strengthened over me"? The Body of Christ crieth out; it is the voice of the Church; the members of Christ cry out, " Much hath the number of sinners increased." " Because iniquity hath abounded, the love of many waxeth cold.",0 8. " Bring forth my soul out of prison, that ' [Luke xxi. 18. 10 Malt. xxiv. 12.
-C] « Eph.:i. a.
TSALM CXLIII.]
it may confess to Thy Name " (ver. 7). This " prison " has been variously understood by former writers. And perhaps it is the prison which is called in the title, " the cave." For the title of this Psalm runneth thus: " Of understanding to David himself, a prayer when he was in the cave." That which is the cave, the same is also the prison. Two things have we set before us to understand, but when we have understood one, both will be understood.' A man's deserts make a prison. For in one dwelling place one man finds a house, another a prison...To some then it has seemed that the " cave " and " prison " are this world; and this the Church prayeth, that it may be brought out of prison, that is, from this world, from under the sun, where all is vanity.' Beyond this world then God promiseth that we shall be in some sort of rest; therefore perhaps do we cry concerning this place, " Bring my soul out of prison." Our soul by faith and hope is in Christ; " Your life is hid with Christ in God." But our body is in this prison, in this world...But some have said, that this prison and cave is this body, so that this is the meaning of, " Bring my soul out of prison." But this interpretation too is somewhat at fault. For what great thing is it to say, " Bring my soul out of prison," bring my soul out of the body? Do not the souls of robbers and wicked men go forth from the body, and go into worse punishment than here they have endured? What great request then is this, " Bring my soul out of prison," when, sooner or later, it must needs come forth? Perhaps the righteous saith, " Let me die now; bring forth my soul from this prison of the body." If he be too hasty, he hath not love. He ought indeed to long for and desire, as the Apostle saith, " having a desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ, which is far better." But where is love? Therefore it followeth, " but to abide in the flesh is needful for you." Let God then lead us forth from the body, when He will. Our body too might be said to be a prison, not because that is a prison which God hath made, but because it is under punishment and liable to death. For there are two things to be considered in our body, God's workmanship, and the punishment it has deserved...Perhaps then he meant by, " Bring my soul out of prison," bring my soul out of corruption. If thus we understand it, it is no blasphemy, the meaning is consistent. Lastly, brethren, as I think, he meant this; " Bring my soul out of prison," bring it out of straitness. For to one who rejoiceth, even a prison is wide; to one in sorrow, a field is strait. Therefore prayeth he to be brought out of straitness. For though 1 Eccles. i. 2, etc in hope he have enlargement, yet in reality at at present he is straitened...It is not the body that weigheth down the soul, but the corruptible body. It is not the body then that maketh the prison, but the corruption. " Bring my soul out of prison, that it may give thanks to Thy Name." Now the words which follow seem to come from the Head, our Lord Jesus Christ. And they are the same as yesterday's last words. Yesterday's last words, if ye remember, were, " I am alone, until I pass over." And here what are the last words? " The righteous shall sustain me, until thou recompense me."
PSALM CXLIII.2 1...The title of the Psalm is, "To David himself, when his son was pursuing him." We know from the Books of Kings3 that this happened:...but we must recognise here another David, truly " strong in hand," which is the explanation of David, even our Lord Jesus Christ. For all those events of past time were figures of things to come. Let us seek then in this Psalm our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, announcing Himself beforehand in His prophecy, and foretelling what should happen at this time by things which were done long ago. For He Himself foretold Himself in the Prophets: for He is the Word of God. Nor did they say ought of this kind, save when filled with the Word of God. They announced then Christ, being filled with Christ,4 they went before Him about to come, and He deserted not them going before...
2. Let then our Lord speak; let Christ with us, whole Christ, speak. " Lord, hear my prayer, receive with Thine ears my entreaty " (ver. 1). " Hear " and " receive with ears " are the same thing. It is repetition, it is confirmation. " In Thy truth hear me, in Thy righteousness." Take it not without emphasis when it is said, " in Thy righteousness." For it is a commendation of grace, that none of us think his righteousness his own. For this is the righteousness of God, which God hath given thee to possess. For what saith the Apostle of them, who would boast of their own righteousness? Speaking of the Jews, he saith, " they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge."3...Thou art perverse, because thou imputest what thou hast done ill to God, what well to thyself: thou wilt be right, when thou imputest what thou hast done ill to thyself, what well to God...Behold, " in Thy righteousness hear me." For when I look upon myself, nought else do I find mine own, save sin.
3. " And enter not into judgment with Thy servant" (ver. 2). Who are willing to enter into judgment with Him, save they who, " being 2 Lat. CXLII. A sermon to the people. « [1 Pet. i. to, it, 12.— C.j [Psalm CXLIII.
ignorant of the righteousness of God, go about to establish their own?" "Wherefore have we fasted, and Thou hast not seen; wherefore have we afflicted our souls, and Thou takest no knowledge? " ' As though they would say, " We have done what Thou hast commanded, wherefore dost Thou not render to us what Thou hast promised? " God answereth thee: I will give to thee to receive what I have promised: I have given thee that thou shouldest do that whereby thou mayest receive. Finally, to such proud ones the Prophet speaketh; " Wherefore will ye plead with Me? ye have all transgressed against Me, saith the Lord." 2 Why will ye enter into judgment with Me, and recount your own righteousnesses?..." For before Thee every one living shall not be justified." " Every one living; " living, that is, here,' living in the flesh, living in expectation of death; born a man; deriving his life of man; sprung from Adam, a living Adam; every one thus living may perhaps be justified before himself, but not before Thee. How before himself? By pleasing himself, displeasing Thee. Enter not then into judgment with me, O Lord my God. How straight soever I seem to myself, Th6u bringest forth a standard from Thy store-house, Thou fittest me to it, and I am found crooked. Well is it said, " with Thy servant." It is unworthy of Thee to enter into judgment with Thy servant, or even with Thy friend.3...What of the Apostles themselves?
...That ye may perceive it at once, they learnt to pray what we pray: to them was given the pattern of prayer by the heavenly Counsellor. "After this manner," saith He, " pray ye." 4 And having set down certain things first, He laid down this too to be said by the leaders of the sheep, the chief members of the Shepherd and Gatherer * of the one flock; even they learnt to say, "Forgive us our debts."6 They said not, "Thanks be to Thee, who hast forgiven us our debts, as we too forgive our debtors," but, " Forgive, as we forgive." But surely the faithful prayed then, surely the Apostles prayed then, for this Lord's Prayer was given rather to the faithful. If those debts only were meant which are forgiven by Baptism, it would befit catechumens rather to say, " Forgive us our debts." Let the Apostles then say, yea let them say, " Forgive us our debts." And when it is said to them, " Wherefore say ye this? what are your debts?" let them answer, "for in Thy sight every one living shall not be justified."